History of Monsters. 75

peoples, whose illustration we provide here, live solely on fruit, seeds, and herbs; for this reason, they are called Fruit-eaters (*Carpophagi*) and Seed-eaters (*Spermatophagi*). In the summer months, they easily gather fruit from the trees, while during the rest of the year, they pluck herbs growing in shaded places for their sustenance. Along with their wives and children, they approach the fields naked and climb whatever trees they find; indeed, they are so accustomed to this that they leap from tree to tree like birds. Even if they happen to slip, they immediately recover from the fall with remarkable agility, and if they do fall to the ground, their lightweight bodies suffer little harm. According to Lycosthenes, they arm themselves with sticks to fight one another over Lotuses, and the victors rule over the defeated. However, as he reports, they often perish from hunger; for when they go blind, they are deprived of the very sense they need to seek out food.

Yet, it seems the human stomach is gratified not only by simple foods but rather by complex preparations, as evidenced by many such dishes in the records of the ancients. First, they prepared *carica*, a type of Lydian food made from many delicacies and blood; *coccentum*, a dish made from honey and poppy; *botellum*, a kind of small sausage made of pork; and they also praised *lucanica*, prepared from the same meat. Regarding this, Martial once sang:

"I come, the Lucanian daughter of a Picenian sow / To whom a welcome crown is given by snowy porridges."

They also lauded *minutal*, made from sea fish, fish sauce, oil, wine, leeks, and coriander. Furthermore, they praised *libum* (sacrificial cake), *laganum* (flatbread), *pulmentum* (gruel), *pulpamentum* (choice bits of meat), *buccellatum* (hard tack), and *mustaceum* (laurel-leaf cake). Nor were they ignorant of *artocreatae*, made from bread and meat—perhaps what are now called meat pies (*pasticci*). They prepared *tomacula*, edible dishes made of finely chopped pork liver with eggs, cheese, pepper, anise, and ginger, wrapped in pork caul, which the more modern writers perhaps call *tomaselle*. I should also mention *ozima*, perhaps named for the scent of basil (*ozimum*), as well as foods prepared from milk and honey, or from raisins and almonds, and finally the many *tragemata* (sweetmeats) and *bellaria* (desserts) that were served—and are still served today—during the third course. Those who wish to know about the magnificent banquet arrangements and tables of today should consult Bruyerinus Campegius, Bartolomeo Scappi, and other recent authors who have treated the elegance of banquets and the wonderful delicacies of feasts with great diligence.

THE EXTERNAL PARTS OF MAN

The head (*caput*), so named from "capturing" or "understanding," is the part supported by the neck. The ancients bared this part as a sign of respect for its superior status, a bodily gesture indicating the same state of mind; the Greeks, meanwhile, used to swear by it. The front part of the head is called the *sinciput*, and the back is called the *occuput* or *occipitium*. The bone of the head from which the hair emerges is called the *calva* (scalp), while the bare bone is called the *calvaria* (skull). The right and left sides of the head are called the temples (*tempora*), because they are the means by which the years and ages of men are recognized. Hair (*capillus*), as if "hair of the head" (*capitis pilus*), takes many names; it is sometimes called a *cirrus* when many hairs hang together like a tail—hence certain species of oysters that are "hairy" are called *cirres*. Otherwise, *cincinni* are many curled hairs, which Martial used to call "rings."

Next comes the forehead (*frons*), which is named as if it were "pierced" for the eyes. It is said to reveal the human mind, as it wrinkles in sorrow and expands in joy. At the sides, it is bordered by the temples; at the top, by the hairline; and at the bottom, by the eyebrows. The eyebrows (*supercilia*), positioned as if "above the eyelids" (*ciliis superposita*), are mobile; indeed, by nodding or denying with them, a person indicates their state of mind. Here it should be noted, according to Nonius, that people marked by prominent eyebrows are called *Silones*, after a man named Silo who was said to have had shaggy eyebrows. The space between the eyebrows, which is usually hairless, is called the *glabella*. From here the nose begins, and the nostrils are the wider parts that move to the right and left, named as if from "swimming" (*nando*). According to Pliny, those born without nostrils or with flattened ones are called *Simones*. Finally, the nose represents keen wisdom, a meta-