| Pliny the Elder, Natural History (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Plin. Nat.]. | ||
| <<Plin. Nat. 35.26 | Plin. Nat. 35.27 (Latin) | >>Plin. Nat. 35.28 |
Next in esteem to this is indicum, [Note] a production of India, being a slime [Note] which adheres to the scum upon the reeds there.
When powdered, it is black in appearance, but when diluted in water it yields a marvellous combination of purple and cæruleum. There is another [Note] kind, also, which floats upon the surface of the pans in the purple dye-houses, being the scum which rises upon the purple dye. Persons who adulterate it, stain pigeons' dung with genuine indicum, or else colour Selinusian [Note] earth, or anularian [Note] chalk with woad.
The proper way of testing indicum is by laying it on hot coals, that which is genuine producing a fine purple flame, and emitting a smell like that of sea-water while it smokes: hence it is that some are of opinion that it is gathered from the rocks on the sea-shore. The price of indicum is twenty denarii per pound. Used medicinally, it alleviates cold shiverings and defluxions, and acts as a desiccative upon sores.
| Pliny the Elder, Natural History (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Plin. Nat.]. | ||
| <<Plin. Nat. 35.26 | Plin. Nat. 35.27 (Latin) | >>Plin. Nat. 35.28 |
