DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0406
384
OF THE RELIGION OF GREECE.
by the epigram upon Milo, who, having challenged the whole assembly,
and finding none that durst encounter him, claimed the crown ; but as he
was going to receive it, unfortunately fell down ; whereat the people
cried out, that he had forfeited the prize ; then Milo (1),
'Ev nflftxt, KOtTTOV TltAXa /Ut T/C /2*a=T&> ;
Arose, and standing in the rn dht thus cry'd :
One single fall cannot the prize decide,
And who is here can throw me th' other two ?
But of wrestling there were two sorts, viz. one called Ogdiataky, and
O^oifacXr], which is that already described ; and another called AvaxXivo-
^aXrj, because the combatants used voluntarily to throw themselves down,
and continue the fight upon the ground, by pinching, biting, scratching,
and all manner of w iys annoying their adversary ; whereby it often came
to pass, that the weaker combatant, and who would never have been able
to throw his antagonist, obtained the victory, and forced him to yield ; for
in this exercise, as in boxing also, the victory was never adjudged, till
one party had fairly yielded. This was sometimes done by words, and
often by lifting up a finger, whence SkxtuKhv dvxrsivxc'8at signifies to yield
the victory ; for which reason, we are told by Plutarch, that the Lace-
daemonians would not permit any of those exercises to be practised in
their city, wherein those that were conquered did JaxruXov avaTnvatfdaf,
i. e. confess themselves overcome by holding up their finger, because
they thought it would derogate from the temper and spirit of the Spartans,
to have any of them tamely yield to any adversary ; though that place
has been hitherto mistaken by most interpreters. Martial has taken no-
tice of this exercise:
Hunc arno, qui vincit, sed qui succumbere novit,
JEi melius didicit, ttiv d.aKMvoTrttVriv
It is the very same with what is more commonly called ^ayx^rmv,
which consists of the two exercises of wrestling and boxing: from the
former, it borrows the custom of throwing down ; from the latter, that
of beating adversaries ; for wrestlers never struck, nor did boxers ever
attempt to throw d<nvn one another ; but the UayxgaTicusui were permit-
ted to do both ; and it was customary for the weaker party, when he
found himself sore pressed by his adversary, to fall down, and fight rol-
ling on the ground whence these combatants were called m\&xot, which
gave occasion to the mistake of Hieronymus Mercurialis, who fancied
there were two Pancratia, one in which the combatants stood erect ; the
other, in which they rolled in the gravel. This exercise is sometimes
called Ila^a^iov, and the combatants nafj^ot;tai (2).
Horse-races were either performed by single horses, which were call-
ed xs\'f]TSs or fxovosjxtfvxss; or by two horses, on one of which they per
formed the race, and leaped upon the other at the goal ; these men were
called avaCotToti, and if it was a mare they leaped upon, she was named
y.ctXtfri: or by horses coupled together in chanots, which were sometimes
drawn by two, three, four, &c. horses ; whence we read of Juw^oi, <ri&-
gitftfoi, rsrgolaigoi, &c. How great soever the number of horses might be,
they were all placed, not as now, but in one front, being coupled together
(1) Antholog. lib. ii. cap. 1. Epigram. 11.
"2\ Pollux, Suidas. Hygiaus, &c.
OF THE RELIGION OF GREECE.
by the epigram upon Milo, who, having challenged the whole assembly,
and finding none that durst encounter him, claimed the crown ; but as he
was going to receive it, unfortunately fell down ; whereat the people
cried out, that he had forfeited the prize ; then Milo (1),
'Ev nflftxt, KOtTTOV TltAXa /Ut T/C /2*a=T&> ;
Arose, and standing in the rn dht thus cry'd :
One single fall cannot the prize decide,
And who is here can throw me th' other two ?
But of wrestling there were two sorts, viz. one called Ogdiataky, and
O^oifacXr], which is that already described ; and another called AvaxXivo-
^aXrj, because the combatants used voluntarily to throw themselves down,
and continue the fight upon the ground, by pinching, biting, scratching,
and all manner of w iys annoying their adversary ; whereby it often came
to pass, that the weaker combatant, and who would never have been able
to throw his antagonist, obtained the victory, and forced him to yield ; for
in this exercise, as in boxing also, the victory was never adjudged, till
one party had fairly yielded. This was sometimes done by words, and
often by lifting up a finger, whence SkxtuKhv dvxrsivxc'8at signifies to yield
the victory ; for which reason, we are told by Plutarch, that the Lace-
daemonians would not permit any of those exercises to be practised in
their city, wherein those that were conquered did JaxruXov avaTnvatfdaf,
i. e. confess themselves overcome by holding up their finger, because
they thought it would derogate from the temper and spirit of the Spartans,
to have any of them tamely yield to any adversary ; though that place
has been hitherto mistaken by most interpreters. Martial has taken no-
tice of this exercise:
Hunc arno, qui vincit, sed qui succumbere novit,
JEi melius didicit, ttiv d.aKMvoTrttVriv
It is the very same with what is more commonly called ^ayx^rmv,
which consists of the two exercises of wrestling and boxing: from the
former, it borrows the custom of throwing down ; from the latter, that
of beating adversaries ; for wrestlers never struck, nor did boxers ever
attempt to throw d<nvn one another ; but the UayxgaTicusui were permit-
ted to do both ; and it was customary for the weaker party, when he
found himself sore pressed by his adversary, to fall down, and fight rol-
ling on the ground whence these combatants were called m\&xot, which
gave occasion to the mistake of Hieronymus Mercurialis, who fancied
there were two Pancratia, one in which the combatants stood erect ; the
other, in which they rolled in the gravel. This exercise is sometimes
called Ila^a^iov, and the combatants nafj^ot;tai (2).
Horse-races were either performed by single horses, which were call-
ed xs\'f]TSs or fxovosjxtfvxss; or by two horses, on one of which they per
formed the race, and leaped upon the other at the goal ; these men were
called avaCotToti, and if it was a mare they leaped upon, she was named
y.ctXtfri: or by horses coupled together in chanots, which were sometimes
drawn by two, three, four, &c. horses ; whence we read of Juw^oi, <ri&-
gitftfoi, rsrgolaigoi, &c. How great soever the number of horses might be,
they were all placed, not as now, but in one front, being coupled together
(1) Antholog. lib. ii. cap. 1. Epigram. 11.
"2\ Pollux, Suidas. Hygiaus, &c.