Aspasia receives our children dirty,
and gives them back to us purified. She gives nothing of herself,
but by receiving gives the giver the opportunity to give."
Euripides resumed the topic which they had dropped: "I was accused,
and am acquitted--am I not, Aspasia?"
"If you can acquit yourself of the accusation, you are acquitted,
Euripides."
"Accuse me, dear Accuser; I will answer."
"I will bring the accusation in your own words. Hippolytus says in
one passage in your tragedy of that name: 'O Zeus, why, in the name
of heaven, didst thou place in the light of the sun that specious
evil to men--women? For if thou didst will to propagate the race of
mortals, there was no necessity for this to be done by women, but
men might, having placed an equivalent in thy temples, either in
brass or iron, or weighty gold, buy a race of children each
according to the value paid, and thus might dwell in unmolested
houses, without females.'"
"But now first of all, when we prepare to bring this evil to our
homes, we squander away the wealth of our houses."
"How evil woman is, is evident from this also, that the father who
begat her and brought her up, having given her a dowry, sends her
away in order to be rid of her."
"Now defend yourself, Euripides."
"If I were a Sophist like Protagoras, I should answer, 'It was
Hippolytus who said that; not I.
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