Page:The Deipnosophists (Volume 3).djvu/309



56. "Hermippus also, the poet of the old Comedy, composed parodies. But the first writer of this kind who ever descended into the arena of theatrical contests was Hegemon, and he gained the prize at Athens for several parodies; and among them, for his Battle of the Giants. He also wrote a comedy in the ancient fashion, which is called Philinna. Eubœus also was a man who exhibited a good deal of wit in his poems; as, for instance, speaking about the Battle of the Baths, he said—

They one another smote with brazen [Greek: encheiêsi],

[as if [Greek: encheia], instead of meaning a spear, were derived from [Greek: encheô], to pour in.] And speaking of a barber who was being abused by a potter on account of some woman, he said—

But seize not, valiant barber, on this prize, Nor thou Achilles

And that these men were held in high estimation among the Sicilians, we learn from Alexander the Ætolian, a composer of tragedies, who, in an elegy, speaks as follows:—

The man whom fierce Agathocles did drive An exile from his land, was nobly born Of an old line of famous ancestors, And from his early youth he lived among The foreign visitors; and thoroughly learnt The dulcet music of Mimnermus' lyre, And follow'd his example;—and he wrote, In imitation of great Homer's verse, The deeds of cobblers, and base shameless thieves, Jesting with highly-praised felicity, Loved by the citizens of fair Syracuse. But he who once has heard Bœotus' song, Will find but little pleasure in Eubœus."

57. After all this discussion had been entered into on many occasions, once when evening overtook us, one of us said,—Boy, bring a light ([Greek: lychneion]). But some one else used the word [Greek: lychneôs], and a third called it [Greek: lophnias], saying that that was the proper name for a torch made of bark; another called it [Greek: panos]; and another [Greek: phanos].—This one used the word [Greek: lychnouchos], and that one [Greek: lychnos]. Some one else again said [Greek: elanê], and another said [Greek: helanai], insisting on it that that was the proper name for a lamp, being derived from [Greek: helê], brightness;,

where Eubœus changes [Greek: kourên], maiden, into [Greek: koureu], barber.]