And Phanias relates the same circumstances in his history of the Tyrants in Sicily, saying that the ancient offerings had been brass, both tripods, and caldrons, and daggers; and that on one of them there was the following inscription—Look on me well; for I was once a partOf the wide tower which defended TroyWhen Greeks and Trojans fought for fair-hair'd Helen;And Helicon, brave Antenor's son,Brought me from thence, and placed me here, to beAn ornament to Phœbus' holy shrine.And in the tripod, which was one of the prizes offered at the funeral games in honour of Patroclus, there was the inscription—I am a brazen tripod, and I lieHere as an ornament of Delphi's shrine.The swift Achilles gave me as a prizeWhat time he placed Patroclus on the pile,And Tydeus' mighty son, brave Diomede,Offer'd me here, won by his speedy coursersIn the swift race by Helle's spacious wave.
ἱστορεῖ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ Φαινίας ἐν τῷ περὶ τῶν ἐν Σικελίᾳ τυράννων, ὡς χαλκῶν ὄντων τῶν παλαιῶν ἀναθημάτων καὶ τριπόδων καὶ λεβήτων καὶ ἐγχειριδίων, ὧν ἐφ’ ἑνὸς καὶ ἐπιγεγράφθαι φησίν θάησαί μ’· ἐτεὸν γὰρ ἐν Ἰλίου εὐρέι πύργῳ ἦν ὅτε καλλικόμῳ μαρνάμεθ’ ἀμφ’ Ἑλένῃ· καὶ μ’ Ἀντηνορίδης ἐφόρει κρείων Ἑλικάων νῦν δέ με Λητοΐδου θεῖον ἔχει δάπεδον. ἐπὶ δὲ τρίποδος, ὃς ἦν εἷς τῶν ἐπὶ Πατρόκλῳ ἄθλων τεθέντων χάλκεός εἰμι τρίπους, Πυθοῖ δ’ ἀνάκειμαι ἄγαλμα. καὶ μ’ ἐπὶ Πατρόκλῳ θῆκεν πόδας ὠκὺς Ἀχιλλεύς· Τυδείδης δ’ ἀνέθηκε βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Διομήδης, νικήσας ἵπποισι παρὰ πλατὺν Ἑλλήσποντον.
And Ephorus, or Demophilus, his son, in the thirtieth book of his Histories, speaking of the temple of Delphi, says, "But Onomarchus and Phayllus and Phalæcus not only carried off all the treasures of the god, but at last their wives carried off also the ornaments of Eriphyle, which Alcmæon consecrated at Delphi by the command of the god and also the necklace of Helen, which had been given by Menelaus. For the god had given each of them oracles: he had said to Alcmæon, when he asked him how he could be cured of his madness—You ask a precious gift, relief from madness';Give me a precious gift yourself; the chainWith which your mother buried, steeds and all,Your sire, her husband, brave Amphiaraus.And he replied to Menelaus, who consulted him as to how he might avenge himself on Paris—Bring me the golden ornament of the neckOf your false wife; which Venus once did giveA welcome gift to Helen; and then ParisShall glut your direst vengeance by his fall.And it so fell out that a violent quarrel arose among the women about these ornaments—which should take which. And when they had drawn lots for the choice, the one of them, who was very ugly and stern, got Eriphyle's necklace, but the one who was conspicuous for beauty and wanton got the ornaments of Helen; and she, being in love with a young man of Epirus, went away with him, but the other contrived to put her husband to death.
Ἔφορος δὲ ἢ Δημόφιλος ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ τριακοστῇ τῶν ἱστοριῶν περὶ τοῦ ἐν Δελφοῖς ἱεροῦ λέγων φησίν·Ὀνόμαρχος δὲ καὶ Φάυλλος καὶ Φάλαικος οὐ μόνον ἅπαντα τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξεκόμισαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τελευταῖον αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν τόν τε τῆς Ἐριφύλης κόσμον ἔλαβον, ὃν Ἀλκμαίων εἰς Δελφοὺς ἀνέθηκε κελεύσαντος τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τὸν τῆς Ἑλένης ὅρμον Μενελάου ἀναθέντος. ἑκατέρῳ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἔχρησεν, Ἀλκμαίωνι μὲν πυνθανομένῳ πῶς ἂν τῆς μανίας ἀπαλλαγείη· τιμῆὲν μ’ αἰτεῖς δῶρον μανίαν ἀποπαῦσαι· καὶ σὺ φέρειν τιμῆεν ἐμοὶ γέρας, ᾧ ποτε μήτηρ Ἀμφιάραον ἔκρυψ’ ὑπὸ γῆν αὐτοῖσι σὺν ἵπποις· Μενελάῳ δὲ πῶς ἂν τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον τιμωρήσαιτο πάγχρυσον φέρε κόσμον ἑλὼν ἀπὸ σῆς ἀλόχοιο δειρῆς, ὅν ποτε Κύπρις ἔδωχ’ Ἑλένῃ μέγα χάρμα ὥς σοι Ἀλέξανδρος τίσιν ἐχθίστην ἀποδώσει. συνέβη δὲ ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἔριν ἐμπεσεῖν περὶ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ποτέρα πότερον λήψεται. καὶ διακληρουμένων ἡ μὲν σκυθρωπὴ οὖσα κατὰ τὸν βίον καὶ σεμνότητος πλήρης τὸν Ἐριφύλης ὅρμον, ἡ δὲ ὥρᾳ διαφέρουσα καὶ μάχλος οὖσα τὸν τῆς Ἑλένης ἔλαχε. καὶ αὕτη μὲν ἐρασθεῖσα νεανίσκου τινὸς Ἠπειρώτου συνεξεδήμησεν, ἡ δὲ τῷ ἀνδρὶ θάνατον ἐβούλευσεν.
But the divine Plato, and Lycurgus the Lacedæmonian, not only forbad all costly ornaments to be introduced into their model states, but they would not permit even silver or gold to be brought into them, thinking that of the products of mines, iron and copper were sufficient, and banishing the other metals as injurious to those states which were in good order. But Zeno the Stoic, thinking everything unimportant except the legitimate and honest use of the precious metals, forbad either praying for or deprecating them; but still he recommended chiefly the use of those which were more commonly accessible and less superfluous; in order that men, having the dispositions of their minds formed so as neither to fear nor to admire anything which is not honourable on the one hand or discreditable on the other, should use only what is natural as much as possible, and yet should not fear what is of an opposite character, but abstain from such in obedience to reason and not to fear. For nature has not banished any of the above-mentioned things out of the world, but has made subterranean veins of these metals, the working of which is very laborious and difficult, in order that they who desire such things may arrive at the acquisition after toil and suffering; and that not only those men themselves who work in the mines, but those also who collect what has been extracted from the mines, may acquire this much wished for opulence at the expense of countless labours. Therefore a little of these metals lies on the surface just to serve as a sample of the rest which is beneath, since in the remotest corners of the earth also there are rivers bearing down gold-dust in their waters; and women and men destitute of bodily strength scratching among the sand, detach these particles from the sand, and then they wash them and bring them to the smelting-pot, as my countryman Posidonius says is done among the Helvetians, and among others of the Celtic tribes. And the mountains which used formerly to be called the Rhipeean mountains, and which were subsequently named the Olbian (as if happy), and which are now called the Alps, (they are mountains in Gaul,) when once the woods upon them had caught fire spontaneously, ran with liquid silver. The greater quantity of this metal, however, is found by mining operations carried on at a great depth, and attended by great hardship, according to the statement of Demetrius Phalereus, in consequence of the desire of avarice to draw Pluto himself out of the recesses of the earth; and, accordingly, he says facetiously that—“Men having often abandoned what was visible for the sake of what was uncertain, have not got what they expected, and have lost what they had, being unfortunate by an enigmatical sort of calamity.”
Πλάτων δὲ ὁ θεῖος καὶ Λυκοῦργος ὁ Λάκων οὐδ’ εἴων ἐνεπιδημεῖν ταῖς ἰδίαις πολιτείαις οὔτε τῶν ἄλλων πολυτελῶν οὐδέν, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τὸν ἄργυρον οὐδὲ τὸν χρυσόν, τῶν μεταλλευομένων τὸν σίδηρον καὶ τὸν χαλκὸν ἀρκεῖν νομίζοντες, ἐκεῖνα δ’ ἐκβάλλοντες ὡς λυμαινόμενα τὰς ὑγιαινούσας τῶν πόλεων. Ζήνων δὲ ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς στοᾶς πάντα τὰ ἄλλα πλὴν τοῦ νομίμως αὐτοῖς καὶ καλῶς χρῆσθαι νομίσας ἀδιάφορα τὴν μὲν αἵρεσιν αὐτῶν καὶ φυγὴν ἀπειπών. τὴν χρῆσιν δὲ τῶν λιτῶν καὶ περιττῶν προηγουμένως· ποιεῖσθαι προστάσσων, ὅπως ἀδεῆ καὶ ἀθαύμαστον πρὸς τἄλλα τὴν διάθεσιν τῆς ψυχῆς ἔχοντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὅσα μήτε καλά ἐστι μήτε αἰσχρὰ τοῖς μὲν κατὰ φύσιν ὡς ἐπὶ πολὺ χρῶνται, τῶν δ’ ἐναντίων μηδὲν ὅλως δεδοικότες λόγῳ καὶ μὴ φόβῳ τούτων ἀπέχωνται. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἡ φύσις ἐκβέβληκεν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τῶν εἰρημένων, ἀλλ’ ἐποίησεν ὑπογείους αὐτῶν φλέβας πολύπονον καὶ χαλεπὴν ἐχούσας ἐργασίαν, ὅπως οἱ περὶ ταῦτα σπουδάζοντες ὀδυνώμενοι μετίωσι τὴν κτῆσιν, καὶ οὐχ οἱ μεταλλεύοντες μόνοι ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τὰ μεταλλευθέντα συναγείροντες μυρίοις μόχθοις θηρεύωσι τὴν περίβλεπτον ταύτην πολυκτησίαν. δείγματος μὲν οὖν χάριν ἔστιν οὗπερ ἐπιπόλαιον αὐτῶν ἐστι τὸ γένος, εἲ γ’ ἐν ταῖς ἐσχατιαῖς τῆς οἰκουμένης καὶ ποτάμια τὰ τυχόντα ψήγματα χρυσοῦ καταφέρει καὶ ταῦτα γυναῖκες καὶ ἄνδρες ἀσθενεῖς τὰ σώματα σὺν ταῖς ἄμμοις ὑποψήχοντες διιστᾶσι καὶ πλύναντες ἄγουσιν ἐπὶ τὴν χώνην, ὡς παρὰ τοῖς Ἐλουητίοις φησὶν ὁ ἐμὸς Ποσειδώνιος καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶ τῶν Κελτῶν. καὶ τά τε πάλαι μὲν Ῥιπαῖα καλούμενα ὄρη, εἶθ’ ὕστερον Ὄλβια προσαγορευθέντα, νῦν δὲ Ἄλπια ἔστι δὲ τῆς Γαλατίας αὐτομάτως ὕλης ἐμπρησθείσης ἀργύρῳ διερρύη. τὸ μέντοι γε πολὺ τούτου βαθείαις καὶ κακοπαθέσι μεταλλείαις εὑρίσκεται κατὰ τὸν Φαληρέα Δημήτριον ἐλπιζούσης τῆς πλεονεξίας ἀνάξειν ἐκ τῶν μυχῶν τῆς γῆς αὐτὸν τὸν Πλούτωνα, χαριεντιζόμενος γοῦν φησιν ὅτι πολλάκις καταναλώσαντες τὰ φανερὰ τῶν ἀδήλων ἕνεκα ἃ μὲν ἔμελλον οὐκ ἔλαβον, ἃ δ’ εἶχον ἀπέβαλον ὥσπερ αἰνίγματος τρόπον ἀτυχοῦντες.
But the Lacedæmonians being hindered by their national institutions from introducing silver or gold into Sparta, as the same Posidonius relates, or from possessing any in private, did possess it nevertheless, but then they deposited it among their neighbours the Arcadians. But subsequently the Arcadians became enemies to them instead of friends, as they had been; picking a quarrel with them with the express view of seizing on this deposit without being called to account for it, by reason of the enmity now subsisting. Therefore it is said that the gold and silver which had formerly been at Lacedæmon was consecrated at Delphi to Apollo; and that when Lysander brought gold publicly into the city he was the cause of many evils to the state by so doing. And it is said that Gylippus, who delivered the Syracusans, was put to death by starvation, having been condemned by the Ephori, because he had embezzled some of the money sent to Sparta by Lysander. But that which had been devoted to the god and been granted to the people as a public ornament and public property, it was not decent for any mortal to treat with contempt. But that tribe of Gauls which is called the Cordistæ, does not introduce gold into their country either, still they are not the less ready to plunder the territories of their neighbours, and to commit injustice; and that nation is a remnant of the Gauls who formed the army of Brennus when he made his expedition against the temple of Delphi. And a certain Bathanatius, acting as their leader, settled them as a colony in the districts around the Ister, from whom they call the road by which they returned the Bathanatian road, and even to this day they call his posterity the Bathanati. And these men proscribe gold, and do not introduce it into their territories, as a thing on account of which they have suffered many calamities; but they do use silver, and for the sake of that they commit the most enormous atrocities. Although the proper course would be, not to banish the whole class of the thing of which they were formerly plundered, but the impiety which could perpetrate such a sacrilege. And even if they did not introduce silver into their country, still they would commit excesses in the pursuit of copper and iron; and even if they had not these things, still they would continue to rage in war against other nations for the sake of meat and drink, and other necessaries.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δ’ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐθῶν κωλυόμενοι εἰς φέρειν εἰς τὴν Σπάρτην, ὡς ὁ αὐτὸς ἱστορεῖ Ποσειδώνιος, καὶ κτᾶσθαι ἄργυρον καὶ χρυσὸν ἐκτῶντο μὲν οὐδὲν ἧττον, παρακατετίθεντο δὲ τοῖς ὁμόροις Ἀρκάσιν. εἶτα πολεμίους αὐτοὺς ἔσχον ἀντὶ φίλων, ὅπως ἀνυπεύθυνον τὸ ἄπιστον διὰ τὴν ἔχθραν γένηται. τῷ μὲν οὖν ἐν Δελφοῖς Ἀπόλλωνι τὸν πρότερον ἐν τῇ Λακεδαίμονι χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον ἱστοροῦσιν ἀνατεθῆναι, δημοσίᾳ δὲ εἰς τὴν πόλιν Λύσανδρον εἰσαγαγόντα πολλῶν κακῶν αἴτιον γενέσθαι. Γύλιππον γοῦν τὸν Συρακοσίους ἐλευθερώσαντα ἀποθανεῖν ἀποκαρτερήσαντα λόγος, καταγνωσθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐφόρων ὡς νοσφισάμενον ἐκ τοῦ Λυσανδρείου χρήματος, τοῦ δὲ ἀνατιθεμένου θεῷ καὶ συγχωρουμένου δήμου καθάπερ κοσμήματος καὶ κτήματος οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἦν τὸν θνητὸν ὀλίγωρον γενέσθαι, τῶν δὲ Γαλατῶν οἱ Σκορδίσται καλούμενοι χρυσὸν μὲν οὐκ εἰσάγουσιν εἰς τὴν αὑτῶν χώραν, λῃζόμενοι δὲ τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν καὶ ἀδικοῦντες τὸν ἄργυρον οὐ παραλείπουσι. τὸ δ’ ἔθνος αὐτῶν ἐστι μὲν λείψανον τῶν μετὰ Βρέννου στρατευσαμένων ἐπὶ τὸ Δελφικὸν μαντεῖον Γαλατῶν, Βαθάναττος δέ τις ἡγεμὼν αὐτοὺς διῴκισεν ἐπὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἴστρον τόπους ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν δι’ ἧς ἐνόστησαν Βαθαναττίαν καλοῦσι καὶ τοὺς ἀπογόνους τοὺς ἐκείνου Βαθανάττους ἔτι καὶ νῦν προσαγορεύουσιν. ἀφωσιώκασι δὲ οὗτοι τὸν χρυσὸν καὶ οὐκ εἰσφέρουσιν εἰς τὰς πατρίδας, δι’ ὃν πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ ἔπαθον ἀργύρῳ δὲ χρῶνται καὶ τούτου χάριν πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ ποιοῦσιν. καίτοι γε ἐχρῆν οὐχὶ τὸ γένος τοῦ συληθέντος, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἱεροσυλήσασαν ἀσέβειαν ἐξορίσαι· εἰ δὲ μηδὲ τὸν ἄργυρον εἰσέφερον εἰς τὴν χώραν, ἢ περὶ τὸν χαλκὸν ἂν καὶ σίδηρον ἐπλημμέλουν ἢ εἰ μηδὲ ταῦτ’ ἦν παρ’ αὐτοῖς, περὶ τῶν βρωτῶν καὶ ποτῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀναγκαίων ὁπλομανοῦντες ἂν διετέλουν.
When Pontianus had delivered his opinion in these terms, and while most of the guests were endeavouring to solve the questions proposed by Ulpian, Plutarch, being one of those who was attending to the other subjects of discussion, said,—The name parasite was in former days a respectable and a holy name. At all events, Polemo (whether he was a Samian or a Sicyonian, or whether he prefers the name of an Athenian, which Heraclides the Mopseatian gives him, who also speaks of him as being claimed by other cities; and he was also called Stelocopas, as Herodicus the Cratetian has told us,) writing about parasites, speaks as follows—“The name of parasite is now a disreputable one; but among the ancients we find the word parasite used as something sacred, and nearly equivalent to the title Messmate. Accordingly, at Cynosarges, in the temple of Hercules, there is a pillar on which is engraven a decree of Alcibiades; the clerk who drew it up being Stephanus the son of Thucydides; and in it mention is made of this name in the following terms—' Let the priest perform the monthly sacrifices with the parasites; and let the parasites select one bastard, and one of the sons of the same, according to the usual national customs; and whoever is unwilling to take the place of a parasite, let the priest report him to the tribunal.' And in the tables of the laws concerning the Deliastæ it is written—' And let two heralds, of the family of the heralds, of that branch of it which is occupied about the sacred mysteries, be chosen; and let them be parasites in the temple of Delos for a year.' And in Pallenis this inscription is engraved on the offerings there found—' The Archons and parasites made these offerings, who, in the archonship of Pythodorus, were crowned with a golden crown; and the parasites were, in the archonship of Lycostratus, Gargettius; in the archonship of Pericletus, Pericles Pitheus; in that of Demochares, Charinus.' And in the laws of the king, we find the following words—' That the parasites of the Acharnensians shall sacrifice to Apollo.' But Clearchus the Solensian, and he was one of the disciples of Aristotle, in the first book of his Lives, writes thus-'But now they call a parasite. a man who is ready for anything; but in former times he was a man picked out as a companion.'” Accordingly, in the ancient laws, most cities mention parasites among the most honourable of their officers; and, indeed, they do so to this day. And Clidemus says in his Attic Women—And then they chose some parasites for Hercules.And Themiso, in his Pallenis, says—“That the king, who from time to time fills that office, and the parasites, whom they appoint from the main body of the people, and the old men, and the women who still have their first husbands, shall take care of such and such things.”
τοσαῦτα καὶ τοῦ Ποντιανοῦ εἰπόντοσ—ἐφιλοτιμήσαντο γὰρ οἱ πολλοὶ τὰς τοῦ Οὐλπιανοῦ ἀπολύσασθαι προτάσεις· ὧν τὰς ὑπολειπομένας διελόμενοι ὁ μὲν Πλούταρχος ἔφη· τὸ δὲ τοῦ παρασίτου ὄνομα πάλαι μὲν ἦν σεμνὸν καὶ ἱερόν. πολέμων γοῦν ὁ εἴτε Σάμιος ἢ Σικυώνιος εἴτ’ Ἀθηναῖος ὀνομαζόμενος χαίρει, ὡς ὁ Μοψεάτης ʽ Ἡρακλείδης λέγει καταριθμούμενος αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπ’ ἄλλων πόλεων ἐπεκαλεῖτο δὲ καὶ στηλοκόπας, ὡς Ἡρόδικος ὁ Κρατήτειος εἴρηκε γράψας περὶ παρασίτων φησὶν οὕτως· “τὸ τοῦ παρασίτου ὄνομα νῦν μὲν ἄδοξόν ἐστι, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις εὑρίσκομεν τὸν παράσιτον ἱερόν τι χρῆμα καὶ τῷ συνθοίνῳ παρόμοιον. ἐν Κυνοσάργει μὲν οὖν ἐν τῷ Ἡρακλείῳ στήλη τίς ἐστιν ἐν ᾗ ψήφισμα μὲν Ἀλκιβιάδου, γραμματεὺς δὲ Στέφανος Θουκυδίδου, λέγεται δ’ ἐν αὐτῷ περὶ τῆς προσηγορίας οὕτως· τὰ δ’ ἐπιμήνια θυέτω ὁ ἱερεὺς μετὰ τῶν παρασίτων, οἱ δὲ παράσιτοι ἔστων ἐκ τῶν νόθων καὶ τῶν τούτων παίδων κατὰ τὰ πάτρια, ὃσδ’ ἂν μὴ ᾽θέλῃ παρασιτεῖν, εἰσαγέτω καὶ περὶ τούτων εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον. ἐν δὲ τοῖς κύρβεσι τοῖς περὶ τῶν Δηλιαστῶν οὕτως γέγραπται· καὶ τὼ κήρυκε ἐκ τοῦ γένους τῶν Κηρύκων τοῦ τῆς μυστηριώτιδος. τούτους δὲ παρασιτεῖν ἐν τῷ Δηλίῳ ἐνιαυτόν. ἐν δὲ Παλληνίδι τοῖς ἀναθήμασιν ἐπιγέγραπται τάδε· ἄρχοντες καὶ παράσιτοι ἀνέθεσαν οἱ ἐπὶ Πυθοδώρου ἄρχοντος στεφανωθέντες χρυσῷ στεφάνῳ. ἐπὶ Διφίλης ἱερείας παράσιτοι Ἐπίλυκος … στράτου Γαργήττιος, Περικλῆς Περικλείτου Πιτθεύς, Χαρῖνος Δημοχάρους Γαργήττιος. κἀν τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως δὲ νόμοις γέγραπται· θύειν τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι τοὺς Ἀχαρνέων παρασίτους. Κλέαρχος δ’ ὁ Σολεύς, εἷς δ’ οὗτος τῶν Ἀριστοτέλους ἐστὶ μαθητῶν, ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν βίων τάδε γράφει· ἔτι δὲ παράσιτον νῦν μὲν τὸν ἕτοιμον, ὁ τότε δὲ τὸν εἰς τὸ συμβιοῦν κατειλεγμένον. ἐν γοῦν τοῖς παλαιοῖς νόμοις αἱ πλεῖσται τῶν πόλεων ἔτι καὶ τήμερον ταῖς ἐντιμοτάταις ἀρχαῖς συγκαταλέγουσι παρασίτους. Κλείδημος δ’ ἐν τῇ Ἀτθίδι φησί καὶ παράσιτοι δ’ ᾑρέθησαν τῷ Ἠρακλεῖ. καὶ Θεμίσων δ’ ἐν Παλληνίδι· ἐπιμελεῖσθαι δὲ τὸν βασιλέα τὸν ἀεὶ βασιλεύοντα καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς παρασίτους οὓς ἂν ἐκ τῶν δήμων προσαιρῶνται καὶ τοὺς γέροντας καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας τὰς πρωτοπόσεις.
And from this you perceive, my good friend Ulpian, that you may raise another question, who the women are who still have their first husbands? But (for we are still speaking about the parasites) there is also an inscription on a pillar in the Anaceum to the following effect—“Of the best bulls which are selected, one-third is to be appropriated to the games; and of the remaining two-thirds, one is to go to the priest, and the other to the parasites.” But Crates, in the second book of his treatise on the Attic Dialect, says—“And the word parasite is now used in a disreputable sense; but formerly those people were called parasites who were selected to collect the sacred corn, and there was a regular Hall of the parasites; on which account the following expressions occur in the law of the king—” That the king shall take care of the Archons that they are properly appointed, and that they shall select the parasites from the different boroughs, according to the statutes enacted with reference to that subject. And that the parasites shall, without any evasion or fraud, select from their own share a sixth part of a bushel of barley, on which all who are citizens of Athens shall feast in the temple, according to the national laws and customs. And that the parasites of the Acharnensians shall give a sixth part of a bushel from their collection of barley to the guild of priests of Apollo. And that there was a regular Hall for the parasites is shown by the following expressions in the same law—“For the repairs of the temple, and of the magistrates' hall, and of the hall of parasites, and of the sacred house, they shall pay whatever sums of money the contractors appointed by the priests think necessary.” From this it is evident that the place in which the parasites laid up the first-fruits of the consecrated corn was called the Parasitium, or the Hall of the parasites. And Philochorus gives the same account in his book entitled the Tetrapolis, where he mentions the parasites who were elected for the temple of Hercules; and Diodorus of Sinope, a comic poet, in his Heir, (from which I will cite some testimonies presently,) says the same. And Aristotle, in his treatise on the Constitution of the Methoneans, says— “Parasites were two in number for each of the archons, and one for the polemarchs. And they received a fixed allowance from others, and they also took dishes of fish from the fishermen.”
ἔχεις δὲ κἀκ τούτων, καλέ μου Οὐλπιανέ, ζητεῖν τίνες αἱ πρωτοπόσεις γυναῖκες, ἀλλὰ μὴν περὶ γὰρ τῶν παρασίτων ὁ λόγος κἀν τῷ Ἀνακείῳ ἐπί τινος στήλης γέγραπται· τοῖν δὲ βοοῖν τοῖν ἡγεμόνοιν τοῖν ἐξαιρουμένοιν τὸ μὲν τρίτον μέρος εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα, τὰ δὲ δύο μέρη τὸ μὲν ἕτερον τῷ ἱερεῖ, τὸ δὲ τοῖς παρασίτοις. Κράτης δ’ ἐν δευτέρῳ Ἀττικῆς διαλέκτου φησί·καὶ ὁ παράσιτος νῦν ἐπ’ ἄδοξον μετάκειται πρᾶγμα, πρότερον δ’ ἐκαλοῦντο παράσιτοι οἱ ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἱεροῦ σίτου ἐκλογὴν αἱρούμενοι καὶ ἦν ἀρχεῖόν τι παρασίτων. διὸ καὶ ἐν τῷ τοῦ βασιλέως νόμῳ γέγραπται ταυτί· ἐπιμελεῖσθαι δὲ τὸν βασιλεύοντα τῶν τε ἀρχόντων ὅπως ἂν καθιστῶνται καὶ τοὺς παρασίτους ἐκ τῶν δήμων αἱρῶνται κατὰ τὰ γεγραμμένα, τοὺς δὲ παρασίτους ἐκ τῆς βουκολίας ἐκλέγειν ἐκ τοῦ μέρους τοῦ ἑαυτῶν ἕκαστον ἑκτέα κριθῶν δαίνυσθαί τε τοὺς ὄντας Ἀθηναίων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ κατὰ τὰ πάτρια, τὸν δ’ ἑκτέα παρέχειν εἰς τὰ ἀρχεῖα τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι τοὺς Ἀχαρνέων παρασίτους ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκλογῆς τῶν κριθῶν. ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἀρχεῖον ἦν αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ νόμῳ τάδε γέγραπται· εἰς τὴν ἐπισκευὴν τοῦ νεὼ καὶ τοῦ παρασιτίου καὶ τῆς οἰκίας τῆς ἱερᾶς διδόναι τὸ ἀργύριον ὁπόσου ἂν οἱ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐπισκευασταὶ μισθώσωσιν. ἐκ τούτου δῆλόν ἐστιν ὅτι ἐν ᾧ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς ἐτίθεσαν τοῦ ἱεροῦ σίτου οἱ παράσιτοι τοῦτο παρασίτιον προσηγορεύετο.ταὐτὰ ἱστορεῖ καὶ Φιλόχορος ἐν τῇ ἐπιγραφομένῃ Τετραπόλει μνημονεύων τῶν καταλεγομένων τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ παρασίτων καὶ Διόδωρος ὁ Σινωπεὺς κωμῳδιοποιὸς ἐν Ἐπικλήρῳ, οὗ τὸ μαρτύριον ὀλίγον ὕστερον παραθήσομαι. Ἀριστοτέλης δ’ ἐν τῇ Μεθωναίων πολιτείᾳ παράσιτοι φησί, τοῖς μὲν ἄρχουσι δύο καθ’ ἕκαστον ἦσαν, τοῖς δὲ πολεμάρχοις εἷς· τεταγμένα δὲ ἐλάμβανον παρ’ ἄλλων τέ τινων καὶ τῶν ἁλιέων ὄψον.
But the meaning which is now given to the name parasite is one which Carystius of Pergamus, in his treatise on the Didascali$e, says was first invented by Alexis, forgetting that Epicharmus, in his Hope or Plutus, has introduced one in a drinking party, where he says—But here another stands at this man's feet,* * * * * *Seeking for food which shall not cost him anything,And he will drink up an entire cask,As if it were a cupfull.And he introduces the parasite himself, making the following speech to some one who questioned him—I sup with any one who likes, if heHas only got the good sense to invite me;And with each man who makes a marriage feast,Whether I'm asked or not, there I am witty;There I make others laugh, and there I praiseThe host, who gives the feast. And if by chanceAny one dares to say a word against him,I arm myself for contest, and o'erwhelm him.Then eating much and drinking plentifully,I leave the house. No link-boy doth attend me;But I do pick my way with stumbling steps,Both dark and desolate; and if sometimesI do the watchmen meet, I swear to themBy all the gods that I have done no wrong;But still they set on me. At last, well beaten,I reach my home, and go to sleep on the ground,And for a while forget my blows and bruises,While the strong wine retains its sway and lulls me.
τὸν δὲ νῦν λεγόμενον παράσιτον Καρύστιος ὁ Περγαμηνὸς ἐν τῷ περὶ διδασκαλιῶν εὑρεθῆναί φησιν ὑπὸ πρώτου Ἀλέξιδος, ἐκλαθόμενος ὅτι Ἐπίχαρμος ἐν Ἐλπίδι ἢ Πλούτῳ παρὰ πότον αὐτὸν εἰσήγαγεν οὑτωσὶ λέγων ἀλλ’ ἄλλος ἔστειχ’ ὧδε τοῦδε κατὰ πόδας, τὸν ῥᾳδίως λαψῇ τὺ κὰτ τὸ νῦν γά θην εὔωνον ἀείσιτον. ἀλλ’ ἔμπας ὅδε ἄμυστιν ὥσπερ κύλικα πίνει τὸν βίον. καὶ αὐτὸν ποιεῖ τὸν παράσιτον λέγοντα τοιάδε πρὸς τὸν πυνθανόμενον συνδειπνέων τῷ λῶντι, καλέσαι δεῖ μόνον, καὶ τῷ γα μὴ λεῶντι, κοὐδὲν δεῖ καλεῖν τηνεὶ δὲ χαρίης τ’ εἰμὶ καὶ ποιέω πολὺν γέλωτα καὶ τὸν ἱστιῶντ’ ἐπαινέω. καἴ κά τις ἀντίον τι λῇ τήνῳ λέγειν, τήνῳ κυδάζομαί τε κἀπ’ ὦν ἠχθόμαν. κἤπειτα πολλὰ καταφαγών, πόλλ’ ἐμπιὼν ἄπειμι· λύχνον δ’ οὐχ ὁ παῖς μοι συμφέρει· ἕρπω δ’ ὀλισθράζων τε καὶ κατὰ σκότος ἔρημος· αἴ κα δ’ ἐντύχω τοῖς περιπόλοις, τοῦθ’ οἷον ἀγαθὸν ἐπιλέγω τοῖς θεοῖς ὅτι οὐ λῶντι πλεῖον, ἀλλὰ μαστιγῶντί με. ἐπεὶ δὲ χ’ εἵκω οἴκαδις καταφθαρείς, ἄστρωτος εὕδω, καὶ τὰ μὲν πρᾶτ’ οὐ κοῶ, ἇς κά μ’ ἔχων ὥκρατος ἀμφέπῃ φρένας.
And the parasite of Epicharmus makes a second speech of the same kind. And a parasite of Diphilus speaks thus—When a rich man who gives a dinner asks me,I look not at the ceiling or the cornices,Nor do I criticise Corinthian chasings,But keep my eyes fixed on the kitchen smoke,And if it goes up strong and straight to heaven,I joy and triumph, and I clap my wings;But it be but thin and moving sidewise,Then I perceive my feast too will be thin.But Homer is the first person, as some say, who introduced the character of a parasite, saying of Podes that he was a beloved guest of Hector—There stood a Trojan, not unknown to fame,Eetion's son, and Podes was his name,—With riches honour'd, and with courage blest,By Hector loved, his comrade and his guest.For the word εἰλαπίνη comes to the same thing as δεῖπνον, on which account he makes him wounded by Menelaus in the belly, as Demetrius the Scepsian says; as also he represents Pandarus as wounded in the tongue, because of his having perjured himself; and it is a Spartan who wounds him, one of a nation very much devoted to temperance.
καὶ ἄλλα δὲ τοιαῦτα ἐπιλέγει ὁ τοῦ Ἐπιχάρμου παράσιτος, ὁ δὲ παρὰ τῷ Διφίλῳ τάδε φησίν ὅταν με καλέσῃ πλούσιος δεῖπνον ποιῶν, οὐ κατανοῶ τὰ τρίγλυφ’ οὐδὲ τὰς στέγας, οὐδὲ δοκιμάζω τοὺς Κορινθίους κάδους, ἀτενὲς δὲ τηρῶ τοῦ μαγείρου τὸν καπνόν. κἂν μὲν σφοδρὸς φερόμενος εἰς ὀρθὸν τρέχῃ, γέγηθα καὶ χαίρω τε καὶ πτερύττομαι· ἂν δὲ πλάγιος καὶ λεπτός, εὐθέως νοῶ ὅτι τοῦτό μοι τὸ δεῖπνον ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ αἷμ’ ἔχει. πρῶτος δ’ Ὅμηρος, ὥς τινές φασιν, εἰσήγαγε παράσιτον, τὸν Ποδῆν εἶναι λέγων φίλον εἰλαπιναστὴν τοῦ Ἕκτορος· ἦν δέ τις ἐν Τρώεσσι Ποδῆς υἱὸς Ἠετίωνος, ἀφνειὸς τ’ ἀγαθός τε· μάλιστα δέ μιν τίεν Ἕκτωρ δήμου, ἐπεὶ οἱ ἑταῖρος ἔην φίλος εἰλαπιναστής. τὸν γὰρ ἐν εἰλαπίνῃ φίλον εἴρηκεν τὸν ἐν τῷ δειπνεῖν. διὸ καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτὸν ὑπὸ Μενελάου τιτρωσκόμενον κατὰ τὴν γαστέρα· φησὶν δ’ ὁ Σκήψιος Δημήτριος ὡς καὶ Πάνδαρον διὰ τὸ ἐπιωρκηκέναι κατὰ τῆς γλώττης. τιτρώσκει δ’ αὐτὸν Σπαρτιάτης ἄνθρωπος τὴν αὐτάρκειαν ἐζηλωκώς.
But the ancient poets called parasites flatterers; from whom also Eupolis gave this title to his play, where he represents a chorus of flatterers speaking thus—But we will tell you nowThe mode of life adoptedBy the whole flattering band,And listen ye, and learnHow well-bred we all are.For first of all a boy,Another person's slave,Attends us; and we areContent with very little.I have two well-made garments,And always have one on;I hie me to the forum,And when I see a man,A foolish man but rich,I make my way to him,And if he says a wordI praise his wit and laugh,Delighted at his jests.And then we go to supper,My friends and I, pursuingEach different game so longAs we can save our money.And then the parasiteMust show his wit and manners,Or out of doors be turned.And one there was, Acestor,A branded slave, if IAm bound to tell the truth,And he was treated so.For not one single jokeDid he ope his lips to utter,And so the slaves expell'dAnd pilloried the knave,And gave him up to Œneus.
οἱ δ’ ἀρχαῖοι ποιηταὶ τοὺς παρασίτους κόλακας ἐκάλουν, ἀφ’ ὧν καὶ Εὔπολις τῷ δράματι τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἐποιήσατο, τὸν χορὸν τῶν Κολάκων ποιήσας τάδε λέγοντα· ἀλλὰ δίαιταν ἣν ἔχουσ’ οἱ κόλακες πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέξομεν ἀλλ’ ἀκούσαθ᾽, ὡς ἐσμὲν ἅπαντα κομψοὶ ἄνδρες· ὅτοισι πρῶτα μὲν παῖς ἀκόλουθός ἐστιν ἀλλότριος τὰ πολλά, μικρὸν δέ τι κἀμὸς αὐτοῦ. ἱματίω δέ μοι δύ’ ἐστὸν χαρίεντε τούτω, οἷν μεταλαμβάνων ἀεὶ θάτερον ἐξελαύνω εἰς ἀγοράν. ἐκεῖ δ’ ἐπειδὰν κατίδω τιν’ ἄνδρα ἠλίθιον, πλουτοῦντα δ᾽, εὐθὺς περὶ τοῦτον εἰμί. κἄν τι τύχῃ λέγων ὁ πλούταξ, πάνυ τοῦτ’ ἐπαινῶ καὶ καταπλήττομαι δοκῶν τοῖσι λόγοισι χαίρειν. εἶτ’ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἐρχόμεσθ’ ἄλλυδις ἄλλος ἡμῶν μᾶζαν ἐπ’ ἀλλόφυλον, οὗ δεῖ χαρίεντα πολλὰ τὸν κόλακ’ εὐθέως λέγειν ἢ ᾽ κφέρεται θύραζε. οἶδα δ’ Ἀκέστορ᾽ αὐτὸ τὸν στιγματίαν παθόντα· σκῶμμα γὰρ εἶπ’ ἀσελγές, εἶτ’ αὐτὸν ὁ παῖς θύραζε ἐξαγαγὼν ἔχοντα κλοιὸν παρέδωκεν Οἰνεῖ.
And Araros, in his Hymenæus, uses the word parasite, where he says—Why you must be a parasite, my friend;And 'tis Ischomachus who does support you.And the word is constantly used among the later writers. And the verb παρασιτέω, to be a parasite, occurs in Plato the comic writer, in his Laches. For he says—See how these youths do play the parasite.And Alexis says that there are two kinds of parasites, in his Pilot, where we find this passage—A. There are two kinds of parasites, Nausinicos:The one the common one, much jested onBy comic writers, we, the blackfaced menN. What is the other kind?A. Satraps of parasites;Illustrious leaders of the band; a troopWhom you may call the venerable parasites;Men who act well throughout their lives;Knit their brows gravely, win estates and legacies.Know'st thou the kind of men, and these their manners?N. Indeed I do.A. Each of these men have oneFix'd method of proceeding, flattery;And as in life, fortune makes some men great,And bids the rest content themselves with little;So some of us do thrive, and some do fail.Do I not make the matter plain to youN. Why if I praise you, you will ask for more.
τοῦ δὲ ὀνόματος τοῦ παρασίτου μνημονεύει Ἀραρὼς ἐν Ὑμεναίῳ διὰ τούτων οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὅπως οὐκ εἶ παράσιτος, φίλτατε· ὁ δ’ Ἰσχόμαχος ὁδὶ τρέφων σε τυγχάνει. πολὺ δ’ ἐστὶ τὸ ὄνομα παρὰ τοῖς νεωτέροις. τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα παρὰ Πλάτωνι τῷ φιλοσόφῳ ἐν Λάχητι· φησὶ γάρ· καὶ ἡμῖν τὰ μειράκια παρασιτεῖ. παρασίτων δ’ εἶναί φησι γένη δύο Ἄλεξις ἐν Κυβερνήτῃ διὰ τούτων δύ’ ἐστί, Ναυσίνικε, παρασίτων γένη, ἓν μὲν τὸ κοινὸν καὶ κεκωμῳδημένον, οἱ μέλανες ἡμεῖς. θάτερον ζῇ τοι γένος, σεμνοπαράσιτον ἔθνος εὖ καλούμενον, σατράπας παρασίτους καὶ στρατηγοὺς ἐπιφανεῖς ὑποκρινόμενον εὖ τοῖς βίοις, ὀφρῦς ἔχον χιλιοταλάντους ἀνακυλῖὸν τ’ οὐσίας ι νοεῖς σὺ τὸ γένος καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα; ν. καὶ μάλα. ρ. τούτων δ’ ἑκατέρου τῶν γενῶν ὁ μὲν τύπος τῆς ἐργασίας εἷς ἐστι, κολακείας ἀγών ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν βίων δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἡ τύχη ἡμῶν μεγάλοις προσένειμε, τοὺς δ’ ἐλάττοσι εἶθ’ οἱ μὲν εὐποροῦμεν, οἱ δ’ ἀλύομεν. ἆρ’ ἐκδιδάσκω, Ναυσίνικ᾽; ν, οὐκ ἀστόχως· ἀλλ’ ἂν σ᾽· ἐπαινῶ μᾶλλον, αἰτήσεις μέ τι.
And Timocles, in his Dracontius, hits off the parasite very neatly, and describes his character thus—Shall I then let a man abuse the parasites?No, surely, for there is no race of menMore useful in such matters. And if companyBe one of the things which makes life pass agreeably,Surely a parasite does this most constantly.Are you in love? he, at the shortest notice,Feels the same passion. Have you any businessHis business is at once the same as yours;And he's at hand to help you as you wish;Thinking that only fair to him that feeds him.'Tis marvellous how he doth praise his friends—He loves a feast where he is ask'd for nothing.What man, what hero, or what god exists,Who does not scorn such habits and such principles?But that I mayn't detain you all the day,I think that I can give you one clear proofIn what respect men hold a parasite;For they receive the same rewards as thoseWho at Olympia bear the palm of victory—They both are fed for nothing for their virtues;And wheresoe'er there is no contribution,That place we ought to call the Prytaneum.
χαρακτηρίζει δ’ οὐκ ἀρρύθμως τὸν παράσιτον ὁποῖὸς τίς ἐστι Τιμοκλῆς ἐν Δρακοντίῳ οὕτως ι ἔπειτ’ ἐγὼ παράσιτον ἐπιτρέψω τινὶ κακῶς λέγειν; ἥκιστά γ’ οὐδὲν ἔστι γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις χρησιμώτερον γένος, εἰ δ’ ἐστὶ τὸ φιλέταιρον ἕν τι τῶν καλῶν, ἀνήρ παράσιτος τοῦτο ποιεῖ διὰ τέλους, ἐρᾷς, συνεραστὴς ἀπροφάσιστος γίγνεται. πράττεις τι, πράξει συμπαρὼν ὅ τι ἂν δέῃ, δίκαια ταὐτὰ τῷ τρέφοντι νενομικώς, ἐπαινέτης θαυμαστὸς οἷος τῶν φίλων, χαίρουσι δείπνων ἡδοναῖς ἀσυμβόλοις· τίς δ’ οὐχὶ θνητῶν; ἢ τίς ἥρως ἢ θεὸς ἀποδοκιμάζει τὴν τοιαύτην διατριβήν; ἵνα μὴ δὲ πολλὰ μακρολογῶ δι’ ἡμέρας, τεκμήριόν τι παμμέγεθες οἶμαὶ γ’ ἐρεῖν, ὁ τῶν παρασίτων ὡς τετίμηται βίος. γέρα γὰρ αὐτοῖς ταὐτὰ τοῖς τὠλύμπια νικῶσι δίδοται χρηστότητος εἵνεκα, σίτησις, οὗ γὰρ μὴ τίθενται συμβολαί, πρυτανεῖα ταῦτα πάντα προσαγορευτέα.
And Antiphanes, in his Twins, says—For look, the parasite, if you judge aright,Shares both the life and fortune of his friends.There is no parasite who'd wish his friendsTo be unfortunate; but on the contraryHis constant prayer will be, that all may prosper.Has any one a fortune? he don't envy him;He'd rather always be at hand to share it.He is a genuine friend, and eke a safe one,Not quarrelsome, ill-humour'd, peevish, sulky,But skill'd to keep his temper. Do you mock him?He laughs himself; he's amorous or mirthful,Just as his friend is i' th' humour. He's a general,Or valiant soldier, only let his payBe a good dinner, and he'll ask no more.
καὶ Ἀντιφάνης δὲ ἐν Διδύμοις φησίν ὁ γὰρ παράσιτός ἐστιν, ἂν ὀρθῶς σκοπῇς, κοινωνὸς ἀμφοῖν, τῆς τύχης καὶ τοῦ βίου. οὐδεὶς παράσιτος εὔχετ’ ἀτυχεῖν τοὺς φίλους, τοὐναντίον δὲ πάντας εὐτυχεῖν ἀεί. ἐστὶν πολυτελὴς τῷ βίῳ τις· οὐ φθονεῖ, μετέχειν δὲ τούτων εὔχετ’ αὐτῷ συμπαρών. κἀστὶν φίλος γενναῖος ἀσφαλής θ’ ἅμα, οὐ μάχιμος, οὐ πάροξυς, οὐχὶ βάσκανος, ὀργὴν ἐνεγκεῖν ἀγαθός. ἂν σκώπτῃς, γελᾷ· ἐρωτικός, γελοῖος, ἱλαρὸς τῷ τρόπῳ πάλιν στρατιώτης ἀγαθὸς εἰς ὑπερβολήν, ἂν ᾖ τὸ σιτάρκημα δεῖπνον εὐτρεπές.
And Aristophon, in his Physician, says—I wish now to inform himWhat is my disposition.If any one gives a dinner,I'm always to be found,So that the young men scoffingBecause I come in firstDo call me gravy soup.Then if there be occasionTo check a drunken guest,Or turn him out by force,You'd think I were Antæus;Or must a door be forced?I butt like any ram;Or would you scale a ladder?I'm Capaneus, and eagerTo climb like him to heaven.Are blows to be endured?A very anvil I;Or Telamon or Ajax,If wounds are to be given;While as a beauty-hunterE'en smoke itself can't beat me.And in his Pythagorean he says—For being hungry, and yet eating nothing,He is a Tithymallus or Philippides;For water-drinking he's a regular frog;For eating thyme and cabbages, a snail;For hating washing he's a pig; for livingOut in the open air, a perfect blackbird;For standing cold and chattering all the day,A second grasshopper; in hating oilHe's dust; for walking barefoot in the morning,A crane; for passing sleepless nights, a bat.
καὶ Ἀριστοφῶν δὲ ἐν Ἰατρῷ φησι· βούλομαι δὲ αὐτῷ προειπεῖν οἷός εἰμι τοὺς τρόπους. ἄν τις ἑστιᾷ, πάρειμι πρῶτος, ὥστ’ ἤδη πάλαι … ζωμὸς καλοῦμαι, δεῖ τιν’ ἄρασθαι μέσον τῶν παροινούντων, παλαιστὴν νόμισον Ἀργεῖόν μ’ ὁρᾶν. προσβαλεῖν πρὸς οἰκίαν δεῖ, κριός· ἀναβῆναί τι πρὸς κλιμάκιον … Καπανεύς· ὑπομένειν πληγὰς ἄκμων κονδύλους πλάττειν δὲ Τελαμών τοὺς καλοὺς πειρᾶν καπνός. κἀν Πυθαγοριστῇ δέ φησι· πρὸς μὲν τὸ πεινῆν ἐσθίειν τε μηδὲ ἓν νόμιζ’ ὁρᾶν Τιθύμαλλον ἢ Φιλιππίδην. ὕδωρ δὲ πίνειν βάτραχος, ἀπολαῦσαι θύμων λαχάνων τε κάμπη, πρὸς τὸ μὴ λοῦσθαι ῥύπος, ὑπαίθριος χειμῶνα διάγειν κόψιχος, πνῖγος ὑπομεῖναι καὶ μεσημβρίας λαλεῖν τέττιξ, ἐλαίῳ μηδὲ χρίεσθαι τὸ πᾶν κονιορτός, ἀνυπόδητος ὄρθρου περιπατεῖν γέρανος, καθεύδειν μηδὲ μικρὸν νυκτερίς.
And Antiphanes says in his Ancestors—You know my ways;That there's no pride in me, but I am justLike this among my friends: a mass of ironTo bear their blows, a thunderbolt to give them;Lightning to blind a man, the wind to move one;A very halter, if one needs be choked;An earthquake to heave doors from off their hinges;A flea to leap quick in; a fly to comeAnd feast without a formal invitation;Not to depart too soon, a perfect well.I'm ready when I'm wanted, whether it beTo choke a man or kill him, or to proveA case against him. All that others say,Those things I am prepared at once to do.And young men, mocking me on this account,Do call me whirlwind—but for me, I care notFor such light jests. For to my friends I proveA friend in deeds, and not in words alone.But Diphilus in his Parasite, when a wedding-feast is about to take place, represents the parasite as speaking thus—Do you not know that in the form of curseThese words are found, If any one do failTo point the right road to a traveller,To quench a fire; or if any one spoilThe water of a spring or well, or hindersA guest upon his way when going to supper?And Eubulus says in his Œdipus—The man who first devised the plan of feastingAt other folk's expense, must sure have beenA gentleman of very popular manners;But he who ask'd a friend or any strangerTo dinner, and then made him bear his share,May he be banish'd, and his goods all seized.
Ἀντιφάνης δ’ ἐν Προγόνοις· τὸν τρόπον μὲν οἶσθά μου ὅτι τῦφος οὐκ ἔνεστιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς φίλοις τοιοῦτὸς εἰμ᾽, ἥδιστε, τύπτεσθαι μύδρος, τύπτειν κεραυνός, ἐκτυφλοῦν τιν’ ἀστραπή, φέρειν τιν’ ἄρας ἄνεμος, ἀποπνῖξαι βρόχος, θύρας μοχλεύειν σεισμός, εἰσπηδᾶν ἀκρίς, δειπνεῖν ἄκλητος μυῖα, μὴ ᾽ ξελθεῖν φρέαρ, ἄγχειν, φονεύειν, μαρτυρεῖν, ὅσ’ ἂν μόνον τύχῃ τις εἰπών, ταῦτ’ ἀπροσκέπτως ποεῖν ἅπαντα, καὶ καλοῦσὶ μ’ οἱ νεώτεροι διὰ ταῦτα πάντα σκηπτὸν ἀλλ’ οὐδὲν μέλει τῶν σκωμμάτων μοι· τῶν φίλων γὰρ ὢν φίλος ἔργοισι χρηστός, οὐ λόγοις ἔφυν μόνον. Δίφιλος δ’ ἐν Παρασίτῳ μελλόντων γίνεσθαι γάμων τὸν παράσιτον ποιεῖ λέγοντα τάδε· ἀγνοεῖς ἐν ταῖς ἀραῖς ὅ τι ἔστιν, εἴ τις μὴ φράσει’ ὀρθῶς ὁδὸν ἢ πῦρ ἐναύσει’ ἢ διαφθείρει’ ὕδωρ, ἢ δειπνιεῖν μέλλοντα κωλύσαι τινά. Εὔβουλος δ’ ἐν Οἰδίποδι· ὁ πρῶτος εὑρὼν τἀλλότρια δειπνεῖν ἀνὴρ δημοτικὸς ἦν τις, ὡς ἔοικε, τοὺς τρόπους. ὅστις δ’ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἢ φίλον τιν’ ἢ ξένον καλέσας ἔπειτα συμβολὰς ἐπράξατο, φυγὰς γένοιτο μηδὲν οἴκοθεν λαβών.
And Diodorus of Sinope, in his Orphan Heiress, has these expressions, when speaking of a parasite, and they are not devoid of elegance—I wish to show and prove beyond a doubtHow reputable, and how usual too,This practice is; a most divine contrivance.Other arts needed not the gods to teach them;Wise men invented them; but Jove himselfDid teach his friends to live as parasites,And he confessedly is king o' the gods.For he does often to men's houses come,And cares not whether they be rich or poor;And wheresoe'er he sees a well-laid couch,And well-spread table near, supplied with allThat's good or delicate, he sits him down,And asks himself to dinner, eats and drinks,And then goes home again, and pays no share.And I now do the same. For when I seeCouches prepared, and handsome tables loaded,And the door open to receive the guests,I enter in at once, and make no noise,But trim myself, behaving quietly,To give no great annoyance to my neighbour,And then, when I have well enjoy'd the wholeThat's set before me, and when I have drunkOf delicate wines enough, I home return,Like friendly Jupiter. And that such a lineWas always thought respectable and honest,I now will give you a sufficient proof.This city honours Hercules exceedingly,And sacrifices to him in all the boroughs,And at these sacred rites it ne'er admitsThe common men, or parasites, or beggars;But out of all the citizens it picksTwelve men of all the noblest families,All men of property and character;And then some rich men, imitating Hercules,Select some parasites, not choosing thoseWho are the wittiest men, but who know bestHow to conciliate men's hearts with flattery;So that if any one should eat a radish,Or stinking shad, they'd take their oaths at onceThat he had eaten lilies, roses, violets;And that if any odious smell should rise,They'd ask where you did get such lovely scents.So that because these men behave so basely,That which was used to be accounted honourable,Is now accounted base.
Διόδωρος δὲ ὁ Σινωπεὺς ἐν Ἐπικλήρῳ περὶ τοῦ παρασιτεῖν καὶ αὐτας οὐκ ἀγλαφύρως τάδε φησὶν βούλομαι δεῖξαι σαφῶς ὡς σεμνὸν ἐστι τοῦτο καὶ νενομισμένον καὶ τῶν θεῶν εὕρημα· τὰς δ’ ἄλλας τέχνας οὐδεὶς θεῶν κατέδειξεν, ἀλλ’ ἄνδρες σοφοί· τὸ γὰρ παρασιτεῖν εὗρεν ὁ Ζεὺς ὁ φίλιος, ὁ τῶν θεῶν μέγιστος ὁμολογουμένως. οὗτος γὰρ εἰς τὰς οἰκίας εἰσέρχεται οὐχὶ διακρίνας τὴν πενιχρὰν ἢ πλουσίαν. οὗ δ’ ἂν καλῶς ἐστρωμένην κλίνην ἴδῃ, παρακειμένην τε τὴν τράπεζαν πάνθ’ ἃ δεῖ ἔχουσαν, ἤδη συγκατακλιθεὶς κοσμίως ἀριστίσας ἑαυτόν, ἐντραγών, πιών, ἀπέρχετ’ οἴκαδ’ οὐ καταβαλών συμβολάς. κἀγὼ ποῶ νῦν τοῦτ᾽. ἐπὰν κλίνας ἴδω ἐστρωμένας καὶ τὰς τραπέζας εὐτρεπεῖς καὶ τὴν θύραν ἀνεῳγμένην, εἰσέρχομαι ἐνθάδε σιωπῇ καὶ ποιήσας εὐσταλῆ ἐμαυτόν, ὥστε μὴ ἐνοχλεῖν τὸν συμπότην, πάντων ἀπολαύσας τῶν παρατεθέντων, πιών, ἀπέρχομ’ οἴκαδ’ ὥσπερ ὁ Ζεὺς ὁ φίλιος, ὅτι δ’ ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμ’ ἔνδοξον ἀεὶ καὶ καλόν, ἐκεῖθεν ἂν γνοίη τις ἔτι σαφέστερον τὸν Ἡρακλέα τιμῶσα λαμπρῶς ἡ πόλις ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς δήμοις θυσίας ποιουμένη εἰς τὰς θυσίας ταύτας παρασίτους τῷ θεῷ οὐ πώποτ’ ἀπεκλήρωσεν οὐδὲ παρέλαβεν εἰς ταῦτα τοὺς τυχόντας, ἀλλὰ κατέλεγεν ἐκ τῶν πολιτῶν δώδεκ’ ἄνδρας ἐπιμελῶς ἐκλεξαμένη τοὺς ἐκ δύ’ ἀστῶν γεγονότας, ἔχοντας οὐσίας, καλῶς βεβιωκότας. εἶθ’ ὕστερον τὸν Ἡρακλέα μιμούμενοι τῶν εὐπόρων τινὲς παρασίτους ἑλόμενοι τρέφειν παρεκάλουν οὐχὶ τοὺς χαριεστάτους ἐκλεγόμενοι, τοὺς δὲ κολακεύειν δυναμένους καὶ πάντ’ ἐπαινεῖν οἷς ἐπειδὰν προσερύγῃ ῥαφανῖδας ἢ σαπρὸν σίλουρον καταφαγών, ἴα καὶ ῥόδα φασὶν αὐτὸν ἠριστηκέναι. ἐπὰν δ’ ἀποπάρδῃ μετά τινος κατακείμενος τούτων, ὁ προσάγων τὴν ῥῖνα δεῖθ’ αὑτῷ φράσαι, πόθεν τὸ θυμίαμα τοῦτο λαμβάνεις; διὰ τοὺς τοιούτους τοὺς ἀσελγῶς χρωμένους τὸ τίμιον καὶ τὸ καλὸν αἰσχρόν ἐστι νῦν.
And Axionicus, in his Chalcidian, says—]When first I wish'd to play the parasiteWith that Philoxenus, while youth did stillRaise down upon my cheeks, I learnt to bearHard blows from fists, and cups and dishes too,And bones, so great that oftentimes I wasAll over wounds; but still it paid me well,For still the pleasure did exceed the pain.And even in some sort I did esteemThe whole affair desirable for me.Is a man quarrelsome, and eager tooTo fight with me? I turn myself to him;And all the blame which he does heap upon me,I own to be deserved; and am not hurt.Does any wicked man call himself good?I praise that man, and earn his gratitude.To day if I should eat some boiled fishI do not mind eating the rest to-morrow.Such is my nature and my principle.But Antidotus, in his play which is entitled Protochorus, introduces a man resembling those who in the Museum of Claudius still practise their sophistries; whom it is not even creditable to remember; and he represents him speaking thus—Stand each one in your place, and listen to me,Before I write my name, and take my cloak.If any question should arise to dayAbout those men who live as parasites,I have at all times much esteem'd their art,And from my childhood have inclined to learn it.
καὶ Ἀξιόνικος δ’ ἐν Χαλκιδικῷ φησιν· ὅτε τοῦ παρασιτεῖν πρῶτον ἠράσθην μετὰ Φιλοξένου τῆς Πτερνοκοπίδος νέος ἔτ’ ὤν, πληγὰς ὑπέμενον κονδύλων καὶ τρυβλίων ὀστῶν τε τό μέγεθος τοσαύτας ὥστε με ἐνίοτε τοὐλάχιστον ὀκτὼ τραύματα ἔχειν. ἐλυσιτέλει γάρ· ἥττων εἰμὶ γὰρ τῆς ἡδονῆς, ἔπειτα καὶ τρόπον τινὰ τὸ πρᾶγμά μοι λυσιτελὲς εἶναι νενόμικα. οἷον φίλερίς τίς ἐστι καὶ μάχεταί τί μοι· μετεβαλόμην πρὸς τοῦτον ὅσα τ’ εἴρηκέ με κακῶς ὁμολογῶν εὐθέως οὐ βλάπτομαι. πονηρὸς ὢν δὲ χρηστὸς εἶναι φησί τις ἐγκωμιάζων τοῦτον ἀπέλαβον χάριν, γλαύκου βεβρωκὼς τέμαχος ἑφθὸν τήμερον αὔριον ἕωλον τοῦτ’ ἔχων οὐκ ἄχθομαι. τοιοῦτος ὁ τρόπος ἐστὶν ἡ φύσις τέ μου. Ἀντίδοτος δ’ ἐν τῷ ἐπιγραφομένῳ Πρωτοχόρῳ παράγει τινα παραπλήσιον τοῖς ἐν τῷ Κλαυδίῳ νῦν σοφιστεύουσιν, ὧν οὐδὲ μεμνῆσθαι καλόν, τοιαῦτα περὶ παρασιτικῆς τέχνης λέγοντα· κατὰ τὴν στάσιν δὴ στάντες ἀκροάσασθέ μου. πρὶν ἐγγραφῆναι καὶ λαβεῖν τὸ χλαμύδιον περὶ τοῦ παρασιτεῖν εἴ τις ἐμπέσοι λόγος, τὸ τεχνίον αἰεὶ τοῦτό μοι κατεπίνετο, καὶ παιδομαθὴς πρὸς αὐτὸ τὴν διάνοιαν ἦν.
And among the parasites these men are commemorated by name: Tithymallus, who is mentioned by Alexis in his Milesian Woman, and in his Ulysses the Weaver. And in his Olynthians he says—This is your poor man, O my darling woman;This is the only class, as men do say,Who can put death to flight. AccordinglyThis Tithymallus does immortal live.And Dromon in his P??? altria says—A. I was above all things ashamed when IFound that I was again to have a supperFor which I was to give no contribution.B. A shameful thing, indeed. Still you may seeOur Tithymallus on his way, more redThan saffron or vermilion; and he blushes,As you may guess, because he nothing pays.And Timocles, in his Centaur or Dexamenus, says—Calling, him Tithymallus, parasite.And in his Caunians he says—A. Will any other thing appear? Be quick,For Tithymallus has return'd to life,Who was quite dead, now that he well has boil'dEightpennyworth of lupin seed.B. For heCould not persist in starving himself, but onlyIn drinking wine at other men's expense.And in his Epistles he says—Alas me, how I am in love! ye gods!Not Tithymallus did so long to eat,Nor Cormus ever to steal another's cloak,Nor Nilus to eat cakes, nor CorydusTo exercise his teeth at other's cost.And Antiphanes says in his Etrurian—A. For he will not assist his friends for nothing.B. You say that Tithymallus will be rich,For as I understand you, he will getSufficient pay, and a collection suitableFrom those within whose doors he freely sups.
παράσιτοι δ’ ἐπ’ ὀνόματος ἐγένοντο Τιθύμαλλος μέν, οὗ μνημονεύει Ἄλεξις ἐν Μιλησίᾳ καὶ ἐν Ὀδυσσεῖ ὑφαίνοντι· ἐν δὲ Ὀλυνθίοις φησίν ὁ δὲ σὸς πένης ἔστ᾽, ὦ γλυκεῖα· τοῦτο δὲ δέδοιχ’ ὁ θάνατος τὸ γένος, ὥς φασιν, μόνον ὁ γοῦν Τιθύμαλλος ἀθάνατος περιέρχεται. δρόμων δ’ ἐν Ψαλτρίᾳ· ὑπερῃσχυνόμην μέλλων ἀσύμβολος πάλιν δειπνεῖν πάνυ αἰσχρὸν γάρ. β. ἀμέλει· τὸν Τιθύμαλλον γοῦν ἀεὶ ἐρυθρότερον κόκκου περιπατοῦντ’ ἔσθ’ ὁρᾶν οὕτως ἐρυθριᾷ συμβολὰς οὐ κατατιθείς. Τιμοκλῆς Κενταύρῳ ἢ Δεξαμενῷ· τιθύμαλλον αὐτὸν καὶ παράσιτον ἀποκαλῶν. ἐν δὲ Καυνίοις· ἤδη προσενήνεκται; τί μέλλεις; σπεῦδε δή, ὦ τάν. ὁ γὰρ Τιθύμαλλος οὕτως ἀνεβίω κομιδῇ τεθνηκώς, τῶν ἀν’ ὀκτὼ τοὐβολοῦ θέρμους μαλάξας. οὐκ ἀπεκαρτέρησε γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλ’ ἐκαρτέρησ᾽, ὦ φίλτατε, πεινῶν. ἐν δ’ Ἐπιστολαῖς· οἴμοι κακοδαίμων, ὡς ἐρῶ· μὰ τοὺς θεούς, Τιθύμαλλος οὐδεπώποτ’ ἠράσθη φαγεῖν οὕτω σφόδρ’ οὐδὲ Κόρμος ἱμάτιον λαβεῖν, οὐ Νεῖλος ἄλφιτ᾽, οὐ Κόρυδος ἀσύμβολος κινεῖν ὀδόντας. Ἀντιφάνης Τυρρηνῷ· ἀρετὴ τὸ προῖκα τοῖς φίλοις ὑπηρετεῖν. β. λέγεις ἔσεσθαι τὸν Τιθύμαλλον πλούσιον. εἰ πράξεται γὰρ μισθὸν ἐκ τοῦ σοῦ λόγου παρ’ οἷσι δειπνεῖ προῖκα, συλλέξει συχνήν.
Corydus also was one of the most notorious parasites. And he is mentioned by Timocles, in his The Man who Rejoices at Misfortunes of others, thus—To see a well-stock'd market is a treatTo a rich man, but torture to a poor one.Accordingly once Corydus, when heHad got no invitation for the day,Went to buy something to take home with him.And who can cease to laugh at what befel him?—The man had only fourpence in his purse;Gazing on tunnies, eels, crabs, rays, anchovies,He bit his lips till the blood came in vain;Then going round, “How much is this?” said he—Then frighten'd at the price, he bought red herrings.And Alexis, in Demetrius or Philetærus, says—I fear to look at Corydus in the face,Seeming so glad to dine with any one;But I will not deny it; he's the same,And never yet refused an invitation.And in his Nurse he says—This Corydus who has so often practisedHis jokes and witticisms, wishes nowTo be Blepæus, and he's not far wrong,For mighty are the riches of Blepæus.And Cratinus the younger in his Titans says—Beware of Corydus the wary brassfounder;Unless you make your mind up long beforeTo leave him nothing. And I warn you nowNever to eat your fish with such a manAs Corydus; for he's a powerful hand,Brazen, unwearied, strong as fire itself.But that Corydus used to cut jokes, and was fond of being laughed at for them, the same Alexis tells to in his Poets—I have a great desire to raise a laugh,And to say witty things, and gain a fameSecond alone to that of Corydus.And Lynceus the Samian repeats several of his sayings, and asserts that his proper name was Eucrates. And he writes thus concerning him—“Eucrates, who was called Corydus, when he was once feasting with some one whose house was in a very shabby condition, said, 'A man who sups here ought to hold up the house with his left hand like the Caryatides.”
ἦν δὲ καὶ ὁ Κόρυδος τῶν δι’ ὀνόματος παρασίτων, μνημονεύει δ’ αὐτοῦ Τιμοκλῆς ἐν Ἐπιχαιρεκάκῳ οὕτως· ἀγορὰν ἰδεῖν εὔοψον εὐποροῦντι μὲν ἥδιστον, ἂν δ’ ἀπορῇ τις, ἀθλιώτατον. ὁ γοῦν Κόρυδος ἄκλητος, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, γενόμενος ὠψώνει παρ’ αὑτὸν οἴκαδε. ἦν δὲ τὸ πάθος γέλοιον, οἴμοι, τέτταρας χαλκοῦς ἔχων ἄνθρωπος, ἐγχέλεις ὁρῶν, θύννεια, νάρκας, καράβους ᾑμωδία. καὶ ταῦτα πάντῃ μὲν περιελθὼν ἤρετο ὁπόσου, πυθόμενος δ’ ἀπέτρεχ’ εἰς τὰς μεμβράδας. Ἄλεξις Δημητρίῳ ἢ Φιλεταίρῳ· ἀλλ’ αἰσχύνομαι τὸν Κόρυδον, εἰ δόξω συναριστᾶν τισιν οὕτω προχείρως· οὐκ ἀπαρνοῦμαι δ’ ὅμως. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, ἂν καλῇ τις ἂν τε μή. ἐν δὲ Τίτθῃ· ὁ Κόρυδος οὗτος, ὁ τὰ γέλοι’ εἰθισμένος λέγειν, Βλεπαῖος βούλετ’ εἶναι. β. νοῦν γ’ ἔχων πλουτεῖ γὰρ ὁ Βλεπαῖος. Κρατῖνος δ’ ὁ νεώτερος ἐν Τιτᾶσι· κόρυδον τὸν χαλκότυπον πεφύλαξο, ἦ μὴν σοὶ νομιεῖς αὐτὸν μηδὲν καταλείψειν, μηδ’ ὄψον κοινῇ μετὰ τούτου πώποτε δαίσῃ τοῦ Κορύδου· προλέγω σοι· ἔχει γὰρ χεῖρα κραταιάν, χαλκῆν, ἀκάματον, πολὺ κρείττω τοῦ πυρὸς αὐτοῦ. ὅτι δὲ γέλοια ἔλεγεν ὁ Κόρυδος καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις γελᾶσθαι ἤθελεν ὁ αὐτὸς Ἄλεξις ἐν Ποιηταῖς φησι· πάνυ τοι βούλομαι οὗτος γελᾶσθαι καὶ γέλοι’ ἀεὶ λέγειν μετὰ τὸν Κόρυδον μάλιστ’ Ἀθηναίων πολύ. ἀναγράφει δὲ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀπομνημονεύματα Λυγκεὺς ὁ Σάμιος Εὐκράτην αὐτὸν καλεῖσθαι κυρίως φάσκων. γράφει δ’ οὕτως· Εὐκράτης ὁ Κόρυδος πίνων παρά τινι σαθρᾶς οὔσης τῆς οἰκίας ἐνταῦθα, φησίν, δειπνεῖν δεῖ ὑποστήσαντα τὴν ἀριστερὰν χεῖρα ὥσπερ αἱ Καρυάτιδες.