and that Cratinus had said—
Giving him half-and-half; but I'm undone;
every one seemed to agree to speak of the way of mixing wine among the ancients.
28. And when some one mentioned that Menander, in his Hero, said—
Here is a measure of well-temper'd wine;
Take it, and drink it up;—
Democritus said—Hesiod, my friends, recommends men
To pour three parts of water in the cup,
And let the fourth part be the vinous juice.
And, perhaps, it was on account of Hesiod that Anaxilas said, in his Nereus,—
And this is much more pleasant; for I'd never
Have drunk one part of wine to three of water.
And Alexis, in his Nurse, recommends even a more moderate mixture than this—
See, here is wine. Shall I, then, give to Criton
Equal proportions? This is better far,
One part of wine to four of limpid water:
Perhaps you'll call that weak; but still, when you
Have drunk your fill of this, you'll find your head
Clear for discussion,—and the drink lasts longer.
And Diocles, in his Bees, says—
A. In what proportions should the wine be mix'd?
B. Four parts of water to two parts of wine.
And this mixture, as it is not that in ordinary use, put the questioner in mind of the well-known proverb,—
Drink waters three or five; but never four.
What they mean is, You had better take two parts wine with five of water, or one of wine to three of water. But, concerning this mixture, Ion the poet, in his book on Chios, says that Palamedes the soothsayer discovered and prophesied to the Greeks, that they would have a favourable voyage if they drank one portion of wine to three of water. But they, applying themselves to their drink very vigorously, took two pints of wine to five of water;—accordingly Nicochares in his Amymone, playing on the name, says—
Here, you Œnomaus,—here, you two and five,—
Let you and I now have a drink together.
And he said nearly the same in his Lemnian Women: and Ameipsias, in his Men Playing the Cottabus, says—
