6 
plint's nattjeal history 
[Book I. 
of the people wlio were tlie conquerors of all other nations. 
It would have been more meritorious to have persevered in 
his labours from his love of the work, than from the gratifi- 
cation which it afforded himself, and to have accomplished 
it, not for his own sake, but for that of the Eoman people. 
I have included in thirty-six^ books 20,000 topics, all 
worthy of attention, (for, as Domitius Piso^ says, we ought 
to make not merely books, but valuable collections,) gained 
by the perusal of about 2000 volumes, of which a few only 
are in the hands of the studious, on account of the obscurity 
of the subjects, procured by the careful perusal of 100 select 
authors^ ; and to these I have made considerable additions 
of things, which were either not known to my predecessors, 
or which have been lately discovered. 'Nor can I doubt 
but that there still remain many things which I have omitted ; 
for I am a mere mortal, and one that has many occupations. 
I have, therefore, been obliged to compose this work at in- 
terrupted intervals, indeed during the night, so that you vnll 
find that I have not been idle even during this period. The 
day I devote to you, exactly portioning out my sleep to the 
necessity of my health, and contenting myself with this re- 
ward, that while we are musing'* on these subjects (accord- 
ing to the remark of Varro), we are adding to the length of 
our lives ; for life properly consists in being awake. 
In consideration of these circumstances and these difficul- 
ties, I dare promise nothing ; but you have done me the 
most essential service in permitting me to dedicate my work 
to you. Nor does this merely give a sanction to it, but it 
determines its value ; for things are often conceived to be of 
great value, solely because they are consecrated in temples. 
1 have given a full account of all your family — ^your 
^ " Quem nunc primum Mstorise Plinianse librrnn vocamns, hie non 
numeratur, quod sit opens index." Hardouin in Lem. i. 16. 
2 Nothing is known of Domitius Piso, either as an author or an in- 
dividual. 
3 The names of these authors will be found, arranged by Hardouin 
alphabetically, with a brief account of them and their works, in Lem. i. 
157 et seq. ; we have nearly the same hst in Valpy, p. 4903. 
4 *'*Musinamur." We learn from Hardouin, Lem. i. 17, that there is 
some doubt as to the word employed by our author, whether it was mU' 
sinamur or muginamur ; I should be disposed to adopt the former, as 
being, according to the remark of Turnebus, " yerbum a Musis deductum." 
