Plutarch, Life of Cimon 8, 483e = T 28 Wilamowitz
M = reading of the whole MS tradition
m = reading of part of the MS tradition
P = reading on a papyrus
m = reading of part of the MS tradition
P = reading on a papyrus
πρώτην γὰρ διδασκαλίαν τοῦ Σοφοκλέους ἔτι νέου καθέντος, Ἀψεφίων ὁ ἄρχων, φιλονικίας οὔσης καὶ παρατάξεως τῶν θεατῶν, κριτὰς μὲν οὐκ ἐκλήρωσε τοῦ ἀγῶνος, ὡς δὲ Κίμων μετὰ τῶν συστρατηγῶν παρελθῶν εἰς τὸ θέατρον ἐποιήσατο τῶι θεῶι τὰς νενομισμένας σπονδάς, οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτοὺς ἀπελθεῖν ἀλλ’ ὁρκώσας ἠνάγκασε καθίσαι καὶ κρῖναι δέκα ὄντας, ἀπὸ φυλῆς ἕνα ἑκάστης ἕνα ἑκάστης Helbig: μιᾶς ἕκαστον M. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἀγὼν καὶ διὰ τὸ τῶν κριτῶν ἀξίωμα τὴν φιλοτιμίαν ὑπερέβαλε· νικήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Σοφοκλέους λέγεται τὸν Αἰσχύλον περιπαθῆ γενόμενον καὶ βαρέως ἐνεγκόντα χρόνον οὐ πολὺν Ἀθήνησι διαγαγεῖν, εἶτ’ οἴχεσθαι δι’ ὀργὴν εἰς Σικελίαν, ὅπου καὶ τελευτήσας περὶ Γέλαν τέθαπται.
For Sophocles first produced a play when he was still a young man, and since there was rivalry and partisanship among the spectators, Apsephion the archon did not appoint judges of the contest by lot, but when Cimon and his fellow generals had come into the theatre and made the accustomed libations to the god, he did not allow them to depart but having sworn them in, he compelled them to sit and judge, there being ten in all, one from each tribe. And so, given the added prestige of the judges, the contest generated even more rivalry than usual. When Sophocles won, it is said that Aeschylus, being very indignant and taking it very hard, stayed only a little longer in Athens and then went in anger to Sicily, where he died and is buried near Gela.
| Relevant guides | Aeschylus, Sophocles |
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