Reader

PLUTO Do you know the old man—I mean that veritable greybeard, EuCrates the rich—the man with no sons, but with fifty thousand men hunting his estate? HERMES Yes, you mean the man from Sicyon. Well, what? PLUTO Let him go on living, Hermes, and, over and above the ninety years he’s had already, measure out as many more for him, if possible, or even more; but as for his toadies, young Charinus and Damon and the rest, drag them all down here one after the other. HERMES That would look queer. PLUTO No; it would be perfectly just. What possesses them that they pray for his death, or aspire to his fortune, although not related? But what’s most disgusting of all is the way they shower attentions on him in public in spite of such prayers, and make their plans obvious to everyone when he’s sick, but, in spite of it all, they promise sacrifices if he recovers; in fact there’s no little versatility in their flattery. So, I’d like him to be immortal, and them, thwarted in their open-mouthed greed, to depart the scene before him.

HERMES That will be an amusing fate for the rascals to suffer. PLUTO He himself often leads them up the garden path with great skill, and has hopes of his own. In fact, though he always looks “close to death’s dark vale”, Editors have emended to θανόντι, having failed to see that this is a parody of Odyssey, XI, 608. Cf. following dialogue, c. 4. ἀεὶ τεθνήξεσθαι δοκῶν. he’s a lot healthier than the young men. But they’ve already divided up his property amongst themselves and batten on it, thinking a life of bliss is already theirs. So, let him cast off his old age like Iolaus, Cf. Euripides, Heraclidae, 850 ff. and grow young again, and let them leave behind the wealth they dreamed of, and in the midst of their hopes come here forthwith, dying the sorry death they deserve. HERMES Don’t worry, Pluto. I’ll start fetching them for you now, one after the other. There are seven of them, I think. PLUTO Drag them down, and he’ll change from old age to the prime of youth, and attend each of the funerals.