THE ANCIENTS. 23 



fciaintaining that those who ate fish were the most cruel 

 and repulsive of men. 



The construction of Vivaria, or fish-ponds, was carried 

 to a most extravagant length by the Romans. As the 

 luxurious habits of the upper classes increased, the keeping 

 of these reservoirs became, in fact, quite a mania. They 

 were made on house-tops and in dining-rooms ; and many 

 of the most wealthy and distinguished men of the age 

 wasted their time and fortune in these insane projects, 

 as we may learn from Cicero, who ironically calls 

 Lucullus, Hortensius, and Philippus, the "Tritons of 

 the fish-ponds." Varro says of Hortensius, "that he 

 not only was never entertained by his fish at table, but 

 was scarcely ever easy unless engaged in entertaining 

 and fattening them. For his mullet gives him infinitely 

 more concern than my own mules and asses do ; for 

 whilst I, with one lad, support all my thrifty stud on a 

 little barley and common water, Hortensius' fish- servants 

 are not to be counted. He has fishermen in fine weather 

 toiling to procure them bait ; and when the weather is 

 too boisterous for fishing, then a whole troop of butchers 

 and dealers in salt provisions send in their estimates of 

 terms for keeping his alumni fat. Hortensius so looks 

 to his mullet as to forget his men ; and a sick slave has 

 less chance of getting a draught of cold water in a fever 

 than these favoured fish of being kept cool in their stews 

 at midsummer." 



Ludi piscatorii were held every year on the 6th June 



