Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/279

Rh with the same care as at Nice at the present day, and with a similar religious destination. Next comes the gryphon. compound of lion and eagle, and the regular attribute of Plicebus, Avliose presence it accompanies, or replaces, upon the Greek coinage from the earhest times. lie is looking back very -wistfully at his proper prey, Diana's stag, from which he is separated by the intervention of the great altar, upon which all who consulted the Oracle were bound first to offer sacrifice. The indecorous attitude of the stag, as he rolls upon the ground, may be supposed given to the animal in order to express the sense of security inspired by the sanctity of the place, although in such close proximity to his natural enemy; it is in modern phrase "the lion and the lamb lying down together." One cannot, however, avoid suspecting a deeper motive in the selection of this pose for the creature — it allowed incidentally the exhibition of the fascinum, that potent amulet whose presence was indispensable in all dis- plays of pomp and luxury liable to bring down upon the possessor the ever to be dreaded stroke of the Evil Eye. Next we see a weird-looking flower, which can be intended for none other than Apollo's favourite, the Hyacinthus; and certainly it beai-s some resemblance to the fleur-de-lys, the plant that has the best claims to be identified with that insoluble problem of ancient botany. Diana's hound may be left to speak for himself; and the row is closed with the famous fountain, Castalia, tumbling down from its native rocks.

The running vine forming the border to the chasing in- dicates the festive destination of this magnificent piece of plate, which, however, falls rather under the denomination of "pinax" than of "lanx," the normal shape of the latter being circular, as appears from Horace, from the application of the name to the scales of a balance, and, pictorially, from the "lanx satura" carried by the figures of Bonus Eventus. The "pinax," on the contrary, is called "quadrangular" by Athenæus, when speaking of one of such enormous size as to contain a boar roasted whole ; but the material was still of board (the proper meaning of the word), with threads of gold let into it, or, in modern phrase, ornamented with piqué-work.