Deipnosophistae

Pherecrates mentions an unguent, which he calls βρένθιον, in his Trifles, saying—

1. I stood, and order'd him to pour upon us
2. Some brenthian unguent, that he also might
3. Pour it on those departing.

And Crates mentions what he calls royal unguent, in his Neighbours; speaking as follows:—

1. He smelt deliciously of royal unguent.

But Sappho mentions the royal and the brenthian unguent together, as if they were one and the same thing; saying—

1. βρενθεΐῳ βασιληΐῳ,

Aristophanes speaks of an unguent which he calls ψάγδης, in his Daitaleis; saying—

1. Come, let me see what unguent I can give you:
2. Do you like ψάγδησ?

And Eupolis, in his Marica, says—

1. All his breath smells of ψάγδης.

Eubulus, in his Female Garland-sellers, says—

1. She thrice anointed with Egyptian psagdas (ψάγδανι).

Polemo, in his writings addressed to Adæus, says that there is an unguent in use among the Eleans called plangonium, from having been invented by a man named Plangon. And Sosibins says the same in his Similitudes; adding, that the unguent called megallium is so named for a similar reason: for that that was invented by a Sicilian whose name was Megallus. But some say that Megallus was an Athenian: and Aristophanes mentions him in his Telmissians, and so does Pherecrates in his Petale; and Strattis, in his Medea, speaks thus:—

1. And say that you are bringing her such unguents,
2. As old Megallus never did compound,
3. Nor Dinias, that great Egyptian, see,
4. Much less possess.

Amphis also, in his Ulysses, mentions the Megalli unguent in the following passage—

1. A. Adorn the walls all round with hangings rich,
2. Milesian work; and then anoint them o'er
v.3.p.1104
3. With sweet megallium, and also burn
4. The royal mindax.
5. B. Where did you, O master,
6. E'er hear the name of such a spice as that

Anaxandrides, too, in his Tereus, says—

1. And like the illustrious bride, great Basilis,
2. She rubs her body with megallian unguent.

Menander speaks of an unguent made of spikenard, in his Cecryphalus, and says—

1. A. This unguent, boy, is really excellent.
2. B. Of course it is, 'tis spikenard.

And anointing oneself with an unguent of this description, Alæus calls μυρίσασθαι, in his Palæstræ, speaking thus—

1. Having anointed her (μυρίσασα), she shut her up
2. In her own stead most secretly.

But Aristophanes uses not μυρίσματα, but μυρώματα, in his Ecclesiazusæ, saying—

1. I who 'm anointed (μεμύρισμαι) o'er my head with unguents (μυρώμασι).

Aristoph. Eccl. 1117.

There was also an unguent called sagda, which is mentioned by Eupolis in his Coraliscus, where he writes—

1. And baccaris, and sagda too.

And it is spoken of likewise by Aristophanes, in his Daitaleis; and Eupolis in his Marica says—

1. And all his breath is redolent of sagda:

which expression Nicander of Thyatira understands to be meant as an attack upon a man who is too much devoted to luxury. But Theodorus says, that sagda is a species of spice used in fumigation.

Now a cotyla of unguent used to be sold for a high price at Athens, even, as Hipparchus says in his Nocturnal Festival, for as much as five mine; but as Menander, in his Misogynist, states, for ten. And Antiphanes, in his Phrearrus, where he is speaking of the unguent called stacte, says—

1. The stacte at two minæ's not worth having.

Now the citizens of Sardis were not the only people addicted to the use of unguents, as Alexis says in his Maker of Goblets—

1. The whole Sardian people is of unguents fond;

but the Athenians also, who have always been the leaders of every refinement and luxury in human life, used them very much; so that among them, as has been already mentioned, they used to fetch an enormous price; but, nevertheless, they did not abstain from the use of them on that account; just as we now do not deny ourselves scents which are so expensive and exquisite that those things are mere trifles which are spoken of in the Settler of Alexis—

1. For he did use no alabaster box
2. From which t' anoint himself; for this is but
3. An ordinary, and quite old-fashion'd thing.
4. But he let loose four doves all dipp'd in unguents,
5. Not of one kind, but each in a different sort;
6. And then they flew around, and hovering o'er us,
7. Besprinkled all our clothes and tablecloths.
8. Envy me not, ye noble chiefs of Greece;
9. For thus, while sacrificing, I myself
10. Was sprinkled o'er with unguent of the iris.

Just think, in God's name, my friends, what luxury, or I should rather say, what profuse waste it was to have one's garments sprinkled in this manner, when a man might have taken up a little unguent in his hands, as we do now, and in that manner have anointed his whole body, and especially his head. For Myronides says, in his treatise on Unguents and Garlands, that

the fashion of anointing the head at banquets arose from this:—that those men whose heads are naturally dry, find the humours which are engendered by what they eat, rise up into their heads; and on this account, as their bodies are inflamed by fevers, they bedew their heads with lotions, so as to prevent the neighbouring humours from rising into a part which is dry, and which also has a considerable vacuum in it. And so at their banquets, having consideration for this fact, and being afraid of the strength of the wine rising into their heads, men have introduced the fashion of anointing their heads, and by these means the wine, they think, will have less effect upon then, if they make their head thoroughly wet first. And as men are never content with what is merely useful, but are always desirous to add to that whatever tends to pleasure and enjoyment; in that way they have been led to adopt the use of unguents.

We ought, therefore, my good cynic Theodorus, to use at banquets those unguents which have the least tendency to produce heaviness, and to employ those which have astringent

or cooling properties very sparingly. But Aristotle, that man of most varied learning, raises the question,

Why men who use unguents are more grey than others? Is it because unguents have drying properties by reason of the spices used in their composition, so that they who use them become dry, and the dryness produces greyness? For whether greyness arises from a drying of the hair, or from a want of natural heat, at all events dryness has a withering effect. And it is on this account too that the use of hats makes men grey more quickly; for by them the moisture which ought to nourish the hair is taken away.

But when I was reading the twenty-eighth book of the History of Posidonius, I observed, my friends, a very pleasant thing which was said about unguents, and which is not at all foreign to our present discussion. For the philosopher says —

In Syria, at the royal banquets, when the garlands are given to the guests, some slaves come in, having little bladders full of Babylonian perfumes, and going round the room at a little distance from the guests, they bedew their garlands with the perfumes, sprinkling nothing else.

And since the discussion has brought us to this point, I will add

1. A verse to Love,

as the bard of Cythera says, telling you that Janus, who is worshipped as a great god by us, and whom we call Janus Pater, was the original inventor of garlands. And Dracon of Corcyra tells us this in his treatise on Precious Stones, where his words are—

But it is said that Janus had two faces, the one looking forwards and the other backwards; and that it is from him that the mountain Janus and the river Janus are both named, because he used to live on the mountain. And they say that he was the first inventor of garlands, and boats, and ships; and was also the first person who coined brazen money. And on this account many cities in Greece, and many in Italy and Sicily, place on their coins a head with two faces, and on the obverse a boat, or a garland, or a ship. And they say that he married his sister Camise, and had a son named Aethax, and a daughter Olistene. And he, aiming at a more extended power and renown, sailed over to Italy, and settled on a mountain near Rome, which was called Janiculum from his name.

This, now, is what was said about perfumes and unguents. And after this most of them asked for wine,

some demanding the Cup of the Good Deity, others that of Health, and different people invoking different deities; and so they all fell to quoting the words of those poets who had mentioned libations to these different deities; and I will now recapitulate what they said, for they quoted Antiphanes, who, in his Clowns, says—

1. Harmodius was invoked, the paean sung,
2. Each drank a mighty cup to Jove the Saviour.

And Alexis, in his Usurer, or The Liar, says—

1. A. Fill now the cup with the libation due
2. To Jove the Saviour; for he surely is
3. Of all the gods most useful to mankind.
4. B. Your Jove the Saviour, if I were to burst,
5. Would nothing do for me.
6. A. Just drink, and trust him.

And Nicostratus, in his Pandrosos, says—

1. And so I will, my dear;
2. But fill him now a parting cup to Health;
3. Here, pour a due libation out to Health.
4. Another to Good Fortune. Fortune manages
5. All the affairs of men; but as for Prudence,—
6. That is a blind irregular deity.

And in the same play he mentions mixing a cup in honour of the Good Deity, as do nearly all the poets of the old comedy; but Nicostratus speaks thus—

1. Fill a cup quickly now to the Good Deity,
2. And take away this table from before me;
3. For I have eaten quite enough;—I pledge
4. This cup to the Good Deity;—here, quick, I say,
5. And take away this table from before me.

Xenarchus, too, in his Twins, says—

1. And now when I begin to nod my head,
2. The cup to the Good Deity * *
3. * * * *
4. That cup, when I had drain'd it, near upset me;
5. And then the next libation duly quaff'd
6. To Jove the Saviour, wholly wreck'd my boat,
7. And overwhelm'd me as you see.

And Eriphus, in his Melibœa, says—

1. Before he'd drunk a cup to the Good Deity,
2. Or to great Jove the Saviour.