Reader

CHELIDONIUMHas young Clinias given up visiting you, Drosis? It’s a long time since I’ve seen him at your house. DROSISYes, Chelidonium. His tutor has stopped him from coming to see me any more. CHELIDONIUMWho’s he? Surely not Diotimus, the gymnastics master? He’s a friend of mine. DROSISNo, but that most accursed of Philosophers, Aristaenetus. CHELIDONIUMDo you mean the grim-looking fellow, with the shaggy hair and bushy beard, who’s always walking with his boys in the Painted Porch? DROSISThat’s the hypocrite I mean. I’d like to see him come to a bad end, with the hangman dragging him along by that beard.

CHELIDONIUMWhy ever did he induce Clinias to act like this? DROSISI don’t know, Chelidonium. But, although he’d never missed a night with me, since he’d started going with women, and I was his first woman, for three days running now he’s not even come near our street. Since I was upset, as somehow I’d become rather fond of him, I sent Nebris to have a look at him, while he was in the Agora or the Painted Porch. She said she saw him walking around with Aristaenetus, and nodded to him from a distance, but he went red, kept his eyes down and didn’t look in her direction again. Then they walked together to the Academy. She followed as far as the Dipylon Gate, but since he’d never even turned in her direction, she came back without any definite information. You can imagine what it’s been like for me since that, as I can’t think what’s come over my boy! “I can’t have annoyed him in any way?” I kept asking myself. “Or has he fallen in love with some other woman, and hates me now? Has his father prevented his visiting me?” Many thoughts like that kept coming into my poor head, but, when it was already late in the afternoon, Dromo came with this note from him. Take it and read it, Chelidonium, for I believe you can read.

CHELIDONIUMLet us see. The writing’s not very clear; it’s so slapdash that the writer was obviously in a hurry. He says, “Heaven knows how much I loved you, Drosis.” DROSISAlas, poor me! He didn’t even start by wishing me well. A letter would normally start with greetings (χαίρειν) from the sender to the recipient. Cf. Epistulae Saturnales. CHELIDONIUM“And now I’m leaving you not because I hate you, but because I’m forced to do so. My father has handed me over to Aristaenetus to study philosophy under him, and Aristaenetus, finding out all about us, gave me a good telling-off, saying it was not at all the thing for a son of Architeles and Erasiclia to associate with a courtesan, for it was much better to prefer virtue to pleasure.” DROSISCurse that old driveller for teaching the lad such things! CHELIDONIUM“So that I must obey him. He follows me everywhere, and keeps a close eye on me. In fact, I’m not allowed even to look at anyone but him. If I live a sober life, and obey him in everything, he promises me I’ll be completely happy, and shall become virtuous through my training in endurance. I’ve had the greatest difficulty in slipping away to write this to you. I pray that you may prosper, my dear, and never forget Clinias.”

DROSISWhat do you think of the letter, Chelidonium? CHELIDONIUMThe rest of it might have come from a Scythian, The Scythians were proverbial for their rough speech and their cruelty. but the part about never forgetting Clinias shows there’s still some hope. DROSISJust what I thought. In any case I’m dying of love. But Dromo said that Aristaenetus is the sort who’s fond of boys, and, by pretending to teach them, keeps company with the handsomest youths, and has now got Clinias on his own, and spins him tales, promising of all things that he will make him like a god. Besides that, he’s reading with him amorous discourses addressed by the old Philosophers to their pupils, and is all wrapped up in the lad. Dromo threatened he’d tell Clinias’ father as well. CHELIDONIUMI hope, Drosis, you gave Dromo a good feed. DROSISThat I did, though he’ll do anything for me, even without that; he’s another who is desperate for the love of Nebris. CHELIDONIUMDon’t worry. Everything will be all right. I think I’ll write up on the wall in the Ceramicus, where Architeles often takes a walk, “Aristaenetus is corrupting Clinias”, so that we can charge There is a pun here on Δρόμων ( = runner) and συνδραμεῖν. By a closer translation of the pun (involving, however, change of the Greek name Dromo) one might render “so that Swift’s charge may have our swift support’”. to the swift support of Dromo’s charge. DROSISHow can you write it up without being seen? CHELIDONIUMBy night, my dear. I’ll get a bit of charcoal somewhere. DROSISCapital, Chelidonium. If only you can help me fight that old impostor Aristaenetus!