EPICURES.
I am aware, also, that there have been boys who were great
fish-eaters, who are mentioned by Clearchus, in his book on
Sands; which says that Psammitichus, king of Egypt, bred up
some boys to eat nothing but fish, when he was anxious to
discover the source of the Nile; and that he accustomed
others to endure a great degree of thirst, who were to be
employed in exploring the sands in Libya; of whom, however,
very few escaped in safety. I know, too, that the oxen
around Mosynus, in Thrace, eat fish, which are given to them
in their cribs. And Phœnicides, having set fish before men
who had brought their contribution for a banquet, said that
the sea was common, but that the fish in it belonged to those
who bought them.
36. And, my friends, the noun [Greek: opsophagos] (an eater of fish), and the verb [Greek: opsophagô] (to eat fish), are both used. Aristophanes, in his second edition of the Clouds, says—
Not to eat fish ([Greek: opsophagein]) nor to giggle.
And Cephisodorus, in his Pig, says—
Not a fish-eater ([Greek: opsophagos]) nor a chatterer.
Machon, in his Letter, says—
I am a fish-eater ([Greek: opsophagos]), and this is now
The whole foundation of the art we practise.
And he who wishes not to spoil the dishes
Served up to others, should be pleased himself.
For he who rightly cares for his own eating
Will not be a bad cook. And if you keep
Your organs, sense and taste, in proper order,
You will not err. But often taste your dishes
While you are boiling them. Do they want salt?
Add some;—is any other seasoning needed?
Add it, and taste again—till you've arrived
At harmony of flavour; like a man
Who tunes a lyre till it rightly sounds.
And then, when everything is well in tune,
Bring in a troop of willing damsels fair,
Equal in number to the banqueters.
In addition to these epicures in fish, my friends, I am aware also that Apollo is honoured among the Eleans, under the title of Fish-eater: and Polemo mentions this name of his in his letter to Attalus. I am aware, also, that in Pisa there is a picture consecrated in the temple of Diana Alpheosa (and it is the work of Cleanthes the Corinthian), in which Neptune is represented as bringing a tunny to Jupiter in labour; as Demetrius tells us, in the eighth book of his Trojan Array.
