10. And we may add to all this, that different cities have peculiar fashions of drinking and pledging one another; as Critias mentions, in his Constitution of the Lacedæmonians, where he says—"The Chian and the Thasian drink out of large cups, passing them on towards the right hand; and the Athenian also passes the wine round towards the right, but drinks out of small cups. But the Thessalian uses large cups, pledging whoever he pleases, without reference to where he may be; but among the Lacedæmonians, every one drinks out of his own cup, and a slave, acting as cupbearer, fills up again the cup when each has drained it." And Anaxandrides also mentions the fashion of passing the cup round towards the right hand, in his Countrymen, speaking as follows:— _A._ In what way are you now prepared to drink? Tell me, I pray. _B._ In what way are we now Prepared to drink? Why any way you please. _A._ Shall we then now, my father, tell the guests To push the wine to the right? _B._ What! to the right? That would be just as though this were a funeral.[54] 11. But we may decline entering on the subject of goblets of earthenware; for Ctesias says—"Among the Persians, that man only uses an earthenware who is dishonoured by the king." And Choerilus the epic poet says— Here in my hands I hold a wretched piece Of earthen goblet, broken all around, Sad relic of a band of merry feasters; And often the fierce gale of wanton Bacchus Dashes such wrecks with insult on the shore. But I am well aware that earthenware cups are often very pleasant, as those which are imported among us from Coptus; for they are made of earth which is mixed up with spices. And Aristotle, in his treatise on Drunkenness, says—"The cups which are called Rhodiacan are brought into drinking-parties, because of the pleasure which they afford, and also because, when they are warmed, they deprive the wine of some of its intoxicating properties; for they are filled with myrrh and rushes, and other things of the same sort, put into water and then boiled; and when this mixture is put into the wine, the drinkers are less apt to become intoxicated." And in another place he says—"The Rhodiacan cups consist of myrrh, flowery rushes, saffron, balsam, spikenard, and cinnamon, all boiled together; and when some of this compound is added to the wine, it has such effect in preventing intoxication, that it even diminishes the amorous propensities, checking the breath in some degree." [Sidenote: ATHENIAN BANQUETS.]