ΑΥΤΟΒΟΥΛΟΣ. λεγομένων τούτων ὁ Πεισίας ἦν δῆλος ἀγανακτῶν καὶ παροξυνόμενος ἐπὶ τὸν Δαφναῖον· μικρὸν δʼ αὐτοῦ καταλιπόντος ὦ Ἡράκλεις ἔφη τῆς εὐχερείας καὶ θρασύτητος· ἀνθρώπους ὁμολογοῦντας ὥσπερ οἱ κύνες ἐκ τῶν μορίων συνηρτῆσθαι πρὸς τὸ θῆλυ μεθιστάναι καὶ μετοικίζειν τὸν θεὸν ἐκ γυμνασίων καὶ περιπάτων καὶ τῆς ἐν ἡλίῳ καθαρᾶς καὶ ἀναπεπταμένης διατριβῆς εἰς ματρυλεῖα καὶ κοπίδας καὶ φάρμακα καὶ μαγεύματα καθειργνύμενον ἀκολάστων γυναικῶν ἐπεὶ ταῖς· γε σώφροσιν οὔτʼ ἐρᾶν οὔτʼ ἐρᾶσθαι δήπου προσῆκόν ἐστιν. ἐνταῦθα μέντοι καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη τοῦ Πρωτογένους ἐπιλαβέσθαι καὶ εἰπεῖν τόδʼ ἐξοπλίζει τοὔπος Ἀργεῖον λεών, καὶ νὴ Δία Δαφναίῳ συνδίκους ἡμᾶς προστίθησιν οὐ μετριάζων ὁ Πεισίας, ἀλλὰ τοῖς γάμοις ἀνέραστον ἐπάγων καὶ ἄμοιρον ἐνθέου φιλίας κοινωνίαν, ἣν τῆς ἐρωτικῆς πειθοῦς καὶ χάριτος ἀπολιπούσης μονονοὺ ζυγοῖς καὶ χαλινοῖς ὑπʼ αἰσχύνης καὶ φόβου μάλα μόλις συνεχομένην ὁρῶμεν. καὶ ὁ Πεισίας ἐμοὶ μέν εἶπεν ὀλίγον μέλει τοῦ λόγου· Δαφναῖον δʼ ὁρῶ ταὐτὸν πάσχοντα τῷ χαλκῷ· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος οὐχ οὕτως ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρός, ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ πεπυρωμένου χαλκοῦ καὶ ῥέοντος, ἂν ἐπιχέῃ τις, ἀνατήκεται καὶ ῥεῖ συνεξυγραινόμενος καὶ τοῦτον οὐκ ἐνοχλεῖ τὸ Λυσάνδρας κάλλος, ἀλλὰ συνδιακεκαυμένῳ καὶ γέμοντι πυρὸς ἤδη πολὺν χρόνον πλησιάζων καὶ ἁπτόμενος ἀναπίμπλαται· καὶ δῆλός ἐστιν, εἰ μὴ ταχὺ φύγοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, συντακησόμενος. ἀλλʼ ὁρῶ εἶπε γιγνόμενον ὅπερ ἂν μάλιστα σπουδάσειεν Ἀνθεμίων, προσκρούοντα τοῖς δικασταῖς καὶ ἐμαυτόν, ὥστε παύομαι καὶ ὁ Ἀνθεμίων ὤνησας εἶπεν ὡς ἔδει γʼ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς λέγειν τι πρὸς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν.
AUTOB. These things thus said, it was apparent that Pisias found himself touched to the quick, and much concerned for what Daphnaeus had spoken. But after he had been silent awhile, O Hercules, said he, what a strange impudence and levity is this in men, to acknowledge themselves tied to women by their generating parts, like dogs to hitches; by this means expelling and banishing love from the places of exercise, from the public porticos, and from conversing under the open sky and sunshine, to the stews, poniards, philters, and sorceries of lascivious women; for it is not convenient for the chaste either to love or to be beloved. At which words, as my father told me, he took Protogenes by the hand, and repeated to him these verses: Words such as these the Argive courage warm; / And the affronted youth provoke to arm. /
AUTOB. For surely (he added) the exorbitant language of Pisias gives us good reason to take Daphnaeus’s part, while he introduces over the head of wedlock a society void of love, and utterly a stranger to that same friendship which descends and is inspired from above; which, if real affection and submission be wanting, can hardly be restrained by all the curbs and yokes of shame and fear. Then Pisias: For my part, said he, I give little heed to this argument; for as for Daphnaeus, I find him in the same condition with brass. For as brass is not so easily melted by the fire as by the force of the same melted and liquid metal being poured upon it, which mollifies both alike, and causes them to run and mix together; so it is not the beauty of Lysandra that inflames him, but the conversing along with one that is already inflamed and full of fire, that sets him all in a flame himself; and it is apparent that, unless he makes haste to us, he will suddenly be melted with his own heat. But I perceive, said he, the same thing will befall me which Anthemion has most reason to desire, that I too shall offend the judges; and therefore I shall say no more. Then Anthemion: ’Tis very true indeed, your fear is just; for you ought at the first to have spoken to the purpose, and what was proper to the argument in hand.
ΑΥΤΟΒΟΥΛΟΣ. λέγω τοίνυν ὁ Πεισίας ἔφη προκηρύξας ἐμοῦ· γʼ ἕνεκα πάσαις γυναιξὶν ἂν ἐραστήν, ὅτι τῆς γυναικὸς ὁ πλοῦτός ἐστι φυλακτέος τῷ νεανίσκῳ, μὴ συμμίξαντες αὐτὸν ὄγκῳ καὶ βάρει τοσούτῳ λάθωμεν ὥσπερ ἐν χαλκῷ κασσίτερον ἀφανίσαντες μέγα γὰρ ἂν ἐλαφρᾷ καὶ λιτῇ γυναικὶ μειρακίου συνελθὸντος εἰς ταὐτὸν ἡ κρᾶσις οἴνου δίκην ἐπικρατήσῃ· ταύτην δʼ ὁρῶμεν ἄρχειν καὶ κρατεῖν δοκοῦσαν οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἀπορρίψασα δόξας καὶ γένη τηλικαῦτα καὶ πλούτους ἐμνᾶτο μειράκιον ἐκ χλαμύδος, ἔτι παιδαγωγεῖσθαι δεόμενον. ὅθεν οἱ νοῦν ἔχοντες αὐτοὶ προΐενται καὶ περικόπτουσιν ὥσπερ ὠκύπτερα τῶν γυναικῶν τὰ περιττὰ χρήματα, τρυφὰς ἐμποιοῦντα καὶ χαυνότητας ἀβεβαίους καὶ κενάς, ὑφʼ ὧν ἐπαιρόμεναι πολλάκις ἀποπέτονται · κἂν μένωσι, χρυσαῖς ὥσπερ ἐν Αἰθιοπίᾳ πέδαις δεδέσθαι βέλτιον ἢ πλούτῳ γυναικός.
AUTOB. To this Pisias replied: I am willing enough that every woman should have her lover; but withal, it very much concerns Baccho to have a care how he entangles himself in Ismenodora’s wealth; lest, while we match him with so much grandeur and magnificence, we consume him to nothing, like tin among brass. For I must tell you, it would be a hard matter for so young a stripling as he is, though he should marry a plain and ordinary woman, to keep the upper hand, like wine mixed with water. But we see her already design superiority and command; else why should she refuse so many suitors of great wealth and noble extraction that court her daily, to woo herself a mere boy, that has but newly assumed the robes of manhood and is more fit to go to school than to marry. And therefore those husbands that are wise, without any admonition, out of their own foresight, clip their wives’ wings themselves; that is, they prune away their riches, that prompt them to luxury and vanity, and render them inconstant and foolish. For many times, by the help of these wings, they soar out of their husbands’ reach and fly quite away; or if they stay at home, better it were for a man to be chained with fetters of gold, as they chain their prisoners in Ethiopia, than to be tied to the riches of a wife.
ΑΥΤΟΒΟΥΛΟΣ. ἐκεῖνο δʼ οὐ λέγεις ὁ Πρωτογένης εἶπεν ὅτι κινδυνεύομεν ἀναστρέφειν ἀτόπως καὶ γελοίως τὸν Ἡσίοδον, ἂν ἐκείνου λέγοντος μήτε τριηκόντων ἐτέων μάλα πόλλʼ ἀπολείπων / μήτʼ ἐπιθεὶς μάλα πολλὰ γάμος δέ τοι ὥριος οὗτος· / ἡ δὲ γυνὴ τέτορʼ ἡβώοι, πέμπτῳ δὲ γαμοῖτο· / σχεδὸν ἡμεῖς ἔτεσι τοσούτοις γυναικὶ πρεσβυτέρᾳ, καθαπερεὶ φοίνικας ἢ σῦκ̓ ἐρινεοῖς, ὄμφακα καὶ ἄωρον ἄνδρα περιάψωμεν. ἐρᾶται γὰρ αὐτοῦ νὴ Δία καὶ κάεται· τίς οὖν ὁ κωλύων ἐστὶ κωμάζειν ἐπὶ θύρας, ᾄδειν τὸ παρακλαυσίθυρον, ἀναδεῖν τὰ εἰκόνια, παγκρατιάζειν πρὸς τοὺς ἀντεραστάς; ταῦτα γὰρ ἐρωτικά· καὶ καθείσθω τὰς ὀφρῦς καὶ παυσάσθω τρυφῶσα, σχῆμα λαβοῦσα τῶν τοῦ πάθους οἰκείων. εἰ δʼ αἰσχύνεται καὶ σωφρονεῖ, κοσμίως οἴκοι καθήσθω περιμένουσα τοὺς μνωμένους καὶ σπουδάζοντας. ἐρᾶν δὲ φάσκουσαν γυναῖκα φυγεῖν τις ἂν ἔχοι καὶ βδελυχθείη, μήτι γε λάβοι γάμου ποιησάμενος ἀρχὴν τὴν τοιαύτην ἀκρασίαν.
AUTOB. However, said Protogenes, he has not hinted to us in the least the hazard we run of inverting absurdly and ridiculously the counsel of Hesiod, whose words are these: Take to thy home a woman for thy bride / When in the ripeness of thy manhood’s pride: / Thrice ten thy sum of years, the nuptial prime; / Nor far fall short, nor far exceed the time. / Four years the ripening virgin should consume, / And wed the fifth of her expanded bloom. /
AUTOB. Quite contrary to this precept, we are going about to couple a young lad, scarce ripe for marriage, to a lady much older than himself; like those that graft the tender scions of dates and fig-trees upon old stocks, to make them bear fruit before their season. But you will say, The woman is in love up to the cars, and burns with desire. Who is he that will hinder her from masquerading before his doors, from singing her amorous lamentations at his windows, from adorning his statues with chaplets and garlands of flowers, from duelling her rivals, and winning him from them all by feats of arms? For these are acts that demonstrate the height of a passionate affection. Let her knit her brows, refrain all manner of pomp of luxury; let her put on a garb and countenance suitable to such a violent passion. But if bashful and modest, let her sit at home, expecting her suitors and gallants to come and court her there. But who would not fly and abominate a woman that professes love, and loathe the idea of taking one to wife who makes such an impudent incontinence the first step to future nuptials?
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