Menelaus the king, Agamemnon the great,
Had a bird as assessor attending in state,
Perched on his sceptre, to watch for a share
Of fees and emoluments, secret or fair.510
Eu. Ah, there I perceive, I was right in my guess,
For when Priam appeared in his tragical dress,
The bird on his sceptre, I plainly could see,
Was watching Lysicrates[1] taking a fee.
Peis. . . . Nay, Jupiter now that usurps the command,
Appears with an eagle, appointed to stand
As his emblem of empire; a striking example
Of authority once so extended and ample:515
And each of the gods had his separate fowl,
Apollo a Hawk, and Minerva an Owl.
Eu.[2] That's matter of fact and you're right in the main;
But what was the reason I wish you'd explain?
Peis. The reason was this: that the bird should be there,
To demand as of right a proportional share,
Of the entrails and fat, when an offering was made,
A suitable portion before them was laid:
Moreover you'll find, that the race of mankind
Always swore by a bird; and it never was heard
That they swore by the gods, at the time that I mention.520
And Lampon[3] himself, with a subtle intention,
Adheres to the old immemorial use;
He perjures and cheats us and swears "by the goose."
Thus far forth have I proved and shown
The power and estate that were once your own,
Now totally broken and overthrown:
And need I describe, your present tribe,
Weak, forlorn, exposed to scorn,
Distressed, oppressed, never at rest,
Daily pursued, with outrage rude;525
- ↑ Of Lysicrates, the Scholiast only informs us that he was a person in office known to be in the habit of taking bribes, a description which in relation to those times is hardly a distinction.
- ↑ This speech seems more properly to belong to the Hoopoe.
- ↑ As a substitute for common swearing, some persons (Socrates among the rest) made use of less offensive expletives, swearing "by the dog or by the goose." Lampon was a soothsayer, and thought it right probably to be scrupulous in using the name of the god. He is mentioned again in this play.
