Babrius 16

[Constantinus Philo]

νομίσας ἔμεινεν ὡς ἕτοιμα δειπνήσων
There is some irregularity in this line: the - ας is probably elided to fit the metre.

[jeidsath]

Babrius very frequently puts an anapest (short short long) on the first foot. You can imagine those first two shorts resolving to make the foot a spondee, which is one of the allowed first feet.

Equivalently x _ . _ where x can resolve to (. .)

[mwh]

Even in 5th-cent. tragedy anapests are acceptable in the first foot (especially in Euripides), and in Babrius there is no inhibition against them there (unlike in the other feet).

[Constantinus Philo]

ok got it thanx