33-35 | Dickinson College Commentaries

[33] ἀφικόμενος τοίνυν δεῦρο ἔχων αὐτὴν ἀσελγῶς καὶ προπετῶς ἐχρῆτο αὐτῇ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ δεῖπνα ἔχων αὐτὴν πανταχοῖ ἐπορεύετο ὅπου πίνοι, ἐκώμαζέ τ᾽ ἀεὶ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, συνῆν τ᾽ ἐμφανῶς ὁπότε βουληθείη πανταχοῦ, φιλοτιμίαν τὴν ἐξουσίαν πρὸς τοὺς ὁρῶντας ποιούμενος. καὶ ὡς ἄλλους τε πολλοὺς ἐπὶ κῶμον ἔχων ἦλθεν αὐτὴν καὶ ὡς Χαβρίαν τὸν Αἰξωνέα, ὅτε ἐνίκα ἐπὶ Σωκρατίδου ἄρχοντος τὰ Πύθια τῷ τεθρίππῳ ὃ ἐπρίατο παρὰ τῶν παίδων τῶν Μίτυος τοῦ Ἀργείου, καὶ ἥκων ἐκ Δελφῶν εἱστία τὰ ἐπινίκια ἐπὶ Κωλιάδι. καὶ ἐκεῖ ἄλλοι τε πολλοὶ συνεγίγνοντο αὐτῇ μεθυούσῃ καθεύδοντος τοῦ Φρυνίωνος, καὶ οἱ διάκονοι οἱ Χαβρίου τράπεζαν παραθέμενοι.

[34] καὶ ὅτι ταῦτ᾽ ἀληθῆ λέγω, τοὺς ὁρῶντας ὑμῖν καὶ παρόντας μάρτυρας παρέξομαι. καί μοι κάλει Χιωνίδην Ξυπεταιόνα καὶ Εὐθετίωνα Κυδαθηναιᾶ. “Μαρτυρία

Χιωνίδης Ξυπεταιών, Εὐθετίων Κυδαθηναιεὺς μαρτυροῦσι κληθῆναι ὑπὸ Χαβρίου ἐπὶ δεῖπνον, ὅτε τὰ ἐπινίκια εἱστία Χαβρίας τῆς νίκης τοῦ ἅρματος, καὶ ἑστιᾶσθαι ἐπὶ Κωλιάδι, καὶ εἰδέναι Φρυνίωνα παρόντα ἐν τῷ δείπνῳ τούτῳ ἔχοντα Νέαιραν τὴν νυνὶ ἀγωνιζομένην, καὶ καθεύδειν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ Φρυνίωνα καὶ Νέαιραν, καὶ αἰσθάνεσθαι αὐτοὶ ἀνισταμένους τῆς νυκτὸς πρὸς Νέαιραν ἄλλους τε καὶ τῶν διακόνων τινάς, οἳ ἦσαν Χαβρίου οἰκέται.”

[35] ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἀσελγῶς προὐπηλακίζετο ὑπὸ τοῦ Φρυνίωνος καὶ οὐχ ὡς ᾤετο ἠγαπᾶτο, οὐδ᾽ ὑπηρέτει αὐτῇ ἃ ἐβούλετο, συσκευασαμένη αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας καὶ ὅσα ἦν αὐτῇ ὑπ᾽ ἐκείνου περὶ τὸ σῶμα κατεσκευασμένα ἱμάτια καὶ χρυσία, καὶ θεραπαίνας δύο, Θρᾷτταν καὶ Κοκκαλίνην, ἀποδιδράσκει εἰς Μέγαρα. ἦν δὲ ὁ χρόνος οὗτος ᾧ Ἀστεῖος μὲν ἦν ἄρχων Ἀθήνησιν, ὁ καιρὸς δ᾽ ἐν ᾧ ἐπολεμεῖθ᾽ ὑμεῖς πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους τὸν ὕστερον πόλεμον.

notes

Phrynion and Neaira then went to Athens, where she attended drinking parties at which her body was at the disposal of many men. Upset with how she was treated by Phrynion, she left for Megara, along with her clothing, jewelry, and female slaves.

ἐχρῆτο αὐτῇ: “treated her.” The subject of the verb is Phrynion; see §31-32.

ἐκώμαζε: the subject here is Neaira (the other verbs in this sentence have Phrynion as their subject).

συνῆν: “had intercourse with, had sex with” (LSJ σύνειμι1 II.2).

φιλοτιμίαν τὴν ἐξουσίαν πρὸς τοὺς ὁρῶντας ποιούμενος: “making his privilege an object of envy in front of the onlookers” (LSJ ἐξουσία ΙΙΙ). Note the predicate position of φιλοτιμίαν.

ὡς: “at the house of” + acc.

ἐπὶ Σωκρατίδου ἄρχοντος: one way of reckoning years in Athens was by the name of that year’s eponymous archon; thus, “in the archonship of Sokratides”: 374/3 BCE

τὰ Πύθια: the Pythian Games were panhellenic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi.

Ἀργείου: of the Greek city of Argos

εἱστία τὰ ἐπινίκια: ”gave a feast to celebrate his victory.” εἱστία < ἑστιάω. ἐπινίκια < adj. ἐπινίκιος; the plural substantive can mean, as here, “sacrifice for a victory or feast in honor of it.”

Κωλιάδι: at Kolias, a promontory on the bay of Phaleron, in Attica

συνεγίγνοντο αὐτῇ μεθυούσῃ: “had intercourse with her when she was drunk”

Μαρτυρία: Dilts 2009 brackets this whole passage as spurious, following Westermann.

κληθῆναι < καλέω

καθεύδειν: evidently = “went to bed,” as opposed to being asleep, since they claim to have noticed (αἰσθάνεσθαι αὐτοί) men visiting Neaira later.

προὐπηλακίζετο < προπηλακίζω, used figuratively to mean “to treat in an insulting fashion”

ὑπηρέτει αὐτῇ ἃ ἐβούλετο: “help her in the ways she wanted.” The language is vague. See LSJ ὑπηρετέω II.4.

αὐτοῦ: take as genitive of possession with τά.

τὰ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας: the article is being used substantively here.

ὅσα: modifies ἱμάτια καὶ χρυσία, which follow

περὶ τὸ σῶμα: i.e., Neaira’s body

χρυσία: gold jewelry

Θρᾷτταν: Thratta is a common name for female slaves, meaning “Thracian.” Thrace was a regular source of slaves.

Ἀστεῖος…ἦν ἄρχων: i.e., the year 373/2 BCE

Ἀθήνησιν: “in Athens,” locative adverb (G. 228, S. 341)

ὕστερον πόλεμον: in 378, the Spartans tried to seize the Athenian port of Piraeus, and so Athens allied itself with Thebes (Sparta’s enemy). Peace was declared in 374, but war broke out again shortly thereafter and lasted until 371. The ὕστερος πόλεμος is the war that broke out in 374.

vocabulary

δεῦρο: (to) here

ἀσελγής: licentious, wanton

προπετής: fallen forward; reckless, out of control

δεῖπνον –ου τό: feast

πανταχοῖ: in every direction, every way

κωμάζω: to go about with a party of revelers, to revel, make merry

σύνειμι συνέσομαι ––– ––– ––– –––: be with, live, have dealings with

ἐμφανής –ές: clear, visible to the eye, manifest; (adv.) visibly, openly

ὁπότε: when

πανταχοῦ: everywhere

φιλοτιμία: love of distinction, ambition

ἐξουσία –ας ἡ: power, authority, resources

κῶμος ὁ: a village festival: a revel, carousal, merry-making

Χαβρίας: Chabrias

Αἰξωνεύς: of the deme Aixone

Σωκρατίδης: Sokratides

Πύθια: the Pythian games

τέθριππος –ον: with four horses abreast, four-horsed

πρίαμαι/ὠνέομαι ὠνήσομαι/ὠνηθήσομαι ἐπριάμην/ἐωνήθην ἐώνημαι: to buy

Μίτυς: Mitys

Ἀργεῖος –η –ον: Argive, of or from Argos (Greece)

Δελφοί ῶν οἱ: Delphi, the Delphinians

ἑστιάω: to receive at one's hearth

ἐπινίκιος: of victory, triumphal

Κωλιάς: Kolias

συγγίγνομαι –γενήσομαι –εγενόμην –γέγονα: be in company with

μεθύω μεθύσω ἐμέθυσα ––– μεμέθυσμαι ἐμεθύσθην: to be drunken with wine

καθεύδω (imperf. ἐκάθευδον or καθηῦδον) καθευδήσω — — — —: to lie down to sleep, sleep

Φρυνίων: Phrynion

διάκονος -ου ὁ: a servant, messenger

τράπεζα –ης ἡ: a table, dinner

παρατίθημι παραθήσω παρέθηκα παρατέθηκα ––– παρετέθην: place beside, provide, set before

Χιωνίδης: Chionides

Ξυπεταιών: of the deme Xypete

Εὐθετίων: Euthetion

Κυδαθηναιεύς: of the deme Kydathenaion

μαρτυρία –ας ἡ: witness, testimony, evidence

μαρτυρέω μαρτυρήσω ἐμαρτύρησα μεμαρτύρηκα μεμαρτύρημαι ἐμαρτυρήθην: witness to

ἅρμα –ατος τό: chariot

Νέαιρα: Neaira

νυνί: now, at this moment

ἀγωνίζομαι ἀγωνισιοῦμαι ἠγωνισάμην ––– ἠγώνισμαι ἠγωνίσθην: to contend for a prize; to contend in court; (pass.) to be on trial

σφεῖς: they

ἀνίστημι ἀνστήσω ἀνέστησα (or ἀνέστην) ἀνέστηκα ἀνέσταμαι ἀνεστάθην: make stand, set up; stand up

οἰκέτης –ου ὁ: servant

προπηλακίζω προπηλακιῶ προυπηλάκισα ––– προπεπηλάκισμαι προυπηλακίσθην: to bespatter with mud; mistreat insultingly

ἀγαπάω ἀγαπήσω ἀγάπησα ἠγάπηκα ἠγάπημαι ἀγάπηθην: love, show affection

ὑπηρετέω ὑπηρετήσω ὑπηρέτησα ὑπηρέτηκα ὑπηρέτημαι ὑπηρετήθην: to minister to, serve (+ dat.)

συσκευάζω: (mid.) to pack up baggage

ἱμάτιον –ου τό: a cloak, mantle, outer garment

χρυσίον –ου τό: a piece of gold; gold jewelry

θεράπαινα –ης ἡ: a female servant, enslaved woman

Θρᾷττα: Thratta

Κοκκαλίνη: Kokkalina

ἀποδιδράσκω ἀποδράσομαι ἀπέδραν ἀποδέδρακα ––– –––: run away, run off

Μέγαρα: town of Megara

Ἀστεῖος: Asteios

Ἀθῆναι –ῶν αἱ: Athens

Λακεδαιμόνιος –α –ον: Spartan

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