Madvig emend.: {ton ano en nephelais onton} = "but for things in
the clouds above."

Soc. It seems, then, by your showing I do care for them. How value less
the gods, not more, if being above us they make the void of use to send
us rain, and cause their light to shine on us? And now, sir, if you do
not like this frigid (10) argument, why do you cause me trouble? The
fault is yours. (11)

(10) Cf. "Cyrop." VIII. iv. 22, 23.

(11) {pho parekhousin... pragmata moi parekhon}. Lit. "cause light
... causing me trouble."

Well, let that be (the other answered); answer me one question: How
many fleas' feet distance is it, pray, from you to me? (12) They say you
measure them by geometric scale.

(12) See Aristoph. "Clouds," 144 foll.:

{aneret' arti Khairephonta Sokrates psullan oposous alloito tous autes
podas dakousa gar...}

Cf. Lucian, ii. "Prom. in Verb. 6," and "Hudibras, the Second Part
of," canto iii.:

How many scores a Flea will jump Of his own length from Head to Rump
Which Socrates and Chaerephon In vain essayed so long agon.

But here Antisthenes, appealing to Philippus, interposed: You are a
man full of comparisons. (13) Does not this worthy person strike you as
somewhat like a bully seeking to pick a quarrel? (14)

(13) Like Biron, "L. L. L." v. 2. 854. Or, "you are a clever
caricaturist." See Plat. "Symp." 215 A; Hug, "Enleitung," xiv.;
Aristoph. "Birds," 804 (Frere, p. 173); "Wasps," 1309.

(14) Aristoph. "Frogs," 857, "For it ill beseems illustrious bards to
scold like market-women." (Frere, p. 269); "Knights," 1410, "to
bully"; "Eccles." 142:

{kai loidorountai g' osper empepokotes, kai ton paroinount' ekpherous'
oi toxotai.}

Yes (replied the jester), he has a striking likeness to that person and
a heap of others. He bristles with metaphors.

Soc. For all that, do not you be too eager to draw comparisons at his
expense, or you will find yourself the image of a scold and brawler.
(15)

(15) Or, "a striking person."

Phil. But what if I compare him to all the primest creatures of the
world, to beauty's nonpareils, (16) to nature's best--I might be justly
likened to a flatterer but not a brawler. (17)

(16) Lit. "compare him to those in all things beauteous and the best."
With {tois pasi kalois kai tois beltistois} cf. Thuc. v. 28, {oi
'Argeioi arista eskhon tois pasi}, "The Argives were in excellent
condition in all respects." As to Phi