Banquets--Baths--Banquets--The Banquets described by Homer --Banquets--The Palaces of Homer's Kings--Conversation at Banquets--Customs in Homer's Time--Attitudes of Guests-- Feast given by Antiochus--Extravagance of Antiochus-- Ptolemy Philadelphus--Procession of Ptolemy Philadelphus-- A large Ship built by Ptolemy--The Ship of Ptolemy Philopator--Hiero's Ship--Banquet given by Alexander-- Athenio--The Valour of Socrates--Plato's account of Socrates--Socrates--The Gorgons 287-352 BOOK VI. Tragedy--Fishmongers--Misconduct of Fishmongers--Use of particular Words--Use of Silver Plate--Silver Plate-- Golden Trinkets--Use of Gold in different Countries-- Parasites--Gynæconomi--Parasites--Flatterers of Dionysius --Flatterers of Kings--Flattery of the Athenians-- Flatterers--The Tyrants of Chios--The Conduct of Philip-- Flatterers and Parasites--The Mariandyni--Slaves--Drimacus --Condition of Slaves--Slaves--Banquets--The Effects of Hunger--The Mothaces--Slaves under the Romans--The Fannian Law 353-432 BOOK VII. The Phagesia--Fish--Epicures--Fish--Cooks--Sharks--Fish-- Glaucus--Eels--The Tunny-Fish--Fish--Pike--Fish--The Polybus--Fish 433-521 THE DEIPNOSOPHISTS, OR THE BANQUET OF THE LEARNED.[1:1] _The first two Books, and a portion of the third, as is known to the scholar, exist only in Epitome._ BOOK I.--EPITOME. 1. Athenæus is the author of this book; and in it he is discoursing with Timocrates: and the name of the book is the Deipnosophists. In this work Laurentius is introduced, a Roman, a man of distinguished fortune, giving a banquet in his own house to men of the highest eminence for every kind of learning and accomplishment; and there is no sort of gentlemanly knowledge which he does not mention in the conversation which he attributes to them; for he has put down in his book, fish, and their uses, and the meaning of their names; and he has described divers kinds of vegetables, and animals of all sorts. He has introduced also men who have written histories, and poets, and, in short, clever men of all sorts; and he discusses musical instruments, and quotes ten thousand jokes: he talks of the different kinds of drinking cups, and of the riches of kings, and the size of ships, and numbers of other things which I cannot easily enumerate, and the day would fail me if I endeavoured to go through them separately.