Ill] OF FISH-PONDS 351 



it into his ponds, when the sea was stormy, and^ 

 when, owing to the weather, the market that supplies 

 the fish-ponds (the sea, that is) refused its food, and 

 the live food, the fish eaten by the common people 

 for supper, could not be got to shore with a net. 

 You would sooner, said I, have got Hortensius's 

 consent to your taking his carriage-mules from the 

 stable and keeping them for your own, than a 



8 bearded mullet from his fish-pond. And, Axius 

 went on, he was as much troubled about a sick fish 

 as about a slave who was not very well, and so took 

 less pains to prevent a slave who was ill from drink- 

 ing cold water than to see that his fish had it fresh. 

 For neglect in this matter he used to blame Marcus 

 Lucullus,^ and thought little of his fish-ponds, as, 

 he said, Lucullus had no proper tidal basins, and 

 as the water was stagnant his fish lived in an un- 



9 healthy place, whereas Lucius Lucullus, who near 



* Ac, The sense of the passage would be greatly improved 

 if nee were read instead of ac, for then viare {piscinaru7n mare), 

 doubtless interpolated, could be explained as a scribe's note on 

 macellum. Hortensius used to buy salt fish, when, owing to a 

 storm, the market which usually supplied his fish-ponds {i.e., 

 the sea) did not supply food, etc. Columella (viii, 17, 12) recom- 

 mends all kinds of salt fish, rotten sardines, etc., and the 

 sweepings of the fishmongers' stalls {quae cetariorum offieinis 

 i-^'crrantur). 



* Mareus Lucullus. A brother of Lucius Lucullus. The two 

 are often mentioned together by Cicero, cf De Provin. Con- 

 sular., 9, and Dc Oflficiis, ii, 14 {ut duo Lucullt), etc. Cf. 

 Velleius Paterculus (ii, 49, 1): si prius jp-atulatus ero Q. Catulo^ 

 duobus LucuUis, Metelloque et Hortensio. 



