And a large slice of fat Sicilian tunny, Carefully carved, should be immersed in brine. But the saperdes is a worthless brute, A delicacy fit for Ponticans And those who like it. For few men can tell How bad and void of strengthening qualities Those viands are. The scombrus should be kept Three days before you sprinkle it with salt, Then let it lie half-pickled in the cask. But when you come unto the sacred coast, Where proud Byzantium commands the strait, Then take a slice of delicate horæum, For it is good and tender in those seas. But that epicure Archestratus has omitted to enumerate the pickle-juice called elephantine, which is spoken of by Crates the comic poet, in his Samians; who says of it-- A sea-born turtle in the bitter waves Bears in its skin the elephantine pickle; And crabs swift as the wind, and thin-wing'd pike, [193:1] * * * * * But that the elephantine pickle of Crates was very celebrated Aristophanes bears witness, in his Thesmophoriazusæ, in these words-- Sure comic poetry is a mighty food; Listen to Crates, he will tell you, how The elephantine pickle, easily made, Is dainty seas'ning; many other jokes Of the same kind he utter'd. 86. And there was another kind, which Alexis calls raw pickle, in his Apeglaucomenos. And the same poet, in his Wicked Woman, introduces a cook talking about the preparation of salt-fish and pickled fish, in the following verses:-- I wish now, sitting quiet by myself, To ponder in my mind some dainty dishes; And also to arrange what may be best For the first course, and how I best may flavour Each separate dish, and make it eatable. Now first of all the pickled horæum comes; This will but cost one penny; wash it well, Then strew a large flat dish with seasoning, And put in that the fish. Pour in white wine And oil, then add some boil'd beef marrow-bones, And take it from the fire, when the last zest Shall be by assafœtida imparted. And, in his Apeglaucomenos, a man being asked for his contribution to the feast, says-- _A._ Indeed you shall not half a farthing draw From me, unless you name each separate dish. _B._ That reasonable is. _A._ Well, bring a slate And pencil; now your items. _B._ First, there is Raw pickled fish, and that will fivepence cost. _A._ What next? _B._ Some mussels, sevenpence for them. _A._ Well, there's no harm in that. What follows next? _B._ A pennyworth of urchins of the sea. _A._ Still I can find no fault. _B._ The next in order Is fine dish of cabbage, which you said . . . _A._ Well, that will do. _B._ For that I paid just twopence.