POPPY. 61 



these poppy seeds over it, which gave the 

 bread an agreeable taste when baked. Galen 

 also notices, that the seed is good to flavour 

 bread. The Romans likewise bruised the 

 heads of these poppies with the seeds in them, 

 which they drank in their wine to procure 

 sleep. The narcotic quality of this plant was 

 known to the Greeks, at least 416* years before 

 the birth of Christ ; as Diagoras, at that time 

 advised the stem of the black poppy to be 

 cut off about the time of its flowering, as the 

 best season to procure the milky juice that 

 forms the opium. 



Erasistratus, who was grandson to Aris- 

 totle, condemned the use of opium in any 

 case. This celebrated physician was an 

 enemy to all violent medicines. Andreas 

 observes, that if it were not for the Alexan- 

 drians' adulterating it, those who use it would 

 be blind. 



Pliny informs us, that the Romans made 

 incisions in the head of the poppy, after 

 it had done flowering, and caught the liquid 

 on wool, unless it ran in small quantities and 

 became a gum, in which case it was gathered 

 by the thumb-nail, in the same manner as 

 the juice of lettuce was collected. The Ro- 

 mans appear to have made considerable use 



