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Whenever some of the members of a dining-club brought more meat1 than others, Socrates would tell the waiter either to put the small contribution into the common stock or to portion it out equally among the diners. So the high batteners felt obliged not only to take their share of the pool, but to pool their own supplies in return; and so they put their own supplies also into the common stock. And since they thus got no more than those who brought little with them, they gave up spending much on meat.

1 ὄψον, literally a tit-bit eaten with bread; Lat. pulmentum.

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