Book I.] 
DEDICATIOIS'. 
11 
the learned generally, nothing was ever thought more scan- 
dalous. Peeling myself, therefore, secure against these vile 
slanderers \ a name elegantly composed by Cato, to express 
their slanderous and vile disposition (for what other object 
have they, but to wrangle and breed quarrels ?), I will pro- 
ceed with my projected work. 
And because the public good requires that you should be 
spared as much as possible from all trouble, I have subjoined 
to this epistle the contents of each of the following books^, 
and have used my best endeavours to prevent your being 
obliged to read them all through. And this, which was 
done for your benefit, will also serve the same purpose for 
others, so that any one may search for what he wishes, and 
may know where to find it. This has been already done 
among us by Valerius Soranus, in his work which he enti- 
tled " On Mysteries^" 
The 1st book is the Preface of the "Work, dedicated to 
Titus Vespasian Caesar. 
The 2nd is on the World, the Elements, and the Heavenly 
Bodies^. 
The 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th books are on Geography, in 
which is contained an account of the situation of the 
different countries, the inhabitants, the seas, towns, 
harbours, mountains, rivers, and dimensions, and the 
various tribes, some of which still exist and others have 
disappeared. 
The 7th is on Man, and the Inventions of Man, 
The 8th on the various kinds of Land Animals. 
The 9th on Aquatic Animals. 
The 10th on the various kinds of Birds. 
1 "Yitiligatores." 
2 The table of contents, wMch occupies no less than 124 pages in 
Lemaire's edition, I have omitted, in consequence of its length ; the ob- 
ject which the author proposed to effect by the table of contents will be 
gained more completely by an alphabetical index. 
3 " 'EiroirTidiov." For an account of Yalerius Soranus see Hardouin's 
Index Auctorum, in Lemaire, i. 217. 
4 To the end of each book of the Natural History is appended, in the 
original, a copious hst of references to the sources from which the author 
derived his information. These are very numerous ; in the second book 
they amount to 45, in the third to 35, in the 4th to 53, in the fifth to 60, 
in the sixth to 54, and they are ia the same proportion in the remainiag 
books. 
