BOOK XII. xL. 80-xLi. 83 



to the kings of the Persians. From Syria they bring 

 back styrax," which they biirn on their hearths, for 

 its powerful scent to dispel their disHke for their 

 own scents. For the rest, no other kinds of wood 

 are in use among them except those that are scented ; 

 and the Sabaei even cook their food with incense- 

 wood, and other tribes with that of the myrrh-tree, 

 so that the smoke and vapour of their towns and 

 districts is just hke that which rises from altars. In 

 order therefore to remedy tliis smell they obtain 

 styrax in goat-skins and fumigate their houses with 

 it: so true it is that there is no pleasure the con- 

 tinued enjoyment of which does not engender disgust. 

 They also burn styrax to drive away the snakes which 

 abound in the forests of perfume-producing trees. 



XLI. These people have not ffot cinnamon or '^'"«^(^ ^'«'^'^ 



T 11 * 1- •.ii<TT > — clavnlo 



casia, and nevertneiess Arabia is styled Happy tuieex- 

 — a country with a false and ungrateful appellation, 

 as she puts her happiness to the credit of the powers 

 above, although she owes more of it to the power 

 below.* Her good fortune has been caused by the 

 hixury of mankind even in the hour of death, when 

 they burn over the departed the products which 

 they had originally understood to have been created 

 for the gods. Good authorities declare that Arabia 

 does not produce so large a quantity of perfume in a 

 year's output as was burned by the Emperor Nero in 

 a day at the obsequies of his consort Poppaea. Then 

 reckon up the vast number of funerals celebrated 

 yearly throughout the entire world, and the perfumes 

 such as are given to the gods a grain at a time, that 

 are piled up in heaps to the honour of dead bodies ! 

 Yet the gods used not to regard with less favour the 

 worshippers who petitioned them with salted spelt, 



61 



amined. 



