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Sausage-Seller: I, at least, am saying my name very clearly.

Cleon: And indeed, I wish to convict you with evidence,

Cleon: if you should understand anything of the god in accordance with the oracles.

Cleon: And first I shall try you to the utmost;

Cleon: When you were a boy, whose teacher did you attend?

1235

Sausage-seller: I was fitted in the soft soles.

Cleon: How did you say it? As if an oracle touches my mind.

Cleon: Very well.

Cleon: And what kind of wrestling match did you learn from a wrestling trainer?

Sausage-seller: stealing, perjury, and looking straight ahead;

Cleon: O Phoebus Apollo Lycian, what on earth will you do to me?

1240

Cleon: But what art did you have when you were growing up?

Sausage-Seller: I was selling sausages and, in fact, I was also drinking wine.

Cleon: Alas, wretched me; I am nothing any longer.

Cleon: a slender hope it is upon which we ride.

Cleon: And tell me this much: whether in the agora

1245

Cleon: Are you selling real Greek goods, or are you selling them by the gates?

Sausage-seller: By the gates, where the fish-sauce was for sale.

Cleon: Alas, the oracle of the god has been fulfilled.

Cleon: Roll this wretched man inside.

Cleon: O garland, farewell, depart, and if I should seize you unwillingly

1250

Cleon: I am leaving; but someone else will take you and possess you,

Cleon: A thief he would not be any more, but perhaps a lucky one.

Sausage-Seller: Hellenic Zeus, yours is the prize of victory.

Chorus: hail, victorious one, and remember that

Chorus: You have become a man because of me; and I beg you briefly,

1255

Chorus: How I will be to you a painter of court cases.

Demos: But as for me, whatever your name is, say it.

Sausage-seller: Market-bought.

Sausage-seller: for while I was being judged in the marketplace, I was being fed.

Demus: So then, I entrust myself to Agoracritus,

Demos: And I hand over this fellow Paphlagon.

1260

Sausage-Seller: And indeed, I will look after you well, O Demos.

Sausage-Seller: 'So you admit that no human being is like me.'

Sausage-seller: It is better for the city of the Kechineans to see [this].

Knights. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (English) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Ἱππῆς Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 1231 focus

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τοὐμόν γε φράζων ὄνομα καὶ λίαν σαφῶς.

Κλέων

καὶ μήν σʼ ἐλέγξαι βούλομαι τεκμηρίῳ,

εἴ τι ξυνοίσεις τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς θεσφάτοις.

καί σου τοσοῦτον πρῶτον ἐκπειράσομαι·

παῖς ὢν ἐφοίτας ἐς τίνος διδασκάλου;
1235

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐν ταῖσιν εὕστραις κονδύλοις ἡρμοττόμην.

Κλέων

πῶς εἶπας; ὥς μου χρησμὸς ἅπτεται φρενῶν.

εἶεν.

ἐν παιδοτρίβου δὲ τίνα πάλην ἐμάνθανες;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κλέπτων ἐπιορκεῖν καὶ βλέπειν ἐναντίον·

Κλέων

ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον Λύκιε τί ποτέ μʼ ἐργάσει;
1240

τέχνην δὲ τίνα ποτʼ εἶχες ἐξανδρούμενος;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἠλλαντοπώλουν καί τι καὶ βινεσκόμην.

Κλέων

οἴμοι κακοδαίμων· οὐκέτʼ οὐδέν εἰμʼ ἐγώ.

λεπτή τις ἐλπίς ἐστʼ ἐφʼ ἧς ὀχούμεθα.

καί μοι τοσοῦτον εἰπέ· πότερον ἐν ἀγορᾷ
1245

ἠλλαντοπώλεις ἐτεὸν ἢ ʼπὶ ταῖς πύλαις;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐπὶ ταῖς πύλαισιν, οὗ τὸ τάριχος ὤνιον.

Κλέων

οἴμοι πέπρακται τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ θέσφατον.

κυλίνδετʼ εἴσω τόνδε τὸν δυσδαίμονα.

ὦ στέφανε χαίρων ἄπιθι, κεἴ σʼ ἄκων ἐγὼ
1250

λείπω· σὲ δʼ ἄλλος τις λαβὼν κεκτήσεται,

κλέπτης μὲν οὐκ ἂν μᾶλλον, εὐτυχὴς δʼ ἴσως.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

Ἑλλάνιε Ζεῦ σὸν τὸ νικητήριον.

Χορός

ὦ χαῖρε καλλίνικε καὶ μέμνησʼ ὅτι

ἀνὴρ γεγένησαι διʼ ἐμέ· καί σʼ αἰτῶ βραχύ,
1255

ὅπως ἔσομαί σοι Φανὸς ὑπογραφεὺς δικῶν.

Δῆμος

ἐμοὶ δέ γʼ ὅ τι σοι τοὔνομʼ εἴπʼ.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

Ἀγοράκριτος·

ἐν τἀγορᾷ γὰρ κρινόμενος ἐβοσκόμην.

Δῆμος

Ἀγορακρίτῳ τοίνυν ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιτρέπω,

καὶ τὸν Παφλαγόνα παραδίδωμι τουτονί.
1260

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

καὶ μὴν ἐγώ σʼ ὦ Δῆμε θεραπεύσω καλῶς,

ὥσθʼ ὁμολογεῖν σε μηδένʼ ἀνθρώπων ἐμοῦ

ἰδεῖν ἀμείνω τῇ Κεχηναίων πόλει.

Translations (1)

Knights (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 1231 focus

Sausage-Seller

And that name was mine, nothing can be clearer.

Cleon

Reply and I shall soon see whether you are indeed the man whom the god intended. 1235 Firstly, what school did you attend when a child?

Sausage-Seller

It was in the kitchens, where I was taught with cuffs and blows.

Cleon

What's that you say? aside Ah! this is truly what the oracle said. To the Sausage-Seller And what did you learn from the master of exercises?

Sausage-Seller

I learnt to take a false oath without a smile, when I had stolen something.

Cleon
frightened; aside

1240 Oh! Phoebus Apollo, god of Lycia ! I am undone! To the Sausage-Seller And when you had become a man, what trade did you follow?

Sausage-Seller

I sold sausages and did a bit of fornication.

Cleon
in consternation; aside

Oh! my god! I am a lost man! Ah! still one slender hope remains. to the Sausage-Seller 1245 Tell me, was it on the market-place or near the gates that you sold your sausages?

Sausage-Seller

Near the gates, in the market for salted goods.

Cleon
In tragic despair

Alas! I see the prophecy of the god is verily come true. Alas! roll me home. I am a miserable ruined man. 1250 Farewell, my chaplet. 'Tis death to me to part with you. So you are to belong to another; 'tis certain he cannot be a greater thief, but perhaps he may be a luckier one.

He gives the chaplet to the Sausage-Seller.

Sausage-Seller

Oh! Zeus, protector of Greece ! 'tis to you I owe this victory!

Chorus

Hail! illustrious conqueror, but forget not, that 1255 if you have become a great man, 'tis thanks to me; I ask but a little thing; appoint me secretary of the law-court in the room of Phanus.

Demos
to the Sausage-Seller

But what is your name then? Tell me.

Sausage-Seller

My name is Agoracritus, because I have always lived on the agora in the midst of lawsuits.

Demos

Well then, Agoracritus, I stand by you; 1260 as for the Paphlagonian, I hand him over to your mercy.

Sausage-Seller

Demos, I will care for you to the best of my power, and all shall admit that no citizen is more devoted than I to this city of simpletons.

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

1263. mvp-tlg0019-tlg002-sanjaya-com-eng1-100

Line 1263

ἰδεῖν ἀμείνω τῇ Κεχηναίων πόλει.

The phrase τῇ Κεχηναίων πόλει presents a syntactic anomaly: the dative singular article τῇ is used with a genitive plural noun (Κεχηναίων, 'of the Kechenians') in apposition to the implied 'city' (πόλει). While the genitive plural is standard for the city's name (the Kechenians being the inhabitants), the dative singular article agrees with πόλει, creating a 'mixed' construction where the attribute is in the genitive while the head noun is in the dative. This is not a standard genitive of definition or partitive, but rather an idiomatic usage where the people's name functions as a genitive attribute to the city, with the case of the whole phrase determined by the syntactic role of 'city' (here, dative of advantage or comparison). This construction is rare in Attic prose and poetry, where the genitive of the city name (Κεχηναίων) would typically be used without the article, or the dative of the city name itself would be used if it were a proper noun in the dative. The presence of the article τῇ before the genitive plural is a marked feature that may reflect a specific dialectal or metrical adaptation, or it may be a scribal error for τῶν Κεχηναίων πόλει (dative plural) or τῇ Κεχηνίᾳ πόλει (dative singular proper noun). The ambiguity lies in whether the author intended a genitive of definition (the city of the Kechenians) with a dative article, or if the article is a misreading of a different form. This construction warrants scrutiny in textual criticism, as it does not align with standard Attic usage and may indicate a corruption or a rare dialectal feature.

Aristophanes Knights 1231

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Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τοὐμόν γε φράζων ὄνομα καὶ λίαν σαφῶς.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐν ταῖσιν εὕστραις κονδύλοις ἡρμοττόμην.

Κλέων

πῶς εἶπας; ὥς μου χρησμὸς ἅπτεται φρενῶν.

εἶεν.

ἐν παιδοτρίβου δὲ τίνα πάλην ἐμάνθανες;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κλέπτων ἐπιορκεῖν καὶ βλέπειν ἐναντίον·

Κλέων

ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον Λύκιε τί ποτέ μʼ ἐργάσει;
1240

τέχνην δὲ τίνα ποτʼ εἶχες ἐξανδρούμενος;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἠλλαντοπώλουν καί τι καὶ βινεσκόμην.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐπὶ ταῖς πύλαισιν, οὗ τὸ τάριχος ὤνιον.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

Ἑλλάνιε Ζεῦ σὸν τὸ νικητήριον.

Χορός

ὦ χαῖρε καλλίνικε καὶ μέμνησʼ ὅτι

ἀνὴρ γεγένησαι διʼ ἐμέ· καί σʼ αἰτῶ βραχύ,
1255

ὅπως ἔσομαί σοι Φανὸς ὑπογραφεὺς δικῶν.

Δῆμος

ἐμοὶ δέ γʼ ὅ τι σοι τοὔνομʼ εἴπʼ.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

Ἀγοράκριτος·

ἐν τἀγορᾷ γὰρ κρινόμενος ἐβοσκόμην.

Δῆμος

Ἀγορακρίτῳ τοίνυν ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιτρέπω,

καὶ τὸν Παφλαγόνα παραδίδωμι τουτονί.
1260

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

καὶ μὴν ἐγώ σʼ ὦ Δῆμε θεραπεύσω καλῶς,

ὥσθʼ ὁμολογεῖν σε μηδένʼ ἀνθρώπων ἐμοῦ

ἰδεῖν ἀμείνω τῇ Κεχηναίων πόλει.

Sausage-Seller

And that name was mine, nothing can be clearer.

Cleon

Reply and I shall soon see whether you are indeed the man whom the god intended. 1235 Firstly, what school did you attend when a child?

Sausage-Seller

It was in the kitchens, where I was taught with cuffs and blows.

Cleon

What's that you say? aside Ah! this is truly what the oracle said. To the Sausage-Seller And what did you learn from the master of exercises?

Sausage-Seller

I learnt to take a false oath without a smile, when I had stolen something.

Cleon
frightened; aside

1240 Oh! Phoebus Apollo, god of Lycia ! I am undone! To the Sausage-Seller And when you had become a man, what trade did you follow?

Sausage-Seller

I sold sausages and did a bit of fornication.

Cleon
in consternation; aside

Oh! my god! I am a lost man! Ah! still one slender hope remains. to the Sausage-Seller 1245 Tell me, was it on the market-place or near the gates that you sold your sausages?

Sausage-Seller

Near the gates, in the market for salted goods.

Sausage-Seller

Oh! Zeus, protector of Greece ! 'tis to you I owe this victory!

Chorus

Hail! illustrious conqueror, but forget not, that 1255 if you have become a great man, 'tis thanks to me; I ask but a little thing; appoint me secretary of the law-court in the room of Phanus.

Demos
to the Sausage-Seller

But what is your name then? Tell me.

Sausage-Seller

My name is Agoracritus, because I have always lived on the agora in the midst of lawsuits.

Demos

Well then, Agoracritus, I stand by you; 1260 as for the Paphlagonian, I hand him over to your mercy.

Sausage-Seller

Demos, I will care for you to the best of my power, and all shall admit that no citizen is more devoted than I to this city of simpletons.

Commentary

Line 1263

Stable identifiers

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Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Experimental

Ἀλλαντοπώλης τοὐμόν γε φράζων ὄνομα καὶ λίαν σαφῶς.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ἐν ταῖσιν εὕστραις κονδύλοις ἡρμοττόμην.

Κλέων πῶς εἶπας; ὥς μου χρησμὸς ἅπτεται φρενῶν. εἶεν. ἐν παιδοτρίβου δὲ τίνα πάλην ἐμάνθανες;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης κλέπτων ἐπιορκεῖν καὶ βλέπειν ἐναντίον·

Κλέων ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον Λύκιε τί ποτέ μʼ ἐργάσει; 1240 τέχνην δὲ τίνα ποτʼ εἶχες ἐξανδρούμενος;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ἠλλαντοπώλουν καί τι καὶ βινεσκόμην.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης ἐπὶ ταῖς πύλαισιν, οὗ τὸ τάριχος ὤνιον.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης Ἑλλάνιε Ζεῦ σὸν τὸ νικητήριον.

Χορός ὦ χαῖρε καλλίνικε καὶ μέμνησʼ ὅτι ἀνὴρ γεγένησαι διʼ ἐμέ· καί σʼ αἰτῶ βραχύ, 1255 ὅπως ἔσομαί σοι Φανὸς ὑπογραφεὺς δικῶν.

Δῆμος ἐμοὶ δέ γʼ ὅ τι σοι τοὔνομʼ εἴπʼ.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης Ἀγοράκριτος· ἐν τἀγορᾷ γὰρ κρινόμενος ἐβοσκόμην.

Δῆμος Ἀγορακρίτῳ τοίνυν ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιτρέπω, καὶ τὸν Παφλαγόνα παραδίδωμι τουτονί. 1260

Ἀλλαντοπώλης καὶ μὴν ἐγώ σʼ ὦ Δῆμε θεραπεύσω καλῶς, ὥσθʼ ὁμολογεῖν σε μηδένʼ ἀνθρώπων ἐμοῦ ἰδεῖν ἀμείνω τῇ Κεχηναίων πόλει.

Sausage-Seller And that name was mine, nothing can be clearer.

Cleon Reply and I shall soon see whether you are indeed the man whom the god intended. 1235 Firstly, what school did you attend when a child?

Sausage-Seller It was in the kitchens, where I was taught with cuffs and blows.

Cleon What's that you say? aside Ah! this is truly what the oracle said. To the Sausage-Seller And what did you learn from the master of exercises?

Sausage-Seller I learnt to take a false oath without a smile, when I had stolen something.

Cleon frightened; aside 1240 Oh! Phoebus Apollo, god of Lycia ! I am undone! To the Sausage-Seller And when you had become a man, what trade did you follow?

Sausage-Seller I sold sausages and did a bit of fornication.

Cleon in consternation; aside Oh! my god! I am a lost man! Ah! still one slender hope remains. to the Sausage-Seller 1245 Tell me, was it on the market-place or near the gates that you sold your sausages?

Sausage-Seller Near the gates, in the market for salted goods.

Sausage-Seller Oh! Zeus, protector of Greece ! 'tis to you I owe this victory!

Chorus Hail! illustrious conqueror, but forget not, that 1255 if you have become a great man, 'tis thanks to me; I ask but a little thing; appoint me secretary of the law-court in the room of Phanus.

Demos to the Sausage-Seller But what is your name then? Tell me.

Sausage-Seller My name is Agoracritus, because I have always lived on the agora in the midst of lawsuits.

Demos Well then, Agoracritus, I stand by you; 1260 as for the Paphlagonian, I hand him over to your mercy.

Sausage-Seller Demos, I will care for you to the best of my power, and all shall admit that no citizen is more devoted than I to this city of simpletons.

Commentary

Line 1263

Stable identifiers

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

τοὐμόν γε φράζων ὄνομα καὶ λίαν σαφῶς.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐν ταῖσιν εὕστραις κονδύλοις ἡρμοττόμην.

Κλέων

πῶς εἶπας; ὥς μου χρησμὸς ἅπτεται φρενῶν.

εἶεν.

ἐν παιδοτρίβου δὲ τίνα πάλην ἐμάνθανες;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

κλέπτων ἐπιορκεῖν καὶ βλέπειν ἐναντίον·

Κλέων

ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον Λύκιε τί ποτέ μʼ ἐργάσει;
1240

τέχνην δὲ τίνα ποτʼ εἶχες ἐξανδρούμενος;

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἠλλαντοπώλουν καί τι καὶ βινεσκόμην.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

ἐπὶ ταῖς πύλαισιν, οὗ τὸ τάριχος ὤνιον.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

Ἑλλάνιε Ζεῦ σὸν τὸ νικητήριον.

Χορός

ὦ χαῖρε καλλίνικε καὶ μέμνησʼ ὅτι

ἀνὴρ γεγένησαι διʼ ἐμέ· καί σʼ αἰτῶ βραχύ,
1255

ὅπως ἔσομαί σοι Φανὸς ὑπογραφεὺς δικῶν.

Δῆμος

ἐμοὶ δέ γʼ ὅ τι σοι τοὔνομʼ εἴπʼ.

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

Ἀγοράκριτος·

ἐν τἀγορᾷ γὰρ κρινόμενος ἐβοσκόμην.

Δῆμος

Ἀγορακρίτῳ τοίνυν ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιτρέπω,

καὶ τὸν Παφλαγόνα παραδίδωμι τουτονί.
1260

Ἀλλαντοπώλης

καὶ μὴν ἐγώ σʼ ὦ Δῆμε θεραπεύσω καλῶς,

ὥσθʼ ὁμολογεῖν σε μηδένʼ ἀνθρώπων ἐμοῦ

ἰδεῖν ἀμείνω τῇ Κεχηναίων πόλει.

Sausage-Seller

And that name was mine, nothing can be clearer.

Cleon

Reply and I shall soon see whether you are indeed the man whom the god intended. 1235 Firstly, what school did you attend when a child?

Sausage-Seller

It was in the kitchens, where I was taught with cuffs and blows.

Cleon

What's that you say? aside Ah! this is truly what the oracle said. To the Sausage-Seller And what did you learn from the master of exercises?

Sausage-Seller

I learnt to take a false oath without a smile, when I had stolen something.

Cleon
frightened; aside

1240 Oh! Phoebus Apollo, god of Lycia ! I am undone! To the Sausage-Seller And when you had become a man, what trade did you follow?

Sausage-Seller

I sold sausages and did a bit of fornication.

Cleon
in consternation; aside

Oh! my god! I am a lost man! Ah! still one slender hope remains. to the Sausage-Seller 1245 Tell me, was it on the market-place or near the gates that you sold your sausages?

Sausage-Seller

Near the gates, in the market for salted goods.

Sausage-Seller

Oh! Zeus, protector of Greece ! 'tis to you I owe this victory!

Chorus

Hail! illustrious conqueror, but forget not, that 1255 if you have become a great man, 'tis thanks to me; I ask but a little thing; appoint me secretary of the law-court in the room of Phanus.

Demos
to the Sausage-Seller

But what is your name then? Tell me.

Sausage-Seller

My name is Agoracritus, because I have always lived on the agora in the midst of lawsuits.

Demos

Well then, Agoracritus, I stand by you; 1260 as for the Paphlagonian, I hand him over to your mercy.

Sausage-Seller

Demos, I will care for you to the best of my power, and all shall admit that no citizen is more devoted than I to this city of simpletons.