Ancient Rome and Modern Italy 65 



121 Some of the most interesting passages are Dion. Hal. 2.15; Plin. Ep. 10.66; 

 Min. Fel. Oct. 31.1-4; Tert. Apol. 9.17-19. 



122 K. Hooker, Through the Heel of Italy, 202; M. Pasquarelli, op. cit. (see 

 note 4), XV, 327. 



123 G. Pitre, op. cit. (see note 86), 31; P. H. Williams, op. cit. (see note 4), 

 78; for the Basilicata, M. Pasquarelli, op. cit. (see note 4), XV, 327; for Piedmont, 

 G. Di Giovanni, Usi credenze e pregiudizi del Canavese, 18. 



124 Z. Zanetti, La medicina, 108 ; 126 ; cf. G. Ferraro, "Botanica popolare di 

 Carpeneto D'Acqui", Archivio, IV (1885), 188. There are also things to be 

 avoided. A baby should not be allowed to die in its mother's arms if she hopes 

 ever to have any sons born to her: M. Pasquarelli, op. cit. (see note 4), XVI, 55. 

 125 Z. Zanetti, op. cit., 126. Actually, of course, nothing can be done about it: 

 See J. Morris Slemons, The Prospective Mother 5 , 45. 



126 Cf., e.g., S. La Sorsa, Costumi e riti pugliesi, 4; M. Pasquarelli, op. cit. 

 (see note 4), XVI. 53; G. Finamore, op. cit. (see note 5), 60; 62; A. De Nino, 

 op. cit. (see note 66), II, 22-24. A woman who puts her left foot first in climbing 

 stairs may expect to give birth to a girl baby instead of the preferred boy: 

 A. De Nino, op. cit. (see note 66), II, 23. When a baby is born with a fine 

 head of hair, it indicates that the next will be a boy: Z. Zanetti, La medicina, 

 128: bambino con capelli chiama dietro altri fratelli. Such ideas are, of course, 

 not unusual in other countries: Notes and Queries, Ser. 1, II (1850), 20. For 

 antiquity cf., e.g., N.H. 7.41. It is still a problem for science to solve: cf., e.g., 

 F. C. Irving, The Expectant Mother's Handbook, 187-192; J. M. Slemons, op. cit.. 

 (see note 125), 48. 



^ N.H. 25.39-40; 26.97; 26.162; 27.62; 27.65; 27.125; 28.254; cf. 25.97 for 

 a different sort of folly. 



128 N.H. 28.248; 30.123; cf. 28.254. To insure that a baby's eyes should be 

 black, a pregnant mother ought to eat a shrew-mouse: N.H. 30.134. 



123 N.H. 10.154. 130 Artemid. Oneirocrit. 1.15; 3.14. 



131 W. W. Story, Roba di Roma, II, 502; Cf. C. Guerrieri op. cit. (see note 

 110), 315. One finds a superstition in various parts of Great Britain to the 

 effect that if at a Christening a girl baby comes first, she will grow up to be 

 bearded, while the boy who has lost his priority at the ceremony will have no 

 hair on his chin: Notes and Queries, Ser. 4, X (1872), 477; Ser. 5, VI (1876), 

 323; 463; cf. VII (1877), 257; Ser. 7, X (1890), 306; 494. Similar fancy in 

 Sweden: Ser. 7, X (1890), 185. 



132 Herodian 1.5.5.14. 



133 See the illustration in Encic. ital. s.v. "Fascia", tav. CXXXIII ; CXXXIV. 

 On the subject: F. M. Guercio, Sicily, 226; Carr, North Italian Folk, 98; D. N. 

 Lees, Tuscan Feasts and Roman Banquets, 39-40 ; E. A. Reynolds-Ball, Unknown 

 Italy, Piedmont and the Piedmontese, 7. 



134 I have in memory the swathed puttino (but with arms free) of Andrea 

 Delia Robbia that attracts lovers of art to the Loggia dell' Ospedale degF 

 Innocenti at Florence. 



135 7V#. 7.3. 



136 N. Hawthorne, Passages from the French and Italian Notebooks, (River- 

 side Edition) 164. We must remember that he knew nought of pituitary glands. 



137 C. Dickens, Pictures from Italy, 45-46. 



