Amphitheus: And all at once they cried, “O villain, dare you Bring treaties when our vineyards are cut down?” Then in their lappets up they gathered stones; I fled away: they followed roaring after.
Dicaeopolis: So let them roar. But have you got the treaties ?
Amphitheus: O yes, I have. Three samples; here they are. These are the Five-year treaties; take and taste them.
~ ‘The Acharnians’ by Aristophanes (Benjamin B. Rogers translation. GB5 - p. 458)
Brief Summary
The play starts with a prominent Athenian citizen named Dicaeopolis, who has come to attend the city assembly at the Pnyx but finds that everyone, including the committee (Prytanes), is late. He uses the time to complain about things that he likes and dislikes. Finally, people come in, and everyone jostles for the foremost place.
Amphitheus first comes in to address the assembly, but archers seize him. Dicaeopolis asks them to release him since they should not be seizing a person who wants to give them peace. Next, envoys sent to the Persian court eleven years ago enter the assembly in oriental attire. They talk gibberish, which the ambassador translates to ‘Persian King will send them gold’. Dicaeopolis interprets the next gibberish statement as Ionians must be nincompoops for expecting any gold from Persia. The envoys turn out to be frauds who have just been taking money all along for their services but not doing anything. Dicaeopolis gives Amphitheus eight drachmas to make a private peace treaty with Sparta for him. Theorus addresses the assembly next and says that he has returned from Thrace, and the king there has promised to send a large army to help. Dicaeopolis says that he wouldn’t believe a single word from Theorus. The assembly is dissolved after Dicaeopolis says that he felt a drop of rain.