Nicophon

and NICOPHRON (Νικοφῶν, Νικόφρων). The former is undoubtedly the correct orthography; Suidas is the only authority for the latter. He mentions the name four times (s. vv. Νικόφρων, ἀράχνη, σέρφος, κοιμίσαι.), in the two first of which he calls him Νικόφρων, but every where else, both by him and others, Νικοφῶν is the name given. He was the son of Theron, an Athenian, and a contemporary of Aristophanes at the close of his career.

Works

Comedies

Athenaeus (3.126, e.) states that he belonged to the old, but he seems rather to have belonged to the middle comedy.

1. Ἄδωνις

We learn from the argument to the Plutus III. of Aristophanes that he competed for the prize with four others, B. C. 388, Aristophanes exhibiting the second edition of his Plutus, and Nicophon a play called Ἄδωνις, of which no fragments remain, and which is nowhere else mentioned.

2. Ἐξ ᾅδου ἀνιών

Suidas (s. v. Νικόφρων) and Eudocia alone mention another play of his, Ἐξ ᾅδου ἀνιών. Besides these, he wrote other four plays, which are more frequently mentioned.

3. Ἀφροδίτης γοναί

(Suid. s. vv. Νικόφρων, ἀράχνη, σέρφος; Pollux, 10.156; Schol. ad Aristoph. Aves, 82, 1283).

4. Πανδώρα

(Suid. s. vv. Νικ., κοιμίσαι; Athen. 7.323b.; Pollux, 7.33).

5. Χειρογάστορες

(Athen. 3.126e. ix. p. 389a. ; Schol. ad Aristoph. Aves, 1550). Suidas calls this play Ἐγχειρογάστορες.

Meineke, on the authority of the Etym. M. p. 367, 32, gives to Nicophon three lines quoted by Athenaeus (xiv. p. 645b.) from a play bearing the name of Χειρογάστορες, which had before been given to Nicochares, and in this he is followed by Dindorf.

6. Σειρῆνες

(Suid.; Athen. 3.80b. vi. p. 269e. ix. p. 3618b.)

Other works

Besides these references there are others of less importance, collected by Meineke. No more than about twenty-seven lines of his writings remain; and from these, we can only say, as to his merits as a comic writer, that he seems to have possessed no small fund of humour.

Editions

Meineke, Frag. Poet. Comic. vol. i. p. 256, &c. vol. ii. p. 848, &c.

Further Information

Clinton. F. H. vol. ii. p. 101.

[W.M.G]