History of Animal Plagues. 27 



purulent plilyctenae, which appeared hke blisters excited by a 

 secret fire beneath/ 



A. D. T90. 'About this time a great pestilence raged over 

 all Italv, and became most violent in Rome by reason of the 

 great concourse of people assembled from all quarters of the 

 world. Wherefore a great loss of life took place amongst oxeii 

 and men, the excited cattle perishing amongst the people/ ^ 

 The sweet smell of the laurel-tree was supposed to counteract 

 the contagion. The people of Rome were advised bv their phy- 

 sicians to fill their noses and ears with odorous substances, and 

 tO|Use perfumes, sp as to nullify human effluvia and the con- 

 tagious atmosphere. Famine and pestilence raged for three 

 years. 



A. D. 216. Widespread pestilence in Italy, affecting man 

 and beast.- 



A.D. 238. In Ceylon ' a great famine and plague occurred 

 during this reign, attributed to the malignity of the red-eyed 

 demon. It was to appease this demon that a devil-dance was 

 instituted, which is kept up to this day.^ ^ Forbes thinks this 

 was smallpox, a disease which afterwards ravaged that island on 

 many occasions, 



A.D. 260. When Saphor, King of Persia, was besieging 

 Nisibus, his elephants and beasts of' burden were so suddenly 

 and furiously attacked by swarms of gnats, as to kill or disable 

 them, thus causing the siege to be raised, and subsequently lead- 

 ing to the discomfiture of that monarch's army.-** 



A.D. 314. In the reign of Constantine the Great, the large 

 island of Cyprus was 36 years without rain. So great a 

 famine ensued that all its animal inhabitants forsook it and 

 fied.^ 



A.D. 376. In this long interval, epidemics of various kinds 

 had reigned throughout the world, and caused incalculable mor- 

 tality; but though some of these, from their nature, may have 

 extended themselves to the lower animals, and thus rendered 



' Ilerodian. Mist., book i. ' Hdvetius. Cavriol. Hist. Brix. 



■'' Forbes. Eleven Years in Ceylon. Appendix, p. 286. 



* Thcodorilc. Hist. Ecclcs. book ii., chap. 30. ^ Pelaviiis. 



