§12.14.1ἀμφότερα δὲ τὰ προειρημένα πολλοὶ τῶν ποιητῶν διʼ ἐμμέτρου ποιήματος μεμαρτυρήκασι· τὴν μὲν κακομιλίαν ἐν τοῖσδε,
"
ὅστις δʼ ὁμιλῶν ἥδεται κακοῖς ἀνήρ,
οὐπώποτʼ ἠρώτησα, γινώσκων ὅτι
τοιοῦτός ἐστιν οἷσπερ ἥδεται ξυνών·
Many of the poets have borne witness to both of the aforementioned matters through their poems: bad company in the following: "The man who delights in associating with the wicked, I have never questioned, knowing that he is such as those with whom he delights to associate.
"
τὸν δὲ περὶ τῆς μητρυιᾶς τεθέντα νόμον ἐν τούτοις,
"
τὸν νομοθέτην φασὶν Χαρώνδαν ἔν τινι
νομοθεσίᾳ τά τʼ ἄλλα καὶ ταυτὶ λέγειν· ὁ παισὶν αὑτοῦ μητρυιὰν ἐπεισάγων
μήτʼ εὐδοκιμείτω μήτε μετεχέτω λόγου
παρὰ τοῖς πολίταις, ὡς ἐπείσακτον κακὸν
κατὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πραγμάτων πεπορισμένος.
"and the law enacted concerning stepmothers in these: "They say that the lawgiver Charondas, in a certain legislation, among other things, says this: 'Let him who introduces a stepmother to his children neither enjoy good repute nor have a share in counsel among the citizens, as one who has procured an imported evil against his own affairs.
εἴτʼ ἐπέτυχες γάρ, φησί, γήμας τὸ πρότερον,
εὐημερῶν κατάπαυσον, εἴτʼ οὐκ ἐπέτυχες,
μανικὸν τὸ πεῖραν δευτέρας λαβεῖν πάλιν. "
ταῖς γὰρ ἀληθείαις ὁ δὶς ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς πράγμασιν ἁμαρτάνων ἄφρων ἂν δικαίως νομισθείη.
For if you succeeded,' he says, 'in marrying previously, rest satisfied in your good fortune; but if you did not succeed, it is madness to take trial of a second again.' "For in truth, he who errs twice in the same matters would justly be deemed a fool.
§12.14.2καὶ Φιλήμονος τοῦ κωμῳδιογράφου γράφοντος τοὺς πολλάκις ναυτιλλομένους καὶ συνειπόντος τῷ νόμῳ
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τεθαύμακʼ οὐκέτʼ εἰ πέπλευκέ τις,
ἀλλʼ εἰ πέπλευκε δίς,
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τὸ παραπλήσιον ἄν τις ἀποφαίνοιτο μὴ θαυμάζειν εἴ τις γεγάμηκεν, ἀλλʼ εἰ δὶς γεγάμηκε· κρεῖττον γὰρ εἶναι δὶς ἑαυτὸν θαλάττῃ παραβαλεῖν ἢ γυναικί.
And since the comic poet Philemon writes about those who frequently go to sea, and agrees with the law: "I no longer wonder if someone has sailed, but if he has sailed twice, "one might declare a similar thing, namely, not to wonder if someone has married, but if he has married twice; for it is better to expose oneself twice to the sea than to a wife.
§12.14.3μέγισται γὰρ καὶ χαλεπώταται στάσεις ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις γίνονται διὰ μητρυιὰς τέκνοις πρὸς πατέρας, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα πολλαὶ καὶ παράνομοι πράξεις ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις τραγῳδοῦνται.
For the greatest and most severe factions arise in households because of stepmothers, between children and their fathers, and because of these, many lawless deeds are dramatized in the theaters.