De parasito sive artem esse parasiticam

And what about Aristippus of Cyrene? Is he not in your opinion one of the philosophers of distinction ?

TYCHIADES Very much so.

SIMON But he too lived in Syracuse at about the same time, playing parasite to Dionysius. In fact, of all

the parasites he was in highest favour with him, — being, to be sure, somewhat more gifted for the art than the rest of them, so that Dionysius sent his cooks to him every day, to learn something from him.

Aristippus, indeed, appears to have been a worthy ornament to the art ;