---
title: "Dialogues of the Courtesans · Ἑταιρικοὶ διάλογοι"
author: "Lucian"
translator: "Matthew Donald Macleod"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
section: 4 of 15
url: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-courtesans/4/
cite: "Lucian, tr. Matthew Donald Macleod, Dialogues of the Courtesans · Ἑταιρικοὶ διάλογοι, section 4. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-courtesans/4/"
---

# Dialogues of the Courtesans · Ἑταιρικοὶ διάλογοι

*Lucian, tr. Matthew Donald Macleod*

Fifteen scenes of the lives and loves of Athenian courtesans.

> Greek: ed. Matthew Donald Macleod, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0062.tlg069, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Matthew Donald Macleod, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0062.tlg069.perseus-eng3). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the references the two texts share (books, chapters and sections), cut where both reach the end of a sentence.

## 4. Dialogue 4

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-courtesans/4/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-courtesans/4/#p-N

[¶0] 1. MELITTA: Bacchis, do you know any old woman of the kind called Thessalians? There are said to be a lot of them around. They use incantations and can make a woman to be loved, no matter how much she is hated before. My blessings on you, if you can bring one of them to me. I would gladly give up these dresses and all this gold, if I could only see Charinus returning to me, and hating Simiche as he now hates me. BACCHIS: What’s that? Don’t you live together any more? Has Charinus gone off to Simiche, and left you, Melitta, you for whose sake he had to face all that parental fury, when he refused to marry that rich girl who, they said, brought a dowry of five talents? I heard that from your own mouth. MELITTA: That’s all over now, Bacchis, and for five days now I haven’t so much as set eyes on him, while the gentleman in question and Simiche have been carousing with Pammenes, his companion.

> Greek: 1. ΜΕΛΙΤΤΑ: Εἴ τινα οἶσθα, Βακχί, γραῦν, οἷαι πολλαὶ Θετταλαὶ λέγονται ἐπᾴδουσαι καὶ ἐρασμίους ποιοῦσαι, εἰ καὶ πάνυ μισουμένη γυνὴ τυγχάνοι, οὕτως ὄναιο, παραλαβοῦσα ἧκέ μοι· θαἰμάτια γὰρ καὶ τὰ χρυσία ταῦτα προείμην ἡδέως, εἰ μόνον ἴδοιμι ἐπ' ἐμὲ αὖθις ἀναστρέψαντα Χαρῖνον μισήσαντα Σιμίχην ὡς νῦν ἐμέ. ΒΑΚΧΙΣ: Τί φῄς; οὐκέτι σύνεστε—ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν Σιμίχην, ὦ Μέλιττα, καταλιπὼν οἴχεται Χαρῖνος—δι’ ἣν τοσαύτας ὀργὰς τῶν γονέων ἠνέσχετο οὐ βουληθεὶς τὴν πλουσίαν ἐκείνην γῆμαι πέντε προικὸς τάλαντα, ὡς ἔλεγον, ἐπιφερομένην; πέπυσμαι γὰρ ταῦτά σου ἀκούσασα. ΜΕΛΙΤΤΑ: Ἅπαντα ἐκεῖνα οἴχεται, ὦ Βακχί, καὶ πέμπτην ταύτην ἡμέραν οὐδ’ ἑώρακα ὅλως αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ πίνουσι παρὰ τῷ συνεφήβῳ Παμμένει αὐτός τε καὶ Σιμίχη.

[¶1] 2. BACCHIS: That is rotten for you, Melitta. But what parted you? It must have been something serious. MELITTA: I can’t tell you the whole story. But the other day, when he came back from the Piraeus—his father had sent him there to recover some debt, I believe—he didn’t look at me when he came in, or take me in his arms when I ran over to him in my usual way, but he pushed me away when I tried to embrace him, and he said, “Go off with you to Hermotimus, the shipowner, or read what’s written on the walls at the Ceramicus, where your names are scribbled on a tombstone.” “What Hermotimus?” I said, “Who’s he? What tombstone do you mean?” He wouldn’t answer or take anything to eat, and then went to bed with his back turned to me. You can imagine all the tricks I tried in this situation. I tried to hug him, and to turn him to me, and kissed his back, though he kept turned away from me. He didn’t soften a bit, but said, “If you bother me any more, I’ll leave this instant, even though it is midnight.”

> Greek: 2. ΒΑΚΧΙΣ: Δεινά, ὦ Μέλιττα, πέπονθας. ἀλλὰ τί καὶ ὑμᾶς διέστησεν; ἔοικε γὰρ οὐ μικρὸν τοῦτ' εἶναι. ΜΕΛΙΤΤΑ: Τὸ μὲν ὅλον οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν ἔχω· πρῴην δὲ ἀνελθὼν ἐκ Πειραιῶς—κατεληλύθει γάρ, οἶμαι, χρέος ἀπαιτήσων πέμψαντος τοῦ πατρός—οὔτε προσέβλεψεν ἐσελθὼν οὔτε προσήκατο ὡς ἔθος προσδραμοῦσαν, ἀποσεισάμενος δὲ περιπλακῆναι θέλουσαν, Ἄπιθι, φησί, πρὸς τὸν ναύκληρον Ἑρμότιμον ἢ τὰ ἐπὶ τῶν τοίχων γεγραμμένα ἐν Κεραμεικῷ ἀνάγνωθι, ὅπου κατεστηλίτευται ὑμῶν τὰ ὀνόματα. Τίνα Ἑρμότιμον, τίνα, ἔφην, ἢ ποίαν στήλην λέγεις; ὁ δὲ οὐδὲν ἀποκρινάμενος οὐδὲ δειπνήσας ἐκάθευδεν ἀποστραφείς. πόσα οἴει ἐπὶ τούτῳ μεμηχανῆσθαί με περιλαμβάνουσαν, ἐπιστρέφουσαν, φιλοῦσαν ἀπεστραμμένου τὸ μετάφρενον; ὁ δ’ οὐδ’ ὁπωστιοῦν ὑπεμαλάχθη, ἀλλ’ Εἴ μοι, φησίν, ἐπὶ πλέον ἐνοχλήσεις, ἄπειμι ἤδη, εἰ καὶ μέσαι νύκτες εἰσίν.

[¶2] 3. BACCHIS: Did you know Hermotimus, though? MELITTA: May you see me in a more miserable state than at present, my dear, if I know any shipowner called Hermotimus. But next morning, as soon as the cock crowed, he was up and away, but I remembered his saying that the name was written on some wall in the Ceramicus, and I sent Acis to look, but all she could find was this, written near the Dipylon Gate on the right as you go in; “Melitta loves Hermotimus”, and again, a little lower down, “The shipowner Hermotimus loves Melitta.”

> Greek: 3. ΒΑΚΧΙΣ: Ὅμως ᾔδεις τὸν Ἑρμότιμον; ΜΕΛΙΤΤΑ: Ἀλλά με ἴδοις, ὦ Βακχί, ἀθλιώτερον διάγουσαν ἢ νῦν ἔχω, εἴ τινα ἐγὼ ναύκληρον Ἑρμότιμον οἶδα. πλὴν ἀλλ’ ὁ μὲν ἕωθεν ἀπεληλύθει τοῦ ἀλεκτρυόνος ᾄσαντος εὐθὺς ἀνεγρόμενος, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐμεμνήμην ὅτι κατὰ τοίχου τινὸς ἔλεγε καταγεγράφθαι τοὔνομα ἐν Κεραμεικῷ· ἔπεμψα οὖν Ἀκίδα κατασκεψομένην· ἡ δ’ ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν εὗρε, τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἐπιγεγραμμένον ἐσιόντων ἐπὶ τὰ δεξιὰ πρὸς τῷ Διπύλῳ, Μέλιττα φιλεῖ Ἑρμότιμον, καὶ μικρὸν αὖθις ὑποκάτω, Ὁ ναύκληρος Ἑρμότιμος φιλεῖ Μέλιτταν.

[¶3] BACCHIS: Oh, those meddlesome youths! I understand it all. Somebody wished to annoy Charinus, and wrote it up, knowing he was jealous, and he believed it at once. If I see him, I’ll have a word with him. He’s a child still, and has no experience. MELITTA: Where can you see him, when he has shut himself up with Simiche? His parents are still looking for him at my house. But if only, Bacchis, we could find an old woman, as I said! Her presence could save me.

> Greek: ΒΑΚΧΙΣ: Ὢ τῶν περιέργων νεανίσκων. συνίημι γάρ. λυπῆσαί τις θέλων τὸν Χαρῖνον ἐπέγραψε ζηλότυπον ὄντα εἰδώς· ὁ δὲ αὐτίκα ἐπίστευσεν. εἰ δέ που ἴδοιμι αὐτόν, διαλέξομαι. ἄπειρός ἐστι καὶ παῖς ἔτι. ΜΕΛΙΤΤΑ: Ποῦ δ’ ἂν ἴδοις ἐκεῖνον, ὃς ἐγκλεισάμενος ἑαυτὸν σύνεστι τῇ Σιμίχῃ; οἱ γονεῖς δὲ ἔτι παρ' ἐμοὶ ζητοῦσιν αὐτόν. ἀλλ’ εἴ τινα εὕροιμεν ὦ Βακχί, γραῦν, ὡς ἔφην· ἀποσώσει γὰρ ἂν φανεῖσα.

[¶4] 4. BACCHIS: Well, my dearest, there is a most useful witch, a Syrian, who’s still very fresh and firm. Once, when Phanias was angry with me without reason, just as Charinus is with you, she reconciled him with me after four whole months, when I’d already despaired of him; but he was brought back to me by her incantations. MELITTA: What did she charge, if you can still remember?

> Greek: 4. ΒΑΚΧΙΣ: Ἔστιν, ὦ φιλτάτη, ὅτι χρησίμη φαρμακίς, Σύρα τὸ γένος, ὠμὴ ἔτι καὶ συμπεπηγυῖα, ἥ μοί ποτε Φανίαν χαλεπαίνοντα κἀκεῖνον εἰκῆ, ὥσπερ Χαρῖνος, διήλλαξε μετὰ μῆνας ὅλους τέτταρας, ὅτε ἐγὼ μὲν ἤδη ἀπεγνώκειν, ὁ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπῳδῶν ἧκεν αὖθις ἐπ' ἐμέ. ΜΕΛΙΤΤΑ: Τί δὲ ἔπραξεν ἡ γραῦς, εἴπερ ἔτι μέμνησαι;

[¶5] BACCHIS: She doesn’t ask a big fee, Melitta—just a drachma and a loaf; besides that you must put out seven obols, sulphur, and a torch along with the salt. These are taken by the old woman; she must also have a bowl of wine mixed, and drink it by herself. You’ll also need something belonging to the man himself, such as clothing or boots or a few of his hairs or anything of that sort. MELITTA: I have his boots.

> Greek: ΒΑΚΧΙΣ: Λαμβάνει μὲν οὐδὲ πολύν, ὦ Μέλιττα, τὸν μισθόν, ἀλλὰ δραχμὴν καὶ ἄρτον· ἐπικεῖσθαι δὲ δεῖ μετὰ τῶν ἁλῶν καὶ ὀβολοὺς ἑπτὰ καὶ θεῖον καὶ δᾷδα. ταῦτα δὲ ἡ γραῦς λαμβάνει, καὶ κρατῆρα κεκερᾶσθαι δεῖ καὶ πίνειν ἐκείνην μόνην. δεήσει αὐτοῦ μέντοι ⟨τι⟩ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εἶναι, οἷον ἱμάτια ἢ κρηπῖδας ἢ ὀλίγας τῶν τριχῶν ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων. ΜΕΛΙΤΤΑ: Ἔχω τὰς κρηπῖδας αὐτοῦ.

[¶6] 5. BACCHIS: She hangs these on a peg and fumigates them with sulphur, sprinkling salt over the fire, and mumbles both your names. Then she plucks out a magic wheel from her bosom, and whirls it round, rattling off an incantation full of horrible outlandish names. That’s what she did on that occasion, and shortly afterwards, though at one and the same time his friends told him off, and Phoebis, the lady whose company he was keeping, pleaded desperately with him, he returned to me; and it was mainly the charm that brought him back. Yes, and she impressed on me this spell for turning him against Phoebis—to look out for any footprints she left, to erase them, place my right foot where her left had been, and vice versa, with feet pointing the other way, and say, “I trample on you and am on top of you.” These instructions I carried out. MELITTA: Hurry, hurry, Bacchis. Fetch the Syrian woman at once. And you, Acis, get ready the loaf and the sulphur and all the other things for the spell.

> Greek: 5. ΒΑΚΧΙΣ: Ταύτας κρεμάσασα ἐκ παττάλου ὑποθυμιᾷ τῷ θείῳ, πάττουσα καὶ τῶν ἁλῶν ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ· ἐπιλέγει δὲ ἀμφοῖν τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ τὸ ἐκείνου καὶ τὸ σόν. εἶτα ἐκ τοῦ κόλπου προκομίσασα ῥόμβον ἐπιστρέφει ἐπῳδήν τινα λέγουσα ἐπιτρόχῳ τῇ γλώττῃ, βαρβαρικὰ καὶ φρικώδη ὀνόματα. ταῦτα ἐποίησε τότε. καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ Φανίας, ἅμα καὶ τῶν συνεφήβων ἐπιτιμησάντων αὐτῷ καὶ τῆς Φοιβίδος, ᾗ συνῆν, πολλὰ αἰτούσης, ἧκέ μοι, τὸ πλέον ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπῳδῆς ἀγόμενος. ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτό με σφόδρα κατὰ τῆς Φοιβίδος τὸ μίσηθρον ἐδιδάξατο, τηρήσασαν τὸ ἴχνος, ἐπὰν ἀπολίποι, ἀμαυρώσασαν ἐπιβῆναι μὲν τῷ ἀριστερῷ ἐκείνης τὸν ἐμὸν δεξιόν. τῷ δεξιῷ δὲ τὸν ἀριστερὸν ἔμπαλιν καὶ λέγειν, Ἐπιβέβηκά σοι καὶ ὑπεράνω εἰμί· καὶ ἐποίησα ὡς προσέταξε. ΜΕΛΙΤΤΑ: Μὴ μέλλε, μὴ μέλλε, ὦ Βακχί, κάλει ἤδη τὴν Σύραν. σὺ δέ, ὦ Ἀκί, τὸν ἄρτον καὶ τὸ θεῖον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα πρὸς τὴν ἐπῳδὴν εὐτρέπιζε.