MAGODI. of woman's attire; and he behaves in an effeminate manner, and does every sort of indecorous, indecent thing,—imitating at one time a woman, at another an adulterer or a pimp: or sometimes he represents a drunken man, or even a serenade offered by a reveller to his mistress. And Aristoxenus says that the business of singing joyous songs is a respectable one, and somewhat akin to tragedy; but that the business of a Magodus is more like comedy. And very often it happens that the Magodi, taking the argument of some comedy, represent it according to their own fashion and manner. And the word [Greek: magôdia] was derived from the fact that those who addicted themselves to the practice, uttered things like magical incantations, and often declared the power of various drugs.
15. But there was among the Lacedæmonians an ancient kind of comic diversion, as Sosibius says, not very important or serious, since Sparta aimed at plainness even in pastimes. And the way was, that some one, using very plain, unadorned language, imitated persons stealing fruit, or else some foreign physician speaking in this way, as Alexis, in his Woman who has taken Mandragora, represents one: and he says—
If any surgeon of the country says,
"Give him at early dawn a platter full
Of barley-broth," we shall at once despise him;
But if he says the same with foreign accent,
We marvel and admire him. If he call
The beet-root [Greek: seutlion], we disregard him;
But if he style it [Greek: teutlion], we listen,
And straightway, with attention fix'd, obey;
As if there were such difference between
[Greek: seutlion] and [Greek: teutlion].
And those who practised this kind of sport were called among the Lacedæmonians [Greek: dikêlistai], which is a term equivalent to [Greek: skeuopoioi] or [Greek: mimêtai].[1] There are, however, many names, varying in different places, for this class of [Greek: dikêlistai]; for the Sicyonians call them [Greek: phallophoroi], and others call them [Greek: autokabdaloi], and some call them [Greek: phlyakes], as the Italians do; but people in general call them Sophists: and the Thebans, who are very much in the habit of giving peculiar names to many things, call them [Greek: ethelontai]. But that the Thebans do introduce all kinds of innovations with respect to words, Strattis shows us in the Phœnissæ, where he says—, a maker of masks, etc. for the stage; [Greek: mimêtês], an actor.]
- ↑ [Greek: Skeuopoios
