Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/45

 Book I.] DEDICATIOIS'. H the learned generally, nothing was ever thonght more scan- dalous. Feeling myself, therefore, secure against these vile slanderers a name elegantly composed by Cato, to express their slanderous and vile disposition (for what other object have they, but to Avi^angle and breed quarrels ?), I will pro- ceed with my projected work. And because the public good requires that you should be spared as much as possible from all trouble, I have subjoined to this epistle the contents of each of the following books^, and have used my best endeavours to prevent your being obliged to read them all through. And this, which was done for your benefit, will also serve the same purpose for others, so that any one may search for what he 'SA'ishes, and may Ivuow where to find it. This has been already done among us by Valerius Soranus, in his work which he enti- tled " On Mysteriesl" The 1st book is the Preface of the "Work, dedicated to Titus Vespasian Csesar. The 2nd is on the World, the Elements, and the Heavenly Bodies'*. The 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th books are on Geography, in which is contained an accoimt of the situation of the different countries, the inhabitants, the seas, towns, harbours, mountains, rivers, and dimensions, and the various tribes, some of which still exist and others have disappeared. The 7th is on Man, and the Inventions of Man. The 8th on the various kinds of Laud Animals. The 9th on Aquatic Animals. The 10th on the various kinds of Birds. 1 " Yitiligatores." 2 The table of contents, which occiipic3 no less than 121< pages in Lemaire's edition, I have omitted, in consequence of its length ; the ob- ject which the author proposed to effect by the table of contents will be gained more completely by an alphabetical index. 3 " 'ETTOTTTidojv." For an account of Valerius Soranus see Hardouin's Index Auctorum, in Lemaire, i. 217. ■* To the end of eacli book of the Natural History is appended, in the origuial, a copious hst of references to the sources from which the author derived his information. These are very numci'ous ; in the second book they amomit to 45, in the third to 35, in the Itli to 53, in the fifth to 60, in the sixth to 54, and they are in tho same proportion in the remaining books.