Athenaeus, Deipnosophists

§ 12.57b But the flowers of the Samians are the pre-eminent beauty of the men and women, and indeed of the whole city, at its festivals and banquets.” And these are the words of Clearchus. And I myself am acquainted with a narrow street in my native city of Alexandria, which to this very day is called the Happy Street, in which every apparatus of luxury used to be sold.

§ 12.58 But Aristotle, in his treatise on Admirable and Wonderful Things, says that “ Alcisthenes of Sybaris, out of luxury, had a garment prepared for him of such excessive expensiveness that he exhibited it at Lacinium, at the festival of Hera, at which all the Italians assemble, and that of all the things which were exhibited that was the most admired.” And he says that “ Dionysius the elder afterwards took possession of it, and sold it to the Carthaginians for a hundred and twenty talents.” Polemon also speaks of it in his book entitled, A Treatise concerning the Sacred Garments at Carthage. But concerning Smindyrides of Sybaris, and his luxury, Herodotus has told us, in his sixth book, saying that he sailed from Sybaris to court Agariste, the daughter of Cleisthenes the tyrant of Sikyon. “And,” says he, “there came from Italy Smindyrides, the son of Hippocrates, a citizen of Sybaris; who carried his luxury to the greatest height that ever was heard of among men. At all events he was attended by a thousand cooks and bird-catchers.” Timaeus also mentions him in his seventh book. But of the luxury of Dionysius the younger, who was also tyrant of Sicily, an account is given by Satyrus the Peripatetic, in his Lives. For he says that he used to fill rooms holding thirty couches with feasters. And Clearchus, in the fourth book of his Lives, writes as follows:- “But Dionysius, the son of Dionysius, the cruel oppressor of all Sicily, when he came to the city of the Locrians, which was his metropolis, (for Doris his mother was a Locrian woman by birth,) having strewed the floor of the largest house in the city with wild thyme and roses, sent for all the maidens of the Locrians in turn; and then rolled about naked, with them naked also, on this layer of flowers, omitting no circumstance of infamy. And so, not long afterwards, they who had been insulted in this manner having got his wife and children into their power, prostituted them in the public roads with great insult, sparing them no kind of degradation. And when they had wreaked their vengeance upon them, they thrust needles under the nails of their fingers, and put them to death with torture. And when they were dead, they pounded their bones in mortars, and having cut up and distributed the rest of their flesh, they imprecated curses on all who did not eat of it; and in accordance with this unholy imprecation, they put their flesh into the mills with the flour, that it might be eaten by all those who made bread. And all the other parts they sunk in the sea. But Dionysius himself, at last going about as a begging priest of Cybele, and beating the drum, ended his life very miserably. We, therefore, ought to guard against what is called luxury, which is the ruin of a man's life; and we ought to think insolence the destruction of everything.”

§ 12.59 But Diodorus Siculus, in his Historical Library, says that “the citizens of Acragas prepared for Gelon a very costly swimming-bath, being seven stades in circumference and twenty cubits deep; and water was introduced into it from the rivers and fountains, and it served for a great pond to breed fish in, and supplied great quantities of fish for the luxury and enjoyment of Gelon. A great number of swans also,” as he relates, “flew into it; so that it was a very beautiful sight. But afterwards the lake was destroyed by becoming filled with mud.”

§ 12.59b And Duris, in the (?) fourth book of his History of Agathocles, says that near the city of Hipponium a grove is shown of extraordinary beauty, excellently well watered; in which there is also a place called the Horn of Amaltheia; and that this grove was made by Gelon. But Silenus of Calatia, in the third book of his History of Sicily, says that near Syracuse there is a garden laid out in a most expensive manner, which is called Mythus, in which Hieron the king used to transact his business. And the whole country about Panormus in Sicily is called The Garden, because it is full of highly-cultivated trees, as Callias tells us in the eighth book of his History of Agathocles. And Poseidonius, in the eighth book of his History, speaking of Damophilus the Sicilian, by whose means it was that the Servile war was stirred up, and saying that he was a slave to his luxury, writes as follows:- “He therefore was a slave to luxury and debauchery. And he used to drive through the country on a four-wheeled chariot, taking with him horses, and servants of great personal beauty, and a disorderly crowd of flatterers and military boys running around his chariot. And ultimately he, with his whole family, perished in a disgraceful manner, being treated with the most extreme violence and insult by his own slaves.

§ 12.60 And Demetrius Phalereus, as Duris says in the sixteenth volume of his Histories, being possessed of a revenue of twelve hundred talents a year, and spending a small portion of it on his soldiers, and on the necessary expenses of the state, squandered all the rest of it on gratifying his innate love of debauchery, having splendid banquets every day, and a great number of guests to feast with him. And in the prodigality of his expense in his entertainments, he outdid even the Macedonians, and, at the same time, in the elegance of them, he surpassed the Cyprians and Phoenicians. And perfumes were sprinkled over the ground, and many of the floors in the men's apartments were inlaid with flowers, and were exquisitely wrought in other ways by the artists. There were also secret meetings with women, and other scenes more shameful still. And Demetrius, who gave laws to others, and who regulated the lives of others, exhibited in his own life an utter contempt of all law. He also paid great attention to his personal appearance, and dyed the hair of his head with a yellow colour, and anointed his face with rouge, and smeared himself over with other unguents also; for he was anxious to appear agreeable and beautiful in the eyes of all whom he met. And in the procession of the Dionysia, which he celebrated when he was archon [309/8 BCE] at Athens, a chorus sang an ode of Castorion of Soli, addressed to him, in which he was called, ”like the sun": And above all the noble prince Demetrius, like the sun in face, Honours you [ Dionysus ] with a holy worship. And Carystius of Pergamum, in the third book of his Commentaries, says- “ Demetrius Phalereus, when his brother Himeraeus was put to death by Antipater, was himself staying with Nicanor; and he was accused of having sacrificed the Epiphaneia in honour of his brother. And after he became a friend of Cassander, he was very powerful. And at first his dinner consisted of a kind of pickle, containing olives from all countries, and cheese from the islands; but when he became rich, he bought Moschion, the most skilful of all the cooks and confectioners of that age. And he had such vast quantities of food prepared for him every day, that, as he gave Moschion what was left each day, he ( Moschion ) in two years purchased three detached houses in the city; and insulted free-born boys, and some of the wives of the most eminent of the citizens: and all the boys envied Theognis, with whom he was in love. And so important an honour was it considered to be allowed to come near Demetrius, that, as he one day had walked about after dinner near the Tripods, on all the following days all the most beautiful boys came together to that place, in the hopes of being seen by him.”

§ 12.61 And Nicolaus the Peripatetic, in the (?) hundred and tenth book of his History, says that Lucullus, after he came to Rome and celebrated his triumph, and gave an account of the war against Mithridates, ran into the most unbounded extravagance, although he had previously been very moderate; and he was altogether the first guide to luxury, and the first example of it, among the Romans, having become master of the riches of two kings, Mithridates and Tigranes. And Sittius, also, was a man very notorious among the Romans for his luxury and effeminacy, as Rutilius tells us; for as to Apicius, we have already spoken of him. And almost all historians relate that Pausanias and Lysander were very notorious for their luxury; on which account Agis said of Lysander, that Sparta had produced him as a second Pausanias. But Theopompus, in the tenth book of his History of the Affairs of Greece, gives exactly the contrary account of Lysander, saying that “he was a most hard-working man, able to earn the goodwill of both private individuals and monarchs, being very moderate and temperate, and unaffected by all the allurements of pleasure; and accordingly, when he had become master of almost the whole of Greece, it will be found that he never in any city indulged in lustful excesses, or in unreasonable drinking parties and revels.”

§ 12.62 But luxury and extravagance were so very much practised among the ancients, that even Parrhasius the painter always wore a purple robe, and a golden crown on his head, as Clearchus relates, in his Lives: for he, being most immoderately luxurious, and also to a degree beyond what was becoming to a painter, laid claim, in words, to great virtue, and inscribed upon the works which were done by him- Parrhasius, a most luxurious (ἁβροδίαιτος) man, And yet a follower of purest virtue, Painted this work. But some one else, being indignant at this inscription, wrote by the side of it, ῥαβδοδίαιτος (worthy of a stick). Parrhasius also put the following inscription on many of his works: Parrhasius, a most luxurious man, And yet a follower of purest virtue, Painted this work: a worthy citizen Of noble Ephesus. His father's name Euenor was, and he, his lawful son, Was the foremost artist in all of Greece. He also boasted, in a way which no one could be indignant at, in the following lines: This will I say, though strange it may appear, That clear plain limits of this noble art Have been discovered by my hand, and proved. And now the boundary which none can pass Is well defined, though nought that men can do Will ever wholly escape blame or envy. And once, at Samos, when he was contending with a very inferior painter in a picture of Ajax, and was defeated, when his friends were sympathising with him and expressing their indignation, he said that he himself cared very little about it, but that he was sorry for Ajax, who was thus defeated a second time. And so great was his luxury, that he wore a purple robe, and a white turban on his head; and used to lean on a stick, ornamented all round with golden fretted work: and he used even to fasten the strings of his sandals with golden clasps. However, as regarded his art, he was not churlish or ill-tempered, but affable and good-humoured; so that he sang all the time that he was painting, as Theophrastus relates, in his treatise on Happiness. But once he spoke in a marvellously solemn strain, when he said, when he was painting the Heracles at Lindus, that the god had appeared to him in a dream, in that form and dress which was the best adapted for painting; on which account he inscribed on the picture- Here you may see the god as oft he stood Before Parrhasius in his sleep by night.

§ 12.63 We find also whole schools of philosophers which have openly professed to have made choice of pleasure. And there is the school called the Cyrenaic, which derives its origin from Aristippus the pupil of Socrates: and he devoted himself to pleasure in such a way, that he said that it was the main end of life; and that happiness was founded on it, and that happiness was at best but short-lived. And he, like the most debauched of men, thought that he had nothing to do either with the recollection of past enjoyments, or with the hope of future ones; but he judged of all good by the present alone, and thought that having enjoyed, and being about to enjoy, did not at all concern him; since the one case had no longer any existence, and the other did not yet exist and was necessarily uncertain: acting in this respect like thoroughly dissolute men, who are content with being prosperous at the present moment. And his life was quite consistent with his theory; for he spent the whole of it in all kinds of luxury and extravagance, both in perfumes, and dress, and women. Accordingly, he openly kept Lais as his mistress; and he delighted in all the extravagance of Dionysius, although he was often treated insultingly by him. Accordingly, Hegesander says that once, when he was assigned a very mean place at a banquet by Dionysius, he endured it patiently; and when Dionysius asked him what he thought of his present place, in comparison of his yesterday's seat, he said, “That the one was much the same as the other; for that one,” says he, “is a mean seat today, because it is deprived of me; but it was yesterday the most respectable seat in the room, owing to me: and this one today has become respectable, because of my presence in it; but yesterday it was an inglorious seat, as I was not present in it.” And in another place Hegesander says- “ Aristippus, being ducked with water by Dionysius' servants, and being ridiculed by Antiphon for bearing it patiently, said,'But suppose I had been out fishing, and got wet, was I to have left my employment, and come away?'” And Aristippus stayed a considerable time in Aigina, indulging in every kind of luxury; on which account Xenophon says in his Memorabilia [ 2. ], that Socrates often reproved him, and invented the parable of Virtue and Pleasure to apply it to him. And Aristippus said, respecting Lais, “I have her, and I am not possessed by her.” And when he was at the court of Dionysius, he once had a quarrel with some people about a choice of three women. And he used to wash with perfumes, and to say that — Even in the midst of Bacchanalian revels A modest woman will not be corrupted. And Alexis, turning him into ridicule in his Galateia, represents one of the slaves as speaking in the following manner of one of his disciples: For this my master once did turn his thoughts To study, when he was a stripling young, And set his mind to learn philosophy. And then a Cyrenaean, as he calls himself, Named Aristippus, an ingenious sophist, And far the first of all the men of his time, But also far the most intemperate, Was in the city. Him my master sought, Giving a talent to become his pupil: He did not learn, indeed, much skill or wisdom, But got instead a sad complaint on his chest. And Antiphanes, in his Antaeus, speaking of the luxurious habits of the philosophers, says- My friend, now do you know who this old man Is called? By his look he seems to be a Greek.

§ 12.63b His cloak is white, his tunic fawn-coloured His hat is soft, his stick of moderate size, His table scanty. Why need I say more, I seem to see the genuine Academy.

§ 12.64 And Aristoxenus the musician, in his Life of Archytas, represents ambassadors as having been sent by Dionysius the younger to the city of the Tarentines, among whom was Polyarchus, who was surnamed the Luxurious, a man wholly devoted to sensual pleasures, not only in deed, but in word and profession also. And he was a friend of Archytas, and not wholly unversed in philosophy; and so he used to come with him into the sacred precincts, and to walk with him and with his friends, listening to his lectures and arguments: and once, when there was a long dispute and discussion about the passions, and altogether about sensual pleasures, Polyarchus said- “I, indeed, my friends, have often considered the matter, and it has seemed to me that this system of the virtues is altogether a long way removed from nature; for nature, when it utters its own voice, orders one to follow pleasure, and says that this is the conduct of a wise man: but that to oppose it, and to bring one's appetites into a state of slavery, is neither the part of a wise man, nor of a fortunate man, nor indeed of one who has any accurate understanding of what the constitution of human nature really is. And it is a strong proof of this, that all men, when they have acquired any power worth speaking of, betake themselves to sensual pleasures, and think the power of indulging them the principal advantage to be gained from the possession of power, and everything else, so to say, as unimportant and superfluous. And we may adduce the example of the Persian king at present, and every other tyrant possessed of any power worth speaking of,- and in former times, the sovereigns of the Lydians and of the Medes,- and even in earlier times still, the tyrants of the [ Assyrians ] behaved in the same manner; for all these men left no kind of pleasure unexplored: and it is even said that rewards were offered by the Persians to any one who was able to invent a new pleasure. And it was a very wise offer to make; for the nature of man is soon satiated with long-continued pleasures, even if they be of a very exquisite nature. So that, since novelty has a very great effect in making a pleasure appear greater, we must not despise it, but rather pay great attention to it. And on this account it is that many different kinds of dishes have been invented, and many sorts of cakes; and many discoveries have been made in the articles of incenses and perfumes, and clothes, and beds, and, above all, of cups and other utensils. For all these things contribute some amount of pleasure, when the material which is admired by human nature is properly employed: and this appears to be the case with gold and silver, and with most things which are pleasing to the eye and also rare, and with all things which are elaborated to a high degree of perfection by manual arts and skill.”

§ 12.65 And having discussed after this all the attendance with which the king of the Persians is surrounded, and what a number of servants he has, and what their different offices are, and also about his amorous indulgences, and also about the sweet perfume of his skin, and his personal beauty, and the way in which he lives among his friends, and the pleasing sights or sounds which are sought out to gratify him, he said that he considered “the king of Persia the happiest of all men now alive. For there are pleasures prepared for him which are both most numerous and most perfect in their kind. And next to him,” said he, “any one may fairly rank our sovereign, though he falls far short of the king of Persia.

§ 12.65b For this latter has all Asia to supply him with luxury, but the store which supplies Dionysius will seem very contemptible if compared with his. That, then, such a life as his is worth struggling for, is plain from what has happened. For the Medes, after encountering the greatest dangers, deprived the [ Assyrians ] of the supremacy, for no other object except to possess themselves of the unrestrained affluence of the [ Assyrians ]. And the Persians overthrew the Medes for the same reason, namely, in order to have an unrestrained enjoyment of sensual pleasures. And the lawgivers who wish the whole race of men to be on an equality, and that no citizens shall indulge in superfluous luxury, have made some species of virtue hold its head up. And they have written laws about contracts and other matters of the same kind, and whatever appeared to be necessary for relationships within the state, and also with respect to dress, and to all the other circumstances of life, that they should be similar among all the citizens. And so, as all the lawgivers made war upon every kind of covetousness, then first the praises of justice began to be more thought of: and one of the poets spoke of- The golden face of justice; and in another passage some one speaks of- The golden eye of justice. And the very name of justice came to be accounted divine, so that in some countries there were altars erected and sacrifices instituted to Justice. And next to this they inculcated a respect for Sophrosyne and Enkrateia (temperance), and called an excess in enjoyment covetousness; so that a man who obeyed the laws and was influenced by the common conversation of men in general, was necessarily moderate with respect to sensual pleasures.”

§ 12.66 And Duris says, in the twenty-third volume of his History, that in ancient times the nobles had a definite fondness for getting drunk. On which account Homer represents Achilles as reproaching Agamemnon, and saying [Il. 1]- O thou whose senses are all dimmed with wine, Thou dog in forehead. And when he is describing the death of the king he makes Agamemnon say [ Od. 11' ]- Even in my mirth, and at the friendly feast, Over the full bowl the traitor stabbed his guest; pointing out that his death was partly caused by his fondness for drunkenness. Speusippus also, the relation of Plato, and his successor in his school, was a man very fond of pleasure. At all events Dionysius, the tyrant of Sicily, in his letter to him blaming him for his fondness for pleasure, reproaches him also for his covetousness, and for his love of Lastheneia the Arcadian, who had been a pupil of Plato.

§ 12.67 But not only did Aristippus and his followers embrace that pleasure which consists in motion, but also Epicurus and his followers did the same. And not to say anything of those sudden motions, and irritations, and titillations, and also those ticklings and stimuli which Epicurus often brings forward, I will merely cite what he has said in his treatise on the End. For he says- “For I am not able to perceive any good, if I take away all the pleasures which arise from flavours, and if I leave out of the question all the pleasures arising from amorous indulgences, and all those which are caused by hearing sweet sounds, and all those motions which are excited by figures which are pleasant to the sight.” And Metrodorus in his Epistles says- “My good natural philosopher Timocrates, reason which proceeds according to nature devotes its whole attention to the stomach.” And Epicurus says- “The origin and root of all good is the pleasure of the stomach; and all excessive efforts of wisdom have reference to the stomach.” And again, in his treatise concerning the End, he says- “You ought therefore to respect honour and the virtues, and all things of that sort, if they produce pleasure; but if they do not, then we may as well have nothing to do with them:” evidently in these words making virtue subordinate to pleasure, and performing as it were the part of a hand-maid to it.

§ 12.67b And in another place he says- “I spit upon honour, and those who worship it in a foolish manner, when it produces no pleasure.”

§ 12.68 Well then did the Romans, who are in every respect the most admirable of men, banish Alcaeus and Philiscus the Epicureans out of their city, when Lucius Postumius was consul [154 BCE], on account of the pleasures which they sought to introduce into the city. And in the same manner the Messenians by a public decree banished the Epicureans. But Antiochus the king banished all the philosophers out of his kingdom, writing thus- “King Antiochus to Phanias: We have written to you before, that no philosopher is to remain in the city, nor in the country. But we hear that there is no small number of them, and that they do great injury to the young men, because you have done none of the things about which we wrote to you. As soon, therefore, as you receive this letter, order a proclamation to be made, that all the philosophers do at once depart from those places, and that as many young men as are detected in going to them, shall be fastened to a pillar and flogged, and their fathers shall be held in great blame. And let not this order be transgressed. But before Epicurus, Sophocles the poet was a great instigator to pleasure, speaking as follows in his Antigone [ 1 ] — For when men utterly forsake all pleasure, I reckon such a man no longer living, But look upon him as a breathing corpse. He may have, if you like, great wealth at home, And go in monarch's guise; but if his wealth And power bring no pleasure to his mind, I would not for a moment deem it all Worth the shadow of smoke, compared with pleasure.

§ 12.69 ”And Lycon the Peripatetic," as Antigonus the Carystian says, “when as a young man he had come to Athens for the sake of his education, was most accurately informed about everything relating to banquets and drinking parties, and as to how much pay every courtesan required. But afterwards having become the chief man of the Peripatetic school, he used to entertain his friends at banquets with excessive arrogance and extravagance. For, besides the music which was provided at his entertainments, and the silver plate and coverlets which were exhibited, all the rest of the preparation and the superb character of the dishes was such, and the multitude of tables and cooks was so great, that many people were actually alarmed, and, though they wished to be admitted into his school, shrunk back, fearing to enter, as into a badly governed state, which was always burdening its citizens with the duty of choregus and other expensive offices. For men were compelled to undertake the regular office of manager of the Peripatetic school. And the duties of this office were, to superintend all the new students for thirty days, and see that they behaved appropriately. And then, on the last day of the month, having received nine obols from each of the new students, he received at supper not only all those who contributed their share, but all those also whom Lycon might chance to invite, and also all those of the elders who were diligent in attending the school; so that the money which was collected was not sufficient even for providing sufficient unguents and garlands. He also was bound to perform the sacrifices, and to oversee the rites of the Muses. All which duties appeared to have but little connexion with reason or with philosophy, but to be more akin to luxury and parade. For even if they did not compel any person to spend money on these objects, if he had only very scanty and meagre resources, yet the practice was very harmful. For Plato and Speusippus had not established these entertainments, in order that people might dwell upon the pleasures of dinner from day-break, or for the sake of getting drunk;

§ 12.69b but in order that men might appear to honour the Deity, and to associate with one another in a natural manner; and chiefly with a view to natural relaxation and conversation; all which things afterwards became in their eyes second to the softness of their garments, and to their indulgence in their before-mentioned extravagance. Nor do I except the rest. For Lycon, to gratify his luxurious and insolent disposition, had a room large enough to hold twenty couches, in the most frequented part of the city, in Conon's house, which was well adapted for him to give parties in. And Lycon was a skilful and clever player at ball.”

§ 12.70 And of Anaxarchus, Clearchus of Soli writes, in the fifth book of his Lives, in the following manner- “ Anaxarchus, who was one of those who called themselves Eudaemonists, after he had become a rich man through the folly of those men who supplied him with means out of their abundance, used to have a naked full-grown girl for his cup-bearer, who was superior in beauty to all her fellows; she, if one is to look at the real truth, thus exposing the intemperance of all those who employed her. And his baker used to knead the dough wearing gloves on his hands, and a cover on his mouth, to prevent any perspiration running off his hands, and also to prevent him from breathing on his cakes while he was kneading them.” So that a man might fairly quote to this wise philosopher the verses of Anaxilas in his Harp-maker — And anointing one's skin with a gold-coloured ointment, And wearing long cloaks reaching down to the ground, And the thinnest of slippers, and eating rich truffles, And the richest of cheese, and the newest of eggs; And all sorts of shell-fish, and drinking strong wine From the island of Chios, and having, besides, A lot of Ephesian beautiful letters, In carefully-sewn leather bags.

§ 12.71 But how far superior to these men is Gorgias of Leontini; of whom the same Clearchus says, in the eighth book of his Lives, that because of the temperance of his life he lived nearly (?) eighty years in the full possession of all his intellect and faculties. And when some one asked him what his mode of life had been which had caused him to live with such comfort, and to retain such full possession of his senses, he said, “I have never done anything merely for the sake of pleasure.” But Demetrius of Byzantium, in the fourth book of his treatise on Poems, says- “ Gorgias the Leontine, being once asked by some one what was the cause of his living more than a hundred years, said that it was because he had never done anything to please any one else except himself.” And Ochus, after he had had a long enjoyment of kingly power, and of all the other things which make life pleasant, being asked towards the close of his life by his eldest son, by what course of conduct he had preserved the kingly power for so many years, that he also might imitate it; replied, “By behaving justly towards all men and all gods.” And Carystius the Pergamene, in his Historical Commentaries, says- “ Cephisodorus the Theban relates that Polydorus the physician of Teos used to live with Antipater, and that he had a common kind of coarse carpet worked in rings like a coverlet, on which he used to recline; and bronze bowls and only a small number of cups; for that he was a man fond of plain living and averse to luxury.”

§ 12.72 But the story which we have of Tithonus represents him as a person sleeping from daybreak to sunset, so that his appetites scarcely awakened him by evening. On which account he was said to sleep with Dawn, because he was so wholly enslaved by his appetites. And as he was at a later period of life prevented from indulging them by old age, and being wholly dependent on them, he is (?) shut up in a bird-cage.

§ 12.72b And Melanthius, stretching out his neck, was choked by his enjoyments, being a greater glutton than the Melanthius of Odysseus. And many other men have destroyed their bodily strength entirely by their unreasonable indulgence; and some have become inordinately fat; and others have become stupid and insensible by reason of their inordinate luxury. Accordingly, Nymphis of Heracleia, in the second book of his History of Heracleia, says “ Dionysius the son of Clearchus, who was the first tyrant of Heracleia, and who was himself afterwards tyrant of his country, grew enormously fat without perceiving it, owing to his luxury and to his daily gluttony; so that on account of his obesity he was constantly oppressed by a difficulty of breathing and a feeling of suffocation. On which account his physicians ordered thin needles of an exceedingly great length to be made, to be run into his sides and chest whenever he fell into a deeper sleep than usual. And up to a certain point his flesh was so callous by reason of the fat, that it never felt the needles; but if ever they touched a part that was not so overloaded, then he felt them, and was awakened by them. And he used to give answers to people who came to him, holding a box in front of his body so as to conceal all the rest of his person, and leave only his face visible; and in this condition he conversed with those who came to him.” And Menander also, who was a person as little given to evil-speaking as possible, mentions Dionysius in his Fishermen, introducing some exiles from Heracleia as saying- For a fat pig was lying on his face; and in another place he says- He gave himself to luxury so wholly, That he could not last long to practise it; and again he says- Forming desires for myself, this death Does seem the only happy one,- to grow Fat in my heart and stomach, and so lie Flat on my back, and never say a word, Drawing my breath high up, eating my fill, And saying, “Here I waste away with pleasure.” And Dionysius died when he was fifty-five years of age, of which he had been tyrant thirty-three, being superior to all the tyrants who had preceded him in gentleness and humanity.

§ 12.73 And Ptolemaeus the Seventh, king of Egypt, was a man of this sort, the same who caused himself to be styled Euergetes ["Benefactor"], but who was called Cacergetes ["Malefactor"] by the Alexandrians. Accordingly, Poseidonius the Stoic, who went with Scipio Africanus when he was sent to Alexandria, and who there saw this Ptolemaeus, writes thus, in the seventh book of his History,- “But owing to his luxury his whole body was eaten up with fat, and with the greatness of his belly, which was so large that no one could put his arms all round it; and he wore over it a tunic which reached down to his feet, having sleeves which reached to his wrists, and he never by any chance walked out except on this occasion of Scipio's visit.” And that this king was not averse to luxury, he tells us when he speaks of himself, relating, in the eighth book of his Commentaries, how he was priest of Apollo at Cyrene, and how he gave a banquet to those who had been priests before him; writing thus:- “The Artemitia is the great festival of Cyrene, on which occasion the priest of Apollo (and that office is one which lasts a year) gives a banquet to all those who have been his predecessors in the office; and he sets before each of them a separate dish. And this dish is an earthenware vessel, holding about twenty artabae, in which there are many kinds of game elaborately dressed, and many kinds of bread, and of tame birds, and of sea-fish, and also many species of foreign preserved meats and pickled-fish.

§ 12.73b And very often some people also furnish them with a handsome youth as an attendant. But we ourselves omitted all this, and instead we furnished them with cups of solid silver, each being of as much value as all the things which we have just enumerated put together; and also we presented each man with a horse properly harnessed, and a groom, and gilt trappings; and we invited each man to mount his horse and ride him home.” His son Alexander also became exceedingly fat, the one, I mean, who put his mother to death who had been his partner in the kingdom. Accordingly Poseidonius, in the forty-seventh book of his History, mentions him in the following terms:- “But the king of Egypt being detested by the multitude, but flattered by the people whom he had about him, and living in great luxury, was not able even to walk, unless he went leaning on two friends; but for all that he would, at his banquets, leap off from a high couch, and dance barefoot with more vigour than even those who made dancing their profession.”

§ 12.74 And Agatharchides, in the sixteenth book of his History of Europe, says that Magas, who was king of Cyrene for fifty years, and who never had any wars, but spent all his time in luxury, became, towards the end of his life, so immensely bulky and burdensome to himself, that he was at last actually choked by his fat, from the inactivity of his body, and the enormous quantity of food which he consumed. But among the Lacedemonians, the same man relates, in his twenty-seventh book, that it is thought a proof of no ordinary infamy if any one is of an unmanly appearance, or if any one appears at all inclined to have a large belly; as the young men are exhibited naked before the ephors every ten days. And the ephors used every day to take notice both of the clothes and bedding of the young men; and very properly. Moreover, the cooks at Lacedemon were employed solely on dressing meat plainly, and on nothing else. And in his twenty-seventh book, Agatharchides says that the Lacedemonians brought Naucleides, the son of Polybiades, who was enormously fat in his body, and who had become of a vast size through luxury, into the middle of the assembly; and then, after Lysander had publicly reproached him as an effeminate voluptuary, they nearly banished him from the city, and threatened him that they would certainly do so if he did not reform his life; on which occasion Lysander said that Agesilaus also, when he was in the country near the Hellespont, making war against the barbarians, seeing the Asians very expensively clothed, but utterly useless in their bodies, ordered all who were taken prisoners, to be stripped naked and sold by the auctioneer; and after that he ordered their clothes to be sold without them; in order that the allies, knowing that they had to fight for a great prize, and against very contemptible men, might advance with greater spirit against their enemies. And Python the orator, of Byzantium, as Leon, his fellow-citizen, relates, was enormously fat; and once, when the Byzantians were divided against one another in seditious quarrels, he urged his fellow-citizens to be reconciled, saying — “You see, my friends, what a size my body is; but I have a wife who is much fatter than I am; now, when we are both agreed, one small bed is large enough for; both of us; but when we quarrel, the whole house is not big enough for us.”

§ 12.75 How much better, then, is it, my good friend Timocrates, to be poor and thinner than even those men whom Hermippus mentions in his Cercopes, than to be enormously rich, and like that whale of Tanagra, as the before-mentioned men were! But Hermippus uses the following language, addressing Dionysus on the present occasion- For poor men now to sacrifice to you But maimed and crippled oxen; thinner far Than even Thumantis or Leotrophides. And Aristophanes, in his Gerytades, gives a list of the following people as very thin, who, he says, were sent as ambassadors by the poets on earth down to Hades to the poets there, and his words are- (A) And who is this who dares to pierce the gates Of lurid darkness, and the realms of the dead! (B) We're by unanimous agreement chosen, (Making the choice in solemn convocation,) One man from each department of our art, Who were well known travellers to Hades, As often voluntarily going thither. (A) Are there among you any men who thus Frequent the realms of Hades? (B) Aye, by Zeus, And plenty; just as there are men who go To Thrace and then come back again. You know The whole case now. (A) And what may be their names? First, there's Sannyrion, the comic poet; Then, of the tragic choruses, Melitus; And of the cyclic choruses, Cinesias. And presently afterwards he says- On what slight hopes did you then all rely! For if a flow of diarrhoea came Upon these men, they'd all be carried off. And Strattis also mentions Sannyrion, in his Men fond of Cold, saying- The leathern aid of wise Sannyrion. And Sannyrion himself speaks of Melitus, in his play called Laughter, speaking as follows- Melitus, that carcass from Lenaion rising.

§ 12.76 And Cinesias was in reality an exceedingly tall and exceedingly thin man; on whom Strattis wrote an entire play, calling him the Phthian Achilles, because in his own poetry he was constantly using the word φθιῶτα. And accordingly, he, playing on his appearance, continually addresses him- Φθιῶτ' Ἀχιλλεῦ. But others, as, for instance, Aristophanes [ Birds], often call him φιλύρινος Κινησίας, because he took a plank of linden wood (φιλύρα), and fastened it to his waist under his girdle, in order to avoid stooping, because of his great height and extreme thinness. But that Cinesias was a man of delicate health, and badly off in other respects, we are told by Lysias the orator, in his oration inscribed For Phanias accused of illegal Practices, in which he says that [ Cinesias ], having abandoned his regular profession, had taken to trumping up false accusations against people, and to making money by such means. And that he means the poet here, and no one else, is plain from the fact that he shows also that he had been attacked by the comic poets for impiety. And he also, in the oration itself, shows that [ Cinesias ] was a person of that character. And the words of the orator are as follows:- “But I marvel that you are not indignant at such a man as Cinesias coming forward in aid of the laws, whom you all know to be the most impious of all men, and the greatest violator of the laws that has ever existed. Is not he the man who has committed such offences against the gods as all other men think it shameful even to speak of, though you hear the comic poets mention such actions of his every year? Did not Apollophanes, and Mystalides, and Lysitheus feast with him, selecting one of the days on which it was not lawful to hold a feast, giving themselves the name of Cacodaemonistae [Evil-Spiriters], instead of Numeniastae [New-Mooners], a name indeed appropriate enough to their fortunes? Nor, indeed, did it occur to them that they were really doing what that name denotes; but they acted in this manner to show their contempt for the gods and for our laws.

§ 12.76b And accordingly, each of those men perished, as it was reasonable to expect that such men should. But this man, with whom you are all acquainted, the gods have treated in such a manner, that his very enemies would rather that he should live than die, as an example to all other men, that they may see that the immortal Gods do not postpone the punishment due to men who behave insolently towards their Deity, so as to reserve it for their children; but that they destroy the men themselves in a miserable manner, inflicting on them greater and more terrible calamities and diseases than on any other men whatever. For to die, or to be afflicted with sickness in an ordinary manner, is the common lot of all of us; but to be in such a condition as they are reduced to, and to remain a long time in such a state, and to be dying every day, and yet not be able to end one's life, is a punishment allotted to men who act as this man has acted, in defiance of all human and divine law.” And this orator used this language respecting Cinesias.

§ 12.77 Philetas also, the Coan poet, was a very thin man; so that, by reason of the leanness of his body, he used to wear balls made of lead fastened to his feet, to prevent himself from being blown over by the wind. And Polemon, surnamed Periegetes, in his treatise on Wonderful People and Things, says that Archestratus the soothsayer, being taken prisoner by the enemy, and being put into the scale, was found to weigh only one obol, so very thin was he. The same man also relates that Panaretus never had occasion to consult a doctor, but that he used to be a pupil of Arcesilaus the philosopher; and that he was a companion of Ptolemaeus Euergetes, receiving from him a salary of twelve talents every year. And he was the thinnest of men, though he never had any illness all his life. But Metrodorus of Scepsis, in the second book of his treatise on the Art of Training, says that Hipponax the poet was not only very diminutive in person, but also very thin; and that he, nevertheless, was so strong in his sinews, that, among other feats of strength, he could throw an empty flask (lecythus) an extraordinary distance, although light bodies are not easy to be propelled violently, because they cannot cut the air so well. Philippides, also, was extremely thin, against whom there is an oration extant of Hypereides the orator, who says that he was one of those men who governed the state. And he was very insignificant in appearance by reason of his thinness, as Hypereides has related. And Alexis, in his Thesprotians, said- O Hermes, sent by the gods above, You who've obtained Philippides by lot; And you, too, eye of darkly-robed night. And Aristophon, in his play called Plato, says- (A) I will within these three days make this man Thinner than even Philippides. (B) How so! Can you kill men in such a very short time! And Menander, in his Passion, says- If hunger should attack your well-shaped person, It would make you thinner than Philippides. And the word πεφιλιππιδῶσθαι was used for being extremely thin, as we find in Alexis; who, in his Women taking Belladonna, says- (A) You must be ill. You are, by Zeus, the very Leanest of sparrows a complete Philippides (πεφιλιππίδωσαι). (B) Don't tell me such strange things: I'm all but dead. (A) I pity your sad case. At all events, it is much better to look like that, than to be like the man of whom Antiphanes in his Aeolus says This man then, because he is such a drunkard, And so enormous is his size of body, Is called by all his countrymen the Bladder. And Heracleides of Pontus, in his treatise on Pleasure, says that Deinias the perfumer gave himself up to love because of his luxury, and spent a vast sum of money on it; and when, at last, he failed in his desires, out of grief he mutilated himself, his unbridled luxury bringing him into this trouble.

§ 12.78 But it was the fashion at Athens to anoint even the feet of those men who were very luxurious with ointment, a custom which Cephisodorus alludes to in his Trophonius - Then to anoint my body go and buy Essence of lilies, and of roses too, I beg you, Xanthias; and also buy For my poor feet some baccaris. And Eubulus, in his Sphinx - Carion, says-... Lying full softly in a bed-chamber; Around him were most delicate cloaks, well suited For tender maidens, soft, voluptuous; Such as those are, who well perfumed and fragrant With oils of amaracus, do rub my feet. But the author of the Procris gives an account of what care ought to be taken of Procris' dog, speaking of a dog as if he were a man- (A) Strew, then, soft carpets underneath the dog, And place beneath cloths of Milesian wool; And put above them all a purple rug. (B) Phoebus Apollo! (A) Then in goose's milk Soak him some groats. (B) O mighty Heracles! (A) And with Megallian oils anoint his feet. And Antiphanes, in his Alcestis, represents some one as anointing his feet with oil; but in his Mendicant Priest of Cybele, he says- He bade the girl take some choice perfumes From the altar of the goddess, and then, first, Anoint his feet with it, and then his knees: But the first moment that the girl did touch His feet, he leaped up. And in his Zacynthus he says- Have I not, then, a right to be fond of women, And to regard them all with tender love, For is it not a sweet and noble thing To be treated just as you are; and to have One's feet anointed by fair delicate hands? And in his Thoricians he says- He bathes completely but what does he do? He bathes his hands and feet, and well anoints them With perfume from a gold and ample ewer. And with a purple dye he smears his jaws And bosom; and his arms with oil of thyme; His eyebrows and his hair with marjoram; His knees and neck with essence of wild ivy. And Anaxandrides, in his Protesilaus, says- Ointment from Peron, which this fellow sold But yesterday to Melanopus here, A costly bargain fresh from Egypt, which Anoints today Callistratus' feet. And Telecleides, in his Prytanes, alludes to the lives of the citizens, even in the time of Themistocles, as having been very much devoted to luxury. And Cratinus in his Cheirons, speaking of the luxury of the former generations, says- There was a scent of delicate thyme besides, And roses too, and lilies by my ear; And in my hands I held an apple, and A staff, and thus I did harangue the people.

§ 12.79 And Clearchus of Soli, in his treatise on Love Matters, says- “Why is it that we carry in our hands flowers, and apples, and things of that sort? Is it that by our delight in these things nature points out those of us who have a desire for all kinds of beauty? Is it, therefore, as a kind of specimen of beauty that men carry beautiful things in their hands, and take delight in them? Or do they carry them about for two reasons? For by these means the beginning of good fortune, and a sign of one's wishes, is to a certain extent secured; to those who are asked for them, by their being addressed, and to those who give them, because they give an indication beforehand, that they must give of their beauty in exchange.

§ 12.79b For a request for beautiful flowers and fruits, suggests that those who receive them are prepared to give in return the beauty of their persons. Perhaps also people are fond of those things, and carry them about them in order to comfort and mitigate the vexation which arises from the neglect or absence of those whom they love. For by the presence of these agreeable objects, the desire for those persons whom we love is blunted; unless, indeed, we may rather say that it is for the sake of personal ornament that people carry those things, and take delight in them, just as they wear anything else which tends to ornament. For not only those people who are crowned with flowers, but those also who carry them in their hands, find their whole appearance is improved by them. Perhaps also, people carry them simply because of their love for any beautiful object. For the love of beautiful objects shows that we are inclined to be fond of the products of the seasons. For the face of spring and autumn is really beautiful, when looked at in their flowers and fruits. And all persons who are in love, being made, as it were, luxurious by their passion, and inclined to admire beauty, are softened by the sight of beauty of any sort. For it is something natural that people who fancy that they themselves are beautiful and elegant, should be fond of flowers; on which account the companions of Persephone are represented as gathering flowers. And Sappho says-'I saw a lovely maiden gathering flowers.'”

§ 12.80 But in former times men were so devoted to luxury, that they dedicated a temple to Aphrodite Callipygos ["of the Beautiful Buttocks"] on this account. A certain countryman had two beautiful daughters; and they once, contending with one another, went into the public roads, disputing as they went, which had the most beautiful buttocks. And as a young man was passing, who had an aged father, they showed themselves to him also. And he, when he had seen both, decided in favour of the elder; and falling in love with her, he returned into the city and fell ill, and took to his bed, and related what had happened to his brother, who was younger than he; and he also, going into the fields and seeing the girls himself, fell in love with the other. Accordingly, their father, when with all his exhortations he could not persuade his sons to think of a more respectable marriage, brought these girls to them out of the fields, having persuaded their father to give them to him, and married them to his sons. And they were always called the καλλίπυγοι; as Cercidas of Megalopolis says in his Iambics, in the following line- There was a pair of καλλίπυγοι women At Syracuse. So they, having now become rich women, built a temple to Aphrodite, calling the goddess Callipygos, as Archelaus also relates in his Iambics. And that madness can cause great luxury is very pleasantly argued by Heracleides of Pontus, in his treatise on Pleasure, where he says- “Thrasylaus of Aexone, the son of Pythodorus, was once afflicted with such violent madness, that he thought that all the ships which came to the Peiraeus belonged to him. And he entered them in his books as such; and sent them away, and regulated their affairs in his mind, and when they returned to port he received them with great joy, as a man might be expected to who was master of so much wealth. And when any were lost, he never inquired about them, but he rejoiced in all that arrived safe; and so he lived with great pleasure. But when his brother Criton returned from Sicily, and took him and put him into the hands of a doctor, who cured him of his madness, he himself often related his madness, and said that he had never been happier in his life; for that he never felt any grief, but that the quantity of pleasure which he experienced was something unspeakable.”

§ 13.1 BOOK XIII Yonge from Attalus.org: Antiphanes the comic writer, my friend Timocrates, when he was reading one of his own comedies to Alexander the king, and when it was plain that the king did not think much of it, said to him, “The fact is, O king, that a man who is to appreciate this play, ought to have often supped at contribution-dinners, and must have often borne and inflicted blows in the cause of courtesans,” as Lycophron of Chalcis relates in his treatise on Comedy. And accordingly we, who are now about to set out a discussion on amatory matters, (for there was a good deal of conversation about married women and about courtesans,) saying what we have to say to people who understand the subject, will invoke the Muse Erato to impress anew on our memory that long amatory catalogue, and make our commencement from this point:- Come now, O Erato, and tell me truly what it was that was said by the different guests about love and about amatory matters.

§ 13.2 For our admirable host, praising the married women, said that Hermippus stated in his book about lawgivers, that at Lacedemon all the damsels used to be shut up in a dark room, while a number of unmarried young men were shut up with them; and whichever girl each of the young men caught hold of he led away as his wife, without a dowry. On which account they punished Lysander, because he left his former wife, and wished to marry another who was by far more beautiful. But Clearchus of Soli, in his treatise On Proverbs, says,- “In Lacedemon the women, on a certain festival, drag the unmarried men to an altar, and then thrash them; in order that, for the purpose of avoiding the insult of such treatment, they may become more affectionate, and in due season may turn their thoughts to marriage. But at Athens, Cecrops was the first person who married a man to one wife only, when before his time relationships had taken place at random, and men had had their wives in common. On which account it was, as some people state, that Cecrops was called διφυὴς ['of double nature'], because before his time people did not know who their fathers were, by reason of the numbers of men who might have been so.” And beginning in this manner, one might fairly blame those who attributed to Socrates two wives, Xanthippe and Myrto, the daughter of Aristeides; not of that Aristeides who was surnamed the Just, (for the time does not agree) but of his descendant in the third generation.

§ 13.2b And the men who made this statement are Callisthenes, and Demetrius Phalereus, and Satyrus the Peripatetic, and Aristoxenus; who were preceded in it by Aristotle, who relates the same story in his treatise On Nobleness of Birth. Unless perhaps this licence was allowed by a decree at that time on account of the scarcity of men, so that any one who pleased might have two wives; to which it must be owing that the comic poets make no mention of this fact, though they very often mention Socrates. And Hieronymus of Rhodes has cited the decree about wives; which I will send to you, since I have the book. But Panaetius of Rhodes has contradicted those who make this statement about the wives of Socrates.

§ 13.3 But among the Persians the queen tolerates the king's having a number of concubines, because there the king rules his wife like her master; and also because the queen, as Dinon states in his history of Persia, receives a great deal of respect from the concubines. At all events they offer her obeisance. And Priamus, too, had a great many women, and Hecabe was not indignant. Accordingly, Priamus says [ Homer, Il.24' ]- Nineteen of my sons are from one womb; The rest were born to women in my halls. But among the Greeks, the mother of Phoenix does not tolerate the concubine of Amyntor [ Homer, Il.9' ]. And Medeia, although well acquainted with the fashion, as one well established among the barbarians, refuses to tolerate the marriage of Glauce, because she has been introduced to better habits amongst the Greeks. And Clytaemnestra, being exceedingly indignant at a similar provocation, slays Cassandra with Agamemnon himself, when the monarch brought her back with him into Greece, having yielded to the fashion of barbarian marriages. “And a man may wonder,” says Aristotle, “that Homer has nowhere in the Iliad represented any concubine as living with Menelaus, though he has given wives to every one else. And accordingly, in Homer, even old men sleep with women, such as Nestor and Phoenix. For these men were not worn out or disabled in the time of their youth, either by intoxication, or by too much indulgence in love; or by any weakness of digestion engendered by gluttony; so that it was natural for them to be still vigorous in old age. The king of Sparta, then, appears to have too much respect for his wedded wife Helene, on whose account he gathered all the Greek army; and on this account he keeps aloof from any other relationship. But Agamemnon is reproached by Thersites, as a man with many wives - Yours is whatever the warrior's breast inflames, The golden spoil, and yours the lovely dames; With all the wealth the Achaeans can bestow, Your tents are crowded, your chests do overflow. ”But it is not natural," says Aristotle, “to suppose that all that multitude of female slaves were given to him as concubines, but only as prizes; since he also provided himself with a great quantity of wine, but not for the purpose of getting drunk himself [Il.7' ].”

§ 13.4 But Heracles is the man who appears to have had more wives than any one else, for he was very much addicted to women; and he had them in turn, like a soldier, and a man employed at different times in different countries. And by them he had also a great multitude of children. For, in one week, as Herodorus relates, he relieved the fifty daughters of Thestius of their virginity. Aegeus also was a man of many wives. For, first of all he married the daughter of Hoples, and after her he married one of the daughters of Chalcodon, and giving both of them to his friends, he cohabited with a great many without marriage. Afterwards he took Aethra, the daughter of Pittheus; after her he took Medeia. [557] And Theseus, having attempted to ravish Helene, after that carried off Ariadne. Accordingly Ister, in the fourteenth book of his History of the Affairs of Athens, giving a catalogue of those women who became the wives of Theseus, says that some of them became so out of love, and that some were carried off by force, and some were married in legal marriage. Now by force were ravished Helene, Ariadne, Hippolyte, and the daughters of Cercyon and Sinis; and he legally married Meliboea, the mother of Ajax. And Hesiod says that he also married Hippe and Aegle; on account of whom he broke the oaths which he had sworn to Ariadne, as Cercops tells us. And Pherecydes adds Phereboea. And before ravishing Helene, he had also carried off Anaxo from Troezen; and after Hippolyte he also had Phaedra.

§ 13.5 And Philippus the Macedonian did not take any women with him to his wars, as Dareius did, whose power was subverted by Alexander. For he used to take about with him three hundred and fifty concubines in all his wars; as Dicaearchus relates in the third book of his Life in Greece. “But Philippus,” says he, “was always marrying new wives in wartime. For, in the twenty-two years which he reigned, as Satyrus relates in his History of his Life, having married Audata the Illyrian, he had by her a daughter named Cynna; and he also married Phila, a sister of Derdas and Machatas. And wishing to conciliate the nation of the Thessalians, he had children by two Thessalian women; one of whom was Nicesipolis of Pherae, who brought him a daughter named Thessalonice; and the other was Philinna of Larissa, by whom he had Arrhidaeus. He also acquired the kingdom of the Molossians, when he married Olympias, by whom he had Alexander and Cleopatra. And when he subdued Thrace, there came to him Cothelas, the king of the Thracians, bringing with him Meda his daughter, and many presents: and having married her, he added her to Olympias. And after all these, being violently in love, he married Cleopatra, the sister of Hippostratus and niece of Attalus. And bringing her also home to Olympias, he made all his life unquiet and troubled. For, as soon as this marriage took place, Attalus said,'Now, indeed, legitimate kings shall be born, and not bastards.' And Alexander having heard this, smote Attalus with a goblet which he had in his hand; and Attalus in return struck him with his cup. And after that Olympias fled to the Molossians; and Alexander fled to the Illyrians. And Cleopatra bore to Philippus a daughter who was named Europa.” Euripides the poet, also, was much addicted to women: at all events Hieronymus in his Historical Commentaries speaks as follows,- “When some one told Sophocles that Euripides was a woman-hater,'He may be,' said he,'in his tragedies, but in his bed he is very fond of women.'”

§ 13.6 But our married women are not such as Eubulus speaks of in his Female Garland-sellers — By Zeus, we are not painted with vermilion, Nor with dark mulberry juice, as you are often: And then, if in the summer you go out, Two rivulets of dark discoloured hue Flow from your eves, and sweat drops from your jaws, And makes a scarlet furrow down your neck; And the light hair, which wantons o'er your face, [558] Seems grey, so thickly is it plastered over. And Anaxilas, in his Neottis, says- The man whoever has loved a courtesan, Will say that no more lawless worthless race Can anywhere be found: for what ferocious Unsociable she-dragon, what Chimaera, Though it breathe fire from its mouth, what Charybdis, What three-headed Scylla, dog of the sea, Or Hydra, sphinx, or raging lioness, Or viper, or winged harpy (greedy race), Could go beyond those most accursed harlots? There is no monster greater. They alone Surpass all other evils put together. And let us now consider them in order:- First there is Plangon; she, like a Chimaera, Scorches the wretched barbarians with fire; One knight alone was found to rid the world of her, Who, like a brave man, stole her furniture And fled, and she despairing, disappeared. Then for Sinope's friends, may I not say That it is a Hydra they cohabit with? For she is old: but near her age, and like her, Greedy Gnathaena flaunts, a twofold evil. And as for Nannium, in what, I pray, Does she from Scylla differ? Has she not Already swallowed up two lovers, and Opened her greedy jaws to enfold a third? But he with prosperous oar escaped the gulf. Then does not Phryne beat Charybdis hollow? Who swallows the sea-captains, ship and all. Is not Theano a mere de-feathered Siren? Their face and voice are woman's, but their legs Are feathered like a blackbird's. Take the lot,'Tis not too much to call them Theban Sphinxes. For they speak nothing plain, but only riddles; And in enigmas tell their victims how They love and dote, and long to be caressed. “Would that I had a quadruped,” says one, That may serve for a bed or easy chair. “Would that I had a tripod” — “Or a biped,” That is, a handmaid. And the hapless fool Who understands these hints, like Oidipus, If saved at all is saved against his will. But they who do believe they're really loved Are much elated, and raise their heads to heaven. And in a word, of all the beasts on earth The direst and most treacherous is a harlot.

§ 13.7 After Larensis had said all this, Leonides, finding fault with the very name γαμετή ("married woman"), quoted these verses out of the Soothsayers of Alexis - Oh wretched are we husbands, who have sold All liberty of life, all luxury, And live as slaves of women, not as freemen. We say we have a dowry; do we not Endure the penalty, full of female bile, Compared to which the bile of man's pure honey? For men, though injured, pardon: but the women First injure us, and then reproach us more; They rule those whom they should not; those they should They constantly neglect. They falsely swear; They have no single hardship, no disease; And yet they are complaining without end. [559] And Xenarchus, in his Sleep, says- Are then the grasshoppers not happy, say you? When they have wives who cannot speak a word. And Philetaerus, in his Corinthiast, says- O Zeus, how melting and soft an eye The lady has!'Tis not for nothing we Behold the sanctuary of Hetaira here; But there is not one for a wedded wife Throughout the whole of Greece. And Amphis says in his Athamas - Is not a courtesan much more good-humoured Than any wedded wife? No doubt she is, And it is only natural; for she, by law, Thinks she's a right to sulk and stay at home: But well the other knows that it is her manners By which alone she can retain her friends; And if they fail, she must seek out some others.

§ 13.8 And Eubulus, in his Chrysilla, says- May that man, fool as he is, who marries A second wife, most miserably perish; Him who weds one, I will not blame too much, For he knew little of the ills he courted. But well the widower had proved all The ills which are in wedlock and in wives. And a little further on he says- O holy Zeus, may I be quite undone, If ever I say a word against the women, The choicest of all creatures. And suppose Medeia was a termagant,- what then? Was not Penelope a noble creature? If one should say, “Just think of Clytaemnestra,” I meet him with Alcestis chaste and true. Perhaps he'll turn and say no good of Phaedra; But think of virtuous.... who?.... Alas, alas! I cannot recollect another good one, Though I could still count bad ones up by scores. And Aristophon, in his Callonides, says- May he be quite undone, he well deserves it, Who dares to marry any second wife; A man who marries once may be excused; Not knowing what misfortune he was seeking. But he who, once escaped, then tries another, With his eyes open seeks for misery. And Antiphanes, in his Philopator, says- (A) He's married now. (B) How say you? do you mean He's really gone and married when I left him, Alive and well, possessed of all his senses? And Menander, in his Symbol-Bearer, or The Female Flute-player, says- (A) You will not marry if you're in your senses, Abandoning your current life. For I myself Did marry; so I recommend you not to. (B) The matter is decided- the die is cast. (A) Go on then. I do wish you then well over it; But you are taking arms, with no good reason, Against a sea of troubles. In the waves Of the deep Libyan or Aegean sea Scarce three of thirty ships are lost or wrecked; But scarcely one poor husband escapes at all. And in his Woman Burnt he says- Oh, may the man be totally undone Who was the first to venture on a wife; And then the next who followed his example; And then the third, and fourth, and all who followed. And Carcinus the tragedian, in his Semele (which begins, “O nights”), says- O Zeus, why need one waste one's words In speaking ill of women? for what worse Can he add, once he has called them women.

§ 13.9 But, above all other cases, those who when advanced in years marry young wives, do not perceive that they are running voluntarily into danger, which every one else foresees plainly; and that, too, though the Megarian poet [ Theognis ] has given them this warning: [560] A young wife suits not with an aged husband; For she will not obey the pilot's helm Like a well-managed boat; nor can the anchor Hold her securely in her port, but oft She breaks her chains and cables in the night, And headlong drives into another harbour. And Theophilus, in his Neoptolemus, says- A young wife does not suit an old man well; For, like a crazy boat, she not at all Answers the helm, but slips her cable off By night, and in some other port is found.

§ 13.10 And I do not think that any of you are ignorant, my friends, that the greatest wars have taken place on account of women:- the Trojan War on account of Helene; the plague which took place in it was on account of Chryseis; the anger of Achilles was excited about Briseis; and the war called the Sacred War, on account of another wife (as Duris relates in the second book of his History), who was a Theban by birth, by name Theano, and who was carried off by some Phocian. And this war also lasted ten years, and in the tenth year was brought to an end by the cooperation of Philip; for by his aid the Thebans took Phocis. The war, also, which is called the Crissaean War (as Callisthenes tells us in his account of the Sacred War), when the Crissaeans made war upon the Phocians, lasted ten years; and it was excited on this account,- because the Crissaeans carried off Megisto, the daughter of Pelagon the Phocian, and the daughters of the Argives, as they were returning from the Pythian temple: and in the tenth year Crissa was taken.

§ 13.10.16 And whole families also have been ruined owing to women;- for instance, that of Philippus, the father of Alexander, was ruined on account of his marriage with Cleopatra; and Heracles was ruined by his marriage with Iole, the daughter of Eurytus; and Theseus on account of his marriage with Phaedra, the daughter of Minos; and Athamas on account of his marriage with Themisto, the daughter of Hypseus; and Jason on account of his marriage with Glauce, the daughter of Creon; and Agamemnon on account of Cassandra.

§ 13.10.23 And, the expedition of Cambyses against Egypt (as Ctesias relates) took place on account of a woman; for Cambyses, having heard that Egyptian women were far more amorous than other women, sent to Amasis the king of the Egyptians, asking him for one of his daughters in marriage. But Amasis did not give him one of his own daughters, thinking that she would not be honoured as a wife, but only treated as a concubine; but he sent him Nitetis, the daughter of Apries. And Apries had been deposed from the sovereignty of Egypt, because of the defeats which had been inflicted on him by the Cyrenaeans; and afterwards he had been put to death by Amasis. Accordingly, Cambyses, being much pleased with Nitetis, and being very violently in love with her, learnt the whole circumstances of the case from her; and she entreated him to avenge the murder of Apries, and persuaded him to make war upon the Egyptians.

§ 13.10.36 But Dinon, in his History of Persia, and Lyceas of Naucratis, in the third book of his History of Egypt, say that it was Cyrus to whom Nitetis was sent by Amasis; and that she was the mother of Cambyses, who made this expedition against Egypt to avenge the wrongs of his mother and her family. But Duris the Samian says that the first war carried on by two women was that between Olympias and Eurydice; in which Olympias advanced something in the manner of a Bacchant, with drums beating; but Eurydice came forward armed like a Macedonian soldier, having been already accustomed to war and military habits at the court of Kynne the Illyrian.

§ 13.11 [561] Now, after this conversation, it seemed good to the philosophers who were present to say something themselves about love and about beauty: and so a great many philosophical sentiments were uttered; among which, some quoted the songs of the dramatic philosopher, Euripides, some of which were these:- Eros, who is wisdom's pupil gay, To virtue often leads the way: And this great god Is of all others far the best for man; For with his gentle nod He bids them hope, and banishes all pain. Never may I be amongst those who scorn To own his power, and live forlorn, Cherishing habits all uncouth. I entreat every youth Never to flee from Love, But welcome him, and willing subjects prove. And some one else quoted from Pindar:- Let it be my fate always to love, And to obey love's will in proper season. And some one else added the following lines from Euripides:- But you, O mighty Eros, of gods and men The sovereign ruler, either bid what's fair To seem no longer fair; or else bring aid To hapless lovers whom you've caused to love, And aid the labours you yourself have prompted. If you do this, the gods will honour you; But if you keep aloof, you will not even Retain the gratitude which now they feel For having learnt of you the way to love.

§ 13.12 And Pontianus said that Zenon of Citium thought that Eros was the God of Friendship and Liberty, and also that he was the great author of concord among men; but that he had no other office. On which account, he says in his Republic, that Eros is a God, being one who cooperates in securing the safety of the city. And the philosophers, who were earlier than him, also considered Eros a venerable Deity, removed from everything discreditable: and this is plain from their having set up holy statues in his honour in their gymnasia, along with those of Hermes and Heracles — the one of whom is the patron of eloquence, and the other of valour. And when these are united, friendship and unanimity are engendered; by means of which the most perfect liberty is secured to those who excel in these practices. But the Athenians were so far from thinking that Eros presided over the mere gratification of sexual intercourse, that, though the Academy was manifestly consecrated to Athene, they yet erected in that place also a statue of Eros, and sacrificed to it. The Thespians also celebrate Erotidia, or festivals of Eros, just as the Athenians do Athenaea, or festivals of Athene, and as the Eleans celebrate the Olympian festivals, and the Rhodians the Halieia. And in the public sacrifices, everywhere almost, Eros is honoured. And the Lacedemonians offer sacrifices to Eros before they go to battle, thinking that safety and victory depend on the friendship of those who stand side by side in the battle array. And the Cretans, in their line of battle, adorn the handsomest of their citizens, and employ them to offer sacrifices to Eros on behalf of the state, as Sosicrates relates. And the regiment among the Thebans which is called the Sacred Band, is wholly composed of mutual lovers, indicating the majesty of Eros, as these men prefer a glorious death to a shameful and discreditable life. But the Samians (as Erxias says, in his History of Colophon ), having consecrated a gymnasium to Eros, [562] called the festival which was instituted in his honour the Eleutheria ["Feast of Liberty"]; and it was owing to this God, too, that the Athenians obtained their freedom. And the Peisistratidae, after their banishment, were the first people who ever tried to throw discredit on the events which took place through his influence.

§ 13.13 After this had been said, Plutarchus cited the following passage from the Phaedrus of Alexis: As I was coming back from Peiraeus, In great perplexity and sad distress, I fell to thoughts of deep philosophy. And first I thought that all the painters seem Ignorant of the real nature of Eros; And so do all the other artists too, Who make statues of this deity: For he is neither male nor female either; Again, he is not god, nor yet is he man: He is not foolish, nor yet is he wise; But he's made up of all kinds of quality, And underneath one form bears many natures. His courage is a man's; his cowardice A very woman's. Then his folly is Pure madness, but his wisdom a philosopher's; His vehemence is that of a wild beast, But his endurance is like adamant; His jealousy equals any other god's. And I, indeed,- by Athene and all the gods,- Do not myself precisely understand him; But still he much resembles my description, And I have come close to the truth. And Eubulus, or Araros, in his Campylion, says:- What man was he, what modeller or painter, Who first did represent young Eros as winged? He was a man fit only to draw swallows, Quite ignorant of the character of the god. For he's not light, nor easy for a man Who's once by him been mastered, to shake off; But he's a heavy and tenacious master. How, then, can he be spoken of as winged: The man's a fool who such a thing could say. And Alexis, in his Cut Off, says:- For this opinion is by all the sophists Embraced, that Eros is not a winged god; But that the winged parties are the lovers, And that he falsely bears this imputation: So that it is out of pure ignorance That painters clothe this deity with wings.

§ 13.14 And Theophrastus, in his book on Eros, says that Chaeremon the tragedian said in one of his plays, that:- As wine adapts itself to the constitution Of those who drink it, so likewise does Eros Who, when he's moderately worshipped, Is mild and manageable; but if loosed From moderation, then is fierce and troublesome.... On which account the same poet [ Euripides ] afterwards, as he aptly distinguishes the god's powers, says [ Euripides, IA.548]:- For he doth bend a double bow of beauty, And sometimes men to fortune leads, But sometimes overwhelms their lives With trouble and confusion.... But the same poet [ Alexis ] also, in his play entitled The Wounded Man, speaks of people in love in this manner:- Who would not say that those who love Live a life of hard labour? For first of all they must be skilful soldiers, And able to endure great toil of body, And to stick close to the objects of their love: They must be active, and inventive too, Eager, and fertile in expedients, And prompt to see their way in difficulties. [563] And Theophilus, in his Man fond of the Flute, says:- Who says that lovers are devoid of sense? He is himself no better than a fool: For if you take away from life its pleasures, You leave it nothing but impending death. And I myself am now indeed in love With a fair maiden playing on the harp; And tell me, pray, am I a fool for that? She's fair, she's tall, she's skilful in her art; And I'm more glad when I see her, than you (?) When you share the admission price among you. But Aristophon, in his Pythagorean, says:- Now, is not Eros deservedly cast out From his place among the twelve immortal gods? For he did sow the seeds of great confusion, And quarrels dire, among that heavenly band, When he was one of them. And, as he was Bold and impertinent, they clipped his wings, That he might never soar again to heaven; And then they banished him to us below; And for the wings which he did boast before, Them they did give to Victory, a spoil Well won, and splendid, from her enemy. Amphis, too, in his Dithyrambus, speaks thus of loving:- What do you say?- do you think that all your words Could ever persuade me that that man's a lover Who falls in love with a girl's manners only, And never thinks what kind of face she's got? I call him mad; nor can I ever believe That a poor man, who often sees a rich one, Forbears to covet some of his great riches. But Alexis says in his Helene:- The man who falls in love with beauty's flower, And takes heed of nothing else, may be A lover of pleasure, but not of his love; And he does openly disparage Eros, And causes him to be suspect to others.

§ 13.15 Myrtilus, having cited these lines of Alexis, and then looking round on the men who were partisans of the Stoic school, first recited the following passage out of the Iambics of Hermeias of Curium - Listen, you Stoiclings, traffickers in nonsense, Punners on words,- gluttons, who by yourselves Eat up the whole of what is in the dishes, And give no single bit to a philosopher. Besides, you are most clearly proved to do All that is contrary to those declarations Which you so pompously parade abroad, Hunting for beauty;- and then went on to say,- And in this point alone you are imitators of the master of your school, Zenon the Phoenician, who was always a slave to the most infamous passions (as Antigonus of Carystus relates, in his Life of Zenon ); for you are always saying that “the proper object of love is not the body, but the mind;” you who say at the same time, that you ought to remain faithful to the objects of your love, till they are eight-and-twenty years of age. And Ariston of Ceos, the Peripatetic, appears to me to have said very well (in the second book of his treatise on Likenesses connected with Love ), to some Athenian who was very tall for his age, and at the same time was boasting of his beauty, (and his name was Dorus,) “It seems to me that one may very well apply to you the line which Odysseus uttered when he met Dolon [ Homer, Il.10' ], Great was thy aim, and mighty is the prize.”

§ 13.16 [564] But Hegesander, in his Commentaries, says that all men love seasoned dishes, but not plain meats, or plainly dressed fish. And accordingly, when there is no seasoning, no one willingly eats either meat or fish; nor does any one desire meat which is raw and unseasoned. For in ancient times men used to love boys (as Ariston relates); on which account it came to pass that the objects of their love were called boy-favourites (παιδικά). And it was with truth (as Clearchus says in the first book of his treatise On Love and the Affairs of Love ) that Lycophronides said:- No boy, no maid with golden ornaments, No woman with a deep and ample robe, Is so much beautiful as modest; for'Tis modesty that gives the bloom to beauty. And Aristotle said that lovers look at no other part of the objects of their affection, but only at their eyes, in which modesty makes her abode. And Sophocles somewhere represents Hippodameia as speaking of the beauty of Pelops, and saying- And in his eyes the charm which love compels Shines forth a light, embellishing his face: He glows himself, and he makes me glow too, Measuring my eyes with his,- as any builder Makes his work correspond to his careful rule.

§ 13.17 And Licymnius the Chian, saying that Hypnos [sleep] was in love with Endymion, represents him as refusing to close the eyes of the youth even when he is asleep; but the god sends his beloved one to sleep with his eyelids still open, so that he may not for a single moment be deprived of the pleasure of contemplating them. And his words are these:- But Hypnos much delighted In the bright beams which shot from his eyes, And lulled the youth to sleep with unclosed lids. And Sappho says to a man who was admired above all measure for his beauty, and who was accounted very handsome indeed:- Stand opposite, my love, And open upon me The beauteous grace which from your eyes does flow. And what says Anacreon? Oh, boy, as maiden fair, I fix my heart on you; But you despise my prayer, And little care that you do hold the reins Which my soul's course incessantly do guide. And the magnificent Pindar says:- The man who gazes on the brilliant rays Which shoot from the eyes Of beautiful Theoxenus, and yet can feel his heart Unmoved within his breast, nor yields to love, Must have a heart Black, and composed of adamant or iron. But the Cyclops of Philoxenus of Cythera, in love with Galateia, and praising her beauty, and prophesying, as it were, his own blindness, praises every part of her rather than mention her eyes, which he does not; speaking thus:- O Galateia, Nymph with the beauteous face and golden hair, Whose voice the Graces tune, True flower of love, my beauteous Galateia. But this is but a blind panegyric, and not at all to be compared with the poem of Ibycus:- Beauteous Euryalus, of all the Graces The choicest branch,- object of love to all The fair-haired { Muses },- sure the goddess Cypris, and tender-eyed Persuasion, Combined to nourish you on beds of roses. And Phrynichus said of Troilus:- The light of love shines in his purple cheeks.

§ 13.18 But you prefer having all the objects of your love shaved and hairless. And this custom of shaving the beard, originated in the age of Alexander, [565] as Chrysippus tells us in the fourth book of his treatise On the Beautiful and on Pleasure. And I think it will not be inappropriate if I quote what he says; for he is an author of whom I am very fond, on account of his great learning and his gentle good-humoured disposition. And these are the words of the philosopher:- “The custom of shaving the beard was introduced in the time of Alexander, for the people in earlier times did not practise it; and Timotheus the flute-player used to play on the flute having a very long beard. And at Athens they even now remember that the man who first shaved his chin, (and he is not a very ancient man indeed,) was given the surname of Κόρσης; on which account Alexis says:- Do you see any man whose beard has been Removed by sharp pitch-plasters or by razors? In one of these two ways he may be spoken, of: Either he seems to me to think of war, And so to be rehearsing acts of fierce Hostility against his beard and chin; Or else he's some complaint of wealthy men. For how, I pray you, do your beards annoy you? — Beards by which best you may be known as men! Unless, indeed, you're planning now some deed Unworthy of the character of men. And Diogenes, when he saw some one once whose chin was smooth, said,'I am afraid you think you have great ground to accuse nature, for having made you a man and not a woman.' And once, when he saw another man, riding a horse, who was shaved in the same manner, and perfumed all over, and clothed, too, in a fashion corresponding to those particulars, he said that he had often asked what a Ἱππόπορνος was; and now he had found out. And at Rhodes, though there is a law against shaving, still no one ever prosecutes another for doing so, as the whole population is shaved. And at Byzantium, though there is a penalty to which any barber is liable who is possessed of a razor, still every one uses a razor despite that law.” And this is the statement of the admirable Chrysippus.

§ 13.19 But that wise Zenon, as Antigonus of Carystus says, speaking, as it should seem, almost prophetically of the lives and professed discipline of your sect, said that “those who misunderstood and failed rightly to enter into the spirit of his words, would become dirty and mean; just as those who adopted Aristippus's sect, but perverted his precepts, became intemperate and shameless.” And the greater portion of you are such as that, men with contracted brows, and dirty clothes, sordid not only in your dispositions, but also in your appearance. For, wishing to assume the character of independence and frugality, you are found at the gate of avarice, living sordidly, clothed in scanty cloaks, filling the soles of your shoes with nails, and giving hard names to any one who uses the very smallest quantity of perfume, or who is dressed in apparel which is at all delicate. But men of your sect have no business to be attracted by money, or to lead about the objects of their love with their beards shaved and smooth, who follow you, as Antiphanes, says:- In the Lyceium, with sophists, by Zeus! — Thin, starved philosophers, as dry as leather.

§ 13.20 But I am a great admirer of beauty myself. For, in the contests [at Athens ] for the prize of manliness, they select the handsomest, and give them the post of honour to bear the sacred vessels at the festivals of the gods. And at Elis there is a contest of beauty, and the conqueror has the vessels of the goddess given to him to carry; and the next handsomest has the ox to lead, and the third places the sacrificial cakes on the head of the victim. [566] But Heracleides Lembus relates that in Sparta the handsomest man and the handsomest woman have special honours conferred on them; and Sparta is famous for producing the handsomest women in the world. On which account they tell a story of king Archidamus, that when one wife was offered to him who was very handsome, and another who was ugly but rich, and he chose the rich one, the ephors imposed a fine upon him, saying that he had preferred begetting kinglings rather than kings for the Spartans. And Euripides has said:- Firstly, a form that is worthy of a kingdom. And in Homer, the old men among the people marvelling at the beauty of Helene, are represented as speaking thus to one another [ Il.3' ]:- They cried, “No wonder the Trojans and Achaeans Have suffered woes so long for this woman;- Her countenance is like to an immortal goddess!” And even Priamus himself is moved at the beauty of the woman, though he is in great distress. And also he admires Agamemnon for his beauty, and uses the following language respecting him [ Il.3' ]:- Say, what Greek is he Around whose brow such martial Graces shine,- So tall, so awful, and almost divine! Though some of larger stature tread the green, None match his grandeur and exalted mien. And many nations have made the handsomest men their kings on that account. As even to this day that Ethiopian tribe called the Immortals does; as Bion relates in his History of the Affairs of Ethiopia. For, as it would seem, they consider beauty as the especial attribute of kings. And goddesses have contended with one another respecting beauty; and it was on account of his beauty that the gods carried off Ganymedes to be the cupbearer of Zeus:- The matchless Ganymedes, divinely fair, Whom Heaven, enamoured, snatched to upper air. And who are they whom the goddesses have carried off? are they not the handsomest of men? And they cohabit with them; as Dawn does with Cephalus and Cleitus and Tithonus; and Demeter with Iasion; and Aphrodite with Anchises and Adonis. And it was for the sake of beauty also that the greatest of the gods entered through a roof under the form of gold, and became a bull, and often transformed himself into a winged eagle, as he did in the case of Aigina. And Socrates the philosopher, who despised everything, was, for all that, subdued by the beauty of Alcibiades; as also was the venerable Aristotle by the beauty of his pupil [ Theodectas ] of Phaselis. And do not we too, even in the case of inanimate things, prefer what is the most beautiful? The fashion, too, of Sparta is much praised, I mean that of displaying their maidens naked to their guests; and in the island of Chios it is a beautiful sight to go to the gymnasia and the race-courses, and to see the young men wrestling naked with the maidens, who are also naked.

§ 13.21 And Cynulcus said:- And do you dare to talk in this way, you who are not “rosy-fingered”, as Cratinus says, but who have one foot made of cow -dung [ Aristophanes, Frogs], and carry around the leg of your namesake the poet [ Myrtilus ]? You spend all your time in wineshops and inns, although Isocrates the orator has said, in his Areopagitic Oration [ ], “But not one of their servants ever would have ventured to eat or drink in a wineshop; for they studied to keep up the dignity of their appearance, and not to behave like buffoons.” And Hypereides, in his oration against Patrocles (if, at least, the speech is a genuine one), says that they forbade a man who had dined at a wineshop from going up to the Areopagus. [567] But you, you sophist, spend your time in wineshops, not with your friends (ἑταίρων), but with prostitutes (ἑταιρῶν), having a lot of female pimps about you, and always carrying about these books of Aristophanes, and Apollodorus, and Ammonius, and Antiphanes, and also of Gorgias the Athenian, who have all written about the prostitutes at Athens. Oh, what a learned man you are! how far are you from imitating Theomander of Cyrene, who, as Theophrastus, in his treatise On Happiness, says, used to go about and profess that he gave lessons in prosperity. You, you teacher of love, are in no respect better than Amasis of Elis, whom Theophrastus, in his treatise On Love, says was extraordinarily addicted to amatory pursuits. And a man will not be much out who calls you a pornographer [πορνογράφος], just as they call Aristeides and (?) Pausias and Nicophanes painters [ζωγράφοι]. And Polemon mentions them, as painting these subjects exceedingly well, in his treatise On the Pictures at Sikyon. Think, my friends, of the great and varied learning of this grammarian, who does not conceal what he means, but openly quotes the verses of Eubulus, in his Cercopes:- I came to Corinth; there I ate with pleasure Some herb called basil [ocimum], and was ruined by it; And also, trifling there, I lost my cloak. And the Corinthian sophist is very fine here, explaining to his pupils that Ocimum is the name of a harlot. And a great many other plays also, you impudent fellow, derived their names from courtesans. There is the Thalatta of Diocles, the Corianno of Pherecrates, the Anteia of Eunicus or Philyllius, the Thais, and the Phanium of Menander, the Opora of Alexis, the Clepsydra of Eubulus — and the woman who bore this name, had it because she used to distribute her favours by a water-clock, and to dismiss her visitors when it had run down; as Asclepiades, the son of Areius, relates in his History of Demetrius Phalereus; and he says that her proper name was Metiche.

§ 13.22 As Antiphanes says in his Farmer:- A courtesan is a positive Calamity and ruin to her keeper; And yet he is glad to nourish such a pest. On which account, in the Neaera of Timocles, a man is represented as lamenting his fate, and saying:- But I, unhappy man, who first loved Phryne When she was but a gatherer of capers, And was not quite as rich as now she is,- I who spent such sums of money upon her, Am now excluded from her doors. And in the play entitled Orestautocleides, the same Timocles says:- And round the wretched man old women sleep, Nannium and Plangon, Lyca, Phryne too, Gnathaena, Pythionice, Myrrhine, Chrysis, Conalis, Hierocleia, and Lopadium also. And these courtesans are mentioned by Amphis, in his Curis, where he says:- Wealth truly seems to me to be quite blind, Since he never ventures near this woman's doors, But haunts Sinope, Nannium, and Lyca, And others like them, traps of men's existence. And in their houses sits like one amazed, And never departs.

§ 13.23 [568] And Alexis, in the drama entitled Isostasium, thus describes the equipment of a courtesan, and the artifices which some women use to make themselves up:- For, first of all, to earn themselves much gain, And better to plunder all the neighbouring men, They use a heap of adventitious aids, — They plot to take in every one. And when, By subtle artifice, they've made some money, They enlist fresh girls, and add recruits, who never Have tried the trade, into their cunning troop. And drill them so that they are very soon Different in manners, and in look, and semblance From all they were before. Suppose one's short — They put cork soles within the heels of her shoes; Is any one too tall — she wears a slipper Of thinnest substance, and, with head bent down Between the shoulders, walks the public streets, And so reduces her superfluous height. Is any one too lean about the flank — They hoop her with a bustle, so that all Who see her marvel at her proportions. Has any one too prominent a stomach — They crown it with false breasts, such as perchance At times you may in comic actors see; And what is still too prominent, they force Back, ramming it as if with scaffolding. Has any one red eyebrows — those they smear With soot. Has any one a dark complexion — White-lead will that correct. This girl's too fair — They rub her well with rich vermillion. Is she a splendid figure — then her charms Are shown in naked beauty to the purchaser. Has she good teeth — then she is forced to laugh, That all the bystanders may see her mouth, How beautiful it is; and if she be But ill-inclined to laugh, then she is kept Close within doors whole days, and the things Which butchers use when selling goats' heads, Such as a stick of myrrh, she's forced to keep Between her lips, till they have learnt the shape Of the required grin. And by such arts They make their charms and persons up for market.

§ 13.24 And therefore I advise you, my Thessalian friend with the handsome chairs, to be content to embrace the women in the brothels, and not to spend the inheritance of your children on vanities. For, truly, the lame man gets on best at this sort of work; since your father, the boot-maker, did not lecture you and teach you any great deal, and did not force you to look like leather. Or do you not know those women, as we find them called in the Pannuchis of Eubulus — Thrifty decoys, who gather in the money,- Well-trained fillies of Aphrodite, standing Naked in line, clad in transparent robes Of thinnest web, like the fair damsels whom Eridanus waters with his holy stream; From whom, with safety and frugality, You may buy pleasure at a moderate cost. And in his Nannium, (if the play under this name is the work of Eubulus, and not of Philippus ):- For he who secretly goes hunting for Illicit love, must surely of all men Most miserable be; and yet he may See in the light of the sun a willing row Of naked damsels, standing all arrayed In robes transparent, like the damsels whom Eridanus waters with his holy stream, And buy some pleasure at a trifling rate, [569] Without pursuing a clandestine love (There is no heavier calamity), Just out of wantonness and not for love. I do bewail the fate of hapless Greece, Which sent forth such an admiral as Cydias. Xenarchus also, in his Pentathlum, reproaches those men who live as you do, and who fix their hearts on extravagant courtesans, and on freeborn women, in the following lines:- It is a terrible, yes a terrible and Intolerable evil, what the young Men do throughout this city. And yet There are most beauteous damsels in the brothels, Whom any man may see standing all willing In the full light of day, with open bosoms, Showing their naked charms, all in a row, Marshalled in order; and there they may choose Without the slightest trouble, as they fancy, Thin, stout, or round, tall, wrinkled, or smooth-faced, Young, old, or middle-aged, or elderly, So that they need not clamber up a ladder, Nor steal through windows out of free men's houses, Nor smuggle themselves inside bags of chaff. For these gay girls will ravish you by force, And drag you in to them; if old, they'll call you Their dear papa; if young, their darling baby; And these a man may fearlessly and cheaply Amuse himself with, morning, noon, or night, In any way he please. But the other women He dares not gaze on openly nor look at, But fearing, trembling, shivering, with his heart, As they say, in his mouth, he creeps towards them. How can these men, sea-born immortal Aphrodite, Press on, even when they have the opportunity, If any thought of Dracon's laws comes over them.

§ 13.25 And Philemon, in his Brothers, relates that Solon at first, on account of the unbridled passions of the young, made a law that women might be brought to be prostituted at brothels; as Nicander of Colophon also states, in the third book of his History of the Affairs of Colophon, saying that he first erected a sanctuary to Aphrodite Pandemos with the money which was earned by the women who were prostituted at these brothels. But Philemon speaks on this subject as follows: But you did well for every man, O Solon; For they do say you were the first to see The justice of a public-spirited measure, The saviour of the state- (and it is fit For me to utter this avowal, Solon );- You, seeing that the state was full of men, Young, and possessed of all the natural appetites, And wandering in their lusts where they'd no business, Bought women, and in certain spots did place them, Common to be, and ready for all comers. They naked stand: look well at them, my youth,- Do not deceive yourself; are you not well off? You're ready, so are they: the door is open- The price an obol: enter straight- there is No nonsense here, no cheat or trickery; But do just what you like, and how you like. You're off: wish her good-bye; she's no more claim on you. And Aspasia, the friend of Socrates, imported great numbers of beautiful women, and Greece was entirely filled with her courtesans; as that witty writer Aristophanes relates [ Acharn], saying that the Peloponnesian war was excited by Pericles, [570] on account of his love for Aspasia, and on account of the girls who had been carried away from her by the Megarians. For some young men, drunk with the cottabus, Going to Megara, carry off by stealth A harlot named Simaetha. Then the citizens Of Megara, full of grief and indignation, Stole in return two of Aspasia's girls; And this was the beginning of the war Which devastated Greece, for three lewd women.

§ 13.26 I therefore, my most learned grammarian, warn you to beware of the courtesans who want a high price, because You may see other girls who play the flute, Playing the tunes of Apollo, or of Zeus; But these play no tune save the tune of the hawk, as Epicrates says in his Anti- Lais; in which play he also uses the following expressions concerning the celebrated Lais:- But this fair Lais is both drunk and lazy, And cares for nothing, save what she may eat And drink all day. And she, as I do think, Has the same fate the eagles have; for they, When they are young, down from the mountains stoop, Ravage the flocks and eat the timid hares, Bearing their prey aloft with fearful might. But when they're old, on temple tops they perch, Hungry and helpless; and the soothsayers Turn such a sight into a prodigy. And so might Lais well be thought an omen; For when she was a maiden, young and fresh, She was quite savage with her wondrous riches; And you might easier get access to The satrap Pharnabazus. But at present, Now that she's more advanced in years, and age Has meddled with her body's round proportions,'Tis easy both to see her and to scorn her. Now she runs everywhere to get some drink; She'll take a stater — aye, or three obols; She will admit you, young or old; and is Become so tame, so utterly subdued, That she will take the money from your hand. Anaxandrides also, in his Old Man's Madness, mentions Lais, and includes her with many other courtesans in a list which he gives in the following lines: (A) You know Corinthian Lais? (B) To be sure; My countrywoman. (A) Well, she had a friend, By name Anteia. (B) Yes; I knew her well. (A) Well, in those days Lagisce was in beauty; Theolyte, too, was wondrous fair to see, And seemed likely to be fairer still; And Ocimum was beautiful as any.

§ 13.27 This, then, is the advice I want to give you, my friend Myrtilus; and, as we read in the Huntress of Philetaerus,- Now you are old, reform those ways of yours; Know you not that'tis hardly well to die In the embraces of a prostitute, As men do say Phormisius perished? Or do you think that delightful which Timocles speaks of in his Marathonian Women?- How great the difference whether you pass the night With a lawful wife or with a prostitute Bah! Where's the firmness of the flesh, the freshness Of breath and of complexion? Oh, ye gods! What appetite it gives one not to find Everything waiting, but to be constrained [571] To struggle a little, and from tender hands To bear soft blows and buffets; that, indeed Is really pleasure. [571] And as Cynulcus had still a good deal which he wished to say, and as Ulpianus was preparing to attack him for the sake of Myrtilus, Myrtilus, getting in ahead of him (for he hated the Syrian), said- But our hopes were not so clean worn out, As to need aid from bitter enemies; as Callimachus says. For are not we, O Cynulcus, able to defend ourselves? How rude you are, and boorish with your jokes! Your tongue is all on the left side of your mouth; as Ephippus says in his Philyra. For you seem to me to be one of those men Who of the Muses learnt but ill-shaped letters, as some one of the parody writers has it.

§ 13.28 I therefore, my friends and messmates, have not, as is said in the Aurae of Metagenes, or in the Mammacythus of Aristagoras, Told you of female dancers, courtesans Who once were fair; and now I do not tell you Of flute-playing girls, just reaching womanhood, Who not unwillingly, for adequate pay, Have borne the love of vulgar men; but I have been speaking of the real companions- that is to say, of those who are able to preserve a friendship free from trickery; whom Cynulcus does not venture to speak ill of, and who of all women are the only ones who have derived their name from friendship, or from that goddess who is named by the Athenians Aphrodite Hetaira: concerning whom Apollodorus the Athenian speaks, in his treatise on the Gods, in the following manner:- And they worship Aphrodite Hetaira, who brings together male and female companions (ἑταίρους καὶ ἑταίρας)- that is to say, mistresses." Accordingly, even to this day, freeborn women and maidens call their associates and friends their ἑταῖραι; as Sappho does, where she says- And now with tuneful voice I'll sing These pleasing songs to my companions (ἑταίραις). And in another place she says- Niobe and Leto were of old Affectionate companions (ἑταῖραι) to each other. They also call women who prostitute themselves for money, ἑταῖραι. And the verb which they use for prostituting oneself for money is ἑταιρέω, not regarding the etymology of the word, but applying a more decent term to the trade; as Menander, in his Deposit, distinguishing the ἑταῖροι from the ἑταῖραι, says- You've done an act not suited to companions (ἑταίρων), But, by Zeus, far more fit for courtesans (ἑταιρῶν), These words, so near the same, do make the sense Not always easily to be distinguished.

§ 13.29 But concerning courtesans, Ephippus, in his Merchandise, speaks as follows: And then if, when we enter through their doors, They see that we are out of sorts at all, They flatter us and soothe us, kiss us gently, Not pressing hard as though our lips were enemies, But with soft open kisses like a sparrow; They sing, and comfort us, and make us cheerful, And straightway banish all our care and grief, And make our faces bright again with smiles. And Eubulus, in his Campylion, introducing a courtesan of modest deportment, says- How modestly she sat the while at supper! Not like the rest, who make great balls of leeks, And stuff their cheeks with them, and loudly crunch Within their jaws large lumps of greasy meat; [572] But delicately tasting of each dish, In mouthfuls small, like a Milesian maiden. And Antiphanes says in his Hydra — But he, the man of whom I now was speaking, Seeing a woman who lived near his house, A courtesan, did fall at once in love with her; She was a citizen, without a guardian Or any near relations, and her manners Pure, and on virtue's strictest model formed, A genuine mistress (ἑταῖρα); for the rest of the crew Bring into disrepute, by their vile manners, A name which in itself has nothing wrong. And Anaxilas, in his Neottis, says- (A) But if a woman does at all times use Fair, moderate language, giving her services Favourable to all who stand in need of her, She from her prompt companionship (ἑταιρίας) does earn The title of companion (ἑταῖρα); and you, As you say rightly, have not fallen in love With a vile harlot (πόρνη), but with a companion (ἑταῖρα). Is she not one of pure and simple manners? (B) At all events, by Zeus, she's beautiful.

§ 13.30 But that systematic debaucher of youths of yours, is such a person as Alexis, or Antiphanes, represents him, in his Sleep: On this account, that profligate, when supping With us, will never eat an onion even, So as not to annoy the object of his love. And Ephippus has spoken very well of people of that description in his Sappho, where he says- For when one in the flower of his age Learns to sneak into other men's abodes, And shares of meals where he has not contributed, He must expect some other mode of payment. And Aeschines the orator has said something of the same kind in his Speech against Timarchus.

§ 13.31 But concerning courtesans, Philetaerus, in his Huntress, has the following lines:-'Tis not for nothing that wherever we go We find a shrine of Hetaira there, But nowhere one to any wedded wife. I know, too, that there is a festival called the Hetaerideia, which is celebrated in Magnesia, not owing to the courtesans, but to another cause, which is mentioned by Hegesander in his Commentaries, who writes thus:- “The Magnesians celebrate a festival called Hetaerideia; and they give this account of it: that originally Jason, the son of Aeson, when he had collected the Argonauts, sacrificed to Zeus Hetaereius, and called the festival Hetaerideia. And the Macedonian kings also celebrated the Hetaerideia.” There is also a shrine of Aphrodite the Prostitute (πόρνη) at Abydus, as Pamphilus asserts:- “For when all the city was oppressed by slavery, the guards in the city, after a sacrifice on one occasion (as Cleanthus relates in his essays on Fables), having got intoxicated, took several courtesans; and one of these women, when she saw that the men were all fast asleep, taking the keys, got over the wall, and brought the news to the citizens of Abydus. And they, on this, immediately came in arms, and slew the guards, and took possession of the walls, and recovered their freedom; and to show their gratitude to the prostitute, they built a temple to Aphrodite the Prostitute.” And Alexis the Samian, in the second book of his Samian Annals, says- “The Athenian prostitutes who followed Pericles when he laid siege to Samos, having made vast sums of money by their beauty, dedicated a statue of Aphrodite at Samos, which some call Aphrodite among the Reeds, and others Aphrodite in the Marsh.” [573] And Eualces, in his History of the Affairs of Ephesus, says that there is at Ephesus also a temple to Aphrodite the Hetaira. And Clearchus, in the first book of his treatise on Amatory Matters, says-" Gyges the king of the Lydians was very celebrated, not only on account of his mistress while she was alive, having submitted himself and his whole dominions to her power, but also after she was dead; inasmuch as he assembled all the Lydians in the whole country, and raised that mound which is even now called the tomb of the Lydian Courtesan; building it up to a great height, so that when he was travelling in the country, inside of Mount Tmolus, wherever he was, he could always see the tomb; and it was a conspicuous object to all the inhabitants of Lydia." And Demosthenes the orator, in his Speech against Neaera (if it is a genuine one, which Apollodorus says it is), says - “Now we have courtesans for the sake of pleasure, but concubines for the sake of daily cohabitation, and wives for the purpose of having children legitimately, and of having a faithful guardian of all our household affairs.”

§ 13.32 I will now mention to you, Cynulcus, an Ionian story (spinning it out, as Aeschylus' Agamemnon says,) about courtesans, beginning with the beautiful Corinth, since you have reproached me with having been a schoolmaster in that city. It is an ancient custom at Corinth (as Chamaeleon of Heracleia relates, in his treatise on Pindar ), whenever the city addresses any supplication to Aphrodite about any important matter, to employ as many courtesans as possible to join in the supplication; and they, too, pray to the goddess, and afterwards they are present at the sacrifices. And when the king of Persia was leading his army against Greece (as Theopompus also relates, and so does Timaeus, in his seventh book), the Corinthian courtesans offered prayers for the safety of Greece, going to the temple of Aphrodite. On which account, after the Corinthians had consecrated a picture to the goddess (which remains even to this day), and as in this picture they had painted the portraits of the courtesans who made this supplication at the time, and who were present afterwards, Simonides composed this epigram:- These damsels, on behalf of Greece, and all Their gallant countrymen, stood nobly forth, Praying to Aphrodite, all-powerful goddess; Nor was the queen of beauty willing ever To leave the citadel of Greece to fall Beneath the arrows of the unwarlike Persians. And even private individuals sometimes vow to Aphrodite, that if they succeed in the objects for which they are offering their vows, they will bring her a stated number of courtesans.

§ 13.33 As this custom, then, exists with reference to this goddess, Xenophon the Corinthian, when going to Olympia to the games, vowed that he, if he were victorious, would bring her some courtesans. And Pindar at first wrote a panegyric on him, which begins thus [ Olymp. ]:- Praising the house which in the Olympic games Has thrice borne off the victory. But afterwards he composed a scolium on him, which was sung at the sacrificial feasts; at the start of which he turns at once to the courtesans who joined in the sacrifice to Aphrodite, in the presence of Xenophon, while he was sacrificing to the goddess himself; on which account he says:- O queen of Cyprus' isle, Come to this grove! [574] Lo, Xenophon, succeeding in his aim, Brings you a band of willing maidens, Dancing on a hundred feet. And the opening lines of the song were these:- O hospitable damsels, fairest train Of soft Persuasion,- Ornament of the wealthy Corinth, Bearing in willing hands the golden drops That from the frankincense distil, and flying To the fair mother of the Loves, Who dwells up in the sky, Lovely Aphrodite,- you do bring to us Comfort and hope in danger, that we may Hereafter, in the delicate beds of Love, Heap the long-wished-for fruits of joy, Lovely and necessary to all mortal men. And after having begun in this manner, he proceeds to say:- But now I marvel, and wait anxiously To see what will my masters say of me, Who thus begin My scolium with this amatory preface, Willing companion of these willing damsels. And it is plain here that the poet, while addressing the courtesans in this way, was in some doubt as to the light in which it would appear to the Corinthians; but, trusting to his own genius, he proceeds with the following verse:- We teach pure gold on a well-tried lyre. And Alexis, in his Loving Woman, tells us that the courtesans at Corinth celebrate a festival of their own, called Aphrodisia; where he says — The city at the time was celebrating The Aphrodisia of the courtesans; This is a different festival from that At which the free women are present: and then It is the custom on those days that all The courtesans should feast with us in common.

§ 13.34 But at Lacedemon (as Polemon Periegetes says, in his treatise on the Offerings at Lacedemon) there is an image of a very celebrated courtesan, named Cottina, who, he tells us, also consecrated a brazen cow; and Polemon's words are these:- “And the image of Cottina the courtesan, on account of whose celebrity there is still a brothel called by her name, very near Kolone, where the Dionysion is, a conspicuous object, well known to many of the citizens. And her votive offering is beyond that of the Chalcioecus — a brazen cow, and also the before-mentioned image.” And the handsome Alcibiades, of whom one of the comic poets said:- And then the delicate Alcibiades, O earth and all the gods! whom Lacedemon Desires to catch in his adulteries, though he was beloved by the wife of Agis, used to go and hold his revels at the doors of the courtesans, leaving all the Lacedemonian and Athenian women. He also fell in love with Medontis of Abydus, from the mere report of her beauty; and sailing to the Hellespont with Axiochus, who was a lover of his on account of his beauty (as Lysias the orator states in his speech against him), he allowed Axiochus to share her with him. Moreover, Alcibiades used always to carry about two other courtesans with him in all his expeditions, namely, Damasandra, the mother of the younger Lais, and Theodote; who, after he was dead, buried him in Melissa, a village of Phrygia, after he had been overwhelmed by the treachery of Pharnabazus. And we ourselves saw the tomb of Alcibiades at Melissa, when we went from Synnada to Metropolis; and at that tomb there is sacrificed an ox every year, by the command of that most excellent emperor Hadrian, who also erected on the tomb a statue of Alcibiades in Parian marble.

§ 13.35 [575] And we must not wonder at people having on some occasions fallen in love with others from the mere report of their beauty, when Chares of Mytilene, in the tenth book of his History of Alexander, says that some people have even seen in dreams those whom they have never beheld before, and fallen in love with them in this way. And he writes as follows:- " Hystaspes had a younger brother whose name was Zariadres; and they were both men of great personal beauty. And the story told concerning them by the natives of the country is, that they were the offspring of Aphrodite and Adonis. Now Hystaspes was ruler of Media, and of the lower country adjoining it; and Zariadres was ruler of the country above the Caspian gates as far as the river Tanais. Now the daughter of Omartes, the king of the Marathi, a tribe dwelling on the other side of the Tanais, was named Odatis. And concerning her it is written in the Histories, that she in her sleep beheld Zariadres, and fell in love with him; and that the very same thing happened to him with respect to her. And so for a long time they were in love with one another, simply on account of the visions which they had seen in their dreams. And Odatis was the most beautiful of all the women in Asia; and Zariadres also was very handsome. Accordingly, when Zariadres sent to Omartes and expressed a desire to marry the girl, Omartes would not agree to it, because he did not have any male offspring; for he wished to give her to one of his own people about his court. “Not long afterwards, Omartes, having assembled all the chief men of his kingdom and all his friends and relations, held a marriage feast. But he had not said beforehand to whom he was going to give his daughter. And as the wine went round, her father summoned Odatis to the banquet, and said, in the hearing of all the guests,-'We, my daughter Odatis, are now celebrating your marriage feast; so now do you look around, and survey all those who are present, and then take a golden goblet and fill it, and give it to the man to whom you like to be married; for you shall be called his wife.' And she, having looked round upon them all, went away weeping, being anxious to see Zariadres, for she had sent him word that her marriage feast was about to be celebrated. But he, being encamped on the Tanais, and leaving the army encamped there without being perceived, crossed the river with his charioteer alone; and going by night in his chariot, passed through the city, having gone about eight hundred stades without stopping. And when he got near the town in which the marriage festival was being celebrated, and leaving, in some place near, his chariot with the charioteer, he went forward by himself, clad in a Scythian robe. And when he arrived at the palace, and seeing Odatis standing in front of the sideboard in tears, while she filled the goblet very slowly, he stood near her and said,' Odatis, here I have come, as you requested me to, — I, Zariadres.' And she, perceiving a stranger, and a handsome man, and that he resembled the man whom she had beheld in her sleep, being exceedingly glad, gave him the bowl. And he, seizing on her, led her away to his chariot, and fled away, having Odatis with him. And the servants and the handmaidens, knowing their love, said not a word. And when her father ordered them to summon her, they said that they did not know which way she had gone. ”And the story of this love is often told by the barbarians who dwell in Asia, and is exceedingly admired; and they have painted representations of the story in their temples and palaces, and also in their private houses. And a great many of the princes in those countries give their daughters the name of Odatis."

§ 13.36 [576] Aristotle also, in his Constitution of the Massilians, mentions a similar circumstance as having taken place, writing as follows:- “The Phocaeans in Ionia, having consulted the oracle, founded Massilia. And Euxenus the Phocaean was connected by ties of hospitality with Nanus; this was the name of the king of that country. This Nanus was celebrating the marriage feast of his daughter, and invited Euxenus, who happened to be in the neighbourhood, to the feast. And the marriage was to be conducted in the following manner: after the supper was over the girl was to come in, and to give a goblet full of wine properly mixed to whichever of the suitors who were present she chose; and to whomsoever she gave it, he was to be her bridegroom. And when the girl came in, whether it was by chance or whether it was for any other reason, she gave the goblet to Euxenus. And the name of the maiden was Petta. And when the cup had been given in this way, and her father (thinking that she had been directed by the Deity in her giving of it) had consented that Euxenus should have her, he took her for his wife, and cohabited with her, changing her name to Aristoxene. And the family which is descended from that girl remains in Massilia to this day, and is known as the Protiadae; for Protis was the name of the son of Euxenus and Aristoxene.”

§ 13.37 And did not Themistocles, as Idomeneus relates, harness a chariot full of courtesans and drive with them into the city when the market was full? And the courtesans were Lamia and Scione and Satyra and Nannium. And was not Themistocles himself the son of a courtesan, whose name was Abrotonum? as Amphicrates relates in his treatise on Illustrious Men- Abrotonum was but a Thracian woman, But for the weal of Greece She was the mother of the great Themistocles. But Neanthes of Cyzicus, in his third and fourth books of his History of Greek Affairs, says that he was the son of Euterpe. And when Cyrus the younger was making his expedition against his brother, did he not carry with him a courtesan of Phocaea, who was a very clever and very beautiful woman? and Zenophanes says that her name was originally Milto, but that it was afterwards changed to Aspasia. And a Milesian concubine also accompanied him. And did not the great Alexander keep Thais about him, who was an Athenian courtesan? And Cleitarchus speaks of her as having been the cause that the palace of Persepolis was burnt down. And this Thais, after the death of Alexander, married Ptolemaeus, who became the first king of Egypt, and she bore him sons, Leontiscus and Lagus, and a daughter named Eirene, who was married to Eunostus, the king of Soli, a town of Cyprus. And the second king of Egypt, Ptolemaeus Philadelphus by name, as Ptolemaeus Euergetes relates in the third book of his Commentaries, had a great many mistresses,- namely, Didyme, who was a native of the country, and very beautiful; and Bilistiche; and, besides them, Agathocleia, and Stratonice, who had a great monument on the sea-shore, near Eleusis; and Myrtium, and a great many more; as he was a man excessively addicted to amatory pleasures. And Polybius, in the fourteenth book of his History [ 14. ], says that there are a great many statues of a woman named Cleino, who was his cup-bearer, in Alexandria, clothed in a tunic only, and holding a cornucopia in her hand. “And are not,” says he, “the finest houses called by the names of Myrtium, and Mnesis, and Potheine? and yet Mnesis was only a female flute-player, and so was Potheine, and Myrtium was one of the most notorious and common prostitutes in the city.” [577] Was there not also Agathocleia the courtesan, who had great power over king Ptolemaeus Philopator? in fact, was it not she who was the ruin of his whole kingdom? And Eumachus of Neapolis, in the second book of his History of Hannibal, says that Hieronymus, the tyrant of Syracuse, fell in love with one of the common prostitutes who followed her trade in a brothel, whose name was Peitho, and married her, and made her queen of Syracuse.

§ 13.38 And Timotheus, who was general of the Athenians, with a very high reputation, was the son of a courtesan, a Thracian by birth, but, except that she was a courtesan, of very excellent character; for when women of this class do behave modestly, they are superior to those who give themselves airs on account of their virtue. But Timotheus being on one occasion reproached as being the son of a mother of that character, said,- “But I am much obliged to her, because it is owing to her that I am the son of Conon.” And Carystius, in his Historical Commentaries, says that Philetaerus the king of Pergamum, and of all that country which is now called the New Province, was the son of a woman named Boa, who was a flute-player and a courtesan, a Paphlagonian by birth. And Aristophon the orator, who in the archonship of Eucleides [403/2 BCE] proposed a law, that every one who was not born of a woman who was a citizen should be accounted a bastard, was himself convicted, by Calliades the comic poet, of having children by a courtesan named Choregis, as the same Carystius relates in the third book of his Commentaries. Besides all these men, was not Demetrius Poliorcetes evidently in love with Lamia the flute-player, by whom he had a daughter named Phila? And Polemon, in his treatise On the Painted Stoa at Sikyon, says that Lamia was the daughter of Cleanor an Athenian, and that she built the before-mentioned colonnade for the people of Sikyon. Demetrius was also in love with Leaena, and she was also an Athenian courtesan; and with a great many other women besides.

§ 13.39 And Machon the comic poet, in his play entitled the Chriae, speaks thus:- But as Leaena was by nature formed To give her lovers most exceeding pleasure, And was besides much favoured by Demetrius, They say that Lamia also gratified The king; and when he praised her grace and quickness, The woman answered: And besides you can, If you do wish, subdue a lioness (Λέαιναν). But Lamia was always very witty and prompt in repartee, as also was Gnathaena, whom we shall mention presently. And again Machon writes thus about Lamia:- Demetrius the king was once displaying Amid his cups a great variety Of kinds of perfumes to his Lamia: Now Lamia was a female flute-player, With whom'tis always said Demetrius Was very much in love. But when she scoffed At all his perfumes, and, moreover, treated The monarch with exceeding insolence, He bade a slave bring some cheap unguent, while With his hand he felt himself, and smeared his fingers, And said, “At least smell this, O Lamia, And see how much this scent does beat all others.” She laughingly replied: “But know, O king, That smell does seem to me the worst of all.” “But,” said Demetrius, “I swear, by the gods, That'tis produced from a right royal nut.”

§ 13.40 But Ptolemaeus the son of Agesarchus, in his History of Philopator, [578] giving a list of the mistresses of the different kings, says- “ Philippus the Macedonian promoted Philinna, the dancing woman, by whom he had Arrhidaeus, who was king of Macedonia after Alexander. And Demetrius Poliorcetes, besides the women who have already been mentioned, had a mistress named Mania; and Antigonus had one named Demo, by whom he had a son named Alcyoneus; and Seleucus the younger had two, whose names were Mysta and Nysa.” But Heracleides Lembus, in the thirty-sixth book of his History, says that Demo was the mistress of Demetrius; and that his father Antigonus was also in love with her: and that he put to death Oxythemis as having shared in many of the crimes of Demetrius; and he also put to the torture and executed the maid-servants of Demo.

§ 13.41 But concerning the name of Mania, which we have just mentioned, the same Machon says this: Some one perhaps of those who hear this now, May fairly wonder how it came to pass That an Athenian woman had a name, Or even a nickname, such as Mania. For'tis disgraceful for a woman thus To bear a Phrygian name; she being, too, A courtesan from the very heart of Greece. And why was this permitted in the city of Athens, By which all other nations are much swayed? The fact is that her name from early childhood Was this- Melitta. And as she grew up A trifle shorter than her playfellows, But with a sweet voice and engaging manners, And with such beauty and excellence of face As made a deep impression upon all men, She'd many lovers, foreigners and citizens. So that when any conversation Arose about this woman, each man said, The fair Melitta was his madness (μανία). Aye, And she herself contributed to this name; For when she jested she would oft repeat This word μανία; and when in sport she blamed Or praised any one, she would bring in, In either sentence, this word μανία. So some one of her lovers, dwelling on The word, appears to have nicknamed the girl Mania; and this extra name prevailed More than her real one. It seems, besides, That Mania was afflicted with the stone, But Gnathaena was reproached by Diphilus, Because she soiled the bedclothes. And once When Gnathaena was chiding Mania, she said- “How so, girl, even if you did have a stone?” And Mania replied, “I should have given it to you, You wretch, so you could wipe yourself clean.”

§ 13.42 And that Mania was also excellent in witty repartee, Machon tells us in these verses about her,- There was a victor in the pancratium, Named Leontiscus, who loved Mania, And kept her with him as his lawful wife; But finding afterwards that she did play The harlot with Antenor, was indignant: But she replied,-" My darling, never mind; I only wanted just to feel and prove, In a single night, how great the strength might be Of two such athletes, victors at Olympia." [579] They say again that Mania once was asked, By King Demetrius, for a perfect sight Of her fair buttocks; and she, in return, Demanded that he should grant her a favour. When he agreed, she turned her back, and said,- “O son of Agamemnon, now the Gods Grant you to see what you so long have wished for.” [ Soph. Elec.] On one occasion, too, a foreigner, Who a deserter was believed to be, Had come by chance to Athens; and he sent For Mania, and gave her all she asked. It happened that he had procured for supper Some of those table-jesters, common buffoons, Who always raise a laugh to please their feeders; And wishing to appear a witty man, Used to politest conversation, While Mania was sporting gracefully, As was her wont, and often rising up To reach a dish of hare, he tried to raise A joke upon her, and thus spoke,- “My friends, Tell me, I pray you by the Gods, what animal You think runs fastest over the mountain-tops?” “Why, my love, a deserter,” answered Mania. Another time, when Mania came to see him, She laughed at the deserter, telling him, That once in battle he had lost his shield. But this brave soldier, looking somewhat fierce Sent her away. And as she was departing, She said, “My love, don't be so much annoyed; For by Aphrodite, it was not you who lost the shield, When you ran away, but he who lent it you.” Another time they say a man who was A thorough profligate, did entertain Mania at supper; and when he questioned her, “Do you like being up or down the best?” She laughed, and said, “I'd rather be up, my friend, For I'm afraid, lest, if I lay me down, You'd bite my plaited hair from off my head.”

§ 13.43 But Machon has also collected the witty sayings of other courtesans too; and it will not be unseasonable to enumerate some of them now. Accordingly he mentions Gnathaena thus:- Diphilus once was drinking with Gnathaena. Said he, “Your cup is somewhat cold, Gnathaena;” And she replied, "'Tis no great wonder, Diphilus, For we take care to put some of your plays in it."

§ 13.43.8 Diphilus was once invited to a banquet At fair Gnathaena's house, as men do say, On the day of Aphrodite's festival- (He being a man above her other lovers Beloved by her, though she concealed her flame), He came accordingly, and brought with him Two jars of Chian wine, and four, quite full, Of wine from Thasos; perfumes, too, and crowns; Sweetmeats and venison; fillets for the head; Fish, and a cook, and a female flute-player. In the meantime a Syrian friend of hers Sent her some snow, and one saperda; she Being ashamed lest any one should hear She had received such gifts, and, above all men, Fearing lest Diphilus should get at them, And show her up in one of his comedies, She bade a slave to carry off at once The salt fish to the men who wanted salt, As every one did know; the snow she told him To mix with the wine unseen by any one.

§ 13.43.23 [580] And then she bade the boy to fill the cup With ten full cyathi of wine, and bear it At once to Diphilus. He eagerly Received the cup, and drained it to the bottom, And, marvelling at the delicious coolness, Said- “By Athene, and by all the gods, You must, Gnathaena, be allowed by all To have a most deliciously cool well.” “Yes,” said she, “for we carefully put in, From day today, the prologues of your plays.” A slave who had been flogged, whose back was marked With heavy scars, was once, as it fell out, Reposing with Gnathaena:- then, as she Embraced him, she found out how rough all over His back did feel. “Oh wretched man,” said she, “In what engagement did you get these wounds?” He in a few words answered her, and said, “That when a boy, once playing with his playmates, He'd fallen backwards into the fire by accident.” “Well,” said she, “if you were so wanton then, You well deserved to be flogged, my friend.”'

§ 13.43.41 Gnathaena once was supping with Dexithea, Who was a courtesan as well as she; And when Dexithea put aside with care Nearly all the daintiest morsels for her mother, She said, “I swear by Artemis, had I known How you went on, Dexithea, I would rather Have gone to supper with your mother than you.” When this Gnathaena was advanced in years, Hastening, as all might see, towards the grave, They say she once event out into the market, And looked at all the fish, and asked the price Of every article she saw. And seeing A handsome butcher standing at his stall, Just in the flower of youth,- “Oh, in God's name, Tell me, my youth, what is your price (πῶς ἵστης) today?” He laughed, and said, “Why, if I stoop, three obols.” “But who,” said she, “did give you leave, you wretch, To use your Carian weights in Attica?”

§ 13.43.57 Stratocles once made all his friends a present Of kids and shell-fish greatly salted, seeming To have dressed them carefully, so that his friends Should the next morning be overwhelmed with thirst, And thus protract their drinking, so that he Might draw from them some ample contributions. Therefore Gnathaena said to one of her lovers, Seeing him wavering about his offerings, “After the Κids [constellation], Stratocles brings a storm.” Gnathaena, seeing once a thin young man, Of black complexion, lean as any scarecrow, Reeking with oil, and shorter than his fellows, Called him in jest Adonis. When the youth Answered her in a rude and violent manner, She looking on her daughter who was with her, Said, “Ah! it serves me right for my mistake.” They say that one fine day a youth from Pontus Was sleeping with Gnathaena, and at morn He asked her to display her buttocks to him. But she replied, “You have no time, for now [581] It is the hour to drive the pigs to feed.”

§ 13.44 He also mentions the following sayings of Gnathaenium, who was the grand-daughter of Gnathaena: It happened once that a very aged satrap, Full ninety years of are, had come to Athens. And on the feast of Cronus he beheld Gnathaenium with Gnathaena going out From some Aphrodiseum, And noticing her form and grace of motion, He just inquired “How much she asked a night?” Gnathaena, looking on his purple robe, And princely bodyguard, said, “A thousand drachmas.” He, as if smitten with a mortal wound, Said, “I perceive, because of all these soldiers, You look upon me as a captured enemy; But take five minae, and agree with me, And let them get a bed prepared for us.” She, as the satrap seemed a witty man, Received his terms, and said, “Give what you like, O father, for I know most certainly, You'll give my daughter twice as much at night.” There was at Athens once a handsome smith, When she, Gnathaenium, had almost abandoned Her trade, and would no longer common be, Moved by the love of the actor Andronicus; (But at this moment he was gone away, After she'd brought him a male child;) this smith Then long besought the fair Gnathaenium To fix her price; and though she long refused, By long entreaty and liberality, At last he won her over to consent. But being but a rude and ill-bred clown, He, one day sitting with some friends of his In a leather-cutter's shop, began to talk About Gnathaenium to divert their leisure, Saying that he never consorted with her In any other way, except that she rode On top of him, five times over. But after this, when Andronicus came From Corinth back again, and heard the news, He bitterly reproached her, and at supper He said, with just complaint, unto Gnathaenium, That she had never granted him such liberties As this flogged slave had had allowed to him. And then they say Gnathaenium thus replied: That she was her own mistress, and the smith Was so begrimed with soot and dirt that she Did not wish to embrace him; but after receiving A large sum of gold, she gave in to his request, And cleverly contrived to touch the part of him, Which, though small, stuck out the furthest. One day they say Gnathaenium, at supper, Would not kiss Andronicus when he wished, [582] Though she had done so every day before; But she was angry that he gave her nothing. Said he, on this, “ Gnathaena, don't you see How haughtily your daughter's treating me?” And she, indignant, said, “You wretched girl, Take him and kiss him if he wishes it.” But she replied, “Why should I kiss him, mother, Who does no good to any one in the house, But seeks to have hollow Argos all for free?” Once, on a day of festival, Gnathaenium Went down to the Peiraeus to a lover, Who was a foreign merchant, riding cheaply On a poor mule, and having after her Three donkeys, three maidservants, and one nurse. Then, at a narrow spot in the road, they met One of those poor wrestlers, men who contrive To lose their battles, in return for pay; And as he could not pass by easily, Being crowded up, he cried- “You wretched man, You donkey -driver, if you get not quickly Out of my way, I will upset these women, And all the donkeys and the mule to boot.” But quick Gnathaenium said, “My friend, I pray you, Don't be so valiant now, when you have never Done any feat of spirit or strength before.”

§ 13.45 And afterwards, Machon gives us the following anecdotes: They say that Lais the Corinthian, Once when she saw Euripides in a garden, Holding a tablet and a pen attached to it, Cried out to him, “Now, answer me, my poet, What was your meaning when you wrote in your play [ Medea. ],'Away, you shameless doer'?” And Euripides, Amazed, and wondering at her audacity, Said, “Why, you seem to me to be yourself A shameless doer.” And she, laughing, answered, “How shameless, if my partners do not think so?” Glycerium once received from some lover a new Corinthian cloak (λῄδιον) with purple sleeves, and gave it to a fuller. Afterwards, when she thought he'd had time enough to clean it, she sent her maidservant to fetch it back, giving her money, that she might pay for it. But, said the fuller, “You must bring me first three quarters of the oil (ἐλᾴδιον), for want of that is what has hindered me from finishing.” The maid went back and told her mistress all. “Wretch that I am! ” Glycerium said, “for he is going to fry my cloak like any herring.” Demophoon once, the friend of Sophocles, while a young man, fell furiously in love with Nico, called the Goat, though she was old: And she had earned this name of Goat, because she quite devoured once a mighty friend of hers, named Thallus, when he came to Attica To buy some Chelidonian figs, and also To export some honey from the Hymettian hill. And it is said this woman had fair buttocks, And when Demophoon tried to hold them, “A pretty thing,” said she, “that what you get [583] From me, you may present to Sophocles.” Callisto once, who was nicknamed the Sow, Was fiercely quarrelling with her own mother, Who also was nicknamed the Crow. Gnathaena Appeased the quarrel, and when asked the cause of it, Said, “What else could it be, but that one Crow Was finding fault with the blackness of the other?” Men say that Hippe once, the courtesan, Had a lover named Theodotus, a man Who at the time was prefect of the granaries And she on one occasion late in the evening Came to a banquet of King Ptolemy, And she'd been often used to drink with him So, as she now was very late, she said, “I'm very thirsty, papa Ptolemy, So let the cup-bearer pour me four cotylae Into a larger cup.” The king replied, “You must have it in a platter, for you seem already, Hippe, to have had plenty of hay.” A man named Moerichus was courting Phryne, the Thespian girl. And, as she required a mina, "'Tis a mighty sum," said Moerichus, “Did you not yesterday charge a foreigner two little pieces of gold?” “Wait till I want you,” Said she, “and I will take the same from you.”'Tis said that Nico, who was called the Goat, Once when a man named Python had deserted her, And taken up with the great fat Euardis, But after a time did send again for her, Said to the slave who came to fetch her, “Now That Python is well sated with his swine, Does he desire to return to a goat?”

§ 13.46 Up to this point we have been recapitulating the things mentioned by Machon. For our beautiful Athens has produced such a number of courtesans (of whom I will tell you as many anecdotes as I can) as no other populous city ever produced. At all events, Aristophanes of Byzantium counted up a hundred and thirty-five, and Apollodorus a still greater number; and Gorgias enumerated still more, saying that, among a great many more, these eminent ones had been omitted by Aristophanes - namely, one who was surnamed Paroinos, and Lampyris, and Euphrosyne: and this last was the daughter of a fuller. And, besides these, he has omitted Megisto, Agallis, Thaunarium, Theocleia (and she was nicknamed the Crow ), Lenaetocystus, Astra, Gnathaena, and her grand-daughter Gnathaenium, and Sige, and Grymaea, and Thryallis, and Chimaera, and Lampas. But Diphilus the comic poet was violently in love with Gnathaena, (as has been already stated [ 579e ], and as Lynceus the Samian relates in his Commentaries;) and so once, when on the stage he had acted very badly, and was turned out (ἠρμένος) of the theatre, and, for all that, came to Gnathaena as if nothing had happened; and when he, after he had arrived, begged Gnathaena to wash his feet, “Why do you want that?” said she; “were you not carried (ἠρμένος) here?” And Gnathaena was very ready with her repartees. And there were other courtesans who had a great opinion of themselves, paying attention to education, and spending a part of their time on literature; so that they were very ready with their rejoinders and replies. [584] Accordingly, when on one occasion Stilpon, at a banquet, was accusing Glycera of seducing the young men of the city, (as Satyrus mentions in his Lives,) Glycera took him up and said, “You and I are accused of the same thing, O Stilpon; for they say that you corrupt all who come to you, by teaching them profitless and amorous sophistries; and they accuse me of the same thing: for if people waste their time, and are treated ill, it makes no difference whether they are living with a philosopher or with a harlot.” For, according to Agathon, It does not follow, because a woman's body Is void of strength, that her mind, too, is weak.

§ 13.47 And Lynceus has recorded many repartees of Gnathaena. There was a parasite who used to live upon an old woman, and kept himself in very good condition; and Gnathaena, seeing him, said, “My young friend, you appear to be in very good case.” “What then do you think,” said he, “that I should be if I slept by myself?” “Why, I think you would starve,” said she. Once, when Pausanias, who was nicknamed Laccus, was dancing, he fell into a cask. “The cellar (λάκκος),” says Gnathaena, “has fallen into the cask.” On one occasion, some one put a very little wine into a wine-cooler, and said that it was sixteen years old. “It is very little of its age,” said she, “to be as old as that.” Once at a drinking party, some young men were fighting about her, and beating one another, and she said to the one who was worsted, “Be of good cheer, my boy; for it is not a contest to be decided by laurel, but by silver.” There was a man who once gave her daughter a mina, and never brought her anything more, though he came to see her very often. “Do you think, my boy,” said she, “that now you have once paid your mina, you are to come here for ever, as if you were going to Hippomachus the trainer?” On one occasion, when Phryne said to her, with some bitterness, “What would become of you if you had the stone?” “I would give it to you,” said she, “to wipe yourself with.” For it was said that Gnathaena was liable to the stone, while the other suffered from diarrhoea. On one occasion, some men were drinking in her house, and were eating some lentils dressed with onions (βολβοφάκη); as the maidservant was clearing the table, and putting some of the lentils in her bosom (κόλπον), Gnathaena said, “She is thinking of making some bosom-lentils (κολποφάκη).” Once, when Andronicus the tragic actor had been acting his part in the representation of the Epigoni with great applause, and was coming to a drinking party at her house, and sent a boy forward to bid her make preparation to receive him, she said- “O cursed boy, what word is this you've spoken?” And once, when a chattering fellow was relating that he was just come from the Hellespont, “Why, then,” said she, “did you not go to the first city in that country?” and when he asked what city, “To Sigeium,” said she. Once, when a man came to see her, and saw some eggs on a dish, and said, “Are these raw, Gnathaena, or boiled?” “They are made of brass, my boy,” said she. On one occasion, when Chaerephon came to sup with her without an invitation, Gnathaena pledged him in a cup of wine. “Take it,” said she, “you proud fellow.” And he said, “I proud?” “Who can be more so,” said she, “when you come without even being invited?” And Nico, who was nicknamed the Goat (as Lynceus tells us), once when she met a parasite, who was very thin in consequence of a long sickness, said to him, “How lean you are.” “No wonder,” says he; " for what do you think is all that I have had to eat these three days?" “Why, a leather bottle,” says she, “or perhaps your shoes.”

§ 13.48 There was a courtesan named Metaneira; and when Democles the parasite, who was nicknamed Lagynion, fell down in a lot of whitewash, she said, “Yes, for you have devoted yourself to a place where there are pebbles.” And when he sprung upon a couch which was near him, “Take care,” said she, “lest you get upset.” These sayings are recorded by Hegesander. [585] And Aristodemus, in the second book of his Humorous Memoirs, says that Gnathaena was hired by two men, a soldier and a branded slave; and so when the soldier, in his rude manner, called her a cistern, “How can I be so?” said she; “is it because two rivers, Lycus and Eleutherus, fall into me?” On one occasion, when some poor lovers of the daughter of Gnathaena came to feast at her house, and threatened to throw it down, saying that they had brought spades and mattocks on purpose; “But,” said Gnathaena, “if you had those implements, you should have pawned them, and brought some money with you.” And Gnathaena was always very neat and witty in all she said; and she even compiled a code of laws for banquets, according to which lovers were to be admitted to her and to her daughters, in imitation of the philosophers, who had drawn up similar documents. And Callimachus has recorded this code of hers in the third Catalogue of Laws which he has given; and he has quoted the first words of it as follows:- “This law has been compiled, being fair and equitable; and it is written in three hundred and twenty-three verses.”

§ 13.49 But a slave who had been flogged hired Callistium, who was nicknamed Poor Helene; and as it was summer, and he was lying down naked, she, seeing the marks of the whip, said, “Where did you get this, you unhappy man?” and he said, “Some broth was spilt over me when I was a boy.” And she said, “It must have been made of leather thongs.” And once, when Menander the poet had failed with one of his plays, and came to her house, Glycera brought him some milk, and recommended him to drink it. But he said he would rather not, for there was some scum (γραῦς) on it. But she replied, “Blow it away, and take what there is beneath.” Thais said once to a boastful lover of hers, who had borrowed some goblets from a great many people, and said that he meant to break them up, and make others of them, “You will destroy the characteristics of each of them.” Leontion was once sitting at table with a lover of hers, when Glycera came in to supper; and as the man began to pay more attention to Glycera, Leontion was much annoyed: and presently, when her friend turned round, and asked her what she was vexed at, she said, “The newcomer (ἡ ὑστέρα) pains me.” A lover of hers once sent his seal to Lais the Corinthian, and desired her to come to him; but she said, “I cannot come; it is only clay.” Thais was one day going to a lover of hers, who smelt like a goat; and when some one asked her whither she was going, she said- To dwell with Aegeus, great Pandion's son. [ Euripides, Medea ] Phryne, too, was once supping with a man of the same description, and, lifting up the hide of a pig, she said, “Take it, and eat it (τράγε)” And once, when one of her friends sent her some wine, which was very good, but the quantity was small; and when he told her that it was ten years old; “It is very little of its age,” said she. And once, when the question was asked at a certain banquet, why it is that wreaths are hung up about banqueting-rooms, she said, “Because they charm the spirits.” And once, when a slave, who had been flogged, was giving himself airs as a young man towards her, and saying that he had been often entangled, she pretended to look vexed; and when he asked her the reason, “I am jealous of you,” said she, “because you have been so often smitten.” Once a very covetous lover of hers was coaxing her, and saying to her, “You are the Aphrodite of Praxiteles;” “And you,” said she, “are the Eros of Pheidias.”

§ 13.50 And as I am aware that some of those men who have been involved in the administration of affairs of state have mentioned courtesans, either accusing or excusing them, I will enumerate some instances of those who have done so. For Demosthenes, in his speech against Androtion [ 22' ], mentions Sinope and Phanostrate; [586] and respecting Sinope, Herodicus the pupil of Crates says, in the sixth book of his treatise on People mentioned in the Comic Poets, that she was called Abydus, because she was an old woman. And Antiphanes mentions her in his Arcadian, and in his Gardener, and it his Sempstress, and in his Female Fisher, and in his Chick. And Alexis mentions her in his Cleobuline, and Callicrates speaks of her in his Moschion; and concerning Phanostrate Apollodorus, in his treatise on Courtesans at Athens, says that she was called Phtheiropyle, because she used to stand at the, door (πύλη) and hunt for lice (φθεῖρες). And in his oration against Aristagora, Hypereides says- “And again you have named, in the same manner, the animals called aphyae.” Now, aphyae, besides meaning anchovies, was also a nickname for some courtesans; concerning whom the before-mentioned Apollodorus says- “ Stagonium and Anthis were two sisters, and they were called Aphyae, because they were white, and thin, and had large eyes.” And Antiphanes, in his book on Courtesans, says that Nicostratis was called Aphya for the same reason. And the same Hypereides, in his speech against Mantitheus, who was being prosecuted for an assault, speaks in the following manner respecting Glycera - “Bringing with him Glycera the daughter of Thalassis in a pair-horse chariot.” But it is uncertain whether this is the same Glycera who was the mistress of Harpalus; concerning whom Theopompus speaks in his treatise On the Chian Letter, saying that after the death of Pythionice, Harpalus sent for Glycera to come to him from Athens; and when she came, she lived in the palace which is at Tarsus, and was honoured with royal honours by the populace, and was called queen; and an edict was issued, forbidding any one to present Harpalus with a crown, without at the same time presenting Glycera with another. And at Rhossos, he went so far as to erect a brazen statue of her by the side of his own statue. And Cleitarchus has given the same account in his History of Alexander. But the author of Agen, a satyric drama, (whoever he was, whether it was Python of Catana, or king Alexander himself;) says- And now they say that Harpalus has sent them Unnumbered sacks of corn, no fewer than Those sent by Agen, and is made a citizen: But this was Glycera's corn, and it may be Ruin to them, and not a harlot's earnest.

§ 13.51 And Lysias, in his oration against Lais, if, indeed, the speech is a genuine one, mentions these circumstances- “ Philyra abandoned the trade of a harlot when she was still quite young; and so did Scione, and Hippaphesis, and Theocleia, and Psamathe, and Lagisca, and Antheia.” But perhaps, instead of Antheia, we ought to read Anteia. For I do not find any mention made by any one of a harlot named Antheia. But there is a whole play named after Anteia, by either Eunicus or Philyllius. And the author of the oration against Neaera, whoever he was, also mentions her. But in the oration against Philonides, who was being prosecuted for an assault, Lysias, if at least it is a genuine speech of his, mentions also a courtesan called Nais. And in his speech against Medon, for perjury, he mentions one by the name of Anticyra; but this was only a nickname given to a woman, whose real name was Hoia, as Antiphanes informs us in his treatise On Courtesans, where he says that she was called Anticyra, because she was in the habit of drinking with men who were crazy and mad; or else because she was at one time the mistress of Nicostratus the physician, and he, when he died, left her a great quantity of hellebore, and nothing else. Lycurgus, also, in his oration against Leocrates, mentions a courtesan named Eirenis, as being the mistress of Leocrates. [587] And Hypereides mentions Nannium in his oration against Patrocles. And we have already mentioned that she used to be nicknamed the Goat, because she had ruined Thallus the innkeeper. And that the goats are very fond of the young shoots of the olive (θάλλοι), on which account the animal is never allowed to approach the Acropolis, and is also never sacrificed to Athene, is a fact which we shall mention hereafter. But Sophocles, in his play called The Shepherds, mentions that this animal does browse upon the young shoots, speaking as follows- For early in the morning, before I saw Any of the farmers here about, As I was bringing to the goat a shoot (θαλλὸν) Fresh plucked, I saw the army marching on By the projecting headland. Alexis also mentions Nannium, in his Tarentines, thus- But Nannium is mad for love of Dionysus,- jesting upon her as addicted to intoxication. And Menander, in his False Heracles, says- Did he not try to wheedle Nannium? And Antiphanes, in his treatise On Courtesans, says- “ Nannium was nicknamed the Proscenium, because she had a beautiful face, and used to wear very costly garments embroidered with gold, but when she was undressed she was a very bad figure. And Corone was Nannium's daughter, and she was nicknamed Tethe, from her exceedingly debauched habits.” Hypereides, in his oration against Patrocles, also speaks of a female flute-player named Nemeas. And we may wonder how it was that the Athenians permitted a courtesan to have such a name, which was that of a most honourable and solemn festival. For not only those who prostituted themselves, but all other slaves also were forbidden to take such names as that, as Polemon tells us, in his treatise on the Acropolis.

§ 13.52 The same Hypereides also mentions my Ocimum, as you call her, O Cynulcus, in his second oration against Aristagora, speaking thus- “As Lais, who appears to have been superior in beauty to any woman who had ever been seen, and Ocimum, and Metaneira.” And Nicostratus, a poet of the middle comedy, mentions her also in his Pandrosus, where he says Then go the same way to Aerope, And bid her send some clothes immediately, And brazen vessels, to fair Ocimum. And Menander, in his comedy called The Flatterer, gives the following catalogue of courtesans- Chrysis, Corone, Ischas, and Anticyra, And the most beautiful Nannarium,- All these you had. And Philetaerus, in his Female Hunter, says- Is not Cercope now extremely old. Three thousand years at least! and is not Telesis, Diopeithes' ugly daughter, three times that? And as for old Theolyte, no man Alive can tell the date when she was born. Then did not Lais persevere in her trade Till the last day of her life? and Isthmias, Neaera too, and Phila, grew quite rotten. I need not mention all the Cossyphae, Galenae, and Coronae; nor will I Say aught of Nais, as her teeth are gone. And Theophilus, in his Amateur of the Flute, says- Lest he should with disastrous shipwreck fall Into Meconis, Lais, or Sisymbrium Or Barathrum, or Thallusa, or any other With whom the panders bait their nets for youths,... Nannium, or Malthace.

§ 13.53 [588] Now when Myrtilus had uttered all this with extreme volubility, he added:- May no such disaster befall you, O philosophers, who even before the rise of the sect called Hedonists, yourselves broke down the wall of pleasure, as Eratosthenes somewhere or other expresses it. And indeed I have now quoted enough of the smart sayings of the courtesans, and I will pass on to another topic. And first of all, I will speak of that most devoted lover of truth, Epicurus, who, never having been initiated into the encyclic series of learning, used to say that those were well off who applied themselves to philosophy in the same way in which he did himself; and these were his words- “I praise and congratulate you, my young man, because you have come over to the study of philosophy unimbued with any system.” On which account Timon styles him- The most unlettered schoolmaster alive. Now, had not this very Epicurus Leontion for his mistress, her, I mean, who was so celebrated as a courtesan? But she did not cease to live as a prostitute when she began to learn philosophy, but still prostituted herself to the whole sect of Epicureans in the gardens, and to Epicurus himself, in the most open manner; so that this great philosopher was exceedingly fond of her, though he mentions this fact in his letters to Hermarchus.

§ 13.54 But as for Lais of Hyccara - (and Hyccara is a city in Sicily, from which place she came to Corinth, having been made a prisoner of war, as Polemon relates in the sixth book of his Reply to Timaeus: and Aristippus was one of her lovers, and so was Demosthenes the orator, and Diogenes the Cynic: and it was also said that the Aphrodite, which is at Corinth, and is called Melaenis, appeared to her in a dream, intimating to her by such an appearance that she would be courted by many lovers of great wealth;)- Lais, I say, is mentioned by Hypereides, in the second of his speeches against Aristagora. And Apelles the painter, having seen Lais while she was still a maiden, drawing water at the fountain Peirene, and marveling at her beauty, took her with him on one occasion to a banquet of his friends. And when his companions laughed at him because he had brought a maiden with him to the party, instead of a courtesan, he said — “Do not wonder, for I will show you that she is quite beautiful enough for future enjoyment within three years.” And a prediction of this sort was made by Socrates also, respecting Theodote the Athenian, as Xenophon tells us in his Memorabilia, for he used to say- “That she was very beautiful, and had a bosom finely shaped beyond all description. And let us,” said he, “go and see the woman; for people cannot judge of beauty by hearsay.” But Lais was so beautiful, that painters used to come to her to copy her bosom and her breasts. And Lais was a rival of Phryne, and had an immense number of lovers, never caring whether they were rich or poor, and never treating them with any insolence.

§ 13.55 And Aristippus every year used to spend whole days with her in Aigina, at the festival of Poseidon. And once, being reproached by his servant, who said to him- “You give her such large sums of money, but she admits Diogenes the Cynic for nothing” he answered, “I give Lais a great deal, that I myself may enjoy her, and not that no one else may.” And when Diogenes said, “Since you, O Aristippus, cohabit with a common prostitute, either, therefore, become a Cynic yourself, as I am, or else abandon her;” Aristippus answered him- “Does it appear to you, O Diogenes, an absurd thing to live in a house where other men have lived before you?” “Not at all,” said he. “Well, then, does it appear to you absurd to sail in a ship in which other men have sailed before you?” “By no means,” said he. “Well, then,” replied Aristippus, “it is not a bit more absurd to be in love with a woman with whom many men have been in love already.” And Nymphodorus the Syracusan, in his treatise on People who have been admired and eminent in Sicily, [589] says that Lais was a native of Hyccara, which he describes as a strong fortress in Sicily. But Strattis, in his play entitled The Macedonians or Pausanias, says that she was a Corinthian, in the following lines- (A) Where do these girls come from, and who are they? (B) At present they are come from Megara, But they by birth are all Corinthians: This one is Lais, who is so well known. And Timaeus, in the thirteenth book of his History, says she came from Hyccara, (using the word in the plural number;) as Polemon has stated, where he says that she was murdered by some women in Thessaly, because she was beloved by a Thessalian of the name of Pausanias; and that she was beaten to death, out of envy and jealousy, by wooden footstools in the temple of Aphrodite; and that from this circumstance that temple is called the temple of the impious Aphrodite; and that her tomb is shown on the banks of the Peneus, having on it an emblem of a stone water-ewer, and this inscription- This is the tomb of Lais, to whose beauty, Equal to that of heavenly goddesses, The glorious and unconquered Greece did bow; Love was her father, Corinth was her home, Now in the rich Thessalian plain she lies;- so that those men talk nonsense who say that she was buried in Corinth, near the Craneium.

§ 13.56 [589] And did not Aristotle of Stageira have a son named Nicomachus by a courtesan named Herpyllis? and did he not live with her till his death? as Hermippus informs us in the first book of his Life of Aristotle, saying that great care was taken of her in the philosopher's will. And did not our admirable Plato love Archaeanassa, a courtesan of Colophon? so that he even composed this song in her honour:- My mistress is the fair Archaeanassa From Colophon, a damsel in whom Love Sits on her very wrinkles irresistible. Wretched are those, whom in the flower of youth, When first she came across the sea, she met; They must have been entirely consumed. And did not Pericles the Olympian (as Clearchus tells us in the first book of his treatise on Amatory Matters) throw all Greece into confusion on account of Aspasia, not the younger one, but that one who associated with the wise Socrates; and that, too, though he was a man who had acquired such a vast reputation for wisdom and political sagacity? But, indeed, Pericles was always a man much addicted to amorous indulgences; and he cohabited even with his own son's wife, as Stesimbrotus the Thasian informs us; and Stesimbrotus was a contemporary of his, and had seen him, as he tells us in his book entitled A Treatise on Themistocles, and Thucydides, and Pericles. And Antisthenes, the pupil of Socrates, tells us that Pericles, being in love with Aspasia, used to kiss her twice every day, once when he entered her house, and once when he left it. And when she was impeached for impiety, he himself spoke in her behalf, and shed more tears for her sake than he did when his own property and his own life were imperiled. Moreover, when Cimon had had an incestuous affair with Elpinice, his sister, who was afterwards given in marriage to Callias, and when he was banished, Pericles contrived his recall, exacting the favours of Elpinice as his recompense. And Pythaenetus, in the third book of his History of Aigina, says that Periander fell violently in love with Melissa, the daughter of Procles of Epidaurus, when he had seen her clothed in the Peloponnesian fashion (for she had on no cloak, but a single tunic only, and was acting as cupbearer to the young men,) and he married her. And Tigris of Leucadia was the mistress of Pyrrhus king of Epirus, who was the third in descent from the Pyrrhus who invaded Italy; [590] but Olympias, the young man's mother, took her off by poison.

§ 13.57 And Ulpianus, as if he had got some unexpected gain, while Myrtilus was still speaking, said:- Do we say ὁ τίγρις in the masculine gender? for I know that Philemon says this in his play called Neaera:- (A) Just as Seleucus sent the tiger (τὴν τίγριν) here, Which we have seen, so we in turn ought now To send Seleucus back a beast from here. (B) Let's send him a trigeranus; for that's An animal not known much in those parts. And Myrtilus said to him:- Since you interrupted us when we were making out a catalogue of women, not like the lists of Sosicrates of Phanagoreia, or like the catalogue of women of Nicaenetus of Samos or Abdera (whichever was really his native country), I, digressing a little, will turn to your question, my old Phoenix. Learn, then, that Alexis, in his Fire-Lighter, has said τὸν τίγριν, using the word in the masculine gender; and these are his words: Come, open quick the door; I have been here, Though all unseen, walking sometime,- a statue, A millstone, and a hippopotamus, and a wall, The tiger (ὁ τίγρις) of Seleucus. And I might quote other examples of the fact, but I postpone them for the present, while I finish my catalogue, as far as it comprehends the beautiful women.

§ 13.58 For Clearchus speaks thus concerning Epaminondas: “ Epaminondas the Theban behaved with more dignity than these men did; but still there was a want of dignity in the way in which he was induced to waver in his sentiments in his association with women, as any one will admit who considers his conduct with the Laconian's wife.” But Hypereides the orator, having driven his son Glaucippus out of his house, received into it that most extravagant courtesan Myrrhina, and kept her in the city; and he also kept Aristagora in the Peiraeus, and Phila at Eleusis, whom he bought for a very large sum, and then emancipated; and after that he made her his housekeeper, as Idomeneus relates. But, in his oration in defence of Phryne, Hypereides confesses that he is in love with the woman; and yet, before he had got cured of that love, he introduced the above-mentioned Myrrhina into his house.

§ 13.59 Now Phryne was a native of Thespiae; and being prosecuted by Euthias on a capital charge, she was acquitted: on which account Euthias was so indignant that he never instituted any prosecution afterwards, as Hermippus tells us. But Hypereides, when pleading Phryne's cause, as he did not succeed at all, but it was plain that the judges were about to condemn her, brought her forth into the middle of the court, and, tearing open her tunic and displaying her naked bosom, employed all the end of his speech, with the highest oratorical art, to excite the pity of her judges by the sight of her beauty, and inspired the judges with a superstitious fear, so that they were so moved by pity as not to be able to stand the idea of condemning to death “a prophetess and priestess of Aphrodite.” And when she was acquitted, a decree was drawn up in the following form: “That hereafter no orator should endeavour to excite pity on behalf of any one, and that no man or woman, when impeached, shall have his or her case decided on while present.” But Phryne was a really beautiful woman, even in those parts of her person which were not generally seen: on which account it was not easy to see her naked; for she used to wear a tunic which covered her whole person, and she never used the public baths. But on the solemn assembly of the Eleusinian festival, and on the feast of the Poseidonia, then she laid aside her garments in the sight of all the assembled Greeks, and having undone her hair, she went to bathe in the sea; and it was from her that Apelles took his picture of Aphrodite Anadyomene; [591] and Praxiteles the sculptor, who was a lover of hers, modelled the Aphrodite of Cnidus from her body; and on the pedestal of his statue of Eros, which is placed below the stage in the theatre, he wrote the following inscription: Praxiteles has devoted earnest care To representing all the love he felt, Drawing his model from his inmost heart: I gave myself to Phryne for her wages, And now I no more charms employ, nor arrows, Save those of earnest glances at my love. And he gave Phryne the choice of his statues, whether she chose to take the Eros, or the Satyr which is in the street called the Tripods; and she, having chosen the Eros, consecrated it in the temple at Thespiae. And the people of her neighbourhood, having had a statue made of Phryne herself, of solid gold, consecrated it in the temple of Delphi, having had it placed on a pillar of Pentelic marble; and the statue was made by Praxiteles. And when Crates the Cynic saw it, he called it “a votive offering of the profligacy of Greece.” And this statue stood in the middle between that of Archidamus, king of the Lacedemonians, and that of Philippus the son of Amyntas; and it bore this inscription- “ Phryne of Thespiae, the daughter of Epicles,” as we are told by Alcetas, in the second book of his treatise On the Offerings at Delphi.