§10.25.1ὑπὲρ δὲ τὴν Κασσοτίδα ἐστὶν οἴκημα γραφὰς ἔχον τῶν Πολυγνώτου, ἀνάθημα μὲν Κνιδίων, καλεῖται δὲ ὑπὸ Δελφῶν Λέσχη, ὅτι ἐνταῦθα συνιόντες τὸ ἀρχαῖον τά τε σπουδαιότερα διελέγοντο καὶ ὁπόσα μυθώδη· τοιαῦτʼ εἶναι πολλὰ ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν Ἑλλάδα Ὅμηρος ἐν Μελανθοῦς λοιδορίᾳ πρὸς Ὀδυσσέα ἐδήλωσεν· "
οὐδʼ ἐθέλεις εὕδειν χαλκήιον ἐς δόμον ἐλθὼν
ἠέ που ἐς λέσχην, ἀλλʼ ἐνθάδε πόλλʼ ἀγορεύεις. "
Above the Cassotis is a building containing paintings by Polygnotus, a dedication of the Cnidians, and it is called Lesche (Club) by the Delphians, because meeting here in ancient times they used to discuss both the more serious matters and those that are legendary; Homer showed in the abuse of Melantho towards Odysseus that there are many such places throughout all Greece: "And you do not wish to go and sleep in a bronze smithy or in a lesche somewhere, but here you talk much.
§10.25.2ἐς τοῦτο οὖν ἐσελθόντι τὸ οἴκημα τὸ μὲν σύμπαν τὸ ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς γραφῆς Ἴλιός τέ ἐστιν ἑαλωκυῖα καὶ ἀπόπλους ὁ Ἑλλήνων.
"So to one who has entered this building, the whole of the scene on the right of the painting is Troy captured and the departure of the Greeks.
Μενελάῳ δὲ τὰ ἐς τὴν ἀναγωγὴν εὐτρεπίζουσι, καὶ ναῦς ἐστι γεγραμμένη καὶ ἄνδρες ἐν τοῖς ναύταις καὶ ἀναμὶξ παῖδες, ἐν μέσῃ δέ ἐστι τῇ νηὶ ὁ κυβερνήτης Φρόντις κοντοὺς δύο ἔχων.
For Menelaus they are preparing the things for the voyage, and a ship is painted, and men among the sailors and boys mixed with them, and in the middle of the ship is the helmsman Phrontis holding two punting-poles.
Ὅμηρος δὲ Νέστορα ἐποίησεν ἄλλα τε διαλεγόμενον πρὸς Τηλέμαχον καὶ περὶ τοῦ Φρόντιδος· πατρὸς μὲν Ὀνήτορος, Μενελάου δὲ ἦν κυβερνήτης, δοκιμώτατος δὲ ἐς τὴν τέχνην, καὶ ὡς Σούνιον ἤδη τὸ ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ παραπλέοντα ἐπέλαβεν αὐτὸν τὸ χρεών· καὶ τέως ὁμοῦ Νέστορι ὁ Μενέλαος πλέων τότε κατὰ αἰτίαν ἀπελείφθη ταύτην, ἵνα μνήματος καὶ ὅσα ἐπὶ νεκροῖς ἄλλα ἀξιώσειε τὸν Φρόντιν.
And Homer made Nestor converse with Telemachus about other things and about Phrontis: that he was the son of Onetor, and was the helmsman of Menelaus, most approved in his art, and how, as he was already sailing past Sunium in Attica, his fate overtook him; and Menelaus, who up to that time was sailing together with Nestor, was then left behind for this reason, in order that he might honor Phrontis with a tomb and with whatever other things are due to the dead.
§10.25.3οὗτός τε οὖν ἐν τοῦ Πολυγνώτου τῇ γραφῇ καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτὸν Ἰθαιμένης τέ τις κομίζων ἐσθῆτα καὶ Ἐχοίαξ διὰ τῆς ἀποβάθρας κατιών ἐστιν, ὑδρίαν ἔχων χαλκῆν.
This man, then, is in the painting of Polygnotus, and below him is a certain Ithaimenes carrying clothing, and Echoiax coming down the gangway, having a bronze water-jar.
καταλύουσι δὲ καὶ τοῦ Μενελάου τὴν σκηνὴν οὐ πόρρω τῆς νεὼς οὖσαν Πολίτης καὶ Στρόφιός τε καὶ Ἄλφιος.
And Polites, Strophius, and Alphius are taking down the tent of Menelaus, which is not far from the ship.
καὶ ἄλλην διαλύων σκηνήν ἐστιν Ἀμφίαλος, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἀμφιάλου τοῖς ποσὶ κάθηται παῖς· ἐπίγραμμα δὲ οὐκ ἔστι τῷ παιδί, γένεια δὲ μόνῳ τῷ Φρόντιδι.
And Amphiatus is dismantling another tent, and at the feet of Amphiatus sits a boy; there is no inscription for the boy, and Phrontis alone has a beard.
καὶ μόνου τούτου τὸ ὄνομα ἐκ τῆς ἐς Ὀδυσσέα ποιήσεως ἔμαθε, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν τὰ ὀνόματα συνέθηκεν αὐτὸς ὁ Πολύγνωτος.
And he learned the name of this man alone from the poetry concerning Odysseus, but of the others, in my opinion, Polygnotus himself invented the names.
§10.25.4Βρισηὶς δὲ ἑστῶσα καὶ Διομήδη τε ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς καὶ Ἶφις πρὸ ἀμφοτέρων ἐοίκασιν ἀνασκοπούμενοι τὸ Ἑλένης εἶδος.
And Briseis standing, and Diomede above her, and Iphis in front of both, seem to be contemplating the beauty of Helen.
κάθηται δὲ αὐτή τε ἡ Ἑλένη καὶ Εὐρυβάτης πλησίον· τὸν δὲ Ὀδυσσέως εἶναι κήρυκα εἰκάζομεν, οὐ μὴν εἶχεν ἤδη γένεια.
And Helen herself is sitting, and Eurybates near her; we guess that he is the herald of Odysseus, but indeed he did not yet have a beard.
θεράπαινα δὲ Ἠλέκτρα καὶ Πανθαλίς, ἡ μὲν τῇ Ἑλένῃ παρέστηκεν, ἡ δὲ ὑποδεῖ τὴν δέσποιναν ἡ Ἠλέκτρα·
And the handmaids are Electra and Panthalis; the one stands beside Helen, while the other, Electra, is putting on the shoes of her mistress.
διάφορα δὲ καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα ἢ Ὅμηρος ἔθετο ἐν Ἰλιάδι, ἔνθα καὶ Ἑλένην καὶ ἰούσας ὁμοῦ τῇ Ἑλένῃ τὰς δούλας ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος πεποίηκεν.
These names also are different from those which Homer gave in the *Iliad*, where he has represented both Helen and the slave-women going along with Helen to the wall.
§10.25.5κάθηται δὲ ὑπὲρ τὴν Ἑλένην πορφυροῦν ἀνὴρ ἀμπεχόμενος ἱμάτιον καὶ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα κατηφής· Ἕλενον εἶναι τεκμήραιο ἂν τὸν Πριάμου καὶ πρὶν ἢ τὸ ἐπίγραμμα ἐπιλέξασθαι.
Above Helen sits a man clothed in a purple cloak, and exceedingly downcast; even before reading the inscription, you would guess that he is Helenus, the son of Priam.
πλησίον δὲ τοῦ Ἑλένου Μέγης ἐστί· τέτρωται δὲ τὸν βραχίονα ὁ Μέγης, καθὰ δὴ καὶ Λέσχεως ὁ Αἰσχυλίνου Πυρραῖος ἐν Ἰλίου πέρσιδι ἐποίησε· τρωθῆναι δὲ ὑπὸ τὴν μάχην τοῦτον, ἣν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ἐμαχέσαντο οἱ Τρῶες, ὑπὸ Ἀδμήτου φησὶ τοῦ Αὐγείου.
And near Helenus is Meges; and Meges is wounded in the arm, just as Lesches, the son of Aeschylinus, of Pyrrha, wrote in the *Sack of Troy*; and he says that this man was wounded during the battle which the Trojans fought in the night, by Admetus, the son of Augeas.