To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
WHen we were feasting at Serapions, who gave an Entertainment after the Leontide Tribe by his Order and Directions, had won the Prize in the publick Dance; (for we were Citi∣zens, and free of that Tribe) a very pertinent Discourse, and proper to the then Occasion hap∣ned:
It had been a very notable Tryal of Skill: The King Philopappus being very generous and magnificent in his Rewards, and defraying the Ex∣pences of all the Tribes: He was at the same Feast with us, and being a very good humor'd Man, and eager for Instruction, he would now and then freely discourse of antient Customs, and as freely hear: Marcus the Grammarian be∣gan thus; Neanthes the Cyzicenian, in his Book called the Fabulous Narrations of this City, affirms that it was a Priviledge of Ajax's Tribe, that their Dance should never be determined to be last: 'Tis true, he brings some Stories for Con∣firmation of what he says; but if he falsifies, the Matter is open, and let us all inquire after the reason of the thing: But says Milo, suppose it be a meer Tale. 'Tis no strange thing, reply'd Philopappus, if in our Disquisitions after truth, we meet now and then with such a thing as Democri∣tus the Philosopher did; for he one day eating a Cucumber, and finding it of a Honey Taste, askt his Maid where she bought it; and she tell∣ing him in such a Garden, he rose from the Ta∣ble and bad her direct him to the Place: the Maid surpriz'd, askt him what he meat; and he reply'd, I must search after the Cause of the Sweetness of the Fruit; and shall find it the sooner if I see the place; and the Maid with a smile reply'd sit still, pray Sir, for I unwittingly put it into a Honey Barrel: And he, as it were discontented, cry'd out, Shame take thee, yet I'le pursue my purpose, and seek after the Cause, as if this Sweetness were a Taste natural, and proper to the Fruit. Therefore neither will we admit Xeanthes his Credulity and Inadvertency in some Stories as an Excuse, and a good reason for avoiding this
Disquisition, for we shall exercise our Thoughts by it, though no other Advantage rises from that Inquiry: Presently every one poured out some∣thing in commendation of that Tribe, mention∣ing every matter that made for its Credit and Re∣putation: Marathon was brought in as belonging to it; and Armodius with his Associates, by Birth Aphidneans, were also produc'd as glorious Mem∣bers of that Tribe: The Orator Glaucias prov'd that that Tribe made up the Right-wing in the Battel at Marathon, from Aeschylus his Elegies, who had himself fought valiantly in the same En∣counter; and farther evinced that Callimachus the Field Marshal was of that Tribe, who behaved himself very bravely, and was the principal Cause next to Miltiades, with whose Opinion he con∣cur'd, that that Battel was fought: To this Dis∣course of Glaucias I added, that the Edict which impower'd Miltiades to lead forth the Athenians, was made when the Aeantid Tribe was chief of the Assembly, and that in the Battel of Plataee the same Tribe won the greatest Glory; and upon that account, as the Oracle directed, that Tribe offered a Sacrifice for this Victory to the Nymphs Sphragitides, the City providing a Victim, and all other Necessaries belonging to it: But you may observe (I continued) that other Tribes like∣wise have their peculiar Glories; and you know that mine, the Leontide Tribe, yields to none in any point of Reputation: Besides, consider whe∣ther 'tis not more probable that this was granted out of a particular respect; and to please Ajax, from whom this Tribe received its Name, for we know he could not endure to be out-done, but was easily hurried on to the greatest Enormi∣ties by his Contentions and passionate Humor;
and therefore to comply with him, and afford some Comfort in his Disasters, they secured him from the most vexing Grievance that follows the Misfortune of the Conquer'd, by or∣dering that his Tribe should never be determined to be last.