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THE
AGAMEMNON OF ^ISCHYLUS.
FEINTED BY KEMINK AND SON,
TTTBECHT.
*W3"7
THE
AGAMEMNON OFLESCHYLUS
REVISED AND TRANSLATED
BY
JOHN FLETCHER MVIES, B.A.,
FIRST CLASSICAL MASTEE IN KINGSTOWN SCHOOL, IRELAND.
WILLIAMS AND NORGATE,
14, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON
and 20, SOUTH FREDERICK STREET, EDINBURGH.
KEMINK AND SON,
UTRECHT.
1868.
"Farthermore there were lefte out in diuers places of the warke lines
and columes, ye and sometyme holle padges, which e caused, that this
moste pleasant auctour coude not well be.perceiued: for that, and chaun-
geyng of wordes, and misordrynge of sentences, wold haue mased his
mynde in redyng, that had ben very well lerned: and what can be a
greatter blemisshe vnto a noble auctour ? And for to preise worthily vnto
you the great lernyng of this anctour, I know my selfe right muche
vnable, ye shal your selfe now deme, whan ye shal see hym (as nere as
I can) set forth in his owne shappe and likenes." Preface to Gower's
Poems.
PREFACE.
The principal features of this Edition are:
(1) an attempt to reproduce the metres of the Greek Text in
a literal line-for-line Translation,
(2) the correction of the Text by the aid of the most recent
^schylean literature,
(3) the arrangement of the lines of the choral odes according
to the principles laid down by Boeckh,
(4) the explanation of the Text in an entirely new Commen-
tary,
(5) a statement of the rhythm of each verse in the play.
(1) The deviations from an exact representation of the Greek
metres are the substitution of the English decasyllabic for the
Greek iambic trimeter and the contraction of resolved syllables
in paeons, cretics, and dochmiacs. The anapaestic lines, also,
correspond only as consisting of anapaestic feet, i. e. , anapaests,
dactyls, and spondees. The correspondence, therefore, consists
in the facts that the Greek arsis is represented by the English
accent, and that the Greek and English lines have the same
number of morae.
A work of so much difficulty partakes largely of the nature
vi PREFACE.
of a first experiment which is soon superseded by something better
from a more skilful hand; and the Editor naturally hopes for
some indulgence from the reader.
By a 'literal' Translation the Editor means one which follows
the construction of the Greek. "With the exception of minor
points, such as l <riyu hush!' and the passages which could not
be literally rendered in any idiomatic prose version , this professes
to be a literal translation. Of course the ordinary and well-
known deviations from the Greek to the English idiom are
systematically made. A peculiarity of the English language is
its neglect of connecting particles between the periods. The
logical connexion is always defined in Greek by the proper par-
ticles; in English the reader is nearly always left to discover it
without assistance. The participle and finite verb usually become
two finite verbs. The aorist participle is most frequently rendered
by the English present. The present and imperfect tenses with
a word of time must be translated by the perfect and pluperfect
with 'been', thus: 'I have been asking'. The force of yap in
a monostichia may be given by other words besides 'for'. The
gnomic aorist, as it is called, should always be turned into the
present. Sometimes the Greek idiom prefers the singular number ,
while the English demands the plural; and vice versa. In the
use of 'you' and 'thou' the translator must be guided by the
tone of the passage, and the earnestness of the speaker; but,
in general, the former is to be preferred. And so on. Without
the observance of these and other idioms the Translation could
not have passed even for English prose with poetic licenses.
Where words are supplied for the sake of the metre they are
written in italics, and care has been taken to use such words
as would merely help to put the idea more clearly without adding
to or subtracting from the sense or colouring of the sentence.
Such words as are implied in the Greek but not expressed are
not distinguished by italics.
PREFACE. vii
The transcription of Greek proper names is made as nearly
as possible like the Greek: thus, Casandra, JEgaean; the Greek
names of divinities should, undoubtedly, be retained, but the
Editor has once or twice availed himself of 'Jove', 'Mars', and
'Furies' for the sake of the metre. He has always written 'Erinnys'
where the Greek name is retained, in order that the proper
pronunciation may be evident from the form of the word.
(2) The Text has been corrected with the aid of the Editions of
Professor Karsten 1855, Professor Weil 1858, (whose Eumenides,
1861, contains an appendix to his Agamemnon, and his Persse,
1867, another appendix) Heimsoeth 1861 and 1862, and Enger
1863. These authors have given an account of the critical disco-
veries of Schneidewin, Ahrens, and many others. Professor
Weil's appendix to his Persae brings us up to the year 1867.
The Editor's own corrections are the result of nearly seven years'
special and constant study of this one Text. As a test of his
vigilance in retaining or rejecting a vulgate reading the following
examples , in which he dissents from the latest Editors , are such
as he can most readily call to mind:
Eur. Phcen. 784 — 793 is sound throughout: the following an-
notations alone are necessary for the explanation of this excep-
tionally fine passage. nxrexet 'inspired with a spirit of bloodshed
and death' xxtoxos el. ovk Jt* Kx\Xixh 0, $ etc. 'thou dost not,
(like Bacchus) to win the prize of the elegant chorus (i. e. in
dramatic contests) let loose the curl of youthful loveliness
{vexviScq upx<;) and modulate to the breathings of the flute a
strain in which are the charms that move the dance', enl with
the dat. , as in the phrase e-\ rm xhXsvstv. swj 2wpw. e7ritiHr&u,
sTri ffotpix. sTTurvetaxs x'mxri Qtfixq is a similar use of far)
'inspired (trans.) with a desire to win the blood of Thebe '. ovS'
vjto Qvpffopxvel etc. 'nor to the music of the maddened thyrsus-
bearer dost thou career with fawn-skins, but thou makest the
solid-hoofed colt curvet to the rattle of chariots and quartets of
vin PREFACE.
trappings', iuro with dat. as in the phrase vx xvXvirvipi sxnv,
£jr' xvXu, v*b xjpvxi, and for the idea compare Horn. D. 7. 240
S>tiu (leXTrevhat "Ap»Y 'to dance to the discord of the destroyer
Ares', hveveiv is both trans., and intrans., in Homer. The
difficulty arose from overlooking the carefully arranged antithesis
and the meanings of skI and v?r6.
It is shown in the Commentary that Horn. II. 3. 224 is not
spurious.
reipzufAEvv-t JEsch. Sept. 792 is undoubtedly sound, and Her-
mann's corrrection rs^pvftfihxt is absurd. nxl^st; vto (lyTspwv
relpxfifihxt is a periphrasis for xopxt.
xxTxzpda-fiuv Theocr. 4. 22 is sound, and rightly explained
by the scholiast xxxoq e}$ to %pi?<r$a< xvtu rivet 'for the towns-
people drive hard bargains'. Battus is speaking of a bullock for
sacrifice; and Virgil knew what he meant, for he says in his
imitation Eel. 1. 35 'quamvis multa meis exiret victima septis,
pinguis et ingraUs premeretur caseus urbi': i. e. 'sold many a
victim for sacrifice, and many a cheese to the townspeople who
showed little gratitude in the price they gave'.
TrXdvxs nq uq Soph. Phil. 758 is sound, whether you take
tA«v»j? to mean 'a planet' or 'an epidemic disease', or to con-
tain an allusion to both.
In Demosthenes' speech against Meidias p. 179. (C. Tauchnitz)
p. 525 Reiske, vorspx fivj Su Six rovroSixyv, *j (iti^uSoiii Sixziuc,
is sound and does not require the xxv which Bekker, Schafer,
and Buttmann wish to introduce. Translate: 'whether shall we
say 'let him, on this account, not be punished'; or 'would that
he might suffer greater punishment, as he deserves'? In the same
speech p. 190 (538) xxl rov Trpxyftxros rS 7rx<r%ovri the xxi has
got out of place; it should come after Trpdypxroq.
On the other hand there are some which he rejects although they
have never been suspected.
Eur. Med. 240 is corrupt and untranslatable. The lady has
PREFACE, ix
had her husband chosen for her-, the question is how to accom-
modate her disposition and habits to his. We must read o*uq for
otu and translate 'and coming into contact with a person of strange
habits and rules of conduct , one must be a diviner, since we cannot
bring the knowledge from home, how one should treat a husband'.
In the same play, v. 710, ^flovas must be changed to %flov<
i. e. Corinth.
In Soph. Ant. 585 yevsccq must be changed to ysveZv. At
v. 596 yevexv must be changed to ysvea.
In the same play v. 990 the vulgate, and Dindorfs, «CV>j
is absurd. Read xlr* , and you have sense.
The Manuscripts of the Agamemnon are:
M. Codex Mediceus , preserved at Florence. It was written about
the 10 th. century A.D. , and has been collated by Niebuhr,
Bekker and C. F. Weber for Hermann , and by John Franz.
It is of parchment. A whole quaternio is lost after v. 295.
A quaternio is four sheets of parchment (written on both sides)
laid on one another and folded once; and so answering to
a printer's sheet folded to octavo size and cut , except that
these parchments were twice as long as broad , so that , after
folding, the leaf is square. Of the next quaternio there is
only the first leaf and its fellow the last; the intermediate
six leaves are lost. That first leaf contains w. 1026 — 1118.
The fellow-leaf goes on at the top with Choeph. v. 10 ri
X&utz Xevaau; The average number of lines on a leaf is
91i. Thus: 1026—295 = 731 which divided by 8 gives
91| : and 1118—1026 = 92: there are 45 lines on the fac-
simile page exhibited by Dindorf JEsch. Scholia p. 140. Then
for the six lost leaves we get 549 lines, which added to
1118 gives 1667. Subtract 1644, the number of lines in
the Agamemnon according to the Fl. Ms., a copy of M. ,
(and also in the editions of Hermann, Enger etc.) and we
have remaining 23 lines. Now the Argument of the Eume-
x PREFACE.
nides is only about four lines. Allow as many for that of
the Choephorce, and 7, the exact number required for the
Title and Dramatis Personam, and we have a remainder of
12 as the number of lines lost in the prologue of the Cho-
ephorce. But , by applying Professor Weil's theory , we find
that the latter part of the prologue consists of 6. 4. 2 = 12
lines ; therefore the preceding part which is lost was probably
6. 4. 2 = 12 , of which 7 lines and parts of two have been
recovered. Therefore the lacunas still existing in the Pro-
logue of the Choephorce amount to 3 lines and parts of 2.
This calculation and the interpretation of the word quaternio ,
which the Ed. has made out from some data furnished in the
editions of Hermann and Enger , require to be verified by inspec-
tion of the Ms. It is assumed that the names of the Dramatis
Personse occupied each a line.
G. Codex Guelpherbytanus , of the 15 th. century. A copy
of M. after the losses mentioned above.
Fl. Codex Florentinus , of the 14 th. century. It contains
the Agamemnon entire , and was copied from M. before
the leaves were lost. It does not contain the Choephorce.
F. Codex Farnesianus, copied by Dem. Triclinius at the
end of the 14 th. century from Fl.
Ven. Codex Venetus, of the 13 th. century. It contains the
same plays as FL, but has a lacuna in the Agamemnon
from v. 45 to v. 1054. It was copied from M. before
the loss.
Bess. Bessarionis codex , probably of the 13 th. century. It
contains the first 333 verses of the Agamemnon , copied
from M. when entire.
The early editions quoted are:
A. The Aldine, printed from G. in February, 1518 A. D. ,
at Venice.
R. Robortelli's edition, from M.; Venice, 1552 A. D.
PREFACE. xi
T. The edition of Turnebus, printed at Paris shortly
after R. in the same year.
V. or Vict. Edited by Peter Victorius and printed by H. Stephens
at Paris in 1557 A. D. This is the first edition which
contained the Agamemnon entire. Victorius used M.,
PL, and F.
Canter's Edition was published at Antwerp in 1580 A. D. ;
Stanley's in London, 1663 A. D.
"Hermann procured the conjectural emendations of John
Auratus and Joseph Scaliger from a manuscript of Spanhemius
in the Royal Library at Berlin. Ezechiel Spanhemius had tran-
scribed them from (notes written in) copies of the edition of
Victorius which belonged to Isaac Voss. These copies are now
in the Library of Leyden." Haupt's Preface to Hermann's Edition.
(3) The text also differs from the text of previous editions in
the arrangement of many lines in the choral odes. Even Enger
(1863) did not venture to make any change. But when the prin-
ciples of Greek Metres had been so clearly explained by Boeckh
in his three books 'de metris Pindari' there could be no reason
why the change should not be made. In the choruses, then,
as here arranged, the verses always begin out, the rhythmical
orders, of which the verses are composed, begin in. The
verses are divided at the points most convenient for scanning and
printing 5 for this is a matter which has to do with the breadth
of the page. Boeckh's Pindar is in quarto, but even so there
is not room for the longer verses to be written in one line. In
the anapaestic systems the first line begins out and the rest,
down to the parcemiac, begin in. This arrangement is justified
by the synapheia, and it seems to be a convenient arrangement.
Since editors have often divided the verses capriciously, it, seems
necessary to inform the reader that there is only one right way
in this, as in every thing else; and that the most convenient
division of verses which leaves the orders and the feet undivided
xn PKEFACE.
is the right one to adopt for the lines. For the information of
junior students it may be added that the verses are determined by
hiatus, the syllable of doubtful quantity 'anceps', the nature of
the clausula and catalexis, or by the anacrusis and base which
commonly announce the commencement of a new verse. A correct
ear, well practised in Greek rhythms, is also necessary to the
discovery of the verses.
(4) Besides these innovations in the form of the Translation ,
in the text , and in the arrangement of the lines , a Commentary
is added which is almost entirely new, and in which nothing
is inserted but what seemed quite necessary to a right under-
standing of the play. One principal feature is the frequency
of quotations from Hesiod and the Gnomic poets. The Editor
had often read the Hesiod before he discovered that the phrase and
thoughts of JEschylus in this play were to so great an extent
the reflection of those of Hesiod. In the Choephorce he was
constantly reminded of the Odyssey ; but very much more of the
works of Hesiod in his minute study of the Agamemnon. This is
a discovery which has a twofold relation: we can interpret the
play from Hesiod, and we ascertain that the Theogony and The
Shield of Hercules were read by iEschylus as part of Hesiod's
poems. There are some sins of omission in the Commentary.
For instance; it should be said respecting v. 227 that upuyxv
is in apposition with fly<r/av implied in flvi-ijp ysveabsti = Qutrixv
7roie7<r(lzt, and that ovv in v. 34 refers back to v. 11, the Watch-
man's statement of Clytemnestra's confident assurance that Aga-
memnon would return, ovv in v. 473 refers to a conclusion which
might have been inferred from the line above. So in Soph. Ant.
722 ovv signifies "if not, as you might infer from my saying
npeafieCeiv". On xtjj'vjj, v. 129, it should be said that it is
directly taken from Horn. H. 18. 512 xrfoiv Z<tyiv nroXUbpov
ewpxrov ivro$ eepyei, a line which finally determines the genu-
ineness of the word xt^'vu.
PREFACE. xiii
(5) Finally, this is the first of English editions to give an
explanation of the rhythm and metre of each line in the play.
And here it may be added for the further information of junior
students that rhythm is the regular succession of arsis and thesis
in a verse; metre, the regular succession of long and short
syllables arranged for the expression of rhythm.
It was part of the Editor's ambition to dedicate this Essay
in Translation and Criticism to his University, Trinity College,
Dublin , and so give some expression to his gratitude for inestimable
benefits: but neither now, nor on a former occasion, could he
bring himself to think that the offering was worthy of formal
presentation; and he can only add that what is good in his book
is the offspring of studies in which he willingly engaged at the
dictation and with the indispensable aid of his Alma Mater.
PMFATIO ADNOTATIONIS CRITKLE.
En vobis, lectores eruditi, ea tradenda curavi quae amore
atque labore ducibus, omnium illis rerum victoribus, ad hanc
fabulam emendandam reperire potui. Nam quum versio Anglica
in hujus opens consilio primas partes teneret, et Commentarium
versioni explicandae inserviret, non absurde, ut mihi videtur,
linguam Anglicam in Commentario quoque adhibui. Praefatio
autem prior versionem meam maxime spectat talesque res quales
intellexisse popnlarium meorum potissimum intererat. Itaque fact-
um est ut notas criticas tantum Latine scripserim : id quod quam
brevissime feci et fortasse non ita ut jejunitatis crimen evitem.
Sed vos ii estis coram quibus si quis oculum modo, ut aiunt,
conniveat, plura intelligatis, quam vulgus hominum profanorum
si quis aliquid inculcando in aevum perstet.
Usus sum Karsteni, Engeri, Weilii editionibus; praesto erant
et libri duo quibus editis de nobis optime meritus est Heim-
soethius. His dictis, vix est cur addam me duro tirocinio im-
butum esse in Wellaueri , Bothii, Blomfieldii, Hermanni, E. Abr-
entis, Paleii, Coningtoni, Dindorfii editionibus periegendis. Sed
nondum aderat, etiamnunc abest, Dindorfii editio quinta Poe-
tarum Scenicorum Graecorum ; earn partem dico in qua Dindorfius
-Slschyb: relliquias tractabit
PRJ5FATI0 ADNOTATIONIS CRITICS. xv
Quod ad rem metricam pertinet rationes secutus sum Boeckhii,
supra quod enarrari potest, viri clarissimi.
Restabat solum ut vobis congratularer quod haec fabula in eo
est ut et facilior intellectu et mendarum purior evadat quam
ulla alia fabula Graeca. Tantum valuit indomitus virorum doct-
orum labor et ingenitus nudae veritatis amor.
Dabam Kingstownii apud Dublinium,
a. d. VI Id. Maias, MDCCCLXVIII.
ERRATA.
In the Argument. Page 5 , last line murder.
In the Text. P. 8, I. 1. *TAAS. V. 276 inlwiv. V. 584 eu. F. 1078 tot.
V. 1238 £S<5x«. V. 1245 a-AA'. F. 1292 bittyo/JiM. V. 1457 tori.
F. 1492 vp&a/xa.Tt.
In the Translation. V. Ill soldiers'. F. 121 victor. F«. 203, 4 sAowZa"
5e^i« i». F. 205 ,/fcr thus read then. Fu. 245 , 256 should begin out.
Vv. 355 , 433 place commas after helored and remembers. Vv. 545 ,
604, 650 for host. war. Greeks: read host? war? Greeks? F. 515
heralds'. F. 572 for wish read bid. F. 689 /or knell-like to read
death-knell of. F. 750 pronounced. F. 794 for gladness read mirth.
F. 795 should begin out. F. 825 place a comma at town. F. 826 , 7
read set: and. F. 1090 for god-hating read god-hated. F. 1114 for
view read view ? F. 1133 for men: read men? F. 1342 should begin in.
F. 1371 for see read know. F. 1535 '£Ae, Right' read the, Right.
In notis criticis. F. 30 Sic Vict. F. 102 Sic Fl. F. 304 7r>j (woi
legitur irrj.) V. 345 poena. F. 373 oWe n. F. 585 (libri £/**).
F. 557 Ttpomilatv subaud. /^/soj. F. 562 T/sfya. F. 817 gravidam.
F. 1017 adscripta. F. 1041 (ubi legitur 421) nullo. F. 1092 audieris.
F. 1251 libri. F. 1354 iysecv. F. 1590 'At/ssw*
In the Commentary. F. 2 explained. F. 17 dindro/iot. V. 105 also. Pa^e
181 , line 4 that, (mm 33 (none in. V. 123 learn. F. 246 perform-ing.
F. 612 follow-ing. F. 829 substituted.
AIZXTAOT AFAMEMNftN.
V
THE AGAMEMNON OF ^SCHYLUS.
TA TOT APAMATOZ nPOSfinA.
OTAAH.
XOPOS.
K ATT AIMNHZTP A .
KHPTH.
ArAMEMNHN.
KA2ANAPA.
Ainzeos.
M. non habet personarum indicem.
TxxQvfiioc xijput; libri. Ego Talthybium ejeci quia , me judice ,
Medicei codicis archetypus eum non habuit. Haec M. post nomen
fabulse: fcpdircov 'Aya^s^vovo; o 7rpo^oyi^6/xevog , ou%i 6 xj%o
Alyhrioo rxx&eig. Qui ea scripsit lectores admonendos curavit
iEschyleam narrationem ab Homerica ilia (Od. 4. 524) discrepare.
Is igitur Arg. non scripsit. Porro autem M. habet Arg. sec.
Dind. , non habet sec. Franz. Hie ideo mihi fidem facit quod
Arg. habet Talthybium.
PERSONS REPRESENTED.
A WATCHMAN: acted by the Deuteragonist, who speaks
about 490 lines altogether.
CHORUS.
CLYTEMNESTRA : acted by the Protagonist: about 340 lines.
A HERALD:
AGAMEMNON:
CASANDRA:
^GISTHUS :
THE MUTE ACTORS ARE:
Attendants of Clytemnestra vv. 92, 595.
Personator of Casandra v. 950: his place is taken
by the DeuteragODist after v. 974, by
stage-contrivance.
Attendants of Agamemnon v. 944.
Personators of Agamemnon and Casandra lying
dead vv. 1404, 1440.
Attendants of JEgisthus v. 1650.
rnooEin
'Ayccftiftvcov ale "IA/sv xttioov t# KXvrxi^.vvj<TTpx , a] xopS^roi
tY'I'mov, vxaG%a~o tvjc earrifc vjitlpxc; eyjtzxiveiv hx tov xvpeov .
oQav trxorbv ixxfaaev ax) pieda KXvTxipvvjGTpx , 7vx Typo'iy
tov xvpaov. xx) o ftav Idccv xxvjyyaiKav ' xvtvi Va tov t&v
XpatTpVTCCV 0%K0V fteTXXaftXaTXI Xap) TOV XVpTOV SpOVfTX' 1$ 5
uv xx) o %opo$ gvAgtxtxi' dhivac xkovvxvtsc xxixvi^ov<ri.
(ast' ov xoXv Ta xx) Tx\Qv(3ioc; xxpxyivaTxi xx) tx xap)
tov x'aovv hyjyslTxi. ^AyxfAspvuv 5' ex) xxyvyg ap%eTXi'
a'lxaTO Se xvtu STepx xxv\vvi , av$x vjv tx AxQvpx xx) Vj
Kxtrxvlpx. xvtoc /zev ovv xpoaisapxeTXi sic tov otxov trvv r# 10
KKvTXt(Jt,vyio-Tpx . Kxtrxvdpx §f xpopxvTavaTXi , xp)v aU TO,
fixoiXaix algaXSaTv , tov exvTijg xx) tov ' Ayxptayi,vovog Qxvxtov
xx) tyjv £% 'Opao-Tov [tyTpoxTOvixv , xx) algx^x tag Oxvov^awi ,
pllpXTX TX 0-TafjifJ.XTX. T0VT0 §f TO pcapOC TOV 'hpX'^XTOg
Oxvftd^eTxi ug axxXvjt-iv a^fiv xx) oJxtov Ixxvov. Wccg Sf 15
A\o-%vXog tov 'Ayxfte/zvovx ax) cxvivyg xvxipeTtrQxi xoial,
tov "ha VLxvxv&pxq vicoxya-xg Oxvxtov vaxpxv xvtw vxe-
deif;ev, xaxoiyxe Ta Alyiadov xx) \O.VTXifiv^7Tpxv axxTepov
"bu^XvpiZpy^avov nap) Ttjg xvxipatraug av) xaipxXxiu, t^v ptav
ARGUMENT.
Agamemnon on his setting out for Uion promised Clytemnestra ,
if he sacked Ilion, to send the intelligence the same day by a
lire-signal. So Clytemnestra set a paid watchman to look out
for the fire-signal; and when he saw it he brought word. Then
she sends for a number of elders to tell them about the fire-signal ,
and of these the Chorus is composed. On hearing the news they
sing a thanksgiving hymn. Not long after Talthybius arrives
and gives an account of the voyage. Next, Agamemnon comes
on a mule-car: another car was following, in which were the
spoils of war and Casandra. He himself goes on before into the
house with Clytemnestra; Casandra, before going into the palace,
predicts the death of herself and Agamemnon , and the matricidal
deed of Orestes; then, throwing oif her diviner's badge, hurries
in to die. This part of the drama is admired for its power to
inspire horror and pity. In a peculiar manner Aeschylus represents
Agamemnon as being killed on the stage, and exhibited the
corpse of Casandra though he said nothing about her death,
and has made Aegisthus and Clytemnestra justify the murder
each on one plea; the latter by the mnrder of Iphigenia, the
6 ArAMEMNHN.
t% xvxipstxsi 'iQiyevsixq , tov Ve Tout; tov 7rxTpbg Quivrov 20
it; 'Arpeooq (rvft+popxlq.
*EX&A%fy to ^px[Jt,x hn xpxcvTCc fyiXoxXsovg , 'OXuf«m£Si
oy'ScvixoGTy , stsi SsvTspcp. 7rpuTog A]<r%vXoc ^ Ky xyukywovi ,
XovjQopoic, Evfjt,£vi<7i , HpooTSi vxTvpixu. ixopviysi UsvoxXijg
'AQtivevs. 25
YlpzKoyi^ei Is b <Pv'ax%, d£px7ruv ^Ayxfis^vovoq.
1. 16. hi ffxrjvjjj. I. e. tarn prope a scena ut ejus clamores a specta-
toribus exaudiri possent.
AGAMEMNON. 7
former, by the misfortunes brought upon his father Thyestes
by Atreus.
The drama- was exhibited in the archonship of Philocles, in the
second year of the eightieth Olympiad. Aeschylus was first with
the tragedies, Agamemnon, Choephoroe, Eumenides, and the
satyric drama, Proteus. Xenocles of Aphidnae was choregus.
The watchman , a servant of Agamemnon , speaks the prologue.
<t>TAA2.
Qso'jc fdv xhu toovV xirxKhxyviv novuv
(ppovpxc hsixc ftyjxog, v,v K6lft£f*fP6f
GTsyyz "'Arpeti&v xyxxQev , xvvog Sixyv,
xa-rpcov kxto&x vvxrspoov owyvpiv,
xx) Tobg Qepovrxg X £ W X xxt Qsp°G fiporoTg 5
hx&Trpobc $jvx(ttxc , s;j.7rps7rovTXc xl$spi.
Kx) vvv <pvXx<r<rcc hxyi.Trxho: to (rvpfioKov ,
xvyyv Trvpoq Cpepovvxv he Tpoixg CbxTiv
xhxo-iftdv rs (3x^tv &%e yxp xpxTsT 10
yuvxtxbg xvdpofiov: ov i?>7rityv xexp.
Evt xv Sf vvxT'nrKxyxTOv IvSpovov t £%oj
svvvjv oveipom oux s7ri7X07irovijUvYjV
ifijv , Qdfiog yxp xvf v7rvcu 7rxpxo~TXTsl
10 pii (3e(3xiut; fihetpxpx o-j,u(3xte7v inrvcp , 15
otxv y xsfilsiv vj [/.ivvpevdxi loxu ,
vtvov toV xvTi{toh7rov hrs^voov xxog,
2. ereixs' /"jxoj S' n» M. yuijxos , »jv ipse imposuit, nimirum et aliis, ra-
Fl. cet. Edd. inde a Victorio. tiunculis suis de hujus voc. sign.;
3. ariyxti libri. (jrr/jjj Sehueidew. quod non fecisset , si in' dr/y.iivo;
vi//.u9tv libri. Fortasse dvi*x9iv le- recte vertisset 'cubito presso'. At
gendum , monente Engero ; idque in- ille 'in ulnis' , ambigue.
vitis Schol. et Gramm. Herm. sibi Post v. 6. sequitur v. duTtpa;,
WATCHMAN.
I have been asking of the gods relief
from these my toils a year-long sentry's space;
in which couched dog-like on the Atreids' roof
I've learned the host of nightly grouping-stars,
5 the bearers both of cold and heat to men,
bright rulers who in aether keep their state.
And still I'm watching for the beacon's sign,
the flare of fire which bears report from Troy,
10 news of its capture; so our lady's wit,
hopeful, with manlike reasoning, proves 't will be.
And whensoe'er I take my dewy rest
broke by night wanderings, not o'erlooked by dreams —
for fear 's my comrade in sleep's stead, and so
15 my eyelids have no firm set-to with sleep —
and when I have a mind to sing or hum,
plying that knife of song to cure my sleep,
Srav jjfli'vwjtv, ivroixi n twv, aperte 'specilli loco'; nam vulg. corruptum
spurius. esse vel infanda vertendi difficultas
14. ipjv. Sicet Eum. 578, Suppl. ostendit: neque vero ineptum est
366 in hac sede cum interpunctione. militem quondam vulneratum hoc
17. Sic libri. Malim d-M^Xw dicere.
10 AFAMEMNHN.
XKXICO TOT 01JCOU T0U<$£ (TUftCpOpXV (TTSVCOV,
oi>x cc$ tx 7rp6<rtf xpurTX ^s(T7roTOv>^avou.
NDv S" euTU%ii<; ysvoiT xTrxKXxyy) 7r6vuv, 20
svxyyeXov (pxvivrog opQvxiou trupds.
v £l %xlpa XxyLKTyp vvxTog , vj^spvjo-iov
Cpxog 7riCpxvaxoov xx) %0p5)V XXTXtTTXtriV
irohhav iv "Apysi Tijgds <ruptQopx<; %xpiv.
'lov \ov. 25
""Ayxpcipcvovog yuvxmt ayipcxva TOpoog
axjvvjq £7rxvTsiXxo'xv cog TX%og Sdftoig
oKoXvy^ov evCpvii&ouvTX Tij$e XxyvKX&i
i7T0pQix%£tv , swap Ia/ou %oXig
axXccKsv , cog o (ppvxTog xyysXKcov 7rpsT£i. 30
xvTog t ay coy a Qpolfjciov %opawo'/,xi.
Tx ^£(T7roTccv yxp av 7T£<t6vtx Qycrcpixi,
Tp)g i§ (ZxXovvviq Tijgda ywi (ppuxTcopixg.
TavciTO §' ovv (toKovTOt; av&iXij %apx
XVXXTOq OIKOOV T\flh£ @X(TTX<TXl %api. 35
Tx y xKKx ciyco ' (3oug hr) ykooGGy {/.ayxg
fiifiyxav oixog S' xuTog, si (pQoyyyv Xx$ot,
(TxCpkaTXT 1 xv Xalqaiav' cog axcov ayco
{/,x6ou<Tiv xu^co y xov [txQovai TdjfafMU,
XOPOS.
AaxxTOv fj(,h SToq to'S' ana) Ylpixpov 40
(tsyxg xvTihxog,
MavaXxog xvx% v$ 'Ayx{/,i(tvcov,
19. ilnnovou/iivou libri. Corr. Eng. , 25. loit lob libri. Corr. Herm.
Dubner, Schmidt, ego olim. 26. <n)/*aiv&i M. Corr. in FL
AGAMEMNON. 11
then, sighing, I deplore this household's lot,
which is not as before most fairly ruled.
20 Now may there be a blest release from toil
by advent of the evangel gloom- wrapt ray.
Welcome, thou lamp of night! revealing beams
like daylight, and in Argos many a choir's
glad marshalling because of this event.
25 Io! Io!
I '11 plainly signal Agamemnon's dame
to rise with haste from bed and in the house
to high notes tune a jovial salute
for yonder flame: of course; since Ilion's town
30 is taken, as the beacon beams report.
I'll dance a prelude too all by myself.
I'll wager on the masters's lucky throws
for this fire-signal throws me triple-sice.
Heaven send he may return, that in this hand
35 I may hold clasped the palace-lord's dear hand.
For the rest, hush! a great ox on my tongue
treads; and the house itself if it got speech
would tell the truest tale; since freely I
tell those who know, to those who dont, forget.
CHORUS.
40 This year is the tenth since that when the great
foeman of Priam,
king Menelaus and king Agamemnon,
30. Sic. Vict. AyytXuv Fl. M. 42. Et hie suspectus Boissonadio ,
32. Versus suspectus; uou mi hi. Karst. , Eug.
12 ArAMEMNXlN.
hQpovou Aiohv kx) durxyTrrpou
Tipvjq , o%vpov fyvyog 'Arpeidxv,
(ttoKov 'Apyeioov %i\iQvxmyiv 45
rijqd' octtq %upxq
yjpxv (TrpxTi&Tiv xpccyijV
fttyea ix Gvpov xXxtyvrsq "A/:*/,
rpo7rov xiyj7riobv ,
otr' sxTXTioiq xXyeai ttx'&uv 50
V7TXT01 te%k®V (TTpOipodlVQUVTXl
7TTspvyuv spsTpoTcriv ipstro-dftsvoi ,
xovov dprxAixuv oKeTXvrsq'
v7rxrog 5' xi'uv y riq 'AtoXauv, 55
v) Tlxv, vi Zeuc , oluvoQpoov
yoov otjvfioxv T&vls [astcUcov
V<7T£pO7TOlV0V
7T£fX7T£l 7TXpx(BxjlV 'EpiVUV.
Oura S' 'Arpkccq xxT^xq b xpsi<r<rcov 60
fV ' AXelqx-Jdpy 7rs(A7r£i %ivioq
Zefai 7TO\vxvopoq xijtfQ) yvvxixoq
7T0AAX 7TXAxi<J[/,XTX XX) ?Vl0(3xpij
yovxroq xovixhtiv ipsidofihov
SixxvxiofAwyiq t ev ■7rpoT£A£ioiq 65
xxf&xxoq bvjvm AxvxoTtiv ,
Tpcctri § of&olbiq. "Est/ §' ony vuv
sari ' TsXeirxi 5' iq to Trs7cpoi^kvov.
OvC vTOxxtdv oW v7Totei(3av
45. ^tiiovauTav libri. -/jv Dind., 57. Omnino abjiciendum comma,
probante Engero. t. ft., pendet ab 'E. : sic rsxvotv 'Eptwi ,
47. apotyocriv M. sec. Dind. -«jv Eur. Med. 1389.
Eng. v. 73 cit. 64. if,iZofxivou M. ipstnofiiwu Fl.
AGAMEMNON. 13
holding from Zeus twin-throned twin-sceptred
honour, a firm-paced pair of Atreidae,
45 launched from this land an army of Argives
borne in a thousand barks,
an avenging legion of heroes:
sending forth from the soul loud clamour of war,
like two vultures
50 which in distracting grief for their offspring
to the utmost height over their nests float in curves,
rowing themselves with their oars of pinions,
having lost the brood-care
which before at the nest had detained them:
55 and in the highest some dweller, Apollo,
or Pan, or Zeus, hearing the shrill-voiced
wail of the mourning birds sends the departed
fledgelings' Erinnys
with a late levied doom 'gainst the sinners.
60 So doth the master Zeus, patron of host and guest,
'gainst Alexander send the Atreidae,
and for the lady of many a lover
will impose on Achaeans and Trojans alike
many encounters fatiguing the sinews
65 where the knee of the hero is pressed in the dust
and the spear-shaft snapt in the foremost
orgies of battle. And now things are —
as they are; but will end in the issue decreed.
Not by burnt nor drink offering after the sin
8 ad it supra scripto ; ut vulg. Bess. 69. ojZ' uirox, Herm. , quod ne-
66. xupaxof — bfiolut. hsec in mo- cessarium sit ; sed beet per me poetis
nom. et paroem. digessit Eng. asyndeto uti. imoxXulw libri , imoxaaav
67. 8nt) vulg. 8ny Herm. Casaubou, (-wwv Diud.)
14 ArAMEMNflN.
outs Sxxpuuv X7TUpUV tspuv 70
bpyxq xrsvelq TxpxQsX^si.
'HftsTg S' xtItxi <rxpx) trxXxiq.
rijc tot xpcoyijq u7roteiCpdsvTsc
[tipivoftsv, lcr%bv
}<ro'7rxi$x vs[MVTsg fV/ <nc.vj7rTpoi<; . 75
o ts yxp vsxpbg [/.vsKoq aTspvuv
svtoi; xvfeo'cov
l<ro7rp£<r(3uc , "Apys 5' ovk hi %kpx.
ti f v7T£pyvipc6<; , QuXXxSot; v$yi
xxTXKxpCpopevviq', Tp'nrobxq fzsv odoug 80
vTsi%£i , xxiSbg §' ouhsv xpsiau
ovxp yftepcCpxvTOv xXxivsi.
2u Se, Tuv^xpsu
QuyxTsp, fixviXeix KXuTXipwvjGTpx ,
ti %phq; tI vsov, ti §' sKxivbofiswi 85
Tivog xyysXixq
irsu^ol 7rspiT£fjt,7rTX 6uo<rxvs7<; ;
7TXVTCCV $S &SO0V TUV XVTUVOpUCV ,
V7TXTCCV, x&ovicov ,
toov ts Qupxiuv t&v t' xyopxicov
fia/JLo) dupoitri (pXsyovrxr
xKKvj V xXXoCsv 0VpXV0{Jt,VjY,V)q
hxyL7Cxq xvi<r%si
(potpfistavofikn^ %piyi,xToq xyvou
70. Aiwpcav Up&v. Vide Comment. 78. ^apii M. %up<f vulg. 'in pue-
72. AtIt&i M. A.xi-za.1 Fl. , et sic rorum pectore non est deus indiges'.
recte recentt. , 'vacantes militia? mu- Sic yw<>} , oux Uvea*' "A/wis JDsch.
nere'. Supp. 749.
76. ore libri. 5 « Auratus. 79. TiOinepyqpus M.corr. Martin.;
77. <*v6ta<xwv libri. corr. Herm. , prseclara eademque diu desiderata
recentt. emendatio.
90
AGAMEMNON. 15
70 nor by tears will he charm the intensified wrath
which he ronsed by contempt of religion.
But we (for our old flesh exempt from the war)
left behind by the vengeful-armada that day
stay at home, and apply
75 to our staves a strength equal to childhood's.
For the young vital juice throbbing up in the breast
of a child is as weak
as old age, nor does Ares inhabit the spot:
and what of the man past old age, when the leaves
80 are now fading away? on his three-footed walks
he goes, and no more fit for war than a child,
like a dream in the daylight, he wanders.
But thou, Tyndareus' child,
Clytemnestra queen-regent, what is the cause?
85 what the news? what intelligence hast thou received?
on what tidings' report
dost thou serve out and kindle the incense?
for of all the town-governing gods, the most high,
those of the underworld,
90 gods of the doorway, and gods of the market,
the altars with gifts are illumined:
and on every side darting its rays to the sky
rises a flambeau
drenched with the virgin nard's guileless and undefiled
82. rifi.spdfxrov M. corr. in cet. 90. t<5v t' ou/sav/wv libri. Hunc
87. mtOol vulgo, TroSoZ. Fl. mudoi versum ejecit Porsonus, Engerus
Scaliger, probantibus Herm., Dind. emeudatum restituit.
cet. OuoaxivtU libri, nisi quod M. 91. Sic F. Idtpoti cet.
sec. Dind. Quoaxvels a pr. m. ; id ab 94. xplaparos Fl. , vulg. xplponoi
Ahrente commendatum recepit Eng. M. Herm. , recentt.
16 ArAMEMNIlN.
pixXxxxlq a&oXoivi 7rxpv\yopixiq , 95
TreX&vq ywxbbev (oxo-iteicc.
Tovtuv Xstjxtq o Tt xx) Suvxtov
xx) dipciq xhsiv ,
7rxiuv ts ysvov rij$$£ (tEpipivyq ,
vi vvv tots [uv xxxoQpuv tsXbQsi , 100
tots 5' ix Qvgioov xyxvx (pxivova
SXmC XpiVV£l CppOVTl^' X7TX^<TT0V
Tt]V 6vpU)(3opOV CPpSv) XVKYIV.
arp Kvpidq dfU QposTv ohov xpxToq xfoiov xvdpuv
ixTsX&cov ' £Ti yxp OsoQsv xxtxtvvhh 105
■7T£t6a (tOATTXV
xkxcjL cru/xtpvToq xluv
orccq "K%xiuv Wpovov xpxTO; , '^.'Kkxhoq ijfixq
Zv/uXppovx Txyxv, 110
7T£f/,7rSl (7UV $0p) Xx) %£p) 7TpxXT0pt QouptOq OpViq
Tsvxpil' fV xixv
oicovuv (3x<rtXijq (ox<riX£v<n vs&v , o xs-
Xxivoq , o t i^QTTiv xpyfyq, 115
CpXV£VT£q "iXTXp (Jt,£Xx6pC0V %£pbq £X ^0pV7TXKT0V
•7rxft7rpt7TT0tq h £^pxi<riv •
(3o(rxd[t£voi Kxyivxv ipixuf/,x$x (pippcx T£ yhvxv
96. 7re)«vw vulgo , sed M. sec. ex Hesiodeo illo sumptus nspWafo Ik
Franzii apographon -&, quod Eng. Ojp£> txXyea dupojSopsiv Op. 795. Veris-
recepit. Ego 7r«vro9«v 7tA/j96vo/ta« scri- simam Pauwii corr. recepi Porsono
bere tisXuvu. probatam. Junge: d/xuvsi fftd. ppyv
97. Atffaff' vulgo. corr. Hartung. ap. iEsch. diaphragma est , s. fons co-
98. elnAv Fl. gitationis; minime vero ipsa cogitatio.
102. Sic. Fl. txTrXsiarcv M. 105. ixrei^otv libri, quo nihil me-
103. T17V OupopQdpov Xting ypiva. lius si modo recordaris Hes. Op. 464
M. Tijv Oupofiipov XitntK ppivx Fl. et 472.
Schol. M. legit 0op.oj26pov. Sermo 107. p\oli:i-j M. a p. m.
AGAMEMNON. 17
95 soft and essentially odorom blandishments,
with the treasure-room's rich royal unguent.
Tell me of these things whatever to utter is
lawful and possible,
and be healer for me of this inward concern,
100 which now at one moment sadly forebodes,
and then again hope , from the frankincense-fires
kindly beaming, repels the insatiate care,
this heart-gnawing grief, from my bosom.
I have full powers to tell of the strong men's omen of conquest
105 seen on the march; (for my being still one with its birthmate
vigour of harmony
breathes forth god-given eloquence;;
how martial bird sends with the spear and the sentence-exacting
110 arm to the Teucrian
land the Achaean s' twin-throned royalty, Hellas's soldiers
one-hearted chiefdom:
kings of birds to the kings of the galleys appearing, the
115 dark one, and he with tail argent,
before the halls , fast by the hand that poises the spear-shaft ,
on conspicuous perches, [burden
feasting themselves on the full-wombed child of the hare and her
109. fy3av libri. corr. ex Ar. Ran. 116. SoysuTraArou libri , Enger. lopi-
1284 opt. codd.. itkXtou cum T. V. vulgo.
110. tocv y«v M. corr. in Fl. 117. TTccputpinois iv iZpcuaiv M.
111. £uv Fl. xal libris omissum nx/jLitpinoiaiv iZpout Fl. Ttup-npinroti
ex. Ar. Ran. 1289 revocatum est. iv Upxiai Bess.
114. fia.at'ktvf Ubri. fiaoihis Kar- 119. ipixup.xr» fipp.ct.Ti M. iptxu-
sten, -% ego, ut Ppxfiris v. 230, p.ovx ftpfiovTo Fl. iptxupuox ex He-
fiuadrjs Soph. Ai. 189. sychii glossa receperunt Karst, Dind.,
115. dpyixi libri. otcySi Blomf. , Eng. ftp pa. zs Ahr. , quern sequor,
<xpy$f Dind., recentt. voce piafiivrx ductus.
2
18 ArAMEMNflN.
(3\x(3svrx Koivdloov ^po^ccv. 120
AfatVOV , VAKlVQV f/Vf, TO 3' £U VIXXTOO.
Am. KeSvbq Sf (rrpxTOfixvTH; idoov duo Xvi(jcxcnv houq
'ATps'iZxq pixxiftoug ebxvi hxyohxirxq
7T0fj(,7rxg xp%ovq '
0VTCO 3' £/7T£ rspcf&v ' 125
%povq (jCsv sty pel Ylpixftov tto'kw xhe xsAsuOog ,
7TXVTX $e nvpyoov
xtvjvvj xpovQs rx ^fAi07rXyi&sx MoTpx Xxtx^si
npoq to fiixiov. 130
Olov ff4 fiq xyx Qedfav xvsCpxvy 7rpoTv-
7tsv o-TOftiov (Aeyx Tpoixq
GTpxTooQh' ovvov yxp sxicpQovoq "ApTsptg xyvx 135
'KTXVO'lO'lV XUo) 7TXTpbq
xutotokov 7rpb Xoxov [AQyepxv ttxxx Quopcevoio'i ,
GTwysi Vs ^sinvov xIstuv
xixivov , xiXivov f/Vi, to 3' ev vixxtcc'
inuZ. TOaaov TTsp svQpccv X XXKx 140
<ipd<roi<ri h£7TT0iq [AxXspobv hsdvTUV,
7TXVTCOV T } XypOVOfiOOV (plXOfAXO'TOiq
Qvipobv dfipixxhoitri , Tspirvx
toutccv xhsT %upi,fioKx xpxvxi.
122. Probabile mihi videtur voc. Wei]., Dind. Vera lectio incerta.
8e, hoc genus versus pronuntiando , 129. -npoaderx M. itpdsOerx Bess.
the factam esse. Xqp.zoi Zlaaovt libri; ttpbafe t« vulgo. Mutare nolim.
recte Dind. Xq/nxatv taovs- Srifiionlridi) libri , Zr>p.toTtl/)9ix O. Mul-
123. 'AfjoefSas vulgo. 'Arpstixs ler, Eng. ; nee desunt alise epicee
Monk. formse in hoc carmine. Mo'ip' x\xn££ei
124. 7ro/*Trous t' &px<*s M. , ace. illo vulgo. Ut editur, P., recentt.
corr. , oipxovf EL no/mcis dpxous Karst. , 131. a'ra libri, oiyx Herm.
AGAMEMNON. 19
120 from further running all debarred.
Speak the refrain of the dirge, but may good prove victor
And the shrewd army-diviner, observing the two gallant Atreids
matched in mood, was apprised of the cavalcade-leading
hare-tribe butchers;
125 and thus spake he divining :
"in time this route bindeth its quarry the city of Priam;
then all its towers'
substance hitherto stored by the people fate shall in violent
130 fashion demolish:
granted only no grudge from the deities tarnish the
bit for Troy forged and in grandeur
135 embattled; since undefiled Artemis hating as much these
feathered hounds of her father,
butchering , litter and all , the poor trembler before her deliv'ry,
(for she abhors the eagles' food) —
speak the refrain of the dirge , but may good prove victor : —
140 as she, the beauteous one, delights
in tiny cubs dropped by the fierce -souled lions;
and all ravening animals' pap-fond
younglings, prays her sire to accomplish
mystic omens pleasing these fav'rites.
134. otxw libri, vulgo. Saaov ego; supra script a , et echol. M. confic-
quo recepto, rdaaov nsp v. 140 tole- turn. p.uXeps>v ovruv M. isivruv Stan-
rari potest. leius , ex E. M. sub v. spaxt. Diud.
140. sup/; wv x«A« M. & xsda Fl. , inseruit t« m. c. Ahr. mavult Xsidvrojv.
vulgo. 143. djZpixtklouat M. , sed on in oi
141. Zpiaotoi* dihtroti M. Spdooiatv mutato. tcpmxk cum glossa "Aprtpti
dinroi; Fl. , Bess. Zpdaoict isitroit in F.; sed cum |6/ut/3oAa jungi debet.
Wellauer. A pro A posita est, a 144. xponou M. xp&vat Fl.
9
•:•>
20 ArAMEMNHN.
Ast-ia ftsv, xxTCCftofttpx Ts (px<r{tXTX Qxv&v. 145
'ivj'iov Ss zothsco Uxtxvx,
(Ml Tivxq xvTirvdouq AxvxoTq %povi-
xq £%£vy<)xq rev^y xnXo'ixq , 150
<T7rsv^o(jt.svx Qvtrlxv faepxv , XVOftOV TIV , XcixiTOV,
veixscov tsktovx (nif&Qurcv , ou dsio-yvopx , /jd/zvsi
yxp Cpofispx xxhivoproq
olxovd^oq cioXix (avx^ccv ftijvtq T£Jcvdxoivoq. 155
Toixhs Kxk%xq %vv (tsyxhoiq xyxddiq xxixXxyt-sv
ftdpptf/,' XT opvi&ccv ohiccv o'lxoiq fixviteioiq *
Tolq 8* oftdtpavov
x'ixivov , xikivov iixi, to 5' ev vikxtu.
atp.K. 7.svq , b'qrtq tot' itrriv , si toT xu- 160
ry Qlhov xsxtyftiva),
touto vtv xpoq£W£xa '
OUX £%0i XpOqElKXVXl
XXVt' £XHTTxd(4COft£V0q ,
XXv\V Aldq , £1 TO [AXTXV XXO (ppOVTlhoq X%boq 165
XP>} &Xh£lv £T^TUf4,C0q.
dv-r.a. " Ou<i' oquq xxpoifav v\v [liyxq ,
7rX(t[4.XXV QpUVtl fipUCCV,
CU$£ k£^£TXl 7Tp)v COV' 170
Oq d £X£IT £(pV TpiX-
XTYlpCq V i%£TXl TV%OiV
TS^vx Si Tiq xpoQpdvuq ixivixix xhx&v
T£V%£TXl <pp£VCOV TO XXV 175
145. j>«er/jtaTa rrpouOoiv M. ?&v gerus non recepit.
atpouBuv Fl. pefcor/iara pavfliv Heim- 149. ^sv/jfoas libri. corr. Blomf.
soeth. quarn certiasimam emend. En- 1 50. tknMzs M. Teuf»] dnXoius
AGAMEMNON. 21
145 Good is the vision of eagles, but chequered with evil.
But I invoke the deliv'rer Paean
lest she should work for the Greeks any foul-blowing,
150 lingering, ship-staying, adverse-weather,
craving a different victim , unlawful , not yielding a banquet ,
cognate framer of bickerings, no poor craven, for housewife-
rancour is waiting to-break-out-
155 afterwards, dire, ever-mindful, treach'rous, offspring-avenging."
Such were the fates which, mixed with large benisons, learnt from the omens
seen at the starting, Calchas rehearsed to imperial households :
whereto in concert
speak the refrain of the dirge, but may good prove victor.
160 Zeus (if, whosoeer he is, he be
titled thus acceptably
by this name I speak of him:
I've no power to strike a balance,
when I bring each plea to scale,
165 whether or not I should truly reject from my thought as
idle burden all but Zeus:
not he, who in former times was great,
with all-bearding boldness full,
170 ev'n as 'one who was' will be
named; and he who next arose
met his conqu'ror and is gone)
Zeus is he whom if man heartily greet with ovations
175 he will reach the sum of wit:
Eng. , m. c. ; fortasse recte. dnXoioa 165. el tooj libri. corr. Pauw.
T. Vict. 170. ouSiv Xi$ou libri ouZc Werxi
157. dntxloulitv M. Ahr. a recentt. receptum.
22 ArAMEMNXIN.
ST/J./3'. rov (ppovslv fiporobg oSa-
trxvTtz, rov tMsi (txQog
Qevrx xupiccg e%eiv.
'Lrx^si V h d' txvtfi 7rpb xxphixg
(Jt,V^<Tl7T^[Jt,0OV 7T0V0q, XXI 7TXp' X- 180
xovrxg fade vcoCppovsTv'
dxipdvuv Si 7rou %xpi<; (3ixlag
arsXfjcx vsftvbv yjiasvuv.
tivr./s'. Kx) V0 Yiyetmv b rps-
o-fivg vscov 'A%xuxcov 185
(txvriv ovhkvx ipeycov,
Ipntxioig rv%xi7i vvtATrveoov ,
svt X7TA01X xevxyysl @xpv-
vovt' ^Ax^nxbg teas,
Xxhxidog xspxv l%oiv nxXippo- 190
X@otg iv Avhfcog ro7roig ,
arp.y'. TVOx) §' X7T0 ST/JV/CmVoS (AOhOVlTXl
xxxovxphoi, vyaricisg , $u(rop/*oi ,
fipOTWV XKXl , VSCOV T£ XX) TTSHTftXTUV xCpSlhslg , 195
itxhiyt^^xvi %p6vov TiQeivxi
rpificp xxri^xivov xvQog 'Apyeiuv'
e7T£i os xxi mxpou
XsipxTog xKKo ywxxp
fipidvrepov 7rp6[/.oi<riv 200
ftxvng txXxy^sv , 7rpo(pipuv
"AprefMv, oogrs %0oW (3x-
177. tO libri. zbv Schutz. recentt. quam ap. Thucydidem.
179. ts est 'etiam' ut nonnun- 190. ■na.hppdQois libri ; dediAhreu-
AGAMEMNON. 23
him who guides in wisdom's way
mortals, who makes absolute
teaching which is got with pain.
There drop ev'n in sleep by conscience seen-
180 qualms that rouse thought of pain, so to men
wisdom comes against their will;
such, I trow, the daemons' grace, superbly
seated on majestic thrones.
Thereupon the elder-born
185 captain of Achaean ships,
blaming now no seer, but with
chances veering as they caught his sails;
when the Greek fighting-men lay depressed
by the store-exhausting gales
190 off the Chalcid land on Aulis' shores of
flowing and receding tides:
and Strymon-blasts coming with disastrous
repose and dearth, making unsafe moorings,
195 men's path-perplexers , heeding not cost of ships and tackle,
a twice-told length of time expended
in waste, and tore all to shreds the Argives' flow'r:
and when the seer one plan
yet to the leaders chanted
200 ev'n than the bitter storm-wind
harder to bear, urging in plea
Artemis, such plan that the two
tiB em.; alii alia. cum Pors. recentt.
195. vafiv xax libri. vefiv re xai 201. i'AstyZe libri. corr. Pors.
24 ArAMEMNXIN.
xrpoig axtxpovo-xvrxg 'Arpsi-
$x$ dxxpv pa x,xtx<j%s1v
dvr.y'. xvxt; V o xpsefivg tot' sixs cpuvuv 205
(3xps7x ph zvip to ftfo xiUcQxi'
@xps7x §', si rswov ^x'i'^cc, So\ucov xyxhftx,
(juxivcov xxphvoaCpxyoio-iv
psiQpoig xxrpcpovg %apxg xs'Axg (occjaov. 210
T/ tccv^ xv sv xxxuv ;
TIu$ Xixdvxug ysvcopcxi,
%v(jc(ji,x%ixc xftxpruv;
xxv<rxvs[/,ov yxp Qvvixg
xxpOaviov Q" xtptxrog op- 215
yq. xapiopy&g axidu-
iu7v 8a w au yxp alvi.
aT/5.8'. 'Exal S 1 ocvxyxxq a$u haxx^vov ,
Cppavoq xvkuv duatrafivj rpoxxixv
xvxyvov , xvtapov, rofav 220
to xxvTQToXfiOv (ppovsTv (tsrayvco.
BpoTovg dpxeuvsi yxp x\o-%poytA)tiq
TXhXIVX XXpXXOXX XpOOTOXVJl^OOV.
"JLtAx y ovv QvTYip yava- 225
gQxi duyxTpbg yuvxixoxoi-
vccv xoKa^ccv xpooyxv
XXI XpOTSKsiX VXUV.
205. to8' libri. tot' Stanl. , ab spondseum illic sedei*e uefas; itaque
Herm. aliisque merito receptum. Eng. izopoii, aut simile quid susp.
210. ps46f,on et /3w/xo& 7rsAa; libri. 212. ri 7twj M. Fl. ze et re ye-
hoc Blomf. , illud Pors. corr. : sed vw/^at M. Fl. Ut vulg. F.
AGAMEMNON. 25
kings with their staves smiting the ground
did not refrain from weeping:
205 the elder lord thus replied, exclaiming:
"a grievous doom — that of non-compliance —
and grievous if I slay my child, beauty of the palace,
and stain with streams of maiden-murder —
210 her father's hands — nigh the altar. Which of these
is free from wrong? But how
be by the ships deserted ,
losing the leaguers' aid? No!
for that we crave with a desire
215 passing desire offring of maid's
wind-lulling blood, this is god's-will;
Yes! for I hope fair issue."
And when he donned destiny's broad collar
and breathed a mood impious, unholy,
220 impure, his former love's reverse,
he then resolved any deed to venture.
It makes men bold, shameful-deeds-contriving
unblest fanaticism, grief's fore-runner.
225 Thus he had the heart to turn
woman-child-slayer, aid in wars
woman-avenging, dared this
voyage-inauguration.
215. iispidpywf libri. ace. corr. telligas.
Blomf. 222. jipoToli libri. ^porous Schutz.
217. yap «u e?yj Fl. Non opus Herm. autem primus ante j3p. inter-
erit mutato, si versionem recte in- punxit.
26 ArAMEMNflN.
<*vt.S\ Airxq Vs xx) xk'^ovxi; 7TXTpcpoug
•xxp ovdsv xtu ts TTxediveiov 230
s&svto (pihdpxxoi fipxfiyjs •
<ppX<T£V $' x6tyl$ TTXTVlp pc£T £\)%XV
2!xxv xipixipxc; uTepQe fictptov
7T£7TK0l0'l TSpiTSTij 7TXVTI Ovptcp
TrpovcoTrij Kx@s7v xip- 235
dyv a-TopcxTOi; ts xx'KXnvpop-
pOU QvXXXXV XXTXV%£IV
(pdoyycv xpxiov 01x01$
azp.e. (3lX %XXtV0CV t' XVXvScp £l£v£l.
Kpoxou (3x<px$ §' i$ 7rsBov %kovvx
l/SasAA 1 axxcTOV Qvtvi- 240
pcov xt opipcxTog fiitei CpiXoixTcp-
7rpi7rou<rx 6\ aq sv ypxQxlt; , Ttpoqevvk-xtiv
^fAOUO - ', £TC£l 7T0X^XXtg
TTXTpbg XXT Xvdp&VXg £VTpX7T£tyv$
£f4,£h\p£V , xyvcf. V XTXVpOOTOt; xudx irxTpoq
CplXOV TplTQVXOvhov £V7T0T(/,0V 7TXI- 245
XVX <pihCdS £Tipi.X.
<*vr.e. Tx §' £V&£V OUT* £l^OV OUT £W£T700 '
T£%VXl 5f 'KxXX<MTO$ QVX XXpXVTOI.
AlXX 5f TOl$ [ZSV 7TX&0V-
071/ pCX&£lV £7ripp£7T£l TO /CAfAAOV ' 250
TO 7TpOX'AV£lV } 7Tp)v ykvQITO , %Xip£TOO'
230. atova Tra/s^eyjov M. al& re 236. puXxxoi Blomf., fortasse recte.
O. Muller. nxp9faiov Fl. ultima syll. 238. t' in S' mutavit Tricl. , 8'
est anceps. in prox. v. omisso. Quippe impe-
AGAMEMNON. 27
The chieftains then lusting for the battle
230 set down as naught prayers and wild appeals to
her father, and her virgin life.
The father bade, after prayer, the priestly
esquires to lift high upon the altar,
like mountain-goat, the maid who with outspread
235 attire, sense and all, had sunk
prone; and to keep a guard on those
lips of her lovely face 'gainst
family-cursing accents
by force and rude might of speech-bridling bands.
And shedding her crocus -tinctured tunic
240 to earth, she smote each of her
slayers with a pity-kissing eye-dart;
and made a show, as in painted forms, as fain
to speak; for she many a time
within her sire's rich-spread hero-guest-halls
had sung, and with voice all pure, free from mate, trilled with love
245 her loving sire's hymn of praise for happy
fortune, at third-bowl -mixing.
I neither saw what ensued nor relate;
but Calchas' schemes failed not of completion.
The law-of-right turns the scale
250 then to know the future when you 've felt it:
farewell to news ere the thing has been, I say,
ritum offendit sermonis continuatio. 245. xl&vx M. ittu&vx Hartung;
244. «yy« libri. ayvoe Schutz. Mox formam tragicam Eng.
au&x M. 249. 7ra6o0<jc libri.
28 ArAMEMNflN.
foov & Tip 7TpO<TT£V£lV '
ropbv yxp vi^si trvvopSpov xuyxlq.
YleXoiro §' ovv TX7r) toutohtiv svirpxfyq , uq 255
8£tei to'S' xy%iaTOv 'Az-ixq yxi-
xq pcovotypovpov spxoq.
"Hxu <7£@i&v 70V , KXvrxipcvvjTrpx , xpxroq *
5/xj? yxp l<7Xi cparbq xpxyyou risiv
yuvxTx' , spv,[Jt,cc(l£VToq xpcevoq Spovou. 260
2u 3' si t/ x&vbv sirs ptvj 7T£7rvo'pi£v^
evxyysXoKTiv IXttiviv 6vv7roX£iq
xkuoipC xv svCPpccv ffSSk triydxry QSovoq.
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
EvxyysXoq pciv, uq7rep y 7rxpoipcix,
sag yivoiro pcijTpbq evtppovyq irxpx. 265
Ylsvosi §£ xxpfix ftsTtyv £X7Tl<i0q xXvs IV '
Upixpiou yxp ypvjxxtnv 'Apysioi xoXiv.
XOPOE.
Tluq (pijjq; 7ricp£uy£ TOvnoq it; xTritnixq.
KATTA1MNHSTPA.
Tpoixv 'K%xmv ovo-xv vj TOpooq Xkyw,
XOPOZ.
Xxpx pc v(p£p7T£i Dxxpuov ixxxXoupihij. 270
252. to Se npoxXveiv eniyivoir 6b> tarn in textum receperint. Scilicet
xXiiots -npoxxipezu M. idem Fl. nisi x et n literae similes sunt. Rectis-
quod £tcs\ yivon. to Se izpoxXvetv omi- sime, mea sententia, Heimsoeth. , quae
sit F. «v x),vois corrupte legitur dedi. to picXXov 3' irret yevon ow xXvois
avujAuotj in A. , otv h Xuais in T. V. Tcpo^oupiroi (s. tiph yoLipi-coi) Bam-
Fuerunt qui glossam adeo corrup- berg., Schn. , Dind., Weil., Ahr. ,
AGAMEMNON. 29
as equalling grief before:
all bright 't will come dawning with the morn-beams.
255 At least in all after this may there be fortune-fair
as wishes you puissant sole-protecting
tow'r of the land of Apis.
With homage, Clytemnestra , to your rule
I come: 'tis right a royal chieftain's dame
260 to honour, when the male's state-seat is void.
Whether you 're burning incense having heard
good, or, if not, in hope of cheering news,
I'd gladly hear, nor, if you 're mute, bear grudge.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
May there be born from mother of good cheer,
265 as says the proverb, morning of good news.
You '11 hear a joy passing your hope to hear:
the Argive men have taken Priam's town.
CHORUS.
How say you? through mistrust the word escaped.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
That Troy is the Achaeans': do I speak plain?
CHORUS.
270 Joy steals upon me, calling forth a tear.
Eng. An credam igitur .3Ssch. dixisse auyouj Herm.
ins\ ytvoir eiv ? At itplv yivoito recte 255. sii-nptx£if libri. quam vocem
sequitur vocem xat/}rfT«, qua? valet quum Lobeck. Graecitati abjudicet,
%xipsiv Xiyoifi 6iv. s\t itp&^n scribunt Eng. , Karat.
254. avvopObnt aurats M. awapdpov 261. she libri. in M. ultima e e
oH/roces Fl. F. owopdpw Wellauer. , correctione. si rt Aur. , recentt.
30 ArAMEMNXlN.
KATTAIMNHSTP A .
Eu yxp cppovouvrog oftftx <rov xxryyopeT.
XOPOS.
T/ yxp; To rnvTOv scti TavSs <rOt rex^xp;
KATT AIMNHZTP A .
"E<rw ri V ob%i; pi) ^okucxvTog &sov.
XOPOZ.
Tlorepx 3' ovstpuv Cpxvftxr sutsi^ vefisig ;
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
Ov 'btf-xv xv hxfioiyu $piZ,ov<rv)g (ppsvog. 275
XOPOS.
'AAA' % <f sxixviv rig xwrspog (pxng;
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
Tlxiciog vkxg ug xxpr si/,u(ji,v}<too <Ppevxg.
XOPOS.
JJOIOU XPQVQV §f XXI 7T£7r6pdyTXl 7T0Af$;
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
Tijg vuv rsxovtryg (pug rdc? suQpovyg Keya.
XOPOS.
Kx) rig toX s<gixoir xv xyyeXuv rx%og ; 280
272. Tt yxp rb libri. xl yxp; 280. Sic libri; sed in M. sec.
Schutz : alia dici poterant , hoc apte. Franzii apographon post X litera
AGAMEMNON. 31
CLYTEMNESTRA.
The look of one well pleased accuses you.
CHORUS.
Of course: but have you the sure proof of it?
CLYTEMNESTRA.
I have: how not? unless a god played false.
CHORUS.
Do you esteem dream phantoms credible?
CLYTEMNESTRA.
275 I would not take belief from slumbering se
290 And he, no loiterer, nor unheedfully
subdued by sleep , sent on his share of news :
and far the fire-sign to Euripus' streams
came, and gave notice to Messapion's guards.
They lit in turn and sent the watchword on,
295 kindling with fire a heap of grizzled heath.
And the stark lamplight, even yet not dimmed,
o'erleaping Asop's plain, in manner of
the radiant moonbeam, to Cithaeron's rock,
awaked a fresh relay of fire express.
300 The frontier-guard spurned not the light despatched
from far, but lit up more than was imposed:
so the light flashed across Gorgopis' lake
and having reached the mountain JEgiplanct
285. <ii6a>ov libri. corr. Blomf. 301. Hie Dind. posuit fragm.
286. yuxioM Musgr. ; id quod illud, de quo dixi; eura enim of-
quivis alius , pneter -5Dsch. , dixisset. fendit frigida locutio itXeov T<5iv dpr>-
288. ttsuxyj to libri. >5fsv, to ego nivw. Immo vivida est: vigiles,ne
in locum absentis renunciavi. cf. Pers. desint opera , immoderate abundant.
469 i:oLpxyydXxs #'?«, et Comment.
3
34 ArAMEMNXlN.
urpuvs Qsvfjuiv yw peyxipsiv pet nupoq.
He[A7rov<n §' xvhxiovT£q xCpddvcp ftivei 305
cpxoyoq piiyxv Tuyccvx xx) 'Lxpoovixou
7T0p8{A0V XXTOTTOV 7rpC0v' V7TSpfixXX£lV KpOGOO
(pXeyovuxv ' sir avxytyev %q t xQixsro
"Kpx%vxlov xi7roq , x<7Tvy£irovxq trxoTuq '
xxTrstT* 'Arpetiuv iq rohs <rxjj7rT£i (rriyoq 310
Cpxos roh' cux X7rx7T7rov 'iSxiou irupoq.
Totofoe roi fj(,oi &xfZ7TX$y(pdpuv vdfzoi *
vixx S' 6 7rpoorog xx) reteuTxTog $px t u,uv ,
XXXoq TTXp XXhOV tuOoX&Q TThtipOVfAEVOl.
Tsxpxp toiovto <rv[tfiox6v ts <xo) Af yoo , 315
otvbpbq TxpxyysiXxvToq ex Tpoixg spot.
XOPOS.
©f dig yiXv xvQiq , u yuvxi , 7rpoq£v%o[txi '
hoyovq S' xxovexi Tovrfe XXTToOxVfiXUXl
hyvfxuq 6iXoi{&' xv dq xkyoiq txAiv.
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
Tpoixv 'A%xioi rffi £%ov<i sv yyJpx. 320
OJfiXl @0VIV XftlXTOV SV 7T0XSI 7Tp£7T£lV.
"O^ T XASlCpX t' ky%kxq TXVTU XUTSl
h%0(TTXTOl)VT' XV, ov (ptk» f 7rp0q£VV£7T0iq.
Kx) TCOV XXOVTOOV XX) XpXTVjCTXVTUV *hi%x
304. /iv) xxpi$ea6a.i ttvpds libri. 347 et 478. yu>j miserum, toties
Sed xxpi$e</6xi est glossa ad /xt) fie- consortis viduum; quotiescumque ,
yxipsiv adscripta , et postea in libros nisi me fallit , corrigunt 7ri}.
recepta noa sine p.rj. Habes ApOovtrw 307. xktottt/sov libri. xcStotttov Can-
prox. v. Est autem signum in Me- ter.
garide , quod argumentum melius 308. sit' (xjx'xsto libri. u r Stanl.
erit non contemnere. Vide infra v. s'jt' alii, vera 1. incerta.
AGAMEMNON. 35
roused up the edict not to stint me fire:
305 they made a blaze, and sent with zeal ungrudged
a mighty beard of flame even to o'ershoot
the headland that looks down on Saron's frith
illuming it: then flashed until it reached
the Arachnaean steep, heights near the town.
310 Then to the Atreids' roof, there, shot the flame
not without far descent from Ida's fire.
Such my lamp-bearing racers' rules o' the course:
each wins, the first-stage-runner and the last,
all run the full course by relief of each.
315 Such proof I give you and concerted sign,
my lord transmitting it from Troy to me.
CHORUS.
Anon, o lady, I'll address the gods;
for I would have you speak these words throughout
again, that I may listen and admire.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
320 The Greeks hold Troy this day; and in the town
I fancy cries incongruous are rife.
If you poured oil and verjuice in one jar
you 'd style them as dissentients, and not friends:
the captives' and the conquerors' cries one may
310. intbys M. 319. Vulg. dubitanter recepi, nam
312. toiolV Srotfioi Bess. , F. rotot'S' Both, o&j pro «$ commendat. Verti
&TUfj.oi Fl. ,.Vict. Schutz. corr. cum Heims.
313, 314 inverso' ordine leguntur 322. ixyju; libri. corr. Canter,
in libris. Olim reposui , ut syntaxis 323. oj ptAwj libri. flXo> Stanl.
recte incederet. Sunt qui illud interpretari possint.
315. TOWWTOV Fl. F.
36 ArAMEMNHN.
cpQoyyxq ccxoueiv £<tti (rvfiQopxc h^X^q. 325
Of (/.h yxp xytX^i (r£f/,x<riv 7rs7rTcoxdT£c
xvUpuiv xxa-iyvJTCov re , xx\ (purxX/ziuv
7rx7$£g yspovrcov , ouxir' i% sXsvQepov
lepviq xTToiftatyuiTi QihTxrccv fidpov.
Toiic 5' xvre vuxTiTrXxyxroq ix (Jtxx»iq xo'voq 330
vyvTEiq xpbq xpiaroKTiv av t%£i 7roXi$
TouTvei , Trpoq ov^ev h uksi rexftjpiov ,
X\\' Uq EXXtTTOC 6GTX7SV TU%>jq TTXkOV.
'Ei/ xixiAXXuTOic Tpooixolq olx^uxtyiv
vxioutriv v$vi, t5)v uTTXidpiuv Trxyccv 335
$pd<TC>)V t' xTxKXxyevreq ' uq 3' £vhxi(Jt,ov£q
xQvXxxtov zUhyyjovm Trxtrxv svtppovyv.
El 3' £U<T£pQV(Tl TOVC 7TQXlO~(T0V%0Vq &£0vq
Touq rijq xhovvyq yyq 6sav 6' ictpu/zxTx
ov rxv eXovreq xv&iq xvbxholsv xv. 340
"Epaq Sf [avj nq 7rpoT£pov eycxi'XTy a-rpxru
7ToQs7v x |C6>j %p>i , xepbsviv vixoo[/.svovq '
dsi yxp Tpdq oixovq voeriftov vuTvipixq
xxpifyxi dixuXov 6xT£pov xaKov irxXiv.
&£o7q V XVX(JLTT\XXyiTOq £1 (tdhoi (TTpXTOq 345
iypyyopbq to Trijftx rav oKooXoTav
yivoir' xv, a xpovirxix (iy xfzxproi xxxx.
327 , 328. Sic libri. fwt&fuoi itcti- omittere v. Zi.
Swv yitmnwt Weil. , ab Enger. recep- 336. «s SuaSai/noves libri. «$ 3' ewS.
turn. Sed et senes interfici oportet, Stanl. Verti cum Martino. cf. v. 1236.
ut nemo nisi pueri mulieresque su- 340. ovx «v -/ Fl. oux fatXirces
persint; nee nisi Tulg. retento Pri- Bess. oS rSu Herm. adx «v tuetur
ami cadarer spectare possum. Ahr. «v enim ex ij Su ortum esse,
331. vrjsTn Fl. v>5tt£(; F. , recentt. ut Spx ex ^ xpx. Utinam consentire
v^art? Ahr. possem. Deinde w Bdnom FL Su
333. Enger. primus post itotlov Oouotev Bess. dbAOstn Aurat. accen-
interpunxit. Idem lv S' prox. t. ; turn corr. Blomf.
sed nescio an vEschyli proprium sit 341. i/jt-itiTZTOt F. sic Dind., alii;
AGAMEMNON. 37
325 hear, each distinct, rising from different lots:
those, sunk with arms around a husband's corse
or brother's, children clasping the dead forms
of aged sires, no longer through free throats,
as heretofore, bemoan the loved one's fate:
330 but these night-wandering turmoil after fight
sets hungry down at meals of what the place
holds, with no ticket to admit in turn
but as each drew the billet of bis luck.
In captive Trojan homesteads they dwell now,
335 from hoarfrosts underneath the clear cold sky
and dews released; and how luxuriously
they '11 sleep the night out with no watch to keep!
And if they reverence city-guarding gods,
those of the captured land, and gods' abodes,
340 the captors will not in their turn be caught.
But let no lust meanwhile befal the host
to long for things unfit, o'ercome by gain:
there's need of home-arriving safe-return,
and to bend back the bistade's other limb.
345 Ev'n if the host come sinless towards the gods
the lost ones' woe will be awake to see
if unexpected ills can hit the mark.
sed monito opus est , non voto. Chorus , ut ilia , parum ex anirao ,
342. itopOsiv libri, excepto quod respoudet eufpivws Xtyzis 'bene oini-
Vict. , et Fl. sec. Herm. noQtiv. naris'. Adde quod <k/ntXckxriTo$ (s.
345. 6n &/jLi:X<kxriTos Fl. dsoiat 3' potius -toj) est vox nihili , ut videtur.
&/j.itl<kxi\TOs cum Stanl. , Herm. alii. 346. iyprjyopov libri. corr. Pors. ,
Sed nexus est; 'Esto: deorum nu- tuetur Ahr.
mina non lseserunt; homicidii ta- 347. /jlyi tiixoi bbri. Trvj ttxi-^ot
men (Iphigeniae et Trojanorum) psena Ahr. , Eng. Weil. Sed , ut ego vidi ,
danda est'. Nam salutem in neutram pit satis frugi est ; at v. rbypi ne-
partem augurari vult Clyt. Prseten- quam, quae vocis <k/j.<xprot sedem
dit quidem to 8' eu xpxroh ; ad qua: prseoccupaverit , contempta voce p.^.
38 ArAMEMNQN.
Totxurx roi yvvxixbg 0; spou xXvsh;'
to 5' ev xpxroiti , yw fo%opp6irus Ihlv,
7T0\X5)V yxp faQXUV TV}V OVVIGIV ilXOfATjV. 350
XOPOS.
Tuvxi , kxt' xvhpx (TcbQpov EvCppovaq \kyai$'
iya §' xxovaxc 7ruTX <rov TSKftypix
dsOVG 7rp0^£l7T£lV £V 7TXpX<rX£UX%0ftXl ,
%xpn; yxp ovx, xti/mi; iipyxvrxi irovuv.
r f2 Zfv /3a<r/A£u, ycxi vv% QiKix 355
(AEyxXCOV x6(TftUV XT£XT£ipX ,
vrf £7r) Tpoixs irvpyon; tfixteq
<TT£yxvbv Wxtvcv d>q yui\r£ yiAyxv
ftvjr' OVV V£XpUV Ttv' V7r£pT£X£<TXl
fi£yx Sovtetxg 360
yxyyxfjuiv xnjg ttxvxXwtou.
Alx toi tjiviov piyxv xihouyuxi
TOV TX$£ TpX^XVT , £7? 'AAf^vS/)^
T£lV0VTX TXhXl T0%0V 07TUq XV
[AYjT£ Tpb KXipOV (A^ V7Ttp XCrtTOV 365
@£Xog \)KiblOV <rX^£l£V.
arp-dc. AtOS TThXyxV £%0V(TIV , ilKHV
7TXp£(rTlV, TOVTO ^ l£,l%V£\)GXl.
348. xXvoii FL xXveis Bess. , nee 360. Versus suspectus Schutzio ,
aliter infra v. 1431 dtxobsis. Eng. cet. , sed sensus integer: 'ser-
350. izoXXiiv iaOXsiv et sexcenta alia vitutis rete jaculum , exitii instru-
in hac fabula Hesiodo derivata sunt. mentum'. Sic infra t. 771 6p<kao?
353. eu cum imp. vel caesura duce aras 'temeritas exitii effectrix'.
conjungo. 363. Interpunctionem post 'A>.
AGAMEMNON. 39
Such woman's words you hear from me; but may
good win, in no mere equipoise with ill,
350 for I prefer the bliss of plenteous joys.
CHORUS.
Lady , like man of judgement , cheerfully
you speak; and I, hearing your trusty proofs,
duly prepare me to address the gods,
for grace is wrought well worth the task of praise.
355 Zeus, prime king, and thou Night the beloved
of glories majestic possessor!
who also didst fling on the bulwarks of Troy
a fast-holding net, so that no full-grown,
no, nor a young one rose and emerged from
360 slavery's drop-net
immense, of all-trapping perdition!
I venerate Zeus, great lord of the board,
who accomplished these deeds ; who has long had his bow
levelled at Paris in order to launch no
365 fatuous arrow whizzing onward before
opportunity's hint, nor behind it.
'A stroke from Zeus' we now can warrant
'they have', and trace this story's progress.
Herm. pr. delevit. 367. Sic libri. ego commata ap-
365. imp otarpw libri, quod de- posui ut sit: 'hoc habent; Joyis
fundi nequit. imepqiaoov Weil. Scripsi ictum' : vox ab arena tralata.
div isim. Jam optimum sensum ha- 368. itapnri libri. corr. Karst. ,
bee, aicut verti; oiarpuv nut em cor- Heima. tout' if. Fl. touts 6' Eng.
rectio erat.
40 ArAMEMNAN.
v Y.irpxl;xv aq Ixpivxv. Oux eCpx Tiq
hob; (3poT&v xfyovo-Qxt f&iteiv 370
oaoiq xQIxtccv %xpiq
7TXToW ' V OUX £U<T£(3'/1C.
HiQxvTXi §' eyyevvjc
(ZTOhftyTccv "Apyq 375
7TVS0VTCCV fieJ^OV Yj ^IXXlCCq .
(ptedvrccv SuftxTccv U7rip(p£u ,
U7T£p TO PeXTlGTOV ' £<TT00 §' X7TV)-
(axvtov , cost' XTrxpxeTv
£V TTpXTTlhcCV KX%0VTI' 380
ov yxp eo-Tiv £7rxA^tq
ttXoxjtou 7rpbq xdpov xvdp)
Xxxt'ktxvti (tsyxv £iy.xs
fiuftbv s\q tkpxvstxv.
eSvr.a. BlXTXl <? X TXhXlVX 7T£l6c!) , 385
7rp6i3o'jhog irxlq ouQapToc, xTxq'
xxoq $s Txv ftxTXicv oux sKpvtpQy ,
7rpe7T£i $£ f (puq xhoXxywkq , vivoq.
Ys.XY.QU etf %X\X0\) TpOTOV 390
Tpificp T£ xx) 7rpo<r(3oXx7g
fji£^X(jt,7TXyijq 7T£K£l
SlXXiafeiq' £7T£)
SlCCX£l 7Tx7q 7T0TXV0V OpVIV ,
369. cbj enpagev w? ixpxvsv libri. Paride non loquitur poeta, sed ad
Prius wj delerit Herin. e'7t/3a|a> Franz., v. 400. Tentare possis ix/Jijv v£v *
Herm. alii : necessario ; nam hie ge- licenter.
neraliter loqui oportet, non de Pa- 373. Locus misere vexatus. Le-
ride. Ego exptvxv , ut xpivu 3' iiipBovov gendum iyysvijs et "Aprts ut ego et
o>/2ov v. 471. Neque enim ixpxvsv Karst. vidimus (iy/dvou; et dipt) libri).
de Jove dici potest, ueque expxvxv Sic omnia prospere eveniunt. Et
intransitive de Trojanis ; ceterum de i'xyovo* optime conveniret , sed veri
AGAMEMNON. 41
They fared as they made choice. One said 'the gods , they
370 deign not to heed men by whom homage due
to things debarred mortal touch
is spurned' : but he prayed not well.
A strife for things denied
375 to lust is proved innate
in men unduly breathing pride,
in houses overwell o'erflowing,
beyond what 's best: let the good painless be,
such as to suffice him
380 who has his share of wisdom;
for there rises no refuge
when, through fulness of wealth, man
kicks at Justice's altar high,
kicks it, to his exstinction.
385 But sad Temptation drags him onward,
foreplotting , fatal child of ruin:
and cure is all-abortive; 'tis not hidden,
the bane, but shines clear, a dire-gleaming light:
390 Uke metal base, which by wear
and testing stone's touch assayed
displays black streaks; for he 's
a child in chase of bird
swift-winged, who brings a fatal taint on
similiua est postremam partem vocis 379. wuts xtxrca/sxsiv F. Triclinii
ly/ovous corruptam esse. "Aprit ikroX- infausta correctio.
fxqTw dictum est ut gpts &ya.0w. 380. Aa^ovr* libri. corr. Ahr.
'ferocitas (quae propria est Tpcauv 383. pr/tkXx libri. corr. Cauter.
vmppickXw , paxm <*xo/5>jtwv , Cic. Div. 386. npoj3ou).6Txa.is libri. TtpdflojXoi
2. 39. 82) rerum inconcessarum cap- 7tsctj Karst. Res manifests,
tatrix'. Sententia e Menelai oratione 391. iipojiolxii libri. corr. Stanl.
est sumpta, Horn. II. u. 13. 620 sq.
42 ATAMEMNXIN.
ir6hei 7rpo<;Tpi[&fA' xfaprov htigfa * 395
Xnxv <? xxcvsi (jcsv cutis 6sau ■
TOV V 67TitTTp0Cp0V 5>J
(par xhxov xxQxipsl.
Ohg xx) llccpig , iX&uv
Is So^wi/ tov 'Arpsihccv 400
0<r%yvf $-£vlxv rpoc,T£-
%xv xXoirxivi yuvxixog.
v-cp.fi'. Amove x V x<rTo7<riv ounrifTTopxq
xt.ovovq ts xx) Koy%ipu>v<; , vxv(3xtx$ f o7rXi7fioug , 405
xyovex r 5 xvricpspvov 'iA/p (ptiopxv ,
@£@XX£V flftfpM <$IX 7TVXXV ,
XTXtfTX ThXO-X. YloXXX 3' £<TT£VOlf
T0l? ivVS7TCVT£<; ^OfJLCCV 7TpO(p>JTXl '
la, la ctccf&x, "Bcofix xx) 7rpdpu>r 410
m Xs%oq xxi oTi'fioi (fcihxvopec.
UxpstTTi aiycf.q, xripucc , xhoiddpus,
a^icrr' adypiovuv l^siv *
7rddcf) 5' vxepTovrixq
Qxtrftx dd%si Sdptcov xvdo-<T£iv. 415
Evftdptpuv Sf xoXo7oS>v
e%d£Txi %xpiq xvhpi ,
395. 7rravdv libri. corr. Schutz. Pauw. conjecerat, 7roAia 8' s<rrevov,
395. deis Fl. corr. Triclin. id F. praebet, omnes receperunt.
397. rwv8e libri. 817 ego, ejecto 409. t©3' Fl. Vict. raS' Aur.
twv. 'cultorem scilicet', twv est scrip- 410. 16> Zu/jlo., utrumque semel,
toris librarii peccatum. Fl. (Engeri typographus omisit al-
400. T&iv Fl. Vict, tov F. teruin SsS/mc.)
405. ts xxi, post aoiu'oTO/sas in 412. napes? t my&i xti/jlo; tk'/oioopoi
libris lectum , in ordinem coegit aSwroj ups/iivav iSstv libri. Vides
Ahr. , 0' post va«/3aTas addito. myocs perisp. esse. Sit <rr/oej ut ap-/Sa
407. /8«/3axe Fl. corr. in F. Vict. supra: magnum posco; sit tamen.
408. 7io>iu 8' dvinevm Fl. Quod octc/kms est ojx ImtipjSrj. Deinde Schol.
AGAMEMNON. 43
395 his state , then seeks for expiation :
for now no god hears his prayers, none-, but each
sweeps away the guilty
man who, forsooth, turns towards him.
Such was Paris; to Atreus'
400 sons' abode having come, he
outrage foul to the friendly board
did by theft of the host's wife.
And leaving her country-men battle shocks
405 with shields and spears, ships to mount , fleets to build and furnish,
and bearing for a dowry ruin to Ilion
she lightly goes the gates between;
ill-daring darer. Much they mourned —
the palace-seers — mourned with exclamation:
410 "Alas, sad home! sad the home and sad the chiefs!
sad bed! and form where she fondled her true lord!
he stands by mute, breathing not vengeance nor reproach,
aghast at sights most sweet before;
and missing her wow-beyond-
415 seas a ghost seems to rule the palace.
Now the charms of her statues
fair is loathed by the husband,
P. , qui rjoi n-r, interpretatur , legit quidem , et Helena corporis vestigia
«8wt«. Jam velim adeas Med. cod. aStaTa fuerant llsiv. Aliorum cou-
apographon quod Dindorfius, vir jecturae ap. Engeri ed. prostant.
optimus , nobis in raanus dedit. Non- 416. xoioaool, ut aperte enarrem
ne qutevis litera j> eadem est quse 8, quare vir. doct. conjecturas spreve-
recta lineola per mediam postea de- rim , sunt Helenas statue lignese , e
missa? Hinc ego dar)/t.ovSiv 'obstupe- quibus una in lecto Menelai sub
factus'. Putes et Saj/iovfiiv, formam noctem posita est; quemadmodum
tragicam , sed vox notior mansisset , Admetus conjugi pollicitus est Eur.
ilia injuria' obnoxia erat. £3(st' cum Ale. 348 sq. ty\r%pb» itxptxyxdhafux.
iZttv conjungo. Et lectus jugalis
44 ArAMEMNXIN.
opcptxrav "h" iv x%v\vixig
sppsi tvou? 'AQpodirx.
etvr./3', 'OvSipdCpXVTOl Ts 7T£1/Qvi!J.0V£q 420
7Ttxp£i<ri ^xi Cpspov(7<xi %xpiv pcxrxixv
pcarxv yap, sut xv £<tQXx rig ^okocv opx ,
7TXpxXXx^X(TX $1X X £ P® V
fiefixxsv o\pig ou ftsQua-rspov 425
7TTspo7g fastkfikf v7rvou zeXevQoit;.
Tx fth kxt' o'iKOug ifavriovg x%vi
Txl? &<TTt HX) TCCV^' U7Tep@XT(&T£pX.
To txv §' x(p' "'E.KKxvog x'lxg crvvoppihoig
%£v6six TXvi<Tix.xphog 430
SdftCp 'v SXXiTTCf) 7rpS7T£t.
FLohhx yovv Qiyyxvsi "irpbg vprxp'
oug (asv yxp rig evrs^sv
cldsv xvr) de (pccroov
T£\)%vi kx) <T7rci$bg e\g £xx- 435
fiTOv Softoug xQixvsItxi.
arp.y. 'O %pwrafutf&g §' "A/HJS <TU[AXT0OV,
o zx) TxXxvTQv%og h nxxy <$opdg ,
KvpooQh 0; 'Ikiov 440
QiXoivi 7rs[/,7r£i @xpv
ipWftx Sutr'Bxxp'JTOv xv-
418. x^vixig hie, me judice, a 427. if Sticks libri. corr. Voss.
voce x^y)va derivatur. 428. Sic libri , vulg. Halm, non
419. ^AfpoUrri M. probat mihi zx §' et interpunct. suam
422. Soxfflv bpxv libri. bpa. Prienius. post of^/j.
426. (37taSoTs libri. btixloW Do- 429. 'ElAaSos libri. "eUxvo* Franz,
brgeus, 43 1 . tJiyio- uukphio; unice yerum est ;
AGAMEMNON. 45
and for lack of the love-lit eyes
rapture perishes wholly.
420 And, seen in dreams, fancies fair dashed with fond
regret are there, bringing joys empty of fruition:
for hope-deluding, when in thought one sees delight,
the dream-sprite gliding from the embrace
425 is gone, and afterwards returns on wings
no more, the next slumber's paths attending.
The griefs at home, home with comecrated hearth,
are these, and more, these surpassing; but the full
amount — for those who from Greece sailed in company
430 death-wail from hearts inured to grief
in each one's home rises clear.
Much in truth, pierces to the marrow:
whom each sent, he remembers
but, in place of the stalwart
435 heroes, urns and the burnt-remains
back return to each homestead.
For Mars who discounts the slain warrior's corpse,
and holds the scales also in the fight with spears,
440 to friends from Troy sends the dust
with fire refined, weighty dust,
cause of weeping, when he freights
vox euira uaitata inter Pythagoreos , 433. Pora. inseruit rig.
ritXxOi &) xpaZio. 436. eUctftxviiTM Fl. corr. Pors.
431. ZifjLuv libri. At hie Halmio 439. b addidit Weilius.
Him ai- do; prsecepit enim S<5/*w 'v. 441. Inviolata v. (iotpi/.
ixdaTou libri. Ix&arca Eng.
46 ArAMEMNHN.
ryvopoc itto^ou ys(/.i-
%av ^s(3tjTxg su&houg.
'Lrevovvi V sv XeyovTsg xv- 445
$px tov i/,h dig (Jt.x%vig 'iSptg '
tqv V sv (povxTg xxKocg Tstrovr
xKXoTpixg hx) yvvxi-
xdg' Txlie ciyx Tig fixii-
£«• (ptiovspbv 5' uk xHyog ep- 450
Trei irpohixoig 'Arps'dxig.
Q\ 2' xvtov %£p) relxog
Qyxxg 'iXtxliog yxg
SVXXhOl KXTS%0V<TlV k%-
dpx §' t%ovrxg Ixpu^av. 455
rfvr.y'. BxpeTx £' xtrrav QxTig %vv xora ,
to ^/JioxpxvTOV 5' xpxg rivsi xpkog.
Mevsi <? xxouaxi ti yt,ou
(tepifivx WKTi}ps(psg ' 460
tcov 7toKvxtovuv yxp oux
XTX07T01 QSOI' XSXXl-
vxi §' 'Epivvsg %povy
rv%vipov ovt' xvsv Sixxg
ttxXivtvxs? rpifitji (3lov 465
TiQsTo-' xfAXupdv iv 5' xh-
roig rsXsdovrog ovng xK-
xx' to <? v7rspxd7rcog xhvsiv
444. evOeTou libri. corr. Auratus. Vulgatum servari non posse in
448. 8t« libri. Stal Herm. , 'et ita Comment, ostendi. Glossema est
legitur in Crameri Anecd. I. p. 119 ev/idpfoi, cujus in locum restitui
13 Oxon.' Eng. veram lect. eZxaloi, quod Dorice
454. eiifiopipoi FL V. eupdpfw; F. scriptum pro eiix^Xoi corrector a voce
AGAMEMNON. 47
lightly wielded urns with burnt-
ashes representing men.
445 This man they mourn and, lauding, say
how skilled he was in fight; and this
as nobly fall'n in bloody fray
{all for another's wife-,) but one
silently murmurs this; and woe
450 mixed with dislike assails the king-
principals in the quarrel.
Others round the redoubts, there,
resting peacefully, tenant
tombs of Ilian earth, and with
455 hate it covered its winners.
The townsmen's talk joined with spite carries weight,
and claims the debt sanctioned by a people's curse.
My care abides yet to hear
460 a something now screened by night:
for of these great homicides
not unwatchful are the gods;
and in time the Furies dark
by fate-reversing blotting-out
465 of mortal life his light eclipse
who prospers not with right; and for
him who exists among th' unseen
help there is none; and praise beyond
xaXbf derivari opinatus est. Vide 462. dirtexoitoi Fl.
Comment. 465. itxhvrvxv Fl. corr. Scaliger.
458. zb ipse addidi, post x<Jtw 468. uttepxiran libri. corr. Gro-
omissum. Znpoxpuiov libri. corr. Pors. tius.
48 ArAMEMNHN.
sv @xpu' (ZxXXsrxi yxp o-
yxoiq AioOsv xspxuvog. 470
Kpivcc 5' xQQovov cX(3ov
(J.VIT siviv TrToXnropdyc ,
[/.VjT ovv xvrbc xKouc vt^ xX-
Xav (3iov xxTihoiyu.
b.ainufl. Wupoq §' vw' suxyyeXov 475
TTOXlV hvjXSl QOX
@x%i$' el <5' ir^TVfxoq,
rig oldsv, $ ri Qslov iart fty ou axQeg;
o.jS'. rh w5t 7rx$vbz % Cppsvuv xsxoftftevog
CpXoybt; nxpx'yyk'hyi.XGiv 480
veoig 7rvpu6ivTX xxpdixv, sttsit'
xXXxycji xiyov xxpisTv;
b.y'. TvVXUcbg x\%{JLCX. 7Tp£7T£l
7rpb tov (pxvevrot; %xpiv t;vvxtvs<rxi.
6 3'. HiQxvbg xyxv b GijXvg opoc h7r1vs.yt.STX1 485
TX%V7T0p0$' xXXx TX%V(40p0V
yvvxixoyvjpvTOv oXXvtxi xXsoe.
Tx%' eltrd/jiso-Qx Xx^tx^oov (pxs<r$opccv
(ppuxTcopicov rs xx) Trvpbq vrxpxXXxyxq 490
sIt ouv xX>jQs7g , sir' ovsipxrcov dixyv
469. oeoots libri. oyxois Hartung. Ai. 512.
Hoc meum feci; dignissimum enim 477. £t»itu/xws libri. corr. Aur.
est quod in amissse yocis locum acci- 478. rj, toi dsiov sortv /xij tybOo;
piatur. Et quidni yerum sit, quum Fl. ^ -coi F. V. rj ti Dind. Ridi-
plurale in mathematicis libellis adhuc culum est ut vertunt ; Paleius enim
exstet , et iEsch. Pythagoreus fuerit ? 'quis novit utrum rerum sit , an ve-
474. wziZoifii libri. corr. Valck. rum?' sic utique debebat 'not-a-
bri aAAwv sicut bri oppavtoT&v Soph. deception'. Hermannus , (qui et ti
AGAMEMNON. 49
meed is a load; at thing of size
470 thunder from Zeus is vollied.
I choose wealth without-envy :
no town-captor would I be ,
no, nor, captive myself, behold
my life subject to others.
475 But «?e, a swift rumour roused
by fire the glad messenger
through the city speeds, but if
'tis true, who knows? or some mysterious work divine.
Who is so childish or in sense so dull of edge
480 as from the pass-words of flame
to catch at heart fever-heat and afterwards
languish on the story's change?
It seems to suit woman's mood
t' assent to what pleases ere the thing appears:
485 too fond, the female field of faith is trespassed on
and soon o'errun, but, soon defunct,
a rumour dies when by woman heralded.
We shall soon know of these relays of fire,
490 of cresset signals and light-wafting lamps ,
if, as she says, they 're true, or like some dreams
correxit,) etiam festivius: 'verumne 480. npb tow, (vide Comment.),
sit , quia novit ? ' nisi deorum men- est itpb ziv6f. Verto : 'mulieris est ,
• dscium est; continuo enim colligi antequam gratia eyidenter accepta
posset verum esse'. Ahr. appouit est, acceptam referre*.
ttjj, toujours 7t»). Quidmulta? ifiuOos 485. yuvaixox^puxrw Vict,
est glossa ad ov aapks adscripta. Quae 489. Hos versus libri Clytemne-
dedi verto 'an divinum aliquid sit, strse tribuunt, Scaliger Choro: res
ut ne sit recte intellectum'. non incerta.
4
50 ArAMEMNIiN.
rspTvbv toV i\Qbv Quq itpfaaasv (pphxq.
Vlvipvx' xtt' xxTijq tovW opco xxtxtxiov
xKxSoiq sKxix; ' fzxprupsT 5e (jloi xxTtq
nviXou Zvvovpoc Sixpix xovtq tx$s ' 495
coq our xvx'Jhoq ovts o~oi "hxiccv QXoyx
vXyq opsixg (tvj^xvsI xxxvcp Tvpog ,
#AA' jj to xxlpsiv (AxKhov ix(3x%£i hkyjov '
tov xvt'iov Sf ToTq'S' X7roo-T£pycc Xoyov '
sv yxp xpbc sv (pxvsTvi 7rpoad^x>j 7riXoi. 500
"OqTiq TOiV XXXCCC TJjS' £7T£V%STXt 7T0K£l
XUTOq <pp£MV XXpKQlTQ TV]V XfiXpTlXV.
KHPTH.
'la TXTpccov ouhxq 'Apydxq %Qovoq*
$£Xxtou <T£ Cpkyy£i t$> xCpixottyv £T0Vq }
iroK'Aav pxysuray £K7Ti^av puxq Tv%av. 505
Ou yxp nor viv%ovv TyV iv 'Apydx xfiovi
dxvav fu$i^«¥ (piXTXTOv txQov (jUpog.
Nuv %ofip£ l^h %bav , %xip£ S' yjXiou Qxoq ,
VTVXTOq T£ X®P X $ ZlWjJj YIvQldq T XVX%
TO^Oiq \X7CTW fZi]X£T £iq Vj^xq /3fA>J ' 510
xXiq 7rxpx 'Z.xxfJLXvhpov %<J&' xvxpaioq '
VUV S' XVT£ GOOTVip foQl Xx) WXlUVlOq ,
xvx% * 'AwokXov '. Tovq t xyaviouq &£0vq
TrxvTxq 7rpoqxv%£> , tov t ifxbv Tipcxopov
'Ep/u,yjv, cp'iKov xypvxx, xv)pvxav vifixq , 515
vipooq T£ TOvq irkyt/tyxvTXq , £tifZ£V£7q tvx'mv
(TTpxTOv 'BkxEO'Qxi tov teteippihov Sopoq.
492. iyjXuae libri. corr. Pors. terpunxit post nopfe; nam vulgo
496. &s Fl. plene interpungebatur.
497. Dind. primus commate in- 504. Ssxarou libri. Zsxocru Wund.
AGAMEMNON. 51
that pleasing light which came befooled the mind.
Yonder I see a herald bound from shore
brow-screened with olive-sprays; and thirsty dust
495 mud's sister and next neighbour bears me out:
since not as mute nor lighting you a flame
of mountain wood he '11 teach by smoke of fire;
but speaking will proclaim superior joy
or — but I disallow that tale's reverse.
500 Fair may the adjunct be to fair displays.
Who for our state prays thus in other sense,
may he, alone, reap fruit from his thought's sin.
HERALD.
Hail to thee, Argive land's paternal soil!
thus have I reached thee in this tenth year's light,
505 and after many hopes were wrecked, gained one.
I never fancied in this Argive earth
to die and get my grave-land share most sweet.
Now hail! my land, and hail! sunlight, to thee;
to Zeus the land's Most High, and Pytho's king,
510 who with his bow aims shafts at us no more:
unkind enough thou cam'st, Apollo king,
to the Scamander; now our Saviour be
and Leech again. The gods of combat all
I next invoke, and my own patron-god
515 Hermes, dear herald, herald's reverence,
and the conducting heroes, with good will
to take again the spear-surviving host.
511. 3A9' supra scripto sj Fl. Grseci aptam esse existimabant , quod
ftOtf F. V. W Bl. faff Herm. 'at e Soph. Ai. 702 intelligi potest,
veniendi notio non apta' Eng. Immo 512. wayoivtoj Fl. corr. Dobraeus.
4*
52 ArAMEMNXlN.
'iw fisXxOpx (ZxtriXauv, (piXxi o-riyxi,
(TSfAVOl T£ QxXOl, ^XiytAVSq t' XVTVjXlOt,
et 7T0V 7TXKXl tpXlbpOlVl TOUT® OftftXTl 520
$s%xirQs xo<r&a> fixciXkx 7rcAA&; %pbvq'
vjxsi yxp v[juv 0cog h euQpovy Qepcov
XXI TOlcV X7TX71 X01V0V 'AyXftSftVUV xvx%.
'AAA' £V VIV X77TX(TX(t6s , XXI yxp OVV 7TPS7TSI,
Tpoixv xxTX<jjcx\pxvTX tov ctixyCpopov 525
A/jc fjt,xxsXKifl , t% xxTsipyxtTTXi Tridov ,
XXI <T7TSpfZX 7TX7Yiq S^XTOKXVTXl %QoVQq.
Toiovhs Tpoix TTspifixXuv QvxTypiov
xvx% 'Arpe&viq irpka-fivi; suhxi^v xvyp 530
yxsi, rievdxt S' xfyxTXTog fiporav
rav vvv Tlxpiq yxp ours o-vvrsX^q 7ro%q
el~e\)%£TXi to Spxpix rod Trxdovq irXeov
oCpxccv yxp xpTTxyijg re xx) xXott^c ^ixtjv
rov pvaicv P foxpTS xx) 7rxwXs6pov 535
XVt6%(I0V0V TTXTpUOV IQpiOSV ddfZOV
hnXx ^ erio-x'j Ylpix^xi Qx/zxpTix.
XOPOS.
Kijpvf; ^Kxxmv %x~ipe rav xtto GTpXTOv.
KHPT5.
XXIpCO T£ f TSSVXVXI T OVXST XVTSpS) QsoTq.
XOPOS.
"Epuq TTXTpcpxg rJjf^Sf yijq a iyvftvxosv; 540
520. rjitou libri. «f nou Aur. , re- 8' Alirtot xal OsSm iS/w/mctoc ex Pers.
centt. inde a Stanl. Deinde i6<Jvres 811. Immane peccatum; quod Salz-
Aiir.; sed prseco xoialh' injecit omi- man nus primus notavit. Scilicet poeta
nis evitandi causa. sacrilegii reum Agamemnonem sedulo
527. Hue vulgo obtrusus fiupoi non facit.
AGAMEMNON. 53
Hail! mansions of our kings, beloved roofs,
and awful thrones, and gods who face the sun;
520 if ever erst ye did, with bright eyes, these,
receive in state the king after long time:
king Agamemnon comes with light in night
for you and all in common who stand here.
Yea, greet him kindly, for indeed 'tis fit,
525 who hath dug up the Troad with the spade
. of right-restoring Zeus; with it the soil
is tilled, and all the land's seed quite cleared out.
Having cast such a yoke-band over Troy
530 the elder king Atreides, hero blest,
is come, of living men most worthy fame.
Not Paris, nor the country co-assessed
boasts that the act outdid the suffering dealt:
cast in the suit for rape and theft he both
535 has lost the goods he seized and with the land
mowed down in ruin full his father's house;
and Priam's folk paid double mulct-for-sin.
CHORUS.
Rejoice, thou herald of the embattled Greeks.
HERALD.
I do; I'll say no more to heaven 'gainst death.
CHORUS.
540 Love of this fatherland kept you sore tried?
534. opXuv libri. corr. Bl. F. et Paleio 'facinoris pretium'.
536. idploev a sec. m. in Fl. su- 539. %xipof tsOv&vm S' libri (»V in
pra scriptum. Fl. omissum) yaApt* ts Herm. olim ,
537. di/j-Kpzix. Verto cum Sch. quod Heims. recepit , 8' in f" mutato.
54 ArAMEMNIlN.
KHPT5.
"Qst evSxxpusiv y c(a[/,xgiv %xpx$ VTO.
XOPOS.
Tep7Tvvi$ xp' yj(TT£ tyicV hntffokOl VOGQV.
KHPTH.
Ylooq 3if; hlix%Qin; roiihs c)£<T7r6<ra Koyou.
XOPOS.
Tau xvTspuvruv ifjcspcp ireTrtyyfAsvoi.
KHPTH.
IloQsTv xoQovvrx Tv^vha yyjv ctpxtov Xeyeiq; 545
XQPOE.
'fig TrotO? xytMjpxg ex (bpsvoq yH xvxittsvsiv.
KHPTH.
Ildfav TO S'JVtppOV TOUT' fVjjfv 0~T£VO? A* q ;
XOPOS.
Tlxhxi to viyxv Qxppxxov (3\x(3>jg I%o;.
KHPTH.
Kx) nut;; xkovtoov KOipxvoov eTpsig tivxc;
541. exZcupiiuv T. wbitt.
542. Hare Fl. »5ts F. <j<rre Ahr. 546. /*' Scaliger addidit.
543. Interpunxit Schutz. 547. vrvyos srpxrm libri. Nebu-
544. Tte7iiriy/A£vos libri. corr. Tyr- lones ambo. orevos ego , vocibus «vxa-
AGAMEMNON. 55
HERALD.
So that tears start within my eyes for joy.
CHORUS.
Then you were smit with that delightful pain.
HERALD.
How so? when taught I '11 own to that remark.
CHORUS.
Pierced with desire for those who loved again.
HERALD.
545 You say this land pined for its pining host.
CHORUS.
So that I often sighed from gloomy thought.
HERALD.
Whence this sad sigh that weighed upon the state?
CHORUS.
I 've long held silence mischief's remedy.
HERALD.
Why? feared you any, with the masters gone?
zsvtiv et iTiijv ductus ; Xe& Heims. quinetiam verum esse puto ; et /3A«/3»i
549. Ti^avvwv Fl. V. xotpavoiv F. supra erat 'malum'. Cf. proverbium
Hsec suspicor correctoris esse pur- 'absente domino strepunt servuli'.
pureos pannos. Malim 8e<T7roTfiiv ,
56 ArAMEMNXlN.
XOPOS.
'fig vvv, to <rbv ty, kx) QxvsTv 7roKKvi %xpig. 550
KHPT5.
Ev yxp 7re7rpxy.Txi. Txvtx §' iv 7roAA£ xpovcp
tx (msv Tig xv Xe^eisv sv7r£Tug z%w
tx §' xZts xx7r!fto{A<px. Tig $s 7rhvjv Qsav
X7TXVT X7nt)(J!,oov tov 5/' xl&vog %povov }
yuoxfioug yxp d Kkyoi^i kx) ducxuxixg, 555
o-Trxpvxg 7rxpy%eig kx) xxKOtrTpuTOvg — t'i 3' ov
ffTevovTsg, ov KxxovTsg vfisog ptspog;
tx §' xvts %£p<ry, kx) 7rpogijv nXsov QTvyog '
evvx) yxp foxv dx'i'cov irpog tsixsviv '
i% ovpxvov $s KX7rb yyjg Xsiptiivfaf 560
(36&01 KXTSlpSKX^OV , £ft7T£$0V (TlVOg
io-Qy/ftxTCcv TiUvTsg iv Qypoov Tpi%i.
Xsipioovx V si Xeyoi Tig oIcovoktovov
oiov TTxpfix xCpepTOv 'itHxix %mv ,
vi bxhirog svts novTog iv pveo-ypifipivxig 565
Kohxig xkviaccv vyvspoig svdoi 7rs<yuv —
ti txvtx ksvQsTv SfTj Kxpoi%£TXi 7rdvog •
nxpoi%£.TXi Se to~i<ji ftev tsQwikoviv
550. a>v vuv libri. corr. Scaliger. scriptum esse, ut simile 'pduaeas
556. xaxoT/scJTOus FL V. corr. in F. exemplum , quemadmodum laudatur
557. ov Xx^dvzss rj/ixTog libri , cor- in B. M. s. v. >5§o$. Velim mihi
rupte. At quid, malum, vjSeos? Di- reddas unde unde extricatum v. ^8/*a
cam : editores certatim castigant in- vel simile quid ; nam Hesychius non-
sontem Aa^ovrsj quum, me judice, dura ad me devertit.
noxam admiserit v. ^wai-os. Expecto 559. Srjfwv libri. corr. Dind.
/jSov&iv /idpos , ut TipaniZuv p.cpos v. 560. yap libri. Si Pearson. ; quod
380. ; sed turn , unde vj'/xktos ? Cedo ni recipias , hsereo. lsip.w>ia.t FL V.
rjleos, jamque apparet >fy*aTos supra corr. Schutz.
AGAMEMNON. 57
CHORUS.
550 So that death now were, as you say, quite sweet.
HERALD.
True: for we 've tasted good. Thus in long time
one might declare that some things fall out well,
and some again not faultless: save the gods
who through his lifetime is quite free from pain?
555 If I should tell of toils and sorry berths,
the close and ill-spread deckways — but at what
did we not sigh? getting no share of joy.
Then things on land were horrors greater yet:
for close by hostile walls our beds were laid,
560 and pelting drops from heaven and meadowy earth
besprinkled us, and to the wild-beast's fur
of our apparel searching damage caused.
And should one tell of the bird-killing cold
past-bearing which Idaean snows brought on,
565 or melting heat whene'er the waveless deep
in breezeless rest at noontide dropped asleep —
but why deplore it? now the pain is past;
aye, for the dead so past that they no more
560. Ipiaoi libri. jSdloi ego. Vox Stanl.; hanc vocem si quis noverit
desideratur quae ditb xoivoti sit, et vertet 'crispatam et nitido colore
pluviam , rorem , grandinem , prui- florentem'. Vix id voluit praeco. Ego
nam , nives significet , qualis est fieXr) nihil melius quam iv (h\p&v rpt%i re-
Soph. Ant. 358. Suidas fiiXos- >j perire potui. b> Qe&v xplau infra v.
Zpdaoi. Grlossse igitur hpoaoi quae 1289. Cave suspiceris vocem TtflArej:
iliu se male habuit, tandem vale valde earn amat JEsch. Locus ex
dictum est. Hesiodo sumptus ut ostendam in
561. xarsi/<axa£ov mavult Dind. Comment.
562. iv&ripov Tpi%x libri. otvS^pbv
58 ArAMEMNHN.
to f£,y7T0T xuOiq fjt,^ xvxo-Tijvxi pshaw.
T/ robe xvxXoaQkvTxq sv TpyCpC)) Xsyoo; 570
tov %uvtx 3' xXyaiv %pv)' Tv%v)q KxhiyxoTQu
xxi 7roXXx %xipsiv crufiQopxq xxtx^iu.
'Hfuv $e Tolq Konrdiaiv 'Apyeiw crrpxTOu
VlXtji TO KSploq , 7T>j{tX 5' OUX XVTlppS7T£l '
aq )co(t7rxvxi t£5' iixbq falou Qx£i 575
vTep QxXxvayq xx) %Qo'/oq 7roTa[4,evoiq'
Tpoixv kXcvTsg ty-noT* ''Apyeioov VToXoq
QsoTq XxQvpx txvtx Tolq xxQ' 'EXXxSx
doftoiq sTxcrvxtevcxv xp%xlov yxvoq.
Toixvtx xph xXvovtxz svKoysh tt&Xiv 580
Xx) TOvq GTpXTYiyOVq ' XXI %Xpiq TlftfaSTXl
Aibq Txtf ixTpx^xo-x. YIxvt' £%siq Koyov.
XOPOS.
Nixufievoq Xoyoiviv ovx xvxhoftxf
xs) yxp $(3x Tolq ykpovtriv sv (jlx&siv.
Aopoiq 51 txvtx xx) KXvTXiftvvjO'Tpx Xeyeiv 585
iixoq iaxKhttx , <rvv $s 7rXovTi^£iv if&oi.
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
'AvaXoXvI-x ftsv nxXxi %xpxq v7ro f
or' >jx6' o xpuToq vv%toq xyysXcq %vpoq
CppX^UV XXUGIV 'iA/OU T XVXGTXGIV
xxi tic (I m7TTUv s r i7T£, (ppvxTocpoov Mk 590
570. Xiyeiv libri. Xiyea, cum sign. 572. au/ifopxli libri. <ru/xjjo/»as Bl.
interrog. , ego. v. jxiXtiv , ut solet , utpote qui probe sciret verbum Xeystv
iujuriam intulit. Subinde colon ad cum dat. , v. xarafroOv cum ace. con-
y_pri posui , interpunct. post xaraf tw sti'ui. .Et hie et ssepius Herm. sibi
delevi. Manet asyndeton ut supra persuasit, et multis aliis, nil intra
v. 567. oleam esse duri.
AGAMEMNON. 59
retain a wish ever to rise again:
570 and why count up the lost ones in my list?
the living ought to grieve : nay , to the turns
of wayward fate I wish a long goodbye:
since for us remnants of the Argive host
the good prevails and pain does not outweigh:
575 so that we fairly crow to yon sunbeam,
we fliers over sea and land: "Of yore
a host of Argives having taken Troy
through Hellas to the gods within their fanes
nailed up these spoils, a trophy of the past."
580 Hearing these things 'tis fit ye laud the state
and its host-leaders; honoured too shall be
Jove's grace which wrought the deed. Thou hast the whole tale.
CHORUS.
Won by your words I cavil not: one thing
is always young with old men, learning well.
585 But 'tis most fit you tell it to the house
and to the queen, and with me enrich them.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
I shouted praise for joy a while ago
when came the first night messenger of fire
reporting Ilion's sack and overthrow:
590 and one said chiding me: "by signal-men
577. zpoltfi FL corr. in F. (libri. iy-i); nee dubium est quin
585. ftilatv libri. Frigide, immo Chorum illud dicere oporteat.
absurde dictum; cujus vice Xiytiv 587. ccnwAo>lu?a/ujvlibri. corr. Steph.
reposui , nam piXtiv est glossema ad 590. ivi-nixa* FL ppvxroipwv Ztot
x-Xiytiv adscriptum. Deinde i/xol ego , libri. corr. Schutz et Dind.
60 ArAMEMNHN.
TraiabsiGX Tpolxv vvv 7T£7rop6ijo-6xi %ox£ig;
vi xxprrx Trpbc yvvxixbg x1p£<r6xi xixp.
Aoyoig toiovtoic irXxyxrbq ova-' itpxivopyv
:\uxr 5' eduov , xx) yvvxix£ia vo'yux*
oKoXvy ^bv xXXog xXXoQsv xxrx tvtoXiv 595
£\XGX0V SV<py[A0VVT£C 6V $£UV £^pXig
Qvvi<pxyov xxivovvrsc evd&y CpXoyx.
Kx) vvv rx (Axo-fTco pch ti Ss7 <r' lyuoi Xsyeiv,
xvxxro; xvtov kxvtx 7T£v<ro//.xi Xoyov
OXCOg 3' xpiVTX TQV £(jU)V xticiOV 7T071V 600
<77r£v<ra) "Jrxhiv ftoXovTX mt-xo-Qxr ti yxp
yvvxix) tovtov Cpiyyog v$icv ^pxxslv ,
onto (TTpxreixc xvhpx o-Jhtxvtos dsov
irvKxg xvoT^xi ; txvt xTrxyyeiXov 7rd<rsi '
VjKSlV 07TC0$ TX%IVT ipxtTfilOV 7T0?.£l ' 605
ywxlxX 7TITTVIV V £V loyLOiq £vp0l [AOhUV
0lXVX£p OVV £\£17T£ , (iufjLXTCCV XVVX
fV0A>ji/ ixflvcp, 7roX£filxv rcTc "hva^potriv ,
XX) TXXX' Of&OlXV TTXVTX, (T>lf4,XVT1ipi0V
ovdh hxCpfelpxexv iv yt,y]X£i %povov. 610
Ovh' oThx rkp^piv ovX imxpoyov (pxnv
xXKov nxp ctvdpbg [JCXKXOV V) %x\xov @x(pxc.
KHPTH
ToidgV o xopTog rijg xhyfeixc yiptvv
ovx xhxpbg &t yvvxix) ywvxlof. Kxxfiv.
597. xo£/twvT£i libri. Hoc nemo hsereas si modo memoria retineas
explicavit. Conjecerunt xatovres Ca- qua? scholl. dixerunt ad Hes. Op.
saub. , xoiCrsrsi Herm. , xwouvrej Ahr. 161, et Plat, de Pyth. or. p. 102
Dedi xatvowres 'inaugurantes'. Tauchn. Proverbium est autiqua?
612. Sic libri. Neque erit cur cupri aTopuaet alludens, qua3 multis
AGAMEMNON. 61
cheated, dost think that Troy is now destroyed?
this heart-excitement is full womanish".
By such remarks I was shown up as crazed:
but still they offered; and in woman's key
595 on each side some one through the city raised
the cry of joy, and with fair words renewed
on the gods' altars spice-fed fragrant flame.
As for the larger news — why tell it me?
I '11 hear the whole tale from the king himself.
600 Now will I haste to greet as best I can
my honoured lord on his return; for what
light's sweeter for a wife to see than this,
to ope the gates when god has brought back safe
her husband from the war. Bear him back word
605 to come at his best speed, the city's love;
and let him find at home , having come , his wife
true, such as her he left, a house-dog staunch
to him, at war with those who wish him ill;
and in all else the same; her, who in length
610 of time has tampered with no signet stamp.
Of cheer or word of shame from other man
I know no more than of bronze-tempering.
HERALD.
That sort of boast freighted with truth is not
unseemly for a true wife to proclaim.
ante sseculis usu interciderat. Tem- 613, 14. in libris prseconi tri-
perantiam dico , neutiquam vero tine- buuntnr. Mirere si quia innovare
turam, ut Paleius perperam. Bee- velit; fuerunt tamen, Hermanno ip-
tiua Kingsleii Argonautae sibi induunt so , quem e longinquo veneror, prse-
'swords of tempered bronze'. ludente.
62 ArAMEMNHN.
XOPOS.
Autvi ;jt.h ovrug ei7rs ftxvQxvovri trot 615
ropoTcriv sp(z^v£V7iv su7rp£7robg Koyov.
Su 5' eijrs, xijput; , Msvsteav Sf 7T£vQo[ji.xi ,
£f VOVTiyLOq T£ XXI <T£<T0O<T[jt,£V0q TTXXlV
vfe£l GVV vpcTv , TJfcSf ?%$ QlXOV XpXTOq.
KHPTH.
Oux e</P onus xH-xiftt rx \p£v"Bij xxKx 620
£q TOV XOKVV (plAOHTl KXp7T0U(T&Xl %p0V0V.
XOP02.
Huq riiJT XV ilTTCCV X£$VX TXhvQij TV^Oiq'
T%iv$ipra S' OUX £UXpU~TX yiyVETXl TX%£.
KHPTH.
'AVYip XtpXVTOC £% 'A%XUX0U CTTpXTOU ,
xuroq T£ xx) to nXoiov ' ou ip£U(tij Xiyu. 625
XOPOS.
Y\6r£pov avx%Q£)c ijmptBWf £% 'iA/ou ,
§ X/etfcec f xoivov x%9oi;, %p7rxo-£ o-rpxrou;
KHPTH.
"Exuptrxt; uct£ ro^orviq xxpoq cxokov ,
(txxpbv Sf TTvifix (rvvropicog iQypiio'u.
615. 'Sic tibi tironi verba dedit 622. tu^tjs Fl. rvx^ii ▼• tux> ?
periti judicis seutentia pulchre'. supra scripto F. tu^ojj corr. Pors.
618. ye libri. re Herm.
AGAMEMNON. 63
CHORUS.
615 For yoo, a novice, she thus framed her tale
to shrewd exponents with propriety.
But, herald, say — I ask of Menelaus —
if he is to return and safe again
will come with you, this land's beloved chief.
HERALD.
620 I could not so report fair tidings false
as that my friends would long reap pleasant fruit.
CHORUS.
Would you might chance to tell us true good news;
but, sundered, these two things are hard to hide.
HERALD.
That man is missing from the Achaean fleet,
625 he and his ship. I speak things not untrue.
CHORUS.
Left he Troy openly alone, or did
some common storm-grief tear him from the host?
HERALD.
Like first-rate archer you have hit the mark,
and curtly stated a long tale of woe.
624. dvijp libri. corr. Herm. se de Homerica narratione declinare.
626. Hoc versu ostendit poeta 628. ro^drat Fl.
64 ArAMEMNXlN.
XOPOZ.
Tlorspx yxp xvrov %uvto<; *j rsdv^xoTog 630
(pcing npoq xKXav vxvriXcov axX^ero;
KHPTH.
Owe oThev ovheit;, ugr' X7rxyy£i\xi ropuq ,
7r?^v rov rpsCpovTog 'HA/'oy %Qovo<; <pv<rtv.
XOPOZ.
Ylooq yap Xsyaiq %£iy&>vx vxurixcp o~Tpxrq
sXQeh TsXevriivxi re Sxipwvcov xorcp; 635
KHPTH.
Evcpypwv v^xp ov Trpkirsi xxxxyyify)
y\u<T<ry f&ixivsiv %ozpi$ v\ rifty Ssav.
"OTXV ^ X7T£VXTX T^fjCXT* Xyy£\Q$ 7T0\£l
GTvyvy 7rpo<ra7TCf} 7rrcco'lfMv orpxrou <p£py,
TTOXSl (ASV %KX0q £V TO typitOV TV%£ 7v , 640
7TOXXobq §f TTOKh&V £%Xyi<7t)£VTX$ ddftCOV
xvhpxc; &7rA# [txeriyi , rijv "Apy? CpiXal ,
!$i\oy%ov xnjv , (poivixv ^vvup&x ,
roiuvda fiavroi 7Tijfjc.xrav <rs<rxypi,£vov
7rp£7T£i Xay£iv 7rxixvx rovS 1 'Epivvccv. 645
XccTypluv Sf Ttpxy^xTOiv svxyyahov
vjxovtx 7rpb<; %xipouo-xv £v£<tto1 noXiv
ttu: x&vx roli; xxxoTtri 9Vf/tftJ£u xiyeev
%£iyt.oiv 'A%xiol<; ovx &fdpttt» faiov;
R-jvzpjGxv yxp, cvt£c ixQw™ to 7rpiv , 650
644. acscty/xevoiv libri. corr. Pors. t&S', t. 645, est t4vS' <xyytlw*
AGAMEMNON. 65
CHORUS.
630 Wait: was there no report of him alive
or dead by other sailors talked about?
HERALD.
No one knows aught, so as to clearly tell,
save the earth's offspring nurser Helios.
CHORUS.
What account give you how the storm came on
635 the fleet and ended through the daemons' spite?
HERALD.
Day of fair words with ill-news-telling tongue
to soil beseems not: to each god apart
is homage paid-, and when a messenger
with dismal face brings word of woes accursed
640 of a lost host, — that one, a public wound,
befals the state — of many men, from homes
many, lashed gravewards by the double whip
that Ares loves, his two-barbed death, his team
of two blood-reds, — saddled with such distress
645 one should repeat the Furies' hymn of joy.
But I, returning to a state in weal
rejoicing, with good news of things which leave
life safe, how can I mix kind words with cross
and tell of tempests not-uncaused-by-wrath
650 of gods to Greeks : for two conspired , before
649. 'A%aiGv et Otols libri. Correxerunt Dobneus , Herm. , Bl. , plerique.
66 ArAMEMNHN.
7TVp XXI 6x^X<T<TX, XX) TX 7Tl(TT i^Sl^XTi^V
(pQsipovrs tov "Zuvryvov 'Apysiccv arpxrov.
'Ev vuxt) $-j<7xupixvTX 3' apupei xxxd'
vxvq yxp xpbq xXXvjXxkti ©pyxixi ttvox)
yjpsixov xl Ts xepoTV7rov(i£VXi fiix 655
Xsifzuvi rvtpa avv %Xty T 0pi@pCXTV7TCp
&%OVT fapXVTOl, 7T0l(/.£V0q KXXOV (TTpdfia.
'ET£/ 5' xyijxfe XxpcTpbv qXiov Cpxoq
op&iAev xvdovv ftihxyoq AlyxTov vsxpoTg
xvhpm 'Axxteov vxvrixolq r speiitioiq. 660
'Hftxt; ye fzsv Svj vxvv r' xxypXTOv trxxQoq
viroi tic s^ixXa^ev v\ 'f-tfrfoxTO
&£oq Tiq, ovx xvtipccxoq , olxxoc QiycoV '
Tv%vi Sf vooTvip vxvv Uxovv iQi^STO ,
uq pcvjT iv b'p//,cp xvftXTOg ^xtyv %%aiv 665
ftviT i^oxsTXxi %pbq xpxTxiXsoov xfiovx.
"JLtsitx <F cfiyv 7rovTtov ireCpewyoTeq ,
?.£VXOV XXT *j(AXp, OV 7T£7rOlQoT£q TV%y ,
i@ovxoXov[&£v QpovTiviv vsov Ttxftoq
(TTpXTOU XX(JLOVTOC xxi xxxuq UTTodoVftSVOU. 670
Kx) vvv ixeivcov si Tiq £<tt)v iftTTveuv
XeyowiV vlfAXq uq oKOihOTXq ' Tl [A>l ',
V}(A£iq T ix£tVOUq TXVT £%£IV ^O^xZ,0{/,£V.
Tsvoito <? uq xpidTX. M.£V£X£uv yxp ovv
TTpOOTOV T£ XXI [JLXXlGTX TVpOqhoXX piOhElV 675
£1 3' OVV Tiq XXTiq VjXlOV VIV 'ifTTOpfl
654. dXki{hysi FL V. corr. in F. ceperunt recentt. Etenim scriba vocis
655. xepomsjou/ievou libri. corr. vexpois oblitus erat.
Wassius. 662. Sic emendatus ab JEschylo
660. vzvrtx&v r Iptniuv Fl. F. profectus est.
ipetmoiv V. Aurati correctionem re- 664. vaiArroiouff' Casaubon, quem
AGAMEMNON. 67
most hostile, fire and sea, and proved their troth
by havoc of the woebegone Greek fleet.
Wild-billowy troubles in the night arose,
for Thracian squalls dashed foul our vessels one
655 against another, and they, rudely gored
by typhoon's tempest with its rain-lashed surge,
as in a crush caused by an awkward swain
passed out of view. And when the sun's bright light
came up we saw the iEgsean main in bud
660 with Grecian corpses and the wrecks of ships.
Us, and our ship, at least, unharmed in hull,
some being stole away or begged us off —
a god, it was no man, — and held our helm,
and Luck, prompt Saviour, took a seat on board.
655 So at our moorings we had no wave-swell,
and struck against no shore of stubborn rock.
Then, having 'scaped the death-god of the sea,
in the white dawn, mistrusting our own fate,
in thought we watched a flock of recent woes
670 of our disabled and hard-battered fleet.
And now, if any one of them yet breathes,
they speak of us as lost; of course: and we
conjecture that they 've got as much. But may
the best betide: first and most fondly look
675 for Menelaus to return; and if
some sunbeam, as I said, knows him to be
nonnulli secuti sunt; temere, me aitolsh est d/xxOwstv t sed non sine
judice. lusu vocem 7riSas adhibente.
670. xaTe<nroor)juAiot/Meineke,quod 674. 3" dtp" aiuv Aur. fortasse recte.
non multum abest quin mihi per- ouv autem rerocat v. 617, ut proxi-
suadeat; nam hiems mane desierat. mum ouv (v. 676) v. 633.
5*
68 ArAMEMNXlN.
%Xccp6v re xx) (3Ks7toutx ywi%xvx7t; Aib$
ou7ru QeXovTog s^xvxXuaxt ysvog
sXtt'h; rig xxjtov itpbg So/tous vi^eiv ttxXiv.
Totrxur xxovexq 'itrOt TxXvjQy xhvoov. 680
XOPOS.
<rzp.<k. Tig TTOT U»0f/.X%£V w3'
£$ TO 7TXV STyTUftCdt;
fly Tig ovtiv oi>x bpu-
(t£V 7rp0V0lXlVl TOV 7r£7rpCO(Z£V0U
•yhooo-vxv sv tv%x vefioov; — 685
txv hpiyxftfipov xpXpivsi-
y.y, 6' 'Ehivxv; tore) 7rps7r6v-
Toog IXtvfyt; , %Kxvhpo: , e^e7TT0Xig ix
TCOV x(3p07T^VCi3V 7rpOXXXV[A[Jl,XTCCV stKsu- 690
<rs t^sCpvpou yiyxvTog xv-
pX' TTOXVXvhpoi T£ (p£pXG7rid£S XVVX-
yo\ xxt 1%voq nkxTxv xQxvtov 695
7teX<TXVTUV XlfMSVTOt; XX-
Txq iir' xsf-iQvhkovq ,
h' spiv x\(jcxt6so-(txv.
dvrdi. 'Ia/cj §f xij^og op- 700
Quvvftov TeKso-alcppoov
fltjvti; %XX?£V , TpX7T£-
677. x«l Jjfivra xal libri. Toupius Et est sane cur hsereas in v. e5vi/na£sv.
correxit ex Hesychio; recentt. 689. lie'va? libri. eXhavs Elmsl.,
680. xXuotv Fl. eiv ab eadem manu ut h-n&vann. Schneid. olim iAevscj , ut
supra scripto. &x sv w- Vera lectio incerta.
681. Herm. dubitat an tivd/juzZev 690. tkfipori/Mv libri. corr. Sal-
dixerit poeta , ut operepiZa/jLevot Supp. masius , recentt.
38, et fortasse ae/3i'?&» infra v. 785. 695. ttX&toiv libri, iriarSv Heath.
AGAMEMNON. 69
both hale and living, by device of Zeus
not willing yet to extirpate his race,
there is some hope that he '11 come back again.
630 Hearing so much, know that you hear the truth.
CHORUS.
Who, I wonder, named her thus
altogether truthfully,
(was it one whom we behold
not by sight, who with prescience of the doom
685 deftly modulates the tongue?)
named the spear-wedded, gage of strife,
Helena? since conformably,
knell-like to navies cities and men, from between
690 daintily- worked curtains she came and sailed away,
borne by the earth-born Zephyr's breeze:
so , with a band numberless , huntsmen bearing shields
635 sailed on their oar-blades' vanished footprint —
{theirs , who now had attained the fair
Simo'is' verdure-swelling
banks) for bloody contention.
700 And the wrath of Gods, to Troy,
bent on full reprisals, sped
marring-marriage , not misnamed,
ab hac voce pendet xeAaavrwv. Im- men <kxptTOfl\Xou$ , montis epitheton ,
pedita structure, sensus baud obs- corrupto antistr. v. motus.
curus, ut verti. 701. reXtaitppwv Fl. V. corr. in F.
698. in alifulloui Fl. V. tU de- 702. iXctus et dri/xui h" Fl. V.
HtpvXXouf F. Nihil veriua Pauwii rjXxoe et ofcTt/Jwj absque fv' F. illud
correctione , quam dedi; Paleius ta- Pors. hoc Canter, corr.
70 ArAMEMNHN.
%xg xTi/zatriv wrkpop xpdvcp
xx) ^uvefrriou Aibg
7rp»(T<ro(Jt,avx to vvftQdrt- 705
Itov (Jt,£xoq ixCpxrag rlov-
rxg y* vfiivxiov , og tot' snip pens yxfz-
fipo7<riv xsi%iv. M£TX[/.xvQxvou<rx §' vft-
vov Upixpov noXig yspxi- 710
x 7roXvQpvivov piiyx ttou vrevsi xixXvi-
o-xovtrx Uxpiv tov xhotexrpov '
hxpntp&g Qyv TrohvQpvivov x\-
oovx Six) 7ToXirxv . 715
[/.ixeov xipC xvxtXxgx.
arp.jS'. "EQpSlpSV $£ h£0'JT0g 7-
viv Sdfioig xyxXxxrov
OUTUg XVVtp (pi\dfix<rT0V ,
iv fiiOTOu 7rporeXeioig 720
Xf&i-pQV €V<plhC7rX$X
kx) yapxpolg £Tri%xprov.
TioXkx 3' £<r% h xyxxXxig
vsoTp6(pou rixvov dixxv,
(pxidpccTrbg 7T0t) %£ipx <rxi- 725
mv T£ yxtrrpbg xvxyxxig.
707. y inserui, metro flagitante; innovavi. Et \x{xnpG>s et flvjv ap. JSsch.
simul et meliorem sensum prsebui: inveniuntur. Illud autem fa.vep6>i
'etsi facinus ipsi non patraverunt non £vS<5?<uj signincare omnibus no-
tamen a Paride factum ad se rece- turn est; et sic Suid. s. v. Quod
perunt'. l-neppth Fl. indppsntv Vict. ad Oqv attinet , suspicor earn ex iis
iTiiizpenev F. ineppsitsv Herm. , re- vocibus esse quas poeta Athenas
centt. , metro pessumdato. Weil. Syracusis adscivit. Saepius occurrit
dedit tneppsne, nescio an primus. ap. Horn., et Theocr. ; ap. Hes. ,
714. Ttxp.np6<j0-fi libri. Impavidus non item. Mox irotiQprivov est me-
AGAMEMNON. 71
for despite done to board and hearth-god Zeus
levying in the time to come
705 payment from those who, voice and soul,
joined in the madrigal which then
lauding the bride had fall'n to the dole of her new
kinsmen to sing. Then: but the venerable queen-
lib city of Priam learning now
different notes full of laments , groans much , and styles
Paris, I trow, 'the sadly-bedded':
for quite clearly she passed a life
715 full of laments for woful
poured-out blood of her people.
So man nurses a lion's cub
weaned from milk, in his household,
enamoured yet of the mother's
720 pap, in the dawn of existence
gentle, beloved by the children,
and a delight to the aged:
then in the arms it oft reclines
as babes take their first repasts-,
725 fawning comes to the hand with eyes
bright in serfdom of hunger.
dulla hujus sententise. omnibus probata.
715. otl&v <x/tj>\ TtoXhav libri. no- 723. tax suspectum est. verti
JIitSv Aur. aifiva Stal Emper. His cum Herm., aliis.
receptis, omnia ex mea sententia 724. vsirpofov Fl.
procedunt. Vides literas /x<pi con- 725. Verti cum Boissonad. aahuv
fusas esse et <p pro S' scriptam, ut t« p. tt. *• Weil, mavult pctfipuitd
supra v. 413. et oulvorcx. Ingeniosissime ille qui-
717. Arfovra alviv libri. lionofhiv dem, sed fortasse paulo violentius.
est egregia Coningtoni emendatio ,
72 ArAMEMNXlN.
e*vr.£'. XpoviuQeU 5' X7rshei%sv vj-
6og Tfuhrwt T£ roxyuv
%xpiv rpoQxq yxp xizsificov
ft>}ko<pdvoi(ri <ri>v xrxig 730
"hour xxetevvrog srsut-sv
xiyLxri 5' olxog i(pvp&t],
xfjixxov xXyog ohirxig
(ASyX (TlVOq TOXUKTOVOV
ex 9 sou 5* Upsvq nq x- 735
rxq ^6[Mig 7rpog£dpe<pd^.
arp.y'. TltipXVTX 5' sX6s7v iq 'iA/ou TTOXlV hkyOluC
xv tppovvutx ftsv vyvsf&ov yxKx- 740
vxq xkx<txx16v r xyxhpx tAoutou,
(txXQxxbv OfjCfiXTCCV fisXOS ,
fyijiduf&ov epccroq xv-
Qoq. TlxpxxXivxtr' STsxpx- 744
vsv 5f yxf&ou 7rixpxg retev-
TXq , "SviTsbpOq XX) SutTOftl-
hoq (TUftivx TIpixfzfexKriv
7rofA7rx Albs %eviov
vvfjutyoKhxvToq "'Epivug.
ccvT.y'. XlxXxiCpXTog V iv (3poro7q yspoov Koyoq tstvk- 750
txi, [teyxv TeXeaQevTX Cburbq b*X-
(3ov Tsxvov<T&xi, ^jjS' xirxihx QvytTKeiv
728. c6os to itpbs toxhjiwv Fl. V. 730. jxriXop&noiaiv areas Fl. oiraiaiv
roxewv F. >59<js Conington. , r/idnous F. V. priXopivoiai ow street; Fix et
re Enger.; uterque felicissime. Ahr. , ab Eng. receptum. Quotus
729. x^P lv yzp TpopZi FL V. rpo- quisque est qui vocis etTrj vim recte
peuo-tv F. Corr. Pearson. intelHgat? ap.iEsch. dico. Hicautem
AGAMEMNON. 73
But he, waiting a while, displays
bent and mood of his parents;
and, paying fee for his food with
730 havoc of sheep which he slaughters,
makes him a feast uninvited;
home is defiled with the bloodshed;
he the inmates' doughty grief,
killing many, wasting much,
735 by some god was begot and reared
priest of death to the household.
And, I would say, thus to Dion's state a temper came
740 tuned to breezeless calm; wealth's soft eyes'-delight;
melting arrow-glances; love's exotic
stinging the soul to sweet desire.
But she altered and bitter ends
745 wrought for the match, proving a sad
sharer of seats and intercourse;
who on a. fell mission from Zeus,
god of the board, sped unto Priam's
folk, like a Fury espoused
bringing tears by her marriage.
750 An ancient saw long pronouced among mankind hath been
framed, that man's success great and fully grown
gets an heir, and does not perish childless:
rectissime de ovium csede usurpatur , 743. 8>]?i0i>/iw integrum est, me
ut ap. Soph. Ai. 307. judice.
733. «>ax<» 8' Fl. corr. in F. 747. itptu/jiiiouat Fl. V.
736. Ttpoitxfxkfn libri. corr. Heath. 749. Sic Fl. Iptmtj F. V.
741. 3' inseruit Pors. , t' Herm.
74 ArAMEMNflN.
ix 3' xyxQxg tv%x$ ysvsi 755
(S^xtrTxvsiv xxopscTOv ol-
%uv. Ai%x 5' xXhoov (MvoQpuv
etfti' to <iu<T<Te{3eg yap ep-
yov ftsTx ftsv ttXsiovx tIx-
T£i , a-cpsrspx $' sIxotx yew a. 760
Olxccv yxp £uQu<1!kuv
xxKhinxiq TOTf^og xsi.
a-cpl'. 4>/Af7 3f t'ixtsiv v(3pig /zh xxXxi-
x vextyuo-xv sv xxxo7$ (3p0TUV 765
vfipiV , TOT Vj TOQ' OTXV TO XVpiOV [tOty
<pX0? T0X0V
Sxipovx titxv , xyt,x%ov , x7r6hs(JU)V ,
xviepov dpxcoq (as'axI- 770
vxq (texMpoi<nv XTXg
sfiofiivxv toxsvviv.
dn.h'. Ai'xx 5f Xxyt,Ttei [uv iv ^urxxTvoig
Suptxtriv , tov y hxiaiyiAv t'isi' 775
to. xpvo-QTXVTX 5' e$eQ\x <rvv tt'ivoj %epm
7rxKiVTpo7roig
CfA^xvi Xi7T0u7' o<rix TrpoqkfixKe '
756. &$w libri. corr. Pauw. v. ex anacr. , basi , dact. , troch. dim.
758. tb yoep libri. corr. Pors. cat. est confictus. Non vidit hoc
759. prca. libri. /tsra Herm. Nee Herm., non Eng. ; hie tamen proxi-
libet credere , et licet in variis opi- morum verborum mendas vexpx <ptkous '
niorribus. xorov acutissime perspectas habuit.
761. Particula yap quam Aur. vexpa enim primo fuisse vsxpxv , glos-
mutabat huic loco unice convenit : sema ad vsa^ouaocv adscriptum ; deinde
'scelus , inquam , exitii parens est ; cetera , literis in ordinem suum res-
nam justorum hominum sors non titutis , prodire p<koi -zdxou. Hucusque
nisi felicitatis genetrix est'. igitur locum ohm impeditissimum
766. Sic libri, et omnia integra ; prorsus emendatum habemus. Quod
AGAMEMNON. 75
755 for to a race from fortune fair
springs a grief that is never full.
I from the rest thinking apart
say that the sin, and not success,
afterwards breeds more, to their kind
760 likened; for homes practising-even-
right have a fortune for aye
blest with beautiful offspring.
But Pride grown old loves to breed Pride that spends
765 wanton youth rioting in mortals' ills,
(betimes or later, whene'er th' appointed birth-day comes)
a vengeful fiend
not to be contended with or warred against;
770 in unhallowed recklessness,
families' black perdition,
taking its parents' likeness.
But Justice shines brightly on smoke-defiled
775 homes, and pays homage to the upright man:
with eyes averted she, leaving halls picked out with gold
and filthy deeds,
sheds her rays only upon holy spots;
reliqua luce clariora sunt gratia re- 776. laBlu libri. iStOXx Auratus ,
ferenda est Heimsoethio. qua una correctione optime de pos-
768. re rav libri. rtVav Heims. teris meriturus erat.
Jam nunc interpret* vix opus est: 779. nposifia. tov libri. -npoii^ctU
'Lasciviam , quoad impiam temeri- olim Herm. , quo nihil verius ; nam
tatem domibus exitiosam , parentium \Ut\ adumbratur ut qua? Homerici
instar'. 'Yfipn est pater, mater, fi- 'HsUou instar sit, qui Ttpoifi&'Xlei
lia; sed non intelligunt hsBC in ^Eschy- Apovpaf. too autem est pars post-
lea dictione 6<pip.u8tis. erior v. nloircou. Ceterum et hie et
775. Zoi fjL«9i Fl. corr. in F. post alibi pro virili parte versus rectius
?iti libri ingerunt film, ejecit Ahr. distinxi,
76 ArAMEMNflN.
Svvxfziv ov <T£@ou<rx irhov- 780
rov 7Tixpci(ry]fjcov xhcfi'
7TXV 5' £7r) TSpfAX vooftq,.
"Ayf 5>j, @x<rih£v , Tpolxg Tf&impP 9
'Arpscog yhedhov ,
7rag <re Trpoqe'iTca, nag <rs M0i§B3, 785
(AW U7T£pxpxg plffl V7T0XX[JIApXg
xxipbv %xpiTog\
iroXXoi Ts fipoTuv to }>oxs7v shxi
7rporiov7i, 'Sixyv 7rxpxfixvT£g.
Tq> ^vo-Trpxyouvri r £irio-T£vx%£iv ^90
irxg Tig sTOiftog, ^<y(ix Te Xv7rvjg
ovVsv iCp' viKxp irpoqiwfiTXi '
XXI %VV %XipOVVlV 0{10i07rp£7T£7<;
XyiXxiTTX 7TpO<T007TX fil&VTXl.
"OgTig 5' ayxdbg 7rpofixTOyvcb{toov 795
OVX £<TTl XxQtfv OfAftXTX QuTOg
tx Iokovvt 1 £v(ppovog £K hxvoixg
vbxpei <rxiv£i QthoTtjTi.
ZU 3f (Ml T0T£ [4,£V GTSKXUV (TTpXTlXV
"EXevvig £V£jc , ov <yxp <r' imxev<ru , 800
xxpr X7ro/x,ov<rcog v\<xQx yEypx^^vog ,
ovh' £u 7rpxiriSav o'lxxx viftcov
xpog xxovviov
783. TzoXiirope' libri. corr. Bl. 791. Sety/xa Fl. V. 8>3y/*a F. et
785. ae/Hfa Fl. hanc formam Stobseus.
Herm. adamavit non tamen amplexa- 793, 794. xal %\rj-/axpo\>av* — /Sta-
tus est. «/3^w F. V. Hoc systema &jum bbri. Recepi Weilii conjec-
in sex vv. redigunt, ut responsionem turam, Pers. p. 120. y_a.ipo\>aiv est
efficiant, quae effici non potest nisi participium.
lacunis illatis ubi sensus integer est. 797. toc est relativum.
790. 8' libri. corr. Herm. 798. rowetv libri. Casauboni conj.
AGAMEMNON. 77
780 courting not the pow'r of wealth
falsely impressed with honour
guides to its goal each action.
Come now my king, Troy's city-destroyer,
offspring of Atreus,
785 how shall I greet thee and do thee obeisance,
so as to neither run wide nor turn short of
honour's due measure?
many of mortal men practise by preference
the appearing to be, and transgress truth:
790 and to bemoan in response to the hapless
each one is ready, but from their sorrow
no sting finds its way to the bosom:
and along with the joyful taking the same mien
they constrain features which laugh without gladness.
795 But whoever is skilful in noting his sheep,
the face of a man cannot be hid from him
which seeming to do so from feelings of joy
but smiles with a watery affection.
Then when you led forth the army for Helen's
800 sake, for I will not keep it concealed from you,
to my eye you were very ungracefully drawn;
not as skilfully wielding the tiller of thought,
when you brought 'gainst their will
aaivti necessaria est. 803. Opikaof ixobmov libri. dxouatov
800. Musgr. inseruit a. Sed for- Canter, 6Lpoi Heims. 'ipeXot xal
tasBe ouo' inixsvati) vera lectio eat, /SA«/3os dxouaiov'. Heaych. Vox eat
nam poeta ob oculos habuiaae vide- jEachylea huic loco optime conve-
tur II. 5. 816 r& rot itpoppoviuf niena. Cf. II. 1. 410 liravptovzoci
ipiot inoi ouS' i-ntxtixrv. Cf. infra fiatriXiiof , et Ilea. Op. 258 , unde
T. 805. baec aiunpta aunt.
78 ArAMEMNIlN.
av^pxiri Ovfoxovri xoptl%cov.
Nuv 5' oux uk' xxpxg (ppsvbq ov$ xtpiAug 805
svQpuv vooq su reXsvxviv.
Tvuitsi Sf %p6vy ^tX7T£vdopc£voq
rdv ts hxxiocg xxi tov xxxipoog
7T0AIV o'lXOVpOUVTX TtOXlT&V.
ArAMEMNIlN.
TIp&TOv (Jt,h "Kpyog xxi Qeovg iy%u pious 810
5/jcj? irpoqanralv , robs ipio) poerxiriovs
V0GT0V , SlXXlUV 6' 00V krfU^fUJV 7T0AIV
Tlpixftou ' "Bixxs <yxp oux xttq y'Auuo-vjc dso)
xKuovrec avdpodviJTXs 'IA/ou QQopxc
eg xiftxrypbv T£v%os ob hxoppo7rcos 815
ipYjQovq MSVTO * TCO 5' hxVTlU) XVT£l
iAms 7rpogyei %£po-os ou 7rKvipov^£va.
KXTTVCJ) V KAOUVX VVV £T £V7>j(Z0g 7r6Xl$ '
XTViq 6v£XXXl £i»37 • <7V1/$V^(7X0V7X $£
axoTog 7rpo7rspt7T£i Tiovxg 7taoutgu 7rvoxs- 820
TOVTCCV &£0l7l %pv\ 7T0hUf6Vi10-T0V %XpiV
Tiveiv ' £-K£i7C£p xxAAxyxs V7r£pK07T0Vg
£7rpx^xf>t,£7Qx . xxi yvvxixbq ovvfxx
ttoAiv h>ipix6uv£v 'Ap?£7ov ^xxoq ,
r lT7T0V V£0<T(TQq , xam^Cpopos A£Uq , 825
806.
7rovos libri. itvdos Weil, vdos est yaorig/9 (axuTOj ' h /*>] xuouax E.
Heims. M. s. v.) , -npoiysi dicitur ut Ttponevxi
813. Cf. Supp. 934. yuvoitxi, xtpcos nimirum est 'sterilis'.
814. ipdofxxs libri. corr. Dobrseus. deaique izX-opou/JL&w refert pbrasin
Cetera sana sunt. tzhipoXiv yuvaxxx. Imago : dii de Trojae
817. xetpbs libri. %ip<sos ego. Nem- aut salute aut exitio suffragia ferunt:
pe ytipioi primo fuit , non ita pridem adstant duae urnse , altera salutaris ,
%ippoi , jamdiu %up6i. Ecce egregium altera letalis: hanc, inquit, cruoris
iEscbylese ubertatis exemplum : xutoj virorumque necis implent , sed illam
AGAMEMNON. 79
on the dying the fruit of your actions.
805 Now with no surface-thought nor unlovingly
my mind is rejoiced that you end well:
and in time by a thorough inquiry you '11 know
him who uprightly and him who unfittingly
of the people keeps house in the city.
AGAMEMNON.
810 First Argos and the country's gods 'tis fit
that I address, parties along with me
in my return and the redress I've won
from Priam's state. For gods who hear not suits
by word of mouth dropped no mere make-weight votes
815 in bloody ballot-box for Dion's sack,
votes dooming men to death : dry , barren Hope
came to the opposite vase which was not filled.
The town still certifies its fall by smoke:
only death's storm- wrack lives; the embers too
820 dying gasp out rich breath from wealth devoured.
For this we must repay the gods a meed
of long remembrance; since we claimed and took
monstrous reprisals, and for a woman's sake
the Argive beast, a horse's colt in form
825 of a shield-bearing host, has razed a town
ne unum quidem vitse germen gravi- cetera omnia.
dem reddit. At sic maris vice fungitur 822. xat waya? intspx6roo< libri.
Spes. Ita : id voluit poeta. Ceterum Illud Ahr. , hoc Heath. , emend,
confer , si tanti est, plura in Comment. Quum vero certum mihi videretur
819. Sic libri. xaxrj Ovouatv diUrj xal Tttkyas corrupta esse, non opus
Hes. Th. 874. Hie hujus fabula? erat Paleii, Hermanni cet. tfpa.-
correctores admonere libet, pluris Za/juaOx falsi arguere. Junge: xai jtt.
esse Hesiodi, Theognidis, Solonis 825. domorioTpdfot Fl. V. da-ru-
si qua? extent ter pure legisse , quam Zoatpdpoi F. Corr. Bl.
80 ArAMEMNflN.
irfiiyiyC dpovaxg xptQ) Ylheix&oov dvtjiv
uTepOopuv de xupyov a[tvi<rTvi<; Keav
x^yjv sKsi^sv xYpxrog rvpxvvixov.
@£o7g (tsv it-ersivx (ppoif^iov rode '
rx & eg to <rov (ppdvwtx, y^e^vvnixi xhvav 830
xx) (pypu rxurx xx) ovvyyopdv yC e%£ig.
Tlxvpoig yxp xv^puv fori cvyyeveg rods
cplXov rbv £1)tu%ovvt' xveu QQdvov aefieiv
SixrCppav yxp log xxphixv npogviyt,evog
X%boq h7rhoi%£l TCJ} 7r£7TX{X£VC l } vdirov , 835
TOlc, t' XUTOS XVTOV 7TVj[Jt,X7lV @XpuV£TXl
xx) rbv QvpxJov o\@ov elgopoov arevei.
Eldug KeyoipC xv ev yxp i%£7ri<7rx{txi
bpuxixg xxroxrpov , eldcoXov <rxixg,
doxovvrxg ehxi xxprx 7rpevpteve7g efAoi. 840
Mdvog §' 'OSucro-f vg , ogizep ov% exav e^Kei f
%ev%Qe)g eroipog yjv efto) <r£ipx<pdpog '
elr' ovv Qxvovrog eire xx) Z,wrog Kepi
hey a. Tx S' xKXx, 7rpbg ndhw r£ xx) Qeovg ,
xoivovg xyuvxg 0£!/t£<? ev ^xv^yvpei 845
fiovXeutrdpeo-Qx' xx) rb yCev xxX&g e%ov
07rccg xpoviZpv ev pteve7 fiovhevreov.
"Otcj Sf xx) $£7 (pxpf&xxccv 7rxicoviccv,
yroi xsxvreg v\ repdvreg evQpdvcog
7reipxo'df4,e<rQx %v\yC xnoarptyxi vdaov. 850
TSvv 5' eg fteXxQpx xx) ddpovg eQevriovg
ix6oov OeoTcri npurx de&dxroftxi
826. bpoutscti PI. Temeritatis est, 831. taXira. libri. corr. Aur.
me judice, hujusmodi versus corri- 833. ydovuv PI. corr. in P. V.
gere. <p6you Stobseus.
827. bnepBop&v PI. P. inrepBopdiv V.
AGAMEMNON. 81
taking its spring just as the Pleiads set.
And, having cleared the wall, like lion fed
on raw flesh, lapped to surfeit royal blood.
I have stretched out this prelude to the gods:
830 as for your sentiments; I heard and bear
in mind, and say the same; in me you have
a fellow-pleader. Tis innate in few
to court a prosperous friend without dislike.
Ill-natured venom seated at the heart
835 doubles the load for him who has got the sore,
for he is both oppressed by his own woes,
and sighs at sight of wealth outside his door.
I'll speak from knowledge: well I wot that those
who seemed to be quite complaisant to me
840 were only friendship's mirror, a shade's ghost.
But one, Ulysses, who was loth to sail,
when harnessed was a trace-horse prompt at call.
Thus, whether of a living man or dead,
I speak. As for the rest touching the state
845 and gods we '11 summon public courts in full
assembly and consult; and must contrive
that what is sound may last and well abide.
And if a man needs healing remedies
by cautery or by cutting kindlily
850 we '11 strive to avert the pain of his disease.
Now having reached my halls and chambers round
my hearth, I will first clasp the gods' right hands
835. ire-nu/Afjii-x? libri. corr. Pore. 850. nq/uocroi rptycti vdaw. Dedi
836. ai/rou et mi/Mot Fl. prseclaram Poreoni em. omnibus,
842. (jstpxapdpos V. prater Herm. , probatam.
82 ArAMEMNHN.
o'lTsp Trpovoo ^cpc\pxvr£g yyxyov TXXlV '
1/lXij 5' £T£l7T£p £<r7T£T' Sf/,7T £($&}$ {6SV01.
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
"Avdpsg 7toa7txi, 7rpi<r(3o? "Apysioov robs, 855
ovx xhxvvoupcxi rovq CpiXxvopxc TpOTOVg
Xk^xi 7rpbq vpcxg' h %povop §' xToCpQivsi
TO TXpfioq Xv6pU7T0l<7lV. OvX XXXCCV 7TXpX
f&x6cu<r , iftxvTijs ^vvtpopov Xef-oo fiicv
rotrov'B' o<TOV7rep ourog VjV On' 'ixiq. 860
To pdv yuvxlxx 7rpuT0v xposvog Vi%x
vjq-Qxi ctoftoig %pyptov IxitxyXov xxxdv,
tvoXXxc, xXucvcrxv xXv$6vxq 7rxXiyxoTOvq "
Xx) TOV pC£V VjX£lV , TOV <? £7T£iqCp£p£lV XXXOU
XXX10V XXXO , 7Tijf/,X XxaXOVTXq 'BipcOiq. 865
Kx) TpXUpCXTCCV pC£V £/' T0VG0V £TVy%XV£V
XVYip oV , Uq Ttpoq olxOV &%£T£V£T0
(parte, T£TpviTXi "Sixtvov irXkoo xkym.
E/ 5' viv T^vyx&q , uq StX^vov Xo'yoi ,
rptacbpiXTOg txv Fypuoov 6 $£UT£poq 870
7roXXv\v xvoofov , Tyv xxtoo yxp ov xkya ,
%fovbq rpiy^oipo-j %Xxivxv i^y%f/ Xxfiav ,
X7TX^ £XX(TTU) XXtQxVUV (jCOpQUfAXTl.
ToiUvS' £XXTl xXvfiovuv XXXiyXOTUV
itoXXxq avecfev dprxvxg ipofc depy? 875
tXVVXV XXXOl TTpbq filXV X£XYi[Jt.yL£VViq.
'EX TUV$£ T01 TTXlq ivOxV 0U 7TXpX(7TXT£ 7 ,
863. yjoovas iibri. Auratus ille commate post «iio posito.
correxit. 867. dv^p libri. Corr. Herm. u%e
864,865. Satis placent, ut yerti, zevezo libri. Corr. Heatb.
AGAMEMNON. 83
who sent me forth and brought me back, and since
victory went with me may she fast abide.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
855 Men citizens, the Argives' senate here,
I'll not be shamed from telling you the traits
of my love for my lord: in time that fear
withers for mortals. Not by others taught,
shall I describe my own untoward life
860 so much as passed when he was camped at Troy.
First, for a wife abandoned by the male
to sit forlorn at home is frightful woe,
and hear word-omens many unassuaged;
croakers of home-distress — one just come in,
865 when, lo, a second loads bad news with worse.
And if this man received as many wounds
as rumour's watercourse led streaming home ;
he 's punctured , so to speak , more than a net :
and had he died as swoln tidings ran
870 truly this second Geryon with three forms
would boast of getting thrice his share of thick
upper mould-blanket — of the under one
I speak not — if he died in each shape once.
Because of these word-omens unassuaged
875 others, when I was caught, unloosed perforce
above me many a neck-encircling noose.
And hence the boy is not here standing by,
868. jj«chs Fl. rlrpoirai libri. ticam Pors.
T«fT/>y)Tat Ahr. 870. t' &v libri. Corr. Wellauer.
869. InlriOvvov libri. Formam At- 871. Facete loquitur insidiatrix.
6*
84 ArAMEMNHN.
SflCCV TS XXI 0~UV XUpiOq 7ri(TTCdftXTaV ,
<5tf %fW, 'OpstTT>jt;' [tvjVe dxupcxo-yg rods'
rpsQsi yxp xvrbv su^svviq dopu^svog 880
'LrpoCpiog o <&axsv$, dftCpihsxrx 7nj/^xrx
s;jlo\ 7rpo(puvav , tqv 6' U7r' 'ixicfi <rs$sv
xivhvvov , si ts ^,uo6poug xvxp%ix
ftouhijv xxrxppixpsisv ' &(;ts cvyyovov
(3pOT07(Tl TOV 7TSIT0VTX XXXTlGXl 7TXS0V. 885
ToixBs (jlsvtqi trx^xpig ov Soaov (pspsi.
"iLf&oiys yCsv ty x\xv(/.xtoov skiqcvtoi
nviyx) xxTso-@yxxo~tv , ovtf hi arxyccv '
iv oipixofrotg §' o/zftxviv $Xxfixq s%u ,
too; <z{4,(p) cro) xKxiovvx Xx&Tvipovxi&S 890
XT^f/.sXvjTOvg xisv. 'Ei/ 5' ovsipxriv
Xsirrxiq vttx) xccvoo7roq s^vjysipofzyv
pt7rx7(Ti Qccwvovroi; , xytf$i ao) 7rxQ>i
bpao-x TvKsioo tou ^vvsv^ovrog %povov.
NE5v txvtx Ttxvrx rXxa' , xitsv&viTop Qpsvl — 895
Tspirvbv $s rxvxyxxTov sx&jyslv xirxv — 902
XsyoifjC xv xvBpx rovSs rcov <ttx6[i5)v xuvx,
(Tcorijpx vxbg 7rp6rovov , vipvjMjg arsy^g
(ttvXov 7rodijpij , y^ovoyevsq rsxvov 7rxrpi ,
yxixv (pxvslvxv vxvt'iKoic nxp' sKirtix,
xmKKkttov vii^xp siq&slv sx xsiyLXtos^ 900
oSoiKopcp h\p£>VTi 7r>iyx7ov psog.
ToioTg^i roi viv x^iSi 7rpogCp6sy//,xo-iv
878. marsu/jiUTOiv libri. Corr. 889. xX«j3<xi Fl.
Herra. coll. Eum. 214. 896. Hie versus vulgo post v. 901
888. xaT£d/3>jxao7v , 9 supra t et legitur: transposuit Eng.
t supra y3 adscriptis Fl. , ut sit xx- 897. Sunt quos articulus offendat.
OeaT^xaaiv. -n^vS' iyu Weil.
AGAMEMNON. 85
who holds the pledge of my good faith and yours,
Orestes, as he ought; he not surprised;
880 our kind ally is entertaining him,
the Phocian Strophius, who forewarned me of
sorrow's dilemma, your own risk at Troy,
and — should the people's clamorous rioting
fling down the senate; since it is innate
885 in man to spurn the fallen all the more.
A plea of this kind surely hears no guile.
And now for me the gushing founts of tears
are quenched; there is not even one trickling drop:
I've weakness in my late-reposing eyes,
890 for your sake weeping the fire-signal-stacks
ever, it seemed, neglected: then, in dreams
while in my fear for you I saw more woes
than my sleep-fellow time could bring, I waked
at the light wing-strokes of the buzzing gnat.
895 Now having borne all this, with mind ungrieved —
902 for sweet is flight from all that comes perforce —
I'd call this man a watch-dog of the folds;
a stay, the vessel's saviour; a high roof's
firm-footed prop; to a father, his one child;
the land descried by sailors past all hope;
900 after a storm a day most fair to see;
a fountain's stream to thirsty traveller.
Such are the titles which I deem his due:
898. ardXov Fl. arvXov F. V. Ace. et Sfi/*' txeX-rtrov v. 911, dubitari non
corr. Bind. potest quid sit scribendum.
899. xstt y>jv libri. Sed quum cer- 902. roidiiZe -coivuv libri. Corr.
turn sit hffic ab Homerico illo sumpta Schutz.
esse yaXzv dsX-nia. owxsv losaOxt , nam
86 ATAMEMNX1N.
(pOovog 3' ccTrsvTu ' noXXx yxp tx 7rp)v xxxx
vjveixoi*£<T&x. Nyi> M (Mi, (piKov xxpx, 905
£x(3xw A-ywiq rygSs yuv\ %xyt.x\ TiQeig
tov trbv noX } uvx% } 'IA/cu KopOtjTopx.
Apaxi, ti f&iXXeQ', xJg £7re<TrxKrxi reXoq
nsllov xeXevQov trrpavvuvxi 7Tstx<t(ji,x<tiv;
evQvg yevio-Qu xopCPvpoarpurog iropog 910
eg $uf& xeXKTOv ag xv qyijTXi dixy.
Tx 3' xKKx cppovrig ob% vTrvcp vixu,uivij
Qfoei dixxiug <rvv OeoTg sipctpftivx.
ArAMEMNHN.
Aifixg yheQXov, %u(jimtocv efjucv <pvXxt; ,
xTOvirix (jt^ev elnxq elxoTccg lyu$ , 915
(jixxpxv yxp s^steivxc' «AA' ivxi<rl,u.ug
xlvsTv, 7rxp' xKXccv XP*1 ?<&' tp%sv(lxi ykpxg.
Kx) txKKx ytM yvvxixbg sv Tpoxoig epu
xfipvve, (jcvi^l fixppxpou QuTog Vixyv
XXfzxiTsrsg QcyiyLX "xpog%xvyg lyuti, 920
/cwjS' eiyLXci crp&ivxij s7ri<p6ovov itopov
ridsi ' fcovg toi ToTgde ri(ixK(pslv %peiiv '
iv KQixihQig Sf Qvyrbv c-jtx xxXteviv
(3xtv£tv ifio) (Jt,h ovdx,u,ug avev Qcfiov.
Aiya xxt xvSpx, pii 6sov, vkfieiv ipe. 925
Xap)g 7ro$oipii<TTpuv ts xxi toov ttoixiXoov
XAtjdav xvrei' xxi to (&}} xxxug CppoveTv
Qsov f&iyicTTCv ^oopov ' o\$i<rxi 5f xpy
fiiov TsXevnljVXVT iv £U£<tto7 Qity.
904. Karsten. et Eager, maluut 905. 8' IpA libri. Corr. Scho-
to itpiv. lefield.
AGAMEMNON. . 87
let envy keep aloof, for many were
905 the ills we bore before. Now, my beloved,
step from this car, and set not on the ground
thy foot, my king, that ravager of Troy.
Why wait ye, maids, for whom the task is set
to spread his pathway's ground with draperies?
910 let the way instantly be purple-spread,
that his desert may lead him to a home
unhoped for. By god's help my care, sleep-proof,
shall justly settle, as ordained, the rest.
AGAMEMNON.
Leda's descendant, guardian of my halls,
915 you 've made such speech as suits my absence well;
you stretched it to great length: but fittingly
to praise — that prize from others must proceed.
And, for the rest, treat me not softly like
a woman, nor as suits a Phrygian chief
920 mouth out to me a lowly-bent address:
nor make my path by spreading it with cloth
a mark for envy; we must court the gods
with these; and, sooth, that I a mortal man
should tread on broidered beauties is no way
925 devoid of fear. I bid you worship me
as man, not god. Without these carpetings
and figured-cloths fame talks. God's largest gift
is, not to cherish pride. We must count blest
him who has closed his life in sweet welfare.
908. tiXoi FL V. t«48« F. /3<V« F. fida/ia V. vulgo. Illud
920. /34fx/xa Fl. , /) supra scripto. tuentur Boat, et Eiiger.
88 ArAMEMNflN.
E/7T0V rxS' &q Ttpdunroiy? xv svQxp(rvi<; iyu. 930
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
Kx) (aviv tqW sIts pi} 7rxpx yvooywiv iftvjv.
ArAMEMNflN.
Tvuftyv (/,h foQi m hxCpSspouvr* ifts.
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
Hy£o> dealt; dsitrxg xv wS' spSsiv rxh.
ArAMEMNHN.
E*7T£p Tiq, £&&$ y £V T0l? £^£17T0V TSXOg.
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
T/ (? xv SoxiT trot WpixyiAt; y si txI? vivvasv; 935
ArAMEMNXlN.
'Ev 7roixi\oi<; xv icxprx poi (3>jvxi Soxel.
KATTAIMNHZTPA.
Mvj vvv tov xv$pdo7T£iov oS&sotifc \pdyov.
ArAMEMNXIN.
$>viM ye /zsvtoi dtiftoQpou*; itkyx vQevsi.
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
'O ^ xtpQdvijTog oux i-^i^Xog neXsi.
930. d 7r«vra S' si? TzpoLoaotp civ, Weilius: 'hsec dixi sic ut equidem
libri. -npccaaoi/isv Dind., av eirfv, si agendo fldenter periclitarer'.
diis placet , subaudito. Kern perspexit 933. Rectissime interpretatus est
AGAMEMNON. 89
930 Thus have I said and thus should boldly act.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
Pray do not speak so as to thwart my will.
AGAMEMNON.
My will be sure that I shall not corrupt.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
In fear you might have vowed the gods this act.
AGAMEMNON.
None more; I spoke to that end well advised.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
935 What think you Priam, this achieved, had done?
AGAMEMNON.
Walked on the damask certainly, I think.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
Be not abashed then at mere human blame.
AGAMEMNON.
Yet much the commons' murmuring talk prevails.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
At least the unenvied man is not admired.
Bl., el ftetaxs, tiU-m Xv. 937. atfeufcis Fl. a?Sea0»fc F. a*Ss-
935. Soxij libri. Corr. Stanl. uQTn Aur.
936. Soxij FL V. Corr. in F.
90 ArAMEMNHN.
ArAMEMNXIN.
Outoi yuvxixbg eanv Ipeipsiv (ix%vig. 940
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
Toli; 5' oxfiioig ye xx) to vixxadxi 7rpe7T£i.
ArAMEMNHN.
r H xx) ay vixqv TVjvSe fyptog risig;
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
TIiQod' xpxTog ftevroi irxpeq y' hxoov ipci.
ArAMEMNHN.
'AAA* £1 O*0X£l (TOl TXV&' , V7TXI Tig XpfivXxg
Xvoi TX%oq , 7rpo%ovXov e/xfixtriv 7roh*6g. 945
Kx) Tolt$6 (&' £iz$xivov&' xhovpyiariv Qs&v
yts/, Tig 7rp6(ruQ£v o^^XTog fixhoi (p&ovog.
noAAiif yxp xldag SwftXTOtpQopsTv iroviv
(pdsipovTX ThouTCv xpyvpavyTOvg 6' vtpxg.
Tovroov [jl\-j ovtoo. T)jj/ %£vyv 5f 7rp£v,u.£vug 950
TVjvtf SgxifUfr' TOV XpXTOUVTX [Jl,XX$XK0i)g
hog TrpotrooQev £vft£v&g TrpoghkpxeTXi '
kxav yxp ovh)g SoyA/p %piJTxi tyycp.
AVTV) 3f 7T0\kS)V XPVUAXTUV £%xlp£TOV
XvQcg , (TTpXTOU ^UpYil^' , £(401 %UV£O-7r£T0. 955
'E7T£l (? XX0U£lV GOV XXT£0~Tpxyi,yt.Xl TX$£ ,
£iyi ig Mfun (ikkxdpx 7rop(pvpxg 7txtuv.
942. Sic libri. Verto: 'egone so- 946. Sic FL aw rowSe F. V.
lus, an tu quoque hanc certeminis Deinde l/t/ZxivovT AX. FL F. corr.
yictoriam afiectas ? in V.
AGAMEMNON. 91
AGAMEMNON.
940 'Tis not a woman's part to court dispute.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
On fortune's favourites ev'n defeat looks well.
AGAMEMNON.
Do you too prize such victory in a strife?
CLYTEMNESTRA,
Comply: yet freely yield the palm to — me.
AGAMEMNON.
Well, if it please you, some one quickly loose
945 these shoes, the foot's mock-lacquey stepping-place.
And may no god's eye's envy, as I tread
these sea-dyed tissues, smite me from afar.
It is great scandal to despoil the house
hy spoiling treasure with one's feet, the webs
950 weighed against silver. Thus / deem of this.
But greet this maiden-stranger courteously:
the gentle conquerer god regards from far
with favour; for none willingly puts on
the slavish yoke. She followed me, the flower
955 selected from much wealth, an army's gift.
And since I'm bent to obey you in this act,
I'll pace the purple to my palace-halls.
948. au/ixrofdoptlv itootv libri. 710- Sensus est, quern dedi in versione.
oiv Scaliger. Sw/iaropftj/setv Schutz. , 950. zoi/ibv /itv outoj Emper. ; Eng.
quern Bl. , Herm. , Eng. secuti sunt. 954. aurij libri. aung Aur.
92 ArAMEMNAN.
KATTAIMNHZTPA.
"Efrav Qxhx<ro-x, rig 5f viv xxTXcfifaei;
rpe(pov<rx TrcAAJfc 7rop(pvpxg Icxpyvpov
xyxidx 7rxyxxivi<rT0v , sI^xtoov (3z£xs. 960
OlxC/} £' V7TXp%Sl TOOvBs (TVV QeoIg , XVX% ,
7rKovr6iv 7rev£<rQxt 5' oux eirhrxTxi Sdfiog.
IloAAwv txtyiviaov 3' siftxTCcv xv yvt-xftyv
$o'[jU)1(ti 7rpovvsx&£VTog iv xpvi<JTvipioiq ,
ipu%jfc xdftivTpx rijrfs (Jt,yix^vu(Jt,£vyj. 965
*P/Qf$ y#p cu<n^ (pvhhxg 1'jcst' Ig "Soitovs ,
gkixv uTsprelvxex Zsipiou xvvog.
Kx) gov yt,oh6vroq ^cc^xtTtiv strrlxv,
OxK7roq ftsv iv xei(imi ayji^xheiq fioKov
or xv 5f tsuxv Z £v $ &'* c/Mpxxog 7rixpxg 970
oivov, ro6' $v il>vx o $ * v do/wig niKei,
xvdpog TsXsiou ^S>i/,' i7ri<rTpu<pa)ft£vov.
Zsv , Zf v tsXsis , Txg ifAxg £vx*S rsXei '
/CtfAW Sf TOl (TO) TUV7T£p xv iuKKw TeKelv.
XOP02.
arp.<k. Tl7TT£ (Ml TO?? ifZ^S^CCg 975
SsTfAX 7TpOGTXT)ipiOV
xxpSixq T£px(rxo7rou rrorxTXif
959. ds oipyupov libri. Corr. Sal- adscriptam. Eng. conj. yip.mv. Possis
masius. et fipUtv vel 7rA>j0eiv, inepta omnia;
960. olxos libri. oixu, quod BL nam -nXourslv unice respondet voci
conjecerat , ego scripsi. Scilicet bmkp- niveadcu.
X« est Atticum illud, quod valet 962. e^siv libri. irXomslv ego.
'contigit' ut Dem. Ph. 1. vmkpxst 963. 3«/*«twv libri. Corr. Aur.,
up.1v xpyjaOou et passim. Deinde vo- et Canter.
cabula TwvSe et Ttivs<sQa.i satis demon- 965. prixxvup.evm libri. Corr. Aur.
strant i^eiv esse glossam ad nXoureiv Huic mendse causam prsebuit v. TrfrSs.
AGAMEMNON. 93
CLYTEMNESTRA.
There is the sea — and who shall dry it up ? —
which for much purple cloth breeds juice as dear
960 as silver, ever fresh for use, robe-dyes.
Of this our house, sire, by god's grace, can boast
rich store-, the house knows not to lack. I would
have vowed much raiment-trampling, had that been
prescribed the house by oracles, when I
965 was planning means to escort thy life safe home.
For, now the root lives, leaves come to the house,
spreading a screen against dog Sirius;
and by your coming to the family hearth
you notify that warmth has come in frost:
970 and when Zeus makes the wine from unripe grapes,
then is there coolness sweet at home, if in
the house a husband fully blest sojourns.
Zeus, fulfilment's god, fulfil my prayers,
and see to that which thou wilt now fulfil.
CHORUS.
975 Why does this presentiment
domineering steadily *
o'er my portent-scanning spirit hover?
967. imep-zlva.0% Fl. corr. inF. V. 972. imorpeipufjiivou Fl. Imarpo-
uneprdvouax Aur. , Dind. sine idonea fu/xivou F. corr. in V.
causa. 974.' piXy, supra scripto ot, 8*
969. fidXuvUbri. Corr. Voss.etBl. got Fl. pilot Si zt aot V. pilot Si
970. 5«us t' in' F. V. £ri s T af7r' rot sot F. aol Pors.
Fl. t' delevit Aur. 976. Setyfia. Fl. V. hip* F. sec.
971. t4t' >?3») libri , ut quod maxi- Bekk.; idem conj. Aur. ctty/xa. esset
me, putidum. t6Q > »)Sw Aur. recte, 'indiculum' idque ridiculum.
ut ille fere omnia, 'frigus amabile'.
94 ArAMEMNHN.
(jwurwrotel 5' xxtteuvToq xpio~6oq xotix;
OIK? <Z7r07TTV<TXV dixxv 980
dutncpfruv oveipxruv
6xpO~0q £V7T£l$£q 7-
£« Qpsvbg cpihov Qpovov;
XfiOVOq y £T£l 7TpOUftV>1<T' Ifiuv £V %Uf&(3d\0iq
Qxo~(&xt' xTxq 7rxp>i- 985
upro vxvfixTxq crTpxToq.
dvr.d. Tl£u60f&Xl $ Xir' 0/Zf4XT6W
voarov , xvTOftxprvq av.
Tbv 2' xv£v Xvpxq opooq fiov^£i 990
Qpijvov ^Epivuoq xvrodftxicTOq £<rw6£v
Ouf&Oq , OV TO 7TXV £%WV
Iterrihoq $i\ov 6pxo~oq.
*L7r\xyX vx » °utoi pxTtf.- 995
Xjei Trpbq ivdixoiq cppeviv ,
T£h£(T(p6p0iq VlVXiq XUXXQUft£VOV X£Xp.
Evxo/juu y i£ if&xc
ZXTrftoq Tpv6t] 7T£(T£7V
iq to fiij T£tee<popov. 1000
aT/s./3'. MxKx yk toi to Ttoxkoq y' vyiixq
980. dnonxuaai FL V. diroinvexi perperam scripts prima vox i:pvy.wj-
F. Corr. Scaliger. «&av, quae sane satis probabiliter
982. evmdki libri. Corr. Rossbach itpu/ivtiaiw correeta est : hinc adeo
et Westphal , m. gr. t|et FL ij« F. lintres in arena haerebant , et funibus
V. Corr. Scaliger. simul alligatis, vel, remis in nu-
984. xpdvo$ o «TTsi (ItA F.) itpufivti- merum adductis , sesquiversus allisus
view ^wefifidXotf fa/ifilxs dxarx (dxu- est. Cfr. <pa.a [iolto. povfiv supr. v.
raj F. V.) libri. Hsec miris modis 145. £S«v est Calchas. Si spondaeus
confusa, corrupta, praepostere col- in quinta sede offendit, scribe xe'st/s
locata, tantum non glossis foedata xwuoti/tsvev in v. antist.
sunt. Causam praebuit huic ruinae 990. ottw,- libri. Corr. Stanl. Dein-
AGAMEMNON. 95
why does song play the diviner unbidden, unguerdoned?
980 why, not spurning it like dreams
hard to sift, does confidence
firm in faith not retain
its own seat within my breast?
and yet the time has passed its prime since he forewarned
985 who in types saw the sprites
of destruction when to Troy
sped the ship-ascending host.
From my eyes I learn, my own
witness, of his home-return;
990 yet without the lyre my soul self-lessoned
strikes up within me a solo, a wail of Erinnys;
not retaining its beloved
fullest confidence of hope.
995 Nor for naught starts my breast
at the midriffs truthful tale, —
my heart , that whirls in rounds which bring an end fulfilled.
But I pray that my fears
failing promise may in lies
1000 issue, in no end fulfilled.
Truly each stage of health far advanced
de libri ip-votltl, quod ex b/tvoiSei rigere voluisset si v. stroph. quem
correctum eat , quum yuovwSst debuit. dedi invenisset.
Prseterea primo ante se habuit v. 999. ^/uiii FL F. t/o/8»5 V. Corr.
£/m*$. Quid si sensus quoque hoc Stephanus.
verb, mavult? At si duobus locis 1001. pjkla. yip rot t5> noiUaj
corruptis demus syll. b/i» corripi ir/ieta* FL V. yuaisc ye (yip supra
posse, nihil certi erit usquam. scripto) rot 817 cet. F. Hsec Herm.
991. ipivwi libri. Corr. Herm. et in formulam maxime probabilem
Pore. redegit, nee multum discrepat , me
995. yutaT«?« libri. Corr. Herm. judice, ab ea quara ^sch. promul-
998. Sic Fl. nee quisquam cor- gavit.
96 ATAMEMNHN.
xxopso-TOv repftx ' voaog yxp xsi yei-
roov OfzoTOixog ipsi%i '
XXI TTOTfAOt; evQvTTopw 1005
XVhpOq S7TX176V Tpb$ X(pXVT0V spfiX.
Kx) rb ft£v %p"o %pviyLXTUV
XTy<riuv oxvov fixKuv
o-(psvh6vxg X7r' svyuTpov 1010
ovx £$u 7rpo7rxg ddpux;
7r*]fA0vxs yifjucv xyxv ,
ov$' iffovTivs axxipog.
rioAA« toi ddcrig ix Aibg x[jUpiKx- 1015
(pVjq T£ XXI £% XKOXOOV 67TST61XV
V/j<TTtV Wh£<r£V V0V0V
avr./3\ TO 5' £7r\ yxV 7T670V X7TX% 6xvXO~l[Jt,0V
7rpo7rxpoi(l' xvhpog y&hxv xJpx, Tig xv tovt'
xyxx/Jo-xiT i7TX£i$uv; 1020
Ov<$£ tov opOodxij
TOOV (pQifjtsvocv Zsvg XVXysiV XV iJp^SV.
E< 3f //,% T£TxyfJt,£VX 1025
MoTpx ftoTpxv ix Qeuv
1002. Bl. addidit dd, probante 1011. Ap. Hes. est Anon ySt'oj,
Herm. Ceterorumconj.nequam sunt. sensus idem; Op. 687.
1006. Inserui tt/J(5s. Cf. v. antistr. 1012. rniyuovas 11 F. corr. in V.
1008. to fj.b> valet toXno fit 'hoc 1016. xa| FL corr. in F. V.
si accidit', cui opponendum erat 1018. 7rsuov9' ana? libri. Corr.
touto Zi in v. antistr. 'at si illnd , Pauw. 0' enim ad v. SxvckGtpov per-
scilicet, homicidium'. tinet: sic Eng. , Porsoni corr. spreta.
1009. oxvos libri. oxvov ego. 'do- 1019. rtponxp FL corr. in F. V.
mus , inquit , si opes perdendi cunc- Deinde tjj t' dyxxXsaxir T. omisso
tationem projecit, non tota submer- tialvi quod Fl. V. prsebent ante ayx.
gitur'. Junge: Sxvov itpb %pvi/j.KTuv Recte: nam glossa erat ad «yx- ad-
(non Ttpofizl.ii'j to /Ji'-v xprm&Ttov) cripta. t' ilia superest de psene
'cunctationem , quae quasi propugnat evanido tout' , quod restitui.
pro salute opum'. 1024. dvor/siv %ev$ w!n enauaev ett'
AGAMEMNON. 97
is without cloy: sickness, a neighbour who shares one
wall, is for ever assailing.
1005 And a man's state as it sails
fair on its course strikes on an unseen breaker.
Then by casting overboard
fear to lose acquired wealth,
1010 from a wisely-weighted sling,
all the house does not go down
over-freighted with its bane,
nor in deep sea sinks the ship.
1015 Large boon, doubtless, from Zeus in exuberance
and from the furrows which yield in the autumn
kills a famine's fell disease :
but if it has first to earth fallen once
giving death place, who can call up any more a
1020 man's ruddy life-blood by charming?
else would not Zeus have debarred
him who was well skilled to bring back the lost ones.
1025 And if no appointed Doom
barred a god-sent doom from all
eulxfitl a Fl. oS/r mcwo tot tu).<xj3slx Jovis leges ; alioqui neque Asclepium
•/« V. can' nrauff' in dfiXxfitlcf ye F. a mortuis arcuiaset, ne excitaret'.
Jam Canterus hsec magna ex parte 1025 — 1033. Sic libri, troyurepov
scholio deberi vidit; quern secutus quam oapiarepov fateor, sed omnia
Herm. scripsit Zeu, Si zbv dpOoZmrj prorsus sana; 1/lolpx scripsi (p.olpx
t&v yOip-ivuv dvccystv inxuatv. Sed ilia vulgo) et comma post sxtoAu7isu«£v
vocis z«0j transpositio violentior est ; delevi. Vide Comment. Quod autem
snoMstv autem est interpretatio ; nam ad hoc et cetera .Sschyli a3nigmata
certissimum mihi videtur idem yer- attinet, non ea sunt quorum sen-
bum quod v. 1027 usurpatur, et tentiam quisquam, etiamsi acerrimo
hie esse restituendum. Itaque scripsi ingenio pni-dil us in Grsecis Uteris
tlpttv cum prseeunte &v. Jam nihil diu lateque versatus sit , primo im-
nliiii I opus erat quam ut Zeuj dv&ytiv petu compertam habere possit.
scriberem. Verto: 'quippe vetant
98 ArAMEMNHN.
elpye //.if Tt'kkov (pspsiv,
7rpo(pdx<rx<TX xxphix
yXu7<rxv xv txS 1 £^£%£i. 1030
NDv y U7T0 PHOTO} (3pi[4.£t
QvpixXyilic re xx) ov%h ixs^TropiJ-
VX TOTS XXtpiOV £XT0XV7T£TJ(T£IV
&7rvpovpiivxt; (ppsvot;.
KATTAIMNHZTPA.
Eltru xoptityu xx) <rv ' Kxaxvhpxv hey on ' 1035
£7T£i <t' UijX£ Zeus xptyvfoooc ^optoiq
XOlMvbv £IVXI %£pvi(3uV , 7T0XX5)V pi£TX
'BouXCCV GTxQflVXV XTV}<T10V fiupiOU 7T£KXq.
V Ex(3xiv' XTTVjV^i; Tij^£' ,U^ 'J7T£pQp6v£l.
Kx) ffxlhx yxp to'i cpxaiv ' AKxpcwyc 7rore 1040
Kpxbkvrx r&ijvxi ^ovXixi; ftx&t; Siyav.
E2 8* ovv xvxyxv) Tijtf iTtippkiroi tv%vi$ ,
xp%xioir'ko\iTnv $£<t7tot5;v 7roXA.i) %xpt<;.
O/ jf 0U7T0T £h7ri(jXVT£q %pt,y<TXV XXhb&q
UptOl T£ ^OVXOt: 7TXVTX XXI 7TXpX <rTx6pt,>]V. 1045
V E%«£ TCXp jpiCOV 0tX7T£p vopuiZfirxi.
XOPOZ.
2c/ toi kkyowx 7rxv£TXi trxCpyj Xoyov.
1036. e*/*r)viT&>s , xep//3«v, rrnoiau tatis monimenta prse se fert aptis-
duplicem sensum habent. simeque dicitur si personaa , liauc
1037. pizK libri, perx Herm. et illam, consideras. Sed pu^ris fiiov
421. Zoultixf fid^rti ftix FL xal non potuit dici; nam intelligi potest
^uyfijv di'ynv jiltf F. V. Quod Bl. quid sit Xocyu /3ios sed Xxyuctv /3/oj
scripsit oouitaj /ia^rjj ySt'ov id proxime putidum est. Deinde £ir/«v Otyetv
accessit ad ver. lect. Ex iis SouAias 'jugum attingere' pariter atque illud
fluent 'cibarii panis' omnia ingenui- absurdum est; oportuit esse fipsn,
AGAMEMNON. 99
mitigation, then my heart,
faster than my tongue could speak,
these misgivings would pour out:
1030 now it sighs, in darkness sunk,
spirit-sore, with no hope that it ever will
spin from the flame-enwrapt distaff of reason
aught to suit the present need.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
1035 Go you in too, I mean Casandra, since
Zeus not vindictively has made you share
our household's cleansing-rite, with many slaves
placed near the altar of the treasure-god.
Step from this car, and cherish no high thoughts.
1040 They say, you know, that once Alcmena's son
was sold and took the slavish harley dole.
And if this lot's constraint should turn the scale
great thanks are due for lords enriched of old.
Those who, not hoping it, reap largely, pass
1045 the plumb-line and are harsh to slaves all ways;
you get from us just what is usual.
CHORUS.
To you she speaks plain words, and makes a pause;
fo/setv, x«iv('?eiv, Suvat. Mese rationes 1044. o/3'Fl. 61 8' V. Corr. Stanl.
hujusmodi sunt : /idt^njs male sciptum 1045. necpotirrdcd/ioiv PI. napoc aru.0-
/xafyij , cum interpr. %vy&v supra ad- jimjv 'ad amussin' Theogn. 543 non
dita, secutaest vox Oiyslv, ySia autem est Attice dictum,
eat pars interpretatiouis ad i-Aijvat 1046. £f«<j Aur. Sed sensus est :
pertinentis, quae mullo modo in imp r)/*&v Si ol Souiot g^oufftv o. w
textum recipienda erat. Sic Enger.
100 ArAMEMNHN.
'Ektos §' xv ovvx pcopai^uv xypevfixroov
Ttaiboi xv, £/ 7reiQoi '* x7T£tQoivig 2' hug.
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
AAA' £i7T£p itrr) yiM %£Xihovog 2/xyp 1050
xyvurx Quvvjv (3xp@xpov K£XTt}flivtj ,
scru (ppsvuv Xkyovtjx 7rs!8u viv Koyu.
XOPOS.
'ETf) TX XutTTX TUV 7TXp£(TTUTUV Af^f/
7T£l$0U , XlTOVGX t6v§ Xf4,X^p^ QpOVOV.
KATTAIMNHETPA.
Ovroi dvpxixv tvjvI? ifto) (T%0XYjV 7rxpx 1055
rpi(3£iv ' rx [A£v yxp Ivrixg ft£<ro[jt,QxXov
£(TT>jK£V vi^vj ftyjhx 7rpbg ctyxyxg ffxpog ,
cog QV7TQT £X7ri<rx<ri rvivV £%£iv %xpiv.
2u V £1 Tl ~hpx<T£ig TUV^£ , {JCVj <T%0hi]V Tlfal.
El 3' x%vvvj(/.uv ovvx fw l)£%£i Koyov , 1060
<yb d' xvti (puvijg (ppxfy xxpfixvu %£pi.
XOP02,
'Epftyviug aoix£v v\ %avvj ropov
SsTaQxi' Tpoffog §f Qypbg ug vaxtpkrov.
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
r H (Axiv£Txl T£ Xx) KXKUV KhV£l <pp£VUV,
1048. ivrbi libri. &to> Herm. Et Haupt. , Eng. , Karst. : 'captiva es , i.
sane v et x literse similes sunt ; quod e. , non tui juris , itaque utrum mavis
si non essent tamen hoc reciperem facies'. Quanto rectius : 'si captiva
sentential ergo, ivrbs 3' oiiovax conj. non esses , turn demum consensus
AGAMEMNON. 101
and, were you free from fatal toils, if you
complied, why, you 'd comply, perhaps not comply.
CLYTEMNESTEA.
1050 Well, if she is not swallow-like possessed
but of some barbarous jargon, then I speak
within her ken, and move her by my words.
CHORUS.
Since she suggests the present turn's best choice
comply, and leave this car-inserted seat.
CLYTEMNESTEA.
1055 I cannot waste this time outside the door:
before the hearth, our house's centre-boss,
now stand the sheep for slaughter; as for those
who never hoped to get this joy: and if
you will do aught of this, make no delay:
1060 but if through ignorance you decline discourse
in lieu of speech make signs with alien hand.
CHORUS.
The stranger seems to need exponents shrewd.
Her ways are like some wild thing's just ensnared.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
Surely she raves and heeds an evil wit,
pro arbitrio foret'. 1053. inov. Talibri. Ine'iTx Heims.
1052. TteiOu ex iis verbis est quo- 1055. ax°ty libri. Corr. Weiseler.
ram preesens tempus fere idem valet 1057. Ttupds libri. Corr. Musgrav.
quod perfectum. 1064. r) Fl. corr. in F. V.
102 ArAMEMNjQN.
ijTig XlTTOUVX [Jt,ev TTOXlV VSXipSTOV 1065
vjks i ' %xhivbv y ovk €7ri(TTxrxi (pepsiv
xph eufitxnjpbv i^x^ipi^soSxi [jJvoq.
Ov (AW irKsoo ptyxv'' ccTipixvQytrofjLXi.
XOPOS.
'Eyw §', s7roizzslpa yap, ov 6v(tci)70(*,xi.
"iff a txXxivx, toVcT epvi[Jt.oi}<Tot<T' o%ov , 1070
s'Uovtr' tzvctyxifl rffis xxivurov Zpyov.
KASANAPA.
arfi.ek. ""OtOTOTOI 7T07T01 $X.
'At&A&Vj 'AtcAAwi/.
XOPOS.
T; tout xvuTOTV^xg dtfJtXp) Ao^iov ;
ov yap TOiovroq ugTS dpyvyTOv tv%sIv. 1075
KASANAPA.
dvr.dt. 'OTOTOTOl 7T07T01 'hx.
'Agrdtow-f 'AjtoAAwv.
XOPOS.
'H 5' xvts SvaCpyfAOvo-x tov dsbv kxAsT
oxihsv 7rpogvjKOVT sv yooig TxpxrrTXTeiv.
KASANAPA.
(rcp.p. 'AxcAAow, 'Axa'AAwi/ 1080
1071. ixoXia' libri. Corr. Rob.
1072. droTOTOToi M. corr. in Fl. qui tamen Tzoftnol habet.
AGAMEMNON. 103
1065 who having left her country just ensnared
has come, and knows not how to wear the bit
before she foams away her rage in blood.
I'll vent no further speech and be disdained.
CHORUS.
But, for I pity her, I'll not be wroth.
1070 Come, thou unhappy one, vacate this car,
yield to this fate, and try the new yoke on.
CASANDRA.
Oh woe, woe! alas, earth!
Apollo! Apollo!
CHORUS.
Why shout ye woe for Loxias? he's not
1075 the sort to come into a mourner's hands.
CASANDRA.
Oh woe, woe! alas, earth!
Apollo! Apollo!
CHORUS.
Again with grief she calls upon a god
not bound at wailings to be standing by.
CASANDRA.
1080 Apollo! Destroyer!
1073. ciitoXXov bis M. dinoXXov bis Fl. et sic infra. Corr. Herm.
1078. ^jS' M. corr. in cet.
104 ArAMEMNXlN.
xyvixT , tz7rdM.ccv ipcdg ■
X7Tc!)}.£<TX$ yxp 0U fiOXiq TO $£UT£pOV.
XOPOS.
XpfasiV £0tJC£V XpiQ) TOOV O&Tiji KXX&V.
Mivsi to Qsiov $ov\lx Tsp iv (ppsvi.
KA2ANAPA.
dtn.fi'. 'A7rJAAwv, 'AtoX^uv 1085
xyvixT , xtoXXocv ipidg'
x 7ro7 7Tot viyxyiq pes; 7rpbg iroixv o-TeyvjV,
XOPOS.
Tlpoi; Ttjv , ATp$i^ccv ' el o~u pii] rc'S' hvoelq
iyu Xeya <roi ' xx) txS' oux ipeTg \p6Q>].
KA2ANAPA.
arp.y'. Mttrdfeov piSV OVV , "TTOXKx (TWlVTOpX 1090
xutoQovx T£ XXXX KXpTXVXg ,
xvlpoGtyxydov xx) (povoppxvTypiov.
XOPOS.
"Eoixev evpu; v\ £ii/j? xvvbg Vixyv
elvxi, pcxTsusi <f av xvevpvjosi (pdvov.
1081. c*yw«T M. dyviAT Gh F.FL 1089. & & prtemittit M., om.Fl.
(hie sec. Franz, properisp.) dyui&r Kwiazopa. M. cc-rr. in Fl.
Rob. ex Sophiani emend ; et sic infra. 1091. xacprxvxi M. Fl. xxprxvxs
1082. o\» /j.6hs est 'non parum' F. Herm. inseruit ts m. gr. Em-
Herm. perio Kayser. , Enger. , videtur xx-
1083. ai/rifc codices, aurijs T. pxrop.x esse corrigendum, Romano,
Vict, scilicet, et posteriore more deceptis;
1084. itxp' Iv M. Ttxpev Fl. nxpbv nam quia GTsecus, pra3ter Perseum,
F. (Herm.) Corr. Schutz. alteri caput prsecidit unquam ? quod
1086. xyUxx Fl.; cet. ut v. 1081. idem interrogari non potest de sua-
AGAMEMNON. 105
the street-god, my destroying god!
for twice thou hast destroyed me, not almost.
CHORUS.
She seems about to augur her own woes.
God's gift abides though in a bondsman's breast.
CASANDRA.
1085 Apollo! Destroyer!
the street-god, my destroying-god!
Oh whither hast thou led me? to what roof?
CHORUS.
The Atreids': you might know; but if you dont
I tell you; and you '11 say this is not false.
CASANDRA.
1090 No, a god-hating roof, privy to many crimes,
murders of kinsfolk, strangling-cords ;
a men's-throat-cutting place, a sink of blood.
CHORUS.
The stranger seems keen-scented like a hound,
and tracks the game she starts by trace of blood.
pendio heroinarum. xptxTd/xot. conj. 1093. supti M. tj in litura. evpis
Weil. Fl. Corr. Pors. Bl. mavult tijpiv.
1092. dvSpbs apaytw libri , in M. 1094. /xavreuetv M. /xareust Fl.
e in litura. apuyaov T. opzy&cv Pors. fiarsbtiv T. «5v «v «u/>»jorr) M. Gh Rob. ,
Avlpoofctytlov Dobrse. Deinde tx&ov ifgufn^aei Fl. F. Vict, av dvsopfaet T.
pxrrripiov libri , sed in M. pr. m. Recepi Porsoni em. sed ita ut idem
scripserat niZop. neZoppxvr^ptov Dind. valeat quod «v tvpot. Jampridem
at quid hoc significet ab ipso an- Paleius recte vertebat 'quorumcunque
dieris menus, fovoppx-n-jpiov Enger. cruorem homicidio fusum invenerit,
Etenim tt^Sov est glossa. eura investigat'.
106 ArAMEMNHN.
KA2ANAPA.
<*vt/. MxpTUpioKTl yxp TOttf STTlltMoplXl ' 1095
xXxiopsvx rode (3pi0>} trCpxyxg
07rrxg re cxpxxg itpbg 7rxrpbg (3s(3pupt,£vxc.
X0P02.
r H(tsv xXsog <rov pcxvnxbv 7T£7rv<r pivot ,
tovtcov 7rpoCPyTX$ 5' ovTivxg pcxrsvjftev.
KA2ANAPA.
arp.l'. 'la TTOTTQl, Tl 7T0T£ [ZlfisTXl ', 1100
ti rotf xxot; vsov (tkyx
liky 1 iv ddftoiirt roTgh ftyferxi xxxbv
&(p£pT0V (plhoKriv, dvtrixrov; xK-
XX <f SKXQ X7TQ(TTXT£l.
XOPOS.
Tovrav xt'dpig si'ju rcov ftxvrsvf&XTuV 1105
ixshx y eyvuv } 7rx<rx yxp 7roMg fioiji.
KA2ANAPA.
*t.8\ 'iw rxhxivx, to%£ yxp TeKeiq-,
TOV 0/ZO$£ftVtOV xd(TlV
Xoxnpolvi Qxtdpuvxax' TV&g (ppxvco reKog;
1095. p.aprvpioi$ yap M. p.. phi Pors.
yap Hi Corr. Pauw. rotsSe TtensiQo- 1099. r,psv M. EL cet. i?v supra
p.ou libri. Con*. Abresch. scripto in Gr. , unde rj pijv Aid. Turn.
1096. Sic M. toc PL yfe/iev Pora. , Bl. , Herm. , Dind. Sed
1098. >5 prjv a pr. m. M. , alia neutruin horum hie ferri potest;
manus, ut videtur, fyuev superscripsit. neque ^ /«jv fope> neque Ttenua/iivoi
Ji/iev FL cet. jj/tev Bob. >5 /mjv corr. yopev. Weilium solum habeo quern
AGAMEMNON. 107
CASANDRA.
1095 Yes! for I credit these tokens, the crying babes —
these — that wail their own butchery
and roasted flesh of which their father ate.
CHORUS.
True, we had heard of your divining fame,
but these are things for which we seek no seers.
CASANDRA.
1100 God! what's this? what is she compassing?
what this novel heinous woe,
this heinous woe she 's plotting in this house?
an ill past her friends' strength to bear, hard to cure;
help withdraws far away.
CHORUS.
1105 In these revealings I'm unversed, but those
I knew; for all the city talks of them.
CASANDRA.
hapless one! you will act it out?
having by bathing beautified
your bedmate lord — how shall I tell tbe end?
sequar, nee meliorem ducem qusero. Engerus omittit /*£•/», et -ndaiv in
Is enim dedit j|/xsv v. 1098 et, pro v. antist. ; id quod nondum mihi
prave iterata eadem voce, towtwv, veri simile videtur.
ut quod solum hie stare potuerit. 1103. Sic F. ptXoiai cet. oUxavFl.
Moi /jLoutTsuopev libri. Corr. Schutz. 1106. /3o$ n6h$ Fl.
1101. 6ix$os M. olxos supra scripto.
108 ArAMEMNQN.
tx%oq yxp roh" evTxr npoTwei $s %sip 1110
ex %epbt; opeypcxrx.
XOPOS.
Ounce ^vvijxx ' vvv yxp H; xhiypixroov
sirxpykytAiGi ds<r<Pxroig xyty%xvu.
KA2ANAPA.
or pi. "E I, 7rX7TXi 7TX7TXl , Tl ToSs 0xlv6TXl \
yj SiXTvdv ti y' A/'Soy; 1115
#AA' xpxug v) ^uvevvog, $ trvvxirix
(povov. *Ltx<ti<; §' xxopsroc yivsi
xxToXoXvt-XToo duftxrot; hev<ri[tov.
XOP02.
psaoarp.cx. Ylo'lXV 'EpiVVV Tyvh l&fiXGlV XSXei
67ropdix^£iv, ov [is (pxtipvvsi x6yo$. 1120
'Ett} Sf xxphixv xpoxofixCpyg ^px,us
(TTXyW, XT£ XXipiX 7TTU7l/Z0tg
%uvxvutsi filou Suvtch; xvyxit; ' TX%e7-
x 5' xtx 7riXei.
KASANAPA.
«*vr.e. r A x' idov l$ov' xir£%£ rife (3ob$ 1125
rbv rxvpov iv TrkirXouriv
(Ashxyxepq Xxfiovvx piyxxvtipiXTi
1110. x st p' ^ x X zt pbs opeyopivcc ML. 1114. is M.
%s\p ix %ipbs dptypevx Fl. bpvfp.ct.tsi 1115. ij M. rj Aid.
Schol. Corr. Herm. Cf. Theocr. 1117. dxopsaroi libri. Corr.Bothe.
22. 102 extant* x s P al npoSeixvuf 1119. iptvuv M.
1113. SicM. T. G. tot*. F1.F.
AGAMEMNON. 109
1110 for soon that will be. Now she puts forth her hand
and makes trial-thrusts.
CHORUS.
I don't yet understand: your riddles' end
is that I am posed by cloudy oracles.
CASANDRA.
Oh, oh! good God! good God! what now comes in view
1115 a casting-net of Hades?
but she the wife, a stake-net, shares the guilt
of blood. And let a band, ne'er appeased
by her race, sing for joy while the stoned victim dies!
CHORUS.
What Fury 's this you summon in the house
1120 to raise her cry? your words dont gladden me.
To my heart has rushed , and left sallow hues ,
the flow which for men struck down mortally
runs its course along with their life's-sunset-beams;
then death comes apace.
CASANDRA.
1125 Take care! take care! the bull, keep liim from
the cow! for, having caught him
in robes, with dark-horned implement she gores
1121. iipx/ts xpoxofixpris libri. ego, monente Engero. $opi est glos-
Corr. Enger. sema.
1122. x«l Zopia.muaip.oi fuvavurel 1127. p.tl6tyx.ipon M. v super i
M. eadem Fl. nisi quod lupla.. x*t- ecripta. puXxyxipw Fl. Sensus : jxiXan
pltf. ego; fuvsevuret Pors. , itTual/AOis J/p« w$ittpti xipxrt-
1 10 ArAMEMNXlN.
tvktsi • 7rhv£i §' iv hvhpq JCVTSl.
Aohotpovov t\k$vfrog tv%xv <toi Xsyca.
XOPOS.
fieaavTck. Oil y.0^7rX(TXlfA XV Q£<T<pXTaV yVUfjiCCV XKpOC 1130
shxi ' X.XKU Si tg> npogsiKxtp TX&e.
'A7T0 Vs &£<r(pxTuv rig xyxQx (pxng
fiporoTg tsXKstxi; xxxuv yxp "hixi
, 7ro'MiS7taiq rk%vxi 6s<77rta^o) <po(3ov
(pspouiTiv ftxQsTv. 1135
KASANAPA.
CTp.<?'. 'iOJ \CC TXXXlVXg KXK07r0Tfi0l ru%xi •
to yxp e;jL0v Opou 7rx6og S7rxy%i<jxv.
Hot ^vj (zs "hsvpo rv,v rxKxivxv yyxysg;
ou&sv 7tot fl (Ay t;vvdxvou,ueviiv ' t/ yxp ;
XOPOZ.
fjLsaoirfi.fi'. Qpsvoftxvyg rig eJ QsoQopyrog , xpt- 1140
<p) £' xurxg OposTc
■jii/.Gv xvo/zov, olx Tig tgcvQx
xxoperog $oxg , (psv , rxKxivxig Cppsah
"\tvv "irvv o-tsvovg x[4.(piQx/\ij xxxoTg
xv^oov @iov. 1145
KASANAPA.
OEVT.5- ,
'iw la Kiysixg (Jt,6pov xv^ovzg
1128. iv addidit Schutz. revest 1134. rcoXusTsti Ft Ownuailev M.
libri. xvrei BL, Herm. BsaTttuZbv Fl. dssitiaZ&v Casaub. Me-
1132. Tts M. lius Herm., quod dedi. BsairieaZcrj
1133. fipoToloi Fl. aziXXsrut libri. y><$/3ov hie dici non potuit.
Corr. Herm., et Emper. Zt& M. Zh 1135. pipovoiv Fl. absque v cet.
«i Fl. Corr. Herm.
AGAMEMNON. Ill
and he within the filled vessel sinks.
I thus tell you the wily pan's fatal hap.
CHORUS.
1130 I would not hoast in words inspired to he
nice judge; but this I liken to some harm.
And from words inspired what good tidings spring
to men : for because of men's present woes
the seer's god-inspired wordy lore brings a fear
1135 to learn what it means.
CASANDRA.
Alas , alas ! the lost one's inauspicious doom !
for I now relate my own following fate.
Oh whither hast thou led me the forlorn?
for nothing but to die with him: what else?
CHORUS.
1140 A mind-maddened one, by god moved art thou,
and about thyself
chantest tunes tuneless, as some brown
nightingale, alas! mourning with thoughts of grief
Itys, Itys, his story that bloomed with woes
1145 from both parents sprung.
CASANDRA.
Io, io, the portion of shrill nightingale!
1137. iittyxixa* M. ina,y%ix9a.Yl. dxipsro; Aid. pgu ra.Xa.ivSt M. pi-
Recepi Karsteni em., Heimsoethio XoUtois ta.Xa.iv ppealv Fl. GHoasema
probatam. ptXotxrots ab Herm. receptum est.
1141. aurfij M. Mox ota M. 1146. &r)$Avof fidpov libri. Corr.
1143. dxdptaroi fioSts M. /3o«j Fl. Herm.
112 ArAMEMNHN.
7T£ps(3xAov yxp ol TTspotpopov $£/u.xc
ho) yKvxvv r xluvx xKxvpixTcov xr£p'
ifto) 5f (tiftvsi <T%io-pCoq tz[A(pvixei fopi.
XOPOZ.
/*e<ravT./3'. Ylodsv £7n<r(rvT0v$ &soCp6povg £%£iq 1150
fjcxTxloug Svxg ,
rx §' £7ri(pofix dvo-Qxrcp xXxyyq.
fA£hOTV7T£lQ OfiOV T OpQhlC £V V0[jt,0tg \
7r6$£V OpOUC £X£l$ ho"7t£7lXq ohov
Kxxoppijftovxt; ; 1155
KA2ANAPA.
arp.£. 'la yx/jcoi yxftoi TlxpiBog ohiQpioi
(pihUV tU J.KX[/,XV%pOV TXrpiOV 7T0T0V.
To't£ (/,lv xfjtfp) trxg xiovxg rxhxiv
v\vvt6(ji,xv rpoCpxTg '
vvv §' xyu§\ Kaxurdv T£ xxx£pou<rlovg 1160
OXfiovq £01XX &£<T7ncp^VI(T£lV TX%X.
XOPOS.
p.suoarp.y'. T/ T0$£ TOpOV xyxV £7T0g £Cpyjf4,iaC0 f
v£oyvbg xv Qpoov [/,Moi '
7T£7rXYiy [txi V 07rug $xx£i (poivia
1147. nepejickXovToydcpolM.. (Dind. a librario supra scriptum in M.
nescit utrum -nxp- an itsp-) nspi- 1150. t' ante «x ££ s recte delevit
fixXirres ydp ol Fl. Illud -to ex ye Herm. ■
pro ya.p quondam scripto ortum est, 1152. emyofiui M. enifdfia. Fl.
unde et -tej in Fl. Insolita forma Corr. Aur.
tzepefi- confirmatur simili ilia £um. 1153. bpov t' jure suspectum est.
634 Ttepeax^vuaev. ocpova Schoemann. Fortasse v6p.oi$
1148. dy&vx libri, sed yp. cdti-jx x dpdiois £xvip.oif.
AGAMEMNON. 113
for the gods put on her a wing-bearing form,
and let her spend a sweet life free from tears:
for me a gash waits with a two-edged blade.
CHORUS.
1150 -Say from whence thou hast these fierce god-impelled,
these thine idle griefs;
how thou dost mould to melody
with that ominous scream horrors in high-pitched key,
and find landmarks for this thine inspired path
1155 of ill-omened words.
CASANDRA.
The match ! my brother's match ! which brought ruin home :
alas, Scamander's stream, drink of my native land!
by thy margin, then, I the ill-fated one
throve on thy nourishings •,
1160 but now it seems I soon shall sing my strains
upon Cocytus' banks and Acheron's.
CHORUS.
What this too distinct speech thou hast uttered means,
a child might understand the cry:
and I'm pierced as with deadly sting by thy
1154. e%n El. ordo dochmiis se interpos u it , ut saepe.
1158. r&Xouvx El. 1164. imb 8n}y/*aTt libri. Corr.
1163. dvOpuTtuv libri. 6»6poov ego. Herm. Illud est glossa; nam Saxoj
vsoyvo»* <xv dppov&v quod Meineke de- <rt)/j.xlvei xal Zrjy/jix E. M. s. v. Enger.
dit, Enger. recepit, mihi quidem mavult 7rA»jy/*aTi , cujus vocis jEsch. ,
sonat infantem delirum. Iambicus ut mihi videtur, ignarus fuit.
114 ATAMEMNHN.
2v<yxKysT tv%x yuvvpx xxxx 6psv/zsvxc , 1165
OxiipxT sfto) KXveiv.
KA2ANAPA.
er/r.5'. 'iw 7TQV01 7T0V01 TO'ASOq OhOftSVXt;
TO 7TXV ' loo 7C067TOay0l QvGlXl TtXTplq
TOKVKXVSlq @GTUV TTOWGf&UV ' XXOC S'
OU$£V £7TYIpX£<rXV , 1170
to (tv) toKiv psv ugTsp ovv \%£i irxAsiv •
xxyh 5f Qspptovou? tx% eyt/KBha t&u.
XOPOS.
/ieoayr.y'. 'E7T0/Z£VX 7TpOT£p0tO~l TX$ itylflltra.
2f Tig xxxotppovoov t16t]-
<ri ^xifjucv V7rsp(3xpiig iftxtTvav 1175
(/.exifyiv 7rx6>} yoepx 6xvxTVj<p6px'
Tsp/zx y xywixxvui.
KASANAPA.
Kx) wv o XPWPW ovxIt ex xzhvyiyLXTuv
£<ttxi $£$opxw<; vsoyxfiov vvitQvis VlXVjV '
hxpnrpbz §' ioiy.ev yXtov Trpog xvtohxg 1180
7TV£uv £g$;£iv, wqT£ xvfixng dixyv
1165. Zo7x-/yei libri. Corr. Canter. 1171. ixstv Fl. ut videtur, corr.
Deinde 6peo/t6>xs libri. Corr. Enger. in F.
1166. OptxupaT FL eau/jL-xr' F. 1172. r/w libri. x<kyu quod sensus
recentt. Illud tuetur Enger., 'id poatulat, metrum mavult, Heims.
quod frangit'; sed nemini id pro- ipitfoa fix\Z libri. i/melto Ahrens.,
babit. Ne forte dubites, dxufixv niZa ego. Jam vides cur ip-niZa
dcxovaou est ap. lies. Th. S34. scriptum sit. fixia est stobda in-
1167. itdXsoi dXupivK; Fl. nbXson terpretatio aut complementum. Qua?
dXou/jiivxs V. Corr. Pore. autem corrigunt Qspfibv ou» Canter.,
AGAMEMNON. 115
1165 sad, sad lot, while thou plaintively mournest woes,
a strange tale to hear.
CASANDRA.
Alas, the woes, the woes of my country lost,
all-lost! alas, my sire's offerings before the walls,
when grass-pastured kine many were slain! and yet
1170 they served naught for cure,
to save my country's ailing as she ailed;
I too, brain-fevered, soon shall sink to eartli.
CHORUS.
There thou spakest words following hard upon
the former track. Some ill-disposed
1175 daemon with ponderous weight falls on and makes thee chant
sufferings like a dirge , fraught with death ; how 't will end
I am all in doubt.
CASANDRA.
But soon the augury will look out no more
like bride new-married from behind veil-folds:
1180 but to the sunrise blowing, clear of clouds,
will hurtle forth, it seems, and wave-like wash
Herm. , dsp/ibv pain Musgr. , illud 0tpp.6voui verum esse posse,
absurdum est, immane quantum; 1173. -nporipon libri. Corr. Pauw.
hoc vero comico poetae conveuit. 1174. xod -rt',- as libri. xxi t/j at
Verto: 'Civitas mea, cui nulla me- Butler., vulgo. ai t(» ego. /otxo-
dicina utilis fuit, morbo periit; et ppovslv libri. Corr. Schutz.
ego quoque, nunc morbo delirans, 1176. 6xvxrof>6p« FL, corr. in F.
mox (quum furor quievit) humi pro- 1 1 79. rfpfetf FL , corr. in F.
eumbam'. 7T«iw yfitrk Prom. V. 284. 1180. M£«vFL M?«vV. Herm.
Apparet, opinor, nihil aliud nisi vulgo. i,-«f«tv Bothe.
8*
116 ArAMEMNHN.
xXv^siv 7rpbg xvyxg roude 7tyj[jt.XTog xoXv
peTtyv. fypsvuvoo S' ovkst i£ xlviyftxruv.
Kx) /JcxprupsTrs <ruv%pd(teog "i%vog xxxccv
ptVYlXXTCVVy TUV TTXXXl 7T£7rpxy/Z£VO0V. 1185
Tvjv yxp GTayyv r^i/S 1 oxnvor exXs'nrsi %opog
<rvfA(p$oyyog oux £uCpavog t ov yxp su Xeysi.
Kx) f^yjv 7T£7raxug y\ ug &px<ruv£T$xi Khkov ,
(BpoT£iov xtfix xufzog iv Sdftoig (thai
^vux£[Jt,-7rT0c £%ct) auyydvuv 'Epivuw;. 1190
'TftVOUO't 5' v,u,vov dccftxiriv TpOMLLWXl
7Tp&TXp%0V XTVjV • iv [jjpsi V X7r£7TTV(7XV
£VVXg X$£X<pOV TCO TTXTOXiVTl "hvj[J!,£V£ig.
"'Hftxprov ; v\ xvpu ti To^orvjg rig ug;
% 'p£uddfj,xvTtg eifiu SupoxoTog Qa&mv; 1195
ax^xprupytrov TrpohyLOTxg to (a ddivxi
hoyui TrxKxixg ravX x&xpTixg dopccv.
XOPOZ.
Kx) 7rwg xv b'pxog , Tijftx yEWxicog xxyh ,
7TXIUV10V ykvOlTO ; OxUftxty Sf (T£
tovto-j Trapxv Tpx(p£7<rxv cchXoQpu 'v 7roX£i 1200
xvpfiv xiyoutrxv, ugwap it 7rxpE(TTXT£ig.
1182. jduswlibri. Corr. Aur. Cf. 1192. Tr/jwra/s^os Fl., corr.inF.V.
Solon Frag. 5. 17. xpriapbs est rl- 1194. rnj^olibri. dfy/JwAur. yupa
osus patefactio s. rl»t( ipsa; rdZs Ahr. Et dripa certe de sagittse ictu
Ttvjfix est 'meum (Casandrae) malum', dici nequit. Scilicet x et q literse
cujus se participem esse Chorus af- eandem formam habent in M.
firmavit; prseterea ipsa caesura de- 1196. Sic libri omnes: 'de me
monstat zouZs Ti^/xxroi non cum «uy«f hucusque absente nunc testamini ,
conjungendum esse , sed a voce /*ei£ov quod ex verbis (Aoyw) meis jam sci-
i. e. /*£t£ov TrJj/iapendere. Sic et Herm. tis, me scelerum gnaram esse'. Par-
1187. eiifupoyyos Fl., corr. in F. tern enim solum suae significations
AGAMEMNON. 117
up to the daybeams woe far worse than this
of mine. Bat I by riddles will instruct no more.
And bear me witness as I coursingly
1185 hunt down the track of crimes wrought long ago.
This roof a choir ne'er quits, well-matched in tune
but not well-toned, for it speaks no good words.
And having drunk men's blood, to dare the more,
this wassail-rout of kindred Furies still
1190 stays in the house, hard to be sent away.
Set firmly in its halls they chant a hymn,
the primal death-crime; and in turn they loathe
a brother's bed, its trampler's ruthless foe.
I missed? or do I, marksman-like, hit aught?
1195 am I a quack-seer? a door-pestering cheat?
first swear, then witness from my words that I
though absent know this household's ancient sins.
CHORUS.
How could an oath, a pain in good faith pledged,
be curative? yet I'm amazed that bred
1200 beyond sea in a strange-tongue-speaking land
you tell the truth, as if you stood close by.
vox ixp.. tenet; quod Chorus testa- poena?, quas aliquis ex animi sen-
bitur de absente coram ea de qua tentia jurejurando sibi confirmat'.
testatur. -nztuviov autem valet «xoj.
1198. Sic libri. Spxou rcvjy^a Aur. 1199. nxiwios P. Si <tou libri.
opxos , nrjypx Pors. ab Herm. , aliis Se <sz Aur. , cet. , prseter Herm.
receptum. Sed 'opxo; quater ap. 1200. AXXdOpow iroXtv libri. dXXd-
Hes. nrjp.x dicitur, et ttrip.x multo Op<a 'v n6Xu Enger. Res manifest*;
meliorem sensuin prsebet. Spernen- nam AXXiOpovi nihil aliud est quam
dum igitur est Hermanui, Porsoni, ftupfixpoi E. M., s. v.
ceterorum 7i^//tx. Verte 'perjurii
118 ArAMEMNIlN.
KA2ANAPA.
Mauris ft' 'AsrcAAwv tojS' £7rs<rTYi<xav reXei.
XOPOS.
Mau xx) Qsog nap tpiipa 7V£TtK^yyt.kuoi;\
KA2ANAPA.
TlpoTOv fth al^ccg yjv ipo) Xayeiu rods.
XOPOZ.
'AfipvveTXi yap Tag rig ev xpxavoov tXsou. 1205
KASANAPA.
'AAA 1 v\u TaXxivryg xapr spioi tueuu %apiu.
XOPOS.
*H xa) tsxuccv sig spyou YjXdsTijv vdf&ci);
KA2ANAPA.
zuvxivsaxex Aol-ixv iip£u<rx[Ai)v.
XOPOS.
"H^ t£%vxktiv ivdsoig ypvutsuy;
KAZANAPA.
"H^ T0?.irxig ttxvt sUgti^cv TTxQy. 1210
1202—5. In libris leguntur ad hunc modum: Gas. 1202, 1204; Cho.
]203, 1205. Reposuit Herm.
AGAMEMNON. 119
CASANDRA.
This office seer Apollo laid on me.
CHORUS.
Not pierced with love of you, and he a god?
CASANDRA.
Ere now I was ashamed to speak of it.
CHORUS.
1205 True: every one when prosperous is more nice.
CASANDRA.
He sought the prize, much fired with love for me.
CHORUS.
Came ye to child-begetting by love's law?
CASANDRA.
After consenting I played Loxias false.
CHORUS.
When now possessed by god-implanted lore?
CASANDRA.
1210 I had foretold my people all their woes.
1205. pupwi-ru F.
1207. rjXOi-rov libri. Corr. Elmsl. vi/*w est 'amantium more'.
120 ArAMEMNXlN.
XOPOZ.
Hue SiJT xvxxTog yo-Qx Ao%!ov xdrov;
KASANAPA.
v E7T£tdov ov^sv' oudiv, ccg rxS 1 yyiTvXxxov.
XOPOS.
'Yifjuv ye pth §>j tkttx hinri^siv ^oxelg.
KA2ANAPA.
lev 10U.
'Tt' xv [is foivbg dp&opcxvrsixg ndvog 1215
vTpofiel , Txpxvvcov 3 po i {/Jet $ ' co a xxxx.
'OpxT£ rovgds Tobq doftoig sCPijuevov?
vkouq , dvEipcov 7rpo(rCpepsi<; (topCpupiXTtv ^
7TXT^£g dxV0VT£$ 0Oq7TEpsi TtpOq T&V (plhCOV ,
%e7px<; xpecov nXvibovTat; dlxeixg (3opSig' 1220
<rvv evTspoig rx <nv\xy%v\ £7:oIxti<ttov yspiog,
7rpe7rov<r' £%ovTeq, uv Ttxryp iyevtrxro.
'Ex TwvSf 7roivxq (pypct fiouheustv nvx
A£01>t' XVXXXIV h hk%£l (TTpuCpCCpiSVCV
olxOVpOV , olftOl , TU ftOhOVTl ^£<77rOT1jl } 1225
epup' Qipsiv yxp %pM to ^ou'aiov tyydu.
1211. avax-roj rjsfla Aofcou xirw; pondetur. Weiseleri autem est : quo-
libri. avaroi Canter. , reeentt. avox- nam modo Loxiae iram cognovisti
T05 »j<j0a KoKiou xotov; Wieseler. , pro- h. e. expertus es? 7r&>s S^t' non idem
bante Ahr. Canteri em. erit 'qui est quod xal 7r&j» , ut laudari possit
factum est , quseso , ut exitii expers Choeph. 532. xai 7r&>» x-rpuzov oi/dap
evaseris per Loxia? iram? Absurde >jy; 'illae mammae, opinor, non il-
dictum; et recte haesit Blom. Sequi laesae erant'. ijcrre pro ri'ostrs citatur
debebat non xotw sed oixzoi vel si- ex Soph. Colchis E. M. p. 439. 1.
mile quid; et sic tamen inepte res- Schol. F. interpretatur tt<5» opyrjs
AGAMEMNON. 121
CHORUS.
And how, pray, did you feel king Loxias' wrath?
CASANDRA.
I made none credit aught, since thus I sinned.
CHORUS.
To us you seem to prophecy the truth.
CASANDRA.
Ugh! ugh!
1215 again true divination's dread pain racks
and frets me with its boding words. Oh woe!
see ye these young ones, seated in the rooms,
like .forms that come in dreams ? babes slain as if
by a kinsman, with hands full of flesh, meat made
1220 from their own carcases-, they hold to view
the inwards with the bowels, most piteous meal
of which their father ate. For this, I say,
a craven lion couching in his bed,
a stay-at-home, is compassing revenge
1225 on him who has returned, the master, mine,
ah me! for one must bear the slavish yoke.
lntip<k(his rod 'Ati<5JUwvo>; sit, id quoque dum pueros intuetur
1212. oiiSiv ouSex libri. Corr. Can- comperit.
ter. 1221. Dedi t« (libri «); nam rt
1214. too loii, S> A x«x« libri, et infirmius e9t quara ut hanc sedera
ppoifxtois Ipqpivouf v. 1216. Mirum occupet.
est Engerum Weilii emendationem 1226. $uybv Fl. antea fuerat ^uyfi.
sprevisse, quae lav lou. et moi fpoi- 1227. oinxpxos libri. inapxof Can-
(lioif w w xaxa. repcrauit. ter. Ulud tuetur Ahr. &vxaTa.rhp
1219. Casandra, ut qua3 hariola conj. Spanhem.
122
ArAMEMNHN.
Nscov r* £7rxp%oq 'iA/'ou t xvxvTXTyq
oux otdsv ofx •yXuvtrx (titryTijc xvvoq
Xet-xvx xxxrelvxcx (pxidpovovc , dixyv
xrris hxOpxiou, Tsvtjsrxi xxxy rv%y. 1230
Totals roXyLX' &ijKvg xpvsvoq (povevq
strriv ri viu xxXou<rx SihtQiXIs ^axoq
rvypiyC xv ; x//,<pi<rfixivxv , % 'LxvXXxv rtvx
oixovcxv iv 7riTpxi(ri, vxvt'iXoov (3Xx(3^v ,
Qvovtrxv cfhou K\prop\ xanovhov t' "Apy 1235
Qi/.oi<; 7rviourxv; 'fig 2' e7roohoXv%XTO
jj KxyTOToXyLOS, ccqxep h iLX%y$ tpoTry,
ihxSl §5 XXipSlV VtKTTlf&Cf) (TUTvipix.
Kx) ravX b'(totov el ti py netta ' r! yxp ;
to ittfAAcv vfeti. Kx) rrv yC h rx%n 7rxpuv 1240
xyxv xMUimxvtiv olxTsipxt; epeig.
XOPOS.
Tv\v ijX'j €>vs<ttov SxTtx Tvxihaim xpeoov
%UV>JXX XX) 7T£(ppiXX, XX) (p6@0q ft' £%£<
xKvovt xXyQcbq ouStv iZyxxo-pivx'
rx y xXK' xxoxxrxq ix llpd/zov %£<jhv Tpa%oo. 1245
KAEANAPA.
'Kyxyitkywovoq <ri <p>]f^ Itto-^/^xi (topov.
XOPOZ.
Evtpyfiov , co r&Xxivx, xoifjtyirov <tt6(ax.
1229. xxlxrsivoujoc Fl. xai xTECvaaa 1232. Zuspdeiis Fl.
F. V. Corr. Canter. 1235. diiouaxv. a8ou pircip Fl.
1230. Locus suspectus. Ahrentis Avjto/j' ceteris conjecturis
1231. toiuls ToXpSc 0&bf]HL Ven. prsestat, quam ex Hesychii glossa
Totoisrct -rolfj.? 9rjhi F. V. Corr. XtktfH'. ispsixt, et schol. Lycophr.
Ahrens. , et Enger.
AGAMEMNON. 123
And the ships' admiral, Dion's ravager,
knows naught of what the hrutal lewd one's tongue
spoke and enlarged on in mock-radiant mood,
1230 like lurking death, and by sad fate will win.
The plot is this: the female is the male's
assassin. What foul monster shall I best
surname her? amphisbaena? or the pest
of sailors, Scylla, housed in rocks? a mad
1235 priestess of Hades, breathing ruthless war
against her kin? and how she screamed for joy,
the all-daring, as in battle's rout, and seemed
joyed at his home-arriving safe-return!
'Tis all one should you credit naught: what else?
1240 what will, will come. You too shall soon stand by
and pitying say I was a seer too true.
CHORUS.
Thyestes' feast on children's flesh I knew
and shudder at; and fear takes hold of me
as I hear truly things not fancy-framed.
1265 Hearing the rest I lose scent and run wide.
CASANDRA.
I say you '11 look on Agamemnon's corse.
CHORUS.
Lull, hapless one, thy tongue to fairer words.
991 Xyrapxas ' b Zrifidatot ispciti revo- 1241. ayav y libri. y* deletum
cavit. Cf. upeui rtj axas supra. est a Bl. et Bothio.
Deinde Apuv libri. Corr. Herm. 1242. watS/wv libri. Corr. Schutz.
1238. 8ox« libri. e&Jxei ego. 1244. #«ixa<x/*rfva F. Cf. i^tixxu-
1240. xat au pir t v libri. Corr. Aur. pivot' -neT:Xxap.ivo$ Suid. 8. v.
124 ArAMEMNXlN.
KA2ANAPA.
'AAA' ovti Ylxicov ratf 67ti<ttxt£i Xoyu.
XOPOZ.
Ovx , ainep etrTxi y ' xXXx [Jty yivoiTO iruc.
KA2ANAPA.
T.V [A6V KXT£V%ei } T07$ 5' X7T0KTSIVSIV [ASXSl. 1250
XOPOS.
Tivoq irpot; xvhpoq tout xyog nopruvsTXi ;
KA2ANAPA.
1 V H y.xpTx T&px T8p€xrfntf xpwfi&v SfMOV.
XOPOS.
Tovg yxp teKovvtxi; qv ^vvijxx [/,yx xv V v -
KAZANAPA.
Kx) (jt,v\v xyxv y' "EAAjjv' ima-rxftxi CpxTiv.
XOPOZ.
Kx) yxp tx 7rvd6x,pxvTX ' SuTftxdij y opicot;. 1255
KAZANAPA.
YlXTXl 7TX7TXI.
1249. ovx el TtocpiaTxi •/ libri. ei scripto super y;?. Fl. -nxpsoxd-neis V.
Corr. Schutz. «u pro iv Herm. , vulgo ; dpxv Aur. ,
1251. a.yos iibri. Corr. Aur. Canter. Hartung. emendavit quem
1252. \ xupr Up' &v Tictpsaxdirtis , ad modum edidi. Corruptelse origo
AGAMEMNON. 125
CASANDRA.
In naught does Paean superintend this tale.
CHORUS.
No; if it is to be: Heaven send it mayn't
CASANDRA.
1250 You pray; their care is to assassinate.
CHORUS.
By what man is the impious deed performed?
CASANDRA.
You were much cheated of my augury's drift.
CHORUS.
Yes: for I don't see who fulfil the plot.
CASANDRA.
And yet I know full well the Hellenic tongue.
CHORUS.
1255 So do you Pythian verdicts; yet they're dark.
CASANDRA.
Oh misery!
non obscura est. ttupexdnYis autem 1255. ZuonxO!) libri. Corr. Canter,
est 'fraudatus es'. 1256. 7r«7t«i , o*ov rb tt&/s xt X. libri.
1253. tow ya/» Tsiowvro,- libri. Corr. Recepi Weilii em. itvp est 'febris',
Heims. cf. v. 1172.
126 ArAMEMNHN.
OlOV TOW 'spTTSl XVp ' £7T£p%£TXl 5f [/,Qt '
ototoI , Avxsi' "AttoXXov , 01 iyco , iyu'
xvrvi diTcvq xixivx trwyxoifAccftsvii
Xvxcp, hkovroq euysvovq x7rou<r!x,
XT£V£l [AS TYjV TXAXIVXV ' uq Sf (pxpfJLXXOV 1260
Tsvxovex xxftou (jugQov hOqcrsi 7T0TU.
Kx7rev%STXi dyyovcrx Qut) (pxeyxvov
if&yjq xyuyyjq xvTirfosvQxt (povov.
T/ Sijfr' sftxurvjq xxrxyiAccr £%w rx$s
XXI (TXyTTpX Xx) ftXVT£7x 7T£p) ^Spifl <TT£Qy ; 1265
o-Qs [4.SV xpo ftolpxg ryq ifrijg hxtpQspoo '
It* iq (p&dpov irea-ovr ' syu §' xft' sipopxi '
xAxyv tiv' xrqq xvr spov TrXouri^£T£.
'Ldob £' 'AtJAAWV XVTOq £X$UC0V £[&£
%pv\(TTYip(xv iaQvjT , £7r07TT£U(rxq £(t£ 1270
xxv To7q%£ x6u(/.oiq xxTxy£Aooi/,£vyv fikyx
CP'lXCCV V7T £%6pS)V , 0V 'hl%QppQTTUq (AXTijV.
KxXovju.£vt] $£, (potrxq aq, xyvprpix
7TTCC%oq , rxKxivx AlftoQvqq Vp£<J%6lM)V.
Kx) vvu 6 [/.xvriq fixvriv £X7rpx%xq £fu 1275
xirijyxy' iq roixq^£ &xvxai(/,ouq r\)%xq '
(3oj[4,GU TTXTpopOV 3' XVT £7Tl^V0V [t£V£l
fapijwv xo7T£io-vjq (poivicp itpou^xyyt.xTi.
Ov (tijv xTiftoi y' ix 0£UV T£dvij!;0fA£V '
1258. tortious FL F., corr. in V. 1262. It: S v X stxi libri. Corr.Dind.
1261. xi™ libri. Corr. Aur. juaObs 1263. ebtmVsctffef libri. Kecepi
est et hariolse et scorti merces, ilia Blomfieldii conj.
enim Ttelzvo; dicebatur, teste Suida; 1266. a; ph libri. Corr. Aur.
hsec /*((70w/*a. Hie utroque sensu ad- 1267. dyuQi> V c^sWo/xai libri.
hibetur. Mox addit 'naulum' ctywyfr Prseclare corr. Herm.
/j.ia66v. 7ioto; autem est medicina quae 1268. riv Fl. «t»iv libri. Corr.
Agamemnonis male factis medeatur. Staul.
AGAMEMNON. 127
how fierce this fever grows! for me it comes!
alas, Lycean Apollo! alas, for me!
that biped lioness bedding with a wolf
in absence of the noble lion, next,
1260 will kill me hapless; and, as if she mixed
a medicine, to the draught will add my fee:
and, whetting for her lord the blade, will boast
that she '11 recoup herself my fare in blood.
Why do I keep these mockeries of myself,
1265 the wand, and prophet's garland round my neck?
I will destroy them ere my own decease.
Go! fall to ruin: I shall follow you:
enrich with woe some other in my stead.
Lo! here Apollo's self is stripping me
1270 of my diviner's garb; he who looked on
when in these trappings I was harshly mocked —
unjustly, the scale proves, — by friends unkind.
And I, as crazy, had to bear being called,
forlorn and famished, an alms-begging tramp.
1275 And now the seer, unmaking me a seer,
has brought me to this deadly pass: instead
of our domestic altar waits a block
warm with the crimson spurt when I am cleft.
Yet not by god unhonoured shall we die:
1270. Zi [it Fl. i7rw7TTi6ffas F. exauguravit me vatem' , et vc-ci ixSiwv
1271. /trfra libri. ^eysc Herm. alludit v. 1269.
1272. Junge ot> 3t^. ptxTqv 'haud 1277. oivrsni^ov Fl. , priore ace.
dubie false- irrisam'. om. in cet. Corr. Aur. et Canter.
1274. Xtfj.6dvtn vulgo. Corr. El- 1278. Oe^O libri. Corr. Schutz.
berling. Ttpdayxypx est profluvium sanguinis
1275. ixTtf/a.^xi fiAvriv est 'qui mactata? victim®.
128 ArAMEMNflN.
vi^ei yxp vifjuov xXkot; xv Tipixopoc , 1280
(tilTpoxTOvov (piTuptx, iroivxToap nxTpoq '
<puyxg 2' xXijTVjt; r%<$£ yijq xtq%£vq<;
XXTSKTIV XTXC TX<$£ QpiyxUGQQV CptXOlC *
3fM)f&0Txi yxp opxog ex Qexv ptiyxc
xtjsiv viv f xjirrixa /zx xsipevov Trxrpog. 1285
T/ <$iJT iyu xxrotxTog u$ xvxg-tevco,
ine) to 7rparov sldov 'iA/ou tvqKiv
xpx^x<ixv a$ sxpxtjiv ol S' stxov toKiv
ovTcog xirxXKx<T(TO\Knv iv 6suv xpiosi;
hu<rx 7rpx^a t Thfaoftxi to kxt&xvsTv 1290
Ai'dou iruXxq Sf tou$ iya -7rpoqsvv£7ru ,
iitax>xo(Ji.xi 5f xxipixq 7r\^yjg tu%s7v,
UG XO'<pX^XO'T0g , x'tfjCXTCCV £v6w)0'i[JUCV
X7T0ppUiVTUV f OplpiX CU f&fi XXS) T0^£.
XOPOS.
r £l ttoXXx (isv rxXxivx, noXXx y xv o-ocpb 1295
•yvvxi, pixxpxv eTStvxg. El S' iTyTvpat;
ptopov tov xirrijg oi<r6x, 7rug QsvjXxtov
fiob/; Ttixyv npoq fiufibv siiToXpucg kxtsis',
KASANAPA.
Owe eo~T x\v%iq , ou, %evoi' xpovoi 7rAio;.
1284. Hunc versum qui post v. rocem «.p%pt esse sumptam. uTTTiau/ta
1290 in libris legitur Herm. hue est 'id quod quis precatur manibus
revocavit. LaudaturinCrameriAnec. supinis'.
I. p. 88 6lpx.fi yxp opxos. Inde 1285. A'£etv vuv Fl. «'£«£ viv F. ,
Schneidew. 6Lpv.pt p.kv yxp. Sed En- corr. in V.
geri conj. tantum non certe est, 1286. xaroixos libri, corrupte.
t. 1290 olim ita se habere oipxp" Corr. Scaliger.
l&aa cet. , et inde errore grammatici 1288. stym libri. Corr. Musgr.
AGAMEMNON. 129
1280 one will again, as our avenger, come,
a mother-slaying, sire's-blood-price-levying son;
an exile, wanderer, outcast from this land,
will come to raise the top-stone for his race
of death-crimes: by the gods a mighty oath
1285 is sworn to bring him, as his fallen sire
will pray with hands upturned. Why wail I then,
thus doleful? since I first beheld Troy's town
fare as she fared; and those who sacked the town
come off thus by the judgement of the gods?
1290 I'll go and take my lot, endure the death:
but I address these gates of death and pray
to get a mortal stroke, that so I may
without a struggle, when with easy death
the blood has flowed away, shut-to these eyes.
CHORUS.
1295 woman much unblest, in much, too, wise,
thou hast stretched far thy words. But if in truth
thou know'st thy doom, how dost thou, heifer-like
god-driven, to the altar boldly tread?
CASANDRA.
There's no escape, friends, none: the times are full.
1 289. «x dt&v Fl. nliu omnes. Et equidem non video
1290. Recipienda erat Engeri con- quid displiceat in repetita negatione.
jectura si ille ostendisset unde vox Weil. conj. ov, frfvoi, xp&vot TtXtu.
■npo&ot orta sit. Sic illud £ ivoi frigide interponitur.
1291. tocs Xiyu libri. Corr. Aur. Sed xpmoi nlfa recte dicitur, et
et Canter. partim ex Theogn. 817 sumitur,
1295. oi vofh Fl. Corr. in P. V. partim ex Hes. Op. 790 «A^i q/terrc.
1299. ou, $ivoi Fl. ov F. V. xP^V Interpunxi igitur post Jrfw.
9
130 ArAMEMNXlN.
XOPOS.
'O y tKTTXToq ye tou %pcvov Ttpso-fisverxi. 1300
KAEANAPA.
"Hxsi toT %{&xp * (rpijcpx xspdxvu (pvyijj.
XAPOS.
'AAA' fafj TAtyCtttfV OUtT 7 X7T £llT0?t./jC0U Qp£V0$.
KASANAPA.
OuSf/$ cckousi txvtx toov evoxi/xovuv.
XOPOZ.
'AAA' evxKeu*; to/ k#t0#i/£7i/ ##/;/$ fiporcp.
KA2ANAPA.
'Ioj nxTep gov <rccv t£ yevvxioov TSKVUV. 1305
'AAA' £/££/ x«y SdftOKri kukvo~out' eywp 1313
'Ayxf&iftvovdi; re fioTpxv. 'ApKsirco (310$. 1314
XOPOS.
T/ 5' fori %pviyt t x\ tic; <r' X7roo-Tpi<p£i (pd(3o<;;
KASANAPA.
1300. In eo lusus est quod et e. , quam longissima mora) maximi
Kpfoou et xp&vou ad aures venire pos- sestimantur'.
sit : quorum illud erit , 'Zsu; minimus 1303, 1304. Hos versus inverso
ille natu e Kpfaou natis principatum ordine posuit Heath., quern omnes
tenet' ; hoc autem , 'vi morituro no- edd. secuti sunt , exceptis Coningtono
vissima quseque vitse momenta, (i. et Paleio. Scihcet Chorus id agit
AGAMEMNON. 131
CHORUS.
1300 At least Time's latest birth takes foremost rank.
CASANDRA.
This day is come : I little gain by flight.
CHORUS.
Know thou art firm from an intrepid soul.
CASANDRA.
None of the happy has this said to him.
CHORUS.
But to die bravely has a charm for man.
CASANDRA.
1305 Alas, my sire, for thee and thy brave brood!
1313 But I'll go wail even in the house my fate
1314 and Agamemnon's. Let past life suffice.
CHORUS.
Why, what is this? what terror makes thee start?
CASANDRA.
Faugh! faugh!
ut soletur Casandram; ilia tamen illic inepti easent, hie autem Ca-
fovet querelas. Res manifesta est. sandram aliquid loqiii oporteret unde
1305. Tfiiv re libri. a&v re Aur. intelligeretur earn in sedes introitu-
1306, 1307. Hi duo versus vulgo ram esse, hue revocandos censuit
post v. 1312 leguutur; sed quum Enger.
9*
132 ATAMEMNfLN.
XOPOS.
T/ tout f$fu£#s; si n ptvj Qpsv&v arvyoq.
KA2ANAPA.
(pOVOV (SdfZOl 7TVS0V71V XlfAXTCHTTXytj.
XOPOS.
Kx) 7ru<;; roT o^ei Quftxrav eQevriuv. 1310
KA2ANAPA.
"Oftoiog xTftbg ooq7rep ix rxtpov 7rpixsi.
XOP02.
Ou 2y/wv xyXxivi&x dco/AXTcov Xaysig.
KA2ANAPA.
'Lm &oi. 1315
Ovroi dv<roi& Qxpvov &$ cpvig <po'/3cj
xKXoog ' Qxvovarifl ftxprvpeTTS yu>i rods,
otxv yuvi) yvvxixbg xvr iftou dxvy,
xvvip re 'BvtT^xfAxpTOi; xvr' xvdpbg 7re<ry
£7n%svov{AXi txvtx S' dig Oxvov/zsvy. 1320
XOPOS.
*£l Ttijftov , olxrsipa <re fetrtpxrou pcpou.
1309. pdftov libri. v super /3scripto 1317. «XX' us dxvovoy libri. Corr.
i n F. Corr. Aur. et Canter. Herm. Et sane sensus postulat ciXXus.
1310. Interrogandi sign, primus At, inquit, avis non frustra timet.
Pauw. posuit. Immo vero nostrates quidem ares
AGAMEMNON. 133
CHORUS.
Why 'faugh'? unless it be the mind's disgust.
CASANDRA.
These rooms breathe horrid fumes from dripping blood.
CHORUS.
1310 Why 'horrid'? the hearth's victims yield the smell.
CASANDRA.
As from a grave a ghostly mist appears.
CHORUS.
You name no Syrian luxury for the house.
CASANDRA.
1315 Ah friends! I scream
for fear not idly, as at a shaking bush
a bird: and when I'm dead attest me this:
when woman has for me a woman died,
and man for man ill- wived has fallen-, this
1320 I, as one dying, charge you with, as friends.
CHORUS.
Brave heart, I pity thee for thy god-taught doom.
non magis intrepidse sunt quam Ho- rum neutrum est inane periculum ,
ratii hinnuleus si mobilibus veris ulla ratio habetur.
inhorruit adventus foliis. Hie enim 1320. 'Hoc ego ut moritura com.-
neque visci neque serpentium, quo- mendo vobis ut amicis',
134 ArAMEMNflN.
KASANAPA.
"Airxi; 6T inreJv %pvi nph j? Qpjjvov Xsyoo
iftbv tov xurijq • vj\ia 5' lTV6\i%0(Jt.xi ,
npbq uvtxtov (puq , ^wkqtcov Tiftxopovq
i%6po7q Qovsutri to7c i[M7q riven o/zou 1325
lovXyq Qxvovvyq, evpixpovq %eip£>yi,XTQq.
XOPOZ.
'lu fiporeix 7rpxy/zxT' eurv^ovvrx piev
<rxiqi Tiq xv ffpsipsisv' el $e $u<rTi>%e7
QoXxiq vypdxrtrm cizoyyoq uhetrev ypxQviv'
xx) txut' exeivav [axXXov olxreipu ttoXu. 1330
TO (AM 6V "7Tpx<T<T£lV xKopstrrov s<pu
Txei (3poTo7<riv ^xxrvKo^eixToov S'
OUTiq XTrSlTTUV slpySl (JLSXxQpudV ,
Ityxkr sqeXQyq, rx$e Qavav.
Kx) rude toXiv fjuh eXe7v ISoaxv 1335
[Axxxpsq Tlpixftov '
6sori//,i]Toq 3' olxxtf Ixxver
vuv 5* si nporkpuv xipC xxot'ktei
1322. elnth prjaiv i) Bprjvov diXot nam nihil aliud hie stare potuit;
libri. pijoiv quod nemo tolerare po- non utique fizatlsois , xoipdmou, similia.
tuit ex xpijaiv depravatum est , quod 1326. His dictis Casandra aedes
et ipsum pro xprj iv prave correctum ingreditur. Id Weilius solus om-
erat. Correxi j^sjj Ttpiv. Sed xprjow nium vidit; hfieU y*p ttanipw- Et
ansam dedit corruptioni vocis Xeyea pro certo habeo Casandram non po-
quam restitui. Quid autem xp*> aL » tuisse ea dicere quae sequuntur. Quid
ct pijoif significent omnibus notum si Chorus solet prius quatuor versus
est, et neutrum hie dici posse. iambicos loqui quam cantilenam
1324. rots ifj-oi; ri//.&ipois libri. canit.
Scribae enim oculi ad proximum 1328. oxide tjj dvrpefstev libri. «v
versum aberrayerunt. Semrorwv ego , rptyeisv Pors. itpfyeuv Boissonad. ,
AGAMEMNON. 135
CASANDRA.
Yet must I speak once ere I sing my dirge,
my own. I pray to Helios, the last light
I see, that the avengers of my lord
1325 may likewise pay my hated murderers, mine,
the slave's who died, an easy victory.
CHORUS.
Alas the state of man ! if good betide ,
one might compare it to a sketch; if ill,
a wet sponge by its touch wipes out the lines:
1330 I pity each, but this far more than that.
Success is for all men a thing without cloy;
and from halls at whose splendour the finger is raised
no one, contented, repels it and says this:
"do not enter here more".
1335 To this hero the blessed gods granted to sack
Priam's metropolis,
and with honour from heaven he returns to his home.
But now if he pays back their blood who before
Herm. , e Photii glossa Ttptycm ' rb loribus inditis : hoc dicit 'res secundse
b/iot&aat: hlv/blot, et Hesychii itpi~ imaginem delineant, quam res ad-
fW elxa.a phot, dxxadzi;. Sed illud versae detergent', id est: hominum
requirit <rxi$ quod Wieseler et Co- vita, si optime se habet, vanitas
nington corr. , hoc autem axta ut est; sed hac vanitate pejus quiddam
sit: si eyru^o/r), axia. Ttj elxxa/xivri est, siquando ex rebus secundis in
a» etr). Id agitur, utrum horum sit adversas migrandum est.
rectum , nam constat de voce irpfyeiev. 1331. itpdrrsiv libri. Corr. Pors.
Et, me quidem judice, oxik prae- 1332. fipoTols libri. Corr. Pauw.
stat; et Photius locum aliquem male SxxTuhZeixT&v libri. Corr. Schutz.
interpretatus est. Ceterum in hac 1334. ixt\xiti 8' sUiXQya libri. Corr.
similitudine nihil omnino est de co- Herm.
136 ArAMEMNflN.
xx) ToTri xxvoixti Qxvuv xXKuv
7roivx<; Qxvxtuv £7Tixpxiv£i , 1340
rit; 7T0T xv evt-xiro fipoT&v ourivfi
Sxiftovi (puvxi, txS 1 xxovav;
ArAMEMNXlN.
"flfMl, 7TS7T\V)y j/UU KXipiXV 7T^yi}V SITU.
KOAT<PAIOZ.
ITiyx' Tig nhwyw xvtsT xxipiag ovTxef/Jvog ;
ArAMEMNXlN.
"fljuo/ {Jt,xX' xvdig, dsuTspxv 7T£7rXyy(A£V0i;. 1345
KOPTOAIOZ.
Toupyov slpyxvdxi SoksT fzot QxmXmq olftccyftXTf
XXKX XOlVUfTUfJt,^' XV 7T0Q$ x<r<pxMj fioutevfAXT %.
XOPETTH2 x.
'TLyoo ijuv byuv Tyv iftijv yvooywiv hkyu }
TTpbq SZftX ^Mp* XGTOlGl X)jpV<7<T£lV fiojv.
XOPETTH2 &.
'Eftoi 5' ottoo; tx%igtx y £yur£G£~iv ^0X£l 1350
xx) 7rpxy{£ £\ey%£iv %vv V£oppvT& %i(p£i.
1339. Omodai libri. xrotvovst Can- tulit Tricl. ut versum acatalecticum ,
ter. , qui xavou« voluit. Insolentius more suo, efficeret.
illud 'moriendo mortuis' conciliare 1341. rtj a» eulatro libri. Dedi
mihi non potui. Hermanni et Ahrentis correctionem.
1340. tmxpccvet libri, dr/av prse- tj's av i^su^xno Schneid.
eunte in F. Corr. Herm. ayav in- 1343. §nt non tarn ineptum est
AGAMEMNON. 137
perished, and, dying, ordains for his slayers
1340 additional deaths' retribution,
what mortal ever will boast, when he hears it,
that he lives with a lot that is painless?
AGAMEMNON.
Ah me! I'm struck a mortal stroke; struck home!
CORYPHAEUS.
Hush ! who cries that he is stricken with a home-thrust mortally ?
AGAMEMNON.
1345 Ah me! again ah me! struck yet again!
CORYPHAEUS.
Done, it seems to me, the deed is, from the monarch's groaning cry.
But let us in common counsel, what, if any, plans are safe.
CHORISTER l.
I give you my advice: to raise a cry
and call the townsmen to the palace here.
CHORISTER 2.
1350 To rush in with all speed seems best to me,
and with its reeking blade convict the deed.
ut inept ius quiddam corrigi non gulabat'; ubi Schneid. 'ictu valido'.
possit , e. gr. -nlnip&v &ao>. Verti Moriens enim admoncre videtur intro
'ictu valido'; sed nescio an melius ire auxilio oportere.
esset 'intus'. Sic enim recte Jebb. 1347. av n&i libri. Corr. Herm.
Soph. Ai. 235 sou af<k%t 'intus ju- jioulevfioiTx libri. Corr. Enger.
138 ArAMEMNHN.
XOPETTHZ /.
Kxya toiovtov yvcc//,XTog xoivocvbg av
Tp>l(pity(txi n dpxv to yw yd.Khziv 3' fttysrifc
XOPETTHZ 5'.
To Ipxv 7r<x.ps7rr CppoipuxtyvTXi yxp ag
TvpxvvPlos o^pteT' xpxo-(rovT€g jroAf/. 1355
XOPETTHZ i.
Xpovitypuv yxp' ol 3e rijg pteXKovg xXeog
xeboi irxTOuvTsg ou xxQsvSovgiv %epi.
XOPETTHZ j.
Ovx oidx ftovXyc vjcrivog rv%hv Xeyw
too SpavTog svti kxi to @cvtev<rxt Tspi.
XOPETTHZ f.
Kxya toiovtos eiyC , ins) $u<rpw%xvu 1360
\6yOKTt TOV QxVOVT' XVKTTXVXl TTXhlV.
XOPETTHZ If.
r H kx) (3iov Tsivovrsi; cob' v^sl^opuv
<$6ftccv xxTXi<rxvvTiip<ri Tolcl' yyovptsvoic ;
1354. bpxv tiuptaxi libri, quod iXtaOou not ntxpcartv ef lp.ov.
mirum est edd. tamdiu ferre posse. 1355. oTj/ma np&aaovres libri. Et
Non sic JEschylus. rblpxvego, ut hicindignor exstitissequiidiEschylo
sit 'agendi sententia adest', breviter iuscriberent, quod si puer in ludo
dictum pro 'licet tibi , per meam literario admisisset iufortunium ha-
sententiam, agere, to Zpiv -nupeari beret. orip-et Apaasovres ego ; jamque
not if lp.ou. Cf. Eum. 867 xota.hO' adeo, si Atticismum vulgati soloe-
AGAMEMNON. 139
CHORISTER 3.
I, too, partaking in this judgement, vote
to act; the moment's need is — no delay.
CHORISTER 4.
Here is a vote to act. They start the tune
1355 and strike the notes of tyranny for the town.
CHORISTER 5.
Because we dally: they, trampling to earth
the praise of caution, sleep not with their hands.
CHORISTER 6.
I doubt which counsel I shall rightly give;
a doer should also ponder well his deed.
CHORISTER 7.
1360 I too am of that mind, since I've no plan
by words to raise the dead to life again.
CHORISTER 8.
But shall we to our lives' end thus succumb
to these king's-house-defilers as our chiefs?
cismi loco recipias , lusum in yoce nam locutio sumpta est ex Sol. Fr.
'ferire' habebis; et, fortasse, ar>ftiix 27. 4 piAvccs xou nuroua^woii xArfoj.
sunt 'notse tonorum musicorum'. 1357. TrrfSov libri. Corr. Herm.
1356. t?s /jLsXXwarji xlios libri. 1359. Cf. Eur. Hec. 504 'Aya-
Herm. corr. ex Tryphone Gramma- /xfytvovoj nt/xfavros , & yuvect, /atfra.
tico. Idem parum scite affirmat vo- 1362. xTe«W«j libri. Corr. Can-
cem x"*P lv *" c non ma l e lectum iri; ter.
140 ArAMEMNXlN.
XOPETTHS 6'
'AAA' ovx xvsxtov, xXXx xxtQxvsiv xpxTsT'
7T€7rxiT£px yxp (jCoTpx t%g Tvpxvviboc. 1365
XOPETTH2 /.
r H yxp TexftyploHTiv i% olfiuyfiMrau
f*xvT£ucrdpc,£<rdx rxv^pog cog ohaXoToc;
XOPETTHZ ix.
3Lx(fi a&OTXG xpvi reives duftou<rQxi Kept '
TO yxp TOTX^SIV T0V <TX<§ ElbkvXl $1%X.
KOPT^AIOS.
Txvrqv Inxivslv 7Txvtc(Isv x^vvofzxi, 1370
Tpxvuc 'Arpsi^v sldsvxt xvpovvd' ottoog.
KATTAIMNHZTPA.
EfoAASv nxpoiQev xxipiuc elpiiftevuv
txvxvti' emeiv ovx £7rxi<r%vvdii<ro{txi.
Tlac yxp tig i%9po7g &%dpx xoptrvvoov CpiXoig
TiOXOVVlV shxi 7T>l{4,0Vij$ XpXVtTTXT' XV 1375
<PpX%£l£V V\pOC XpeiVO-OV £X7T^f4,XT0G ;
'IL{m) §' xyhv £'§' ovx xCPpovTicTog nxhxi
VSlXijG nxXXlXC fa&£ , <TVV %p0V0j) y£ ftqV.
"jLVTyXX 3' hP £7TX10-' £7T S^SlpyXUplkvOiq.
Outu 5* £7rpx%x, xxi tx$ ovx xpvvjtTOtAxr 1380
uc y^T£ (psvysiv (jlvit' xpvvsaQxi ftdpov,
1364. xpuret libri. Corr. Casau- Ahrens et Herm.
bon. 1375. tiy) ftov/jv dpniarccrov libri. 7rvj-
1368. /xuQouaOou libri. Corr. E. /tovijj Aur. <kpxinjTxr «v Elmsl.
AGAMEMNON. 141
CHORISTER 9.
Intolerable! nay, death's advice is best;
1365 it is a milder lot than tyranny.
CHORISTER 10.
But shall we thus on proofs derived from groans
forecast as if the hero were destroyed?
CHORISTER 11.
We must, quite certain of it, rouse our ire;
conjecture's far removed from certainty.
CORYPHAEUS.
1370 On all grounds I go with the stream to approve
this — to see clearly how Atreides fares.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
I will not blush to say the opposite
of many words fitly pronounced before.
How else could one, when scheming hostile deeds
1375 for foes who look like friends, fence the net-stakes
of sorrow to a height too great for a leap?
This bout came off for me at last, and not
without long brooding on a long-lived feud.
I stand where I did strike, with all achieved.
1380 'Twas thus I managed, and I'll not deny 't:
against his flight or parrying of his doom,
1378. vixns libri. Corr. Heath. 1381. dpuvxadxt codices, dyuuve-
1379. eWFLY. Corr. in Yen. F. vd<u Y.
142 ArAMEMNQN.
xwetpov afJtipifityo-Tpov , aqTsp \xfivoav ,
7T£pi<TTl%i%a , 7CK0VT0V ElplXTOg KXKOV '
Txiu 5f viv <Mg ' kxv Svoiv dlpocoypoxroiv
/Z£6ij)C£V XVTOV JCU&X ' Kx) TTETTTUKOTl 1385
Tp'lTYlV £7T£V$l$CC[4,l } TOV KXTX %$Ovbg
Aibg vsxpav aurijpog £vxrxixv %xpiv.
OvTU TOV XVTOV $V(4AV 5pvyXV£l 7T£<T&V ,
xxxCpvtriav o%£ixv xipiXTog <r(pxyyiv
fixXtei p£ ipf/tvy \pxxdDi Qoivixg Spotrov 1390
%xipov<JXv ovSkv vjvgov y hog^Srcp
yxv£i o-7ropviTO<; xxhvxog iv >jo%£V[ji,xviv.
'€lg atf £%6vtoov, irpio-pog 'Apyficov to$£,
Xxlpoir xv, £i %xipoir\ iyu <? £TT£v%oyt,xi'
£i 5' yjv 7rp£7rdvTav agr £7ri<r7T£v$£iv V£xpu' 1395
txW xv dixxiac yjv vxap^ixoog (ih ovv
to<t6v$£ xpxTyjp* iv ddpoig xxxSiv o^£
7TXi1<rX$ XpxiaV XVTOg £K7TtV£l [UOhQiV.
XOPOS.
&xvpcx^o(jt,£v (yov yXooGvxv, ug Qpxo-vo-rof&og ,
virig toiovS' in xvdp) xopt,7rx%£ig Koyov. 1400
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
Ilaipxo-$£ f&ov yvvxixbg ug xtypxayuivoq'
iyoo §' xTpiiTTU xxphix 7rpbg iihorxg
Xeyoo' eh $' xmlv £iT£ [4,£ ipiy£iv Qiteig,
1383. TtsptaTOix^otv Fl. mpiaroi- 1388. avrou librL Corr. Schutz.
%iZ,b> V. 7rs/5£ffT£^e'5w F. bpfjuiivei libri. dpis/faei corr. Hena.
1384. ot/i&iy/jafftv libri. ol/xo>yp.<k- et sententia ductus et Hesychii glossa
tow Elmsl. , cui invitus obtemperavi ; opvydcvu ' ZpsbyszM.
nam displicet dualis ille vebemens, 1391, 1392. 8i6» v&ru yafv. si Fl.
ut si dicas 'par gemituum'. yav' el Ven. Corr. Porsonus. rni-
1387. Atoouvexpuv libri. AwjEnger. pnro; codices. Corr. in V.
AGAMEMNON. 143
I with a sort of fish-net hedge him round ,
with no way out — ill treasure of a dress.
I hit him twice; and with two groans he there
1385 did let his limbs collapse. When he is down
I give a third to boot, a votive gift
to the underground Zeus who keeps dead men safe.
So fallen he doth ruckle forth his breath;
and puffing out a nimble jet of blood
1390 smites with a dark-red shower of murder-dew
me greeting it not less than corn-field doth
the god-sent rain-joy at the wheat-ear's birth.
Things being so, if you, those Argive lords,
rejoice, why, you '11 rejoice; but I exult:
1395 would we had liquors fit to drench his corpse!
it would be right, nay, more than right; so great
a bowl of cursed woes he mixed within
the house — and came and drank it off himself.
CHORUS.
We marvel at thy tongue, how bold thou art
1400 in speech, who vauntest o'er thy lord such words.
CLYTEMNESTEA.
You sound me as some woman without plan:
but I with dauntless soul tell you who know —
and should you choose to praise me or upbraid
1395. Hsec eat eu^i Inl f$i/iivu. plus mali ei inferre possem'. tiff
'utinam adessent idonei liquores quos pro el 8' conjici potest , et tOS' pro
in mortuum libarem ; nam indigemus t«3' cum Tyrwhitt. in prox. v. , sed
eorum quos decet; ipse enim post- non prorsus necessario.
quam crateram malorum in his sedi- 1397. roaavZt libri. roainlt conj.
bus impleverat , domum reversus , Bl. , quod mihi necessarium videtur.
ad fsecem hausit': hoc est 'utinam
144 ArAMEMNHN.
o'f&oiov. OvToq i<TTiv 'Ayotftspvav , IpCoq
wotriq, V£xpoq Ts rijgds l&xq %epiq, 1405
epyov hxxixq tsxtovos. TxS' at? £%£i.
XOP02.
(tt/9. T/ xxkov } co yvvxi .
%$ovorp£(p£q idxvbv # 7rorbv
7T0l(rX(t£VX pVTXq £% XXoq Op[A£VOV
toV i7T£$ou duoq dyfAoQpdovq r' xpxq
x%£&iK£q\ 'A7T£TX^q' xiroitoKiq 5' hei, 1410
ptio~oq ofipiftov CUTTOTq.
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
Nuv [juv Sixx&iq sk 7ro^£ag (puyw ifto)
xx) yuvoq xttuv Stif&dQpovq r £%£iv xpxq,
oudhv tot' xutip) Tffi ivxvTiov Cpipav '
oq ov 7rpoTi,u.ccv , ug7r£pii (3otov fAopov, 1415
(jt,v}Kcov (pteovToov £U7rdxoig vo//,£vpiX<rtv ,
Uv<T£v xvtov nxilx, QiXtxtw £[&o)
uSiv' , £7roo$bv Qpyxicov xvji^xtccv.
Ov toutov ix. yyq T*jq$£ %pyv <r' xv§pv}\xT£iv }
(MxtrpxTuv know ; £7rvjKOoq §' ipuv 1420
%pym ^iy,x<TTYjq Tpx%vq £i. Akyoo <$i o~oi
toixvt' &7r£ite7v, uq Trxp^KEvxa^kwiq
1405. Prsestat interpunctio post 1409. Post &pu$ interrogandi si-
X^pii, ut vulgo; post epyov Y. , Can- gnum vulgo ponitur.
ter., Tyrwhitt., Enger. 1410. dnfiixes dnizocpsi <xt:oXis 8'
1406. Swaia Tixrcdv duplici sensu §ty t in &-niToi.psi ad alterum a super-
usurpatur; quae meritas poenas ex- scripto « in Fl. Weilium secutus in-
petit, et, quee opus locanti probat, terpunxi post dtxeZuss et scripsi 5*715-
par lanificse illius Homericse quae rikp-ni- dnonoXis corr. Seidler. 'ex-
fuit xepvS]Tis <*Avj0>jj. cussisti exsecrationes et induisti
1408. facts PI. pua&s P. V. Corr. insaniam'.
Stanl. bpupevov PI. Corr. Abresch. 1411. op.fi ptpov Ven. F. Herm.
AGAMEMNON. 145
'tis all the same — here's Agamemnon, here!
1405 my hushand and this right hand's victim dead,
a right good craftsman's work. That's how it stands.
CHORUS.
Woman, what poison-food
earth-grown or from the flowing sea
sprung hast eaten? and put on this frenzied mind,
and hast cast away fear of the people's curse ?
1410 thou art sheer cut off, and shalt an outcast be,
monstrous hate of the people.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
Now you adjudge me exile from this land,
to bear the townsmen's hate, the people's curse,
though then you voted this man naught untoward
1415 who, reckoning it a brute beast's death, no more,
when his flocks teemed with fleecy pasturers,
butchered his own child, and my best-beloved
birth-pain, as charm against the Thracian blasts.
Should you not as his foul deeds' penalty
1420 have driven him from this land? but of my deeds
when arbiter you are an angry judge.
I bid you threaten thus — I being prepared
1414. ouSev ibV libri. Corr. Voss. nem excludit num principalis verbi
1416. sut4xois Ven. Schneidewin. subjectum dum agat, id rev era in-
1418. Opnxlotv re (vel ts) XrifipLixruv telligat, vel (si futuri temporis par-
libri. Corr. Canter. ticipium seqiiitur) id ipsum sibi
1419. xpifj libri. %prjv Pors. propositum habeat, quod hac par-
1422. Hunc versum ejecit Enger. ticula subjungatur. Qua formula
Equidem non video quid hie sit usus ubique explicare poteris hsec
quod offendat; omittitur Ipov, sed et similia, cij {it phi oraisso) fixaiXia.,
facile potest subintelligi. Ceterum w$ iXdyZotv, wj *2S*rwv, wj (Ttpbi vel
hie et alibi particula eoj dubitatio- vojui^uv omisso) sZodraj, wj nXiiaroui-
10
146 ArAMEMNflN.
ax tuv opoiav, %£ip) vixfoxvT' hyuiv
xp%£iv ' ixv §f Touy^ivx'Mv xpxivy Qeo'g ,
yvuvai ^i%x%Qa)g fya yovv to o~a<ppova7v. 1425
XOPOS.
in. MeyxXo^Tig al,
7repl(ppovx 3* £\xx£g , ugmp oZv
(pOVOXlfisl TV%X CppVjV S7rifjt,xiv£TXl '
A/7T0S SIT Ofi/JCXTUV xi'fAXTOg £(jt,7rp£7T£l.
'AtUtov £ti o-£ xpy GT£poydvxv Qihcov
TUftftX TUfAftXTl T7(TXl. 1430
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
Kx) TVjVt? xxou£ig bpxmv ifjcuv Qifjiiv •
ftX TY(V T£\£10V Ttjg £f/,ijg TXlSbq WxijV ,
"Anjv 'Epivw (? xl<ri toVS' trip*!? ay a ,
ou ftoi (pofiou (Jt,sXxQpov aXnig afrirxTalv
aoog civ xlQy nvp ifi etrrixg ly^g 1435
Alyto~6og , ug to 7rpocr6£v £V (ppovuv £{£01 '
ouTog yxp *if/Tv curing ov ftixpx dpxvoug.
KaTrxi yvvxtxbg Ttjgda Xv/zxvTypiog ,
Xpvay'iduv pu'iXiy (Jt,x toov bit' 'iA/p*
VI t' xlxfixXuTog }$£ xx) T£pxo-xo7rog y 1440
xcci xoivotexrpog tov$£ $£ o-QxTyjXoyog ,
mGTVi i;i>v£uvog f vxvt'iXuv 5f aaXyMTm
\o~orpi$iig. "Ati/ax 5' oux i^-px^xTyjv
1427. mpippeva hie fere idem va- itpinei dzUrov P. Corr. Aur. et
let quod Tixpdcfpovx, ut proximo Canter.
versu ostenditur. 1430. tv/x/ux. rvpfiot. rlaou. Corr.
1 428. Xlitos libri. Corr. Pors. illud Voss. , hoc Pors.
Deinde sv itpeitst dvxiezov err « %pii 1433. iptvmv libri.
Fl. siJnpiitsMti xiexov Ven. V. «u 1434. ip.Tzxrei*Y . ipnTartl codices.
AGAMEMNON. 147
with similar threats — to rule me when by force
you 've conquered. Should god grant the alternative
1425 you '11 know, though taught it late, what good sense is.
CHORUS.
An arch-schemer thou!
and declaimest in raving words:
and what wonder? thy mind is distracted by
thy gore-blotted state: blots of blood glare on thy
visage. Yet must thou, spurned and bereft of friends,
1430 stricken pay for this striking.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
This solemn form, too, of my words on oath
thou hearest; by my child's full Recompense,
by Ate and Erinnys, those to whom
I slew that man, I have no hope to tread
1435 Fear's house, while on my hearth iEgisthus lights
the fire, love-loyal as before to me;
for he's my shield of trust and that not small.
Here lies this wife's insulter, and the pet
of the Chryseides at Troy: here too
1440 the captive portent-scanner and this man's
couch-sharing utterer of words inspired;
a faithful bed-mate, now, as when she pressed
the same ship's-deck-boards. Not unsuitably
Illud recepi : 'quamdiu' inquit 'JSgis- 1438. ywutxbi t>5;Ss idem est quod
thus domi mese versatur, non est IpoO ut dylpbi xo&Se passim. Sic et
exspectandum fore ut Timoris do- /k/jt/soj t>jjSs (Clyt.) Eum. 122.
mum frequentem'. 1441. r) pro xal Karsteu. , Enger.
1 135. iatlxs i/jiKi libri. Corr. 1443. iarovpt^rn libri. Corr. Pauw.
Pors.
10*
148
ArAMEMNflN.
o fih yxp auras ' vj Si toi xuxvcu Sixyv
rov vvtxtov fcsK'^xax Qxvxvifiov yoov
xelrxi tpthyrup tol>$' ' ipco) V sTryiyxysv
svvijg 7rxpo\pc!)vi){j(,x tyis e^g %^v\<;.
XOPOS.
axpa.. $ev Tig xv h rxx si vM TrspiaSuvot;
(M1<>e ^SfJLVlOTVipVjC ,
yt^oKoi rov xh) (pipovir' iv vj[mv
fAOTp' XTSXEVTOV V7TVCV, dxpivTOt;
(pvXxxot; £V[ZSVS<TTXTOV;
iroxkx rXxvTcg yvvxixbg dixi,
Trpbg yvvxixog 5' X7re$6i<y£v (3iov.
ovot.<x. 'iw la, irxpxvovg 'EKsvx
[MX TXC TOXXxq, TXq 7TXVV TTOKhXC
ipVXXS O'ASJXj' V7T0 TpOlX.
azp.fi'. Nyv Vs tsXsiov hrfaiuw xiy? xvi7rrov,
1445
1450
1455
1446. tpdfaui Fl.
1447. -nxpoforofjix libri. Corr. Ca-
saubon. Nihil hie dicitur de pa-
ropside nihil de paropsemate, quo-
rum hoc obsonium est vel bellaria,
ilia autem obsonii plena patella,
extra ordinem apposita. iixpo^uvyifjLx
est obsonium clam paratum ut clam
edatur. Sic Casandra Agamemuoni
erat quasi libidinis pulpamentum
subsecundarium quod cupedise ejus
clam inserviret, si quando legitimi
concubitus eum taederet. Hoc igitur
dicit Clyt. 'quantam illi clandesti-
nam voluptatem praebitura erat , tan-
tum gaudii advectitii et addititii
laetitiae meae praebuit'. 7txp6'lrr)/xa. est
hujus interpretationis quod derisor
ilia et ipsa jamdiu probe callebat
quidnam esset concubitus nxpoiptuv^fix.
Cf. Ar. Eccl. 226 et Schol. Soph.
Tr. 360. ^sch. Supp. 296. Si-
monid. itep'i ywxtx&v v. 46.
1448. A numeratione harum stro-
pharum et systematum quam Herm.
statuit intra certos fines declinavi;
quod ubique systemata propriis nu-
meris a strophis distinxi; et hoc
quidem simplicitati concedendum
erat. Praeterea , lacunis antiquatis ,
in duobus locis systemata iuter se
inaequalem versuum numerum ha-
bentia exhibui; hoc enim sententiae
dare sequum videbatur. Nam ut se
habent versus nihil omnino refert
ubi lacunam pouas , adeo nulla esset
lacunae suspicio nisi responsionem
praestare in animum induxisset Her-
AGAMEMNON. 149
they 've fared: for he — the way I told you; she,
1445 having swan-like trilled her last death-wail, lies down
his own sweet love; and for my transport's zest
brought a love-dalliance-dainty-on-the-sly.
CHORUS.
that some destiny joined with no pain extreme,
no bed-keeping confinement,
1450 would quickly come bringing o'er us slumber
ever-unending, for our most loving
guardian hath been overcome:
who for one woman bore many toils,
and hath now lost his life by woman's hands.
1455 Alas, alas, Helen infatuate!
of that number, that very great number, of lives
in the Troad the single destroyer!
now she hath poured out a crowning indelible blood-stream ,
mannus. Neque ille quidem, me 1454. afc7r(fp0tasvy3feiiutquodmaxi-
judice , sine aliqua ratione ; sed non me corruptum est. Vide Comm.
ut opera? pretium sit bonum sensum 1455. 16> Tra/savd/wus libri. Alte-
importunis illis asteriscis interrum- rum lot addidit Bl. TtapAvoug corr.
pere. Quo autem modo choristse Herm.
ha?c inter se partiti sint res admo- 1457. dXioxs PI.
dum dubia est. Probabile tamen 1458, 1459. vtv 8s xsXtixv Ttoiii/x-
videtur medium quatuor choristarum wrm iitrivdiacii fa' xT/x oivnt-rov libri.
§yyov octo illas strophas antistro- Hsec Heimsoethius in formam quam
phasque y', 8', et systemata anti- maxime probabilem redegit, quam
systemataque / , 8' sortitum esse; exhibui. Hermannus, qui satis mul-
et ceteras duodecim strophas anti- tos asseclas habuit, lacuna? signa
strophasque «, /3', i et systemata post tjMscv posuit et versum 1459
antisystemataque «, /3', i inter octo ad hunc modum ordinavit: ^ 7ro-
primanos et tertianos choristas quo- Au/Avanrov iwQiato at]u' divinrov. Sed
quo ordiue esse distributa. Hermanni auctoritas non tanta est
1450. Sic libri. &p ri/xlv Herm. ut credam v. ttolvixvxaTov voci im-
1453. x«l rzoXXoc libri. xal ejecit Tu/i/S<oj respondere. Lacuna? signa,
Franz. itoXiot. corr. Wieseler. et Enger. si lacuna est ubi sensus integer
150 ArAMEMNHN.
vfTiq xp ev ^6[zoiq v/v 1460
epipivouneuToq xvhpbq 6i%uc.
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
ovctt/S'. Mi]^£V QxVXTOU ftoTpXV ll?SV%0\)
rolqhe (3xpuvhig }
pv$' eU "Ehiwjv kotov ixrpi\pyq,
m xvhpoXeTEip' , aq (tix TtoKXuv 1465
xvdpuv \pvxx$ Axvxuv bxhaxv
xt-V(TTXTOV XKyOq 67TpX^£V.
XOPOZ.
dvr.d. AxTfAOV , 0C S(IXITV€IC "b&fjcxai xx) diCPui-
0171 TXVTX?J<$XIGIV ,
xpxrog t' ho^vxov ex yvvxixoc 1470
KXpHl&VIKTO'J £(i0) XpXTVVeiC '
fV) $6 (TCCptXTOq (tlXXV
xcpxxoq £%bpou (TTxdiiq ivvdpuoq
upCVOV UlAVSU X7T£V%ST0V (AOpOV.
KATTAIMNHZTPA
dvrimaz.fi'. NuV 5' ic: f JX7X: ffrSftXTOC yvx/u,^v 147 5
rbv Tpi7rxx vvT0v
mansit, ponenda sunt post Tpoix- 1460, 1461. ^m >$v tot' ev 3oyuet$
ii est ant literarum m repetitio aut ipn kpilp.«xoi dvlpb; &'£6j libri. Ver-
c«rrectoris cujusdam additamentum. stun 1460 hoc modo corr. Heims.
nolufivaorm vero manifesto est glossa ?t« tot' iv o6p.oi$ >5v. Sed tot' est
ad ipifjiydaTeisro; adscripta , qua? vox metri complementum , et pro ea dp"
reginse nomini aperte alludit, xJUmj scripsi quod ansam dedisse videtur
fiYYiareix. Deiude inrjvQiau est pec- ei qui epii scripsit , nam ap et ep
catum librarii qui hoc verbo Hele- eandem fere formam habent in M.
nam compellari somuiavit. Haec 1464. impixm Fl. Corr. in V.
Heimsoeth. , qui lacunam non agnoscit 1466. dleaxv Fl. dlioxa' F.
nedum sex versuum, 1468. lp.ninrsti libri. Corr. Can-
AGAMEMNON. 151
1460 she, who at home was staying
her husband's much-wooed tribulation.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
Pray not at all for the portion of death,
weighed down by these deeds,
nor against Helena turn your resentment,
1465 saying that she the manslayer, the single
destroyer of many Greek warriors' lives ,
wrought out ineffaceable sorrow.
CHORUS.
Daemon, who savagely crushest this house and the
two sons, Tantalus' offspring,
1470 and dost impose, swayed by equal rancour,
rule by a woman, that stings my bosom;
and now like a raven fell
by the corpse perched dost hymn, well attuned
to the deed, execrable hymns of death!
CLYTEMNESTBA.
1475 Now thou hast righted the sense of thy language
by thus invoking this
ter. Ztfuslat libri. htfulotot corr. 1473. p.ot xdpxxos libri. Corr.
Herm., quae vox formatur ex Sej et Franz, ix.v6p.ws F. V. perperam.
putbs filius. Mox TavToAt'Seatv Fl. 1474. vp.vov u/ivslv iizsv^trxi libri.
1470. t' inseruit Herm. xparos Deest unus pes. Scripsi u/*vei$ dneu-
ho'puyw est 'imperium quod tui si- ^stov pdpov ut probabilem sensum
milem animum gerit'. Deinde ix extunderem. Prsedicatio autem fit
yuvatxfiv libri. ix ywouxbs conjecit per invocationem.
Schutz., recepit Enger. , nam de 1475. vuv y Aur. 'sed 8s refertur
.35gistho non agitur. ad suppressum npdadtv p.iv oux* Herm.
1471. xapoia. orixriv libri. Corr. 1476. rpmu^iov libri. Corr. Bam-
Abrescb. berger.
152 ArAMEMNflN.
eixiftovx yavsyt; t^cSs xiy.hyo'xav •
ex rou yxp spots x\ii,XTO\oi%oq
veipsi rpsQerxt , 7rp)v xxrxXyfexi
to irxXxibv x%cq, veoc l%up. 1480
XOPOS.
«/>./. ^H (ASyxpOllTl {/.iyXV
$xi,uovx xx) (3xpvf/,tjvtv xlvsTg'
061) 0fD, XXXOV xJvOV XTi)-
px$ rvxxg XKOpetTTOV
m , ly, di&i A/o$ 1485
Kxvxniov xxvepysTX '
t/ yxp (3poroTc xvev Atbc TsXenxi',
t( tgcvV oil fcdxpxvTOv io-nv;
wox.y'. 'lu \u fixviteu, (Zxtritev,
7TUG os %xxpvaoo\ 1490
cppsvbg ex Ci/.ix: ri ttot' enron\
xsivxi y xpx%wi$ ev u$xo-(axti rffi
xo~e(3e7 Qxvxtco @icv exitvkoov.
ar/9.8'. " Qftoi (aoi , xohxv txvV xveXevQspov '
^oXiu ;AOpop %x/jt,si<; ' 1495
ix %epo$ xfzQiTo'fMi) fiehsftvy.
KATTAIMNHZTPA.
ff6<rr.8'. Av%e7<; ehxi rohe roupyov ipov ,
1479. veipu dativum esse ignoti vstipx, ad wjai-st adscripta, ortum
vocabuli veipos intimum locum signi- esse.
ficantis statuit Henri. Cf. Suidas 1481. >5 peyxv otxois toZjS: libri,
s. v. vsixpx' T«7tOi esxaros ziji yx<7Tp6s quae v. antistr. non respondent. Pro-
et s. v. vrjans' rb /*£T«|u tjJj xoiltxg babile mihi videtur oixois roi;Z- esse
xsci tou aTOftdc^ou ivrepov, 'intestinum interpr. Itaque /j.ey<xpoiai scripsi,
jejunum'. Suspicor veipti ex glossa vocabulum alioqui tragicis ignotum.
AGAMEMNON. 153
family's trebly-gorged daemon of evil.
For from him is this blood-lapping appetite nursed
in its bowels; before the old sore has surceased,
1480 lo , fresh blood already is flowing.
CHORUS.
Truly thou fablest a dire
fiend for this house, and with hate full-laden.
Oh! oh! the calamitous uncloyed
fortune's ruinous story!
1485 alas! alas! by means of Zeus,
the cause of all, the doer of all!
for what's achieved by mortals Zeus-unaided?
of this, what is not god-determined?
alas! alas! my king! my king!
1490 how shall I mourn thee?
from my loving heart what shall I utter?
for there in that spider-spun web thou dost lie,
by unholy death breathing thy life out.
Ah me! me! this couch base and inglorious!
1495 by a wily death subdued!
death from her hand by that two-edged weapon!
CLYTEMNESTRA.
You fancy this deed to be mine; but append
not the name, and declare
1485. itxvepyitav Fl. Ven. Corr. 8' indsx&ijs F. fit) 3' &TuXg£rn Vos-
in F. V. sius et Franz, 'daemon' inquit 'meam
1489. !.-,, semel Fl. Ven. bis F. fonnani indutus hoc facinus patra-
V. et sic v. 1513. vit; ne ei Clytemnestrae nomen in-
1494. t«v3' Fl. dideris' itaque non concedit suum
1498. pno imXiyOrii Fl. Ven. p.'/) esse facinus.
154 ArAMEMNflN.
^Kyx^ywmixv shxi y? xho%ov '
cpxvrx^o/zsvog 3f yvvxix) vsKpou 1500
'Arpiat; xxXszov doivxr^pog
TOvtf X7TSTKTSV
rsXsov vsxpolt; s7riQv<rxt;.
XOPOZ.
dvr.y'. '£1? [&EV xvxlrtog si 1505
Tovbe Qdvou, rig b [txprvpfouv ;
7ru, 7ru; 7rxrpo6£v 3f o-vAAjj-
Trrap ykvorf xv xhounoop.
BlX%£TXl y Q(t0<T7r6p0lC
£7Tippoxi7iv xlfixWav 1510
[ikKxt; "Apyt;, oxoi Vmxv 7rpo(3xiwv
tcx%vx xoupofidpu nxpefiei.
daniaixrc.y'.'la) }u fixviteu, (3x<Tlte V ,
7rag <re $xxpv<ra;
(pp£vbg ix <Pihix<; ri nor' £nru; 1515
Xifom §' xpxxvw iv uCpXVftXTl T^S'
XQ£@£l QxVXTCp filOV ix7TV£UV.
dvr.8'. "flftOl ftOi } KOITXV TXvtf XV£K£V&£pOV
SoA/p (MpO) <)X[t£i<;'
£K %£poq a,yu$iT6yi.q /3fAi^v^. 1520
K ATT AIMNH STP A.
dvTiavoT.Z'- Ou$£ yxp OVTOC, 'ho'KlXV XTVjV
1511. 8c xai libri. Si'xav corr. 1512. nayyx libri. Corr. Herm.
Butler. Tiposfidivom libri. Correiit 1517. evoejitl JfL
Canter. 1521. out' uvzfciiQipov olpxi (iiotvzm
AGAMEMNON. 155
that I'm the wife of king Agamemnon:
1500 for likened in form to the wife of this corse
the former time's guilt-unforgiving fierce fiend,
roused by the merciless banqueter Atreus,
served the debt upon him
and has slain him full-grown for the children.
CHORUS.
1505 Who is the man who will bear
witness that thou of this death art guiltless?
whence? whence? but a fiend his father
roused might be thine abettor:
for dreadful Ares presses on
1510 with frequent streams of kindred blood
to the goal to which advancing he '11 avenge the
clotted gore of the eaten children.
Alas! alas! my king! my king!
how shall I mourn thee?
1515 from my loving heart what shall I utter?
for there in that spider-spun web thou dost lie,
by unholy death breathing thy life out.
Ah me! me! this couch base and inglorious!
by a wily death subdued!
1520 death from her hand by that two-edged weapon.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
And did not he also bring on the family
Tfiioe ytviaQou, quae ante oCiik yxp sententin ct hiatu motus; et sio
olnoi iii libris leguntur, iEschylo omnes recc.
abjudicavit Seidler. , frigidaineptaque
156 ArAMEMNIlN.
o'lxouriv HifX*;
xX?C iftbv kt rouh" spvoq xspdsv 1525
rijv ttoXvxXxvtov xvx^ix <$px<rx<;
'Kpiyevsixv , xvxfyx 7rxaxav
ftijSfo iv Aj%v (tsyxXxvxeiTOo ,
dxvxTcp ritrxq X7rep ep^sv. 1530
XOPOZ.
orp.i. ' } A(WXXVtt , CppOVTlhoq (TTSp^iiq
£V7TXXxUt.00V [ASpiftVXV ,
07TX rpXTTUfJCXl , 7riTV0VT0q 01X0V.
A&01X.X 5' CftfipOV XTV7T0V 2o[Jco(T<px\y
rov xiftXTtjpov Tpxxxg 5f Xviyai.
Aixyv 1' £7r xXKo Ttpxyyi.x Qyyxvat fi'Axfiviq 1535
7rpb<; xKXxn; QyyxvxKrt MoTpx.
dvTiovozA. 'iw yx, yx , aUs yC £Si£a>
7rp)v tov<? £7r&eiv xpyvporoixov
dpoirxt; xxt£%ovtx %xy,£\)vxv. 1540
Tig o 6x\puv viv; rig 6 dpyvtio-av;
VI (TV Toh" ep^xi
tXvigsi , xt£ivxg xvdpx T0V XVTijg
x7roKU)xii(yxt ip u XV *"' x%xpiv
%xpiv xvt' epycov 1545
1524. Interrogandi signum ad- TioiluxilauTov natS' 'ipiycvyjv Ahrens. In-
didit Schutz. " credulus odi tam izoXuxlxvTriv quam
1526. t^v tzoIvxXxutov T 'if r/ svsi<x.v 'iptyiveixv , quae Dind. corr.
Avo^ut. $pu.<jtxs a?ia 7r«u^wv libri. Cor- 1527. afta Zpckaocs afta n&aytov
rexit C. H. Weise. Quod ad dise- Herm. , alii.
resin attinet, cf. vv. 1555 et 1557. 1530. cinsp rj/sfcv libri. ip% sv En-
Sic et sensus pulchrior exit. 'ipt- ger. , alii.
fifUea rr)v noAuxAauTyjv Karsten. t*jv 1531. p/sovriSwv F. V.
AGAMEMNON. 157
treacherous murder?
1525 Well: having treated unfairly my blossom
raised from him, much-mourned Iphigenia,
let him too treated unfairly not boast
loud in the chambers of Hades; in his death
by the mischievous sword
1530 having paid us back that he inflicted.
CHORUS.
I am perplexed — spoiled of deftly-working
counsel's adroit conclusion —
which way to turn now the house is falling.
I fear the shower's palace-overturning splash,
the bloody splash, for the sprinkle ceases:
1535 and Fate on other whetstones whets the sword of Right
for yet one deed of mischief-dealing.
earth! earth! would thou hadst taken me
ere I had seen him tenant that lowly bed
1540 on the floor of the silver-walled laver!
Who shall his burier be? who his lamenter?
wilt thou dare to perform
this task, who didst slay him, thine own wedded lord?
to bewail, and in face of these heinous deeds
1545 insincerely present
1532. eunaia/ivev p.ipip.vav libri. itaque comma post eJ/x. posui.
Qua' dedi, ea Karsten. et Enger. 1534. i//«xoc$ libri. Corr. SI.
invenerunt; recte, me judice. Nam 1535. 8t'x»j Fl. Se'xa superscr. t>
etsi syntaxis patitur fj.ipip.wM, tarn en Ven. Zixx superscr. i)F. 8k*ivAur.
eu7t«ia/*o» est subjecti epitheton , ut Deinde dfyet libri. 0»jyetv« Herm.
fpo-sri&a. corrigere deberemus si et 1536. (hr/avaii libri. Corr. Pauw.
genitivus hie stare non posset. Con- 1537. Sic P. tTO" «/** cet-
structio est et/r/ixavd* * 7r ? rpinufiM , 1544. dixoxeaxiiaou libri.
158 ArAMEMNflN.
[tsyxXuv ddixac £7rixpxvxi ;
<*vr/3'. Tiq V £7riTU,u(3ioc xlvog sir' xvSp) 6sta
(TVV dxxpuOH; IxTTTM
ccXyfeix (ppsvuv 7rovyjasi', 1550
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
<riffT i Ov <rs npoqitjiui to f&styf/,' xheyeiv
tovto' Trpbg v\y&v
KX7nre<re , xxtQxvs , xx) xxrx&x\po(A6v '
Q\J% V7T0 X?<.XvQpl,00V TOOV £% 01XUV ,
#AA' 'Kptyivsix viv xo-7rxo~ioo<; 1555
QwyxTvip, dig %pv\,
Trxrkp' xvrtxa-xa-x 7rpog uxv7ropov
7r6p6(jt.£U{A x%£av
TTSp) %SipX @X\0U<TX 0lXvj<TEl.
XOPOS.
Avr.i. "Ovs&ot; vjxsi toB' xvr' ovsISovz' 1560
*hvo~y!.X%X 5' £<7Tl XplvXl.
Qipsi Qspovr , ixrivsi §' o xxivoov.
Miftvsi $e fil^ovrog iv dpovcp Aibg
ttx6s7v rov sp^xvrx ' $$<r[/.iov yxp.
Tiq xv yovxv xpxTov ixfixXoi 'So&ccv; 1565
xsxoKKvirxi yivog 7rpocx\pxt.
1549. Zxxpvoiv Fl. V. Corr. in 1559. x si P e F° rs - s i ne idonea
Ven. F. causa, fd^at) libri. Corr. Jacob.
1551. pih\/xx Xiystv libri. Corr. 1563. xpivu libri. Opdvca corr.
Karsten. et Schneid. Schutz. Et ne forte dubites cf.'
1555. Ifiyiveixv fv' libri. Corr. Orph. Fr. 1 ouroj yap (Zeus) x<xXxeto-j
Jacob. Ante hunc v. lacunam ponunt. i$ oupxvbv iaT^ptxrxt xpudca shi dpdvu.
AGAMEMNON. 159
to his shade an unthankworthy tribute?
What panegyric pronounced on the godlike hero,
aiming its words with weeping,
1550 shall do its work with true emotion?
CLYTEMNESTRA.
It belongs not to thee to harbour the thought
of this care: by my hand
as he fell, as he died, so will I bury him:
with no escort of wailings in pomp from his home ,
1555 but lovingly Iphigenia his child,
as it behoves her,
shall come to the swift-flowing channel of woes
and, meeting her sire,
shall throw her arms round him and kiss him.
CHORUS.
1560 Here comes a charge th' other charge rebutting:
hard is the strife to judge them.
One robs a thief; he who killed takes ransom.
Yet it abides, long as Zeus enthroned abides,
that 'he who does, suffers': 'tis an ord'nance.
1565 Who shall drive out a curse's seed from families?
'tis fixed so as to bind the offspring.
1564. Interpunctionem post yap vehementius. Hoc dicitur: 'dirarum
recte posuerunt edd. recentt. semen ita genti agglutinatuni est ut
1565. yovccv pxovlibri. Corr. Herm. sobolemquoquesibiconnectat'. Itaque
1566. Sic libri. npfc dira. Bl. vulgatum retinui.
'agglutinata est geus exitio' , justo
160 ArAMEMNHN.
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
dcvTHrJax-t. 'YLs TQvV ivi(3t}q %UV xXVjdeix
XPVJVIAOV syu C? ovv
s&s?m Sxifiovi rep IWeitrQevtixv
opxouq 6s/zivy} To&e ph orspysiv 1570
3y<rrA>jT« nap hS 1 ' o 5f \onrov , Uvr
ix tuvZs So'puov xKhviv ysvsxv
rpifieiv Qxvxtok; xvdevrxtanv.
Krsxvuv 51 pUpoq
fixibv l%owy txv onroxpy /zoi 1575
tz.ot.vix<; (JieXxQpuv
ci\fojXo(p6vo'jq xCpetoiKry.
Ainseos.
v fi (psyyoc svtypov jftipxg hxyCpopou.
fyxivjv xv v$vi vvv fiporav ri;xxopovq
Qsovg xvxSev yij? e7ro7rrevsiv xyvi,
Iduv v<pxvro7$ iv 7r£7rtoi$ 'Epivvav 1580
tov xvbpx rovhs xsipevov (pihug iftoi,
%£pbq Trxrpcpxg ixTlVOVTX (Jty%XVXq.
'At pahs yxp xp%®v rijqSs yv^q , tovtov 7TXTvip,
7TXTSpX %vk<JTYlV TOV ipU)V , Uq TOpStq (ppXffXl ,
XVTOV T xdshQoV , XpUplhSXTOq uv xpxTSi, 1585
yvhpvi'hxTviGsv ix TtoKeuq re xx) ~B:(/.av.
Kx) 7rpo<TTpoiTXioq iarlxq f/.O^UV "KXKlV
tXvjijuiOV Quhrviq piolpxv super xtQxXv,
1567. hi fiii libri. Corr. Canter. 'k(hpa.ion xat itepienuphto; auv t&j i
1571. SiraTT/TiTa itsp Fl. ypdfzrai E. M. 8. v.
1574. re pipos libri. Corr. Aur. 1576, 1577. pot 3' eUA»j}op4v«v,-
1575. ditdx/Mf Tiupa tots TialutoU /uavt'a* p.e'/.x6puv. Transposuit Er-
AGAMEMNON. 161
CLYTEMNE3TRA.
You advert with good reason to that divine law:
I then am willing
to take oath to the Pleisthenids' daemon of ill
1570 that with things as they are I will be satisfied,
hard to bear though they be : and for what yet remains ,
that he go from this house , and with murderous deaths
waste in some other age its descendants.
And, though scanty the share
1575 of the wealth that I own, it suffices me quite,
if I sweep from the house
these mad-fits of mutual slaughter.
2EGISTHTJS.
joyful light of the vengeance-bringing day!
now will I grant that gods above as man's
right- vindicators scan the crimes of earth;
1580 now that I see there, grateful sight to me,
that man lie in the Furies' own-spun robes,
atoning for his father's hand's device.
For Atreus, this land's king and that man's sire,
having his rule disputed, drove my sire
1585 Thyestes, mine, to speak explicitly,
and his own brother, from his state and home.
Then coming back, as suppliant at the hearth,
Thyestes sad got safe conditions, not
furdt, ejecto 8s, quod ad vitandum 1585. «/ro0 libri. aurou Elmsl.,
h i:ii urn additum est. Diud.
1579. df^Tfj libri. ccyjj corr. Aur. 1588. ifi/itx Dind.
11
162 ArAMEMNflN.
to ywi dxvuv Txrpuov xlfix^xi n&ov
'xuroq. s.svix Ts Toude Suefeoq xxrvip 1590
T&f/,£) , xp£Ovpyov vjftxp wQupicoq xyeiv
doxuv, Trxpkv%s SxTtx Txt'Bsiav xpsav.
Tx ftev %6hv\pvi xx) %spoov xxpovq xrkvxq
expvTrr' , xvccQev xbpx xpkx xx) Qspfi iviiq 1595
xo-yfA' 6 §' xut&v xvtW xyvoix Xxfiav
hdst (3opxv xuootqv , wq bpcjlq , yav£i.
Kx7T£ir iTTiyvoXiT 1 tpyov ou xxtx'ktiov
${au$J£V , x[t7ri7rT£i S' xtto o-Qxyijv ipav,
(Aopov S' xtpeprov neh07ri<>xiq £iv£v%£Txi , 1600
Xxxtkt^x <$£i7rvov %vvdixccq riSiiq xpqi.
TEX TUV$£ a 01 7T£70'VTX T0V$' ffisTv 7TXpX.
Kxyoo Vixxioq rou^£ rou (povou pxtpauq'
rphov yxp ouv (/.£ txT^ 'ir M\iui Txrp) 1605
7VV£^£KXVV£l TVTQbv OVT £V CKXpyxVOiq '
rpxQivrx $' xvSiq v\ ^ixvi xxrviyxyw.
1590. aurou" ?evta 8s libri. aurij. , igitur quid fecerit nefarius Atreus.
corr. Bl. In vulg. sequitur: 'at/jsos* Quum heroicse setatis more singula?
itpoBvpeag pxXXov ri cpilo>i , Ttxrpi quern singulis convivis mensae (rpxTte^xi)
versum , ex glossis ad nxr/ip et eu^u/tws appositse essent , bovinam scilicet
adscriptis concinnatum , recte ejece- ceteris , Thyestse vero csesorum pue-
runt Schutz. et Enger. rorum carnem subministrandain cu-
1595, 1596. iOponz xveaOev coZpx- ravit; hanc autem in satis alta pa-
xaj xu.Qrip.evoi. 6i<mu.x 8' aurwv libri. tina ita disposuit, ut crudi pedum
butwsr corr. Tyrwhitt. , et ut de et manuum digiti imam sedem te-
intrito taceam , hsec verba Bpuizreiv nerent , et mollibus accurateque coctis
et xpv-nreiv in codd. non semel per- carnibus superimpositis tegerentur;
mutata sunt. Non minus certe a'<T7}/*' ' quibus comesis , Thyestes digitos
b 8' olvtSw Dind. Bestat xvlpxxxs offendit et rem comperit. Hunc ego
xx.Qrip.svo; nam xvuOev integrum est. sensum secutus correxi xlpx xpix
Illud 'viritim sedens' significat; quod xai Oipp ivelj, nam digiti erant
prorsus absurdum est. Nee multum layyoX et tyvipoi , carnes vero superim-
lucraris recepta Herm. corr. xafoj- positse aS/Jai et Bsppxi. Vox eVu
p.evots , nam nonnisi comici poetse duplici sensu usurpatur; quorum
esset et ceteros convivas Thyestse alter est 'injiciens', ut quum He-
puerorum carnibus farcire. Videamus lena pxpp.xxov iv£r,xs norfi Od. 4. 232 ;
AGAMEMNON. 163
to die and stain with blood his native ground
1590 himself. In token, this man's impious sire
pretending festively to spend a day
of fresh-meat-food, gave mine a feast on flesh
of children; hid foot-joints and palm's end-combs,
1595 setting above them plump hot bits that gave
no sign: he forthwith ignorantly partook
and ate food costly to the race, you see.
Then when he knew th' inhuman deed, he groaned,
fell back, threw off the murder-flesh, called down
1600 a fatal doom on Pelops' line; and couched
in his curse the spurn he gave the food, and Right
concurred. For this you may behold this man
lie there. 1 also was this murder's right
1605 concocter: me the third child yet, a babe
in swaddling clothes, with my unhappy sire
he banished — and, when grown, the Right restored.
alter, 'immittens', hoc est fallaci 1605. rpirov yxp ovrx //.' iiA htx
specie (ciTo/ix) ad aliquam rem illi- AdXlu nxrpl libri. &rii 8c'x' corruptum
ciens , et hie quidem ad edeadum. esse docuit Emper. , id quod moni-
Origo corruptelae erat satis proba- tore vix egebat ; nam nihil absurdius
bilis literarum evanidarum xZp&xx- sonare potuit quam ea quae leguntur.
xads/isvt; correctio ; et certe quum Hermannus itxlhsx ostendit tantum ,
primum mlpx pro xlpx correctum nemini enim probavit. Melius itti
erat , cetera prona erant. aiar)p.x di- SO* ddiioiv Ahr. , frt ZuaxOMw Or. C.
citur ut &<miJ.0i ipyurris , 'quern nullo W. Schneider. Sed verissime statuit
signo argueres' Soph. Ant. 252. Enger. neque ItA neque frt ap. Msch.
1599. w/twfev «v. Ttmrsi 8' dnb in trimetris sub ictu cadere. Pra>
spoyrjj ipSiv libri. xpnxtTiTsi corr. terea ovrx corruptum esse repetitum
Canter. Deinde i/iOv conj. Aur. , recte ovrx in proximo v. ostendit. Inde
sprevit Karsten. , apxyfn in apay^v ego rpirov yxp ©uv p.s 7rat8' i'r. Quod
mutato cum Hartung. autem Herm. statuit exquisitius ali-
1601. dpx~Fl. ApSi F. V. ip% Ven. quod vocabulum hie latere, id nihili
Deinde in libris sequuntur o&reof est; nam is locus est ut omnia prater
iXtsOou itxv to XlltioOivoiii yivoi, quas simplicissima qua-quo prorsus res-
ineptias Schutzius primus intellexit puat.
ab jEseh. non esse profeetas.
11*
164 ArAMEMNAN.
Kx) touSs Txv^pbg y)'4jxtjt.y)v Qupxioq av,
irxuxv o-uvxipxg fOffprip "Svo-fiovXixg.
Ovtoo xxhov 3$ xx) to xxtQxvsTv ifjiol, 1610
ISoVTX T0UT0V Tij$ tix^q £V SpXSVlV.
XOPOS.
tiiyio-ff , vfipi^eiv iv xxxoTo-iv ou <rf/3w
o~b £ xvhpx to'vSs (pyq sxoov xxtxxtxvsTv }
ptovo? ¥ Ittoixtov T0V<ie fiovtelHTXt Cpovov'
ou (pyjfjC xXvt-siv iv WxTfi to o-bv xxpx 1615
fypioppiCpeTg , o-xcp' l<r6i, tevo-ipcout; xpxg.
Ainseoz.
Eu txutx Qcoveic vsprepx Trpogvipcevog
xutjUj xpxTOuvTuv toov fV) Zpyu $opo<; ;
yvwvst ykpm av ccc 2tcixrx£<r6xi (3xpu
t£ T/iXixoxjT^ aooCppovelv slpviptsvov. 1620
Ascfibi; 5f xx) to yijpxg x7 ts vvjo~Tilisq
SuXl hSxcXSlV £%0%UTXTXI CppSVXV
IxTpopcxvTsig. Ou% opq.q opuv txSs ;
xpbq xkvTpx (mi Xxxri%s % pw\ Trxicxq pcoy^jq.
XOPOS.
Tvvxi o~v, Tovq tjxovrxt; ex [axxw ptkvuv 1625
olxoupoq, svvijv ccvctpbq x\a%\)vxq xpix,
uvhpi o-TpxTyyy tovW i(3ov?>evo-xt; pcopov;
1612. Post hunc versum lacuna 1621. Zsapbv 8s Fl. Ven. Corr.
signa posuit Herm. in P. V.
1620. Comma post tvjJUxwtw su- 1624. nyeus libri. nxiaas Schol.
stulit Karsten. Pind. ad fineni Pyth. 2. quod Herm.
AGAMEMNON. 165
And I, though ahsent, laid my hands on him,
and patched up all the fatal plot's design.
1610 This done, for me 'twere glorious even to die,
having seen him lie in Retribution's nets.
CHORUS.
JSgisthus, I dont hold with scorn in woe:
you say you killed this man designedly
and planned this piteous murder all alone :
1615 I say your head will not escape when tried,
know 't well, the people's curses hurled with stones.
JEGISTHUS,
You say this sitting at the lower-deck oar
though the ship's main-deck men have mastery?
greybeard, you '11 know how hard it is to learn
1620 when one so old is bidden to be wise.
But chains, age, hunger-pangs, for teaching this
are the mind's most expert physician-seers.
Seeing this, do you yet not see 't? Dont kick
against the goads; lest, striking them, you smart.
CHORUS.
1625 You woman, who for men returned from fight
stayed housewife-like; shamed, too, a true man's bed,
you planned this host-commanding hero's death?
recte recepit. Alii Butleri conj. Deinde vim libri. fiivuv corr. Wie-
tttmijols probarunt, cui verbo nihil seler.
negotii est cum stimnlis. 1626. oiteyyvow libri. Corr. Herm,
1625. yuvws <rii conj. Meineke.
166 ArAMEMNflN.
AiriS0O2.
Koi) txutx txttv} xKxv(/,xruv xpx^y svij .
'OpCpeT §f yXobvvxv ryv svxvrlotv s%sic'
o (jcsv yxp vys 7txvt xtto (pQoyyijg %xpcj., 1630
<ru y i^opivxg vi}7rioi; v'kxyiAXtTiv
x%si' upxryQitg J* vMtep&Tspoq Cpxvei.
XOP02.
'£lg ^ <rv (Mi rupxvvog 'Apyeluv srsi ,
3? ouk, e7rsi8y Tcfif ifiouteucrxg (/Apov,
dpx&xi rot? spyov cux trXyq xvtoxtoms. 1635
Ainseos.
To yxp dohuirxi 7cpbq yvvxixbg vjv extras'
iyco 5' v7ro7TTO<; e%bpbq \\ 7rxXxiysvvig.
'EX TOOV §f TOvhs XSYIl^XTUV 7T£tpx<T0ftXl
xpx^iv 7roXirSiv ' rbv 5f (jwi 7reiQxvopx
t^sv^a fixpsixig, ovri yiM crsipxQopov 1640
xpiQuvrx TTCtfAci/* #AA' o dv<r(piXi}g 7k6t^>
/.ifjibg t-uvoixog [axxQxxov o-0' £7r6\perxi.
XOPOS.
T/ $y rbv xvhpx rovS 1 xtto ^v%yq xxxyc
oux xurbg ijvxpi&g; xXXx viv yvvvi,
%upxg ftixaftx xx\ Oetiv ly%upim , 1645
1631. yj7rt'ots libri. vrj-nloti corr. bunc versum laeunam notavit Herm. ;
Jacob., recentt. sed ingratum lacunarum exquiren-
1634. TdiSe /3ouAsueras Fl. Ven. darum laborem aversati sunt Meineke
Corr. in V. F. et Heimsoeth.
1637. ij libri. »j corr. Pors. Post 1637. sx rwvSe libri. Corr. Jacob.
AGAMEMNON. 167
^EGISTHUS.
These words are also harbingers of tears.
You have the contrary of Orpheus' tongue:
1630 he by his voice led all things with delight;
you by your silly howls will drive them wild
and lead them so. Mastered, you '11 look more tame.
CHORUS.
That you, my god! should be the Argives' king!
who , when you 'd planned his doom , dared not perform
1635 the killing act in person, no, not you.
^GISTHUS.
Enveigling clearly was a woman's part;
I was a foe from ancient date suspect.
But with his treasures I will try to rule
the people; and will yoke with heavy bands
1640 him who won't heed the driver; not as some
gay grain-fed prancer; no, unlovely Fast
that dwells with Darkness shall behold him meek.
CHORUS.
Why, with your craven soul, did you not kill
this man yourself? no, but a woman did —
1645 stain of her country and the tutelar gods —
Et equidem scire velim quomodo F. Ven. , et sic Pollux 7. 24.
Hi.- mi lacunae ope illud explicare 1641. x<5tw libri. axdrw Auratus.
possiut. 1644. &\X<x aw ywv>} libri, Corr.
1640. acipasfdpov M. Corr. in Spanhem.
168 ArAMEMNflN.
sxrsiv'. 'Opiimig xpx tov @Xs7T£i <pXOg ,
0x00$ xxrsXQoov Isupo TpsuftevsT Tuxy
xpiCpoTv yavyrxi roTvls 7rx<yxpxTv\g Qoveug.
Ainseoz.
'AAA' £7re) doxsTg rxV sphiv xx) xiyaiv yvutrai rx%x.
XOPOZ.
*******
Ainzooz.
Eix Ivj, CpiXoi Xo%nxi } roupyov ou% exxg role. 1650
XOPOZ.
Eix lit}, %iQog xpox,cc7rov xxg Tig suTpsxi^eroo.
Ainseoz.
'AAAa; (ayjv xxyoo 7rpoxco7rog ovx xvxivo^xi dxvslv.
XOPOS.
Aaxoftivoig xkyaig Gxvelv <rs • tvjv Tvxqv V xlpov^sSx.
KATTAIMNH2TPA.
My^x(AOog , u (Q'iXtxt' xvlpoov, xKKx Spxcrooftav xxxx'
1648. Interrogandi signum post Chorum omnimodis et non verbis
jsoveuj Franzius delevit. Hos sex tantum ab Oreste stare propositum
versus post v. 1632 posuit Engerus, habere. Et de convicio illo inertiam
hue transpositis w. 1633 — 5, quod suam tangente iEgisthus cavillari
sic nexus mehus procedat et syste- potuit ; hoc tamen de Oreste ad vim
matum responsio fiat simplicior. Sed et arma instigat. Hsec et similia
hsec 'Opisms «p& itw xtA. sunt ul- reputans nihil mutavi, et prox. v.
tima ea verba quae aperte declarent incolumem reliqui.
AGAMEMNON. 169
she slew him. 'Tis for this Orestes lives,
that he by favouring fortune here restored
may be the all-conquering slayer of them both.
^GISTHUS.
Well , since you think fit to act thus and to speak you soon shall know.
CHORUS.
^GISTHUS.
1650 Come on now , my trusty guardsmen , this affair is not remote.
CHORUS.
Yes, come on; let each one fairly hold prepared his unsheathed sword.
^EGISTHUS.
I too , with my sword unsheathed , I do not refuse to die.
CHORUS.
'Die' you say; we take the omen; for ourselves we take our lot.
CLYTEMNESTRA.
Nay, my dearest husband, let us do no further deeds of harm:
1649. Sic libri, nisi quod yveior) Idem unius versus lacunam ante
ut solent. xou Xiyetv Herm. eUi' hunc versum recte posuit.
tfj.' el Sexw tocS' ipluv xou Xsyuv Eu- 1652. diltk x&yu /ugv libri. Corr.
ger. , omnibus nominibus , ut mihi Pors. itpdxonos PI. Corr. in Ven. V.
videtur, sine idonea causa. 1653. ipovptdx libri. Mpobptdx
1650. Signa personarum in libris Auratus. Certa est emendatio.
confusa in ordinem redegit Herm. 1654. S/s«uo/*jv codices. Corr. in V.
170 ArAMEMNHN.
xXXx xxi rxtf i%xft%<rxi toXXx $v<TTi]vov Upo; ' 1655
Tyftoviji; xKic, 5' vxxp%si' [u$ If xif&XTUf&eOx'
(TuCPpcvot; yvaftyc S 1 xpixprsTv rov xpxrouvr' x]u%qc ftsyx.
'ErsTp^s xx) tru %o\ ykpovrsc; Ttpoa ^6{//)vq 7r£7rpu[thouc ,
7rp)v nxQelv xp%xi r' xxxipav xpyv txK aq sTpx^xpisv.
E; Si toi fM%6cov ykvoiro toovX xXiq , h%oi(Jt.s& xv ,
Sxiftovog #jjA# fixpsix du<rTv%u<; 7rs7rtyyft£voi. 1660
r Xl5' t%ei Xoyoq yvvxixoq, si ti$ xl-ioi (txtisTv.
Ainseos.
'AAAa: rovers poi (axtxixv yXuxrcxv oi5' X7rxv8i<rxi ,
xxx(3x\e7v lirv\ toixvtx ^xiyuovoc; Treipoayihovc,.
XOP02.
Ovx xv "Kpyeiav to<? sivj <pccrx 7rpo?<rxi'v£tv xxxov. 1665
Ainseos.
'AAA' iyoo <t h v<TTepxi<nv yftspxig [theifz sri.
XOPOS.
Oux, ixv dxif&av 'Opecrvjv hup' X7r£u$uvy (jloXsiv.
1655. b epos libri. Oipos est Schutzii rum mensuram habentia, quae for-
correctio, ab omnibus recepta. tasse, ut in prselongo versu, supra
1656. m)/jiovijs 8' aits y Cnxpxe' scribebantur. Versionis mese causa
/*y)5ev »j/i«Tw/iefla libri. nnp-oviji xhs in textum recepi aZu^oj p-iy*, quae
8' Herm. untxp^et et ai^aTw/wtfa iEschylo digna suppeditavit Herm.
Auratus ille, quem nemo digne lau- 1658. arttxtre 8' ol yipovrts npbs
dare potuit. prib g#' Bl. Si/xous mnpapivov; toujS* libri. Quae
1657. Hie rersus qui post v. 1663 dedi, Franzio debentur; sed hujus
in libris legitur, buc ab Herm. re- correctionis rationes equidem per-
positus est. ocpmpTtjrm xpccTovmx spectas nondum habeo. Apta est;
libri. otpapreiv xbv xpxroOvrx corr. sed yeram esse nego. toujSs delevit
Casaubon. Desunt verba sex mora- Scaliger ; incertum an recte. Cf. Sopb.
AGAMEMNON. 171
1655 to have reaped ev'n these, so many, yields a miserable crop.
There is suffering in abundance: let us spill no further blood.
For a prince to miss the prudent counsel is a great disgrace.
Go, both you and these the elders, to the homes assigned by Fate,
ere they rue, and broach untimely deeds : 'twas fated as we fared.
Sure , if this might be enough of trouble we would acquiesce ,
1660 by the daemon's painful talon sadly torn as we have been.
If 'tis worth one's while to listen, thus a woman's word directs.
" ^GISTHUS.
Shall I brook it that they scatter on me silly talk like leaves,
and give vent to speech of this sort, braving what the god may send?
CHORUS.
1665 It would not be like the Argives at a coward's feet to cringe.
JSGISTHUS.
On some future day I'll bring you yet to your account for this-
CHORUS.
No, if fortune guide Orestes hither to return again.
O. R. 637. adscriptam. Deiade inp<x% «/«]v Ven.
1659. 7r/9iv Tra0«v. e'/sfavTsj xoupdv Proximo autem versu &h$ y' i^oi/icO'
Fl. irph Ttxdelv. sp^uvzx x*ipb* Ven. dfv libri. Corr. Martin. Ceterum et
V. F. , qui meliorem lectionem prse- zoi in tw mutandum esse videtur.
bent. Inde ego, fere nulla mutati- 1660. xolfj Fl. V. x>jA>} Ven. F.;
one, oipHou r dxalpmv, quod dicitur nihil enim ineptius voce %o\y, 'bile
ut 6ip%etv AZlmv ^tip&v. Sed totus petiti', quod Paleius notavit.
hie locus adeo corruptus est ut 1663. oat/tovaj libri. Corr. Ca-
desperatus jure dicatur. Non amo saubon.
insolens illud nenpup.ivous quod glos- 1665. itpoaxtvstv Fl. V. Corr. in
sam corruptam olet ad xpn* fa8' Ven. F.
172 ArAMEMNflN.
Ainseos.
OfS' eyu (pevyovrxt; xvhpxq Ikriias airovfjuvovq.
XOPOZ.
Ylpxcos, mxivov, piiximv ri]v Vinyi/, ins) nxpx.
Ainseoz.
"I<r0/ yi/>i ddjtruv X7roivx Ttj$£ piccpixq %xpiv. 1670
XOPOS.
KofJCTxa-ov Qxpauv } xhsxrap costs QyXsixq neXxq.
KATTAIMNHSTPA.
M»j 7rpoTi(Mi<ryt; piXTXi'av ravd' uK&yfMtf , u; iyu
kx) (tv Qvjvopiev XpXTOVVTS TUV(ie ^COpiXTOOV KxXooq.
1671. dxppuv libri. Corr. Pors. sis; sed Heathius satis probabiliter
tifnep libri. Corr. Scaliger et Canter. voc. iy&> ex schol. F. rerocayit , et
1672. uiay/Mcrwv libri, ceteris omia- Wecy/tafl' «s corr. Eauchenstein , ut
AGAMEMNON. 173
.^EGISTHUS.
I know well that men in exile on their hopes are wont to feed.
CHORUS.
Thrive on, feed thee fat, defiling justice, since thou hast the chance.
^EGISTHUS.
1670 Be assured that you shall pay me reckoning for this foolishness.
CHORUS.
Crow and chuckle fearing nothing, like a cock that's near the hen.
"CLYTEMNESTRA.
Dont regard these silly creatures' yelpings past their worth, for I,
I and thou will fairly settle, as its sovereigns, this domain.
verbo Tipon/t^oys constructio sua deest; cujus vestigia Heathius et
servaretur. Canterus in schol. F. , ut ipsis vi-
1673. Et huic versui pes unus sum est , consecuti, xxi&i addiderunt.
^-
COMMENTARY.
1 — 39. Prologue. Time: night. The scene probably represented
moon and stars , the belvedere of the palace of the Atreidae
at Argos , and the watchman , armed , standing by a watch-
fire. At v. 22 a new light is seen somewhere to the right,
on Mt. Arachnaeum. The watchman makes his exit by
stairs leading to the interior of the house, and this scene
is changed at v. 39.
1. asraAAayiiv. The first word which indicates the 5j4o$, 'dis-
charge', 'relief.
2. 0povfS«. Genitive after wxo$, which word of time gives
a<V3 the force of a perfect-, so $v to xdroiSct v. 4. The
Gramm. distinguish '£rsio$ 'lasting a year' from IniTtioc,
'occurring once a year' See v. 1016. xyxctbev = uvs tcxSev
is 'away on the top'; They wrong the poet who construe
'head on hand, like a dog' and Herm. did not intend
this; but ^with the body raised and propped on the arm
bent at the elbow, the forearm lying on the ground'.
Even so, the simile of the dog is ludicrous, xuvo? S'ucyv
is correctly explained by the Sch. 'because of its watch-
fulness and fidelity'.
4. The soldier speaks: 'a host of constellations who marshal
themselves by night'. The distinction Ztrrpov, 'sidus', and
uervp, ' stella' is always observed in correct writers.
6. All the ancient Greeks from Orpheus to Aristotle , not excep-
ting Epicharm. ace. to Menand. Mein. p. 196, believed the
sun moon and stars to be divine persons, 'animales deos'
Apul. De Dogm. Plat. I. 11; Plut. de PI. Phil, passim.
Lucretius 1. 5 proves that they are not. More literally
'showing themselves conspicuously in aether'.
176 * COMMENTARY.
10 xparei = vixSc = vincit = 'proves'; SO v. 1364, tcxrixvelv
tcpxTsi 'death carries the day', like /xoAf7v £v<joj«v, the
<ptXx% Soph. Ant. 233. xvlpbfiovXov is 'giving her opi-
nion {fiovXvi v. 1358) with masculine assurance and force
of reasoning'.
14. Literally: 'for fear (of falling asleep) is my comrade (next
man to the right or left) so that my eyelids do not re-
solutely fall-to with sleep'. Here we have the soldier
again: if 6dp<ro$ (about falling asleep) were his comrade,
then he would come to an engagement at once; but with
only fear to support him he avoids it. vitvwx%u in
Aristoph. is 'fight against sleep'. But for the word Q6(Zo<;
it might be proposed to take <rvp(}z\e7v in another of its
meanings 'come to a league or covenant with'. But this
is peculiarly the part of a general.
17. Of all the possible meanings of avrfcoATrov it seems best to
take it as formed on the analogy of xvTippoiros 'which
opposes song to sleep' with an allusion to xvtitohov wich
appears to mean 'a medicinal herb either cut out of the
ground or chopped up as a remedy against'. But ptvjftw
avrifurbov Suppl. 270 is 'memory in place of fee' and
according to this we should expect /xoAt5J«j kvdvirvov.
ctvripviXov, formed (by the Ed.) like xvriQepvov v. 406,
would mean 'slipping in this probe-bke cure for sleep'.
But we want a cutting instrument used as if he were in
a swoon or a lethargy. 'Evrsfivuv. The meaning 'chop-
ping up herbs or roots upon', given by Stanley and all
editors, seems to be without any support whatsoever
except their authority. It should have been S7ri7rx(r<ruv,
see Suid. s. v. noXtov. repvetv is 'to lance' Arist. Probl.
1. 32 etc. ivTOfixi are 'incisions' or 'punctures' Hie-
rocles (p. 280 Dacier.) «x>j rofix7x Supp. 268, Choeph.
537 are 'effectual cures by amputation'; cf. Ixrpoi; «to-
rofjLoq in Pint. Apophth. Catonis 'a surgeon fond of
desperate remedies'. ropxi Pind. P. 3. 53 are punctures '
or 'amputations', ivrsfiveiv otpdyiov is 'to make an in-
cision in a victim for the purpose of examining the inwards'.
xko( itself is tcvptuq \\ Six ailvipov tepx-xeict E. M. s. v.
xxevfievoq. Hierocl. , Iambi. , Porphyr. often allude to the
surgeon's knife, seldom to medicines. Add that the watch-
man ought here to say nothing about song , which is fully
COMMENTARY. 177
expressed before. A few trials will soon convince that it
is impossible to translate the line fairly and not absurdly,
and that it is incredible that it should have proceeded from
the poet in its present form.
22. Lit. 'hail, Lamp, son of Night'; the salutation is couched
in the usual form, e. gr. Eur. Med. 665 5 %oupe. xxl
ngv^ovog. Alysv.
23. %opuv xctTdaratriv. Instead of the present (pvXxxuv xu.ru.-
<rTa<rt$.
26. ayifiuiveiv rofus is the usual military phrase. See Suid. s. v.
rop6v.
30. Lit. 'is clearly seen reporting'-, 'beams' in the Trans, is a
verb.
32. The meaning is: 'I will take the master's lucky throws as
my own' i. e. lay my money on them, and be quite sure
that such as are good for him will bring me luck. The
allusion is to some game at dice , perhaps like backgammon.
35. fixcracxi. See Suid. s. v. liuavncuazt. But here it is simply
a soldier's word , which he usually applied to the bearing
of arms, his spear or shield.
36. Besides the passages cited by Schutz and Blomf. there is
(Zovv utpuvixs et( t>jv yXufftruv fitfiXv.phm Philost. V. S.,
Scopelianus; and ovS' ei f3o£$ pot, to XeySftevov, <p6ey-
f-ettro Alciphr. 2. 4. 3. The Spartans (Plut. Instt. Lac.
25) sacrificed an ox to Ares after a victory gained by
artifice, and the noisy cock when victorious by open force.
It is evident, therefore, that the ox was an emblem of
silence. Compare irct%v$ y#p Zq ensiT" em orb^a. Menand.
Fr. p. 10 Mein. which is only a variation to express the
swinish gluttony, not the bovine silence, of Dionysius.
38. ex&v is correctly explained by Paley.
40. Parodos. Time: morning. Scene: the front of the palace
of the Atreidse at Argos.
42. This line, in apposition with pfyot xvrihuoq, expresses
the Athenian view of the paradox that two kings at
Sparta should be the ^ovap^o? of the state; a monarchical
form with two kings.
44. Hes. Op. 427. Since the adoption of words and phrases
from Hesiod is so remarkable a feature of this play, the
reader will be reminded of it even in the less important
instances.
12
178 COMMENTARY.
48. u$t xtyvxioi yay&Xa. xXa^ovre /4x%s<r6yv — w< ol (Hercules
and Cycnus) nenX^yovreq en xXXtXouriv opovaxv Hes. Sc.
405. 412.
50. ix-rariotq 'which make them leave their ordinary path of
flight'. So Bellerophontes in his frenzy t«tcv xv^punm
xXeeivuv II. £. 202.
51. virxToi takes the gen. through its positive lire p. Cf. 'pro-
pius montem' Sail. J. 49 etc. 'Le Vaillant saw at an
immense height a flock of Vultures (the Oricou) gradually
descending in concentric circles (curves?) and seeming to
come out of the vault of heaven'. Bree's History of the
Birds of Europe. ireptQepe$ Si yy to 7rTi>(*z tuv oluvuv
Suid. s. v. 7rTvmx. The parallelism is very close in the
words exTotTioiq . Xe%euv , ep. epeaffopevoi . SepviOTrpy. The
Greeks sail far away from home because the partner of
Menelaus' bed is lost.
55. Lit. 'some one who goes by the name of Apollo etc.' Observe
the caution of a Pythagorean in mentioning the name of
a god.
57. rtevle fjuroixuv are, of course, the young birds which have
been carried away from home, like Helen. So the Schol.
It is gen. after "Efivvv.
63. y-Jta — to$z$ xxl %e7pzs U. 5. 122. So the Scholl. passim.
64. Alluding to the Homeric description yvij% $' epi* olftu%xq
II. 5. 68, 309, etc.
65. and here to passages like II. 13. 162. h kxvXu idyv SoXi%bv
S6pu.
69. vTToxaiuv. i-o has the force of vtrrepov. Weil compares
Hdt. 3. 159 r ivx <r$t yevex vmyivyfTXt.
70. The best interpretation hitherto current is based on Soph.
Ant. 1007 where the unwillingness of the fire of a sacrifice
to burn is an omen of evil. But this is only a sign of
displeasure at something which has been done before;
assuredly the sacrifice itself is no cause of intense wrath.
That interpretation, therefore, is false, x*vpx lepk are
acts in which the gods and their laws are disregarded,
as they would be when a sacrifice was offered and no
QvtiXxi, ct.Tra.pxBu. or xxTxpypuTu. burnt in their honour.
The Orphic code was promulgated under divine sanction ,
and every infraction was an act of irreligion. xxvpx iepk
are the same as Mvrx lepx Soph. Ft. 601. Suid. s. v.
COMMENTARY. 179
Mvrovq. In the case of Paris there are no sacrifices at
all, good or bad, but an act in defiance of the law of
Zeus , the rape of Helen. Clytemnestra is ICabeoq yvv>>
Cho. 46, the unjust man is xbsoq Eum. 540. So Virg.
in the often -quoted line 'discite justitiam moniti et non
temnere divos' 'learn not to defy the gods by injustice'.
In iEsch. all unjust acts are xnvpx ttpd.
71. xreveJ ts vom Hes. Th. 661. x in xvs»^q represents xyxv
ace. to Donaldson.
72. krirviq is 'which does not pay' and here 'which pays no
military service' as being v-xep rov xxrxXoyov which
phrase was fcxpaiy.\x iirl ruv yeyyipxxoruv Suid. s. v.
xrirxq Eum. 257 is 'without paying for his crime'.
75. Paraphrase of Hes. Op. 113 in so far as he describes old
age with reference to the feet and arms. Comp. Anth.
6. 25 yvipuXeov vvv xvri 7rxvo7rXiiiq fid.xrpov xpsityxftevoq.
The warriors , on the other hand , apply full-grown strength
to the spear.
76. fiveXbq is 'the blood'. In Horn. Od. 0. 290 xX<pirx is
pveXbq xvSpuv because it makes the blood.
78. 'Ares is not an indigenous god in a child's breast' ovx svt
%UfX is for £7ri%upK>$. syx^ptoq. Or £y%upoq' b ev ry
%upx uv E. M. S. v. So Schol. M. t« tottw exeivu.
80. From Hes. Op. 531 TpiiroSt fiporZ l<ro ( .
82. The Homeric "Oveipoq makes easy the comparison of a per-
son to a dream. Hopes, the fancies of poets, and the
musings of lovers are eypyyopoTuv ivvxvix.
95. xSoXoifft implies a fear of SiXoq in the mind of the speakers.
ir«p. 'blanditiae' Prop. 5. 6. 72. See Soph. Fr. 340.
96. 7reXxvu. Xeyerxt os 7rsXxvoq xxi to 7T£7ryyoq xai i%ypx(t-
psvov 07ru$e$ Sxxpvov olov Xtfixvuroq, KOftfAi Suid. S. V.
For the torches compare Aristsen. 1. 10 fin. exdovro $$
xxret Swpxrx Sx'iSeq ex Xifixvwrov avyxsiftevxi. uqre x/ix
xx£tr6xt xxi ivfxiaaixi kx) 7rxpe%ew to <puq per evuSlxq.
103. From Hes. Op. 795. See Crit. Notes. 6v(to(56poq' h rijv
tyvxijv SixQQeipovffx Suid. s. v. is very like a scholium
on this passage written when the text was as yet uncor-
rupted.
105. exreXijq Hes. Op. 464 is 'having arrived at full growth
and mature strength', the riXoq of ib. 472. o/ rsXnot
at Sparta were married men in the flower of their age
12*
180 COMMENTARY.
Plut. Apoph. Leon. 15. See alo Plut. Instt. Lac. 15.
fleoSev. From. Hes. Op. 660.
106. (*o\7rav xX%% is the xtcxfixrot; xllii of Hes. Th. 39.
Iu7. avpQvros is the kvtoQvv>$ of Hes. Th. 813 'grown in one
piece'; ctl&v iryfizivei rov ryq £«>!$ Jtpo'vov E. M. s. v. 3>?v.
Literally, then, poetic power is here said to be one being
with their term of life, so that the might of song abides
with them in their old age. Soph, makes the poetic
faculty and the term of life foster-children Fr. 768 ovx
eart y>jpx$ t«v <tqQuv ev oTq b vovq hux %vvs<ttiv v,[i£px
re&pzfi(*£vo$ which seems to mean:
those gifted ones have no old age in whom
dwells genius nursed with days ordained by god.
And so ^Esch. at 67 years of age is now exhibiting the
Agamemnon.
110. Hes. Sc. 50 ovx/fl' Sifix Qpoveovre" KxeiyvyTN ye ftev JjVtwv.
111. irpdxrup is properly 'a collector of taxes' Suid. s. v. -xpix-
rttp and (popoXoyoq.
113. Pythagoras recognised divination from dreams as previsions
of the soul, from fortuitous words (xX^Soveq), from birds,
and the smoke of incense, Diog. L. V. Pyth., not from
sacrifices Plut. de PI. Phil. 5. 1. This latter fact seems
to explain .ZEsch. Sept. 24 h uai vupuv xxl <ppe<fiv
vvpliq li%x.
115. vrpoq $e rvjv SixQopxv ruv xeruv vofii^eiv %pij xxl rx xiro-
reXsfffixrx yivea&xt Artemidorus 2. 20. The white-tailed
eagle is the representative of Agamemnon ; and the white
tail seems to forebode death to him at the end of this
successful expedition; see ib. 2. 3 to S2 peXxv inxnov
auTttpixv npoawx'ivei, and for the passage generally ib.
2. 20 kerov ISelv is-t vtyyXorxTU to'ttw xyxfov rolq eti
7rpx%iv opftuffi.
116. 'ixrxp Hes. Th. 691 where the Schol. 1% rov o-vveyyvq. uq
X7T0 rov txvovfiXt — xP® VTCli %e ol rpxyixol rlf Xsf-et.
120. (iXxn-Tsw with gen. occurs three times in Theognis, vv.
223, 705, 938, in this sense of 'debarring'. (iXz(ZhTx
is, of course, the mother-hare and her Qeppx (iEsch.
Supp 690) 'the young she is still carrying'.
122. First Stasimon. xelvoq' crvveroq. awtpfuv $ Qpovipoq Suid.
s. v. laoi in the end of a line Hes. Op. 531. In Homer
Menelaus is more merciful than Agam. but not less brave :
COMMENTARY. 181
how readily he accepts the challenge of Paris, and is
the only one of all the bravest to close without hesitation
with Hector's, II. 7. 96. It is suggested In the critical
note thut $4, in such a position, was pronounced tie.
Se, tii and v$i seem to be different forms of the same
word as its pronunciation was varied in an age when
there was little or no writing. (So e*iv, fav, ?«. ex, eov, *i,
for the first person imperfect of elpi, preceded h , the
form fixed by writing.) The meaning of each was * like-
wise' Latin 'item'. The 1 in tie, and i in 'item'
and 'idem' are probably the neuter of * the nominative
(in E. M. and a Fragment of Sophocles) of the so-
called reflexive pronoun, which is not reflexive in the
early Greek language. The fixed form oe cannot stand
first , probably because the I in order to be lost in pro-
nunciation required a word to be pronounced before it
without a pause. Perhaps a similar reason may be given
for the fact that que (itque, idque) quidem (iquidem,
equidem), and the rest, cannot stand first. So 'nam'
had an original form 'enim' which was pronounced 'nim'
in conversation, but was used to complete a dactyl in
poetry, psv must not stand first for the same reason;
it had a vowel sound before it, as in foh. 'et' is pro-
bably the first part of an original form of which 'que'
is the last; thus 'i', the pronoun and 'que', which seems
to be the Sanscrit 'cha', would formique, idque, itque
or etque 'it too'; and so 'et' lost 'que' by collision
with the following word, and 'que' loses 'et' through a
preceding word. Nevertheless '.et' is sometimes second
word in poetry. So there seems to be no reason why
tie should not be sounded in some places where we now
read St. But in twenty-four instances of its occurrence
in the Homeric poems , and the four in Hesiod none (in
'The Works and Days) it is always first word. Now
ted, a much more artificial form, occurs too often for
the instances to be all given in Seber : and the 2 suffers
elision probably because it does not belong to the root,
and is only a sound , with no meaning , added to help
the metre like the Sanscrit 'hi'. The >i in $2 arose
through hyperthesis of the e in tie, and tii cannot suffer
elision because $2 is the root, possibly the same as
182 COMMENTARY.
Sanscrit 'tu'. In Soph. Ant. 969 we must either read
l$e ©pjjxwv, or pronounce IS 1 b corrupt. <£' requires cor-
rection also in some very recent imitations of Homeric
verse. This rare occurrence of tie as compared with
fee- the less likely form, the frequent occurrence of
Se re in epic poetry in places where the re is so hard
to explain, and the existence of passages like powoyeviit;
2e 7iaiq e'lvi Hes. Op. 374 (for the tq in ;*■«/$ is repeatedly
short in Homer, and is long in only one peculiar pas-
sage II. % 492, 497) lead to the conclusion that the
Alexandrine editors or their predecessors removed lie
from every place in which the metre allowed le to stand ,
from such as Hes. Op. 510, for example, $peq $e~ <pp'«r-
<tov<ti and a hundred like it. The result is that ISe
occurs only as first word, for of course they could not
substitute $e~ where tie stood first in a clause. The pe-
culiarities of tie" besides that already mentioned , that its
e is not elided , are (1) that it has the digamma (the
readily evanescing v and $ being sometimes placed before
it), and this digamma was derived from 7, as before
suggested; (2) that it makes the two short syllables of
a dactyl seven times out of twenty-eight instances in
which the particle occurs in Homer and Hesiod , so that
the statement in Liddell and Scott's lexicon requires cor-
correction, and (3) in the remaining twenty one (in six
after re) it is used to complete a dactyl and take the
arsis before two consonants or a liquid; and it is so
used in the present passage, if the Editor's suspicion
be correct.
The apparent anomaly involved in the elision of e in
Se whereas tie does not suffer elision is , perhaps , capable
of explanation in the following way. F<2' would represent
only the pronoun F«, as in the Latin; but £' with the
slight vowel-sound which remains after elision, or by a
synizesis with the following vowel , would be a sufficient
representative of the conjunction. It is still easier to
account for 'nam' standing first; but this subject is
interminable. Enough has been said to explain the Edi-
tor's reasons, and to show that as there is no reason
in the nature of things why tie should not stand second,
so there are several reasons why it should be replaced
COMMENTAKY. 183
as second word in many passages where we now read
5e, and this will have been learnt from a consideration
of this passage, because of the exact correspondence of
the choral odes of ^Eschylus.
123. i2*t) = olwvoi>$ tuftw Hes. Op. 799 and 826. To intrude
a little on the province of philologists, the roots lx
'divide' and xptv 'separate' appear to approach very
closely in meaning. So elxy means 'was made to see
them distinct from everything which they were not' and
this is to leard what a thing really is so far as it can
be known.
126. xypei. 'bindeth' in the Trans, is the hawker's word for
'seizes'.
129. xTtjvtj is a fit word for property which consisted chiefly in
cattle; (that of Augeas is xt?<tk Theocr. 25. 57. and
xrectvx v. 109) especially at a time when the value of
a thing was estimated in cattle. In Hesiod the men of
the golden age are xCpvetoi pyXoiai, and the xvlpuv iifwoov
6s7ov ytvot; fight /utj'A&iv svsk Q}$i*olxo Op. 119, 162.
135. The syntax is: 'for Artemis disliking these eagles as much
as she loves their young victims prays (Zeus) to fulfil
the omens which please the latter' i. e. please by aven-
ging them. For SW&v — to<t<tov, compare II. %. 42 tUs
Qeo7<rt Qihoq rotraovSs yevoiro oaaov Ifio't. o'Uu of the Mss.
was first condemned by Scaligeis
137. ai/TOToxcv. It is impossible to preserve the parellelism in
the English version. All of these words apply also to
Iphigenia, when xItotokov will mean 'begotten by him-
self, i. e. by Agam.
144. ulrei 'begs of Zeus', like the gods in Homer.
145. Hes. Op. 12 rijv pev xev S7rxivy<rete vofozs, yi <T £5n/u«/u>jTM.
nxrx in xxTupopCPai. in its distributive sense. $tvvi , pro-
perly thelammer-geier, is ellot bpveov 'ttrov xeru Suid. s. v.
151. All these epithets are by contrast; neither could be said
of the hare.
152. atfjtfpuTcv is as before, v. 107. ol lenr/ivopx applies to Cly-
temnestra.
155. (tvyiq Is effriv bpyy t<? 7r£7rx\xtwfievvi, eirixoTO$ xxi entry-
pvtTixy. Diog. L. 7. 113.
156. xnexXxy^iv x\d&, Lat. 'clango', is properly said of birds
of omen, and here of Calchas as if he were one.
184 COMMENTARY.
160. Zevq is nominative by a sort of inverse attraction to o?t<$ ,
for the thought to be expressed is 'Zeus, and not Ar-
temis, nor any of these vulgar gods, none, in truth,
but the one living god, is he whom if man worships
from the heart, he (man) will hit the sum of wisdom'.
His real name is known only to the immortals, Orph.
Fr. 3.
163. nposeiKtitTxi is 'compare either alternative to a preponder-
ating scale'.
164. oTxbpuobxi is to put weights arx^ix, aTa&pcc into a scale
7rXd<rTiy%. here 'to put opposite arguments into the op-
posite scales, philosophy and priestcraft'. %«pi$ yxp rx
tuv (piXoaoCPuv xal twv hpitn bpia-fixTx Damasc. cited by
Suidas.
167. Ovp«v6$, as in Hesiod and Orph. Fr. Ined. 20. (C. Tauch-
nitz.)
168. fiftetv takes a dat by preference; a gen. pretty frequently,
and an ace. of a neuter adj. as fipveiv xyxbx Hes.
171. Kpovo$, as in Hes. and Orph. Fr. 1. c. With rptuxTijpot;
compare Orph. F. 7 xxi xpxrepoi irep eovreq x/isivovoq
kvTix<rxvT£q, the Titans and Zeus, 5rp»v av in the line
above is 'as being the Zeus (from £>ifv, Plato) of that
time'.
178. xvpiuq, properly of a law or a judicial decision.
179. We are made eye-jsvitnesses , as it were, of a dream of the
Eum. v. 94 foil. This prophetic faculty of the soul in
sleep seems to have been universally believed by Greek
philosophers, except perhaps Democritus who refers them
to e'feuhx and xtvfoets. For the Pythagorean view see
Phot. Ex. V. Pyth. 5, Iambi. V. Pyth. p. 51 Artemid. 4. 2.
With Aristotle (de Div. in Somnoj dreams are not 6e6-
/Tf/*TT« because oi rv%6vTe$, xai tx xXXx £w« have
them; rather they are SzipSvtx, from daemons. So with
the Pythagoreans they came from dsemons and heroes.
"During the Algerian campaigns it was observed that
privation of food, thirst, and fatigue singularly predis-
posed the soldier to have the most extraordinary dreams ;
the soul was gifted with a power of clairvoyance which
would be incredible if not attested by facts". All the
Year Round; Aug. 24. 1861. Epicurus, ace. to Lucr.
5. 1161 foil., thought that men got their notion of the
COMMENTAEY. 185
existence of gods from seeing their real forms in dreams.
This belief in gods is the strangest thing in that phi-
losophy; for by parity of reason there arc centaurs and
chimseras. Diog. L. p. 235 V. Epic, puts it rather dif-
ferently ivxpyijq yxp uvtuv b yvuatq 'men's knowledge
of gods and their nature is a manifest fact'. <ttu&i
seems to allude to the first drops of a shower, -npb
xxpSixq is 7rpo ofAixdruv (Cho. 817) rvtq xupSixq, or rather
the heart is the eye of the soul in sleep. Comp. 'ov Aoyov
e%ei ovJ/«5 iv b(p()x\(Ao7$ rovrov ex £lv v0 ^ v * v ^ V XV a Para-
phrase from Aristotle Top. by Alex. Aphrod. ap. Suid.
180. See Macrob. S. S. p. 11 (Gron.) 'somnium, proprium est
quum se quis patientem aliquid somniat'; ibid. p. 31 'hanc
habere legem omnia somnia ut de adversis oblique aut
denuntient, aut minentur, aut moneant'.
182. Daemons in JEsch. are the daemons described by Hesiod,
as left by Zeus as his representatives and agents when
he and the other divinities were compelled by the sins
of the iron age to leave the world. So Plato in Apul.
de D. PI. 1. 12 'daemonas vero ministros deorum arbi-
tratur (et) hominum interpretes si quid a deis velint';
They were the spirits of the men of the golden age.
183. Lit. 'by right of power seated', on the vice-regal thrones
in which they were installed by Zeus.
186. Blaming not the seer when called upon to slay his child,
but he did blame the seer when he was told to send
back Chryseis.
187. 'Conspiring with the winds of chances as they struck upon
his course'.
190. E. M. S. vv. xpxpr'i and Sypov" jj nipx? t>j$ 7t4px$, rynepx,
rijv nepxv.
191. Hes. Op. 649, and for the next line ib. 505. With $v'<ropiu$
comp. Xifi^v evoppoq Hes. Sc. 207.
196. -rx/.iUfjLyy.y,. See Suid. s. v. waA<v«rx/«' to yap nxXiv S7ti-
Txo-rj SyXot. Rather 'long time and then long time again'.
208. 'xyxXpx ' i$' u Tiq xyxXherxi xxl xxiptu E. M. s. v. Ajax
is x. no\sftov, Socrates x. aotyixq, Athens a. Sxtpovuv,
Helen x. 7t\ovtov. 'what one claims as one's own with
pride and joy'.
210. The three wrong things are sufficiently indicated in the
Trans. Comp. Cho. 338 where three evils are expressed
186 COMMENTARY.
in r£Qo$, Uerx$. QvyxSxs and there is a play in xrpi-
uxroc; 'not without the complete numher three', t«v
rptuv umtfh ev was a proverb Suid. s. v.
216. Treptopyuq (fr. Trepiopyi^ Suid. where the ace. is rightly
given) means 'with yearning which transcends every other,
even that to save the maiden'.
217. Hes. Sc. 447.
218. He puts on the collar of necessity when he persuades him-
self that it is god's will, 6f><$, that he should slay his
child. This line is based on Theognis 195 iirtl xpxrep^
ftiv xveiyxv, ivrvst. % r' xvSpoq rXtpovx fixe voov. xvciyxx$
evrex Pind. P. 4. 418.
219. rpoTxiz in Arist. Probl. 26. 5 is the reverse of a wind
blowing off land. Here it is a change of feeling, the
desire to save his child, into the opposite, the desire
to kill her.
220. faxyvoq is the 'improbus' of Hor. Sat. 2. 3. 200.
221. Lit. 'he thereupon adopted in its stead the all-daring spirit'.
223. 7rxpzxo7ra is 'religious fanaticism' which ever leads men
into the greatest absurdities and violations of the plainest
natural laws ; exactly as it is put by Lucretius 1. init.
xpuTortfiuv 'harbinger of suffering' is an unusual cpd.
5rp«T3T«y>}e E. 5. 194 is an epithet of a chariot whose
new-made parts, vsvrevx^i would be put together for
the first time or near the first, if it were used.
224. The preposterous thing is the killing an innocent woman
as a help in taking vengeance for the abduction of one
still alive who was not innocent.
231. 6c (itffT otto Xo i {3«<7-<AS?£? Hes. Fr. p. 314 Heins.
232. The words fatJter, priestly-tlayers, after prayer are a triplet
like that at v. 20!'. xo&u;, from the same root as
xoffffttTy.p , is explained by nxyupoi in Suid., and Lit*-
psrxt in E. M.
233. The %'m.onpx was the proper offering to Artemis uyporepx
Ael. V. H. 2., 25, and the well-known passage in Xen.
Anal i. 'vitula' Hor.
237. apxix o'ixou; Eur. Med. 608.
238. Lit. 'by force and mute energy of bridles'. See Suid. s. v. 0tuo7.
239. xttSSv txs tuv s^earpilm (ZxQxq. Philost. V. Sap. Isaeus.
241. I. e- 'a look of loving welcome to pity if it would come'.
242. 'as in painted forms' i. e. with mute expression.
-*
COMMENTARY. 187
244. But now might not speak, xrxvpuros follows up the com-
mon comparison of a maiden to a heifer.
245. <piXo$ is 'loving', (plXioq 'loved'; with exceptions. The
third libation was to Zeus S«T»jp, the Life-preserver.
246. tt«.&)v yxp v/tvoq sixxpumfpioq Suid. ripxv, rleiv v. 706,
and (reP't&tv often mean 'to honour a thing by perfor-
ming it'. Comp. Hes. Op. 16 spiv r^Sxri.
247. This reads as if the old men had gone to Aulis; but the
opposition is only between relating and not relating,
none of the things described having been actually seen
by the Chorus, except the start from Argos.
250. &ixx. 'scire tie/as' , 'nee scire fas est', 'si mortalis ultra
fas trepidat' Hor.
254. "t will come' i. e. the knowledge of to-morrow's events
will come with to-morrow's light. The nom. is to peXXov.
355. -reXoiro uq 6sXet seems to be a variation of the common
form 'may you have all you desire' which the Pytha-
goreans changed to b'ax xv flfo? SfAfj.
256. xyx^rov is translated by the Ed. as being nearly equal
to emtfyxveq. Agam. is the supreme ruler, but he is
absent, and his power is not felt. Clyt. is the regent,
and her power is displayed by acts which are seen and
felt. So Suppl. 1036 Sv'vxrxi yxp A»&< ayxuirz trbv
Hp§.
257. eXeye Si oZroq r£t%vi slvxi t5?$ "ZnxpTYiq rovt; vsovs Plut.
Apoph. Lac. Antalc. 7. x&pxc, XeXet-nrxi povvoq ivri
aov $tXx% Chorus, of Creon Soph. 0. T. 1418.
265. si/(pp6[>yt;. The euphemistic name of Night. So in Hes. Op.
558 'the long festive nights of winter'.
267. Comp. Lysander's despatch exXiiKavn reti 'Aixvxt.
271. 'accuses you' of being well pleased.
275. The irreligious soul, from a Pythagorean point of view.
276. 'unfledged' 'inflated'; quite different metaphors, which is
a sign of excited feeling.
280. Lit. 'and who of messengers could attain this speed'. But
Prof. Karsten's correction should be adopted, ayyeXXuv.
281. There were three torch-races at Athens, I\po^six.'\{<pxi-
arsix, nuvxGyvxtx. Suid. S. v. XxptTrdSos.
283. Juno's stages, II. 14, 225, are Olympus, Athos, Lemnos,
Imbros, Ida.
286. From Hes. Th. 781. xyyeXiy TcuXtiTXi l* evpex vurx
188 COMMENTARY.
SaAa<r<r«$. vuTt&tv seems to be formed like keAjjti^v.
Comp. v£fi' iVtmv S7ri(idvTe<; Hes. Sc. 286. 7tjt«v vwtoutiv
e(pj(tevot; Theogn. 249. Several of the words in this
celebrated passage are chosen for their suggestiveness :
"iSy. tSe7v ; 'Epftcuov v. 283, eppx, the string of lights;
'AflSov v. 285, without damage; Mxk'kttov v. 289 the
stage of greatest length , nxxurrov <reXxq iEsch. Fr. 283
Did.; Evpinov v. 292, ftw% fair beam; Topyxviv v. 302,
AlyiirXzyxrov V. 303, «Jy<s and perhaps x'iyXvi; peyxipew
v. 304 Megaris , which country the light is then traver-
sing; 7ruyuvx V. 306, Tpotfyvtoq A<^»Jv ovru xxXov/tevoq
Suid. s. v. ; Trpwv' v. 307 , TIpuv was the hill on the side
of which Hermione stood Paus. 2. 34. No doubt there
are others which the Ed. has been unable to detect.
288. This passage is a direct imitation of the following: o 5'
xp ex Sivyq ccvopovaxq, vt'i%sv ttcSioio ttovI xpxt7rvo7<ri ite-
rsffixt Horn. D. 21. 245, where yi%sv stand first in a
verse. Compare also ibid. 302 rov 5' vtyirs yovvxr
eirfix xt<r<rovTO$ , and epfixvel axipTvmxTi y.trtrov Prom.
V. 676 , where fctrov is again first word. In Persae 470
7jjcr' is the reading of M. , most of the other Mss. have
295. Heath must grow to a much larger size in Greece than
with us, as is evident from Theocr. 5. 64 Spvrottos fu-
Xox'htIstxi rxq ipeitcxs. E. M. S. V. ipsixu. epeixy eilo$
Sev^pov evxepuG <rx,t&(ihou' yhro 5' ipeixtiq <rx>iirxviov
Suid. S. V. lyxY>.
301. Perhaps there is an allusion in (ppovpx to a block-house
guarded by Tfp<ToAoi.
304. urpOvs deapov is from hrpvvetv to/^tt^v Horn. Od. 7. 151;
8. 30; D. 10. 158. 'the edict' i. e. those who were to
execute it. Perhaps the earliest instance of the verb
[isyxlpeiv is Sol. Fr. 1. 2 pyM (teyxipe. xfteyxproq is
found in Horn., Hes., and at least twice in iEsch.
314. Lit. 'they win first and last alike, fulfilling the course by
taking up the running one from another'.
322. 'xtetQxp is liquid fat, oil; arexp hard fat, dripping; 5n/ueA>j
soft fat, like lard. Suid. s. v. ?n/t*eA»j.
323. 7rpo<;evve7rsw is 'to say with reference to' and so equals
'speak to' when you expect a reply, and 'speak of
when you do not.
COMMENT ABY. 189
327. Editors object without reason to the vulgate. The poet
wishes to remind us of such scenes as the death of
Priam. In the F. Scholia correct yiverxi QvtXx(iio$ (sic).
Compare tyvrxXfiiu nxrpi Soph. Fr, 538.
328. 'Heretofore' i. e. as before their slavery they used to do.
332. Seems to allude to some arrangement by drawing lots for
securing order at the l<m^<rs<$. Compare Ar. Eccl. 681
foil. xXypuru navrxq eu$ tiv e<Sfc><; o Xx%&v cctri^,
%xipuv iv oJFoiu y ptifipxri Se<?rve7 ktA.
335. aUpix is xiip uvvetpeXoq in which puKXov ty\i%tc; yivsrxi
Arist, Prob. 25. 18.
336. Comp. Menand. p. 96 Meineke. upirv eyob rov$ nXwaiovc;
ov arheiv tx$ vCmrxq , oi/Se arpityoiASVovt; ccvu xxru o'tfiot
Xsyeiv . vjSDv Is xxi npccov rtvx vnvov xx&evSeiv . xXKx ruv
"xrwxm tivx.
344. As if the whole course were a straight piece of wire which
the runner bends at the middle making the two halves
parallel to one another. The two strings of a sling were
called kuXx Suid. s. v.
345. kvu'tTtoq x6xvxToi<ri Hes. Op. 118. Clyt. is stating all the
chances against the victors : let them be as pious as they
will , they have shed much blood 5 and the spirits of the
dead will not rest until their slayers have paid the
penalties of homicide.
350. Lit. 'for I have chosen the enjoyment of many blessings'.
<rOv s<riXo7fftv TcoXeeaaw Hes. Op. 118.
351. evQpovui; 'cheerfully' because hopefully. The last two lines
of the queen's speech have two meanings. The Chorus
understand them to signify a sincere desire for the wel-
fare of the Greeks; or they speak insincerely and praise
her for that in which her speech was deficient. svQpuv
in iEsch. always means 'cheerful'. The gnome that a
sensible man will hold fast to good hope is of common
occurrence in Greek.
352. rexfttpKiv is uXydivov ffypetov, for gyiiauqv may be false.
Suid. s. v.
354. Lit. 'not unworthy of our pains' in the following ode.
355. r fl Zev — ttxvxXutov. The predication is blended with the
invocation. Thus fixaiXev equals 'assuredly thou art
king' and so on; and often elsewhere. Nt)!;' i<rri yxp
*i vv% 6go« vTTsp KOff/tov Procl. on Hes. Op. 17. Her
190 COMMENTARY.
peculiar yipxq is [tavTOffvvy a^ivSiq Orph. Fr. p. 168
C. Tauch.
358. (TTsyxvov is 'holding fast whatever is enclosed in it'. So of
a water-tight ship Supp. 134. Suid. s. v. to MuA<axov
tAsTsv; of a tower which keeps out the enemy Theb.
797; of a roof that keeps out wet, Diodorus cited by
Suid. s. v.
367. See Critical notes.
374. vovq syyevjq Soph. El. 1328; novoq eyyevyq ^sch. Cho. 466;
xfil.q eyyevsq iEsch. Stipp. 336; iyyevSJ xjjATSs t>j$ xxxixq
Plut. De Sera N. V. 20. syyovoq is 'produced in' not
necessarily from birth; enyovoq is 'born from'; syys^q
is 'born in', inherent from birth.
375. As this passage relating to the Trojans is directly taken
from II. 13. 620 foil., the student will do well to read
over the whole of Menelaus' speech. Sypiq \mlm Supp.
412. fl*po-o$ Si irpoq b'A(3« Hes. Op. 317.
376. Compare the phrase voXvq Tve7v.
378. o\(iioq oq vxUt hnvncivroq Hes. Th. 955. olx Hpx/txt tAoit
ts7v. oiS" £v%of4Xt , «AA' sixoi sly £t?v xno ruv oXiyuv
ixviliv £%ovti 7rovov Theogn. 1155.
379. roffffov xpuToq, o'ffffov snxpitslv Sol. Fr. 20. 1. xzxpKslv is
retained in deference to the Codex Fl. It should be
clearly understood by the reader that these quotations
from Hesiod Theognis and Solon are not given as il-
lustrations but as the actual source from which the ideas
and phrase of ^Eschylus were immediately derived.
380. This is directly from Theogn. 353 el yvupivtq eXxzeq pis'poq
and pierpov ex uv troQiviq v. 876, and remotely from Horn.
Od. 8. 547 oXiyov Tip i-xifyxioy} 7rpx7riS£trtTiV 'who has
even a slight touch of sense'. It may be observed in
passing that Theocr. 21. 4 x&v oA/yov wxroq rtq im-
4>xvcK<rt is taken directly from the latter passage; so
that 'and if he does get a little touch of night' will be
the poetic form of pixpov S 1 vxvov Xx%uv Xen. Anab. 3.
1. 4, and will approximate to Tennyson's 'and ever
failed to draw the quiet night into her veins'. Here
you may contrast the ancient and modern from of ex-
pression ; and observe how florid the latter is even in our
most chaste of poets. It should be added that the editors
wish to correct the passage in Theocr. ; for which see Paley.
COMMENTARY. 191
385. xcti us $&Tzt oivo$ Theogn. 503; pit vs (Zixcbtn yxary.p
ibid. 486 5 revinq St piv spyx (Zixrxi Sol. Fr. 5. 41.
386. 'fatal child of Ruin'. xQspnx; in JEsch. is applied only
to what is in the highe&t degree pernicious. "Atd is
here the goddess of death and destruction; Temptation,
her daughter and coadjutor by quasi-Hesiodic genealogy - .
387. ovSe xxbxpoiov evpwsi rxq zixttXxxizc, txvtx$ xxoq. fjri yctp
txCtx riji xSuc'h? xxl to SxtfiSvtov xtrvyyvvpoTxrov yiverxt.
Stob. 74, 61.
396. ov yxp roiys xXvovrtv , x7ro7rruovo~t %4 r xpx$ Hes. Op. 724.
Mepi^e Xirxm Apoll. Rh. 2. 477. vDv e%«v nxXivrpoTrov
tyiv iv Xitx7o~iv ^Esch. Supp. 173.
397. 'each' is taken out of oi/V<«, as always in this sort of
sentence. The meaning required for e7rl<rTpo(pcv is clear,
but it is a singular fact that it only occurs in Gram-
marians in this sense of 'worshipper, one who turns
towards a god in prayer'. Prof. Weil cites Eustathius
Opuscula 2. 48; 247. 10. There is besides Moschop.
Hes. Op. 725 where also ixio-TpoQii is 'worship', and
tov Aiot; e7rio-TpoQ}) E. M. s. v. (Seiopxi. For this use of
Sij compare SoxsTts S*j Prom. V. 955, rx$ erxipilxc; S$
Xen. Hell. 4. 56 , <piXov<; $$ ovtx$ Thuc. 6. 80 and often.
407. pipQx is partly like xoVQx (Ztfixq Hes. Sc. 223 and partly
like pzSius = 'temere'. It occurs Hes. Sc. 342, 378-
Compare 'domo levis exsilit' Hor. Sat. 2. 6. 98.
408. Lit. 'daring things not to be dared'. «tA»t« ireirovSws
Theogn. 1029; Theocr. 25. 203.
411. <tt<j3o<. 'form' as in the phrase 'a hare's form'.
412. u.Tl[iuq is from vim in the sense of 'penalty' as in the
verb sTtrtfixv. In fact -riyw appears to be radically a
neutral word like 'pretium' 'cum et recte et perperam
facto pretium deberetur' Livy. 5. 47. If xyda^xi comes
from a root of neutral signification, e. gr. xyxv, it can
mean (1) 'regard as in excess', and so, of a good thing ,
'admire', or (2) of a bad thing 'disparage'. With the latter
interpretation Horn. II. 3. 224 is sound, though rejected
by all the editors, ol tots y uV ""OSvayos xyxsaoifii^
eilo$ ISovrec;. Odyss. 10. 249 is like it, «AA' tire l* ynv
■xxvTtq x?xcrcrxf*£&' ef-tpeovrsc; 'regarded him as overdoing
his sorrow and silence' 'surprised at him', with a
mixture of contempt.
192 COMMENTARY.
413. &h<rrx lSs7v. So Xevtcuv }$e7v at the extremities of a verse
Supp. 720. kxXXkttov elqiletv infra v. 900. xSvjfio^uv
has a neuter ace. like Sxtpovuv ax* Ar. Thesm. 1054.
Contrast a woman's frantic grief at the sight of the mar-
riage bed in the case of Jocasta Soph. 0. R. 1242, of
Deianira Trach. 913, of Halcyone Ov. Met. 11. 471
foil. The grief of Menelaus is silent <r<y«s, which is
the exact meaning of uSy/xoviTiv. 2jt#$ yxp 2<' onovv
uxboftsvoq tjjv tyvZW ?"S AvsroDv saXxXuv S7riK0v(pi^£i t>js
ulvifiovixq to $upo$ Aristeen. 1. 17. By this word Suid.
and E. M. explain uXvstv, xXvirbxivetv , xXvo-asiv. xo-x^X-
Xetv , u.7rope7v , xftvix&vsw-
416. Tolq rpo7rxiot$ xxi ro7q noXo<rcro7$ Plut. de Her. M. p. 225.
where it may mean merely ' statues'. For the custom comp.
(in addition to Eur. Ale. 248. 356) 'imagines defuncti,
quas ad habitum dei Liberi formaverat , divinis percolens
honoribus ipso sese solatia cruciabaf Apul. Met. 8. 7.
417. '%^p«; verbum Venereum est, et Attici ^«p/evr« xxtlrxfix
xopdrix vocant puellas in quorum oculis apparet (txx^o-
awYi" D. Heins. Hes. p. 127. £«p<$ yxp ovv *i rov
bviXeuq V7T£t^tq ru xppevi xex\v\rxi nplq ruv ttxXxiuv
Plut. Amat. 5. This is the meaning also infra v. 421.
418. xxwixts is, in this passage, from « and xe^va, i. e. JEsch.
uses it in that sense, and his is the only derivation of
any importance for the interpretation of his poems. Love
is an affection which flows Qe7 and so spas) from the
eyes of the loved one through the eyes of the lover into
his soul. This derivation may seem absurd, but, for the
student of Greek Literature, it is the only right one.
Eur. proposed Trreput; but only playfully.
426. txxx yxp <re Trxpspx^foa, u$ ovxp. %$y> Theoc. 27. 8. So
Prof. Conington makes 'volucri Somno Virg. iEn. 2. 794
equal to Somnio and at ib. 6. 282 the 'Isomnia vana' are
in the form of birds.
430. t\yi<thlcIpIk>$ is formed like rxXcmzplioq Hes. Sc. 429, and
has the meaning indicated in the Critical note.
432. %«pf7 vpoq vfirxp Sty Soph. Ai. 938. iqifidao-xro bvpov 'laid
his hand on my soul' Horn. II. 20. 425.
435. From Horn. II. 7 333 arxp Kxrxxtoftsv xvroCq, rvrfov
x7T07rpo veuv, uq k oarsx 7rxt&iv exxaroq o'ikxS xyy , or
&v xvrs veufte&x nxrpiSa <yx7xv.
COMMENTARY. 193
437. Ares is like a money-changer who gives gold for small
coin, little gold for much inferior metal; since he takes
the corpse and gives back a few precious ashes.
441. pxpv. The gold is heavy, and the ashes are the cause of
much grief.
443. fvfleTov?. The specific gravity is great but the quantity
of the gold (i. e. ashes) is small , so that the vessel con-
taining it may be called light, evberov trdxoq Sept. 642.
evterotq h ap(lv\xn; Msch. Fr. 255.
454. sv(iop(poi Mss. Pal ey's interpretation 'unburnt', which Herm.
would accept if the reading were ewopQoi , is untenable
for the following reasons. The custom at Troy 1. c. is
for the Greek bodies to be burnt and the ashes brought
home; the Trojans burn their dead and then bury them;
for it is the native land of the deceased. Some Greek
heroes, as Patroclus, seem to have had their bones,
after burning , enclosed in cinerary urns and then buried
in the Troad II. 23. 244. Apparently , there is no other
mode of burial. Ajax, Soph. Ai. 1403, died by suicide ,
and in such a case the form of burial was certainly
different in some respects, and probably in this, that
he was buried entire. Without doubt the full rites in-
cluded burning both in the time of Homer and of Thu-
cydides (2. 52 end; 2. 34). In the case of an enemy
burial without burning appears to be the custom ; it was
the more careless and unceremonious mode. Thus the
body of Astyanax has an Ipvuros rdQoq Eur. Tro. 1153;
but the Seven are burnt, Eur. Supp. 349. Rhesus is
burnt, Eur. Rh. 960. Alcestis was intended to be burnt,
Eur. Ale. 739. Polyxena's pyre is raised by the Greeks
themselves, for she is the bride of Achilles, Eur. Hec.
574, 575. But even if some corpses were buried entire
iv(*op<poi could not express so much. We want a word
which will express the difference between resting at Troy
in the polyandrion heaped over their ashes, and being
carried home across the sea. The objections, then, to
this interpretation are, (1) the Homeric account; (2) the
indignity to brave men; (3) the custom of the time
of iEsch. (4) the inadequateness of the word evpofQoi
to express it. ZvftopQoi is a gloss written to fl'xaAo*,
the Doric "form of evxyXot. Which of these two forms
13
194 COMMENTARY.
is to be chosen is uncertain, but evxxXot is the cause
of the gloss. Compare evSov 3' evwXoi Horn. Od. 14.
479 ; and evxyXoi Sixyovatv ev} aQerepoiffi 26fioi<riv Horn.
H. Heph. 7 from which this passage seems to be derived.
It is not clear that the Spartans buried the corpse
without burning, Diet. Ant. p. 555, for Pausanias was
a criminal, Thuc. 1. 134, and the passage in Plut. proves
nothing. evxyXoi occurs Hes. Op. 669.
458. Lit. 'and exacts the debt imposed by a curse which the
people sanctions'.
463 — 467. 'Eptvveq. roi)$ Se nctfiirxv xvixrovq xnuvxnevYiq t>jc
Aixnjq. y rpiryf xxl aypiUTdrvi rav ASpxffTeizq vnovpyuv
Ep<vt)$ olxTpwq ts xxl xxXe-nuq HicxvTxq kQzvkts xxi
xxreSvffev el$ to xppviTOv xxl xopxTOv Plut. de Sera N.
V. 22, who here lays down the Orphic doctrine more
clearly than Plato Phaed. 70. By xlo-rot, then, JEsch.
means the spirits of unjust men undergoing punishment
after their existence on earth is closed. It is the vmvpvoi
of Hes. Op. 153. "Avev lixxq xpxvphv is from Hes. Op.
319 el yd; ri$ xxi %epo~i fiiy y.syxv '6\(iov xpyTXi piix
Se fxt'j (Attvpcvfft kcOi. Ovriq ItKxx. xxxov 3 ovx UtraiTxi
xXxd Hes. Th. 876. reXe6u<n Op. 199. w$e Qxvelabxi
TOiq ev uiov irpoq Poybetxv ov&e t>jv rpvtpyv, ovSe rx$
iroXvxpx'Tovs rtfAxs, Damascius ap. Suid. s. v. xpvuixTumbs.
The unjust man after death is in the hands of Adrasteia
from whom there is no escape. 'A<<tto<$. Theog. 152
xvlpl Z ixeXXet (ZfD$) %«p>jv oilepixv tefievxi. Linus
Fr. 1. 3 K?f zq . x" re fiefiv.Km o%\ov xiffruaai zrxiq
7tepi ■ZXVTtt. 7T£$U<ri.
469. (Zzpv — cyxoiq. y /KvrVtjf vQeupxro to $Apo$ tov o'lxov xxl
tov oyxov Plut. Amat. 2. ev oyxoiq yip elirt to re o%i>
xxi to fix pii Philop. ap. Suid. s. v. o%<>. tov oyxov rye,
T\jpxvv'iloq ib. S. v. Tifieptos. xxtx te npoyovuv 'oyxov
Dion. H. ib. s. v. TloaTOfnoq. el toiovtov r,v oyxu to
&ov Babr. 28.
481. nvpubevTct xxplixv — xxpelv. The metaphor is given in the
Trans. The heart's 'catching fire from the fever-poison'
is probably in strict conformity with medical science in
the time of ^sch. xupelv alludes to the languor and
prostration which follow upon febrile excitement. See
also vv. 1172, 1255.
COMMENTARY. 195
483. xixw in at least three places in JEsch. is equal to 6v/u6<.
P. V. 405, Cho. 630 and here. They are from syno-
nymous roots iiiairu and Mu.
484. Trpb rov (pxvevro$ is x-pb nvbq QuvSvtos just as you write
■xfb <rov and not irpd <rov. The grammarians confine this
rule to personal pronouns; if they are right we must
read 5rp6 tow. Lit. 'before the appearance of anything'.
'In preference to what is clearly seen' is absurd, and
thoroughly untrue.
485. ^-tflavol Ss ovruq slat T»vfc uqre srp'iv slSevou to it par'
ropevov Tporepov jrf<flefffl«< Xen. ap. Suid. s. v. This
is precisely what the poet says 'women are prone to
credit what is pleasing, before it is actually proved to
be true'. There is a double meaning in Zpoq (1) 'axiom,
or, admitted truth' (2) 'boundary land'. The right
interpretation of this passage was discovered by Donald-
son to whose genius and genuine scholarship we are so
greatly indebted.
492. $Y.\u><rui ' Ttctfk to <r(pdXXu £. M. s. v. airv(pY.\o$.
494. udriq ttjjAoD tc'oviq. This relationship was probably so de-
fined by Pythagoras ; else it is a poetic expansion of one
of his ipse-dixits. From him no doubt Plato derived
that which is ascribed to him by Apuleius De Dogm.
PL 1. 8 'et sicut ignis aeri cognatione conjungitur ita
humor terrena affinitati jugatur'. They mean, 'a proof
from something of an opposite nature to fire, and of a
"more substantial character'. With ccvxvSoq cp. ayyeXoq
HtQloyyoq of a fire signal, Theogn. 549.
500. Lit. 'may an adjunct to fair appearances turn out fairly'.
501. This is a demonstrative proof that they understood the
queen's prayer at v. 349 rb V eZ xpareoj to mean 'that
which is favourable to me'.
505. fxyenrwv lit. 'snapped'; but when the cable snaps the ship
is wrecked, rvx&v seems to be from a different me-
taphor, or it is used in its unfigurative use.
507. 'grave-land share' is opposed to a share of land for cul-
tivation during life.
511. cTo-fla II. 10. 450, 'ibis'. It has not yet been clearly put
by any editor that in Soph. Ai. 172 foil. "Apre^q
T«t/poToA« and 'EwdXios are proposed by the Chorus
as the probable agents of the madness of Ajax because
13*
196 COMMENTARY.
they were indigenous divinities; that is Soph, with imper-
fect knowledge of the localities regards the Artemis of
the Taurian peninsula (this is all that TxvpoxSXz means)
and v Ap»js the Thracian war-god, as gods of the land;
and they pray that Phoebus of the Argive land, v. 187,
may put forth a more powerful influence in favour of
Ajax.
520. If he said (pztSpeut; tSSvres oftftzviv (Voss, Weil) it would
imply that that they were not then looking with glad
eyes.
526. The time for sharpening the share £«pa<r<rs/Kf'vo<o viStpov
and turning up the soil was at the setting of the Pleiads,
so that for this reason alone we could not be very much
offended with line 826 of this play. See Hes. Op. 382,
608. — (laxSXXyv' to nxpx roi$ xoivols r%x7riov Moschop.
1. c. The philologists must decide whether rtyniov has
anything to do with 'spade'.
528. The metaphor is taken from clearing land.
532. ffWTsXets ovv ot <rvv2x7rxv2vre$ xxl ffwetsQeponres Suid. S. V.
535. pvfftz ¥ovt£s Sol. Fr. 19. 3 is said of unjust men punished
by the gods. Here it seems to be 'the property seized
by Paris and claimed back by the Atreidae.
537. SixXa ace. to Hes. Op. 709 21$ ro<ra rivvtrixi fitftvv.nfoos.
kfidprtov is rightly explained by Sch. F. 6 pur&bq rye,
kfizprizq.
539. Non jam mortem deprecor. Sail. J. 24 end. In Soph. Fr.
494 Did. avrxipovtrtv' avriXsyovaiv , read xvrepoviriv.
542. votr^fi 'epuros tout e(pi[iepov xxxov Soph. Fr. 646.
543. h<nr6<ru, not 'master the meaning of but 'make the^tate-
ment my own; own to it'; so Seo-irS&tv (p6(Z>)$ Choeph. 188.
546. 'latere petitus imo spiritus'; a sign of love.
548. 0A<£|3»j is Lat. 'malum' the punishment of slaves, rvpdwuv
Fl. V. and xoipdvuv F. in the next line are glosses on
2eo~7roruv written by some one who took offence at the
comparison.
550. Nunc est profecto interfici cum perpeti me possem Ter.
Eun. 3. 5. 3.
554. Travxirviiim Hes. Op. 809.
555. ov$£ nor'' vifixp Trxfoovrxt xxpdrov xxl b'i£vo$. oils rt
yvxrup (p&sipofisvot — «AA' ff*?rj}$ xxl ro7<ri fiepit-erzi
Jo-flA* xxxo7<r'tv Hes. Op. 174. The herald complains in
COMMENTARY. 197
v. 557 that they had only xxxx without the admixture
of labxd.
556. wdpvi%ts seems to be the same as 7rdpo$o$ 'a passage from
one end of the deck to the other by the side of the
rowers, Lat. 'agea',' L. and S. ndpoSov xxi e?r</3«0p«v
Artemid. III. proem, 'gang-way' in both senses.
560. The generation of dew is accurately described Arist. Meteor.
1. 10; Apul. de Mundo 8.
562. The common interpretation of 'hfapov 'like that of wild
beasts ' having been at length deservedly exploded , some
editors have fallen back on Stanley's conj. «vfl>jpdv which
is even worse. Something might be said, in despair,
for evtypov but «vfljjpov is a blunder without any redeeming
feature. For it means 'like a flower' in glossiness, luxu-
riance, richness of colour, and curliness: compare, for
example, I?r«vfle7v' o <r*iftuivei (axWov to SoktO E. M. s. v.
eirevvvo&e , — TrXoxxfJtot avfljjpo'i xxi svxvXot Callist. Ecphr.
p. 524 Aldine Ed. rpi%bq #v0«o-*v ibid. 'Like the hyacinth'
in the Odyssey is rightly referred by Hayman to the curl
of the petals. Again , if Stanley's conj. be said to mean
'grey', «vflo? has in itself no notion of whiteness. In a
word like QdXxv6o$, «vfl signified 'sprouting', and $«A
the whiteness; so (pxXxxpos is 'white at top' and Suid.
s. v. is mistaken. Xevxxvteq xdpx Soph. 0. T. is another
place where avfl has no shade of white in it, and 3v-
6kt(4svov Soph. El. 43 is wrongly rendered by Jebb ' with
this silver hair'; it should be 'thus tricked out', as
Wunder and others. That nothing may be left unsaid
in vindication of that impossible reading xvfapov, there
is Hes. Fr. p. 312 D. Heyne xxi ydp <r0iv xs(PxX%<n
xxrx xpvoq xlvbv e%evev , xXtpoq yxp xt° x nxvrx xxt£-
<r%e&ev' ev $s vv £«7t«< eppsov ex xeQxheuv' J/jAwto Si-
xxXx xdpyjvx, and Plut. Quaest. Nat. 6. where dew is
said to have a septic property, to Syxrtxov. Hes. Op.
537 "vx rot rpi^e^ XTpepeuei iay\1' op6«t <ppi<T<rw<riv asi-
pofxevxi xxrx <rwpx. The last is of hair standing erect
through cold, and if the Ed. is right it was not this
passage which iEsch. had in mind but ibid. 553, 554.
The considerations in support of efiireSov rivo$ rAivres
h hpuv Tp<^< eabYipxTuv are the following. Hesiod re-
commends for winter clothing (and ^sch. is speaking of
1 98 COMMENTARY.
cold weather) undergarments of wool, ox-leather boots
with linings of compressed wool, a kid-skin cloak, and
a felt cap covering the ears, 7v« ivsroq) ovxtx w xxrx-
Sevy v. 552, and (ayttots a ovpxv6dsv axoroev v&tyoq
afAQiKctXCtyy, XfUTu, ts pvSxXs'ov flffvj. tcxrx 8' s"(axtx
$ev<ri>i Op. 553, 554. Tp/^e? means the hair and skin
Horn. Od. x 239. Hesiod states that the North wind
can penetrate every kind of skin and hair except a
sheep's rpi%eq , and , probably without knowing that Hes.
had said it 26 centuries before him, a writer in the
Times shortly before the army started for the Crimea
gave warning that no amount of woollen clothing, but
only sheep-skin with the wool, would avail against the
cold in that peninsula. Among the chiefs at Troy, Paris
and Menelaus wear leopard-skins H. x. 29: y. 17, the
common soldiers probably wore sheep-skins in winter;
caps made of the skin of various animals are frequently
mentioned in the Iliad. Lastly Ibycus p. 218 Schneid.
speaks of arspCpuTtipx trrpxrov 'an army clothed in skins',
and Theogn. v. 55 aAA' (o/ Tpoo-fl') xp<p\ TrXevpytri Sopxq
alyuv xxrsrpifiov.
569. to livnTor" etc. gives the result or consequence of the state-
ment made, exactly as v. 15 to h<»j fiefixiuq etc.
571. tov %uvtz y xXyslv xpt. The dead have no further cause
for grief, but the living have, for they are still exposed
to the caprices of fortune. So iEsch. Fr. "AvriXox
X7rotfiwj;6v jtcg tov Teflv>jjeoTO$ tov £«vt# pxXXov.
Soph. Fr. 785 <rv $' xvSfx Svjjtov si xxTeQbiro arsvsn
slSuq to jueAAov ovSsv si xepSot; Qspsi.
572. See Critical note.
575. norupsvoiq is a direct allusion to Theogn. 237 foil.
577. Sfaors in order to mean 'of yore' must be for %fa nors.
584. Comp. Anth. 6. Ill xxxov 5' svrl ytpzoq w*7v xXXvroq
i)@x<nc£t yviorxxvis 7revit), Philost. V. S. s. v. Herodes
xxXov x'xi yyipdaxovri to (Axv&xvstv , JEsch. Supp. >i(ZSbvrx
S" svyXuffo-u (ppsvi. sv pxbelv is equal to svpxQeaiv slvxi
'to be quick at learning', just as Svo-f*x0s7v Choeph-
225 is 'to be slow at learning (who I am)'.
590. (ppvxTupoq is 'a man who tends a signal -fire'. Paley accents
rightly with Schutz, but translates wrongly.
592. 'parvis mobili rebus muliebri animo' Livy 6. 34.
COMMENTARY. 190
597. Kxtvovvrst; is 'consecrating a thing when it is first used'.
607. Swixutwv xvvx is from Hes. Op. 602. The next line is from
Sol. Fr. 5. 5 yXvx\>v uh QiXote; ix&fo7<ri 5e irixpftv.
609. tx TXfxelx <rvfA*}vx/*evo$ xxreXstnev Plut. Instt. Lac. 23.
611. 'mulier sine culpa, sine fabula'. Apul. De Magia 69.
612. The passage in Plutarch is the following: xp oZv xpxo-'n;
ri$ »iv xxi Qu.pyLu.%1c, tuv irxXxi tsxvituv irepi rov xxKmv
uc,7rep ii XsyofiivYi tuv %i(puv STOfAuaic. vj$ ixXi7rovffyt(
exexeifixv fffjge notenixuv t-pywv b %x\x6$\ de Pyth. Or.
p. 102 (C. Tauchn.), It is evident that he is not alluding
to the existence of any 'dye' for bronze, but to some
alloy which in time produced the bluish-green colour:
for he goes on to speak of 'Corinthian brass' which
neither he nor any one else, we may presume, ever
supposed to be dyed. He also proves that there was a
well-known tradition of some long lost mode of temper-
ing copper to the strength of steel, as in the follo-
wing: Six rov %x\xov Ss tx yeupytxx spyx eipydfyvTO ,
Six tivoc, (3x0%$ <rr£(po7roK>vvTS$ cevTOv Mosch. Hes. Op.
150. SlX TIVOC, fixffic, TOV %«AX0V ffT£pp07T0t0VVTSq, '6vTX
(pvffsi fixXxxov ixXi7roi<rniq Ze Ttjc, (3xQ%$ S7ri rvjv tou
criStipov xpyiriv eAfle7v, Procl. 1. C. %xXx<t~i$ yxp to tt«-
Xxibv xxi oVAo<< xxi t-tQetri xxi yiwpytxolq epyxXsioiq
£%puvT0. fixtpy rtv"i txvtx vtoiaovvtsc,' «ToAAv/t*evvjs
Se TYiq (TTOfJiovo-vis (ZxQyc, tov xxXxm . ^pw^efia ru atSvipu
J. Tz. 1. c.
615. Lit. 'thus she told her tale to you a learner {who have
much to learn about her conduct} cleverly in the opinion
of sharp-witted interpreters (those who know the whole
story) of her words. There is no reason for hesitation
in the case of Topo7<riv ippyvBvo-iv. Cp. Soph. Fr. 305,
Didot: xxi tov fleov toiovtov i%67riffTX/jcxi . irotpolq p£v
xhixTvipx fevQuTwv X£i. axxioiq $£ QuvXov xav /3pa^e7
StSdrxxXov ,
such, as I've learned, is god: he speaks his will
always in riddles to the wise; to fools
he is a poor and curt interpreter.
620, 1. ne me in breve conjicias tempus gaudio hoc /also frui'
Ter. Hec. 5. 4. 2. xi%xtfxi, because without ovx eo-fl'
07ruq the form would be £t Xtt-xipt ovx av xxp*o7vto.
623. <r%«r6^vT« txSs , i. e. T«A>jfl5? and tx x£$vd, the other com-
200 COMMENTARY.
binations being t«A*j0J? xxxx, and tx $£»$% xehd. Si-
milarly Evenus Fr. 3 irpot; aotp'tx pev e%eiv t'oXuxv pdXx
(rvfi^ofov £<tti, x u P l $ & fiXxfiepj. That is pupix with
roXfta, and <ro(pia with leiXix are not good.
626. kvxxfieiq e^xvZq. This is the Homeric account, which
iEsch. does not follow; Horn. Od. 3. 151, 168. xoivov
is 'common to the whole fleet'.
641. The dead body is xyoq, hence et-xyi&iv may be said of
carrying a corpse out of a house. But the 'callida
junctura' gives the word a new meaning as if it might
also come from e^dystv to drive out. The latter is more
prominent, and is so rendered in the Trans.
645. rov$' is rovS' xyyeXov.
649. (jeopvivttz twv kxXxaaim Sxtfiovuv Procl. Hes. Op. 664.
651. itvp vSxri (tiyvvvzi. to 7rxpot[ttx%6(*svov ev rolq xSvvxtok;
Plut. de Primo Frigore p. 410 (C. T.); see Theogn. 1245.
659. 'Turn mare velivolum fiorebat navibm' Lucr. 5. 1441. 'At-
TtKUTspov Ss ro A'iyxiov Suid. s. v. whom the Ed. was
unwilling to follow, in the absence of any confirmation.
Alyatov contains an allusion to dtysq and so keeps up
the imagery in xspoTVTtovpsvxi, 7roifihoq <rrpo|3w and v.
670 - , for to, fisyxXx kv/autcl xlyxq ev rji irvvjjfle/^
Xeyofisv Artimid. 2. 12. 'vagues' and 'Waegen, Wogen'
contain the same root as xlysg ace. to Reiffius 1. c. who
quotes the erroneous explanation of Varro de L. L. 4
'JEgseum dictum ab insulis — a similitudine caprarum '.
Compare also AlyxTov neXzyoq' to (pofiepwTXTov Suid.
s. v. so that it was a proverb, as in Hor. 'tutum per
iEgseos tumultus'.
660. vexpuv jrep* % vxvxytuv ov$s iwsvoovv xiT%o~xt xvxipeo~tv Thuc.
7. 72; in which passage the vexpol are the dead bodies
floating in the water, and the vxvdyix the wrecks as
containing many corpses in the lower decks; otherwise
avxipsirtq would not be either asked , or said of the latter.
So vxvdytov to a Greek would mean nearly the same as
ttoXXqi vexpoi.
662. 'saved either by fraud or intercession'. Instances of si-
milar rescues occur in Homer; but both verbs seem to
be taken from the law-courts at Athens.
664. xel le xyxbv> $ xxfetyftevti [Tvxv) Artemid. 2. 37. % riv xXXov
ex /xvxxvijs flfcv c7ri tS xxpxw'ivi xzQe&fAevov Luc. de M. C. 1.
COMMENTARY. 201
677. ctvov curb £Aw;ot7 rx/xvitv Hes. Op. 751. £u6v re xxi xp-
repix Horn. II. 5. 515. xxi £wvt« xxi 6x?.Xovtx Soph.
Trach. 235. #Awp$v* rb xxpxfyv. MevxvSpoq. Harp. s. v.
682. iq tI -nxv occurs eight times in the Eumenides.
683. nvi riq i. e. one of the daemons 'quos licet sentire, non
datur cernere' Apul. Flor. 2. 10. The only visible di-
vinities are the sun, moon and stars Apul. de Deo. S.
1 and 2. 7rpovoixi<rt is the knowledge of the individual's
poipx possessed by the daemons. Plutarch (after Plato,
and Plato interpreting the Orphic doctrines) explains
7Tp6vOlX (1) VJ TQV 7TpUT0V &£0V (tOV TtdvTUV TTXTpOq T£ XXI
SyfftiGvcyov) vowiq fire xxi (iovXyaiq. (2) »j Ssvrspuv flewv,
twv xxt' olpxvov lovTiov (sun , moon and the other opyxvx
xpovov, 'hands of Time'), (3) ^pivotd re xxi TrftpMetx
twv otroi 7rep°i y>Jv Suluovsq rerxyfihot twv xvdfwirivwv
7rp£%ewv (pvXxxeq re xxi e7rio~xo7rol slat. De Fato 9.
686. x,(i(Ptvnxy Ayxveipxv Soph. Tr. 104.
689. 'Death-knell of navies etc' This trans, is given as being
slightly less odious than that which has hitherto been
adopted by translators. The word 'hell' is so entirely
theological, un-Attic, and in every way objectionable
that it ought on no account to be admitted.
692. yiyxq is the same as yviyevviq. ovq xxXeovat yiyxvrxq
ovvexx rife iyevovro Orph. Fr. 50; so E. M. h yvyevHq
crpxroq Tiytivrm Soph. Trach. 1058. fiSe* rijqyeveffsuq
(twv xvepuv) xp%ij StjAov uq ex yyq e<rriv Arist. Meteor.
2. 4. venti, qui facti e telluris halitu constent terrigenee
nuncupantur, Apul. de Mundo c. 10. rov yviyevYi xxi
Xep<rx7ov xepx is opposed to rlv evxXov xx~i 7reX^yiov
Plut. de Pr. Fr. 20. A wind blowing off the land, which
Helen would require, is called xiroyeix Arist. Probl. 26.
23 , 25 to ex rviq yyq tj.os t>jv QxXxttxv nvevfAu yevo-
fxevov. Lastly ytyxvToq has a side-meaning of xtrtfiovq
xxi 6eofji!/%ou Suid. S. V. yyyevelq, as in yv.yevei Qv<rt(*xrt
Ar. Ran. 825 and nplq rovq Tvyevelq Ar. Nub. 853.
That the winds were believed to be earth-born in the
Orphic Theogony is clear from Suid. and E. M. s. v.
. rpiTozdropeq. Thus we have the three meanings (1) earth-
born, like all winds; (2) blowing off land, proper to
this particular wind; (3) breathing the impious spirit of
the Giants (Typhos, Kottos, Briareus, Gyges all wind-
202 COMMENTARY.
gods). yiyxvroq' fisydXov, iffxupov E. M. S. V. is a
wrong interpr. of this word.
698. xe£t<pvXXov$, the genuineness of which is beyond doubt, is
from Hes. Op. 392 «$ ts< exxarx upt' xe%iTxt. Compare
iEsch. Supp. 856 vlup evdev xe%6ftevov xlftx (iporo7<Ti idXXsi.
700. Pandora is x<\lzx Xvypx Hes. Op. 49.
706. sx<Pxru$. Svo-Qdria v, 1152. &(Pxt6$ re 0xr6q re Hes.
Op. 3.
707. From Hes. Sc 273 foil, rol 5' &v$pes ev xyXxixn; re xopo7$
ts reptyiv s%ov — ttoXvs 2' vpevxtos opupet. See on v. 737.
709. (AerxpxvQdvovffx is accurately explained in Suid. s. v. ixx^fix.
711. p4yx (rrhsi. From Hes. Sc. 90 foil. v\-xov ttoXXx pe-
TfirTov«x»X £T ' oir'urvu tjv xryv oxeuv. xixXfoxa is
especially used of a cognomen: 'A$po3<T>iv xtxXy<rxov<riv
Hes. Th. 197 from x(ppoq. xopvvtrviv xvSpeq xtxXtffxovtriv
Horn. II. 7. 138; a(p' ov 2>j 'Vyjyiov xtxXfoxsrxi iEsch.
Fr. 324, and often.
712. xh&Xexrpov. In the marriage-hymn he was svXtxrpoq.
714. XxfA7rpwq. Xxpnpuq ISelv Choeph. 810. Xxunpx pxprv'pix
Eum. 797. Xxpnpue; xovllv xlvixrvipiu*; Prom. V. 833
which equals ivxpyuq Sept. 139. XeXvphuv Xxficrpuq
t«v (tttovSwv ThtlC. 2. 7 Xx(t7rpu$ eXeyero ibid. 8. 67
where the Schol. explains by 0xvspu<;, xvxptpio-pvrvtrut;.
txvt ovv B7rs^v\ Xxftnpx tTvftfixivii Soph. Trach. 1174
where the Sch. (pxvspd. vxtyy. 7rp6$viXx. Xx/*7rpws' to
0xvepuq. ov to ev$6£a$ Suid. s. v. The phrases in which
fljjv occurs are, in Homer ov 6»v, twice; ov ph fluv,
twice; nuAet;? fljjv . Xsi^ere fi>jv . 5 fltiv , twice; 5j fl^v nov.
\ fl>jv pev pxXx, ou Nv oiX , uq 5>jv xxl yxp 6>jv. Jtc*
fl>jv. — in Theocritus, rv fljjv. twice, xxi ydp Sjjv «<v6$
()jjv Xeysrxi ri$. Xiyoyaq Se npuuv 0»jv , Tf/p^t 6wv -kxvtx
rsXeJrxi. In ^flgv (Prom. V. 202, 986 etc.) fluv is
shortened to flev, as p*»jv to /bcv.
717. The false notion that Paris is the subject of this allegory
of the lion's cub arose from the mention of him v. 713
But he is introduced there only for the purpose of show-
ing the mistake which was made in calling him svxsx-
rpoq , and Helen is the burden of all these four first
strophes and antistrophes.
718. xyxXxxrov is 'weaned from his mother's milk', xiroysya-
Xxxrifffievov.
COMMENTARY. 203
720. irporsXeio^ contains a side-meaning of nplv evreX% ye-
723. '£<t% , 'haesit' Herm. The meaning should rather be as
Prof. Weil would have it like exe7voq 5' xvrl (t& xvviSiov)
Hxrixuv ev rote; koXttou; Ps-Babr. App. 6. 6.
725. Compare npviiveiv eir) %eipx Hes. Op. 795. xvvty<re rxt ?rp^
t»Jv %tipx xxtenep xvuv Philost. Apoll. 3. 4. The Ed.
has followed Bamberger and others , in construing <rxlvuv
re Qxi$puiro$-7TOTi-%67px.
728. *jdoq is very common in Hes. and Theognis. Nothing could
be more complete and absolutely certain than Professor
Conington's correction of this and the strophic line. The
metre and the sense are alike thoroughly changed to
that which is exactly right. For instance, no one would
think of Mo$ in such a passage ; and in all the precisely
similar passages the word is JJflos, Pind. Ol. 11. 21,
Philost. Apoll. 4, 38, Plut. de Sera N. V. 20. rpdwot;-
fyo$ Suid. vi&oq xvbpu7rov Sxipuv a saying attributed to
Heraclitus is either an Ionicism or we should read
Uoq Plut. Plat. Qusest. 1.
733. UfAxxov The meaning 'prodigious', which is so common
in later writers, seems to be got by a confusion with
x/zxifidicsroq {hToq Horn. Od. %. 311); as to the deriva-
tion E. M. hesitates between iwxoq. fuupdm* , and a*^%».
JEsch. uses it in that sense derived from ftdx*!-
737. 'evoaurpov lit X7ry\v^^ yyovT xv$p\ yvvxtux and the rest of
the passage Hes. Sc. 273-, see Stesich. Fr. 27 Bgk. We
must imagine Paris and Helen riding in a chariot from
the ship to the city while the Trojan citizens sing songs
of love and marriage, and scatter roses, myrtle, violets,
quinces. Gower C. A. Book 5 tells the story remarka-
bly well:
Paris vnto the quene wente
and Mr in both his armes hente
with hym, and with his felauship;
and forth thei beare hir vnto ship.
Up goth the saile, and forth thei wente:
692. and suche a wynde fortune hem sent
696. till thei the hauen of Troie caught,
where out of ship anone thei straught,
and gone hem forth towarde the towne:
204 COMMENTARY.
706, 7, 8. the whiche came with procession
„ ayene Paris, to sene his praie.
„ And euery man began to saie
„ to Paris and to his felauship
„ all that they couthen of worship.
„ Was none so littell man in Troie
„ that he ne made mirthe and joye,
„ of that Paris had wonnen Heleyne.
But all that mirthe is sorow and peyne
to Helenus and to Cassandre.
1156. For thei it tolden shame and sklandre
395, 6. and losse of all the common grace,
401. that Paris out of holy place
402. by stelth hath take a mans wife:
whereof he shall lese his life
715,1305. and many a worthy man thereto,
1171. and all the citee be fordo,
whiche neuer shall be made ayene.
And so it fell right as thei seyne:
70. the sacrilege whiche he wrought
was cause why the grekes sought
unto the town, and it belaie,
and wolden neuer part awaie,
till what by sleight and what by strength
thei had it wonne in brede and length,
818. and brente and slayne that was within.
ndpxvrx is itxp xlirx along of this, i. e. 'like this'.
742. (ixXixxov. «AA' fEpaq) e%x7rrsrxi ptx^xKuq . xxi itx^ov
ohv ixriicuv iavTov Pint, de Am. 4. He tries to describe
the glance which, for all its softness, pierces the soul.
743. hZ'dv/jcov tcvios. The metaphor is as yet unexplained.
Perhaps the allusion is only to the bewitching beauty of
some flowers.
744. «AA# 7rctpxXiva<ri Hes. Op. 260.
750. yep uv Xoyoq. See Iambi. V. Pyth. p. 65 hvofidZxtpt $e rxq
(iXT£fu$ xxpzffiyv re xxt TrXeove^i^v ' xptQu 2e nohvyovoi
TreCpvxxvTt. ib. 145 to irpurov tuv xxxuv — if xxXovfihy
TpvQvi, Sevrepov v(Zpi$, rpirov bAeflpo^.
758. The impious i. e. the unjust deed.
760. eoixoTX rexvx yoveviriv Hes. Op. 233.
761. eMvSLxw is from Hes. Op. 228 ttv¥ntviv which Eustathius
COMMENTAKY. 205
explains by ev&vSixviv. <fl«V< lixvirt ibid. 36, 224, Th.
85 is opposed to exoXiyoi Sixyvt Op. 217, 248, 260 etc.
The metaphor seems to be taken from the scales of a
balance. For the meaning see Theogn. 197.
762. xxXXiirxn;, is explained by Hes. Op. 223 — 235 from which
this passage is taken. Plato calls Phaedrus xxXX'mxiq,
that is, x'trtoq ttoXXuv xxi xxXuv Xiyav. See Babr. 11
xzi xaXX'mxiq ccftyros eXiriluv irXypviq.
763. After enumerating the beautiful offspring of Justice Hes.
1. c. goes on to contrast that of v0p<$. There is no word
either in Latin or English equivalent to v|3p<$. See Sail.
Jug. 41 ea quae res secundse amant lascivia atque superbia.
765. ved&vtrxv ev xxxotq is the vfiptv xrdffbxXov of Hes. Op. 133,
239, opposed to bdXXovtriv 5' xyxdo7<rt v. 234. Now
arxo-hxXov is always explained by 6dXXov<rxv ev xrx«;
(Scholl. and Gramm.) It is clear that this is what Hes-
intended, and iEsch. accepted as the etymon.
771. Construe 'an avenging daemon like her parents in unholy
recklessness of (which works) black ruin to families',
flpao-o? slSofihy roxsvrtv is like Mhropt elSoftevy yue'v
Sepzs iiSe xxi xllyv Horn. Od. last line, and often. For
bpdaoc, compare Hes. Op. 319 xiSuq rot ?rpo$ «voA/3<$t,
dxptroq 2' Jjri nXovru. peXxtvxq xrxq is after the model
of (teXzq (tdvxroq Op. 153.
773. Sixy y vxep vfiptoq 'foxet e$ rsXoc, e^eXboZax Hes. Op. 215
where Procl. explains by exXd.yi.7tsi. Electra's hut, Eur.
El. 1140 is itoXvxxttvov ariyoq.
776. 'xQvetov ehbXov (Rome) Dion. Per. 0. D. 356. lepov eaxev
eSebXov Ap. Rh. 4. 331. In each place the penult, is long.
The word is also quoted from Antimachus Fr. 87 which
the Ed. is unable to verify, auv 7rivu %epuv. xxxoryri
re •//tpxq xvi7tto$ Hes. Op. 738.
779. TrpospdXXei xpovpaq {'HiXtoq) Horn. II. y. 421 , Od. t. 433.
782. el fii) fioip" enl rtpfxct QdXot Theogn. 1188.
786. jjjrfpijpav" i/7repe (3>urxv, not 'over' but 'past', Suid. s. v.
787. «AA« loxet pev 7rx<rtv utto yXufftryq (piXoq elvxt Theogn. 63.
795. &v(*bv t7T7royvufiovx iEsch. Fr. 238.
803. oQp xTroriay hypos xrx<r&uXtx$ fixtriXe'av , o'< Xvypx
voevvreq xrX. Hes. Op. 258, and the passage cited in
the Cr. notes. There is no doubt of the correctness of
Heimsoeth's emendation.
206 COMMENTARY.
809. Lit. 'keeps the house of the city' as if they were stewards
of the state in the absence of the king.
812. 'won': lit. 'exacted from'.
813. cctto yXuatrviq is opposed to etc (ppevoq Theogn. 63. and to
Six ypxpfixruv in Thuc. and so equal to Cno ftvyfiyq,
but here it is 'not according to the speeches of the
two litigants' Comp. ovtoi hxz&i rxvrx (txprvpav viro
v Ap»J5 Supp. 934.
814. av£poM?T«$ is opposed to Txq trufyvtrxs.
816, 817. See critical note. The literal translation would be
something like 'Hope, impotent, went in to th' adverse
unimpregnated womb-vase \ Here we may compare Soph.
Ant. 615 which stands in need both of correction and
interpretation: x yap 5>j 7roXv7rXxyKroq e\7riq 7rxvpoiq
fisv ovxtrtq xvSpuv. ?roAAo7$ $' x7tx"tx kovQovouv epvrwv
(irxvpon; Ed. toAAo7$ vulg.) 'wayward Hope is fruition
(of love) for a few , for many she is a mockery of light-
thoughted desires'.
819. The genuineness of MeXXxt is unquestionable, and Her-
mann's fluijAat undeserving even of mention. The meaning
is sufficiently given in the Trans. MeXXx Ss , nvevitx
fiefixiov, kxI xCpvu vpoqxWdiavov Arist. de Mundo c. 4.
This is very fitly said of the smoke of a consumed city.
826. 'quum fatalis equus saltu super ardua venit Pergama' Virg.
jEn. 6. 515. It is needless to add that there is no
allusion here to any wooden horse. — xpcpi TlXsidSuv
SCatv. This is aptly added as part of the description
for the following reasons: the Sun (AU*i of v. 774) is
then in Libra; and at v. 815 we had ov $i%opp67ruq,
'with no even-weighted scales'; it accounts for the storm
of retribution implied in fltfsAAa* v. 819; and for the
physical storm which came upon the Greek fleet v. 649 ;
there was a tradition that Electra the seventh Pleiad,
mother of Dardanus by Zeus , fled from the sight of the
destruction of Ilion; it was the time for turning up the
soil and sharpening the coulter, v. 526, 528. Xhhs 1%
sux b'rxv 6 %Xioq % h Zvyu Procl. Hes. Op. 384. eZr
xv flAfrtrffrt trflevo? ofiptftov 'Clpiuvoq QevyoviTXi 7ri7TTuiriv
sq ijepoeiSex tt6vtov £$ tots nxvroiuv xveftuv Qvovaiv xtjrxi
Hes. Op. 617. Iv yxp tSj el$ OeSirpoftov 7coiy,hxt'i 0yi<ti
(Aratus) 0vys7v tijv 'HA^eTpav text pi) vxo(te7vxt iSs7v
COMMENTARY. 207
rijv "IAjov aA/ffxoju/vvjv - rov yxp &x"fixvov ttxI^x A<o;xai
'HXexrpxs elvxi Sch. Arat. Ph. 259. Hpxsff6e kporoio
Svo-opevxav (TtXnUim) Hes. Op. 382, where J. Tzetzes
tug fiaXovq t>k yv\i; zv£arpe(pe ry SaceWy. Add. Ar-
temid. 2. 36 rx xarpx £e»/k«vo$ x'irtx $vtr6vpict$ xxi
rxpxxM ffupxivovat. J. Tzetzes Post-Horn. 761 to the
end will also repay for perusal.
829. Athenaeus 13. 573 enreivxq xxrx rov Al<r%v\ov vepi erxipuv
alludes to this use of the verb iureivetv here, to the
subject of this pijo**? i. e. erxtpeix, and there is an equi-
voque in erxipuv, wittily substituded for erxipuv.
833. For the idea see Stob. Fl. xspi 0Uvov 32, 43, 60.
834. Q&ovos ' vompx $v%*is . nxi £o~6iov tyvxw, uq7rep loq rov
<rilv\pov Suid. s. v.
839. Sxtftovuv o~xtxv Eum. 302 i. e. 'the shadow of an invisible
being' is a similar hyperbole. Compare Menand. Mein.
p. 205. Trspirrbv o'isr' e^evpwevxi xyxtibv %xx<rroq ijv
exV (piXov fficixv.
841. Ulysses is the 0p6vi/ioq xvyp of Socrates, who alone does
not grieve at a friend's good fortune.
849. rx Se Trep'i rxq roftxq re xxi icxv<rei$ yxurrx 7rxvruv xiroSS-
Xtabxt ' xW^xi Se xxi ruiq e7ru$x7q npoq 'ivix ruv xppuv-
rifixruv Iambi. V. Pyth. p. 139. ev(ppovu$ goes with
7rcipx<r6f4£o~0x.
854. 'As Victory followed me when I went, so may she abide
with me where I stay'.
855. The original of this passage is Hes. Op. 371. pile yvvj
ae vdov vtvyoaroXos e%X7rxrdru xifuvhx xuriWovex.
865. rov (iev — rbv 2' depend on exnxyXov kxxov, and Xdexovrxq
is in apposition with them.
869. 65rA«6uov. 'ran in a full stream'. See v. 1370. 'swoln',
without the metaphor, is 'exaggerated'.
870. Xeyerxt 2S xxi Typvuv xxi Tvipvb'vYiq xxi Typvovevq Eust.
Dion. Per. 561 , and E. M. s. v.
872. £A«7va irl exroq xxi nxxvrepov , x iTUV T ° svSorSpu Mosch.
Hes. Op. 536. #A«7v« to ttxxv k«* x £i l* f P iV ° v Wxriov
Suid. s. v. That it was used for a blanket is clear from
Theoc. 18. 19 Zavo? rot huy&ryp vtto rxv pixv "txero
%A«7v«v. ib. 24. 61 rov xXXov Ci7r' xfjiveixv 6ero jjAflt7vav.
874. T«A<yxoTftiv. 'unassuaged' i. e. inflaming and festering
over again.
208 COMMENTAKY.
880. rov Tpo tov Qsvyav %p6vov Eum. 462 where Orestes is
speaking of himself as an absentee by force of circumstan-
ces; for Clyt. had sent him away at nine or ten years
of age. At that age, because the Watchman, both in
Horn, and iEsch., has been at his post only for a year;
and that she sent him away of her own will is proved
by Choeph. 913, 914. The story is handled differently
in Soph. El. and in the Editor's opinion far less skil-
fully. $opvt;£VO$ ' lopv^ivovq exuXovv xxi roiiq 07ru$ovv
eirt$-£vu$£vra$. Suid. s. v.
881. 'of sorrows to be mentioned in each alternative'.
890. The light being Aa/usrTJjp v. 22, the stack of wood is
Aa/Kir-nipou^/a.
891. uTiweXviTOvq ' Xixv YfieXtjfihovq Suid. s. v. oux arypsXyros
rov$ xixhvovq Alciphron 3. 55. 3. Tyj^e Af $ ' InipzXtq.
rviii£\y<izi ' Qpevr'nrxt Suid. s. vv.
893. fmeiici. 'wing-strokes'. So Prom. V. 126 Trrepvywv pnrxlt;.
From Hes. Op. 582 fofrz tett<| >.iyvpijv e?r<;eeuW
xoiSijv 7rvxvo-j v7ro 7FT£ptyuv. 0«v>j belongs only to ani-
mals that have lungs. xl 31 pvixi ro7$ 7rr£po7$ rpx-
%£<TtV OVGl TtXyiTTQXJOl TM X£pX. XXI yi%0tiffiv' X^iKil CTX-
feltrxt auxin fioftfiovtri Philop. ap. Suid. v.x°$-
896. From Theogn. 472 ttxv yxp xvxyxxlov 7tpxyy.' xviypov £0v.
So Alciph. 3. 37. 3 xxKov f*£V yxp xz-£ipx<rrov elvxt ruv
xfiovMruv. otm $£ oi>% virdpxst tgvto, xpv7rr£iv tjjv
trvpQopxv xvxyxxixv.
898. tiovvoy£vviq rxiq Hes. Op. 374.
899. Klausen's interpretation of xxi yijv is very ingenious. 'The
preceding metaphors are taken from things which simply
give safety or comfort: xxi introduces a new set, taken
from such as relieve from imminent danger or pain'.
But xxi is proved to be wrong by the passage in the
Odyssey.
901. This is worked out by Catullus 68. 57.
904. That is , the envy which under ordinary circumstances would
be roused by the eulogies.
911. Justice leads him in, and Premeditation does the rest.
912. Lit 'not overcome by sleep'.
919. (ixpfixpov (puroq Sixw is wrongly explained by Blomfield
and others; rightly by Enger and Paley: the latter
translates 'as if I were some Eastern king'. There are
COMMENTAEY. 209
not many examples of SUw used in this way, but the
last line of Dauae's lullaby to the infant Perseus affords
one; rtxvoQt Sixxv avyyvuii pot 'forgive me as if I were
a child'. This, again, is wrongly rendered by Jortin in
Dr. Holden's Folia Silvulse p. 125.
923. pi) 7r[o$ ifxe rx TrotxiXx, etvrl rov rxq re%vx$ Greek Prov.
Suid. S. V. 7ronciXa. xotxiXtiv $e eaffirx e %eiv — xwSvvov$
eniQepet — xxi h Qowtxo(pxi)$ tj 7ro^<pvpo^x0^q rfxvpxrx
S7ri0£pei Artem. 2. 3.
924. xx) 7re(pvXx^6 ye rxvrx tois7v ottogk. Q&ovov 'iaxei Golden
Verses 36.
927. Sed his (animi virtutibus) prsestare prudentiam (o-aQpoo-vvyv)
Apul. de Dogm. PI. 2. 1.
929. Aypoxptros b 'A/33>jp/TH$ reKoc rv\v evQvfiizv elvxi Xeyei —
xxti" %v yzXwZq xxi sltrrubuq »j \j/vx,>! Sixyet' xxXel Se
xvtyiv — eveffTu Diog. Laert. Democr. So truly spoke
the venerable precursor of the 'deus ille, deus' Epicurus.
930. g?Tflv Se xxi 7rpiv. ovx xvev Ivifiov rdte tt p &% x i p xv
Suppl. 398 is a strong corroboration of Prof. Weil's
correction.
933. Lit. 'if you had feared anything, you would have made a
vow to the gods to act thus'-, she means that there is
no ground for fear, nor for acting as if there were.
943. 'None more' i. e. in fear of exciting the envy of the gods.
938. From Hes. Op. 761 as observed by others.
944. Compare Plutarch's anecdote of that precocious young lady
Gorgo , daughter of Cleomenes, rov 3' ' Apiorzybpxv vtt'o
t<vo$ ruv o'ixeruv v"xo%oCy.e*ov (having his ecp(iv\x$ put on)
Qexcrxftevy. Flxrep. e(py , 6 %evo$ %e~ipx$ ovx e%ei. Lac. Apoph.
945. irpoSovhov epfixiriv. The shoe follows the foot like a slave
supplying it with a suitable stepping-place. An Eastern
prince might also, on occasion, make a slave lie down
to be trodden on. Hdt. 2. 107 is something like this,
xvrov$ Se ct' exeivwv £7r$xtvovrxq exoufyfftixi.
950. rovpo-j fxiv ovra is Emper's conjecture, adopted by Enger.
The Ed. has retained the Mss. reading, but no very in-
telligible explanation of it could be given. It is translated
as if it were wifl rovruv ovra loxii not. The following
are similar expressions: rovri pev ovruq Babr. 116, 15;
rxvrx /lev ovruq V<rfl» Theogn. 31; Golden Verses 9;
roixvra ptv 3$ rxvr Prom. V. 500; rxvrx pev ovv
14
210 COMMENTARY.
Tavry Plut. de Sera N. V. 7 and elsewhere. The pass-
age is not yet emended.
960. jrayjeawffTov. Lit. 'all' or 'on every occasion, used for
the first time', so that none need he used twice. The
meaning of x«»v*'£«, in iEsch. , forbids the adoption of
Paley's interpretation 'ever-renewable', which is object-
ionable on other grounds, and especially because such
an allusion implies a lack of cloth to replace the old.
961. This and the following verse have a double meaning 'our
house can claim to be rich in purple (blood) etc.' That
idiomatic use of vxdpxet requires no illustration.
967. £e«p<ou xWo$. Apposition; tov xCvx tov "Zeipiov JEHan Suid.
s. v. 'I«%>iv. 'Zeipiot' o xarpuoq xvuv ib. s. v. £f/p<ov*
tov xvvx. ib. o xvuv o ££<p«o$ xxXovpevoq Sch. Arat. 327.
2e<p«o< xcrrUp thrice in Hes.
970. i. e. 'ripens unripe grapes'; an expansion of 6spsi oV
oftQzxst; uYoWovrxi Hes. Sc. 399.
972. xxr oixev i<rrpu(paro Archil. Fr. For reXslov compare
.SSsch. Fr. 31. It means 'with felicity complete as man ,
husband, father of a son and heir'.
974. Lit. 'let there be a care to thee for those things whatsoever
they are which thou art about to fulfil'.
976. The degrees of (pofiot; are Hipx, 0x1/0$. aiiaxiv*. eWA>?!;<$,
6opu(3o«;. xyuvix Diog. Laert. Zeno. The fear of the
Chorus is a 'presentiment' without any material found-
ation, unless it be their knowledge of the queen's
perfidy. The purple spread on the ground was a bad
omen if you compare Horn. II. a. 538 tlpx Sxtpoiveov
diftxri 0uTwv and similar passages. The Spartans wore
(powixi$£$ in battle , and were buried in them Plut. Instt.
Lac. 18 , 24 ; and Arist. in Suid. s. v. QowwiSx. These
and other omens might be found , but the Chorus speaks
as if the presentiment was independent of omens. »
976. xpoo-Tzrtpiov is translated as if it were derived from -npo-
o-t^t>ic and TrpoarureTv as in Eur. El. 932 xlo~xpov yv-
vx7xx Ttpoo-rxnlv ye Su/xxruv. But the other meaning
is also intended as in 7rpo<rrxrxpiz$ \\preiJuSo$ Sept.
450 etc. The former, 'domineering over' like a irpo-
orxrvic; over a /xstoixos, is the more prominent.
977. ftxvruroXel is formed like IvupoTroXu. xpKr&o*;, alluding to
the diviner's fee; see v. 1261.
COMMENTARY. 211
984. rrpovpvw. vpov^xro 'advised beforehand' Xen. An. 7.
3. 18. 7rf0fivaT«i ri fioi yvupcx 'forewarns me of Soph.
0. C. 1075. %v/x(ZoXoie;. t;v[/fio\ov opwv Qxvtv' iTeiSi}
%\jnfio\ov$ evoiovv rov$ 7rpurx (TvvxvtZvtxs, xxi i%
a uirxvTJareus ri wpixivovrxq Suid. S. V.
285. 7rxpv(Zvi<Tev. $ $' #p>j irupx/tsiPyTxt Hes. Op. 407. TJtpjf-
ffiazt' 7rxpxKfAx<Txi Suid. s. v. The meaning is, that
the most dangerous crisis is past , since he lias returned
in triumph from the expedition which was led forth by
those evil-boding eagles.
089. v&aroq' $ o'UxSs e7rdvoSo$ Suid. s. v. 'home-return' as in
Shakspere.
990. xvev Xvpxq. The phrase was jrpo« Xvpxv £3e<v, and uixt$
XP>i<r&xi Trpl$ Xvpxv is one of the symbols of Pythagoras,
who recommended his disciples to practise only such
music as was of an inspiriting and cheering character.
novulet. The passages referred to in the critical note
are Bacchse 71 and Epich. Fr. ap. Hephsest. p. 15.
Herm. has also left a syllable short before pv at v.
1459 without giving the reader notice; and he has so
rendered it in his metrical translation 'hei memorique
etc.' In this palpable error he is followed by all editors
except Heimsoeth.
996. re\e(r(p6poi$ iivxit;. An astronomical allusion: as the sun
and moon by repeated daily revolutions accomplish the
period of a year and a month, or any other comple-
ted cycle.
1008. jrpo xpviy.xru\> okvov is 'a shrinking in defence of , that is
'from a desire to save the wealth'. The preposition
has this meaning both in Greek and Latin.
1011. 7rpo7[Xi S6/tto? is from Hes. Op. 687 /wi' inl vyviriv xirzvrx
fiiov xotXyitri Ti&ea&xi.
1014. 'Sinks', in the Translation, is an active verb.
1015. xpt(PiXx(pu$ exovvx TpvQypxTuv Alciph. 3. 60. 3.
1016. ensreixv- See v. 2. Lucretius 5. 1364 uses 'tempestiva'
with this meaning 't. examina pullorum' 'swarms of
young shoots in due season' Munro. There is a side-
meaning of iirvterxvuv 'plentiful'.
1021. e7Fxet$av. 'can 5e xxi — oirov xx"i xd6>) xxi voa^fAxrd t<v«
xQvyix&v . u$ Qxaiv , iv^ovre^ ut; «A>|6u;$. xx\ e}xb$
evrevdfo Toflev rouvopx toZto e\$ (xsitov TrxpeXyiXvievxt
14*
212 COMMENTARY.
to rtfc eiruSxq. Iambi. Y. Pyth. p. 96. >jv yap avru
(teXvi xzl "rpdi; voosvq vupixTuv irxiwtx. a e-z*$wv zv'uttii
rovt; xd/ivovrxt;. Porph. Y. Pyth. p. 96. Raster's Ed.
1023. t£v 05«jufv»,v. uv 6eftis sipysi ^Esch. Supp. 38.
1024. The story of the death of Asclepius by a thunder-stroke
from Zeus is told in a fragment of Hesiod, p. 319.
D. Heyne. In Philost Her. p. 146 Boiss. Palamedes
says to Cheiron xxl xXXuq to C*spo-oQ6v aov r%$ tsx v *s
axfzfaTai A*£» A/*. aTifZ^ 1 " 2 ' ^e Moipatq. ttxi
Zifeiv av tx 'Ao-xA)jT<oD el fiij xtA. where the Schol-
&•? tov bpiffpiov twv Moipuv x xtxXvovtx xxo6xve7v
TOV 'AffxAtJTIOV.
1026. Mo7px poipxv. In the temple at Delphi there were statues
of only two Mcerae Plut. de Ei ap. Delph. 2; for
Etptxpnevi) $ittw$ xxl Xeyerzi xzi voeirxt' »f ptev yap
eartv evepyetx, *j 5' oltriz. it Ss xxr olffizv eoixev elvzt
a-SfiTZffx »j tov k6o~pov 4>v%t xt A. Pint, de Fato 1. 2.
i. e. one is the divine being who decides the lot of each
created thing, and the other the operation of her will
in each individual instance. This is fcoXoytxui; or x«t«
tx OpQtxd, and was adopted by Plato. The meaning of
this passage is "if 6 t>?$ (pCo-eui; vopios (Mclpx or e<-
fizpixsMYi tz xziiXcv o-vfi7T£piXzpt(Szvovo*x) did not deter-
mine that the fate, l pto7pxv', of the individual, here
Agamemnon , should gain no advantage from any inter-
position". The first is Tpoyiyovptewq 'antecedently' as
containing that which operates universally to xafioAou,
the second is h tq t tm t 'consequently', the application in
particular cases, to x«fl' vxobstrtv, ibid. c. 4. Kijp also
has this double signification (1) Mo7p*, and especially
as the Death -goddess 5 (2) ptoTpz, for in the Vvxoo-rzoix
of iEsch. the xijpe of Memnon and Achilles are weighed
against one another. The Scholl. wrongly explained by
fax*$ an( l censure JEsch. uq eSe'^xro (pxvXuq AlazvXoq.
They did not understand him.
1027. jtAcov (pepttv. Usually TAfcv f%$n or *oie7v as in Plato
Apol. 2. end, and ptelov ex stv -
1028. i. e. 'my heart would prompt words faster than my tongue
could speak them'.
1031. 6v/*aXyiq: Hes. Th. 629, 635.
1032. exToX^Trevretv %aAfjrov xdvcv exvoXvireiaxq Hes. Sc. 44.
COMMExVFARY. 213
This metaphor is suggested by the name xA«9«, and
perhaps TtTxypevx v. 1025 implies "Atpotto^.
1033. ^uitvpijffcti xvpiwq earl to ex putpov (nnv^poq 0v<tuvtx
(juyxXviv 0X6yx xvxtyxt Suid. S. V.
103G. xftviviTui;. The latent meaning is 'independently of the
/a*fv»$ t£xv6to<vo$' of v. 155 ; so in xepvifiuv there lies
concealed 'the act by which Agamemnon's sin is to be
purged away'.
1038. Zet)$ Krvaioq ov xxi iv to1$ Tx/xteioiq iSpvovro u$ irXovro-
Sotyiv Suid. s. v. Her second meaning is UXovtuv a
surname of A r iSy$. fiupov , as a victim to be slain.
1040. Heracles also went down to the chambers of Hades.
1041. Lit. 'being sold took heart to touch the slavish barley-
dole', fix^xv' to £vipov xxl sTspp'bv xpTiStov J. Tz. Hes.
Op. 588. It was black bread, as is evident from the
proverb Xsvxviv ftx^xv 0vf.u rot ' nxpoi/tix S7ri tuv f*e-
yiXx Ci7inrx v o^f*^(av. >j 6 ffTpvCpvoq xproq Suid. S. V.
1043. xKxv.v nsv yxp sSu/.ev OAv/k:t<o$ Alxxilyai, vovv 5' Apv-
bxoi/lSatq. ttXoxitov Ss vrep ArpeiSiiHTW Hes. Fr. p. 317
D. Heyne.
1045. <TTd(i(jiy , %rtq ear) <T%o7voq rsxTOvixij x7ro(biv<rx ra %\/Xx
Eustath. ad Dion. Per. 341. xxtx ffrxbwv' op6«$,
«xp</3«$. Sch. Theocr. 25. 194.
1047. Silence Ttxpd ye roTq ffo(pio-Tx7q meant refusal, and not
consent, Artemid. 3. 24. ore xetTenxvaxTO noWx eixuv.
Plut. Apoph. Lac. Agis 9.
1068. i. e. not deemed worthy of a reply.
1075. See Plut. de Ei ap. Delph. who cites Pind., Eur., Soph.,
Stesich. in proof. 'The god of Gladness' Byron.
1081. 'Ayvtevq id iint xiuv elq o!;v Xyyuv ov larxiXi 7rpo tuv
fivpwv. tov Ao%ixv ov 7rpo tuv 6vfuv sxxstoc; iSpvovro
Suid. s. V. uyvixi. xyvtsvq ' 6 npb tuv Qvpuv icTXfxsvoq
iv <r%v,f*xTt xiovoq (3upi6q E. M. S. v.
1082. ov (*6\tq. 'non parum' Herm.
1090. avvio~Topx is equivalent to aweiSvTxv.
1091. xpTXVYi *i ix tuv xxXuSiuv xyxov* E. M. S. V.
1092. o~Qxye7ov' to tov x'iftzTOq hxTtxov xyyelov Suid. S. V.
Paley compares av3poxTovf7ov Bekk. Anecd. 1. p. 28.
(povoppavTii'piov is aptly changed from ?rep<pp«vT)}p<ov 'a
place sprinkled with lustral water' to 'a place sprinkled
with the blood of murdered men'.
214 COMMENTARY.
1294. Lit. 'she hunts those whosesoever blood-shed-by-murder
she may discover'.
1103. utpsprov. iEsch. applies this word only to that which is
superlatively bad; he knows no stronger word.
1105. h'iZtoq '{Spies elftsv Hes. Sc. 351.
1110. Lit. 'hand after hand (thrust after thrust) puts forth its
outstretching'. By comparing Prom. 777 nporsiwv
xiploq we see that the meaning is 'making an offer to
strike'.
1115. The long broad mantle which Clytemnestra is about to
throw over Agamemnon is Zixrvov, and she is 'xpxvt;
because she is like a stake holding up a net. SUrvov,
auyjvvi. p'okot; are the same in Babr. 8. 4, 6, 8. xpxvs '
to Gvipevrixov Sixrvov (in its abstract sign.), exreivsrxi
ii varspx <rvXXx$vi Jsr* rij$ opflJfc Suid. s. v. It is short
here, at any rate, xtto rov slpyu E. M. s. v.
1118. xxrxXsvtnixov' rov cc^icv rov xxrxXsvo'^vxi Uns Aelvxpxos
h tu xa.ru, Avxovpyov Suid. s. v. 'ut cuncti conclama-
verint lapidibus obrutum publicum malum publice vin-
dicari' Apul. Met. 10. 6.
1121. ruv yap (pc(Zov(*£\/aiv rx xvu Xtitpxtpsi Arist. Probl. 4. 8.
xpoxo^xCp^i; expresses no property of arxyuv, but the
effect of its action, Spdfte, upon something else, viz.
the colour of the face. With a transitive verb the pro-
leptic case is of course the accusative, and with an
intransitive, the nominative. So in Choeph. 185 li^toi
7ri7rrov<ri arxyoveq, the effect of the rush of tears is
that the eyes are left dry.
1123. (Ziov $vvro<;. Translated by Lucret. 5. 987 'labentis lu-
mina vitae'.
1127. No translation is worthy of the name which does not
preserve the obscurity of the oracular language. The
dark -horned implement is the sword; compare such
expressions as xeXxivoiq %i<p£<rw Soph. Ai. 231 ; but if
she is a cow, v. 1125, the sword is her horn.
1130. Perhaps flfcr$aToyvw^wv uxpoq like npofixroyvupuv uyxbof,
v. 795.
1133. to irxpov oi xvbpu7rot xxxoSxif^ovuvrsq bpufft xxl xxxovq
hviipovq o-Yi(izvruiQvq ruv evetrruruv xxxSiv Artemid. 4.
21. A man in trouble went to a soothsayer with feel-
ings like those of a person who goes to consult a phy-
COMMENTAKY. 215
sician, knowing that he is seriously ill, and in fear of
what he may hear because of the nature of his pain.
In the M. Schol. tlsepxophoiq (on going in to the temple)
is sound, (it is changed by Weil and Enger); but (pxvspx
must be changed to Qofiepx with Euger, a change ant-
icipated by the Ed.
1138. 'thou' Clytemnestra , 'him', in the next v., Agamemnon.
1144. uftQrixXij. The meaning in this passage is that given in
the Trans. 5 'fecunda pcenis' is only a part of the
meaning.
1145. She felicitates the bird upon its happy lot.
1149. u(A0Y!xei Sopi in the loose language of prophecy means 'a
two-edged blade'. The oracle about Cleomenes, Hdt.
6. 77, has Sou pi ox/iz<r&eiq, which neither Herodotus
nor Pausanias , 2. 20. 7 , seems to have understood. It
means 'bound in wood' for Cleomenes died h %<iXm,
ib. c. 75.
1153. Suid. s. v. b/iov quotes Isaeus for the signification 'simul'.
but this is too tame for iEsch. 'opfl*o$ $s «vA»jt<k^ vo^cs,
ovtu xxXov pevoq . clov evrovoq xx\ xvxrxatv ex uv Suid.
s. v. ij'i/'fff psyx rs Seivov re 'opdtx Horn. II. A. 10.
1156. This is Casandra's answer to the question 'whence etc.'
1158. kiovxc;. 1-k ii'iosvTi "ZxxpxvSpu II. 5. 35 etc.
1159. rpo<px7<;. Compare iEsch. Sept. 309; Supp. 856. Arist.
Probl. 1. 13 $ on to vlup yivtrxi rpoQt; Procl. Hes.
Op. 735 oi 7rxXxto1 xx\ vccaxv pev rijv tuv vSdruv Qvfftv
u$ rpi(ptf*ov xxi xv%v)Tncviv ruv (pvo'suv isfxv ivoftttyv
slvxt ruv ^uayivuv flswv, (txMo'rx Se rcii$ xsvxovq no-
rxftovq xtA. So Sch. Hes. Th. 347.
1168. So Hecuba, Eur. Tro. 1242, pxr»v 5' ifiovburoviuv. In
xxoq, in-ipxeo-xv , wniitt , beppovovq there is the metaphor
of a physician's unsuccessful treatment of a patient.
X,iovi ireAw Prom. V. 282. As soon as the delirium of
her fever subsides she too will sink to earth and die.
1178. ex. xx\v(*(*xtwv , that is with her face concealed by a veil.
There is no allusion to the unveiling of the bride.
1180. The description is based on Solon Fr. 5. 17 foil., which
may be translated:
" suddenly
as a wind instantly scatters clouds
in spring: having stirred the billowy unreaped sea's
216 COMMENTARY.
deep water, and over the wheat-bearing earth
ravaged fair farms, it arrives at the gods' abode,
high heaven, and makes us again behold clear sky;
and the sun's strength shines over the boundless earth,
beautiful, and one can see a cloud no more:
such is the vengeance of Zeus; not in each case,
like a mortal man, is he moved to wrath.
The oracle, ^p^o^tos, contains the denunciation of the
vengeance , and , therefore , the same imagery is employed.
But iEsch. , for whom no language is rich, grand, and
graphic enough, introduces a second simile, and the
wind becomes a monstrous wave which sweeps the deed
of vengeance into the sunlight , so as to be most clearly
seen, vn xvyuq' ino tov neQuTKr/Asvov ccsfx Suid. s. v.
1189. (Zporeiov xlpx. The drink of the Erinnyes, Eum. 264 foil.
1193. oq Tf xa<riyvy,Toto eov xvx Ispvix (iciivy Hes. Op. 326. 'tori
genialis calcato fcedere Apul. Met. 9. 26.
1194. Another argument in favour of tcvpu is the repetition of
the word by the Chorus v. 1201 xvpe7v Xsyovtrav 'hit
the mark in speaking'.
1196. sxfiuprvpslv (puai to Xsysiv ovx amp xvrot; slSsv #AA' X7rep
irspuv ijxovtrs Xeyovroov' ex^xprvplx yap yeypzpitsvvi
uvxyiyvuffxerxt, orxv ti$ % reXsvTwxq vj v\ v7rsp6ptoq
Suid. s. v. and E. M. s. v. It means, therefore, to
read the affidavit, or deposition on oath, of an absent
person. So Eum. 461 Xovrpuv l^sy-xprvpsi (povov, 'bore
witness for Agamemnon in his absence'.
1198. The passages are Hes. Op. 802. Th. 232, 784, 792. There
is not the slightest excuse for adopting nviyiAx.
1205. or 'is more prim'.
1206. Lit. 'he was a wrestler'.
1218. Why should not an inspired person see something in the
appearance of the two children from which to infer
that they had been killed by a relative?
1228. (jitanjTiix ft $ elq rx 'AQpoSiirix xxpxatx Suid. s. v. psvsTo'i
flfo/. E. M. derives it either from ^«re7v or from
ftitryecrbxi.
1245. Lit. 'I run falling out of the course'.
1246. Observe the metaphor in l-x'tityiahxi (autopsis, and a phy-
sician's visit), xo'tfiturov 'lull the pain', rixitiv 'the god
who relieves pain', and Xoyu : irxpx 7rp5<rhsiizv for -xxbu.
COMMENTARY. 217
1251. iroptrvvei ' STOtfid^ei Suid. s. v.
126U. (pxppuxeiz t4, orxv Six tivo$ (Txsvxtrixq (cookery) 6av«Ttj-
QopOV 3ofl# Tlffl SlX (TTOftXTOS Sllid. S. V. (JLXySlX.
1261. fiiiriov. n'tabunx ' 6 ptrftf b erxtpntS^. kxi erxipwov Qd-
<rxov<rx elvtt /x'kt'ju^x Suid. s. v. T^Aavos was b tu
pxvret SiSopsvoq (/.tafoq oj3e Aos Suid. s. v. neXxvoq. The
payment for the affront of bringing her, 'for her pass-
age', does not come till v. 1263.
1263. i. e. 'what she had paid in mortification for my passage
here '.
1269. The Trans, shows that Enger's correction ovxSvuv is not
required.
1272. Lit. 'not with even scales untruly' i. e. 'untruly, without
any doubt.'; construe 'mistakenly derided'.
1275. eK7rpxt;x<;. This is much the same as ixSvm spe v. 1269.
£K$t$u<ric£i is 'unteaches' Soph. Ant. 298.
1278. u7ro}CTeiv£t (Clytemnestra Casandram) 6e;/ww tw ;reAe'x«
Philostr. Imm. Kxo-civSpx. ■xphatyxyyi.x is the jet of blood
from a victim's throat.
1281. The Spartan mother killed her coward son and said ovx
Ijuov to (p'tTvpx Plut. Apoph. Lac. She meant that he
was his father's child and not hers. Q'itviax in ^sch.
is the child of the father i. e. son. ^peppx is the child
of the mother i. e. daughter, as in iEsch. Sept. 182,
and ibid. v. 792 %xils^ pviTepm rttpxpuhxi needs no
correction for it is equivalent to xopxt, as the Ed. has
already shown at Choeph. 502, o'Ureipe flijAw xptrevo'q
fl' bftov yovov 'pity the female's offspring (the daughter)
and likewise that of the male (the son)', faxto-jropoq
yewx Prom. V. 855 is 'a brood begotten by the female,
the mother's children, i. e. daughters'; so the same
daughters call themselves fljjAi/yevjj v. 29, but the sons
of iEgyptus are xptrsvoysvy v. 818, begotten by the
father. This is a great point in the Eumenides v. 606
where Orestes says that he is no more 'dftxtpos with
his mother than Agamemnon was. To Arist. G. A. 4. 1
cited by Klausen , and Apollod. 1. 7. 2 , Plut. PI. Phil.
5. 7 cited by the Ed. add (pirvo-xf siri rov Trarpd; T<fl»<r<v,
£7r1 22 (jLv^Tp'bq ovxeri, xKXx ysw^axt Suid. s. V.
1284. fowv peyxv b'pxov Hes. Th. 784.
1285. vTtT'ixo-fAx is 'a lifting up of the hands, with the palms
218 COMMENTARY.
uppermost, in prayer'. See Prom. V. 1005 and %etp-
orivovq Xtrds Sept. 173. The meaning is that Aga-
memnon, as he lies expiring, will either lift or try
to lift his hands with a prayer that Orestes may
avenge him , or that the gods will so interpret his dying
thoughts.
1290. All attempts to explain 7rpd%u are futile. It is rendered
in the Editor's translation as if it were a repetition
from jrpaf uactv uq e7rpz^sv v. 1288. The best suggestion
is Enger's, but it is imperfect until the existence of
npd%w is explained, for that word could hardly be a
gloss on rAfafuu, which would rather be vvopsvu as
in Suid. s. v.
1293. atr<Pd$x<TToq. <r0x$d&iv SvaQxvxrelv Suid. s. v.
1297. ^s^Xxtov ($60$. to $s hpslov kvt6[4xtov tw (iufia Trpoqsia-
rvitcei Philost. Her. p. 254 Boiss. t«v evysvuv olxe'tov,
b QiXtfiav Xsysi, 7rpog tqv 7r6XifiOV xxi ddvxrov bpovew ,
wq hpela Meineke's Men. et Phil. Rell. p. 531.
1299. x\v%iq. Kt/pv' £fi7r^q 5' ort poTpx 7rzbeiv. ov% sab' vird-
Xv^tq' o,TTt $e (AOtpx ttz&eTv , ov t« SsSwcx TflffigTv.
Theogn. 817.
1300. ruv yyovfASvuv ?r£<$fc> npso-fifuiTXi Plut. Apoph. Lac. Lye.
20. 'obedience to rulers takes foremost rank'. {olxXXot)
QiXoii>v%ov<rt f*£%pi$ eo-xxrov. Suid. s. v. (piXofyvxto-xvrx.
A person condemned to die values most highly the latest
reprieve he can obtain.
1301. The day of sacrifice is come, and I, the appointed vic-
tim, shall gain little by flight from the altar.
1302. They wish to comfort her by expressing their sense of
her courage. Heath's transposition of the two next
verses was very perverse.
1305. Tiq Ttxrep xlw&ei el pvi xxxoSxi/xovz tskvx ; 'itruq hrl ruv
npoyovucx xvSpxyzMfizrx xpsipepovTuv. Greek Proverb
in Suid. s. v.
1313. She sings her death-wail in the palace, v. 1445. She
here goes up to the door and starts back with a gesture
of loathing.
1311. TOffzCryv SvtruSixv i£e7rs(t7rtv u$ oi/Ssv twv iv rdtpotq
StxXvSevruv SixCpe'psiv. Suid. S. v. Mz%i(a7vo(;. 'ghostly'
because TrpcVe* implies that a thing is either actually
seen, or may be conceived as visible.
COMMENTABY. 219
1316. ddpvov is sound, so that we need not think of fla^'V onus.
Qdfict occurs in Hes. Op. 350. The line is sufficiently
explained in the critical note.
1320. iirtt-evovpxi is exactly rendered in the Trans. xxre%-
evufihw Choeph. 706 is 'bound by my relation to him
as %4voq.
1322. flpijvov Xeyetv. Xeyeiv zot$x$ itpb rov Qxvelv Soph. Ant. 883.
The word \ »?<r<v betrays the Grammarian ; see Sch. Soph.
Ai. v. 815.
1328. Prosperity is the outline of a picture; adversity is a
wiping-out of that outline. Thus the state of man at its
best is but the shadow of a semblance.
1331. uKopeeTov. Theognis says the same of wealth and wis-
dom, v. 1157.
1333. xirsfrwv. Crying 'hold, enough'.
1338. eov $6[aov eUxQixzvs Hes. Sc. 45.
1340. ejriKpxvxt ' rifi xe<J>«Ajj tcxTxvevtrxi Suid. s. v., hinting at
a root Kzpx.
1354. sttsiIyi Spuv xxTvpQuffZi Qpsvi Choeph. 512.
1355. itfoiairovTeq has a double meaning ' striking with the sword'
and; 'striking notes on the lyre' from the phrase
ctpxaauv Xvpav. So a^^six 'signs of tyranny', and,
probably, 'musical notes in score'.
1364. Lit. 'death wins the day'. See note on v. 10.
1370. Lit. 'I flow with a full stream swoln by tributaries from
all quarters'.
1374 ev xuriXXe r~bv i%hpbv' o'rxv 5' viroxsiptos ^Aflfl rtcxi vjv
7rp6(px<rtv pySefiizv Qepevot; Theogn. 363.
1379. Lit. 'verily in time at least', but none the less surely
because late.
1382. elx,e Ss %eptrlv 'l%6vfftv xpQifZXyitrrpov Hes. Sc. 215.
1390. epefjLvhq has the same root' as ept$o<; and this probably the
same as ipevba and Latin 'rub-er', the red of the
western sky; 'furvus' belongs to the same root 'ruf,
the colour of the infernal regions.
1391. lebtfoTx Hes. Op. 318.
1392. yxvoq ' v'5«p , xxp(ix. E. M. S. v. yiyxvufAivoq. xciXv't, is
the bud of a flower before it blows, or the sheath
which contains the ear of wheat, atrov ixpoXifv. Qov-
xxjl'tlviq. Ztxv o <ttz%v$ T>J$ xuX'JXoq ekQvyrxt Suid. S. V.
eiroq. From Hes. Sc. 398 Jj/uoc 3$ xtyxpourt *sp)
220 COMMENTARY.
yXiZxzs T£\e()ov<Tt, rovq re Qspet avei pov<r <v. Lit. 'at
the bringing-to-bed of the wheat-sheath'.
1398. Tute hoc intristi : tibi omne est exedendum Ter. Ph. 2. 2. 5.
1406. xXvtx t-pyx 7rspi(ppovot; 'Wpzio-TOto Hes. Sc. 313.
1407. 'what poisonous thing solid or fluid'. e£ xXoq optxevov is
an allusion to the old belief that rivers are formed by
the percolation of sea-water through the earth; as in
Homer Ocean is the father of rivers, and Lucret. 5.
269 partim quod subter per terras diditur omneis.
1409. She has put on the sacrificial incense in the form of frenzy ,
a side-meaning of 6Co$, and has thrown off the curses
of the people. So she is like a victim ready to be
sacrificed in one respect, and unlike in the other.
1420. xyopijs en-xxovov Hes. Op. 29. When applied to the gods
it means 'hearing propitiously'; in a forensic use,
'umpire', or, 'judge'; generally, 'a hearer'. Mosch.
Hes. p. 15 N. Heyne; Theocr. 8. 25; Choeph. 980;
Eum. 732. Callinus Fr. 236.
1430. Lit. 'pay for blow (given) with blow (received)'.
1434. The house of Fear is opposed to the house of iEgisthus.
1438. (povevt; fitirpoq T>jq$e Eum. 122 'this mother's slayer' Clyt.,
speaking of herself.
1444. xvxvot /jtsydx" favov Hes. Sc. 316. xvxvog oh xpoTepov
CpisyysTxi sl /tttj 7tpoq tw x7ro6vv,<rx£iv $ Artemid. 2. 20,
where Reiffius quotes Paulinus Yidalinus in praise of
the musical and charming notes of the swans in Iceland ;
but the story of their singing only when about to die
seems to be fabulous. See the passages cited by Blom-
field.
1447. 'Brought an additional relish for the luxury of my tri-
umph, as agreeable to me as the pleasure she was to
afford him in secret would have been to him'.
1452. As if he were ruv arx^uv xvuv as at v. 896.
1454. «Tf$6«rev /3<bv. xvSpzq x7ro(pM<r£ie bxXxcax Hes. Op. 664.
But x7re(p&Kr£v (Hov is an expression so strange as to
defy all explanation. It is usually translated as if
x7reQb«r£v were the exact equivalent of X7rw\£ff£v, an
unscrupulous procedure which the Ed. has imitated
most unwillingly. For the metre forbids our ejecting
/3/ov with Karsten ; rather a supplement must be obtained
for the antistrophic verse. No well-trained ear can
COMMENTARY. 221
endure the trochaic monometer with monosyllabic clau-
sula. It must be either an ithyphallic or a dimeter
catalectic. There is a corruption ; and probably knefybiar*
is a gloss.
1459. 2v<wro« Hes. Op. 728.
1460. Probably suggested by Horn. II. 2. 137 ml 3' xXoxot iixr
ev) fi.syd.potq noTtSeyfjtevxt.
1461. eptfivdo-revToq. ufxvto-rivTx Metrod. Fr. v. 180. Such al-
lusions to the meaning of proper names are very
common, and many instances are given in Dilthey's
Cydippe pp. 36 — 41. Perhaps the first two lines of
the Iliad may be added , for 'Axxiotq xxysx is equi-
valent to a%*j A«o7$, just as 0$vff<rsv<; is the hero
against whom Poseidon uIvgitxto , and the selection of
the names, like that of Helena and others would be
ascribed to the foreknowledge of the daemons who sug-
gested the names to the minds of the parents; as, in
the case of 'oSvtnrevs , to Autolycus by reminding him
of the b$vtr<retx, or enmity, which he had himself in-
curred. Alyxiuv\ xvh'i yxiuv II. 1. 404 is another;
Virgil gives several etymologies, e. gr. 'cura penum
struere et fiammis adolere Penates' ^n. 1. 704. There
are also cases like 'qua semita monstrat' which shows
that Virgil took semita to be connected with o-ij^a,
(rt}/ua/v«, 'the road which points out the way'. Here
we may correct Soph. Ant. 990 which up to the present
time (Dind. Poet. Sc. Gr. 1868) has appeared as aCVx
KeXsvboq ex Trpovytfrov 7rs\si, which no one can translate.
It should be xiirti x^Aevfioc ktA. 'a road, which is a
sufficient guide to others is itself travelled by a blind
man by means of a second guide'. It is plain that if
Virgil's notion of the primary meaning of semita has
been correctly pointed out, it is not of the smallest
importance to the reader of Virgil what philologists
may decree to be its root. It is of some importance
to them, but not to scholars. ottyq. <pv\x yvvxaewv.
tv?/u« fxtyx flvjjToTo - * fa T xvlpdai vxierdovffi* Hes. Th. 592.
1468. 2i(pvioi<rt is exactly equivalent to Svo7v ui^o-t.
1470. 'Rule dispensed by a woman, and prompted by a spirit
like thine own; who, after throwing thine antagonist,
savagely fallest with all thy weight upon him'.
222 COMMENTARY.
1473. ft$ roi £0efyfiEvvi xpufy Xxxepv^x xopuvy Hes. Op. 745.
wsfrep oi xopxxeq 7rapeSpevovre$ efypvaaavai rovq tuv
vexpuv hQQxXpovs Plut. Perd. Fr. 27.
1474. Predication by invocation, as often.
1480. <£«p. <^5po5' to irewybq xfftx Suid. S. V. Xetpmeiov
eXxoq' TfjXifjLu. livivtxuq }%upu$ Ixxptvov Suid. S. V.
1482, 3. cthsiq. xlvov (xlvov wrongly, in Didot's Edition by
E. A. Ahrens). xlvo$ is 'an allegory' xlvo$' Xoyoq sra-
poipiwSiiic ' xlvoq SixQspei (tv6ov tu tov xlvov pj) 7rpo<;
7rxi^xq xXXx xv$pu$ 7t£7rotya$xi xxi fiij 7rpbq $/v%xyuyixv
ftOVOV, XXXX XXi 7T%pXiV£0~lV £%£l Tlvd Suid. S. V. HeSi-
od's lines about the hawk and nightingale are an xlvoq
Op. 206.
1486. From Hes. Op. 667 iv Totq yxp TeXoq fori* opus xyxbuv
re xxxuv re, and Theognis 172 ov ri 'xrsp deuv yiyverzt
xvbpwiroiq, ovt xy&h" . ovrs xxxx". So Cleanthes, Hymn
to Zeus, v. 15. But Pythagoras according to Iambi.
178 xire'SiiZ-ev on ol 6so) tuv xxxuv xvxirtoi elriv. How
he proved it is not told. There is a sentence in Seneca
'quidquid facimus mortale genus, quidquid patimur
venit ex alto'.
1591. httkfytt' npoq rolq slpvifihotq <Pv\<riv Suid. S. v.
1501. aXdarwp. xXx'sTopxq xxi TrxXzpvxiovq bvo/ix^ovtriv uq
xXvigtuv tivuv xxi nxXxtuv fttxqpx'Tuv ftv/ftziq eire-
Ztovrxq Plut, de Def. Or. 15.
1507. 'Whence, whence would he come? ear) to (tev 7ru Auptov,
rrfe/xsvov xvti tov nobiv Suid. s. v. 7ru[*xXx.
1526. xvd%ix. xiro tov xyu x£u x%ioq' XTtb perxQopxt; tuv
GTxhyLUV T>jv V<njv f07rijv s^ovtuv E. M. S. V.
1534. x«5' $' 'xp' xn' ovfxvotosv ^ixSxq fixXev alyLxroeaaxq , wpx
rrieiq Hes. Sc. 384.
1539. h xppy.xTouTt lo^oim of the vase in which 'EAjri$ was
confined Hes. Op. 96.
1544. o %wvrx $Xxnruv pvi vexpov (*e dpvivsiTu Babr. 14.
1547. In prose e-xaivoi; entTdcPioq. ix^xi' e7ri(ZxXe7v Suid. S. V.
1550. Tov«<m- 'perform its task of praise' as at v. 354.
1562. o~v $e tps0ovtx tovtov rpeQstq Philost. Her. p. 12 B.
1566. xQatyxi' irpoqxoXXvjffxi Suid. s. v. exsivu b Ixipuv XTxq
npoifi^ev Dion. Hal. 7. in Suid., of Regulus.
1574. From Hes. Frag. p. 314 (D. Heyne) xxi xtsxvuv po~ipa.v
Trbpev.
COMMENTARY. 223
1579. Sxinovet;. QvXxx.e$ flvMTWv «vflp«T«v, oi px 0vXx<r<rov(riv rs
S'ikx: xxl axsrXix epyx Hes. Op. 123; 25'2.
1586. 'Eptvvuv vtpuvrbv xpi<pi$\Yi<rrpov Soph. Trach. 1051.
1585. Lit. 'being disputable in his rule' i. e. liable to have his
claims to the throne disputed.
1588. evper ev Xtrx7<; JEsch. Supp. 270.
1590. The following passage is ascribed to Hecataeus by Natal.
Com. 9. 9, cited by Klausen, Hecat. Fr. p. 157; % v
(Aid) xvrol (o! Avxxovo$ ?ru,7$tq) KxXe'trxvre^ eiri %£vix,
evx ruv eTt%upiuv irxiSxpiuv ffCpdrTovci ttxi rx <T7rXdyxvx
ffvpiftif-zvres 7rxps$evro Tijj rpxnefy. roZro 2$ Zev$
eyvuxwq kx) pvMjgf*}< r%v ptSv rpxire^xv kvirpetysv htX.
If it is rightly ascribed to Hecataeus JEsch. imitated
him in several particulars.
1591. The spurious verse was clearly made up of glosses. (jt«t$p
v. 1590) 'ATpf-O? (elMvus V. 1592) itp*Mpu$ ft (PiXuq
(ruptu v. 1592) irxrpi. So Enger and Schutz.
1594. 7roSypyj are the joints attached to the feet i. e. the toes,
^fpwv ' xxpovq ktsvxs is in the style of Hesiod's nevr-
6 goto 'the trunk with five branches' i. e. the hand.
1597. sfftetv occurs three times in Hes. Op. uaurov. <t«t5$,
E. M. s. v. xffwroq, in a transitive sense will mean
'saving' and xrwrot; applied to things will be 'not
saving' i. e. costing much, or, expensive.
1599. 6 Ixrpot x-Jtepxv X7rvivxyxx<rev Alciph. 3. 7. 2.
1601. ev xpxq efljjjte pepet' avpiTTo'ipiviv an; exetvot; Suid. S. V. xpx$.
1605, 6. sTrei pt' in rvrbov eovrx Horn. II. 6. 222. 7rx7$ %t
uv ev <T7rxpyxvot^ Choeph. 755. 7rx7$ er oZax Soph.
Trach. 557. wr&v Hes. Op. 467. The notion that
Atreus killed and cooked twelve children of all ages,
and feasted a whole party of people with their flesh,
is not only irresistibly ludicrous, but is absolutely
without foundation in any tradition respecting this or
any similar story.
1608. 6vpx7o$ 'absent from the house at the time of the mur-
der'. It means nothing more; perhaps only 'not in
the room when he was killed'.
1612. Enger translates 'I do not think much of a coward's insolence'.
1613. o-D y evidently follows iyu piev implied in aefiu.
1617. veprepoq' xxrwrepos Suid. s. v. who connects it with 'ivep&e
vepie.
224 COMMENTARY.
1618. xQpuv y oq x HeXq Trpoq xpsio-vovxq xvTiCpspi&iv Hes.
Op. 208.
1626. avSp'i cTpx.ry.yu. 'a man and leader of men'.
1640. QvyXviv SvtrXoQov Theogn. 847.
1641. Xipov i^fipov (TvvoucviTiipx. Ivapsw 6s6v Simonid. mpi yvv.
101. rolqls tov Xipov avvouti&re Alciph. 1. 20. 2.
1650. From Hes. Sc. 119 ovxeti ryXov C? /*!■,? Hes. Sc. 119.
X6%oq ' trvffTYiftx 1% xvSpuv bxrw' ol Se, 1% xvlpuv <j3'.
ol $S . i% tq'. Suid. s. v.
1651. *poxu7rov %x uv TQ £'4><>S' etvri tov yvpvov Suid. S. V.
1653. Chorus in Sept. 263 rvv xXXoic irsiaopxi to nopatpiov.
to which Eteocles replies tovt xvt' ixeivov tovkos
xlpovftxi o~s&ev. Tepxaxonov a xlpovpt.au Choeph. 551.
In addition to the fact that sp and xp cannot be dis-
tinguished in the Medicean Ms., there is no doubt
that xlpotyLzkx is right, were they ever so unlike.
1655. e%u(Mx Upo$ Pers. 222. The idea is taken from Horn. II.
19. 222 x\tyx re (pvXo7TtSo$ "xiXtTzi xbpoq xvipu-roio'iv.
>5$T£ 7rXeifTyy fxsv xxXxpviv x$ cvl JtaAxos f^enev. xftyToq
3' bXiyurTOs fTrijv xXivy.o't txXxmtx Xsvq. xfi^Toi; is
commonly read, with an interpretation like that given
in Liddell and Scott's Lexicon p. 667. But the meaning is:
'very soon doth a surfeit of fighting arise in men, for
the swathe which the blade strews on the ground is
thick , but the crop is scanty , when Zeus makes either
scale to fall' i. e. there is plenty of straw in war, but
little real good comes from war. Ulysses is the speaker,
and he is always the interpreter of the poet's own
sentiments.
1659. oiy xv Sexo'ftyv w$t' £X £lv rina,$ eefav Eum. 228.
1660. otAjj is a solid hoof like that of a horse; ^JiAJj is a
cloven hoof like that of a sheep, goat, or ox; or a
foot with claws. See Scholl. on Hes. Op. 488 and Hes.
Sc. 62.
1669. yuxUm evaefeixv Sept. 344.
1672. For the proper case with xporipxv see Eum. 640, 739.
The 02d. T. of Soph. , and the Ion of Eur. also end
with trochaic tetrameters.
EXPLANATION OF THE METRES.
Frologue: vv. 1 — 38, iambic trimeters.
According to Professor Weil iambic systems are composed of
periods which correspond in number of lines, and consist of
members also corresponding in number of lines, both periods
(periodi) and members (cola, articuli) having for the most part
a definite relation to one another in meaning. This symmetry
arose, he says, from the correspondence of the choral odes; for
tragedy was at first one chorus-, and ./Eschylus who introduced
the iambic and trochaic systems would naturally make them
resemble the chorus in the responsion of their several periods.
This theory has not yet been fairly tested, nor had Professor
Weil discovered it when he edited his Agamemnon in the year
1858. His own account of it is to be found in his edition of
the Choephoroe page V foil., and its application to the Aga-
memnon in his Eumenides page 125 foil. The ordinary notation
is adopted in the present edition, and no lacunae are marked
except in the dialogue. It is, therefore, inconvenient to give
more than this one example of correspondence in the iambic
systems. Thus, the Prologue consists of three periods:
6 lines; 14 (4, 8, 2); 14 (4, 8, 2); 4.
Introductory, intermediate, and concluding members (proodi,
mesodi, epodi) are sometimes placed alone; so here the first 6
are a proodus and the last 4 an epodus. Interjections like Qev
tyev count as a verse.
Parode: vv. 40 — 257. It consists of three parts,
(1) 10 anapaestic systems: 5 (6,6, 4±, 7i, 4$) = 28* lines,
relating to the past; the march from Argos, the sin
of Paris, the certainty of vengeance: and 5 (10, 4, 3i,
15
226 EXPLANATION OF THE METEES.
4£, 6 1) = 28 \ relating to the present, and the action
of the drama. This requires Enger's text at w. 42, 66.
(2) An ode consisting of strophe, antistrophe, epodus. The
verses of the str. and antistr., w. 104 — 139, are:
1. dactylic hexam. 2. dactylic pentam. 3. dactylic "dim.
4. dactylic trim. 5. iambic dipodia, dactylic tetram.
6. dactylic dim. 7. dactylic hexam. 8. dactylic dim.
9. dactylic octam. 10. iambic dip., dactylic tetram.
11. dactylic trim. 12. dactylic hexam. 13. iambic dim.
14. dactylic tetram , ecbasis i. e. a base , in form , taking
the place of a trochaic clausula. (All dact. orders are cat.)
The epodus vv. 140—159.
1. iambic dim. 2. iambic dip.-, logaoedic order (dactyl,
trochaic dip.) 3. dactylic tetram. 4. log. (base, dactyl,
trochaic dip.) 5. dactylic tetram. 6. dactylic pentam.
7. anacrusis, base, dactylic trim. 8. dactylic hexam.,
dactylic dim. 9. dactylic hexam. 10. dactylic hexam.,
dactylic trim. 11, 12, 13. dactylic hexam. 14. dactylic
dim. 15. dactylic tetram., ecbasis.
(3) An ode consisting of five strophes and antistrophes w.
160—257.
Str. A- 1. base , two trochaic dimeters cat. 2. trochaic
dim. cat. 3. two trochaic dimeters cat. 4. dactylic pentam.
5. trochaic dim. cat.
Str. 0'. 1. two trochaic dimeters cat. 2. trochaic dim.
cat. 3. base, trochaic dim. cat. 4. cretic trim., trochaic
dim. cat. 5. three trochaic orders: tripodia, dipodia,
dim. cat.
Str. y'. 1 , 2. iambic dip. , trochaic trip. 3. iambic
dim. , trochaic trip. 4. anacr. , base , trochaic trip.
5. iambic dip. , trochaic trip. cat. , ecbasis. 6. iambic trip.
7 , 8. log. (dactyl , trochaic dip.) 9. log. (choriambic hexa-
podia, dactyl, trochaic dip.)
Str. I'. 1, 2. iambic dip., trochaic trip. 3. iambic
dim. 4, 5. iambic dip., trochaic trip. 6. iambic trip.,
trochaic dip. 7. log. (iambus, trochaic trip, cat., dactyl,
trochaic trip, cat, dactyl, trochaic dip.) 8. dactyl, tro-
chaic dip.
Str. i. 1. iambic dip., cretic dim. 2. iambic dip.,
trochaic trip. 3. iambic dip., cretic, trochaic trip., tro-
chaic dip. 4. iambic dip., trochaic dim. cat. 5. iambic
EXPLANATION OF THE METRES. 227
dip. , cretic. 6. iambic dip. , trochaic trip. 7. iambic dip. ,
cretic trim. 8. log. (iambic dip., trochaic trip., dactyl,
trochaic dip.)
First Episode: iambic trimeters, w. 258 — 354.
First Stasimon, consisting of,
(1) three anapaestic systems: 2, 4£, 5. w. 355 — 366:
(2) an ode of three strophes and antistrophes and an epodus,
w. 367—488.
Str. d. 1,2. anacr. , base (or bacchius , or syncopated
iambic dip.), troch. trip. 3. anacr., troch. dip., troch.
trip. 4. iambic dip., cretic dim. 5, 6. iambic dip.,
cretic. 7, 8. anacr., base, cretic. 9, 10. anacr., base,
trochaic trip. 11. iambic dip., cretic dim., trochaic trip.
12. log. (dactyl, trochaic dip. 13, 14. Pherecratic (base,
dactylic dim.) 15. Gly conic (base, dactyl, cretic), Phe-
recratic.
NJB. Cretic is only a convenient name for a trochaic dip.
cat. , and a trochaic trip, is called an Ithyphallic. In
the same way a verse which consists of cretics having
the arsis uniformly resolved is called Poeonic. This
multiplication, however, of technical terms which
are not absolutely necessary is unscientific , and bears
the appearance of pedantry. Probably all metres
could be fully explained by the use of about a score
technical terms.
Str. /3'. 1. iambic dip., cretic dim. 2. iambic dip.,
cretic, trochaic trip. 3. iambic hexapodia. 4. anacr.,
base, trochaic trip. cat. 5. iambic pentap. 6. iambic
dip., trochaic trip. 7 , 8. iambic dip., trochaic dim. cat.
9. iambic dip. , cretic , trochaic trip. cat. 10. iambic dim.
11. iambic dip., cretic. 12. cretic, trochaic trip. 13,
14, 15. as in strophe «.
Str. y. 1. iambic dip., cretic dim. 2. iambic dip.,
trochaic dim. cat. 3 , 4. iambic dip. , cretic. 5. trochaic
order: three trochaic dimeters cat. 6 iambic order: two
iambic dimeters. 7. log. (iambic dim., dactyl, trochaic
trip. cat. dactyl , trochaic trip. cat. , dactyl , trochaic trip,
cat., dactyl, trochaic dip.) 8, 9, 10. as 13, 14, 15
in &, 0.
Epodus. 1 , 2. iambic dip. , cretic. 3. trochaic dim.
cat. 4, 5. iambic trim. 6. iambic dip., cretic. 7. iambic
228 EXPLANATION OF THE METEES.
dip., two trochaic dimeters cat. 8. iambic dip., cretic.
9. iambic dip., trochaic dim. cat. 10. iambic trim.
11. iambic dim. 12. iambic dip., trochaic dim. cat.
Second Episode: iambic trimeters w. 489 — 680.
Second Stasimon: an ode of four strophes and antistrophes ,
vv. 681—782.
Str. £. 1. two trochaic dimeters cat. 2. trochaic dim.
cat., cretic, trochaic dim. cat. 3. trochaic dim. cat.
4. log. (dactyl, trochee, cretic; dactyl, trochee, cretic;
dactyl, trochee, dactyl, choriambic dim., dactyl, trochee,
cretic; dactyl, trochee, cretic; choriambus, dactyl, trochee,
cretic; dactyl, trochaic trip.) 5. log. (base, dactyl, cre-
tic, dactyl, trochaic dip.) 6. Pherecratic (base Zvv,
dactylic dim.)
Str. |3'. 1. log. (iambus, dactyl, cretic, trochee, dac-
tylic dim.) 2. anacr. , base, dactylic dim. 3, 4, 5. dac-
tylic trim. 6, 7. trochaic dim. cat. 3. log. (base, dactyl,
cretic; trochee, dactylic dim.)
Str. y'. 1. iambic dip., trochaic dip., three trochaic
tripodias cat.; trochaic dip., trochaic trip. 2. dactyl,
trochaic trip. cat. 3. log. (base, dactyl, cretic; chor-
iambic dim. ; dactyl , trochaic trip. cat. ; choriambic trim. ,
dactylic dim.) 4. anacr., base, dactylic dim., (monosyllabic
catalexis). 5. pherecratic (base, dactylic dim.)
Str. S\ 1. iambic dip., cretic trim., trochaic dim. cat.
2. log. (anacr. , base , dactyl , trochaic dim. cat.) 3. iambic
dip. 4. Cretic trim. 5. log. (trochaic dip., cretic, dactyl,
trochaic dip.) 6. dactyl, trochaic dip.
N.B. In verse 4 the cretic order is either catalectic, or
has the last syllable common.
Third Episode: vv. 783 — 974. (1) six anapaestic systems vv.
783—809. (2) iambic trimeters vv. 810—974.
Third Stasimon: an ode of two strophes and antistrophes vv.
975—1034.
Str. d. 1,2. trochaic dim. cat. 3. trochaic dip. ,
trochaic trip. 4. dactylic pentam. 5,6, trochaic dim.
cat. 7. cretic dim., trochaic dim. cat. 8. iambic trim.
9. cretic dim., trochaic dim. cat. 10. trochaic dim. cat.
Str. /3'. 1 paeonic trim. 2. ionic a minore (= anacr.
vv and base — ), two dactylic trimeters cat. 3. log.
(dactyl, choriambic dim., dactyl, trochaic dip.) 4, 5, 6,
EXPLANATION OF THE METRES. 229
7, 8, 9. trochaic dim. cat. 10. base, dactylic heptam.
11. trochaic dim. cat.
Fourth Episode: vv. 1035 — 1330. (1) iambic trimeters vv.
1035 — 1071. (2) Commatica: seven strophes and anti-
strophes, vv. 1072 — 1177.
Str. d. 1,2. bacchiac dim.
Str. $. 1. bacchiac dim. 2. bacchius , dochmius.
3. iambic trim.
Str. y\ 1. dochmiac dim. 2. cretic, dochmius. 3. iam-
bic trim.
Str. t. 1. iambic dip., dochmius. 2. trochaic dim. cat.
3. iambic trim. 4. dochmius, cretic tetram.
Str. i. 1. dochmiac dim. 2. iambic dim. cat. 3. iam-
bic trim. 4. iambic dip., dochmius. 5. dochmius, cretic
dim. Mesostrophe £ : 1,2. iambic trim. 3 , 4. dochmiac
dim. 5. dochmius, cretic dim., dochmius.
Str. g'. 1. iambic dim. cat., dochmius. 2. dochmiac
dim. 3, 4. iambic trim. Mesostrophe (3': 1. dochmiac
trim. 2. cretic, dochmius. 3. dochmius, cretic dim.
4. dochmiac trim.
Str. £'. 1, 2. iambic trip., dochmius. 3. dochmiac
trim. 4, 5. iambic trim. Mesostrophe y': 1. dochmiac
dim. 2. iambic dim. 3. dochmiac dim. 4. dochmius,
cretic dim. 5. dochmius.
(3) vv. 1178 — 1330, iambic trimeters, except v. 1307 (psv (psu
an iambus, and vv. 1214. 1256, 1315 iambic dipodias.
Three anapaestic systems, vv. 1331 — 1342, occupy the place
of the Fourth Stasimon.
Fifth Episode: vv. 1343 — 1447, iambic trimeters, except vv.
1344 ,6,7, trochaic tetram. cat. , and a strophe and ant-
istrophe vv. 1407— 1411 ; 1426—1430:
v. 1. dochmius. 2. iambic dim. 3, 4. dochmiac dim.
5. iambic trip, dochmius. 6. pherecratic (base , dactylic dim.)
Commatica: five strophes and antistrophes alternating with
ten anapaestic systems, vv. 1448 — 1577.
Str. d. 1. log. (dactyl, cretic, dactyl, cretic, phere-
cratic.) 2. iambic dip., trochaic trip. 3. log. (dactylic
dim. , trochaic dip.) 4. trochaic dim. cat. 5. cretic tetram. ,
trochaic dim. cat.
Str. |3'. 1. log. (dactylic trim., trochaic dip.) 2. log.
(dactyl, trochaic dip.) 3. anacr., base, trochaic trip.
230 EXPLANATION OF THE METKES.
Str. y. 1. dactylic trim, with monosyllabic catalexis.
2. log. (dactylic dim., trochaic dip.) 3. log. (anacr.,
dactyl, trochaic dip., pherecratic). 4, 5. two iambic
dimeters. 6. iambic trim. cat. 7. log. (iambus, dactyl,
trochaic dip.)
Str. t. 1. anacr., two bases, dactyl, cretio. 2. ionic
a minore, cretic. 3. log. (dactylic dim., trochaic dip.)
Str. £. 1. iambic dip., trochaic trip. 2. log. (dactyl,
trochaic dip.) 3. iambic dip., trochaic trip. 4. iambic
dip., trochaic dim. cat. 5. iambic dip., trochaic trip.
5. iambic trim. 7. anacr., base, trochaic trip.
Exode: w. 1578—1673,
vv. 1578—1648, iambic trimeters: vv. 1649—1673
trochaic trimeters catalectic.
-<s-
ADDITIONS.
V. 893 , Commentary. The experiments of Professor Burmeister
have proved that this is incorrect. Breathing is the true cause
of the sound made by insects, which is in reality a whistle.
Insects hum after their wings are cut off, but not when the air-
holes of the thorax are closed up. Again, the common house-
fly, for instance, does not always hum during its flight.
V. 1110. 'And then he adjusted it very carefully in his grasp ,
and made two or three experimental picks with it in the air'.
The murderer in 'Uncle Silas' by J. S.Le Fanu, Vol. HI. p. 302.
Having at length , August 7 th. 1868 , obtained a copy of
Canter's edition, after the final impression of all these sheets
except the last, I am enabled to give a short description of that
rare book. It is in 32mo. , 3 inches broad by 4i long , and
about | of an inch thick. It contains 368 pages. The critical
notes to the seven plays take up 12\ of these little pages. Here
is a translation of the Title-page : "The Seven Tragedies of^schylus.
In which besides the removal of an infinite number of blemishes,
the structure of the odes, which was hitherto unknown, is now
first explained; by William Canter of Utrecht. Published at
Antwerp, from the press of Christopher Plantinus. 1580." It is
dedicated in Greek to Peter Victorius , whose text Canter adopts
without inserting his own corrections. At the end we have the
Approbatio of 'Thomas Gozeus a Bellomonte, Professor of The-
ology and Inspector of Books': "I have read through a Sophocles
and JEschylus and the observations made upon them by William
232 ADDITIONS.
Canter, and have found nothing objectionable. Done at Louvain ,
April 1, 1570."
Canter prefaces his critical notes to the Choephorce as follows:
"Quemadmodum hsec tragcedia principio caret , sic etiam iis quae
insuper prseponi debent , destituitur : quorum nos utrique , quantum
poterimus adferemus remedii. Hsec igitur praeponenda sunt.
'TjroAfflvs rife rov AltrxvXov Tpayw£<a$, % £7rfypu(p£TXi %oyQ6poi.
'H fisv ffxtfvij rov Spxpxroq ev " Apye< V7r6x£irxi ' b Is %opb^ £%
7rccp()evuv ivT07riuv avvsartficev , cti rxq %oxq ?rpo$ rov 'Ayxpeftvovos
rdQov scofti&vffiv. v\ 5' virofoo'iq, 'OpfffT)}? £K (pwy%$ enxviuv . xcii
tyiv re K.Xvrtt,i(jt.vyi<rrpu)> x"[tx xxi rov A'/y<0"flov xre/vwy."
This Argument, it will be observed, is 'about four lines' as
I have supposed above, jrapflevwv is wrong: it should be ywxixav.
ivT07rim is right; as I have proved at p. XH of my Choephorce,
independently of Canter. With reference to the lacuna in the
Prologue of the Choephorce he says: "Jam quod ad principium
tragcedise pertinet, id nobis fere to'um conservavit in Ranis
Aristophanes."
THE END.
115437
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