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judges were to be selected for the decisions. The king 
having chosen six, and not readily finding a seventh. 
applied to those persons who had the care of the library. 
to ascertain whether they knew any one fit for the pur¬ 
pose. They told him that there was a certain man named 
Aristophanes, who with great labour and application was 
day after day reading through the books in the library. At 
the celebration of the games, Aristophanes was summoned 
and took his seat among those allotted for the judges. The 
first that contended were the poets, who recited their 
compositions, and the people unanimously signified to the 
judges the piece which they preferred. When the judges 
were required to decide, six of them agreed to award the 
first prize to him who had most pleased the multitude, 
and the second prize to some other candidate. The 
opinion of Aristophanes being required, he observed that 
the best poet had pleased the people the least. The king 
and the whole multitude expressed their great indigna¬ 
tion at this opinion, but he rose and besought that they 
would allow him to speak. Silence being obtained, he 
told them that one only of the competitors was a poet, 
that the others had recited other men's compositions, and 
that the judges ought not to decide upon thefts but upon¬ 
compositions. The people were astonished, and the king 
in doubt; but Aristophanes relying on his memory, quoted 
a vast number of books on certain shelves in the library, 
and comparing them with what had been recited, made 
the writers confess that they had stolen from them. The 
king then ordered them to be proceeded against for the 
theft, and after their condemnation dismissed them with 
ignominy. Aristophanes, however, was honoured with 
great rewards, and appointed librarian. Some time af¬