SWEETMEATS. every sort of liberty and licence, while their masters wait on them. And, in short, even to this day the Thessalians celebrate this as their chief festival, and call it Peloria."
46. Very often, then, as I have said, when such a dessert as this is set before us, some one of the guests who were present would say—
Certainly, second thoughts are much the best;
For what now can the table want? or what
Is there with which it is not amply loaded?
'Tis full of fish fresh from the sea, besides
Here's tender veal, and dainty dishes of goose,
Tartlets, and cheesecakes steep'd most thoroughly
In the rich honey of the golden bee;
as Euripides says in his Cretan Women: and, as Eubulus said in his Rich Woman—
And in the same way everything is sold
Together at Athens; figs and constables,
Grapes, turnips, pears and apples, witnesses,
Roses and medlars, cheesecakes, honeycombs,
Vetches and law-suits; bee-strings of all kinds,
And myrtle-berries, and lots for offices,
Hyacinths, and lambs, and hour-glasses too,
And laws and prosecutions.
Accordingly, when Pontianus was about to say something about each of the dishes of the second course,—We will not, said Ulpian, hear you discuss these things until you have spoken about the sweetmeats ([Greek: epidorpismata]). And Pontianus replied:—Cratinus says that Philippides has given this name to the [Greek: tragêmata], in his Miser, where he says—
Cheesecakes, [Greek: epidorpismata], and eggs,
And sesame; and were I to endeavour
To count up every dish, the day would fail me.
And Diphilus, in his Telesias, says—
[Greek: Tragêma], myrtle-berries, cheesecakes too,
And almonds; so that with the greatest pleasure
I eat the second course ([Greek: epidorpizomai]).
And Sophilus, in his Deposit, says—
'Tis always pleasant supping with the Greeks;
They manage well; with them no one cries out—
Here, bring a stronger draught; for I must feast
With the Tanagrian; that there, lying down,
And Plato, in his Atlanticus, calls these sweetmeats [Greek: metadorpia]; saying—"And at that time the earth used to produce all sorts of sweet-smelling things for its inhabitants; and a great
