The Eleven Comedies, vol 2 | Page 7

To the rescue! all you, who are going to have lawsuits
this year--Smicythion, Tisiades, Chremon and Pheredipnus. 'Tis now or
never, before they force me to return, that you must help.
CHORUS. Why do we delay to let loose that fury, that is so terrible,
when our nests are attacked? I feel my angry sting is stiffening, that
sharp sting, with which we punish our enemies. Come, children, cast
your cloaks to the winds, run, shout, tell Cleon what is happening, that
he may march against this foe to our city, who deserves death, since he
proposes to prevent the trial of lawsuits.
BDELYCLEON. Friends, listen to the truth, instead of bawling.
CHORUS. By Zeus! we will shout to heaven and never forsake our

friend. Why, this is intolerable, 'tis manifest tyranny. Oh! citizens, oh!
Theorus,[58] the enemy of the gods! and all you flatterers, who rule us!
come to our aid.
XANTHIAS. By Heracles! they have stings. Do you see them, master?
BDELYCLEON. 'Twas with these weapons that they killed Philippus
the son of Gorgias[59] when he was put on trial.
CHORUS. And you too shall die. Turn yourselves this way, all, with
your stings out for attack and throw yourselves upon him in good and
serried order, and swelled up with wrath and rage. Let him learn to
know the sort of foes he has dared to irritate.
XANTHIAS. The fight will be fast and furious, by great Zeus! I
tremble at the sight of their stings.
CHORUS. Let this man go, unless you want to envy the tortoise his
hard shell.
PHILOCLEON. Come, my dear companions, wasps with relentless
hearts, fly against him, animated with your fury. Sting him in the back,
in his eyes and on his fingers.
BDELYCLEON. Midas, Phryx, Masyntias, here! Come and help. Seize
this man and hand him over to no one, otherwise you shall starve to
death in chains. Fear nothing, I have often heard the crackling of
fig-leaves in the fire.[60]
CHORUS. If you won't let him go, I shall bury this sting in your body.
PHILOCLEON. Oh, Cecrops, mighty hero with the tail of a dragon!
Seest thou how these barbarians ill-use me--me, who have many a time
made them weep a full bushel of tears?
CHORUS. Is not old age filled with cruel ills? What violence these two
slaves offer to their old master! they have forgotten all bygones, the
fur-coats and the jackets and the caps he bought for them; in winter he

watched that their feet should not get frozen. And only see them now;
there is no gentleness in their look nor any recollection of the slippers
of other days.
PHILOCLEON. Will you let me go, you accursed animal? Don't you
remember the day when I surprised you stealing the grapes; I tied you
to an olive-tree and I cut open your bottom with such vigorous lashes
that folks thought you had been pedicated. Get away, you are
ungrateful. But let go of me, and you too, before my son comes up.
CHORUS. You shall repay us for all this and 'twill not be long first.
Tremble at our ferocious glance; you shall taste our just anger.
BDELYCLEON. Strike! strike, Xanthias! Drive these wasps away
from the house.
XANTHIAS. That's just what I am doing; but do you smoke them out
thoroughly too.
SOSIAS. You will not go? The plague seize you! Will you not clear off?
Xanthias, strike them with your stick!
XANTHIAS. And you, to smoke them out better, throw Aeschinus, the
son of Selartius, on the fire. Ah! we were bound to drive you off in the
end.
BDELYCLEON. Eh! by Zeus! you would not have put them to flight
so easily if they had fed on the verses of Philocles.
CHORUS. It is clear to all the poor that tyranny has attacked us sorely.
Proud emulator of Amynias, you, who only take pleasure in doing ill,
see how you are preventing us from obeying the laws of the city; you
do not even seek a pretext or any plausible excuse, but claim to rule
alone.
BDELYCLEON. Hold! A truce to all blows and brawling! Had we not
better confer together and come to some understanding?

CHORUS. Confer with you, the people's foe! with you, a royalist, the
accomplice of Brasidas![61] with you, who wear woollen fringes on
your cloak and let your beard grow!
BDELYCLEON. Ah! it were better to separate altogether from my
father than to steer my boat daily through such stormy seas!
CHORUS. Oh! you have but reached the parsley and the rue, to use the
common saying.[62] What you are suffering is nothing! but welcome
the hour when the advocate shall adduce all these same arguments
against you and shall summon your accomplices to give witness.
BDELYCLEON. In the name