§407ἔγωγʼ ἂν εἶπον, εἰ παρὼν ἐτύγχανον. §408μετὰ τοῦτον Εὐαίων ὁ δεξιώτατος §409παρῆλθε γυμνός, ὡς ἐδόκει τοῖς πλείοσιν· §410αὐτός γε μέντοὔφασκεν ἱμάτιον ἔχειν· §411κἄπειτʼ ἔλεξε δημοτικωτάτους λόγους· §412ὁρᾶτε μέν με δεόμενον σωτηρίας §413τετραστατήρου καὐτόν· ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἐρῶ §414ὡς τὴν πόλιν καὶ τοὺς πολίτας σώσετε.
"I would have said so, if I had happened to be present." After him, the most clever Evaeon came forward naked, as it seemed to most; though he himself claimed to have a cloak on; and then he made a most democratic speech: "You see me, who myself am also in need of salvation; but nevertheless I will speak of how you will save the city and the citizens.
§415ἢν γὰρ παρέχωσι τοῖς δεομένοις οἱ κναφῆς §416χλαίνας, ἐπειδὰν πρῶτον ἥλιος τραπῇ, §417πλευρῖτις ἡμῶν οὐδένʼ ἂν λάβοι ποτέ.
For if the fullers provide cloaks to those in need, as soon as the sun turns, pleurisy would never seize any of us.
§418ὅσοις δὲ κλίνη μή ʼστι μηδὲ στρώματα, §419ἰέναι καθευδήσοντας ἀπονενιμμένους §420ἐς τῶν σκυλοδεψῶν· ἢν δʼ ἀποκλῄῃ θύρᾳ §421χειμῶνος ὄντος, τρεῖς σισύρας ὀφειλέτω. §422νὴ τὸν Διόνυσον χρηστά γʼ·
And as many as have no bed or blankets, let them go to sleep, after washing themselves, in the leather-dressers' shops; and if any shuts his door when it is winter, let him be fined three sheepskins." "By Dionysus, excellent indeed!
εἰ δʼ ἐκεῖνά γε §423προσέθηκεν, οὐδεὶς ἀντεχειροτόνησεν ἄν, §424τοὺς ἀλφιταμοιβοὺς τοῖς ἀπόροις τρεῖς χοίνικας §425δεῖπνον παρέχειν ἅπασιν ἢ κλάειν μακρά, §426ἵνα τοῦτʼ ἀπέλαυσαν Ναυσικύδους τἀγαθόν. §427μετὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν εὐπρεπὴς νεανίας §428λευκός τις ἀνεπήδησʼ ὅμοιος Νικίᾳ §429δημηγορήσων, κἀπεχείρησεν λέγειν §430ὡς χρὴ παραδοῦναι ταῖς γυναιξὶ τὴν πόλιν. §431εἶτʼ ἐθορύβησαν κἀνέκραγον ὡς εὖ λέγοι, §432τὸ σκυτοτομικὸν πλῆθος, οἱ δʼ ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν §433ἀνεβορβόρυξαν. §433bνοῦν γὰρ εἶχον νὴ Δία. §434ἀλλʼ ἦσαν ἥττους· ὁ δὲ κατεῖχε τῇ βοῇ, §435τὰς μὲν γυναῖκας πόλλʼ ἀγαθὰ λέγων, σὲ δὲ §436πολλὰ κακά. §436bκαὶ τί εἶπε; §436cπρῶτον μέν σʼ ἔφη §437εἶναι πανοῦργον. §437bκαὶ σέ; §437cμή πω τοῦτʼ ἔρῃ.
And if he had added this, no one would have voted against: that the barley-dealers must provide three choenixes of meal as dinner to everyone, or weep aloud, so that they might have enjoyed this benefit from Nausicydes." "After this then, a handsome young man, quite pale, like Nicias, leaped up to speak, and attempted to say that they ought to hand over the city to the women." "Then the crowd of shoemakers shouted and cried out that he spoke well, but those from the country rumbled with disapproval." "Indeed, by Zeus, for they had sense!" "But they were fewer; and he held them down with his shouting, saying many good things about women, but about you many bad things." "And what did he say?" "First indeed, he said that you were a rogue." "And you?" "Do not ask this yet.
§438κἄπειτα κλέπτην. §438bἐμὲ μόνον; §438cκαὶ νὴ Δία §439καὶ συκοφάντην. §439bἐμὲ μόνον; §439cκαὶ νὴ Δία §440τωνδὶ τὸ πλῆθος. §440bτίς δὲ τοῦτʼ ἄλλως λέγει; §441γυναῖκα δʼ εἶναι πρᾶγμʼ ἔφη νουβυστικὸν §442καὶ χρηματοποιόν·
And then a thief." "Me alone?" "And by Zeus, also an informer." "Me alone?" "And by Zeus, also this crowd here." "And who says otherwise?" "And he said that woman is a clever thing, and money-making.
κοὔτε τἀπόρρητʼ ἔφη §443ἐκ Θεσμοφόροιν ἑκάστοτʼ αὐτὰς ἐκφέρειν, §444σὲ δὲ κἀμὲ βουλεύοντε τοῦτο δρᾶν ἀεί. §445καὶ νὴ τὸν Ἑρμῆν τοῦτό γʼ οὐκ ἐψεύσατο. §446ἔπειτα συμβάλλειν πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἔφη §447ἱμάτια χρυσίʼ ἀργύριον ἐκπώματα §448μόνας μόναις, οὐ μαρτύρων ἐναντίον, §449καὶ ταῦτʼ ἀποφέρειν πάντα κοὐκ ἀποστερεῖν, §450ἡμῶν δὲ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἔφασκε τοῦτο δρᾶν. §451νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ μαρτύρων γʼ ἐναντίον. §452οὐ συκοφαντεῖν, οὐ διώκειν, οὐδὲ τὸν §453δῆμον καταλύειν, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ κἀγαθά, §454ἕτερά τε πλεῖστα τὰς γυναῖκας ηὐλόγει. §455τί δῆτʼ ἔδοξεν;
And he said they never blab the secrets of the Thesmophoria from time to time, whereas you and I, when councilors, always do this." "And by Hermes, in this at least he did not lie!" "Then he said they lend one another cloaks, gold, silver, drinking-cups, alone to alone, not in the presence of witnesses, and return all of them and do not defraud, whereas most of us, he said, do this." "By Poseidon, and that too in the presence of witnesses!" "They do not inform, they do not prosecute, nor do they overthrow the democracy; and many other good things, indeed very many, did he praise in women." "What then was decided?" "To hand over the city to them.
§455bἐπιτρέπειν γε τὴν πόλιν §456ταύταις. ἐδόκει γὰρ τοῦτο μόνον ἐν τῇ πόλει §457οὔπω γεγενῆσθαι. §457bκαὶ δέδοκται; §457cφήμʼ ἐγώ. §458ἅπαντά τʼ αὐταῖς ἐστι προστεταγμένα §459ἃ τοῖσιν ἀστοῖς ἔμελεν; §459bοὕτω ταῦτʼ ἔχει. §460οὐδʼ ἐς δικαστήριον ἄρʼ εἶμʼ ἀλλʼ ἡ γυνή; §461οὐδʼ ἔτι σὺ θρέψεις οὓς ἔχεις ἀλλʼ ἡ γυνή. §462οὐδὲ στένειν τὸν ὄρθρον ἔτι πρᾶγμʼ ἆρά μοι; §463μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλὰ ταῖς γυναιξὶ ταῦτʼ ἤδη μέλει· §464σὺ δʼ ἀστενακτὶ περδόμενος οἴκοι μενεῖς. §465ἐκεῖνο δεινὸν τοῖσιν ἡλίκοισι νῷν, §466μὴ παραλαβοῦσαι τῆς πόλεως τὰς ἡνίας §467ἔπειτʼ ἀναγκάζωσι πρὸς βίαν—
For this seemed to be the only thing not yet to have happened." "And has it been decreed?" "I say so." "And are all things entrusted to them which used to concern the citizens?" "That is how it is." "Then I will not go to court, but my wife?" "And no longer will you support those you have, but your wife." "And is groaning at dawn no longer my business then?" "By Zeus, no, but these things are now the women's care; and you will stay at home farting without a groan." "This is a dreadful thing for those of our age: lest, having taken the reins of the city, they then force us by violence—" "To do what?" "To shag them.
§467bτί δρᾶν; §468κινεῖν ἑαυτάς. §468bἢν δὲ μὴ δυνώμεθα; §469ἄριστον οὐ δώσουσι. §469bσὺ δέ γε νὴ Δία §470δρᾶ ταῦθʼ, ἵνʼ ἀριστᾷς τε καὶ κινῇς ἅμα. §471τὸ πρὸς βίαν δεινότατον. §471bἀλλʼ εἰ τῇ πόλει §472τοῦτο ξυνοίσει, ταῦτα χρὴ πάντʼ ἄνδρα δρᾶν.
What if we are not able?" "They won't give you breakfast." "Well then, by Zeus, you do these things, so that you may both eat breakfast and shag at the same time!" "To be forced is most dreadful." "But if this is going to be of benefit to the city, every man must do it.
§473λόγος γέ τοί τις ἔστι τῶν γεραιτέρων, §474ἀνόηθʼ ὅσʼ ἂν καὶ μῶρα βουλευσώμεθα, §475ἅπαντʼ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον ἡμῖν ξυμφέρειν. §476καὶ ξυμφέροι γʼ ὦ πότνια Παλλὰς καὶ θεοί.
There is indeed a certain saying of our elders, that whatever foolish and silly things we may decree, all of them turn out to our advantage for the better." "And may it turn out to our advantage, O Lady Pallas and gods!
§477ἀλλʼ εἶμι· σὺ δʼ ὑγίαινε. §477bκαὶ σύ γʼ ὦ Χρέμης. §478ἔμβα χώρει. §479ἆρʼ ἔστι τῶν ἀνδρῶν τις ἡμῖν ὅστις ἐπακολουθεῖ; §480στρέφου σκόπει, §481φύλαττε σαυτὴν ἀσφαλῶς, πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ πανοῦργοι, §482μή πού τις ἐκ τοὔπισθεν ὢν τὸ σχῆμα καταφυλάξῃ. §483ἀλλʼ ὡς μάλιστα τοῖν ποδοῖν ἐπικτυπῶν βάδιζε· §484ἡμῖν δʼ ἂν αἰσχύνην φέροι §485πάσαισι παρὰ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτʼ ἐλεγχθέν. §486πρὸς ταῦτα συστέλλου σεαυτὴν §487καὶ περισκοπουμένη §487aτἀνθένδε καὶ τἀκεῖσε καὶ
But I am going; fare you well." "And you too, Chremes." "Step out, march on." "Is there any of the men who is following us?" "Turn around and look, guard yourself safely, for the rogues are many, lest someone from behind should observe our attire." "But walk, stamping your feet as much as possible; for it would bring shame to us all if this thing were detected among the men." "Therefore, draw yourself together and looking around here and there and—"