BOOK XXIV. ci. 158-C11. 161 



of diseases which have attacked the human body 

 when the cabbage " is in blossom, even though the 

 patient has been cured, are felt to recur every time 

 this plant *• blossoms ; he speaks of a similar pecu- 

 Uarity following diseases which have attacked when 

 wheat, hemlock or the violet is in flower. I am 

 aware that this book of his is ascribed by some to the 

 physician Cleemporus, but an ancient and unbroken 

 tradition assigns it to Pythagoras. Were the author 

 anyone else, the mere fact that he has considered the 

 result of his labour worthy of that great thinker 

 enhances the authority of a book ; but who would 

 believe that Cleemporus aeted so, since he published 

 other works, and that under his own name ? 



CII. That Democritus was the author of the book 

 called Chirocmeta is a well-attested tradition ; yet <^ 

 in it this famous scientist, the keenest student next 

 to Pythagoras of the Magi, has told us of far more 

 marvellous phenomena. For example, the plant I 



aglaophotis/' which received its name from men's Aijiaophotis. 

 wonder at its magnificent colour, being native, he 

 says, to tlie marble quarries of Arabia on the Persian 

 side, is therefore also called marmaritis. The Magi 

 use it, he tells us, when they wish to call up gods. 



The achaemenis, he reports, is of an amber colour, Achaemmis. 

 leafless and found among the Taradastili of India ; 

 criminals, according to him, if they drink it in wine, 

 confess all their misdeeds because they suffer tor- 



^ It is ditlicult to decide whether this refers to hmssica or to 

 the aproxis. If to the former, this sentence has nothing 

 whatever to do with the aprozis ; if to the latter, the reason 

 for the introduction of brassica is very obscure. 



' The al of nearly all MSS. mars the logic of this passage, and 

 may be an instance of dittography from constut. 



■* " Bright iight," perhaps peony (Paeonia offici)ialis). 



113 



