The Deipnosophists, or Banquet of the Learned of Athenaeus Part 30

And Cratinus, in his Pluti, mentions jawbones of meat--

Fighting for a n.o.ble jawbone of beef.

And Sophocles, in the Amycus, says--

And he places on the table tender jawbones.

And Plato, in his Timaeus, writes, "And he bound up some jawbones for them, so as to give the appearance of a whole face." And Xenophon says, in his book on Horsemans.h.i.+p, "A small jawbone closely pressed." But some call it, not s?a???, but ?a???, spelling the word with a ?, saying that it is derived from the word ??. Epicharmus also speaks of tripe, ???da? as we call it, but he calls it ???a?, having given one of his plays the t.i.tle of Orya. And Aristophanes, in his Clouds, writes--

Let them prepare a dish of tripe, for me To set before these wise philosophers.

And Cratinus, in his Pytina, says--

How fine, says he, is now this slice of tripe.

And Eupolis speaks of it also, in his Goats. But Alexis, either in his Leucadia, or in his Runaways, says--

Then came a slice and good large help of tripe.

And Antiphanes, in his Marriage, says--

Having cut out a piece of the middle of the tripe.

48. And as for feet, and ears, and even noses of beasts, they are all mentioned by Alexis, in his Crateua or the Physic-seller. And I will adduce a slight proof of that presently, which contains a good many of the names about which we are inquiring. Theophilus says, in his Pancratiast--

_A._ There are here near three minas' weight of meat Well boiled.

_B._ What next?

_A._ There is a calf's nose, and A heel of bacon, and four large pig's-feet.

_B._ A n.o.ble dish, by Hercules!

_A._ And three calves-feet.

And Anaxilas says, in his Cooks--

_A._ I would much rather roast a little fish, Than here repeat whole plays of aeschylus.

_B._ What do you mean by little fish? Do you intend To treat your friends as invalids? 'Twere better To boil the extremities of eatable animals, Their feet and noses.

And Anaxilas says, in the Circe--

For having an unseemly snout of pig, My dear Cinesias.

And in the Calypso--

Then I perceived I bore a swine's snout.

Anaxandrides has mentioned also ears in the Satyrus. And Axionicus says, in his Chalcis--

I am making soup, Putting in well-warm'd fish, and adding to them Some scarce half-eaten fragments; and the pett.i.toes Of a young porker, and his ears; the which I sprinkle With savoury a.s.saftida; and then I make the whole into a well-flavour'd sausage, A meat most saleable. Then do I add a slice Of tender tripe; and a snout soak'd in vinegar.

So that the guests do all confess, the second day Has beaten e'en the wedding-day itself.

And Aristophanes says, in his Proagon--

Wretch that I am, I've eaten tripe, my son: How can I bear to see a roasted snout?

And Pherecrates says, in his Trifles--

Is not this plainly now a porker's snout?

And there is a place which is called ??????, or Snout, near Stratos, in aetolia, as Polybius testifies, in the sixth book of his Histories. And Stesichorus says, in his Boar Hunting--

To hide the sharpen'd snout beneath the earth.

And we have already said that the word ?????? properly applies only to the snout of a swine; but that it is sometimes used for the nose of other animals, Archippus has proved, saying in jest, in his Second Amphitryon, of the human face--

And this, too, though you have so long a nose (??????).

And Araros says, in his Adonis--

For the G.o.d turns his nose towards us.

49. And Aristophanes makes mention of the extremities of animals as forming a common dish, in his aeolosicon--

And of a truth, plague take it, I have boil'd Four tender pett.i.toes for you for dinner.

And in his Gerytades he says--

Pig's pett.i.toes, and bread, and crabs.

And Antiphanes says, in his Corinthia--

_A._ And then you sacrifice a pig's extremities To Venus,--what a joke!

_B._ That is your ignorance; For she in Cyprus is so fond of pigs, O master, that she drove away the herd Of swine from off the dunghill where they fed, And made the cows eat dirt instead of them.

But Callimachus testifies that, in reality, a pig is sacrificed to Venus; or perhaps it is Zenodotus who says so in his Historic Records, writing thus, "The Argives sacrifice a pig to Venus, and the festival at which this takes place is called Hysteria." And Pherecrates says, in his Miners--

But whole pig's feet of the most tender flavour Were placed at hand in dishes gaily adorned, And boil'd ears, and other extremities.

And Alexis says, in his Dice Players--

But when we had nearly come to an end of breakfast, And eaten all the ears and pett.i.toes.

And he says again, in his Pannuchis or in his Wool-weavers--

This meat is but half roasted, and the fragments Are wholly wasted; see this conger eel, How badly boiled; and as for the pett.i.toes, They now are wholly spoilt.