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The owl reproved the ugliness and exposed the artificial adornment; for, having recognized its own feather, it took it away as its own and gave an example to the other birds, each to take away its own. And the jackdaw became a jackdaw again. This myth, O Chrysippus, speaks the truth as if in a waking state, relating much moderation to us. For so we humans too possess nothing of the things here as our own, but while living for a short time we pride ourselves on artificial adornment, but when we are dead we are stripped of those things which are not ours. Therefore look down upon both money and body, but take care of an immortal thing, the soul; for the one is eternal and immortal, but the others are mortal and are ours for a short time.

35 Myronides to Moschon I have lent the ploughing ox to Tykanias; for he did not have the other one of the pair. And Tykanias also promised to provide me with his own bull. For I too was in need of an ox; for my wonderful bull has perished, when that harsh plague was prevalent among the cattle. But the fine Tykanias broke the agreements, and until his purpose was being accomplished, he seemed to approve of what had been agreed. But I lament the tyrannical †bilge-water†; for we do not possess ploughing oxen, and the season for ploughing has already, I suppose, passed by. Therefore I will prepare a law-court against Tykanias, and I will appoint the whole village as judges. And he will pay the penalty for the deceit, and we shall persuade the undisciplined to abstain from wickedness, having the ruin of one man as a teacher of moderation.

36 Antigonus to Lysistratus The Loves play with men and the winged boys enslave those under the moon, so that we may also be persuaded in some way by the painters. For if only it were possible to see the enemy; for thus while striking, the Loves would also be struck. But in this very thing we have been wronged more, that we do not even know of what nature the enemies happen to be. For with what kind of unreasoning passion I am entwined; I long excessively for Melanippe, descendant of Diodorus, having never seen the little woman even in a dream, but only having heard from someone that she sings wonderfully. and I have been struck in the soul, having been wronged in no way by my eyes, which is what I am accustomed to suffer, Lysistratus; but now my ears have also become eyes for me. The nature of the Loves has been able to do so much. So whether she is a toad to look at I have not known, or even if the thing spoken of is some phantom I do not understand; for one witness is not credible for the truth. But nevertheless I feel pain in my soul, and I am in love with her who is not seen, and I seem to have partaken of Panic madness; for him too the desired thing was unseen, and only an opinion of the things sought had reality.

37 Eurybiades to Cimon You promise many things and do few, and you have a tongue loftier than your action. But if elegance of words is admired by you, the painters are more powerful than your tongue, fabricating so many things on their tablets as nature is not able to do. But if you also think to please your hearers with promises, for a short time indeed you cheer them, but after not long you grieve them more harshly. Since also the most beautiful of dreams do not so much cheer us while sleeping, as they have grieved us when we are awake; for the hopes immediately fly away together with the sleep. Therefore possess deeds harmonious with your tongue, so that you may not be hated by your friends for lying and provide to your enemies a pretext for blame as being without a share of truth.

38 Tettigon to Ortygon Why then, thrice-wretched, did you exchange your clothing and let the partridges fly away? Wine has become the evil for you; they say that with wine Odysseus even purchased the eye of the Cyclops. Wherefore if you do not gather together the birds, Ortygon, I would hurl myself down a cliff with you. for it is hard for an undisciplined child to live, and for a son to appropriate a tomb before his father is also exceedingly most unbearable.

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ἤλεγξε τὴν ἀμορφίαν ἡ γλαὺξ καὶ τὸν ἐπίπλαστον κόσμον ἐδείκνυε· τὸ γὰρ οἰκεῖον ἐπιγνοῦσα πτερὸν ὡς ἴδιον ἀφείλετο καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὀρνέοις ἐδίδου παράδειγμα ἕκαστον ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τὸ ἴδιον. καὶ γέγονεν αὖθις ὁ κολοιὸς κολοιός. Ὁ μῦθος οὗτος, ὦ Χρύσιππε, καθάπερ ὕπαρ τὴν ἀλήθειαν φθέγγεται, πολλὴν σωφροσύνην ἡμῖν διηγούμενος. οὕτω γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὐδὲν τῶν τῇδε κεκτήμεθα ἴδιον, ἀλλὰ ζῶντες μὲν πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐπιπλάστῳ σεμνυνόμεθα κόσμῳ, τεθνηκότες δὲ ἀφῃρήμεθα ἅπερ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμέτερα. ὑπερόρα τοίνυν καὶ χρημάτων καὶ σώματος, ἀθανάτου δὲ πράγματος ἐπιμελοῦ, τῆς ψυχῆς· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀίδιον καὶ ἀθάνατον, τὰ δὲ θνητὰ καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶν ἡμέτερα.

35 Μυρωνίδης Μόσχωνι Τὸν ἀροτῆρα βοῦν κέχρηκα τῷ Τυκανίᾳ· οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ τοῦ ζεύγους τὸ ἕτερον. ἐπηγγείλατο δὲ καὶ ὁ Τυκανίας τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μοι ταῦρον παρέχεσθαι. βοὸς γὰρ ἐλειπόμην κἀγώ· ὁ γὰρ θαυμαστός μοι ταῦρος ἀπόλωλεν, ὁπότε ὁ χαλεπὸς ἐκεῖνος λοιμὸς τοῖς θρέμμασιν ἐνεδήμησεν. ὁ δὲ καλὸς Τυκανίας τὰς συνθήκας διέλυσε, καὶ μέχρι ὅτου ὁ σκοπὸς αὐτῷ διηνύετο στέργειν ἐδόκει τὰ δόξαντα. ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν τύραννον †ἄντλην† θρηνῶ· οὐ γὰρ ἀροτῆρας βόας κεκτήμεθα, ὁ δὲ καιρὸς τῶν ἀρότρων ἤδη που καὶ παρῴχηκε. δικαστήριον τοίνυν τῷ Τυκανίᾳ ὁπλίσομαι, καὶ δικαστὰς ἅπαν τὸ χωρίον προστήσομαι. καὶ τῆς ἀπάτης ἐκεῖνος δίκας ὑφέξεται, καὶ κακίας πείσομεν τοὺς ἀκολάστους ἀπέχεσθαι, ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου φθορὰν σωφροσύνης διδάσκαλον ἔχοντας.

36 Ἀντίγονος Λυσιστράτῳ Παίζουσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οἱ Ἔρωτες καὶ δουλαγωγοῦσι τοὺς ὑπὸ σελήνην παῖδες ὑπόπτεροι, ἵνα τι καὶ τοῖς ζωγράφοις πεισθῶμεν. εἴθε γὰρ ἦν τὸ πολέμιον ὁρᾶν· οὕτω γὰρ βάλλοντες ἐβάλλοντο καὶ οἱ Ἔρωτες. ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἠδικήμεθα πλέον, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἠγνοήκαμεν ὁποῖοι τὴν φύσιν ὄντες τυγχάνουσιν. οἵῳ γὰρ ἀλογίστῳ πάθει συμπέπλεγμαι· Μελανίππην, ∆ιοδώρου ἀπόγονον, ἐκτόπως ποθῶ, μήτε ὄναρ ποτὲ τὸ γύναιον θεασάμενος, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἀκούσας ὑπό τινος ᾄδειν αὐτὴν θαυμαστῶς. καὶ βέβλημαι τὴν ψυχήν, μηδὲν ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀδικούμενος, ὅπερ εἴωθα πάσχειν, Λυσίστρατε· νῦν δὲ γεγόνασί μοι ὀφθαλμοὶ καὶ τὰ ὦτα. τοσαῦτα φύσις Ἐρώτων δεδύνηται. εἴτε οὖν φρῦνός ἐστι τὴν θέαν ἠγνόηκα, ἢ καὶ φαντασία τίς ἐστι τὸ λεχθὲν οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι· οὐ γὰρ εἷς μάρτυς ἀξιόχρεως πρὸς ἀλήθειαν. ἀλγῶ δὲ ὅμως τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ τῆς οὐχ ὁρωμένης ἐρῶ, καὶ Πανικῆς μετειληφέναι μανίας δοκῶ· κἀκείνῳ ἀθέατον ἦν τὸ ποθούμενον, καὶ δόκησις μόνη τῶν ζητουμένων εἶχε τὴν ὕπαρξιν.

37 Εὐρυβιάδης Κίμωνι Ἐπαγγέλλῃ πολλὰ καὶ πράττεις ὀλίγα, καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν ἔχεις ὑψηλοτέραν τῆς πράξεως. ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν ῥημάτων κομψότης τεθαύμασται παρὰ σοί, οἱ ζωγράφοι τῆς σῆς δυνατώτεροι γλώττης, τοσαῦτα πλαστουργοῦντες τοῖς πίναξιν ὅσα πράττειν ἡ φύσις οὐ δύναται. εἰ δὲ καὶ χαίρειν δοκεῖς ὑποσχέσεσι τοὺς ἀκούοντας, πρὸς ὀλίγον μὲν εὐφραίνεις, ἀνιᾷς δὲ μετ' οὐ πολὺ χαλεπώτερον. ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἐνυπνίων τὰ κάλλιστα οὐ τοσοῦτον ἡμᾶς εὐφραίνει καθεύδοντας, ὅσον ἐγρηγορότας ἐλύπησε· αἱ γὰρ ἐλπίδες μετὰ τοῦ ὕπνου εὐθὺς συνανίπτανται. σύμφωνα δῆτα τῇ γλώττῃ τὰ πράγματα κέκτησο, ἵνα μὴ καὶ φίλοις ἀπεχθήσῃ ψευδόμενος καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ὑπόθεσιν ψόγου πορίσειας ὡς ἀληθείας ὑπάρχων ἀμέτοχος.

38 Τεττίγων Ὀρτύγωνι Τί δῆτα, τρισάθλιε, τὴν ἐσθῆτα διήλλαξας καὶ τοὺς πέρδικας ἐξεπέτασας; οἶνός σοι γέγονε τὸ κακόν· οἴνῳ καὶ τοῦ Κύκλωπος τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ὠνήσασθαι τὸν Ὀδυσσέα φασί. διὸ εἰ μὴ συναθροίσειας, Ὀρτύγων, τοὺς ὄρνιθας, σὺν σοὶ κατακρημνίσαιμι ἑαυτόν. καὶ παῖδα γὰρ ἀκόλαστον ζῆν χαλεπὸν καὶ τάφον πρὸ τοῦ πατρὸς υἱὸν σφετερίσασθαι καὶ λίαν ἐστὶ δυσφορώτατον.