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THE ROMANS 97

was extraorclinarih' great; hut the modern sa\ iiig, "therapeutic wealth
is poverty," could ha\e been applied only too well.
Of the cleanliness ot the teeth, it seems, great care was taken, for denti-
frices were in great use. Ihese, as we have already seen, were made
of the most varied substances—stag's horn burnt, ashes obtained by
burning the head of the mouse, of the hare, of the wolf, etc., eggshells
burnt and reduced to powder, pumice stone, and so on. For the cleanli-
ness of the mouth, for strengthening the teeth and gums, mouth washes
of sundr\ kinds were likewise adopted, especially formed (jf decoctions
of astringent substances in water, wine, and vinegar.
Not onl}' among the Romans was great care given to the cleanlmess and
beauty of the teeth, but also among many other nations. In this regard
the following poem of Catullus, in which he lashes the silly vanity of a
Celtiberian resident in Rome, who made continual show ot his white
teeth, is somewhat interesting:
"Egnatius, quod candidos habet dentes
Renidet usquequaque; seu ad rei ventum est
Subsellium, cum orator excitat fletum,
Renidet ille: seu pii ad rogum filii
Lugetur, orba cum flet unicum mater,
Renidet ille; quidquid est, ubicumque est,
Quodcumque agit, renidet: hunc habet morbum,
Neque elegantem, ut arbitror, neque urbanum.
Quare monendus es mihi, bone Egnati,
Si Urbanus esses, aut Sabinus, aut Tiburs,
Aut parcus Umber, aut obesus Hetruscus,
Aut Lanuvinus ater, atque dentatus,
Aut Transpadanus, ut meos quoque attingam,
Aut quilibet, qui puriter lavit dentes:
Tamen renidere usquequaque te noUem;
Nam risu inepto res ineptior nulla est.
Nunc, Celtiber, in celtiberia terra
Quod quisque minxit, hoc solet sibi mane
Dentem, atque russam defricare gingivam.
Ut quo iste vester expolitior dens est.
Hoc te amplius bibisse praedicet lotii."'
' Ignatius, because he has white teeth, is always laughing; if he be present at the felon's
trial, whilst the counsel is moving all to tears, he laughs; he laughs even when everyone is
mourning at the funeral pyre of a dutiful son, whilst the mother is weeping for her only child.
He laughs at everything, everywhere, and whatever he be doing; this is his weakness, which
methinks is neither polite nor elegant. Wherefore, I must tell thee, O good Ignatius, even
if thou wert a citizen of Rome, or a Sabine, or of Tibur, or one of the thrifty Umbrians,
or of the fat Etruscans, or wert thou a black and large-toothed Lanuvin, or a Transpadane,
if I may speak of my own people, or belonging to any people that cleanly wash their teeth;
even then I would not have thee be always laughing; for nothing is more silly than a silly
laugh. Now, O Celtiberian, in thy Celtiberian land, each is accustomed, with the water
he has himself emitted, to rub his teeth and gums. Wherefore the cleaner are thy teeth,
the more surely stale dost thou accuse thyself of having drunk.
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