BOOK XXIV. I. 5-ni. 7 



daily dinner of even the very poorest. But" if 

 remedies were to be sought in the kitchen-garden, or 

 a plant or a shrub were to be procured thence, none 

 of the arts would become cheaper than medicine. It 

 is perfectly true that owing to their greatness the 

 Roman people have lost their usages, and through con- 

 quering we have been conquered. We are the subjects 

 of foi-eigners, and in one of the ai-ts they have mastered 

 even their masters. But of this more elsewhere. 



II. In their proper places I have ah-eady spoken of Theiotm. 

 the plant called lotus,'' and also of the Egyptian plant 

 called by the same name, sometimes knoAvn also as 



the tree of the Syrtes. The berries of this lotus, which 

 by our countrymen is called the Greek bean, check 

 looseness of the bowels. Shavings of the wood, boiled 

 down in wine, are good for dysentery, irregular men- 

 struation, giddiness and epilepsy. They also prevent 

 the hair from falling out. It is strange that nothing 

 is more bitter than these shavings or sweeter than 

 lotus fruit. From the sawdust also of the wood a 

 medicine is prepared by boiling it down in myrtle 

 water ; it is then kneaded and cut into lozenges, which 

 make a very useful medicine for dysentery, the dose 

 being one victoriatus <" to th.ree cyathi of water. 



III. Pounded acorns with salted axle-grease cure Acoms. 

 the indurations that are called malignant. More 

 potent are those of the holm-oak, and in all acorns <* 



the more potent parts are the peel itself and the skin 

 just under it. A decoction of the latter is good for 

 coehac affections. In cases of dysentery also even 



PaXdvoj inro t6 KeXvtf^os. Under al ^dXavoi : api-iolovai. 8e npos 

 To. Lo^oXa €a9i6p.€vai., Kai t6 d(f>et/ir]iLa 8e avTutv Kai tov ^Xolov 

 PoTjOel TO^iKU) ixerd ydXaKTos ^oelov TTLVOjievov. . . . LOxvpoTepai 

 Se TU)v hpvivuiv al npivLvaL ttj Snra/iet elaL There is no confusion 

 here between tbe acorn and the oak. 



7 



