488 
plint"*s natueal history. 
[Book XXXI. 
CHAP. 25. THE TIRGIN WATERS. 
It was he, too, who brought the Yirgin^^ Waters from the 
bye-road situate at the eighth milestone from the City, which 
runs 'for two miles along the Prsenestine Way. J^ear these 
waters is the stream of Hercules, which the former shun, to 
all appearance, and have thence obtained^^ the name of Virgin 
Waters." On instituting a comparison between the waters of 
these streams, the difference above-mentioned^^ may be imme- 
diately detected, the Virgin water being as much cooler to 
the touch, as the Marcian water is in taste. And yet, for this 
long time past, the pleasure of drinking these waters has been 
lost to the City, owing to the ambition and avarice of certain 
persons who have turned^^ them out of their course for the 
supply of their country-seats and of various places in the suburbs, 
to the great detriment of the public health. 
CHAP. 2 6. —THE METHOD OF SEARCHING FOR WATER. 
It will not be out of place to append here an account of the 
method employed in searching for water. Water is mostly to 
be found in valleys, whether formed by the intersection of de- 
clivities or lying at the lower part of mountains. Many per- 
sons have been of opinion that all places with a northern^® 
aspect are naturally provided with water : a point upon which 
it will not be amiss to explain the diversities presented to us 
by IN'ature. On the south side of the mountains of Hyrcania 
it never rains ; and hence it is that it is only on the north- 
east side that they are wooded. As for Olympus, Ossa, Par- 
nassus, the Apennines, and the Alps, they are covered with 
wood on every side, and abundantly watered with streams. 
Some mountains, again, are wooded on the south side, the 
White^^ Mountains in Crete, for example. On this point, 
therefore, we may come to the conclusion that there is no rule 
which in all cases holds good, 
22 Aqua Virgo." This aqueduct, erected a.u.c. 735, still exists, and 
bears the name of ''Aqua Vergine.'* 
23 Another story was, that it had this name from the circumstance that 
the spring was first pointed out by a girl to some soldiers in search of water. 
21 In c. 23 of this Eook. 
25 This was only temporarily, in all probability. 
26 There seems, as he says below, to be no general rule as to this point. 
So called from the snow on their summit. 
