BOOK VII. XII. 51-54 



adultery with an Ethiopian but had a complexion 

 no difFerent from that of other women," whereas 

 Nicaeus himself reproduced his Ethiopian grand- 

 father. 



Cases of Ukeness are indeed an cxtremely wide sub- causes of 

 i ect , and one which includcs the beUef that a ff reat many !r,?!^-L. 

 accidental circumstances are influential — recollections 

 of sights and sounds and actual sense-impressions 

 received at the time of conception. Also a thought 

 suddenly flitting across the mind of either parent is 

 supposed to produce Ukeness or to cause a combina- 

 tion of features, and the reason why there are more 

 diiferences in man than in aU the other animals is 

 that his swiftness of thought and quickness of mind 

 and variety of mental character impress a great 

 diversity of patterns, whereas the minds of the other 

 animals are sluggish, and are aUke for aU and sundry, 

 each in their own kind. A man of low station Cases of 

 named Artemo so closely resembled Antiochus,'' king \l^i^"[ated^ 

 of Svria, that the royal consort Laodice after she had persons. 

 murdered Antiochus successfuUy made use of him 

 to stage a play of her being recommended for 

 succession to the throne. Pompey the Great had 

 two doubles almost indistinguishable froni him in ap- 

 pearance, a plebeian named Vibius and one PubUcius 

 who was actuaUy a Uberated slave, both of wliom 

 reproduced that noblc countenance and the actual 

 dignity of his magnificent brow. A similar re- 

 semblance was the reason that saddled Pompey's 

 father also with the surname Menojjenes, that beinor 



o ' o 



the name of his cook, when he already had the 

 surname Strabo <^ from the appearance of his eyes, 

 which actuaUy copied a defect in his slave ; and a 

 Scipio received the surname Serapio in a similar way, 



541 



