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A Brief History
cases), gives as an equivalent phrase, "Armaria, bibliotheca" (A library and the books in it). I think the word foruli (pigeonholes), as here used, properly means either compartments in the shelves, "nests" for the books, following Martial's use of the word; or, in Seneca's use of it, separate little cases for them. Sidonius speaks of these cases and of other things found in libraries. "Here," he says, "is an astonishing number of books and you would think yourself in a library and could see the shelves (plutei) of the grammarians; or the seats (cunei) of Athenaeus; or the lofty bookcases (armaria) of the booksellers." Plutei are the sloping tables on which books
