History of Afiwial Plagues. 37 



from having suffered from starvation, at other times from havino; 

 been put to full speed after a long rest, or drinking while hot 

 and perspiring. His remedies were two. The first was an 

 antidote, composed of myrrh, laurel leaves, scrapings of ivory, 

 gentian, and other articles, mixed with wine, and given in doses 

 until the horse was cured. The second smacks stronoiv of the 

 disgusting quackery of a much later time. A cygnet was to be 

 taken with its feathers on, and simmered in a pot until reduced 

 to ashes. Of these, a portion was to be given in good wine, 

 until the disease disappeared. Salt brine was to be administered 

 at the same time by the nostrils. It was observed in the time of 

 this writer that pestilential and contagious diseases often broke 

 out among the horses of an army when on active service in the 

 field, and were thought to be due to bad nourishment. But 

 when these diseases broke out in time of peace, and in town and 

 country alike, then were the causes more obscure, though they 

 could generally be traced to improper or tainted forage, putrid 

 water, and the foul. atmosphere of stables. Much stress is laid 

 in ascertaining the causes of these maladies, and nothing was to 

 be left undone in discovering them. Then means were to be 

 adopted for destroying the poison by medicaments — such as 

 gentian, ivory raspings, laurel leaves^ &c. If the horse was of 

 a sanguine nature, he was to be bled from the jugular veins, and 

 enemas were to be given. The symptoms of contagious diseases 

 were sin)ilar to those of fever, only there was a drier and more 

 furred mouth, and the breathing was more frequent.^ 



About this time St Jerome writes : ' We have seen in our 

 days swarms of locusts over the land of Judaea, which were after- 

 wards, through the mercy of God, driven by the wind into the 

 first and last sea [in mure primiim et novissimum — the Eastern 

 and Western Sea). And when the shores of both seas were filled 

 with heaps of dead locusts, the putrefaction and stench of them 

 were noxious to such a degree as to corrupt tlie air, and produce 

 a pestilence both among n\G.n and some kinds of animals {pesti- 

 lenlia tarn jumentorum cjuain humhium gigneretur).' - 



A.D. 443. The winter was dreadfully severe. So much snow 



' La Veterinaria di Pelagonio. I'odova, 1S28. 

 '^ Jlicronymiis. Comment in Joel, chap. ii. 



