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τὰ μὲν ἄλλαἐν ὑμῖν ἔνια i.e. ‘much of what they said was most abusive, and some of it I should be sorry to repeat in your presence.’ Cf. Or. 18 § 103 ὅσ᾽ ὀκνήσαιμ᾽ ἂν πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν, 21 § 79 οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε προαχθείην ἂν εἰπεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς τῶν τότε ῥηθέντων οὐδέν, 2 § 19 and esp. Aeschin. 1 § 55 τοιαῦτα ἁμαρτήματα καὶ τοιαύτας ὕβρεις... οἵας ἐγὼ μὰ τὸν Δία τὸν Ὀλύμπιον οὐκ ἂν τολμήσαιμι πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν: γὰρ οὗτος ἔργῳ πράττων οὐκ ᾐσχύνετο, ταῦτ᾽ ἐγὼ λόγῳ σαφῶς ἐν ὑμῖν εἰπὼν οὐκ ἂν ἐδεξάμην ζῆν. Cic. Verr. II 1 § 32.

This rhetorical device of professing to have compunctions at repeating the bad language of one's opponent is sufficiently obvious. The effect is threefold. (1) The court is left to imagine that the terms of abuse were singularly offensive. (2) The plaintiff is accredited with being a man of high principle for hesitating to repeat the abominable language of his opponent,—for what Aristotle would call his δυσχέρεια τῶν αίσχρῶν. (3) The court is flattered by the compliment implied in the assurance that the language was too indecent to be repeated in their hearing. Cf. Arist. Rhet. III 7 παθητικὴ δὲ, ἐὰν μὲν ὔβρις, ὀργιζομένου λέξις, ἐὰν δὲ άσεβῆ καὶ αἰσχρὰ, δυσχεραίνοντος καὶ εὐλαβουμένου καὶ λέγειν.

σημεῖον To be taken with ὕβρεως; τεκμήριον with τοῦ γεγενῆσθαι. The former is ‘an indication,’ ‘a sign’; the latter ‘a conclusive proof’ (note on Isocr. ad Dem. § 2). Or. 36 § 12.

ᾖδεπλευράς ‘he began to crow, mimicking the fightingcocks that have won a victory, while the rest bade him flap his elbows against his sides, like (literally in lieu of) wings.’

We find representations of cock-fighting on ancient gems and vase-paintings; and, if the authority of Aelian (var. hist. II 28) may be trusted, it was a political institution at Athens, and took place in the public theatre once a year. (See esp. Becker's Charicles, p. 77 n., also pp. 80—81, where the whole scene described in the text is admirably woven in with the adventures of Charicles.)

[Plato, Theaet. p. 164 φαινόμεθά μοι άλεκτρύονος άγεννοῦς δίκην, πρὶν νενικηκέναι, άποπηδήσαντες ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου ᾁδειν. Ar. Vesp. 705 κἆθ᾽ ὅταν οὗτός γ᾽ ἐπισίζῃ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τιν᾽ ἐπιρρύξας, άγρίως αὐτοῖς ἐπιπηδᾷς. The fighting cock springs upon its adversary, and uses its spur to strike the head. P.]

γυμνός sc. ἄνευ τοῦ ἱματίου, stripped of his cloak, as is clearly shown by the following clause. Or. 21 § 216 γυμνὸς ἐν τῷ χιτωνίσκῳ. Aeschin. 1 § 26 ῥίψας θοἰμάτιον γυμνὸς ἐπαγκρατἱαζεν. Ar. Lys. 150 ἐν τοῖς χιτωνίοισι ..γυμναί. Nub. 497 κατάθου θοἰμάτιον...γυμνοὺς εισιέναι νομίζεται. Hermann-Blumner, Privatalt, p. 175.—ᾤχοντο, in its usual pluperfect sense, ‘after stripping me of my cloak, they had taken to their heels.’—ἦλθον, possibly first person singular, but more probably third person plural, referring to οἱ παρατυχόντες. But cf. § 20 ὑγιὴς ἐξελθὼν φοράδην ἦλθον οἴκαδε.

εἰς βαλανεῖον a public bath, as is shown by § 10 ἴνα μὴ μακρὰν φεροίμην οἴκαδε ἐκ τοῦ βαλανείου. See Becker's Charicles, p. 147 —152.—For the context, cf. Lysias, fragm. 75 (of a boy who had been severely thrashed) οὐ δυναμένου δὲ βαδίζειν ἐκόμισαν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ δεῖγμα ἐν κλίνῃ, καὶ ἐπέδειξαν πολλοῖς Ἀθηναίων.

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  • Commentary references from this page (3):
    • Demosthenes, On the Crown, 103
    • Demosthenes, Against Midias, 216
    • Demosthenes, For Phormio, 12
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