defcribed in the Alceftis 4 of our Poet, as crowning his head at a feast with branches of Myrtle, and drinking from a cup encircled with ivy:" Ovid has likewife painted the picture of this dying Hero, reclining on his club with as much philofopical tranquillity, as if he were repofing at a feaft adorned with garlands,

Haud alio vultu, quam fi conviva jaceres

Inter plena meri redimitus pocula fertis.

(Met. L. 9. v. 238.)

When the Libertine Polemon walked into the fchool of Xenocrates, he was crowned with chaplets, as Diogenes' Laertius, Lucian, and Valerius Maximus defcribe him: And the first symptom too of his reformation from the Philofopher's leffon on temperance was to caft his garland from his brow. That the Romans adopted this cuftom, is evident from an anecdote of a very elegant and interesting nature, recorded in Pliny 9. "When Anthony was preparing for the

• V. 759& 756.

1

8

5 'Esεpavúμevos μelówy. (L. 4. Polemon.)

Primùm coronam capite detractam projecit. (Val. Max. Id.)

9 Namque in apparatu belli Actiaci gratificationem ipfius reginæ Antonio timente nec nifi præguftatos cibos fumente, fertur pavore ejus lufiffe, extremis coronæ floribus veneno illitis, ipsâque capiti impofi â, mox procedente hilaritate invitavit Antonium, ut coronas biberent. Quis ita timeret infidias? Eigo concerptâ in fcyphum incipienti haurire oppofitâ manu: En ego fum, inquit illa, Marce Antoni, quam tu novâ præguftantium diligentiâ caves: adeò mihi, fi poffim fine te vivere, occafio aut ratio deeft: Inde eductum cuftodiâ bibere juffit, illicò exfpirantem. (Nat. Hift. 1. 21. c. 3. f.9.)

battle

battle of Actium, and was to apprehenfive of the friendship even of the Queen as to decline any food, unless previously tafted, Cleopatra is reported to have dallied with his apprehenfion by poifoning the ends of the flowers of her garland; then placing it on her head fhe invited her Lover during the entertainment to tafte it. Who in this fituation could fear treachery? Having feized therefore his hand, as he was beginning to apply the cup, "Behold, Mark Anthony, cried fhe, I am the Woman, whom you guard against with this new precaution of having your food previously tafted: If I could live without you, opportunity and means would I suppose be wanting:" She then ordered a flave produced to taste it, who inftantly expired." The hiftory of Woman perhaps fcarcely furnishes a more remarkable inftance of the refined fubtlety of the female mind. According to Monfieur Guys, in his Voyage de La Grece Literaire, the Modern Greeks to this day obferve the fame cuftom of wearing chaplets of flowers during their entertainments: "Je trouve donc dans les repas Grecs non feulement les anciens excès & l'antique fimplicité, mais encore les couronnes de fleurs qui peignent fi bien la joie des convives."

1210.

Officious in his miniftry, which rais'd

Much mirth among the Guests.

THE caufe of this mirth among the Guests arifes from the Græcian cuftom of being ferved at table by Boys, who were distinguished for beauty, and not by objects of advanced age, and of uncomely appearance: Thus, when Vulcan officiates as Ganymede, at the banquet of the Gods in the firft Iliad, he excites the fame fenfation, and for the fame reafon, as here produced,

Vulcan with aukward grace his office plies,

And unextinguifh'd laughter fhakes the fkies. POPE. For Cicero afferts, "that the poets prepared for the Gods nectar, ambrosia, and entertainments, and Youth, or Ganymede, adminiftering to them the cup."

Some related, fays Athenæus, that Harmonia performed this office for the Gods: But others, he adds, afferted, that Hebe was honoured with the employment of pouring the wine for them, According to this idea, the fervants of Penelope's Suitors in the Odyffey are defcribed by Eumæus,

A blooming train in rich embroid'ry dreft;

With earth's whole tribute the bright table bends,
And finiling round celeftial youth attends.

(Pope. Odyff. B. 15. v. 353.)

At Poetre quidem nectar, ambrofiam, epulas comparant, & aut Juventurem, aut Ganymedem pocula miniftrantem. De Nat. Deor. 1, 1. c. 40. 2 L. 10. c. 7• P• 425 •

Bro

3

Brodæus on this paffage of Euripides, obferving the fame custom, cites Athenæus, as afferting in his tenth book, that among the Ancients the nobleft Boys diftributed the wine, ὠνοχόεν παρὰ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις οι εὐγενέςα]οι παῖδες: This citation has been transcribed both by Barnes and Musgrave into their Editions: But I believe that Brodæus quoted by memory, and the others implicitly followed him without examination: For I can find no fuch paffage in that book of Athenæus; but he there fays, that among the Romans the nobleft of the youth performed this fervice in their publick facrifices, παρὰ Ρωμαίοις δὲ οἱ εὐγενέςα]οι τῶν παίδων τὴν λείες γίαν ταυτὴν ἐκ]ελᾶσιν ἐν ταῖς δημοτελέσι τῶν θυσίων 4: This I conceive to be the paffage to which Brodæus alludes. The English Reader will find this fubject farther illuftrated by Archbishop Potter in his Archæologia. (B. 4. c. 20. p. 389.)

Verfe

N° L.

Εκ τε γὰρ κρωσσῶν ὕδωρ

1174. Χεροῖν ἔπεμπε νίπρα.

From the urns

1211. He fill'd the lavers.

THE Græcians, during their entertainments, were accuftomed to bathe their hands: Thus Homer, in many places alludes to this practice,

The golden ew'r a maid obfequious brings,
Replenish'd from the cool translucent springs;

3 In Ion, p. 115.

M 4

4 L. 1o. c. 6. p. 425.

With

With copious water the bright vase supplies
A filver ladle of capacious fize;
They wash.

(Pope. Odyff. B. 1. v. 183, &c.)

"A blooming youth prefents the Guests with water for their hands," fays Philoxenus, a Dithyrambick Poet, in the poem of his Aeπvos, or Supper, preferved in Athenæus. According to Monfieur Guys, "Les Grecs modernes, comme les anciens, font dans l'ufage de fe laver les mains avant & après les repas." (Tom. I. lett. 25. P. 432.)

2

ATHENAUS obferves, "that chaplets, perfumes, and incenfe were a very expenfive article at the fecond table, or courfe of the Greeks :" And in another place he afferts, "that most of the ointments were derived from the ftacte of quieva or myrrh." The modern Turks, according to Tavernier 3, "when any perfon comes to vifit them, present a perfuming pot of the fumigation of the lignum aloes :" And Monf. Guys remarks, "Aujourd'hui les Grecs & les Turcs brulent de l'aloes, qui eft le parfum le plus cher, & le plus agréable." (Tom. I. 1. 25. p. 435.)

1 L. 15. c. 10. p. 685. 1. 3. c. 21, p. 101. & 1. 9. Potter Archæol. b. 4. c. 20.

2 L. 15. c. 11. p. 688. 1. 14. c. 11. p. 637. c. 15. p. 403. Plin. Nat. Hift. 1. 12. c. 15. p. 385. 3 Account of the Seraglio, p. 385.

N° LII.