Page:Comedies of Aristophanes (Hickie 1853) vol2.djvu/248

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624
THE ECCLESIAZUSÆ.
132—152.

8th Wom. Then shall I speak before I drink?

Prax. "Drink," quoth'a![1]

8th Wom. Why have I crowned[2] myself then, my friend?

Prax. Get out of the way! You would have done such things to us there also.

8th Wom. How[3] then? don't they also drink in the Assembly?

Prax. "Drink," quoth'a!

8th Wom. Yes, by Diana! and that too unmixed wine. At any rate their decrees, as many as they make, are, to people considering well, mad ones, like drunken people's.[4] And, by Jove, they make libations too; or, on what account would they make so many prayers, if wine was not present? And they rail at one another too, like drunken men; and the policemen carry out him that plays drunken tricks.

Prax. Go you and sit down; for you are a worthless thing.[5]

8th Wom. By Jove, upon my word it were better for me not to have a beard; for, as it seems, I shall be parched with thirst. [Goes and sits down.]

Prax. Is there any other who[6] wishes to speak?

9th Wom. I do.

Prax. Come now, crown yourself! for the business is going on.[7] Come now, see that[8] you speak after the manner of men, and properly, having leaned your body on your staff.

9th Wom. I should have wished some other one of those accustomed to speak were giving the best advice, in order that[9]

  1. For this use of ἰδοὺ, cf. vss. 93, 136, of this play. Equit. 87, 344, 703. Thesm. 206. Lys. 441. Nub. 818, 872, 1469. Pax, 198.
  2. "The ancients, as is well known, wore chaplets when carousing. See Hor. Odes, Book I. xxxviii." Smith.
  3. See Matthiä, Gr. Gr. §488, 9; Jelf, §872, g.
  4. Cf. vss. 142, 310, and note on Lys. 556.
  5. Cf. Vesp. 997, 1504. Plut. 408. Equit. 1243. Aves, 577. Pax, 1222. Soph. Aj. 1231, 1275. Trach. 1107. Eur. Ion, 606. Rhes. 821. Heracl. 168. Troad. 415. Orest. 717. Phœn. 417. Andr. 1080. Plato, Apol. p. 41, E. Rep. p. 341, C. 556, D. 562, D. Epigr. iii. Krüger, Gr. Gr. §61, 8, obs. 3. Bernhardy, W. S. p. 336. Elmsley, Heracl. 168. Monk, Hippol. 634. Dorville, Char. p. 218. Lobeck, Aj. 1218. Elmsl. Her. 168.
  6. Xenoph. Mem. i. 4, 6, ἔστιν οὕστινας ανθρώπων τεθαύμακας ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ; Cf. Nub. 1290. Plato, Apol. p. 27, B. Krüger, Gr. Gr. §51, 5, obs. 2.
  7. "Unser Plan ist jetzt im gang." Droysen.
  8. See note on Lys. 316.
  9. See note on vs. 426, infra.