Ulysses Voracity of certain Persons Of Mithridates Of the Boeotians Of the Thessalians Menedemus Praise of Temperance Stilpo Mixing Wine Cupbearers Drinking The Proportions of Mixed Wine Drinking Wine Lacedæmonian Fashions Thirst Philip of Macedon Arcadion Dionysius Antiochus Epiphanes Demetrius Female Drinkers The Illyrians Evils of Drunkenness Forms of πίνω γρῖφοι Riddles γρῖφοι Euripides γρῖφοι Enig- matical Sayings Capping Verses γρῖφοι But a wise poet should behaveLike one who gives a splendid feast;And so if he is wise should heSeek the spectators to delight,So that each one, when he departs,May think that he has drunk and eatenExactly what he'd most have wish'd;Not that there should have been but oneDish for all sorts of appetites,Or but one kind of writing for all tastes. These, my good friend Timocrates, are the words of Astydamas the tragedian, in his satyric drama of Hercules. Come, let us now proceed to mention what is consistent with what we have said before, to show how great an eater Hercules was. And this is a point in his character mentioned by nearly all poets and historians. Epicharmus, in his Busiris, says—For if you were to see him eat, you wouldBe frighten'd e'en to death; his jaws do creak,His throat with long deep-sounding thunder rolls,His large teeth rattle, and his dog-teeth crash,His nostrils hiss, his ears with hunger tremble.And Ion, in his Omphale, having mentioned his voracity, adds—And then, excited by th' applause, he roseAnd swallow'd all the logs and burning coals.But Ion borrowed all this from Pindar, who said— * * * * * And they say that he was a man of such excessive voracity, that they gave him the cormorant, amongst birds which should be sacred to him, which is called the ox-eater, on account of its voracity.
αλλ’ ὠσπερ δείπνου γλαφυροὺ ποικίλην εὐωχίαν τὸν ποιητὴν δεῖ παρεχειν τοῖς θεαταῖς ταν σοφόν, ἵν’ ἀπίῃ τις τοῦτο λαβὼν καὶ φαγὼν, καὶ προσπιὼν ᾧ χαίρει, καὶ σκευασία μὴ μί’ ᾖ τῆς μουσικῆς, Ἀστυδάμας ὁ τραγικὸς ἐν Ἡρακλεῖ σατυρικῷ, ἑταῖρε, φησί, Τιμόκρατες. φέρε εἴπωμεν ἐνταῦθα τοῖς προειρημένοις τὰ ἀκόλουθα ὅτι ἦν καὶ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς ἀδηφάγος, ἀποφαίνονται δὲ τοῦτο σχεδὸν πάντες ποιηταὶ καὶ συγγραφεῖς. Ἐπίχαρμος μὲν ἐν Βουσίριδι λέγων πρῶτον· μὲν αἴ κ’ ἔσθοντ’ ἴδοις νιν ἀποθάνοις. βρέμει μὲν ὁ φάρυγξ ἔνδοθ᾽, ἀραβεῖ δ’ ἁ γνάθος, ψοφεῖ δ᾽· ὁ γομφίος, τέτριγε δ’ ὁ κυνόδων, σίζει δὲ ταῖς ῥίνεσσι, κινεῖ δ’ οὔατα. Ἴων δ’ ἐν Ὀμφάλῃ ἐμφανίσας αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀδηφαγίαν ἐπιφέρει· ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς βουλιμίας κατέπινε καὶ τὰ κᾶλα καὶ τοὺς ἄνθρακας. παρὰ Πινδάρου δὲ τοῦτ’ εἴληφεν εἰπόντος· … δοιὰ βοῶν θερμὰ πρὸς ἀνθρακιὰν στέψεν, πυρὶ δ’ ἐκκαπύοντα σώματα· καὶ τότ’ ἐγὼ σαρκῶν τ’ ἐνοπὰν ἴδον ἠδ’ ὀστέων στεναγμὸν βαρὺν ἦν διακρῖναι ἰδόντα παῦρος ἐν καιρῷ χρόνος. τοιοῦτον οὖν αὐτὸν ὑποστησάμενοι ταῖς ἀδηφαγίαις καὶ τῶν ὀρνέων ἀποδεδώκασιν αὐτῷ τὸν λάρον τὸν προσαγορευόμενον βουφάγον.
And Hercules is represented as having entered into a contest with Lepreus in respect of their mutual powers of eating, Lepreus having been the challenger: however, Hercules gained the victory. But Zenodotus, in the second book of his Epitomes, says that Lepreus was the son of Caucon, who was the son of Neptune and Astydamia; and that he ordered Hercules to be thrown into prison, when he demanded of Augeas the reward which was due to him for his labours. But Hercules, when he had completed his labours, came to the house of Caucon, and at the entreaty of Astydamia, he became reconciled to Lepreus. And after this Lepreus contended with Hercules in throwing the quoit, and in drawing water, and also as to which would eat a bull with the greatest rapidity; and in all these things he was defeated. And after that he armed himself, and challenged Hercules to single combat, and was slain in the battle. But Matris, in his panegyric on Hercules, says, that Hercules was also challenged by Lepreus to a contest as to who could drink most, and that Lepreus was again defeated. And the Chian orator, Caucalus, the brother of Theopompus the historian, relates the same story in his panegyric on Hercules.
εἰσάγεται δὲ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς καὶ Λεπρεῖ περὶ πολυφαγίας ἐρίζων ἐκείνου προκαλεσαμένου, καὶ νενίκηκεν. Ζηνόδοτος δ’ ἐν δευτέρῳ Ἐπιτομῶν Καύκωνός φησι τοῦ Ποσειδῶνος καὶ Ἀστυδαμείας τῆς Φόρβαντος γενέσθαι τὸν Λεπρέα, ὃν τὸν Ἡρακλέα κελεῦσαι δεθῆναι ὅτε Αὐγέαν τὸν μισθὸν ἀπῄτει. Ἡρακλῆς δ’ ἐκτελέσας τοὺς ἄθλους ἔρχεται ἐπὶ Καύκωνας καὶ δεηθείσης Ἀστυδαμείας διαλύεται πρὸς τὸν Λεπρέα. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ὁ Λεπρεὺς Ἡρακλεῖ ἐρίζει δίσκῳ καὶ ὕδατος ἀντλήσει καὶ ὅστις ἀναλώσει θᾶττον ταῦρον, καὶ λείπεται πάντα. εἶτα θωρηχθεὶς προκαλεῖται Ἡρακλέα καὶ θνῄσκει ἐν τῇ μάχῃ. Μᾶτρις δ’ ἐν τῷ τοῦ ʽ Ἡρακλέους ἐγκωμίῳ καὶ εἰς πολυποσίαν φησὶ τὸν Ἡρακλέα προκληθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ Λεπρέως, καὶ πάλιν νικηθῆναι. τὰ αὐτὰ ἱστορεῖ καὶ ὁ Χῖος ῥήτωρ Καύκαλος, ὁ Θεοπόμπου τοῦ ἱστοριογράφου ἀδελφός, ἐν τῷ τοῦ ʽ Ἡρακλέους ἐγκωμίῳ.
Homer, too, represents Ulysses as a great eater, and a very voracious man, when he says—What histories of toil I could declare,But still long-wearied nature wants repair.Spent with fatigue and shrunk with pining fast,My craving bowels still require repast;Howe'er the noble suffering mind may grieveIts load of anguish, and disdain to live,Necessity demands our daily bread;Hunger is insolent and will be fed.For in these lines his gluttony appears prodigious, when it induces him on so unseasonable an occasion to utter apophthegms about his stomach. For he ought, if he had been ever so hungry, to have endured it, or at all events to have been moderate in his food. But this last passage shows the extreme voracity and gluttony of the man—For all my mind is overwhelm'd with care,But hunger is the worst of griefs to bear;Still does my stomach bid me eat and drink,Lest on my sorrows I too deeply think.Food makes me all my sufferings forget,And fear not those which may surround me yet.For even the notorious Sardanapalus would hardly have ventured to give utterance to such sentiments as those. Moreover, when Ulysses was an old man—Voraciously he endless dishes ate,And quaff'd unceasing cups of wine...
καὶ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα δὲ Ὅμηρος πολυφάγον καὶ λαίμαργον παραδίδωσιν ὅταν λέγῃ· ἀλλ’ ἐμὲ μὲν δορπῆσαι ἐάσατε κηδόμενὸν περ· οὐ γάρ τι στυγερῇ ἐπὶ γαστέρι κύντερον ἄλλο ἔπλετο, ἣ τ’ ἐκέλευσεν ἕο μνήσασθαι ἀνάγκῃ καὶ μάλα τειρόμενον καὶ ἐνιπλησθῆναι ἀνώγει. ὑπερβάλλουσα γὰρ ἐν τούτοις φαίνεται αὐτοῦ λαιμαργία μετὰ τοῦ μηδὲ ἐν δέοντι τὰ περὶ τῆς γαστρὸς γνωμολογεῖν. ἐχρῆν γάρ εἰ καὶ ἐλίμωττεν, διακαρτερεῖν ἢ μετριάζειν τὰ περὶ τὴν τροφήν. τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον καὶ τὴν τελειοτάτην αὐτοῦ παρίστησι λαιμαργίαν καὶ γαστριμαργίαν ὡς καὶ ἐγὼ πένθος μὲν ἔχω φρεσίν· ἡ δὲ μάλ’ αἰεὶ ἐσθέμεναι κέλεται καὶ πινέμεν, ἐκ δέ με πάντων ληθάνει ὅσσ’ ἔπαθον, καὶ ἐνιπλησθῆναι ἀνώγει. ταῦτα γάρ οὐδ’ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ὁ Σαρδανάπαλλος εἰπεῖν ποτε ἂν ἐτόλμησεν, γέρων τε ὢν ἤσθιεν ἁρπαλέως κρέα τ’ ἄσπετα καὶ μέθυ ἡδύ.
But Theagenes of Thasos, the athlete, ate a bull single-handed, as Posidippus tells us in his Epigrams.And as I'd undertaken, I did eatA Thracian bull. My own poor native landOf Thasos could not have purvey'd a mealSufficient for the hunger of Theagenes.I ate all I could get, then ask'd for more.And, therefore, here you see, I stand in brass,Holding my right hand forth; put something in it.And Milo of Crotona, as Theodorus of Hierapolis tells us in his book upon Games, ate twenty minæ weight of meat, and an equal quantity of bread, and drank three choes of wine. And once at Olympia he took a four year old bull on his shoulders, and carried it all round the course, and after that he killed it and cut it up, and ate it all up by himself in one day. And Titormus the Aetolian had a contest with him as to which could eat an ox with the greatest speed, as Alexander the Aetolian relates. But Phylarchus, in the third book of his Histories, says that Milo, while lying down before the altar of Jupiter, ate a bull, on which account Dorieus the poet made the following epigram on him:—Milo could lift enormous weights from earth,A heifer four years old, at Jove's high feast,And on his shoulders the huge beast he bore,As it had been a young and little lamb,All round the wondering crowd of standers by.But he did still a greater feat than this,Before the altar of Olympian Jove;For there he bore aloft an untamed bullIn the procession, then he cut it up,And by himself ate every bit of it.But Astydamas the Milesian, having gained the victory at Olympia three times in the pancratium, being once invited to supper by Ariobarzanes the Persian, when he had come, offered to eat everything that had been prepared for the whole party, and did eat it. And when, Theodorus relates, the Persian entreated him to do something suitable to his enormous strength, he broke off a large brazen ornament in the shape of a lentil from the couch and crushed it in his hand. And when he died, and when his body was burnt, one urn would not contain his bones, and scarcely two could do so. And they say that the dinner which he ate by himself at Ariobarzanes's table had been prepared for nine persons.
Θεαγένης δ’ ὁ Θάσιος ἀθλητὴς ταῦρον μόνος κατέφαγεν, ὡς Ποσείδιππός φησιν ἐν ἐπιγράμμασι καὶ περὶ συνθεσίης ἔφαγόν ποτε Μῃόνιον βοῦν πάτρη γὰρ βρώμην οὐκ ἂν ἐπέσχε Θάσος Θευγένει· ἅσσα φαγὼν· ἔτ’ ἐπῄτεον. εἵνεκα τούτου, χάλκεος ἑστήκω χεῖρα προισχόμενος. Μίλων δ’ ὁ Κροτωνιάτης, ὥς φησιν ὁ Ἱεραπολίτης Θεόδωρος ἐν τοῖς περὶ ἀγώνων, ἤσθιε μνᾶς κρεῶν εἴκοσι καὶ τοσαύτας ἄρτων οἴνου τε τρεῖς χοᾶς ἔπινεν. ἐν δὲ Ὀλυμπίᾳ ταῦρον ἀναθέμενος τοῖς ὤμοις τετραέτη καὶ τοῦτον περιενέγκας τὸ στάδιον μετὰ ταῦτα δαιτρεύσας μόνος αὐτὸν κατέφαγεν ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ. Τίτορμός τε ὁ Αἰτωλὸς διηριστήσατο αὐτῷ βοῦν, ὡς ἱστορεῖ ὁ Αἰτωλὸς Ἀλέξανδρος. Φύλαρχος δέ φησιν ἐν τῇ γ’ τῶν ἱστοριῶν τὸν Μίλωνα ταῦρον καταφαγεῖν κατακλιθέντα πρὸ τοῦ βωμοῦ τοῦ Διός· διὸ καὶ ποιῆσαι εἰς αὐτὸν Δωριέα τὸν ποιητὴν τάδε· τοῖος ἔην Μίλων, ὅτ’ ἀπὸ χθονὸς ἤρατο βρῖθος, τετραέτη δαμάλην ἐν Διὸς εἰλαπίναις, ὤμοις δὲ κτῆνος τὸ πελώριον ὡς νέον ἄρνα ἤνεγκεν δι’ ὅλης κοῦφα πανηγύρεως. καὶ θάμβος μέν, ἀτὰρ τοῦδε πλέον ἤνυσε θαῦμα πρόσθεν Πισαίου, ξεῖνε, θυηπολίου· ὃν γὰρ ἐπόμπευσεν βοῦν ἄζυγον, εἰς κρέα τόνδε κόψας πάντα κατ’ οὖν μοῦνος ἐδαίσατό νιν. Ἀστυάναξ δ’ ὁ Μιλήσιος τρὶς Ὀλύμπια νικήσας κατὰ τὸ ἑξῆς παγκράτιον κληθείς ποτε ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ὑπὸ Ἀριοβαρζάνου τοῦ Πέρσου καὶ ἀφικόμενος ὑπέσχετο φαγεῖν πάντα τὰ πᾶσι παρασκευασθέντα καὶ κατέφαγε. τοῦ Πέρσου δ’ αὐτὸν ἀξιώσαντος, ὡς ὁ Θεόδωρος ἱστορεῖ, ἄξιόν τι ποιῆσαι τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν φακὸν τῆς κλίνης περίχαλκον ὄντα κλάσας ἐξέτεινε μαλάξας. τελευτήσαντος δ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ κατακαυθέντος οὐκ ἐχώρησε μία ὑδρία τὰ ὀστέα, μόλις δὲ δύο. καὶ τὰ τοῖς ἐννέα ἀνδράσι παρεσκευασμένα παρὰ τῷ Ἀριοβαρζάνῃ εἰς τὸ δεῖπνον μόνον καταφαγεῖν.
And there is nothing unnatural in such men as those being very voracious; for all the men who practise athletic exercises, learn with these gymnastic exercises also to eat a great deal. On which account Euripides says, in the first edition of his Autolycus—For when there are ten thousand ills in Greece,There's none that's worse than the whole race of athletes.For, first of all, they learn not to live well,Nor could they do so; for could any manBeing a slave to his own jaws and appetiteAcquire wealth beyond his father's richesHow could a man like that increase his substance?Nor yet can they put up with poverty,Or e'er accommodate themselves to fortune;And so being unaccustom'd to good habits,They quickly fall into severe distress.—In youth they walk about in fine attire,And think themselves a credit to the city;But when old age in all its bitternessO'ertakes their steps, they roam about the streets,Like ragged cloaks whose nap is all worn off.And much I blame the present fashions, too,Which now in Greece prevail; where many a feastIs made to pay great honour to such men,And to show false respect to vain amusements.For though a man may wrestle well, or run,Or throw a quoit, or strike a heavy blow,Still where's the good his country can expectFrom all his victories and crowns and prizes?Will they fight with their country's enemiesWith quoit in hand? Or will their speed assistTo make the hostile bands retreat before them?When men stand face to face with th' hostile swordThey think no more of all these fooleries.'Twere better to adorn good men and wiseWith these victorious wreaths; they are the dueOf those who govern states with wisdom sound,And practise justice, faith, and temperance;Who by their prudent language ward off evils,Banishing wars and factions. These are the men,Who're not alone a grace and ornamentTo their own land, but to the whole of Greece.
καὶ οὐδὲν παράδοξον τούτους τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀδηφάγους γενέσθαι· πάντες γὰρ οἱ ἀθλοῦντες μετὰ τῶν γυμνασμάτων καὶ ἐσθίειν πολλὰ διδάσκονται, διὸ καὶ Εὐριπίδης ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ Αὐτολύκῳ λέγει· κακῶν γὰρ ὄντων μυρίων καθ’ Ἑλλάδα οὐδὲν κάκιόν ἐστιν ἀθλητῶν γένους· οἳ πρῶτα μὲν ζῆν οὔτε μανθάνουσιν εὖ οὔτ’ ἂν δύναιντο· πῶς γὰρ ὅστις ἔστ’ ἀνὴρ γνάθου τε δοῦλος νηδύος θ’ ἡσσημένος, κτήσαιτ’ ἂν ὄλβον εἰς ὑπερβολὴν πατρός; οὐδ’ αὖ πένεσθαι κἀξυπηρετεῖν τύχαις οἷοὶ τ’· ἔθη γὰρ οὐκ ἐθισθέντες καλὰ. σκληρῶς διαλλάσσουσιν εἰς τἀμήχανα. λαμπροὶ δ’ ἐν ἥβῃ καὶ πόλεως ἀγάλματα φοιτῶσ’ ὅταν δὲ προσπέσῃ γῆρας πικρόν, τρίβωνες ἐκβαλόντες οἴχονται κρόκας. ἐμεμψάμην δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἑλλήνων νόμον, οἳ τῶνδ’ ἕκατι σύλλογον ποιούμενοι τιμῶσ’ ἀχρείους ἡδονὰς δαιτὸς χάριν. τί γὰρ παλαίσας εὖ, τί δὲ ὠκύπους ἀνήρ ἢ δίσκον ἄρας ἢ γνάθον παίσας καλῶς πόλει ι πατρῴᾳ στέφανον ἤρκεσεν λαβών; πότερα μαχοῦνται πολεμίοισιν ἐν χεροῖν δίσκους ἔχοντες ἢ δι’ ἀσπίδων χερὶ θείνοντες ἐκβαλοῦσι πολεμίους πάτρας; οὐδεὶς σιδήρου ταῦτα μωραίνει πέλας στάς. ἄνδρας οἶμαι χρὴ σοφούς τε κἀγαθοὺς φύλλοις στέφεσθαι χὤστις ἡγεῖται πόλει κάλλιστα σώφρων καὶ δίκαιος ὢν ἀνήρ, ὅστις τε μύθοις ἔργ’ ἀπαλλάσσει κακὰ μάχας τ’ ἀφαιρῶν καὶ στάσεις, τοιαῦτα γὰρ πόλει τε πάσῃ πᾶσί θ’ Ἕλλησιν καλά.
Now Euripides took all this from the Elegies of Xenophanes the Colophonian, who has spoken in this way—But if a man, in speed of foot victorious,Or in the contests of the pentathlum,Where is the sacred grove of Jupiter,Near to the sacred streamlets of Olympia;Or as a wrestler, or exchanging blowsAnd painful struggles as a hardy boxer,Or in the terrible pancratium,He surely is a noble citizen,And well he does deserve the honours dueOf a front seat at games and festivals,And at the public cost to be maintain'd;And to receive a public gift of honour,Which shall become an heirloom to his children.And such shall be his honours, even ifHe wins by horses, not by his own strength.And still I think he does not equal me;For wisdom far exceeds in real valueThe bodily strength of man, or horses' speed;But the mob judges of such things at random;Though 'tis not right to prefer strength to sense:For though a man may a good boxer be,Or pentathlete, or never-conquer'd wrestler,Or if he vanquish all in speed of foot—Which is the most important of all contests—Still for all this his city will enjoyNo better laws through his great strength or speed;And 'tis small cause for any lasting joy,That one of all her citizens should gainA prize on Pisa's banks: for such achievementsFill not the country's granaries with corn. And Xenophanes contends at great length, and with great earnestness and variety of argument, in favour of the superior advantage of his own wisdom, running down athletic exercises as useless and unprofitable. And Achæus the Eretrian, speaking of the good constitution of the athletes, says—For naked they did wave their glistening arms,And move along exulting in their youth,Their valiant shoulders swelling in their primeOf health and strength; while they anoint with oilTheir chests and feet and limbs abundantly,As being used to luxury at home.
ταῦτ’ εἴληφεν ὁ Εὐριπίδης ἐκ τῶν τοῦ Κολοφωνίου ἐλεγείων Ξενοφάνους οὕτως εἰρηκότος ἀλλ’ εἰ μὲν ταχυτῆτι ποδῶν νίκην τις ἄροιτο ἢ πενταθλεύων, ἔνθα Διὸς τέμενος πὰρ Πίσαο ῥοῇσ’ ἐν Ὀλυμπίῃ, εἴτε παλαίων ἢ καὶ πυκτοσύνην ἀλγινόεσσαν ἔχων, εἴτε τὸ· δεινὸν ἄεθλον ὃ παγκράτιον καλέουσιν, ἀστοῖσὶν κ’ εἴη κυδρότερος προσορᾶν καί κε προεδρίην φανερὴν ἐν ἀγῶσιν ἄροιτο καί κεν σῖτ’ εἴη δημοσίων κτεάνων ἐκ πόλιος καὶ δῶρον ὅ οἱ κειμήλιον εἴη· εἴτε καὶ ἵπποισιν, ταῦτά κε πάντα λάχοι, οὐκ ἐὼν ἄξιος ὥσπερ ἐγώ. ῥώμης γὰρ ἀμείνων ἀνδρῶν ἠδ’ ἵππων ἡμετέρη σοφίη. ἀλλ’ εἰκῇ μάλα τοῦτο νομίζεται, οὐδὲ δίκαιον προκρίνειν ῥώμην τῆς ἀγαθῆς σοφίης. οὔτε γὰρ εἰ πύκτης ἀγαθῆς λαοῖσι μετείη οὔτ’ εἰ πενταθλεῖν οὔτε παλαισμοσύνην, οὐδὲ μὲν εἰ ταχυτῆτι ποδῶν, τόπερ ἐστὶ πρότιμον ῥώμης ὅσσ’ ἀνδρῶν ἔργ’ ἐν ἀγῶνι πέλει, τοὔνεκεν ἂν δὴ μᾶλλον ἐν εὐνομίῃ πόλις εἴη. σμικρὸν δ’ ἄν τι πόλει χάρμα γένοιτ’ ἐπὶ τῷ, εἴ τις ἀεθλεύων νικῷ Πίσαο παρ’ ὄχθας· οὐ γὰρ πιαίνει ταῦτα μυχοὺς πόλεως. πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα ὁ Ξενοφάνης κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σοφίαν ἐπαγωνίζεται, διαβάλλων ὡς ἄχρηστον καὶ ἀλυσιτελὲς τὸ τῆς ἀθλήσεως εἶδος. καὶ ὁ Ἀχαιὸς δὲ ὁ Ἐρετριεὺς περὶ τῆς εὐεξίας τῶν ἀθλητῶν διηγούμενός φησι γυμνοὶ γὰρ ὀσφύν, φαιδίμους βραχίονας ἥβῃ σφριγῶντες ἐμπορεύονται, νέῳ στίλβοντες ἄνθει καρτερὰς ἐπωμίδας· ἄδην δ’ ἐλαίου στέρνα κἀσπίδων κύτος χρίουσιν ὡς ἔχοντες οἴκοθεν τρυφήν.
But Heraclitus, in his Entertainer of Stangers, says that there was a woman named Helena, who ate more than any other woman ever did. And Posidippus, in his Epigrams, says that Phuromachus was a great eater, on whom he wrote this epigram:—This lowly ditch now holds Phuromachus,Who used to swallow everything he saw,Like a fierce carrion crow who roams all night.Now here he lies wrapp'd in a ragged cloak.But, O Athenian, whoe'er you are,Anoint this tomb and crown it with a wreath,If ever in old times he feasted with you.At last he came sans teeth, with eyes worn out,And livid swollen eyelids; clothed in skins,With but one single cruse, and that scarce full;For from the gay Lenæan games he came,Descending humbly to Calliope.But Amarantus of Alexandria, in his treatise on the Stage, says that Herodorus, the Megarian trumpeter, was a man three cubits and a half in height; and that he had great strength in his chest, and that he could eat six choenixes of bread, and twenty litræ of meat, of whatever sort was pro- vided for him, and that he could drink two choes of wine; and that he could play on two trumpets at once; and that it was his habit to sleep on only a lion's skin, and when playing on the trumpet he made a vast noise. Accordingly, when Demetrius, the son of Antigonus, was besieging Argos, and when his troops could not bring the helepolis against the walls on account of its weight, he, giving the signal with his two trumpets at once, by the great volume of so and which he poured forth, instigated the soldiers to move forward the engine with great zeal and earnestness; and he gained the prize in all the games ten times; and he used to eat sitting down, as Nestor tells us in his Theatrical Reminisce aces. And there was a woman, too, who played on the trumpet, whose name was Aglais, the daughter of Megacles, who, in the first great procession which took place in Alexandria, played a processional piece of music; having a head-dress of false hair on, and a crest upon her head, as Posidippus proves by his epigrams on her. And she, too, could eat twelve litræ of meat and four chœnixes of bread, and drink a choeus of wine, at one sitting.
Ἡράκλειτος δ’ ἐν τῷ Ξενίζοντι Ἑλένην φησί τινα γυναῖκα πλεῖστα βεβρωκέναι. Ποσείδιππος δ’ ἐν ἐπιγράμμασι Φυρόμαχον, εἰς ὃν καὶ τόδ’ ἐπέγραψε· Φυρόμαχον τὸν πάντα φαγεῖν βορόν, οἷα κορώνην παννυχικήν, αὕτη ῥωγὰς ἔχει κάπετος χλαίνης ἐν τρύχει Πελληνίδος. ἀλλὰ σὺ τούτου καὶ χρῖε στήλην, Ἀττικέ, καὶ στεφάνου, εἴ ποτέ σοι προκύων συνεκώμασεν. ἦλθε δ’ ὁ μαυρὰ βλέψας ἐκ πελίων νωδὸς ἐπισκυνίων, ὁ τριχιδιφθερίας, μονολήκυθος· ἐκ γὰρ ἀγώνων τῶν τότε ληναίην ἦλθ’ ὑπὸ Καλλιόπην. Ἀμάραντος δὲ ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεὺς ἐν τοῖς περὶ σκηνῆς Ἡρόδωρόν φησι τὸν Μεγαρέα σαλπιγκτὴν γενέσθαι τὸ μὲν μέγεθος πηχῶν τριῶν καὶ ἡμίσους, εἶναι δὲ καὶ τὰς πλευρὰς ἰσχυρόν ἐσθίειν δὲ ἄρτων μὲν χοίνικας ἕξ, κρεῶν δὲ λίτρας εἴκοσιν οἵων ἂν εὑρήκῃ· πίνειν δὲ χοᾶς δύο καὶ σαλπίζειν ἅμα σάλπιγξι δυσί. κοιμᾶσθαι δὲ ἔθος εἶχεν ἐπὶ λεοντῆς μόνης, ἐσήμαινε δὲ σαλπίζων μέγιστον. Ἄργος γοῦν πολιορκοῦντος Δημητρίου τοῦ Ἀντιγόνου καὶ οὐ δυναμένων τῶν στρατιωτῶν τὴν ἑλέπολιν προσαγαγεῖν τοῖς τείχεσι διὰ τὸ βάρος, ταῖς δύο σάλπιγξι σημαίνων ὑπὸ τῆς ἁδρότητος τοῦ ἤχου τοὺς στρατιώτας ἠνάγκασε προθυμηθέντας προσαγαγεῖν τὴν μηχανήν. ἐνίκησε δὲ τὴν περίοδον δεκάκις καὶ ἐδείπνει καθήμενος, ὡς ἱστορεῖ Νέστωρ ἐν τοῖς θεατρικοῖς ὑπομνήμασι. καὶ γυνὴ δὲ ἐσάλπισεν Ἀγλαΐς ἡ Μεγακλέους ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ἀχθείσῃ μεγάλῃ πομπῇ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ, τὸ πομπικόν, περιθέτην ἔχουσα καὶ λόφον ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς, ὡς δηλοῖ Ποσείδιππος ἐν ἐπιγράμμασιν. ἤσθιε δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ λίτρας μὲν κρεῶν δώδεκα, ἄρτων δὲ χοίνικας τέσσαρας καὶ ἔπινεν οἴνου χοᾶ.
There was, besides, a man of the name of Lityerses, a bastard son of Midas, the king of Celænæ in Phrygia, a man of a savage and fierce aspect, and an enormous glutton; and he is mentioned by Sositheus the tragic poet, in his play called Daphnis or Lityersa; where he says—He'll eat three asses' panniers, freight and all,Three times in one brief day; and what he callsA measure of wine is a ten-amphoræ cask;And this he drinks all at a single draught.And the man mentioned by Pherecrates, or Strattis, whichever was the author of the play called The Good Men, was much such another the author says—A. I scarcely in one day, unless I'm forced,Can eat two bushels and a half of food.B. A most unhappy man! how have you lostYour appetite, so as now to be contentWith the scant rations of one ship of war? And Xanthus, in his Account of Lydia, says that Cambles, who was the king of the Lydians, was a great eater and drinker, and also an exceeding epicure; and accordingly, that he one night cut up his own wife into joints and ate her; and then, in the morning, finding the hand of his wife still sticking in his mouth, he slew himself, as his act began to get notorious. And we have already mentioned Thys, the king of the Paphlagonians, saying that he too was a man of vast appetite, quoting Theopompus, who speaks of him in the thirty-fifth book of his History; and Archilochus, in his Te- trameters, has accused Charilas of the same fault, as the comic poets have attacked Cleonymus and Pisander. And Phœni- cides mentions Chærippus in his Phylarchus in the following terms—And next to them I place Chærippus third;He, as you know, will without ceasing eatAs long as any one will give him food,Or till he bursts,—such stowage vast has he,Like any house.
Λιτυέρσας δὲ ἦν μὲν υἱὸς Μίδου νόθος, Κελαινῶν δὲ τῶν ἐν Φρυγίᾳ βασιλεύς, ἄγριος ἰδέσθαι καὶ ἀνήμερος ἄνθρωπος, ἀδηφάγος δ’ ἰσχυρῶς, λέγει δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ Σωσίθεος ὁ τραγῳδιοποιὸς ἐν δράματι Δάφνιδι ἢ Λιτυέρσᾳ οὕτως ἔσθει μὲν ἄρτους τρεῖς, ὄνους, κανθηλίους τρεῖς τῆς βραχείας ἡμέρας πίνει δ᾽, ἕνα καλῶν μετρητήν, τὸν δεκάμφορον, πίθον. τοιοῦτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ παρὰ Φερεκράτει ἢ Στράττιδι ἐν Ἀγαθοῖς, περὶ οὗ φησιν ἐγὼ κατεσθίω μόλις τῆς ἡμέρας πένθ’ ἡμιμέδιμν᾽, ἐὰν βιάζωμαι. β. μόλις; ὡς ὀλιγόσιτος ἦσθ’ ἄρ᾽, ὃς κατεσθίεις τῆς ἡμέρας μικροῦ τριήρους σιτία. Ξάνθος δ’ ἐν τοῖς Λυδιακοῖς Κάμβλητά φησι τὸν βασιλεύσαντα Λυδῶν πολυφάγον γενέσθαι καὶ πολυπότην, ἔτι δὲ γαστρίμαργον. τοῦτον οὖν ποτε νυκτὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα κατακρεουργήσαντα καταφαγεῖν, ἔπειτα πρωὶ εὑρόντα τὴν χεῖρα τῆς γυναικὸς ἐνοῦσαν ἐν τῷ στόματι ἑαυτὸν ἀποσφάξαι, περιβοήτου τῆς πράξεως γενομένης, περὶ δὲ Θυὸς τοῦ Παφλαγόνων βασιλέως ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν πολυφάγος προειρήκαμεν, παραθέμενοι Θεόπομπον ἱστοροῦντα ἐν τῇ πέμπτῃ καὶ τριακοστῇ. Ἀρχίλοχος δ’ ἐν Τετραμέτροις Χαρίλαν εἰς τὰ ὅμοια διαβέβληκεν, ὡς οἱ κωμῳδιοποιοὶ Κλεώνυμον καὶ Πείσανδρον. περὶ δὲ Χαιρίππου φησὶ Φοινικίδης ἐν Φυλάρχῳ οὕτως· τρίτον δὲ πρὸς τούτοισι τὸν σοφώτατον Χαίριππον. οὗτος, ὥσπερ οἶδας, ἐσθίει μέχρι ἂν διδῷ τις ἢ λάθῃ διαρραγείς. τοιοῦτ’ ἔχει ταμιεῖον ὥσπερ οἰκίας.
And Nicolaus the Peripatetic, in the hundred and third book of his History, says that Mithridates, the king of Pontus, once proposed a contest in great eating and great drinking (and the prize was a talent of silver), and that he himself gained the victory in both; but he yielded the prize to the man who was judged to be second to him, namely, Calomodrys, the athlete of Cyzicus. And Timocreon te Rhodian a poet, and an athlete who had gained the vcitory in the pentathlum, ate and drank a great deal, as the epigram on his tomb shows—Much did I eat, much did I drink, and muchDid I abuse all men; now here I lie;—My name Timocreon, my country Rhodes.And Thrasymachus of Chalcedon, in one his Prefaces, says that Timocreon came to the great king of Persia, and being entertained by him, did eat an immense quantity of food; and when the king asked him, What he would do on the strength of it? he said that he would beat a great many Persians; and the next day, having vanquished a great many, one after another, taking them one by one, after this, he beat the air with his hands; and when they asked him what he wanted, he said that he had all those blows left in him if any one was inclined to come on. And Clearchus, in the fifth book of his Lives, says, that Cantibaris the Persian, whenever his jaws were weary with eating, had his slaves to pour food into his mouth, which he kept open as if they were pouring it into an empty vessel. But Hellanicus, in the first book of his Deucalionea, says that Erysichthon, the son of Myrmidon, being a man perfectly insatiable in respect of food, was called Aethon. And Polemo, in the first book of his Treatise addressed to Timæus, says that among the Sicilians there was a temple consecrated to gluttony, and an image of Ceres Sito; near which, also, there was a statue of Himalis, as there is at Delphi one of Hermuchus, and as at Scolum, in Bœotia, there a e statues of Megalartus and Megalomazus.
Νικόλαος δ’ ὁ περιπατητικὸς ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ πρὸς ταῖς ἑκατὸν τῶν ἱστοριῶν Μιθριδάτην φησὶ τὸν Ποντικὸν βασιλέα προθέντα ἀγῶνα πολυφαγίας καὶ πολυποσίας ἦν δὲ τὸ ἆθλον τάλαντον ἀργυρίου ἀμφότερα νικῆσαι. τοῦ μέντοι ἄθλου ἐκστῆναι τῷ μετ’ αὐτὸν κριθέντι Καλαμόδρυι τῷ Κυζικηνῷ ἀθλητῇ, καὶ Τιμοκρέων δ’ ὁ Ῥόδιος ποιητὴς καὶ ἀθλητὴς πένταθλος ἄδην ἔφαγε καὶ ἔπιεν, ὡς τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ τάφου αὐτοῦ ἐπίγραμμα δηλοῖ· πολλὰ πιὼν καὶ πολλὰ φαγὼν καὶ πολλὰ κάκ’ εἰπὼν ἀνθρώπους κεῖμαι Τιμοκρέων Ῥόδιος. Θρασύμαχος δ’ ὁ Χαλκηδόνιος ἔν τινι τῶν προοιμίων τὸν Τιμοκρέοντά φησιν ὡς μέγαν βασιλέα ἀφικόμενον καὶ ξενιζόμενον παρ’ αὐτῷ πολλὰ ἐμφορεῖσθαι. πυθομένου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ὅ τι ἀπὸ τούτων ἐργάζοιτο, εἶπε Περσῶν ἀναριθμήτους συγκόψειν. καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ πολλοὺς καθ’ ἕνα νικήσας μετὰ τοῦτο ἐχειρονόμησε. πυνθανομένου δὲ τὴν πρόφασιν ὑπολείπεσθαι· ἔφη τοσαύτας, εἰ προσίοι τις, πληγάς. Κλέαρχος δ’ ἐν πέμπτῳ βίων Καντιβάρι φησὶ τῷ Πέρσῃ, ὁπότε κοπιάσειε τὰς σιαγόνας ἐσθίων, κεχηνότι καθάπερ εἰς ἄψυχον ἀγγεῖον εἰσαντλεῖν τὴν τροφὴν τοὺς οἰκείους. Ἑλλάνικος δ’ ἐν αʹ Δευκαλιωνείας Ἐρυσίχθονά φησι τὸν Μυρμιδόνος, ὅτι ἦν ἄπληστος βορᾶς Αἴθωνα κληθῆναι. πολέμων δ’ ἐν αʹ τῶν πρὸς Τίμαιον παρὰ Σικελιώταις φησὶν Ἀδηφαγίας ἱερὸν εἶναι καὶ Σιτοῦς Δήμητρος ἄγαλμα, οὗ πλησίον ἱδρῦσθαι καὶ Ἱμαλίδος, καθάπερ ἐν Δελφοῖς Εὐνόστου, ἐν δὲ Σκώλῳ τῷ Βοιωτιακῷ Μεγαλάρτου καὶ Μεγαλομάζου.
And Alcman the poet records himself to have been a great eater, in his third book of Odes, when he says—And presently I will bestowOn you a large round dish well fill'd;And even now 'tis on the fire,Full of pulse-broth, which e'en the gluttonAlcman would like to feast on warm,After the wintry solstice sets in;For he for dainties does not care,But loves the common people's dishes,As long as they are full enough.And in his fifth book he also displays his love of eating, speaking thus—God has bestow'd on man three various seasons,The summer, and the winter, and the autumn;And a fourth too, the spring, when men can dance,But scarce are able to get much to eat. And Anaxilas the comic poet, speaking in his play called Chrysochous of a man named Ctesias, says—You now have nearly all things, save the artOf Ctesias himself; for wise men say,That he does recognise nought but the beginningOf a rich banquet, and denies the end.And in his Rich Men he says—A. Others may also burst when fed too wellNot Ctesias alone.-B. What should hinder it?A. For he, as wise men say, loves the beginningOf any feast, but ne'er can make an end of it.And in his play called The Graces he includes a man called Cranaus in his list of great eaters; saying—Men do not come and ask at random now,Does Cranaus eat less than Ctesias?Or do they both keep constantly devouring?And Philetærus, in his Atalante, says—If it were needful, I could run more stadiaThan e'er were run by Sotades; I surpassE'en Taureas himself in these my labours;And out-run Ctesias himself in eating.And Anaxippus, in his Thunderbolt, says—A. For now I see Damippus here approachingFrom the palaestra.B. What! that man of stone?Him whom your friends e'en now, from his great strength,Surname the Thunderbolt?A. Most probably;For I think he will overturn all tablesWhich he once strikes with his consuming jaw.And in these lines the comic poet shows that it was from this man that he had given his play the title of The Thunderbolt. And Theophilus, in his Epidaurus, says—There was a Mantinean centurion,Atrestides his name; who of all menThat ever lived could eat the greatest quantity.And, in his Pancratiast, he introduces the athlete as eating a great deal, where he says—A. Of boil'd meat about three mine weight.B. Now mention something else.A. A fine pig's face;A ham; four pettitoes;—B. Oh, Hercules!A. Three calves' feet, and one hen.B. Oh, Phœbus, oh!What else?A. Two minæ weight of figs: that's all.B. And how much did you drink?A. Twelve measures onlyOf unmix'd wine.B. Oh, Bacchus! oh, Sabazius!
καὶ Ἀλκμὰν δ’ ὁ ποιητὴς ἑαυτὸν ἀδηφάγον εἶναι παραδίδωσιν ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ διὰ τούτων καὶ ποκά τοι δώσω τρίποδος κύτος, ᾧ κ’ ἔνι σιτί’ ἀολλέ’ ἀγείρῃς. ἀλλ’ ἔτι νῦν γ’ ἄπυρος, τάχα δὲ πλέος ἔτνεος, οἷον ὁ παμφάγος Ἀλκμὰν ἠράσθη χλιαρὸν πεδὰ τὰς τροπάς. οὔ τι γὰρ ἠὺ τετυγμένον ἔσθει, ἀλλὰ τὰ κοινὰ γάρ, ὥσπερ ὁ δᾶμος, ζατεύει. κἀν τῷ εʹ δ’ ἐμφανίζει αὑτοῦ τὸ ἀδηφάγον λέγων οὕτως ὠρας δ’ ἔσηκε τρεῖς, θέρος καὶ χεῖμα κὠπώραν τρίταν καὶ τέτρατον τὸ ἦρ, ὅκα σάλλει μέν, ἐσθίεν δ’ ἄδαν οὐκ ἔστι. Ἀναξίλας δ’ ὁ κωμικὸς περὶ Κτησίου τινὸς διαλεγόμενος ἐν Χρυσοχόῳ δράματί φησιν ἤδη σχεδόν τι πάντα σοι πλὴν Κτησίου. δείπνου γὰρ οὗτος, ὡς λέγουσιν οἱ σοφοί, ἀρχήν, τελευτὴν δ’ οὐκ ἐπίσταται μόνος. κἀν Πλουσίοις· διαρραγήτω χἄτερος δειπνῶν τις εὖ, μὴ Κτησίας μόνος. β. τί γὰρ σὲ κωλύει; α. δείπνου γὰρ οὗτος, ὡς λέγουσιν οἱ σοφοί, ἀρχήν, τελευτὴν δ’ ἔμαθεν οὐδεπώποτε. κἀν Χάρισι δὲ Κραναόν τινα συγκαταλέγει οὕτως αὐτῷ· οὐκ ἐτὸς ἐρωτῶσίν με προσιόντες τινές· ὄντως Κραναὸς Κτησίου κατεσθίει ἔλαττον ἢ δειπνοῦσιν ἀμφότεροι συχνά; Φιλέταιρος δ’ ἐν Ἀταλάντῃ· δέῃ, τροχάζω στάδια πλείω Σωτάδου, τὸν Ταυρέαν δὲ τοῖς πόνοις ὑπερβαλῶ τὸν Κτησίαν τε τῷ φαγεῖν ὑπερδραμῶ. Ἀνάξιππος Κεραυνῷ· ὁρῶ γάρ ἐκ παλαίστρας τῶν φίλων προσιόντα μοι Δάμιππον. β. ἦ τοῦτον λέγεις τὸν Πτέρινον; α. αὐτόν τ’ ὃν καλοῦσιν οἱ φίλοι νυνὶ δι’ ἀνδρείαν Κεραυνόν. β εἰκότως· ἀβάτους ποιεῖν γὰρ τὰς τραπέζας οἴομαι αὐτὸν κατασκήπτοντ’ ἐπ’ αὐτὰς τῇ γνάθῳ. ἐν τούτοις ἐδήλωσεν ὁ κωμικὸς διότι καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα Κεραυνὸν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ ἐπιγέγραφε. Θεόφιλος δ’ ἐν Ἐπιδαύρῳ, Ἀτρεστίδας τις Μαντινεὺς λοχαγὸς ἦν, ἀνδρῶν ἁπάντων πλεῖστα δυνάμενος φαγεῖν. ἐν δὲ Παγκρατιαστῇ παραγαγὼν τὸν ἀθλητὴν ὡς πολλὰ ἐσθίοντά φησιν ἑφθῶν μὲν σχεδὸν τρεῖς μνᾶς. β. λέγ’ ἄλλο. α. ῥυγχίον, κωλῆν, πόδας τέτταρας ὑείους. β. Ἡράκλεις. α. βοὸς δὲ τρεῖς, ὄρνιθ᾽. β. Ἄπολλον. λέγ’ ἕτερον. α. σύκων δύο μνᾶς. β. ἐπέπιες δὲ πόσον; α. ἀκράτου δώδεκα κοτύλας. β. Ἄπολλον, λέγ’ καὶ Σαβάζιε.
And whole nations also have been ridiculed by the comic poets for their gluttony; as the Bœotians, for instance. Accordingly, Eubulus says, in his Antiopa—We are courageous men to toil and eat,And to endure sharp pain; the Attic raceIs quick and eloquent, and they eat little;But the Bœotians eat enormously.And in his Europa he says—Go now and build up the Bœotian city,'Where the men eat all day and never tire.And in his Ionian he says—He is so thorough a BœotianIn all his manners, that, like them, 'tis saidHe's never tired nor content with eating.And in his Cercopes he says—And after that I came to Thebes, where menSpend the whole night in feasts and revelry;And each man has a privy at his doors,Which is a great boon to an o'er-fed man;For men who have got a long way to go,And who eat much and bite their weary lips,Are some of the most ludicrous of sights.And in his Mysians he represents some one as making the following speech to Hercules—You leaving, as you say, the Theban plain,Where valiant men sit eating all the day,Being all throat, and close beside the privy.Diphilus in his Bœotian, says—That man can eat, beginning before dawn,Or come again and eat till the following day.Mnesimachus, in his Busiris, says—....... For I am a Bœotian,Who do not eat much else, except these things.Alexis, in his Trophonius, says—And now that you may not be found out thus,And spoken of as men of Bœotia,By those whose wont it is to run you down,As men unequali'd in creating noise,And knowing nothing else save how to eatAnd drink unceasingly the whole night long;Strip yourselves quick, and all prepare for action.And Achæus, in his Contests, says—A. Are you now speaking to the spectators here,Or to the body of competitors?B. To those who eat much, as men training do.A. Whence do the strangers come from?B. They're Bœotians. And very likely it is because of all this that Eratosthenes, in his Epistles, says, that Pempelus, when he was asked, “What sort of people the Bœotians appeared to him?” answered, “That they only spoke just as vessels might be expected to speak, if they had a voice, of how much each of them could hold.” And Polybius of Megalopolis, in the twentieth book of his Histories, says that the Bœotians, having gained great glory at the battle of Leuctra, after that relaxed their courage again, and turned to feasting and drunkenness, and to making parties for eating among friends; and many of them, even of those who had children, spent the greater part of their substance on their feasts so that there were a great number of Bœotians who had more invitations to supper than there were days in the month. On which account the Megarians, hating such a system as that, abandoned their alliance, and joined themselves to the Achæans.
καὶ ἔθνη δὲ ὅλα εἰς πολυφαγίαν ἐκωμῳδεῖτο, ὡς τὸ Βοιωτόν. Εὔβουλος γοῦν ἐν Ἀντιόπῃ φησί· πώνειν μὲν ἁμὲς καὶ φαγεῖν μάλ’ ἀνδρικοὶ καὶ καρτερεῖμεν, τοῖς δ’ Ἀθηναίοις λέγειν καὶ μικρὰ φαγέμεν, τοὶ δὲ Θηβαῖοι μέγα. καὶ ἐν Εὐρώπῃ· κτίζε Βοιωτῶν πόλιν, ἀνδρῶν ἀρίστων ἐσθίειν δι’ ἡμέρας. καὶ ἐν Ἴωνι· οὕτω σφόδρ’ ἐστὶ τοὺς τρόπους Βοιώτιος ὥστ’ οὐδὲ δειπνῶν, ὡς λέγουσ᾽, ἐμπίπλαται. ἐν δὲ Κέρκωψι· μετὰ ταῦτα Θήβας ἦλθον, οὗ τὴν νύχθ’ ὅλην τὴν θ’ ἡμέραν δειπνοῦσι καὶ κοπρῶν’ ἔχει ἐπὶ ταῖς θύραις ἕκαστος, οὗ πλήρει βροτῷ οὐκ ἔστι μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν ὡς χεζητιῶν μακρὰν βαδίζων, πολλὰ δ’ ἀσθμαίνων ἀνήρ, δάκνων τὰ χείλη παγγέλοιός ἐστ’ ἰδεῖν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς Μυσοῖς πρὸς τὸν Ἡρακλέα ποιεῖ τινα τάδε λέγοντα· σὺ μὲν τὸ Θήβης, ὡς λέγεις, πέδον λιπών, ἀνδρῶν ἀρίστων ἐσθίειν δι’ ἡμέρας ὅλης τραχήλους καὶ κοπρῶνας πλησίον … Δίφιλος δὲ ἐν Βοιωτίδι· οἷος ἐσθίειν πρὸ ἡμέρας ἀρξάμενος ἢ πάλιν πρὸς ἡμέραν. Μνησίμαχος Βουσίριδι εἰμὶ γὰρ Βοιώτιος ὀλίγα μὲν λαλῶν, β. δίκαια ταῦτα. α. πολλὰ δ᾽· ἐσθίων. Ἄλεξις Τροφωνίῳ· νῦν δ’ ἵνα μὴ παντελῶς Βοιώτιοι φαίνησθ’ εἶναι τοῖς διασύρειν ὑμᾶς εἰθισμένοις ὡς ἀκίνητοι ξυνέσει, ὁ βοᾶν καὶ πίνειν μόνον καὶ δειπνεῖν ἐπιστάμενοι διὰ τέλους τὴν νύχθ’ ὅλην, γυμνοῦθ’ αὑτοὺς θᾶττον ἅπαντες. Ἀχαιὸς δ’ ἐν Ἄθλοις· πότερα θεωροῖς εἴτ’ ἀγωνισταῖς λέγεις; β, πόλλ’ ἐσθίουσιν, ὡς ἐπασκούντων τρόπος. α. ποδαποὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ξένοι; β. Βοιώτιοι. ι ἐκ τούτων εἰκός ἐστι καὶ Ἐρατοσθένη ἐν ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς Πρεπέλαον φῆσαι ἐρωτηθέντα τί αὐτῷ δοκοῦσιν εἶναι Βοιωτοὶ εἰπεῖν τί γὰρ ἄλλο ἢ τοιαῦτα ἐλάλουν, οἷα ἂν καὶ τὰ ἀγγεῖα φωνὴν λαβόντα, ὁπόσον ἕκαστος χωρεῖ; Πολύβιος δ’ ὁ Μεγαλοπολίτης ἐν τῇ εἰκοστῇ τῶν ἱστοριῶν φησιν ὡς Βοιωτοὶ μεγίστην δόξαν λαβόντες κατὰ τὰ Λευκτρικὰ κατὰ μικρὸν ἀνέπεσον ταῖς ψυχαῖς καὶ ὁρμήσαντες ἐπ’ εὐωχίας καὶ μέθας διέθεντο καὶ κοινωνεῖα τοῖς φίλοις. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐχόντων γενεὰς ἀπεμέριζον τοῖς συσσιτίοις τὸ πλέον μέρος τῆς οὐσίας, ὥστε πολλοὺς εἶναι Βοιωτῶν οἷς ὑπῆρχε δεῖπνα τοῦ μηνὸς πλείω τῶν εἰς τὸν μῆνα διατεταγμένων ἡμερῶν. διόπερ Μεγαρεῖς μισήσαντες αὐτῶν τὴν τοιαύτην κατάστασιν ἀπένευσαν εἰς τοὺς Ἀχαιούς.
The people of Pharsalus also are ridiculed by the comic poets as being enormous eaters; accordingly Mnesimachus, in his Philip, says—A. Has any man of the Pharsalians come,That he may eat up e'en our very tables?B. There's no one come at all.A. So much the better;Perhaps they have all gone somewhere else to eatSome city of Achaīa ready roasted.And that it was a general imputation on all the Thessalians, that they were great eaters, Crates tells us in his Lamia, saying—Great words three cubits long,Cut into huge Thessalian slices thus:—and he by this alludes to the Thessalians as cutting their meat into overgrown pieces. And Philetærus, in his Lampbearers, says also—And a huge piece of pork, enough to breakOne's arm, cut in the coarse Thessalian fashion.They used to speak also of a Thessalian mouthful, as something enormous. Hermippus says in his Fates—But Jupiter, considering nought of this,Wink'd, and made up a huge Thessalian mouthful.And such great bits of meat Aristophanes, in his Men Frying, calls Capanic, saying—What is all thisTo the great Lydian and Thessalian banquets?And presently he says—More splendid (καπανικώτερα) far than the Thessalian;meaning big enough to load a wagon. For the Thessalians use the word καπάνη as equivalent to ἀπήνη. Xenarchus, in his Scythians, says—A. They kept to seven Capanæ for the gamesAt Pisa.B. What do you mean?A. In ThessalyThey call their carts Capanæ.B. I understand.
καὶ Φαρσάλιοι δὲ κωμῳδοῦνται ὡς πολυφάγοι. Μνησίμαχος γοῦν ἐν Φιλίππῳ φησί· τῶν Φαρσαλίων ἥκει τις ἵνα καὶ τὰς τραπέζας καταφάγῃ; β. οὐδεὶς πάρεστιν. α. εὖ γε δρῶντες. ἆρά που ὀπτὴν κατεσθίουσι πόλιν Ἀχαικήν; ὅτι δὲ καὶ πάντες Θετταλοὶ ὡς πολυφάγοι διεβάλλοντο Κράτης φησὶν ἐν Λαμίᾳ· ἔπη τριπήχη Θετταλικῶς τετμημένα. τοῦτο δ’ εἶπεν ὡς τῶν Θετταλῶν μεγάλα κρέα τεμνόντων. φιλέταιρος δ’ ἐν Λαμπαδηφόροις· καὶ χειροβαρὲς σαρκὸς ὑείας Θετταλότμητον κρέας. ἔλεγον δὲ καὶ Θετταλικὴν ἔνθεσιν τὴν μεγάλην. Ἕρμιππος Μοίραις· ὁ Ζεὺς δὲ τούτων οὐδὲν ἐνθυμούμενος μύων ξυνέπλαττε Θετταλικὴν τιν’ ἔνθεσιν. ταῦτα δὲ καπανικὰ εἴρηκεν Ἀριστοφάνης ἐν Ταγηνισταῖς· τί πρὸς τὰ Λυδῶν δεῖπνα καὶ τὰ Θετταλῶν; β. τὰ Θετταλικὰ μὲν πολὺ καπανικώτερα; οἷον τὰ ἁμαξιαῖα· Θετταλοὶ γὰρ τὰς ἀπήνας καπάνας ἔλεγον. Ξέναρχος Σκύθαις· ἑπτὰ δὲ καπάνας ἔτρεφον εἰς Ὀλύμπια. β. τί λέγεις; καπάνας; πῶς; α. καπάνας Θετταλοὶ πάντες καλοῦσι τὰς ἀπήνας. β. μανθάνω.
And Hecatæus says that the Egyptians were great bread-eaters, eating loaves of rye, called κυλλήστιες, and bruising barley to extract a drink from it; and on this account Alexis, in his treatise on Contentment, says that Bocchoris and his father Neochabis were contented with a moderate quantity of food; as Lycon of Iasus relates in his treatise on Pythagoras. But he did not abstain from animal food, as Aristoxenus tells us; and Apollodorus the Arithmetician says, that he even sacrificed a hecatomb when he found out that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the side subtending the right angle is equal to the squares of the two sides containing it—When the illustrious PythagorasDiscover'd that renowned problem whichHe celebrated with a hecatomb.But Pythagoras was a very sparing drinker, and lived in a most frugal manner, so that he often contented himself with honey by itself. And nearly the same thing is told us of Aristides, and of Epaminondas, and of Phocion, and of Phormio, the generals. But Manius Curius, the Roman general, lived on turnips all his life; and once, when the Sabines sent him a large sum of gold, he said he had no need of gold while he ate such food as that. And this story is recorded by Megacles in his treatise on Illustrious Men.
Αἰγυπτίους δὲ Ἑκαταῖος ἀρτοφάγους φησὶν εἶναι κυλλήστιας ἐσθίοντας, τὰς δὲ κριθὰς εἰς ποτὸν καταλέοντας. διὰ ταῦτα καὶ Ἄλεξῖνος ἐν τῷ περὶ αὐταρκείας ἔφη μετρίᾳ τροφῇ κεχρῆσθαι τὸν Βόκχοριν καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ Νεόχαβιν. καὶ Πυθαγόρας δ’ ὁ Σάμιος μετρίᾳ τροφῇ ἐχρῆτο, ὡς ἱστορεῖ Λύκων ὁ Ἰασεὺς ἐν τῷ περὶ Πυθαγορείου βίου. οὐκ ἀπείχετο δὲ ἐμψύχων, ὡς Ἀριστόξενος εἴρηκεν. Ἀπολλόδωρος δὲ ὁ ἀριθμητικὸς καὶ θῦσαί φησιν αὐτὸν ἑκατόμβην ἐπὶ τῷ εὑρηκέναι ὅτι τριγώνου ὀρθογωνίου ἡ τὴν ὀρθὴν γωνίαν· ὑποτείνουσα τείνουσα ἴσον δύναται ταῖς περιεχούσαις· ἡνίκα Πυθαγόρης τὸ περικλεὲς εὕρετο γράμμα, κλεινὸς ἐφ᾽· ᾧ κλεινὴν ἤγαγε βουθυσίην. ἦν δὲ καὶ ὀλιγοπότης ὁ Πυθαγόρας καὶ εὐτελέστατα διεβίου, ὡς καὶ πολλάκις μέλιτι μόνῳ ἀρκεῖσθαι. τὰ παραπλήσια δ’ ἱστορεῖται καὶ περὶ Ἀριστείδου καὶ Ἐπαμεινώνδου καὶ Φωκίωνος καὶ Φορμίωνος τῶν στρατηγῶν. Μάνιος δὲ Κούριος ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς ἐπὶ γογγυλίσι διεβίω πάντα τὸν χρόνον καὶ Σαβίνων αὐτῷ πολὺ χρυσίον προσπεμπόντων οὐκ ἔφη δεῖσθαι χρυσίου, ἕως ἂν τοιαῦτα δειπνῇ. ἱστορεῖ δὲ ταῦτα Μεγακλῆς ἐν τῷ περὶ ἐνδόξων ἀνδρῶν.
And there are many people who approve of moderate meals, as Alexis tells us in his Woman in Love—But I am content with what is necessary,And hate superfluous things; for in excessThere is not pleasure, but extravagance.And in his Liar he says—I hate excess; for those who practise itHave only more expense, but not more pleasure.And in his Foster Brothers he says—How sweet all kinds of moderation are!I now am going away, not empty, butIn a most comfortable state,—for wiseMnesitheus tells us that 'tis always right'T' avoid extravagance in everything. And Ariston the philosopher, in the second book of his Amatory Similitudes, says that Polemo, the Academic philosopher, used to exhort those who were going to a supper, to consider how they might make their party pleasant, not only for the present evening, but also for the morrow. And Timotheus, the son of Conon, being once taken by Plato from a very sumptuous and princely entertainment to one held at the Academy, and being there feasted in a simple and scholar- like manner, said that those who supped with Plato would be well the next day also. But Hegesander, in his Commentaries, says that on the next day Timotheus, meting with Plato, said, “You, O Plato, sup well, more with reference to the next day than to the present one!” But Pyrrho the Elean, when on one occasion one of his acquaintances received him with a very sumptuous entertainment, as he himself relates, said, “I will for the future not come to you if you receive me in this manner; that I may avoid being grieved by seeing you go to a great expense for which there is no necessity, and that you, too, may not come to distress by being overwhelmed by such expenses; for it is much better for us to delight one another by our mutual companionship and conversation, than by the great variety of dishes which we set before one another, of which our servants consume the greater part.”
τῶν δείπνων δὲ πολλοὶ τὰ μέτρια ἀσπάζονται, ὡς Ἄλεξις ἐνΦιλούσᾐ παραδίδωσιν· ἀλλ’ ἔγωγέ τοι τὰ δέοντ’ ἔχων τὰ περιττὰ μισῶ· τοῖς ὑπερβάλλουσι γὰρ τέρψις μὲν οὐκ ἔνεστι, πολυτέλεια δέ. ψευδομένῳ· τὰ περιττὰ μισῶ. τοῖς ὑπερβάλλουσι γὰρ δαπάνη πρόσεστιν, ἡδονὴ δ’ οὐδ’ ἡτισοῦν.ʼ ἐν δὲ Συντρόφοις· ὡς ἡδὺ πᾶν τὸ μέτριον οὔθ’ ὑπεργέμων ἀπέρχομαι νῦν οὔτε κενός, ἀλλ’ ἡδέως ἔχων ἐμαυτοῦ. Μνησίθεος γάρ φησι δεῖν φεύγειν ἁπάντων τὰς ὑπερβολὰς ἀεί. ἀρίστων δ’ ὁ φιλόσοφος ἐν Ἐρωτικῶν Ὁμοίων δευτέρῳ Πολέμωνά φησι τὸν Ἀκαδημαικὸν παραινεῖν τοῖς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον πορευομένοις φροντίζειν ὅπως ἡδὺν τὸν πότον ποιῶνται μὴ μόνον εἰς τὸ παρόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὴν αὔριον. Τιμόθεος δ’ ὁ Κόνωνος ἐκ τῶν πολυτελῶν καὶ στρατηγικῶν δείπνων παραληφθεὶς ὑπὸ Πλάτωνος εἰς τὸ ἐν Ἀκαδημείᾳ συμπόσιον καὶ ἑστιαθεὶς ἀφελῶς καὶ μουσικῶς ἔφη ὡς οἱ παρὰ Πλάτωνι δειπνοῦντες καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ καλῶς γίνονται, ὁ δ’ Ἡγήσανδρος ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνήμασιν ἔφη ὡς καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ὁ Τιμόθεος ἀπαντήσας τῷ Πλάτωνι εἶπεν ὑμεῖς, ὦ Πλάτων, εὖ δειπνεῖτε μᾶλλον εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἢ τὴν παροῦσαν ἡμέραν. Πύρρων δ’ ὁ Ἠλεῖος τῶν γνωρίμων τινὸς αὐτὸν ὑποδεξαμένου πολυτελῶς μέν, φορτικῶς δέ, ὡς ὁ αὐτὸς ἱστορεῖ, εἰς τὸ λοιπόν, εἶπεν, οὐχ ἥξω πρὸς σέ, ἐν οὕτως ὑποδέχῃ, ἵνα μήτε ἐγὼ σὲ ἀηδῶς ὁρῶ καταδαπανώμενον οὐκ ἀναγκαίως μήτε σὺ θλιβόμενος κακοπαθῇς. μᾶλλον γὰρ ἡμᾶς τῇ μεθ’ ἑαυτῶν συνουσίᾳ προσῆκόν ἐστιν εὐαρεστεῖν ἢ τῷ πλήθει τῶν παρατιθεμένων, ὧν οἱ διακονοῦντες τὰ πλεῖστα δαπανῶσιν.
But Antigonus of Carystus, in his Life of Menedemus, relating the way in which the banquets of that philosopher are managed, says, that he used to dine with one or two companions at most; and that all the rest of his guests used to come after they had supped. For in fact, Menedemus's supper and dinner were only one meal, and after that was over they called in all who chose to come; and if any of them, as would be the case, came before the time, they would walk up and down before the doors, and inquire of the servants who came out what was being now served up, and how far on the dinner had proceeded. And if they heard that it was only the vegetables or the cured fish that was being served up, they went away; but if they were told that the meat was put on the table, then they went into the room which had been prepared for that purpose. And in the summer a rush mat was spread over each couch, and in the winter a fleece. But every one was expected to bring his own pillow; and the cup, which was brought round to each person, did not hold more than one cotyla. And the dessert was lupins or beans as a general rule; but sometimes some fruits, such as ere in season, were brought in; in summer, pears or pomegranates; and in spring, pulse; and in winter, figs. And we have a witness as to these things, Lycophron the Chalcidian, who wrote a satyric drama entitled Menedemus, in which Silenus says to the satyrs—O cursed sons of a most excellent father,I, as you see, have quite a fancy for you:For, by the gods I swear, that not in Caria,Nor in fair Rhodes, nor royal Lydia,Have I e'er eaten so superb a supper;Phœbus Apollo! what a feast it was.And a little further on, he says—And the boy brought us round a scanty cupOf wine that might be worth five pence a bottle-Awfully flat; and then that cursed thing,That hang-dog lupin, danced upon the board,A fitting meal for parasites and beggars.And presently afterwards, he says that philosophical disqui- sitions were carried on during the entertainment—And for dessert,We had some learned conversation.It is also related that those who met in this way very often kept on conversing to such a time that “the bird which calls the morn still caught them talking, and they were not yet satisfied.”
Ἀντίγονος δ’ ὁ Καρύστιος ἐν τῷ Μενεδήμου βίῳ τὴν διάταξιν διηγούμενος τοῦ παρὰ τῷ φιλοσόφῳ συμποσίου φησὶν ὅτι ἠρίστα μὲν δεύτερος ἢ τρίτος καθ’ αὑτὸν κἆτ’ ἔδει καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς παρεῖναι δεδειπνηκότας. ἦν γὰρ τὸ τοῦ Μενεδήμου τοιοῦτον ἄριστον, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα εἰσεκάλουν τοὺς παραγινομένους· ὧν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὅτε προτερήσειαν ἔνιοι τῆς ὥρας, ἀνακάμπτοντες παρὰ τὰς θύρας ἀνεπυνθάνοντο τῶν ἐξιόντων παίδων τί τὸ παρακείμενον εἴη καὶ πῶς ἔχοι τῆς τοῦ χρόνου συμμετρίας τὸ ἄριστον. ὅτε μὲν οὖν ἀκούσειαν λάχανον ἢ τάριχος, ἀνεχώρουν, ὅτε δ’ ὅτι κρεᾴδιον, εἰσῄεσαν εἰς τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦτο παρεσκευασμένον οἶκον. ἦν δὲ τοῦ μὲν θέρους ἡτοιμασμένη ψίαθος ἐφ’ ἑκάστης κλίνης, τοῦ δὲ χειμῶνος κώδιον προσκεφάλαιον δ’ αὐτὸν φέρειν ἕκαστον ἔδει. τὸ δὲ περιαγόμενον ποτήριον οὐ μεῖζον ἦν κοτυλιαίου, τράγημα δὲ θέρμος μὲν ἢ κύαμος συνεχῶς, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ τῶν ὡρίων εἰσεφέρετό τι, τοῦ μὲν θέρους ἄπιος ἢ ῥόα, τοῦ δ’ ἔαρος ὦχροι, κατὰ δὲ τὴν χειμερινὴν ὥραν ἰσχάδες. μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτων Λυκόφρων ὁ Χαλκιδεὺς γράψας σατύρους Μενέδημον, ἐν οἷς φησιν ὁ Σιληνὸς πρὸς τοὺς σατύρους· παῖδες κρατίστου Πανὸς ἐξωλέστατοι, ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμῖν, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, στρηνιῶ δεῖπνον γὰρ οὔτ’ ἐν Καρίᾳ, μὰ τοὺς θεούς, οὔτ’ ἐν Ῥόδῳ τοιοῦτον οὔτ’ ἐν Λυδίᾳ κατέχω δεδειπνηκώς. Ἄπολλον, ὡς καλόν. καὶ προελθών· ἀλλὰ κυλίκιον ὑδαρὲς ὁ παῖς περιῆγε τοῦ πεντωβόλου, ἀτρέμα παρεξεστηκός· ὅ τ’ ἀλιτήριος καὶ δημόκοινος ἐπεχόρευε δαψιλὴς θέρμος, πενήτων καὶ τρικλίνου συμπότης. ἑξῆς δέ φησιν ὅτι ζητήσεις ἦσαν παρὰ πότον τράγημα γὰρ ὁ σωφρονιστὴς πᾶσιν ἐν μέσῳ λόγος. ἱστορεῖται δὲ καὶ ὅτι πολλάκις συνόντας αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ πλεῖον ὁ ὄρνις κατελάμβανε τὴν ἕω καλῶν, τοῖσι δὲ οὐδέπω κόρος.
But Arcesilaus, when giving a supper to some people, when the bread fell short, and his slave made him a sign that there were no loaves left, burst out laughing, and clapped his hands; and said, “What a feast we have here, my friends! We forgot to buy loaves enough; run now, my boy:” —and this he said, laughing; and all the guests who were present burst out laughing, and great amusement and entertainment were excited, so that the very want of bread was a great seasoning to the feast. And at another time, Arcesilaus ordered Apelles, one of his friends, to strain some wine; and when he, not being used to doing so, shook some of the wine and spilt some, so that the wine appeared much thicker than usual, he laughed, and said, “But I told a man to strain the wine who has never seen anything good any more than I myself have; so do you now get up, Aridices; and do you go away and tap the casks that are outside.” And this good-humour of his so pleased and excited the mirth of those present, that they were all filled with joy.
Ἀρκεσίλαος δ’ ἑστιῶν τινας, καὶ ἐλλιπόντων τῶν ἄρτων νεύσαντος τοῦ παιδὸς ὡς οὐκ ἔτ’ εἰσίν, ἀνακαγχάσας καὶ τὼ χεῖρε συγκροτήσας οἷόν τι, ἔφη, τὸ συμπόσιόν ἐστιν ἡμῶν, ἄνδρες φίλοι· ἄρτους ἐπιλελήσμεθ’ ἀρκοῦντας πρίασθαι. τρέχε δή, παῖ. καὶ τοῦτ’ ἔλεγεν αὐτὸς γελῶν καὶ τῶν παρόντων δ’ ἅθρους ἐξεχύθη γέλως καὶ διαγωγὴ πλείων ἐνέπεσεν καὶ διατριβή, ὥστε ἥδυσμα γενέσθαι τῷ συμποσίῳ τὴν τῶν ἄρτων ἔνδειαν. ἄλλοτε δὲ ὁ Ἀρκεσίλαος Ἀπελλῇ τῷ γνωρίμῳ προστάξας καθυλίσαι τὸν οἶνον, ἐπειδὴ διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν ἐκεῖνος τὰ μὲν ἐτάραττεν, τὰ δ’ ἐξέχει, καὶ πολὺ θολώτερος ἐφαίνετο ὁ οἶνος, ὑπομειδιάσας ἔφη· ἐγὼ δὲ καθυλίσαι προσέταξα ἀνθρώπῳ μηδὲν ἑωρακότι ἀγαθὸν ὥσπερ οὐδ’ ἐγώ. ἀνάστηθι οὖν σύ, Ἀρίδεικεσ- σὺ δὲ ἀπελθὼν τὰ ἑκτὰ τρύπα. ταῦτα δ’ οὕτως εὔφραινε καὶ ἐξιλάρου τοὺς παρόντας ὡς εὐθυμίας πληροῦσθαι.
But those of the present day who give entertainments, especially the inhabitants of the beautiful Alexandria, cry out, and make a noise, and curse the cup-bearer, the steward, and cook; and the slaves are all crying, being beaten with fists and driven about in every direction. And not only do the guests who are invited sup with great discomfort and annoyance, but even if there is any sacrifice going on, the god himself would veil his face and go away, leaving not only the house, but even the entire city, in which such things take place. For it is absurd for a man, proclaiming that people should all confine themselves to words of good omen, to curse his wife and his children; and such a man as that would say to the guests—And now then let us hasten to the feast,That we may plan the movements of the war;—for such a man's house—Is redolent of frankincense,And pæans too, and groans at the same time.Now, when all this had been said, one of the guests who were present said,—We ought, then, when we consider these things, to guard against indulging our appetites too much;For a frugal supper breeds no drunkenness,as Amphis says, in his Pan: nor does it produce insolence or insulting conduct; as Alexis testifies in his Ulysses Weaving, where he says—For many a banquet which endures too long,And many and daily feasts, are wont t' engenderInsult and mockery; and those kind of jestsGive far more pain than they do raise amusement.For such are the first ground of evil-speaking;And if you once begin t' attack your neighbour,You quickly do receive back all you bring,And then abuse and quarrels surely follow;Then blows and drunken riot. For this isThe natural course of things, and needs no prophet.
οἱ δὲ νῦν συνάγοντες ἐπὶ τὰ δεῖπνα καὶ μάλιστα οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς καλῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας βοῶσι, κεκράγασι, βλασφημοῦσι τὸν οἰνοχόον, τὸν διάκονον, τὸν μάγειρον κλαίουσι δ’ οἱ παῖδες τυπτόμενοι κονδύλοις ἄλλος ἄλλοθεν, καὶ οὐχ οἷον οἱ κεκλημένοι μετὰ πάσης ἀηδίας δειπνοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ κἂν τύχῃ θυσία τις οὖσα, παρακαλυψάμενος ὁ θεὸς οἰχήσεται καταλιπὼν οὐ μόνον τὸν οἶκον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἅπασαν, γελοῖον γάρ ἐστιν αὐτὸν τὸν εὐφημίαν κηρύξαντα καταρᾶσθαι τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις, καὶ τοῖς δειπνοῦσι δ’ ἂν εἴποι ὁ τοιοῦτος· νῦν δ’ ἔρχεσθ’ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον, ἵνα ξυνάγωμεν Ἄρηα. τῷ γὰρ τοιούτῳ ὁ οἶκος ὁμοῦ μὲν θυμιαμάτων γέμει, ὁμοῦ δὲ παιάνων τε καὶ στεναγμάτων. τούτων λεχθέντων ἔφη τις τῶν παρόντων· παραιτητέον εἰς ταῦτ’ ἀποβλέποντάς ἐστι τὸ γαστρίζεσθαι. ῾δεῖπνον γὰρ ἀτελὲς οὐ ποιεῖ παροινίαν,᾽ ὡς Ἄμφις φησὶν ἐν Πανί, οὐδὲ ὕβρεις καὶ προπηλακισμούς, ὡς Ἄλεξις ἐν Ὀδυσσεῖ ὑφαίνοντι μαρτυρεῖ διὰ τούτων φιλεῖ γὰρ ἡ μακρὰ συνουσία καὶ τὰ συμπόσια τὰ πολλὰ καὶ καθ’ ἡμέραν ποιεῖν σκῶψιν, ἡ σκῶψις δὲ λυπεῖ πλεῖον ἢ τέρπει πολύ. τοῦ κακῶς λέγειν γὰρ ἀρχὴ γίνετ’ ἂν δ’ εἴπῃς ἅπαξ, εὐθὺς ἀντήκουσας ἤδη λοιδορεῖσθαι λείπεται, εἶτα τύπτεσθαι δέδεικται καὶ παροινεῖν. β. ταῦτα γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν πέφυκεν οὕτως· καὶ τί μάντεως ἔδει;
And Mnesimachus, in his Philip, on account of the immoderate indulgence in suppers of people of his time, introduces an entertainment which professes to be a preparation for war, and which really is what that admirable writer Xenophon calls a workshop of war. And he speaks thus—Know you now with what men you must fight?With us, who sup upon well-sharpen'd swords,And swallow lighted firebrands for dainties:And then, for our dessert, our slaves bring in,After the first course, Cretan bows and arrows;And, 'stead of vetches, broken heads of spears,And fragments of well-batter'd shields and breastplates;And at our feet lie slings, and stones, and bows,And on our heads are wreaths of catapults.And Phœnix the Colophonian says—A cask of wine shall be our sword-a cupShall be our spear-our hair shall arrows be;Goblets shall be our enemies-wine our horses-Ointments and perfumes our war-cry fierce.And in the Parasite, Alexis, speaking of some very voracious person, says—And all the younger men do call him parasite,Using a gentler name; but he cares not.And Telephus in speechless silence sits,Making but signs to those who ask him questions;So that the inviter often offers prayersTo the great Samothracian gods o' the sea,To cease their blowing, and to grant a calm;For that young man's a storm to all his friends.And Diphilus, in his Hercules, speaking of some similar kind of person, says—Do you not now behold me drunk and merry,Well fill'd with wine, and all inflamed with anger?Have not I just devour'd a dozen cakes,Every one larger than a good-sized shield?On which account, Bion of the Borysthenes said, cleverly enough, that “A man ought not to derive his pleasures from the table, but from meditation;” and Euripides says—I pleased my palate with a frugal meal;signifying that the pleasure derived from eating and drinking is chiefly limited to the mouth. And Aeschylus, in his Phineus, says—And many a most deceitful meal they snatch'dAway from hungry jaws, in haste t' enjoyThe first delight of the too eager palate.And in his Sthenebœa, Euripides speaks of frugality thus—A life at sea is a much troubled life,Not reinforced with pleasures of the table,But like a stable on the shore. The sea itselfIs a moist mother, not a nurse on land;'Tis her we plough; from this our food, procuredWith nets and traps, comes daily home to us.
καὶ Μνησίμαχος δὲ ἐν Φιλίππῳ διὰ τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα κόρον ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις παράγει τι συμπόσιον πολέμου παρασκευὴν ἐπαγγελλόμενον καὶ ἀληθῶς κατὰ τὸν χαριέστατον Ξενοφῶντα πολέμου ἐργαστήριον. λέγει δ’ οὕτως· ἆρ’ οἶσθα σὺ ὁτιὴ πρὸς ἄνδρας ἐστί σοι μαχητέον οἳ τὰ ξίφη δειπνοῦμεν ἠκονημένα, ὁ ὄψον δὲ δᾷδας ἡμμένας καταπίνομεν; ἐντεῦθεν εὐθὺς ἐπιφέρει τραγήματα ἡμῖν ὁ παῖς μετὰ δεῖπνον ἀκίδας Κρητικάς, ὥσπερ ἐρεβίνθους, δορατίων τε λείψανα κατεαγότ᾽, ἀσπίδας δὲ προσκεφάλαια καὶ καὶ θώρακας ἔχομεν, πρὸς ποδῶν δὲ σφενδόνας τόξα, καταπέλταισι δ’ ἐστεφανώμεθα. καὶ ὁ Κολοφώνιος δὲ Φοῖνιξ φησὶν Νίνου κάδοι μάχαιρα καὶ κύλιξ αἰχμή, κόμη δὲ τόξα, δήιοι δὲ κρητῆρες, ἵπποι δὲ ἄκρητος κἀλαλὴ ᾽ μύρον χεῖτε. ᾽ ἐν δὲ τῷ Παρασίτῳ Ἄλεξις περὶ πολυφάγου τινὸς διαλεγόμενός φησι· καλοῦσι δ’ αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ νεώτεροι παράσιτον ὑποκόρισμα· τῷ δ’ οὐδὲν μέλει. δειπνεῖ δ’ ἄφωνος Τήλεφος, νεύων μόνον πρὸς τοὺς ἐπερωτῶντάς τι, ὥστε πολλάκις αὐτὸν ὁ κεκληκὼς τὰ Σαμοθρᾴκι᾽ εὔχεται λῆξαι πνέοντα καὶ γαληνίσαι ποτέ. χειμὼν ὁ μειρακίσκος ἐστὶ τοῖς φίλοις. Δίφιλος δ’ ἐν Ἡρακλεῖ περί τινος τῶν ὁμοίων διαλεγόμενος διέξεισιν ἐμὲ μὲν οὐχ ὁρᾷς πεπωκότα ἤδη τ’ ἀκροθώρακ’ ὄντα καὶ θυμούμενον, τονδὶ δὲ ναστὸν Ἀστερίωνος μείζονα ἤδη σχεδὸν δωδέκατον ἠριστηκότα; διὸ καλῶς ἔλεγεν ὁ Βορυσθενίτης Βίων οὐ δεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τὰς ἡδονὰς πορίζεσθαι, ἀλλ’ ἀπὸ τοῦ φρονεῖν. ὁ δ’ Εὐριπίδης φησί φαύλῃ διαίτῃ προσβαλὼν ἥσθη στόμα, ὡς τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν προσφορῶν τέρψεως περὶ τὸ στόμα μᾶλλον γινομένης. Αἰσχύλος τ’ ἐν Φινεῖ· καὶ ψευδόδειπνα πολλὰ μαργώσης γνάθου ἐρρυσίαζον στόματος ἐν πρώτῃ χαρᾷ. ἐν Σθενεβοίᾳ δ’ ὁ Εὐριπίδης περὶ εὐτελείας λέγων· βίος δὲ πορφυρέως θαλάσσιος, οὐκ εὐτράπεζος, ἀλλ’ ἐπάκτιοι φάτναι. ὑγρὰ δὲ μήτηρ, οὐ πεδοστιβὴς τροφὸς θάλασσα· τήνδ’ ἀροῦμεν, ἐκ ταύτης βίος βρόχοισι καὶ πέδαισιν οἴκαδ’ ἔρχεται.