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He adds, " that figs increase the strength of 

 young people, preserve the elderly in better 

 health, and make them look younger, and 

 with fewer wrinkles. They are so nutritive, 

 as to cause corpulency and strength : for this 

 cause/' continues he, " professed wrestlers 

 and champions were in times past fed with 

 figs/' This naturalist mentions the African 

 figs as being admired ; but says, " it is not 

 long since they began to grow figs in Africa." 

 These appear to have been of an early 

 kind; for we find when Cato wished to sti- 

 mulate the senators to declare war against 

 Carthage, he took an early African fig in his 

 hand ; then, addressing the assembly, he said, 

 " I would demand of you how long it is since 

 this fig was gathered from the tree?" and 

 when they all agreed that it was fresh ga- 

 thered, " Yes," answered Cato, " it is not 

 yet three days since this fig was gathered at 

 Carthage; and by it, see how near to the 

 Avails of our city we have a mortal enemy/' 

 With this argument he prevailed upon them 

 to begin the third Punic war, in which Car- 

 thage, that had so long been a rival to Rome, 

 was utterly destroyed. " The Lydian figs/' 

 says Pliny, " are of a reddish purple colour; 

 the Rhodian, of a blackish hue; as is the 

 Tiburtine, which ripens before others. The 



