Ἑρμῆς
βούλει τὸν αὐχμῶντα ἐκεῖνον, τὸν Ποντικόν;

Ζεύς
πάνυ μὲν οὖν.

Ἑρμῆς
οὗτος ὁ τὴν πήραν ἐξηρτημένος, ὁ ἐξωμίας, ἐλθὲ καὶ περίιθι ἐν κύκλῳ τὸ συνέδριον. βίον ἀνδρικὸν πωλῶ, βίον ἄριστον καὶ γεννικόν, βίον ἐλεύθερον τίς ὠνήσεται;

Ἀγοράστης
ὁ κῆρυξ πῶς ἔφης σύ; πωλεῖς τὸν ἐλεύθερον;

Ἑρμῆς
ἔγωγε.

Ἀγοράστης
εἶτ᾽ οὐ δέδιας μή σοι δικάσηται ἀνδραποδισμοῦ ἢ καὶ προκαλέσηταί σε εἰς Ἄρειον πάγον;

Ἑρμῆς
οὐδὲν αὐτῷ μέλει τῆς πράσεως: οἴεται γὰρ εἶναι παντάπασιν ἐλεύθερος.

Ἀγοράστης
τί δ᾽ ἄν τις αὐτῷ χρήσαιτο  ῥυπῶντι καὶ οὕτω κακοδαιμόνως διακειμένῳ; πλὴν εἰ μὴ σκαπανέα γε καὶ ὑδροφόρον αὐτὸν ἀποδεικτέον.

Ἑρμῆς
οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἢν θυρωρὸν αὐτὸν ἐπιστήσῃς, πολὺ πιστοτέρῳ χρήσῃ τῶν κυνῶν. ἀμέλει κύων αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα.

Ἀγοράστης
ποδαπὸς δέ ἐστιν ἢ τίνα τὴν ἄσκησιν ἐπαγγέλλεται;

Ἑρμῆς
αὐτὸν ἐροῦ: κάλλιον γὰρ οὕτω ποιεῖν.

Ἀγοράστης
δέδια τὸ σκυθρωπὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ κατηφές, μὴ με ὑλακτήσῃ προσελθόντα ἢ καὶ νὴ Δία δάκῃ γε. οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὡς διῆρται τὸ ξύλον καὶ συνέσπακε τὰς ὀφρῦς καὶ ἀπειλητικόν τι καὶ χολῶδες ὑποβλέπει;

Ἑρμῆς
μὴ δέδιθι: τιθασὸς γάρ ἐστι.

    πάνυ μὲν οὖν: certainly, by all means (S. 2901a).

    οὗτος: "hey there" (use of the nom. demonstrative οὗτος as a term of address: S. 1288a).

    ὁ τὴν πήραν ἐξηρτημένος, ὁ ἐξωμίας: "the one equipped with a leather pouch, the sleeveless one." The perf. pass. part. of ἐξαρτάω takes an acc. rei and means "having a thing hung on one" or "equipped with a thing." As this is an exclamation about a person, the nominative can be substituted for the vocative when the subject is not specified (S. 1288).

    ὁ κῆρυξ: "hey auctioneer" (another instance of a nominative instead of a vocative in an exclamatory phrase: S. 1288).

    βίον ἀνδρικόν: "a manly philosophy." As noted above (sect. 1), βίος can mean "philosophy" presumably because it is related to a way of life.

    πῶς ἔφης σύ;: "what's that you were saying?" (lit. "how were you saying (that)?") πῶς is used in dialogues when requesting explanation (πῶς LSJ I.A.b).

    ἀνδραποδισμοῦ: "on a charge of kidnapping" (gen. of the crime/charge: S. 1375).

    προκαλέσηται: subjunctive continuing the fear clause in primary sequence begun with δέδιας μὴ δικάσηται (fear clause: S. 2221).

    Ἄρειον πάγον: the Areopagus was a culturally important hill near the Athenian Acropolis associated with an influential council of older Athenian citizens. While it lost much of its political authority in the fifth century BCE, the Areopagus council continued to investigate charges of corruption and they are here invoked as a body that might look unkindly upon the selling of a free man.

    οὐδὲν αὐτῷ μέλει τῆς πράσεως: "he has no concern about the sale" (οὐδέν adverbial acc. expressing measure or degree: S. 1609).

    τί: "How?" or “In what way?

    πλὴν εἰ μή σκαπανέα...ἀποδεικτέον: "unless one made him a digger..." πλὴν εἰ μή means "unless, except that" (S. 2966a; see also Montanari πλήν 2.a). The pleonastic or redundant μή is there to confirm or emphasize the already negative word πλήν (see S. 2753).

    ἀποδεικτέον: impersonal verbal construction (usually neut. nom. ending in -τέον) that functions as an active verb and takes an object in whatever case the verb ordinarily takes. This construction usually conveys a notion of obligation but here seems more to function like a Latin impersonal passive where the action is stressed over the agent (e.g., ventum est ad forum). For the impersonal active verbal construction in -τέον, see S. 2152.

    οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καί: "not only (that), but also" (S. 2764).

    ἐπιστήσῃς: aor. subj. 2nd. sg. act. from ἐφίστημι. Here the verb takes a direct object and another accusative in apposition: set up someone (acc.) as something (acc.).

    πολὺ πιστοτέρῳ χρήσῃ τῶν κυνῶν: "you will find (him) much more trustworthy than dogs." πολύ is an adverbial acc. used with the comparative to express the degree or measure of difference; this is more common in Attic prose than using a dative of manner to express the degree of difference: see S. 1513 and 1514.

    κύων αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα: "he is even referred to as a dog." αὐτῷ is a dat. of possessor (S. 1476), a common use with any form of εἰμί (ἐστι is to be supplied here as often). ὄνομά μοί ἐστι is used as the passive of ὀνομάζω (S. 1478).

    τίνα τὴν ἄσκησιν: "what way of life...?" (τίνα interrog. adj.: S. 1262).

    κάλλιον γὰρ οὕτω ποιεῖν: "for it is better to do (it) in this way." Supply ἐστι (as often) for this predicate nominative construction (the subject is the infinitive and the adjective is neuter because infinitives are considered neuter singular verbal nouns). See S. 1047.

    δέδια τὸ σκυθρωπὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ κατηφές: "I fear his sullen and downcast (expression.)" Supply πρόσωπον which can mean "expression" or "countenance" (LSJ πρόσωπον A.II) as well as "face." Note that the verb δέδια first governs a simple direct object and then introduces a fear clause with the subjunctive (S. 2221 and 2225).

    διῆρται: perf. mid.-pass. indic. from διαίρω.

    συνέσπακε: perf. act. indic. from συσπάω.

    ἀπειλητικόν τι καὶ χολῶδες: "in a rather threatening and menacing way" (adverbial acc. expressing manner: S. 1608).

    δέδιθι: perf. imperat. 2nd sg. act. from δέδια (perf. with pres. meaning).

    αὐχμέω: be squalid, dirty, unwashed  

    Πόντικός, -ή, -όν: Pontic, from Pontus (near the Black Sea), a reference to Sinope, the home city of Diogenes the Cynic.

    πήρα, -ας, ἡ: wallet, leather pouch

    ἐξαρτάω: hang upon; (perf. pass. part.) equipped with, furnished with (+acc.)

    ἐξωμίας, -ου, ὁ: one whose arms are bare to the shoulders, one clothed in a sleeveless garment

    περίειμι (εἶμι ibo): walk around, go about

    συνέδριον, -ου, τό: meeting place

    ἀνδρικός, -ή, -όν: masculine, manly

    πωλέω: sell

    γεννικός, -ή, -όν: noble

    δικάζω: sit in judgment; (mid.) bring someone (dat.) up on a charge of (+gen)

    ἀνδραποδισμός, -οῦ, ὁ: selling into slavery; kidnapping

    προκαλέομαι: call forth

    Ἄρειος, -ον: warlike, martial

    πᾶγος, -ου, ὁ: rocky hill

    μέλω: be a concern to; (impers.) μέλει there is concern to (+dat. of person) for (+gen. object) 

    πρᾶσις, -εως, ἡ: sale

    παντάπασιν: all in all, completely, in all aspects

    ῥυπάω: be filthy, slovenly

    κακοδαιμόνως: miserably, wretchedly

    διακείμαι: be in a certain state of mind, have a certain disposition

    σκαπανεύς, -έως, ὁ: a digger, a ditch-digger

    ὑδρόφορος, -ου, ὁ: water carrier

    ἀποδείκνυμι: make, render, appoint

    θυρωρὀς, -ου, ὁ: door-keeper

    ἐφίστημι: set up, establish

    ἄσκησις, -εως, ἡ: way of life, discipline

    κατηφής, -ές: with downcast eyes, downcast

    ὑλακτέω: bark, howl

    δάκνω: bite

    διαίρω: lift

    πιστός, -ή, -όν: trustworthy

    ἀμέλει: and indeed, in fact; at any rate

    ποδαπός, -ή, -όν: from what country?

    ἐπαγγέλλω: proclaim, announce; (mid.) profess, lay claim to

    ἔρομαι: ask

    σκυθρωπός, -όν: sullen, angry-looking

    κατηφής -ές: with downcast eyes, downcast, mute

    νή: (strongly affirmative particle used in oaths and exclamations) by (+acc. of deity invoked)

    δάκνω δήξομαι ἔδᾰκον δέδηχα δέδηγμαι ἐδήχθην bite (of dogs)

    ξύλον, -ου, τό: club, cudgel

    συσπάω: draw together

    ὀφρῦς,-ύος, ἡ: eyebrow

    ἀπειλητικός, -ή, -όν: threatening

    χολώδης, -ες:  angry, bilious, quick-tempered

    ὑποβλέπω: look up from below (the eyebrows), look askance at, scowl at

    τιθασός, -ή, -όν: tame, gentle

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