Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists
C. D. Yonge, B.A., Ed.

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And Alexis in his Wine-Bibber introduces Stratius the parasite as grumbling at the man who gives him his dinner, and speaking thus—

I'd better be a parasite of Pegasus,
Or the Boreade, or whoever else
Is faster still, than thus to Demeas
Eteobutades, the son of Laches,
For he is not content to walk, but flies.

And a little afterwards he says—

A. Oh Stratius, dost thou love me?
B. Aye, I do
More than my father, for he does not feed me;
But you do give the best of dinners daily.
A. And do you pray the gods that I may live
B. No doubt I do; for how should I myself
Live if misfortune happen'd unto you?

And Axionicus the comic poet, in his Etrurian, mentions Gryllion the parasite in these words—

They cannot now make the excuse of wine,
As Gryllion was always used to do.

And Aristodemus, in the second book of his Memoranda or Laughable Things, gives the following list of parasites— Sostratus the parasite of Antiochus the king, Evagoras the Hunchback, parasite of Demetrius Poliorcetes, and Phormio parasite of Seleucus. And Lynceus the Samian, in his Apophthegms, says—"Silanus the Athenian, when Gryllion the parasite of Menander the satrap was passing by in a superb robe, and accompanied by a great number of attendants, being asked who he was, said, “He is a jaw worthy of Menander.” But Chærephon the parasite, coming once to a wedding feast [p. 385] without being invited, and sitting down the last of all, when the gynæconomi had counted those who were invited, and desired him to depart as having made the number of guests to exceed the legitimate number of thirty, said, 'Count us over again, and begin with me.'