'Tis true, by
Posidon!
Aristophanes
Come, what are the male
quadrupeds?
STREPSIADES. Oh! I know the males thoroughly. Do you take me for a fool
then? The ram, the buck, the bull, the dog, the pigeon.
SOCRATES. Do you see what you are doing; is not the female pigeon called
the same as the male?
STREPSIADES. How else? Come now?
SOCRATES. How else? With you then 'tis pigeon and pigeon!
STREPSIADES.
'Tis true, by Posidon! but what names do you want me to give
them?
SOCRATES. Term the female pigeonnette and the male pigeon.
STREPSIADES. Pigeonnette! hah! by the Air! That's splendid! for that
lesson bring out your kneading-trough and I will fill him with flour to
the brim.
SOCRATES. There you are wrong again; you make _trough_ masculine and it
should be feminine.
STREPSIADES. What? if I say _him_, do I make the _trough_ masculine?
SOCRATES.
quadrupeds?
STREPSIADES. Oh! I know the males thoroughly. Do you take me for a fool
then? The ram, the buck, the bull, the dog, the pigeon.
SOCRATES. Do you see what you are doing; is not the female pigeon called
the same as the male?
STREPSIADES. How else? Come now?
SOCRATES. How else? With you then 'tis pigeon and pigeon!
STREPSIADES.
'Tis true, by Posidon! but what names do you want me to give
them?
SOCRATES. Term the female pigeonnette and the male pigeon.
STREPSIADES. Pigeonnette! hah! by the Air! That's splendid! for that
lesson bring out your kneading-trough and I will fill him with flour to
the brim.
SOCRATES. There you are wrong again; you make _trough_ masculine and it
should be feminine.
STREPSIADES. What? if I say _him_, do I make the _trough_ masculine?
SOCRATES.