BOOK XXXV. XXXVII. 120-xL. 123 



the temples of Honour and Virtue for the Emperor 

 Vespasian's restoration of them ; Priscus was nearer 

 in style to the artists of old days. 



XXXMII. In speaking of painting one must 

 not omit the famous story about Lepidus. During 

 his Triumvirate,'^ when entertained by the magis- 

 trates of a certain place, he was given lodging in a 

 house buried in trees ; and the next day he 

 complained to them in threatening language that 

 he had been robbed of sleep by the singing of the 

 birds ; however the authorities had a picture of a 

 large snake made on an extremely long strip of 

 parchment and fixed it up round the wood, and the 

 story goes that this at once frightened the birds 

 into silence, and that subsequently it was possible 

 to keep them in check. 



XXXIX. It is not agreed who was the inventor Painting in 

 of painting in wax and of designs in encaustic. ^^Ji^' 

 Some people think it was a discovery of Aristides,^ 

 subsequently brought to perfection by Praxiteles, 

 but there were encaustic paintings in existence at a 

 considerably earlier date, for instance those of 

 Polygnotus, and Nicanor and Mnasilaus of Paros. 

 Also Elasippus of Aegina has inscribed on a picture 

 enekaen (' burnt in '), which he would not have done 

 if the art of encaustic painting had not been invented. 



XL. It is recorded also that Pamphilus, the Pausias. 

 teacher of Apelles, not only painted in encaustic but 

 also taught it to Pausias of Sicyon, the first artist 

 who became famous in this style. Pausias was the 

 son of Bryetes, and started as his father's pupil. He 

 himself also did some wall-painting with the brush 

 at Thespiae, when some okl paintings by Polygnotus 

 were being restored, and he was deemed to come 



351 



