BOOK XVI. V. 13-V1. 16 



at the games it is the custom for even the senate 

 always to rise at his entrance, and he has the right to 

 sit next to the senators ; and he himself and his 

 father and his paternal grandfather are exempt 

 from all pubhc duties. Siccius Dentatus, as we have vii. 102. 

 mentioned at the proper place, won fourteen Civic 

 Wreaths, and CapitoHnus six, one in his case being 

 actually for saving the Hfe of his commanding officer 

 Ser\dHus. Scipio Africanus refused to accept a 

 wreath for rescuing his father at the Trebbia.** 

 How worthy of eternity is a national character that 

 rewarded exploits so distinguished with honour 

 only, and whereas it enhanced the value of its other 

 wreaths with gold, refused to aHow the rescue of a 

 citizen to be a thing of price, thus loudly proclaiming 

 that it is wrong even to save the Hfe of a human being 

 for the sake of gain ! 



VI. Acorns at this very day constitute the wealth Acnmsas 

 of many races, even when they are enjoying peace. -f^^jf^^ '"^^''"' 

 Moreover also when there is a scarcity of corn they 

 are dried and ground into flour which is kneaded to 

 make bread ; beside this, at the present day also 

 in the Spanish provinces a place is found for acorns 

 in the second course at table. Acorns have a 

 sweeter flavour when roasted in the ashes. More- 

 over it was provided by law in the Twelve Tables 

 that it was permissible to gather up acorns falHng 

 on to another person's land. There are many kinds 

 of acorns, and they differ in their fruit, habitat, sex 

 and flavour, some having the shape of the beech- 

 nut and others of the mast of the oak and the holm- 

 oak, and there are also differences within each of 

 these varieties. Moreover some grow wild in forests 

 and others are more tame, occupying cultivated 



397 



