534 
Every tribe, at Athens, maintained a 
Vithyrambic poet; the Dithyrambs ori- 
einally were odes to Bacchus, and were 
called Dithyrambs, in allufion to the two 
toyres or Gates by which Bacchus, entered 
mto the world, viz. the womb of Semele, 
and the thigh of Jupirer. In procets of 
time, however, all hymns-made in honour 
of the gods, were called Dithyrambs. 
This- kind of poetry was characterized 
by a particular sefatvs or enthufiafm. 
_ The mode of expofing criminals in the 
pillory was by tying them toa plank. 
It was nsceflary to be 30 or 0 years 
of age, ere any one could appear on the 
ftage, and publicly recite his pieces. It 
is faid that-zbe kighis of Arifiophanes, 
was the firft piece which he was permit- 
ted, contrary to. the cuftom, to recite 
himfelf. f 
“The barbers’ fhops. were a fort of 
regifter-oflices for news, either from 
being the common rendezvous of newf- 
mongers when out of employment, or, 
from the barbers themfelves being great 
guidnuncs.  WNotwithftanding this, the 
major part of the Athenians wore great 
beards, as appears from the comedy, 
entitled, The Affembly of Women, Of 
what ufe then, it may be afked, were 
the barbers? Perhaps the beard was not 
fuffered to grow, unlefs when judged to 
be in fuch a condition for thickening and 
ripening, as would do honour to the chin 
which carried it. 
‘The ufual habit of the Athenians was 
a robe and manteau, or.a caflock in lieu 
of the manteau. Their fhoes, or focks, 
were made of leather, blackened with 
black greafe, by means of a {ponge, and 
were tied with leathern ftrings. Mention 
is made of a fpecies of bark, of whicha 
drefs, called amorgis, was made, which 
might be peeled ike hemp. The purple 
of Sardis is fpoken of as a valuable fluff, 
worn only by the mol opulent citizens. 
The clothing of the flaves in winter, 
confifted of fhort jackets or wauftcoats, 
furtouts of tkins, and bonnets of dogs 
fkin. 
Free men were never punifhed, unlets 
on the fulleft conviction ;.and, in the 
erdinary corrections, it appears, that for 
fear of hurting them, the chaiftifements 
inflicted, occafioned more fhame and fear 
than harm. ._ When freemen were 
fcourged, it was with leeks and varlic, 
both green; the ferule ufed by the bar- 
barous pedants of our days, to maim the 
tender hands of children, being then only 
the flender ftalk’ of a.fecble plant like 2 
parinip, which could not create much 
es 5 a 
Manners and Cuftoms of the Athenians, 
(Sup. 
pain in the perfons correéted. They 
punifhed flaves by tying them to trees, 
or pillars, and {courging them cruelly. 
The only refuge of thefe laft from fuch 
terrible chaftilements, was to throw 
themfelves at the feet of fome flatue of 
the gods—this was ever to them an in- 
violable afylum. 
The flaves had their heads fhaved ; 
hence Pijtictairus, in ihe Birds, fays to the 
poet: ‘If thou art a.flave of the mufes, 
aubence comes it that tLou baft a great bead 
of bair ?”” ie. 
The money of the Athenians confifted 
ordinarily of three oboli, worth about | 
threepence in French money. 
The following is a lift of the dithes 
ferved at one of their public banquets: 
fifh of different forts, and, among others, 
lampreys; calves’ heads; ragouts; 
hafhed meats; {piced herbs;  garli 
fauce ; muftard; honey-fauce; fea-pies; 
thrufhes ; black-birds; young pigeons; 
reaft pullets; turtle-doves; and leveretts 
in muft, &c. Delicate kinds, cf fith 
w-cre a meat fought after by the rich and 
dainty. It appears from fome pafiages 
of Ariftophanes’s comedies, that roait 
meat was bafted with oil; it fhould be 
obferved, however, that the oil of that 
country was as good as the beft butter of 
this. 
Supper was the principal meat; they 
ufually went to the bath before fupper, 
efpeciaily when they ate out. The 
ufual hour cf fupper was when the 
dial was ten feet long; from which we 
may infer, that the dials were horizontal, 
with upright ftiles, denoting the hours 
by the interfeétion of the umbral ive, 
with the fun’s place marked in the zodiac 
of the dial. .In_ their banquets of de- 
bauch, female players on the flute, and 
dancers, were introduced, all of whom, 
as well as their courtezans, were flaves, 
and, therefore, obliged to endure all the 
amorous brutalities of a very licenticus 
people. After eating, they paffed the 
beft part of the night in drinking and 
finging, fingle, or accompanied with the 
lyre. Thofe who had a mind to chaunt 
verfes of Efchylus, took a branch of 
myrtle: they alo chaunted Scola, which 
were’ either ferious, or Bacchanalian 
airs. He who had begun an.air was not 
allowed to finifh it; they interrupted 
him by fubftituting another fong, thus 
making a hetch-potch of it—this conti- 
nual round refembled, in fome meature, 
the thouland and one airs with whick 
the public was entertained in 1913. fn 
The Walps of Anttophanes, a humourous 
ra a example 
