Ἐσθὴς δὲ τοῖς μὲν πλουσίοις ὑαλίνη μαλθακή, τοῖς πένησι δὲ χαλκῆ ὑφαντή· πολύχαλκα γὰρ τὰ ἐκεῖ χωρία, καὶ ἐργάζονται τὸν χαλκὸν ὕδατι ἀποβρέξαντες ὥσπερ τὰ ἔρια. περὶ μέντοι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, οἵους ἔχουσιν, ὀκνῶ μὲν εἰπεῖν, μή τίς με νομίσῃ ψεύδεσθαι διὰ τὸ ἄπιστον τοῦ λόγου. ὅμως δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐρῶ· τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς περιαιρετοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ ὁ βουλόμενος ἐξελὼν τοὺς αὑτοῦ φυλάττει ἔστ᾽ ἂν δεηθῇ ἰδεῖν· οὕτω δὲ ἐνθέμενος ὁρᾷ· καὶ πολλοὶ τοὺς σφετέρους ἀπολέσαντες παρ᾽ ἄλλων χρησάμενοι ὁρῶσιν. εἰσὶ δ᾽ οἳ καὶ πολλοὺς ἀποθέτους ἔχουσιν, οἱ πλούσιοι. τὰ ὦτα δὲ πλατάνων φύλλα ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς πλήν γε τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν βαλάνων· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ μόνοι ξύλινα ἔχουσιν. 

    τοῖς μὲν πλουσίοις...τοῖς δὲ πένησι: "for the wealthy...while for the poor" (S. 1021 and 1022).

    ἐπειδὰν ῥιγώσῃ: “whenever it is cold” (S. 2410 and 2399a).

    ῇ: subj. 3 sg. of εἰμι.

    ὑαλίνη μαλθακή: "soft glass."

    χαλκῆ ὑφαντή:  "spun bronze."

    τὰ ἐκεῖ χωρία: "the places there," the def. article makes the adverb attributive (S. 1156).

    ἐργάζονται τὸν χαλκὸν ὕδατι ἀποβρέξαντες: "they work the bronze by soaking it in water."

    ἀποβρέξαντες: aor. part. of ἀποβρέχω with instrumental force.

    ὥσπερ τὰ ἔρια:  "just like wool."

    οἵους ἔχουσιν: "what sort (of eyes) they have."

    ὀκνῶ μὲν εἰπεῖν, μή τίς με νομίσῃ: "I hesitate to say out of concern that someone may think that I..." (object clause after a verb of apprehension or caution; this is related to a fear clause: S. 2221 and 2224a; G. 611b). For the accenting of μή τίς με, see S. 182 and 185.

    νομίσῃ: aor. subj. of νομίζω.

    διὰ τὸ ἄπιστον τοῦ λόγου: "due to the unbelievability of the account," (S. 1021 and 1023).

    ἐρῶ: future of λέγω, "I will say."

    ὁ βουλόμενος: "anyone who wishes" (G. 582b; S. 2052).

    ἐξελὼν: aor. part. nom. sg. of ἐξαιρέω, "after removing."

    ἔστ᾽ ἂν δεηθῇ ἰδεῖν: "until he needs to see," (S. 2383c and 2394; G. 631). ἐστε governs the aor. subj. and ἄν when referring to future time.

    δεηθῇ: aor. pass. subj. of δέω.

    ἐνθέμενος: aor. part. mid. of ἐντίθημι, "having put it in."

    ἀπολέσαντες: aor. part. of ἀπόλλυμι, "after having lost."

    χρησάμενοι: aor. part. of χράομαι, "having borrowed."

    εἰσὶ δ᾽ οἳ...ἔχουσιν, οἱ πλούσιοι: “some have...namely the wealthy" (lit. "there are those who"). For the specific idiom εἰσὶν οἵ and the general idea that the antecedent of the rel. pron. may be omitted, see S. 2513 and G. 614a.

    πλήν γε τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν βαλάνων: “except the men born from acorns” (S. 1153c).

    VERB LIST

    ἐσθής, -ῆτος, ἡ: dress, clothing

    πλούσιος, -α, -ον: rich, wealthy, opulent

    ὑάλινος, -η, -ον: of crystal or glass

    μαλθακός, -ή, -όν: soft

    πένης, -ητος, ὁ: a poor man; as adj. poor

    χαλκοῦς (χάλκεος), -ῆ, -οῦν: of bronze or copper, brazen

    ὑφαντός, -ή, -όν: woven, spun

    πολύχαλκος, -ον: abounding in bronze or copper

    χαλκός, ὁ: bronze, copper

    ἀποβρέχω: steep well, soak

    ἔρια, τά: wool

    ὀκνέω: shrink from, hesitate

    ψεύδω: lie

    ἄπιστος, -ον: unbelievable

    περιαιρετός, -ή, -όν: removable

    ἐξαιρέω: take out

    ἔστε: up to the time that, until 

    οὕτω (= οὕτως): so, then

    ἐντίθημι: put in

    σφέτερος, -α, -ον: their own

    ἀπόθετος, -ον: stored up; special, reserved for special occasions

    πλούσιος, -α, -ον: rich, wealthy

    οὖς, ὠτός, τό: an ear

    πλάτανος, ἡ: a plane-tree

    φύλλον, τό: a leaf

    βάλανος, ἡ: an acorn

    ξύλινος, -η, -ον: wooden

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    Suggested Citation

    Eric Casey, Evan Hayes, and Stephen Nimis, Lucian True History. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2023. ISBN: .
    https://dcc.dickinson.edu/lucian-true/book-1/1-25