Note 808 — BOOK XIX. THE NATURE AND CULTIVATION OF FLAX, AND AN ACCOUNT OF VARIOUS GARDEN PLANTS.
John Bostock translation
He probably has in view here the imprecation uttered by Horace:—
“Illi robur, et æs triplex Circa pectus erat, qui fragilem truci Commisit pelago ratem.”—Odes, i. 3.
At the present day hemp forms a material part in the manufacture of sails. In addition to flax, the ancients employed broom, rushes, leather, and various skins of animals for the purpose.