An oracle given concerning the murders and injustices of Aurelian.[1]
Aristophanes [writes]: "every one of the Athenians when he goes in yells at the servants and asks: 'Where is my pot? Who gave away the head of the sprat? Has my last year's bowl perished? Where is yesterday's garlic? Who nibbled on the olives?'" These [are] all trivial matters. But "perished" [is used] instead of "is broken."[2]
Ai ke pathoi ta k' erexe, dikê d' itheia genoito: chrêsmos dotheis peri tôn Aurêlianou phonôn kai adikiôn. Aristophanês: Athênaiôn pas tis eisiôn kekrage pros tous oiketas zêtei te: pou 'sti m' hê chutra; tis tên kephalên apedêdoke tês mainidos; to trublion to perusinon tethnêke moi; pou to skorodon to chthesinon; tis tas elaas paretrage; tauta mikroprepê panta. to de tethnêken, anti tou keklastai.
The headword phrase is partially repeated at
epsilon 3074 (end).
[1] cf. Julian,
Symposium 12 (Lacombrade), assigning it to
Delphi. However, this 'oracle' is an approximation of a dictum quoted in
Aristotle,
Nicomachean Ethics 1132b27 (read
ta/ t' e)/rece, di/kh k'), and attributed to Rhadamanthys (
rho 12,
rho 13); proverbial in
Appendix Proverbiorum 2.12. An anonymous commentator on the
Ethics quotes this as
two verses -- the first one is
ei) kaka/ tis spei/rai, kaka\ ke/rdea k' a)mh/seien ("if anyone should sow evils, he should reap evil gains") -- and attributes them to Hesiod: fr. 286 Merkelbach/West. On the emperor Aurelian, see generally
alpha 4458.
[2]
Aristophanes,
Frogs 981-988, with
scholia; cf.
mu 1051. The passage does not seem to have any connection with the oracle against Aurelian.
David Whitehead (augmented and modified notes; added keywords; cosmetics) on 3 November 2002@05:27:33.
David Whitehead (more keywords; cosmetics) on 14 May 2012@08:46:59.
David Whitehead (expanded n.1; more keywords; cosmetics) on 25 November 2015@04:14:38.
Catharine Roth (cosmeticule) on 26 November 2015@01:03:13.
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