DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0677
of the miscellany customs of greece.
64^
man (1), bis in die saturumjieri, twice a-day to eat to the full : and so
temperate were the ancient Romans, that viles et rusticos cibos ante ipsos
focos sumserunt, eosgue ipsos capere nisi ad ve.speram non limit (2), they
lived upon very mean food, and used not to allow themselves that till the
evening ; whence Isidorus (3), explaining the words ccena and vesperna,
whereby the supper or evening meal is signified, adds, that in usu non
erantprandia, dinners were not used.
CHAP. XVI.
of the several sorts of entertainments.
In the primitive ages, if we may believe Athenaeus (4), sr^tra tfufjwroffis
tivvwywyy tj;v cuV/av els Ssov otvecpegs, all meetings at entertainments were oc-
casioned by their devotion to the gods : neither was it usual either to in-
dulge themselves with the free use of wines or dainties, si (iij Sewv evsxa
t«to 5gwv<rai, unless they did it on a religious account, as the same author
affirms (5) ; for on festival days they used to rest from their labours,
and to live more plentifully than at other times, believing, in the words
of Ovid, that the gods were present at their tables on such occasions :
-mensce credere adesse Deos (6).
And out of this opinion rdg hgrag tfw<p£ovw£5 xotf^t'ug Styyov, they behaved
themselves with sobriety and decency at their festival entertainments ;
neither did they drink to excess ; but having moderately refreshed them-
selves, offered a libation to the gods, and then returned home, as we are
again informed by Athenaeus (7).
Afterwards, when a more free way of living was in use, we find men-
tion of three sorts of entertainments, viz. etka&et^ yi^og, and, 2gw,vo£,
which are all together enumerated in that verse of Homer :
EiKA7riv' «£ yxfAot, \ir»t i>c 't^tios Tat j>' «r>v.
Whence there are commonly said to have been three distinct sorts of en-
tertainments among the ancient Grecians ; but these may be reduced to
two, siXdwrivrj and ££avog, under one of which, ya^og, the marriage enter-
tainment, may be comprehended. The first of these (siXaWv/]) is some-
times termed suw^ia, and itfu^SoXov deTrfvov, and was an entertainment pro-
vided at the expence of one man : on the contrary, 'iguvog was an enter-
tainment made at the common charge of all present being so named £<to
th (fvvspuv *) tfufjwps'psiv exagov, because every man contributed his propor-
tion, as we learn from Athenaeus (8), who likewise reports that this en-
tertainment was sometimes termed 'hiutiog- hence the guests were called
tfuW)iatfatfai, who are more commonly named epaviga/. What each of these
guests contributed was termed (fvpyoga, sitftpoga, x*<ra§oXj?, tfu^SoXaj, &c.
whence the entertainment was named SsTifvov tfu/xpo^rov, tfu^SoXijxcubvr
info (fvpSohrfg, xctraSoXiov. Sometimes it was called to h x«iv«,&c. At Ar-
(1) Tusculan. Quajst. v, (5) Lib. ii. (6) Fastor. lib. v,
(2) Salvianus. lib, i, (7) Lib. viii. cap. 16. sub finem.
(3) Originibu;, (8) Lib.riii.
/4) Lib. v,
82
64^
man (1), bis in die saturumjieri, twice a-day to eat to the full : and so
temperate were the ancient Romans, that viles et rusticos cibos ante ipsos
focos sumserunt, eosgue ipsos capere nisi ad ve.speram non limit (2), they
lived upon very mean food, and used not to allow themselves that till the
evening ; whence Isidorus (3), explaining the words ccena and vesperna,
whereby the supper or evening meal is signified, adds, that in usu non
erantprandia, dinners were not used.
CHAP. XVI.
of the several sorts of entertainments.
In the primitive ages, if we may believe Athenaeus (4), sr^tra tfufjwroffis
tivvwywyy tj;v cuV/av els Ssov otvecpegs, all meetings at entertainments were oc-
casioned by their devotion to the gods : neither was it usual either to in-
dulge themselves with the free use of wines or dainties, si (iij Sewv evsxa
t«to 5gwv<rai, unless they did it on a religious account, as the same author
affirms (5) ; for on festival days they used to rest from their labours,
and to live more plentifully than at other times, believing, in the words
of Ovid, that the gods were present at their tables on such occasions :
-mensce credere adesse Deos (6).
And out of this opinion rdg hgrag tfw<p£ovw£5 xotf^t'ug Styyov, they behaved
themselves with sobriety and decency at their festival entertainments ;
neither did they drink to excess ; but having moderately refreshed them-
selves, offered a libation to the gods, and then returned home, as we are
again informed by Athenaeus (7).
Afterwards, when a more free way of living was in use, we find men-
tion of three sorts of entertainments, viz. etka&et^ yi^og, and, 2gw,vo£,
which are all together enumerated in that verse of Homer :
EiKA7riv' «£ yxfAot, \ir»t i>c 't^tios Tat j>' «r>v.
Whence there are commonly said to have been three distinct sorts of en-
tertainments among the ancient Grecians ; but these may be reduced to
two, siXdwrivrj and ££avog, under one of which, ya^og, the marriage enter-
tainment, may be comprehended. The first of these (siXaWv/]) is some-
times termed suw^ia, and itfu^SoXov deTrfvov, and was an entertainment pro-
vided at the expence of one man : on the contrary, 'iguvog was an enter-
tainment made at the common charge of all present being so named £<to
th (fvvspuv *) tfufjwps'psiv exagov, because every man contributed his propor-
tion, as we learn from Athenaeus (8), who likewise reports that this en-
tertainment was sometimes termed 'hiutiog- hence the guests were called
tfuW)iatfatfai, who are more commonly named epaviga/. What each of these
guests contributed was termed (fvpyoga, sitftpoga, x*<ra§oXj?, tfu^SoXaj, &c.
whence the entertainment was named SsTifvov tfu/xpo^rov, tfu^SoXijxcubvr
info (fvpSohrfg, xctraSoXiov. Sometimes it was called to h x«iv«,&c. At Ar-
(1) Tusculan. Quajst. v, (5) Lib. ii. (6) Fastor. lib. v,
(2) Salvianus. lib, i, (7) Lib. viii. cap. 16. sub finem.
(3) Originibu;, (8) Lib.riii.
/4) Lib. v,
82