§785κᾆτα καθίζου μαλακῶς, ἵνα μὴ τρίβῃς τὴν ἐν Σαλαμῖνι.
Sausage-Seller: And then sit down softly, so that you do not rub the thing at Salamis.
§786ἄνθρωπε τίς εἶ;
Demus: Man, who are you?
μῶν ἔκγονος εἶ τῶν Ἁρμοδίου τις ἐκείνων;
Are you perchance some descendant of those famous of Harmodius?
§787τοῦτό γέ τοί σου τοὔργον ἀληθῶς γενναῖον καὶ φιλόδημον.
This deed of yours is indeed truly noble and friendly to the people.
§788ὡς ἀπὸ μικρῶν εὔνους αὐτῷ θωπευματίων γεγένησαι.
Cleon: How you have become well-disposed to him from such small flatteries!
§789καὶ σὺ γὰρ αὐτὸν πολὺ μικροτέροις τούτων δελεάσμασιν εἷλες.
Sausage-Seller: For you too caught him with baits much smaller than these.
§790καὶ μὴν εἴ πού τις ἀνὴρ ἐφάνη τῷ δήμῳ μᾶλλον ἀμύνων §791ἢ μᾶλλον ἐμοῦ σε φιλῶν, ἐθέλω περὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς περιδόσθαι.
Cleon: And indeed, if anywhere any man has appeared more defensive of the Demus or loving you more than I, I am willing to wager my head.
§792καὶ πῶς σὺ φιλεῖς, ὃς τοῦτον ὁρῶν οἰκοῦντʼ ἐν ταῖς φιδάκναισι §793καὶ γυπαρίοις καὶ πυργιδίοις ἔτος ὄγδοον οὐκ ἐλεαίρεις, §794ἀλλὰ καθείρξας αὐτὸν βλίττεις;
Sausage-Seller: And how do you love him, who seeing him living in casks and little nests and turrets for eight years now, do not pity him, but having shut him up, you squeeze his honey?
Ἀρχεπτολέμου δὲ φέροντος §795τὴν εἰρήνην ἐξεσκέδασας, τὰς πρεσβείας τʼ ἀπελαύνεις §796ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ῥαθαπυγίζων, αἳ τὰς σπονδὰς προκαλοῦνται. §797ἵνα γʼ Ἑλλήνων ἄρξῃ πάντων.
And when Archeptolemus was bringing peace, you scattered it, and you drove away the embassies from the city with a kick in the rump, which were proposing treaties, so that you indeed might rule over all the Greeks.
ἔστι γὰρ ἐν τοῖς λογίοισιν §798ὡς τοῦτον δεῖ ποτʼ ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ πεντώβολον ἡλιάσασθαι, §799ἢν ἀναμείνῃ·
For it is in the oracles that he must one day in Arcadia receive five obols as a juryman, if he waits.
πάντως δʼ αὐτὸν θρέψω γʼὼ καὶ θεραπεύσω, §800ἐξευρίσκων εὖ καὶ μιαρῶς ὁπόθεν τὸ τριώβολον ἕξει.
In any case, I will nourish him and tend him, finding out, well or foully, whence he shall have his three obols.
§801οὐχ ἵνα γʼ ἄρξῃ μὰ Δίʼ Ἀρκαδίας προνοούμενος, ἀλλʼ ἵνα μᾶλλον §802σὺ μὲν ἁρπάζῃς καὶ δωροδοκῇς παρὰ τῶν πόλεων, ὁ δὲ δῆμος §803ὑπὸ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῆς ὁμίχλης ἃ πανουργεῖς μὴ καθορᾷ σου, §804ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης ἅμα καὶ χρείας καὶ μισθοῦ πρός σε κεχήνῃ.
Sausage-Seller: Not by Zeus because you are caring that he should rule Arcadia, but rather so that you indeed may snatch and take bribes from the cities, while the Demus, because of the war and the mist, does not perceive what villainies you do, but by necessity and at the same time need and pay, gapes toward you.
§805ἢν δέ ποτʼ εἰς ἀγρὸν οὗτος ἀπελθὼν εἰρηναῖος διατρίψῃ, §806καὶ χῖδρα φαγὼν ἀναθαρρήσῃ καὶ στεμφύλῳ ἐς λόγον ἔλθῃ, §807γνώσεται οἵων ἀγαθῶν αὐτὸν τῇ μισθοφορᾷ παρεκόπτου· §808εἶθʼ ἥξει σοι δριμὺς ἄγροικος κατὰ σοῦ τὴν ψῆφον ἰχνεύων.
But if ever he goes away to the country and spends his time in peace, and having eaten parched grains recovers his courage, and comes to talk with olive-cake, he will know of what good things you were robbing him by your payment; then he will come to you, a sharp countryman, tracking down his vote against you.
§809ἃ σὺ γιγνώσκων τόνδʼ ἐξαπατᾷς καὶ ὀνειροπολεῖς περὶ σαυτοῦ.
Knowing which things, you deceive him and dream dreams about yourself.
§810οὔκουν δεινὸν ταυτί σε λέγειν δῆτʼ ἔστʼ ἐμὲ καὶ διαβάλλειν §811πρὸς Ἀθηναίους καὶ τὸν δῆμον, πεποιηκότα πλείονα χρηστὰ §812νὴ τὴν Δήμητρα Θεμιστοκλέους πολλῷ περὶ τὴν πόλιν ἤδη;
Cleon: Is it not indeed terrible for you to say these things of me and slander me to the Athenians and the Demus, who have done more good things, by Demeter, for the city already by far than Themistocles?
§813ὦ πόλις Ἄργους κλύεθʼ οἷα λέγει.
Sausage-Seller: O city of Argos, hear what he says!
σὺ Θεμιστοκλεῖ ἀντιφερίζεις;
Do you compare yourself with Themistocles?
§814ὃς ἐποίησεν τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν μεστὴν εὑρὼν ἐπιχειλῆ, §815καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἀριστώσῃ τὸν Πειραιᾶ προσέμαξεν, §816ἀφελών τʼ οὐδὲν τῶν ἀρχαίων ἰχθῦς καινοὺς παρέθηκεν· §817σὺ δʼ Ἀθηναίους ἐζήτησας μικροπολίτας ἀποφῆναι §818διατειχίζων καὶ χρησμῳδῶν, ὁ Θεμιστοκλεῖ ἀντιφερίζων.
Who made our city full, having found it lip-full, and in addition to this, kneaded the Peiraeus to it while it was dining, and taking away nothing of the old, served up new fish; but you sought to make the Athenians small citizens, building partition walls and chanting oracles, you who compare yourself with Themistocles!
§819κἀκεῖνος μὲν φεύγει τὴν γῆν σὺ δʼ Ἀχιλλείων ἀπομάττει.
And he indeed flees the land, while you wipe your hands with Achillean loaves.
Cleon: Is it not indeed terrible to hear these things, O Demus, from this man, because I love you?
§821bπαὖ ὦ οὗτος, καὶ μὴ σκέρβολλε πονηρά.
Demus: Stop, you there, and do not utter wicked insults.
§822πολλοῦ δὲ πολύν με χρόνον καὶ νῦν ἐλελήθης ἐγκρυφιάζων.
And for a long time indeed, you had escaped my notice, secretly snatching from me even now.
§823μιαρώτατος, ὦ Δημακίδιον, καὶ πλεῖστα πανοῦργα δεδρακώς, §824ὁπόταν χασμᾷ, καὶ τοὺς καυλοὺς §825τῶν εὐθυνῶν ἐκκαυλίζων §826καταβροχθίζει, κἀμφοῖν χειροῖν §827μυστιλᾶται τῶν δημοσίων.
Sausage-Seller: Most filthy, O dear little Demus, and having done the most villainous deeds, whenever you gape, he even the stalks of the accounts, stripping them, swallows down, and with both hands sups up the public money.
Cleon: You shall not rejoice, but stealing I will catch you in thirty thousand drachmas.
Sausage-Seller: Why do you beat the sea and splash about, being most filthy toward the Demus of the Athenians?
καί σʼ ἐπιδείξω §833νὴ τὴν Δήμητρʼ, ἢ μὴ ζῴην, §834δωροδοκήσαντʼ ἐκ Μυτιλήνης §835πλεῖν ἢ μνᾶς τετταράκοντα.
And I will show you, by Demeter, or may I not live, having taken bribes from Mytilene of more than forty minae.
Chorus: O you who have appeared as the greatest help to all men, I envy you of your eloquence.
εἰ γὰρ ὧδʼ ἐποίσεις, §838μέγιστος Ἑλλήνων ἔσει, καὶ μόνος καθέξεις §839τἀν τῇ πόλει τῶν ξυμμάχων τʼ ἄρξεις ἔχων τρίαιναν, §840ᾗ πολλὰ χρήματʼ ἐργάσει σείων τε καὶ ταράττων.
For if you will press on thus, you will be the greatest of Greeks, and alone you will hold the things in the city, and rule over the allies, having the trident, with which you will make much money, shaking and disturbing.
§841καὶ μὴ μεθῇς τὸν ἄνδρʼ, ἐπειδή σοι λαβὴν δέδωκεν· §842κατεργάσει γὰρ ῥᾳδίως πλευρὰς ἔχων τοιαύτας.
And do not let go of the man, since he has given you a hold; for you will easily master him, having such ribs.
§843οὐκ ὦγαθοὶ ταῦτʼ ἐστί πω ταύτῃ μὰ τὸν Ποσειδῶ.
Cleon: No, my good sirs, this is not yet in this way, by Poseidon!
§844ἐμοὶ γάρ ἐστʼ εἰργασμένον τοιοῦτον ἔργον ὥστε §845ἁπαξάπαντας τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐπιστομίζειν, §846ἕως ἂν ᾖ τῶν ἀσπίδων τῶν ἐκ Πύλου τι λοιπόν.
For I have accomplished such a deed that will muzzle all my enemies at once, as long as there is any of the shields from Pylos left.
§847ἐπίσχες ἐν ταῖς ἀσπίσιν· λαβὴν γὰρ ἐνδέδωκας.
Sausage-Seller: Hold on at the shields; for you have given a hold.
§848οὐ γάρ σʼ ἐχρῆν, εἴπερ φιλεῖς τὸν δῆμον, ἐκ προνοίας
For you ought not, if indeed you love the Demus, intentionally...