penfairy:

I am delighted to say that I’ve found one of the funniest lines in Latin. This guy called Columella is writing about agriculture and he’s advising farmers to feed their chickens once in the morning, and then again in the evening to ensure the little beasties actually return to the henhouse so they can be locked away for the night. Since the promise of food makes the chickens return, this will help you keep track of them, he says wisely, nam volatile pecus facile custodiam pastoris decepit – for poultry easily deceive the watch of the man who cares for them.

I’m just so thrilled to learn that even 2000 years ago farmers were sitting around like