I mean to erect a brazen figure, That is, a cottabeum, and myrtle-berries. And Hermippus, in his Fates, says— Now soft cloaks are thrown away, Every one clasps on his breastplate, And binds his greaves around his legs, No one for snow-white slippers cares; Now you may see the cottabus staff Thrown carelessly among the chaff; The manes hears no falling drops; And you the πλάστιγξ sad may see Thrown on the dunghill at the garden door. And Achæus, in his Linus, speaking of the Satyrs, says— Throwing, and dropping, breaking, too, and naming (λέγοντες), O Hercules, the well-thrown drop of wine! And the poet uses λέγοντες here, because they used to utter the names of their sweethearts as they threw the cottabi on the saucers. On which account Sophocles, in his Inachus, called the drops which were thrown, sacred to Venus— [Sidenote: THE COTTABUS.] The golden-colour'd drop of Venus Descends on all the houses. And Euripides, in his Pleisthenes, says— And the loud noise o' the frequent cottabus Awakens melodies akin to Venus In every house. And Callimachus says— Many hard drinkers, lovers of Acontius, Throw on the ground the wine-drops (λατάγας) from their cups. 7. There was also another kind of way of playing at the cottabus, in the feasts which lasted all night, which is mentioned by Callippus in his Festival lasting all Night, where he says— And he who keeps awake all night shall have A cheesecake for his prize of victory, And kiss whoe'er he pleases of the girls Who are at hand. There were also sweetmeats at these nocturnal festivals, in which the men continued awake an extraordinary time dancing. And these sweetmeats used to be called at that time χαρίσιοι, from the joy (χαρὰ) of those who received them. And Eubulus, in his Ancylion, mentions them, speaking as follows— For he has long been cooking prizes for The victors in the cottabus. And presently afterwards he says— I then sprang out to cook the χαρίσιος. But that kisses were also given as the prize Eubulus tells us in a subsequent passage— Come now, ye women, come and dance all night, This is the tenth day since my son was born; And I will give three fillets for the prize, And five fine apples, and nine kisses too. But that the cottabus was a sport to which the Sicilians were greatly addicted, is plain from the fact that they had rooms built adapted to the game; which Dicæarchus, in his treatise on Alcæus, states to have been the case. So that it was not without reason that Callimachus affixed the epithet of Sicilian to λάταξ. And Dionysius, who was surnamed the Brazen, mentions both the λάταγες and the κότταβοι in his Elegies, where he says—