arms dazzled the eyes by the richness and the beauty of their work'. I have nothing to fay about the repafts and diverfions of these people. I fhall only remark, that Priam complains, that his children passed all the night in dancing and feafting. He particularly reproaches them for making a great confumption of lambs and kids. This circumstance fhews, that they then looked upon the eating of fuch meats as too fenfual a delicacy. By examining the different traits fcattered in the poems of Homer about the manners of the Trojans and their allies, it follows, that, in the heroic times, there must have been great luxury and effeminacy among the people of Afia Minor. In fpite of the magnificence and fenfuality which then reigned in these countries, yet we there perceive certain practices which should be looked upon like the rest of the customs primitively established among most of the nations of antiquity. The fons of Priam themselves drew the chariot from the coach-houfe, when it was to carry that monarch to the Grecian camp. They put the horfes and the mules to it, and alfo packed up the coffer which contained the presents defigned for the ranfom of the body of Hector. We fee abfolutely the fame cuftom among the Phæacians, a nation, according to Homer, still more addicted to luxury and magnificence than the Trojans *. The fons of Alcinous unloofed the mules of the Princefs Nauficaa their fifter, and carried the packets with which the chariot was loaded, into the palace of the King their father. Yet Alcinous had a great number of doineftics. We even fee, that this was cuftomary on many occafions. I have already faid, that the princeffes had alfo women to ferve them. Yet they themselves did many offices troublesome enough. Nauficaa goes to wash her robes at a Iliad. 1. 10. v. 438. &c. Ibid. 1. 24. v. 261. & 262. Ibid. 1. 24. v. 265. &c. * See the reason why I place the Phæacians among the nations of Afia, above, p. 84. note *. Ody. 1. 7. v. 4. &c. 1 e Ibid. 1. 6. v. 69, & 71, ` the river with her women, and puts her hands to the work herfelf. The women and the young ladies of Troy used to do the fame. The mixture of luxury and fimplicity, which we remark perpetually in the manners of the ancient nations, forms a contrast fingular enough. In these early times, they were very distant from the ideas which we now have of the decency and decorums proper to rank, to sex, and the quality of perfons. I CHA P. III. Of the Greeks. Deferred to this time to speak of the manners and cu ftoms of the Greeks. These people, in effect, only began very lately to form themselves into focieties. They lived in early times in fo brutal and favage a way, that hiftory has not deigned to take notice of them, or give us details which would be fhameful to humanity. It was only towards the commencement of the ages which employ us in this fecond part, that we can perceive any plan or prin ciples in the manners of the Greeks. Homer fhall be our principal voucher for most of the cuftoms of which 1 am going to speak. We must not look for luxury and delicacy at the tables of the Greeks in the heroic ages. Thefe people lived then a very rude life, and, of confe quence, a very frugal one. They only eat bull, ram, he-goat, and boar. I fay bull, ram, &c. because Homer always gives us to understand, that, at the time of the war of Troy, the Greeks did not yet know the art of gelding animals". In reading the defcription which this poet gives of the Grecian feafts, we imagine we are reading those modern relations, where they fpeak of the repafts of favages. When the f Ibid. v. 9o. & 91. 8 Iliad. 1. 22. p. 154. & 155. b See Odyff. 1. 14. V. 16. & 17.. Greeks Greeks prepared to eat, they knocked down a bull or cut the throat of a ram; they skinned these animals, and cut them into many pieces, which they broiled immediately i I fay broiled, because in the heroic times they did not yet know the art of roafting meat *. Let us add, that it was kings and princes who then joined themselves not only in this care, but also in killing and cutting them up. A fort of poniard which they always carried at their girdle, ferved them for a knife m. Another conformity of the Greeks with the favages. They had neither spoons, nor forks, nor table-cloths, nor napkins. I do not even fee, that tables were known to them. Lastly, for the last trait of resemblance, these people, like the favages, eat prodigiously. It was to do honour to the principal guests, to give them very large pieces of meat. Agamemnon gives Ajax the entire back of a bull. When Eumeus receives Ulyffes, he prepares for that prince two young hogs". With respect to game, poultry, and eggs, they are never mentioned in the feafts of Homer. They do not even appear on the tables of Penelope's fuitors, although the poet reprefents them abandoned to all forts of debaucheries and exceffes*. It is the fame as to fruits and vegetables. Homer makes no mention of them P. As to fish, the Greeks in the heroic ages greatly defpifed that fort of nourishment. Me See Iliad. 1. 1. v. 459. &c. I. 24. v. 622. &6. Odyff. 1. 3. v. 448. &c. 1. 20. v. 250. &c. * See Athen. 1. 1. p. 12. B.; Serv. ad Æneid. 1. 1. v. 710. It appears, that they alfo boiled certain pieces which they could not eafily broil. See Athen. ibid, p. 25. D. Iliad. 1. 9. v. 209. &c. 1. 24. V. 621. &c. Iliad. 1. 3. V. 271.272. Odyff. 1. 14. v. 74. &c. n Ibid. 1. 7. v. 321. The Greeks nevertheless fometimes eat venifon, but only on very preffing occafions, and for want of other food. See Odyff. 1. 9. v. 155. I. 10. v. 180, &C. In all Homer's poems, onions are only ferved up once, and even that is only to excite thirst. Iliad. I. II. v. 629. With respect to fruits, they do not appear in any repaft. Yet the Greeks muft have eaten them in the heroic ages, fince there were pear-trees, appletrees, and fig-trees in the garden of Laertes. Odyff. 1. 24. v. 339. &c. fuppofing that the 24th book is Homer's. nelaus nelaus in the Odyssey excufes himself from having eaten it, because he was at that time reduced to the greatest neceffity. Wine was the common liquor of the Greeks; women, and even young perfons drank it, contrary to the cuftom of all the other nations of antiquity. The cuftom was at the time of the war of Troy, that they brought this liquor mixed with a certain quantity of water. One of the first preparations for a feaft was, to begin with mixing wine and water together in large veffels, from whence they drew it to fill the cups to present it to the guests. For they only gave it by measure, and, as far as one can judge, they were not allowed to drink as much as they pleafed". A circumstance which has always ftruck me in the Grecian antiquity, is the affectation with which almost all the historians name him who passed for having first found out the secret of mixing water with wine. They have even raised a statue to him. Was this fo uncommon a discovery, and of a species to attract the whole attention of posterity? It plainly appears, that the Greeks attached to it a merit which does not strike us at present. These people, in the times I fpeak of, commonly made two meals a-day, one at noon, and the other at night. The laft was always the largest and most confiderable. They ferved up the meat all cut, and each guest had a portion marked out, which they prefented to him feparately, * See Feith. antiq. Hom. 1. 3. c. 2. p. 285. &c. See Athen. l. 10. p. 44!. u See Iliad. 1. 4. v. 261. 262.; 1. 8. v. 162.; Athen. 1. 5. p. 192. * Hygin, fab, 274.; Plin. 1. 7. fect. 57. p. 415.; Athen. 1. 2. p. 38. & 45. Scholiaft. Stat. ad Theb. I, I. V. 453. y We may perhaps find the motives of these eulogies from the quality of the Greek wines. They are all luscious, and drink ever fo little, they fly into the head, and are troublesome. They have therefore thought they should shew some acknowledgment to him who had found a way of taking from thefe wines their bad quality, by an exact and proportioned mixture of water. For they obferved rules in it. They had certain wines which they diluted more or less according to their qualities. Homer gives us many examples of it. a Ibid. p. 289. z See Feith. 1. 3. c. 3. b Iliad. 1. 2. v. 431. 1. 9. v. 217. 1. 24. v. 626.; Ody¶. 1. 14. v. 434. 1. 15. v. 149. 1. 20. v. 280.; Athen, I. I. p. 12. The The Greeks eat fitting in the heroic ages, and not lying on couches, as was the custom afterwards. We prefume, that they did not then like to have above ten at the table. It must be observed, that the women did not eat with the men. Lastly, I fhall obferve, that the company drank to each other's health. The drefs of the Greeks, in the times which now employ us, was fomething like to the people that I have spoken of in the first part of this work. It confifted for the men in a very long tunic, and in a cloak which they fastened with a clafp. They tucked up the tunic by means of a belt, when they were to do any thing, to walk or go to battle. The ufe of linings muft not have been then known in Greece. I judge thus from the custom the people then had of frequently washing their cloaths. The manner in which they did it, deferves to be taken notice of. They cleaned their stuffs, by treading them with their feet in large ditches they had prepared for that purpose. The Greeks, in the heroic ages, ufed fhoes, but not conftantly. They only used them when they went out *. We do not fee plainly what were the form of these fhoes. The men also wore a fort of bufkin made of neats hide 1, which came to the calf of their leg. They had no fort of covering for their head; their drefs in this refpect confifted in the beauty of their hair, which they wore very long ". Light-coloured was at that time most esteemed ". Those who valued themfelves for dress, fastened the curls of their hair with gold pins. Among the Athenians these pins were made in the form of the cicada. As to the beard, the Greeks in the heroic times let it grow". Athen. I. I. p. 11. F.; Feith. 1. 3. c. 5. p. 296. d See Euftath. ad Iliad. 1. 2. v. 126. Feith. 1. 3. c. 5. p. 306. & 307.; Plut. t. 2. p. 156. F. f See Feith. 1. 3. c. 6. Idem ibid. p. 321. l. 4. c. 8. p. 464. & 465. * Feith. 1. 3. c. 7. p. 331. b Feith. p. 348. i Odyff. 1. 6. v. 93. 1 Odyf. 1. 24. V. 227. m See Feith. 1. 3. c. 10. p. 349. Ibid. p. 350. • Thucyd. I. 1. p. 4. D. |