Book 7
21
But Clitarchus, in the seventh book of his treatise on Dialects, says—The nautical people call the pompilus the sacred fish, because it conducts ships out of the open sea into harbour, on which account it is called πόμπιλος from πέμπω, being the same fish as the chrysophrys. And Eratosthenes in his Mercury says— They left a share of all their booty there; Still living centipedes, the bearded mullet, The sea-thrush, with dark spots embroider'd o'er, Or the swift sacred fish with golden brows. Now after all this discussion of ours about fish, the excellent Ulpian may ask why Archestratus, speaking in those excellent suggestions of his of the cured fish on the Bosphoru, says— Those which do come from the Bosphoric seas Are whitest; only let there be no sample Of the hard meat o' the fish which grow around The Lake Mæotis; not in verse can I That fish correctly name. What is the fish, which he says it is not proper to mention in poetry?
