140 ARISTOPHANES, .

galley coming after me some fine morning, with an
order for my arrest.! But tell me, what kind of a
life do you lead among the birds here? Of course
you know all about it.”

K. H. “Not a bad one, on the whole. You can
get on without money.”

Fflope. “Then you get rid of a vast amount of
trouble.”

At this point Plausible broke in with an idea of
his own. “I see a great future,” he said, “for the
race of birds, if you will only listen to me.”

K. H. “Listen to you, — about what?”

Plausible. “Do you ask about what? First, you
mustn’t go gaping about everywhere with open bills.
It is quite an undignified thing to do. Among us,
when we see any one particularly apt to change, we
say, ‘He is a flighty, volatile creature.’ ”

K. H. “By Bacchus! you are right. Well, what
do you advise?”

Plaus. “ Found a city, I say, a city of birds.”

K. H. “Wow could we birds possibly found a
city?”

Plaus. “How can you ask? Nothing could be
easier. Look down.”

XK. Hf, “T am looking down.”

Plaus. “ Now look up.”

1 There were two state galleys belonging to Athens. One of these,
called the Se/aminia, had been sent, some months before the perform-
ance of this play, to arrest Alcibiades.