9
That I am a much-enduring letter, you yourselves can testify, for I never brought Zeta to book for taking my emerald (σμάραγδος—ζὡμάραγδος) and robbing me utterly of Smyrna, Pronounced, as it is to-day, Zmyrna, but written usually with s. nor Xi for overstepping every treaty (συνθήκη—ξυνθήκη) with Thucydides the historian (συγγραφεύς—ξυγγραφεύς) as his ally (ύμμαχος—ξύμμαχος): And when my neighbour ho was ill I forgave him not only for transplanting - my myrtles (μυρσίνη—-μυῤῥίνη) into his own garden, but also for cracking my crown (κόρση—κόρρη) in a fit of insanity.
10
That is my disposition, but this Tau— just see how bad-natured he is toward the others, too! To show that he has not let the rest of the letters alone, but has injured Delta and Theta and Zeta and almost all the alphabet, please call to the stand the injured parties in person. Listen, Vowels of the jury, to Delta, who says: “He robbed me of endelechy, wanting it to be called entelechy agairist all the laws”; to Theta crying and pulling out the hair of his head because he has had even his pumpkin (κολοκύνθη—-κολοκύντη) taken away from him, and to Zeta, who has lost his whistle (συρίζειν—συρίττειν) and trumpet (σαλπίζειν—σαλπίττειν), so that he can’t even make a sound (γρύζειν—γρύττειν) any longer. Who could put up with all this, and what punishment could be bad enough for this out-and-out rascal Tau?
