238

Eupolis

and expressing caution about its reliability, βάπτε με σύ θυμέλαις, εγώ δέ σε
κατακλύσω ϋδασιν άλμυρωτάτοις (“You give me a bath with a stage! But
I will drown you with very salty water!”) is a non-metrical reworking of
the elegiac couplet quoted in test, iii, which substitutes the prosaic ϋδασιν
άλμυρωτάτοις for the high-style νάμασι πικροτάτοις, and which by replacing
βαπτίζων όλέσω with κατακλύσω removes the emphatic re-use of the βαπτ-
root that recalls the title of Eupolis’ play.
test, v
Platonius, On the Differentiation of Comedy (Proleg. de com. 1.13-20), pp. 3-4
Koster
λοιπόν δέ τής δημοκρατίας ύποχωρούσης ύπό των κατά τάς Αθήνας τυ-
ραννιώντων καί καθισταμένης ολιγαρχίας καί μεταπιπτούσης τής εξουσίας
τού δήμου είς ολίγους τινάς καί κρατυνόμενης τής ολιγαρχίας ένέπιπτε τοϊς
ποιηταϊς φόβος, ού γάρ ήν τινα προφανώς σκώπτειν, δίκας άπαιτούντων
των ΰβριζομένων παρά των ποιητών· ΐσμεν γοϋν τον Εΰπολιν επί τώ διδά-
ξαι τούς Βάπτας άποπνιγέντα είς τήν θάλασσαν ύπ’ εκείνου είς ον καθήκε
τούς Βάπτας. καί διά τούτο οκνηρότεροι προς τά σκώμματα έγένοντο καί
έπέλιπον οί χορηγοί
And furthermore, when the democracy receded because of those who aspired
to a tyranny over Athens, and an oligarchy was established, and the power
belonging to the people was taken over by a small number of individuals, and
an oligarchy took charge, the poets became afraid. Because no one could mock
a person openly, since those who were abused demanded legal satisfaction
from the poets. We know, for example, that Eupolis was drowned in the sea
when he staged Baptai by the man against whom he directed Baptai. And on
this account the poets became more hesitant as regards their mockery, and
the choregoi were insufficient (sc. in number)
Context More of the potted history of comedy the preceding portions of
which are presented here as test. 35 (where see n.).
Interpretation Another version of the common tale about Alcibiades’ re-
action to Baptai (cf. test. 3 with n.; Baptai test, ii-iv; vi), here drastically ab-
breviated and with explicit reference to Alcibiades replaced by the awkward
gloss εκείνου είς δν καθήκε τούς Βάπτας (“the man against whom he directed
Baptai”). Nothing suggests that “Platonius” has read the comedy itself or has
any independent information regarding it.