No More Learning

[624] These are the opening verses of Euripides' 'Helen,' with the
exception of the last words, which are a parody. --Syrmea is a purgative
plant very common in Egypt. Aristophanes speaks jestingly of the white
soil of Egypt, because the slime of the Nile is very black.

[625] This reply and those that follow are fragments from 'Helen. '

[626] An infamous Athenian, whose name had become a byword for everything
that was vile.

[627] The whole of this dialogue between Mnesilochus and Euripides is
composed of fragments taken from 'Helen,' slightly parodied at times.

[628] King of Egypt.

[629] Son of Epicles, and mentioned by Thucydides.

[630] Aristophanes invents this in order to give coherence to what
follows.

[631] An Athenian general whom Thucydides mentions.

[632] A deme of Attica.

[633] No doubt Euripides appeared on the stage carrying some herbs in his
hand or wearing them in his belt, so as to recall his mother's calling.
If the gibes of Aristophanes can be believed, she dealt in vegetables, as
we have noted repeatedly.

[634] A ruined man, living in penury, presumably well known to the
audience.

[635] Apollo.
[636] Surnames of Bacchus.

[637] The archers, or the police officers, at Athens were mostly
Scythians. If not from that country always, they were known generally by
that name.

[638] Which the archer had driven in to tighten up the rope binding the
prison to the pillory.

[639] Perseus was returning from the land of the Gorgons mounted upon
Pegasus, when, while high up in the air, he saw Andromeda bound to a rock
and exposed to the lusts and voracity of a sea monster. Touched by the
misfortune and the beauty of the princess, he turned the monster to stone
by showing him the head of Medusa, released Andromeda and married
her. --Euripides had just produced a tragedy on this subject.

[640] Mnesilochus speaks alternately in his own person and as though he
were Andromeda, the effect being comical in the extreme.

[641] A notorious glutton, mentioned also in the 'Peace. '

[642] Through Euripides, his father-in-law.

[643] On the occasion of the presentation of the tragedy of 'Andromeda,'
in which the nymph Echo plays an important part.

[644] Unknown; Aristophanes plays upon the similarity of name.

[645] That is, the Thesmophoriae, viz. Demeter and Persephone.

[646] Throughout the whole scene the Scythian speaks with a grotesque
barbarian accent.

[647] The pun depends in the Greek on the similarity of the final
syllables of [Greek: subin_e], and [Greek: katabin_esi].