Porson vs. the Germans (With a Small Digression on Greek Epigrams)

From Facetiae Cantabrigienses (London 1825) p.39:

The epigram which Porson composed seems to be modeled after a few epigrams attributed to Demodocus, which express roughly the same sentiment (excepting, of course, the contempt for Teutonic metricians):

235

“The Chians are bad; not just this one or that one – they’re all bad, except for Procles; and Procles is a Chian.”

Χῖοι κακοί, οὐχ ὁ μέν, ὃς δ’ οὔ,
πάντες, πλὴν Προκλέους· καὶ Προκλέης δὲ Χίος.

236

“All of the Cilicians are bad men. Among them, the one good man is Kinyres; and Kinyres is a Cilician.”

Πάντες μὲν Κίλικες κακοὶ ἀνέρες· ἐν δὲ Κίλιξιν
εἷς ἀγαθὸς Κινύρης, καὶ Κινύρης δὲ Κίλιξ.

Strabo preserves an alternative version of the first epigram, which he attributed to Phocylides rather than Demodocus, and which slanders the Lerians rather than the Chians:

“And this one is from Phocylides: ‘The Lerians are bad; not just this one or that one – they’re all bad, except for Procles. And Procles is a Lerian.’

καὶ τόδε Φωκυλίδου· Λέριοι κακοί, οὐχ
„ὁ μὲν ὃς δ’ οὔ, πάντες, πλὴν Προκλέους, καὶ Προκλέης Λέριος.”