What is there then?

STREPSIADES
The Whirlwind has driven out Zeus and is King now.

PHIDIPPIDES
What drivel!

STREPSIADES
You must realize that it is true.

PHIDIPPIDES
And who says so?

STREPSIADES
Socrates, the Melian, and Chaerephon, who knows how to measure the

jump of a flea.
PHIDIPPIDES

Have you reached such a pitch of madness that you believe those
bilious fellows?

STREPSIADES
Use better language, and do not insult men who are clever and full

of wisdom, who, to economize, never shave, shun the gymnasia and never
go to the baths, while you, you only await my death to eat up my

wealth. But come, come as quickly as you can to learn in my stead.
PHIDIPPIDES

And what good can be learnt of them?
STREPSIADES

What good indeed? Why, all human knowledge. Firstly, you will know
yourself grossly ignorant. But await me here awhile.

(He goes back into his house.)
PHIDIPPIDES

Alas! what is to be done? Father has lost his wits. Must I have
him certificated for lunacy, or must I order his coffin?

STREPSIADES (returning with a bird in each hand)
Come! what kind of bird is this? Tell me.

PHIDIPPIDES
A pigeon.

STREPSIADES
Good! And this female?

PHIDIPPIDES
A pigeon.

STREPSIADES
The same for both? You make me laugh! In the future you must

call this one a pigeonnette and the other a pigeon.
PHIDIPPIDES

A pigeonnette! These then are the fine things you have just learnt
at the school of these sons of Earth!

STREPSIADES
And many others; but what I learnt I forgot at once, because I

am to old.
PHIDIPPIDES

So this is why you have lost your cloak?
STREPSIADES

I have not lost it, I have consecrated it to Philosophy.
PHIDIPPIDES

And what have you done with your sandals, you poor fool?
STREPSIADES

If I have lost them, it is for what was necessary, just as
Pericles did. But come, move yourself, let us go in; if necessary,

do wrong to obey your father. When you were six years old and still
lisped, I was the one who obeyed you. I remember at the feasts of Zeus

you had a consuming wish for a little chariot and I bought it for
you with the first obolus which I received as a juryman in the courts.

PHIDIPPIDES
You will soon repent of what you ask me to do.

STREPSIADES
Oh! now I am happy! He obeys. (loudly) Come, Socrates, come!

Come out quick! Here I am bringing you my son; he refused, but I
have persuaded him.

SOCRATES
Why, he is but a child yet. He is not used to these baskets, in

which we suspend our minds.
PHIDIPPIDES

To make you better used to them, I would you were hung.
STREPSIADES

A curse upon you! you insult your master!
SOCRATES

"I would you were hung!" What a stupid speech! and so emphatically
spoken! How can one ever get out of an accusation with such a tone,

summon witnesses or touch or convince? And yet when we think,
Hyperbolus learnt all this for one talent!

STREPSIADES
Rest undisturbed and teach him. He has a most intelligent

nature. Even when quite little he amused himself at home with making
houses, carving boats, constructing little chariots of leather, and

understood wonderfully how to make frogs out of pomegranate rinds.
Teach him both methods of reasoning, the strong and also the weak,

which by false arguments triumphs over the strong; if not the two,
at least the false, and that in every possible way.

SOCRATES
The Just and Unjust Discourse themselves shall instruct him. I

shall leave you.
STREPSIADES

But forget it not, he must always, always be able to confound
the true.

(Socrates enters the Thoughtery; a moment later the JUST and the
UNJUST DISCOURSE come out; they are quarrelling violently.)

JUST DISCOURSE
Come here! Shameless as you may be, will you dare to show your

face to the spectators?
UNJUST DISCOURSE

Take me where you will. I seek a throng, so that I may the
better annihilate you.

JUST DISCOURSE
Annihilate me! Do you forget who you are?

UNJUST DISCOURSE
I am Reasoning.

JUST DISCOURSE
Yes, the weaker Reasoning."

UNJUST DISCOURSE
But I triumph over you, who claim to be the stronger.

JUST DISCOURSE
By what cunning shifts, pray?

UNJUST DISCOURSE
By the invention of new maxims.

JUST DISCOURSE
.... which are received with favour by these fools.

(He points to the audience.)
UNJUST DISCOURSE

Say rather, by these wise men.
JUST DISCOURSE

I am going to destroy you mercilessly.
UNJUST DISCOURSE

How pray? Let us see you do it.
JUST DISCOURSE

By saying what is true.
UNJUST DISCOURSE

I shall retort and shall very soon have the better of you.
First, maintain that justice has no existence.

JUST DISCOURSE
Has no existence?

UNJUST DISCOURSE
No existence! Why, where is it?

JUST DISCOURSE
With the gods.

UNJUST DISCOURSE
How then, if justice exists, was Zeus not put to death for

having put his father in chains?
JUST DISCOURSE

Bah! this is enough to turn my stomach! A basin, quick!
UNJUST DISCOURSE

You are an old driveller and stupid withal.
JUST DISCOURSE

And you a degenerate and shameless fellow.
UNJUST DISCOURSE

Hah! What sweet expressions!
JUST DISCOURSE

An impious buffoon.
UNJUST DISCOURSE

You crown me with roses and with lilies.
JUST DISCOURSE

A parricide.
UNJUST DISCOURSE

Why, you shower gold upon me.
JUST DISCOURSE

Formerly it was a hailstorm of blows.
UNJUST DISCOURSE

I deck myself with your abuse.
JUST DISCOURSE

What impudence!
UNJUST DISCOURSE

What tomfoolery!
JUST DISCOURSE

It is because of you that the youth no longer attends the schools.
The Athenians will soon recognize what lessons you teach those who are

fools enough to believe you.
UNJUST DISCOURSE

You are overwhelmed with wretchedness.
JUST DISCOURSE

And you, you prosper. Yet you were poor when you said, "I am the
Mysian Telephus," and used to stuff your wallet with maxims of

Pandeletus to nibble at.
UNJUST DISCOURSE

Oh! the beautiful wisdom, of which you are now boasting!
JUST DISCOURSE

Madman! But yet madder the city that keeps you, you, the corrupter
of its youth!

UNJUST DISCOURSE
It is not you who will teach this young man; you are as old and

out of date at Cronus.
JUST DISCOURSE

Nay, it will certainly be I, if he does not wish to be lost and to
practise verbosity only.

UNJUST DISCOURSE (to PHIDIPPIDES)
Come here and leave him to beat the air.

JUST DISCOURSE
You'll regret it, if you touch him.

CHORUS-LEADER (stepping between them as they are about to come to
blows)

A truce to your quarrellings and abuse! But you expound what you
taught us formerly, and you, your new doctrine. Thus, after hearing

each of you argue, he will be able to choose betwixt the two schools.
JUST DISCOURSE

I am quite agreeable.
UNJUST DISCOURSE

And I too.
LEADER OF THE CHORUS

Who is to speak first?
UNJUST DISCOURSE

Let it be my opponent, he has my full consent; then I shall follow
upon the very ground he shall have chosen and shall shatter him with a

hail of new ideas and subtle fancies; if after that he dares to
breathe another word, I shall sting him in the face and in the eyes

with our maxims, which are as keen as the sting of a wasp, and he will
die.

• driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)
• insult [in´sʌlt, ´insʌlt] n.&vt.侮辱；损害 (初中英语单词)
• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)
• learnt [lə:nt] learn 的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)
• ignorant [´ignərənt] a.无知的，愚昧的 (初中英语单词)
• suspend [sə´spend] v.吊，挂；中止；暂停 (初中英语单词)
• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)
• convince [kən´vins] vt.使确信；使认识错误 (初中英语单词)
• instruct [in´strʌkt] vt.教育；指导；通知 (初中英语单词)
• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)
• cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)
• invention [in´venʃən] n.创造；发明；虚构 (初中英语单词)
• maintain [mein´tein] vt.维持；保持；继续 (初中英语单词)
• shower [´ʃauə] n.展出者；阵雨；淋浴 (初中英语单词)
• formerly [´fɔ:məli] ad.从前，以前 (初中英语单词)
• doctrine [´dɔktrin] n.教义；主义；学说 (初中英语单词)
• madness [´mædnis] n.疯狂；狂热 (高中英语单词)
• chariot [´tʃæriət] n.古时双轮战车 (高中英语单词)
• repent [ri´pent] v.后悔；悔改；悔悟 (高中英语单词)
• reasoning [´ri:zəniŋ] n.推理，评理 a.推理的 (高中英语单词)
• discourse [´diskɔ:s] n.论文；演说；说教 (高中英语单词)
• throng [θrɔŋ] n.群众 v.拥挤；群集 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• retort [ri´tɔ:t] n.&v.报复；反击；反驳 (高中英语单词)
• prosper [´prɔspə] v.(使...)繁荣(成功) (高中英语单词)
• opponent [ə´pəunənt] a.对立的 n.对手 (高中英语单词)
• shatter [´ʃætə] v.毁坏 n.粉碎；碎片 (高中英语单词)
• whirlwind [´wə:l,wind] n.旋风；猛烈的势力 (英语四级单词)
• accusation [ækju:´zeiʃən] n.谴责；告发 (英语四级单词)
• undisturbed [,ʌndis´tə:bd] a.未受干扰的；镇静的 (英语四级单词)
• carving [´kɑ:viŋ] n.雕刻(术)；雕刻品 (英语四级单词)
• wonderfully [´wʌndəfuli] ad.令人惊讶地；奇妙地 (英语四级单词)
• unjust [ʌn´dʒʌst] a.不公平(正)的 (英语四级单词)
• annihilate [ə´naiəleit] vt.歼灭；消灭 (英语四级单词)
• degenerate [di´dʒenərət, -reit] vi.腐化，堕落 (英语四级单词)
• wallet [´wɑ:lit] n.(放钞票等的)皮夹子 (英语四级单词)
• nibble [´nibəl] v.啃 n.轻咬，啃 (英语四级单词)
• socrates [´sɔkrəti:z] n.苏格拉底 (英语六级单词)
• impious [´impiəs] a.不敬的；不孝的 (英语六级单词)