Προσπάλτιοι (fr. 260)

345

If (C.) is the coryphaeus speaking for the chorus,180 the Prospaltians are
sent offstage by (B.) at 13, even if they seem not in fact to have exited by the
end of the fragment (assuming that 31 is spoken by (C.); see below). Schwarze
1971. 118 argued that (B.)’s order must have been carried out by someone else.
But perhaps this was instead a play like Aristophanes’ Ecclesiazusae, in which
the chorus marches out of the orchestra during the parodos and is absent
from the action for over 160 lines (Ec. 311-477). Alternatively, Storey 2003.
235 suggests a subsidiary chorus, like the jurors’ sons sent off supposedly to
fetch Cleon at Ar. V. 409-10. In any case, this scene may well come from near
the beginning of the comedy, setting up the problem the rest of the plot will
work to resolve.
10-11 [έ]γώδ(έ) must be in emphatic contrast to some action expected
or anticipated from another party (i. e. (B.)?); e.g. “[You do what you must;]
but I for my part...”. Cf. frr. 124; 326.3; 347 with n.
χρηστών Here perhaps specifically a term of political and social evalu-
ation, as in fr. 129.3 (n.); compare οί καλο[ in 10.
13-17 Addressed to (C.).
13 βαδίζεθ’υμείς For the verb (colloquial), see fr. 299.2 n. The pronoun
merely adds a bit of liveliness to the request, as at e.g. Ar. V. 348; Ra. 174,
1524; Men. Pk. 526.
ώς τά[χι] στ(α) A common stipulation in requests to others to do or fetch
something (e. g. Pherecr. fr. 119; Ar. Ach. 1094; A. Supp. 949; S. El. 1487; E. Cyc.
191; X. Cyr. 4.5.16; cf. Kuhner-Gerth 1898 i.27).
14 τά (έ)νθάδ(ε) is used in the same sense at e. g. S. El. 1436; E. Cyc. 598;
HF 617; Men. Sam. 433.
15-17 πόσ’ άττα cot πέμπωσιν in 20 (n.) patently picks up on ή στρατιάν
x—/ πέμπειν, making it clear that the end of 15 included a second, neuter
plural object of the infinitive. Schmid’s χρήματα (“money”) is an obvious
candidate, in which case the question means “How many men or how much
money?”. κομίζεσθ[—] must then be an option of a different sort, sc. should
(D.) be unwilling to supply troops and funds, as he/it/they should, and only
this option need be associated with the ϊνα-clause: if (D.) does not want to
take positive action in support of (B.) and the Prospaltians, (D.) should call
him/them home so as to avoid putting him/them in an impossible situation.
For στρατιά, see fr. 402 n.
For καθήσθαι in the sense “sit (idle)”, see fr. 3 n.; LSJ s. v. 3.

180 Despite Storey 2003. 236, however, the word χορόν at the end of 4 does not show
“that the chorus is present at this point”, although (as argued above) this is a
reasonable hypothesis in any case.