Humanitext Reader

Theophrastus · Fragments §124.1

The Habit of Laughter in Tiryns and Incurable Habits

Passage 129 of 196 · Greek

Summary

Theophrastus recounts an anecdote of the Tirynthians, who tried to cure their habit of laughter by performing a sacrifice according to an oracle, to illustrate how difficult it is to change a long-standing habit.

§124.1Fr. 124 Τιρυνθίους φησὶ Θ. ἐν τῷ περὶ κωμῳδίας φιλογέλως ὄντας ἀχρείους δὲ πρὸς τὰ σπουδαιότερα τῶν πραγμάτων καταφυγεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς μαντεῖον ἀπαλλαγῆναι βουλομένους τοῦ πάθους καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἀνελεῖν αὐτοῖς, ἢν θύοντες τῷ Ποσειδῶνι ταῦρον ἀγελαστὶ τοῦτον ἐμβάλωσιν εἰς τὴν θάλατταν παύσεσθαι.
Theophrastus, in his work On Comedy, says that the Tirynthians, being fond of laughter and useless for more serious matters, wished to be rid of this affliction and fled to the oracle at Delphi for refuge; and the god declared to them that if, while sacrificing a bull to Poseidon, they should cast it into the sea without laughing, the affliction would cease.
δὲ δεδιότες μὴ διαμάρτωσι τοῦ λογίου τοὺς παῖδας ἐκώλυσαν παρεῖναι τῇ θυσίᾳ·
But they, fearing lest they should fail to observe the oracle, forbade the children to be present at the sacrifice.
μαθὼν οὖν εἷς καὶ συγκαταμιχθεὶς ἐπείπερ ἐβόων ἀπελαύνοντες αὐτόν, τί δῆτʼ, ἔφη, δεδοίκατε μὴ τὸ σφάγιον ὑμῶν ἀνατρέψω; γελασάντων δὲ ἔμαθον ἔργῳ τὸν θεὸν δείξαντα ὡς ἄρα τὸ πολυχρόνιον ἔθος ἀμήχανόν ἐστι θεραπευθῆναι.
Thereupon, one boy, having found out about this and mingled with them, when they shouted as they tried to drive him away, said, "Why indeed do you fear? Lest I overturn your victim?" When they burst into laughter, they realized that the god had shown in deed that a long-standing habit is impossible to cure.

Notes

  1. 124.1δὲ — The article οἱ is missing in the manuscripts, leaving only δὲ, but in this context it must be interpreted as οἱ δὲ ('and they', referring to the Tirynthians).
  2. 124.1παύσεσθαι — A future infinitive forming the apodosis of a conditional sentence (ἢν ... ἐμβάλωσιν) in indirect speech, depending on the verb of speaking ἀνελεῖν. In direct speech, it would be a future indicative (παύσεται). The subject of the infinitive is the previously mentioned affliction (τὸ πάθος).
  3. 124.1δεδιότες μὴ διαμάρτωσι — The participle of fear δεδιότες (perfect participle of δείδω) governs a μή clause with the subjunctive (μὴ διαμάρτωσι), meaning 'fearing lest they should fail.'
  4. 124.1τὸν θεὸν δείξαντα — A participial construction acting as the object of the verb of learning/realizing ἔμαθον (aorist of μανθάνω), meaning 'they realized that the god had shown.'

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §124.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:124.1

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