In Asia the best purple is that of Tyre, in Africa that of Meninx and the parts of Gætulia that border on the Ocean, and in Europe that of Laconia. It is for this color that the fasces and the axes of Rome make way in the crowd; it is this that asserts the majesty of childhood;[147] it is this that distinguishes the senator from the man of equestrian rank; by persons arrayed in this color are prayers addressed to propitiate the gods; on every garment it sheds a lustre, and in the triumphal vestment it is to be seen mingled with gold. Let us be prepared then to excuse this frantic passion for purple, even though at the same time we are compelled to enquire, why it is that such a high value has been set upon the produce of this shell-fish, seeing that while in the dye the smell of it is offensive, and the color then is harsh, of a greenish hue, and strongly resembling that of the sea when in a tempestuous state? The tongue of the purple is a finger in length, and by means of this it finds subsistence, by piercing other shell-fish, so hard is the point of it. They die in fresh water, and in places where rivers discharge themselves into the sea; otherwise, when taken, they will live as long as fifty days on their saliva. All shell-fish grow very fast, purples especially; they come to their full size at the end of a year. Were I at this point to pass on to other subjects, luxury, no doubt, would think itself defrauded of its due, and so accuse me of negligence; I must therefore make my way into the very workshops, so that, just as among articles of food the various kinds and qualities of corn are known, all those who place the enjoyment of life in these luxuries may have a still better acquaintance with the objects for which they live. There are two kinds of fish that produce the purple color; the elements in both are the same, the combinations only are different; the smaller fish is that which is called the “buccinum,” from its resemblance to the conch by which the sound of the buccinus or trumpet is produced, and to this circumstance it owes its name: the opening in it is round, with an incision in the margin. The other fish is known as the “purpura,” or purple, and has a grooved and projecting muzzle, which being tubulated on one side in the interior, forms a passage for the tongue; besides which, the shell is studded with points up to the very apex, which are ordinarily seven in number, and disposed in a circle; these are not found on the buccinum, though both of them have as many spirals as they are years old. The buccinum attaches itself only to crags, and is gathered about rocky places.