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vivum . . . tenetur. The rock is spoken of as an organism which lives and grows. Henry (Aeneidea, vol. I. pp. 470-3) brings forward one remarkable piece of evidence in support of his contention that vivus, when applied to stone, does not merely indicate that the stone is in situ and unquarried, but (as in viva calx ‘quick lime,’ vivum sulphur) describes it as perfect, free from all defect and decay, possessing certain qualities which are not exclusively, though they are specially, possessed by stone in situ. ‘In Italy at the present day, any stone, no matter whether it is in situ or not, is denominated “vivo,” provided only it possesses the qualities popularly attributed to pure and perfect stone—in other words, provided it is hard, durable, fine-grained, and free from admixture of earth, sand, or other extraneous substance; while on the other hand, any stone not possessing these properties—any stone which is coarse-grained, or soft and friable, or contains an admixture of earthy or other extraneous particles—is denominated “morta.”’
Charles Simmons. Metamorphoseon XIII. xiv. The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books XIII. and XIV. Edited, with introduction, analysis, and notes by Charles Simmons. New York. Macmillan. 1899.
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