[30,35] ἑτέρους δὲ πεττεύειν, τοὺς δὲ ἀστραγάλοις παίζειν· εἶναι δὲ τοὺς πεττούς τε καὶ ἀστραγάλους οὐχ οἵους ἡμεῖς νομίζομεν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν χρυσοῦς, τοὺς δὲ ἀργυροῦς, {ὃ δὴ νόμισμα καλοῦμεν ἡμεῖς}, ὑπὲρ ὧν διαφέρεσθαι καὶ ζητεῖν ἕκαστον πλεονεκτεῖν. πλεῖστον δὴ θόρυβον τούτους {τε} καὶ ἀκοσμίαν παρέχειν, τοὺς δὴ κυβεύοντας, καὶ δοκεῖν τῶν συμποτῶν ἀηδεστάτους. ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ μάχεσθαι καὶ εἰς χεῖρας ἰέναι καὶ τιτρώσκειν ἀλλήλους. (36) μάλιστα δὲ τοὺς μεθυσκομένους ταῦτα δρᾶν. μεθύσκεσθαι δὲ οὐκ ἀπὸ οἴνου, καθάπερ τοὺς παρ´ αὑτοῖς, ἀλλ´ ὑφ´ ἡδονῆς. τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν τῇ κοινῇ ἑστιάσει τὸ πόμα παρέχειν τοὺς θεούς, ὥστε ἐξελέγχεσθαι τὸν ἑκάστου τρόπον. δύο δὲ οἰνοχόους ἐφεστάναι, τὸν μὲν ἄρρενα, τὴν δὲ θήλειαν· ὀνομάζεσθαι δὲ αὐτοῖν τὸν μὲν Νοῦν, τὴν δὲ Ἀκράτειαν. τοὺς μὲν οὖν φρονίμους τὸν ἄρρενα οἰνοχόον ἔχειν, καὶ παρ´ ἐκείνου μόνου τούτους δέχεσθαι σπανίως τε καὶ (37) σμικραῖς κύλιξι καὶ πάνυ ἀσφαλῶς κεκραμένον. κεῖσθαι γὰρ ἕνα κρατῆρα, τόν γε τῆς Σωφροσύνης, - - - ἑστάναι {γὰρ} πολλοὺς ἐν τῷ μέσῳ καὶ διαφέροντας τῇ γεύσει ὥσπερ οἴνων πολλῶν· εἶναι δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀργυροῦς τε καὶ χρυσοῦς· ἔτι δὲ καὶ ζῷα ἔξωθεν κύκλῳ ἔχειν καὶ ἕλικάς τινας καὶ τορείας. τὸν δὲ τῆς Σωφροσύνης λεῖόν τε εἶναι καὶ οὐ μέγαν καὶ ὡς ἂν εἰκάσαι τις ὁρῶν χαλκοῦν. δεῖν οὖν ἐκεῖθεν πολλαπλάσιον λαμβάνοντας καὶ ξυγκεραννύντας σμικρόν (38) τι τῆς ἡδονῆς πίνειν. οἷς μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ὁ Νοῦς οἰνοχόος, οὕτως οἰνοχοεῖν, φοβούμενον καὶ προσέχοντα μή πῃ τῆς κράσεως ἁμαρτὼν σφήλῃ τὸν δαιτυμόνα καὶ καταβάλῃ. τὴν δὲ Ἀκράτειαν τοῖς μὲν πλείστοις ἄκρατον τὴν ἡδονὴν ἐγχεῖν, μηδὲ μικρὸν σωφροσύνης παραμιγνύουσαν, τοῖς δὲ ὀλίγον τι παντελῶς λόγου ἕνεκεν. τοῦτο δὲ εὐθὺς ἐξίτηλον γίγνεσθαι καὶ μηδαμοῦ φαίνεσθαι. τοὺς δὲ πίνοντας μὴ διαλείπειν, ἀλλ´ ἐπισπέρχειν τε αὐτὴν καὶ κελεύειν θᾶττον ἰέναι παρ´ αὐτούς, καὶ προαρπάζειν ἕκαστον. τὴν δὲ ἐπείγεσθαι καὶ περιτρέχειν ἀσθμαίνουσαν καὶ ῥεομένην ἱδρῶτι. (39) τοὺς μὲν οὖν ἐκείνης ἑστιάτορας ὀρχεῖσθαί τε καὶ κυλίεσθαι προπίπτοντας ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, καὶ μάχεσθαι καὶ βοᾶν, οἷα δὴ ποιοῦσιν οἱ μεθυσθέντες ὑπὸ οἴνου· πλὴν οὗτοι μὲν ἐπ´ ὀλίγον καὶ μετρίως· μικρὸν γὰρ ἐξαρκεῖ καταδαρθεῖν, ἔπειτα ἄμεινον ἑαυτῶν ἔχουσιν, ἅτε ἐλαφρᾶς οὔσης τῆς μέθης· οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς καρωθέντες ὡς ἂν ὑπὸ ἰσχυροτέρου πόματος κατεχόμενοι δι´ ὅλου τοῦ βίου ταῦτα ποιοῦσι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπαλλαγῆναι {ζῶσιν}, εἰ μή γε ἀποθανοῦσιν. οὗτος γὰρ ὕπνος ἐστὶ τῶν οὕτως μεθυσκομένων καὶ μόνος αὐτοὺς ὠφελεῖ.

[30,35] Others play at draughts and yet others with dice; but the draughts and dice are not like those to which we give these names, but are made some of gold and some of silver—we call them coins—and over them they quarrel and each seeks to get the greater share. It is these last-named men who cause the greatest uproar and disorder—I mean those who play at dice—and they appear to be the most disagreeable of the revellers. Sometimes, too, they fight and come to blows and wound one another. But it is the drunken who are most inclined to act this way. However, it is not wine that makes them drunk, as it is with us, but pleasure. For this is the beverage that the gods furnish at this banquet to which all mankind is invited, so that the character of each man may be revealed. And two cup-bearers stand at their elbows, one male, the other female ; the one of them is called Intelligence and the other Intemperance. Now those banqueters who are sensible have the male cup-bearer and from him alone they accept the drink sparingly, in small cups, and only when it has been so mixed that it is quite harmless ; for there is only one bowl, that of Sobriety, has been placed before them, nevertheless there are many bowls available for all and differing in taste, as though filled with many kinds of wine, and they are of silver and of gold; and besides, they have figures of animals encircling them on the out-side and certain scrolls and reliefs. But the bowl of Sobriety is smooth, not large, and of bronze, to judge by its appearance. So from this bowl they must take many times as large a portion and mix with it a little of the pleasure and drink. Now for those whose cup-bearer he is, Intelligence pours out the wine just so, fearing and giving close heed lest in some way he should fail to get the right mixture and cause the banqueter to stumble and fall. But Intemperance pours out a neat draught of pleasure for the great majority without mixing even a little of sobriety with it, though for some she puts in just a very little for the name of it ; still this little straightway disappears and is nowhere to be seen. And the drinkers do not take intervals of rest, but hurry her on and bid her come faster to them, and each one of them grabs first at what she brings. But she hurries and runs about panting and dripping with sweat. Some of her guests dance and lurch, falling prostrate in the sight of all, and fight and shout, just as men do who are drunken with wine. However, these do so only for a little while and moderately ; for they are content to sleep a little while, and after that they feel better than ever, since their intoxication was slight. But those who have become stupefied by pleasure, being affected by a stronger potion, act this way all through life ; and it is impossible for them to get free while they live but only when dead. For death is the only sleep for people intoxicated in this way and it alone helps them.