upon this triple road, there did both a herald, and a man mounted on a chariot with young steeds, even as thou describest, meet me; and both the guide and the old man himself were for driving me by force off the road. So I in passion strike him who was turning me off, the charioteer. And the old man when he sees this, having watched my passing by, struck me from the car with a doubled goad a descending blow on the middle of the head. Aye, and he paid a penalty not equivalent, I trow, but hastily struck by a staff from this hand, he is instantly rolled out of the chariot prostrate, but I slay the whole of them. But if Laïus and this same stranger have any near connection, who is a more pitiable object than I, even I? What man could there be more abhorred of the gods? to whom it is permitted that none of strangers or natives should admit him within their doors; that none should even speak to him, but thrust him from their dwellings: and this it was no other than I, that fastened on myself even these curses. Nay the couch of him who is deceased do I pollute by my hands, those hands by which he fell. Am I not by nature a villain? am I not totally impure? if I must needs flee the country, and having fled am to be permitted neither to behold mine. that tragic and comic writers used v, in order to avoid the hiatus before a vowel. 2nd. That if a or na and lov be found in Homer as imperfects of tipi, the old grammarians considered inv no less so, (II. o. 80): that the Ea of Herodotus, the imperfect, seems different from Homer's eu, which in one instance (Od. §. 351), must be taken as an aorist, and may in all he has cited. 3rd. That the Attics may, as in other cases of a double imperfect, have taken, though formed from the undoubted imperfect ča, as an aorist. For the examples adduced in support of this opinion, see Hermann's preface. In this passage he retains v, admitting either to be cor rect. own, nor to set foot on my native soil; or I am doomed to be yoked in wedlock with my mother, and to kill outright my father Polybus, who reared, who begot me. And would not any one, pronouncing all this to be the work of a ruthless dæmon upon me, be right in his words? Then O may I never, may I never, thou spotless majesty of heaven, see this day, but may I be gone from among mankind into darkness ere that I view such a taint of misery come upon me. CH. To us, O king, these tidings are alarming: until however thou hast ascertained more from the eyewitness, cherish hope. ED. Yes, certainly, so much hope at least I have, as merely to abide the coming of the man, the herdsman. Jo. But when he has made his appearance, what reassurance canst thou have? ED. I will inform thee. For should he be found to be in the same story with thee, I for my part may have escaped the woe. Jo. But what manner of word of more than common interest heardest thou from me? ED. Thou toldest me of his denouncing certain robbers as having slain the king: if therefore he shall report the same number still, I was not his slayer, for one at least could not be the same with many. But if he shall mention one man single-handed, plainly is this very deed thereupon leaning towards me. Jo. Nay, be assured that the tale was so published at least, and he cannot again nullify this at any rate; for the whole city, and not only I, heard these tidings. But if, after all, he should in any point swerve from his former account, never, O prince, shall he show that Laïus' murder at least was duly consistent, whom I ween Apollo Loxias declared must perish by a son of mine. And yet, whoever slew him, that did not ever the illstarred babe, but himself perished long before. So that I never again for the sake of divination at least would turn mine eyes either this way or that. ED. Well dost thou determine: but yet send one to convey hither the hind, nor neglect this. Jo. I will hasten to despatch one; but let us go in doors: for I would do nought which might be displeasing to thee. CHORUS. O that it were my daily fate to support the all-sainted purity of every word and action, whereof are propounded laws of state sublime, engendered within the firmament of heaven, whose only father is Olympus; nor did perishable nature of man give them being, no, nor shall oblivion ever drown them in sleep. Great is the divinity in these, nor groweth old. Insolence engenders the tyrant, Insolence, if idly she have been over-glutted with much that is neither seasonable nor serviceable, having surmounted the topmost precipice, dashes onward into ruin, where she must avail herself of unavailing foot. But the rival energy that is wholesome for the state I implore the deity never to unnerve; never will I cease to take god for my patron. But if any walk presumptuously in deed or word, unawed of justice, nor reverencing the seats of the powers above, may evil doom overtake him in reward of his fatal wantonness; unless he shall gain his gains honestly, and refrain himself from all unhallowed things, or, playing the fool, shall grasp at what is sacred from the touch. In this state of things, what man will ever again glory in repulsing from his soul the darts of passion? for if practices such as these be had in honour, why need I lead the chorus? Never again will I make pilgrimage to the hallowed centre of earth as worshipper, nor to the shrine at Abæ, no nor the Olympian, unless these matters shall turn out congruous (plainly enough) to be pointed at by the finger of all mankind. But, O sovereign Jove, if indeed thou art rightly styled ruler of the universe, be it not unregarded by thee and thine ever-undying empire. For already are they overthrowing the ancient prophecies of Laïus which fall into decay, and nowhere is Apollo conspicuous in worship, but all that is divine is going to ruin. Jo. Princes of the land, the design has suggested itself to me of repairing a suppliant to the temples of the gods, having taken in my hands these chaplets and incense-offerings. For Edipus raises his feelings to too high excitement by griefs of every variety, nor, as should • Jocasta here, contrasted with the Jocasta of the following scenes, seems an instance of that oμaluç ávúμaλog of Aristotle, which Bossu so well illustrated by the regular irregularities of "th' inconstant moon." That Jocasta is ανώμαλος in the play is evident: but is she so ὁμαλῶς ? The mother who in three days from the birth of her firstborn could abandon him to his fate without an effort to save him; the queen-consort who could so soon forget the husband of her youth, that in such time as it took to finish a journey from Delphi to Thebes, hear and solve a riddle, she could wed an utter stranger; such a woman might assuredly, without violation of historic truth, be represented as changing with the breath of every rumour. If anything were wanting to make the character more natural, it is supplied in her clear-sightedness with regard to her husband, who, she says, ἔστι τοῦ λέγοντος, quite unconscious of this being her own chief weakness. a man of understanding, conjectures what is new by what is old; but is the speaker's dupe, if he but speak of horrors. Since then by advising I make none the more progress, to thee, O Lycæan Apollo, seeing thou art nearest at hand, am I come a petitioner with these rites of prayer, that thou mayest furnish us with some holy remedy, since now we are all quailing to see him, as pilot of the vessel, horror-stricken. MESSENGER. Could I learn from you, strangers, where is the abode of the monarch Edipus? but chiefly of himself, tell me if ye know where he is. CH. This is his mansion, and himself is within, stranger; but this lady is the mother of his children. MES. But may she be prosperous herself, and ever consort with the prosperous, for that she is his true and proper wife. Jo. Nay, and be thou on thy part also the same, O stranger, since thou deservest it for thy courteous accost: but make known in quest of what thou hast come, and what desirous to impart. MES. Good to thy house and husband, lady. Jo. Of what nature this same good? and from whence arrived? MES. From Corinth; but at the tale which I shall divulge thou mightst perhaps be gratified; nay, how shouldst thou not? yet haply mightst thou be sorry. Jo. But what is it? what sort of twofold force does it thus possess? MES. The inhabitants of the Isthmian land will set him up for their king, as was there reported. |