BOOK XXXIV. XXV. 108-X.XV1. III 



buying plasters and eye-salves ready made ; and 

 thus is deteriorated rubbish of commodities and the 

 fraud of the druggists' trade put on show." 



Both scale however and flower of copper are burnt 

 in earthemvare or copper pans and then washed, as 

 described above, to be applied to the same purposes ; § 106. 

 the scale also in addition removes fleshy troubles in 

 the nostrils and also in the anus and duhness of 

 hearing if forcibly blown into the ears through a tube, 

 and, when applied in the form of powder, removes 

 swellings of the uvula, and, mixed with honey, 

 swellings of the tonsils. There is a scale from white 

 copper ^ that is far less efficacious than the scale from 

 Cyprus ; and moreover some people steep the bolts 

 and cakes of copper beforehand in a boy's urine 

 when they are going to detach the scale, and pound 

 them and wash them \^dth rainwater. It is also 

 given to dropsical patients in doses of two drams in 

 half a sextarius of honey-w ine ; and mixed with 

 fine flour it is applied as a Hniment. 



XXVI. Great use is also made of verdigris. verdigru. 

 There are several ways of making it ; it ^' is scraped 

 ofF the stone from which copper is smelted, or by '^ 

 drilling holes in white copper ^ and hanging it up in 

 casks over strong vinegar which is stopped with a 

 Hd ; the verdigris is of much better quahty if the 

 same process is performed with scales of copper. 

 Some people put the actual vessels, made of white 

 copper, into vinegar in earthenware jars, and nine 

 days later scrape them. Others cover the vessels 

 Mith grape-skins and scrape them after the same 

 interval, others sprinkle copper fiHngs with vinegar 

 and several times a day turn them over with spattles 

 till the copper is completely dissolved. Others 



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