And the third fleece Altinum has engrost.
Elphinston’s Translation.
Also in the following lines Martial alludes to the large and numerous flocks of Apulia, and to the whiteness of their wool.
Of white thou hast to clothe a tribe sufficient stock,
The produce fair of more than one Apulian flock.
L. ii. Ep. 46. l. 5, 6.
On the other hand the wool from the vicinity of Canusium was no less esteemed for its dark colors, whether inclining to brown or to red. These saved the expense of dyeing. The testimony of Pliny to their value has been already produced. In the two following Epigrams (l. xiv. 127 and 129.) Martial alludes to the peculiar recommendations and uses, first of the brown, and secondly of the reddish variety.
This Canusine lacerna, it is true,
Looks muddy: but it will not change its hue[333].
Rome in the brown delights, gay Gaul in red: