ITALIAN LTOOTET. 63 



epicures could run their fish from ice-cold water into boiling 

 cauldrons without handling them ! They spared neither labour 

 nor money ia order to gratify their palates. The Italians sent 

 to the shores of Britain for their oysters, and then flavoured 

 them in large quantities on artificial beds. The value of a 

 Eoman gentleman's fish in the palmy days of Italian banqueting 

 was represented by an enormous sum of money.. The stock 

 kept up by LucuUus was never valued sit a less sum than £35,000 ! 

 These classic lovers of good things had pet breeds of fish in the 

 same sense as gentlemen in the present day have pet breeds of 

 sheep or homed cattle. Lucullus, for instance, to have such a 

 valuable stock, must have been in possession of unique varieties 

 derived from curious crosses, etc. Ked mullet or fat carp, which 

 sold for large prices, were not at all unusual. Sixty pounds 

 were given for a single muUet, more than three times that sum 

 being paid for a dish of that fish ; and enormous sums of money 

 were lavished in the buying, rearing, and taming of the muUet ; 

 so much so, that some of those who devoted their time and 

 money to this purpose were satirised as mullet millionaires. 

 One noble Eoman went to a fabulous expense in boring a tunnel 

 through a mountain, in order to obtain a plentiful supply of salt- 

 water for his fish-ponds. Sergius Grata invented artificial 

 oyster-beds. He caused to be constructed at Eaise, on the 

 Lucrine Sea, great reservoirs, where he grew the dainty moUusc 

 in thousands ; and in order that he and his friends might have 

 this renowned shell-fish in its very highest perfection, he buUt 

 a palace on the coast, in order to be near his oyster-ponds ; and 

 thither he resorted when he wanted to have a fish-dinner free 

 from the care and turmoil of business. Many of the more 

 luxurious Italians, imitating Sergius Grata, expended fabulous 

 sums of money on their fish-ponds, and were so enabled, by 

 means of their extravagance, to achieve all kinds of ouM results 

 in the fattening and flavouring of their fish. A curious story, 

 illustrative of these times and of the value set on fish of a par- 

 ticular flavour, is related, in regard to the bass (labrax Lupus) 

 which were caught in the river Tiber. The Eoman epicures 

 were very fond of this flsh, especially of those caught in a parti- 

 cular portion of the river, which they could distinguish by means 

 of their taste and fine colour. An exquisite, whUe dining, was 

 horrified at being served with bass of the wrong flavour, and 

 loudly complained of the badness of the fish ; the fact being that 

 the real bass (the high-coloured kind) were flavoured by the dis- 



