of Plintes Naturall Hiftorie. 
A cord, forbidding expreflely, That neither the kernellie part of a Bores necke,nor Dormice, and 
__ other fmaller matters than thefe to be {poken of,thould be ferved up tothe bourd at great feafts : 
butas touching the reftraint of bringing in marble, ot of failing into forraine parts for the fame, 
there was no a¢t or {tature ordained. | icc 
Cc HAP. II. : 
2§ Who was the frit that fhewed Marble flones in columnes,or any pablicke 
workes at Rome, : ode 
Vcfome man haply might replieagaine upon mee, and fay : What need was there of any 
fuch ordinance, confidering there was no marble in thole daies brought in from ftraunge 
countries ? Vato whom [an{were, Thatitisameere untruth, for even our progenitours,of 
whem I fpeake,faw well ynough how in that yeare when ,Scaurvs was Adile,there were no fe- 
wer than three hundred and threefcore pillars of marble tranfported to Rome, for the front and 
ftage of a Theatre, which wasto continue a {tall while, and {carcely to be fed one month roan 
end :and yet no law there was to checke and controule him forit. Butit may beinferred againe; 
the Lawyers winked hereat,becaufehe did all this fora publicke pleafure to the whole citie, du- 
ring the plaies exhibited by him in his A:dilefhip : marie chat is it that I would have, What rea- 
fon I pray you had they fo to doe ? By what meanes more doe abufes and enorinities creepe into 
acitie or {tate than by a publicke prefident given? for! aflure you it was nothing elfe but fuchex- 
amples atthe firft that brought thofe other things, I meane yvorie, gold, jewels, and precious 
ftones,tobe ufed by privat perfons,fo commonly as they be, in their houfes,plate,8¢ ornaments. 
And what have we left and referved at all forthe very gods to have,fince that we lay {o much up- 
on our felves ? But fay thatin thofe daies they did tollerat thisexcefle in Scanrus, becaulfe of thé 
paftimes that he did exhibit to the whole citie ; VWhat, were they filent alfo and made no words, 
when the faid Scaurus caufed the biggelt of all thofecolumnes (yea thofe that were fortie foor 
high within twain,and the fame of Lucullean black marble) to be erected and placed inthe court | 
before his owne houfe in mount Palatine? And leaft any man fhould fay, that this was donein 
fecret and hucker mucker,know he, That when thefe pillars were to be carried up into the mount 
Palatine where his houfe ftood,the Bailife that had the charge of the publick finkes vaulted un. 
der the ground,dealt with Scaurs for good fecuritie, yea,& demanded cautions and fureties for 
fatisfying of all harmes and damages that might be occafioned by their carriage,fo huge & hea- 
vie they were.Confidering then this bad example, fo prejudicial] unto all good mannets,and {fo 
hurtful co pofteritie,had it not been better for the citie to have cut off thefe {upetfAluities by hole- 
fome lawes and edidts,than thus to permit {uch huge and prowd pillars co bee carried unto a pri- 
vat houfeup into the Palatine mount,even under the nofe of the gods, whofe images were but - 
of earth, and hard by their temples that had for their covers and louversnobetterthan fuch as. 
were made of potterscley? 
Cuap. 1 
e& The firjt man who had at Rome for his owne ufe, pillers of Marble brought 
o~ . from forrainelands. . 
7 Either canitbe alleadged for excufe of this tolleration in Scaurvs,that he tooke the van- 
tage and {pied his time when the citie of Rome was not ware of any fuch matter toward,as 
having not beene acquainted beforetime with the like,and therefore hee {tale upon them 
with thefe fuperfluous pompes,as doubting nothing lefle chan fuch new devifes, and therfore ha- 
ving no time to prevent and ftay them: for long before this, Z .Cra//us that great Orator,who was 
the firft chat enriched his houfe (within the fame Palatium)with pillers of outlandifh marble, al- 
though they were but of the Quarrie in Hymettus hill,and neither more in nuimber than fix,nor 
carrying in length above twelve foot apecce,was reproved and reproched for this pride and vani- 
tie by 4. Brutus who among other hote words and biting tearmes that pafled enterchaungeably - 
Serween them,raunted him by the name of Venws Palatina. Certes,confidering howall good or- 
ders and cuftomes otherwife were troden under foot, we are to prefumne thus of our predeceffors, 
That when they faw otherinjunctions and prohibitions as touching diverfe abufescreptin, take 
a. . 
ho 
