[13] Cicero would appear to have duly prized the physician. I recall a passage of his to the effect that in no way can man approach so near to the gods as by conferring health on his fellows. [14] Natural History, xxix, 7. [15] _Ibid._, xxix, 8. [16] Natural History, xxix, 8. [17] _Ibid._ [18] De Medicinâ. [19] Natural History, xxix, 1. [20] Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. [21] Metamorphosis, xv. Translation by Mr. Welsted. [22] Although there is little evidence to show that serpent-worship was indigenous in Rome, Fergusson holds that “such an embassy being sent on the occasion in question indicates a degree of faith on the part of the people which could only have arisen from previous familiarity.” Tree and Serpent Worship, p. 19. [23] The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, ch. ii. [24] Livy, x, 47. [25] _Ibid_., xxix, 11. [26] In his Life of Publicola, Plutarch gives an interesting account of its origin. The sacrifice of corn and trees on a field belonging to the Tarquins, in the Campus Martius, had much to do with it. These being cast into the river, found lodgment at shallows where the island is, which favored alluvial accumulations. See also Livy, ii, 5. [27] It is stated by Sir George Head that it is twelve hundred feet in length and four hundred in breadth. Rome—A Tour of Many Days, vol. iii, p. 106. London, 1849. [28] A hospital established by Gregory XIII in 1581 and several residences are also on the island. [29] God of fields and shepherds. The Temple of Æsculapius was the most ancient, having been dedicated A.U.C. 462. [30] Pilgrimage of the Tiber, p. 63. London, 1875. Tiberius ascended the throne, A.D. 14. Plutarch, writing half a century later, says of the island: “It is now sacred to religious uses.” Life of Publicola. He states that several temples and porticoes had been built on it, but makes no reference to a prison. [31] Natural History, xxix, 8. [32] _Ibid._ [33] The Very Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Donovan states, in his learned work, that “the temple (of Æsculapius) being recorded by the Regionaries must have existed in the fifth century.” Rome, Ancient and Modern, and its Environs, vol. iv, p. 431. Rome, 1842. [34] Zoological Mythology, or Legends of Animals, vol. i, p. 416. London and New York, 1872. [35] It appears that the serpent has still devotees in Italy. It is said that what is called a snake festival is held once a year in a little mountain-church near Naples. Those attending carry snakes around their necks, arms, or waists. The purpose of the festival is to preserve the participants from poison and sudden death, and to bring them good fortune. [36] The port of Epidaurus not being within several miles of the grove of Æsculapius, it is very improbable that a serpent found its own way from the latter to the Roman ship. [37] Lives of Illustrious Men. [38] Itinerary of Greece (translation), vol. ii, p. 213. London, 1794. [39] Natural History, xxix, 23.