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sician, the founder of the Alexandrian school of medicine. This intaglio was purchased for the British Museum at the high price of 8., although the work of it was rude and of late Roman date. In fact, the stone itself had very much the appearance of a paste; the letters also of the inscription were very large and ill-formed.

The inscriptions on these stamps are so curious, and throw so much light upon the subject of the patent medicines of antiquity, that it is worth while to give here an abstract of Caylus' excellent dissertation upon them (i. 225). It will be observed that they all refer to collyria, or medicines to be applied to the eyes.

The two first were found at Nimeguen, and bore the inscriptions,—

M. VLPI. HERACLETIS. STRATIOTICVM.

DIARRODON. AD. IMP.

CYCNARIVM. AD. IM.

TALASSEROSA.

This stamp served for authenticating the genuineness of four different sorts of salves, prepared by a no doubt noted oculist, M. Ulpius Heracles, very likely a freedman of Trajan's, from the fact of his bearing the same family name; and besides, in Roman times, physicians were generally Greek or Asiatic slaves by origin. The Stratioticum was a remedy for the ophthalmia, to which soldiers were subject; the Diarrodon (rose-salve) for Impetus, or inflammations of the eyes; Cycnarium, a white ointment made of emollient ingredients, for the same complaint; Talasserosa, one into the composition of which bay-salt entered. The second stamp bore the name of the same person, with those of four additional salves:Melinum, compounded with verdigris; Tipinum, an extract from the plant called Typhe; Diarces, for Diacroces, saffronointment; and Diamysos, salve of misy, or red vitriol.

The third stamp, given by Spon, has the name of another oculist :

C. CAP. SABINIANI. DIAPSORICVM. AD. CALIG.

CHELIDON. AD. CLAR.

NARDINVM. AD. IMPETVM.

CHLORON. AD. CLAR.

Of these, the first was a remedy for the Psora, or dry ophthalmia, and Caligines, or dimness of sight; the second, an extract of the well-known herb Celidony, to clear the eyes; the Nardinum, of many minerals combined with nard; the last, Chloron or green salve, of sulphate of copper, to clear the sight. The fourth stamp, found at Gloucester, reads,—

Q. IVL. MVRANI. MELINVM. AD. CLARITATEM.

STAGIVM. OPOBALSAMAT. AD.

The second of which was an extract of the juice of balsam, to be dropped stactum into the eyes, and therefore an astringent application.

The fifth bears the name of Q. Caer. Quintillian, and his salves:-Stacta ad Clar. Dialepid., an astringent derived from the Lepidium, or wall-pepper; Diasmyrn, salve of myrrh; and Crocod., or saffron ointment. This was found near Coutances in Normandy.

The sixth came from Dijon, and bears the name of M. Sul. Charito. It served to stamp his gallipots of Isochrysa ad clar., or golden ointment; Diapsor., already named; Diarrhodon ad fervor., or a remedy for the burning heat of the eyes; and Diasmyrn., as already described.

The seventh, found at Besançon, has the name of G. Sat. Sabinian, and his salve Diacherale, the derivation of which is not known.

The eighth, also from Besançon, gives the name of L. Saccus Menander, and his four collyria :-Chelidonium ad cal.; Meli

num delac., or distilled; Thalasseros. delact.; Diapsoricum ad sc., or ad scabiem, the dry ophthalmia.

The ninth, from Mandeuvre, bears the name of C. Sulp. Hypnus, and is inscribed with the titles of his Stactum Opob. ad c.:-Dia!epid ad Aspri., for Aspritudines, or warts on the eyelids; Lysiponum ad suppurationem, an emollient for the cure of gatherings on the lids; and lastly his Coenon ad claritatem, or universal ointment, to clear the sight.

The tenth is in the Collection of Antiques, Paris. It is unfortunately broken, but the original reading was perhaps Decimi P. Flaviani Collyrium lene m. ad aspritudinem oculo., and Decimi P. Flaviani Collyrium mixtum c.

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M. Tôchon d'Anneci published in 1816 a brochure upon these stamps, in which he described thirty examples, by adding those of his own collection, and others unpublished that had come to his knowledge, to the nineteen previously described by Sacius. Of the unpublished are IVNITAVRI CROCODPACIANADCICATETREVM ("Juni Tauri Crocod. Pacianum ad cicatrices et rheumata"), and IVNITAVRICROCOD DAMISVSACDIATHESISETREV., or Juni Tauri Crocod. diamysus ad diathesis et rheumata. Here diathesis, rheumata, and epiphora, are various kinds of ophthalmia. Another stamp has DIAMISVS ADDIATHETOL, or Diamysus ad diatheses et omnem

Lippitudinem, the last two words occurring at full length on some of these stamps as well as in the abbreviated form.

The “Tipinum,” for Tiphynum, was of the same nature as the "Lirinum," ointment of lily, for the Tiphyon is classed by Pliny amongst the liliaceous plants. The "Diacherale,” hitherto unexplained, Visconti interprets as "diaceratos lene,' a salve composed of hartshorn.

The "Authemerum" of another stamp is a salve to be prepared every day, as being liable to spoil by keeping, like our golden ointment.

Another is PHRONIMEVODES ADASPRIETCIK. (“Phronymi euodes ad aspri. et cik."), a singular substitution of the K for the C.

Seneca (Ep. lxiv.) alludes to these medicaments and the diseases of the eye for which they were employed:-" Hoc asperitas oculorum conlevatur, hoc palpebrarum crassitudo tenuatur, hoc vis subita et humor avertitur, hoc acuitur visus." Another salve named upon these stamps is the "Floginum (Phloginum), made from the juice of the phlox, and the " Sarcophagum," or corrosive, an application for ulcers.

BRONZE STAMPS.

This subject introduces naturally the consideration of the very numerous class of metal stamps formed with a handle at the back, and made for impressing the name and titles of the owner on clay, either used as a seal, as is still practised in the East, for securing the doors of storehouses and cellars, or for stamping the pitch and gypsum stoppings of the necks of amphoræ and other vessels. They were also employed by potters for impressing their names on the handles of the huge jars of their fabrique or in the centre of tiles, in the latter case often giving also the name of the emperor for whose

buildings they were working. But a most singular fact relating to these objects is that the bulk of them are found with the letters in relief, and therefore must have been intended to be inked over, and impressed upon the parchment or papyrus of the legal document as an official authentication, so nearly had the makers of these fixed types approached to the principle of stereotype printing. It is evident that these inscriptions, being in relief, could not have been designed for stamping clay or wax, on which substances the impressions themselves are always found in relief. It necessarily follows therefore that they were employed to save time in applying the necessary signatures to a large number of documents required simultaneously, precisely as the stamps now used in the passport bureaux of the Continental States.

Jupiter, Sol, Luna. Opal.

SUBJECTS OF INTAGLI.

Every collector of gems must have been struck with the extraordinary frequency with which certain subjects are repeated on gems, generally from causes that may be readily conjectured, although the rarity of other representations, that would seem to have had quite as many claims to recommend them to the engraver's notice, is very difficult to be satisfactorily explained. It will also be observed that many subjects are cut in preference upon particular sorts of gems; and the following is a rough attempt at a relative view of the

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