THE GOOSE.
The goose also keeps a vigilant guard; a fact which is well attested by
the defence of the Capitol, at a moment when, by the silence of the
dogs, the commonwealth had been betrayed: for which reason the Censors
always, as their first duty, attend to the farming-out of the feeding of
the sacred geese. One might almost be tempted to think that these
creatures have an appreciation of wisdom: for it is said, that one of
them was the constant companion of the philosopher, Lacydes, and would
never leave him, either in public or when at the bath, by night or by
day.
Our people, however, are more wise; for they esteem the goose only for
the excellence of its liver. When they are crammed, this grows to a very
large size, and, on being taken from the animal, is made still larger by
being soaked in honeyed milk. It is matter of debate who first
discovered so great a delicacy; whether it was Scipio Metellus, a man of
consular dignity, or Marcus Seius, a contemporary of his, and a Roman of
equestrian rank. But there is no dispute that it was Messalinus Cotta,
the son of the orator Messala, who first discovered the art of roasting
the webbed feet of the goose, and of cooking them in a ragout with
cocks' combs.
A second income is derived from the feathers of the white goose. In some
places, this animal is plucked twice a year, upon which the feathers
quickly grow again. Those are the softest which lie nearest to the body,
and those that come from Germany are the most esteemed: the geese there
are white, but of small size. The price paid for their feathers is five
denarii per pound. It is from this fruitful source that we have repeated
charges brought against the commanders of our auxiliaries, who are in
the habit of detaching whole cohorts from the posts where they ought to
be on guard, in pursuit of these birds: indeed, we have come to such a
pitch of effeminacy, that now-a-days, not even the men can think of
lying down without the aid of the goose's feathers, by way of pillow.