PLINY: NATURAL HISTORY 



BOOK XVII 



I. We have now stated the natiu'e of the trees that Arbori. 

 grow of their own accord on land and in the sea ; and 'yuil^^i^ 

 there remain those which owe what is more truly de- '''«^^- 

 >^cribed as their foi-mation than their birth to art and 

 to the ingenioas devices of mankind. But it is in place 

 first to express surprise at the way in which the trees 

 that, under the niggardly system that we have 

 recorded, were held in common ownersliip by the wild 

 animals, with man doing battle with them for the fruit 

 that fell to the ground and also with the birds for that 

 which still hung on the tree, have come to command 

 such high prices as articles of luxury — the most famous 

 instance, in my judgement, being the aifair of Lucius 

 Crassus and Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. Crassus 

 was one of the leading Roman orators ; he owned a 

 splendid mansion, but it was considerablv surpassed 

 by another that was also on the Palatine Ilill, be- 

 longing to Quintus Catulus, the coUeague of Gaius 

 Marius in the defeat" of the Cimbrians ; while by far 

 the tinest house of that period was by universal agree- 

 ment the one on the Viminal Hill owned by Gaius 

 Aquilius, Knight of Rome, who was even more cele- 

 brated for this property than he was for his knowledge 

 of civil law, although nevertheless in the case of 



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