Book 4
Feast of Caranus Supper of Iphicrates Cooks Dancing at Banquets The Attic Banquet Athenian Feasts The Copis The Phiditia Cleomenes Persian Banquets Alexander the Great Clopatra Banquets at Phigalea Thracian Banquets Celtic Banquets Roman Banquets Gladiatorial Combats Temperance of the Lacedæmonians The Theory of Euxitheus Lentils Spare Livers Persæus Diodorus Extravagance Luxury of the Tarentines Extravaance of Individuals Cooks' Apparatus Use of Certain Words Tasters The Delphians Musical Instruments Kinds of Flutes Wind Instruments
1
HIPPOLOCHUS the Macedonian, my friend Timocrates, lived in the time of Lynceus and Douris of Samos, pupils of TheophrastusTheophrastus was a disciple of Aristotle, and succeeded him as head of the Lyceum, so that this time would be about 310 B.C. the Eresian. And he had made a bargain with Lynceus, as one may learn from his letters, that if ever he was present at any very expensive banquet, he would relate to him the whole of the preparations which were made; and Lynceus in return made him the same promise. And there are accordingly some letters of each of them on the subject of banquets; in which Lynceus relates the banquet which was given at Athens by Lamia the Attic female flute-player to King Demetrius, surnamed Poliorcetes, (and Lamia was the mistress of Demetrius.) And Hippolochus reports the marriage feast of Caranus the Macedonian. And we have also met with other letters of Lynceus, written to the same Hippolochus, giving an account of the banquet of King Antigonus, when he celebrated the Aphrodisian festival at Athens, and also that given by King Ptolemy. And I will show you the very letters themselves. But as the letter of Hippolochus is very scarce, I will run over to you the principal things which are contained in it, just for the sake of conversation and amusement at the present time.
