Campbell City (part 5 of 13)

182. Hence the mistake of the Scholiast on O. C. 1048, dxtais - rtov The singularity of the expression, which however may be paralleled from Aesch. Cho. 723, Xwpatos, is in keeping with the excited tone of the chorus, cp. .. just below; and the tendency to repeat the same word within a few lines, in a different connection (176, is so strong in Sophocles as to make such a repetition probable even if not exactly appropriate (see Essay on L. 44. p. 76; and in this very chorus, papa .. 157-9, 167, 178, 157, 187, ine 154, 174, 154, 186, 189, 211, dyAa@m 214, 156, 166, 200, 206). The women at the altars are like shipwrecked mariners clinging to a rock. The conj. em. though not unreasonable or improbable, is not necessary. The MSS. have generally in one word, but in three MSS. at least there is an accent on

i.e. 'Their voices sounding some from one place and some from another:' i.e. they are supplicating various deities. Cp. Il. 2. 400,

186. The intentional boldness of this is somewhat softened by the analogous use of as an attribute of sound. The word suggests the ringing of the bright paean in the clear air. The predicate of is to be borrowed from

dpavAos| This properly signifies 'neighbouring,' 'dwelling with,' but is probably here fancifully referred to 580 as to mean 'accompanying,' as the flute accompanies song. The difficulty of this word has perhaps suggested the various reading Suavdos, which is found in Par, Ev,

188. Either (1) 'in whose behalf,' or (2) 'for the relief of all which woe. 'The latter is preferable, because including a reference to the immediate context, and because if persons were

190. "Apea] 'Apea. Any hostile and deadly influence is personified as "Apys. Cp. Aj. 706, where the madness of Ajax is sonamed. The plague, already personified as @eds (27), here receives a more distinct personality.

The Homeric epithet of fire, extended by Aeschylus to other destructive things ... Pers. 62), is here given to the pestilence which is represented under the image of fire.

'Without brazen shield.' 'The god of war without the weapons of war.' Cp. .. in Aesch. Prom. 880. For similar oxymora, see Essay on L. § 37. p. 70.

' With loud cries.' The paeans and groans arising from the plague are compared to the shouts and cries which attend the onset of the god of battles. Cp. Aesch. Suppl. 682, . .

192. turn his course backward from my land." The infinitive is governed by the general notion of causing implied in and the accusative is cognate, at first probably intended to follow some verb of motion (such as for which is substituted in order to add forcetomadicovrov. E.onL. § 40.5. 75. Cp. Eur. Andr. 1141, des | is ablative gen. 'And let the fiery War-god, who now, without brazen arms, amidst loud cries advances to destroy me, turn away from my fatherland and speed back again.'

194. 'Carried by the breeze.' The word occurs actively, Tr. 954, pos Aris But the passive use is found in Clem. Alex. (130, Oeias), who probably had some earlier authority for this use of the word. Cp. The special meaning of odpos, a 'favouring wind,' is not here used ironically, as in Tr. 815, 16, | but is lost in the compound, See Essay on L. p. go, and cp. Tr. 467, 8, .. This reading (which is slightly confirmed by the gloss in L?) is preferable to dmovpov, (1) because yielding a more natural rhythm, (2) because though an early reading, acknowledged by the Scholiast, is probably an emendation. It occurs nowhere else, and may have arisen from the apparent necessity of connecting the adj. with which was supposed to begin the new line (p. 145, note), and seemed to want a construction.

195. "Apdutpitas| Cp. infr. 1411, 2, | The Atlantic rather than the Mediterranean is meant. The Atlantic and Euxine were known as the two farthest seas. Cp. Eur. Hipp. 3,

217, ; and for this epithet of the Pontus, Pind. P. 4. 203, ..

It has been proposed to read But the change is unnecessary, and rather weakens the verbal contrast. is a place of anchorage. Cp. Eur. Hec. 450, Aw- 'The article is more idiomatic if is retained. The difficulty has been occasioned hy the apposition of an abstract to a concrete word. Essay on L, p. 56 a.

198. 'For if night at her close leave anything unharmed, this day assails' Yor with subj., see Essay on L. § 27. 44. And for the personification of the words of time, cp. Tr. 29-34, yap It has been proposed to read 'For the destruction is complete etc. (Cp. El. 1417, dpai: Tr. 825, 6, But the asyndeton and the break in the rhythm of the short iambic line are against this. One Scholiast makes adverbial, and connects it with in the sense of 'finally' or ' completely,' and some would render, 'If night leaves aught of the work undone, day goes thoroughly at this. Others propose 'Ifnight omit to finish any work.' An improvement on this last suggestion would be to read (aor., cp. Plat.

Prot. 338 A). 'For if night leave aught unravaged.' Cp. Eur. Hec. 1204, ys But the Scholiast of L is perhaps right in rendering, .. For this use of the dative, cp. EL. 194, voaTous : Pind. Pyth. I. 35,

Either (1) is correlative to re in 1. 205, and a new beginning is made with the strophe: or (2) is a conyanction ('And') as in supr. igo, and is postponed, like after the vocative. For the twofold invocation, cp. Aesch. 5. c. T. 145-50. is poetical plural.

205. Berea. .. 'I would see showered.' to be taken passively in the sense of distributing or dispensing. Se the Scholiast, whose interpretation is confirmed by the prep. which is more naturally explained as dependent on the verb. For the rare passive, see E. on L. p. 53.

notwithstanding the order, is an epithet, but an emphatic epithet. Cp. infr. 671, 2, ob | Essay on L. § 23. 37.

to protect and succour me.' The Ist aorist passive of is rare, but so also is which occurs in the senarii, l. cp. also Tr. 340, This is more probable than either occurs nowhere and would be meaningless here) or which has been conjectured, but is hardly metrical (see ll. 192, 3). The arrows of Apollo are spoken of in language properly applicable to persons, as if they were an army bringing relief. There is also an allusion to Apollo's attribute as pwos, El. 637. Cp. Aesch. Theb. 145, ib. 8,

208. Echoing which therefore seems in this passage to be associated with the Lycian worship of Apollo; though differently interpreted in El. 6, 7, |

209. . Cp. Lucian. Dial. Deorum, 18. 1, And for the Maenads, cp. Ant. 1122.

210. yas | 'Who bears the name of this land;' i.e. who is called (6 'Bacchus, Thebe's earth-shaking god,' Ant. 154: Kadpeias ib. 1115), rather than (2) 'Who gives a surname to

212. The reading (easily accounted for where the letters » and y are so frequent as in Il. 209 ff.) has obtained a strong hold of the MSS, but is generally accompanied by glosses which belong to the other reading, e.g.

215. " Dishonoured,' ' put far from honour.' The idea is that expressed in the words addressed by Zeus to Ares, Il. 5. 888 ff., dp' | | yap With which cp. Il. 18. 107, Cp. also the expression about the house of Hades, (Il. 20. 65), and the hard names given to the Erinnyes by Apollo in Aesch. Eum., esp. 73,

the many transitions of this chorus the same deities are addressed more than once. In the spirit of polytheism the same gods are called by different names or surnames according to the attributes which are invoked.

Oiaitioys Typannoz

leader he gives an authoritative answer, as being now possessed through Creon of the mind of Apollo. In reading this speech it is necessary to bear-in mind the importance which the Greeks attached to a curse and to words spoken in unconsciousness of their real import.

216. The antecedent to the relative is in no definite construction. The sentence is broken off and resumed in (cp. El. 1364, #.7.A.), and the antec. of may be regarded as the remote accusative of the sentence, governed by the notion of 'obtaining' implied in

217. 'And to obey the requirements of the disease.' Cp. EL. 1805, 6.

219, 20. Eévos . 'Who am a stranger with respect to this affair; ay, and to the rumour concerning it' 1. 6. ignorant, as one who at the time of the murder, and of the talk which followed it, was not a citizen of Thebes. Cp. Plat Apol. 17 D, févas THs The formal emphasis with which Oedipus dwells on his relation to the inquiry, .. throws a strong light on his unconsciousness of the real situation. Cp. infr. 259, 60, ..

220,1. .. These words assign a further reason why Oedipus has remained a stranger to the affair. 'ForI had no clue to guide me and so could not have followed an inquiry far.' He offers this excuse for having hitherto neglected what he now feels to be an imperative duty. Cp. supr. 108, 9, 128, 9. 133, 4, Infr. 566, 7. It has been objected to this interpretation that dv necessarily means, 'Else had I not,' (sc.

Cp. infr. 11, 318, 1456, 7. But no such rule is absolute in tragic Greek, and no tenable interpretation has been based on this way of taking the words. The 'suppressed clause' is ixvevoy, and the general meaning is 'I could not be otherwise than a stranger.' Although the more usual mode of connexion would be yap - ; the negative form, «.7.X., is here more dignified. For cp. Tr. 317,

myself, ; 'unaided.' Cp. O. C. 1154, 5, pe | ws This is more pointed than the reading of L and most MSS.

' Having no clue.' These words are epexegetic of For with the participle, see Essay on L. p. 49, and cp. Hat. 6. 106, EovTOS e. 'If the disk were not full, which it was not.' So here, 'Unless I had something to guide me, and I had nothing." The word (for which see Ar. Pol. 4. 7, Pind. Ol. 12. 7), would cause a thrill of horror to the spectators, when they reflected that Oedipus had Laius' blood upon his hand, and the stamp of his likeness upon his person.

yap Oedipus, as a popular ruler, bases his proclamation on his right of citizenship, rather than on any higher pretension. 'But now I proclaim to you no longer as a stranger but as a citizen, though subsequently enrolled.' Sc. TEpos and TOU is said with allusion to févos. Teiresias includes both in .. infr. 452. ('I too') occurs for in some MSS. But see E. on L. 8 44 f. p. 83.

227-29. The apodosis of this sentence is dropped in Oedipus' haste to give the assurance contained in «.7.A., and is imperfectly resumed in

Some obscurity also arises from the appeal to fear (cp. infr. 234, 294) being combined with ithe attempt to soothe it (cp. Tr. 457, wel ov

(1) 'And let the man himself, if he be touched with fear, inform against himself, by taking the guilt away with him. For he shall suffer no further penalty, but shall be unmolested in his departure from the land.' i.e. Instead of waiting for others to convict him, let him convict himself by going into voluntary exile, and taking the offence from the land. Th: words atrod are to be construed with 1. 226, sc. self-banishment being in this case equivalent to self-impeachment : -

Or (2) may be understood proleptically, and supplied from .. supra. 'Let him inform against himself, and clear the guilt away.'

Or (3) is to be taken in the unusual sense of 'drawing forth from concealment." 'Let him obey me by divulging the crime against himself.'

The gentleness of Oedipus towards the supposed self-convicted criminal is contrasted with the fierceness of his self-reproach in ll. 1369 foll., 1449 foll., infra.

229. 'Unharmed.' which occurs in the text of A, and most MSS, and has been written as av.r. by a hand of the 15th century on the mg. of L, although a good word (see esp. Thuc. 5. 18, § 3), is more likely to be a gloss than which is therefore preferred. would have required no explanation,

230-2. The duty of the citizens generally is clear. The only cases requiring special mention are those of the murderer should conscience incline him to obey, and of information against a foreigner by one of his fellows. Cp. 1. 233 This is the case contemplated in these lines. A might hesitate to do what was required of the citizens, unless specially assured that he would equally receive the reward. And some one resident in Thebes might be a fellow countryman of the 'stranger-robbers' (1. 715), who had killed Laius in the triple way. The obscurity of expression arises from the effort to adapt the language to the case of Oedipus. The was in the position of knowing another from another land. Contrast Il. 231, 2, with 11. 1159, 1160, and cp. 1004. For the form of expression, cp. Eur. Ion 1057, GAAos GA- dm .. ebyeveTay

Oiaitioys Typannos

232. XR 'And he shall have store of gratitude besides,' i.e. he will be regarded as a benefactor of the city. Cp. Thuc. 1. 129, TH : Phil. 557, Plat. Rep. 1. 345 A,

234. (1) 'Shall repel this charge either from a friend for whom he fears, or from himself.' todos, sc. TO Tov Or (2), 'Shall reject my word in fear either for a friend or for himself.' opp. to 217. (1) 1s best. The words and are each in a double construction with and

235. This might be construed to mean, 'My own lips shall declare my future ;' and marks that all which follows is delivered by Oedipus as his act and deed. Cp. infr. 819, 20.

to the murderer or to the concealer of the crime. That the first is the correct explanation is proved by the following reasons. (1) That no sufficient meaning can otherwise be given to in line 242. (2) That in 11, 817 foll., pnd | | Oedipus applies ll. 235 foll. to himself, if guilty of the murder. (3) This gives more point to is governed by yijs is partitive genitive governed by tid. 'Anyone in all this land.'

240. xépviBos| For this gen. sing. (which besides coming from the first hand of L, better suits with than does), see L. and S. s. v.

246-251. The formality of the language marks the solemnity of the curse. Some editors, following Ribbeck, have placed these lines after 1. 272, on the ground that the plural in the words has no proper antecedent, for Oedipus is speaking of one murderer not of many; and they would suppose the error to have been caused by the recurrence of 1. 273. But the plural, referring to some 'person or persons unknown,' is sufficiently justified by and for the vague reference of the pronoun see Essay on L. § 22. p. 34. Ocedipus is careless about the number; cp. supr. 107, 124 and note. The curse also falls indirectly on those who disobey the commands in ll. 224-32, and 236-41. A slight inaccuracy of language is no sufficient reason for such a transposition. The conjecture requires a further conjecture: i.e. the words must (1) have been omitted, then (2) have been written in the margin, and then (3) must have been wrongly inserted before 1. 252, instead of before 1. 273. It may be observed, in defence of the existing text, that the curse on the malefactor naturally precedes the curse on those who disobey the edict. The emphasis is on is added instead of a pronoun, referring to because of and coming between. The words .. include 1]. 236 ff.

257-269. Every line calls attention to the real position of Oedipus, of which he is profoundly unconscious. (1) cp. 1. 460; (2) maldwy, cp. O. 535, ye marpos (3) (Oedipus says this in ignorance of Laius having had a child; but he unwittingly expresses the fact of his own misfortune) ; (4) 1. 263, which points to the curse pursuing Laius and his offspring; (5) the words marpés. The effect of all this on the spectators may be imagined. Yet every word is suitable to the apparent~situation and to the generous character of Oedipus.

thesis with and in 2509, 60, has superseded the primary structure of the sentence. But perhapsy' should be read, giving a slight emphasis to 'Since it so happens that I,' Oedipus modestly referring his position to fortune.

261. dv] For the repetition of see Essay on L. § 44. p. 75... 'And had he but prospered in his issue, there had been the common bond between us of a common family.' These words are the continuation of The emphatic repetition suggests the horror of the real situation. For the gen., cp. O. C. 923,

264. Resuming the deferred apodosis of 258 foll. after the digression .. i.e. 'And being his successor and having these common interests with him, either (1) depends on the notion of help or vindication continued from pat, to which the mind reverts as the chief word, or (2) is dependent on For(2),cp. Ar. Poet. 1452 Tov TH

267, 8. Cp. Hdt. 5. 59, ein AaBddkov The genealogy belongs to the formal style of the proclamation.

The dative (@ects), which would be the natural case after is attracted to the subject of 'I pray the gods not to Jet any harvest spring for them from the ground, nor fruit of the womb from their women.' For in the latter sense, cp. infr. 1405, The MS. reading involves too harsh a change of subject in what follows matdas), and would require as in Vat. a. For the tenor of these words, cp. the curse of Cambyses in Hdt. 3. 65, K.T.A.

274, 5. 'May justice, taking your part, and all the gods dwell with you evermore to bless you.' occurs frequently in Aeschylus as an attribute of See esp. Cho. 497,

The tone of the preceding speech as a royal proclamation may be contrasted with that of Creon in Ant. 163-210. In both there is a mixture of self-confidence with the strain of patriotism. But in Creon these motives appear as the bare assertion of a right, in Oedipus as a spirit of generous readiness to serve the state. In both there is an unconsciousness of the situation. But whereas Creon's unconsciousness involves moral blindness and ignorance of self, that of Oedipus is rendered more pathetic by the purity of his intentions.

276, apatov 'As feeling the power of your curse." Cp. Aesch. Cho. 108, For cp. Hdt. 3. 74, ; and for the construction with the adjective, O. C. 284, See also Ant. 305, For the redundant antecedent in

279. is to be taken separately, as acc. after referring to 'But for the inquiry, it behoved Phoebus, who imposed it, to tell this, who can have wrought the deed.' Cp. supr. 150, infr. 306.

282,3. 'I would mention what seems to me the next best thing after that.' 'Next or third best, leave it not unsaid.' Logical exactness is not required in such idiomatic expressions. Cp. Eur. Hel. 1417, 'Be it second or third best, out with what you have to say.'

284, foll. 'I know one above other men, who being a king, sees with the eyes of king Phoebus, of whose lips one inquiring into this may learn thevery truth.'

2885, 6. .. is in two constructions: (1) with 'from whom one might learn this clearly ;' (2) with 'if we viewed it in the light of his words.'

287. .. A verbal contrast like (infr. 1273). 'But neither have I done this as one of my omissions,' i.e. 'I have not left this undone.' E. on L. p. 69. For the subjective use of the middle voice in see K.on L. § 31. p. 53, and for cp.O.C.1605 ; Eur. Phoen. 766, |

280. 'I have long been wondering he should not be here.' tapav=ei Teliresias is slow to come, as when he comes he is slow to speak. For the use of the passive in ferar, see E.on L, § 31. p.53. 'He has long been wondered at by me;' i.e. 'I have long been wondering about him.'

290. 'Certainly what other rumours there were, told nothing, and are forgotten" i.e. other than we may hope to hear from Phoebus or his prophet. «add, lit.'dumb,' 1.6. 'giving no clear intelligence. The chorus allude for a moment to the report which Creon spoke of ll. 122, 3; but this slight clue is again broken off by the entrance of Teiresias, to be resumed afterwards.

292, 3. 'He was said to have been murdered by some unknown travellers' (coming towards Thebes). Creon spoke (1. 118) of one eye-witness having escaped, and bringing a confused account, but the possibility of finding and questioning this man does not yet occur to Oedipus. The general effect of Il. 116 - I19, was to reduce the available evidence to the lowest point. It is only afterwards, when he begins to suspect the truth, that Oedipus catches at straws.

' But no eyewitness is forthcoming.' The article is general, not referring to the individual mentioned in 1. 119, whom Oedipus has for the present forgotten. This suits the place better than the conjecture Tov which is weak and tautological. For cp. 1133, 4: yap |

204. 'But if he is at all capable of fear." The plural expresses the general notion. Others read (see v.rr.), in which ye must be taken with the whole sentence. sc. 0 The transition to the murderer as being the foremost person in the thoughts of all present (supr. 227) is again easily made, without requiring the correction in 293.

297. Authorities are nearly balanced between and The former has a slight preponderance in being the first hand of L, and appearing (with the variant in most of the earlier MSS. This, however, is not sufficient to decide between letters so often confounded as é and y. Common usage is in favour of the future (Ant. 261, 6 The present tense, if genuine, is expressive of certainty. 'There is one who convicts him;' 1.6. He is already convicted, for Teiresias is here. Cp. 356, mepevya. For the use of the present participle without special reference to present time, see E. on L. § 32. p. 55.

300. This use of without or the like addition, is perhaps assisted by a supposed connection with See E,on L. p.100, and cp. Plat. Crat. 411 D, youns . Hdt. 4. 128, avaipeopévovs, Cp. Od. 13. 255, : Aesch. 5. c. T. 24, | thou that wieldest in thy thought all knowledge and all mysteries, both of things in Heaven, and things on earth.' i.e. The report is true, even if it has not reached you yet. Or, (2) ' If you have not heard from the messengers as well as from me;' i.e. I tell you, in case your guides have not. In the latter case, which is the more probable (cp. supr. 329, note, 325), is used For this, cp. Thuc. 5. 45, eis Nothing is gained by transposing ; still less by reading The repetition of the same words (supr. 302) is no cause for suspicion. E. on L. 8 44.

307. Emphatic: 'this, and no other' Cp. 68, : Phil. 61, : Thuc. 8. 81,

310, foll. resumes from 304. is slightly adversative between oi- Bos and ov, connects the human prophecy with the divine. 'Phoebus answers thus: and do not thou withhold any intimation, whether derived from birds or from any other way of divination at thy command.' For the coordination of tw'. . with cp. Phil. 468, 9, mpoogidés: and for

218. 'And clear away.' The double application of cannot be expressed in one word in English. The evil from which deliverance is sought is made the object of the verb of deliverance. Cp. Eur. Iph. A. 1383, Although this involves a slight change of construction, it is better than to take 'what lies under pollution." Even if such a rendering be not impossible, the line so explained adds nothing to what is already said.

314, 15. For the mcod, cp. 979, tis, and see E. on L. 36. p. 61. is subject: cp. Ant. 710, Tis | 'It is a man's noblest endeavour to use whatever power he may have in doing benefits.' 'How terrible it is to know, when knowing profits 1 often implies a feeling or intelligence of the situation. E. on L. p.93, 6,

Tr. 1145, : Aj. 942, So in this play, 302, vets 326, .. 328, Cp. with the present passage, Hdt. 1. 46, where Croesus tries the oracles, 6 .. For the subjunct. in a relative clause without see E. on L. § 27. p.45. The indicative Ave. would make the application of the maxim too pointed. This is the only place where the expression, occurs. Av- is frequent in prose writers, and Euripides has repeatedly used the simple in this sense. The present expression appears to be an etymological analysis of The use of in El. 1005, 'This tends not at all to free us,' is not really similar. With the sentiment, cp. Hdt. 9. ovTa

317. yap assigns a reason for «.7.A. "Why do I speak thus ? Because had I remembered this, which I well knew, I had not come hither.'

320, 1. 'Let me go home. If you grant me this, you and I will bear our part in the sequel more easily.' Cp. Hdt. 1. 25, ..

325. It is needless to suppose an aposiopesis. 'The implied clause is to be sought from what precedes; viz. or 'My motive is, that I may not be in the same case with you.' 'Isée that thy word is against thy interest, and I would not fall into the same error.' Cp. here=as wal, i.e. =

327. The chorus also (having been engaged in supplication in various parts of the city, supr. 19) are in the guise of suppliants.

I may not saythine.' 'the evils that I know, «., 'the evils that you have to suffer.') Unless in 1, 329 is taken as a mere rhetorical repetition of the former like in Ant. 6, (which does not seem probable after od and gives a poor meaning to the preceding words, as if the motive Teiresias had for speaking were merely that he might 'say his say,' or as if he could speak and yet be silent), the only tenable explanation of the words as they stand is (1) to take ws ay TA as a separate clause, with the ellipse of Aéyw, as in the familiar idioms ws (Aesch. Cho. 1021) and iva (Lat. 'ne dicam,' Eng. 'Not to say - ') Plat. Rep. 6. 487, etc. (For ws cp. Fr. 736, 1. 11, and, for postponed, Phil. 653, ws AaBety). And this is probably right, although a simpler context may be obtained (2) by transposing and changing one letter: | (For cp. infr. 377.) was the conjecture of Brunck.

332. | (MSS, as in all similar cases, | 7 dAdws). The running together of the verses here is expressive of rising passion. Cp. Phil. 263. The only other instance of such an elision, except with the particles and 7', is in O. C. 1164, where, however, the reading is questioned. This freedom is peculiar to Sophocles.

334. «.7.A.] Ocdipus says this to excuse the strong words For the transitive use of dp- here, cp. O. C.1282,

'Thine own that dwells at hand thou seest not.' Oedipus is ignorant of his own passion, as he is of other things and persons that are too close to him. - "You blame me, but know not the consequences in which your own intemperate haste will involve you.' These

341. HEEL... (My silence makes no difference) 'for it will come of itself,' i.e. without the intervention of my prophecy. For the vague subject, which here assists the effect of mystery, cp. Hdt. 7. 8. § 11.

345. ovSev.. is not adverbial. Supply 'And I certainly will not refrain in my anger from uttering fully what I perceive. 6. ws 'Now that I am roused so far." Cp. Phil. 374-6.

347. 'To have been privy to the plot and to have done the murder, all but the fatal stroke.' Cp. Tr. 1214, ..

350. 'Indeed!' The anger of Teiresias becomes uncontrollable, as that of Creon does where he uses the same expression in Ant. 758. It is an idiomatic utterance of extreme impatience, and nearly corresponds to the 'Is't possible?' of Cassius in J. C. 4, 3: i.e. it does not ask ironically, 'Is such a statement true?' but indignantly, 'Has such a thing really been said ?'

354. expresses the surprise of Oedipus at the astounding boldness of the accusation. The same astonishment is expressed in kat which is much more suitable to the passion of Oedipus than the ironical mov. 'Have you so shamelessly broken silence with such a word as this? And what escape then can you hope to find?' éxxivety is to 'start' or 'put in motion. Cp. EI. 567. The word which Teiresias has set going will not easily be laid to rest.

356-361. 'I have escaped, for I keep in my bosom the might of truth.' - ' By whom instructed? You never learnt this from your art. - ' By you; you prompted my unwilling tongue' - 'To utter what? Repeat, that I may better understand.' - - ' Was my speech so dark, or are you tempting me in talk ?' (or, reading 'to speak further '). - 'I cannot say it was intelligible, speak it again.' 360. is nearer to the first hand of L. than which has, however, considerable authority. For cp. 1128, The reply refers, as often elsewhere (supr. 100), to the former of the two alternative questions, i.e. 'I did not understand in such a sense as to say that I know.' The words of Teiresias (350-353) were not obscure, but their meaning was too strange to be received at once,and Oedipus in his anger affects to treat them as a riddling utterance of the seer. The apparent platitude indicates the difficulty that Oedipus has in receiving the new idea. Cp. infr. 439, Tr.184, Aesch. Agam. 268, prs; amovias. Or may be otherwise explained, 'I am not likely to provoke you to an intelligible utterance.' For the form see on O.C.1360.

363. 'You shall suffer for thus repeating the word of evil.' For cp. O. C. 542-4, ; O. And, for the plural, infr. 571, 2.

368. Stronger than 'Do you think you will always speak thus and glory in it?' Cp. Fr. 526,

370. is here used without or a negative preceding. 'There is (for other men), but not for you, for you are blind, not in eyes only, but in ears and mind. For the alliteration, of which this is an extreme case, see Essay on L. § 44. p. 82. And for the order of the words, in which what is obvious comes last, ib. § 41. p. 78.

372. 'Unhappy, truly, art thou in uttering thisreproach, which all this people will soon cast on thee.' ye means ' Whatever may be true of me.'

374. 'Thou livest under one perpetual night.' The lives of other men depend on the succession of many nights and days. That of Teiresias is merged in an unbroken night. The surroundings of a life are said to 'foster it' Cp. Aj. 859-863, Tr. 116. Oedipus understands 372, 3 as conveying an idle threat. Cp. Ant. 752, KdmameiA@y,#.T 2.

377. execute this.' For cp. supr. 341 and note. The other meaning of 'to exact payment' or 'to avenge,' is not found elsewhere in Sophocles, and is not wanted here. |

379. 'Nay, Creon is no bane to thee - thou art thine own bane.' Note the emphatic use of connecting the reply immediately with the preceding words. Cp. El. 399, 400, recouped', XP, For -- see EB. on L. § 41. 79. Without seeming to hear the reply, Oedipus is hurried away by his own preconceived thoughts,

380-403. 'The general meaning of these lines is as follows. 'Yes, Creon has set him on, for envy, to hurl me from power. Creon, my right hand! O how the success of another awakes ambition and poisons hearts! And what an instrument! Thou crafty seer, whose eyes are only open for gain, am I nota truer prophet than thou ever wast? Did not the Sphinx fall before my simple skill, when thy magic and thy inspiration failed? And you think to stand at Creon's right hand, when you have ousted me? He and you alike will soon repent your hypocrisy. Nothing but your age protects you from immediate punishment.'

380. TExvys Uren dépovca | 'Skill surpassing skill.' Cp. Phil. 138-40, yvwpa Oedipus alludes to his success in solving the riddle, 398. is the dative of place transferred to circumstance. (1) 'In the muchenvied life, i.e. 'In a brilliant state of life such as mine.' To this 6 in the lines following seems to correspond. Or perhaps (2) more generally, 'In life which is full of contention.' (3) Others make the genitive equivalent to a dative = 'belonging to,' cp. Pind. N. 3. Io. dGdvos=sc. 'How great is the envy that is stored up with you.' To be envied, according to Greek notions, was fortunate, but perilous. Cp. Thuc. 2. 64, Pind. P. 1. 85,

282. 'Is treasured up.' An Homeric expression. (Il. 16. 30, OP. O. (.1212, For the passive, see Essay on L. § 31. 54.

ovg Cp. Aesch. Prom. 304, 5, is ablative genitive after but the poet passes almost unconsciously from the - one genitive to the other.

386-8. 'Desires secretly to undermine and dethrone me, suborning this weaver of intrigues, this wizard, this crafty mendicant, who has an eye for his gains only, but has no eye for his art.' as properly applicable to a barbarian soothsayer, and to the lowest class of priests in Greece, are opprobrious words.

391. =' Songstress,' but also (with allusion to the supposed etymology from wdhv) 'weaver of intricate songs.' Cp. unxavoppados.

395. (1) 'And this you showed that you had not either from birds, nor yet had known from any of the gods.' ov.. -- The ignorance of the prophet on this occasion was a Strange phenomenon, to which Oedipus calls attention. Or (2) 'You were not found to have.'

402, &yndathoew] The future tense rather belongs to ; 'You shall suffer for attempting to drive out pollution." Cp. Ant. 754, gets. 'To your own hurt will yon and the plotter of this, methinks, drive out pollution" Cp. Hom. Il. 16. 623,

'But for the feeling that you are an old man,' i.e. If I did not see, or if I did not remember, that you are an old man. is not intended to throw doubt upon the fact, but simply to express the feeling of Oedipus. E. on L. § 50.6.8. p.95. Cp. Tr. 57, : Hat. A. 114, For the unconscious tautology in Sones, see Essay on L, pp. 83, 84, and cp. infr. 519.

403. Cp. Hes. Op. 218, 'You should have learnt from suffering what a spirit you are showing.' Cp. Aesch. S.c. T. 550, And, for in this connection, O. C. 896,

| from a. 415. off' L. 419. 404. indicates the modest reserve with which the chorus express their view of what is passing between those above them. Cp. infr. 530.

406, is at first put in construction with (cp. Aj. 556), but this being feeble is strengthened by the resumption in the words For Avew,='to meet effectually,' cp. Plat. Rep. 8. 5560 A, Here it is partly 'to meet an obligation,' partly 'to remove a difficulty.'

408, 9. .. 'One point of equality must be maintained, - the right of making full reply.' toa is added pleonastically. See Essay on L. § 40. 5. p. 76. is (1) accusative in regimen, or (2) epexegetic infinitive after For this impersonal passive, see Essay on L. A 21, 2. p. 54: and cp. 628,

409-11. .. "1 too am lord of my speech, for my life is bound to Loxias and not to you. And being his servant, I shall not be enrolled under the protection of Creon. In respect of speech the prophet has authority, as the king has in matters of state. Cp. Ant. 993,4. The metic had need of a mpoordrns, not the free citizen, still less one who is the retainer of a god.

420, 21. i.e. ; i.e. The second is used by a sort of attraction or echo from the previous clause, and may be explained by the adverbial use of the pronoun noticed in Essay on L. pp. 59, 83. This is better than to suppose to be put by 'synecdoche' for 'any mountain.' Cp. Phil. 451, .. ; where similarly the meaning of varies in the two members of the sentence.

422. The favorite image of a 'haven,' already present to the mind in another connection (420), is applied to the marriage of Oedipus with the queen. Cp. infr. 1208 foll. The marriage and the marriage-song are identifed, as elsewhere. 'When thou hast learnt the nature of that marriage, into which in yonder halls thou wast carried with full sail, to find no shelter there." is added to indicate the meaning of the image that follows. Cp. Tr. 538. (Others take as cogn. accus., not =

425. 'Which will show you in your true relation to yourself and to your children :' i.e. Which will show you what you are, and that you are the brother of your children.

428. 'Shall be more cruelly rooted out.' Cp. amongst other places, Hdt. 6. 86, ib. 6. 37. The position of is very emphatic. .

431. The genitive is to be taken with both phrases, dipoppos and awoorpadets. 'Will you not return and begone from the house?' Observe the angry repetition both of sound and meaning.

tive as in Ant. 164, 5, .. The middle voice here expresses more of personal feeling and is in harmony with épovs.

436. The repetition of the same verb 1. 435) is another instance of accidental tautology. Cp. infr. 519. The double phrase is intended to draw the attention of Oedipus to the mystery of his birth. The construction of the dative has to be supplied from ws.. sc.

437. (430, note.) Teiresias had turned to go, connects the question immediately with the speech of Teiresias. historical present.

441. 'Reproach me with these things if you will, but you will find me great in them. For the sarcastic imperative, cp. El. 794, «.7.A.: Aj. 071, Aesch. Prom. 82,

442. 'That glory of yours has been your ruin.' refers to 'The glory of which you speak.' The word is much more appropriate than (Bentley), which implies praise, - and is rather applicable to the of Teiyp. Tay E.

443. Oedipus, although curious about his parentage, cares not to ask further about the threat of ruin, but falls back on his devotion to the state.

445. @S.. 6xAets| ' Being present and in our way, you trouble us.' is brought in to mark the antithesis. E. on L. 8 41. «. p. 79. The reading of most MSS, may be defended if belongs to the whole sentence, assenting to 1. 444.

447 ff. 'I will tell my message ere I go, not fearing thy frown, for thou hast no power to destroy me.' The speech of Teiresias is now as clear as his former words were dark; although his meaning is still an enigma to Oedipus.

447. The position of here (having the first arsis of the line) is very emphatic. Cp. supr. 428, and see Essay on L. § 41. 77: ov dAeis] 'Thou hast no power to ruin me. Cp. supr. 355. Essay on L. 8 24. p. 41. Teiresias' habitual respect for Oedipus struggles with his prophetic knowledge, even now that he has 'help of anger.' and are used as nearly equivalent to diws, mas. Cp. Aj. 1100, ov 1103, Gol,

'A native Theban,' i.e. not only of Theban extraction, but at once born in the country and belonging to the race. Cp. Hdt. 2. 47, where éyyevées means the opposite of

453. 'Nor will he be gladdened by his fortune.' The use of the third person adds to the impressiveness of the prophecy.

better with atrot in the previous line than atrés, which some editors have substituted. 'He shall prove to be to his own children, with whom he lives, himself their brother as well as father.' ddeAdds.) For the slight pleonasm in cp. Aj. 267, The horror of the relationship is increased by his having lived with them in ignorance of it for so long.

watpés| The article points to Laius, his father, of whom so much has been lately said. ' And of his murdered sire at once the incestuous rival and the murderer.'

460. Schol. Cp. Eur. Or. 476, where Menelaus says to Tyndareus, Kapa. The same word is used passively in 260. The seven kat's have a cumulative force. «ai with the imperative = 'And now.'

463-511. ' Where is the accursed one, whom Apollo has marked as the perpetrator of the terrible deed? Now should he fly far away, with a step swifter than that of steeds, the daughters of the wind. For the son of Zeus, clothed in armour, leaps upon him with flashing fire, and the inevitable Fates are following him. He is roaming in forests and amongst desert caves, but he shall find no refuge. The forlorn man cannot put away from him the oracles that come from the centre of the earth.

'I tremble to think of the answer which the seer has given; and I hover in uncertainty, seeing neither what is, nor what will be. I neither know nor have known any strife between the house of Labdacus and the son of Polybus, and without proof, I will not give up Oedipus on an uncertain surmise. There is no knowing whether the voice of the prophet is the voice of God. But one man may be wiser than another. And of mortals who so wise as Oedipus? We have proof of this and of his goodness to our state. Therefore I will think no harm of him.'

The first strophe and antistrophe refer to the proclamation of Oedipus reporting the answer of the oracle; the second to the words of Teiresias, which contained the only answer yet given to the question which the oracle left obscure.

The differing metres of the first and second strophe and antistrophe contrast the eager resolution of the chorus to find the murderer, with the wavering excitement which the words of Teiresias have awakened, distracting them between their loyalty to Oedipus and their reverence forthe seer. The first strophe commences with a strain half grave, half light, which is stirred into a quicker motion in the glyconics (lines 466-8), where the flight of the fugitive is described: and grows faster and also weightier in the description of the tramp of his pursuers (lines 469 ff.). In the second strophe the alternation of the mind of the Chorus is indicated in the uneven Ionic rhythm, the participle is at first sight rather in favour of (or But cp. El. 318, O. C. 1580, and infr. 1214, is much better suited to the context.. The voice which the Pythia interpreted came from the rock.

466. Said to be = But may not some of the force of the patronymic be retained, = 'Swift daughters of the storm'? See the fable in Il. 20. 223.

467. is better taken as an adjective agreeing with than as an adverb. Cp. Il. 10. 358, youvar' E. on L. § 9. p. 13.

470. To follow 'The son of Zeus leaps armed upon him, with fiery bolts.' The avenging power of Phoebus is referred to his father Zeus (the aorepomnrys, Phil. 1198), whose lightning he hurls, and by whose prophetic power he is inspired. Cp. supr. 151.

tiny, (2) misfortune, (3) death. The have not the independent authority of the but are rather the subordinate ministers who execute the

475. is neuter plural adverbial: 'to track by all means,' rather than masculine subject of 'for every one to track.'

478. The reading of the inferior MSS., although yielding an unlikely rhythm, is given in the text as most probably representing the true meaning. dre has been read with some probability for és. The reading of L., even if the adj. were here permissible (see E. on L. § 23, p- 39) is impossible on account of the strained use of metaphor. Prof. E. L. Lushington has suggested Cp. Virgil's description, Georg. 3. 203, of the solitary vanquished bull; ll. 481, 2, suggest that he is also seeking refuge from the breese.

48o. yas .. 'The oracles from the central spot of earth.' yas is part. gen. after the adjective of place. Cp. Strabo, 9. p. 419, mas THS THs

A48I. to be taken equally with and 'And they will not die, but still live and move around him.' The chorus look to the ends of the earth for the man whom they have just seen before the palace; for him, who, instead of avoiding the oracle, embraces and is seeking to obey it.

marks the transition to a course of thought which 15 not final; to this 4.7.A. 497 ff. is afterwards opposed. is adverbial acc., and acc. masc. agreeing with we understood. 'Neither entertaining the suggestion nor denying." For absolute, cp. El. 61, alib., Aj. 942, : 500, I, This interpretation is supported by the words, 6, Tt which are added in explanation. Others take cet, K.T.A., to mean 'suggests dire conflicting thoughts, which neither affirm their object nor deny.'

487. 'Not seeing clearly either the present or the future. Cp. 1]. 18, 250; Od. 24.452. The Greeks imagined the future as 'coming on' behind the present and so hidden by it.

'What quarrel lay between them on either side" The disjunctive form of expression gives emphasis to each of the proper names. The same emphatic strain is continued with

488. Lit. 'Was laid up,' (cp. 232, but this meaning is almost lost, and the word has little more than the force of the substantive verb.

492. The corresponding line of the antistrophe exceeds this by - - , and the slight obscurity of the present passage makes it more probable that one or two words have been lost here, than that has been interpolated in l.507. The addition of or some such words, would make the sense clearer, and in any case is masculine. 'What quarrel lay between them I never learnt from any man at whose word I might go, proof in hand, against the popular fame of Oedipus.' For the use of with the active verb, cp. Tr. 935, -- For the instrumental dative - see Essay on L. § 14. I. p. 24.

Cp. Pind. fr. Paean. 39, éupévat, ar' Bovrevpar'

502. ' Might pass,' as inarace. Cp. Pind. Pyth. 2. 50, On the use of the active for the middle voice, see Essay on L. p. 98.

510. 'In actual proof.' Dative of circumstance. Cp. 494. The same word repeated in a different connexion. The words Ba- are intended to contrast the clear evidence in Oedipus' favour with the uncertainty of the suspicion against him..

512 ff. Creon enters. (right) from the city. In the first episode the action was strikingly rapid. It contained the two great movements of the proclamation of Oedipus and the prophecy of Teiresias, with only sufficient pause between them (Il. 276-96) to give effect to the latter. Now follows a period of suspense, for which the wavering tones of the last chorus have prepared the way. The scene is of unusual length, 1]. 512-862, but is divided by the short lyric measures (commatica) in Il. 649 - 668, 678-696. Cp. O. C. 833 ff, 876 ff. The entrance of Jocasta (1. 634) prepares new complications.

516. The variety of reading has been caused by the ellipse of for which cp. El. 1322, 3, Sc. The emphatic is better here than pov. 'That in this emergency he has suffered at my hands aught tending to his harm by word or deed.' pakpaiwvos.| Thearticle as with words of number and quantity, e.g. O. C. 1211, Cp. Aj. 473, For the use of the compound, see Essay on L. P. 101.

51g. though opposed to is not=opixpsv, but points to the manifold nature of the injury as expressed in 521, 2,' This word affects me with loss not only in one respect, but does me the most serious injury.' For the unconscious tautology in the repetition of after cp.

infr. 524-.7, 522. The leader of the chorus is allied to the royal house, infr. 1225. 524. is not to be repeated with which is dative of cause. 'The charge may have been made in the violence of anger, and not advisedly.' 525. 'From whom proceeded this?' i.e. On whose authority was it said? The inversion in this passage has suggested the v. r. rovmos found in T'L?, which is also supposed to correspond better with the.answer of the chorus. But the change is unnecessary. The order of words is singular, but 15 suited to express the excitement of Creon. Cp. the position of and Ar. Eq. 32, Bpéras mpés; There is no real difficulty in reconciling the question to the answer. Creon asks, 'From whom came the intimation?' To which the chorus answers, ' The thing was said, but I cannot tell you on what ground or authority :' referring to K.7.A. For cp. Ant. 1090, .. 528. ' Were his eyes and his mind clear, when this accusation was uttered against

529. Observe the continued use of the passive voice. E. on L. §. 31. pp. 53, 54. Creon still avoids the direct mention of Oedipus as his accuser; and the chorus use the same reserve.

532 foll. 'Insolent, what mean you by coming hither, you that have aimed at my life and sought to subvert my sovereignty ? Unsupported by friends, how could you expect to succeed or to elude my vigilance? Did you take me for a coward or a fool ?' This punctuation is more forcible than ovros ov, and has also better authority. The inversion of was ov accords with the feeling of the speech. Essay on L. § 41. p. 78. See below, 1. 1121.

fact, and not merely marking its connexion with the preceding statement. The words in what follows, are very characteristic of the passionate self- confidence of Oedipus.

537. like & infr. 749, is an apparent violation of the rule that the 2nd and 3rd syllables of a trisyllabic foot must be in the same word. But is a preposition which adheres to its case.

538. depends, on or the like, implied in .. ' Hither supposing that I would not detect the stealthy approaches of this plot of yours, or that I would not resist it when observed.' The MS. reading 7 - xoi«x may be compared with Il. 2. 289, or in this case may be explained as='or;' but the correction ov« seems far more probable. The former alternative implies the latter For the synizesis, cp. infr. 555, émees. follows the MSS. against the Atticists.

543. 'Do you know what I bid you do?' An idiomatic confusion of ws with See Essay on L. § 36. p. 66.

545. 'You are a Clever talker; but T am slow to learn of you (alluding to in the preceding line), for I have found you dangerous and hostile to me.' Cp. Plat. Rep. 2. 358 A, Ths, ws

552. be made to answer forit.'? Oedipus has an uneasy feeling that Creon may think himself above the law. 'This Creon deprecates.

553, 4. is both governed by and to be resumed with "TOI me your injury, what injury you say you have received.' infr. 604.

556. 'The solemn prophet.' has frequently the ironical sense of 'pretentious.' Cp. 9532, iv Aj. Aesch. Prom. 953,

557. .. 'And I still hold to the advice I gave.' Cp. Thuc. 2. 61, 6 : Phil. 521, ad- Pavijs. is (1) dative of identity with atrés rather than (2) of manner. Cp. Hat. 3. 110, For the other view (2), cp. Thuc. 3. 38, TH

565. Either 'on no occasion when I was standing near,' simply repeating the negative in or, resolving into two words, ('not,' 'anywhere '), 'certainly not, when I was standing anywhere near.' The former is preferable. See Essay on L. § 41. p 77; and for the transference of the adverb of place to time, ibid. § 24. p. 41, supr. 1. 390.

567. The compound verb is used in the reply, partly for the sake of variety, but also with a slight alteration of sense. 'But did you have no enquiry about the deed?' ' Of course we held an enquiry.' has a more active meaning, and implies more effort (='dare operam') than The word is used here as in El. 1144, 5, . . THY Oday'

570. The MS. reading y (i.e. looks like an early correction. On the other hand, the simple hardly occurs elsewhere in Sophocles (unless in Tr. 53, where is preferable). Hdt. 4. 197, The abruptness caused by omitting is rather expressive. refers to what is coming. 'There is one thing which you know and can tell clearly.'

572. The article refers to Teiresias' words, 362, «7.4. 'He would not have spoken, as he did, of my being Laius' murderer."" Cp Eur. (2) Rhes. 438, od Tas The poet may also have intended the expression to be ambiguous, and to mean in the ear of the spectator, 'he would not have told of my murder of Laius.' For the plural, cp. C. 962, #.T A.

576. The compound verb answers the simple as in 567. 'Do your best to learn." Cp. 129, : Hat. 7. 28, x.7.A. "The present tense has the inchoative meaning.

' Holding with her an equal portion in the land.' The dative is resumed in thought. Cp. Thuc. 6. 4,

582. 'True, and that is just what marks you as a bad friend.' Oedipus assents to Creon's statement of his own position, and retorts that his nearness to the throne only aggravates the case

583, foll. The argument cf Creon resembles that with which Histiaeus soothes the suspicion of Darius, Hdt. 5. 106, & Col,

587-9. For the position of the words .. cp. Plu.. 88, g, |

595. 'Glory with advantage.' Creon's present had the reality of both. Sovereignty might bring him outward brilliancy, but not solid gain.

596. (1) '] am happy in the sight of 411. Cp. Eur. Med. 509, ToAAais The recognition of happiness is an element of happiness to the sensitive Greek (as to Croesus in the story cf Herodotus); and the happy man is saluted by all just as the unfortunate is passed by without regard. Cp Thuc. 6. 16, ;es Or (2) 'I ta-:2 pleasure in all men' (as having n.,enemy). Cp. Od. 19. 462, 3, perv. . Other renderings are, 'I am happy in my relations with 41]: 'I am happy in all ways' neuter); and, 'All bid me rejoice." (Cp. xaipé pot.)

597. pe is 'Invite me forth,' or, 'Tehe.me aside, e.g. from the palace or the council for private conference, as an important person. Cp. 951, ; Ant. 18: Eur. Bacch. 170, ot; : Aj. 749, 50, éx yap |

«.7.A, Aristoph. Ach. 400-2: Hdt. 8. 79, The conjecture of L. Dindorf, suggests a disagreeable association of mean flattery. The word occurs only once in tragedy, and then in reproach. Eur. Andr. 630,

598. ' For their success all depends on this;' viz. on paying court tome. The text is uncertain, but here, as in a few other passages (cp. supr. 221), Flor. may have preserved an older reading. The absence of caesura is not a fatal objection to the reading Cp. infr. 856. And for the accus. cp. Eur. Or. 761, av .. But Flor. I. certainly gives a better line, and the correction may be conjectural.

Cp. Macb. 1. 7, 'I have won | Golden opinions from all sorts of people | That would be worn now in their newest gloss, | Not cast aside so soon. Ib. 2. 1, 'M. It shall make honour for you. B.So I lose none ! In seeking to augment it,....| I shall be counselled.' But Creon's notion of 'honour' is more external than Banquo's.

600. 'No mind that has a right sense of things can turn to evil.' For the order of words, see Essay on L. 41, 77. Creon thus sums up his previous argument. 'None can have wicked schemes whose judgment is not blind,'

605. 'This more, with passionate emphasis instead of Cp. the Homeric A different variation occurs in Ant. 165-8 .. TOUT

612. ' The life which is very near to him.' Cp. Plat. Rep. 3. 413 C, The preposition assists the figure by which the life (compared to a friend) is represented as an object of affection distinct from the man himself. For the ellipse of 71s, see Essay on L. § 39, 72, 3, and cp. supr. 516.

614, 5. Cp. Solon. Fr. 9. Chaeremon Fr. 21, Pind. 54.

618, 'When my secret enemy is one who advances swiftly.' tis is supplementary predicate after XP). Cp. Aj. 1266, ws tis | xapts Phil. 519, tis And for the article with the subject in such a connection, cp. Ant. 951, Tis Sbvacis

624, 5. The text of these lines is probably defective. Two things seem clear ; (1) that line 625 is more appropriate to Creon than to Oedipus, 'You speak as if you would not relent nor believe me. (MS. Farn. had xpe. before this line by p.m.) Cp. infr. 646, 650, Aj. 371, and (2) that line 624 is addressed by Oedipus to Creon, and conveys a threat: 'When you have given an example of the crime of envy.' Cp. Ant. 308, | ee ib. 32 5; 6 » | Tr. II, | : Ant. 1242, 3, I (1.6. : Pind. P. 2. 42.

gested, a kind of meaning may be brought out. 'My desire for you is death, not banishment." 'You speak as if you would not relent.' 'I wili relent when you are made an example of the sin of envy' (and not before). '(My envy is) that I see you to be unwise. But the transitions are too violent. Again, 623, 4, may be read continuously, and the loss of a single line supposed after 625. 'I would have you be (not banished but) slain, when you have first been made an example of the crime of envy (in the manner of your death).' ' You speak as if you would not relent nor believe me.'

('And you speak like a rebel.'] 'Because I see you blind.' But the insertion of and the abruptness of may be thought to prevent the two lines from coalescing into a harmonious sentence. In this case the most probable inference would be that one or more lines have been lost before 624 and after 625. The old explanations of the Scholiast, 'When you have shown the nature of the grudge I bear you,' sc. 6 (cp. supr. 605 ff.), or of the ancient gloss, ' When you have first explained : - oh ! what a thing envy is!? are untenable, especially because they afford no natural explanation of 1. 625. The broken lines (626 foll.)

'4 Evvins ; ~ 3 y , » " 4 9 3

628. Evvins ' But how if you are wholly in the dark?' The strong expression, while suiting the passion of Creon, also suggests a truth of which he is ignorant. For ef cp. Aesch. Suppl. 511,

Spws | 'Yes, authority must be maintained even then.' The verbal here belongs to the impersonal passive verb. For the verbal of the passive, cp. Fr. 27 N.: Dem. c. Dinarch. 176,

Oedipus appeals to the citizens to rebuke the disloyal utterance of Creon: cp.O.C. 833: or, perhaps, apostrophizes the state, whose safety is menaced by the indulgence of such a spirit.

630. "1 too have a claim upon the state.' Not only as a Citizen (cp. Ant. 737, ove Evds), but as the brother of the queen, whose right was prior to that of Oedipus himself. Cp. 577, 581. Oedipus appeals to his loyal citizens against the insubordination of Creon, who replies that he also has a right in the state. As his temper rises, he no longer acknowledges that he owes his influence to Oedipus. The disadvantage under which Oedipus labours, as the 'stranger prince,' is subtly maintained throughout. The chorus interpose in their character of mediator, not to take part with either disputant, but to appease the strife.

634, 5.' What mean you, miserable men, by raising this senseless altercation?' For the article, cp. Phil. 327, 8, Tivos yap The conjecture though plausible at first sight, has the effect of weakening the natural emphasis on

'And are not ashamed.' The force of is continued. For this punctuation, which on the whole seems preferable to ; ---op. Aj. 1307, wOeis - , ; For the other way of dividing the sentence, 'And are ye not ashamed,' cp. Phil. 920: p ; The 'former is more suitable to the reproachful tone of Jocasta here.

637. ov The omission of the noun vocative in addressing Oedipus gives a peremptory tone to Jocasta's speech. For the prep. with the 2nd word, cp. supr. 93, 4.

638. 'And do not raise into importance a trouble which is not worth speaking of ;' - because all private griefs are as nothing in the calamity of the state. The full expression would be dAyos. E. on L. § 39. P. 72, ¢. ib. p. 48.

' Having made selection between two evils.' There are two objections to this line on the ground of metre; the o lengthened before «p (cp. Aesch. Prom. 24, aos), and the scansion of as a monosyllable, the only parallel to which in Greek tragic verse is in Iph. Taur. 970, 1456. (See, however, Hes. Scut. 3, "HAexrpuwvos: cp. ib. 16.) The two metrical exceptions are singular. But it is not likely that the verse iscorrupt. No interpolator would have introduced a word so rare in later Greek as in this sense. (Cp. Hdt. 6. 130.) None of the attempted emendations are satisfactory. Critics have noticed what was hardly worth noticing, the discrepancy between 1. 641. and 623, and it has been proposed to interpret as implying that after making selection Oedipus had chosen death as the punishment. But such slight inconsistencies are neither undramatic nor unnatural.

Not objective gen.='The oath sworn by the Gods;' but rather, ' This divine or sacred oath. The oath is regarded as a sacred presence and almost personified. Cp. O. C. 1767, Xen. Anab. 3. I, 22. Ant.607. Thuc. 5. 30, .. =

pause in the action, which must be continued until the colloquy between J ocasta and Oedipus has taken place, the short musical strains which allay the exasperation of Oedipus and assure him of his people's loyalty, also relieve the mind of the spectator from the tension caused by the preceding dialogue, and prepare him to give undivided attention to the central scene - in which the first doubt is suggested to the mind of Oedipus, while the impious confidence of

Lines from 649 to 659 correspond to 678-688, and lines 660-668 correspond to 689-697. In this commation cretic and dochmiac measures are varied with iambic and trochaic rhythms. The 2nd strophe begins with a molossus. The frequent 'antispastic' or 'syncopated' movement has the effect of expressing the disturbed feelings of the chorus.

649. 'We pray thee bend thy will to our request, and calm thy mind, O king.' The chorus are encouraged by Jocasta's reference to them in 1. 648.

cp. Phil. 559, 656. Cp. Stephanus. Thes. v. évayys, like dpatos (276) or (Ant. 305) = i.e. the curse which he has invoked should protect him from rash accusation. Some editors have preferred dvayj, which is a conjecture supported by the mention of the word in Hesychius as = but the word is pointless and unmeaning here. | 665 5 OI. Kei 669 blank space) Vat. a°bc. pr. Trin. a. M5, 663. Between and 6 a blank with red dot in A. corrected to E.)

657. Antiphon. p. 136, intention of the person speaking, may be regarded as first of Gods; i.e. the author of light and illumination in all This parallelsupportsthereading things. Cp. O.C. 868-70, 6 and the hiatus may be obviated by Soin x.7.A. Or he reading (Herm.). [15 imagined as the vanguard of Heaven, Others read standing before the rest as the chamyov. But the hiatus at the end ofadoch- pion. Welcker compares Fr. 875, miac metre isnot impossible. Join Atos | aitia, The reading | But may have arisen from an attempt to ex- this is a philosophical conceit, which plain 'That you should never could not properly find place here. accuse and dishonour with an obscure 661. 6 i.e. as the Schosuspicion your friend, who has invoked liast explains, a curse upon his head.' Cp. 648, Cp. supr. 344. For cp. O. C.

658,9. Because Oedipus believes that 665. here does not corre- Creon has conspired with Teiresias to spond with the line694 in the antistrophe. charge him with the murder of Laius. Dindorf has therefore proposed to read 'Foremost of the hosts of for reconciles the two heaven. It is not easy to sayin what lines, ithas been adopted. For the comsense the sun is spoken of as first orfore- bination of cretic and trochaic metre, most. He is invoked as the god who cp.1.651. in 666 is against metre. brings all things to light (Hymn. Hom. 667. Sc. ya. 'If she is to Dem, 62, add to her former evils these which come Il. 3. 277, = from you.' Cp. Eur. Med. 78, and with reference to E, on L. p. 52.

672. 'Which does move me. The adjective is so placed, with pathos, in order to increase the antithesis to what follows. Essay on L. § 23. p. 37.

673. 'You show yourself to be sullen in yielding.' is dropped or absorbed in the participle. orTvyvds echoes and has a neuter meaning= tristis, 'morose.' 'And intolerable when you exceed in wrath.' is genitive of place, like in (Plat. Crat. AIOE). E.on L. p 3, d. expresses the 'something dangerous' in a passionate man. Cp. 546, Ant. 767, The other explanation: 'You are dangerous even when you come to an end of your wrath' épyns Schol.) - is objectionable on two grounds - (1) because presenting a mere repetition under the form of antithesis ; (2) because in the sense of 'to pass out of anger,' is too harsh for Sophocles. Also (3) because some Greek word is needed to give the sense of 'even. The use of in either case is metaphorical. For 'to go far,' cp. O.C. 155,

implies 'There was a vague suspicion, which, although unjust, nevertheless stings.' Schol. 7. For cp. Od. 16. 92, Pind. Nem. 8. 23.

687, 8. 'Do you see what you have come to, honest man as you are, in trying to assuage and blunt my wrath?' I.e. Do you see in what a dilemma your well meant intercession has placed you? You are pressed to rehearse the charge against me, which you durst not support, but which you would not allow me to repel.

'Endeavouring to slacken or divert.' Cp. Eur. Cycl. 310, papyov Cp. also the use of the passive voice in El. 5345, mapetro. 'The chorus again earnestly disclaim the imputation of disloyalty. 'My king, I have said it not once alone, but let me assure thee, that I were clearly insensate, void of wisdom, to cast off thee, who gavest good speed to my dear land, when distraught with miseries, and now, too, if thou canst, be our good guide.' et. 'To desert thee,' lit. 'to put thee from me. The present indicative with by representing the supposed case as actual, adds emphasis. Cp. the use of the ovptaas| ' Didst speed on her right course.' The image is rather that of a breeze, or of a favouring deity, than of a good pilot. For followed by see Essay on L. p. 65. Others read in 694.

696. The reading is not certain; but, for the ellipse of the imperative of or in supplication, see E. on L. § 39. p. 72. Cp. O.C. 1480, : 1434,

'For what reason. For the separation of the words, giving emphasis to the interrogative, cp. Phil. 598, 9, | rooms ;

Creon to the chorus]. 671, sonow being angry with them he turns gladly to Jocasta. With equal impetuosity he breaks away from her, infr. 1078.

701. Kpéovros] Answering .. and therefore in the same case, but with a slightly different force. 'It is about Creon.' Fora similar ' pendent' genitive, cp. Aj. 771, dias 'A@avas sige ib. 792.

' Speak, ifin making the charge, you will tell plainly the cause of quarrel. ; is governed by which implies Jocasta expresses her impatience at being kept in uncertainty.

706. (1) 'As to what affects himself he keeps his utterance wholly free ; i.e. He will not commit himself in a word. according to this interpretation, not=' acquits,' ' excuses,' but = 'keeps: out of reach of blame,' Ba- Ant. 445; Aesch. Eum. 175, a gia, is adverbial as in Aj. 275, Aara. Or (2) may be the direct accusative and adverbial. 'He uses all his power of speech to free his own actions from blame.' Cp. El. 596, 7, ins ws |

707. = 'Relieving your mind on the subject of which you speak.' The simple genitive would have been enough: cp. Hat. 4. 157; THs But is added pleonastically.

.. 'Nothing in the life of mortals has anything to do with prophetic art.' For this rare use of the active voice of éxw, cp. esp. Hdt. 3. 128, Aesch. Eum. 445. 6, (2). The middle voice has this meaning, e.g. in Il. 9. 102, For the active in place of middle, see E. on L. pp. 51, 98. This interpretation alone suits the context; the other possible explanation, 'No mortal creature has any share in the prophetic art" (which has led to the conjecture Aayov), might agree with the temper of the chorus (499, foll.), but not with that of Jocasta, who is rejecting 'all prophecies alike, though she makes the slight admission in 711, 2, Cp., however, Hdt. 2. 83, Mav-

713. Cp. QO. 1472, 3, én' Aj. 186, : ib. 278, 9; The accusative is justified by the general meaning of the sentence and by the infinitive, of which it is partly the subject. The conjecture is suggested by Phil. 331, yap but is less pointed here.

715. 1. 6. Not only not his offspring, but ofa different race, as coming not from Thebes but from the opposite direction (734). Cp. supr. 122 foll.

716. These words, which give Oedipus the first suspicion of the truth (see 750), are intended by Jocasta to show the fortuitous nature of the occurrence.

717,18. ' But as to the child that was born, three days had not intervened, when he tied its feet together and cast it by the hands of others upon a trackless mountain." It is uncertain whether is intransitive or active. In the latter case the word may be taken (1) in the sense of 'divided the day of the child's birth' from his death, i.e. Tov (Uidt. 9. 51, peeOpa). Three days did not divide the birth of the child from - what followed. Cp. the Latin, 'Nec longum tempus . .: or, (2) 'not three days continued the growth of the child.' Cp. in Thuc. 5. 16. Otherwise (3) taking as a pendent accusative. ' But as for the growth of the child, three days had not fully passed.' (2) is best.

719. ets An undivided tribrach occurs again in 826, : 1490, Aj. 450, Hence the metrical rhythm is defensible, while the natural rhythm of the words is rather injured by transposing to dpos.

722. Accus. in apposition with governed by There is no reason for preferring The words of the prophecy are repeated. Cp. O. 970,

724. 'Of whatsoever things God searcheth out the use,' i.e. (xpy wy), 'For what God needs to search out, he will easily bring to light without our help.' (Cp. Shak. Macb. 1. 3, 'If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir.') Jocasta in renouncing prophecy unconsciously

728. 'Of what nature is the anxiety which alters your tone and makes you say this?' The genitive is causal. Cp. Aj. L116, | dv The verb is used metaphorically to express Oedipus' sudden change of mood from 705, 6 supr. Others explain it to mean a change of gesture merely.

732. refers to the words supr. 761, which have brought the image of the place vividly before the mind of Oedipus.

739. ' Why do you take this to heart?' i.e. Why are you apprehensive that Zeus has some design against you? Cp. Hat. 7. 37, .. : Thuc. 5. 16, és ..

irregular construction, - éywy (sc. corresponding to efxe, - cp. Hdt. 8. 38, The participle is added, as if were Tis is used not only of early manhood but of youthful vigour in more advanced age. Od. 16.174. For this idea cp. Aesch, S. c. T. II, 12, | Shak. Ant. and Cleo. 4. 8, 'Though grey Do something mingle with our younger brown, yet ha' we A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can

742. 'The white locks were just beginning to grow.' xvodfw is usually applied to the first appearance of the beard in youth; here, to the first sprinkling of grey, as a sign of advancing age. Cp. Hom. Od. 6. 226, where the sprinkling of salt on the hair of Ulysses from the sea spray is called yvots, - é« And for which is proleptic = cp. Hdt. 8. 27, where is used of men who have

749. is preferred on metrical grounds; but cp. 537, 768, 937. The accus. is governed both by and pw. 'When I understand what it is you ask.' 460

754. 'It is quite clear now.' Oedipus rushes at once to the extreme of fear, as he presently rises to the extreme of confidence again. In his excitement he is moved to and fro by the lightest breath.

786. Probably = 'a household slave ;' but according to Eustathius 1423, 4,= oixérns. The distinction would hold in the present case (1123), but is probably only a fancy of grammarians in order to account for the two forms.

761. aypovs| Accusative of the place whither. is added for variety with the second word, but is not necessary to the construction of dypovs. See Essay on L, § 16. p. 22.

762. 'So as he might be furthest removed from sight of this city.' For the genitive =' from,' assisted by in comp., see Essay on L. § 7.p.11. = 'away from sight of:' 'away from seeing,' rather than merely 'away from.' E. on L. 23.

seeming to Jocasta to arise simply from affection for Laius, is to be accounted for by the oixets having recognized Oedipus as the murderer. This also helps to account for his expression of horror in 1146, ;

763. 'For a servant.' The interpretation of the Scholiast is equally consistent with The latter, however, is nearer to the MSS., and equally if not more suited to express the true meaning. Jocasta implies that his deserts towards her exceeded those of common service; thus unconsciously recalling the peculiar trust she had once reposed in him. Cp. 1. 1173, and see Arist. Poet. 1454. The readings also point to this: 1.6. (1) way', (2) day', (3) (4) (5) The way in which is written in L. yap), shows how easily the o might be lost.

766. 'You can have your wish :' cp. O. C. 726: not 'He is already here,' which would be inconsistent with the preceding lines and with following. The interpretation 'He is as good as here,' i.e. he can be brought at. once, is forced and unnecessary. The ambiguity is no objection to the reading.

"67,8. 'I fear that there are recent words of mine, too freely spoken, which make me wish to see him.' This refers to the curse. Cp infr. ll. 819, 20. Others explain, 'I fear I have already said too plainly why I wish to see him,' - referring to supr. 703. But the form of expression agrees better with the former interpretation.

770. "1, too,' as well as yourself. The mixture of vehemence and affection in the character of Jocasta appears here and in ll. 697, 861, 2.

The idea of motion, which is almost lost in BeB@ros, is revived in the construction with és. For the plural of expressing uncertain presage, cp. 457, And for és with the genitive, cp O.C. 748, Cp. infr. 914,

772. 'For whom have I more worthy to whom I should speak in such a crisis of my fortunes ?' kat as elsewhere in questions: E. on L.

779. ' At a banquet.' This seems to be the force of the plural here. Cp. Tr. 268, Eur. Or. 1008,

780. ' Calls out to me,' ' Assails me with the reproach.' A singular but not unnatural use of Cp. and Tr. 267, | O.C.1385, .. dpas)

'As we were drinking.' The phrase has suggested the conj. which is ingenious but unnecessary. This circumstance helps to account for the slight importance which Oedipus now attaches to the doubt which at first tormented him.

ot ' They took the reproach with exasperation against him who had thrown out the charge.' The dative as after See Essay on L. p. 64, B. 6, a. as in and the like. Plat. Rep. 7. 528 C, .. : Ib. 538 E, & : Hdt. 9. 7,

785. 'So far as they were concerned, I was satisfied." sc. (dat.). Cp. Il. 21. 45, éréprero Od. 13. 61; 19. 462.

rumour spread widely ;' predicative as in O. C. 305, This interpretation, introducing a new circumstance, is better than 'For it rankled deeply,' which adds little to ;

788. genitive, partly by attraction to the antecedent, governed by (cp. O.C. 49, 50 ons | partly with

790. 'He came forth with ;' expresses the suddenness of the revelation. The gloss in Par. E., probably indicates the existence of as a various reading.

792. is in a double construction, epexegetic of 'and of oust; but is more immediately joined with =* That I should manifest before the eyes of men.'