144 VARRO ON FARMING [bk. 



CHAPTER II 



OF SHEEP 



1 But, as we have now completed our task, and the 

 subject of cattle-raising has been sketched in out 

 line, it is the turn of you Epirot experts to fill in thj 

 details and show the mettle ' of shepherds from Pei 

 gamis ^ and Maledos. Then Atticus, who was th( 



2 Titus Pomponius, but is now called Ouintus Cae 

 cilius Atticus,^ as he still keeps the cognomen Att 

 cus, said, I suppose I had better begin, for if I ai 

 not mistaken it was at me you looked when yoi 

 spoke just now. My topic shall be the most ancient 



^ Potis sint. Archaic, of course, iox possint. Varro, L. L., 

 vii, 5, quotes Pacuvius : Nulla res neque || Cicurare neque mederi 

 potis est. The word potis Is generally considered to be an in- 

 declinable adjective or an adverb like magis. Varro, how- 

 ever, has Dii potes. Ennlus has potessunt for possunt. Lu- 

 cretius (v. 1) : IVec potis est cerni quod cassum luviine fertur, 

 " Nor is it possible, "etc. Plautus (Poenulus, i, 2, 17) : Populo^ 

 cut luhet, plus satis dare potis sunt. 



^ Pergamis and Maledos. Nothing seems to be known 

 about either. 



^ Nunc Quintus Caecilius. In 58 B.C. Atticus was adopted 

 {testamento) by his uncle Quintus Caecilius. On 4th October 

 of the same year Cicero writes from Thessalonica to congratu- 

 late him. The letter is headed: "Cicero S. D., Q. Caecilio 

 Q. F. Pomponiano Attico." 



Atticus's full name after the adoption was thus : Quintus 

 Caecilius Pomponlanus Atticus. So Caius Octavius became 

 C. Julius Caesar Octavianus. 



