12 History of Animal Plagues. 



of cattle was with them a destruction of the earth's produce, for 

 the soil could not be tilled, and from this would arise a famine. 

 ' Sine quibus (sc. Bobus) nee terra excoli nee humanum genus 

 sustentari ullatenus poterunt/ says Vegetius. Livy mentions 

 that neglect of culture and scarcity of corn were the usual effects 

 of epidemical sickness : Defuncta c'witate plurimorum rnorbis per- 

 paucis funeribus pestilentem annum inupia frugiim neglecto cultii 

 agrorum, ut pie rum que jit, excepit. This neglect of agriculture 

 might, on many occasions, be the effect of disease among the 

 cattle, as it was here of sickness among men; in which case it 

 would be the cause of an epidemic, as it is here said to have 

 been the effect of it. 



B.C. 545-6. A great famine and pestilence at Rome and in 

 the plain of Latium. Vast numbers of cattle died from a murrain, 

 and to such extremities were the inhabitants reduced that the 

 Volsci were compelled to petition the Romans for assistance in 

 re-peopling their cities.^ 



B.C. 488. A plague of animals and of men. 'A certain 

 pestilential disease affected all creatures, and made great havoc 

 amongst cattle. The mortality among mankind, however, was 

 not great, for they escaped the dangers arising from this dis- 

 ease.'' ^ 



B.C. 476. During this year, and for some years subse- 

 quent to this period, Spain was visited by various pestilences.^ 



B.C. 473. According to Mariana'* a plague reigned through- 

 out nearly the whole world. It began in Egypt, and at length 

 reached Spain, the disease generally commencing among the 

 cattle. A peculiar feature in its progress was that it nearly 

 always appeared in the country districts before it reached the 

 towns. 



B.C. 463. During a year of great heat and drought, the 

 Latins and Hernici were devastating the country around Rome. 

 The evil consequences arising from the fatigues of war were 

 greatly increased by crowds of country people, who, with their 



^ Dionysiits Ilalicaniassus, Fuiictiiis, and Miiratori. 

 ^ Dionysuts llaHcarnassus. Anticj. Rom. vii. 68. 

 ^ Florian de Campo. Vol. i. lib. ii. chap. 45. 

 * Jua7i de Mariana. Historia General de Espaila. 



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