BY THE REV. J. E. TENISON-WOODS. 251 



In Chapter XXXIV. m the same book, the following passage 

 occurs : " A.lex,'* which is the retuse of Garum, properly consists 

 of the dregs of it when strained ; but of late they have begun to 

 prepare it separately, from a small fish that is other^vise good for 

 nothing, the Apua of the Latins or Aplaisse of the Greeks, so 

 called from the fact of its being engendered from rain. The 

 people of Foru7ti Julii (the present Frejus in the south of France) 

 make their garum from a fish to which they give the name of 

 Supus. In process of time Alex has become quite a luxury and 

 an infinite number of vai'ious kinds is prepared. Garum also is 

 manufactured of a color to imitate old honied wine, and flavored 

 so that it can be taken as a drink. Another kind again is dedi- 

 cated to those religious observances which enjoin strict chastity,! 

 and that prepared from fish without scales is used. "J 



Pliny makes other references to Garum, as for instance, in Book 

 IX., Chapter XIX., in a passage which enables us to identify the 

 fish which he names Scomber in the preceding quotation. 



" All kinds of fish grow with I'emarkable rapidity, and more 

 especially those in the Euxine ; the reason of which is the vast 

 number of rivers which discharge their fresh water into it. One 

 fish, the growth of which is quite perceptible, day by day, is 

 known as the Amia. These fish and the Pelamides, together with 

 the Tunnies, enter the Euxine in shoals, for the purpose of obtain- 

 ing a sweeter nutriment, each under the command of its own 

 leader, but first of all the Scomber appears, which is of a 

 sulphui-ous tint when in the water, but when out of it reseml)les 

 other fish in colour. The salt water preserves of Spain are filled 

 with these last fish, but the Tunnies do not consort with them." 



In Book IX., chapter 30, there is another reference to Garum. 

 Pliny is writing of the various kinds of Mullet, and he 



*Qy- — qXukt; (?) written also hellex, a pickle or brine, or a salt liquor at the 

 bottom of salt-pits ? Cato uses the term Alex also for a small fish. 



tin the festival of Ceres, the votaries were obliged to abstain from meat, 

 but were allowed the use of Garum. — Dr. Bostock in the "Sacred Rites of 

 the Jews." 



jTliis is probal^ly a mistake of Pliny's, as the .Jews were not allowed to 

 eat fish without scales. See Lev., Chap. XL, Ver. 10. 



