I40 VARRO ON FARMING [bk. 



Lambs as a rule are not weaned until four 

 months old, kids until three, pigs until two. Of the 

 last-named those which are without blemish, and fit 

 for sacrifice, were once called sacres^ a word em- 

 ployed by Plautus in the phrase, ^* What price are 

 porci sacres? " ' Similarly fat beasts, fattened for 

 public sacrifices, are called opimi, 



21 ■ The fourth section deals with the health of the 

 stock. It is of wide extent and must be taken into 

 serious account, for an unhealthy flock is very vul- 

 nerable, and owing to its weakness often suffers 

 great disaster from disease. 



Now, of this science (of health) there are two 

 branches, as in the case of men, one concerned with 

 such things as need the attendance of a doctor, the 

 other with those which even a shepherd who takes 

 pains may treat. It has three divisions, for you 

 must note (i) what is the cause of each particular 

 ailment ; (2) what are the characteristic symptoms of 

 those causes, and (3) what is the treatment which 

 each disease requires. 



22 In general what causes most diseases will be 



tree near the Palatine under which the twins were suckled 

 was called 7?^«j Ruminalis. 



^ Porci sacres. The passage referred to by Varro is Plaut., 

 Menaechm., ii, 2, 15: 



Adolescens quiJrus hie prStiis porci vineunt 

 Sacres, sinceri? Nummo. Eum a me dccipe 

 lube te piari de mea pecunia. 



Sacri and sacres are parallel, like hilari and hilares, epuloni 

 ^nd epulones, etc. 



