8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.



Ver. 8. The governor of the feast] The Jews had a sort of officers at their feasts, called praefecti morum, ïéíïðôáé, ïöèáëìïé , the eyes and overseers of the feast, that took care that none should drink too much. The Latins called them dictators; the Greeks, symposiarchs. Howbeit, among the Greeks, those officers’ power extended no further than to see that at feasts or banquets men drank small draughts only at first, which by degrees they increased till they came to their height of intemperance; at which point, when they were arrived, they kept no rule nor order: whereas, before, to drink out of one’s turn, or beyond his allowance, was counted incivility. {a}



{a} Hinc pergraecari: and as merry as a Greek.