Plutarch, Septem sapientium convivium
Frank Cole Babbitt, Ed.

When we had entered the dining-room, Thales, in a louder voice than usual, said, ‘Where is the place at table to which the man objected ? ’ And when its position was pointed out to him he made his way to it, and placed himself and us there, at the same [p. 369] time remarking, ‘Why, I would have given money to share the same table with Ardalus.’ This Ardalus was from Troezene, a flute-player and a priest of the Ardalian Muses, whose worship his forefather, Ardalus of Troezene, had established.¹

Aesop too, as it happened, having been sent by Croesus only a short time before on a mission both to Periander and to the god at Delphi, was present at the dinner, seated on a low chair next to Solon, who occupied the place just above. Aesop said ² : ‘A Lydian mule caught sight of his own image reflected in a river, and, suddenly struck with admiration at the beauty and great size of his body, tossed his mane and started to run like a horse, but then, recalling that his sire was an ass, he soon stopped his running, and gave up his pride and animation.’

Whereupon Chilon, dropping into Laconian dialect, remarked, ‘It's slow ye are, and ye're running on like the mule.’

Just then Melissa came in and took her place on the couch next to Periander, but Eumetis sat during the dinner. Then Thales, addressing himself to me (my place was just above that of Bias), said,‘Diocles, why do you not tell Bias at once that our guest from Naucratis has again come to him with a king's problems, so that he may hear them stated while he is sober and circumspect ?’

‘Hear that!’ said Bias; ‘this man has been trying for a long time to terrify me with such adjurations; but I know that Dionysus, besides being clever in other ways, is called the ' solver ' by virtue of wisdom, so I have no fears that if I become ³ [p. 371] filled with his spirit ⁴ I shall compete with less courage.’

In such repartee as this did those men indulge while dining ; but to me, as I was noticing that the dinner was plainer than usual, there came the thought that the entertainment and invitation of wise and good men involves no expense, but rather curtails expense, since it does away with over-elaborate viands and imported perfumes and sweetmeats and the serving of costly wines, all of which were in fairly free use every day with Periander in his royal position and wealth and circumstance. But on this occasion he tried to make an impression on the men by simplicity and restraint in expenditure. Nor was this limited to these other matters, but he also made his wife put aside and out of sight her usual elaborate attire, and present herself inexpensively and modestly attired.