BOOK XVIII. II. 8-III. iT 



Circus — the third " of these divinities it is irreverent 

 even to mention by name indoors--and people used 

 not even to taste the produce of a new harvest or 

 vintage before the priests had ofFered a libation of 

 the first-fruits. 



III. An area of land that one yoke of oxen could Eariyms- 

 plough in a day used to be called an acre/' and a i^tomencia- 

 distance which oxen could be driven with a ploufjh '"'"'■««<' 



11 /• 11 1 vocabulary. 



in a single spell oi reasonablc length was called a 

 furlong '^ ; this was 40 yards, and doubled longways 

 this made an acre. The most lavish gifts bestowed 

 on generals and valorous citizens were the largest 

 area of land that a person could plough round in 

 one day, and also a contribution from the whole 

 people of one or two quarterns of emmer wlieat a 

 head. Moreover the earHest surnames'' wei'e derived 

 from agriculture : the name ' Pilumnus ' belonged to 

 the inventor of the ' pestle ' for corn-mills, ' Piso ' 

 came from ' pounding ' corn, and again famihes were 

 named Fabius or Lentuhis or Cicero'' according as 

 someone was the best grower of some particuhir crop. 

 One of the Junius family received the namc of 

 Bubulcus because he was very good at managing oxen. 

 Moreovcr among religious rites none was invested 

 with more sanctity than that of Communion in Wheat, 

 and newly married brides used to carry in their hands 

 an offering of wheat. Bad husbandry was judged an 

 offence within the jurisdiction of the censors, and, as 

 Cato/ tells us, to praise a man by saying lie was a 

 good farmer and a good husbandman was thought to 



• Faba ' bean ', lens ' lentil ', cicer ' chick-pea '. The per- 

 sonal names if actuaUy derived from these vegetables were 

 more probablv nick-names than trade-names. 



' Prnef. 2, 3. 



195 



