The shepherds of Egypt had a singular manner of cooking them without the aid of fire: they placed them in a sling, which they turned so rapidly that the friction of the air heated them to the exact point required for use.[XVIII-72] In Rome and in Greece, new-laid eggs were served at the beginning of a repast;[XVIII-73] and the Roman gourmets asserted that, to maintain oneself in health, “it was necessary to remain at table from the egg to the apple.”[XVIII-74] We have adopted the half of that proverb, and we say every day, this story must be taken up _ab ovo_. The Romans did not confine themselves to hens’ eggs, of which they preferred the long ones;[XVIII-75] they sought those of the partridge and pheasant, which Galen considered the most delicate.[XVIII-76] They also thought much of peacocks’ eggs. It was Quintus Hortensius who set the example of this luxury,[XVIII-77] which, however, was discarded by degrees when the precious fecundity of the hens of Adria began to be appreciated.[XVIII-78] The ancients appear to have been very partial to soft-boiled eggs, which may be sucked at once. Nicomachus mentions them: “My father,” says he, “had left me a poor little estate; in a few months I made it as round as an egg; then, breaking the shell, I made but one gulp of it.”[XVIII-79] At Rome, this aliment was prepared in twenty different manners; they pickled it,[XVIII-80] cooked it in water, on hot ashes, on charcoal, and in the fryingpan. Eggs eaten in the shell, however, were thought the most wholesome.[XVIII-81] _Eggs à la Romaine._--Cook some eggs; cut them, and throw over a seasoning composed in the following manner. Bruise some pepper, alisander, coriander, and rue, to which add garum, honey, and a little oil.[XVIII-82] _Hard Eggs à l’Athénienne._--Cut each egg in four, and sprinkle over garum, oil, and wine.[XVIII-83] _Fried Eggs à l’Epænète._--Fry some eggs; place them in a dish, and season with a mixture of pepper, alisander, pine nuts, garum, benzoin, and pepper.[XVIII-84] _Egyptian Egg Pudding._--Take the yolks of a good number of hard eggs; reduce them to a paste with crushed pine nuts, an onion, a leek, some gravy, and pepper; add a little wine and garum. Stuff an intestine with this pulp, and cook.[XVIII-85] _Dish of Eggs à la Macédonienne._--Put in a mortar some pepper, mint, parsley, pennyroyal, cheese, and pine nuts; when this is well crushed, add honey, vinegar, fresh water, and garum; then a large number of yolks of eggs; mix well with the rest; throw the whole into a saucepan; add bread soaked in vinegar and water,--which, however, must be well squeezed out--with fresh cow’s-milk cheese, cucumbers, almonds, chopped onions, fowls’ livers, and garum.[XVIII-86]