Πόλεις (fr. 253)

307

fr. 253 K.-A. (239 K.)
ZAltlh Pl. Ap. 20e (p. 421 Greene)
Χαιρεφών ούτος ό Σωκρατικός ισχνός ήν καί ώχρός, τό δέ ήθος συκοφάντης καί
κόλαξ, προς δέ καί κλέπτης καί αυχμηρός, την δέ περιουσίαν πένης. Ευπολις μέν οϋν
έν Πόλεσι διά την χροιάν πύξινον αυτόν καλεϊ
This Chaerephon the associate of Socrates was thin and pale, and as regards his char-
acter was an informer and a flatterer, as well as a thief and squalid, and a beggar as
regards his property. Eupolis in Poleis, then, refers to him as made of box-wood
on account of his color

Discussion Lorenzoni 1994. 150; Lorenzoni 1998. 72
Citation context From a richly informed note drawn from a source perhaps
similar to the one that preserved frr. 386 (n.); 395, although the absence of any
reference to Aristophanes’ Clouds raises the alternative possibility that this
was originally a comment on that play. Mention of references to Chaerephon
at Ar. Av. 1296,1564 (as a bat); fr. 552 (an informer); Cratin. fr. 215 (squalid and
poor); Eup. fr. 180 (a flatterer of Callias); Ar. frr. 295 (a thief); 584 (a “child of
night”) follow, attesting more or less in order to the characterizations offered
in the opening sentence. The original version of the note must have included
the relevant portions of the texts of the comic poets, which have been stripped
out by an epitomator.
Additional echoes of Eupolis’ description of Chaerephon are preserved at
- Philostr. VS I praef. (p. 4.7-9 Kayser) Χαιρεφών ... δν ή κωμωδία πύξινον
έκάλει, εκείνος μέν γάρ ύπό φροντισμάτων ένόσει τό αίμα (“Chaerephon
... whom comedy refers to as box-wood colored, for his thoughts made
his blood sick”)
- Σ Ar. V. 1408 (Χαιρεφώντα) τον πύξινον (“(Chaerephon) the box-wood
colored man”)
- Eust. p. 1350.4 = IV.903.22-3 ώς δέ τις των παλαιών ώχρός τήν όψιν
πύξινος έσκώπτετο διά τό τής χρόας όμοιοειδές, άναλεκτέον έξ ιστορίας
(“and that one of the ancients who was pallid in appearance was mocked
as box-wood colored, because his skin had a similar appearance, can be
gathered from history”; likely simply drawing on the Aristophanic scholia).
Note also adesp. com. fr. 749.
Interpretation Chaerephon of the deme Sphettos (PA 15203; PAA 976060;
Nails 2002. 86-7) was a close associate of Socrates and inter alia the recipient
of the Delphic oracle that declared that no one was wiser than Socrates, mean-
ing that no one was actually wise at all. Chaerephon went into exile under