305 
VETERINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY, AND WEIGHTS 
AND MEASURES. 
Sir,—I n the course of an inquiry as to the history of weights and 
measures in Greek and Roman times, with a view of illustrating 
those of the middle and feudal ages, I stumbled on the following 
account of those employed by the professors of the veterinary art 
among the Greeks, which is attributed by Gronovius, in whose 
ponderous tomes I found it, to Galen, the learned commentator on 
that prince of medicine, Hippocrates. This led me to a search 
after the works of other ancient writers alluding to the veterinary 
art, the result of which, should you deem it sufficiently interesting 
for your pages, is much at your service. 
The earliest is that of Xenophon, “ De Re Equestri,” which was 
translated and published in 1584, with this title, “ The Art of 
Riding set foorth in a briefe Treatise.” 
Columella was a native of Spain, and flourished under the Ro¬ 
man Emperor Claudius, A.D. 42. He wrote some books which 
have been commonly printed with the “ Scriptores de Re Rustica,” 
and as early as the year 1472. 
Vegetius, a Latin writer of the fourth century, was probably a 
military man in the service of the Emperor Valentinus. His prin¬ 
cipal work was on Military Tactics, of which there have been many 
editions, and some English translations, the earliest of which is 
here mentioned as a rare specimen of printing, soon after that use¬ 
ful art had been discovered. It is thus entitled, “The Fayt of 
Armes and Chyvalry, from Vegetius. This Boke which Christina 
of Pisa made and drewe out of the Boke named ‘Vegetius de re 
militari’; which Boke, being in Frensche, was delyvered to Will*"' 
Caxton by the most Crysten Kynge Henry VII, and desired and 
wylled to translate this said Boke and reduce it into our English 
and natural tonge, and to put it in enprynte: whiche translation 
was finyshed, and enprynted the xiiii day Juyll, 1489.” Folio. 
There is another work extant under the name of Vegetius, and 
probably by the abovenamed author, Flavius Renatus Vegetius. 
It is entitled “ Artis Veterinariao, sive Mulo-medicinm libri qua- 
tuor;” and was printed at Basil in 1524, and again in 1574; of 
which there is also an English translation, entitled “ Vegetius 
Renatus of the Distempers of Horses, and of the Art of curing 
them; as also of tlic Diseases of Oxen, &c.” By the author of 
the translation of Columella. T..ondon, 1748. 8vo. 
Thomas Blundeville was bom at Newton Flatman, in Norfolk. 
.\mong many scienlilic works he wrote “ The four cliiefest Offices 
