---
title: "The Deipnosophists · Δειπνοσοφισταί"
author: "Athenaeus"
translator: "Charles Duke Yonge"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
section: 33 of 78
url: https://scriptura.si/works/athenaeus-deipnosophists/33/
cite: "Athenaeus, tr. Charles Duke Yonge, The Deipnosophists · Δειπνοσοφισταί, section 33. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/athenaeus-deipnosophists/33/"
---

# The Deipnosophists · Δειπνοσοφισταί

*Athenaeus, tr. Charles Duke Yonge*

The Learned Banqueters: a dinner party in Rome stretched over fifteen books of talk about food, wine, courtesans, music and books, quoting hundreds of lost Greek authors.

> Greek: ed. Charles Burton Gulick, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0008.tlg001, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Charles Duke Yonge, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0008.tlg001.perseus-eng2). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the references the two texts share (books, chapters and sections), cut where both reach the end of a sentence.

## 33. Book VII · chapters 23–43

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/athenaeus-deipnosophists/33/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/athenaeus-deipnosophists/33/#p-N

[¶0] But Clearchus the Peripatetic, in his treatise on Proverbs, speaks of the anchovy, and says—“Because they want very little fire for the frying-pan, Archestratus recommends people to put them into a pan which is already hot, and to take them off as soon as they hiss. And they are done, and begin to hiss in a moment, like oil; on which account it is said, 'Anchovy, look at the fire.'” And Chrysippus the philosopher, in his treatise on the Things which deserve to be sought for their own Sakes, says, “The anchovy which is found in the sea at Athens, men despise on account of its abundance, and say that it is a poor man's fish; but in other cities they prize it above everything, even where it is far inferior to the Attic anchovy. Moreover some people,” says he, “endeavour to rear the Adriatic fowls in this place, which are much less useful than our own kinds, inasmuch as they are smaller. But the people in the Adriatic, on the contrary, send for our breed from hence.” Hermippus, too, uses the word ἀφύη in the singular number, in his Demotæ, where he says,—
You seem not now to move even an anchovy.
And Calcias, in his Cyclops, says—
In preference to the best anchovy.
And Aristonymus, in his Shivering Sun, says—
So that there is not really one anchovy.
But Aristophanes uses the diminutive form, and calls them ἀφύδια in his Friers, saying—
Nor these little Phaleric ἀφύδια.

> Greek: Κλέαρχος δ’ ὁ περιπατητικὸς ἐν τοῖς περὶ παροιμιῶν περὶ τῆς ἀφύης φησί·
διὰ τὸ μικροῦ δεῖσθαι πυρὸς ἐν τοῖς τηγάνοις οἱ περὶ Ἀρχέστρατον ἐπιβαλόντας κελεύουσιν ἐπὶ θερμὸν τήγανον σίζουσαν ἀφαιρεῖν ἅμα δ’ ἧπται καὶ σίζει, καθάπερ τοὔλαιον, εὐθύς, διὸ λέγεται ἴδε πῦρ ἀφύη.
Χρύσιππος δ’ ὁ φιλόσοφος ἐν τῷ περὶ τῶν δι’ αὑτὰ αἱρετῶν τὴν ἀφύην, φησί, ἐν Ἀθήναις μὲν διὰ τὴν δαψίλειαν ὑπερορῶσι καὶ πτωχικὸν εἶναί φασιν ὄψον, ἐν ἑτέραις δὲ πόλεσιν ὑπερθαυμάζουσι πολὺ χείρω γινομένην. εἶθ’ οἱ μέν, φησίν, ἐνταῦθα τοὺς Ἀδριατικοὺς ὄρνιθας τρέφειν σπεύδουσιν, ἀχρειοτέρους ὄντας ὅτι τῶν παρ’ ἡμῖν πολὺ ἐλάττους εἰσὶν ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τἀναντία μεταπέμπονται τοὺς ἐνθάδε. ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑνικοῦ Ἕρμιππος Δημόταις· νῦν δ’ οὐδ’ ἀφύην κινεῖν δοκεῖς. Καλλίας Κύκλωψιν πρὸς τῆς ἀφύης τῆς ἡδίστης. Ἀριστώνυμος Ἡλίῳ ῥιγῶντι· ὥστ’ οὔτ’ ἀφύη νῦν ἔστιν ἁπλῶς. ἀφύδια δὲ Ἀριστοφάνης Ταγηνισταῖς· μηδὲ τὰ Φαληρικὰ τὰ μικρὰ τάτάδ’ ἀφύδια.

[¶1] But Lynceus the Samian, in his letter to Diagoras, praising the Rhodian anchovies, and comparing many of the productions of Attica to those of Rhodes, says—“We may compare to the anchovies of Phalerum those which are called the Aeniatides, and you may compare the ellops and the orphus with the glauciscus; and with the Eleusinian plaice and turbot, and whatever other fish there may be among them enjoying a reputation higher than that of Cecrops, Rhodes has the fox fish to compare.” But the author of the Delight of Life, exhorts the man who is unable to purchase enough to satisfy his appetite, to get fish to eat by robbery, rather than go without it. But Lynceus calls Archestratus an epicure, who in that much celebrated poem of his speaks thus of the shark:—
Are you at Rhodes? e'en if about to die,
Still, if a man would sell you a fox shark,
The fish the Syracusans call the dog,
Seize on it eagerly; at least, if fat:
And then compose yourself to meet your fate
With brow serene and mind well satisfied.

> Greek: Λυγκεὺς δ’ ὁ Σάμιος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Διαγόραν ἐπιστολῇ ἐπαινῶν τὰς Ῥοδιακὰς ἀφύας καὶ ἀντιτιθεὶς πολλὰ τῶν Ἀθήνησι γινομένων πρὸς τὰ ἐν τῇ Ῥόδῳ φησί· ταῖς μὲν Φαληρικαῖς ἀφύαις τὰς Αἰνάτιδας καλουμένας ἀφύας, τῷ δὲ γλαυκίσκῳ τὸν ἔλοπα καὶ τὸν ὄρφον ἀντιπαρατιθεῖσα, πρὸς δὲ τὰς Ἐλευσινιακὰς ψήττας καὶ σκόμβρους καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος παρ’ αὐτοῖς ἰχθὺς ἐπάνω τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Κέκροπος γέγονεν ἀντιγεννήσασα τὸν ἀλώπεκα, καλούμενον. ὃν ὁ τὴν Ἡδυπάθειαν γράψας παρακελεύεται τῷ μὴ δυναμένῳ τιμῇ κατεργάσασθαι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἀδικίᾳ κτήσασθαι. Ἀρχέστρατον λέγει τὸν τένθην ὁ Λυγκεύς, ὃς ἐν τῷ πολυθρυλήτῳ ποιήματι περὶ τοῦ γαλεοῦ λέγει οὕτως· ἐν δὲ Ῥόδῳ γαλεὸν τὸν ἀλώπεκα· κἂν ἀποθνῄσκειν μέλλῃς, ἂν μή σοι πωλεῖν θέλῃ, ἅρπασον αὐτόν, ὃν καλέουσι Συρακόσιοι κύνα πίονα· κᾆτα ὕστερον ἤδη πάσχ’ ὅτι σοι πεπρωμένον ἐστίν.

[¶2] The acharnus is mentioned by Callias in his Cyclops—
A harp-fish roast, besides a ray,
The head too of a tunny,
And eel, some crabs, and this acharnus,
The great Aenean dainty.

> Greek: ἄχαρνος. Καλλίας Κύκλωψιν κίθαρος ὀπτὸς καὶ βατὶς θύννου τε κεφάλαιον τοδί, ἐγχέλεια, κάραβοι, λινεύς, ἄχαρνος οὑτοσί.

[¶3] The ray, roach, or sea frog may also be mentioned. They are mentioned under the two former names by Aristotle in his treatise on Animals, where he classes them under the head of cartilaginous fish. And Eupolis, in his Flatterers, says—
At Callias's house there is much pleasure,
For he has crabs for dinner, rays besides,
And hares, and women with light twinkling feet.
And Epicharmus says, in his Marriage of Hebe—
And there were rays and sea-frogs, sawfish, sharks,
Camitæ, roach, and lobsters with hard shells.
And in his Megarian Woman he writes—
Its sides were like a ray,
Its back was altogether like a roach,
Its head was long, far more like a stag's,
Its flanks were like a scorpion's, son of the sea.
And Sannyrion says, in his Laughter—
O rays, O dainty grayling.
And Aristotle in the fifth book of his treatise on the Parts of Animals, says that the following are cartilaginous fish; the ray, the turtle, the sea cow, the lamprey, the sea eagle, the sea frog, and the whole of the shark tribe. But Sophron in his Farces, gives one fish the name of botis, saying, “The cestres eat the botis,” though it is possible that he may be speaking of some herb. But with respect to the sea frog, the wise Archestratus gives us the following advice in his Apophthegms—
Whenever you behold a frog, why roast him
* * * *
And.... prepare his stomach.
And concerning the ray, he says—
A boiled ray is good about midwinter.
Eat it with cheese and assafœtida;
But all the sons o' the sea whose flesh is lean
Should, as a rule, be dress'd in such a fashion;
And thus I recommend you now again.
And Ephippus the comic poet, in his play called Philyra, (now Philyra is the name of a courtesan), says—
A. Shall I first cut a ray in slender slices
And boil it? aye? or like the cooks in Sicily
Shall I prefer to roast it?
B. Copy Sicily.

> Greek: βατὶς. Βάτραχος. βάτος. τῆς μὲν οὖν βατίδος καὶ τοῦ βατράχου μνημονεύει Ἀριστοτέλης ἐν τοῖς περὶ ζῴων καταριθμῶν αὐτὰ ἐν τοῖς σελάχεσιν. Εὔπολις δ’ ἐν Κόλαξί φησι· παρὰ τῷδε Καλλίᾳ πολλὴ θυμηδία, ἵνα πάρα μὲν κάραβοι καὶ βατίδες καὶ λαγῲ καὶ γυναῖκες εἱλίποδες. καὶ Ἐπίχαρμος ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ· ἦν δὲ νάρκαι, βατίδες, ἦν δὲ καὶ ζύγαιναι, πρήστιες, κἀμίαι τε καὶ βάτοι ῥίναι τε τραχυδέρμονες. ἐν δὲ Μεγαρίδι· τὰς πλευρὰς οἷόν περ βατίς, τὰν δ’ ὀπισθίαν ἔχεις, Θεάγενες, οἷόν περ βάτος, τὰν δὲ κεφαλὰν ὀστέων οἷόν περ ἔλαφος, οὐ βατίς, τὰν δὲ λαπάραν σκορπίος παίσαι θαλάττιος τεοῦ. Σαννυρίων δ’ ἐν Γέλωτι· ὦ βατίδες, ὦ γλαύκων κάρα. Ἀριστοτέλης δ’ ἐν πέμπτῳ ζῴων μορίων σελάχη φησὶν εἶναι βάτον, τρυγόνα, βοῦν, λάμιαν, αἰετόν, νάρκην, βάτραχον καὶ πάντα τὰ γαλεοειδῆ., σώφρων δ’ ἐν μίμοις ἀνδρείοις βότιν καλεῖ τινα ἰχθὺν ἐν τούτοις· κέστραι βότιν κάπτουσαι. καὶ μήποτε βοτάνην τινὰ λέγει, περὶ δὲ τοῦ βατράχου συμβουλεύει ὁ σοφώτατος Ἀρχέστρατος ἐν ταῖς γνώμαις τάδε· βάτραχον ἔνθ’ ἂν ἴδῃς, ὀψώνει … καὶ γαστρίον αὐτοῦ σκεύασον.. περὶ δὲ τῆς βατίδος· καὶβατίδ’ ἑφθὴν ἔσθε μέσου χειμῶνος ἐν ὥρῃ, κἀπ’ αὐτῇ τυρὸν καὶ σίλφιον ἅττα τε σάρκα μὴ πίειραν ἔχῃ πόντου τέκνα, τῷδε τρόπῳ χρὴ σκευάζειν. ἤδη σοὶ ἐγὼ τάδε δεύτερον αὐδῶ. Ἔφιππος δ’ ὁ κωμῳδιοποιὸς ἐν Φιλύρᾳ δράματι· ἑταίρας δ’ ὄνομα ἡ Φιλύρα· πότερον ἐγὼ τὴν βατίδα τεμάχη κατατεμὼν ἕψω; τί φής; ἢ Σικελικῶς ὀπτὴν ποιήσω; β. Σικελικῶς.

[¶4] There are also fish called boaxes. Aristotle, in his treatise entitled Concerning Animals or Fish, says, “The following animals are marked on the back; the boax and others—the following are marked transversely, the kind of tunny fish called colias.” And Epicharmus in his Marriage of Hebe, speaks thus—
And in addition to all these the boax,
The smarides, anchovies, crabs and lobsters.
And Numenius, in his Art of Fishing, calls them boeces, saying—
The white synodons, the boeces, and trinchi.
But Speusippus and the rest of the Attic writers call them boaces. Aristophanes in his play called The Women who occupy Tents, says—
But having had a bellyful of boaces,
I turn'd my steps towards home.
And they derived their name from the noise (βοὴ) which they make, on which account it used to be said that the fish was sacred to Mercury, as the harp fish was to Apollo. But Pherecrates in his Ant-Men, saying—“They say that there is no other fish whatever, which has any voice at all;” ads afterwards,—“By Castor and Pollux, there is at least no other fish except the boax.” And Aristophanes the Byzantian says— “That we are wrong to call the fish boax, when we ought to call it boops, since, though it is but a little fish, it as very large eyes, so that it might be called boops, having bulls' eyes.” But we may reply to him, If we are wrong in naming him as we do, why do we say coracinus, not corocinus? For he derives his name from moving the pupils of his eyes (ἀπὸ τοῦ τὰς κόρας κινεῖν). And so too, why do we not call the fish σείουρος instead of σίλουροσ? for he has his name from continually shaking his tail (ἀπὸ τοῦ σείειν τὴν οὐράν)?

> Greek: Βῶκες. Ἀριστοτέλης ἐν τῷ ἐπιγραφομένῳ Ζωικῷ ἢ περὶ ἰχθύων νωτόγραπτα, φησί, λέγεται βῶξ, σκολιόγραπτα δὲ κολίας. Ἐπίχαρμος δ’ ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ· ἔτι δὲ πὸτ τούτοισι βῶκες, σμαρίδες, ἀφύαι, κάμμαροι. Νουμήνιος δ’ ἐν Ἁλιευτικῷ βόηκας αὐτοὺς καλεῖ ἐν τούτοις. ἢ λευκὴν συνόδοντα βόηκάς τε τριγκούς τε. Σπεύσιππος δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι Ἀττικοὶ βόακας. Ἀριστοφάνης Σκηνὰς καταλαμβανούσαις· ἀλλ’ ἔχουσα γαστέρα μεστὴν βοάκων ἀπεβάδιζον οἴκαδε. ὠνομάσθη δὲ παρὰ τὴν βοήν. διὸ καὶ Ἑρμοῦ ἱερὸν εἶναι λόγος τὸν ἰχθύν, ὡς τὸν κίθαρον Ἀπόλλωνος. Φερεκράτης δ’ ἐν Μυρμηκανθρώποις εἰπών ἀλλὰ φωνὴν οὐκ ἔχειν ἰχθὺν γέ φασι τὸ παράπαν, ἐπιφέρει· νὴ τὼ θεώ, οὐκ ἔστιν ἰχθὺς ἄλλος οὐδεὶς ἢ βόαξ. Ἀριστοφάνης δ’ ὁ Βυζάντιος κακῶς φησιν ἡμᾶς λέγειν τὸν ἰχθὺν βῶκα δέον βόωπα, ἐπεὶ μικρὸς ὑπάρχων μεγάλους ὦπας ἔχει· εἴη ἂν οὖν ὁ βόωψ βοὸς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχων. πρὸς ὃν λεκτέον, εἰ τοῦτον κακῶς ὀνομάζομεν, διὰ τί κορακῖνόν φαμεν καὶ οὐ κορακῖνόν; ὠνομάσθη γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ τὰς κόρας κινεῖν. τί δ’ οὐχὶ καὶ σείουρον λέγομεν, ἀλλὰ σίλουρον; ὠνόμασται γὰρ καὶ οὗτος ἀπὸ τοῦ σείειν συνεχῶς τὴν οὐράν.

[¶5] With respect to the small kind of anchovy called membras, Phrynicus, in his Tragedians, says—
O golden-headed membrades, sons of the sea.
But Epicharmus in his Hebe's Wedding, calls them bambradones, and says—
Bambradones and sea-thrushes, and hares,
And furious dragons.
And Sophron in his Manly Qualities, says—“The bambradon, and the needle fish.” And Numenius says, in his Treatise on Fishing,
Or a small sprat, or it may be a bembras,
Kept in a well; you recollect these baits.
And Dorion in his book on Fishes, says—"Having taken off the head of a bembras, if it be one of a tolerable size, and having washed it with water, and a small quantity of salt, then boil it in the same manner as you do a mullet; and the bembras is the only kind of anchovy from which is derived the condiment called bembraphya; which is mentioned by Aristonymus in the Sun Shivering—
The carcinobates of Sicily
Resembles the bembraphya.
Still the Attic writers often call them bembrades. Aristomenes says in his Jugglers—
Bringing some bembrades purchased for an obol.
And Aristonymus in his Sun Shivering, says—
The large anchovy plainly is not now,
Nor e'en the bembras, quite unfortunate.
And Aristophanes says in his Old Age—
Fed on the hoary bembrades.
And Plato in his Old Men, says—
O Hercules, do just survey these bembrades.
But in the Goats of Eupolis we may find the word written also with a μ (not βεμβρὰς but μεμβρὰς). And Antiphanes says, in his Cnœsthis;—
They do proclaim within the fishmarket
The most absurd of proclamations,
For just now one did shout with all his voice'
That he had got some bembrades sweet as honey;
But if this be the case, then what should hinder
The honey-sellers crying out and saying,
That they have honey stinking like a bembras?
And Alexis in his Woman leading the Chorus, writes the word with a μ—
Who to the young folks making merry, then
Put forth but lately pulse and membrades,
And well-press'd grapes to eat.
And in his Protochorus he says—
No poorer meal, by Bacchus now I swear,
Have I e'er tasted since I first became
A parasite; I'd rather sup on membrades
With any one who could speak Attic Greek;
It would be better for me.

> Greek: βεμβράδες. Φρύνιχος Τραγῳδοῖς· ὦ χρυσοκέφαλοι βεμβράδες θαλάσσιαι. Ἐπίχαρμος ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ βαμβραδόνας αὐτὰς καλεῖ· βαμβραδόνες τε καὶ κίχλαι, λαγοί, δράκοντες τ’ ἄλκιμοι. καὶ Σώφρων ἐν ἀνδρείοις· βαμβραδόνι τραφερᾷ. Νουμήνιος δ’ ἐν Ἁλιευτικῷ· ἠβαιῇ καρῖδι καὶ εἴ ποτε βεμβράδι, κείνῃ ζωῇ ἔπ’ ἀγρώσσοις, τάδε δὴ σκέψαιο δέλετρα. Δωρίων δ’ ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύων φησί· βεμβράδα ἀποκεφαλίσας, ἐὰν ᾖ ἁδροτέρα, καὶ ἀποπλύνας ἁλὶ λεπτῷ καὶ ὕδατι, ἕψε τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τῇ τριγλίτιδι. γίνεται δέ, φησίν, ἐκ μόνης τῆς βεμβράδος σκευασία τις ἡ προσαγορευομένη βεμβραφύη· ὧν μνημονεύει Ἀριστώνυμος ἐν Ἡλίῳ ῥιγῶντι· ὃ γέ τοι Σικελὸς ταῖς μεμβραφύαις προσέοικεν ὁ καρκινοβήτης. Ἀττικοὶ δ’ ὅμως βεμβράδας λέγουσιν. Ἀριστομένης Γόησι· βεμβράδας φέρων ὀβολοῦ. Ἀριστώνυμος Ἡλίῳ ῥιγῶντι· οὔτ’ ἀφύη νῦν ἔστ’ ἔθ’ ἁπλῶς οὔτ’ αὖ βεμβρὰς κακοδαίμων. Ἀριστοφάνης Γήρᾳ· ταῖς πολιόχρωσι βεμβράσιν τεθραμμένη. Πλάτων Πρέσβεσιν Ἡράκλεις, τῶν βεμβράδων. ἐν δὲ ταῖς Εὐπόλιδος Αἰξὶν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν καὶ διὰ τοῦ μ γραφόμενον. Ἀντιφάνης δ’ ἐν Κνοιθιδεῖ· ἄτοπά γε κηρύττουσιν ἐν τοῖς ἰχθύσι κηρύγμαθ᾽, οὗ καὶ νῦν τις ἐκεκράγει μέγα μέλιτος γλυκυτέρας μεμβράδας φάσκων ἔχειν. εἰ τοῦτο τοιοῦτ’ ἐστίν, οὐδὲν κωλύει τοὺς μελιτοπώλας αὖ λέγειν βοᾶν θ’ ὅτι πωλοῦσι τὸ μέλι σαπρότερον τῶν μεμβράδων. καὶ Ἄλεξις δ’ ἐν Χορηγίδι διὰ τοῦ μ εἴρηκεν ὃς τοῖς τετραδισταῖς μὲν παρέθηκεν ἐσθίειν πρώην λέκιθον καὶ μεμβράδας καὶ στέμφυλα. ἐν δὲ Πρωτοχόρῳ, ἐπιπονώτερον ἔργον μὰ τὸν Διόνυσον οὐκ εἴληφ’ ἐγὼ ἀφ’ οὗ παρασιτῶ, ὁ μεμβράδας μοι κρεῖττον ἦν ἔχειν μετ’ Ἀττικιστὶ δυναμένου λαλεῖν. ὀνησιφόρον ἦν τοῦτο.

[¶6] There is also a fish called the blennus, and it is mentioned by Sophron, in his play entitled The Fisherman and the Countryman, and he calls it the fat blennus. It is something like the tench in shape. But Epicharmus in his Hebe's Wedding speaks of a fish which he calls baiones, where he says—
Come now and bring me high-backed mullets,
And the ungrateful baiones.
And among the Attic writers there is a proverb, “No baion for me; he is a poor fish.”

> Greek: βλέννος. τούτου μέμνηται Σώφρων ἐν τῷ ἐπιγραφομένῳ Ὡλιεὺς τὸν ἀγροιώταν, βλέννῳ θηλαμόνι. ἐστὶ δὲ κωβιῷ τὴν ἰδέαν παραπλήσιος. Ἐπίχαρμος δ’ ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ βαιόνας τινὰς ἰχθῦς καλεῖ ἐν τούτοις· ἆγε δὴ τρίγλας τε κυφὰς κἀχαρίστους βαιόνας. καὶ παρ᾽ Ἀττικοῖς δὲ παροιμία ἐστὶ μή μοι βαιών κακὸς ἰχθύς.

[¶7] There is also a shell-fish called buglossus. And Archestratus, the Pythagorean, says, because of his temperate habits,
Then we may take a turbot plump, or e'en
A rough buglossus in the summer time,
If one is near the famous Chalcis.
And Epicharmus, in his Hebe's Wedding, says—
There were buglossi and the harp-fish there.
But the fish called cynoglossus differs from the buglossus. And of them too Epicharmus speaks—
There were the variegated plotides,
And cynoglossi, and sciathides.
But the Attic writers call the buglossus the psetta.

> Greek: βούγλωσσος ὁ Πυθαγορικὸς δὲ δι’ ἐγκράτειαν Ἀρχέστρατός φησιν εἶτα λαβεῖν ψῆτταν μεγάλην καὶ τὴν ὑπότρηχυν βούγλωσσον, ταύτην δὲ θέρευς, περὶ Χαλκίδα κεδνήν. Ἐπίχαρμος δ’ ἐν Ἥβας γάμῳ βούγλωσσοί τε καὶ κίθαρος ἐνῆς. τῶν δὲ βουγλώσσων διαλλάττοντὲς εἰσιν οἱ κυνόγλωσσοι· περὶ ὧν καὶ αὐτῶν Ἐπίχαρμός φησιν αἰολίαι πλῶτές τε κυνόγλωσσοὶ τ᾽, ἐνῆν δὲ σκιαθίδες. Ἀττικοὶ δὲ ψῆτταν αὐτὴν καλοῦσιν.

[¶8] There are also fish called congers. Icesius says that these are coarser than the common eels; and that their flesh is less firm and less nutritious, and that they are very deficient in palatable juice; but still, that they are good for the stomach. But Nicander, the epic poet, in the third book of his Treatise on Dialects, says that they are also called grylli. But Eudoxus, in the sixth book of his Circuit of the Earth, says that there are numbers of congers caught off Sicyon, each large enough to be a load for a man; and some of them even big enough to be a load for a cart. And Philemon, the comic poet, himself mentioning the extraordinary congers at Sicyon, represents a cook as priding himself on his skill, and saying in the play entitled the Soldier,— How great a wish has now come over me
To tell to heaven and earth the way in which
I did prepare that supper. Aye, by Pallas,
How sweet it is when everything goes right!
How tender was my fish! and how I dress'd it!
Not done with cheese, or powder'd o'er with dyes,
But looking as he did in life, though roasted.
So mild and gentle was the fire which I
Did to the fish apply, you'd scarce believe it.
It was as when a hen does seize some food,
And carries it away to eat at leisure:
She runs all round with care; another sees her,
And straightway follows her to take it from her.
So here, the man who first found out the pleasure
Of dainty eating, sprang up high and ran
All round and round, with his dish in his hand.
The rest pursued him—it was fine to see them:
Some got a little, some got nothing, some
Got all they wanted. Well, as I was saying,
I took some river fish, eaters of mud.
What if I'd had a scare, or blue-back'd fish
From Attic waters, O thou saving Jupiter!
Or boar from Argive woods, or noble conger
From Sicyon's bay, the conger which the god
Of the deep sea doth bear aloft to heaven,
Fit banquet for his brethren. Then no doubt
The guests who ate would all have seem'd like gods;
I should have been immortal, since the dead
By the mere smell of my meat I bring to life again.

> Greek: γόγγροι. τούτους Ἱκέσιος σκληροτέρους τῶν ἐγχέλεων εἶναί φησι καὶ ἀραιοσαρκοτέρους τε καὶ ἀτροφωτέρους εὐχυλίᾳ τε πολὺ λειπομένους, εὐστομάχους δὲ εἶναι. Νίκανδρος δὲ ὁ ἐποποιὸς ἐν τρίτῳ Γλωσσῶν καλεῖσθαί φησιν αὐτοὺς καὶ γρύλλους. Εὔδοξος δ’ ἐν ἕκτῳ Γῆς περιόδου γόγγρους δέ φησιν πολλοὺς ἀνδραχθεῖς ἐν Σικυῶνι ἁλίσκεσθαι. ὧν ἐνίους εἶναι καὶ ἁμαξιαίους. Φιλήμων δὲ τῆς νέας κωμῳδίας ὁ ποιητὴς καὶ αὐτὸς μνημονεύων τῶν ἐν Σικυῶνι διαφόρων γόγγρων ποιεῖ τινα μάγειρον ἐπὶ τέχνῃ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ σεμνυνόμενον καὶ λέγοντα ἐν τῷ ἐπιγραφομένῳ Στρατιώτῃ τάδε· ὡς ἵμερός μ’ ὑπῆλθε γῇ τε κοὐρανῷ λέξαι μολόντι τοὔψον ὡς ἐσκεύασα. νὴ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν, ἡδὺ γ’ ἔστ’ εὐημερεῖν ἐν ἅπασιν ἰχθὺς ἁπαλὸς οἷος γέγονέ μοι, οἷον παρατέθεικ᾽, οὐ πεφαρμακευμένον τυροῖσιν οὐδ’ ἄνωθεν ἐξηνθισμένον, ἀλλ’ οἷος ἦν ζῶν κὠπτὸς ὢν τοιοῦτος ἦν. οὕτως ἁπαλὸν ἔδωκα καὶ πρᾷον τὸ πῦρ ὀπτῶν τὸν ἰχθύν, οὐδὲ πιστευθήσομαι … ὅμοιον ἐγένετ᾽, ὄρνις ὁπόταν ἁρπάσῃ τοῦ καταπιεῖν μεῖζόν τι· περιτρέχει κύκλῳ τηροῦσα τοῦτο, καταπιεῖν δ’ ἐσπούδακεν, ἕτεραι διώκουσιν δὲ ταύτην ταὐτὸν ἦν. τὴν ἡδονὴν ὁ πρῶτος αὐτῶν καταμαθὼν τῆς λοπάδος ἀνεπήδησε κἄφευγεν κύκλῳ τὴν λοπάδ’ ἔχων, ἄλλοι δ’ ἐδίωκον κατὰ πόδας, ἐξῆν ὀλολύζειν· οἱ μὲν ἥρπασάν τι γάρ, οἱ δ’ οὐδέν, οἱ δὲ πάντα, καίτοι παρέλαβον ἰχθῦς ποταμίους ἐσθίοντας βόρβορον. εἰ δ’ ἔλαβον ἄρα τι σπάνιον ἢ ᾽κ τῆς Ἀττικῆς γλαυκίσκον, ὦ Ζεῦ σῶτερ, ἢ ᾽ξ Ἄργους κάπρον ἢκ τῆς Σικυῶνος τῆς φίλης ὃν τοῖς θεοῖς φέρει Ποσειδὼν γόγγρον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, ἅπαντες οἱ φαγόντες ἐγένοντ’ ἂν θεοί. ἀθανασίαν εὕρηκα· τοὺς ἤδη νεκροὺς ὅταν μόνον ὀσφρανθῶσι ποιῶ ζῆν πάλιν.

[¶9] I swear by Minerva that Menecrates the Syracusan himself would not have made such a boast as that, he who was nick-named Jupiter—a man who gave himself airs as being, by his skill in medicine, the only person who could cause man to live. Accordingly he compelled all who came to be cured by him of what is called the sacred disease, to enter into a written agreement that if they recovered they would be his slaves. And they followed him, one wearing the dress of Hercules, and being called Hercules, (and the man who was so called was Nicostratus, an Argive, who had been cured of the sacred disease, and he is mentioned by Ephippus, in his Peltast, where he says—
Did not Menecrates call himself a god,
And Nicostratus of Argos a second Hercules?)
and another followed him in the dress of Mercury, having on a cloak and bearing a caduceus, and wings besides. As Nicagoras of Zelia did, who also became afterwards the tyrant of his country, as Baton relates in the history of the Tyrants at Ephesus. And Hegesander says that he called Astycreon, who had been cured by him, Apollo. And another of those who had been cured by him, went about with him to his cost, wearing the dress of Aesculapius. But Jupiter Menecrates himself, clad in purple, and having a golden crown upon his head, and holding a sceptre, and being shod with slippers, went about with his chorus of gods. And once, writing to Philip the king, he began his letter thus— "Menecrates Jupiter to Philip greeting. “You, indeed, are king of Macedonia, but I am king of medicine; and you are able, when you please, to put men to death, who are in health.; but I am able to save those who are sick, and to cause those who are in good health, if they only follow my advice, to live to old age without being attacked by disease. Therefore the Macedonians attend you as body-guards; but all who wish to live attend me; for I, Jupiter, give them life.” And so Philip wrote back to him as to a man out of his senses,—“Philip wishes Menecrates soundness.” And he wrote in similar style to Archidemus, also the king of the Lacedæmonians, and to every one else to whom he wrote at all; never omitting to give himself the name of Jupiter. And once Philip invited him and all his gods to supper, and placed them all on the centre couch, which was adorned in the loftiest and most holy-looking and beautiful manner. And he had a table placed before them on which there was an altar and first-fruits of the different productions of the earth. And whenever eatables were placed before the other guests, the slaves placed incense before Menecrates, and poured libations in his honour. And at last, the new Jupiter, with all his subordinate gods, being laughed at by every one, ran away and fled from the banquet, as Hegesander relates. And Alexis also makes mention of Menecrates in his Minos.

> Greek: ταῦτα, νὴ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν, οὐδ’ ἂν Μενεκράτης ἂν ὁ Συρακόσιος ἐξωγκώσατο ὁ Ζεὺς ἐπικαλούμενος, ὃς ἐφρόνει μέγα ὡς μόνος αἴτιος τοῦ ζῆν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις γινόμενος διὰ τῆς αὑτοῦ ἰατρικῆς. τοὺς γοῦν θεραπευομένους ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ τὰς ἱερὰς καλουμένας νόσους συγγράφεσθαι ἠνάγκαζεν ὅτι ὑπακούσονται αὐτῷ δοῦλοι περισωθέντες. καὶ ἠκολούθουν ὁ μέν τις ʽ Ἡρακλέους σκευὴν ἔχων καὶ καλούμενος ʽ Ἡρακλῆς Νικόστρατος δ’ ἦν οὗτος ὁ Ἀργεῖος, ἱερὰν νόσον θεραπευθείς· μνημονεύει δ’ αὐτῶν Ἔφιππος ἐν Πελταστῇ λέγων ὧδε· οὐ Μενεκράτης μὲν ἔφασκεν εἶναι Ζεὺς θεός, Νικόστρατος δ’ Ἁργεῖος ἕτερος Ἡρακλῆς; ἄλλος δέ τις ὡς Ἑρμῆς χλαμύδα ἔχων καὶ κηρύκειον, πρὸς δὲ τούτοισι πτερά, ὡς ὁ Ζελείτης Νικαγόρας ὁ καὶ τῆς πατρίδος τυραννήσας, ὡς ἱστορεῖ Βάτων ἐν τοῖς περὶ τῶν ἐν Ἐφέσῳ τυράννων. Ἡγήσανδρος δέ φησιν ὅτι καὶ Ἀστυκρέοντα θεραπευθέντα ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ Ἀπόλλωνα ἐκάλεσε. καὶ ἄλλος δ’ αὐτῷ τῶν περισωθέντων Ἀσκληπιοῦ στολὴν ἀναλαβὼν συμπεριεφέρετο. αὐτὸς δ’ ὁ Ζεὺς πορφύραν ἠμφιεσμένος καὶ στέφανον χρυσοῦν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔχων καὶ σκῆπτρον κρατῶν κρηπῖδάς τε ὑποδεδεμένος περιῄει μετὰ τοῦ θείου χοροῦ, καὶ ἐπιστέλλων Φιλίππῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ οὕτως ἔγραψεν Μενεκράτης Ζεὺς Φιλίππῳ χαίρειν. σὺ μὲν Μακεδονίας βασιλεύεις, ἐγὼ δὲ ἰατρικῆς, καὶ σὺ μὲν ὑγιαίνοντας δύνασαι ὅταν βουληθῇς ἀπολλύναι, ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς νοσοῦντας σῴζειν καὶ τοὺς εὐρώστους ἀνόσους οἳ ἂν ἐμοὶ πείθωνται παρέχειν μέχρι γήρως ζῶντας, τοιγαροῦν σὲ μὲν Μακεδόνες δορυφοροῦσιν, ἐμὲ δὲ καὶ οἱ μέλλοντες ἔσεσθαι. Ζεὺς γὰρ ἐγὼ αὐτοῖς βίον παρέχω. πρὸς ὃν ὡς μελαγχολῶντα ἐπέστελλεν ὁ Φίλιππος· Φίλιππος Μενεκράτει ὑγιαίνειν. παραπλησίως δὲ ἐπέστελλε καὶ Ἀρχιδάμῳ τῷ Λακεδαιμονίων βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὅσοις ἔγραφεν, οὐκ ἀπεχόμενος τοῦ Διός. καλέσας δ’ αὐτόν ποτε ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ὁ Φίλιππος μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων θεῶν συγκατέκλινε πάντας ἐπὶ τῆς μέσης κλίνης ὑψηλότατα καὶ ἱεροπρεπέστατα κεκοσμημένης καὶ τράπεζαν παραθεὶς ἐφ’ ἧς βωμὸς ἔκειτο καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς παντοδαπῶν ἀπαρχαί. καὶ ὁπότε τοῖς ἄλλοις παρεφέρετο τὰ ἐδώδιμα, τοῖς ἀμφὶ Μενεκράτην ἐθυμίων καὶ ἔσπενδον οἱ παῖδες. καὶ τέλος ὁ καινὸς Ζεὺς μετὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων γελώμενος θεῶν ἔφυγεν ἐκ τοῦ συμποσίου, ὡς Ἡγήσανδρος ἱστορεῖ· μνημονεύει δὲ τοῦ Μενεκράτους καὶ Ἄλεξις ἐν Μίνῳ.

[¶10] And Themiso the Cyprian, the friend of Antiochus the king as Pythermus the Ephesian relates in the eighth book of his History, not only used to have his name proclaimed in the public assemblies, “Themiso, the Macedonian, the Hercules of Antiochus the king;” but all the people of that country used to sacrifice to him, addressing him as Hercules Themiso; and he himself would come when any of the nobles celebrated a sacrifice, and would sit down, having a couch to himself, and being clad in a lion's skin, and he used also to bear a Scythian bow, and in his hand he carried a club. Menecrates then himself, though he was such as we have said, never made such a preposterous boast as the cook we have been speaking of,—
I am immortal, for I bring the dead,
By the mere smell of my meat, to life again.

> Greek: καὶ Θεμίσων δὲ ὁ Κύπριος, τὰ Ἀντιόχου τοῦ βασιλέως παιδικά, ὥς φησι Πύθερμος ὁ Ἐφέσιος ἐν τῇ ὀγδόῃ τῶν ἱστοριῶν, οὐ μόνον ἐν ταῖς πανηγύρεσιν ἀνεκηρύττετο Θεμίσων Μακεδών, Ἀντιόχου βασιλέως Ἡρακλῆς· ἔθυον δὲ καὶ αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ ἐγχώριοι ἐπιλέγοντες Ἡρακλεῖ Θεμίσωνι, καὶ παρῆν αὐτὸς ὁπότε τις τῶν ἐνδόξων θύοι καὶ ἀνέκειτο στρωμνὴν καθ’ αὑτὸν ἔχων ἠμφιεσμένος λεοντῆν ἐφόρει δὲ καὶ τόξα Σκυθικὰ καὶ ῥόπαλον ἐκράτει. ὁ δ’ οὖν Μενεκράτης τοιοῦτος ὢν ὁποῖος εἴρηται οὐδὲν παραπλήσιόν ποτε ἐξωγκώσατο οἷον ὁ προειρημένος μάγειρος· ἀθανασίαν ηὕρηκα τοὺς ἤδη νεκρούς, ὅταν μόνον ὀσφρανθῶσι, ποιῶ ζῆν πάλιν.

[¶11] But the whole tribe of cooks are conceited and arrogant, as Hegesander says in his Brothers. For he introduces a cook, saying—
A. My friend, a great deal has been said already
By many men on the art of cookery,
So either tell me something new yourself,
Unknown to former cooks, or spare my ears.
B. I'll not fatigue you; know that I alone
Of present men have sounded all the depths
Of culinary science and invention;
For I have not been just a short two years
Learning my art with snow-white apron girt,
But all my life I have devoted anxiously
To the investigation of each point
Of moment; I have inquired into all
The different kinds of herbs and vegetables;
I know the habits of the bembrades,
I know the lentils in their various sorts;
In short, this I can say—Whene'er I am
At a funereal feast as minister,
As soon as men come back from the funeral,
Clad in dark garments, I take off the lids
Of all my saucepans, and the weeping guests
I clothe with smiling faces in a moment;
And such a joy runs through each heart and frame
As if they were a marriage feast attending.
A. What! serving up lentils and bembrades?
B. These are some accidental dishes only;
But when I've got my necessary tools,
And once have properly arranged my kitchen,
That which in old time happen'd with the Sirens
You shall again behold repeated now.
For such shall be the savoury smell, that none
Shall bring themselves to pass this narrow passage;
And every one who passes by the door
Shall stand agape, fix'd to the spot, and mute,
Till some one of his friends, who's got a cold
And lost his smell, drags him away by force.
A. You're a great artist.
B. Do not you then know
To whom you speak? I do declare to you
I have known many of the guests, who have,
For my sake, eaten up their whole estates.
Now, I beg you, tell me, in the name of all the gods at once, in what respect this man appears to you to differ from the Celedones in Pindar, who, in the same manner as the Sirens of old, caused those who listened to them to forget their food through delight, and so to waste away?

> Greek: ἀλαζονικὸν δ’ ἐστὶ πᾶν τὸ τῶν μαγείρων φῦλον, ὡς καὶ Ἡγήσιππος ἐν Ἀδελφοῖς παρίστησι. παράγει δὲ μάγειρον λέγοντα· βέλτιστε, πολλοῖς πολλὰ περὶ μαγειρικῆς εἰρημέν’ ἐστὶν ἢ λέγων φαίνου τι δὴ καινὸν παρὰ τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν ἢ μὴ κόπτε με. β. οὐκ ἀλλὰ τὸ πέρας τῆς μαγειρικῆς, Σύρε, εὑρηκέναι πάντων νόμιζε μόνον ἐμέ. οὐ γὰρ παρέργως ἔμαθον ἐν ἔτεσιν δυεῖν ἔχων περίζωμ᾽, ἀλλ’ ἅπαντα τὸν βίον ζητῶν κατὰ μέρη τὴν τέχνην ἐξήτακα· εἴδη λαχάνων ὅσ’ ἐστί, βεμβράδων τρόπους, φακῆς γένη παντοδαπά. τὸ πέρας σοι λέγω· ὅταν ἐν περιδείπνῳ τυγχάνω διακονῶν, ἐπὰν τάχιστ’ ἔλθωσιν ἐκ τῆς ἐκφορᾶς τὰ βάπτ’ ἔχοντες, τοὐπίθημα τῆς χύτρας ἀφελὼν ἐποίησα τοὺς δακρύοντας γελᾶν τοιοῦτος ἔνδοθέν τις ἐν τῷ σώματι διέδραμε γαργαλισμὸς ὡς ὄντων γάμων. α. φακῆν παρατιθείς, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ βεμβράδας; β. τὰ πάρεργά μου ταῦτ’ ἔστιν, ἢν δὲ δὴ λάβω τὰ δέοντα καὶ τοὐπτάνιον ἁρμόσωμ’ ἅπαξ, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔμπροσθε Σειρήνων, Σύρε, ἐγένετο, καὶ νῦν ταὐτὸ τοῦτ’ ὄψει πάλιν, ὑπὸ τῆς γὰρ ὀσμῆς οὐδὲ εἷς δυνήσεται ἁπλῶς διελθεῖν τὸν στενωπὸν τουτονί ὁ δὲ παριὼν πᾶς εὐθέως πρὸς τὴν θύραν ἑστήξετ’ ἀχανής, προσπεπατταλευμένος, ἄφωνος, ἄχρι ἂν τῶν φίλων βεβυσμένος τὴν ῥῖν’ ἕτερός τις προσδραμὼν ἀποσπάσῃ. α. μέγας εἶ τεχνίτης. β. ἀγνοεῖς πρὸς ὃν λαλεῖς· πολλοὺς ἐγὼ σφόδρ’ οἶδα τῶν καθημένων, οἳ καταβεβρώκασ’ ἕνεκ’ ἐμοῦ τὰς οὐσίας. πρὸς τῶν θεῶν, τί διαφέρειν οὗτος ὑμῖν δοκεῖ τῶν παρὰ Πινδάρῳ Κηληδόνων, αἳ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ταῖς Σειρῆσι τοὺς ἀκροωμένους ἐποίουν ἐπιλανθανομένους τῶν τροφῶν διὰ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἀφαυαίνεσθαι;

[¶12] But Nicomachus, in his Ilithyia, himself also introduces a cook, who in arrogance and conceit goes far beyond the artists on the stage. This cook then speaks to the man who has hired him in this way,—
A. You do display a gentlemanlike taste
And kind; but one thing still you have omitted.
B. How so?
A. You never have inquired it seems
How great a man I am. Or had you heard it
From some one else who was acquainted with me,
And so was that the reason you engaged me?
B. By Jove I never heard or thought about it.
A. Perhaps you do not know how great the difference
Is that exists between one cook and another?
B. Not I, but I shall know now, if you tell me.
A. To take some meat that some one else has bought,
And then to dress it tolerably, is
What any cook can do.
B. O Hercules!
A. A perfect cook is quite another thing.
For there are many admirable arts,
All of which he must master thoroughly
Who would excel in this. He first must have
A smattering of painting; and indeed
Many the sciences are which he must learn
Before he's fit to begin learning cookery,—
And you should know them ere you talk to me,—
Astrology, and Medicine, and Geometry.
For by these arts you'll know the qualities
And excellences of the various fish.
You'll learn to guide your dishes by the seasons;
And when this fish is in, and this is out,
For there is great variety in the pleasures
That from the table spring. Sometimes, for instance,
A boax will be better than a tunny.
B. Perhaps; but what on earth has that to do
With your geometry
A. Why this. We say
The kitchen is a sphere; this we divide,
And take one portion, as may suit our art,
Borrowing the principles of mensuration.
B. I understand; that's quite enough of that.
Where does your medical skill display itself?
A. Know there are meats hard, indigestible,
Pregnant with flatulence, causing only torture
To the unhappy eater, and no nourishment.
Yet those who sup at other folks' expense
Are always greedy and not temperate.
For these and similar viands, remedies
Must come from the resources of our art;
And how to marshal everything in order
With wisdom and propriety, we learn
By borrowing from the science of the General.
To count the guests requires arithmetic.
And no one else has all these parts of knowledge
Except myself.
B. Now in your turn, awhile
Listen to me.
A. Say on.
B. Give no more trouble
To me nor to yourself: but just keep quiet,
And rest yourself all day for all I care.

> Greek: Νικόμαχος δ’ ἐν Εἰλειθυίᾳ καὶ αὐτὸς παράγει τινὰ μάγειρον ὑπερβάλλοντα τοὺς περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον τεχνίτας. λέγει δ’ οὖν οὗτος πρὸς τὸν μισθωσάμενον ὑποδεικνύεις μὲν ἦθος ἀστεῖον πάνυ καὶ πρᾷον, ὀλίγωρον δὲ πεποίηκάς τι. β. πῶς; α. ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ τίνες ἐσμὲν οὐκ ἐξήτακας. ἢ πρότερον ἐπύθου τῶν ἀκριβῶς εἰδότων οὕτω τ’ ἐμισθώσω με; β. μὰ δγ, ἐγώ μὲν οὐ. α. καὶ μὴν ἴσως ὅσον μαγείρου διαφέρει μάγειρος οὐκ οἶσθ᾽. β. εἴσομαι δὲ γ’ ἢν λέγῃς. α. τὸ γὰρ παραλαβόντ’ ὄψον ἠγορασμένον πότερ’ ἀποδοῦναι σκευάσαντα μουσικῶς διακόνου ᾽ στ’ οὐ τοῦ τυχόντος; β. Ἡράκλεις. α. ὁ μάγειρός ἐσθ’ ὁ τέλειος ἑτέρα διάθεσις. πολλὰς τέχνας λάβοις ἂν ἐνδόξους πάνυ, ὧν τὸν μαθεῖν βουλόμενον ὀρθῶς οὐκ ἔνι ταύταις προσελθεῖν εὐθύς, ἀλλ’ ἔμπροσθε δεῖ ζωγραφίας ἧφθαι. ταῦτα καὶ μαγειρικῆς πρότερον μαθεῖν δεῖ τῆς τέχνης ἑτέρας τέχνας., ὧν εἰδέναι σοι κρεῖττον ἦν μοι πρὶν λαλεῖν, ἀστρολογικήν, γεωμετρικήν, ἰατρικήν. τῶν ἰχθύων γὰρ τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ τὰς τέχνας ἐντεῦθεν εἴσῃ· παρακολουθήσεις χρόνοις, πότ’ ἄωρός ἐσθ’ ἕκαστος ἢ πόθ’ ὥριμος, τῶν ἡδονῶν γὰρ μεγάλα τὰ διαστήματα· ἐνίοτε κρείττων γίνεται θύννου βόαξ. β. ἔστω. γεωμετρικῇ δὲ καὶ σοὶ πρᾶγμα τί; α. τοὐπτάνιον ἡμεῖς σφαῖραν εἶναι τιθέμεθα τοῦτο διελέσθαι καὶ τόπον λαβόνθ’ ἕνα μερίσαι κατ’ εἶδος τῆς τέχνης ἐπιδέξια, ἐκεῖθεν ἐνταῦθ’ ἐστὶ μετενηνεγμένα. β. οὗτος, πέπεισμαι, κἂν τὰ λοιπὰ μὴ λαλῇς περὶ τῆς ἰατρικῆς δέ; α. τῶν γὰρ βρωμάτων πνευματικὰ κἂν δύσπεπτα καὶ τιμωρίαν ἔχοντ’ ἔνι’ ἔστιν, ὁ οὐ τροφήν. δειπνῶν δὲ πᾶς· τἀλλότρια γίνετ’ ὀξύχειρ κοὐκ ἐγκρατής· τοῖς δὴ τοιούτοις βρώμασιν τὰ φάρμακα εὕρητ’ ἐκεῖθεν, μεταφορὰ δ’ ἐστὶν τέχνης. ἤδη τὸ μετὰ νοῦ καὶ τὸ συμμέτρως ἔχον περὶ τακτικῆς ἕκαστα ποῦ τεθήσεται· ἀριθμῷ τὸ πλῆθος εἰδέναι μαγειρικῆς. οὐδεὶς ἕτερός σοι πρὸς ἔμ’ ἐκεῖ γραφήσεται., β. μίκρ’ ἀντάκουσον ἐν μέρει κἀμοῦ. α. λέγε. β. σὺ μηδὲν ἐνόχλει μήτε σαυτὸν μήτ’ ἐμέ, ἀπραγμόνως δὲ διαγενοῦ τὴν ἡμέραν.

[¶13] And the cook in the Younger Philemon wishes to be a sort of tutor, and speaks in this fashion—
There, let things be as they are. Only take care
The fire may not too small be or too slow
To roast the joints. (As a fire like that
Makes meat not roast but sodden.) Nor too fierce.
(For that again does burn whate'er it catches,
And yet is far from cooking the meat through.)
It is not every one who has a spoon
And knife about him that we call a cook,
Nor every one who puts his fish in a pan;
There is more wit and reason in the business.

> Greek: ὁ δὲ παρὰ τῷ νεωτέρῳ Φιλήμονι μάγειρος διδασκαλικὸς τις εἶναι θέλει τοιαῦτά τινα λαλῶν ἐάσαθ’ οὕτως ὡς ἔχει. τὸ πῦρ μόνον ποιεῖτε τοῖς ὀπτοῖσι μήτ’ ἀνειμένον τὸ. γὰρ τοιοῦτ’ οὐκ ὀπτόν, ἀλλ’ ἑφθὸν ποιεῖ μήτ’ ὀξύ· κατακάει γὰρ ὅσ’ ἂν ἔξω λάβῃ τοῦτο πάλιν, εἰς τὴν σάρκα δ’ οὐκ ἐνδύεται. μάγειρός ἐστιν οὐκ ἐὰν ζωμήρυσιν ἔχων τις ἔλθῃ καὶ μάχαιραν πρός τινα, οὐδ’ ἄν τις εἰς τὰς λοπάδας ἰχθῦς ἐμβάλῃ, ἀλλ’ ἔστι τις φρόνησις ἐν τῷ πράγματι.

[¶14] And the cook in Diphilus's Painter tells us also to whom he thinks it worth his while to hire himself, saying—
A. I will not use your meat, nor give my aid
Unless I'm sure that I shall have all means
Which needful are to make a proper show;
Nor do I e'er go anywhere till first
I know who 'tis who makes the sacrifice,
Or what the cause may be which prompts the banquet,, Or who the guests are who have been invited.
For I have got a regular list at home
Of where I choose to go, and where I don't.
As first, to speak of the commercial class;
Some captain of a ship may take a sacrifice
Just to discharge some vow, made when he lost
His mast, pr broke the rudder of his vessel,
Or, having sprung a leak, threw overboard
His cargo. I'll have nought to do with him:
For he does nothing willingly, but only
Just so much as he thinks he cannot help.
And every time a cup is fill'd with wine,
He makes a calculation of the sum
Which he can charge his owners or his passengers,
And thinks that what his guests do eat and drink
Is his own flesh and blood. Another came,
But three days since, from the Byzantine port,
Safe and successful; joyful in a profit
Of ten or twelve per cent; talking of nothing
But freight and interest, spending all his love
On worn-out panders. Soon as he did quit
The ship and set his foot upon the land,
I blew my nose, gave him my hand, and utter'd
Audible thanks to saving Jupiter,
And hasten'd forth to wait on him. For this
Is always my way; and I find it answer.
Again, an amorous youth will feast and squander
His sire's estate; to him I go at call.
But those who feast in shares, and throw together
Into one dish their petty contributions,
Though they may tear their clothes, and cry aloud,
“Come, who will cook us our new-purchased supper.”
I let bawl on. For if you go to them,
First there is language hard and blows to bear;
Secondly, one must slave the livelong night;
And when at last you ask them for your pay,
“First bring the pot,” say they. "There was no vinegar
In all that salad." Ask again. "Aye, you
Shall be the first to be well beaten here."
I could recount ten thousand facts like this.
B. But where I take now is a rich brothel,
Where a rich courtesan with other friends
Desires to celebrate with great abundance
A joyous feast in honour of Adonis,
And where you may enjoy yourself in style.

> Greek: ὁ δὲ παρὰ Διφίλῳ ἐν τῷ Ζωγράφῳ καὶ πρὸς οὓς ἐκμισθοῦν αὑτὸν δεῖ διδάσκει λέγων οὕτως·
οὐ μὴ παραλάβω σ’ οὐδαμοῦ, Δράκων, ἐγὼ ἐπ’ ἔργον, οὗ μὴ διατελεῖς τὴν ἡμέραν τραπεζοποιῶν ἐν ἀγαθοῖς πολλοῖς χύδην, οὐ γὰρ βαδίζω πρότερον ἂν μὴ δοκιμάσω τίς. ἐσθ’ ὁ θύων ἢ πόθεν συνίσταται τὸ δεῖπνον ἢ κέκληκεν ἀνθρώπους τίνας. ἔστιν δ’ ἁπάντων τῶν γενῶν μοι διαγραφή, εἰς ποῖα μισθοῦν ἢ φυλάττεσθαί με δεῖ. οἷον τὸ κατὰ τοὐμπόριον, εἰ βούλει, γένος. ναύκληρος ἀποθύει τις εὐχήν, ἀποβαλὼν τὸν ἱστὸν ἢ πηδάλια συντρίψας νεώς, ἢ φορτί’ ἐξέρριψ’ ὑπέραντλος γενόμενος· ἀφῆκα τὸν τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν ἡδέως ποιεῖ γὰρ οὗτος, ἀλλ’ ὅσον νόμου χάριν ὁμοῦ δὲ τοῖς σπονδαῖσι διαλογίζεται τοῖς συμπλέουσιν ὁπόσον ἐπιβάλλει μέρος τιθείς, τὰ θ’ αὑτοῦ σπλάγχν᾽ ἕκαστος ἐσθίει. ἀλλ’ ἕτερος εἰσπέπλευκεν ἐκ Βυζαντίου τριταῖος, ἀπαθής, εὐπορηκώς, περιχαρὴς εἰς δέκ’ ἐπὶ τῇ μνᾷ γεγονέναι καὶ δώδεκα, λαλῶν τὰ ναῦλα καὶ τὰ δάνει’ ἐρυγγάνων, ἀφροδίσι’ ὑπὸ κόλλοψι μαστροποῖς ποιῶν, ὑπὸ τοῦτον ὑπέμυξ’ εὐθὺς ἐκβεβηκότα, τὴν δεξιὰν ἐνέβαλον, ἐμνήσθην Διὸς σωτῆρος, ἐμπέπηγα τῷ διακονεῖν. τοιοῦτος ὁ τρόπος, μειράκιον ἐρῶν πάλιν τὰ πατρῷα βρύκει καὶ σπαθᾷ; πορεύομαι, ἀπὸ συμβολῶν συνάγοντα, νὴ Δί᾽, ἕτερά που ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τὸν κέραμον ἐνευρημένα τὰ κράσπεδ’ ἀποθλιβέντα καὶ κεκραγότα· ὀψάριον ἀγοραῖον ποιεῖν τίς βούλεται; ἐῶ βοᾶν πληγὰς γὰρ ἔτι προσλαμβάνειν ἐλθόντα καὶ τὴν νύχθ’ ὅλην διακονεῖν. τὸ μισθάριον γὰρ ἂν ἀπαιτῇς, ἀμίδα μοι ἔνεγκε πρῶτον φησίν. ὄξος ἡ φακῆ οὐκ εἶχε. πάλιν ᾔτησας· οἰμώξει μακρὰ πρῶτος μαγείρων φησίν. ἕτερα μυρία τοιαῦτα καταλέξαιμ’ ἄν. οὗ δὲ νῦν σ’ ἄγω, πορνεῖόν ἐστιν, πολυτελῶς Ἀδώνια ἄγουσ’ ἑταίρα μεθ’ ἑτέρων πορνῶν χύδην σαυτὸν ἀποσάξεις τόν τε κόλπον ἀποτρέχων.

[¶15] And Archedicus, in his Treasure, another philosophical cookling, speaks in this way—
In the first place the guests invited came
While still the fish lay on the dresser raw.
“Give me some water.” “Bring the fish up quick.”
Then placing all my pans upon the fire,
I soak'd the ashes well with oil, and raise
A rapid heat. Meantime the fragrant herbs
And pleasant sharpness of the seasonings
Delight my master. Quickly I serve up
Some fish exactly boiled; retaining all
His juice, and all his unextracted flavour;
A dish which any free-born man must know
How to appreciate rightly. In this manner
At the expense of one small pot of oil
I gain employment at full fifty banquets.
And Philostephanus, in his Delian, gives a catalogue of the names of some celebrated cooks in these lines, and those which follow them—
In my opinion you, O Dædalus,
Surpass all cooks in skill and genius,
Save the Athenian Thimbron, call'd the Top.
So here I've come to beg your services,
Bringing the wages which I know you ask.

> Greek: καὶ παρ’ Ἀρχεδίκῳ δ’ ἐν Θησαυρῷ ἄλλος σοφιστὴς μαγειρίσκος τάδε λέγει·
πρῶτον ὠμῶν κειμένων τῶν ἰχθύων πάρεισιν οἱ κεκλημένοι. δίδου κατὰ χειρός. τοὔψον οἰχήσει λαβών. τὰς λοπάδας ἐπιθεὶς ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ τοὺς ἄνθρακας ἔρραν’ ἐλαίῳ πάντα καὶ ποιῶ φλόγα, ἐν ᾧ τὸ λάχανον αἵ τε τῶν παροψίδων τὸν ἄνδρα δριμύτητες εὐφραίνουσί μου, ἑφθὸν τὸν ἰχθὺν ἀποδίδωμ’ ἔχοντα τοὺς χυμοὺς ἐν αὑτῷ τήν τε τῆς ἅλμης ἀκμήν, εἰς ἣν ἂν ἐμβάψαιτο πᾶς ἐλεύθερος. ἐλᾳδίου κοτύλης τε παραναλωμένης σέσωκ’ ἐμοὶ τρίκλινα πεντήκοντ’ ἴσως.
Φιλοστέφανος δ’ ἐν Δηλίῳ καὶ ὀνόματα ἐνδόξων μαγείρων ἐν τοῖσδε καταλέγει· εἰδώς σε πάντων διαφέροντα τῇ τέχνῃ τῇ τ’ ὀξύτητι μετὰ Θίβρωνα, Δαίδαλε, τὸν ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν, τὸν καλούμενον Πέρας, δοὺς μισθὸν ὃν μ’ ᾔτησας ἥκω δεῦρ’ ἄγων.

[¶16] And Sotades, not the Maronite poet, who composed Ionian songs, but the poet of the middle comedy, in the play entitled The Shut-up Women, (for that was the name which he gave to it,) introduces a cook making the following speech,—
First I did take some squills, and fried them all;
Then a large shark I cut in slices large,
Roasting the middle parts, and the remainder
I boil'd and stuff'd with half-ripe mulberries.
Then I take two large heads of dainty grayling,
And in a large dish place them, adding simply
Herbs, cummin, salt, some water, and some oil.
Then after this I bought a splendid pike,
To boil in pickle with all sorts of herbs.
Avoiding all such roasts as want a spit,
I bought too some fine mullet, and young thrushes,
And put them on the coals just as they were,
Adding a little brine and marjoram.
To these I added cuttle-fish and squills.
A fine dish is the squill when carefully cook'd.
But the rich cuttle-fish is eaten plain,
Though I did stuff them all with a rich forced meat
Of almost every kind of herb and flower.
Then there were several dishes of boil'd meats,
And sauce-boats full of oil and vinegar.
Besides all this a conger fine and fat
I bought, and buried in a fragrant pickle;
Likewise some tench, and clinging to the rocks
Some limpets. All their heads I tore away,
And cover'd them with flour and bread crumbs over,
And then prepared them as I dress'd the squills.
There was a widow'd amia too, a noble
And dainty fish. That did I wrap in fig-leaves,
And soak'd it through with oil, and over all
With swaddling clothes of marjoram did I fold it,
And hid it like a torch beneath the ashes.
With it I took anchovies from Phalerum,
And pour'd on them one cruet full of water.
Then shredding herbs quite fine, I add more oil,
More than two cotylee in quantity.
What next? That's all. This sir is what I do,
Not learning from recipes or books of cookery.

> Greek: Σωτάδης δ᾽, οὐχ ὁ τῶν Ἰωνικῶν ᾀσμάτων ποιητὴς ὁ Μαρωνίτης, ἀλλ’ ὁ τῆς μέσης κωμῳδίας, ποιεῖ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν Ἐγκλειομέναις οὕτω γὰρ ἐπιγράφει τὸ δρᾶμα τοιάδε μάγειρον λέγοντα· καρῖδας ἔλαβον πρῶτον· ἀπεταγήνισα ταύτας ἁπάσας. γαλεὸς εἴληπται μέγας· ὤπτησα τὰ μέσα, τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν γρυμέαν ἕψω ποιήσας τρῖμμα συκαμίνινον. γλαύκου φέρω κεφάλαια παμμεγέθη δύο, ἐν λοπάδι μεγάλῃ ταῦτα, λιτῶς προσαγαγὼν χλόην, κύμινον, ἅλας, ὕδωρ, ἐλᾴδιον. λάβρακα μετὰ ταῦτ’ ἐπριάμην καλὸν σφόδρα· ἔσται δι’ ἅλμης λιπαρὸς ἑφθὸς ἐν χλόῃ, ἀποδοὺς ὅσ’ ἐστὶν ἀπ’ ὀβελίσκων ὀπτανά. τρίγλας καλὰς ἠγόρασα καὶ κίχλας καλάς· ἔρριψα ταύτας ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνθραχ’ ὡς ἔχει ἅλμῃ τε λιπαρᾷ παρατίθημ’ ὀρίγανον. ταύταις προσέλαβον σηπίας καὶ τευθίδας· ἀστεῖον ἑφθή τευθὶς ὠνθυλευμένη καὶ πτερύγι’ ἁπαλῶς σηπίας ὠπτημένα.. τριμμάτιον ᾠκείωσα τούτοις ἀνθινὸν παντοδαπόν. ἑψήτ’ ἦν δὲ μετὰ ταύτας τινά· ὀξυλίπαρον τούτοις ἔδωκα χυμίον. γόγγρον ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐπριάμην παχὺν σφόδρα· κατέπνιξ’ ἐν ἅλμῃ τοῦτον εὐανθεστέρᾳ. κωβίδι’ ἄττα καὶ πετραῖα δή τινα ἰχθύδια, τούτων ἀποκνίσας τὰ κρανία ἐμόλυν’ ἀλεύρῳ αὐτὰ τοιούτῳ τινὶ πέμπω τε ταῖς καρῖσι τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδόν. ἀμίαν τε χήραν, θηρίον καλὸν σφόδρα, θρίοισι ταύτην ἅλις ἐλᾳδίῳ διεὶς ἐσπαργάνωσα περιπάσας ὀρίγανον ἐνέκρυψὰ θ’ ὥσπερ δαλὸν εἰς πολλὴν τέφραν. ἀφύην θ’ ἅμ’ αὐτῇ παρέλαβον Φαληρικὴν εἷς κύαθος ἐνταῦθ’ ὕδατος ἐπιχυθεὶς πολύ· τεμὼν δὲ λεπτὴν τῆς χλόης καὶ πλείονα, κἂν ᾖ δικότυλος λήκυθος, καταστρέφω. τί λοιπόν; οὐδὲν ἄλλο. τοῦτ’ ἐσθ’ ἡ τέχνη, οὐκ ἐξ ἀπογραφῆς οὐδὲ δι’ ὑπομνημάτων.

[¶17] However, this is enough about cooks. But we must say something about the conger. For Archestratus, in his Gastronomy, tells us how every part of it should be treated, saying—
In Sicyon my friend you best can get
A mighty head of conger, fat, and strong,
And large; and also take his entrails whole,
Then boil him a long time, well-soak'd in brine.
And after this he goes through the whole country of Italy, saying where the congers are best, describing them like a regular writer of an Itinerary, and he says—
There too fine congers may be caught, and they
Are to all other fish as far superior
As a fat tunny is to coracini.
And Alexis, in his Seven against Thebes, says—
And all the parts of a fine conger eel
Well hash'd together, overlaid with fat. And Archedicus, in his Treasure, introduces a cook speaking of some fish which he has been buying in the following terms—
Then for three drachmas I agrayling bought.
Five more I gave for a large conger's head
And shoulders. (Oh, how hard a thing is life!)
Another drachma for the neck. I swear
By Phoebus, if I knew where I could get
Or buy another neck myself, at once
I'd choke the one which now is on my shoulders,
Rather than bring these dishes to this place.
For no one ever had a harder job
To buy so many things at such a price;
And yet if I have bought a thing worth buying
May I be hang'd. They will devour me.
What I now say is what concerns myself.
And then, such wine they spit out on the ground!
Alas! Alas!

> Greek: καὶ μαγείρων μὲν ἅλις· περὶ δὲ τοῦ γόγγρου λεκτέον. Ἀρχέστρατος μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῇ Γαστρονομίᾳ καὶ ὁπόθεν ἕκαστον μέρος αὐτοῦ δεῖ συνωνεῖσθαι διηγεῖται οὕτως γόγγρου μὲν γὰρ ἔχεις κεφαλήν, φίλος, ἐν Σικυῶνι πίονος, ἰσχυροῦ, μεγάλου καὶ πάντα τὰ κοῖλα· εἶτα χρόνον πολὺν ἕψε χλόῃ περίπαστον ἐν ἅλμῃ ἑξῆς τε περὶ τῶν κατ’ Ἰταλίαν τόπων διεξιὼν πάλιν ὁ καλὸς οὗτος περιηγητής φησιν καὶ γόγγρος σπουδαῖος ἁλίσκεται, ὅστε τοσοῦτον τῶν ἄλλων πάντων ὄψων κρατεῖ οὗτος ὅσον περ θύννος ὁ πιότατος τῶν φαυλοτάτων κορακίνων. Ἄλεξις ἐν Ἑπτὰ ἐπὶ Θήβαις· γόγγρου δ’ ὁμοῦ σωρευτὰ πιμελῆς μέλη ὑπεργέμοντα. Ἀρχέδικος δ’ ἐν Θησαυρῷ παράγει τινὰ μάγειρον λέγοντα περὶ ὧν ὠψώνηκεν αὐτός·
δραχμῶν τριῶν γλαυκίσκον … γόγγρου κεφάλαια καὶ τὰ πρῶτα τεμάχια δραχμῶν πάλιν πέντ᾽· ὦ ταλαιπώρου βίου. δραχμῆς τραχήλους· ἀλλὰ νὴ τὸν ἥλιον, κἀμοὶ τράχηλον ἕτερον εἴ ποθεν λαβεῖν ἦν καὶ πρίασθαι δυνατόν, ὃν ἔχω τοῦτον ἂν πρὶν εἰσενεγκεῖν ταῦτα δεῦρ’ ἀπηγξάμην οὐδεὶς δεδιακόνηκεν ἐπιπονώτερον. ἅμα μὲν πρίασθαι πολλὰ καὶ πολλοῦ σφόδρα, ἅμα δ’ εἴ τι χρηστὸν ἀγοράσαιμ᾽, ἀπωλλύμην. κατέδοντ’ ἐκεῖνοι, τοῦτο· πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν λέγω, διαπυτιοῦσ’ οἶνον δὲ τοιοῦτον χαμαί. οἴμοι.

[¶18] There is a kind of shark called γαλεὸς, which is eaten. And Icesius, in his treatise on Materials, says that the best and tenderest kind of galei are those called asteriæ. But Aristotle says that there are many kinds of them—the thorny, the smooth, the spotted, the young galeus, the fox shark, and the file shark. But Dorion, in his Book on Fishes, says that the fox shark has only one fin towards his tail, but has none along the ridge of his back. But Aristotle, in the fifth book of his Parts of Animals, says that the centrines is also a kind of shark, and also the notidanus. But Epænetus, in his Cookery Book, calls the latter the enotideus, and says “that the centrines is very inferior to him, and that it has a bad smell; and that the one may be distinguished from the other by the fact of the centrines having a sort of spur on his first fin, while the rest of the kinds have not got such a thing.” “And he says that these fishes have no fat or suet in them, because they are cartilaginous.” And the acanthias, or thorny shark, has this peculiarity, that his heart is five-cornered. And the galeus has three young at most; and it receives its young into his mouth, and immediately ejects them again; and the variegated galeus is especially fond of doing this, and so is the fox shark. But the other kinds do not do so, because of the roughness of the skins of the young ones.

> Greek: γαλεοί. Ἱκέσιος ἐν τοῖς περὶ ὕλης τῶν γαλεῶν βελτίονας εἶναι καὶ ἁπαλωτέρους τοὺς ἀστερίας καλουμένους. Ἀριστοτέλης δὲ εἴδη αὐτῶν φησιν εἶναι πλείω, ἀκανθίαν, λεῖον, ποικίλον, σκύμνον, ἀλωπεκίαν, ῥίνην. Δωρίων δ’ ἐν τῷ περὶ ἰχθύων τὸν ἀλωπεκίαν μίαν ἔχειν φησὶ λοφιὰν πρὸς τῷ οὐραίῳ, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ῥάχεως οὐδαμῶς. ὁ δ’ Ἀριστοτέλης ἐν πέμπτῳ ζῴων μορίων καὶ κεντρίνην φησί τινα γαλεὸν εἶναι καὶ νωτιδανόν. Ἐπαίνετος δ’ ἐν Ὀψαρτυτικῷ ἐπινωτιδέα καλεῖ, χείρονα δ’ εἶναι τὸν κεντρίνην καὶ δυσώδη. γνωρίζεσθαι δ’ ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς τῇ πρώτῃ λοφιᾷ ἔχειν κέντρον τῶν ὁμοειδῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων οὔτε δὲ στέαρ οὔτε πιμελὴν ἔχειν τοὺς ἰχθῦς τούτους διὰ τὸ χονδρώδεις εἶναι. ἰδίως δὲ ὁ ἀκανθίας τὴν καρδίαν ἔχει πεντάγωνον. τίκτει δ’ ὁ γαλεὸς τὰ πλεῖστα τρία καὶ εἰσδέχεται τὰ γεννηθέντα εἰς τὸ στόμα καὶ πάλιν ἀφίησιν μάλιστα δ’ ὁ ποικίλος καὶ ὁ ἀλωπεκίας, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ οὐκ ἔτι διὰ τὴν τραχύτητα.