Page:The Deipnosophists (Volume 3).djvu/126

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came in to supper; and as the man began to pay more attention to Glycera, Leontium was much annoyed: and presently, when her friend turned round, and asked her what she was vexed at, she said, "[Greek: Hê hystera][1] pains me."

A lover of hers once sent his seal to Lais the Corinthian, and desired her to come to him; but she said, "I cannot come; it is only clay." Thais was one day going to a lover of hers, who smelt like a goat; and when some one asked her whither she was going, she said—

To dwell with Ægeus,[2] great Pandion's son.

Phryne, too, was once supping with a man of the same description, and, lifting up the hide of a pig, she said, "Take it, and eat[3] it." And once, when one of her friends sent her some wine, which was very good, but the quantity was small; and when he told her that it was ten years old; "It is very little of its age," said she. And once, when the question was asked at a certain banquet, why it is that crowns are hung up about banqueting-rooms, she said, "Because they delight the mind."[4] And once, when a slave, who had been flogged, was giving himself airs as a young man towards her, and saying that he had been often entangled, she pretended to look vexed; and when he asked her the reason, "I am jealous of you," said she, "because you have been so often smitten."[5] Once a very covetous lover of hers was coaxing her, and saying to her, "You are the Venus of Praxiteles;" "And you," said she, "are the Cupid of Phidias."[6]

50. And as I am aware that some of those men who have been involved in the administration of affairs of state have mentioned courtesans, either accusing or excusing them, I will enumerate some instances of those who have done so. For Demosthenes, in his speech against Androtion, mentions Sinope and Phanostrate; and respecting Sinope, Herodicus the pupil of Crates says, in the sixth book of his treatise on People mentioned in the Comic Poets, that she was called Abydus, because she was an old woman. And Antiphanesmeans both "the womb," and "the new comer."]to [Greek: aix], a goat.], to eat, and [Greek: tragos], a goat.], which might perhaps also mean to bring coolness, from [Greek: psychos], coolness.]([Greek: gynaixi] scil.), but Prhyne chooses to suppose that he meant to say [Greek: pollais plêgais], blows.], as if from [Greek: pheidô], to be stingy.]

  1. [Greek: Hystera
  2. Punning on the similarity of the name [Greek: Aigeus
  3. Punning on the similarity of [Greek: katatragô
  4. The Greek word is [Greek: psychagôgousi
  5. The young man says [Greek: pollais sympeplechthai
  6. This is a pun on the name [Greek: Pheidias