Chapter XIII: Section IV

STAMP NO. III.—CONTAINED IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

A second Roman medicine-stamp is (as I have already stated, p. 244) contained in the British Museum. The stone is small and broken, and only engraved on one side (see Plate I., No. III.) The inscription does not include, as usual, the name of the oculist who possessed and employed it.

The lettering on this stamp is very distinct, except in one particular. It is doubtful whether the third last letter is intended for an “L,” or stands, as suggested by Mr. Way, for an “I,” with a period-point after it, thus—“I.” An inspection of the stamp itself has impressed me with the belief, that the doubtful letter is truly an “L;” and if so, the inscription would run:—

COLLYR. P. CLOC.

Or, to read it in an extended form, COLLYR_ium_ P_ost_ C_a_L_iginem_ OC_ulorum_—_Collyrium for blindness of the eyes._ And I may observe that several of the prescriptions found on these medicine-stamps are collyria professing to be useful against and after (_ad_ and _post_) _caliginem_.

But if the doubtful letter is an “I,” and not an L, then the inscription, when extended, may be read as follows:—COLLYR_ium_ P_ost_ CI_catrices_ OC_ulorum_, or, “_Collyrium after cicatrices of the eyes._”

The P may stand for P_ro_, and not for P_ost_; but I am not aware of any instance of the former preposition (_Pro_) occurring in these inscriptions, while several examples of this use of the latter preposition (_Post_) are known. An instance of this use of the preposition _Post_ will be found in the sequel, in Stamp No. VI.