n6 On the VtlLlUT of defining 



adjective fwcus, which implies no tendency towards decay. " Ne 

 " fint fragilia et arida potius quam Jicca folia *." 



The abftracl noun ficcitas is occafionally taken to denote the 

 nrmnefs of the flefh, and of courfe the ftrength of an animal. 

 It implies a quality oppofite to what is meant by flaccid, or be- 

 ing without due tenfion, and fuppofes this quality to arife from 

 the natural juices neither being in a fuperabundant nor a de- 

 ficient ftate. Thus, Cicero, talking of the wonderful ftrength 

 of Masinissa when at the age of ninety years, fays of him, 

 " Nullo imbre, nullo frigore adduci, ut capite operto fit : fum- 

 " mam in eo efTe corporis ficcitatem \ ." 



Some very fubtle obfervations of Aristotle feem to juftify 

 what has been faid of humidus, aridus and Jiccus, and will 

 throw light on what is afterwards to be faid of madidus. 

 Y^pa.vpov yug, to Ti~hiug Z'/jgov, aft kui KiTrriytvtt.i $t eXXei-^iv vypoTqTog. 

 ——oivTixiirui yag ru %npa x.a.i to vygov kou to diepov — %ai dtepov yAv e$-i 

 to tyov ctXkoT^iCLv vy^oT'/jTct evivroXrig' (BzCgsypevov $e to zig Q,a,6og' %riPov 

 <$s, to sfepriptvov TXVTrig — vygov ptv yctg ifi, to tyov oiKStuv vygOTriTCt iv ■ 

 Ta Qakt. — M Aridum enim eft quod omnino ficcum eft, adeo 

 " ut humiditate deficiente corpus etiam concreverit. Adverfa- 

 " tur ficco humidum et madidum. Madidum enim eft quod 

 u habet humiditatem non a fe ortam, fuperficie tenus. Humi- 

 " dum vero quod introrfus habet j Siccum autem quod hac va- 

 " cat. Humidum enim eft quod in penitiore parte propriam 

 " continet humiditatem^." 



The term uvidus is applied to the earth as well as humidus, 

 but the quality fuggefted by it is different. Thus, Columella 

 fays, " Nifi prsepingui et uvida terra §." By uvida, he does 

 not mean the poor foil that is fwampy, and generates water which 

 it emits at its furface,but fuch as, though moift, is rich and loamy* 



Uvidus is transferred from thofe vegetable fubftances to which 



it is originally applicable, to others which ftrongly referable 



them, by imbibing and retaining a quantity of moifture. 



— me 



* Plin. 12. 12. 26. J AgJCTor. Trsgi yivia-ias kxi $6og«{. Kif. £. 



I Cic. de Sen. 10. 83. b. § Lib. 7. cap. 3. 



