Humanitext Reader

Theophrastus · Fragments §83.1

Myrtis the Argive Dragging out Cleonymus the Flatterer

Passage 85 of 196 · Greek

Summary

An anecdote from Theophrastus' *On Flattery* is cited, in which Myrtis the Argive drags out Cleonymus the dancer and flatterer by the ear for trying to ingratiate himself with the judges.

§83.1Fr. 83 Θ. ἐν τῷ περὶ κολακείας φησὶν ὡς Μύρτις μύστης ὁ Ἀργεῖος Κλεώνυμον τὸν χορευτὴν ἅμα καὶ κόλακα προσκαθίζοντα πολλάκις αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς συνδικάζουσι, βουλόμενον δὲ καὶ μετὰ τῶν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐνδόξων ὁρᾶσθαι, λαβόμενος, τοῦ ὠτὸς καὶ ἕλκων αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου πολλῶν παρόντων εἶπεν, Οὐ χορεύσει ἐνθάδε οὐδʼ ἁμῶν ἀκούσει.
Theophrastus says in *On Flattery* that Myrtis, the Argive initiate, when Cleonymus the dancer and flatterer frequently sat beside him and his fellow judges, wishing also to be seen with the prominent men in the city, took hold of his ear and, dragging him out of the council-hall while many were present, said: "You shall not dance here, nor shall you hear us."

Notes

  1. §83.1χορεύσει / ἀκούσει — Although these can be grammatically interpreted as third-person singular future active ("he shall not dance"), they are best understood as second-person singular future (with middle endings, since the future of ἀκούω is the deponent/middle ἀκούσομαι, yielding the second-person singular ἀκούσει/ἀκούσῃ), addressed directly to Cleonymus as Myrtis holds him by the ear.
  2. §83.1ἁμῶν — A dialectal form (Doric, etc.) corresponding to the Attic ἡμῶν ("of us"). This reflects the dialect of the speaker, Myrtis, who is described as an Argive (ὁ Ἀργεῖος).

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §83.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:83.1

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