for an elephantiasic horse; of Africanus The liver of a land hedgehog, dried in the sun, heals elephantiasic horses. 3.2 Of Africanus; for the eyes The swallow brings the juice of a certain herb, from which if it should drip to the ground, from the drop another herb grows which is named after the one that dropped it. And it comes up even if the nestlings defecate on the ground after partaking of it. This is a wonderful and sharp remedy for dimness of sight, and it gradually thins the white spots from wounds and restores the eye to the form of the unaffected. But the one that comes from it is less laborious, and also less successful; however, it wards off glaucoma when rubbed on; and its powder with water, like the former, did everything. For if someone was lucky enough to get the first one, he would have opened even blind eyes. And two stones found in the bellies of the nestlings when they are slit with a sharp reed, for they are found in one of them, a white and a black one, after a white dove has been sacrificed and she has been invoked as Aphrodite, are put into a gold necklace and they keep away all ophthalmia. However, having cut open the spring nestlings, you will find stones in the belly, of which one is variegated, the other pure. Therefore, before they touch the ground, bind them in the skin of a fawn or calf against the great sickness, and perhaps you will cure it, but you will certainly lessen the epilepsy. But it is necessary to cut them open for this purpose when the month is beginning and is waxing. And the gall of a partridge, they say, is a cure for dimness of sight and for cataracts when mixed with Attic honey; which is also evident to many. And the eyes of a vulture, bound in a clean linen cloth and brought to the eyes each day, do not allow dimness of sight, nor indeed for a cataract to form. And its eye, tied around in dog skin, does not allow ophthalmia. And its gall, when smeared on with leek juice and Attic honey, removes every dimness and mist of the eyes and does not allow beginning cataracts to form. And the eyes of a frog, removed while it is alive and tied around in a linen rag, worn on the left arm or the neck, keep the eyes unaffected; and if you should tie it around one who is in pain, you will release the suffering. But one must release the frog from where it was taken. And its gall is smeared on for sharp-sightedness and cataracts. And nothing is greater than this for sharp-sightedness; having made an ivy root like eye-salves, put it into a box of red copper together with the urine of an infant child, and having bound it securely, bury it in horse dung for 40 days. Then, drawing it out, rub it on a whetstone and make it like eye-salves with the liquid that is in it, and you will marvel at the effect, and you will stop beginning cataracts. 3.3 Of Africanus; concerning the generation of horses If then you wish a male to be born, turn the horses towards the east, so that while mating they may look at the sun; for the west begets females, as Maurusius the horse-breeder related. For indeed, as is the story of all, it is believed that the male horses are yoked to the Sun and by these the flame is drawn, but the females, they say, draw the Night. And rightly so; for the Sun makes males, while the Moon happens to be a mother of a like nature. 3.4 Of the same; restoratives of strength Myris is a plant in all respects similar to hemlock except for the flower, which is indeed also similar, but much smaller. And it has a root as if somewhat oblong, very fragrant and most pleasant to eat. And it is found in cultivated places. This whole thing, having carefully ground it, one must put into very well boiled, clean pearl barley and boil together, carefully stirring. Then one must add so much of very fragrant wine as not to make the pearl barley too liquid, and to administer it as a liquid food on an empty stomach. A better remedy than this for this one would not find; but if one lacks the root, having boiled swine's marrows and especially spinal marrows with pearl barley and likewise adding wine, he will have a second-best remedy for the present purpose. 3.5 Of Africanus; for having much and effortless sexual intercourse The flesh of a skink in mixed wine; one must administer the animal as a liquid food. 3.6 A very noble aid to childbirth Polygonon is a plant abundant everywhere which is also called "acting"; which, when bound on
ἐλεφαντιῶντος ἵππου· Ἀφρικανοῦ Τὸ τοῦ χερσαίου ἐχίνου ἧπαρ ἐν ἡλίῳ ξηρανθὲν ἰᾶται τοὺς ἐλεφαντιῶντας ἵππους. 3.2 Ἀφρικανοῦ· ὀφθαλμικόν Ἡ χελιδὼν φέρει πόας τινὸς χυλόν, ἐξ οὗ εἰ ἀποστάζοι εἰς γῆν, ἐκ τῆς σταγόνος ἑτέρα πόα φύεται ἣ τῆς ἀποβαλούσης ἐστὶν ἐπώνυμος. Ἄνεισι δὲ κἂν ἀποπατήσωσιν εἰς γῆν μετασχόντες αὐτῆς οἱ νεοττοί. Θαυμαστὸν δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ὀξὺ πρὸς ἀμβλυωπίαν φάρμακον, λεπτύνει τε κατ' ὀλίγον καὶ τὰ ἐκ τραυμάτων λευκώματα καὶ ἀποκαθίστησι τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν εἰς τὸ τοῦ ἀπαθοῦς σχῆμα. Ἡ δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῆς γενομένη ἀπονωτέρα, καὶ κατορθοῦσα δὲ ἧττον· τοὺς μέντοι γλαυκωπίας ἀποσοβεῖ τριβομένη· καὶ αὐτῆς ἡ κόνις μεθ' ὕδατος ὥσπερ ἡ πρόσθεν πᾶν ἔδρασεν. Εἴ τις γὰρ εὐτύχησε τὴν πρώτην ἑλεῖν, ἀνέῳξεν ἂν καὶ τυφλοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. Λίθοι δὲ εὑρισκόμενοι δύο ἐν ταῖς γαστράσι τῶν νεοττῶν ἀνασχισθέντων ὀξεῖ καλάμῳ, ἐν θατέρῳ γὰρ εὑρίσκονται, λευκὸς καὶ μέλας, τυθείσης περιστερᾶς λευκῆς καὶ ἐπικληθείσης αὐτῆς Ἀφροδίτης, ἐμβάλλονται ὅρμῳ χρυσῷ καὶ πᾶσαν ἀπείργουσιν ὀφθαλμίαν. Τοὺς μέντοι νεοττοὺς ἐαρινοὺς ἀνατεμὼν λίθοις ἐντεύξει τῇ γαστρί, ὧν ὁ μὲν ποικίλος ὁ δὲ καθαρός. Πρὶν οὖν γῆς ψαῦσαι κατάδησον δέρ ματι νεβροῦ ἢ μόσχου πρὸς τὴν μεγάλην νόσον καὶ τάχα μὲν ἰάσῃ, πάντως δὲ μειώσεις τὴν ἐπιληψίαν. Ἀνατέμνειν δὲ δεῖ εἰς τοῦτο τοῦ μηνὸς ἀρχομένου καὶ ἰόντος ἐπιδεχόμενον. Καὶ χολὴν δὲ πέρδικος ἀμβλυωπίας ἴασιν εἶναι καὶ ὑποχύσεώς φασι μέλιτι Ἀττικῷ συγκραθεῖσαν· ὃ καὶ φανερὸν πολλοῖς. Καὶ τὰ ὄμματα τοῦ γυπὸς ἐνδεθέντα ὀθόνῃ καθαρᾷ προσφερομένῃ τε ὀφθαλμοῖς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀμβλυωπεῖν οὐκ ἐᾷ, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ὑπόχυσιν ἵστασθαι. Κυνείῳ δὲ δέρματι ὀφθαλμὸς αὐτοῦ περιαφθεὶς ὀφθαλμιᾶν οὐκ ἐᾷ. Ἡ δὲ χολὴ αὐτοῦ μετὰ χυλοῦ πρασίου καὶ μέλιτος Ἀττικοῦ καταχριομένη πᾶσαν ἀμαύρωσιν καὶ ἀχλὺν ὀμμάτων περιαιρεῖ καὶ τὰς ἀρχομένας ὑποχύσεις οὐκ ἐᾷ συστῆναι. Ὀφθαλμοὶ δὲ βατράχου ζῶντος ἀφαιρεθέντες καὶ περιαφθέντες ἐν λινῷ ῥάκει ἀριστερῷ βραχίονι ἢ τῷ τραχήλῳ φορούμενοι ἀπαθεῖς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς φυλάττουσιν· κἂν ἀλγοῦντι δὲ περιάψῃς, λύσεις τὸ πάθος. Τὸν δὲ βάτραχον ἀπολύειν χρὴ ὅθεν ἐλήφθη. Καὶ ἡ χολὴ δὲ αὐτοῦ πρὸς ὀξυωπίαν καὶ ὑπόχυσιν ἐναλείφεται. Οὐδὲν δὲ μεῖζον τοῦδε πρὸς ὀξυωπίαν· ῥίζαν κισσοῦ οἷα κολλύρια ποίησας βάλε εἰς πυξίδα χαλκοῦ ἐρυθροῦ ἅμα παιδίου οὔρῳ νηπίου, καὶ περιδήσας ἀσφαλῶς κατάχωσον εἰς ἱππείαν κόπρον ἐπὶ μʹ ἡμέρας. Εἶτα ἑλκόμενος ἀπότριβε ἐπὶ ἀκόνῃ καὶ ποίει ὡς κολλύρια σὺν τῷ ἐνόντι ὑγρῷ, καὶ θαυμάσεις τὴν ἐνέργειαν, παύσεις δὲ καὶ ἀρχομένας ὑποχύσεις. 3.3 Ἀφρικανοῦ· περὶ γενέσεως ἵππων Ἂν μὲν οὖν ἄρρεν τεχθῆναι θέλῃς, πρὸς τὴν ἀνατολὴν τοὺς ἵππους τρέπε, ἵνα μιγνύμενοι βλέπωσι τὸν ἥλιον· αἱ δυσμαὶ γὰρ τίκτουσι τὰ θήλεα, ὡς Μαυρούσιος ὁ ἱπποφορβὸς διηγήσατο. Καὶ γάρ, ὡς ὁ πάντων λόγος, τοὺς ἄρρενας ἵππους τῷ Ἡλίῳ ζεύγνυσθαι καὶ τούτοις ἄγεσθαι τὴν φλόγα πεπίστευται, τὰς δὲ θηλείας τὴν Νύκτα ἄγειν φασί. Καὶ δικαίως μέν· ἀρρενοποιὸς μὲν ὁ Ἥλιος, ὁμωνύμου δὲ φύσεως ἡ Σελήνη τυγχάνει μήτηρ. 3.4 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ· ἀναληπτικὰ δυνάμεωσ Μυρίς ἐστι βοτάνη τῷ κωνείῳ τὰ πάντα παραπλησία πλὴν τοῦ ἄνθους, ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸ ὅμοιον μέν ἐστι, μικρότερον δὲ πολλῷ. Ῥίζαν δὲ ἔχει ὡς παρεμφέρουσαν ἐπιμήκη, εὐώδη σφόδρα καὶ ἡδίστην ἐν τῷ τρώγειν. Εὑρίσκεται δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐργασίμοις χωρίοις. Ταύτην ὁλόκληρον ἐπιμελῶς τρίψας εἰς καθαρὰν πτισάνην εὖ μάλα ἑψημένην ἐμβάλλειν χρὴ καὶ συνεψεῖν ἐπιμελῶς κινοῦντας. Ἔπειτα οἴνου εὐωδεστάτου τοσοῦτον ἐπιβάλλειν, ὡς μὴ λίαν ἐξυγρᾶναι τὴν πτισάνην, καὶ νῆστιν ἐγχυματίζειν. Τούτου ἄμεινον βοήθημα πρὸς τοῦτο οὐκ ἄν τις εὕροι· εἰ δὲ ἀπορεῖ τῆς ῥίζης, πτισάνῃ συνεψήσας ὑείους μυελοὺς καὶ μάλιστα νωτιαίους οἴνῳ τε ὁμοίως ἐπιβαλών, δευτερεῦον ἕξει βοήθημα πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον. 3.5 Ἀφρικανοῦ· πρὸς <τὸ> πολλὰ καὶ ἀπόνως ἀφροδισιάζειν Σκίγκου τὰ κρέα ἐν οἴνῳ κεκραμένῳ δεῖ τὸ ζῷον ἐγχυματίζειν. 3.6 Εὐτόκιον γενναιότατον πάνυ Πολύγονόν ἐστι πόα πολλὴ πανταχοῦ ὅπερ λέγεται καὶ «δρῶσα»· ἥτις ἐνδεθεῖσα