iiiii 
 
 • iiKiUil.
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 
 THE COMEDIES 
 OF ARISTOPHANES 
 
 VOLUi\IE THE SECOND.
 
 0X1 ord: rniNTET) ey d. a. TAi.novs.
 
 THE I'OMEDIES 
 OF ARISTOPHANES 
 
 TRANSLATED INTO FAMILIAR BLANK VERSE 
 
 WITH NOTES, PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 
 
 ON EACH PLAY, ETC. 
 
 BY C. A. WHEELWRIGHT, M. A. 
 
 FORMERLY OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. 
 Author of a New Version of Pindar, etc. 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED 
 
 A DISSERTATION ON THE OLD GREEK COMEDY 
 
 FROM THE GERMAN OF WACHSMUTH. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. II. 
 
 OXFORD: D. A. TALBOYS; 
 
 AND 1, BOUVERIE STREET, LONDON. 
 M DCCC XXXVII.
 
 THE PEACE. 
 
 KC'S -^ y^/oi'j
 
 DRAMATIS PERSONS. 
 
 TWO SLAVES. 
 
 A BEETLE.- 
 
 TRYG^US, A COUNTRYMAN. 
 
 DAUGHTERS OF TRYG^US. 
 
 MERCURY. 
 
 WAR. 
 
 TUMULT. 
 
 CHORUS OF ATHENIAN HUSBANDMEN. 
 
 HIEROCLES, A PROPHET. 
 
 PEACE, -^ 
 
 AUTUMN, I Women Mutes. 
 
 SPECTACLE. J 
 
 Manufacturers of Scythes, Javelins, Cuirasses, Trumpets, Casques. 
 
 SON OF LAMACHUS. 
 
 CLEONYMUS. 
 
 Several Mutes. 
 
 The scene is laid in a public place at Athens.
 
 '3^77 
 
 /)lU)7( 
 V. ^- 
 
 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 
 
 UPON 
 
 THE PEACE, 
 
 COMPILED CHIEFLY FROM THE FRENCH OF PERE BRUMOY. 
 
 THIS COMEDY WAS PERFOBMED IN THE THIRTEENTH YEAR OF THE FELO- 
 PONNESIAN WAR, THE FIRST OF THE XC. OLYMPIAD, AT THE DIONYSIAC* 
 FEASTS, IN THE CITY, AND TOWARDS THE SPRING, UNDER THE ARCHON 
 ASTYPHILUS, AND IS THE ONLY COMEDY OF ARISTOPHANES WHICH IS KNOWN 
 TO HAVE BEEN ACTED IN THAT OLYMPIAD, 
 
 This composition is of the same kind as the Acharnians, and nearly 
 upon the same subject ; but it is even fuller of enigmas, metaphors, 
 and figures of all kinds. With respect to its date, it is not doubtful, 
 since the poet has himself fixed it to the thirteenth year of the Pelo- 
 ponnesian war, at which time the Athenians, after some considerable 
 misfortunes, became, in spite of their pride, extremely fatigued with it. 
 Mr. Samuel Petit is not worthy of attention when he advances, with- 
 out proof, that the mode of reckoning the years of the Peloponiiesian 
 war is different in Aristophanes and Thucydides. All the actions of 
 which the poet treats agree with those of history during the same 
 epoch. One verse, in which an Ionian spectator is designated, shows 
 that there were strangers at this exhibition, and consequently that it 
 was represented during the Dionysiac feasts held in the city. The 
 design of Aristophanes is to disgust the Athenians more and more 
 with a ruinous warfare, and to inspire them with a love of peace, as 
 desirable for the conquerors as for the conquered, after many years 
 of a war equally fatal to both, and capable of destroying all Greece. 
 It is necessary to recal to tlie recollection of the reader a point of 
 history essential to the composition of this comedy; I allude to the 
 death of Cleon and P>rasidas. The former was general of the 
 
 • See V. 46. 
 
 b2
 
 4 THE PEACE. 
 
 Athenians, and the latter of the Lacedaemonians. Both had their 
 reasons for prolonging the war — Brasidas, an ambitious, brave, enter- 
 prising, and fortunate man, found his account in rendering himself of 
 importance ; glory and the fortune of his arms nourished his am- 
 bition, and made him find reasons for preserving an authority more 
 agreeable to himself than useful to his country. Cleon, on his side, 
 less a general than a man of intrigue, could not lay down arms with- 
 out exposing himself, nor consent to peace without being undone. 
 The Athenians would then have had leisure to open their eyes to his 
 tyrannical jjroceedings, and they would not have spared him. Both 
 were victims of their passion for war — they were killed in Thrace on 
 the day of the battle of Amphipolis ; Cleon made a mistaken retreat, 
 and Brasidas profited by this imprudence. But both sunk under 
 it; the former after his defeat, and the latter in the bosom of victory. 
 These two chiefs died in the tenth year of the war, and it appears 
 that after their death there was no longer any impediment to the 
 peace, at least so says Aristophanes in this comedy, and Thucydides 
 in his fifth book. In fact, Sparta and Athens each made their par- 
 ticular treaty, which was the famous truce of fifty years. But the 
 Peloponnesian war was not then finished ; it was too generally 
 kindled, and its end was not yet come. 
 
 " The Peace begins in an extremely sprightly and lively manner. 
 The peace-loving Trygseus riding to heaven on the back of a dung- 
 beetle, in the manner of Bellerophon : War, a wild giant, who with 
 his comrade. Riot, is the sole inhabitant of Olympus, in place of all 
 the other gods, and is pounding the cities in a huge mortar, in which 
 operation he uses the most famous generals as his pestles : the god- 
 dess of Peace, buried in a deep well, whence she is hauled up with 
 ropes by the united exertions of all the Greek nations — these in- 
 ventions are alike ingenious, fantastic, and calculated to produce 
 the most pleasant effect. But afterwards the poetry does not 
 maintain an equal elevation ; nothing more remains but to sacri- 
 fice and make feasts to the restored goddess of Peace, while the 
 pressing visits of such persons as found their advantage in the war, 
 form a pleasing entertainment, though not a satisfactory conclusion 
 after a beginning of so much promise. We have here one example 
 among several others, vv'hich shows that the old comedians not only 
 altered the scenes in the intervals, while the stage was empty, but 
 even when an actor was still in sight. The scene here changes from 
 a spot in Attica to Olympus, whilst Trygaeus on his beetle hangs 
 aloft in air, and calls out to the machine-maker to take care that he
 
 THE PEACE. 5 
 
 does not break his neck. His subsequent descent into the orchestra, 
 denotes his return to earth. The liberties taken by the tragedians, 
 according as their subject might require it, in respect of the unities 
 of place and time, on which the moderns lay so foolish a stress, 
 might be overlooked ; the boldness with which the old comedian 
 subjects these mere externalities to his humorous caprice, is so 
 striking as to force itself on the most short-sighted — and yet in none 
 of the treatises on the constitution of the Greek stage, has it been 
 properly noticed." — Theatre of the Greeks, p. 357. 
 
 We are further informed, by the anonymous author of the Greek 
 preface to this comedy, that our poet gained the prize, when Alcaeus 
 was archon, at the Dionysia.
 
 THE PEACE. 
 
 ACT I. SCENE I. 
 
 2 Slaves and a Beetle of immense magnitude. 
 
 S. 1. Bear to the beetle, quickly bear some paste. 
 
 S. 2. 'Tis here. 
 
 S. 1. Then give it to the doomed wretch. 
 
 S. 2. [to S. 1.] And never may'st thou eat a sweeter cake. 
 
 S. 1. Give him another form'd from asses' dunsr. 
 
 S. 2. Again 'tis here. 
 
 S. 1. Where's that thou now didst bring? 
 
 Hath he not gulp'd it ? 
 S. 2. Yea, he hath, by Jove ; 
 
 And having roU'd the prey beneath his feet, 
 
 He hath devour'd it whole. 
 S. 1. Then in all haste 
 
 Pound many up and thick. 
 S. 2. Ye scavengers. 
 
 Assist me, by the gods, unless you'd see 10 
 
 Me choked. 
 S. 1. Another and another give. 
 
 Proceeding from a youth* that's been abus'd. 
 
 For he declares he likes it pounded best. 
 S. 2. 'Tis here — Of one thing, friends, at least, I think 
 
 To be absolved ; for none can say I eat 
 
 Whilst I am kneading. 
 S. 1. Ho! another brinsf. 
 
 And yet another, and still pound me more. 
 S. 2. I will not, by Apollo ; for I can 
 
 •' Ttatdbr iiTuipriKOTor- i. e. Ganymede.
 
 8. THE PEACE. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 No longer bear this stink, therefore at once 
 
 Will, with the beetle, carry it away. 20 
 
 S. 1. Throw't to the dogs, by Jove— and then thyself. 
 
 S. 2. If aught of you know, let him declare, 
 
 Whence I may buy a nose that is not bor'd. 
 
 For a more wearying office cannot be. 
 
 Than kneading meat to feed a beetle with : 
 
 A sow or dog will eagerly snatch up 
 
 Whatever any have discharg'd, but he 
 
 Thinks highly of himself, nor deigns to eat, 
 
 Unless I serve him like a dainty woman. 
 
 With turnip that I've been the whole day mashing ; 30 
 
 But I will look whether his meal is ended. 
 
 Keeping the door ajar, lest he should see me — 
 
 Stick to it, nor from eating ever cease, 
 
 Until thou burst thyself unwittingly. 
 
 How the detested creature stooping eats 
 
 In wrestlers' fashion, plying his jaw-teeth, 
 
 Rolling meanwhile his head and hands like those 
 
 Who the thick cables coil upon the decks ! 
 
 A hateful, greedy, and ill-odour'd monster — 
 
 Nor know I to what god he may belong ; 40 
 
 Not as I think to Venus or the Graces. 
 
 S. 1. Whose is he then? 
 
 S. 2. Why surely he must be 
 
 A prodigy sent down from thundering Jove^ 
 
 S. 1. Of the spectators, therefore, one may ask — 
 
 Some youth self-seeming wise, " What thing is this? 
 
 What means the beetle?" — An Ionian^ then 
 
 Sitting beside him, answers thus — *' I think 
 
 This bears to Cleon a dark reference, 
 
 For without shame he feeds on excrement. 
 
 But I will in, and give the beetle drink. [Exit. 
 
 S. 2. And I to children will relate the matter, 51 
 
 a That is, some Athenian, as Cleon was. Sokso) (v. 47.) is the Ionic form of 
 ^OKoi. And this passage leads Palmer to conjecture that the Peace was performed 
 in the spring at the Dionysiac feasts which were held in the city. The resemblance 
 between Cleon and the beetle consisted in the bad smell of the hides in which the 
 former trafficked, when compared with that of the beetle and its uHcleati food.
 
 20—70.] THE PEACE. & 
 
 To grown up youths, to men of riper age, 
 
 And those who're past the common term of life. 
 
 My master rages after a new fashion. 
 
 Not in your way, but one entirely new ; 
 
 For thro' the day with eyes to heaven uprais'd, 
 
 And gaping mouth, he thus reproaches Jove : 
 
 *' O Jupiter, what is't thy will to do? 
 
 Lay by the broom, nor sweep out Greece''." 
 
 SCENE II. 
 [TRYGiEUS enters unperceived.] 
 
 Try. Alas! 
 
 S. 2. Be silent — for methinks I hear a voice. GO 
 
 Try. O Jove, how wouldest thou our people treat ? 
 Thou wilt exhaust the cities unawares. 
 
 S. 1. This truly is the evil which I spoke of. 
 For now ye hear a sample of his folly. 
 What first he utter'd, when his rage began, 
 I will inform you — To himself he spake : 
 "O could I straight to Jupiter's ascend 1" 
 Then having a slight scaling-ladder made, 
 By that he cHmbed on all fours heavenwards, 
 Until he chanc'd to fall headforemost down ; 70 
 
 And after this, when yesterday he rush'd 
 I know not whither, he brought home with him 
 A huge .'Etnaean beetle, and compell'd me 
 To tend it as a horse — then stroking it 
 With his own hand, as it had been a foal, 
 " O my brave Pegasean bird^," he says, 
 
 •* 1 have adopted Fl. (^hristianus' emendation, ^»/ 'KKopti for the common reading 
 fjii] Kvpei, as giving more force to the expostulation of Trygaius, which, liowever, 
 is the lection of the Scholiast. 
 
 <= This line of the amusing and highly poetical narrative ofTryga^us' domestic, 
 according to Florens Cluistiauus, is imitated from one of the liellerophon of. 
 Euripides (Frag. i;i. ap. Beck.), ay' w ipiXov fioi Ilfjyaaov Trrip'ov, to which play 
 Aristophanes makes very frequent reference (see v. 135.) The vford c'lvippixaT 
 (v. 70), properly signifies to creep like a spider (apaxv'i) along the walls. The
 
 iO THE PEACE. [Act. i. Sc. in. 
 
 " Fly with me straight, and bear me up to Jove." 
 
 But I'll stoo]) down and thro' the chinks observe 
 
 What now he is about— unhappy me ! 
 
 Come hither, hither neighbours, for my lord 80 
 
 Riding mid-air is on his beetle borne. 
 Try. [mounted on his beetle.] Gently, thou oftspring of an ass'^ 
 
 At first less vehemently pass ; 
 
 Nor let bedewing sweat consume 
 
 The vigour of thy jointed plume. 
 
 Nor with offensive breath, I pray, 
 
 Annoy my senses on the way, 
 
 Or here about our mansion stay. 
 S. 2. How dotes thy mind, O lord and king ! 
 Try. Hist, hist. 
 
 S. 2. Where else on meteor wing ? 90 
 
 Try. O'er Hellas' whole extent I fly, 
 
 And a new machination try. 
 S. 2. But to what purpose tends this flight ? 
 
 This malady so vain and light ? 
 Try. Well omen'd voices must we utter, 
 
 Nor aught of evil import mutter ; 
 
 But praise with shouts the sacred name, 
 
 And silence to mankind proclaim ; 
 
 Rebuild with new-made tiles each street, 
 
 And close the lanes not over sweet. 100 
 
 S. 2. It is not possible that I keep silence. 
 
 Unless thou tell me whither thou design'st 
 
 Thy flight. 
 
 JEtntan probably denotes nothing more than the very great beetle ; Scliol. virtpiit- 
 y'iQiy compave Soph. CEd. Col. v. 312. (ed. Brunck.) 
 
 ' AiTva'iaQ tTTt 
 
 TrwXov j3tjSiI)(Tav 
 where the Schol. avri tov, fitydXtjg- although Franklin translates that passage — 
 On a Sicilian steed a woman comes. 
 
 compare v. 126. ttttivoq ■TroptvrrsL TrwXog. 
 
 <• This word alludes to the supposed generation of the beetle (icdvOapog), men- 
 tioned by the Scholiast, from the excrement of an ass, the food m which he most 
 delights. See v. 4. where the first domestic enjoins the second to give the reptile 
 a cake formed of ass-dung, fid'Cnv ti dviSiov ■KnrXa(rn'ivi]v.
 
 80—120.] THE PEACE. 11 
 
 Try. Where else than heavenwards to Jove ? 
 
 S. 2. With what design ? 
 
 Try. To ask of him what 'tis 
 
 He purposes to do with all the Greeks. 
 S. 2. How if he will not answer? 
 Try. Then I'll have 
 
 A writ against him, for that he betrays 
 
 Greece to the Medes. 
 S. 2. Not while I live, by Bacchus, 
 
 Try. There is no other way. [mounts on his beetle. 
 
 SCENE III. 
 
 [Enter the daughters o/'Tryg.eus.] 
 
 S. 2. Alas ! alas ! 
 
 O damsels, secretly your sire hath fled" 1 10 
 
 To heaven, and left you desolate — but oh, 
 Ill-fated girls ! your father supplicate. 
 
 Chi. O sire ! O sire ! can this report be true, 
 
 Which to our house hath come, that leaving me 
 You take your airy journey with the birds 
 To the crows' region ? is it tridy so ? 
 Tell, if you love me, father. 
 
 Try. So it seems, 
 
 My girls — in truth, I'm griev'd on your account. 
 
 When, calling me papa, you ask for bread, 
 
 And there is not within a drop of silver. 120 
 
 But should I with good luck return again, 
 
 Betimes I'll give you a big lump of cake, 
 
 Besides a knuckle rap instead of meat. 
 
 Cm. And what expedient hast thou for this trip ? 
 No galley can be found to carry thee. 
 
 vfiaq ipriiiovC' 
 
 This is Fl. Christiaiius' emendation for the coniinou reading, »'//i"(,- tlie iippavent 
 solecism contained in the adjective ipiifiovQ as applied to the daughters, he parallels 
 with Pindar's ipi]fiaQ alOkpoi; (Ol. 1. 10.)
 
 12 Tin: i^EACE. [Act i. Sc. iii. 
 
 Try. a winged foal ; I shall not go by sea. 
 
 Chi. But what a thought, my dear papa, is thine, 
 
 On harness'd beetle to the gods to drive ! 
 Try. In yEsop's apologues he has been found ^ 
 
 The only winged thing that to the gods 180 
 
 E'er made his way. 
 Chi. a tale incredible, 
 
 O father, thou relat'st — that to the gods 
 
 A beast so foully stinking e'er hath come. 
 Try. From enmity to th' eagle once it came, 
 
 With vengeful purpose to roll down her eggs. 
 Chi. Thou should'st have mounted a wing'd Pegasus, 
 
 That to the gods thou might'st appear more tragic. 
 Try. But, silly child, I should have needed then 
 
 A double quantity of food — and now 
 
 With the same aliments that feed myself, 140 
 
 Him will I nourish too. 
 Chi. But should'st thou full 
 
 Into the briny deep ? what means has he, 
 
 A winged animal, to draw thee thence ? 
 Try. I have a rudder for the purpose fit. 
 
 Which I will use — a beetle Naxos built ^ 
 
 Shall be our vessel. 
 Chi. And what harbour will 
 
 Receive thee in thy flight ? 
 Try. The beetle's port 
 
 Is in Piraeus. 
 Chi. See you tumble not 
 
 ' The fable of the eagle and the beetle, which is referred to again in the Wasps, 
 (v. 1446.) by Philocleon, but which the old Bdelycleon's impatience will not allow 
 his son to finish, is marked (Ticy' in the collection of Maximus Planudes (223, ed. 
 F. de Furia, Lips. 1810.) It is not impossible that Aristophanes took his idea of 
 the ascent of Trygaeus on his beetle from this very fable, particularly that part of it 
 where it is said — 6 KcwOapoc Si Korrpov a(pdipav Troi/jcrag, Koi avafiaq. 
 
 S 'Sa^iovpyijQ KavdapoQ. This was the name of a kind of vessel built in the 
 isle of Naxos, and perhaps denominated from its peculiar shape, as the vessels of 
 Cnidos ; Corcyra and Paros had their particular denominations. It appears also 
 from V. 145. that one of the basons of the Piraeus at Athens was called Cantharus, 
 from a certain hero of that name, the other two being called Aphrodisium and Zea. 
 This harbour Cantharus contained a dock, a temple of Venus, and five poiticoes 
 disposed in a circular form, ^
 
 130— 1 TO.] THE PEACE. 13 
 
 Thence downwards, and, when lame, become a theme'' 
 Of tragic story to Euripides. 1.50 
 
 Try. I will take heed of this — but fare ve well; 
 And you for whom I undertake these toils, 
 Abstain from all discharges for three days, 
 Since should he smell aught in his airy flight, 
 He'll cast me headlong, and deceive my hopes. 
 But on, my Pegasus, proceed with joy, 
 Exciting with the golden-bitted reins 
 A sound agreeable to thy glad ears. 
 What doest thou ? what doest thou i where bend 
 Thy nostrils? to the filthy lanes? transport IfiO 
 
 Thyself from earth with confidence — and then, 
 Unfurling thy swift wing, with course direct, 
 Pass onward to the halls of Jupiter. 
 Keeping thy nose remov'd from excrement, 
 And all ephemeral food. — Thou fellow, ho ! 
 Among the harlots of Piraeeus 
 Easing thyself ! tliou'lt ruin me outright ; 
 Wilt thou not dig it under ground, and lay 
 A heap of earth upon't, and plant thereon 
 Wild thyme, and scatter essence o'er the top? 170 
 
 For should I sutler aught by falling hence, 
 The city of the Chians will be fin'd' 
 In fifty talents, to avenge my death, 
 Occasion'd by thy fundamental crime. 
 Ah me, how much I tremble, and no more 
 Speak jestingly— O machinist, take heed'' 
 
 ^ Tliis is one of our poet's decisive allusions to Euripides, for having introduced 
 on the stage so many lame heroes; whence he calls him ■^(^ioXoTroiin' in the 1' rogs, 
 (V. 864.) Here he particularly glances at the Ikllerophon of that tragic author 
 (see the Acharnians, v. 402.) 
 
 ' This line ii a satirical reflection upon the loose manners of the people of Chios, 
 as well as the calumnious disposition of the Athenians, who were in the constant 
 habit of calling in que:^tion the conduct of other states, and inflicting fines upon 
 them. 
 
 '^ Tlie ancients made use of a certain machine in their theatres for the purpose 
 of keeping an actor suspended over the stage, as in playing the part of a divinity, 
 (Donnegan, ad veib. KpaSi].) The huge beetle upon which Trygaeus mounts into 
 the clouds was a contiivance of this kind, the director of which he now addresses.
 
 14 THE PEACE. [Act r. Sc. iii. 
 
 To me, for now some wind whirls round my navel. 
 
 And if you are not careful, I shall furnish 
 
 Provision to the beetle — hut methinks 
 
 I'm near the gods, and view th' abode of Jove. 180 
 
 Who is the porter there ? will you not open ? 
 Mkr. Whence is it that a mortal odour strikes me ? 
 
 O monarch Hercules, what plague is this? 
 Try. 'Tis a horse beetle'. 
 Mer. O thou wretch impure, 
 
 Without or fear or shame, all over foul. 
 
 How cam'st thou hither thou surpassing foul one? 
 
 What is thy name ? wilt thou not speak ? 
 Try. Most fouL 
 
 Mer. What is thy race ? declare to me. 
 Try. Most foul. 
 
 Mer. Thy father too, who's he ? 
 Try. Mine ? most foul. 
 
 Mer. Nay, by the earth, from death thou'lt not escape 190 
 
 Unless thou wilt confess to me thy name. 
 Try. TrygaBUS, the Athmonian"", a vine-dresser, 
 
 Dexterous, no sycophant, nor fond of lawsuits. 
 Mer. And wherefore com'st ? 
 
 Try. To bring this flesh to thee. 
 
 Mer. How didst thou come, O thou most miserable? 
 Try. Thou see'st, O glutton, that I am no more 
 
 The very foulest wretch I seemed to thee. 
 
 Go now, and summon Jove to me. 
 Mer. Ho, Ho, 
 
 Thou art not likely to come near the gods, 
 
 For they departed yesterday from home. 200 
 
 Try. Wliither on earth ? 
 Mer. On earth ? 
 
 Try. But whither then ? 
 
 ' iTnroKavOapog — an allusion to the word 'nrnoKEVTavpoc, and no doubt another 
 fling at Bellerophon, (see v. 146.) 
 
 ™ That is, of the burgh Athmonia, belonging to the tribe Cecropis or Attalis, for 
 the Scholiast says it is not certain which. The account which he gives of his ex- 
 ecrable parentage is, according to the same authority, parodied from the Sciron of 
 Epicliarmus.
 
 180—230.] THE PEACE. 15 
 
 Mer. Far off — beneath the furthest cope of heav'n. 
 
 Try. How comes it then thou'rt left here all alone ? 
 
 Mer. I guard the furniture they've left behind, 
 Pipkins and cans and little wooden tables. 
 
 Try. But for what purpose are the gods abroad ? 
 
 Mer. For anger towards the Greeks : therefore to War 
 They've given the place once occupied by them, 
 Permitting him to use you as he lists. 
 But they have to the furthest heights remov'd, 210 
 That they no longer may behold you fighting, 
 Nor listen to your supplicating voice. 
 
 Try. But wherefore deal they so with us ? pray tell me. 
 
 Mer. Because you chose to fight, when they full oft 
 Made overtures for peace — and e'er so little 
 Should the Laconians triumph", they would say 
 " Now, by the twin gods, Attica shall sufl?er." 
 But should til' Athenians fight with good success. 
 And the Laconians come to treat of peace. 
 Straight would your cry be — "we have been deceiv'd, 
 By Pallas and by Jove — we cannot trust them — 221 
 They will come back again if we have Pylos." 
 
 Try. Such is indeed the tenor of your speech. 
 
 Mer. Wherefore I know not if in after time 
 You'll e'er see Peace. 
 
 Try. Why, whither is she fled ? 
 
 Mer. In a deep cavern War hath buried her. 
 
 Try. In what? 
 
 Mer. In this below ; besides you see 
 
 What heaps of stones he has thrown down upon her, 
 That you may never get her back. 
 
 Try. Tell me 
 
 What next he purposes to do with us ? 230 
 
 Mer. I know not, save that he last evening brought 
 
 " In this and the two following lines, the names AaKoiviKoi, Attikuu, and Atti- 
 KioviKoi, are mutually applied by the rival nations to each other in a contemptuous 
 manner — vTroKopirrriKoJC, as the Scholiast says. From line 215, and the Laconians 
 come to treat of pence, i'almer concludes that this drama appeared after the embassy 
 from the Lacedicmonians, respecting the liberation of the captives from Sphacteria, 
 had been sO haughtily rejected by the Athenians, (see Thucyd. iv. 22.)
 
 16 THE PEACE. [Act i. Sc. iv. 
 
 A mortar of surpassing magnitude. 
 Try. And to what purpose will this mortar serve? 
 Mer. He meditates to pound the cities in it. 
 
 But I will go — for, as I think, he is 
 
 About to issue forth, since now within 
 
 He thunders. 
 Try. Wretched me ! let me escape, 
 
 For I have heard his warlike mortar's sound. 
 
 SCENE IV. 
 
 Enter War, bearing a huge mortar. 
 
 War.O mortals, mortals, much-enduring mortals! 
 
 How very soon will your jaws ache with pain ! 240 
 
 Try. Apollo, king ! the mortar — what a size ! 
 
 How terrible the very sight of War ! 
 
 Is this he whom we fly ? the dire, the fierce, 
 
 With legs outstretch'd"? 
 War. Thrice wretched Prasias ! 
 
 Five times and ten, how will you this day perish ! 
 Try. My friends, this matter 's no concern of ours. 
 
 For 'tis a plague on the Laconian land. 
 War.O Megara, how wilt thou straight be bruis'd, 
 
 And altogether pounded as a salad. 
 Try. O wonderful ! what sharp and mighty tears 2.50 
 
 Among the Meijarensians hath he cast ! 
 War.O Sicily, how hast thou perish'd too! 
 
 She will be ruind like a wretched city. 
 
 Let me pour in some Attic honey too. 
 
 " The expression here is remarkably elliptical — o Kara Toiv dKiKoiv supplendian 
 videtur, t(TTiuQ, (itj3r]Ku)g, vei simile quid — Brunck, stans divaricatis cruribvs. 
 Prasiiu, whose fate is here so pathetically lamented by the daemon of war, was a 
 town on the coast of Laconia which the Athenians captured and destroyed. Ut- 
 tering this exclamation he throws leeks (to Trpaffov) into his tremendous mortar, 
 in order to denote allegorically the .pounding of that unhappy city : as he afterwards 
 throws in garlic, calling it Megara, that territory being very fruitful in the produc- 
 tion of that herb, as appears also from the Acharnians (vv. 524. 1064.), and 
 moistens the mixture with Aitic honeti (v. 250.), which from Trygaeus' answer 
 appears to have been a very dear article — nuXvTtpijTor, as the Scholiast ex- 
 presses it. 
 
 I
 
 240—270.] THE PEACE. 17 
 
 Try. Hollo, I charge you, other honey use ; 
 
 This costs four oboli — and spare the Attic. 
 War. Boy, boy, thou Tumult, here ! 
 
 Enter Tumult. 
 
 TuM. Why call'st thou me ? 
 
 WAR.Long shalt thou weep — standest thou unemploy'd? 
 
 Here is a fist for thee. 
 TuM. Oh wretched me, 
 
 How sharp it is ! Oh master, have you put 2G0 
 
 Garlick into your fist ? 
 War. Wilt thou not run 
 
 And bring a pestle ? 
 TuM. But, good sir, we've none. 
 
 For only yesterday we came to lodge here. 
 War.Ruu then, and fetch one quickly from th' Athenians. 
 TuM. I will, by Jove — if not, I shall lament it. 
 Try. Come, O ye wretched men, what shall we do ? 
 
 You see how great the danger we are in ; 
 
 For should he come and bring the pestle with him, 
 
 With that he'll vex the cities at his ease. 
 
 But may he perish, Bacchus, and not come. 270 
 
 War \to TuM.] Ho you ! 
 TuM. What is 't ? 
 
 War. Have you not brought it ? 
 
 TuM. No. 
 
 For from th' Athenians is this pestle gone. 
 
 The leather-seller who confounded Greece. 
 Try. In good time for the city's need he's gone, 
 
 O sacred queen Minerva, ere for us 
 
 The salad he had mingled. 
 War. Wilt not then 
 
 From Lacedffimon quickly fetch another ? 
 TuM. I am about it, master. 
 
 War. Come quickly then. 
 
 Try. [to the spectators.'] O friends, what will our fate be ? 
 Now the strife 
 VOL. ir. c
 
 18 THE PEACE. [Act ir. Sc. i. 
 
 Is great — should any of you be by chance 280 
 
 In Samothracian rites initiated, 
 
 'Twould be a fitting subject for your prayer, 
 
 That he who fetches it may break his legs. 
 
 TuM. O wretched me, alas ! and yet alas ! 
 
 WAR.What? bring you nothing still? 
 
 TuM. Nought — for their pestle p 
 
 The men of Lacedaemon too have lost. 
 
 War.How say'st, O wretch ? 
 
 TuM. They've lent It out elsewhere 
 
 Unto the Thracian folk, and so 'tis lost. 
 
 Try. Well done, well done, twin sons of Jupiter ! 
 
 Mayhap 'twill be all well — take heart my friends. 290 
 
 War [to Tumult.] Bear hence away again these utensils, 
 And I will go within and make a pestle. 
 
 \_Exeunt War and Tumult. 
 
 Try. Now may the song of Datis be repeated, 
 
 Who in his height of noon-day dalliance cried : 
 
 "How am I pleas'd, delighted, and rejoiced ! 
 
 Now is the happy time for us, O Greeks, 
 
 When freed from legal troubles and from war, 
 
 Fair Peace, belov'd by all, we may drag forth. 
 
 Ere yet another pestle hinder us. 
 
 But, Oh ye merchants, smiths, and husbandmen, 300 
 
 Artificers, and sojourners, and guests. 
 
 And islanders, come here, ye people all. 
 
 Quick, seize your reaping-hooks and bars and ropes ; 
 
 For now we may snatch the good genius' cup''. 
 
 P Aristophanes here alludes to the death of Brasidas, the Spartan general, who 
 together with Cleon, perished in the battle of Amphipolis, in the third year of the 
 Ixxxix. Olympiad, and tenth of the war; by another pestle (v. 295.) he doubtless 
 refers to Alcibiades, who entered Peloponnesus with an armed force in the thirteenth 
 year of the war, in the beginning of spring. 
 
 1 This line, according to the Scholiast, alludes to the custom of the Greeks, who 
 in the beginning of their feasts offered a libation to Good Fortune, and at the con- 
 clusion to Jove the Preserver. 
 
 i
 
 280—320.] THE PEACE. 19 
 
 ACT II. SCENE I. 
 
 Cho. Let each good wisher of the pubhc weal 
 
 With ready haste come hither — now, if ever, 
 
 Greeks of all nations come and lend your aid, 
 
 Freed from the ranks and from blood-spilling woes ; 
 
 For this day shines in hate of Lamachus^ 
 
 Then engineer-like tell us what to do, 310 
 
 For we cannot, methinks, this day refuse 
 
 With bolts and engines to drag up to light 
 
 The greatest of all deities, and her 
 
 Who with excess of fondness guards our vines. 
 
 Try. [io the Chorus.] Be silent, will you, lest your rapturous 
 shouts 
 Within be heard, and re-illumine war. 
 
 Cho. But we rejoice in having heard this edict — 
 
 'Twas not to come provision'd for three days *. 
 
 Try. Beware of that infernal Cerberus*; 
 
 Lest roaring in his fury, as when here, 320 
 
 He hinder us from dragging out the goddess. 
 
 Cho. Now is there no one who shall snatch her from me. 
 If once she fall into my hands. 
 
 Try. Oh! Oh! 
 
 You will destroy me, friends, unless you cease 
 This clamour— for he M'ill rush out, and here 
 Confound all with his feet. 
 
 ■■ Lamachus, the Athenian general, was extremely well skilled in the art of war, 
 and in v. 472, iinder the name of 6 xaX/ctiJC, is said to be the hindrance to his 
 countrymen returning to a state of peace ; hence he is justly an object of aversion to 
 the chorus of pacific husbandmen. 
 
 " It was customary in the time of war, when any sudden expedition was under- 
 taken, to proclaim by edict how many days' provisions (usually three) the soldiers 
 were to take with them; see the Acharnians, v. 197 : ///) 'iriTrjptiv a'lTi rffiepHv 
 rpiwv. 
 
 ' tv\afitXcF9( vvv iKiTvov rbv kutmQiv Kipfttpov. That is, Cleon, who was 
 dead before this comedy appeared (see v. 282, and note) ; so in the Lysislrata (v. 
 1215). The ancients, as may be observed in a house excavated at Pompeii, were 
 accustomed to work the figure of a dog in mosaic on the pavement of the vestibule, 
 with this monitory sentence, "cave canem." 
 
 c 2
 
 20 THE PEACE. [Act ri. Sc. i. 
 
 Clio. Let him disturb, 
 
 Mingle, and trample all — for not to-day 
 Can we restrain our joy. 
 Try. What ails you, friends ? 
 
 What is the matter? do not, by the gods, 
 Ruin with rioting this glorious deed. 330 
 
 Cho. I wish not to cut capers — but for joy 
 
 My legs, without my stirring them, will dance. 
 Try. No more at present; cease your dancing, cease. 
 Cho. Behold, I've ceas'd. 
 
 Try. Thou say'st, but ceasest not. 
 
 Cho. Allow me but this caper and no more. 
 Try. This and no other shall you dance beside. 
 Cho. W^e would not dance, if we could help, at all. 
 Try. But see, you've not ceas'd yet. 
 Cho. By Jupiter, 
 
 We'll throw this right leg upward, and have done. 
 Try. This then I grant, but trouble me no more. 340 
 
 Cho. Nay, but the left I cannot help but toss, 
 
 For I exult and laugh in wanton joy • 
 
 To 'scape the spear, more than to doff old age. 
 Try. Restrain yovir joy, ye don't know yet for sure : 
 As soon as we have caught her, then rejoice 
 And laugh and shout, for then you may 
 Remain at home or sail away ; 
 Or your alternate vigils keep, 
 In meetings, dalliance, or in sleep ; 
 Or feast like Sybarites, who troll 350 
 
 The liquor from the wassail bowl. 
 Shouting huzzah ! with all your soul. 
 Cho. Would it might e'er be mine to see this day ! 
 For many troubles I've endur'd, and beds 
 Strew'd on the earth, which once were Phormio's lot ". 
 
 " Alluding to the hard bed of this renowned general in battle, who twice con- 
 quered the Lacedemonians in naval fight; see the Knights, v. 558. The original 
 word, arijidSag, f lorens Christianus parallels with v. 9. of the Rhesus, a play 
 which Beck in his Diatribe Critica, has, I think, sufficiently proved to be falsely 
 ascribed to Euripides,
 
 330—370.] THE PEACE. 21 
 
 Nor ever shall you find in me again 
 
 A judge severe and harsh, in manners rude 
 
 As heretofore, but mild and gentler far. 
 
 You may behold me when from trouble freed. 
 
 Long time enough, in sooth, have we been vexed 360 
 
 And harassed — wandering, with spear and shield 
 
 Equipp'd, now to, now fro, Lyceeum — but come, 
 
 Declare wherein we most may pleasure tliee ; 
 
 Since some kind fortune brings thee for our guide. 
 
 Try. Let me look down, whither to draw the stones. 
 
 Mer. O daring Avretch, what thinkest thou to do ? 
 
 Try. Nought wacked, but the same as Cillico\ 
 
 Mer. Thou di'st, ill-fated one. 
 
 Try. If't be my lot ; 
 
 For, Hermes, well I knoAv thoult favour me^. 
 
 Mer. Thou'rt lost, entirely lost. 
 
 Try. The day ? 
 
 Mer. Forthwith. 370 
 
 Try. But I've bought nothing yet, nor meal nor cheese. 
 As I were going to die. 
 
 Mer. Thou'rt pounded now. 
 
 "EKTOp. 
 
 Phormio was also celebrated as a good general by Strattis, Eupolis, and Cratinus. 
 
 " According to the Scholiast it was he who betrayed the island of Miletus to the 
 citizens of Priene, and when asked by some what he was about to do, his answer 
 was, " nothing ill," or all that is good, which afterwards passed into a proverb ; or, 
 as Theophrastus says in the thirteenth book of his history, he betrayed to the 
 Samians 'I'heagenes, a citizen of the island. This circumstance is quoted by the 
 Greek commentator, who relates the story very much at large, and as usual with 
 numerous variations ; he also cites Leander, in the second book of his INlilesiaa 
 history. The Scholiast also refers to a line of Callimachus, thus correctly given by 
 Bentley (Frag, ccxxvii.) — 
 
 Mt) avyt, Gfiayti/;;*;, Kotj/aic X^P^ iia\\i(p6ojvroc- 
 Alluding to the story of Theagenes having cut off one of the hands of Cillico or 
 Calliphon, and asked whether with that he would betray the city, which he appears 
 to have done by opening the gates to the enemy. 
 
 J That is, since thou art president of the lots, hence surnamed t/nroXaiog 
 and KtpSoJog, a jest upon Mercury, in allusion to the custom of the Athenians to 
 put to death by ballot one of their condemned criminals every day. This speech of 
 Tryga;us is rather obscure; the French translator renders it, "comme vous 
 presides au sort, j'ose esperer que vous me serez favorable."
 
 0O 
 
 THE PEACE. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Try. Then how, when I receive so great dehght, 
 
 Do I not feel it ? 
 Mer. Know'st thou then that Jove 
 
 Hath threaten'd death to him who shall be found 
 
 Digging her up again ? 
 Try. And must I then 
 
 Perish of absolute necessity? 
 Mer. Be sure thou must. 
 Try. Now to procure f pig 
 
 Lend me three drachmse — for before my death 
 
 'Tis right that I should be initiated. 380 
 
 Mer. O thundering Jupiter ! 
 Try. Nay, by the gods, 
 
 Denounce me not, I do entreat thee, Lord ! 
 Mer. I cannot hold my peace. 
 Try. Nay, by the flesh, 
 
 I've brought and offered thee so readily. 
 Mer. But I, O wretch, by Jove shall be destroy'd, 
 
 Unless I shout and do denounce thy crimes. 
 Try. Denounce me not, I beg thee, Mercury. 
 {to the Chorus-] Tell me what ails ye, friends ? why thus 
 amazed ? 
 
 Ye wretches, be not silent — else he will 
 
 Denounce me. 
 Cho. Do not. Oh lord Mercury ; 390 
 
 Pray do not, do not, if thou hast been pleas'd^ 
 
 To eat the porket that I offer'd thee, 
 
 Nor in the present matter hold it cheap. 
 Try. Hear'st not how they cajole thee, royal sir ? 
 Cho. Turn not away from us poor suppliants. 
 
 So that we may not take her — but be kind, 
 
 O thou of gods most liberal and humane, 
 
 ^ In illustration of this line Bergler refers to Herodotus (Clio, i. 87.), where 
 Croesus adjures Apollo to extricate him from the present evil, 
 
 u Ti 01 Ki\apiafikvov t^ avTov eSuptjOr}' 
 
 and the Scholiast to the prayer of Chryses to Apollo (11. A'. 39.), 
 
 It noTi roi xaplivT iiri vt]hv ipi^a.
 
 380— V20.] THE PEACE. 23 
 
 If thou dost hate Pisander's crest and brows °: 
 
 So will we ever honour thee, O lord, 
 
 With sacred offerings and earnest pray'r ; 400 
 
 Come, I entreat, have pity on their cry, 
 
 Since more than heretofore they honour thee. 
 Mer. For they are now more thievish than of yore ^ 
 Try. I'll tell thee too a dire and mighty deed, 
 
 Which against all the gods is meditated. 
 Mer. Come, tell it then — haply thou may'st prevail. 
 Try. 'Tis that Selene and the crafty Sun*^ 
 
 Have in a plot against you long engaged, 
 
 Betraying Greece to the barbarians. 
 Mer. But wherefore do they this ? 
 Try. Because, by Jove, 410 
 
 We sacrifice to you, whereas to them 
 
 Barbarian nations immolate — and thus 
 
 They would, perchance, that you might perish all, 
 
 And they receive the offerings of the gods. 
 Mer. For this long since have they cut short our days. 
 
 Narrowing by stealth their chariots' circling course. 
 Try. 'Tis true, by Jove — then, good friend Mercury, 
 
 Assist us readily, and draw her up 
 
 In concert with us — Then we'll celebrate 
 
 The great Panathenaic festivals'^, 420 
 
 '' This, says the Scholiast, is spoken ironically; for Pisander was rallied by 
 many as a coward — he used the triple crest and very conspicuous arms, in order to 
 have the appearance of courage. 
 
 •• Aristophanes here draws a plain but not very favourable picture of the manners 
 of his countrymen, who delighted in rapine and theft, and therefore venerated the 
 god of thieves with peculiar honour. 
 
 *= The sun and moon are the chief objects of barbarian veneration : on this ac- 
 count they spared Delos and P^phesus when they devastated Greece. Aristophanes 
 here insinuates that the barbarous nations flourished in proportion as the intestine 
 divisions of tlie Greeks increased. The crafty sun designates the eclipses, etc. 
 which took place during the Peloponnesian war — 
 
 Defectus Solis varies Luna^quc labores, 
 which are particularly noticed by Thucydides, the former in book i. c. 23 ; ii. 28 ; 
 iv. 52 ; and a remarkable eclipse of the latter, which terrified Nicias so much, in 
 the nineteenth year of the war, in book vii. c. 50. on which latter passage see 
 Dr. Smith's note. 
 
 <* Trygaeus here engages that the feasts of the other gods, as the Panathenaic
 
 24 THE PEACE. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 And all the other worship of the gods, 
 
 The Dipolean and Adonic rites, 
 
 To thy exclusive honour, Mercury ; 
 
 And all the other cities freed from woe, 
 
 Will offer sacrifice in every place 
 
 To evil-warding Hermes — and besides, 
 
 Thou shalt have many other blessings : first 
 
 I give this cup to thee, that thou may'st have it 
 
 For thy libations. 
 
 Mer. O how full of pity 
 
 Am I, entreated — by the golden goblets ! 430 
 
 Henceforth it is your work, O friends — but come 
 And with your hooks as quick as possible 
 Draw out the stones. 
 
 Cho. This will we do, but thou, 
 
 O wisest of divinities, stand by. 
 And tell us, like a skilful architect. 
 What we must do ; for then thou shalt perceive 
 That we have been no lazy labourers. 
 
 Try. Come thou and quickly bear the cup, that we. 
 
 When to the gods we have address'd our prayers. 
 May with good auspices begin our work. 440 
 
 Mer. Now the libation, the libation's made. 
 Speak, speak propitious words. 
 
 Try. In our libation 
 
 We pray that to the Greeks this present day 
 May prove the fountain of fair happiness, 
 And whoso readily shall seize the ropes. 
 May this man never wear the shield. 
 
 Cho. By Jove, 
 
 Be it my lot in peace to spend my life. 
 And with my mistress stir the amorous flame. 
 
 Try. Let him who wishes still that war should be, 
 
 Never again, O sovereign Bacchus, cease 450 
 
 To draw the spear-heads from their crooked rests. 
 
 Cho. And if, desirous to arrange the ranks, 
 
 festival of Minerva, the Diipolia in honour of Jupiter noXioiixoe, or the guardian 
 of cities, and the Adonia, sacred to Venus and Adonis, should be all transferred to 
 IMercuiy.
 
 430—460.] THE PEACE. 25 
 
 A man should envy thy return to hght, 
 O venerable Peace, may he in war 
 Endure the same woes as Cleonymus. 
 
 Try. And if some manufacturer of pikes, 
 
 Or a shield-hawker*, that he may improve 
 His trade, be eager for the fight, may he. 
 By robbers seiz'd, on naught but barley feed. 
 
 Cho. And whosoe'er, desirous to command, 4G0 
 
 Will not assist us, or what slave prepares 
 To join the adversaries' ranks, may he 
 Be whirl'd upon the wheel and castigated, 
 While ours be blessings ; lo, lo, Paean ! 
 
 Try. Hence with your Paean, only lo shout ^ ! 
 
 Cho. Well then, I shout but lo — 
 
 Try. To the praise 
 
 Of Mercury, Hours, Graces, Venus, Love. 
 
 Cho. But not to Mars ? 
 
 Try. No. 
 
 Cho. Not to Enyaliiis?? 
 
 Try. No. 
 
 Cho. Labour all, and drag it up with ropes. 
 
 Mer. Huzzah ! 
 
 Cho. Huzzah asain. 
 
 es' 
 
 * K a rtc SopvKovQ j) KdirtjXoQ affTriSwi'. The common reading is Sopv^bi;, the 
 vocative of which, Sopv^i, occurs in v. 1227 ; hut this word, according to the au- 
 thor of the Etyinol. Mag., is not in use among the Greeks, except in the syncopated 
 form of oopi')^ooc ; the word KcnrriXoQ (Latin, caupu), properly signifies a vintner, 
 or one who deals in victuals, a low tavern-keeper — hence, a retailer of small wares 
 in general, any one who sells by retail. (For a full explanation of this term see 
 Bentley's Sermon (x.) on Popery, p. 338 — 340. ed. 6th.) 
 
 ' diptXe TO Traiuv a play upon llaidv, which, from its similarity in sound to 
 iramv (from -Kauiv, to strike), Trygsus considers a word of evil omen. Elmsley 
 (ad Ach. 1173.) proposes to read Ir) naiojv instead of Traidv, as the more comic 
 form. 
 
 e According to ancient mythology Enyalius was the son of Mars and Enyo or 
 Bellona, or of Saturn and Rhea, although these deities are sometimes confounded; 
 Sophocles (Ajax, 179.) appears to make a distinction between them when he says, 
 j) Xa\Ko9wpa^, >] nv EpvuXioc iioiKpav t^wv 
 
 on which passage the Scholiast says that Mars is distinguished from Enyalius, who 
 was merely a coadjutor to the greater deity, although Brunck derides this notion 
 and reads ijv rti^' for j) riv and compares Eurip. (Hippol. v. 141.)
 
 26 THE PEACE. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Mer. Huzzah ! huzzah ! 470 
 
 Try. The men don't pull alike— will you not give 
 
 A helping hand here ? How you pant and swell ! 
 
 Boeotians, ye shall rue it. 
 Mer. Hurrah ! 
 
 Try. Hurrah ! 
 
 Cho. [to Try. and Mer.] Pull ye likewise together. 
 Try. Don't I pull, 
 
 Suspended to the cord, and cast myself 
 
 Into the work with all my might and main ? 
 Mer. Then wherefore is it that the business speeds not ? 
 Cho. O Lamachus, by sitting idly here 
 
 Thou art injurious — of thy gorgon's head 
 
 We have no need, O man. 
 Mer. Nor have these Argives 480 
 
 Pull'd of old time, but laugh'd at the distress'd — 
 
 And this when they on both sides had been paid. 
 Try. But the Laconians, friend, drag manfully. 
 Mer. Knowest thou how they pull ? they only strive 
 
 Who ply their trade with implements of wood, 
 
 But the brass-forger will not suffer them''. 
 Cho. Nor are the Megarensians unemploy'd, 
 
 But drag, like whelps, with a most ravenous grin, 
 
 Thro' famine perishing, by Jupiter. 
 Try. Friends, we do nothing — but with one accord 490 
 
 It is the part of all again to help. 
 Mer. [as if straining.^ Come on. 
 Try. Again ! 
 
 Mer. Come on. 
 
 •• Since their profit was drawn from making fetters for the legs of the prisoner?, 
 they were desirous to continue the war. By 6 xo^i^ivQ, Fl. Christianus imagines 
 Cleon to be meant; but this cannot be right, as Cleon was dead before the pro- 
 duction of this comedy : by the words oaoi y' avTwv are doubtless to be under- 
 stood, with Dindorf, the makers of wooden instruments of labour, such as ploughs, 
 spades, rakes, etc. (tovq ^vXovpyovQ), whose interest is concerned in the main- 
 tenance of peace. The following lines, which the Scholiast ascribes to Tryga;us, 
 contain a sarcastic reflection upon the miserable state of famine to which the Me- 
 gareans were reduced by the Athenians, who had fortified their harbour Nicsa, 
 and, by the decree of Pericles, interdicted them from all traffic in their markets and 
 ports (see Thucyd. i. 67.)
 
 470—520.] THE PEACE. 27 
 
 Try. Once more, by Jove ! 
 
 Cho. Indeed we move but little. 
 
 Try. Is't not strange 
 
 That some should strain, while others pull adverse ? 
 
 O Argives, ye shall surely pay for this. 
 Mer. Come on now, once again. 
 Try. Courage, again! 
 
 Cho. How evil-minded some among us are ! 
 Try. Ye then who long for peace, pull manfully. 
 Cho. But there are some who will not let us move. 
 Try. Be off, Megareans, will ye, to the dogs ? 500 
 
 For you are hated by the mindful goddess ; 
 
 Since ye with garlic first anointed her ; 
 
 And you, Athenians, I command to cease. 
 
 Adhering to the part whence now you draw, 
 
 For you do nothing else but litigate ! 
 
 But if you greatly wish to drag her out. 
 
 Toward the sea for a short space retreat. 
 Cho. Come, friends, we husbandmen will do't alone. 
 Mer. Much better now, O men, your work proceeds. 
 Cho. The work proceeds, he says — yet every one 510 
 
 Pull stoutly too. 
 Try. The husbandmen, and none 
 
 Besides, can execute this dragging labour. 
 Cho. Come now, come all ; she's almost out at last ; 
 
 Let's not give in, but strive more manfully : 
 
 That's it, 'tis done at last, hurrah, hurrah. 
 
 Hurrah, hurrah ; again, hurrah, hurrah. 
 
 ACT in. SCENE I. 
 
 Enter Peace, Autumn, Spectacle. 
 
 Try. O sacred giver of the vine, what woi'd 
 Shall I address to thee? what salutation 
 Commensurate with thy ten thousand casks, 
 Can. I approach thee with ? I've none at home. 520 
 Opora, hail ! and thou, Theoria, hail ! 
 How beautiful thy face, Theoria !
 
 28 THE PEACE. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 How sweet thy respiration from the heart ! 
 
 As redolent of armistice and myrrh. 
 Mer. Bears this a semblance to the warlike knapsack? 
 Cho. I hate the enemy's most odious basket, 
 
 For his mouth smells of a sharp onion belch ; 
 
 But her's of autumn, revels Dionysian, 
 
 Pipes, tragic poets, Sophoclean strains, 
 
 Thrushes, and light odes of Euripides. 530 
 
 Try. Truly thovi shalt lament thine accusations 
 
 Against her falsely brought — for she delights not 
 
 In him who makes forensic dissertations. 
 Cho. Ivy, wine-strainer, bleating sheep, the bosom 
 
 Of women running to the Held in haste, 
 
 A drunken female slave, with jug revers'd, 
 
 And manv other blessings. 
 Mer. Come now, see 
 
 How cities reconcil'd communion hold 
 
 Together, and in willing concord laugh ; 
 
 And this however desperately maul'd, 540 
 
 And all of them with cupping-glasses fix'd'. 
 Try. Regard the f^xces of all present here. 
 
 That vou may know their several crafts. 
 Mer. Ah wretched ! 
 
 See you not yonder crest-artificer 
 
 Tearing himself, while the spade-maker now 
 
 Flouts that sw^ord-worker there ? 
 Try. And see you not 
 
 How the scythe-maker with malicious joy 
 
 Points at the armourer as infamous ? 
 Mer. Come now, and bid the rustics all depart. 
 Try. Hear, people ; let the husbandmen depart, 550 
 
 Bearing their implements, with all despatch 
 
 Into the field, without spear, sword, or lance, 
 
 Since all things here are full of ancient peace. 
 
 Each to his rustic work a pg8an singing. 
 
 ' aira^a-iraaai /cat KvaQovg TrpooKtifikvai. The cupping-glasses were used for 
 the purpose of reducing the livid tumours under the eyes produced by the continued 
 warfare.
 
 530—580.] THE PEACE. 29 
 
 Cho. O clay, by just and labouring men desir'd ! 
 With joy beholding thee I'd greet the vines 
 And fig-trees that I planted in my youth : 
 Our mind long since was eager to salute thee. 
 
 Try. Now then, my friends, we first will supplicate 
 
 The goddess who hath ta'en away from us 560 
 
 Our crests and gorgons"" ; then with hasty step 
 Remove we to our country homes, but first 
 Let's buy ourselves some delicate salt-fish. 
 
 Mer. Neptune, how beautiful their rank appears. 
 
 How dense and well compact ! as 'twere a cake, 
 Or banquet fully spread. 
 
 Try. By Jupiter, 
 
 How brilliantly the mattock is prepar'd. 
 And three-prong'd forks that glitter in the sun! 
 How well the interval between the rows 
 By them would have been till'd ; how I do long 570 
 Myself to come into my field, at length 
 To fork once more my little plot of ground ! 
 But, friends, in memory of our ancient diet 
 She once supplied us with, fig-cakes and figs, 
 Myrtles, and sweet new wine, and violet-beds. 
 Beside the well, and olives which we loved — 
 Grateful for these things, now salute the goddess. 
 
 Cho. Hail, hail, O thou most dear! how joyfully 
 We welcome thy return ! for we're o'ercome 
 By our regret of thee, and fond desire 580 
 
 That to the field thou bend thy steps again ; 
 For thou hast been our greatest gain, and end 
 Of all our wishes, whosoe'er have spent 
 Our life in rustic labours- — thou alone 
 Hast aided us ; for often we've enjoyed 
 Things sweet and dearly loved and free from cost, 
 
 '' The whole apparatus of war may be here understood, although Aristophanes 
 probably means nothing more than the terrific image on the shield, denoting 
 perhaps at the same time Lamachus, whom in the Acharnians (v. 548.) he styles 
 yopyo\6(j)ov. In v. 557. tlic word yopybv occurs as an adjective, to express the 
 alacrity and quickness with which the crowd of rustics move. Florens Christianus 
 however thinks it probable that instead of Kai yopybv we should read ytwpywj'.
 
 30 THE PEACE, [Act hi. Sc. r. 
 
 Under thine auspices, for thou hast been 
 
 The food and safeguard of us husbandmen : 
 
 How will the vines, and tender figs, and plants 
 
 Of whatsoever kind, with joyous laugh 590 
 
 Receive thee! — but where has she this long time 
 
 Been absent from us ? tell me this, of gods 
 
 Thou most benevolent [io Mercury.] 
 
 Mer. Most sapient rustics ' ! 
 
 Give ear unto my words, if you would learn 
 What way she perished — Phidias began 
 With his untoward luck — then Pericles 
 Afraid lest in his fortune he should share, 
 Dreading your natures and determined habits, 
 Ere meeting with some dire misfortune, set 
 The city in a flame — having thrown in 600 
 
 The tiny spark of the Megarean vote, 
 He raised so great a war, that all the Greeks 
 Wept from the smoke, both here and ev'rywhere. 
 Straight, having heard, the vine gave forth a sound, 
 And jar 'gainst jar in noisy rage was struck, 
 While none appeas'd it, and she disappear'd. 
 
 Try. This, by Apollo, I ne'er heard from any. 
 
 Nor knew the attachment Phidias bore to her. 
 
 Cho. Nor I, save now — her beautv doubtless rose 
 
 From his alliance — many things escape us. 610 
 
 Mer. Then, when the towns which you commanded, knew 
 Your savage, snarling manners to each other, 
 Against 5'ou they contriv'd all stratagems. 
 Fearing the tributes ; and by gifts persuaded 
 The greatest men of the Laconian state. 
 Who, greedy of base gain, and apt to cheat 
 
 ' Mercury, at the request of the chorus of Athraonensian husbandmen, here 
 begins his narration of the causes which led to the Peloponnesian war, which he 
 traces to the banishment of Phidias to Elis, in consequence of the suspicion which 
 he had incurred of stealing gold from the scales of the serpent when employed by 
 Pericles to make the ivory image of Minerva. It was by undergoing this sentence 
 of banishment that he is here said Trpa^ai KOKwe* and Pericles, dreading to be 
 called to render an account of the expenses of his administration, diverted the 
 minds of the people from that subject by implicating them in a contest with the 
 Megareans.
 
 590—650.] THE PEACE. 31 
 
 Strangers beneath a hospitable guise, 
 
 Have cast her shamefully away, and seiz'd 
 
 Occasion for the war ; and then their gains 
 
 Were ruin to the agriculturists. 620 
 
 For hence the gallies, in requital sent, 
 
 Devour'd the figs of men not blameworthy. 
 
 Try. With justice too, since they my crow-black tree, 
 Planted by me, and nurtur'd, have cut down. 
 
 Cho. By Jove, O wretch, 'tis just ; since with a stone 
 
 They have destroy'd my beehive-shap'd corn-measure, 
 Containing six medimns. 
 
 Mer. And then when came 
 
 The rustic crowd together from the fields. 
 They saw themselves in the same manner sold ; 
 But being without grapes, and loving figs, 6o0 
 
 They look'd towards their orators — and they, 
 Well knowing them poor, sick, and wanting bread, 
 Expell'd this goddess with their doubtful cries, 
 Though having oft appear'd out of the love 
 She bore this country — While of their allies 
 They shook off' the substantial and the rich, 
 Alleging — " this man favours Brasidas ;" 
 And then you worried him like little dogs. 
 For the state, pale and in continual fear, 
 With eager joy devour'd the aliments 640 
 
 Which any calumnies might cast to her ; 
 And strangers, when they saw these wounds inflicted, 
 Stopp'd up with gold their mouths who acted thus, 
 So as to make them wealthy. Greece, meanwhile, 
 Without your privity was desolated — 
 And 'twas a tanner who effected this — 
 
 Try. Cease, cease, O sovereign Hermes, tell it not ; 
 But suffer this man to remain below. 
 Where now he is, since he's not ours, but thine'". 
 
 For by whatever roguish name, 650 
 
 When living, he was known to fame ; 
 
 " Addressed to Mercury under his character of v£/cpo7ro/it7r6c — that is, conveyer 
 of the dead; for Cleon was uow departed (Bergler.)
 
 32 THE PEACE. [Act iii. Sc. i. 
 
 A prating sycophant, whose trade 
 Confusion and disturbance made ; 
 Henceforth these accusations all 
 On your own denizens will fall. 
 But tell me whence, O goddess, is this silence. 
 
 [To Peace, a mute personage. 
 
 Mer. She cannot speak, at least to the spectators. 
 Since she against them entertains much anger 
 For what she has endur'd. 
 
 Try. Yet let her speak 
 
 To you, if but a little. 
 
 Mer. Tell me, dearest, 660 
 
 What is your mind towards them — come, O thou 
 Who of all women most detest'st the buckler — 
 Be't so — -I hear — complainest thou of this ? 
 I comprehend — hear what she blames you for. 
 She says, that after the affairs in Pylos, 
 Although she came, and to the city brought 
 A chest that teem'd with treaties, thrice was she 
 By suffrage disannull'd in the assembly. 
 
 Try. Therein we err'd : but pity us, for then 
 Our mind was all on shields". 
 
 Mer. Come now, give ear 670 
 
 To what she just demanded of me — who 
 Is here most ill-dispos'd to her, and who 
 Is friendly, and desires that wars should cease? 
 
 Try. Cleonymus was best dispos'd by far. 
 
 Mer. And what appears Cleonymus in battle ? 
 
 Try. Bravest of soul°, save that he was not sprung 
 
 " That is, either engaged in contemplating the miseries of war, for which shields 
 are put synecdochically ; or, as Bergler interprets the line, we were then obliged to 
 obey the commands of Cleon, the dealer in hides, the common material of the an- 
 cient shields. Cleon was succeeded by Cleonymus, whose nature, as well as name, 
 was similar to his own : izovripbv TrpoarctTTjv, a wicked governor, as our poet calls 
 him (v. 667.) ; on which passage I wish to refer the reader to Fl. Christianus' ex- 
 cellent annotation, Cleonymus was the last Athenian banished by the sentence of 
 ostracism, which was thought to be dishonoured when put in force against so un- 
 worthy a subject. 
 
 ° This can only be applied ironically to Cleonymus, whom he himself calls -bv 
 pi-\paaTrn' (n. 352.) from having cast away his shield in battle, in allusion to which 
 he is here called by Aristophanes d7Toj3o\ifialog tojv ottXwv.
 
 G60— 700.] THE PEACE. 33 
 
 From him whom he declares to be his sire. 
 
 For should he ever to the fight come forth 
 
 Immediately he cast away his arms. 
 Mer. Hear yet again what she just ask'd of me. 680 
 
 Who rules in the tribunal of the Pnyx ? 
 Try. Hyperbolus possesses now this country. 
 
 [to Peace.] What art thou doing ? w'hither movest thou 
 
 Thy head about ? 
 Mer. She shows her great aversion 
 
 And indignation at the people's choice, 
 
 For choosing such a wicked governor. 
 Try. But we no longer will make use of him. 
 
 'Twas only that the mob, wanting a chief. 
 
 And being naked, was desirous then 
 
 To gird itself with him as president. 690 
 
 Mer. She asks then how will this assist the state? 
 Try. We shall be more enlighten'd counsellors. 
 Mer. How so ? 
 Try. Because he manufactures lamps, 
 
 And until now we grop'd our way in darkness ; 
 
 But now we shall deliberate by lamp-light. 
 Mer. Ah, ah, what questions she hath order'd me 
 
 To ask of you! 
 Try. What w^ere they ? 
 
 Mer. Very many ; 
 
 And those old fables which she once left oft'. 
 
 First she enquir'd of Sophocles' condition. 
 Try. He prospers, but has suffer'd strangely. 
 Mer. How ? 700 
 
 Try. From Sophocles is sprung SimonidesP. 
 Mer. Simonides ! how's that ? 
 
 P Aristophanes here, by the mouth of TrygJEus, reflects severely on the venality 
 of these two celebrated iambic poets, who in that respect were of such kindred dis- 
 positions, that one is said to have sprung from the other; hence Pindar calls 
 Simonides, (piXoKSpSr/ (Isthm. ii, 9.) Upon a straw raft he may sail, is part of a 
 proverbial sentence in use among the Greeks — 
 
 GeoV OtXoi'TOC KCIV ITTl piTTOQ irXkoi' 
 
 and our poet makes even this descriptive of the venal disposition of Simonides, by 
 saying Kspcovg fKari instead of Otov OtkovroQ. 
 
 VOL. II, D
 
 34 THE PEACE. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Try. Because he is 
 
 Grown old and rotten — for the sake of gain 
 Upon a straw raft he may sail. 
 
 Mer. But what— - 
 
 Still lives the wise Cratinus ? 
 
 Try. He expired 
 
 When the Laconians their incursion made. 
 
 Mer. What happen'd to him ? 
 
 Try. Ask you what ? a faintness 
 
 Of mind, that could not bear to see his cask 
 Teeming with wine all smash'd — how many woes, 
 Think'st thou, like these have happen'd to the state? 
 Wherefore, my mistress, we'll ne'er part with thee. 711 
 
 Mer. Now go, and on these terms Opora take 
 
 To wife ; and, dwelling with her in the fields, 
 Get for thyself a crop of clustering grapes. 
 
 Try. O dearest maid, come hither and embrace me ! 
 Think'st thou, O master Mercury, that I, 
 After so long an interval of rest. 
 Shall harm myself by dallying with Opora ? 
 
 Mer. Not if at least you drink mix'd pennyroyal. 
 
 But having in all haste seiz'd this Theoria, 720 
 
 Bring to the council where of late she sat. 
 
 Try. O thou assembly, in Theoria blest. 
 
 How much juice wilt thou in three days absorb''. 
 And how much well-bak'd tripe and flesh devour? 
 But, O dear Mercury, farewell ! 
 
 Mer. And thou, 
 
 O man, go joyful, and remember me. 
 
 Try. O beetle, homeward, homeward let us fly. 
 
 Mer. He is not here, O friend. 
 
 Try. Then whither gone ? 
 
 Mer. Following Jove's car he bears the thunderbolts. 
 
 Try. Then from what quarter will the wretch be fed ? 730 
 
 Mer. He'll eat th' ambrosial food of Ganymede ^ 
 
 "> offov f)0(l>ri(nig ^aijuov itjxtpihv rpiwv ; alluding to the sacrifices which were 
 offered during the three days' supplication decreed by the council. — Brunck, after 
 the Scholiast. 
 
 ' (See V. 11.) For Ganymede was the only mortal in the assembly of the gods.
 
 710—750.] THE PEACE. 35 
 
 Try. How then shall I come down ? 
 
 Mer. Courage ! — quite well. 
 
 Here by the goddess' self. 
 Try. Hither, O daughters, 
 
 Follow me in all haste, since very many 
 
 Await your coming with erect desire. [Exit. 
 
 Interlude. 
 
 Cho. Go then, and joy be with you — we, meanwhile, 
 To our attendants give the charge to guard 
 This furniture % since many thieves are wont 
 About the scenes to lurk, as criminals. 
 But guard these manfully — while we declare 740 
 
 To the spectators all our reasoning mind. 
 Should any comic poet praise himself 
 In his digressive anapaests, recited 
 To the spectators, let the hctors strike him ; 
 But if 'tis just to honour any one 
 Who of all men is the best comic writer 
 And most illustrious, I declare our master 
 Worthy of great renown — for first of all 
 He made his rivals in the drama cease 
 From turning beggars' rags to ridicule, 750 
 
 And waging war 'gainst vermin — he, too, first 
 Drove off with shame those baking Hercules', 
 
 'to 
 
 « Alluding to the reaping-hooks, ropes, etc. mentioned before by Trygicus, in 
 V. 299, required to drag Peace from her place of concealment — it was necessary 
 for the chorus to be free from all such incumbrances, that they might be the more 
 expeditious in the dance. 
 
 « Aristophanes here, according to the Scholiast, reflects severely cither on Eu- 
 ripides or Cratinus, for both these poets introduced into their plays a fasting Her- 
 cules, Bacchus as a slave, and Jupiter as an adulterer; in ridicule of whom our 
 poet represents the great Alcides roasting flesh to the astonishment of Neptune, 
 (Birds, 1688, see also 1605.) The epithet applied by the Scholiast to Hercules 
 (yaffTpifiapyov), is the same used by Pindar (01. i. 82.), wiien he deprecates the 
 impiety of taxing any of the heavenly train with being gluttonous — 
 
 £/tot S'uTVopa, yaarplixupyov 
 fiaKapwv Tiv tiiztiv. 
 
 Theocritus appears to have had this passage of Aristophanes in his mind when he 
 says of Hercules (Id. kZ' . 135.)— 
 
 D 2
 
 36 THE PEACE. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Those vagrant, cheating, self-chastising beggars, 
 And chas'd the slaves whom they brought on still 
 
 weeping. 
 That the deriding fellow-slave might ask, 
 " O wretch ! what hast thou suffered in thy skin ? 
 Has then a hog-whip struck with many a lash 
 Thy sides, and scar'd, like a notch'd tree, thy back?" 
 Soon as he had remov'd this crowd of ills. 
 These vulgar and ignoble railleries, 760 
 
 He rais'd our art to mighty consequence. 
 Towering aloft in epic words and thoughts, 
 And with no vulgar ridicule derided 
 Not men nor women of the baser sort, 
 But with Herculean rage attacked the greatest, 
 Having pass'd thro' the direful stinking hides. 
 And muddy-minded threats — before all else 
 Against that saw-tooth'd monster I wage war, 
 Forth from whose eyes flash'd Cynna's direst beams, 
 While round a hundred groaning flatterers' heads 770 
 Lick'd hers, she thunder'd with a torrent's voice. 
 Engendering death — smelt like a seal, and had 
 A lamia's hideous front, with camel's rear. 
 I shudder'd not at sight of such a monster. 
 But fighting for you and the other islands, 
 Always oppos'd it — wherefore it is just 
 That you should render me your grateful thanks ; 
 For when affairs succeeded to my mind 
 I rambled not of old time, tempting boys 
 In the Palaestra ; but retreated straight, 780 
 
 Taking away my chattels, vexing few, 
 Delighting many, acting right in all. 
 Hence men and boys must needs be on my side ; 
 The bald too we exhort to aid our triumph — 
 For every one will say, if I should conquer. 
 At table to the guests—" bear to the bald. 
 Give to lack-hair, some sweetmeats, and take nought 
 Of honour from the noblest of our poets. 
 The man with front sublime — Muse, drive away 
 Contentious wars, and dance with me, thy friend, 790
 
 7G0— 810.] THE PEACE. 37 
 
 Hymning the marriages of gods, the feasts 
 
 Of mortals, and the banquets of the blest ; 
 
 For from the first these themes have been thy care. 
 
 Should Carcinus come with a supplication, 
 
 That to the dance thou wilt admit his sons, 
 
 Hear not the prayer, nor come to his assistance ; 
 
 But think them all to be domestic quails, 
 
 Long-necked dancers, dwarfs, sweepings of dung. 
 
 Inventors of machines — for that his father 
 
 Declar'd a weazel had devour'd at eve 800 
 
 The drama which had past his hopes succeeded". 
 
 These fair-hair'd Graces' public melodies 
 
 By the wise poet should be sung, what time 
 
 The swallow sits and chants with voice of spring" ; 
 
 While Morsimus no chorus can obtain. 
 
 Nor yet Melanthius, whose most bitter voice 
 
 I once heard speaking, when himself and brother 
 
 Enjoy'd the honour of their tragic choir ; 
 
 Both fish-devouring gorgons, casting looks 
 
 Of eager love on maids, but driving off 810 
 
 Old women from the mart — detestable. 
 
 With their goat-smelling armpits, plagues of fishes ; 
 
 'Gainst these directing great and wide sputations, 
 
 O goddess Muse, sport with me at the feast. 
 
 " The name of this comedy of Carcinus, according to the Scholiast, was the 
 Mice, which was driven oft" the stage with contumely. Carcinus had three sons, 
 Xenocles, Xerotimus, and Xenarchus, tragic dancers, who, on account of their 
 diminutive stature, were surnamed quails. — JMorsimus and Melanthius, mentioned 
 in V. 792, 3., were frigid tragic poets of loose character, whom Aristophanes derides 
 in various parts of his plays (see the Knights, 399; Frogs, 151 ; Birds, 151.); 
 from the last of which Melanthius seems to have been likewise afflicted with the 
 leprosy. 
 
 ^ This passage, according to the Scholiast, is taken from one of the gravest 
 CnmcEiKE of Stesichorus (named the Oresteas, Frag. xii. Mus. Crit. vol. ii. p. 266.) ; 
 perhaps the lines of this beautiful fragment should be arranged thus — 
 
 rou'iot xpr) XapiTU)v l^anufiara 
 KuXKiKoiiav vfivtlv <^pvyiov /leXog 
 
 l%tvp6vQ' aj3pwg 
 
 7ipog tirtpxon'tvov.
 
 38 THE PEACE. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 ACT IV. SCENE I. 
 
 Enter Tryg^us, Valet, Opora, Theoria. 
 
 Try. How hard has been this journey to the gods ! 
 
 I've altogether wearied out my legs. 
 
 As from above I look'd, you were but small 
 
 [to the spectators. 
 
 To look upon ; surveying you frOm heaven, 
 
 You seem'd extremely wicked — but from here 
 
 Far more malicious still. 
 Val. Art come, ray master ? 820 
 
 Try. So I have heard from some one. 
 Val. Vv^iat has been 
 
 Your fortune? 
 Try. Aching legs, from having pass'd 
 
 Over so long a space. 
 Val. Come, tell me. 
 
 Try. What? 
 
 Val. Sawest thou any wandering through the air, 
 
 Beside thyself? 
 Try. Not any, save the spirits 
 
 Of Dithyrambic poets, two or three. 
 Val. What were they doing ? 
 Try. Gathering in their flight 
 
 Preludes of songs, certain air-swimmers' trifles^. 
 Val. And have you found that rumour to be true, 
 
 That each one after death becomes a star ? 830 
 
 Try. Most certainly. 
 
 Val. And what star now is there ? 
 
 Try. Ion of Chios, who of old compos'd^ 
 
 y This line, as the Scholiast informs us, is a kind of satirical proverb passed upon 
 the dithyrambic poets, whose compositions savour of airy nothings. This he ex- 
 presses by a compound word framed with the accustomed curious felicity of our 
 author, rag fvSiatpiai'ipivi]x'i'''ov£- 
 
 ^ The Scholiast informs us that he was a dithyrambic, tragic, and lyric poet, 
 who appears to have been possessed of an universal poetical genius, as he also 
 wrote comedies, epigrams, paans, hymns, and elegies ; he was the son of Xuthus, 
 whose tragedies were represented in the 82nd Olympiad, and among his other com-
 
 8:^0— 8G0.] THE PEACE. 39 
 
 That eastern ode ; and when he came up hither, 
 All call'd him straight the oriental star. 
 
 Val. And what are those erratic stars, which flame 
 As they pursue their course ? 
 
 Try. Some of the wealthy. 
 
 Who come back after supper, with their lamps, 
 And fire within the lamps. — But take and bring her 
 With all despatch, wash out the bathing-vessel, 
 Heat water, strew for us the genial bed, 840 
 
 And, having done this, come to me again. 
 Then to the assembly will I give her up. 
 
 Val. But whence didst get these damsels ? 
 
 Try. Whence? from heav'n. 
 
 Val. I would not give three oboli for gods 
 
 Who wanton with their harlots like us men. 
 
 Try. Not so, but there too some thus gain their living. 
 
 Val. Now let us go — but tell me, shall I give 
 Her any thing to eat ? 
 
 Try. She will not eat. 
 
 Nor bread nor cake, since with the gods above 
 
 Still on ambrosia she was wont to feast. 850 
 
 Val. Here too we must accustom her to eat. 
 
 [Exeunt Valet and Opora. 
 
 Cho. Apparently the old man now is happy. 
 
 Try. And what, when a spruce bridegroom you behold me ? 
 
 Cho. Thine age will be a theme of admiration, 
 
 Transform'd to youth again, and myrrh-distilling. 
 
 Try. I think so — but what when I clasp her charms ? 
 
 Cho. More blessed than the fish of Carcinus* 
 Thou wilt appear. 
 
 Try. Is it not justly so. 
 
 For me, who, mounted on my beetle, sav'd 
 
 The Greeks, so that securely o'er the fields 860 
 
 positions he wrote a dithyrambic ode, of which the beginning was — 
 
 'Aoiov dtpo(poiTav dtrripa' 
 on which account Aristophanes here calls him the Oriental Star. 
 
 * This is said ironically ; by the fish Aristophanes understands the rough sons of 
 that sea-crab Carcinus, or they arc so called from a whirling kind of dance, imi- 
 tating the conical figure of the shell-fish ; a pine-nut is also denoted by the word 
 arpofSiXoc.
 
 40 THE PEACE. [Act. iv. Sc. i. 
 
 They move with wanton petulance, and sleep. 
 
 Enter 2 Servants. 
 Ser. The girl has batli'd, and all her body's fair; 
 
 The cake is made, the sesame prepar'd. 
 
 And all the articles — but one is wanting. 
 Try. Come then, and let us this Theoria bring 
 
 In all haste to the senate. 
 Ser. What say'st thou ? 
 
 Is this the same Theoria whom of late 
 
 We dallied with when we had drunk too much, 
 
 And brought her down to Brauron**? 
 Try. Of a surety — • 
 
 And with great trouble was she seiz'd. 
 Sla. O master, 870 
 
 How pleasant, each fifth year, will be her love ! 
 Try. Come, who is just among you ? who will e'er 
 
 Take charge of her, and bear her to the senate ? 
 
 [To the Valet.] But what delineation mak'st thou there? 
 Val. Askest thou what ? sketching an Isthmian tent 
 
 To rest my members. 
 Try. Say you not to whom 
 
 She shall be given in charge ? come hither thou — 
 
 For I will place thee in the midst of them. 
 Val. He nods assent. 
 Try. Who ? 
 
 Val. Who ? Ariphrades, 
 
 Beseeching you to bring her to him. 
 Try. But, 880 
 
 O wretch, he'll fall upon her and lick up 
 
 All the provision — but deposit first 
 
 Your vessels on the ground. — Ye Prytanes 
 
 Assembled here, contemplate this Theoria ; 
 
 Reflect what blessings I shall bring on you ; 
 
 That seizing her, and turning up her legs 
 
 In air, ye may perfect the sacred rites — 
 
 Brauion was a city of Attica, near Marathon, where feasts of Bacclius were 
 celebrated every fifth year, and a she-goat sacrificed to Diana. It was a place of 
 very dissolute character.
 
 870—920.] THE PEACE. 41 
 
 For this it has been purified with smoke ; 
 
 For here, before the war began, were stationed 
 
 The council's pipkins — since, possessing her, 890 
 
 Tomorrow a fair contest we may raise. 
 
 Wrestle upon the ground, stand at all fours, 
 
 Aim strokes oblique, head foremost, on our knees. 
 
 And, as at the Pancratium, smear'd with oil, 
 
 Strike both with fists and limbs of youthful strength ; 
 
 And on the third day after this ye shall 
 
 Prepare a hippodrome, where the fleet steed 
 
 May pass his fellow-courser in the race. 
 
 And chariots, on each other overturn'd, 
 
 Shall in their parting breath be mov'd together, 900 
 
 While other charioteers in fallen state 
 
 Around the goals all circumcis'd shall lie. 
 
 But, O ye Prytanes, receive Theoria, 
 
 See with what readiness this has received her ! 
 
 But not so were you aught to offer gratis — 
 
 Then had I found thee holding forth a truce. 
 
 Cho. This man's an useful citizen to all. 
 With such a disposition. 
 
 Try. You will know 
 
 Much better what I am in vintage time. 
 
 Cho. Even now 'tis manifest how much thou art 910 
 
 A saviour to all men. 
 
 Try. Wilt thou say so, 
 
 When of new wine thou shalt have drunk a bowl ? 
 
 Cho. And we will always honour thee the first. 
 Saving the gods alone. 
 
 Try. For I, Trygajus 
 
 Th' Athmonian, have deserv'd right well of you, 
 Having from direful toils the city's crowd 
 And rustic folk releas'd, and having check'd 
 Hyperbolus. 
 
 Cho. Come, what must we do next? 
 
 Try. What else but consecrate her with our pots ? 
 
 Cho. With pots, like some complaining Mercury? 920 
 
 Try. What think ye then? shall't be with fatted ox ? 
 
 Cho. An ox ? — by no means — lest we have to seek
 
 42 THE PEACE. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 For aid from other quarters. 
 Try. With a sow then. 
 
 Bulky and fat ? 
 Cho. No, no. 
 
 Try. Why ? 
 
 Cno. Lest there be 
 
 A lioggishness, such as Theagenes'''! 
 Try. Then of the others what think'st thou the best ? 
 Cho. a sheep. 
 Try. a sheep ? 
 
 Cho. I do, by Jupiter. 
 
 Try. But this is an Ionian word. 
 Cho. Ofpurpose, 
 
 That if in the assembly any one 
 
 Should plead for the necessity of war, 930 
 
 The seated multitude thro' fear may cry 
 
 In the Ionic dialect — Oi, Oi. 
 Try. Thou sayest well. 
 Cho. And be they mild besides, 
 
 So that in mutual disposition we 
 
 Resemble lambs, and be to our allies 
 
 Much milder. 
 Try. Come now, take the sheep, and bring it 
 
 As soon as possible, and I will furnish 
 
 A shrine on which to make the sacrifice. 
 Cho. How all proceeds according to our mind 
 
 When the god wills and fortune 'stablishes, 940 
 
 And all these things in timely concourse meet ! 
 Try. 'Tis plain, for at the doors an altar stands. 
 Cho. Now hasten, while the veering gale of war 
 
 Blows from the gods with moderated blast. 
 Try. The basket with its barley-cakes is ready. 
 
 The chaplet and the sword — the fire is here, 
 
 And nothing but the sheep delays us now. 
 Cho. Will you not work with all your energies ? 
 
 For if you're seen by Cheeris, he'll be here 
 
 « This Theagenes was a fat and gross debauchee, dissolved in the luxuries of 
 wealth, and rolling like a pig in the mire of voluptuousness.
 
 930-970.] THE PEACE. 43 
 
 To play his pipe, an uninvited guest; 950 
 
 And then I know full well that you will give him 
 
 Something to compensate his toil and puffing. 
 Try. Come then, take thou the baske,t and the basin, 
 
 Performing quickly a right-handed course 
 
 Around the shrine. 
 Val. • Lo, I've encompass'd it — 
 
 Give me another charge. 
 Try. I'll take this torch, 
 
 And dip it in the stream'^ — move briskly thou — 
 
 Thou hold the salted cake — and cleanse thyself 
 
 When thou hast handed this to me ; and then 
 
 To the spectators scatter meal. 
 Val. Behold. 9G0 
 
 Try. Hast scatter'd it ? 
 Val. I have, by jNIercury ; 
 
 So that, of all this number of spectators. 
 
 Not one but has the meal. 
 Try. Have the women? 
 
 Val. Their husbands will at evening give to them. 
 Try. Let us begin our prayers. — Who's here ? — where are 
 
 The many and the good ? 
 Val. Come, let me give 
 
 To these, for they both numerous are and good. 
 Try. Call you these good ? 
 Val. Are they not truly so, 
 
 Who, when we pour upon them so much water, 
 
 To the same station come, and there remain ? 970 
 
 Try. But let us to our prayers without delay. 
 O Peace, most venerable queen, 
 Goddess who in the choirs art seen, 
 
 "^ TO ^(fSiov t65' t^fiu^pw Xafiwv. This was done, according to the Scholiast, 
 for the purpose of purifying the water by the virtue of the lire, that universal 
 cleanser. In illustration of this rite, he refers to Euripides (Here. Fur. 928.)* So 
 Ovid, but in a different sense (Rem. Am. 700.) — 
 
 Non ego Dulichio furiales more sagittas, 
 Nee rapidas ausim tingcre in amne faces. 
 
 * Athenfflus, towards the end of the ninth book of his Deipnosophista;, likewise 
 elucidates this luslral purification.
 
 44 THE PEACE. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 To whom the nuptial hymns arise, 
 Deio-n to receive our sacrifice. 
 Val. O now thy much-priz'd honour deign, 
 And act not hke the harlot train, 
 Who, hy their curtain'd doors inclin'd, 
 Retreat from the considering mind. 
 Not so do thou. 
 Try. By Jove, we pray, 980 
 
 But all thyself to us display ; 
 Thy lovers, who, with anguish torn, 
 These thirteen years of absence mourn ; 
 From wars and tumults set us free, 
 And be thy name Lysimache. 
 Those over-nice suspicions still 
 Our mouths with banter wont to fill. 
 And mingle Grecian hearts once more 
 In juice of friendship, as of yore. 
 
 Infusing a congenial soul 990 
 
 Which gentle sympathies control. 
 And by thy care our market crown'd, 
 With greatest blessings still abound ; 
 
 Garlic and melons ripe to view. 
 
 With apples, those of flaming hue, 
 
 And every less distinguished fruit — 
 
 Small woollen cloaks our slaves to suit ; 
 
 And from Boeotia let them bring 
 
 Geese, ducks, wrens, doves with feather'd ring; 
 
 And then of eels full baskets take, 1000 
 
 That dwell in the Copaic lake ; 
 
 And let us, supping at the board 
 
 With these delicious fishes stor'd, 
 
 Contend whose palate most they please. 
 
 With Morychus and Glaucetes, 
 
 Teleas, and gluttons such as these : 
 
 Then may Melanthius come at last 
 
 To market when the sale is past. 
 
 While from his own Medea he 
 
 Cries out in dire soliloquy^, 1010 
 
 e It is not quite agreed among the commentators whether Mclunlhius here soli-
 
 980-1030.] THE PEACE. 45 
 
 " I perish, since among the beet 
 
 My eel has chosen to retreat ;" 
 
 While men rejoice at his despair. 
 
 Much honour'd goddess, grant these blessings to our 
 prayer. 
 Val. Here, take the knife, and thou shalt slay the sheep 
 
 In cook-like fashion. 
 Try. But it may not be. 
 
 Val. On what account ? 
 Try. Peace not delights, forsooth. 
 
 In slaughter, nor with blood her shrine is stain'd. 
 
 But take the victim in, and slay it, then 
 
 Detach the thighs and bring them here again ; 1020 
 
 The sheep is thus preserv'd entire for him 
 
 Who furnishes the chorus. 
 Cho. And 'tis right 
 
 That thou, while standing at the door, should'st place 
 
 Billets and what is needful to the rites, 
 
 With expedition. 
 Try. Think you not that I 
 
 Have plac'd the fagots like a soothsayer ? 
 Cho. How otherwise ? for what has e'er escap'd 
 
 Thy notice, which a wise man ought to do ? 
 
 What think'st thou not of which becomes a man 
 
 Of mind intelligent and ready daring? 1030 
 
 Try. The lighted branch now weighs down Stilbides ^ 
 
 A table will I bring too, nor shall we 
 
 Need any servant. 
 
 loquizes from his own tragedy of Medea, or from that of Euripides (v. 95. etc.) — 
 
 dvaTavog tyth, ntKsa rt ttovuV 
 
 lui fioi fioi, Triiig av oXoifiav. 
 ' A celebrated soothsayer who accompanied the Athenians in their expedition to 
 Sicily, and he is also mentioned by Eupolis in his comedy of the Cities — 
 
 log av Tiv' tXOw ^ijra. 
 In this passage Trygaus, when he speaks of Stilbides, means himself; for, having 
 asked the chorus whether he has not arranged the fagots with the art of a soothsayer, 
 now, continuing the metaphor, says that the smoke of the kindled wood weighs 
 down or injures (nu'Cd.) the soothsayer. The burning of the thighs or rump, pre- 
 scribed by Trygajus to Hierocles, the soothsayer from Oreum, a city of Bceotia, 
 constitute a curious kind of Trvpofiavriia, or sacrifice by fire, to the goddess 
 Peace.
 
 46 THE PEACE. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 Cho. Who would not commend 
 
 A man like this, whose much-enduring force 
 Hath sav'd the sacred city ? ne'er shall he then 
 Cease to become the envied care of all. 
 
 Val. It is performed — take and lay out the thighs, 
 While I go for the entrails and the meal. 
 
 Try. Mine shall that care be, but you should have come. 
 
 Val. Lo, I am present — think you I have linger'd ? 1040 
 
 Try. Now cook these well ; for some one laurel-crown'd 
 Approaches us — who can it ever be ? 
 
 Val. How arrogant he seems ! — this is a prophet. 
 
 Try. Not so, by Jove, none but Hierocles. 
 
 Val. The seer from Oreus. — What has he to say ? 
 
 Try. 'Tis manifest that he'll oppose the truce. 
 
 Val. Not so— but for the odour is he come. 
 
 Try. Let us not seem to mark him. 
 
 Val. Thou say'st well. 
 
 Enter Hierocles, the Soothsayer. 
 
 Hie. What sacrifice is this ? and to what god? 
 
 Try. Cook thou in silence, and beware the loins. 1050 
 
 Hie. To whom this sacrifice ? will you not speak ? 
 
 Try. The rump does well. 
 
 Val. Full bravely, O thou dear 
 
 And venerable Peace. 
 Hie. Come, auspicate. 
 
 Then give the earliest offerings. 
 Try. 'Twill be better 
 
 To cook them first. 
 Hie. But they're already roasted. 
 
 Try. Thou'rt very busy, whosoe'er thou art. 
 
 Cut up — where is a table ? bring the cup. 
 Hie. The tongue's a separate part. 
 Try. We recollect. 
 
 But know you what to do ? 
 Hie. If you will tell me. 
 
 Try. No conversation hold with us, for we 1060
 
 1040—1080.] THE PEACE. 47 
 
 Perform a sacrifice to holy Peace. 
 Hie. O sad and foolish mortals^ ! 
 Try. On thine head — 
 
 Hie. Ye who by thoughtless indiscretion led, 
 
 And want of understanding the gods' mind, 
 
 Men, as ye are, with tawny apes make compact. 
 Val. Ha, ha ! 
 
 Try. Why laugh ? 
 
 Val. The tawny apes delight me. 
 
 Hie. And like the silly doves to foxes trust, 
 
 Of soul and mind deceitful. 
 Try. O thou boaster, 
 
 I would thy lungs were warm as this. 
 Hie. For if 
 
 The goddess nymphs had Bacis not deceiv'd, 1 070 
 
 Nor Bacis mortals, nor again the nymphs 
 
 Had Bacis' self beguil'd ; 
 Try. Be hang'd to you. 
 
 Unless you leave Bacizing. 
 Hie. 'Twas thus foted 
 
 The chains of peace to loosen, but this first — 
 Try. With the salt brine these must be sprinkled, since — 
 Hie. It is not pleasing to the blessed gods 
 
 To cease from strife, ere wolf with lamb conjoin. 
 Try. But how, O wretch, can wolf and lamb be join'd 
 
 In hymenean bond? 
 Hie. Even as the leech 
 
 Sends forth in flight a most pernicious odour; 1080 
 
 And as the barking bitch, press'd by her pains, 
 
 Brings forth blind whelps ; mean time it is not right 
 
 That peace should yet be made. 
 Try. What then behov'd 
 
 c This is the beginning of the oracle given to the Athenians by the priestess 
 Stratonice, at the arrival of Xerxes in Greece, mentioned by Herodotus (Polyhymnia, 
 c. 140.) The execration with which Tryga;us concludes this line, tg Kt(pa\iiv ctoj, 
 occurs again in the Tlutus (v. 526.), addressed by Chremylus to Poverty. The 
 next fifty lines consist of hexameters, of which those beginning at v. 1056. are 
 Homeric verses, taken from various passages of the Iliad (II. 301 ; P. 273; A. 467; 
 and Od. 11. 137.)
 
 48 THE PEACE. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 That we had clone ? — not to have ceas'd from war ? 
 
 Or to have cast lots which should have wept the most ; 
 
 When we by mutual treaty could obtain 
 
 Sole empire over Greece ? 
 Hie. Ne'er wilt thou make 
 
 A crab straight-forward move. 
 Try. Nor e'er wilt thou 
 
 Hereafter in the Prytaneum sup*'; 
 
 Nor, since the deed has been perform'd, wilt thou 
 
 In future act as prophet. 
 Hie. Nor would'st thou 1091 
 
 E'er make the rough sea-urchin smooth again. 
 Try. Wilt thou ne'er cease beguiling the Athenians ? 
 Hie. And by what oracle's command have ye 
 
 Consum'd the thighs in honour of the gods ? 
 Try. By that which Homer has so finely sung : 
 
 " Thus having driven off the hostile cloud 
 
 Of battle, they received to their embrace. 
 
 And with a victim consecrated Peace : 
 
 But when the thighs were in the fire consum'd, 1100 
 
 And on the entrails they had fed, they pour'd 
 
 Libations from the cups — I led the way. 
 
 But to the seer none a bright goblet gave." 
 Hie. I've no concern in these things, for not thus 
 
 The sibyl spoke. 
 Try. But the wise Homer said 
 
 Full opportunely — " Of no tribe is he. 
 
 Devoid of law and home, who cherishes 
 
 Contention fierce among the people raging." 
 Hie. See, lest the kite your minds by fraud beguile. 
 
 And snatch away the prize. 
 Try. Be that thy care, 1110 
 
 [To the Valet. 
 
 ^ For dreadful to the entrails is this sentence. 
 
 •> The ancient soothsayers were maintained at the public cost, especially in time 
 ■of war, when their services were indispensable. It is therefore not to be wondered 
 at if Hierocles dislikes a state of peace, for, as Trygaeus says (v. 1013.) — 
 
 £l]\0Q IIj9' OVTOQ y' OTl 
 
 ivavTiuat Tui n raii; SiaWayalg.
 
 1090—1130.] THE PEACE. 49 
 
 Pour the libation out, and of the intestines 
 
 Bring a part hither. 
 Hie. But if you think well 
 
 I'll serve myself. 
 Try. Libation j the libation ! 
 
 [To the Valet. 
 Hie. Pour out to me, and bring my share of entrails. 
 Try. But this the blessed gods not yet approve. 
 
 We first must sacrifice, and then depart. 
 
 O venerable Peace, remain with us 
 
 While life endures ! 
 Hie. Bring the tongue hither. 
 
 Try. Thou 
 
 Bear away thine. 
 Hie. Libation ! 
 
 Try. And take this 1120 
 
 {To the Valet. 
 
 Together with it, quickly. 
 Hie. Will no one 
 
 Give me my share of entrails ? 
 Try'. We cannot, 
 
 Before the wolf shall marry with the lamb. 
 Hie. Nay, by thy knees. 
 Try'. In vain thou supplicat'st, 
 
 O friend, for thou wont make the hedge-hog smooth. 
 
 Come hither, O spectators, eat some entrails 
 
 With us. 
 Hie. And what shall I ? 
 
 Try. Devour the sibyl. 
 
 Hie. Nay, by the earth, alone ye shall not eat them, 
 
 But I will snatch them from the midst of you. 
 Try. O strike, strike Bacis ! 
 
 Hie. You I call to witness. UoO 
 
 Try. And I, that thou art a vain boasting glutton. 
 
 Strike, and restrain this braggart with your staff*. 
 Val. See thou to that, and I will ravish from him 
 
 The victims' skins which he by fraud has taken. 
 
 Wilt not lay down the hides, O soothsayer ? 
 
 Ilear'st thou wliat crow hath come from Oreus? 
 
 VOL. II. E
 
 50 THE PEACE. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 Wilt thou not quickly to P^lymnium fly ? 
 
 S.-C. I joy, I joy in having laid aside 
 
 1. The helmet, cheese, and onion* — since in wars 
 
 I take no pleasure, but with my companions 1140 
 
 Drag on my time in drinking at the fire, 
 
 And burning whatsoever of the wood 
 
 Had been dried up by summer's scorching heat, 
 
 Parching the peas to cinder, with the beech ; 
 
 And at the same time dallying with the maid, 
 
 While his wife bathes ; for there is nothing better 
 
 Than when the sowing is already done. 
 
 And Jove descends in showers, some neighbour says, 
 
 " Tell me, what do we now, Comarchides''? 
 
 I fain would drink, while the god prospers us. 1150 
 
 But burn three chaenixes of beans, O woman, 
 
 Mingling wheat with them, and the choice of figs, 
 
 While Syra calls out Manes from the field ; 
 
 For 'tis not possible that we to-day 
 
 Should trim the vines, or plough the humid soil. 
 
 And let some one from me a thrush convey. 
 
 With two goldfinches. — There was curdled milk 
 
 Within, and hare into four portions cut — 
 
 Unless at eve the weazel bore away 
 
 Some part of them — there was in sooth a noise 1160 
 
 And tumult of I know not what within. 
 
 Of these, O boy, bring three to us, and one 
 
 Give to my father. — Of /Eschinades 
 
 Beg some fruit-bearing myrtles ; and let some one 
 
 Call by the same way on Charinades, 
 
 That he may drink with us, while the god pours 
 
 His blessing on the increase of our land." 
 
 S.-C. And while her sweet strain the cicala sings, 
 2. With pleasure I survey the Lemnian vines, 
 
 ' Onions and cheese were the common food of soldiers in ancient times — they are 
 here taken by synecdoche for war in tlie abstract. 
 
 •' This is doubtless the appellation of one of the chorus, who is here addressed 
 by name, as in the Wasps (v. 230, etc.), where some of the old men composing the 
 choral band are also spoken to by the Coryphaeus under their names, Cnmias, Stry- 
 modorus, etc.
 
 1140—1190.] THE PEACE. 51 
 
 Watching their progress to maturity. 1170 
 
 For 'tis a plant that bears precocious fruit. 
 
 Moreover I deh^jht the sweHinff fiw 
 
 To view, and place it to my mouth when ripe, 
 
 Exclaiming as I eat, " O cherish'd hours !" 
 
 Then with the draught I mingle bruised thyme ; 
 
 More pleas'd in summer to grow corpulent, 
 
 Than see a general, hated by the gods, 
 
 Bearing three crests and robe of liveliest purple, 
 
 Engrain'd, as he declares, with Sardian dye'; 
 
 But if at any time he has to fight, 1 180 
 
 Rob'd in this gorgeous garb, straight is he ting'd 
 
 With Cyzicenic tincture. — Then he flies 
 
 First, as a cockhorse swift, shaking his crests — 
 
 While I stand most intent upon the nets. 
 
 But soon as they arrive at home they act 
 
 Intolerable things — some of our number 
 
 Enrolling, some effacing twice or thrice, 
 
 At their caprice — they come out on the morrow — 
 
 When this man cannot purchase his provisions, 
 
 For he knew not before of his departure. 1 190 
 
 Then passing by the statue of Pandion"" 
 
 He sees his name, and in perplexity 
 
 Runs on, and weeps his woe with rueful eye — 
 
 'Tis thus these cowards, gods' and men's aversion. 
 
 Act by us rustics : but in different fashion 
 
 They treat the townsmen — yet shall they account 
 
 To me for't, if the deity be willing. 
 
 Since they have greatly injur'd me, at home 
 
 Like lions, but mere foxes in the fight. 
 
 ' Acharnians, v. 112. The cities of Asia were celebrated for their excellent 
 manufacture of purple (see the note on the Acharnians, v. 1 12.) 
 
 "> There were, according to the Scholiast, at Athens, twelve columns inscribed 
 with the names of soldiers and military edicts. One of these appears to have been 
 erected to each tribe, and the choral personage here speaking declares that he saw 
 his name inscribed on that of the tribe Pandion. J'hese columns were called av- 
 l^iavnq Tuiv tTTiovi'iHov, or simply, c< t-wi'i)/«ot. They were s€t up in an open 
 place at Athens, near the Prytaneum. 
 
 £ 
 

 
 52 THE PEACE. [Act y. Sc. i. 
 
 ACT V. SCENE I. 
 
 Enter Tryg^us. 
 
 Try. Ho, what a crowd conies to the nuptial feast ! 
 
 Hold, cleanse the table with this helmet's crest, 1201 
 For we have now no further need of it — 
 Then bring the cakes and thrushes, hare in plenty, 
 And loaves. 
 
 Enter a Scythe Manufacturer. 
 
 S. M. Where's Tryggeus ? 
 
 Try. Boiling thrushes. 
 
 S. M. O dearest friend, Trygaeus, how much good 
 Thou hast conferr'd on us by making peace ! 
 Before this time no one would buy a scythe, 
 Not for a farthing, but I sell them now 
 For fifty drachmae, and field-kegs for three — 
 But, O Trygaeus, freely take some sickles, 1210 
 
 And what you will of these receive beside ; 
 For from this profitable merchandise 
 These presents we bring to thee for the marriage. 
 
 Try. Go now within, lay by these things at home. 
 And come to supper in all haste, for see — 
 This weapon-monger comes weigh'd down with care. 
 
 Enter an Armourer. 
 
 Arm. Ah me ! how, O Trygseus, from the root 
 
 Hast thou destroy'd me ! 
 Try, O ill-fated wretch ! 
 
 What ails thee ? makest thou no longer crests ? 
 Arm. Thou hast destroy'd my trade and sustenance ; 1220 
 
 His too, — and his, the furbisher of spears. 
 Try. What then shall I lay down for these two crests ? 
 Arm. And wliat giv'st thou? 
 Try. What give I ? I'm asham'd :
 
 1200—1210.] THE PEACE. 53 
 
 But nathless, since the work requires much trouble, 
 I'd give for them three chaenixes of figs, 
 That I might rub my table clean with this. 
 
 Arm. Go then within, and bear the figs with thee ; 
 
 For to take this, O friend, is more than nought. 
 
 Try. Bear, bear them from the house, with a plague to you, 
 The hair falls off, the crests are nothing worth, l!^30 
 I would not buy them for a single fig. 
 
 Enter a Maker of Breastplates. 
 
 M.B. Wretch that I am, to what use shall I put 
 
 This well-wrought breastplate, of ten minaa's worth ? 
 Try. This will not cause thee any loss — but give it 
 
 At the same price to me, for 'tis well fitted 
 
 To use in cases of necessity. 
 M.B. Cease to revile me and my merchandise. 
 Try. Here, I have plac'd three stones, is it not right ? 
 M.B. And, O thou most unskilful man, which hand 
 
 Wilt thou employ in cleansing ? 
 Try. This, when I 1240 
 
 Have pass'd it through the seat, this too. 
 M.B. Wliat both 
 
 At the same time ? 
 Try. I would, by Jupiter, 
 
 That I may not be caught clandestinely 
 
 Stopping the vessel's oar-holes". 
 M.B. Would'st then sit 
 
 And ease the load of nature on a vessel 
 
 That cost ten minae ? 
 Try. Yes, I would, by Jove, 
 
 O cursed wretch — for think'st thou I will sell 
 
 My fundament to gain a thousand drachmae? 
 
 " This was a specimen of the roguery of the trierarchs, whose office it was to 
 supply the rowers in the galleys with their usual provision of flour, onions, and 
 cheese, and who, in order to secure to themselves the stipend of some of the rowers, 
 were in the habit of stopping up several holes in the vessel, to wliich the oars were 
 fastened, in order to decrease the number of those who had to work it, and thus 
 appropriate to themselves the pay which they must have dispersed, had th« com- 
 plement of rowers been full.
 
 54 THE PEACE. [Act v. Sc. r. 
 
 M.B. Come, bring the silver hither. 
 
 Try. But, my friend, 
 
 It galls my hinder parts — take it away, 1250 
 
 I will not buy it. 
 
 Enter a Dealer in Trumpets. 
 
 D.T, How shall I employ 
 
 This trumpet which I bought for sixty drachmae? 
 
 Try. If you pour lead into this cavity. 
 
 And fix a long rod at the upper end. 
 You will obtain a cottabus to play with. 
 
 D.T. Ah ! you deride me. 
 
 Try. I will give you now 
 
 Another caution — having pour'd within 
 The lead, as I directed, add thereto 
 A scale by cords suspended, to weigh out 
 The figs to thy domestics in the field. 1260 
 
 Enter a Helmet Maker. 
 
 H.M. O thou implacable divinity, 
 
 How hast thou ruin'd me, since erst for these 
 
 I gave a mina ! — What shall I do now? 
 
 For who will purchase them of me again ? 
 Try. Go, sell them to the Egyptians, for they're fit 
 
 To measure out syrmaea". 
 
 Enter an Armourer. 
 
 Arm. O casque maker. 
 
 In what a wretched state are our affairs ! 
 
 " This is the juice of an herb from which the Egyptians made a drink of efficacy 
 in curing diarrhseas ; Herodotus (Euterpe, 77.) uses the word ffifp/iai^stv in the 
 sense of cleansing, Suidas considers this potion a sort of barley drink, as well as 
 a composition of honey and fat. Hence our satirical poet calls the Egyptians 
 fit\avo(Jvp[ia~iov \ewv (Thesm. 857. Fl. Chris.; Bergler.) Donnegan, quoting 
 Erotian, defines it also " the radish" (patpavig), so called as its juice was used by 
 the Egyptians, with salt and water, to produce vomiting. Photius, in his lexicon, 
 says that it was used both as a cathartic and an emetic.
 
 1250—1290.] THE PEACE. 55 
 
 Try. This man has sufFer'd nothing. 
 
 H.M. But what use 
 
 Will any one hereafter make of casques ? 
 Try. If he should learn to fabricate such handles, 1270 
 
 He on much better terms than now will sell them. 
 H.M. Depart we, armourer. 
 Try'. By no means, since 
 
 Of this man will I buy these spears of his. 
 Arm. What would you give then ? 
 Try. Were they sawn in half, 
 
 I'd take the poles, a hundred for a drachma?. 
 Arm. W^e are revil'd. — O friend, let us retire. 
 Try. Do so, by Jove — since, as it seems to me. 
 
 The children of the guests are coming hither, 
 
 To pump themselves, and meditate their songs. 
 
 Enter Children. 
 
 But whatso'er is in thy mind to sing, 1280 
 
 O child, stand near me here, and prelude first. 
 C. 1. Let us again begin from warlike men. 
 Try. Cease to sing men of war now' peace is made, 
 
 O thou by an ill spirit thrice possess'd, 
 
 Who uninstructed art, and execrable. 
 C. 1. Now to each other when they had come near, 
 
 They cast away their spears and well-boss'd shields — 
 Try. Wilt thou ne'er cease reminding us of shields? 
 C. 1. Thence mingled groans, and prayers of men arose — 
 Try. The groans of men? by Bacchus, he shall weep 1290 
 
 Ilis songs of lamentation and boss'd shields. 
 C. 1. ^^'hat shall I sing then? say what strains delight you? 
 Try. "Thus on beeves' flesh they fed," and such like themes — 
 
 Their meal they spread of every sweetest meat. 
 C. L So they on flesh of oxen banqueted — 
 
 And, satisfied with battle, from the yoke 
 
 Loos'd their steeds' sweating necks. 
 Try. Well then, they eat, 
 
 When satisfied with war — sing how they eat. 
 C. 1. Then having ceas'd they put their breastplates on —
 
 56 THE PEACE. [Act. v. Sc. i. 
 
 Try. Full willingly I trow. 
 
 C. 1. They pour'd themselves 1300 
 
 Down from the towers — meanwhile a shout arose 
 That could not be extinguish'd. 
 
 Try. Mayst thou die 
 
 The worst of deaths, infant, with these thy battles, 
 For nought thou sing'st but wars — and whose art thou? 
 
 C. 1. I? 
 
 Try. Thou, by Jove. 
 
 C. 1. The son of Lamachus. 
 
 Try. Hui ! Hearing thee I should in truth have wonder'd, 
 Hadst thou not been the offspring of some man 
 Whose inclination are the tears of war. 
 Go to the dogs, and sing to the spear-bearers — 
 Where is the offspring of Cleonymus ? 1310 
 
 Sing something ere thou enter, for I know 
 Full well thou W'ilt not sing of troublous themes, 
 Born of so wise a sire. 
 
 C. 2. One of the Saians 
 
 Rejoices in the spear, which near a bush 
 Unstain'd in war, I left reluctantly. 
 
 Try. Tell me, O boy, singest thou for thy father ? 
 
 C. 2. My life I sav'd. 
 
 Try. Yes, to thy parent's shame. 
 
 But let us enter, for I clearly know 
 That, sprung from such a father, thou wilt ne'er 
 Forget what lately of the spear thou sang'st. 1320 
 
 'Twill be your future care, who here remain, 
 To break all these provisions into powder — 
 Nor move your jaws in vain, but manfully 
 Cast all your energies into the work. 
 And chew with all your grinders — for, O wretches, 
 White teeth are nought, unless they masticate. 
 
 Chq. Ours shall this care be, tho' thy caution's good. 
 
 Try. But oh ! ye who before this time have hunger'd. 
 
 Now stuff yourselves with hare's flesh, since each day 
 One cannot meet with unprotected cakes. 1330 
 
 Devour, then, or, I say, you'll soon repent. 
 
 Cho. Tis right to speak well-omen'd words, and let 
 
 1
 
 1300—1360.] THE PEACE. 57 
 
 Some one conduct the bride with torches hither, 
 
 And all the joyous people shout together; 
 
 Nor should we bring into the field again 
 
 Our utensils, with dances and libations, 
 
 After we have expell'd Hyperbolus, 
 
 And pray'd the gods to bless with wealth the Greeks, 
 
 To make for us abundant store of corn, 
 
 Plenty of wine, and figs for all to eat ; 1340 
 
 And that our women may bring forth, and all 
 
 Those good things we have lost, collect again. 
 
 As at the first, and stay the burning steel. 
 
 Hither, O women, come into the field, 
 
 And, beauteous as thou art, lie down by me. 
 
 S. -C.I.Hymen, O Hymenseus! 
 
 S.-C.2. O thrice blest ! 
 
 How justly thou possessest thy good things ! 
 
 Hymen, O HymeucEus, Hymen O ! 
 
 What shall we do, what shall we do with her ? 
 
 Grind, grind her as at vintage time — but, friends, 1350 
 
 Let us, who are appointed to the task. 
 
 Take up and bring the bridegroom — Hymen, O! 
 
 O ! Hymen, Hymenaeus ! — ye shall live 
 
 Bi'avely, with nought to do but gather figs. 
 
 Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, O ! 
 
 His great and thick, hers sweet, as you shall say, 
 
 When you have eat, and wine in plenty drunk. 
 
 Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, O! 
 
 Try. Hymen, O Hymenaeus ! Farewell, friends, 
 
 [7b the audience. 
 And if you follow me, you shall eat cakes. luGO
 
 THE LYSISTRATA.
 
 DRAMATIS PERSONS*. 
 
 LYSISTRATA, {wife of one of the principal Athenian magistrates.) 
 
 CALONICE. 
 
 MYRRHINE. 
 
 LAMPITO. 
 
 CHORUS OF OLD MEN. 
 
 CHORUS OF OLD WOMEN. 
 
 STRATYLLIS. 
 
 A MAGISTRATE. 
 
 CERTAIN WOMEN. 
 
 CINESIAS. 
 
 A CHILD. 
 
 MANES, A DOMESTIC. 
 
 HERALD OF THE LACEDAEMONIANS. 
 
 AMBASSADORS OF THE LACEDEMONIANS. 
 
 POLYCHARIDES. 
 
 SOME MARKET PEOPLE. 
 
 A SERVANT. 
 
 AN ATHENIAN. 
 
 Certain Mutes. 
 
 The scene lies in the citadel of Athens. 
 
 * N. B. In the MS. of Trinity College, Cambridge, ^Tpvfjt.oSu)pa and ^rpart)- 
 XdrrjQ occur amongst the Dramatis Persons, and in the editions before Brunck's 
 these are also found — 
 
 APAKHS 
 
 2TPYM0AQP02, 
 
 which that learned editor ri ghtly expunggd,j is they are persons of the chorus (see 
 vv. 254. 259.) The latter is also one of tlie chorus in the Wasps (see v. 233. of 
 that comedy.)
 
 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 
 
 UPON 
 
 THE LYSISTRATA. 
 
 THIS COMEDY WAS ACTED IN THE TWENTY-FIRST YEAR OF THE PELO- 
 PONNESIAN WAR, AND FIRST OF THE XCII. OLYMPIAD, UNDER THE ARCHON 
 CALLIAS, WHO SUCCEEDED CLEOCRITUS, AT THE LENEAN FEASTS. 
 
 The Lysistrata bears so evil a character that we must make but 
 fugitive mention of it, like persons passing over hot embers. The 
 women, according to the poet's invention, have taken it into their 
 heads, by a se vere re solution^ to compel their husbands to make 
 peace. Under the guidance of their clever chieftain they organize a 
 conspiracy for this end through all Greece, and at the same time get 
 possession, in Athens, of the fortified Acropolis. The teri'ible plight 
 into which the husbands are reduced by this separation occasions the 
 most ridiculous scenes ; ambassadors come from both the belligerent 
 parties, and the peace is concluded with the greatest despatch, under 
 the direction of the j;lexer_ Lysistrata. — In spite of all the bold in- 
 ^decencies which the play contains, its purpose, divested of these, is, 
 on the whole, very innocent ; the longing for the pleasures of do- 
 mestic life, which were so often interrupted by the absence of the 
 men, is to put an end to this unhappy war, which was ruining all 
 Greece. The honest coarseness of the Lacedajmonians, in particular, 
 is inimitably well pourtrayed.
 
 THE LYSISTRATA 
 
 I* 
 
 tf 
 
 ACT I. SCENE I. 
 
 Enter Lysistrata. 
 
 Lys. But if to Bacchus' orgies any one ^ 
 
 Had call'd the women, or to Pan's or Cohas', 
 ""CTr' GenetyUis', they had ne'er been able 
 
 ^ To come again back for the tympanums ; 
 
 > But now no other woman's to be seen 
 
 T Except my neighbour here who's coming forth. 
 O Calonice, hail — 
 
 Enter Calonice. 
 
 Cal. And hail to thee, 
 
 Lysistrata. — What is't that troubles thee ? 
 
 Wear not, O child, this downcast countenance. 
 
 For to contract thy brow becomes thee not. 10 
 
 Lys. But my heart burns with rage, O Calonice, 
 And greatly for us women am I griev'd -, 
 That by the men we are accounted all J 
 To be perverse — 
 
 Cal. And so wc are, by Jove. 
 
 -Iq MaKxtiov r] 'c Tlavoc ij Vi KioXia^' i) 'q VivtrtiWicoQ. Lysistrata 
 
 enters on the stage as if reasoning v;ith or speaking to herself. Ba/c;^57o)' may 
 denote the Bacchic orgies themselves, as well as the temple in which they are 
 celebrated. The chapel of Pan, called Paneum in Attica, as well as that of Colias, 
 was situated near Anaphlystum. The Coliac temple was dedicated to \'enus, and 
 so named from the members {kmXo) of a youth that had been bound by robbers 
 and untied by the daughter of their chief, (seo the note on ihe Cloxuh, v. 53.)
 
 61 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 Lys. When 'twas decreed they should assemble here, 
 
 To hold a council on no trifling matter, 
 
 They sleep and come not — 
 Cal. But, O dearest friend. 
 
 They soon will com-' — 'Tis difficult for women 
 
 To go abroad — for one of us awaits 
 
 Her husband's will, one rouses her domestic, 20 
 
 One puts her child to bed, another laves, 
 
 Another puts the food into its mouth. 
 Lys. But there are other things more worth their pains. 
 Cal. Then for what cause, O dear Lysistrata, 
 
 Us women have you summon'd — what's the business 'i 
 
 Of what dimensions ? 
 Lys. Great. 
 
 Cal. And thick withal? 
 
 Lys. And thick, by Jove. 
 
 Cal. Why come we not all then? 
 
 Lys. 'Tis not the way — for soon we could have come 
 
 Together — but tliere is a work by me 
 
 Plann'd andTevolv'd through many a sleepless night. 
 Cal. Th' affair so cast about is something fine. 31 
 
 Lys. So fine, that in the women's hands is plac'd 
 
 Thesafety of all Greece — 
 
 The women s hands ? 
 
 Then is it little worth. 
 
 So as in us 
 
 The state's affairs are plac'd, and Pelops' isle 
 
 Has no more citizens — 
 Cal. By Jupiter, 
 
 'Twere better that there should be none. 
 Ly's. And all 
 
 Bceotia's sons may perish — 
 Cal. Nay, not all — 
 
 Except the eels '' — 
 Lys. Upon the head of Athens 
 
 I will not utter such a thought : have thou 40 
 
 A different notion of me: but if here 
 
 b a^fXi rue tyxfXae* i. e. the eels of the lake Copais (now Limnse,) highly 
 
 esteemed for their richness, (see th.e Peace, v. 970.)
 
 20—60.] THE LYSISTRATA. 65 
 
 The women congregate, they from Boeotia, 
 From th' isle of Pelops, and ours,elves, will save 
 Greece by a common effort. 
 
 Cal. ' But what deed, 
 
 Prudent or brilliant, can our sex achieve. 
 Who sit drest out with flowers, and bearing robes 
 Of saffron hue, and richly broider'd o'er 
 With loose Cimmerian vests and circling sandals '^ ? 
 
 Lys. These are in truth what I expect will save us ; 
 
 The saffron-colour'd robes, and myrrh, and sandals, 50 
 Alkanet root and the transparent tunics. 
 
 Cal. But how? 
 
 Lys. So that no men who are now alive 
 
 Shall lift the spear against each other's breast. 
 
 Cal. I'll, by the goddesses, be saffron-dyed. 
 
 Lys. Nor take the shield. 
 
 Cal. I'll put on the Cimmerian. 
 
 Lys. Nor sword. 
 
 Cal. I'll purchase for myself the slippers. 
 
 Lys. Was not the women's presence then requir'd ? 
 
 Cal. Nay, but by Jove, they should have flown long since. 
 
 Lys. But with a plague thou wilt perceive that they 
 
 Are very Attic women, doing all 60 
 
 Much slower than they ought — but from the coasts 
 There is none present, nor from Salamis. 
 
 Cal. Yet well I know they started at the dawn 
 In their swift boats. 
 
 Lys. Nor come the Acharnian women, 
 
 Whom I expected first to have arriv'd — 
 
 Cal. Meanwhile the consort of Theagenes, 
 
 <= Kai Ki/ujSfpiV opOoffTciSia Kai Trtpi(iapi5ac' Some MSS. and the Junta edi- 
 tions read KifiiitpiKopdoaraha, without any distinction of words, '['he former 
 evidently denotes some garment, perhaps a tunic, x'-'^'^vicKov, which received its 
 name from the place of its invention. Probably the same which Callimachus de- 
 nominates araho^ X*^*^''* tatarisiv.mca (Bentley Frag, lix.) So Photius in his 
 Lexicon referring, as it appears, to this very passage, says, KtmnpiKuv dhu: x"'«'- 
 vitTKov ovrwg 'ApiffTofpavtic' " dts tuniques sans coutume doiit il est parle dans 
 St. Jean evang. xix. 23." — (Note of the French Translator.) The irtpi^apiSss 
 were shoes worn indiscriminately by women of good condition and by maid-scr- 
 vauts. 
 
 VOL. ir. F
 
 66 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 As if with the design of coming hither, 
 
 Ask'd counsel of the Hecatean image'*. 
 
 But some are coming now — and more besides — 
 
 Aha, Whence are they? 
 Lys. These from Anagyrus^ 70 
 
 Cal. In truth they are. I think that Anagyrus 
 
 Has been mov'd hither — 
 
 Enter Myrrhine. 
 
 Myr. Are we come too late, 
 
 Lysistrata ? — What say'st thou ? why so silent ? 
 Lys. I praise not, Myrrhine, thy coming now 
 
 On matter of such moment. 
 Myr. In the dark 
 
 I scarce could find my girdle, but if aught 
 
 Be very pressing in the business, tell 
 
 Us who are present now. 
 Lys. By Jupiter — 
 
 But let us wait some little space at least. 
 
 Till the Boeotian women come, arid those 80 
 
 From Pelops' isle — 
 Myr. — -- 'pj^Qy gpgakest wisely. 
 
 And here is Lampito approaching — 
 
 Enter Lampito. 
 
 Lys. Hail, 
 
 Lampito, dearest of Laconian women. 
 How shines thy beauty, O my dearest friend ! 
 How fresh thy colour ! what a vigorous frame ! 
 Thou could'st e'en choke a bull. 
 
 <i QovKamov ijpsTO. This is the excellent emendation of the learned 
 
 Bentley (ad Callimach. Fragment, ccxxvii.) for the common reading TUKanov. 
 The superstitious character of the wife of Theageues is strongly exemplified by her 
 seeking counsel of a senseless image. 
 
 ^ This was an Attic burgh denominated from a hero of that name, who having 
 overturned the houses belonging to it, gave rise to the proverb Kivtlg rbv 'Avdyvpov, 
 It also denoted a plant of fetid odour. (Schol.)
 
 70—100.] THE LYSISTRATA. 
 
 Lam. I think I could ; 
 
 By the two goddesses — with body stripp'd ^ 
 
 I sport and leap with the gymnastic pole. 
 # * * * * 
 
 Lam. You handle me as if I were a victim. \ * 90 
 
 Lys. But from what region is this other damsel? \ 
 
 Lam. An honourable woman from Boeotia V 
 
 Is coming towards you, by the goddesses. 
 Lys. By Jove 'tis a Boeotian dame possess'd 
 
 Of fair estate — 
 Cal. And that, by Jupiter, 
 
 Most cultivated, since the pennyroyal 
 
 Is weeded out — 
 Lys. And who's the other girl ? 
 
 Lam. a noble damsel, by the goddesses'^. 
 
 But a Corinthian. 
 Lys. She is plainly honest, 
 
 As any in these parts. 
 Lam. But who hath gather'd 100 
 
 This female crowd together? 
 
 '&^ 
 
 f It appears from this passage that the Lacedaemonian women had their palaes- 
 tras as well as the men, in which they exercised themselves in a sort of leap 
 described by Lampito and called pi^aaig. See the Andromache, v. 596, and sqq., 
 where the Amazonian character of the Lacedaemonian virgins is as highly con- 
 demned by Peleus, as it is held up to the emulation of the Roman ladies by Pro- 
 pertius (lib. iii. El. xii.) 
 
 Multa tuip, Sparte, miramur jura palaestrae, 
 Sed mage virginei tot bona gymnasii. 
 And at the conclusion. 
 
 Quod si jura fores pugnasque imitata I^aconum, 
 Carior hoc esses tu milii, lloma, bono. 
 f Xata fiiv vai criw. The word xalov, which is sometimes a dissyllable, denotes 
 what is generous, noble, or good, vni aiio is said according to ihe Tiaccd;i;monian 
 dialect for ^d 9no, the form by whicii the Athenian women invoked the goddesses 
 Ceres and Proserpine. The interpretation of Brunck which I have adopted appears 
 the most natural and unforced. Seager, however, understands the ravra in 
 ravrnyl, and ra in TtvrivQivi, to agree with fi'tpt] understood, as if the line weie 
 pronounced ^hktikmc by Lysistrata, pointing to some part of the Corinthian 
 woman's person ; supposing xatoc or x«oC to ^^ applicable to bodily as well as 
 moral excellence ; but of this extension of the meaning examples appear to me want- 
 ing. The Scholiast says x"'" avri tov uyaOi)' and the interpretation of the Greek 
 Commentator upon ^schylus (Supplices 865. liyioc tyw ftaOvxaiog) is j; ixtydXiog 
 tvyevt)^' x^oi yap o'l tvyivtig. 
 
 r ^
 
 68 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 Lys. 'Twas myself. 
 
 Lam. Then tell us what you wish. 
 
 Lys. By Jove I will, 
 
 thou dear woman. 
 
 Myr. Say then what design 
 
 Hast thou so serious ? — 
 Lys. I will tell you now. 
 
 But first I wish to ask you a small question. 
 Myr. Whatever you desire — 
 Lys. Regret you not 
 
 Your children's fathers absent with the army? 
 
 For well I know you all have distant husbands. 
 Cal. 'Tis now five months since mine has been in Thrace '', 
 
 (O man ill fated!) guarding Eucrates. 110 
 
 Myr. And mine has been for seven whole months in Pylos. 
 Lam. While mine, as soon as he has left the ranks, 
 
 Girds on his buckler and flies straight away. 
 Lys. But not a spark of gallantry is left. 
 
 For since we were betray'd by the Milesians, 
 
 1 have not seen a vase eight fingers long, 
 That we might have a leathern consolation. 
 Would you then wish, if I could find the means. 
 With me concurring to dissolve the war ? 
 
 Myr. I, by the goddesses, should any need 120 
 
 Cause me to place my purple robe in pawn, 
 I'd drink it out that very day, 
 
 Cal. And I 
 
 Imagine that I could divide myself. 
 And like a rhombus render up the half. 
 And I would to Taygetus ascend. 
 That, from its summit, peace I might survey. 
 
 *• This line alludes to the rebellious disposition of the Thracian Chalcidians, who 
 after the memorable defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse revolted from them, and 
 became constant objects of watchful suspicion to their former allies. Eucrates, 
 mentioned in the next line, was an Athenian general, noted for corrupt practices, 
 treachery, and peregrinity. From Myrrhine's reply in the following verse, Palmer 
 conjectures that Pylos was still in the power of the Athenians, and that the Lysis- 
 trato was brought upon the stage before tlie twenty-third year of the war, when Dio- 
 des was Archon, as in that year the Lacedemonians had recovered possession of 
 this important fortress.
 
 
 110_180.] THE LYSISTRATA. 69 
 
 Lys. I'lJ speak tlien — since the words should not be hid: 
 
 If we desire, O women, to compel 
 
 The men to keep at peace, we must aljstain — 
 MYR.From what? declare — 
 Lys. You'll do it then? 
 
 Myr. We will. 130 
 
 Even should it be required of us to die. 
 Lys. You mus t then spar e the conjugal em brace. "'"'^ '^■ 
 
 Why are ye thus turn'd from me ?— whither go ye ? 
 
 Why with clos'd eyes shake ye your heads at me ? x 
 
 Why is the colour chang'd ? whence falls the tear ? 
 
 Will you or will you not ? why this delay ? 
 Myr. I cannot do it, let the war go on. \ \, 
 
 Cal. By Jove, nor I — then let the war go on. -^ ^ 
 
 Lys. Speakest thou this, O rhombus? when just now c 
 
 'Twas thy design to cut thyself in half. 140 i 
 
 Cal. Whatever else thou wishest. — If I must, ^ 
 
 ■fthrough the fire will pass : much rather this, \ 
 
 Than loss of marriage rites, which have no equal, 
 
 O dear Lysistrata. 
 Lys. [^o Lampito.] And what wilt thou? 
 
 "C 
 
 Lam. I too am willing thro' the fire to pass. c ^ 
 Lys. How thoroughly salacious is our sex! ? '•^^'•' 
 r> Thiejrrageilije&- describe us not in vain ;/ 
 % For we are nought save Neptune and his bark. 
 il _^ But, O my dear Lacaenian, if thou wilt 
 •r Stand up with me alone, we yet may save 150 
 
 t* Our lost affairs — do but agree with me. 
 
 [Here twenty -five lines are omitted.] 
 
 ^ vtf ^ ^ -3ifr 
 
 Myr. If this be your opinion 'tis ours too. 
 
 Lam. And so shall our persuasion win our husbands 
 
 Still without guile to keep the bond of peace. 
 
 And how can one persuade th' Athenian crowd ISO 
 
 Not to approach with hostile torrent's course? 
 Lys. Nay, give yourself no trouble — we will use 
 
 Our utmost of persuasion — 
 Lam. All in vain —
 
 70 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 While they with ardent zeal equip their galleys', 
 
 And to the goddess' guardian care entrust 
 
 The silvei'-stored abyss ''. 
 Lys. Due preparation 
 
 For this too hath been made — this very day 
 
 We'll take possession of th' Acropolis. 
 
 For so 'twas given in charge to the most aged, 
 
 While these designs we meditate, to seize 190 
 
 The citadel as if for sacrifice. 
 Lam. May all this prosper as thou speakest well. 
 Lys. Why not then Lampito with all despatch 
 
 Swear such an oath as may not be infring'd ? 
 Lam. Propose to us the oath that we may swear. 
 Lys. Thou speakest well — where is the Scythian woman ' ? 
 
 To what point lookest thou ? — before me place 
 
 A shield supine, and some one bring the victim. 
 Myr. Lysistrata, by what oath wilt thou bind us ? 
 Lys. By what ? once, on the buckler, as they say *", 200 
 
 iEschylus, having sacrific'd a sheep — 
 Myr. But swear thou nothing, O Lysistrata, 
 . Upon a buckler, that relates to peace. 
 
 ' ovx ag (Tirodag t^wvri Kai rpirjpisg. The reading of this passage is much 
 controverted. The Ravenna MS. gives cnrovdag, theAldine edition ouXrcTroTrvyac, 
 Bentley ovk daTrioag. Bergler proposes to read aTroSdg in theaccusative, in order 
 that the sentence may be more perspicuous — dg is Doric for eojg, oviog, fikxpig. 
 Dindorf renders the line, non pursuadebis, quamdiu, saltern triremes instruantur^ 
 The French translator, " vous n'y r^ussirez pas, tant que durera leur ardeur a 
 construire leurs triremes." 
 
 '' Alluding to the public treasure which was kept in the back part of the temple 
 of Minerva Polias at Athens, (see the note on the Plutus, v. 1269.) 
 
 ' The public servants at Athens, the apparitors of the magistrates, olro?6rai, of 
 whom frequent mention is made in these plays, (see particularly the Thesmophuriazusie, 
 v. 1000, etc.) were barbarians and foreigners, chiefly from Scythia, hence denomi- 
 nated 'S.KvBai, (as in v. 450, below). Lysistrata here facetiously addresses the 
 maid-servant as if she were a minister of the female council, ^KvOaiva. Thus in 
 the Ecclesiaz. (713.) Kt]pvKaiva denotes a woman herald. (Bruuck.) 
 
 ™ Alluding probably to the adjuration mentioned in ^schylus (vii. ad Theb. v. 
 42.), where the Argive chieftains kill a bull and swear by its blood poured into a 
 shield with a black rim. The solemn nature of this oath contrasted with the levity 
 of that proposed by Lysistrata, must have had a highly ludicrous effect, and been 
 much relished by an Athenian audience. Brunck compares the Acharuians (558.) 
 ■KapdQig vi'v vitTiav avrijg ep,oi.
 
 190—200.] THE LYSISTRATA. 71 
 
 Lys. What then can be our oath ? 
 
 Myr. If from some place 
 
 We take a white horse and dissect the victim. 
 Lys. Wherefore a white horse ? 
 Myr. But how shall we swear ? 
 
 Lys. By Jupiter, I'll tell you, if you wish. 
 
 Turning a large black chalice upside down. 
 
 We'll make libation from a pitcher full 
 
 Of Thasian wine, and swear to pour no water 210 
 
 Into the cup. 
 Lam. Ah ! what an oath ! how much 
 
 I praise it, is not to be told. Let some one 
 
 Bring from within a goblet and a pitcher. 
 
 [ They are brought from all sides. 
 Lys. Oh dearest women, what a crowd of vessels ! 
 
 Whoever seizes this may well rejoice. 
 
 Deposit this, and take the victim boar. 
 
 O queen persuasion, and thou, friendly cup. 
 
 Receive the sacrifices in a mood 
 
 Propitious to the women. 
 Myr. Of good colour 
 
 The blood, and whizzes finely out. 
 Lam. And smells 220 
 
 Sweetly, by Castor. 
 Lys. Suffer me, O women, 
 
 To swear the first. 
 Myr. Not so, by Aphrodite, 
 
 At least unless you should by lot obtain it. ' [^ 
 
 * * * * 
 
 [30 lines omitted.'\ 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Lam. What shout is this ? 
 
 Lys. 'Tis what I warn'd you of, 
 
 For now the goddess' Acropolis 
 Has by the female band been occupied. 
 But thou, O Lampito, retreat, and place 
 All your affairs in order, leaving these 
 As pledges here with us : and we can fasten 
 The bolts with th' others in the citadel. 260
 
 72 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Myr. And think you not that presently our husbands 
 
 Will come with aid against us ? 
 Lys. Them I hold 
 
 In small account — for they will not possess, 
 
 When they arrive, so many threats and fire 
 
 As to unbar these gates, save on the terms 
 
 Declar'd by us. 
 Myr. Never, by Aphrodite — 
 
 For otherwise we women should in vain 
 
 Be call'd unwarlike and detestable. [Exeunt. 
 
 ACT II. SCENE 1. 
 
 Chorus of Old Men, in two divisions. 
 
 Cho. Advance with slow step, Draces, tho' thy shoulder 
 
 Grieve at the burden of this oli^ trunk". 270 
 
 S.-C. Truly, there are in life's long course, alas! 
 
 1. Full many things unhop'd for — since who could, 
 O Strymodorus, e'er have thought to hear 
 That women, whom we have been nourishing, 
 A clear domestic plague, should seize upon 
 The sacred image and my citadel. 
 With bolts and bars fastening the propylaea. 
 
 S.-C. But let us, O Philargus, in all haste 
 
 2. Go to the citadel, that having plac'd 
 These roots in circular array about them, 280 
 As many as establish'd and took part 
 In this affair, rearing a single pyre, 
 
 LWi th our own hands we may ignite them all 
 By one decree, and first the wife of Lycon" — 
 For not, by Ceres, while I live, shall they 
 
 " With this line, which should undoubtedly be read after Brunck, KopfiovQ to- 
 ffovTovi (ic'ipoc ;^\wjoae (pipcov t\da£, although against the opinion of Invernizius, 
 compare Euripides, Hercules Furens, v. 240 — 
 
 vXovpyovg Spvbg 
 
 Kopjitoi'e 
 
 Named, according to the Scholiast, the Rhodian. The mother of Autolycus, 
 and a woman of base character.
 
 _nejer erected in Tetraptolis'^. 
 But this remainder^flfiy'wayls steep 
 
 27*0—310.] THE LYSISTRATA. 73 
 
 Gape open-moutli'd upon us, since nor he, 
 
 Cleomenes, who occupied it first, 
 
 Escap'd untouch'd, but, breathing still with rage 
 
 LaconianP, having given the arms to me, 
 
 Departed with his very little cloak, 290 
 
 Sordid, unclean, unkempt, six years unwash'd. 
 
 Thus I besieg'd, while sleeping at the gates. 
 
 That man, with his array of sixteen spears — 
 
 And shall my presence not restrain these women, 
 
 Foes to Euripides and all the gods, 
 
 From such great daring ?-Jua X-my trophy theii7 
 
 That to the wish'd-for citadel conducts ; 
 
 And we must draw this load without an ass. 300 
 
 Since these two wooden weights oppress my shoulder, 
 
 Still must we travel on and blow the flame, 
 
 Lest, on arriving at my journey's end, 
 
 Th' extinguished fire escape my observation. 
 
 Fough, what a smoke!— O sovereign Hercules, 
 
 How, rising from the dish like a mad dog. 
 
 It bites the eyes ! Sure, 'tis the Lemnian fire"", 
 
 Or nevor had itsjteeth thus gall'd my rheum. 
 
 Haste to the citadel, and aid the goddess ; 
 
 For when shall we assist her more than now, 310 
 
 O Laches? — fough, fough, out upon the smoke! 
 
 P AaKMviKov irvttov. This emphatic description of the fierce Lacedemonian 
 general, Cleomenes, who first possessed himself of the citadel of Athens and after- 
 wards of Eleusis, may either mean breathing violence, or, more probably, having a 
 mind attached to Laconian political sentiments — laxvphv y ra AaKwi'u)v <ppovoiv 
 (Schol.) So in the Birds (v. 1281.) tXaKuivondvovv uiravTiQ dvOpujTroi. Tore' 
 compare also the Wasps (v. 473, etc.) ^vvwj/ Bpaffid^. 
 
 1 This is a plain allusion to the glorious victory at INIarathon ; see the Scholiast, 
 and Rlusgravc's note on the Heraclida; of Euripides (v. 81.) Tetrapolis, or Tetrap- 
 tolis, was a region of Attica, containing the four cities (Enoe, Probalathus, Tri- 
 corinthus or Tricorytlius, and Marathon. 
 
 "■ Of the several explanations given of this expression tlie most natural appears 
 to be that whicli supposes it to allude to tlie forges and furnaces of \ulcan iu the 
 islanJ^oLXeninos (hodie Stalimene i[. d., tf ri)v Aijuvov), reduced by Miltiades 
 under the power of Alliens ; or it may simply denote a very fierce fire — uvtI tov 
 TTc'ivv ytwiiiov (Schol.)
 
 74 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii. Sc. ii. 
 
 'Tis thro' the gods this fire awakes and Hves. 
 Why not, then, having first laid down the beams, 
 1^ / And plytg-d within thiLJiilJ^iJJ^xi"^ t^wj^J^jrhj 
 V' V^ Light it, flipn l>;irst tfae door witli^ ram-hke force ? 
 ^ And if the wo men loosen no tjthe bolts 
 
 At our command, then must we burn the doors, 
 And overwhelm them with the fumigation. 
 Now lay we down the load — fie, what strange smoke ! 
 Which of the Samian generals will assist 320 
 
 To bear our woody burdens*? they now cease 
 Oppressing my back-biuje : but 'tis thine joffice 
 — o *C?"° wake the cojil,rO jar— and thou shalt bring me 
 ^ iJ^ith all celerity a lighted torch. 
 C, Q u e eimc foryxTTS s'ist — anHTet us raise 
 ^ A trophy o'er the present hardiness, 
 That marks these women in the citadel. 
 C.W. I seem, O women, to see soot and smoke. 
 
 As of fire burning — we must hasten quickly. 
 S.-C. 1. Fly, fly, NicodiceS ere yet ^-^ 330 
 
 The flame to Calyce be set ; ^ "^ 
 
 Ere round Critylla's head the fire. 
 Blown by indignant laws, aspire. 
 And the old men's destructive ire. J \ 
 S.-C. 'Tis this I fear.— Am I a tardy aider ? / \ 
 2. For at the dawn of day I went to fill ■?! 
 
 My pitcher at the fountain, labouring hard ^ 
 With crowd and tumult, rattling jars, and slaves-,^^ 
 Jostling, and by the flagi-ant scourge impress'd, "I 
 I seize the urn, and bear my watery aid ^ a> 340 
 
 To the ignited women of my tribe ; ^ ^ 
 
 ' This, according to the Scholiast, appealing to Didymus and Carterus, is a 
 satirical allusion to the treachery of Phrynicus, son of Stratonides, who, in the 
 twenty-first year of the war, headed the conspiracy in the army at Samos, offered 
 to put all the forces into the hands of Astyochus, and was assassinated soon after 
 the appointment of Thrasybulus and Thrasyllus to the command, upon the re- 
 establishment of democracy (see Thucydides, book viii. c. 51 — 92.) 
 
 ' Nicodice and Critylla are the names of women shut up in the citadel. The latter 
 is also mentioned, with Theone the wife of Proteus, in the Thesmophoriazusae (vv. 
 897, 8.) 
 
 A
 
 320—360.] THE LYSISTRATA. 75 
 
 ^or I have heard that old disdainfid men, 
 ^ J Laden with logs, as if to heat a bath, 
 
 Three talents' weight, went towards the citadel. 
 Threatening most dreadfully that they with fire 
 ^'h' accursed race of women must destroy. 
 Whom never may I see consum'd, O goddess, 
 But saving Hellas with her citizens 
 From war and all its desolating furies ; 
 
 For this thy seats have they possess'd, 350 
 
 O goddess of the golden crest ; 
 
 Thee I invoke, celestial maid, 
 
 Born near Tritonis' lake, to aid 
 
 This town, should any man's rash hand 
 
 Attempt to fire our female band — 
 Jointly by us be the full stream convey'd. 
 
 SCENE n. 
 
 Stratyllus, Chorus o/'Old Men, andofOhT> Women. 
 
 Str. Cease ho '.—what tumult's this, O wicked wretcHeT 
 
 For good and pious men had ne'er thus acted. 
 C. M. This deed comes unexpected to our sight. 
 
 The female swarm is aiding at the doors. 360 
 
 C.W. Why fear ye us ? — think you that we are many ? 
 
 And yetiye see not out ten thousandth part. 
 CM. O Phagdria, shall we suffer them to prate so? 
 
 Must not one beat them till he break his staff? 
 C.W. Let us, too, place our pitchers on the ground, 
 
 That if a man against us lift his hand 
 
 These may be no impediment. 
 C. M. By Jove, 
 
 Had any one struck their jaws twice or thrice, 
 
 Like Bupalus', they would have had no voice". 
 
 » i. e. if any one had threatened to treat them as Hipponax beliaved to IJupalusj 
 compare Horace, Epod. vi. 14. — 
 
 Qualis Lycaniba^. spretus infido gener, 
 Aut acer liostis liupalo. 
 
 On which passage Doering observes— " qualis iram suam efl'udit IJipponax in
 
 76 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii, Sc. ii. 
 
 C.W.Lo, here I stand — let any one assault me, 370 
 
 I'll show myself such that no other dog 
 an ever seize you. 
 C. M. If you wont be silent. 
 
 In killing you I'll pound my age to grains. 
 C.W. Come, and but touch Stratyllis with a finger. 
 CM. And what if I should maul her with my fists? 
 
 What dreadful evil wilt thou do to me ? 
 W. I'll bite thy lungs, and tear thine entrails out. 
 
 There is no poet than Euripides 
 
 More wise, for there's no animal so shameless 
 
 As woman. 
 C.W. '- Let us, O Rhodippe, take 380 
 
 Our water-pitcher. 
 C. M. But on what account, 
 
 O hated by the gods, art thou come hither, 
 
 Bearing the water ? 
 C.W. And why thou the fire, 
 
 O neighbour to the tomb", as if about 
 
 T' ignite thyself? 
 CM. I, having reai-'d a pile, 
 
 Would set thy friends on fire. 
 C.W. And I would quench 
 
 Thy flame with this. 
 CM. Wilt thou my fire extinguish? 
 
 C.W. The deed will quickly show you this. 
 ^.M. I know not 
 
 Whether to burn them with this lamp I hold. 
 C.W. If thou by chance art filthy, I will give 390 
 
 A bath. 
 
 Bupalum, quod is cum Anthermo Hipponactis imaginem foedltate insignem, deri- 
 dendam circulis exposuerat (Plin. xxxvi. 5.) uterque autem Poeta, Archilochus 
 quidem Lycamben, Hipponax vero Bupalum et Anthermum, iamborum suorum 
 acerbitate ad restim redigisse dicuntur," 
 
 " w Tvulit. So Euripides (Med. 1209.) rbi' y'spovra rvfifiov' which the Scholiast 
 explains as I have translated this passage — 
 
 TOP ttXijctiov Qavc'iTov ovTa. 
 The French Translator renders the words very strangely — " vieil echapp^ de 
 I'Achtron." Compare the Ecclesiazusaj (v. 905.), tw Gavdriij fieXtjfia' addressed 
 by a youth to an old woman. Brunck's translation is " senex Acheruntice."
 
 370—400] THE LYSISTRATA. 
 
 CM. To me a bath, O dirty wretch ? 
 
 C.W. And that a nuptial one. 
 
 CM. Hear you her boldness ? 
 
 C.W. It is that I am free. 
 
 CM. I will restrain 
 
 Thy present noise. 
 C.W. But thou wilt be no more 
 
 A Heliastic judge. 
 CM. Ignite her hair. 
 
 C.W. O Achelous, do thy work. 
 CM. O me 
 
 Unhappy ! 
 C.W. Was it warm ? 
 
 CM. How, warm ? wilt thou 
 
 Not cease ? what art thou doing ? 
 rt.W. Watering thee, VT' 
 
 ^ That thou may'st spring again. ./ f 
 
 CM. But I am now ^ 
 
 All dry and trembling. — -, -\- 
 
 C.W. Then, since thou hast fire, 400 \"~~~^ 
 
 It will be in thy power to warm thyself. 
 
 Enter a Magistrate. 
 
 Mag. Hath then the women's wantonness shone out — 
 Frequent drum-beatings and Sabazian rites ^; 
 And on the roofs this weeping for Adonis, 
 Which I so late in the assembly heard ? 
 Demostratus'' (ill-fated may he perish !) 
 
 y xw rvfiTravKTube x"' ttvkvoI 2a/3«stoi. That is, according to the Sclioliast, 
 the orgies of 1 'acchus, ot opyiaerfioi rov Srt/3a^(ov so called from (rafiuZtii', synony- 
 mous with £('«i^tii', (() slioitt, as was customary in the rites of this god. The neepiiif; 
 for Adonis, mentioned in the next line, (J ASwviaff^bc) will remind the reader of the 
 spectacle beheld by Kzekiel in the chambers of imagery, (chap. viii. 14.) women 
 weeping for Tammuz, i. e. Adonis (see the \'ulgate, and Theodotian in V. ].. ap. LXX. 
 ed. Bos.) 
 
 wlien by the vision led 
 
 His eye survey'd llie dark idolatries 
 Of alienated Judah. — (Milton, P. L. book i.) 
 * This general was of the opposite party to Nicias, the great friend to Aristo-
 
 78 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii. Sc. ii. 
 
 Advis'd the armament 'gainst Sicily ; 
 But his wife, dancing, cries — "Ah! for Adonis!" 
 Demostratus advis'd us to enrol 
 
 The heavy-arm'd Zacynthian^ soldiery ; 410 
 
 ^ But his inebriate wife upon the roof 
 
 ■"^^^old them to<.beat thdjL bosoms for Adonis ; 
 While the god's hate, that wretch Cholozyges, 
 Was forc'd to raise his voice to a high strain, 
 Sojoud^nd soinclecent were their songs. 
 
 CM. And what, if you should hear their insolence? 
 
 Who with their tongues revile, and from their pitchers 
 Bathe us with such a stream, that we may shake 
 Our reeking clothes, as if we'd jwet ourselves. 
 
 Mag. I swear, by Neptune, the marine, 'tis just** : 420 
 
 For when ourselves ijT_evi]. courses join 
 With women, and in luxury instruct them, 
 Counsels like these spring from them — then we speak 
 After this fashion in the workmen's shops — 
 " Goldsmith, that necklace, which thou hast prepar'd, 
 As my wife frolick'd in the evening dance, 
 An acorn from its setting fell — for me, 
 I am obliged to sail for Salamis ; 
 But, if thou art at leisure, by all means 
 ~^-- — At even come to her and reset the nut." 430 
 
 Another to a shoemaker will say, 
 Whose youth with more than boyish vigour glows — 
 " O shoemaker, my wife's shoe-latchet pinches 
 
 phanes, and proposed the sailing of the expedition to Sicily on the very day in 
 which the Athenian women were celebrating the funeral rites of Adonis, which 
 was regarded as ominous of ill success (see Plutarch in his life of Nicias, who, as 
 Palmer observes, throws great light on this passage.) The phrase 6 fii) aipaiai is 
 very elliptical, and occurs again with some variation at v. 1037. dWd firj (opaq 
 ikoktO'. — The Scholiast says that Demostratus, or, as he erroneously calls him, 
 Philostratus, was called Bov?iiy»;e, and on account of his melancholy disposition 
 Aristophanes gives him the sobriquet of XoXoKvyiS- 
 
 =» Troops from the island of Zacynthus, now Zante, in alliance with the Athenians 
 (Schol.) 
 
 •* N») Tov JloaeiSio rbv dXvKov. This epithet of Neptune the Scholiast inter- 
 prets Tov QaKaaawv, and says that some suppose it to be derived from Halyx, a 
 city of Peloponnesus, where Neptune was particularly worshipped. The Ravenna 
 Codex here reads aXvKCj, which Invernizius rightly rejects.
 
 410—460.] THE LYSISTRATA. 79 
 
 Her little toe, it is so delicate — 
 
 Then come thou at mid-day and loosen it, 
 
 That it may fit more widely." Such result 
 
 Have I encounter'd from these accidents. 
 
 I being then a senator, whose care 
 
 Is to supply the rowers with provision*^; 
 
 Now, when there is necessity for money, 440 
 
 Am by the women shut out from the gates. 
 
 But there's no profit in this standing still — 
 
 Bring bars, that I may curb their insolence. 
 
 Why gapest thou, O wretch ? engag'd in nought, 
 
 But, turning toward the liquor-shop thine eyes ? 
 
 Will you not place your bars beneath the gates, 
 
 And heave them up ; on this side I'll heave with you. 
 Lys. Stir nothing with your levers — for I come 
 
 Out of my own accord : what need of bars ? 
 
 They are not wanted more than mind and judgment. 
 Mag. Is't true, O thou accursed? — where's the lictor? 451 
 
 Seize her, and bind her hands behind her back. 
 Lys. Nay, by Diana, if his hand but graze me, 
 
 Although a public servant, he shall rue it. 
 Mag. Art thou afraid ? will you not by the middle 
 
 Seize her, and with his aid completely bind ? 
 Str. I swear, by Pandrosos, if thou but lay 
 
 A hand upon this woman, thou shalt walk 
 
 In unclean terror. 
 Mag. See thine unclean terror! 
 
 Where is another archer ? Bind her first ; 4G0 
 
 For she too is a prater. 
 Lys. If to her 
 
 Thou but apply a finger's point, I swear, 
 
 By the light-bearing goddess, thou shalt soon 
 
 Ask for a cupping-glass*^. 
 
 <= The duty of supplying the naval forces with their provision and equipments 
 devolved upon the trierarchs, and was denominated rp(»/f)rtp;;^f7i'' but the rebellious 
 women now occupying the citadel, that duty was of necessity abandoned : 7rpo/3oii\oe 
 properly denotes a magistrate chosen in times of peculiar emergency, at first twenty 
 in number, and after the disastrous expedition into Sicily more were appointed. 
 
 <• KvaQov aiTt'icreig raxv. INIeaning to say that she would so beat him with her
 
 80 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii. Sc. ii. 
 
 Mag. What is all this ? 
 
 Seize on this woman — I will stop the exit 
 
 'Gainst any one of you. 
 Str. If you approach her, 
 
 I swear, by Tauric Dian, to pluck out 
 
 Thy hairs, and cause thee bitter lamentation. 
 Mag. Oh wretched me ! deserted by the archer. — 
 
 But we by no means should submit to women. 470 
 
 Let's go together in array against them, 
 
 O Scythians. 
 Lys. By the goddesses, ye then 
 
 Shall know that on our side four female bands 
 
 Are rang'd within all arm'd. 
 Mag. Turn back their hands, 
 
 O Scythians. 
 Lys. Allied women, hither haste, 
 
 Ye that sell seeds, eggs, potherbs, in the market*. 
 
 Ye tavern-keepers, bread and garlic venders, 
 
 Will ye not drag, nor strike, nor drive them off? 
 
 Nor load them with reproaches and disgrace ? 
 
 Leave off, retreat, despoil them not. 
 Mag. Ah me, 480 
 
 How badly has my archery succeeded ! 
 Lys. But what was in thy thoughts ? — didst thou imagine 
 
 That they were certain female slaves, 'gainst whom 
 
 Thou earnest, or that women have no gall? 
 Mag. Much, by Apollo, if a vintner's near^ 
 
 fists to the detriment of his eyes, as to render the application of a cupping-glass 
 necessary in order to reduce the swelling occasioned by the blows. So in the 
 Peace, v. 533, 4. — 
 
 vTTMiriacriievai 
 avaXdvaaai Kai KvdOovg 7rpo(7Keifi£vai, 
 
 « This and the next line are composed each of a word of thirteen syllables, headed 
 by Co' 
 
 w (TTTspiJ.ayopaioX.tKiOoXaxavo'rrioXiSeg' 
 w GKopoSoiravSoKtvrpiapToirwXideg. 
 The former of these, as Fl. Christianas intimates, appears to glance at the mother 
 of Euripides, who was a dealer in potherbs. 
 
 f A satirical reflection upon the vinolent propensity of the Athenian females, 
 who, if a vintner were at hand, would not fail to turn aside, and, when in liquor, to 
 commence a drunken brawl. (Brunck.)
 
 470—510.] THE LYSISTRATA. 81 
 
 CM. How many words thou spend'st in vain, O thou this 
 land's inspector ! 
 Why on this parley enter now, with beasts like these 
 
 to hector ? 
 Hast thou forgotten in what bath they gave thy clothes 
 
 lavation, 
 And that without lixivium's aid, to cleanse them by 
 purgation ? 
 C.W. It is not right, O wretch, to lay a hand upon thy neigh- 
 bours ; 490 
 For if thou do be sure our hand thy swollen eye be- 
 labours : 
 Since like a virgin would I sit in quiet meditation, 
 Not causing any one to grieve, no straw to quit its sta- 
 tion. 
 Provided none, like nests of wasps, shall give me pro- 
 vocation. 
 CM. O Jove, to what shall we apply 
 Or use this monstrous progeny ? 
 For these are deeds that may not be endur'd ; 
 But let us with united skill 
 Explore the secret of their will, 
 That has thy city, Cranaus, secur'd, 500 
 The sacred grove, and tower rear'd on her pathless hill. 
 But ask, nor be persuaded easily, 
 Bringing forth all thy reasons : since 'twere base 
 To suffer such a deed to pass unprov'd. 
 Mag. This first I wish, by Jove, to hear from them, 
 
 With what design clos'd you, and barr'd yourselves 
 Within our citadel ? 
 Lys. That we might keep 
 
 The public money safe — nor ye fight for it. 
 Mag. Fight we then for the money ? 
 Lys. Yes, and all 
 
 Besides has been confounded; for Pisander^, 510 
 
 8 According to the Scholiast, PisanJer was set over the republic at Athens, to- 
 gether withTheramenes and Phrynichus, and re-established the aristocratical govern- 
 ment of four hundred tyrants, after the dissolution of the democracy, and removal 
 VOL. II. G
 
 82 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii. Sc. ir. 
 
 And the aspirants after offices, 
 
 That they might have wherewith to peculate, 
 
 Were always stirring up some cry of war ; 
 
 Then let them do whatever they desire ; 
 
 For never shall they take away this treasure. 
 Mag. But what wilt thou do ? 
 Lys. Ask'st me this ? ourselves 
 
 Will be its treasurers. 
 Mag. You guard the money ? 
 
 Lys. What thinkest thou so marvellous in this ? 
 
 For are we not your wealth's domestic stewards ? 
 Mag. But they are not the same. 
 
 Lys. How not the same? 520 
 
 Mag. We must defray the war's expense from this. 
 -Lys. But first, there is no need to fight at all. 
 Mag. How otherwise shall we exist in safety ? 
 Lys. We will be your protection. 
 Mag. You ? 
 
 Lys. Yes, we. 
 
 Mag. That_were unworthy. 
 Lys. Thus shall you be sav'd. 
 
 Although you wish it not. 
 Mag. a dreadful word ! 
 
 Lys. Thou art enrag'd — still this must you effect. 
 Mag. Unjust, by Ceres. 
 
 Lys. Friend, we must be safe. 
 
 Mag. Although I wish it not? 
 Lys. On that account 
 
 So much the more. 
 Mag. But whence this care of yours 530 
 
 For war and peace ? 
 Lys. We will declare it to you. 
 
 Mag. Speak quickly then, that thou may'st not lament. 
 Lys. Therefore attend, and strive to keep your hands off". 
 Mag. But I'm not able, since 'tis difficult 
 For anger to restrain them. 
 
 of Phrynichus and Scironides from their command (Thucyd. viii. 54.) He was 
 at length killed by Conon in a naval engagement, B. C. 394.
 
 520— 5G0.] THE LYSISTRATA. S3 
 
 Lys. Then shalt thou 
 
 So much the more lament. 
 
 Mag. Croak to yourself, 
 
 Thou ancient hag, and speak to me. 
 
 Lys. I'll do't. 
 
 We in the former war and time have borne, 
 With our accustom'd modesty, whate'er 
 You men incline to do — not suffering us 540 
 
 To mutter, which alone displeases us. 
 But well we understood you — and ofttimes, 
 Being within, have heard that you were plotting 
 Some mighty deed against us — then possess'd 
 By inward grief, but with a smiling brow. 
 We ask'd you what relating to the treaties 
 Have you this day determin'd to inscribe 
 Upon the pillar, 'mid th' assembled people? 
 "And how does this concern you?" says some man — 
 " Will you not hold your peace ?" Then I was silent. 
 
 WoM.But ne'er would I have been so. 
 
 Mag. Thou hadst rued it, 551 
 
 If thou hadst not been silent, 
 
 Lys. For that reason 
 
 I held my tongue at home : then having heard 
 Some more pernicious counsel on your parts. 
 We would demand—" O husband, wherefore act 
 So foolishly ?" but he, with look askance 
 Having survey'd me, straight replied — " Unless 
 You weave the warp, long will thy head lament it — 
 But war shall be the care of men." 
 
 Mag. By Jove, 
 
 He spoke this rightly. 
 
 Lys. Rightly? how, O wretch, 560 
 
 If we have not the license to advise 
 Whenever you deliberate amiss ? 
 But when we heard you plainly in the streets 
 Declare, *' By Jove, there is no other man 
 Now in the state," th' assembled women thouefht 
 Greece by a common effort to preserve. 
 For wherefore should we any longer wait ? 
 
 g2
 
 84 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii. Sc. ii. 
 
 If then you'd listen to us in your turn, 
 And, listening to our words of useful import, 
 Be silent like ourselves, we would erect 570 
 
 Your former state again. ^ -^ 
 
 Mag. Restore us? ye? TT 
 
 Thou speak'st a strange thing, and, to me at least, ^-j 
 Not to be borne. / \ 
 
 Lys. Silence ! 
 
 Mag. Shall I be silent 
 
 For thee, who bearest on thy head a veiP? 
 Sooner would I not live. 
 Lys. But if this be 
 
 A hind'rance to thee, take and bind it round 
 Thy head, and then be silent, and this basket ; 
 Then gird thyself, card wool, and feed on beans' ; 
 But war shall henceforth be the women's care. 
 C.W. Retreat, O women, from your pitchers, that 580 
 
 We also may in turn assist our friends ; 
 Since I with dancing never should be tir'd, 
 Nor would fatigue my pliant knees assail. 
 Our courage prompts us always to go on, 
 With those who are possess'd of native grace, 
 Boldness, and wisdom, patriotic lore, 
 With prudence join'd : but oh, thou progeny 
 Of most courageous mothers, sharp as nettles. 
 Go with an ardent unrelenting mind, 
 For still with favouring gale ye run your course. 590 
 Lys. But if sweet-minded Love and Aphrodite, 
 
 The Cyprian queen, throughout your frame breathe love, 
 
 * * # * # 
 
 ***** 
 
 •' In this small dialogue Lysistrata advises the magistrate to take the veil from 
 her head and place it on his ovi'n, that it may be no impediment to her free speech. 
 
 ' Kara ^aivtiv (rv^wadfitvoQ, 
 KvaiiovQ Tpu}ywi>. 
 These last words probably allude to the forensic disposition of the Athenians, and 
 their love of judicial condemnations — avri rov StKu^eiv (Schol.) So in the 
 Knights (v. 41, 2.), Demosthenes distinguishes them by the epithets Kvaixorpw^, 
 Afjfiog HvKvirrjc.
 
 
 570—610.] THE LYSISTRATA. 85 
 
 I think that we hereafter shall be call'd 
 
 Lysimachge among the Greeks''. 
 Mag. For what 
 
 Achievement? 
 Lys. If we hinder them %vith arms 
 
 From traversing in furious mood the forum. 
 WoM.'Tis so, by Paphian Venus, for they now 
 
 Traverse all arm'd the herb and pitcher market, 600 
 
 Like Corybantes'. 
 Mag. True, by Jupiter ; 
 
 For this becomes brave men. 
 Lys. And yet it is 
 
 A thing ridiculous, that any one 
 
 Arm'd with a shield and gorgon should buy groundlings 
 WoM.By Jove, I've seen a phylarch with long hair 
 
 On horseback throw into his brazen casque 
 
 An egg which he had stolen from an old woman ; 
 
 While he from Thrace, shaking his dart and buckler 
 
 Like any Tereus, frighten'd the fig-seller", 
 
 And swallow'd the ripe fruit. 
 Mag. But how shall ye 610 
 
 Have power to stop the much-distracted course 
 
 Of things, and to dissolve them in our coasts? 
 Lys. Full easily. 
 
 Mag. How ? show us. 
 
 Lys. As when thread 
 
 ^ Namely, as having put an end to the war — pugnarum diribitrices (Bergler) ; 
 compare the Peace, v. 957. 
 
 ' This name is also significant of war, being derived from (copi/g, a helmet (Berg.) 
 The following chorus of women, especially the concluding part of it, which begins 
 iOiXo) S' em Trav ikvai fitra tuvS' 
 
 ivi <pi'i(TtQ, tin xapig, k. t. X., 
 
 contains an eloquent enumeration of the (jualities which are essential to the com- 
 position of a warlike character. 
 
 " orav affTTiS' txojv Kai Topyova Tig k^t wvjjrat KopaKivovg. See the note 
 on the gorgon shield of Lamachus (Achar. v. 54.): KopciKlvog denotes either a 
 young raven or a fish of small account brought from the Hlack Sea. 
 
 " The shield called tteXtu was particularly borne by the Thracians, of whom 
 Tereus was king. On the word Spvireiriig Fl. Chris, remarks, that under the name 
 ^pvbg is understood every kind of fruit, as well as tree.
 
 86 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii. Sc. it. 
 
 Be tangled in the spinning, thus we seize, 
 And drag it on the spindles here and there; 
 Thus will we end this warfare, if permitted, 
 Drawing it different ways thro' embassies. 
 
 Mag. Think you, O foolish women, that from wool, 
 
 Spun thread, and spindles, ye can make to cease 
 This dreadful state of things ? 
 \ Lys. If any sense 620 
 
 Were in you, ye had manag'd all affairs 
 As we our wool, 
 
 Mag. How so ? Give me to know it. 
 
 Lys. You ought at first, as in the bath we lave 
 
 The fleece, that we may cleanse it from its dirt. 
 
 With rods to drive bad subjects from the city. 
 
 And gather out the thistles ; as for those 
 
 Who mutually cohere and press each other 
 
 To gain the magistracies, we must card them, 
 
 And cleanse the heads from filth ; then in a basket 
 
 Throw all, and comb them for the common good, 630 
 
 Mingling the foreigners, your friends, and strangers"; 
 
 And if there be a public creditor, 
 
 To mix them altogether in the mass. 
 
 The cities, too, by Jove, which from this land 
 
 Are colonis'd, you must regard as wool 
 
 That lies in separate locks : then from all these 
 
 Collect one mighty ball, and weave thereof 
 
 A tunic for the crowd. 
 
 Mag. Is't not then strange 
 
 That they affairs like these sift and involve. 
 Who take no part whatever in the war? 640 
 
 f Lys. And yet, O all detestable, we bear 
 
 More than a double charge therein, who first 
 ( Gave birth to sons, and sent them forth to war. 
 
 Mag. Keep silence, nor remind us of our woes. 
 
 ° Kara/xiyvvvTag tovq ts jxeto'ikovq. The /xsrotKot were such as left one city 
 of Attica to settle in another, and paid annually a sum of twelve drachmas (about 
 eight shillings of our money), which was called to fiiTo'iKiov a tribute which was 
 also paid by manumitted slaves. O^ these juetoikoi our author speaks very con- 
 temptuously in the Acharniaiis (v. 482.), calling them the townsmen s chaff.
 
 620-660.] THE LYSISTRATA. 87 
 
 Lys. Tlieiij too, when in oui- youth we may rejoice, 
 The wars compel us to pass widow'd nights ; 
 And passing by ourselves, yet for the damsels 
 Who grow old in their chambers am I grieved. 
 
 Mag. Grow men not old as well ? 
 
 Lys. By Jupiter, 
 
 The thing thou speakest of is not the same ; 650 
 
 For the returning soldier, tho' he be 
 
 Grey-headed, soon espouses a young girl. 
 
 But short's the woman's opportunity, 
 
 And if she seize not this no one is willing 
 
 To wed her, but she sits watching her fate"*. 
 
 Mag. But he who still can act a manly part — 
 
 Lys. Then wherefore diest thou not ? since it is 
 To purchase thee a coffin : and thy cake 
 Of honey I will knead. 
 
 W. 4. Here, take this crown. 
 
 And gird thee with it. 
 
 W. I. These receive from me. 660 
 
 W. 2. Take, too, this chaplet. 
 
 Lys. Where's the need? what seek'st thou? 
 
 Go to the vessel, Charon summons thee, 
 And thou delay' st his launch into the deep. 
 
 Mag. Is it not dreadful that I suffer thus ? 
 
 Nay, but, by Jove, I to the magistrates 
 \A'ill show myself, accoutred as I am. 
 
 Lys. Blamest thou that we have not laid thee out ? 
 But early in the dawn of the third day 
 The three things requisite will come from US'". 
 
 '' oTTtvonevt] ci Ka6T]Taf i. e. speculating upon the probabilities of 
 
 her marriage — tlie Scholiast excellently says, dvTi rod kXv^ovi^ojuecj}, Trtpt ydfiov 
 XpijafioSov^iivi). The interpretation of the French translator appears very strange, 
 elle n'est bonne qit'a tirer des horoscopes, 
 
 'I That is, according to Fl. Christianus, ra Tpia rwi' itg ddruTov, because three 
 kinds of death were proposed to the condemned, viz. the sword, the rope, and hem- 
 lock, liergler proposes to read rci 9pia, a plebeian term, for h>Td<pia, the funeral 
 shroud. It is remarkable that Inverni/.ius should object to Brunck's harmonious 
 arrangement of the preceding line, dW tc rpiTtjv yoiii' ijfiipav (rot Trp/p ifdvv, 
 and give instead of it tiiis rugged senarius, dW ic Tpirtjv ri'iv ywi' y^iipav irpni
 
 88 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii. Sc. ir. 
 
 CM. No longer let him sleep, whoe'er is free. G70 
 
 But take we this affair in hand, O friends ; 
 For now methinks I smell more deeds and greater, 
 Chiefly the tyranny of Hippias. 
 And much I fear lest some of the Laconians, 
 Who came together here from Clisthenes, 
 Excite the women, hated by the gods, 
 To seize our wealth and pay, by which I liv'd. 
 'Tis strange that such as these should now advise 
 The citizens, and, women as they are. 
 Prate to the bi*azen spear ; with us besides 680 
 
 Treat of the peace between us and the men 
 Of Lacedasmon, whose fidelity 
 Vies with the gajjing wolf — but these designs 
 They weave, my friends, affecting sovereign power. 
 Yet over me they shall not tyrannise ; 
 Since I will be upon my guard, and bear 
 The sword, henceforth hid in a myrtle-branch, 
 And in the forum, near Aristogiton ■■, 
 Appear in arms — thus will I stand by him, 
 While he enables me to strike the cheek 690 
 
 Of this old woman, hated by the gods. 
 
 C.W.When thou returnest home not she who bore 
 Will recognise thee. — But, O dear companions. 
 First let us place these things upon the ground ; 
 For we, O all ye citizens, begin 
 A speech that is of service to the state — 
 And justly, too, for she hath nourish'd me 
 In splendid luxury : since from the age 
 
 TTCivv. The old reading irp^X is evidently corrupt, as in Attic writing this word is 
 never a dissyllable. The third day is named, as on that the supper of the dead was 
 laid out (Schol.) With this speech of Lysistrata, especially the words ovxi npov- 
 OtfiicjQa ffi, the French translator aptly conapares Persius Sat. iii. 103. 
 
 Hinc tuba, candelse ; tanderaque beatulus alto 
 Compositus lecto, etc. 
 
 as Fl. Christianus had done before him. 
 
 ' i. e. near the column erected in honour of this illustrious hero, whose memory 
 was so deservedly cherished by the Athenians.
 
 670—710.] THE LYSISTRATA. 89 
 
 Of seven I bore the sacred mysteries ^ 
 
 I was the grinder then* : at ten years old 700 
 
 I wore the flowing robe of saffron dye, 
 
 And, like a she-bear, queen Diana's victim, 
 
 Was one in the Brauronian ceremonies ", 
 
 And bore the mystic basket when I was 
 
 A full grown girl, wearing a chain of figs. 
 
 Ought I then to advise well for the state ? 
 
 Tho' I am born a woman, let not this 
 
 Excite your jealousy, if I bring counsel 
 
 The best of all for present circumstances. " " — " - 
 
 For in the common stock I have a share, 710 
 
 _ Since men I introduce — but no concern 
 In the sad aged citizens have you, 
 By whom the contribution by your fathers 
 Rais'd from the Median spoil, has been expended. 
 
 * tTTTa [lev tT>] ytyCJa 
 tvQvQ iipptjcpopovv. 
 The app7]^opia or ip(Tr]<popia denote those sacrifices which were carried by the 
 Athenian virgins in honour of Diana or Herse, the daughter of Cecrops, airb tov 
 appijTa (pepeiv, from bearing mysteries. Under the title of'Apprjfopoi Menander 
 wrote a comedy, of which Walpoie has given a short fragment (Com. Graic. Frag. 
 p. 32.) It appears from these passages that virgins of the most tender age were 
 employed in these sacred ministeries (see Thucyd. vi. 56.) 
 
 ' «(r' dXiTpi^ 1) (cn^Ti tov i'lfinv) vni'ipxov, as the Scholiast observes, who also 
 informs us that these dXtrpiStQ were noble virgins consecrated to the goddess, 
 whose office, like that of the itpol fivXHvec, it was to grind the cakes used in the 
 mysteries ; they were of noble birth, and the office was held in great honour : so 
 v. 1193. oworav Tt Gvydrtjp rifi KavTj(j>op!j. This further appears from the as- 
 sertion of the leader of the female chorus in the next line, that at ten years old she 
 wore a saffron robe (tov KpOKwTov), a distinction of high families among the 
 Greeks, as the hyaciiithina or ianlhiiui luna was with the Romans (see Persius Sat. 
 i. 32.) 
 
 " 'Apxny'tTi 
 
 KUTaxiovaa tov KpoKuiTou dpKTog 7] Bpaiipiovioig. 
 This alludes to the sacred rites established iu honour of Diana, performed by virgins 
 not younger than five nor older than ten years — who were said dpKTtvtiv or ^iku- 
 Ttvtiv — from the bear iipKTog. which was in a manner personated by one of the 
 virgins about to be married, in commemoration either of the tame animal of that 
 species, whose death by the brothers of a damsel whom he had killed provoked the 
 vengeance of the goddess, or from the bear substituted for Iphigenia about to be 
 sacrificed at Brauron, a town of Attica, as some affirm, instead of Aulis — (Bergler.) 
 The gloss of the Scholiast upon ' \pxi)y'tTi is ry CKywolvri ' ApTfjxdi.
 
 <fe. 
 
 90 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act ii. Sc. ii. 
 
 Nor bring you any tribute in its stead. 
 
 But we moreover are in jeopardy 
 
 Of ruin at your hands. — Should you then mutter ? 
 
 But if in aught you're troublesome to me, 
 
 I'll strike you on the cheek, with this hard buskin ". 
 C. M. Are not these things a mighty insolence ? 7^0 
 
 And yet methinks the affair will go on farther. 
 
 But 'tis the part of each well-furnish'd man, 
 
 The hazard to repel ; come, let us doff' 
 
 The tunic, since a man should scent of manhood. 
 
 But 'tis not fitting that he be envelop'd y. 
 Then come we in our ancient might, 
 
 j Such as when trod Lipsydrium's height 
 Our feet with wolf's-skin cover'd o'er ; 
 Now be we as we were before, 
 
 ' Let us our pristine youth resume, 730 
 
 Deck all our frame with vigorous plmne. 
 And shake this aged burden to the tomb. 
 For to these women e'er so small a handle 
 Should any of us give, they will lack nothing 
 Of handicraft assiduous; but will build 
 Vessels, and fit a hostile fleet against us, 
 
 " TtpSi y' d^piiKTiiJ TTciTci^io Tii) Ko96p7'({j Ttjv yvaOoi', This epithet here may be 
 considered synonymous with crKX/yp(p kcii anaXciKTqj, or it may denote soiled, un- 
 wiped, from a privative and i|/r;Ka>or xpaoj, detergeo — the latter interpretation appears 
 to be more suitable with a woman's buskin. (J. Seager, Palmer). 
 
 y ivTiOpiiocjOui. This word properly signifies, to be enveloped, as meats or other 
 eatables, in fig leaves, (Opid), The Scholiast interprets the word hy ivrervXixOcii, 
 iaKevdaOai, or more correctly tvtffKsvaaOai (Bergler). Lipsydrium, mentioned 
 in the next line but one, was a mountainous district of Attica, above mount Parnes, 
 named from the want of water, and fortified by the AlcmaEonida3 against the ty- 
 ranny of the descendants of Pisistratus. They were denominated XvKoiroSeQ, from 
 the whiteness of their feet, probably covered with thongs made of wolf's leather, or 
 from their shields bearing the insignia of a wolf — (Scholiast, confirmed by Photius, 
 ad verb. XuKoirooag, who refers at length to this passage.) The old coryphaeus of 
 the chorus, with characteristic senile recollection, here addresses his companions 
 as if they were formerly among the patriotic descendants of Alcma;on, and wishes to 
 arouse their dormant energies to resist an attempt on the part of the women, incited 
 by Lysistrata, to re-establish a tyranny as dangerous to the state asthat of Hippias. 
 Compare Anacreon, (Od. 31.5. ed. Barnes.) inaivtr 'AXkiicumv ti k<^ XiVKoiror'g 
 '0^t(Tr»;c. Eurip. Bacchae, 634. oiaTfioiai XtvKuv kwXui' f'irjKuvTKTav.
 
 720—750.] THE LYSISTRATA. 91 
 
 Like Artemisia^; but if they should turn 
 
 To horsemanship, I straight cashier the knights. 
 For woman is an animal that clinas 
 Most firmly to the horse ; nor when he runs 740 
 
 Would she roll off; — survey the Amazons, 
 Whom Micon painted in equestrian fight * 
 With men ; but it behov'd us to have seiz'd 
 And fitted all their necks to the bor'd wood. 
 C. W. Now, by the goddesses, if thou provoke me, 
 I will let loose the fury of my nature'', 
 And cause you, curried well, to call for aid 
 Upon your fellow tribesmen ; but let us 
 O women, likewise doff our female garb, 
 And show incontinent our sex's rage ". 750 
 
 Now let some one approach to me. 
 
 That garlick may no longer be 
 
 His food, nor beans of sable dye '' ; 
 
 And if thou but speak calumny, 
 
 (Since swelling bile inflames my heart) 
 
 I'll act the midwife beetle's part, 
 While thou, bereft, the eagle-mother art^ 
 WoM.I care not for you, while my Lampito 
 
 ^ Alluding to the statagem, quoted by Fl. Christianus from Vitruvius, by which 
 Artemisia, queen of Caria, eft'ected tiie capture of Ilhodes, by means of some lllio- 
 dian vessels which she had taken in her own port. 
 
 » This was the celebrated picture with which Micon, or as the Scholiast calls 
 him, Mecon, son -of Phranicus, an Athenian, adorned the pcEcile or picture gallery at 
 Athens. 'J'he true reading here, (ypaip' f(p' 'iTntLov, is much corrupted in several 
 of the editions, some giving 'iypa^ev, contrary to the metre, and others eypa^pe 
 (piXtTrTTii). 
 
 ^ Xvffio T))v iyLovTiiQ u}' tyoj ('j/. That is, all the native fierceness of my dispo- 
 sition — Ti'iv (pvffiv Xeyti, t))v dpyrjv (Schol.) 
 
 •^ wc av (i^wyitev yvifatKwv avroda^ wpyifffievii)v, i. e. Trapaxpij[ia or Trdvv, as 
 the Scholiast here interprets the word. IJrunck's version is ut oleamusfaminas 
 jtertinacUer iratas. 
 
 '' fiiiSk KvajiovQ fikXavac. That is, according to the interpretation of the Scho- 
 liast, that he may not any longer exercise the functions of a judge — 'iva /xi) SiKaay. 
 So Ucnios, the personification of the Athenian people, is called KvafioTpM^, (the 
 Kiiij^hts, v. 41.) on account of his fondness for litigation, especially for pro- 
 nouncing the sentence of judicial condemnation. 
 
 *•' Alluding to the fable of the beetle devouring liie eggs of the eagle. See the 
 Peace, (v. 129, etc.) where tiie same fable is referred to by Tryga-'us.
 
 92 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Siu'vives, and the dear noble Theban maid 
 
 Ismenia, for no power will e'er be thine, 760 
 
 Not if thou wert to publish seven decrees, 
 
 Who art, O wretch, hated by all mankind, 
 
 Even by thy neighbours : so that yesterday, 
 
 When I to Hecate was celebrating 
 
 The joyous feast, out of the vicinage 
 
 I call'd an honest maid, lov'd by the children. 
 
 An eel of the Boeotian lake ^, but they 
 
 Refus'd to send her, sway'd by thy decrees ; 
 
 And yet you will not cease from uttering them, 
 
 Ere some one seize thy legs and break thy neck. 770 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ACT in. SCENE I. 
 
 ■^ Chorus of Women, Lysistrata. 
 
 — J C.W.O leader of this deed and high design s, 
 
 Why with so sad a brow com'st from the house? 
 
 Lys. The coward women's deeds and female mind 
 Make me walk thus dejected up and down. 
 
 C.W. What say'st? — what say'st thou? 
 
 Lys. 'Tis the truth, the truth. 
 
 C.W. But what is this so sad? inform thy friends. 
 
 Lys. 'Tis base to speak and grievous to be silent. 
 
 C.W. The ill that we've endur'd now hide not from me. 
 \ f' Lys. To speak in brief, our passions conquer us. 
 #^- C.W. O JoveT— 
 
 Lys. Why call on Jove ? the thing is so 780 
 
 No longer from their consorts can I keep them — 
 For they desert — the first I apprehended 
 Cleansing the entrance where Pan's cavern lies ; 
 Another creeping by a windlass down, 
 
 f This is said in a sportive mood; Trapa Trpo(T^OKiav, (Scliol.) The emenda- 
 tion of Bisetus {ayaxriTr}v for Ka^TrrjT)))') adds much to the force of the passage. 
 
 e These lines are addressed, by the chorus of women, to Lysistrata, whom they 
 see coming from the citadel, with a dejected and sorrowful countenance, on account 
 of the failure of her design on the women. According to the Scholiast, the ques- 
 tion of the chorus is parodied from the Telephus of Euripides, (Fragment xv. ap. 
 Musgrave.)
 
 7C0— 800.] THE LYSISTRATA. 93 
 
 With serpent pace ; another who deserted, 
 And one whom meditating how to fly 
 Upon a sparrow to Orsilochus, 
 I yesterday dragg'd downwards by the hair : 
 
 ^i2iii^~ --^^5,^^'^? Jill ffiH^^^^^^ 
 ^'^°^9i» g_h2mg::::attdam of t hem now come s : 790 
 
 Enter a Woman. 
 
 Ho ! whither runnest thou ? 
 *» OM. I would go home, 
 
 For there my fleeces of Miletus are 
 
 Entirely eaten up by moths. 
 Lys. What moths ? 
 
 Wilt thou not turn back ? 
 ^^ OM. By the_^ddess.eg^ 
 
 But I will quickly come, soon as I spread 
 
 Upon the couch — 
 Lys. Spread not, nor go at all. 
 
 WoM.But shall I suffer that my fleeces perish ? 
 Lys. If it must be so. 
 
 Enter a second Woman. 
 
 *^ • '^^ Wretched, wretched me ! 
 
 For my fine linen which I've left at home 
 
 Unbark'd— 
 Lys. Here is another who comes out 800 
 
 For her fine linen which has not been bark'd. 
 W. 2. But by Diana, straight will I return 
 
 When I have bark'd it. 
 L^^' Do not, do not bark it. 
 
 For if thou should'st begin, another woman 
 
 Will wish to do the same. 
 
 ***** 
 
 [25 lines omitted. 1 
 
 But, () good friends, resist, and patiently 
 Sustain your woes, at least a little time— 

 
 94 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Since by an oracle it is declar'd 
 
 That we shall victors prove^ if no division. 
 
 PreTail"anrdng~us : this is the decree. 
 C.W. Tell us what it declares. 
 Lys. Be silent then. 
 
 Oracle. 
 
 h 
 
 " But soon as swallows in one place shall cower 
 Avoiding phallic rites and Epop's power ; 
 Evils will have a pause, and thundering Jove 
 All that was once beneath shall place above" — 840 
 C.W. What, shall we women have the upper hand? 
 Lys. "But if the swallows fond of discord prove, 
 
 And swift-wing'd from the sacred fane remove. 
 Henceforth no bird will seem more prone to love." 
 Clear is the oracle by Jupiter — 
 O all ye gods, let us not now despair, 
 Sunk in dejection — enter — for 'twere base, 
 O dearest friends, to thwart the oracle. 
 (^ C. M. To you I would address a word 
 
 Which erst while yet a boy 1 heard ; 850 
 
 A certain youth Melanion hight ', 
 
 When flying from the nuptial rite, 
 
 '' Bergler imagines, with great probability, that Aristophanes had before his 
 eyes the oracle mentioned by Herodotus, (Erato, xxxvii.) as having been delivered 
 by the Pythia to the Argives and Milesians — which runs thus — 
 
 dXX orav ■>) 9f]Xiia tov dpatva viKTiaavra 
 i^tXday Kal kvSoc fv 'Apyeioiaiv dprjrai. 
 ' This young man appears to have been another Hippolytus, both in regard to 
 his passion for the chase, and his aversion to female s ociety. This choral song of 
 the old men is well answered by the women, who in their turn recite the story of 
 the misanthropic and solitary Timon, who, in the emphatic language of Aristo- 
 phanes, was a very 'Epivv(ov uTroppo)^. The oracular response is thus translated 
 by Beloe. 
 
 When female hands the strength of man shall tame, 
 
 And among Argives gain a glorious name; 
 
 Women of Argos shall much grief display. 
 
 And then shall one in future ages say, 
 
 " A serpent huge which writhed its body round. 
 
 From a keen sword received a mortal wound." 
 Compare Lycophron, quoted by Fl. Chr., t))v <poi^6\nnTav aiviaii x^'XiSova.
 
 810-880.] THE LYSISTRATA. 95 
 
 Came to tlie desert's dark retreat, 
 And on the mountains fix'd his seat. 
 Then weaving the deceitful snare, 
 He with one dog pursued the hare. 
 And kept by hatred from his home, 
 Backward no longer would he roam, 
 Such his aversion to the fair ; 
 
 And them with no inferior hate 860 
 
 We, as Melanion wise, abominate. 
 O.M. A kiss, old woman, I would beg — 
 WoM.On onion thou'rt not wont to dine — 
 O.M. And kick thee with extended lea; — • 
 WoM.A dense and bushy beard is thine. 
 O.M. Rough, too, Myronides was there, 
 And blackened with posterior hair 
 A hostile object to his foes, 
 Phormio was likewise one of those ^. 
 C.W.I also would relate a tale 870 
 
 To counterpoise Melanion's scale. 
 One Timon liv'd in days of yore. 
 Whose face, with thorns all cover'd o'er, 
 Kept wanderers from approaching nigh, 
 A very furies' progeny. 
 Then Timon far from mortals fled, 
 By bitter detestation led, 
 
 And many a curse invoked upon their impious head. 
 So this your friend to wicked men was mov'd 
 By hatred, but by women dearly lov'd. 880 
 
 Wilt thou I strike thy cheek ?— 
 O.M. Not so ; 
 
 And yet I tremble at the blow. 
 
 * * * # # 
 
 Omittedfrom line 828 to line 1215. 
 
 * * * * 4 
 
 '' Tlie celebrated Athenian general mentioned by the chorus in ike Knights, 
 (v. 560.) on which passage see the note.
 
 96 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Enter a Market Haunter, and a Valet. 
 
 M.H. Open the door'. 1040 
 
 Val. Wilt thou not hence? and wherefore sit you here ? 
 
 Shall I with this lamp burn you ? — troublesome 
 
 This station is — 
 M.H. I cannot do't. 
 
 Val. But if 
 
 You needs must act thus, we will gratify you. 
 
 And bear it patiently. 
 M.H. We too will bear it 
 
 Like you with patience. 
 Val. Will you not depart ? 
 
 Long shall your hairs lament it. — Will you not 
 
 Depart, that the Laconians may go home 
 
 In quiet, having feasted well within ? 
 
 An Athenian entering from the Feast. 
 
 Ath. I never yet saw such an entertainment : 1050 
 
 Truly facetious the Laconians were. 
 And we exceeding prudent in our cups. 
 
 C. M. 'Tis right — for we tlio' sober, are not well : 
 
 I will persuade the Athenians, by my reasons, 
 That w^e discharge our embassies when drunk, 
 In every time and place : for now, whene'er 
 We come to Lacedasmon, straight we look 
 For what we shall be able to disturb; 
 So that we know not what they say, and that 
 Which they forbear to utter, we suspect, 1060 
 
 . Nor of the same things make the same report ; 
 But now all subjects are agreeable. 
 So that if any one should sing the Scolium '^ 
 
 ' This command is given to the slave v?ho guards the door, by some one desirous 
 to enter into the banquet. 
 
 ™ It was customary to sing, in, convivia.l entertainments, a song of which the 
 subject was Ajax, son of Telamon. Clitagora was a poetess, mentioned in the 
 Wasps, V. 1238., whose verses were also recited during their feasts. Athenssus, in
 
 1040-1080.] THE LYSISTRATA. 97 
 
 Of Telamon, when it was right to chant 
 
 Clitagoras, we had commended him, 
 
 And to our praises added perjury. 
 Val. But to these men a second time come hither. 
 
 Will you not hence, O subjects for the lash ? 
 M.H. 'Tis so, by Jove, and now^ they issue forth. 
 
 Enter from, the Feast, the Lacedemonian Ambassadors, 
 A Player on the Flute, and a second Athenian. 
 
 Amb. Take thou the flute, O Polycharides ", 1070 
 
 That we may dance and sing a pleasant strain 
 To honour both th' Athenians and ourselves. 
 Ath. Then take the flutes, I pray thee by the gods, 
 Since it is my delight to see you dance. 
 
 Come, O Mnemosyne, inspire" 
 
 My muse with all the youthful choir ; 
 
 For well she knows the song to raise 
 
 In ours and in th' Athenians' praise, 
 
 When tliey at Artemisium's height 
 
 Rush'd forward like the gods in fight, 1080 
 
 And turn'd the Melian ships to flight. 
 
 his Deipnosophista; lias preserved the opening of several of these Scholia, and 
 among othei s that of Telamon. 
 
 " According to Brunck, Polycharides, in this line, is not to be understood as a 
 proper name, but an epithet of endearment used by the Lacedajmonians, and here 
 applied to the boy who had accompanied the ambassador as he comes from the 
 bancjuet. The learned critic, however, in his translation renders the word, O 
 Pohicharida. The French translator solves the ambiguity by omitting the name as 
 well as the poetical epithet, (if it be merely such,) and rendering the words 
 vaguely, " si quelqu' un chantoit la Scholie de Telamon au lieu de cello de Cli- 
 tagoras." 
 
 " Tliis choral hymn of the T>acedirmonian ambassadors presents a curious speci- 
 men of the broad Doric dialect — opfiaov, i. e. opjia cvr, V\. Chr., rather for 
 opfiaaov or opfiijcov, Bergler : 
 
 TWQ Kvp<TavKi)g (J Mvafiova 
 rav Till}' pwav, uric 
 
 olSeV «/(/<£ TWQ T 'ACTrtJ'IWi;, K. T. X. 
 
 especially when contrasted with the pure Attic of the cho.us of Athenians, begin- 
 ning at V. 1279. 
 
 irpooayf. xofibt', lirayi xnpiTag. 
 VOL. H. II
 
 98 THE LYSISTRATA. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Leonidas our forces led 
 
 With teeth as boars' well sharpened, 
 
 While foam bedew'd, like some white flower, 
 
 Their cheeks and legs with many a shower: 
 
 For not inferior to the sand 
 
 In numbers were the Persian band. 
 
 Diana, thou who tak'st delight 
 
 To slay the beasts in sylvan fight. 
 
 Come hither : virgin goddess lend 1090 
 
 Thine aid our treaty to defend 
 
 And to all distant time extend ; 
 
 Now let our friendship firm remain, 
 
 Cemented by the compact's chain, 
 
 And from the crafty foxes' art 
 
 Henceforth, my friends, let us depart. 
 Hither thy steps, O huntress virgin, bend — 
 Lys. Come now, since all the rest has been well done, 
 These women, O Laconians, bear away, 
 You (Athenians) these, and let the husband near his 
 wife 1100 
 
 Remain, the wife stand by her husband — then 
 Having by dances to the gods declar'd 
 That we are thankful for this good success, 
 Abstain we cautiously from future sin. 
 C. ATXead on the choir, conduct the graces, call 
 Diana too, and her twin healing brother, 
 The willing leader of the band: and him, 
 From Nysa call'd, who sports with glowing eyes 
 Among the Maenad Bacchanalian train ; 
 And Jove who burns with flaming majesty; 1110 
 
 Likewise his blessed venerable spouse ; 
 Then summon the divinities, whom we 
 ^ As not unmindful witnesses invoke 
 Of that firm quiet which the Cyprian goddess 
 Hath made — shout lo paean, alalai. 
 And raise yourselves aloft, as after conquest — 
 
 Evoi, Evoi, eu, eu ! Laconian 
 
 Exhibit thy new song to answer mine. 
 C. L. Desert thine amiable Taygetus,
 
 1090—1130.] THE LYSISTRATA. 99 
 
 Laconian Muse, and come to celebrate 1120 
 
 Our god rever'd, who o'er Aniyclae reigns ; 
 
 Minerva worshipp'd in her brazen fane p, 
 
 And the brave sons of Tyndarus, who near 
 
 Eurota's stream disport, come with light step, 
 
 That Sparta's praise we may in hymns resound, 
 
 Who makes the choirs of gods and sound of feet 
 
 Her care — while virgins near Eurota's wave 
 
 With hght and rapid step like foals move on ; 
 
 Like Bacchanals in sportive state 
 
 Thyrsus and hair they agitate. 1130 
 
 While Leda's progeny, chaste maid. 
 
 First in the choir her form display 'd. 
 
 But come, your hair with fillets bind, 
 
 Stirring your feet like any hind ; 
 
 And at the same time make a sound 
 
 So useful in the chorus found. 
 
 Hymning her power to whom the brazen fane 
 
 Is rear'd, most warlike of the goddess train! 
 
 P Tciv xa^ifiotKov 'Aactvav ('AOijimv). Minerva received this epithet from the 
 Spartans, either from having a brazen temple there, or because her fane was built 
 by the Chalcidians. So Corn. Nepos, in his Life of Pausanias, ad fin., says, that 
 this Athenian general took refuge in the temple of Minerva, que Chalciocos vacatur, 
 see the note of the Delphin editor, who quotes Suidas's explanation of the word. 
 Perhaps Cornelius Nepos alludes to this passage of Aristophanes. The French 
 translator designates the goddess by a strange description, " Minerve du visage 
 basane." 
 
 II 2
 
 THE ACHAHNIANS.
 
 DRAMATIS PERSONiE. 
 
 DIC^OPOLIS, the just Citizen. 
 
 HERALD. 
 
 AMPHITHEUS. 
 
 AMBASSADORS sent from Athens to the Persian king. 
 
 PSEUDARTABAS and Eunuchs with him. 
 
 THEORUS. 
 
 CHORUS OF ACHARNIANS. 
 
 WIFE OF DIC^OPOLIS. 
 
 DAUGHTER OF DIC^OPOLIS. 
 
 CEPHISOPHON, Valet of Euripides. 
 
 EURIPIDES. 
 
 LAMACHUS. 
 
 MEGAREUS. 
 
 YOUNG DAUGHTERS OF MEGAREUS. 
 
 A SYCOPHANT. 
 
 A BCEOTIAN. 
 
 NICARCHUS. 
 
 SERVANT OF LAMACHUS. 
 
 A HUSBANDMAN. 
 
 A PARANYMPH. 
 
 TWO COURIERS. 
 
 Several mute Personages. 
 
 Scene — Athens, in the middle of the Pnyx*. 
 
 * An open place, not far from tlie citadel of Athens, where the general assem- 
 blies of the people were held, as well as in the market place, and in the theatre of 
 Bacchus. These assemblies were either ordinary or extraordinary, to the former 
 of which the people convoked themselves in one of the above-mentioned parts of 
 the City, and to the latter they were summoned by a magistrate, who assigned the 
 place of meeting. 
 
 In the opening of the second act of this Comedy, the scene lies, for a short time, 
 in the borough of Dica;opolis.
 
 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 
 
 UPON 
 
 THE ACHARNIANS. 
 
 THIS EXCELLENT COMEDY WAS ACTED IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE 
 LXXXVIII. OLYMPIAD, AND THE SIXTH OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR, AT THE 
 LEN^AN FEASTS, UNDER THE ARCHON WHO SUCCEEDED EUCLIDES, WHETHER 
 HE BE RIGHTLY NAMED EUTHYMENES OR SCYTHODORUS. 
 
 " DiCJEOPOLis, the honest citizen, enraged at the false pretexts with 
 which the people are put off, and all terms of peace thwarted, sends 
 an embassy to Lacedsemon, and concludes a separate peace for him- 
 self and his family. Now he returns into the country, and, in spite 
 of all disturbances, makes an enclosure before his house, within which 
 there is peace and free market for tlie neighbouring people, while the 
 rest of the country is harassed by the war. The blessings of peace 
 are exhibited in the most palpable manner for hungry maws : the fat 
 Boeotian brings his eels and poultry for barter, and nothing is thought 
 of but feasting and revelling. Lamachus, the famous general, who 
 lives on the other side, is summoned, by a sudden attack of the 
 enemy, to the defence of the frontier ; while Dicreopolis is invited 
 by his neighbours to a feast, to which each brings his contribution. 
 The preparations for arms, and those in the kitchen, now go on with 
 equal diligence and despatch on botli sides : Lamachus shortly re- 
 turns with broken head and crippled foot, supported by two com- 
 rades ; on the other side, Dicaeopolis drunk, and led by two good- 
 natured damsels. The lamentations of the one are continually 
 mimicked and derided by the exultations of the other, and with this 
 contrast, which is carried to the very highest point, the play ends." — 
 Theatre of the Greeks, p. 358. Ed. 3.
 
 THE ACHARNIANS. 
 
 ACT I. SCENE I. 
 
 Enter Dic.eopolis alone. 
 
 Die. How is my heart torn with its many cares! 
 While I am charm'd by four or fewer joys, 
 Afflictions hke th' innumerable sands'* 
 Are heap'd by thousands on me : let me see 
 What joyous delectation has been mine? 
 I know the sight that most rejoic'd my soul — 
 Those talents five which Cleon vomited''. 
 How thi^ delights me ! — how I love the Knights ! 
 For this their act, 'tis worthy of all Greece. 
 Again my tragic fortune I deplor'd ; ] 
 
 When waiting open-mouth'd for yEschylus, 
 He cried — "Theognis, bring the chorus on" 
 
 , c " 
 
 * Aristophanes here makes use of one of his compound words, i^afifiaKoaioyap- 
 yapa' the former part of which, according to ISIacrobius (Saturnal. v. 20.), Varro 
 (in Menippeis) frequently made use of to denote a great number ; and of the ter- 
 mination he observes — " Aristophanes adjecit Gurgara, ad significationem nu- 
 merositatis innumerae." The Scholiast cites Eupolls, Sophron, and Aristomenes, as 
 using the same word to signify a multitude, e. g. 'iv£ov yap ii^uv yapyapa. 
 
 ^ This alludes to a mulct, which, according to Theopompus, cited by the Scho- 
 liast, was imposed by the knights on the mercenary Cleon, who had exacted that 
 sum from the inhabitants of the islands in sul)jection to the Athenians, and was 
 afterwards compelled to make restitution. The strong word t5///;t£frf)', by which 
 Aristophanes expresses this compelled requital, is repeated, in allusion to the 
 same act of peculation, in the Knights (v. 1145.) 
 
 •^ lie, i.e. the herald, who makes a proclamation to the people at v. 43. I'y Theognis, 
 who is here required to bring his chorus on the stage, is not meant the poet of j\Ie- 
 gara, whose elegiac sentcncea have been preserved, but a cold and indiflerent tragic 
 poet, who is again mentioned at v. 139, as well as in the Thesmoph. v. 170. The 
 Scholiast, after Chion, calls liiui one of the thirty tyrants.
 
 108 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 How stirr'cl my heart at this, supposest thou ! 
 
 But for another cause I was dehghted — 
 
 When erst Dexitheus, striving for the calf**, 
 
 Came in to warble his Boeotian air. 
 
 Whereas this year with a distorted neck 
 
 I almost died to see how Chaeris stoop'd, 
 
 Preparing for his Orthian melody ^. 
 
 But never, since I took to cleanliness, 20 
 
 Were thus my eye-brows by the dye annoy'd, 
 
 As now when the supreme assembly hold 
 
 Their morning session in deserted Pnyx. 
 
 While praters in the forum up and down 
 
 Fly to avoid the ruddle-colour'd rope^ 
 
 And when full late the Prytanees arrive, 
 
 How think you they will rush against each other, 
 
 Pressing tumultuous on for the first seat ? 
 
 Reckless whence peace shall come. — O city, city ! 
 
 Always arriving first at the assembly, 30 
 
 1 sit me down, and, being there alone, 
 
 I sigh and yawn, stretch out and ease myself. 
 
 And, doubting what to do, write on the ground. 
 
 Pluck out loose hairs, or make my computations. 
 
 Looking upon the fields, eager for peace. 
 
 Hating the town, regretful of my burgh. 
 
 Who never said to me — "go, purchase coals. 
 
 Nor vinegar, nor oil" — buy it knew not. 
 
 Bringing all things itself — that cutting word^ 
 
 •J Dexitheus, as the Scholiast informs us, was aa excellent harper, who conquered 
 at the Pythian games, and carried off a calf {\ib<s-^ov) as the prize of his victory : 
 although the same Scholiast affirms Moschus to have been an indifferent musician 
 of Agrigentum — but this notion is, I think, justly derided by Brunck and Elmsley 
 (see Bentley on Phalaris, p. 170.), who states that as a bull was the prize for dithy- 
 rambic poetry, so the victorious harper was rewarded by a calf. 
 
 « A particular and animated air on the flute, to be played by Chieris, a wretched 
 musician. The Scholiast quotes the word as being also used by Homer, in his 
 Hymn to Mercury (v. 143.) See below, v. 830. 
 
 f TO (rxoti'tov (pivyovffi to fiiiiikTiOfi'ivov. This formidable rope was made use 
 of, as the Scholiast informs us, from Plato, the comic writer, by two officers, in 
 order to compel the tardy citizens to enter the assembly ; and those who were 
 marked by it, when stretched at its full length, were compelled to pay a fine. 
 
 E A play upon the words Trpi'w, huxf, and Trpiaij', « satu — as if he had said, ' there
 
 20—50.] THE ACHARNIANS. 107 
 
 Was absent — wherefore clearly now I come, 40 
 
 Prepared to shout and blame those orators, 
 
 Who talk on any other theme than peace. 
 
 But see these Prytanees arriv'd at noon — 
 
 Said I not so ? — 'tis just as I declar'd. 
 
 How every man shoves on to the first seat! 
 
 SCENE H. 
 
 Enter Herald, Amphitheus, Ambassadors. 
 
 Her. Come forward, come — that ye may be within 
 The space that's purified *". 
 
 Amp. Hath any spoke? 
 
 Her. Who wishes to harangue ? 
 
 Amp. I. 
 
 Her. Who art thou ? 
 
 Amp. Amphitheus. 
 
 Her. Not a man ? 
 
 Amp. No, an immortal' : 
 
 For sprung from Ceres and Triptolemus, 50 
 
 Amphitheus comes, and Celeus was his son ; 
 
 He weds my grandmother, Pha^narete, 
 
 From whom Lycinus — and immortal I 
 
 His offspring am. — To me alone the gods 
 
 Gave it in charge to enter into treaty 
 
 With Laceda^mon's sons — but I, my friends, 
 
 Immortal though I be, have no support ; 
 
 For nothing give the Prytanees. 
 
 was no one to cut and torment my mind by continually exhorting me to buy, for 1 
 had all things at home.' — Brunck and Bergler. 
 
 ^ We are informed by the Scholiast that it was customary with the Athenians to 
 slay a hog, and sprinkle its blood over the seats of the assembly, for a solemn puri- 
 fication : this was called KaQap^ia, and the purifier KaGapn'ic' in the Ecclesiazusa: 
 (v. 128.) he is named 6 irfpiffriapxac- 
 
 ' 1 he account which Amphitheus here gives of his divine parentage is doubtless 
 intended as a sarcasm on I'.uripides, wliom our poet omits no opportunity of turning 
 into ridicule, especially for his mythological tales in the openings of his plays. In 
 the present instance he parodies the beginning of tiie Iphigenia in Tauris, which 
 relates the adventures of I'clops, the son of Tantalus.
 
 108 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 Pry. Ho, archers. 
 
 Amp. O thou, Triptolenius, and Celeus too, 
 
 Will you thus shght me ? [i/e is dragged off. 
 
 Die. O ye Prytanees, 60 
 
 Th' assembly yovi dishonour, leading off 
 
 The man who wish'd to make a truce for us, 
 
 And hang the bucklers up. 
 Her. Sit, and keep silence. 
 
 Die. That, by Apollo, will I not, unless 
 
 You purpose to deliberate of peace. 
 Her. Approach, ambassadors sent to the king. 
 Dig. What king ? I'm weary of ambassadors, 
 
 With all their peacocks and their vain displays''. 
 Her. Hist ! 
 
 Die. O Ecbatana, how strange the dresses ! 
 
 Amb. You have deputed us to the great king, 70 
 
 Bearing for recompense two daily drachmas, 
 
 Euthymenes then archon. 
 Die. Ah! the drachmae ! 
 
 Amb. Spent with our march thro' the Caystrian plains. 
 
 Shrouded in tents, we wandered on our way, 
 
 Stretch'd softly at full length upon the cars', 
 
 Worn out by trouble. 
 
 •* The peacock was so rare a bird at Athens in the time of Aristophanes, that 
 public exhibitions of them were made to the people every new moon. 
 
 ' if' apfiafia^iov fiaXOaiMC KaraKiiiitvoi. Kuster, by proposing to read ov {la- 
 XciKwg, would divest this truly humorous passage of all its comic power, which 
 consists in the exaggerated description of the fatigues sustained by the ambassadors. 
 I cannot but think that Moliere had this amusing scene in his mind when he wrote 
 the description which he puts into the mouth of Scapin, of the hardships endured on 
 board of the Turkish galley, " ou nous avous mange des fruits les plus excellens 
 qui se puissent voir, et bu du vin que nous avous trume le miulleur du monde" 
 (Les Fourberies de Scapin, Act iii. Sc. 11.) This appears to me as evident as it 
 did to Brunck, tliat the grammatical and philosophical dialogue between Socrates 
 and Strepsiades in the Clouds, beginning at v. 624, furnished the French Aristo- 
 phanes with the hint of one of the most amusing scenes of his Bourgeois Gentil- 
 Iwnime, in which play the character of Mons. Jourdain appears to be modelled after 
 that of Strepsiades. Aristophanes supposes that a period of eleven years was con- 
 sumed in this embassy to the great king — Euthymenes having been archon in the 
 fourth year of the Ixxxv. Olympiad, and this comedy represented in the third year 
 of the Ixxxviii., according to Brunck and Elmsky.
 
 GO— 100.] THE ACHARNIANS. 109 
 
 Die. Well I far'd meanwhile, 
 
 Propp'd on my couch of straw. 
 Amb. Then entertain'd 
 
 With hospitality, we drank perforce 
 
 From cups of gold and crystal, sweet pure wine. 
 Die. O town of Cranaus, perceivest thou 80 
 
 The ridicule of these ambassadors? 
 Amb. For the barbarians think those only men 
 
 Who have the greatest power to eat and drink. 
 Die. And we but libertines and debauchees. 
 Amb. In the fourth year we reach'd the royal court. 
 
 But he had ta'en his army, and gone off 
 
 To ease himself; and eight continuous months 
 
 Was so engag'd upon the golden hills '". 
 Die. And how long was he getting right again ? 
 Amb. For one full moon — then homeward he return'd, 90 
 
 Receiv'd as guests, and plac'd before us oxen 
 
 Whole from the oven. 
 Die. And who ever saw 
 
 Whole oven-roasted oxen? — O the flam ! 
 Amb. Nay, and, by Jove, he plac'd a bird before us 
 
 Three times as lusty as Cleonymus, 
 
 And named impostor. 
 Die. 'Twas an imposition 
 
 You practis'd upon us with your two drachma?. 
 Amb. And now we come, bringing Pseudartabas, 
 
 The sovereign's eye. 
 Die. O that a crow would pluck 
 
 Thine out, ambassador ! 
 Her, Thou sovereign's eye, 100 
 
 Come forth. 
 Die. King Hercules ! by the gods, man. 
 
 Are thy regards turn'd on the naval station, 
 
 Or bent to track some winding promontory ? 
 
 •" A satirical allusion, according to the Scholiast, to the story of Xerxes having 
 sat under a golden plane tree, when he marshalled his troops for the expedition 
 into Greece. The goldeii vunDitaim of the I'ec.'. at «s passed into a proverb, mentioned 
 also by Plautus (Stich. i. 1. 25), in allusion probably to this passage of Aristo- 
 phanes.
 
 110 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 That thus thine eye thou keepest, like an oar 
 
 Bound in its leathern case ? 
 Amb. Come, tell us now, 
 
 What did the king commission you to say 
 
 To the Athenians, Pseudartabas ? 
 PsE. lartaman exark' anapissontai satra". 
 Amb. Know ye his meaning ? 
 Dig. By Apollo, No. 
 
 Amb. He tells you that the king will send you gold. 110 
 
 Declare it clearly now, with louder voice. 
 PsE. Thou shalt not take the gold, debauch'd Athenian. 
 Dig. O wretched me ! how clearly now he speaks ! 
 Amb. What says he ? 
 Dig. What ? this name he gives th' Athenians, 
 
 Because they're gaping for barbaric gold. 
 Amb. Not so — but he speaks of the gold by bushels. 
 Dig. What bushels ? truly, thou art a great boaster. 
 
 But go, and I will question him alone. 
 
 Come now, attend to me, and tell me truly, 
 
 Lest that I tinge thee with the Sardian dye": 120 
 
 Gold will the mighty monarch send us back? 
 
 [Pseudartabas shakes his head. 
 
 Then are we cheated by the ambassadors ? 
 
 \^He nods assent. 
 
 " The uncouth words comprising this verse have been variously interpreted — 
 M. Anquetil, in the Mimoires de V Academie des hiscriptions et Belles Lettres, de- 
 clares the sense of them to be 'Money shall be brought to us on the part of the 
 king.' Hotibius, however, with far greater probability, renders the line into Greek 
 thus : eyw dpri fit]v i^r)p^' avcnriTTovv av aaOpd- the metaphor being taken from 
 a vessel, about to have her rotten timbers calked or covered again with pitch : we 
 may remark the imperfect pronunciation by Pseudartabas of the Greek 9, that shib- 
 boleth of barbarians, like the English th to foreigners at the present day, as the 
 Scythian archer, in the ThesmophoriazuscE, confounds the tt and <p. — In v. 104. the 
 word Athenian is expressed by 'laovav' the Greeks in general being, according to 
 the Scholiast, distinguished by the name of lonians. Homer (II. N'. 685.) de- 
 scribes the Athenians as 'laovag ^XKt^iVwx'ng. See Herodotus (Urania, xlviii.) 
 
 " i. e. lest I make thee appear all covered with blood and wounds from the 
 operation of the scourge. Doubtless, the true reading here is XapSiaviKov, and 
 riot 'EapciviaKov' since in the time of Aristophanes there was little intercourse be- 
 tween the Athenians and Sardinians ; whereas Sardis and Thyatira were celebrated 
 for the excellence of their purple dye (see Acts xvi. 14.) : ISafifxa 'SapSiaviKov is 
 also mentioned in the Peace (v. 1140.)
 
 no— loO.] THE ACHARNIANS. Ill 
 
 These men declare assent by Grecian nods, 
 And from our city must perforce be sprung ; 
 One of the eunuchs I well recognise — 
 'Tis Clisthenes, Sibyrtius' progeny, 
 Inventor of the crafty fundament ; 
 With such a beard, com'st thou to us, O ape, 
 To counterfeit the eunuch ? And this other. 
 Is it not Strato ? 
 
 Her. Silence, and sit down. 130 
 
 The council to the Prytaneum calls 
 The sovereign's eye. [Exit Psetjdartauas. 
 
 Die. Won't this a halter bring ? 
 
 Yet here I straitly am compell'd to stay. 
 While the door ne'er restrains such guests as these. 
 But I will do some great and dreadful deed. 
 Where is Amphitheus? 
 
 Amb. Behold, he's here. 
 
 Die. From me take these eight drachmas, and conclude 
 A treaty with the Spartans for myself, 
 My wife, and family — while you confer 
 With your ambassadors, and gape at will. 140 
 
 Her. Approach, Theorus, from SitalcesP. 
 
 The. Here. 
 
 Die. Another braggart have we here announc'd. 
 
 The. We had not been so long a time in Thrace — 
 
 Die. Hadst thou, by Jove, not gain'd a vast reward ? 
 
 The. Had not the whole of Thrace been deep in snow, 
 And all her streams congeal'd, that very time 
 W hen here Theognis for the prize contended. 
 I with Sitalces was carousing then, 
 Who above measure was the Athenians' friend, 
 And your admirer in such true degree, 150 
 
 That on the walls he'd write — " charminij Athenians." 
 His son, whom an Athenian we have made, 
 
 P Sitalces and his son SaJocus, whom Nymphodorus procured to be made (tTroi- 
 ijfff) a citizen of Athens, and thus strengthened the alliance with his father, are 
 particularly mentioned by 'I'hucydides (lib. ii. c. xxix.), on which passage see 
 Bloomfield's note. *
 
 112 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 Would fain partake our Apaturian dainties "^ ; 
 He begg'd his father to assist his country, 
 Which he when sacrificing swore to aid 
 With such an army, that they would exclaim, 
 " See what a host of locusts come upon us !" 
 
 Die. If I believe, of what thou here hast uttered, 
 One word, (except the locusts,) let me perish. 
 
 The. And now, of all the Thracians, he has sent ICO 
 
 To you the nation most renown'd in war. 
 
 Dig. 'Tis clearly so indeed — 
 
 Enter the Tiiracian Forces. 
 
 Her. Come hither, Thracians, 
 
 Led by Theorus. — 
 
 Die. What new mischief's this ? 
 
 The. The Odomantian host. 
 
 Die. What Odomantian ? 
 
 Who hath smooth'ddown their flower of manly strength ? 
 
 The. Should any one reward them with two drachmae. 
 Still would they harass all Boeotia's land. 
 
 Die. Two drachmas to these circumcised fools ? 
 Our naval people then might justly moan, 
 The guardians of this state. — Oh wretched me! 170 
 How am I ruin'd by the Odomantes, 
 Who waste my garlick ! — will you tread it down ? 
 
 The. Approach not, simpleton, these garlick-eaters. 
 
 Die. And will you, Prytanees, o'erlook my wrongs. 
 In my own country, from barbarians too? — 
 But with the Thracians no assembly make, 
 I charge you, for reward — I tell you that 
 A drop of rain hath struck me as a sign. 
 
 1 The festival named Apaturia was celebrated at Athens during three days of 
 the month Pyanepsion, answering to our October. At this feast, children accom- 
 panied their fathers, to have their names enrolled in the public register ; whence, 
 peihaps, the name ctTraTopia, i. e. ojuoTraropia. The first day was called Sopyria, 
 from copTTog, a supper, because on that day each tribe had a separate meeting, 
 whereat a sumptuous entertainment was provided, containing perhaps, among other 
 dishes which it was customary to present, a kind of sausages or puddings (aXXav- 
 
 TttQ.)
 
 160—200.] THE ACHARNIANS. 113 
 
 Her. The Thracians may depart, and three days hence 
 
 Again be present — for the Prytanees 180 
 
 Dissolve th' assembly. \_Exeuyit Thracians. 
 
 Die. Miserable me ! 
 
 How sweet a garlick mixture have I lost ! 
 But here, Amphitheus, from Sparta, comes — 
 Amphitheus, hail ! — 
 
 Amp. Not till I cease from running : 
 
 For I must flee in haste from these Acharnians. 
 
 Die. On what account ? 
 
 Amp. In haste I hither came, 
 
 liringing the truce to thee — but certain old 
 Austere Acharnians, tourrh as oak or maple, 
 Who fought at Marathos";, smelt the design, 
 Then all at once exclaim'd — O most perfidious ! 190 
 Bringest thou treaties when our vines are burn'd? 
 At the same time they ga<"her'd atones by cloakfuls; 
 I fled — while they pursu'd and shouted out. 
 
 Die. And let them shout — but bringest thou the truce ? 
 
 Amp. So have I said — here are three specimens. 
 
 'Tis for five years; receive "nd taste its fruits. 
 
 Dt'" Fie on't. 
 
 Ami'. What now ? 
 
 Dig. These treaties please me not. 
 
 Smelling of pitch and naval preparations ^ 
 
 Amp. Then take these ten year treaties and enjoy them. 
 
 Die. These too smell sharply of the embassies 200 
 
 Sent to our towns, as if to chide the slowness 
 Of the 'lies. 
 
 Amp. Here is a truce, by land 
 
 And sea, for thirty years. 
 
 Dig. O Dionysia ! 
 
 They savour of pure nectar and ambrosia. 
 These charge us not to keep three days' provision. 
 But say with open mouth — " go where thou wilt." 
 
 ■■ Dicaeopolis says this in allusion to the shortness of lime for which the truce 
 was to be granted ; iia to 6\iyoxi>"t'^op avrihv {(nrovcwv), as the Scholiast 
 observes. Amphitheus then extends the term to ten years. 
 
 VOL. n. I
 
 114 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Them I i-eceive and drink and sacrifice 
 
 Bidding a long farewell to the Acharnians, 
 
 Then going home, freed from the ills of war, 
 
 Will celebrate the rural Dionysia^ 210 
 
 Amp. And I, from the Acharnians, will escape. [Exitrumiing. 
 
 Cho. Pursue each one, and for the man enquire 
 Of every passenger — to seize this fellow, 
 Were worthy of the city — show me then, 
 If any know, to what part of the earth, 
 Is turn'd this treaty-bringer — he hath fled, 
 Vanish'd from sight — alas my wretched years ! 
 Not in my youth, when bearing loads of coal, 
 I followed in the race Phaullus' steps *, 
 So hghtly had this carrier of the truce 220 
 
 Convey'd himself away from ray pursuit. 
 But now since stiffness has subdued my hams, 
 And Lacratides' leg by age weigh'd down, 
 He's ffone — but I must follow — for he ne'er 
 Shall boast that he has from th' Acharnians fled, 
 Old as we are — he who, O father Jove, 
 And all ye gods, made treaty with our foes, 
 'Gainst whom I wage detested war, that still 
 Increases, to avenge my ravag'd fields ; 
 Nor will I cease, till rush-like I fix on them, 230 
 
 With sharp and painful importunity, 
 That they may never more tread down my vines. 
 
 • According to Hesychius, the feasts, celebrated by the Athenians in honour of 
 Bacchus, were threefold: those in the fields, which are mentioned here, were held 
 in the month Poseidion, answering to our March ; the Lena;an feasts, which the 
 Scholiast erroneously confounds with the former, in the month Authesterion (or 
 February the 12th.). and the Dionysian festivals, in the city, held in the montli 
 Elephebolion, (April), (see the note on verse 1040.) From the description here 
 given of the festival, Brunck remarks that no conjecture can be formed as to the 
 date of this comedy. 
 
 * This Phaullus appears to have been a man of most extraordinary agility, who, 
 according to an epigram cited by the Scholiast, took a leap of fifty-five feet, and 
 hurled his discus to the distance of ninety-five. According to Herodotus (in Ura- 
 nia), he was thrice victim in the Pythian games. The Scholiast quotes the 
 following epigram upon the subject of his wonderful agility. 
 
 ttivt' fTTt TrivT)iKoi'ra vo^ag TDjStjcrt f^diiWog, 
 Si(jK(vffH' S' iKarov, ttsit' ajroXenroixsvoi'.
 
 ^10—250.] THE ACHARNIANS. 115 
 
 But we must seek and pelt this man with stones, 
 And follow him till found, from land to land. 
 I ne'er can have my fill of pelting him. 
 
 ACT II. SCENE I. 
 
 Dic^opoLis, Wife awe? Daughter o/" Dic^opolis, Chorus. 
 
 Die. Speak words of prosperous omen. 
 
 Cho. Silence all ! 
 
 Heard ye the bidding of good omens, friends? 
 
 This is the very man for whom we seek. 
 
 All draw aside, for he comes out as if 
 
 To sacrifice. 
 Die. Speak words of omen fair. 240 
 
 Advance a little, thou Canephora, 
 
 And Xanthias set the phallus up erect. 
 WiF. Lay down the basket, daughter, that we may 
 
 Begin the rites. 
 Dau. O mother, reach me hither 
 
 The ladle, that upon this cake I may 
 
 Pour out the broth. 
 Die. 'Tis well. — O sovereign Bacchus, 
 
 This pomp, with grateful mind, I've brought to thee, 
 
 And led my household train to sacrifice". 
 
 That I might spend the rural Dionysia, 
 
 In prosperous quiet from the army freed, 250 
 
 And well enjoy this truce of thirty years. 
 WiF. Come beauteous daughter, bear thy basket well, 
 
 With thy sharp look, as if on savory fed. 
 
 How blest whoe'er shall wed thee, and at dawn, 
 
 Give thee a perfume, sweeter than the civet's ! 
 
 " So Horace, (Ep. ii. 1. 139 — 144.). probably in imitation of this passage of 
 
 Aristophanes, 
 
 Agricola; prisci, fortes parvoque beati, 
 
 Condita post frumenta, levantes tempore festo 
 
 Corpus et ipsum animuni spe finis dura ferentem. 
 
 Cum sociis operum, pueris et conjuge fidii, 
 
 Tellurem porco, Silvanum lacte piabant, 
 
 Floribus et vino Genium memorem brevis aDvi. 
 
 i2
 
 116 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act ii. Sc. i 
 
 Advance — and take good heed lest in the crowd 
 Some lurking villain rob thee of thy gold. 
 Die. O Xanthias you must hold the phallus up 
 Erect behind the basket-bearing maid, 
 And I will follow with the phalUc hymn. 260 
 
 Thou, woman^ view me from the roof — advance. 
 
 Dithyrambic Hymn. 
 
 Phales whom wandering choirs invite 
 
 To Bacchic orgies of the night, 
 
 Unhallow'd revellers who prove 
 
 The transports of adulterous love; 
 
 After the sixth revolving year 
 
 Again have I address'd thee here ; 
 
 Come to my tribe with willing heart, 
 
 Made treaties for myself apart, 
 
 No longer by affairs distress'd, 270 
 
 From war and Lamachus at rest. 
 
 For, O Phales, Phales, 'tis far more sweet 
 
 With Strymodorus' lovely maid to meet. 
 Purloining wood on Phelleus' heights 
 Seize her and urge to love's delights. 
 Phales, Phales, 
 
 If thou wilt drink with us, the cup of peace, 
 
 Quaff"d at the dawn, shall bid thy head-ache cease ; 
 
 And in the smoke thy shield suspended be. 
 Cho. Strike, strike the wretch, this, this is he — 280 
 
 Wilt thou not beat him ? 
 Die. Hercules, what's this ? 
 
 You'll break my pitcher— 
 Cho. . No, but we will stone thee. 
 
 Detested fellow ! 
 Die. For what cause, O ye 
 
 Most honourable of Acharnians ? 
 Cho. Askest thou this? — Shameless thou art and vile — 
 
 O traitor to thy country, who alone 
 
 Hast made a treaty for thyself, and then 
 
 Canst look us in the face. 
 Die. Ye know not wherefore
 
 260—320.] THE ACHARNIANS. 117 
 
 I enter'd on this treaty — hear me then. 
 Clio. We hear thee ? — die — we'll bury thee with stones. 290 
 Die. Not till ye've heard me — but forbear good men. 
 Cho. I won't forbear — so speak to me no more, 
 
 For I detest thee more than Cleon, whom 
 
 We with our knights some time will cut to pieces. 
 
 Nor will we listen to thy long discourse, 
 
 But punish thee for thy Laconian treaty. 
 Dig. Let the Laconians rest, my friends, and hear 
 
 If with good cause I enter'd on this treaty. 
 Cho. How with good cause ? — since thou art once allied 
 
 To those who have nor shrine, nor faith, nor oath. 300 
 Die. Full well I know the men of Lacedaemon, 
 
 With whom we are so mightily offended. 
 
 Of all our evils have not been the cause 
 Cho. How not of all, O wretch ? dar'st thou say this 
 
 In such plain terms to us, and shall I spare thee ? 
 Die. No, not of all, not all — for I can say 
 
 And prove that they have oft been injured too. 
 Cho. This is a dreadful speech, and heart-disturbing, 
 
 That thou should'st dare to plead with us for foes. 
 Die. If well I speak not, and the crowd approve, 310 
 
 I'll lay my head upon a chopping-block. 
 Cho. Tell me, why spare our stones, my fellow tribesmen, 
 
 Nor beat this man into a purple rag ? 
 Die. What a black fire-brand waxes hot among you! 
 
 Will ye not hear the truth, O ye Acharnians ? 
 Cho. We will not hear. 
 
 Die. Then I'm in evil case. 
 
 Cho. If I hear, let me perish. 
 Die. Say not so, 
 
 Acharnians. 
 Cho. Now be sure that thou shalt die. 
 
 Die. Yet will I sting you, and in vengeance kill 
 
 Your dearest friends — besides I hold of you 320 
 
 Some hostages, whom I will first destroy — 
 Cho. Tell me, ye burghers, what imports this threat 
 
 To us Acharnians ? has he any child 
 
 Of ours shut up at home, or whence his boldness ?
 
 118 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act ii. Sc. i 
 
 Die. Strike, if you wish — for this man I will slay, 
 
 [^produces a basket. 
 And quickly know who cares for coals among you. 
 
 Cho. I'm lost. — This bottle is my fellow tribesman. 
 But do not what thou hast design'd, I beg. 
 
 Die. Cry out, for I will slay and hear thee not. 
 
 Cho. Then thou wilt murder thy coal-loving friend. 330 
 
 Die. And you just now refused to hear me speak. 
 
 Cho. But tell us now of Lacedaemon's sons, 
 
 Whate'er is in thy mind, nor fear to lose 
 Thy small coal-basket, through my treachery. 
 
 Die. Empty me first these stones upon the ground. 
 
 Cho. Behold them: — and in turn lay down thy sword. 
 
 Die. But let us see that no stones lurk within 
 Your threadbare cloaks. 
 
 Cho. They're shaken on the ground. 
 
 Canst thou not see ? frame me no more excuses. 
 But lay the weapon down. This shaking's made, 340 
 Even while we turn us round. 
 
 Die. With clamour then. 
 
 The coals Parnesian had been shaken out ", 
 And nearly lost through popular imprudence. 
 Burst with such mighty terror, my coal-basket 
 Dissolv'd in black dust, like the cuttle-fish. 
 For 'tis a dreadful thing, that mortal rage 
 Should be like unripe grapes, making men pelt 
 With stones and bitter words ; nor wish to hear 
 My rational conditions, when I would, 
 
 *■ As Dicaeopolis utters these words, he throws the coals out of his basket, made 
 of twigs cut from the hill Parnes, which was situated in Attica, and belonged to 
 the territory of Acharnae. In this and the following speech of Dicaeopolis, there is 
 considerable obscurity and variety of reading. Schutz proposes avQpaKtvg Hap- 
 vi'iaiog, the coal-merchant of Fames, thus making the just citizen address his basket 
 jocosely, as if it were a man, (see v. 315, where the chorus had called it his coal- 
 loving friend.} And with this reading, the words that follow may well agree. 
 For as the basket was in great danger of being destroyed, Dicaeopolis supposes 
 himself to have been defiled by the coal-dust adhering to it. Elmsley says that 
 the line, 
 
 i/itXXtr' apa Trdi'rtQ avani'iiiv (iofJQ, 
 
 would be correctly rendered in English, " I thought I should make you hold your 
 tongues."
 
 330—370.] THE ACHARNIANS. 119 
 
 With head on block, speak all, which I now say, 350 
 In favour of my friends of Lacedaemon. 
 And yet, to me, is life desirable. 
 
 Clio. Why tell not then, bringing the block without, 
 That mighty secret, which thou hast to utter? 
 For vast is my desire to know thy mind. 
 But as thou hast decreed thy punishment, 
 Here place the block, and then begin thy speech. 
 
 Die. Behold, regard — this is the chopping-block, 
 And this the little man who is to speak. 
 Take thou no heed — by Jove, I will not shield nie,360 
 But say whate'er I think of Lacedaemon. 
 And yet I greatly fear — since well I know 
 The manners of our rustics, how they joy 
 Should any boaster, right or wrong, commend 
 Them and their city — ignorant meanwhile, 
 Such praise is nought but treachery in disguise. 
 I know the old men's dispositions well. 
 Who nought regard but the condemning stone. 
 Nor have forgotten what, by Cleon's order, 
 I suflTer'd for my last year's comedy ", ."370 
 
 For, dragging me into the judgment hall. 
 With false and juggling tongue, he i-ain'd upon me 
 His slanderous accusations. So that I 
 Had nearly perished in the muddy sti'eam. 
 Permit me therefore, now before I speak, 
 To clothe myself like a most wretched man. 
 Cho. Whence are these artful turns ? Why this delay ? 
 I care not, if, from Hieronymus ^, 
 Thou take the dark thick-crested helm of Pluto ", 
 
 " Alluding to the Babylonians, of which' play we have but twenty-three short 
 fragments. It was acted in the second year of the Ixxwiiith Olympiad, when 
 Eucles was archon, at the city Dionysia, which were celebrated in the month Ele- 
 phebolion, answering to the end of February, about which lime there was a con- 
 fluence of the allies at Athens, who came thitlier in order to pay their tribute. 
 The Scholiast informs us that Aristophanes had in this comedy severely lampooned 
 his old enemy Clcon, and suffered materially from his powerful resentment. 
 
 y This Hieronymus, called by the French translator le po6te Jerome, was the 
 son of Xenophantus, and a bad dithyrambic poet. 
 
 * (TKOToSaaunvKvorpixa rijv'AiSos Kvvijv. This'Ae'^of Kvvrj, according to the
 
 120 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 And open all the crafts of Sisyphus, 380 
 
 Since no delay this crisis will admit. 
 Die. 'Tis now full time for me to take good heart, 
 
 And bend my footsteps towards Euripides. 
 
 Boy, boy — 
 Cep. Who's this ? 
 
 Die. Say, is Euripides 
 
 At home ? 
 Cep. He is within, and he is not, 
 
 If you can understand. 
 Die. Within, and not ? 
 
 What riddle's this ? 
 Cep. 'Tis right, old man ; his mind. 
 
 Gathering light songs abroad, is not at home, 
 
 But he within makes comedy aloft*. 
 Die. Thrice blest Euripides, to have a slave 390 
 
 Who so discreetly answers ! Call him hither. 
 Cep. It cannot be. 
 Die. Yet do't, for I can ne'er 
 
 Depart, but at the door will knock. Give ear, 
 
 Euripides, my Euripidion, 
 
 If e'er thou listenedst to any man : 
 
 I, Dicaeopolis ChoUides'', call thee — 
 
 Scholiast, was a proverbial expression applied to those who used any contrivance 
 for the purpose of concealing themselves. For such was the helmet of Pluto, 
 which Perseus put on when be decapitated the Gorgon Medusa. 
 
 * In this passage I have adopted the reading of the Scholiast (Tpvyipdiav), which 
 word occurs again at v. 473. Tpvyij)(ian ttowv, and v. 474. Bentley, in his Dis- 
 sertation on Phalaris, (p. 294.) highly, and, in my opinion, justly approves of this 
 word, which tlie Examiner had faisely asserted was here used to signify tragedy ; 
 the common lection being rpct (ijciav. I cannot agree with Brunck that this jest is 
 unbecoming the character of CVphlsophoii. who might fairly imagine that his master 
 Euripides, by his collection of crutches, urioden legs, dead arms, etc., was actually 
 engaged in preparing for the composiiion of a comedy, similar to Fletcher's 
 Beggar's Bush. In this case we may conceive no jest to have been intended, but 
 that the valet answers the query of Dicffiopolis in sober seriousness. The French 
 translator modernizes the word by rendering it la trygodie. 
 
 •> So named from a people of the Attic tribe ^geis, and, accoiding to the Scho- 
 liast, a play upon the word xwXoc, lame. Bentley observes that the lines 379. and 
 382. together make one perfect senarius. 
 
 'EvpiwiSr], EvpnriSiov dW ov (T%oX»). 
 
 Instead of XoWihic, G. Burges proposes to read KaXti kukotxcXci ak, alluding
 
 380—410.] THE ACHARNIANS. 121 
 
 Eur. I am not now at leisure. 
 
 Die. Yet roll down'^. 
 
 Eur. It cannot be. 
 
 Die. Yet do it. 
 
 Eur. You shall view me, 
 
 Although I have no leisure to descend. 
 Die. Euripides. 
 
 Eur. Why call so loud ? 
 
 Die. ' In air 400 
 
 Makest thou tragedies, when here below 
 
 It might be done? thy heroes must be lame''. 
 
 But why this wretched garb of tragic rags ? 
 
 'Tis with just cause thou mak'st thy heroes lame. 
 
 But at thy knees I beg, Euripides, 
 
 Give me some shred of any ancient drama, 
 
 For I, at length, the chorus must harangue ; 
 
 And this brings death, if I pronounce amiss. 
 Eur. What rags ? are they the same in which this CEneus, 
 
 Wretched old man ! contended in the lists? 410 
 
 Die. Not his ; but those of one more wretched still. 
 Eur. Are they the shreds of the blind Phoenix? 
 Die. No. 
 
 But one there was, more hapless even than Phoenix. 
 
 to the extreme slowness and difficulty with which Euripides composed, according 
 to the accusation of his contemporaries. The diminutive Euripidion is formed like 
 Phidipiddion and Socratidion (Clouds, vv. 80 and 225.) 
 
 <= dW iKKVK\t)9t]T' . The stage machine by which this rolling down was to be 
 accomplished, called by the Greeks eKKVKXijfia, is described by Jul. I'ollux, 
 (Onomast. iv. 128.) as well as by the Scholiast on this passage. The ingenious 
 author of the Theatre of the Greeks, (pp. 116, 117.) says, " in some cases, one or 
 more stories of the front wall in a temporary house were made to turn upon hinges, 
 so that when this front was drawn back, the interior of a room could be wheeled 
 out and exposed to view ; as in the Acharnians, where Euripides is so brought 
 forward. This contrivance was called Encyclewa." The Italian translator igno- 
 rant of the exact meaning of this word, renders it by vien a lajinestra. The same 
 machine is used in llie Clauds, to exhibit Socrates in the air. 
 
 "i " In the Frogs, ^Eschylus satirically denominates Euripides roi' x'^^o'^'o'ov, 
 the maker of lame heroes, (v. 845.) Aristophanes in both passages, makes an 
 allusion to Philocletes, Telcphus, and Bellerophon, whom Euripides represents 
 as lame. This is not surprising, says our poet maliciously, since they fall from so 
 elevated a machine, in which you fabricate them." — (Note of the French trans- 
 lator.)
 
 122 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Eur. What shreds of garments does the man require? 
 
 Are they the rags of beggar Philoctetes ? 
 Die. No: but of one far, far more beggarly. 
 Eur. Or wilt thou clothe thee in those sordid robes, 
 
 Which erst, the lame Bellerophon possess'd ? 
 Die. No, not Bellerophon — but he, I mean, 
 
 Was lame, importunate, and eloquent. 420 
 
 Eur. I know the man, — the Mysian Telephus. 
 Die. The same. — I pray thee give his rags to me. 
 Eur. O boy, give him the shreds of Telephus. 
 
 They lie above the Thyestean patches, 
 
 And under those of Ino. 
 Cep. Here, take them. 
 
 Die. O Jove **, by whom all objects are seen through. 
 
 Grant me to dress in this most wretched garb. 
 
 Since thou hast gratified my wish so far, 
 
 Euripides, give me those other tatters, 
 
 I mean the Mysian bonnet for my head. 430 
 
 Since it behoves me to seem poor to-day, 
 
 To be, but not appear, such as I am ; 
 
 For the spectators know me, of a truth. 
 
 And here these foolish, choral, old men stand. 
 
 That I may mock them with my idle tales. 
 Eur. Yes, I v.ill give them — for with cunning mind 
 
 Thou meditat'st thy schemes. 
 Die. May'st thou be blest '^t 
 
 According to my wish for Telephus ! 
 
 Courage ! — I'm now so fill'd with dainty speeches. 
 
 But still I need the staff that beggars use. 440 
 
 Eur. Here, take it, and depart from the stone portal. 
 Die. See'st thou, my soul, how from the house I'm driven, 
 
 « Brunck observes that BioTrra and KaTo-jrra are epithets of Jupiter, but that a 
 covert allusion is also made to the transparent and lacerated condition of the rags. 
 In this remark he was anticipated by the Scholiast, although the French translator 
 gives to the learned critic of Strasburgh all the ingenuity of the observation. This 
 speech of Dicaeopolis is exquisitely satirical ; and its facetiousness is greatly 
 heightened by the introduction of two verses (415 and 416) from the Telephus of 
 Euripides. 
 
 ' These verses are also parodied from the Telephus. 
 
 KciXiSjg ixoifii' Tt]\i(p(jj cV syw ^povCo. 
 
 >
 
 420—460.] THE ACHARNIANS. 123 
 
 Although in want of many utensils ? 
 
 Now lowly be thy prayers. — Euripides, 
 
 Give me the beggar's basket, link-burnt through. 
 Eur. What need hast thou, O wretch, of this incumbrance?? 
 Die. No need at all — but yet I wish to have it. 
 Eur. Know thou art troublesome, and leave the house. 
 Die. Be happy then, as once thy mother was'' ! 
 Eur. And now depart from me. 
 ^ic. Nay, give me but 450 
 
 One little cup, tho' broken at the rim, 
 Eur. Take this and go : — know thou'rt the house's plague. 
 Die. (aside) Not yet by Jove, know'st thou what ills thyself 
 
 Hast perpetrated ? but Euripides, 
 
 Give me, O sweetest friend, nought save this pipkin, 
 
 Lin'd with a sponge. 
 Eur. Man, thou wilt rob me of 
 
 My tragedy — here, take this, and depart \ 
 Die. I go : — what shall I do ? for there is need 
 
 Of one thing, which, not gaining, I am lost. 
 
 Hear, sweet Euripides ! but grant me this, 460 
 
 And I depart, nor ever more approach thee. 
 
 Give me some slender leaves into my basket. 
 Eur. Thou ruin'st me — my dramas are all vanish'd ''. 
 Die. No more. — I will depart; since, to the chiefs, 
 
 I seem a troublesome and hateful charge. 
 
 Ah me, ill fated ! — how I'm lost ! for that. 
 
 In which lay all my intei'est, I've forgot. 
 
 6 This line is also a parody of one in the Telephus. 
 
 7-1 d' (H raXa^ av T(fiSe 7rei9ta9ai OkXtig. 
 
 '' A sarcastic reflection upon the mean birth of Euripides, whose mother, Ciito, 
 gained her livelihood by the sale of potherbs : this is alluded to in several of the 
 comedies. 
 
 ' A very severe and satirical reflection upon Euripides, as if the sum and sub- 
 stance of his plays were contained in the tragic apparatus rcciuired for them. The 
 pipkin, mentioned by Dicaopolis, was lined with sponge, probably as a preventive 
 against injury to his head when he wore it as a helmet ; or, according to the Scho- 
 liast, since the poor were in the habit of using sponge to stop up chinks in broken 
 vessels, may contain a covert allusion to the same effect. 
 
 ^ <ppovSd i.iot TCI fpcifiUTa. This is altogctiier in the style of Euripides, who 
 uses the word (ppovSog no fewer than thirty-nine times in the course of his plays.
 
 124 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act ii. 3c. i. 
 
 My sweetest, dearest Euripidion, 
 
 By a most wretched fortune may I perish, 
 
 If I make thee aught, but this sole request: 470 
 
 Give me of thy maternal shepherd's needle '. 
 
 Eur. The man insults me : — close and lock the doors. 
 
 Die. O me ! I must depart without my chervil. 
 
 Know'st thou what trial thou wilt soon sustain, 
 When speaking for the men of Lacedamon ? 
 March forward now, O mind, the goal is here. 
 Stand'st thou, who hast imbib'd Euripides'"? 
 Courage now, I exhort thee, wretched heart — 
 Go thither ; — and when thou hast plac'd thy head 
 Upon the block, then say whate'er thou wilt. 480 
 
 Be bold and go : — now I admire thee, heart. 
 
 Cho. What wilt thou do ? what wilt thou say ? now, know 
 Thou art a shameless and an iron man. 
 Who, having granted to the state thy neck, 
 Art now about to contradict us all. 
 
 S.-C. Intrepidly the man prepares to act; 
 
 Come then, since thou art pleas'd to speak, say on. 
 
 Dig. "Envy me not, Spectators, if in rags", 
 
 I wish to speak, among th' Athenian tribes. 
 
 On state affairs," in comic travestie, 490 
 
 For comedy to justice is allied. 
 
 My speech will be severe, but just withal : 
 
 For Cleon shall not now asperse me, that, 
 
 In strangers' presence, I malign the state. 
 
 ' This, as well as verse 456, contains anotlier ironical reflection upon the ob- 
 scurity of Euripides' origin, as born of a mother who was a dealer in the vilest 
 potherbs ; the same allusion is contained in v. 19 of the Knights. Compare also, 
 V. 446. 
 
 ™ Dicaeopolis has Euripides so much by heart, that, as Schutz observes, he makes 
 use of the loquacity and redundance of sentiment peculiar to that tragedian. This 
 speech is a close parody of Medea's address to her wavering mind, so beautifully 
 given by Euripides, (v, 1242.) 
 
 aW (t oTrXi'sOV Kapcta' t'i fikWonev, k. t. \. 
 
 n The Scholiast observes that the two first lines of this speech, in which Dicae- 
 opolis details his reasons for having made a separate peace with the Lacedaemo- 
 nians, are also parodied from the Telephus of Euripides. 
 
 M^ ixoi (pQovrjaiT , avSptQ "EWj^vwy dicpot, 
 'El TTTwxog (iSv r'iTXrjK ivOXolffif X^.ytn'.
 
 470—510.] THE ACHARNIANS! 125 
 
 Since we're alone. 'Tis the Lenaean feast, 
 
 No strangers present yet, no tributes come, 
 
 Nor from the cities flock our old aUies. 
 
 But we are cleans'd from our impurities, 
 
 For foreigners I name the townsmen's chaff. 
 
 I much detest the men of Lacedajmon, 500 
 
 And wish that Neptune, the T^enarian god", 
 
 May '?,ake the houses down upon them all, 
 
 For, to the ground, my vineyards have been cut. 
 
 Yet why, since we before our friends converse, 
 
 On the Laconians cast these evils' blame ? 
 
 For some of us, (I do not name the state — 
 
 Remember this, I speak not of the city,) 
 
 But certain troublesome, ill-fated fellows, 
 
 Men of no mark, and of ignoble race. 
 
 Calumniated, the Megareans' vests P; 510 
 
 And shoula they chance to see a cucumber, 
 
 A leveret, garlick, little pig, or salt, 
 
 These, as Megarean, would that day be sold. 
 
 Such things are trifles and of custom here ; 
 
 But youths, drunk at the cottabus'', proceed 
 
 " The wish expressed iii tliese energetic lines of DicneopoHs will doubtless remind 
 the classical reader of that passage of the Iliad (^^' 27.) beginning 
 
 AvroQ S' 'Ei'vo(Tiyat.oQ, t^wj/ x£ip£(T(Ti Tpiaivav, 
 
 Hyeir 
 
 so finely imitated by Virgil, (jEn. ii. 610.) 
 
 Neptunus mures, magnoque emota tridenti, 
 Fundamenta quatit, totamque ab sedibus urbem 
 Eruit. 
 
 He will also, perhaps, call to mind the hateful character given of the inhabitants 
 of Lacedaemon by Euripides, in his fine tragedy of Andromache, (v. 445, sqq.) 
 
 ^Q Trdaiv avOpbJTroiffiv ixOierroi l^poTwv, 
 
 27r«pr/j£ tvoiKOi, ^6\ia liovXtvTiipia, 
 
 "frevSCiv dvaKTtg, [iT]xcvvoppa(poi kukSiv, 
 
 'E\(»CTo, Kov^^v vyiir, aKKa nav ~(piK 
 
 ^povovvrec, uSikojc evrvxtir' av 'EXXa^a. 
 P Accusing them falsely, as Brunck remarks, of having some contraband articles 
 of merchandise concealed beneath their garments ; C/ie vitnperano le picciole vesti 
 de Megaresi. — (Italian version.) 
 
 1 This and the following verse are quoted by Plutarch in his Life of Pericles, 
 who declares that the common people were continually reciting them in accusa-
 
 126 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 To Megara, and steal the girl Simaetha ; 
 
 Then the Megareans, swelling with their griefs, 
 
 Ravish in turn two harlots from Aspasia. 
 
 Hence the beginning of the war broke out 
 
 To all the Grecians, for three courtezans ! 520 
 
 Thence in his rage Olympian Pericles 
 
 Lighten'd and thunder'd, and confounded Greece "", * 
 
 Establish'd laws written in phrase of song. 
 
 That not on earth should the Megareans stay. 
 
 Nor in the forum, sea, or continent. 
 
 Henceforth, when slowly they began to pine, 
 
 The men of Megara besought the Spartans 
 
 That the decree touching the courtezans 
 
 Might be revers'd — and we were long unwilling 
 
 To grant their prayer ; and hence the clang of shields. 
 
 Some men will say, it needed not — but tell 531 
 
 What then was needful? How, if any one 
 
 From Lacedaemon, sailing in his bark, 
 
 Brought a false slander of a little dog 
 
 tion of that calumniated orator, laying the whole blame of the Peloponnesian war 
 on him and Aspasia. ' The cottabus was a kind of game, which consisted in dashing 
 the wine left in their cups on the pavement, or into dishes hanging down from the 
 extremities of a piece of wood like scales.' (Sanxay, Lex. Aristophan.) 
 
 "■ -ijcrrpaTrTEv, i[5p6vTa, ^vvsKVKa ti)v 'EWaSa. This celebrated line has been 
 imitated by Milton, in that passage of the Paradise Regained (book iv.) where, 
 speaking of the famous orators, he describes them as — 
 
 " Those ancients, whose resistless eloquence 
 
 Wielded at will the fierce democraty. 
 
 Shook th* arsenal, and fulmin'd over Greece." 
 
 Pliny the younger, in the twentieth epistle of his first book, cites, as well as this 
 
 line from Aristophanes, another character of Pericles' eloquence, from the comic 
 
 poet Eupolis — 
 
 TrpoQ St y' av rovTiji Tax V 
 
 irtiOii) Tig iireicdQrjTO roTcrt ^ttXtcriv k. t. X. 
 
 with which passage compare ^schylus (P. V. 179.) — 
 
 Kai jiovrt fiiXiyXuxrcroig TreiQovg 
 
 iiraoidalffiv 9eKKti. 
 The decree of Pericles against the Megareans was written in a strain similar to the 
 scholion of Timocrates the Rhodian : — 
 
 iH^tXig, (b TV(p\e TlXovrt, 
 IxriT iv yy, /i»jr' iv 9aXdTT7j, 
 fit'ir' iv T^ntiptf) (paviivai.
 
 520— 5G0.] THE ACHARNIANS. 127 
 
 Stolen from Seriphus, would you have remain'd 
 Quiet at home ? Nay, surely far from that. 
 Straight would ye have equipp'd three hundred ships*; 
 The city had been full of martial tumult, 
 And trierarchal clamour ; stipends given, 
 Palladian statues* gilded, while the porch 540 
 
 Groan'd with the noise, provisions measur'd out, 
 Bringing of bottles, oar-thongs, and of casks, 
 Garhck, and olives, nets with onions fiU'd, 
 Chaplets, and pilchards, pipers, and black eyes ; 
 The dock-yard had been fill'd with flat oar-timber, 
 With crackling pegs, oars fasten'd by their straps, 
 Pipes, cheering shouts, whistles, and rowers' tunes — 
 This had you done, 1 know — and shall we think 
 That Telephus had not ? troth we lack sense. 
 
 S.-C. And is this true, O most abhorr'd and cursed? 550 
 1. Beggar thyself, dar'st thou so speak of us ? 
 Reproaching every casual sycophant ? 
 
 S.-C.2.By Neptune, nought is false of what he says. 
 But altogether just. 
 
 S.-C.l. And if it be. 
 
 Must he declare it ? — But he shall not thus 
 Speak with impunity. 
 
 S.-C.2. Ho, whither runnest? 
 
 Wilt thou not tarry ? — strike him, and thyself 
 Shalt briefly be suspended. 
 
 S.-C.l. Grant thine aid, 
 
 O gorgon-crested Lamachus, whose looks 
 Are bright as lightening beams"; O friend, O tribes- 
 man ! 5G0 
 
 ' The Athenians, in the flourishing state of their republic, were accustomed to 
 keep three hundred triremes constantly equipped for naval service. 
 
 ' It was usual with the Athenians to place on the prows of the galleys, before 
 they sailed, figures of INIinerva adorned with gold. The latter part of this speech 
 of Dica;opolis, in the original, presents us with an admirable picture of the tumult 
 of warlike preparation exhibited in a seaport. 
 
 " This picture of the terrible Lamachus, son of Xenophanos (Thuc. vi. 2), will 
 perhaps recall to the recollection of the classical reader Ovid's graphic description 
 of a wild boar (Met. xi. 367.)—
 
 128 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act if. Sc. i. 
 
 If there be any military chief, 
 
 Or batterer of walls, grant us prompt succour — 
 
 For I am seiz'd i' th' midst. 
 Lam. Whence is this noise 
 
 Of warlike intonation that I hear ? 
 
 Where must we aid ? where throw our tumult in ? 
 
 Who rouses gorgon from the buckler-case ? 
 S.-C.l.O hero Lamachus, the crested cohorts ! 
 S.-C.2.Say, is not this the man, O Lamachus, 
 
 Who in old time hath our whole city slander'd ? 
 Lam. Darest thou say this, beggar as thou art ? 570 
 
 Die. Grant me your pardon, hero Lamachus, 
 
 If poverty hath made me somewhat prating. * 
 
 Lam. But what hast thou said of us ? wilt not tell ? 
 Die. I know not, for from terror of the arms 
 
 My head is dizzy^ — but remove, I pray thee. 
 
 The bugbear from me. 
 Lam. Lo, 'tis done. 
 
 Die. Now place it 
 
 Supine before me. 
 Lam. There it lies. 
 
 Die. Now give me 
 
 This plume from off thy helmet. 
 Lam. Here's the feather. 
 
 Die. Now hold my head, that I may vomit ; for 
 
 Crests I abominate. 
 Lam. What wilt thou do? 580 
 
 Vomit upon the plume ? 
 Die. Is it a plume ? 
 
 Tell me then, of what bird ? A braggadocio's ? 
 Lam. Wretch ! thou shalt die. 
 Die. Oh! not so, Lamachus; 
 
 Oblitus et spumis et spisso sanguine rictus 
 
 Fulmineos ; rubrd suffusus lumina flamniA. 
 This general is described by Plutarch as equalling Alcibiades himself in heat and 
 rashness. The historian informs us (in his life of Nicias) that Lamachus, in his 
 single combat with Callicrates, an officer remarkable for strength and courage, re- 
 ceived the first wound, which proved mortal, but he returned it upon liis adversary, 
 and they both fell together. 
 
 i
 
 570—600.] THE ACHARNIANS. 129 
 
 'Tis not within thy power — if thou be strong, 
 Why circumcise me not ? — for thou'rt well arm'd. 
 
 Lam. Say'st thou this, beggar, to the general ? 
 
 Die. And am I, then, a beggar? 
 
 Lam. Why, what art thou? 
 
 Die. What ? a good citizen, not fond of power ; 
 But a brave soldier, since the war began, 
 While thou hast been a mercenary leader. 590 
 
 Lam. By show of hands they chose me. 
 
 Die. Troth, three cuckoos. 
 
 Mov'd then by indignation at all this, 
 I enter'd on a truce. — When I beheld 
 Men grey with age among the ranks, and youths, 
 Such as thyself, who ran away from toil". 
 And for three drachmas serve in Thracian wars — 
 Tisameni, Phasnippi, and those wretches, 
 Hippai'chides with Chares. In Chaonia, 
 Geres and Theodorus the Deiomean, 
 With those in Camarina, and in Gela, 600 
 
 And in Catagela — 
 
 Lam. By suffrages 
 
 They were elected. 
 
 * Aristophanes in these lines reflects severely upon the mercenary and unpatriotic 
 conduct of those who received money from the public treasury for the purpose of 
 
 supporting embassies, and on this account avoided the fatigues of war ( o'iovg 
 
 ail SiaStSpaKOTag.) The French translator, as Schutz remarks, has rendered this 
 passage with great accuracy — " ou voit les plus jeunes, tels que toi, se soustraire 
 ii la fatigue par des ambassades ; les unes en Thrace, avec trois drachmes d'ap- 
 pointemeus." This practice is doubtless alluded to in the epithet fxvaQapxiSr]q, 
 which, as well as ffirovSapxiSi]g, Jlavovpynnrapxi^tlC, etc. are called by the 
 SchoWa&l jT.olic putronymics. The Deiomean denotes one of the tribe Deiomes. With 
 Camarina and Gela (v. 581.), towns of Sicily, the poet (Trapd irpoffCOKiav) joins 
 Catagela (or the town of Derision) where Catania might be expected ; denoting by 
 this fictitious appellation the ridicule whicii was often cast upon liie Athenians 
 by their ambassadors. Compare the indignant burst of Dicffiopolis (v. 75, 6.) — 
 
 w Kpavad iroXig, 
 ap' aiffOdvii Tov KarayiXujv twv TrpEff^eatv ; 
 
 Plautus appears to have had these sesquipedalian appellatives in his mind when he 
 introduces Pyrgopolynices discoursing on the Campi (jurgustidonii — 
 
 Ubi riombomachides Cluninstaridysarchides 
 
 Erat imperalor summus. — QlMiles Gloriosus, i. 1. 14.) 
 
 VOL. II. K
 
 130 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Die. But what is the cause 
 
 Why you from all parts gather recompense, 
 And none of these ? Say, O Marilades, 
 Hast thou in truth with hoary head sustain'd 
 One or two embassies ? — he nods dissent : 
 And yet he is both modest and laborious. 
 Dracyllus, Prinides, Euphorides, 
 Knows any one of you Ecbatana, 
 
 Or the Chaonians? — they deny't : but he, 610 
 
 Ccesyra's son^, and Lamachus, whose friends 
 Lately for dinner-share and debts unpaid, 
 Like those who use to pour away at eve 
 The water that has lav'd their feet, all cry 
 With exhortation loud, "Out of the way^." 
 
 Lam. O sovereign people, is this to be borne ? 
 
 Dig. No, truly, if thou lightest not for hire. 
 
 Lam. But 'gainst all men of Pelops' land I'll fight. 
 
 Routing them every where, with all my valour. 
 By infantry and ships. 
 
 Die. And, for my part, 620 
 
 To the Peloponnesians I proclaim. 
 To all Megareans and Boeotians, 
 That in my market they may buy and sell, 
 But this to Lamachus is interdicted. 
 
 Chorus. 
 
 The man prevails by force of argument, 
 And to a truce converts the people's will. — 
 But, stript, proceed we to our anapassts" — 
 
 y According to the Scholiast, Megacles is here alluded to, who had grown rich 
 from a state of poverty ; but Elmsley supposes that Alcibiades himself is rather in- 
 tended. 
 
 ^ uTTcivTiQ i^i<TT(x) TTupijvovv. In this passagc It'iaTu) is put for t^iaraao- and 
 the meaning seems to be well expressed by the French translator — " Desqu'on les 
 apper9orit, ou leur crie GARE, comme cela se pratique le soir quand ou'jette de 
 I'eau par la fenetre." 
 
 " The actors having left the scene, the chorus begin to chant in the manner of 
 recitative, the hortatory parabasis addressed to the spectators — the Ko^ifiariov, or 
 introductory section of which is expressed in two anapaestic tetrameters, catalectic; 
 and tlie parabasis, containing a noble apology of himself and his actions in favour 
 of his fellow-citizens, comprises thirty-one of the same verses. This quick antidac-
 
 610—650.] THE ACHARNIANS. 131 
 
 Since first our master fram'd the comic chorus, 
 
 He came not forward to the audience yet. 
 
 Declaring his own fitness — but, since slander'd 630 
 
 By foes in the Athenians' hasty counsels. 
 
 That he traduces, in his comedies, 
 
 Our city and the people — now he M'ould 
 
 Before the fickle nation clear himself. 
 
 The poet boasts, that he has been to you 
 
 The cause of numerous benefits, preserv'd you 
 
 From being over-joy'd by strangers' words, 
 
 Neglectful citizens by flattery charm'd. 
 
 Erewhile, ambassadors from foreign cities 
 
 Beguil'd you with the name of violet-croivnd. 640 
 
 Thence might one say, these crowns made you sit 
 
 lightly. 
 And should he call you by the flattering title 
 Of ' splendid Athens,' he'd gain all his ends, 
 Treating you like anchovies sous'd in oil ; 
 Thus has he wrought you many benefits, 
 And shown the friendly cities how to make 
 Their people democratic. Wherefore now, 
 Bringing this tribute, they will come to you 
 The best of poets eager to behold, 
 Who to th' Athenians dar'd to say what's just 650 
 
 At his own peril — whence for this bold deed 
 His glory travels far, when even the king 
 Question'd th' ambassadors from Laceda^mon, 
 
 tylic measure formed a material feature in the Spartan military discipline, among 
 whom it was in use for the purpose of animating the soldiers to battle : indeed 
 without this kind of foot, as Cicero informs us (Tusc. Disputat. ii. H).), no exiiort- 
 ation was made to them. The cadence of these verses is particularly agreeable to 
 the ear, and the whole of this long address deserves to be read with great attention. 
 The epithet violet -croivned, v. 612. (toort^oroiic). with which the Athenian people 
 were accustomed to be cajoled by their ambassadors, is used in allusion to the 
 words of Pindar in one of his dlthyrambic hymns — 
 
 a'l Xnrapal Kai loar'efavoi 'AOijvaf 
 (Fragment, x. ap. Hcyn.) The same epithets are applied by Aristophanes to Athens 
 in the Knights (vv. 1320 and 1326.) The slanders of which he complains at v. 604. 
 were chiefly aimed at him by Cleon (see v. 476.) The short anapajstic stanza be- 
 ginning TTpoc raiiTct K\fiov Kai TraXcr/uaffftw, and ending with v. 639, is most 
 cuttingly satirical. 
 
 K 2
 
 132 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 And ask'cl them first whose navy was superior ; 
 
 Demanding then whom most this poet slander'd, 
 
 For those men were, he said, superior far. 
 
 And should o'ercome in fight, who took his counsel ; 
 
 'Tis therefore that the men of Lacedaemon 
 
 Invite you to a truce, and claim again 
 
 vEgina, not so caring to possess 660 
 
 That isle, as wishing to eject the poet. 
 
 But fear ye not, lest in his comedies 
 
 He ridicule what's just — he but professes 
 
 To teach you the good art of being happy. 
 
 Not offering bribes or flattery, not deceiving. 
 
 Not scattering round false praise, but honest counsel. 
 
 Let therefore Cleon for my ruin weave 
 
 All his contrivances, wdiile right and justice 
 
 Are on my side — I never shall be found 
 
 To be like him, a traitor to the state, 670 
 
 And a diseas'd lascivious wretch beside. 
 
 Semi-Chorus. 
 
 Come hither, muse of fire, acute Acharnian'M 
 
 As spark of holm-oak embers leaps aloft, 
 
 Stirr'd by the whirling blast, when fishes near 
 
 Lie ready to be broil'd ; while some mix up 
 
 The generous Thasian sauce", and others bake — 
 
 Come thus, and bring to me thy fellow tribesman, 
 
 The rapid, well-ton'd, rustic melody. 
 
 We ancient citizens accuse the state ; 
 
 That when by sea we've fought in your behalf, 680 
 
 In our old age we are not fed by you 
 
 According to the merit of our deeds, 
 
 •* This invocation is in the true dithyrambic style, and is remarkable for that 
 character of poetical disorder which distinguished these hymns consecrated to Bac- 
 chus. The opening line resembles that of the chorus in Shakspeare's Henry V. — 
 
 " Ofor a muse of fire," etc. 
 
 <= A seasoning composed of rich ingredients, with which the liravGpaKidtQ, fishes 
 broiled upon the coals, mentioned in the preceding verse, were dipped. The epithet 
 XiirapuinrvKa, applied to it by Aristophanes, and proper to dithyrambic composi- 
 tions, is, as Brunck observes, facetiously made use of in this passage, instead of 
 the simple Xntapav.
 
 G60— 690.] THE ACHARNIANS. 133 
 
 But treated harshly, dragg'd to the tribunals ; 
 You suffer us to be the laughing-stock 
 Of youthful orators, while we are dumb, 
 And worn to nothing, like disorder'd pipes, 
 Whose only saving Neptune is a club''. 
 Muttering with age we stand at the Pnyx stone, 
 Not viewing aught but the dark shade of justice. 
 Meanwhile some stripling, eager to accuse, 690 
 
 Contracts his words, and rounds his hasty periods^; 
 Then tenders him aside insidious questions, 
 Confounding and perplexing this Tithonus ; 
 Who, cast in suit, draws in his lips from age. 
 Then to his friends with tears and sobs exclaims, 
 *' I go in debt for what had bought my coffin." 
 S.-C. Is it then right thus by the glass to kilF 
 
 <* The Scholiast informs us that Neptune was worshipped at Athens under the 
 title of Aff^aXeioc. in order that their navigation might be prosperous. As this 
 deity bears a trident, so these old men, muttering with age, are represented as sup- 
 porting their feeble steps on clubs before the tribunal at the Pnyx. 
 
 f Compare Juvenal (Sat. vi. 458.) — 
 
 curtum sermone quadrate 
 
 Torqueat enthymema. 
 Aristophanes names the old Athenian Tithonus, who in extreme age is feigned to 
 have been metamorphosed into a grasshopper, a proper emblem of senility, both on 
 account of its bloodless frame (see Anacreon, tig TtTTiya. 17.), as well as its shrill 
 cry, resembling the old man's voice, which, as Shakspeare so accurately observes in 
 
 As you like it — 
 
 Turning again to childish treble, pipes. 
 And whistles in the sound. 
 
 ' Alluding to the forensic clepsydra, or hour-glass, which marked the lapse of 
 time by the efflux of water, and was used in ancient times as a check upon the ver- 
 bosity of such orators as Marpsias (v. 666.), who were apt to ramble into irrelevant 
 digressions. Of this instrument a very good account, illustrated by a j)late, is 
 given in the Encyclopaedia Londinensis, a part of which the reader may not be dis- 
 pleased to see extracted here. " The Clepsydrae are very ancient instruments; they 
 were invented in Egypt under the Ptolemies ; being used chiefly in the winter, as 
 the sun-dials in the summer. But they had two great defects ; the one, that the 
 water ran out with a greater or less facility, as the air was more or less dense ; the 
 other, that it ran more readily at the beginning than towards the conclusion. 
 Ctesibius of Alexandria obviated the latter of these objections, by adding a con- 
 tinual supply of water, and a waste pipe to take off the superfluous quantity. The 
 clepsydra, in its ancient form of an astronomical instrument, by help of whicli the 
 equator was divided into twelve equal parts, before the mathematical division of 
 a circle was understood, was deemed of more value than a sun-dial, on account
 
 134 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 An old and hoary man, who much hath labour'd 
 
 With his companions, and hath often wip'd 
 
 The warm and manly sweat from off his brow, 700 
 
 So brave at Marathon in the state's cause ? 
 
 We, who our foes urg'd in that field, are now 
 
 Ourselves press'd grievously by wicked men. 
 
 And then condemn'd. What Marpsias shall deny it ? 
 
 For is it right that this man, crook'd by age. 
 
 Coeval with Thucydides'^, should perish, 
 
 Involv'd, as if in Scythian solitude. 
 
 With this Cephisodemus'', legal prater? 
 
 So that I pitied, and wip'd off my tears 
 
 To see this old man worried by an archer, 710 
 
 Who, when he w^as indeed Thucydides, 
 
 By Ceres, scarce had borne the sounding goddess', 
 
 of its dividing the hours of the night as well as of the day. It was introduced into 
 Greece by Plato, and into Rome by P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica, about 157 years 
 B. C. Pliny says (lib. xxvii.) that Porapey brought a valuable one among his 
 spoils from the eastern nations ; and Caesar is said to have met with an instrument 
 of this kind in Britain, by the help of which he observed that the summer nights of 
 this climate are shorter than they are in Italy. The use which Pompey made of 
 his instrument was to limit the speeches of the Roman orators ; which Cicero al- 
 ludes to when he says ' latrare ad clepsydram' (de Orat. iii. xxxiv.) Tiie Egyp- 
 tians, by this machine, measured the course of the sun ; Tycho Brache, in later 
 days, made use of it to measure the motion of the stars, etc. ; and Dudley employed 
 the same contrivance in all his maritime observations." 
 
 e He was the son of Melesias, and rival of Pericles — banished by ostracism in 
 the first year of the Ixxxiv. Olympiad. He is m.entioned again in the Wasps (v. 
 947.), and by Plutarch, in his life of Pericles, who declares that he was instigated 
 by the Athenian nobility to oppose that celebrated orator. He was of the ward of 
 Alopece, and brother-in-law to Cimon. 
 
 '' 'H ^KvOwt' fpi^iiia, is a proverbial expression, denoting the extreme of poverty. 
 In this passage Elmsley considers it as a periphrasis for Cephisodemus himself, one 
 of whose ancestors appears to have married a Scythian wife. Kuster interprets the 
 words of the chorus thus : " Is it just that a man bent double with age, like Thu- 
 cydides, should perish, struggling with excessive poverty 1" 
 
 ' Tr/v 'Axaiav i. e. Ceres, so named from the clang of cymbals which were 
 used in searching for Proserpine (Catullus Atys. 9.) — 
 
 Tympanum tubam Cybelles ; tua mater, initia. 
 Again, v. 1\. — 
 
 Ubi cymbalum sonat vox, ubi tympana reboant. 
 The Scholiast gives another reason respecting a vision of Ceres, which appeared to 
 the people of Tanagra, who, when they left their native country, were directed by 
 Ceres appearing in a dream to follow a particular sound, and to build a city wherever
 
 700—730.] THE ACHARNIANS. 135 
 
 But ten Euatlili first had overthrown'' ; 
 
 Shouted more loudly than three thousand archers. 
 
 And shot beyond his father's relatives. 
 
 But since you suffer not old men to sleep, 
 
 Be it decreed a law, that to an elder 
 
 Some toothless aged man be an accuser ; 
 
 To youths, the loose and prating son of Clinias'. 
 
 Hereafter, tho' 'tis right to prosecute, 720 
 
 Let old men mulct the ag'd, and youths the young. 
 
 ACT III. SCENE I. 
 
 Enter Dic^opolis, alone. 
 
 Die. These are the limits of my market-place — 
 'Tis lawful here for all Peloponnesians 
 To traffick, all Megareans and Boeotians, 
 Selling for me, and not for Lamachus. 
 And I appoint, to regulate the market, 
 These three inspectors, chos'n by lot, and arm'd 
 With thongs from Lepreum"' — let no sycophant 
 Find entrance here, nor any other man, 
 Who brings ill deeds to light by information". 730 
 
 that might cease. They went on, led by the music of cymbals and drums into the 
 territory of Attica, where they erected a temple to Ceres the resounder. 
 
 ^ Euathlus was the name of an indifferent orator of that time. He is mentioned 
 again by Aristophanes (Wasps, v. 590.), where the Scholiast informs us that he was 
 a sycophant, as well as a rlietorician — and spoken of by the comic poets, Plato, in 
 the play of Pisander, and Cratinus, in the Thrattct. 
 
 ' i.e. " When in company with the younger citizens he v.as as great a debauchee 
 and prater as Alcibiades himself." The same character of this celebrated Athenian 
 is given by Plutarch in his most interesting Life. 
 
 "' This was a city of Elis in Peloponnesus, whence Dicaiopolis procures the 
 thongs with which he arms his agoranomi, or market inspectors, to intimate, as the 
 French translator very probably observes, the friendly nature of the alliance which 
 he had formed with the Lacedicraonians. This office was discharged at Rome by 
 tiie xdiles. Brunck observes that Plautus has latinized this word in his excellent 
 and moral comedy of the Captives, (iv. 2. 43.)— ^/ecere sibi JEtoli Ageranomum. 
 The Scholiast adduces other interpretations of the words l/i«vrae tK Xsirpaiv one 
 of which denotes the Megareans to have been commonly afflicted with the leprosy. 
 
 " (paaiavoQ, of the same etymology with avKoipavTin;, from (paivio to show or 
 declare. The Italian translator is very explicit; " phasiano cioe sicofanta o
 
 136 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 And I will place, conspicuous in the mart, 
 That pillar, near which I confirmed the treaty. 
 
 Enter a Megarean with his Daughters". 
 
 Meg. Athenian forum, by Megareans lov'd, 
 
 All hail! I swear by friendship's' guardian, Jove, 
 That like a mother, I have long'd for thee. 
 But, O sad daughters of a wretched sire, 
 Ascend, if haply you may find a cake. 
 Hearken, I pray, and turn your maws to me — 
 Will you be sold, or hunger wretchedly? 
 
 Dau. Be sold, be sold. 
 
 Meg. And I, too, say the same. 740 
 
 For who is so devoid of understanding, 
 That he will buy you to his open loss ? 
 But I have some Megaric artifice ; 
 For I will dress them up as pigs, and say 
 I deal in such commodities : — come place 
 These piggish claws around, that you may seem 
 To be the offspring of a generous sow. 
 I swear by Hermes, if you travel home, 
 You will experience famine's worst extremes. 
 But place this porker's snout around you too, 750 
 
 And enter afterwards into this sack. 
 Taking especial heed to snore and grunt 
 With the full utterance of mysterious hogs p. 
 
 calunniatore." In illustration of the next two lines it should be observed that 
 such as entered upon a treaty, were accustomed to inscribe its conditions on a 
 column erected in the forum. 
 
 o To indicate the extreme -poverty of the Megareans, and the misery arising from 
 war, Aristophanes introduces a man who brings his daughters to be sold, and for 
 the sake of ridicule, he dresses them like pigs. He uses the Doric dialect, for the 
 Megareans were originally from that country : hence he says ttottuv /idSSav for 
 
 vpoc TTjv jxdZav. xpJJ^^fi"' for XP')^"'^ > ^**^- Bergler. 
 
 P These animals were so named, as they were accustomed to be sacrificed to 
 Ceres in the mysteries. Pliny, in his Natural History (viii. 41.), says that young 
 pigs are most proper for sacrifice on the fifth day after their birth, as sheep on the 
 eighth, and calves on the thirtieth. Varro, in the second book of his treatise de 
 Tie Rusticu, informs us that the sacrifice of a pig was of the earliest antiquity, both 
 in confirming treaties of peace, and, amoag the Etruscans, in solemnizing marriages. 
 One would be almost tempted to imagine that this comic dialogue between the
 
 740—780.] THE ACHARNIANS. 137 
 
 I now will call on Dicasopolis. 
 
 Here, Dicaeopolis, wilt buy my pigs? 
 Die. {entermg) A man of Megava ? 
 
 Meg. We come to market. 
 
 Die. How fare ye? 
 
 Meg. Sitting o'er the fire we starve. 
 
 Die. Nay, but, by Jove, an if a pipe be near. 
 
 That were a sweet condition : and what else 
 
 Do the Megareans now ? 
 Meg. Demand you what? 700 
 
 The city's great men were deliberating, 
 
 When I departed thence, how we might perish 
 
 By the most quick and miserable end. 
 Die. Straight from all troubles you'll be freed — 
 Meg. Even so. 
 
 Die. What else at Megara ! How sells the corn ? 
 Meg. With us, as highly priz'd as are the gods. 
 Die. Then bear you salt ? 
 
 Meg. Have you not our salt-sellers ? 
 
 Die. Nor any garlick ? 
 Meg. And what should we have, 
 
 Since in your late invasion, like field mice. 
 
 With stakes you've rooted up the garlick heads? 770 
 Die. What bring'st thou then ? 
 
 Meg. I bring the mystic hogs. 
 
 Die. Well said, produce them, 
 Meg. They are plump in sooth ; 
 
 Suspend them if thou wilt — how fat and fine ! 
 Die. What kind of thing was this? 
 Meg. a hog, by Jove. 
 
 Die. What say'st thou ? Of what country is this pig ? 
 Meg. Of Megara — or is it not a })ig? 
 Die. Not as it seems to me. 
 Meg. Is it not strange ? 
 
 Behold his incredulity ! — he says 
 
 That this is not a pig — but if you will, 
 
 Wager me now some thyme jiowder'd with salt 780 
 
 Megarean and Dica-opolis, respecting the sacrifice of pigs to Venus, was intended 
 to turn the custom iuto ridicule.
 
 138 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 If it is not a very Grecian hog. 
 Die. But 'tis of human kind. 
 Meg. By Diodes, 
 
 'Tis of our kind. — What think'st thou of its nature? 
 
 Say, wilt thou hear them grunt ? 
 Die. Yes, by the gods. 
 
 Meg. Speak quickly, porker — thou lost animal, 
 
 There is no need of silence — soon, by Hermes, 
 
 I'll take thee home. 
 Dau. Koi, koi. 
 
 Meg. Is it a pig? 
 
 Die. Now it appears so, but with five years' growth 
 
 It will become a damsel. 
 Meg. And be sure, 
 
 She will be like her mother. 
 Die. But not yet 790 
 
 Is she prepar'd for sacrifice. 
 Meg. Why not ? 
 
 Die. She has no tail — 
 Meg. For she is yet a youngling. 
 
 But when a full grown porker, she will have 
 
 A great, thick, red one. But, if you should choose 
 
 To breed this up, she'll be a beauteous pig. 
 Die. How kindred is her nature to the other's! 
 Meg. Yes, for their sire and mother were the same. 
 
 But when the downy hair begins to thicken, 
 
 She'll be a beauteous offering to Venus. 
 Die. But this to Venus is no proper victim. 800 
 
 Meg. To her alone of all the deities. 
 
 And of these iiogs, when roasted on the spit% 
 
 The flesh becomes most sweet. 
 Die. And could they now 
 
 Be fed without the mother? 
 Meg. Yes, by Neptune, 
 
 1 The Scholiast informs us tliat the BcEotians used the word oSiXov, as Aiisto- 
 plianes does here, instead of the usual 6/3«Xo)'. From the two preceding answers 
 of the Megarean, we may at least infer that the integrity of animals, offered in 
 sacrifice, was as essential a part of the heathen as of the Jewish ritual. 
 
 I
 
 790—810] THE ACHARNIANS. 139 
 
 Without the father too "'. 
 Die. And what food chiefly 
 
 Does it devour? 
 Meg. Whatever you may give — 
 
 Ask it yourself. 
 Die. Pig, pig ! 
 
 Dau. Koi, koi. 
 
 Die. Would'st eat 
 
 Chick pease ? 
 Dau. Koi, koi, koi. 
 
 Die. What, Phibalean figs"? 
 
 Dau. Koi, koi. 
 
 Die. Would you devour them too? 
 
 D. 2. Koi, koi. 
 
 Die. How sharply you cry out after the figs! 810 
 
 Bring, some one from within, figs to my porkets. 
 
 Will they eat them ? O honour'd Hercules, 
 
 Strange how they crunch ! from what land come your 
 pigs? 
 
 They seem like Tragasasans ' : but not yet 
 
 All of the figs have they devour'd — 
 Meg. 'Tis so, 
 
 For I have taken one of them away. 
 Die. By Jupiter, but these are noble beasts. 
 
 For how much can I buy your porkers ? say. 
 Meg. For one of them, I ask a piece of garlick". 
 
 "■ A sneer at the misogynist Euripides, towards whom our poet appears to have 
 cherished a spirit of constant and insatiable hostility. 
 
 » These figs take their name, according to the Scholiast, from a place either in 
 the Megaric or Attic territory, hut it is doubted which : fifiaXic denoting a spe- 
 cies of dried figs (IffxaSwv iiTro rov icrxvdaOai), hence the word was applied to 
 men of thin and spare habit. 
 
 ' This may signify either inhabitants of a town named Tragasa;, and mentioned 
 by Stephanus By^antiuus, or be intended simply to denote the voracity of these pig- 
 daughters, from the verb rpwyw, I eat, 2d aorist irpayov. This joke cannot 
 be preserved in a translation. Biunck. The Latin rendering, Voracia, conveys 
 but one part of the meaning. The word occurs again in v. t3I8, but there it is 
 derived from rpayof, a goat. 
 
 " A great proof of the extreme misery to which the Megareans were reduced by 
 the war, during which all commerce with the Athenians was inlcrJictod, that a 
 man should be under the necessity of selling his daughter for a heap of garlick
 
 140 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 The other, if you wish, a single chaenix 820 
 
 Of salt will purchase. 
 Die. I will buy them of thee. 
 
 Wait there — 
 Meg. So far, so good. — Oh Mercury 
 
 Patron of traffick, grant me but to sell 
 
 My wife and mother thus ! 
 
 Enter a Sycophant. 
 
 Syc. Man, whence art thou? 
 
 Meg. From Megara, pig jobbing. 
 
 Syc, Then will I 
 
 Denounce as enemies your hogs and you. 
 Meg. Comes this decree again, whence first the spring 
 
 Of all our ills arose ? 
 Syc. "This Megarizing 
 
 Shall cost you tears. Wilt not let go the sack ? 
 Meg. O Dicaeopolis, I am denounc'd 830 
 
 By some one. 
 Die. Who is this informer ? Ye 
 
 Who rule the market, will ye not drive out 
 
 Of doors these sycophants? without a wick 
 
 How can you bring to light what you have learn'd ? 
 Syc. What ! shall I not denounce the enemies ? 
 Dig. You will repent unless you quickly bear 
 
 Your accusations to some other place. 
 Meg. How great an ill this, in th' Athenian state ! 
 Die. Cheer up, Megarian — take the price required 
 
 Of salt and garlick for thy pigs — farewell. 840 
 
 Meg, But this is not our custom. 
 Dig. Let it fall 
 
 On my own head, if I spoke indiscreetly. 
 Meg. O pigs, try, even without your father's aid 
 
 To eat the mass with salt, if any give it. \_Exit, 
 
 ((TKopoSwv TpoiraWiSog), and the other for a chaenix (about a pound and a half) 
 of salt.
 
 8^0— 8G0.] THE ACHARNIANS. 141 
 
 Chorus. 
 
 The man is blest — have you not heard the issue 
 
 Of his wise counsel? — sitting in the forum 
 
 He will enjoy the fruit — and if a Ctesias 
 
 Enter, or any other sycophant, 
 
 In silent lamentation shall he sit. 
 
 No other market cheat shall injure you, 850 
 
 Nor Prepis stain you with his infamy ; 
 
 Nor in the crowd, Cleonymus molest you ; 
 
 But with unspotted garment shall you pass ; 
 
 Nor should Hyperbolus encounter you, 
 
 Filling you with satiety of law. 
 
 Nor should Cratinus", walking in the forum, 
 
 His hair cut in lascivious fashion, meet you, 
 
 Or that most wretched Artemon, whose muse 
 
 Glides on so quickly, he whose armpits rank 
 
 Of an offensive goat-like odour smell; 8G0 
 
 Or should again the wicked Pauson view you. 
 
 Or the Cliolargians' shame, Lysistratus, 
 
 O'erwhelm'd with vices, he who starves and shivers 
 
 Oftener than thirty days in every month. 
 
 ACT IV. SCENE I. 
 
 Etiter a Boeotian, withpijjes and various commodities. 
 
 Bgeo. By Hercules ^, my burden'd shoulder pains me, 
 Lay quietly the pennyroyal down, 
 Ismenias, and you, Tlicban fluters, here, 
 
 " This Cratinus must not be confounded vvitli the celebrated comic poet of that 
 name, but is to be understood of a noted Athenian, of dissolute manners and iiabits, 
 who was accustomed to shave his beard in a peculiarly nice fashion, juta (iaxai-p(f, 
 which rhotius, in his Lexicon, interprets, a razor (fi'iav iia\aif)ar t))v ^nXii^a, 
 ApL<jTo<puvnQ). Schutz on tlie passage observes, " n'ln iiaxcupa est novacula nos- 
 tra, et opponitur forficibus (quasi duobus cultis compositis) quibus barba tonderi, 
 non autem radi solebat." 
 
 y Itto) 'UpciKXric — a node of adjuration in use among the Thcbans, to whom 
 Hercules was an indigenous divinity; irrw, says the Scholiast, civtI tov iffrw. 
 Compare the well known oath which Virgil places in the mouth of JEueas, (jEn. 
 xii. 176.) 
 
 " Esto nunc Sol testis, et hsec mihi terra precanti."
 
 142 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 With bony pipes swell the clog's fundament. 
 Die. A plague upon you, drones — hence from my doors ! 
 
 Whence have these curs'd Choeridian bagpipers 870 
 
 Wing'd to my house their melancholy flight? 
 BcEO. By lolaus, willingly, O stranger — 
 
 For blowing after me from Thebes, they've strewn 
 
 Upon the ground your pennyroyal flowers. 
 
 But purchase if you please, of what I bear, 
 
 Some of these hens, or four-wing'd grasshoppers. 
 Die. O my Boeotian bread-devourer, hail. 
 
 What bring you ? 
 BcEO. All that is thought good among us. 
 
 Mats, lamp-wicks, pennyroyal, marjoram, 
 
 Daws, chickens, coots, wrens, ducks and didappers. 
 Die. You come then like a wintry tempest, stor'd 881 
 
 With poultry for the mart. 
 BcEO. I bear moreover, 
 
 Geese, leverets, foxes, moles, cats, hedgehogs, ferrets, 
 
 With weasels, otters, and Copaic eels ^ 
 Die. O thou, who bearest most delightful food 
 
 To men, if thou hast eels, let me salute thee. 
 BcEO. Most honour'd of Copais' fifty nymphs 
 
 Emerge, that thou may'st gratify this stranger. 
 Die. O thou most dear, and of old time desir'd, 
 
 Thou comest wish'd for by the comic choirs, 890 
 
 And dear to Morychus^. Domestics, bring me 
 
 * iKTXcac, Ivii^piog, tyx^^^'C KaiTrrticfaf. There is great discrepancy of opinion 
 among the commentators as to the proper names of these various animals enume- 
 rated by the Boeotian. Bergler is my authority for rendering iKrlSag, ivvSpiuQ (a 
 Bceotic form of ivvSpovQ}, distinct creatures, the former of the weasel, and the 
 latter of the otter tribe. The eels of the lake Copais in Bceotia were celebrated for 
 their excellence. It is now called Limne, and receives the waters of the Cephisus 
 and other rivers. Verse 848, is a parody of a line of ^ILschylus from the " adju- 
 dication of the arms," in which a personage of the drama, speaking of the Nereids 
 who come to the judgment, addresses Thetis thus, 
 
 deffTToiva irevTriKovTa Njjjoacwj' %Ojo6v. 
 Elmsley observes that the oprdXixoi and TtrpaTrTepvWides, mentioned in v. 836, 
 are manifestly birds and quadrupeds, but not domestic fowls and locusts or cicadas. 
 The Scholiast, on ^i^sehylus, (Agam. 54.) interprets the word opraXix'^v of young 
 birds not yet fledged ; see Arnold, Animadvers. Crit. c. 35, on the passage. 
 
 * That is, equally dear to comic (rpvyt^diKolg) and tragic poets. The Scholiast,
 
 870-910.] THE ACHARNIANS. 143 
 
 A chafingdish and fan, — behold, my boys, 
 
 This admirable eel, which comes but now, 
 
 To gratify a longing of six years. 
 
 Address it, O my children.— I, myself, 
 
 Will, for the stranger's sake, provide you coals. 
 
 But bring it in, for not in death, wovdd I 
 
 Be separate from thee, when cook'd with beets ^. 
 BcEO. But where will be my recompense for this i 
 Die. This you shall give me for my market dues. 900 
 
 BcEO. All this will I. 
 Dig. Come then, for how mucli say'st thou? 
 
 Or wilt thou go, and carry hence thy wares ? 
 BcEO. Whate'er th' Athenians have, but not Boeotians. 
 Die. You will then buy anchovies of Phalerum, 
 
 Or carry earthen wares. 
 BcEO. Pans or anchovies ? 
 
 Them we have there. But those which we have not. 
 
 Such things will I convey in plenty thither. 
 Die. I know it, therefore take a sycophant 
 
 Envelop'd like a vase of earthen ware. 
 BcEO. Nay by the gods, I should export much gain 910 
 
 If charg'd with him, as a malicious ape '^. 
 Die. And hither comes Nicarchus, to inform. 
 
 on V. 61. of this play, says that Morychus was a man of a luxurious style of living, 
 and one of the ambassadors to the king of Persia. He is mentioned again in the 
 Wasps, (506, 1142,) the. Peace, (1008), and by Plato, the comic writer cited by 
 the Scholiast on tlie Clouds, (110), 
 
 '' Kuster observes that the G reeks were accustomed to serve up eels at table 
 enveloped in beet leaves : but this appears doubtful. Suidas, citing this passage 
 of Aristophanes, says that it was customary to dress them with beet in order that 
 they might taste the sweeter. These two verses are a parody upon Euripides, 
 (Aicestis, v. 374-5.), where Admetus addresses his wife in those tender words, 
 
 l.i7]Sk yap Bavwv ttote 
 
 ffov ^wp'C thjv, Trj^ i.u>vr]Q TnarriQ i/xoi. 
 
 '^ This adjuration, which is inaccurately rendered by the Trench translator par 
 Jvpiter (j'ni Tilt auo), is expressed in the Bosotic dialect for vt) rw Oto), meaning 
 Amphion and Zethus, the tutelary deities of the country. A Lacedicmonian 
 would swear in this form (as in the Peace, 214. and the Lysistrata, 86.) by Castor 
 and Pollux; an Attic female by Ceres and Proserpine (Eccles. 155.) lu the 
 remainder of these lines, the Bceotian refers ironically to the sycophant, whom if 
 he bore on his shoulders and sold as an ape, he would be a considerable gainer.
 
 144 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 BcEO. In stature he is quite diminutive ; 
 Die. But altogether bad. 
 
 Enter Nicarchus. 
 
 Nic. Whose are these burdens ? 
 
 BoEO. They're mine from Thebes — bear witness Jupiter ! 
 Nic. Then I'll denounce them as the enemy's. 
 BcEO. What evil have the birds done, that thou raisest 
 
 Battle and war against them? 
 Nic. Nay, I will 
 
 Inform against thee too. 
 B(EO. But for what wrong? 
 
 Nic. I'll tell thee, for the sake of the bystanders : 920 
 
 Thou bringest in wicks from the enemy. 
 Die. And wilt thou then inform of candle-wicks ? 
 Nic. Yes, for one might burn down the arsenal. 
 Die. A wick consume the dock? 
 Nic. I think so. 
 
 Die. How ? 
 
 Nie. Should some Boeotian fix it to a beetle, 
 
 And send it blazing into th' arsenal, 
 
 Urg'd by strong Boreas through a watercourse, 
 
 Then if but once the fire attack the ships. 
 
 Straight would they blaze **. 
 Die. O thou most execrable ! 
 
 Will candle-wicks and insects make them blaze ? 930 
 Nie. Yes, I maintain it. 
 Die. Seize, and stop his mouth. 
 
 Give me some straw, that, like an earthen vase, 
 
 He may be borne, nor broken in the carriage. 
 Cho. Bind the goods firmly round the stranger, friend, 
 
 That in conveying him it may not break. 
 Die. This shall be my care, since it utters forth 
 
 A sound, as if it crackled in the fire — 
 
 Even by the gods abhorr'd. 
 
 '^ (TtKaydivT av thOvQ. This is Pierson's excellent emendation for the common 
 reading, atXayolvr av at vrfVQ ; which, being the Ionic form of the nominative plu- 
 ral i't/£c. would not be admissible here — to say nothing of the insipid tautology: av 
 tvQvQ is the reading adopted also by Invernizius, and is undoubtedly the true one.
 
 920-9G0.] THE ACHARNIANS. 145 
 
 Cho. How will he e'er 
 
 Make use of it ? 
 Die. 'Twill be to him a vessel 
 
 Expedient for all purposes — a cup 940 
 
 Of mischiefs — mortar full of litieation — 
 
 A lamp to show the guilty — and a chahce 
 
 That shall confound things. 
 Cho. How then can one trust 
 
 To such a vessel's use, that through the house 
 
 Is always crackling so ? 
 Die. 'Tis strong, my friend, 
 
 So that it never could be broken, if 
 
 Head downwards 'twere suspended by the feet. 
 Cho. Thou hast it well arrang'd now. 
 BcEo. I'm about 
 
 To harvest up my wares®. 
 Cho. O best of strangers, 
 
 Assist in bundling up, and having seiz'd 950 
 
 This fellow, throw him where thou wilt, for sure 
 
 To every place thou'lt bear a sycophant. 
 Die. With difficulty have I bound the wretch. — 
 
 Take up the vase, and bear it, O Boeotian. 
 BcEO. Go, bend thy callous back, Ismenicus^, 
 
 And take good caution how you carry it. 
 Die. 'Tis no great good that thou wilt bear — but still, 
 
 This gain the burden will confer on thee, 
 
 A blest immunity from sycophants^. 
 
 Enter a valet o/'Lamachus. 
 
 Val. Ho, Dicasopolis ! 
 
 Die. Who is't?— why call'st me? 9G0 
 
 Val. Why ? Lamachus prays thee to lend this drachma 
 
 * ^£\\ai ye rot OepiSSev for the common form Otpl^nv. So the French trans- 
 lator — "Je vats mairitenant ramasser ma petite r6colte." Elmsley, however, remarks 
 on this passage — "hajc verba non satis intelligo. Grammaticorum interpretationes 
 parum ad rem sunt. 6(piSctv pro iv npuTrnv dictum videtur." Suidas interprets 
 the word as a metaphor from the reapers making up their sheaves, 
 
 ^ i. e. ]5ocotian ; so named from the river Ismenus, flowing near Thebes, and 
 falling into the Euripus. 
 
 B " E sarai avventurato per rispetto de calunniatori." — Italian translation. 
 VOL. 11. L
 
 146 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 For the libation feast '', to purchase thrushes ; 
 And two besides for the Copaic eel. 
 
 Die. Who is this Lamachus that asks an eel? 
 
 Val. That dreadful, that undaunted man, who shakes 
 His gorgon buckler and three shadowy crests'. 
 
 Die. Not I, by Jove, should he give me his shield. 
 But let him shake his crests at the salt pickle. 
 Should he be troublesome, I'll call to aid 
 The agoranomi, and, taking on me 970 
 
 This burden, I will enter on the wings 
 Of thrushes and of blackbirds''. 
 
 Cho. Thou behold'st, 
 
 O city, this most wise and prudent man : 
 Here, having made a treaty for himself. 
 He trafficks in all kinds of merchandise. 
 Some for his household use, and tepid food 
 To gorge his palate, all good things which trade 
 Grants in profusion here — never will I 
 Entertain war as a domestic guest, 
 Nor shall he e'er, on social couch reclin'd, 980 
 
 With me recite th' Harmodian melody ' ; 
 Since he is like a man by wine inflam'd. 
 Who in his hours of wassail, rushing out, 
 O'erturns, confounds our full prosperity. 
 
 •' Ei'c Toiig Xoag. The Scholiast gives a long account of this solemnity, which 
 was instituted during the celebration of the Lena;an festival, by Pandion, king of 
 Athens, to whom Orestes had fled for refuge after the murder of his mother Cly- 
 tffimnestra. It was customary for the guests to eat and drink in profound silence, 
 holding no communication with each other. The x°V was also a measure of 
 liquids, containing about six pints. 
 
 ' These two lines are parodied from j52schylus (vii. ad Theb. 384.), who, de- 
 scribing the mad boaster Tydeus, says — 
 
 ToiavT avTCiv, Tpilg KaTaaKwvQ \6fovg, '2iUi. 
 
 ■' These lines, according to the Scholiast, are imitated from some metrical com- 
 position of the time, probably sung at banquets. 
 
 ' This was a scolion which the Athenians were accustomed to sing at their feasts 
 in honour of Harmodius, who, together with Aristogiton, freed their country from 
 the tyranny of the Pisistratidae. This song, beginning with the line 
 
 iv jjivprov KXaSi to ^i<pog ^opi]cno, 
 is of a highly animated and poetical character, and has been preserved by Athenasus 
 in the fourth book of his DeipnosopMstcc,
 
 970—1010.] THE ACHARNIANS. 147 
 
 And fights against us, tho' we challenge him 
 With frequent invitations — " drink, recHne, 
 Accept this friendly cup" — so much the more 
 He fir'd the stakes, and from the vines pour'd out 
 With violence the wine. Then he assum'd 
 His spirits for the feast ; and, as a proof 900 
 
 Of his luxurious life, out of the doors 
 He cast these feathers forth. 
 Die. O Peace, companion 
 
 Of the dear Graces and the Cyprian queen. 
 How little knew I thy fair countenance ! 
 
 may some love bring me and thee together, 
 As he is painted with his flowery crown ! 
 
 Or haply think'st thou that I am too old ? 
 But being join'd with thee in fellowship, 
 
 1 think I yet could add three blessings to thee ; 
 First, to drive in a lengthen'd row of vines, 1000 
 Then near it plant young progenies of figs ; 
 
 And thirdly, aged as I be, a vineyard. 
 
 With olive trees encircling the whole space ; 
 
 So that from them both you and I may be 
 
 Anointed at the new moon's festivals. 
 Her, All people, hear — and at the trumpet's blast 
 
 Drink the libations with your country's rites ; 
 
 And he who first exhausts them shall receive 
 
 The sack of Ctesiphon™. 
 Die. O boys, O women, 
 
 What do ye? hear ye not the lierald's voice? 1010 
 
 Boil, bake, turn, drag away the hares, and weave 
 
 The chaplets quickly — bring the spits that I 
 
 May stretch the thrushes on them, 
 
 " An ironical allusion to the huge size of Ctesiphon, who is described by the 
 Scholiast as Traxvij Kai Trpoyaorwp. At the libation feast they drank by the sound 
 of a trumpet, and a sack was given as a prize to the victorious drinker (Dicajopolis 
 in this comedy.) According to Timajus (quoted by Athena;us) Dionysius the ty- 
 rant offered a golden crown to him who should first drink off the required measure, 
 and Xenocrates the philosopher was the winner. The Choan feast was celebrated 
 on the thirteenth of the month Anthesterion, answering to our February, according 
 to Philochorus, quoted by the Scholiast on v. 1040. The manner of celebrating 
 the feast is described in v. 964, etc. 
 
 1 O
 
 148 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act iv, Sc. i. 
 
 Cho. Thee I envy 
 
 For thy good counsel, man, and more for this. 
 
 Thy present feast. 
 Die. But what, when ye behold 
 
 The thrushes roasted ? 
 Cho. That's well spoken, too. 
 
 According to my notion. 
 Die. Stir the fire. 
 
 Cho. Hear ye with what a trim and cook-like air 
 
 He ministers his festive preparations ? 
 
 Enter a Husbandman. 
 
 Hus. Ah, wretched me ! 
 
 Die. O Hercules, who's this? 1020 
 
 Hus. An ill-starr'd man. 
 
 Die. Now go on your own way. 
 
 Hus. O friend, since thou hast made a separate truce. 
 
 Measure me out some five years' length of peace. 
 Die. What hast thou suffer'd ? 
 
 Hus. I have lost two oxen. 
 
 Die. Whence? 
 
 Hus. The Boeotians took them o!f from Phyle. 
 
 Die. Then art thou, O thrice wretched, rob'd in white ? 
 Hus. And fed me with all luxuries, by Jove. 
 Die. Now then what need'st thou ? 
 Hus. I have lost my sight. 
 
 Weeping the beeves — but if thou hast a care 
 
 For the Phylasian Dercetes, anoint 1030 
 
 My eyes with balm of peace incontinent. 
 Die. But, O thou wretch, I practise not in public. 
 Hus. Nay, I entreat thee, if by any chance 
 
 I may regain my beeves. 
 Die. It cannot be. 
 
 Go, weep them in the school of Pittalus. 
 Hus. But thou distil for me into this reed 
 
 One drop of peace. 
 Die. No, not a particle. 
 
 Go and lament elsewhere.
 
 1020— lOGO.] THE ACHARNIANS. 149 
 
 Hus. Ah ! wretched me 
 
 For my laborious beeves. 
 Cho. The man hath found 
 
 Some profit in his treaties, which to all 1010 
 
 He will not, as it seems, communicate. 
 Die. With honey sprinkle thou the tripe, and roast 
 
 The cuttle-fish. 
 Cho. Hear you his lofty voice? 
 
 Die. Come fry the eels. 
 Cho. Me you will slay with famine, 
 
 The neighbours with fat odour, bawling thus. 
 Die. Dress these, and give them the rich golden hue. 
 
 Enter a Bridesman. 
 
 Bri. Ho! Dicaeopolis. 
 
 Die. Who's this ? who's this ? 
 
 Bri. a certain bridesman from the nuptial feast 
 Sends you these meats. 
 
 Die. W^ell done, whoe'er he was. 
 
 Bri. He prays thee to infuse, for the meat's sake, 1050 
 
 Into this alabaster box, one cup 
 Of peace, that he in dalliance may consume 
 His hours at home, and not go forth to fight. 
 
 Die. Hence with the meat, and give it not to me — 
 
 I would not pour it for ten thousand drachmas. — 
 But who is she ? [^Pointing to the bridesman s wife. 
 
 Bri. The marriage president, 
 
 Who from the bride a word would fain impart 
 To you alone. 
 
 Die. What say'st thou ? () ye gods, 
 
 What an absurd request ! that she should ask me 
 With importunity to keep at home 1060 
 
 Her husband's amorous propensities ; 
 Come, bring the treaties hither, that to her 
 Alone, a woman, and for war unfit, 
 I may impart them — hither bring, O woman, 
 The ointment box— know you with what intent i 
 Enjoin the bride that, when they raise recruits.
 
 150 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 Eacli night with this she bathe her husband's Hmbs. 
 Take hence the treaties ; bring me a wine-measure, 
 That I may have to pour for my hbations. 
 Cho. And hither some one with contracted brows 1070 
 
 Hastes, as a messenger of import dire. 
 
 Messenger, knocking at the door o/'Lamachus. 
 
 M. 1. O ! for the troubles, wars, and Lamachus ! 
 Lam. Who knocks at the brass-decorated dome " ? 
 M. 1. The generals have this day commission'd thee 
 
 Quickly to take the cohorts and their crests, 
 
 And then, tho' drench'd in snow, to guard the frontiers ; 
 
 For some one at the feast of cups and platters" 
 
 Told how Boeotian robbers had attack'd them. 
 Lam. O leaders ! more in number than in worth ! 
 Die. Is it not dreadful that the festival 1080 
 
 I cannot celebrate ? O army, led 
 
 By Lamachus to war ! 
 Lam. Unhappy me ! 
 
 Dost thou deride me now ? 
 Die. And would'st thou fight 
 
 With this four-plum'd geryon? 
 Lam. Out alas ! 
 
 What message has the herald brought to me? 
 Die. And what brings he who runs so swiftly hither ? 
 M. 2. Flo ! Dicaeopolis. 
 
 " fi/x^i xc^'^o'P"-^^^?"- ^i>>ti-o-ra' or, according to the Scholiast, in one word, d/x- 
 <piXciKKo(paKapu avri tov -n-oXiixnXKu. Lamachus, like Shakspeare's ancient 
 Pistol, is fond of delivering himself in tragic vein, and appears constantly mindful 
 of the Horatian precept (ad Pison. 126.) 
 
 servetur ad imum 
 
 Qualis ab incepto processit, et sibi constet. 
 
 ° vTTo Tovg Xoac yap Kai XuTpovQ. Aristophanes in this verse mentions the 
 feast of dishes as well as of cups. According to the Scholiast, Theopompus relates 
 that the men saved from the deluge had caused all sorts of seeds to be baked in 
 pots, whence the feast celebrated on this occasion in honour of the subterranean 
 Mercury, in order to render him propitious to the dead, received its origin. This 
 feast, like that of the cups, was also held at Athens in honour of Bacchus, and 
 both took place on the same day. See the note on v. 925.
 
 1070—1110.] THE ACHARNIANS. 151 
 
 Die. What is't ? 
 
 M. 2. To supper P 
 
 Haste, but first bring the chest and the libation, 
 
 For Bacchus' priest invites you to his banquet. 
 
 But haste, for thou hast long delay'd the supper, 1090 
 
 And all the rest is now in readiness : 
 
 The couches, tables, cushions, carpets, wreaths, 
 
 Myrrh, sweetmeats, courtezans, cakes at the mill 
 
 Not ground, and wafers mix'd with sesamum, 
 
 Fair dancers, and the sweet Harmodian strain — 
 
 But use your quickest haste. 
 
 Lam. Ill-fated me ! 
 
 Die. Thou'st cut a mighty gorgon on thy shield. 
 Hasten, and some one get the supper ready. 
 
 Lam. Boy, boy, bring here to me my wooden knapsack. 
 
 Die. Boy, l)oy, bring hither to me my canteen. 1 100 
 
 Lam. Salt mix'd with thyme, and onions bring me, boy. 
 
 Die. Bring me some fish, for onions I abhor. 
 
 Lam. Boy, bring me on a fig-leaf some rank pickle. 
 
 Die. Brink me a fig-leaf, too, I'll cook it there. 
 
 Lam. Place here the plumes that are upon my helm. 
 
 Die. Bring thou to me the ring-doves and the thrushes. 
 
 Lam. How beautiful and white this ostrich feather ! 
 
 Die. How fair and yellow is the ring-dove's flesh ! 
 
 Lam. Bring out the crest-case for my triple plume. 
 
 Die. And give to me a basin of hare's flesh. 1110 
 
 Lam. But worms crinivorous have eat my crests. 
 
 Die. I before supper will the pudding eat. 
 
 Lam. Man, cease to ridicule my panoply. 
 
 Die. Man, wilt not cast an eye upon the thrushes ? 
 
 Lam. Man, wilt thou not address thy speech to me ? 
 
 P This speech of the herald, as the French translator well observes, is a favour- 
 able specimen of the beauty of style and richness of expression for which Aristo- 
 phanes is so remarkable. The constant recurrence of the letter A, that vowel being 
 the first expression which nature dedicates to pleasure, is very significant of the joy 
 and gayety which are the soul of festivity. In the remainder of this scene, La- 
 machus sets before us, in the directions which he gives to his valet, all the dress 
 and component articles of military equipage— his gloomy appearance and manner, 
 contrasted with the sprightliness of Dica^opolis, must have furnished a very agree- 
 able entertainment to an Athenian audience.
 
 152 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act v. Sc. i. 
 
 Die. No, but the boy and I debate long since ; 
 Will you defer the bet to Lamachus — 
 Which is the sweeter food, locusts or thrushes ? 
 
 Lam. Fie, how you banter ! 
 
 Dig. He prefers the locusts. 
 
 Lam. Boy, boy, take down my lance and bring it hither. 1120 
 
 Die. Boy, boy, take down and bring the pudding hither. 
 
 Lam. Come, let me draw the covering off the spear — 
 Boy, hold it firmly. 
 
 Die. Hold this, too, my boy. 
 
 Lam. Boy, bring the table to support my buckler. 
 
 Die. And bring me my supporters, the bak'd loaves. 
 
 Lam. Here bring the gorgon circle of my shield. 
 
 Die. And let me have a cake round as a cheese. 
 
 Lam. Will not this cause broad laughter to mankind ? 
 
 Die. Is not this cake then sweet to mortal taste ? 
 
 Lam. Pour oil, you, boy, vipon my shield's brass knob. 1130 
 I see an old man skulking ofi' with fear. 
 
 Die. And honey. — There, too, is an old man plain. 
 Ordering gorgasian Lamachus to weep. 
 
 Lam. Bring hither, boy, my breastplate for the war. 
 
 Die. Boy, bring me my libation breastplate too. 
 
 Lam. With this I'll harm myself against the foe. 
 
 Die. And I with this against my fellow-drinkers. 
 
 Lam. O boy, attach the leathers to my shield ; 
 Myself the wicker basket will sustain. 
 
 Die. Boy, to my wicker chest the supper bind. 1140 
 
 Lam. Take up the buckler, boy, and go thy way. 
 
 Die. Myself will bear the cloak, and straight depart. 
 
 Lam. It snows — strange things, these wintry expeditions ! 
 
 Die. Take up the feast — convivial matters these. 
 
 Cho. Go to the field rejoicing. — How unlike 
 
 The several paths you tread ! he crown'd with chaplets 
 At Bacchanalian revels — while with cold 
 Shuddering you keep your watch ; he sleeps meanwhile 
 With a most lovely damsel, and wears out 
 His time in dalliance. 
 
 S.-C. 1. This Antimachus, 1150 
 
 Historian, lyric poet, him who drops
 
 1120—1170.] THE ACHARNIANS. 1.53 
 
 His calumnies on all'', may Jove confound! 
 (To sum the wish up in one simple word) 
 Who, caterer at the Lenasan feasts. 
 Sent off' unhappy me without my supper: 
 Him may I see eager for cuttle-fish, 
 Which lying on the table, hissing hot. 
 And served with salt, provokes his appetite; 
 Then, when in act to take it, let him be 
 Prevented by a thievish cur, who flies 1160 
 
 With the stol'n dish away. 
 S.-C. 2. This is one evil 
 
 I wish him : and the next, a nightly woe : 
 For, as he walks home from the riding school. 
 Sick with quotidian fever, may some wretch. 
 With liquor-heated brain, like mad Orestes, 
 Batter his head ; then, feeling for a stone 
 In darkness, fill his hand with recent mud, 
 And, hurling, miss his mark, but strike Cratinus. 
 
 ACT V. SCENE I. 
 
 Enter a Servant o/Lamachus. 
 
 Ser. Domestics of the house of Lamachus, 
 
 Some watei', water in a pipkin warm, 1170 
 
 Your linen rags and cerecloths, too, prepare, 
 Some wool unwash'd, and bandage for the ancle — 
 A man, in leaping o'er a ditch, has been 
 Hurt by a stake, and, bending back his ancle. 
 Hath dislocated it — his head he broke 
 Falling upon a stone, and from his shield 
 Batter'd the gorgon — while the mighty crest 
 
 1 This Antimachus was an historian of that time, who, from his slanderous dis- 
 position, received, by a paranomasia, the title of son of Psecus, or ilrop. According 
 to the Scholiast he caused a decree to be passed, forbidding comic poets to intro- 
 duce persons on the stage by their real names. It is said by some, that being a 
 good poet, he was in the habit of furnishing the usual equipments to the actors, 
 which, as Choragus, it became his office to supply, in a sparing and insufficient 
 manner.
 
 154 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act v. Sc. i. 
 
 Of this vain boaster fallen upon the rocks, 
 He spoke a mournful strain — " O glorious sight, 
 Now for the last time seen, I quit your ray, 1180 
 
 Together with my life." This having said. 
 He rises from the gutter, and some thieves 
 Encountering in their flight, with his bold spear 
 He drives and thrusts them forward. — Lo ! himself — 
 Open the door. 
 
 Enter Lamachus, out of breath. 
 
 Lam. Attatai, attatai. 
 
 These sharp cold pangs ! unhappy that I am ; 
 
 I perish, wounded by a hostile spear — 
 
 And that's a lamentable grief to me ; 
 
 For, if beheld by Dicaeopolis, 
 
 How my calamities will be derided ! 1 190 
 
 Enter Dic^opolis, as not perceiving Lamachus, addressing 
 
 two Courtezans. 
 
 Die. Attatae, attalattatae ! those breasts 
 
 Swelling with quinces' hard protuberance ! 
 
 Enfold me, beauties, with a wanton kiss ; 
 
 For I have swallow'd my libation first. 
 Lam. O wretched chance of woes ! O painful wounds ! 
 Die. All hail, knight Lamachus ! 
 Lam. O wretched me ! 
 
 Die. I labour too with grief. 
 
 Lam. Why mock'st thou me ? 
 
 Die. Why dost thou bite me ? 
 Lam. What a heavy cost 
 
 Of war have I sustain'd ! 
 Die. Has any one 
 
 His reckoning paid at the libation feast? 1200 
 
 Lam. O paeon, pseon ! 
 Die. But this present day 
 
 We hold not the Pa?onian festival'. 
 
 ■■ This was a feast held at Athens in honour of Apollo PaDan, the god of medicine.
 
 1180—1210.] THE ACHARNIANS. 155 
 
 Lam. Support my legs, O friends ! 
 
 Die. And you, my dears, 
 
 Hold me in the same way. 
 Lam. Struck by a stone, 
 
 My dizzy head turns round, as with vertigo. 
 Die. And fain would I upon the bed recline, 
 
 Urg'd to the deed of darkness. 
 Lam. Carry me 
 
 To seek the healing aid of Pittalus. 
 Die. Bear me before the judges. Where's the king ? 
 
 Restore my bottle. 
 Lam. An afflicting spear 1210 
 
 Strikes through my bones. 
 Die. Behold this empty jug — 
 
 Hurrah, victorious ' ! 
 Crio. And hurrah again, 
 
 Triumphant old man, since thou callest out. 
 
 ' T7ivt\\a KaWiviKog. This word (r^vtWa), as the Scholiast informs us, was 
 invented by Archilochus, in imitation of the sound of the flute. The hymn com- 
 posed by that poet in honour of Hercules, and consisting of three strophes, began 
 tlius : 
 
 TfiveXKa KaWiviKS, xnTp' dva^, 
 'HpOLKXtlC:, aVTOQ Ti Kul 'loXaoQ, 
 A.l\lir]Ta evil). 
 See the opening of Pindar's ninth Olympic ode, and the Scholiast on the Binh (v. 
 1760.) 
 
 Having concluded my remarks on such passages of this very amusing comedy 
 as appeared to stand in greatest need of illustration, I cannot refrain from adding, 
 by way of epilogue, a few judicious observations of M. I'Abb^ Vatry, quoted by 
 the French translator, in his Ejumen des Achaniiens. His words are as follow : 
 
 " Les poetes de la vieiile comedie ne prirent point leurs sujets dans la vie 
 ordinaire des hommes ; ils vouluent surprendre leurs spectateurs par la nouveantc 
 et par la bizarreric de leurs fictions ; ils sa firent un merite de tirer des fonds les 
 plus frivoles en apparence, de'quoi charmer et instruire meme leurs concitoyens, et 
 surpasser leurs rivaux." The Translator then continues — " Les Acharniens eviennent 
 singulicrement a I'sippui de cette proposition. Aristophane y supposa (ju'un simple 
 bourgeois fait seul un trait6 particulier avec ses cnncmis, qui metteut tout a feu et 
 a sang, et qui ravagent toutes les campagnes. H suppose en outre qu'en vertu de 
 ce trait6, ce bourgeois jouit de tous les avantagcs de commerce, vit dans I'abondance 
 de toutes choses (ii> niiai /SoXiroif, v. 990.) et n'cst uniqucmcnt occupc que de 
 plaisirs et de festins, tandis que concitoyens sent en proie a toutes les horreurs de
 
 156 THE ACHARNIANS. [Act v. Sc. i. 
 
 Die. Pure wine, moreover, pour'd into the cup, 
 I at a single draught have swallow'd down. 
 Cho. Hurrah, thou generous man — go take thy bottle. 
 
 la guerre, et reduits aux privations de tous les genres. Voila constamment une fic- 
 tion tres absurde en elle meme ; on conviendra cependant que I'invraisemblance 
 de cette supposition ne nuit nullement au plaisir que peut causer la piece, et a 1 in- 
 t^r^t qu'elle inspire. II ne s'agit dans cette cora6die que de faire contraster les 
 avantages de la paix avec les malheurs de la guerre.— C'est precisement ce qui 
 donne lieu aux situations et aux scenes comiques dont cette piece est remplie. Le 
 poete s'est d'ailleurs astreint aux trois unites de temps, de lieu, et d'action." 
 Speaking of the unbridled license with which the Bacchanalian feasts were cele- 
 brated, and which caused their abolition in Rome*, he observes very truly—" Tout 
 auteur, comique surtout, meme avec le dessein de ramener a I'ordre par de bons 
 conseils, cette liberte effrenee, pouvoit it s'empecher de perbre le langage du mo- 
 ment, et de souiller souvent son style dans la fange de ces voluptes grossines et r6- 
 voltantes, qui seules etoient capables d'atteindre des ames avilies et blazees par 
 I'exces et I'abus de la libeite V 
 
 Nor can I refrain from laying before my readers the eloquent eulogium upon 
 Aristophanes, with which Invernizius commences the Prooemium to his edition of 
 our poet — " Acerrimi vir ingenii Aristophanes, doctissimus ac festivissimus Poeta, 
 cujus eloquentia aculeis, aculei gravitate atque elegantia redundant, maximos 
 semper habuit suae laudis praecones, ut merito ab omnibus principes inter poetas 
 numeretur. Tanti autem Tullius, ne de ceteris dicam, eum facit, ut in Orators solo 
 ejus testimonio Periclem optimum oratorem fuisse dicat. Istorum enim, inquit, jit- 
 dicio si solum iilud est atticum, ne Pericles quidem dixit attice, cui primm sine con- 
 troversid deferebantur, Qui si tenui genere lUeretur, numquam ab Aristophane poeta 
 fulgurare, tottare, permiscere Grmciam dictus esset. Tpsumque TuUium censeo, m 
 secundo de Oratore potissimum Aristophanem significare, ubi ridicula et salsa At- 
 ticorum commendat. Idemque in secundo de Legibus Aristophanem poetam lepi- 
 
 dissimum veteris Coma:di(e nuncupat. * 
 
 • * • • 
 
 * » « • 
 
 Elegantissimis Comoediis igitur me gaudeo aliquam opem tulisse : qua quo magis 
 ornatffi prodeunt, eo facilius intelligitur, quantum vilescant Comoedia; nostra, si 
 cum iis conferantur. Tantum enim es Comoediae, quibus feminas atque infantes 
 nostris in theatrls mirifice delectantur, absunt ab optimi Comcediarum ratione, ut 
 mirum sit, nondum ingenium nostrum ne exemplo quidem Graecarum Comcediarum 
 commoveri atque excitari potuisse, ut aliquid hoc quoque in genere bonum, ac dig- 
 num aliqua laude tentaret. Neque exempla mode, sed praecepta despicimus. 
 Quare, etsi vir ille summus Aristoteles, ut cetera poeraatum genera, ita quoque 
 Comoediam pv9fi<f Kai /nsXa k«( up[ioviq. vestiri debere doceat, eamdemque osten- 
 dat, constare sibi non posse, nisi pvQpu^ Kai /.uXeiKai jxirpqj exornentur, hoc tamen 
 omnia in Comcediis nostris aequo animo deesse sinimus, in quibus, quod mirum est. 
 
 * See Ilispala's account of these rites detailed in the thirty-ninth book of Livy's 
 Roman History, cap. 13.
 
 1219.] THE ACHARNIANS. 157 
 
 Die. Come, follow, shouting the triumphant sti'ain. 
 Cho. Yes, we will follow — and our song shall be, 
 Thou with the sack, thy prize of victory ! 
 
 ita erramus, ut ad extremum eae vix satyrarum nomine sine versu ac sine ornamentis 
 dignae sint ; ex quibus nuUi flaunt fructus, qui uberrimi ex Comcedik debent in 
 hominum societate manare. Ita misere in theatre plaudimus et Comoediis, in queis 
 frustra prascepta requires, et quibusdam desperatis poematum generibus, quibus 
 non modo gravitas sententiarum, verborum splendor, ceterique ovnatus, sed nomen 
 ipsum deest."
 
 THE WASPS.
 
 DRAMATIS PERSONiE. 
 
 , /■ domestics of "Bdelycleon. 
 5,3 J ^ 
 
 SOSIAS, 
 
 XANTHIAS, 
 
 BDELYCLEON. 
 
 PHILOCLEON. 
 
 CHORUS OF OLD MEN, habited as wasps. 
 
 BOYS, (three children of Carcinus, dressed as crabs.) 
 
 A DOG, Can accuser.) 
 
 A DENOUNCER. 
 
 EURIPIDES. 
 
 A BAKER. 
 
 A DOOR KEEPER. 
 
 The Scene lies at Athens, in the house of Philocleon.
 
 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 
 
 UPON 
 
 THE WASPS. 
 
 THIS COMEDY WAS PERFORMED IN THE NINTH YEAR OF THE PELOPONNESIAN 
 WAR, UNDER THE ARCHON AMINIAS, AT THE LEN^AN FEASTS, THE SECOND 
 YEAR OF THE LXXXVII. OLYMPIAD. FOR THIS DATE WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY 
 OF THE ANCIENT GREEK HYPOTHESIS, OF A SCHOLIAST, AND OF ARISTOPHANES 
 HIMSELF IN A DISCOURSE OF THE CHORUS TO THE SPECTATORS. 
 
 Tins comedy is a satire upon, the passion of the Athenians for courts 
 of justice. Never was lesson more usefully given than this, and in 
 a ihanner more likely to produce the happiest effects, but unfortu- 
 nately it came too late. The passion was inveterate ; the object 
 might be changed, but it could not be rooted out. This is proved 
 by the fatal example of Philocleon. The wisdom, the honour, and 
 prudence of the son, were not able to extinguish a feeling which ren- 
 dered the father contemptible to persons of integrity, and the sport 
 of a vile populace. This son, worthy of the highest praise, endea- 
 vours to divert his father from the love of courts, and to inspire him 
 with another passion. He succeeds but too well. The father enters 
 the new course of life opened to him, he carries thither his excesses, 
 and all the follies which distinguished his former tastes ; he even 
 preserves the same tone and expression, and his passion in changing 
 the name, still retains enough of its character to make tlic forensic 
 propensity even more odious and ridiculous. This method, chosen 
 by the son to cure his father of tlie mania, is shown by an inimitable 
 satire against the folly of magistrates and people, who, without em- 
 barrassing themselves with the consequences of a war which threatened 
 the ruin of the state, were only occupied in courts and judgments. 
 Upon this piece, Racine has founded his amusing comedy of Lcs Plai- 
 deurs, the only one he wrote ; but he had many difficulties to struggle 
 with, nor was it possible to render it so agreeable to the French thea- 
 VOL. 11. M
 
 162 
 
 tre as the original was to the Qreeks ; the ancient comedy being far 
 more personal in its application than the modern, on account of the 
 liberty allowed to the writers of that period of identifying their masks 
 with living characters, which could not but be extremely agreeable 
 to the malignity of the most scandalizing people that ever existed, 
 causing them infinite diversion at the expense of their most eminent 
 men. Such a subject as this could only be treated properly by an 
 author endued with the spirit and vis of an Aristophanes, and who 
 could boast, like him, of having levelled to the earth a Cleon, the most 
 dangerous and formidable of the Athenians, before he would be able 
 to assume sufficient courage to turn the whole body of the republic 
 into ridicule.
 
 THE WASPS. 
 
 ACT I. SCENE I. 
 
 SosiAS and Xantiiias are discovered lying at the door of 
 Bdelycleon, weighed doivn hy sleep, 
 
 Sos. What art about, O ill-starr'd Xanthias ! 
 Xan. I'm learning to sleep out the nightly watch*. 
 Sos. Truly thou ow'st thy sides some evil turn. 
 
 Art then aware what monster thou art keeping ? 
 Xan. I know it — but I fain would sleep awhile. 
 Sos. Hazard a nap then, since a sweet sensation 
 
 Down my lips too is pour'd. 
 Xan. In truth thou'rt mad, 
 
 Or ravest in the Corybantian style*". 
 
 * In the opening of this comedy, wliich is considered one of the least generally 
 interesting of our author's productions, although the cliaracter of Philocleon is 
 drawn with genuine comic spirit ; Xanthias, a domestic slave belonging to IMiilo- 
 cleon, wearied with guarding his master's father, in company with Sosias, appears 
 on the stage with eyes half closed, and slumbering through fatigue. Compare the 
 similar exordium of the Agamemnon of /I'.scliyius, where the guard who is icalch- 
 iiig for the fires kindled to announce the return of the tirecian chief, entreats the 
 gods to grant him ijipDv^nic, tTiitic a— (fXXayi'/i', and employs the intervals of his 
 laborious and dog-like occupation iu weeping for the calamities of his master's 
 house. 
 
 I" «X\' 1] Trapa(ppovt~ii2 inov f; K-OfwftaiTKJlc- JH'is line is given in most editions 
 interrogatively — and so the French translator, " Radotes tu, ou veux tu te donncr 
 les airs de Corybante 1" I have preferred to follow Bekker, who renders it affirm- 
 atively, which appears to me more simple ; Brunck says iriov quaso, sodas amal.o, 
 semper est in iuterrngatioiic — which positive assertion is, in this case, contradicted 
 by the Latin version — " Profecto insanis, aut< Corybantuni more furere incipis." 
 In the following verse, the slumber sent from Bacchus is expressed by vrrvog [i txn- 
 Ttc «K 2a/3a^ioW on which the Scholiast remarks, that Sabazius is the Thracian 
 name of the slumber-giving deity, and Bergler observes that Sosias is to be 
 
 M 2
 
 164 THE WASPS. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 Sos. Not I — but slumber sent from Bacchus holds me. 
 
 Xan. Thou then dost worship the same god with me ; 10 
 For lately nodding slumber, like a Mede, 
 Hath o'er my eyelids press'd with adverse power, 
 And I have just beheld a wondrous dream. 
 
 Sos. I too ; such as in truth not e'er before. 
 But thou relate thine first. 
 
 Xan. There seem'd an eagle 
 
 Of monstrous size, flying towards the forum, 
 Whicli in its talons bore a brazen shield 
 That it had snatch'd up to the distant heaven, 
 And which Cleonymus soon cast away. 
 
 Sos. Then like a riddle is Cleonymus^ 20 
 
 But how, as some one of the guests may ask, 
 Could the same beast in earth, as in the sky. 
 And in the ocean, cast his shield away ? 
 
 Xan. Ah me ! what evil will befall me then, 
 Who've sucli a vision seen? 
 
 Sos. Regard it not ; 
 
 For, by the gods, nought dreadful will befall. 
 
 Xan. 'Tis strange a man should cast away his arms. 
 But now tell thine in turn. 
 
 Sos. A great one 'tis ; 
 
 Regarding the whole vessel of the state. 
 
 Xan. Tell now the very keel of the affair'^ SO 
 
 imagined sitting in slumber, now raising and now depressing Iiis head (vvcrraK 
 Ti'ig vTTvcf;.) Cicero, in his second book of laws, speaks of Sabazius as one of the 
 new gods whom our poet unceremoniously ejects from the state — the comedy to 
 which Cicero alludes is not now extant. In the twelfth verse Xanthias observes 
 that nodding slumber sits on his eyelids like a Mede, alluding to the constant hos- 
 tility which existed between the Persians and Greeks. The Scholiast on v. 9. 
 calls this slumber (idp^apog (cai (7K\r)pbg wTrvof compare the Lysistrata, v. 388. : 
 Xfe> riijUTraj'Krjuoc xoi ttvkvoI Srt/3a^tot. 
 
 * ovdiv apa ypifov diacpcptL KXtwvvixog. The word ypicpoQ properly denotes a 
 fishing-net, nassa piscatoria — hence, by an obvious metaphor, it signifies an enigma, 
 which puzzles or entangles those who attempt its solution. Another name was 
 irapoivioi' Hirrjixa, as being proposed to the guests at entertainments, by way of 
 amusement. This pretended vision of the eagle snatching away the shield to 
 heaven, is a satirical blow aimed at Cleonymus, piipainrig, lampooned for his cow- 
 ardice in ilie Acharnians (v. 352.), tlie Peace (v. 1152.), and particularly in that 
 most festive chorus of tlie Birdf (v. 1470, sqq.) 
 
 '' rr/v TpoTTtv Tov TTpay/iarog. Xanthias here persists in the metaphor taken
 
 10—40.] THE WASPS. 165 
 
 Sos. In my first dream, assembled in the Pnyx, 
 
 Together sitting, there appear'd some sheep, 
 
 Having their crooks and threadbare cloaks* — then 
 
 straight 
 An all-devouring whale methought address'd 
 The sheep, with voice of an inflated sow. 
 
 Xan. Ah me ! 
 
 Sos. Why, what's the matter ? 
 
 Xan. Cease, cease, speak not. 
 
 This dream smells vilely of corrupted hides. 
 
 Sos. The odious monster then took scales and weigh'd 
 The bullock's fat. 
 
 Xan. Ah, wretched me ! he wishes 
 
 To separate the people. 
 
 Sos. Now Theorus 40 
 
 Appear'd to me upon the ground to sit. 
 Nearer than she, bearing a raven's head ; 
 Then Alcibiades said lispingly^, 
 " Thee'st thou? — Theolus has a raven's head." 
 
 from a ship, which he had begun to use in the preceding line. Compare ^schylus 
 (vii. ad Thcb. v. 2, 3.)— 
 
 oarig (pyXdcrati Trpdyog tv Trpvf^ivy rruXtiog 
 
 olaKa viofiCJv, 
 The comparison of a state to a vessel at sea is very common with the ancient poets. 
 Perhaps the best sustained allegory of this kind is that in Horace's graphic ode 
 (I. xiv.)— 
 
 " O Navis, referent in mare te novi 
 
 Fluctus, etc." 
 
 s This speech of Sosias contains a severe satire upon his old enemy Cleon, for 
 liis rapacious disposition, and the various stratagems which he constantly made use 
 of for the purpose of acquiring gain. He likewise censures the Atiienians, as 
 Horace does the Romans of his time, on account of their fondness for money (r6 
 TrpofiaTuiCir), (et ingenium peculinuni, sec Ilorat. ad Pison. 330.) — 
 
 an ha;c animos ajrugo et cura peculi 
 
 Quum semel imbuerit, speramus carmina fingi 
 Posse lininda ccdro, et levl servanda cupressu ? 
 
 f This passage is particularly noticed by Plutarch in his life of that illustrious 
 Athenian, as well as some verses of Archippus, who affirms that Alcibiades bent 
 his neck and lisped in imitation of his father, Clinias — Kolax (v. 45.) is mispro- 
 nounced by him for Kopa^, since a lisping Athenian would confuse the \ and p. 
 This change of consonants also agrees with the character of Theorus, which was 
 that of a mean flatterer, as appears from two lines of the chorus (418, 19.)
 
 166 THE WASPS. [Act r. Sc. i. 
 
 Xan. This rightly Alcibiades lisp'tl out. 
 
 Sos. Was not that strange, Theorus made a crow? 
 
 Xan. By no means, but quite proper. 
 
 Sos. How so? 
 
 Xan. How ? 
 
 Being a man, he straight became a crow. 
 And might it not then clearly be conjectur'd, 
 That, taken from us, to the crows he'll go? 50 
 
 Sos. Would I not with two oboli requite 
 
 The gift thus wisely to interpret dreams ? 
 
 Xan. Now let me speak a word to the spectators. 
 Suggesting to them first this short advice, 
 To look for nothing very great from us — 
 From Megara not any stolen jests ^; 
 For we have neither slaves who cast about 
 To the spectators nuts from a rush basket'' ; 
 Nor Hercules, defrauded of his supper; 
 Nor saucily lampoon'd Euripides. 60 
 
 Nor if by fortune's favour Cleon shine 
 Again, will we, like salad, mince him up. 
 But yet our subject is a witty one, 
 Though to your wisdom not indeed superior, 
 Yet wiser than insipient comedy; 
 For this our lord is he that sleeps above. 
 In all his vastness, imderneath the roof. 
 He hath commanded us to guard his father. 
 Constraining him from issuing out of doors. 
 
 s Aristophanes, according to Fl. Christianas, seems to inveigh against certain 
 foolish and loquacious poets of Megara, where, according to Aristotle (Poet. c. 3.), 
 the rude and licentious old comedy originated. The Scholiast quotes the following 
 line from Eupolis (UpoffTraXrioig) in confirmation of this character given them 
 by the great dramatic critic — 
 
 TO GKuufi' daeXytg Kctl MeyapiKov acpdSpa. 
 
 •' The comic poets, as Brunck observes, for the sake of exciting laughter and 
 conciliating the favour of the audience, were in the habit of causing nuts and 
 sweetmeats to be scattered to the audience by one of the actors, a practice censured 
 by Plutus, in the comedy of that name (v, 797.), as foolish, and unbecoming the 
 comic poet (ou vrpfTrwc^te tiij ^iSaaKaXqi.} The traditional voraciousness of Her- 
 cules also presented a fund of unceasing merriment on the Athenian stage, of which 
 several examples occur in Aristophanes.
 
 50—90.] THE WASPS. 16.7 
 
 Who labours under a strange malady, 70 
 
 That none can understand, or even guess. 
 
 Unless we tell you what it is — do you 
 
 Conjecture, if you don't believe our words. 
 
 Now this Amynias, son of Pronapus, 
 
 Calls it the love of dice — but he says nought. 
 Sos. By Jove, he guesses at it from himself. 
 Xan. Not so — but from this love begins the mischief. 
 
 And Soslas here declares to Dercylos 
 
 That he is fond of liquor '. 
 Sos. By no means ; 
 
 Since that is the disease of honest men. 80 
 
 Xan. Nicostratus of the Scambonian burgh'' 
 
 Declares that he was fond of sacrifices, 
 
 Or hospitality. 
 Sos. Nay, by the dog. 
 
 Not hospitable, O Nicostratus, 
 
 Since a debauch'd man was Philoxenus. 
 Xan. In vain you prate, for you'll not find it out ; 
 
 But if you wish to know, be silent now — 
 
 For I will now declare my lord's disease : 
 
 He is enamour'd like no other man, 
 
 Of judgments in the open air, and mourns 90 
 
 Unless he has a seat on the first bench ; 
 
 But sees not the least wink of sleep all night : 
 
 ' Brunck imagines that Xantliias here addresses Sosias by name, and that 651 
 refers to some one among the spectators wlio is giving his opinion respecting the 
 cause of his master's malady — to Dercylos, a vintner, according to some, but others 
 say that he was a comic actor. Invernizius is opposed to this notion, and gives 
 the line as it appears in the common editions. So the French translator — "et voila 
 quelqu'un, un Sosie, qui dit u Dercylus, c'cst la manie de la boisson." This 
 reading appears to me more obvious and natural. 
 
 '' This burgh, according to the Scholiast, belonged to the tribe Leontis. The 
 word ijiiXoOurtjc: is also interpreted by him to denote a superstitious man, who 
 imagines that by constantly sacrificing to the gods he shall be rendered free from 
 all evil. The adjuration of Sosias in the next line, /la rov kvv, is doubtless in- 
 tended in ridicule of the customary oath of Socrates, ror Kvva icai x»/»'« (see the 
 Birds, V. 521.) No doubt the great philosopher swore /la /»))'«, hi/ Jupiter. The 
 Scholiast on this passage says that Rhadamanthus, king of Crete, forbade iiis sub- 
 jects to swear bu the gods, and commanded that oaths should be made by animals 
 alone.
 
 1G8 THE WASPS. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 For should he nod, short as the time may be, 
 His mind by night flies to the clepsydra' ; 
 And so much is he us'd to grasp the lots, 
 <7 He rises holding his three fingers out, 
 
 As offering frankincense at the new moon". 
 
 And should he see it writ on any door, 
 
 " Handsome is Demos, Pyrilampus' son," 
 
 He goes and writes, "fair is the ballot-box"." 100 
 
 The very cock who crow'd at even-tide, 
 
 He said awaken'd him so late, persuaded 
 
 By bribes of money taken from the culprits ; 
 
 And straight from supper he demands his shoes, 
 
 Then going thither, long ere dawn, he sleeps 
 
 Sound as a shellfish, clinging to a column ! 
 
 Then tracing the condemnatory letter", 
 
 Long mark for all, in his severity, 
 
 He enters like an humble bee, that bears 
 
 Beneath her claws the fabricated wax. 110 
 
 And fearing lest the pebbles e'er should fail. 
 
 That he may have wherewith to make decrees, 
 
 He keeps some sand within, so mad is he ; 
 
 And tho' incessantly admonish'd, still 
 
 This judging fit possesses him the moref. 
 
 ' For a description of this judicial fountain or water-glass, see the Birds, v. 1695, 
 and the note on that passage. 
 
 "' It was customary with the Athenians at the time of the new moon to give in- 
 cense to the images and statues, which appears to have been done with three fingers, 
 the thumb, the first, and middle, with which the judges were wont to hold the con- 
 demnatory or acquitting pebbles. (Fl. Christ.) 
 
 " Plutarch, in his life of Pericles, mentions Pyrilampos, as an intimate friend of 
 that illustrious Athenian, remarkable for his collection of curious birds, and par- 
 ticularly of peacocks, whose son. Demos, was a young man of extreme beauty. 
 There is in the Greek a jeu de mots which cannot be preserved in the translation — 
 A>j/iov KoXbv (or, as it would be written on the walls, AJifiog KaXbg- Krj^bg 
 KaXog- compare Acharn. 143 — 145.) i' Est autem Kr/ftog quasi infundibulum, per 
 quod in urnas immittebantur calculi." — Bergler. 
 
 ° Tijjioiv T))v ficiKpdv. Among the Greeks ypafifii) iiaKpd was the letter of con- 
 demnation, jSjOaxsTa of absolution— (Fl. Christ.) Bergler says that the judges 
 drew a long line iu wax when they intended to condemn. 
 
 P This line is from the Sthenobu;a of Euripides (Frag. ii. apud Musgr.) excepting
 
 100—130.] THE WASPS. 169 
 
 On this account we bind and bolt him in. 
 
 Lest he should issue forth — for heavily 
 
 His son endures a father's malady. 
 
 And first he tries with words of admonition 
 
 To hinder him from bearing his sliort cloak, 120 
 
 And going out of doors — but he obeys not. 
 
 He purg'd and cleans'd him then — still to no purpose. 
 
 Next purified by Corybantian rites''; 
 
 Then on he rushes with the tympanum. 
 
 And falls to judicate in the new forum^ 
 
 But not advantag'd by these mysteries, 
 
 Sail'd towards ^gina — and by night convey 'd 
 
 His sire to rest in iEsculapius' fane ; 
 
 And while yet dark, appearing at the casement, 
 
 No longer we permit him thence to stir. 130 
 
 But through the water-courses he ran out, 
 
 And through the drains — then all the perforations 
 
 We stopp'd with rags, or clos'd them up with wedges ; 
 
 But, like a jackdaw, he bor'd throvigh the wall, 
 
 And then leap'd out — meanwhile we guard the room 
 
 With nets extended in a circle round — 
 
 Philocleon's the name of the old man, 
 
 And of the son, by Jove, Bdelycleon, 
 
 Possessing certain supercilious manners*. 
 
 that in the tragedy, the verse ends with tpwf, and in Aristophanes with ati. 'I'he 
 next line is from the Andromache of the same poet, v. 942. — 
 
 TTpbg rdS' iv (fivXaaatTS 
 KXtiOpoicn Kal fioxXoXai Sioixdrwv TrvXag. 
 
 '1 fiiTu TcivT tKopvjidvTil!,'. 'I'hc comic humour of this passage is very striking, 
 as if the madness of tlie Corybantes were slight in comparison of Philocleon's, or that 
 it were well taken in exchange for his forensic insanity. For /xtra raf/ra Inver- 
 nizius reads tovto, but, as it appears to me, without sufficient reason for the alter- 
 ation. 
 
 *■ • fi't; TO Kaivov — scil. ciKaffTi'jptov one of the places in the number of 
 
 tribunals or judicial forums which existed at Athens — the others being named, ac- 
 cording to the Scholiast, Trapajii'aToc, Tpiycoror, jnfirof. 
 
 ' Tp6T7ov(j <ppvayiio(nn%'dK0VQ Tivaq. This epithet is derived by the Scho- 
 liast ctTth Tov b<ppvq fi ippvayfia, Kai atfivov where Bentley proposes to read 6<ppv 
 ayfioaenvojiv(TTiKov(j. 13ergler, who is often treated with such contempt by 
 Brunck, reads o(ppvayfio(np7'0(nnviKovg rivac.
 
 170 THE WASPS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 SCENE II. 
 
 Enter Bdelycleon and Philocleon. 
 
 Bde. Sleep you, O Xanthias, and Sosias ? 140 
 
 [In a threatening voice. 
 Xan. Ah me ! 
 Sos. What is't ? 
 
 Xan. Bdelycleon is rising. 
 
 Bde. (LooMngfrom the ivindow.) Will not one of you in all 
 haste run hither? 
 
 For now my sire is come into the chimney*, 
 
 With mouse-like step descending — but observe ; 
 
 Lest thro' the bathing-vessel's hole he glide. 
 
 And thou lie at the door. 
 Sos. 'Tis done, O master. 
 
 Bde. King Neptune, what a noise is in the flue ! 
 
 Who are you there ? 
 Phi. The smoke that issues forth. 
 
 Bde. Smoke? let me know of what wood ? 
 Phi. Of the fig-tree. 
 
 Bde. By Jupiter, the sharpest of all smokes. 150 
 
 But will you not rush down ? where is the lid ? 
 
 Come back again — I'll raise you up a bench. 
 
 Now seek henceforth some other machination. 
 
 But I am wretched, like no man beside, 
 
 Who shall be called the son of father smoke". 
 Sos. {to Xan.) Boy, push the door — press well and man- 
 fully ; 
 
 For I am coming thither too — take care 
 
 Of lock and bar, lest he eat through the bolt. 
 
 * £1^ Tov iTTVov ii(je\i'j\v9iv. So the French translator — nion pereestentre dans 
 la cheminee. iTrvbg Kvpiaig rj Kcifin'og- Schol. Hence ^Eschylus (P. V. v. 365.) 
 says — 
 
 'nzvovfiii'OQ piZai(Tiv AiTi'aiaLg vtto. 
 
 " TTciTpog KaTTviov. This word is formed like 'ETafii'iov (Frogs, \. 22.), 'S.rpov- 
 Btog {Birch, v. 1077.), KexiivaTog {Kiiights, v. 1260.). etc. The Scholiast adds 
 that according to some authors, KUTnnag denoted a wine made at Beneventum in 
 Italy, and that Kcnri'ia also signified a vine.
 
 140—180.] THE WASPS. 171 
 
 Phi. What will ye do ? — O detestable wretches, 
 
 May I not come into the court? — But shall IGO 
 
 Dracontides escape"? 
 Bde. And would this grieve you ? 
 
 Piir. Yes, truly — for of old when I consulted 
 
 The Delphian god, he prophesied whene'er 
 
 A culprit should escape from my decree, 
 
 I then must perish. 
 Bde. O Apollo, god 
 
 Who ward'st off evil, what a prophecy ! 
 Pin. Come, let me out, I beg thee — lest I burst ! 
 Bde. By Neptune, I will not, Philocleon. 
 Phi. Then I will gnaw the net through with my teeth. 
 Bde. But thou hast now no teeth. 
 Phi. O wretched me ! 170 
 
 How shall I slay thee ? — how ? — give me a sword 
 
 Without delay, or damnatory tablet. 
 Bde. This man will do thee some great injury. 
 Phi. Not I, by Jove — I only wish to sell 
 
 An ass and panniers — for 'tis the new moon.. 
 Bde. Then could not I too sell it ? 
 Phi. Not as I. 
 
 Bde. No, but on better terms, by Jupiter. 
 
 But bring your donkey out. 
 
 [Exit Philocleon, as if for the ass. 
 Xan. AVhat a pretence 
 
 He urges ! how ironically made, 
 
 For you to send him out ! 
 Bde. But he draws nothing, 180 
 
 This way at least : for I perceived his tricks — 
 
 But I will enter, and bring out the donkey. 
 
 Lest the old man stoop, and again escape. 
 
 [Philocleon alters icith the ass, to which 
 
 Bdelycleon spealcs. 
 
 Ass, wherefore weepest thou ? because to-day 
 
 " This man, as the Scholiast informs us, was a detestable wretch, many times 
 convicted, as Plato declares in his Sophists. Callislratus calls him one of the thirty 
 tyrants, or one of the same appellation, who published a pscphism coucerning olir 
 garchy.
 
 172 THE WASPS. [Act I. Sen. 
 
 Thou must be sold? march out with brisker pace. 
 
 Gi'oanest thou not to carry an Ulysses ? 
 Xan. But he, by Jove, bears some one underneath 
 
 Suspended. 
 Bde. Whom ? let's see. 
 
 Xan. This man. 
 
 Bde. What's this? 
 
 Truly, who art thou, man? 
 Phi. No one, by Jove^ 
 
 Bde. No one ? Whence art thou ? 
 Phi. From Drasippides, 190 
 
 Of th' Ithacensian tribe. 
 Bde. By Jupiter, 
 
 Outis, you shall not joy in your no name ; 
 
 Drag him up quickly — O most odious wretch — 
 
 He is in such a manner underhaul'd. 
 
 As to appear most like an ass's colt. 
 Phi. Unless you let me quietly depart. 
 
 We will contest the point. 
 Bde. Concerning what 
 
 W^ill you then fight with us ? 
 Phi. a donkey's shadow ^ 
 
 Bde. Thou art a crafty counterfeiting knave. 
 Phi. I crafty ? — No, by Jove — yet thou know'st not 200 
 
 How excellent I am ; but wilt perchance, 
 
 When thou devourest an old judge's caul*. 
 
 y ovrig, V)) Aia. Taken from the story of Polyphemus, in the Odyssey, 
 
 ix. 365 — 408. and 431. Drasippides is a fictitious name as if of a family, people, 
 or tribe, formed, a-n-b roii c'nroSpacrai, from running away. 
 
 ^ TTipi uvov ffKiat;. A proverbial expression, similar to ovov TroKsg (Frogs, v. 
 186.), signifying nothing or no where. The Scholiast has a very long note on the 
 same words, in which he says that Menander quotes this proverb in his Enchiridion, 
 and that Archippus wrote a comedy entitled ovov (tkLu. 
 
 * VTroydarpiov ytpovTog I'lXiaaTiKov. Fat donkeys appear to have been esteemed 
 great delicacies by the ancients. The word vTvoyaarpiov is used to denote any 
 choice food. So Horace (Ep. i. 15. 40.) — 
 
 cum sit obeso 
 
 Nil melius tardo, vulva nil pulchrius ampl&. 
 In the next line, we may, with the Scholiast, understand Bdelycleon to address the 
 first part {loOti rbv bvov) to his domestic slave, and the latter {Koi aavrbv) to his
 
 190—210.] THE WASPS. 173 
 
 Bde. Impel your ass and self into the house. 
 Phi. O fellow judges, and thou, Cleon, help''! 
 Bde. Bawl out within there, since the door is clos'd ; 
 
 Heap up against it several of the stones, 
 
 And put once more the bar and bolt together", 
 
 Bringing a huge high mortar to the beam. 
 
 Roll it, and fasten it together close. 
 Sos. Ah wretched me ! whence falls the clod upon me? 210 
 Xan. Perhaps a mouse hath from some quarter thrown it. 
 Sos. A mouse? Not so, by Jove — but 'tis some judge 
 
 Who creeps beneath the tiling of the roof. 
 Xan. Ill-fated me ! the man becomes a sparrow — 
 
 Soon will he fly away — where, where's my net? 
 
 Away, again away "^ ! 
 Bde. By Jupiter, 
 
 'Twere better for me to preserve Scione®, 
 
 father. Or more naturally, with Fl. Christianus, imagine that the whole line is 
 
 directed to Philocleon mounted on his ass. 
 
 •> w ffwoiKOffral Kcii KXiiov, ufivvart. So Cleon, in the Knights (v. 255.), 
 
 exclaims — 
 
 (L yipovTiq ifKiaaral, (ppdropec rpiw/3oXoD. 
 
 The aid of Cleon is here invoked, as well as that of the judges, both because Phi- 
 locleon was fond of law, and as being a lover of Cleon (^iXokXswv), which, as Fl. 
 Christianus observes, appears to signify the same as (piKofiLrrOog, since it seems that 
 he was accustomed to pay the judges tlieir salary of the three oboli a day, out of 
 which trifling sum tiiey were to supply themselves with provision and fuel (see v. 
 300, etc.) 
 
 <= I have here adopted Brunck's reading, TTju'xrGtc, for tlie common, TrpoaOfiQ, 
 which, as he observes, exhibits one of two participles joined to an imperative, ad- 
 hering without any grammatical connection. 
 
 '' aov, (xov, TTciXii' aov. This is most probably put for ffovaOe, as in v. 458, 
 where Sosias says to Xanthias — 
 
 vvxi rrovtrO' ; oi'ik t^ Kopaicag ; 
 
 ^ This was a very ancient city of 'I'hrace, under the dominion of Pailene, 
 and had been strongly garrisoned by the Athenians ; but in (he Peloponnesian 
 war the inhabitants revolted to Bra.^idas, the Spartan general, who was at length 
 killed fighting with Cleon, as appears in the Pence of Aristophanes. 'I'here is much 
 doubt among the commentators whether this line should belong to Xanthias or to 
 Bdelycleon; lirunck gives it to the latter, Hotibius contends that it properly 
 belongs to the former — the n)ention of Scione, at which slaves were not permitted to 
 fight, seems to confirm the opinion of Brunck. Scione was besieged by the Athe- 
 nians in the ninth year of the war (see Thucyd. iv. cxxx.) P. Mela (Geog. ii. 2.) 
 says that it was built by the Greeks after the capture of i'roy.
 
 174 THE WASPS. [Act i. Sc. ir. 
 
 Instead of such a father. 
 
 Sos. Come now, since 
 
 We've moor'd him off, nor can he any more 
 Shp thorough and elude us, why not take 220 
 
 A very Httle sleep ? 
 
 Bde. But, O thou wretch. 
 
 His fellow-judges will full soon arrive, 
 And call upon the father. 
 
 Sos. What say'st thou ? — 
 
 But 'tis as yet deep dawn^ 
 
 Bde. 'Tis so, by Jove. 
 
 For now they rise up late, and from midnight 
 Arouse him, holding lamps and trilling strains 
 Of old Sidonian Phrynic melody^, 
 With which they summon him. 
 
 Sos. Wherefore, if needful, 
 
 We'll pelt them now with stones. 
 
 Bde. But, O thou wretch. 
 
 The race of old men, if one make them angry, 230 
 Is like a wasp's nest ; for they have a sting 
 Of sharpest point, depending from behind. 
 With which they prick, and shouting out, they leap, 
 And throw themselves up like a spark of fire. 
 
 Sos. Be not you troubled — if I have but stones, 
 I will disperse a nest of many judges. 
 
 Chorus io/'Old Men and Children. 
 Cho. Move firmly on. — O Comias, tarriest thou''? 
 
 ' «\\a 7'vv opQpoQ [3a9ug. So Plato (in Critone — sub iuit.) Trt'iviKa fiaXiVTa ; 
 KP. opSrpog ^ciBvc. 
 
 P 'J'liis is expressed by Aristophanes, after his manner, in one word, apxaiofie- 
 XrjffiCwi'ofpvvixypara' wliich is composed, according to the Scholiast, of these 
 five — apxctiov fikXog 'EiSHtvoc fppvinxov and iparov' or, according to Aristarchus, 
 /xsXt instead of fitXog. 
 
 h The chorus here enters as if going into the forum for the purpose of determining 
 lawsuits. Comias, Carinades, and Strymodorus are the names of some of the 
 choral old men. They were represented with masks imitating the forms of wasps, 
 together with the sting hanging behind them ; in other respects they resembled 
 human figures.
 
 220—260.] THE WASPS. 175 
 
 By Jove, thou wast ere this a tough clog's hide ; 
 
 But now Cliarinades is tlie best walker. 
 
 O Strymodorus, born at Conthylus', 240 
 
 Thou best of judges, is Euergides 
 
 Any where here, or Chabes the Phlyensian? 
 
 Yes he is here — bravo, bravissimo ! 
 
 The relics of that youth, which in Byzantium'' 
 
 Erst signaliz'd itself when thou and I, 
 
 Prowling by night, stole from the baker's wife 
 
 Her mortar, cleft and cook'd our potherbs with it. 
 
 But hasten, friends, for now 'tis Laches' turn', 
 
 Since all men say he has a hive of wealth. 
 
 So Cleon, yesterday, the governor, 250 
 
 Commission'd us to come in time, and bring 
 
 'Gainst him a three days' bitter indignation, 
 
 To punish his injustice. — But, my friends. 
 
 Let's hasten on, ere yet 'tis perfect day — 
 
 Let us proceed, and with a light explore 
 
 In all directions, lest a subtle one 
 
 At unawares surprise and injure us. 
 
 Cm. O fjither, father, of this mud beware ! 
 
 Clio. Take from the ground some straw, and snufF the light. 
 
 Cm. No, but I think to snuff it with my finger. 260 
 
 Cho. Whence hast thou learn'd the wick to finger so ? 
 And that in lack of oil, O senseless man ? 
 It moves thee not, that we must buy it dear. 
 
 ' A burgh of Attica, belonging either to the Ptolemaic or Paudionian tribe. 
 
 •* This was the time in which Pausanias, son of Cleonbrotus, a Lacedajmonian, 
 was sent out as geiieral-in-chief of the Grecian forces, in order to finish the Persian 
 war (Thucyd. i. 94.) 
 
 ' The expression here is singularly elliptical — utg larcu Aax*?"' vvv'c i. e. ac- 
 cording to the Scholiast, ») I'iki], Tj ri^iopia, >/ roiovrov ti. Laches was the ad- 
 miral of the fleet of twenty ships sent into Sicily with another commander, Cha- 
 raiades, and, on the latter being treacherously slain, Laches, here satirized under 
 the name of the dog Labes, who stole the Sicilian cheese (see v. 894, etc.), suc- 
 ceeded to the command. He was noted for fdling the patrimonial hive with wealth 
 gathered together by universal peculation, and might say with the philosophical 
 poet Lucretius (iii. 11.) — 
 
 I'lorifcris ut apes in saltibus omnia libant, 
 Omnia nos itidem depascimur aurea. 
 See the Scholiast.
 
 176 THE WASPS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 Chi. By Jove, if you admonish us again 
 
 With knuckle-raps, we will put out the lamps. 
 
 And straight go home ; then wanting this perchance, 
 
 Darkling and quail-like, thou wilt stir the mud. 
 
 Cho. Truly I punish greater men than thou ; 
 But as I walk, in mud I seem to tread ; 
 Nor can it be but in four days at most, 270 
 
 The god must of necessity rain down, 
 So much the snufts have grown upon these candles ; 
 And when 'tis so, great rains are wont to fall. 
 Besides, the fruits that are not early ripe 
 Have need of water, and the northern blast. — ■ 
 But what hath happen'd to our fellow judge. 
 Who dwells in this house, that he comes not forth 
 To join our multitude? — he was not us'd 
 Ere this to move on like a vessel tow'd"", 
 But went before us, singing Phrynichus, 280 
 
 Since he is fond of songs — but, O my friends, 
 I think we should stand hei'e and summon him, 
 That he may listen to our melody. 
 And creep out at the door for very pleasure; 
 But wherefore does he not appear to us ? 
 Nor give a sign of hearing ? — has he lost 
 His shoes? or struck his toes on some dark corner? 
 So as to make the old man's anlgJe swell ? 
 Perhaps his groin? for he was once the sharpest 
 Of all our train, and not to be persuaded ; 290 
 
 But when by any he was supplicated, 
 Thus stooping down, "you'll cook a flint," he'd say"; 
 And haply, thro' the man of yesterday, 
 
 "' oil ju/)j' Trpo rov y' i(j)o\KbQ yr. The metaplior in this line is taken from a 
 small boat called s^oX/cif or XI/i/Bof, towed in the rear of a larger ship, from being 
 attached, as it were, to the greater hulk. 
 
 " XiOov 'i^iig. This is a proverbial expression applied to those who spend their 
 labour upon vain endeavours, such as washing an /Ethiop white, writing on the 
 water, casting seed upon the sea-shore, (see Ovid. Ep. Her. v. 115.) 
 Quid facis, ^nore 1 quid arenas semina mandas ? 
 Non profecturis littora bubus aras. 
 or, as in this passage, dressing a stone to make it palatable, and similar unprofit- 
 able tasks.
 
 270—310.] THE WASPS. 177 
 
 Who cheated us by slipping thro' our hands, 
 Saying how much he was the Athenians' friend, 
 And that he first declar'd wliat passed at Samos", 
 Grieving at this he now hes sick of fever. 
 For such a man he is : but, O my friend, 
 Rise up, nor thus consume thyself with grief. 
 For some rich man of those who have betray'd 300 
 The Thracian state comes hither. Him you may 
 Destroy at will^; advance, my boy, advance. 
 
 Boy. O Father, will you gratify my wish. 
 Should I prefer one ? 
 
 Cho. By all means, O child: 
 
 But say what pretty plaything do you wish 
 That I should purchase? you will ask, methinks, 
 A set of chessmen. 
 
 Boy. No, by Jove, papa — 
 
 But figs, for they are more agreeable. 
 
 Cho. Not them, by Jove — although you hang yourselves. 
 
 Boy. Then I will not conduct you any longer. 310 
 
 Clio. I must from my judicial salary, 
 
 For us three, purchase pudding, wood, and fish. 
 And askest thou me for figs ? 
 
 Boy. Come now, O sire, 
 
 If now the archon do not sit in judgment. 
 Whence shall we buy a dinner ? hast thou for us 
 
 ° Alluding to the war between the Milesians and Samians on account of Priene, 
 as related by Thucydides in his first book, cap. cxv., cxvi., when the former being 
 inferior, applied for aid to the Athenians, who sent them forty-six ships under the 
 command of Pericles, son of Xanthippus, by whom the city was taken, and a popu- 
 lar government established, hostages having been received and placed at Leninos. 
 The Samians afterwards revolted to the king of Persia, and had their walls razed to 
 the ground. 
 
 P The word in the original is here very remarkable — ov oTrwg syxwptfTf. The 
 Scholiast explains it in the sense of destroying — avri tov (povti'fftiQ' and says it is 
 a metaphor taken from the custom of exposing children, iv x'rrpate ; and that the 
 word is used, in this sense, by Sophocles in his tragedy of Priam, as well as by 
 ^schylus and Pherecrates. Florens Christianus compares the line of Ennius de- 
 scribing care, 
 
 Qua; nunc te cotjuit et versat in pectore fixa — (see v. 286.) 
 fit)S' ovTtJC aeavrbv laOti, in the line above, is used in the sense of nXovaiog, so 
 in the Peace, (v. 638.) 
 
 roi'C 7r«xf'C ^ni TrXovffi'oi'c. 
 
 VOL. ir. N
 
 178 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Any good hope, or Helle's sacred pass^? 
 Cho. Alas, alas ! by Jupiter, I know not 
 
 Whence we shall have a dinner. 
 Boy. Wherefore then, 
 
 O wretched mother, hast thou brought me forth, 
 
 To give me the hard task of finding food ? 320 
 
 Cho. Thou wert, O sack, an useless grace to me. 
 Boy. Ah ! ah ! 'tis our hard fortune to bewail. 
 
 ACT II. SCENE I. 
 
 Philocleon, Chorus. 
 
 Phi. My friends, long since with grief I pine away. 
 
 Listening your lamentations through the window. 
 
 But I've no power to sing. What shall I do ? 
 
 For I am watch'd by them — since of old time 
 
 W^ith your assistance, I have wish'd to come 
 
 To the judicial urn and do some ill. 
 
 But, O thou loudly-thundering Jupiter, 
 
 Change me o'the instant into smoke — or make me 330 
 
 As Proxeniades, or Sellus' son. 
 
 Who boasts and bounces like a crackling vine ^ 
 
 t The latter part of this line is, according to the Scholiast, taken from Pindar, 
 whose words are TravSeiiiari jxev inrepTrovTiov 'EXXdg Ttopov lepov, where the 
 boy, with a confusion of ideas natural to his age, uses the word Tropov for Tropiajibv, 
 provision, sustenance. This blunder would have a good effect on the comic stage: 
 although the opinion of the French translator is decidedly and very unusually in 
 opposition to that of Brunck. 
 
 ■■ ToiiTov Tov tl/svdafidjjLa^ov. This word properly denotes a kind of vine, also 
 called avaStvSpaQ, the wood of which crackles and bounces in the fire, hence ap- 
 plied to denote the high-swelling and mendacious discourse of ^schines the son 
 of Sellus, from whom came the verb atWiZdv, of the same signification as dXa^o- 
 vtiitaQai, to boast in a vain-glorious manner. In v. 459, he is called smoke, and 
 his father is denominated Selaitius. So in the line above, 
 
 fl flE TTUrjffOV 
 
 Kairvov tKcii(pj'T]Q' 
 or, as Hotibius arranges the verse, K^'jui Trorjaov, k. e. This fine anapaestic stanza 
 appears to be parodied from yEschylus, (P. v. 582. etc. ed. Porson.) 
 
 ■KovTioit; SaKtffi do£ jiopdv
 
 320-350.] THE WASPS. 179 
 
 Pity my lot, O king, and deign to favour. 
 Or into ashes with thy red-hot bolt 
 Reduce me quickly — and when thou hast slain me, 
 Melt with a bla^ into warm vineear — 
 Or make a stone whereon they count the lots. 
 Cho. But who is it that shuts the door against you ? 
 
 Tell us ; for you will speak to friendly ears. 
 Phi. My son— but call not loud— for he by chance 340 
 
 Sleeps in the vestibule — depress your tone. 
 Cho. What would this conduct hinder you from doing ? 
 
 Or what is his pretence ? 
 Phi. He will not, friends, 
 
 Permit me to give judgment, or do harm; 
 But is pre})ar'd to feast me — this I will not. 
 Cho. And did this wretch, who scorns the crowd, and Cleon, 
 Dare thus to gape", because you speak the truth 
 Touching the galleys? 
 Phi. This man ne'er had ventur'd 
 
 To say so, were he not a sworn ally. 
 Cho. But 'tis full time to seek some new device, 350 
 
 Which may cause you, without his privity. 
 To come down hither. 
 Phi. And what can that be ? 
 
 One might be almost tempted to imagine, against the positive dictum of Farmer, 
 that Shakspeare had one or both of these passages before him when he makes 
 Othello exclaim 
 
 lilow me about in winds ' roast me in sulphur ! 
 
 Wash me in sleep down gulfs of liquid fire, etc. 
 
 (Othello, Act V. Sc. ii.) 
 Bergler compares Sophocles, (Trachin. 1104.) 
 
 -■ tvatiffov (J 'va'^, iyKaTd(TK7]ipov jSsXof, 
 TTUTtp, Kepavvov. 
 
 » Instead of AtjfioXoyoKXkoiv, in the former of these two lines, Reiske proposes 
 to read Aj;^ok:Xoj'ok\£wv or AiifioyiXoKXkvjv ; denoting either one who strikes or 
 who derides the people and CHeon at the same time, a description which appears to 
 agree better with the character of Bdelycleon. Ihe word AtjjioXoyoKXtwv, the 
 Scholiast says, denotes one who affects tyrannic sway, and is applied to signify the 
 disposition to harangue, by which Cleon deceived the people. By the mention of 
 ships is to be understood the furnishing triremes for the public service, and by 
 Kvvafiorrjc, (v. 345.) the chorus insinuates that Cleon aimed at the dissolution of 
 the popular form of government ; an odious accusation which was made on every 
 slight pretence. 
 
 N 2
 
 ISO THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Seek ye — since I'd do any thing, so fain 
 
 Am I to make a passage through the boards, 
 
 And come down with the shell. 
 Cho. Is there a hole, 
 
 Within which you may dig, and then creep through 
 
 In rags envelop'd, like the crafty king * ? 
 Phi. 'Tis guarded on all sides, there is no hole 
 
 So large as to admit a creeping ant. 
 
 But you must seek some other remedy ; 360 
 
 For hole there cannot be. 
 Cho. Remember you 
 
 When Naxos was subdu'd, how on the wall 
 
 Fixing the stolen spits, thou brought'st thyself 
 
 Directly down? 
 Phi. I do, but what of that, 
 
 Since there is no resemblance 'tween the two? 
 
 For I was then a young and vigorous robber. 
 
 Guarded by no one, but allow'd to flee 
 
 Secui'ely ; whereas men array'd in arms 
 
 Now keep a watch on all my passages, 
 
 While two of them are stationed at the doors 370 
 
 Guarding me, spit in hand, even like a weasel. 
 
 That has purloin'd some flesh. 
 Cho. But now provide. 
 
 Quickly as possible, some machination ; 
 
 For morn approaches, O my honied friend. 
 Phi. 'Tis then my best plan to eat through the net, 
 
 And may Dictynna pardon me the deed ! 
 Cho. This is the part of one who acts for safety. 
 
 But move your jaw on. 
 Phi. It is quite gnaw'n thro' ; 
 
 By no means shout, but let us take good care. 
 
 Lest by Bdelycleon we be perceiv'd. 3S0 
 
 Cho. Fear nothing, friend, fear nought — since I will make him, 
 
 If he at all should mutter, gnaw his heart, 
 
 ' i. e. Ulysses. puKiaiv Kpv(p9eig wairtp iroXvfirjTig 'OSvffaevg' the v is added 
 to paKiai in order to lengthen the final syllable, as in the Tliesmophor. (450.) kv 
 rdiaiv rpayt[iSiaig' on which passage Brunck observes that it is one of those artis 
 pr(£Scripto corrigendi.
 
 360-400.] THE WASPS. 181 
 
 And for his life contend, that he may learn 
 To trample not upon mysterious rites 
 Of the two goddesses : but thro' the window 
 Fix a small rope, and bind yourself therewith, 
 Fill'd with the ardent soul of Diopeithes". 
 
 Phi. Come now, if they perceiving us should seek 
 To drag me back and make me enter in, 
 What would you do ? — now tell me. 390 
 
 Cho. We would assist you, calling up a heart, 
 Stout as a holm-oak, so that they shall not 
 Have power to keep you in — this will we do. 
 
 Phi. Then will I come down, trusting to your aid ; 
 And recollect, should any thing befall me. 
 Bear me in tears, and place beneath the bar. 
 
 Cho. You shall not suffer aught — be not afraid — 
 But come down boldly, having first address'd 
 Your country's gods in prayer. 
 
 Phi. O Lycus, lord. 
 
 And neighb'ring hero ", since thou'rt always pleas'd, ^ 
 
 As I, with tears and groans of the condemn'd, 401 
 
 Thou comest here to dwell with fix'd intent 
 
 To sit and listen to the weeper's cry, 
 
 The only one of heroes thus inclin'd. 
 
 Pity and save now thy near votary ! 
 
 So will I ne'er defile thy guarded image ! 
 
 Bde. Rise up there. 
 
 Sos. What's the need ! 
 
 Bde. Some voice, I think, 
 
 Murmurs around me. 
 
 Sos. Creeps the old man out 
 
 At any corner ? 
 
 " This was the name of a distinguished rhetorician living at that time, and 15 
 mentioned again in the hnii^hts, (v. 1081.) and in the Frogs, (v. 988.) 
 
 " L}'cus was the son of I'andion, whom Philocleon here facetiously names his 
 tutelar hero, and whose image appears to have been placed in tlie judicial forum 
 at Athens, which he here pledges himself to hold in deep and unwonted reverence, 
 (see V. 416, and compare Persius, Sat. i. 114.) This statue was protected from 
 the access of the profane by a hedge of stakes and willow twigs (see v. 394.) For 
 another preservative against the injuries that might be caused by the birds, or bad 
 weather, see the Birds, (1114—1188.)
 
 182 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Bde. No, by Jupiter ; 
 
 But having bound himself with ropes, descends. 410 
 
 Sos. O most detestable ! what doest thou ? 
 Thou never wilt come down. 
 
 Bde. Go quickly up. 
 
 And strike the window on the other side 
 With olive-boughs, that he may veer his stern *. 
 
 Phi. Will you not come to aid me, who tliis year 
 Must have a lawsuit, O Smicythio, 
 Tisiades, Chremo, and Pheredipnus? 
 And when, if not now, will you succour me, 
 Ere I am yet more roughly dragg'd within? 
 
 Cho. Tell me, why are we loath to stir that bile, 420 
 
 W^hich we excite as oft as any one 
 Provokes the wasps' nest? now extend the lash, 
 In all its sharpness, for his punishment. 
 But, children, having cast away your garments 
 With all despatch, run, shout, tell this to Cleon, 
 And order him to come, as to a man 
 Who hates our city% and is doomed to perish, 
 For telling us that we must not try suits. 
 
 Bde. O friends, give ear awhile, nor shout aloud. 
 
 Cho, By Jove, to heaven I'll shout, nor let him off. 430 
 
 Bde. Is not this dreadful and plain tyranny? 
 
 Cho. O citizens, O hatred to the gods. 
 
 Borne by Theorus, and whate'er abettor 
 
 y »))' TTWC Trpvfivav dvaKpovcnjTai, 7r\7]yHC ratg eiptmuvaic;. The phrase Trpi'jju- 
 vav KpovaaaBai properly signifies to restrain or slacken the oar, reniiim inhibere. 
 In this case it denotes steering the vessel with the stern towards the shore, and the 
 prow to the sea; — " strike him with dry boiigiis, that he may be compelled to re- 
 trace his footsteps and return," (Fl. Chris.) For an explanation of the word 
 dptuMvi], see the note on the Knights, v. 726". (also the Plutus, v. 1146.) S7nicythio, 
 Tisiades, etc., are different members of the chorus, here addressed by Philocleon, 
 
 ^ Dindorf expresses a confident opinion, that this and the two following lines 
 were not written by Aristophanes, and it must be allowed that there is considerable 
 coldness in the style of them, which agrees but ill with the general spirit of the 
 dialogue; he imagines these to be the words of some interpreter, which he says the 
 antistrophics at v. 468, 
 
 ovTf Tiv 'f\(ijv ivpo(pa<yiv, 
 
 ovrt Xoyov ivrpaTreXov, k. t. X., 
 sufficiently manifest.
 
 410—450.] THE WASPS. 183 
 
 Stand up for us beside ! 
 
 Xan. By Hercules, 
 
 They have a sting too, — see you not, O master ? 
 
 Bde. What ? those with which he ruin'd in a lawsuit 
 Philip the son of Gorgias ? 
 
 Cho. And we will 
 
 Destroy thee in like manner — but let all 
 Turn hither, raise the sting, and in close order 
 Strike it into him, full of rage and fury, 440 
 
 That he may know hereafter, what a nest 
 Of wasps he hath provok'd. 
 
 Xan. By Jupiter, 
 
 This were indeed a dire calamity. 
 If we should fight, for even now I tremble 
 But to behold their stings. 
 
 Clio. Dismiss the man then; 
 
 If not, I tell you that you will have cause 
 To ffratulate the tortoise on his skin. 
 
 Phi. Come, fellow judges, O sharp-hearted wasps, 
 Who in your rage attack their fundament, 
 Or flying round, their eyes and fingers sting! 450 
 
 O Midas, Phryx, Masyntias, hither, help, 
 Seize him, and trust him not to any one. 
 If not, in solid fetters shall ye fast ; 
 For I have heard the noise of many fig-leaves *. 
 
 Clio. Dismiss him, or a sting shall be infix'd. 
 
 Phi. O Cecrops, king and hero, dragon-footed''. 
 Dost thou permit me thus to be attnck'd 
 
 » Tins is an allusion to the proverb, TroWdv tyw Ooiwv \l/6(povQ aKijKoa, signi- 
 fying that such as use it care but little for the threats of any particular indi- 
 vidual ; the leaves of the fig-tree crackling in the flame being an apt comp;uison 
 for those who tumuiluate with vain and windy ihreatenings. In this case Bdely- 
 cleon fears the adverse predictions of the chorus, and merely glances at the pro- 
 verb, calling upon his domestics, iNIidas, 1 hrax, (so named from their native coun- 
 try, 01- the coii()uered I'ersian luo larchs), to assist him in seizing Philocleon. 
 
 '' I'lie venerable king of Athens is here called to. vpbc Troduiv ApaKovriSrjQ, in 
 allusion to the fable which reported him to have been half a serpent. This allegory 
 has been explained in three different ways, the nioit probable of which seems to be 
 that he was skilled in two languages, the Greek and the Egyptian, and had the 
 command over those two countries. Dracontides is also the name of a culprit oi' 
 defendant in a criminal action, mentioned before, (v. 157.)
 
 184 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 By barbarous men, whom I have taught to weep 
 With tears enough to fill four chaenixes ? 
 
 Cho. Are there not many direful ills in age ? 460 
 
 'Tis true — and now these men by force oppress 
 Their ancient lord, not mindful of the skins 
 And garments which he bought for them of yore, 
 The hats, and wintry coverings for their feet, 
 Lest they should stiffen with the cold — but nought 
 Of reverence marks their eye for the old shoes '^. 
 
 Phi. O worst of beasts ! wilt thou not yet release me? 
 Uiniiindful when detected with stolen grapes, 
 
 ^ / I flay'd thee well and bravely at the olive. 
 
 So that thou wert an envied spectacle. 470 
 
 Yet art thou thankless — but let me depart. 
 All of you, ere my son haste hitherwards. 
 
 Cho. But ample retribution for these wrongs 
 
 Soon shall you give us — that you may perceive 
 
 The disposition of these angry men, 
 
 With honest looks, as if they fed on cresses. 
 
 Bde. Strike from the house, O Xanthias, strike the wasps. 
 
 Xan. I do, and do thou smother them with smoke. 
 
 Sos. Will ye not off? will ye not to the crows? 
 
 Be off I say. — Then strike them with a stick. 480 
 
 Xan. Burn thou, too, vEschines, Selbartius' son. 
 Truly we were to move you hence at last. 
 
 Bde. But thou, by Jove, hadst not so soon escap'd them, 
 Had they by chance fed on Philoclean strains ''. 
 
 Cho. Is it not plain to all the poorer folk, 
 
 How secretly this tyranny creeps o'er me? 
 When thou, O altogether infamous, 
 And haughty follower of the proud Amyntias * 
 Keepest us from the laws fram'd by the state, 
 
 <= alSihg ToJv rraXaiwv tfi(3aSojv. Couzi us remarks that this is said in a jocose 
 manner, and Trapa Tzpoff^oKiav for Kt<pa\ii TraXaia, or something to that effect. 
 
 'J This line contains a satirical reflection aimed, as it appears, at a comic poet 
 named Philocles, whose verses were doubtless of a harsh and crabbed nature, (see 
 the Thesmophor. v. 168.) 
 
 e KOfiiiTaf.ivvia. A proud and haughty man, such as Amyntias, is sometimes 
 distinguished by the epithet Kofirjrtjg, probably from the custom of the eastern mo- 
 narchs to wear long flowing ringlets.
 
 460—510.] THE WASPS. 185 
 
 Without excuse, without a courteous word, 490 
 
 Bearing the rule alone. 
 
 Bde. Is't possible, 
 
 That, free from strife and shrill-ton'd noise, we come 
 To mutual speech and reconciliation ? 
 
 Cho. To speech with thee, thou hater of the people, 
 Monarchical ally of Brasidas, 
 Who wearest woollen fringes, and a beard 
 Unshaven nourishest ? 
 
 Bde. By Jupiter, 
 
 'Twere better for me not to have a father, 
 Than every day to fight with ills like these ! 
 
 Cho. You touch not yet the parsley and the rue^; 500 
 
 For of proverbial speech we'll throw in this. 
 Thou hast no grievance now, but when th' accuser 
 Proclaims these deeds, and cites thy 'complices. 
 
 Bde. Will you not, by the gods, decamp from me ? 
 I am resolved, all day, to beat and flay you. 
 
 Cho. Nor cease, while any part of me is left ; 
 Since thou afFect'st the way to tyranny. 
 
 Bde. But all with you is tyranny and plotters ^, 
 
 Howe'er th' accuser's charge be great or small, 
 Which I had not heard nam'd for fifty years. 510 
 
 But now 'tis far more common than salt fish. 
 So that its name is bandied in the market. 
 Should any one buy prickle-backs, nor wish 
 Anchovies, straight the seller cries — " this man 
 
 f This is a proverbial expression, denoting that an affair is hardly begun ; the 
 metaphor being taken from parsley and other herb beds, which were usually planted 
 in the outskirts of the garden. Instead of the common reading a-ovarti', Inverni- 
 zius gives ttov 'ffriv, and Florens Christianus proposes nut 'ariv, but the usual read- 
 ing appears to me preferable to either. By tUji' rpixoiv'iKwv inwv in the next 
 line the Scholiast asserts that the minute and vulgar character of the verses of Ar- 
 chippus is meant fo be ridiculed. Perhaps that poet was fond of homely simiJies, 
 drawn from the kitchen garden. 
 
 >S This speech of Bdelycleon is fraught with comic humour, and must have been 
 particularly pleasant to an Athenian audience whose jealou^^y of oligarchical sway, 
 and dread of the dissolution of their democracy, seems to have been almost ridicu- 
 lously sensitive. See Thucydides, (B. vi. cap. 27.) which is an excellent com- 
 ment on this passage of Aristophanes.
 
 186 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Appears to fat himself for tyranny." 
 
 And if, moreover, he should ask a leek, 
 
 To give a certain zest to the sea-loaches, 
 
 With look askance, the herb-seller cries — *'tell me, 
 
 Why ask a leek ? — is it for tyranny ? 
 
 Or think'st thou Athens is to bring thee sauces ?" 520 
 
 Xan. Of me too, yesternoon, the wench demanded, 
 Enrag'd, because I urg'd her to ride quick, 
 "If I'd establish Hippias' tyranny?" 
 
 Bde. This they are pleas'd to hear — and now if I 
 Wish that my father, having left the custom 
 Of going to the courts at early dawn, 
 Mark'd by that wretched and calumnious air. 
 Should live, like Morychus, a generous life''; 
 I bear the blame of being urg'd to this 
 By a conspiring and tyrannic temper. 530 
 
 Phi. And justly too, by Jove, — for I would not 
 
 Take milk of hens, in preference ' to that life. 
 Of which you now deprive me. I rejoice not 
 In eels and thornbacks, but would rather eat 
 A little judgment, in the box enclos'd. 
 
 Bde. With these things thou wast wont to be delighted. 
 But if thou wilt afford a silent ear 
 To my instruction, I can prove to thee 
 How much, in all these matters, thou art wrong. 
 
 '' The former of these lines is composed of two words, 
 
 6p9o(potTO(TVKn<l>avrooiicoTa\an7wpoJv Tpoirwv, 
 
 derived from -Kupa rb opBtven' Kctl (ponav kuI rrvKofaj'THv Kat tv SiKaiQ raXai- 
 TTiopilv (Scholiast). Morychus, whose generous style of living is here alluded to, 
 vcas a tragic poet, more than once satirized by Aristophanes on account of his 
 luxurious life, (see the Achitmiaits, v. 852. the Peace, v. 973.) He is addressed by 
 Plato the comic writer, cited by tlie Scholiast on the Clcuds, v. 209. together with 
 Glaucetes and Leogoras, 
 
 o'l C.tJTE TSpTTVav, OvStV IvQvilOVllfVOl, 
 
 ' The expression dpj'iOwv yd\a was a kind of proverb applied to the rich and 
 happy, probably because articles of rarity are usually in great request on that 
 
 account ; 
 
 HybernaB pretiuin sic meruere rosai. 
 
 so in the Birds, Peisthetajrus says to Hercules, opviGiov rrapt'^w aoi yaXa, 
 
 i
 
 520—570.] THE WASPS. 187 
 
 Phi. I wrong in judging? 
 
 Bde. Hear'st thou not thyself 540 
 
 ScofF'd at by men whom thou all but adorest? 
 And in a state of secret servitude? 
 
 Phi. Talk not of this to me, who govern all. 
 
 Bde. Not thou indeed, but while thou think'st to govern, 
 Thou art thyself a slave — for teach us, father, 
 What honour can be tliine from plunder'd Greece? 
 
 Phi. Much — and to these I'd trust th' arbitrement. 
 
 Bde. And I the same : — now^ all of you dismiss him ; 
 Give me a sword, for if I be surpass'd 
 By thee in pleading, I will fall upon it. 550 
 
 But tell me what will be the consequence, 
 If thou abide not by the arbitration ? 
 
 Phi. Ne'er may I drink pure wine, the recompense 
 Of our good genius. 
 
 Cho. It behoves thee, now. 
 
 Who art of our gymnasium, to pronounce 
 Some new thing, that thy value may appear. 
 If he to these exhort thee, thou mvist not 
 Speak like this youth, beholding what great danger 
 All thine affairs are in, if (which I trust 
 May never happen) this man prove victorious. 560 
 
 Bde. Some one bring tablets to me with all speed, 
 That whatsoe'er he says, for memory's sake, 
 I may write down. 
 
 Phi. And, if in argument 
 
 He gain the victory o'er me, what say you ? 
 
 Cho. No longer were the aged multitude 
 
 Of the least use — but we, in all the streets 
 
 Derided, mere branch-bearers should be call'd, 
 
 Or husks of Htigation. But oh thou ! 
 
 Whose eloquence for oui- whole state will plead. 
 
 Now boldly all tiiy powers of sjieech employ. 570 
 
 Phi. And straight from the beginning will I show 
 That our doniinion is surpass'd by none. 
 For what in life's more happy than a judge, 
 ^^'hat more luxurious or more terrible 
 \Mien he is old ? whom, as he creeps from bed,
 
 188 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. r. 
 
 Huge men, four cubits high, guard at the bar^; 
 
 And then, as I approach, some one extends 
 
 His supple hand, with pubHc rapine fill'd. 
 
 Then pouring forth a miserable voice, 
 
 They bend in supplication — " Pity me, 580 
 
 father, I beseech thee, if thou e'er 
 Hast in thy magistracy pillag'd aught, 
 
 Or in the army, bartering with thy messmates ! 
 
 Who had not known that I were in existence 
 
 But for his late acquittal. 
 Bde. Let this saying 
 
 Touching the clients be my memorandum. 
 Phi. Then entering, by solicitation press'd, 
 
 And anger wip'd away, of all I promis'd, 
 
 Arriv'd within, no part will I perform, 
 
 But listen to the supplicating voice 590 
 
 / Utter'd by those who would elude conviction. 
 
 For then what flattery may a judge not hear ? 
 
 Some weep their poverty, and loads of woe, 
 
 Until they equal mine, — some tell us fables. 
 
 And others one of ^sop's drolleries. 
 
 Some jest, that I may be provok'd to laugh, 
 
 And lay aside my wrath — and if by these 
 
 We fail to be persuaded, straight they drag 
 
 The children, male and female, by the hand : 
 
 1 listen — they stoop down and bleat together, (300 
 And then, on their behalf, the trembling sire 
 Beseeches me, as if I were a god. 
 
 To free him from th' impeachment, " If thou'rt pleas'd 
 
 With a lamb's voice, pity a child's complaint." 
 
 And if in little pigs I take delight. 
 
 Then should I hsten to his daughter's voice. 
 
 ^ By avSpec fieyaXoi /cat TtTpaTrr]xiiq, in this line, are to be understood not so 
 much men of lofty stature, since the height of four cubits does not exceed the usual 
 measure, as men of generous and liberal minds. In bodily height, they certainly 
 could not compare with William Evans, the gigantic porter of Charles I. (see Pen- 
 nant's London, p. 324.), who was seven feet and a half high, and must have greatly 
 fallen short of the husband of that Syracusan female mentioned by Theocritus ( Ado- 
 niaz. V. 17.), who was avi)p TpiaKautKcnr^xvi:- So in the Frogs, (v. 1026.) d 
 yivvaioVQ Koi TirpaTrrjxttg . 
 
 il
 
 580—630.] THE WASPS. 189 
 
 And then our rage we lower a small peg. 
 Is not this empire and contempt of wealth ? 
 
 Bde. This too, thy second saying, I inscribe 
 
 " Contempt of wealth" — and reckon o'er to me 010 
 The profits of thine empire over Greece. 
 
 Phi. The children's puberty we may inspect ; 
 And if to his defence CEagrus ' come, 
 He's not dismiss'd e'er he recite to us 
 Some sweet selected part from Niobe. 
 And if the piper gain his cause, he gives 
 To us, his judges, as a recompense. 
 With mouth well fortified, a parting strain. 
 And if a father, at his death, bequeath 
 To any one, his daughter and sole heiress, 620 
 
 Bidding the testament bewail at length, 
 And shell that nicely covers o'er the seals '", 
 We give her to that man, whose supplication 
 Shall have persuaded us, and this we do 
 Quite irresponsible — a privilege, 
 To none inferior, 
 
 Bde. I wish thee joy, 
 
 For this and all the blessings thou hast nam'd. 
 But thou dost wrong in shelling up the will 
 Regarding the sole heiress. 
 
 Phi. And moreover, 
 
 When in deciding on some great affair, 630 
 
 The senate and the people are in doubt. 
 It is decreed to render up the culprits 
 To us their judges — then Evathlus, and 
 That mighty cringing shield-rejecting fellow", 
 
 ' 'J his was the name of a tragic actor who performed the part of Niobe in that 
 tragedy, eitlier of Sophocles or .Tischylus. (Sciioliast). 
 
 " Kal ry Koyxy Ty T^avv at^vwQ. It appears from this passage that the ancients 
 were in the habit of covering the signature and seals of their important acts with 
 shells, in order to preserve them from injury ; this was called ai'aKoyxv\i(.'iZ,nv. 
 
 " This Evathlus was a rhetorician and a sycophant, often lampooned by the 
 comic writers of his time, especially Plato and Crafinus ; see also the Acharnians, 
 V. 675, where his powers of haranguing are mentioned in magnificent terms. By 
 KoXaKujvvfiog uffTricoTroji\i)g is meant Cleonyinus, liie cowardly flatterer, who cast 
 away his shield, so common a subject of raillery to our poet ; see particularly the 
 Clouds, V. 372. the Peace, 1152. the Birds, v. 1475, etc. and v. 930. of this comedy. 
 
 I
 
 190 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Declare 'tis not their purpose to betray us, 
 
 But for the democratic state to fight ; 
 
 And no opinion with the crowd prevail'd, 
 
 But that which said the bench should be dismissal 
 
 Soon as the judges had despatch'd one cause. 
 
 And Cleon, who in bawling conquers all, 640 
 
 At us alone gnaws not, but with his hand, 
 
 Protecting, drives away from us the flies. 
 
 Thou never hast thy father treated thus ; 
 
 But tho' Theorvis be a man no way 
 
 Inferior to Euphemius °, from his basin 
 
 Taking a sponge, he cleans our dusty shoes. 
 
 Consider now, from what advantages 
 
 Thou dost exclude and hinder me, who said'st 
 
 That thou would'st prove this to be slavish service. 
 
 Bde. Speak to satiety — for thou, at length 650 
 
 Wilt surely cease from thine illustrious rule, 
 And in unwashen nakedness appear. 
 
 Phi. But the most sweet of all I had forgot — 
 When I go home, having receiv'd my fee, 
 And all salute me for the money's sake ; 
 Then, first of all, my daughter washes me, 
 Anoints my feet, and stooping, kisses me. 
 
 I Then, at the same time, calling me " Papa," 
 She baits her tongue for my triobolus ; 
 And my cajoling little wife brings to me 660 
 
 A cake of kneaded flour, while sitting near. 
 She presses me with — " eat this, taste of this" — 
 Thus am I gratified, and not compell'd 
 To look towards thee and the steward, what time 
 He serves the dinner, muttering out a curse. 
 Lest haply, he should bake another for me. 
 Thus I possess a shield against all ills. 
 And armour of defence to ward off darts. 
 But if thou wilt not pour me wine to drink, 
 I bring this ass-like cup of liquor full. 670 
 
 o Theorus was a mean flatterer, here compared with Euphemius, a rhetorician, 
 who did not think it beneath him to perform the most servile offices, and even to 
 wipe away the dust from the judges' shoes, raj-ifidSia TrtpiKioviiv.
 
 640—690.] THE WASPS. 191 
 
 Then pour it out reclining ; while he gapes, 
 
 And braying with a mihtary air, 
 
 Makes loud explosions. Bear I not a rule / 
 
 Inferior, by no means, to that of Jove, \/ 
 
 Who am saluted with no less a name? 
 
 And if we make a tumult, every one 
 
 Of those who pass by says — 'What thunder peals 
 
 Along the judgment seat, O monarch Jove!' 
 
 And if I fulminate, with clapping hands 
 
 The rich and very grave, responsive, sound p. 680 
 
 And me thou chiefly fearest. — Yes, by Ceres, 
 
 Thou fearest me — but may I perish, if 
 
 I look on thee with dread. 
 
 Ciio. Ne'er have we heard 
 
 A man so clearly, or so wisely talk. 
 
 Phi. No — but he thought to make an easy vintage 
 Of a deserted vine °'. For well he knew 
 That I was most prevailing in this art. 
 
 Cho. How hath he gone through all, and pass'd by nothing! 
 So that I grew in hearing, and appear'd 
 To hold a session in the happy isles "■, 690 
 
 Delighted with his words. 
 
 Phi. How he begins 
 
 To yawn, and is not master of himself ! 
 I'll make thee look to-day as at the lash. 
 
 Cho. \lo Bde.] And it behoves thee all deceits to weave 
 For thine acquittal — since 'tis difficult 
 To mollify my rage, unless thy words 
 Regard my interest. Wherefore it is time 
 For thee to seek a good and new-cut millstone, 
 
 -KU.V dffrpatpio 
 
 ■jroirno'^ovaiv. 
 
 Bergler aptly compares Pliny, (H. N. xxviii. cap. 2.) who, speaking of the super- 
 stitious reverence with which thunder-claps weie regarded by the ancients, says, 
 " fulgetras poppysmis adorare conseasus gentium est." 
 
 1 This is a proverbial expression applied to such as are negligent in the tillage 
 of their vines, and yet expect to reap an abundant vintage. (Schol.) It occurs 
 again in the Ecclesiuzusce, (885.) 
 
 ■■ Respecting the judges in the shades below, see the poetical description in the 
 second Olympic ode of I'indar (v. 100, etc.)
 
 192 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 If speaking have no power to break my rage. 
 
 Bde. 'Tis a hard task, and one that asks more counsel 700 
 Than comedy can boast, to heal an ill, 
 Which, in the state, has long bred inwardly. 
 But O ! Saturnian Sire ! 
 
 Phi. Cease, sire not me. 
 
 For if o' th' instant, thou instruct me not 
 How I should be a slave, it cannot chance 
 But thou must die, tho' from the sacred entrails 
 It were my destiny to be remov'd. 
 
 Bde. Hear then, O sire, relax thy front awhile, 
 And first count lightly, not with calculi, 
 But on the fingers, what a sum of tribute 710 
 
 Comes to us from the cities, and besides, 
 The many hundredths, prytanean pledges. 
 The metals, markets, harbours, salaries, 
 And sales of public confiscations. 
 From these we nearly draw two thousand talents. 
 Deposit thence the judges' yearly pay, 
 / Who sojourn here, six thousand and no more. 
 
 Yours are one hundred, then, and fifty talents. 
 
 Phi. Then not the tenth part comes to us for fee \ 
 
 Bde. No, truly — and where fly the other moneys ? 720 
 
 Phi. To those whose cry is — " I will not betray 
 Th' Athenian rabble, but will always fight 
 To aid the multitude." 
 
 Bde. These, O my Father, 
 
 Thou choosest to rule over thee, deceiv'd 
 By such shght words : they then receive in bribes 
 Talents by fifties, from the other states. 
 Whom with such threats as these they terrify, 
 " Pay tribute, or I'll thunder down your city." 
 And thou'rt content to eat up the remains 
 Of thy dominion ; the allies meanwhile, 730 
 
 When they perceive the refuse of the crowd 
 With hunger pining, gnaw the ballot-box, 
 
 « i. e. about 1,166 French livres per annum for each of the 6000 judges, scarcely 
 45£ of our money. 
 
 I
 
 700-750.] THE WASPS. 193 
 
 Regard thee as the suffrages of Connus*, 
 
 But bring them presents — pickle-jars, wine, carpets, 
 
 Cheese, honey, sesanium, cushions, cups, cloaks, 
 
 Chaplets, chains, goblets, wealth and sanity. 
 
 To thee, of all whom thou command'st on earth, 
 
 And all thy toils at sea achiev'd ", not one 
 
 Presents, to cook thy fish, a head of garlick. 
 
 Piir. Not so, by Jove,— but from Eucharides 740 
 
 I have myself sent for three garlick heads \ 
 But thou annoyest me, not showing forth 
 This slavery of mine, 
 
 Bde. Is it not great 
 
 Tiiat those who rule, themselves and flatterers, all 
 
 Are brib'd alike ? — to thee should any one 
 
 Give the three oboli, art thou content 
 
 With pay which fighting or besieging towns, 
 
 By labour manifold thou hast achiev'd? 
 
 And in addition, what torments me most, 
 
 Order'd by others, thou frequent'st the courts, 750 
 
 When an immodest youth approaches thee, 
 
 The son of Chasreas, standing thus astride, 
 
 ***** 
 
 Bidding thee come by early dawn to judge; 
 Since whosoever is behind the signal. 
 Will not bear with him the three oboli. 
 
 • According to the Scholiast, Connus was a young harper. Otliers describe liini 
 as one who had wasted his patrimony, and thus become reduced to tlie condition 
 of a pauper, whence the proverb quoted by Callistratus, Kuvvov Oplov, from the 
 empty sound sent forth by a fig-leaf, (see the Knighu, v. 532.) 
 
 " The expression in this line is very singular. 
 
 TToXXa 5' i<p ' vyp(} TTtrvXtiffaQ. 
 This participle is derived from ttitvXoc, the noise made by oars impelled through 
 the water. Hence is formed the word p;Vi///smn or ;)i/((7(.sm((, the ablative case of 
 which (})itylhmate) is the ingenious conjectural emendation of Jul. Scaliger, in 
 that much-controverted passage of Juvenal (xi. 173) instead of the common read-i 
 ing (pytismate). It may be remarked that different codices and editions of tliis- 
 noble satirist, exhibit no fewer tiian eight words of similar termination besides the 
 two here mentioned — pedeumute, pitteumale, pedemate, pyreismate, poppysmuie, 
 proptysmate, piteremate, pygisrnale. 
 
 " Eucharides was the name of a garlick-sellcr, and by rptlg dyXWcu: are meant 
 the (TKopoOov Kt(liaXt'i of the preceding line. 
 
 VOL. II. O
 
 194 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 But, late as he may come, the advocate 
 
 Receives his drachma as the pleader's fee'', 
 
 And, with another of the archons, sharing 
 
 What an acquitted culprit may bestow, 760 
 
 You two arrange together the affair, 
 
 While like a saw one gives, and one withdraws it. 
 
 Thy gaping look observes the treasurer % 
 
 But the manoeuvre still escapes thy notice. 
 
 Phi. Is't thus they treat me ? what, alas ! say'st thou. 
 Stirring the very bottom of my soul? 
 My mind thou so attractest, that I know not 
 What 'tis thou do'st to me. 
 
 Bde. Consider then, 
 
 That, when thou might'st with all the world grow rich, 
 Thou'rt always compass'd round by demagogues, 770 
 Who over many cities bearest sway. 
 From Pontus to Sardinia — thou hast nought 
 To make thee glad, save the small salary 
 Which thou receiv'st* — and that by little still 
 They squeeze for thee in drops, as out of wool. 
 Like oil, for the support of thine existence. 
 
 y TO avvriyopiKov, Spaxfir)i'- This was the daily sum granted to the forensic 
 orators for undertaking to plead the cause of any state or citizen. The Scholiast, 
 on the authority of Aristotle, says that the ffvvfjyopoi were ten in number and 
 chosen by lot. 
 
 ^ ffv Sk xaoKa'Ctig rbv KwXuKpsTijv. The Kw\aKptTi]g was a public accountant 
 who paid the judicial salaries, and provided for the expenses of the festivals. 
 Hence these quaestors of the public treasury derived their name of /cwXafcperai or 
 KwXayptTai utto tSjv kioXwv, because they received as their perquisite the skins 
 and relics of their victims. 
 
 ■•^ ovK aTToXaiisiQ Tr-\i)v tov9' o (ptpeiQ, ciKapT], That is, all thy gain consists in 
 the purchase of this miserable little cloak, tovto 6 (popilc i/xanoj' (Schol.), and 
 even this modicum of pay they dole out drop by drop, as if squeezed from wool 
 steeped in liquor. " Metaphore tir6e des liqueurs qu' on exprime en pressant un 
 flocon de laine" — (Note of the French translator). In the next line, aXevpov is 
 said TTapa Trpory^oiciav for iXaiov, or some other fluid — (Bergler). The great 
 extent of the judicial power possessed by the Athenians in the time of Aristophanes 
 may be gathered from this speech of Bdelycleon, who says that they bear sway 
 
 From Pontus to Sardinia ; 
 Compare v. 540. where the chorus says, 
 
 oiiKiTi TTpeajSvTwv ox^og 
 Xpn'^^I^OQ iar ovS' liKaorj.
 
 7G0— 790.] THE WASPS. 195 
 
 For they would have thee poor — •and for what reason 
 
 I will declare to thee — that thou may'st know 
 
 Thy keeper, and when he shall hiss thee on, 
 
 Leap savagely upon thine enemies. 780 
 
 If they desir'd to give the people food, 
 
 Nothing were easjer — since a thousand cities 
 
 Convey us tribute, if to each of these, 
 
 The charge were given to nourish twenty men, 
 
 Two hundred thousand of the citizens 
 
 Had liv'd on hare's flesh — with all sorts of crowns, 
 
 And early and coagulated milk ^ ; 
 
 Enjoying pleasures worthy of our land. 
 
 As of the trophy gain'd in Marathon 
 
 And now, like olive-gatherers, ye go 790 
 
 In company with him who bears the fee. 
 
 Phi. Alas ! what torpor's o'er my hand diftus'd? 
 I'm now so soft, I cannot hold my sword ". 
 
 Bde. But when in fear, Euboea they would give you '^, 
 And promise to grant corn by fifty bushels ; 
 Yet give they nothing, save of late, five bushels 
 Of barley thou receivedst, and scarce these, 
 (Convicted as a stranger *), by the chaenix. 
 
 •• Kai TTwy Kai wvpiaTtj. The word ttiiov properly signifies the first milk drawn 
 after calving, and irvpidrt]^ scalded cream. Instead of the latter Invernizius reads 
 wapiry, against the metre, as the first syllable would be long, derived from irvov, 
 which he affirms to be the reading of all the editions : this is ev dently wrong, as 
 both the Juntas give ■irvpiary. The metaphor is repeated at v. 801. 
 
 '^ This line is an allusion to the Andromache of Euripides, where Mcnelaus casts 
 
 away his sword, as he is on the point of slaying Helen witli it. Bdelyclcon had 
 
 before (v. 547.) asked for a sword, on whicli he threatens to fall if conquered in 
 
 argument by Philocleon. The same allusion is made by Lampito in the Lysistrata 
 
 (v. 155.) Compare Massinger, (New Way, etc.) Act v. Sc. ult., where Sir Giles 
 
 Overreach exclaims, 
 
 " I la ! I'm feeble. 
 
 Some undone widow sits upon my arm, etc." 
 
 *• Our poet here says that these rhetorical demagogues would give to the Athe- 
 nians in promise, the whole fertile island of Kubo-.a, whereas in a scarcity of corn, 
 during the terrible plague, which invaded tiie Attic territory from ^^thiopia or the 
 borders of Egypt, so graphically described by Thucydides and Lucretius, they 
 really gave but five medimus or thirty bushels, and that by slow degrees, to each of 
 the 14,240 citizens of Athens. 
 
 * ^eviag (pivyiov means convicted of peregrinitii, and tlierefore not entitled to the 
 privileges of citizens. The foreigners in Athens amounted to about 4750, 
 
 o2
 
 196 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 On this account, I keep thee here confin'd 
 Wishing to nourish thee, and not expose 800 
 
 To be the sport of these vain proniisers. 
 And simply now I would grant all thy mind, 
 Except to drain milk from the treasurer. 
 
 Chorus. 
 
 Wise, to a certainty, was he who said, 
 
 " Judge not before you hear the speech of both." 
 
 You now appear to me by far superior, 
 
 So that, with ire relax'd, I cast away 
 
 The staft^ — but oh ! — associates and coevals. 
 
 Obey, obey my speech, and be not senseless. 
 
 Nor very crabbed and inflexible. 810 
 
 Would I some kinsman or relation had 
 
 To give me such advice ! — and now some god 
 
 Aids thee, in this aifair, with his clear presence, 
 
 And manifests his benefits — which thou 
 
 With readiness receive. 
 
 Bde. Indeed I will 
 
 Nourish and give him all an old man needs. 
 Pottage to lick, a soft robe, goat-skin garment, 
 A nymph to rub his members and his loins. 
 Yet he is silent, muttering not a word. 
 This cannot please me. 
 
 Cho. He hath turn'd his mind 820 
 
 Upon his present state and former greatness ; 
 For now he knows and thinks upon his fault. 
 That he would not obey thine exhortations. 
 But haply now to these thy words obedient 
 He's wise, and putting off his former manners, 
 Submits himself to thee. 
 
 Phi. Alas ! Alas ! 
 
 Bde. Wherefore cry out to me ? 
 
 Phi. Beguile me not 
 
 With promises like these — it is my pleasure 
 To be where cries the herald — " Who has not 
 Yet given his suffrage ?— Let him rise"— and may 830 
 I stand prepar'd to drop my calculus
 
 800—850.] THE WASPS. 197 
 
 The last of all into the ballot-box. 
 
 Hasten, O soul — where is my lurking spirit^? 
 
 By Hercules, no more among the judges 
 
 Cleon could I convict of peculation. 
 Bde. O Father, by the gods, obey my voice. 
 Phi. Obey thee ? — why ? — save one thing, speak thy will. 
 Bde. What is it? let me know. 
 Phi. To keep from judging. 
 
 This, Hades shall decree, e'er I obey. 
 Bde. Thou, therefore, since the courts are thy delight, 840 
 
 Descend not thither, but, remaining here, 
 
 Administer the law to thy domestics. 
 Phi. Concerning what dispute? why banterest thou? 
 Bde. Whatever is done here. When, secretly, 
 
 The servant-maiden has unclos'd the door, 
 
 Her only shalt thou fine for the offence. 
 
 And this is what thou still art wont to do. 
 
 According to right order — if the morn 
 
 Resplendent shine, by sun-light thou wilt judge; 
 
 But if it snow or rain, the fire-side, then, 850 
 
 Will be thy seat of judgment : — should'st thou wake 
 
 At noon day, yet will no Thesmothetes 
 
 Exclude thee from the forum ^. 
 Phi. This delights me. 
 
 ' ffirtvS' u) ■ipvxi)' 
 TTc'ipcc <*> (TKupa. 
 This passage is a parody of the Cellerophon of Euripides, 
 TTupeQ, u) OKiepa (pvWdg, VTrtpj^d 
 Kptjvdia vaTTt]. 
 The poetical epithet oKUpa applied to the soul will perhaps remind the reader of 
 Adrian's beautiful line, addressed to his soul, 
 
 Pallidiila, rigida, nubila. 
 (>' ovciic (t' nTroK\ti(Ttidta^o9ETi]g T^ KtyKXih. There were at Athens ten ma- 
 gistrates called archons, viz. the king, archon, the polemarch, andsixThesmotheta?, 
 so called because tliey had the care of tlie laws and whatever related to tlie courts 
 of justice. To these judges, who were chosen each from hisown tribe, the Scholiast 
 adds another, the scribe. Whoever of these, when cited to the diet, failed to ap- 
 pear in proper time, was excluded, aTro rij^ KiyKXidog, (see v. 124.) and lost his 
 fee of three oboli. The word KiyKXlhc properly denotes the doors of the judgment- 
 hall, rhotius J and /ciyK/\(<; is defined by the same lexicographer, 6 tov hKacrrijpiov 
 KayKtWoi;, (cancellus).
 
 198 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Bde. Besides this, should a pleader at great length 
 Pursue his cause, thou wilt not hungry wait, 
 Wearing alike thyself and the defendant. 
 
 Phi. How then shall I be able, as of yore, 
 
 Rightly to judge affairs, still ruminating? 
 
 Bde. Far better — since it is a common saying, 
 
 That while the witnesses are speaking false 860 
 
 Digesting judges scarcely know the cause. 
 
 Phi. Indeed thou dost persuade me — but not yet 
 Say'st whence my recompense I shall receive. 
 
 Bde. From me. 
 
 Phi. 'Tis well that I apart receive it. 
 
 And not with any other ; for the jester 
 Lysistratus hath treated me most basely ^ ; 
 Having of late with me receiv'd. a drachma, 
 He went and frittered it away in fish. 
 Then to my share assign'd three mullets' scales. 
 Which in my mouth I placed — imagining 870 
 
 That I received as many oboli : 
 But spit them out disgusted with the smell, 
 Then dragg'd him into court incontinently. 
 
 Bde. And what said he to this ? 
 
 Phi. What ? why, he said 
 
 That I must have the stomach of a cock ; 
 For silver thou wilt soon digest, he added. 
 
 o (TKwirroXrjg 
 
 Avcfiarparog 
 
 is mentioned again in the Acharnians, v. 820, as the disgrace of his tribe, together 
 with 6 TrtptTToj'i/poc 'Aprefiwv and Jlaixjiov 6 Tra^Troj'/jpof on which passage 
 Elmsley quotes Athenaeus, p. 533. E. This low fellow seems here to have played 
 a very shabby trick on Philocleon, by giving him three mullets' scales instead of 
 his judiciil fee of the half drachma. These, he says, " I placed in my mouth" — 
 Kayoj \nKa\p'- which word Palmer interprets by incurvavi dentibus, I bent it with 
 my teeth to try whether it were good; or Kciywv tKai^a, as Florens Christianus 
 reads, who imagines that an allusion is here intended to the Greek proverb used 
 by iEschylus (Agamemnon, 36.) and Theocritus, quoted by Stanley : jiovg ini 
 yXdJGffy fjteyac, and applied to such as have an impediment to free speech. — 
 Athenseus quotes from Alexis — 
 
 o c' iyKci'^ag to Kipi.i' tic ti)v yvaOov. 
 There appears to have been an Attic coin of the value of two drachmas, stamped 
 with the figure of an ox.
 
 860—900.] THE WASPS. 199 
 
 Bde. (giving money to his father.) Thou seest then how 
 
 much profit thou wilt gain. 
 Phi. Not altogether small — but do thy pleasure. 
 Bde. Wait now until I come and bring them to thee. 
 Phi. Behold, how are the oracles acconiplish'd; 880 
 
 For I had heard that once the Athenians held x 
 
 Domestic judgment-seats, and every man 
 
 Erected for himself, before the doors, 
 
 A small tribunal, like a Hecateum", 
 
 For his own practice in the vestibule. 
 
 Bde. What further wilt thou say ? lo, I bring all 
 
 Whate'er I had announc'd, and many more ; 
 ***** 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 * * * * * 890 
 
 ***** 
 
 Bde. Lo, here is fire, and lentils standing near, 
 
 If there be need to sup. 
 Phi. This too is well; 
 
 For tho' I burn with fever, at the least 
 
 I shall receive my fee ; since here remaining 
 
 I may devour my lentils — but for what 
 
 Brought you the bird to me ? 
 Bde. That should you sleep 
 
 While any one is pleading, by his song, 
 
 Descending from above, he may arouse thee. 
 Phi. One thing I still desire, tho' in the rest 900 
 
 Well pleas'd. 
 Bde. What is't ? 
 
 Phi. That thou bring Lycus' image\ 
 
 ' The 'Eicdratov, or 'EicaraToi', was a small shrine or teiDple of Hecate, l^opog 
 and Koi'poTpiKpoc, of-which several were erected by the Greeks in various places 
 where three roads met ; upon these altars it was customary for the rich to place 
 eggs and toasted cheese, especially in the time of the new moon, to be taken away 
 by the poor who casually passed by (see the Plutus, v. 594.) — Our modern 
 lleformers are probably not aware that their notion of hringin<; justice to every 
 man's door, can boast of such high antiquity as is here assigned to it by Philocleoa 
 (see the Scholiast on this passage.) 
 
 " 9t}pt^ov (i. e. -6 i]p(^ov) to tov Avkov is to be understood of the tablet con-
 
 200 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Bde. He's here, O king— and 'tis his very self. 
 Phi. O liero, how tremendous to behold ! 
 
 As in our eyes appears Cleonymus'. 
 Sos. Nor yet has he, although a hero, arms. 
 Bde. If thou wert seated, soon I'd call a cause. 
 |/ Phi. Call now, for I long since have sat attentive. 
 Bde. Come then, what cause shall I first introduce ? 
 
 Of the domestics which hath done amiss ? 
 
 The Thracian maid who lately burnt a pitcher""? 910 
 Phi. Restrain thyself; since almost thou destroy'st me — 
 / Without a bar art thou about to judge, 
 
 "'' Which seem'd to us the first of sacred rites"? 
 
 Bde. By Jove, there is none present ; but I'll run 
 
 And bring one hither straightway from within. 
 
 How wonderful this passion for a place ! 
 Xan. Go to the crows — to nourish such a dog ! 
 Bde. What is the matter, truly ? 
 Xan. Hath not Labes, 
 
 That cur, into the kitchen just now rush'd. 
 
 And snatch'd and eat up a Sicilian cheese"? 920 
 
 Bde. This is, in truth, the first charge to be brought 
 
 Before my father — come thou and accuse him. 
 
 taining the effigy of the hero Lyeus, as it appears in the judicial forum, without the 
 presence of which this lover of lawsuits would scarcely think himself to be in the 
 forum (see the note on v. 398.) 
 
 ' This similitude strikes Bdelycleon, not merely on account of the huge stature 
 of each, but as they are both without arms ; the one being a forensic and not a 
 martial hero, the other from having cast his away in battle. — Bergler. 
 
 "' The name ftparra in this line most probably denotes a domestic damsel 
 brought from Thrace, as ^pvi, (v. 433.) and ^vpa, in the Peace, v. 1112. Instead 
 of wpoffKavaaaa in this line, Florens Christianus thought that the true reading 
 was TrpotrOpavcraffa, liav'mg brohen, and this certainly appears preferable, although 
 unsupported by manuscript authority. 
 
 " dvtv Spv(ppaic Tov Tyv Sikijv ^kXXeit; KaXtiv. This alludes to a barrier of oak 
 or other wood, within which the priest officiated at the sacrifices. Philocleon has 
 such veneration for the place and act of judgment, that, as Bergler observes, he 
 speaks of them as of religious rites or mysteries. 
 
 " This alludes to the expedition into Sicily in the second year of the Ixxxviii. 
 Olympiad, under the conduct of Laches, who is here designed by the dog Labes, 
 a name very appropriate to the canine race from his j)ropensity to take or snatch 
 whatever may be in his way, or, according to the Scholiast, dir-u tov XajifiavHv 
 Oijpia (see note on v, 247.)
 
 910— 940.] THE WASPS. 201 
 
 Xan. By Jupiter, not I — but t'other dog 
 
 Says that he will prefer the accusation, 
 
 Can any one but introduce the action. 
 Bde. Come now, and lead them hither. 
 Xan. We must do so. 
 
 Phi. But what is here? 
 
 Bde. 'Tis the domestic pig-styP. 
 
 Piii. Then bearest thou a sacrilegious hand ? 
 Bde. Not so, but that from Vesta auspicating''. 
 
 One I may immolate. 
 Phi. But haste to bring on 930 
 
 The cause ; for I look to the punishment. 
 Bde. Come now, I'll bring the tablets and the stylus. 
 Phi. Ah me ! with these delays thou wilt destroy me — 
 
 But I had need of space to mark my furrows ^ 
 Bde. Behold! 
 
 Phi. Now summon. 
 
 Bde. I'm about it. 
 
 Phi. Who 
 
 Appears the first ? 
 Bde. a plague on't ! how I grieve 
 
 That I've forgotten the judicial urn ! 
 Phi. Ho, whither runnest thou ? 
 Bde. After the urns. 
 
 Phi. By no means ; for I had these jills.' ' 
 Bde. Most right. 
 
 For all things that we need are present to us, 910 
 
 Except at least the clepsydra. 
 
 '' xoipoKO[j.ilov 'EoTj'ac. This, according to the Scholiast, was a cer- 
 tain cane vessel out of which pigs were fed; and the name of I'esta is given to it, as 
 it was tlie custom to fatten this portion of the live stock, near the vestibule of the 
 house. This bore some resemblance to the judicial barrier, and naturally presented 
 Itself to tiie mind of Philocleon as an emblem of his favorite pursuit. 
 
 1 Alluding to the proverb rt^' 'EffTiag apxov since in sacrifices they began with 
 this goddess. The Scholiast quotes Plato in his dialogue of Euthyphron. 
 
 ■" The word aXoKl^dv is here, by an obvious metaphor, applied to indenting the 
 waxen tablet with a stylus. Fl. Christianus, in a very learned annotation upon 
 this line, says that the phrase equally denotes the furrowing a field and finishing a 
 verse, whence the expression (iovGrpotjuit'ov ypa<j)iti>, to write after the manner of 
 an ox ploughing land.
 
 202 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. ii. 
 
 Phi. But what 
 
 Is this, if not the clepsydra ? Full well, 
 And in your country's fashion, you devise this. 
 But fire immediately let some one bring, 
 Incense and myrtle-branches from within. 
 That to the gods we first may sacrifice. 
 
 Cho. We too will speak words of auspicious omen, 
 To second your libations and your pi-ayers ; 
 Since generously from the war and strife 
 Together are we join'd in amity. 930 
 
 Bde. Begin the rites with favouring acclamations. 
 
 Cho. Phoebus, Apollo, Pythian king, the deed 
 
 Wliich this man machinates before our doors, 
 For all our sakes to prosperous issue lead, 
 Now pausing from our labours. lo Paean ! 
 
 Bde. O lord and king Aguieus, who art plac'd* 
 Near to my vestibule, receive this rite, 
 Which to my father we devise anew. 
 His harsh and rigid manners cause to cease, 
 Mingling a little honey with his wrath, 960 
 
 To give the lees a sweetness' ; that henceforth 
 
 » In the vestibule of their houses the Greeks were accustomed to place columns 
 in the form of obelises in honour of Apollo aXi^iKaKog or averruncus. This line 
 is defective, and supplied by Brunck, who elegantly conjectures that it ended with 
 IlpoTrvXais — the verse then will be : 
 
 fc» StirTTor' dvaK, ydrov 'Ayvitv, rov^ov irpoQipov UpoTriXaw 
 comparing Plautus, Bacchides, ii. 1. 3. 
 
 Saluto te vicine Apollo, qui sedibus 
 Propinquus nostris accolis veneroque te. 
 From this position near the door of the house this god was called Apollo Prostate- 
 rius (see Taubmann's note on the Bacchides.) 
 
 ' The ffipaiov nkXirog jxiKpov here mentioned by our poet, is defined by Galen, 
 in his commentary on Hippocrates, quoted by Fl. Christianus, yXvKii liiptj^a, or 
 TO i\f/7]fisvov yXtvKOC, as it is defined by the Scholiast. Photius also, in his Lexicon, 
 defines it in nearly the same words, rov tipTjfitvov olvov ical yXvKu. The Latins 
 define it by the word supa (from 6 tr be, juice), wine boiled away to one third part 
 of its substance. Compare Shakspeare, Macbeth (Act ii. Sc. 3.) — 
 The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees 
 Are left this vault to brag of. 
 Pliny (N. H. xiv. ix.) says : "Nam siraium (ffipaiov) quod alii bepsema, nostri, 
 sapam appellant, ingenii, non natura; opus est." When the must, or new wine, 
 was boiled down to the one half of its substance, it was called defrutum, and not 
 sapa. \
 
 950—990.] THE WASPS. 203 
 
 He may towards men be of a milder nature. 
 And pity culprits more than their accusers, 
 Weeping with those who supplicate his favour, 
 And ceasing from that peevish disposition. 
 Till all the nettle's taken from his rage. 
 Cho. We hail with hymns and songs your recent office. 
 In acclamation of your late remarks ; 
 For we have borne a friendly mind, e'er since 
 We knew thee for a lover of the people, 970 
 
 Such as no younger man. 
 
 SCENE H. 
 
 The court. — Xanthias, the accuser, a Dog as culprit. 
 
 Bde. If any judge 
 
 Of this helaean court be at the door, 
 
 Let him come in, since we shall not admit him 
 
 When they begin to plead. 
 Phi. Who is this culprit? 
 
 How will he be condemn'd ! 
 Xan. Hear now th' indictment — 
 
 A dog of the Cydathenaean tribe 
 
 Brings his complaint against th' ^'Exonian Labes 
 
 Of great injustice; for that he alone 
 
 Hath been devouring the Sicilian cheese ; 
 
 His punishment shall be a fig-tree clog. 980 
 
 Phi. Rather a dog's death, should he once be taken. 
 Bde. Well, the defendant Labes is in court. / 
 
 Phi. O wretch impure ! how like a thief he looks ! 
 
 Grinding his teeth he thinks he shall deceive me. 
 
 But where is the Cydathena^^an dog, 
 
 Who prosecutes ? 
 Dog. Bow, wow ! 
 
 Bde. This other Labes 
 
 Is here — skill'd both to bark and lick the dishes. 
 Sos. [as a herald.'] Silence, sit down — ascend thou, and ac- 
 cuse him. 
 Phi. Come now, I'll pour this out and empty it. 
 Xan. O judges, this our written accusation 990
 
 20 1 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. ii. 
 
 Ye have already heard— for he hath treated 
 
 Me and the sailors most unworthily ; 
 
 Running into a corner he hath eaten, 
 
 In the Sicilian fashion, a huge cheese, 
 
 And in his dark retreat hath fill'd himself. 
 Phi. By Jupiter, 'tis true — this nasty fellow 
 
 Hath just now belch'd against me his cheese odour. 
 Xan. Nor, when I asked him, would impart to me ; 
 
 And who will have the power to do you good. 
 
 Unless to this dog he cast something too? 1000 
 
 Phi. Has he imparted nothing? 
 Xan. Nought to me. 
 
 His coadjutor. 
 Phi. This man's no less warm 
 
 Than is the lentil. [Eating so7ne.'] 
 Bde. By the gods, my father. 
 
 Do not condemn beforehand ; at the least 
 
 Ere you've heard both. 
 Piir. But, friend, the thing is clear — 
 
 Speaks for itself. 
 Xan. Do not dismiss him then; 
 
 Since of all dogs he eats by far the most. 
 
 In single gluttony — and having sail'd 
 
 The mortar round, devours the cities' crust. 
 Phi. And not enough is left me to fill up 1010 
 
 The pitcher's clinks. 
 Xan. Chastise him therefore ; since 
 
 One thicket could two robbers ne'er conceal. 
 
 I would not altogether bark in vain, 
 
 If so, hereafter I'll not bark at all. 
 Phi. Hi, hi, what crimes has he accus'd him of? 
 
 This man is a furacious article. 
 
 Is not this your opinion too, O cock ? 
 
 By Jove, he nods assent.— Where's the chief justice? 
 
 Let him give me a chamber utensil. 
 Sos. Take it yourself— for I am summoning 1020 
 
 The witnesses for Labes to appear. 
 
 Dish, pestle, cheese-knife, chafing-dish, and pot, 
 
 With other culinary utensils.
 
 1000-1040.] THE WASPS. 205 
 
 But art thou oozing still, nor yet set down? 
 Phi. I think that he'll evacuate to-day. 
 Bde. Will you not cease to be so harsh and rigid, 
 
 Thus gnawing even the culprits with your teeth? 
 
 Mount — plead excuse — why art thou silent? speak. 
 Phi. But he appears not to have aught to say. 
 Bde. Not so; but to my mind he fares the same 1030 
 
 As erst th' arraign'd Thucydides endur'd". 
 
 In mute astonishment he clos'd his jaws. 
 
 Out of the way — for I will plead his cause. 
 
 'Tis hard, O judges, to defend a dog 
 
 From slanderous accusation — yet I'll speak ; 
 
 For he is faithful, and pursues the wolves. 
 Phi. Yet he's a robber and conspirator. 
 Bde. By Jove, but he's the best of present dogs, 
 
 And equal to the charge of many sheep. 
 Phi. But to what end, if he devours the cheese? 1010 
 
 Bde. Because he fights for thee, and guards the door, 
 
 And is in other ways most excellent. 
 
 But pardon him if he hath stolen aught ; 
 
 For he is not well skill'd to play the harp — 
 
 I wish he had no skill in letters too", 
 
 That he might not accuse us of his crimes ! 
 
 Give ear, O good judge, to my witnesses — 
 
 Ascend thou, O cheese-scraper, and speak aloud ; 
 
 For thou wert then the quaestor— answer clearly : 
 
 " lie was the son of Milesias the Athenian,^ relative of Conon, the adversary of 
 Pericles, by whom he was compelled to undergo the sentence of ostracism, being 
 accused of treachery, and not able to answer the charge brought against him ; to 
 this sudden silence our poet pleasantly alludes in the next line — 
 
 OTTOTrX/j/crof i'iaKpxnjQ Lyivtro rag yvd9ovg. 
 He is mentioned by Thucydides, in the first book of his history, as a leader of 
 forty ships, and sent to assist Pericles with Agnon and Phormio. There were, as 
 i'l. Christianus observes, from the Scholiast, four Athenians named Thucydides ; 
 the first was the son of Milesias, here spoken of; the second, called the Gettian by 
 the Scholiast (erroneously for Gargettian) ; the third a Thessalian ; the fourth the 
 son of Olorus, and tlie celebrated historian of the Peloponnesian war. 
 
 " This and the following lines are in the common editions given to Philocleon ; 
 but, as Fl. Christianus remarks, they are much more suitable to the character of 
 Bdelycleon ; I have therefore given them to him, as the Venetian Codex also does.
 
 206 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. ii. 
 
 Hast thou not from the soldiers scrap'd thy gains — 
 
 Yes, I say scrap'd ? 
 Phi. By Jupiter, he hes. 1051 
 
 Bde. O friend, have pity on our sad condition ; 
 
 For this same Labes eats the heads and spines, 
 
 Nor in one situation e'er remains. 
 
 The other is but fit to guard the house ; 
 
 For there remaining he demands a share 
 
 Of whatsoever any one brings in ; 
 
 If not, he backbites. 
 Phi. Ah, what evil's this. 
 
 By which I'm soften'd? — some ill influence 
 
 Comes round me, and I am persuaded ! 
 Bde. Come, 1060 
 
 I supplicate thee — pity him, O father. 
 
 Where are the children? Mount, O miserables, 
 
 Yelp, ask, entreat, and cry. 
 Phi. Descend, descend. 
 
 Bde. I will descend — and yet this word descend 
 
 Hath cheated many — yet will I retire. 
 Phi. Go to the dogs. — How good 'twere not to sup ! 
 
 For, as I think, my tears would have discover'd 
 
 That I was fill'd with nothing else than lentils. 
 Bde. Escapes he not then ? 
 
 Phi. That is hard to know. 
 
 Bde. Turn, O dear father, to a better mind. 1070 
 
 Here, take this lot, then cast it, with clos'd eyes, 
 
 Into the other virn, and thus absolve him. 
 Phi. Not so — for on the harp I am unskill'd. 
 Bde. Come now, I'll bring you hither in all haste. 
 Phi. Is this the first ? 
 Bde. It is. 
 
 Phi. My pebble's in. 
 
 Bde. He's cheated to acquit against his will. 
 Phi. Come, let us empty them — how have we striven? 
 Bde. Th' event will show — Labes, thou art absolv'd. 
 
 Sire, six*e, what ail'st thou ? 
 Phi. Ah me, where is water? 
 
 Bde. Erect, erect thyself
 
 1050—1100.] THE WASPS. 207 
 
 Phi. First tell me this— 1080 
 
 Is he indeed absolv'd ? 
 
 Bde. He is, by Jove. 
 
 Piii. I can no more, [faiuthig.l^ 
 
 Bde. Friend, trouble not yourself. 
 
 But stand upright. 
 
 Phi. How shall I to myself then 
 
 Be conscious of a criminal acquitted ? 
 What must I suffer ? — but, O deities, 
 Thrice honour'd, pardon me the deed, which I, 
 Unwilling, not of purpose, have committed. 
 
 Bde. Bear it not ill, for liberally, O father, 
 
 I'll rear thee, leading everywhere with me 
 
 To feasts, to dinner, to the spectacle ; 1090 
 
 So that with pleasure thy remaining life 
 
 Thou wilt consvime — nor shall Hyperbolus 
 
 Deride thee and deceive. — But let us enter. 
 
 Phi. Even so now, if you please. 
 
 Cho. Go on rejoicing 
 
 Where'er you will ; and ye, unnumber'd myriads, 
 
 Take heed to words that shall be wisely spoken, 
 
 Lest they unprofitably fall to earth. 
 
 For this from inconsiderate spectators, 
 
 And not from you, 'twould be our lot to suffer. 
 
 Now therefore hither bend your mind, O people, 1100 
 
 If the pure truth ye love — for now the poet 
 
 Wishes to cast some blame on the spectators ; 
 
 For he complains of injuries receiv'd 
 
 Of you, whom first he treated liberally, 
 
 Assisting other bards, not openly. 
 
 But with his secret aid, in imitation 
 
 Of the prophetic skill of Eurycles^ ; 
 
 y The former of these lines, vvhicli are of a highly comic character, alludes to 
 our poet bringing upon the stage his three first comedies under tlie boriowed name 
 of some contemporary poet, as of Philonides and Callistratus, not being then of the 
 age required by law to contend for the dramatic prize. According to tlie Scholiast, 
 Eurycles was an Atlienian prophet, called iyyaffrpifivOo^, or ventriloquist, because 
 he was reported to utter his predictions by the aid of an indwelling divinity. Hence 
 soothsayers were denominated fyyaaTp'iTai and 'Ej'pt'KXfic^ai, The comparison 
 here made by our poet of himself to this seer is very amusing, and conceived
 
 208 THE WASPS. [Act ii. Sc. ii. 
 
 Descending into foreign stomachs, there 
 
 Full many comedies he poured forth. 
 
 But after this he tried his native strength, 1110 
 
 Ruling his own, not other muses' tongues. 
 
 Then rais'd to an unequall'd height of honour, 
 
 He has not yet, he says, attain'd the summit ; 
 
 Nor swells his mind, elated in its pride, 
 
 Nor tries he the palaestra in his revels ; 
 
 Nor, should a lover, angry that his flame 
 
 Is jeer'd in comedy, hasten to him. 
 
 Consents he with good-natur'd mind to yield. 
 
 Lest he a pander to his muses prove. 
 
 He says, besides, when he began to teach, 1120 
 
 That he attack'd not men, but with the force 
 
 Of Hercules with monsters huge engag'd, 
 
 Straight from the first and boldly undertaking 
 
 To stand against this wretch with saw-like teeth, 
 
 Forth from whose eyes shone Cynna's direst rays. 
 
 While hundred heads, in hideous circle join'd, 
 
 Of most abandon'd flatterers lick'd his round. 
 
 He had a torrent's voice, engendering death. 
 
 Odour of seal, with Lamia's unwash'd limbs ^, 
 
 And camel's fundament. Seeing this monster, 1130 
 
 He said that fear induc'd him not with gifts 
 
 Its fury to appease, but still even now 
 
 in a spirit of refined irony. The French translator, in a note, well describes 
 the power of vaticination possessed or pretended to by Eurycles — " Cet Eurycles 
 6tait un devin d'Alhenes, qui portait, disait ondans son ventre, le genie qui 
 I'inspirait." The first of his plays which Aristophanes openly acknowledged was 
 the Knights, and in which he was himself constrained to perform the part ofCleon. 
 * 'I'his monster, Lamia, otherwise called Mop/tw or MopfioXvKEioi', is applied as 
 an epithet or cognomen to Cleon, (^the Knights, v. 609.) It was a bugbear similar 
 to that whose illusions under the name of Empusa, and in the various forms of a 
 cow, a mule, or a woman, are so humorously related in the Frogs, (v. 285.) 
 Bergler quotes a fragment of Lucilius, descriptive of this terrible bugbear. 
 
 Terriculas Lamias, Fauni quos Pompiliusque 
 Instituere. 
 S^e also Horace, (ad Pis. 340.) 
 
 Neu pransaa Lamije vivum puerum extrahat alveo. 
 It appears from the Scholiast that Piierecrates wrote a comedy on the subject of 
 the Lamia which is alluded to in v. 1177, (Bergler,) 
 
 I
 
 ] 110— 1160.] THE WASPS. 209 
 
 He fights for you, and says that the past year, 
 Quotidian fevers lie attack'd with it, 
 Stranghng by night the sires and grandsires both ; 
 And who, rechn'd at ease upon their beds, 
 Against the least litigious of your number; 
 Together glued defendants' oaths, citations, 
 And testimonies.— So that many leap'd, 
 Impell'd by terror, to the polemarch " 1140 
 
 Such warder off of evils having found, 
 And purger of this land, in the past year 
 Ye have betray'd him'', scattering newest counsels. 
 Which, by not knowing clearly, ye have made 
 Incapable to grow, — and in libations. 
 Full oft has utter'd such sweet comic strains, 
 He swears by Bacchus that he ne'er heard better. 
 Which it is base you had not straightway known, 
 But in no worse esteem among the wise 
 Our bard is held, because he wreck'd his hopes 1150 
 When he had driven his rivals from the field. 
 But, O my friends, admire and cherish more. 
 Such bards as seek to utter something new. 
 And fresh discoveries make — preserve their thoughts, 
 Laying them by with apples in your chests ; 
 This, if you do throughout the year, your garments 
 Shall of dexterity be redolent. 
 S.-C. O we, who once were ardent in the dance % 
 
 And brave in fight, of all men most courageous; 
 
 But this is of old date — 'tis past— and now, 1160 
 
 * This was one of the nine archons particularly authorized to take cognizance of 
 strangers and foreigners who sojourned at Athens. To this powerful magistrate 
 those who stood in need of assistance naturally had recourse for patronage and 
 support in legal or other difficulties. 
 
 ^ Aristophanes here complains of the Athenian judges, who in the preceding 
 year had condemned his first comedy of the Clouds, and driven him contumeliously 
 from the stage, in favour of Cratinus and Amipsias. 
 
 •^ Invernizius rightly, as I think, agrees with JJrunck in attributing this 
 speech to the semichorus, although against the old editions, and the opinion of 
 Florens Christianus, who considers the first line of this animated trociiaic apos- 
 trophe to the brave season of their youth, to he taken from the old proverbial 
 senarius applied to the luudatores teiiipoi-is acti, and quoted in the Flutus, (vv. 1002 
 — 1075.), TToXai ttot' i^aav aXKifioi MiXfiaioi, 
 
 VOL. ir, p
 
 210 THE WASPS. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 These hairs of ours are whiter than the swan : 
 Yet, even from the remains, may be conjectm''(l 
 Our youthful vigour — hence I deem my age 
 Superior to the locks of many youths. 
 Both in appearance, and broad fundament. 
 
 Cho. Should any one among you^ O spectators. 
 Survey my form, and wonder to behold me 
 Squeez'd in the middle to a wasp's dimensions, 
 Or what should be the meaning of this sting, 
 I clearly will instruct him, tho' before 1170 
 
 He were a stranger to the Muses' art. 
 We of the stinging tail are justly call'd, 
 Sole, native born, indigenous Athenians, 
 The bravest race, and chiefly wont to aid 
 This city in her battles, when arriv'd 
 The barbarous monarch, and with smoke and fire 
 Laid waste the whole — threatening to take from us, 
 By violence the hornets — for with spear 
 And shield, straight rushing on, we fought with them, 
 Boiling with anger, standing man to man, 1180 
 
 Eating his very lip from indignation. 
 Under their darts we could not see the sky. 
 Yet, by the gods' assistance, we repell'd them 
 At eventide ; for ere the fray began, 
 An owl flew past our army — then we follow'd. 
 Pursuing them like tunnies into nets ; 
 Stung in the cheeks and brows, away they fled. 
 So that, even now, with the barbarians, nought 
 Has a more brave name than the Attic wasp. 
 
 S.-C. Then truly I was bold, nor dreaded aught; 1190 
 
 And routed, sailing thither in my galleys. 
 The adversaries' force. — Since then, we car'd not 
 To speak aright, or to calumniate any. 
 But our ambition was to be best rower. 
 Having then taken many a Median town, 
 Hither we caus'd the tribute to be brought, 
 Which now the younger depredators steal. 
 Cho. Regarding us full often, you will find us 
 Most like to wasps in manners and in life. 
 
 1 
 
 il
 
 1170— J 220.] THE WASPS. 211 
 
 For first, no irritated animal 1200 
 
 Is more irascible than we, or peevish. 
 
 Then, we resemble wasps in all our schemes ; 
 
 For gather'd, like the hornets, into swarms, 
 
 Some near the archon, others with tli' eleven, 
 
 These in th' Odeon carry on their suits '^, 
 
 And others, clustering round the walls, reclin'd 
 
 On earth, like worms, scarce move within their cells, 
 
 And we 're most ready to provide subsistence : 
 
 For we sting all men, and so gain a living : 
 
 But drones among us sit without a sting, 1210 
 
 Who at their leisure eat our tribute's produce, 
 
 Not sharing in the toil — but this afflicts us 
 
 With heaviest woe, if any one, not train'd 
 
 To battle, bear away our salary. 
 
 Not taking in defence of this our land 
 
 Oar, spear, or pustule— but to speak concisely, 
 
 I think, that whatsoever citizen 
 
 Has not a sting, should take no salary. . / 
 
 ACT III. SCENE I. 
 
 Philocleon, Bdelycleon. 
 
 Phi. Ne'er while I live will I put off this cloak. 
 
 For it has been my sole defence in war, 1220 
 
 When mighty Boreas was array'd for us^ 
 
 <i The Od^on was built by Pericles, in the form of a theatre, QearpouSvc, 
 (Schol.), where musicians and tragedians recited their compositions to the people. 
 It was hure also that the distributions of corn were made, and as this led to fre- 
 quent disputes and litigation, the presence of the archon and the eleven criminal 
 magistrates, called afterwards 6e(TH0(pi\aKec, was rciiuired to settle them. Aris- 
 tophanes (wlio never loses sight of his chief object) in this passage means to 
 insinuate that no part of Athens was free from judgments and tribunals. 
 
 * It appears more natural to refer this line, with the Scholiast, to the violence of 
 the north wind, which, blowing from mount Pelion, terribly harassed the Persian 
 fleet at the battle of Artemisiuni, so minutely described by HerDdotus (Polymnia, 
 clxxxviii. — cxci.), in which the historian a>serts that, according to the lowest cal- 
 culation, four hundred vessels were totally lost; than, with Conzius, to imagine 
 the Persian king to be denoted by the ap])clh)tion of i5oreas; to uhom the Athenians 
 afterwards erected a shrine on the banks of the Uyssus, having first sacrificed to 
 him and his wife Orithyia, daughter of Erectheus. 
 
 p2
 
 212 THE WASPS. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Bde. You seem desirous that no good befall. 
 Phi. By Jupiter, it no ways profits me. 
 
 For erst, when fill'd with fish bak'd on the coals, 
 
 I to the fuller gave three oboli. 
 Bde. But let th' experiment be tried, since thou 
 
 Hast once, for good, given up thyself to me. 
 Phi. What then demandest thou that I should do? 
 Bde. Dismiss your threadbare cloak, and throw instead, 
 
 This garment round you cloak-wise. 
 Phi. Must we then 1230 
 
 Beget and nourish sons, since this of mine 
 
 Would fain now suflfbcate me*^? 
 Bde. Hold — take this — 
 
 Cast it around you, and prate not. 
 Phi. What plague 
 
 Is this, by al the gods ? 
 Bde. Some call it Persian. 
 
 And others a frieze gabardine. 
 Phi. But I 
 
 Conceiv'd it to be a Thymaetian rug. 
 Bde. No wonder, for thou ne'er hast been to Sardis ; 
 
 Else hadst thou known ; but now thou know'st not. 
 Phi. I? 
 
 'Tis so by Jove, but it appears to me 
 
 Most like the hairy cloak of Morychus^. 1240 
 
 Bde. No — this is woven in Ecbatana ''. 
 
 f Philocleon says this because his son offers to give him too warm a garment. 
 The word ' Kcivvdict], by which it is here designated, is defined by one of the 
 Scholiasts, a kind of Persian garment, having the hair on one side. The word 
 is still preserved in the Persian Keiicigli, a silken thread. The Thymaetian 
 rug, mentioned in the next line (aiaipav Ovi.ioiTica\ was manufactured in 
 the Attic burgh Thymaetades, of the tribe Hippothomtis, named from the hero 
 Thymaetus. 
 
 s Morychus was a tragic poet of that time, fond of luxurious living, and wearing 
 thick hairy garments. He is mentioned again in the Acharnians, v. 852, the 
 Peace, v. 973, and his generous style of living is commended at v. 506. of this play. 
 
 *> Ecbatana and Susa were the two chief cities of Persia, the latter being the 
 residence of the king in winter, and the former in summer. This city was cele- 
 brated for the manufacture of elegant garments (see the Acharnians, v. 64.), for 
 which Sardis, built under mount Tmolus, appears to have been the place of sale.
 
 1230—1260.] THE WASPS. 213 
 
 Phi. Are there tripe woofs, then, in Ecbatana'? 
 
 Bde. But whence, O friend ? since they, by the barbarians, 
 
 Are woven at great cost ; — for this with ease 
 
 Hath swallow'd up a talent's weight of wool. 
 Phi. This, therefore, should be call'd a wool consumer, 
 
 More justly than a shaggy Persian garment. 
 Bde. Stand still, O friend, awhile, and robe yourself. 
 Phi. Ah, wretched me ! what heat this cursed robe 
 
 Pours out upon me ! 
 Bde. Will you not be cloth'd ? 1250 
 
 Phi. By Jupiter, not I — but, if there's need, 
 
 Surround me with a furnace. 
 Bde. Come then, I 
 
 Will cast it round thee— enter thou within. 
 Phi. At least, let down a flesh-hook. 
 Bde. Wherefore this? 
 
 Phi. To take me out ere I dissolve away. 
 Bde. Come now, put off your detestable shoes, 
 
 And quickly don these slippers of Laconia ''. 
 Phi. What ! shall I ever condescend to wear 
 
 The worn-out sandals from our enemies? 
 Bde. Place your feet in them, friend, and stoutly take 1260 
 
 Your way to the Laconian territory. 
 Phi. You wrong me, forcing this, my foot, to walk 
 
 Towards the hostile country. 
 Bde. Come, the other. 
 
 Phi. By no means that — since of the fingers, one 
 
 Is altogether a Laconian hater. 
 Bde. It can't be otherwise. 
 Pill. Unhappy I, 
 
 Who, in my old age, cannot take a chilblain! 
 Bde. Make haste and put it on — then, like the rich, 
 
 ' KpoKijg x°^'^' Pl>ilocleon here compares the woolly prominences on these gar- 
 ments to the crisp intestines of an ox, and named either from receiving the liver 
 (xo\i)i>), or from its holiowness (aTro rov KoiXoniToc). 
 
 ^ The more elegant kind of men's shoes came from Laconia, as those of the 
 women from Sicyon. Philocleon objects to the former that they are worn by the 
 enemies of his country, and therefore prefers his square and old-fashioned Karrv- 
 fxara. This is a very characteristic trait of one who is reckoned to be in all things 
 one of the cinctiiti Cethegi.
 
 214 THE WASPS. [Act hi. Sc. i.' 
 
 Step with this cleHcate and mincing air. 
 Phi. Come, view my mien, and then consider which, 1270 
 
 Of all the wealthy, I'm most like in gait. 
 Bde. Which ? to a boil wrapp'd in a garlick poultice. 
 Phi. Truly, I have a wish to wag the tail. 
 Bde. Come now, — wilt understand to speak grave words 
 
 Before the learn 'd and dexterous of mankind ? 
 Phi. I will. 
 
 Bde. What words, then, canst thou speak? 
 
 Phi. Full many. 
 
 First, how the Lamia utter'd doleful sounds 
 
 When caught; then, how Cardopion beat his mother'. 
 Bde. Count not to me your fables — but such talk 
 
 Of men, as we are wont to have at home. 1280 
 
 Phi. I truly know this of domestic tales, 
 
 How, that of old, there was a mouse and weasel. 
 Bde. " O foolish and unlearn'd" — thus, in reproach, 
 
 Theogenes said to the scavenger: 
 
 Among men, pratest thou of mice and weasels? 
 Phi. What themes, then, must we choose? 
 Bde. Weighty and grave. 
 
 Such as — * how hast thou the religious functions 
 
 With Androcles and Clisthenes fulfilled ? ' 
 Phi. But I have seen no games, except at Paros, 
 
 And, for that sight, I paid two oboli. 1290 
 
 Bde. But you must tell us how Ephudion fought™ 
 
 ' This, according to the Scholiast, is the beginning of a story well known at the 
 time — the verb ETVil/£v is wanted to complete the sentence. Philocleon being 
 interrupted in his speech in the same manner as Mnesilochus is by the woman in 
 the Thcsmophoriaziisic, (v. 563.) The story of the mouse and weasel, as well as 
 the reproof cast upon the scavenger by Theogenes (or more probably Theagenes, see 
 the Birds, v. 822 — 1175.), are old wives' tales of the same stamp. Androcles and 
 Clisthenes, mentioned a few lines below, were two vile and despicable contempo- 
 raries of our poet, whom he names, Trapa TTpoffSoKiav, as discharging the high 
 office of Bsdjpoi, or inspectors of sacred rites, oracular consultations, games, etc., 
 for which they received a stipend from the public chest. This no doubt is intended 
 as a sly rebuke to the Athenians, who were in the habit of entrusting their embassies 
 to such mean persons. 
 
 '" Ephudion the Ma.^nalian and Ascondas appear to have been athletes; the 
 former of whom is reported to have been victorious at the Olympic games. The 
 same story is alluded to again by Philocleon, at v. 1523, with the characteristic
 
 J270— 1310.] THE WASPS. 215 
 
 In the pancratium nobly with Ascondas, 
 
 Already old and grey, but deep in chest; 
 
 With hands and flanks, and cuirass excellent. 
 Piii. Cease, cease, thou talk'st of nothing — how could one, 
 
 Arm'd with a breastplate, fight in the pancratium ? 
 Bde. Thus are the wise accustoni'd to confer. 
 
 But tell me one thing more — with stranger guests 
 
 When drinking, what achievement, in your youth 
 
 Perform'd, of manliest nature, would'st thou tell? 1300 
 Phi. That, that of all my actions was the bravest, 
 
 When silently I stole Ergasion's props". 
 Bde. Thou killest me. — What props ? rather relate 
 
 How, formerly, thou hast pursued a boar, 
 
 Or hare, or run with unextinguish'd torch", 
 
 Or any other sport of vigorous youth. 
 Phi. I truly know a feat most juvenile : 
 
 When, being yet a sturdy boy, I won. 
 
 Against Phavillus, by two suffrages p, 
 
 Damages in a cause of defiimation. 1310 
 
 Bde. Cease, and, reclining here, learn thou besides 
 
 To be a talkative convivial fellow. 
 Phi. And how shall I recline ? come, tell me quickly. 
 Bde. In the most seemly fashion. 
 
 garrulity of age, like Shakspeare's Justice Shallow, so full of his juvenile reminis- 
 cences, as of Sir J. P'alstafF breaking Scogan's head at the court gate, etc. ('2nd 
 part of Henry IV., Act III. Sc. 2.) 
 
 " All that we know of this Ergasion is, that he was a rustic, and as we may 
 gather from this line, the proprietor of a vineyard ; ai ^o^paKsg are the props to 
 which he trained his vines, see v. 1291. This word in the masculine denotes the 
 stakes used in fortification. 
 
 " • j/ XuinraSa 
 
 topafitij. 
 
 See tlie Frogs, v. 111:3. and note, and compare Lucretius, ii. 78. 
 
 P Fie was a ('rotonian, and an excellent runner at the Olympic games, whose 
 swiftness of foot was celebrated before in tlie Achaniians, (v. 215.) He is also said 
 to have gained three victories at the Pythian games. Florens Christianus and 
 Brunck remark the characteristic manner in which Philocleon applies to his 
 victory in the forum terms peculiar to the race, in the line 
 
 fIXov ^iwKwv XoiSopiag \l')](j)o1i> Svoiv. 
 
 He is here called /Sow n-aie, which exactly answers to Slender's expression in the 
 Merry Wives of Windsor, (Act V. Sc. 5.) a great lubberly bey.
 
 216 THE WASPS. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Phi. Is it thus 
 
 You charge me to redine ? 
 Bde. By no means. 
 
 Phi. How then ? 
 
 Bde. Extend your knees, and in gymnastic fashion 
 
 Anoint you on the couch with oil and water. 
 
 And after, praise one of the brazen vessels. 
 
 Survey your roof, admire the tapestry 
 
 Extended thro' the hall'', demand to pour 1320 
 
 Water upon our hands, bring in the tables. 
 
 We sup — are wash'd — and then make our libations. 
 Phi. Now, by the gods, live we on visions here ? 
 Bde. The female minstrel hath begun to blow. 
 
 The guests are /Eschines, Theorus, Phanus "", 
 
 Cleon, another at Acestor's head. 
 
 And, since thou art in company with these, 
 
 See that thou well take up the festal strain. 
 Phi. Truly? like no one of the mountain tribe ^ 
 
 •3 KpiKaoi avXiJQ 9avfia(Tov. The meaning of this passage is much contro- 
 verted ; the word KptKccSia, which some commentators interpret of musical instru- 
 ments played in concert, occurring in no otlier ancient author. Bisetus reads 
 Kai LKpici aiiXijg ; but this is mere conjecture. The explanation of Brunck appears 
 to me the most natural and unforced ; who considers KpsKaSia as synonymous with 
 7rapaTvera(T[xa or lariovpy liiiara. It can scarcely mean the melody, as this was 
 not applied to as an adjunct to the feast, but at its termination — as Bdelycleonsays 
 a few lines below, avXiirplg ivi(pvcn](Ttv. The texture and beautiful figures 
 wrought on the ancient tapestry were, as they deserved to be, objects of especial 
 admiration, (see Theocritus, Adoniaz. v. 78, and sqq.) where the woven hangings 
 of Alexandria are called 0£wv irepoi'afiara ; and compare Sappho, (Frag, xxiv.) 
 
 yXvKsia Marep, ovtoi dvvanai KpsKeiv rov larov. 
 
 •■ The first named of these guests was the son of Sellus, mentioned again in v. 
 1283. Phanus was probably some low person of that time whom poverty con- 
 strained to sup in a sparing manner. Bergler imagines that TLXkiov and ^tvoq tic 
 'irtpoc denote one and the same person, but it appears better to adopt the elegant 
 conjecture of Brunck, or rather Bentley ('AKtoropot,). which Invernizius has re- 
 ceived into the text, instead of the conmion ' AKtaripoQ ; the words will denote 
 another guest reclining at the head of Acestor, although the Scholiast says that 
 Acestorui was a foreisner lampooned under the name of Sacus, Instead of ^svog 
 Tig iTtpoQ, G. Burges proposes to read 'AvaKayopac, in derision of whom that 
 learned critic supposes Aristophanes to say, altering, in a slight degree, the words 
 of Alcaeus, 6 t'ovg ijv tiq o naniojjiivog. 
 
 ' aXi]Qtg, u>Q ovctig AiaKpuov ?it,iTat ; as Florens Christianus reads the line,
 
 Ici20— 1350.] THE WASPS. 217 
 
 Bde. First I will sing, for I, in truth, am Cleon, 1330 
 
 Harmodius' melody ' — and follow thou. 
 There never yet was an Athenian man — 
 Phi. a robber of such vast audacity. 
 Bde. Will you do this? — Your bawling will undo you. 
 For he declares that he'll destroy you quite, 
 And drive you from this land. 
 Phi. And I, forsooth, 
 
 Howe'er he threat, by Jove, will sing another. 
 O man, infuriate thus with pride, 
 
 And mighty violence of thine, 
 The city thou wilt turn aside, 1340 
 
 Which now is nodding to decline. 
 Bde. But when Theorus, 
 
 Reclining at your feet, and taking Cleon 
 By the right hand, should sing, " O friend, who art 
 Instructed in Admetus' history ", 
 
 Cherish the virtuous" — by what scolion would'st thou 
 Reply to him ? 
 Phi. In lyric strain would I. 
 
 "We cannot use the fox's guile, 
 Nor wear to both a friendly smile." 
 Bde. Next yEschines, 
 
 The son of Sellus, poet and nuisician ", 1350 
 
 ia order to preserve the integrity of the iambic senarius, instead of the common 
 ovStig ye AiuKpUov ded(S,irui. According to the laws of Solon, the Athenian 
 territory was divided into three regions, the Paraloi, or maritime, the Pedia'i, or 
 inhahitants of the plain, and the Diacrii, or those of the hill country. Pandion is 
 said to have distributed the last among his sons, and to have given the principality 
 to Lycus, the region about the city, together with the citadel, to /Egeus, the mari- 
 time district to Pallas, and the Megaric to Nisus. 
 
 ' This is the celebrated scolion of Callistratus, usually sung at festal entertain- 
 ments by the Greeks, in order to keep alive the patriotic feelings of the guests — 
 beginning tv jivprov kXcicI to ^ifog (jyopi'icro), and often alluded to by our poet. 
 (See particularly ''le -'](7i(n')u«Hs (v. 942, 1058.), and the note on the former pas- 
 sage). Each of the five guests is supposed to sing a song in his turn, which Philo- 
 cleon, who begins with a strain of Alcicus, perverts to a ridiculous sense, and chiefly 
 against his former friend and oracle Cleon, 
 
 " This scolion is variously attributed to Alcaeus, and Sappho ; but the Scholiast 
 gives it to Praxilla, a poetess of that time who wrote convivial songs, o(T/(arn ttci- 
 poivta. 
 
 " cii ijp ao<pbq Kai ^lovaiKOQ. (See Heyne on Find. 01. i. 15.)
 
 218 THE WASPS. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Shall thus take up the song. 
 
 " May affluence with power agree ^ 
 
 To crown Clitagoras and me 
 With all Thessalia's force to aid." 
 Phi. Much dissipation thou and I have made. 
 Bde. In this thou hast been very well instructed ; 
 
 But we must go to sup at Philoctemon's. 
 
 Boy, Chryses, boy, prepare the supper for us. 
 
 That we sometime may revel. 
 Phi. By no means ; 
 
 To drink is evil — for from wine arises 1360 
 
 Breaking of doors, blows, stoning, and the money 
 
 That must be paid down when the headache's past. 
 Bde. Not if you meet with good and honest men. 
 
 For either they console the sufferer, 
 
 Or tlsou relat'st some humorous tale to rouse 
 
 The hearer's laughter, an T^^^sopic fable, 
 
 Or Sybaritic jest ^, out of the stock 
 
 Of those which thou hast learn'd in the Symposium. 
 
 And when to laughter thou hast turn'd the subject. 
 
 Having dismiss'd thee, he departs the assembly. 1370 
 Phi. Then must I learn a multitude of fables, 
 
 At least if I may sin and suffer nothing. 
 
 Come, let us go now, nor let aught detain us. 
 
 Chorus. 
 
 Oft have I thought myself a clever fellow, 
 Nor ever foolish — but Amunias, 
 The son of Sellus, of the Crobuh % 
 
 y This ode is the production of Clitagoras, a woman of Thessaly, whose inhabi- 
 tants assisted the Athenians in the war against the thirty tyrants. 
 
 ■'■ AfVwTTi/coi^ ysXoiov f] ^vfiapiTiKor. The Scholiast establishes a diflference 
 between these two kinds of apologues or jocular fables— that the former related to 
 man, the latter to quadrupeds. According to the same authority, founded on a 
 passage of Plato the comic writer, the great Samian fabulist ^sop was resusci- 
 tated after death. 
 
 Kal i'vv ojioGov /(ot fii) TtOvavai to awn' iyoj 
 
 ^I'X'? ^' ""^"^ viKijg ioaiTip Aktwttov ttote. 
 Bergler however does not believe in the reality of this distinction. 
 
 a yEschines and not Amunias was the son of Sellus ; but our poet is desirous of 
 satirizing the wretched poverty of both at the same time. By the Crobuli may be
 
 1360—1390.] THE WASPS. 219 
 
 Is more so — him I formei'ly have seen 
 At supper with Leogoras, instead 
 Of his accustom'd apple and pomegranate. 
 For he's a hungry wretch like Antipho. 1380 
 
 But as ambassador to Pharsalus 
 He is departed — and, when there alone, 
 Was conversant with the Thessalian paupers, 
 Being no less a beggar than themselves. 
 S.-C. O blest Automenes, happy art thou^ 
 
 1. In our regard! for sons thou hast begot 
 Most skill'd in works of manual industry. 
 The first, a friend to all, of greatest wisdom, 
 Whom grace attended, an accomplish'd harper. 
 
 The next, a player, hard to say how good ! 1390 
 
 And then Ariphrades, most seeming wise, 
 Of whom his father once declar'd on oath, 
 That he had learn'd of none but simple nature 
 To form the tongues, and enter every bagnio. 
 S.-C. There are some, who declar'd me reconcil'd, 
 
 2. When Cleon troubled me, and with reproaches, 
 Press'd sore upon me — then, when I was beaten, 
 
 meant either a proper name, or, as the Scholiast interprets the word, a man who 
 gathers his hair into a bow or knot at the top of the head, in women called coriitn- 
 biis, and in boys scorpius. So in v. 466. he is denominated (co/t)jr«jiiw)'ta(;. He 
 appears to have conducted an embassy to Pharsalus, a city of Thessaly, and was 
 accused by Eupolis of falsifying his legation. Leogoras, mentioned in the next line 
 but one, was a statesman of that time, and father of Andocides, fond of breeding 
 horses and pheasants. See the Scholiast on tlie Clouds, v. 110. Antipho was 
 a mere pauper. 
 
 '' This must be understood ironically, since Automenes could not be regarded 
 as an object of envy on account of his sons, two of whom, Arignotus the harper 
 and Ariplirades, are severely satirized in the Knights (v. 1275, sqq.), on account 
 of their bad dispositions and profligate manners. The third was a player, whose 
 name has not been handed down. Ariphrades is said, in v. 1420, to have learned 
 fiQui nature " to form the tongues and enter every bagnio," where by yXioTroTfoulv 
 is to be understood yXwrri^ac avXijTiKug Troitiv, to make the tongues of musical 
 instruments. The verses from 1275 to 1281, which, after Brunck, I have given to 
 the two scmichoruses, Invernizius exhibits as a continuation of the choral song 
 Ijeginning ttoWcikiq ^i) '^o^' tfiavrtj) StKioi; 7rt<pvKivai, The metre of these lines 
 is frequently used by the comic poets ; they are tetrameters consisting of three first 
 paeons and a cretic 
 
 and one line of the second seraichorus is most probably lost.
 
 220 THE WASPS. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 And shouted out aloud, with distant laugh 
 
 They, who beheld, derided niy misfortunes. 
 
 No whit regarding me, but only bent 1400 
 
 To know if e'er affliction would impel me 
 
 To cast forth any jibe — which I perceiving, 
 
 Began to act a grinning monkey's part ; 
 
 Whence now 'tis said, the stake deceives the vine". 
 
 ACT IV. SCENE I. 
 
 Xanthias, Chorus. 
 
 Xan. O tortoises, blest in your skin — thrice blest ! 
 More than the covering that protects my ribs ; 
 How well and wisely you have cover'd up 
 Your ridged back, as if to ward off blows ; 
 While 1 to death am wounded by a staff. 
 
 Cho. What is the matter, boy? for by this name 1410 
 
 Must we call him, tho' old, who suffers blows. 
 
 Xan. Was not the old man a most noxious plague, 
 And of the guests most temulent by far? 
 Although Hippullus, Antipho, and Lycon, 
 Were with Lysistratus, and Theophrastus, 
 And Phrynichus, assembled there, yet he 
 Was the most insolent of all by far. 
 For soon as he was fiU'd with much good cheer 
 He leap'd, he frisk'd, and into laughter burst, 
 Pleas'd as an ass with barley saturated, 1420 
 
 Then struck me playfully, shouting, Boy, boy ! 
 Soon as he saw him, this similitude 
 Lysistratus employ'd — " Old man, thou'rt like 
 One of the people's dregs newly enrich'd. 
 And pack-ass running to the chaff aside;" 
 
 >= This is a proverbial expression, to denote the failure of what we relied upon 
 for support. It is here covertly applied to Cleon, who, trusting too much to popu- 
 lar favour, was desirous to deprive Demosthenes and Nicias of their command after 
 the affair of Sphacteria, in order that he miglit himself be appointed to it ; instead 
 of which he was fined five talents, as Dicasopolis declares in the opening of the 
 Acharniaiis.
 
 1400—1450.] THE WASPS. 221 
 
 While he in turn Avith shouts resembled him 
 
 To a poor locust that had cast its skin, 
 
 And Sthenelus rohb'd of his furniture; 
 
 They straight applauded, all but Theophrastus, 
 
 Who bit his lips as one of nice discernment ; 1430 
 
 While the old man thus questional Theophrastus — 
 
 "Tell me, M^hy seemest thou so trim and neat, 
 
 Thou who art wont to play the comic fool, 
 
 And lick each wealthy man in adulation ?" 
 
 Thus he insulted them in turn, deriding 
 
 With rustic contumely, and uttering words 
 
 Most senseless, nought agreeing with the subject. 
 
 Then, after he returns, inebriate home, 
 
 If any light on him, he beats them all. — 
 
 And lo ! he enters with a tottering pace — 1440 
 
 But 111 move hence ere I'm reijal'd with blows. 
 
 -t7^ 
 
 SCENE II. 
 
 CHiEROPHON, Bdelycleon, Chorus, and Philocleon as a 
 drunken youth, with torches in his hands, followed by a 
 Female B^ker. 
 
 Phi. Retire, give place *^ — whoever follows me, 
 He shall deplore his folly. — So that if 
 You don't move off, ye wretches, with this torch 
 I'll roast you. 
 
 Bde. Truly thou shalt pay to-morrow 
 
 The penalty for this to all of us, 
 Spite of your stripling insolence — for we 
 Will come in crowds to sunuuon you to justice. 
 
 Phi. How, summon me ? your words are obsolete ; 
 
 Know you I cannot bear to hear of lawsuits? 1450 
 
 Foh, fob — be pleas'd to cast away the urns. 
 
 Will you not hence ? where is the judge? avaunt. 
 
 '' This furious entry of tlie intoxicated Philocleon upon the stage, followed by 
 several persons whom he has beaten, appears to be a comic parody of a passage in 
 the Troades (v. 308.), which is indicated also by the Scholiast. 
 
 avtxt, Trdps\t' 0(5^ <pkpo}, (Tf/3a», (pXeyiij, 
 Xa/nraffi toc' iepov ———
 
 222 THE WASPS. [Act iv. Sc. ir. 
 
 Ascend, thou golden chafer, hitherward, 
 
 Seize and hold fast this cable in your hand, 
 
 But use good caution, for the rope is rotten ; 
 
 Still it bears rubbing not indignantly. 
 
 Thou seest how dexterously I have withdrawn thee, 
 
 Prepar'd already to debauch the guests. 
 
 Wherefore return the favour to these limbs: 
 
 But thou wilt not, I know that ; nor attempt it — 1160 
 
 Who wilt deceive, and loudly laugh at me ; 
 
 For many others thou hast ti'eated thus — 
 
 But now, if thou art not a naughty girl, 
 
 I'll free thee, soon as e'er my son is dead. 
 
 And have thee, daughter, for my paramour. 
 
 But now I am not master of my goods ; 
 
 For I am young, and very closely watch'd : 
 
 My little son observes me, and besides 
 
 He is a peevish, cummin-scraping niggard*, 
 
 And fears on my account lest I should perish, 1470 
 
 Having no other father but myself. 
 
 Look, he appears to run towards you and me. 
 
 But quickly stand you still and take these torches, 
 
 That I may treat him in the childish fashion, 
 
 Which he did me before the mysteries. 
 
 Bde. Holla, thou old decrepid debauchee, 
 Thou seemest to desire a timely grave. 
 Nay, by Apollo, thou shalt not continue 
 To act unpunish'd thus. 
 
 Phi. How willingly 
 
 Would'st thou devour a suit of vinegar ! 1480 
 
 Bde. Is it not monstrous thus to mock, and steal 
 The singing damsel from the revellers ? 
 
 Phi. What singing damsel ? wherefore jest you thus. 
 
 ^ This line is expressed after the manner of Aristophanes by two words, kuXXuq 
 KvuLvoTTpiaroKapSafioyXvfov by which sesquipedalian epithet, as Fl. Christianas 
 observes, Philocleon denotes the irascible and niggardly disposition of his son. 
 See the Scholiast. — Theocritus (I'. 55.) KaraTrpidJi' to ki'hivov, who appears to 
 have taken his interpretation from Hesychius — Kadd dwdafiev tovq ayav (peiSu)- 
 Xoi'g Ki'iiivoTrpiaTaQ KaXtlv " avare, et colere diviseur de cumin, et graveur avec 
 du cresson." (French translator.)
 
 1460—1500.] THE WASPS. 223 
 
 As from the tomb escap'tH? 
 Bde. By Jupiter, 
 
 This must be the Dardanian maicl^. 
 Phi. Not so, 
 
 But in the forum to the gods a torch 
 
 Is burning. 
 Bde. This a torch ? 
 
 Phi. a torch in truth ; 
 
 See you not how 'tis colour'd ? 
 Bde. But what's that 
 
 So black i' th' midst of it ? 
 Phi. The pitch that oozes 
 
 Out of the burning substance. 
 Bde. Is not this 1490 
 
 The hinder part ? 
 Phi. It is the torch's branch 
 
 That hangs out so. 
 Bde. What sayest thou ? what branch ? 
 
 Wilt thou not thither go? 
 Phi. Ha, ha, what art thou 
 
 About to do ? 
 Bde. Take it away from thee 
 
 And bear it off, judging thee to be rotten, 
 
 And impotent in action. 
 Phi. Hear, now, me : 
 
 When a spectator at th' Olympic games, 
 
 I saw Euphudion beat Ascondas bravely, 
 
 Already old — then, having overthroun him. 
 
 The elder slew the younger with his fist ; 1500 
 
 Wherefore take heed lest thou receive black eyes. 
 Bde. By Jove, thou well hast learn'd th' Olympic art. 
 Art. Come, help me, I entreat you by the gods ; 
 
 For this is he who struck me with his torch, 
 
 iitTTTip air6 rvfifiov ttktmv. Tliat is, as if you had fallen from your wits — w^ 
 an-6 vov TTtatiiV expressed in the hmguagc of a young man addressed to an old 
 one. 
 
 s The female pipers among the Greeks were mostly from Dardania, and the 
 Phrygians were the first who were said to have hollowed out the box wood, and to 
 have made the ftovavXia, i. e., the single and unequal flutes, which were after- 
 wards exchanged for the double and equal ones, suitable to convivial festivities.
 
 224^ THE WASPS. [Act iv. Sc. hi. 
 
 And to my loss hath cast away my loaves, 
 
 Ten oboh, and four to make up weight. 
 Bde. Seest thou thy work ? trouble and litigation 
 
 We needs must have through your intemperance. 
 Phi. By no means ; since a few facetious words 
 
 Will soon arrange this matter — for I know 1510 
 
 By what means to be reconcil'd with her. 
 Art. Nay, by the goddesses, thou shalt not treat 
 
 Myrtia, the daughter of Ancylion 
 
 And Sostrata, thus with impunity. 
 
 Destroying all her wares. 
 Phi. O woman, hear ; 
 
 I wish to tell a pleasant tale to you. 
 Art. Nay, not to me, by Jove, thou foolish wretch. 
 Phi. As ^sop went one evening home from supper, 
 
 A certain bold and drunken cur bark'd at him, 
 
 And then he said, " O dog, dog, could'st thou buy 
 
 Some wheat instead of thine abusive tongue, 1521 
 
 Thou would'st appear to me to act more wisely." 
 Art. Derid'st thou me besides ? whoe'er thou art, 
 
 I summon thee before the market judges ^ 
 
 For damage done to my commodities. 
 
 Whereof I hold this Chaerephon to witness. 
 Phi. By Jupiter, but hear what I shall say : 
 
 Once Lasus and Simonides contended'. 
 
 When Lasus said, " 'Tis no concern of mine." 
 Art. Is't so in truth ? 
 Phi. To me, O Chaerephon, 1530 
 
 Thou seem'st to witness for a pallid woman ^ ; 
 
 Euripidean, Ino feet suspended'. 
 
 '' rrpbc roi'c dyopavofiovg' see the Acharnians, v. 688, and the note on that 
 passage. 
 
 ' Simonides, the celebrated lyric poet, had many rivals, and among others this 
 Lasus of Hermione, an excellent musician, who is said to have been the first to in- 
 stitute cyclic or dithyrambic choirs, and added considerably to the compass of the 
 ancient music. 
 
 * The pale hue of Chaerephon, the disciple of Socrates, as well as the futile na- 
 ture of his philosophical speculations, is noticed in several passages of the Clouds, 
 and in two lines of tlie Birds he is likened to a bat (1296 and 1564.) 
 
 ' Alluding, as the Scholiast informs us, to the tragedy of Euripides denominated 
 
 f
 
 1510—1550.] THE WASPS. 226 
 
 Bde. Here comes another man, as it appears 
 To summon thee, with his apparitor. 
 
 SCENE HI. 
 Enter an Accuser with a Bailiff. 
 
 Ace. Ill-fated me ! old man, I summon thee \_to Philocleon. 
 
 For wrongs committed. 
 Bde. Wrongs ? nay, by the gods. 
 
 Summon him not — for in his stead will I 
 
 Make thee amends, whate'er thou may'st ordain, 
 
 And own besides an obligation to thee. 
 Phi. To him I gladly will be reconcil'd, 1540 
 
 For I confess the pelting and the blows. 
 
 But first come hither — dost thou trust to me 
 
 What money I should render for this deed ; 
 
 That I in time to come may be thy friend ; 
 
 Or wilt thou state it to me ? 
 Ace. Say it thou, 
 
 For I need neither lawsuits nor affairs. 
 Piii. A Sybaritic man fell from his car"'. 
 
 And somehow' very badly broke his head. 
 
 Not chancing to be skill'd in horsemanship. 
 
 And then a friend who stood by said to him, 1550 
 
 "Let each man exercise his best known art;" 
 
 Thou in like manner run to Pittalus". 
 Bde. This, too, is like the rest of your behaviour. 
 
 'Ivw Kptfiajikvr], that is, standing in a pendulous posture on a rock, in the act of 
 precipitating herself into the sea, and pale with the prospect of her approaching 
 death, after having destroyed her sons Learchus and IMeliccrta. Of this tragedy 
 we have only twenty-two fragments remaining, chiefly of a moral and rather 
 querulous character. The Scholiast illustrates the word Qa^ivi] in the preceding 
 line by one from Theocritus (^apfiaK. 88.) — 
 
 icai fitv xpwc ft'*' o/ioToc iyivsTO iroWaKi 0oi|/<^. 
 
 ■" dvijp Su/3apir);c- Philocleon here begins to narrate a Sybaritic story, in 
 order to turn the affair into ridicule (see v. 1392. and the note on that passage.) 
 
 " TTpoc rd UiT-dXov. The ellipsis here may be supplied either with <pdpf.iaKa 
 or SdifiaTa. See the Acharnians (v. 996.), where Trpbg tovq IltrraXou means of 
 course to the disciples of that celebrated Athenian physician — npoQ toihj fiaOrjrdg. 
 
 VOL. II. Q
 
 226 THE WASPS. [Act iv. Sc. hi. 
 
 Ace. {aside to Bdelycleon.) Do thou at least relate what 
 
 he replied. 
 Phi. Listen — fl}' not — a Sybaritic woman 
 
 Once broke the ballot-box. 
 Ace. {aside as before.) Of this I cite you 
 
 To be a witness. 
 Phi. Then the ballot-box 
 
 Appear'd against him with a certain witness, 
 
 When thus the Sybarite. — By Proserpine, 
 
 If having let this testimony pass, 1560 
 
 Thou hadst with expedition bought a bandage, 
 
 Thy sense had been the greater. 
 Ace. Rally on 
 
 Until the archon call the cause for judgment. 
 Bde. By Ceres, here thou shalt no longer stay — 
 
 But having seiz'd thee — 
 Phi. What wilt do ? 
 
 Bde. What do ? 
 
 Bear thee within — if not, the witnesses 
 
 Will quickly fail those who shall summon thee. 
 Phi. The citizens of Delphi once accus'd 
 
 iEsop — 
 Bde. This is but small concern of mine. 
 
 Phi, That he had stol'n Apollo's cup, when he 1570 
 
 Told to them how a beetle in old time — • 
 Bde. Bah ! you destroy me with your beetle story °. 
 
 [forces him out. 
 
 Semichorus 1. 
 Old man, I praise thy happy fate. 
 Whose life and manners have of late 
 Been alter'd from their rugged state. 
 
 Now having learn'd a different way. 
 Soft luxury wilt thou display; 
 Though not a prompt obedience pay. 
 
 This is the fable which JLsop related to the inhabitants of Delphi when they 
 were about to precipitate him from a rock as a punishment for his sacrilege. The 
 same fable is related by Trygajus in the Peace (v. 129, 130.)
 
 1560—1600.] THE WASPS. 227 
 
 For to shake off the native mind 
 
 That with each mortal was entwin'd, 1580 
 
 Is hard — tho' many are inclin'd. 
 
 And some, when more familiar grown 
 
 With others' thouglits have chang'd their own. 
 
 Semiciigrus 2. 
 
 For our high praise a proper theme 
 
 Philocles' offspring I esteem, 
 
 And the right-minded thus will deem. 
 
 Him for his patriotic love. 
 
 Wisdom which thus could never move, 
 
 And gentle manners I approve. 
 
 For in what strife of words has he, 1590 
 
 Not shown his arguments to be 
 Of more convincing potency ? 
 
 The stem frorn which himself was born 
 Willing by actions to adorn. 
 
 ACT V. SCENE I. 
 
 Xantiiias, alone. 
 
 Xan. By Bacchus, these perplex'd affairs some god 
 Hath introduc'd into our family ; 
 For the old man so long hath been carousing 
 In joyful mood, and listening to the pipe, 
 That all night long he ceases not to dance 
 Those ancient steps in \vhich upon the stage 1600 
 
 Thes})is P contended, saying that ere long 
 He would by dancing show the tragic actors 
 Who now exist, to be but ancient fools. 
 
 P Not the inventor of the tragic drama, but a liarper of that age. 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 THE WASPS. [Act v. Sc. ii. 
 
 SCENE II. 
 
 Enter Philocleon, drunlc. 
 
 Piir. Who sits at the hall door? 
 
 Xan. The mischief presses. 
 
 Phi. Let the bolts be withdrawn — the dance begins. 
 Xan. Rather perhaps 'tis the first step in madness. 
 Phi. Of one who dislocates his hip by force. 
 
 How blows my nostril, and the back-bone sounds ! 
 Xan. Drink hellebore. 
 Phi. Now trembles Phrynicus 
 
 Like any cock p. 
 Xan. You'll strike me. 
 
 Phi. Heels to heaven, 1610 
 
 While gapes the fundament. 
 Xan. Look to thyself. 
 
 Phi. Now in our limbs turns round the loose hip-joint^. 
 Bde. This is not well, by Jove, but madman's folly. 
 Phi. Come now, I summon my antagonists ; 
 
 Whate'er tragedian thinks he dances well. 
 
 Let him come hither and contend with me. 
 
 Speaks any one or none ? 
 Bde. Himself alone. 
 
 Phi. Who is this wretch ? 
 
 P Invernizius has here received into the text Bentley's conjectural emendation of 
 7r\r']aa(i for the common and no doubt correct reading Trr/ycrcrji, which appears to 
 be sufficiently defended by a line quoted by Plutarch in his life of Alcibiades, and 
 applied to that illustrious Athenian humiliated by the Socratic discipline — 
 
 ITTTlj^' , dXiKTiOp OOvXoV (jJQ K\iva(J TTTEpOV- 
 
 The Scholiast says it is a proverb applied to those who suffer some misfortune, and 
 alludes to the second Phrynicus, who was fined by the Athenians in a thousand 
 drachma; for representing in a tragedy the destruction of IMiletus by Darius. 
 Brunck considers the common word TrTr'jaasi as absurd, without giving any reason 
 for thinking so, and adopts Bentley's comparatively unmeaning emendation 
 ■7rX!](T(Tti, to denote the skill of Phrynicus in dancing. The French and Italian 
 translators render the words according to the usual acceptation ; the former by 
 Phrynique tremble de peur comme tin coq, the latter by Frinico teme, come un gallo. 
 1 On this line the French translator well observes — " dans leurs cotyles ; terme 
 d'anatomie — kotvXtiSujv — Rien n'etait exclus de la poesie des Grecs."
 
 1610—1640.] THE WASPS. 25^9 
 
 Bde. The son of Carcinus, 
 
 The midst in age"". 
 Phi. But he shall he devour'd ; 
 
 For I with strokes melodious will destroy him, 1620 
 
 Since he is nought in rythm. 
 Bde. But, O unhappy, 
 
 Another son of Carcinus approaches, 
 
 His brother and a tragic actor too. 
 Phi. By Jupiter, then I am well provision'd. 
 Bde, 'Tis true, but not with aught excepting crabs, 
 
 For here's another son of Carcinus. 
 Phi. What comes on creeping here ? a vinaigrette, 
 
 Or crab with venom stor'd? 
 Bde. This is the shrimp 
 
 Of all his race, a tragic poet too. 
 Phi. O Carcinus, blest in thy progeny ! 1630 
 
 What multitudes of wrens have fallen down ! 
 
 But I, O wretch, upon them must descend — 
 
 Mix up the pickle for them if I conquer. 
 Clio. Come, let us all yield a short space to them, 
 
 That freely they may whirl top-like before us. 
 
 Semichorus 1. 
 
 O children of illustrious line, 
 
 Whose sire is lord o'er ocean's wave, 
 Approach, your sportive choirs entwine 
 
 Where fruitless sand the waters lave\ 
 Brothers of shrimps, in circling dance 1640 
 
 Your feet with Phrynic lightness move ; 
 And one among your train advance. 
 
 Bearing his lofty heels above ; 
 
 ■■ Carcinus liad four sons, Xenocles, Xonotimus, Xcnoclitus, Xenarchus, of 
 whom three were dancers, and Xenocles a poet. The Carcinitie appear to have 
 been of very diminutive stature. Their father Carcinus is again particularly men- 
 tioned in the C'.imds, v. 1243, and the Peace, v. 854. and note. 
 
 ' TTapu Oil'' iWb^ nrpvyiroio. A hemisticli taken from Homer (11. A'. 316.), 
 and humorously applicable to a chorus spinning round with the swift revolutions 
 of a top ((iii.i(iiiKi'Cio(nv iai»-ovs.)
 
 230 THE WASPS. [Act v. Sc. ii. 
 
 That the spectators may the view 
 With shouts of wondering joy pursue*. 
 
 Semichorus (to Philocleon.) 
 
 Turn round in circles, and thy stomach beat ; 
 
 Cast your legs heavenward, and like tops become — 
 
 For the great sire, who rules the sea, comes near, 
 
 Pleas'd with his triple row of dancing sons. 
 
 But, if you love the dance, lead us out quickly, 1650 
 
 For no one hath before accomplish'd this", 
 
 A comic chorus capering to dismiss. 
 
 ' w^oxTiv 01 dictrcd. This verb, as the Scholiast observes, is formed from w, w, 
 a particle expressive of admiration, in the same manner as aid'Ciiv from at, at — 
 olmoZiiv from o"ifioi, and (ptv^tiv, addressed by the chorus to Cassandra in the 
 Agamemnon of ^schylus (v. 1375.), from (jitv. 
 
 " Since, as the Scholiast observes, the chorus enters dancing, but does not make 
 its exit in that manner. The Italian translator supposes that in the Phrynic dance 
 the performers gave themselves blows on the stomach with their raised feet — " Et 
 percotteti co'l piede ne'l ventre."
 
 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^ ; 
 
 OR, WOMEN CELEBRATING THE FEASTS OF 
 CERES AND PROSERPINE.
 
 DRAMATIS PERSON.^. 
 
 MNESILOCHUS. 
 
 EURIPIDES. 
 
 AGATHON. 
 
 VALET OF AGATHON. 
 
 CHORUS OF AGATHON. 
 
 CHORUS OF WOMEN WHO CELEBRATE THE FEASTS. 
 
 HERALD. 
 
 CERTAIN WOMEN. 
 
 CLISTHENES. 
 
 A PRYTANEE. 
 
 A SCYTHIAN ARCHER. 
 
 The Scene lies in the temple of Ceres and Proserpine. 
 
 N. B. This comedy is a severe satire on Euripides the Misogynist, whose opinion 
 of the female race is tluis expressed in a line of his Melanippe (Frag, xi.) — 
 
 7r\))v tTiq TtKuvcrijc, drfXv Tvav jiktCj yhi-ing. 
 
 *
 
 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 
 
 UPON 
 
 THE FEASTS OF CERES AND PROSERPINE. 
 
 COMPILED CHIEFLY FROM THE FRENCH OF PERE BRUMOY. 
 
 THIS COMEDY WAS ACTED AT THE DIONYSIAC FEASTS, THE TWENTY-FIRST 
 YEAR OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR, AND FIRST OF THE XCII. OLYMPIAD, 
 411 A. C, UNDER THE ARCHON CALLIAS, WHO SUCCEEDED CLEOCRITUS, AS 
 APPEARS FROM CONJECTURES FOUNDED ON THE WORDS OF ARISTOPHANES, IN 
 THE ABSENCE OF PREFACE AND SCHOLIA. THE THESMOPHORIA WERE CELE- 
 BRATED IN THE MONTH PYANEPSION, ANSWERING, AS PETAVIUS CALCULATES, 
 TO OUR SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. 
 
 The feasts of Ceres and Proserpine lasted five days at Athens, during 
 the month of Pyanepsion, (part of October and November) : one day 
 of the five was sanctified as a fast. The action of this comedy is 
 laid in their temple, where the whole scene passes of which we are 
 about to speak. None but women w^erc allowed to be present at 
 the celebration of these mysteries, and a similar prohibition took 
 place among the Romans at the feasts of the Bona Dea. There 
 were two plays of this name ; but it is doubted whether they were 
 different pieces, or the same comedy retouched. A passage cited by 
 Aulus Gellius xv. cap. 20. from the first composition, is found in that 
 which we have, and we find another cited by Athenaeus as if from the 
 second; whence we may conclude with Casaubon, that that which we 
 have is the first. As it succeeded very ill, it did but little nijury to 
 Euripides, who is the subject of the irony of Aristophanes throughout 
 this comedy. He is also very virulent against the female sex. The 
 general subject is the feast of the two goddesses, who were the parti- 
 cular objects of the Athenian worship. The women were the ene- 
 mies of Euripides, and they take this opportunity of deliberating 
 upon his ruin. He wishes to prevent his condemnation, and for this
 
 234 
 
 purpose invents a hundred stratagems. The design of Aristophanes 
 was to make him appear as a man cunning and artful. Euripides was 
 alive at the time, but he was very old, as he says to the poet Aga- 
 thon in the second act. " We may discover throughout this play a 
 proper intrigue, a knot which is not untied till quite at the end, and 
 in this it possesses a great advantage. Euripides, on account of the 
 well-known misogyny of his tragedies, is accused and sentenced to 
 condign punishment at the festival of the Thesmophoria, at which 
 women alone might be present. After a vain attempt to excite the 
 effeminate poet Agathon to such an adventure, Euripides disguises 
 his brother-in-law, Mnesilochus, a man now advanced in years, in 
 the garb of a woman, that in this shape he may plead his cause. 
 The manner in which he does this, renders him suspected, it is dis- 
 covered that he is a man ; he flees to an altar, and for greater security 
 against their persecution, he snatches a child from the arms of a 
 woman, and threatens to kill it, if they do not let him alone. As he 
 is about to throttle it, it turns out to be only a wine-skin dressed up 
 in child's clothes. Then comes Euripides under various forms to 
 rescue his friend ; now he is Menelaus, who finds his wife Helen in 
 Egypt ; now Echo, helping the chained Andromache to complain ; 
 now Perseus, about to release her from her bonds. At last, he frees 
 Mnesilochus, who is fastened to a kind of pillory, by disguising him- 
 self as a procuress, and enticing away the oflScer, a simple barbarian, 
 who is guarding him, by the charms of a flute-playing girl. These 
 parodied scenes, composed almost in the very words of the tragedies, 
 are inimitable. Everywhere, in this poet, the instant Euripides 
 comes into play, we may lay our account with finding the cleverest 
 and most cutting ridicule : as though the mind of Aristophanes pos- 
 sessed quite a specific talent for decomposing the poetry of this tra- 
 gedian into comedy." — Theatre of the Greeks, p. 360.
 
 THE THESMOPHORIAZUStE. 
 
 ACT I. SCENE I. 
 
 Mnesilochus and Euripides. 
 
 Mne. O Jove, and will the swallow e'er appear ? * 
 
 The man [jiointing to Eur.] '11 ruin me, from early morn 
 
 Thus dragging me about. May I, or e'er 
 
 My spleen is shaken out, enquire 
 
 Whither thou lead'st me, O Euripides ? 
 Eur. But 'tis not right that thou should'st hear whate'er 
 
 With thy own eyes thou'lt presently behold. 
 Mne. How say'st thou? speak again — Must I not hear? 
 Eur. No — not at least that which thou must behold. 
 Mne. What's thy advice to me? — well said in truth — 10 
 
 Thou say'st that I need neither hear nor see — 
 Eur. True — for be sure the nature is distinct, 
 
 Of hearing not, nor seeing. 
 Mne. How distinct? 
 
 Eur. Thus have these been distinguish'd of old time^. 
 
 For soon as aether took a separate form, 
 
 a This no doubt, as Wellauer observes, is the correct translation of the despond- 
 ing Mnesilochus' querulous demand of the return of spring indicated by its herald 
 thesvvallow. " Mnesilochoenim apfiusestinterrogare /nnn (/(aiJirfi)? qu^tm quando?" 
 
 ^ Tills high-sounding description of the senses of hearing and seeing, which savours 
 more of the buskin than the sock, and is altogether in ciiaracter with the (/)i\6(to^oc 
 cnrb (TKtjvric, as Euripides was commonly denominated, appears evidently to be 
 parodied from the Melanippe of that tragedian (Frag, xxii.), 
 iTTti (V txttipia6t]aav aX/\(')\<iij' ci)(a' 
 who, as a disciple of the Socratic school, regarded aether in the light of a principal 
 deity (compare the Frogs, v. 890.), 
 
 alQrip, ijxbv (i6(riCTi[in.
 
 236 THE THESMOPHORIAZUStE. [Act i. Sc. r. 
 
 And in itself bore moving animals. 
 
 She fabricated first, the visual eye, 
 
 In imitation of the solar wheel, 
 
 And perforated ears as hearing funnels*^. 
 Mne. Is it then owing to the funnel that 20 
 
 I neither hear nor see ? By Jupiter, 
 
 I am delighted to have learn'd so much. 
 
 How excellent are wise commimications ! 
 Eur. Many such matters may'st thou learn of me. 
 Mne. O, that besides these good discoveries, 
 
 I might find out not to be lame of foot. 
 Eur. Come hither, and apply thy mind. 
 Mne. Behold ! 
 
 Eur. See'st thou this door ? 
 
 Mne. By Hercules, I think so. 
 
 Eur. Be silent now. 
 
 Mne. Silence the portal ? 
 
 Eur. Listen! 
 
 Mne. What, shall I listen to a silent door ? 30 
 
 Eur. Here Agathon, th' illustrious tragic poet, 
 
 Chances to dwell. 
 Mne. What is this Agathon? 
 
 Eur. He is an Agathon — 
 
 Mne. That stout black man? 
 
 Eur. No, but another — have you never seen him ? 
 Mne. That man with a broad beard? 
 
 Eur. Have you ne'er seen him ? 
 
 Mne. Not I, by Jove; at least not to my knowledge. 
 Eur. And yet thou hast been quite familiar with him. 
 
 But know'st him not perchance.— Retire we hence, 
 
 Since one of his domestics issues forth, 
 
 With fire and myrtle branches — he appears 40 
 
 About to offer up a sacrifice 
 
 For the result of his poetic labours. 
 Val. Let all the people in well-omen'd silence 
 
 c (k-o/'jc 0£ xGn3'»;»' w-rt SiaT(rp))i'aro. I have here adopted the reading pro- 
 posed by VVellauer instead of the common dK07]v Se xoavi](;, which corrupt trans- 
 position, as that critic observe^, doubtless arose from the confusion of the similar 
 terminations j/e and ijv.
 
 20—60.] THE TPIESMOPHORIAZUS/E. 237 
 
 Keep their mouth close ; for now the muses' choir 
 Dwell in my master's house, and frame their lay. 
 And let the breathless air restrain its blasts — 
 No sound disturb the sea's cajrulean wave. 
 
 Mne. Hey day ! 
 
 Eur. Be silent. 
 
 Val. Who is he that speaks*^? 
 
 Let all the tribes of birds be hush'd in sleep ; 
 Nor feet of savage beasts that roam the woods 50 
 
 Resolve themselves in motion. 
 
 Mne. Marvellous ! 
 
 Val. For the fair-spoken Agathon, our chief, 
 Intends — 
 
 Mne. Some act of baseness. 
 
 Val. Who hath spoken ? 
 
 Mne. iEther without a blast — 
 
 Val. Upon the stocks 
 
 To found an edifice dramatical^. 
 Of words he meditates inflexions new 
 Polishes some, and others binds together — 
 Coins sentences, with alter'd names, and moulds 
 Like ductile wax, then poin-s them thro' a funnel. 
 
 Mne. Yes, and commits adultery beside. GO 
 
 Val. What rustic to our battlemented walls 
 
 ^ I have here followed Reiske, who gives this question to the valet, and reads 
 rig XsyEi, instead of the common ti \eyiic; Invernizius agrees with Brunck in 
 giving the words to Euripides, which seems decidedly wrong. 
 
 * SpvoxovQ TiOtvai, Sjjd[i.aTog dpxdc- This and the five succeeding lines of the 
 description which the valet gives of his master's poetical occupations, abounds in 
 words chosen with felicity, (|uite.£;prm((»e to the muiler, and illustrative of the love of 
 antithesis and other peculiarities in the style of Agathon. The verb ropvivn., in v. 
 54, appears to confirm the much disputed reading in Horace (ed. Pis. 441.), adopted 
 by Talbot and Doeiing — " Et male tonialof ineudi reddere versus" — which is 
 further confirmed by an epigram quoted by the Scholiast to the Knights, (v. 753.) 
 
 KrtXXijuaxov TO Topivrbv tnog rode. 
 The first line of this speech is a metaphor taken from naval allairs ; the ^pvoxoi 
 denote erect beams of oak or other wood, sustaining the keel of the vessel upon 
 which the shipwrights are at work — irurraXoi tic ?pv6c> o tarii' inrXioQ ^I'lXov — 
 (Eustathius). The French translator renders the words very idiomatically — 
 " D6ja ses vers commencent a prendre une nouvelle tournure, il polit ceux-ci, il 
 lie ceux-la ; il ne nomme rien par son nom."
 
 238 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 Approaches ? 
 Mne. One who is prepar'd to pour, 
 
 As thro' a funnel, from thy battlements, 
 
 Destruction down. 
 Val. Surely thou wert, old man, 
 
 A roister in thy youth. 
 Eur. O friend, let this man 
 
 Depart, and call me hither Agathon 
 
 With all despatch. 
 Val. Make no entreaties, since 
 
 Himself will come out soon; for he begins 
 
 To frame the melody — while winter lasts, 
 
 To mould the strophes is no easy toil ; 70 
 
 Unless he court the sunbeam at the door. [Exit. 
 
 Mne. What shall I do then ? 
 Eur. Stay, for he comes forth ^ 
 
 Jove, what wilt thou do with me to-day ? 
 Mne. I, by the gods, would learn what ails the man : 
 
 Why groan'st thou, and art so disquieted ? 
 Thou should'st not hide it, being my relation. 
 
 Eur. There's a great evil ready kneaded for me. 
 
 Mne. What's that ? 
 
 Eur. On this day it will be decided 
 
 Whether Euripides shall live or die. 
 
 Mne. But why, since now the courts no longer judge, 80 
 Nor is there any council-seat, for this 
 Is the third day and midst of Cei'es' feasts ! 
 
 Eur. This also I expect to be my ruin ; 
 
 For plots against me have the women laid — 
 And in the Thesmophorian feasts this day 
 They are about to counsel my destruction. 
 
 Mne. And for what cause ? 
 
 Eur. Because in tragedies 
 
 1 speak amiss of them. 
 
 Mne. By Jove and Neptune, 
 
 f Throughout this scene there is a great confusion of persons. For the right 
 disposition of them, we are indebted chiefly to the critical sagacity of Bentley and 
 Kuster.
 
 70—100.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. 239 
 
 Your suffering would be just. But what expedient 
 
 Hast thou to extricate thee from tliese evils ? 90 
 
 Eur. The hope that Agathon may be persuaded 
 
 To mingle in the Thesmophoria. 
 Mne. And for what purpose should he do so? say! 
 Eur. To speak in the assembly of the women 
 
 In my behalf, if need be. 
 Mne. Secretly, 
 
 Or in an open manner ? 
 Eur. Secretly, 
 
 Robed in a female stole ^. 
 Mne. a pleasant deed, 
 
 And one that greatly suits thy character. 
 
 Truly to us belongs the victor's cake''. 
 Eur. Silence ! 
 
 Mne. But wherefore ? 
 
 Eur. Agathon comes forth. 100 
 
 Mne. And which is he ? 
 
 Eur. The man who's just develop'd '. 
 
 Mne. Nay, surely I am blind, for I see not 
 
 Any man here, but only view Cyrene. 
 Eur. Be silent — he prepares the melody. 
 
 B \d9pg., aToXijv yvvaiKog iiixfuajjikvov. So Dryden, Palamon and Arcite, 
 
 " The solemn feast of Ceres now was near, 
 When long white linen stoles the matrons wear." 
 
 h The word irvpafiovg, in this line, is taken for the palm of victory, but properly 
 denotes a cake made of wheat mingled with honey, and given to liim who kept 
 watch during the longest time, 'i'his line, as Bergler observes, may very properly 
 be given to Mnesilochus, not as a boasting confession of iiis own skill and cunning, 
 but in order to show that he favours the party and designs of Euripides. (See the 
 Wasps, V. 277.) 
 
 ' ovKKVKXovfievog. That is, revealed to the sight of the spectators by the stage- 
 machine called the ^yKuicXjj^a, described by Julius Pollux (iv. 123.), and by the 
 Scholiast ad Acharn. 384., on which passage see the note. Bisetus and Bentley 
 here read ovyKvKXovitti'oc, signifying a man robed in an encyclum, a kind of 
 female garment, mentioned by Aristophanes in several other passages of this 
 comedy, as well as in the Liisistrnta and Ecclesiazusiv, in which dress Agathon is 
 shortly after introduced by our poet. But, as Brunck observes, the common reading 
 is not rashly to be departed from, tyKVKXticyQai literally signifies siibliinem in machind 
 inferri. ' In fabula; repra;sentatione sic ostendebatur Agatho ; eodemque modo in 
 Acharnensibus Euripides.'
 
 240 THE THESMOPHORIAZUStE. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 Mne. What — drawls he out some tune like " the ants' 
 marches ^ ?" 
 
 Enter Agathon, accomjjanied hij Ids tragic chorus. 
 
 Aga. Damsels, this sacred lamp receive, 
 
 Which to th' infei'nal goddess' train 
 Burns bright, and let your chorus weave 
 In our free country's praise the strain. 
 Cpio. Say now, for which god is the pomp design'd ? 110 
 
 The gods I honour with a faithful mind, 
 Aga. Then take thine armour, muse, and throw 
 
 A shaft aim'd from the golden bow 
 To reach Apollo's high renown. 
 Who rear'd on Simois' land the walled town. 
 Cho. Hail, Phoebus, whose unrivall'd praise 
 
 Is hymn'd in sacred and harmonious lays ! 
 Aga. Sing Dian too, the nymph who takes delight 
 To sport upon the woody mountain's height. 
 Cho. I follow in the muses' throng, 120 
 
 And celebrate with lyric song 
 Latona's blessed progeny. 
 Diana, bound by no connubial tie. 
 Aga. And let Latona's self inspire 
 
 The pulses of the Asian lyre', 
 
 '' nvpjii]KOQ c'tTpaTTovQ 1} Ti ciajxivvpiTai ; According to the Scholiast, this is a 
 proverbial metaphor applied to minute and slender subjects, and here used to de- 
 note the drawling style of Agathon ; wq Xtmra kuI c'tyKvXa avaKpovofikvov fisXr], 
 So our poet says of Socrates (Clouds, v. 832.), o^ oUe rd \pvXXuiv ixvt]- So 
 
 Plautus (Men. vv. 3. 6.), 
 
 Move formicinum gradum. 
 
 There is something of this character in the melody which follows, sung by Agathon 
 
 accompanied by his tragic chorus, whom he instructs to exhibit their ode (which is 
 
 not to be confounded with the regular chorus of the play) before the people at the 
 
 approaching games. 
 
 ' Kpovfiara t 'Acrtac^oe. Some interpreters suppose yag to be understood here, 
 
 as if the poet were speaking of the pulsations of the earth by the feet of the dancers 
 
 (compare Horace, Od. iv. 1. 28.), 
 
 pede candido 
 
 In morem Salium ter quatient humum. 
 Id. (ad Pis. 158.) 
 
 pede certo 
 
 signat humum, etc. 
 But tliey are probably mistaken in this opinion, since, according to several ancient
 
 110-140.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS.^. 211 
 
 With strains of Phrygian grace, wliich feet 
 Now dissonant and now responsive greet. 
 Cho. And I my vows to queen Latona pay ; 
 I the harp, parent of the sacred lay, 
 
 With clear male voice proclaim ; 130 
 
 Whence to the heavenly ruler's eyes 
 As from our sudden harmonies. 
 Rushes the lightning flame. 
 Let Phoebus' praise then in your hymns prevail — 
 Latona's blessed offspring, hail ! 
 Mne. O venerable Genetyllides'" 
 
 How sweet the lay ! — like kiss effeminate 
 And wanton-tongu'd, how has the titillation 
 Enter'd my inmost sense! — and thee, O youth, 
 Whoe'er thou art, I would interrogate 140 
 
 In yEschylean phrase from the Lycurgia". 
 What's this half-woman's country? race? attire? 
 What means all this confusion of her life? 
 What concord with the harp and saffron robe ? 
 The lyre and woman's head-gear ? — the oil-cruet 
 
 grammatical authors, (Suidas, the Scholiast to ApoUonius Rhodius, and the com- 
 piler of the Etymologicum INIagnum, who refers to this passage of Aristoplianes, 
 which he affirms to be a parody of the Erectheus of Euripides,) tiie word 'Aaia 
 signifies a harp with tluec chords, being invented by tlie Asiatic Lydians, in a town 
 of that name at the foot of mount Tmolus. So the Scholiast, 'AmciSa St rffv 
 Kiddpuv Xiyn. G. Burges, who has reduced this chorus into a regular anti- 
 strophic Older, alters the line to Aarw r 'Aaicoc dpvOfia KpoufiaTcr by which 
 reading the antitiiesis ■TvapupirOp' tvpvOpa ^pirY'nov hai'tvpara x^tptTiop is entirely 
 lost. This is very clearly expressed by the French translator — " Ces airs de 
 ^'asiade dont le rhythme est tantot d' accord et tantot ne Test pas avec la mesure." 
 (Compare Euripides, Cyclops. 442. Aaucvog \p6(pov KiOapat;. 
 
 " These in the old mythology were certain divinities related to, or attendant on> 
 Venus, Geiietrix or Genetyllis, (see Lucretius, i. 1 ; Mor. Car. Sa;c. 64. ed. Francis, 
 whose note may be consulted with advantage). The Scholiast says, caij^uoi> >} 
 rei'fri'Wff TTipl Ti'/v Acppoi^iTiji'' (/jorrij' it Trapa ti)v ytvv>i<ni> TrtTroiiifrOni to 
 ovofin. 'Jhis confirms the common reading in Horace, instead of wliicli Doering 
 substitutes Genetulis, but, as Francis observes, we cannot find any author who uses 
 the word in the sense which it halh in this place. 
 
 " According to the Scholiast, Aristophanes here speaks of the tetralogy of ^I'.s- 
 chylus named AvKovpyia, which consisted of the three tragedies of the Kdoui, 
 Bassaridi'st, and Youths, together with the satyric drama, called Lycurgus; and the 
 question in the text, rroca-bc o yi' J'l'if according to the same authority, is taken 
 from tiie Kdoui, addressed to the captured Bacchus. 
 
 VOL. II. R
 
 242 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 And girdle tally not : then what connection 
 
 Is there between a mirror and a sword°? 
 
 But what art thou, O youth ? of manly breeding? 
 
 And Where's the shape?— the robe? — Laconian shoes p? 
 
 Is he a woman ? where are then the breasts ? 150 
 
 What say'st thou — silent? By thy melody 
 
 I judge thee then, since thou wilt not declare it. 
 
 Aga. Old man, old man, I hear the sound of envy ; 
 But with solicitude am not affected. 
 Now I the garment wear advisedly ; 
 For it is meet that a dramatic poet 
 Should frame his manners to his poesy ; 
 And if a poet female dramas make, 
 He must adapt his body to those manners. 
 
 Mne. Composing Phaedra then, you mount on horseback. 
 
 Aga. And should his subjects be of manly kind, 161 
 
 There's something in the body correspondent. 
 And that which we are not empower'd to gain, 
 We strive to make our own by imitation ''. 
 
 Mne. And when thou writ'st satyric plays, call me, 
 That I may stand behind to aid the work. 
 
 Aga. Besides, it is ungrateful to behold 
 
 A poet rough and rustic. — Now consider — 
 
 That Ibycus, Anacreon of Teos, 
 
 Alcaeus, too, who season'd hai*mony, 170 
 
 A woman's headdress wore, and danc'd with step 
 
 Ionian '^; Phrynicus (for thou hast heard 
 
 ° Bergler asserts that there is an allusion in this line to Epicharmus, quoted by 
 StobaBUS (Serm Ixxxix.), tIq yap KaTOTrTpt'j Kal TV(p\(^ KoivMvia ; 
 
 P TTov x^'^^va ; TToi) AuKuviKai ; These latter were a kind of Lacedsemonian 
 sandals worn by men — ai'cfptla vTroh'jjxara, (Schol.) See also the Scholiast on 
 the Wasps, v. 1158, where this line of the Thesmoplwriazusm is again quoted. 
 
 1 These lines are parodied from the JSolus of Euripides (Fr. vi. ap Musgr,), in 
 the last line of which we should evidently read with Bergler drjpwfieOa, instead of 
 the common Tmufitda answering to avvdripivtroi in this passage of Aristophanes. 
 The following speech of Mnesilochus alludes to the satyric dramas which were 
 always included in the tetralogies of the tragic poets, of whom Agathon was one. 
 The Cyclops of Euripides is the only instance of this kind of drama which time has 
 preserved to us. 
 
 •■ ifiiTpofopovv Ti Kai ^ukXwi't' 'lioviKoJg. This is Toup's ingenious emen- 
 dation of the common reading dieKivovvr'. (Compare Horace, Od. iii. vi. 22.) —
 
 150—200.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS.E. 243 
 
 Of him) was fair himself and gaily clotli'd. 
 
 Beauteous on this account his dramas were, 
 
 For all must suit their manners to their state. 
 Mne. Then the hase Philocles composes basely, 
 
 The wicked Xenocles writes wickedly, 
 
 And cold Theognis frigidly indites. 
 Aga. 'Twas altogether necessary — this 
 
 I knew, and cleans'd myself. 
 Mne. How, by the gods? 180 
 
 Aga. Cease barking — for as soon as I began 
 
 To poetize, that was my custom too. 
 Mne. By Jove, I envy not your education. 
 Eur. But suffer me to tell wherefore I came. 
 Mne. Declare. 
 Eur, 'Tis, Agathon, a wise man's part^ 
 
 To have the power of briefly saying much. 
 
 But I, struck by a new calamity, 
 
 Have come to thee a suppliant. 
 Aga. In what need ? 
 
 Eur. To day the women compass my destruction 
 
 In Ceres' feasts, for speaking ill of them. 190 
 
 Aga. And what assistance canst thou have from us ? 
 Eur. The greatest — for if thou wilt secretly 
 
 Among the women sit as one of them, 
 
 And answer for me, thou wilt clearly save me ; 
 
 Since thou alone canst speak in my behalf. 
 Aga. But why, if present, speak not for thyself? 
 Eur. I will inform thee — first, because I'm known. 
 
 Then am I hoary-lock'd and have a beard. 
 
 Thou personable, with fair wcll-razor'd face. 
 
 And woman's voice, soft, comely to behold. 200 
 
 Motus doceri gaudet lonicos 
 IMatura \itgo,Jra»giUir artubus 
 Jam nunc, etc. 
 
 (See Person's Tracts and Miscellaneous Criticisms, p. 187.) Invernizius highly 
 
 approves of Toup's reading, but gives kc^^ikcivomvt'. 
 
 " This and the following line are also parodied from the tragedy of .'I'lolus, 
 
 (Frag. V.) 
 
 TTaTofc, (Tof/iov TTpoQ avcpoc, offTiQ iv (3paxti 
 TroWoiig \6yovQ olog re avvrfj-iviiv KaXwg. 
 
 R 2
 
 244 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 Aga. Euripides. 
 
 Eur. What is't ? 
 
 Aga. Thou erst indited'st — 
 
 " Art thou rejoic'd to see the hght, and think'st' 
 
 Thy father joys not to behold it too ?" 
 Eur. I did. 
 Aga. Now hope not that we shall endure 
 
 The evil which is thine — we should be mad else. 
 
 Then bear thyself thine own domestic lot ; 
 
 For 'tis not just by tricks to shuffle off. 
 
 But to endure calamities. 
 Mne. Yet thou 
 
 Art most impure in sufferings, not in words. 
 Eur. But to come thither why wast thou afraid ? 210 
 
 Aga. I should have perish'd worse than you. 
 Eur. How ? 
 
 Aga. How ? 
 
 Seeming to steal into the mighty deeds 
 
 Of women, and in secret snatch away 
 
 The Cyprian treasui'e. 
 Mne. Snatch away, forsooth! 
 
 Nay, to be ravish'd. — 'Tis, by Jupiter, 
 
 A plausible pretext. 
 Eur. What then ? wilt thou 
 
 Do what I ask of thee? 
 Aga. Believe it not. 
 
 Eur. O thrice unhappy, lost Euripides ! 
 Mne. O dearest relative, lose not thyself. 
 Eur. How shall I act then? 
 Mne. Let this man go weep, 220 
 
 And use me in whatever way you please. 
 Eur. Come then, since thou giv'st up thyself to me, 
 
 Put off this garment. 
 Mne. Lo, 'tis on the ground. 
 
 But what art thou about to do with me ? 
 
 * This is a verse from the Alcestes of Euripides, spoken by Pheres, unwilling to 
 suffer death for his daughter, (v. 705.) 
 
 XaipiiQ opuiv fwg, irarkpa 5' ov \aiptiv SoksIq; 
 
 11
 
 210—240.] THE TY^ESMOPHORIAZUS^. 245 
 
 Eur. To shave thee here, and singe thy lower pal'v^G. ' 
 Mne. Nay, do, if you think welh I never, else, 
 
 Myself should have surrendered. 
 Eur. Agathon, 
 
 Thou always carriest a razor with thee. 
 
 Now gi-ant to us the loan of one. 
 Aga. Here, take it 
 
 Out of the razor case. 
 Eur. Thou'rt generous. 2o0 
 
 Sit down — and puff thy right cheek out. 
 Mne. Ah me ! 
 
 Eur. Wherefore cry out so loud ? I'll thrust a stake in. 
 
 If thou'rt not silent. 
 Mne. Out upon't, alas ! [running out. 
 
 Eur. Ho, whither art thou running ? 
 Mne. To the temple, 
 
 Where dwell the venerable ijoddesses". 
 
 For here, by Ceres, I will not remain 
 
 To be thus mangled. 
 Eur. Wilt thou, then, become 
 
 A theme for laughter, with half-sliaven crown ? 
 Mne. 'Tis slight concern of mine. 
 Eur. Nay, by the gods. 
 
 Betray me not — come hither. 
 Mne. Wretched me I 240 
 
 Eur. Be quiet and raise up thy head again. 
 
 In wliat direction turnest thou? 
 Mne. . Mu, Mu! 
 
 Eur. Why mutterest thou ? all things are well perform'd, 
 Mne. Ah wretched me, light-arm'd then shall I fight". 
 Eur. Regard it not — for thou wilt seem quite comely. 
 
 " Suppliants were accustomed to take refuge in tlie temple of the Eumenides or 
 Furies, situated near the Areopagus. So in the Knights (v. 1308.) the chorus says 
 
 KaO^nOai ji(Oi COKtlr; 
 
 ilr TO Qfiffeiov nXiovrrar i'itti twv at^n'Cov 9iwv, 
 
 on whicl) passage the Scholiast observes that the temple of Theseus, as well as that 
 of the Furies, aflforded an asylum for ill-treated domestics. 
 
 ^ In this line there is an ambiguity in the word \iii\6g, which, like the Latin 
 levis, may denote either smooth-shaven or light-armed; leiin annattircr miles.
 
 24G THE THESMOPHOEIA^tSiE. [Act i. Sc. i. 
 
 "^ ■W'iil'y'ou behold yourself? 
 Mne. Bring, if you please, 
 
 A mirror y. 
 Eur. See'st thyself? 
 
 Mne. ^ot I, by Jove, 
 
 But Chsthenes. 
 Eur. Rise up, that I may singe thee. 
 
 And keep yourself inclin'd. 
 Mne. Ill-fated me! 
 
 I shall become a httle sucking pig. -->^ 
 
 Eur. Some one within convey a torch or light. ^ 
 
 Stoop down— now, look to your extremities. 
 Mne. I will, by Jove, regard them— but I'm burnt. 
 
 Ah me unhappy !— water, water, neighbours. 
 
 Before I aid myself, and quench the flame. 
 
 Eur. Take courage. 
 
 ]yiNE. What, while turning in the fire ? 
 
 Eur. But thou hast nothing more to suffer now. 
 
 For almost all thy labour is exhausted. 
 Mne. Alas, the smoke !— I am all burnt beneath. 
 Eur. Regard it not, for some one soon will spunge you. 260 
 Mne. In truth he will lament who washes me. 
 Eur. Since, Agathon, you envy me the gift 
 
 Of your own person, grant us, at the least. 
 
 This robe and girdle : for you cannot say 
 
 That these are not your own. 
 . Receive and use them : 
 
 I grudge them not. 
 
 MvP What shall I take then ? 
 
 , ""• What? 
 
 Aga. 
 
 Receive and don this robe of saffron hue. 
 Mne. By Venus, it exhales a sweet rank smell. 
 Aga. Put it on quickly. 
 -^l^Y. Take the belt. 
 
 Eur.' 'Ti^h^^--- 
 
 Mne. Come, now compose and ornament my legs. ^^'^ 
 
 Eur. We want the cawl and turban. 
 
 y £(' SoKtl, (pipf sell. KciTonrpov.
 
 250—280.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS/E. 247 
 
 Aga. In this fashion, 
 
 I dress my head at night. 
 Eur. By Jupiter, 
 
 'Tis altogether fit. 
 Mne. Will it fit me? 
 
 Aga. In truth, most excellently. 
 Eur. Bring the mantle. 
 
 Aga. Take that from off the couch. 
 
 Eur. We want the sandals. 
 
 Aga. Here, take mine. 
 Mne. Will they fit me ? 
 
 Eur. Thou art pleas'd, then. 
 
 To be loose shod. 
 Aga. Assure yourself of this. 
 
 Since thou hast all of which thou art in need ; 
 
 Some one, without delay, conduct me in. [Exit. 
 
 Eur. Truly this man appears to us in form 280 
 
 A very woman ; if thou speakest then ^, 
 
 Let thy voice imitate, persuasively. 
 
 The female tones. 
 Mne. I will endeavour. 
 
 Eur. Go then. 
 
 Mne. Nay, by Apollo, not at least unless 
 
 You swear to me. 
 Eur. What ? 
 
 Mne. That you will preserve me, 
 
 With all your means, should any ill betide. 
 Eur. *' I swear by aether, the abode of Jove*." 
 Mne. Why, rather than that of Hippocrates? 
 
 ^ On this passage Seagcr remarks — " there should be no stop in this verse." 
 " We have at length transformed this man into a woman." 
 
 * ofivufii Toivov a'iOij)' o'lKijaiv Aioc see the Frogs, v. 100, where this high- 
 sounding line is again quoted by the Scholiast, as ik MtXavimnjg ^o(poK\eovg, 
 which we may, with Bergler conclude to be an error of the transcriber, for tK 
 M£\«)'i:r7r;/f Soi^/^t" under which title f^.uripidcs wrote a drama, of which we 
 have only twenty-eight short fragments remaining. Hippocrates, mentioned in the 
 next line, was a constant theme for the ridicule of the comic poets of tlie time, 
 especially Aristophanes and f^upolis, on account of the sordid and brutal disposi- 
 tion of his three sons, Tclefippus, Demophon, and Pericles. See the Schol. on v. 
 988. of the Clouds, where a verse of Eupolis, tv Aiii^wig, is quoted, in which the 
 same character of these youths is given.
 
 218 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS/E. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Eur. I swear, then, by the universal gods. 
 Mne. Remember this now, that the mind hath sworn, 290 
 But not the tongue ^ — nor have I pledg'd an oath. 
 
 A cry of ivomen is heard, the scene changes and a temple is 
 
 propelled. 
 
 Eur. Come quickly out — for there is evidence 
 
 Of meeting in the Thesmophoria. 
 
 But I depart. 
 Mne. Now, Thratta, follow hither. 
 
 O Thratta, see how high the smoke ascends 
 
 From the burnt torches ! But, O Thesmophorians, 
 
 Of charms excelling, with fair auspices 
 
 Receive me here, and prosper my return. 
 
 O Thratta, place the chest down, then take out 
 
 A broad round cake, that I may offer it 300 
 
 As an oblation to the goddesses. 
 
 Ceres, thou dear and ever-honour'd mistress, 
 
 And Proserpine, gi-ant me to offer still 
 
 Full many a sacrifice, or, if not so, 
 
 Let me at least be undiscover'd now. 
 
 And may some rich man gain my daughter's love ; 
 
 Some blockhead, with a mind intent on pelf^. 
 
 Where, where can I sit in a proper place 
 
 To hear the rhetoricians ? As for thee, 
 
 Retire, O Thratta, since 'tis not allow'd 310 
 
 That slaves should hear the speeches. 
 
 •> Alluding to the well-known casuistical line of Euripides (Hippol. 607.), i) 
 ■yXwatj' omofiox't V Si <PP^)v ch'oj^torof which is alluded to by our author in the 
 Frogs, and elsewhere. The stage direction after this speech is Itpbv ajOtlTai, sig- 
 nifying that the aspect of the scene is changed by the help of raachines to the 
 appearance of a temple. Reiske's interpretation of icpoi' (viclima), and Bergler's 
 proposed change of the word to ykpojv, are, as Brunck contends, equally absurd. 
 
 <= This is the interpretation of the French translator, " Un sot, un ridicule, et qui 
 ne pensera qu' a son argent."
 
 ^90-330.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. 249 
 
 ACT ir. SCENE I. 
 
 Female Herald, Chorus of Women, Mnesilochus, 
 seven Harangiiers. 
 
 E. H. Silence, silence''. 
 
 I. Pray to the Thesmophorian goddesses. 
 To Ceres, and the damsel Proserpine, 
 To Pluto, and the goddess fairly born. 
 And Earth, the nourisher of youth % and Hermes; 
 The Graces, too, I supplicate, to grant 
 The fairest and most excellent success. 
 Which may this synod and assembly tend, 
 And benefit our Athens with ourselves. 
 Pray ye, moreover, that success may crown 320 
 
 Her who most profitably acts and speaks 
 For the Athenian people and your own K 
 Be these the objects of your sup])lication. 
 Let us rejoice, and thrice shout lo Paean ! 
 
 Cho. Our vows agree with yours, and we entreat 
 The heavenly race to crown our orisons 
 With their auspicious presence. Jupiter, 
 Of mighty name, thou of the golden lyre. 
 Whose sway extends o'er Delos' sacred isle, 
 And thou all-potent maid with azure eyes, 330 
 
 And spear of gold, inhabiting a city 
 
 ^ This proclamation of the female herald (KrjpvKaivn) containing formula of 
 prayers observed in the assemblies of the people is, as G. Burges observes, free 
 from the laws of rhythm. 
 
 * Koi rtj KdXXiyfVfi^, 
 
 K(tt Tij Kovporpo(p({j, ry Vij. 
 Photius, in his Lexicon, says, that Apollodorus gave the name KuWiykvtia to the 
 earth — some called her the daughter of Jupiter and Ceres — but that Aristophanes, 
 the comic writer, gives this name to a muse, (^allimachus, in his hymn to Delos 
 (vv. 2, and '276'.), names that island 'A—oWotvor Konporpi'xpov^ Spanheim, in his 
 learned commentary on that passage, quotes Claudian and Statins, applying the 
 words Alujimus and Nutvii to the island. 
 
 f In this passage Ilotibius considers the words ti'iv t ayoptvoi'tTav as a mere 
 gloss, and as such to be expunged from the text ; and I cannot but think, that most 
 readers will concur in this opinion.
 
 250 THE TEHSMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 In warlike might excelling, hither come. 
 Thou, too, of various names, beast-slaying nymph, 
 The golden-eyed Latona's progeny. 
 Thou, too, O venerable Neptune, lord 
 Of ocean, leave the fishy depths of Nereus, 
 By whirlwinds toss'd, sea-nymphs, and ye whose feet 
 Upon the mountains wander — to our prayers 
 Symphonius may the golden lyre resound. 
 While we Athenian women, nobly born, o40 
 
 With perfect rites the solemn congress hold. 
 Her. Pray to th' Olympian gods and goddesses, 
 The deities of Pytho and of Delos, 
 With all the others ; that if any one 
 Counsel aught ill against the female race, 
 Or by a herald, to the women's cost. 
 Make with the Persians and Euripides 
 A league of amity ^, or meditate 
 To tyrannize, or bring the tyrant back ; 
 Or any slanderer should denounce a woman 350 
 
 As rearing a supposititious child. 
 Or if th' intriguing slave of any female 
 Hath whisper'd slanderous stories to her lord ; 
 Or should a servant, sent on messages, 
 Report them falsely, or if some lewd fellow 
 Cheat with fallacious promise, and not give 
 The stipulated fee, or some old woman 
 Bring gifts to her gallant, some courtezan 
 Take bribes, betraying her companion's friend ; 
 And if some male or female publican 360 
 
 Should falsify the gallon or pint measure''; 
 On such an one, with all his family, 
 
 ?> 'TTlKTjpVKtlKTai 
 
 'EupiviSy MiiSoig t 
 
 With the Medes or Persians our poet here mingles those subjects of which mention 
 was wont to be made in serious supplications to the gods. (See Isocrates in his 
 Panegyric.) Bergler. 
 
 h On this line the Scholiast observes that the xoi'g contained two xeslm, and the 
 XOtVQ six. The kotvXoq or kotvXi) was a cup or measure, holding three-fourths of 
 a pint, (see St. Mark, vii. 4.) Trorijpiwv Kal itaTojv.
 
 340—890.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. 251 
 
 Invoke a dreadful death, but to yourselves, 
 Pray that the gods may give abundant blessings. 
 
 Chorus. 
 
 We offer our united prayer, 
 
 That blessings, perfect in their kind, 
 The city with her sons may share. 
 And let the fairest portion reach 
 Those women whose persuasive speech 
 
 Subdues the willing mind. 370 
 
 But they, who frame the gainful lie, 
 And lawless noxious perjury. 
 Or seek to change, with headlong force. 
 Decrees and law's established course. 
 With fraudulent intent disclose 
 Each secret counsel to our foes. 
 Or introduce the Persian band 
 For the destruction of our land. 
 Their deeds with impious boldness crown 
 To the dishonour of the town. 380 
 
 But oh ! these prayers, almighty Jove, 
 Deign with thy sanction to approve ; 
 And let thy female suppliants share 
 The deities' presiding care. 
 Her. Hear all— this woman's council have decreed — 
 President Timoclea, clerk Lysilla, 
 While Sostrata deliver'd the opinion \ 
 " To-morrow an assembly will be held. 
 The middle of the Thesmophorian feasts, 
 On which we have most leisure ^ ; our first business 
 
 ' This, as Kuster observes, was the ordinary formula or accustomed introduction 
 to the plebiscita or public decrees of the Athenian people. He quotes an exainple 
 from Thucydides (iv. IIB.), which I think Bloomfield justly considers to be pa- 
 rodied by our poet, ' AK(ifiavTi£ tTrpvrdvivt, <l^atrnnroc iyfja^tfianvrrt, Ni(cja^>/c 
 iTrearaTH' which however that great scholar cites erroneously thus, (paiviinroi: 
 typanfiuTivat, SiKciC^i/c liriaTctrti, Aox'jc f'Trf. The application of this introduc- 
 tory formula to the three female legislators in this passage is extremely humorous. 
 
 •t The third day of this solemn assembly was consecrated by a fast, and called 
 vijOTtia, as Brunck and Person have observed from Athen;rus in his seventh book. 
 The former learned critic has hnppily emended the second of these lines, which in
 
 252 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act ii. Sc. r. 
 
 Is to debate on what Euripides 391 
 
 Should suffer, for he seems to all of us 
 To act unjustly" — who's inclin'd to speak? 
 
 WOM.I. 
 
 Her. Put this crown on now, ere you begin ^ 
 Silence, attention — for as if about 
 To talk at length, she now begins to cough, 
 As do the orators. 
 
 W. 1. From no ambition. 
 
 By the two goddesses I swear, O women, 
 
 Have I risen up to speak— but this long time, 
 
 Wretch that I am, scarce can I bear to see you, 400 
 
 Thus by the female potherb-seller's son, 
 
 Euripides, daub'd o'er with calumny, 
 
 And hearing all kinds of opprobrious words. 
 
 For with what evils has he not besmear'd us ? 
 
 What opportunity of slander miss'd. 
 
 How small soe'er the number of spectators, 
 
 The tragic and the choral actors few ; 
 
 Dissemblers and men-hunters calling us, 
 
 Wine-bibbing, treacherous gossips, good for nought 
 
 A mighty plague to men — so entering home, 410 
 
 Straight from the boarded theatre, they look 
 
 With a considerate gaze at us, to know 
 
 Lest some loose fellow be conceal'd within. 
 
 But we no longer had the power to act 
 
 As heretofore — so many evil notions 
 
 the Junta and old editions stood thus, >) v u\i(t9' I'lfui' trxoX^, and in that of Kuster, 
 11V aXtf. ff^Q' ')a''v <^XO^''i' inipb''"o ^ doubt which the herald could by no means 
 be supposed to entertain : instead of this corrupt reading, Brunck has restored from 
 a manuscript rj ixaXiffO' T)[iiv crxoX?';, quo die inprimis otio abundumiis, i. e. on the 
 third day of the feast. 
 
 ' TTtpiOov %>vv TovSf i. e. cTTtcpavov ; according to the custom of ancient orators 
 in the assembly Tovde is said duKTiicwc. 
 
 ™ Tag jivxoTpoTTovQ, rug di'Spspaarpiag KciXiov, 
 rag olvoTTOTidag- 
 
 Suidas (adverb. olvoTriTrag) reads yuotxorpoTTOt'c, adttlteriiiis moribus prtcditas, 
 which was in all probability the word used by Aristophanes— v and oi are fre- 
 quently confounded in manuscripts, as in v. 501, where instead of rbv /xoixoV) 
 a MS. has rb)' \xvxov. 
 
 m
 
 400—440.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. 253 
 
 They taught our husbands — thus, should any woman 
 
 A chaplet weave, he thinks that she's in love ; 
 
 And should a woman, wandering through the house. 
 
 Drop any utensil, the husband asks, 
 
 " For whom was this dish broken ? It must be 420 
 
 For the Corinthian guest"." Is any maid 
 
 Labouring with sickness, straight her brother says — 
 
 " This colour of the damsel's likes me not." 
 
 Moreover, should a woman, lacking children. 
 
 Desire to have supposititious offspring. 
 
 This cannot be conceal'd — for men sit near. 
 
 Besides, to th' aged he calumniates us. 
 
 Who heretofore were wont to marry girls ; 
 
 So that none now desires a woman-bride. 
 
 This dictum intervening — "for a woman 430 
 
 Is to an ancient bridegroom a she-tyrant °." 
 
 Then 'tis through him that they place seals and bars 
 
 Upon the women's chamber doors to guard vis. 
 
 And breed Molossian dogs, the gallants' terror. 
 
 All this might be forgiven — but what ere now 
 
 Belong'd to our administrative province. 
 
 Out of the store to take flour, oil, and wine. 
 
 This is no longer ours : for now the men 
 
 Themselves bear secret most ill-natur'd keys. 
 
 Made in Laconian fashion, with three wards p. 440 
 
 " These lines contain a satirical allusion to the Sthenoboca of Euripides, who 
 loved tlie Corinthian Bellcrophon, (Fragment iv. ap. Musgr.) 
 
 aXK' evGiig avS^ r(^ Kopiv9i<i> K^v({). 
 ° Aristophanes here alludes in his satirical manner to the Phoenix of Euripides 
 (Frag, iv.) as emended by Musgrave: 
 
 otfTTTon'rt yap yepovTi rvfKpuii yvin], 
 see also Frag. v. The mention of seals in the next line shows with what jealous 
 care the gynaconkh, or womens' apartments, placed in the interior part of the 
 Athenian houses, was guarded by the ancients. Bergler with great probability 
 imagines that our poet here glances at the Andromache of Euripides (v. 942.) 
 
 (cXfi0poiff( Kcil iioy\o1ai ^wfidrutv TrvXag. 
 P XaKiov'iK cirru, rptXg txovra yo^iipiovc. Lacedaimonian keys are also men- 
 tioned by Plautus (JNIostel. ii. 1. 57.) They appear to have opened outwards, and 
 are also mentioned by Menander, {iv Mt(Toi'/zej'<^), and INIanilius in his astrono-
 
 254 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Of old it had been possible for us 
 
 With a seal ring that cost three oboli, 
 
 At least to keep the door a little open. 
 
 But now this home-born slave, Euripides, 
 
 Hath taught them how to bear worm-eaten seals 
 
 Suspended'' — now then it seems right to me 
 
 To hatch up for this man a deadly mischief, 
 
 Either by poison or some artifice, 
 
 That he may perish — this I plainly say — 
 
 The rest I with the clerk will register ^ 450 
 
 Cho. I never yet heard a more subtle woman. 
 
 Nor one who speaks with weightier eloquence ; 
 For all she says is just — she hath search'd out 
 All forms, and ponder'd all things in her mind, 
 And prudently discover'd various reasons, 
 Excogitated well — so that I think. 
 Should Xenocles the son of Carcinus 
 Speak near her*, he would seem to all of you 
 To say nought to the purpose. 
 
 W. 2. For the sake 
 
 Of saying a few words I too have come. 460 
 
 She hath well brought the other accusations. 
 
 But my own sufferings I would fain declare. 
 
 My father died in Cyprus, having left 
 
 Five little children, whom with pains I nurtured 
 
 By weaving chaplets in the myrtle forum*. 
 
 mical poem (lib. i.) On the following declaration of fraud perpetrated by means 
 of a seal ring, Brunck supposes an allusion to a drama of Euripides not now 
 extant. 
 
 '' sdica^i Qp'nrr]Si(TT 'ixn-v ff^payiSia. It appears from Hesychius and Photius, 
 as well as the Scholiast, that the ancients made use of worm-eaten pieces of wood 
 instead of seals, and the former of these lexicographers asserts that Hercules was 
 the first who adopted this practice. 
 
 ■■ fierd Trjg ypafificiTtwg avyypu-^oixui. On this line Brunck observes — Comi- 
 cum hoc est et facetum. Sic alibi, in serio, immo tragico sermone, substantiva 
 masculina foeminis tribuuntur. Helena, in cognomine Eurip. dramate 288, 
 
 fii'irijp c' oXwXe, Kcil ^oi'ivQ aurijc ijw. 
 
 » According to the Scholiast, Xenocles is here mentioned on account of the skill 
 with which he painted in his dramas a variety of female wiles and stratagems. 
 ' iv rdig raQ iivppivaig. This substantive, like xirpat and \dxavai in the
 
 450—490.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. 255 
 
 So long, but hardly^ I sustain'd myself. 
 
 And now this poet in his tragedies 
 
 "Would fain persuade men that there are no gods ", 
 
 So that we traffic not so much by half. 
 
 Now therefore I exhort and charge you all 470 
 
 For many reasons to chastise this man, 
 
 Since he treats us, O woman, savagely, 
 
 Like one whose nurture is deriv'd from potherbs. 
 
 But to the forum I must go, and weave, 
 
 By certain men bespoken, twenty chaplets ". [Exit. 
 
 Cho. This other manifests a turn of mind 
 
 More ornamented than the former was, 
 
 Uttering her maxims not unseasonable, 
 
 Possess'd of thoughts and genius versatile. 
 
 Not such as are incomprehensible, 480 
 
 But all persuasive : for this violence 
 
 The man should clearly give us retribution. 
 
 Mne. It is no cause for wonder, O ye women, 
 That having heard these evil accusations. 
 Your rage should greatly rise, your bile o'erflow ; 
 For I myself, so may my children prosper. 
 While in my right mind shall detest this man. 
 Yet to each other must we give our reasons, 
 For we are by ourselves, nor will our words 
 Be carried out. Why should we thus accuse him, 490 
 And think it hard if, conscious to our faults. 
 Two or three peccadilloes he declare, 
 When guilty of ten thousand we have been ? 
 For not to speak of others, I myself 
 Am conscious of full many a dire oflence ; 
 
 Lysistrata, (v. 557.), denotes ihe forum or market in which such commodities 
 were sold, and not the commodities themselves. 
 
 " la this line, accusing Euripides of direct impiety, Aristophanes seems to 
 glance at the Bellerophon of Euripides, (Frag. xix. xxv.), and Sisyphus, (Fr. ii.) 
 It may be imagined that in these and similar passages he intended to aim a sly 
 blow at Socrates, making Euripides the stalking-horse behind which to direct his 
 arrows. 
 
 * (Tre(pdvovs avvOtjuariaiovQ. This adjective, which bears an archaic cha- 
 racter, is quoted by Athenajus and J. Pollux, from this passage of Aristophanes. 
 The Scholiast says, ovg vfitTc avi'iK^ortKovg Xiyofiei'.
 
 S56 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 But the most heinous, when a three days' bride, 
 
 And near me slept my husband — but I had 
 
 A lover who when seven years old seduc'd me. 
 
 He at the door came scratching for my love, 
 
 I knew the signal, and descended straight? 500 
 
 My husband asks me, " Whither go'st thou down." 
 
 ** Whither ! a griping pain, O friend, torments me; 
 
 I therefore must to the lay-stall." "Go now." 
 
 Then rubb'd he cedar-kernels, dill and sage. 
 
 And I, with water sprinkled o'er the hinge, 
 
 Went out to my gallant — * * 
 
 ***** 
 
 These crimes, you see, ne'er hath Euripides 
 
 Reproach'd us with ; nor tells he how, by slaves 
 
 And muleteers, if there be none beside, 510 
 
 We are subdu'd ; nor having spent the night 
 
 With any lover, how at dawn we chew 
 
 Garlick, lest sti'aight returning from the watch, 
 
 Our husband should suspect us of some harm. 
 
 These things, you see, he nowhere has related; 
 
 And what is it to us, if berate Phaedra? 
 
 He never told how, showing to her husband 
 
 A robe that glitter'd in the solar beam, 
 
 She sent away tli' adulterer wrapt therein. 
 
 I knew another woman, who declar'd 520 
 
 That for ten days she suffer'd throes of labour. 
 
 Until she bought a child : meanwhile her husband 
 
 Went all about the town to purchase drugs 
 
 That might procure a quick deliverance; 
 
 While the old woman in an earthen jar 
 
 Convey'd the child, his mouth stopp'd up with honey. 
 
 Lest he should cry ; then soon as she who brought it 
 
 Nodded, she presently exclaims " Depart, 
 
 Depart, my husband, for I think myself 
 
 About to be deliver'd :" then the child 530 
 
 Struck with his heel the bottom of the jar. 
 
 At this he ran rejoicing — while she drew 
 
 From the child's mouth the stoppage, who cried out. 
 
 Then the detestable old hag who bore him,
 
 500—560.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. 257 
 
 Runs smiling to the luisband, and exclaims, 
 " A lion has been born to you, a Hon, 
 Your very model" * * * * * 
 
 Practise we not these crimes? Yes, by Diana, 
 
 And are we angry with Euripides, 540 
 
 Who suffer nothing more than we have done? 
 
 Cho. In truth 'tis wondrous whence hath been found out 
 This thing — what land so bold a woman nurtur'd. 
 For I could not have thought that any female 
 Should dare to utter in this shameless manner 
 Among us openly such things as these. 
 But all may now be done — I praise the wisdom 
 Of that old proverb — " Under every stone 
 'Tis right to peep, lest in some secret corner 
 Ready to bite you, lurk an orator y." 550 
 
 But there is nothing more deprav'd than women 
 Who have cast off all native modesty. 
 
 W. 3. Nay, by Aglauros ^, you are not, O women, 
 
 In your right minds ; but either you're enchanted. 
 
 Or have endur'd some other mighty evil, 
 
 Suffering this plague thus to revile us all. 
 
 If there be any one then — and if not, 
 
 Ourselves and servants, seizing some chance ashes, 
 
 Will pluck her hair off, that she may be taught 
 
 Not to speak evil of her sex hereafter. 5G0 
 
 Mne. Denude me not, O women, of my hair ; 
 For if, when there is freedom of debate, 
 And female citizens have power to speak, 
 I said in favour of Euripides 
 Whate'er my knowledge prompted to be just, 
 Is't for this cause that from your hands I must 
 
 y This is an allusion to an old proverbial scolion, inserted by Brunck in his 
 edition of Anacreon. The chorus add to the comic humour of the passage by 
 using the word pt'inop instead of aKopTrioc. 
 
 ^ She was one of the daughters of Cecrops, by whom, as well as by her sister 
 Pandrosus, the Atiicnian women were accustomed to make their adjurations. The 
 name of the latter is sometimes given to Minerva, and the former is often con- 
 founded with Agraule, the wife of Cecrops. Tlieir tliird daughter was named 
 Herse. (See Ovid, INIet. ii. 777.) 
 
 VOL. H. ' S
 
 258 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 With hail- pluck'd off now suffer punishment? 
 W. 3. And should'st thou not be punish'd, who alone 
 
 Hast dar'd to speak in favour of a man 
 
 Who hath committed many wrongs against us, 570 
 
 Discovering, of set purpose, arguments 
 
 From wicked women, Melanippe, Phaedra*; 
 
 But a Penelope he never drew, 
 
 Because she seem'd to be a modest woman. 
 Mne. And well I know the cause, for you would say. 
 
 Of present women, that there might be one 
 
 Penelope, but a M'hole race of Phsedras. 
 W. 3. Hear ye, O women, what this crafty dame 
 
 Again hath spoken of us all ? 
 Mne. And yet, 
 
 By Jupiter, I've not said what I know. 580 
 
 Will you that I tell more ? 
 W. 3. Nay, that thou canst not. 
 
 For thou hast pour'd out what thou know'st already. 
 Mne. By Jupiter, not the ten-thousandth part 
 
 Of what we do — for he has not, you see, 
 
 Declar'd how, taking golden leaves for tubes. 
 
 We draw the wine as through a siphon out''. 
 W. 3. A plague upon you ! 
 Mne. And when we have given 
 
 From the Apaturia meat to our gallants *^, 
 
 3 See the Fi-ogs, v. 1040, where ^schylus brings the same accusation against 
 Euripides, 
 
 aW ov fid At', ov 4>rti(^paie Eiroiovv, iropvag, 
 ovSk 'E9tvo[ioiug. 
 
 ^ tjg (TrXeyyiSag XajSoi/ffat 
 
 iTTeira aKpiavi^ojiiv rbv oivov. 
 This passage has greatly embarrassed the commentators, chiefly on account of the 
 ambiguous signification of the word arXtyyiQ, which denotes either a currycomb 
 or a spangle in the shape of a gold leaf, which the women were accused of forming 
 into a tube for the purpose of drawing out the v/ine from their husbands' casks, as 
 through a reed. (See Brunck's note.) Another source of error was the old reading 
 (TiTov instead of olvov. Invernizius remarks on this line tov airov, ' libri omues, 
 manifesto errore !' 
 
 "= The first day of the Apaturian feast was called ^opiria, because suppers 
 (^opTTOt) were given to each separate tribe. This festival was celebrated in the 
 month Pyanepsion, answering to our October. 
 
 I
 
 570—610.] THE THESIVrOPHORIAZUS^. 259 
 
 We then say 'tis the cat. 
 W. 3. Ah wretched me, 
 
 Thou triflest ! 
 Mne. Nor have I said how a woman 590 
 
 Her husband with an axe sti'uck down **, nor how 
 
 Another drove her husband mad with philtres, 
 
 Nor how she once o'erwhelm'd him in a bathe 
 W. 3. A plague confound you ! 
 Mne. How th' Acharnian maid 
 
 Her father* — 
 W. 3. Can we bear to hear all this ? 
 Mne. Nor as thou who, when thy slave bore a male, 
 
 Broughtest it up for thine own self, and gav'st 
 
 To her thy little daughter in its room. 
 W. 3. Nay, by the goddesses, you shall not speak 600 
 
 Thus with impunity. But I will pluck 
 
 Thy fleecy locks out. 
 Mne. Nay, by Jove, thou ne'er 
 
 Shalt touch me. 
 W.3. Well, then, see. 
 
 Mne. And See again. 
 
 W. 3. Philista, take my robe. 
 Mne. Place but a finger, 
 
 And, by Diana, thee I will — 
 W. 3. Do what ? 
 
 Mne. This cake of sesame which thou devouredst 
 
 ril make thee void. 
 Cho. Cease your upbraidings, for 
 
 A certain woman runs to us in haste : 
 
 Then, ere she come up with us, keep ye silence. 
 
 That we may hear in order what she says. 
 Clis. Dear women, kin to me in disposition, 610 
 
 My cheeks show clearly that I'm dear to you. 
 
 For I'm possess'd with a mad love of women, 
 
 •• Horace seems to have had this passage in his mind (Sat. i. i. 99.) 
 
 " at hunc liberta securi 
 
 Divislt medium fortissima Tyndariarum." 
 
 e Acharnae was a large village of Attica, described by Thucydides, (b. ii. c. 19.), 
 who calls it xwpov /tlyiorov, on wfiich passage see Bloomfield's note. 
 
 s 2
 
 2G0 THE THESMOPHORTAZUSyE. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 And always your defender — having now 
 
 Heard an important thing respecting you, 
 
 Canvass'd at market a short time ago, 
 
 I come to give you this intelhgence, 
 
 That ye may watch and guard against it, lest 
 
 Some dire and great calamity should fall 
 
 On you, unguarded as ye are. 
 Cho. O boy, 
 
 What means this? For a boy 'tis fit to call you, 620 
 
 As long as you bear cheeks unrazor'd thus. 
 Clis. 'Tis said Euripides has hither sent 
 
 One of his aged relatives to-day. 
 Cho. What object to attain? with what design? 
 Clis. That what you plan and are about to do, 
 
 This man may be a spy of your discourse. 
 Cho. And how with women could his manly sex 
 
 Pass unobserv'd ? 
 Clis. Euripides sing'd off 
 
 And rooted out his hair — arraying him 
 
 In all particulars beside like women. 630 
 
 Mne. Trust ye to him in this ? What man so foolish. 
 
 As to permit his hair to be pluck'd out ? 
 
 None, as I think, much-honour'd deities. 
 Clis. Thou triflest— for I ne'er had come to tell this, 
 
 But that I heard it from those well inform'd. 
 Cho. a dreadful deed this which is now related ; 
 
 But, O ye women, 'tis not right to loiter: 
 
 We must endeavour to seek out the man. 
 
 Who in his private seat eludes our search. 
 
 Thou, too, assist us in discovering him, 640 
 
 That thou may'st have our double thanks, O friend. 
 Clis. Come, let me see — who art thou there the first? 
 Mne. Where shall one turn? 
 
 Clis. You are to be search'd out. 
 
 Mne. Ill-fated me ! — 
 
 W. 4. Ask ye me who I am? 
 
 Clis. Yes. 
 
 W. 4. I'm the consort of Cleonymus. 
 
 Clis. [to the Chorus.] Know you this woman ?
 
 620—660.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUSyE. 261 
 
 Cho. Well indeed we know her. 
 
 Now view the others. 
 Clis. Who is this, that holds 
 
 The infant ? 
 W. 4. She's my nurse, by Jupiter. 
 
 Mne. I'm utterly undone ! 
 Clis. Whither art turning ? 
 
 Remain here. — What's the matter ? 
 Mne. Suffer me 650 
 
 To ease myself. 
 Clis. Thou art a shameless jade. 
 
 Begone and do't, while I continue here. 
 Cho. Remain then, and regard her carefully, 
 
 For her alone, O friend, we do not know. 
 
 Thou'rt a long time about it. 
 Mne. Ah ! by Jove, 
 
 I'm troubled with a wretched strangury, 
 
 For yesterday I some nasturtiums eat. 
 Clis. What prat'st thou of nasturtiums *^? wilt thou not 
 
 Come hither to me ? 
 Mne. Feeble as I am, 
 
 Why drag me thus ? 
 Clis. Tell me, who is thy husband ? 
 
 Mne. Enquir'st thou for my husband? knowest thou 661 
 
 A certain townsman of Cothocidai s ? 
 Clis. A certain one? who? is it he that once — 
 Mne. The certain son of somebody. 
 Clis. Thou triflest, 
 
 As it appears to me — hast thou come hither 
 
 Ere this ? 
 Mne. Ay, every year, by Jupiter. 
 
 Clis. And who's thy fellow-lodger ? 
 Mne. Mine ? a certain — 
 
 Ah ! wretched me ! 
 
 f Ti icap^ajut^fif ; tliis verb is formed, according to the manner of Aristophanes, 
 from KapSafxa, which terminates the preceding line. Compare the Wasps, (v. 652.) 
 TTavtrai, kci'i ftt) irarepiZe. — (Bergler.) 
 
 e The Cothocidai were, according to the Scholiast, a burgh of the tribe JExie'iM, 
 to which belonjred the orator i^2schine».
 
 262 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSyE. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Clis. Thou sayest nought. 
 
 W. 5. Depart, 
 
 For I'll examine her in proper style 
 
 Touching the sacrifices of last year. 6<0 
 
 Depart thou from me [to Clisthenes] since thou 
 may'st not listen, 
 
 Being a man. Now tell me which of all 
 
 The sacred rites was first laid open to us? 
 Mne. Let's see, what was the first? what first? we drank — 
 W. 5. And what was next to this ? 
 
 Mne. We drank to healths. 
 
 W. 5. This thou hast heard from some one— what was third ? 
 Mne. Xenylla ask'd a cup, since there was not 
 
 A chamber utensil. 
 W. 5. Thou talk'st of nothing. 
 
 Come hither, hither come, O Clisthenes, 
 
 This is the man of whom thou makest mention. 680 
 Clis. What shall I do then? 
 W. 5. Strip him, for he speaks 
 
 Nothing that's sound. 
 Mne. And will you then disrobe 
 
 A mother of nine children ? 
 Clis. O thou man 
 
 Lost to all shame, quickly unloose thy girdle. 
 W. 5. How firm and confident a mien she has ! 
 
 Nor any breasts like us, by Jupiter. 
 Mne. 'Tis that I'm barren, nor have e'er been pregnant. 
 W. 5. Is this the story now ? but then thou wert 
 
 A mother of nine children. 
 Clis. 
 
 »****- 690 
 
 * * 
 
 * * 
 
 W. 5. O the polluted wretch ! he brought against us 
 
 These slanders in Euripides' defence. 
 Mne. Ill-fated me, in what affairs have I 
 
 Involv'd myself! 
 
 
 Stand upright 
 
 Mt 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 * * 
 
 * 
 
 * *
 
 670—780.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. 263 
 
 W. 5. Come now, what must we do? 
 
 Clis. Guard this man well, lest suddenly departing 
 
 He flee away — but to the Prytanes 700 
 
 Will I relate th' affair. [Exit. 
 
 Clio. It then behoves us 
 
 To light our lamps, and well and manfully 
 Girding ourselves, to dofi^'our cloaks, and seek 
 If any other man hath enter'd here, 
 Running around the Pnyx's whole extent, 
 And searching through the tents and avenues ''. 
 
 S.-C. First, then, 'tis right to move a nimble foot, 
 And send our view in silence on all sides. 
 Only we must not dally, since for trifling 
 There is no longer time — but it behoves us 710 
 
 To run as swiftly round as possible- 
 Come quickly now, investigate and search 
 In all directions, whether lying still 
 Some other man have not escap'd our notice. 
 Cast on all sides your eye, this way and that, 
 Examine carefully, lest any one 
 Who works iniquity our search elude ; 
 He shall be punish'd, and moreover be 
 To all the rest of mortals an example 
 Of insult, deeds unjust, and impious manners. 720 
 
 He shall pronounce that cleai'ly there are gods, 
 And show to all men how the deities 
 Are to be reverenc'd, that such as follow 
 Justice, and meditate on law divine, 
 Act in a proper way — and if they fail 
 To do this, such will be the consequence. 
 Should any one in an unholy act 
 Be taken, burning in his angry mood, 
 And madly raging, if he aught commit, 
 
 '' From this passage may be inferred the very great extent of the Pnyx (or Pynx) 
 Trapa to TrvKvovaOcn rovf oxXoi^C. (Schol.), who further informs us that the 
 scene was in this play occupied by tents for the reception of the female assembly. 
 Scaliger proposes to read trvKvu vaaav instead of irvvKa, which is the reading of 
 Bekker and Invernizius, who interprets the tents and bii-icays of the whole city. 
 'I'he oblicjue cases of Tii'v'i are either jri'Kvof or TTVKi'ix;, Trvt'Ki or nvKvi. ( Ivuster.)
 
 264 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS/E. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 To men and women all 'tis clear to view, 730 
 
 That God with speedy vengeance will repay 
 
 Th' unholy violation of his laws. 
 
 But it appears to us that all has been 
 
 Examin'd carefully — at least we see 
 
 No other man who sits conceal'd. 
 
 W.6. Ah! Ah! 
 
 Whither art flying? wilt thou not remain? 
 O, wretched, wretched me ! he's snatch'd away 
 My infant from the breast, and vanish'd with it. 
 
 Mne. Cry as thou wilt — but never shalt thou feed 
 
 This child with cakes, if you dismiss me not. 740 
 
 But here, struck with this sword upon the thighs', 
 Its veins shall dye the altar with their blood. 
 
 W. 6. O wretched me ! will you not help, ye women ! 
 And with prodigious clamour rear a trophy? 
 But will you suffer me to be depriv'd 
 Of this my only son ? 
 
 Cho. Ah, ah ! O band 
 
 Of venerable fates, what novel portent 
 Do I behold ? for these are all the deeds 
 Of shameless daring — what an act, O friends, 
 Is this which he again has perpetrated ? 750 
 
 How shall I your extreme self-will subdue? 
 
 Cho. Are not these direful deeds, and past expression? 
 
 W. 6. Direful indeed, that he has snatch'd away 
 My infant ! 
 
 Cho. What then can one say to this. 
 
 That acting thus he manifests no shame? 
 
 Mne. Not yet will I desist ! 
 
 W. 6. But thou wilt not 
 
 Come back to that point whence thou hast departed, 
 And in requital of thine impious deed, 
 
 ■ aXX' tv9aS', tni twv [lypitov 
 
 irXijyiv fiaxaipg, rySe (poiviaQ (pXsfiag 
 
 KadaifiaTuaei jSiofioi'. 
 
 Kuster here remarks with great probability that these lines doubtless belong to 
 some tragic poet, as the style sufficiently indicates, being more adapted to the 
 buskin than the sock.
 
 730—790.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. 265 
 
 Thou shalt not boast to have escap'd, but bear 
 The evil recompense. 
 
 Mne. Let not this happen 7G0 
 
 By any means! I ward it off with prayers. 
 
 W. G. And which of the immortal gods will come 
 As your ally with these unholy deeds ? 
 
 Mne. You speak in vain, I will not let her go. 
 
 Cho. But you shall not, by the two goddesses, 
 Still with impunity insult, and speak 
 Unholy words : since with ungodly deeds 
 We will repay thee for them, as 'tis just. 
 But haply to another kind of ill 
 
 Changing, some fortune may restrain thy course. 770 
 But thou must bear these with thee, and some wood, 
 To fire with all despatch this impious man. 
 
 W. 6. O Mania, let us go and search for vine-twiffs. 
 That I may show thee half-consum'd to-day, 
 
 Mne. Set fire and burn — do thou the Cretan robe 
 Quickly put off— and for thy death, O child, 
 No other woman than thy mother blame. 
 But what is this ? the damsel is become 
 A full wine-cask, tho' wearing Persian shoes. 
 
 most bold women, O most given to drink, 780 
 And ye who by all means contrive to fill 
 
 Your sottish appetites ! O ye who are 
 
 A mighty gain to vintners, but our ruin ; 
 
 The plague too of our furniture and woof. 
 W. 6. Heap on, O Mania, store of twigs. 
 Mne. Yes, heap them. 
 
 But answer me this question — Dost thou say 
 
 That thou hast borne this infant? 
 W. 6. Ten full months 
 
 1 bare him. 
 
 Mne. Thou? 
 
 W. 6. I swear it, by Diana. 
 
 Mne. Holding three cotylae, or how much? tell me. 
 
 W. 6. What hast thou done to me ? O shameless man, 790 
 
 Thou hast undrcss'd my little infant! 
 Mne. Little?
 
 266 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 W. 6. Tiny, by Jupiter. 
 
 Mne. How many years 
 
 Since it was born? Three or four wine libations'"? 
 W. 6. Almost so, and as much time as hath pass'cl 
 
 From the late Dionysiac festival ; 
 
 But give it back. 
 Mne. Not this one, by Apollo. 
 
 W. 6, Then will we burn thee. 
 Mne. Burn me if you will, 
 
 But instantly this woman shall be slain. 
 W. G. Not so, I supplicate thee, but on me 
 
 Perform thy pleasure, rather than on him. 800 
 
 Mne. Thou art by nature fond of progeny, 
 
 Yet not the less this infant shall be slain. 
 W. G. Alas, my child ! give me the basin, Mania, 
 
 That I at least may gather up his blood. 
 Mne. Place it beneath — so far I'll gratify you. 
 W. 6. An evil end await thee ! as thou art 
 
 Replete with envy and malevolence. 
 Mne. This is the skin belonging to the priestess. 
 W. 6. Which is the priestess' property ? 
 Mne. Take this. 
 
 W. 7. Most wretched Mica! say who hath bereav'd 810 
 
 And taken from thee thy beloved child ? 
 W. 7. This daring wretch, but since he's present there. 
 
 Guard him, that having taken Clisthenes 
 
 Before the Prytanes, I may declare 
 
 What he hath done. 
 Mne. Come now, what safe contrivance 
 
 Will be discover'd? what experiment, 
 
 What machination ? for the guilty man, 
 
 He who in all this trouble hath involv'd me, 
 
 '' Tptig xo«£ V TtrrapaQ. This is au allusion to the feast of cups, of whicli 
 such frequent mention is made in the Acharnians. This was celebrated on the 
 second day of the Lenaean feasts, the second of the month Anthesterion. The 
 feast was held every year, and therefore Mnesilochus, wishing to know the age of 
 the infant, facetiously enquires how many Cho<B have elapsed since its birth. It is 
 not improbable that the Athenians marked the age of their wine by the number of 
 liberalia or feasts of Bacchus, as the Romans distinguished theirs by the name of 
 the consul. (Hor. Od. iii. 21.1; 28. 7, 8.)
 
 800—840.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS.E. 267 
 
 Nowhere appears. Come, then, what messenger 
 
 Can I despatch for him ? I know a trick 820 
 
 Of Palamedes' sort ' — hke him Til write 
 
 On oars, and throw them from me — but no oars 
 
 Are here — whence then shall I procure them? whence? 
 
 But what if I should cast these statues down, 
 
 And write on them instead? 'Twere better far. 
 
 These also are of wood, and those were wood. 
 
 O now my hands, your aid I ask 
 
 To work a salutary task. 
 
 Ye tablets of the polish'd pine, 
 
 Receive the graver's furrow'd line ; 830 
 
 Heralds of my laborious woe ; 
 
 (Ah me, this execrable Rho ! 
 
 Thro' what meandering course it strays !) 
 Haste, for 'tis needed, through the various ways. [Exit. 
 
 Chorus {Anapaestic). 
 
 To the spectators having turn'd, let's speak 
 
 Well of ourselves — for of the female tribe 
 
 Speaks every one in terms of high reproach, 
 
 That we're an universal plague to men. 
 
 And that from us spring all calamities, 
 
 Contention, strife, sedition, hard grief, war ; 840 
 
 But come now, wherefore do you marry us, 
 
 If we are truly evil? and forbid 
 
 That any one of us should issue forth. 
 
 And be surprised while from the window leaning ? 
 
 But seek ^ou with such care to guard a plague ? 
 
 Then if perchance the woman issue forth. 
 
 And you detect her anywhere from home, 
 
 ' oW lyU) Kai oi) iropov 
 
 Ik tov UaXafiiiSovc. 
 
 This passage, accoiding to the Scholiast, alludes to Euripides' tragedy of Pala- 
 medes, in which his mother Oax is made to describe his death upon the oars of the 
 vessel, in order that they when borne to Xauphlius may announce the tidings of 
 his son's dissolution. In like manner Mnesiiochus is represented as sacrilegiously 
 employing the statues of the gods to convey to Kuripides information of his perilous 
 condition, and to claim his aid promised at v. "270 ; and casts them away, saying, 
 cnrfXOtre, (xrifiavari Kvptnicy.
 
 268 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. [Act ii. Sc. i. 
 
 Ye rage with madness, ye, who rather should 
 
 Ofler hbations to the gods with joy, 
 
 If truly you have found the mischief vanish'd, 850 
 
 Nor any longer have it in the house. 
 
 And if fatigu'd with play we fall asleep 
 
 In other mansions, every one seeks out 
 
 This evil, rambling up and down the beds. 
 
 And if we thrust our head out at the window, 
 
 Desires to look upon the plague — and if, 
 
 Urg'd back by modest feelings, she retreat, 
 
 So much the more each wishes to behold 
 
 The shrinking plague — thus are we manifestly 
 
 By much your betters, as on trial made 860 
 
 Will presently appear : let us then try 
 
 Which are the worst ; we say 'tis you, and ye 
 
 Retort on us ; let us consider then. 
 
 And place each rival name in opposition. 
 
 Of man and woman — how Charminus is 
 
 Worse than Nausimache ™— his deeds are plain — 
 
 And Cleophon in all respects inferior 
 
 To Salabaccho — for a length of time 
 
 No one of you would undertake to vie 
 
 With Aristomache ", that Marathonian ; 870 
 
 No one in fight contend with Stratonice ; 
 
 But of the bygone year what counsellor, 
 
 Who has resigned his office to another, 
 
 Is better than Eubula°? He will not 
 
 "' It appears from Thucydides (book viii.) that Charminus the Athenian gene- 
 ral, in the twentieth year of the Peloponnesian war, lost three triremes in a naval 
 combat against Astyochus the Lacedaemonian, near the island of Rhodes. Nau- 
 simache and Salabaccho were celebrated courtezans, and Cleophon was a maker 
 of lyres, whom our poet satirizes on account of his effeminacy. 
 
 " Bergler remarks that this is not the name of a woman, but a word compounded 
 o( apicFTT] fiaxr], and meant to designate the most illustrious battle of Marathon, 
 in which the Athenians conquered a most numerous army of Persians under Da- 
 rius. Stratonice in the next line is also a figurative appellation for some victory 
 obtained by the Athenian forces. 
 
 ° This is also, as the Scholiast says, a feigned appellative ; who likewise re- 
 marks that the meaning of this whole speech is not very clear, any more than a 
 passage in the Hyperbolus of Plato, in which the words j3ov\evtiv and fSovXevTolc 
 occur. On this line Palmer observes that Thucydides, in the beginning of his
 
 850—900.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS.^. 269 
 
 Himself affirm it — thus we boast ourselves 
 
 To be by far superior to mankind : 
 
 Nor would a woman after she has stolen 
 
 Near fifty talents from the public store, 
 
 In a yoked chariot to the city come, 
 
 But when her greatest theft has been committed, S83 
 
 A basketful of corn, the self-same day 
 
 She gives it back to her defrauded husband. 
 
 But we could show full many of these men 
 
 Who act in the same manner — and besides. 
 
 Some far more given to gluttony than we, 
 
 To kidnapping of garments, shrines, and men. 
 
 They are besides inferior to ourselves 
 
 In keeping the paternal property. 
 
 For we have even now preserv'd our beam. 
 
 The distaff, baskets, and the parasol. 890 
 
 But to a multitude of these our husbands, 
 
 The very spear-beam has been lost at home ; 
 
 While many others in the expedition 
 
 Have from their shoulders thrown away the buckler p. ~ 
 
 We women might bring many just reproaches 
 
 (And one above the rest) against the men. 
 
 For it was right should any one of us 
 
 Bring forth a man of service to the state, 
 
 A taxiarch or general, to receive 
 
 Some share of honour — and that precedence 900 
 
 Should be assigned her in the Steniac feasts, 
 
 The Scirian, and the rest that women rule ''. 
 
 history of the twenty-first year of the war, speaks of tlie dissolution of the Athenian 
 democracy, and the delivery of the supreme power into other hands, by the supine 
 magistrate of the preceding year, irapaSovc tr^poic Tt)v jSovXtiav. Hence Ari- 
 stophanes, with great propriety, speaks of twv TTfpvcriv tuj f3ov\evri]<;. 
 
 P ippnrrai rb (TKidStiov; literally Xhenmhrella, carried in the feasts of Ceres and 
 Proserpine. This passage is a satirical stroke at Cleonymus, tov pL^paairtv. The 
 Scholiast says ali'iTTtrai H Kai tuj }i.\to)i>rpov. 
 
 'iiir)]i'ioi'(Ti Kai Sk-i^okj 
 
 Iv Tt raiQ dWaiQ lOpTol^. 
 
 The former of these words is in the common editions, and the Ravenna MS., cor- 
 ruptly written Tjjv/okti ; instead of wliich, some read BtiaiioKyi, but the authority
 
 270 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 But if she bear a fellow base and evil, 
 
 Some wretched trierarch or admiral, 
 
 That she should sit behind, with shaven crown, 
 
 The brave-producing matron ; for, O city, 
 
 How is it just that she, who brought to light 
 
 Hyperbolus, should sit in spotless robe 
 
 And flowing hair near Lamachus' mother, 
 
 And lend her money out at usury; 910 
 
 From whom, if she had lent to any one, 
 
 And made some interest, it behov'd no man 
 
 To bring the usance, but to take away 
 
 By force the money, with this speech, " indeed thou'rt 
 
 worthy 
 Of interest, having brought forth such increase." 
 
 ACT HI. SCENE 1. 
 Mnesilochus, Seventh Woman. 
 
 Mne. I am become dried up with expectation "". 
 But he nowhere appears, and what can be 
 Th' impediment? sure he must be asham'd 
 Of his cold Palamedes \ By what drama 
 Shall I attract him then ? I know — I'll mimic 920 
 
 His recent drama Helen — since I have 
 A woman's garment altogether fitting. 
 
 WoM.What meditatest thou anew? or what 
 
 Rollest thine eyes in search of? thou wilt soon 
 
 both of Suidas and Photius sufficiently defend the lection adopted in the text. The 
 former is indeed very express. — 
 
 'S.TTjvia Kai ^Kipa, kopral yvvaiKCjv, 
 
 and from the latter it appears that at these festivals the assembled women exercised 
 to abuse the licence of mutual crimination. 
 
 •■ I have here followed Kuster's ingenious emendation, avoQ for the common 
 iWoQ ; as it would be indeed a strange effect of expectation to make a person 
 blear-eyed. This conjecture he defends by referring to Eccles. 146. Siipei afavav- 
 GljCToiiai, and tlie Frogs, v. 1121. cKpavavQiyi' ysXoJv. Brunck, however, contends 
 that the common reading is correct, and compares Plautus (Men. v. 3, 6.), ' lumbi 
 sedendo, ocidi exspeclando dolent ;' where, however, the right word appears to be 
 spectando. The reading in Scaliger's Excerpta is c'iWog. 
 
 * This is the tragedy of P'uripides satirically alluded to by our poet at v. 814.
 
 910-940.] THE TIIESMOPHORIAZUS^. 271 
 
 See cause to rue thy Helena, unless 
 
 Thou shalt behave thyself with modesty, 
 
 Before one of the Prytanes appear. 
 Mne. [as Helen] These are the fountains of the Nile*, resort 
 
 Of beauteous virgins, Nile who irrigates. 
 
 Instead of dew divine fair Egypt's soil, 930 
 
 That breeds the black syrniEea for her people. 
 WoM.Thou'rt crafty, by light-bearing Hecate. 
 Mne. a land illustrious is my country, Sparta, — 
 
 My father, Tyndarus. 
 WoM. Abandon'd wretch ! 
 
 Was he thy father? sure it is Phrynondas. 
 Mne. I am call'd Helen. 
 WoM. Art thou then once more 
 
 A woman, ere thou hast the forfeit paid 
 
 Of thy first female metamorphosis? 
 Mne. " Thro' me have many lives been sacrific'd 
 
 At the Scamandrian stream." 
 WoM. Would thou hadst died too ! 940 
 
 Mne. And I am there as well — but Menelaus 
 
 My hapless husband, is not yet arriv'd. 
 
 Why should I then still live for lack of crows ? 
 
 But something as it were my heart beguiles, 
 
 Then frustrate not, O Jove, the rising hope. 
 
 Enter Euripides as Menelaus. 
 
 Eur. Who hath the rule o'er this well-guarded house? 
 That he to port the strangers might receive. 
 Labouring at sea with wintry storm and shipwreck ? 
 
 Mne. This is house of Proteus. 
 
 Eur. Of what Proteus? 
 
 ' This is the beginning of the same tragedian's Helen, who, in the third verse, 
 says, 
 
 \tvKi)c TaKti(T})C x^ovog vypaivet yiag' 
 
 which line our poet satirically parodies thus, 
 
 XevK>ig voriZti /itXavoavpnaiav Xewv, 
 alluding to the syi-m<ea, a purgative herb in common use with the Egyptians, men- 
 tioned by Herodotus (Euterpe, ii. 77.), and by Trygajus in the Peace, v. 1220. 
 The Scholiast says that the syrvKca is a beverage made of barley.
 
 272 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS.E. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 WoM.O thrice ill-fated ! by the goddesses 950 
 
 He lies, for Proteus has been dead ten years. 
 Eur. But to what country have we moor'd our bark ? 
 Mne. Egypt. 
 
 Eur. O wretched, whither have we sail'd ? 
 
 WoM.Believest thou th' abandon'd wretch's trifling? 
 
 This is the Thesniophorium. 
 Eur. And is Proteus 
 
 Himself within or gone abroad " ? 
 WoM. Why sure 
 
 You must be still at sea, who, having heard 
 
 That Proteus is defunct, ask if he be 
 
 Within or out of sight? 
 Eur. Alas ! he's dead, 
 
 And in what sepulchre is he entomb'd ? 960 
 
 Mne. This is his monument by which we're sitting. 
 WoM.May'st thou die wretchedly, as sure thou wilt. 
 
 Who dar'st to call the shrine a monument. 
 Eur. But wherefore sit in these sepulchral seats, 
 
 O veiled stranger? 
 Mne. 'Tis that I am forc'd 
 
 To share the nuptial couch with Proteus' son. 
 WoM. Wherefore again, O wretch, deceive the stranger? 
 
 Hither this crafty knave is come, O outcast, 
 
 After us women, to abstract our gold. 
 Mne. Bark, and with malediction strike my body. 970 
 
 Eur. Stranger, who's this old woman that reviles you ? 
 Mne. This is Theonoe, from Proteus sprung. 
 WoM.Nay by the goddesses, I am Kritylla, 
 
 Antitheus the Gargettic townsman's daughter''. 
 
 1 By the Thesniophorium is to be understood the temple of Ceres and Proser- 
 pine. The remaining part of the line Brunck conjectures to be a satirical blow 
 aimed at Euripides for his frequent use of the word t^ioTriog, which however does not 
 occur above four or five times in his preserved dramas, Trpovio-n-riQ and ■n-povtoTnog, 
 scarcely so often. The answers of Euripides in this part of the dialogue are centos 
 taken from his tragedies chiefly, Teucer and Helen. The woman shows by her 
 answer to Euripides' question in this line, that she mistakes the Egyptian Proteus, 
 father of Theoclymenus, for Proteus, son of Iphicles the Athenian general, who 
 had died some time before, and who is mentioned by Thucydides in his first and 
 second books. (See the Helena of Euripides, vv. 60 — 66.) 
 
 " The reading of the .Junta edition is tl in), instead of fi'^i, which is doubtless
 
 950—990.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. 273 
 
 But thou'rt a villain. 
 Mne. Say M'hate'er thou wilt. 
 
 For never will I marry with thy brother, 
 
 Having of old my husband Menelaus 
 
 In Troy betray'd. 
 Eur. Woman, what hast thou said ? 
 
 Bend back thine eyes. 
 Mne. I am asham'd to view thee, 
 
 With cheeks dishonour'd thus. 
 Eur. What evil's this ? 980 
 
 A certain speechless stupor seizes me. 
 
 O gods, what sight is this ? who art thou woman ? 
 Mne. But who art thou ? — for the same cause of wonder 
 
 Both thee and me possesses. 
 Eur. Art thou Grecian, 
 
 Or female of this country ? 
 Mne. I am Grecian. 
 
 But wish to know thy native land as well. 
 Eur. To me thou seemest most like Helen, woman. 
 Mne. And thou like Menelaus, by the potherbs'. 
 Eur. Truly thou seest that most unhappy man. 
 Mne. O thou who comest late to thy wife's arms, 990 
 
 Take, take me, husband, throw thy hands around me. 
 
 Come let me kiss thee, and with all despatch, 
 
 Take and convey, convey, convey me hence. 
 WoM.Nay, by the goddesses, who bears you off, 
 
 the correct one. Indeed nothing can be more faulty than the whole line, as there 
 given — 
 
 ii fii) KpirvWa y' av rl Qtov yap yriTToQev. 
 
 Instead of avri9iov, Farreus reads avrl Oeov (compare Achar. v. 46. Aii<l>'iQtov'). 
 The word Tapyr]TT6Qtv denotes an inhabitant of the village in Attica whence 
 Epicurus vv'as named Gargettius. Invernizius says very truly — " Imprcssi libri 
 hoc loco ineptias habent." 
 
 y Ik tuv i(pvo)v. Alluding, probably, to the ignoble parentage of Euripides, 
 whose mother obtained her living by the sale of herbs. Bcrgler, however, con- 
 tends that the right reading here is Ik tCjv bippvuiv, as if Mnesilochus professed to 
 recognise Menelaus by his shaggy eyebrows : the word i(pvu)v again occurs in the 
 first Fragment of the Phoenissai of our poet, 
 
 iiKbc ^t]Trov TrpwTOv cnraurwv 
 l^va (pvvai. 
 
 This part of the dialogue is from the Helena of Euripides. 
 
 VOL. ir. T
 
 274 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS.E. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 Struck by the lamp, shall rue his crime in tears. 
 Eur. Forbidd'st thou me to bring my wife to Sparta, 
 
 The child of Tyndarus ? 
 WoM. Ah me, how crafty 
 
 Thou seemest too, and like him in design ! 
 
 Yet prate erst of Egypt, not ih vain, 
 
 But this man shall afford just retribution, 1000 
 
 For near the Prytanes and archer come. 
 Eur. This is unlucky — but we must retire. 
 Mne. And what shall I ill-fated do ? 
 Eur. Rest quiet. 
 
 For while I live, I never will betray thee, 
 
 Unless my myriad stratagems desert me. 
 Mne. This line has drawn up nothing ^ 
 
 Enter a Prytane. 
 
 Pry. Is this he, 
 
 The rogue whom Clisthenes described to us 1 
 Why hidest thou thyself? — O lictor, bring, 
 And bind him to the plank, then place him here, 
 So guarding him that no one may approach, 1010 
 
 But take the whip and strike, should any come. 
 
 WoM.By Jove, how nearly had a sail-maker" 
 But now snatch'd him from me ! 
 
 Mne. O Prytane, 
 
 By thy right hand, which thou art wont to stretch 
 Hollow, should any one give money, grant me 
 A trifling boon ; although about to die. 
 
 Pry. What shall I grant thee ? 
 
 Mne. Bid the lictor strip, 
 
 And, when I'm naked, bind me to the plank. 
 That not in saffron robes and woman's head-gear, 
 In my old age, I may be food for crows, 1020 
 
 1 
 
 ^ An elegant proverbial sa^^ing, applied to such as lose their labour in vain 
 efforts, and the metaphor is taken from fishermen. The verse is commonly given to 
 the seventh woman, but I think, with Brunck, that it evidently belongs to the per- 
 son of Mnesilochus. 
 
 ^ Euripides is here designated by the contemptuous title tffriofipdcpo^, which 
 Kuster translates Sutorfraudum (see v. 872.)
 
 1000-1050.] THE THESMOPIIORIAZUSiE. 275 
 
 And give myself a theme for ridicule. 
 Pry. These by the senate's order thou must wear, 
 That all there present may behold thy craft. 
 Mne. Ah me ! O saffron robe, what hast thou done ? 
 Nor is there any hope of safety more. 
 
 [Exit with Prytane. 
 Cho. Now sport- we as the custom is with women, 
 When at the solemn hours we celebrate 
 The sacred orgies of the goddesses. 
 That homage fasting Pauson pays '', 
 As oft from hour to hour he prays 1030 
 
 That they would grant him still to share 
 This fruit of his religious care. 
 Come on, with nimble foot advance, 
 In circles to the mazy dance ; 
 Join hand to hand — let each proceed 
 As the directing choir may lead. 
 With nimble feet pursue thy way, 
 And let thine ever-circling glance 
 
 The choral group survey. 
 Ye too, Olympic race divine, 1040 
 
 Your voice in melody combine ; 
 Unrighteous are his thoughts and vain, 
 Who hopes that in the sacred fane 
 A woman should the men malign. 
 But first 'tis right the well-form'd step to place 
 (Like some new labour) in the circling race. 
 
 Let Phoebus too, who rules the lyre. 
 With Dian, sacred queen, the song inspire. 
 Hail, O far-darting god, and conquest bring, 
 Then Juno, as injustice bound, we'll sing, 1050 
 
 Who in the festal choir delights, 
 And holds the key that guards the nuptial rites *'. 
 
 *> He was a man whose extreme poverty had passed into a proverb (mentioned 
 also in Plutiis, v. 602 ;) and wlio keeps tlie fast which was held the third day 
 of the Thesmophoria, not like the women from motives of devotion, but because he 
 had not wherewithal to break it (see v. 1155, and the Birds, v. 1518.) Hotibius 
 would expunge the words kuI vnffrtvii, as being a mere gloss, but I cannot consi- 
 der them in that light. 
 
 " From this peculiar attribute of her divinity, Juno obtained her Roman appel- 
 
 T 2
 
 276 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act hi. Sc. i. 
 
 To Hermes, I address my prayer, 
 
 Who makes the pasturing herds his care, 
 
 With Pan and nymphs, a friendly train, 
 
 Their ready smile upon our choirs to deign. 
 And, as the heavenly band you greet, 
 The hands in due accordance beat. 
 Let us, O women, strike the ground, 
 
 As law ordains, and be our fast profound. 1060 
 But come, and with well-cadenc'd feet. 
 Turn, as you tune the song around. 
 O sovereign Bacchus, be thyself our guide, 
 Whose hair with ivy wreaths is tied ; 
 Thus I will sing with loud acclaim 
 Evius and Dionysus' fame, 
 
 Bromius and, son of Semele, thy name, 
 Who hast with nymphs thy chief delight 
 To sport upon the mountains' height**. 
 While Euion, Euoe, the chorus cries, 1070 
 
 And Echo from Cithaeron's hill replies*. 
 The black-leav'd mountains' shady seat 
 And rocky woods the name repeat ; 
 W^hile circling round thee, as they grow. 
 Thine ivy's verdant tendrils blow. 
 
 lation. " Junonem dicunt quasi Janojiem id est januara, eo quod quasi portas ma- 
 trum natorum pandat." (Isid. Hisp. Origin, viii. ii.) This is a more probable etymon 
 than that of Cicero (de Nat. Deor. i. 29.) ajuvando. 
 
 ^ With the conclusion of this spirited aud highly poetical chorus, compare the 
 choral hymn of Bacchus, in Sophocles (Antigone, 1129, sqq.), 
 
 noXiiwvOjUt, KaSficiag , 
 
 particularly antistrophe a. The Scholiast, on that passage, gives many other 
 appellations to the son of Semele ; ol Sk Avaiov, ol Si Eipacptthrriv , ol Sk Ai]fi7j- 
 rpiov, 01 Si Ai9vpafil3ov . 
 
 « Hence, probably, the imperial poet Nero, so boldly alluded to by Persius(Sat. 
 i. 102.), borrowed his high-sounding line, " Enim ingeminat, reparabilis adsonat 
 Echo," which, with the three immediately preceding it, are supposed to be taken 
 from his tragedy called Bacchis. 
 
 ,1 
 
 I
 
 lOGO— 1090.] THE THESMOPHOllIAZUS.5]:. 'Zll 
 
 ACT IV. SCENE I. 
 
 A Scythian Archer and Mnesilochus. 
 
 Arc. [to Mne.] Here now lament thy sorrows to the air. 
 
 Mne. O lictor, I beseech thee — 
 
 Arc. Ask me not. 
 
 Mne. Loosen the nail. 
 
 Arc. The very thing I'm doing, [tightens it. 
 
 Mne. Unhappy me ! thou'lt drive it in the more. 
 
 Arc. Still more if thou wilt have it so. 
 
 Mne. Ah! ah! 1080 
 
 In evil fashion may'st thou perish — • 
 Arc. Silence, 
 
 Unfortunate old man. Come let me bring 
 
 A mat, to guard thee. 
 Mne. Such are the blest fruits 
 
 Of my acquaintance with Euripides. 
 
 Ha ! — there are hopes, ye gods, preserving Jove. 
 
 The man appears not likely to betray me. 
 
 But Perseus, when he ran out, secretly 
 
 Gave me a sign to play Andromeda. 
 
 In truth I'm chain'd — therefore 'tis manifest 
 
 That he will come to save me, otherwise 1090 
 
 He had not flown away. 
 Eur. [rt* Perseus.] O virgins dear. 
 
 How can I move, unnotic'd by the Scythian? 
 
 Thou who conversest with the nymphs in caves'^, 
 
 O hear, and grant me to approach the woman. 
 Mne. Devoid of pity was the man who bound me^, 
 
 f This and the following lines of Euripides' speech arc, according to the Scho- 
 liast, a parody of Andromeda's address to Echo, where, instead oi taaov wi; 'Vfiv 
 yvvaxKa fj.' iXOiiv, we read 
 
 laffov 
 'Axol fie (Tvv (piXaig 
 yoov TToOov XafStlv. 
 
 The tragedy of Andromeda made its appearance on the Atiienian stage the year 
 before this comedy of our poet (see v. lOtiO.) 
 
 K This long and pathetic lamentation of Mnesilochus is partly taken fioni the
 
 278 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS.E. [Act iv. Sc. i. 
 
 The most distress'd of mortals — scarce had I 
 
 Fled from the vile old woman but I'm lost ; 
 
 For by me long this Scythian guard hath stood, 
 
 Having suspended this lost, friendless body, 
 
 A supper to the crows — seest thou? I stand not 1100 
 
 With my coeval virgins in the dance. 
 
 Holding the ballot-box's osier lid ; 
 
 But in these thick enfolding fetters bound, 
 
 I am expos'd as food to the sea-monster *". 
 
 Not with the nuptial Paean, but the strain 
 
 That fits a captive ; mourn me, O ye women. 
 
 As one who dire misfortunes have sustain'd. 
 
 O wretched, wretched me ! — but from my kindred, 
 
 Even from the man by whom I was entreated. 
 
 Who wak'd the burning tear of lamentation 1110 
 
 In Pluto — I endure these woes unjust. 
 
 Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! from him who shav'd me first. 
 
 Who cloth'd me in a safFron-colour'd robe ; 
 
 Then sent me to this woman-haunted temple. 
 
 O ruthless deity that guid'st my fate ! 
 
 Ah me devoted ! who will not behold 
 
 My present huge and evil load of suffering ? 
 
 Oh ! might th' etherial star that glows with fire 
 
 The barbarous wretch destroy ! for I no more 
 
 Have pleasure to behold th' immortal flame, 1120 
 
 Since I have been suspended, driven to madness 
 
 By these sharp pains that press against my throat. 
 
 And open a swift passage to the dead. 
 
 Enter Euripides in the form of Echo. 
 
 Eur. Hail, O dear child ! but for thy father Cepheus, 
 Who has expos'd thee, may the gods destroy him. 
 
 Mne. But who art thou, that pitiest my affliction ? 
 
 Eur. Echo, that like a cuckoo sings back words ; 
 
 Who the past year, and in the self-same place, 
 
 Andromeda and partly supplied by the feeling of his own calamity, which, as 
 Brunck observes, has a most facetious effect. 
 
 '' Literally, to Gluiicetcs, a notorious glutton of that time, satirically named with 
 Morychus and Teleas, and others of the same class in the Peace, (v. 973.) 
 
 i
 
 1100— 1140.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUSyE. !279 
 
 Was an assistant to Euripides. 
 
 But it behoves thee to do this, O child, 1130 
 
 Weep piteously. 
 Mne. Thou, too, in turn must weep. 
 
 Eur. This shall be my care — but begin thy speech. 
 Mne. O sacred Night', 
 
 Urging thy long equestrian flight, 
 And passing in thy chariot's track 
 
 O'er holy ether's starry back. 
 Along Olympus' venerable height, 
 Eur. [as Echo.] Olympus' venerable height — 
 Mne. Wherefore have I, Andromeda, 
 
 Of ills above the rest a lot obtain'd ? 1 1 40 
 
 Eur. a lot obtain'd ? 
 
 Mne. Wretched in death. 
 
 Eur. In death. 
 
 Mne. Thou wilt destroy me, O loquacious hag ! 
 Eur. Loquacious hag ! 
 Mne. By Jove thou art come in 
 
 To give us mighty trouble. 
 Eur. Mighty trouble. 
 
 Mne. O friend, permit me to sing forth alone 
 
 My woes, and thou wilt gratify me — cease. 
 Eur. Cease. 
 
 Mne. Hurl thee to the crows. 
 
 Eur. Hurl to the crows. 
 
 Mne. What evil's this? 
 Eur. What evil's this ? 
 
 Mne. Thou art trifling. 
 
 Eur. Trifling. 
 Mne. Lament. 
 
 Eur. Lament. 
 
 Mne. Howl. 
 
 Arc. I'll call the Prytanes. 
 
 ' This highly poetical invocation to night by JNInesilochus is taken verbatim 
 from the prologue to the Andromeda of Euripides, (Fr. xxviii.) These verses are 
 thus rendered by Eunius, as cited by Varro in his treatise dc Liui^ud Latina, 
 
 Quaj cava cceli signitincutibus 
 Conficis bigis.
 
 280 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. [Act iv. Sc. r. 
 
 Eur. The Prytanes. 1150 
 
 Arc. What mischief! 
 
 Eur. Mischief! 
 
 Arc, Whence that voice ? 
 
 Eur. That voice ? 
 
 Arc. Speak'st thou ? 
 
 Eur. Speak'st thou ? 
 
 Arc. Thou wilt lament. 
 
 Eur. Lament. 
 
 Arc. Derid'st thou me ? 
 
 Eur. Derid'st thou me ? 
 
 Mne. By Jo've, 
 
 Not I, but this near woman. 
 Eur. This near woman. 
 
 Arc. Where is the wretched creature ? she has fled, 
 
 But whither art thou fled ? 
 Eur. 'ther art thou fled ? 
 
 Arc. Thou shalt not go unpunish'd. 
 Eur. Go unpunish'd. 
 
 Arc. Yet dost thou mutter ? 
 Eur. Dost thou mutter ? 
 
 Arc. Seize 
 
 The wretched woman. 
 Eur. Seize the wretched woman. 
 
 Arc This talkative and execrable woman ^ 1160 
 
 Eur. [Under tlie figure q/* Perseus.] 
 
 O gods, to what barbarians' territory, 
 
 Swift-slipper'd, have we come? for thro' mid air 
 
 Cutting a way, I place my winged foot, 
 
 Steering the course toward Argos, with the head 
 
 Of Gorgo frighted. 
 Arc Wliat say'st thou of Gorgo ? 
 
 Compare you a scribe's head to that of Gorgo ' ? 
 
 '' This line in the old edition and that of Invernizius is expressed by one bar- 
 barous word, 
 
 XaXoKai/earaparoyvi'aKca. 
 
 The reader will remark several other barbarisms uttered by the Scythian archer ia 
 this curious dialogue ; Trwrfn-oTrwvjj {jkoQiv »; 0wj/»/ ;) Kn/c/caff/crj, or, according 
 to the llavenna codex, kukkckjki fioi ((cayxn^fic), i. e. KUTaytXag juoe, etc. 
 1 This line is also characteristic of the barbarophonic Scythian,
 
 1150—1190.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. ^81 
 
 Eur. I say so. 
 
 Arc. And I call it Gorgo too. 
 
 Eur. Ha ! what's this hill 1 see, and virgin-Hke, 
 
 The goddesses, bound as a moored ship ? 
 Mne. O stranger, pity my all-wretched state, 1170 
 
 Release me from my chains. 
 Arc. Speak thou not — Darest thou. 
 
 Detestable, though doom'd to die, still talk? 
 Eur. O virgin, how I pity, viewing thee 
 
 Suspen ed in this guise ! 
 Arc. 'Tis not a virgin, 
 
 But an old cheating thief and daring sinner. 
 Eur. Thou art in jest, O Scythian, for this is 
 
 Andromeda, the child of Cepheus. 
 Arc. Survey the members ; small do they appear ? 
 Eur. Bring me thy hand that I may touch the girl. 
 
 Dear Scythian, for all men have their disease ; 1 180 
 
 And passion for this damsel hath seiz'd me. 
 Arc. I do not envy thee in any thing — 
 
 But since th' occasion is thus turn'd to thee, 
 
 I will not niggardly restrain thy lust. 
 Eur. But why permittest thou me not, O Scythian, 
 
 Soon as I've liberated her, to rush 
 
 Into th' embraces of the marriage bed ? 
 Arc. If thou so wishest for an old man's favour — 
 Eur. By Jupiter, but I will break the chains — 
 Arc. Then will I scourge thee. 
 
 Eur. Ne'ertheless I'll do't. 1190 
 
 Arc. And with this cimeter I'll cut thy head off. 
 Eur. Alas! what shall I do? to what words turn? 
 
 But none his barbarous nature would receive ; 
 
 For should you to the foolish offer maxims 
 
 Of novel wisdom, you would lose your labour. 
 
 But we must bring some other machination 
 
 To suit him. 
 Arc. Cursed fox, how has he trick'd me ! 
 
 TO ypai^ifxarso av ry KiiraKy tijv Vopyovoc ; 
 and contains an allusion to the scribe named Gorgu ; who, according to the Scho- 
 liast, was also a barbarian.
 
 282 THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. [Act v. Sc. i. 
 
 Mm E. Remember, Perseus, in what wretched state 
 
 Thou leav'st me. 
 Arc. Still you would receive the lash. 
 
 Chorus, 
 
 Pallas, who in the dance delights, 1200 
 
 We here invoke with solemn rites ; 
 
 Her that from nuptial yoke is free 
 
 In unrestrain'd virginity. 
 
 Our city's weal her arm directs, 
 
 And still with open might protects. 
 
 In strength and majesty alone, 
 
 By key-sustaining title known : 
 
 Appear, O thou whose just disdain 
 
 Abhorrent views the tyrant's chain. 
 
 Th' assembled women call on thee, 1210 
 
 And come with festive peace to me. 
 
 Ye powers rever'd, propitious rove 
 
 To this your consecrated grove. 
 
 Where vainly men with lawless eye 
 
 Into your holy orgies pry. 
 
 While by the sacred torches' glare, 
 
 Your face immortal ye declare. 
 
 Come, we entreat, on suppliant knee, 
 
 O much rever'd Thesmophoras ! 
 
 Now hasten at our call, if e'er 1220 
 
 With favouring ear ye heard our prayer. 
 
 ACT V. SCENE I. 
 
 Euripides and Chorus. 
 
 Eur. Women, if in the future time ye wish 
 
 To make a treaty with me, now you may. 
 Since nothing evil shall offend your ear 
 In any after age — thus I proclaim. 
 
 Cho. And by what motive urgest thou this speech ? 
 
 Eur. This man upon the board 's my relative; 
 If then I bear him off, never shall you 
 
 i\
 
 1200—1250.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUSiE. 283 
 
 Hear my revilings — but if ye will not 
 Obey me, for your secret acts at home 1230 
 
 I to your husbands will denounce you, soon 
 As from the expedition they arrive. 
 Cho. Know that you have persuaded us in this. 
 But this barbarian guard do thou persuade. 
 
 Enter the Lictor, Elaphion and Teredon as Mutes. 
 
 Eur. This is my province — and to bear in mind 
 
 To do that which I told thee by the way, 
 
 Is, O Elaphion, thine : first then pass over, 
 
 And in thy bosom gather up the robe. 
 
 Thou, O Teredon, blow the Persian dance. 
 Arc. What is this buzzing? who hath rais'd the revel? 1240 
 Eur. The damsel was preluding then, O lictor. 
 
 For she comes forth to dance before some men. 
 Arc. Dance she and play, I will not hinder her. 
 
 How nimble, as a flea about the quilt ! 
 Eur. Come, take this garment up, O child, and sitting 
 
 Upon the Scythian's knees, stretch forth thy feet. 
 
 That I may free them from the shoes. 
 Arc. Right, right, 
 
 Sit down, sit down, yes, yes, my little daughter. 
 
 Ah me, how round the breasts are, like a turnip ! 
 Eur. Pipe quickly — dreadest thou the Scythian still? 1250 
 Arc. Beauteous she is behind. 
 Eur. You will lament. 
 
 Unless she stays within. 
 Arc. Let it be so. 
 
 But fair's th' appearance of this manly frame. 
 Eur. 'Tis well, take up thy garment ; now's the hour 
 
 For us to move. 
 Arc. Will she not kiss me first ? 
 
 Yes, surely, kiss him. 
 Lie. Oh, oh, oh, ye gods. 
 
 How sweet the embrace, like Attic honey ! wherefore 
 
 Does she not sleep near me ? 
 Eur. Fare thee well, lictor, 
 
 For this cannot be done.
 
 284 THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. [Act v. Sc. i. 
 
 Arc. Nay, nay, old woman, 
 
 Grant me this favour. 
 
 Eur. Wilt thou give a drachma? 1260 
 
 Arc. Yes, yes, I'll give it. 
 
 Eur. Bring the money then. 
 
 Arc. But I have nought ; then take the hog-skin quiver. 
 
 Eur. You bring her back again. 
 
 Arc. Follow me, children. 
 
 And, ancient matron, guard thou this old man. 
 But what's thine appellation ? 
 
 Eur. Artemisia. 
 
 Arc. The name I shall remember — Artamouxia. 
 
 Eur. Fraudulent Hermes, thou do'st well in this. 
 And run thou off, having receiv'd this child. 
 Him will I free ; and thou, when disengag'd. 
 Fly quickly, as thou canst, with all thy might, 1270 
 And then stretch homeward to thy wife and children, 
 
 Mne. This shall be my care, if I once am freed. 
 
 Eur. Be freed — thy task it is to flee before 
 The lictor come to seize thee. 
 
 Mne. This I'll do. [Exit. 
 
 Enter the Lictor. 
 
 what a graceful little daughter's thine. 
 Old woman ! and not difficult, but gentle ; 
 Where is the crone ? Ah me ! how am I lost ! 
 Where is our old man gone ? Oh, ancient dame, 
 
 1 praise thee not — th' old woman, Artamouxia, 
 
 Hath cheated me; hence run thou with ail speed. 1280 
 Quiver 'tis rightly call'd, for 'twas the price 
 Of quivering love; ah me! what shall I do? 
 Where's the old woman ? Artamuxia. 
 
 Cho. Ask'st thou for the old dame, who bore the lutestrings"'? 
 
 Lie. Yes, yes, hast seen her ? 
 
 Cho. She is gone this way. 
 
 Herself, with some old fellow in her train. 
 
 ■" ); (piptv Tag mjKriSag; the tt/jktic was, according to Photius in his Lexicon, 
 a kind of Lydian organ, struck without the plectrum. The French translator says 
 vaguely, " une vieille qui avoit un instrument de musique."
 
 1260—1299.] THE THESMOPHORIAZUS^. 285 
 
 Lie. Wore the old man a saffron-colour'd robe ? 
 Cho. Yes, thou may'st catch them yet, if thou pursue 
 
 In this direction. 
 Lie. O detested hag, 
 
 By what way hath she run off? Artamuxia. 1290 
 
 Cho. Pursue the straight path upward ; whither run you? 
 
 Wilt thou not follow in this way? thy course 
 
 Is backward. 
 Lie. Hapless wight ! for Artamuxia 
 
 Runs on another way. 
 Cho. Run now, run now, 
 
 With a fair wind to blow thee to thy ruin. 
 
 We've play'd enough ; the hour is come 
 
 That every damsel seek her home. 
 
 And let the favouring pair who sway 
 
 These festal rites our toils repay ! [Exeunt. 1299
 
 THE FEMALE HARANGUERS; 
 
 OR, 
 WOMEN IN COUNCIL ASSEMBLED.
 
 («f 
 
 DRAMATIS PERSON/E. 
 
 PRAXAGORA. 
 
 CERTAIN WOMEN. 
 
 CHORUS of certain Women. 
 
 BLEPYRUS, the Husband of Praxagora. 
 
 A CERTAIN MAN. 
 
 CHREMES. 
 
 A man who places his money in the common stock. 
 
 A man who does not. 
 
 A HERALD. 
 
 CERTAIN OLD WOMEN. 
 
 A YOUNG WOMAN. 
 
 A YOUNG MAN. 
 
 A FEMALE SERVANT. 
 
 A MASTER. 
 
 CERTAIN MUTE PERSONS. 
 
 The Scene lies in Athens, in a public place near the house of 
 
 Praxagora.
 
 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 
 
 UPON 
 
 THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. 
 
 THIS PLAY WAS PERFORMED THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE XCVITH OLYMPIAD, 
 DNDER THE ARCHON DEMOSTRATUS, ALTHOUGH THE ARGUMENTS UPON WHICH 
 THE DATE IS FOUNDED ARE MERELY CONJECTURAL. 
 
 Tins comedy contains the most violent satire against women that is 
 extant, not even excepting the Lysistrata, which is in the same style; 
 Euripides, who is known as the declared enemy of the sex, has not 
 written anything nearly so severe against them. The style of this 
 piece is more elevated and forcible than that of any other. In fact 
 Aristophanes has decidedly given it a tragic air, and his intention 
 was no doubt to parody the diction of Euripides, above all in his Me- 
 lanippe, a tragedy which does not now exist, where he has represented 
 a female philosopher. Others say that Aristophanes here imitates 
 the manner of Agathon, an effeminate tragic poet. The object of this 
 comedy is simply to turn into ridicule the system of Plato in favour 
 of the community of wealth, women, and children; and it is also a 
 satire upon the ideal republics of the philosophers with laws like 
 these, such as Protagoras had projected before Plato's time. This play, 
 in my opinion, labours under the same faults as the Peace; the intro- 
 duction, the private assembly of the women, the description of the 
 assembly, are all treated in a most masterly style ; but towards the 
 middle it comes to a stand still. Nothing remains but to show the 
 confusion arising from the different communities, especially from the 
 community of women, and the appointment of the same rights in love 
 for the old and ugly, as for the young and beautiful. This confusion 
 is pleasant enough, but it turns too much upon one continually re- 
 peated joke. *' The old allegoric comedy, in general, is exposed to 
 the danger of sinking in its progress. When a person begins with 
 turning the world upside down, of course the strangest individual 
 incidents will result, but they are apt to appear petty, compared with 
 the decisive strokes of wit in the commencement." — Theatre of the 
 Greeks. The necessity we are under of saying but little upon the 
 subject of this piece, should not however prevent us from satisfying 
 
 VOL. II. u
 
 290 
 
 the reasonable curiosity of our readers upon that part of it which 
 relates to the Athenian government under the famous Peloponnesian 
 war, for the further ilhistration of which I have thought it advisable 
 to translate the life of Conon, as abridged from Cornelius Nepos by 
 Mons. Le Grasse of the Oratory. Conon an Athenian, the son of 
 Timotheus, was called to the government of the republic in the 
 course of the Peloponnesian war, during which time he commanded 
 the armies both by sea and land, and acquitted himself so worthily 
 of these employments, that the Athenians made him comptroller of all 
 the islands, thinking that the highest honours they could bestow on 
 him, were scarcely sufficient to testify their gratitude. His first con- 
 quest was that of Pharas, a Lacedaemonian colony. Towards the end 
 of the Peloponnesian war he was made praetor, when the power of 
 Athens was entirely overthrown by the famous victory gained over 
 Lysander near ^Egos Potamos. Unfortunately Conon was then ab- 
 sent from the army ; he was so eminently distinguished by his ex- 
 perience in war and his able talents as a general, that it was univer- 
 sally believed if he had commanded in the action victory would have 
 crowned his arms^. Conon being at that time in Cyprus, and having 
 heard the calamitous situation in which his country was placed, that 
 Athens was besieged on all sides, and ready to submit to the Lace- 
 daemonian yoke, retired to the court of Pharnabazus, satrap of Lydia 
 and Ionia, and son-in-law of the king of Persia. But if he took this 
 step, it was more with a view to serve his fellow-citizens than to 
 live there sheltered from insult in cowardly indolence. In fact, 
 there was no step he did not take, even to the exposing his own 
 person, in order to gain the confidence and friendship of the satrap ; 
 and he succeeded to such a degree, that when the Lacedaemonians, 
 after having triumphed over Athens, had violated the treaty con- 
 tracted with Artaxerxes, and had sent over Agesilaus to attack his 
 Asiatic dominions, trepanned thither by the traitor Tissaphernes, 
 whom this war personally concerned, the Persian monarch gave the 
 conduct of it to Conon, insomuch that no step was taken but in con- 
 formity with the views and orders of the Athenian general. He was 
 everywhere opposed to Agesilaus, who was a great captain ; and by 
 his wise counsels frustrated the best concerted measures of that ge- 
 neral, and it is unquestionable that had it not been for the advice of 
 
 * The French translator has here followed the positive assertion of Corn. Nepos, 
 which however is as positively contradicted by Xenophon and Plutarch : the latter 
 of whom (in Vit. Lys.) states that Conon commanded the Athenians in person at 
 ^gos Potamos against the forces of Lysander, and that after the battle he fled to 
 Evagoras, king of Cyprus, with eight triremes.
 
 291 
 
 Conon, the king of Sparta would have pushed his conquests into Asia, 
 even to mount Taurus. Agesilaus having been recalled by the La- 
 cedsemonians on account of the war which the Athenians and Boeo- 
 tians had just declared against them '', Conon continued in favour 
 with the generals of the king of Persia, and was in all respects of 
 great use to them. Artaxerxes was the only one who doubted the 
 treason of Tissaphernes, and the important services which this satrap 
 had rendered him appeared to warrant the friendship of which his 
 perfidy had rendered him unworthy ; and it is not surprising that 
 this prince was very unwilling to suspect a man who had caused him 
 to triumph over his brother Cyrus ; but Pharnabazus sent Conon to 
 give him proof of it. Conon being arrived at court, addressed him- 
 self to the chief officer of the palace, named Tithraustes, and in- 
 formed hiiji that he wished to speak to the king, a favour he could 
 only obtain through the interest of this minister. " I consent to it 
 willingly," replied Tithraustes, " but first consider whether it would 
 not be more proper for you to state in writing what you have to say, 
 for if you wish to appear in the presence of the king you must adore 
 him according to the Persian custom. If you feel unwilling to con- 
 form to this usage, you may confide to me your instructions, and 
 rest assured of my zeal in your service." " I do not refuse," replied 
 Conon, "to render to the king your master the homage so justly due 
 to his rank, but being born the subject of a republic accustomed to 
 command other nations, I should fear to offend it if I renounced its 
 customs in order to conform myself to those of barbarians ; and not 
 being willing to relinquish this point, he executed his commission in 
 writing, and the king attached so much credit to his depositions that 
 he immediately declared Tissaphernes the enemy of his person and 
 state, consented to the war against the Lacedaemonians, and com- 
 manded Conon to choose a treasurer for the management of the funds 
 destined for the support of the troops. But Conon excused himself, 
 and persuaded the king to give this office to Pharnabazus, who was 
 more likely than he to know the abilities of his subjects. Conon, 
 after having received considerable presents from this liberal prince, 
 went by his order into Cyprus, Phamicia, and along the coasts, in 
 order to collect all the large vessels he could find, and equip the 
 fleet, ready to act the following summer. According to his wish 
 Pharnabazus was given him as colleague in this expedition. The 
 Lacedaemonians had no sooner received news of the preparations 
 
 '' Here commences tliat part of the history which relates to the play of the 
 
 V 2 
 
 Female Haranguers.
 
 292 
 
 made against them, than they thought very seriously of the war, less 
 through fear of the barbarians, than that in the person of Conon 
 there was opposed to them a courageous, prudent, and wise chief, 
 supported by all the favour and riches of the Persian king. They 
 quickly equipped a fleet, which they despatched under the command 
 of Pisander. But Conon having attacked him in the environs of 
 Cnidus, routed him after a sharp engagement, took several vessels, 
 and sunk many others. This victory not only restored liberty to 
 the Athenians, but it also freed all the Greeks from the unjust do- 
 mination of the Lacedaemonians. Conon afterwards returned to 
 Athens with a part of the vessels taken from the enemy ; he rebuilt 
 the walls of the city and port, which Lysander had demolished, and 
 distributed to its citizens five hundred talents which he had received 
 from the liberality of Pharnabazus. Conon, like mankind in general, 
 could not support the favours of fortune with the same moderation 
 he had shown when she was adverse to him. For seeing himself the 
 conqueror of the Lacedaemonians both by sea and land, he thought 
 he had sufficiently revenged the outrages committed against his 
 country, and framed enterprises of which he was unable to command 
 the success. Nevertheless, as he proposed them more with a view to 
 restore the republic of Athens to its ancient splendour than to weaken 
 the power of the Persians, these projects were not disapproved, but 
 even did honour to his probity and virtue. Thus relying upon the 
 great authority he had acquired during the famous expedition of 
 Cnidus, over the Greeks as well as the barbarians, he secretly con- 
 certed a plan to reduce Ionia and Etolia under the dominion of the 
 Athenians, but the plot not having been conducted with sufficient 
 privacy, Tiribazus the governor of Sardis gained intelligence of it, 
 and sent to desire Conon to repair to him, under pretext of entrust- 
 ing him with some commission for the king of Persia. Conon not 
 suspecting what was preparing for him, departed for the court of the 
 satrap. But he was scarcely arrived there before he was thrown 
 into prison, where he remained some time. Some authors pretend 
 that he was conducted to the court of the king, and perished there. 
 Others, on the contrary, assert that he found means to escape j. but 
 it is doubted whether this were effected by the negligence or with 
 the consent of Tiribazus.
 
 THE FEMALE HARANGUER8. 
 
 ACT I. SCENE I. 
 
 Praxagora alone (addressing her lanthorn). 
 
 O THOU clear lustre of the wheel-turn'd lamp *, 
 
 Suspended best on stations eminent, 
 
 (For we thy birth and fortunes will deelJare, 
 
 Since, fashion'd by the turn of potter's wheel, 
 
 Thy channels the sun's brilliant office hold,) 
 
 Stir up the signal flame agreed upon : 
 
 For thee alone we serve, and justly, since 
 
 Even in our houses thou art present, when 
 
 We exercise the various schemes of Venus, 
 
 And no one drives away thy light, th' inspector 10 
 
 Of our curv'd bodies : thou art present too 
 
 When we in secret oj)e the storehouses 
 
 With fruits replenish'd and the Bacchic stream. 
 
 And though in these designs thou aidest us, 
 
 Thou sayest nothing of them to our neighbours; 
 
 Wherefore he privy to the present counsels, 
 
 =» This opening speech of Praxagora, who has suspended her lamp to serve as a 
 signal to call her companions to the council held at the break of day, and addresses 
 her discourse to it, is given in a mock heroic style, which parodies in an ingenious 
 manner several passages of the tragedians, especially the opening of the I'hoenissae 
 of Euripides : 
 
 (J Ti'iv iv aarpoig ovpavov r'ifxviov odbv, k. t. X. 
 
 and the Ajax of Sophocles, v. 845. ed. Brunck. Moliere appears to have borrowed 
 the idea of the opening speech of Sosia in his Amphitryon from this ingenious 
 harangue ol the Athenian female, as is observed by ]M. Bret, in his excellent com- 
 mentary on the French Aristophanes.
 
 THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 Which at the Scyrian feasts my friends decreed ^ 
 
 But none of those who ought to have arriv'd 
 
 Is present, though it draws towards the dawn ; 
 
 And very soon the assembly will be form'd. 20 
 
 It then behoves us to assume our seats, 
 
 As, if you recollect, Sphyromachus 
 
 Once said'', " It is expected for the women 
 
 To sit apart and be conceal'd from men." 
 
 AVhat then can be the matter? have they not 
 
 Sewn on the beards they were decreed to have ? 
 
 Or was it hard for them to steal in secret 
 
 The manly garments ? but I see this light 
 
 Approaching : come now, I'll retire again, 
 
 Lest whoe'er comes should chance to be some man. SO 
 
 SCENE IL 
 Enter several Women and the Chorus. 
 
 W. 1. 'Tis time to go, since now the herald cock*^ 
 At our approach a second time hath crow'd. 
 
 Pra. And I, expecting your approach, have watch'd 
 
 The whole night long : but come, and let me summon 
 
 ^ offci 'Sicipoig ico^i — For some account of these Scirian or Scyrian festivals, 
 which were entirely presided over by women, see note on the Thesmophoriazusae, 
 (v. 835), unless the place in the suburbs of Athens named S/ctpa, and not the 
 feast itself, is here intended. Photius in his Lexicon gives a detailed account of 
 this feast, saying that to ^Kipov properly denotes the sacred umbrella {cKidluov) 
 which was carried from the Acropolis to the place called S/cipoc, from which the 
 twelfth month Scfeir-ro7)/ioiiOH had its name, as being dedicated to Minerva Sriras ; 
 see V. 59, where the same words are repeated. 
 
 c The Scholiast informs us that Praxagora here alludes to a decree of Sphyro- 
 machus, or as others say Cleomachus, (a tragedian who was ridiculed for mis- 
 pronunciation,) that men and women should sit apart at the public spectacles. 
 Instead of lyKuQiZ,op.'ivaQ, some editions give ayaBi^ofievag, which Bisetus ex- 
 plains by dyaOa Xeyovcrag, and Palmer derives from dyaOig, a hall of thread. The 
 word in some ]\ISS. is KaOayia^OfXEvag, i. e. sacrijicio quasi consea-utas, tanquam 
 templuin, I agree with Dindorf in thinking that tyKaOil^ofikvag is undoubtedly 
 the true and most obvious reading. 
 
 '' The cock is called the herald of this female assembly, because it was held 
 towards the dawn of day. The verb denoting the act of making this proclamation 
 (KtKoK-KWK-ej') is again used by i5acchus in the Frogs, (v. 1376), and is applied to 
 the cuckoo as well as the cock.
 
 20—60.] THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. ^95 
 
 Our neighbour here, by tapping at her door, 
 
 For she must act without her husband's knowledffe. 
 
 I heard indeed, while putting on my shoes, 
 
 The rubbing of thy fingers at my door. 
 
 « # « « # 
 
 ***** 40 
 
 ***** 
 
 ***** 
 
 W. 1 . 1 see Chnarete and Sostrata 
 
 Now coming hitlier with Philaenete. 
 Pra. Will you then hasten on, since Glyce swears 
 
 That she who comes the last of us shall pay 
 
 Of wine three gallons and of peas a chaenix. 
 W. 1. And see you not besides Melestiche, 
 
 Smicythion's consort, who in manly shoes 
 
 Is hastening hither? she alone, methinks, 50 
 
 At leisure from her husband is come out. 
 W. 2. And do you not perceive Geusistrate, 
 
 The vintner's wife, a lamp in her right hand? 
 
 The consort of Philodoretus too. 
 
 And of Chseretades ? 
 Pra. I see besides 
 
 Full many other women coming to vis. 
 
 Of those who in the state are eminent ^ 
 W. 3. 1, too, O dearest, with an anxious step, 
 
 Ran quickly out of doors, and crept in hither ; 
 
 For during the whole night my husband cough'd, GO 
 
 Replete with evening sprats. 
 Pra. Sit you down now, 
 
 That I may ask you, since I see you here 
 
 Assembled, whether you have done whate'er 
 
 At Scira was decreed. 
 W. 4. I have at least ; 
 
 First my armpits are denser than a thicket. 
 
 As 'twas agreed upon; then, when my husband 
 
 Might to the forum go, I, with my body 
 
 ^ yvvalKiig, oti nip lar o<pi\oQ iv rtj jri'iXn. Tlie interpretation of tlie Scho- 
 liast is, TovTtaTiv ivytviig' and of the Frencli translator, " c'est I'clite desfemmcs 
 de cette ville."
 
 ^G THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. [Act i. 8c. ii. 
 
 All o'er anointed, thro' the day would stand 
 
 Turn'd to the sun, and basking in his beams ^ 
 W. 5, And I the same : first, I have cast the razor 70 
 
 Out of the house, that I might be all over 
 
 Thicken'd, and bear no semblance to a woman. 
 Pra. Have you the beards too, which it was decreed 
 
 We should all wear, when we might be assembled ? 
 W. 4. By Hecate, I have ; this beauteous one. 
 W. 5. And I a beard by not a little finer 
 
 Than is Epicrates' ^. 
 Pra. But what say ye? 
 
 W. 4. They their assent proclaim, at least by nods. 
 Pra. I see that all the rest is done by you ; 
 
 For ye have both the shoes of Lacedaemon, 80 
 
 And manly garments, as we gave behest. 
 W. G. I have brought out this stafl^from Lamia's house, 
 
 In secret, while he slept. 
 W. 1. This staff is one 
 
 Of those beneath whose weight the bearer groans. 
 
 Kay, by the saviour Jove, he would be fit, 
 
 Cloth'd in the goat-skin of th' all-seeing swain, 
 
 If any other, to deceive the slayer ^. 
 Vra. But tell us after this how we shall act 
 
 While yet the stars are scatter'd o'er the heaven ; 
 
 f ix^iaiv6fi7]v iuTwffa Trpbg tov riXiov. This was called by the Greeks r'fKiov- 
 aQca and i)\iw<jig, by the Latins insolari and insoLatio. (^Faher.) 
 
 s According to the Scholiast, Epicrates was a rhetorician and demagogue, who 
 nourished a long tliick beard, and was satirized by Plato the comic writer under 
 the name of aaictcytpupoc. 
 
 h i. e. Mercury, th« slayer of Argus. Bergler compares i5ischylus (Supp. 310.) 
 
 TTOIOV TTCIVOTTTIIV OlofioVKoXoV XkjUQ ', 
 
 "Apyov, TOV 'Epn)~]g Trcdoa yr)Q KctTiKTavt. 
 This passage, as Brunck observes, is very obscure, since the event to which our 
 author alludes, however well known in his time, is not sufficiently so to supply us 
 with the true meaning of the passage. Lamius, mentioned in v. 78, was, according 
 to the Scholiast, a poor jailer, who appears to have been deceived by a staff covered 
 with a man's garment, and substituted for some wretched criminal who was doomed 
 bo death : hence the first woman says of the staff, tTririidtiog y' av tyv. Faber 
 imagines that Cratinus is referred to in this story. Perhaps our poet glances at 
 some one of his antagonists, in wliose drama this substitution of an enormous staff 
 for a criminal condemned to death took place.
 
 70—110.] THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. 297 
 
 Since the assembly, to depart for which 90 
 
 We are prepar'cl, will from the dawn begin. 
 
 W. 1. 'Tis true, by Jove, so you must take your seats 
 Under the stone, against the Prytanes '. 
 
 W. 7. And I, in truth, have brought this wool, to card it 
 When the assembly should be fully met. 
 
 Pka. Be fully met, thou wretch ? 
 
 W. 7. Nay, by Diana, 
 
 1 say so, for how shall I hear the noise 
 While spinning ? for my children are quite naked ! 
 
 Pra. Behold your spinning then, whom it behoves 
 
 To cause none of our person to appear 100 
 
 In the spectators' sight : we truly were 
 
 In fine condition, if, when the assembly 
 
 Chanc'd to be full, a certain woman should 
 
 Pass o'er the benches, and with lower'd vest 
 
 Reveal her naked charms ; but if we should 
 
 Sit down the first, with garments gathered up 
 
 We shall be undiscover'd ; and the beard, 
 
 When we let down which we shall there gird on, 
 
 Who would not at the sight take us for men ? 
 
 Agyrrius, with the beard of Pronomus, 110 
 
 Lurk'd unperceiv'd "* — and first he was a woman. 
 
 But now, you see, he fills the highest place 
 
 In the republic : wherefore I entreat 
 
 By the approaching day, that we may dare 
 
 So bold a deed, if we shall be enabled, 
 
 To take upon ourselves the aftairs of state, 
 
 That we some good upon it may confer, 
 
 For now we neither run, nor drive the vessel '. 
 
 ' vTTo Tifi \iGu> (i. e. ry (ilj/jaTi). The tribunal in the Pnyx. So in the Achar- 
 nians (v. 653.) TovOopv'Covrtc ^i y'/P? ^V ^'^V Trpoaiffrafitv. 
 
 ^ The former of these was a most depraved character of the time of our poet, 
 although he commanded as a general at Lemnus (Schol.), the latter a long bearded 
 liarper. 
 
 ' Alluding to the old proverb quoted by the Scholiast, 
 
 Kapyvpioi' ij TT('ivTn Utl k' (Wiivvtrai, 
 
 meaning that if there be money, the vessel will lun uitli a driving gale. Berglev 
 refers to Arista;netus (Epist. 14. lib. 1.) where the proverb occurs at length.
 
 * 
 
 * 
 
 ^ 
 
 * 
 
 * 
 
 * 
 
 * 
 
 » 
 
 
 * 
 
 « 
 
 » 
 
 298 THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 W. 8. And how shall an assembly of mej'e women "^ 
 
 Harangue the people ? 
 Pra. The best way by far. 120 
 
 * * 
 
 * * 
 
 W. 8.1 know not — inexperience is a thing 
 Of direful import. 
 
 Pra. For that purpose we 
 
 Have been collected here, that ere 'tis spoken, 
 
 We may revolve what there we ought to speak. 
 
 Would you not hastily put on the beard. 
 
 And whosoe'er besides intend to speak? 130 
 
 W. 9. But which of us, O wretch, knows not to speak? 
 
 Pra. Come fix the crown, and quickly be a man". 
 And I myself will place the chaplets near. 
 Girded like you, should I think right to speak. 
 
 W. 2. Come hither, O most sweet Praxagora, 
 See how ridiculous the thing appears"! 
 
 Pra. Wherefore ridiculous ? 
 
 W. 2. As if a man 
 
 Should gird a beard round roasted cuttlefish. 
 
 Pra. Thou chief of the lustrations, bring the hog. 
 
 Come forward — cease thy talk, Ariphrades. 140 
 
 Sit in the pi*esence — who desires to speak ? 
 
 W.8.I. 
 
 Pra. Then gird on the chaplet with good fortune. 
 
 W. 8. Behold ! 
 
 Pra. Thou mayest speak. 
 
 W. 8. Before I've drunk ? 
 
 '" 6i]\v(pp(x)v ^vvovaia. Faber affirms this phrase to savour of Euripides ; the 
 word Qi]\v<ppo)v, however, does not occur in any of his tragedies, nor in Sophocles 
 or ^schylus ; but the turn of phrase is certainly Euripidean. 
 
 " 101 h) ffv TTipiSov. Compare the Thesmoph.v. 879. where the herald commands 
 the woman who is on the point of haranguing, to put on the crown which he gives 
 her before she begins her speech. Or the manly beard may be intended as it is 
 expressed in v. 118. 
 
 " This line in the original ends with the superfluous word Tc'iXav on which the 
 Scholiast remarks napeXKn to tciKuu.
 
 120—160.] THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. 299 
 
 Pra. See now, "before I've drunk!" 
 
 W. 8. And to what purpose, 
 
 O foolish woman, should I wear a crown ? 
 Pra. Go hence — there too, perchance, in the same manner 
 
 Thou would'st have treated us. 
 W. 8. What then ? do they 
 
 Not drink i' th' covmcil ? 
 Pra. See now, " drink again !" 
 
 W. 8. Yes, by Diana, and that very pure. 
 
 So that to those who think attentively loO 
 
 Of tl)e decrees they make, they seem to be 
 
 The comments of intoxicated men. 
 
 They make libations too, by Jupiter; 
 
 Now wherefore should they make these supplications p, 
 
 If by its presence wine inspired them not, 
 
 And, as if drunken, they revile each other. 
 
 Until the archers bear the brawler off. 
 Pra. Go and sit down — for thou art nothing worth. 
 W.8. By Jove, 'twei*e better if I wore no beard. 
 
 For I shall be, methinks, dried up with thirst. IGO 
 
 Pra. Is there another who desires to speak? 
 W.9. 1. 
 Pra. Crown thyself then, for the affair is pressing. 
 
 Come now, speak well, and with a manly voice, 
 
 Leaning thy frame upon a staff's support. 
 W. 9. 1 could have wish'd that one of those accustom'd 
 
 To say what's best had let me sit in quiet, 
 
 But now I will not sufler (if at least 
 
 My sentiments avail) that any one 
 
 Among the vintners should make pools of water i. 
 
 1' There is considerable humour in this passage ; as if the women iu the public 
 assemblies only made those supplications under influence of wine, which the 
 men ofl!ered to the gods from religious motives. Compare the opening of Demos- 
 thenes' Oration de Corond, who commences that noble specimen of oratory by 
 making his prayer to all the powers of Heaven, that his fellow-citizens may regard 
 him with an affection equal to tiiat which he entertains towards the state. See 
 likewise the concluding paragraph of this self-vindicating harangue ; and also the 
 supplication of llanno the Cartliugiuiaa, iu I'lautus (rxnulus, Act iv. Sc. 1.), 
 Decs deasrjue veneror qui hanc urbem colunt. 
 
 'I The Athenians and other Greeks used to dig pits under ground in which 
 they stowed their wine and oil ; these were called \ukkoi. (Schol.)
 
 300 THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 It pleases me not, by the goddesses, 170 
 
 Pra. The goddesses ! wretch, where hast thou thy mind ? 
 W.9. But what is it? I ask'd thee not for drink. 
 Pra. 'Tis true, by Jove, but thou, being a man, 
 
 Hast ta'en an oath by the two goddesses '', 
 
 Although in other things a most fit speaker. 
 W.9. Oby Apollo! 
 Pra. Cease now, since I'd not 
 
 In the assembly either foot advance, 
 
 If this were not laid accurately down, 
 W. 9. Bring me the crown — for I will speak again. 
 
 Since now I think I have well meditated. 180 
 
 " For, O ye women sitting here% to me" — 
 Pra. Again, wretch, call'st thou men by women's names ? 
 W.9. Thro' that Epigonus — for having look'd 
 
 That way I thought my speech address'd to women. 
 Pra. Retire thou also, and sit there — for I 
 
 Think that to your advantage I shall speak, 
 
 Having assum'd this crown — I pray the gods 
 
 That a good issue our decrees may gain. 
 
 I, in this province, have the same concern 
 
 With you — but with grave indignation bear 190 
 
 All the disorders of our troubled state. 
 
 For I behold her making use of rulers 
 
 Continually bad : and for one day 
 
 Any were good, he is a wretch for ten. 
 
 Give you the same commission to another ? 
 
 He'll do more evil yet. 'Tis hard to give 
 
 Advice to men, of nature difficult. 
 
 Who stand in awe of such as wish to love you. 
 
 And fawn on those who not affect your weal. 
 
 f [la T(ji 9eoy i. e. by Ceres and Proserpine, a female adjuration of frequent 
 occurrence in Aristophanes. Faber erroneously renders the words per Castorem et 
 Pollucem. 
 
 ' From this line it appears that the ancient orators stood when they delivered 
 their harangues, while the audience attended sitting. This may be also gathered 
 from Demosthenes in the opening of his second Philippic oration, where Wolfs 
 gloss upon the words oi Ka9i]fievoi is ' scilicet ev ry eKKXrjffia, oi uKovovTeg.' 
 Epigonus, mentioned two lines below, was a most debauched and worthless cha- 
 racter of that time.
 
 170—220.] THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. 301 
 
 There was a time when we ne'er met in council, 200 
 But then we thought Agyrrius to be wicked, 
 Now that we use them, he who had receiv'd 
 Money, commends it with excessive praise, 
 And he who had not says that those who seek 
 Reward in the assembly merit death." 
 
 W. l.By Venus, 'tis well spoken. 
 
 Pra. Wretched woman, 
 
 Thou hast nam'd Venus : truly thou hast done 
 A pleasant thing, to say this in the council. 
 
 W. 1. But I would not have said it. 
 
 Pra. Do not then 
 
 Indulge at present in this mode of speech. 210 
 
 " While on the alliance we deliberated. 
 
 If it were not, they said the state would perish. 
 
 But when it happen'd they were griev'd thereat. 
 
 And he, among the orators, who gave 
 
 This counsel', straight decamp'd and ran away. 
 
 Vessels to launch seems right to a poor man, 
 
 Not to the rich and those who till the land ". 
 
 With the Corinthians ye have been enrag'd, 
 
 But now they're good to thee — be thou so likewise \ 
 
 Argseus is an unlearn'd simpleton^; 220 
 
 ' The Scholiast asserts that Conon is to be understood here. Brunck, however, 
 denies that Praxagora alludes to that celebrated general, and observes that the 
 whole speech is very obscure on account of the penury of historical monuments. 
 
 " Because, as the Scholiast observes, they were burthened with the expensive 
 trierarclial contributions, tjiapovvTO yap rmg Tf)ii]papxifiiC- 
 
 ^ i. e. 0) Srjfie, this and the preceding line being addressed to the people, 
 
 (Schol.) so in v. 205. 
 
 vfxeltj yap tar' oJ dTi^u rovnov a'lrtoi. 
 
 y The Scholiast affirms that Argaeus is a proper name, and that the poet has in 
 this and the next line made him and Hieronymus change characters with each 
 other. In the next line, instead of «,\\' opi'^irai, which appears to be tiie true 
 reading, there is a great variety of conjectural verbs proposed by ditVerent commen- 
 tators. Bentley reads (oaTiZerai vel wOt'Ctrai, some read ovk bpi'Cirai, others, 
 «\X' oil xpyi^Tt- An anonymous critic in the Classical Journal conjectures nW 
 tpi^erai, which he renders, but eien Tlira:<yliulus conteinls against i/oi'- 1 he read- 
 ing of Bekkcr, which I liave adopted, is thus interpreted by the Italian translator, 
 ma esso Trasibulo non sendu chiamato la iletermiiia. Lastly, liotibius conjectures 
 aW oil pvtJtTcii, and aptly compares Terence (Adelpli. iv. 7.), —
 
 30^ THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 And Hieronymns with wisdom fravight. 
 Safety hath raised her head, but Thrasybulus 
 Himself contends against you not invited. 
 
 W. 1. How prudent is the man ! 
 
 Pra. " You praise him rightly, 
 
 For of these ills ye are the cause, O people ; 
 Since from the public money taking pay, 
 Ye look around for each man's private gain : 
 Meanwhile the common good, like yEsimus % 
 Is I'oird away : but if to my advice 
 Ye are obedient, ye shall yet be saved. 230 
 
 For I affirm that it is right for us 
 To give the state up to be rul'd by women. 
 Since in our houses we make use of them 
 As our curators, and dispensing stewards. 
 
 W. 2. 'Tis well, by Jove, 'tis well — speak, speak, O friend — 
 
 Pra. " That they are better in their ways than we, 
 I will instruct you: for in the first place, 
 All dip their fleeces in the tepid stream. 
 According to the ancient custom — nor 
 Could you perceive them changing suddenly. 240 
 
 And would not the Athenian state be sav'd. 
 Were it but right in this, nor eagerly 
 Affected any other novelties ? 
 They sit and parch their victuals as of old. 
 Bear on their heads the burthens as of old ^• 
 They dress the sacred cakes as foi'merly. 
 
 Ipsa si cupiat Salus 
 
 Servare prorsus non potest hanc familiam. 
 
 So Plautus (Capt. iii. 3. 14.), Neque jam Salus servare, si volt, me potest. 
 Thrasybulus here spoken of is not the celebrated son of Thrason who accused 
 Alcibiades to the people, but a self-willed and corrupt deceiver of his countrymen, 
 as he is described by the Scholiast. 
 
 ^ According to the Scholiast, ^simus was a lame, dishonourable, and unlearned 
 wretch of that time. Instead of 'AicrtfioQ, Hadrianus Junius cites the passage 
 uiffTTcp SijuoEig, against the metre. The first syllable of the Trojan river being 
 short. See Homer, II. E'. 774, 777, etc. 
 
 * So Herodotus (Clio, xxxv.) observes of the Egyptians that their men carried 
 burthens on their heads, and the women on their shoulders. This is confirmed 
 by Nymphodorus in the thirteenth book of his Barbaric Histories, quoted by the 
 Scholiast on Sophocles, CEdipus Coloneus, v. 237.
 
 230-270.] THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. 303 
 
 Their husbands they ill-treat as heretofore. 
 
 They lead adulterous lives within as erst. 
 
 Buy for themselves provision as before. 
 
 They love pure wine as they did formerly. 2r)0 
 
 Joy as of old to lead voluptuous lives. 
 
 If then to these, O men, we trust the state, 
 
 Let us not talk like triflers, nor inquire 
 
 What they will do — but in a simple manner 
 
 Permit them to command, regarding this 
 
 Alone, that having first themselves been mothers, 
 
 It will be their desire to save the soldiers. 
 
 Then who would rather send them food than she 
 
 That bore them ? in providing wealth, a woman 
 
 Is of a disposition the most apt, 260 
 
 And if she rul'd, would never be deceiv'd. 
 
 Being themselves accustom'd to deceive. 
 
 The rest I will pass by — but if in this 
 
 You listen to me, you shall pass a life 
 
 Of happiness. 
 
 W. L Well, O thou sweetest dame 
 
 Praxagora, and cleverly 'tis spoken. 
 Whence hast thou learn'd these things so well, O friend? 
 
 Pra. I, in the general flight, dwelt in the Pnyx^ 
 
 Together with my husband — then, by hearing 
 
 The orators, I learn'd myself to speak. 270 
 
 W. L Not without reason then, O friend, thou wert 
 Expert and wise : so from this time, we women 
 Choose thee our leader, if thou wilt effect 
 Thy meditated schemes, but to thy cost 
 Should Cephalus come in, to rail against you"^, 
 How will you contradict him in the assembly? 
 
 Pra. I'll say that he is mad. 
 
 W. L But this all know. 
 
 •» t»' rais ^vyalg. Aristophanes here alludes to the general flights whicli were 
 made from the fields and villages into the city in the beginning of the Pelopon- 
 nesian war, (see Thucydides, lib. ii. cap. 17.) — I'almer. See the graphic descrip- 
 tion of the inconveniences endured by the j)eople consequent on leaving their rural 
 retreats, ( Peace, v. 789, et sqq.) 
 
 c According to the Scholiast, he was a demagogue, not the same who is men- 
 tioned by Demosthenes, but one of a slanderous character.
 
 304 THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. [Act i. Sc. ii. 
 
 Pra. Then that he is beside atrabilarious. 
 
 W. 1. They know this likewise. 
 
 Pra. That besides he moulds 
 
 The dishes badly, but the state full well. 280 
 
 W. 1. And how if Neoclides the blear-eyed*^ 
 Revile thee? 
 
 Pra. I would order him to peep 
 
 Beneath a dog's tail. 
 
 W. 1. What if they disturb thee ? 
 
 Pra. ***** 
 'Tis a hard matter — but we must extend 
 Our hands, each arm high as the shoulder stripping. 
 Come now gird up your tunics, and put on 
 Quickly as may be, the Laconian slippers. 
 As you have often seen a man prepar'd 
 To go into the assembly, or elsewhere 290 
 
 Out at the door : then, since all this is well, 
 Ye shall gird on your beards : and whensoe'er 
 You're fitted well with these appendages. 
 And thrown o'er all the rest the manly garments 
 Which ye have stolen, then leaning on your staves 
 Singing the old man's song, and mimicking 
 The manner of the rustics, so proceed. 
 
 W. 2. Thou sayest well— then let us go before them. 
 For I suppose that there are other women. 
 Who to the Pnyx from different parts will come. 300 
 
 Pra. Then haste — since those who by the early dawn 
 Arrive not at the Pnyx, are in the habit 
 Of sneaking off, not having gain'd a peg. 
 
 Cho. 'Tis time, O men, for us to move — since this 
 We must be mindful always to repeat, 
 Lest it slip from us ; for the danger is 
 Of no slight magnitude, should we be caught 
 Attempting in the dark so bold a deed. 
 
 S.-C. Let us, O friends, to the assembly go % 
 
 •^ This blind Athenian is mentioned again in the Plutus, (v. 665.) 
 
 (Iq nkf y£ "iitoKXtiSifg, og tori jxiv Tv<p\6c. 
 « This choral address is in the Ravenna MSS. divided into a regular strophe 
 and antistrophe, consisting of twenty-two lines each, and it is so arranged by Inver-
 
 280-330.] THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. 305 
 
 For the Thesmotheta, with bitter look, 310 
 
 Hath threaten'd that whoever should not come 
 At early dawn all dusty while 'tis dark 
 And loving garlick-pickle, he will not 
 Give him the guerdon of three oboli. 
 But follow with precipitation ye, 
 O Charamitides ^ and Smicythus, 
 And Draces, taking to yourself good heed, 
 To err in nothing which you should effect. 
 But soon as we the tickets have receiv'd 
 Near to each other will we sit, that we S20 
 
 May regulate all things for our she-friends. 
 But what do I say ? friends, I ought to name them. 
 S.-C. Consider now by what contrivance, we 
 These comers from the city may repel. 
 Who ere this time, indeed, when it behov'd them 
 To come and take a single obolus. 
 Were wont to sit and speak among the crowd ; 
 But now they are extremely troublesome. 
 Yet when the generous son of Myro reigii'd, 
 None had presum'd to manage state affairs 330 
 
 For mercenary hire, but each one came 
 Bearing his beverage in a little flask. 
 Together with two onions and three olives, 
 
 nizius, the metre being similar to that of the Chorus in the Peace, v. 1107, et sqq. 
 In the present instance, the verses will stand thus, 
 
 XiopCbfitv tiQ tKKXijaiai', 
 <j>v Spig, riTTiiXrjat yap 
 6 OecrnoOsTtjQ, og ctv 
 fir) Trpip TTcivv rov KVtcpovQ 
 i]Ky (Cf/coi'icr/itf I'Of, 
 
 fiXiTriov virorpififia' 
 
 ^ In V. 293. XapiTin'iC)} is IJrunck's ingenious conjecture for the corrupt Kupiri 
 fi'Kf. 7) Kai. The reading of another IMS. is equally faulty, «XX' oJ \api rtpln, f/ 
 Kai, etc. Faber proposes «X\' oJ XaptCijfis. '1 he correction, as the French trans- 
 lator observes in a note, will appear very simple, if ihe words are written in capital 
 letters, the only characters formerly in use, et la f'aute sautera aux yeux siir le 
 champ. 
 
 AAA Q XAPITIMIA(A)HKAI. 
 
 Dobree observes that Charitimides was the general of the Athenian fleet. The 
 women are here addressed by the names of men whom they personate. 
 
 VOL. ir. X
 
 306 THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. [Act v. Sc. vii. 
 
 But now they seek to gain three oboli, 
 
 When they do nought to aid the common good, 
 
 As masons who are always gathering mud. 3S6 
 
 ACT V. SCENE VII. 
 
 Ser. O bless'd people, and O happy me 1112 
 
 Thou too my happiest mistress and all ye 
 Who stand here at the doors, and all ye neighbours, 
 And fellow-tribesmen, and myself beside 
 The female minister who have anointed 
 My head with perfumes good, O Jupiter ! 
 But far the Thasian casks surpass all these, 
 For on the head a long time it endures. 
 While of all others soon the scent flies off, 1 120 
 
 Wherefore are they by far the best, O gods. 
 Mix the pure wine, that all night long shall cheer me. 
 Having selected what is most perfum'd. 
 But O ye women, tell me where's my lord, 
 The husband of my mistress. 
 
 Cho. Tarry here. 
 
 For it appears to us that you will find him. 
 
 Ser. Most certainly, for he now comes to supper. 
 O master ! O bless'd and thrice happy ! 
 
 Mas. I? 
 
 Ser. For who can be more blessed than thou art. 
 
 Being the only one that has not supp'd 1130 
 
 Of more than thirty thousand citizens ? 
 
 Cho. a truly blessed man thou hast describ'd. 
 
 Ser. Whither art going ? whither? 
 
 Mas. To the supper. 
 
 Ser. By Venus, far in th' rear of all the rest. 
 
 Yet my wife order'd me to take and bring thee 
 
 And with thee too, these damsels^. (Cho.) there is left 
 
 A great sufficiency of Chian wine '', 
 
 S rda!)i rag fieipaKag' viz. those that formed the chorus, rag rov %opoi). 
 (Schol.) 
 
 *> The wine of Chios, now Scio, was, and is still highly esteemed for its superior 
 flavour. (See Horace, Od. iii. 19. 5; Epod. ix. 34; Sat. ii. 3. 15.) It was 
 
 I
 
 386-1160.] THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. 307 
 
 And other good things — therefore tarry not. 
 Then if of the spectators any one 
 
 Be well inclin'd, or any of the judges 1 110 
 
 Look not aside thro' favour, let him go 
 With us — for we shall have all things prepar'd, 
 Therefore to all thou shalt speak generously, 
 And pass hy no one, but with liberal voice 
 Remember to invite old, youths, and children, 
 Since for them all the supper is prepar'd 
 If they depart each one to his own home. 
 Cho. And 1 will hasten to the supper now, 
 
 Bearing this torch in a decorous manner. 
 
 Why then delayest thou to take and bring 1 150 
 
 These damsels ? and while thou art on thy road 
 
 I'll chant some strain to celebrate the feast. 
 
 But to the judges who are wise I'd make 
 
 A slight suggestion, that in memory 
 
 Of my wise sayings they pass sentence on me ; 
 
 Such as are pleas'd to laugh, for laughter's sake 
 
 Should judge me, and I order all to pass 
 
 Their judgment on me nearly in this manner. 
 
 Nor pray the lot be prejudicial to us 
 
 That mine was first awarded : but 'tis right 1160 
 
 That bearing all these things in recollection, 
 
 You swear not falsely, but right judgment still 
 
 Bear on the chorusses — nor let your manners 
 
 Resemble those of wicked courtezans. 
 
 Who only keep the memory of past favours. 
 
 O, O, indeed dear women, if we are 
 
 About to act, 'tis time to trip away 
 
 To supper, wherefore thou too move thy feet 
 
 anciently celebrated by the name of Nectar, and still retains the appellation 
 (Virg. Eel. V. 71.) 
 
 Vina tibi fundaiu calathis Ariusia nectar, 
 
 from a promontory in the Ariusian district of that fine island. Theocritus (id. 7. 
 
 63.) calls this wine. 
 
 Tov TlTtXeariKov olvov. 
 
 Doering (ad Herat. Od. iii. 19. 5.) refers to Athena-us, i. p. 23. 
 
 X 2
 
 308 THE FEMALE HARANGUERS. [Act v. Sc. vii. 
 
 In Cretan measure '. 
 
 S.-C. And tliese light of foot 
 
 To the same cadence : for tlicre will be soon, 1170 
 
 Oysters aud fishes cartilaginous, 
 
 Eel pouts with relics of the heads beat up 
 
 In vinegar, benzoin, and honey mingled. 
 
 Thrushes hnd blackbirds, pigeons, roasted cocks' crests 
 
 Wagtails and stock-doves, with the flesh of hares 
 
 Sodden in musty wine-sauce with the wings. 
 
 Thou having heard this, take thy dish and egg ; 
 
 With all celerity ^ then, haste to the supper. 
 
 S.-C. But they are now devouring. 
 
 Cho. Raise your feet. 
 
 Hurrah ! hurrah ! we'll sup with festive glee, 
 And shout in token of our victory. 1181 
 
 ' KpjjriKuiC' Hence it appears, as Faber observes, that the concluding chorus 
 exhibits a specimen of Cretan rhythm, beginning at v. 1166. 
 
 Kai av Kirer tovto Spa)' 
 Kal TuffCi vvv Xayapac. 
 
 The next six lines of the comedy, containing the names of all the festival dishes 
 
 vv^hich one semichorus promises to the other, compose one single Aristophanic word, 
 
 containing seventy-five syllables — XinaSciQ, TSjiaxoCt ffiXaxog, jaXebv, Kpaviwv 
 
 \ii.\l/ava, Spifiv TvpooTpmiia, aXfiov napa ^tfXtroi' icara/cfxi'/iSJ'Oj', etc. Eus- 
 
 tathius, in his Commentary on the Iliad (p. 1277.), observes that Homer is not 
 
 accustomed to use these iroXvcrvvQEroig Xk^taiv, yet those after him, especially 
 
 the Attics, are much in the habit of framing them, and perhaps the present 
 
 instance is intended as a parody of some other poet. I think there can be little 
 
 doubt that the learned bishop particularly alludes to this passage of the Ecclesia- 
 
 ziisiE, when he says, evprjTca yoyj' irapa ry Kw/iiKqi ^wpiov tv Ttvi aavvr^du 
 
 KWfKjjdiq,, K. T. X. 
 
 ^ ■ Xa/3wj' Koi/iffai 
 
 \r]Ki6ov . 
 
 On this passage the gloss of the Scholiast for kovktui is yvfivacrOijTi., which is, I 
 
 think, rightly rejected by Brunck and Faber, and with which he concludes his 
 
 commentary on this political play.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 A DISSERTATION ON THE OLD GREEK COMEDY « 
 
 FROM THE GERMAN OF WACHSMUTH. 
 
 In the midst of this deep-rooted and wide-spread corrup- 
 tion, when the legal authorities had become powerless, the 
 Sophronistae and the Areojjagus lost all weight and influ- 
 ence, when public opinion had grown contaminated, and the 
 licentious multitude only followed the dictates of their own 
 headstrong will, there arose, in the domain of art, a frank 
 and vigorous censorship, which, in unsparingly castigating 
 the vices and follies of the age, joined poignant ridicule and 
 wit to the deep earnestness of high-minded patriotism. 
 
 After Athens had attained the meridian of her power, 
 tragedy and comedy had nearly to an equal extent become 
 the objects of public care and encc^ragement. But the 
 effects which they respectively exercised upon the public 
 system differed very widely. In tragedy the Athenian be- 
 held the old heroic monarchy in its dependence upon Fate, 
 the nothingness of human pride, and earthly presumption 
 crushed by the wrath of the gods. The Greek tragedy was 
 copiously interspersed with political reflections ; these, it is 
 true, in consequence of the vast difference between the pre- 
 sent order of things and the ancient regal system, could oidy 
 be applied ^ to the Athenian democracy as figurative allu- 
 sions, or in a larger extent as moral maxims ; still the poets 
 occasionally transposed sentiments of the democratic period 
 into the heroic age, as/Eschylus has done in the Danaides''; 
 
 » Compare generally: Kanngiesser, The Ancient Comic Stage in Atliens, 1817, 
 especially first and twell'tli chapters: comedy attains its zenith during the Pelo- 
 ponnesian war, etc., p. 114, sqq., and sixth : tlie destination of the comic drama. 
 
 *> See the collection of passages of this description which occur in Euripides in 
 Valckenaer Diatr. 255. C. sqq., and especially on the subject of demagogy, 259. 
 A. sqq. 
 
 <^ e. g. the king, 519 : 
 
 Tltiab) rb koivov, <!>(; ai' ivntvig riOw,
 
 310 APPENDIX. 
 
 or, at least, the unlimited power of the monarchy was called 
 into question, as in the incomparable dialogue between Hae- 
 mon and Creon in the Antigone of Sophocles'*. Yet, in 
 spite of this, tragedy and real life were separated by a wide 
 gulf, and we may perceive how far it was from the intention 
 of the Athenians to allow the former to allude to real mis- 
 fortunes by their infliction of a fine on Phrynichus, because 
 he had represented the destruction of Miletus by the Per- 
 sians, and thereby painfully affected the Athenians as though 
 the calamity in question had happened to themselves*. 
 
 On the other hand, the oM comedy sprung from the wan- 
 tonness and arrogance of the democracy of Megara, whence 
 it was transferred to its lively neighbour, Athens ^, the public 
 appointing comic poets, who were not only permitted, but 
 expressly enjoined to level their satire against the wealthier 
 classes ^ ; thus comedy became raised into a great political 
 engine — a genial tribunal of public morals — which had grown 
 out of real life, and, mingled with the hues of fancy, was the 
 reflected image of its scenes ; or rather, a mirror, in which 
 reality and its image were beheld in rapid alternation and 
 succession, and which either borrowed the objects it ex- 
 hibited from the real world, or directed its rays on the 
 world, and so explained the true meaning of what was going 
 forward on the stage. The dim warnings of the mysterious 
 power of Fate in tragedy, were little adapted to produce any 
 deep impression on the popular mind, as none of the spec- 
 tators found in the crimes or sorrows of the kings and heroes 
 any thing applicable to his own position ; but the aijn of 
 comedy, as explained by Aristophanes, was to make men 
 
 Comp. 607 : 
 
 UavStjfiiqi. yup xfpffi SiS,iiovvi^iotg 
 
 "E0pt^f J' al9r]p, rovCi KpaivoiTwv Xoyov. 
 939: 
 
 ToidSe StjfioTzpaKTOQ Ik 7r6\£(ue jui'^ 
 
 "^rjcpng KSKpavTai, k, t. X. 
 
 ^ Antig. 726, sqq. Especially : 
 
 IToXif yap ovK tcrO' ijris ofiSpng kffQ' tvoQ. 
 « Herod. 6. 21. 
 
 f See Meineke, Quaest. Scenic. Spec. Prim. p. 4. Berol. 1826. 
 f See the Schol. Aristoph. cd. Kiister, p. 12.
 
 APPENDIX. 311 
 
 better in th e state '', to a dmonish and instruct adults', and, 
 in so doing, it was at Hberty to take the boldest flights, n^ 
 restricted to lampooning individuals "". However, the ancient 
 comedy never Tost "sTglit of its original destination, which 
 was to ridicule passing occurrences_(e^ dfjud^rj^ a-Kco/jifxaTa), 
 and this is the real root of the connection between the actors 
 and the spectators. 
 
 In order duly to estimate the political importance, as well 
 as the aesthetic character of the old comedy, it must espe- 
 cially be borne in mind, that the plot of the piece by no 
 means formed such an entire and connected whole, as com- 
 pletely to withdraw the attention of the spectators from the 
 real world around, and confine it exclusively to the poeticaL 
 world upon the stage^as die, p iece niade constant allusions 
 to lhe_real transactio_iis_of civil life, to actual_£ersimag£S, 
 events, dan g„ej:s, virtue§_ and vices, and by gathering its mot- 
 ley grqtms within some poetical frame, even thougha mst&- 
 
 jiiece_ofJbu2bonery7T£. imparted to them dramatic keeping 
 
 jind consistence ; hence disturbing the illusion, by mixing up 
 the spectators with the actors, which with us is justly con- 
 sidered a fault, was customary and admired amongst the 
 Atlienians. This was effected in three ways : 
 / 1. By allusions to, and glosses upon, objects of real life 
 ) woven into the poetical dialogue. 
 
 'S 2. By imitating the personal appearance of living charac- 
 / - ters, and sometimes by introducing them into pieces 
 
 / under their real names. 
 
 k^ 3. And most effectually by the parabasis, an address from 
 the chorus to the spectators, in which the connection 
 
 '' Aristoph. Ran. 1009. 1010 : 
 
 OTl /StXrtOUe Tt TTOlOVfltV 
 
 Tovc dv6p<ji)7rovQ iv Talg TroXtaiv. 
 ' Aristoph. Ran. 1054 : 
 
 — role juv yap TrniSapioiaiv 
 
 t<TTi diSaffKciXog, ocrrif (ppa'Cti' rolij <5' t'niioffiv yt TTow/rai. 
 
 k Aristoph. Pac. 751.752: 
 
 oiiK ididiraQ cn'OponriiTKovg KWfK^SCiv, oifi^i yvvaiKag 
 
 dXX' 'HpaKXsovg 6pyi]i> riv txov roim jiiy'iaroig iirixtipil. 
 
 Comp. Vesp. 1030.
 
 312 APPENDIX. 
 
 with the drama was only kept up by means of the mask, 
 and the poetical character assigned to the chorus in 
 the piece, whilst the latter discoursed on some object 
 of political life ', in reference to Avhich it instructed, 
 admonished, or censured the citizens, and thereby en- 
 deavoured to perform its vocation, viz., to inculcate 
 principles beneficial to the state "^. The masterpiece 
 amongst all the parabases extant, is that in the Frogs 
 of Aristophanes", and it is, perhaps, partly owing to 
 this that that piece was represented twice successively". 
 The preceding characteristics are exhibited in eminent 
 perfection in the old comedy alone, whicli „Ji£gaii before the 
 Peloponnesian war, and continued to flourish some time after 
 it had terminated. The most renowned poets of this period 
 were Cratinus, Eupolis, Plato, Pherecrates, and Aristo- 
 phanes; Crates, Hermippus, Phrynichus, etc. p, belonged to 
 the second rank. In consequence of the very scanty frag- 
 ments of the works of the others which have reached us,- 
 Aristophanes is almost our only authority. His poetical 
 ^career began a short time after the commencement of the 
 Peloponnesian war,, and lasted— till about--±en_jears after its. 
 conclusion^. (His pieces exhibit a just and striking picture 
 
 ' Schol. Aristoph. Pac. 733 : btroTt l(iov\tTo 6 TTOitiT^g SiaXExOrivai tl t^oj 
 Tt]Q vTToB'ictMQ di'tv Tiov vTvoKpiTuiv . The patabasis was likewise attempted 
 in tragedy ; Euripides made the chorus in the Danaides speak of himself, and 
 introduced parabases in other pieces, Pollux 4. 111. On the arrangements of 
 the stage, etc., consult Hermann, Elem. Doctr. Metr. 720, sqq. 
 
 " XprjffT-tt ry ttoXsi ^vnivapaivtiv, Aristoph. Ran. 685; compare in particular 
 Acharn. 656, sqq. 
 
 " Aristoph. Ran. 686, sqq. 
 
 ° O'vTo) ?i iOavixaaOr] cia ti)v tv avri^ irapdfiaffiv — Hxtte kuI dvtSiddxdT], 
 Dlcaearch. in Argum. Ran. 
 
 P On Cratinus, Crates, Hermippus, Teleclides, Eupolis, see Meineke, Quae- 
 stionum Scenicarum Spec. Primum. 
 
 1 The first piece, the AidraXac . • 01. 88. 1. 427. B.C. 
 
 — The Babylonians . . - 88. 2. 426. „ 
 
 — The Acharnians . . - 88. 3. 425. „ 
 
 — The Knights . . . - 88. 4. 424. „ 
 
 — The Clouds (first) . . - 89.1.423. „ 
 
 — The Wasps and (second) Clouds - 89. 2. 422. „ 
 
 — The Peace . . . - 89. 3. 421. „ 
 
 — The Birds . . . - 91.2. 414. „
 
 • APPENDIX. 313 
 
 of the Athenian people, and the copious scholia amply ilhis 
 trate particular points. 
 
 Our enquiries being particularly directed to the manner in 
 which the comic censorship was exercised, it is not con- 
 sistent with our object to enter into a consideration of the 
 criticisms on bad poets as such, with which the pieces of 
 Aristophanes abound""; still it may be observed, that as 
 there was an indissoluble connection between the poetical 
 and the political life of the Greeks, so the decline of poetry, 
 viz., the corruption of the lyric poetry by the dithyrambic 
 poets % and of tragedy by Euripi<;les *, which Aristophanes so 
 frecm eatly deplor es, acted on, and was itself affected by, the 
 moral and political depravation of the age. 
 
 When the comic muse levelled her shafts at those whose 
 dress or air was ridiculous, or whose way of life was charac- 
 terised by profligacy or folly, she did not, it is true, inculcate 
 a direct political lesson, the censure in question not being 
 directed against the omission of a public duty or obhgation. 
 Still these topics were sometimes touched upon incidentally, 
 as the vices of the persons satirised were seldom found 
 alone. Thus Aristophanes ridicules Epicrates, who jirided 
 himself upon his comely beard, and was therefore called the 
 shield-bearer (o-a/cecr^opoy) '^ ; Amynias the dicer"; the dis- 
 sipated yEschines ^ and Proxenides "" ; Pisander the coward 
 with the daring aspect^; Callias the prodigal '', whose courage 
 
 — Lysistrata and Thesmophoriazusaj 01.92.1.411. „ 
 
 — The Frogs . . . - 93. 3. 405. ,, 
 
 — Plutus . . . - 96. 3. 394. „ 
 
 — Ecclesiazusas ... - 97.1.392. ,, 
 
 ■" See Pac. 803, oa the tragedian Morsimus, Vesp. 402 ; Pliilocles, Thesmoph. 
 169; Xenocles, 170; Theognis, etc. 
 
 ' Nub. 332 : kvkXiiijv rt x^P^v dafiaTOKafiirrag. 
 
 ' Ran. Acharn. Thesmoph. 
 
 " Eccles. 71. Compare tlie Scholion. He was a demagogue after tlie do- 
 mination of the Thirty. 
 
 ^ Vesp. 75 ; comp. 1267. 1278. 
 
 y Vesp. 338.457. 1220. 
 
 ^ Vesp. 338. 
 
 a Pac. 395 ; Av. 1559. 
 
 ^ Av. 284. He moults away his goods and chattels like a bird does its fea- 
 thers, TTTepoppvtl,
 
 314 APPENDIX. 
 
 was very suspicious, notwithstanding the lion's-skin which he 
 wore '^j and who had previously been attacked by EupoHs in 
 the Flatterers'^; the impoverished spendthrift Megacles, the 
 descendant of the proud Coisyra% and a host of infamous 
 drunkards'^ and debauchees besides s. Still more unsparing 
 is the castigation which he inflicts upon the voluptuous and 
 the unchaste. Such were Cleonymus, who, though of heroic 
 presence'', had disgraced himself by throwing away his 
 shield', had committed perjury '', and cajoled the people'; 
 the beardle ss and incontinent Clistheiies ™ ; the grossly lust- 
 ful Ariphrades " ; Hieronynuis°, PhiloxenusP, Amynias'', Se- 
 binus ■", and a number of other cinaedi, whose names may be 
 recognised in the Clouds by their feminine terminations ^ 
 To these may be added the o bscene, such as Cinesi as \ at 
 the mention of whose nanie the people were probably^ re- 
 minded of the^ lime-plank which, in cons equence of his ex- 
 "icessiv e thinness, [ ye was obliged to wear within his^'dle to 
 
 « Ran. 428. J Schol. Av. 286. 
 
 e Acharn. 614. Comp. Nub. 46. 70. 124. 
 
 f Vesp. 1301. 1302. 
 
 s Acharn. 839, sqq. Amongst others, the evpvTrpwKTog Prepis, the nEpnrovi)- 
 pog Artemon, the ■RuixTvdvi]poQ Pauson, and Lysistratus ILokapy'nov ovuoog, 
 (comp. Vesp. 788.) etc. 
 
 h Vesp. 822, ;;^a\f7roe IctTv. 
 
 ' Vesp. 19. Conf. Aves, 1481. 1482 ; Pac. 446. 673 ; Acharn. 88 ; Nub. 680. 
 
 '' Nub. 398. 
 
 ' Vesp. 592, he is called KoXaKixivvfiog. 
 
 ra Eq. 1374; Acharn. 122; Nub. 354; Ran. 48. 423; Lysis. 1092. He is 
 introduced in the Thesmophoriazusae, 573, as ambassador to the women ; in the 
 Birds, 831, he carries a weaver's shuttle. He and Cleonymus are, as it were, 
 the representatives of effeminacy. 
 
 " Equit. 1281, sqq. : — 
 
 tan 5' oil fiovov Trovijpog, ov yap ovS' civ y(jQ6jxr]V 
 ovSe iraixTrovfjpoQ • c'lXXa Kai TTpode^svprjKE ri ' 
 rt)v yap avTOi'^y\CjTTav aiaxpciiQ >)SovalQ Xvfiaivtrai 
 kv Kaffavpioiffi Xtixwv Tt)v cnroTrTvaTov Spoaov, k. t. X. 
 
 No less depraved was the character of Smoius, Eccles. 848 : — ra ruiv yvvaiKiov 
 SiuKaQaipti TpvjSXia. 
 
 ° Nub. 348. P Vesp. 84. 
 
 1 Nub. 689, sqq. ' Ran. 430. 
 
 * Nub. 685 : AvaiXXa, <tiXivva, KXtirayopa, Atj/xriTpia. 
 
 • Ran. 367 : — KaranXc} rioi' 'EKaraiwv. Comp, the Schol. Ran. 53. 1437 ; 
 Eccles. 330 ; Lysis. 855.
 
 APPENDIX. 315 
 
 support himself"; and, lastly, Agyrrhius'^, who was more- 
 over effeminate ^ and malignant. 
 
 If the comic muse animadverts upon enormities such as 
 these, in accents which sometimes appear to be deficient in 
 modesty and dignity, we must reflect that subjects, the bare 
 mention of which shocks every feeling of delicacy and sliame 
 in our nature, were not conceived by the Athenian seriously 
 or in a moral point of view, but merely addressed themselves 
 to his perception of the ridiculous. The same may be urged 
 in vindicating Aristophanes from the charge of cruelty when 
 he taunts persons with their bodily infirmities ; as, for in- 
 stance, when .he ridicules Archedemus^ and Neoclides "* for 
 being blear-eyed; calls Melanthius a leper''; jeers Ctesiphon 
 about his fat belly''; laughs at Cleigenes for his diminutive 
 monkey figure '' ; and introduces a great number of Athe- 
 nians under the names of various birds, in the comedy of 
 that name, classed according to their personal peculiarities 
 and deformities^. In the same manner Horace reproached 
 Crispinus with being blear-eyed ^ This did not shock the 
 feelings of the ancients. Moreover, those whom Aristo])hanes 
 ridiculed on account of their personal infirmities were, in 
 most instances, likewise conspicuous for moral defects— as, 
 for instance, Melanthius, who was notorious for effeminacy, 
 gluttony, and unnatural lust, on which account he was at- 
 tacked byEupolis in the Flatterers ^ — or had rendered them- 
 selves obnoxious to censure by pernicious demagogy or spu- 
 rious citizenship, like Cleigenes'', so that by holding up their 
 personal blemishes to the laughter of the people, he at the 
 same time reminded them of their moral and jjolitical taints. 
 Thus, for instance, a certain Teleas is brought forward in 
 
 " Athen. 12. 551, E. " Plut. 176 :— 'Ay^ppioe— Trtp^trat. 
 
 y Eccles. 102. 184. 
 
 ^ Ran. 588. •' Eccles. 254. 
 
 ^ Av. 151. •= Acharn. 1001. 
 
 <» Ran. 709, sqq. 
 
 e Av. 1292, sqq. Cha;rephon the owl, etc. 
 
 f Sat. i. 1. 120, at which Uentley is so indignant that lie changes U]ii<x into 
 lippian, and makes Horace call himself blear-eyed, which indeed he sometimes was. 
 But this is the moral feeling of modern times. 
 
 « Schol. Pac. 800. ^ Schol. Ran. 709.
 
 316 APPENDIX. 
 
 the Birds, whose name was sufficient to call up an idea of 
 every thing that was depraved '. So perfect was the under- 
 standing between the poet and the spectators, that a single 
 word frequently sufficed to propose a comic riddle, and at 
 the same time to furnish its solution. 
 
 His allusions to men who had obtained the franchise sur- 
 reptitiously, and who demeaned themselves as though they 
 had been rightful citizens, are still more severe, and bear 
 the character of serious reprehension ; such are his animad- 
 versions upon Archedemus, who, though he had held the 
 citizenship seven years, was unable to bring forward a single 
 phrator'', the parr etm Diitrephes', ExecestideSb.the Carian", 
 Spintharus the Phrygian, and Philemon", but especially 
 Cleophon, the son of a Thracian woman, a great talker, who 
 was always prating about war°. Moreover, his allusion to 
 sycophants and men of faithless character, such as the 
 smooth-tongued informer Cephisodemus and the false Eu- 
 athlosf", Theorus'' the forsworn flatterer of the people, the 
 perjured and rapacious Simon"", Euphemius^ and Thrasy- 
 bulus, who, having been bribed, pretended to have a sore 
 throat upon being called upon to speak at a public negocia- 
 tion with the Laconians*. Nor did perfidious soothsayers 
 like Lampon, Diopithes, Hierocles, etc. ", escape the poet's 
 censure. 
 
 ' Schol. Av. 167 : — rrpbg yap tiJ Kivaidiq, Kai StCK'tq. Kai dipo(j)ayia Kai vo- 
 (T^KT/i(p K«i TTOVTjpiq. oviiSiZovai tov TiKiav. 
 k Ran. 418. 
 1 Av. 798 :— 
 
 wQ AiiTpe(p!]c ye WTiviCia /toi'ov i\iov Trrspd, 
 
 ypeOr] (pv\apxoc> ^'id' "iTnrapxoQ, tlr tS, ovStvbg 
 
 fieyaXa Trparrti. 
 
 m Av. 765 and Schol. Corap. 11 and 1530. " Av. 762. 763. 
 
 " Ran. 678, sqq. Qpijicia ;)(f Xi^ojv. According to the Scholion, the subject of 
 a piece named after him by the comic poet Plato. 
 
 p Acharn. 705. 710. According to the Schol. Vesp. 592, he had also been 
 attacked by Cratinus and Plato. 
 
 q Nub. 399 ; Vesp. 42. 418 ; Acharn. 134. 
 
 f Nub. 351. 399. > Vesp. 599. 
 
 ' Ecclesias. 203. 356. and Schol. 
 
 « Av. 988; Pac. 1044. and Schol. Even the answers of Bacis are mentioned 
 in derision. Eq. 1003.
 
 APPENDIX. 317 
 
 Persons like these were more or less public characters ; 
 but comedy took a bolder range when she assailed the dema- 
 gogues who guided the helm of state, and sometime held 
 public offices. The comic poets had already attacked Peri- 
 cles, and with the greater impunity, as he was too conscious 
 of the proud height upon which he stood to grudge the 
 demus a vent for any ill-will it might occasionally bear him. 
 Several satirical allusions to his omnipotence, by Cratinus, 
 one of the eulogists of Cimon ", Teleclides, Hermippus, and 
 Eupolis, are extant ; he is apostrophized as Zeus -', Aspasia 
 as Here, Omphale, or Deianira, but at the same time as a 
 courtezan'', his sons are addressed as simpletons^ in addition 
 to which the one by Aspasia is called a bastard'', his friends 
 are named Pisistratids *■ ; the slowness with which the con- 
 struction of the walls and the Odeum proceeded was also the 
 object of their ridicule '^ ; and lastly, the policy of Pericles in 
 avoiding a battle upon the first irruption of the Peloponne- 
 sians into Attica, was bitterly derided ®. 
 
 ^ Plut. Cim. 10. 
 
 y Cratinus : MoX' w Ztv %ivu Koi fioKapu. Alluding to the large head of 
 Pericles, be calls him rvpavvov, ov h) KtrpoKijyeptrav Geol KaXeovffi. See Plut. 
 Pericl. 3. ibid, o (ixi.voK(<pa\oc 7-tvc, Plut. 14. The same thought once more 
 recurs in Aristoph. Acharn. 530 : — YlipiKk'niq ovXvjjnnoQ. See also Schol. and 
 Diodor. 12. 40. Eupolis' confession of the irresistible nature of Pericles' elo- 
 quence; from tiie Aii^ioic after the death of Pericles. Comp. Meineke, Qum- 
 stionum Scenicarum, p. 48. Teleclides (the contemporary of Aristophanes, Schol. 
 Han. 1126; Athen. 6. 267. E. sqq.) enumerated to the Athenians in succession 
 the constituents of that power which they had conceded to Pericles : 
 
 ■7r6\tu)v Tt <p6povc; avrciQ ti TzoXtiQ. tuc M^i^ ^£'i'. Tag £' avaXveiv, 
 Xdiva TtixVt ^d fi'tv oiKoSofiiiv, rd Ci avru ndXiv KaralidXXtiv 
 aTTOvSdg, Svvafitv, Kpdrog, tlpi'iviji', ttXovtov t tvSaifjioviav n. 
 Plut. Pericl. 16. Comp. on the subject of Teleclides, Meineke, Quaest. Scenic, 
 p. 29, sqq. 
 
 ^ Cratinus apud Plut. Pericl. 24 : 
 
 — "Hpav Ti 01 ' AcfTracriav tIktu 
 Kai Karairvyoffvvijv iraXXaK))v KvvwntSa. 
 
 Comp. Schol. Piaton. Menex. 139. Ruhnk. 
 
 ■■'■ n\iro/«a/(«c- Schol. Plat. Ruhnk. 73. 
 
 ^ Eupolis ap. Plut. Per. 24 ; conf. Ilarpocrat. 'AffTraffi'o. 
 
 •^ Plut. Per. 16. "^ Cratinus ap. Plut. Per. 13. 
 
 * See llermipp. Anap.rst. ap. Plut. Per. 33. On Hermippus, conf. Meineke, 
 ubi sup. p. 30.
 
 Q 
 
 18 APPENDIX. 
 
 Aristophanes arose at the commencement of the wild de- 
 magogy, which immediately followed the death of Pericles ; 
 its excesses never ceased to draw down his indignant repro- 
 bation, nor did he shrink from entering the lists with the 
 most powerful of its representatives or supporters. He de- 
 scribes with the convincing energy of truth, especially in the 
 Knights, the destructive nature of demagogy in general, 
 the facihties it offered to bad men to rise to power and emi- 
 nence \ its duplicity and adulation s, the intrigues and cabals 
 it employed to deceive the people '', and above all, its pecu- 
 lations and embezzlements'. All this he'' contrasts with the 
 time of Myronides, when he asserts that such disgraceful 
 avarice did not exist. Amongst the single demagogues who 
 writhed under the lash of the Aristophanic satire, must, ac- 
 cording to their succession in order of time, be now enume- 
 rated Eucrates, the vender of flax and tow, and the cattle- 
 dealer Lysicles, neither of whose trades escaped ridicule \ 
 but above all, the worthless Cleon. The more conscious this 
 man was of his own baseness, the more impatient he was of 
 censure ; nevertheless, he was obliged to endure the most 
 humiliating flagellation from the comic muse in the Baby- 
 lonians"', and afterwards in the Knights, his dog-like ef- 
 
 f Eq. 180. 181 : 
 
 ^t' aiiTo yap rot tovto kciI yiyvn fisyag, 
 oTu) TTOvtjpoQ, izq.'i uyopciQ d, Ktti OpaavQ. 
 
 V. 218: — 
 
 rd S' dWa aoi irpoatari cruiayuyyiRa, 
 (piovrj [.uapa, ykyovaQ kcikoq, dyopalog el. 
 e Ran. 1085 : the town is full of /3w/io\6xtov Sr]iioTri9l]Kix)v t^aTTarwvnov 
 rbv Sijixov dti. Moreover the expressive word SrffiiCoi to cajole the people, 
 Vesp. 697. The subject of the koXciksc of Eupolis were Callias and the parasites 
 about him. See Meineke, ubi sup. 59, sqq. 
 I' Equit. 865. 
 • Vesp. 665 : — 
 
 B^eXukX. : — Kai ttoX rpkirtrai c?r) 'irura rd xp''//*"''" ''"^^^ 5 
 $tXoKX. : Iq TovTovg tovq — Of'xt TrpoSoicrw rov 'AOrjvaiwv KoXoavprov, dWd 
 fiaxoviiai TTSpi tov irXijOove dti. 
 
 k Eccles. 303. ^ 
 
 » Concerning the former, see Equit. 129. with the Schol. and 254; on the 
 latter Equit. 132. 
 
 m Schol. Acharn. 386.
 
 APPENDIX. 319 
 
 fi'ontery, his sycophantic snarhng and barking", and his 
 greediness for a bribe", are held up to the laughter of the 
 people, who are at the same time compelled to witness a 
 mortifying picture of their own folly, in resigning themselves 
 to the guidance of so abandoned a wretch. Even after the 
 representation of the Knights Aristophanes repeats his at- 
 tacks ; in the Clouds he again brings the god-detested tan- 
 ner? upon the stage; in the Wasps he is made to play the 
 part of an all-devouring sea-monster''; after his death his 
 vices are once moi'e chronicled in the Peace '^; and lastly in 
 the Frogs he and his worthy compeer, Hyperbolus, are in- 
 troduced together in Hades ^ Aristophanes well knew the 
 peril he encountered in entering the arena with this mali- 
 cious, covetous, and sanguinary idol of the populace, and 
 accordingly speaks of his own services with that absence of 
 reserve which was peculiar to the Greeks in enumerating 
 their own merits*, and it must be confessed that comedy 
 owed to him the proud height it thus attained as the vehicle 
 of political censure. 
 
 In sketching the portrait of Hyperbolus the lamp-maker, 
 Aristophanes has employed less force of comic humour, as 
 well as less moral earnestness, and patriotic feehng ; still we 
 have a clear notion of the iniquity of his character. In the 
 Knights he declares that he deserves hanging"; in the 
 Peace which was represented about the time when IIy})er- 
 bolus contested the demagogy with Alcibiades, Phaeax, and 
 
 " Equit. 1022. Cleon says to the demus : 
 
 iyio jiiv ilji' 6 KVMv • npo ffuv yap clttvo). 
 
 Comp. Vesp. 596: o K\eo>j' " KticpaK'Ouftac- 
 
 «• Eq. 831, sqq., allusion is made to forty mina; which are said to have been 
 received from Mitylene, but this is mere satire (see Meier, de Bon. Damnal. p. 115); 
 Cleon had received money from the islanders, that he might reduce their tributes. 
 
 I' Nub. 557. 
 
 n Vesp. 35 : ^dXatva iravSoKivrpia. Conf. 1030, sqq. 
 
 "■ Pac. 648, sq(|. : navovpyoc, XclXoc, ffuKo^aiTtjc, KVKiiOpov, rdpaKrpop. 
 
 « Kan. 569. 570. 
 
 ' Nub. 545 : oq [liyiaTov ovra KXtwi'' tnaia' n'r r»)j' ynciTtpa. Vesp. 1031 : 
 QpaakiaQ Kvffrdc ivOvg air' ctpxiiQ avT(p rip KapxapoSorri, k. r. X. Comp. Pac. 
 739, sqq. On the merits of Arisloplianes, compare Kanngiesser komische Bvihnc, 
 499, sqq. " Equit. 1373.
 
 320 APPENDIX. 
 
 Nicias, and had a party in his favour, he is called a flagitious 
 leader ", who deserved to be expelled ^, etc. Other comic 
 poets had also attacked Hyperbolus, and Eupolis had written 
 his Maricas against him and his drunken mother ^ ; but Ari- 
 stophanes speaks in terms of contempt of these attacks, 
 which were for the most part made after Hyperbolus had 
 lost the favour of the people and began to be hunted like a 
 flying beast. A specimen of the sycophantic dialectics of 
 his contemporary and rival Phaeax is given in the Knights ^ 
 Special mention was made of Nicias in a piece which has 
 perished, called the Husbandmen**, and in the Birds his 
 dilatory character is glanced at^ 
 
 Alcibiades was more violent than Cleon, and his authority 
 resembled a tyranny still more than that of Pericles, and yet 
 Aristophanes did not attack him. Alcibiades is rarely men- 
 tioned, and in the Frogs the poet appears to speak of him in 
 terms of respect, as a man, a general, and a statesman. We 
 may look upon the words of .'Eschylus in the Frogs "^ : 
 
 'Twere better not to nourish in the state 
 
 A lion's whelp — yet should one so be nourish'd 
 
 His disposition must be yielded to — 
 
 as proceeding from Aristophanes' inmost soul. At that time 
 he well knew that no one could protect the state against the 
 designs of the crafty Lysander so effectually as Alcibiades ; 
 though twenty years earlier he had in the Daetaleis * stigma- 
 
 " Pac. 684. y Pac. 1319. 
 
 '■ Nub, 549 and Schol. ; comp. Schol. ou 587, and the Plutus, 1303 j Mei- 
 neke, ubi sup. 56, sqq. 
 a Eq. 1377, sqq. : 
 
 ^vvtpKTiKog yap ecrn, Kat TrepavTiKoc, 
 
 Kai yv(x)jioTVTriK6c, Kal ffa<pi]g, Kai KpovdTiKOQ, 
 
 KaraXrinTiKOQ r apiara rov Qopvjii]TiKov. 
 
 " See Citat. Fabric. Bib. Gr. ed. Hail. 2. 369, 
 
 •^ Av. 639, fxtK\oviKiq,v. 
 
 d Ran. 1431. 1432. 
 
 ^ See the Fragm. in Seidler, Brevis Disputatlo de Aristophanis Fragmentis. Hal. 
 1818; comp. Siivern on the Clouds of Aristophanes, Berl, 1826, p. 26, sqq., 
 and ibid, on the allusions to the lasciviousness and sexual vigour of Alcibiades 
 ubi sup. 63, sqq.
 
 APPENDIX. 321 
 
 tisecl with becoming severity his incontinence, pernicious so- 
 phistry, youthful wilfuhiess and turbulence, aristocratic pride, 
 and passion for horses, whilst the same original may be clearly 
 recognised in the prodigal Phidippides in the Clouds ^ 
 
 Nor was the poet idle during the last years of the war, 
 when the cabals of a party had subverted the democracy for 
 a time, and when even after its re-establishment, the stormy 
 passions of the people forbade all hopes of the return of 
 tranquillity and order; to this period belong the Lysistrata, 
 Thesmophoriazusa?, and the Frogs. The Thesmophoria- 
 zusae was represented during the Oligarchy ^, and at the 
 very time that the partisans of the democracy were judicially 
 murdered and privately assassinated, Aristophanes ceased 
 not to stigmatise the authors of these calamities; thus he 
 reproaches the Buleuta? before the Oligarchy with having 
 suffered the last to supplant them''. In the Frogs allusion 
 is made to the equivocal and time-serving character of The- 
 ramenes', and he wishes that the half-citizen Cleophon, 
 alluded to above with his interminable prate about war"", 
 was in Hades'; whilst the admiral Adimantus, who soon 
 afterwards acted a very suspicious part in the disastrous 
 battle of yEgos Potamos, is described as a man whose death 
 every one was bound to pray for "". 
 
 Whilst condemning the destructive proceedings of the 
 
 demagogues gpnpvnlly^^bp^isj^f-f^inlly Innd in )ii>; rninplnint<; 
 
 ■ftf t heir co rruptness_an d frcqu eivt_peculations " ; that is to 
 
 f See Silvern on the Clouds of Aristophanes, Bed. 1826, p. 33, sqq. Neither is 
 he spoken of in creditable terms in the Acharn. 716 : 
 
 oTTojg av y 
 
 ToiiQ vtotai S" tvpvirp{t»KTOQ, Kai \a\oQ, XV ^^f'^i'iov. 
 e Under the archon Callias (Argum. Lysistr. et Schol. 173) ; the oligarchy 
 was overthrown under his successor Theopompus (Ps. Plut. Vit. Decern Orator. 
 Antiph. 9. 313). 
 
 I' Thesmoph. 808. The address to Pallas, Thesmoph. 1143, is also evidently 
 levelled at the oligarchs : 
 
 (})dvt)9' u) Tvpd^'vovQ 
 (TTvyova', iiffnep iiKog, 
 
 i Ran. 539. 540. *" See above, p. 316, note ". ' Ban. 1.504, sqq. 
 
 ™ Ran. 1513. We are informed in the Scholia, that Adimantus likewise suf- 
 fered from the satire of Eupolis and Plato, 
 n Eccles. 205 : 
 
 rd Sijuoaia yap ^uaOoipopovvTic xpifiiara 
 ISiif (TKorrtiff tKaffrog. '<> rl tic KifiCai'i'i- 
 
 VOL. II. V
 
 322 APPENDIX. 
 
 say, he either openly and expressly accused the demagogues 
 or corrupt officers, or brought characters upon the stage in 
 such situations as sufficiently explained to the Athenians 
 what and whom he meant ; concerning these the Scholia 
 contain ample information. In fact, the effrontei*y with which 
 these men plundered the public treasure was only equalled 
 by the flagrant violation of all morality and decency exhibited 
 in their lives. To the delinquents already enumerated, we 
 may add Pisander", Pamphilus p, Neoclides '^ ; the Eicosto- 
 logus Thorycion, who furnished stores for the enemy's ships S 
 Prytanes who accepted bribes for bringing forward public 
 matters % etc. 
 
 That the superior officers were not exempt from his cen- 
 sure, is evident from the example of Lamachus, whose love 
 of war M'hen Strategus Aristophanes represents as one of 
 the main obstacles to the restoration of peace*; he at the 
 same time directs public attention to the amount of his 
 debts ". However, we must not interpret his satirical at- 
 tacks upon Lamachus too literally, as the poet undoubtedly 
 esteemed him as a brave soldier". He likewise speaks in 
 terms of commendation of the valiant admiral Phormio^. 
 
 But most remarkable, and, at the same time, most impor- 
 tant in their i-esults, were the boldness and freedom with 
 which Aristophanes proclaimed the perverseness and cor- 
 ruption of the omnipotent demus. In this spirit he proposed 
 to purify and strengthen the citizenship, by expelling from 
 it all worthless characters, and supplying their places with 
 the more deserving amongst the new citizens ^ During the 
 eventful period which immediately preceded the disaster of 
 i^gos Potamos, he complains of the undue preference shown 
 to the after-comers^, to the prejudice of the Kalokagathoi, 
 and proposes that those persons should be reinstated in their 
 full rights who had been deprived of them because they had 
 taken part in the Oligarchy ^ On the other hand, he extols 
 
 o Lysistr. 490. p Plut. 174 ; conf. Schol. 
 
 <i Plut. 665, with the Schol. ■■ Ran. 363 ; conf. Schol. 
 
 » Pac. 907 ; conf. Thesmoph. 937. 
 
 t Acharn. 269. 572, sqq. ; Fac. 472. " Acharn. 614. 
 
 " Acharn. 1188: Ran. 1039. 
 
 > Equil. 562 ; Lysistr. 804. He is classed with ]Myronides as a jxiKa^irvyoQ. 
 
 ^ Lysistr. 674, sqq. ^ Ran. 718, sqq. b Ran. 685.
 
 APPENDIX. 323 
 
 the virtue of the men of Marathon ", who, he says, were no 
 talkers, and at the same time censures the ready vohibihty 
 of the subsequent demagogues, and tiie easy creduhty of tiie 
 demus*^. All this was chiefly confined to the character and 
 sentiments of the multitude; but now the collective people, 
 the popular assembly, as the depository of the supreme 
 power, became the butt of his satire ; he deprecates the fre- 
 quency of its meetings % which was a consequence of the 
 measure of Agyrrhius for raising the salary of the ecclesiasts 
 from one to three obols, the foolish manner in which they 
 demeaned themselves^, and their indulgence in invective and 
 abuses. Eupolis had previously ridiculed the Athenian 
 Dysbulia, and Aristophanes '' declares that, according to an 
 ancient saying, the- assembly was accustomed to see all its 
 foolish decrees turn out well ; at the same time, he blames 
 its love of innovation', its subservience to the demat>o£fues ^ 
 its avidity for their flattery', and the favour it showed to 
 bad men"". This is sometimes coupled with the advice, that 
 the people shovdd choose fresh leaders ". Athens is re- 
 proached by the Acharnians with having occasioned the 
 Peloponnesian war by her bickerings with Megara°. In- 
 numerable complaints of the military profession and the plan 
 of operations are contained in the Peace, whilst advice as to 
 the best mode of carrying on the war and administering the 
 public revenue, is given in the Frogs f, and put in satirical 
 contrast with the measures actually adopted. However, he 
 speaks of the Spartans in by no means favourable terms '^ ; 
 but on the other hand, in one of the wildest flights of comic 
 ridicule, he gives utterance to the exalting thought of a 
 common Grecian nationality ^ 
 
 <: Acharn. 180. 181 ; Equit. 565, sqq. ; Vesp. 1071, sqq. 
 
 <> Vesp. 1094. e Kccles. 183. 
 
 ^ See Equit. 651 ; ot I' dveKporijnai' k(u irfwQ tji tKix^viffai'. 
 
 e Eccles. 142 ; Kal Xoidopovvrai y' wffTTCp ii.nrnrtoK6ric- 
 
 h Eccles. 473, sqq. 
 
 ' Eccles. 456. 580 ; ^urfovai yap, i\v ra TraXatd 7ro\X«ic«c Otwyrai. 
 Conf. 586. 587, and Acliain. 630 — ir '\9t]i'aioic Tuxi'l'iovXoic. 
 
 ^ See in particular, Equit. 1097, sqq. ' Acharn. 635. 
 
 "' Ran. 1454, sqq. n Ran. 1446— 1448. 
 
 " Acharn. 509, sqq. ; comp. Pac. 603, sqq. p Pac. 1463—1465. 
 
 1 Pac. 623, nirrxpoKtpCtlc; Kal cttipwyo^tvoi ; Acharn. 303, olaiv ovTt fiiofto^, 
 orre ■KicTiq, ov9' opKOQ jxivei ; Eysistr. 629, olatv ovSiv niaTOv, tl fiij rrtp Xi'ki^j 
 Kcx'ivori. ' Lysistr. 1128, sqq.
 
 <i> 
 
 \ 
 
 24 APPENDIX. 
 
 Nor are his strictures less severe on the manner in which 
 the people discharged their judicial duties as Heliasts. This 
 is especially beheld in the Wasps, the object of which was to 
 depict their inordinate love of acting as judges, promoted, 
 as it was, by the covetousness and chicanery of the litigants % 
 the angry violence of the judges, which is admirably repre- 
 sented in the mask of the Wasps*; while the Clouds dis- 
 plays a picture of the mischievous power of the sycophants 
 and brawlers, which is embodied in the speech of Adicae- 
 olo^us", etc. 
 
 Wilh these evidences of moral and political earnestness of 
 purpose and fearless sincerity before us, can we for a mo- 
 ment question the vast importance of the ancient comedy, as 
 the voluntary auxiliary of the state, in the task of watching 
 over the laws and the public morals, and as a candid and 
 rigorous censorship, which dealt out with an even hand their 
 just measure of censure to high and low? But in consider- 
 • ing the extensive power of such an engine, we are naturally 
 led la make th^ioUowing^ enquiries : — "^ 
 
 1. When the comic poet attacked an individual, by falsely 
 accusing him of contravening the laws, were not the 
 people and the authorities provoked to bring the of- 
 fender to justice ? 
 
 2. Did not the powerful demagogues endeavour to revenge 
 themselves on the poets ; or did not the parties whom 
 they had accused, and who hoped to be able to vindi- 
 cate their conduct, call them to account as calumniators? 
 
 3. Did not the state restrain or abridge the comic license, 
 when it witnessed individuals and the community at 
 large grossly maligned, and even saw that the gods 
 themselves were not exempt from their presumptuous 
 attacks ? or was not the audacious comic poet repri- 
 
 ' Equit. 41, KvafioTpdiS, AfjfioQ; Av. 40, 
 — 'AOijvcHoi S' del 
 twl tS)v ^iKwv ^Sovffi TTCivTa rbv filov, 
 ' Vesp. 1105, sqq. 
 
 Trpiora jxiv yap ovStv ijiiwv ^wov rjpsOiffixivov 
 fiaXXov 6^v6v[x6v iffTiv, ovSh CvffKoXwrepov, k. t. X. 
 " Nub. 1034, sqq. Compare the comprehensive dissertation of Siivern alluded 
 to above.
 
 APPENDIX. S^5 
 
 manded, when the tragedian Phrynichus had been fined 
 for too deeply afFecthig the feelings of the Athenians ? 
 
 The collection of facts for enabling us to answer these 
 questions is very limited, and the statements of some of the 
 ancients have given rise to misapprehension on the subject. 
 
 That the denunciations of the comedy were not without 
 effect, would appear to result from the accounts that the 
 knights compelled Cleon to pay a fine of five talents *, pro- 
 bably shortly after the representation of the Babylonians. 
 But we are not accurately informed what official body insti- 
 tuted proceedings upon the occasion. In forming an esti- 
 mate of the effects calculated to arise from the accusations 
 of the comic poets, we must reflect, that as there were very 
 few cases in which the Athenian state was entitled to com- 
 mence legal proceedings against an offender itself, it was ne- 
 cessary to find a citizen who should appear as public prose- 
 cutor, but that no immediate steps could be taken by the 
 tribunals, in consequence of any thing that might have falleri 
 from the poet^. Moreover, to many of the persons whom 
 he denounced, punishment had already been awarded in due 
 course of law, to which the flagellation in the comedy was a 
 sort of supplemental process, whilst a number of the charges 
 enumerated above, such as those connected with demagogy 
 — except that, perhaps, termed "betraying the demus%"did 
 not fall under those classes of offences for which the laws 
 had made determinate provision, as the prosecutor was re- 
 quired to ground his accusation on some distinct and sub- 
 stantive fact. Now it may, indeed, be ui'ged, that such was the 
 alarming height which sycophancy had reached in the time of 
 Aristophanes, that a word was sufficient to supply materials 
 for its rancour and malevolence ; but so far was the comedy 
 
 * Aristopli, Acliarn. 6. 7, and Schol. This circumstance is also alluded to in 
 the speech of the demus, F.quit. 1145; 
 
 rijpu) yiip (KarTTOT aij- 
 TOVQ, oi'ck ^OKwv opav, 
 KXeTTTOvrac ' ittut' dvay 
 
 UTT (iv KlK\6(plOCri flOV 
 
 Kiji^nii' Karct/iijXwv. 
 y The statement in IMut. Pericl. 32; 'AcrTrarrin (iicr]v ttpiryiv afTfjitiaij, 'Mf)- 
 {xinnov tov Kio/Kpfonoiov diojKovTog, refers to a regular prosecution. 
 ^ Fpa^j) dnaTijat<oe rov Sijfiov, related to the ti^iKta irpbg rbv Sijfiov.
 
 326 APPENDIX. 
 
 from affording any support to this hateful system, that it 
 uniformly pursued it with the most relentless severity. 
 However, the fine imposed upon Cleon, compared with what 
 Callias and others were condemned to pay, would appear 
 to have been inflicted by the people more in jest than in 
 earnest. 
 
 With regard to the vengeance of those powerful dema- 
 gogues, whom the comic poets ventui'ed to attack, Cleon is 
 asserted to have insinuated that Aristophanes had spoken 
 disparagingly of the demus^; but there is no evidence that he 
 ever formally accused him of the offence; in the Acharnians, 
 Aristophanes vindicates himself from the calumnious insinu- 
 ations of Cleon, by declaring, that he had never failed in the 
 respect he owed the demus ''. The slanderous aspersion or 
 accusation in question, must have followed close upon the 
 repi'esentation of the Babylonians'"; for Cleon seems to have 
 remained quiet after the performance of the Knights. It is 
 likewise asserted, that Eupolis was drowned by Alcibiades'', 
 whom he liad ridiculed in the Baptas. Eratosthenes, even in 
 his time, raised doubts as to the credibility of this story^; 
 but whether true or false, no general rule can be drawn from 
 the conduct of Alcibiades. Upon the whole, it may be as- 
 sumed, that as the Athenian was insensible to delicacy and 
 shame in word and mien, so he was deficient in a refined 
 sense of honour ; the latter was seldom affected by verbal 
 insults, and the abuses flowing from the right of public prose- 
 cution and the ever-watchful malice of the sycophants, had so 
 accustomed the Athenian to accusations of all kinds, that his 
 peace of mind was not likely to be ruflled by the cursory ani- 
 madversions of comedy. 
 
 As to the restraint imposed upon the comic humour by the 
 
 a Aristoph. Acharn. 379. 
 
 tl<7t\KV(Tag yap fi eIq to f3ov\evrrjpiov 
 Siij3u\\i, Kcd ipevSi) /c«i-£yX(om?£ fiov k. t. X. 
 Conf. 502, in which %iviov irapoi'TMi' are the emphatic words. 
 ov yap //« Kal vvv lia(ia\ii KXaov, on 
 S,evu)v napovTiov T))v ttvXiv kukioq Xeyio. 
 
 Conf. Acharn. 631, ujg KOJfitfSit ti)v ttoKiv iijxwv, Kai rbv Srjuoi' Ka9v[3pi!^ti, 
 ^ Arist. Acharn. 632, sqq. ; 655, sqq, *= Schol. Acharn. 386. 
 
 <i See the Citat. Fabric. Bibl. Gr. Harl. 2. 407; Meineke. ubi sup. p. 37 ; 
 Buttmann on the Colyttia and the Bapts in Abh. d. Berl. Akad. 1822, 1823, His- 
 tor. Philol. Kl. 218. e Cicero, Epist. ad. Att. 6. 1.
 
 APPENDIX. 327 
 
 state in general, we are informed in a Scholium, that it was 
 forbidden to attack the dead ^ ; but the very passage of Ari- 
 stophanes, to which this remark is annexed, presents an 
 example of the contrary §. Again, Aristophanes accuses 
 Pericles after his death, and ridicules Euripides in the Frogs. 
 Examples to the same effect might easily be multiplied, and 
 this Schohum'', like so many others, is evidently nothing 
 but a corruption of the text itself A second says that 
 it was forbidden to attack the archon. But in the Baby- 
 lonians, Aristophanes had not scrupled to satirise magis- 
 trates, as well elective as those appointed by lot'. Is it 
 therefore probable that the archon formed the sole excep- 
 tion ? Ameinias is also ridiculed in the Wasps, which was 
 performed during his archonsliip''. If such a law, indeed, 
 existed, it cannot have been very strictly observed. The 
 Areopagus, however, appears to have enjoyed exemption 
 from the comic satire, and upon the same principle the Are- 
 opagites were forbidden to write comedies'. Finally, it 
 is stated that the exhibition of comedies was prohibited 
 as early as the archonship of Merychides, Ol. 85. 1 ; 440. 
 B. C, but this law having been repealed soon afterwards, Ol. 
 85. 4, it was once more forbidden to render individuals the 
 objects of ridicule byname or personal imitation"'. Anti- 
 machus, the rival of Aristophanes, is said to have been the 
 author of this statute, but its date is uncertain. It was re- 
 marked above ", that Aristophanes did not desist from his 
 attacks, even during the OHgarchy ; but under the domina- 
 tion of the Tliirty, he comic poets were probably held in 
 check through fear, though perhaps unrestrained by any 
 positive law ; they subsequently resumed their wonted free- 
 dom of speech, of which they do not appear to have been de- 
 prived by any express enactment, till at length the parabasis, 
 the soul of the old comedy, was suppressed, and the chorus 
 omitted, in consequence of the poverty which began to per- 
 
 ' Schol. Pac. 649. e Compare above, p. 318, notes ' and ™. 
 
 h Ad. Nub. 31. ' .Schol. Acliarn. 386. 
 
 '' Vesp. 64. 1267. See Hermann's doubts as to the law in the note on the 
 Schol. Nub. 31. 
 
 ' riut. do Cloiia Athen. 348. B. t'rankfort. 
 
 " Schol, Aristoph. Acharn. 67 and 1149. " See above, p. 320, note'.
 
 328 APPENDIX. 
 
 vade all ranks of the community ". It was not till Athens 
 was occupied by Macedonian garrisons, that a final stop was 
 put to the practice of attacking individuals in the dialogue, 
 and exhibiting likenesses of them on the masks p. 
 
 In conclusion, it may be observed of the freedom of comedy 
 upon the whole, that it produced no serious impression what- 
 ever upon the minds of the spectators, that it had from its 
 earliest origin enjoyed a sort of privilege and license to 
 attack individuals under cover of the mask, and that the 
 predilection of the Athenians for this sort of harsh and 
 cutting satire continued undiminished as long as they re- 
 tained their prosperity and independence ; but, as on the one 
 side no serious evils were supposed to result from it, so on 
 the other it could seldom become the effective medium of 
 sound advice or salutary reproof''. This is the only manner 
 in which it is possible to account for the levity with which 
 the gods are spoken of in the Frogs'"; but it was a very dif- 
 -fe4'ent case with tragedy — when Euripides was prosecuted 
 because he had spoken of the oath with seeming irreverence ^ 
 Still the Athenians were unwilling to experience real emo- 
 tion by witnessing the representation of recent calamities, or 
 the sorrows of Greeks with whom they were upon terms of 
 friendship. 
 
 » See Platon. Praef. Aiistoph. ed. Kiister, f. XI. p Ibid. 
 
 q I cannot concur in the opinion of Kanngiesser as to the benefits which resulted 
 from the censure of the comic poets, (kom. Biihne, 471, sqq.) 
 
 ■■ Comp. Bbtliger Aristophan. Deor. Gentil. Impun. Irrisor. 
 
 * The verse was — 'H yXtSffff' o/iti/xox', »y dk ^f)t)v aVoijuorog. 
 See Aristoph. Rhet. 3. 15. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 OXFORD : PRINTED BY D. A. TALBOYS. 
 
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