§2.1Γαλῇ χιτώνιον, καὶ, Οὐ πρέπει γαλῇ κροκωτός: ἐπειδὴ γαλῇ κατὰ πρόνοιαν Ἀφροδίτης γυνὴ γενομένη ἐν χιτῶνι κροκωτῷ οὐσα ἐπέδραμε μυΐ.
Γαλῇ χιτώνιον, καὶ, Οὐ πρέπει γαλῇ κροκωτός: "A frock for a weasel," and "A saffron robe does not suit a weasel": because a weasel, having become a woman through the foresight of Aphrodite, pounced on a mouse while she was in a saffron robe.
§2.2Ὁ κνὶψ ἐν χώρᾳ: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχέως μεταπηδώντων.
Ὁ κνὶψ ἐν χώρᾳ: "The woodworm in its place": said of those who jump quickly from place to place.
κνὶψ γάρ ἐστι θηρίδιον τῶν ξυλοφάγων.
For the woodworm is a small wood-eating beast.
§2.3Λυδὸς ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ: οἱ Λυδοὶ κωμῳδοῦνται ταῖς χερσὶν ἑαυτῶν πληροῦντες τὰ ἀφροδίσια.
Λυδὸς ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ: "A Lydian at midday": the Lydians are lampooned in comedy as satisfying their sexual desires with their own hands.
§2.4Οὐ μάλα κυκᾷς κατὰ τῶν μηδὲν ὄντων.
Οὐ μάλα κυκᾷς: "You are not stirring much": against those who are nothing.
§2.5Οὐδὲν Πυλαία ταῦτα καὶ Τυττιγίας: ὁ Τυττιγίας ἀνδραποδιστὴς ἦν· ἐπώλει δὲ ἐν τῇ Πυλαίᾳ τὰ ἀλλότρια.
Οὐδὲν Πυλαία ταῦτα καὶ Τυττιγίας: "These things have nothing to do with the Pylaea and Tyttigias": Tyttigias was a slave-kidnapper; and he used to sell the property of others at the Pylaea.
κατὰ τῶν τὰ ἀλλότρια ἁρπαζόντων καὶ πωλούντων.
Against those who plunder and sell the property of others.
§2.6Τὰ πρῶτα ἀρίστους παῖδας ** ἐγείνατο: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν ἀρχῇ κοσμίων, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ ἀσελγαινόντων.
Τὰ πρῶτα ἀρίστους παῖδας ** ἐγείνατο: "At first, it gave birth to the best children": said of those who are orderly in the beginning, but afterwards behave wantonly.
§2.7Δοῦλον οὐκ ἄγω, εἰ μὴ νεναυμάχηκε περὶ τῶν κρεῶν: περὶ τῶν στρατευομένων δούλων, οἵτινες περὶ τοῦ σώματος μόνου μάχονται.
Δοῦλον οὐκ ἄγω, εἰ μὴ νεναυμάχηκε περὶ τῶν κρεῶν: "I do not take a slave, unless he has fought a sea-battle for meat": concerning slaves who go to war, who fight only for their own body.
λέγεται καὶ, εἰ μὴ νεναυμάχηκε περὶ τῶν νεκρῶν, καί φησιν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν Ἀργεννούσαις ναυμαχησάντων δούλων τὴν παροιμίαν εἰρῆσθαι, οἷς ἐλευθερίαν ἐψηφίσαντο οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι περὶ τῶν νεκρῶν ἀγωνισαμένοις.
It is also said: "unless he has fought a sea-battle for the dead," and they say that the proverb was spoken from the slaves who fought the sea-battle at Arginusae, to whom the Athenians decreed freedom because they fought for the dead.
§2.8Τὸν ἐν Σάμῳ κομήτην: Σάμιός τις ἐγένετο πύκτης, ὃς ἐπὶ μαλακίᾳ σκωπτόμενος, ἐπειδὴ κόμας εἶχεν, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνταγωνιστῶν, συμβαλὼν αὐτοὺς ἐνίκησεν.
Τὸν ἐν Σάμῳ κομήτην: "The long-haired man in Samos": there was a certain Samians boxer, who, being mocked for effeminacy by his competitors because he had long hair, engaged with them and conquered them.
λέγεται ἐπὶ τῶν αἱρουμένων ἀνταγωνιστὰς ἑαυτοῖς κρείττονας, ἢ προςεδόκησαν· * * ὥςπερ τὸν ἀληλεσμένον βίον οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν πλάνητι βίῳ χρωμένων προςεδέξαντο· οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀταλαιπώρως βιούντων, οἱονεὶ κατειργασμένων καὶ πρὸς τροφὴν ἑτοίμων.
Said of those who choose competitors stronger than they expected;... just as some took "the ground-down life" for those who lead a wandering life, while others for those who live without hardship, as if things were already prepared and ready for nourishment.
§2.9Εἴ τι κακὸν, εἰς Πύῤῥαν: οἱ Πυῤῥαῖοι πρὸς τοὺς ὁμόρους πάντας ἀπεχθῶς εἶχον.
Εἴ τι κακὸν, εἰς Πύῤῥαν: "If there is any evil, to Pyrrha": the people of Pyrrha were hostile toward all their neighbors.
ἐκεῖνοι οὖν τὰ συμβαίνοντα αὐτοῖς κακὰ ἀποτροπιαζόμενοι καὶ ἐκβάλλοντες εἰς τὴν Πυῤῥαίων χώραν, ἐπεφώνουν, εἴ τι κακὸν, εἰς Πύῤῥαν. §2.10Μετὰ Λέσβιον ᾠδόν: Λακεδαιμόνιοι στασιάσαντες μετεπέμψαντο κατὰ χρησμὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκ Λέσβου Τέρπανδρον τὸν μουσικόν·
Therefore, those neighbors, averting the evils happening to them and casting them into the territory of the Pyrrhaeans, cried out: "If there is any evil, to Pyrrha." Μετὰ Λέσβιον ᾠδόν: "After the Lesbian singer": the Lacedaemonians, when they were in sedition, summoned the musician Terpander from Lesbos according to an oracle of the god.
ἐλθὼν δὲ ἐκεῖνος καὶ παρὰ τοὺς κώμους τῇ μουσικῇ χρώμενος, ἥρμοσεν αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχὰς, καὶ τὴν στάσιν ἔπαυσεν.
When he arrived and used music during the revels, he harmonized their souls and stopped the sedition.
εἴποτε οὖν μετὰ ταῦτα μουσικοῦ τινος ἤκουον Λεκεδαιμόνιοι, ἐπεφώνουν, μετὰ Λέσβιον ᾠδόν. §2.11Ὑπὲρ τὰ Καλλικράτους: Καλλικράτης τις ἐγένετο ἐν Καρύστῳ πλουσιώτατος.
Therefore, whenever after this the Lacedaemonians listened to any musician, they cried out: "After the Lesbian singer." Ὑπὲρ τὰ Καλλικράτους: "Beyond the property of Callicrates": there was a certain Callicrates in Carystus, who was extremely wealthy.
εἴποτε οὖν ἐθαύμαζόν τινα οἱ Καρύστιοι ἐπὶ πλούτῳ, ὑπερβολικῶς ἔλεγον, ὑπὲρ τοὺς Καλλικράτους. ἄλλοι δέ φασι, ** τῇ Ἀθηναίων πολιτείᾳ, Καλλικράτην τινὰ πρῶτον τοὺς δικαστικοὺς μισθοὺς εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αὐξῆσαι.
Therefore, whenever the Carystians admired someone for wealth, they said hyperbolically: "Beyond the property of Callicrates." Others say that in the Athenian constitution, a certain Callicrates first increased the judicial pay to excess.
§2.12Ἐν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν μανθάνειν: ἐπὶ τῶν παριέντων τὰς πρώτας μαθήσεις καὶ ἁπτομένων τῶν τελευταίων.
Ἐν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν μανθάνειν: "To learn pottery on a jar": said of those who skip the first lessons and touch upon the final ones.
§2.13Ἐπὶ σαυτῷ τὴν σελήνην καθέλκεις: αἱ τὴν σελήνην καθαιροῦσαι Θετταλίδες λέγονται τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ τῶν ποδῶν στερίσκεσθαι.
Ἐπὶ σαυτῷ τὴν σελήνην καθέλκεις: "You are drawing down the moon upon yourself": the Thessalian women who draw down the moon are said to be deprived of their eyes and feet.
ἐπὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῖς κακὰ ἐπισπωμένων.
Said of those who draw evils upon themselves.
§2.14Ἐν ὅλμῳ ἐκοιμήθην: οἱ ἐν ὅλμῳ κοιμηθέντες ἐπιθειαστικώτατοί εἶσιν.
Ἐν ὅλμῳ ἐκοιμήθην: "I slept in a mortar": those who have slept in a mortar are most susceptible to divine inspiration.
§2.15Χρυσὸς ὁ Κολοφώνιος: οἱ Κολοφώνιοι τὸν κάλλιστον χρυσὸν ἐργάζεσθαι νομίζονται.
Χρυσὸς ὁ Κολοφώνιος: "Colophonian gold": the Colophonians are believed to work the finest gold.