Aelian, Historical Miscellany 2.13

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M = reading of the whole MS tradition
m = reading of part of the MS tradition
P = reading on a papyrus
 

ἐπετίθεντο τῶι Σωκράτει καὶ ἐπιβούλευον οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἄνυτον ὧν χάριν καὶ δι’ ἃς αἰτίας λέλεκται πάλαι. ὑφορώμενοι δὲ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους καὶ δεδιότες ὅπως ποτὲ ἕξουσι πρὸς τὴν κατηγορίαν τοῦ ἀνδρός (πολὺ γὰρ ἦν τὸ τοῦ Σωκράτους ὄνομα διά τε τὰ ἄλλα καὶ ὅτι τοὺς σοφιστὰς ἤλεγχεν οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς ὄντας οὐδέ τι σπουδαῖον ἢ εἰδότας ἢ λέγοντας), ἐκ τούτων οὖν ἐβουλήθησαν πεῖραν καθεῖναι ὑπὲρ τῆς κατ’ αὐτοῦ διαβολῆς. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄντικρυς ἀπενέγκασθαι γραφὴν κατ’ αὐτοῦ παραχρῆμα οὐκ ἐδοκίμαζον δι’ ἃ προεῖπον καὶ δι’ ἐκεῖνα δέ, μή ποτε ἄρα ἀγριάναντες οἱ φίλοι οἱ τοῦ Σωκράτους ἐξάψωσι κατ’ αὐτῶν τοὺς δικαστάς, εἶτά τι πάθωσι κακὸν ἀνήκεστον, ἅτε συκοφαντοῦντες ἄνδρα οὐ μόνον οὐδενὸς αἴτιον κακοῦ τῆι πόλει, ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων καὶ κόσμον ταῖς Ἀθήναις ὄντα.

τί οὖν ἐπινοοῦσιν; Ἀριστοφάνην τὸν τῆς κωμωιδίας ποιητήν, βωμολόχον ἄνδρα καὶ γελοῖον ὄντα καὶ εἶναι σπεύδοντα, ἀναπείθουσι κωμωιδῆσαι τὸν Σωκράτη, ταῦτα δήπου τὰ περιφερόμενα, ὡς ἦν ἀδολέσχης, λέγων τε αὖ καὶ τὸν ἥττω λόγον ἀπέφαινε κρείττονα, καὶ εἰσῆγε ξένους δαίμονας καὶ οὐκ ἤιδει θεοὺς οὐδ’ ἐτίμα, τὰ δὲ αὐτὰ ταῦτα καὶ τοὺς προσιόντας αὐτῶι ἐδίδασκέ τε καὶ εἰδέναι ἀνέπειθεν. ὁ δὲ Ἀριστοφάνης λαβόμενος ὐποθέσεως εὖ μάλα ἀνδρικῆς ἀνδρικῆς M: ἀνδρικῶς Gesner, ὑποσπείρας γέλωτα καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῶν μέτρων αἱμύλον καὶ τὸν ἄριστον τῶν Ἑλλήνων λαβὼν ὑπόθεσιν (οὐ γὰρ οἱ κατὰ Κλέωνος ἦν τὸ δρᾶμα, οὐδὲ ἐκωμώιδει Λακεδαιμονίους ἢ Θηβαίους ἢ Περικλέα αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ ἄνδρα τοῖς τε ἄλλοις θεοῖς φίλον καὶ δὴ καὶ μάλιστα τῶι Ἀπόλλωνι), ἅτε οὖν ἄηθες πρᾶγμα καὶ ὅραμα παράδοξον ἐν σκηνῆι καὶ κωμωιδίαι Σωκράτης, πρῶτον μὲν ἐξέπληξεν ἡ κωμωιδία τῶι ἀδοκήτωι τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, εἶτα {δὲ} {δὲ} Hercher καὶ φύσει φθονεροὺς ὄντας καὶ τοῖς ἀρίστοις βασκαίνειν προηιρημένους, οὐ μόνον τοῖς ἐν τῆι πολιτείαι καὶ ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἀλλ’ ἔτι καὶ πλέον τοῖς εὐδοκιμοῦσιν ἢ ἐν λόγοις ἀγαθοῖς ἢ ἐν βίου σεμνότητι, ἄκουσμα ἔδοξεν ἥδιστον αἵδε αἱ Νεφέλαι καὶ ἐκρότουν τὸν ποιητὴν ὡς οὔποτε ἄλλοτε καὶ ἐβόων νικᾶν καὶ προσέταττον τοῖς κριταῖς ἄνωθεν Ἀριστοφάνην ἀλλὰ μὴ ἄλλον γράφειν. καὶ τὰ μὲν τοῦ δράματος τοιαῦτα.

ὁ δὲ Σωκράτης σπάνιον μὲν ἐπεφοίτα τοῖς θεάτροις, εἴ ποτε δὲ Εὐριπίδης ὁ τῆς τραγωιδίας ποιητὴς ἠγωνίζετο καινοῖς τραγωιδοῖς, τότε γε ἀφικνεῖτο. καὶ Πειραιοῖ δὲ ἀγωνιζομένου τοῦ Εὐριπίδου καὶ ἐκεῖ κατήιει· ἔχαιρε γὰρ τῶι ἀνδρὶ δηλονότι διά τε τὴν σοφίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς μέτροις ἀρετήν. ἤδη δέ ποτε αὐτὸν ἐρεσχελῶν Ἀλκιβιάδης ὁ Κλεινίου καὶ καὶ Koraϊs: ἢ M Κριτίας ὁ Καλλαίσχρου καὶ κωμωιδῶν ἀκοῦσαι παρελθόντα εἰς τὸ θέατρον ἐξεβιάσαντο. ὁ δὲ αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἠρέσκετο, ἀλλὰ δεινῶς κατεφρόνει, ἅτε ἀνὴρ σώφρων καὶ δίκαιος καὶ ἀγαθὸς, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις σοφός, ἀνδρῶν κερτόμων καὶ ὑβριστῶν καὶ ὑγιὲς λεγόντων οὐδέν· ἅπερ ἐλύπει δεινῶς αὐτούς.

καὶ ταῦτα οὖν τῆς κωμωιδίας ἦν αὐτῶι τὰ σπέρματα, ἀλλ’ οὐ μόνον ἃ παρὰ τοῦ Ἀνύτου καὶ Μελήτου ὡμολόγηται. εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ χρηματίσασθαι ὑπὲρ τόυτων Ἀριστοφάνην. καὶ γὰρ βουλομένων, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκ παντὸς συκοφαντῆσαι τὸν Σωκράτη σπευδόντων ἐκείνων, καὶ αὐτὸν {δὲ} {δὲ} Hercher πένητα ἅμα καὶ κατάρατον ὄντα, τί παράδοξον ἦν ἀργύριον λαβεῖν ἐπ’ οὐδενὶ ὑγιεῖ; καὶ ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων αὐτὸς οἶδεν, εὐδοκίμει δ’ οὖν αὐτῶι τὸ δρᾶμα, καὶ γάρ τοι καὶ τὸ τοῦ Κρατίνου Fr. 395 Kassel-Austin τοῦτο συνέβη εἴ ποτε ἄλλοτε καὶ τότε, τῶι θεάτρωι νοσῆσαι τὰς φρένας.

καὶ ἅτε ὄντων Διονυσίων πάμπολύ τι χρῆμα τῶν Ἑλλήνων σπουδῆι τῆς θέας ἀφίκετο. περιφερομένου τοίνυν ἐν τῆι σκηνῆι τοῦ Σωκράτους καὶ ὀνομαζομένου πολλάκις, οὐκ ἂν δὲ θαυμάσαιμι εἰ καὶ βλεπομένου ἐν τοῖς ὑποκριταῖς (δῆλα γὰρ δὴ ὅτι καὶ οἱ σκευοποιοὶ ἔπλασαν αὐτὸν ὡς ὅτι μάλιστα ἐξεικάσαντες), ἀλλ’ οἵ γε ξένοι (τὸν γὰρ κωμωιδούμενον ἠγνόουν) θροῦς παρ’ αὐτῶν ἐπανίστατο, καὶ ἐζήτουν ὅστις ποτὲ οὗτος ὁ Σωκράτης ἐστίν. ὅπερ οὖν ἐκεῖνος ἀισθόμενος (καὶ γάρ τοι καὶ παρῆν οὐκ ἄλλως οὐδὲ ἐκ τύχης, εἰδὼς δὲ ὅτι κωμωιδοῦσιν αὐτόν· καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐν καλῶι τοῦ θεάτρου ἐκάθητο), ἵνα οὖν λύσηι τὴν τῶν ξένων ἀπορίαν, ἐξαναστὰς παρ’ ὅλον τὸ δρᾶμα ἀγωνιζομένων τῶν ὑποκριτῶν ἑστὼς ἐβλέπετο. τοσοῦτον ἄρα περιῆν τῶι Σωκράτει τοῦ κωμωιδίας καὶ Ἀθηναίων καταφρονεῖν.

Anytus and his followers attacked Socrates and plotted against him for reasons set down long ago. But since they were suspicious of the Athenians and afraid of how they would respond to a prosecution against him (for the name of Socrates was well-respected for other reasons, including the fact that he had proved that the Sophists were unwholesome and neither knew nor said anything worth serious attention), on account of this they decided to conduct an experiment with regard to the slander against him. For they did not think it fit to launch an open case against him immediately, both for the reasons which I have previously given and in case Socrates’ friends should become angry and inflame the jurors against them, and the outcome for them should be disastrous, because they were informing against a man who not only was guilty of no crime against the city, but, on the contrary, was actually an adornment to Athens.

What, then, did they contrive? They persuaded Aristophanes the comic poet—a ridiculous buffoon and eager to be so—to mock Socrates for what, presumably, was the current gossip: that he was an idle talker, that in his talk he showed the weaker argument to be stronger, that he introduced foreign gods and did not believe in gods or honour them, and that he taught these same things to those who approached him and persuaded them that he had knowledge. And Aristophanes, having got hold of a subject that was very manly, introduced laughter and the wiliness of his verses and took as his subject the best of the Greeks (for his drama was not written against Cleon, nor was he even mocking the Spartans or Thebans or Pericles himself, but a man who was dear to the gods, and above all to Apollo)…Since, therefore, Socrates was an unaccustomed subject and a surprising sight on the stage and in comedy, at first the comedy stunned the Athenians with its unexpectedness, then, because they were jealous by nature and preferred to disparage the best men—not only those in politics and in positions of power, but still more those who were renowned either for their intellectual virtues or the dignity of their lives—these Clouds were music to their ears, and they applauded the poet like never before and shouted that he should be victorious and ordered the judges to put Aristophanes at the top of their lists and no one else. Such were the affairs pertaining to the play.

Socrates rarely went to the theatre, but whenever Euripides the tragic poet was competing with new tragedies, then he would go. And when Euripides was competing in Piraeus, he even went down there. For he took great delight in the man, evidently because of his wisdom and his excellence in metre. And once, teasing him, Alcibiades the son of Cleinias and Critias the son of Callaeschrus even insisted that he attend the theatre to hear comedies. He did not enjoy them, but since he was a prudent, just, and good man and wise to boot, he expressed considerable contempt for men who taunt and abuse others and say nothing sound. All of this upset them greatly.

And so these were the seeds of the comedy about him, not only the accusations which are agreed to have been made by Anytus and Meletus. It is likely that Aristophanes also profited as a result of them. For since they wished—or, rather, were eager in any way possible—to bring malicious charges against Socrates, and Aristophanes was poor and accursed, why should it be surprising that he would accept money for an unwholesome project? The truth about these matters is known to him alone. But his drama was a success; indeed, then, if ever, Cratinus’ saying ‘to be sick in the head’ happened to the theatre.

Since it was the Dionysia, a great crowd of Greeks arrived in their enthusiasm to watch. And so, as Socrates wandered around the stage and was referred to frequently by name – I should not wonder if he was also a conspicuous sight among the actors (for it is clear that the costume makers fashioned as close a likeness of him as possible) – the foreigners made a great racket (for they did not know the one who was being mocked) and were inquiring who this Socrates was. When he saw this (for he was present not randomly or by luck but because he knew that they were mocking him: and, what is more, he was sitting in a good seat in the theatre), so as to free the foreigners from their perplexity, he stood up and remained standing for the entire play, being stared at while the actors were giving their performance. So vehement was Socrates’ contempt for comedy and the Athenians.

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