Table Of ContentWITH THE ENGLISH TRANSL.uviN.OF
BENJAMIN BICKLEY ROGERS
M.A., D.LITT., BARRISTER-AT-LAW
SOMETIME FELLOW OFWADHAM COLLEGE,OXFORD
IN THREE VOLUMES
II
THE PEACE THE BIRDS
THE FROGS
LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN LTD
:
NEW YORK PUTNAM'S SONS
: G. P.
MCMXXVII
Firstprinted1924
foprvnted1927
CONTENTS OF VOLUME
II
THE PEACE
FAon
Introduction 2
Text and Translation 4
THE BIRDS
Introduction 127
Text and Translation ISO
THE FROGS
Introduction 293
,
Text and Translation 96
INDEX 439
Chair ofthe Priest of Dionysus . . . frontispiece
THE PEACE
INTRODUCTION
THE Peace was exhibited at the great city Dionysia
in March 421B.C., atatime when Athens and Sparta
"
were alike weary of the long continuance of the
Peloponnesian war, and alike disposed to put an end
tothe conflictuponanyfair andhonourableterms,"a
the Spartans being especially disheartened by their
reverse at Pylos (c/1.Thuc, iv. 55), and theAthenians
by the military successes of Brasidas in Thrace and
theirdefeatbytheBoeotians atDeliumin424.& The
two ch"iefobstacles to peace (cf. Thuc. v, 14-16) had
been. Cleon the Athenian demagogue and Brasidas
theSpartangeneral : Brasidas,becauseofthesuccess
and the glory which he was gaining in the war ;
Cleon, because in quiet times his malpractices would
be more apparent and his calumny less easily be-
lieved,"Gbut boththese obstacleshad beenremoved
by the death of Cleon and Brasidas in the battle of
"
Amphrgojfe,and hardlyhadthisplaybeenproduced
upon the stage when the Peace of which it sang
dawned upon the Hellenic world," the Peace of
Nicias a peace for fifty years being concluded in
March or April 421.
fl SeeRogers, Introduction, p. ix. & Ibid. pp. xiv, xv.
* Ibid. p.xvi.
TA TOY APAMAT02 nP02i2IIA
OIKBTAI ATO
Tpvyaiov
TP1TAIOS
KOPAI, evyartpestyvyatov
EPMHS
HOAEMOS
KTAOIM02
XOPOS
IEPOKAHS,
APEHANOTPrOS
Acx&onoios
eQPAKOIIQAHS
SAAHirKTHS
KPANOHOAHS
AOPT^OS
HAIS AAMAXOT
HAIS KAEQNTMOT
EIPHNH
OIKETH2 A. A?p* alp ftaav cos ra;\;tora Kav9dpq>.
01. B. I8ov.
01. A. Sos aT5ra>, ra> KOKurr9 aT
01. B. feat pfproT avrfjs fj,d^av f}8ia>
01. A. 805- pd^av ercpav, e^ ovtScov
Oi. B. cSou jLMiA* av^ts-.
OL A. TTOV yap fjv vvv Srj
ov
/care^ayev.
or. B. jua rov At3, dAA* eg
oXyv VKwfr TrepiKvXiaas TOLV
OL A. aAA* cos1 ra^tora rpijSe TroAAds1 /cat
01. B. a^Spes1 /ccwrpoAoyot, 7rpocrAa/?cr0 Trpos1
t jLt^ /A fiovXecrd* OLTTonvLyevra TrcpuSew. 10
01. A. erepav erepav Sos", TratSos1 rfrcup?)KOTOS'
rerptjLt/zo^s1 yap ^(rt^ ernBvp&v'.
01. B. t'Sot^.
ot So/car
yap av (pan] JLCC jLtarrevr
01. A. at/Jot, <f>p* aAA^y, %a/Tpa,v poi %a,Tpav, 15
/cat rpt/P e^9 erepas.
a ThescenerepresentstheexteriorofthehouseofTrygaeus,two
ofwhoseservantsarevisiblein theforeground, ministering tothe
wants ofan enormous dung-beetle, whichisconfined in oneofthe
4
THE PEACE
FIRSTSERVANT. Bring, bringthe beetle cake ;
quickthere, quick ! quick,
SECOND SERVANT. Here
!
s. i. Giveit him, the abominablebrute,
s.ii. O mayhenever taste a daintiermorsel!
s. i. Nowbring another, shapedfrom asses* dung,
s.u. Here, here again.
s. i. Where's thatyou broughtjustnow?
He can'thave eatenit.
s. n. No ; hetrundledit
Withhis two feet, andboltedit entire.
s. i. Quick, quick, andbeatup several, firmandtight.
s. ii. O help me, scavengers,* by all the Gods !
Or I shallchoke and die before your eyes,
s. i. Anothercake, aboy-companion's bringhim:
Hewants one fineliermoulded.
s. ii. Hereitis.
There's oneadvantageinthis work, mymasters :
Nomanwill say I pickmy dishes now.c
s. i. Pah ! more, bringmore, anotherandanother;
Keepkneadingmore.
outercourts,thewallsofthecourt'beingsufficientlyhightoconceal
itsinmatefromtheaudience.
b Heappealstoanyscavenger(arecognizedclassatAthens)who
may6 Lbiet.pr**eseeantt(tsoomceomoefaitn)dwhhiellepphriemp,abreifnogrethheeciaskoeve(r/wptofwa)er"ed;.a
chargeoftenbroughtagainstslaves.
5
ARISTOPHANES
01. B. pa. rov TToco yo> jJLv o*
ov yap 10* otoV r zip wre/Be^ew TTJS avr\ia$.
avrfjv dp9 olow av)\Xaf$a)v rr\v avrXlav*
oi. A. vri rov Af e? KopaK<i$ ye, Kal aavrov ye irpos.
01. B. vfuov 8e y i n$ OiS* jL6oi KarevTrdra) 20
7ro0V av 7rptat|L6^y /Sva ^17 rerpTjfjievrjv.
ovSev yap epyov fy ap* a6Xca>Tpov
T$I$KpOLvvddypdqp),fj&uodTrrTopvraavTrxa^pVz^wTtse">vd^le^w.^^
(f>avXa)s epetSet* rovro 8* VTTO (fipovypaTos 25
ppevdveral re /cat (fxiysiv OVK al^iot,
r\v \ix\ TrapaOo) rp/^ras- Si*
cSoTrep yi^atfcl yoyyuA^v
aAA* t TreTratn-at -rifc eS
SL Trapoigas rfjs ffupa?, fva JLC^ /^J tSfl. 30
iravaaio ^Serror* eauiwv
r))
Icos craurov Aaffys StappayetV.
Se Kv$a$ 6 Kardparos eadleiy
tocrrrep TraAator^ irapaftaXcbv rous-
KCU ravra rrjv Ke<j>aXtfv re real r<h
cuSt irepidywv, cScnrep oc ra axowi
ra 7ra%a crvfjLf3dhXovrs ei$
TO xprjjjia /cat KaKocrfjiov Kal fiopov,
iror earl 8ai/wn/a>v 17 TrpoajSoA-^
oIS*. *A.<f>po$irr)$ ^kv yap ov /xot ^atverat, 40
ov jLt^v Xaptrwv ye.
OI. A. roi; yap ear9;
Oi. B. OVAC
eart ro Wpas1 ov Atos1 %Karai,j3drov.
Schol. Asthebil^e-waterin asinkingshipgets theTbTeJStterofa
sailor,soherethefilthistoomuchforhim. ButdvrXtecanmean
6
THE PEACE, 16-42
s. ii. By Apollo, no, not1 1
I can't endure this muckamomentlonger;a
I'll take andpitchthe muck-tubin and all.
s. i. Aye to the crows, andfollow ityourself.
s. ii. Can any one ofyou, I wonder, tellme
Where I canbuy a nose notperforated?
There'snomoreloathly miserabletask
Thantobemashing dung to feeda beetle.
Apig or dog willtakeits bit ofmuck
Justas itfalls : but this conceitedbrute
Giveshimselfairs, and,bless you,hewon'ttouchit.
Unless I mashit all daylong, andserveit
As for alady, inarichroundcake.
Now I'llpeep inandseeifhe has done,
Holdingthedoor, thus, that hemayn'tobserve me.
Aye, tuck away ; go gobbling on, don'tstop;-
I hope you'll burstyourselfbefore youknowit.
Wretch! howhethrows himselfuponhisfood,
Squared like a wrestler, grapplingwithhisjaws,
Twistinghis head andhands, nowhere, nowthere,
For allthe worldlike menwho plait andweave
Those great thick ropes to tow the barges with,
'Tis amost stinking, foul, voraciousbrute.
Norcan I tell whose appanage6 he is:
I really thinkhe can't be Aphrodite's,
Noryet the Graces'.
s. i. No ? thenwhose ?
s. n. I take it
This is the sign ofsulphur-boltingZeus.c
notonly"bilge-water,"but alsothe"hold of a ship,"andsoin
R18av66iteSinir/snpcoapa<rrua/t3tSojcAfShido}or,rloiv"ta,hsaet".stibugebTnchwasehupriseecceihfitsihhcoeaalldlpbyseleaattythlteeoadcnfuheZeneedgdt.sotooKanardfceiuil^ttdhyn""/s:(,trR/".cd-Zreosu)s:
whodescendsinthunder."
