The Deipnosophists, or Banquet of the Learned of Athenaeus Part 72

using, however, in my opinion, the words e?d????? and e?????? in a peculiar sense, as meaning rather, good to his slaves and servants, taking e?????? from ????t??. And it is generally understood that an ????t?? is a servant whose business is confined to the house, and that it is possible he may be a free-born man.

94. But the poets of the old comedy, speaking of the old-fashioned way of life, and a.s.serting that in olden time there was no great use of slaves, speak in this way. Cratinus, in his Pluti, says--

As for those men, those heroes old, Who lived in Saturn's time, When men did play at dice with loaves, And aeginetan cakes Of barley well and brownly baked Were roll'd down before men Who did in the palaestra toil, Full of hard lumps of dough . . . .

And Crates says, in his Beasts--

_A._ Then no one shall possess or own One male or female slave, But shall himself, though ne'er so old, Labour for all his needs.

_B._ Not so, for I will quickly make These matters all come right.

_A._ And what will your plans do for us?

_B._ Why everything you call for Should of its own accord come forth, As if now you should say, O table, lay yourself for dinner, And spread a cloth upon you.

You kneading-trough, prepare some dough; You cyathus, pour forth wine; Where is the cup? come hither, cup, And empt and wash yourself.

Come up, O cake. You sir, you dish, Here, bring me up some beetroot.

Come hither, fish. "I can't, for I Am raw on t' other side."

Well, turn round then and baste yourself With oil and melted b.u.t.ter.

And immediately after this the man who takes up the opposite side of the argument says--

But argue thus: I on the other hand Shall first of all bring water for the hot baths On columns raised as through the Paeonium[421:1]

Down to the sea, so that the stream shall flow Direct to every private person's bath.

Then he shall speak and check the flowing water.

Then too an alabaster box of ointment Shall of its own accord approach the bather, And sponges suitable, and also slippers.

95. And Teleclides puts it better than the man whom I have just quoted, in his Amphictyons, where he says--

I will tell you now the life Which I have prepared for men.

First of all the lovely Peace Everywhere was always by, Like spring water which is poured O'er the hands of feasted guests.

The earth produced no cause for fear, No pains and no diseases.

And everything a man could want Came forth unask'd for to him.

The streams all ran with rosy wine, And barley-cakes did fight With wheaten loaves which first could reach A hungry man's open mouth.

And each entreated to be eaten, If men loved dainty whiteness.

Fish too came straight unto men's doors, And fried themselves all ready, Dish'd themselves up, and stood before The guests upon the tables.

A stream of soup did flow along In front of all the couches, Rolling down lumps of smoking meat; And rivulets of white sauce Brought to all such as chose to eat The sweetest forced-meat b.a.l.l.s.

So that there was no lack, but all Did eat whate'er they wanted.

Dishes there were of boil'd meat too, And sausages likewise and pasties; And roasted thrushes and rissoles Flew down men's throats spontaneously.

Then there were sounds of cheesecakes too Crush'd in men's hungry jaws: While the boys play'd with dainty bits Of tripe, and paunch, and liver.

No wonder men did on such fare Get stout and strong as giants.

96. And in the name of Ceres, my companions, if these things went on in this way, I should like to know what need we should have of servants.

But the ancients, accustoming us to provide for ourselves, instructed us by their actions while they feasted us in words. But I, in order to show you in what manner succeeding poets (since the most admirable Cratinus brandished the before-cited verses like a torch) imitated and amplified them, have quoted these plays in the order in which they were exhibited.

And if I do not annoy you, (for as for the Cynics I do not care the least bit for them,) I will quote to you some sentences from the other poets, taking them also in regular order; one of which is that strictest Atticist of all, namely, Pherecrates; who in his Miners says--

_A._ But all those things were heap'd in confusion By o'ergrown wealth, abounding altogether In every kind of luxury. There were rivers With tender pulse and blackest soup o'erflowing, Which ran down brawling through the narrow dishes, Bearing the crusts and spoons away in the flood.

Then there were dainty closely kneaded cakes; So that the food, both luscious and abundant, Descended to the gullets of the dead.

There were black-puddings and large boiling slices Of well-mix'd sausages, which hiss'd within The smoking streamlet in the stead of oysters.

There too were cutlets of broil'd fish well season'd With sauce of every kind, and cook, and country.

There were huge legs of pork, most tender meat, Loading enormous platters; and boil'd pett.i.toes Sending a savoury steam; and paunch of ox; And well-cured chine of porker, red with salt, A dainty dish, on fried meat b.a.l.l.s upraised.

There too were cakes of groats well steep'd in milk, In large flat dishes, and rich plates of beestings.

_B._ Alas, you will destroy me. Why do you Remain here longer, when you thus may dive Just as you are beneath deep Tartarus?

_A._ What will you say then when you hear the rest?

For roasted thrushes nicely brown'd and hot Flew to the mouths o' the guests, entreating them To deign to swallow them, besprinkled o'er With myrtle leaves and flowers of anemone, And plates of loveliest apples hung around Above our heads, hanging in air as it seem'd.

And maidens in the most transparent robes, Just come to womanhood, and crowned with roses, Did through a strainer pour red mantling cups Of fragrant wine for all who wish'd to drink.

And whatsoe'er each guest did eat or drink Straight reappear'd in twofold quant.i.ty.

97. And in his Persians he says--

But what need, I pray you now, Have we of all you ploughmen, Or carters, mowers, reapers too, Or coopers, or bra.s.s-founders?

What need we seed, or furrow's line?

For of their own accord Rivers do flow down every road (Though half choked up with comfits) Of rich black soup, which rolls along Within its greasy flood Achilles's fat barley-cake, And streams of sauce which flow Straight down from Plutus's own springs, For all the guests to relish.

Meantime Jove rains down fragrant wine, As if it were a bath, And from the roof red strings of grapes Hang down, with well made cakes, Water'd the while with smoking soup, And mix'd with savoury omelets.

E'en all the trees upon the hills Will put forth leaves of paunches, Kids' paunches, and young cuttle-fish, And smoking roasted thrushes.

98. And why need I quote in addition to this the pa.s.sages from the Tagenistae of the incomparable Aristophanes? And as to the pa.s.sage in the Acharnenses, you are all of you full of it. And when I have just repeated the pa.s.sage out of the Thurio-Persae of Metagenes I will say no more, and discard all notice of the Sirens of Nicophon, in which we find the following lines--

Let it now snow white cakes of pulse; Let loaves arise like dew; let it rain soup; Let gravy roll down lumps of meat i' the roads, And cheese-cakes beg the wayfarer to eat them.

But Metagenes says this--

The river Crathis bears down unto us Huge barley-cakes, self-kneaded and self-baked.

The other river, called the Sybaris, Rolls on large waves of meat and sausages, And boiled rays all wriggling the same way.

And all these lesser streamlets flow along With roasted cuttle-fish, and crabs, and lobsters; And, on the other side, with rich black-puddings And forced-meat stuffings; on the other side Are herbs and lettuces, and fried bits of pastry.

Above, fish cut in slices and self-boil'd Rush to the mouth; some fall before one's feet, And dainty cheese-cakes swim around us everywhere.

And I know too that the Thurio-Persae and the play of Nicophon were never exhibited at all; on which account I mentioned them last.

99. Democritus now having gone through this statement distinctly and intelligently, all the guests praised him; but Cynulcus said,--O messmates, I was exceedingly hungry, and Democritus has given me no unpleasant feast; carrying me across rivers of ambrosia and nectar. And I, having my mind watered by them, have now become still more exceedingly hungry, having hitherto swallowed nothing but words; so that now it is time to desist from this interminable discussion, and, as the Paeanian orator says, to take some of these things, "which if they do not put strength into a man, at all events prevent his dying"--

For in an empty stomach there's no room For love of beauteous objects, since fair Venus Is always hostile to a hungry man;

as Achaeus says in aethon, a satyric drama. And it was borrowing from him that the wise Euripides wrote--

Venus abides in fulness, and avoids The hungry stomach.

And Ulpian, who was always fond of contradicting him, said in reply to this,--But still,

The market is of herbs and loaves too full.

But you, you dog, are always hungry, and do not allow us to partake of, or I should rather say devour, good discussion in sufficient plenty: for good and wise conversation is the food of the mind. And then turning to the servant he said,--O Leucus, if you have any remnants of bread, give them to the dogs. And Cynulcus rejoined,--If I had been invited here only to listen to discussions, I should have taken care to come when the forum was full;[425:1] for that is the time which one of the wise men mentioned to me as the hour for declamations, and the common people on that account have called it p???a???a:

But if we are to bathe and sup on words, Then I my share contribute as a listener;

as Menander says; on which account I give you leave, you glutton, to eat your fill of this kind of food--