Chapter 21

Anointed o'er with baccaris, and dressingAll his front hair with cooling fans of feathers.

Anointed o'er with baccaris, and dressing

All his front hair with cooling fans of feathers.

But Ion, in his Omphale, says—

'Tis better far to know the use of μύρα,And βάκκαρις, and Sardian ornaments,Than all the fashions in the Peloponnesus.

'Tis better far to know the use of μύρα,

And βάκκαρις, and Sardian ornaments,

Than all the fashions in the Peloponnesus.

And when he speaks of Sardian ornaments, he means to include perfumes; since the Lydians were very notorious for their luxury. And so Anacreon uses the word Λυδοπαθὴς (Lydian-like) as equivalent to ἡδυπαθὴς (luxurious). Sophocles also uses the word βάκκαρις; and Magnes, in his Lydians, says—

A man should bathe, and then with baccarisAnoint himself.

A man should bathe, and then with baccaris

Anoint himself.

Perhaps, however, μύρον and βάκκαρις were not exactly the same thing; for Æschylus, in his Amymone, makes a distinction between them, and says—

Your βακκάρεις and your μύρα.

And Simonides says—

And then with μύρον, and rich spices too,And βάκκαρις, did I anoint myself.

And then with μύρον, and rich spices too,

And βάκκαρις, did I anoint myself.

And Aristophanes, in his Thesmophoriazusæ, says—

PERFUMES.

O venerable Jove! with what a scentDid that vile bag, the moment it was open'd,O'erwhelm me, full of βάκκαρις and μύρον![136]

O venerable Jove! with what a scent

Did that vile bag, the moment it was open'd,

O'erwhelm me, full of βάκκαρις and μύρον![136]

42. Pherecrates mentions an unguent, which he calls βρένθιον, in his Trifles, saying—

I stood, and order'd him to pour upon usSome brenthian unguent, that he also mightPour it on those departing.

I stood, and order'd him to pour upon us

Some brenthian unguent, that he also might

Pour it on those departing.

And Crates mentions what he calls royal unguent, in his Neighbours; speaking as follows:—

He smelt deliciously of royal unguent.

But Sappho mentions the royal and the brenthian unguent together, as if they were one and the same thing; saying—

βρενθεΐῳ βασιληΐῳ,

Aristophanes speaks of an unguent which he calls ψάγδης, in his Daitaleis; saying—

Come, let me see what unguent I can give you:Do you like ψάγδης?

Come, let me see what unguent I can give you:

Do you like ψάγδης?

And Eupolis, in his Marica, says—

All his breath smells of ψάγδης.

Eubulus, in his Female Garland-seller's, says—

She thrice anointed with Egyptian psagdas (ψάγδανι).

Polemo, in his writings addressed to Adæus, says that there is an unguent in use among the Eleans called plangonium, from having been invented by a man named Plangon. And Sosibius says the same in his Similitudes; adding, that the unguent called megallium is so named for a similar reason: for that that was invented by a Sicilian whose name was Megallus. But some say that Megallus was an Athenian: and Aristophanes mentions him in his Telmissians, and so does Pherecrates in his Petale; and Strattis, in his Medea, speaks thus:—

And say that you are bringing her such unguents,As old Megallus never did compound,Nor Dinias, that great Egyptian, see,Much less possess.

And say that you are bringing her such unguents,

As old Megallus never did compound,

Nor Dinias, that great Egyptian, see,

Much less possess.

Amphis also, in his Ulysses, mentions the Megallian unguent in the following passage—

A.Adorn the walls all round with hangings rich,Milesian work; and then anoint them o'erWith sweet megallium, and also burnThe royal mindax.B.Where did you, O master,E'er hear the name of such a spice as that?

A.Adorn the walls all round with hangings rich,

Milesian work; and then anoint them o'er

With sweet megallium, and also burn

The royal mindax.

B.Where did you, O master,

E'er hear the name of such a spice as that?

Anaxandrides, too, in his Tereus, says—

And like the illustrious bride, great Basilis,She rubs her body with megallian unguent.

And like the illustrious bride, great Basilis,

She rubs her body with megallian unguent.

Menander speaks of an unguent made of spikenard, in his Cecryphalus, and says—

A.This unguent, boy, is really excellent.B.Of course it is, 'tis spikenard.

A.This unguent, boy, is really excellent.

B.Of course it is, 'tis spikenard.

43. And anointing oneself with an unguent of this description, Alcæus calls μυρίσασθαι, in his Palæstræ, speaking thus—

Having anointed her (μυρίσασα), she shut her upIn her own stead most secretly.

Having anointed her (μυρίσασα), she shut her up

In her own stead most secretly.

But Aristophanes uses not μυρίσματα, but μυρώματα, in his Ecclesiazusæ, saying—

I who 'm anointed (μεμύρισμαι) o'er my head with unguents(μυρώμασι).[137]

I who 'm anointed (μεμύρισμαι) o'er my head with unguents

(μυρώμασι).[137]

There was also an unguent called sagda, which is mentioned by Eupolis in his Coraliscus, where he writes—

And baccaris, and sagda too.

And it is spoken of likewise by Aristophanes, in his Daitaleis; and Eupolis in his Marica says—

And all his breath is redolent of sagda:

which expression Nicander of Thyatira understands to be meant as an attack upon a man who is too much devoted to luxury. But Theodoras says, that sagda is a species of spice used in fumigation.

44. Now a cotyla of unguent used to be sold for a high price at Athens, even, as Hipparchus says in his Nocturnal Festival, for as much as five minæ; but as Menander, in his Misogynist, states, for ten. And Antiphanes, in his Phrearrus, where he is speaking of the unguent called stacte, says—

The stacte at two minæ's not worth having.

Now the citizens of Sardis were not the only people addicted to the use of unguents, as Alexis says in his Maker of Goblets—

The whole Sardian people is of unguents fond;

PERFUMES.

but the Athenians also, who have always been the leaders of every refinement and luxury in human life, used them verymuch; so that among them, as has been already mentioned, they used to fetch an enormous price; but, nevertheless, they did not abstain from the use of them on that account; just as we now do not deny ourselves scents which are so expensive and exquisite that those things are mere trifles which are spoken of in the Settler of Alexis—

For he did use no alabaster boxFrom which t'anoint himself; for this is butAn ordinary, and quite old-fashion'd thing.But he let loose four doves all dipp'd in unguents,Not of one kind, but each in a different sort;And then they flew around, and hovering o'er us,Besprinkled all our clothes and tablecloths.Envy me not, ye noble chiefs of Greece;For thus, while sacrificing, I myselfWas sprinkled o'er with unguent of the iris.

For he did use no alabaster box

From which t'anoint himself; for this is but

An ordinary, and quite old-fashion'd thing.

But he let loose four doves all dipp'd in unguents,

Not of one kind, but each in a different sort;

And then they flew around, and hovering o'er us,

Besprinkled all our clothes and tablecloths.

Envy me not, ye noble chiefs of Greece;

For thus, while sacrificing, I myself

Was sprinkled o'er with unguent of the iris.

45. Just think, in God's name, my friends, what luxury, or I should rather say, what profuse waste it was to have one's garments sprinkled in this manner, when a man might have taken up a little unguent in his hands, as we do now, and in that manner have anointed his whole body, and especially his head. For Myronides says, in his treatise on Unguents and Garlands, that "the fashion of anointing the head at banquets arose from this:—that those men whose heads are naturally dry, find the humours which are engendered by what they eat, rise up into their heads; and on this account, as their bodies are inflamed by fevers, they bedew their heads with lotions, so as to prevent the neighbouring humours from rising into a part which is dry, and which also has a considerable vacuum in it. And so at their banquets, having consideration for this fact, and being afraid of the strength of the wine rising into their heads, men have introduced the fashion of anointing their heads, and by these means the wine, they think, will have less effect upon them, if they make their head thoroughly wet first. And as men are never content with what is merely useful, but are always desirous to add to that whatever tends to pleasure and enjoyment; in that way they have been led to adopt the use of unguents."

We ought, therefore, my good cynic Theodorus, to use at banquets those unguents which have the least tendency to produce heaviness, and to employ those which have astringentor cooling properties very sparingly. But Aristotle, that man of most varied learning, raises the question, "Why men who use unguents are more grey than others? Is it because unguents have drying properties by reason of the spices used in their composition, so that they who use them become dry, and the dryness produces greyness? For whether greyness arises from a drying of the hair, or from a want of natural heat, at all events dryness has a withering effect. And it is on this account too that the use of hats makes men grey more quickly; for by them the moisture which ought to nourish the hair is taken away."

46. But when I was reading the twenty-eighth book of the History of Posidonius, I observed, my friends, a very pleasant thing which was said about unguents, and which is not at all foreign to our present discussion. For the philosopher says—"In Syria, at the royal banquets, when the garlands are given to the guests, some slaves come in, having little bladders full of Babylonian perfumes, and going round the room at a little distance from the guests, they bedew their garlands with the perfumes, sprinkling nothing else." And since the discussion has brought us to this point, I will add

A verse to Love,

as the bard of Cythera says, telling you that Janus, who is worshipped as a great god by us, and whom we call Janus Pater, was the original inventor of garlands. And Dracon of Corcyra tells us this in his treatise on Precious Stones, where his words are—"But it is said that Janus had two faces, the one looking forwards and the other backwards; and that it is from him that the mountain Janus and the river Janus are both named, because he used to live on the mountain. And they say that he was the first inventor of garlands, and boats, and ships; and was also the first person who coined brazen money. And on this account many cities in Greece, and many in Italy and Sicily, place on their coins a head with two faces, and on the obverse a boat, or a garland, or a ship. And they say that he married his sister Camise, and had a son named Æthax, and a daughter Olistene. And he, aiming at a more extended power and renown, sailed over to Italy, and settled on a mountain near Rome, which was called Janiculum from his name."

LIBATIONS.

47. This, now, is what was said about perfumes and some unguents. And after this most of them asked for wine,some demanding the Cup of the Good Deity, others that of Health, and different people invoking different deities; and so they all fell to quoting the words of those poets who had mentioned libations to these different deities; and I will now recapitulate what they said, for they quoted Antiphanes, who, in his Clowns, says—

Harmodius was invoked, the pæan sung,Each drank a mighty cup to Jove the Saviour.

Harmodius was invoked, the pæan sung,

Each drank a mighty cup to Jove the Saviour.

And Alexis, in his Usurer, or The Liar, says—

A.Fill now the cup with the libation dueTo Jove the Saviour; for he surely isOf all the gods most useful to mankind.B.Your Jove the Saviour, if I were to burst,Would nothing do for me.A.Just drink, and trust him.

A.Fill now the cup with the libation due

To Jove the Saviour; for he surely is

Of all the gods most useful to mankind.

B.Your Jove the Saviour, if I were to burst,

Would nothing do for me.

A.Just drink, and trust him.

And Nicostratus, in his Pandrosos, says—

And so I will, my dear;But fill him now a parting cup to Health;Here, pour a due libation out to Health.Another to Good Fortune. Fortune managesAll the affairs of men; but as for Prudence,—That is a blind irregular deity.

And so I will, my dear;

But fill him now a parting cup to Health;

Here, pour a due libation out to Health.

Another to Good Fortune. Fortune manages

All the affairs of men; but as for Prudence,—

That is a blind irregular deity.

And in the same play he mentions mixing a cup in honour of the Good Deity, as do nearly all the poets of the old comedy; but Nicostratus speaks thus—

Fill a cup quickly now to the Good Deity,And take away this table from before me;For I have eaten quite enough;—I pledgeThis cup to the Good Deity;—here, quick, I say,And take away this table from before me.

Fill a cup quickly now to the Good Deity,

And take away this table from before me;

For I have eaten quite enough;—I pledge

This cup to the Good Deity;—here, quick, I say,

And take away this table from before me.

Xenarchus, too, in his Twins, says—

And now when I begin to nod my head,The cup to the Good Deity * * * * * *That cup, when I had drain'd it, near upset me;And then the next libation duly quaff'dTo Jove the Saviour, wholly wreck'd my boat,And overwhelm'd me as you see.

And now when I begin to nod my head,

The cup to the Good Deity * * * * * *

That cup, when I had drain'd it, near upset me;

And then the next libation duly quaff'd

To Jove the Saviour, wholly wreck'd my boat,

And overwhelm'd me as you see.

And Eriphus, in his Melibœa, says—

Before he'd drunk a cup to the Good Deity,Or to great Jove the Saviour.

Before he'd drunk a cup to the Good Deity,

Or to great Jove the Saviour.

48. And Theophrastus, in his essay on Drunkenness, says—"The unmixed wine which is given at a banquet, which they call the pledge-cup in honour of the Good Deity, they offer in small quantities, as if reminding the guests of its strength,and of the liberality of the god, by the mere taste. And they hand it round when men are already full, in order that there may be as little as possible drunk out of it. And having paid adoration three times, they take it from the table, as if they were entreating of the gods that nothing may be done unbecomingly, and that they may not indulge in immoderate desires for this kind of drink, and that they may derive only what is honourable and useful from it." And Philochorus, in the second book of his Atthis, says—"And a law was made at that time, that after the solid food is removed, a taste of the unmixed wine should be served round as a sort of sample of the power of the Good Deity, but that all the rest of the wine should be previously mixed; on which account the Nymphs had the name given them of Nurses of Bacchus." And that when the pledge-cup to the Good Deity was handed round, it was customary to remove the tables, is made plain by the wicked action of Dionysius the tyrant of Sicily. For there was a table of gold placed before the statue of Æsculapius at Syracuse; and so Dionysius, standing before it, and chinking a pledge-cup to the Good Deity, ordered the table to be removed.

But among the Greeks, those who sacrifice to the Sun, as Phylarchus tells us in the twelfth book of his History, make their libations of honey, as they never bring wine to the altars of the gods; saying that it is proper that the god who keeps the whole universe in order, and regulates everything, and is always going round and superintending the whole, should in no respect be connected with drunkenness.

49. Most writers have mentioned the Attic Scolia; and they are worthy also of being mentioned by me to you, on account of the antiquity and simple style of composition of the authors, and of those especially who gained a high reputation for that description of poetry, Alcæus and Anacreon; as Aristophanes says in his Daitaleis, where we find this line—

Come, then, a scolium sing to me,Of old Alcæus or Anacreon.

Come, then, a scolium sing to me,

Of old Alcæus or Anacreon.

SCOLIA.

Praxilla, the Sicyonian poetess, was also celebrated for the composition of scolia. Now they are called scolia, not because of the character of the verse in which they are written, as if it were σκολιὸς (crooked); for men call alsothose poems written in a laxer kind of metre σκολιά. But, "as there are three kinds of songs" (as Artemo of Cassandra says in the second book of his treatise on the Use of Books), "one or other of which comprehends everything which is sung at banquets; the first kind is that which it was usual for the whole party to sing; the second is that which the whole party indeed sang, not, however, together, but going round according to some kind of succession; the third is that which is ranked lowest of all, which was not sung by all the guests, but only by those who seemed to understand what was to be done, wherever they might happen to be sitting; on which account, as having some irregularity in it beyond what the other kinds had, in not being sung by all the guests, either together or in any definite kind of succession, but just as it might happen, it was called σκολιόν. And songs of this kind were sung when the ordinary songs, and those in which every one was bound to join, had come to an end. For then they invited all the more intelligent of the guests to sing some song worth listening to. And what they thought worth listening to were such songs as contained some exhortations and sentiments which seemed useful for the purposes of life."

50. And of these Deipnosophists, one quoted one scolium, and one another. And these were those which were recited—

O thou Tritonian Pallas, who from heaven aboveLook'st with protecting eyeOn this holy city and land,Deign our protectress now to proveFrom loss in war, from dread sedition's band.And death's untimely blow, thou and thy father Jove.

O thou Tritonian Pallas, who from heaven above

Look'st with protecting eye

On this holy city and land,

Deign our protectress now to prove

From loss in war, from dread sedition's band.

And death's untimely blow, thou and thy father Jove.

II.

I sing at this glad season, of the Queen,Mother of Plutus, heavenly Ceres;May you be ever near us,You and your daughter Proserpine,And ever as a friendThis citadel defend.

I sing at this glad season, of the Queen,

Mother of Plutus, heavenly Ceres;

May you be ever near us,

You and your daughter Proserpine,

And ever as a friend

This citadel defend.

III.

Latona once in Delos, as they say,Did two great children bear,Apollo with the golden hair,Bright Phœbus, god of day.And Dian, mighty huntress, virgin chaste.On whom all women's trust is placed.

Latona once in Delos, as they say,

Did two great children bear,

Apollo with the golden hair,

Bright Phœbus, god of day.

And Dian, mighty huntress, virgin chaste.

On whom all women's trust is placed.

IV.

Raise the loud shout to Pan, Arcadia's king;Praise to the Nymphs' loved comrade sing!Come, O Pan, and raise with meThe song in joyful ecstasy.

Raise the loud shout to Pan, Arcadia's king;

Praise to the Nymphs' loved comrade sing!

Come, O Pan, and raise with me

The song in joyful ecstasy.

We have conquer'd as we would,The gods reward us as they should,And victory bring from Pandrosos[138]to Pallas.

We have conquer'd as we would,

The gods reward us as they should,

And victory bring from Pandrosos[138]

to Pallas.

VI.

Oh, would the gods such grace bestow,That opening each man's breast,One might survey his heart, and knowHow true the friendship that could stand that test.

Oh, would the gods such grace bestow,

That opening each man's breast,

One might survey his heart, and know

How true the friendship that could stand that test.

VII.

Health's the best gift to mortal given;Beauty is next; the third great prizeIs to grow rich, free both from sin and vice;The fourth, to pass one's youth with friends beloved by heaven.

Health's the best gift to mortal given;

Beauty is next; the third great prize

Is to grow rich, free both from sin and vice;

The fourth, to pass one's youth with friends beloved by heaven.

And when this had been sung, and everybody had been delighted with it; and when it had been mentioned that even the incomparable Plato had spoken of this scolium as one most admirably written, Myrtilus said, that Anaxandrides the comic poet had turned it into ridicule in his Treasure, speaking thus of it—

The man who wrote this song, whoe'er he was,When he call'd health the best of all possessions,Spoke well enough. But when the second placeHe gave to beauty, and the third to riches,He certainly was downright mad; for surelyRiches must be the next best thing to health,For who would care to be a starving beauty?

The man who wrote this song, whoe'er he was,

When he call'd health the best of all possessions,

Spoke well enough. But when the second place

He gave to beauty, and the third to riches,

He certainly was downright mad; for surely

Riches must be the next best thing to health,

For who would care to be a starving beauty?

After that, these other scolia were sung—

VIII.

'Tis well to stand upon the shore,And look on others on the sea;But when you once have dipp'd your oar,By the present wind you must guided be.

'Tis well to stand upon the shore,

And look on others on the sea;

But when you once have dipp'd your oar,

By the present wind you must guided be.

IX.

A crab caught a snake in his claw,And thus he triumphantly spake,—"My friends must be guided by law,Nor love crooked counsels to take."

A crab caught a snake in his claw,

And thus he triumphantly spake,—

"My friends must be guided by law,

Nor love crooked counsels to take."

SCOLIA.

I'll wreathe my sword in myrtle-bough,The sword that laid the tyrant low,When patriots, burning to be free,To Athens gave equality.[139]

I'll wreathe my sword in myrtle-bough,

The sword that laid the tyrant low,

When patriots, burning to be free,

To Athens gave equality.[139]

XI.

Harmodius, hail! though reft of breath,Thou ne'er shalt feel the stroke of death.The happy heroes' isles shall beThe bright abode allotted thee.

Harmodius, hail! though reft of breath,

Thou ne'er shalt feel the stroke of death.

The happy heroes' isles shall be

The bright abode allotted thee.

XII.

I'll wreathe the sword in myrtle-bough,The sword that laid Hipparchus low,When at Minerva's adverse faneHe knelt, and never rose again.

I'll wreathe the sword in myrtle-bough,

The sword that laid Hipparchus low,

When at Minerva's adverse fane

He knelt, and never rose again.

XIII.

While Freedom's name is understood,You shall delight the wise and good;You dared to set your country free,And gave her laws equality.

While Freedom's name is understood,

You shall delight the wise and good;

You dared to set your country free,

And gave her laws equality.

XIV.

Learn, my friend, from Admetus' story,All worthy friends and brave to cherish;But cowards shun when danger comes,For they will leave you alone to perish,

Learn, my friend, from Admetus' story,

All worthy friends and brave to cherish;

But cowards shun when danger comes,

For they will leave you alone to perish,

XV.

Ajax of the ponderous spear, mighty son of Telamon,They call you bravest of the Greeks, next to the great Achilles,Telamon came first, and of the Greeks the second manWas Ajax, and with him there came invincible Achilles.

Ajax of the ponderous spear, mighty son of Telamon,

They call you bravest of the Greeks, next to the great Achilles,

Telamon came first, and of the Greeks the second man

Was Ajax, and with him there came invincible Achilles.

XVI.

Would that I were an ivory lyre,Struck by fair boys to great Iacchus' taste;Or golden trinket pure from fire,Worn by a lady fair, of spirit chaste.

Would that I were an ivory lyre,

Struck by fair boys to great Iacchus' taste;

Or golden trinket pure from fire,

Worn by a lady fair, of spirit chaste.

XVII.

Drink with me, and sport with me,Love with me, wear crowns with me,Be mad with me when I am moved with rage,And modest when I yield to counsels sage.

Drink with me, and sport with me,

Love with me, wear crowns with me,

Be mad with me when I am moved with rage,

And modest when I yield to counsels sage.

XVIII.

A scorpion 'neath every stone doth lie,And secrets usually hide treachery.

A scorpion 'neath every stone doth lie,

And secrets usually hide treachery.

XIX.

A sow one acorn has, and wants its brother;And I have one fair maid, and seek another.

A sow one acorn has, and wants its brother;

And I have one fair maid, and seek another.

XX.

A wanton and a bath-keeper both cherish the same fashion,Giving the worthless and the good the self-same bath to wash in.

A wanton and a bath-keeper both cherish the same fashion,

Giving the worthless and the good the self-same bath to wash in.

XXI.

Give Cedon wine, O slave, and fill it up,If you must give each worthy man a cup.

Give Cedon wine, O slave, and fill it up,

If you must give each worthy man a cup.

XXII.

Alas! Leipsydrium, you betrayA host of gallant men,Who for their country many a dayHave fought, and would again.And even when they fell, their raceIn their great actions you may trace.[140]

Alas! Leipsydrium, you betray

A host of gallant men,

Who for their country many a day

Have fought, and would again.

And even when they fell, their race

In their great actions you may trace.[140]

XXIII.

The man who never will betray his friend,Earns fame of which nor earth nor heaven shall see the end.

The man who never will betray his friend,

Earns fame of which nor earth nor heaven shall see the end.

Some also call that a scolium which was composed by Hybrias the Cretan; and it runs thus—

XXIV.

I have great wealth, a sword, and spear,And trusty shield beside me here;With these I plough, and from the vineSqueeze out the heart-delighting wine;They make me lord of everything.But they who dread the sword and spear,And ever trusty shield to bear,Shall fall before me on their knees,And worship me whene'er I please,And call me mighty lord and king.

I have great wealth, a sword, and spear,

And trusty shield beside me here;

With these I plough, and from the vine

Squeeze out the heart-delighting wine;

They make me lord of everything.

But they who dread the sword and spear,

And ever trusty shield to bear,

Shall fall before me on their knees,

And worship me whene'er I please,

And call me mighty lord and king.

SCOLIA.

51. After this, Democritus said;—But the song which was composed by that most learned writer, Aristotle, and addressed to Hermias[141]of Atarneus, is not a pæan, as was asserted by Demophilus, who instituted a prosecution against the philosopher, on the ground of impiety (having been suborned to actthe part of accuser by Eurymedon, who was ashamed to appear himself in the business). And he rested the charge of impiety on the fact of his having been accustomed to sing at banquets a pæan addressed to Hermias. But that this song has no characteristic whatever of a pæan, but is a species of scolium, I will show you plainly from its own language—

O virtue, never but by labour to be won,First object of all human life,For such a prize as theeThere is no toil, there is no strife,Nor even death which any Greek would shun;Such is the guerdon fair and free,And lasting too, with which thou dost thy followers grace,—Better than gold,Better than sleep, or e'en the glories oldOf high descent and noble race.For you Jove's mighty son, great Hercules,Forsook a life of ease;For you the Spartan brothers twainSought toil and danger, following your behestsWith fearless and unwearied breasts.Your love it was that fired and gaveTo early graveAchilles and the giant sonOf Salaminian Telamon.And now for you Atarneus' pride,Trusting in others' faith, has nobly died;But yet his nameShall never die, the Muses' holy trainShall bear him to the skies with deathless fame,Honouring Jove, the hospitable god,And honest hearts, proved friendship's blest abode.

O virtue, never but by labour to be won,

First object of all human life,

For such a prize as thee

There is no toil, there is no strife,

Nor even death which any Greek would shun;

Such is the guerdon fair and free,

And lasting too, with which thou dost thy followers grace,—

Better than gold,

Better than sleep, or e'en the glories old

Of high descent and noble race.

For you Jove's mighty son, great Hercules,

Forsook a life of ease;

For you the Spartan brothers twain

Sought toil and danger, following your behests

With fearless and unwearied breasts.

Your love it was that fired and gave

To early grave

Achilles and the giant son

Of Salaminian Telamon.

And now for you Atarneus' pride,

Trusting in others' faith, has nobly died;

But yet his name

Shall never die, the Muses' holy train

Shall bear him to the skies with deathless fame,

Honouring Jove, the hospitable god,

And honest hearts, proved friendship's blest abode.

52. Now I don't know whether any one can detect in this any resemblance to a pæan, when the author expressly states in it that Hermias is dead, when he says—

And now for you Atarneus' pride,Trusting in others' faith, has nobly died.

And now for you Atarneus' pride,

Trusting in others' faith, has nobly died.

Nor has the song the burden, which all pæans have, of Io Pæan, as that song written on Lysander the Spartan, which really is a pæan, has; a song which Duris, in his book entitled The Annals of the Samians, says is sung in Samos. That also was a pæan which was written in honour of Craterus the Macedonian, of which Alexinus the logician was the author, as Hermippus the pupil of Callimachus says in the first book of his Essay on Aristotle. And this song is sung at Delphi, with a boy playing the lyre as an accompanimentto it. The song, too, addressed to Agemon of Corinth, the father of Alcyone, which the Corinthians sang, contains the burden of the pæan. And this burden, too, is even added by Polemo Periegetes to his letter addressed to Aranthius. The song also which the Rhodians sing, addressed to Ptolemy the first king of Egypt, is a pæan: for it contains the burden Io Pæan, as Georgus tells us in his essay on the Sacrifices at Rhodes. And Philochorus says that the Athenians sing pæans in honour of Antigonus and Demetrius, which were composed by Hermippus of Cyzicus, on an occasion when a great many poets had a contest as to which could compose the finest pæan, and the victory was adjudged to Hermippus. And, indeed, Aristotle himself, in his Defence of himself from this accusation of impiety, (unless the speech is a spurious one,) says—"For if I had wished to offer sacrifice to Hermias as an immortal being, I should never have built him a tomb as a mortal; nor if I had wished to make him out to be a god, should I have honoured him with funeral obsequies like a man."

53. When Democritus had said this, Cynulcus said;—Why do you remind me of those cyclic poems, to use the words of your friend Philo, when you never ought to say anything serious or important in the presence of this glutton Ulpian? For he prefers lascivious songs to dignified ones; such, for instance, as those which are called Locrian songs, which are of a debauched sort of character, such as—

Do you not feel some pleasure now?Do not betray me, I entreat you.Rise up before the man comes back,Lest he should ill-treat you and me.'Tis morning now, dost thou not seeThe daylight through the windows?

Do you not feel some pleasure now?

Do not betray me, I entreat you.

Rise up before the man comes back,

Lest he should ill-treat you and me.

'Tis morning now, dost thou not see

The daylight through the windows?

PARODIES.

And all Phœnicia is full of songs of this kind; and he himself, when there, used to go about playing on the flute with the men who sing colabri.[142]And there is good authority, Ulpian, for this word κόλαβροι. For Demetrius the Scepsian, in the tenth book of his Trojan Array, speaks thus:—"Ctesiphon the Athenian, who was a composer of the songs called κόλαβροι, was made by Attalus, who succeeded Philetærus as king of Pergamus, judge of all his subjects in theÆolian district." And the same writer, in the nineteenth book of the same work, says that Seleucus the composer of merry songs was the son of Mnesiptolemus, who was an historian, and who had great interest with that Antiochus who was surnamed the Great. And it was very much the fashion to sing this song of his—

I will choose a single life,That is better than a wife;Friends in war a man stand by,While the wife stays at home to cry.

I will choose a single life,

That is better than a wife;

Friends in war a man stand by,

While the wife stays at home to cry.

54. And after this, looking towards Ulpian, he said;—But since you are out of humour with me, I will explain to you what the Syrbenæan chorus is. And Ulpian said;—Do you think, you wretch, that I am angry at what you say, or even that I pay the least attention to it, you shameless hound? But since you profess to teach me something, I will make a truce with you, not for thirty, but for a hundred years; only tell me what the Syrbenæan chorus is. Then, said he, Clearchus, my good friend, in the second book of his treatise on Education, writes thus—"There remains the Syrbenæan chorus, in which every one is bound to sing whatever he pleases, without paying the least attention to the man who sits in the post of honour and leads the chorus. And indeed he is only a more noisy spectator." And in the words of Matron the parodist—

For all thoe men who heroes were of old,Eubæus, and Hermogenes, and Philip,Are dead, and settlers in dark Pluto's realms;But Cleonicus has a life secureFrom all th' attacks of age; he's deeply skill'dIn all that bards or theatres concerns;And even now he's dead, great ProserpineAllows his voice still to be heard on earth.

For all thoe men who heroes were of old,

Eubæus, and Hermogenes, and Philip,

Are dead, and settlers in dark Pluto's realms;

But Cleonicus has a life secure

From all th' attacks of age; he's deeply skill'd

In all that bards or theatres concerns;

And even now he's dead, great Proserpine

Allows his voice still to be heard on earth.

But you, even while you are alive, ask questions about everything, but never give information on any subject yourself. And he replied, who . . . . ? while the truce between us lasts.

55. And Cynulcus said;—There have been many poets who have applied themselves to the composition of parodies, my good friend; of whom the most celebrated was Eubœus of Paros, who lived in the time of Philip; and he is the man who attacked the Athenians a great deal. And four books of his Parodies are preserved. And Timon also mentions him, inthe first book of his Silli. But Polemo, in the twelfth book of his Argument against Timæus, speaking of the men who have written parodies, writes thus—"And I should call Bœotus and Eubœus, who wrote parodies, men of great reputation, on account of their cleverness in sportive composition, and I consider that they surpass those ancient poets whose followers they were. Now, the invention of this kind of poetry we must attribute to Hipponax the Iambic poet. For he writes thus, in his Hexameters,—

Muse, sing me now the praises of Eurymedon,That great Charybdis of the sea, who holdsA sword within his stomach, never wearyWith eating. Tell me how the votes may passCondemning him to death, by public judgment,On the loud-sounding shore of the barren sea.

Muse, sing me now the praises of Eurymedon,

That great Charybdis of the sea, who holds

A sword within his stomach, never weary

With eating. Tell me how the votes may pass

Condemning him to death, by public judgment,

On the loud-sounding shore of the barren sea.

Epicharmus of Syracuse also uses the same kind of poetry, in a small degree, in some of his plays; and so does Cratinus, a poet of the old Comedy, in his Eunidæ, and so also does his contemporary, Hegemon of Thasos, whom they used to call Lentil. For he writes thus—

And when I Thasos reach'd they took up filth,And pelted me therewith, by which arousedThus a bystander spoke with pitiless heart:—O most accursed of men, who e'er advised youTo put such dirty feet in such fine slippers?And quickly I did this brief answer make:—'Twas gain that moved me, though against my will,(But I am old;) and bitter penury;Which many Thasians also drives on shipboard,Ill-manner'd youths, and long-ruin'd old men:Who now sing worthless songs about the place.Those men I join'd when fit for nothing else;But I will not depart again for gain,But doing nothing wrong, I'll here depositMy lovely money among the Thasians:Lest any of the Grecian dames at homeShould be enraged when they behold my wifeMaking Greek bread, a poor and scanty meal.Or if they see a cheesecake small, should say,—"Philion, who sang the 'Fierce Attack' at Athens,Got fifty drachmas, and yet this is allThat you sent home."—While I was thinking thus,And in my mind revolving all these things,Pallas Minerva at my side appear'd,And touch'd me with her golden sceptre, saying,"O miserable and ill-treated man,Poor Lentil, haste thee to the sacred games."Then I took heart, and sang a louder strain.

And when I Thasos reach'd they took up filth,

And pelted me therewith, by which aroused

Thus a bystander spoke with pitiless heart:—

O most accursed of men, who e'er advised you

To put such dirty feet in such fine slippers?

And quickly I did this brief answer make:—

'Twas gain that moved me, though against my will,

(But I am old;) and bitter penury;

Which many Thasians also drives on shipboard,

Ill-manner'd youths, and long-ruin'd old men:

Who now sing worthless songs about the place.

Those men I join'd when fit for nothing else;

But I will not depart again for gain,

But doing nothing wrong, I'll here deposit

My lovely money among the Thasians:

Lest any of the Grecian dames at home

Should be enraged when they behold my wife

Making Greek bread, a poor and scanty meal.

Or if they see a cheesecake small, should say,—

"Philion, who sang the 'Fierce Attack' at Athens,

Got fifty drachmas, and yet this is all

That you sent home."—While I was thinking thus,

And in my mind revolving all these things,

Pallas Minerva at my side appear'd,

And touch'd me with her golden sceptre, saying,

"O miserable and ill-treated man,

Poor Lentil, haste thee to the sacred games."

Then I took heart, and sang a louder strain.

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