DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0701
OF THE MISCELLANY CUSTOMS OF GREECE.
This course was always more plentifully furnished out than the former .
whence was that saying of Dromeas the parasite, who being asked whe-
ther the suppers at Chalcis or those at Athens were more splendid ? re-
plied, ' that the preface of the supper at Chalcis was to be preferred
before the whole entertainment at Athens;' meaning, by the preface
of the supper, the several sorts of shell-fish, and other provision,
which was consumed before the supper, as we are informed by Athe-
IQffiUS (1).
3. AsuTf^a rganfe^a, the second course, which consisted of sweetmeats of
all kinds, which they called <rgayjjjxa<ra, t£ay»)f/<aTitff/.ov, fiarruaf, rgwyakiu,
t<xi8d^Kus^a, iiri8og7rttff*ara, tVi<po£sjfjujwa, iVi'Ssim/a, /xsTa&Jgwia, &c. Also by
the Dorians, who called entertainments etixka, and tfuvotixXsia, they were
termed eVcu'xAsia (2). This course was furnished with the utmost splen-
dour, especially in ages addicted to luxury ; whence it was sometimes,
by way of eminence, called r^Kz^a, the course, as we are informed by
Athenaeus (3), who has left descriptions of several of these courses. But
in this sort of provision, the Grecians were very much excelled by the
Persians who used to «ay, 'EXXsjva« tfpreeixevxs irewuvras ira,us<f8at, In Cqjitfiv
c'to SiiTvx *"a£a<po£«e<raj *8sv Xoya ccfyev, si 8t <n ■rtzgctjpigoirt erfSiwrss J tfatJovrai,
that the Grecians leave off eating while they are hungry, because nothing of
any value is ever set before them after supper ; and yet if any thing is produc-
ed, they still eat on (4).
Sometimes the three forementioned provisions were called vgurrj, Ssv~
<rlfa, t^/tt) <r£owrs£a, the first, second, third course, the ^ooi'fjuov JsiVvs being
reckoned a.part of the supper, apd making the first course ; and where
there was a great variety of dishes, that every one of the guests might be
able to choose what pleased him best, to i6og »?v tu J^iaro^i xaraxXi'devTi ?r«-
ga8'i8o<f&ai yga^urifiiiv <n iregis^ov uvaygaQiiv rwv *«|£(fxeuaO'jx/vclj», J<p* w slSevou
o, r^'xeXXof i'l/'ov (p/^siv o juoaysi^og' a paper was delivered to the master of the
feast, containing a catalogue of all the dishes which the cook had provided,
and this was communicated by him to the guests, as occasion required. But
it must not be imagined, that the Grecian suppers always consisted of
such a variety of dishes or courses ; whatever might be the custom
at the tables of princes, and others of the first quality, the re9t were
content with meaner provision for their ordinary diet, only upon the
festivals of the gods, or upon other special occasions, they allowed them-
selves more freedom (5) : and the heroical ages had rarely more than one
course.
The ancients had so great a sense of the divine Providence, that they
thought it unlawful to eat till they had first offered a part of their provi-
sion, as a sort of first-fruits, to the gods ; which custom was so religious-
ly observed in the heroical ages, that Achilles, though disturbed by Aga-
memnon's ambassadors at midnight, would not eat till an oblation was of-
fered * :
——-Qioia-l cT's 3w<*/ dvolyu
nai-poicAov h 'vraupov, 6 S'' ev vufi /Saxxe &u>tkii;.
The first fat offerings, to th' Immortals due,
Amidst the greedy flames Patroclus tnrew. voez.
(1; Lib. iv. cap. 4.
(2) Conf. Atheaaeus, lib. 4. cap 8.
(3) Lib. xii. cap. 11.
(4) Herodotus, lib. i. cap. 123. Athene us lib
v. cap. 10.
(5) Conf. Athenaeus, lib, xiv. initio cap, 10,
* Iliad, f. v, 219,
This course was always more plentifully furnished out than the former .
whence was that saying of Dromeas the parasite, who being asked whe-
ther the suppers at Chalcis or those at Athens were more splendid ? re-
plied, ' that the preface of the supper at Chalcis was to be preferred
before the whole entertainment at Athens;' meaning, by the preface
of the supper, the several sorts of shell-fish, and other provision,
which was consumed before the supper, as we are informed by Athe-
IQffiUS (1).
3. AsuTf^a rganfe^a, the second course, which consisted of sweetmeats of
all kinds, which they called <rgayjjjxa<ra, t£ay»)f/<aTitff/.ov, fiarruaf, rgwyakiu,
t<xi8d^Kus^a, iiri8og7rttff*ara, tVi<po£sjfjujwa, iVi'Ssim/a, /xsTa&Jgwia, &c. Also by
the Dorians, who called entertainments etixka, and tfuvotixXsia, they were
termed eVcu'xAsia (2). This course was furnished with the utmost splen-
dour, especially in ages addicted to luxury ; whence it was sometimes,
by way of eminence, called r^Kz^a, the course, as we are informed by
Athenaeus (3), who has left descriptions of several of these courses. But
in this sort of provision, the Grecians were very much excelled by the
Persians who used to «ay, 'EXXsjva« tfpreeixevxs irewuvras ira,us<f8at, In Cqjitfiv
c'to SiiTvx *"a£a<po£«e<raj *8sv Xoya ccfyev, si 8t <n ■rtzgctjpigoirt erfSiwrss J tfatJovrai,
that the Grecians leave off eating while they are hungry, because nothing of
any value is ever set before them after supper ; and yet if any thing is produc-
ed, they still eat on (4).
Sometimes the three forementioned provisions were called vgurrj, Ssv~
<rlfa, t^/tt) <r£owrs£a, the first, second, third course, the ^ooi'fjuov JsiVvs being
reckoned a.part of the supper, apd making the first course ; and where
there was a great variety of dishes, that every one of the guests might be
able to choose what pleased him best, to i6og »?v tu J^iaro^i xaraxXi'devTi ?r«-
ga8'i8o<f&ai yga^urifiiiv <n iregis^ov uvaygaQiiv rwv *«|£(fxeuaO'jx/vclj», J<p* w slSevou
o, r^'xeXXof i'l/'ov (p/^siv o juoaysi^og' a paper was delivered to the master of the
feast, containing a catalogue of all the dishes which the cook had provided,
and this was communicated by him to the guests, as occasion required. But
it must not be imagined, that the Grecian suppers always consisted of
such a variety of dishes or courses ; whatever might be the custom
at the tables of princes, and others of the first quality, the re9t were
content with meaner provision for their ordinary diet, only upon the
festivals of the gods, or upon other special occasions, they allowed them-
selves more freedom (5) : and the heroical ages had rarely more than one
course.
The ancients had so great a sense of the divine Providence, that they
thought it unlawful to eat till they had first offered a part of their provi-
sion, as a sort of first-fruits, to the gods ; which custom was so religious-
ly observed in the heroical ages, that Achilles, though disturbed by Aga-
memnon's ambassadors at midnight, would not eat till an oblation was of-
fered * :
——-Qioia-l cT's 3w<*/ dvolyu
nai-poicAov h 'vraupov, 6 S'' ev vufi /Saxxe &u>tkii;.
The first fat offerings, to th' Immortals due,
Amidst the greedy flames Patroclus tnrew. voez.
(1; Lib. iv. cap. 4.
(2) Conf. Atheaaeus, lib. 4. cap 8.
(3) Lib. xii. cap. 11.
(4) Herodotus, lib. i. cap. 123. Athene us lib
v. cap. 10.
(5) Conf. Athenaeus, lib, xiv. initio cap, 10,
* Iliad, f. v, 219,