Of greybeards hobble to the field, Great faggots in each palsied hand, As if a hot bath to prepare, And threatening that out they'll drive These wicked women or soon leave them charring into ashes there. O Goddess, suffer not, I pray, this harsh deed to be done, But show us Greece and Athens with their warlike acts repealed! For this alone, in this thy hold, Thou Goddess with the helm of gold, We laid hands on thy sanctuary, Athene.... Then our ally be And where they cast their fires of slaughter Direct our water! STRATYLLIS (_caught_) Let me go! WOMEN You villainous old men, what's this you do? No honest man, no pious man, could do such things as you. MEN Ah ha, here's something most original, I have no doubt: A swarm of women sentinels to man the walls without. WOMEN So then we scare you, do we? Do we seem a fearful host? You only see the smallest fraction mustered at this post. MEN Ho, Phaedrias, shall we put a stop to all these chattering tricks? Suppose that now upon their backs we splintered these our sticks? WOMEN Let us lay down the pitchers, so our bodies will be free, In case these lumping fellows try to cause some injury. MEN O hit them hard and hit again and hit until they run away, And perhaps they'll learn, like Bupalus, not to have too much to say. WOMEN