Fagus 



looks as though ' the old beeches, now broken tops,' 

 of the ninth Eclogue were a landmark on his Man- 

 tovan estate. Against this view it must be admitted 

 that nowadays the tree does not descend to so low 

 a level above sea. The shepherd in the fifth Eclogue 

 disfigures a young beech by cutting his song on it, 

 words and tune, and Gallus in the tenth may be sup- 

 posed to use the same tree for his 



' Woeful ballads 

 Made to a mistress' eyebrow.' 



Beech bark could be used as writing material, and 

 some editors think that the shepherd so used it. 



Flower, April. 

 Italian name, Faggio. 



Far. 



'robusta . . . farra {Ge. i. 219). 



'flava . . . farra' (ib. jj). 



'farre pio . . .' (Ae. v. 745). 



' mola . . . testatur decs ' (Ae. iv. 517). 



'adorea liba' {Ae. vii. 109). 



Spelt (Triticum spelta) is an inferior variety of 

 wheat (T. vulgare). The legend that wheat was the 

 invention of Osiris may perhaps mean that wheat 

 was developed from spelt in Egypt. Spelt was the 

 original corn of the Romans, and was never sup- 

 planted by wheat in ceremonial and sacrificial use. 

 Hence ' confarreatio ' was the original and remained 

 the most binding form of marriage. The grain was 

 called ' ador,' and the cakes made of it had associa- 

 tions like those of our pancakes and hot-cross buns. 



45 



