On this condition I will be the cook;Nor shall all Sicily boast that even sheProduced so great an artist as to fish,Nor Elis either, where I've seen the fleshOf dainty sucking-pigs well brown'd beforeA rapid fire.
On this condition I will be the cook;Nor shall all Sicily boast that even sheProduced so great an artist as to fish,Nor Elis either, where I've seen the fleshOf dainty sucking-pigs well brown'd beforeA rapid fire.
On this condition I will be the cook;Nor shall all Sicily boast that even sheProduced so great an artist as to fish,Nor Elis either, where I've seen the fleshOf dainty sucking-pigs well brown'd beforeA rapid fire.
On this condition I will be the cook;Nor shall all Sicily boast that even sheProduced so great an artist as to fish,Nor Elis either, where I've seen the fleshOf dainty sucking-pigs well brown'd beforeA rapid fire.
On this condition I will be the cook;
Nor shall all Sicily boast that even she
Produced so great an artist as to fish,
Nor Elis either, where I've seen the flesh
Of dainty sucking-pigs well brown'd before
A rapid fire.
And Alexis, in his Wicked Woman, says—
A delicate slice of tender sucking-pig,Bought for three obols, hot, and very juicy,When it is set before us.
A delicate slice of tender sucking-pig,Bought for three obols, hot, and very juicy,When it is set before us.
A delicate slice of tender sucking-pig,Bought for three obols, hot, and very juicy,When it is set before us.
A delicate slice of tender sucking-pig,Bought for three obols, hot, and very juicy,When it is set before us.
A delicate slice of tender sucking-pig,
Bought for three obols, hot, and very juicy,
When it is set before us.
PARTRIDGES.
"But the Athenians," as Philochorus tells us, "when they sacrifice to the Seasons, do not roast, but boil their meat, entreating the goddesses to defend them from all excessive droughts, and heats, and to give increase to their crops by means of moderate warmth and seasonable rains. For they argue that roasting is a kind of cookery which does less good to the meat, while boiling not only removes all its crudities, but has the power also of softening the hard parts, and of making all the rest digestible. And it makes the food more tender and wholesome, on which account they say also, that when meat has been once boiled, it ought not to be warmed up again by either roasting or boiling it; for any second process removes the good done by the first dressing, as Aristotle tells us. And roast meat is more crude and dry than boiled meat." But roast meat is called φλογίδες. Accordingly Strattis in his Callippides says, with reference to Hercules—
Immediately he caught up some large slices (φλογίδες)Of smoking roasted boar, and swallow'd them.
Immediately he caught up some large slices (φλογίδες)Of smoking roasted boar, and swallow'd them.
Immediately he caught up some large slices (φλογίδες)Of smoking roasted boar, and swallow'd them.
Immediately he caught up some large slices (φλογίδες)Of smoking roasted boar, and swallow'd them.
Immediately he caught up some large slices (φλογίδες)
Of smoking roasted boar, and swallow'd them.
And Archippus, in his Hercules Marrying, says—
The pettitoes of little pigs, well cook'dIn various fashion; slices, too, of bullsWith sharpen'd horns, and great long steaks of boar,All roasted (φλογίδες).
The pettitoes of little pigs, well cook'dIn various fashion; slices, too, of bullsWith sharpen'd horns, and great long steaks of boar,All roasted (φλογίδες).
The pettitoes of little pigs, well cook'dIn various fashion; slices, too, of bullsWith sharpen'd horns, and great long steaks of boar,All roasted (φλογίδες).
The pettitoes of little pigs, well cook'dIn various fashion; slices, too, of bullsWith sharpen'd horns, and great long steaks of boar,All roasted (φλογίδες).
The pettitoes of little pigs, well cook'd
In various fashion; slices, too, of bulls
With sharpen'd horns, and great long steaks of boar,
All roasted (φλογίδες).
73. But why need I say anything of partridges, when so much has already been said by you? However, I will not omit what is related by Hegesander in his Commentaries. For he says that the Samians, when sailing to Sybaris, having touched at the district called Siritis, were so alarmed at the noise made by partridges which rose up and flew away, that they fled, and embarked on board their ships, and sailed away.
Concerning hares also Chamæleon says, in his treatise on Simonides, that Simonides once, when supping with king Hiero, as there was no hare set on the table in front of him as there was before all the other guests, but as Hiero afterwards helped him to some, made this extempore verse—
Nor, e'en though large, could he reach all this way.
Nor, e'en though large, could he reach all this way.
Nor, e'en though large, could he reach all this way.
Nor, e'en though large, could he reach all this way.
Nor, e'en though large, could he reach all this way.
But Simonides was, in fact, a very covetous man, addicted to disgraceful gain, as we are told by Chamæleon. And accordingly in Syracuse, as Hiero used to send him everything necessary for his daily subsistence in great abundance, Simonides used to sell the greater partof what was sent to him by the king, and reserve only a small portion for his own use. And when some one asked him the reason of his doing so, he said—"In order that both the liberality of Hiero and my economy may be visible to every one."
The dish called udder is mentioned by Teleclides, in his Rigid Men, in the following lines—
Being a woman, 'tis but reasonableThat I should bring an udder.
Being a woman, 'tis but reasonableThat I should bring an udder.
Being a woman, 'tis but reasonableThat I should bring an udder.
Being a woman, 'tis but reasonableThat I should bring an udder.
Being a woman, 'tis but reasonable
That I should bring an udder.
But Antidotus uses not the word οὖθαÏ, but ὑπογάστÏιον, in his Querulous Man.
74. Matron, in his Parodies, speaks of animals being fattened for food, and birds also, in these lines—
Thus spake the hero, and the servants smiled,And after brought, on silver dishes piled,Fine fatten'd birds, clean singed around with flame,Like cheesecakes on the back, their age the same.
Thus spake the hero, and the servants smiled,And after brought, on silver dishes piled,Fine fatten'd birds, clean singed around with flame,Like cheesecakes on the back, their age the same.
Thus spake the hero, and the servants smiled,And after brought, on silver dishes piled,Fine fatten'd birds, clean singed around with flame,Like cheesecakes on the back, their age the same.
Thus spake the hero, and the servants smiled,And after brought, on silver dishes piled,Fine fatten'd birds, clean singed around with flame,Like cheesecakes on the back, their age the same.
Thus spake the hero, and the servants smiled,
And after brought, on silver dishes piled,
Fine fatten'd birds, clean singed around with flame,
Like cheesecakes on the back, their age the same.
And Sopater the farce-writer speaks of fattened sucking-pigs in his Marriage of Bacchis, saying this—
If there was anywhere an oven, thereThe well-fed sucking-pig did crackle, roasting.
If there was anywhere an oven, thereThe well-fed sucking-pig did crackle, roasting.
If there was anywhere an oven, thereThe well-fed sucking-pig did crackle, roasting.
If there was anywhere an oven, thereThe well-fed sucking-pig did crackle, roasting.
If there was anywhere an oven, there
The well-fed sucking-pig did crackle, roasting.
But Æschines uses the form δελφάκιον for δÎλφαξ in his Alcibiades, saying, "Just as the women at the cookshops breed sucking-pigs (δελφάκια)." And Antiphanes, in his Physiognomist, says—
Those women take the sucking-pigs (δελφάκια),And fatten them by force;
Those women take the sucking-pigs (δελφάκια),And fatten them by force;
Those women take the sucking-pigs (δελφάκια),And fatten them by force;
Those women take the sucking-pigs (δελφάκια),And fatten them by force;
Those women take the sucking-pigs (δελφάκια),
And fatten them by force;
And in his Persuasive Man he says—
To be fed up instead of pigs (δελφακίων).
To be fed up instead of pigs (δελφακίων).
To be fed up instead of pigs (δελφακίων).
To be fed up instead of pigs (δελφακίων).
To be fed up instead of pigs (δελφακίων).
Plato, however, has used the word δÎλφαξ in the masculine gender in his Poet, where he says—
Leanest of pigs (δÎλφακα ῥαιότατον).
Leanest of pigs (δÎλφακα ῥαιότατον).
Leanest of pigs (δÎλφακα ῥαιότατον).
Leanest of pigs (δÎλφακα ῥαιότατον).
Leanest of pigs (δÎλφακα ῥαιότατον).
And Sophocles, in his play called Insolence, says—
Wishing to eat τὸν δÎλφακα.
Wishing to eat τὸν δÎλφακα.
Wishing to eat τὸν δÎλφακα.
Wishing to eat τὸν δÎλφακα.
Wishing to eat τὸν δÎλφακα.
And Cratinus, in his Ulysses, has the expression—
Large pigs (δÎλφακας μεγάλους).
Large pigs (δÎλφακας μεγάλους).
Large pigs (δÎλφακας μεγάλους).
Large pigs (δÎλφακας μεγάλους).
Large pigs (δÎλφακας μεγάλους).
But Nicochares uses the word as feminine, saying—
A pregnant sow (κÏουσαν δÎλφακα);
A pregnant sow (κÏουσαν δÎλφακα);
A pregnant sow (κÏουσαν δÎλφακα);
A pregnant sow (κÏουσαν δÎλφακα);
A pregnant sow (κÏουσαν δÎλφακα);
And Eupolis, in his Golden Age, says—
Did he not serve up at the feast a sucking-pig (δÎλφακα),Whose teeth were not yet grown, a beautiful beast (καλήν)?
Did he not serve up at the feast a sucking-pig (δÎλφακα),Whose teeth were not yet grown, a beautiful beast (καλήν)?
Did he not serve up at the feast a sucking-pig (δÎλφακα),Whose teeth were not yet grown, a beautiful beast (καλήν)?
Did he not serve up at the feast a sucking-pig (δÎλφακα),Whose teeth were not yet grown, a beautiful beast (καλήν)?
Did he not serve up at the feast a sucking-pig (δÎλφακα),
Whose teeth were not yet grown, a beautiful beast (καλήν)?
And Plato, in his Io, says—
Bring hither now the head of the sucking-pig (τῆς δÎλφακος).
Bring hither now the head of the sucking-pig (τῆς δÎλφακος).
Bring hither now the head of the sucking-pig (τῆς δÎλφακος).
Bring hither now the head of the sucking-pig (τῆς δÎλφακος).
Bring hither now the head of the sucking-pig (τῆς δÎλφακος).
THE HELOTS.
Theopompus, too, in his Penelope, says—
And they do sacrifice our sacred pig (τὴν ίεÏὰν δÎλφακα).
And they do sacrifice our sacred pig (τὴν ίεÏὰν δÎλφακα).
And they do sacrifice our sacred pig (τὴν ίεÏὰν δÎλφακα).
And they do sacrifice our sacred pig (τὴν ίεÏὰν δÎλφακα).
And they do sacrifice our sacred pig (τὴν ίεÏὰν δÎλφακα).
Theopompus also speaks of fatted geese and fatted calves in the thirteenth book of his History of Philip, and in the eleventh book of his Affairs of Greece, where he is speaking of the temperance of the Lacedæmonians in respect of eating, writing thus—"And the Thasians sent to Agesilaus, when he arrived, all sorts of sheep and well-fed oxen; and beside this, every kind of confectionery and sweetmeat. But Agesilaus took the sheep and the oxen, but as for the confectionery and sweetmeats, at first he did not know what they meant, for they were covered up; but when he saw what they were, he ordered the slaves to take them away, saying that it was not the custom of the Lacedæmonians to eat such food as that. But as the Thasians pressed him to take them, he said, Carry them to those men (pointing to the Helots) and give them to them; saying that it was much better for those Helots to injure their health by eating them, than for himself and the Lacedæmonians whom he had with him." And that the Lacedæmonians were in the habit of treating the Helots with great insolence, is related also by Myron of Priene, in the second book of his History of Messene, where he says—"They impose every kind of insulting employment on the Helots, such as brings with it the most extreme dishonour; for they compel them to wear caps of dogskin, and cloaks also of skins; and every year they scourge them without their having committed any offence, in order to prevent their ever thinking of emancipating themselves from slavery. And besides all this, if any of them ever appear too handsome or distinguished-looking for slaves, they impose death as the penalty, and their masters also are fined for not checking them in their growth and fine appearances. And they give them each a certain piece of land, and fix a portion which they shall invariably bring them in from it."
The verb χηνίξω, to cackle like a goose (χὴν), is used and applied to those who play on the flute. Diphilus says in his Synoris—
Ἐχήνισας,—this noise is always madeBy all the pupils of Timotheus.
Ἐχήνισας,—this noise is always madeBy all the pupils of Timotheus.
Ἐχήνισας,—this noise is always madeBy all the pupils of Timotheus.
Ἐχήνισας,—this noise is always madeBy all the pupils of Timotheus.
Ἐχήνισας,—this noise is always made
By all the pupils of Timotheus.
75. And since there is a portion of a fore-quarter of pork which is called Ï€ÎÏνα placed before each of us, let us say something about it, if any one remembers having seen the word used anywhere.For the best Ï€ÎÏναι are those from Cisalpine Gaul: those from Cibyra in Asia are not much inferior to them, nor are those from Lycia. And Strabo mentions them in the third book of his Geography, (and he is not a very modern author). And he says also, in the seventh[101]book of the same treatise, that he was acquainted with Posidonius the Stoic philosopher, of whom we have often spoken as a friend of Scipio who took Carthage. And these are the words of Strabo—"In Spain, in the province of Aquitania, is the city Pompelo, which one may consider equivalent to Pompeiopolis, where admirable Ï€ÎÏναι are cured, equal to the Cantabrian hams."
The comic poet Aristomenes, in his Bacchus, speaks of meat cured by being sprinkled with salt, saying—
I put before you now this salted meat.
I put before you now this salted meat.
I put before you now this salted meat.
I put before you now this salted meat.
I put before you now this salted meat.
And in his Jugglers he says—
The servant always ate some salted crab.
76. But since we have here "fresh cheese (Ï„Ïόφαλις), the glory of fair Sicily," let us, my friends, also say something about cheese (Ï„Ï…Ïός). For Philemon, in his play entitled The Sicilian, says—
I once did think that Sicily could makeThis one especial thing, good-flavour'd cheese;But now I've heard this good of it besides,That not only is the cheese of Sicily good,But all its pigeons too: and if one speaksOf richly-broider'd robes, they are Sicilian;And so I think that island now suppliesAll sorts of dainties and of furniture.
I once did think that Sicily could makeThis one especial thing, good-flavour'd cheese;But now I've heard this good of it besides,That not only is the cheese of Sicily good,But all its pigeons too: and if one speaksOf richly-broider'd robes, they are Sicilian;And so I think that island now suppliesAll sorts of dainties and of furniture.
I once did think that Sicily could makeThis one especial thing, good-flavour'd cheese;But now I've heard this good of it besides,That not only is the cheese of Sicily good,But all its pigeons too: and if one speaksOf richly-broider'd robes, they are Sicilian;And so I think that island now suppliesAll sorts of dainties and of furniture.
I once did think that Sicily could makeThis one especial thing, good-flavour'd cheese;But now I've heard this good of it besides,That not only is the cheese of Sicily good,But all its pigeons too: and if one speaksOf richly-broider'd robes, they are Sicilian;And so I think that island now suppliesAll sorts of dainties and of furniture.
I once did think that Sicily could make
This one especial thing, good-flavour'd cheese;
But now I've heard this good of it besides,
That not only is the cheese of Sicily good,
But all its pigeons too: and if one speaks
Of richly-broider'd robes, they are Sicilian;
And so I think that island now supplies
All sorts of dainties and of furniture.
The Tromilican[102]cheese also has a high character, respecting which Demetrius the Scepsian writes thus in his second book of the Trojan Array—"Tromilea is a city of Achaia, near which a delicious cheese is made of goat's milk, not to be compared with any other kind, and it is called Tromilican. And Simonides mentions it in his Iambic poem, which begins thus—
You're taking wondrous trouble beforehand,Telembrotus:
You're taking wondrous trouble beforehand,Telembrotus:
You're taking wondrous trouble beforehand,Telembrotus:
You're taking wondrous trouble beforehand,Telembrotus:
You're taking wondrous trouble beforehand,
Telembrotus:
and in this poem he says—
And there is the fine Achaian cheese,Called the Tromilican, which I've brought with me.
And there is the fine Achaian cheese,Called the Tromilican, which I've brought with me.
And there is the fine Achaian cheese,Called the Tromilican, which I've brought with me.
And there is the fine Achaian cheese,Called the Tromilican, which I've brought with me.
And there is the fine Achaian cheese,
Called the Tromilican, which I've brought with me.
CHEESE.
And Euripides, in his Cyclops, speaks of a harsh-tasted cheese, which he calls ὀπίας Ï„Ï…Ïὸς, being curdled by the juice ὀπὸς of the fig-tree—
There is, too, Ï„Ï…Ïὸς ὀπίας, and Jove's milk.[103]
There is, too, Ï„Ï…Ïὸς ὀπίας, and Jove's milk.[103]
There is, too, Ï„Ï…Ïὸς ὀπίας, and Jove's milk.[103]
There is, too, Ï„Ï…Ïὸς ὀπίας, and Jove's milk.[103]
There is, too, Ï„Ï…Ïὸς ὀπίας, and Jove's milk.[103]
But since, by speaking in this way of all the things which are now put on the table before us, I am making the Tromilican cheese into the remains of the dessert, I will not continue this topic. For Eupolis calls the relics of sweetmeats (Ï„Ïαγημάτων) and confectionery ἀποτÏαγήματα. And ridiculing a man of the name of Didymias, he calls him the ἀποτÏάγημα of a fox, either because he was little in person, or as being cunning and mischievous, as Dorotheus of Ascalon says. There are also thin broad cheeses, which the Cretans call females, as Seleucus tells us, which they offer up at certain sacrifices. And Philippides, in his play called the Flutes, speaks of some called πυÏίεφθαι (and this is a name given to those made of cream), when he says—
Having these πυÏίεφθαι, and these herbs.
Having these πυÏίεφθαι, and these herbs.
Having these πυÏίεφθαι, and these herbs.
Having these πυÏίεφθαι, and these herbs.
Having these πυÏίεφθαι, and these herbs.
And perhaps all such things are included in this Macedonian term á¼Ï€Î¹Î´ÎµÎ¹Ï€Î½Î¯Î´ÎµÏ‚. For all these things are provocatives to drinking.
77. Now, while Ulpian was continuing the conversation in this way, one of the cooks, who made some pretence to learning, came in, and proclaimed μÏμα. And when many of us were perplexed at this proclamation, (for the rascal did not show what it was that he had,) he said;—You seem to me, O guests, to be ignorant that Cadmus, the grandfather of Bacchus, was a cook. And, as no one made any reply to this, he said; Euhemerus the Coan, in the third book of his Sacred History, relates that the Sidonians give this account, that Cadmus was the cook of the king, and that he, having taken Harmonia, who was a female flute-player and also a slave of the king, fled away with her.—
But shall I flee, who am a freeman born?
But shall I flee, who am a freeman born?
But shall I flee, who am a freeman born?
But shall I flee, who am a freeman born?
But shall I flee, who am a freeman born?
For no one can find any mention in any comedy of a cook being a slave, except in a play of Posidippus. But the introduction of slaves as cooks took place among the Macedonians first, who adopted this custom either out of insolence, or on account of the misfortunes of some cities whichhad been reduced to slavery. And the ancients used to call a cook who was a native of the country, Mæson; but if he was a foreigner, they called him Tettix. And Chrysippus the philosopher thinks the name Μαίσων is derived from the verb μασάομαι, to eat; a cook being an ignorant man, and the slave of his appetite; not knowing that Mæson was a comic actor, a Megarian by birth, who invented the mask which was called Μαίσων, from him; as Aristophanes of Byzantium tells us, in his treatise on Masks, where he says that he invented a mask for a slave and also one for a cook. So that it is a deserved compliment to him to call the jests which suit those characters μαισωνικά.
For cooks are very frequently represented on the stage as jesting characters; as, for instance, in the Men selecting an Arbitrator, of Menander. And Philemon in one of his plays says—
'Tis a male sphinx, it seems, and not a cook,That I've brought home; for, by the gods I swear,I do not understand one single wordOf all he says; so well provided is heWith every kind of new expression.
'Tis a male sphinx, it seems, and not a cook,That I've brought home; for, by the gods I swear,I do not understand one single wordOf all he says; so well provided is heWith every kind of new expression.
'Tis a male sphinx, it seems, and not a cook,That I've brought home; for, by the gods I swear,I do not understand one single wordOf all he says; so well provided is heWith every kind of new expression.
'Tis a male sphinx, it seems, and not a cook,That I've brought home; for, by the gods I swear,I do not understand one single wordOf all he says; so well provided is heWith every kind of new expression.
'Tis a male sphinx, it seems, and not a cook,
That I've brought home; for, by the gods I swear,
I do not understand one single word
Of all he says; so well provided is he
With every kind of new expression.
But Polemo says, in his writings which are addressed to Timæus, that Mæson was indeed a Megarian, but from Megara in Sicily, and not from Nisæa. And Posidippus speaks of slaves as cooks, in his Woman Shut out, where he says—
Thus have these matters happen'd: but just now,While waiting on my master, a good jokeOccurr'd to me; I never will be caughtStealing his meat.
Thus have these matters happen'd: but just now,While waiting on my master, a good jokeOccurr'd to me; I never will be caughtStealing his meat.
Thus have these matters happen'd: but just now,While waiting on my master, a good jokeOccurr'd to me; I never will be caughtStealing his meat.
Thus have these matters happen'd: but just now,While waiting on my master, a good jokeOccurr'd to me; I never will be caughtStealing his meat.
Thus have these matters happen'd: but just now,
While waiting on my master, a good joke
Occurr'd to me; I never will be caught
Stealing his meat.
And, in his Foster Brothers, he says—
A.Did you go out of doors, you who were cook?B.If I remain'd within I lost my supper.A.Let me then first  .  .  .  .B.Let me alone, I say;I'm going to the forum to sacrifice:A friend of mine, a comrade too in art,Has hired me.
A.Did you go out of doors, you who were cook?B.If I remain'd within I lost my supper.A.Let me then first  .  .  .  .B.Let me alone, I say;I'm going to the forum to sacrifice:A friend of mine, a comrade too in art,Has hired me.
A.Did you go out of doors, you who were cook?B.If I remain'd within I lost my supper.A.Let me then first  .  .  .  .B.Let me alone, I say;I'm going to the forum to sacrifice:A friend of mine, a comrade too in art,Has hired me.
A.Did you go out of doors, you who were cook?B.If I remain'd within I lost my supper.A.Let me then first  .  .  .  .B.Let me alone, I say;I'm going to the forum to sacrifice:A friend of mine, a comrade too in art,Has hired me.
A.Did you go out of doors, you who were cook?
B.If I remain'd within I lost my supper.
A.Let me then first  .  .  .  .
B.Let me alone, I say;
I'm going to the forum to sacrifice:
A friend of mine, a comrade too in art,
Has hired me.
78. And there was nothing extraordinary in the ancient cooks being experienced in sacrifices. At all events, they usually managed all marriage-feasts and sacrifices. On which account Menander, in his Flatterer, introduces a cook, who on the fourth day of the month had been ministering in the festival of Aphrodite Pandemus, using the following language—
COOKS.
Now a libation. Boy, distribute roundThe entrails. Whither are you looking now?Now a libation—quick! you Sosia, quick!Quick! a libation. That will do; now pour.First let us pray to the Olympian gods,And now to all the Olympian goddesses:Meantime address them; pray them all to giveUs safety, health, and all good things in future,And full enjoyment of all present happiness.Such shall be now our prayers.
Now a libation. Boy, distribute roundThe entrails. Whither are you looking now?Now a libation—quick! you Sosia, quick!Quick! a libation. That will do; now pour.First let us pray to the Olympian gods,And now to all the Olympian goddesses:Meantime address them; pray them all to giveUs safety, health, and all good things in future,And full enjoyment of all present happiness.Such shall be now our prayers.
Now a libation. Boy, distribute roundThe entrails. Whither are you looking now?Now a libation—quick! you Sosia, quick!Quick! a libation. That will do; now pour.First let us pray to the Olympian gods,And now to all the Olympian goddesses:Meantime address them; pray them all to giveUs safety, health, and all good things in future,And full enjoyment of all present happiness.Such shall be now our prayers.
Now a libation. Boy, distribute roundThe entrails. Whither are you looking now?Now a libation—quick! you Sosia, quick!Quick! a libation. That will do; now pour.First let us pray to the Olympian gods,And now to all the Olympian goddesses:Meantime address them; pray them all to giveUs safety, health, and all good things in future,And full enjoyment of all present happiness.Such shall be now our prayers.
Now a libation. Boy, distribute round
The entrails. Whither are you looking now?
Now a libation—quick! you Sosia, quick!
Quick! a libation. That will do; now pour.
First let us pray to the Olympian gods,
And now to all the Olympian goddesses:
Meantime address them; pray them all to give
Us safety, health, and all good things in future,
And full enjoyment of all present happiness.
Such shall be now our prayers.
And another cook, in Simonides, says—
And how I roasted, how I carved the meat,You know: what is there that I can't do well?
And how I roasted, how I carved the meat,You know: what is there that I can't do well?
And how I roasted, how I carved the meat,You know: what is there that I can't do well?
And how I roasted, how I carved the meat,You know: what is there that I can't do well?
And how I roasted, how I carved the meat,
You know: what is there that I can't do well?
And the letter of Olympias to Alexander mentions the great experience of cooks in these matters. For, his mother having been entreated by him to buy him a cook who had experience in sacrifices, proceeds to say, "Accept the cook Pelignas from your mother; for he is thoroughly acquainted with the manner in which all your ancestral sacrifices, and all the mysterious rites, and all the sacred mysteries connected with the worship of Bacchus are performed, and every other sacrifice which Olympias practises he knows. Do not then disregard him, but accept him, and send him back again to me at as early a period as possible."
79. And that in those days the cook's profession was a respectable one, we may learn from the Heralds at Athens. "For these men used to perform the duties of cooks and also of sacrifices of victims," as Clidemus tells us, in the first book of his Protogony; and Homer uses the verb á¿¥Îζω, as we use θÏω; but he uses θÏω as we do θυμιάω, for burning cakes and incense after supper. And the ancients used also to employ the verb δÏάω for to sacrifice; accordingly Clidemus says, "The heralds used to sacrifice (ἔδÏων) for a long time, slaying the oxen, and preparing them, and cutting them up, and pouring wine over them. And they were called κήÏυκες from the hero Ceryx; and there is nowhere any record of any reward being given to a cook, but only to a herald." For Agamemnon in Homer, although he is king, performs sacrifices himself; for the poet says—
With that the chief the tender victims slew,And in the dust their bleeding bodies threw;The vital spirit issued at the wound,And left the members quivering on the ground.[104]
With that the chief the tender victims slew,And in the dust their bleeding bodies threw;The vital spirit issued at the wound,And left the members quivering on the ground.[104]
With that the chief the tender victims slew,And in the dust their bleeding bodies threw;The vital spirit issued at the wound,And left the members quivering on the ground.[104]
With that the chief the tender victims slew,And in the dust their bleeding bodies threw;The vital spirit issued at the wound,And left the members quivering on the ground.[104]
With that the chief the tender victims slew,
And in the dust their bleeding bodies threw;
The vital spirit issued at the wound,
And left the members quivering on the ground.[104]
And Thrasymedes the son of Nestor, having taken an axe, slays the ox which was to be sacrificed, because Nestor himself was not able to doso, by reason of his old age; and his other brothers assisted him; so respectable and important was the office of a cook in those days. And among the Romans, the Censors,—and that was the highest office in the whole state,—clad in a purple robe, and wearing crowns, used to strike down the victims with an axe. Nor is it a random assertion of Homer, when he represents the heralds as bringing in the victims, and whatever else had any bearing on the ratification of oaths, as this was a very ancient duty of theirs, and one which was especially a part of their office—
Two heralds now, despatch'd to Troy, inviteThe Phrygian monarch to the peaceful rite;
Two heralds now, despatch'd to Troy, inviteThe Phrygian monarch to the peaceful rite;
Two heralds now, despatch'd to Troy, inviteThe Phrygian monarch to the peaceful rite;
Two heralds now, despatch'd to Troy, inviteThe Phrygian monarch to the peaceful rite;
Two heralds now, despatch'd to Troy, invite
The Phrygian monarch to the peaceful rite;
and again—
Talthybius hastens to the fleet, to bringThe lamb for Jove, th' inviolable king.[105]
Talthybius hastens to the fleet, to bringThe lamb for Jove, th' inviolable king.[105]
Talthybius hastens to the fleet, to bringThe lamb for Jove, th' inviolable king.[105]
Talthybius hastens to the fleet, to bringThe lamb for Jove, th' inviolable king.[105]
Talthybius hastens to the fleet, to bring
The lamb for Jove, th' inviolable king.[105]
And, in another passage, he says—
A splendid scene! Then Agamemnon rose;The boar Talthybius held; the Grecian lordDrew the broad cutlass, sheath'd beside his sword.[106]
A splendid scene! Then Agamemnon rose;The boar Talthybius held; the Grecian lordDrew the broad cutlass, sheath'd beside his sword.[106]
A splendid scene! Then Agamemnon rose;The boar Talthybius held; the Grecian lordDrew the broad cutlass, sheath'd beside his sword.[106]
A splendid scene! Then Agamemnon rose;The boar Talthybius held; the Grecian lordDrew the broad cutlass, sheath'd beside his sword.[106]
A splendid scene! Then Agamemnon rose;
The boar Talthybius held; the Grecian lord
Drew the broad cutlass, sheath'd beside his sword.[106]
80. And in the first book of the History of Attica, Clidemus says, that there was a tribe of cooks, who were entitled to public honours; and that it was their business to see that the sacrifices were performed with due regularity. And it is no violation of probability in Athenion, in his Samothracians, as Juba says, when he introduces a cook arguing philosophically about the nature of things and men, and saying—
A.Dost thou not know that the cook's art contributesMore than all others to true piety?B.Is it indeed so useful?A.Troth it is,You ignorant barbarian: it releasesMen from a brutal and perfidious life,And cannibal devouring of each other,And leads us to some order; teaching usThe regular decorum of the lifeWhich now we practise.B.How is that?A.Just listen.Once men indulged in wicked cannibal habits,And numerous other vices; when a manOf better genius arose, who firstSacrificed victims, and did roast their flesh;And, as the meat surpass'd the flesh of man,They then ate men no longer, but did slayThe herds and flocks, and roasted them and ate them.And when they once had got experienceOf this most dainty pleasure, they increasedIn their devotion to the cook's employment;COOKS.So that e'en now, remembering former days,They roast the entrails of their victims allUnto the gods, and put no salt thereon,For at the first beginning they knew notThe use of salt as seasoning; but nowThey have found out its virtue, so they use itAt their own meals, but in their holy offeringsThey keep their ancient customs; such as wereAt first the origin of safety to us:That love of art, and various seasoning,Which carries to perfection the cook's skill.B.Why here we have a new Palæphatus.A.And after this, as time advanced, a paunch,A well-stuff'd paunch was introduced  .  .  .  .*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *Then they wrapp'd up a fish, and quite conceal'd itIn herbs, and costly sauce, and groats, and honey;And as, persuaded by these dainty joysWhich now I mention, every one gave upHis practice vile of feeding on dead men,Men now began to live in company,Gathering in crowds; cities were built and settled;All owing, as I said before, to cooks.B.Hail, friend! you are well suited to my master.A.We cooks are now beginning our grand rites;We're sacrificing, and libations offering,Because the gods are most attentive to us,Pleased that we have found out so many things,Tending to make men live in peace and happiness.B.Well, say no more about your piety—A.I beg your pardon—B.But come, eat with me,And dress with skill whate'er is in the house.
A.Dost thou not know that the cook's art contributesMore than all others to true piety?B.Is it indeed so useful?A.Troth it is,You ignorant barbarian: it releasesMen from a brutal and perfidious life,And cannibal devouring of each other,And leads us to some order; teaching usThe regular decorum of the lifeWhich now we practise.B.How is that?A.Just listen.Once men indulged in wicked cannibal habits,And numerous other vices; when a manOf better genius arose, who firstSacrificed victims, and did roast their flesh;And, as the meat surpass'd the flesh of man,They then ate men no longer, but did slayThe herds and flocks, and roasted them and ate them.And when they once had got experienceOf this most dainty pleasure, they increasedIn their devotion to the cook's employment;COOKS.So that e'en now, remembering former days,They roast the entrails of their victims allUnto the gods, and put no salt thereon,For at the first beginning they knew notThe use of salt as seasoning; but nowThey have found out its virtue, so they use itAt their own meals, but in their holy offeringsThey keep their ancient customs; such as wereAt first the origin of safety to us:That love of art, and various seasoning,Which carries to perfection the cook's skill.B.Why here we have a new Palæphatus.A.And after this, as time advanced, a paunch,A well-stuff'd paunch was introduced  .  .  .  .*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *Then they wrapp'd up a fish, and quite conceal'd itIn herbs, and costly sauce, and groats, and honey;And as, persuaded by these dainty joysWhich now I mention, every one gave upHis practice vile of feeding on dead men,Men now began to live in company,Gathering in crowds; cities were built and settled;All owing, as I said before, to cooks.B.Hail, friend! you are well suited to my master.A.We cooks are now beginning our grand rites;We're sacrificing, and libations offering,Because the gods are most attentive to us,Pleased that we have found out so many things,Tending to make men live in peace and happiness.B.Well, say no more about your piety—A.I beg your pardon—B.But come, eat with me,And dress with skill whate'er is in the house.
A.Dost thou not know that the cook's art contributesMore than all others to true piety?B.Is it indeed so useful?A.Troth it is,You ignorant barbarian: it releasesMen from a brutal and perfidious life,And cannibal devouring of each other,And leads us to some order; teaching usThe regular decorum of the lifeWhich now we practise.B.How is that?A.Just listen.Once men indulged in wicked cannibal habits,And numerous other vices; when a manOf better genius arose, who firstSacrificed victims, and did roast their flesh;And, as the meat surpass'd the flesh of man,They then ate men no longer, but did slayThe herds and flocks, and roasted them and ate them.And when they once had got experienceOf this most dainty pleasure, they increasedIn their devotion to the cook's employment;COOKS.So that e'en now, remembering former days,They roast the entrails of their victims allUnto the gods, and put no salt thereon,For at the first beginning they knew notThe use of salt as seasoning; but nowThey have found out its virtue, so they use itAt their own meals, but in their holy offeringsThey keep their ancient customs; such as wereAt first the origin of safety to us:That love of art, and various seasoning,Which carries to perfection the cook's skill.B.Why here we have a new Palæphatus.A.And after this, as time advanced, a paunch,A well-stuff'd paunch was introduced  .  .  .  .*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *Then they wrapp'd up a fish, and quite conceal'd itIn herbs, and costly sauce, and groats, and honey;And as, persuaded by these dainty joysWhich now I mention, every one gave upHis practice vile of feeding on dead men,Men now began to live in company,Gathering in crowds; cities were built and settled;All owing, as I said before, to cooks.B.Hail, friend! you are well suited to my master.A.We cooks are now beginning our grand rites;We're sacrificing, and libations offering,Because the gods are most attentive to us,Pleased that we have found out so many things,Tending to make men live in peace and happiness.B.Well, say no more about your piety—A.I beg your pardon—B.But come, eat with me,And dress with skill whate'er is in the house.
A.Dost thou not know that the cook's art contributesMore than all others to true piety?B.Is it indeed so useful?A.Troth it is,You ignorant barbarian: it releasesMen from a brutal and perfidious life,And cannibal devouring of each other,And leads us to some order; teaching usThe regular decorum of the lifeWhich now we practise.B.How is that?A.Just listen.Once men indulged in wicked cannibal habits,And numerous other vices; when a manOf better genius arose, who firstSacrificed victims, and did roast their flesh;And, as the meat surpass'd the flesh of man,They then ate men no longer, but did slayThe herds and flocks, and roasted them and ate them.And when they once had got experienceOf this most dainty pleasure, they increasedIn their devotion to the cook's employment;COOKS.So that e'en now, remembering former days,They roast the entrails of their victims allUnto the gods, and put no salt thereon,For at the first beginning they knew notThe use of salt as seasoning; but nowThey have found out its virtue, so they use itAt their own meals, but in their holy offeringsThey keep their ancient customs; such as wereAt first the origin of safety to us:That love of art, and various seasoning,Which carries to perfection the cook's skill.B.Why here we have a new Palæphatus.A.And after this, as time advanced, a paunch,A well-stuff'd paunch was introduced  .  .  .  .*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *Then they wrapp'd up a fish, and quite conceal'd itIn herbs, and costly sauce, and groats, and honey;And as, persuaded by these dainty joysWhich now I mention, every one gave upHis practice vile of feeding on dead men,Men now began to live in company,Gathering in crowds; cities were built and settled;All owing, as I said before, to cooks.B.Hail, friend! you are well suited to my master.A.We cooks are now beginning our grand rites;We're sacrificing, and libations offering,Because the gods are most attentive to us,Pleased that we have found out so many things,Tending to make men live in peace and happiness.B.Well, say no more about your piety—A.I beg your pardon—B.But come, eat with me,And dress with skill whate'er is in the house.
A.Dost thou not know that the cook's art contributes
More than all others to true piety?
B.Is it indeed so useful?
A.Troth it is,
You ignorant barbarian: it releases
Men from a brutal and perfidious life,
And cannibal devouring of each other,
And leads us to some order; teaching us
The regular decorum of the life
Which now we practise.
B.How is that?
A.Just listen.
Once men indulged in wicked cannibal habits,
And numerous other vices; when a man
Of better genius arose, who first
Sacrificed victims, and did roast their flesh;
And, as the meat surpass'd the flesh of man,
They then ate men no longer, but did slay
The herds and flocks, and roasted them and ate them.
And when they once had got experience
Of this most dainty pleasure, they increased
In their devotion to the cook's employment;
COOKS.
So that e'en now, remembering former days,
They roast the entrails of their victims all
Unto the gods, and put no salt thereon,
For at the first beginning they knew not
The use of salt as seasoning; but now
They have found out its virtue, so they use it
At their own meals, but in their holy offerings
They keep their ancient customs; such as were
At first the origin of safety to us:
That love of art, and various seasoning,
Which carries to perfection the cook's skill.
B.Why here we have a new Palæphatus.
A.And after this, as time advanced, a paunch,
A well-stuff'd paunch was introduced  .  .  .  .
*Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *
Then they wrapp'd up a fish, and quite conceal'd it
In herbs, and costly sauce, and groats, and honey;
And as, persuaded by these dainty joys
Which now I mention, every one gave up
His practice vile of feeding on dead men,
Men now began to live in company,
Gathering in crowds; cities were built and settled;
All owing, as I said before, to cooks.
B.Hail, friend! you are well suited to my master.
A.We cooks are now beginning our grand rites;
We're sacrificing, and libations offering,
Because the gods are most attentive to us,
Pleased that we have found out so many things,
Tending to make men live in peace and happiness.
B.Well, say no more about your piety—
A.I beg your pardon—
B.But come, eat with me,
And dress with skill whate'er is in the house.
81. And Alexis, in his Caldron, shows plainly that cookery is an art practised by freeborn men; for a cook is represented in that play as a citizen of no mean reputation; and those who have written cookery books, such as Heraclides and Glaucus the Locrian, say that the art of cookery is one in which it is not even every freeborn man who can become eminent. And the younger Cratinus, in his play called the Giants, extols this art highly, saying—
A.Consider, now, how sweet the earth doth smell,How fragrantly the smoke ascends to heaven:There lives, I fancy, here within this caveSome perfume-seller, or Sicilian cook.B.The scent of both is equally delicious.
A.Consider, now, how sweet the earth doth smell,How fragrantly the smoke ascends to heaven:There lives, I fancy, here within this caveSome perfume-seller, or Sicilian cook.B.The scent of both is equally delicious.
A.Consider, now, how sweet the earth doth smell,How fragrantly the smoke ascends to heaven:There lives, I fancy, here within this caveSome perfume-seller, or Sicilian cook.B.The scent of both is equally delicious.
A.Consider, now, how sweet the earth doth smell,How fragrantly the smoke ascends to heaven:There lives, I fancy, here within this caveSome perfume-seller, or Sicilian cook.B.The scent of both is equally delicious.
A.Consider, now, how sweet the earth doth smell,
How fragrantly the smoke ascends to heaven:
There lives, I fancy, here within this cave
Some perfume-seller, or Sicilian cook.
B.The scent of both is equally delicious.
And Antiphanes, in his Slave hard to Sell, praises the Sicilian cooks, and says—
And at the feast, delicious cakes,Well season'd by Sicilian art.
And at the feast, delicious cakes,Well season'd by Sicilian art.
And at the feast, delicious cakes,Well season'd by Sicilian art.
And at the feast, delicious cakes,Well season'd by Sicilian art.
And at the feast, delicious cakes,
Well season'd by Sicilian art.
And Menander, in his Spectre, says—
Do ye applaud,If the meat's dress'd with rich and varied skill.
Do ye applaud,If the meat's dress'd with rich and varied skill.
Do ye applaud,If the meat's dress'd with rich and varied skill.
Do ye applaud,If the meat's dress'd with rich and varied skill.
Do ye applaud,
If the meat's dress'd with rich and varied skill.
But Posidippus, in his Man recovering his Sight, says—
I, having had one cook, have thoroughly learntAll the bad tricks of cooks, while they competeWith one another in their trade. One saidHis rival had no nose to judge of soupWith critical taste; that other hadA vicious palate; while a third could never(If you'd believe the rest) restrain his appetite,Without devouring half the meat he dress'd.This one loved salt too much, and that one vinegar;One burnt his meat; one gorged; one could not standThe smoke; a sixth could never bear the fire.At last they came to blows; and one of them,Shunning the sword, fell straight into the fire.
I, having had one cook, have thoroughly learntAll the bad tricks of cooks, while they competeWith one another in their trade. One saidHis rival had no nose to judge of soupWith critical taste; that other hadA vicious palate; while a third could never(If you'd believe the rest) restrain his appetite,Without devouring half the meat he dress'd.This one loved salt too much, and that one vinegar;One burnt his meat; one gorged; one could not standThe smoke; a sixth could never bear the fire.At last they came to blows; and one of them,Shunning the sword, fell straight into the fire.
I, having had one cook, have thoroughly learntAll the bad tricks of cooks, while they competeWith one another in their trade. One saidHis rival had no nose to judge of soupWith critical taste; that other hadA vicious palate; while a third could never(If you'd believe the rest) restrain his appetite,Without devouring half the meat he dress'd.This one loved salt too much, and that one vinegar;One burnt his meat; one gorged; one could not standThe smoke; a sixth could never bear the fire.At last they came to blows; and one of them,Shunning the sword, fell straight into the fire.
I, having had one cook, have thoroughly learntAll the bad tricks of cooks, while they competeWith one another in their trade. One saidHis rival had no nose to judge of soupWith critical taste; that other hadA vicious palate; while a third could never(If you'd believe the rest) restrain his appetite,Without devouring half the meat he dress'd.This one loved salt too much, and that one vinegar;One burnt his meat; one gorged; one could not standThe smoke; a sixth could never bear the fire.At last they came to blows; and one of them,Shunning the sword, fell straight into the fire.
I, having had one cook, have thoroughly learnt
All the bad tricks of cooks, while they compete
With one another in their trade. One said
His rival had no nose to judge of soup
With critical taste; that other had
A vicious palate; while a third could never
(If you'd believe the rest) restrain his appetite,
Without devouring half the meat he dress'd.
This one loved salt too much, and that one vinegar;
One burnt his meat; one gorged; one could not stand
The smoke; a sixth could never bear the fire.
At last they came to blows; and one of them,
Shunning the sword, fell straight into the fire.
And Antiphanes, in his Philotis, displaying the cleverness of the cooks, says—
A.Is not this, then, an owl?B.Aye, such as ISay should be dress'd in brine.A.Well; and this pike?B.Why roast him whole.A.This shark?B.Boil him in sauce.A.This eel?B.Take salt, and marjoram, and water.A.This conger?B.The same sauce will do for him.A.This ray?B.Strew him with herbs.A.Here is a sliceOf tunny.B.Roast it.A.And some venison.B.Roast it.A.Then here's a lot more meat.B.Boil all the rest.A.Here's a spleen.B.Stuff it.A.And a nestis.B.Bah!This man will kill me.
A.Is not this, then, an owl?B.Aye, such as ISay should be dress'd in brine.A.Well; and this pike?B.Why roast him whole.A.This shark?B.Boil him in sauce.A.This eel?B.Take salt, and marjoram, and water.A.This conger?B.The same sauce will do for him.A.This ray?B.Strew him with herbs.A.Here is a sliceOf tunny.B.Roast it.A.And some venison.B.Roast it.A.Then here's a lot more meat.B.Boil all the rest.A.Here's a spleen.B.Stuff it.A.And a nestis.B.Bah!This man will kill me.
A.Is not this, then, an owl?B.Aye, such as ISay should be dress'd in brine.A.Well; and this pike?B.Why roast him whole.A.This shark?B.Boil him in sauce.A.This eel?B.Take salt, and marjoram, and water.A.This conger?B.The same sauce will do for him.A.This ray?B.Strew him with herbs.A.Here is a sliceOf tunny.B.Roast it.A.And some venison.B.Roast it.A.Then here's a lot more meat.B.Boil all the rest.A.Here's a spleen.B.Stuff it.A.And a nestis.B.Bah!This man will kill me.
A.Is not this, then, an owl?B.Aye, such as ISay should be dress'd in brine.A.Well; and this pike?B.Why roast him whole.A.This shark?B.Boil him in sauce.A.This eel?B.Take salt, and marjoram, and water.A.This conger?B.The same sauce will do for him.A.This ray?B.Strew him with herbs.A.Here is a sliceOf tunny.B.Roast it.A.And some venison.B.Roast it.A.Then here's a lot more meat.B.Boil all the rest.A.Here's a spleen.B.Stuff it.A.And a nestis.B.Bah!This man will kill me.
A.Is not this, then, an owl?
B.Aye, such as I
Say should be dress'd in brine.
A.Well; and this pike?
B.Why roast him whole.
A.This shark?
B.Boil him in sauce.
A.This eel?
B.Take salt, and marjoram, and water.
A.This conger?
B.The same sauce will do for him.
A.This ray?
B.Strew him with herbs.
A.Here is a slice
Of tunny.
B.Roast it.
A.And some venison.
B.Roast it.
A.Then here's a lot more meat.
B.Boil all the rest.
A.Here's a spleen.
B.Stuff it.
A.And a nestis.B.Bah!
This man will kill me.
And Baton, in his Benefactors, gives a catalogue of celebrated cooks and confectioners, thus—
A.Well, O Sibynna, we ne'er sleep at nights,Nor waste our time in laziness: our lampIs always burning; in our hands a book;And long we meditate on what is left usBy—B.Whom?A.By that great Actides of Chios,Or Tyndaricus, that pride of Sicyon,Or e'en by Zopyrinus.B.Find you anything?A.Aye, most important things.B.But what? The dead  .  .  .  .
A.Well, O Sibynna, we ne'er sleep at nights,Nor waste our time in laziness: our lampIs always burning; in our hands a book;And long we meditate on what is left usBy—B.Whom?A.By that great Actides of Chios,Or Tyndaricus, that pride of Sicyon,Or e'en by Zopyrinus.B.Find you anything?A.Aye, most important things.B.But what? The dead  .  .  .  .
A.Well, O Sibynna, we ne'er sleep at nights,Nor waste our time in laziness: our lampIs always burning; in our hands a book;And long we meditate on what is left usBy—B.Whom?A.By that great Actides of Chios,Or Tyndaricus, that pride of Sicyon,Or e'en by Zopyrinus.B.Find you anything?A.Aye, most important things.B.But what? The dead  .  .  .  .
A.Well, O Sibynna, we ne'er sleep at nights,Nor waste our time in laziness: our lampIs always burning; in our hands a book;And long we meditate on what is left usBy—B.Whom?A.By that great Actides of Chios,Or Tyndaricus, that pride of Sicyon,Or e'en by Zopyrinus.B.Find you anything?A.Aye, most important things.B.But what? The dead  .  .  .  .
A.Well, O Sibynna, we ne'er sleep at nights,
Nor waste our time in laziness: our lamp
Is always burning; in our hands a book;
And long we meditate on what is left us
By—
B.Whom?
A.By that great Actides of Chios,
Or Tyndaricus, that pride of Sicyon,
Or e'en by Zopyrinus.
B.Find you anything?
A.Aye, most important things.
B.But what? The dead  .  .  .  .
THE THESSALIANS.
82. And such a food now is the μÏμα, which I, my friends, am bringing you; concerning which Artemidorus, the pupil of Aristophanes, speaks in his Dictionary of Cookery, saying that it is prepared with meat and blood, with the addition also of a great deal of seasoning. And Epænetus, in his treatise on Cookery, speaks as follows:—"One must make μÏμα of every kind of animal and bird, cutting up the tender parts of the meat into small pieces, and the bowels andentrails, and pounding the blood, and seasoning it with vinegar, and roasted cheese, and assafÅ“tida, and cummin-seed, and thyme (both green and dry), and savory, and coriander-seed (both green and dry), and leeks, and onions (cleaned and toasted), and poppy-seed, and grapes, and honey, and the pips of an unripe pomegranate. You may also make this μÏμα of fish."
83. And when this man had thus hammered on not only this dish but our ears also, another slave came in, bringing in a dish called ματτÏη. And when a discussion arose about this, and when Ulpian had quoted a statement out of the Dictionary of Cookery by the before-mentioned Artemidorus relating to it, Æmilianus said that a book had been published by Dorotheus of Ascalon, entitled, On Antiphanes, and on the dish called Mattya by the Poets of the New Comedy, which he says is a Thessalian invention, and that it became naturalized at Athens during the supremacy of the Macedonians. And the Thessalians are admitted to be the most extravagant of all the Greeks in their manner of dressing and living; and this was the reason why they brought the Persians down upon the Greeks, because they were desirous to imitate their luxury and extravagance. And Cratinus speaks of their extravagant habits in his treatise on the Thessalian Constitution. But the dish was called ματτÏη (as Apollodorus the Athenian affirms in the first book of his treatise on Etymologies), from the verb μασάομαι (to eat); as also are the words μαστίχη (mastich) and μάζα (barley-cake). But our own opinion is that the word is derived from μάττω, and that this is the verb from which μάζα itself is derived, and also the cheese-pudding called by the Cyprians μαγίς; and from this, too, comes the verb ὑπεÏμαζάω, meaning to be extravagantly luxurious. Originally they used to call this common ordinary food made of barley-meal μάζα, and preparing it they called μάττω. And afterwards, varying the necessary food in a luxurious and superfluous manner, they derived a word with a slight change from the form μάζα, and called every very costly kind of dish ματτÏη; and preparing such dishes they called ματτυάζω, whether it were fish, or poultry, or herbs, or beasts, or sweetmeats. And this is plain from the testimony of Alexis, quoted by Artemidorus; for Alexis, wishing to show the great luxuriousness of the way in which this dish was prepared, added the verb λÎπομαι. And the whole extract runs thus, being out of a corrected edition of a play which is entitledDemetrius:—
Take, then, this meat which thus is sent to you;Dress it, and feast, and drink the cheerful healths,λÎπεσθε, ματτυάζετε.
Take, then, this meat which thus is sent to you;Dress it, and feast, and drink the cheerful healths,λÎπεσθε, ματτυάζετε.
Take, then, this meat which thus is sent to you;Dress it, and feast, and drink the cheerful healths,λÎπεσθε, ματτυάζετε.
Take, then, this meat which thus is sent to you;Dress it, and feast, and drink the cheerful healths,λÎπεσθε, ματτυάζετε.
Take, then, this meat which thus is sent to you;
Dress it, and feast, and drink the cheerful healths,
λÎπεσθε, ματτυάζετε.
But the Athenians use the verb λÎπομαι for wanton and unseemly indulgence of the sensual appetites.
84. And Artemidorus, in his Dictionary of Cookery, explains ματτÏη as a common name for all kinds of costly seasonings; writing thus—"There is also a ματτÏης (he uses the word in the masculine gender) made of birds. Let the bird be killed by thrusting a knife into the head at the mouth; then let it be kept till the next day, like a partridge. And if you choose, you can leave it as it is, the wings on and with its body plucked." Then, having explained the way in which it is to be seasoned and boiled, he proceeds to say—"Boil a fat hen of the common poultry kind, and some young cocks just beginning to crow, if you wish to make a dish fit to be eaten with your wine. Then taking some vegetables, put them in a dish, and place upon them some of the meat of the fowl, and serve it up. But in summer, instead of vinegar, put some unripe grapes into the sauce, just as they are picked from the vine; and when it is all boiled, then take it out before the stones fall from the grapes, and shred in some vegetables. And this is the most delicious ματτÏης that there is."
Now, that ματτÏη, or ματτÏης, really is a common name for all costly dishes is plain; and that the same name was also given to a banquet composed of dishes of this sort, we gather from what Philemon says in his Man carried off:—
Put now a guard on me, while naked, andAmid my cups the ματτÏης shall delight me.
Put now a guard on me, while naked, andAmid my cups the ματτÏης shall delight me.
Put now a guard on me, while naked, andAmid my cups the ματτÏης shall delight me.
Put now a guard on me, while naked, andAmid my cups the ματτÏης shall delight me.
Put now a guard on me, while naked, and
Amid my cups the ματτÏης shall delight me.
And in his Homicide he says—
Let some one pour us now some wine to drink,And make some ματτÏη quick.
Let some one pour us now some wine to drink,And make some ματτÏη quick.
Let some one pour us now some wine to drink,And make some ματτÏη quick.
Let some one pour us now some wine to drink,And make some ματτÏη quick.
Let some one pour us now some wine to drink,
And make some ματτÏη quick.
MATTYH.
But Alexis, in his Pyraunus, has used the word in an obscure sense:—
But when I found them all immersed in business,I cried,—Will no one give us now a ματτÏη?
But when I found them all immersed in business,I cried,—Will no one give us now a ματτÏη?
But when I found them all immersed in business,I cried,—Will no one give us now a ματτÏη?
But when I found them all immersed in business,I cried,—Will no one give us now a ματτÏη?
But when I found them all immersed in business,
I cried,—Will no one give us now a ματτÏη?
as if he meant a feast here, though you might fairly refer the word merely to a single dish. Now Machon the Sicyonian is one of the comic poets who were contemporaries of Apollodorus of Carystus, but he did not exhibit his comedies atAthens, but in Alexandria; and he was an excellent poet, if ever there was one, next to those seven[107]of the first class. On which account, Aristophanes the grammarian, when he was a very young man, was very anxious to be much with him. And he wrote the following lines in his play entitled Ignorance:—
There's nothing that I'm fonder of than ματτÏη;But whether 'twas the MacedoniansWho first did teach it us, or all the gods,I know not; but it must have been a personOf most exalted genius.
There's nothing that I'm fonder of than ματτÏη;But whether 'twas the MacedoniansWho first did teach it us, or all the gods,I know not; but it must have been a personOf most exalted genius.
There's nothing that I'm fonder of than ματτÏη;But whether 'twas the MacedoniansWho first did teach it us, or all the gods,I know not; but it must have been a personOf most exalted genius.
There's nothing that I'm fonder of than ματτÏη;But whether 'twas the MacedoniansWho first did teach it us, or all the gods,I know not; but it must have been a personOf most exalted genius.
There's nothing that I'm fonder of than ματτÏη;
But whether 'twas the Macedonians
Who first did teach it us, or all the gods,
I know not; but it must have been a person
Of most exalted genius.
85. And that it used to be served up after all the rest of the banquet was over, is plainly stated by Nicostratus, in his Man expelled. And it is a cook who is relating how beautiful and well arranged the banquet was which he prepared; and having first of all related what the dinner and supper were composed of, and then mentioning the third meal, proceeds to say—
Well done, my men,—extremely well! but nowI will arrange the rest, and then the ματτÏη;So that I think the man himself will neverFind fault with us again.
Well done, my men,—extremely well! but nowI will arrange the rest, and then the ματτÏη;So that I think the man himself will neverFind fault with us again.
Well done, my men,—extremely well! but nowI will arrange the rest, and then the ματτÏη;So that I think the man himself will neverFind fault with us again.
Well done, my men,—extremely well! but nowI will arrange the rest, and then the ματτÏη;So that I think the man himself will neverFind fault with us again.
Well done, my men,—extremely well! but now
I will arrange the rest, and then the ματτÏη;
So that I think the man himself will never
Find fault with us again.
And in his Cook he says—
Thrium and candylus he never saw,Or any of the things which make a ματτÏη.
Thrium and candylus he never saw,Or any of the things which make a ματτÏη.
Thrium and candylus he never saw,Or any of the things which make a ματτÏη.
Thrium and candylus he never saw,Or any of the things which make a ματτÏη.
Thrium and candylus he never saw,
Or any of the things which make a ματτÏη.
And some one else says—
They brought, instead of a ματτÏη, some paunch,And tender pettitoes, and tripe, perhaps.
They brought, instead of a ματτÏη, some paunch,And tender pettitoes, and tripe, perhaps.
They brought, instead of a ματτÏη, some paunch,And tender pettitoes, and tripe, perhaps.
They brought, instead of a ματτÏη, some paunch,And tender pettitoes, and tripe, perhaps.
They brought, instead of a ματτÏη, some paunch,
And tender pettitoes, and tripe, perhaps.
But Dionysius, in his Man shot at with Javelins (and it is a cook who is represented speaking), says—
So that sometimes, when I a ματτÏηWas making for them, in haste would bring(More haste worse speed)....[108]
So that sometimes, when I a ματτÏηWas making for them, in haste would bring(More haste worse speed)....[108]
So that sometimes, when I a ματτÏηWas making for them, in haste would bring(More haste worse speed)....[108]
So that sometimes, when I a ματτÏηWas making for them, in haste would bring(More haste worse speed)....[108]
So that sometimes, when I a ματτÏη
Was making for them, in haste would bring
(More haste worse speed)....[108]
Philemon, also, in his Poor Woman—
When one can lay aside one's load, all dayMaking and serving out rich μάττυαι.
When one can lay aside one's load, all dayMaking and serving out rich μάττυαι.
When one can lay aside one's load, all dayMaking and serving out rich μάττυαι.
When one can lay aside one's load, all dayMaking and serving out rich μάττυαι.
When one can lay aside one's load, all day
Making and serving out rich μάττυαι.
But Molpis the Lacedæmonian says that what the Spartans call á¼Ï€Î±Î¯ÎºÎ»ÎµÎ¹Î±, that is to say, the second course, which is served up whenthe main part of the supper is over, is called μάττυαι by other tribes of Greece. And Menippus the Cynic, in his book called Arcesilaus, writes thus:—"There was a drinking-party formed by a certain number of revellers, and a Lacedæmonian woman ordered the ματτÏη to be served up; and immediately some little partridges were brought in, and some roasted geese, and some delicious cheesecakes."
But such a course as this the Athenians used to call á¼Ï€Î¹Î´ÏŒÏπισμα, and the Dorians á¼Ï€Î¬ÏŠÎºÎ»Î¿Î½; but most of the Greeks called it Ï„á½° á¼Ï€Î¯Î´ÎµÎ¹Ï€Î½Î± .
And when all this discussion about the ματτÏη was over, they thought it time to depart; for it was already evening. And so we parted.