Read Ebook: The Deipnosophists; or Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus Vol. 2 (of 3) by Athenaeus Of Naucratis Yonge Charles Duke Translator

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 2470 lines and 167543 words, and 50 pages

The Phagesia--Fish--Epicures--Cooks--Sharks--Fish--Glaucus --Eels--The Tunny-fish--Fish--Pike--Fish--The Polypus 433-521

Aquatic Animals--Fish--Recommendations to present Enjoyment-- Fish--Hyperides--Epicures--Stratonicus--Aristotle--Aristotle's Natural History--Fish--The Swallow--Ephesus--Names of Feasts --Feasts--The Dole-basket 523-576

The words ??????? and ??????--The word ??????--Turnips-- Cabbage--Leeks--Poultry--Anaxandrides--Pigs--Cooks--Use of particular Words--Learned Cooks--Cooks--Use of particular Words--Made Dishes--Pheasants--The Porphyrion--Partridges--The Bustard--Sparrows--Quails --Pigeons--Ducks--Sucklings--Attic form of Nouns in ??-- Loins--Hares--The word ???????--Dinners--Cookery--Chamaeleon-- Bean Soup--Soap--Towels 576-648

Ulysses--Voracity of certain Persons--Of Mithridates--Of the Boeotians--Of the Thessalians--Menedemus--Praise of Temperance--Stilpo--Mixing Wine--Cupbearers--Drinking--The Proportions of Mixed Wine--Drinking--Wine--Lacedaemonian Fashions--Thirst--Philip of Macedon--Arcadion--Dionysius --Antiochus Epiphanes--Demetrius--Female Drinkers--The Illyrians--Evils of Drunkenness Forms of ????-- ??????--Riddles--??????--Euripides--??????--Enigmatical Sayings--Capping Verses--?????? 648-725

Cups--Drinking Pledges--Athenian Banquets--Drinking-cups --The Pleiades--Meaning of particular Words--Drinking--cups --Plato. 725-815

He lay within the cave stretch'd o'er the sheep ;

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.

Amphis says in his Leucas--

Whoever buys some ???? for his supper, And, when he might get real genuine fish, Contents himself with radishes, is mad.

And that you may find it easy to remember what was said, I will arrange the names in alphabetical order. For as Sophocles, in his Ajax Mastigophorus, called fish ?????, saying--

He gave him to the ????? ????? to eat;

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 ????????????? , am well aware that the man who wrote the poem Titanomachia , 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--

In it did swim the gold-faced ????? ??????, And sported in the sea's ambrosial depths.

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.

But when you were eating the fat amiae.

And Epicharmus in his Sirens says--

And Aristotle, inquiring into the etymology of the name, says that they were called amiae, ???? ?? ??? ????? ???? ???????????? . But Icesius, in his treatise on the Materials of Food, says that they are full of a wholesome juice, and tender, but only of moderate excellency as far as their digestible properties go, and not very nutritious.

But towards the end of autumn, when the Pleiad Has hidden its light, then dress the amiae 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 AEgaean sea, They're quite a different thing, in flavour worse As well as size, and merit far less praise.

A horse from Thessaly, a wife from Sparta, And men who drink at Arethusa's fount.

And Chrysippus, a man who was a genuine philosopher, and a thorough man at all points, says that he was the teacher of Epicurus, and of all those who follow his rules, in everything which belongs to pleasure, which is the ruin of everything. For Epicurus says, without any concealment, but speaking with a loud voice, as it were, "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.

And in his play entitled the Homicide, the same Plato, laughing at one of those gentle philosophers, says--

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.

And Hegesippus, in his Philetairi, says--

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.

Seeking at all times to indulge his stomach, Than which there's no more greedy thing on earth.

For, on account of his stomach, and of the rest of his sensual pleasures, the man was always flattering Idomeneus and Metrodorus. And Metrodorus himself, not at all disguising this admirable principle of his, says, somewhere or other, "The fact is, Timocrates, my natural philosopher, that every investigation which is guided by principles of nature, fixes its ultimate aim entirely on gratifying the stomach." For Epicurus was the tutor of all these men; who said, shouting it out, as I may say, "The fountain and root of every good is the pleasure of the stomach: and all wise rules, and all superfluous rules, are measured alike by this standard." And in his treatise on the Chief Good, he speaks nearly as follows: "For I am not able to understand what is good, if I leave out of consideration the pleasures which arise from delicately-flavoured food, and if I also leave out the pleasures which arise from amatory indulgences; and if I also omit those which arise from music, and those, too, which are derived from the contemplation of beauty and the gratification of the eyesight." And, proceeding a little further, he says, "All that is beautiful is naturally to be honoured; and so is virtue, and everything of that sort, if it assists in producing or causing pleasure. But if it does not contribute to that end, then it may be disregarded.

For when a man contemns and ceases thus To seek for pleasure, I do not esteem That such an one doth live; I only deem him A breathing corpse:--he may, indeed, perhaps Have store of wealth within his joyless house; He may keep up a kingly pomp and state; But if these things be not with joy attended, They are mere smoke and shadow, and contribute, No, not one jot, to make life enviable.

And Philetaerus says, in his Huntress,--

For what, I pray you, should a mortal do, But seek for all appliances and means To make his life from day to day pass happily? This should be all our object and our aim, Reflecting on the chance of human life. And never let us think about to-morrow, Whether it will arrive at all or not. It is a foolish trouble to lay up Money which may become stale and useless.

And the same poet says, in his OEnopion,--

But every man who lives but sparingly, Having sufficient means, I call and think Of all men the most truly miserable. For when you're dead, you cannot then eat eels; No wedding feasts are cook'd in Pluto's realms.

O men, whoe'er you are, why do you now Scorn pleasant living, and turn all your thoughts To do each other mischief in fierce war? In God's name, tell me, does some odious fate, Rude and unlettered, destitute of all That can be knowledge call'd, or education, Ignorant of what is bad and what is good, Guide all your destiny?--a fate which settles

All your affairs at random by mere chance? I think it must be so: for else, what deity Who bears a Grecian heart, would ever choose To see Greeks by each other thus despoil'd, And falling dead in ghastly heaps of corpses, When she might see them sportive, gay, and jesting, Drinking full cups, and singing to the flute? Tell me, my friend, I pray, and put to shame This most unpolish'd clownish fortune.

And, presently afterwards, he says--

Does not a life like this deserve the name Of godlike?--Think how far more pleasant all Affairs would be in all the towns of Greece Than now they are, if we were but to change Our fashions, and our habits, and our principles One little bit. Why should we not proclaim, "Whoe'er is more than thirty years of age, Let him come forth and drink. Let all the cavalry Go to a feast at Corinth, for ten days, Crown'd with chaplets, and perfumed most sweetly. Let all who radishes have got to sell Come in the morning here from Megara. Bid all th' allies now hasten to the bath, And mix in cups the rich Euboean wine?"-- Sure this is real luxury and life, But we are slaves to a most clownish fortune.

When it is time to set , he now begins To sit at table . But there is a time To love, a time to wed, a time to cease.

The fish that lives in seaweed, the alphestes, The scorpion also with its rosy meat.

And Epicharmus, in his Marriage of Hebe, says--

Mussels, alphestae, and the girl-like fish, The dainty coracinus.

Mithaecus also mentions it in his Culinary Art.

The sword-fish and the chromius too, Who, as Ananius tells us, Is far the best of all in spring; But th' anthias in the winter.

And Ananius speaks as follows:--

For spring the chromius is best; The anthias in winter: But of all fish the daintiest Is a young shrimp in fig-leaves. In autumn there's a dainty dish, The meat of the she-goat; And when they pick and press the grapes, Young pigs are dainty eating. Then, too, young puppies you may eat, And hares, and also foxes. But when the grasshopper does sing, Just at the height of summer, Is the best time for mutton fat; Then, too, the sea-born tunny Will many a savoury dish afford, And beats his compeers all With garlic seasoning richly drest; Then, too, the fatted ox Is sweet to eat both late at night, And at a noon-day feast.

And I have quoted this piece of Ananius at length, thinking that it might give some suggestions to the present race of Epicures.

And then the high-priced ellops.

And the same poet says, subsequently--

He was the fish of which great Jupiter Once bought a pair for money, and enjoin'd His slaves to give him one, and Juno t'other.

But Dorion, in his treatise on Fish, says that the anthias and the callicthys are different fish; and also that the callionymus is not the same as the ellops.

The pompilus, who points the safest road To anxious mariners who burn with love, And without speaking warns them against danger.

And Alexander the AEtolian, in his Crica, if indeed it is a genuine poem, says--

Still did the pompilus direct the helm, Swimming behind, and guide it down the gulf, The minister of the gods, the sacred pompilus.

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet