76 ARISTOPHANES.

maker and a cooper made their appearance. Both
were in the highest spirits. The first had sold
sickles, for which for years past no one would give a
farthing,- for a couple of pounds; the latter had
disposed of a lot of casks for country use at half-a-
crown each. They offered Trygeeus as many of
both articles as he wanted, and gave him some
money, too, by way of wedding present. The bride-
groom invited them in to take part in the feast. The
next moment a maker of crests appeared. He was
as much depressed as the others had been elated.
“What is the matter?” said the bridegroom, “A
surfeit of crests? eh?”— “You have ruined my
trade,” replied the man; “and my neighbout’s, too,
who burnishes. spears.”

I. “Well, what shall I give you for these two
crests?”’.

Crest-maker. “What will you give?”

LY. “T hardly like to say. Well, as there is a
good deal of work about them, say three quarts of
raisins for the pair. They'll do to wipe my tables
with.” i

C.-m. “Fetch the raisins; better that than nothing.”

LT: (handling them, when they came to pieces), “Take
the rotten things away. The hairs are all coming
out. Nota single raisin for the pair.”

An armourer now appeared on the scene with a
breastplate, which had cost, he said, forty pounds.
Trygeeus offered to buy it for a pan, but found it