Deipnosophistae

For a man must curve his hand excessively before he can throw the cottabus elegantly, as Dicæarchus says; and Plato intimates as much in his Jupiter Ill-treated, where some one calls out to Hercules not to hold his hand too stiff, when he is going to play the cottabus. They also called the very act of throwing the cottabus ἀπʼ ἀγκύλης, because they curved (ἀπαγκυλόω) the right hand in throwing it. Though some say that ἀγκύλη, in this phrase, means a kind of cup. And Bacchylides, in his Love Poems, says—

1. And when she throws ἀπʼ ἀγκύλης,
2. Displaying to the youths her snow-white arm.

And Aeschylus, in his Bone Gatherers, speaks of ἀδκυλητοὶ κότταβοι, saying—

1. Eurymachus, and no one else, did heap
2. No slighter insults, undeserved, upon me;
3. For my head always was his mark at which
4. To throw his cottabus . . . . .[*](The text here is corrupt, and is printed by Schweighauser— τοῦ δʼ ἀγκυλητοῦ κόσσαβός ἐστι σκοπὸςʼἐκτεμὼν ἡβῶσα χεὶρ ἀφίετο, which is wholly unintelligible; but Schweighauser gives an emended reading, which is that translated above.)

Now, that he who succeeded in throwing the cottabus properly received a prize, Antiphanes has shown us in a passage already quoted. And the prize consisted of eggs, sweetmeats, and confectionery. And Cephisodorus, in his Trohonius, and Callias or Diocles, in the Cyclopes, (whichever of the two is the author,) and Eupolis, and Hermippus, in his Iambics, prove the same thing.

Now what is called the κατακτὸς cottabus was something of this kind. There is a high lamp, having on it what is called the Manes, on which the dish, when thrown down, ought to fall; and from thence it falls into the platter which lies below, and which is struck by the cottabus. And there was room for very great dexterity in throwing the cottabus. And Nicochares speaks of the Manes in his Lacedæmonians.

There is also another way of playing this game with a platter. This platter is filled with water, and in it there are floating some empty saucers, at which the players throw their drops out of their cups, and endeavour to sink them. And he who has succeeded in sinking the greatest number gains the victory. Ameipsias, in his play entitled The Men playing at the Cottabus or Mania, says—

1. Bring here the cruets and the cups at once,
2. The foot-pan, too, but first pour in some water.

And Cratinus, in his Nemesis, says—

1. Now in the cottabus I challenge you,
2. (As is my country's mode,) to aim your blows
3. At the empty cruets; and he who sinks the most
4. Shall, in my judgment, bear the palm of victory.

And Aristophanes, in his Feasters, says—

1. I mean to erect a brazen figure,
2. That is, a cottabeum, and myrtle-berries.

And Hermippus, in his Fates, says—

1. Now soft cloaks are thrown away,
2. Every one clasps on his breastplate,
3. And binds his greaves around his legs,
4. No one for snow-white slippers cares;
5. Now you may see the cottabus staff
6. Thrown carelessly among the chaff;
7. The manes hears no falling drops;
8. And you the πλάστιγξ sad may see
9. Thrown on the dunghill at the garden door.

And Achæus, in his Linus, speaking of the Satyrs, says—

1. Throwing, and dropping, breaking, too, and naming (λέγοντες),
2. O Hercules, the well-thrown drop of wine!

And the poet uses λέγοντες here, because they used to utter the names of their sweethearts as they threw the cottabi on the saucers. On which account Sophocles, in his Inachus, called the drops which were thrown, sacred to Venus—

1. The golden-colour'd drop of Venus
2. Descends on all the houses.

And Euripides, in his Pleisthenes, says—

1. And the loud noise o' the frequent cottabus
2. Awakens melodies akin to Venus
3. In every house.

And Callimachus says—

1. Many hard drinkers, lovers of Acontius,
2. Throw on the ground the wine-drops (λατάγας) from their cups.

There was also another kind of way of playing at the cottabus, in the feasts which lasted all night, which is mentioned by Callippus in his Festival lasting all Night, where he says—

1. And he who keeps awake all night shall have
2. A cheesecake for his prize of victory,
3. And kiss whoe'er he pleases of the girls
4. Who are at hand.

There were also sweetmeats at these nocturnal festivals, in which the men continued awake an extraordinary time dancing. And these sweetmeats used to be called at that time χαρίσιοι, from the joy (χαρὰ) of those who received them. And Eubulus, in his Ancylion, mentions them, speaking as follows—

1. For he has long been cooking prizes for
2. The victors in the cottabus.

And presently afterwards he says—

1. I then sprang out to cook the χαρ́σιος.

But that kisses were also given as the prize Eubulus tells us in a subsequent passage—

1. Come now, ye women, come and dance all night,
2. This is the tenth day since my son was born;
3. And I will give three fillets for the prize,
4. And five fine apples, and nine kisses too.

But that the cottabus was a sport to which the Sicilians were greatly addicted is plain from the fact that they had rooms built adapted to the game; which Dicæarchus, in his treatise on Alcæus, states to have been the case. So that it was not without reason that Callimachus affixed the epithet of Sicilian to λάταξ. And Dionysius, who was surnamed the Brazen, mentions both the λάταγες and the κότταβοι in his Elegies, where he says—

1. Here we, unhappy in our loves, establish
2. This third addition to the games of Bacchus,
v.3.p.1068
3. That the glad cottabus shall now be play'd
4. In honour of you, a most noble quintain—
5. All you who here are present twine your hands,
6. Holding the ball-shaped portion of your cups,
7. And, ere you let it go, let your eyes scan
8. The heaven that bends above you; watching well
9. How great a space your λάταγες may cover.

After this, Ulpian demanded a larger goblet to drink out of quoting these lines out of the same collection of Elegies—

1. Pouring forth hymns to you and me propitious,
2. Let us now send your ancient friend from far,
3. With the swift rowing of our tongues and praises,
4. To lofty glory while this banquet lasts;
5. And the quick genius of Phæacian eloquence
6. Commands the Muses' crew to man the benches.

For let us be guided by the younger Cratinus, who says in his Omphale—

1. It suits a happy man to stay at home
2. And drink, let others wars and labours love.

In answer to whom Cynulcus, who was always ready for a tilt at the Syrian, and who never let the quarrel drop which he had against him, now that there was a sort of tumult in the party, said-What is this chorus of Syrbenians?[*](See below, c. 54.) And I myself also recollect some lines of this poetry, which I will quote, that Ulpian may not give himself airs as being the only one who was able to extract anything about the cottabus out of those old stores of the Homeridæ—

1. Come now and hear this my auspicious message,
2. And end the quarrels which your cups engender;
3. Turn your attention to these words of mine,
4. And learn these lessons. . . . . . . . .

which have a clear reference to the present discussion. For I see the servants now bringing us garlands and perfumes. Why now are those who are crowned said to be in love when their crowns are broken? For when I was a boy, and when I used to read the Epigrams of Callimachus, in which this is one of the topics dilated on, I was anxious to understand this point. For the poet of Cyrene says—

1. And all the roses, when the leaves fell off
2. From the man's garlands, on the ground were thrown.

So now it is your business, you most accomplished man, to explain this difficulty which has occupied me these thousand years, O Democritus, and to tell me why lovers crown the doors of their mistresses.

And Democritus replied—But that I may quote some of the verses of this Brazen poet and orator Dionysius, (and he was called Brazen because he advised the Athe- nians to adopt a brazen coinage; and Callimachus mentions the oration in his list of Oratorical Performances,) I myself will cite some lines out of his Elegies. And do you, O Theodorus, for this is your proper name—

1. Receive these first-fruits of my poetry,
2. Given you as a pledge; and as an omen
3. Of happy fortune I send first to you
4. This offering of the Graces, deeply studied,—
5. Take it, requiting me with tuneful verse,
6. Fit ornament of feasts, and emblem of your happiness.

You ask, then, why, if the garlands of men who have been crowned are pulled to pieces, they are said to be in love." Is it, since love takes away the strict regularity of manners in the case of lovers, that on this account they think the loss of a conspicuous ornament, a sort of beacon (as Clearchus says, in the first book of his Art of Love) and signal, that they to whom this has happened have lost the strict decorum of their manners? Or do men interpret this circumstance also by divination, as they do many other things? For the ornament of a crown, as there is nothing lasting in it, is a sort of emblem of a passion which does not endure, but assumes a specious appearance for a while: and such a passion is love. For no people are more careful to study appearance than those who are in love. Unless, perhaps, nature, as a sort of god, administering everything with justice and equity, thinks that lovers ought not to be crowned till they have subdued their love; that is to say, till, having prevailed upon the object of their love, they are released from their desire. And accordingly, the loss of their crown we make the token of their being still occupied in the fields of love. Or perhaps Love himself, not permitting any one to be crowned in opposition to, or to be proclaimed as victor over himself, takes their crowns from these men, and gives the perception of this to others, indicating that these men are subdued by him: on which account all the rest say that these men are in love. Or is it because that cannot be loosed which has never been bound, but love is the chain of some who wear crowns, (for no one else who is bound is more anxious about being crowned than a lover,) that men consider that the loosing of the garland is a sign of love, and therefore say that these men are in love? Or is it because very often lovers, when they have been crowned, often out of agitation as it should seem, allow their crowns to fall to pieces, and so we argue backwards, and attribute this passion to all whom we see in this predicament; thinking that their crown never would have come to pieces, if they had not been in love? Or is it because these loosings happen only in the case of men bound or men in love; and so, men thinking that the loosing of the garland is the loosing also of those who are bound, con- sider that such men are in love? For those in love are bound, unless you would rather say that, because those who are in love are crowned with love, therefore their crown is not of a lasting kind; for it is difficult to put a small and ordinary kind of crown on a large and divine one. Men also crown the doors of the houses of the objects of their love, either with a view to do them honour, as they adorn with crowns the vestibule of some god to do him honour: or perhaps the offering of the crowns is made, not to the beloved objects, but to the god Love. For thinking the beloved object the statue, as it were, of Love, and his house the temple of Love, they, under this idea, adorn with crowns the vestibules of those whom they love. And for the same reason some people even sacri- fice at the doors of those whom they love. Or shall we rather say that people who fancy that they are deprived, or who really have been deprived of the ornament of their soul, consecrate to those who have deprived them of it, the orna- ment also of their body, being bewildered by their passion, and despoiling themselves in order to do so? And every one who is in love does this when the object of his love is present, but when he is not present, then he makes this offering in the public roads. On which account Lycophronides has re- presented that goatherd in love, as saying—

1. I consecrate this rose to you,
2. A beautiful idea;
3. This cap, and eke these sandals too,
4. And this good hunting-spear:
5. For now my mind is gone astray,
6. Wandering another way,
7. Towards that girl of lovely face,
8. Favourite of ev'ry Grace."