Ταξίαρχοι (fr. 269)

395

Interpretation 117 is likely part of a lemma or at least a paraphrase of some-
thing in the text of Eupolis.
άχθοιτ(ο) For the verb, see fr. 49 n.
[δ]ιαστρέφ[οιτο For the verb, see fr. 298.3 n.

fr. 269 K.-A. (250 K.)
(Φο.) οϋκουν περιγράψεις δσον έναριστάν κύκλον;
(Β.) τί δ’ έστιν; εις ώμιλλαν άριστήσομεν;
ή κόψομεν τήν μάζαν ώσπερ δρτυγα;
1 οϋκουν Cobet : ούκοϋν codd.
(Phormio) Draw a circle big enough to have lunch in, won’t you?
(B.) What’s going on? Are we going to play eis dmillan for lunch?
Or are we going to smack our barley-cake like a quail?
Poll. 9.102-3
εί μέν ούν κύκλου περιγραφέντος άφιέντες αστράγαλον έστοχάζοντο τού μεϊναι
τον βληθέντα έν τω κύκλω, ταύτην εις ώμιλλαν τήν παιδιάν ώνόμαζον. καίτοι με ού
λέληθεν δτι και όρτυγα ένιστάντες τω περιγραπτω κύκλω, ό μέν έκοπτε τον δρτυγα
τώ δακτύλω, ό δε προς τήν πληγήν ένδούς άνεχαίτισεν έξω τού κύκλου, καί ήττητο ό
τού δρτυγος δεσπότης, έν γοΰν Ταξιάρχοις (= test, ii) Εϋπολις τού Φορμίωνος είπόντος
(ν. 1)·-, αποκρίνεται (νν. 2-3)·-
If then, after a circle was drawn, they would toss a knucklebone and aim to have it
stay inside the circle after it was thrown, they used to call this game eis dmillan. Nor
has it moreover escaped my notice that they also used to stand a quail in the circle
that had been drawn, and one man would strike the quail with his finger, and it would
respond to the blow by wobbling outside of the circle, in which case the owner of the
quail lost. In Taxiarchoi (= test, ii), for example, after Phormio said (v. 1):-, Eupolis
responds (w. 2-3):-

Meter lambic trimeter.

Discussion Meineke 18391.144; Meineke 18471.202; Cobet 1858. Ill; Schiassi
1944. 48; Wilson 1974. 251; Storey 2003. 253; Storey 2011. 208-9