PRAXAGORA. Take your seats, and, since you are all gathered here at last, let us see if what we decided on at the feast of the Scirophoria has been duly done. FOURTH WOMAN. Yes. Firstly, as agreed, I have let the hair under my armpits grow thicker than a bush; furthermore, whilst my husband was at the Assembly, I rubbed myself from head to foot with oil and then stood the whole day long in the sun.[651] FIFTH WOMAN. So did I. I began by throwing away my razor, so that I might get quite hairy, and no longer resemble a woman. PRAXAGORA. Have you the beards that we had all to get ourselves for the Assembly? FOURTH WOMAN. Yea, by Hecaté! Is this not a fine one? FIFTH WOMAN. Aye, much finer than Epicrates'.[652] PRAXAGORA (_to the other women_). And you? FOURTH WOMAN. Yes, yes; look, they all nod assent. PRAXAGORA. I see that you have got all the rest too, Spartan shoes, staffs and men's cloaks, as 'twas arranged. SIXTH WOMAN. I have brought Lamias'[653] club, which I stole from him while he slept. PRAXAGORA. What, the club that makes him puff and pant with its weight? SIXTH WOMAN. By Zeus the Deliverer, if he had the skin of Argus, he would know better than any other how to shepherd the popular herd. PRAXAGORA. But come, let us finish what has yet to be done, while the stars are still shining; the Assembly, at which we mean to be present, will open at dawn. FIRST WOMAN. Good; you must take up your place at the foot of the platform and facing the Prytanes. SIXTH WOMAN. I have brought this with me to card during the Assembly. (_She shows some wool._) PRAXAGORA. During the Assembly, wretched woman? SIXTH WOMAN. Aye, by Artemis! shall I hear any less well if I am doing a bit of carding? My little ones are all but naked. PRAXAGORA. Think of her wanting to card! whereas we must not let anyone see the smallest part of our bodies.[654] 'Twould be a fine thing if one of us, in the midst of the discussion, rushed on to the speaker's platform and, flinging her cloak aside, showed her hairy privates. If, on the other hand, we are the first to take our seats closely muffled in our cloaks, none will know us. Let us fix these beards on our chins, so that they spread all over our bosoms. How can we fail then to be mistaken for men? Agyrrhius has deceived everyone, thanks to the beard of Pronomus;[655] yet he was no better than a woman, and you see how he now holds the first position in the city. Thus, I adjure you by this day that is about to dawn, let us dare to copy him and let us be clever enough to possess ourselves of the management of affairs. Let us save the vessel of State, which just at present none seems able either to sail or row. SIXTH WOMAN. But where shall we find orators in an Assembly of women? PRAXAGORA. Nothing simpler. Is it not said, that the cleverest speakers are those who submit themselves oftenest to men? Well, thanks to the gods, we are that by nature.