---
title: "The Dream, or The Cock · Ὄνειρος ἢ Ἀλεκτρυών"
author: "Lucian"
translator: "Austin Morris Harmon"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
url: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-cock/
cite: "Lucian, tr. Austin Morris Harmon, The Dream, or The Cock · Ὄνειρος ἢ Ἀλεκτρυών. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-cock/"
---

# The Dream, or The Cock · Ὄνειρος ἢ Ἀλεκτρυών

*Lucian, tr. Austin Morris Harmon*

A poor cobbler’s rooster turns out to be Pythagoras reborn and tells him what it is really like to be rich.

> Greek: ed. Austin Morris Harmon, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0062.tlg019, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Austin Morris Harmon, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0062.tlg019.perseus-eng2). Notes are not included.

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

## Contents

1. [Sections 1–17](https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-cock/1.md)
2. [Sections 17–33](https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-cock/2.md)

## 1. Sections 1–17

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-cock/1/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-cock/1/#p-N

[¶0] 1. MICYLLUS: Way, you scurvy cock, may Zeus himself annihilate you for being so envious and shrill-voiced! I was rolling in wealth and having a most delightful dream and enjoying wonderful happiness when you uplifted your voice in a piercing, full-throated crow and waked me up. Even at night you won't let me escape my poverty, which is much more of a nuisance than you are. And yet to judge from the fact that the silence is still profound and the cold has not yet stiffened me as it always does in the morning—which _ is the surest indicator that I have of the approach of day—it is not yet midnight, and this bird, who is as sleepless as if he were guarding the golden fleece, has started crowing directly after dark. He shall suffer for it, though! I'll pay you back, never fear, as soon as it is daylight, by whacking the life out of you with my stick; but if I tried it now, you would bother me by hopping about in the dark.

> Greek: 1. Μίκυλλος: ἀλλὰ σέ, κάκιστε ἀλεκτρυών, ὁ Ζεὺς αὐτὸς ἐπιτρίψειε φθονερὸν οὕτω καὶ ὀξύφωνον ὄντα, ὅς με πλουτοῦντα καὶ ἡδίστῳ ὀνείρῳ συνόντα καὶ θαυμαστὴν εὐδαιμονίαν εὐδαιμονοῦντα διάτορόν τι καὶ γεγωνὸς ἀναβοήσας ἐπήγειρας, ὡς μηδὲ νύκτωρ γοῦν τὴν πολὺ σοῦ μιαρωτέραν πενίαν διαφύγοιμι. καίτοι εἴ γε χρὴ τεκμαίρεσθαι τῇ τε ἡσυχίᾳ πολλῇ ἔτι οὔσῃ καὶ τῷ κρύει μηδέπω με τὸ ὄρθριον ὥσπερ εἴωθεν ἀποπηγνύντι — γνώμων γὰρ οὗτος ἀψευδέστατός μοι προσελαυνούσης ἡμέρας — οὐδέπω μέσαι νύκτες εἰσίν, ὁ δὲ ἄϋπνος οὗτος ὥσπερ τὸ χρυσοῦν ἐκεῖνο κώδιον φυλάττων ἀφʼ ἑσπέρας εὐθὺς ἤδη κέκραγεν, ἀλλʼ οὔτι χαίρων γε· ἀμυνοῦμαι γὰρ ἀμέλει σε, ἢν μόνον ἡμέρα γένηται, συντρίβων τῇ βακτηρίᾳ· νῦν δέ μοι πράγματα παρέξεις μεταπηδῶν ἐν τῷ σκότῳ.

[¶1] COCK: Master Micyllus, I thought I should do you a favour by cheating the night as much as I could, so that you might make use of the morning hours and fnish the greater part of your work early; you see, if you geta single sandal done before the sun rises, you will be so much ahead toward earning your daily bread. But if you had rather sleep, [ll keep quiet for you and will be much more mute than a fish. Take care, however, that you don’t dream you are rich and then starve when you wake up.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: Μίκυλλε δέσποτα, ᾤμην τι χαριεῖσθαί σοι φθάνων τῆς νυκτὸς ὁπόσον δυναίμην, ὡς ἔχοις ὀρθρευόμενος προανύειν τὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἔργων· εἰ γοῦν πρὶν ἀνατεῖλαι ἥλιον μίαν κρηπῖδα ἐξεργάσαιο, πρὸ ὁδοῦ ἔσῃ τοῦτο ἐς τὰ ἄλφιτα πεπονηκώς. εἰ δέ σοι καθεύδειν ἥδιον, ἐγὼ μὲν ἡσυχάσομαί σοι καὶ πολὺ ἀφωνότερος ἔσομαι τῶν ἰχθύων, σὺ δὲ ὅρα ὅπως μὴ ὄναρ πλουτῶν λιμώττῃς ἀνεγρόμενος.

[¶2] 2. MICYLLUS: Zeus, god of miracles, and Heracles, averter of harm! what the devil does this mean? The cock talked like a human being!

> Greek: 2. Μίκυλλος: ὦ Ζεῦ τεράστιε καὶ Ἡράκλεις ἀλεξίκακε, τί τὸ κακὸν τοῦτό ἐστιν; ἀνθρωπίνως ἐλάλησεν ὁ ἀλεκτρυών.

[¶3] COCK: Then do you think it a miracle if I talk the same language as you men?

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: εἶτά σοι τέρας εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ τοιοῦτον, εἰ ὁμόφωνος ὑμῖν εἰμι;

[¶4] MICYLLUS: Why isn’t it a miracle? Gods, avert the evil omen from us!

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: πῶς γὰρ οὐ τέρας; ἀλλʼ ἀποτρέποιτε, ὦ θεοί, τὸ δεινὸν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν.

[¶5] COCK: It appears to me, Micyllus, that you are utterly uneducated and haven’t even read Homer’s poems, for in them Xanthus, the horse of Achilles, saying good-bye to neighing forever, stood still and talked in the thick of the fray, reciting whole verses, not prose as I did; indeed he even made prophecies and foretold the future; yet he was not considered to be doing anything out of the way, and the one who heard him did not invoke the averter of harm as you did just now, thinking the thing ominous. Moreover, what would you have done if the stem of the Argo had spoken to you as it spoke of old, or the oak at Dodona had prophesied with a voice of its own; or if you had seen hides crawling and the flesh of oxen bellowing half-roasted on the spits? I am the friend of Hermes, the most talkative and eloquent of all the gods, and besides I am the close comrade and messmate of men, so it was to be expected that I would learn the human language without difficulty. But if you promise me to keep your own counsel, I shall not hesitate to.tell you the real reason for my having the same tongue as you, and how it happens that can talk like this.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: σύ μοι δοκεῖς, ὦ Μίκυλλε, κομιδῇ ἀπαίδευτος εἶναι μηδὲ ἀνεγνωκέναι τὰ Ὁμήρου ποιήματα, ἐν οἷς καὶ ὁ τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως ἵππος ὁ Ξάνθος μακρὰ χαίρειν φράσας τῷ χρεμετίζειν ἕστηκεν ἐν μέσῳ τῷ πολέμῳ διαλεγόμενος, ἔπη ὅλα ῥαψῳδῶν, οὐχ ὥσπερ ἐγὼ νῦν ἄνευ τῶν μέτρων. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμαντεύετο ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προεθέσπιζε καὶ οὐδέν τι παράδοξον ἐδόκει ποιεῖν, οὐδὲ ὁ ἀκούων ἐπεκαλεῖτο ὥσπερ σὺ τὸν ἀλεξίκακον, ἀποτρόπαιον ἡγούμενος τὸ ἄκουσμα. καίτοι τί ἂν ἐποίησας, εἴ σοι ἡ τῆς Ἀργοῦς τρόπις ἐλάλησεν ὥσπερ ποτέ, ἢ ἡ φηγὸς ἐν Δωδώνῃ αὐτόφωνος ἐμαντεύσατο, ἢ εἰ βύρσας εἶδες ἑρπούσας καὶ βοῶν κρέα μυκώμενα ἡμίοπτα περιπεπαρμένα τοῖς ὀβελοῖς; ἐγὼ δὲ Ἑρμοῦ πάρεδρος ὢν λαλιστάτου καὶ λογιωτάτου θεῶν ἁπάντων καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὁμοδίαιτος ὑμῖν καὶ σύντροφος οὐ χαλεπῶς ἔμελλον ἐκμαθήσεσθαι τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φωνήν. εἰ δὲ ἐχεμυθήσειν ὑπόσχοιό μοι, οὐκ ἂν ὀκνήσαιμί σοι τὴν ἀληθεστέραν αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὁμοφωνίας καὶ ὅθεν ὑπάρχει μοι οὕτω λαλεῖν.

[¶6] 3. MICYLLUS: Why, this is not a dream, is it? A cock talking to me this way? Tell me, in the name of Hermes, my good friend, what other reason you have for your ability to speak. As to my keeping still and not telling anybody, why should you have any fear, for who would believe me if I told him anything asserting that I had heard it from a cock?

> Greek: 3. Μίκυλλος: ἀλλὰ μὴ ὄνειρος καὶ ταῦτά ἐστιν, ἀλεκτρυὼν οὕτω πρὸς ἐμὲ διαλεγόμενος; εἰπὲ δʼ οὖν πρὸς τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ, ὦ βέλτιστε, ὅ τι καὶ ἄλλο σοι τῆς φωνῆς αἴτιον. ὡς δὲ σιωπήσομαι καὶ πρὸς οὐδένα ἐρῶ, τι σε χρὴ δεδιέναι; τίς γὰρ ἂν πιστεύσειέ μοι, εἴ τι διηγοίμην ὡς ἀλεκτρυόνος αὐτὸ εἰπόντος ἀκηκοώς;

[¶7] COCK: Listen, then, to an account which will be quite incredible to you, I am very sure, Micyllus. I who now appear to you in the guise of a cock was a man not long ago.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἄκουε τοίνυν παραδοξότατόν σοι εὖ οἶδʼ ὅτι λόγον, ὦ Μίκυλλε· οὑτοσὶ γὰρ ὁ νῦν σοι ἀλεκτρυὼν φαινόμενος οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ ἄνθρωπος ἦν.

[¶8] MICYLLUS: I heard something to that effect about you cocks a good while ago. They say that a young fellow named Alectryon (Cock) became friends with Ares ind drank with the god and caroused with him and shared his amorous adventures; at all events, whenever Ares went to visit Aphrodite on poaching bent, he took Alectryon along too; and as he was especially uspicious of Helius, for fear that he would look down on them and tell Hephaestus, he always used to leave the young fellow outside at the door to warn him when Helius rose. Then, they say, Alectryon fell asleep one time and unintentionally betrayed his post, and Helius unexpectedly stole upon Aphrodite with Ares, who was sleeping peacefully because he relied on Alectryon to tell him if anyone came near. So Hephaestus found out from Helius and caught them by enclosing and trapping them in the snares that he had long before contrived for them; and Ares, on being let go in the plight in which Hephaestus let him go, was angry at Alectryon and changed him into this bird, weapons and all, so that he still has the crest of his helmet on his head. And for this reason, they say, you cocks try to put yourselves right with Ares when it is no use, and when you notice that the sun is about to come up, you raise your voices far in advance and give warning of his rising.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἤκουσά τι καὶ πάλαι τοιοῦτον ἀμέλει περὶ ὑμῶν ὡς Ἀλεκτρυών τις νεανίσκος φίλος γένοιτο τῷ Ἄρει καὶ συμπίνοι τῷ θεῷ καὶ συγκωμάζοι καὶ κοινωνοίη τῶν ἐρωτικῶν· εἴποτε γοῦν ἀπίοι παρὰ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην μοιχεύσων ὁ Ἄρης, ἐπάγεσθαι καὶ τὸν Ἀλεκτρυόνα, καὶ ἐπειδήπερ τὸν Ἥλιον μάλιστα ὑφεωρᾶτο, μὴ κατιδὼν ἐξείποι πρὸς τὸν Ἥφαιστον, ἔξω πρὸς ταῖς θύραις ἀπολείπειν ἀεὶ τὸν νεανίσκον μηνύσοντα ὁπότε ἀνίσχοι ὁ Ἥλιος. εἶτά ποτε κατακοιμηθῆναι τὸν Ἀλεκτρυόνα καὶ προδοῦναι τὴν φρουρὰν ἄκοντα, τὸν δὲ Ἥλιον λαθόντα ἐπιστῆναι τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ καὶ τῷ Ἄρει ἀφρόντιδι ἀναπαυομένῳ διὰ τὸ πιστεύειν τὸν Ἀλεκτρυόνα μηνῦσαι ἄν, εἴ τις ἐπίοι· καὶ οὕτω τὸν Ἥφαιστον παρʼ Ἡλίου μαθόντα συλλαβεῖν αὐτοὺς περιβαλόντα καὶ σαγηνεύσαντα τοῖς δεσμοῖς ἃ πάλαι μεμηχάνητο ἐπʼ αὐτούς· ἀφεθέντα δὲ ὡς ἀφείθη τὸν Ἄρη ἀγανακτῆσαι κατὰ τοῦ Ἀλεκτρυόνος καὶ μεταβαλεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τουτὶ τὸ ὄρνεον αὐτοῖς ὅπλοις, ὡς ἔτι τοῦ κράνους τὸν λόφον ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ. διὰ τοῦτο ὑμᾶς ἀπολογουμένους τῷ Ἄρει ὅτʼ οὐδὲν ὄφελος, ἐπειδὰν αἴσθησθε ἀνελευσόμενον τὸν ἥλιον, πρὸ πολλοῦ βοᾶν ἐπισημαινομένους τὴν ἀνατολὴν αὐτοῦ.

[¶9] 4. COCK: That is what they say, Micyllus, I grant you; but my own experience has been quite different, and it is only just lately that I changed into a cock.

> Greek: 4. Ἀλεκτρυών: φασὶ μὲν καὶ ταῦτα, ὦ Μίκυλλε, τὸ δὲ ἐμὸν ἑτεροῖόν τι ἐγένετο, καὶ πάνυ ἔναγχος εἰς ἀλεκτρυόνα σοι μεταβέβηκα.

[¶10] MICYLLUS: How? That is what I want to know above all else.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: πῶς; ἐθέλω γὰρ τοῦτο μάλιστα εἰδέναι.

[¶11] COCK: Have you ever heard of a man named Pythagoras, the son of Mnesarchus, of Samos?

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἀκούεις τινὰ Πυθαγόραν Μνησαρχίδην Σάμιον;

[¶12] MICYLLUS: You mean the sophist, the quack, who made laws against tasting meat and eating beans, banishing from the table the food that I for my part like best of all, and then trying to persuade people that before he became Pythagoras he was Euphorbus (Well- fed)? They say he was a conjurer and a miraclemonger, cock.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: τὸν σοφιστὴν λέγεις, τὸν ἀλαζόνα, ὃς ἐνομοθέτει μήτε κρεῶν γεύεσθαι μήτε κυάμους ἐσθίειν, ἥδιστον ἐμοὶ γοῦν ὄψον ἐκτράπεζον ἀποφαίνων, ἔτι δὲ πείθων τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὡς πρὸ τοῦ Πυθαγόρου Εὔφορβος γένοιτο; γόητά φασι καὶ τερατουργὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών.

[¶13] COCK: I am that very Pythagoras, Micyllus, so stop abusing me, my good friend, especially as you do not know what sort of man I really was.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸς ἐγώ σοί εἰμι ὁ Πυθαγόρας. ὥστε παῦʼ, ὦγαθέ, λοιδορούμενός μοι, καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ εἰδὼς οἷός τις ἦν τὸν τρόπον.

[¶14] MICYLLUS: Now this is far more miraculous than the other thing! A philosopher cock! Tell me, though, son of Mnesarchus, how you became a cock instead of a man and a Tanagriote instead of a Samian. This story is not plausible nor quite easy to believe, for I think Ihave observed two things in you that are quite foreign to Pythagoras.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: τοῦτʼ αὖ μακρῷ ἐκείνου τερατωδέστερον, ἀλεκτρυὼν φιλόσοφος. εἰπὲ δὲ ὅμως, ὦ Μνησάρχου παῖ, ὅπως ἡμῖν ἀντὶ μὲν ἀνθρώπου ὄρνις, ἀντὶ δὲ Σαμίου Ταναγραῖος ἀναπέφηνας· οὐ πιθανὰ γὰρ ταῦτα οὐδὲ πάνυ πιστεῦσαι ῥᾴδια, ἐπεὶ καὶ δύʼ ἤδη μοι τετηρηκέναι δοκῶ πάνυ ἀλλότρια ἐν σοὶ τοῦ Πυθαγόρου.

[¶15] COCK: What are they?

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: τὰ ποῖα;

[¶16] MICYLLUS: One thing is that you are very noisy and loudvoiced, whereas he recommended silence for five whole years, I believe. The other is actually quite illegal; I came home yesterday, as you know, with nothing but beans to throw you, and you picked them up without even hesitating. So it must be either that you have told a lie and are someone else, or, if you are Pythagoras, you have broken the law and committed as great an impiety in eating beans as if you had eaten your father’s head.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἓν μὲν ὅτι λάλος εἶ καὶ κρακτικός, ὁ δὲ σιωπᾶν ἐς πέντε ὅλα ἔτη, οἶμαι, παρῄνει, ἕτερον δὲ καὶ παντελῶς παράνομον· οὐ γὰρ ἔχων ὅ τι σοι παραβάλοιμι εἰ μὴ κυάμους χθὲς ἧκον ὡς οἶσθα, καὶ σὺ οὐδὲ μελλήσας ἀνέλεξας αὐτούς· ὥστε ἢ ἐψεῦσθαί σοι ἀνάγκη καὶ ἄλλῳ εἶναι ἢ Πυθαγόρᾳ ὄντι παρανενομηκέναι καὶ τὸ ἴσον ἠσεβηκέναι κυάμους φαγόντα ὡς ἂν εἰ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἐδηδόκεις.

[¶17] 5. COCK: Why, Micyllus, you don’t know what the reason for these rules is, and what is good for particular modes of existence. Formerly I did not eat beans because I was a philosopher, but now I can eat them because they are fit food for a bird and are not forbidden to us. But listen if you like, and I'll tell you how from Pythagoras I became what I am, and what existences I formerly led, and what I profited by each change.

> Greek: 5. Ἀλεκτρυών: οὐ γὰρ οἶσθα, ὦ Μίκυλλε, ἥτις αἰτία τούτων οὐδὲ τὰ πρόσφορα ἑκάστῳ βίῳ. ἐγὼ δὲ τότε μὲν οὐκ ἤσθιον τῶν κυάμων, ἐφιλοσόφουν γάρ· νῦν δὲ φάγοιμʼ ἄν, ὀρνιθικὴ γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἀπόρρητος ἡμῖν ἡ τροφή. πλὴν ἀλλʼ εἴ σοι φίλον, ἄκουε ὅπως ἐκ Πυθαγόρου τοῦτο νῦν εἰμι καὶ ἐν οἵοις βίοις πρότερον ἐβιότευσα καὶ ἅτινα τῆς μεταβολῆς ἑκάστης ἀπολέλαυκα.

[¶18] MICYLLUS: Do tell me, for I should be more than delighted to hear it. Indeed, if anyone were to let me choose whether I preferred to hear you tell a story like that or to have once more that blissful dream I had a little while ago, I don’t know which would be my choice; for in my estimation what you say is close akin to the most delightful of visions, and I hold you both in equal esteem, you and my priceless dream.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: λέγοις ἄν· ὡς ἔμοιγε ὑπερήδιστον ἂν τὸ ἄκουσμα γένοιτο, ὥστε εἴ τις αἵρεσιν προθείη, πότερα μᾶλλον ἐθέλω σοῦ ἀκούειν τὰ τοιαῦτα διεξιόντος ἢ τὸν πανευδαίμονα ὄνειρον ἐκεῖνον αὖθις ὁρᾶν τὸν μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν, οὐκ οἶδα ὁπότερον ἂν ἑλοίμην· οὕτως ἀδελφὰ ἡγοῦμαι τὰ σὰ τοῖς ἡδίστοις φανεῖσι καὶ ἐν ἴσῃ ὑμᾶς τιμῇ ἄγω, σέ τε καὶ τὸ πολυτίμητον ἐνύπνιον.

[¶19] COCK: What, are you still brooding on that vision, whatever it was that came to you, and are you still cherishing idle delusions, hunting down in your memory a vain and (as they say in poetry) disembodied happiness?

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἔτι γὰρ σὺ ἀναπεμπάζῃ τὸν ὄνειρον ὅστις ποτὲ ὁ φανείς σοι ἦν καί τινα ἰνδάλματα μάταια διαφυλάττεις, κενὴν καὶ ὡς ὁ ποιητικὸς λόγος φησὶν ἀμενηνήν τινα εὐδαιμονίαν τῇ μνήμῃ μεταδιώκων;

[¶20] 6. MICYLLUS: Why, I shall never forget that vision, cock, you may be sure. The dream left so much honied sweetness in my eyes when it went away that I can hardly open my lids, for it drags them down in sleep again. In fact, what I saw gave me as pleasant a titillation as a feather twiddled in one’s ear.

> Greek: 6. Μίκυλλος: ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἐπιλήσομαί ποτε, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, εὖ ἴσθι, τῆς ὄψεως ἐκείνης· οὕτω μοι πολὺ τὸ μέλι ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁ ὄνειρος καταλιπὼν ᾤχετο, ὡς μόγις ἀνοίγειν τὰ βλέφαρα ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ εἰς ὕπνον αὖθις κατασπώμενα. οἷον γοῦν ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶ τὰ πτερὰ ἐργάζεται στρεφόμενα, τοιοῦτον γάργαλον παρείχετό μοι τὰ ὁρώμενα.

[¶21] COCK: Heracles! By what you say, Master Dream is an adept indeed. Rumour says that he has wings and can fly to the limit set by sleep, but now he “jumps over the pit” and lingers in eyes that are open, presenting himself in a form so honey-sweet and palpable. At all events I should be glad to hear what he is like, since you hold him so very dear.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: Ἡράκλεις, δεινόν τινα φὴς τὸν ὄνειρον, εἴ γε πτηνὸς ὤν, ὥς φασιν, καὶ ὅρον ἔχων τῆς πτήσεως τὸν ὕπνον ὑπὲρ τὰ ἐσκαμμένα ἤδη πηδᾷ καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει ἀνεῳγόσι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μελιχρὸς οὕτως καὶ ἐναργὴς φαινόμενος· ἐθέλω γοῦν ἀκοῦσαι οἷός τίς ἐστιν οὕτω σοι τριπόθητος ὤν.

[¶22] MICYLLUS: I am ready to tell; in fact, it will be delightful to think and talk about it. But when are you going to tell me about your transmigrations, Pythagoras?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἕτοιμος λέγειν· ἡδὺ γοῦν τὸ μεμνῆσθαι καὶ διεξιέναι τι περὶ αὐτοῦ. σὺ δὲ πηνίκα, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, διηγήσῃ τὰ περὶ τῶν μεταβολῶν;

[¶23] COCK: When you stop dreaming, Micyllus, and rub the honey out of your eyes. At present, you speak first, so that I may find out whether it was through the gates of ivory or the gates of horn that the dream winged its way to you.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἐπειδὰν σύ, ὦ Μίκυλλε, παύσῃ ὀνειρώττων καὶ ἀποψήσῃ ἀπὸ τῶν βλεφάρων τὸ μέλι· νῦν δὲ πρότερος εἰπέ, ὡς μάθω εἴτε διὰ τῶν ἐλεφαντίνων πυλῶν εἴτε διὰ τῶν κερατίνων σοι ὁ ὄνειρος ἧκε πετόμενος.

[¶24] MICYLLUS: Not through either of them, Pythagoras.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: οὐδὲ διʼ ἑτέρας τούτων, ὦ Πυθαγόρα.

[¶25] COCK: Well, Homer mentions only those two.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: καὶ μὴν Ὅμηρος δύο ταύτας μόνας λέγει.

[¶26] MICYLLUS: Let that silly poet go hang! He knows nothing about dreams. Perhaps the beggarly dreams go out through those gates, dreams like those he used to see; and he couldn’t see them very plainly at that, for he was blind! But my darling dream came through gates of gold, and it was gold itself and all dressed in gold and brought heaps of gold with it.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἔα χαίρειν τὸν λῆρον ἐκεῖνον ποιητὴν οὐδὲν εἰδότα ὀνείρων πέρι. οἱ πένητες ἴσως ὄνειροι διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἐξίασιν, οἵους ἐκεῖνος ἑώρα οὐδὲ πάνυ σαφῶς τυφλὸς αὐτὸς ὤν, ἐμοὶ δὲ διὰ χρυσῶν τινων πυλῶν ὁ ἥδιστος ἀφίκετο, χρυσοῦς καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ χρυσᾶ πάντα περιβεβλημένος καὶ πολὺ ἐπαγόμενος χρυσίον.

[¶27] COCK: Stop babbling of gold, most noble Midas. Really your dream was just like Midas’ prayer, and you appear to me to have slept yourself into whole goldmines.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: παῦε, ὦ Μίδα βέλτιστε, χρυσολογῶν· ἀτεχνῶς γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνου σοι εὐχῆς τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ μέταλλα ὅλα χρύσεια κεκοιμῆσθαί μοι δοκεῖς.

[¶28] 7. MICYLLUS: I saw a lot of gold, Pythagoras, a lot; you can’t think how beautiful it was, and with what brilliancy it shone. What is it that Pindar says in praising it? Remind me, if you know. It is where he says water is best and then extols gold (and well he may), right in the beginning of the most beautiful of all his odes.

> Greek: 7. Μίκυλλος: πολύ, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, χρυσίον εἶδον, πολύ, πῶς οἴει καλὸν ἢ οἵαν τὴν αὐγὴν ἀπαστράπτον; τί ποτε ὁ Πίνδαρός φησι περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπαινῶν — ἀνάμνησον γάρ με, εἴπερ οἶσθα — ὁπότε ὕδωρ ἄριστον εἰπὼν εἶτα τὸ χρυσίον θαυμάζει, εὖ ποιῶν, ἐν ἀρχῇ εὐθὺς τοῦ καλλίστου τῶν ᾀσμάτων ἁπάντων;

[¶29] COCK: Is this what you are after?
Water is best, but gold
Like blazing fire at night
Stands out amid proud riches.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: μῶν ἐκεῖνο ζητεῖς,
ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ, ὁ δὲ χρυσὸς αἰθόμενον πῦρ
ἅτε διαπρέπει νυκτὶ μεγάνορος ἔξοχα πλούτου;

[¶30] MICYLLUS: That is it, by Heaven! Pindar praises gold as though he had seen my dream. But listen, so that you may know what it was like, wisest of cocks. I did not eat at home, yesterday, as you know; for Eucrates, the rich man met me in the public square and told me to take a bath and then come to dinner at the proper hour.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: νὴ Δία αὐτὸ τοῦτο· ὥσπερ γὰρ τοὐμὸν ἐνύπνιον ἰδὼν ὁ Πίνδαρος οὕτως ἐπαινεῖ τὸ χρυσίον. ὡς δὲ ἤδη μάθῃς οἷόν τι ἦν, ἄκουσον, ὦ σοφώτατε ἀλεκτρυών. ὅτι μὲν οὐκ οἰκόσιτος ἦν χθές, οἶσθα· Εὐκράτης γάρ με ὁ πλούσιος ἐντυχὼν ἐν ἀγορᾷ λουσάμενον ἥκειν ἐκέλευε τὴν ὥραν ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον.

[¶31] 8. COCK: I know that very well; I went hungry all day until finally, late in the evening, you came back rather tight, bringing me those five beans, not a very bounteous repast for a cock who was once an athlete and made a fair showing at the Olympic games.

> Greek: 8. Ἀλεκτρυών: οἶδα πάνυ τοῦτο πεινήσας παρʼ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἄχρι μοι βαθείας ἤδη ἑσπέρας ἧκες ὑποβεβρεγμένος τοὺς πέντε κυάμους ἐκείνους κομίζων, οὐ πάνυ δαψιλὲς τὸ δεῖπνον ἀλεκτρυόνι ἀθλητῇ ποτε γενομένῳ καὶ Ὀλύμπια οὐκ ἀφανῶς ἀγωνισαμένῳ.

[¶32] MICYLLUS: When I came home after dinner, I went to sleep as soon as I had thrown you the beans, and then “through the ambrosial night,” as Homer puts it, a truly divine dream came to me and...
COCK: First tell me what happened at Eucrates’, Micyllus, how the dinner was and all about the drinkingparty afterwards. For there is nothing to hinder you from dining all over again by making up adream so to speak, about that dinner and chewing the cud of your food in fancy.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἐπεὶ δὲ δειπνήσας ἐπανῆλθον, ἐκάθευδον εὐθὺς τοὺς κυάμους σοι παραβαλών, εἶτά μοι κατὰ τὸν Ὅμηρον ἀμβροσίην διὰ νύκτα θεῖὸς τις ὡς ἀληθῶς ὄνειρος ἐπιστὰς … Ἀλεκτρυών: τὰ παρὰ τῷ Εὐκράτει πρότερον, ὦ Μίκυλλε, διήγησαι, καὶ τὸ δεῖπνον οἷον ἐγένετο καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ συμποσίῳ πάντα· κωλύει γὰρ οὐδὲν αὖθίς σε δειπνεῖν ὥσπερ ὄνειρόν τινα τοῦ δείπνου ἐκείνου ἀναπλάττοντα καὶ ἀναμαρυκώμενον τῇ μνήμῃ τὰ βεβρωμένα.

[¶33] 9. MICYLLUS: I thought I should bore you by telling all that, but since you want it, here goes. I never before dined with a rich man in all my life, Pythagoras, but by a stroke of luck I met Eucrates yesterday; after giving him “Good-day, master,” as usual, I was for going away again, so as not to shame him by joining his company in my beggarly cloak. But: “Micyllus,” said he, “I am giving a birthday party for my daughter to-day, and have invited a great many of my friends: but as one of them is ill, they say, and can’t dine with us, you must take a bath and come in his place, unless, to be sure, the man I invited says that he will come himself, for just now his coming is doubtful.” On hearing this I made obeisance to him and went away, praying to all the gods to send an attack of ague or pleurisy or gout to the invalid whose substitute and diner-out and heir I had been invited to become. I thought it an interminable age until my bath, and kept looking all the while to see how long the shadow was and when it would at last be time to bathe. When the time finally came, I scrubbed myself with all speed and went off very well dressed, as I had turned my cloak inside out so that the garment might’ show the cleaner side.

> Greek: 9. Μίκυλλος: ὤιμην ἐνοχλήσειν καὶ ταῦτα διηγούμενος· ἐπεὶ δὲ σὺ προθυμῇ, καὶ δὴ λέγω. οὐ πρότερον, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, παρὰ πλουσίῳ τινὶ δειπνήσας ἐν ἅπαντι τῷ βίῳ, τύχῃ τινὶ ἀγαθῇ ἐντυγχάνω χθὲς τῷ Εὐκράτει, καὶ ἐγὼ μὲν προσειπὼν αὐτὸν ὥσπερ εἰώθειν δεσπότην ἀπηλλαττόμην, ὡς μὴ καταισχύναιμι αὐτὸν ἐν πενιχρῷ τῷ τρίβωνι συμπαρομαρτῶν, ὁ δέ, Μίκυλλε, φησί, θυγατρὸς τήμερον ἑστιῶ γενέθλια καὶ παρεκάλεσα τῶν φίλων μάλα πολλούς· ἐπεὶ δέ τινά φασιν αὐτῶν μαλακῶς ἔχοντα οὐχ οἷόν τε εἶναι συνδειπνεῖν μεθʼ ἡμῶν, σὺ ἀντʼ ἐκείνου ἧκε λουσάμενος, ἢν μὴ ὅ γε κληθεὶς αὐτὸς εἴπῃ ἀφίξεσθαι, ὡς νῦν γε ἀμφίβολός ἐστιν. τοῦτο ἀκούσας ἐγὼ προσκυνήσας ἀπῄειν εὐχόμενος ἅπασι θεοῖς ἠπίαλόν τινα ἢ πλευρῖτιν ἢ ποδάγραν ἐπιπέμψαι τῷ μαλακιζομένῳ ἐκείνῳ οὗ ἔφεδρος ἐγὼ καὶ ἀντίδειπνος καὶ διάδοχος ἐκεκλήμην· καὶ τὸ ἄχρι τοῦ λουτροῦ αἰῶνα μήκιστον ἐτιθέμην, συνεχὲς ἐπισκοπῶν ὁποσάπουν τὸ στοιχεῖον εἴη καὶ πηνίκα ἤδη λοῦσθαι δέοι. κἀπειδή ποτε ὁ καιρὸς ἀφίκετο, πρὸς τάχος ἐμαυτὸν ἀπορρύψας ἄπειμι κοσμίως μάλα ἐσχηματισμένος, ἀναστρέψας τὸ τριβώνιον ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ καθαρωτέρου γένοιτο ἡ ἀναβολή·

[¶34] 10. MICYLLUS: I met at the door a number of people, and among them, carried on the shoulders of four bearers, the man whose place I was to have filled, who they said was ill; and in fact he was clearly ina bad way. At any rate he groaned and coughed and hawked in a hollow and Giencive way, and was all pale and flabby, a man of about sixty. He was said to be one of those philosophers who talk rubbish to the boys, and in fact. he had a regular goat’s beard, excessively long. And when Archibius, the doctor, took him to task for coming in that condition, “Duty,” he said, “must not be shirked, especially by a philosopher, though a thousand illnesses stand in his way; Eucrates would think he had been slighted by me.” “No indeed,” ‘said I, “He will commend you if you choose to die at home rather than to hawk and spit your life away at his party!” But the man’s pride was so great that he pretended not to have heard the sally. In a moment Eucrates joined us after his bath, and on seeing ‘Thesmopolis—for that was the philosopher’s name—he said: “Professor, it was very good of you to come to us, but you would not have fared any the worse if you had stayed away, for everything from first to last would have been sent you.” With that he started to go in, conducting Thesmopolis, who was supported by the servants too.

> Greek: 10. Μίκυλλος: καταλαμβάνω τε πρὸς ταῖς θύραις ἄλλους τε πολλοὺς καὶ δὴ κἀκεῖνον φοράδην ὑπὸ τεττάρων κεκομισμένον, ᾧ με ὑποδειπνεῖν ἔδει, τὸν νοσεῖν λεγόμενον, καὶ ἐδήλου δὲ πονήρως ἔχων· ὑπέστενε γοῦν καὶ ὑπέβηττε καὶ ἐχρέμπτετο μύχιόν τι καὶ δυσπρόσοδον, ὠχρὸς ὅλος ὢν καὶ διῳδηκώς, ἀμφὶ τὰ ἑξήκοντα ἔτη σχεδόν· ἐλέγετο δὲ φιλόσοφός τις εἶναι τῶν πρὸς τὰ μειράκια φλυαρούντων. ὁ γοῦν πώγων μάλα τραγικὸς ἦν ἐς ὑπερβολὴν κουριῶν. καὶ αἰτιωμένου γε Ἀρχιβίου τοῦ ἰατροῦ διότι οὕτως ἔχων ἀφίκετο, τὰ καθήκοντα, ἔφη, οὐ χρὴ προδιδόναι, καὶ ταῦτα φιλόσοφον ἄνδρα, κἂν μυρίαι νόσοι ἐμποδὼν ἱστῶνται· ἡγήσεται γὰρ Εὐκράτης ὑπερεωρᾶσθαι πρὸς ἡμῶν. οὐ μὲν οὖν, εἶπον ἐγώ, ἀλλʼ ἐπαινέσεταί σε, ἢν οἴκοι παρὰ σαυτῷ μᾶλλον ἀποθανεῖν ἐθέλῃς ἤπερ ἐν τῷ συμποσίῳ, συναναχρεμψάμενος τὴν ψυχὴν μετὰ τοῦ φλέγματος ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν ὑπὸ μεγαλοφροσύνης οὐ προσεποιεῖτο ἀκηκοέναι τοῦ σκώμματος· ἐφίσταται δὲ μετὰ μικρὸν ὁ Εὐκράτης λελουμένος καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Θεσμόπολιν — τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ φιλόσοφος ἐκαλεῖτο — διδάσκαλε, φησίν, εὖ μὲν ἐποίησας αὐτὸς ἥκων παρʼ ἡμᾶς, οὐ μεῖον δʼ ἄν τί σοι ἐγένετο, καὶ ἀπόντι γὰρ ἅπαντα ἑξῆς ἀπέσταλτο ἄν· καὶ ἅμα λέγων εἰσῄει χειραγωγῶν τὸν Θεσμόπολιν ἐπερειδόμενον καὶ τοῖς οἰκέταις.

[¶35] 11. MICYLLUS: I was getting ready to go away, but he turned my way and hesitated a good while, and then, as he saw that I was very: downeast, said: “You come in too, Micyllus, and dine with us. Tl make my son eat with his mother in the women’s quarters so that you may have room.” I went in, therefore, after coming within an ace of licking my lips for nothing, like the wolf; I was ashamed, however, because I seemed to have driven Eucrates’ boy out of the dining-room. When it was time to go to the table, first of all they picked Thesmopolis up and put him in place, not without some difficulty, though there were five stout lads, I think, to do it; and they stuffed eushions all round about him so that he could maintain his position and hold out for a long time. Then, as nobody else could endure to lie near him, they took me and put me in the place below him, making us neighbours at table. Then, Pythagoras, we began eating a dinner of many courses and great variety, served on gold and silver plate in profusion, and there were goblets of gold and handsome waiters and musicians and clowns withal. In short, we were delightfully entertained, except for one thing that annoyed me beyond measure: Thesmopolis kept bothering me and talking to me about virtue, whatever that may be, and teaching me that two negatives make an affirmative, and that if it is day it is not night; and sometimes he actually said that I had horns. By philosophizing with me incessantly after that fashion when I had no mind for it, he spoiled and diminished my pleasure, not allowing me to hear the performers who were playing and singing. Well, there you have your dinner, cock.

> Greek: 11. Μίκυλλος: ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἀπιέναι παρεσκευαζόμην, ὁ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐνδοιάσας, ἐπεί με πάνυ σκυθρωπὸν εἶδε, πάριθι, ἔφη, καὶ σύ, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ συνδείπνει μεθʼ ἡμῶν· τὸν υἱὸν γὰρ ἐγὼ κελεύσω ἐν τῇ γυναικωνίτιδι μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς ἑστιᾶσθαι, ὡς σὺ χώραν ἔχῃς. εἰσῄειν οὖν μάτην λύκος χανὼν παρὰ μικρόν, αἰσχυνόμενος ὅτι ἐδόκουν ἐξεληλακέναι τοῦ συμποσίου τὸ παιδίον τοῦ Εὐκράτους. κἀπειδὴ κατακλίνεσθαι καιρὸς ἦν, πρῶτον μὲν ἀράμενοι ἀνέθεσαν τὸν Θεσμόπολιν οὐκ ἀπραγμόνως μὰ Δία πέντε οἶμαι νεανίσκοι εὐμεγέθεις, ὑπαυχένια περιβύσαντες αὐτῷ πάντοθεν, ὡς διαμένοι ἐν τῷ σχήματι καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ καρτερεῖν δύναιτο. εἶτα μηδενὸς ἀνεχομένου πλησίον κατακεῖσθαι αὐτοῦ ἐμὲ ὑποκατακλίνουσι φέροντες, ὡς ὁμοτράπεζοι εἴημεν. τοὐντεῦθεν ἐδειπνοῦμεν, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, πολύοψόν τι καὶ ποικίλον δεῖπνον ἐπὶ χρυσοῦ πολλοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου· καὶ ἐκπώματα ἦν χρυσᾶ καὶ διάκονοι ὡραῖοι καὶ μουσουργοὶ καὶ γελωτοποιοὶ μεταξύ, καὶ ὅλως ἡδίστη τις ἦν ἡ διατριβή, πλὴν ἀλλʼ ἕν με ἐλύπει οὐ μετρίως, ὁ Θεσμόπολις ἐνοχλῶν καὶ ἀρετήν τινα πρός με διεξιὼν καὶ διδάσκων ὡς αἱ δύο ἀποφάσεις μίαν κατάφασιν ἀποτελοῦσι καὶ ὡς εἰ ἡμέρα ἐστί, νὺξ οὐκ ἔστιν, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ κέρατα ἔφασκεν εἶναί μοι· καὶ τοιαῦτα πολλὰ οὐδὲν δεομένῳ προσφιλοσοφῶν συνῄρει καὶ ὑπετέμνετο τὴν εὐφροσύνην, οὐκ ἐῶν ἀκούειν τῶν κιθαριζόντων ἢ ᾀδόντων. τοῦτο μέν σοι, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, τὸ δεῖπνον.

[¶36] COCK: It was not of the pleasantest, Micyllus, as your lot was cast with that silly old man.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: οὐχ ἥδιστον, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπεὶ συνεκληρώθης τῷ λήρῳ ἐκείνῳ γέροντι.

[¶37] 12. MICYLLUS: Now listen to my dream. I thought that Eucrates himself had somehow become childless and lay dying, and that, after sending for me and making a will in which I was heir to everything, he lingered a while and then died. On entering into possession of the property, I dipped up the gold and the silver in great bowlfuls, for there was an ever-flowing, copious stream of it; and all the rest, too—the ‘clothing and tables and cups and waiters—all was mine, ot course. Then I drove out behind a pair of white horses, holding my head high, the admiration and the envy of all beholders; many ran before me and rode beside me, and still more followed after me, and I with his clothing on and my fingers covered with heavy rings, fully sixteen of them, was giving orders for a splendid feast to be prepared for the entertainment of my friends. In a moment they were there, as is natural in a dream, and the dinner was being served, and the drinking-bout was under way. While I was thus engaged and was drinking healths with each person there out of golden cups, just as the dessert was being brought in you lifted up your voice unseasonably, and disturbed our party, upset the tables and caused that wealth of mine to be scattered to the winds. Now do you think I was unreasonable in getting angry at you, when I should have been glad to see the dream last for three nights?

> Greek: 12. Μίκυλλος: ἄκουε δὲ ἤδη καὶ τὸ ἐνύπνιον· ᾤμην γὰρ τὸν Εὐκράτην αὐτὸν ἄπαιδα ὄντα οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως ἀποθνήσκειν, εἶτα προσκαλέσαντά με καὶ διαθήκας θέμενον ἐν αἷς ὁ κληρονόμος ἦν ἁπάντων ἐγώ, μικρὸν ἐπισχόντα ἀποθανεῖν· ἐμαυτὸν δὲ παρελθόντα ἐς τὴν οὐσίαν τὸ μὲν χρυσίον καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον ἐξαντλεῖν σκάφαις τισὶ μεγάλαις ἀέναόν τε καὶ πολὺ ἐπιρρέον, τὰ δʼ ἄλλα, τὴν ἐσθῆτα καὶ τραπέζας καὶ ἐκπώματα καὶ διακόνους, πάντα ἐμὰ ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς εἶναι. εἶτα ἐξήλαυνον ἐπὶ λευκοῦ ζεύγους, ἐξυπτιάζων, περίβλεπτος ἅπασι τοῖς ὁρῶσι καὶ ἐπίφθονος. καὶ προέθεον πολλοὶ καὶ παρίππευον καὶ εἵποντο πλείους. ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν ἐσθῆτα τὴν ἐκείνου ἔχων καὶ δακτυλίους βαρεῖς ὅσον ἑκκαίδεκα ἐξημμένος τῶν δακτύλων ἐκέλευον ἑστίασίν τινα λαμπρὰν εὐτρεπισθῆναι ἐς ὑποδοχὴν τῶν φίλων· οἱ δέ, ὡς ἐν ὀνείρῳ εἰκός, ἤδη παρῆσαν καὶ τὸ δεῖπνον εἰσεκομίζετο καὶ ὁ πότος συνεκροτεῖτο. ἐν τούτῳ ὄντα με καὶ φιλοτησίας προπίνοντα ἐν χρυσαῖς φιάλαις ἑκάστῳ τῶν παρόντων, ἤδη τοῦ πλακοῦντος ἐσκομιζομένου ἀναβοήσας ἀκαίρως συνετάραξας μὲν ἡμῖν τὸ συμπόσιον, ἀνέτρεψας δὲ τὰς τραπέζας, τὸν δὲ πλοῦτον ἐκεῖνον ὑπηνέμιον φέρεσθαι παρεσκεύασας. ἆρά σοι ἀλόγως ἀγανακτῆσαι κατὰ σοῦ δοκῶ; ὡς τριέσπερον ἂν ἡδέως ἐπεῖδον τὸν ὄνειρόν μοι γενόμενον.

[¶38] 13. COCK: Are you such a lover of gold and of riches, Micyllus, and is owning quantities of gold the only thing in the world that you admire and consider blissful?

> Greek: 13. Ἀλεκτρυών: οὕτω φιλόχρυσος εἶ καὶ φιλόπλουτος, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ μόνον τοῦτο ἐξ ἅπαντος θαυμάζεις καὶ ἡγῇ εὔδαιμον εἶναι, πολὺ κεκτῆσθαι χρυσίον;

[¶39] MICYLLUS: I am not the only ‘one to do so, Pythagoras: you yourself, when you were Euphorbus, sallied forth to fight the Achaeans with your curls tricked out in gold and silver, and even in war, where it would have been better to wear iron, you thought fit to face danger with your hair caught up with gold. No doubt Homer said that your hair was “like the Graces” because “it was snooded with gold and with silver”; for it looked far finer and lovelier, of course, when it was interwoven with gold and shone in unison with it. And yet as far as you are concerned, Goldenhair, it is of little moment that you, the son of a Panthous, honoured gold, but what of the father of gods and of men, the son of Cronus and Rhea? When he was in love with that slip ofa girl in Argos, not having anything more attractive to change himself into nor any other means of corrupting the sentries of Acrisius, he turned into gold, as you, of course, have heard, and came down through the roof to visit his beloved. Then what is the use of my telling you the rest of it—how many uses gold has, and how, when people have it, it renders them handsome and wise and strong, lending them honour and esteem, and not infrequently it makes inconspicuous and contemptible people admired and renowned in a short time?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺ αὐτός, ὁπότε Εὔφορβος ἦσθα, χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον ἐξημμένος τῶν βοστρύχων ᾔεις πολεμήσων τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς, καὶ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, ἔνθα σιδηροφορεῖν ἄμεινον ἦν, σὺ δὲ καὶ τότε ἠξίους χρυσῷ ἀναδεδεμένος τοὺς πλοκάμους διακινδυνεύσειν. καί μοι δοκεῖ ὁ Ὅμηρος διὰ τοῦτο Χαρίτεσσιν ὁμοίας εἰπεῖν σου τὰς κόμας, ὅτι χρυσῷ τε καὶ ἀργύρῳ ἐσφήκωντο. μακρῷ γὰρ ἀμείνους δηλαδὴ καὶ ἐρασμιώτεραι ἐφαίνοντο συναναπεπλεγμέναι τῷ χρυσίῳ καὶ συναπολάμπουσαι μετʼ αὐτοῦ. καίτοι τὰ μὲν σά, ὦ χρυσοκόμη, μέτρια, εἰ Πάνθου υἱὸς ὢν ἐτίμας τὸ χρυσίον· ὁ δὲ πάντων θεῶν πατὴρ καὶ ἄνδρων, ὁ Κρόνου καὶ Ῥέας, ὁπότε ἠράσθη τῆς Ἀργολικῆς ἐκείνης μείρακος, οὐκ ἔχων εἰς ὅ τι ἐρασμιώτερον αὑτὸν μεταβάλοι οὐδὲ ὅπως ἂν διαφθείρειε τοῦ Ἀκρισίου τὴν φρουράν — ἀκούεις δήπου ὡς χρυσίον ἐγένετο καὶ ῥυεὶς διὰ τοῦ τέγους συνῆν τῇ ἀγαπωμένῃ. ὥστε τί ἄν σοι τὸ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἔτι λέγοιμι, ὅσας μὲν χρείας παρέχεται ὁ χρυσός, ὡς δὲ οἷς ἂν παρῇ, καλούς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ σοφοὺς καὶ ἰσχυροὺς ἀπεργάζεται τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν προσάπτων, καὶ ἐξ ἀφανῶν καὶ ἀδόξων ἐνίοτε περιβλέπτους καὶ ἀοιδίμους ἐν βραχεῖ τίθησι;

[¶40] 14. MICYLLUS: For instance, you know my neighbour, of the same trade, Simon, who dined with me not long ago when I boiled the soup for Cronus-day and put in two slices of sausage?

> Greek: 14. Μίκυλλος: τὸν γείτονα γοῦν μοι τὸν ὁμότεχνον οἶσθα τὸν Σίμωνα, οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ δειπνήσαντα παρʼ ἐμοί, ὅτε τὸ ἔτνος ἥψουν τοῖς Κρονίοις δύο τόμους τοῦ ἀλλᾶντος ἐμβαλών.

[¶41] COCK: Yes, I know him; the snub-nosed, short fellow who filched the earthen bowl and went away with it under his arm after dinner, the only bowl we had— I myself saw him, Micyllus.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: οἶδα· τὸν σιμόν, τὸν βραχύν, ὃς τὸ κεραμεοῦν τρύβλιον ὑφελόμενος ᾤχετο ὑπὸ μάλης ἔχων μετὰ τὸ δεῖπνον, ὃ μόνον ἡμῖν ὑπῆρχεν· εἶδον γὰρ αὐτός, ὦ Μίκυλλε.

[¶42] MICYLLUS: So it was he that stole it and then swore by so many gods that he did not? But why didn’t you cry out and tell on him then, cock, when you saw us being plundered?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: οὐκοῦν ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸ κλέψας εἶτα ἀπωμόσατο θεοὺς τοσούτους; ἀλλὰ τί οὐκ ἐβόας καὶ ἐμήνυες τότε, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, ληϊζομένους ἡμᾶς ὁρῶν;

[¶43] COCK: I crowed, and that was all that I could do at the time. But what about Simon? You seemed to be going to say something about him.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἐκόκκυζον, ὃ μόνον μοι τότε δυνατὸν ἦν. τί δʼ οὖν ὁ Σίμων; ἐῴκεις γάρ τι περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐρεῖν.

[¶44] MICYLLUS: He had a cousin who was enormously rich, named Drimylus. This fellow while he was alive never gave apenny to Simon—why should he, when he himself did not touch his money? But since his death the other day all his property is Simon’s by law, and now he, the man with the dirty rags, the man that used to lick the pot, takes the air pleasantly, dressed in fine woollens and royal purple, the owner of servants and carriages and golden cups and_ ivory-legged tables, receiving homage from everybody and no longer even giving a glance at me. Recently, for example, I saw him coming toward me and said, “Good-day, Simon’; but he replicd: “Tell that pauper not to abbreviate my name; it is not Simon but Simonides.” 1 What is more, the women are actually in love with him now, and he flirts with them and slights them, and when he receives some and is gracious to them the others threaten to hang themselves on account of his neglect. You see, don’t you, what blessings gold is able to bestow, when it transforms ugly people and renders them lovely, like the girdle in poetry? And you have heard the poets say: “O gold, thou choicest treasure,” and
Tis gold that over mortal men doth rule.
But why did you interrupt me by laughing, cock?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἀνεψιὸς ἦν αὐτῷ πλούσιος ἐς ὑπερβολήν, Δριμύλος τοὔνομα. οὗτος ζῶν μὲν οὐδὲ ὀβολὸν ἔδωκε τῷ Σίμωνι — πῶς γάρ, ὃς οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἥπτετο τῶν χρημάτων; ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπέθανε πρῴην, ἅπαντα ἐκεῖνα κατὰ τοὺς νόμους Σίμωνός ἐστι, καὶ νῦν ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὰ ῥάκια τὰ πιναρά, ὁ τὸ τρύβλιον περιλείχων, ἄσμενος ἐξελαύνει ἁλουργῆ καὶ ὑσγινοβαφῆ ἀμπεχόμενος, οἰκέτας καὶ ζεύγη καὶ χρυσᾶ ἐκπώματα καὶ ἐλεφαντόποδας τραπέζας ἔχων, ὑφʼ ἁπάντων προσκυνούμενος, οὐδὲ προσβλέπων ἔτι ἡμᾶς· ἔναγχος γοῦν ἐγὼ μὲν ἰδὼν προσιόντα, χαῖρε, ἔφην, ὦ Σίμων, ὁ δὲ ἀγανακτήσας, εἴπατε, ἔφη, τῷ πτωχῷ τούτῳ μὴ κατασμικρύνειν μου τοὔνομα· οὐ γὰρ Σίμων, ἀλλὰ Σιμωνίδης ὀνομάζομαι. τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, ἤδη καὶ ἐρῶσιν αὐτοῦ αἱ γυναῖκες, ὁ δὲ θρύπτεται πρὸς αὐτὰς καὶ ὑπερορᾷ καὶ τὰς μὲν προσίεται καὶ ἵλεώς ἐστιν, αἱ δὲ ἀπειλοῦσιν ἀναρτήσειν αὑτὰς ἀμελούμεναι. ὁρᾷς ὅσων ἀγαθῶν ὁ χρυσὸς αἴτιος, εἴ γε καὶ μεταποιεῖ τοὺς ἀμορφοτέρους καὶ ἐρασμίους ἀπεργάζεται ὥσπερ ὁ ποιητικὸς ἐκεῖνος κεστός. ἀκούεις δὲ καὶ τῶν ποιητῶν λεγόντων·
ὦ χρυσέ, δεξίωμα κάλλιστον
καὶ χρυσὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὃς βροτῶν ἔχει κράτη. ἀλλὰ τί μεταξὺ ἐγέλασας, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών;

[¶45] 15. COCK: Because in your ignorance, Micyllus, you have gone just as far astray as most people in regard to the rich. Take my word for it, they live a much more wretched life than we. I who talk to you have been both poor and rich repeatedly, and have tested every kind of life: after a little you shall hear about it all.

> Greek: 15. Ἀλεκτρυών: ὅτι ὑπʼ ἀγνοίας, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ σὺ τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐξηπάτησαι περὶ τῶν πλουσίων· οἱ δʼ εὖ ἴσθι πολὺ ὑμῶν ἀθλιώτερον τὸν βίον βιοῦσι· λέγω δέ σοι καὶ πένης καὶ πλούσιος πολλάκις γενόμενος καὶ ἅπαντος βίου πεπειραμένος· μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς εἴσῃ ἕκαστα.

[¶46] MICYLLUS: Yes, by Heaven, it is high time now for you to talk and tell me how you got transformed and what you know of each existence.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: νὴ Δία, καιρὸς γοῦν ἤδη καὶ σὲ εἰπεῖν ὅπως ἠλλάγης καὶ ἃ σύνοισθα τῷ βίῳ ἑκάστῳ.

[¶47] COCK: Listen; but first let me tell you thus much, that I have never seen anyone leading a happier life than you.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἄκουε τοσοῦτόν γε προειδώς, μηδένα με σοῦ εὐδαιμονέστερον βιοῦντα ἑωρακέναι.

[¶48] MICYLLUS: Than I, cock? I wish you no better luck yourself! You force me to curse you, you know. But begin with Euphorbus and tell me how you were transformed to Pythagoras, and then the rest of it till you get to the cock: for it is likely that you have seen many sights and had many adventures in your multifarious existences.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἐμοῦ, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών; οὕτω σοὶ γένοιτο· προάγῃ γάρ με λοιδορεῖσθαί σοι. ἀλλὰ εἰπὲ ἀπὸ Εὐφόρβου ἀρξάμενος ὅπως ἐς Πυθαγόραν μετεβλήθης, εἶτα ἑξῆς ἄχρι τοῦ ἀλεκτρυόνος· εἰκὸς γάρ σε ποικίλα καὶ ἰδεῖν καὶ παθεῖν ἐν πολυειδέσι τοῖς βίοις.

[¶49] 16. COCK: How my soul originally left Apollo, flew down to earth and entered into a human body and what sin it was condemned to expiate in that way would make a long story; besides, it is impious either for me to tell or for you to hear such things. But when I became Euphorbus...

> Greek: 16. Ἀλεκτρυών: ὡς μὲν ἐξ Ἀπόλλωνος τὸ πρῶτον ἡ ψυχή μοι καταπταμένη ἐς τὴν γῆν ἐνέδυ ἐς ἀνθρώπου σῶμα ἥντινα τὴν καταδίκην ἐκτελοῦσα, μακρὸν ἂν εἴη λέγειν, ἄλλως τε οὐδὲ ὅσιον οὔτε ἐμοὶ εἰπεῖν οὔτε σοὶ ἀκούειν τὰ τοιαῦτα. ἐπεὶ δὲ Εὔφορβος ἐγενόμην … Μίκυλλος: ἐγὼ δὲ πρό γε τούτου, ὦ θαυμάσιε, τίς ἦν; τοῦτό μοι πρότερον εἰπέ, εἰ κἀγώ ποτε ἠλλάγην ὥσπερ σύ.
Ἀλεκτρυών: καὶ μάλα.

[¶50] MICYLLUS: But I,—who was I formerly, wondrous creature? First tell me whether I too was ever transformed like you. Cock Yes, certainly.
MICYLLUS: Then what was I? ‘Tell me if you can, for I want to know.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: τίς οὖν ἦν, εἴ τι ἔχεις εἰπεῖν; ἐθέλω γὰρ τοῦτο εἰδέναι.

[¶51] COCK: You were an Indian ant, one of the gold-digging kind.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: σύ; μύρμηξ Ἰνδικὸς τῶν τὸ χρυσίον ἀνορυττόντων.

[¶52] MICYLLUS: Confound the luck! to think that I did not dare to lay in even a small supply of gold-dust before coming from that life to this! But what shall I be next, tell me? You probably know. If it is anything good, [ll climb up this minute and hang myself from the peg that you are standing on.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: εἶτα ὤκνουν ὁ κακοδαίμων κἂν ὀλίγα τῶν ψηγμάτων ἥκειν ἐς τόνδε τὸν βίον ἐξ ἐκείνου ἐπισιτισάμενος; ἀλλὰ καὶ τί μετὰ τοῦτο ἔσομαι, εἰπέ· εἰκὸς γὰρ εἰδέναι σε. εἰ γάρ τι ἀγαθὸν εἴη, ἀπάγξομαι ἤδη ἀναστὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ παττάλου ἐφʼ οὗ σὺ ἕστηκας.

[¶53] 17. COCK: You can’t by any possibility find that out. But when I became Euphorbus—for I am going back to that subject—I fought at Troy and was killed by Menelaus, and some time afterwards I entered into Pythagoras. In the meanwhile I stood about and waited without a house till Mnesarchus should build me one.

> Greek: 17. Ἀλεκτρυών: οὐκ ἂν μάθοις τοῦτο οὐδεμιᾷ μηχανῇ. πλὴν ἀλλὰ ἐπείπερ Εὔφορβος ἐγενόμην — ἐπάνειμι γὰρ ἐπʼ ἐκεῖνα — ἐμαχόμην ἐν Ἰλίῳ καὶ ἀποθανὼν ὑπὸ Μενελάου χρόνῳ ὕστερον ἐς Πυθαγόραν ἧκον. τέως δὲ περιέμενον ἄοικος ἑστώς, ἄχρι δὴ ὁ Μνήσαρχος ἐξεργάσηταί μοι τὸν οἶκον.

## 2. Sections 17–33

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-cock/2/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-cock/2/#p-N

[¶0] MICYLLUS: Without food and drink, my friend?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἄσιτος ὤν, ὦ τάν, καὶ ἄποτος;

[¶1] COCK: Yes, certainly; for they turned out to be unnecessary, except for the body.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: καὶ μάλα· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔδει τούτων ἢ μόνῳ τῷ σώματι.

[¶2] MICYLLUS: Well, then, tell me the story of Troy first. Was it all as Homer says?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: οὐκοῦν τὰ ἐν Ἰλίῳ μοι πρότερον εἰπέ. τοιαῦτα ἦν οἷά φησιν Ὅμηρος γενέσθαι αὐτά;

[¶3] COCK: Why, where did he get his information, Micyllus? When all that was going on, he was a camel in Bactria. Tl tell you thus much, though: nothing was out of the common then, and Ajax was not as tall and Helen herself not as fair as people think. As I saw her, she had a white complexion and a long neck, to be sure, so that you might know she was the daughter of a swan; but as for the rest of it, she was decidedly old, about the saine age as Hecuba; for Theseus eloped with her in the first place and kept her at Aphidnae, and Theseus lived in the time of Heracles, who took Troy the first time it was taken, in the time of our fathers,—our then fathers, Imean. Panthous told me all this, and said that when he was quite small he had seen Heracles.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: πόθεν ἐκεῖνος ἠπίστατο, ὦ Μίκυλλε, ὃς γινομένων ἐκείνων κάμηλος ἐν Βάκτροις ἦν; ἐγὼ δὲ τοσοῦτόν σοί φημι, ὑπερφυὲς μηδὲν γενέσθαι τότε, μήτε τὸν Αἴαντα οὕτω μέγαν μήτε τὴν Ἑλένην αὐτὴν οὕτω καλὴν ὡς οἴονται. εἶδον γὰρ λευκὴν μέν τινα καὶ ἐπιμήκη τὸν τράχηλον, ὡς εἰκάζειν κύκνου θυγατέρα εἶναι, τἆλλα δὲ πάνυ πρεσβῦτιν, ἡλικιῶτιν σχεδὸν τῆς Ἑκάβης, ἥν γε Θησεὺς πρῶτον ἁρπάσας ἐν Ἀφίδναις εἶχε κατὰ τὸν Ἡρακλέα γενόμενος, ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρότερον εἷλε Τροίαν κατὰ τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν τοὺς τότε μάλιστα. διηγεῖτο γάρ μοι ὁ Πάνθους ταῦτα, κομιδῇ μειράκιον ὢν ἑωρακέναι λέγων τὸν Ἡρακλέα.

[¶4] MICYLLUS: But how about Achilles? Was he as Homer describes him, supreme in everything, or is this only a fable too?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: τί δέ; ὁ Ἀχιλλεὺς τοιοῦτος ἦν, ἄριστος τὰ πάντα, ἢ μῦθος ἄλλως καὶ ταῦτα;

[¶5] COCK: I did not come into contact with him at all, Micyllus, and I can’t tell you as accurately about the Greek side. How could I, being one of the enemy? His comrade Patroclus, however, I killed without difficulty, running him through with my spear.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἐκείνῳ μὲν οὐδὲ συνηνέχθην, ὦ Μίκυλλε, οὐδʼ ἂν ἔχοιμί σοι οὕτως ἀκριβῶς τὰ παρὰ τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς λέγειν· πόθεν γάρ, πολέμιος ὤν; τὸν μέντοι ἑταῖρον αὐτοῦ τὸν Πάτροκλον οὐ χαλεπῶς ἀπέκτεινα διελάσας τῷ δορατίῳ.

[¶6] MICYLLUS: And then Menelaus killed you with much greater ease! But enough of this, and now tell me the story of Pythagoras.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: εἶτά σε ὁ Μενέλαος μακρῷ εὐχερέστερον. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἱκανῶς, τὰ Πυθαγόρου δὲ ἤδη λέγε.

[¶7] 18. COCK: In brief, Micyllus, I was a sophist, for I must tell the truth, I suppose. However, I was not uneducated or unacquainted with the noblest sciences. I even went to: Egypt to study with the prophets, penetrated into their sanctuaries and learned the books of Horus and Isis by heart, and then I sailed away to Italy and worked upon the Greeks in that quarter of the world to such an extent that they thought me a god.

> Greek: 18. Ἀλεκτρυών: τὸ μὲν ὅλον, ὦ Μίκυλλε, σοφιστὴς ἄνθρωπος ἦν· χρὴ γάρ, οἶμαι, τἀληθῆ λέγειν· ἄλλως δὲ οὐκ ἀπαίδευτος οὐδὲ ἀμελέτητος τῶν καλλίστων μαθημάτων· ἀπεδήμησα δὲ καὶ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ὡς συγγενοίμην τοῖς προφήταις ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ, καὶ ἐς τὰ ἄδυτα κατελθὼν ἐξέμαθον τὰς βίβλους τὰς Ὥρου καὶ Ἴσιδος, καὶ αὖθις εἰς Ἰταλίαν ἐκπλεύσας οὕτω διέθηκα τοὺς κατʼ ἐκεῖνα Ἕλληνας, ὥστε θεὸν ἦγόν με.

[¶8] MICYLLUS: So I have heard, and I have also heard that you were thought to have come to life again after dying, and that you once showed them that your thigh was of gold. But, look here, tell me how it occurred to you to make a law against eating either meat or beans?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἤκουσα ταῦτα καὶ ὡς δόξειας ἀναβεβιωκέναι ἀποθανὼν καὶ ὡς χρυσοῦν τὸν μηρὸν ἐπιδείξαιό ποτε αὐτοῖς. ἐκεῖνο δέ μοι εἰπέ, τί σοι ἐπῆλθε νόμον ποιήσασθαι μήτε κρεῶν μήτε κυάμων ἐσθίειν;

[¶9] COCK: Do not press that question, Micyllus.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: μὴ ἀνάκρινε ταῦτα, ὦ Μίκυλλε.

[¶10] MICYLLUS: Why, cock? Cock Because I am ashamed to tell you the truth of it.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: διὰ τί, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών;
Ἀλεκτρυών: ὅτι αἰσχύνομαι λέγειν πρὸς σὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν περὶ αὐτῶν.

[¶11] MICYLLUS: But you oughtn’t to hesitate to tell a housemate and a friend—for I cannot call myself your master any longer.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: καὶ μὴν οὐδὲν ὀκνεῖν χρὴ λέγειν πρὸς ἄνδρα σύνοικον καὶ φίλον· δεσπότην γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἔτι εἴποιμι.

[¶12] COCK: It was nothing sensible or wise, but I perceived that if I made laws that were ordinary and just like those of the run of legislators I should not induce men to wonder at me, whereas the more I departed from precedent, the more of a figure I should cut, I thought, in their eyes. Therefore I preferred to introduce innovations, keeping the reason for them secret so that one man might guess one thing and one another, and all be perplexed, as they are in the case of oracles that are obscure. Look here, you are laughing at me, now.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς οὐδὲ σοφὸν ἦν, ἀλλʼ ἑώρων ὅτι εἰ μὲν τὰ συνήθη καὶ ταὐτὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς νομίζοιμι, ἥκιστα ἐπισπάσομαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐς τὸ θαῦμα, ὅσῳ δʼ ἂν ξενίζοιμι, τοσούτῳ σεμνότερος ᾤμην αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι. διὰ τοῦτο καινοποιεῖν εἱλόμην ἀπόρρητον ποιησάμενος τὴν αἰτίαν, ὡς εἰκάζοντες ἄλλος ἄλλως ἅπαντες ἐκπλήττωνται καθάπερ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀσαφέσι τῶν χρησμῶν. ὁρᾷς; καταγελᾷς μου καὶ σὺ ἐν τῷ μέρει.

[¶13] MICYLLUS: Not so much at you as at the people of Croton and Metapontum and Tarentum and all the rest who followed you dumbly and worshipped the footprints that you left in walking.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: οὐ τοσοῦτον ὅσον Κροτωνιατῶν καὶ Μεταποντίνων καὶ Ταραντίνων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀφώνων σοι ἑπομένων καὶ προσκυνούντων τὰ ἴχνη ἃ σὺ πατῶν ἀπολιμπάνοις.

[¶14] 19. MICYLLUS: But after you put off the part of Pythagoras what other did you assume?

> Greek: 19. Μίκυλλος: ἀποδυσάμενος δὲ τὸν Πυθαγόραν τίνα μετημφιέσω μετʼ αὐτόν;

[¶15] COCK: Aspasia, the courtesan from Miletus.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: Ἀσπασίαν τὴν ἐκ Μιλήτου ἑταίραν·

[¶16] MICYLLUS: Whew, what a yarn! So Pythagoras became a woman on top of everything else, and there was once atime when you laid eggs, most distinguished of cocks; when you lived with Pericles in the capacity of Aspasia and had children by him and carded wool and spun yarn and made the most of your sex in courtesan style?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: φεῦ τοῦ λόγου, καὶ γυνὴ γὰρ σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁ Πυθαγόρας ἐγένετο, καὶ ἦν ποτε χρόνος ὅτε καὶ σὺ ᾠοτόκεις, ὦ ἀλεκτρυόνων γενναιότατε, καὶ συνῆσθα Περικλεῖ Ἀσπασία οὖσα καὶ ἐκύεις ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔρια ἔξαινες καὶ κρόκην κατῆγες καὶ ἐγυναικίζου ἐς τὸ ἑταιρικόν;

[¶17] COCK: Yes, I did all that, and I am not the only one: both Tiresias and Caeneus the son of Elatus preecded me, so that all your jokes at my expense will be at their expense too.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: πάντα ταῦτα ἐποίουν οὐ μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ Τειρεσίας πρὸ ἐμοῦ καὶ ὁ Ἐλάτου παῖς ὁ Καινεύς, ὥστε ὁπόσα ἂν ἀποσκώψῃς εἰς ἐμὲ, καὶ εἰς ἐκείνους ἀποσκώψας ἔσῃ.

[¶18] MICYLLUS: How about it? Which life did you find the pleasanter, when you were a man or when Pericles dallied with you?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: τί οὖν; πότερος ἡδίων ὁ βίος σοι ἦν, ὅτε ἀνὴρ ἦσθα ἢ ὅτε σε ὁ Περικλῆς ὤπυιεν;

[¶19] COCK: Just see what a question you have asked there! Even Tiresias paid dearly for answering it!

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ὁρᾷς οἷον τοῦτο ἠρώτησας, οὐδὲ τῷ Τειρεσίᾳ συνενεγκοῦσαν τὴν ἀπόκρισιν;

[¶20] MICYLLUS: Whether you tell me or not, Euripides has settled the business well enough, for he says that he would sooner stand in line of battle thrice over than bear a single child.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἀλλὰ κἂν σὺ μὴ εἴπῃς, ἱκανῶς ὁ Εὐριπίδης διέκρινε τὸ τοιοῦτον, εἰπὼν ὡς τρὶς ἂν ἐθέλοι παρʼ ἀσπίδα στῆναι ἢ ἅπαξ τεκεῖν.

[¶21] COCK: I'll remind you of that before long, Micyllus, when you are in child-bed; for you too will be a woman again and again in your long cycle of existences.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: καὶ μὴν ἀναμνήσω σε, ὦ Μίκυλλε, οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ὠδίνουσαν· ἔσῃ γὰρ γυνὴ καὶ σὺ ἐν πολλῇ τῇ περιόδῳ πολλάκις.

[¶22] MICYLLUS: Hang you, cock, do you think everybody hails from Miletus or Samos? They say that while you were Pythagoras and young and handsome you often played Aspasia to the tyrant.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: οὐκ ἀπάγξῃ, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, ἅπαντας οἰόμενος Μιλησίους ἢ Σαμίους εἶναι; σὲ γοῦν φασι καὶ Πυθαγόραν ὄντα τὴν ὥραν λαμπρὸν πολλάκις Ἀσπασίαν γενέσθαι τῷ τυράννῳ.

[¶23] 20. MICYLLUS: But what man or woman did you become after Aspasia?

> Greek: 20. Μίκυλλος: —τίς δὲ δὴ μετὰ τὴν Ἀσπασίαν ἀνὴρ ἢ γυνὴ αὖθις ἀνεφάνης;

[¶24] COCK: The Cynic Crates.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ὁ κυνικὸς Κράτης.

[¶25] MICYLLUS: Twin brethren! what ups and downs! First a courtesan, then a philosopher!

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: Ὢ Διοσκόρω τῆς ἀνομοιότητος, ἐξ ἑταίρας φιλόσοφος.

[¶26] COCK: Then a king, then a poor man, and soon a satrap; then a horse, a jackdaw, a frog, and a thousand things besides; it would take too long to enumerate them all. But of late I have often been a cock, for I liked that sort of life; and after belonging to many men, both rich and poor, at length I am now living with you, laughing at you every day for bewailing and lamenting over your poverty and for admiring the rich through ignorance of the troubles that are theirs. Indeed, if you knew the cares they have, you would laugh at yourself for thinking at_ first that wealth was a source of extraordinary happiness.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: εἶτα βασιλεύς, εἶτα πένης, καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγον σατράπης, εἶτα ἵππος καὶ κολοιὸς καὶ βάτραχος καὶ ἄλλα μυρία· μακρὸν ἂν γένοιτο καταριθμήσασθαι ἕκαστα· τὰ τελευταῖα δὲ ἀλεκτρυὼν πολλάκις, ἥσθην γὰρ τῷ τοιούτῳ βίῳ. καὶ παρὰ πολλοῖς ἄλλοις δουλεύσας καὶ πένησι καὶ πλουσίοις, τὰ τελευταῖα καὶ σοὶ νῦν σύνειμι καταγελῶν ὁσημέραι ποτνιωμένου καὶ οἰμώζοντος ἐπὶ τῇ πενίᾳ καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους θαυμάζοντος ὑπʼ ἀγνοίας τῶν ἐκείνοις προσόντων κακῶν. εἰ γοῦν ᾔδεις τὰς φροντίδας ἃς ἔχουσιν, ἐγέλας ἂν ἐπὶ σαυτῷ πρῶτον οἰηθέντι ὑπερευδαίμονα εἶναι τὸν πλοῦτον.

[¶27] MICYLLUS: Well then, Pythagoras—but tell me what you like best to be called, so that I may not muddle up our conversation by calling you different names.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: οὐκοῦν, ὦ Πυθαγόρα — καίτοι τί μάλιστα χαίρεις καλούμενος, ὡς μὴ ἐπιταράττοιμι τὸν λόγον ἄλλοτε ἄλλον καλῶν;

[¶28] COCK: It will make no difference whether you call me Euphorbus or Pythagoras, Aspasia or Crates; I am all of them. But you had better call me what you now see me to be, a cock, so as not to slight a bird that, although held in low esteem, has in itself so many souls.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: διοίσει μὲν οὐδὲν ἤν τε Εὔφορβον ἢ Πυθαγόραν, ἤν τε Ἀσπασίαν καλῇς ἢ Κράτητα· πάντα γὰρ ἐγὼ ταῦτά εἰμι. πλὴν τὸ νῦν ὁρώμενον τοῦτο ἀλεκτρυόνα ὀνομάζων ἄμεινον ἂν ποιοῖς, ὡς μὴ ἀτιμάζοις εὐτελὲς εἶναι δοκοῦν τὸ ὄρνεον, καὶ ταῦτα τοσαύτας ἐν αὑτῷ ψυχὰς ἔχον.

[¶29] 21. MICYLLUS: Well then, cock, as you have tried almost every existence and know everything, please tell me clearly about the life of the rich and the life of the poor, each by itself, so that I may learn if you are telling the truth when you declare that I am happier than the rich.

> Greek: 21. Μίκυλλος: οὐκοῦν, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, ἐπειδὴ ἁπάντων σχεδὸν ἤδη τῶν βίων ἐπειράθης καὶ πάντα οἶσθα, λέγοις ἂν ἤδη σαφῶς ἰδίᾳ μὲν τὰ τῶν πλουσίων ὅπως βιοῦσιν, ἰδίᾳ δὲ τὰ πτωχικά, ὡς μάθω εἰ ἀληθῆ ταῦτα φὴς εὐδαιμονέστερον ἀποφαίνων με τῶν πλουσίων.

[¶30] COCK: Well now, look at it this way, Micyllus. As for you, you are little concerned about war if you hear that the enemy is approaching, and you do not worry for fear they may lay your farm waste in a raid or trample down your garden or cut down your grapevines; when you hear the trumpet, at most you simply consider yourself and where you are to turn in order to save yourself and escape the danger. The rich, however, not only fear for themselves but are distressed when they look from the walls and see all that they own in the country harried and plundered. Moreover if it is necessary to pay a special tax, they alone are summoned to do so, and if it is necessary to take the field, they risk their lives in the van as commanders of horse or foot, whereas you, with but a wicker shield, have little to carry and nothing to impede your flight, and are ready to celebrate the victory when the general offers sacrifice after winning the battle.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἰδοὺ δὴ οὕτως ἐπίσκεψαι, ὦ Μίκυλλε· σοὶ μὲν οὔτε πολέμου πολὺς λόγος, ἢν λέγηται ὡς οἱ πολέμιοι προσελαύνουσιν, οὐδὲ φροντίζεις μὴ τὸν ἀγρὸν τέμωσιν ἐμβαλόντες ἢ τὸν παράδεισον συμπατήσωσιν ἢ τὰς ἀμπέλους δῃώσωσιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς σάλπιγγος ἀκούων μόνον, εἴπερ ἄρα, περιβλέπεις τὸ κατὰ σεαυτόν, οἷ τραπόμενον χρὴ σωθῆναι καὶ τὸν κίνδυνον διαφυγεῖν· οἱ δʼ εὐλαβοῦνται μὲν καὶ ἀμφʼ αὑτοῖς, ἀνιῶνται δὲ ὁρῶντες ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἀγόμενα καὶ φερόμενα ὅσα εἶχον ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς. καὶ ἤν τε εἰσφέρειν δέῃ, μόνοι καλοῦνται, ἤν τε ἐπεξιέναι, προκινδυνεύουσι στρατηγοῦντες ἢ ἱππαρχοῦντες· σὺ δὲ οἰσυΐνην ἀσπίδα ἔχων, εὐσταλὴς καὶ κοῦφος εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἕτοιμος ἑστιᾶσθαι τὰ ἐπινίκια, ἐπειδὰν θύῃ ὁ στρατηγὸς νενικηκώς.

[¶31] 22. COCK: In time of peace, on the other hand, being one of the voters, you go to the assembly and lord it over the rich while they quake and cringe and seck your good will with presents. Besides, it is they who toil that you may have baths and shows and everything else to your heart’s content, while you investigate and scrutinize them harshly like a master, sometimes without even letting them say a word for themselves; and if you choose you shower them generously with stones or confiscate their properties. And_ you do not dread an informer, nor yet a robber who might steal your gold by climbing over the coping or digging through the wall; and you are not bothered with casting up accounts or collecting debts or squabbling with your confounded agents, and thus dividing your attention among so many worries. No, after you have finished a sandal and received your pay of seven obols, you get up from your bench toward evening, take a bath if you choose, buy yourself a bloater or sprats or a bunch of onions, and have a good time, singing a great deal and philosophizing with that good soul, Poverty.

> Greek: 22. Ἀλεκτρυών: ἐν εἰρήνῃ τε αὖ σὺ μὲν τοῦ δήμου ὢν ἀναβὰς εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τυραννεῖς τῶν πλουσίων, οἱ δὲ φρίττουσι καὶ ὑποπτήσσουσι καὶ διανομαῖς ἱλάσκονταί σε. λουτρὰ μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἔχοις καὶ θεάματα καὶ τἆλλα διαρκῆ ἅπαντα, ἐκεῖνοι πονοῦσι, σὺ δὲ ἐξεταστὴς καὶ δοκιμαστὴς πικρὸς ὥσπερ δεσπότης, οὐδὲ λόγου μεταδιδοὺς ἐνίοτε, κἄν σοι δοκῇ κατεχαλάζησας αὐτῶν ἀφθόνους τοὺς λίθους ἢ τὰς οὐσίας αὐτῶν ἐδήμευσας· οὔτε δὲ συκοφάντην δέδιας αὐτὸς οὔτε λῃστὴν μὴ ὑφέληται τὸ χρυσίον ὑπερβὰς τὸ θριγκίον ἢ διορύξας τὸν τοῖχον, οὔτε πράγματα ἔχεις λογιζόμενος ἢ ἀπαιτῶν ἢ τοῖς καταράτοις οἰκονόμοις διαπυκτεύων καὶ πρὸς τοσαύτας φροντίδας μεριζόμενος, ἀλλὰ κρηπῖδα συντελέσας ἑπτὰ ὀβολοὺς τὸν μισθὸν ἔχων, ἀπαναστὰς περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν λουσάμενος, ἢν δοκῇ, σαπέρδην τινὰ ἢ μαινίδας ἢ κρομμύων κεφαλίδας ὀλίγας πριάμενος εὐφραίνεις σεαυτὸν ᾄδων τὰ πολλὰ καὶ τῇ βελτίστῃ Πενίᾳ προσφιλοσοφῶν.

[¶32] 23. COCK: So in consequence of all this you are sound and strong in body and can stand the cold, for your hardships have trained you fine and made you no mean fighter against adverse conditions that scem to the rest of the world irresistible. No chance that one of their severe illnesses will come near you: on the contrary, if ever you get a light fever, after humouring it a little while you jump out of bed at once, shaking off your discomfort, and the fever takes flight immediately on seeing that you drink cold water and have no use for doctors’ visits. But the rich, unhappy that they are—what ills are they not subject to through intemperance? Gout and consumption and pneumonia and dropsy are the consequences of those splendid dinners. In brief, some of them who like Icarus fly high and draw near the sun without knowing that their wings are fitted on with wax, now and then make a great splash by falling head-first into the sea, while of those who, copying Daedalus, have not let their ambitions soar high in the air but have kept them close to earth so that the wax is occasionally wet with spray, the most part reach their journey’s end in safety.

> Greek: 23. Ἀλεκτρυών: ὥστε διὰ ταῦτα ὑγιαίνεις τε καὶ ἔρρωσαι τὸ σῶμα καὶ διακαρτερεῖς πρὸς τὸ κρύος· οἱ πόνοι γάρ σε παραθήγοντες οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον ἀνταγωνιστὴν ἀποφαίνουσι πρὸς τὰ δοκοῦντα τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄμαχα εἶναι. ἀμέλει οὐδέν σοι τῶν χαλεπῶν τούτων νοσημάτων πρόσεισιν, ἀλλʼ ἤν ποτε κοῦφος πυρετὸς ἐπιλάβηται, πρὸς ὀλίγον ὑπηρετήσας αὐτῷ ἀνεπήδησας εὐθὺς ἀποσεισάμενος τὴν ἄσην, ὁ δὲ φεύγει αὐτίκα φοβηθείς, ψυχροῦ σε ὁρῶν ἐμφορούμενον καὶ μακρὰ οἰμώζειν λέγοντα ταῖς ἰατρικαῖς περιόδοις· οἱ δὲ ὑπʼ ἀκρασίας ἄθλιοι τί τῶν κακῶν οὐκ ἔχουσι, ποδάγρας καὶ φθόας καὶ περιπλευμονίας καὶ ὑδέρους; αὗται γὰρ τῶν πολυτελῶν ἐκείνων δείπνων ἀπόγονοι. τοιγαροῦν οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ὥσπερ ὁ Ἴκαρος ἐπὶ πολὺ ἄραντες αὑτοὺς καὶ πλησιάσαντες τῷ ἡλίῳ οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι κηρῷ ἥρμοστο αὐτοῖς ἡ πτέρωσις, μέγαν ἐνίοτε τὸν πάταγον ἐποίησαν ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν ἐς πέλαγος ἐμπεσόντες· ὅσοι δὲ κατὰ τὸν Δαίδαλον μὴ πάνυ μετέωρα μηδὲ ὑψηλὰ ἐφρόνησαν ἀλλὰ πρόσγεια, ὡς νοτίζεσθαι ἐνίοτε τῇ ἅλμῃ τὸν κηρόν, ὡς τὸ πολὺ οὗτοι ἀσφαλῶς διέπτησαν.

[¶33] MICYLLUS: You mean temperate and sensible people.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἐπιεικεῖς τινας καὶ συνετοὺς λέγεις.

[¶34] COCK: But as for the others, Micyllus, you can see how sadly they come to grief when a Croesus with his wings clipped makes sport for the Persians by mounting the pyre, or a Dionysius, expelled from his tyrant’s throne, turns up in Corinth as a schoolmaster, teaching children their a, b—ab, after holding sway so widely.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: τῶν μέντοι γε ἄλλων, ὦ Μίκυλλε, τὰς ναυαγίας αἰσχρὰς ἴδοις ἄν, ὅταν ὁ Κροῖσος περιτετιλμένος τὰ πτερὰ γέλωτα παρέχῃ Πέρσαις ἀναβαίνων ἐπὶ τὴν πυρὰν ἢ Διονύσιος καταλυθεὶς τῆς τυραννίδος ἐν Κορίνθῳ γραμματιστὴς βλέπηται, μετὰ τηλικαύτην ἀρχὴν παιδία συλλαβίζειν διδάσκων.

[¶35] 24. MICYLLUS: Tell me, cock, when you were king—for you say you were once on a time—how did you find that life? You were completely happy, I suppose, as you had what is surely the acme of all blessings.

> Greek: 24. Μίκυλλος: εἰπέ μοι, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, σὺ δὲ ὁπότε βασιλεὺς ἦσθα — φὴς γὰρ καὶ βασιλεῦσαί ποτε — ποίου τινὸς ἐπειράθης ἐκείνου τοῦ βίου; ἦ που πανευδαίμων ἦσθα, τὸ κεφάλαιον ὅ τι πέρ ἐστι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων ἔχων;

[¶36] COCK: Don’t even remind me of it, Micyllus, so utterly wretched was I then; for although in all things external I seemed to be completely happy, as you say, I had a thousand vexations within.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: μηδὲ ἀναμνήσῃς με, ὦ Μίκυλλε, οὕτω τρισάθλιος ἦν τότε, τοῖς μὲν ἔξω πᾶσιν ὅπερ ἔφησθα πανευδαίμων εἶναι δοκῶν, ἔνδοθεν δὲ μυρίαις ἀνίαις συνών.

[¶37] MICYLLUS: What were they? What you say is strange and not quite credible.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: τίσι ταύταις; παράδοξα γὰρ καὶ οὐ πάνυ τι πιστὰ φής.

[¶38] COCK: I ruled over a great country, Micyllus, one that roduced everything and was among the most noteworthy for the number of its people and the beauty of its cities, one that was traversed by navigable rivers and had a sea-coast with good harbours; and I had a great army, trained cavalry, a large bodyguard, triremes, untold riches, a great quantity of gold plate and all the rest of the paraphernalia of rule enormously exaggerated, so that when I went out the people made obeisance and thought they beheld a god inthe flesh, and they ran up one after another to look at me, while some even went up to the house-tops, thinking it a great thing to have had a good look at my horses, my mantle, my diadem, and my attendants before and behind me. But I myself, knowing how many vexations and torments I had, pardoned them, to be sure, for their folly, but pitied myself for being no better than the great colossi that Phidias or Myron or Praxiteles made, each of which outwardly is a beautiful Poseidon or a Zeus, made of ivory and gold, with a thunderbolt ora flash of lightning or a trident in his right hand; but if you stoop down and look inside, you will see bars and props and nails driven clear through, and beams and wedges and pitch and clay and a quantity of such ugly stuff housing within, not to mention numbers of mice and rats that keep their court in them sometimes. That is what monarchy is like.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἦρχον μὲν οὐκ ὀλίγης χώρας, ὦ Μίκυλλε, παμφόρου τινὸς καὶ πλήθει ἀνθρώπων καὶ κάλλει πόλεων ἐν ταῖς μάλιστα θαυμάζεσθαι ἀξίας ποταμοῖς τε ναυσιπόροις καταρρεομένης καὶ θαλάττῃ εὐόρμῳ χρωμένης, καὶ στρατιὰ ἦν πολλὴ καὶ ἵππος συγκεκροτημένη καὶ δορυφορικὸν οὐκ ὀλίγον καὶ τριήρεις καὶ χρημάτων πλῆθος ἀνάριθμον καὶ χρυσὸς πάμπολυς καὶ ἡ ἄλλη τῆς ἀρχῆς τραγῳδία πᾶσα ἐς ὑπερβολὴν ἐξωγκωμένη, ὥστε ὁπότε προΐοιμι, οἱ μὲν πολλοὶ προσεκύνουν καὶ θεόν τινα ὁρᾶν ᾤοντο καὶ ἄλλοι ἐπʼ ἄλλοις συνέθεον ὀψόμενοί με, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέγη ἀνιόντες ἐν μεγάλῳ ἐτίθεντο ἀκριβῶς ἑωρακέναι τὸ ζεῦγος, τὴν ἐφεστρίδα, τὸ διάδημα, τοὺς προπομπεύοντας, τοὺς ἑπομένους. ἐγὼ δὲ εἰδὼς ὁπόσα με ἠνία καὶ ἔστρεφεν, ἐκείνοις μὲν τῆς ἀνοίας συνεγίνωσκον, ἐμαυτὸν δὲ ἠλέουν ὅμοιον ὄντα τοῖς μεγάλοις ἐκείνοις κολοσσοῖς, οἵους ἢ Φειδίας ἢ Μύρων ἢ Πραξιτέλης ἐποίησεν· κἀκείνων γὰρ ἕκαστος ἔκτοσθεν μὲν Ποσειδῶν τις ἢ Ζεύς ἐστι πάγκαλος ἐκ χρυσίου καὶ ἐλέφαντος συνειργασμένος, κεραυνὸν ἢ ἀστραπὴν ἢ τρίαιναν ἔχων ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ, ἢν δὲ ὑποκύψας ἴδῃς τά γʼ ἔνδον, ὄψει μοχλούς τινας καὶ γόμφους καὶ ἥλους διαμπὰξ πεπερονημένους καὶ κορμοὺς καὶ σφῆνας καὶ πίτταν καὶ πηλὸν καὶ τοιαύτην τινὰ πολλὴν ἀμορφίαν ὑποικουροῦσαν· ἐῶ λέγειν μυῶν πλῆθος ἢ μυγαλῶν ἐμπολιτευόμενον αὐτοῖς ἐνίοτε. τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ βασιλεία ἐστίν.

[¶39] 25. MICYLLUS: You haven’t yet told me what the clay and the props and bars are in monarchy, nor what that “quantity of ugly stuff” is. [ll grant you, to drive out as the ruler of so many people amid admiration and homage is wonderfully like your comparison of the colossus, for it savours of divinity. But tell me about the inside of the colossus now.

> Greek: 25. Μίκυλλος: οὐδέπω ἔφησθα τὸν πηλὸν καὶ τοὺς γόμφους καὶ μοχλοὺς οἵτινες εἶεν τῆς ἀρχῆς, οὐδὲ τὴν ἀμορφίαν ἐκείνην τὴν πολλὴν ἥτις ἐστίν· ὡς τό γε ἐξελαύνειν ἀποβλεπόμενον καὶ τοσούτων ἄρχοντα καὶ προσκυνούμενον δαιμονίως ἔοικέ σου τῷ κολοσσιαίῳ παραδείγματι· θεσπέσιον γάρ τι καὶ τοῦτο. σὺ δὲ τὰ ἔνδον ἤδη τοῦ κολοσσοῦ λέγε.

[¶40] COCK: What shall I tell you first, Micyllus? The terrors, the frights, the suspicions, the hatred of your associates, the plots, and as a result of all this the seanty sleep, and that not sound, the dreams full of tumult, the intricate plans and the perpetual expectations of something bad? Or shall I tell you of the press of business, negotiations, lawsuits, campaigns, orders, countersigns, and calculations? These things prevent a ruler from enjoying any pleasure even in his sleep; he alone must think about everything and have a thousand worries. Even in the case of Agamemnon, son of Atreus,
Sweet sleep came to him not as he weighed in his mind many projects,
though all the Achaeans were snoring! The king of Lydia is worried because his son is mute, the king of Persia because Clearchus is enlisting troops for Cyrus, another because Dion is holding whispered conversations with a few Syracusans, another because Parmenio is praised, Perdiccas because of Ptolemy, and Ptolemy because of Seleucus. And there are other grounds for worry too, when your favourite will have nothing to do with you except by constraint, when your mistress fancies someone else, when one or another is said to be on the point of revolting, and when two or three of your guardsmen are whispering to one another. What is more, you must be particularly suspicious of your dearest friends and always be expecting some harm to come from them. For example, I was poisoned by my son, he himself by his favourite, and the latter no doubt met some other death of a similar sort.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: τί πρῶτον εἴπω σοι, ὦ Μίκυλλε; τοὺς φόβους καὶ τὰ δείματα καὶ ὑποψίας καὶ μῖσος τὸ παρὰ τῶν συνόντων καὶ ἐπιβουλάς, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα ὕπνον τε ὀλίγον, ἐπιπόλαιον κἀκεῖνον, καὶ ταραχῆς μεστὰ ὀνείρατα καὶ ἐννοίας πολυπλόκους καὶ ἐλπίδας ἀεὶ πονηράς, ἢ τὴν ἀσχολίαν καὶ χρηματισμοὺς καὶ δίκας καὶ ἐκστρατείας καὶ προστάγματα καὶ συνθήματα καὶ λογισμούς; ὑφʼ ὧν οὐδὲ ὄναρ ἀπολαῦσαί τινος ἡδέος ἐγγίνεται, ἀλλʼ ἀνάγκη ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων μόνον διασκοπεῖσθαι καὶ μυρία ἔχειν πράγματα·
οὐδὲ γὰρ Ἀτρείδην Ἀγαμέμνονα
ὕπνος ἔχε γλυκερὸς πολλὰ φρεσὶν ὁρμαίνοντα,
καὶ ταῦτα ῥεγκόντων Ἀχαιῶν ἁπάντων. λυπεῖ δὲ τὸν μὲν Λυδὸν υἱὸς κωφὸς ὤν, τὸν Πέρσην δὲ Κλέαρχος Κύρῳ ξενολογῶν, ἄλλον δὲ Δίων πρὸς οὖς τισι τῶν Συρακουσίων κοινολογούμενος, καὶ ἄλλον Παρμενίων ἐπαινούμενος καὶ Περδίκκαν Πτολεμαῖος καὶ Πτολεμαῖον Σέλευκος· ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνα λυπεῖ, ὁ ἐρώμενος πρὸς ἀνάγκην συνὼν καὶ παλλακὶς ἄλλῳ χαίρουσα καὶ ἀποστήσεσθαί τινες λεγόμενοι καὶ δύʼ ἢ τέτταρες τῶν δορυφόρων πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαψιθυρίζοντες. τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, ὑφορᾶσθαι δεῖ μάλιστα τοὺς φιλτάτους κἀξ ἐκείνων ἀεί τι δεινὸν ἐλπίζειν ἥξειν. ἐγὼ γοῦν ὑπὸ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀπέθανον ἐκ φαρμάκων, ὁ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐρωμένου, τὸν δὲ ἄλλος ἴσως ὁμοιότροπος θάνατος κατέλαβεν.

[¶41] 26. MICYLLUS: Tut, tut! What you say is dreadful, cock. For me, at least, it is far safer to bend over and cobble shoes than to drink out of a golden cup when the health that is pledged you is qualified with hemlock or aconite. The only risk I run is that if my knife should slip sideways and fail to cut straight, I might draw a little blood by cutting my fingers; but they, as you say, do their feasting at the peril of their lives and live amid a thousand ills beside. Then when they fall they make no better figure than the actors that you often see, who for a time pretend to be a Cecrops or a Sisyphus or a Telephus, with diadems and ivory-hilted swords and waving hair and gold-embroidered tunics; but if (as often happens) one of them misses his footing and falls down in the middle of the stage, it naturally makes fun for the audience when the mask gets broken to pieces, diadem and all, and the actor’s own face is covered with blood, and his legs are bared high, so as to show that his inner garments are miserable rags and that the buskins with which he is shod are shapeless and do not fit his foot. Do you see how you have already taught me to make comparisons, friend cock? Well, as for absolute power, it proves to be something of that sort. But when you became a horse or a dog or a fish or a frog, how did you find that existence?

> Greek: 26. Μίκυλλος: ἄπαγε, δεινὰ ταῦτα φής, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών. ἐμοὶ γοῦν πολὺ ἀσφαλέστερον σκυτοτομεῖν ἐπικεκυφότα ἢ πίνειν ἀπὸ χρυσῆς φιάλης κωνείῳ ἢ ἀκονίτῳ συνανακραθεῖσαν φιλοτησίαν· ὁ γοῦν κίνδυνος ἐμοὶ μέν, εἰ παρολίσθοι τὸ σμιλίον καὶ ἁμάρτοι τῆς τομῆς τῆς ἐπʼ εὐθύ, ὀλίγον τι αἱμάξαι τοὺς δακτύλους ἐντεμόντα· οἱ δέ, ὡς φής, θανάσιμα εὐωχοῦνται, καὶ ταῦτα μυρίοις κακοῖς συνόντες. εἶτʼ ἐπειδὰν πέσωσιν, ὅμοιοι μάλιστα φαίνονται τοῖς τραγικοῖς ὑποκριταῖς, ὧν πολλοὺς ἰδεῖν ἔνεστι τέως μὲν Κέκροπας δῆθεν ὄντας ἢ Σισύφους ἢ Τηλέφους, διαδήματα ἔχοντας καὶ ξίφη ἐλεφαντόκωπα καὶ ἐπίσειστον κόμην καὶ χλαμύδα χρυσόπαστον, ἢν δέ, οἷα πολλὰ γίνεται, κενεμβατήσας τις αὐτῶν ἐν μέσῃ τῇ σκηνῇ καταπέσῃ, γέλωτα δηλαδὴ παρέχει τοῖς θεαταῖς τοῦ προσωπείου μὲν συντριβέντος αὐτῷ διαδήματι, ᾑμαγμένης δὲ τῆς ἀληθοῦς κεφαλῆς τοῦ ὑποκριτοῦ καὶ τῶν σκελῶν ἐπὶ πολὺ γυμνουμένων, ὡς τῆς τε ἐσθῆτος τὰ ἔνδοθεν φαίνεσθαι ῥάκια δύστηνα ὄντα καὶ τῶν ἐμβατῶν τὴν ὑπόδεσιν ἀμορφοτάτην καὶ οὐχὶ κατὰ λόγον τοῦ ποδός. ὁρᾷς ὅπως με καὶ εἰκάζειν ἐδίδαξας ἤδη, ὦ βέλτιστε ἀλεκτρυών; ἀλλὰ τυραννὶς μὲν τοιοῦτόν τι ὤφθη οὖσα. ἵππος δὲ ἢ κύων ἢ ἰχθὺς ἢ βάτραχος ὁπότε γένοιο, πῶς ἔφερες ἐκείνην τὴν διατριβήν;

[¶42] 27. COCK: That is a long story you are starting, and we have not time for it just now. But to give the upshot of it, there is no existence that did not seem to me more care-free than that of man, since the others are con- ‘formed to natural desires and needs alone; you will not see among them a horse bailiff or a frog informer or a jackdaw sophist or a mosquito chef or a libertine cock or any of the other modes of life that you men follow.

> Greek: 27. Ἀλεκτρυών: μακρὸν τοῦτον ἀνακινεῖς τὸν λόγον καὶ οὐ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ· πλὴν τό γε κεφάλαιον, οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐκ ἀπραγμονέστερος τῶν βίων ἔδοξέ μοι τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου, μόναις ταῖς φυσικαῖς ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ χρείαις συμμεμετρημένος· τελώνην δὲ ἵππον ἢ συκοφάντην βάτραχον ἢ σοφιστὴν κολοιὸν ἢ ὀψοποιὸν κώνωπα ἢ κίναιδον ἀλεκτρυόνα καὶ τἆλλα ὅσα ὑμεῖς ἐπιτηδεύετε, οὐκ ἂν ἴδοις ἐν ἐκείνοις.

[¶43] 28. MICYLLUS: No doubt that is true, cock. But as to myself, I am not ashamed to tell you how I feel. I am not yet able to unlearn the desire of becoming rich that [have had since my boyhood. My dream, too, still stands before my eyes displaying its gold; and above all I am choking with envy of that confounded Simon, who is revelling in so many blessings.

> Greek: 28. Μίκυλλος: ἀληθῆ ἴσως ταῦτα, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών. ἐγὼ δὲ ὃ πέπονθα οὐκ αἰσχύνομαι πρὸς σὲ εἰπεῖν· οὐδέπω δύναμαι ἀπομαθεῖν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἣν ἐκ παίδων εἶχον πλούσιος γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοὐνύπνιον ἔτι πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἕστηκεν ἐπιδεικνύμενον τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ τῷ καταράτῳ Σίμωνι ἀποπνίγομαι τρυφῶντι ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τοσούτοις.

[¶44] COCK: I will cure you, Micyllus. As it is still night, get up and follow me; I will take you to visit Simon and to the house of the other rich men, so that you may see what their establishments are like.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἐγώ σε ἰάσομαι, ὦ Μίκυλλε· καὶ ἐπείπερ ἔτι νύξ ἐστιν, ἐξαναστὰς ἕπου μοι· ἀπάξω γάρ σε παρʼ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν Σίμωνα καὶ εἰς τὰς τῶν ἄλλων πλουσίων οἰκίας. ὡς ἴδοις οἷα τὰ παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἐστι.

[¶45] MICYLLUS: How can you do it when their doors are locked? You aren't going to make me be a burglar?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: πῶς τοῦτο, κεκλεισμένων τῶν θυρῶν; εἰ μὴ καὶ τοιχωρυχεῖν γε σύ με ἀναγκάσεις.

[¶46] COCK: Not by any means. But Hermes, to whom IT am consecrated, gave me this privilege, that if my longest tail feather, the one that is so pliant that it curls— MICYLLUS: You have two like that.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλʼ ὁ Ἑρμῆς, οὗπερ ἱερός εἰμι, ἐξαίρετον ἔδωκέ μοι τοῦτο, ἤν τις τὸ οὐραῖον πτερὸν τὸ μήκιστον, ὃ διʼ ἁπαλότητα ἐπικαμπές ἐστι — Μίκυλλος: δύο δʼ ἔστι σοι τοιαῦτα.

[¶47] COCK: It is the one on the right, and if I permit any man to pull it out and keep it, that man, as long as I choose, can open every door and see everything without being seen himself.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: τὸ δεξιὸν τοίνυν ὅτῳ ἂν ἐγὼ ἀποσπάσαι παράσχω καὶ ἔχειν, ἐς ὅσον ἂν βούλωμαι ἀνοίγειν τε ὁ τοιοῦτος πᾶσαν θύραν δύναται καὶ ὁρᾶν ἅπαντα οὐχ ὁρώμενος αὐτός.

[¶48] MICYLLUS: I didn’t realize, cock, that you yourself were a conjurer. Well, if you only let me have it, you shall see all Simon’s possessions brought over here in a jiffy: Pl slip in and bring them over, and he will once more eat his leather as he stretches it.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἐλελήθεις με, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, καὶ σὺ γόης ὤν. ἐμοὶ δʼ οὖν ἢν τοῦτο ἅπαξ παράσχῃς, ὄψει τὰ Σίμωνος πάντα ἐν βραχεῖ δεῦρο μετενηνεγμένα· μετοίσω γὰρ αὐτὰ παρεισελθών, ὁ δὲ αὖθις περιτρώξεται ἀποτείνων τὰ καττύματα.

[¶49] COCK: That is impossible, for Hermes ordered me, if the man who had the feather did anything of that sort, to uplift my voice and expose him.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: οὐ θέμις γενέσθαι τοῦτο· παρήγγειλε γὰρ ὁ Ἑρμῆς, ἤν τι τοιοῦτον ἐργάσηται ὁ ἔχων τὸ πτερόν, ἀναβοήσαντά με καταφωρᾶσαι αὐτόν.

[¶50] MICYLLUS: It is hard to believe what you say, that Hermes, himself a thief, begrudges others the same privilege. But let’s be off just the same; I'll keep my hands off the gold if I can.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἀπίθανον λέγεις, κλέπτην τὸν Ἑρμῆν αὐτὸν ὄντα τοῖς ἄλλοις φθονεῖν τοῦ τοιούτου. ἀπίωμεν δʼ ὅμως· ἀφέξομαι γὰρ τοῦ χρυσίου, ἢν δύνωμαι.

[¶51] COCK: First pluck the feather out, Micyllus... What's this? You have pulled them both out!

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἀπότιλον, ὦ Μίκυλλε, πρότερον τὸ πτίλον … τί τοῦτο; ἄμφω ἀπέτιλας.

[¶52] MICYLLUS: It is safer to do so, cock, and it will spoil your beauty less, preventing you from being crippled on one side of your tail.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἀσφαλέστερον οὕτως, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, καὶ σοὶ ἧττον ἂν ἄμορφον τὸ πρᾶγμα εἴη, ὡς μὴ χωλεύοις διὰ θάτερον τῆς οὐρᾶς μέρος.

[¶53] 29. COCK: All right. Shall we visit Simon first, or one of the other rich men?

> Greek: 29. Ἀλεκτρυών: εἶεν. ἐπὶ τὸν Σίμωνα πρῶτον ἄπιμεν ἢ παρʼ ἄλλον τινὰ τῶν πλουσίων;

[¶54] MICYLLUS: No: Simon, who wants to have a name of four syllables instead of two, now that he is rich. Here we are at the door already. What shall I do next?

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸν Σίμωνα, ὃς ἀντὶ δισυλλάβου τετρασύλλαβος ἤδη πλουτήσας εἶναι ἀξιοῖ. καὶ δὴ πάρεσμεν ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας. τί οὖν ποιῶ τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο;

[¶55] COCK: Put the feather to the lock.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἐπίθες τὸ πτερὸν ἐπὶ τὸ κλεῖθρον.

[¶56] MICYLLUS: Look at that now! Heracles! The door has opened just as it would toa key!

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἰδοὺ δή. ὦ Ἡράκλεις, ἀναπέπταται ὥσπερ ὑπὸ κλειδὶ ἡ θύρα.

[¶57] COCK: Lead on. Do you see him sitting up and figuring?

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἡγοῦ ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν. ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν ἀγρυπνοῦντα καὶ λογιζόμενον;

[¶58] MICYLLUS: Yes, by Heaven, beside a dim and thirsty lamp; he is pale for some reason, cock, and all run down and thin; from worrying, I suppose, for there was no talk of his being ill in any other way.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ὁρῶ νὴ Δία πρὸς ἀμαυράν γε καὶ διψῶσαν τὴν θρυαλλίδα, καὶ ὠχρὸς δὲ ἐστὶν οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅθεν, ἀλεκτρυών, καὶ κατέσκληκεν ὅλος ἐκτετηκώς, ὑπὸ φροντίδων δηλαδή· οὐ γὰρ νοσεῖν ἄλλως ἐλέγετο.

[¶59] COCK: Listen to what he is saying and you will find out how he got this way. SIMON: Well, then, that seventy talents is quite safely buried under the bed and no one else knows of it; but as for the sixteen, I think Sosylus the groom saw me hiding them under the manger. At any rate he is all for hanging about the stable, though he is not particularly attentive to business otherwise or fond of work. I have probably been robbed of much more than that, or else where did Tibius get the money for the big slice of salt fish they said he treated himself to yesterday or the earring they said he bought for his wife at a cost of five whole drachmas?_ It’s my money these fellows are squandering, worse luck! But my cups are not stored in a safe place, either, and there are so many! I’m afraid someone may burrow under the wall and steal them: many envy me and plot against me, and above all my neighbour Micyllus.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἄκουσον ἅ φησιν· εἴσῃ γὰρ ὅθεν οὕτως ἔχει. Σίμων: οὐκοῦν τάλαντα μὲν ἑβδομήκοντα ἐκεῖνα πάνυ ἀσφαλῶς ὑπὸ τῇ κλίνῃ κατορώρυκται καὶ οὐδεὶς ἄλλος οἶδε, τὰ δὲ ἑκκαίδεκα εἶδεν, οἶμαι, Σωσύλος ὁ ἱπποκόμος ὑπὸ τῇ φάτνῃ κατακρύπτοντά με· ὅλος γοῦν περὶ τὸν ἱππῶνά ἐστιν, οὐ πάνυ ἐπιμελὴς ἄλλως οὐδὲ φιλόπονος ὤν. εἰκὸς δὲ ἡρπάσθαι πολλῷ πλείω τούτων, ἢ πόθεν γὰρ ὁ Τίβειος τάριχος αὑτῷ οὕτω μέγα ὠψωνηκέναι χθὲς ἐλέγετο ἢ τῇ γυναικὶ ἐλλόβιον ἐωνῆσθαι πέντε δραχμῶν ὅλων; τἀμὰ οὗτοι σπαθῶσι τοῦ κακοδαίμονος. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὰ ἐκπώματα ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ μοι ἀπόκειται τοσαῦτα ὄντα· δέδια γοῦν μή τις ὑπορύξας τὸν τοῖχον ὑφέληται αὐτά· πολλοὶ φθονοῦσι καὶ ἐπιβουλεύουσί μοι, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ γείτων Μίκυλλος.

[¶60] MICYLLUS: Yes, by Heaven, I’m just like you and go away with the dishes under my arm!

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: νὴ Δία· σοὶ γὰρ ὅμοιος ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ τρύβλια ὑπὸ μάλης ἄπειμι ἔχων.

[¶61] COCK: Hush, Micyllus, for fear he may find out that we are here. SIMON: At any rate it is best to stay awake myself and keep watch. I'll get up from time to time and go all about the whole house. Who is that? I see you, burglar... oh! no, you are only a pillar, it is allright. Ill dig up my gold and count it again, for fear I made a mistake yesterday. There, now, somebody made a noise: he’s after me, of course. I am beleaguered and plotted against by all the world. Where is my sword? If I find anyone... Let us bury the gold again.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: σιώπησον, Μίκυλλε, μὴ καταφωράσῃ παρόντας ἡμᾶς. Σίμων: ἄριστον γοῦν ἄγρυπνον αὐτὸν φυλάττειν· ἅπασαν περίειμι διαναστὰς ἐν κύκλῳ τὴν οἰκίαν. τίς οὗτος; ὁρῶ σέ γε, τοιχωρύχε … μὰ Δία, ἐπεὶ κίων γε ὢν τυγχάνεις, εὖ ἔχει. ἀριθμήσω αὖθις ἀνορύξας τὸ χρυσίον, μή τί με πρῴην διέλαθεν. ἰδοὺ πάλιν ἐψόφηκέ τις· ἐπʼ ἐμὲ δηλαδή· πολιορκοῦμαι καὶ ἐπιβουλεύομαι πρὸς ἁπάντων. ποῦ μοι τὸ ξιφίδιον; ἂν λάβω τινά … θάπτωμεν αὖθις τὸ χρυσίον.

[¶62] 30. COCK: Well, Micyllus, that is the way Simon lives. Let’s o and visit someone else while there is still a little of the night left.

> Greek: 30. Ἀλεκτρυών: τοιαῦτα μέν σοι, ὦ Μίκυλλε, τὰ Σίμωνος. ἀπίωμεν δὲ καὶ παρʼ ἄλλον τινά, ἕως ἔτι ὀλίγον τῆς νυκτὸς λοιπόν ἐστιν.

[¶63] MICYLLUS: Unfortunate man, what a life he leads! I wish my enemies wealth on those terms! Well, I want to hit him over the head before I go. SIMON: Who hit me? I’m being robbed, unlucky that I am!

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ὁ κακοδαίμων, οἷον βιοῖ τὸν βίον. ἐχθροῖς οὕτω πλουτεῖν γένοιτο. κατὰ κόρρης δʼ οὖν πατάξας αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν βούλομαι. Σίμων: τίς ἐπάταξέ με; λῃστεύομαι ὁ δυστυχής.

[¶64] MICYLLUS: Groan and lie awake and grow like your gold in colour, cleaving fast to it! Let’s go and see Gnipho the money-lender, if you don’t mind. He too lives not far off. This door has opened to us also.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: οἴμωζε καὶ ἀγρύπνει καὶ ὅμοιος γίγνου τὸ χρῶμα τῷ χρυσῷ προστετηκὼς αὐτῷ. ἡμεῖς δὲ παρὰ Γνίφωνα, εἰ δοκεῖ, τὸν δανειστὴν ἴωμεν. οὐ μακρὰν δὲ καὶ οὗτος οἰκεῖ. ἀνέῳγε καὶ αὕτη ἡμῖν ἡ θύρα.

[¶65] 31. COCK: Do you see him awake with his worries like the other, computing his interests and wearing his fingers tothe bone? And yet he will soon have to leave all this behind and become a beetle or a gnat or a dogfly.

> Greek: 31. Ἀλεκτρυών: ὁρᾷς ἐπαγρυπνοῦντα καὶ τοῦτον ἐπὶ φροντίδων, ἀναλογιζόμενον τοὺς τόκους καὶ τοὺς δακτύλους κατεσκληκότα, ὃν δεήσει μετʼ ὀλίγον πάντα ταῦτα καταλιπόντα σίλφην ἢ ἐμπίδα ἢ κυνόμυιαν γενέσθαι;

[¶66] MICYLLUS: I see an unfortunate, senseless man who even now lives little better than a beetle or a gnat. And how completely run down he is from his computations! Let’s go and see another.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ὁρῶ κακοδαίμονα καὶ ἀνόητον ἄνθρωπον οὐδὲ νῦν πολὺ τῆς σίλφης ἢ ἐμπίδος ἄμεινον βιοῦντα. ὡς δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἐκτέτηκεν ὅλος ὑπὸ τῶν λογισμῶν. ἐπʼ ἄλλον ἀπίωμεν.

[¶67] 32. COCK: Your friend Eucrates, if you like. See, this door has opened too, so let’s go in.

> Greek: 32. Ἀλεκτρυών: παρὰ τὸν σὸν Εὐκράτην, εἰ δοκεῖ. καὶ ἰδοὺ γάρ, ἀνέῳγε καὶ αὕτη ἡ θύρα· ὥστε εἰσίωμεν.

[¶68] MICYLLUS: All this belonged to me a little while ago.

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ἅπαντα ταῦτα μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν ἐμὰ ἦν.

[¶69] COCK: Why, are you still dreaming of your wealth? Do you see Eucrates and his servant, old man as he is...?

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἔτι γὰρ σὺ ὀνειροπολεῖς τὸν πλοῦτον; ὁρᾷς δʼ οὖν τὸν Εὐκράτην αὐτὸν μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ οἰκέτου πρεσβύτην ἄνθρωπον …;

[¶70] MICYLLUS: Yes, by Heaven, I see lust and sensuality and lewdness ill befitting a human being; and in another quarter I see his wife and the cook...

> Greek: Μίκυλλος: ὁρῶ νὴ Δία καταπυγοσύνην καὶ πασχητιασμόν τινα καὶ ἀσέλγειαν οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνην· τὴν γυναῖκα δὲ ἑτέρωθι ὑπὸ τοῦ μαγείρου καὶ αὐτήν … Ἀλεκτρυών: τί οὖν;

[¶71] 33. COCK: How about it? Would you be willing to inherit all this too, Micyllus, and have all that belongs to Eucrates?
MICYLLUS: Not on your life, cock! [I starve first! ‘To the deuce with your gold and your dinners; two obols is a fortune to me in comparison with being an easy mark for the servants.

> Greek: 33. ἐθέλοις ἂν καὶ τούτων κληρονομεῖν, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ πάντα ἔχειν τὰ Εὐκράτους;
Μίκυλλος: μηδαμῶς, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών· λιμῷ ἀπολοίμην πρότερον. χαιρέτω τὸ χρυσίον καὶ τὰ δεῖπνα, δύο ὀβολοὶ ἐμοί γε πλοῦτός ἐστι μᾶλλον ἢ τοιχωρυχεῖσθαι πρὸς τῶν οἰκετῶν.

[¶72] COCK: Well, the day is just breaking, so let’s go home now; you shall see the rest of it some other time.

> Greek: Ἀλεκτρυών: ἀλλὰ νῦν γὰρ ἡμέρα ἤδη ἀμφὶ τὸ λυκαυγὲς αὐτό, ἀπίωμεν οἴκαδε παρʼ ἡμᾶς· τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ εἰσαῦθις ὄψει, ὦ Μίκυλλε.