THE HELOTS. Theopompus, too, in his Penelope, says—
And they do sacrifice our sacred pig ([Greek: tên hieran delphaka]).
Theopompus also speaks of fatted geese and fatted calves in the thirteenth book of his History of Philip, and in the eleventh book of his Affairs of Greece, where he is speaking of the temperance of the Lacedæmonians in respect of eating, writing thus—"And the Thasians sent to Agesilaus, when he arrived, all sorts of sheep and well-fed oxen; and beside this, every kind of confectionery and sweetmeat. But Agesilaus took the sheep and the oxen, but as for the confectionery and sweetmeats, at first he did not know what they meant, for they were covered up; but when he saw what they were, he ordered the slaves to take them away, saying that it was not the custom of the Lacedæmonians to eat such food as that. But as the Thasians pressed him to take them, he said, Carry them to those men (pointing to the Helots) and give them to them; saying that it was much better for those Helots to injure their health by eating them, than for himself and the Lacedæmonians whom he had with him." And that the Lacedæmonians were in the habit of treating the Helots with great insolence, is related also by Myron of Priene, in the second book of his History of Messene, where he says—"They impose every kind of insulting employment on the Helots, such as brings with it the most extreme dishonour; for they compel them to wear caps of dogskin, and cloaks also of skins; and every year they scourge them without their having committed any offence, in order to prevent their ever thinking of emancipating themselves from slavery. And besides all this, if any of them ever appear too handsome or distinguished-looking for slaves, they impose death as the penalty, and their masters also are fined for not checking them in their growth and fine appearances. And they give them each a certain piece of land, and fix a portion which they shall invariably bring them in from it."
The verb [Greek: chênizô], to cackle like a goose ([Greek: chên]), is used and applied to those who play on the flute. Diphilus says in his Synoris—
[Greek: Echênisas],—this noise is always made
By all the pupils of Timotheus.
75. And since there is a portion of a fore-quarter of pork which is called [Greek: perna] placed before each of us, let us say something about it, if any one remembers having seen the
