§685τὴν βασίλειον δειπνήσοντας· τὸ δὲ θῆτʼ ἐς τὴν παρὰ b ταύτην, §685aτοὺς δʼ ἐκ τοῦ κάππʼ ἐς τὴν στοιὰν χωρεῖν τὴν ἀλφιτόπωλιν.
to the Royal (Stoa) to dine; and those with Theta to the one next to this [b], and those from Kappa to go to the barley-market portico (stoa).
§686ἵνα κάπτωσιν;
So that they can gulp it down (káptōsin)?
§686bμὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἵνʼ ἐκεῖ δειπνῶσιν.
No, by Zeus, but so they can dine there.
And for whomsoever the letter is not drawn for a place to dine, will everyone drive them away?
§689ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔσται τοῦτο παρʼ ἡμῖν· §690πᾶσι γὰρ ἄφθονα πάντα παρέξομεν, §691ὥστε μεθυσθεὶς αὐτῷ στεφάνῳ §692πᾶς τις ἄπεισιν τὴν δᾷδα λαβών.
But that won't happen with us; for we will provide everything abundantly to all, so that, getting drunk, with the wreath itself everyone will go home, taking their torch.
§693αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες κατὰ τὰς διόδους §694προσπίπτουσαι τοῖς ἀπὸ δείπνου §695τάδε λέξουσιν· δεῦρο παρʼ ἡμᾶς· §696ἐνθάδε μεῖράξ ἐσθʼ ὡραία. §697παρʼ ἐμοὶ δʼ ἑτέρα §698φήσει τις ἄνωθʼ ἐξ ὑπερῴου, §699καὶ καλλίστη καὶ λευκοτάτη· §700πρότερον μέντοι δεῖ σε καθεύδειν §700aαὐτῆς παρʼ ἐμοί. §701τοῖς εὐπρεπέσιν δʼ ἀκολουθοῦντες §702καὶ μειρακίοις οἱ φαυλότεροι §703τοιάδʼ ἐροῦσιν· ποῖ θεῖς οὗτος; §704πάντως οὐδὲν δράσεις ἐλθών· §705τοῖς γὰρ σιμοῖς καὶ τοῖς αἰσχροῖς §706ἐψήφισται προτέροις βινεῖν, §707ὑμᾶς δὲ τέως θρῖα λαβόντας §708διφόρου συκῆς §709ἐν τοῖς προθύροισι δέφεσθαι. §710φέρε νυν φράσον μοι, ταῦτʼ ἀρέσκει σφῷν;
And the women in the alleyways, accosting those coming from dinner, will say: 'Come here to us; there is a beautiful young girl here.' 'And at my place another,' someone will say from above, from the upper room, 'both most beautiful and fairest-skinned;' 'but first you must sleep' 'with her at my place.' But following the handsome ones and young men, the uglier ones will say: 'Where are you running, you?' 'In any case, you will achieve nothing by going there;' 'for to the snub-nosed and ugly' 'it has been decreed that they mate first,' 'while you, in the meantime, taking the leaves' 'of a double-bearing fig tree,' 'masturbate in the vestibules.' Come now, tell me, does this please you both?
§710bπάνυ.
Very much.
§711βαδιστέον τἄρʼ ἐστὶν εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐμοί, §712ἵνʼ ἀποδέχωμαι τὰ προσιόντα χρήματα, §713λαβοῦσα κηρύκαιναν εὔφωνόν τινα.
I must therefore go to the marketplace, to receive the incoming property, taking some loud-voiced heraldess.
§714ἐμὲ γὰρ ἀνάγκη ταῦτα δρᾶν ᾑρημένην §715ἄρχειν, καταστῆσαί τε τὰ ξυσσίτια, §716ὅπως ἂν εὐωχῆσθε πρῶτον τήμερον.
For it is necessary for me, having been chosen, to do these things, to rule, and to establish the common messes (syssitia), so that you may feast for the first time today.
§717ἤδη γὰρ εὐωχησόμεσθα;
Are we going to feast already?
§717bφήμʼ ἐγώ.
I say so.
Next, I want to stop the prostitutes altogether, every single one.
§719bἵνα τί;
To what end?
This is obvious: so that these women may have the prime of the young men.
§721καὶ τάς γε δούλας οὐχὶ δεῖ κοσμουμένας §722τὴν τῶν ἐλευθέρων ὑφαρπάζειν Κύπριν, §723ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῖς δούλοισι κοιμᾶσθαι μόνον §724κατωνάκην τὸν χοῖρον ἀποτετιλμένας.
And the female slaves must not, putting on finery, snatch away the love belonging to free women, but sleep only with male slaves, having plucked their pubic hair (choiron) to match their coarse tunics (katōnākēn).
§725φέρε νυν ἐγώ σοι παρακολουθῶ πλησίον, §726ἵνʼ ἀποβλέπωμαι καὶ λέγωσί μοι ταδί, §727τὸν τῆς στρατηγοῦ τοῦτον οὐ θαυμάζετε; §728ἐγὼ δʼ ἵνʼ εἰς ἀγοράν γε τὰ σκεύη φέρω, §729προχειριοῦμαι κἀξετάσω τὴν οὐσίαν.
Come now, let me follow close behind you, so that I may be looked at, and people may say to me: 'Don't you admire this man of the female general?' But I, in order to carry my goods to the marketplace, will arrange them and inspect my property.
§730χώρει σὺ δεῦρο κιναχύρα καλὴ καλῶς §731τῶν χρημάτων θύραζε πρώτη τῶν ἐμῶν, §732ὅπως ἂν ἐντετριμμένη κανηφορῇς, §733πολλοὺς κάτω δὴ θυλάκους στρέψασʼ ἐμούς.
Go this way, beautiful sifter (kinachyra), beautifully out of doors, first of my possessions, so that, wearing powder, you may carry the basket (kanēphorēis), having turned upside down many of my sacks.
§734ποῦʼ σθʼ ἡ διφροφόρος;
Where is the chair-carrier?
ἡ χύτρα δεῦρʼ ἔξιθι, §735νὴ Δία μέλαινά γʼ, οὐδʼ ἂν εἰ τὸ φάρμακον §736ἕψουσʼ ἔτυχες ᾧ Λυσικράτης μελαίνεται.
Pot (chytra), come out here, by Zeus, a black one indeed, not even if you had happened to boil the dye with which Lysicrates dyes his hair black.
§737ἵστω παρʼ αὐτήν, δεῦρʼ ἴθʼ, ἡ κομμώτρια.
Stand next to her, come here, lady's maid (kommotria).
Bring this water-jar here, water-carrier right there.
σὺ δὲ δεῦρʼ ἡ κιθαρῳδὸς ἔξιθι, §740πολλάκις ἀναστήσασά μʼ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν §741ἀωρὶ νυκτῶν διὰ τὸν ὄρθριον νόμον.
And you, harp-girl (kitharōdos), come out here, who have often roused me for the assembly unseasonably at night because of the morning tune (orthrios nomos).
§742ὁ τὴν σκάφην λαβὼν προΐτω· τὰ κηρία §743κόμιζε, τοὺς θαλλοὺς καθίστη πλησίον, §744καὶ τὼ τρίποδʼ ἐξένεγκε καὶ τὴν λήκυθον.
Let him who took the kneading-trough (skaphēn) go forward; bring the honeycombs, place the olive-branches near, and bring out the two tripods and the oil-flask (lēkython).
§745τὰ χυτρίδιʼ ἤδη καὶ τὸν ὄχλον ἀφίετε.
Now put down the small pots and dismiss the crowd.
§746ἐγὼ καταθήσω τἀμά;
Am I to hand over my possessions?
κακοδαίμων ἄρα §747ἀνὴρ ἔσομαι καὶ νοῦν ὀλίγον κεκτημένος.
I would indeed be an unfortunate man and possess little sense.
§748μὰ τὸν Ποσειδῶ γʼ οὐδέποτʼ, ἀλλὰ βασανιῶ
By Poseidon, never!
§749πρώτιστον αὐτὰ πολλάκις καὶ σκέψομαι.
But I will test them first thoroughly many times and examine them.
§750οὐ γὰρ τὸν ἐμὸν ἱδρῶτα καὶ φειδωλίαν §751οὐδὲν πρὸς ἔπος οὕτως ἀνοήτως ἐκβαλῶ, §752πρὶν ἂν ἐκπύθωμαι πᾶν τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ὅπως ἔχει.
For I will not throw away my sweat and thrift so foolishly for nothing, before I find out how the whole matter stands.
§753οὗτος τί τὰ σκευάρια ταυτὶ βούλεται;
Hey, what does this fellow want with these utensils?
Are you moving house and bringing them out, or are you carrying them to offer as a pledge?
§755bοὐδαμῶς.
Not at all.
§756τί δῆτʼ ἐπὶ στοίχου ʼστὶν οὕτως; οὔτι μὴ
Why then are they lined up in a row like this?
§757Ἱέρωνι τῷ κήρυκι πομπὴν πέμπετε;
You aren't sending a procession for Hieron the herald, are you?
No, by Zeus, but I am going to contribute them to the city, to the marketplace, according to the decreed laws.
§760μέλλεις ἀποφέρειν;
You are going to contribute them?
§760bπάνυ γε.
Certainly.
§761bπῶς;
How so?
§761cπῶς;
How?
ῥᾳδίως.
Easily.
§762τί δʼ;
Why?
οὐχὶ πειθαρχεῖν με τοῖς νόμοισι δεῖ;
Must I not obey the laws?
§763ποίοισιν ὦ δύστηνε;
What laws, you wretched man?
§763bτοῖς δεδογμένοις.
The decreed ones.
§764δεδογμένοισιν;
Decreed?
ὡς ἀνόητος ἦσθʼ ἄρα.
How foolish you were then!
§765ἀνόητος;
Foolish?
§765bοὐ γάρ;
Aren't you?
ἠλιθιώτατος μὲν οὖν §766ἁπαξαπάντων.
Rather, the most stupid of all.
§766bὅτι τὸ ταττόμενον ποιῶ;
Because I do what is ordered?
§767τὸ ταττόμενον γὰρ δεῖ ποιεῖν τὸν σώφρονα;
For must a sensible man do what is ordered?
§768μάλιστα πάντων.
Most of all.
§768bτὸν μὲν οὖν ἀβέλτερον.
On the contrary, a foolish one!
§769σὺ δʼ οὐ καταθεῖναι διανοεῖ;
And you, do you not intend to hand yours over?