The fragment refers to the fable of Aesop and the Delphians, a specific literary allusion where Delphi is portrayed as the city that executed Aesop (often attributed to a decree for 'sacrilegious' acts or simply political expediency). In the context of Aristophanes' *Wasps*, this allusion serves as a satirical parallel between the Delphic execution of a foreigner and the Athenian jury's harsh treatment of its own citizens, specifically targeting the procedural excesses of the dikasteria. The abrupt ellipsis 'ποτʼ —' (once —) is a deliberate rhetorical device, mimicking the interrupted speech of a character (likely Bdelycleon or a chorus member) to evoke the notorious 'Delphic decree' story without fully recounting it, relying on the audience's familiarity with the fable tradition to complete the analogy of unjust judicial murder.