ὃν ἐξέθρεψα μητρόθεν δεδεγμένη, καὶ νυκτιπλάγκτον ὀρθίων κελευμάτων καὶ πολλὰ καὶ μοχθήρ’ ἀνωφέλητ’ ἐμοὶ τλάσῃ. τὸ μὴ φρονοῦν γὰρ ὡσπερεὶ βοτὸν τρέφειν ἀνάγκη, πῶς γὰρ οὔ; τρόπῳ φρενός· οὐ γάρ τι φωνεῖ παῖς ἔτ’ ὢν ἐν σπαργάνοις, εἰ λιμὸς ἢ δίψη τις, ἢ λιψουρία ἔχει· νέα δὲ νηδὺς αὐτάρκης τέκνων. τούτων πρόμαντις οὖσα, πολλὰ δ’, οἴομαι, ψευσθεῖσα παιδὸς σπαργάνων φαιδρύντρια· γναφεὺς τροφεύς τε ταὐτὸν εἰχέτην τέλος.[139] With less vividness Moschio’s nurse recalls the days of his infancy. πρώην τοιοῦτον ὄντα Μοσχίων’ ἐγώ, αὐτὸν ἐτιθηνούμην ἀγαπῶσα, νῦν δ’ ἐπεὶ παιδίον ἐκείνου γέγονεν.[140] Suidas suggests another duty in an anonymous passage: μειράκια, ταῖς τίτθαις ἀπομύττειν ... ἀποπέμψατε, and the same thing is referred to in the first book of the Republic: περιορᾷ καὶ οὐκ ἀπομύττει.[141] After the children were washed and dressed by the nurses, they were brought to their mothers who took them up and played with them.[142] This fondling of children is mentioned in Agamemnon: πολέα δ’ ἐσχ’ ἐν ἀγκάλαις νεοτρόφου τέκνου δίκαν.[143] and in Orestes: καὶ γὰρ μ’ ἔθρεψε σμικρὸν ὄντα, πολλὰ δὲ φιλήματ’ ἐξέπλησε, τὸν Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖδ’ ἀγκάλαισι περιφέρων.[144] That it was resorted to by the nurses, we gather from Samia, 29 ff., where we also learn that the nurse used pet names in speaking to the children. Aeschines says that Demosthenes acquired the nickname βάταλος from his nurse.[145] In learning to walk the children must have had many a tumble; but the nurse was always at hand to pick them up, and clean them, and tidy their dress and afterwards find fault with and correct them: καὶ γὰρ αἱ τίτθαι τοῖς παιδίοις πεσοῦσιν οὐ λοιδορησόμεναι προστρέχουσιν, ἀλλ’ ἤγειραν καὶ κατέστειλαν, εἶθ’ οὕτως ἐπιπλήττουσι καὶ κολάζουσι.[146] Epictetus speaks of a nurse beating the stone which had caused a child to stumble.[147] Philoctetes, miserably crawling along the ground to obtain food, likens himself to a child without its kind nurse: τότ’ ἂν εἰλυόμενος, παῖς ἄτερ ὡς φίλας τίθηνας.[148]