PLINY: NATURAL HISTORY 



specus sequitur et saxa manantia, quod miremur, 



64 cum aquas non sentiat. calculos e corpore mire 

 pellit frangitque, utique nigrum, qua de causa potius 

 quam quod in saxis nasceretur a nostris saxifragum 

 appellatum crediderim. bibitur e vino quantum 

 terni decerpsere digiti. urinam ^ cient, serpentium 

 et araneorum venenis resistunt, in vino decocti 

 alvum sistunt. capitis dolores corona ex his sedat. 

 contra scolopendrae morsus inlinuntur, crebro aufe- 

 rendi ne perurant, hoc et in alopeciis. strumas 

 discutiunt furfuresque in facie et capitis manantia 



65 ulcera. decoctum ex his prodest suspiriosis et 

 iocineri et Heni et felle subfusis et hydropicis. 

 stranguriae inlinuntur et renibus cum absinthio. 

 secundas cient et menstrua. sanguinem sistunt ex 

 aceto aut rubi suco poti. infantes quoque exulcerati 

 perunguntur ex iis cum rosaceo et vino prius. folium 

 in 2 urina pueri inpubis, tritum quidem cum aphro- 

 nitro et inlitum ventri mulierum ne rugosus fiat 

 praestare dicitur. perdices et galHnaceos pugna- 

 ciores fieri putant in cibum eorum additis, pecorique 

 esse utiUssimos. 



^ Ante urinam excidisse utriusque ramuli putat Maylwff. 

 * prius. folium in vulg. : virus lolii in Mayhoff. 



" Referring to the first sentence of the chapter. 



" Stones in the bladder are calculi not saxa. 



' The change to the masculine plural is odd. Perhaps 

 Pliny took callitrichon and polytrichon as masculines. The 

 other alternative is to understand ramuli (see § 63), which 

 Mayhoff thinks has fallen out here. 



"^ The vulgate reading can be translated and is good sense, 

 but the conjecture of Mayhoff makes it possible to keep the 

 folii of the MSS. It would be translated : " with rose oil. 



