Χρυσοχοεῖον

goldsmithy

Translated by David Whitehead22 Dec 2000Vetting: high5 revisions

5 notes · 180 words

Dinarchus says: "for when he again stopped going to Aeschines and [went] to this man, it is clear that he was learning to 'to smelt gold', but not [so much] to perform what was in store for him as to experience it".¹ Plato too employs the proverb: "well, said Thrasymachus, is he 'smelting gold'?".² They say that the proverb originated as follows. A certain rumor once struck the mass of the Athenians, to the effect that on [Mount] Hymettos a great mound of gold-dust had appeared and was guarded by warrior ants.³ [The Athenians] took up their arms and sallied forth against them; but once they had returned without accomplishing anything, and gone to a lot of trouble for no purpose they began to taunt each other, saying "you thought you would be smelting gold", that is, "you thought you would collect lots of gold-dust, smelt it and become rich". And they were mocked [sc. for this] by the comic poets. At any rate Eubulus says: "we once persuaded Kekropian men⁴ to take up arms and go out onto Hymettos".⁵

Greek original · Adler’s text

Χρυσοχοεῖον· Δείναρχός φησι· πάλιν παρ' Αἰσχίνην ἀποφοιτήσας, παρὰ τούτῳ δηλονότι χρυσοχοεῖν ἐμάνθανεν, ἀλλ' οὐ τὸ προκείμενον αὐτῷ πράττειν ἢ πάσχειν. κέχρηται δὲ τῇ παροιμίᾳ καὶ Πλάτων· τί δέ; ἦδ' ὃς ὁ Θρασύμαχος, χρυσοχοεῖ. ἄρξασθαι δέ φασι τὴν παροιμίαν ἐντεῦθεν· ἔπεσέ τις φήμη ποτὲ εἰς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἀθηναίων, ὡς ἐν Ὑμηττῷ χρυσοῦ ψῆγμα πολὺ φανείη καὶ φυλάττοιτο ὑπὸ τῶν μαχίμων μυρμήκων. οἱ δὲ ἀναλαβόντες ὅπλα ἐξέθεον ἐπ' αὐτούς· ἄπρακτοι δὲ ὑποστρέψαντες καὶ μάτην κεκακοπαθηκότες ἔσκωπτον ἀλλήλους, λέγοντες, σὺ δὲ ᾤου χρυσοχοήσειν. ὅπερ δηλοῖ, σὺ δὲ ᾤου ψῆγμα πολὺ συλλέξας καὶ χρυσοχοήσας πλουτήσειν. ἐχλευάζοντο δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν κωμικῶν. Εὔβουλος γοῦν φησιν· ἡμεῖς ποτ' ἄνδρας Κεκροπίδας ἐπείσαμεν λαβόντας εἰς Ὑμηττὸν ἐξελθεῖν ὅπλα.

Betacode

*xrusoxoei=on: *dei/narxo/s fhsi: pa/lin par' *ai)sxi/nhn a)pofoith/sas, para\ tou/tw| dhlono/ti xrusoxoei=n e)ma/nqanen, a)ll' ou) to\ prokei/menon au)tw=| pra/ttein h)\ pa/sxein. ke/xrhtai de\ th=| paroimi/a| kai\ *pla/twn: ti/ de/; h)=d' o(\s o( *qrasu/maxos, xrusoxoei=. a)/rcasqai de/ fasi th\n paroimi/an e)nteu=qen: e)/pese/ tis fh/mh pote\ ei)s to\ plh=qos tw=n *)aqhnai/wn, w(s e)n *(umhttw=| xrusou= yh=gma polu\ fanei/h kai\ fula/ttoito  u(po\ tw=n maxi/mwn murmh/kwn. oi( de\ a)nalabo/ntes o(/pla e)ce/qeon e)p' au)tou/s: a)/praktoi de\ u(postre/yantes kai\ ma/thn kekakopaqhko/tes e)/skwpton a)llh/lous, le/gontes, su\ de\ w)/|ou xrusoxoh/sein. o(/per dhloi=, su\ de\ w)/|ou yh=gma polu\ sulle/cas kai\ xrusoxoh/sas plouth/sein. e)xleua/zonto de\ u(po\ tw=n kwmikw=n. *eu)/boulos gou=n fhsin: h(mei=s pot' a)/ndras *kekropi/das e)pei/samen labo/ntas ei)s *(umhtto\n e)celqei=n o(/pla.

Notes (5)

Abridged from Harpokration s.v.
The headword is translated here as it appears in Adler's text: xrusoxoei=on (again chi 587). This is the reading in some manuscripts of the Suda and Harpokration. Others read the infinitive xrusoxoei=n ('to smelt gold'), which is more pertinent to the gloss and actually occurs in the quoted passages.
1Dinarchus fr. VI.14 Conomis. ↩
2Plato, Republic 5.450B (web address 1), here abridged. ↩
3For the idea of gold-digging ants (in India) cf. Herodotus 3.102 (web address 2). ↩
4A poetic term for the Athenians, from their legendary king Kekrops (kappa 1269, kappa 1270, kappa 1271, kappa 1272). ↩
5Eubulus fr. 20 Kock (19 Kassel-Austin).

↩

External resources

Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu

Linked from1 entry

χ587Χρυσοχοεῖονgoldsmithy[no gloss]

Neighbouring entries

χ584Χρυσοῦν δέραςgolden skin χ585Χρυσοχάλινονgold-bridled χ586Χρυσοχοεῖονgoldsmithy χ587Χρυσοχοεῖονgoldsmithy χ588Χρυσῷ καταπάττων ἡμᾶς οὐ γινώσκειςyou don't know that you are showering us with gold

Revision history5 revisions · last 14 Nov 2013

14 Nov 2013Revised — David Whitehead
13 Jul 2011tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
14 Jul 2003added some x-refs — David Whitehead
14 Jul 2003modified headword and translation, added notes, link and keywords, set status — William Hutton
6 Sep 2002added note and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
22 Dec 2000Translated — David Whitehead

Greek original · Adler’s text

Betacode

*xrusoxoei=on: *dei/narxo/s fhsi: pa/lin par' *ai)sxi/nhn a)pofoith/sas, para\ tou/tw| dhlono/ti xrusoxoei=n e)ma/nqanen, a)ll' ou) to\ prokei/menon au)tw=| pra/ttein h)\ pa/sxein. ke/xrhtai de\ th=| paroimi/a| kai\ *pla/twn: ti/ de/; h)=d' o(\s o( *qrasu/maxos, xrusoxoei=. a)/rcasqai de/ fasi th\n paroimi/an e)nteu=qen: e)/pese/ tis fh/mh pote\ ei)s to\ plh=qos tw=n *)aqhnai/wn, w(s e)n *(umhttw=| xrusou= yh=gma polu\ fanei/h kai\ fula/ttoito  u(po\ tw=n maxi/mwn murmh/kwn. oi( de\ a)nalabo/ntes o(/pla e)ce/qeon e)p' au)tou/s: a)/praktoi de\ u(postre/yantes kai\ ma/thn kekakopaqhko/tes e)/skwpton a)llh/lous, le/gontes, su\ de\ w)/|ou xrusoxoh/sein. o(/per dhloi=, su\ de\ w)/|ou yh=gma polu\ sulle/cas kai\ xrusoxoh/sas plouth/sein. e)xleua/zonto de\ u(po\ tw=n kwmikw=n. *eu)/boulos gou=n fhsin: h(mei=s pot' a)/ndras *kekropi/das e)pei/samen labo/ntas ei)s *(umhtto\n e)celqei=n o(/pla.

Notes (5)

Abridged from Harpokration s.v.
The headword is translated here as it appears in Adler's text: xrusoxoei=on (again chi 587). This is the reading in some manuscripts of the Suda and Harpokration. Others read the infinitive xrusoxoei=n ('to smelt gold'), which is more pertinent to the gloss and actually occurs in the quoted passages.

1Dinarchus fr. VI.14 Conomis. ↩

2Plato, Republic 5.450B (web address 1), here abridged. ↩

3For the idea of gold-digging ants (in India) cf. Herodotus 3.102 (web address 2). ↩

4A poetic term for the Athenians, from their legendary king Kekrops (kappa 1269, kappa 1270, kappa 1271, kappa 1272). ↩

5Eubulus fr. 20 Kock (19 Kassel-Austin).

Translation

Greek original · Adler’s text

Notes (5)

External resources

Linked from1 entry

Neighbouring entries

Translation

Greek original · Adler’s text

Notes (5)

External resources

Linked from1 entry

Neighbouring entries