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" nence of paunch, they are promoted into the corporation, 

 " to which no person is in the first instance admitted except 

 " cooks, hakers, tavern-keepers, and the great senators of 

 " the city. These last, too, are not (as in other places) 

 '• elected for their wisdom or their wealth, or their long 

 - heards — hut for the rotundity of their paunch. In a 

 " word, the more they increase in size, the higher is their 

 " promotion ; and I saw some, who after heing thus elected 

 " to senatorian honours, became too lean, either through 

 " sickness or old age, and so lost their former dignities 

 "with their corpulency. It is remarkable that the streets 

 " are laid with marble, both because a pavement of stones 

 " would be too painful and troublesome in walking, and 

 " because the chairs of the senators are more easily moved 

 " over the marble ; for these functionaries never go to the 

 " forum or to public dinners on foot or on horseback, or even 

 " on couches, by reason of their immense weight ; but are 

 *' drawn in great chairs running on four wheels, and thus 

 " reach home securely in their maudlin state after a debauch. 

 " At the four gates of their circular city are posted in rota- 

 " tion as many senators, called Buscadores, whose business 

 " it is to examine all who go in or out — none being per- 

 " mitted to go out with an empty belly, or to enter with 

 " empty hands. Banquets are held regularly every month 

 " according to law, which every senator of the city is bound 

 " to attend, for the purpose of discussing public affairs after 

 "dinner, for no one is permitted to vote before dinner. 

 " Their hall is called " Pythonos-come." Each has his own 

 " seat, with an utensil and a little box appropriated to him- 

 " self— and so, after providing himself with a sufficiency of 

 "strong wine and highly- seasoned sauces, he takes his 

 " proper place at table. The great delicacies are always 

 " served up with the first course, for it is deemed absurd to 

 " attack the best dishes with an abated appetite. Nor is it 

 " allowed to cut up (as we do) pigs, sheep, goats, or lambs 



