The Deipnosophists, or Banquet of the Learned of Athenaeus Part 81

54. But, as Homer has said,

The eels and fish were startled,

Archilochus has also said, in a manner not inconsistent with that--

And you received full many sightless eels.

But the Athenians, as Tryphon says, form all the cases in the singular number with the ?, but do not make the cases in the plural in a similar manner. Accordingly, Aristophanes, in his Acharnensians, says--

Behold, O boys, the n.o.ble eel (???e???);

and, in his Lemnian Women, he says--

???e??? ????t?a?:

but he uses the nominative case in his Daitaleis--

And smooth too ?spe? ???e???.

And Cratinus, in his Pluti, says--

The tunny, orphus, grayling, eel, and sea-dog.

But the Attic writers do not form the cases in the plural number as Homer does. Aristophanes says, in his Knights--

For you have fared like men who're hunting eels (?????e??);

and, in his second edition of the Clouds, he says--

Imitating my images of the eels (???e????);

and in his Wasps we find the dative case--

I don't delight in rays nor in ?????es??

And Strattis, in his Potamii, said--

A cousin of the eels (???e????).

Simonides, too, in his Iambics, writes--

Like an eel (???e???) complaining of being slippery.

He also uses it in the accusative--

A kite was eating a Maeandrian eel (???e???), But a heron saw him and deprived him of it.

But Aristotle, in his treatise on Animals, writes the word with an ?, ???e???. But when Aristophanes, in his Knights, says--

Your fate resembles that of those who hunt For mud-fed eels. For when the lake is still Their labour is in vain. But if they stir The mud all up and down, they catch much fish.

And so you gain by stirring up the city;

he shows plainly enough that the eel is caught in the mud, (?? t?? ?????,) and it is from this word ???? that the name ???e??? ends in ??. The Poet, therefore, wishing to show that the violent effect of the fire reached even to the bottom of the river, spoke thus--The eels and fish were troubled; speaking of the eels separately and specially, in order to show the very great depth to which the water was influenced by the fire.

55. But Antiphanes, in his Lycon, jesting on the Egyptians after the manner of the comic poets, says--

They say in other things the Egyptian race Is clever also, since they think the eel On a level with the G.o.ds; or I may say By far more valuable. For, as to the G.o.ds,-- Those we gain over by our prayers alone; But as for eels, without you spend at least Twelve drachmas you can scarce get leave to smell them.

So it is altogether a holy beast.

And Anaxandrides, in his Cities, directing what he says to the Egyptians, speaks as follows--

I never could myself your comrade be, For neither do our manners nor our laws Agree with yours, but they are wholly different.

You do adore an ox; I sacrifice him To the great G.o.ds of heaven. You do think An eel the mightiest of deities; But we do eat him as the best of fish.

You eat no pork; I like it above all things.

You do adore a dog; but I do beat him If e'er I catch him stealing any meat.

Then our laws enjoin the priests to be Most perfect men; but yours are mutilated.

If you do see a cat in any grief You weep; but I first kill him and then skin him.

You have a great opinion of the shrew-mouse; But I have none at all.

And Timocles, in his Egyptians, says--

How can an ibis or a dog be able To save a man? For where with impious hearts Men sin against the all-acknowledged G.o.ds, And yet escape unpunish'd, who can think The altar of a cat will be more holy, Or prompter to avenge itself, than they?

56. But that men used to wrap eels up in beet, and then eat them, is a fact constantly alluded to in the poets of the old comedy; and Eubulus says in his Echo--

The nymph who never knew the joys of marriage, Clothed with rosy beet will now appear, Tho white-flesh'd eel. Hail, brilliant luminary, Great in my taste, and in your own good qualities.

And in his Ionian he says--

And after this were served up the rich Entrails of roasted tunnies; then there came Those natives of the lake, the holy eels, Botian G.o.ddesses; all clothed in beet.

And in his Medea he says--

The sweet Botian Copaic virgin; For I do fear to name the G.o.ddess.

And that the eels of the river Strymon were also celebrated, Antiphanes tells us in his Thamyras, saying--

And then your namesake river, far renown'd In all the mouths of men, the mighty Strymon, Who waters the rich warlike plains of Thrace, Breeds mighty eels.

And Demetrius the Scepsian, in the sixteenth book of his Trojan Array, says that there were eels of surpa.s.sing excellence produced in the neighbourhood of the river Euleus (and this river is mentioned by Antimachus in his work ent.i.tled The Tablets, where he says--

Arriving at the springs Where Euleus with his rapid eddies rises).

57. With respect to the ellops, some mention has already been made of him. But Archestratus also speaks in this way of him--

The best of ellopes which you can eat Come from the bay of famous Syracuse.

Those eat whene'er you can. For that's the place Whence this great fish originally came.

But those which are around the islands caught, Or any other land, or nigh to Crete, Too long have battled with the eddying currents, And so are thin and harder to the taste.