PLINY : NATURAL HISTORY 



sanat. tradunt Aegypti, mensis quem Thoti vocant 

 die XXVIII fere in Augustum mensem incurrente si 

 quis huius herbae suco inungatur mane priusquam 

 loquatur, non lippiturum eo anno. 



106 LXXXI. Myagros herba ferulacea est foliis similis 

 rubiae, tripedania. semen oleosum, quod et fit ex 

 eo. medetur oris ulceribus perunctis hoc suco. 



LXXXII. Herba quae vocatur nyma, tribus foliis 

 longis intubaceis, inlita cicatrices ad colorem reducit. 



107 LXXXIII. Natrix vocatur herba cuius radix evulsa 

 virus hirci redolet. hac in Piceno feminis abigunt 

 quos mira persuasione Fatuos vocant, ego species 

 lymphantium hoc modo animorum esse crediderim 

 quae tali medicamento iuventur. 



108 LXXXIV. Odontitis inter feni genera est, cauU- 

 cuhs densis ab eadem radice, geniculatis, triangulis, 

 nigris. in geniculis folia parva habet, longiora tamen 

 quam polygonum, semen in aUs hordeo simile, florem 



(XXIII § 97), " takes away rougliness from a cough." Then 

 septica may be a mistake, either of Pliny or of a scribe, for 

 smectica. In XXX § 29 septica is actually found as a variant 

 of the correct reading smectica (vi). The translation would 

 then be : " the root is cleansing, and clears away sores, and 

 so it heals lacrimal fistulas." So also exulcerat in § 112. 



An oldreading stiptica (i.e., styptica, " stj'ptic ") is mentioned 

 by Dalecamp, and may be right. At any rate it shows that 

 the passage puzzled the old commentators. As Detlefsen and 

 Mayhoff agree in their text, and as Littre raises no doubts, I 

 have left text and translation within daggers. 



Professor Andrews thinks that the text is correct, referring 

 to the drastic treatment of eye-fistulas in early times. 



" I.e., for the next twelve months. 



454 



