HORTENSIUS—BEJEWELLED FISH 227 
Macrobius testifies that Crassus, “‘ first among all the greatest 
men of Rome, mourned a muvena”’ (probably it of the ear- 
rings and necklace of precious stones) ‘‘ found dead in his 
vivarium even as a daughter.’ It was on the occasion of 
Domitius twitting him with ‘‘ Did you not weep when your 
fish died?” that Crassus got back with “ Did you not bury 
three wives and never weep at all? ”’! 
Of Hortensius Varro continues: ? “ His mullet give him 
infinitely more concern than my mules and asses do ; for while 
I, with one lad, support all my thrifty stud on a little barley, 
etc., the fish-servants of Hortensius are not to be counted. 
He has fishermen in fine weather toiling to procure them food ; 
when the weather is too boisterous for fishing, then a whole 
troup of butchers and dealers in provisions send in their 
estimates for keeping his alumni fat. Hortensius so looks after 
his mullet as to forget his men ; 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 in Midsummer.” 
The fish often answered to their names when called by their 
master, or their keeper. The latter, nomenclator, made a very 
handsome income from the admiring crowds, who flocked to 
see the fish perform their exercises with wagging tails or heads 
bedecked with rich jewels. 
1 Plutarch, De Sol. Anim., 23. 
2 De Re Rustica, III. 17. This abstinence on the part of Hortensius from 
eating his ‘‘ mulli barbati’’ is the more to be appreciated, when we remember 
that, according to Sophron, the savour of the “‘ barbati”’ was far pleasanter 
than that of any other mullet. Athen., VII. 126. 
3 Martial, Ep., IV. 30, 4. 
“ Qui norunt dominum manumque lambunt 
Jiiam, qua nihil est in orbe maius. 
Quid quod nomen habent et ad magistri 
Vocem quisque sui venit citatus ? ’’ 
and Martial, X. 30, 22. 
““Natat ad magistrum delicata murena, 
Nomenculator mugilem citat notum, 
Et adesse jussi prodeunt senes mulli.”’ 
Cicero, Ep. ad Att., XX. I, ‘“‘ Our leading people think that they attain unto 
Heaven if they own in their ponds bearded mullets, who will come to them to 
be stroked.” Cf. Lucian (De Dea Syria, 45-48). lian, VIII. 4, confirms 
these statements, and in 12. 30, tells of a spring in Caria sacred to Zeus, in 
which were kept eels decked with earrings and chains of gold, while Pliny, 
XXXII. 8, writes that at the Temple of Venus at Hierapolis, of which Lucian 
speaks as an eye-witness, ‘“‘ adveniunt pisces exornati auro.’’ This practice 
is, and has been, world wide. ‘‘ Fishes though little have long ears,’ is an old 
