BOOK XXV. XVII. 35-37 



thorny calyx,'* growing in Galatia. The common 

 kind, however, is whiter and more biishy ; it is taller 

 than the poppy. The seed of the third kind is Uke 

 the seed of irio ; but all kinds cause insanity ^ and 

 giddiness. A fourth kind is soft, downy, richer in 

 juice than the others, with a white seed, and growing 

 in places near the sea. This is a kind that medical 

 men have adopted, as they have that with a red seed. 

 Sometimes, however, the white seed turns red if 

 gathered before getting ripe, and then it is rejected; 

 and generally no kind is ever gathered before it 

 has become dry. It has the character of wine, and 

 therefore injures the head and brain. Use is made 

 of the seed as it is or when the juice has been extracted 

 from it. The juice is extracted separately also from 

 the stems and leaves. They also use the root, but the 

 drug is, in my opinion, a dangerous medicine in any 

 form. In fact, it is well known that even the leaves 

 aifect the brain if more than four are taken in drink ; 

 yet '^ the ancients used to take them in wine under the 

 impression that fever was so brought down. An oil 

 is made from the seed, as I have said,<* which by 

 itself if poured into the ears deranges the brain. 

 It is a wonderful thing that they have prescribed 

 remedies for those who have taken the drink, which 

 implies that it is a poison, and yet have included it 

 among remedies ; so unwearied have been researches 

 in making every possible experiment, even to com- 

 pelling '^ poisons to be helpful remedies. 



<* See XV. § 30 and XXIII. § 94. 



"^ It makes very little difFerence whether we read cogerent 

 with Jan or cogant with Mayhoff. The first takes its sequenee 

 trom the idea of past time, the second from the idea of present 

 time, both imphcit in nullojine. 



163 



