Deipnosophistae
Athenaeus of Naucratis
Athenaeus. The Deipnosophists or Banquet Of The Learned Of Athenaeus. Yonge, Charles Duke, translator. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854.
And when Cynulcus had said this, he was on the point of rising up to depart; but turning round and seeing a quantity of fish, and a large provision of all sorts of other eatables being brought in, beating the pillow with his hand, he shouted out,—
- Gird thyself up, O poverty, and bear
- A little longer with these foolish babblers,
- For copious food and hunger sharp subdues thee.
as Heniochus says in his Busybody; I must, therefore, as the comic poet Metagenes says—
- There are none of the rich men
- In the least like you, by Vulcan,
- Who enjoy a dainty table,
- And who every day can eat
- All delicacies that you wish.
- For now, I see a thing beyond belief—
- A prodigy; all sorts of kinds of fish
- Sporting around this cape-tenches and char,
- White and red mullet, rays, and perch, and eels,
- Tunnies, and blacktails, and cuttle-fish, and pipe-fish,
- And hake, and cod, and lobsters, crabs and scorpions;
endure and listen to what more you have all got to say.
- Without a sign his knife the hungry draws,
- And asks no omen but his supper's cause—
And when he was silent, Masyrius said,—But since some things have still been left unsaid in our discussion on servants, I will myself also contribute some
melody on loveto the wise and much loved Democritus. Philippus of Theangela, in his treatise on the Carians and Leleges, having made mention of the Helots of the Lacedæmonians and of the Thessalian Penestæ, says,
The Carians also, both in former times, and down to the present day, use the Leleges as slaves.But Phylarchus, in the sixth book of his History, says that the Byzantians used the Bithynians in the same manner, just as the Lacedæmonians do the Helots. But respecting those who among the Lacedæmonians are called Epeunacti, and they also are slaves, Theopompus gives a very clear account in the thirty-second book of his History, speaking as follows:—
When many of the Lacedæmonians had been slain in the war against the Messenians, those who were left being afraid lest their enemies should become aware of their desolate condition, put some of the Helots into the beds of those who were dead; and afterwards they made those men citizens, and called them Epeunacti, because they had been put into the beds[*](From ἐπὶ, and εὐνὴ, a bed.) of those who were dead instead of them.And the
But the class called Mothaces among the Lacedæmonians are freemen, but still not citizens of Lacedæmon. And Phylarchus speaks of them thus, in the twenty-fifth book of his History—
But the Mothaces are foster-brothers of Lacedæmonian citizens. For each of the sons of the citizens has one or two, or even more foster-brothers, according as their circumstances admit. The Mothaces are freemen then, but still not Lacedæmonian citizens; but they shard all the education which is given to the free citizens; and they say that Lysander, who defeated the Athenians in the naval battle, was one of that class, having been made a citizen on account of his preeminent valour.And Myron of Priene, in the second book of his history of the Affairs of Messene, says,
The Lacedæmonians often emancipated their slaves, and some of them when emancipated they called Aphetæ,[*](ʼἀφέτης, from ἀφίημι, to liberate.) and some they called Adespoti,[*](ʼἀδέσποτος, from α, not, and δεσπότης, a master.) and some they called Erycteres, and others they called Desposionaute,[*](δεσποσιοναύτης, from δεσπότης, and ναύτης, a sailor) whom they put on board their fleets, and some they called Neodamodes,[*](νεοδαμώδης, from νεὸς, new, and δῆμος, people.) but all these were different people from the Helots.And Theopompus, in the seventh book of his history of the Affairs of Greece, speaking of the Helots that they were also called Eleatæ, writes as follows:—"But the nation of the Helote is altogether a fierce and cruel race. For they are people who have been enslaved a long time ago by the Spar- tans, some of them being Messenians, and some Eleatæ, who formerly dwelt in that part of Laconia called Helos.
But Timæus of Tauromenium, forgetting himself, (and Polybius the Megalopolitan attacks him for the assertion,
After all these statements, Laurentius rose up and said,—But each of the Romans (and this is a fact with which you are well acquainted, my friend Masyrius) had a great many slaves. For many of them had ten thousand or twenty thousand, or even a greater number, not for the purposes of income, as the rich Nicias had among the Greeks; but the greater part of the Romans when they go forth have a large retinue of slaves accompanying them. And out of the myriads of Attic slaves, the greater part worked in the mines, being kept in chains: at all events Posidonius, whom you are often quoting, the philosopher I mean, says that once
But the ancient Romans were prudent citizens, and eminent for all kinds of good qualities. Accordingly Scipio, surnamed Africanus, being sent out by the Senate to arrange all the kingdoms of the world, in order that they might be put into the hands of those to whom they properly belonged, took with him only five slaves, as we are informed by Polybius and Posidonius. And when one of them died on the journey, he sent to his agents at home to bring him another instead of him, and to send him to him. And Julius Cæsar, the first man who ever crossed over to the British isles with a thousand vessels, had with him only three servants altogether, as Cotta, who at that time acted as his lieutenant-general, relates in his treatise on the History and Constitution of the Romans, which is written in our national language. But Smindyrides the Sybarite was a very different sort of man, my Greek friends, who, when he went forth to marry Agaroste, the daughter of Cleisthenes, carried his luxury and ostentation to such a height, that he took with him a thousand slaves, fishermen, bird-catchers, and cooks. But this man, wishing to display how magnificently he was used to live, according to the account given to us by Chamæleon of Pontus, in his book on Pleasure, (but the same book is also attribute to Theophrastus,) said that for twenty years he had never seen the sun rise or set; and this he considered a great and marvellous proof of his wealth and happiness. For he, as it seems, used
What then are we to think? Had not Scipio and Caesar any slaves? To be sure they had, but they abided by the laws of their country, and lived with moderation, preserving the habits sanctioned by the constitution. For it is the conduct of prudent men to abide by those ancient institutions under which they and their ancestors have lived, and made war upon and subdued the rest of the world; and yet, at the same time, if there were any useful or honourable institutions among the people whom they have subdued, those they take for their imitation at the same time that they take the prisoners. And this was the conduct of the Romans in olden time; for they, maintaining their national customs, at the same time introduced from the nations whom they had subdued every relic of desirable practices which they found, leaving what was useless to them, so that they should never be able to regain what they had lost. Accordingly they learnt from the Greeks the use of all machines and engines for conducting sieges; and with those engines they subdued the very people of whom they had learnt them. And when the Phœnicians had made many discoveries in nautical science, the Romans availed themselves of these very discoveries to subdue them. And from the Tyrrhenians they derived the practice of the entire army advancing to battle in close phalanx; and from the Samnites they learnt the use of the shield, and from the Iberians the use of the javelin. And learning different things from different people, they improved upon them: and imitating in everything the constitution of the Lacedæmonians, they preserved it better than the Lacedæmonians themselves; but now, having selected whatever was useful from the practices of their enemies, they have at the same time turned aside to imitate them in what is vicious and mischievous.
For, as Posidonius tells us, their national mode of life was originally temperate and simple, and they used everything which they possessed in an unpretending and unosten-
Now Mucius Scævola was one of the three men in Rome who were particular in their observance of the Fannian law; Quintus Aelius Tubero and Rutilius Rufus being the other two, the latter of whom is the man who wrote the History of his country. Which law enjoined men not to entertain more than three people besides those in the house; but on market-days a man might entertain five. And these market-days happened three times in the month. The law also forbade any one to spend in provisions more than two drachmæ and a half. And they were allowed to spend fifteen talents a-year on cured meat and whatever vegetables the earth produces, and on boiled pulse. But as this allowance was insufficient, men gradually (because those who transgressed the law and spent money lavishly raised the price of whatever was to be bought) advanced to a more liberal style of living without violating the law. For Tubero used to buy birds at a drachma a-piece from the men who lived on his own farms. And Rutilius used to buy fish from his own slaves who worked as fishermen for three obols for a pound of fish;
But of the extravagance which prevails at the present time Lucullus was the first oiiginator, he who subdued Mithridates, as Nicolaus the Peripatetic relates. For he, coming to Rome after the defeat of Mithridates, and also after that of Tigranes, the king of Armenia, and having triumphed, and having given in an account of his exploits in war, proceeded to an extravagant way of living from his former simplicity, and was the first teacher of luxury to the Romans, having amassed the wealth of the two before-mentioned kings. But the famous Cato, as Polybius tells us in the thirty-fourth book of his History, was very indignant, and cried out, that some men had introduced foreign luxury into Rome, having bought an earthen jar of pickled fish from Pontus for three hundred drachmæ, and some beautiful boys at a higher price than a man might buy a field.
But in former times the inhabitants of Italy were so easily contented, that even now,says Posidonius,
those who are in very easy circumstances are used to accustom their sons to drink as much water as possible, and to eat whatever they can get. And very often,says he,
the father or mother asks their son whether he chooses to have pears or nuts for his supper; and then he, eating some of these things, is contented and goes to bed.But now, as Theopompus tells us in the first book of his history of the Actions of Philip, there is no one of those who are even tolerably well off who does not provide a most sumptuous table, and who has not cooks and a great many more attendants, and who does not spend more on his daily living than formerly men used to spend on their festivals and sacrifices.
And since now this present discussion has gone far enough, let us end this book at this point.
AND when the Banquet was now finished, the cynics, thinking that the festival of the Phagesia was being celebrated, were delighted above all things, and Cynulcus said, —While we are supping, O Ulpian, since it is on words that you are feasting us, I propose to you this question,—In what author do you find any mention of the festivals called Phagesia, and Phagesiposia? And he, hesitating, and bidding the slaves desist from carrying the dishes round, though it was now evening, said,—I do not recollect, you very wise man, so that you may tell us yourself, in order that you may sup more abundantly and more pleasantly. And he rejoined, —If you will promise to thank me when I have told you, I will tell you. And as he agreed to thank him, he continued; —Clearchus, the pupil of Aristotle, but a Solensian by birth, in the first book of his treatise on Pictures, (for I recollect his very expressions, because I took a great fancy to them,) speaks as follows:—
Phagesia—but some call the festival Phagesiposia—but this festival has ceased, as also has that of the Rhapsodists, which they celebrated about the time of the Dionysiac festival, in which every one as they passed by sang a hymn to the god by way of doing him honour.This is what Clearchus wrote. And if you doubt it, my friend, I, who have got the book, will not mind lending it to you. And you may learn a good deal from it, and get a great many questions to ask us out of it. For he relates that Calias the Athenian composed a Grammatical Tragedy, from which Euripides in his Medea, and Sophocles in his Œdipus derived their choruses and the arrangement of their plot.
And when all the guests marvelled at the literary accomplishments of Cynulcus, Plutarch said,—In like manner there used to be celebrated in my own Alexandria a Flagon-bearing festival, which is mentioned by Eratosthenes in his treatise entitled Arsinoe. And he speaks as follows:—
When Ptolemy was instituting a festival and all kinds ofv.2.p.434sacrifices, and especially those which relate to Bacchus, Arsinoe asked the man who bore the branches, what day he was celebrating now, and what festival it was. And when he replied, 'It is called the Lagynophoria; and the guests lie down on beds and so eat all that they have brought with them, and every one drinks out of his own flagon which he has brought from home;' and when he had departed, she, looking towards us, said, 'It seems a very dirty kind of party; for it is quite evident that it must be an assembly of a mixed multitude, all putting down stale food and such as is altogether unseasonable and unbecoming.' But if the kind of feast had pleased her, then the queen would not have objected to preparing the very same things herself, as is done at the festival called Choes. For there every one feasts separately, and the inviter only supplies the materials for the feast.
But one of the Grammarians who were present, looking on the preparation of the feast, said,—In the next place, how shall we ever be able to eat so large a supper? Perhaps we are to go on
during the night,as that witty writer Aristophanes says in his Aeolosicon, where however his expression is
during the whole night.And, indeed, Homer uses the preposition διὰ in the same way, for he says—
where διὰ μήλων means
- He lay within the cave stretch'd o'er the sheep (διὰ μήλων);
over all the sheep,indicating the size of the giant. And Daphnus the physician answered him; Meals taken late at night, my friend, are more advantageous for everybody. For the influence of the moon is well adapted to promote the digestion of food, since the moon has putrefying properties; and digestion depends upon putrefaction. Accordingly victims slain at night are more digestible; and wood which is cut down by moonlight decays more rapidly. And also the greater proportion of fruits ripen by moonlight.
But since there were great many sorts of fish, and those very different both as to size and beauty, which had been served up and which were still being constantly served up for the guests, Myrtilus said,—Although all the different dishes which we eat, besides the regular meal, are properly called by one generic name, ὄψον, still it is very deservedly that on account of its delicious taste fish has prevailed over everything else, and has appropriated the name to itself;
Since then there are a great many different kinds of fish which we eat at different seasons, my most admirable Timocrates, (for, as Sophocles says—
The tails not fawning on their mistress, but beating against the dish. And as Achæus says in his Fates—
- A chorus too of voiceless fish rush'd on,
- Making a noise with their quick moving tails.
I will now recapitulate to you what the Deipnosophists said about each: for each of them brought to the discussion of the subject some contribution of quotation from books; though I will not mention the names of all who took part in the conversation, they were so numerous.
- There was a mighty mass of the sea-born herd—
- A spectacle which fill'd the wat'ry waste,
- Breaking the silence with their rapid tails;)
Amphis says in his Leucas—
And that you may find it easy to remember what was said, I will arrange the names in alphabetical order For as
- Whoever buys some ὄψον for his supper,
- And, when he might get real genuine fish,
- Contents himself with radishes, is mad.
one of the company asked whether any one before Sophocles ever used this word; to whom Zoilus replied,—But I, who am not a person ὀψοφαγίστατος [exceedingly fond of fish], (for that is a word which Xenophon has used in his Memorabilia, where he writes,
- He gave him to the ἐλλοὶ ἰχθύες to eat;
He is ὀψοφαγίστατος and the greatest fool possible,) am well aware that the man who wrote the poem Titanomachia [or the Battle of the Giants], whether he be Eumelus the Corinthian, or Arctinus, or whatever else his name may chance to have been, in the second book of his poem speaks thus—
And Sophocles was very fond of the Epic Cycle, so that he composed even entire plays in which he has followed the stories told in their fables.
- In it did swim the gold-faced ἐλλοὶ ἰχθύες,
- And sported in the sea's ambrosial depths.
Presently when the tunnies called Amiæ were put on the table, some one said,—Aristotle speaks of this fish, and says that they have gills out of sight, and that they have very sharp teeth, and that they belong to the gregarious and carnivorous class of fishes: and that they have a gall of equal extent with their whole intestines, and a spleen of corresponding proportions. It is said also that when they are hooked, they leap up towards the fisherman, and bite through the line and so escape. And Archippus mentions them in his play entitled the Fishes, where he says—
And Epicharmus in his Sirens says—
- But when you were eating the fat amiæ.
And Aristotle, inquiring into the etymology of the name, says that they were called amiæ, παρὰ τὸ ἅμα ἰέναι ταῖς παρα-
- A. In the morning early, at the break of day,
- We roasted plump anchovies,
- Cutlets of well-fed pork, and polypi;
- And then we drank sweet wine.
- B. Alack! alack! my silly wife detain'd me,
- Chattering near the monument.
- A. I'm sorry for you. Then, too, there were mullets
- And large plump amiæ—
- A noble pair i' the middle of the table,
- And eke a pair of pigeons,
- A scorpion and a lobster.
But Archestratus,—that writer so curious in all that relates to cookery,—in his Gastrology (for that is the title of the book as it is given by Lycophron, in his treatise on Comedy, just as the work of Cleostratus of Tenedos is called Astrology), speaks thus of the amia:—
- But towards the end of autumn, when the Pleiad
- Has hidden its light, then dress the amiæ
- Whatever way you please. Why need I teach you?
- For then you cannot spoil it, if you wish.
- But if you should desire, Moschus my friend,
- To know by what recipe you best may dress it;
- Take the green leaves of fig-trees, and some marjoram,
- But not too much; no cheese or other nonsense,
- But merely wrap it up in the fig leaves,
- And tie it round with a small piece of string,
- Then bury it beneath the glowing ashes,
- Judging by instinct of the time it takes
- To be completely done without being burnt.
- And if you wish to have the best o' their kind,
- Take care to get them from Byzantium;
- Or if they come from any sea near that
- They'll not be bad: but if you go down lower,
- And pass the straits into the Aegæan sea,
- They're quite a different thing, in flavour worse
- As well as size, and merit far less praise.
But this Archestratus was so devoted to luxury, that he travelled over every country and every sea, with great diligence, wishing, as it seems to me, to seek out very carefully whatever related to his stomach; and, as men do who write Itineraries and Books of Voyages, so he wishes to relate everything with the greatest accuracy, and to tell where every kind of eatable is to be got in the greatest perfection; for this is what he professes himself, in the preface to his admirable Book of Precepts, which he addresses to his companions, Moschus and Cleander; enjoining them, as the Pythian priestess says, to seek
And Chrysippus, a man who was a genuine philosopher, and a thorough man at all points, says that he was the teacher of
- A horse from Thessaly, a wife from Sparta,
- And men who drink at Arethusa's fount.
For I am not able to distinguish what is good if you once take away the pleasure arising from sweet flavours, and if you also take away amatory pleasures.For this wise man thinks that even the life of the intemperate man is an unimpeachable one, if he enjoys an immunity from fear, and also mirth. On which account also the comic poets, running down the Epicureans, attack them as mere servants and ministers of pleasure and intemperance.
Plato, in his Joint Deceiver, representing a father as indignant with his son's tutor, makes him say—
And in his play entitled the Homicide, the same Plato, laughing at one of those gentle philosophers, says—
- A. You've taken this my son, and ruin'd him,
- You scoundrel; you've persuaded him to choose
- A mode of life quite foreign to his nature
- And disposition; taught by your example,
- He drinks i' the morning, which he ne'er was used to do.
- B. Do you blame me, master, that your son
- Has learnt to live?
- A. But do you call that living?
- B. Wise men do call it so. And Epicurus
- Tells us that pleasure is the only good.
- A. Indeed; I never heard that rule before.
- Does pleasure come then from no other source?
- Is not a virtuous life a pleasure now?
- Will you not grant me that?—Tell me, I pray you,
- Did you e'er see a grave philosopher
- Drunk, or devoted to these joys you speak of?
- B. Yes; all of them.-All those who raise their brows,
- Who walk about the streets for wise men seeking,
- As if they had escaped their eyes and hid:
- Still when a turbot once is set before them,
- Know how to help themselves the daintiest bits.
- They seek the head and most substantial parts,
- As if they were an argument dissecting,
- So that men marvel at their nicety.
- The man who has a chance to pay his court
- To a fair woman, and at eve to drink
- Two bottles full of richest Lesbian wine,
- Must be a wise man; these are real goods.
- These things I speak of are what Epicurus
- Tells us are real joys; and if the world
- All lived the happy life I live myself,
- There would not be one wicked man on earth.
- That wisest Epicurus, when a man
- Once ask'd him what was the most perfect good
- Which men should constantly be seeking for,
- Said pleasure is that good. Wisest and best
- Of mortal men, full truly didst thou speak:
- For there is nothing better than a dinner,
- And every good consists in every pleasure.