OF ACCOMPANYING ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 291 



"unguentum irinum'' are mentioned by Columella, and Pliny: I. Florentina is described by Lobel 

 pi. 59 ; is termed " i. alba florentina "by Tournefort inst. 358; was observed by Desfontaines in 

 Barbary, by Savi in Italy (Steud.), and is known to grow in other parts of Southern Europe (Pers.). 

 The root according to Lindley is " subacrid, aromatic, rather bitter," is " employed in the manufacture 

 of tooth-powder," and " to keep up the discharge from issues." 



"415 B. C." (Thucyd. vi. 30, Clair, and Clint.), the statues of Mercury mysteriously mutilated 

 or thrown down at Athens, just as the Athenian fleet sailed for Sicily. 



The metal mercury or quicksilver may have been at this time introduced into Greece : — " kinna- 

 var" (an Indian word according to Pliny) is mentioned by Ctesias, and Anaxandrides, and notwith- 

 standing its alleged discovery by Callias ("90 yrs before Praxibulus = 405, Theophr. lap. 8.) is 

 admitted to be Chinese vermilion: "tiggavari" is mentioned by Diodes the comic poet, and 

 Eustathius ; " arguron huton to move images," by Eubulus, Philippus, Aristotle psych, i. 3, and 

 Themistius ; and " uthrarguros " (a translation of its Chinese name " shwui yin " water-silver), by 

 Plautus, Vitruvius, Dioscorides, Pliny, and Galen. Quicksilver is mentioned also by Arab medical 

 writers ; but in the days of Forskal mat. med., "durur ahmar " or " cinnab. nativum " was imported 

 into Egypt from Greece. (See " kinnamSmon," and "minium "). 



"414 B. C." (Clint, ii. p. 87,1=538 — "124 years " of the Egyptian Chronicle), independence 

 recovered by the Egyptians ; their leader AmurtSos or Amurtaios becoming the head of the Twenty- 

 eighth or Saite dynasty. The hieroglyphic ovals of king Amunrut occur on contemporaneous monu- 

 ments (Leps. k. pi. 49). 



As early probably as this date, the "k6n£ion" poison, composed in part of the juice of 

 " mekdnos " and inducing death without pain, invented or made known to the Greeks by Thrasyas 

 of Mantinea. — His pupil Alexias lived shortly before the time of Theophrastus ix. 16.8. The 

 " k6n£ion " poison was employed to put Socrates to death ; is mentioned also by Androcydes, 

 Nicander, and Anaxilaus. 



Oenanthe prolifera of the East Mediterranean countries. A species of hemlock-dropwort : the 

 " konSion " employed by Thrasyas was that of Susa and cool places, — was obtained strongest from 

 the root, and the plant is further alluded to by Theophrastus ix. 8. 3 to 15. 8 and 16. 8 ; is described 

 by Dioscorides as having a great stem and terminal umbels of whitish flowers with " apophusSis " 

 (sprouts or bracts); is identified in the added Synonyms with the "vavathu" of Osthanes, and 

 Egyptian " ap£mphin : " O. prolifera is termed " ce. prolifera apula" by Tournefort inst. 313 ; was 

 observed by Sibthorp in the marshes of Lycia in Asia Minor ; and is known to grow as far as Sicily 

 and the Southern extreme of Italy (Pers.). 



Oenanthe pimpinelloides of the Mediterranean countries. Called in Italy "filipendula aquatica " 

 (Lenz), in Greece "sgarantzi" (Sibth.) ; and the species of Oenanthe being according to Fe"e all 

 dangerous poisons, perhaps included in the " k8n£ion " in question, — produced in the days of 

 Dioscorides in Cilicia, Chios, Crete, and Attica : O. pimpinelloides was observed by Sibthorp, and 

 Chaubard, from Lycia and the Peloponnesus to Constantinople. Westward, is termed " ce. apii folio " 

 by Tournefort inst. 312; is known to grow in Carniolia, Italy, and Southern France (Hacq. earn. pi. 

 3, Jacq. austr. pi. 394, Pers., and Lenz). Its " fleshy tubercles " according to Lindley " have 

 occasionally been eaten." 



Oenanthe peucedanifolia of Europe and the adjoining portion of Asia. Also having claims to be 

 included in the " k6n£ion " in question, — though the roots " have occasionally been eaten " (Pers., 

 and Lindl.) : observed by Sibthorp in marshes in the Peloponnesus ; by Gmelin, in Siberia (Steud ) ; 

 and Westward, known to grow in Austria and France (Pollich palat. i. pi. 3, Thuil., and Steud.). 



Oenanthe incrassata, observed by Chaubard in the Peloponnesus, and O. virgata by Guerin 

 among maritime rocks there, are other species that have been found in Greece. 



" The same year " (Sm. b. d.), at Rome, military tribunes having consular power holding the 

 place of consuls ; war with the Aequians, and Bola a city of Latium captured by the Romans. 



" In this or the following year" (Sm. b. d.), Perdiccas II. succeeded by Archel us, now twelfth 

 king of Macedonia. 



"413, August 27th, Monday" (Thucyd., Blair, and Clint.), eclipse of the moon, "about thirteen 

 digits," beginning at Syracuse " 8 h. 27 m. 27 s. p.m. ; " and causing the loss in Sicily of the terrified 

 Athenian army under Nicias. 



Some days later at Athens (Aristot., Athen., and Clint.), exhibition of parody by its inventor the 

 comic poet Hegemon : news arriving of the disaster in Sicily, the Athenians kept their seats. 



"412 B. C." (Thucyd. viii. 12 to 17, and Clint.), Alcibiades sent by the Spartans into Asia, and 

 the first treatv between them and the Persians. 



"411 B. C." (Thucyd. viii. 12 to 17, and Clint), constitution of the " Four hundred," devised by 

 Antiphon, and adopted at Athens. After ruling "four months," the " Four hundred " resigned ; and 

 before the close of the year, Antiphon was put to death. The historical writings of his pupil 

 Thucydides, close with the " autumn of this year." 



