Today's gems...
Nov. 11th, 2007 04:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lukon_ideinMore crazy Pliny quotes that I feel compelled to share for some reason. Enjoy, or not, as you see fit!
"Gold has itself however a maleficent effect if carried over the head, in the case of chickens and the young of cattle as well as human beings." (XXXIII.84)
- So is there much occasion for chickens to have gold over their heads?
"The mixture is made with Cyprian copper verdigris and the urine of a boy who has not reached puberty with the addition of soda;" (XXXIII.93)
- I think I saw that in the Joy of Cooking just last week, actually.
"[Antimony] is of two kinds, male and female. The female variety is preferred, the male being more uneven and rougher to the touch, as well as lighter in weight, not so brilliant, and more gritty; the female on the contrary is bright and friable and splits in thin layers and not in globules." (XXXIII.101)
- Not sure what this has to say about the battle of the sexes, but there's gotta be deep insights in there somewhere...
"This gave rise to a mistake owing to the name 'Indian cinnabar,' for that is the name the Greeks give to the gore of a snake crushed by the weight of dying elephants, when the blood of each animal gets mixed together." (XXXIII.116)
- Every language should have a word for that, really.
"The male viper inserts its head into the female viper's mouth, and the female is so enraptured with pleasure that she gnaws it off." (X.169).
- "I didn't mean to your honor. I was just enraptured with pleasure."
- "Riiiiiight."
Guess I'll stop there. My eyes are about to go on strike. But hey, don't you feel so much more in tune with nature now? And be careful not to hold any gold over your loved ones' heads. This means you, all you married folks with your maleficent wedding rings!
"Gold has itself however a maleficent effect if carried over the head, in the case of chickens and the young of cattle as well as human beings." (XXXIII.84)
- So is there much occasion for chickens to have gold over their heads?
"The mixture is made with Cyprian copper verdigris and the urine of a boy who has not reached puberty with the addition of soda;" (XXXIII.93)
- I think I saw that in the Joy of Cooking just last week, actually.
"[Antimony] is of two kinds, male and female. The female variety is preferred, the male being more uneven and rougher to the touch, as well as lighter in weight, not so brilliant, and more gritty; the female on the contrary is bright and friable and splits in thin layers and not in globules." (XXXIII.101)
- Not sure what this has to say about the battle of the sexes, but there's gotta be deep insights in there somewhere...
"This gave rise to a mistake owing to the name 'Indian cinnabar,' for that is the name the Greeks give to the gore of a snake crushed by the weight of dying elephants, when the blood of each animal gets mixed together." (XXXIII.116)
- Every language should have a word for that, really.
"The male viper inserts its head into the female viper's mouth, and the female is so enraptured with pleasure that she gnaws it off." (X.169).
- "I didn't mean to your honor. I was just enraptured with pleasure."
- "Riiiiiight."
Guess I'll stop there. My eyes are about to go on strike. But hey, don't you feel so much more in tune with nature now? And be careful not to hold any gold over your loved ones' heads. This means you, all you married folks with your maleficent wedding rings!
