1. Chalcitis.) Pliny lib. xxxiv. cap. 2. says, this was an ore of copper, and found in Cyprus. Dioscorides describes the best chalcitis as resembling copper, easily friable, having shining veins. Lib. v. cap. 889.

2. Gum, when mentioned alone in any of the ancient authors, is understood to be the same with what now bears the name of gum Arabic.

3. Calcined lead. Plumbum combustum.) The process of this is mentioned by Dioscorides under the correspondent Greek name—It was prepared by putting very thin laminÆ of lead, with sulphur strewed upon each of them, into an earthen pot, and keeping them on the fire, stirred with an iron rod, till the lead was converted into ashes. It was afterwards rubbed in a mortar, and washed by repeated affusions of water, till no dross swam at top. Dioscorid. lib. cap. 870.

4. Misy.) This hath the same virtues as the chalcitis, and they only differ in the degree of strength. The best comes from Cyprus, of a gold colour, hard, and when broken, shining and stellated. Dioscorid. lib. v. cap. 891.

5. Allum.) There are several kinds of this mentioned by the ancients. Dioscorides says, the scissile, round and liquid, were applied to medicinal purposes, and that the scissile was the best. Lib. v. cap. 897.

6. Melinum.) As our author in this place mentions only simples, he cannot intend by this word, oil of quinces; so that it must either be a kind of colour that came from Melos, or else the Melian allum; in which last sense the comma ought to be expunged betwixt alumen, and Melinum.—But it is necessary to observe, that our author mentioning this species of allum in the sixth book, calls it Alumen Melium, which in other editions is Alumen Melinum.

7. Iron scales are reckoned to have the same virtue as its rust, but not so efficacious.

8. White vine.) Paul Ægineta mentions the Ampelos leuce, or white vine, which he said was also called bryonia. Lib. vii.

9. Propolis is a gluey matter, of a fetid smell, found in the honey-combs, which Pliny says serves to keep out the cold.—Dale calls it bee-bread.—Others call it bee-glue.

10. Soot of frankincense.) Dioscorides orders it to be made thus,—“With a pair of small tongs light a bit of thus at a lamp, and put it into a new hollow earthen vessel, which is covered with a concave copper one, with an opening in the middle, and carefully anoint it over; on one side or both, put small stones to the height of four fingers, to show if it burns, and that there may be room to put in other bits, before the first be entirely extinguished; and continue this, till you observe a sufficient quantity of soot collected; always wetting the external side of the copper with a sponge dipped in cold water. For thus all the soot will be fixed, when this is not too much heated: otherwise it would fly off again by reason of its lightness, and be mixed with the ashes of the thus.” Lib. i. cap. 85.

11. Sandarach.) This is the mineral sandarach, or red arsenic.

12. Gnidian berry.) Modern botanists are not agreed, what this berry of the ancients was; some taking it for the mezereon, or spurge olive, others for the spurge flax.

13. Omphacium.) Of this there were two kinds, the one the juice of unripe olives, and the other the juice of unripe grapes. Plin. lib. xii. cap. 27.

14. Copper-scales.) This must be an interpolation, as in this same chapter, which mentions only the class of cleansers, it occurred before.

15. Calcined copper.) The metal was calcined by being put into a pot, stratum super stratum, with sulphur and salt.—Or else the copper was kept for several days in the fire in a pot by itself.—Others again added allum to it, or sulphur alone, which last gave it a sooty colour.—It was washed in a mortar, and the water changed four times a day, till no froth arose in it. Dioscorid. lib. v. cap. 861.

16. Apronitre.) The spume or froth of nitre was of a purplish colour, and the lighter the better. It had the same virtues with nitre.—Id. lib. v. cap. 905.

17. Chrysocolla.) I have here retained the original word, because naturalists are not agreed, that it was the modern borax. Dioscorides says the Armenian is the best, and in colour it resembles leeks.—What is full of earth and stones is to be rejected. Lib. v. c. 878.

18. Cyprus ashes. Cinis Cyprius.) I do not remember that this is mentioned by any other ancient author; but it has probably been the ashes of the tree or plant of this name, or perhaps some particular kind of ashes brought from the island of Cyprus.

19. Cadmia.) The best is the Cyprian, called botryitis, solid, moderately heavy, being clustered like a bunch of grapes, of the colour of spodium, and being broken it appears cineritious and eruginous within. There are other kinds of it inferior, known by the names onychitis, zonitis, and ostracitis. For burning cadmia it is hid in live coals, till it grows diaphanous, and runs into bubbles like the scoria of iron; afterwards it is extinguished in AminÆan wine. Some burn it thus three times, till it be perfectly converted into ashes; and then they use it instead of spodium. It is washed in a mortar, and the water changed, till no dross appears on the top. Dioscorid. lib. v. cap. 858.—I have here mentioned particularly the burning and washing of cadmia, because it may serve to shew the nature of this process in other minerals, when our author prescribes such; and Dioscorides in mentioning them often refers to cadmia as the general example.

20. Hypocistis grows near the roots of cistus. The juice of it is inspissated like the acacia; and it has the same qualities. Dioscorid. lib. i. cap. 128.

21. Diphryges.) This is not known in medicine at present. Dioscorides says ‘there are three species of it. One of the metallic kind found only in Cyprus, which is first dried in the sun, and then burnt by laying sticks all round it. Whence its name from being twice torrified. A second kind is found at the bottom of the copper furnaces after smelting. The third is the pyrites stone calcined for several days in a furnace, till it have the colour of cinnabar. The taste of diphryges is eruginous, astringent, and vehemently drying upon the tongue.’ Lib. v. cap. 894.

22. Salamander.) Our author here intends the animal so called, and Dioscorides ascribes to it this virtue. It was burnt and the ashes made use of. Lib. ii. cap. 255.

23. Flower of copper.) Flos Æris is obtained, when the melted copper runs from the furnace, by pouring cold water upon it to refrigerate it. For by the sudden check, this substance is as it were spued out, and concretes into flowers. Id. lib. v. cap. 862.

24. Spodium was scraped off the walls of furnaces mixed with sparks, and sometimes coals; that, which was generated in the gold furnaces, was reckoned best for the eyes. Plin. lib. xxxiv. cap. 13.

25. Phrygian.) This was made use of by the dyers in Phrygia, whence its name. The best is pale-coloured and moderately ponderous, not firm in its concretions, and having white veins. Diosc. lib. v. cap. 915.

26. Scissile.) This is produced in the western Iberia. The best is of a saffron colour; easily broken and split; in its contexture it resembles the sal ammoniac. Dioscorid. lib. v. cap. 919.

27. Vinegar is superfluous, because mentioned before in the same chapter.

28. Burned paper.) It must be observed the paper of the ancients was made from the papyrus or paper-reed.

29. Sansucus.) Dioscorides says this is the same with the amaracus, or sweet marjoram, which is the name given to sansucus by the Sicilians and people of Cyzicum. Lib. iii. cap. 452.

30. Asteriace.) I do not find that this word occurs any where else.

31. Eretrian earth is very white, or of an ash-colour: this last, and the soft is best. Dioscorid. lib. v. cap. 945.

32. Poppy-tears.) Dioscorides after describing the papaver sativum and its virtues, says, ‘It is not improper to subjoin the method in which the opos or juice of it is collected. Some then cutting the poppy heads with the leaves, squeeze them through a press, and rubbing them in a mortar, form them into troches. This is called meconium, and is weaker than the opos. But whoever desires to gather the juice, must proceed thus. After the heads are moistened with dew, let him cut round the asterisk with a knife, but not penetrate through them, and from the sides, cut straight lines in the surface, and draw off the tear that flows, with his finger, into a shell; and come again not long after, for it will be found standing upon it; and the day following, it will be found in the same manner. It is proper to rub it in a mortar, and forming it up, to set it by.’ Dioscorid. lib. iv. cap. 647.—Pliny says, that the meconium is prepared from a decoction of the heads and leaves; but is much weaker than opion. Lib. xx. cap. 18.

From this account it seems plain, that our author means the genuine tear, or the opos of Dioscorides.

33. Antimony. Stimmi, and in other places of our author stibium.) Dioscorides’s description of this shews it to be the modern antimony, lib. v. cap. 873.

34. Dross of lead.) This is glassy, and has the same virtues as calcined lead. If is washed in a mortar like other minerals. Dioscorid. lib. v. cap. 878.

35. Matter. Materia.) This is not meant here of pus, as will appear by what the author immediately adds; but any humour, that is the proximate cause of a disease.

36. Struthium.) This was an herb used by dyers. Dioscorides says it was well known. The wool-washers make use of it for cleansing wool: the root of it is pungent and diuretic, and relieves in disorders of the liver, &c. Lib. ii. cap. 381.—This herb is not known now, at least by the same name. Some take it for the luteola, others for the imperatoria, others for red valerian, others for saponaria.

37. Nard ointment.) For making this, oil is inspissated with cyperus, and for the fragrancy is added costus, amomum, nard, myrrh, balsam. Dioscorid. lib. i. cap. 76.

38. Cachrys is the fruit of the libanotis fructifera, which is by some called zea or campsanema, and has leaves like fennel, but thicker and broader, roundish, and creeping on the ground; the stalk, about a cubit or more in length; the fruit has a heating quality, very drying, whence it is good mixed with ointments against rheums of the eyes. Dioscorid. lib. iii. cap. 492. et 93.

39. Viscum, bird-lime.

40. Ammoniacum thymiama.) According to Constantine, this is nothing else than gum ammoniac. I forbear to mention the conjectures of others, that seem to be not well founded. Paulus Ægineta says, it is an opos, or juice, endued with such an emollient virtue as to discuss schirri and tophi. Lib. vii.

41. Crocomagma.) This was the refuse left after the expression of the oil in making the crocine ointment; which, besides retaining some of the virtues of saffron, would also be in some measure impregnated, with the aromatics used in the composition of that ointment. Vide Plin. lib. xxi. cap. 20. et Dioscorid. lib. i. cap. 26.

42. Thapsia.) According to Dioscorides’s description and account of its virtues, it seems to be the modern thapsia, or turpethum garganicum, deadly carrot. Vide Dioscorid. lib. iv. cap. 739.

43. Washed lead was thus prepared.—Put water into a leaden mortar, and rub it with a lead pestle, till the water becomes black and feculent; then strain it through a linen cloth, pouring water upon it, that all that is dissolved may be strained; and repeat this till you have a sufficient quantity. Then suffer it to settle, pouring water upon it several times, till no more blackness stand upon the top; then work it up into a troches and set it by. Dioscorid. lib. v. cap. 869.

44. Cedria is what distils from the cedar-tree; the best is thick, pellucid, and of a strong smell, and not diffusing itself when poured out. Dioscorid. lib. i. cap. 106.

45. Laurel oil.) This was made in different ways. One method was boiling the berries in water when they fall off the tree, which causes them to emit their oil, which is separated by the hands into shells. Others impregnate the oil of unripe olives with cyperus, calamus, and afterwards putting in the tender leaves of the laurel, boil them together. Others add to these bay-berries, till the oil smell sufficiently of them. Others mix with it storax and myrrh. Dioscorides, lib. i. cap. 50.

46. Rasile verdigrease is made by suspending a copper vessel, or plate, over the steam of vinegar for ten days; then the verdigrease produced is scraped off. Or else by putting one or more lumps or plates of copper into husks of grapes grown sour. Dioscorid. lib. v. cap. 865.

47. Oesypum is the oily part collected from sordid wool thus: the wool was washed in warm water, and all its sordes expressed, the fat swimmed a-top, with a froth, and upon throwing in some sea water, it subsided to the bottom, and when all the oesypum was obtained from it in this manner, it was purified by repeated affusions of water. When pure it has no sharp taste, but is in some degree astringent, and appears white. It has a heating quality, fills up ulcers, and is emollient. Dioscorid. lib. ii. cap. 272.

48. Boiled copperas.) Dioscorides mentions a species prepared in Spain that had the name of ????a???? ?f???—atramentum sutorium coctum. Lib. v. cap. 888.

49. Cicine.) A proper quantity of ???t????, of the Ricinus, is dried in the sun, till their exterior coat break and fall off. Then the pulp is collected, put into a mortar, and pounded well, and afterwards removed into a tinned kettle containing water, and boiled over a fire. When all the juice is obtained from them, remove the vessel from the fire, and take up the oil that swims a-top, and set it by. In Egypt, where great use is made of this oil, they obtain it by first grinding the seed, and then pressing it. Dioscorid. lib. i. cap. 38.

50. Burnt ceruss.) Put powdered ceruss into a deep vessel; set it on the fire, stirring it with a ferula, till it has the colour of sandaracha, (red arsenick). Dioscorides also mentions a toasted or roasted ceruss, but the process is of the same nature, and only stopped, when the ceruss acquires a lemon colour. Dioscorid. lib. v. c. 877.

51. Polybus.) I have chosen to read this name with the older editions, because our author afterwards mentions the sphragis of Polybus, which can have no other place to refer to but this.

52. CauneÆ.) Mentioned by Cicero, De Divinatione, lib. 2.

53. Susine ointment.) For making this, oil was first boiled with wine, calamus, and myrrh, and after being strained, cardamom was infused in it, til it gave a proper flavour, After this, to three and an half pound of this oil were added the leaves of a thousand lilies, and the whole was stirred with hands anointed with honey. After standing a day and a night, the lilies were squeezed out. Dioscorid. lib. i. c. 63.

54. If a woman does not conceive.) Si non comprehendit. This sentence has, in some copies, been joined with the former, si concidere vitio locorum, &c. as if comprehendit related to the consistence of the pessus obtained by the honey. There are several other explanations offered, but none of them with any appearance of truth. I thought it capable of no other sense than what I have given in the translation; and was pleased to find this supported by the opinion of Morgagni, Ep. i. p.18.

55. Sprinkled on dry.) The words as they stand in the text, seem capable of no proper sense. Misy quoque et galla, si paribus portionibus misceantur, corpus consumunt: eaque vel arida inspergere licet, vel excepta cadmia, illinere. I have therefore taken the liberty to transpose cadmia, and place it after galla for the cadmia is as dry as the other two, and therefore could not serve to bring them to any consistence; but still there seems to be a word wanting after excepta, to denote the substance for uniting them.

56. Marmor coctum.) I suppose this to be burnt marble; for Dioscorides mentions a lapis alabastrites, which was burnt, and mixed with resin or pitch, and thus used to discuss hardnesses. Lib. v. c. 927.

57. Ignis sacer.) Some, among whom is Heister[ JF ], believes, that Celsus calls an erysipelas ignis sacer, whereas he has erysipelas under its own name, cap. 26. of this book.—Fabricius[ JG ] ab Aquapendente, and Wiseman[ JH ], by his ignis sacer understand the miliary herpes. See our author’s description of it, cap. 28.

58. Malabathrum.) It is a question, whether the modern malabathrum, or Indian leaf, is the same with the ancient. Dioscorides says, some will have it to be the leaf of Indian nard being deceived by the similarity of its smell. But that is not true; for it is a vegetable of a peculiar nature, growing in the fens of India, without any root, the leaves swimming on the surface of the water. Lib. i. cap. 11.

59. Black cassia is the second species mentioned by Dioscorides, who says it is preferable to the first, and fittest for medicinal use; the natives of Arabia call it zigir; it is thick, and smells like roses. Lib. i. cap. 12.

60. Myrrh called stacte was the oily part expressed from particular kinds of myrrh, and was very fragrant. Dioscorid. lib. i. c. 78.

61. Pontic root.) Dale, with Alpinus, believes the rhapontic of the ancients to be the same with the true rhapontic of the moderns.

62. See note at chap. 24. book iv.

63. Sil.) Rhodius, together with Constantine and Ronsseus, are for reading seselis instead of silis, for sil is a species of ochre; and they take it for the seseli Creticum, or tordylium, hartwort of Candy.

63a. Between the fingers. Vel inter digitos.) Morgagni observes, that, instead of these words, his MS. and all his editions read In articulis which the reader, he says, cannot wonder at, if he considers what follows concerning the difficulty of curing wounds in the joints, p.297. of the original. Ep. 6. p.144.

64. FibulÆ.) The word fibula, in other classical authors is translated by a buckle; which from its connection in such places appears very proper. But upon comparing the several passages in our author, where the use of them is directed, it seems very difficult to give any account of them. The variety of opinions may very well be reduced to two, those of Guido de Cauliaco and Fallopius. The first believed them to be hooks, whose size was adapted to that of the wounded member, curved at both ends in the form of the letter S, that they might be fixed to both lips of the wound. According to Fallopius the fibula was nothing else but the interrupted suture now commonly used in wounds.

Fabricius was at first of opinion, that the fibula was not made of thread, but copper or iron, not hard, as Guido would have it, but softer and flexible, that it might be fixed through the lips of the wound and then twisted. But after mature consideration, he says he found Fallopius’s opinion to be most agreeable to truth.

Rhodius in his treatise de Acia, where his design is only to clear up the fibula and acia of Celsus, has been at immense pains to collect every thing extant in any of the ancients about their fibulÆ; but as there is nothing which occurs in any of the old physicians more particular than in our author, it is not to be wondered, that every thing in his treatise of real importance to the scope of his enquiry, is contained in Fabric. ab Aquapendente, lib. ii. de Vulnerib. cap. 5. et de Chirurgic. Operation. cap. 108.

The principal places, in which our author mentions fibulÆ, are lib. v. cap. 26. p.292. in the original, p.293.—Lib. 7. cap. 4. p.412.—Cap. 19. p. 462. et 464.—Cap. 22. p.469.—Cap. 25. p.473.

The difficulty seems to rest here, that our author should use the term fibula, which in other classical authors is always taken for a buckle, or something of that kind made of metal, without distinguishing it from the ordinary fibula, as one should imagine he would have done, had he intended thread. Could it be a metal wire with a loop at one end, and the other first put through the wound, then passed into the loop, and twisted; which it would be easier to cut than pull out? This seems to obviate the strongest objection against its being of metal, drawn from the verb incido, which some moderns would have only applicable to thread.

Rhodius de Acia, cap. 6. will have the fibula used to the prepuce of boys (mentioned by our author lib. vii. cap. 25.) to be of metal; and according to Joann. Britannicus a small ring either of silver, gold, or copper.

I have only to add, that instead of paulatim according to Linden and Almeloveen, I have read paulum with Pinzi, Junta, Aldus, and others.

65. Soft thread, acia molli.) Acia occurs no where else but in this single place of Celsus; the translation is agreeable to the sentiments of Rhodius de Acia, cap. 14. and I think it capable of no other sense. It may not be improper however to observe, that in some copies, though they are not of the best authority, acu is read instead of acia, but with no apparent meaning.

66. After applying.) I read with Constantine imposito for impositum, which last has no place in the construction with a proper sense.

67. And the flesh within is corrupted.) Malique odoris est, et caro intus corrupta. All the editions of Morgagni[ JI ] have carunculÆ corruptae, and the MS, carunculaeque corruptae, which Morgagni likes better; because it would have been to no purpose to have repeated caro ejus corrupta, which had occurred only a few lines before; whereas with the other reading, we expunge the colon, and make carunculae relate to the verb resolvuntur.

68. The skin a little farther off.) I have here followed the reading of the older editions, ulterior instead of deterior in Linden, which agrees much better with the sense of the whole passage. Vide Morg. ep. 6. p. 149.

69. The skin is entire, but the flesh within.) Linden omits integra cute, which is in the older editions, and Morgagni’s MS[ JJ ].—As the sense seems to require it, I have taken it into the translation.

70. Almost all bites.) I read here, omnis fere morsus, with Nicolaus Junta and the Manutii, and not ferÆ, as Linden and Almeloveen have it. For Celsus himself makes no distinction between venenatos et non venenatos morsus.

71. Psylli.) Pliny, from the authority of Agatharchides, says, there was a nation called Psylli, in whose bodies there was some humour destructive to serpents, by the odour of which they stupified them. They had a custom among them of exposing their children to the fiercest of these creatures, that they might try the chastity of their wives, the serpents not flying from those, that were not of their blood. Plin. lib. vii. c. 2. This account of Pliny’s has no better foundation than other vulgar errors: but we may observe, our author was too curious an enquirer into nature to give credit to such fables.

72. Especially in Gaul.) The Gauls tinged their arrows in hunting with hellebore, and cutting out the wound they made all round, they pretended it made the flesh more tender. Plin. lib. xxv. c. 5.

73. Cerastes, from ?e?a?, a horn, is a serpent of one or two cubits in length, of a sandy colour in the body, and near the tail void of scales; upon its head something rises like horns, and the parts about the belly are covered with scales, orderly disposed, which as it creeps along makes a rustling noise like hissing. Æt. Tetrab. 4. Serm. 1. cap. 28.

74. Dipsas, a serpent called by that name, from the immoderate thirst, which is caused by its bite. It is found in maritime places, is about a cubit in length, thick, and becoming gradually smaller towards the tail. Id. cap. 22.

75. HÆmorrhois.) Paulus Ægineta tells us, persons bit by an hÆmorrhois are tormented with pains, their bodies become short and small, there is a violent hÆmorrhage from the wound, and if there is a cicatrix in any part of the body, it bursts and bleeds: the stools are bloody, the blood discharged is grumous, blood is brought up from the lungs by coughing; and being seized with a vomiting of blood they die immediately. He adds, that remedies must be applied before the symptoms appear; for after they come on, all means are vain.

76. Chersydrus.) The name of this imports it to be an amphibious animal, from ???s?? terra, and ?d?? aqua.

77. The Phalangium is unknown to Italy, and is of several kinds; one like an ant, but much larger, with a red head, the rest of its body black and variegated with white spots. The bite of this is worse than that of a wasp. The Greeks gave this name also to two species of spiders, the lupus, and another downy with a large head. Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. xxix. cap. 4.

78. Pastinaca fish was of the plani kind, and had a cartilage instead of a spine. The aculeus, or ?e?t??? of this fish is a remedy for the tooth-ach, as Dioscorides informs us, and Celsus himself mentions, lib. vi. cap 9. Dale calls it the poison fish, fire, or fierce flaw. The liver is said to be good against itching; in oil it removes lichens and lepras.—This cleansing quality attributed to it, makes it probable our author intends it here, for no such virtue is attributed to the water, or sea-parsnip.

79. Now this is a very bad kind.) One of the great sources of corruption is a false punctuation; and as I could make no sense of this sentence as it now stands, I have translated it agreeably to the following; Namque pessimum id genus est. Fereque primum id fit, quod cacoethes À GrÆcis nominatur. As it stood before, the cacoethes was called the worst kind, which our author contradicts immediately, by saying that no other species but that can be cured. Some of the older editions read ob quÆ for namque, that is, ‘Upon these accounts this is a very bad kind.’ Which appears to agree better with the context.

80. None of these can be removed but the cacoethes.) Here again the sense of the author is manifestly corrupted by the punctuation in Linden and Almeloveen; but Morgagni[ JK ] has set it to right in this manner:—Tolli nihil nisi cacoethes potest: reliqua curationibus irritantur; et quo major vis adhibita est, eo magis. Quidam usi sunt, &c. The translation is conformable to this. Which reading is almost the same with Constantine’s.

81. Of a good juice.) See book ii. chap. 20.

82. Probe.) One kind of the probe or specillum of the ancients was broad at one extremity for the purpose, which Celsus here mentions. Vide Scultet. Armament. Chirurg. tab. 8. fig.6.

83. Chironian.) So called, says Paulus Ægineta, because it requires a very great physician, such as Chiron. Lib. iv. cap. 46.

84. These are the methods prescribed by physicians.) This translation is agreeable to the reading of the most ancient editions, particularly Nicolaus, Pinzi, Junta, and Aldus. QuÆ cum medici doceant, quorundam rusticorum, &c. In Linden and Almeloveen the passage has a quite different turn: QuÆ cum medici doceant, ab iis requirenda. Quorundam, &c.—That is, ‘These being the methods prescribed by physicians, they will be best practised under their direction.’

85. Leaven.) The common leaven for bread among the Romans was paste worked up without salt, and boiled after the manner of pulticula, then suffered to stand till it turned sour. Plin. lib. xviii. cap. 11.

86. From its figure, our authors call it panus.) Panus, a clue or ball of wool or yarn; p?~???, or pa~??? the Greeks used in the same sense, but did not apply it, as the Romans did, to this tumour.

87. The same applications.) I have here followed the reading of Pinzi Manut. Ruell. Stephens and Morgagni’s MS. autem for aut, and tantum modo for tantummodo. Morgagni, Ep. vi. p.156.

88. If it does not slip out, &c.) Almeloveen and Linden read, si non dilabitur sede, qua innititur; whereas the prior editions wrote, si non labitur, sede quale innititur; i. e. ‘if it does not slide, but rests upon a smooth surface.’ This Morgagni[ JL ] likes much better, as agreeable to Celsus himself, who adds, si inÆquale quoque et asperum, &c, that is, in the first case where the probe rested, but upon a plain surface, the caries was but little advanced; whereas under the following appearances it was more considerable.

89. Collyrium.) This name, at present, is appropriated to medicines designed for the eyes; in which sense the ancients also used it. But they gave it a greater latitude, to denote likewise a composition of powders brought to a consistence by some liquid, and formed into something like a tent, of various sizes, according to the cavities it was designed for. Thus Scribonius Largus orders a collyrium of the bigness of a pine kernel, to be introduced into the anus, Cap. xxxvii. comp. 142.

90. Which is more ulcerated. QuÆ magis exulcerata est.) Several of the ancient editions read quia for quÆ, that is, ‘Because it is more ulcerated.’

91. Spreads wide.) This whole passage was very much corrupted in the old editions. We are obliged to Linden for several corrections in it; but he reads this part Proceditque et latet, that is, It spreads and conceals itself. As this can hardly be the meaning of the author, I read Procedit latÈ, which is in Pinzi, Junta, Aldus, and others; only I take the liberty of expunging et.

92. Cimolian chalk.) I have here kept close to the author’s term subcÆrulea. Pliny and Dioscorides describe this kind as inclining to purple. See note book ii. chap. 33.