Page:The Deipnosophists (Volume 3).djvu/115

 *

Boa, who was a flute-player and a courtesan, a Paphlagonian by birth. And Aristophon the orator, who in the archonship of Euclides proposed a law, that every one who was not born of a woman who was a citizen should be accounted a bastard, was himself, convicted, by Calliades the comic poet, of having children by a courtesan named Choregis, as the same Carystius relates in the third book of his Commentaries.

Besides all these men, was not Demetrius Poliorcetes evidently in love with Lamia the flute-player, by whom he had a daughter named Phila? And Polemo, in his treatise on the colonnade called Pœcile at Sicyon, says that Lamia was the daughter of Cleanor an Athenian, and that she built the before-mentioned colonnade for the people of Sicyon. Demetrius was also in love with Leæna, and she was also an Athenian courtesan; and with a great many other women besides.

39. And Machon the comic poet, in his play entitled the Chriæ, speaks thus:—

But as Leæna was by nature form'd To give her lovers most exceeding pleasure, And was besides much favour'd by Demetrius, They say that Lamia also gratified The king; and when he praised her grace and quickness, The damsel answer'd: And besides you can, If you do wish, subdue a lioness ([Greek: leainan]).

But Lamia was always very witty and prompt in repartee, as also was Gnathæna, whom we shall mention presently. And again Machon writes thus about Lamia:—

Demetrius the king was once displaying Amid his cups a great variety Of kinds of perfumes to his Lamia: Now Lamia was a female flute-player, With whom 'tis always said Demetrius Was very much in love. But when she scoff'd At all his perfumes, and, moreover, treated The monarch with exceeding insolence, He bade a slave bring some cheap unguent, and He rubbed himself with that, and smear'd his fingers, And said, "At least smell this, O Lamia, And see how much this scent does beat all others." She laughingly replied: "But know, O king, That smell does seem to me the worst of all." "But," said Demetrius, "I swear, by the gods, That 'tis produced from a right royal nut."

40. But Ptolemy the son of Agesarchus, in his History of