And you, what's your
opinion?
Aristophanes
I vote for peace.
POSIDON. You wretch! you are nothing but a fool and a glutton. Do you
want to dethrone your own father?
PISTHETAERUS. What an error! Why, the gods will be much more powerful if
the birds govern the earth. At present the mortals are hidden beneath the
clouds, escape your observation, and commit perjury in your name; but if
you had the birds for your allies, and a man, after having sworn by the
crow and Zeus, should fail to keep his oath, the crow would dive down
upon him unawares and pluck out his eye.
POSIDON. Well thought of, by Posidon! [367]
HERACLES. My notion too.
PISTHETAERUS. (_to the Triballian_).
And you, what's your opinion?
TRIBALLUS. Nabaisatreu. [368]
PISTHETAERUS. D'you see? he also approves. But hear another thing in
which we can serve you. If a man vows to offer a sacrifice to some god
and then procrastinates, pretending that the gods can wait, and thus does
not keep his word, we shall punish his stinginess.
POSIDON. Ah! ah! and how?
PISTHETAERUS. While he is counting his money or is in the bath, a kite
will relieve him, before he knows it, either in coin or in clothes, of
the value of a couple of sheep, and carry it to the god.
HERACLES. I vote for restoring them the sceptre.
POSIDON. You wretch! you are nothing but a fool and a glutton. Do you
want to dethrone your own father?
PISTHETAERUS. What an error! Why, the gods will be much more powerful if
the birds govern the earth. At present the mortals are hidden beneath the
clouds, escape your observation, and commit perjury in your name; but if
you had the birds for your allies, and a man, after having sworn by the
crow and Zeus, should fail to keep his oath, the crow would dive down
upon him unawares and pluck out his eye.
POSIDON. Well thought of, by Posidon! [367]
HERACLES. My notion too.
PISTHETAERUS. (_to the Triballian_).
And you, what's your opinion?
TRIBALLUS. Nabaisatreu. [368]
PISTHETAERUS. D'you see? he also approves. But hear another thing in
which we can serve you. If a man vows to offer a sacrifice to some god
and then procrastinates, pretending that the gods can wait, and thus does
not keep his word, we shall punish his stinginess.
POSIDON. Ah! ah! and how?
PISTHETAERUS. While he is counting his money or is in the bath, a kite
will relieve him, before he knows it, either in coin or in clothes, of
the value of a couple of sheep, and carry it to the god.
HERACLES. I vote for restoring them the sceptre.
