Page:The Deipnosophists (Volume 2).djvu/116

 harp-players and lyre-players; for Æschines the orator, in his speech against Timarchus, says this of him—"Misgolas, the son of Naucrates, of Colyttus, O men of Athens, is a man in other respects brave and virtuous, and no one can find any fault with him in any particular; but he is known to be exceedingly devoted to this kind of business, and always to have about him some harp-players, and people who sing to the music of the harp. And I say this, not by way of disparaging him, but in order that you may be aware what sort of person he is." And Timocles, in his Sappho, says—

Misgolas is not seen to enter in, Excited as he is by blooming youth.

And Alexis, in his Agonis, or the Little Horse, says—

O mother, do not threaten me, I pray, With Misgolas, for I am not a harp-player.

23. But Antiphanes says that Pythionica is fond of cured fish, since she had for lovers the sons of Chærephilus, the seller of salt-fish; as Timocles says, in his Icarians,—

When that stout Anytus to Pythionica Does come, to eat with her; for she invites him, As people say, whenever she does get Two noble tunnies from Chærephilus; So fond is she of all things that are large.

And again he says—

And Pythionica will receive you gladly, And very likely will devour the gifts Which you have lately here received from us, For she's insatiable. Still do you Bid her give you a basket of cured fish; For she has plenty; and she has indeed A couple of saperdæ; ugly fish, Ill salted, and broad nosed.

And before this she had a lover whose name was Cobius.

24. But with respect to Callimedon, the son of Carabus, Timocles, in his Busybody, tells us that he was fond of fish, and also that he squinted:—

Then up came Carabus Callimedon, And looking on me, as it seem'd to me, He kept on speaking to some other man. And I, as it was likely, understanding No word of what they said, did only nod. But all the girls do keep on looking at him, While they pretend to turn their eyes away.