Let us hold an assembly, noble women of the Athenians.
§331εὔχεσθε τοῖς θεοῖσι τοῖς Ὀλυμπίοις §332καὶ ταῖς Ὀλυμπίαισι καὶ τοῖς Πυθίοις §333καὶ ταῖσι Πυθίαισι καὶ τοῖς Δηλίοις §334καὶ ταῖσι Δηλίαισι τοῖς τʼ ἄλλοις θεοῖς, §335εἴ τις ἐπιβουλεύει τι τῷ δήμῳ κακὸν §336τῷ τῶν γυναικῶν ἢ ʼπικηρυκεύεται §337Εὐριπίδῃ Μήδοις τʼ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τινὶ §338τῇ τῶν γυναικῶν, ἢ τυραννεῖν ἐπινοεῖ §339ἢ τὸν τύραννον συγκατάγειν, ἢ παιδίον §340ὑποβαλλομένης κατεῖπεν, ἢ δούλη τινὸς §341προαγωγὸς οὖσʼ ἐνετρύλλισεν τῷ δεσπότῃ §342ἢ πεμπομένη τις ἀγγελίας ψευδεῖς φέρει, §343ἢ μοιχὸς εἴ τις ἐξαπατᾷ ψευδῆ λέγων §344καὶ μὴ δίδωσιν ἃν ὑπόσχηταί ποτε, §345ἢ δῶρά τις δίδωσι μοιχῷ γραῦς γυνή, §346ἢ καὶ δέχεται προδιδοῦσʼ ἑταίρα τὸν φίλον, §347κεἴ τις κάπηλος ἢ καπηλὶς τοῦ χοῶς §348ἢ τῶν κοτυλῶν τὸ νόμισμα διαλυμαίνεται, §349κακῶς ἀπολέσθαι τοῦτον αὐτὸν κᾠκίαν §350ἀρᾶσθε, ταῖς δʼ ἄλλαισιν ὑμῖν τοὺς θεοὺς §351εὔχεσθε πάσαις πολλὰ δοῦναι κἀγαθά.
Pray to the Olympic gods and the Olympic goddesses, and to the Pythian gods and the Pythian goddesses, and to the Delian gods and the Delian goddesses, and to the other gods, that if anyone plots some evil against the people of the women, or makes treacherous proposals to Euripides and the Medes for some harm to the women, or designs to be a tyrant, or to help restore the tyrant, or, when a woman substitutes a child, denounces her, or if any woman's slave being a go-between, whispers into the master's ear, or being sent on an errand, brings false messages, or if any adulterer deceives by telling lies and does not give whatever he may have promised, or if an old woman gives gifts to an adulterer, or if a courtesan accepts them, betraying her lover, and if any tavern-keeper, male or female, of a chous or of cotylae alters the standard measure, pray that he himself and his house may perish miserably, but for the rest of you, pray that the gods may give many good things to you all.
§352ξυνευχόμεσθα τέλεα μὲν §353πόλει τέλεα δὲ δήμῳ §354τάδʼ εὔγματα γενέσθαι, §355τὰ δʼ ἄρισθʼ ὅσαις προσήκει §356νικᾶν λεγούσαις· ὁπόσαι δʼ §357ἐξαπατῶσιν παραβαίνουσί τε τοὺς §358ὅρκους τοὺς νενομισμένους §360κερδῶν οὕνεκʼ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ, §361ἢ ψηφίσματα καὶ νόμον §362ζητοῦσʼ ἀντιμεθιστάναι, §363τἀπόρρητά τε τοῖσιν ἐχθροῖς §364τοῖς ἡμετέροις λέγουσʼ, §365ἢ Μήδους ἐπάγουσι γῇ §366κερδῶν οὕνεκʼ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ, §367ἀσεβοῦσιν ἀδικοῦσίν τε τὴν πόλιν.
We join in praying that these prayers may be accomplished for the city and for the people, and that the best things may happen to those women to whom it belongs to win by speaking; but those who deceive and violate the established oaths for the sake of gain, to our harm, or seek to alter decrees and the law, and tell secrets to our enemies, or bring the Medes into the land for the sake of gain, to our harm, these commit impiety and wrong the city.
§368ἀλλʼ ὦ παγκρατὲς §369Ζεῦ ταῦτα κυρώσειας, ὥσθʼ §370ἡμῖν θεοὺς παραστατεῖν §371καίπερ γυναιξὶν οὔσαις.
But, O all-powerful Zeus, may you ratify these things, so that the gods may stand by us, even though we are women.
§373ἄκουε πᾶς.
Hear, everyone!
ἔδοξε τῇ βουλῇ τάδε §374τῇ τῶν γυναικῶν· Τιμόκλειʼ ἐπεστάτει, §375Λύσιλλʼ ἐγραμμάτευεν, εἶπε Ζωστράτη· §376ἐκκλησίαν ποιεῖν ἕωθεν τῇ μέσῃ §377τῶν Θεσμοφορίων, ᾗ μάλισθʼ ἡμῖν σχολή, §378καὶ χρηματίζειν πρῶτα περὶ Εὐριπίδου, §379ὅ τι χρὴ παθεῖν ἐκεῖνον· ἀδικεῖν γὰρ δοκεῖ §379bἡμῖν ἁπάσαις.
It was resolved by the council of the women: Timokleia was presiding, Lysilla was secretary, Sostrate made the motion: to hold an assembly in the morning on the middle day of the Thesmophoria, when we have the most leisure, and to deliberate first about Euripides, what he ought to suffer; for he seems to do wrong to all of us.
τίς ἀγορεύειν βούλεται;
Who wishes to speak?
§380ἐγώ. §380bπερίθου νυν τόνδε πρῶτον πρὶν λέγειν. §381σίγα σιώπα, πρόσεχε τὸν νοῦν· χρέμπτεται γὰρ ἤδη §382ὅπερ ποιοῦσʼ οἱ ῥήτορες.
First Woman: "I do." Herald: "Put on this wreath first before you speak." Chorus: "Silence, be quiet, pay attention; for she is already clearing her throat, just as the orators do.
μακρὰν ἔοικε λέξειν. §383φιλοτιμίᾳ μὲν οὐδεμιᾷ μὰ τὼ θεὼ §384λέξουσʼ ἀνέστην ὦ γυναῖκες· ἀλλὰ γὰρ §385βαρέως φέρω τάλαινα πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον §386προπηλακιζομένας ὁρῶς ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ §387Εὐριπίδου τοῦ τῆς λαχανοπωλητρίας §388καὶ πολλὰ καὶ παντοῖʼ ἀκουούσας κακά.
It seems she is going to make a long speech." First Woman: "By the two goddesses, it is from no ambition, O women, that I have stood up to speak; but indeed I bear it heavily, poor wretch, for a long time now seeing us dragged through the mud by Euripides, the son of the vegetable-seller, and hearing many bad things of every sort.
§389τί γὰρ οὗτος ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἐπισμῇ τῶν κακῶν;
For what bad name does this man not smear us with?
§390ποῦ δʼ οὐχὶ διαβέβληχʼ, ὅπουπερ ἔμβραχυ §391εἰσὶν θεαταὶ καὶ τραγῳδοὶ καὶ χοροί, §392τὰς μοιχοτρόπους, τὰς ἀνδρεραστίας καλῶν, §393τὰς οἰνοπότιδας, τὰς προδότιδας, τὰς λάλους, §394τὰς οὐδὲν ὑγιές, τὰς μέγʼ ἀνδράσιν κακόν· §395ὥστʼ εὐθὺς εἰσιόντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἰκρίων §396ὑποβλέπουσʼ ἡμᾶς σκοποῦνταί τʼ εὐθέως §397μὴ μοιχὸς ἔνδον ᾖ τις ἀποκεκρυμμένος.
Where has he not slandered us, wherever there are, in short, spectators, tragedians, and choruses, calling us adulteresses, man-crazy, wine-bibbers, traitresses, gossips, nothing healthy, a great plague to men; so that as soon as they come in from the benches, they look askance at us and immediately search lest there be some adulterer hidden inside.
§398δρᾶσαι δʼ ἔθʼ ἡμῖν οὐδὲν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ §399ἔξεστι· τοιαῦθʼ οὗτος ἐδίδαξεν κακὰ §400τοὺς ἄνδρας ἡμῶν· ὥστʼ ἐάνπερ τις πλέκῃ §401γυνὴ στέφανον, ἐρᾶν δοκεῖ· κἂν ἐκβάλῃ §402σκεῦός τι κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν πλανωμένη, §403ἁνὴρ ἐρωτᾷ, ʼτῷ κατέαγεν ἡ χύτρα;
And we can no longer do anything as we did before; this man has taught such bad things to our husbands; so that if a woman weaves a wreath, she is thought to be in love; and if she drops some vessel while wandering about the house, her husband asks: 'By whom was the pot broken?
§404οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐ τῷ Κορινθίῳ ξένῳ. ʼ §405κάμνει κόρη τις, εὐθὺς ἁδελφὸς λέγει, §406τὸ χρῶμα τοῦτό μʼ οὐκ ἀρέσκει τῆς κόρης. §407εἶεν, γυνή τις ὑποβαλέσθαι βούλεται §408ἀποροῦσα παίδων, οὐδὲ τοῦτʼ ἔστιν λαθεῖν. §409ἅνδρες γὰρ ἤδη παρακάθηνται πλησίον· §410πρὸς τοὺς γέροντάς θʼ οἳ πρὸ τοῦ τὰς μείρακας §411ἤγοντο, διαβέβληκεν, ὥστʼ οὐδεὶς γέρων §412γαμεῖν ἐθέλει γυναῖκα διὰ τοὔπος τοδὶ §413δέσποινα γὰρ γέροντι νυμφίῳ γυνή. §414εἶτα διὰ τοῦτον ταῖς γυναικωνίτισιν §415σφραγῖδας ἐπιβάλλουσιν ἤδη καὶ μοχλοὺς §416τηροῦντες ἡμᾶς, καὶ προσέτι Μολοττικοὺς §417τρέφουσι μορμολυκεῖα τοῖς μοιχοῖς κύνας.
It cannot be but by the Corinthian guest.' If a girl is sick, her brother says immediately, 'This color of the girl does not please me.' Well, if a woman wishes to substitute a child, being in want of children, not even this can escape notice; for the husbands now sit close by; and towards the old men who before used to marry young girls, he has slandered us, so that no old man wishes to marry a wife because of this verse: 'For a wife is a mistress to an old bridegroom.' Then because of this man they now put seals and bolts on the women's quarters, guarding us, and furthermore they breed Molossian dogs, bugbears for adulterers.
§418καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ξυγγνώσθʼ. ἃ δʼ ἦν ἡμῖν πρὸ τοῦ
And these things indeed are pardonable; but what we had before..."