Origins and Life of Euripides II

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ἐτελέυτησε δὲ τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον. ἐν τῆι Μακεδονίαι κώμη ἐστὶ καλουμένη Θραικῶν διὰ τό ποτε κατωικηκέναι ἐνταῦθα Θρᾶικας. ἐν ταύτηι ποτὲ τοῦ Ἀρχελάου Μολοττικὴ κύων ἦλθεν ἀποπλανηθεῖσα. ταύτην Θρᾶικες, ὡς ἔθος, θύσαντες ἔφαγον. καὶ δὴ ὁ Ἀρχέλαος ἐζημίωσεν αὐτοὺς ταλάντωι. ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ εἶχον, Εὐριπίδου ἐδεήθησαν ἀπολύσεως τυχεῖν δεηθέντος τοῦ βασιλέως. χρόνωι δὲ ὕστερον Εὐριπίδης ἐν ἄλσει τινὶ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἠρέμει, Ἀρχελάου δὲ ἐπὶ κυνηγέσιον ἐξελθόντος, τῶν σκυλάκων ἀπολυθέντων ὑπὸ τῶν κυνηγῶν καὶ περιτυχόντων Εὐριπίδηι, διεσπαράχθη καταβρωθεὶς ὁ ποιητής. ἦσαν δὲ ἔκγονοι οἱ σκύλακες τῆς ὑπὸ Θραικῶν ἀναιρεθείσης κυνός, ὅθεν καὶ παροιμία ἐστὶ παρὰ τοῖς Μακεδόσι “κυνὸς δίκη”.

He died in the following way. In Macedonia there is a village called ‘village of the Thracians’ because Thracians once settled there. One day, a Molossian hound of Archelaus turned up there, having wandered off. The Thracians, as is their custom, sacrificed this hound and ate her. So Archelaus fined them a talent. Since they did not have the money, they begged Euripides to obtain a reprieve for them by begging the king. Some time later, Euripides was resting in a grove in front of the city and Archelaus had gone out hunting. The young dogs had been released by the huntsmen, and, having come upon Euripides, the poet was torn to pieces and devoured. The young dogs were offspring of the dog killed by the Thracians. Hence, the origin of the Macedonian proverb ‘a dog’s justice.’

Relevant guides	Euripides