Φρουρεῖν ἢ πλουτεῖν

to garrison or to be rich

Translated by David Whitehead21 Mar 2006Vetting: high4 revisions

2 notes · 61 words
[sc. A proverbial phrase] in reference to those aiming for profit. For when imposing garrisons on the islanders1 [the] Athenians assigned high wages for the men doing the guarding to be funded by the islanders themselves.2 So because of tax-exemption and living happily at others' expense it was said that one had to choose either to be rich or to garrison.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Φρουρεῖν ἢ πλουτεῖν· ἐπὶ τῶν κερδαίνειν ἐφιεμένων· Ἀθηναῖοι γὰρ φρουραῖς διαλαβόντες τοὺς νησιώτας μισθοὺς ἔταξαν μεγάλους τοῖς φυλάσσουσιν ὑπ' αὐτῶν χορηγεῖσθαι τῶν νησιωτῶν. δι' ἀτέλειαν οὖν καὶ τὸ ἀταλαιπώρως ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ζῆν εἰρῆσθαι, ὡς δέον ἢ πλουτεῖν τινα ἢ φρουρεῖν.

Betacode
*frourei=n h)\ ploutei=n: e)pi\ tw=n kerdai/nein e)fieme/nwn: *)aqhnai=oi ga\r frourai=s dialabo/ntes tou\s nhsiw/tas misqou\s e)/tacan mega/lous toi=s fula/ssousin u(p' au)tw=n xorhgei=sqai tw=n nhsiwtw=n. di' a)te/leian ou)=n kai\ to\ a)talaipw/rws e)k tw=n a)llotri/wn zh=n ei)rh=sqai, w(s de/on h)\ ploutei=n tina h)\ frourei=n.

Notes (2)

  1. = Photius phi313 Theodoridis.
  2. 1During the Athenian Empire of the fifth century BCE, evidently (many of the members of which were indeed Aegean 'islanders'). ↩
  3. 2cf. Zenobius 6.32 (and more briefly in other paroemiographers). ↩

Linked from2 entries

Neighbouring entries

φ739Φρουράgarrisonφ740Φρουρεῖgarrisonsφ741Φρουρεῖν ἢ πλουτεῖνto garrison or to be richφ742Φρουρήσεις ἐν Ναυπάκτῳyou will serve in the Naupaktos garrisonφ743Φρούριονcastle, fort
Revision history4 revisions · last 18 Dec 2013
  1. Revised — David Whitehead
  2. Revised — David Whitehead
  3. expanded n.1 — David Whitehead
  4. set status — Catharine Roth
  5. Translated — David Whitehead

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