Vlll INTHODUCTIOJT. 



a mark of such disrespect, that he banished him to 

 the island of Halta. Oppian, with filial piety, accom- 

 panied his father in his exile, and there wrote his 

 Halieuticks ; or, the nature of Fishes, and Pishing ; 

 thought to be one of the finest remains of antiquity. 



According to the custom of those times, Oppian 

 recited his Halieuticks in a public theatre, before the 

 emperor, who was so delighted with the sweetness of 

 the composition, the novelty of the subject, and pro- 

 bably the flattery of himself, and his son Caracalla, 

 who reigned jointly with his father, diffused through- 

 out the whole poem, that in order also to support his 

 character as a patron of learning, of which he wa;i 

 proud, he desired Oppian to ask what he would, — 

 nothing should be denied to him. Oppian prayed 

 for the restoration of his father to liberty, and to his 

 country ; the emperor not only granted this, but pre- 

 sented him with 3,506 staters of gold, each stater 

 being about I65. 4.d., or together then of the value of 

 £2863 2s. 8d. The munificent gift at the present 

 time would be enormous in value. 



Oppian was, no doubt, personally engaged in the 

 diversions he so well describes, and also availed him- 

 self of all the knowledge of more ancient philosophers 

 in the prosecution of his studies as a naturalist ; he 

 united the utile et dulee, the philosopher with the 



