Racine: Phaedra

lyS
ARISTOPHANES
Than ever Themistocles was in his day,
Better and kinder in every way.
Sausage-Seller.—Witness, ye deities! witness his blasphemies
!
You to compare with Themistocles ! you
That found us exhausted, and filled us anew
With a bumper of opulence ; carving and sharing
Rich slices of empire; and kindly preparing.
While his guests were at dinner, a capital supper,
With a dainty remove, both under and upper,
The fort and the harbor, and many a dish
Of colonies, islands, and such kind of fish.
But now we are stunted, our spirit is blunted.
With paltry defences, and walls of partition
With silly pretences of poor superstition
And yet you can dare, with him to compare
But he lost the command, and was banished the land,
While you rule over all, and carouse in the hall
Cleon.—This is horrible quite, and his slanderous spite,
Has no motive in view but my friendship for you,
My zeal
Demus.— There have done with your slang and your
stuff,
You've cheated and choused and cajoled me enough.
Sausage-Seller.—My dear little Demus !
you'll find it is true.
He behaves like a wretch and a villain to you.
He haunts your garden and there he plies.
Cropping the sprouts of the young supplies.
Munching and scrunching enormous rations
Of public sales and confiscations.
Cleon.—Don't exult before your time.
Before you've answered for your crime
A notable theft that I mean to prove
Of a hundred talents and above.
Sausage-Seller.—Why do ye plounce and flounce in vain?
Splashing and dashing and splashing again.
Like a silly recruit, just clapped on board?
Your crimes and acts are on record
The Mitylenian bribe alone
Was forty minse proved and shown.