BOOK XXIV. cii. 165-167 



by the Magi and the Persian kings to give to the body 

 a pleasing appearanee, and therefore it is also called 

 heliocallis." 



The same authority gives the name hermesias to Hermesias. 

 a means of procreating children who shall be hand- 

 some and good. It is not a plant, biit a compound 

 of ground kernels of pine nuts with honey, myrrh, 

 saffron and palm wine, with the later addition of 

 theombrotion and milk. He prescribes a draught of 

 it to those who are about to become parents, 

 after conception, and to nursing mothers. This, he 

 says, results in children exceeding fair in mind 

 and body, as well as good.'' Of all these plants he 

 adds also the magical names. 



Apollodorus, a follower of Democritus, added Aeschi/m- 

 to these plants one that he called aeschynomene,^ 

 because on the approach of a hand it contracts its 

 leaves, and another called crocis, whose touch, he 

 declares, kills poisonous spiders ; Crateuas added the 

 onothuris, by the sprinkhng of which in wine he 

 asserted that the fierceness of all animals is calmed ; 

 and a Uttle while asro a well-known p-rammarian ^ 



o o 



added anacampseros,^ by the mere touch of which, he 

 said, love was restored, even though the lovers parted 

 in hatred. These few remarks are quite enough to 

 have been said for the present about the wonderful 

 powers ascribed to plants by the Magi, as I shall 

 speak of them again on a more fitting occasion./ 



I In this chapter Pliny uses indirect speech, as if to disclaim 

 responsibility for the truth of the accoimt he is giving. It is 

 awiiward for a ti'ansiator to represent tliis in a modern lan- 

 guage, and it might have been better to prefix to the chapter a 

 sentence to the eff ect that what follows is given on the authority 

 of others. 



119 



