Chap. 21.] 
HELLEBOBE. 
97 
The black hellebore kills horses, oxen, and swine ; hence it 
is that those animals avoid it, while they eat the white ^ kind. 
The proper time, thay say, for gathering this last, is harvest. 
It grows upon Mount (Eta in great abundance ; and the best 
of all is that found upon one spot on that mountain, in the 
vicinity of Pyra. The black hellebore is found growing every- 
where, but the best is that of Mount Helicon ; which is also 
equally celebrated for the qualities of its other plants. The 
white hellebore of Mount (Eta is the most highly esteemed, 
that of Pontus occupying the second place, and the produce of 
Elea the third ; which last, it is generally said, grows in the 
vineyards there. The fourth rank is held by the white 
hellebore of Mount Parnassus, though it is often adulterated 
with that of the neighbouring districts of ^tolia. 
Of these kinds it is the black hellebore that is known as the 
melampodium it is Used in fumigations, and for the purpose 
of purifying houses ; cattle, too, are sprinkled with it, a certain 
form of prayer being repeated. This last plant, too, is gathered 
with more numerous ceremonies than the other : a circle is 
first traced around it with a sword, after which, the person 
about to cut it turns towards the East, and offers up a prayer, 
entreating, permission of the gods to do so. At the same time 
he observes whether an eagle is in sight — for mostly w^hile the 
plant is being gathered that bird is near at hand — and if one 
should chance to fly close at hand, it is looked upon as a presage 
that he will die within the year. The white hellebore, too, is 
gathered not without difficulty, as it is very oppressive to the 
head ; more particularly if the precaution has not been used 
of eating garlic first, and of drinking wine every now and 
then, care being taken to dig up the plant as speedily as possible. 
Some persons call the black hellebore ectomon,''^ and 
others polyrrhizon it purges* by stool, while the white 
hellebore acts as an emetic, and so carries off what might other- 
wise have given rise to disease. In former days hellebore was 
regarded with horror, but more recently the use^ of it has be- 
come so familiar, that numbers of studious men are in the 
2 If he would imply that they do this without inconvenience, the state- 
ment, Fee says, is incorrect. 
^ " Cut ofiV and ''With many roots." 
^ Hellebore is no longer used, except in veterinary medicine. 
^ Petronius Arbiter says that the philosopher Chrysippus used it. 
VOL. V. H 
