Δημοσάτυροι (fr. 5)

47

Metre lambic trimeter

Discussion Meineke III (1840) 592; Kock II (1884) 452-3; Bevilacqua 1939,
39-40; Edmonds II (1959) 604-5; PCG VII (1989) 758-9; Llopis-Gomez-Asensio
2007, 656-7.
Citation context The fragment is cited by Athenaeus in a section containing no-
torious spendthrifts (4.165d-9a). Athenaeus reports that Ctesippus sold the stones
of his fathers tomb in order to finance his sumptuous living; he was also effeminate
and obsessed with his hair. As evidence for these allegations, apart from Timocles’
fr., he also cites Diph. fr. 37 (from Men Offering Sacrifice to the Dead) εί μή συνήθης
Φαιδίμω γ’ έτύγχανεν / ό Χαβρίου Κτήσιππος, εΐσηγησάμην / νόμον <άν> τιν’ ούκ
άχρηστον, ώς έμοι δοκεϊ, / ώστ’ έπιτελεσθήναί ποτ’ αύτω τού πατρός / τό μνήμα,
κατ’ ένιαυτόν ένα {...> λίθον / άμαξιαΐον. και σφόδρ’ εύτελές λέγω “If Ctesippus,
son of Chabrias, did not happen to be a relative of Phaedimus, I would have pro-
posed a law that would not have been useless, I believe, in order to complete at
last his father’s tomb, one massive stone... per year. And I mean very cheap” and
Men. fr. 264 (from Wrath) καίτοι νέος ποτ’ έγενόμην κάγώ, γύναι· / άλλ’ ούκ
έλούμην πεντάκις τής ήμέρας / τότ’, άλλα νϋν· ούδέ χλανίδ’ εΐχον, άλλα νϋν· / ούδέ
μύρον εΐχον, άλλά νΰν· και βάψομαι / και παρατιλοϋμαι νή Δία και γενήσομαι /
Κτήσιππος, ούκ άνθρωπος, έν όλίγω χρόνω, / κάθ’ ώς έκεΐνος κατέδομαι και τούς
λίθους / άπαξάπαντας, ού γάρ ούν τήν γην μόνην “And yet I too was once a young
man, woman. But I didn’t bathe five times a day back then, as I do now, or wear
a fine wool robe, as I do now, or wear perfume, as I do now. I’m going to dye my
hair and pluck my beard, by Zeus, and soon become Ctesippus rather than a man.
And then I’ll devour all the stones, as he did, and not just the land.” The section
also includes other known spendthrifts (e. g. Diodorus [Alex. fr. 110], Epicharides
[Alex. fr. 248], Pythodelus [Axionic. fr. 1]).
Text 1 έπ'ι τρις is suggested by Bergk (up. Meineke V. 1 [1857] 224); cf. Bothe
1844, 65 έπιτρΐς. But the transmitted έτι is perfect; for the comparison of past and
present activity or habit of a person in a context of personal satire in Timocles, cf.
fr. 7.1 ό δ’ Άχαρνικός Τηλέμαχος έτι δημηγορεί; fr. 14.4 ϊνα μηκέτ’ αύτόν ό Σάτυρος
κλέπτην λέγει; fr. 25.2-3 Φρύνης έρασθείς, ήνίκ’ έτι τήν κάππαριν συνέλεγεν.
Interpretation The speaking character identifies Ctesippus by the name of
his father (cf. Diph. fr. 37.2; for such identifications in Timocles cf. fr. 23.5-6
Φείδιππον... / τον Χαιρεφίλου). That indicates that Ctesippus is here introduced
for first time - at least within this particular scene. The conjunction with ούδέ
indicates that another negative clause precedes it, probably in a series of effeminate
or dissolute Athenians who might be described as demosatyroi. It is also possible
that this series includes contradistinctions between famous fathers and dissolute
sons, perhaps in a frame alluding to the inadequacy of new politicians, who may be
represented on stage as demosatyroi. It also seems as though the speaking person