That the glad cottabus shall now be play'd
In honour of you, a most noble quintain—
All you who here are present twine your hands,
Holding the ball-shaped portion of your cups,
And, ere you let it go, let your eyes scan
The heaven that bends above you; watching well
How great a space your [Greek: latages] may cover.
8. After this, Ulpian demanded a larger goblet to drink out of, quoting these lines out of the same collection of Elegies—
Pouring forth hymns to you and me propitious,
Let us now send your ancient friend from far,
With the swift rowing of our tongues and praises,
To lofty glory while this banquet lasts;
And the quick genius of Phæacian eloquence
Commands the Muses' crew to man the benches.
For let us be guided by the younger Cratinus, who says in his Omphale—
It suits a happy man to stay at home
And drink, let others wars and labours love.
In answer to whom Cynulcus, who was always ready for a tilt at the Syrian, and who never let the quarrel drop which he had against him, now that there was a sort of tumult in the party, said—What is this chorus of Syrbenians?[1] And I myself also recollect some lines of this poetry, which I will quote, that Ulpian may not give himself airs as being the only one who was able to extract anything about the cottabus out of those old stores of the Homeridæ—
Come now and hear this my auspicious message,
And end the quarrels which your cups engender;
Turn your attention to these words of mine,
And learn these lessons. . . .
which have a clear reference to the present discussion. For I see the servants now bringing us garlands and perfumes. Why now are those who are crowned said to be in love when their crowns are broken? For when I was a boy, and when I used to read the Epigrams of Callimachus, in which this is one of the topics dilated on, I was anxious to understand this point. For the poet of Cyrene says—
And all the roses, when the leaves fell off
From the man's garlands, on the ground were thrown.
So now it is your business, you most accomplished man, to explain this difficulty which has occupied me these thousand
- ↑ See below, c. 54.
