Xvi LIFE AKB WBITIKaS OP PLIKT. 
is not a ^TsTatural History' in tlie modern acceptation of 
the term, but rather a vast Encjclopsedia of ancient know- 
ledge and belief upon almost every known subject — " not 
less varied than Nature herself/' as his nephew says. It 
comprises, within the compass of thirty-seven books, 20,000 
matters of importance, collected from about 2000 volumes 
(nearly all of which have now perished), the works, as Pliny 
himself states, of *100 writers of authority ; together with 
a vast number of additional matters unknown to those au- 
thorities, and many of them the results of his own expe- 
rience and observation. Hardouin has drawn up a cata- 
logue of the authors quoted by Pliny; they amount in 
number to between 400 and 500. 
The following is a brief sketch of the plan of this wonderful 
monument of human industry. After a dedicatory Epistle to 
Titus, folio wedby a table of contents of the otherBooks, which 
together form the First Book, the author proceeds to give 
an account of the prevailing notions as to the universe, the 
earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the more remarkable 
properties of the elements {partes natures). He then passes 
on to a geographical description of the face of the earth as 
known to the ancients. After the Greography comes what may 
in strict propriety be termed " Natural History," including 
a history of man, replete indeed with marvels, but inter- 
esting in the highest degree. Having mentioned at consi- 
derable length the land, animals, fishes, birds, and insects, 
he passes on to Botany, which in its various aspects oc- 
cupies the larger portion of the work. At the same time, 
in accordance with his comprehensive plan, this part 
includes a vast amount of information on numerous subjects, 
the culture of the cereals and the manufacture of oil, wine, 
paper (papyrus) ^ and numerous other articles of daily use. 
After treating at considerable length of Medical Botany, 
he proceeds to speak of medicaments derived from the human 
body, from which he branches off into discussions on the 
history of medicine, and magic, which last he looks upon as 
an offshoot from the medical art ; and he takes this oppor- 
tunity of touching upon many of the then current supersti- 
tions and notions on astrology. He concludes this portion 
of his work with an account of the medicinal properties of 
various waters, and of those of fishes and other aquatic animals. 
