EURIPIDES
A force, in his insufferable conceit,
To smash this state. But fate arranged affairs
Quite otherwise and turned the tables here. 935
Hyllus and lolaus, who were at
Work raising a memorial to Zeus,
Told me to bring this man to you and make
You happy, since there's nothing like the sight
Of an old enemy down on his luck. 940
Alcmene
You brute! So God has punished you at last.
Come, turn this way! Or haven't you the nerve
To look your enemies straight in the eye?
By God, you'll take the orders that you used
To give us, if you really are the man 945
Who piled humiliations upon my
Poor son. You filthy scum! You made him go
To hell before he died; you sent him out
To kill off hydras, lions, not to speak
Of all the other horrors—it would take 950
Too long to tell it all. But as though this
Were not enough for you; you drove me and
The children out of temples throughout Greece
Where we had taken refuge, hounding old 955
People and babes in arms «until you found
A country that was free and wouldn't scare.
And now you'll get what's coming to you, though
Killing is much too good for you. To pay
For what you've done would take a thousand deaths. 960
Chorus
Wait! You can't put a man to death like that.
Attendant
What was the use of capturing him then?
Alcmene
Show me a law against his being killed!
168