480
THE GREEN BAG
play, being overcrowded with his debts, had trouble with his son who was unable to defend him, and the son says: "Ah me, what shall I do, my father being crazed? Shall I bring him into court and convict him of lunacy?" (Clouds. 845.) It will be plainly seen that the writ de lunatico was in vogue. The father had thought his son was a very clever young man and recommended him to Socrates as follows : "Never mind, teach him, he is clever by nature; indeed from his earliest years when he was a little fellow, only so big, he was wont to form houses and carve ships within doors and make little wagons of leather and make frogs out of pomegranate rinds, you can't think how cleverly; but see that he learns these two cases, first, the better, what ever it may be; and second, the worse, which by maintaining what is unjust over turns the better. If not both, at any rate teach him the unjust one by all means. (Clouds, 877.) Afterwards the practice of law is referred to in the comedy as "the practice of loquac ity" (925) and speaking of the youth the same person says: "Yet certainly shall you spend your time in the gymnastic school, sleek and blooming, not chattering in the market place rude jests, like the youths of the present day, nor dragged into court for a petty suit, greedy, insincere, and knavish." (1005.) The farmer tells Socrates regarding the former's son: "Teach him and chastise him, and re member that you train him properly on the one side, able for petty suits, but train his other jaw able for the more important causes." (1108.) The farmer comes back to Socrates after the son has been educated and Socrates greets him with, "Good morning." The farmer says : "The same to you, but first accept this present. For one ought to compliment the teacher with a fee. Tell me about my son,
whether he has learned that cause which you just now brought forward?" Socrates. He has learned it. Farmer. Well done, O Fraud, thou allpowerful queen. Socrates. So that you can get clear off from whatever suit you please. Farmer. Even if witnesses were present when I borrowed the money? Socrates. Yea, much more. Even if a dozen be present. Farmer. Then I will shout with a very loud shout, Ho, weep you petty usurers, both you and your principal, and your com pound interest. (1145.) One of the jurymen tells how the elo quence of the lawyers is showered upon him, and also how he is flattered by them, and how some lawyers lament their poverty, and others tell laughable jokes from ^Esop, and others bring in their children to influ ence the jury, and others affect a derision of wealth; and how when an actor is defend ant he does not get off until he recites some beautiful passage, and how the flute players must play the flute to the jurors: — and then follows this quotation: "And if a father, leaving an heiress at his death, give her to any one with respect to the principal clause; we having put a long farewell to the last will and testament, and to the case, which is very solemnly put upon the seals, give this heiress to him who by his entreaties shall have won us over, and this we do without being responsible." (Wasps, 585.) This indeed sounds modern. Then the juryman goes on to say that when he comes home with his jury money, three obols, his daughter washes him up and kisses him and wheedles him out of the money. There is inserted in this colloquy a maxim of a wise man who said, "You can't judge till you have heard the speech of both." It seems that when the vote was taken by the jury, the crier of the court said : "Who is there who has not voted. Let him rise up" (750), so that they might
