Laudator Temporis Acti

Aristophanes, Wealth 802-818 (Cario, a slave, speaking; tr. Jeffrey Henderson):

Gentlemen, how nice it is to live happily, especially when there are no household expenses. A heap of goods has befallen our house, though we’ve done nothing bad! Yes, getting wealthy this way is mighty nice. Our grain tub’s filled with white barley, our casks with dark fragrant wine, and all our purses are full of gold and silver like you wouldn’t believe. Our well’s full of olive oil, our jars are brimming with perfume, and the attic with figs. Our saucers, dishes, and pots have turned to bronze, and those worn-out fish platters are silvery to behold. Our kitchen’s suddenly turned to ivory. We slaves pitch pennies with go
ld staters, and in our luxury we no longer use stones to wipe our bottoms, but cloves of garlic every time.

ὡς ἡδὺ πράττειν, ὦνδρές, ἐστ᾿ εὐδαιμόνως,
καὶ ταῦτα μηδὲν ἐξενεγκόντ᾿ οἴκοθεν.
ἡμῖν γὰρ ἀγαθῶν σωρὸς εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν
ἐπεισπέπαικεν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκόσιν.        805
οὕτω τὸ πλουτεῖν ἐστιν ἡδὺ πρᾶγμα δή.        805a
ἡ μὲν σιπύη μεστή ᾿στι λευκῶν ἀλφίτων,
οἱ δ᾿ ἀμφορῆς οἴνου μέλανος ἀνθοσμίου.
ἅπαντα δ᾿ ἡμῖν ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου
τὰ σκευάρια πλήρη ᾿στίν, ὥστε θαυμάσαι.
τὸ φρέαρ δ᾿ ἐλαίου μεστόν· αἱ δὲ λήκυθοι        810
μύρου γέμουσι, τὸ δ᾿ ὑπερῷον ἰσχάδων.
ὀξὶς δὲ πᾶσα καὶ λοπάδιον καὶ χύτρα
χαλκῆ γέγονε· τοὺς δὲ πινακίσκους τοὺς σαπροὺς
τοὺς ἰχθυηροὺς ἀργυροῦς πάρεσθ᾿ ὁρᾶν.
ὁ δ᾿ ἱπνὸς γέγον᾿ ἡμῖν ἐξαπίνης ἐλεφάντινος.        815
στατῆρσι δ᾿ οἱ θεράποντες ἀρτιάζομεν
χρυσοῖς· ἀποψώμεσθα δ᾿ οὐ λίθοις ἔτι,
ἀλλὰ σκοροδίοις ὑπὸ τρυφῆς ἑκάστοτε.

See Brian A. Sparkes, "Aristophanes' Wealth 802–18," Mediterranean Archaeology 17 (2004) 231-236.