twice, first in the fall and again in the spring, the incisions in the trees having been made during the winter. The collected olibanum was brought upon camels to Sabota, where one gate was open for its reception; to turn from the road was prohibited under penalty of death. The priests took one-tenth by measure for the god Sabin, sales not being allowed until their claim was satisfied. The olibanum could be exported only through the territory of the Gebanites, whose King also levied tribute. Pliny further states that the Arabs did not steal one from another, but for fear of loss those employed in the stores of Alexandria were forced to go naked with the exception of a clout which was sealed. A mask and a thick net were thrown over the head. To us the practice of anointing the entire body, customary among the ancients, appears very singular. Old Egyptian sculptures represent the guests being anointed at the meal. Among the Jews we find a holy oil with which Aaron and his sons were anointed to consecrate them to the priesthood, Moses prescribing for this holy anointing oil, myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and oil from the olive tree. Other persons were prohibited from imitating or using this holy oil. The anointing of kings was introduced later on. Though it was prohibited to imitate and use the holy oil, this prohibition did not refer to anointing with oil in general. That the Greeks also set a high value upon anointing with oil is plainly seen from Homer. When Telemachus visited Nestor, Polycaste, Nestor's youngest daughter, bathed him and anointed him with oil, and when he was the guest of Menelaus, the maids of the latter performed the same service for him, while for Ulysses returning as a beggar, the aged Euryclea prepared a foot-bath and anointed him. By the addition of fragrant substances to the oil, the sweet-scented ointment, _myron_, originated. While the anointing with simple oil evidently served as a hygienic measure after the bath, and especially for men in the gymnasium, and before a combat, with the Greeks, ointments were an article of luxury. In Socrates' time the use of sweet-scented ointments had reached such an extent, that Xenophon caused him to speak against it, but, as is the case with all such lectures against fashion, without the slightest success. In Athens the luxury was carried so far that the bacchanalians anointed each part of their body with a special ointment. The oil extracted from the palm was thought best adapted to the cheeks and the breasts; the arms were refreshed with balsam-mint; sweet marjoram supplied an oil for the hair and eyebrows; and wild thyme for the knee and neck. Although to us it would be repugnant to have the entire body anointed, in Athens it was considered beautiful to be glossy with ointments. It is said of Demetrius Phalereus, that in order to appear more captivating, he dyed his hair yellow, and anointed the face and the rest of his body.