288

Eupolis

epitedeios: friendly, well-disposed. An acquaintance, companion; but they also refer, as
we do, to what is appropriate as epitedeios. Eupolis in Poleis:-
Meter lambic trimeter.
Discussion Nauck 1894. 71; Norwood 1931. 196; Schiassi 1944. 74; Schmid
1946. 118 n. 7; Kaibel ap. K.-A.; Rosen 1998. 160; Storey 2003. 218-19
Citation context The entry in Photius appears to combine material from
two separate sources:
- the initial gloss φίλος, εϋνους is preserved also at Suda ε 2687 = Synag. ε
757 = EM p. 366.18 (followed in both the Suda and the EM by additional
material) and must be drawn from the common source generally referred
to as Σ'; cf. also Poll. 3.61 φίλος, εταίρος, συνήθης, επιτήδειος, γνώριμος;
Hsch. ε 5333 επιτήδειος- ό φίλος; Σ Th. 2.4.4 λέγουσι γάρ επιτηδείους
τούς φί[λ]ους; χΑΒίΓΧ1 Th. 4.78.2 επιτήδειος- φίλος; while
- γνώριμος κτλ, including the quote from Eupolis, is preserved also in the Et.
Gen. (which does not offer φίλος, εύνους) and must come from elsewhere.
Interpretation An explanation of some preceding remark (hence γάρ).
Schmid and Kaibel (followed by Norwood) suggested that a husband was
being sought for one of the eponymous Cities, which goes well beyond the
evidence.137 But the remark is in any case appropriate for a προμνήστρια
(female matchmaker; see fr. 346 n.).
επιτήδειον The adverb επίτηδες (“advisedly, with an eye to best advan-
tage”) is found already at II. 1.142; Od. 15.28, although the cognate adjective
is attested only in the 5th century (primarily prosaic; elsewhere in comedy at
Ar. Pax 1228 επιτήδειος πάνυ, 1254; Αν. 836; Ra. 1307; Ec. 79, always in the
sense “appropriate, fitting”, as here; preserved in tragedy only at A. fr. 164
(corrupt); E. Ba. 508).
πάνυ See fr. 316.5 n.

137 Despite Rosen’s “We may be fairly certain that this fragment does highlight a
particular attitude of the male Athenian actor(s) toward the female chorus”, where
the phrase “we may be fairly certain” merely serves to mark the fact that this is
bald assertion.