Plutarch, Life of Nicias 1.4.6

Life of Nicias, 1.4.6

Plutarch translated by Bernadotte Perrin

6And the Cleon of Aristophanes[14] blusteringly says:—

“I’ll bellow down the orators, and Nicias I’ll rattle.”

And Phrynichus plainly hints at his lack of courage and his panic-stricken air in these verses:—

“He was a right good citizen, and I know it well;
He wouldn’t cringe and creep as Nicias always does.”[15]

Notes

[14] Knights, 358. It is not Cleon, but his adversary, the rampant sausage-seller, who utters the verse.
[15] From a play of unknown name. Kock, Com. Att. Frag. i. p. 385.