206 Early Agriculture
10 The content of this homely maxim appears in practically all the writers on agriculture, and has
entered, in some form, into almost all proverbial wisdom. Perhaps its most popular modern form
is taken from Poor Richard’a almanack: ‘The eye of a master will do more work than both his
hands.’ Cf Columella, I, 1, 18; Pliny, N. H., XVIII, 31.
11 See note 7.
12 bona salute is merely a formula to avoid the evil omen of mentioning misfortune.
13 The festival held annually at the cross-roads, in honour of the Lares Compitales. It occurred soon
after the Saturnalia, in December, on a day, or days appointed by the praetor.
14 Compare Horace’s warning against ‘meddling with Babylonian calculations’ (Odes, I, II), and
many others. Columella, I, 8, 6, emphasizes the warning.
15 The term is explained by Columella, II, 4, 5: ‘that is, when after a long, dry spell, a light rain wets
the surface but does not sink in.’ The injunction is repeated there.
16 For a description of the various varieties of olives, see Columella, V, 8. The Romans were experts
in plant selection, and developed distinct varieties of all the leading horticultural and field crops.
17 Corruda: identified in the 5th (?) cent. Herbal under the name of Pseudo-Apuleius (Herb., 84) as
‘the wild asparagus which the Greeks call ορμινον or μνακανδον and by other names.’
18 See Columella, III, 2 for a detailed discussion of varieties of grapes. In Chapter 9 he returns to the
discussion of the Aminnian, and remarks that these were ‘almost the only varieties known to the
ancients’.
19 Cf note 4.
20 Cf Varro, I, 54, 2.
21 A small or sharp wine made from the husks of grapes; cf Varro, I, 54, 3.
22 Cf Varro, I, 59, 1.
23 Cf Varro, I, 59, 3.
24 This resin from the mastic-tree is used also to flavour a distilled liquor used in various countries,
as Turkey, Greece, etc.
25 Pliny says (XV, 122) that the name is perhaps derived from that for marriage (coniugium). The
colours are those of the berries.
Marcus Terentius Varro on agriculture
1 Varro’s wife.
2 In the Etrusco-Romish language of religion, the twelve superior deities who formed the common
council of the gods, assembled by Jupiter. The word occurs only in this phrase. Their names are
given by Ennius in the hexameters:
Juno, Vesta, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars, Mercurius, Ioui’, Neptunus, Vulcanus,
Apollo.
3 The festival occurred on 19 August; and Varro tells us (De Ling. Lat., VI, 16) that it was ‘because
at that time a temple was dedicated to Venus, and the protection of the garden is assigned to her’.
But Ovid, Fasti, IV, 877f offers another explanation.
4 Ennius, Epicharmus, frag. III, aqua, terra, anima, sol.
5 Quod initium fructuum oritur is variously interpreted. The present editors believe that quod must
refer to the nominal idea iacere semina derived from the preceding clause.
6 The incident is mentioned by Pliny, N.H., VII, 123.
7 Pompey’s forces lay at Corcyra before Pharsalia, and Varro had joined him after surrendering to
Caesar in Spain.
8 It will be understood that the word covers the meaning of our ‘scientist’.