BOOK XXVI 



I. The face of man has also been afflicted with new New 

 diseases, unknown in past years not only to Italy 

 but also to almost the whole of Europe, and even 

 then they did not spread all over Italy, or 

 through Illyricum, the Gauls, and the Spains to any 

 great extent, or in fact anywhere except in and 

 around Rome. Though they are painless and with- 

 out danger to life, yet they are so disfiguring that 

 any kind of death would be preferable. 



II. The most severe of these they called by a LUhens. 

 Greek name Uchens " ; in Latin, because it generally 

 began on the chin, it was called mentagra,* at first Mentagra. 

 h\ way of a joke — so prone are many men to make a 



jest of the misfortunes of others — the name passing 

 presently into common use. The disease seized 

 in many cases ^ at least the whole of the face, 

 with the eyes only unaffected, but passed down how- 

 ever also to the neck, chest and hands, covering the 

 skin with a disfiguring, scaly eruption. 



it resembled thc botanical lichen in forra. Here it may be 

 some form of leprosy. See also Hst of diseases. 



* I.e. " chin gout," as podagra is " foot gout " and chiragra 

 " hand gout." The joke, Like most Roman jokes, is a feeble 

 one. 



" Mayhoff 's latius would mean that the disease spread from 

 the chin. It seems unnecessary with descendentem. My 

 intensius would mean that the djsease became more violent 

 as it spread from the chin. I believe that it could easily have 

 been changed to intus. 



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