§18Λυκῖνος
ἀλλʼ εἰς καλὸν γὰρ τουτονὶ Σώπολιν ὁρῶ τὸν ἰατρὸν προσιόντα, φέρε τούτῳ ἐγχειρίσαντές σε καὶ διαλεχθέντες ὑπὲρ τῆς νόσου ἴασίν τινά σοι εὑρώμεθα· συνετὸς γὰρ ἁνὴρ καὶ πολλοὺς ἤδη παραλαβὼν ὥσπερ σὲ ἡμιμανεῖς καὶ κορυζῶντας ἀπήλλαξεν ἐγχέας φάρμακον.
Lycinus Ah, look, for just in the nick of time I see Sopolis the physician approaching. Come, let us hand you over to him and consult with him about your disease, and find some cure for you; for the man is sensible, and has already taken in many people who, like you, were half-mad and running at the nose, and cured them by pouring in medicine.
χαῖρε, Σώπολι, καὶ τουτονὶ Λεξιφάνην παραλαβὼν ἑταῖρον, ὡς οἶσθα, ἡμῖν ὄντα, λήρῳ δὲ νῦν καὶ ξένῃ περὶ τὴν φωνὴν νόσῳ ξυνόντα καὶ κινδυνεύοντα ἤδη τελέως ἀπολωλέναι σῶσον ἑνί γέ τῳ τρόπῳ.
Greetings, Sopolis, and take in this Lexiphanes here, who is our companion, as you know, but is now afflicted with a silly and foreign disease of speech, and is in danger of being already utterly ruined; save him by any means possible.
§19Λεξιφάνης
μὴ ἐμέ, Σώπολι, ἀλλὰ τουτονὶ Λυκῖνον, ὃς περιφανῶς μακκοᾷ καὶ ἄνδρας πεφρενωμένους ὀλισθογνωμονεῖν οἴεται καὶ κατὰ τὸν Μνησάρχου τὸν Σάμιον σιωπὴν καὶ γλωτταργίαν ἡμῖν ἐπιβάλλει.
Lexiphanes Not me, Sopolis, but this Lycinus here, who is clearly doting, and thinks that sensible men make mistakes in judgment, and after the manner of the Samian son of Mnesarchus, imposes silence and tongue-tiedness upon us.
ἀλλὰ μὰ τὴν ἀναίσχυντον Ἀθηνᾶν καὶ τὸν μέγαν θηριομάχον Ἡρακλέα οὐδʼ ὅσον τοῦ γρῦ καὶ τοῦ φνεῖ φροντιοῦμεν αὐτοῦ·
But, by shameless Athena and the great beast-fighting Heracles, we shall not care for him even as much as a grunt or a 'phnei'; at any rate, I pray that I may not meet him at all.
ὀττεύομαι γοῦν μηδὲ ὅλως ἐντυγχάνειν αὐτῷ. ἔοικα δὲ καὶ ῥιναυλήσειν τοιαῦτα ἐπιτιμῶντος ἀκούων.
And I seem likely even to snort through my nose on hearing him make such criticisms.
καὶ ἤδη γε ἄπειμι παρὰ τὸν ἑταῖρον Κλεινίαν, ὅτι πυνθάνομαι χρόνου ἤδη ἀκάθαρτον εἶναι αὐτῷ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ ταύτην νοσεῖν, ὅτι μὴ ῥεῖ.
And indeed, I am now going off to my companion Clinias, because I understand that for some time now his wife's courses have been unclean and she is ill because she does not flow.
ὥστε οὐκέτι οὐδʼ ἀναβαίνει αὐτήν, ἀλλʼ ἄβατος καὶ ἀνήροτός ἐστιν.
Consequently, he no longer goes in unto her, but she remains unapproached and unploughed.
§20Σώπολις
τί δὲ νοσεῖ, ὦ Λυκῖνε, Λεξιφάνης;
Sopolis And what is Lexiphanes' illness, Lycinus?
Λυκῖνος
αὐτὰ ταῦτα, ὦ Σώπολι.
Lycinus These very things, Sopolis.
οὐκ ἀκούεις οἷα φθέγγεται;
Do you not hear how he speaks?
καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς νῦν προσομιλοῦντας καταλιπὼν πρὸ χιλίων ἐτῶν ἡμῖν διαλέγεται διαστρέφων τὴν γλῶτταν καὶ ταυτὶ τὰ ἀλλόκοτα συντιθεὶς καὶ σπουδὴν ποιούμενος ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς, ὡς δή τι μέγα ὄν, εἴ τι ξενίζοι καὶ τὸ καθεστηκὸς νόμισμα τῆς φωνῆς παρακόπτοι.
And leaving us, his present companions, behind, he dialogues with us as if we were a thousand years ago, distorting his tongue and putting together these strange words and making a serious matter of them, as though it were indeed something great if he makes some foreign innovation and debases the established coinage of speech.
Σώπολις
μὰ Δίʼ οὐ μικράν τινα λέγεις τὴν νόσον, ὦ Λυκῖνε.
Sopolis By Zeus, you do not speak of any minor disease, Lycinus.
βοηθητέα γοῦν τῷ ἀνδρὶ πάσῃ μηχανῇ καὶ — κατὰ θεὸν γὰρ τῶν χολώντων τινι φάρμακον τουτὶ κερασάμενος ἀπῄειν, ὡς πιὼν ἐμέσειε — φέρε πρῶτος αὐτὸς πῖθι, ὦ Λεξίφανες, ὡς ὑγιὴς ἡμῖν καὶ καθαρὸς γένοιο, τῆς τοιαύτης τῶν λόγων ἀτοπίας κενωθείς.
The man must indeed be helped by every means, and—for by a stroke of luck, I was going off after mixing this medicine for one of those suffering from bile, so that he might drink and vomit—come, drink it first yourself, Lexiphanes, so that you may become healthy and pure for us, emptied of such absurdity of words.
ἀλλὰ πείσθητί μοι καὶ πῖθι καὶ ῥᾴων ἔσῃ.
Come, be persuaded by me and drink, and you will be easier.
Λεξιφάνης
οὐκ οἶδʼ ὃ καὶ δράσετέ με, ὦ Σώπολι, σύ τε καὶ Λυκῖνος, πιπίσκοντες τουτουὶ τοῦ φαρμάκου.
Lexiphanes I do not know what you will do to me, Sopolis, both you and Lycinus, in making me drink this medicine.
δέδοικα γοῦν μὴ πῶμα γένοιτό μοι τοῦτο τῶν λόγων τὸ πόμα.
At any rate, I fear lest this drink should become a lid to my words.
Λυκῖνος
πῖθι καὶ μὴ μέλλε, ὡς ἀνθρώπινα ἤδη φρονοίης καὶ λέγοις.
Lycinus Drink, and do not delay, so that you may from now on think and speak like a human being.
Λεξιφάνης
ἰδοὺ πείθομαι καὶ πίομαι.
Lexiphanes Look, I am persuaded and I will drink.
φεῦ, τί τοῦτο;
Alas, what is this?
πολὺς ὁ βορβορυγμός.
There is much rumbling.
ἐγγαστρίμυθόν τινα ἔοικα πεπωκέναι.
I seem to have swallowed a belly-talker.
§21Σώπολις
ἄρξαι δὴ ἐμεῖν.
Sopolis Now start to vomit.
βαβαί.
Well, well!
πρῶτον τουτὶ τὸ μῶν, εἶτα μετʼ αὐτὸ ἐξελήλυθεν τὸ κᾆτα, εἶτα ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς τὸ ἦ δʼ ὅς καὶ ἀμηγέπη καὶ λῷστε καὶ δήπουθεν καὶ συνεχὲς τὸ ἄττα.
First this 'mōn', then after it has come out 'kaita', then upon them 'ē d’ hos' and 'amēgepē' and 'lōste' and 'dēpouthen' and, in quick succession, 'atta'.
βίασαι δʼ ὅμως, καὶ κάθες εἰς τὴν φάρυγγα τοὺς δακτύλους.
Force yourself nevertheless, and put your fingers down your throat.
οὐδέπω τὸ ἴκταρ ἐμήμεκας οὐδὲ τὸ σκορδινᾶσθαι οὐδὲ τὸ τευτάζεσθαι οὐδὲ τὸ σκύλλεσθαι.
You have not yet vomited 'iktar', nor 'skordinasthai', nor 'teutazesthai', nor 'skyllesthai'.
πολλὰ ἔτι ὑποδέδυκε καὶ μεστή σοι αὐτῶν ἡ γαστήρ.
Many more are still lurking below, and your stomach is full of them.
ἄμεινον δέ, εἰ καὶ κάτω διαχωρήσειεν ἂν ἔνια· ἡ γοῦν σιληπορδία μέγαν τὸν ψόφον ἐργάσεται συνεκπεσοῦσα μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος.
It would be better if some should also pass downwards; at any rate, the 'silipordia' will make a great noise when it falls out together with wind.
ἀλλʼ ἤδη μὲν καθαρὸς οὑτοσὶ πλὴν εἴ τι μεμένηκεν ὑπόλοιπον ἐν τοῖς κάτω ἐντέροις.
Well, this man is now clean, unless something has remained behind in his lower intestines.
σὺ δὲ τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο παραλαβὼν αὐτόν, ὦ Λυκῖνε, μεταπαίδευε καὶ δίδασκε ἃ χρὴ λέγειν.
And you, Lycinus, take him over after this, re-educate him and teach him what he ought to say.