46. But when I was reading the twenty-eighth book of the History of Posidonius, I observed, my friends, a very pleasant thing which was said about unguents, and which is not at all foreign to our present discussion. For the philosopher says—"In Syria, at the royal banquets, when the garlands are given to the guests, some slaves come in, having little bladders full of Babylonian perfumes, and going round the room at a little distance from the guests, they bedew their garlands with the perfumes, sprinkling nothing else." And since the discussion has brought us to this point, I will add A verse to Love, as the bard of Cythera says, telling you that Janus, who is worshipped as a great god by us, and whom we call Janus Pater, was the original inventor of garlands. And Dracon of Corcyra tells us this in his treatise on Precious Stones, where his words are—"But it is said that Janus had two faces, the one looking forwards and the other backwards; and that it is from him that the mountain Janus and the river Janus are both named, because he used to live on the mountain. And they say that he was the first inventor of garlands, and boats, and ships; and was also the first person who coined brazen money. And on this account many cities in Greece, and many in Italy and Sicily, place on their coins a head with two faces, and on the obverse a boat, or a garland, or a ship. And they say that he married his sister Camise, and had a son named Æthax, and a daughter Olistene. And he, aiming at a more extended power and renown, sailed over to Italy, and settled on a mountain near Rome, which was called Janiculum from his name." [Sidenote: LIBATIONS.] 47. This, now, is what was said about perfumes and some unguents. And after this most of them asked for wine, some demanding the Cup of the Good Deity, others that of Health, and different people invoking different deities; and so they all fell to quoting the words of those poets who had mentioned libations to these different deities; and I will now recapitulate what they said, for they quoted Antiphanes, who, in his Clowns, says— Harmodius was invoked, the pæan sung, Each drank a mighty cup to Jove the Saviour. And Alexis, in his Usurer, or The Liar, says— _A._ Fill now the cup with the libation due To Jove the Saviour; for he surely is Of all the gods most useful to mankind. _B._ Your Jove the Saviour, if I were to burst, Would nothing do for me. _A._ Just drink, and trust him. And Nicostratus, in his Pandrosos, says— And so I will, my dear; But fill him now a parting cup to Health; Here, pour a due libation out to Health. Another to Good Fortune. Fortune manages All the affairs of men; but as for Prudence,— That is a blind irregular deity.