Plutarch, Table Talk 7.697c

χαρίεντος ἀνδρός, ὦ Σόσσιε Σενεκίων, καὶ φιλανθρώπου λόγον ἔχουσι Ῥωμαῖοι διὰ στόματος, ὅστις ἦν ὁ εἰπών, ἐπὶ μόνος ἐδείπνησεν, “βεβρωκέναι, μὴ δεδειπνηκέναι σήμερον”, ὡς τοῦ δείπνου κοινωνίαν καὶ φιλοφροσύνην ἐφηδύνουσαν ἀεὶ ποθοῦντος.

Sossius Senecio, the Romans keep quoting the words of a charming and kind-hearted man who said, when he had dined alone, ‘I have eaten, but I have not dined today’ – since a dinner always needs sociability and friendliness as its seasoning.

Macrobius, Saturnalia 2.3.2

M. Cicero, cum apud Damasippum coenaret et ille mediocri vino posito diceret, ‘bibite Falernum hoc, annorum quadraginta est’, ‘bene,’ inquit, ‘aetatem fert.’

Marcus Cicero was dining at the house of Damasippus, who put a mediocre wine before him, saying, ‘Drink this Falernian wine; it’s forty years old.’ Cicero replied, ‘It carries its years well.’

Claudianus, AP 1.20

One of five poems in the Greek Anthology by the Christian epigrammatist Claudianus, who is presumably not the same author as the Latin poet Claudian.

ἀρτιφανές, πολοοῦχε, παλαιγενές, υἱὲ νεογνὲ,
αἰὲν ἐὼν προεών τε, ὑπέρτατε, ὕστατε, Χριστὲ,
ἀθανάτοιο πατρός τε ὁμόχρονε, πάμπαν ὁμοῖε.

Lately revealed, holder of the heavens, born long ago, new-born son, ever existing and pre-existing, highest and last, Christ, the same in time with your immortal father, in all ways like him.

Valerius Maximus, Memorable Deeds and Sayings 1.1.5

Roman religious ceremonies had to be performed just right. Here are a mitre mishap and a mouse mishap:

at <Q.> Sulpicio inter sacrificandum e capite apex prolapsus idem sacerdotium abstulit, occentusque soricis auditus Fabio Maximo dictaturam, C. Flaminio magisterium equitum deponendi causam praebuit.

While Quintus Sulpicius was in the middle of performing a sacrifice, his mitre slipped forward off his head, for which his priesthood was taken away. And because a mouse’s squeak was heard, Fabius Maximus had to resign the dictatorship and Gaius Flaminius the post of Master of Horse.

Nicander, fr.75

καὶ μορέης, ἣ παισὶ πέλει μείλιγμα νέοισι
πρῶτον ἀπαγγέλλουσα βροτοῖς ἡδεῖαν ὀπώρην.

…and the mulberry, which is a delight for children, and first proclaims to mortals the sweet autumn season.

Palladius, On agriculture 13.3

A gardening tip for December.

hoc tempore serenda est lactuca, ut planta eius Februario transferatur.

At this time lettuce should be sown, so that its head can be removed in February.

Aristophanes, Frogs 1054-5

τοῖς μὲν γὰρ παιδαρίοισιν
ἔστι διδάσκαλος ὅστις φράζει, τοῖσιν δ’ ἡβῶσι ποιηταί.

Little children have a teacher to explain things to them; grown-ups have poets.

Gaius, Commentaries on the Institutes of Civil Law 1.36-37

non tamen cuicumque volenti manumittere licet. nam is, qui in fraudem creditorum vel in fraudem patroni manumittit, nihil agit, quia lex Aelia Sentia inpedit libertatem.

However not everyone who wishes to free a slave is permitted to do so; for a man who frees a slave in order to defraud his creditors or his patron achieves nothing, because the lex Aelia Sentia prevents the grant of freedom.

Timotheus, fr.796 (PMG)

οὐκ ἀείδω τὰ παλαιά,
καινὰ γὰρ ἀμὰ κρείσσω·
νέος ὁ Ζεὺς βασιλεύει,
τὸ πάλαι δ’ ἦν Κρόνος ἄρχων.
ἀπίτω Μοῦσα παλαιά.

I don’t sing the ancient songs, as my new ones are better. Young Zeus is king; in ancient times it was Cronus who was in charge. Away with the ancient Muse!

Dictys, Diary of the Trojan War, epistle

In the manner of literary hoaxers and forgers down the centuries, the author provides a very dodgy-looking account of how this text – which purports to have been written by an actual participant in the Trojan War – was rediscovered.

ephemeridem belli Troiani Dictys Cretensis, qui in ea militia cum Idomeneo meruit, primo conscripsit litteris Punicis, quae tum Cadmo et Agenore auctoribus per Graeciam frequentabantur. deinde post multa saecula, collapso per vetustatem apud Gnoson, olim Cretensis regni sedem, sepulchro eius, pastores cum eo devenissent, forte inter ceteram ruinam loculum stagno affabre clausum offendere, ac thesaurum rati, mox dissolvunt; non aurum, neque aliud quidquam praedae, sed libros ex philyra in lucem prodituri.

Dictys of Crete, who served in the Trojan War, originally wrote his ‘Diary of the Trojan War’ in Phoenician letters, which were then common throughout Greece, having been introduced by Cadmus and Agenor. Then, after many centuries, his tomb in Cnossos (once the seat of the Cretan king) collapsed through age; when some shepherds came to the place, among the ruins they stumbled upon a small box which was cunningly closed up with tin, and, thinking it might contain treasure, they soon broke it apart. But they brought forth into the light neither gold nor any other kind of plunder, but books made of linden-bark.