OPSOPHAaY. 479 



customers,* is thus told by an Athenian gentleman, who 

 had been duped. ' Having, says he, already purchased 

 my day's supply of fish at an exorbitant price, to avoid 

 useless discussion I put down a piece of money, and 

 asked for the difference; on receiving the change, and 

 finding a deficiency, I pointed it out to the dealer (a 

 rogue who grows long hair for a pretended offering to 

 some god, but palpably to hide the brand on his fore- 

 head) . ' See here, my man ! the change is short.' 'All the 

 world,' growled he, ' knows my practice is to sell by the 

 jSlgina currency.' 'Well, but even then, my good 

 friend, it is short, on your own showing.' ' Ah, sir, you 

 are dull : I sell by the mint of ^gina, but I pay in 

 Athenian pieces : do you understand now ?' ' 



Great fortunes were often realized by these Greek 

 salesmen, many of whom came to keep villas, and to live 

 in style. The name of one great salt-fish seller was en- 

 rolled in the city -books ; and his two sons, nicknamed 

 ' Scomber,' enjoyed the like honour : many others, be- 

 sides these who carried on the same trafiic, had to bless 

 Fortune and the Gods that they were born when the 

 sun was in ' Pisces.' 



The craft, always a prosperous one, has in more mo- 

 dem days been greatly indebted to the Church of Rome 

 for its present status and importance. It was no doubt 

 the great consumption of fish during Lent, which led 

 primarily to the opulence of traders, and eventually to 

 those civic privileges which are now enjoyed by their 

 body at home and abroad. The corporation of these 

 Cetarii in London is inferior to few of the metropolitan 

 guilds, either in its wealth or influence. ' So early as 

 in 1381,' says Mr. Moule, ' Sir WUliam Walworth, a re- 

 nowned cetarius and Mayor of London, slew the insur- 



* KoT diiCJjoTfpa T7]V KaToKKayrjv ex^h — ^6 takes double change 

 out of me. 



