Page:Comedies of Aristophanes (Hickie 1853) vol1.djvu/183

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1204—1230.
THE CLOUDS.
167

on account of our good fortune.—"O happy Strepsiades![1] how wise you are yourself, and how excellent is the son whom you are rearing!" my friends and fellow-tribesmen will say of me,[2] envying me, when you prove victorious in arguing causes.—But first I wish to lead you in and entertain you. [Exeunt Strepsiades and Phidippides.]

Pasias. (entering with his summons-witness). Then, ought a man to throw away any part of his own property? Never! but it were better then at once to put away blushes, rather than now to have trouble; since I am now dragging you to be a witness, for the sake of my own money; and further, in addition to this, I shall become an enemy to my fellow-tribesman. But never, while I live, will I disgrace my country, but will summon Strepsiades—

Strep. (from within). Who's there? [Enter Strepsiades.]

Pas. For the Old and New.

Strep. I call you to witness, that he has named it for two days. For what matter do you summon me?

Pas. For the twelve minæ, which you received when you were buying the dapple-grey horse.

Strep. A horse?—Do[3] you not hear? I, whom you all know to hate horsemanship!

Pas. And, by Jupiter, you swore by the gods too, that you would repay it.

Strep. Aye, by Jove! for then my Phidippides did not yet know the irrefragable argument.[4]

Pas. And do you now intend, on this account, to deny the debt?

  1. "'O du glückseliger Papa,
    Wie bist du selbst schon so klug,
    Und welchen Sohn hast du jetzt!'
    So preist mich bald Vetter, Freund,
    Gevattersmann." Droysen.

    Cf. Vesp. 1180. Lvs. 845. Pax, 1125.

  2. "Accusativus de-quo." See Mus. Crit. i. p. 532.
  3. "Sententia ergo est: οὐκ ἀκούετε αύτοῦ διαβάλλοντός με, ὃν πάντες ὑμεῖς γιγνώσκετε μισοῦντα τὴν ἱππικῆν;" Brunck. Dindorf's 3rd edition (printed by Didot) reads "Ἵππον; οὐκ ἀκούτε ὃν πάντες ὑμεῖς ἴστε μισοῦνϑ᾽ ἱππικήν.

    "Ich ein Pferd? Ihr hört 's doch, Ich,
    Von dem ihr wisst, wie Ich Alles hasse, was Pferde heisst!" Droysen.

  4. "I grant you, in my folly I did swear;
    But then my son had not attained the art
    Of the new logic unconfutable." Cumberland.