Pliny: Natural History, Volume IX, Books 33-35. (Loeb Classical Library No. 394)

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THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY FOUKDED BY JAMES LOEB,

LL.D.

EDITED BY fT. E. PAGE,

tE. CAPPS, L. A.

POST,

l.h.d. E.

C.H., LITT.D.

tW. H.

PH.D., LL.D.

H.

D.

WARMIXGTON.

PLINY NATURAL HISTORY IX LIBRI XXXIIl-XXXV

ROUSE,

litt.d.

m.a., f.r.hist.soc.

PLINY NATURAL HISTORY WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION IN TEN VOLUMES

VOLUME IX LlBRi XXXIII-XXXV BY

H.

RACKHAM,

M.A.

FELLOW OF CHR1ST'S COLLEGE, CAMBKIDQE

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

HAllVARD

UNIVERSITY

PRESS

LONDON

WILLIAM HEINEMANN LTD

First print..-d 1952

Rpprintcd 1961

Printed in Great Britain

CONTENTS PAQE INTKODUCTION

vii

nOOK XXXIII

1

BOOK XXX IV

125

BOOK XXXV

259

INDEX OF ARTISTS

413

MUSEOGRArUlC INDEX

417

INt>EX OF MINERALS

^IJ

INTRODUCTION BooKS XXXIII, XXXIV, and XXXV of Pliny's Natural History contain interesting accounts of minerals and mining and of the history of art. Mr. H. Rackham left when he died a translation in typescript vvith a few footnotes. The Latin text has been prepared by Prof. E. H. Warmington, who has also added the critical notes on this text, many footnotes on the translation, and marginal helps, Some parts of the translation were completely re-written by him. The sections on Greek art were read and criticised by Prof. T. B. L. Webster, to whom thanks are now duly rendered. The codices cited in the critical notes on the Latin text are as follows B Bambergensis cd. Leid. :

Voss.

=f

;

=V

cd.

=h

;

=

Leid. Lips.

cd. Flor. Ricc.

Par. 6801 T.

=

;

=R

cd. Vind.

;

;

=F

cc?.

;

cd.

Chiffl{eiianus)

Par. Lat. 6797

CCXXXIV =

a

;

=d cd.

;

c^.

ToleL

:

PLINY

NATURAL HISTORY BOOK XXXIIl

PLINII

NATURALIS HISTORIAE LIBER XXXIII

Metalla niinc ipsaeque opes et rerum pretia ditellurem intus exquirente cura multiplici modo, quippe alibi divitiis foditur ^ quaerente vita aurum, argentum, electrum, aes, alibi deliciis gemmas et parietum lignorumque ^ pigmenta, alibi temeritati ferrum, auro etiam gratius inter bella caedesque. persequimur omnes eius fibras vivimusque super excavatam, mirantes dehiscere aliquando aut intremescere illam, ceu vero non hoc indignatione sacrae parentis exprimi possit. imus in viscera et in sede manium opes quaerimus, tamquam parum benigna fertilique qua calcatur ^ et inter haec minimum remediorum gratia scrutamur, quoto enim cuique fodiendi causa medicina est ? quamquam et hoc summa sui parte tribuit ut fruges, larga facihsque in 1.

centur,

2

;

^ ante quippe transferewlum aut fodinis vel e fodini.s legendum coni. Mayhoff. ^ lignorumque pictorum signorumque) Mayhoff {vel Detlefsen: digitorumque cdd. {rectet): delieiis parietum digitorumque gemmas et pigmenta Bergk. :

^

V .11. caecatur, cecatur, secatur.

" Elecirum, properly amber, was a word applied to an alloy of gold and silver, and also to native argentiferous gold, because of their resemblance in colour.

—

PLINY:

NATURAL HISTORY BOOK XXXIII

I. Our topic now will be metals, and the actual resources employed to pay for commodities resources diligently sought for in the bowels of the earth in a variety of ways. For in some places the earth is dug into for riches, when life demands gold, silver, silver-gold " and copper, and in other places for luxury, when gems and colours for tinting walls and beams are demanded, and in other places for rash valour, when the demand is for iron, which amid warfare and slaughter is even more prized than gold. \Ve trace out all the fibres of the earth, and live above the hollows we have made in her, marvelling that occasionally she gapes open or begins to tremble as if forsooth it were not possible that this may be an expression of the indignation of our holy parent penetrate her inner parts and seek for riches in the abode of the spirits of the departed, as though the part w^here we tread upon her were not

—

!

We

sufficiently

bounteous and

fertile.

And amid

all

our searching is for the sake of remedies for illness, for with what fraction of mankind is medicine the object of this delving? Although medicines also earth bestows upon us on her surface, as she bestows corn, bountiful and this the smallest object of

MetaU.

!

PLINY: NATURAL HISTOR\ 3

omnibus, quaecumque prosunt. illa nos peremunt, nos ad inferos agunt, quae occultavit atque demersit, illa, quae non nascuntur repente, ut ^ mens ad inane evolans reputet, quae deinde futura sit finis omnibus saeculis exhauriendi eam, quo usque illa

penetratura avaritia. quam innocens, quam beata, immo vero etiam delicata esset vita, si nihil aliunde quam supra terras concupisceret, breviterque, nisi ^ 4

quod secum est IL Eruitur aurum tiosior videatur,

chrysocolla iuxta, ut pre-

et

nomen ex auro

custodiens.

parum

enim erat unam vitae invenisse pestem, nisi in pretio quaerebat argentum avariesset auri etiam sanies. tia

boni consuluit interim invenisse minium ruben-

;

heu prodiga ingenia, accessit ars auximus pretia rerum picturae, et aurum argentumque caelando carius fecimus. didicit homo naturam provocare. auxere et artem vitiorum inritamenta in pocuHs libidines

tisque terrae excogitavit usum.

quot

modis

!

;

r>

caelare iuvit ac per obscenitates bibere.

abiecta

deinde sunt haec ac ^ sordere coepere, ut ^ auri argentique nimium fuit. murrina ex eadem tellure et crystalHna effodimus, quibus prctium faceret ipsa fragilitas. hoc argumentum opum, haec vera luxu'

^ ^

*

repente ut Mayhojf V.l. haberetque non ac Mayhoff abs B ut Mayhoff et. :

:

et

rell.

:

"

XpuaoKoAAa, 'gold-solder.' carbonate.

4

repente aut repente.

iit

nisi. :

*

See§§ 111

*

Or possibly

ff.

finest agate.

This

is

malachite, basic copper

BOOK

XXXIII.

I.

wi.

=;

is in all things for our benefit The things that she has concealed and hidden underground, those that do not quickly come to birth, are the things that destroy us and drive us to the depths belovv so that suddenly the mind soars aloft into the void and ponders what finally \vill be the end of draining her dr^' in all the ages, what will be the point to which avarice vriW penetrate. How innocent, how blissful, nay even how luxurious life might be, if it coveted nothing from any source but the surface of the earth, and, to speak briefly,

generous as she

!

;

lies ready to her hand dug out of the earth and in proximity to ^ it gold-solder, which still retains in Greek a name derived from gold, so as to make it appear more precious. It was not enough to have discovered one

nothing but what

Gold

II.

!

is

bane

to plague life, %\-ithout setting value even on the corrupt humours of gold Avarice was seeking for silver, but counted it a gain to have discovered cinnabar ^ by the way, and devised a use to make of red earth. Alas for the prodigality of our inventiveness In how many ways have we raised the prices of objects The art of painting has come in addition, and we have made gold and silver dearer by means Man has learnt to challenge nature of engraving in competition The enticements of the \ices have augmented even art it has pleased us to engrave scenes of licence upon our goblets, and to drink through the midst of obscenities. Afterwards these were flung aside and began to be held of no account, when there was an excess of gold and silver. Out of the same earth we dug supplies of fluor-spar^ and cr\-sta], things which their mere fragility rendered costly. It came to be deemed the proof !

!

!

!

!

:

5