FIRST WOMAN. Through no ostentatiousness, by the two goddesses, have I stood up to speak, O women; but indeed I have been vexed, unhappy woman, now for a long time, seeing you treated with contumely by Euripides the son of the herb-woman, and abused with much abuse of every kind. For what abuse does he not smear upon us? And where has he not calumniated us, where, in short, are spectators, and tragic actors, and choruses? calling us adulteresses in disposition, lovers of the men, wine-bibbers, traitresses, gossips, masses of wickedness, great pests to men. So that, as soon as they come in from the wooden-benches, they look askance at us, and straightway search, lest any paramour be concealed in the house. And we are no longer able to do any of those things which we formerly did: such badness has he taught our husbands. So that, if even any woman weave a crown, she is thought to be in love; and if she let fall any vessel while roaming about the house, her husband asks her, “In whose honour is the pot broken? It must be for the Corinthian stranger.” Is any girl sick; straightway her brother says, “This colour in the girl does not please me.” Well; does any woman, lacking children, wish to substitute a child; it is not possible even for this to go undiscovered; for now the husbands sit down beside them. And he has calumniated us to the old men, who heretofore used to marry girls; so that no old man is willing to marry a woman, on account of this verse, “For a woman is ruler over an old bridegroom.” In the next place, through him they now put seals and bolts upon the women’s apartments, guarding us; and moreover they keep Molossian dogs, a terror to paramours. And this, indeed, is pardonable; but as for what was permitted us heretofore, to be ourselves the housekeepers, and to draw forth and take barley-meal, oil, and wine; not even this is any longer permitted us. For the husbands now themselves carry secret little keys, most ill-natured, certain Spartan ones with three teeth. Previously, indeed, it was possible at least to secretly open the door, if we got a three-obol seal-ring made. But now this home-born slave Euripides has taught them to have rings of worm-eaten wood, having them suspended about them. Now therefore I move that we mix up some destruction in some way or other for him, either by poison, or by some one artifice, so that he shall perish. These I speak openly; but the rest I will draw up in the form of a motion in conjunction with the secretary.

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