Had been pre-occupied by former artists,
First found out how to steal, in such a way
That no one blamed me, but all sought at once
T' engage my aid. And you, perceiving too
This ground already occupied by me,
Invented something new yourself—'tis this:—
Five days ago the Tenians, grey old men,
After a tedious voyage o'er the sea,
Did hold a sacrifice: a small thin kid:
Lycus could crib no portion of that meat,
Nor could his master. Yon compell'd the men
To furnish two more kids. For as they long
And oft survey'd the liver of the victims,
You, letting down one unperceived hand,
Were impudent enough to throw the kidneys
Into the ditch: you raised a mighty tumult:
"The victim has no kidneys," they exclaim'd,
And all look'd downcast at th' unusual want.
They slew another, and again I saw
You eat the heart from out this second victim.
You surely are a mighty man; you know it—
For you alone have found a way to hinder
A wolf ([Greek: lykon]) from opening his mouth in vain.
And[1] yesterday you threw some strings of sausages
(Which you had sought all day) into the fire,
And sang to the dichordon. And I witness'd
That play of yours; but this is merely sport.
25. I wonder if it was any of these second seven wise men who contrived this device about the pig, so as to stuff his inside without cutting his throat, and so as to roast one side of him and boil the other at the same time. And as we now urged and entreated him to explain this clever device to us, he said,—I will not tell you this year, I swear by those who encountered danger at Marathon, and also by those who fought at Salamis. So when he had taken such an oath as that, we all thought we ought not to press the man; but all began to lay hands on the different dishes which were served up before us. And Ulpian said,—I swear by those who encountered danger at Artemisium, no one shall taste of anything before we are told in what ancient author the word [Greek: parapherô] is used in the sense of serving up. For as to the word [Greek: geumata], I think I am the only person who knows anything about that. And Magnus said, Aristophanes in his Proagon says—
- ↑ This is very obscure and corrupt. Casaubon suspects the genuineness
of the last four lines altogether.
