536 
ics another, ungirded, or untucked, 
_alled Orthoffades, ox ftreight robes ; and 
nother red robe, dyed with orcanette. 
They were dexterous in hitting on ex- 
pedients to fave their gallants.» Arifto- 
phanes relates an artful contrivance of 
~a@ woman, who fhowed her. robe ia the 
“light to her hufband, ufing it as a fcreen 
or curtain to conceal the gallant. 
Northing was fo common among the 
Athesian women as the fuppofition of 
children. Thefe were brought in pots, 
their mouths being gagged with a ball of 
wax, to hinder them from crying, and 
(what contributed to facilitate the decep- 
tion) it appears that the hufbands were 
mever- prefent at the delivery of their 
_Wives.. Marriages were folemnized in 
the night; and jit was thought to be 
a very unfortunate omen if any rain 
Should fall‘on the night of the marriage. 
They chofe rather to defer the nuptials 
to another night than fubjeét themfelves 
to the misfortzines announced by fuch 
a prefage. ‘The terms of blandifhment 
with which a lover careffed his miftrefs, 
were fuch as thefe : my golden fair one ; 
fair branch of Venus 3 bee of the mufes 3 
nurfeling of the graces, dc. 8c. 
The fubtle falfities which Ariftopha- 
nes puts into the mouth of Strepfiades in 
ne Cloud:, on the fubjeét of the laft day 
of the lunar month, called tbe old and 
wew oon, leads us here to enquire in 
what manner the Athenians reckone 
the days of the month? Hach month was 
a lunar one, confiting of 30 days. The 
fir day was called the firf of the prefent ; 
the fecond, third, &c. to the tenth, 
were alfo called the fecond, third, &c. of 
the prefeal ; the eleventh was called she fr/t 
of ibe middle, or the middle of the month, 
and was continued thus to the twentieth. 
The twenty-firf, and following days, 
were reckoned the tenth, the ninth, &c, 
of the end of the month, to the thirtieth, 
which was called the old and new moon: 
‘Ey4 wee Yee. 
This laft was a day of dread for debt- 
ors, being the time in which they were 
bound to pay the interefts ; in the Clouds 
may be feen a fpecimen of the manner in 
which fummonfes were executed. At 
the new moon it was cuftomary to ryb 
rhe body with oil, to offer incenfe, &c. 
The firft day of the moon was alfo the 
ynarket-day ; fo that the afpect of the 
mew moon was only unjoyous to thofe 
who owed money ; to all other perfons it 
feems to have been a day of feftivity. 
The appearance of the Kite alfo on the 
yetura of {pring was matter of great re- 
Cuftoms of Athens according to Ariftophanes. 
Sup. 
joicing ; the people were feen to thip for 
yoy, roll on the ground, gambol, &c. 
particularly the poorer fort, who are 
very much incommoded by the winter. 
As there were many tharpers arAthens, 
who were conitantly on the look-out by 
night, te cozen the women of their ho- 
nour, and the men of their purfes ; to 
preferve both of thefe, the Athenians 
had their doors guarded by large and 
very furly dogs. The women were no 
great admirers of thofe {narlers, but la- 
vifhed their careffes on little dogs brought 
from the ifland of Seripho. The favour- 
ite handfome dog, whofe tail Alcibiades 
cut off, chat the women, having this fub- 
je& to talk of, might forget all other to- 
pics, appears to have beem of the fame 
ifland. . 
As the houfes were well guarded, fo 
the city watches were kept uD with. 
great vigilange and exaétnefs. The 
watchmen who went the rounds on the 
walls, carried in their hands a bell, te 
warn the citizens. that they were upon 
duty. 
The roofs of the houfes were terraced, 
and it was on theie that the trade of 
Intrigue was practifed, while the women 
were chaunting : Let us mourn for Adonis. 
There donot appear to have been ary 
privy or neceflary houfes at Athens; 
perfons, however, were hired,‘ at ftated 
prices, who went round early in the 
morning, knocking at all the doors, and 
carrying away the ordure, as is now 
practifed, at St, Maloe’s, by the women 
called parteuses. 
in walking by night, befides flam- 
beanx -of pitch, rein, and pine-wood, 
they made ufe of lamps, inclofed in lan- 
terns of ofier. 
It appears, from the somedies of Arif- 
tophanes, that dead bodies were not 
burnt at Athens. Whey were pur into 
a coffin. ftrewed with aromatics; a loaf 
was alfo inclofed, for the dog Cerberus, 
and an oéolus, to pay Charon, for the 
pafiage over the Cocytus. Ariftophanes, 
in-one paffage, pretents us with the pa- 
raphernalia of a dead body : marjoram, 
vine leaves, oil, a fhell full of clean 
water laid at the door, a crowa on the 
head of the defunét, and wax tapers.— 
On the tombs, lamps in relievo were 
reprefented by the {culptors. 
The author next proceeds to make 
fome minute remarks’ on the people 
neighbouring to Athens, and on foreign- 
ers. 
The Lacedemonjans were curioufly 
Rice in growing large and beautiful 
ot heads 
