Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

COENA.

97

COENA.

ourselves in the preparation and arrangements i grapes (m~ae passae), dates (palmulae, caryo-
of the table. In a large household, the func- j tae, dactyli) ; of sweetmeats and confections,
tionaries to whom this important duty was j called edulia mellita, dulciaria, such as cheese-
entrusted were four, the butler (promus), the ■ cakes (cupediac, crustula, liba, placentae,
cook (archimagirus), the arranger of the dishes I artolagani), almond cakes (coptae), tarts
(structor), and the carver (carptor or scissor). I (scriblitae), whence the maker of them was
Carving was taught as an art, and performed called pistor dulciarius, placentarius, //in-
to the sound of music, with appropriate gesti- ; rius, &c. We will now suppose the table
dilations.

- " minimo sane ducrimme refert.

Quo vultu lepores, et quo gallina secetur."

In the supper of Petronius, a large round

spread and the guests assembled, each with
his mappa or napkin, and in his dinner dress,
called coenatoria or cubitoria, usually of a
bright colour, and variegated with flowers,
tray (ferculum, repositorium) is brought in, I First they took off their shoes, for fear of

with the signs of the zodiac figured all round
it, upon each of which the artiste (structor)
had placed some appropriate viand, a goose
on Aquarius, a pair of scales with tarts (scrib-
litae) and cheesecakes (placentae) in each
scale on Libra, &e. In the middle was
placed a hive supported by delicate herbage.
Presently four slaves come forward dancing
to the sound of music, and take away the
upper part of the dish ; beneath appear all
kinds of dressed meats ; a hare with wings to
imitate Pegasus, in the middle; and four
figures of Marsyas at the corners, pouring
hot sauce (garum pijieratum) over the fish,
that were swimming in the Euripus below. So
entirely had the Romans lost all shame of
luxury, since the days when Cincius, in sup-
porting the Fannian law, charged his own
age with the enormity of introducing the
porcus Trojanus, a sort of pudding stuffed
with the flesh of other animals.-—The third
course was the bellaria or dessert, to which
Horace alludes when he says of Tigellius ab
ovo usque aa mala citaret; it consisted of
fruits (which the Romans usually ate un-

soiling the couch, which was often inlaid
with ivory or tortoiseshell, and covered with
cloth of gold. Next they lay down to eat,
the head resting on the left elbow and sup-
ported by cushions. There were usually, but
not always, three on the same couch, the
middle place being esteemed the most honour-
able. Around the tables stood the servants
(ministri) clothed in a tunic, and girt with
napkins; some removed the dishes and wiped
the tables with a rough cloth, others gave the
guests water for their hands, or cooled the
room with fans. Here stood an eastern youth
behind his master's couch, ready to answer
the noise of the fingers, while others bore a
large platter of different kinds of meat to the
guests. Dinner was set out in a room called
coenatio or diaeta (which two words perhaps
conveyed to a Roman ear nearly the same
distinction as our dining-room and parlour).
The coenatio, in rich men's houses, was fitted
up with great magnificence. Suetonius men-
tions a supper-room in the golden palace of
Nero, constructed like a theatre, with shifting
scenes to change with every course. In the

cooked), such as almonds (amygdalae), dried | midst of the coenatio were set three ccuches

A Fwust. (Vatican Vilgil MS.;