(which before) we managed ourselves, and when taking out barley-meal, oil, or wine secretly, even this is no longer possible.
οἱ γὰρ ἄνδρες ἤδη κλῄδια §422αὐτοὶ φοροῦσι κρυπτὰ κακοηθέστατα §423Λακωνίκʼ ἄττα, τρεῖς ἔχοντα γομφίους.
For the husbands now carry secret, most malicious keys themselves, some Spartan ones, having three teeth.
§424πρὸ τοῦ μὲν οὖν ἦν ἀλλʼ ὑποῖξαι τὴν θύραν §425ποιησαμέναισι δακτύλιον τριωβόλου, §426νῦν δʼ οὗτος αὐτοὺς ᾡκότριψ Εὐριπίδης §427ἐδίδαξε θριπήδεστʼ ἔχειν σφραγίδια §428ἐξαψαμένους.
Before this indeed, it was possible at least to open the door on the sly by getting a ring made for three obols, but now this household pest Euripides has taught them to have worm-eaten seals hung on them.
νῦν οὖν ἐμοὶ τούτῳ δοκεῖ §429ὄλεθρόν τινʼ ἡμᾶς κυρκανᾶν ἁμωσγέπως, §430ἢ φαρμάκοισιν ἢ μιᾷ γέ τῳ τέχνῃ, §431ὅπως ἀπολεῖται.
Now therefore it seems to me that against him we should mix up some destruction in some way or other, either with poisons or by some single trick, so that he will perish.
ταῦτʼ ἐγὼ φανερῶς λέγω, §432τὰ δʼ ἄλλα μετὰ τῆς γραμματέως συγγράψομαι.
This I say openly, and the rest I will draft with the secretary.
Never yet have I heard a woman more crafty than this one, nor one speaking more formidably.
§437πάντα γὰρ λέγει δίκαια, §438†πάσας δʼ ἰδέας ἐξήτασεν, §439πάντα δʼ ἐβάστασεν φρενὶ πυκνῶς τε† §439aποικίλους λόγους ἀνηῦρεν §440εὖ διεζητημένους· §440aὥστʼ ἂν εἰ λέγοι παρʼ αὐτὴν §441Ξενοκλέης ὁ Καρκίνου, δοκεῖν §441aἂν αὐτόν, ὡς ἐγᾦμαι, §442πᾶσιν ὑμῖν §442aἄντικρυς μηδὲν λέγειν.
For she says all things just, and she has examined every form of argument, and weighed everything in her mind, and shrewdly found complex arguments well searched out; so that if Xenocles the son of Carcinus were to speak beside her, he would seem, as I think, to all of you flatly to say nothing at all.
§443ὀλίγων ἕνεκα καὐτὴ παρῆλθον ῥημάτων.
Second Woman: "For the sake of a few words I too have come forward.
For indeed she has accused him well in other respects; but what I have suffered, these things I wish to tell.
§446ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἁνὴρ ἀπέθανεν μὲν ἐν Κύπρῳ §447παιδάρια πέντε καταλιπών, ἁγὼ μόλις §448στεφανηπλοκοῦσʼ ἔβοσκον ἐν ταῖς μυρρίναις.
For my husband died in Cyprus, leaving five little children, whom I, with difficulty, weaving wreaths of myrtle, was feeding.
§449τέως μὲν οὖν ἀλλʼ ἡμικάκως ἐβοσκόμην· §450νῦν δʼ οὗτος ἐν ταῖσιν τραγῳδίαις ποιῶν §451τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀναπέπεικεν οὐκ εἶναι θεούς· §452ὥστʼ οὐκέτʼ ἐμπολῶμεν οὐδʼ εἰς ἥμισυ.
For a while, indeed, at least half-tolerably I was feeding them; but now this man, composing in his tragedies, has persuaded the men that there are no gods; so that we no longer sell them, not even to the half.
§453νῦν οὖν ἁπάσαισιν παραινῶ καὶ λέγω §454τοῦτον κολάσαι τὸν ἄνδρα πολλῶν οὕνεκα· §455ἄγρια γὰρ ἡμᾶς ὦ γυναῖκες δρᾷ κακά, §456ἅτʼ ἐν ἀγρίοισι τοῖς λαχάνοις αὐτὸς τραφείς.
Now therefore I advise and say to you all to punish this man for many reasons; for he does wild evils to us, O women, since he himself was brought up among wild vegetables.
§457ἀλλʼ εἰς ἀγορὰν ἄπειμι· δεῖ γὰρ ἀνδράσιν §458πλέξαι στεφάνους συνθηματιαίους εἴκοσιν. §459ἕτερον αὖ τι λῆμα τοῦτο §460κομψότερον ἔτʼ ἢ τὸ πρότερον §460aἀναπέφηνεν.
But I am off to the marketplace; for I must weave twenty wreaths ordered by contract for some men." "Again another spirit, even cleverer than the former one, has appeared.
§461οἷα κατεστωμύλατο §462οὐκ ἄκαιρα, φρένας ἔχουσα §463καὶ πολύπλοκον νόημʼ, οὐδʼ §464ἀσύνετʼ ἀλλὰ πιθανὰ πάντα.
How she prattled on, not out of season, having brains and a complex mind, nor unintelligent, but all persuasive.
§465δεῖ δὲ ταύτης τῆς ὕβρεως ἡμῖν §465aτὸν ἄνδρα §465bπεριφανῶς δοῦναι δίκην. §466τὸ μὲν ὦ γυναῖκες ὀξυθυμεῖσθαι σφόδρα §467Εὐριπίδῃ, τοιαῦτʼ ἀκουούσας κακά, §468οὐ θαυμάσιόν ἐστʼ, οὐδʼ ἐπιζεῖν τὴν χολήν.
We must, for this insolence, make the man clearly pay the penalty." Third Woman: "That you should be very angry, O women, at Euripides, hearing such bad things, is not surprising, nor that your bile boils over.
For indeed I myself—so may I have joy of my children— hate that man, unless I am mad.
Nevertheless, we must discuss this among ourselves; for we are by ourselves, and there is no informant of our talk.
§473τί ταῦτʼ ἔχουσαι ʼκεῖνον αἰτιώμεθα §474βαρέως τε φέρομεν, εἰ δύʼ ἡμῶν ἢ τρία §475κακὰ ξυνειδὼς εἶπε δρώσας μυρία;
Why do we keep accusing him, and take it heavily, if he has told two or three bad things that he knows we do, when we do ten thousand?
§476ἐγὼ γὰρ αὐτὴ πρῶτον, ἵνα μἄλλην λέγω, §477ξύνοιδʼ ἐμαυτῇ πολλὰ δείνʼ· ἐκεῖνο δʼ οὖν §478δεινότατον, ὅτε νύμφη μὲν ἦν τρεῖς ἡμέρας, §479ὁ δʼ ἀνὴρ παρʼ ἐμοὶ καθηῦδεν· ἦν δέ μοι φίλος, §480ὅσπερ με διεκόρησεν οὖσαν ἑπτέτιν.
For I myself first, not to speak of another woman, know many terrible things about myself; and this one in any case is the most terrible: when I had been a bride for three days, and my husband was sleeping beside me; and I had a lover, who deflowered me when I was seven years old.
He, through longing for me, came and scratched the door; and I knew it immediately; then I go down secretly.
§483ὁ δʼ ἀνὴρ ἐρωτᾷ
ποῖ σὺ καταβαίνεις
;
And my husband asks: 'Where are you going down?
ὅποι; §484στρόφος μʼ ἔχει τὴν γαστέρ ὦνερ κὠδύνη· §485ἐς τὸν κοπρῶνʼ οὖν ἔρχομαι. βάδιζέ νυν· §486κᾆθʼ ὁ μὲν ἔτριβε κεδρίδας ἄννηθον σφάκον· §487ἐγὼ δὲ καταχέασα τοῦ στροφέως ὕδωρ §488ἐξῆλθον ὡς τὸν μοιχόν· εἶτʼ ἠρειδόμην §489παρὰ τὸν Ἀγυιᾶ κύβδʼ ἐχομένη τῆς δάφνης.
Where?' 'A colic holds my belly, husband, and a pain; so I am going to the privy.' 'Go then.' And then he began to grind juniper berries, dill, and sage; but I, having poured water on the hinge, went out to my lover; then I was pressed beside Apollo of the Street, bending over, holding onto the laurel tree.
§490ταῦτʼ οὐδεπώποτʼ εἶφʼ, ὁρᾶτʼ, Εὐριπίδης· §491οὐδʼ ὡς ὑπὸ τῶν δούλων τε κὠρεωκόμων §492σποδούμεθʼ, ἢν μὴ ʼχωμεν ἕτερον, οὐ λέγει· §493οὐδʼ ὡς ὅταν μάλισθʼ ὑπό του ληκώμεθα §494τὴν νύχθʼ, ἕωθεν σκόροδα διαμασώμεθα, §495ἵνʼ ὀσφρόμενος ἁνὴρ ἀπὸ τείχους εἰσιὼν §496μηδὲν κακὸν δρᾶν ὑποτοπῆται.
Euripides has never said these things, you see; nor how we are banged by slaves and muleteers, if we don't have anyone else, he doesn't say; nor how, when we are thoroughly banged by someone during the night, in the morning we chew garlic, so that the husband, smelling it when he comes in from guard duty on the wall, may not suspect that we have done any mischief.
ταῦθʼ, ὁρᾷς, §497οὐπώποτʼ εἶπεν.
These things, you see, he has never said.
εἰ δὲ Φαίδραν λοιδορεῖ, §498ἡμῖν τί τοῦτʼ ἔστʼ;
And if he abuses Phaedra, what is that to us?