MEMOIR OF PLINY. 
79 
cal writers have said relative to the virtues of these 
plants, is almost totally and completely valueless to 
us, from the impossihility of distinguishing the indi- 
vidual plants to which they refer. Our regret, how- 
ever, on this account, will be greatly diminished, if 
we call to mind with how little care the ancients, 
and Pliny in particular, have indicated the medicinal 
virtues of plants. They attribute so many fabulous 
and even absurd pro])erties to those which we do 
know, that we are warranted in being very sceptical 
as to the virtues of those that are unknown. If w’e 
are to credit all that Pliny has recorded in tliat part 
of his work w'hich treats of the materia medica, there 
is no human ailment for which nature has not pro- 
vided twenty remedies ; and these absurdities were 
confidently repeated by physicians for nearly two 
centuries after the revival of letters. 
As regards the scientific facts detailed in his work, 
it is obvious that Pliny possesses no real interest at 
the present day, except as respects certain manners 
and usages of the ancients — certain processes fol- 
lowed by their operatives and artizans — and certain 
particulars of a geographical and historical nature, of 
which vve should have been ignorant without his aid. 
He traces their progress, he describes their products, 
he names the most celeirrated artists, he points out 
the manner in which their labours were conducted ; 
and it cannot be doubted but that, if rightly under- 
stood, he would make us acquainted with some of 
those secrets by means of which the ancients exe- 
