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Διὰ τί πλείστους ἐν γάμοις ἐπὶ δεῖπνον καλοῦσιν.

[1] 20 ἐν τοῖς Αὐτοβούλου τοῦ υἱοῦ γάμοις συνεώρταζεν ἡμῖν παρὼν ἐκ Χαιρωνείας ὁ Σόσσιος Σενεκίων· καὶ πολλῶν ¹ ἄλλων τε τῇ τόθʼ ἑορτῇ μάλα πρεπόντων παρέσχεν² ἀφορμὰς καὶ περὶ τῆς αἰτίας³, διʼ ἣν πλεῖστοι τῶν ἄλλων⁴ ἐπὶ τὰ γαμικὰ 666e δεῖπνα παραλαμβάνονται, διηπόρησε. καὶ γὰρ τῶν 5 νομοθετῶν τοὺς τῇ πολυτελείᾳ κατὰ κράτος πολεμήσαντας ὁρίσαι μάλιστα τῶν εἰς τοὺς γάμους καλουμένων τὸ πλῆθος. ὁ γὰρ εἰπών ἔφη περὶ τῆς αἰτίας αὐτῆς⁵ τῶν παλαιῶν φιλοσόφων οὐδέν, ἐμοὶ γοῦν κριτῇ, πιθανὸν εἴρηκεν, Ἑκαταῖος⁶ ὁ Ἀβδηρίτης 10 λέγει δὲ τοὺς ἀγομένους γυναῖκας πολλοὺς; παρακαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν ἑστίασιν, ἵνα πολλοὶ συνειδῶσι καὶ μαρτυρῶσιν ἐλευθέροις οὖσι καὶ παρʼ ἐλευθέρων γαμοῦσι. τοὐναντίον γὰρ οἱ κωμικοὶ τοὺς πολυτελῶς καὶ σοβαρῶς λαμπρότητι δείπνων καὶ παρασκευῆς⁷ 15 666f γαμοῦντας, ὡς οὐ βεβαίως οὐδὲ θαρραλέως ἐπισυνάπτουσιν⁸· ὡς ὁ Μένανδρος⁹ πρὸς τὸν κελεύοντα ταῖς λοπάσι περιφράττειν ¹⁰ ωπον δεινῶς οὐ πρᾶγμα νύμφης λέγεις.

[2] ἀλλʼ ὅπως¹¹ μή, τὸ ῥᾷστον¹², ἐγκαλεῖν ἑτέροις 20 δοκῶμεν αὐτοὶ μηδὲν λέγοντες, ἀποφαίνομαι¹³ πρῶτος εἶπεν ἐγώ, οὐδεμίαν ἑστιάσεως πρόφασιν οὕτως ἔκδηλον εἶναι καὶ περιβόητον, ὡς τὴν τῶν γαμούντων· καὶ γὰρ θύοντας¹⁴ θεοῖς καὶ προπέμποντας φίλον καὶ ξενίζοντας ἔστι πολλοὺς διαλαθεῖν τῶν 667a ἐπιτηδείων ἡ δὲ γαμήλιος τράπεζα κατήγορον ἔχει 5 τὸν ὑμέναιον μέγα βοῶντα καὶ τὴν δᾷδα καὶ τὸν αὐλόν, ἅ φησιν Ὅμηρος¹⁵ καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἱσταμένας ἐπὶ ταῖς θύραις θαυμάζειν καὶ θεᾶσθαι. διὸ μηδενὸς ἀγνοοῦντος τὴν ὑποδοχὴν καὶ τὴν κλῆσιν, αἰσχυνόμενοι παραλιπεῖν πάντας τοὺς συνήθεις καὶ 10 οἰκείους καὶ ἁμωσγέπως προσήκοντας αὑτοῖς¹⁶ παραλαμβάνουσιν.

[3] ἀποδεξαμένων δʼ ἡμῶν, ὑπολαβὼν ὁ Θέων καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔφη κείσθω· οὐκ ἀπίθανον γάρ ἐστι· κἀκεῖνο¹⁷ πρόσθες, εἰ βούλει, τὰς τοιαύτας ἑστιάσεις 15 μὴ μόνον φιλικὰς ἀλλὰ καὶ συγγενικὰς εἶναι, καταμιγνυμένης εἰς τὸ γένος ἑτέρας οἰκειότητος. ὃ δὲ 667b τούτου μεῖζόν ἐστιν, οἴκων εἰς ταὐτὸ¹⁸ συνιόντων δυεῖν¹⁹, ὅ τε λαμβάνων τοὺς τοῦ διδόντος οἰκείους καὶ φίλους ὅ τε διδοὺς τοὺς τοῦ λαμβάνοντος οἰόμενοι 20 δεῖν φιλοφρονεῖσθαι διπλασιάζουσι τὴν ὑποδοχήν. ἔτι²⁰ πολλὰ τῶν γαμικῶν ἢ τὰ πλεῖστα δρᾶται διὰ γυναικῶν· ὅπου δὲ²¹ γυναῖκες πάρεισι, καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι παραλαμβάνεσθαι. 667c

Quaestiones Convivales. Plutarch. ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs. Leipzig. 1892.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Συμποσιακῶν προβλημάτων βιβλία (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol. IV. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1892.)

Translations (1)

Symposiacs Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. III. Goodwin, William W., editor; Creech, Thomas, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 4.3 focus

Question III.
WHY MEN USUALLY INVITE MANY GUESTS TO A WEDDING SUPPER.
SOSSIUS SENECIO, PLUTARCH, THEO.

[1] AT my son Autobulus’s marriage, Sossius Senecio from Chaeronea and a great many other noble persons were present at the same feast; which gave occasion to this question (Senecio proposed it), why to a marriage feast more guests are usually invited than to any other. Nay even those law-givers that chiefly opposed luxury and profuseness have particularly confined marriage feasts to a set number. Indeed, in my opinion, he continued, Hecataeus the Abderite, one of the old philosophers, hath said nothing to the purpose in this matter, when he tells us that those that marry wives invite a great many to the entertainment, that many may see and be witnesses that they being free born take to themselves wives of the same condition. For, on the contrary, the comedians reflect on those who revel at their marriages, who make a great ado and are pompous in their feasts, as such who are marrying with no great confidence and courage. Thus, in Menander, one replies to a bridegroom that bade him beset the house with dishes,...

Your words are great, but what’s this to your bride?

[2] But lest I should seem to find fault with those reasons others give, only because I have none of my own to produce, continued he, I begin by declaring that there is no such evident or public notice given of any feast as there is of one at a marriage. For when we sacrifice to the Gods, when we take leave of or receive a friend, a great many of our acquaintance need not know it. But a marriage dinner is proclaimed by the loud sound of the wedding song, by the torches and the music, which as Homer expresseth it,

The women stand before the doors to see and hear.¹

And therefore when everybody knows it, the persons are ashamed to omit the formality of an invitation, and therefore entertain their friends and kindred, and every one that they are any way acquainted with.

[3] This being generally approved, Well, said Theo, speaking next, let it be so, for it looks like truth; but let this be added, if you please, that such entertainments are not only friendly, but also kindredly, the persons beginning to have a new relation to another family. But there is something more considerable, and that is this; since by this marriage two families join in one, the man thinks it his duty to be civil and obliging to the woman’s friends, and the woman’s friends think themselves obliged to return the same to him and his; and upon this account the company is doubled. And besides, since most of the little ceremonies belonging to the wedding are performed by women, it is necessary that, where they are entertained, their husbands should be likewise invited.

Notes on the current edition

Συμποσιακῶν προβλημάτων βιβλία

1. lac. 3 Vd 4 P. Fort. transponendo supplendum: ἄλλων τε πολλῶν λόγων

2. παρέσχεν S: 3-4 Vd 9 E. λόγων παρεσ́χεν Duebnerus

3. τῆς αἰτίας S: τη 5 Vd 8 E ας

4. ἄλλων] fort. ἀνθρώπων cum R i. e. ἀνων

5. αὐτῆς] ταύτης aut εἶς τις R

6. Ἑκαταῖος] Mueller. 2 p. 396 em. X: ἀβαρρήτης

7. corr. R: παρασκευῇ

8. ἐπισυνάπτουσιν] fort. ἐπισυνάπτ[ οντας ἐπισκώπτ] ουσιν vid. Symbolae

9. Μένανδρος] cf. Kock. 3 p. 230

10. prior lac. 3-4 Vd 4-5 E P posterios 3-5 Vd 3 P

11. ὅπως] ὅμως mei

12. τὸ ῥᾷστον R: 4-5 Vd 9 E

13. ἀποφαίνομαι R: ἀποφαῖνον

14. θύοντες mei

15. Ὁμηρος] Σ 495

16. αὑτοῖς *: αὐτοῖς

17. κἀκεῖνο] add. δὲ R

18. *: τὸ αὐτὸ

19. δυσίν mei

20. ἔτι Turnebus: ἐπεὶ

21. δὲ Anonymus: δὴ

Plutarch Quaestiones Convivales 4.3

ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Διὰ τί πλείστους ἐν γάμοις ἐπὶ δεῖπνον καλοῦσιν.

Current edition Perseus

Question III.
WHY MEN USUALLY INVITE MANY GUESTS TO A WEDDING SUPPER.
SOSSIUS SENECIO, PLUTARCH, THEO.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Διὰ τί πλείστους ἐν γάμοις ἐπὶ δεῖπνον καλοῦσιν.

Current edition Perseus

Question III. WHY MEN USUALLY INVITE MANY GUESTS TO A WEDDING SUPPER. SOSSIUS SENECIO, PLUTARCH, THEO.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Question III.
WHY MEN USUALLY INVITE MANY GUESTS TO A WEDDING SUPPER.
SOSSIUS SENECIO, PLUTARCH, THEO.