§166γυναῖκας αὖ δύστηνε τοὺς ἄνδρας λέγεις;
"Women again, you wretched person?
§167διʼ Ἐπίγονόν γʼ ἐκεῖνον· ἐπιβλέψασα γὰρ §168ἐκεῖσε πρὸς γυναῖκας ᾠόμην λέγειν. §169ἄπερρε καὶ σὺ καὶ κάθησʼ ἐντευθενί·
Are you calling the men women?" "It is because of that Epigonus; for looking over there, I thought I was speaking to women." "Go away, you too, and sit down over there.
For I think I will speak myself on your behalf, having taken this.
τοῖς θεοῖς μὲν εὔχομαι §172τυχεῖν κατορθώσασα τὰ βεβουλευμένα.
I pray to the gods that I may succeed in carrying out our plans.
§173ἐμοὶ δʼ ἴσον μὲν τῆσδε τῆς χώρας μέτα §174ὅσονπερ ὑμῖν· ἄχθομαι δὲ καὶ φέρω §175τὰ τῆς πόλεως ἅπαντα βαρέως πράγματα.
For to me there is an equal share of this land just as much as to you; and I am grieved and bear heavily all the affairs of the city.
§176ὁρῶ γὰρ αὐτὴν προστάταισι χρωμένην §177ἀεὶ πονηροῖς· κἄν τις ἡμέραν μίαν §178χρηστὸς γένηται, δέκα πονηρὸς γίγνεται.
For I see her employing leaders who are always wicked; and if someone for one day becomes good, for ten days he is wicked.
§179ἐπέτρεψας ἑτέρῳ· πλείονʼ ἔτι δράσει κακά.
You entrust it to another; he will do still more evils.
§180χαλεπὸν μὲν οὖν ἄνδρας δυσαρέστους νουθετεῖν, §181οἳ τοὺς φιλεῖν μὲν βουλομένους δεδοίκατε, §182τοὺς δʼ οὐκ ἐθέλοντας ἀντιβολεῖθʼ ἑκάστοτε.
It is difficult indeed to advise men who are hard to please, you who fear those who wish to love you, while you always entreat those who do not wish to.
§183ἐκκλησίαισιν ἦν ὅτʼ οὐκ ἐχρώμεθα §184οὐδὲν τὸ παράπαν· ἀλλὰ τόν γʼ Ἀγύρριον §185πονηρὸν ἡγούμεσθα· νῦν δὲ χρωμένων §186ὁ μὲν λαβὼν ἀργύριον ὑπερεπῄνεσεν, §187ὁ δʼ οὐ λαβὼν εἶναι θανάτου φήσʼ ἀξίους §188τοὺς μισθοφορεῖν ζητοῦντας ἐν τἠκκλησίᾳ. §189νὴ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην εὖ γε ταυταγὶ λέγεις. §190τάλαινʼ Ἀφροδίτην ὤμοσας;
There was a time when we did not use assemblies at all; but at least Agyrrhius we considered wicked; but now when we do use them, the one who receives money praises it excessively, while the one who does not receive it says those who seek to earn wages in the assembly are worthy of death." "By Aphrodite, you say these things very well!" "You wretched woman, did you swear by Aphrodite?
χαρίεντά γʼ ἂν §191ἔδρασας, εἰ τοῦτʼ εἶπας ἐν τἠκκλησίᾳ. §192ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν εἶπον. §192bμηδʼ ἐθίζου νῦν λέγειν.
A fine thing you would have done, if you had said this in the assembly!" "But I wouldn't have said it." "Do not even get into the habit of saying it now.
§193τὸ συμμαχικὸν αὖ τοῦθʼ, ὅτʼ ἐσκοπούμεθα, §194εἰ μὴ γένοιτʼ, ἀπολεῖν ἔφασκον τὴν πόλιν· §195ὅτε δὴ δʼ ἐγένετʼ, ἤχθοντο, τῶν δὲ ῥητόρων §196ὁ τοῦτʼ ἀναπείσας εὐθὺς ἀποδρὰς ᾤχετο.
Again, this alliance issue, when we were considering it, they kept saying that if it should not happen, it would ruin the city; but when indeed it did happen, they were vexed, and of the orators the one who persuaded them of this straightway ran away and was gone.
'We must launch ships'; to the poor man it seems good, but to the rich and to the farmers it does not seem good.
You are vexed with the Corinthians, and they indeed with you; now they are useful, and so you now become useful.
§201Ἀργεῖος ἀμαθής, ἀλλʼ Ἱερώνυμος σοφός· §202σωτηρία παρέκυψεν, ἀλλʼ ὡρᾴζεται §203Θρασύβουλος αὐτὸς οὐχὶ παρακαλούμενος. §204ὡς ξυνετὸς ἁνήρ. §204bνῦν καλῶς ἐπῄνεσας.
The Argive is ignorant, but Hieronymus is wise; Safety peeped out, but Thrasybulus himself plays the coquet because he is not called upon." "What a clever man!" "Now you have praised well.
§205ὑμεῖς γάρ ἐστʼ ὦ δῆμε τούτων αἴτιοι.
For you, O People, are the cause of these things.
§206τὰ δημόσια γὰρ μισθοφοροῦντες χρήματα §207ἰδίᾳ σκοπεῖσθʼ ἕκαστος ὅ τι τις κερδανεῖ, §208τὸ δὲ κοινὸν ὥσπερ Αἴσιμος κυλίνδεται.
For taking public money as wages, each of you considers privately how he may make a profit, while the common good rolls along like Aesimus.
§209ἢν οὖν ἐμοὶ πίθησθε, σωθήσεσθʼ ἔτι.
If therefore you obey me, you will still be saved.
For I say we must hand over the city to the women.
καὶ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις §212ταύταις ἐπιτρόποις καὶ ταμίαισι χρώμεθα. §213εὖ γʼ εὖ γε νὴ Δίʼ εὖ γε. §213bλέγε λέγʼ ὦγαθέ. §214ὡς δʼ εἰσὶν ἡμῶν τοὺς τρόπους βελτίονες §215ἐγὼ διδάξω.
For indeed in our houses we employ them as managers and stewards." "Well said, well said, by Zeus, well said!" "Speak, speak, my good sir!" "And how they are better than us in their ways, I will teach you.
πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ τἄρια §216βάπτουσι θερμῷ κατὰ τὸν ἀρχαῖον νόμον §217ἁπαξάπασαι, κοὐχὶ μεταπειρωμένας §218ἴδοις ἂν αὐτάς.
For first, all of them dye wool in warm water according to the ancient custom, every single one of them, and you would not see them trying new ways.
ἡ δʼ Ἀθηναίων πόλις, §219εἰ τοῦτο χρηστῶς εἶχεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐσῴζετο, §220εἰ μή τι καινὸν ἄλλο περιηργάζετο.
But the city of the Athenians, if a thing was going well, would not keep it, unless she busied herself with some other novelty.
§221καθήμεναι φρύγουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ· §222ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς φέρουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ· §223τὰ Θεσμοφόριʼ ἄγουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ· §224πέττουσι τοὺς πλακοῦντας ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ· §225τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐπιτρίβουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ· §225aμοιχοὺς ἔχουσιν ἔνδον ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ· §226αὑταῖς παροψωνοῦσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ· §227οἶνον φιλοῦσʼ εὔζωρον ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ· §228βινούμεναι χαίρουσιν ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ.
Sitting down they parch, just as also before; they carry on their heads, just as also before; they keep the Thesmophoria, just as also before; they bake flat-cakes, just as also before; they wear out their husbands, just as also before; they have lovers inside, just as also before; they buy delicacies for themselves, just as also before; they love unmixed wine, just as also before; they enjoy being fucked, just as also before.
§229ταύταισιν οὖν ὦνδρες παραδόντες τὴν πόλιν §230μὴ περιλαλῶμεν, μηδὲ πυνθανώμεθα §231τί ποτʼ ἄρα δρᾶν μέλλουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἁπλῷ τρόπῳ §232ἐῶμεν ἄρχειν, σκεψάμενοι ταυτὶ μόνα, §233ὡς τοὺς στρατιώτας πρῶτον οὖσαι μητέρες §234σῴζειν ἐπιθυμήσουσιν· εἶτα σιτία §235τίς τῆς τεκούσης μᾶλλον ἐπιπέμψειεν ἄν;
Therefore, O men, handing over the city to these women, let us not chatter around, nor let us ask what on earth they are going to do, but in a simple way let us allow them to rule, having considered only these things: that, first, being mothers, they will be eager to save the soldiers; and then, as for food, who would send it more abundantly than she who gave them birth?
§236χρήματα πορίζειν εὐπορώτατον γυνή, §237ἄρχουσά τʼ οὐκ ἂν ἐξαπατηθείη ποτέ· §238αὐταὶ γάρ εἰσιν ἐξαπατᾶν εἰθισμέναι.
A woman is most resourceful at procuring money, and when ruling, she would never be deceived; for they themselves are accustomed to deceiving.
§239τὰ δʼ ἄλλʼ ἐάσω· ταῦτʼ ἐὰν πίθησθέ μοι, §240εὐδαιμονοῦντες τὸν βίον διάξετε. §241εὖ γʼ ὦ γλυκυτάτη Πραξαγόρα καὶ δεξιῶς. §242πόθεν ὦ τάλαινα ταῦτʼ ἔμαθες οὕτω καλῶς; §243ἐν ταῖς φυγαῖς μετὰ τἀνδρὸς ᾤκησʼ ἐν πυκνί· §244ἔπειτʼ ἀκούουσʼ ἐξέμαθον τῶν ῥητόρων. §245οὐκ ἐτὸς ἄρʼ ὦ μέλʼ ἦσθα δεινὴ καὶ σοφή· §246καί σε στρατηγεῖν αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτόθεν §247αἱρούμεθʼ, ἢν ταῦθʼ ἁπινοεῖς κατεργάσῃ.
I will omit the other things; if you obey me in these, you will spend your life in happiness." "Well said, sweetest Praxagora, and cleverly!" "Where, wretched woman, did you learn these things so well?" "During the flights, I lived with my husband on the Pnyx; then, listening to the orators, I learned them thoroughly." "Not without reason, then, my dear, were you so clever and wise; and we women immediately choose you to be our general, if you accomplish these things you have in mind."