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170 THE HISTORYI grudge telling here, what of all these mattersappear d the most absurd to lue. The painterfinding no place where to fix the extreme links ofthe chains, the right hand being occupy'd with aclub, and the left with a bow, he made a hole inthe tip of the god's tongue, (who turns smiling towardsthose he leads) and painted them as drawnfrom thence. 1 look'd upon these things a greatwhile, somethnes admiring, sometimes doubting,and sometimes chafing with indignation.But acertain Gaul who stood by, not ignorant of ouraffairs, as he showVl by speaking Greec in perfection(being one of the philosophers, I suppose, ofthat nation) said, I'll explain to you, O stranger,the enigma of this picture, for it seems not a littleto disturb you. We Gauls do not suppose, asyou Greecs, that Mercury is speech or eloquence;but we attribute it to Hercules, because he's farsuperior in strength to Mercury. Don't w onder,that he's represented as an old man; for speechalone loves to show its utmost vigor in old age, ifyour own poets speak true.All youog men's breasts are with thick darkness filPd;But age experienc'd has much more to say,More wise and learned, than rude untaught youth.Thus, among yourselves, hony drops from Nestor'stongue; and the Trojan orators emit a certainvoice call'd Lirioessa, that is, aJlorid speech;for, if J remember v\^\\i, Jiotvers are call'd Liria.