The origin and production of the shell-fish is not very different from that of the shell of the oyster8. When the genial9 season of the year exercises its influence on the animal, it is said that, yawning, as it were, it opens its shell, and so receives a kind of dew, by means of which it becomes permeated10; and at length small, hard bunches form in its shell, in the shape of pearls, which vary according to the quality of the dew. If this has been in a perfectly11 pure state when it flowed into the shell, then the pearl produced is white and brilliant, but if it was turbid12, the pearl is of a clouded color also; if the sky should happen to have been lowering when it was generated, the pearl will be of a pallid13 color; from all which it is quite evident that the quality of the pearl depends much more upon a calm state of the heavens than of the sea, and contracts a cloudy hue14, or a limpid15 appearance, according to the degree of serenity16 of the sky in the morning.[142]
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If, again, the fish is satiated in a reasonable time, then the pearl produced increases rapidly in size. If it should happen to lighten at the time, the animal shuts its shell, and the pearl is diminished in size in proportion to the fast that the animal has to endure: but if, in addition to this, it should thunder as well, then it becomes alarmed, and closing the shell in an instant, produces what is known as a physema, or pearl-bubble, filled with air, and bearing a resemblance to a pearl, but in appearance only, as it is quite empty, and devoid17 of body. Those which are produced in a perfectly healthy state consist of numerous layers. It is wonderful, however, that they should be influenced thus pleasurably, by the state of the heavens, seeing that by the action of the sun the pearls are turned of a red color, and lose all their whiteness, just like the human body. Those which keep their whiteness the best are the pelagi?, or main-sea pearls, which lie at too great a depth to be reached by the sun’s rays. Those pearls which have one surface flat and the other spherical18, opposite to the plane side, are for that reason called tympania, or tambour-pearls. I have seen pearls still adhering to the shell; for which reason the shells were used as boxes for unguents.
As soon as the fish perceives the hand, it shuts its shell and covers up its treasures, being well aware what is sought; if it happens to catch the fingers it cuts them off with the sharp edge of the shell. No punishment could be more justly inflicted19. There are other penalties as well, for while the greater part of the pearls are only to be found among rocks and crags, the others which lie out in the main sea are 155 generally accompanied by sea-dogs.[143] And yet, for all this, the women will not banish21 these gems22 from their ears! Some writers say, that these animals live in communities, or swarms24 like bees, each of them being governed by one remarkable25 for its size and venerable age; while at the same time it is possessed26 of marvellous skill in taking all due precautions against danger; the divers27 take special care to find these, because when once they are taken, the others stray to and fro, and are easily caught in their nets. When the pearl-fish are taken they are placed under a thick layer of salt in earthen-ware vessels29; as the flesh is gradually consumed, the pearls are disengaged and fall to the bottom of the vessel28.
There is no doubt that pearls wear out with use, and will change their color, if neglected. All their merit consists in their whiteness, large size, roundness, polish, and weight; qualities which are not easily to be found united in the same. Indeed no two pearls are ever found perfectly alike; and it was from this circumstance, no doubt, that our Roman luxury first gave them the name of “unio,” or the unique gem23: for a similar name is not given them by the Greeks; nor among the barbarians30 by whom they are found are they called anything else but “margarit?.” Even in the very whiteness of the pearl there is a great difference to be observed. Those are of a much clearer water that are found in the Red Sea, while the Indian pearl resembles in tint31 the scales of the mirror-stone, but exceeds all the others in size. The color that 156 is most highly prized of all is that of the alum-colored pearls. Long pearls have their peculiar32 value, especially those called “elenchi,” which are of a long tapering33 shape, resembling our alabaster[144] boxes in form, and ending in a full bulb. Our ladies quite glory in having these suspended from their fingers, or two or three of them dangling34 from their ears. For the purpose of ministering to these luxurious35 tastes, there are various names and wearisome refinements36 which have been devised by profuseness37 and prodigality39; for after inventing these ear-rings, they have given them the name of “crotalia,” or castanet pendants, as though quite delighted even with the rattling40 of the pearls as they knock against each other; and, at the present day, the poorer classes are affecting them, as people are in the habit of saying, that “a pearl worn by a woman in public, is as good as a lictor walking before her.”[145] Nay41, even more than this, they put them on their feet, and that, not only on the laces of their sandals, but all over the shoes; it is not enough to wear pearls, but they must tread upon them, and walk with them under foot as well.
Pearls used formerly42 to be found in our sea, but more frequently about the Thracian Bosporus; they were of a red color, and small, and enclosed in a shell-fish known by the name of “myes.” In Acarnania there is a shell-fish called “pina,” which produces pearls; and Juba states that on the 157 shores of Arabia a shell-fish is found which resembles a notched43 comb, covered all over with hair like a sea-urchin, and the pearl lies imbedded in its flesh, bearing a strong resemblance to a hailstone. No such shell-fish, however, as these are ever brought to Rome. The Acarnanian pearl is shapeless, rough, and of a marble hue; those are better which are found in the vicinity of Actium.
It is quite clear that the interior of the pearl is solid, as no fall is able to break it. Pearls are found in various places in the body of the animal. Indeed, I have seen some which lay at the edge of the shell, just as though in the very act of coming forth44, and in some fishes as many as four or five. Up to the present time, very few have been found which exceeded half an ounce in weight, by more than one scruple45.[146] It is a well-ascertained46 fact, that in Britannia pearls are found, though small, and of bad color; for the deified Julius C?sar wished it to be distinctly understood, that the breast-plate which he dedicated47 to Venus Genetrix, in her temple, was made of British pearls.
I once saw Lollia Paulina, the wife of the Emperor Caligula—it was not at any public festival, or any solemn ceremonial, but only an ordinary wedding entertainment—covered with emeralds and pearls, which shone in alternate layers upon her head, in her hair, in her wreaths, in her ears, upon her neck, in her bracelets48, and on her fingers, and the value of which amounted in all to forty millions of sesterces ($1,525,000); indeed she was prepared at once to prove the fact, by showing the receipts and acquittances. Nor were these any presents made by a prodigal38 potentate49, but treasures which had 158 descended50 to her from her grandfather, and obtained by the spoliation of the provinces. Such are the fruits of plunder51 and extortion! It was for this reason that Marcus Lollius was held so infamous52 all over the East for the presents which he extorted53 from the kings; as a result of which he was finally denied the friendship of Caius C?sar, and took poison; and all this was done, I say, that his granddaughter might be seen, by the glare of lamps, covered all over with jewels to the amount of forty millions of sesterces! Now let a person only picture to himself, on the one hand, what was the value of the habits worn by Curius or Fabricius in their triumphs, let him picture to himself the objects displayed to the public on their triumphal litters, and then, on the other hand, let him think upon this Lollia, this one bit of a woman, the head of an empire, taking her place at table, thus attired54; would he not much rather that the conquerors55 had been torn from their very chariots, than that they had conquered for such a result as this?
Yet even these are not the most supreme56 evidences of luxury. There were formerly two pearls, the largest that had been ever seen in the whole world: Cleopatra, the last of the queens of Egypt, came into possession of them both, by descent from the kings of the East. When Antony had been sated by her, day after day, with the most exquisite57 banquets, this queenly woman, inflated58 with vanity and disdainful arrogance59, affected60 to treat all this sumptuousness61 and all these vast preparations with the greatest contempt; upon which Antony enquired62 what there was that could possibly be added to such extraordinary magnificence. To this she made answer, that on a single entertainment she would expend63 ten millions of sesterces. Antony was extremely desirous to learn how that could be done, but looked upon it as a thing quite impossible; and a wager64 was the result. On the following day, upon which the matter was to be decided65, in order that she might not lose the wager, she had an entertainment 159 set before Antony, magnificent in every respect, though no better than his usual repast. Upon this, Antony joked her, and enquired what was the amount expended66 upon it; to which she made answer that the banquet which he then beheld67 was only a trifling68 appendage69 to the real banquet, and that she alone would consume at the meal to the ascertained value of that amount, she herself would swallow the ten millions of sesterces; and so ordered the second course to be served. In obedience70 to her instructions, the servants placed before her a single vessel, which was filled with vinegar, a liquid, the sharpness and strength of which is able to dissolve pearls. At this moment she was wearing in her ears those choicest and most unique productions of Nature; and while Antony was waiting to see what she was going to do, taking one of them from out of her ear, she threw it into the vinegar, and as soon as it was melted, swallowed it. Lucius Plancus, who had been named umpire in the wager, placed his hand upon the other at the very instant that she was making preparations to dissolve it in a similar manner, and declared that Antony had lost—an omen20, which, in the result, was fully71 confirmed. The fame of the second pearl is equal to that which attends its fellow. After the queen, who had thus come off victorious72 on so important a question, had been seized, it was cut asunder73, in order that this, the other half of the entertainment, might serve as pendants for the ears of Venus, in the Pantheon at Rome.
Antony and Cleopatra, however, will not bear away the palm of prodigality in this respect, and will be stripped of even this boast in the annals of luxury. For before their time, Clodius, the son of the tragic74 actor, ?sopus, had done the same at Rome; having been left by his father heir to his ample wealth and possessions. Let not Antony then be too proud, for all his triumvirate, since he can hardly stand in comparison with an actor; one, too, who had no wager to induce him—a thing which adds to the regal munificence75 of 160 the act—but was merely desirous of trying, by way of glorification76 to his palate, what was the taste of pearls. As he found it to be wonderfully pleasing, that he might not be the only one to know it, he had a pearl set before each of his guests for him to swallow. After the surrender of Alexandria, pearls came into common and, indeed, universal use at Rome; but they first began to be used about the time of Sylla, though but of small size and of little value, Fenestella says—in this, however, it is quite evident that he is mistaken, for ?lius Stilo tells us, that it was in the time of the Jugurthine war, that the name of “unio” was first given to pearls of remarkable size.
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1
lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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oyster
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| n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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10
permeated
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| 弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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12
turbid
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| adj.混浊的，泥水的，浓的 | |
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13
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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14
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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limpid
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| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
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16
serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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17
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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18
spherical
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| adj.球形的；球面的 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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21
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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24
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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25
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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28
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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30
barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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31
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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32
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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35
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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refinements
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| n.（生活）风雅；精炼( refinement的名词复数 )；改良品；细微的改良；优雅或高贵的动作 | |
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profuseness
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| n.挥霍 | |
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prodigal
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| adj.浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的 | |
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prodigality
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| n.浪费，挥霍 | |
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40
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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41
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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42
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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notched
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| a.有凹口的，有缺口的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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45
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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46
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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48
bracelets
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| n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 ) | |
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49
potentate
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| n.统治者；君主 | |
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50
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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51
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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52
infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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53
extorted
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| v.敲诈( extort的过去式和过去分词 )；曲解 | |
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54
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
conquerors
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| 征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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56
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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57
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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58
inflated
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| adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨 | |
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59
arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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60
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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61
sumptuousness
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| 奢侈，豪华 | |
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62
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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63
expend
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| vt.花费，消费，消耗 | |
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64
wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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65
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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66
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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67
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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68
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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69
appendage
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| n.附加物 | |
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70
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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71
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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72
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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73
asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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74
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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75
munificence
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| n.宽宏大量，慷慨给与 | |
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glorification
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| n.赞颂 | |
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