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AIIXYAOY ATAMEMNQN. 
 
 THE 'AGAMEMNON 
 
 OF 
 
 AESCHYLUS. 
 
AI5XYA0Y AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 THE 'AGAMEMNON' 
 
 OF 
 
 AESCHYLUS 
 
 WITH AN 
 
 INTRODUCTION, COMMENTARY, AND 
 TRANSLATION 
 
 BY 
 
 A. W. VERRALL, Litt.D. 
 
 FELLOW OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 Uontion : 
 MACMILLAN AND CO. 
 
 AND NEW YORK. 
 1889 
 
 \^The Rii^ht of Translation is rcsnynf.] 
 
1 
 
 ^ ■ 
 
 PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY, M.A. AND SONS, 
 AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 

 THIS BOOK IS OFFERED 
 
 IN TOKEN OF 
 
 FRIENDSHIP RESPECT AND WELCOME 
 
 TO 
 
 RICHARD CLAVERHOUSE JEBB, Litt.D., 
 
 REGIUS PROFESSOR OF GREEK 
 IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THIS edition of the Aganicvinon is the second instahncnt 
 of that edition of Aeschylus which I hope to complete in 
 course of time. The present volume has occupied me for many 
 years, having been commenced long before my edition of the 
 Septein^ and frequently re-written, as I gained more knowledge 
 of the poet. 
 
 No one competent to undertake such a work can flatter 
 himself much upon the little that he can possibly have achieved 
 in comparison with the desirable ideal. It is not likely that, as 
 long as there is any spirit of progress, there will ever be a final 
 edition of Aeschylus. Certainly we are far enough from such a 
 consummation at present. But with all the defects which I see, 
 and the many which doubtless I do not see, I trust that this 
 book is not unworthy of the place in which it has been written 
 and of the great living scholars by whose teaching and en- 
 couragement it has been inspired. 
 
 Where my version merely follows tradition, the commentary 
 is for the most part silent or brief; and in this sense only I may 
 say that the bulk of it is the product of my own work. But 
 indeed I have the less hesitation in saying so, as I fear that 
 the bulk of it is not a merit. 
 
 The English editions of Paley, Kennedy and Mr A. Sidgwick 
 have been by me throughout; Enger's I have consulted often. 
 Dr Wecklein's interesting and useful edition of the Orcstca 
 with notes (1889) appeared when this was in the press. This 
 
viii PREFACE. 
 
 will, I hope, explain anything that may seem obscure in the 
 relations of the two. All will know the difficulty of dealing 
 satisfactorily with such a case. I should explain that where 
 'Wecklein's Appendix' is referred to on critical questions, the 
 reference is to the edition of the text with apparatus criticiis 
 only (1885). 
 
 Since the appearance of my former volume Kennedy, Paley, 
 and J. F. Davies have died, honoured and regretted, as I need 
 scarcely say, by me as by all students of literature. To Paley in 
 particular, whatever may have been said or thought of his defects, 
 I shall always profess myself deeply indebted. It was easy to 
 disagree with him and to see the weak points of his scholarship. 
 But few men have done more for the spread of learning and 
 literature in this country. He sent me a few days before he 
 died a vigorous letter of adverse criticism. Most mournfully do 
 I feel that I shall never receive another. 
 
 Beyond the editions of the play (my relations to which in 
 general will appear from the several references) the writings 
 most useful to me have been the editions of Sophocles by 
 Professor Jebb (who has permitted me to express my admira- 
 tion and gratitude by the dedication of this volume), the Homeric 
 Grammar of Mr D. B. Monro, Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, 
 and an excellent article on the Agamemnon by Mr A. E. 
 Housman in Vol. XVI. of the jfonrnal of Philology. 
 
 It is not easy to enumerate accurately the friends who have 
 assisted me at various times by conversation and otherwise. But 
 for particular suggestions my thanks are due to Mr R. A. Neil, 
 who was kind enough to revise the whole of the Introduction, to 
 Dr W. Leaf, Mr J. G. Frazer, Mr E. S. Thompson, Mr Wyse, 
 Mr Duff, and Mr H. B. Smith. I have also taken some 
 particular hints from Professor Mahaffy's books on the geo- 
 graphy and customs of Greece and from a dissertation on the 
 Parados of the Seven against Thebes recently published by 
 Dr Fennell. Other references will appear in their places. 
 
 Continual study strengthens my conviction on one not 
 unimportant point in relation to Aeschylus, the substantial 
 
PREFACE. ix 
 
 integrity of t he text . The greater part of what are called errors 
 of the MS. are merely normal variations of spelling, not affecting 
 the authority of the tradition in the slightest degree. The 
 errors properly so called are often such that their reproduction 
 through long periods, from the time when by their nature 
 they must have originated, bears speaking testimony to the 
 conservative care of those by whom the text was handed 
 down. Although this edition adheres more closely to the 
 MSS. than its predecessors in modern times, my revision, were 
 I to revise it now, would tend rather to closer adhesion than 
 the other way. 
 
 Indeed the men who preserved Aeschylus through the 
 long night of literature were protected as much by their 
 defects as by their merits from tampering with the words. 
 They were scholars, as can be proved out of their own mouths, 
 of the narrowest type. In old words, old forms, and the like 
 they were keenly interested. For the poet they did not care. 
 Of the Agamemnon the MS. Introduction speaks with a reserve 
 barely saved from disapprobation. And no wonder ; for the 
 editors had not read the play, as literature, at all. This is 
 the simple fact. To a reader who wished to understand a 
 drama, as well as make notes of the words in it, no point 
 could be so essential as the fixing and distribution of the 
 parts. The Byzantine scholars were entirely indifferent to 
 the matter. If a modern editor were to adopt the dramatis 
 ■personae of the Medicean manuscript, he would justly be 
 thought a fool. Nor were the Greek commentators unaware 
 that their scheme was dubious ; but they would not be at any 
 trouble about a thing of so little consequence to grammar 
 and lexicography. The corrector of the Mediceiis assigned 
 the speech beginning ^«co ae/Sl^wu {v. 270) to a certain 
 ayyeXo^; of his own invention, perceiving that in the scene 
 which follows there was some difficulty in finding speakers 
 for all the speeches. To this djyeXo<;, as appears from the 
 later copies, he assigned among other things the speech yvvai, 
 KUT dv8pa {v. 363), while to Clytaemncstra he gave xa;^' 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 ela-ofjbea-Qa [v. 494). Now nothing is more certain than that 
 all these speeches are spoken, as all modern editors print them, 
 by members of the Chorus, and that at v. 494 Clytaemnestra is 
 not even on the stage, and further that no one could have read 
 the play with any consecutive attention from the beginning to 
 this point without discovering these facts. But the Greek editor 
 was looking for glosses, and having once ascertained the cor- 
 rectness of his copy (a work on which he can be proved to have 
 spent very great pains), would not interrupt the true labour of 
 scholarship for a question so trivial as the name of a particular 
 speaker. 
 
 Consequently, so far as relates to the literary form and 
 purpose of the drama, the makers of our MSS. bequeathed 
 to their modern successors no more than the vague indication 
 of a problem. In the Introduction our first concern will be 
 with this problem, its nature and the material for a solution. 
 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, 
 27 September, 1889. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface vii 
 
 Introduction xiii 
 
 'Argument' (vnodeais) and 'Dramatis Personae' in the Medicean MS. Ixiv 
 
 Text and Notes I 
 
 Appendix I., A — Z 183 
 
 Appendix II. . . . . ' 223 
 
 Translation . 231 
 
 Index 263 
 

 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I. T/ie Probleffi. 
 
 What is the plot of the Agatnenmoti ? When the dramatist began 
 his work, what was the story which he proposed to tell, or rather — 
 the difference of phrase is not unimportant — which he proposed to 
 illustrate ? 
 
 To one familiar only with drama produced under modern conditions, 
 it might well seem strange that this question should be propounded at 
 all. Surely, it might be said, this ought to be a simple matter, to be 
 settled at the first reading. If a drama does not convey its own story, 
 entire and unmistakable, what does it convey? So we might argue, 
 naturally enough, from the conditions of the theatre as we know them 
 in modern times : but so would not argue those who have given much 
 reflexion to the theatre of Athens, and especially of Aeschylus. Every 
 one knows, even if the full significance of the fact is not always 
 sufficiently estimated, that the tragedians of Athens did not tell their 
 story at all, as the telling of a story is conceived by a modern dramatist, 
 whose audience, when the curtain goes up, know nothing which is not 
 in the play-bill. 
 
 yThe story of an Athenian tragedy is never completely told ; it is 
 implied, or to repeat the expression used above, it is illustrated by a 
 selected scene or sceneg. And the further we go back the truer this is. 
 The plays of Euripides, with their explanatory prologues, are far more 
 complete in the statement of the facts than those of his two great 
 predecessors; and Sophocles fills in his outUne more than Aeschylus. 
 Such was the natural result of altered circumstances, of that multi- 
 plication of literature and growth of literary education which was the 
 chief characteristic of the fifth century. Before the close of the 
 century the process had so rapidly advanced that literature was a 
 
X i V T^TR OD UCTION. 
 
 common occupation, and Athens was full of lads writing, as Aristo- 
 phanes says, ' tragedies by the thousand.' On the other hand, at the 
 commencement of the century writers were not many, and a literary 
 public scarcely existed at all. One necessary effect of this movement, 
 which took place chiefly in the second half of the period, was to 
 multiply enormously the current varieties of the popular tales; until at 
 last, as we see by the practice of Euripides, the Athenian playwright 
 was brought, with respect to the fore-knowledge of his story by the 
 audience, nearly to the situation of the modern playwright, and found 
 it convenient, if not to tell the whole of it, at least to mark in outline 
 the version of it from which he started. (But the original practice, 
 dating from the time when the legends current at one time and in the 
 same city were still fairly harmonious, was to presuppose the story as 
 known ; land as a fact there is perhaps not one play of Aeschylus or of 
 Sophocles which would not considerably puzzle a reader who should sit 
 down to it, as to a drama of to-day, having very little or no information 
 on the subject and expecting everything essential to be supplied by the 
 author. 
 
 For a play of Aeschylus then the question, What is the story ?, so far 
 from being frivolous, is of the first importance ; and so far from being 
 necessarily easy, it is almost certain to offer some difficulties, and might 
 very well prove unanswerable. To reconstruct stories in the exact form 
 which prevailed at Athens in the days of Aeschylus, from the indica- 
 tions afforded by plays presupposing the stories, and from the indirect 
 and ambiguous evidence of such other versions of the same legends as 
 may be more or less perfectly preserved to us, is a task requiring the 
 greatest care. It is not likely ever to be accomplished with all the 
 success that might be wished, and is so far from accomplishment as 
 yet, that in nothing which relates to the study of the poet is there left 
 more room for improvement. We are now to enquire how the matter 
 stands at present with regard to the story of the Aga??ie?}mon. 
 
 The reader who gradually becomes familiar with successive com- 
 mentaries upon this play, will gradually become aware that they agree 
 with one another in one remarkable peculiarity. As a rule, the first 
 duty performed in the introduction to a drama is to give an accurate and 
 straightforward account of the story. No edition known to me ventures 
 to tell without disguise the story of the Agamemnon. I do not of 
 course mean merely that the story told is not correct. This would be 
 to assume the very point we are to discuss. I mean that the story, as 
 it is commonly understood, is itself not told without concealment and 
 practical misrepresentation. The reason for this will be only too 
 
INTR on UCTION. x v 
 
 apparent, when we have supplied the omission by telhng the story 
 outright, as it was conceived by the Byzantine students of the eleventh 
 century and is still, with whatever dissatisfaction, accepted. 
 \ Agamemnon, king of Argos, having sailed with a great armament to 
 Troy, to avenge by the capture of the city the abduction of Helen, 
 arranged with his queen Clytaemnestra', who governed at home in his 
 absence, to transmit the news of his success, when it should be attained, 
 by a series of beacons extending over the whole distance. At what 
 time this arrangement was first made does not appear ; but when after 
 a war of ten years the city was taken, the beacons had been maintained, 
 we learn, for at least a year. The chief part of the service, the transmitting 
 of the message across the Aegaean Sea, was accomplished by beacons 
 established on Mount Ida in the Troad, on Lemnos, on Mount Athos, 
 and on the highest point of Euboea. Thence the news was to be 
 signalled by comparatively short stages to Mount Arachnaeus, within a 
 few miles of Argos and visible from the royal palace, where a watch 
 was nightly kept for the expected news. Accordingly on the night in 
 which Troy was captured the system was put in operation, and worked 
 so successfully that before morning the beacon upon Arachnaeus was 
 duly seen by the palace-watch. (At this moment the action of the play 
 commences.) The queen, being roused, at once sends out her com- 
 mands for general rejoicing, without however disclosing either the 
 receipt of the beacon-message or the purport of it, as appears from the 
 fact that the elders of the city^, who presently arrive before the palace 
 to make enquiries, are not only ignorant of the event announced, but 
 are still uncertain whether the nocturnal demonstration (for the fires of 
 sacrifice are seen blazing in all directions) is made in honour of some 
 good intelligence or not. After some time, and just upon daybreak 
 {iK 291), the queen presents herself, and the elders respectfully ask 
 whether it is her pleasure to enHghten them further. 
 
 The queen then informs them that Troy is actually taken. After a 
 few moments of joyful amazement, their next question is, 'When did 
 
 1 Aeschylus knew her as KXuratft^o-Tpa be regarded as councillors, a political 
 Clytaemestra — for I agree with those yepovaia. It seems to me equally clear 
 who hold that we have no reason to dis- on the one hand that their character and 
 pute the testimony of the Medicean MS. behaviour would suggest such an idea to 
 Such variations in nomenclature are an audience imbued with Greek politics, 
 common. But she must remain Clytae7n- and that on the other hand Aeschylus 
 nestra for us. intentionally avoided precision on this 
 
 2 I have tried throughout so to speak and all points respecting the constitu- 
 of these ' elders ' as to avoid the not very tion of an imaginary state in the heroic 
 profitable dispute, whether they are to times. 
 
xvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 this happen?' 'This very night.' 'But how could the news possibly 
 arrive so soon?' 'By a beacon-message,' replies the queen, and 
 acquaints them with the arrangements above described, at which the 
 elders are more astonished than ever. The queen makes some 
 reflexions upon the appearance which Troy must present this morning 
 after the ravages of the night, and expresses a hope that the victors will 
 not abuse their triumph in such a way as to court divine punishment 
 and so endanger their safe return. She then retires, leaving the elders 
 to their thoughts. 
 
 But the stern satisfaction, which at first they feel for the punishment 
 of the offending Trojans, soon passes away, as they consider the suffering 
 which the war has cost and the deep discontents which it has bred; and 
 they have already sunk again into melancholy and foreboding when 
 the question arises — Is the news true after all ? How doubtful is the 
 interpretation of a beacon ! How sanguine the imagination of an 
 excited woman! The whole story may well prove to be a mere 
 delusion. It will be best to wait. 
 
 They are in this frame of mind when they see approaching a herald, 
 from whose appearance and from other visible indications (for the sun 
 has now risen, v. 513) they at once perceive that he has come from 
 the port and brings great tidings. Something grave then has really 
 happened, and they will know in a few moments whether it is good, or 
 what it is. 
 
 The herald — if it were possible to suppose the reader of this book 
 absolutely ignorant of the play, I am certain that what I am now going 
 to write would be set down by him as a manifestly absurd mistake 
 or invention of mine — the herald enters and announces that Agamem- 
 non has arrived. 
 
 But this staggering surprise is nothing to the miracles which remain.' 
 The conversation of the herald with the elders — if it can be called a 
 conversation, in which the herald, almost beside himself with excite- 
 ment and joy, speaks nearly all the time — is terminated by the brief 
 reappearance of the queen, who bids the herald return with a message 
 of welcome to his master. The elders beg him before he goes to satisfy 
 them at least as to the safety of the king's brother, Menelaus. This 
 leads him to disclose that the Greek fleet (which, be it remembered, 
 must have traversed the whole Aegaean in a few hours at most) encoun- 
 tered on the way a tremendous storm and was thereby so completely 
 scattered that those on Agamemnon's ship, which escaped destruction, 
 know not even which, if any, of their companions are saved. And with 
 this the herald departs on his errand. The elders, under the weight of 
 
INTRODUCTION. xvli 
 
 this terrible and truly inconceivable disaster, not unnaturally forget for 
 the moment to rejoice over the return of the remnant, and are still 
 musing sadly upon the terrible and far-reaching consequences of the 
 war and of the offence which caused the war, when the king himself 
 appears to receive their welcome and that of the queen. 
 
 And now, it will be supposed, some light will be thrown upon the 
 facts. The story up to this point presents nothing but an inexplicable 
 contradiction. But when Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra meet, all will 
 of course in some way become clear. Nothing of the sort. Though the 
 rejoicings shortly before commanded by Clytaemnestra are still pro- 
 ceeding, and the sacrifices which were to be offered in the palace in 
 honour of the beacon-message are scarcely begun, the queen, coming 
 forth from the unfinished ceremony, addresses to the king a long 
 and high-flown oration, in which there is not the slightest allusion to the 
 events of the morning, nor a word from which it could be supposed 
 that intelligence of the triumph had preceded the king's arrival. Aga- 
 memnon, in his cold and brief reply, is equally silent on the subject. 
 That affectionate anxiety for the queen's peace of mind, which we 
 should naturally conjecture to have been his motive, as there is no 
 other apparent, for maintaining such a prodigious machinery of com- 
 munication and transport, has suddenly given way to a repulsive state- 
 liness. He rebukes severely the pomp of his reception, and there 
 ensues an altercation on this matter between the royal spouses, in which 
 the queen carries her point, and conducts her husband with triumph 
 into the palace, leaving the elders in a puzzled and apprehensive con- 
 dition of mind, with which the audience must certainly sympathize. 
 N4 Thus ends the first part or act of the play, which occupies, we may 
 observe, considerably more than half of it. In the tragic scenes or, to 
 speak more properly, in the tragedy, which now commences, the whole 
 of this vast and enigmatic prologue, except certain incidental narratives 
 external to the main subject of it, seems to be simply forgotten. 
 Nothing happens which might not have happened just as easily if the 
 king had returned unannounced, or if he had announced himself in 
 some ordinary manner, and followed his announcement after the 
 expected interval of time. What is dark now remains so, if we accept 
 the received interpretation, to the end of the play. Since therefore the 
 remarkable action of the first part has no particular bearing upon that 
 of the second, and its value in the estimation of the dramatist must 
 be supposed independent, it will be convenient to pause at this point 
 and to consider what that value may be. 
 
 And surely the first and most proper reflexion is this : — Is it possible 
 
 V. M. A. b 
 
xviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 that the story above told really represents the intention of Aeschylus ? 
 That a man, who had spent most of his life in writing plays, when he came 
 to lay down the lines of his supreme master-piece, should encumber 
 himself at starting with absurdities so glaring, so dangerous, and so^a- 
 tuito us, as this fable exhibits in all its parts? Let us look at it for a 
 moment from these three points of view. 
 
 And first, that the absurdities are conspicuous. If we assume, for 
 the sake of argument, that it was indifferent to Aeschylus and the 
 Athenian audience whether the story told was conceivable or not, we 
 may still wonder why the poet should so labour to be false. The first 
 part of the Agamenmon is constructed exactly as it would be, if designed 
 to show the monstrosities of it in the strongest light. It is one huge 
 contradiction. It is divided by a crisis, the entrance of the herald 
 (y. 508), into two nearly equal parts, the substance of which may be 
 summarised by the statements, (i) that from the fall of Troy to the com- 
 mencement of the play is a period of two or three hours, (2) that in 
 this interval have occurred the events of several weeks. About this 
 there is not and cannot be any difference of opinion. It is certain, in 
 the first place, that the action is continuous, and falls within the early 
 hours of one morning. Language could not be clearer than that in 
 which we are told that the herald arrives while the queen's announce- 
 ment of the beacon-message is passing from lip to lip {vv. 481 — 498)'. 
 Even the progress of the hour from darkness to daylight is duly noted, 
 as we have seen. But it is needless to labour the point. Had it been 
 possible to suppose the action divided (as in the Eumenides'), the modern 
 readers of the poet, who, as we shall see, are painfully conscious of the 
 puzzle, would have marked the division long ago. And yet, on the 
 other hand, look at the necessities of the situation, as they are thrust upon 
 \Qur notice by Aeschylus himself That on the morning after the sack 
 mTroy the weary and famished Greeks would be making the most of 
 their comfortless repose and be in no condition to think of anything 
 else, is obviously true. But if Aeschylus proposed to bring them that 
 very morning to Argos, why should he insist on reminding us, just 
 
 1 Equally explicit, according to the Agamemnon. There is no resemblance 
 
 only rendering which seems to me enter- between them. The Eumenides is simply 
 
 tainable, is the queen's language at v. divided, like a play of Shakespeare, into 
 
 1040. three perfectly distinct scenes, confessedly 
 
 " The example of the Eumenides is separated by gaps of time and changes of 
 
 indeed sometimes cited, as if it explained place. If the Agamcfiiiion were similarly 
 
 and justified what would otherwise be divisible, there would be nothing peculiar 
 
 surprising in the construction of the about it. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xix 
 
 before their appearance, that they must at this very moment be in Troy, 
 hundreds of miles across the sea, taking their hard-won meal and looking 
 forward to enjoy next night their first unbroken sleep (^. 342) ? And 1 
 the very next speech informs us that they are already returned to 
 Argos ! Even a happy carelessness might have been expected not to 
 give itself the lie with so much art. Again, the size and general 
 geography of the Archipelago were facts as familiar to an Athenian as 
 those of the Atlantic or the Channel to a modern Englishman, indeed 
 much more so ; and he could scarcely, however willing, have imagined 
 them other than they were. But if Aeschylus desired to present a 
 story in which these facts were to be ignored, why should he aggravate 
 his difficulties by prompting the imagination of the audience with a 
 picture of the reality ? The conversation between Clytaemnestra and the 
 elders respecting the beacons signifies to us at any rate this, that a 
 voyage over the region described was likely to take some time. A 
 narrator who wished us, for the sake of his story, to suppose that some- 
 one had ridden from London to York in an hour, would scarcely begin 
 by reminding us that it takes five hours to go by train. 
 
 Then look again at the other side of the "[picture. To what purpose, 
 in any case, the poet introduced the herald, with his vivid description of 
 the hardships suffered by the Hellenic army and of the awful tempest in 
 which the greater part of it was finally lost, or what is the significance of 
 these narratives to the story, is at present not too clear, as may be seen 
 by reference to the books of authority. But nothing short of a contra- 
 diction in terms could be more grossly inconsistent with the preceding 
 scene. If Aeschylus wished to obliterate, by an arbitrary fiction, \^ 
 the interval of time between the fall of Troy and the return of the 
 Greeks, why does he not obliterate it ? Why narrate the voyage and 
 show that it was not rapid but disastrous? that it was not accom- 
 plished in one hour, nor in one day either? that after the capture, 
 and before the return was even commenced, a considerable time was 
 spent at Troy itself in the elaborate destruction of the city, the distribu- 
 tion of the spoil and captives, and other proceedings related or touched 
 upon by the herald and the king? Of these indeed the audience 
 were previously informed by many familiar narratives, but in the design 
 attributed to Aeschylus they might at least have been left in all 
 -^possible obscurity. Who could listen to the herald's description of the 
 storm, following as it does close upon Clytaemnestra's account of the 
 beacons, and not ask himself in bewilderment at what time all this is 
 supposed to have happened ? 
 
 This discrepancy of times, not lightly neglected by the poet but 
 
 b2 
 
XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 studiously obtruded, would, if it stood alone, make the first part of the 
 Agamenmon a confounding problem. But it is combined with another 
 mass of difficulty, less prominent perhaps to the eyes of us moderns, 
 but at Athens and in the time of Aeschylus equally fatal to that 
 temporary and conventional belief without which the imagination is 
 helpless. The story of the beacons is in one sense a fine story ; that is 
 to say, it is told in fine verse, and the actual description, how the fiery 
 signal was sped, is unsurpassed or unrivalled in its own style of 
 eloquence. But for all that the story is in its whole conception and all 
 its incidents incredible, and it is impossible that a popular audience 
 ^n ancient Athens can ever have thought, otherwise. 
 
 In the first place, looking at the matter generally, it is permissible, 
 y when we reflect that the Agamemnon was written by a grave man of long 
 p^isxperience in peace and war, and to satisfy an audience which contained; 
 I perhaps more men personally^amiliar with the conduct of great affairs| 
 than ever assembled elsewhere — it is permissible, I say, to wonder, that 
 so much should be made of a transaction which, for any relation it has 
 to life, is more worthy of an inventive schoolboy. / Here is a great 
 monarch, conducting a distant war of uncertain duration. He estab- 
 lishes between his camp and his capital a system of communication on a 
 grand scale, far larger than anything of the kind actually existing, when 
 Aeschylus wrote, in the Greek world'. For what purpose } Naturally, we 
 suppose, to aid his plans. Not at all. At the close of the war, as the 
 ignorance of the elders requires us to suppose, no message had ever been 
 sent, and no message but one was expected. The beacons were main- 
 tained and watched night after night, simply that, if and when Troy 
 should fall, this news, expected for ten years, might have a chance, if 
 the weather were favourable, to reach Argos some weeks or some days 
 sooner than it would do in any case. And as if this notion were 
 not puerile enough, the natural facts are distorted so as to exaggerate 
 the absurdity to the utmost. For in the result it seems to be by 
 the merest accident that the beacon-message arrives before the king. 
 But for the storm he would doubtless have got home first. 
 
 Again, if we admit the beacons as a conceivable scheme, what are 
 we to say of the useless and impossible mystery i^vith which they are 
 surrounded ? The Athenians were to suppose, that for a year at least 
 there had been maintained on a hill close to Argos, night after night, a 
 
 ^ The generals of Persia were sup- It does not appear how far they succeeded, 
 
 posed to have projected something similar, but it is not unlikely that their plan 
 
 though more practicable, at the time of suggested the idea of Aeschylus, 
 their marvellous expedition (Herod 9, 3). 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxi 
 
 watch forming part of a system of communication with the absent 
 army, and that all this while, so strictly had the secret been kept, the / 
 elders of the city had not the least notion of it, nor had ever dreamed 
 of such a thing as possible ! 
 
 But these general objections, though serious enough, are nothing to \^ 
 the grotesque and wilful violations of nature which appear in the , 
 details. It is here that the modern reader most easily deceives himself, 
 forgetting the local and contemporary point of view. No one disputes 
 indeed, so far as I am aware, that the story told by Clytaemnestra is 
 impossible ; but most of those who write on the play ignore the subject 
 so far as they can' : and hardly any one considers how the matter 
 would look to an Athenian of the Marathonian generation. Yet place 
 and time are the essential conditions. 
 
 K Men are the willing slaves of imagination ; and the inventor who 
 frankly transcends our range of experience may with moderate skill 
 carry us wherever he pleases. But so long as he purports to keep / 
 within our experience, the ablest inventor has but a strictly limited 
 power. Not Shakespeare himself could have made the Londoners 
 content to suppose that a Spanish ship lying at the Nore had fired upon 
 an English ship lying at the Tower. They simply could not suppose it. 
 Yet this is the sort of fiction which the Athenians, a people singularly 
 severe in their criticism of the imagination, are supposed to have 
 ^accepted without demur, and honoured with their highest reward. The 
 description of the beacons {ik 293) is curiously complete and 
 careful. Every stage is marked and named beyond possibility of 
 mistake. The first three stages are, as above said, from Mount Ida to 
 the island of Lemnos, from Lemnos to Athos, from Athos to the highest 
 point of Euboea. The distances are for the first two stages about 
 sixt^ miles, for the third stage nearly a h undr ed miles. It is needless to 
 prove that beacons at these intervals would be useless, useless under any 
 circumstances, and although we should not throw in, as Aeschylus would 
 appear to do, the special facility of a tremendous storm, raging in the 
 very region of the longest transit. Let it be supposed (and it is an 
 outside supposition) that in the atmosphere of the Mediterranean, 
 on a night perfectly clear, a bonfire one hundred miles away might 
 be made out with certainty. What would be the use of a signal, 
 intended to operate at some unknown time in the course of the year, 
 if it were so arranged as to be defeated by the slightest haze at any 
 point in a traject of one hundred miles? Did then the Athenian 
 
 1 Not however all ; see Paley. ^^ 
 
xxii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 audience not know these distances and their relation to the visibihty 
 of a beacon ? How could they possibly fail to know the facts, and to 
 have such a vivid consciousness of them as could not for an instant be 
 put by ? Euboea, the terminus of the most prodigious leap, was 
 geographically and politically almost part of Attica itself Athos, the 
 starting-point of the leap, lay right in the eye of Athenian policy and 
 trade, always specially directed to the north and north-west of the 
 Aegaean. The people were essentially a people of ^seamen. When 
 the Aganmnnon was produced they had been engaged for twenty years 
 in a struggle for the naval dominion of those very seas, a struggle upon 
 which depended most of their wealth and all their national importance. 
 They were familiar with beacons in peace and in war, and used them, 
 as of course everywhere else, in Euboea, to signal to Skiathos, a 
 distance of some twelve miles'. The statement that a beacon-signal 
 was transmitted in the midst of a storm from Athos to Euboea stood 
 to the knowledge and habits of Athens then in much the same relation 
 ras the statement that a steamer ran across the Atlantic in one day would 
 stand to the knowledge and habits of Liverpool now. 
 
 And here again, as in the matter of time, the story is not merely 
 absurd in fact, but wilfully and as it were purposely absurd. Mf the 
 geographical facts were to the poet perfectly indifferent, why is he at 
 such pains to be precise? Nothing would have been easier or more 
 natural, in a mere exercise of the imagination, than to leave the details 
 in some obscurity, to start the signals upon a more or less practicable 
 route, and then to fetch the matter off with generaUties. But Aeschylus 
 leaves not a loop-hole ; and when he comes to the most miraculous part 
 of the story {v. 298) he is careful to give our incredulity a jog. 
 
 But if the defects of the fable are glaring (and on this enough seems 
 to have been said) they are also extremely dangerous. What is the 
 real opinion of modern critics on this point, the critics themselves show 
 by a testimony more telling than any direct condemnation, by ignoring 
 and, as far as possible, concealing the facts. No one, as I have already 
 said, ventures to tell, as it is received, the story of the play. As an 
 example I purposely choose (for the criticism is in no way personal) a 
 book to which I am much indebted, the edition of Mr Sidgwick. 
 'The action of the play in details,' says Mr Sidgwick in his Introduction, 
 ' is as follows : — 
 
 Agamemnon has been absent for ten years at Troy. Meanwhile his wife 
 Klytaemnestra has been ruling Argos in conjunction with her lover Aegisthos. 
 
 1 Herod. 7, 182. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxiii 
 
 The news of the capture of Troy is daily expected, and tlic play opens with 
 the appearance of the night-watchman on the roof, waiting (as he has been for 
 a year past) for the beacon fire which is to announce the victory. While the 
 watchman is complaining of his trouble, the flame flashes out, and he goes to tell his 
 mistress (Prologue). The chorus enter and sing: meanwhile the (pieen comes out and 
 is seen lighting the altar fires and preparing for a festal display in honour of the 
 event. The leader of the chorus learns from her the tidings, and after describing the 
 beacon-race, she imagines the scene in Troy and expresses a hope that all will end 
 well (Scene I). After another choric song the Herald appears, who describes first the 
 sufferings before Troy, and finally the storm which scattered the fleet ; the queen 
 sends by him a welcome to her lord (Scene 2). In Scene 3 Agamemnon returns with 
 Kassandra etc' 
 
 Now could it possibly occur to any one upon reading this — more 
 especially if he happened to know that Aeschylus, like a modern 
 dramatist, did not limit his plots to any special period of time — but 
 with or without this information could any one suspect from the above, 
 that all these events are represented as occurring within a few hours? 
 Should we not assume, and is it not indeed tacitly implied, that the 
 action of the Agamemnon., like that of its continuation, the Eumetiides, is 
 divided ; and that the necessary lapse of time between these ' scenes ' is 
 either expressly noticed, as in the Eiimenides, or left open to our imagi- 
 nation? But is this what the editor means? On the contrary, long 
 afterwards in the course of the notes we come upon the following, 
 ' 504. Observe that the herald arrives from Troy, announcing the 
 landing of Agamemnon, immediately after the beacon fires, on the/C^ 
 morning after the capture. Such violations of possibihty were held ^ 
 quite allowable by the license of dramatic poetry.' This last statement 
 shall be considered presently. But first let us ask why, if this violation 
 of possibility is so simple and so common, it should not be exhibited in 
 the commentary with the same frankness as in the play ? Why is ' the 
 action of the play in details ' so described as to suppress a feature which 
 we are to observe, and why is the like device adopted, as it is, by one 
 writer after another ? It is prompted by the instinct of self-preservation. 
 The expositor, loyally identifying himself with the author, feels that, 
 whatever he may say about dramatic license, the reader will as a fact 
 be repelled at starting by the wanton perversity of the fiction ; and he 1' 
 screens it accordingly. How is it that no siiriilar apprehension occurred «« 
 to the dramatist ? 
 
 For as to the statement that on the Athenian stage ' such violations 
 of possibility were held quite allowable,' I must take leave to say that it 
 is not only without evidence, but altogether contrary to the evidence. ' 
 There is no example ' such ' or approximately such ; and the theoretic v 
 
xxiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 treatise of Aristotle on the drama remains to prove, what the extant 
 plays confirm, that the Athenian public, so far from being indifferent 
 to consistency, attached to it an importance much greater than the 
 
 "<! moderns, and more perhaps than is reasonable. And observe further, 
 that the successors of Aeschylus had a temptation, and so far an excuse, 
 for taking Hberties in the matter of time, which Aeschylus himself had 
 not. After Aeschylus 'the unity of time ', that is, the restriction of the 
 play to a continuous action or, as it is sometimes put, to an action 
 ' within one day ', grew into a practice and apparently into something 
 like a rule. It is not always observed ; the Suppliccs of Euripides, for 
 example, does not conform to it, nor does the Andromache. But there 
 was a tendency to observe it ; and the tendency produced, as it was 
 sure to do, some questionable treatment of this artificial 'day', though 
 neither Sophocles nor Euripides, nor any one else that I know of, ever 
 presents us with a ' day ' like that of the Agamenmon. ^ut Aeschylus 
 
 \ did not obs^ve the practice at all. The second scene of the Eiimeiiides 
 is separated from the first by an interval of months, if not of years'. 
 If therefore he wished to bring into one play the fall of Troy and the 
 return of the Greeks, he had no need to appeal to any dramatic license, 
 nor any temptation to distort the facts. His successors could not have 
 done so consistently with their usual practice, and probably would 
 not have thought it desirable. But to account for the supposed 
 structure of the Agamemnon, we must assume that Aeschylus, who 
 ignores the 'unity' in the third play of the trilogy, adopted it for the 
 first play in this self-contradictory form, that the action of one play 
 ought nominally to fall within one day, but that in this ' day ' may 
 happen whatever events we please. I think it may safely be asserted 
 that such a theory was never professed by any author or critic whatever. 
 As I see no reason to think that the popular mind in the time of 
 Aeschylus was in this respect very different from the popular mind 
 now, I will offer a Socratic parallel, not the less just because it is 
 homely. — Scene : A room in London. Time : Early morning. Servants 
 discovered preparing the room. From their conversation it appears that 
 the master of the house has been for some time in Africa, and that the 
 conduct of his wife, in relation to a person too often received, is 
 causing them much anxiety and a strong desire for the master's return. 
 They have learnt with satisfaction that their mistress is expecting soon 
 to hear that he is on the way home. A telegram arrives for the lady, 
 
 ^ See the description of Orestes' intermediate wanderings, Eum. vv. 239 — 241, 
 ^84—5. 454—5- 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxv 
 
 who presently appears and informs them that it is from her Iiusband, 
 
 and was despatched last night from Lake Nyanza. Being asked by a 
 
 servant whether there is a telegraph at the Lake, she explains that the 
 
 wires have just been extended so far by the result of her husband's 
 
 enterprise. He intends to return forthwith. She wonders what sort 
 
 of breakfast he is having in Africa, and hopes that he will not meet 
 
 with any accident on the road back. The table is laid, and the lady 
 
 is sitting down to it, when there is a ring at the bell. Enter the 
 
 husband's courier, who announces that his master is detained for a few 
 
 minutes at the terminus, but is coming immediately. He dilates 
 
 upon the discomforts of the Overland route and the breaking-down 
 
 of an Italian train. The husband follows accordingly. He describes 
 
 the success of his explorations. The lady receives him with rapture 
 
 but witfiout any surprise. In conversation with him she says nothing 
 
 of the telegram, nor he to her. And so ends the first scene. — Now at 
 
 this point of the story we might either know the key to the riddle (if 
 
 the author were dramatizing a popular novel) or we might wait for 
 
 the solution in the sequel. But what would be the bewilderment and 
 
 the dismay of the audience if it should prove that there was no 
 
 solution, and that the mysterious telegram, introduced with so much 
 
 circumstance, had no bearing on the story whatever ! I submit that 
 
 this is not the way in which the crowns of the drama may be won, and 
 
 that the most rigorous proof should be required before we assume 
 
 that it ever was. 
 
 ' And so we come to our third point, that these glaring and dangerous 
 
 defects of construction are also useless and gr atuito us. After all, this is 
 
 perhaps the chief matter. The imagination will work for very moderate 
 
 wages ; but it does expect to be paid something, and a little extra for 
 
 over-time. There is perhaps no limit, there is certainly no ascertainable 
 
 limit, to what men will grant to a narrator in the way of supposition, so 
 
 long as he justifies the concession by making use of it and gives interest 
 
 for the loan, or in plain words, so long as the supposition is required 
 
 by the story. A classical example is the story of Oedipus^ ; but in fact 
 
 almost every story illustrates in some degree this principle of criticism, 
 
 and the readers of fiction are applying it every day. If a romancer were 
 
 to declare that a whole fleet was wafted, spirited, or what you will, five 
 
 hundred miles in five minutes, and if out of this fiction were developed 
 
 incidents of interest requiring the supposition, it is quite possible that 
 
 I 
 
 ^ See the remarks of Professor Jebb in his Introduction to the Oedipus Tyranmts, 
 p. xlv. 
 
xxvi TNTR OD UCTION. 
 
 his audience or his readers might be perfectly content. But the wild 
 assumptions debited to the Agaviemno^i explain nothing, lead to nothing, 
 serve nothing. If the circumstances of time and place were as natural 
 as they are in fact prodigious, the supposed story would still be a 
 marvel of discontinuity. Let any one suppose the opening scenes of 
 the play, as for as the entrance of the herald, to have survived as a 
 fragment ; let him notice the striking incidents which centre upon 
 the announcement of the beacon-message, the night alarm, the amaze- 
 ment of the elders, their vain attempt to get more information from the 
 queen, their open incredulity; and then let him consider how he would 
 have conceived the lost remainder. ^Why does the poet occupy us 
 with the beacons at all? When with all this expense of falsehood the 
 king is at last brought upon the stage, and the play, which is now 
 nearing its middle, begins for the first time to be connectedly intel- 
 ligible, all the preliminary apparatus, as we have already said, is simply 
 neglected. Nay more, the only fact which emerges, if anything does, 
 from the perplexity of the introduction — that the king in some un- 
 explained manner came home with astonishing speed and arrived 
 almost as soon as he was announced — , so far from accounting for the 
 sequel, greatly aggravates the difficulties of a narrative, which could ill 
 aflford the increase. 
 
 Almost every fine story, and in particular almost every story 
 suitable for the stage, contains a certain element of essentia l improba- 
 bility. *^ontrast, so important in dramatic effect, will generally require 
 surprising incidents, and what is surprising cajinot be altogether likely. 
 The story of Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra is no exception to this 
 general rule. It is not impossible, but it is essentially improbable, 
 that a powerful monarch, returning from a great and glorious ex- 
 pedition, should be murdered by his wife and her paramour, and that 
 the murderers should not only escape immediate punishment, but 
 should usurp the throne and establish themselves in possession. It 
 would be much in such a case if the guilty pair could save themselves 
 by a prompt flight from the vengeance of the triumphant husband. 
 That in the very moment of his new strength and popularity they should 
 actually overthrow him and take his place is a thing which only under the 
 most peculiarly favourable circumstances could either happen or seem 
 credible. The first task therefore of a narrator, who for the sake of 
 the striking situation should undertake to present such a story, must be 
 to create these circumstances, and upon his skill in doing this his 
 success, if he were a dramatist, must in the first instance largely depend. 
 For however it may be with the student or the reader, a popular 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxvii 
 
 audience cares first of all for the story, and is not to be put off with 
 profundity of thought, or splendour of language, or sounding rhythm, or 
 with all of these things together. 
 
 Now it will be allowed that in the Agamcfunon, as commonly 
 read, me mechanism of the story has received from the author ' 
 no consideration at all. According to Aeschylus, it would seem 
 that for an adulteress to kill her king and husband upon a day of 
 triumph, and to raise her paramour to the throne, is an enterprise 
 too plainly facile to require any explanation of the means. Of 
 course the returning monarch will have no suspicions and receive 
 no warning; of course, however abruptly he may arrive, he will find 
 \all prepared for the deed ; of course when he has fallen, any slight 
 mutiny on the part of his soldiers or subjects will be instantly and 
 easily suppressed. But that Aeschylus should have been content to 
 treat the matter thus is remarkable, not only from the general conditions 
 of theatrical art, but for two more particular reasons. /"It is odd that if 
 he really did not care, and did not expect any one to care, how the 
 events came about, he should become scrupulous in explanation just 
 at the point where the story is simplest, at the actual striking of the 
 murderous stroke. If, in defiance of likelihood, we once suppose 
 the king to walk ignorant and unsuspicious into the palace where, to 
 the knowledge of his faithful servants and subjects ', his cjueen is living 
 in adultery, we can imagine a hundred ways in which the wife, if so 
 minded, might compass his death. Yet the poet exactly describes the 
 very peculiar device by which the murderess made sure that her victim 
 should have, as she says, 'neither defence nor escape' {v. 1380). 
 Strange that he should have regarded this, and disregarded the only 
 real and pressing questions, how she got her chance and how she 
 secured her impunity ! And again it is odd, that even if the tragedian 
 did not observe for himself that in such a case the preparatory conditions 
 must be a vital part of the plot, he should not have recognized this 
 when it had been emphasized long before by the original narrators of 
 the story. 
 
 The version of the legend current at the date of the Odyssey is there 
 given incidentally several times'. According to this, Aegisthus, the 
 lover of Clytaemnestra, wooed her during the absence of Agamemnon, 
 and with much difficulty induced her to quit the house of her husband 
 for his own. Upon the return of the king Aegisthus bade him to a feast, 
 and there treacherously fell upon him and slew him, Clytaemnestra 
 
 1 w. 37, 620, etc. 
 
 " Od. I. 35 foil., 3. 247 foil., 4. 512 foil., II. 405 foil. Y 
 
xxviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 assisting. The narration given in Book xi by the ghost of Agamemnon 
 also introduces the presence and death of the captive Cassandra. Now 
 we have but to read these references to see at once, that the rhapsodists 
 in their construction of the story were principally occupied with the 
 question, how such a thing could possibly come about,/how the king 
 could arrive at the house of Aegisthus uninformed of his wife's infidelity, 
 and why his death was not prevented or instantly avenged by his com- 
 panions in arms/ The two most elaborate recitals, those in the Third 
 and the Fourth Books, relate almost entirely to these points ; and in 
 the Third Book the problem is formally propounded. ' How,' asks Tele- 
 machus of Nestor very pertinently, ' was the imperial Agamemnon 
 slain? Where was Menelaus^ And by what cunning did Aegisthus 
 contrive the death of one far mightier than himself? ' The first question, 
 how the king came to be at the moment comparatively helpless, is 
 thereupon answered by Nestor, who relates how a storm divided and in 
 great part destroyed the returning hostl Of this we need say little now, 
 as this part of the story is adopted" by Aeschylus and will appear 
 presently in its place. The second and principal question, what means 
 Aegisthus used and how they came to be successful, is answered by the 
 narrative of Proteus in the Fourth Book. /There we learn that Aegisthus 
 after the seduction, lest Agamemnon shbuld reach home unobserved 
 and learning the facts should fall upon the seducer by surprise, set a 
 watch to look out for him, whose vigilance was prompted by a great 
 bribe. He continued to watch for a year before the king returned, 
 when an accident rewarded this precaution with undesigned and 
 extraordinary success. The same storm, which scattered the fleet, so 
 carried the king's ship out of its course, that he was thankful to land 
 not at home but upon Aegisthus' domain, near the very castle to which 
 he had carried Clytaemnestra. (It is plain, that in the circumstances 
 supposed by Homer this accident offers the only condition under which 
 Agamemnon could possibly be taken unawares.) Aegisthus, apprised 
 by his watchman and seizing the opportunity, invited the king and his 
 companions to a pretended feast of welcome, at which they were 
 treacherously slain. It is noteworthy that the bard, so full is he of the 
 feeling that to fall upon the veterans of Troy, with whatever advantage, 
 was a hazardous feat, after saying that not one of the king's followers 
 was left, adds grimly that not one of the assassins was left either./ 
 
 Now between Homer and Aeschylus the story, as we see, has 
 essentially changed. In Aeschylus the murder takes place at the king's 
 house where the queen is still ruling, and it is she who plays the deceptive 
 part. Much has been said, and much that is true, on the moral and 
 
/^ 
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxix 
 
 spiritual aspects of this change, and on the motives of this kind which 
 would commend it to the tragedian'. But there were also other reasons 
 simpler and more imperative, why the Homeric version should not have 
 been followed entirely by subsequent narrators, and(especially upon the 
 Athenian stage.'N^ Without a strong effort of historic imagination, such — J- 
 as no dramatist would willingly require of a popular audience, the 
 Homeric tale could not have been realised. It might pass very well in 
 the antique and consecrated epic, but to expose it in an unfomiliar 
 dress to the ' faithful witness of the eye ' would have been in the days of 
 Aeschylus a bold effort indeed. The Homeric story demands for its 
 reception the Homeric iiiind, and that in t_wo respects. First, in the , 
 supposed condition of society and, if the word is applicable, of politics. 
 As conceived by the bard, the whole issue lies between the households 
 and retainers of two chieftains. xThe lady of Agamemnon leaves her 
 husband's castle for that of Aegisthus.) Between the two families this is 
 a deadly breach, but there the rupture ends. ^Wliat would become of 
 Agamemnon's government upon the flight of his imperial regent)| and 
 how the state and the people would be affected and behave, are 
 questions which do not arise, simply because among the independent 
 nobles, to whom the story was sung, no such questions would 
 actually have arisen. But how should they not suggest themselves, if 
 the story was to be presented visibly and in modernized language before 
 a great democracy, to whom the administration of government was a 
 daily familiar problem ? And secondly, the epic tale depends still more ~^ 
 strictly and necessarily upon the primitive isolation of places. To the 
 bard and his hearers it seemed natural, or at any rate within the license 
 of fiction, 'that Clytaemnestra in the Peloponnese should have been 
 living for a year in the house of her lover, and that her husband should 
 still return from the Troad ignorant of anything wrong.) And the 
 audience of Homer might very well think so. With such communica- 
 tion between the places as they knew, they might well suppose that an 
 expedition sent from Argos to Troy, if such a thing were to be imagined, 
 would for the time be totally cut off from home and news of home. 
 But how was this to pass in the middle of the fifth century? Would 
 the mass of Athenian spectators, accustomed to hear news from Sigeum 
 every week, readily conceive this situation, and was it worth while to risk 
 anything upon their readiness ? Aeschylus at any rate makes no such 
 attempt. On the contrary, by a natural compromise with the habitual 
 ideas of his own time, he supposes such a possibility of communication 
 
 ^ See for example the excellent introduction to Eiiger's edition. v/^ 
 
XXX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 \ between Troy and Argos that sometimes the very ashes of the dead were 
 sent home for burial'. It is needless to look further for reasons why he 
 should not have placed the queen in the house of Aegisthus ; and the 
 same reflexion, we may add, should make us very slow to assume, as we 
 commonly do, that he has placed Aegisthus in the palace or even in 
 the realm of Clytaemnestra. 
 
 V^eschylus then, or the predecessors whom he followed, in adapting 
 the Homeric tradition to the expectations of their public, could not but 
 drop the incident upon which in Homer the whole mechanism of the story 
 depends"- But neither surely could they drop it without compensation. 
 (The story of Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra is essentially the story of a 
 daring venture, which against all probability and by the favour of 
 circumstances succeeded. The epic bard, after the fashion expected 
 of him, provides the circumstancesy With the change of manners and 
 knowledge this fashion became unsuitable ; and the difficulty of saving 
 the situation at all was increased in many ways too obvious to be speci- 
 fied. The problem then standing thus, how does the Aeschylean 
 narrative deal with it? The Homeric solution being discarded, what 
 / solution does Aeschylus provide ? Absolutely, if we are to accept 
 the interpretation of the Byzantine critics, no solution or attempted 
 solution at all. It is hard to say whether the story, as they would 
 reconstruct it, is more amazing in what it affirms or in what it ignore^. 
 To the question, the inevitable question, of the Homeric Telemachus, 
 
 ' ' How was the imperial Agamemnon slain, and by what cunning device 
 was he overpowered?' the answer of Aeschylus, we are to understand, 
 would have been this, ' Clytaemnestra entangled him in a bath-drapery 
 made for the purpose ' ! 
 
 We will now rapidly follow the action, from the point where we left 
 it to pursue this criticism. Our difficulties will not disappear or 
 diminish as we proceed. It is true that all that part of the drama 
 which lies between the entrance of Agamemnon and the entrance of 
 Aegisthus, though perplexing in the highest degree if considered in 
 connexion with what precedes or in reference to the unprovided 
 requirements of the situati'^n, does not offer, if taken by itself, any 
 obstacle sufficient to mar its magnificent and astounding effect. The 
 exit of the king, the whole part of Cassandra, the whole scene between 
 the queen and the elders after the murder are such as it would be 
 impertinent to praise. Upon this part of the play, something less than 
 half of it, regarded practically as an independent piece, now reposes 
 
 1 V. 448 ; see also v. 855 foil. 
 
INTR OD UCTION. xxx i 
 
 the whole reputation of the drama considered as a drama. Indeed the 
 author of the Greek Introduction in the MS., whose ideas respecting 
 the plot as a whole we are content to borrow, is on this point candid 
 enough. ' This part of the play,' he coolly says, after describing the ■ 
 exits of the king and of Cassandra, ' is admired, as astonishing and 
 sufficiently pathetic' It would be easy to show that this significant 
 expressio miius represents also the opinion of the moderns, and that, 
 notwithstanding the rich beauties of the whole, every one more or 
 less openly wonders, why the magnificent central picture and the 
 exquisitely carven frame should be so ill fitted to each other. 
 
 For with the entrance of Aegisthus the difiiculty begins again. It 
 even becomes so great that it cannot be tolerated, and the knot has to 
 be cut by change of the text. Nowhere is it more apparent than in the 
 finale, how much the dramatist relied for the exposition of the story 
 upon the visible action and upon the previous knowledge of the 
 spectators, how imperfect as a narrative are the mere speeches and 
 odes by themselves, and how serious a task for us, who have neither 
 stage-directions nor authoritative preface, is the reconstruction of the 
 indispensable remainder. We find Aegisthus speaking upon the stage ; 
 but how he comes there, where he comes from, and how his appearance y 
 is connected with the action up to this point, are questions not to be 
 answered by the mere perusal of what is said. So much however is plain 
 (and admitted), that language is used which cannot be reconciled with 
 the current conception of the story. According to Aeschylus, it is 
 supposed, the overthrow of Agamemnon is entirely the work of 
 Clytaemnestra. Her paramour, being, as the Argives tell him, a dastard, 
 remains hidden in the palace or neighbourhood, and appears only to 
 exult when the deed is done. (Why he should have run the enormous 
 risk of being there at all, if he had no part to play, and whether his 
 conduct is not even more foolish than cowardly, are questions which 
 might occur to us in passing.) But this being so, it is strange that 
 Aegisthus should not only attribute the success to himself, but applaud 
 himself vehemently for the ingenuity by which it was attained : and it 
 passes comprehension that the Argive elc^ irs should take him at his 
 own valuation as the principal agent, and should speak of the queen, 
 the sole agent, as having merely ' joined in ' the plan. ' It was I,' says 
 Aegisthus, 'who combined and contrived all the difficult plot'.' What 
 plot? There is no plot. There is no combination or contrivance at 
 all. The king comes to his palace, the queen (how could she less?) 
 
 • vv. 1604 — 1609. 
 
xxxii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 pretending to welcome him. His first act, as a matter of course, is to 
 take the accustomed lustral bath preparatory to sacrifice. The queen, 
 attending him, envelopes him after the bath with an entangling drapery 
 provided for the occasion, and then in this helpless condition butchers 
 him with an axe. Where is the contrivance? The peculiar drapery? 
 Truly a most ingenious combination. Is it not obvious that if we 
 ignore all the real difficulties of the enterprise, if we suppose the king 
 to arrive uninformed and unsuspicious in the kingdom where his queen 
 had long entertained his bitterest foe, if we suppose that a victorious 
 general had no friends in the country willing or able to avenge him, 
 the actual killing might be done by anybody at almost any time and 
 without the slightest difficulty ? That his wife should slay him at the 
 lustration, and should have his drapery so made as to entangle him, 
 might show in her a fiendish cruelty and a cold-blooded precaution; 
 but would he have lived and prospered if the drapery had been of the 
 common make ? Truly a profound and an admirable combination ! 
 
 Yet the Argive elders are quite satisfied. They at once recognize 
 Aegisthus as the contriver and prime agent of the scheme, and all they 
 have to ask is, why then he did not act without the queen. ' Why, as it 
 was thy plot, why, coward, didst thou not do the butchery alone ? 
 Why join his wife with thee? Why, to the defilement of our land 
 and our gods, must she be his murderer^?' 
 
 Ti 8^ Tov avSpa TOvS' a7ro xl/v)(r]s kokt^s 
 ovK avTos yjvapL^es, aXA.a cvv yvvrj, 
 X^^pas fiiacTjxa kol Oewv ly^oypioiv. 
 
 And here no disguise is possible. Every one sees that this language, 
 with the emphatic avv, is not such as could reasonably be addressed to 
 one who had merely lain by, while the wife directed and performed the 
 whole. Accordingly avv is condemned as an error, to be replaced by 
 o-ot, viv, or other palliatives ^ We will not here stop to discuss this 
 device, nor will we go further, as might be done, in pressing the 
 acknowledged difficulties which affect the received exposition of the 
 drama as a whole. Sufficient, in my judgment, has been said to show 
 that the text, as it remains to us, without the explanations furnished to 
 the audience by the action upon the stage and by the current version of 
 
 ^ vv. 1633 — ^1646. fore almost certainly in the Medicciis. 
 
 ^ It is worth notice that we have the That it should have been wrongly in- 
 
 authority of the Vtmetiis as well . as serted by a copyist is technically most 
 
 the Florentinus for cuv, which was there- improbable. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxxiii 
 
 the story, which they previously knew, presents a difficult problem, to' 
 be solved, if at all, by the reconstruction of the action and of the story 
 which Aeschylus presupposed as known, and that as a solution of this 
 problem the hypothesis of the Byzantine editors is quite unworthy 
 of consideration, that it is in fact no solution whatever. It does not 
 give a rational account of the facts or make the purpose of the author^ 
 intelligible. We will turn rather to the positive and perhaps more 
 fruitful side of the enquiry. 
 
 As a preliminary we will notice two or three salient points, which 
 may serve to indicate the direction in which we should strike off. The 
 firstjaf these indications meets us, as if placed for the purpose (and indeed 
 it is) at the very threshold of the play. The watchman upon the 
 palace-roof, whose duty it is to look for the beacon announcing the fall 
 of Troy, informs us in his first words that this outlook- has been kept 
 nightly for a year. Why for a year? Are we to understand that, when 
 the war had already run eight or nine years, the king and queen, having 
 hitherto thought the ordinary communications sufficient, suddenly 
 established the beacons ? It canriot be by accident that this ' year-long / 
 watch ' exactly reproduces one feature in the story of Homer '. In 
 Homer the watchman of Aegisthus had been expecting Agamemnon ' for 
 a year'. These words of Aeschylus, compared with the epic narrative, i 
 are in themselves enough to suggest and almost to raise a presumption, \ 
 that in the Aeschylean narrative also the design of Aegisthus and/ 
 Clytaemnestra had been on foot for a year, and that the outlook kept by[ 
 the watchman was closely connected with this design. 
 
 And for a secgnjd guiding-line, let us look again at the very remark- 
 able speech of the queen which follows her description of the beacons 
 and shortly precedes the entry of Agamemnon's herald ^. It is remark- 
 able, as already observed, as directing our attention to the fact that, if ^ 
 the preceding story be true, the Greeks must be still in Troy. It is even 
 more remarkable as showing, on the part of Clytaemnestra, a power of 
 unconscious divination which Cassandra might have envied. She makes, 
 it is true, the very natural mistake of supposing that the Greeks are in 
 Troy ; but on the other hand how wonderfully does she forecast the 
 rest of their story ! Except that she does not anticipate (small blame 
 to her prophecy) the compression of the events into one night, her 
 divination is perfect. She fears that the Greek army, not content with 
 their legitimate triumph, may be tempted to plunder the sacred 
 treasures of Troy. They have actually done so. She points out that 
 
 1 Od. 4. 5?6. ^ V. 332. 
 
 V. M. A. C 
 
xxxiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 such impiety might expose them to the chastisement of the gods in the 
 course of tlie voyage home. They have actually suffered such a 
 chastisement. The queen, in short, knows so much that it becomes an 
 interesting encjuiry how much exactly she knows, and what is the source 
 of her knowledge. 
 
 And for the tjjiid indication let us turn to the continuation of the 
 story, to the moment in the Choephori, when Orestes has entered the 
 palace to execute his vengeance, when the murderers, of Agamemnon 
 are about 'to be slain by stratagem even as they slew'.' It is thus that 
 the chorus, expectant without, sum up the issue to be decided. 'Now 
 either shall the bloody violence of the murderous axes make an end 
 utterly and altogether of Agamemnon's house : or else Orestes, burning 
 ,a fire and a light for liberation atid lawful rule, shall win again the 
 ; high prosperity of his fathers.' It is plain that in the first part of the 
 alternative the metaphor of the axes is chosen for its reference to the 
 manner of Agamemnon's death. What was it that suggested in the 
 second alternative the choice of the far from obvious metaphor of a 
 fire? Certainly nothing in the plan of Orestes himself as given us in 
 the Choephori. Is it not at least a fair prima facie conjecture that this 
 also refers to the former plan of his enemies ; and that the restoration 
 of the lawful monarchy is likened to the lighting of a fire for liberty, 
 because by the lighting of a fire for tyranny it had been formerly 
 overthrown? But if this is so, we must revise our reading of the 
 Agamemnon. 
 
 Setting out upon the line thus indicated we might proceed in two 
 ways. Either we might re-examine the play throughout and draw 
 at each point conclusions as to the facts or the dramatic action, as 
 distinct from the mere words, which the text assumes. Or, anticipating 
 the conclusion, we may first sketch the story continuously, as we 
 suppose it might have been told in outline, before • the play was 
 performed, by any one who knew the version current at the time in 
 Athens, and may then justify our ' hypothesis ' by explaining from it the 
 construction of the play. We will take rather the second way, as 
 putting the narrative and the dramatic version in their true order, and 
 will begin with a hypothetical narrative. But in doing this we shall not 
 attempt a distinction, for which there are no materials, between the 
 general outline which the poet took from current legend and the minor 
 details which he may have introduced himself 
 
 1 CIto. 853: see also ib. 887. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxxv 
 
 2. The Narrative. 
 
 By Divine Providence it is appointed that sin shall tend to make 
 more sin, and in the end that sin shall bring forth punishment. The 
 fall of Agamemnon was the consequence of the sin of his father, seconded 
 in its effect by further sin of his own. His father Atreus, by a horrible 
 crime, brought upon his family an unappeasable enmity and the curse of 
 heaven. Divine interference, punishing this crime in the son, exposed 
 him to a temptation which he had not the virtue to resist. The sin of 
 Agamemnon added to the enmity bequeathed by his father another 
 enmity personal to himself, and the two joined togethei for his ruin. 
 
 The starting-point of the story is the Thyestean feast. Thyestes, 
 brother of Atreus, having corrupted his wife and disputed his throne, 
 and having been banished from Argos, endeavoured by throwing himself 
 upon his brother's mercy to obtain restoration. Atreus pretended to 
 welcome him and to celebrate his return by a feast, at which two of 
 Thyestes' children were served as food to their father, and he was made 
 to eat of it unawares. Thyestes, in the agony of the discovery, devoted 
 the accursed house *to perish in like manner', overturning the table 
 with his foot as a symbol of his prayer. With his remaining child, 
 Aegisthus, he was then sent again into banishment. 
 
 Upon Agamemnon, the son of Atreus, who with his brother 
 Menelaus succeeded to the throne, the curse began to work its effect 
 on the occasion of the expedition to Troy. The anger of heaven 
 against the family delayed with contrary winds the assembled fleet ', 
 until the seers suggested to the kings as a propitiation the sacrifice of 
 Agamemnon's daughter, Iphigenia. To this wicked act the father at 
 last consented, and from this time was pursued by the hatred of his wife 
 Clytaemnestra as well as that of the still-banished Aegisthus. During 
 the expedition Argos was governed by Clytaemnestra, supported by 
 those elders who necessarily remained at home. 
 
 Where Aegisthus was spending his exile, and at what time he first 
 conceived that in the absence of the king and the wrath of the queen 
 he might find the opportunity of restoration and revenge, we do not 
 learn, nor is it material. It is imphed that he did visit Argos, not of 
 course openly, and so prevailed with the queen, that she was ready 
 to be his accomphce, if occasion served. With many dramatists, with 
 Euripides for example, it would have been a main point in such a 
 
 ^ See on t'z/. 139 — 144. 
 
 C2 
 
xxxvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 situation to show precisely liow in the union of Agamemnon's enemies 
 Love and Hatred 
 
 ^wco/AOTi^crav, ovre? €)(6i(ttol to TrpiV. 
 
 But the analysis of the passions was no part of the Aeschylean drama, 
 and the apportionment of the two motives is left undetermined, the less 
 intimate and sentimental being placed in the foreground. 
 
 But the guilty coalition of Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra was so far 
 from securing the punishment of their common enemy, that it was 
 scarcely so much as a step towards it. It is needless to enquire, and 
 perhaps the poet could scarcely have told us, exactly what institutions he 
 represented to himself as the 'free jmd lawful government' of ancient 
 Argos'. Doubtless some such limited monarchy, supported and balanced 
 by the influence of privileged councillors and by the popular will, as the 
 Athenians attributed to their own Theseus, such as their stage exhibits, 
 for example, in the Oedipus at Co/onus, and as their historian asserts to 
 have been the primitive model all over Hellas ". But at any rate in no 
 state, not even the rudest despotism, — and that the Argos of this drama 
 is not a despotism, we are expressly told^ — could the alliance of the 
 queen-regent with a broken exile give her the power, any more than the 
 right, to assail with impunity the person or throne of the monarch, 
 whether present or absent, so long as his subjects were loyal to him. A 
 speedy success at Troy and a triumphant return would have made 
 Agamemnon safe. But the vengeance of Heaven was not to be thus 
 eluded. At the setting forth of the army it was prophesied, that 
 though for the sin of Paris Troy was destined to fall, yet by the evil 
 genius of the Atridae her fall should be long delayed*. It was the 
 length of the war which wrought the king's ruin, and made at last an 
 opening through which his enemies struck home. 
 
 In two ways marked by the dramatist the authority of the royal 
 brothers in Argos was shaken by this protracted contest. First, by the 
 mere change of persons. The departing army left behind them those too 
 old for war and those too young, the elders and the boys. During the 
 ten years the elders were passing away or sinking into dotage, the boys 
 were growing up, and all to the disadvantage of the house of Atreus. 
 Among the elders naturally was to be found most personal devotion 
 to the princes and most attachment to established power. It is this 
 party, if we may so call them, Agamemnon's natural friends and 
 
 ^ iXivOepla apxo.1 re Tro\t(rcrov6/j.ot. TrarpiKal jSacriXelai. 
 Cho. 863. See also Ag. 835 foil. ^ v. 1353. 
 
 " Thuc. r. 13, i\aav iirl pT/rots yipaai ^ vv. 125 — 145. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxxvii , 
 
 7 
 
 councillors, which is represented by the feeble and anxious remnant, 
 who form the principal chorus of the play : and the poet has spared no 
 pains to expose their weakness '. As we shall see, the very crisis of the . 
 action turns upon their inevitable defect in quickness, decision, and 
 courage. Meanwhile the generation coming up was far from compensa- 
 ting in loyalty for the generation going down. As more and more lives 
 were sacrificed to the revenge of Menelaus, discontent grew deeper and 
 wider \ until at last, before the end came, the friends of the king, seeing 
 the course of affairs, yet not daring to interfere, acknowledged to 
 themselves that all was ripe for an outbreak against the government. 
 Powerless already, they lived in constant fear of some dark design, and / 
 began to look with desperate eagerness for the king's return ^ 
 
 Meanwhile the queen and the partner of her guilt were using and 
 aiding the natural course of events. How much the king's friends knew, 
 or how much they suspected, of the queen's unfaithfulness, the dramatist I 
 nowhere determines, nor would anything have been gained dramatically, I 
 but much lost, by doing so. In such a case the question of moment is 
 not so much what is known or suspected, but much rather what cannot 
 be ignored and what is publicly acknowledged. It is plain from the 
 whole course of the play that the correspondence and intimacy of 
 Clytaemnestra with Aegisthus remained to the last at least a pr etend ed *^ 
 secret, not.„an_open scandal'l Upon any other supposition the behaviour 
 of the elders, the king's devoted subjects, towards the queen in the 
 early part of the play and towards the king at his return, is inconceivable, 
 and indeed the whole story is palpably impossible. We are directed 
 to suppose that by the end of the war the repute of Clytaemnestra had 
 reached that only too familiar stage, when a wife's adultery is known to 
 every one and proclaimed by no one, and when those know least or 
 speak least of it who are most nearly interested but, expecting yet 
 weakly dreading the discovery, still say to themselves with the Argive 
 elders 
 
 TTciXai TO (Tiyav cf>apfJiaKOv /?Aa^i^s ^x^- 
 
 Down to the day of the king's return Aegisthus was still nominally, as 
 well as legally, a banished man, coming and going of course more and 
 
 ^ vv. 72 — 83 a.v\<\ passim. die List gelingen sull, vor cler Welt ge- 
 
 ^^ - z'j'. 437 — 480, and vv. 543 — 555, the helm gehalten warden.' Enger, Einlei- 
 
 first a. passage of great importance, in tang. This is perfectly true ; but if 
 
 which this part of the story is effectively Clytaemnestra had recalled from banish- 
 
 summed up. ment her husband's hereditary enemy, 
 
 ^ 'Aegisthos und Klytamnestra schlies- what concealment could any longer be 
 
 sen zwar einen Bund, allein er muss, wenn pretended ? 
 
N. 
 
 xxxviii TNTRODUCTION. 
 
 more frequently as the hojjes of the exiles and the malcontents rose, 
 while the other side still maintained the politic fiction of his absence. 
 On the fatal morning itself he was actually not in the Argolid. Where 
 he was, and where for a long while past he had spent the intervals 
 between his visits, the story is presently to discover. Meanwhile all 
 that the loyal elders knew and acknowledged to themselves respecting 
 the dangerous state of the popular mind was naturally transmitted to 
 their master '. Nor was it possible but that with these reports a 
 messenger less discreet or more courageous than the rest should 
 sometimes whisper a more dark insinuation. Both the knowledge and 
 the suspicion thus communicated determine, and are necessary to 
 account for, the language held by Agamemnon during his brief 
 appearance before the palace-gate. 
 
 But the fears of the seniors would have been much more cruel, and 
 their representations more outspoken, if they had known but half the 
 truth. They perceived that the common indignation against the war 
 offered a ready bond for a conspiracy"; they were not aware that the 
 fiercer spirits were already bound in a plot, and waited only to deter- 
 mine by circumstances how and when they should strike. To explain 
 the sequel we will state so much as the story presumes to be known 
 respecting the geography of the place. The Argolid or ttoAjs "Apyous is 
 a plain opening southwards upon a deep bay of the sea, and enclosed 
 on the other sides by mountains. The mountains to the N. E. of the 
 plain are continued southwards in a great promontory forming the 
 eastern side of the bay, and northwards into a mass of hills which 
 extends as far as the Isthmus of Corinth. This whole chain was a 
 lonely region, and had an evil reputation in legend and fact as a haunt 
 of outlaws and robbers ^ Nearest to the town of Argos, on the site of 
 which Aeschylus, disregarding the tradition attesting the earlier strength 
 of Tiryns and of Mycenae, has placed the fortified seat of the Atridae*, 
 lay Mount Arachnaeus, the Spider-Mountain, whose quaint name 
 suggested more than one fanciful application, and not improbably 
 gave the first hint for the story which Aeschylus followed ^ Here, 
 amid the web of hills and spurs, upon the edge of the forbidden land, 
 lay Aegisthus in hiding with such power as he could make and fed 
 himself, as he tells us, with the exile's bread of expectation ". Here 
 
 1 V. 821. Ravibles in Greece, chap. XIII. p. 355. 
 
 ^ V. 463. ' See the twice repeated v. 1493, and 
 
 •* See the story of Theseus and Peri- note, 
 
 phetes. " V. 1668. 
 ■* See a note on this by Trof. Mahaffy, 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxxix 
 
 was the fittest place from which to watch the communications of Argos 
 by sea and land with the army in the far east \ and hence it was easy, 
 when the moment should come, to signal either by day or by night to 
 his partizans in the castle and throughout the country. Supposing all 
 for the best, a hard enough task lay still before him. 
 
 For it would have been madness to assume that because the Argives 
 murmured against the absent princes, and because, while appearances 
 were kept up, the malcontents seemed a formidable number, therefore 
 all, or a majority, were ready to stand by while the c^ueen disowned her 
 husband and proclaimed her lover. In such a situation the very best 
 restorative to loyalty is that the lawful authority should be assailed by 
 violence one minute too soon. And so foul a treachery as that of 
 Clytaemnestra must arm against it not only all those whose disaffection 
 had spent itself in hot words, but every honest man. Only with thcw 
 advantage of surprise and stratagem could her cause be won by such 
 and so many as would support it when once proclaimed. The key to ^ 
 the country was its ' sole fortress ', the city or rather the castle of the 
 Atridae'. To put it into the hands of the traitors would with some 
 management not be difficult. But of what use was this, if the king 
 were thereupon to return armed with all the strength of Achaia and of 
 Hellas ? Plainly the ultimate success or failure of Aegisthus must turn 
 on the question whether Agamemnon came back, and in what circum- 
 stances he came. Meanwhile the conspirators resolved at least not 
 to be surprised. The seas were carefully scanned (with what result 
 hereafter appears) ; and that communication might be instantly opened, 
 if necessary, between the principals, a watchman upon the palace kept 
 outlook every night for a beacon upon the Mountain of the Spider. 
 Here a small difficulty had to be overcome. The servants of 
 Agamemnon's household were devoted to their master. None of them 
 could be trusted. Yet to introduce a stranger for such a special serviced 
 would have attracted suspicion at once. Accordingly Clytaemnestra 
 chose among the servants a fellow as simple as loyal, and, to explain to 
 him his employment, pretended to be expecting a beacon-signal 
 announcing the king's success. His vigilance and silence were secured 
 by threats and bribes. This arrangement was maintained during, the 
 whole last year of the king's absence. The watchman, impatient of his 
 task and disposed to regard it as an absurd effect of feminine eagerness 
 and imagination, was for this very reason the less disposed to talk of it, 
 and had never connected it, as he had no apparent reason to do, with 
 
 ^ V. 267. 
 
\ 
 
 xl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 that conviction about his mistress which he shared with the rest of the 
 world '. 
 
 Such was the situation in Argos, when ' about the setting of the 
 Pleiads ', by our calendar in the month of November, Troy was at last 
 taken ". The occurrence of the event at this season was the be- 
 ginning of the conspirators' good fortune. The seas were closed. 
 Even in the historic times of ancient Hellas few voyages were under- 
 taken in the winter; and according to poetical tradition no one 
 expected after the * setting of the Pleiads ' to sail at all. Ordinary 
 communication being thus suspended, the party preparing for the 
 attack had the full advantage of their preparation. What precisely 
 were their arrangements for obtaining information respecting the army 
 does not appear in the play, nor was it at all necessary (the story being 
 known) that it should. There would be no insuperable difficulty in 
 getting information for those with whom to be the first informed was a 
 matter of life and death. To bring any exhibition of the means within 
 the time covered by the action upon the stage would have been very 
 difficult, and useless. For the purpose of the play it suffices that 
 information was obtained : and this much is exhibited clearly enough. 
 We have already seen that Clytaemnestra, at the very moment of 
 receiving, as she pretends, the first news of the triumph, is acquainted 
 not only with the outrages since committed in Troy by the victorious 
 army, but with the disaster at sea which they have suffered in con- 
 sequence ^ 
 
 Once more, the reckless and cruel pride of Agamemnon had betrayed 
 him to his ruin. Not content with the stern vengeance which the justice 
 of Hellenic war would have sanctioned, he had utterly ravaged and 
 literally destroyed the captive city, sparing not even the sacred places *. 
 It was probably not unnoticed by the narrator that by this brutality and 
 sacrilege the Greek army also destroyed the last possibility of remaining 
 where they were till a more favourable season, and forced themselves to 
 tempt the risks of the winter passage even while they forfeited the 
 protection of heaven. The neighbouring country they had already 
 eaten up ^ They set sail at any rate, and fared as they had deserved. 
 One fearful night of storm scattered the armament to the winds ; and 
 
 1 See the prologue, in which the * vv. 353 foil., 530 foil. etc. The 
 
 relevant points in the character of the attribution of these sentiments to heroic y 
 
 watchman are given with extraordinary antiquity is of course an anachronism, 
 
 skill and force. but so is the whole play. 
 
 - V. 817. * v. 133. 
 
 •* vv. 332 — 362. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xli 
 
 at sunrise the ' destroyer of Ilium ' found himself, like Xerxes at 
 sunset, 'a sovereign of the seas without a fleet '.' 
 
 By this disaster the cause of the conspirators, hitherto almost 
 desperate, was advanced to a fair chance of success. But the final 
 enterprise was still very perilous. The king might have escaped. If he 
 returned, the queen and her lover could triumph only by destroying him, 
 which, if they declared themselves before he came, they would certainly 
 not do without a bloody and doul)tful contest against his veteran 
 soldiers and those who would rally round his person. Completing 
 therefore their plans to suit the new situation they waited still a short 
 while for the event. When the moment should arrive, the signal from 
 Mount Arachnaeus was to announce to those in the secret that their 
 accomplices were ready. Fortune stood by them still, so far at least as 
 that the king's ship, which by what seemed a happy miracle had 
 survived the storm, was the first of the survivors to reach Argos. Still 
 more propitious was the hour of arrival. It was in the dead of the 
 winter night that this remnant of the great host came into the bay^ By 
 none but those in the plot was such an arrival expected, and they only 
 were upon the watch. The news of the king's approach was instantly 
 carried to the neighbouring eastern hills, and it was still night when 
 the watchman from the palace saw the beacon upon Mount Arachnaeus 
 and carried to his mistress the news, as he supposed, that Troy had 
 fallen, in reality that the king had come, that Aegisthus was ready, and 
 that she and their partisans throughout the Argolid (for the light could 
 be seen far and wide) were to act as had been pre-arranged ^ 
 
 ^ V. 1226. generality and associated with htlsbands 
 
 ^ The story named the very night. It in general, the 'coming in vtul^er' is 
 
 was the last of the year. That this was referred to Agamemnon personally And 
 
 so will be seen by comparing the Ian- described in the present tense of actuality, 
 
 guage of the watchman at the opening The interval between the fall of Troy andfr'y^,^ 
 
 with the expression of the herald at his the arrival would thus be something ovef-^^;::^ 
 
 first entrance, deKOLTio ae (peyyei ryS' a month, not at all too much for the 
 
 d^iK6fJ.r]v ^Tovs on this tenth daivn of a repose of the army, the destruction of the 
 
 year {v. joq). It is an addition to the city, the preparations for departure, the 
 
 picturesque impressiveness of the circum- voyage up to the storm, and the bringing 
 
 stances that the day of the murder was a of the king's 'bare hull' from the point 
 
 specially solemn day of religious rejoicing. to which it was carried (beyond Malea, 
 
 Clytaemnestra also remembers the season, according to Homer) back to Argos. 
 when she compares the return of a ^ The arrangement of the circum - 
 
 husband to the relief of a beneficent stances here is exceedingly skilful. The 
 
 change in the weather (vv. 957 — 963). one chance for Aegisthus and Clytaem- 
 
 It will be noticed that, while the other nestra was that they should strike iinine- 
 
 seasons are cited in the aorist tense of d'uitely on the king's arrival. Every hour 
 
xlii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The plot now to be executed had three objects, all familiar in the 
 perpetual conspiracies and revolutions of Hellas, first to separate the king 
 from his soldiers and murder him, before his friends could repair to 
 'V him or open his eyes ; secondly to secure the citadel ; and thirdly to 
 3 capture the princii)al persons of the loyal party. Given the extraordinary 
 circumstances, this was now a hopeful project though, as the sequel 
 shows, by no means certain yet. Upon the report of the signal the queen 
 at once sent out messengers announcing that she had received great 
 news and ordering a general feast in honour of the occasion, thus 
 quieting and diverting the minds of all who were not better informed. 
 At the same time she summoned the king's chief friends, the elders of 
 the city, who in their anxiety at this nocturnal alarm and their eagerness 
 for explanation were but too ready to come'. On reaching the fortress, 
 they waited in the place of council, which lay as usual before the palace 
 doors", for some time, as the queen, whose object was to detain and 
 to mystify them for the necessary interval, was in no hurry to satisfy 
 their curiosity. It was day-break when at length she appeared and in 
 answer to their enquiry as to her news informed them that Troy had 
 fallen that very night. It had been foreseen that some explanation 
 must be offered, and this particular falsehood had the double advantage 
 of tallying with the belief of the watchman and of removing all 
 apparent need for immediate action of any kind. One question could 
 not be escaped, by what means the intelligence had come; and the 
 queen, with an eloquence which might almost persuade her auditors, 
 traced for them the imaginary links between the visible beacon on 
 Mount Arachnaeus and the king's beacon upon Mount Ida at Troy. It 
 is true that in fabricating this story she betrayed a misconception of the 
 region described, such as might be expected in a queen of Argos 
 in the heroic times. Nor were her auditors contented. Though they 
 had not sufficient knowledge to detect the fraud, the mere circum- 
 stances were such as inevitably to prompt suspicion. They tried 
 to probe the evidence. But the queen had taken care to surround 
 
 that he passed in communication with his was in ancient times unoccupied, 
 
 subjects must make the queen's position ^ z/. 270 implies that the elders had 
 
 more perilous and her success more im- been sent for. But to repair to the castle 
 
 probable. It is manifest that the situation would (as they say v. i()i) have been 
 
 given by Aeschylus is just one, perhaps their impulse. It is evident here and 
 
 the only one,', in which by vigilance everywhere that, though suspecting or 
 
 the conspirators might have several hours knowing the queen's infidelity, they have 
 
 of clear advantage. The dramatist not the least glimpse of her treason, 
 
 probably assumed, as he does in the ^ v. 523. 
 Supplices, tliat the landing-place for Argos 
 
 \ 
 
INTRODUCTION. xliii 
 
 herself with some of those in her secret ; and by their professions of 
 belief and confidence she was enabled to evade cn(iuiry'. She added a 
 few words suitable to the supposed circumstances and withdrew. 
 
 All this time her partizans in the country, favoured by the darkness 
 and their knowledge of the facts, were using their advantage. One 
 party had hastened to the landing-place to receive the king and his 
 companions, and were now already on their way thence to the castle, a 
 distance of some miles, conducting him, his soldiers, and his captive 
 Cassandra as in triumph '. Others were assembling in and at the 
 fortress itself, while Aegisthus with his band was descending from the 
 hills, ready to push forward at the last moment. It was no doubt one 
 of the merits in the ' combination,' upon which he prided himself, that 
 personally he ran scarcely any risk at all, even in the event of failure, 
 still quite possible, as was soon to be seen. 
 
 Left to their own reflexions, the seniors could not fail to per- 
 ceive, even with such light as they had, the weakness of the evidence 
 laid before them. They remembered the state of the country and felt 
 vaguely uneasy. It was possible certainly that Troy was really taken, 
 but much more likely, considering all things, that the queen was the 
 victim of some imposture or delusion, which would soon be exposed ^ 
 They were in this mood when they perceived signs of the king's 
 company approaching in the distance and at the same moment the 
 entrance of one who by his appearance seemed likely to know the truth. 
 The king had sent forward a herald. 
 
 This incident, probable as it was and not to be prevented, was 
 no part of the conspirators' design, and extremely dangerous to them. 
 With the first words of the herald, the queen's whole story fell to the 
 ground. Here was the crisis. If the elders had been sagacious, i/ 
 prompt, and bold, if, putting together all that they knew, they had 
 argued from it to a remote consequence and acted instantly upon the 
 inference, they and the king might perhaps yet have been saved. But 
 criminal plots would seldom or never succeed but for the weakness or 
 error of those concerned to prevent them. And in this case the default 
 was certainly pardonable. The queen could not be altogether right, 
 not right at all as to the beacon-message. But so the elders had 
 already presumed. And what did it matter, when as to what seemed 
 after all the main fact, she was now confirmed ? Troy was really 
 
 ^ ^- 363- second cliariot. This is possibly a genuine 
 
 - According to the Greek 'hypo- piece of tradition, 
 thesis', the king enters in a chariot, * vv. 481 — 493. 
 
 Cassandra and some of the spoil in a 
 
xHv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 conquered ; the king was come ; and the queen's wild fancy about the 
 beacon might well be perfectly innocent. If indeed they had had time 
 first to consider and then to put questions ! But the herald, mad with 
 rapture, was in no mood to catch hints. While they were fumbling 
 with vague suggestions of danger at home he had darted off again upon 
 the topic of his sufferings \ and before they could recover the subject 
 the queen was \\\>ox\. them and had promjjtly dismissed the herald with 
 a message of welcome to his master'. 
 
 The elders made indeed an effort to detain him by a question as to 
 the safety of Menelaus, who had not been mentioned, a most unfortunate 
 question, as the reply to it necessarily disclosed the destruction of the 
 fleet, and by this news they were sufiiciently distracted from more 
 opportune reflexions until the king's arrival. The king arrived, with 
 the companions of his voyage and their escort, and the success of the 
 plot was almost assured. 
 
 The king arrived at the fortress, and his loyal friends saw with 
 surprise, that the triumphant crowd by which he, his soldiers, and they 
 were now surrounded, seemed to consist of the very men whom they 
 had most reason to suppose disaffected. So striking was this, that even 
 in the moment of welcome they could not but remark upon it resent- 
 fully, and warn the king not to be deceived by this show of unanimous 
 rejoicing". Agamemnon, putting their hint to previous reports^, under- 
 stood them perfectly. Indeed he had returned full of anger against his 
 subjects and of suspicion against his wife, and spoke as if it had been 
 his express object to aid the conspirators, by aggrieving any waverers 
 among their party or any loyalists who on the way from the sea to the 
 castle had joined the company or were otherwise accidentally present. 
 He and the gods of Argos had won a glorious triumph ; but he had 
 been ill served abroad and ill served at home, and so the offenders 
 
 1 The brief conversation between the suspicion of the elders. What she actually 
 
 elders and the herald (pv. 543 — 555) and says is so adroitly turned, that while she 
 
 the manner in which by their hesitation seems to treat the matter with simple 
 
 and his impatience the minute is lost frankness, there is not a word which 
 
 seems to me an admirable stroke of dra- could suggest to the uninformed herald 
 
 matic art. Equally good is the dexterity that there was anything remarkable in 
 
 and presence of mind shown by the queen the time or circumstances of the message 
 
 at her re-entrance {v. 592). Here the she mentions. To relish this kind of 
 
 slip of a word might have been fatal. linguistic skill was a speciality of the 
 
 If she referred to the supposed message Attic audience. It is the essence of their 
 
 from Troy, she risked a remark from the famous 'irony.' 
 
 herald ; if she was seen to avoid the - vv. 774 — 800. 
 
 subject, she ran still more risk from the ^ v. 821. 
 
TNTRODUCTTON. xlv 
 
 should find to their cost. Not a word of thanks, not a word, even 
 after the wide-spread calamity just announced, of compassion '. Nothing 
 could better lead up to the final stroke prepared by Clytaemncstra. 
 
 Advancing from the palace, she addressed her husband in a strain of 
 extravagant and rapturous adulation, and then, bidding her attendants 
 to strew rich tapestries over the approach, invited him to accept in the 
 presence of the assembly the signs of that adoration which befitted the 
 conqueror of Troy. Agamemnon, in great anger, replied to the address 
 with a stern rebuke and would gladly have escaped the malicious 
 honour. But the queen by insistence and almost by violence compelled 
 him to proceed, all the multitude beholding his act and many not aware 
 of his reluctance. Thus with the symbol and show of an Asiatic tyrant 
 did the victim of the new tyranny pass finally into the toils ^. 
 
 The fate of Cassandra, though of immense importance in the tragedy, 
 not only for its own pathos but as giving another direction to the 
 compassion which would otherwise have centred, contrary to the purpose, 
 upon the murdered king, is to the mere machinery of the story insigni- 
 fieant^ She perished with her enslaver and possessor, whose death was 
 now near and inevitable. When he had gone within, his soldiers departed 
 or dispersed through the fortress, and the throng broke up. But the 
 elders, already unconscious prisoners, had no mind to go away. The 
 strange events of the morning had produced in them, though they 
 could not seize the clue, a vague but invincible sense of danger. 
 Already repenting their reticence and consoling themselves as best 
 they could with the hope of the feeble that 'something will intervene', 
 they waited in perplexity to see what would happen"*. 
 
 1 w. 80 1 — 845. would be severity ? 
 
 - Surely it is impossible to reconcile Whether in the end Agamemnon will- 
 
 this scene with the supposition, that ingly consents to the use of the tapestry 
 
 Agamemnon had no suspicion of his wife's may be questioned. I see no trace in 
 
 honour. What other motive could explain his words that his mind is changed 
 
 his brutality? He gives her no greeting, about it at all. The other view seems tol / 
 
 he will not even mention her title or her prevail. But the question is of little im- 
 
 name. His language is full of insinua- portance. The tapestry is a mere detail, 
 
 tion. It is the daring and above all introduced chiefly for spectacular effect, 
 the resources of Clytaemncstra, which are ■' See the last words of Cassandra (vv. 
 
 unsuspected by Agamemnon, not her un- 1326 — 1329), which expressly declare the 
 
 faithfulness. The sarcastic dvovaig. nkv part which she plays in the economy of 
 
 elTras eiKOTuis €fj,7J • fiaKpav yb.p i^^Teiva?, the piece. 
 
 the husband's sole reply to his wife's ■* vv. 966 — 1018. Perliaps no passage 
 
 affectionate greeting after a separation in the play is more completely irrecon- 
 
 of ten years, is described by Enger as ' a cilable with the current theory of the 
 
 mild reproof.' If this is mildness, what story than this. If Acgisthus is living, by 
 
xlvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 What happened was this. In the palace the king found all in 
 readiness both for sacrifice and lustration, for which preparation the 
 festivities commanded in the morning had furnished a pretext'. He 
 went, as custom commanded, to bathe before the ceremony. Clytaem- 
 nestra, eager for the delight of taking her revenge with her own hand, 
 had marked for herself this moment. She had even descended to plan 
 the details of the bath so as to increase the helplessness of the victim. 
 There with an axe she slew him, and his councillors, wrought by the 
 agony of the foreseeing Cassandra to a paralysing terror, learnt his fate 
 and theirs from his dying cry. 
 
 For now at last they began to realize the situation, and saw that the 
 adulterers and their adherents had struck down not only the king, 
 but with him the liberties of Argos". Resistance was impossible. 
 The fortress was in the hands of the conspirators, the remnant of 
 the king's army entrapped and overpowered, the country surprised, 
 and the loyal without a leader, the young heir Orestes being absent 
 and the elders themselves in the power of the enemy. Among the 
 people, between the victory and the loss of the fleet, more hearts had 
 perhaps been lost than gained. Nay, the elders themselves were 
 forced to confess that of the chief conspirators Clytaemnestra at least 
 had a foul wrong and a presentable cause, nay, even that their own 
 cause was not clear, for what had they done to save the innocent 
 Iphigenia? To the name of Iphigenia the queen instantly appealed, 
 and the counsellors could not but allow that as between her, the 
 mother, and them, in some sort the murderers, it was a doubtful 
 case. Thus does Aeschylus mo: Hze at once both the personal and the 
 public aspects of his story ■^ 
 
 But whatever compunction even, the friends of Agamemnon might 
 feel in the presence of Clytaemnestra gave way to pure rage when 
 Aegisthus with his ruffians entered the fortress and joined the queen 
 where she stood with her defenders around her and the dead bodies at 
 her feet, exulting in his ' just restoration ' from exile* and boasting the 
 skill with which he had conducted the successful design. At the sight 
 
 the queen's permission, in Argos, what ^ vv. 1040—41. 
 
 can the elders possibly mean by speaking - v. 1354, 1495 — 97, and the conclud- 
 
 of their ' inexplicable fears ' ? Obviously ing scene/ajjVwi. 
 
 on this supposition the danger of Aga- ^ vv. 1410 foil., 1554 — 1560 etc. 
 
 memnon must be imminent and certain, ■* v. 1607. The language of Aegisthus 
 
 and the elders, who did not warn him, here would of itself suffice to show that 
 
 are in fact nothing less than accessories he comes from abroad and now for the 
 
 lo his death. first time appears publicly in Argos. 
 
TNTRODUCTTON. xlvii 
 
 of the mercenaries' the friends of liberty, inflamed to madness, would 
 even have provoked their death there and then, and Aegisthus, cruel 
 and cowardly, would have taken their challenge. But the queen, more 
 poUtic as well as less base, would not suffer her hostages to be 
 massacred. Prisoners however they remained ", and thus, all power but 
 that of the despots being dissolved, the land settled down under the 
 adulterous tyranny until Orestes should come. 
 
 Thus, as the story was conceived at Athens in the fifth century, thus 
 or somewhat thus was the imperial Agamemnon slain. 
 
 3. The Structure of the Drama. 
 
 We have now to show how the foregoing story, or a story like this in 
 the main outline, was by Aeschylus shaped as a drama. The Byzantine 
 story is condemned, first because it is absurd in itself, and next because, 
 even if given, it still does not account for the construction and language 
 of the play. The proof which we shall offer for the general truth 
 (to no more than this ought any one in such a case to pretend) of 
 our alternative hypothesis, is that it does explain and account for the 
 drama with perfect simplicity. 
 
 But first it will be well to remind ourselves that it is a play of 
 Aeschylus which we have before us, and to consider for a moment 
 what Greek drama originally had been and, when Aeschylus, took it in 
 hand, was in its essence and main conception still. It is a familiar 
 fact, that dialogue, the substance of " play as we conceive it, was first, 
 introduced into the drama by Aeschylus himself. We know also that the 
 other literary element in the drama, the songs of the chorus, received 
 from Aeschylus a great extension and development, so that the masses of 
 continuous music, which he imported from the method of the choric poets 
 proper, are criticised, as a peculiarity, by his adversary in the Frogi 
 of Aristophanes. Indeed to Aristophanes it seemed that the whole 
 of ' tr agedy ' as a distinct style of literature ought to be referred to 
 Aeschylus as the first inventor^; and whatever the value of this opinion, 
 which with our little evidence we should be slow to dispute, we know 
 that the earliest rudiments of literary tragedy could be traced no higher 
 than Aeschylus' immediate predecessors. But what was the stock upon 
 
 ^ The character of Aegisthus' followers prj/jLaTa aefiva | Kal KoaiJ.rjcras rpayLKdv 
 
 is sufficiently shown by w. 1638. Xrjpou, says the Chorus of tlic Fro^s 
 
 2 vv. 1656, 1659. (1006). 
 •^ w irpwTO? ruv 'EWriPUiv Trvpydicras 
 
xlviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 which, whether by Aeschylus, by Phrynichus, or if it was so by Thespis, 
 the literary tragedy was grafted. Whence came the name which was 
 for some time bestowed upon the whole? What was drama} For 
 whoever may first have used the word drama in its present sense, 
 neither Aeschylus nor Thespis invented, or is supposed to have invented, 
 the thing. Drama, as the name implies, is not properly a form of 
 written literature at all, but something far older and more natural. It 
 is action, the presentation of a picture, fact, or story by movement and 
 
 \ pantomime. It exists or has existed everywhere for ages without 
 any literature at all, and has often attained a high development 
 
 I without even any regular verbal composition. When indeed literature 
 takes possession of it, the literary element by its deeper interest and 
 greater permanence will surely confer the rest, and in Athens during 
 the fifth century this process, like all others, went on with amazing 
 rapidity, so that we soon arrive at a species of 'drama', such as the 
 ' Medea of Euripides or the Oedipus at Colotuis of Sophocles, which 
 is not essentially an 'action' or performance at all, but a thing to 
 be heard or read. The name in fact had already become, as it now 
 notoriously is, a misnomer. ^But it was of course not a misnomer 
 when it was given, and it is highly significant that the art which 
 Aeschylus took up and turned into tragedy called itself ' performance ' 
 or 'action.' \ If we compare what was written, in ages when the book- 
 drama was familiar, about the early dramatists of Athens, with what was 
 said of them at the time when they were still remembered, we shall 
 note a marked difference. We speak, and Suidas might have spoken, of 
 Phrynichus as composing a tragedy on the taking of Miletus. But 
 Herodotus does not say so. He says that he ' made a performance ' or 
 ' action ' of it \ Aristophanes mentions Phrynichus often and tells us 
 that even in his own day the songs of Phrynichus were still the 
 favourites of the older generation. But nowhere, I believe, does 
 Aristophanes or any one near that time, speak of the Spd/xaTa of 
 Phrynichus as a kind of literature, which existed or could exist in a 
 manuscript, like the Andromeda of Euripides, which Dionysus read on 
 board ship before the battle of Arginusae ". He speaks of them as 
 things which had been. ' Phrynichus,' says Agathon to Mnesilochus 
 in the Thestnophoriazusae, 'whose work you have yourself heard, was fine 
 in person and fine in dress, and that is why his actions were fine too '.' 
 Phrynichus, as he appears in the allusions of Aristophanes is properly 
 an artist in pantomime, inventor of gestures, figures, and movements, and 
 
 ' 6. 21. 2 Frogs 53. 
 
 •■^ Thcsm. 167. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlix 
 
 author of popular songs ; and the same character is given by all the 
 first-hand evidence to the predecessors of Aeschylus. 
 
 Now as even the greatest innovator does not change everything in a 
 moment, it is important to remember all this when we come to the 
 work of Aeschylus himself When we speak of ' reading a drama ' we 
 are using an expression which to Aeschylus would probably have 
 been unintelligible. What lies before us is not the * action ' but the 
 words that were to go with the action ; and we have only to read them 
 to see how much the manuscript implies which it does not directly 
 express. Take for instance the Seven Againsi Thebes and read wliat 
 the ancient editors offer as a list of the dramatis personae: ' Rteocles, 
 Antigone, A spy, Ismene, Chorus of maidens, A herald'.' These are the 
 persons who speak or sing and therefore attract the exclusive attention 
 of the bookman, but they are a mere fraction of the performers required 
 by ' the drama'. Besides the six champions who accompany Eteocles 
 in the central scene, and without whose figures, dress, and behaviour 
 the written dialogue could not be followed, we have a crowd of 
 ' Cadmean citizens ', upon whose playing, together with that of the 
 maidens, would in performance depend the main effect both of the first 
 scene and of the conclusion. It is they in fact, as much or more than the 
 speakers, who conduct that 'action filled with the spirit of war' of which 
 the Aristophanic Aeschylus speaks so proudly ^ And this case is tyi)ical. 
 The same applies in part to the Choephori, still more to the Eumcnides, 
 most of all to the SuppUccs and the Persae. In this last drama the 
 poetry, for all its magnificence, is no more than a libretto. Except in ' 
 the narrative of the battle, the literary element is no where independent 
 and scarcely principal. The spectacular performance is the essence of 
 the piece, of which a considerable part, when divorced from the intended 
 accessories, is scarcely readable M When Aeschylus in the Frogs vaunts 
 himself to Dionysus upon the merits of the Persae, it is not the 
 odes, the speeches, or even the thrilling narrative, which the name 
 suggests to that typical representative of the Athenian theatre. What 
 he recalls with pleasure is a striking pose of the performing company, 
 a situation which has disappeared from the permanent literary form 
 of the work, so that we actually do not now know where to place 
 it". In fact with the possible exception of the Prometheus, none of 
 
 ^ I give the list in the order, which I "Etft' ewl Q^jSas, Frogs 1021. 
 now think may be correct, of the Medicean ^ Fj-ogs lo??, ^x^^/"?" y°^^ V"^'^' ^xovaa 
 
 MS. On another occasion I hope to make ivepl Aapelov redveuiTos, 6 xop^^ 5' evdvs tw 
 
 some remarks upon it, which would here x^^P '^^^ avyKpodcxas et-mv, lavoit. There 
 
 be out of place. is some slight error in the text, but this is 
 
 - opafia TToc^o-as 'Apews fi€crT6v,...Tof'^ not here material. 
 
 V. Ai. A. d 
 
 / 
 
1 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 [ 
 
 the extant plays of Aeschylus is a book-play, like the Medea, or the 
 
 Oedipus at Colonus, or the dramatic poems of modern times. All are 
 dramas proper, or representations in acting, and the Agamemnon is of 
 the same type as the rest. 
 
 Even long after the time of Aeschylus, when drama as a purely 
 literary type was fully established and hundreds of tragedies were 
 composed with scarce a hope of performance ', and when, as inevitably 
 happened, the importance of the non-literary elements had relatively 
 much declined, even then the part of the 'supers', to use the familiar 
 term, was larger than a hasty reading of the text might lead us to 
 suppose. I will give one striking example of this, where we are made 
 more than commonly sensible of the stage ' crowd ' by the fact that 
 some of them are at a particular part of the action converted from 
 mutes into singers. The scene in the Hippolytns, where the hero is 
 denounced by Theseus, takes place, as the situation demands and the 
 text shows, in the presence of many persons ^ servants of the king, 
 friends of Hippolytus, and so forth. It is followed by an ode, sung not 
 by women only like most of the odes preceding, but by men and 
 women in response, a fact which by a mere accident is visible in the 
 text. The strophe speaks in the masculine, the antistrophe in the 
 feminine, the second strophe in the masculine again : the second anti- 
 strophe does not happen to give grammatical evidence of sex, but is 
 proved feminine by its substance. The text runs thus^ 
 
 <TTp. a. ■^ fxeya yxot ra OeutV fxeXcBi^fiaO', orav <j)pevas ^^Brj 
 \i;7ras Trapatpet ' ctvvcctiv 8e tiv' eXirtSi kcv'^cdv 
 XctTTO/Aat ev re rv^at? Ovarwv koX iv epy/Aacrt Xevacroiv ktX. 
 
 dvT. a. et^€ yaot ex^afiiva ktX. 
 
 (TTp. fi'. ovK€TL yap KaOapav cftpiv' €^w, Ta Trap eXTriSa XeucrcTOJV ktX. 
 
 This alternation of gender admits but one reasonable explanation, that 
 these singers are what they declare themselves, men and women respec- 
 tively. And since the play has a chorus of men (v. 6i) as well as a 
 chorus of women, and an excellent opportunity has just occurred for 
 bringing the men upon the stage as part of the crowd, the combination 
 is quite simple. But the case is a good warning how easily we may 
 miss the action in a text without supplemental directions. It is by 
 
 1 Frogs 90, TpaytpSLas iroLovvTa TrXeti' word in this context to be impossible. 
 17 fivpla kt\. It will be noticed that - Eur. Hipp. 1083, 1098. 
 
 Aristophanes does not say 8pd/j.aTa. I ^ j^_ 1102. 
 
 believe he would even then have felt the 
 
INTRODUCTION. li 
 
 mere chance that the language here betrays a change wliicli is of no 
 small dramatic importance '. 
 
 And if this caution applies to the study of Euripides, it applies J 
 much more to Aeschylus. For between Aeschylus and Euripides, with 
 the development of literary drama and the greater variety of written' 
 parts, the use of the mute players had much fallen off. ' In my plays,' 
 Aristophanes makes Euripides say, ' no one was left without a part ; 
 there were speeches for the lady, for the slave no less than the master, 
 for the young girl and for the old woman too '.^ This is of course 
 an exaggeration. There are silent persons in Euripides, not a few ; 
 we have just seen an example, and any one of his plays will furnish 
 others. But the text of the dramatists fully corroborates the remark of 
 Aristophanes taken generally. The drama of Sophocles and Euripides ) 
 is primarily a drama of speeches ; the silent players are generally ]/' 
 unimportant. There are few instances, perhaps none, in Sophocles 
 or Euripides, of such figures as the judges in the Ejimenides or the 
 champions in the Septem, whose action is of the highest importance 
 and upon whose persons and bearing the full attention of the audience 
 is directed, while yet they have nothing to say. A writer who took 
 any thought for readers would not be likely to introduce such parts. 
 In Aeschylus, as his text and the observation of Aristophanes unite in 
 showing, it was otherwise ; and in the interpretation of Aeschylus we 
 must add to the caution required by our imperfect knowledge of his 
 story the further caution imposed by the fact, that we have to supply I 
 the action, and that this supplement was a far more important matter 
 with the 'inventor of tragedy', than with his more purely literary 
 successors. Perhaps this consideration is too little regarded. No one i j 
 can suppose that the plays of Aeschylus were performed entirely by the } 
 personages who speak and a 'chorus', in the modern sense of the word,] 
 who sang. The supposition is absolutely inconsistent with the texts.' 
 But the rest of the company, merged in the general and proper 
 
 ^ The explanation of the scholia, that woman should speak of herself in the mas- 
 
 the masculine parts of the ode are spoken culine singular, or why the ' more general ' 
 
 in the character of the poet, is more and the ' more personal ' language should 
 
 ingenious than rational. How could the alternate in strophe and antistrophe. 
 same set of persons carry on a dialogue " Frogs 948, iirHr airb tC>v irpiiToiv 
 
 between themselves and another, and how eirG}v irapriK au ovSiv dpy6v, aW ^Xeyev 
 
 should the author figure by this strange rj yvvrj Ti fioL ktX. I give the reading of 
 
 deputation in his own play? The modern Lenting and Blaydes in preference to ovdh 
 
 suggestion that the language in the mas- irap^K av dpydu MSS. The meaning in 
 
 culine is ' more general ' is scarcely true any case is the same, and is explained by 
 
 and, if it were, would not explain why a the antithesis. 
 
 d2 
 
lii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 designation of xop"?'» receive little attention now that their action can 
 no longer be seen and no stage-directions survive to represent it : and 
 this neglect, of little moment in the later poets, may well mislead us in 
 the case of dramas composed when performance was still the sole 
 I purpose and staple of the art. That there were not in some dramas of 
 ' Aeschylus passages (if the word is applicable) of pure mime, of music and 
 acting merely, such as are, or till very recently were, common upon the 
 popular stage of Italy, is by no means clear : from Aristophanes, as well 
 as from the probabilities of the case, we should rather suppose that there 
 were such passages, nor is the text without confirming indications, as will 
 in one case presently be seen. At all events the element of action was 
 still important, and the picture was still presented essentially by means 
 of performance. 
 
 It is so presented in the Agamenifion. The 'plot' of the drama, a 
 plot both in the theatrical and in the more familiar sense of the word, 
 is performed before the audience : and we cannot properly read the 
 written tragedy without figuring to ourselves that performance, separate 
 from which it was never conceived by the author. The ' crowd ', chiefly 
 those partizans of Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra without whose support 
 their triumph would be visibly impossible, are naturally not for the 
 most part provided with speeches, any more than the followers of 
 Agamemnon, or the Xoxirat led by Aegisthus. All these classes of 
 persons, or representatives of them, do speak, and in three places at 
 least, one very important, the mediaeval editors, by narrowing their 
 conception of the x^pos to the elders who sing the regular odes, have 
 found and left pieces of the text unintelligible I For the most part 
 however their part is performance only, but that performance is 
 necessary both to the picture and to the understanding of what is 
 said. As in the foregoing story the action of the piece is anticipated, 
 the formal description of it shall now be made as brief as possible. 
 ^ The scene represents the palace of Agamemnon in the fortress of 
 Argos. Before the entrance are statues of the gods, among them Zeus 
 and Apollo, and the place of council with its seats. The time is night. 
 A watchman is seen upon the roof. Prologue (i — 39). The watchman 
 explains the supposed purpose of his employment. The beacon appears 
 
 1 We have no English term equivalent \a^e1v, applied to a dramatist who was 
 
 to the Greek x°P^^t which signifies 'a 'granted a performance ' of his play, 
 number of persons executing prescribed ^ wz». 363, 618 — 621,1522 — 1523. See 
 
 movements '. That it was and remained alsoivz'. 506, 631 (note on the translation 
 
 the term in use for what we call an acting 1625, 1649 — 1653. 
 ' company ', is shown by the phrase xop^'' 
 
INTR on UCTION. liii 
 
 and he gives the alarm within. He expresses his deUght in a dance 
 (after v. t^i), by way of prelude to the general rejoicings. Exit. 
 
 What here follows is not clearly indicated ; but it can scarcely be supposed that 
 the elders, who have still to be summoned {v. 270), enter at once. The text presumes 
 some interval and it is not likely that the action was arranged so as to contradict it. 
 We may conjecture that the rousing of the palace, the sending out of the messengers, 
 the kindling of fires upon the altar or altars before the entrance, and the rejoicing of the 
 household, was typically represented^in action with music, for which the words of the 
 watchman ((ppaL/iiov xope^<^ofj.aL) seem to prepare the way. Enger, in his Introduction, 
 makes, if I understand him rightly, some such suggestion (p. xviii). 
 
 Enter the Elders, singing first a march (40 — 103) and then the First 
 Stasimofi or regular ode in responsion (104 — 268). 
 
 The great length of this chorus is not an arbitrary or accidental circumstance. It 
 is necessary to suppose here a considerable lapse of time, even after the entrance of 
 the Elders, and the delay of Clytaemnestra in appearing is a proper part of the plot^ • 
 
 The elders state the reason of their coming. They recall how the 
 war was commenced with ambiguous omens, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, 
 and the threatening prophecies thereupon. Doubtful as to the meaning 
 of this nocturnal alarm, they have come, as invited by the queen, to 
 assure themselves of the safety of the fortress. 
 
 First Scene in Dialogue^ {vv. 270—378). Clytaemnestra, attended 
 by Conspijators, comes from the palace. She informs the elders that 
 Troy has been taken during the night, and the news announced by a 
 chain of beacons, of which she gives an imaginary description. By the 
 assistance of her followers she eludes further enquiry and retires. 
 
 From this time forward the elders are carefully watched, as the situation of 
 the plot requires, by those in the queen's interest, who continue to assemble. The 
 proceedings of the elders and even their actual words, are reported within the 
 palace. This, which upon the stage would be manifest of itself, is accidentally 
 indicated to us by the text in the next scene, where Clytaemnestra makes a pointed 
 allusion to the doubt which, during her absence, they have expressed as to the truth of 
 her information. This deserves notice as an instructive example of the difficulties 
 presented by a stage-play stripped of the necessary directions for action^. I think it 
 
 1 As to the apostrophe addressed to that the chorus only expresses the general 
 her at v. 83 see note there. feeling of the citizens, which she can 
 
 2 iirei<x6oLov. naturally be supposed to learn." (Sidg- 
 s I submit that the above is the only wick on v. 595.) This answer seems to, 
 
 natural way of solving the question which me, I confess, not an answer but anK 
 
 the more careful commentators justly evasion. The question is not what other 
 
 raise. " koX tIs fi eviirTcov clearly refers persons may have shared the feelings of 
 
 to the incredulity of the chorus (485). the elders, but how did Clytaemnestra 
 
 How would K. know of this, it is asked, know what feelings the elders had ex- 
 
 as she was not there? The answer is pressed? It is to their expressed incre- 
 
liv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 certain that we miss altogether much which to tlie playwright was important. It is 
 scarcely necessary to point out, what opportunities are given in this scene and those 
 that follow for effective contrasts of action between those who are and those who are 
 not in the secret. 
 
 Second Stasimon (vv. 379 — 480). The elders, avoiding the topic of 
 the alleged victory, pursue their reflexions upon the sin of Paris, and all 
 the misery thereby caused to the princes and people of Argos, misery 
 of which the end is yet obscure. The people are weary of their 
 sufferings, and their anger, malignantly fomented, threatens the gravest 
 danger ; nor can the friends of the king appeal with a clear conscience 
 to the favour of heaven. They fear an insurrection. Triumph and 
 conquest they would gladly exchange for the security of their own 
 freedom '. 
 
 Their doubts still increasing, the elders in a brief lyrical dialogue 
 are discussing not without contempt the alleged evidence for the victory, 
 when they observe the approach of the herald and other signs of an 
 arrival (^v. 481 — 507). Their hope that 'what is now happily believed 
 may be happily increased ', is echoed in a very different sense by those 
 to whom it is addressed. 
 
 The effect of the situation here much depends on the presence face to face of the 
 elders and the objects of their suspicion. On the question whether one of the 
 bystanders speaks, see on vv. 505 — 507. 
 
 Secojzd Scene in Dialogue {vv. 508 — 685). The Herald, The Elders, 
 Conspirators, and Clytaemnestra. The herald relates the destruction of 
 Troy, the arrival of the king, and the storm. 
 
 Almost everything in the action of this scene has been sufficiently described in the 
 preceding narrative. The queen is summoned from the palace and comes hastily to 
 put an end to the dangerous conversation which has commenced. The abruptness of 
 her entrance and opening (z/. 592) is accommodated to the situation. The favourable 
 comment upon her speech {ruv. 61S — 619) must be assigned to one of her party, as is 
 clearly shown by the reply from the other side. See note there. 
 
 Third Stasimon {vv. 686 — 773). The far-reaching consequences 
 of crime, suggested by the fatal disaster just described. 'Again the 
 application is apparently to Paris; again we feel that the sin of Aga- 
 memnon is present in the thought.' 
 
 March accompanying the Entrance of the King {vv. 774 — 800). 
 
 dulity that, as Mr Sidgwick says, she cation on the subject. 
 clearly refers. It may be added that how- ^ I have already noticed that the latter 
 ever little she may know about the elders, part of this chorus is of the utmost import- 
 she must know even less of the general ance as giving to us now some of the \i 
 feeling of the citizens, with whom she essential facts of the supposed situation, 
 cannot possibly have had any communis 
 
INTRODUCTION. Iv 
 
 Mere ihe effect of the scene depends entirely on the spectacular conditions. TUe 
 king in his chariot, Cassandra, either with him or (according to the tradition) in a 
 second chariot with spoils, and his following enter, accompanied by a crowd who 
 seem to be giving them a triumphant welcome and expressing their sympathy 
 (w. 781) with the sufferings which they haye midergone. The ei'l'ect of these sufferings 
 would be visible in their appearance and action. The elders, from their knowledge of 
 the persons, cannot but suspect the honesty of the demonstration. It is this startling 
 suspicion, as already noticed, which dictates the strange topics of their first address. 
 At the close of the march, the stage is so arranged, we may presume, as to suggest a 
 multitude entirely filling it and extending beyond it. This is one of the many 
 passages of Athenian drama which might be cited against the view, formerly prevalent 
 but lately shaken by the archaeological discoveries of Ur Dbrpfeld and others, 
 that in the Cheek theatre of the fifth century there was a high and narrow separate 
 stage (\o7eroj') for the speakers as distinct from the rest of the company. For such . , 
 a theatre such a scene as the text here suggests could scarcely have been composed. ^ 
 
 Third Scene {vv. 801 — 965). Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra. 
 The king enters the palace, commending Cassandra, who remains with- 
 out, to a kind reception, Clytaemnestra follows. 
 
 See the preceding narrative. Here also the general action is important, particu- 
 larly as to the effect of Agamemnon's haughty and threatening address, and of the 
 invidious honours which he is compelled to accept. The device of the tapestry in 
 particular, the purpose of which is intelligible only in its relation to the feelings of 
 the crowd represented on the stage, would have occurred only to a dramatist who 
 considered his whole company not less than his principal personages. When the 
 king and queen have withdrawn into the palace with their immediate attendants the 
 crowd of returned soldiers, conspirators, and others would for the most part disperse, 
 the king's companions still watched by their pretended friends. The general 
 appearance of the action is easily imagined, though it would be useless to attempt 
 exact description. During these proceedings is sung the 
 
 Fourth Stasinwn {vv. 966 — 1018). The friends of the king, though 
 unable to fix their suspicions, are more anxious than ever. 
 
 Fourth Scene. Clytaemnestra, The Elders, Cassandra. Clytaem- 
 nestra orders Cassandra, who remains still in the chariot, to come 
 within and join the intended sacrifice. Cassandra, whose appearance 
 is that 'of a wild beast new-taken', pays no attention, and the queen 
 instantly withdraws. 
 
 In this brief incident the chief point is the violent impatience of the queen, who / 
 here and here only loses her dignity and presence of mind. In truth her act in 
 summoning Cassandra at this critical minute is an imprudent concession to her 
 appetite for revenge (see v. 1448). Note also that, being now sure of her triumph, 
 she can scarcely refrain from a sneer at the victims of her deception {vv. 1040 — 42). 
 
 Cassandra, by her prophetic power, in a series of visions sees the 
 history of the Atridae, the crime of Atreus, and the murder of Aga- 
 
^ 
 
 Ivi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 mcmnon now imminent. Declaring his fate and her own to be inevitable, 
 at last in despair she enters the palace. 
 
 " In this astonishing scene Aeschylus seems to have touched the limit of what 
 ^-^ speech can do to excite pity and terror. The cries come forth to Apollo, repeated 
 louder and more wildly as the inspiration grows upon her ; she smells the ' scent of 
 murder on the walls ' of the bloody house to which she comes as a prisoner, and 
 visions rise, first of the past wickedness, then of the present ; and lastly she bewails 
 in songs of 'searching and melting beauty' her own piteous fate. The chorus sustain 
 the part of the Argive citizen, sympathetic and horror-struck, and finally bewildered 
 and overpowered by her clearer and clearer prophecies of the bloody deeds that are 
 imminent." (Sidgwick.) Of the relation of this scene to the general effect of the 
 play I have spoken already in the narrative. It should be observed however that 
 here again the general action is essential to the comprehension of the spoken scene. 
 Critics have objected (not unnaturally, if the play be read without reference to the 
 action) to the helpless behaviour of the elders at the moment of the murder ; and in 
 fact long before this, as they are alarmed if not convinced {v. 12 12) by Cassandra, 
 their hesitation is only to be explained by a manifest impossibility of acting to any 
 effect. But in truth they appear helpless because they are so and know it. From 
 the previous incidents and the present situation of affairs it is plain that if the king is 
 truly in danger, then also they themselves are prisoners. They would not have been 
 suffered either to enter the palace or to leave the fortress. It is not at all unnatural 
 that old men in such a situation should be utterly paralysed, but it is by the action 
 more than by the words that the situation is portrayed. 
 
 Fifth Scene [vv. 1342 — 1576). Clytaemnestra, The Elders, etc. The 
 dying cry of Agamemnon is heard within, and while the elders are still 
 pretending to consider the situation, the palace is thrown open and 
 discloses Clytaemnestra standing over the bodies of her two victims. 
 
 From the language of the elders {vv. 1353 — 1356), it is evident that other signs, 
 besides the king's cry, declare the triumph of the plot. In fact the stage, in Greek 
 parlance the orchestra, rapidly fills again with the exultant crowd and the indignant 
 few (see vv. 1400 — 141 1), among these some of the fighting-men returned from Troy 
 who are disposed at the last ^v. 1625, 1633 etc.) to try a desperate struggle. With 
 regard to the majority of the soldiers, we are manifestly to suppose them surprised and 
 slain (as in Homer) at the moment of Agamemnon's murder. In an ancient Greek 
 state a ship-load of veterans, if allowed fair play, would have been masters of the 
 situation, and the tyrants dared not spare them, if they would. It is this which 
 explains and justifies the prominence and pathos given to the character of the herald, 
 whose part is in _every way superior to that of the king. From his entrance to his 
 exit (see vv. 508 — 512, 572 — 577, 655—657, 676 — 677) his language is ominous. And 
 in truth he is actually near to death, and is thus a tragic character as much as the 
 rest. 
 
 A curious question arises here as to the exact manner in which the king's death is 
 represented. Modern readers infer from the text that the interior of the palace is not 
 shown to the audience until Agamemnon and Cassandra are lying dead ; and the 
 inference seems natural though not necessary. On the other hand the Greek 
 hypothesis says expressly that ' Aeschylus is peculiar in representing Agamemnon as 
 
 ^ 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ivii 
 
 killed upon the stage — iSt'ws 5^ AiVx^Xos rhv 'Ayafxifjivova. itrl aKrjv?]^ avaipeiaOai Trote?': 
 and as the text does not suggest this, it is one of the few points in the liypoliiesis \y 
 which might appear to rest on some independent tradition. The truth is that our 
 knowledge of ancient scenery is not such as to warrant any positive assertion on 
 details of this kind. 
 
 Clytaemnestra appears and fiercely justifies her act. She describes 
 the manner of the king's death with cruel detail, answers invective with 
 invective, and declares her reliance upon her partizans and upon the 
 loyalty of Aegisthus. She even forces the lamenting elders to admit 
 that as between her and her husband the justice of the case is doubtful 
 {i>. 1569). But a fresh explosion of feeling is produced by the entrance 
 of Aegisthus himself, with his band (Aoxtrat i'. 1650). 
 
 The meeting of the triumphant lovers is left entirely to action, as is necessary. 
 Conversation between them at such a moment and in such a presence would have i 
 been altogether out of place. From the fact that Aegisthus' speech is immediately 
 preceded by a speech of Clytaemnestra it is clear that she does not leave the stage. 
 
 Finale. Aegisthus, Clytaemnestra, etc. Aegisthus claims to have 
 merely procured his 'just restoration' to Argos {v. 1608), while avenging 
 upon the son of Atreus the wrongs of his father and his own. 
 
 That Aegisthus does not come from the palace but on the contrary has just 
 entered the country is shown not only by his address, but by the interval which 
 occurs between the achievement of the murder and his appearance. Consistent in 
 his ' prudent ' plan he does not enter the fortress till the deed is actually done and 
 all is safe. 
 
 This is too much for the friends of the king. Stung by their taunts 
 Aegisthus calls on his ruffians to commence a massacre, when the 
 queen, with hypocritical clemency, interposes to prevent an impolitic 
 cruelty which might yet have endangered the success. 'Less,' she says, 
 'than blood-shed will serve the occasion' {vv. 1654 — 1664). Accordingly 
 the elders are led away to imprisonment ; and with this final triumph 
 of Clytaemnestra the scene comes to an end. 
 
 4. Critical Remarks. ^'^^^^^'■^ORNlA 
 
 I hope I am not rash in thinking that the preceding exposition of 
 the play does in its general outline fulfil the conditions ; that is to say, 
 the story is itself intelligible, and it explains why the drama is con- 
 structed as it is, and what are the relations of its parts to one another. / 
 As to the details I do not pretend to offer more than conjecture; on the 
 
1 viii INTR OD UCTION. 
 
 contrary I should maintain that this is the utmost which, in details, the 
 state of our information permits, and that by better use of the materials 
 others may, and certainly will, improve upon the suggestions here 
 made. The outline will, I believe, be accepted after time for reflexion 
 as certainly right; and I will even go so far as to say that the play 
 would never in modern times of good literary judgment have been 
 interpreted otherwise, if we had not allowed the imagination of the 
 eleventh century, criticized and for the most part contemptuously 
 rejected on other points, to rule us unquestioned upon this. It is not 
 in the least surprising that the annotators of the Medicean MS. should 
 have lost or corrupted the genuine tradition here as elsewhere, and that 
 they should be wrong about the story, as they are wrong more often 
 than not about the language and the meaning of the poet. Indeed if 
 there is any department of criticism in which the scholars of that time 
 are manifestly incompetent, it is the artistic part. We owe our whole 
 knowledge of Aeschylus to their diligence; but we do not and must 
 not obey them'. 
 
 But indeed the question is not to my mind one of authority 
 at all. On no authority, under the author himself, should it be 
 believed, that any man conceived such a plot as the Byzantine 
 editors attribute to Aeschylus : and if Aeschylus could say that such 
 actually was his conception, we with the Agamemno/i. before us might 
 well reply, that accident had singularly improved his design. As it is, 
 the text of the play is the sole and sufficient authority for the poet's 
 intention. 
 
 Nor is it ground for demur, that the Medicean hypothesis has con- 
 tinued to pass current during the two centuries at most (we might 
 largely reduce the time) during which Aeschylus from a literary point of 
 
 1 In this matter, as in many otiiers, the functions of these persons, and the 
 
 the MS. commentary actually preserves comparison is pointless. But as a fact 
 
 traces of the truth, though not understood their functions are exactly analogous : 
 
 by those who copied them down. On in Aeschylus as in Homer the 'year- 
 
 the first line it is observed in the Medicean long watch ' represents the duration of 
 
 scholia that depanuv 'Kyaixijxvovos 6 irpo- Aegisthus' plot, of which the Homeric 
 
 \oyi^6fievo%, ovx^ virb Aiylcrdov raxOeis. watchman is a conscious instrument, 
 
 The comparison, as is pointed out by the Aeschylean an unconscious. It is 
 
 Hermann and others, is between the fair to suppose that the meaning of 
 
 Watchman in Aeschylus, and the Watch- the note was known to the original 
 
 man in Homer (see pp. xxviii, xxxiii). writer, from whom it has found its way 
 
 Now according to the story of Aeschylus into the chaos of the Medicean commen- 
 
 as told in the Medicean hypothesis, there tary. 
 is no resemblance whatever between 
 
INTRODUCTION. lix 
 
 view has been efficiently studied in the West. Even the fifteenth 
 century niurnuu-ed': and it would indeed have been strange, if the 
 readers of Shakespeare and of succeeding dramatists had accepted such 
 a plot with satisfaction. But they never have so accepted it. On the 
 contrary they have transmitted it with manifest discontent, actually 
 concealing its absurdity, so far as possible, by artifice. If we add that 
 until times within living memory the exponents of Aeschylus were , 
 necessarily and properly engrossed by the preliminary difficulties oi/ 
 language and grammar (Paley's edition was actually the first exception 
 in English), we shall not accuse" our instructoTs of adding much 
 authority to a tradition which they would have been only too glad 
 to disbelieve. 
 
 In reality the plot of the Agamemnon is perfectly coherent and 
 natural. In one detail it is judiciously improbable. When, by the 
 announcement of the herald, the queen's interpretation of the beacon is 
 disproved, the elders would have acted most prudently if they had 
 forthwith questioned him severely on the subject: and we may therefore, 
 if we please, call it in a certain sense improbable that they should act 
 otherwise. This 'improbability', as nothing would have been easier 
 than to avoid it, the dramatist must be supposed to have sought. And 
 he had good reason. It would have been a gross violation of the true 
 and vital probabiUties of the case, and a great loss to the dramatic 
 interest, if he had represented the design of Aegisthus as never running 
 near to failure. Only by the favour of circumstances, and of human 
 blindness or weakness for one circumstance, could a design so audacious 
 succeed at all : and Aeschylus has wisely chosen, that this ingredient of 
 necessary chance shall not be concealed but exhibited. 
 
 In one other matter the dramatist has disregarded, not indeed 
 probability (very far from it), but a certain expectation, which we, 
 accustomed to the modern conditions of the stage, might have formed 
 from the course of the play. A modern playwright, having to tell 
 all his story for himself, would have thought it desirable, by way of 
 accenting the construction and rounding off the development, to intro- 
 duce, after the triumph of the plot, a plain description of the artifice by 
 which it was conducted, or at least an allusion to it, such as appears in 
 the Choephori. The absence of any such allusion in the Agamemnon 
 (for the passing glance of Clytaemnestra in i\ 1436 is not sufficient to 
 
 ^ Schol. in Cod. Flor. to v, 509 nvh fiiiJ.<{)ovTai. Tip iroiriTrj otl avd-qixepov sk y 
 Tpoias TToie: rous "EXXijvas iJKOVTa!. 1^ 
 
Ix INTRODUCTION, 
 
 suggest anything of itself and is actually destroyed by a prevalent 
 alteration of the text) facilitated the error of the mediaeval editors and 
 has made it more difficult of detection. But manifestly, in the matter 
 of truth and nature, Aeschylus is right. In the first outbreak of anger 
 and defiance neither victors nor vanquished would fall to discussing or 
 describing the device by which the contest was lost and won. The first 
 address of Aegisthus to his Argive supporters and subjects turns naturally 
 upon what he alleges for the rights of his cause : and it is only because 
 he is too violent and vain-glorious to govern his tongue, that he touches 
 at all upon the inopportune topic of his stratagem (z-. 1608). Before a 
 modern audience, who did not know the story, Aegisthus would very 
 likely have been made to narrate his plan and its success, although 
 in real life he would not do so, simply lest some of the spectators should 
 be left in the dark. Aeschylus, by the conditions of his art, was spared 
 the necessity of this misrepresentation. 
 
 What points have been added to the story by the dramatist himself, 
 we can scarcely guess and have little interest in knowing. But it is 
 likely that those incidents, which would be effective on the stage only, 
 were invented for the stage ; and for this reason we may refer to this 
 origin the whole apparatus of the king's entrance, including the 
 laying of the tapestry, the whole vision of Cassandra, and in any case 
 certainly the aireipov a.jX(^ipXrjaTpov, in which at the last moment the 
 victim is enfolded. This curious device is to the plot of the Agamemnon 
 so unimportant, that if the play had survived alone, we might well have 
 wondered why it is introduced. But the question is answered in the 
 V) Choephori, where one of the best scenes is the exhibition of the garment 
 by Orestes, after he has avenged the murder which it served to commit '. 
 It is there used, as Antony uses the robe of Caesar, and with similar 
 dramatic effect. For the sake of this scene and of the closely connected 
 reference in the Eumenides (v. 463), it is introduced and made promi- 
 nent in the Agamemnon. It serves also, by its appearance in the 
 sequel as evidence of the crime, to fix attention upon the part of 
 Clytaemnestra, with whom only, and not with Aegisthus, the moral 
 interest of the story is concerned. The stratagem of the beacon was, 
 we may say, certainly not first introduced into the story by the 
 tragedian. If it had been, -it would not be presented as it is. Who was 
 the inventor, it is useless to ask. Possibly some one not more deserving 
 of remembrance than some of the romancers who supplied material to 
 
 1 Cho, 971 foil. 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ixi 
 
 Shakespeare. To the essential originality of the poet such questions 
 are of course immaterial. 
 
 Indeed it would be a grave mistake to exaggerate the importance, 
 in a literary aspect, of the whole subject which has been set forth, at 
 great but I trust not unpardonable length, in this introduction. Un- 
 doubtedly the main purpose of the poet, or at any rate his chief value 
 for us now, lies in things almost independent of his story, in the majesty 
 and beauty of his language, in the bold delineation of character, and in 
 the deep moral feeling with which the whole sul^ject is coloured. To 
 the temporary object of winning the prize, which we may guess that 
 Aeschylus did not undervalue, the difference between an absurd and an 
 effective plot would be vital : nor can it be thought indifferent to the 
 mere reader, whether the beginning of the play has or has not any 
 intelligible connexion with the middle and end of it. But I would not 
 for my own sake leave the impression, that I have proportioned the 
 topics to my estimate of their permanent significance. The story of the 
 Agamemnon, once understood, might with justice to Aeschylus be 
 stated and dismissed in a brief summary. The critical discussion of it 
 is required only by the present state of the subject. It is however 
 required now ; and for this reason only I hope to be excused, if I seem 
 unduly to neglect other matters of not less moment, upon which I have 
 nothing to say which has not been excellently said before. 
 
 5. The Text. 
 
 The text of the Aga?nemfwn depends mainly upon two MSS. The 
 Mediceus (M) should be regarded as the sole authority for those parts 
 which it contains (yv. i — 322 and vv. 1051 — 1158). Only one MS. of 
 any value, the Florentiniis (f ) contains the whole play, and for nearly 
 one half of it (yv. 361 — 1052) this is necessarily the sole authority. 
 Fortunately it appears to represent M very closely. Cases such as 
 V. 23, where the genuine <^aos of M could not be recognized in the 
 conjectural supplement {vvv <^cos) of f, are rare. One other MS., the 
 Farnesianus (h), contains the whole play, but it is worthless. Its very 
 numerous variations are, in the great majority of cases, manifestly con- 
 jectures upon a text derived from M. Before therefore any weight 
 can be assigned to its variation in a particular place, it must appear / 
 that the reading cannot be merely conjectural, that is, it must be such 
 as the corrector could not have propounded for sense — a condition not 
 
Ixii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 easy to be fulfilled. All critics put the MS. very low, but the only 
 logical course is to ignore it altogether. I have cited it only so far as 
 seemed sufficient to show its character. 
 
 Two of the imperfect MSS., Marcianus Bessarionis (a) and Vaidus 
 (g) include parts of the play not in M, the first a few lines (^v. 323 — 360), 
 the second a large piece (v. 11 59 — the end), but neither gives much 
 assistance which cannot be had from the Florentinus. The MSS. are 
 cited as in the apparatus of Wecklein (ed. 1885), to whom I would 
 repeat the acknowledgments made in my edition of the Septem. 
 
AI^XYAOY AFAMEMNQN. 
 
AFAMEMNONOS TnO®ESlS\ 
 
 Ayafiijii'oii' eh "IXiov (nnwv rfj K.\vTaifxr](rTpa, el iropOrjaroL to IXtov, 
 virecr^ero t^s avT7J<s 't]fxepu'i cryj/xaLveiv ota tov Trvpcrov. odev ctkottov 
 eKaOicrev ctti ynttr^w }^\vTnLfxrj(TTpa, Iva TTjpotr] tov Tvvpaov. Kat o fx-ev 
 lowv dTrrjyyeiXev, avrrj Se Twi' TrpealSvTwi' o^Xof fxeTUTrffXTreTai, Trepl tov 
 TTvpaov epovaa' e^ wv KOt o ■^opo<; (rvviorTaTaL' oirtvcs aK0i;crai'rc9 Traiavt- 
 ^ovcriv. [xeT ov iroXv Se «at TaXOvifSto^ irapayiveTai Kat ra Kara tov ttXovv 
 SirjyetTaL. 'AyajLte/xvaJV 8' i-rrl dTnfjVT]'; ep)^eTaL' elireTo 8 avTia Irepa avrryv*/, 
 eV^a rjv to. Xdcfivpa koi i] Kacra'vSpa. a-uros [xev ovv irpoeLaep-^eTai et? tov 
 OLKOV avv Tfi KXvTaLfxrjcTTpn, KacravSpa Se TrpofxavTeveTai, ivpXv ets ra 
 ySacrtXeta ela-eXOeZv, toi/ eavTrjs kcll tov ' Ayafxefxvovo^ 6a.va.T0v koX Trjv e$ 
 OpeaTov p.r]TpoKTOviav, Kal etcrTnjSa cos 6avov/j.evr], pL^aaa ra are/A/xara. 
 TOVTo 8e TO fxepo<; tou SpayLtaros 6avfxdt,^Tai to9 eKTrXyj^iv e\ov «at oiktov 
 iKai'ov. t8ta)S 8e Atcr^i;A.os tov ^ Ayafxepivova lin aKTjvrj? dvaipelaOat Troiei, 
 TOV 8e Kao^avSpas o-twTTT^oras OdvaTov veKpav avTrjv ti7re8et^ev, ireTvoi-qKev T€ 
 Atyto-^ov Kat KAvTat/xi^o^Tpav eKdTepov ha(y)(ypit,op.evov Trepl t^s avatp£0"€MS 
 €vt K€<^aAat'w, T17V /X£v ttj dvaLpeaei 'It^tyeveta?, tov 8e Tats tou TraTpos 
 0V€O"TOV €^ ATpews O"U/X(^0patS. 
 
 e8t8tt>^P'>y TO Spdjxa eTrt ap^^ovTos ^iXokXcous c Xvp.Tna8i oySorjKoaTrj eVct 
 SeuTepo) (B.C. 458). TrpwTOS Ato-^i^uAos Aya^e/xvovt, XoTy^opois, Eup.evtVt, 
 IIpwTet craTvpLKiti. e^opijyeL EevoKAi^s Af^tSvens. 
 
 TA TOT APAMATOS nPOSOnAV 
 
 $YAAa 
 X0P02. 
 
 ArrEAOs. 
 
 KAYTAIMH2TPA. 
 TAA0YBIO2 KHPYH. 
 AFAMEMNON. 
 KA2ANAPA. 
 Aira©02. 
 
 ' See the Preface and Introduction. 
 
AIIXYAOY ATAMEMNQN. 
 
 ^TAAH. 
 
 0eof9 fx,€V alro) TtyyS' diraWayrjv ttovcov 
 (f)povpa<; erela'^ /u,7]ko<;, rjv Kotfjia>/jb€i'o<i 
 areyaa ArpeiScov d<yKa6ev, Kvv6<i Slktjv, 
 acTTpcov Karoiha vvKrepwv ojxrji^vpiv 
 Kai Tov<s (f)epovra^ X^^f^^ '^*^'' ^^P^? ^poTo2<i, 
 \afJb7rpov<; Bwdara^; epbTrpeTTovra'i alOepi, 
 aarepa'i, orav (pOivcoaiv, dvro\d<i re tcov 
 Kol vvv <pv\dacra> Xafi7rd8o<; to av/jb/BoXov, 
 avyqv Trvpo^ (pepovaav sk Tpoia<; cjjdriv 
 
 I — 322. Readings of M. 
 
 5' riv. 
 
 1. |x^v...Kal vvv (8)...vuv 8« (20). 'I 
 have long been praying for release, and 
 still am watching, but this time I hope 
 to be answered. ' 
 
 2. Koi|Ji(opi£vos o-T^-yais oiyKaQtv. See 
 Appendix A. 
 
 4 — 7- CLcrrpoiv 6(M]Yupiv Kal tovs ^i- 
 povras-.-cuTT^pas //le ivhole company of con- 
 stellations, and in particular them 'who, 
 ccnspicuonsly bright like princes in the 
 sky, bring -winter and stunmer to man, 
 the great stars, the times of their setting 
 and the risings thereof d(rr-qp as opposed 
 to dffrpov is properly a great star, and 
 here stands for the great and familiar 
 stars which mark the seasons. (This is 
 substantially Hermann's view.) For koI 
 
 V. M. A. 
 
 cf. Pers. 751 OeQv 5^ TravTWv (per' ouk 
 ev^ov\la Kal Uocreidwpos Kparriaeiv (Hous- 
 man /. Phil. XVI. 246 : Mr Housman 
 would transpose w. 6, 5, but I think this 
 deprives the description \aft,irpoti%...aidipi. 
 of its point ; it is the great constellations, 
 not all the stars, which are cojispiciions, 
 Trpiirovcri). — To those (Valcknaer) who 
 condemn v. 7 as spurious, it is rightly 
 replied that the demonstrative tQu is not 
 the style of an interpolator (Housman). 
 There is no evidence against the verse 
 except the rarity of the initial dactyl, 
 which is not conclusive. That it is 
 omitted by Achilles Tatius, who cites 
 vz'. 4 — 6, is not evidence, as a quotation 
 need not run to the end of a sentence. 
 
 I 
 
AIIXYAOY 
 
 oKwaLfiov re ^a^LVl — coSe 'yap Kparet 
 
 lyvvaLKOi; dvhp6^ov\ov ekm^ov Keap' 
 
 €VT av 8e vvKTCTrXayKTOv evSpoaSv r k')(U) 
 
 evvrjv oveipoi^ ovk eTriaKOTrovfjbevTjv 
 
 i/xijv ((/)o/3o9 yap dvd' vttvov nrapaaTarei 
 
 TO fii] j3e^a[w<i ^Xe^apa avf^^aXelv virvw), 
 
 lO 
 
 IS 
 
 10. dXw<ri|iov : news o/ the capture : 
 cf. Theb. 622 oKwcTLfMov Tratara 'a cheer /or 
 the capture' (Wecklein). — wSc Kparei, 
 t/iis it is to be commanded by, literally 
 'thus uses power'; see v. 942 rhv Kpa- 
 Tovvra fiaKdaKws. 
 
 11. 7vvaiKos...K^ap: 'one who med- 
 dles in the business of man with the 
 sanguine feelings of a woman ' : cf. T/ieb. 
 182 /tAei yap dv8pi, /ht] ywT] ^ovXeviTO) 
 rA^uOev. — ■yvvaiKos is generic (not 'the 
 lady' i.e. Clytaemnestra), and eXTri^ov 
 Kiap a generic description of woman. — 
 iXiri^ov, wider than hope, includes fancy, 
 imagination, etc. So iXwl^o} often means 
 to imagifte. — Note that eXirl^ov is a 
 constant epithet, avdp6^ov\ov ( = di'dp6- 
 ^ovXov oi>) particular to the occasion, the 
 regular use of double epithets in Aeschy- 
 lus. — The speaker is disposed to regard 
 his strange occupation as due to some 
 wild freak of the queen's capricious 
 fancy and feminine imagination; hence 
 the sarcastic allusion, which follows, 
 to her 'dreams'. A similar thought 
 occurs to the elders {v. 286) ; and see 
 Clytaemnestra's pretended description of 
 herself as dreaming anxious dreams about 
 Agamemnon {v. 882). 
 
 12 — 19 is one period, the construction 
 being eSr ai'...^x'^) ^'■'■'*'' 5okw, KXaluj rbre. 
 \n V. 16 8^, like 5' odv, marks merely 
 resumption after the parenthesis. 
 
 13. €vviiv...€iMiv 'the couch where no 
 dream visits 7iie '. i^r\v, emphatic in itself, 
 is here emphasized strongly by position 
 in the sentence and verse, importing a 
 contrast between the speaker and some 
 one else, whom dreams do visit. The 
 context points the allusion. The dreams 
 
 of the mistress condemn the poor servant 
 to a couch, where dreams would be only 
 too welcome ! — ifi-fiv is commonly treated 
 as inexplicable and corrupt, but, as I 
 think, without reason. 
 
 14 — 15. For, instead of sleep, I am 
 haunted by the fear, that by sleep I might 
 close my eyes for ever, that is, 'might 
 suffer death, if I missed the signal or 
 were caught neglecting my watch', the 
 queen like Creon in the Antigone [ovx 
 vp.lv "Aidrjs^fiovpos apKicrei 308) having, we 
 may presume, threatened this penalty. — ■ 
 For the popular euphemism 'lasting 
 sleep' for 'death' see v. 1450 rhv alei 
 VTTVOV, V. 1293 '6p.p.a (TV/x^aXto rdSe. — 
 PcPafcos lit. permanently, lastingly, as in 
 ttXoOtos aSt/cos oi ^i8atos etc. The use 
 of the softer word instead of the more 
 explicit e's del adds to the euphemism a 
 touch of rough humour. — to jxt] ktX. 
 The clause depends upon and explains 
 the emphatic substantive </)6/3oy. Cf. Eur. 
 Afed. 184 06;8os (€<ttIv) el weiaw, and for 
 the form of the clause Plato Laws 943 D 
 XpV iraaav ewKpipovra diKTjv dvdpl iravT 
 avSpa cf>o^e'tff9aL rh p-rj eireveyKeTv i/'ti/S^ 
 TipLupiav (' in inflicting punishment a man 
 should always have before him the fear 
 of inflicting a wrong penalty'). The 
 infinitive with the article puts into sub- 
 stantival form the ordinary dependent 
 clauses pLrj (Tvp-^aXw, pJq eireveyKrj. — The 
 repetition dv0' vTrvov...i5'Trva) is clearly 
 proper, if not necessary, to the point. — 
 The common interpretation is this: 'for 
 I have with me fear instead of sleep, so 
 that I cannot go to sleep soundly'. But 
 a great number of emendations show the 
 just objections made to this. Th...viTvi^ 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 orav 8' ncLSeiv fj fxivvpeadai Soko), 
 virvov ToK avTifMoXirov ivTefivcov uKO'i, 
 K\ai(o TOT oiKov TOvSe avfjL(f>opnv aTevwv, 
 ov'x^ co<; Ta irpoaO^ dpiaTa Siairovoufievov'- 
 vvv 8' GVTV)(r]<i yevoiT (iTraWayt) irovoiv 
 evayyekov (f>avevTO^ op^vaiov irvpo^;. 
 
 «5 %a6pe XafMTTTTjp, vvKTOf r]p,epricnov 
 <^do<; 7n<f)avaK(ov koX -^opwv KaTciaTaaiv 
 TToWftji/ iv "Apyec, TTjcrSe av/jLcf)op(7<i '^dpiu. 
 lov lov. 
 
 Ay afiefivovo'i yvvaiKl cn]fxai,vo) TopS<;, 
 evvr)<i eTravTeiXaaav co^ t«yo? 86/lloi<; 
 oXoXvyfJLov ev(f)r]fiovvTa rfjSe XafiirdSi 
 eTTopOpid^eiv, etirep 'iXt'ou ttoX,*? 
 edXcoKcv, co<i 6 (f)pvKTC)<; dyyiXXcov irpeTrei' 
 
 30. d77^Xw«'. 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 30 
 
 is then worse than superfluous, and the 
 weakest word in it (iiirvip) has the place 
 of emphasis. Moreover the supposed 
 syntax is faulty: irapaarare'i cannot gov- 
 ern such a consecutive clause, as if it 
 were etpyei or KuiXvei : and if the clause 
 depends on 0oj8os, it cannot be con- 
 secutive. 
 
 1 7. ' thus making of song one remedy 
 against sleep ', using song among (iv) 
 other things to keep myself awake, rifi- 
 veiv was the technical term for shredding 
 the roots, herbs etc. compounded in 
 drugs (Blomfield, and see L. and Sc. 
 s. v.). 
 
 19. . . .pjtt to work not so good altogether 
 as in old times. The passive -KoviiaQaL 
 (vlivov') signifies to be worked at, ttocos 
 being technical for any exercise or task- 
 work. So the deponent Hiairovelcdai is 
 the regular word for a professional prac- 
 tice. — There is a double meaning in this 
 cautious phrase, depending on the ambi- 
 guity of oitKoi between hotischold and 
 house. Under the mere grumble of the 
 servant lies the same suggestion as in 
 
 V. 37. — The rendering 'managed, ad- 
 ministered' (L. and Sc. s. v. hia.-Koviiadat) 
 is incorrect. 
 
 21. 6p4)vaiov irvpos 'fire of the dark- 
 ness', i.e. which the darkness keeps and 
 will not disclose. 
 
 25. He calls as to awaken the slum- 
 bering house. Hence o-rjuaivw in -'. 26. 
 — ayjuavCi recc. 
 
 27. So^ois 'for the house', i.e. on 
 behalf of the household. 
 
 2S. Xa|ATrd8i, dependent on eir-opdpid- 
 ^eiv, 'upon' i.e. 'in honour of its ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 29. eiropOpidteiv 'to sing as a morn- 
 ing song' {6pdpio^), pursuing the train of 
 metaphor suggested by ri/xeprjcrioi' (pdo^, 
 eTravreiXacrav etc. — eTropOtd^fiv recc. I 
 cannot but think the modern editors 
 wrong in generally adopting this injurious 
 change, probably a mere error. The 
 associations of 6p$ioi, shrill, high, and of 
 the 6pdioi vofj-os, are as foreign to the 
 passage as 6p0pLos is appropriate. 
 
 30. 6 'the (expected) beacon': cf. t6 
 (TvpL^oKov in 7'. S. 
 
 I — 2 
 
AIIXYAOY 
 
 avTo^; T eycoye ^polfjuiov '^opevaofiai. 
 rd heaiTOTwv yap ev irecrovTa dyjaofiai 
 rpt? e^ ^a\ov(T7)'i rrjahe fioL (f)pvKTcopLa<i. 
 
 yevoiTO 8' ovv fio\6vTO<i eiK^Lkrj x^P^ 
 dvaKTO<i oiKcov Tf]Se /Sacrrdaai %ept. 
 Trt S' dWa (Tiyd), /Soj}? eVl yXwaarj fieya^; 
 /Se^rjKev ' oIko^ 8' avT6<i, el (pdoyyrjv Xd^ot, 
 aa^earar dv Xe^eieV <y<? eKwv eyw 
 fiaOovatv avSw kov /xaOovai \r]6oiJbai. 
 
 35 
 
 XOPOS. 
 
 AeKUTOV /jl€V ero<i roh^ eTrel Uptdfio) 
 (Jbeya<i avriSLKOf, 
 
 40 
 
 32. Td-Sea-iroTwv-tS-irco-ovTa 6i]<rofiai 
 
 'my lord's good fortune I shall score to 
 my game', i.e. regard it as my own: 
 oiKenhaofiai schol. So vice versa xpV^Toiai. 
 bovXoLS ffv/j.<popa ra BeaTrorwv /caKws ttIt- 
 vovra (Eur. A/eJ. 54), apparently an imi- 
 tation. Cf. (TT^pyeiv di TCLKweaovra /cat 
 6d<r0ai (accept and score) ■wpiirec (Soph. 
 fr. 686), and Horace, ' quod fors dierum 
 cumque dabit, lucro appone\ So also 
 Wecklein. — Others take eS TveaovTa as 
 predicate, 'I shall reckon fortunate'; but 
 on such a question the Greek tradition 
 seems entitled to respect. 
 
 33. Tpls 'i% : the best possible throw 
 with tk7-ee cubical dice. 
 
 36. Povs.PeP'nKE. 'I have weighty 
 reasons for silence', i.e. the fear of 
 punishment and of losing, if overheard, 
 the reward of his service. This is clearly 
 the general meaning : Trapoifxia ewl twv 
 /JL7] dwa/jL^vuv irappyjcna^eaOai, Hesychius. 
 So also /SoOs fJ-ol eirl yXuffarj Kparepi^ trobl 
 Xaf iin^alviiiv tVxft kwt'iXKhv Kaiwep ein- 
 (TTdixevov Theogn. 850. — The origin of a 
 proverb is a most uncertain speculation. 
 Of many conjectures made upon this, the 
 latest (Wecklein), that it is an allusion to 
 the t/xas /Soetos, or ox-leather scourge, 
 
 with which slaves were punished, seems 
 as probable as any. There is no positive 
 evidence on the subject. After all, it was 
 perhaps merely a metaphor, based on the 
 common use of ^ovs, as a type of size, in 
 the form of a prefix (cf. ^oi-irais, /3ou- 
 fxeXia etc.). 
 
 37. He glances at the queen's adul- 
 tery. 
 
 39. /i is my intention to have meaning 
 for those (only) toko understand, ivhile 
 those who do not may think that I do not 
 see, literally 'I am (willingly) unobservant 
 for those who do not understand '. X^^O/uat 
 is here the passive answering to the active 
 Xay^df et /txe tovto ' I do not observe this '. 
 — On the interval between this speech 
 and the entrance of the Chorus of Elders 
 see the Introduction. 
 
 40. Xlpia^xu): the dative depends pri- 
 marily on a.vTlhi.Ko% (cf. dvTLTviros, dvrl- 
 TToKos etc. ) and more generally, as dative 
 of relation, on the whole following sen- 
 tence.— n/Jid/itou recc, a mistaken change. 
 — The singular avTiSiKos includes both 
 brothers as one 'party' to the suit, Mene- 
 laus having precedence, as the wrong was 
 strictly his (Sidgwick). 
 
APAMEMNQN. 5 
 
 Met'eA.ao? dva^ ?)8' W.'yafi^/nvcoi^, 
 
 htdpovov AtoOev Kal 8caK)']7rrpov 
 
 Ti/A?;? o^vpov ^61)709 ^ArpelSaiv, 
 
 aroXov ^Apyetcov 'x^iXtovavrrjv 45 
 
 rfjaS' (XTTo )(^oopa<; 
 
 rjpav, (TTpaTcdoTiv dpwytjp — 
 
 fiejav iic Ov^ov KX(i^ovTe<i "Apr], 
 
 TpoTTOv alyuTTtoov, oI't eK7raTioi<i 
 
 aXyeaL iraiScou VTrarot Xe^ecov 50 
 
 (TTpO(})o8LVOVVTai, 
 
 TTTepiKycov ipeTfxotcnv ipeacrofievot, 
 
 Se/jbVCOT^pr] 
 
 TTOvov 6pTa\l)(^Q)v oXeaavT£<i' 
 
 viraro^ 8' alwv rj Ti<i ' AttoWcov 55 
 
 7} Udv 7} Zet"? olwvodpoov 
 
 ')6ov o^v^oav 
 
 TCOvSe IJ,€ToIk(OV VCTTep otto LVOV 
 
 irepbirei irapa^aaLv ^^pivvv. 
 
 ovTQ) B' 'Axjoect)? TratSa? Kpeicra-cov 60 
 
 44. 'ArpetSac. 
 
 44. *ATp€i8aiv Dindorf. difficulty raised by Hermann against 
 
 45. )(^i\iovaiTr\v o/a t/ioicsand crczfs. ruvde arises from not observing the 
 49 — 51. See Appendix B. predicative force of /xerolKuv. — vo-repo- 
 
 54. -irovov 6pTa.\i\<av: gen. of equi- iroivov: 'punishing in after time' i.e. 
 valent, 'the brood, their care'. 'soon or late', in the end, though 
 
 55. iJTraTos echoes vwaTOL in z>. 50 the vengeance may be deferred. Fro- 
 and leads up to the figure fieTokwy. The bably it was the popular belief that 
 birds are 'licensed dwellers' in the high such youthful cruelties (note tralSoiv) were 
 abodes of the gods. — Apollo as god of especially liable to be avenged in kind, 
 augury, Pan of animal life, Zens of uni- by refusing children to the offenders or 
 versal right. (Schneidewin.) — The ap- taking their children away. Cf. Soph, 
 pearance of the humble Pan in the com- Aiit. 1074 Toirwv ae Xca^-qTrjpes varepo- 
 pany of these great Olympians is a cha- cpdopoi \oxi2cnv"Aidov /cat deoiv "Epivves, it> 
 racteristicof the time. See on T/iel>. 132. roiaiv aiirols roia^e X-qcprjvai KUKoh. 
 
 56. olwv69poov...6|vp6av; see on 60. 6 Kp€C<r<rwv ^e'vLOS Zevs //lar 
 
 z/. II, niigliticr Zens, the guardian of hospitality 
 
 58. TwvSe pieTOiKwv (ovrwy) 'of them, (6 Kpelaauf referring back to the Zeits of 
 
 because they are their ij.€toi.koi\ and the birds, z'. 56), mightier as representing 
 
 entitled to their protection : "dieser, die a stronger claim, since the faith of the 
 
 ihre fiiroiKoi sind, wie Soph. £1. 790 ^^"os, outraged by Paris, was llie very 
 
 TTpis TTJffd' v^pi^xi M'JTpos (von dieser, die strongest of obligations in a religious 
 
 deine Mutter sein will)" Wecklein. — The point of view. 
 
AIIXYAOY 
 
 Zei;9, 7ro\vdvopo<i dficf)! yvvaiKO^ 
 TToWd iraXaicTfiaTa Kol <yvLO^aprj, 
 y6vaT0<; Kovcaicriv epeiSofJievov 
 BiaKvaco/j,evr]<i t ev irpoTekeioLf; 
 KafiaKO^, Or/acov Aavaot(n,v 
 Tpcoal 6' 6ytiotft)9* — ea-TL 8' oTrr/ vvv 
 ecrrc' reKelrat, S' e<f to TreTrpcofievov 
 OV0' VTroKamv ovB' vTToXei^cov, 
 ovre SaKpvcov, dirvpwv lepajv 
 0/3709 drevei'i TrapadeX^ei. 
 
 69. viroKKaiwv. 
 
 65 
 
 70 
 
 61. €ir' 'AX€|dv8p<a to punish the 
 triumphant Paris. On eiri of the object 
 of an action, see on Tkeb. 531, 701. — On 
 the name ' A.\i^av5pos see on v. 714. 
 
 62. iroXvdvopos tuon (not wooed) by 
 many, a woman that could not be faithful 
 to one. For the contemptuous force of 
 the epithet here cf. vv. 790 foil. 
 
 65. TpoTcXefois properly ritual pre- 
 ceding marriage, used here with irony, 
 the war being the irpOTeXeLa through 
 which Helen must be finally won. — As 
 this comparison is clearly the point of 
 the sentence, it is very curious that the 
 language should present in detail so 
 close a parallel to the old marriage- 
 custom made familiar by Raphael's 
 Espousal of the Virgin {Sposalizio, at the 
 Brera, Milan). At the ceremony young 
 men b)-oke sticks across their knees. The 
 figure in the foreground to the right of 
 the picture will be easily recollected. 
 The ' knee to the ground ' and the 
 ' snapping of the rod ' (for in Ka/xa^ the 
 sense of spear-shaft is only secondary) 
 are exactly the expressions which would 
 have been chosen from this point of view 
 to draw a parallel between irporiXeia and 
 war. I am not aware of any other 
 evidence for referring the custom to 
 Aeschylus' time, but the resemblance 
 deserves notice and is not likely, in my 
 
 judgment, to be accidental. — The motive 
 of the custom may have been the common 
 one of averting the evil eye. To this 
 motive is assigned a somewhat similar 
 Indian custom, to which I am referred 
 by Mr J. G. Frazer: "on dechire una 
 toile en deux devant les yeux des deux 
 maries, et on en jette les morceaux des 
 deux cotes opposes. Sonnerat, Voyage 
 aux Indes et a la Chine, i. p. 78." 
 
 67. St refers to fi^v in v. 40. ' In all 
 this time we see no accomplishment {the 
 matter stands as it doth) though it will 
 end as it must.' 
 
 69 — 71. By no increase of fuel or 
 libation, and by no tears, may one over- 
 come the stubbornness of a sacrifice that ^ 
 will not burn. irapaOEX^ck., 2nd pers. * 
 sing. fut. mid., the 2nd person being 
 used, as often in English and in G reekj ^^'^in. 
 for the indefinite. The schol. \eiirei rb 
 Tis, though bad in grammar, is right as 
 to the meaning. The sentiment is general 
 and expands, in the form of a metaphor 
 proba])ly proverbial, the preceding words 
 TeXeirai is to irewpwijAvov. Without meta- 
 phor the meaning is "if fate is against 
 you, you may struggle in vain ". To 
 which party in the present contest this ' 
 doctrine applies, whether the sin of Paris 
 or the sin of Agamemnon will most 
 affect the event, the speakers do not 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 rjixeb<i S' drirai aapKi iraXaid 
 
 T^9 TOT dpu>yP]<; v'Ko\eL<^6evTe<i 
 
 fjilfii>o/j,€v la'xyv 
 
 laoTraiSa vefiovTe^ inl aKt'jTTTpoi^. 
 
 re yap V€ap6<; /ttueXo? cTTepvwv 
 
 eVT09 dvaaaoiv 
 
 Icroirpea^vi ( "ApT]<; 8' ouk ivl ■x^wpa), 
 
 Tt 0' V7repyi']p(a<i; cf)v\\d8o^ rjSr] 
 
 75 
 
 72. driTai, 
 
 77. avaacrui'. 
 
 79. TtdtirepyT^pwcr. 
 
 J 
 
 determine. — vptroKaCwv Casaubon. ii7r6 
 expresses that the fire or fuel is put, and 
 the wine or oil poured in, under the 
 sacrifice to be burnt. — op-ycts: not pre- 
 cisely ' anger ' but mood, almost caprice, 
 as in Eur. JSIed. 121 x*^^''''^^ 6/37015 
 fieralidWovacv, and frequently. — As to 
 the form Trapa64\^o/J.ai, the middle has 
 its regijl^ quasi-reflexive force (' in com- 
 modum facientis ") as in Trapdyofxai,, irapi- 
 crrafxai, Trap-qyop^o/j.ai, and other verbs of 
 like meaning. Of this particular form 
 diX^o/xai no other example is noted ; but 
 there is nothing to raise difficulty in this, 
 as it will scarcely be supposed that our 
 list of such futures is or could possibly 
 become complete. The quasi-reflexive 
 middle forms are ahyaj^s^jflxe, from the 
 nature of the case ; thus of prjyi>vfj.i, a far 
 commoner verb than deXyoj, the examples 
 in this mood and meaning are exceedingly 
 few. For the future middle, Attic had 
 a special predilection. All the commen- 
 tators assume wapadeX^et. here to be 3rd 
 pers. active ; but the difficulties thus 
 arising are acknowledged by all, and 
 appear to me insuperable. There is no 
 subject to the verb, and the context sup- 
 plies none, ' Paris ' and ' Agamemnon ', 
 which are proposed, being both too re- 
 mote. Note also that, if the sentence is 
 general, we are released from the impos- 
 sible task of finding any particular allusion 
 in dTTvpuv iepQv. — The correction cTriXet- 
 /Sioj' and the omission of ovre daKpvuv are 
 unnecessary. 
 
 72. drirai {ovres) if correct, is from 
 driT-qs, ' one who does not pay, a de- 
 faulter ' ; because with our outworn thews 
 coe made default^ i.e. could not render 
 our due service any more (Weil, H. L. 
 Ahrens). But perhaps it should be read 
 as dat. fem. sing, from Stitos disre- 
 garded, unvalued, and corrected to axiT'jj 
 (Wecklein, comparing for the feminine 
 termination, Clio. 617 dda.vdTo.s, Pers. 
 599 irepiKXiKTTa etc. ) Then the dative dr. 
 ffapKi TraX. is causal. It is not easy to 
 choose. — crdp^ muscle, as in T/iel>. 609 
 yepovra tov vovv adpKa 6' rj^Cicrav. 
 
 75. I(r6irai8a, ^ eqical to that of a 
 child '. The compounds of iao- preserve 
 in the classical writers almost always the 
 true sense of the word and are applied 
 only to that which can be measured. 
 The use for mere resemblance (as in 
 ladweTpos etc.) becomes common only in 
 late Greek. 
 
 76 — 79. T«...T€: as... so. 
 
 77. dvao-(r«v. Hermann. The word 
 suggests the pushing and shooting of 
 young growth or sap (compare dpidpa/xev 
 'ipvei laos), and answers to (pvXXddos /caxa- 
 Kap(l)ofji.€vr]s. 
 
 78. "Apiis 8' ovK evlx^P?' this quali- 
 fies the parallel, to the disadvantage of 
 the old; note 8^. 'The spirit of war' 
 not being 'in the fort', children do not 
 miss the strength they have not known. 
 
 79. rl 9' virep-ynpws ; Enger. The 
 rhetorical question is much more favoured 
 in Lireek than in English. For tI antici- 
 
AIIXYAOY 
 
 KaTaKap(f)0/jbivr)(; TpL7ro8a<; fxev 68ov<; 
 
 crrei-xei, 7rat8d<i 8' ov8ev dp6L(ov 
 
 ovap rj/jiep6(f)aTOV aXaivet. 
 
 cri) 8e, Tvv8dp€co 
 
 dvyarep, ^aaiXeca KXvTaifi^crTpa, 
 
 ri ')(peo<;; ri veov\ ri S' iTr'acado/xevr), 
 
 rlvo<i ar/yeXia<; 
 
 iretdol irepiTre/jLTrTa 6vo<i Kivet'i; 
 
 irdpTcov Be Oewv tcvv darvvo/jicov, 
 
 87. 6voaKLVii<T (the first t in an erasure). 
 
 80 
 
 85 
 
 pating a verb {(rreixe') see v. 926. — vtrtp- 
 \ilp«s is properly a predicate (uirepyrjpui 
 wf) 7u/iai of it (or hini) in sheer old age? — 
 rb 6' virepyripwi' Cod. Farn. 
 
 80. [J.h'...8J : as if 'three feet' should 
 have meant greater power. — rpCiroSas i.e. 
 
 iirl ffK-^TTTpOiS. 
 
 81. dpiCuv echoes to "-Apijs in v. 78 : 
 Aeschylus probably connected the words 
 in fancy. 
 
 82. ovap i^[A€p6<|)aT0v a dream in day- 
 light. There seems to be no reason for 
 rejecting rjiJ.ep6(paT0%. It is sufficiently 
 certified by the existence of <j)dw to light, 
 and is in form parallel to HKparos. There 
 are two forms of the stem, ^a and (pa, as 
 in (pavepos, <pdv6s: the preference of the 
 long vowel in -(paros lit is natural, 
 -<paTos having two other meanings, said 
 and slain. — riixep6(paPT0v Farn. rifiepo- 
 (poiTov Ahrens. 
 
 83. The speaker "apostrophizes Cly- 
 taemestra, who remains within the house, 
 as Ajax, lingering in his tent, is apostro- 
 phized in Soph. Ai. 134" (Wecklein). 
 The form of apostrophe in both cases 
 indicates the like impatience for the pre- 
 sence of the person addressed. It must 
 not be supposed that Clytaemnestra 
 appears. — It is not without significance 
 that the name of the queen is thus 
 introduced together with that of her 
 father. To be a daughter of this house 
 was no good omen, and the speaker 
 glances, as it were involuntarily, at the 
 
 reproach put more plainly by Agamemnon 
 in v. 905. 
 
 87. irtiBoi: literally 'from conviction 
 of what report?' i.e. by zvhat report 
 convinced? — irepfireixirTa adverbial accu- 
 sative, literally ' by the way of sending 
 round'. The directions for sacrifice were 
 sent not only to public places but gene- 
 rally throughout the country. See v. 599. 
 From V, 96, we see that what was ' sent 
 round ' on such an occasion was not 
 merely the message or order to sacrifice 
 but materials from the sender, the prince 
 or master, to aid the off'ering. Hence 
 the point of noticing that the 'high 
 flames ' are ' persuaded ' to rise by the 
 rich oil or incense from the palace. It 
 is a species of religious communion 
 between the prince and the subject. 
 The word wepiire/xTrra was doubtless 
 technical. It may be noted that the 
 usage gave the queen in this instance an 
 excellent opportunity for communicating 
 unsuspected with her partizans. — Ovos 
 Ki.v£ts literally ' start ' sacrifice, ' set it 
 going'. I prefer this reading (Prien) to 
 dvocTKuv (Auratus, Turnebus, and the 
 majority) both as adhering to the MS., 
 and as more appropriate to the facts (see 
 z/. 599). The sacrifices are not exactly 
 those of the queen, but of her com- 
 manding. 
 
 88. T(ov d,trTvv6ji.wv. The ' gods of the 
 city' generally. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 VTTCnWV, '^OoVLOiV, 
 
 Tcov T ovpavlcov Twv T a<yopaLa)V, 
 ^(Ofiol Bcopotat (f)\6<yovTaf 
 oXXt] S' uWodev ovpavofMijKr]'} 
 XafXTrd^ dvta-^et, 
 (f)ap/jiaaao/j,ivr) •^ijxaro'i dyuov 
 fia\aKat<; aSoXoicri 7rapr)yopLai,<i, 
 ireXdiu) fiv^odei^ ^aaiXeiw. 
 TOVTCDv Xi^aa o rt koI hvvajov 
 
 9 
 90 
 
 95 
 
 90. Twv T* ovpavCwv T«v T* aYopaiwv: 
 a curious antithesis, apparently without 
 parallel, as is also ol dyopaioi as a name 
 for a. class of gods. Ovpcivios in Greek 
 theology is an epithet of dignity, apply- 
 ing generally to the great Olympian 
 deities. As applied to a single deity it 
 signifies that the deity is viewed in a high 
 or wide religious conception. Thus 'A<ppo- 
 diTT) OvpavLa is the patroness of chaste 
 love, the great natural Right which sanc- 
 tions filial love is d Ovpavla Q^/us (Soph. 
 £/. 1064), and the object of Hippolytus' 
 mystic and ascetic devotion is d At6$ 
 ovpavla 'AprefMLi (Eur. Hipp. 59). Thus 
 also in Eur. El. 1235 Bf.al ol ovp6.vi.oi is 
 contrasted with 5al/j.ovh rives, a lower 
 term. There were everywhere vast num- 
 bers of 'deities', many of them much 
 more popular than the exalted persons of 
 the orthodox religion, who could not 
 possibly have been termed ovp6.vi.oi, some 
 of them little higher than fetiches. 
 The so-called ' Hermae' of Athens are an 
 instance. Since then a.yopaioi. is here 
 opposed to ovpdvLoi, we must seek in it 
 a meaning antithetic to sublime, high- 
 exalted. I would suggest that 6.yopalos, 
 in this theological use, has not the local 
 sense, but the equally common though 
 secondary sense of popular or familiar, 
 somewhat as in a.yopa.la. 6v6p.a.Ta. familiar 
 terms, ol dyopaioi the commonalty, and 
 that Ti2v T oCipavlwv ruv t' dyopaiuv 
 means 'deities of every degree, the great 
 gods and the low '. This is a quite 
 different division from viraToi-x^oviot, 
 
 'gods of the upper and the nether 
 worlds'. It is no objection to this that 
 we sometimes find the epithet 'Ayopaioi 
 attached to the name of an Olympian, a 
 Zens or Hermes Agoraios. It was and is 
 the policy of great polytheistic religions 
 to attach to themselves the lower cults in 
 this way, as may again be illustrated by 
 the application of the name Hermae to 
 objects of veneration much older than 
 anthropomorphism. — t«v...t«3v: the ar- 
 ticles are added because virdrwv, x^oj'fw»', 
 ovpavlwv, dyopalwv would have the ap- 
 pearance of a fourfold division, instead 
 of two antitheses, based on different prin- 
 ciples. 
 
 94. d-yvov halliTwed, not merely ' pure '. 
 The poet has in view those costly xP''A'a'''« 
 of foreign, chiefly Oriental, production, 
 which even in his own time were scarcely 
 used but for religious purposes. 
 
 95. irapTTyopiais : cf. irapadeX^ei v. 
 71. — jJioXaKais d86Xoi<ri, in ivhose softness 
 is no deceit, contrasted epithets. Under 
 this figure is suggested the hope, that the 
 rejoicing, of which these things are a 
 symbol, will not prove deceptive. But 
 the speakers are unaware how very far 
 from 6.ho\oL the queen's persuasions are. 
 
 97. o Ti...alv€iv: so far as thou canst 
 and may est consent (to tell J, supplied from 
 X^^acra, not 'so far as thou canst and 
 niayest tell (aiVetc) '. In this sense atVei» 
 for \iytiv is not used. So also Wecklein, 
 "atVe?;', sich zu etwas verstehcn, zu- 
 sagen".— X€|a<ra...irau5v re ^tvov i.e. 
 y&ov \iifl.(ja. iraiwv re 'be the informant, 
 
10 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 Kal de/xc^ alvelv 
 
 TraKtiv T€ yevov rPjaSe /u-ept/it"?;?, 
 ij vvv Tore fiev KaK6(f>pQ)v reXedet, 
 Tore S' e/c Ouaiooyf" dyava (^aivet'i 
 eXTTi? dfivvetr (ppovTiK dtrkeicyTov 
 rriv 6vp,Q^dopov \v7rrj<i (fjpeva.'f 
 Kvpco'i elfjLL dpoeiv — ohtov Kpdro<{ 
 aiaiov dvSpoov 
 iKTeXicov' en yap 
 
 lOO 
 
 crrp. a . 
 105 
 
 and so the healer ' etc. The periphras- 
 tic imperative, yevoO with aorist participle, 
 is here seen in its original use, where it 
 serves to express something not so easily 
 put without it. — Others suppose that the 
 sentence corresponding to iranbi' re yevod 
 is lost by anacoluthon (Wecklein) ; but 
 this, in so short a sentence, seems un- 
 natural. 
 
 100. TcXeOei properly ' results in being ', 
 i.e. 'is on the whole' or 'on the balance'. 
 So in Eur. J\/ed. 1095 eW tJSi; ^poTols, 
 etV avLapbv iraldes reKidovai. 
 
 loi — 103. ijTis iarl 6ufj.oj36pos Xijirr) 
 TT}i (ppevos schol. on V. 103. — The i^ead- 
 ing is quite uncertain. dyavrj Karsten. 
 (pavdela Pauw. As to the Doric form 
 of OLyavd, it is very doubtful whether in 
 such points poetry was regular, and there 
 are traces of a certain tendency in v to 
 retain the a-sound, like that regularly 
 exercised by p. Thus we have in Attic 
 writing va/xepT-qs, iroiva-TOjp, euvdrup, 
 fcifia, evvaffifios, Kvvayos, vads, vatos. — 
 For the last two lines Housman gives 
 cXttis dfivvei <ppovTi8' dw\T]crTOv 0v/xou, 
 Xvirrialcppov aT7)v, which, as he shows (J. 
 Ph. XVI. p. 250) might not improbably 
 give rise to the MS. and schol. — dirXr]- 
 
 (TTOV f. 
 
 104. Kvpids €l|Jii: they turn for relief 
 to certainties, and to that which is still 
 within their power, the narration of the 
 past. 
 
 105. o8i.ov...«KT€\c(dv (in apposition to 
 dpoeiv, or rather to the notion Kvpios tlvat 
 Opouv, ' narration is the privilege and gift 
 
 of old age ') : an encouragement upon the 
 way permitted to nun luhose vigour is 
 past. 0810V and alViov apply properly 
 to a favourable omen on a march or 
 journey. Kparos 'strength' i.e. 'that 
 which strengthens', see on v, 299. The 
 application of the metaphor to the jour- 
 ney of life is suggested partly by the 
 foregoing thoughts {Tpiwodas odovs creixet 
 V. 80) but chiefly by the coming story, 
 which relates to a oStov Kpdros alaiou in 
 the literal sense of the words. In a'lcriov 
 which means \30\\\ fortunate Si.xid permitted 
 (see alffa) there is a double suggestion. — 
 tKTe\i]S, here the opposite of ivreX-qs, is 
 a euphemism for aged: as d eVreXi?? is a 
 man in his vigour or perfection, so 6 
 iKTeX-fji here is one who has passed that 
 stage (cf. ^f??/3ox). In Eur. Ion 780, by a 
 different application of the notion 'finish- 
 ed' a young man is eKTeXrjs veavias as 
 opposed to a boy. — I think it clear that 
 the parenthesis begins with o5lov, and 
 not, as usually marked, with (ti. If 
 6diov...eKTe\^wv is referred directly to the 
 omen afterwards related, there is no point 
 in the epithet e/creX^wj/, however inter- 
 preted : and moreover the other punctua- 
 tion is required by the general sense, for 
 the speakers clearly mean that as old men 
 they have the right to narrate (or sing), 
 not the right to tell this particular story. 
 
 106 — 108: /or still their age draws 
 front heaven inspired persuasion, -which is 
 the strength of song, i.e. in their eloquence 
 the old retain a strength, when all other 
 strength is gone. — -n-eiOw the essence and 
 
APAMEMNON. 
 
 II 
 
 6e66ev Karairvevei 
 
 Treidcio, fjiokirPiv 
 
 dXKap, ^vfx(puTO<i aiwv — 
 
 hidpovov KpaTO<i, 'EWaSo? rj^dv 
 
 ^v/x(f)pove rdya, 
 
 Trefiirei avv Sopl koX %e/3t. irpaKTopt 
 
 6ovpio<i opvL<i TevKplS" e'K alav, 
 
 oloivwv ^aatXev^ 
 
 ^a(n\ev<Tt vecov 6 KeXaivo<i 
 
 I lO 
 
 115 
 
 107. KaTairve^ei. 
 112. ^v/x^pova rav ydv. 
 
 112 — 114 inserted by corrector m in space left by M. 
 
 type of rhetoric. The thought of this 
 passage, that mental and, as we might 
 say, ' literary ' gifts are the remaining 
 consolation of old age, is closely illus- 
 trated, as well as the form of expression, 
 by Eur. H. F. 673 foil. It may remind 
 us that the poet was himself over sixty 
 when the Agamemnon was composed. — 
 |v(«}>vTos alwv 'the time born with them' 
 or ' beginning from their birth ', i.e. ' the 
 age at which they are'; cf. 6 ^vvevSuv 
 xpovos for ' the time of sleeping ' v. 885 
 (Enger). — The abstraction 'age' is put 
 for ' the aged ' according to a common 
 habit of the language. — Karairvevti (or 
 KarairvEici : the later MSS.have KaTairvevn., 
 in M the letter is uncertain ; both forms 
 are good) ^inhales, draws down breath' 
 not 'breathes down upon'. The age of 
 the singer could not be said to breathe 
 persuasion upon him 'from the gods'. 
 irveiv and its compounds (see iiiTrvelv, 
 dffirveiv, dvairvitv) mean either 'inhale' 
 or 'exhale' according to the context. 
 — The forms in this passage are curiously 
 ambiguous : Trei^w, fxoKwav, a\Kav are all 
 uncertain in case, and the two last may 
 easily be read as datives (/j-oXirq.). Hence 
 many corrections (see Wecklein), but the 
 traditional accentuation appears to be cor- 
 rect.- — Wecklein interprets weidu to be 
 the confidence or trust which encourages 
 them to tell the following story. But the 
 
 sentiment should from the context be one 
 applicable to old men in general. 
 
 111. T|Pdv: for the plural cf. Eur. 
 Ion 476 TiKvuiv veavides ■7,801. An abs- 
 tract used in concrete sense is sometimes 
 singular, sometimes plural. — ^"EWdSos 
 substantive. — Aristophanes (Frogs 1285) 
 citing the verse gives the singular, 'E\- 
 XaSos ^/Sas, but presumably by a slip. 
 
 112. |v|A<})pov« Ta-ya {rayrjs) or, as 
 Dindorf, raYw {rayos). The dual is 
 clearly required. The schol. t^v 6fX}(j)pova 
 TTfpl rd TUKTiKa assumes the abstract form 
 ^vix(ppQva rayiw [Tayq), contrary to the 
 metre. — The source of error was probably 
 an accidental (or intentional, see on 7). 
 1 164) doubling of the 7. Hence rdyya, 
 TCLvya, rdu ydi>. 
 
 1 1 3. irtHiirti historic present. — Kai x€pl 
 dropped accidentally from recurrence of 
 the syllable -pi, restored from Aristoph. 
 Frogs 1288. 
 
 114. Bovpios op VIS a gallant omen, 
 transferring to the omen the feeling it 
 produces. 
 
 115. olwvwv Pa(riX€vs...<(>avtvT€s the 
 appearance of etc., in apposition to tpva. 
 See on Theb. 611. 
 
 116. The difference between the birds, 
 the black and the while-backed, is 
 doubtless symbolical. The meaning must 
 depend on the reading and interpretation 
 oiv. 126. 
 
12 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 <f>avevT€^ iKTap fieXddpcov 
 ^epo? e« SopvTrakTOv 
 irapt.irpe'irTOi'i ev eSpataiv, 
 
 1 20 
 
 117. T« because the aptness of the 
 omen lay in the appearance of the two 
 different birds together. — 8^ (Hartung) 
 would of course be regular for ' one black 
 and the other' etc., but is here alien from 
 the meaning and inconsistent with the use 
 of the singular ^aaiXevs. With 0^ we 
 should expect, as some would write, the 
 plural ^aaiXTjs. — dpyCas white-marked: 
 the termination is common in words 
 describing the marks of animals : cf. 
 ipvdpias (epvdpos), Sac^ias the slave-name 
 (^ai>$6s}, both like dpyias (dpyos) from 
 colours, KOTTwaTloLS, are/xpLarlas etc. It 
 does not seem likely that a copyist 
 should have introduced by error a form 
 at once correct and peculiar. — dpYas 
 {dpydeis, dpyrjeis white) Thiersch, for 
 metre; but it cannot be proved that 
 Aeschylus would not allow the pronun- 
 ciation arg-yas. 
 
 1 19. e'/c Se^taj, eariv ev(Tv/j,p6\us, 
 schol. — SopvirdXrov : ' spear-shaking' gen. 
 oi 5opvTrd\Tr]s, cf. XayodaiTTjs v. 128. 80- 
 piwdXrov Turnebus. On mere questions 
 of spelling I have followed the MS. It 
 seems to me impossible to prove that 
 Aeschylus could not have written the 
 word as it is given, or that his spelling 
 was always consistent. 
 
 121. Xa-y ivov -ytwav hares (not a hare) . 
 For the periphrasis, in which yivva means 
 stock or hiud (not offspring) cf. dpaivusv 
 yivva males (Eur. 3Ied. 428), KevTavpuv 
 yii>va Centaurs (id. I/. F. 365), yivva. ^pv- 
 ycov Phrygians (id. Tro. 531), craj' 'AcrtT;- 
 Ttoa yivvav thee, an Asiatic (id. Andr. 
 loio). — Po(rK6|X€voi..,8p6nwv feeding on 
 hares, creatures full-teemed ivith young, 
 which they had caught in the moment 
 of escape, literally 'stopped from their 
 last runs'. — €piKV|JiaTa from fpiKv/xaTos, 
 
 cf. TToXvaTrip/xaTos (Theophrastus) ; these 
 forms are i"are in the older writers, but 
 there is no reason to fix any particular 
 date for their first appearance. The 
 neuter plural stands in apposition to the 
 plural phrase Xayivav ^^^/vac, the neuter 
 (things, creatures) being used for pathos. — 
 8p6p.wv is a true plural, the 'runs' of the 
 hares respectively. This alone would 
 show that Xayivav 7^wav is plural. 
 When dpo/jLoi is used of a single subject, 
 it means 'a series of courses, a running 
 from place to place' (Aesch. F. V. 616, 
 814, Eur. Iph. T. 971), a meaning here 
 excluded by ^Xaji&ra and the epithet 
 Xoicrdioi last. — The fact expressed in 
 ^Xa^ivra Xoiadluv Spd/xuv is part of the 
 symbol. The Trojans were all but to 
 escape their enemies, and were at last 
 only caught by the pretence of abandon- 
 ing the attempt. — I think the text here 
 correct and simple. The assumptions 
 which have created difficulty are (i) that 
 ipcKV/jLara is an error, (2) that the two 
 birds have but one hare, inferred ap- 
 parently from V. 142, where see note. 
 As to (i), the schol. gives the interpreta- 
 tion TroXvKVfiova, but this no more implies 
 that the text had -KVfxova than that it 
 had TToXu-. The interpreter naturally 
 uses the commoner form in both parts. 
 (The possibility of the form epiKiifiaTos 
 seems to have been overlooked by -the 
 modern editors.) On these assumptions 
 some read (with recc.) epiKvfiova (fem. 
 sing.) (pepfiari, and explain the gender of 
 ^Xa(3evTa (masc. sing.) as referring to the 
 meaning (t6v Xa7wj') of Xayivav yevvav. 
 But this is to play fast and loose with 
 TO a-qp.aLv6p.evov. The meaning of Xayivav 
 7ej'j'a;' is ex hypothcsi feminine, and the 
 fact that Greek had no distinct word for 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 13 
 
 epiKvfiaTa (jjep/jiarc yivvap, 
 
 ^\a^evra XoiaOioop Spoficov. 
 
 atkivov aTkivop eiVe, to S' ev vtKaTCO. 
 
 K€8v6<; Be aTparofiavTLf; I8a>v 8vo 
 
 \r]p,acn Stccrot)? 
 
 'ArpetiSa? /uLa')^ifjiov<i 
 
 i8di] XayoSaiTWi 
 
 TTO/xTTOv'i T ap-^a<i' 
 
 ovrcii 8' elire repn^cov 
 
 Xpovco /j.€v dypel 
 
 UpLafiov ttoXlv dSe KeXev6o<i' 
 
 irnvra 8e irvpycov 
 
 avT. a . 
 
 125 
 
 130 
 
 124. a'CKLvov throughout. 
 
 the female hare is nothing to the matter. 
 Others therefore (Tumebus, Hartung, 
 etc.) read ipiKv/xova (pep/xara and inter- 
 pret this either of the mother-hare, which 
 <pipfia {fdus) will not admit, or of the 
 unborn offspring, which ^Xa^ivra dpofiuv 
 will not admit. 
 
 124. Probably proverbial. — al'Xivov 
 the burden of a dirge. — In English we 
 should make the first clause dependent, 
 'Though sad words must be said, yet let 
 the good prevail'. See on v. 360. 
 
 125 — 129. See Appendix C. 
 
 128. iiar\ apX^S ^i'- 'understood 
 
 the hare-devourers and the conducting 
 powers ', i.e. understood the combination 
 of the two pairs (see on re in z', 117) and 
 perceived the parallel. — Xayodalras f. 
 
 133^-135. Thotigh ere they pass the 
 wall all their beafts, their ptiblic store, shall 
 perforce be divided and destroyed. The 
 besieging army shall consume their pro- 
 visions before Troy, and be reduced to 
 the last straits. Calchas infers this from 
 the fierce hunger of the typical eagles. 
 (So also Wecklein.) This or other similar 
 prophetic interpretations of hunger pro- 
 bably suggested the portent in Virgil 
 {Aen. 7, 116 etiam mensas consumimus). 
 — ■irvp-ywv..."irp6<r0€ before i.e. outside the 
 wall, so irp6<rde irvXav Theb. 512. — kttjvt] 
 
 128. XoYoSairas, 
 
 beasts, here as always (Paley). Kr-^fiara 
 schol. here, and kttjvt}' -xp-q/jLara Hesych. 
 The one note explains the source of the 
 other, and shovfs how little trust can be 
 placed in the ancient lexicographers, when 
 not supported by independent evidence 
 or scientific probability. — p.oipa division, 
 distribution ' partitio ' (Klausen). For 
 similar uses of iidlpa in its concrete sense 
 (port) see Eur. Aled. 430 and note there. 
 The specialized meaning fate established 
 itself in prose, but in poetry the word is 
 free. Sophocles probably had this or a 
 like passage in mind when he described 
 these herds, the supply of the Greek host 
 before Troy, as avfipLiKra \eias dSaara 
 ' the mingled spoil of forage, not yet 
 divided' (Ai. 54). — to, STijiioirXtiGrj : 
 ttXtjOos a mass or zohole is correlative to 
 yuoipa. By distribution the supply ceases 
 to be S-qixios and to be a TrX^^oy. The 
 article is added to bar the possibility of 
 taking the adjective as a predicate, which 
 would destroy the sense. — irpos to pCaiov 
 = Trpos ^lav or jStaiws perforce (not vio- 
 lently) ; it is this error which has caused 
 most difficulty here. — -To refer Kr-r\vi] with 
 the schol. to the wealth of Troy requires 
 us to neglect txiv..M and to mistranslate 
 KTrjVi and irCpyuv, and leaves unexplained 
 how Calchas inferred from the portent 
 
14 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KTijvr} TTpoaOe rd BrjfxiOTrXrjOrj 
 fiolpa XaTrd^et Trpo? to ^iaiov. 
 oiov fJbr) Tt<i ciya 
 Oeodev KV€(^d(Tr) Trporvirev aro- 
 fiiov fjLeya T/oota? 
 arparwOkv. ockm yap eiri- 
 
 135 
 
 134. TTpOadeTCL. 
 
 that the enterprise would take a long 
 time. I do not apprehend the grounds 
 on which it is denied (Housman, y. r/n'I. 
 XVI. p. 7^2) that according to that story 
 of the siege which Aeschylus followed 
 the besieging army was reduced to the 
 last straits before the final success. See 
 
 ^- 343- 
 
 136 — 144. A further suggestion from 
 the portent. The cruel feast of the eagles 
 is an offence against the kindly law of 
 Nature, represented by Artemis EiXeldvia 
 the patroness of the young and of preg- 
 nancy. The seer therefore cannot but 
 recall that ' the house of the eagles ', which 
 is being interpreted 'of the Atridre', has 
 affronted the same power by another un- 
 natural banquet (the Thyestean feast) ; 
 and he forebodes disaster from this source. 
 The allusion is naturally guarded, but 
 comes out more clearly below (v. 158 
 ffirevSofi^va Ovcriav erepav (a second) 
 dvofj.6v TLv doaiTov. The prophet fears 
 that the old sin may be made to ' breed 
 another like itself according to the doc- 
 trine of V. 755. — The question here, as 
 excellently put by Paley, is ' how Calchas 
 infers the anger of the goddess against 
 the Atridse from the destruction of a 
 hare by the eagles, unless the Atridie 
 had already committed some crime, of 
 which that destruction was the symbol ? ' 
 I suggest the above as the answer. — 
 Sophocles (£/. 566) gives another account 
 of the matter : Agamemnon had offended 
 Artemis by killing a sacred doe. With 
 this we are not directly concerned, but 
 the change is interesting in itself. The 
 sin is thus small, so that Agamemnon, as 
 
 136. OTtt. 
 
 is necessary from the point of view of the 
 FAedra, is not gravely compromised, 
 while such as it is it is personal to 
 himself, so that we are not driven to the 
 characteristic doctrine of this play, that 
 one man's sin tends to produce sin in 
 others. 
 
 136. a^a Hermann. Only tnay no 
 divine displeasure fore-smite and overcloud 
 the gathering of the host, luhose might 
 should bridle Troy. The full construction 
 would be TO ffrofiiov fj-iya Tpo/as (TTparu- 
 Oev, (TTparwdiv, literally ' that which is 
 assembled (as) a mighty curb of Troy, in 
 the moment when it is assembled '. The 
 words oT6/atoj'...Tpoias are a further pre- 
 dicate to arpoLTudiv, and would in prose 
 be represented by a dependent clause, 
 IVa arbp-LOv yiv-qrai t^s T/ooicts. It is this 
 which permits the collision of metaphors 
 in KV€(pa.ari aro/Mov : in thought the meta- 
 phors do not touch, for what is really 
 ' over-clouded ' is not the ' bridle ' but i) 
 <XTp6.TU3(jLs, the gathering of the host. 
 Nevertheless the juxtaposition is bold 
 and more in the manner of Pindar. — 
 (TTpaTwBcv means ' in the camp at Aulis ' 
 before departure (Hermann : translating 
 crrpaTOvcrdat in castris esse, which is 
 substantially though not quite formally 
 right). — irpoTvir^v 'smitten beforehand, 
 too soon '. 
 
 139. ol'Ka>...KV(rl iraTpos: ry oIkuj 
 rCov KvvC)v Atos schol. For the two da- 
 tives of relation, one in effect a possessive, 
 
 see Theb. 167 (rrpaTc^ irvpy-qpovfiivd 
 
 iroKei, 621 iriipyoii ...xOovl and notes 
 there. — Note the emphasis on otntfi, 
 which marks that the speaker refers to a 
 
AfAMEMNfiN. 
 
 (f)dovo<i "ApT€fii<; dyva 
 
 TTTavoiaiv Kval 7raTpo<;, 
 
 avroroKOV irpo X6')(^ov 
 
 fioryepav inaKa Ovofikvoiaiv' 
 
 cnvyei Se BetTTVov alerwv. 
 
 aiXivov atXivov elire, ro 8 ev viKaTO). 
 
 Toa-a-cov irep ev(f)p(ov, KoXd, 
 
 BpoaoKTiv dk'inot,<i fxaXepwv eovTcov 
 
 147. dATrroij. 6vtcj}v. 
 
 15 
 
 140 
 
 
 hereditary, not a personal, offence in the 
 . Atridce. — oiKTifj (Scaliger) would never 
 have been suggested, had it been perceived 
 that all this passage refers to the Thyestean 
 feast and the consequent curse upon the 
 Aouse of Atreus. 
 
 142. w/io sacrifice a poor trcmhling 
 creatm-e luith all her zinborn young. 0vo- 
 (icvouri. The middle form dvo/xai, signi- 
 fying properly ' to sacrifice for one's 
 purpose' or 'with a certain ulterior ob- 
 ject ', is technical for sacrifices of divina- 
 tion. (See L. and Sc. s. v.) It is 
 applied therefore naturally to the act of 
 the eagles, as Calchas expounds it. But 
 in dvofj-ivoiai, as in ot/cy and again in 
 Seiirvov, the type and antitype are mixed 
 together. The 'house', the 'sacrifice', 
 and the ' banquet ' (5e?7rj'oj', a word 
 proper to men, not animals, and applied 
 to the Thyestean Feast in v. 1601) are 
 really those of the Atridae and of Atreus. 
 — irrdKa used not merely as a synonym 
 ofKayws, but in its full sense (see irrriffaco). 
 — The use of the singular here is no 
 evidence that there was but one hare 
 (see above). Whether there was one or 
 two, the singular in this generic descrip- 
 tion is rhetorically necessary. The wicked- 
 ness lay in killing a pregnant mother, 
 not in killing two animals. 
 
 144. Seiirvov altTcov : sucA a banquet 
 of eagles. So we must render it to give 
 the full effect. akTuv, being superfluous 
 (for the possessive ' their ' would be 
 supplied from the context), is necessarily 
 
 emjihatic. ' The l)anquet ' (see preceding 
 note) was fit only for creatures of prey. 
 
 146 — 152. An appeal to the goddess 
 not to interfere with the fulfilment of the 
 portent sitch as it is. The portent, it is 
 noted, does not promise unmixed good, 
 but only good with evil, a victory after 
 much suffering (see w. 131— 135), so 
 that her displeasure may be satisfied 
 without delaying the fleet and so caus- 
 ing the horrible sacrifice of Iphigenia. 
 — To'(r<rwv an ' epic ' form : roaov recc. 
 See Appendix D. — KaXa: fair one. The 
 invocation is propitiatory, like the t3 KixKi 
 and (hyaBi of common conversation. Sidg- 
 wick and Wecklein also punctuate thus. 
 CO K-oXd Weil, d /caXd (recc.) is merely 
 a bad conjecture. 
 
 147. 8p6(rowriv imitated, according to 
 the schol., from tpaai {lambs) in Od. 9. 
 222. If so, it is an odd specimen of a 
 poet's science, ipcx-q a lamb and ipai) or 
 epari deiv have probably no connexion; 
 but Aeschylus apparently took ipa-q a 
 lamb to mean properly 'that which is 
 dropped' and extended the analogy to 
 dpoaos. Cf. i5w\ia for ddXa/xos bower, a 
 parallel case, in Theb. 442. — cUtttois 
 rough, uncouth, from the stem 'iir-, pri- 
 marily 'that which cannot be handled, or 
 dealt with' (see W. Leaf on 'iirnv and 
 HetxOai in J. Phil. XIV. 231). Hermann 
 rightly defends this word against pro- 
 posed change. — M has aiXwrois but its 
 archetype had ol^wtois, like f, as is proved 
 by the schol. to M, which explains not 
 
i6 
 
 AISXYAOY 
 
 irdvTfov T dypovoficov (piXofjbaarot'i 
 Orjpcov o^piKoKoiat repirva, 
 TovTcov aiTet ^v/jL^oXa Kpdvai • 
 Se^cd fiev KaTd/xop,(j)a 8e 
 (pda/jLara arpovOcov. 
 irjtov he KoXeo) YiaLciva, 
 
 150 
 
 d^TTTOts but d^TTTots. — lovTwv : see Appen- 
 dix D. — \ebvT03v Stanley, from Etym. 
 Mag. 377 A((rxI^^os iv 'A'yaixiiJ.vovi roiis 
 ffKtj/J.vovf rQiv \e6vTuv dpdcrovs KiKXrjKe. 
 
 149. Tepirvd sweet, delightful, because 
 kindly; nom. fem. — If taken as a neuter 
 with the next clause it spoils the emphasis. 
 
 150. Still thou art prayed, seeing 
 what this portent is, to permit ati answer- 
 ing accomplishment, a cumbrous version, 
 but we cannot with much less effect what 
 the Greek does simply by throwing the 
 emphasis on Toirwn, and thus giving it a 
 predicative force, ' this, being what it is '. 
 — |v|iPoXa : any two things which tally 
 are ^vfx^oXa to each other; here the 
 event is to tally with the sign, in which 
 case, it is suggested, the goddess should 
 be satisfied, because Se^ia fiiv (earL) Kard- 
 jj.ofi(pa 8k (pdafiara. — alrtt: for the passive 
 see Thuc. 2. 97 koL al'crx'oi' -qv ahrjdivTa 
 /iTj Zovvai 7} alTTiaavra firj rvx^^f, and 
 L. and Sc. s. v. As used here it has 
 exactly the same effect as in English. 
 The speaker does not put his request 
 directly but pleads that it is reasonable. 
 — 8e|id |i€V ktX., as an explanatory 
 comment on tovtuv (see above), has 
 naturally no conjunction. — The difficulties 
 and conjectures made here seem to arise 
 (i) from not perceiving that alrei is 
 passive, (2) from mis-joining 8e^ia...<TTpov- 
 6wv to the previous sentence. 
 
 152. «})d<r(j.aTa <rTpov6wv, the portents 
 of the birds, i.e. the omen obtained by 
 the eagles (see 6voixivoi(n), or in plain 
 language, by the Atrid?e, in whose name 
 he appeals. For the sense of the genitive 
 see Eur. ^/. 710 rvpavpuf <paafj.aTa,where 
 the T\jpavvoi are Atreus and Thyestes (so 
 that the use may well be a reminiscence) 
 
 and the (pdcrfia is the golden lamb. — 
 ffTpovOGiv is generally declared (after Per- 
 son) corrupt, on grounds which I cannot 
 help thinking wholly unsubstantial, (i) 
 The metre, it is assumed, must be dactylic. 
 But as the passage is not strophic, the 
 metre is really unknown. There is 
 nothing unrhythmical in the text. (2) 
 ffrpovOos, since it meant a sparrow, could 
 not mean ati eagle. The same argument 
 would prove that it could not mean an 
 ostrich or a dove. The variety of its 
 meanings shows that originally it meant 
 simply 'a bird', and like other synony- 
 mous words, was variously limited in 
 various places. Here we find it in its 
 proper sense. (3) The insertion of 
 (TTpovduv is easily accounted for by re- 
 collection of the somewhat similar story 
 about the serpent and the birds ((Trpovdoi) 
 in Homer (//. 2. 311). The likelihood 
 of this we need not criticize. If the word 
 could not be genuine here, we might 
 enquire whence it came, but till that is 
 shown, the fact that it might have been 
 inserted is immaterial. The derivation 
 itself seems far-fetched. 
 
 153. Btet oh, in the tiame of the 
 Healing God, do not thou etc. The 
 appeal is still to Artemis, who is en- 
 treated to remember her near connexion 
 with Apollo the God of Mercy. T«i|T| 
 2nd pers. subj. from eTev^a/xrju (for the 
 form see L. and Sc. s. v.) not 3rd pers, 
 from irev^a. The middle voice has the 
 same force as in cnrevdofx^va. — This was 
 the ancient interpretation (w "Apre/xi, 
 schol. on 156, does not imply the reading 
 T€6^7]s as Hermann infers) and seems 
 preferable in feeling to the recent view 
 that Apollo is asked to prevent the in- 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 17 
 
 /i^ Tijm<; avTiTTVOovi 
 Aavaoc<i xpovia<; e'>^ev7)i8a<i 
 
 cr7revSo/ii€va Overlap 
 
 erepav dvofiov tiv\ nSatrov. 
 
 veiKecov TeKTova av/n(f>vTOv, 
 
 ov Secarjvopa. /xtfivei 
 
 yap (f)o^epd 7ra\ivopTO<; 
 
 oiKoi/6/j,o<i 8o\ia, 
 
 fivd/jiO)v fijjvi<; reKi'oiroivo'i. 
 
 TOidSe Ka'X^a? ^vv 
 
 /xeynXoi^ dyaOoi'i n7reK\ay^ev 
 
 fiopaifi d'TT opvidoiv 
 
 o8i(ov o'lKoi'i ySacrtXe/of 9 • 
 
 T0l<i O O/uLOCpMVOV 
 
 alXiiov a'lXivov elnre, to 8' ev vLKarw. 
 
 165. dwiK\ai^ev. 
 
 155 
 
 160 
 
 165 
 
 tention of Artemis. Moreover on such a 
 point, if any, ancient tradition should be 
 respected. 
 
 154. Tivas, 156 Tiva: the vagueness 
 of foreboding. 
 
 157. (nr€v8o|ieva the reflexive form 
 (for thyself), not (TtrevSovaa, because the 
 ultimate object would not be the death of 
 the victim but the satisfaction of Artemis' 
 wrath. — 6vcrCav «repav: that of Iphigenia. 
 — aSaiTov: that may not, like an ordinary 
 lawful sacrifice, be partaken of. 
 
 159. vciKcwv T€KTova <rv |A<j)VTo V : a 
 very difficult and obscure phrase, literally 
 ' inbred maker of hatred ', or maker of 
 hatred in the very flesh. Some (as Weck- 
 lein) render it by 'creator of hatred be- 
 tween near friends', Stifler von Hader 
 unter den Angehorii^vn, i.e. the husband 
 and wife, Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra, 
 comparing .Soph. Ant. 794 veiKos avipdv 
 ^waiixov. This would be simple according 
 to Greek habit of expression, if husband 
 and wife were called (Tvfx<f>vToi, which 
 however does not appear to be ascertained. 
 If this is the meaning, as I incline to 
 think, it must be based on some such 
 
 mystic use of the word, not now traceable. 
 The examples given in L. and Sc. s, w. 
 avij.(t>i)Tos, (TvfKptJu), especially the Platonic 
 examples, will show that it is not un- 
 likely. — clinging, inseparal>/e (Faley, Her- 
 mann, Klausen) comes to the same thing 
 by a slightly different road. 
 
 160. ov 8eio-i]vopa rebelling against 
 the hushand : by a bold figure the act of 
 sacrifice, personified, is treated as a living 
 agent, and takes the qualities of the true 
 agent (the wife) who carries out the effect 
 of it. The language is of course inten- 
 tionally obscure. It is the language of 
 prophecy, fully intelligible only in the 
 light of the event. — (a£(av.€i : the subject is 
 still the living crime, embodied in the 
 avenging wife and mother. 
 
 165. air€KXa7|€V (recc.) tiiro: the pre- 
 position depends on ixopaip-a, 'predictions 
 deduced from'. — The foregoing ejiode has 
 been largely remodelled by recent critics 
 (especially in vv. 150 — 163) upon metrical 
 assumptions, which seem to me extremely 
 unsafe in dealing with a piece of recita- 
 tive not strophic in character. 
 
 V. ^. A. 
 
i8 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 Zev<i — oo-Tt9 ttot' eaTiV, el to8' av- 
 
 T& (f)tK0V K€K\7]fl6V(i), 
 
 TOVTO Viv TTpocrevveTTCo. 
 ovK e^o) TrpoaeiKacrai, 
 TTcivT iiricTTaO/jico/xevo'i 
 irXrjv ^i6<i, el to ficLTav 
 airo <f>povTi8o<; a')(6o'i 
 
 t68€. 
 
 arp. a . 1 70 
 
 175 
 
 i7,v 
 
 r 70. The narrative at this point comes 
 face to face with a mystery, upon which 
 the poet pauses. How shall the religious 
 mind explain to itself such an event as 
 the sacrifice of Iphigenia? On the one 
 hand Agamemnon received divine warn- 
 ing against it ; on the other hand he was 
 fearfully tempted to commit it, and this 
 by divine act and in consequence of sin 
 not his own. Why should guilt he visited, 
 as it is, beyond the guilty? Why does 
 the Divinity permit, nay, sometimes seem 
 to bring about, the evil which he de- 
 nounces? In the last resort we can 
 answer these questions only 'by casting 
 off the burden of vanity in the name of 
 the Almighty' (v. 175), that is, in the 
 language of later theology, by faith. So 
 much however we see, that evil itself is 
 an instrument of moral discipline, per- 
 haps the only possible, and, if so, a mercy 
 after all (v. 192). Religious tradition 
 shadows forth such a doctrine, when it 
 tells us on the one hand that there is one 
 Power over all, and on the other hand 
 that this Power itself has been developed 
 out of a struggle, and that the present 
 order of things stands upon the ruin of 
 previous experiments. Thus does Aeschy- 
 lus spiritualize the uncouth legends of the 
 ancient cosmogony with its strange suc- 
 cession of brutal deities. — The structure 
 of the passage, though simple, is not 
 perfectly continuous. Zei)j in v. 170 is 
 the projected subject to the statement 
 'Zeus has decreed that wisdom should 
 come by experience', but this statement 
 is deferred, in order to set forth the 
 
 legends and suggest the point of view 
 from which they are to, be regarded, and 
 finally appears (v. 186) in a slightly 
 modified shape. 
 
 170. 'Zeus — meaning thereby that 
 unknown Power, whose pleasure it is to 
 be so called '. aiurco emphatic, /0 him- 
 self. 
 
 173. oiuK ?x" irpocrfiKatroi . . . itXtiv 
 Aios literally ' I can make no other 
 guess for the purpose but Znis ' i. e. I 
 can think of no other to trust, but in the 
 one Almighty is my only resource. wpoG- 
 eiKai^io here is not 'to compare', or 'liken 
 to', but 'to conjecture with a view to' 
 the purpose explained in t'v. 175 — 177. — 
 ' I can liken none but Zeus to Zeus ' 
 (Wecklein). This is nearly the same, 
 but leaves the dependence of el kt\. 
 somewhat obscure. 
 
 174. iravT £7n(rTa6[iw|X€vos, in deep 
 pondering upon all things. iravTa the 
 ■universe as in Eur. Med. 4 1 1 h'lKa koX 
 irdvTa TrdXiv (npicpeTai nature and the 
 ■universe are turned upside do^vn, where 
 see note.^liri- over and over. 
 
 I'jc,. TO iidrav a\6os the Inn-den ''in 
 vain ', that is, the burden, in the language 
 of The Preacher, of ' vanity ', the oppres- 
 sive sense of futility which must ac- 
 company a belief that the moral problem 
 of the world is insoluble. — to Pauw. 
 
 177. €TT)Tv|iws in the fullest sense. 
 As to the use here of this ' etymological ' 
 term, and the light which it may throw 
 on the source, from which Aeschylus drew 
 the form of his thought, I have written 
 in Appendix II. to my edition of the 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 19 
 
 -X^prj ^aXeiv eT7}TV/jb(o<i. 
 ovS" ocTTt? irdpoidev rjv fxe<ya<;, 
 7rafj,fj,d^(p dpdcret ^pvcov, 
 01/8' iXey^erat irplu aiv, 
 09 8' €7reiT €<pv, rpca- 
 KTripo<i ot^erac tv^cov. 
 Zrjva Se rt? 7rpo(f>p6vco<i 
 itriVLKia K\d^a)v 
 rev^erac (ppevcov roirciv' 
 rov (fypovelv ySpoToi)? 68(6- 
 (Tavra tm irdOei ixn6o<i 
 devra KvpiQ)<; e^etr. 
 
 180. ovSev \i^aL. 184. KXdj'wc. 
 
 St'vcn Against Thchcs. A reference to 
 that place will be sufiicient, for the 
 etymological origin of the thought, even 
 if it be, as I think, certainly traceable, 
 has little effect on the present application 
 of it. 
 
 178 — 185. According to Greek tra- 
 dition Zeus and the dynasty of Zeus 
 were the third in succession to supreme 
 power, having expelled Kronos, father of 
 Zeus (os eitiiT i<t>v), who had expelled 
 his father Ouranos (^aris irapoiOev rjv). 
 Aeschylus, relieving the legend of its 
 grotesque details, reproduces it so as to 
 mark the two points which he requires, 
 that there is a Supreme Ruler, and that 
 he won his position by a contest. 
 
 178. ocTTis vague, 'he, whate'er he 
 was, who '. This earliest power has 
 almost ceased to be discernible even in 
 tradition. 
 
 179. iraiincCxw victorious: but the 
 word is used, like TpiaKTr]p and ewivlKia, 
 to sustain the metaphor from gymnastic 
 contests : Tra/x/zaxoj was specially as- 
 sociated with the nay- KpcLTiov (see I., and 
 .Sc. s. v.). — ppvcdv. /SpiJoj to teem, to 
 sprout describes generally richness and 
 fullness of life and is here ajiplied to 
 animal vigour : cf. the metaphor of the 
 sap in V. 77. 
 
 180. ov8* tXeY^fTai irplv u)'v (Margo- 
 
 180 
 
 185 
 arp. /3'. 
 
 1 85. rb irav. 
 
 liouth) 7i'ill scarce he proved to have once 
 been, literally ' will not so much as be 
 proved ', an expressive phrase f(jr destruc- 
 tion which has left no trace. — wv : imperfect 
 participle. — This seems the best restora- 
 tion suggested. It is as near to the MS. 
 as oiIS^ X^^eroLi (the error having probably 
 arisen through the spelling^ ovdeXev^erai) 
 and better in sense. 
 
 181. TpiaKTrJpos properly a wrestler 
 who throws his opponent three times, 
 thus winning the victory. .See £um. 
 
 18.^—185. But lie that by forecast 
 giveth titles of victory to Zeus, shall be 
 right in the guess of his thought, or, if 
 KXa^wv be read 'he that singeth the 
 hymn of victory to Zeus '. In plain 
 words ' Zeus' power may be trusted in 
 air. See Appendix E. 
 
 186—188. Who leadeth men to under- 
 standing tmder this laiu, that they learn 
 a truth by the suffering of it. This is 
 one sentence, in which 68io<ravTa is the 
 principal verb and Oevra a subordinate 
 participle, equivalent to 6s i!i8(j}(Te...6eh 
 kt\. — 68to(ravTa : gnomic aorist. — In the 
 second and properly particijual clause, 
 the emphasis is on ry wdOei, constructed 
 as instrumental with /xddos. The whole 
 phrase tuj irdOei fxaOos is the subject of 
 Kvplwi ^x^"' ''" ''''' established. — t6v...65u)- 
 
 2—2 
 
20 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 (Travel B\ evO' vttvm, irpo Kaphla<i 
 
 Kat Trap a/covTa<i rjXOe (raxfypoveiv. 
 Baifiovoov Be irov %<^/3t'? l3caico<{ 
 aiX/xa aefivov yfievav. 
 
 i8q. ^v 6' virvw. 
 
 190 
 
 aavTa, rbv ...Oivra Schiitz, a mistaken 
 change, though attractive at first sight 
 and followed in many texts. The clause 
 rhv . . .bdwcravTOL, if taken as a separate 
 proposition, is irrelevant ; the point is 
 not that Zeus teaches mankind, but that 
 he has imposed upon them one universal 
 condition of learning. Moreover the 
 removal of the article from t^ iradei 
 obscures and has in fact made unintel- 
 ligible the connexion and construction of 
 the following sentence. See next note. 
 
 189 — 191. For it bleeds, cohere it lies 
 dorjiiaiit, and its ache keeps before the 
 viiiid the Die^nory of the hurt ; and so 
 wisdom co?nes to them withont their will. 
 The admonitory recollection of experience 
 is compared to a wound which long 
 afterwards will ache at times and even 
 break out again, reminding the sufferer 
 of the original hurt. The comparison 
 would suggest itself even more naturally 
 under the rude life and rude surgery of 
 ancient times. The subject to o-Tci^ti is 
 rh TrdOos (as is clear if ry irdOei be 
 retained in the preceding clause) which 
 passes in the metaphor into the restricted 
 sense of a hurt : cf. Enm. 499 iroWa. 
 TraiddrpuTa irdOea. — irovos stands in ap- 
 position to the subject. — irpi KapSias 
 depends upon nvqaiir-qtuav. — 2v0' iiirvw 
 literally luherever it sleeps, i.e. wherever 
 there is such a dormant hurt, hirvi^ 
 is the Doric contraction for virvb-rj (or for 
 hirvbei indicative). The intransitive use 
 of v-Kvbu3 is Homeric, but like many other 
 archaic forms and usages does not appear 
 in prose until after the best age. It is 
 possible also to construe in the same 
 sense the reading kv & virvi^ (supplying 
 
 (cttI), but the sentence is then cumbrous. 
 — The language here is all taken from the 
 poetical vocabulary of medicine, and may 
 be illustrated from the Philoctetcs and 
 elsewhere. For sto^uv to ooze, break out 
 see Phil. 7(83 crrafei yap av (polviov rbde... 
 K-qKiov aifia : and for the application of 
 the word to that from which the flowing 
 comes see Cho. 1056 i^ bfifiriTuv crTai^ovcriv 
 atfia Svff(pi\h. For the metaphor of 
 sleep applied to a dormant pain which 
 ceases and recurs see Phil. 649 (pvWov y 
 Koifiu! t65' ^\kos: for irbvos pain, ache 
 Phil. 637 Ko.ipio'i aiTovbr\ Trbuov X-^^am-os: 
 for TTTJ/jLa inf. 841 Soph. Ai. 582 to/aQv 
 ■n-rj/xa a hurt that needs the knife. See 
 further L. and Sc. s. w. — This passage 
 is commonly treated as deeply corrupt 
 and corrected violently, but only, I think, 
 in consequence of the erroneous assump- 
 tion that the {Ittvos is that of the sufferer. 
 On this assumption nothing can be made 
 of it.- — dCKOvras without their will rather 
 than against their 7vill, cLkuv being merely 
 the negative of e/cwc. So d^Xovd Slkovti 
 KoivwveL KaKwu take willingly thy part of 
 suffering with him luho hath no zoill 
 (Theb. 1024). The point here is not so 
 much that men will not be wise as that 
 except through suffering they perhaps 
 could not. 
 
 192 — -193. And it is perhaps a mercy 
 from a Deity who cai?ie by struggle to his 
 majestic seat. The subject is still wados, 
 suffering regarded as a discipline. — ^laCws 
 i][i.cv(ov: 'to be seated by force' has two 
 possible meanings, (i) 'to have taken a 
 seat by force ' (2) 'to have been forced to 
 take a seat' ('to sit in might' is of course 
 impossible). Here the context decides 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 21 
 
 Kul Tod^ Tiye/iioov o irpe- 
 crjSvi v€MV Wy^auKWVy 
 fjbdvTiv ovTLva ylrejcov, 
 ifiTraioL'i rv')(aLaL avfiiTvewv, 
 €VT dirXoia Kevay- 
 yel /SapvvovT 'A^att«o<? Xeoo? 
 
 
 for the first meaning. — 8ai,|xdv(ov. The 
 plural must not be pressed, and is in fact 
 not correctly represented by a plural in 
 English. Zeus only is in view, but the 
 plural indicates (as usual) that the char- 
 acter or position rather than the person 
 is described. — Note carefully the emphasis 
 on 8aiiJ.6vui>. The point is that heaven 
 as well as earth is under the general law. 
 This is the moral, or rather part of the 
 moral, which the poet draws from the 
 legendary theology which he has given 
 in outline. The necessity of suffering 
 as a discipline is perhaps taught by the 
 tradition that the Deity itself has known 
 progression and that ' Zeus ' did not 
 reign till he had first overcome. — Weck- 
 lein reads this sentence as a rhetorical 
 question (irov...r)/xivuv;) which the MS. 
 equally admits: "und nirgendazeigt sich 
 Gnade der Gotter, die mit Gewalt das 
 Steuerruder lenken ". This makes it a 
 protest against the divine cruelty instead 
 of an acknowledgment of the divine 
 mercy. The context points, I think, the 
 other way. — (r€\|iia the metaphor is per- 
 haps from place in a ship (cf. v. 1615) ; 
 v\j/l^vyos yap 6 Z(vs schol. see Hom. //. 
 8. 69 (Wecklein). But the use of (xe'K/xa 
 does not necessarily imply this. 
 
 194—227. The story is resumed, and 
 proceeds in one sweeping period to the 
 sacrifice of Iphigenia, the circumstances 
 of which suggested the foregoing paren- 
 thesis. Kal t6t« so on that occasion etc. 
 ilY^jjMDV 6 irpco-pvs. The substance of 
 the sentence here commenced is this, 
 ' Agamemnon, in spite of the divine 
 warning, resolved in the end to slay his 
 child'. The verb comes in z'. 215 (efTre), 
 where after long preliminary clauses, the 
 
 main sentence is resumed with a 5^, and 
 for more clearness the subject is repeated 
 almost in the same words, <xvo.t, 6 irplafivi. 
 196 — 197: remembering that a prophet is 
 not to blame (for his message) and bending 
 to the buffets of fortune. The old men, 
 though unable to excuse the king's crime, 
 make the best of his case, and give to his 
 acquiescence this courteous turn. |J.dvTiv 
 ovTiva »|/€Ywv literally ' blaming no pro- 
 phet', embracing this particular case under 
 the general rule. It may be guessed that 
 Aeschylus has in view the petulant and 
 unprincely denunciations, which Homer, 
 with the feelings of a simpler time, puts 
 in the mouth of the ' king of men ' : 
 yJwTi kixkSiv, oii ttu} irori /xol t6 Kprjyvof 
 etiras. alei toi to, ko-k tarl <pi\a (ppeffl 
 /xavTevea-Oai etc. (Agamemnon to Calchas. 
 //. I. 106. Wecklein also compares this 
 passage, and observes that such opposi- 
 tion would have been more in place at 
 Aulis). — <rv|Ji7rv€'wv : the metaphor seems 
 to be taken, by contrast, from the act of 
 struggling against the wind. There is no 
 exact parallel now extant, but from the 
 manner of use here it must be supposed 
 to have been once common and popular. — 
 €|i.-ira(ois : a unique and obscure word, 
 perhaps to be connected with valu 
 {e/xTrac(TaaaLS schol.). The position shows 
 that it is emphatic and contains the point 
 of the phrase ; seemingly ' disposed to 
 yield to fortune as it might strike '. 
 Wecklein refers the metaphor to the 
 beating of waves upon a ship. 
 
 198. K€va7-y6£. As an ancient army 
 depended almost entirely on foraging for 
 provisions, to be detained on their own 
 shore threatened starvation. 
 
22 
 
 AIZXYAOY 
 
 ^uXkIBo^; irepav 'e-)(wv iraXippo- 
 
 6oi<; €V At'X/So? TOTTOt?' 
 
 TTVoal 8' airo '^rpvfiovo^; /uio\ov(rai 
 
 KUKOcr^oXoi, i/?;crTt869, 8vaop/jt,OL, 
 
 ^poTwv aXai, 
 
 vaoov Koi TreLCTfidrcov d(f)eiBei^, 
 
 iraXififiyjKr} ■y^povov rcdelaai 
 
 Tpl^fp Kare^aivov dv- 
 
 6o<i ^Apj€LO)v' eVet Se koi 
 
 TTLKpov ')(etiJbaTO<i dWo ^rj-^ap 
 
 ^pidvrepop irpofiOLcnv 
 
 fidvra eK\ay^€ Trpo(})€po)p 
 
 ^Aprefxiv, oiaTe yQova ^dKTpoi^ 
 
 iiriKpovaavra'i ^ArpeiSa^i 
 
 BdKpv fjirj Karaa-^elv' — 
 
 dva^ h" 6 7rp€a/3u<; res' eine (fxovwv' 
 
 /3ap€ia [x,ev Krjp to (xi) inOeadai, 
 
 200 
 
 err p. 7 ■ 
 
 205 
 
 210 
 
 avT. 7 . 215 
 
 ■207. Kari^evov (ai m). 
 
 203. vTJcTTtSts hungry, because they 
 make to hunger. 
 
 204. PpoTwv aXai doubtful. Mr 
 Housman would refer this 6.\y\ to the 
 stem of dXe'co to grind, and render it by 
 tribulation. This gives a perfectly simple 
 sense and is very attractive, although the 
 known derivatives of this stem seem to 
 be literal only not metaphorical. That 
 this dXij should coexist with ixK-t\ wander- 
 ing, itself extremely rare and only poetical, 
 is quite likely. — Those who take fiXai here 
 to mean wandering, explain it as meaning 
 that the winds make the men wander, 
 either literally in search of forage, or 
 metaphorically in their minds, i.e. drive 
 them mad. But both explanations seem 
 highly artificial. (Wecklein slightly modi- 
 fies this last ' Irrsal fUr die Menschen, 
 well der fortdauernde Wind Befangenheit 
 des Kopfes erzeugt '.) 
 
 205 — 208. On the metre see Appen- 
 dix II. veQiv Pauw, re koX Porson. 
 
 208. tirtl: the subordinate clause 
 commenced at eSre (z/. 198) takes a fresh 
 start. 
 
 216. wiideffdai. 
 
 211. ^KX-a-y^e : for the tone of this 
 word see on v. 184, Appendix E. — The 
 lengthening of e before irp- is epic. 
 ^KXay^eif Porson. — -n-po<f>«pb)v "AprejAiv 
 ' putting forward Artemis ', i.e. citing her 
 demands as his reason and defence. See 
 L. and S. s. v. 
 
 215. S\. See on z'. 194. for t68' 
 Stanley tot. The adverb would be 
 effective as resuming the previous rare in 
 V. 194. For rode see t/. 418 (Wecklein). 
 — €lir€ (f>ci>v<>)v ' spake in words ', or ' with 
 articulate voice' (the proper meaning of 
 (j}wvuiv), as contrasted with the 'unchecked 
 tears ' of the previous verse, in English 
 
 found voice and said. That this is the 
 meaning (and not 'spake and said' i.e. 
 ' said ') is shown by the tense of the 
 l)articiple ((pwvLov not (puvrja-as) and still 
 more clearly by its emphatic position. 
 
 216. TO p,i] iriOe'o-Sai (Turnebus) to 
 re/use obedience is more pointed than to 
 p.i) ireiOeo-Bai to hold out, and is favoured 
 though not absolutely required by the 
 metre. The MS. does not effectually 
 distinguish them. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 23 
 
 ^apeia 8\ el 
 
 reKvov Sai^o), So/jLwv ayaXfia, 
 fiiaivcov irapdeuoa-^dyoKTtv 
 peeOpoa Trarpcoov; %€pa9 
 /Scofiov 7re'X,a9. rl roovS^ avev 
 KaKwv; TTw? XiiTovavi yevw/juai 
 ^u/i/ia^ia? a/xaprcov; 
 iravaavefjbov ^ap 6ucrLa^ 
 irapOevLov 6^ aifiaToi; opya 
 Trepiop'yw'i, iinOvixetv 
 Oifii';. ev yap elrj. 
 iirel 8' dvdy/ca^ eSv Xeirahvov 
 ^pevo^ irveoiv hvcrcre^Pi TpoTralav 
 dvayvov, dvlepov, rodev 
 TO iravTOToKpLov (fypovelv fxereyvco. 
 /SpoToa Opaavvei yap ala-^^^po/jirjTL^ 
 raXatva irapaKOTrd 7rp(ji}T07rr//j,(ov. 
 '222. Ti Tras \«r6i'ai/(rre(text h). 
 
 220 
 
 225 
 
 (TTp 
 
 .8' 
 
 230 
 
 232. ppOTOlS. 
 
 220. pts'dpois pronounced peiOpot.s and 
 so written in h. — On tiie metre see Ap- 
 pendix II. 
 
 222. irws Y€vw|i,ai; 'how can I be?' 
 i.e. 'how can I bear to be?' 
 
 224 — 226. /(?;■ Mgcr is their craving 
 that to stay the winds her virgin blood 
 should be offered up, and loell they may 
 desire it. — op^a (see opyaui) has for subject 
 avfJ-fiaxi-a, and takes the dependent geni- 
 tives according to rule. — €iri0v[A6iv 8«'|ais 
 hterally 'it being permissible that they 
 should desire it'. The use in this clause 
 of the weaker word (eiridv/xeii' as compared 
 with opydu) aids the intended point, ' they 
 crave it eagerly, and for desiring it can- 
 not be blamed', that is, their 'desire, 
 however keen, is not unreasonable '. 
 Agamemnon endeavours to persuade 
 himself that he yields from a sense of 
 duty. — For the absolute use of difXLs cf. 
 the similar use of XP^'«"'> ^ vvord parallel 
 in its uses throughout, e.g. ov XP^^" 
 apx^TE Thuc. 3. 40, and see L. and Sc. 
 s. V. — I suggest that this punctuation 
 and construction remove the objections 
 
 properly made \i Travaai.i.ivov...difj.i.% (ecrri) 
 be taken as one sentence, viz. (i) that 
 ewtdvfxeiv requires a pronominal subject to 
 show that the sentence is not general, 
 and (2) that dpya (dative of 6^717) irepi- 
 opyus eiriOvfidv is at once verbose and 
 feeble. For proposed changes see Weck- 
 lein Appendix. — TrepLopyQs Blomfield, as 
 from wepLopyris. Either form is correct, 
 and duplicate forms in both terminations 
 are common. 
 
 227. Y*P ^^''■'" (^^ot /or), in effect the 
 English 7oell. 
 
 230. t60£v ..|A€T£-Yvw /ro/u that mo- 
 ment he took to his heart nnfiinching 
 resolve. Constr. fi-eriyviis to iravToroXfiov 
 w(TT€ (ppoveiy avro. — fierayLyvuiffKU} here 
 has an ace. object of the feeling assumed, 
 not as more commonly of the feeling 
 quitted {/xeTayiyvdiaKeiv drav to repent 
 folly). 
 
 232 — 233. For to put faith in the 
 shedding of blood is an obstinate delusion, 
 whose base suggestion is the beginning of 
 sin, literally, ' for by bloodshed takes (or 
 ' gives ') confidence an obstinate delusion ', 
 
24 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 erXa 6' ovi> dvTi)p 
 
 lyeviadai Ovyarpo^, ffwaiKotrol- 
 
 vwv TToXeficov cipwydv 
 
 Kol TrporeXeia vadov. 
 
 \tTa<i 8e Kol KK7]86va<; irarpwovi 
 
 Trap ovh\v alQiva TrapOeveiov 
 
 235 
 
 dvT. S'. 
 240 
 
 etc. PpoTois: (instrumental dative) is 
 the plural (cf. aifxara) of the Homeric 
 word ppoTov lilood, as in Od. 24, 189 
 airovixj/avTes fieXava ^porov e| ureiXeuu. 
 The MS. gives the more familiar accen- 
 tuation from ^poTOS. — 9paeruv€i may be 
 taken either transitively (the object, tov 
 dpacrvvdfj.et'oy, being left to be understood, 
 as such a universal object often is in Greek, 
 Latin, English, and all languages), or in- 
 transitively, for which cf. Soph. £/. 916 
 ctW, (3 ^iXr), dapcrvve. The sense is the 
 same either way. — Note the position of 
 yap. The principal emphasis is on jSporois, 
 but there is also a joint emphasis on 
 /Spdrois Opaffvvei which are closely con- 
 nected together and distinguished, as 
 subject from predicate, from the rest of 
 the sentence. It is this which justifies the 
 place of the conjunction. See on T/tel>. 
 281 \evaT7Jpa Brjfiov 8' ovtl fx-^ <pvyri 
 fiopov. — TrapttKoird : the personified de- 
 lusion stands for those who entertain it. — 
 The sentence is directed against the 
 doctrine of a rude and barbarous religion 
 that the /dood of sacrifice is efficacious, 
 without respect to moral considerations. 
 Lucretius (i. 80 — loi) draws from the 
 story a like moral in his tantiim rcligio 
 pottiit suadere malornin, condemning 
 however rcligio in a much more sweep- 
 ing sense than Aeschylus intends. — 
 ^poTovs (Spanheim) is the common read- 
 ing, but is for many reasons not to be 
 accepted: for (i) it does not account for 
 the MS., (2) the emphasis on /3poToi)s has 
 no point, (3) there is then no excuse for 
 the position of yap, and (4) the sense is 
 incomplete, as there is nothing to show 
 what particular delusion is intended. 
 
 234. 8' oSv however, for good or ill. 
 
 235. Ov-yaTpos, "yvvaiKoiroCvwv. The 
 antithesis is significant ' the daughter 
 being a blood-relation, the wife a stranger' 
 (Sidgwick), and moreover exposes the 
 moral monstrosity of supporting a cause, 
 which rested on the sanctities of the 
 family, by an offence against those very 
 obligations. 
 
 236. dpw7dv in apposition to the action 
 (t6 0veii>) of the verb dvrrip yeveadai. 
 
 237. irpoTeXeia: see on vv. 65, 249, 
 and Lucretius [I.e.) 'non ut sollemni 
 more sacrorum perfecto posset (Iphi- 
 genia) claro comitari Hymenaeo, sed 
 casta inceste luibendi tempore in ipso 
 concideret '. 
 
 23S — 240: for her prayers and appeals 
 to her father, {mere) life-breath of a girl, 
 the spectators, eager for %var, cared not at 
 all. ppa^TJs this word, of uncertain 
 origin, seems to combine, like the Latin 
 arbiter, the meanings of judge and specta- 
 tor (Eur. Hel. 703, and see editor's note 
 on Eur. Med. 274), the fundamental sense 
 being probably luitness. Here it means 
 in full ' spectators on whom the decision 
 depended '. — aiwva irapOe'veiov. These 
 words, as their position shows, are re- 
 lated as an explanation to Trap' ovMv 
 ^OevTo. This forbids the corrections 
 aiujva irapdevewv t' (and her virgin life) 
 Elmsley, at'w re irapdiveiov (O. Miiller). 
 aiayfia jrapdeveiov (Karsten) is admissible. 
 But no change is required. That aiiova 
 should stand in apposition to Xtrds Kal 
 KXTjdofas seems unnatural to our ears only 
 because we (rightly as a matter of science) 
 connect aiwv (aifuip) life with aermin and 
 take it to mean time, life-time. But the 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 25 
 
 (f)p(iaev 8' d6^oi<; irarijp fier ev')(^dv 
 hiKav \t,fiaipa's virepOe ^o)fiov 
 TreirXoiai TreptTreT/} iravjl 6v/j,(p 
 irpovfOTTTJ Xa^elv 
 dipBijv, (TT6p.aT6<i re KaWtTrpu)- 
 
 245 
 
 Greek poets did not so limit it. They 
 associated it mainly with &riixi and d/w /0 
 breathe, and took it to mean properly 
 life-brcalh. Thus Euripides, guided prob- 
 ably by this and other similar phrases of 
 Aeschylus, actually wrote aviirvivatv 
 wLdva {fr. 787 Dindorf) drew breath, and 
 the same conception underlies many com- 
 mon phrases, such as i/'i'X''? '^<^' alihv, 
 ai(i)v necparai, aiiUfos ffrepeh', which ex- 
 clude altogether the idea of ' time '. See 
 also Eur. Phoett. 1532 h€^ov chv aiuva 
 ti4\eov, 6s e\/ceis fiaKpSirvovv ^oav, where 
 the two associations of ' time ' and 'breath ' 
 are subtly mingled. Thus aiwva irapOi- 
 veiov here exactly marks both the feeling 
 of the warriors and the cruelty of their 
 feeling.— For irapdivos as a term, from the 
 soldiers' view at the moment, of contempt, 
 cf. irapdevuTrds girl-faced Eur. El. 949 \iri 
 irapdevuirbs dWot rdudpeiov Tp6irov. 
 
 243. ireirXoKTi trtpitrtri] 7i>rappcd in 
 (ji,.e. wrapping herself in) her robes: con- 
 trast V. 249. — irpovwinfj : irpoveviVKviav 
 schol. beftt or bo7aed /onaard. — iravrl... 
 d^p8i]v variously interpreted : (i) drooping 
 in all her ioul (suggested by Paley). (2) 
 to raise unfalteringly the drooping maid 
 (Sidgwick and the majority); 'the order 
 of the words marks the sharp anti- 
 thesis; they were to be eager, she was 
 fainting with fear and grief (S.) (3) to 
 raise her bowed {over the altar) ' so as to 
 present her neck to the sacrificer' (Weck- 
 lein). None of these is quite satisfactory. 
 The order of the words TriTr\oiffi...irpo- 
 vuwrj strongly suggests that wavrl dv/xQ 
 refers to the victim, and in fact makes 
 any other interpretation seem artificial. 
 The supposed antithesis between iravTl 
 Ovfii^ and irpovuTrij (see Sidgwick) would 
 have been satisfied just as well by the 
 
 order irpovuvij Travri Ovfjii^, and this 
 order alone would be natural, if iravrl 
 Ovfiifi were constructed with Xa^eiv. This 
 points to (i); but tr povwirri^, which de- 
 scribes an attitude not a state of mind, 
 and irafTl dvfj.w, which elsewhere means 
 energetically, resolutely, will hardly bear 
 the interpretation required. On the other 
 hand (2) does not satisfy the order or the 
 sense of Tr/jofWTrTys, while (3) satisfies 
 Trpoi/wTPTjj but not the order, and moreover 
 the sacrificer would naturally strike the 
 throat, not the back of the neck (see the 
 sacrifice of Polyxena, Eur. Hec. 565 — 
 567, Xai/Mos euTpewris 65e and T^fivei irveO- 
 fiaros diappod^.) — I would suggest for 
 consideration the rendering desperately 
 bo-wed do7i<n : the victim, in an agony of 
 supplication, struggles with the energy of 
 despair to retain her attitude and not to 
 be raised into the posture for sacrifice 
 with the throat exposed. This satisfies 
 both order and words, and makes the 
 two phrases Tr^TrXotcri irepnreTTJ, ttuvtI 
 dv(ii^ TrpovuTTTJ parallel, as by their ar- 
 rangement they should be : both mark 
 the straggle of the victim. 
 
 245. Constr. <TT6iJ..-KaW.-<f)v\aKai> Ka- 
 raaxeiv <f>d6yyov k.t.\., literally 'and, by 
 way of guard upon her fair lips, they 
 should restrain ', etc. <j)vXaKdv is ace. in 
 apposition to the action, see dp()rydf, v. 
 236. It is unusual that an accusative of 
 this kind should stand before the verb 
 wliich it explains, but it seems to be so 
 meant here. Others construe <f>v\aKAv 
 Karaaxft" (pOoyyov as Theb. 277 fj.4pifj.vai 
 fwTTiipoCtri rdp^os rbv dfKpireixv Xew», 
 making the ace. arbfia depend on (pvXaKdv 
 KaTaffXftv to heep guard (Wecklein). Hut 
 against this is Karaa-xei" eheeh. — <pv\aKq^ 
 Blomfield, cuts the knot, but does not 
 
26 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 pov ^uXaKuv Karaa'^elv 
 
 <f>d6yyov cipalov otKoi<i 
 
 ^la '^aXcvMV t dvavSro nevei, 
 
 KpoKov ^a(f)d<i S' e? irehov ')(^eov(7a 
 
 e/3aX,X-' CKaarov Ovrrj- 
 
 pcov diT opLfxaro^ /3eX,ei 
 
 irpeirovad 6 o}<; iv ypa(f)ai<;, Trpoaevveireiv 
 OeXova , iirel 7roX\.dKL<i 
 7raTp6<i KUT dvhpoova<i evrpaire^ov^ 
 kjjbeX/^ev, dyva 8 dTavp(OTo<i auSd 
 TTUTpuf; (piXov TpiToairovhov eviroTfiov 
 
 256. d7i'a.ai;5a. 
 
 crrp. € ' 
 250 
 
 255 
 
 account for the text. — KaWiirpwpov. See 
 
 on Tkcli. 520. 
 
 248. pia...|jL£V€i This fine expression 
 takes special emphasis from its position in 
 the new strophe (Wecklein). 
 
 249. her robe of saffron, the dress of a 
 princess and a maiden. So Antigone 
 unties 'the saffron splendour of her robe' 
 (STo\iho% KpoKotaaav Tpv(pdv, Eur. Phoen. 
 1491 (Sidgwick). There is perhaps also 
 an allusion to the hymenaeal associations 
 of the colour (see on v. 237). It does 
 not appear whether Aeschylus knew or 
 followed the story of the pretended mar- 
 riage (see Eur. Iph. A^d.) by which 
 Agamemnon brought his daughter to 
 Aulis. — 8e : the position is natural, KpoKov 
 /Sa^as being inseparable and in effect one 
 word. — xs'ovo-d | ^PaXXc : see Appendix 
 II. 
 
 253. Trpeirouerd tc : joined with x^o^^co. 
 because both the action and the mute 
 look make an appeal to their pity for her 
 youth and beauty. See Eur. J/ec. 558 
 foil. (So almost in the same words 
 Wecklein) . 
 
 254. They knew the voice that would 
 have spoken and had reason to associate 
 it with pathetic remembrance of her 
 proud and happy maidenhood. — The 
 connection marked by «irei is often much 
 looser than with our conjunctions of 
 
 inference. Unless we supply the con- 
 necting link (as here 'and her look was 
 vocal to them, for' etc.) we should render 
 simply by ' and ' or ' and indeed '. 
 
 258. iraiava (Ilartung, Enger). A 
 banquet was followed by libations, usually 
 three, the third to Zeus the Preserver 
 (^UTTjp). ' With the end of the libations 
 came the paean or song. So in Plato's 
 Symposium, ^<p7} denrv-^aavTas ffwovdas 
 TTOLrjaacrdai Kai affavras tov 6e6v (S.)'. The 
 whole in fact was a sort of 'grace '. In all 
 ritual acts, especially those connected like 
 the paean with the worship of Apollo, 
 personal purity was of great importance 
 (see Thel>. 156, 251, 254 Eur. /on 150 oVios 
 aw ewas wv...<^oi^i^ \aTpevwv). Hence 
 the emphasis here on ayva dravpiOTos 
 avda. Whether the custom here im- 
 plied, that the children, and particularly 
 the virgins, of the family should sing 
 or join in singing the 'grace', sub- 
 sisted in Aeschylus' time there is nothing 
 to show positively. But it is natural and 
 probable. In any case there can scarcely 
 be reference by way of contrast, as has 
 been suggested, to the 'very different' 
 persons who sang the 'banquet-songs of 
 later days '. The paean was not a ' ban- 
 quet-song' but a hymn, and the 'different' 
 persons have no connexion with the sub- 
 ject. 
 
APAMEMNQN. 
 
 27 
 
 iratava (^/Xeo? erifjia. 
 
 Tci 8' evOev ovr eiSov ovr evveiro)' 
 
 Te')(yai 3e K.d\')(avTo<i ovk ciKpavroi' 
 
 hiKa he TOtf fikv iradov- 
 
 criv fiaOeiv iirippeTrei' 
 
 TO fieWov 
 
 iirel yivotT av KXvoi,<i' irpo y^aiperco' 
 
 laov Se TO) irpoarivecv' 
 
 Topov ycip i]^ei (JvvopOov avral<i. 
 
 avT. 6 . 
 260 
 
 265 
 
 264. enLy^fOLT.wpoxa^i-p^TU}. 
 
 259. TCI 8' 'ivQiv what folloxvcd, i.e. the 
 sacrifice itself. 
 
 260. T€\vai science, i.e. his oracular 
 utterances as a seer by profession, Cf. 
 Soph. O. T. 380 T^x"'? Tex*"?' iittt-p- 
 (pepoiKTa. The immediate reference is to 
 the suggestion of the sacrifice {v. 211), 
 but the accomplishment of this raises also 
 fears as to the threatened sequel (v. 160). 
 Hence what here follows. 
 
 261. // is the law, that to experience 
 wisdom should fall, i.e. that men should 
 learn by their own sufferings, and seldom 
 by anything else. — 8(kt) properly 'wont', 
 ' way ' and here ' nature of things ' ; for 
 this use see on Eur. Aled. 411 kou dUa 
 Kal Trdira 7rd\t«' ffTpe(peTat nature and the 
 universe is turned upside down. The 
 metaphor in iTripptwei (literally 'inclines') 
 suggests a comparison between the laws 
 of the moral world and those of the 
 physical. Wisdom ' gravitates ' (if we 
 may use the anachronism) to experi- 
 ence. — The reading 'justice' should be 
 avoided. The 'law' is far from being 
 manifestly just; on the contrary it raises, 
 as Aeschylus has shown above, moral 
 difficulties. 
 
 263 — 265. €ir€l later MSS. — irpo x**'-- 
 ptTw H. L. Ahrens. — As for the future, 
 one may hear it when it comes to pass, 
 ere that, I care not for the hearing ; 'tis 
 but anticipating sorroio. kXvois av is 
 the principal verb, y€voito optative in- 
 definite assimilated to k\voi.s. The subject 
 of \aiptTw (literally ' let it be bidden 
 
 good-bye ' i.e. ' let it keep at a distance ') 
 is TO KXiiecv supplied from kXvols w. irpo 
 is adverbial. Tlie same to {irpb) Kkveiv is 
 the subject of Wov («(TtI) tw irpoo-Ttvciv 
 'hearing of it before is equivalent to 
 lamenting it before '. — The sentiment is 
 directed against the usefulness of div- 
 ination.^ — After i^iXKov in M a later hand 
 has inserted to de irpoKKiew. There is no 
 doubt that these words, excluded by the 
 metre, have arisen merely from a mar- 
 ginal explanation of the following 
 clauses. 
 
 266. For il will come clear and right, 
 when the science itself comes clear and 
 right ; literally ' clear it will come, made 
 right together with the divination itself. 
 The subject is still t6 kKvuv. When the 
 thing is accomplished it will be told 
 clearly and rightly. Till then the pro- 
 phecy itself is never clear and cannot 
 therefore be known to be right.— avra is 
 emphatic, as the position shows. In 
 Aeschylus this pronoun almost always is 
 so. There is no difficulty in supplying 
 Tois Texv^i-s from -'. 260, as the interven- 
 ing sentences contain nothing to wliich 
 auTah could be referretl and divinaUon 
 is the topic of the whole passage. Nor is 
 the emphatic pronoun unsuited for its 
 place ; it marks the point, and could not 
 be placed otherwise. The objection 
 made here arises from neglect of the 
 emphasis. — The MS. seems to me correct 
 and the received emendation a\)vopBpov 
 airya'S (Wellauer, Hermann) more in- 
 
28 
 
 AI2XYA0Y 
 
 ireXoiTO 8' ovv Tdirl tovtocctiv eu, irpd- 
 ^i<t (W9 6e\€t' To3' dy^iarov, 'ATTta? 
 
 267. evTTpa- 
 
 genious than happy. The subject is 
 taken to be to /xiWov, and the sentence 
 explained thus ' as the rising sun suddenly 
 lightens the darkness, so will the fulfil- 
 ment of the prophecy bring first and at 
 once a clear confirmation' (Weckleiu). 
 But surely this sense is most obscurely and 
 inappropriately expressed by the words 
 ' for the future will come clear, dawning 
 together with the light '. Moreover the 
 subject naturally supplied by the context 
 is TO k\v€iv, not to fxeWof. I also think 
 (but this is a pure matter of taste) that 
 the introduction of a fresh metaphor 
 would greatly mar the simple directness 
 of the epigram. If the text is not 
 sufficiently clear, I would read avTois 
 (emphatic, dative of avTo., which is often 
 used thus independently for ' the matter 
 in question ') translating thus, ' for it (the 
 hearing of events) will come clear and 
 true when the events themselves come '. 
 This however I do not think necessary 
 or desirable. — Prof. Goodwin, retaining 
 the text, retains also the old interpretation, 
 ' the future will come clear in accord with 
 them (the prophecies) '. But avrais cannot 
 be unemphatic. 
 
 267 — 269. Lei us pray then for suck 
 immediate good, as the present occasion 
 needs. Our nearest concern is this for- 
 tress, sole protect io7i of the Argive land. 
 Dismissing (S'ovv) useless speculation as 
 to the future, they turn to what is near 
 and practical, the present safety of the 
 7r6Xis, exposed to special danger by the 
 absence of its lord and, as hereafter 
 appears, from the state of the country 
 (;}jv. 463 — 466). It must be remembered 
 ' that the elders are at present, as the 
 following question shows, wholly ignorant 
 as to the meaning or purpose of the 
 nocturnal alarm. They do not even 
 know whether, as the celebration sug- 
 I gests, any news has actually been re- 
 
 ceived.— The antithesis of present and 
 future is marked in three ways: (i) roirl 
 TovTOwriv 'the immediate sQc^xxeV , literally 
 ' what comes next to this present ' : (2) 
 irpd^ts *Ss Ot'Xcu literally ' as practical 
 action (business) demands '. irpd^is is 
 here — rh wpacffbiievov, the matter in 
 hand, the thing to be done, as opposed to 
 what can only be matter of guessing or 
 speculation. Cf. Soph. Ant. 1334 ^lA- 
 Xovra, Tavra' tCiv irpoKeifiivwv ri XPV I 
 TTpaacretv, where note the metrical em- 
 phasis on Trpdaaeiv. The emphasis upon 
 irpa^LS, and its pregnant force, are here 
 marked by the position of the word in its 
 clause. Somewhat similar is the Homeric 
 use of oS Tis TTpTJ^ii TreXerat 760:0, ' nothing 
 practical comes of lamentation' (and see 
 L. and Sc, j.z;. Trpa^ts): (3) t68' aYXicr- 
 Tov («o-Ti), here is our nearest concern ; 
 for dyxiarov 'nearest (in concern)' cf. 6 
 a7Xt(TTos 'the person most nearly con- 
 cerned ', Soph. El. 1 105. It is best to take 
 this as a separate sentence. As an ex- 
 planatory comment upon the preceding 
 Tairl ToijTOLffLV it has according to usage 
 no connecting conjunction. It is possible 
 also without change of the meaning to 
 take Tdde.-.^pKos as in actual apposition 
 to tolttI To^TOLaiv 'the immediate matter, 
 our nearest concern' etc.— *ATr£as ^aCas 
 ^pKos : the ancient fortress of Argos, 
 which, like Athens and most other old 
 centres in Hellas, occupied a hill (the 
 Larisa or Larissa). It will be noticed 
 that there is no attempt in this play to 
 represent any of the details of the place, 
 its appearance, buildings, etc. The ex- 
 ample of Sophocles (see commentaries on 
 the prologue to the Electro) shows that 
 such details were not within the knowledge 
 of the audience (perhaps not of the poet) 
 and would not have been appreciated. 
 The play assumes nothing but those 
 general facts, which could not but be 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 yaiaf; fiov6(f)povpov epKO<i. 
 
 ijKco (TejBli^wv aov, K-XuTaifiija-rpa, Kparo^' 
 BiKr) yap icrrt (jbfWTo? npy^rjyov tlglv 
 yvpaLK €pr)fio)6€VTO<i apaevo'i Opovov. 
 ax> S' etre Kehvbv etre /x?) Treirvcrfievrj 
 
 29 
 
 270 
 
 -273- 
 
 5' ft t6 corr. to text. 
 
 known, the plain, the sea, the mountains, 
 and the fortress. Fov'Airia ya?a Ari^olis 
 see L. and Sc. s.v. : for 70/0? 'ipKos cf. 
 Eur. Heracl. 441 -koIov 8i yaias ^pKos ovk 
 diplyfieda ; — These lines have been made 
 difficult only by wrong punctuation. They 
 are generally given (by those who do not 
 alter the words) thus; ■7r€\oiTo...evTrpa^is, 
 ws d^\€i...^pKos, 'Let good fortune follow, 
 as is the wish of this one sole defence of 
 Argos, bound by close ties', the last 
 words being supposed to describe either 
 the speakers or Clytaemnestra. But (i) 
 eStrpa^is, for einrpayia, is an incorrect 
 form, and eu npa^is is no better : this 
 objection has been frequently taken and 
 many emendations are based on it : but 
 further (2) yalas 'ipKo^ is not a possible 
 description of a person or persons ; in 
 translation this is partly concealed by 
 the use of the abstract 'defence', but 
 'ipKoi is a rampart or 7vall and yaiai 
 ^pKos a iozun or fort, as appears by Eur. 
 /. c.\ in no language could persons de- 
 scribe themselves without explanation 
 as 'this fence' or 'this fort' : (3) a.yxi-(^Tov 
 has then no point, and indeed the whole 
 sentence, so taken, is beside the purpose. 
 
 270. (r€p£t«v...KpdTOS i-e. in obedi- 
 ence to her command. Here Clytaem- 
 nestra comes forth attended (see v. 363). 
 
 273 — 2 7 5 . Whether tidings good or not 
 good prompt thee to celelu-ate this cere- 
 mony of hopeful announcement, I would 
 gladly learn; though, if thou ivould'st 
 keep the secret, I am content. kcSvov 
 literally 'a good thing', cf. davfiacTThv 
 TToters, o-TOTTov \^y€is, etc. Kiihner Gh. 
 Gr. § 403. — With |i-t| supply Kiovov, as the 
 
 context and order of the words require. 
 The elders, as persons worthy of the 
 queen's confidence, wish to know whether 
 her demonstration is genuine or a feint. 
 She has intimated that she has good 
 news ; but as she has not disclosed it, the 
 elders feel a very natural doubt whether 
 in reality she is not merely trying to fore- 
 stall and discredit a bad report which has 
 reached her and must soon get abroad. 
 That this is their doubt and the purport 
 of their question is shown not only by the 
 words of it, but by the addition ovbk 
 aiyuicrri (pdovos. Only on the supposition 
 that the news was really bad could the 
 queen have any motive for such con- 
 cealment. The elders, it must be re- 
 membered, are preoccupied with the 
 dangers near home, to which they have 
 just referred and afterwards more plainly 
 refer. They attribute their fears to the 
 queen, as, assuming her honesty, they 
 must do ; indeed she herself had pretended 
 to share them (see v. 874). — evayyeXoio-iv 
 tXirCo-iv, dative (Latin ablative) of cir- 
 cumstance, literally ' with fair-announcing 
 hopes ', i.e. with promising announcement ; 
 see V. loi, iK dvjiuv (palvova iXirli. — et 
 rb (M. but corrected by the same hand) 
 is a mere slip. — et ri (Auratus) is widely 
 adopted, with the interpretation 'But 
 whether thou hast heard some good 
 news, or hast not heard any, but art 
 sacrificing in the hope of such ' etc. But 
 (i) the proper form to express this would 
 be el' Ti KeSvov Tr(irvap.ivri, eire firi, (2) the 
 mere expectation of news would be no 
 reasonable motive for the ceremony at 
 
30 AIIXYAOY 
 
 evaiyyeXoicriv iXiria-iv 6v7]7ro\€i<;, 
 
 KKvoifi av evippayv' ovBe acywaj) cfyOovof. 2/5 
 
 KATTAIMHSTPA. 
 
 eva<yye\o<i /nev, wairep r) irapoi/jLia, 
 
 eft)? yevocTO fi't]Tp6<; €v(f)p6vrj<; irapa. 
 
 veva-ei Be y^/ipfia fiel^ov eX7ri8o9 k\v€iv' 
 
 Ylpid/Jbov yap '^prjKacnv ^Apyelot iroXtv. 
 XO. TTft)? ^»79; ire^evye rov7ro<; i^ cnriaria^. 280 
 
 KA. Tpoiav 'A^a/cGi/ ovcrav' rj Topu)<i Xeyo); 
 XO. X^P"- 1^ vcfiepTrec Sdicpvov iKKaXovfievi]. 
 KA. €u yap (f)povovuTo<; ofjbjxa aov Karriyopel. 
 XO. TV ynp TO TTiaTOv; ecrrt rcovBe aoi reK/xap; 
 KA. eanv, ri S' oJ^t; /x?) BoXo!)(7avTo<i Oeov. 285 
 
 XO. TTorepa 3 ovelpcdv (fxia/jLar' €V7ri6rj cre/8et9 ; 
 KA. ovS^ oyfrav^ dv Xd^oifib ^pt^ovcrr}'; (f)pei'6<i. 
 XO. aXX^ 1) a iirlavev rt? aTrrepof; (fxiTL^; 
 KA. 7rat8o<i vea<i w<; Kapr e/juco/xyao) <^peva<;. 
 
 286. evTTnOel corr. to ei'iTret^^. 287. ov h6t,ci.v. 
 
 276 — 278. She corrects their expres- is loyal gladness (not disloyal sorrow) of 
 
 sion ei'a77e'Xot<rii' eXTriVtJ', accepting e'i'd7- which thine eye accuses thee'. — Kari]- 
 
 ye\os with the remark that, according to -yopei : tlie misapplication of the word 
 
 the proverb, men look for good news in sounds like a kindly jest, but is grim 
 
 the morning, but rejecting eXin's, as her earnest. The loyalty of the elders is 
 
 news leaves nothing furtlier to hope. — their crime, as they are soon to find. 
 
 Note that the proverb involves a play 284. ^his punctuation (Prien, Sidg- 
 
 upon the ambiguity of ev(f>p6v7], vighl and wick) is demanded by the form of the 
 
 /7;/r/;/^,f.r (Ilesych. cf. 5i'(r(^/>6;'7;), signifying answer ?o-tiv.— to irwrTdv, 'what you 
 
 ' May Night, according to her kind name, rely on ', tke^^-oof. 
 
 send her child Morning with a kind 286. €viri0T] Blomfield, the correct 
 
 message !' (Sidgwick): and note also that form according to analogy. — «vitiOt] o-c'Pcis 
 
 this evcppovT] echoes the elder's eO^puv. — together, 'pay the Inspect of an easy 
 
 y.iCL!av...\Ck{it.vv importmg iiiore than Jiope, credence ' to': evirtBris literally 'easily 
 
 literally 'greater than hope to the hear- believed '. — oveCpcov, suggested by /xij 
 
 ing'. It. is p-ei^ov eXTrlSos also in another ooXtiaavros 0eou : a false dream would be 
 
 sense 'greater thai) could be imagined', a ' miraculous deceit', 
 
 but this sense is only for the queen and 287. See Appendix F. 
 
 the audience. 288. htioxtv ■, has cheered ox encojiraged 
 
 281. overav: cf. Soph. ^/. 676 ^aro/'T* thee, from kir-ialvw, where kiri has the 
 
 'Op^ffTrji' vvv T€ Kal wd\ai \iyo} (Week- same force {n/> to a certain point) as in 
 
 lein). eiraipo), and iaivu its usual meaning (see 
 
 282 — 3. Eipphasis on x"/"^ and on L. and Sc. s. v. lalvo)). — By an oversight 
 
 ei;. 'My tear ik the tear of Joy', 'Yes, it this aorist is commonly referred to Tnaivu) 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 31 
 
 XO. TTolov y^povov Se Koi TreTTopdrjTai 7ro\t<?; 290 
 
 KA. T^<f vvv T€Kovcn)<; <^ft)9 res' €i'(f)p6m]<; Xeym. 
 XO. Kal Tt9 ToS' i^iKOLT CIV nyyeXwv T(i'^o<i; 
 KA. ' H^aicrro?, "IS?;? Xafiirpov eKTrifiTroyv o-€Xa<i 
 
 <^pvKTo<i he (^pvKTOv hevp' d'lr' dyynpov irvpo<i 
 
 eireixTrev. "IS?; ixev irpo^ 'Kpfialov Xeirwi 295 
 
 Xi'l^ivov' fxeyav Se Travov iK v/jaov rpirov 
 
 ^A.6(pov al'rro'i 7irjvo<i i^eSi^aro 
 
 294. ayyeXov. 
 
 to fatten, taken in the sense oi puffing up. 
 The use of wiaivu and the connected 
 words lends no support whatever to this 
 supposed metaphor. — airrcpos <|)dTis. 
 The context shows that this was some 
 superstitious proof yet lower in the scale 
 than a dream, probably something like 
 *a vague presentiment' (Paley, Kennedy). 
 The meaning and origin of the phrase are 
 unknown. It may or may not be derived 
 from wT^pov (either in the sense of luiiig or 
 of omen), or connected with the Homeric 
 T^ 5' dirrepos ^irXerofivdos, which in its turn 
 is doubtful. — 'A report not winged' like 
 the dream-god, i.e. brought without any 
 dream (Wecklcin). — 'An unspoken ru- 
 mour ', cf. aTTTepos p-vdos looni unspoken 
 (Sidgwick). 
 
 ■290. iroCot» xpovov literally 'wil/iin 
 ■what time lies the capture of the city?' 
 i.e. how far back is it to be put? — iroiov 
 as compared with ttoctou or riVos (lohat 
 sort of time) gives the question tlic air 
 of incredulous wonder. Compare the 
 common use of irowi in contempt (L. 
 and Sc. s.vi). — Kal, emphasizing, assumes 
 the fact, ' Since it is taken, since when is 
 it?' 
 
 291. She points to the dawn just 
 breaking. 
 
 294. aYyapou Canter (AtVxi/Xos yovv 
 fv 'Ayafiepvovi tov eV diaSoxn^ irvpcrov 
 'ttTr' ayyapov nvpoi' ?<pr} Et. M. p. 7) a 
 Persian word describing the couriers who 
 transmitted orders by successive stages. 
 Herodotus (8, 98) like Aeschylus com- 
 pares it to the Greek Xa/x-n-aS i}<f)op[a (v. 
 
 396. (pavov. 
 
 324). — On the story which follows see 
 the Introduction § i. 
 
 296. iravov Casaubon. irporepo^ 8^ 
 rovTiiiv Alffxi'Xos iu 'Ayap-^nvoui p.ipvr)raL 
 TOV iravov, Athen. xv. p. 700 E. — 4>avov 
 is also good and classical ; probably both 
 are veiy ancient readings in this passage. 
 
 296 — 300. And the huge beacon from 
 Lcmnos^ isle rcas taken up thirdly hy 
 Zens'" mountain of Athos, with such a 
 soaring pile of wood upon it, as might 
 strengthen the travelling fame to pass 
 joyously over the wide main. The subject 
 of efeS^faTo is the whole phrase 'AOfov... 
 irevKT], 'Athos and its beacon' (a 'hen- 
 diadys ' according to the grammatical 
 phrase). JVote carefully that the con- 
 junction is T€ not 5^. The periods of 
 this narration are joined throughout, 
 according to usage, by 5^. Here re, also 
 according to rule, couples not periods 
 but words. — virepTsXtjs rising above all. — 
 irovTOv. . .iiSovtjv. This explains and gives 
 the ground for virepreXris. Clytaemnestra, 
 vaguely asvare that in this leap of the 
 Aegaean she must be making a strong 
 demand upon the faith of her hearers, 
 enforces her statement with an explana- 
 tion as to the size and height of this 
 particular beacon. — iroi^ov properly 'the 
 open sea'; note the em]ihasis on it. — 
 i<rxvs, in apposition to ireijKri, 'strength to 
 the flame' for 'strengthening the flame'; 
 cf. Thcb. 256 oXoXoXvypov, dapcros (plXois 
 'the cry which encourages friends', Ag. 
 566 dpocroi, aivos effOripaTUf 'water, mis- 
 chievous tn garments' etc. — 7rop€\rrov . . . 
 
32 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 V7r€pT€Xi']<; T€ (ttovtov a)<TT€ vcoTiaai 
 tcr^i)? TTopevTov A,a/A7raSo? Trpo? i^Sovtjv) 
 irevKij, TO y^^pvcrocjjeyye^ co? rt? y\io<; 
 <Te\a<i irapayyelXacra M.aKlaTOV cr/coTra?' 
 o S' oi/Tt fieWcov ovS* d<ppaafi6v(o^ virvw 
 
 300 
 
 irpos ■qSovTjv 'travelling unreluctantly' 
 (ov TTpos piav), not fearing the distance, as 
 it were. This is in effect a predicate ; 
 the flame 'travelled gladly' because 
 'strengthened '. TropeiTov gen. of iropevrrji, 
 here an adj. — irevKT] : usually a 'torch' 
 of pine- wood, but here extended, like 
 XoyiiTras etc., to a 'bonfire' of the same, 
 from the necessity in this narrative of 
 vaiying the term. — See also next note. 
 
 300—301: which, with the golden light 
 as it ivere of a sun, blazed on the message 
 to the outlook on Makistos. to xpv*'"©- 
 <}>«Yy«S...'nX.ios literally 'as a sun its 
 golden light', the verb (sends) being 
 supplied from napayyeiXacra. This is 
 the better distribution. If to xP^co- 
 ^677^5 be taken with crAas, the article 
 \r6 is needless and not according to the 
 usage of Aeschylus. With the above 
 distribution it is of course indispensable. 
 — o-KOiras- Commonly even in poetry 
 this accusative of place is found only with 
 verbs of 'motion to', and not with verbs 
 such as irapayy^Wu} : and for this reason 
 some read ffKoirats. But considering the 
 strong and peculiar metaphorical language 
 of this passage, which represents the 
 beacons throughout as a series of couriers, 
 actually travelling with the message from 
 post to post (note iropevTov in this very 
 sentence), the accusative case is really 
 much better suited to the special purpose 
 than the dative. To put the same thing 
 otherwise, 7ra/)a77e'XXaj here means not 
 'to give a message' but 'to go with a 
 message' and therefore takes the con- 
 struction of a verb of motion.— irapaY- 
 ytCKaa-a. The tense follows according 
 to usage that of efeS^^aro. 
 
 All recent editions treat this passage 
 as corrupt, on the ground that wTrepreXijs 
 Te...<TKOTr(is, being a fresh clause with a 
 
 fresh subject, requires a fresh verb. On 
 this criticism, which is of long standing, 
 Hermann's neglected remark seems to 
 me perfectly conclusive : ' Nam 5^ si 
 legeretur, requireretur verbum pro nomine 
 7rei/K-);....Nunc vero, re posito, i^ed^^aro 
 etiam ad sequentia refertur'. Through- 
 out the passage re and 5^ are used in the 
 normal way, re in v. 315 to couple two 
 verbs having the same subject, Si every- 
 where between clause and clause. If a 
 verb is to be inserted here, re must be 
 changed to 5^. It is surely quite im- 
 probable that the error which removed 
 the verb should have coincided with a 
 harmonious error in the conjunction. 
 Moreover the text expresses the meaning 
 intended, and divided clauses would not. 
 The high mountain and the vast beacon 
 are intentionally coupled, as jointly ac- 
 complishing the prodigious task. 
 
 301. MaK£<rTov 6pos Ei)/3otas schol. 
 Mr Sidgwick says 'in southern Euboea', 
 Wecklein 'probably in the north' (as the 
 nearer part to Athos). As the distance 
 is impossible in any case, the question is 
 of little moment ; but it may be observed 
 that the mountain by its name would 
 seem to have been 'the highest', or so I 
 supposed, in the island ; the highest part 
 is about the centre, near Chalcis. 
 
 302. o 8€: Makistos, i.e., in the lite- 
 ralness of prose, the watchers thereon. — 
 Here the story becomes comparatively 
 reasonable. Of the country between 
 Argos and Aulis Clytaemnestra and the 
 elders might naturally be supposed to 
 have some knowledge. The distances are 
 indeed, as the queen says, full long (e/cdj 
 ...irp6aui) running up to about 25 miles; 
 in a real system other stages would pro- 
 bably have been interpolated for safety; 
 but her conception is conceivable. It 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 vLKoofievo<i traprJKev dyyeXov fiipof 
 eKdf Be (ppvKTOv (jxJo'i eV ^vpiTrov podq 
 ^eaaairiov (fivXa^i arj/nalpei jjloXov. 
 ol 8 dvTeXafiylrav koI 7rapt]'y'yeiXav irpoaM 
 ypaiaf epeiKTji^ dcofiov li'^avre'i irvpl. 
 trOevovcra Xafnrdf 8' ovSenQ) /xavpov/juevr), 
 virepOopovaa irehiov . . oottov, Slkiju 
 (f)aiBp(i^ a-€\r']vr}<i, irpb^ K.t,da(p(vvo<i Xeirwi 
 ijyeipei/ ciXXrji^ e'/cSo^r/i» ttoixttov irvpo^. 
 <f>aof; o€ T7)Xe7ro/ii7rop ovk r^valvero 
 (fypovpa, irXeov Kaiovcra tmv elprjfxevwv' 
 Xifivrjv o virep VopycvTTiv ecTKrj-^ev (f)do(; 
 opo<i T eV AlyLTrXayKTOv i^iKPov/juevov 
 
 33 
 
 305 
 
 310 
 
 315 
 
 309. TT 
 
 adds a last touch of unreality to the 
 foregoing narrative, that she should de- 
 scribe the transit from Messapius (N. 
 Roeotia) to Cithaeron as ' far '. It is 
 rather far for the purpose, but compared 
 with the preceding stages it is quite close. 
 303. iraprjKtv 7ieglected. — The render- 
 ing ' sent on ' (Paley) lacks authority. 
 
 308. <r9€'vov<ra taking strength afresh 
 from the fuel of Messapius; cf. I'trxi^s in 
 V. 299. — It is the close relation of these 
 words {adivovaa. Xa/xirds) to the preceding 
 sentence which justifies to the ear the 
 position of the conjunction : they are 
 really a separate clause, ' and the beacon 
 took strength therefrom, and ' etc. 
 
 309. irtSCov wTTOv. The defective 
 
 word may be read either 'ilpioiroO, as by 
 Turnebus, or 'Actujwov, as by the writers 
 of the later Mss. The first reading has 
 the technical advantage of accounting 
 much better for the loss of the letters by 
 similarity of syllables. On the other 
 hand the later mss. may in such a case 
 well represent a tradition. The 'plain of 
 the river Asopus' is the better description, 
 having regard to the geography. But on 
 the other hand 'the plain of Oropus', 
 properly the maritime part of the plain 
 of the Asopus, was claimed and generally 
 possessed by Athens, so that to name the 
 
 V. JE. A. 
 
 idlov 
 
 whole from Oropus would have a popular 
 sound to Athenian ears. The question is 
 not important. 
 
 313. (}>povpd: the watchers on Ci- 
 thaeron. — irXeov Ka£ov<ra Ttov €lpT]pi€v«v 
 ' making a fire larger than was enjoined ' 
 (Weil), literally 'more than what was 
 bidden them (ra elp-qfiiva) '. These words 
 confirm and extend the phrase of the 
 previous line ovk ijvaiveTo, ' denied not ' 
 or ' disowned not '. In their enthusiasm 
 the watchmen of Cithaeron, so far from 
 showing reluctance, actually exceeded 
 their instructions. See further Appen- 
 dix G. 
 
 314. rop-ywiriv : apparently a bay or 
 estuary in the territory of Megara, N, E. 
 of the Corinthian gulf. — Xlfxvrjv (paalf 
 elrat €v Kopi"Bii>, Hesychius ; but the de- 
 scription must be very inaccurate, if it 
 refers to the \ifj.vri here mentioned. 
 
 315. AiYCTrXa-yKTOv : obviously part 
 of Geranea in the Megarid. 6pos Meyapi- 
 doi schol. 
 
 316: urged him to exact strictly the 
 coiiuitandedjirc. The fire from Cithaeron 
 strives to rouse an enthusiasm like its 
 own in others less ready. The receiving 
 mountain is personified, like Md^cto-Tos in 
 V. 301, but with a difference of character. 
 — 6€<r(j.6v |xi] X'^p'S*"'^*'' ■"'vpos literally 
 
 3 
 
34 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 uirpvve deafj-ov fii) yapll^eaOai 7rvpo<i. 
 TrefjbTTOvai S' dvSaiovre'i d(f>66vq> fievei 
 (pXoyoii /jiiyav Trcoyoyva, koI ZapwviKov 
 
 TTOpdfXOV KCITOTTTOV TTpwV VTTep^dWetV TTpoaO) 
 
 (f)\ejovaav' elr ecrKrj-^ev, etr a(f)LK€To 
 ^Kpa'^valov alnro^;, darvyeirova'i aKOTTa^;' 
 KnTreiT ^ArpeiBoov e? to 76 (TKrjirTet crTe'yo<; 
 
 319. K&TOWTpOV. 
 
 320 
 
 ' not to remit (to himself or his watch) 
 the commandment of fire'. The use of 
 Xapl^effdai here is generally condemned, 
 but I think wrongly. The sense and 
 common constructions of the verb are 
 closely similar to those of TrpoUffdai, and 
 of such Latin verbs as indjtlgere, remittere, 
 condonare, etc. We have on the one 
 hand x^^P^f^^^"^ '''^ '''"'' ' ^o gi^c up, 
 surrender, sacrifice', and on the other 
 hand xttp^ff""^"' ■''»'' 'to be indulgent to, 
 not strict with', as in x^P^S'^"'^'»' tir-n-i^ 
 iitdulgcre equo. From these we might 
 fairly have inferred, as an extension of 
 usage possible in poetic language, such a 
 phrase as xapi^eaOai deafibv (rij't) reniittere 
 imferium {alicui) 'to let an order be 
 neglected', and we may easily accept it 
 when it actually occurs. — Among the 
 many corrections may be mentioned \xy] 
 Xpovi^eadaL Paley (making Oeafibv the 
 object of djTpvve), /irjxavrjaacrdai Margo- 
 liouth, but there are objections to both. 
 /UTj x"-'^'-^^'^^^'- Heath, 'not to be wanting', 
 is, to judge by examples, an impossible 
 form. 
 
 318 — 322. A flame like a great heard, 
 ■which could even overpass, so far it flamed, 
 the headland which looks down upon the 
 Saronic gulf, and thus alight then, and 
 only then, when it reached the outlook, 
 neighbouring to our city, upon the Arach- 
 naeon peak, whence next it lighted (at 
 last!) here upon our royal roof. — kcit- 
 oiTTOV Canter. The genitive is gov- 
 erned by the preposition. Note that the 
 word, like very many 'active' forms in 
 -ro%, corresponds to a verb also of ' depo- 
 
 nent ' form, otpofiai. — The 'headland' 
 should be ' the high coast on the S. side 
 of the bay of Cenchrea' (Wecklein). — 
 Kal...vir€pPaXX€iv, i.e. ware avT'^v Kal 
 virep^dWeiv, a consecutive infinitive de- 
 pending on the whole previous sentence, 
 and specially upon fxiyap. — <J>X€YOv<rav 
 feminine, not masculine, because (p\oy6s 
 is the really substantive word, fi^yav 
 TTcoywva being merely descriptive and 
 adjectival, and therefore avr-qv, noiavrbv, 
 is the pronoun supplied (Paley, Sidg- 
 wick). To have said (pX^yovra would 
 have been almost grotesque; it was not 
 by virtue of its resemblance to a beard 
 that the flame travelled far. — «It 'ia-Kiy^iv, 
 tW d(f>£K€To. In a sentence of symmet- 
 rical and prosaic form these clauses would 
 be parallel with the infinitive, as thus, 
 ware irpQva fikv virep^aXKeiv, elra Si 
 aK7J\f/ai Kal d<piK€udai. kt\. (The point 
 made is that the courier-fire, eager to 
 finish the long journey, 'ran in home' 
 as it were, and would not after Aegi- 
 planctus make a natural but unnecessary 
 stop.) By a usage very common in 
 poetry the second parallel clause is 
 turned for variety into an independent 
 sentence, and the effect is further strength- 
 ened by the omission (also common) of 
 fi&...d^, and by the rhetorical repetition 
 of elra in place of the simple copula 
 Kal. — 'iirtiTO. in v. 322 points back to etra 
 in V. 320, ' then... after then': they mark 
 as it were the last stage and the very 
 last. — TO yt i.e. Tovrbye: t6 demonstra- 
 tive, several times used in Aeschylus. 
 The particle yt (literally ' to the roof of 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 35 
 
 (f)do<; ToS* ovK aTraTTTrov ^ISaiov ttu/do?. 
 ToiotSe Toi /j,oi \a/u,7raSrj^6p(Ov vo/jloi, 
 aXXo<; Trap' aWov SiaSo'^a2<i TrXrjpov/Jievoi' 
 viKa S' o trpwTO'i koX rekevToio'; Spaficov. 
 T€K/j-ap TOLovrov (Tvix^oXov T€ aoL Xeyci) 
 avSp6(; TrapayyetXavTofi €k Tpoia? ifiol. 
 XO. deoit fiev av6i<i, m lyvvai, Trpocrev^ofiaL' 
 X6yov<i 8' cLKOvaat rovcrSe KUTroOav/jiacyai, 
 8cr}V€K(o<i OeXoLix av, a><; X€<yoi<;, ttoXlv. 
 
 325 
 
 330 
 
 323 — 1050. Readings of f. 
 
 the Atridae this at least ') is just what is 
 wanted to give to the close the animation 
 of poetic feeling. This time at least, 
 after being often sent on, the far-travelled 
 messenger had indeed arrived. — The later 
 MSS. give the commonplace T65e, but 
 M, unhappily about to fail from this 
 point till 7'. 1050, here gives a last assis- 
 tance, which should not be refused. — To 
 write, with Hermann and others, in v. 322 
 iar iaK7f\j/€v, evr d(piKeTO, 'till it lighted, 
 when it arrived ', or to make any change 
 at all, is unnecessary and injurious. The 
 repetitions <p\oybs...<p\^yovaav, elr ^ct/ctj- 
 \(/€v...lw€iTa (jK-qirrei are not negligent 
 but calculated ; it is natural rhetoric 
 slightly overdone, as here it should 
 be. 
 
 323 : the light there, which shmvs a 
 pedigree from the beacon upon Ida. <j>dos 
 ToSc : she points to Arachnaeus, behind 
 which, to add effect to her words, the 
 elders might now see the beginning of 
 day. It is the place of the beacon 
 which helps to suggest the comparison of 
 it, on its first appearance, to the dawn, 
 V. 12. — o^K.-.TTvpos literally 'not without 
 an ancestor in the beacon of Ida '. The 
 genitive depends on the privative force of 
 the adjectiv^. — The negative turn of this 
 jesting phrase is for the ears of the 
 audience. As a fact, the beacon was 
 airairirov, and had no 'ancestry' at all, 
 but it has supplied the defect, as others 
 will do, by a little invention, itpvae 
 nainrovs in the phrase of Aristophanes 
 
 324. TOloiS' ^TVfXOl. 
 
 7^)5), and so 
 
 (Birds 7'')5), and so is dirainrov no 
 longer. 
 
 324. Toio£8€ ToC jAoi, Schlitz. roiold' 
 ^Toifioi a. It would scarcely be appro- 
 priate here to say of the runners that 
 they are ready. — \a|X'ira8Ti<j)6pa)v. In the 
 race called \afjLTraS7]<popia a chain of run- 
 ners, posted at intervals, passed a lighted 
 torch from the start to the goal. The 
 chain won which accomplished this in 
 the shortest time, provided that the torch 
 was kept alight. (There were several 
 forms of the race, but this is plainly the 
 method meant here.) The custom was 
 specially popular at Athens (Wecklein), 
 and offers a natural illustration of the 
 fire-message passed from mountain to 
 mountain. 
 
 326. But the victor is the runner who 
 ran first and last. See Appendix H. 
 
 329 — 331. The elders are so aston- 
 ished that they scarcely know what to 
 think or say, and one of them tries to 
 draw from the queen some ' more de- 
 tails ' (Sidgwick) on the subject of the 
 beacons, putting the request delicately 
 in the form of a compliment to her 
 narration. Naturally he does not suc- 
 ceed. The thoughts of the queen are 
 gone away to the absent ones ' in 
 Troy'! — 6£ois...Trpo<r€v^o(i,ai: this is to 
 guard, so far as may be, against the 
 appearance of disbelief. He will act 
 upon the queen's testimony presently, 
 when he has heard it again. — avOis, 
 later, a/tenvards. — Xo-YOvs...'TrdXiv: hit 
 
 3—2 
 
36 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KA. Tpolav 'A\;aiot, Tf;^' e-^ova ev rifiepa. 
 olfiai ^orjv afXiKTOv ev iroXei Trperretv. 
 0^09 T a\ei<f)a T iK')(^ea<i ravro) KVTei 
 hi'^ocTTaTOvvT fiv ov <^iX&)9 7rpocrevve7roi<i' 
 Kol Tcov nXovTWV Kol KparrjaavTwv S/^a 
 
 335 
 
 t/ijs story — / "would fain satisfy my 
 wonder by hearing it repeated (in your 
 way of telling) from point to point. — 
 aTToGaviido-ai to admire fully. — Sitive- 
 Kws: both 'clearly' and 'continuously', 
 without anything omitted. (See L. and 
 Sc. s.v.) Note the emphasis. — ws Xe'-yois 
 as you would tell it. The mood of X^7ots 
 follows that of diXoifi dv on the same 
 principle which determines errel yhoiT 
 au kXvois {v. 264), the whole action lying 
 in the same hypothetical time. Sidgwick 
 compares Plato Jlfen. 92 C ttws av elSeirjs 
 Trept TovTov ov direipos el'ijs ; ' how could 
 you know that of which (ex hypothesi) 
 you have no experience?' — ws \kyei% a, 
 et Xeyots Blomfield, oi5s \t'7€ty Bothe, are 
 simple, but for this reason not likely. 
 
 332. On the significance of this speech 
 see the Introduction. The scene at this 
 point upon the stage, the contrasted 
 attitudes of the two parties (see on v. 
 363), themselves 5ixo<''''tt''"oi'''''fs ^^ (plXws, 
 and the painful interest with which, for 
 different reasons, they all mark the words 
 and behaviour of the queen, would make, 
 well-acted, a moment of almost intolerable 
 tension and excitement. 
 
 333. d[i.iKTOv t/iat will not blend. 
 
 334 — 336. o^os T€. . . Kal Ttov dXovTwv : 
 re and Kai here answer to each other 
 like ' as ' and ' so '. The sentence has 
 no conjunction, as being only an expan- 
 sion or explanation of the word d/juKTov, 
 
 334. iK^tas TavTw Kvrei shouldst 
 thou pour out oil and vinegar with the 
 same vessel, i.e. put them into the same 
 vase or bottle and pour them from it 
 together. The dative is instrumental. — 
 It is by no means clear that this should 
 be changed (as by Canter and in all 
 recent texts) to iyx^o-s. The text is 
 
 correct in language, and the strong 
 repulsion of the two ingredients would 
 be much more conspicuous in the pouring 
 out of a mixture (as upon a plate) than 
 in the pouring in. The very familiarity 
 of iyxeas with the dative, which has 
 prompted the change, is an argument 
 against it : eKxe^^ is an improbable error. 
 
 335 : thou taouldst exclaim at their un- 
 friendly parting, literally ' wouldst accost 
 them as (persons) parting not like friends ', 
 an expression of studied irony for a violent 
 mutual repulsion. — Note that the use of 
 ■Kpoaevvkireiv {to name, apostrophize) 5txo- 
 aro-rovvrf. is perfectly natural in a language 
 which habitually used the participial 
 apostrophe {e.g. Eur. Tro. 1168 J 
 fiei^ov 6yK0P dopos 'ixovTei 7) cppevQv) as 
 a form of emphasis. It means much 
 more than ' thou wouldst say that they 
 parted '. — Note also that di.xo(rraT€iv ov 
 (piXws is a legitimate expression only on 
 the assumption that Sixoa-Taretv (plXus 
 would have a meaning. In Theb. 918 
 (where see note) we have the term 
 SiarofJiai (piXai. (and ov (piXai) for a parti- 
 tion, friendly or unfriendly, between joint 
 occupiers of land. It is likely that a 
 similar metaphor lies behind the language 
 here, and that dixocTTaTeTv cpiXus meant a 
 ' friendly dissolution ', as of partnership or 
 marriage. — 01/ ^iXw (Auratus and others) 
 simplifies the language, but at the expense 
 of its significance. 
 
 336. T«v dXovTwv Kal KpaTT]o-dvTwv. 
 Observe that this collective expression is 
 correct and not put, by license, for tw»» 
 aXdvTuv /cat twi' KparTjcravTuv. The com- 
 parison is between the compound of oil 
 and vinegar (which will not blend) and 
 the ensemble of victors and vanquished 
 (which would make upon one who could 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 37 
 
 (f>6o<y'yd<i iiKoueiv eari <TV[X(^opd<i StTrXf}*;. 
 ot fiev yap dficf)! awfiaaiv TreTrrty/coTe? 
 dvhpwv KaaiyvTJrcov re Kal cfyvToXfiicov, 
 7ratSe9 yepovrayv, ovKer i^ iXevOepov 
 Seprjf; diroLficdi^ovai ^tXrdroiv fj,6pov' 
 Toi)? 8' avT€ vvKTL7rXayKT0<; e/c /u.»^?;? 7r6vo<i 
 vfjaTi<; 7rpo9 dpLo-roLaiu wv e-)(et iroki'i 
 Tdaaei, tt/jo? ovSev iv fiipei TeKfjurjpLov, 
 
 340 
 
 hear the sound of it not a single har- 
 monious impression but two distinct). — 
 SC^a emphatic, with aKoveiv : the two 
 voices ' may be heard distinctly', or ' se- 
 parately '. 
 
 338. oli jtiv : the living captives would 
 be chiefly or solely (particularly in the 
 case of Troy) women and girls ; but the 
 generic description of them as the van- 
 quished party (ot dXduTesi) is nevertheless 
 naturally masculine. 
 
 339 : husbands, brothers, fathers, and 
 sons. The gender of avrip is to be ex- 
 tended throughout. (}>vTaX.|A£wv is a sub- 
 stantive, like KacnyvrjTuu. The word 
 means properly 'connected withgeniture'; 
 so in Soph. O.C. 150 aXaQp o/xfiaTuv apa 
 Kal TjaOa (pvTd.\/jLios ; wast thou sightless 
 even from birth ? Here it is used with 
 the assistance of the context to mean 
 'relations by geniture ' {i.e. parents, chil- 
 dren, etc.), in order to abbreviate and vary 
 the catalogue. So Kao-iYVqrwv is pro- 
 perly 'collaterals', brothers, cousins, etc. 
 340. iraiSes "yepovTwy children bezvail- 
 ing aged ; not that all the captives were 
 children, or all the slain aged. The 
 phrase merely signalizes the most pathetic 
 figures, among the captives the orphan 
 children, among the slain those whose 
 years might have saved them, but did 
 not, from the indiscriminate massacre. — 
 The common punctuation <pvTa\iJ.lui> 
 TratSes yep6vTUv (or the correction tpvraX- 
 fuoL iraiduv yipovTts Weil) misses the in- 
 tended sense of ((>vTa\ixli)3v. A better 
 correction is that of Karsten iralbuiv 
 ■yepivTuv both young and old, i.e. of all 
 ages, but it is not desirable. 
 
 341. 8^pTjs, both neck and throat (Eur. 
 Or. 41 oiire aljo. 5ta Mpr\% ede^aro Weck- 
 lein), here combines the two meanings. 
 With ovK£T i\ev9epov it is nech, the 
 metaphor being that of the yoke, with 
 diroiixw^ovcTL throat. No English word 
 will exactly fit. — airoinw^o^*'"'' • i^ot be- 
 tvail loudly (L. and Sc), which is dis- 
 proved by Eur. Med. 31 avTT] irpbs 
 auTr]v irarip' djroi/txwfei <pl\ov, but bewail 
 away, i.e. ' bewail desperately, as lost '. 
 This suits all the places from which 
 it is cited; e.g. Antiphon 134. 15 dn-y- 
 /jLOJ^ev i/J.^ T€ Kai avrbv (is diroWvixi- 
 vovs, and Aeschyl. fr. 12S, where as 
 here it refers to the dead, 'AcrtXox' 
 air olix(j}^6v /xe tou TedvqKbros tov ^Qvra 
 fxaXKov. 
 
 343. vTJo-Tis. The expression hungry 
 toil is not so alien from Aeschylus as to 
 require us to read (as in many texts) 
 viyo-rets. In point of MS. authority, the 
 difference between j/Tjcrreis and pijffris is 
 immaterial, i and ei being almost in- 
 different symbols in the Aeschylean Mss., 
 but it is not clear that Aeschylus would 
 have used the form prtareis, particularly 
 for the accusative case ; the proper forms 
 are vri<XTi,das and vricrTias. — (3v 'i\ti iroXis- 
 The besiegers are starving (see v. 132), 
 and the long-beleaguered city ofters but 
 little. 
 
 344 : not in order according to billet. 
 The casual banquet of the famished 
 plunderers, estal^lishing themselves in the 
 first house where they find food, is con- 
 trasted with the orderliness of a well- 
 appointed army distributed to quarters 
 by 'token' or 'billet'. Hence the anti- 
 
38 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 dW' w? eKaaros ecnraaeu tv')(ijs ttciXou 
 iv aL-^^^fiaXwTot^ TpwtMot? OiKrjfiaatv 
 vaiovaLV rj8r], twv vrratOpioJv Triv^wv 
 BpocTMv T d7raWay€VTe<i oot SvaSaifMovet' 
 d(f)uXa/cTou euSi'jaovcTL irdaav ev^povrjv. 
 el B" €v (removal toi)? iroXiacrov'x^ov'i deov<; 
 Toi)? T^<f dXov(Tr)<{ yfjf dewv 6 IhpvfiaTa, 
 ov Kav eX,ofT€9 av6t<; dvOaXotev dv. 
 
 345 
 
 350 
 
 350. cucreliodfft. 
 
 tlicsis of dXK ...TJdri. Trohably the vv()r<l 
 TeKfXTipLov was technical. 
 
 345 — 347. Rather by such chance as 
 falls to each eager hand they are installing 
 themselves forthwith in the captured houses 
 of Troy. <is ?Ka(rTOS...ird\ov literally 'as 
 each has snatched a lot' i.e. according to 
 the fortune of each, the violent word 
 iai^a-civ i)eing used for 'drawing' a lot as 
 a mark of eagerness. — alxH-aXwrois : the 
 epithet, like wf ^x^i TriXts, denotes the 
 misery of the comforts to which the 
 victors fly. The houses arc such as they 
 would be when carried after a desperate 
 night of fire and sword. It is worth 
 while to remember tiiat in the time of 
 Aescliylus the private buildings of the 
 Greeks, even in great cities, were very 
 poor and slight in construction. — tjSt) 
 again marks their impatience. 
 
 347 — 34y : glad of such poor deliverance 
 from the frosts and dews of the open air. 
 With no watch to keep they will sleep the 
 whole night long, d'7ra\Xa"Y^vT€S ws 8v«r- 
 8aC|xov(S, literally ' ridding themselves as 
 poor wretches may', where ws has the 
 same qualifying sense as in ayaOos dfTjp 
 wj AaKtdai/x6vios ' a good man for a 
 Lacedaemonian' and the like. — tmv virai- 
 6p{u>v neuter, gen. of to, inraLOpLa, to which 
 7rd7a>i' dplicrwv re stands in apjjosition, 
 'the conditions of the open air, frost and 
 dew'; cf. rQv iroi.KlXwv v. 917: hence the 
 article, which otherwise would be in- 
 admissible. — d<})v\aKTOv €u(})p6vTjv ' a 
 
 night being watchlcss, they will sleej) it 
 all '. Note the emphatic position of 
 
 35'2. ovK 6.V y. av Odvouv. 
 
 d^vXaKTov, a predicate and equivalent 
 to d(t)v\aKTov ovaav. This explains fur- 
 ther the meaning of uis dua-dal/ioves: after 
 the exposure of the camp and the 
 weariness of the watch the soldiers are 
 not nice enough to disdain the wrecked 
 houses. The mere security will give them 
 an unbroken night. Such an explanatory 
 sentence is properly written without any 
 conjunction. — Sfres wpoTfpov orjXouOri 8v<t- 
 Tvxiti vvv d/x€pifxvui cvbrjCFOvai. (schol. on 
 V. 348) is near the mark, though it as- 
 sumes the wrong punctuation dtraXKa- 
 yivrei, Cis . . .iv<j)pl)vqv which is that of the 
 Mss. This requires a conjunction; hence 
 ws 5' evdal/j.oi'ei .Stanley, which gives the 
 same sense in another way but is no 
 improvement and does not account for 
 the MS. reading. — diraXXaxOivTes a. IJoth 
 forms are good. 
 
 350. £v o-t'Povo-i .Scaliger and I'cjrson, 
 €u(r€pov<ri MSS. The first accentuation is 
 perhaps the safer, as the evidence for the 
 transitive euac^eiv is not conclusive (see 
 L. and .Sc. s. v.). — Note carefully that it 
 is cl ai^ovat, not 17" (T^jiiDai. The English 
 /f they observe, standing for both, easily 
 misleads. The captors are doing as they 
 should, or otherwise, while Clytaemncstra 
 speaks (according to her pretended as- 
 sumption). We have no neat way of 
 ex[)ressing the difference, but it is very 
 important. 
 
 352. ov Kav. The empliasi/.ing /caJ 
 belongs to fX6vT€s {erjen after conquest), 
 av being attached to it according to 
 custom, 'they will escape a ruinous ending 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 39 
 
 6/30)9 8e /i./; Ttv "rrporepov efXTTLTm/ arparw 
 TTopdecv Tu p.i} ■)^p>} K€p8e(Ttv viKco/jievov^;' 
 Sel yap Trpo? olkov^ voaTifiov aoirrjpias, 
 Kcifiyp-at SiavXov OaTepov kwXov irdXiv. 
 Beots 8' (iva/jL7r\(iKr)To<i el /jloXol (nparo^i, 
 ejpijyopov TO irfjjjba twv oXcoXotwv' 
 yevocT CIV, el irpoairaia fxrj tv^ol, KUKa. 
 
 355 
 
 354- «• 
 
 of their victory after all'. — ov ran Her- 
 mann. TO» is admissible, as the phrase is 
 likely enough to have been familiar, but 
 the MSS. are for k5,v. ovk iveXovrcs a 
 (a natural error), ovk av y (Xovres f h (a 
 correction). — dvOaXouv Auralus. dvOa- 
 voiev a. 
 
 353. ?p«S (Atj Tis. . .«|A'n'CirT][l : //w desire, 
 it is lo be /eared, may come upon them. 
 On it.7\ with the present subjunctive, in a 
 principal sentence, expressing an anticipa- 
 tion or suspicion about the future, see on 
 Theb. 183. The translation by the im- 
 perative must be carefully avoided, 
 being confined to the aorist subjunctive. 
 — The sin of the victors in this respect 
 {v, 532) is doubly connected with the 
 sequel ; it was punished by the disaster 
 of the fleet, and it led to the capture of 
 Cassandra, who was torn from sanctuary. 
 
 354. rd (XT^ XP^' ^y « M^ XPV f- There 
 seems no reason to doubt that the older 
 relative rd was used here, as in z/. 531 
 At6j fxaKiWri, ry KarelpyaffTai tridov. 
 The substitution of the familiar d is of no 
 significance ; the opposite error would be 
 unaccountable. 
 
 355. The genitive auT-qplai and the 
 infinitive (cct/x^at both depend upon Set, 
 the infinitive clause translating the literal 
 ffUTTjpiai irpbs ot/coi's into a popular meta- 
 phor from the diaitlos or double race- 
 course. — Kd|ix|/ai KwXov: as we might say 
 to 'make the second half of your round' 
 or 'lap', /ca/xi/'ai is transitive. 
 
 357 — 358. 'And if the army return 
 without offence against the f^ods, the 
 wrong of the dead is on the watch'. 
 
 Note the conlrasleil emphasis on the 
 words placed first and last, Otoh...TG)i> 
 6\u\6ro)y. The meaning is this : the 
 ruin of Troy and the slaughter of her 
 population naturally cry for vengeance 
 and expose the victors, according to the 
 doctrine of Nemesis, to especial danger 
 at this time. They have therefore little 
 need to increase this danger, which is 
 already 'watching its opportunity', by 
 plundering the sanctuaries and thus in- 
 curring the avoidable anger of the gods. 
 But for the queen herself, who proposes 
 to avenge her daughter, and for the 
 conspirators, infuriated by the sacrifice 
 of lives in the war, ' the wrong of the 
 dead' has another meaning.— The apo- 
 dosis to el /wXoi, ' they may suffer the 
 vengeance of the dead ', is not expressly 
 stated in the following clause but, as 
 often in all languages, implied. — iypr{- 
 'yopov. The misformed adjective typri- 
 yopoi (whence the late verb iypi^yopiu) 
 can scarcely be as old as Aeschylus, 
 though such are the vagaries of language 
 that it is difficult to trust analogy against 
 positive documentary evidence in mat- 
 ters of this kind. Either ^YpiiYopos 
 (I'orson) or i-^pr\y(Oftiv should probably be 
 read; if the first, we still supply ^orf.— 
 For the metaphor ef. Eur. JlI. 41 tiJbovj' 
 av i^fp/tipi Tbv ' Xyaiiip.vovos (}>qi>ov (I'aley), 
 for the use of T^/ua .Soph. Ei. 258 varp^a 
 ■trrj/iara ' my father's wrongs'. 
 
 35y. Evi/ may find accomplishment, 
 if it fall not at once, i.e. ' postponed 
 is not prevented ', a quasi-proverbial turn 
 of expression, repeating the thought of 
 
40 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 ToiavTu roi yvvaiKo^; e^ ifiov «Xi^ot? 
 TO 8 ev Kparolt] fir) Scy^oppoTro)'; ISeiv' 
 TToWcov yap iadXdov rrjv ovrjaiv elXofiV/V. 
 XO. y8'. yvvai, kut avSpa crcix^pov eixfypovwi \ey€i<;. 
 
 the previous lines (ami therefore without 
 
 copula) ' the victors will be in danger for 
 
 some time yet'. — y*'*'®'''''* ^" ^^'i^^^ emphasis 
 
 'may be actually accomplished', cf. v. 264 
 
 €Trei yivoiTo ' when it is actually accom- 
 plished '. — irpocnraia ' sudden, off-hand ', 
 
 here a secondary predicate and placed 
 
 with emphasis in its clause accordingly. 
 
 — In this and the preceding clause ei is 
 
 in effect concessive and equivalent to the 
 
 more exact /cot et of common use (see 
 
 Kiihner, Greek Grammar, § 578, note 2). 
 For further discussion of vv. 357 — 359 
 "^see Appendix I. 
 
 360 — },(> I . But for all these my zvoman- 
 1 ish -cvords, may the good triumph, plain 
 
 and clear of all doubt. Conscious of the 
 
 thoughts covered by this pretence of 
 
 solicitude for the absent, she breaks off 
 
 and dismisses it with a light self-reproach. 
 
 It will prove, she trusts, no more than 
 
 the nervousness of a woman. — kXvois. 
 
 /fXyeis a (as in v. 331 X^7e(s for \iyoi.%), 
 
 to get a construction simpler in appear- 
 ance. But the optative is right. The 
 
 mistake arises from stopping off v. 360 
 
 as a separate sentence. It is related as a 
 
 concessive clause to v. 361 and would in 
 
 common parlance require iiiv, thus : 
 
 Toiaura (ikv kK^oh rb S' e5 Kparoi-q, i.e. 
 
 literally 'I pray that thou mayest hear 
 
 such words and yet the good triumph', 
 
 or in English form 'I pray that, though 
 
 thou hearest such words, the good may 
 
 triumph '. The propriety of the optative 
 
 may be made more clear, according to 
 
 English conceptions, by paraphrasing the 
 
 second clause ; ovt(j3 to, Toiavra kXvois 
 
 uiare Kparelv to ed. See a precise parallel 
 
 in alXivov diri, to 5' ev vikcltu} (Anglice 
 
 ' though the dirge must be uttered, let 
 
 the good win'), a saying (note rot) which 
 
 is actually in the speaker's mind. k\6€l% 
 
 disturbs the relation of the clauses, and 
 
 360 
 
 though simple in appearance is in reality 
 more obscure. 
 
 362. For this choice gives me the 
 enjoyment ofmo7-e blessings than one, ' Den 
 Genuss von vielen Guten erwahle ich 
 mir damit' (Wecklein, reading r^vSe). 
 The emphasis is on ttoXXwj', and the 
 construction is eiX6/x7]v ttjv (i.e. Ta-urqu 
 TTjv 6vri<jLv) iv7)(nv (ov<Tav) ttoXXwj' eaBXwv. 
 The demonstrative follows, according to 
 rule, the gender of the predicate 6vy)<nv. 
 Ostensibly this phrase (probably pro- 
 verbial) means no more than that to e5 
 covers everything desirable : to Clytaem- 
 nestra it means that more senses than 
 one can be put upon to e5. — eIX6|i,t]v : 
 the aorist refers to the moment before, 
 and to the preceding wish. — ttji/S' Her- 
 mann; but I think, with Kennedy, that 
 the archaic demonstrative should be 
 retained. — Another possible rendering of 
 the words is ' I prefer that my enjoyment 
 should be an enjoyment of wa;/)/ blessings 
 (not few)', i.e. 'of what is good one 
 would have as much as may be'. The 
 remark will then refer specially to firf 
 ZiX^:pp6wii3s ideiv. The victory is a sure 
 e<j6\6v : \i all turns out well, so much the 
 better. Here el\6p.y]v would be not a 
 past tense but the timeless aorist, near 
 akin to the gnomic, referring to a per- 
 manent, habitual choice, made not at this 
 moment but as a general principle ; cf. 
 Eur. Med. 395 Trji» dfcrwoLvav 'qv eyw cre'/3w 
 fjLa\i(TTa TrauTiou Kal ^vvepybv elKofiriv. 
 Yet other renderings might be suggested, 
 and in fact the words are, as proverbs are 
 apt to be for those not familiar with them, 
 decidedly obscure. But the first inter- 
 pretation is prevalent and seems the best. 
 
 363. XOP02;/3'. On the question who 
 are the speakers here, and how the 
 following scene is to be conceived, see 
 Appendix J. 
 
AfAMEMNON. 
 
 eym S' a/coi^cra? iricrTu aov reKfxrjpta 
 deov^ irpoaeiTrelv ev irapaaKevd^ofjuai' 
 X^pi't y^P ovK aTifio<i etpjaarai ttovwv. 
 
 Q) Zev ^aai\€v Kol vu^ ^iKia, 
 fieyaXcov Kocrficov Kreareipa, 
 r]T eVi Tpola<i 7rvpyoi<; e/3aXe<; 
 areyavov Slktvop, ux; fJbrjTe ixeyav 
 fxrjT ovv veapwv rtv vTrepreXeaai 
 fiiya SovXelwi 
 ydyyafMOv dT7]<i iravakwrov. 
 Aia Tot ^eviov jxeyav alBovfiai 
 TOP Tc'iSe Trpd^avT eV ^ hXe^dvhpu) 
 reivovra irdXai to^op, o7rft)9 dv 
 firjTe irpo Katpov fjiijd virep ciaTpcou 
 
 y 
 
 41 
 
 365 
 
 370 
 
 375 
 
 365. irpo<rtiir€iv «u to praise. 
 
 366. Ju}r there hath been wrought (by 
 the gods) a return in full for our pains. 
 OVK aTijios 'not inadequate' (Paley), 
 literally 'not without the value' of the 
 trouble spent.— irovwv depends directly 
 upon X"/"s> though relative in sense to 
 
 367 — 378. Clytaemnestva retires. Dur- 
 ing this anapaestic march, sung by the 
 sub-chorus, the principal chorus of elders 
 are moving into their position for the 
 following hymn. — vv| (j>i\ia. All this 
 passage takes a poignant irony from the 
 fact that it is really Argos and the elders, 
 not Troy and her people, who are 
 enslaved by the work of this ' gracious 
 night '. 
 
 370. <rTeyttv6v...ws i.e. ware, so close 
 that etc. — \i.iyav full-grozan. 
 
 371. |i'»JT' ovv 'nor if it comes to that^ : 
 this is the full force of the expression, but 
 we have no English equivalent that is not 
 cumbrous. — jiiJt' ovv...Tiva. Here the 
 irony of the situation turns against the 
 singers. The conspiracy which enthrones 
 Clytaemnestra and Aegisthus is the work 
 of the younger generation (ceapo/, see the 
 Introduction). Their own language here 
 
 might remind them that tyrants are 
 seldom grateful and that those who set 
 up cannot always pull down. 
 
 373. aT»]s iravoXajTov genitive 'of 
 equivalent' or 'of quality' dependingupon 
 the whole phrase /1^70 5. -yayyaixov (not 
 in apposition to bovKeias). 
 
 374. |Ji,€-yav alSovjiai.: the adj. is a 
 predicate, ' I bow before his greatness '. — 
 Note that ai'SoO/xai signifies properly a 
 feeling of shame. Now that the delay of 
 vengeance proves to have been only the 
 delay of the archer taking a long sure aim 
 they are ashamed of all previous doubts. 
 
 375 : zijho hath ivrought this vengeance 
 because of Paris'" sin. See on vv. 69, 714. 
 
 376. oTTws av...o-KT]«|>cicv. The shade 
 of difference, whatever it was, which 
 distinguished the final optative with av 
 from the final optative without it, was 
 not felt to be worth retaining, and in 
 Attic prose ottws ffKri^eiev only would be 
 admitted. To Aeschylus the older type 
 was probably merely an archaism and, 
 as such, part of the poetic style. 
 
 377. irpo Kaipov before (i.e. short of) 
 the mark: cf. v. 778. virip darpwv 
 hyperbole for ' too high '. — This is the 
 usual interpretation of tt^ «ajpou. Mr 
 
42f 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 /8e\o9 r]\l6iov (TKrj-^eLev. 
 XO. Ato? irXaydv e^ova dveLireiv' 
 irdpeaTL tovt i^c^vevaai' 
 eirpa^Gv w? eKpavev. ovk e'0a rt? 
 6eov<i j3poTu>v d^iovaOat jxeXeiv 
 ocrot? ciOlktcov %«pt9 
 TraToW' S" OVK eucre/S?)?. 
 7re(f>avTac S' ijyovov- 
 
 379. ix°^'^°'-^ (corr. to ^xoucr') eliretv. 
 
 385 — 6. iyydvova droX/xriTuv, 
 
 arp. a . 
 380 
 
 385 
 
 381. ws iwpa^ev ws. 
 
 Sidgwick prefers ' before the time', which 
 is an equally possible sense of the word 
 and gives, divested of metaphor, the real 
 meaning. But vir^p darpuv, a phrase not 
 very happy at best, seems scarcely intel- 
 ligible without the assisting contrast of 
 TTpo Kaipov in the local and metaphorical 
 sense. 
 
 378. i]X£0iov predicate, to be taken 
 with the verb. 
 
 379. /i is a stroke of Zeus which 
 they are able to proclaim. This thought 
 it is permissible tofollorv out. The elders 
 themselves ovk ^xoi'"'' (^^'^ ^lot able) to join 
 in the celebration, inasmuch as they are 
 more than doubtful of the fact to be 
 celebrated. But there is an opportunity 
 (7rdpe£rri), they say, to moralize upon the 
 suggested truth, that Zeus (note the em- 
 phasis) does watch and does punish : and 
 this accordingly they do, carefully avoid- 
 ing all explicit reference to the supposed 
 capture of Troy. This dubious and 
 somewhat feeble distinction is prompted 
 by their peculiar and embarrassing situa- 
 tion. They cannot accept Clytaemnestra's 
 proof, yet will not commit themselves to 
 a denial. Naturally they soon quit the 
 subject altogether. — dvtwreiv : see a.vo.- 
 yopivw, a word proper to proclamation of 
 a victory in the games or the like. 
 
 380. On the metre see Appendix 
 II. 
 
 381. He {i.e. Zeus) accomplishes as he 
 determines. — Note the convenient ambi- 
 guity of the aorist, which, according as it 
 
 is taken as past definite or as gnomic, does 
 or does not imply a specific reference to 
 the present case. In English the ambi- 
 guity can scarcely be preserved. — iirpa^av 
 (Hermann) must on no account be ac- 
 cepted, and would never have been sug- 
 gested but for the misinterpretation of v. 
 379 and of the foregoing scene. The 
 plural would naturally be referred to the 
 subject of lx<'i"'''i and so referred would be 
 meaningless. The omission of ws (Her- 
 mann) is not strictly necessary ; the ar- 
 chaic scansion e^ixvevv', ws (that) is not 
 inadmissible in lyrics. But the omission 
 seems better, and the insertion may well 
 have arisen from the want of punctuation 
 after Ixvevaai. 
 
 381. OVK t<J>a Tis. By tis we should 
 understand, as usual, (juidam ; the tone of 
 the remark suggests a personal reference. 
 It is probable that the poet has some 
 passage of literature in view ; but upon 
 the dramatic bearing of the remark light 
 is thrown afterwards by v. 1578, where it 
 appears that Aegisthus had entertained 
 and presumably expressed an unfavour- 
 able opinion of Providence. 
 
 383. dOiKTwv X<^P''S the charm or 
 spell of the inviolable, i.e. the restraining 
 'power' which religion ought to exercise. 
 For x^9'-^i i'^ this sense of influence (upon 
 the mind), cf. Eur. Med. 439 /3^/3aKe 5' 
 6pKui> x'^P's and note there. 
 
 385. It is manifested, how pregnant is 
 the insolence of a too-defiant pride, when 
 the fulness of the house overpasseth the 
 
APAMEMNON. 
 
 43 
 
 aa ToXixTj Twv 'Aprj 
 
 TTveovTcov fiei^ov 17 SiKaiw^, 
 
 (^XeovTcav Scofidroyv virep^ev 
 
 virep TO jBeKTKTTOv. ecrrw h (itti]- 
 
 fiavTov &a-T dirapKelv 
 
 ev irpairihwv \a-^6vra. 
 
 390 
 
 blessed mean. iti^a.vTa.\. «YYOvovo-a liter- 
 ally 'is proved to have been pregnant', or 
 'to have been carrying offspring', by 
 giving birth to it. When the consequence 
 of sin comes, men see to what it was 
 leading. The metaphor and its applica- 
 tion are familiar in Aeschylus, Pindar, and 
 other poets, and w-ere evidently conse- 
 crated by tradition. It is fully worked 
 out in vv, 749 — 773 of the play, which 
 are the best possible commentary upon 
 the present passage, TraKai<paTo% yipuv 
 Xbyo'i . . . fiiyap reKeadivra (piaros 6\^ov 
 TtKvovffdai ...iK 8' dryadas ri/xas yivei 
 pXaardveiv oKbpeffrov ol^vv ktK. ; see notes 
 there. Here the familiar train of thought 
 is merely touched by a passing allusion. 
 — As to the division of the words here I 
 follow in part Hartung (eKrivovcra T6\^a 
 Twf), but I see no reason for changing a 
 letter of the MS. In iKTivovcra the use 
 of this verb without object might with 
 reason be disputed : moreover it is too 
 common to have been easily mistaken. 
 eyyovov(ra, which the MS. offers, is 
 clear both in form and meaning. The 
 verb is formed like ivepyeiv, and means 
 ' to be iyyovos ' : ^yyovos is capable of 
 two senses, either 'in-bearing, containing 
 offspring ' (a synonym of Ivtokos), or 
 ' in-born, being contained as offspring '. 
 The second sense occurs in Aristotle (see 
 Lex. s.v.) ; from the first obviously is 
 derived iyyovowa. The formation is so 
 transparent that, whether it was familiar 
 or not, any one must have been at liberty 
 to coin it. — ToXjiT]. More usual in lyrics 
 would be t6\/m, but it is impossible now 
 to detennine how much regularity the 
 poets observed in these matters, and we 
 must take what we find. There may 
 
 have been good literary reason for the 
 Ionic form here. — Tr^(pai>Tai 5' tKydvois 
 aToXfJLrjTioi Bothe and others ; but the 
 reference to descendants is irrelevant. 
 
 389 — 391 : which shall be, so much as 
 'will permit a man of sense to meet his 
 needs without distress. The subject of 
 i(TT(j} ('let it be, let us put it at this') is 
 TO ^i\Ti<jTov 'the standard' of wealth, 
 which this sentence defines by the limiting 
 clause tiJtrre kt\. : literally and let this lie, 
 'so that a man may'' etc. — dirijuavTov: 
 The true point of this word is explained 
 (for the first time so far as I know) by 
 Wecklein. It is commonly rendered 
 'harmless' and construed with ^orw, the 
 subject being supposed to be 'wealth', 
 but the context will not supply the 
 subject ' wealth ', and it is very doubtful 
 whether dirrjfj.avTOi could bear the active 
 sense. Suppl. 584 dTr7]/j.dvT<j} adivet is 
 cited, but does not prove it. Wecklein 
 himself takes dir-qnavTov as transitive 
 here, reading Xax^vn (Auratus) and 
 translating 'let there be so much wealth 
 as to suffice a man of sense without 
 cattsint^ him distress^; but the change is 
 mistaken not only as requiring us to 
 force dTrj}iJ.a,vTos, but as ignoring the 
 dwo- in dirapKelv. — dirapK€iv literally 'to 
 suffice from it': for the preposition of. 
 dtro^riu [oaov dwo'^riv enough to live upon 
 Thuc. 1.2), d^opfi-^ a fund or capital, etc. 
 For the personal use of d/sKw ' I am suffi- 
 cient (to myself), content' there appears 
 to be no other example. Even P. V. 648 
 ToaovTov dpK<2 <TOL <Ta<f>7}vlaai. fwvov '1 can 
 only inform you as far as this' (cited by 
 S.) is materially different. But it is such 
 a happy and natural abuse of language 
 as justifies itself. — irpairiSwv: of. the 
 
44 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 ov <ydp ecTTLv eiraX^t'; 
 irXovTov 7rp6<; Kopov dvSpl 
 XaKTicravTL fieydXa At/ca? 
 /3&)yu,oi/ et<? d(pdv€Lav. 
 ^uiTai 8' d Tokaiva rreiOw, 
 irpo^ovKoiraa d(f)epTo<; draf;. 
 
 395 
 
 dvr. a. 
 
 genitive with ^x^'-" ^ws, as ws etxe ttoSujc 
 'with his best speed' (S.). 
 
 392 — 395. /vr t/iere is no defence for 
 tlie man, who in the pride of ivealth doth 
 haughtily sptirn the foundation of Right, 
 whereby he may be hid. In this sentence 
 are one or two points which I would 
 leave uncertain. itXovtov may be taken 
 either as above or with ^TraX^ts ('there is 
 no protection in riches' etc. Sidgwick: 
 'What defence are riches' etc. Kennedy). 
 I prefer the other only as facilitating 
 somewhat the attachment to ^TraX^is of d% 
 a.(()dvHav. — |X€YaXa, cf. Theb. 339 6\ol9' 
 (5j TToXei fxeyaX' ewevxeTat. fi^yav Canter 
 for metre. See Appendix II. — p<i>fi,6v : 
 the rendering 'altar' is rather too narrow. 
 The /3w/Li6s is that on which anything 
 stands, 'a base, step, pedestal', and the 
 notion of fixity, solidity (cf. /3^/3atos), is 
 here more prominent than that of sanc- 
 tity. — els d<|>dv«iav : the chief difificulty. 
 The explanations given are (i), as the 
 majority, XaKrlaavri els acpaveiav 'spurn- 
 ing out of sight', or 'into destruction'. 
 
 ^ The sole objection to this is that of arbi- 
 trary taste, but I confess that I cannot 
 accept it. Not only does the metaphor 
 thus pass decidedly into the grotesque, 
 but (and this perhaps is more like an 
 
 ^ argument) it becomes inconsistent with 
 the very notion of a |3w/x6s, which, as 
 already observed, is that oi fixity. The 
 wicked may insolently spurn a /Sw/tos, but 
 could not, however willing, spurn it away. 
 And moreover, the addition of et's a(f)a- 
 j'etttj/ (with an emphasis, observe), so 
 far from strengtTiening XaKTicravTi, sadly 
 weakens it ; the wicked, it would seem, 
 might 'spurn' the ^u/jlos without offence, 
 if he did not spurn it as far as invisibility. 
 
 (2) as Hermann and others, ^waK^is els 
 d<pdveiav 'protection against destruction'. 
 But dcpavrji, a very common word, means 
 not destroyed, but always invisible, secret,^' 
 concealed, and 'e^s is the wrong preposi- 
 tion' (S.). (3) ^TraX^ts eh dcpdveiav 'pro- 
 tection for concealment', whence the 
 translation above. I suggest this as ren- 
 dering correctly both els (for the purpose 
 of) and d<f)a.veLa, and as suitable to the 
 sequel ovk eKpixpOrj, irpiwei 5i kt\., v. 398. 
 This connexion also explains why the 
 words are separated from ^iraX^is. They j 
 are placed with emphasis at the end of 
 the sentence, because they strike the key- 1 
 note of the passage following. 
 
 396. Vet irresistible is that obstinate 
 persuasion, the self-persuasion, that is, of 
 the wicked, that his wealth will in some 
 way protect him. Tret^w means both per- 
 suasion to believe [conviction, as here, cf. 
 Eur. ffel. 796 tLs rovSe ireidu) ;) and per- 
 suasion to do [temptation). The second 
 sense may be taken here ('Temptation 
 forces him on' S.), but the other makes 
 a better connexion. The strength of 
 temptation is not here the question. 
 ToXaiva obstinate ; the word often has 
 this shade of meaning, cf. Eur. Med. 1057 
 iacov avTovs, w rdXav, (pelffai. reKvwv 
 (Medea appeals to her heart). 
 
 397. irpoPovXoirais . . . oTtts : another 
 difficult expression. The old interpreta- 
 tion was ' fore-counselling child of Infatua- 
 tion'. To this it was objected (Hartung, 
 Karsten) that the law of composition does 
 not admit such a substantive in the sup- 
 posed sense, an objection not answered 
 by producing exceptional adjectives such 
 as aivovapis (Ildpts), alvoirar-qp etc. The 
 compound substantive Trpo^ovKo-irais 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 45 
 
 aKO^ Se •jrafifiGTaiov. ovk €Kpv(f)07], 
 irpeiret he, ^w? alvoXafxire^, aivof;' 
 
 -\ 
 
 ought to mean ' a Trais who is a irpo^ov- 
 Xos' or 'who belongs to the class irpopov- 
 \oi\ where TrpdjSonXos is not an adjective 
 but a substantive. This type of com- 
 pound is common, and the question is 
 whether it is applicable here. Now it is 
 well worth notice, that Trpo'^ouXos always 
 is a SKhstanth'c ^wfS. always, if the Lexicon 
 may be trusted, confined to one sphere of 
 association. It meant in Greek politics 
 * one who prepares measures for the sanc- 
 tion of another '. In this sense it occurs 
 in Aeschylus himself (Thcb. 997), and 
 not seldom elsewhere. It is a word in 
 short deeply coloured with technical 
 meaning (as is also TrpojSovXeijo}), and it 
 describes not a quality but Vi function, and 
 a relative function. A irpo^ovXa^ is al- 
 ways Trpo^ovXos to another or others. 
 These facts strongly suggest that in this 
 compound Trois also is a term oi function, 
 and means not child but servant or hand- 
 maiden (a common meaning), and that we 
 should translate by servant of Infatjiation 
 who prepareth her decrees, literally 'the 
 counsellor-servant of Ate '. Self-decep- 
 tion, to drop the metaphor, prepares the 
 way for judicial blindness. Such meta- 
 phors from occupations and functions are 
 in the style of the poet ; see his trpo- 
 XaXKivei 'Att) (f>aiTyai'ovpy6^, his irpixriro- 
 Xos ^ovoxj, his irpo^aToyvufiuv, and the 
 like. — To write Trpo^ovXov irais . . .dras 
 (Hartung) is to cut not solve the problem. 
 No copyist would invent irpo^oiiXoiraLS, and 
 besides, the use of irpo^ovXos would then 
 force us to ask ' To whom does Ate serve 
 as irpo^ovKos?^ — irpo^ovXos Tratj (Karsten) 
 avoids this question, but is also arbitrary. — 
 a(f>€pTos 'tyrannous', lit. 'insupportable'. 
 398 — 408. Remedy is all in vain.... 
 Like base metal at the rub and touch he 
 shows the black grain under Justif cation 
 . . .and sets upon his people a fatal mark 
 of his touch. Deaf to supplication, the 
 gods condemn for a wicked man him who 
 
 is conversant 7oith such. The sonorous 
 obscurity of this sentence almost defies 
 analysis. The general meaning is that, 
 as wealth will not serve, so neither will 
 power, such as the power of a mighty 
 state, to avert the punishment of the 
 wicked. lie will only ruin those who 
 adopt his guilt. — In detail, the first point 
 to observe is that ^Trel...6pviv is a paren- 
 thesis, and that the metaphor of the 
 rubbed metal is pursued after it as before 
 it. The almost unique word Trp6ffTpifi/ia, 
 meaning ' that which is rubbed on to ' a 
 thing, is plainly adopted, probably in- 
 vented, by the poet, as a correlative to 
 TpfjSoj. — It is additionally recommended 
 by the use of wpoarpi^eLv to inflict a 
 punishment (Aesch. P. V. 345 Paley). — 
 SiKaiwOcls when justified, i.e. 'brought 
 to justice ' or 'to punishment '. This 
 (see L. and Sc) is the meaning which 
 hiKixibd} has in all the few passages where 
 it is used with a personal object. It suits 
 very well with the words rp\.^i^...-Ki\ei. 
 In contact with justice wickedness is seen 
 for what it is. But this meaning of 
 SiKaLuOels does not square exactly with 
 ir6\ei Trp6(rTpiix/xa...dels, where that with 
 which the malefactor has ' contact ' is no 
 longer justice but the 7r6Xiy which be- 
 comes a party to his cause. The fact 
 seems to be that in these last words the 
 poet has before his mind a possible sense, 
 quite different, of diKaiovffdai, analogous 
 to that of 5tKo/wcrty, e.g. in Lysias p- 1 1 5 
 Stl fieif oZ'V d(j)d6-qv virh tQiv TafiiQv itrl- 
 (TTaade. ivpoiyfjKeiv hk riyovfievoi koI Sia 
 ra^Ttjv T7]v dwdSfi^iv airyjWdxOaL rod 
 iyK\rj/xaros, '4ti. TrXeiovas Kal vo/xov? Kal 
 fiXXas StKtttcccrets irapacrx'ri'^ofj.ai. Here and 
 elsewhere diKaiuais clearly means 'justi- 
 fication ' in the modern sense, and in 
 later Greek the verb diKaiou takes regu- 
 larly the corresponding sense of 'justify'. 
 The dawn of a future change in language 
 is often first seen in poetry, which is 
 
46 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KUKOV he yakKov rpoirov 4OO 
 
 Tpi/3(p Kal Trpocr^oXaiii 
 
 IJbeka[jiira<yrj<i irekei 
 
 BiKaio)6el<; (eVei 
 
 BicoKet 7rat9 irravov opviv) 
 
 TToXei irpocnpijxix a(f)€pTov dei<;. 4^5 
 
 Xirav S' d/covet /nev ovTfi Becov, 
 
 Tov S' eTTiaTpocpov TcovSe 
 
 (j)coT dSiKov Kudaipei. 
 
 oto<; Kal ITapt? eXOcov 
 
 69 Sofiov TOV ^ Krpeihav 41O 
 
 '^(T')(yve ^evlav rpdire- 
 
 ^av KXoTraicrc yvvatK6<;. 
 
 XiTTova-a S' daTOLcnv dairl.crropa'i arp. /3'. 
 
 kX6vov<; Xo'y'^t/xov<; re koI vav^dra^i oTrXicrixovq, 
 
 nyovcrn t dvrlcfiepvov 'IXtto (f)dopav 415 
 
 ^e^aKe plfjic^a hid irvXav, 
 
 40 1 . 7rpo/3oXa?s. 
 
 always experimenting upon the possi- 
 bilities of words. — The rendering ' tested ', 
 which appears in many commentaries, is 
 not supported, so far as I can discover, 
 by any example or even analogy. — iroXei, 
 7'.e. TToX^Tatj, very frequent in Aeschylus, 
 T/ie6. 57, 102 1 etc.— a4>€pTov Oeis. This 
 metre though not impossible (see Ap- 
 pendix II.) is harsh. Perhaps the order 
 should be changed TroXet irpocTTpi/xfjLa Oels 
 atpepTOP. The Cod. Farn. has as usual a 
 conjecture, S.(pepTov evOeU, and a bad one, 
 for €v- is not correct : avdeh (from avari- 
 divai) to put ttpon is possible, as in 
 iXeyxelriv avadrjcrei {II. 11. 100), a.va.ri- 
 OdvaL alriav (or kv5os) tivL etc. But the 
 simple verb Bel's is best of all and most 
 Aeschylean; the correct preposition is 
 already given by irp6<T-TpLfj./xa and no 
 compound would be quite satisfactory 
 except TrpoaOds. I therefore leave the text, 
 under reserve. — €ir€l...opviv, for his pur- 
 suit is that of the boy after the flying bird ; 
 the hope of the malefactor and his friends 
 that they may escape punishment is futile. 
 ^TwvSe better taken not as neuter but as 
 
 410. TIjlV. 
 
 masculine, as in the Homeric phrase 
 €irl(rTpo(pos rjv dvOpwiruf (Od. I. 177) from 
 which this appears to be imitated. The 
 plural includes the whole company of the 
 wicked with the original malefactor. — 
 dSiKov predicate with KaOaipct, which 
 has its judicial Attic sense, to 'condemn' 
 or ' sentence ' (not ' to destroy ' though 
 this is indirectly implied), as in 7; KaOai- 
 povaa yprjcpo^ (Lysias) etc. See L. and 
 Sc. s. V. — On the metrical points see 
 Appendix II. 
 
 413. dcTTiCTopas kXovovs Xoyx^|aovs 
 T€ the din of shield and spear, Kal vav- 
 pdros oirXieriioiis attd the arming of fleets. 
 T€ couples the adjectives dcnriffTopas and 
 'KoyxlfJ.ovs, KdL couples vav^a.ra'i oTrXia/jLois 
 to the whole phrase preceding. The 
 order of the words and conjunctions is 
 the proper order, and would scarcely 
 require notice but for the attempts to 
 change it under the pressure of metrical 
 theory. See Appendix II. 
 
 415 — 422. See Appendix K. 
 
 416. p«PaK6. The vowel is length- 
 ened by the following p. 
 
AFAMEMNfiN. 
 
 47 
 
 drXnjTa rX/icra' iroXv 8' dvlarevov 
 To8' €Vve7rovTe<; Bo/llcov 7rpo(f>i]Tai' 
 " Id) 1(0 Soofxa SSfia koX irpofiot, 
 lo) Xe^^o? Kal art^oi (f)t\dvop6<;. 
 Trdpeari atyfl'; dTtfjio<i (i\olSopo<; 
 a8taT0<; (i(}>efjieu(ov ISetv. 
 iroOw K VTrepirovrla^ 
 ^dafia S6^€L Boficov dvaaaeiv. 
 etfiopcfxov Be KoXoacrwv 
 €')(6€Tai %«/3t? dvBpi, 
 ofjifiaTCOv S' iv a-^^Tjvtaif: 
 eppet irda A(f>poBiTT}. 
 6vei,p6(f)avTOt Be 7retdi]fiov€<; 
 
 420 
 
 425 
 
 dvT. yS'. 
 
 419. id) and SQfia not repeated. 
 
 417. iroKi 8* dv€<rT€vov: for metre 
 see Appendix II. 
 
 423. •7r69w...dva<r(r£iv: so pining for 
 her that is far beyond sea, the lord of the 
 honse may pass for a mere phantom : ' den 
 Herrscher des Hauses wird man nicht 
 fiir einen machtvollen Herrscher, sondern 
 fur ein Schattenbild halten ' (Wecklein). 
 The tone, as in the preceding sentence, 
 is still mocking. — I am sorry to abandon 
 for this interpretation the old and familiar 
 one *in his longing for the lost wife a 
 phantom of her will seem to rule his 
 home '. But this, however poetical, is 
 not in the Greek. It is impossible that 
 the subject of 86^ei should be other than 
 6 iroOwv : the suggestion to translate by 
 he will think that a phantom of her 
 rules (Housman) shows a consciousness 
 of this; but itself makes an impossible 
 separation of <p6.<Jixa. from ^ofyi. More- 
 over the old interpretation does not satisfy 
 the force and position of dopLuv avdaaeiv. 
 It will no doubt seem to many that 
 Dr Wecklein's rendering destroys what 
 they most admire in the passage. This 
 may be, but I am compelled to say 
 for myself that I think it indisputably 
 right. 
 
 42 7. 6|x|jLdT(ov iv dx^lvCais in the want 
 
 4-29. irevO-qiiove^. 
 
 of the eyes. The question is raised 
 whether the ' eyes ' are those of the 
 husband, or of the lost wife, or of the 
 blankly-gazing statues, a question which 
 cannot and must not be answered. The 
 eyes of the husband seek, but no longer 
 find, the eyes that were wont to answer, 
 and, for lack of this response, love is for 
 him no more. It is the advantage of the 
 language here that it is ambiguous be- 
 tween ' absence of eyes ' and ' hunger of 
 eyes '. 
 
 429. irtiOiiiAoves . . . So^ai, persuading 
 visions or 'convincing', i.e. visions which 
 compel belief in their reality, cf. Pro- 
 pertius 4. 11. 81 (a departed wife is 
 addressing her husband) 'sat tibi sint 
 noctes, quas de me, Paule, fatiges | som- 
 niaque in faciem credita saepe meant; \ 
 atque ubi secreto nostra ad simulacra 
 loqueris | ut responsurae singula verba 
 iace, Meleager ^;/M. Gr. 5. 166 apa. /x^vei 
 aropyrjs i/J-a \dipava Kal rb <pl\T]/j.a | fivr]- 
 fjjoavvov \f/vxpg. OaKweT ev eiKacrlg.; \ apd 
 y' ^x^' CTfjyKoi.Ta TO. daKpva, Ka.fJ.hv 6vii- 
 pov I i^vxaTrdxTjv (xripvois a.jj.<pi^a\ovaa 
 (piXet; (Ilousman journal of Philology, 
 16. ■269). Both passages, that of Pro- 
 pertius especially, seem to have been 
 suggested l)y Aeschylus (see ?'. 425 above) 
 
48 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 irapeLaL So^at (f)epov<Tai %«/3tJ' /xaTatav. 
 fidrav yap evT av iaOXd rt? Sokmv opdvf, 
 irapaWd^aa-a Bid ')(epu)V 
 ^e^aKev 6yjrc<; ov /xedua-Tepov 
 trrepoi'i o7raSoi<? vttvov Ke\evdoi<i.' 
 
 430 
 
 and strengthen, as well as illustrate, the 
 conjecture. But the strongest commen- 
 dation, though not perhaps truly an argu- 
 ment, is its poetic superiority. — irevO-qixove^ 
 MS. 'mournful'. The alternative inter- 
 pretations of this, ( r) sad-looking, {^) caus- 
 ing sadness, are both unsatisfactory. ( i ) 
 is pointless, and (2) is contrary to fact and 
 the context. It cannot be said of the 
 visions that Trivdy]ix.ovt% irdpeKTi : on the 
 contrary (pipovffi X'^P^"' though fiaraiav, 
 Mr Housman aptly quotes another imi- 
 tation, Eur. A/c. 348 foil. (Admetus to 
 his dying wife) ev 5' ovelpaaiv ipoiTCxxa /m' 
 ev<f>paii'oii civ ridii yap <f>i\ovi kSv 
 vvktI Xeicraeiv 6vtiv h,v waprj xpovov. 
 — There is perhaps a third possible inter- 
 pretation, visions of mourning, i.e. visions 
 which arise before the disturbed mind of 
 the mourner. We might even cite Pro- 
 pertius for this also: the ghost of Cynthia 
 appears to her lover 'cum mihi somnus 
 ab exsequiis penderet ' (4. 7. 5). This 
 somewhat artificial explanation, which 
 Mr Housman does not notice, I should 
 take, if irevOi^/jLovei be retained ; and it 
 may very likely be an old reading, as old 
 or nearly as old as the other. But 
 Mr Housman's is to me ireiSri/xuv, and 
 I cannot refrain from placing it in the 
 text. 
 
 431. Here again T agree with Mr 
 Housman upon all points. The attempts 
 to make grammar by minute alteration 
 {e.g. opq.) are useless. The intrusion of 
 mere generality here is intolerable, and 
 the words icrdXd rts must be wrong. It 
 is ' absurd to say that whenever anj/ one 
 seems to see good things they pass away 
 through his hands '. Something is re- 
 quired leading up to 5ia x^P^^- Mr Hous- 
 man, comparing Milton ' But lo as to 
 
 embrace me she inclined, I waked' (and 
 add Propertius again (4. 7. 96) ' inter 
 complcxits excidit umbra meos '), offers 
 ixdrav "ydp cut' av €S 6170,9 SoKav opa 
 ' for when in vain he looks to touch the 
 phantom ', where for hoKoX {i.e. So^ai) see 
 Hermann ad loc. and for hpav e% Eur. 
 frag. i6'2 dvdpbs 5' opuvroi is KiJirpiv 
 veaviov d<pvXaKTOs i] rripTjcns. In the 
 supposed diyri touch there is nothing to 
 stumble at ; it is absolutely warranted by 
 the existence of dtyelv, and can be foimd, 
 as I have long thought, in more easily 
 recognisable shape than here. Under 
 irpoadriKT] in L. and Sc. will be found the 
 metrical proverb irdalv eiffi irpdyfxaai 
 irpo<70TJKai dijo, where irpoffdrJKai (addi- 
 tions) has no meaning and should be 
 replaced by irpoadiyai : ' everything has 
 two handles ', or ' ways of taking hold of 
 it '. From the mere fact that the passage 
 is corrupt it is likely to have contained 
 some word not common. In short, I am 
 for myself completely satisfied with Mr 
 Housman's reading, though I do not 
 venture to insert it as a clear restoration. 
 To account for the MS. text we have 
 merely to suppose the common error T 
 for r ; thus ecrdiras, and from this by the 
 commonest sort of conjecture ecOXd tls. 
 
 434 : with wings thai follow the pass- 
 ing of sleep. The dative KeXevdois, de- 
 pending on oiraSoii (cf. 'iirofx-ai), though 
 correct, produces a curious collision of 
 dative cases, but there is no certain proof 
 of error. — Of proposed changes oirahbs 
 (Auratus) is the simplest change and 
 technically most probable : the adjectival 
 oTraSos might well in Aeschylus take 
 inepoh as an instrumental dative. — irre- 
 poh 6Tra5ov(F(a) Dobree. — KcXcvOois, com- 
 monly 65o(s, cf. V. 131. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 49 
 
 ra fiev Kar oiKOVf i<f> €crTia<; axv* 
 
 rd S' ecrri, Kal tcZvS' virep^aTdWepa. 
 
 TO irnv 8' (t(f)' 'KWaSo^i aia<i avvopfi6vot<i 
 
 irevdeia T\r)(TiKaphto<i 
 
 B6/j,Q)v eKncTTOv irpeTrei. 
 
 436. Ta.8' effrl. 
 
 435 
 
 435. €<f>* co-rCas. ((pecrrlovi (\^iss). 
 This merely expresses the same sense in 
 a more ordinary way. But a poet is at 
 liberty to prefer an unusual way, and we 
 may even think that the cumulation of 
 4<p' fffrlai (the more intimate expression) 
 upon Kar oikov^ has a poetical effect. 
 
 436. TO. 8' (Halm), I think this di- 
 vision is right, but further that ?<m 
 should be accented as emphatic. The 
 word icrrl without emphasis is very rare- 
 ly admitted by Aeschylus, especially in 
 lyrics, but almost always left to be sup- 
 plied. The emphatic ^(rri is used here 
 to mark the true present time of v. 436, 
 as opposed to the 'historic' time of v. 435. 
 The connexion of thought is this : ' Such 
 were ai home (/car otVovs) the sufferings 
 of those (e^' eo-r^as) most nearly con- 
 cerned (the Atridae, particularly Mene- 
 laus), and other sufferings they have now, 
 even greater (the miseries of war being 
 added to the first loss) ; and throughout 
 Hellas, since they (the princes and their 
 army) went away, there is sorrow'. Both 
 V. 436 and V. 437 are separately anti- 
 thetic in different ways to v. 435. — If rctS' 
 e<7Tt be written, so that the antithesis is 
 merely between to, iiiv and rh Trdv 5^, 
 there is an ill-marked transition of time 
 from the past to the present. — twvS' 
 vir€ppaTWT€pa t/iore surpassing than these, 
 an unusual (active) senSe of inr^p^aros, 
 and a redundant, or rather inaccurate, 
 use of the comparative formation, where 
 'surpassing these' would be logical. 
 Some would reject the word : the active 
 sense is exceptional only, not incorrect ; 
 and the comparative seems well within 
 the range of poetry seeking a strong ex- 
 pression. 
 
 V. /E. A. 
 
 437. TO "irav h\ generally, nniiu-r sally, 
 i.e. 'in reference to the commons', or 
 'the general' in Shakespeare's phrase, as 
 opposed to ra i4 f<'"r/ay, the domestic 
 concerns of the princes. The phrase as 
 an adverb qualifying the whole statement 
 does not seem to occur elsewhere, but 
 accords with the analogy of rh TroXi», to 
 ir\eicrTov, etc. — «ruvopfjievois 'since they 
 (the princes and their army) went away 
 together'. For this 'dative absolute', as 
 it may almost be called, see on Thel>. 
 217 and hereafter on v. 1277. — 'EXXaSos. 
 "EXXayos Bamberger for metre. See Ap- 
 pendix II. 
 
 439 — 440. /n the dwelling of every 
 one heart-aching grief is seen is the re- 
 ceived translation, but impossible, iriv- 
 deia, as from an adjective irevO-qs, would 
 be a word of monstrous and unexampled 
 formation. Adjectives in -77s are formed 
 from words such as nivdos, irevOeiv, only 
 as compounds, e.g. dvcnrevdyjs. So tAoj, 
 reXe?!', £VTe\rjs, but not riXeia perfection. 
 The epithet TXrjffiKdpdios 'suffering in 
 heart' is proper only to the mourner, and 
 could scarcely be applied to his grief. 
 A bolder case {d.cnvr]S crurrrip for 'one who 
 saves harmless') occurs in Thed. 811 but 
 in a passage of little authority : see notes 
 there. And thirdly in the genitive Sd/xwu 
 looseness of construction is carried be- 
 yond reasonable limits. The combination 
 of these difficulties, singly formidable, is 
 overwhelming. — Translate: tha-e is and 
 must be heart-ache for the women of every 
 house, literally, 'the kinswoman of each 
 man's house is heavy at heart of course'. 
 On ire'vOeia see Appendix L. — irp^irct is 
 naturally. This is the force here rather 
 than 'is conspicuously'. The use of the 
 
50 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 TToWa yovv Oiyydvei Trpo? ^Trap' 
 0^)9 fiev yap TrapeTrefiyjrev 
 oTBev, dvrl Be <f>(i)Tci}v 
 
 T€VXV '^^*^ (TTToSo? et? €Ka- 
 
 CTTOV S6fiov<; d(})iKveLTai. 
 
 6 'Xpvcra/jLObl36<; S' "Aprj<i (TOi/JbaTCOv 
 
 Kol TaXavrov')(^o<; ev fji>d')(r) Bopo^; 
 
 TTvpcoOev i^ 'iXtoi; 
 
 (f)LXoi,cn Trefiirei ^apv 
 
 yjrrjy/ia SvaSnKpVTOV dv- 
 
 rr)vopo<i cnrohov yefxi- 
 
 ^(ov Xe^r)Ta<i evOerov. 
 
 yap iireixypev. 
 
 440 
 
 <TTp. y . 445 
 
 441. 
 
 verb is closely akin to its common im- 
 personal use {irplwei it is Jit), and may be 
 approximately illustrated by Pers. 1^2 
 irdrepa yap to^ov\k6? O-^XI^V 5ta x^P^" 
 avToU TTpiirei; 'Is the bow the weapon 
 natural to their hands?' and Soph. 0. T. g 
 TTpevcov irpb rCovSe (fxavetv, 'marked as 
 their natural spokesman '. It is this trpi- 
 nei to which ^ovv in v. 440 refers : yovp 
 introduces some justification of what pre- 
 cedes, here of the notion 'naturally' or 
 'of course' conveyed in irpiwei, 'she is 
 sad naturally, for she has much to grieve 
 her'. 
 
 440. OiYydvei {avrrii) xpos 7]irap 
 wo2i7ids her to the heart. The interpre- 
 tation of irivOeia ofifered above has the 
 incidental advantage of removing the 
 difficulty from this line, as it supplies the 
 personal pronoun, without which Oiyya- 
 v€L TTpbs rjirap would be a doubtful phrase, 
 so doubtful as to have prompted cor- 
 rections, KiyxoLveL (Meineke), xp^f^'""^^'''"-^ 
 (Wecklein) etc. 
 
 441. •irape''n-€|A4'«v (Bothe) those 711/1 om 
 she sped forth, sent away with cheer and 
 encouragement. The preposition, bearing 
 the same shade of meaning as in irapa- 
 fivOela-dai, irapaKeXeieiv, adds to the irony 
 of the contrast. The loss of a syllable is 
 accounted for by the similarity of sylla- 
 bles r*PTT<'^P- — ''■'5 ^irefixf/ev Porson (and 
 
 450 
 
 450. yefii^ojv (?). 
 
 many texts) ; but this has no graphic 
 probability. It has been recommended 
 only by the necessity of supplying a sub- 
 ject to ?Trefi\pev, which is already supplied 
 under the foregoing interpretation. — See 
 further Appendix II. 
 
 442. "Notice the beautiful effect in 
 this pathetic line of the implied antithesis 
 to oIScv ; instead of the familiar and loved 
 face comes back the unknown urn and 
 ashes" (Sidgwick). 
 
 445. "The 'dust in the urn' suggests 
 a bold figure to the poet. 'War is a 
 gold-merchant dealing in bodies ; he has 
 his balance (holding the scales of fight, a 
 Homeric idea from //. 8. 69, where Zeus 
 weighs fates) ; he sends back ^rj^ixa 
 dzest, trupoiQiv and ^apv diirtit and heavy 
 (grievojis), like gold-dust, but in another 
 sense ; he fills the jar with ashes in place 
 of men ' " (Sidgwick). 
 
 451. «vOtTov literally 'convenient'; 
 the old translation 'easily stowed' is not 
 far from the implied sense, but a little 
 more than the meaning of the word. The 
 general notion is 'convenience', as comes 
 out clearly in evderelv to be convenient, 
 handy {evBerei irdffi xpv<^o.(Tdai Theophras- 
 tus), and specially the convenience which 
 comes of being in small compass. So in 
 Hesiod {Theog. 541) Prometheus, binding 
 the bones of an ox in fat to deceive Zeus, 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 51 
 
 arevovcTt 8' ev XeyovTe^; uv- 
 Bpa TOP fi€V ft)? iia^ri<i i'Spt?, 
 TOP 8' ev (f)Ovat<i kuXo)^ ireaovT 
 aWoTpia<i htaX <yvvaiK6^' 
 rdZe crl'ya Ti? ^aii^ei, 
 (^Oovepov h VTT a\<yo<; epirei 
 TrpoSifcoicnv ^ At pei8ai<i. 
 oc S' avrov irepl t€l^o<; 
 
 455 
 
 455- 
 
 first packs them together, evdertaas kut^- 
 0T)Ke KoXvfa^ apyiri Brj/jLip. So in Aesch. 
 /rag. 238 shoes for running are termed 
 ei'deroi ap/3i'Xai from their * convenient ' 
 lightness and other adaptation. (The 
 word appears, as a conjecture of one of 
 the later copyists, in T/i€l>. 629, l)ut see 
 note there.) Here it is an epithet bor- 
 rowed from the merchant's gold-dust, 
 whose convenience of small bulk, ready 
 exchange etc., is a chief part of its value. 
 To the ashes it is applicable only in bitter 
 irony, because, as compared with the living 
 man, they are so small in bulk and so 
 quickly disposed of. The ironical tone 
 is aided by the emphatic position of the 
 epithet : fxaralav in v. 430 has a similar 
 emphasis, though less strong and different 
 in purpose. — evOhovi (Auratus) is a mis- 
 taken change. The 'convenience' of the 
 goldsmith's vessels (i.e. the urns of the 
 dead) is not to the point ; still less that 
 they are 'well-ordered' (as the word is 
 sometimes rendered). We may add the 
 improbability that cvdirovs should have 
 been altered to the case of a remoter 
 word. 
 
 455. Sial Hermann. 
 
 456. Td8€, i.e. the last words aWorpi- 
 os Sial yvvaiK6s, not of course the praises 
 of the dead. I have followed Wecklein 
 in marking the natural pause. — pau^o- 
 snarls ; the word signifies the tones of the 
 dog. — ns some one ; note that this differs 
 from ^av^ovffi and is more picturesque. 
 When the praises of the dead are sounded, 
 
 dia. 
 
 some one, an emissary for example of the 
 conspirators, will generally put in the 
 malicious suggestion — o-i-Ya in a whisper. 
 In this and the like passages (see L. 
 and Sc. s.v.) the word retains the effect 
 of its origin and its connexion with «rffw 
 (stem ffPy-) to hiss. 
 
 457. (|>6ovcp6v . . . 'ArpeCSais there 
 spreads an indignajit grief against the 
 quarrel of the sons of A treus. •uiro . . . ^pirci 
 i.e. v(j)ipirei. This intransitive use is to 
 be distinguished from that in v. 282 x^-P^ 
 ya' i)(j>ipTrei. For iptreiv to grow see on 
 Theh. 17. — -irpoSfKOwriv : cf. avrtdiKos in 
 V. 41. The diKT) is the great cause of the 
 Atridae against Troy. But the exact 
 sense of irpddiKos is hard to fix, from the 
 rarity of the word and of similar words. 
 It is here clearly invidious ; a laudatoiy 
 or merely general epithet would spoil the 
 sentence. As irpSfiaxos is forward in 
 battle, Trpbxeipoi handy, irpbKuiro^ ready 
 with the sword, and wpoKecrxo'i too ready 
 ivith talk, so npoSiKos may be for7ciard or 
 too ready in suit, in short litigious, and 
 this would fit very well, the point being 
 that the princes are selfishly eager in 
 urging their private interest. — Etymolo- 
 gically irp68iKOi may also mean pleading 
 on behalf of anolher, and sometimes did 
 (cf. wpodiKiu} and trpofiaxoi in the sense of 
 defender). Hut this would be contrary to 
 the purpose here ; the cause of the Atri- 
 dae was certainly their own. The ren- 
 dering iustitiae vindex (Dindorf) is 
 scarcely consistent with the etymology. 
 
 4—2 
 
52 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 6i]Ka<; 'IXtaSo? 7««» 
 
 evfiop^oi Kare')(ov(rt,v' e^- 
 
 6pn 8' 6')(^ovra<i eKpvyfrev. 
 
 ^apeia 8' darrov (fxiTLf avyKOTCOv' 
 
 ZtjiMOKpdrov S' dpd<i Tivet ')(peo^. 
 
 460 
 
 (I VT. y . 
 
 463. c 
 
 460. Others possess s^-aves there by the 
 to7tm in Trojan earth, ivhich hating them 
 doth hide its fair possessors away. The 
 Greek feeling for the lieaiity of the liody 
 is here touchefl with a strange pathos. 
 cii'|j.op(f>oi., though joined with Karixovaiv, 
 takes its force from its antithesis to 
 ^Kpv^fcv. The epithet could be applied, 
 even in imagination, only of course to 
 the dead buried, not burnt. Note also 
 the irony in KaTexov<riv...?x.ovTas, words 
 used naturally of conquerors who oceitpy 
 land (Sidgwick). — ixOpa. 5' ^x^'"'^"^ 
 (Orelli) gives a more obvious but much 
 less delicate point. 
 
 463. Papeia dangerotis. — otjykotwv 
 when united in anger, possessed by a 
 common feeling of indignation. This 
 microscopic change from the MS. {(tvvko- 
 Tuv for ffvvKorm) is justifiable if not 
 imperative. The compound ffiyKoro^ is 
 similar to ffv/xiraO-rjs united in feeling, 
 avvai/ios united in blood, a-uvopKos bound 
 by a joint oath, and exactly analogous to 
 <svu.<ppwv one in mind, of which a soli- 
 tary specimen is preserved in v. 112. It 
 answers to dXXo/foros (properly differing 
 in hiimottr) as avixtppovuv answers to 
 aK\ocf>poveiv. For the union with a pre- 
 position we have inr^pKoros and iwiKOTo^. 
 With (TVYKOTwv we have an exact expres- 
 sion of the point, which, as the next line 
 shows, is that when there is among the 
 people a common indignation (not in- 
 dignation simply), a conspiracy, or some- 
 thing like it, grows up naturally out of 
 daily intercourse and conversation (c^dris). 
 — With ahv KOTip we must translate ' popu- 
 lar rumour is dangerous, where there is 
 anger'. But this is a lame and inadequate 
 expression of what is meant. 
 
 464 : it peifortns the obligation of a 
 swo)-n conspiracy : the subject is ^dm, 
 the talk by which malcontents are drawn 
 together. — 8rij».0KpdT0t) dpas a popular 
 conjuration, a curse by which the people 
 bind themselves together. I believe 
 that the MS. reading is right and much 
 better than any of the proposed substi- 
 tutes. The metaphor Kpdffis mixture, ap- 
 plied to a league, covenant, or bond, is 
 foreign to modern language but conse- 
 crated and characteristic in Greek; and it 
 is specially applicable to a conjuration or 
 religious bond. It was in fact more than 
 a metaphor ; it was an actual symbol ; 
 see the ritual of Atlantis as described in 
 Plato (Critias p. 119). The ten kings 
 annually renewed their compact with 
 each other and with the law by first 
 shedding the blood of a bull over a 
 pillar, on which were written, together 
 with the laws, 'an oath invoking great 
 curses on whoever should break them 
 {opKos fJLeyaKas apas eirevxafxevos To7i dwei- 
 Oovai) ' and then mixing drops of the 
 bulPs blood, one for each of them, in a 
 bozul from which they drank, sivearing as 
 they did so to deal truly with each other 
 according to the la^o (KpaTrjpa Kepaaapres 
 vwhp eKCLffTov Opoix^ov hi^aWov aipLaros 
 kt\.). Hence in Herodotus (4. 152) the 
 beginning of a commercial league is 
 expressed by the dedication of a Kparvp, 
 and we are told that Qripaloiffi is 'Za/jLiovs 
 dwb TOVTOV Tov 'ipyov wpwra (piKlai fjieyaXat 
 ffvveKprjdriffav. So in the Seven a- 
 gainst Thebes (43) the forlorn hope of the 
 besiegers bind themselves together till 
 death by putting their hands while they 
 swear into blood poured in a shield, 
 which serves for the occasion the func- 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 53 
 
 fievei 8' (iKovaat ri fiov 
 fiepifiva vvKTi]pe(f)e<;. 
 TftJf iroXvKTOvcov yap ovk 
 aTToaKOTTOi deoL KeXai,- 
 val S' ^EipCVV€<i "X^povM 
 TV')(ripov ovT civev Blku^ 
 'iraXivrv')(fi Tpi/3a ^lov 
 
 tion of a Kparrjp. See also the oaths of . 
 Priam and Agamemnon //. 3. 269 and 
 notes there. From this ritual and sym- 
 bolism came many familiar terms of 
 compact, such as avyKepdaacrOai <pi\lav, 
 avyKeKpacrdai nvt {to be united with ano- 
 ther), aufifu^ai. (rv/xj36\aLa etc. Hence 
 8r}fj.6KpaTos dpa properly describes a 'con- 
 juration' of the people, a covenant of 
 rebellion solemnized with imprecation ; 
 and the point here is that the bond of a 
 common indignation irregularly communi- 
 cated from mouth to mouth may be as 
 dangerous to authority as a sworn con- 
 spiracy. It will be observed that what 
 the speakers fear is not the unimaginable 
 thing which happens, but a popular out- 
 break against the representatives of the 
 king. This glimpse of the political 
 situation is important, indeed essential, 
 to the development of the play. — rlvti 
 Xpcos 'it performs (literally 'pays') the 
 obligation'. The (pans is by a bold 
 but natural personification said itself to 
 do that which it causes to be done. For 
 the extended use of XP^°^ cf. Soph. 0. C. 
 250 irpbi <r' OTi aoL (pi\ou iK (xidev avro- 
 fiat, 7J riKvov, rj Xexos, i} XP^o^ {pbiigatio 
 Hermann) 17 ^e6j. Observe that rivti. 
 XP^os pursues the idea of the covenant 
 and confirms the correctness of 57}iJ.oKpd- 
 Tov. — 8r)iJ.oKpafTov (Porson and most texts) 
 gives the sense 'a curse decreed in as- 
 sembly, an official curse'. The public 
 curses upon offenders were an important 
 part of early Greek legislation and were 
 regularly registered with the laws (see a 
 specimen from Teos in Roberts' Grech 
 Inscriptions No. 142). dTjfjiOKpavTos dpd 
 is therefore a very good expression in 
 
 465 
 
 470 
 
 itself; but the sanction of a law has 
 really nothing to do witli the present 
 matter. 
 
 465. |A€V€i...vvKTT)p£<j)€S ant/ I aiuait 
 with boding a voice from the darkness of 
 my thoughts (literally 'and my anxiety 
 waits to hear from me something, which 
 darkness covers'), or in terms of prose 'I 
 have a fixed presentiment of evil, though 
 I cannot at present give it a definite 
 shape'. A simpler form of expression 
 would be fihio} aKovaal ti efiavrou kt\. 
 'I am waiting to be told by myself, from 
 which the actual form differs in the per- 
 sonification of the questioning anxiety as 
 something distinct from the person who 
 feels it. For the antithetic emphasis on 
 vvKT7}p€(t>is see vv. 430, 451. — We must 
 avoid the construction /j.ipi/ji.vd fj.ov fx.ivei 
 aKovaai ri vvKTTjpetph ' my anxiety still 
 expects news ' etc. This would be ex- 
 pressed in Aeschylean language by fi4vei. 
 fxoi /xipi/xva aKOvcrai ti. Both the order 
 of the words and the rhythm show that 
 ixov depends on a/coucat in the first in- 
 stance, though of course it also supplies a 
 possessive to p-ipifiva. 
 
 467. OVK airooTKOiroi ' they do not look 
 away from them', «'.(?. they watch them with 
 fixed eyes. — da-Koiroi Cod. Farn., but see 
 Appendix II. — twv TroXvKTovwv : includ- 
 ing those who, like the Atridae, reckon 
 lives lightly in the pursuit of their ends. 
 
 471. iraXivTuxTi • ■ • P^ov 7Cihen by the 
 )'ub of life his luck is reversed. Probably 
 a metaphor from some game, like the 
 'rub' of the bowl which furnishes so 
 many similar images to Shakespeare. — 
 ■woKwTvx^'i- (Scaliger) does not alter the 
 sense. 
 
54 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 Ttdeta dfiavpov, ev 8' dl- 
 aTOt<i reKedovTO^ ovTi<i okKo.' 
 TO 8' vTrepKOTTOx; kKvgiv ev 
 ^apv' /3dXXeTai yap oacroi.^ 
 Aiodev Kepavv6<i. 
 Kpivw 8 (Kpdovov b\/3ov' 
 
 474. vTepKbrus. 
 
 475 
 
 473. TtXeOovTos ' when he is finally^ : 
 cf. Eur. Andr. 780 dSi) fx-kv yap avriKa 
 TOVTO, ev 5^ XP<"'V TeXiOei ^r]p6v, and see 
 on Eur. Med. 1096. •• 
 
 474. virtpKoirws (Grotius) kXv€iv €v /0 
 he praised too iitiich. — The vwepKOTWs of 
 the MS. comes from an involuntary re- 
 collection of k6to% in the preceding pas- 
 sage. 
 
 475. Papv dangerous, see v, 463. — 
 o<ro-ots: a difficult word, as appears from 
 the thirteen proposed corrections cited 
 by Wecklein. The order and rhythm" 
 (see above on v. 465) show decisively that 
 the dative depends upon ^dWerai. (We 
 cannot therefore translate by 'thunder- 
 bolts from the eyes of Zeus ', even if the 
 case and the sense were appropriate.) 
 With pdWeiv as with many verbs, simple 
 cases sometimes express in poetiy relations 
 usually and in prose more accurately given 
 by prepositions. Thus here /3a\Xe7-at is 
 used like eTrt/SaXXeroi, and the dative 
 stands for the object of aim. Cf. Eur. 
 Fhoen. 1385 Xdyxv evdi/xa (TTdfxaTi, Eur. 
 A/ed. 1285 x^P^ /SaXetj' (i.e. irpoa^aXeiv) 
 riKvois and note there. So irpiireiv (Theb. 
 117) takes the genitive proper to 5ta- 
 Trpiw€Lv. On the other hand that ' the 
 bolt of Zeus strikes ihe eyes ' is neither 
 true as a fact nor significant as a figure ; 
 nor if we say, as the wording of the 
 passage scarcely permits, ' his eyes ', is 
 the expression any truer or better. To 
 make sense, we want, as many have seen, 
 some type of greatness or height, the 
 peaks for instance, which ' the thunder 
 strikes ', as Horace says illustrating the 
 same topic. Hence the suggestions "Otr- 
 <r^ (Lobeck), opea-aiy and ox^o'J (Weil), 
 
 6p6yKOLs pea/cs ( Ahrens), Kplxxaais pinnacles 
 (Schneidewin) etc. But how do we know, 
 or why must we take for granted, that 
 6(X(Toi^ is not the word we want, that it 
 does not mean peaksl Not because it 
 means ' eyes ' : every language has many 
 words of double and treble signification. 
 Not by its form, for the very word 8(7cre, 
 eyes, is evidence for the likelihood of a 
 word clcrtros (or oo'croi') point, being derived, 
 as all, I believe, agree, from the stem 
 OK-, of which the original notion was 
 sharpness (cf. 6«/)« a point and the 
 cognate Latin ac-ies ac-us). The fact 
 that acies means point or edge, does not 
 prevent it from meaning also eye, line of 
 battle, etc. In such cases of ambiguity, 
 one word or meaning tends to oust the 
 rest ; and so it appears to have been in 
 this case, if the present 6(r(ro:s is the only 
 extant example of the meaning points or 
 peaks. The meanings discarded from 
 common use will nevertheless be pre- 
 served here and there, especially in 
 proverbs, and the present phrase has 
 the turn of a proverb. I would therefore 
 retain cio-crots and translate, after Horace, 
 for the bolts of heaven fall upon the peaks, 
 ' feriuntque summos fulgura monies '. 
 
 477. KpCvw : properly 'separate' or 
 'sift out', limited in this archaic use to 
 the separation of 7ahat is good from the 
 mass, and so prefer, choose. — a<|>6ovov 
 uncnvied: as the common meaning was 
 'unstinted, abundant', this exceptional 
 use has special point. It puts in a single 
 word the contrast between abundance 
 and security. 
 
 478. (J.11 8' «ttjv is rightly given by the 
 MS. and should not be altered to ft.TjT' 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 55 
 
 fxr) S' eiriv irToXiTropdTjf 
 
 yLi?;T ovv auTo<f aA-oi)? vn dX- 
 
 XCOV ^LOV KaTiSoifll. 
 
 irvpo'i S' VTT evayyeXov 
 
 TToXtv 8iriK€i 6od 
 
 ^d^i9' €1 8' iTr]TVfiQ)<;, 
 
 Ti9 oiSev ; rj rot Oelov icnc, fir) ■yjruOo'i. 
 
 480 
 
 484. ij. 
 
 eir]v. The negative and llie conjunctive 
 have their separate force: 8« joins the 
 whole period firi-.-KaTldoifii. to the clause 
 preceding ; \i.ri is antithetic to fn^r' odu in 
 V. 479. The connexion is this: 'I choose 
 an unenvied prosperity ; and (5^) I would 
 fain not (fir)) be a conqueror, nor yet 
 (/icijr' ovv)' etc. 
 
 480. |jii]t' . . . KaT£8oi|Ai : 'nor may I 
 ever know the life of a captive' (?) is 
 conjectured to be the meaning ; literally, 
 'nor may I, myself subdued by another, 
 see (experience) the life (of a slave) '. 
 But it must be confessed that the sup- 
 posed sense of Kandeiv ^lov lacks proba- 
 bility ; nor is it satisfactory, that the 
 period should close with two superfluous 
 words, for aXoi-qv simply would have 
 expressed as much. — ^lov Kor^Sotytit, 'eat 
 the bread (fiios sustenance, nourishment) 
 of captivity ', Valckenaer ; but neither 
 is this satisfactory. 
 
 481 — 493. Conversation in lyric reci- 
 tative between the elders (Wecklein). 
 See above on vv, 363 — 366. 
 
 481. irvpos: note the emphasis, 'now 
 as for the fire ' etc. We have no better 
 evidence at present than a signal which 
 may well be fraudulent, mistaken, or 
 misinterpreted. Compare v. 486 and con- 
 trast V. 501. 
 
 483. eTT)TV|ji«s : supply dyyeWovros 
 di-qKu kt\., dyy^WovTOS being supplied 
 from €v-ayye\ov. The antithesis is be- 
 tween the adverbs eii and irTjTvfiws : the 
 signal gives gooJ news, but does it give 
 /;•«£•? — e'rTjri'/xos (eVrJv i] /Sa^is Auratus 
 
 and modern texts) seems not right. 
 The MS. reading preserves the natural 
 balance of the clauses and lays the 
 emphasis on the right point, the com- 
 petence of the witness. 
 
 484. T^ Toi 0ei6v k<rri, [l.r^ «l/vOos (so. 
 61') it is indeed miraculous, — if not false. 
 An expression of contemptuous scepti- 
 cism, and proverbial, as shown by rot. 
 The subject of the sentence in Greek, as 
 in the English, is the general subject, to 
 ■jrpdy/xa ' the thing '. The doubt is di- 
 rected against the trustworthiness, if not 
 the existence, of the alleged system of bea- 
 cons. The force of dehs is exactly illus- 
 trated by Herodotus (2. 66) on the beha- 
 viour of the Egyptian cats, which leap into 
 a fire, irvpKaLijs 5e yevo/j.evr]^ Bela Trpriy/xara 
 KaraXafM^dvei Toiis aUXoijpovi. Note that 
 icTTi. is slightly emphatic, and indispens- 
 able, as it commonly is in Aeschylus, 
 when it is not omitted ; see on v. 436. — 
 The supplement of the verbal 61^ from 
 iaTL in the principal clause, is closely 
 similar to that of the adjectival 6v in such 
 cases as Plato Phaedr. 240 D opQvri 6\pi.v 
 ■Kpea^vrkpav Koi ovk ev dipq. (ovcrav). It 
 is exceptional but seems not unnatural. 
 — Of the many changes proposed, that 
 of O. Midler, ij toi deTdv ecTTiv tj \pvdos, is 
 the nearest to the MS. and gives the 
 same sense as the text. Almost all (e.g. 
 /XT] Ti Oelov iffTi Si] \(/udo^ ; Weil) introduce 
 a suggestion foreign to the purpose, that 
 the signal is a ' deception of the gods ' 
 (Oetov xj/Odos). If the speaker suspects 
 any one, it is the queen : sec the next lines. 
 
56 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 <f)\oy6<i TrapaiyyeKfiaaiv 
 
 veoL<i TTvpcoBii'Ta KapBlav eireir 
 
 dWa<ya \6yov Kafietv ; 
 
 'Ev yvvaiKo^ al-^/Jia Trpeiret 
 
 irpo Tov ^avevTO<; X"P^^ ^vvaivecrai,. 
 
 485 
 
 490 
 
 485 — 488. t£s «8£ iraiSvAs kt\. 'Who 
 is so childish' etc. i.e. 'Is there any one 
 so childish? ' This second speaker takes 
 up the hint of the preceding and gives it 
 a stronger turn. The rashness of the 
 queen, in acting upon such an uncerti- 
 fied report, is more than natural. Does 
 she really believe? To which the next 
 speaker answers that it is quite possible 
 in a woman. 
 
 487. v€ois, i-e. viois od<nv 'when they 
 are fresh', is emphatic and a predicate, 
 closely connected with Trvpudivra Kap- 
 dlav. ' Why not await confirrhation ? ' 
 — irvpw0€VTO KapSiav : for heat as a 
 figure of sanguine rashness cf. Soph. 
 AfiL 87 depixy]v iwi ^pvxpoTai KapSlaf 
 ^X^'S. — Trvp«96'vTa...^ir€iTa Kapiv i.e. 'to 
 let his feelings take fire at the first, when 
 he must suffer if the news should change'. 
 For the relation of sense between the 
 participle and the verb, cf. Eur. Med. 
 1412 oi)s fiTjiroT eyil) (pvcas 6(pfXov vpbs 
 ffoO (pOifi^vovs iTTidiffOai, whom I would I 
 had never begotten, to see them slain by 
 thee. — The clause is consecutive (dare 
 Kafielv) following wSe. — €v...alx|i(j irpe- 
 irti 'with woman's impulsiveness it is 
 natural' etc., literally 'in (a case of) a 
 woman's impulse', i.e. where a woman's 
 impulsiveness comes in. In Latin the 
 corresponding use of in is very common; 
 in Greek it is rare, but should not be 
 condemned. Not unlike is Thuc. 3. 43 
 if tQ TOLipde d^iovPTi. 'where such an 
 opinion prevails' and still nearer is Anti- 
 phon 5. 59 (Ti) 5^ /ue cV d^afei Xoyij) (zohen 
 von have no proof) '^rirels airdKicraL. — To 
 omit ev (Scaliger and modern texts) 
 gives a common construction but is 
 surely for that very reason unjustifiable. 
 
 489. a'^xiia impulse or natural temper , 
 regularly formed from the stem of ata-ffus. 
 For the sense compare 0v/ji.6i spirit 
 with Ovu to rush. Other words of like 
 formation and meaning are pi^^i?, (xhfiiri. 
 The word occurs also in P. F. 418 Zei>s 
 i)W€pr)<pavov ivdelKvvcnv alx/J-rjv, and Cho. 
 628 yvvaLKeiav droXfiov aixiJ-o.v (Blomfield, 
 Paley, and see L. and Sc. s. v.). Here 
 the primitive notion of impulse is more 
 prominent ; the same variation occurs in 
 opyi), meaning sometimes anger sometimes 
 merely mood (compare the English hii- 
 mojcj-). — Whether this alx/J-v is or is not 
 identical in etymology with alxM ii^ 
 other senses is doubtful. 
 
 490. X'^P'''' |vvaive'<rai to give in- 
 dulgent assent, an assent which is not 
 merited but conceded from the inclination 
 of the hearer. The ace. x^/"" is related 
 to ^vvMviaaL as an adverbial or ' quasi- 
 cognate' accusative, and expresses that 
 the ' assent ' is a ' favour ' or act of par- 
 tiality. 'Acquiesce in what is pleasing 
 to her' (Paley) gives the sense but not 
 exactly the meaning of x<i/"5. — Trpo tow 
 «|)av€VTOS be/ore proof, where rb <f>aviv 
 ' the thing being proved ' stands for ' the 
 proving of the thing '. This use of the 
 participle, though quite logical, is rare, 
 having been expelled by the article with 
 the infinitive (tt/jo tov (paprjuai). Very 
 similar are the examples in Thucydides 
 ec Tifi firj /xeKeTQvTt d^vperuiTepoi 'iaovTat 
 'from not practising they will have less 
 knowledge' (i. 142), ev T(f roiaJSe a^iovPTi 
 'where such an opinion prevails' (3. 
 43) etc. — Others translate by 'instead of 
 what is evident ', but the context shows 
 clearly that Trpo here is temporal. 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 T\iOai'6<; nyav 6 6rj\v<; 'opo<; eTTivefieTai 
 Ta')(yTTopo<i' dWd Ta-^v/u-opov 
 yvyaiKoyyjpvTov oWvTai /c\eo9. 
 Tri^' elcro/xeada XafiTrdSoyv (f)aecy(f)6p(ov 
 (f)pvKT(opL(Sv re kuI 'irvp6<i '7rapaWayd<;, 
 €iT ovv dXrjOet'i eir oveipdreov Slktjv 
 repirvov t68 iXdov <f)a)'i i(f)7]\a)crev <f)p€va<i 
 KrjpvK drr dKTrj(; t6v8' opoo KardcTKiov 
 
 491. IVoinaii is too open to convict io)i, 
 a boundary soon passed by the cnc}-oacher, 
 hut quickly dies the report which zvoincn 
 cry. «iriv€|A€Tai, lit. ' is occupied-over, 
 is encroached upon ', an irregular ancient 
 passive : of. iiriKTjpvxddi 'having a price 
 set upon him' in Theb. 621, and other 
 examples there cited. The application of 
 etnvifieffdaL to flocks which feed (ve/j-ovTai) 
 on a neighbour's land illustrates the use 
 here (Donaldson, Paley); but flocks have 
 nothing to do with the present metaphor, 
 which is taken directly from v^fieiu or 
 vifiecrOai to occupy land. — 6 GrjXvs opos 
 i.e. TO d^Xv regarded as a Spos. — Ywai- 
 KOYijpvTov. yrjpvci}, regularly used of 
 sounds sharp and shrill, here suggests 
 the female tone : it is almost ' shriek '. 
 So in Eur. Hipp. 213 (the nurse to 
 Phaedra) 01) /atj trap ^x^V rdSe yripvffei ; 
 
 494. The herald is seen approaching. 
 
 494 — 5. XajiirdSwv . . . <J>pvKTa>piwv... 
 irvpos. The accumulation of synonyms 
 has a certain contemptuous effect. ' We 
 shall not depend on that sort of intelli- 
 gence any more '. 
 
 496. tl'r' ovv 'whether, as we will 
 suppose'. 
 
 498. Karao-Kiov kXcISois «Xatas 'with 
 shade of olive-branch' i.e. with small 
 branches of olive bound as a wreath upon 
 his head. Cf. Eur. Hipp. 130 XeTrrd (paprj 
 ^avdav K€(f>a\av ffKid^fif, and Simon. 150 
 ffKid^eiv ^Oeipav of a chaplet. The words 
 here would be satisfied if the olive- 
 branches were carried over the head, but 
 a wreath is probably meant. The use of 
 ffKMJ^tiv for what is worn on the head is 
 
 natural among a people who went usually 
 bare. It will be observed that the speaker 
 does not infer from the olive the nature 
 of the news (as the priest in Soph. O. 7. 
 82 infers the success of Creon's mission 
 to the oracle from his wreath of bay). 
 What is inferred is that he comes air'' 
 dKTTJs. The herald would be wreathed, 
 as the ship itself was wreathed, in sign of 
 gratitude to the gods for the safe con- 
 clusion of a voyage. See Propertius (3. 
 24. 15) ecce coronatae portutn teligere 
 carinae, traiectae Syrtes, ancora iacta mihi 
 est. It is noticeable that a closely similar 
 description {kKolSokh veoSpowois KardcKi-ov 
 6/j.l\ov} is given of the newly arrived 
 refugees in the Suppliants (358), the scene 
 of which is laid on the coast of Argolis. 
 In both passages the reference is probably 
 to some local custom noticed in the le- 
 gends which Aeschylus followed. 
 
 498 — 504. Von herald comes f7'oni the 
 shore, as I see by his shade of olive 
 boughs : and the thirsty dust, sister of the 
 mire and neighbour, testifies to me this, 
 that, not with dumb signals of fire-smoke, 
 burning you a bonfire of wood upon a 
 hill, but with a plain 2Vord, he "will either 
 explicitly bid us rejoice or — etc. — The 
 riddle of this passage awaits solution. 
 The question is. What dust is meant, and 
 how does it show that the herald brings 
 some important news which will presu- 
 mably throw light upon the recent report? 
 The conventional answers may be divided 
 thus: (i) the dust is that which the 
 herald raises ; this shows his haste and 
 therefore the importance of his news : (2) 
 
58 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 /cXaSot9 iXaLa<i. fjuaprvpel 8e fioi Katri,^ 
 
 irrjXov ^vvovpo^; Sfyjrla kovl^ Tahe, 
 
 a)<i ovT avav8o<; ovre croi haimv (f)\6ja 
 
 vXr}^; 6peLa<i arnxavel KanrvM irvpo^, 
 
 aSX Tj TO ')(^aipetv fiaXkov eK^d^et. Xeywv — 
 
 rbi/ dvTiov he rotcrS' drrrocTTe^on \6<^ov' 
 
 500 
 
 504- 
 
 the dust and the mud are upon the gar- 
 ments of the herald (the mud being on 
 his shoes and the dust on his clothes they 
 are ' neighbours ' or ' contiguous ') ; they 
 show that he has come a long way and 
 so suggest that he has come from Troy 
 (Paley). But neither of these is tolerable. 
 As to (i), it is ridiculous to say 'I see 
 that man is in haste, because he makes a 
 dust\ E%'en supposing that one man 
 running would make a noticeable dust, 
 and that the herald is in violent haste 
 (which there is no reason to suppose), it 
 would still be absurd to cite the dust as 
 evidence of the visible fact that he is 
 running. Moreover this explanation takes 
 no notice at all of the description 'sister 
 of the mire and neighbour ', which is set 
 aside as mere flourish but, if it has 
 nothing to do with the subject, should 
 rather be called mere nonsense. Paley's 
 explanation (2) is an honest attempt to 
 meet this last difficulty, but we need 
 scarcely dwell upon it. See further Ap- 
 pendix M. 
 
 501. <roi. " The ethic dative empha- 
 sizes the tone of contempt for the reports 
 of a beacon" (Wecklein). It has in fact 
 precisely the same effect as in English : 
 you stands for one as in the common o\ik 
 av afxapTois one cannot fail etc. On the 
 stage it would be reinforced by a turn or 
 gesture towards those who just before had 
 expressed such strong incredulity. The 
 present speaker inclines rather to believe 
 (v. 494). 
 
 !i02. KaiTvw contemptuous : cf. Eur. 
 Hipp. 946 ypaiJ-ixdriov Kavvol, learned futi- 
 lities. 
 
 503 : either his happy greeting will 
 
 confirm the gladness, literally 'he will 
 fully express the announcement that we 
 are to be glad by saying W. to xaCpciv: 
 'the x"-^P^\ the formula of salutation. 
 The herald's first act, according to cus- 
 tom (see V. 801), will be to salute the 
 town. If his salutation is a x^P^i ^s it is 
 (v. 513), well ; if not, — . See the same 
 thought differently turned in Soph. 
 Trach. 225 xa^/jeti/ 5^ tov Ki^pvKa irpow- 
 viirio XP^^V I ToXXy (pavivra, xo-P^^^ f ? ti 
 Kdl (pepeis. For the avrlos \6yos see the 
 entrance of the Persian messenger an- 
 nouncing the battle of Salamis (Fers. 
 252), u 7^s aTrdcrrjs 'Aaiddos TroXiV^ara, . . . 
 iS/j.01 KaKov kt\. — £Kpd^€i : /Safeif in the 
 sense of j3d|is v. 483. The preposition 
 signifies extension, ^xplicitness. 
 
 504. airoo-TtYft) i.e. dwoaiowQ), 'I sup- 
 press, I leave unsaid', by an aposiopesis, 
 as it is still technically called, ffriyeiv 
 properly to hold in (of a net, a vessel etc.) 
 is a regular poetic equivalent for <ri7aj' or 
 (ncoirdv ti to refrain from saying. See 
 Soph. Phil. 136 tI xPV (friyeiv, rl ri \i- 
 yeiv ; what should be said or suppressed?, 
 O. T, 341 ij^et yap avra kS.v iyC: ffiyy 
 (XTiyu even if I refrain from uttering 
 them, and other examples in L. and Sc. 
 s.v. — dTrocTipyu f (/ cease to like, con- 
 ceive a dislike of) will not pass. It is said 
 indeed to mean here 'I reject as ill- 
 omened', but there is no proof of this 
 sense (see supposed examples in L. and 
 Sc. s.v.) nor is the word capable of it. 
 The case of abominor and abominate is 
 plainly not analogous. The conjectures 
 diroaTvyO} Karsten, dwoirTiju Arnold, show 
 a part but only a part of the objection. 
 The MS. reading may have arisen from a 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 €v yap 7r/J09 ev (f>av€la-i 7rpoaOr}KT} TreXot. 
 XO./S'. ocTTt? TrtS' nXXtw? rfjS' iwev'xeTac iroXei, 
 ai/To? (ppevwv KapiroiTO rrjv ajxapiiav. 
 
 KHPTH. 
 
 tco TTUTpaJov ov8a<; ^Apyeia'i ^^01/09, 
 Se/caro) ere (f)eyy€i tmS" dipiKOfjiijv erovi, 
 
 59 
 505 
 
 double 77, but is more probably a deli- 
 berate change made by one who did not 
 recognize the meaning of (rriyu. — tov 
 dvrCov XoYov : the alternative of disap- 
 pointment. — rourdi 'out of respect for 
 these', i.e. rots 0eois, the gods who stand 
 as usual before the palace and to whom 
 the herald addresses himself below (vv. 
 514, 524). The pronoun is explained by 
 a reverent gesture towards the images, a 
 'deictic' use common in the poets. The 
 construction is the 'ethic' dative, and is 
 very similar to that of ffiuvQ in Ar. /\iin. 
 1 1 34 iyoj (TtwTraJ r(f5e, ' am I to pay him 
 the respect of silence?' and id. Lj's. 530. 
 To abstain from words of ill omen was a 
 special duty in a religious place or pre- 
 sence (see e.g. Thcb. 234) and the more 
 so at such a solemn moment as this. — 
 That Toiade should be so taken, and not 
 as neuter with dfrlov, 'the opposite of 
 this ', may be seen (i) from the rhythm ; 
 to divide the line after roiffd' spoils the 
 caesura, and {2) because superfluous pro- 
 nouns, such as TolaSe is if taken with 
 ivTiov, are offensive to Greek habit, 
 above all in poetry. It is an additional 
 argument for awotfriyu that it provides 
 an acceptable construction for roiaBe. 
 
 506 — 7. oo-Tis. IVhoso titters (his prayer 
 with other intentions toxvard Argos [than 
 ours), ^Gtc. These lines are undoubtedly 
 to be given (as by Wecklein) to a new 
 speaker : otherwise a conjunction would 
 be necessary. But the meaning of the 
 remark becomes clear only when we 
 perceive, as has been shown above, that 
 there are two parties present upon the 
 stage. The words Sans kt\. are spoken 
 
 by one of the queen's partizans, accepting 
 the prayer of the elder but tacitly of 
 course putting his own sense upon ev 
 (pavdiyi (the deception so far kept up) 
 and wpoaOrjKT] (the final triumph of the 
 conspiracy). — The MS. gives vv. 494 — 
 505 to Clytaemncstra, vv. 506 — 7 to the 
 chorus, the Byzantine scholars being 
 here as elsewhere unable with their dra- 
 matis personae to distribute the piece in- 
 telligibly. 
 
 508. The herald enters, so utterly 
 overcome by past suffering and the present 
 emotion of seeing his native city once 
 more that it is some time before he 
 thinks to tell his news {v. 530), and in- 
 deed till he is addressed {v. 543) he 
 scarcely seems to be aware that any one 
 is present. From his first words (note 
 ovba.s) it would seem that he throws him- 
 self down, like Shakespeare's Richard II., 
 to salute the beloved earth, and he thinks 
 for the moment that he will die on the 
 spot (/itas Tvxuv V. 510). The whole 
 speech is marvellously powerful and in 
 any ordinary work would stand out as a 
 golden piece. To the average man in a 
 Greek audience it would perhaps appeal 
 as strongly as anything in the play. 
 
 509. StKaTto) <j)^yy€i t<u8' Jtovs ivith 
 this tenth annual dawn, if the expression 
 may pass, (piyyos is day : </>iyyos irovs is 
 an imitation, with special purpose, of the 
 common periphrasis <peyyos -rj/xepas and 
 means literally year-day or year counted 
 as a day, the genitive being that 'of equi- 
 valent'. This peculiar phrase is to be 
 explained by the ancient proverbial signi- 
 ficance of 'the tenth day'. In Homer 
 
6o 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 TToWwv payei(T(ov i\,7ri8(M)V ytiia? Tvy^ooV 
 ov yap TTor rjV'^ovv rrjS^ iv ^Apyela ')(6ovl 
 davdw p^ede^eiv (^ikTarov rd<^ov fxepo^. 
 vvv xatpe /-tei/ ')(Qwv, %atpe S' r)\lov (f)do<i, 
 viraro'i re ^copa? Zei)? o Uvdio^ t ava^, 
 To^oLS IdiTTtov firjKer et? rifia<i ^eXt}' 
 aXfi irapd SKafMavSpov rjXd^ dvdpaio^' 
 vvv S' avre crcoTrjp icrOt koI 7raia)vio<;, 
 ava^ "AttoWov. tov<; t dycovlov; ^eoi)? 
 
 510 
 
 S15 
 
 517. Trayuvios. 
 
 ivvrjuap is the regular term for ever so 
 long, days and days, and ttj deKciry] the 
 correlative term for at last. Thus at the 
 slaying of the Greeks by the arrows of 
 Apollo (//. I. 53), ivurjfiap fikv ava arpa. 
 Tov (^X""" 'f^^tt deoto ' I T^ SeKaTrj M kt\ 
 (where see Leaf's note), of Niobe's chil 
 dren (//. 24. 610) oi /xh dp' ivvijiiap Kiar 
 iv <p6vtj}, ovdi Tis ijev KarOd^ai.... \ Toiis 8 
 Spa rrj deKaTrj 6d\pav deoi, and so frequent 
 ly both in the /Had and the Odyssey. (The 
 first-cited passage seems to have been 
 actually in Aeschylus' mind ; see the 
 reference to the arrows of Apollo in w. 
 514 — 518.) Thus to a Greek ear 5eKdT<f) 
 (piyyfi T<^8€ of itself suggested 'at last', 
 and SeKdriji (peyyei r<^5' ^tovs 'after all 
 these weary years'. Of course the literal 
 truth of the number in this case is consis- 
 tent with the point, or rather is itself the 
 point. It is also material hereand through- 
 out this scene to remember the supposed 
 hour, just after sunrise. 
 
 510. payna-iov : the exact metaphor 
 intended is doubtful. The schol. refers 
 it to anchors, one of which may hold 
 when the rest break. Others (see L. and 
 Sc. s.v. p7jyvvfj.i) render it by ivrecked, as 
 a ship, but in the passage cited for this 
 (Demosth. p. 1289) payrjvai does not mean 
 'to be wrecked', but 'to spring a leak'. 
 Probably the tradition of the scholia is 
 correct. — tv^wv belongs in any case not 
 to the metaphor but properly to iXiridos. 
 
 514. viraros Tt Zcvs : supply x»'/'^'''^' 
 The images of these and other deities are 
 
 before the palace. 
 
 515. PtXi] : Tlaeiav Aavaol ifih SaKpva 
 ffoici ^iXeffcriv, prayer of Chryses to Apollo 
 in //. I. 42. See above on v. 509. 
 
 516. dXis...iiX6e long enough he came 
 in enmity to Scamander' s plan, as for 
 instance on the occasion just mentioned, 
 ^ri be KUT^ OvXtjfiiroio Kaprjvwu x^^ofievos 
 KYJp, t6^' (HfioiffLv ^x^''---^ ^' V^^ pvktI 
 ioiKibs. The descents of the gods upon 
 the scene are a striking feature of Ho- 
 meric story. — The momentary deflexion 
 into the third person, already prepared 
 by the nominatives in v. 514, is perfectly 
 natural when referring to one not present, 
 except symbolically in the image ; and it 
 has here the great rhetorical advantage of 
 sharpening the contrast between the hos- 
 tile Apollo in the Troad and the friendly 
 Apollo in Argos, the Apollo of the past 
 and the Apollo of the present, by the 
 return to the form of invocation in the 
 next line, cohere the resumption is marked 
 by a fresh vocative (avo^ "AttoXXov) in- 
 serted /or this very purpose. — The change 
 of r}\9' to Tjad' (many modern texts) in- 
 jures not only the rhetoric but the gram- 
 mar ; note the case of liKdixavSpov. 
 
 517. iraiwvios Dobree. 
 
 518. Tovs ci-ywvtovs Qioi% these assem- 
 bled gods or gods in assembly. This term 
 occurs also in the Supplices (195 and 248) 
 where there is no doubt as to the meaning, 
 'gods assembled in one place, and having 
 one common worship', KOivo^u/iiay Supp. 
 228. An examination of that passage 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 6i 
 
 iravTa<; irpoaavSco, top t e/x6v rifiaopov 
 Kpfitjv, (ftlXov Ki)pvKa, KrjpvKwv o-e/9a<f, 
 »;/3&)9 re Tov<i 7re^i^avra<i, €v/j,€V€2<i nrnkiv 
 arpuTov Se^ecrdat rbv XeXei/ub/jLevov Bop6(;. 
 1(1) fieXaOpa ^aaiXecov, <^i\av are'^at, 
 ae/jLvot TC OaKoi, haip,ove<i r (ivTijXioi 
 
 520 
 
 will show that there no other sense is 
 possible, since the deities are recognized 
 as collectively dywvioi. by newly arrived 
 foreigners, who have not yet identified 
 any of them. There, as here, the reference 
 is to the religious custom of Argos, and 
 among the gods, there as here, are Zeus, 
 Apollo, and Hermes. There is therefore 
 every reason to suppose that the sense 
 here is the same and that a similar kolvo- 
 ^wfiia is represented before the palace of 
 Agamemnon. It is probable (see L. and 
 Sc. s.v.) that the word was also some- 
 times used for dyopaloi 'the gods of an 
 agora (07111;') or gods of assembly'; it 
 might well have both senses at once, if 
 a Koivo^ufiia were, in a particular case, 
 connected with an agora. But d-Yopato^ 
 was not to Aeschylus the primary sense, 
 for the Koivopcj/jLia of the Stipplices is not 
 in an agora but in a lonely place near the 
 sea. — Wecklein takes the same view. 
 
 519. Tov T« and him. rov, like tovs 
 in V. 518, is demonstrative (not 'and my 
 defender'). rifJiaopov: 'defender 'because 
 of the religious inviolability attaching to 
 the persons of heralds, of whose office 
 Hermes, the divine Kijpv^, was patron. 
 
 522. crrpaTov ... Sopos receive back 
 their army — what of it the 'war hath 
 spared. The last words come in as a 
 correction; the expression for the part is 
 accommodated to the whole, as in 77 
 ■fjfj.ia'eia ttjs 7^J. 
 
 524. OciKoi : seats for the king and 
 probably for his councillors before the 
 gate of the palace. Wecklein refers to 
 Hom. Od. 2. 14, 3. 406. — 8aCn.ov€S t' 
 avniXioi ktX. and ye deities that look 
 eastiuard (ah, what a 'while!), with this 
 bright gladness in your eyes 'welcome fitly 
 
 the long-absent l^ing. avTtjXtoi ' east ward - 
 looking', as in Soph. Ai. R05 ol fi^v 
 (CTTripovs dyKCiva^ ol S' dvTT/X/ouj ^TjTare. — 
 •»5 irov irdXai : literally ' surely methinks 
 a long while', a parenthetic comment 
 upon dvTri\iot, from which the same 
 adjective in a participial sense, t/uasi 
 duTTiXtoi dvres, is to be supplied. It must 
 be remembered that in Greek iraXai dfil 
 represents the English ' I have long 
 been'; in English it would be more 
 natural though not absolutely necessary 
 to repeat the verb in the perfect, 'ye 
 that look eastward — and ah ! how long 
 ye have looked'. — 4)ai8poi<ri /'r/^/// both 
 literally and in the common derived sense 
 of ' glad ' ; it is here a predicate. — toktCS' 
 o|j.)jiaoriv 'these eyes' i.e. 'your eyes as 
 I now see them ' : it is not necessary or 
 desirable to write roTcriv (h). — K6<r|A<i), 
 dative of manner, combines the ideas of 
 what is due and decent (cf. Kofffxlus and 
 see Find. Pyth. 3. 82 rd fiiu uv {irrjuaTa) 
 ov dvvavTai vqwioL k6(T/xw (pipeiv) and of 
 honour. — The significance of this beautiful 
 thought lies in the circumstances of the 
 place and the hour. The new-risen sun, 
 as we have seen (v. 509), naturally asso- 
 ciates itself in the mind of the man with 
 the end of his long misery. The connexion 
 of recovered happiness with the morning 
 was indeed fixed in the language (v. 276) ; 
 and the symbolism is important in more 
 than one play (see for example the Electra 
 of Sophocles V. 19 fiiXaivd t &<rTpwv e/cX^- 
 \oi.-n-€v ev(pp6v7j and Prof. Jebb's note 
 there). The herald has come up from 
 the port by the eastern road, and the king 
 is coming from the same direction. The 
 palace and the gods before it look to- 
 wards the approach, and at this moment 
 
62 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 (/) TTou TTaXat), (f)aiBpoi(Ti rota-iS' 6fxfia(nv 5^5 
 
 Be^aaOe Koa-fjLO) ^aaCkea ttoWS y^povo). 
 
 ^K€t yap rjfilv, (f)oo<i ev eix^povrj (fyipwv 
 
 Kol rolaS" airaai kolvov, ^Ayafie/xvcov hva^. 
 
 aX)C ev vtv acrirda-aaOe, koL yap ovv nrpeTrei, 
 
 Tpoiav KaTaa-Ka-^avTa tov 8iKr)(f)6pov 53^ 
 
 Aio? fiaKeWrj, Trj Karecpyaarai irehov, 
 
 the faces of the ancient statues, the eyes 
 probably inlaid after the archaic fashion 
 with brilliant stones, are full-lit (Schnei- 
 dewin) by the level rays. They beam 
 (so thinks the man) with joy for the sun- 
 like return of the king, as if, through the 
 night of his absence, they had themselves 
 felt it long to he looking seawards and Troy- 
 wards in vain expectation. — Of the read- 
 ing here I cannot |}iyself entertain the 
 smallest suspicion. There are many con- 
 jectures, and it has even been proposed 
 to strike out v. 525. For ^ ttou TraXat, 
 treated as hopeless, is commonly substi- 
 tuted et TTOU iroXat if ever ye did before 
 (Auratus). But, to say nothing of what 
 is thus lost, such language can be used 
 only of what is likely to have happened 
 before (such as a victorious return) ; but 
 the coincidence of a triumphant entry from 
 the sea-side into Argos with the first hour 
 of the morning is just not such a fact, and 
 in this striking coincidence lies the very 
 gist of the matter. Nor is it clear that d 
 TTov would be correct for d irore (Soph. 
 O. T. 162, and passim)', in Aristoph. 
 Eq. 347 et irov diKiSiov elTras e5,...<^0D 
 Svvarbs eTvai \iyeiv, ei wov means, as 
 usual, not if ever but if perhaps. There 
 may be better instances, but the investi- 
 gation would not be here relevant. 
 
 527 — 528. For our prince is returned, 
 bringing light in darhiess to impart unto 
 all that are here; he is come, Agamemnon 
 the king, rijiiv, a dative possessive or of 
 the person interested (commodi), stands 
 for Argos and the Argives generally, but 
 also more particularly for the army, whom 
 the KTjpv^ specially represents. — Kal toio-8* 
 airao-i koivov literally '(to be) shared with 
 
 all here also'. The words are joined as 
 a ' proleptic ' predicate with <f>ipo}v. The 
 'light' of the victory has come to the 
 army already; now the king is bringing 
 it to Argos that those at home may have 
 their share. — roio-St 'those here' in the 
 broadest sense of 6'5e as the correlative to 
 iKelvoi : it includes the city, the gods, the 
 other objects of his address, and much 
 more with them. — All modern texts have 
 iifuv {i.e. (fiipuv iifuv /coi roTcrS' diracn), the 
 conjecture of h, obvious and specious, if 
 the verses are written without punctua- 
 tion. But f, giving what is better and 
 not so obvious, is entitled to credit ; that 
 the editor of the Cod. Farn. should make 
 an easy-looking change is a matter of 
 course. 
 
 530. TOV 8lKT|<j>6pOV AlOS JtaKcXXT). 
 
 The compounds in -(popos as epithets of 
 deities so constantly mark the distin- 
 guishing emblem 'carried' by the figure 
 in artistic representation, that this phrase 
 would inevitably suggest to a Greek the 
 conception of Zeus' SIkt] as a SlKtWa 
 (two-pronged hoe), especially as the con- 
 temporaries of Aeschylus would see no 
 difficulty in deriving SiK-q^dpos from 5t'- 
 KeXXa (the -eXX- being 'lost') and diKcWa 
 itself from di-ixaKeWa. It is likely that 
 such a notion had been actually embodied 
 in art. See on this subject generally Ap- 
 pendix II. to the Seven against Thebes. 
 
 531. Karc^pYao-Tai irtSov her ground 
 has been broken to diist, literally 'tilled 
 to pieces', the intensive /cara- marking 
 the extreme limit of the process, as in 
 KaraXvu destroy, ^ loose to its atoms\ 
 Karayvvfii. break to pieces, KaralSu} burn 
 up, etc. The force of KaTepyd^ofiai is 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 63 
 
 ^cofiol 8' (uaroL koI decov ISpvfiara 
 KoX cnrepfia Trrto-T;? e^airoWvrat ')^6ov6<i. 
 TOLovhe TpoLO, irepi^aXwv ^evKrripiov 
 ava^ 'Arpei'S?;? 7rpea-/3v<i evhaifioiv dvrjp 
 rjKet, TieaOaL S' a^ia)TaTO<i /3poTwv 
 Twv vvv' IT apt? >yap ovre avvTeXrj<; 7ro\t9 
 
 TOiovSe. 
 
 535 
 
 534- 
 
 well shown in the special sense of tnasti- 
 eating {ivorl'iiig to ficccs) food; see L. 
 and Sc. s. v. 
 
 532. Her foundations are itndiscovcr- 
 able and her fixed fahries of religion, and 
 all she tnight rise from is perishing out 
 of the earth, P(0|j.oC in the full sense 
 (see V. 395) including altars but not 
 these only. The reader may be reminded 
 that except the religious buildings, which 
 may properly include the king's palace, 
 the prytancum, and even the wall, a 
 Greek town or rather fort in the heroic 
 age, and for the most part even till the 
 fifth century, contained very little which 
 would not rapidly perish of itself. See 
 the remarks of Thucydides (r. 10) on an 
 imaginary abandonment and decay o( 
 Sparta and of Athens, where t6, re lepa 
 Kai TTJs KaraaKevijs to. edd<pri is a prose 
 equivalent for j8w/xot /cat deuu IdpvfiaTa. — 
 aKTTot. literally. It cannot be learnt 
 (lSe?i>, eldivai) where they were. — <rir€p(io- 
 Trdcrris, i.e. avrij^, ttjs Tpoi'as, the same 
 possessive pronoun being supplied from 
 the leading word Tpoiav all through w. 
 530 — 533 with iriSov, jSw/xot, IdpvfiaTa, 
 air^pfxa: literally, 'seed of any of her'. — 
 That vdcrjs is constructed with awepp-a, 
 not with x^<"'<^^) is shown both by the 
 natural division of the rhythm and by 
 the sense. Without the genitive the 
 metaphorical meaning of <yiripp.a could 
 scarcely be understood. — t^airoXXtn-ai 
 \6ov6s. Note the tense. The metaphori- 
 cal conception, not strictly possible but 
 sufficient for poetry, is that of a soil so 
 pulverised (see on v. 531), tliat there is 
 left in it nothing capable of growth, and 
 the vegetable fragments can only decay. 
 
 ' Seeds ' of course could not be so des- 
 troyed, but notwithstandingffTF^pyua, which 
 has a free use in metaphor, it is rather of 
 an olive-yard or a vineyard that the poet 
 is thinking. The elaborate devastations 
 of these, regularly practised as a method 
 of war, has suggested the image. — The 
 whole of this passage is closely and 
 verbally imitated from the account of the 
 destruction of Athens by Xerxes (Pers. 
 81 1 foil.), put by the poet into the mouth 
 of Darius. The ghost of the wise king 
 continues thus, roiyap /caKws Spdaavre^ 
 ovK eXdffaova Traffxoi'fft, words which lend 
 an ominous significance to the herald's 
 boasts in vv. 537 — 538. 
 
 534. Toi6v8€...t€VKTrjpiov so strong 
 compulsion hath he put upon Troy. Any- 
 thing which binds or holds tight is ^cvk- 
 T-qpLov, from the generalized sense of the 
 verb not uncommon in poetry, e.g. Soph. 
 Ant. 955 ^€iyx^'7--.TeT/3c65ei KaTd<papKTOi 
 ii> dea/xi^: it is in fact a metaphorical 
 equivalent for avajK-q. The notion of 
 yohe is not necessarily given by the 
 word and would not suit with that of 
 destruction. 
 
 535. cvSaC|i.<ov dvi]p. The addition 
 of dvr}p (cf. the common formula eis dvqp) 
 signifies something like ' individually 
 happy' i.e. 'singular in his pi'osperity '. 
 So ei5cre/37js dc^p 'one pious man' con- 
 trasted with the impious many, Theb. 
 
 589- 
 
 537 — 538. Twv VVV* Hdpis Yap ktX. 
 
 The words rdv vOu are emphasized by 
 the irregular pause after the first foot. 
 See Thcl>. 566 and the index to that play 
 s.v. Pause. — The ominous effect of these 
 lines (sec on v. 532) is aidetl by their 
 
64 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 i^ev'^eTai ro Zpafia rov irdOovt irXeov. 
 o(f)\a)V yap dp7ra<yi)<; re koI /cXoTrr}? Zlktiv 
 Tov pvaiov 6' rjfiapTe koI iravcoXedpov 
 
 540 
 
 ambiguity. The intention is of course 
 that Agamemnon, having more than 
 avenged his honour upon Troy, has now 
 no rival in the world. But it is so worded 
 as rather to suggest that, since Troy has 
 paid in full, it is against her cruel de- 
 vastator that the balance of sin now lies. 
 For TUa-Bai is an indecisive word, limited 
 conventionally to rejvard or hottour, but 
 easily reverting to its proper sense of 
 payment. — Ildpis "ydp ovrt i.e. oih-e Uapis 
 oihe. Wecklein suggests ov5i, i.e. ov 
 ndpis ovU, which would certainly be 
 more regular ; so in Cho. 293, Soph. 
 Phil. 771 etc. — <ruvT€\iis literally 'joined 
 with him in payment' or 'liability to 
 payment'. Troy in receiving him adopted 
 his act and has shared his punishment. 
 See vv. 405 — 408. The metaphor seems 
 to go back to some police custom, such as 
 is common in ancient law, by which a 
 certain society, as a kinship or the in- 
 habitants of a district, is held to pay- 
 ment in property or person for crimes of 
 a member. 
 
 539. dpira^ris t€ Kal K\oTrr\s o/raJ>ine 
 as 7i>ell as theft i.e. ' theft aggravated by 
 rapine', apiray-q meaning violent robbery 
 as contrasted with K\onri, simple stealing. 
 The aggravation naturally increased the 
 penalty and perhaps, under the law or 
 custom to which Aeschylus alludes, also 
 involved the extension of the responsi- 
 bility. There would be a rough faimess 
 in this, for a apira-yn as distinct from a 
 KKoirri could seldom be done without 
 assistance, and to fix the guilt upon 
 individuals might be difficult. The act 
 of Paris, whatever it was in the first 
 instance, became apvayi} when Troy 
 supported it by war. — Wecklein notes 
 that according to Horn. //. 13. 626 Paris 
 carried off other plunder {KT-ftfiara iroWa) 
 with Helen. 
 
 540. TOV pvo-iov 6' TJ(AapT€ ktX. 'he 
 
 has not only lost the reprisaV . th pv<nov 
 'what is taken by way of reprisal', i.e. 
 the stolen thing itself or an equivalent 
 and something besides by way of satis- 
 faction. This would be the penalty for 
 mere theft. That piaiov may have this 
 original meaning even in Attic poetry, is 
 proved by Soph. Phil. 958 davuiv wapi^u} 
 8a76' vip' uv e(p€p^l)ix7fv . . .(j}f>vov (f>6vov 5k pv- 
 aiov Tiffii) ToKas. It was also specialised to 
 'that which is taken as ^pledge, €vlxvpov\ 
 but that idea here only makes difficulty. 
 In L. and Sc. s. v. it seems to be sug- 
 gested that Hermann, who discusses the 
 word elaborately, gives it here the sense 
 of pledge ; but he takes it much as I 
 have done. 
 
 lb. Kal iravwXcOpov 8o|iov 'but 
 
 hath also ruined and razed his own 
 father's house, it and the place thereof 
 together'. This penalty, we are doubtless 
 to understand, was prescribed literally 
 by this more than Draconian law, and 
 not merely in the metaphorical sense that 
 the fine would ruin the ffvvT€\€h, the 
 family of the criminal. For a heinous 
 act of rapine, a barbarous custom might 
 well prescribe not only, as a matter of 
 course, the extinction of the robber- 
 family, but also the actual literal destruc- 
 tion of their house. Such extravagant 
 and dramatic aggravations are quite in 
 the spirit of savage legislation. — We need 
 not press the parallel to details or ask 
 what was the pvaiov in the case of Troy, 
 whether Helen herself or what else. 
 The point is simply to palliate the sacri- 
 legious barbarities exercised upon Troy 
 by a precedent from private law, showing 
 that when the crime is aggravated, the 
 penalty may be (i) made very severe and 
 (2) extended beyond the offender. The 
 custom cited is itself barbarous and anti- 
 quated, and the plea would appear to an 
 audience of Aeschylus' day, as the pur- 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 65 
 
 xo. 
 
 KH. 
 
 avToyQov ov TTUTpMOv edpicTev SofMOV. 
 8nr\a S' eriaav TlpLafilSaL ddfidpria. 
 K7]pv^ 'A^aicSi/ %atp6 Twv (itto arpaTov. 
 j^alpoy' Tedvcivat 8' ovk avrepw ^eot?"f'. 
 
 avTbx^ovov. 
 
 541- 
 
 pose requires, worthless. It is in fact 
 self-condemnatory, for the real object of 
 the sacrilege committed at Troy was 
 apirayri (see Z'V- 350 foil.). — avToxOov' 6v 
 or avToxOovov (?). I prefer on the whole 
 Blomfield's way of reading the letters. 
 The emphatic ov ' his own ' is surely not, 
 as Hermann says, superfluous but much 
 to the point. — avTox^ova: here 'even to 
 the site on which it stood ', literally 
 'grounci and all'; cf. avrdirpe/ivos, aii- 
 rdppi-^os etc. — For avrbx^ovov Hermann 
 makes the subtle defence that the form 
 avTQxGovos is used deliberately in order 
 to distinguish this meaning from the 
 common avrox^^v indigenous. But it 
 would be strange that this scruple should 
 occur to a Greek poet who was incessantly 
 using one compound in two and three 
 senses, and who saw, for instance, no 
 difficulty in &(p9ovos not invidious, v. 477. 
 541. SiirXd ^Ticrov 0d(j.apTia they 
 have paid the double of the loss, another 
 analogy from the law of theft, but from a 
 more humane jurisprudence. The anti- 
 climax is noticeable and betrays the 
 weakness of the plea. — ?Tio-av Odiidpria : 
 aiMpTLov seems to occur only here and 
 perhaps in fers. 679 where both reading 
 and interpretation are uncertain. For 
 the rendering loss argue here (i) the use 
 of TtVw, commonly used only of what is 
 actually paid, not of the crime for which 
 it is paid, and (2) the occurrence of 
 rifxapTe lost just above. — Another inter- 
 pretation, Tbv /xiadov TTJs a/jLaprias, is given 
 by the schol. and would resemble eua7- 
 7Ata reioard for good tiditigs (Sidgwick), 
 though f.vajyyiXia. is a regidarly formed 
 secondary adjective from eud77eXos, so 
 that the analogy is imperfect. — The 
 herald, who, it will Ije observed, has not 
 
 V. /E. A. 
 
 addressed any one except the gods, stops 
 abruptly and remains absorbed in his 
 feelings till one of the elders addresses 
 him. 
 
 543. Twv diro (TTpaTOv i.e. twv crpa- 
 revofi^viov. The preposition is used in 
 the pregnant manner which may be called 
 regular in Greek : the description of the 
 army itself is coloured by the fact that 
 the herald comes from it. But note care- 
 fully the peculiarity in the use of (rrparos : 
 oi dirb (TTparov can stand, by the 'preg- 
 nant' use of the preposition, for oi iv 
 arpaTi^ or oi Kara arparov : but in all 
 these phrases (rrparos stands not as a 
 collective for the soldiers but for the 
 
 form, so to speak, of an army. In short 
 it is used as an abstraction, equivalent to 
 arparela, a use noticeable but not un- 
 natural. 
 
 544. This line is hopeless, ou/c^r' 
 dvrepu (h and its scholia) is merely a bad 
 conjecture ; reOvavai (for redvavai) is a 
 figment. — As it is hard to see a reason 
 for the emphatic Beols, we may affirm per- 
 haps (with Hermann, Weil) that part of 
 the line was xaipa)...Te^vaVa£ 5' ovk 
 avrepu, and that deoh is merely a patch. 
 — All the modern restorations seem to 
 assume that redvavai. ovk dvrepu or oxiKir'' 
 dvrep<3 could mean / ?vill not refuse to 
 die. But redvdvai, though for some pur- 
 poses interchangeable with daveiv, could 
 in this connexion give only the meaning 
 / zvill not deny that I am dead. This 
 however is not so impossible as it might 
 seem. Though the evidence does not 
 warrant any conclusion, I will add as a 
 mere guess that the words reOvavai 5' ovk 
 dvrepw ' but that I am dead I will not 
 gainsay' seem to turn on the familiar use 
 of X'^Vf (hi funerals, epitaphs etc.) as an 
 
66 
 
 AISXYAOY 
 
 XO. ep&J9 7rarpa)a<i rrjcrhe 'yrj<; a iyvfMvaaev. 
 
 KH. cocTT evhaKpvetv <y ofJbfiacTLv -x^apat; vtto. 
 
 XO. Tepwr/^ dp' tare ryjaS^ etrrj^oXoi voaov. 
 
 KH. TTCri? St] ; StSa^^et? rovSe hecnroao) Xoyov. 
 
 XO. TQ)u dvT€pa)VT(ov ifjiepo) TreirXrjy/xivo';. 
 
 KH. iToOelv iroOovvra rrjvSe yrjv arparov \ey€i<;. 
 
 XO. tw§ TToXA-' dfiavpd<; eK (f)pev6<; a dvacneveLV. 
 
 551. (ppevbs dvacrrivew. 
 
 545 
 
 550 
 
 address io the dead. The poets often 
 play with the senses of this word. Thus 
 e.g. xafpw ; ri xo^i^pi^', Tb reOvavai 0' ovk 
 avrepui (where x'^^pw is deliberative sub- 
 junctive) would mean ^Be glad! Thou 
 need'st not say be glad. Though indeed 
 the gi-eeting of the dead suits me well 
 enough', being thus exhausted with past 
 misery and present joy. Both the play 
 on X'^^P^ ^rid the play on redvdvai may 
 be illustrated from the farewell scene 
 between Polyxena, going to her death, 
 and Hecuba (Eur. Hec. 426 foil.) : Pol. 
 Xa?/»' {faretuell), w reKovcra, xat/ae Katr- 
 advdpa ri /j.01. Hec, x^^P°^<^'-'' S^^ot, 
 fjLTjTpl 5' OVK i<TTLv ToSe (otlicrs may take 
 comfort, but not a mother)... /*<?/. tv 
 (noX(/5w/3os) Kol davo^(T7]s 6/x/j,a <rvyK\ricrei 
 rb abv. Hec. TidvrjK' ^7urye irplv daveiv 
 KaKuv viro. See also Eur. Hel. 286 rots 
 irpdyfjiaaiv ridv-qKa, id. Or. 1028 oXts aTr' 
 'Apyelas x^P^^ riOvTjKa (/ have been tor- 
 tured). This, or something like it, would 
 also give its proper sense {I admit) to ovk 
 dvrepu!. — It must not however be taken 
 as certain even that dpTepQ stands for 
 avTepeui. It may equally stand for dvre- 
 pdw, signifying to be jealously in love 
 with death, 'jealous of the buried dead', 
 and the reply rather points to something 
 of this kind. 
 
 545. lYV|iva<r£V /latA tortured thee, a 
 strong word : see P. V. 605 nvpi /xe 
 (pXi^ov rj x6opI Kd\v\pov,...ixr]di fioi (pdov-q- 
 arji evy/MTUv. &5r]v fie woXiJTrXavot. irXdvai 
 yeyv/jLvuKaai, and Soph. Track. 1083. 
 
 546. IvSaKpvtiv : literally ' weep into 
 it ', i.e. the earth. The expression shows 
 
 that the man is still kneeling or has 
 again knelt. 
 
 547. Then learn that it is a siveet 
 languishing which ye have taken ; be- 
 cause, as they explain, love returned is 
 sweet. — TcpTTVTJs predicate. — rrjo-Se v6- 
 <rov: ^puTos. — £7n]Po\oi: cf. z'. 825 ry Tre- 
 iraixivu} voaov. A passive sense of iirriPoXos 
 {taken by) does not seem to be certified. — 
 Hermann defends tare, taking iir-^^oXoi 
 as equivalent to a participle (en-iyjSoXot 
 6vTes): and.it is not safe to reject it. 
 Cf. Soph. 0. C. 806 dvdpa '8' ovd^v oW 
 C7W diKatov odTis e| airavros e5 X^7ei. It 
 is characteristic of Aeschylus to use ad- 
 jectives participially. — yja-re {were, irregu- 
 lar form, Ahrens), rJTe h. 
 
 549. •jr£irX7]Y(*.e'vos. As this line ex- 
 plains and continues v. 547, consistency 
 would of course require TreirXTjyfiivoi. 
 (Tyrrwhitt and modern texts). But 
 according to the practical grammar of 
 speech and poetry, as distinguished from 
 logical theory, there is not the least ob- 
 jection to the singular. From the singu- 
 lar ere of V. 545 the speaker deflects, 
 without any reason except the caprice of 
 thought, into the plural tcrre of v. 547 
 and then back again to the singular in 
 V. 549. Either might have been used 
 throughout indifferently. (Cf. Soph. Ai. 
 1217 yevolfiav...^iruis irpocreiiroL/jLev.) The 
 re-appearance of the singular gives the 
 feeling a more personal turn. To change 
 it is to stiffen the movement of life. See 
 also next note. 
 
 551. 'Aye, and oft sighed for thee 
 from a weary heart'. 4*P^^°S <^*' The 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 67 
 
 KH. TToOev TO Sv<T(f)pov ; tovt eirrjv crrvyo^ (TTparw; 
 
 XO. iraXat ro (TL<yav (fxip/xaKOV ^\d^ri<i e^&>. 
 
 KH. KoX TTcof ; dirovrwv Koipdvwv €Tpec<; TLvd<; ; 
 
 XO. co<f vvv — TO abv hi) — /cat Oavelv TroWrj ')(^dpi<i. 
 
 555 
 
 554. Tvpavvuv. 
 
 correction of Boissonade is preferable to 
 <ppev6s iJ.' (Scaliger) because, as dvaarho), 
 dvaarevd^^'u] are generally transitiz'e, and 
 the subject, the personified land, is 
 instinctively supplied, /te would appear 
 to be the object, contrary to the sense. 
 avao-Wv€iv to sigh for (cf. a-vaKaX^lv) is 
 commonly used of the absent or the 
 dead. Supra 417 and Eur. Or. 156 ^rt 
 fikv kii-Kviii, Ppax^ 5* dvaar^va are among 
 the few examples in tragedy of an in- 
 transitive use : in id. /fee. 186 rl fie 
 dva(priixe?9...Tl ttot' avaffTiveis ; the object 
 (yue) is continued and the verb means 
 (see the context) to call as if dead. —For 
 the interchange of aTpardv and ce, see 
 previous note. 
 
 552. The herald, at first merely 
 puzzled by this enigmatic salutation, 
 begins to perceive that there is something 
 behind. — Tro8«v...<rTpaTw; Whence this 
 melancholy ? Was there yet this in reserve 
 to distress us that have fought?., an excla- 
 mation of disappointment, ' Have we 
 come home only to find more trouble 
 here?' which is indeed the fact. The 
 sense of ktrilvoLt. 'to be destined, to be 
 waiting in the future', resembles the 
 common use of it for appointed punish- 
 ments and appoiyited rewards (see L. 
 and Sc. s. &.) and very closely that in 
 Hesiod, Op. 1 14 (the subject is mankind 
 in the golden age) wo-re Qeol 5' t^wov 
 UK-qdia dv/jibv ^xo^^^^i | v6cf<I>lv drep re 
 irbvbjv Koi 61^0% oiS4 rt deiXbv | yrjpas 
 iTTTJv {no miserable old age awaited the/n), 
 aid 5i 7r65as kolI x^'pas bixoloi. Tipirovr' 
 Iv daXiyiffi ktX. See also the cognate 
 i(l>i(TTdvai in Hom. //. 12. 322 foil, (if 
 to shun war had been to live ageless and 
 deathless, it would have been well to 
 shun it), vdv 5' iiJ.wt]s yap KTJpes icpeardcnv 
 
 555- w;/. 
 
 Oavdroio \ fivpiai, &i ovk ^ari (pvyeTv ^pOTbu 
 ov5' inraXv^ai, \ tofj-ev, where the under- 
 lying metaphor becomes explicit. The 
 force of the preposition is the same as in 
 ^(pedpos a fighter in reserve, iiriTdaaecdai 
 to be posted in reserve etc. It belongs 
 chiefly to military terms and ideas and 
 suits therefore here the phrase and 
 speaker. — o-tvyos (cf. v. 563) is a further 
 predicate, and upon this rather than upon 
 the verb depends (rrpary. — Taken as one 
 sentence this line is generally given up 
 and cannot in fact be construed. But 
 there is no fault except the punctuation. 
 The difficulty has arisen partly from the 
 assumption that iir-qv aTvyos arpari^ 
 naturally means ' grief affected {was 
 upon) the army'. But iireivai is never so 
 used. In Soph. Ai. 12 16 r/y fioi 'irt 
 rdpyj/is ^Treorat; the only example offered, 
 it has its common sense 'to be further 
 added' or, if we read with some Sireffriv, 
 the same sense as here, 'What pleasure 
 awaits me?' 
 
 553. / have long used silence to pre- 
 vent hurt {(papp-aKov ^\d^y\% like d'/cos 
 ^■Kvov in V. 17), a reply ambiguous be- 
 tween the senses ' Least said is soonest 
 mended', and 'Things have been so with 
 us that we dared not even speak '. It 
 thus answers, while it avoids, the question 
 Trbdev t6 86cr(ppov ; 
 
 554. Kal xws; In what sense? See 
 preceding note. — Koipdvwv h. rvpawuv (f) 
 is a curious error, sprung from the spell- 
 ing Kvpdvwv, which (with perhaps a gloss 
 Tvpdvvujv) was probably the reading of M. 
 
 555. ' So that now, in thine own 
 phrase, I would right gladly even die' (?). 
 — To(r6v8tj alluding to z/z'. 510 — 512, and, 
 perhaps also to v. 544 as it originally 
 stood. — I have given here, but without 
 
 5—2 
 
68 
 
 AIZXYAOY 
 
 KH. ev yap TreirpaKrai, ravTU 8' iv iroWai '^^povcp. 
 TO, fiiv Tt9 ev Xe^eiev ei^TrercS? e^eiv, 
 ra S' avre Kd7rl/xo/J,(f)a' ti<? Se ttXtjv deoSv 
 airavT dTrrj/uUcov tov Sl al(ovo<; ')(^p6vov ; 
 
 faith, Scaliger's ws for wv: it is impos- 
 sible to say anything certain respecting 
 language obscure both by intention and 
 by accident. The general purpose is 
 fairly clear. — Here the herald, eager to 
 be rid of a disagreeable subject which 
 seems to lead to nothing definite, breaks 
 off, upon the topic of present satisfaction 
 {ev yap iriirpaKTai), into a more congenial 
 theme. One plain word might have 
 saved the king. But the elders cannot 
 make up their minds. 
 
 556 — 587. This very curious and re- 
 markable speech is irregular throughout, 
 even extremely irregular, but not with 
 the irregularity of accidental defacement. 
 Any attempt to reduce it to the laws of 
 academic pi-ecision is mistaken. Its aber- 
 rations are all of one kind. They are all 
 such as distinguish popular rhetoric from 
 scientific and educated rhetoric. We do 
 not of course suppose that in the streets 
 of Athens any more than elsewhere 
 people talked like a book. In Greek as 
 in other languages, real speech must 
 have had its breaks, leaps, entangle- 
 ments, and other incompletenesses. For 
 Aeschylus, as for any artist equal to the 
 task, it would be worth while to imitate 
 this in a proper place, and here is exactly 
 the proper place. We have a man of 
 the people wrought to the highest pitch 
 of emotion, pouring out in a voice half 
 choked with sobs and tears a story which 
 is pathetic just because the misery of it 
 is vulgar and commonplace. We should 
 be doing mischief in polishing his periods 
 to the stateliness of Agamemnon or the 
 subtlety of Clytaemnestra. 
 
 556. Aye, all is well, zvell with alloiu- 
 ance for the time, literally 'but that in a 
 long time', ravra standing for the verb 
 ei5 iriirpaKTai: compare the common use 
 
 of Kal ravra 'and that', and see also v. 
 1 3 19. — It gives a better point to take 
 these words separately, though if they 
 are attached, as usual, to the next line the 
 meaning is practically the same. 
 
 557 — 559. A man must speak zvcll of 
 his fortune, though some of it be not so 
 good. Only a god can be without trouble 
 all his titne : literally, 'Let a man praise 
 some things, that they are fortunate, and 
 other things, though objectionable', i.e. 
 if he gets good, let him take the worse 
 with it and call it all good together. — 
 €v Xe'^eiev: there is no 'loss of &v^ here. 
 The simple optative is correctly used 
 as a kind of imperative. In the older 
 language this is common' both in gene- 
 ral and in particular injunctions, e.g. 
 Od. 18. 141 Tw /jL-fins TTOTk TrdfJLTrav dpr)p 
 adeixioTLOs eirj, \ dX\' 076 <ny^ duipa deOiv 
 ^XO' J^ would have a man not be latvless, 
 Od. 4. 735 aWd TLS orpripws AoXi'oc 
 KoX^cxeie yipovra, etc. (See Monro, 
 Homeric Grammar, § 299, Kiihner, Gr. 
 Gramm. II. § 395. 7.) It survives in 
 later writers chiefly in maxims, such as 
 this, V. 1375, and Aristoph. Vesp. 143 1, 
 'ip^oL Tis rjv eKacTTOS elSeh] t^X'^V- Ii'' 
 Pindar Pyth. 10. 21 ^eos ui] dirTjfxuv Kiap 
 it must be left to a god to have an iin- 
 tt'oubled heart we have a construction 
 somewhat similar, and in fact Pindar is 
 quoting the latter part of the same pro- 
 verb, which Aeschylus (vv. 558 — 559) here 
 turns in his own language. — «v \€'|ei€v 
 €VTr€Ta)S ^X*''*' • literally ' say in their 
 praise that they are fortunate' ; cf. v. 452, 
 ev Xiyovres tov /x^v ws /ua%?7si'5/3ts (ecTTlv). — 
 €v...€vir€Tws. This assonance of ei5 is a 
 favourite with the Attic poets, occurring 
 not only where the word is repeated 
 in exactly the same sense (as in v. 505, 
 and Supp. 225, ev r' ^ireiiipev ev re 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 69 
 
 lx6xPov<i yap el Xeyoifit koX SvaavXia^;, ^60 
 
 (jirapva<i Trapyj^eii; Koi KaKoaTpcorov^ (tI S' ov 
 
 de^da-6(a), but also where the sense is 
 only imperfectly parallel, as here and 
 in Eum. 869 e? Spwffav ev wourxovaav ev 
 TifiwfjL^vTjv, and even where it is not paral- 
 lel at all, as in Soph. Track. 296 oixiji% 
 5' hie(jTi Toldiv eu (XKOwovfxivoi^ Tap^elv 
 TOP €v irpaacovra firi (x<pa\rj irore. The 
 presence of ei'Trerws therefore confirms, 
 not impeaches, the genuineness of ev 
 "Ki^etev, — Modern texts mostly give the 
 arbitrary correction of Auratus civ Xi^eiev, 
 on the ground, true but not material, 
 that X^^eiev cannot stand for av X^^eiev, 
 he would say. 
 
 560—572. In this long period the 
 hypothesis is expressed in several shapes, 
 some hypothetical and some not, and the 
 sequence is never expressed at all, but 
 overleaped by a transition to a further 
 stage of thought. The gist of it is this, 
 ' We have suffered much, but all's well 
 that ends well'. Paraphrased in logical 
 form, it might run thus : ' For if I were 
 to reckon all our miseries and privations, 
 whether in the ships (560 — 562), both by 
 night (560 — 561) and by day (561 — 562), 
 or on land (563 — 567), where the neigh- 
 bourhood of the enemy aggravated (563 — 
 564) the pains of exposure to the damps 
 of the ground and the air (565 — 567), if 
 I counted up our various distresses from 
 extreme cold to extreme heat (568 — 571), 
 \it would make a heavy total : buti why 
 complain of what is past (572)?' etc. But 
 the hypothetical clause loses itself in 
 parentheses and ejaculations, starting 
 again more or less in its track at v. 568, 
 and the answering clause disappears alto- 
 gether in the abrupt transition at v. 571. 
 Further almost every section has a minor 
 irregularity of its own. 
 
 560. SvcravXCas bad quarters for sleep- 
 ing ; see avXL^ejdai. He divides these 
 under the heads of 'ship-quarters' and 
 'land-quarters', marking this in an 
 
 irregular way by the antithesis to. 5' avre 
 X^/xTV. The ships, it must be remembered, 
 drawn up on shore and protected by a 
 rampart, formed part of the camp. It is 
 of this use that he speaks as well as of 
 the voyage. 
 
 56 r. The miseries of the ships are 
 again mentally divided into 'night' and 
 'day', night appearing in KaKOJTpJjTovs 
 {uncomfortable as beds) and day being 
 thrown in parenthetically. — iraprj^ets: a 
 woid of uncertain derivation, but here 
 obviously describing something like 
 'berths'. There seems no reason why it 
 should not be formed, inelegantly but 
 according to analogy, as rrj^i-s from t'^/cw, 
 from irap-qKeLv to pass into, so that (nvapvri 
 irdprj^is would be 'a place into which one 
 could barely get'. The guess of the 
 scholia 7rapa5/)o/iai (/rtjj'rt'^'vj') does not seem 
 to suit the context. — irapC^eis (Wecklein) 
 is certainly a better form. 
 
 //'. Ti 8' ov . . . |Ji.€pos ; Two questions 
 must here be distinguished (i) the con- 
 struction irrespective of the case of the 
 participles, (2) the nominative case. 
 Irrespective of the case, if, that is, we 
 assume for the moment the reading 
 arhovras ov Xaxofras, there is no 
 difficulty : the context supplies both et 
 Xiyoifii and the pronoun T/fids, and the 
 translation is 'while in the day-time we 
 had — eveiy privation to lament'. Wel- 
 lauer, though his explanation is not 
 exactly right, is alone in perceiving the 
 main points, that the negatives are not 
 parallel but have each their separate 
 force, and that the participles are not 
 parallel but subordinated one to the 
 other. tC ov; stands as usual for wdw, 
 and the rest of the sentence is constructed 
 exactly as if irdv were written. The first 
 negative has no force beyond converting 
 the interrogative tL into irdv. And note 
 tiiat this is clearly conveyed to the ear 
 
70 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 crTevovre'i ov Xa')(^6vTe<i r]/j,aTO<i fiipo<; ;), 
 
 TO, 8' avre •)(epa-(p (koI Trpoarjv ifkeov (rrvjo^, 
 
 N 
 
 by the division of the lines. o\ Xaxovres 
 is literally 'not having got' i.e. 'being 
 without' as in 'EnT.Andr, 385 \axovcra t' 
 dOXla Kal fiij XaxoOcra dvarvxvs Kadlarafxai 
 with what is offered I must be miserable 
 and without it unhappy. The use of the 
 negative term where English would pre- 
 fer a positive, as here that o{ privation, 
 is characteristic of the language, e.g. 
 Demosth. 19, 77 /a-f; oiv...Ssv v/xas ovtos 
 €^r]TraT7]a€ fir] 86t(i) SIktjv, Let hitn not 
 escape punishment for the deceptions prac- 
 tised on you, where both negatives are 
 illustrated. The accusative tI ov {i.e. 
 Trdv) depends not upon ar^vovrei but 
 upon 01 \ax6vT€s. The order of the 
 words is not irregular but correct, as in 
 /*. V. 601 tI TTore raXaS' iv^^ev^as evpwv 
 aiiapTovcav iv TTTjfxovais ; Of tuhat sin 
 didst thou convict her {Tl-afiapTovcrav 
 evpwv) that thou hast reduced her to this 
 misery ? Thus tI-ov arivovre^ ov-Xaxovres 
 stands for iravroiv (xrevoPTes aTVX'h<^o-VTes 
 bewailing the privation 0/ everythijig. 
 Of course a disciplined stylist could not 
 have used so uncouth a form of words, 
 but neither 'WOuld he have spoken any 
 one of the sentences very justly and artis- 
 tically placed in this speech. Lastly in 
 fjxaTos |xepos the accusative is that of 
 duration of time (like ^lov in v. 1141, 
 "Itvv arivova d/x<pi6aXrj KaKois driSuiv ^iov, 
 where by a coincidence we have the same 
 verb) and the genitive rjnaros is not 
 partitive but the adjectival genitive ' of 
 equivalent '. A similar genitive is joined 
 with fJLoipa, the poetic synonym of fiipos, 
 in Eur. Med. 430 dixeripav dvSpQv re 
 notpav ' our (i.e. the female) division [of 
 mankind] and the male', where see note. 
 So ijfyaaTos fiipos is 'the diurnal portion' 
 of time [vv. 556, 559), and is contrasted 
 with vvKTbs fx^po^ 'the nocturnal portion', 
 implied but not expressed in what 
 precedes, exactly as ra 5' aCre x^po'V is 
 contrasted with the unexpressed rd fxh 
 
 iv vavcrlv. It must be noted that to con- 
 struct TjfiaTos tiipos with tI ov (in the 
 sense irdv fxipos ■^fiipa^ all the day long), 
 which is so tempting to our habits, that 
 more than anything else it has made this 
 passage difficult, could not, I believe, 
 have occurred to a Greek mind as con- 
 ceivable. The word fiipos is not so 
 used. — There remains the deferred ques- 
 tion as to the nominative case in the 
 participles. This is all-important, because 
 if (XTivovres... Xaxovres will not pass, we 
 cannot be satisfied with any of the 
 expedients which introduce accusatives. 
 No reason can be given for the supposed 
 corruption. The English editors mostly 
 retain the nominatives, Paley adding 
 boldly and truly that they are "used 
 without regard to any regular construc- 
 tion". They mark the point at which, 
 for a legitimate purpose, artistic speech 
 follows real speech and simply defies 
 grammatical analysis. It is in short an 
 extreme case of construction 'according 
 to the sense'. The soldiers, as subject 
 of the sufferings, are thought in the nomi- 
 native, if we may so express it, through- 
 out : the whole catalogue, if reduced to 
 symmetry, could naturally be turned so 
 as to have ruieh for the general subject, 
 thus : el Xiyoifxi 8cra ip.oxdov/j.ei' h/ re rais 
 vavcrlv avXi^ofxevoi, aTpw/jLara ^x°^'^^^ °^X 
 iKavd, iwl T€ rrj y^ In Seivdrepa, ws irpos 
 TT] 7r6Xet (TTparoTredevo/xevot, ktX. There- 
 fore, in the one place in which the 
 soldiers are mentioned at all (for it will 
 be observed that they are not otherwise 
 mentioned in this period except by 
 implication), the appropriate nominative a 
 is put in simply /cara cipeciv, and we 
 have a specimen, perhaps unique, of 
 Greek as it was actually talked. 
 
 563. rd 8* avT€ x^po-cp: supply el 
 XiyoifMi : see foregoing note. — Kal Trpoo-- 
 T}v...T«Cx€<riv: a parenthesis, such as in 
 a more regular style would be expressed 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 evval yap rjaav Btjccov irpo'i Tei')(^6aiu), 
 i^ ovpavov yap Kairo yijf XeifMCOvcac 
 Bpoaoi Kajey^eKa^ov, efnreSov (nvo<; 
 ia-di-j^dTUiv, TidevTe<i evOrjpov Tpi')(a, 
 
 71 
 
 565 
 
 by a relative clause, * where there was 
 the additional distress of constant danger 
 from the neighbouring enemy '. — StjCuv : 
 Dindorf writes Sdlbs here as always. 
 
 565. ki, ovpavov 'Y'^p ktX. We 
 should not change yap to 5^ (Pearson): 
 the explanation of to. x^P'^Vt the miseries 
 on land, proceeds in a fresh parenthesis, 
 which takes no account of the fore- 
 going. 
 
 565 — 567. Another clause radically 
 inaccurate in logic and grammar, though 
 perfectly intelligible. The salient defect, 
 the masculine Tidivres following the femi- 
 nine 5p6(ro(, which has received dispro- 
 portionate attention, is only one sign of a 
 confusion running through the whole. 
 Nothing short of re-writing it would 
 produce clear thought and regular ex- 
 pression. The remark of Schneidewin 
 on TLdevres, that it relates in the speaker's 
 mind to 6ixppoi {rain), is true, but only 
 part of the truth : e^ ovpavov relates to 
 this same diytt/Spot, and so does Kare-^iKO.- 
 ^ov (drizzled down), and so in fact does 
 the whole sentence, except the words /cd- 
 7r6 7^s XeifiuvMt Spbaoi. The rain is from 
 first to last the subject in the mind, and 
 the sentence would have run regularly 
 thus, ef ovpavov yap 6fj.ppoi KaTiif/iKa^ov 
 ktK. But the words e$ ovpavov suggest 
 by antithesis 'the dew from the earth', 
 which is thereupon thrust in interjection- 
 ally; and after this, the subject 6/j.ppoi 
 being by the antithesis sufficiently given 
 to thought, the sentence proceeds without 
 it, literally thus, 'from the sky (and off 
 the earth marsh-dew too) it drizzled down ' 
 etc. In such a fashion mutatis mulatidis 
 men frequently speak in every language, 
 but do not generally write. 
 
 566. ^(Ji-ircSov o-Cvos «o-etiiAaTwv. The 
 rotting of the dress from constant wetting 
 
 is mentioned not so much for itself, as 
 for the horrible diseases to which it leads 
 and which are specified more particularly 
 in the next words. ti6^vt€S 2v9i]pov 
 Tplyfi, putting evil life into the hair, or in 
 plain words 'breeding vermin'. As in 
 Soph. Phil. 698 [ivOrjpos ttoi^s envenomed 
 foot) ^vOrjpos is a poetic etjuivalent for the 
 medical term reOrjpMfjiivos (see I^. and 
 Sc. s. vv.), so here it represents the same 
 term in another sense (see L. and Sc. s, 
 vv. dripibu}, ^uoui). The analogy of the 
 passage from Sophocles is exact, for 
 Aeschylus doubtless shared the belief, 
 universal till not very remote times, that 
 hair had a peculiar independent life, 
 and that worms and other creatures were 
 actually made from it. The Opl^ is the 
 hair of the whole body, not merely of the 
 head and face. — The old interpretation of 
 Ivdrjpos, ' shaggy, beast-like ', is in the 
 first place not a possible meaning, since 
 it takes no account of the formation, and, 
 if it were possible, would be here out of 
 place. The man is speaking of real, not 
 fanciful, miseries. As to the dignity of 
 tragedy, Aeschylus treats it on proper 
 occasions with perfect indifference, and 
 lets his soldier describe the torments of 
 the camp, as his nurse the plagues of the 
 nursery (C/io. 753), for what they are, 
 without attempting to conceal what it is 
 his very purpose to express. — In Weck- 
 lein's recent edition the whole of this 
 passage 560 — 567 is re-cast ; he writes 
 e.g. in 561 — 2 tI ttov ffrivovres civ X-^yoifiev 
 ^fxaros fiipos ; And nothing short of such 
 treatment is of any use, if we will have 
 the ordinary logic and syntax of literary 
 language. All the less courageous at- 
 tempts are ineffective. I believe however 
 that Aeschylus wrote the whole as it is, 
 and was justified in so writing it. 
 
72 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 X^i'f^Mva S* el \eyot ra oIcovoktovov, 
 
 olov Trapelx ac^^prov 'ISata %twi/, 
 
 r] OaXiro';, evre 7r6vTO<; iv /xecrrj/jb^pLvaU 
 
 Koi,Tai,<i aKVficov vr)V€/xoc<; evSoc Treaoov, — 
 
 Ti ravra irevOelv het ; Trapoi,')(^eraL 7r6vo<i' 
 
 'irapof)(eTai, he rolai fjuev TedvqKocriv 
 
 TO firjTTOT av9t<; fjbrjh^ dvaa-rrjvai, /xeXeiv 
 
 (tv Tovi (ivaX(jd6evTa<i iv ylrrjcfxp Xeyeiv 
 
 rov ^covra S' dXyeiv ')(py] TV')(7]<i irakfyKOTOv ; 
 
 Kai TToWa ')(aipeLV avfJb<popal<i Kara^iw)' 
 
 570 
 
 575 
 
 568 — 572. See above on v. 560. 
 
 572. The abruptness of these exclama- 
 tions is aided by the irregularity of rhythm, 
 the punctuation acting against the cae- 
 sura. 
 
 573. Toi<ri jx€v : to this irregularly 
 answers ijfxiv Sk...viKg. to Kipdos 578, 
 which should regularly have been irapol- 
 Xerai S' ti/xii/ UKxre vikolv rb Kipdos. The 
 trouble is over for all, for the dead com- 
 pletely, for the living, in that they can 
 balance against it their triumph. 
 
 574. T6...(xe\eiv so that they care., or 
 in the sense that they care, grammatically 
 an 'accusative in opposition to the verbal 
 action' of Trapoixerai. That 'they care 
 not' and that 'the trouble is over' are two 
 aspects of the same fact. 
 
 575—577- Another parenthesis. The 
 dead have their gain, and perhaps an 
 advantage over the living. — Why should 
 we count up the number of the slain, 
 wheji the living suffer the persistence of 
 fortune's cruelty? Much difficulty has 
 been made here by taking the two 
 clauses as independent, whereas they 
 are closely correlative and make up one 
 conception between them. A prose writer 
 would have used jxiv in the first clause, 
 but in poetry it is often omitted. (See on 
 V. 360. ) In English we must indicate the 
 relation by making one clause principal 
 and the other dependent. Usually it is 
 the clause with i^iv which answers best to 
 our dependent clause, but it may be, as 
 
 here, the clause with 5^. The point is 
 that the inevitable suffering of the living 
 is inconsistent with the lamenting of the 
 dead or, as it is put, with the counting of 
 the number of them : and the question rl 
 XPV ; protests against the unreasonableness 
 of the two things taken together. tvx^IS 
 iraXiYKOTov literally 'from fortune being 
 persistently cruel', gen. absolute, ira- 
 XiyKdrov has its full signification (see L. 
 and Sc. s. v.). Fortune is the harassing 
 disease from which we escape by death. 
 It is a generalization of the same idea 
 which appears in Herodotus 4- 156 avT(^ 
 T€ Tovrq} Kal Toldi dWoicri. avvecpipero 7ra- 
 XijKdrus 'things went persistently ill.' — 
 If the clauses be separated, then the 
 second question {ri XPV t^p ^Sivra aXyelv 
 kt\. ;), taken as independent, is out of 
 place (for we turn to the living, ot XoiTroi, 
 at V. 578) and not significant in itself. 
 The living dX7e?, because such is the law 
 of fate ; the question is why, this being 
 so, we should ask ' how many are dead ? ' 
 and not rather 'how many are living to 
 feel?'. 
 
 577. To have done with chance is it- 
 self viethinks, right acceptable. •n-oXXd 
 \aip€iv <rv|ji<j)opais, literally 'to receive 
 the dismissal of chance ', iroXXa xafpetj' 
 being the passive correlative to the for- 
 mula of dismissal iroWa x^^P^ '• cf- Soph. 
 0. T. 596 vvv Tratrt X'^^P'^ f^ow all wish 
 me Joy. What is said there by Prof. 
 Jebb, that "the phrase has been suggested 
 
 I 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 73 
 
 'fjijbiv Be Tol<; Xolttoio-iv ^Apyeccov arparov 
 viKa TO Kep8o<;, irrjfxa S' ovk avrippeirei' 
 0)9 Ko/M7rd(xai TmS" et«09 r/Xiov cfxiet 
 vTrep daXdcra-r]^; koI ■y^dov6<i TroTW/jbevoi'i, 
 
 580 
 
 by xa«/3^ M0'> but refers rather to the mean- 
 ing than to the form of the greeting", is 
 true here also ; 'to be dismissed /o happi- 
 ness'' is the meaning in full. — KaTa^iw, / 
 hold acceptable, like d|ia) / do not irfitse 
 (Soph. 0. T. 944) only stronger. It is 
 the opposite of dTra^tw / nytr/. See Thcb. 
 654. — KaC also belongs closely to iroWd : 
 those who live are happy in one way, 
 Xalpovai ffvixfpopah in one sense, but the 
 dead, who TroXXd x^^P°^'^'-> ^"^^ happy 
 too. — The key to this verse is the proper 
 constniction of (yv^(popah. The interpre- 
 tation ' I bid fortune begone ' is possible 
 only if we read, with Blomfield, crv/jKpo- 
 pas, and even then would be very odd ; 
 for since x^'Pf" xeXeijo} means properly 
 ' I bid thee be happy ' to substitute x^'p^'" 
 Kara^iu), 'I require thee to be happy', is 
 not a natural variation. Nor does the 
 supposed sense fit the place so well as 
 the MS. text. 
 
 578. The connexion of thought is this 
 'And we that remain, though we have 
 suffered more and longer than the dead 
 and have not received their complete 
 discharge, may still rejoice on the whole, 
 when we consider the everlasting and 
 world-wide glory which redounds to our 
 city'. 
 
 580 — 581. These lines are difficult 
 and, if complete, must have been ex- 
 plained by something conventional in the 
 connotation of the language. I give here 
 the interpretation which seems best, and 
 a discussion of the details separately (Ap- 
 pendix N). — ' For yon bright sun may 
 justly wing our renown the wide world 
 over, proclaiming in our honour that 
 Troy long ago was taken by an Argive 
 armament, and these are the spoils which 
 to the glory of the gods throughout Hellas 
 they nailed upon the teinbles for a monu- 
 
 mental pride. Hearing this, men must 
 needs praise Argos and them that led her 
 host ; and the grace of Zeus which wrought 
 it all shall be paid with thanks. And so 
 I have said my say '. — ws causal, since, 
 considering hoiv, as in Theb. 351 8fxwi5es 
 5^ KaifOTr-fifioves, ws iXirls h ti vvKrepov 
 tI\os fxokeiv. — Kon"irdo-ai, as the style and 
 honours of a person might be announced 
 before him : the word is almost technical 
 in this sense, and the figure suits the 
 personage of the Krjpv^. Tw8t: for the 
 dative with ei/c6s, which is rare, cf. Eur. 
 Suppl. 40 Travra yap di' dpffivuv ywat^l 
 Trpa.<raeLv eUSs. — iroTWiAtvois agrees with 
 the dative tjixiv supplied from z'. 578 and 
 constructed here, as there, as a dative of 
 'the person interested' (cf. deols below), 
 literally ' may proclaim for us flying '. 
 For the metaphor and language cf. Find. 
 Nem, 6. 50 x^rarat S' eiri re xQbva Kal 
 5:d 6a\d(7(Tas TrjKhdev &vvijI avrQv. It 
 was perhaps a familiar form of speech for 
 ' world-wide renown'. Here by a bolder 
 figure the subject of the fame is said to 
 'fly abroad' as the fame is spread, a 
 stretch of language which again may be 
 illustrated from Pindar Isthin. 3. 28 
 dvopiais 5' ecrxdraKTiv oiKodev CTdXaicriu 
 aiTTovd' 'HpaKXeiais 'by their high feats 
 of valour they have reached from home 
 to the ends of the world ', i.e. their 
 renown has gone so far (and Theognis 
 ■237 ffoi ftiv e7W irrip' ^duKa ffiiv oh iir' 
 direlpova irbvTov iruTrjcrri Kal yrju Weck- 
 lein). — Tpo£T]v kt\. According to Greek 
 habit off"erings from the spoil would be 
 dedicated in all important places of re- 
 ligion, and would be marked or accom- 
 panied by brief inscriptions, of which the 
 sense is here paraphrased, naming the dedi- 
 cation and the occasion. These, as the 
 poet finely expresses it, the sun would pro- 
 
74 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 "Tpolrjv iXovref BtJttot ^Ap<yeL(ov (ttoXo? 
 6eol<i Xd(f>vpa ravra toi? Kad^ 'EXXaSa 
 B6/jiot<; eiraaadXeva-av dp'^alov ydvo^." 
 roiavra 'x^prj K\vovTa<i evXoyelv irokiv 
 Kol Tov<i (TTpaTr)<yov';' Kol %a/3t9 TifiTjcrerat 
 Aio? rdS* eKirpd^aaa. irdvr e')(€i<i \6<yov. 
 
 XO, }HK(6fi€vo<; \6<yoiaiv ovk dvaivojxaL. 
 
 del 'yap rj/3a rot? yepovacv ev ^ladelv. 
 So/noa 8e ravra kol KXvraifjiijarpa fxeKetv 
 elic6<i jxdXiara, crvv 8e ifKovri^eLV ifie. 
 
 KA. dv(oX6\v^a fiev irdXai %apa9 vtto, 
 
 590. KXvraifJLvqdTpa, 
 
 585 
 
 590 
 
 claim, meaning in prose that they would 
 be read with each returning day, as those 
 on the temples of Argos are now legible in 
 the light of this present morning. Thus 
 the name of Argos will ' fly over land 
 and sea' to the end of time. — Tpotrjv: 
 the archaic (Ionic) form is used as, for 
 Athenian ears, naturally suggesting the 
 language of an ancient inscription. See 
 on T/ied. 259, 447, 519, 590. The change 
 to Tpolav is mistaken. — Si^ttotj [aliquandd) 
 may mean either 'at last' or 'formerly' 
 as Paley says. The last seems the better. 
 — dpxaiov Y'^i'VOS literally ' an ancient 
 pride ' ; the praise is significantly worded 
 as it will be spoken a long time here- 
 after. — TToXiv . . . o-TpaTT)"Yovs . . . Ai6s. The 
 unselfish simplicity of the man's patriot- 
 ism, loyalty, and religion is powerfully 
 marked. — Travr' ^x*''^ Xo-yov a formula of 
 conclusion, indicating here that the thesis 
 e5 tri-Kpa.KTo.L (z'. 556) is to the speaker's 
 mind made out. The elders assent. — See 
 further Appendix N. 
 
 588. viKwjA«vos Xo"yoKriv. The elo- 
 quent proof of the herald that 'all is 
 well' has of course not really touched rh 
 Si(7<ppov {v. 552), which he does not under- 
 stand ; but this is not the moment to 
 explain, as Clytaemnestra is seen ap- 
 proaching. — The context requires us to 
 refer vLKoo/ievos \6yoi<Tiv to the argument 
 
 of the herald, not to the proof of the 
 victory, though this may also be in the 
 speaker's mind. 
 
 589: in prose paraphrase 'the capacity 
 for learning is not one of the faculties 
 which is lost with age', iv fiaOciv do- 
 cility (cf. evfxadTjs) is the subject of ij^g.. — 
 Tois ■yepovcnv /or, as we should say in, 
 the old. Note that the article is indis- 
 pensable ; with ykpovcw alone we should 
 be bound to supply t]ixw. — 17^77 (eo-r/) rots 
 yipovcTtv (Margoliouth) is undoubtedly 
 simpler, but I agree with Mr Sidgwick 
 that the text is right. 
 
 591. trvv Si itXovTlXfi.iv €(!.€ and my 
 gain should be shared with them, literally 
 'and it (the tale, raCra) ought (et'/cos) to 
 enrich me with thetn (and not alone)'. 
 Note carefully the emphasis given to aiv 
 by its position in the sentence and by the 
 rhythm ; with this emphasis the clause is 
 equivalent to irKovTl^eiv fxr] /xovov i/xi. — 
 There is a certain irony in this language. 
 Not knowing the situation, the elders 
 suppose that the herald's news, if wel- 
 come to the queen, cannot be altogether 
 welcome. 
 
 592. On the situation here, and on 
 the queen's language, see the Introduc- 
 tion. — dvwXoXv^a |ji,€'v. The antithesis to 
 this does not follow regularly but is sub- 
 stantially given in /cat vOv v. 603. The 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 75 
 
 OT ijXd^ 6 TTpwTo^ vv^to<i dyyeXo's irvp6<i, 
 (ppd^wv aXioatv 'IX-iou t' dvdaracriv. 
 Kai Ti<s fi ivLTTToov eiTre' " <})pvKTCopcov hia 
 TreiaOeicra Tpolav vvv TreTropdfjadai 8oK€i<i ; 
 r/ Kapra tt/oo? 'yvvaiKO'i atpeadaL Keap." 
 Xoyoi'i roLovroL<i 7r\ayKT6<; ova i(f)atv6fx,T]v. 
 b/ict)? S' edvov' KoX yvvaiKelw vofio) 
 oXoXvy/xov ftX\o9 dWodev Kara tttoXiv 
 eXaaKov ev^rjixovvTe^ iv dewv €8pai,<; 
 
 595 
 
 6oo 
 
 595- ' 
 
 point is that for her this is not the 
 moment either for the exultation of sur- 
 prise (592 — 602) nor for further enquiry 
 (603). 
 
 594. 'IXCov t' avdo-xao-iv. Observe 
 that this phrase, thrown in as it were 
 carelessly, utterly changes the character 
 of the supposed beacon-message. As it 
 was represented to the elders above, it 
 reported the 'taking' but did not and 
 could not possibly, under the supposed 
 circumstances, report the 'destmction' of 
 Ilium, which had not occurred and, if 
 Clytaemnestra spoke honestly in vv. 353 
 — 54, was not to be expected or desired. 
 But it is of vital moment that the herald 
 should not catch a glimpse of the sup- 
 posed 'beacon-system'. Nor can he 
 from what the queen here says, simple 
 and frank though it seems to be. It 
 suggests no more than what of course he 
 must already suppose, that the beacon 
 had signalled the arrival of himself and 
 his companions, and this is in fact the 
 truth. On the other hand the fact that 
 the queen refers to the beacon is enough 
 to convey to the elders that, however 
 strange the whole affair may be, there is 
 no trick in it. 
 
 595. Tis: i.e. the elders in vv. 481 
 foil., whose language she quotes almost 
 verbatim, though she was not then pre- 
 sent. This however and the arrival of 
 the herald have been reported to her from 
 time to time by those in her interest, as 
 
 on the stage would be manifest. Plainly 
 the queen dare not at this crisis lose sight 
 of the elders for a moment ; nor is she 
 unwilling to give them, as she here does, 
 a hint that her eye is upon them. The 
 hint is not lost, for when she retires 
 their language {v. 620) is more guarded 
 and unintelligible than ever. — See further 
 the Introduction. 
 
 598. €(f>aiv6|xi]v : 'they tried to prove 
 me deluded' is the signification of the 
 tense. 
 
 599. 20vov: first person, as the pre- 
 ceding context shows. 
 
 600. aXXos dXXo0«v : masculine (al- 
 though the 6X0X1/7^65 or sacrificial cry 
 was actually uttered by women, as the 
 text declares), because they uttered it on 
 behalf of the sacrificing citizens (or as it 
 is otherwise put 'the citizens uttered it 
 by the female ritual'), and it is the be- 
 haviour of the city, not of the women in 
 particular, which is in view. Cf. Theb. 
 253 ^/xcDf» a.KoxKsa.d'' evytiardjv ^Treira ai> 
 (the maidens of the chorus) 6\o\vyixbv... 
 Traidvicrov. — "Perhaps she is keeping up 
 her satire, 'like women, as you would 
 say, the whole city joined in the cry' " 
 (Sidgwick). Certainly, I think, there is 
 an intended connexion between ywaiKos 
 and yvi>at.Kel(f) vojii^. 'The city', she says, 
 ' took the cue from me '. — yvvonKetoi vofioi 
 (Wecklein) gives a simple construction 
 but a doubtful personification. — vofxtp. 
 Cf. i>6/xi(T/xa Theb. I.e. 
 
76 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 dvrjcpdyov Koi/u,wvTe<i evccSr) (pXoya. 
 Koi vvv ra fidaaco fxev rl Sel a e/JLol Xeyetv ; 
 avaKro<i avTov irdvra irevaofxat Xoyov. 
 OTTO)? S' dpiara top ejxov alSolov ttoctlv 
 (Tirevaw irdXiv fxoXovTa Bi^aadai, (tl yap 
 yvvaiKl TouTov ^6770? i]8tov BpaKeiv, 
 ciiro (TTparela<i dvhpa acoaavTO'i deov 
 TTvXa'i dvol^at;), ravr dirdyyeCKov iroaeL' 
 rjKeiv OTTCO? Ta^KTT epaafiLov iroXei, 
 yvvaiKa TTKTTrjv 6' iv So/u,ot9 e'vpoi fioXcov, 
 oluvTrep ovv eXetire, Sco/xdTcov Kvva 
 i(Td\r}v eKeivo), iroXefxlav rot? Sva(f)poaLv, 
 Kol rdXyC ofxolav irdvTa, aTjfxavTrjpLov 
 
 601. ivOeuv. 
 
 605 
 
 610 
 
 602. KOi|J.wvT€s quieting, i.e. piling 
 the incense upon it so that it burned 
 unseen within the heap, instead of blazing. 
 The language rests upon a comparison, 
 touched in the poet's brief picturesque 
 manner, between the flame and a creature 
 crying for food till it is stilled. 
 
 603. T<i (Acto-o-w the /idler story. — 
 <r €}Aol. ci ixoi (Wieseler). But both 
 pronouns are emphatic. 
 
 605. oirws . . . Se^ao-Gai that I may 
 bring my revered spouse with swift return 
 unto my loving reception, literally 'that 
 I may hasten the kind receiving of him 
 returned'. As often in the Greek poets 
 (cf. V. 487, V. 611 and v. 970) the Greek 
 puts what is principal in the sentence in- 
 to the participle /xoXovra, not the verb 
 di^acrOai. — fipwrra with all kindness, the 
 superlative of eC- kindly, belongs to di^aa- 
 6ai: cf. Siipp. 225 eC t' itreix^pev eO re 
 5e|dcr^w. — The exact relation of /jLoKovra 
 6^|a(T0at here is of some importance ; for 
 if we render, as modern habits of expres- 
 sion suggest, by 'that I may hasten to 
 zvelcome him', this clause no longer fits 
 the sequel, ravr aira.yyeiXov iroaei ' iJKeLu 
 Stpws TOiXiCTa. Hence the punctuation 
 of Hermann and others (6irui...de^da6ai. 
 tL yap...avo'i^a.i ; ravr' dirayyeiKov), which, 
 
 as Mr Sidg\vick objects, makes ravr^ 
 d7rd77«\oc very abrupt. 
 
 610 — 611. T|'K£tv...£vpoi:-theconstinc- 
 tion varies from the oblique to the direct. 
 — cpa(r|xiov '7rdX6i...'yuvaiKa viirTf\v 8«: 
 these are antithetical in meaning though 
 not exactly in form. 'Let him come 
 swiftly to find his people loving and his 
 wife faithful ' is the sense. It is this 
 antithetic emphasis on TncTTju which justi- 
 fies the position of 5^. — evpoi (ioXwv : ' let 
 him come to find ', we should say in 
 English: see on v. 605. — iT\.<rrr]v . . .ol- 
 avirep o5v ^eiirt: 'faithful to him as he 
 left her ' is the sense to the ear, ' faithful 
 to the revenge which she has meditated 
 ever since' the sense to Clytaemnestra's 
 thought. The ambiguity runs all through 
 the following lines, eKeivif), tois Sv(r<ppoai,v 
 etc. 
 
 614. (rT][JiavTi]piov ovSiv 8ia<j)9€£pa- 
 <rav having never broke seal at all in 
 this long 7vhile, i.e. 'having guarded his 
 property and honour', or to herself 'still 
 keeping my resolution, as it were a 
 covenant'. For the association of the 
 word dLatpde'ipw with this secondaiy sense 
 see V. 923. — Note that ff-qiiavT-ffpiov is 
 properly an adjectival form, meaning 
 'anything in the nature of a seal [ffrifiav- 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 ovSev StacbOetpacrav ev fjbi^Kei ')(^p6vov. 
 ovh^ olSa repy^Lv ovh^ iTriyjroyov (paTiv 
 dWov 7rpo<? dvBp6<; fiaXkov rj '^uXkov ^acfxi^;. 
 XO.yS'. TOtoo-S' K6fjb7ro<i, r»)? «X'j^^e/a? <yefi(ov, 
 ovK ata'^p6<i w? fyvvaiKi yevvaia XaKelv. 
 
 77 
 615 
 
 T-{]p)\ There is no proof that it was 
 used for a seal, as a common word, nor 
 from this passage is it likely. The ex- 
 pression is metaphorical, like eadXr^v 
 Kvva, and the vague form is employed on 
 purpose to avoid any particular reference 
 to literal 'seals'. In the absence of the 
 master some things might naturally be 
 sealed up (Paley cites Eur. Orest. 1108), 
 and naturally also the house would be 
 guarded by dogs : hence the metaphors : 
 but it is not of these things Clytaemnestra 
 is thinking or speaking: c<ppa-y'i5a ttjs 
 TTpbs rbv avSpa ewyjs says the schol. 
 correctly. — Still fearing not to be under- 
 stood she speaks more clearly. 
 
 616. These declarations, which are 
 full of suspicion and peril, are still 
 forced upon the queen by the necessity of 
 the situation. It is an obvious fear that 
 the king may know too much, or before 
 he reaches the fortress , may learn too 
 much, for Clytaemnestra's purpose. She 
 thinks it safer therefore to accept the po- 
 sition of one accused and to take the line 
 of defying slander, in the hope that this 
 maybe sufficient for the necessary moment. 
 
 616 — 617. T€p4>i.v...dv8p6s / kno7v of 
 pleasure or of scandalous address from 
 any other man tio more than etc. For 
 <f)6.TLs in the sense of speech or converse 
 see Soph. Phil. 1045 ^apetav (pdriv rrjvd' 
 dire, id. El. 329, 1213 (L. and Sc. s.v^. 
 She is so far from sin that she has let no 
 man speak to her unbecomingly. That 
 (^cirts here has this exceptional meaning 
 (and not that of rumour') is shown by the 
 arrangement of the sentence. It must be 
 parallel to rtp\\/iv, and both words must 
 be related in the same way to ciXXoi; Trp6s 
 di'5p6s. — €iri\|/oYov ' liable to reproach ', 
 cf. fVi/xojU^os, fwiKivdwos. — If (paTLS be 
 
 taken here, as it commonly is, in the 
 sense of rumour, report, i.e. the scan- 
 dalous charge itself, the sentence is ill- 
 shaped, for iiri\(/oyo^ (pdris irpbs aWov 
 (with this sense of ^drtj) would naturally 
 mean 'scandal uttered by another' (see 
 V. 636) ; and even with the rather dubious 
 translation 'scandal arising from' i.e. 
 'connected with another', the words 
 r^pxf/Lv and <pdriv are still not in the same 
 line, so to speak, as they should be for 
 the purpose of the climax. To attach 
 TTpos dWov to Tip\{/Lv only and not to 
 (pdnv is possible but not satisfactory. 
 The hint given to the ear by the parallel- 
 ism oiripypiv ovS^. . .^drt^ would sufficiently 
 explain and justify an exceptional use of 
 the word. 
 
 617. \aXKOv Pa({>ds dipping, i.e. 
 dyeing, of bronze, an unknown mystery. 
 The suggestion of Elomfield that the 
 expression referred to some artistic secret 
 is very reasonable, but it is almost useless 
 to speculate on the origin of a proverb. 
 Others suppose it to mean merely 'an 
 impossibility'. The sinister suggestive- 
 ness which it takes from metaphors such 
 as ^/Sai/zay iyx°^ Ihou hast dipped thy 
 sword Soph. Ai. 95, yvvr\ kv (Kpayaiai 
 ^a\paaa ft^os P. V. 889 has probably 
 influenced the poet (Wellauer) but must 
 not be pressed. After all, the analogy 
 is not very close. Between ^/0os and 
 XaX/cis there is for this purpose a wide 
 difference. — Here Clytaemnestra, having 
 so far as possible secured the silence of 
 the elders and the prompt departure of 
 the herald, returns as if to make her pre- 
 parations. 
 
 618 — 621. Here again is a passage 
 defying arrangement or explanation with 
 the received list of dramatis personae. 
 
78 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 XO. aiirrj fiev ovro)^ elire fiavOdvovri cot 
 Topolcnv epfMrjvevcriv evirpeiruy'i \6<yov. 
 (TV S' etVe, Krjpv^ — yievekewv he TrevOojxaL — 
 el v6(TTifi6<i 76 Koi a€aa)a/ji,6V0<i iraXtv 
 rj^ei avp vfjbtv, rrjaSe 7579 ^iXov KpaTO^i. 
 
 KH. ovK eo"^' OTTW? Xi^aifit to, yfrevSr} KuXd 
 
 620 
 
 625 
 
 The MS. gives vv. 618 — 19 to the herald, 
 Hermann followed by most modern texts 
 transfers them to Clytaemnestra. Which- 
 ever be adopted (and both are sufficiently 
 unsatisfactory), it is impossible to give 
 any sense to ip\Lr\v(v<ri.v in v. 621. 
 Where are the commentators on the 
 queen's address to whom the elders refer? 
 No answer so much as plausible has been 
 suggested to this question, and emenda- 
 tion (e.g. Xoyuv for X67oy) is as little 
 successful. Manifestly the epixriveh are 
 the speakers of z'z'. 618 — 19, who eke out 
 the queen's suspicious exculpation with 
 an approving comment which it very 
 much needs. In fact the Second Chorus, 
 supporting their spokesman, here act a 
 part precisely similar to that in vv. 363 
 foil. They play to the character which 
 the queen assumes. The elders content 
 themselves with the guarded remark 
 that with this clear and favourable inter- 
 pretation the herald no doubt compre- 
 hends what has been said. — Self-praise 
 like this, filled fiill with its truth, doth 
 not misbeseem a noble lady's lips. T0id<r8€ 
 emphatic, and equivalent to rotocrS' uiv, 
 'when it is the natural overflow of 
 genuine feeling'. Self-praise is unseemly 
 in itself; that a wife should praise herself 
 in the language of Clytaemnestra is dis- 
 creditable in itself; but as she did so 
 (evidently) only under the overpowering 
 desire to assure the king of her devotion, 
 it is not unseemly or discreditable in her. 
 — €p|i.7]v«v<riv : the dative is placed so as 
 to serve both fiavOavovri (as an instru- 
 mental) and einrpeirQs (as dative of rela- 
 tion) ; it is by the help of the interpreters 
 that the address is to be understood and 
 to their opinion that it looks well. 
 
 622. <rv 8' «lir^, KT)pv|. They try to 
 detain him, as he turns to go. He is 
 naturally unwilling to be questioned fur- 
 ther, having the queen's message to 
 deliver and only bad news to tell. Seeing 
 this, they add hastily 'I would know 
 about Menelaics\ and then still more 
 pressingly 'just [ye) whether he is with 
 you '. — xe (for ye) Hermann : but ye is 
 wanted and this is no place for re... 
 Kal. 
 
 625. 'I could not tell false tidings to 
 seem fair', KaXd being predicative. — 
 oirws Xe'|ai|ii is the remote deliberative 
 optative. This optative, which Mr Sidg- 
 wick seems to have been the first to 
 explain correctly, is a variation, not from 
 the optative with &v, but from the 
 deliberative subjunctive. It is found, 
 like the subjunctive, in interrogative 
 sentences both direct, as Ar. Flitt. 438 
 TTo? Tis (piiyoi; and indirect, as this and 
 Eur. Ale, 52 i<TT ovv Sttus " AXkijo-tis eis 
 yrjpas /j,6\oi ; " The difficulty is, not 
 why &v is omitted, for the sentences are 
 not conditional, but why the remote form 
 (optative) is used instead of the primary 
 form (subjunctive) when the sentences 
 are all of a primary character. The 
 answer is that the optative expresses the 
 remoteness, not as usual of pastness, but 
 of possibility : the instinct is to express 
 by the optative something ?/iore out of the 
 question than the subjunctive would have 
 expressed. Thus in Ar. Plut. 438 tto? 
 ^1/71; would be in ordinary circumstances 
 the expression:... but (piyoi, the MS. read- 
 ing, ...is the exclamation of supreme 
 terror, treating escape as in the last 
 degree unlikely". 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 79 
 
 69 Tov TToXvu cf)l\oicrt KapirovcrOai '^(povov. 
 XO. TTfS? Btjt tiv elirwv KeZva raXrjOrj rv'^ot,<; ; 
 
 cr-^iadivTa S' ovk evKpvTrra yiyverai rdBe. 
 KH. avr]p (i(f)avTO<i i^ 'A^att/coO arpaTov, 
 
 avr6<i re Kal to ttXoZov. ov y^evhrj Xeyo). 
 XO. TTorepov ava')(de\<i ificpavoo^; i^ 'IXtof, 
 
 7] ')(elfjLa, Kotvov d')^do<i, rfpiraae arparov; 
 KH. eKvpcra^ Scrre to^ott;? aKpo^ aKoirov' 
 
 fiUKpov Se irrjfia avvro/jucoi; icprjfiiao). 
 XO. irorepa yap avrov ^(0VT0<i rj Te6vriK.6TO<i 
 
 ^a.TC<i 7r/309 dWwv vavTiKwv eKky^ero ; 
 KH. OVK olSev oi;Set9 wcrr' dirayyecXai ropw^, 
 
 ifkriv TOV Tpe^ovTO<i 'HXiov ')(jdov6^ (f>vaiv. 
 XO. 7rft59 yap \eyec<; ')(eLixa)Va vavTiKw aTpuTw 
 
 e\6elv TekevTrjaai re Saifiovcov kotco; 
 KH. ev<p7]fjbov rjiiap ov irpeTTei. KU/cayyeXat 
 
 yXaxrar) fxcacvetv' %ct)pt9 v Ti/i?) Oewv. 
 
 oTau 8' direvKTa Trrj/xaT 0776X09 7ro\et 
 
 630 
 
 635 
 
 640 
 
 627. TVXV^' 
 
 629. avrip. 
 
 626. Kapirov<r9oi, literally ' so as for 
 them to enjoy it'. He would spare them 
 pain, if the truth could be long con- 
 cealed. 
 
 627. Tvxois Porson. 'Would that 
 thou couldst speak rightly truth to seem 
 good!', i.e. 'would that thy news could 
 be both pleasing and true ! ' The form of 
 expression is not in itself natural but 
 imitates (Klausen, Kennedy) that of the 
 herald's speech preceding, av €lirwv 
 TVPX019 properly 'be right in speaking'. 
 It differs from av e'dirois only in that 
 TvxoLi repeats the meaning o{ TaX-qdTJ. 
 
 629. avfp Hermann. 
 
 631. €|Ji({>avws visibly, i. e. so that it 
 was known when he went, as contrasted 
 with the unperceived disappearance in a 
 storm. 
 
 635. avTov Menelaus himself, as 
 opposed to the 6.XKoi.. They suppose 
 that something may have been heard of 
 Menelaus' ship, and ask, loyally as 
 
 before, what was the latest news of the 
 prince. 
 
 638.. <j)v(riv in the full sense of the 
 word [pji. (pverai) 'all that groweth on 
 earth ', i. e. all life. 
 
 640. 8ai|Ji6va>v kotw. They instinc- 
 tively refer the stonn to angry gods, those 
 of Troy presumably; see v. 350. 
 
 642. x"P^S 1] Tijii] 0€MV t/ie func- 
 tions belong to different gods, literally 
 'the religious function (ri/UTj deQv) is 
 distinct in the two cases', the one be- 
 longing to the gods of joy and triumph 
 and to the gods friendly in the particular 
 case, the other to the gods of darkness 
 and punishment (such as Ares, v. 647) 
 and to the gods adverse in the particular 
 case. — The rendering 'the worship of the 
 gods is to be kept distinct from bad 
 news' is not quite accurate, not satisfying 
 the article. Both functions are ri/ttai 
 deC}v but of different Oeol and not to be 
 confounded. 
 
8o 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 (TTvyvut TTpoacoTTO) TTTcocri/jiov crrparov ^eprj, 
 TToXei fiev eX,«09 ev to Sijfxiov rv^eiv, 
 TToWoix; Be ttoWcov e^aycaOevra'; Bo/xcov 
 av8pa<; SlttX^ fida-Ttyc, rrjv "Api;? <f)iK€i, 
 SlXoy^ov (iTTjv, (poLviav ^vvwplha, 
 roLWvhe /xiv rot nrrjudruiv aeaayfjuivov 
 TTpeTret Xiyetv iraidva rovS" ^EptvvcoV 
 
 649. aecray/iLivwv, 
 
 645 
 
 650 
 
 645. ^\kos...'to\Xovs accusatives in 
 apposition to irrifxara. — irdXtt. . .to Stjiiiov: 
 the regi^Iar antithesis Idig. rb Kad' ^KajTov 
 is left to be supplied in the elliptic 
 manner characteristic of the herald's 
 style (see on vv. 560 foil.). — ^Xkos... 
 Tv\elv a hloiv to he met or to sustain. — 
 iro\Xous...€|a7i<r9€'vTas 'the taking of 
 many a victim'; for the participial con- 
 struction see Theb. 611 yvfivudiv Sopuand 
 note there. 
 
 647. avSpas 'men' with emphasis, 
 i.e. men singly as opposed to irdXis. Cf. 
 the opposition of av8pes...durjp in T/ied, 
 584—599, and su/>ra v. 535. 
 
 ib. SiitXtJ (ido-TiYi ' two-pointed 
 prong': see on Theb. 595 (and Dr Leaf 
 on Hom. //. 23. 387). The epithet 
 5^X07x05 here shows what the context 
 shows still more clearly there, that fjidcm^ 
 is in neither place a whip. There it is 
 a prong used for the killing of fish or 
 game taken in a net. Here the expres- 
 sion i^ayiffdevras [taken out as consecrated 
 offerings) ndariyL suggests rather the use 
 of a similar instrument for taking from a 
 victim or sacrifice the parts reserved for 
 the gods or persons privileged, such an 
 instrument as is mentioned in Satnuel i, 
 2. 13 'when any man offered sacrifice, 
 the priest's servant came while the flesh 
 was in seething with a fleshhook of three 
 teeth in his hand; and he struck it into 
 the pot ; all that the fleshhook brought 
 up the priest took for himself. There 
 were many Greek rites in which special 
 privileges were reserved to the adminis- 
 
 trators and others, and a usage of this 
 kind may well have existed in some of 
 them. The metaphor is the more likely 
 here, as Ares is specially the ' man- 
 eating' god {ToiT(^ ykp "Aprjs j86cr/cerat, 
 (pdvu} ^porQv Theb. 230, and see inf. v. 
 15 11) and was worshipped with human 
 sacrifice down to recorded times. Cf. 
 Porphyry De Abstinentia 22. 55 eTret koI 
 AaKedaifxovlovs <j)Tf]alv 6 1 AiroWoduipos ri^ 
 "Apei Oveiv dvOpuTTov (reference supplied 
 by Mr H. B. Smith). 
 
 649. TOiwvSe |X€v TOi he indeed who 
 etc.; the sentence oTav...^iprj is re- 
 sumed. In fJL^v TOi the particles have 
 each their distinct forces : fjiiv answers to 
 5^ in V. 65 1 ; rot implies, as usual, an 
 appeal to the general judgment. — iTr\\La,- 
 Twv constructed with (reffayfJL^vov as sig- 
 nifying 'fulness'. — cr€<ra-y|ievov Schiitz. 
 aeaayfjiivoiv ' heaped ' or ' packed upon 
 him ' is possible, but the other better. 
 
 650. t6v8€, i. e. such an 1x776X0$ : the 
 resumptive pronoun (in prose commonly 
 of'Tos) is often inserted when there is an 
 antithesis to be marked : ^he, the mes- 
 senger of disaster, may naturally chant a 
 triumph-song to the Erinyes', the agents 
 of punishment, but the messenger of good 
 owes his duty elsewhere. The emphatic 
 pronoun is placed according to usage 
 next to the word which is combined in 
 emphasis with it. — If rovde be joined 
 with waidva it is useless and not good 
 Greek. It is worth notice that the 
 caesura serves to separate Trataj'a from 
 Topde. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 (rmTTjpiwv Se Trpayfidrcov evfiyyeXov 
 TjKOvra 7r/)09 '^aipovcrav evearot iroXiv — 
 TTft)? KcSva Tol<i KaKolcri (TVfjifiL^(i) Xeyoiv 
 'X^ei^MV*, 'A^ataJy ovk dfiTjvtTov 6eol<i; 
 ^vvcofiocrav yap, 6vT6<i e-)(6L(TT0i to irpiv, 
 TTvp Kul doKacraa, /cal rd iriaT iSei^drrjv 
 
 (f)6€ipOVT€ TOP Sv(TTr]VOV ^Apy€lO)V (TTpaTOV, 
 €V VVKTL, Bv(TKV/jLaVTa S' wp(6p€l KaKCl. 
 
 vav<; yap 7r/?o<? dWrfKrjcn (t^pjjKiac ttvooI 
 
 655 
 
 653. He turns abruptly from the gene- 
 ral case to himself as an instance of it. — 
 I/o-w can I mix good with that which is 
 bad, with a tale of our disaster, which 
 cannot hut displease our nation's gods ? — 
 'Axttiwv OVK djM]VtTOv 0€ois, literally 
 ' a thing not unprovoking to the gods of 
 the Achacans ' : the emphasis on 'Axatwi» 
 ...Beoh being given by the position of the 
 words. OVK d|ii]viTOv (neuter) is the 
 so-called accusative in apposition to the 
 verbal action {jh rhv x^'M'^"'"' ^^7e»'). 
 Oeois: the dative of the person whose 
 judgment or view is in question. — The 
 present hour of triumph is properly 
 devoted to the gods of Argos: to narrate 
 now a disaster inflicted by powers hostile 
 to Argos and to them (v. 640) is as it 
 were to interrupt their service and risk 
 their displeasure. — The MS. reading here 
 should be kept and gives the sense 
 required. Difficulty has arisen from the 
 error of taking a.ixi)va-ov as masculine. 
 The reading of Dobree 'Axatots ovk 
 dfiriviTOP Oew, commonly adopted, is not 
 only a needless change, but itself, as I 
 think, not grammatical. It is translated 
 ' storm sent by Avrathful gods upon the 
 Achaeans ' and the genitive dewv is ex- 
 plained as depending on the privative 
 d/xrjviTov, as in v. 323 0doy ovk 8.irawvov 
 'Idaiov TTvpoi, or in daKevos dcrirlditiv, 
 a\a/xirh rfKiov etc. The extension of 
 this genitive to such a case as a/irjviTov 
 deQv, though rare, is possible, but the 
 dative 'Axaiots would have hardly a 
 construction at all. 
 
 V. M. A. 
 
 655 — 657. On the symbolic meaning 
 of these lines see Appendix O. 
 
 655. Imitated by Milton Par. Reg. iv. 
 4i'2, 'Water with fire in ruin reconciled.' 
 (Paley.) 
 
 656. TO. irio-rd the pledge of that 
 alliattce. 
 
 658 : in darkness, which swelled the 
 agony to its height, literally 'in darkness, 
 and terribly swollen was raised the dis- 
 tress'. The meaning is that night aggra- 
 vated the situation ; the ships could not 
 then be kept clear of each other and 
 soon became unmanageable. This verse 
 is a fine illustration of the pregnant use 
 of words so vital to poetry. 8vo-Kv|iaVTa 
 by its passive formation points at once to 
 the transitive sense of Kvixaivoj, which 
 (see L. and Sc. s.v.) means properly to 
 make to S70cll, from Kv/ma, originally that 
 which is pregnant, then anything s^iwllen, 
 then specially a wave. This last and 
 commonest sense of course remains in 
 view ; and all the meanings merge in a 
 triple suggestion of increase, labour, and 
 tempest which defies translation. Similar- 
 ly Iv is at once temporal, as usual, and 
 instrumental or circumstantial, as often 
 (see L. and Sc. s.v.), so that Iv vvkt£ 
 combines the meanings of in and by dark- 
 ness. 
 
 659. dXXii'XTio-i cannot safely be changed 
 to the common form. It is merely an ar- 
 chaism, like the relative article, and might 
 well be commended to the ear by a sort 
 of attraction to QpyKiai, in which by- 
 convention the 11 was normally retained. 
 
 6 
 
82 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 rjpeiKov' at Be KepoTVirovfievai yS/a 
 'X^eifjbwvi Tvcjido avv ^aXl) t ofi^poKrvTrm 
 w'^ovT a(f)avTOi, iroi/jLevo^; kukov <TTpoj3(p. 
 iirel 8' dvrjXde \afi7rp6v rjXlov (f)ao<i, 
 opwp,ev avOovv 7r6Xa<yo<; Alyatov veKpol^ 
 nvSpaiv ^K'XCtLwv vavriKwv r ipenricov. 
 T^/jba<i 76 fiev Sr/ vavv r aKrjpaTov (TKa<po<; 
 rjTOL ri<i e^eK\e-<^ev rj ^^rjTijaaTO, 
 deo'i Tt9, ovK avdpwTTO^, OLaKO<; dtyoov. 
 TV')(7] Be (TMTrjp vavv Oekovcr i<f)e^€ro, 
 GJ? fiijT iv dpfjboi KV/jbaro^; i^dXrjv e')(eLV 
 
 670. 6p/j.(i}. 
 
 660 
 
 665 
 
 670 
 
 660. K£poTV7rov|j.€vai : irointvos : the 
 
 comparison is to a herd of cattle driven 
 wild and scattered by a storm. 
 
 661: 'under the storm of the hurricane 
 and by the beating rain of the surge '. <rvv 
 instrumental. The line may be various- 
 ly taken without difference, but this way 
 (Sidgwick, Wecklein) is the simplest. — 
 o|j.ppos rain ; this word belongs rather 
 to the metaphor of the herd than to the 
 ships. 
 
 662 . iroiiAtvos o-TpoPw lashed round by 
 their cruel driver. (rTpdpw: auniqueword, 
 literally, it would seem, meaning spin ; 
 arpo^io} is lo spin, woijie'vos : the storm 
 itself in a new metaphorical aspect. 
 
 664. dvBouv : a last glimpse of the 
 metaphor from the herd ; the sea is the 
 plain or field which in the morning is 
 seen to have broken out in flowers after 
 the rain. 
 
 664 — 665. Literally ' we saw the 
 Aegaean main corpse-beflowered with 
 Achaean men and wreckage of the ships'. 
 The genitives dvdpCiv epenriwp re, as well 
 as the dative veKpols, are constructed with 
 dvdovp, to which they are related as to a 
 verb of fulness (cf. ^pvco and see L. and 
 So. s.v. dvOiio). But veKpois is joined to 
 the verb more closely, as the rhythm 
 shows, in the manner which we might 
 indicate by a compound. It is the in- 
 tention of the poet, I think, to suggest in 
 
 a vague poetical way that both men and 
 ships were 'dead'. — vavriKoh t' ipeiirlois 
 (Auratus) is obvious, but much too ob- 
 vious. The superficial difficulty of the 
 genitives would have kept them out, if 
 they were not genuine. . 
 
 666. (rKd<|)os : not superfluous. The 
 stripped vessel was a hull entire but no 
 more. 
 
 667 : " stole us azaay or begged us off 
 from destruction ; a bold but quite cha- 
 racteristic phrase, requiring no emenda- 
 tion". Sidgwick. 
 
 669. Fort!me,tosaveus, was pleased to 
 ride on board her : OeXovcra emphasizes 
 the fact that their miraculous escape must 
 be put down to the mere will of fate. — The 
 objection to this is, that according to 
 Greek usage va.vv (or rather a pronoun) 
 should be supplied and not expressed. 
 — vavaroKovij'' (Casaubon) is good, but 
 hazardous, and OiXovcra is in itself effec- 
 tive. 
 
 670: so that she took not in the surging 
 water between her planks, iv dp|xw (Weck- 
 lein) literally 'at a joining'. This very 
 brilliant suggestion may at least be ac- 
 cepted provisionally. It makes perfect 
 sense, and without something of the kind 
 Ki//iaTos ^iXy\v ^x"" is incomplete. The 
 rarity of dpyii6s and the familiarity of op/oios 
 amply account for the error. — kv Spimij}, in 
 the roads, at mooring, is to me quite un- 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 83 
 
 /i?;T e^oKeTkat 7rp6<; KparaiXecov yOova. 
 eireira 8' " AiSijif ttovtiov TrecfiCvyoTe^, 
 XevKou KUT rjixap, ov treirotdore^ "^^XV' 
 e/3ovKo\ovfiev i^povrlaLv veov 7rd6o<^, 
 arpaTov KafiovTo^i Koi KaKw<i cnroSovfiivov. 
 Kal vvv €K€LV(ov €1 Tt? ecTTiv ifiTrvicov, 
 Xiyovcnv i]/j,a<; &)? oXcoXora^i, tl fxi'i ; 
 rjfieif T €K€LVOv^ TavT e-^^ecv Bo^d^ofiev. 
 lyevoLTO S" ftJ? dpicrra' ^eveXewv •yap ovv 
 irpdoTov re Kal fidXcaTa TrpoaSoKa /loXetv, 
 
 07S 
 
 680 
 
 intelligible. Can it be conceived that in 
 the circumstances described the vessel 
 should be moored at all ? The two ob- 
 vious dangers were springing a leak and 
 running upon one of the innumerable 
 islands and rocks of the Archipelago. — 
 i\(i-v to take, get : see on v. 724. 
 
 674. €povKoXov[Ji€v: literally ' ruminat- 
 ed', i.e. b7-ooJed on. — vtov irdOos altered 
 case. 
 
 675. <nro8oD|j.€Vov : a strong word 
 from popular language. See on Theb. 
 
 794- 
 
 676. el' Tis 'ia-riv €(j.irv€tov 'if any is in 
 being and draws breath'. — For ^(ttl cf. 
 the common phrases ovk^t' ^cttl he is no 
 more, he is dead, deol aUp eovres 'gods 
 that live for ever' etc. — The reading eariu 
 eiiirviwv, with the supposed sense 'is 
 breathing, is alive', has been justly con- 
 demned (see conjectures in Wecklein) as, 
 to say the least, very doubtful Greek. 
 But the error is in the accentuation of the 
 ancient editors, not in the words. 
 
 679. MevcXccdv ^dp ovv As for Mene- 
 laus then, ydp o^v marks that the nar- 
 rative has now been brought to the point 
 at which the question which drew it (z'. 
 622) can be fully answered. 
 
 680. irpwTov...[Ji.o\€iv be it first and 
 soonest supposed that he got home. irpo<r- 
 SoKa: irpocrSoKciv and eXTri^eii', like the 
 English expect, are used in reference not 
 only to the future, but also, with the 
 sense suppose, to the present and past, 
 
 and in that sense take the same construc- 
 tion, with respect to the tense of the 
 sequent infinitive, as other verbs of think- 
 ing. For examples see L. and Sc. s. vv. 
 — pioXctv that he arrived, i.e. that his 
 ship, like that of Agamemnon, got home, 
 that he reached the Peloponnnese after 
 the storm, only, being carried to a greater 
 distance, at some other part of the coast. 
 He would of course make for the nearest 
 accessible point, not necessarily for Ar- 
 gos. It is natural and inevitable that this 
 not improbable and consoling supposition 
 should be entertained, till it is disproved. — 
 ' Expect him to return ' or ' that he will 
 return' is the translation commonly given 
 or assumed. The vexed question, whe- 
 ther this is a possible sense of the simple 
 aorist, need not here be discussed. A 
 series of corrections (MeveXeco;' 7' av oi> 
 Badham, etc., see Wecklein) shows that 
 it is rejected by many, in my opinion 
 rightly. But even if it were possible in 
 itself, it would be inadmissible here. 
 The supposition put forward in v. 680 is 
 manifestly something sharply distinguish- 
 ed from eXTT^s rts r/^et;» in v. 684, as is 
 recognized by another series of corrections 
 (Trpoo-SoKtt davelv Hartung, etc.). No in- 
 genuity can justify such a sentence as 
 'first and by preference expect him to 
 come; and if etc...., then there is a hope 
 that he will come '. But correctly trans- 
 lated the text does not, I think, offer any 
 difficulty. 
 
 6—2 
 
84 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 6i 8' ovv Tt9 dKrl<; rfKiov vtv Icnopei 
 ')(\(i)p6v T€ Koi jBXeTTOvra, ^'t)'x^avalq Ai6<;, 
 ovTTQ) Oe\ovTO<i i^avakui(TaL <yevo<;, 
 eA-TTtV Tt9 avTOV Trpo? 86/j,ov<; y^eiv irdXtv. 
 TOa-avT aKOvaa^s laOi TdXijdrj Kkvoiv. 
 
 685 
 
 XO. Tt9 ttot' (ovofia^ev 0)8' 
 €9 TO irdv irrjTVfict}'; 
 
 682. Kal ^Qivra /cat ^Xiirovra. 
 
 681. tl 8* ovv and, supposing the 
 contrary, still if, supposing, that is, he 
 has not got in. This is the regular 
 meaning of o^v in such a connexion. — 
 Tis...to"Top€i any ray of the sun is dis- 
 covering him. Again here the language 
 is coloured by a natural suggestion of the 
 morning hour. 
 
 682. x^^P^v ''■* ^^ pXe-irovTa: avri 
 ToO fcDzra Hesychius; whence Toup re- 
 stored it here. It is not certain that the 
 gloss relates to this passage, but it is 
 highly probable, and the improvement is 
 great. — (j.i]xavais Aios: join with y\^uv. 
 
 683. -ycvos: his offspring, the family 
 of the Atridae, descended from him. — 
 ovircu GeXovTos: 'whose will it never is', 
 i.e. ' who may be presumed not to will ' 
 etc. The Greek and English uses illus- 
 trate one another. 
 
 684. avTov emphatic ; ' for him, if for 
 any, there is a hope '. 
 
 685 : this is all that I can tell yon for 
 fact, literally ' so far you may know that 
 you have been told the facts'. 
 
 686. wv6|Jia?€v: 'proposed to name ', 
 ' suggested the naming ', must apparently 
 be the force of the tense.- — The MS. has 
 the aorist, in the Doric form wv6|j.a|€v, 
 nor am I at all sure that it is not right. 
 The tense is much more suitable; the 
 inspired judgment should be rather de- 
 cisive than tentative. The forms in -|ci), 
 -Ja are not commonly used in the quasi- 
 Doric of the chorus ; but we ace not in 
 a position to determine what subtleties 
 of literary association might guide a poet 
 
 arp. a 
 
 686. thvS/Jia^ev. 
 
 in the use of such a composite and arti- 
 ficial language, evolved by tradition from 
 various dialects. Even to assign a reason 
 here for the Doric form would not be 
 difficult. It prepares the way for eXeVas 
 z'. 693, and the whole art of interpreting 
 ovd/xara seems to have been in its origin 
 Sicilian ; see yournal of Philology, ix. p. 
 197. — But it is of course possible that 
 (IivS/jLa^ev is an error ; in z>. 450 the read- 
 ing of f is reported as ' apparently yefil- 
 i,wv', and see v. 776. 
 
 687. «8' €S ri irdv «Tr]TV|Ji<i)S 'with 
 such entire and literal truth'. On tTi)- 
 Tv/xws and its etymological associations 
 seethe Seven etc.. Appendix II. — Is to irav, 
 or €S TOirdv i.e. 'with such literal truth 
 in respect of his divination'? For the 
 reasons in favour of ex roirav see Appen- 
 dix E and the yournal of Philology, ix. 
 pp. 128 — 141. I still think ej t6 irav here 
 a poor phrase and the other better, but 
 as the traditional reading is admissible I 
 do not change it. — Mr Sidgwick objects 
 that the word roirk divination, meaning 
 not 'prophecy' but 'conjecture' as op- 
 posed to 'knowledge ', is here unsuitable. 
 But I submit that what was supposed to 
 be 'divined' by the /xdvrts at the naming 
 of a child was its yet undeveloped cha- 
 racter {<pvcn%, see the article cited), and 
 that this was in the strictest sense ' di- 
 vined' or 'conjectured'. 
 
 688. |ATJ...; Can it have been etc. — 
 Tis ovTiva, studiously vague, 'an unknown 
 some one'. 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 85 
 
 (jjurf T49 ovTLv ovy^ opwjxev irpovoi- 
 
 aiat Tov Treirpcofxivov 
 
 yXwcraav iv TV')(^a vifMcou ;) 
 
 rav Soplya/ji^pov d/KJjcvei- 
 
 KTj B" 'KXeuav ; eVet TrpeTroyrw? 
 
 eXeW?, e\avBpo<;, eXeVToXt?, 
 
 e'/C TCOV d^pOTLfMCOV 
 
 TrpoKaXvfMfMcircov eirXevaev 
 ^€(f)vpov jLjavTO<; avpa, 
 TToXvavBpoc re <^epda'inhe<i Kvva- 
 <yol KUT i^vo^i TrXardv d^avrov 
 KeXcrdvTcov XcfioevToii 
 
 690 
 
 695 
 
 690. €V Tv\q. aright, 'so as to hit the 
 mark', literally '■ivith hit', or ^ivith Tight- 
 ness', kv indicating circumstance, as in 
 does often in Latin, but iv in Greek rarely. 
 The phrase is very probably technical. 
 
 692. 'EXevav predicate with dvd/xa- 
 fec: hence the article rdv, as rav 8opi- 
 yafM^pov d/j.<piveiKTJ re is properly sub- 
 stantival. 
 
 693. IXevas destroyer (see eKfiv, al- 
 piu}) of ships, a Doric form from iXkvafs, 
 as Me^e'Xas from MefeXafs J\Icnelaus (Sal- 
 masius, followed by Enger and by Sidg- 
 wick). Here the use of the exceptional 
 form could hardly be avoided, if the 
 point was to be made at all. With the 
 Attic eKivoAi^ (Blomfield), which does not 
 suggest the accusative iXevav at all, the 
 coincidence is destroyed. The MS. ap- 
 pears to me clearly correct. 
 
 694. Twv those, as if they were famous, 
 as in legend they probably were. — dppo- 
 Ti|j.uv delicate-costly, a^pwv Kal Ti/xiuf. — 
 ajipoTTTivuiv (Salmasius) is not, I think, 
 an improvement. The costly luxury of 
 the wicked queen is a natural point to 
 touch (see on v. 917) and the form of the 
 compound is simple. 
 
 695. SK irpoKaXvixixdruv ?irXevcrt 
 
 she left her curtained boioer to sail the sea, 
 imitated by Euripides, speaking of Medea 
 flying with Jason (Med. 451), ex niv otKUP 
 
 698. irXdrav. 
 
 iirXevaas thou didst quit for the sea thy 
 father's house. — For TrXeOo-a: to take to 
 sea cf. Eur. Hcc. 1 205 ivXeixxavTes avOi,s. 
 
 696. ■yCY'^VTOS : implying not merely 
 strength, but fierce, uncontrolled strength, 
 the yiyavTis being characteristically re- 
 dels against the divine law. In fact the 
 wind itself typifies the wild and monstrous 
 passion. 
 
 698. irXarav Heath, the better ac- 
 centuation ; in the oars' unseen track. — 
 Supply ^trXevcrau. 
 
 699. K«X<ravTwv of them who had 
 put in or reached land, i.e. Paris and his 
 company. — KeXaavroiP (Wecklein), i.e. 
 Helen and Paris, marks the two persons 
 too distinctly perhaps for the purpose of 
 this sentence, which relates rather to the 
 Trojans regarded as robbers. — 2ip.6€VTos 
 ...aijxaToeo-o-av to the banks of Siinois, 
 whose woods must be toasted by their bloody 
 fray, literally 'because of it. a|i4>vX- 
 
 Xovs, here a ' proleptic ' epithet describ- 
 ing the result of the hunt, means literally 
 ' with leafage broken down ' and is formed 
 from the stem of d7»'i/j'at. For the sense 
 of the verb see //. 12. 146 ay poripoiin 
 ffV€<T(jiv eoLKoTe, Till T iv 6pec(nv \ dvdpQv 
 7]d^ KvvCiv dkxO'TaL KoXoavprbv idura, \ dox- 
 /aw T dlaffovre wepl <x<pl<iLv dyvvrov vX-qv, 
 which passage or others like it Aeschylus 
 probably had in his mind. In the meta- 
 
86 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 aKra<i eir d^i(f)vWoiJ<i 
 Bi epiv aifiaroeaaav. 
 'IXtft) 8e /c^So? 6p- 
 6c6vvfj,ou reXeacTLippcov 
 firjvi^ rjXaae, rpaTri^Wi arl- 
 ficoaiv varepw '^povw 
 Kol ^ wear LOU A to 9 
 irpacraofieva to z/y/x^ort- 
 fiov yu,eA,09 i/c(f)dT(o<i TLOvra^, 
 
 704. drlfius tV. 
 
 700 
 
 705 
 
 phor Paris is the wild beast and Helen 
 his spoil ; the avenging Greeks are the 
 huntsmen, who track their prey to the 
 lair (Troy); the war is the violent and 
 bloody fight which, as in Homer's pic- 
 ture, there ensues, and which devastates 
 the surrounding wood or, without meta- 
 phor, causes the destruction and razing 
 of Troy. — d€^i.<p6\\ovs is the conjecture of 
 Triclinius (Cod. Fani.), who here, as in 
 many places, has by his arbitrary change 
 merely diverted attention from the much 
 better reading of the faithful copy, aeft- 
 (piWovs 8l ^pLf aifxarbeaaav 'whose forests 
 will grow because of the bloody fray' is 
 in the first place hardly sense in itself. 
 Wecklein refers to Hor. OJ. 1. i. 29 
 ' quis non Latino sanguine pinguior cam- 
 pus?', but it will be seen that the phrases 
 differ materially. And, what is much 
 more important, the supposed growth of 
 the forest has no relation to the metaphor 
 of the hunt and no point as a symbol. — 
 As to the metre, the antistrophe {v. 716) 
 gives no evidence between d^KpvWovs and 
 de^KpvWovs, for it does not correspond 
 exactly to either ; and see further Ap- 
 pendix II. 
 
 702. KTJSos 6p9MVV|xov: a marriage or 
 bride deserving the name in its other 
 sense of sorrow. Cf. the play on KT^do/xai 
 — KTjdeaTrjs in T/ied. 126.- — 'IXio) depends 
 on KTjdos in the second sense. 
 
 704. TJXawe chased, a slight echo as 
 it were of the metaphor of the hunt. — 
 Tpair«^as dT(p.wcriv Kal ^vv> Aios: the 
 
 offence of Paris against the laws of hospi- 
 tality (z'. 374). But by the accidental 
 form of the phrase, the reference to the 
 ' table ' and the description of Zeus as 
 ^uf^crrtos 'who shares the hearth (and 
 feast)' for the more precise ^^vlos, the 
 speakers involuntarily touch another and 
 ominous memory, the 'outraged table' 
 of Atreus and his brother. See on vv. 
 139, 157, 1601. — a.rC[i.ui<riv Canter. 
 
 707. irpacrcrofxeva io avenge, with ac- 
 cusatives of the offenders (toi)s) riovTas 
 and the crime dri/jLuffLv, literally 'exact- 
 ing it of them'. — to (e/ceij'o) is added 
 because this song is to be contrasted with 
 another. 
 
 708. €K(|>dTCi)s. iKipdffdai, so far as is 
 known, means only ' to speak out, articu- 
 late ', Horn. Od. 10. 246 ov8i TL cKipdaOai 
 dvvaro iwos Ufi€v6s wep, ib. 13. 308 irf]8i 
 Tip eK<pdcrdai...dXKd cnwTriJ Trdcxeii/ aX^ca 
 TToXXa. Accordingly eKcpdrus should mean 
 expressively (rather than loudly, Paley: 
 the rendering unspeakably is not well 
 founded). According to legend, the alter- 
 native name of Paris,' AX^^acSpos (repelling 
 the husband), was bestowed upon him in 
 admiration of his prowess (see Eur. frag. 
 65 Dindorf). From what follows (v. 713) 
 it is likely that €K(pdTWi refers to this; 
 the Trojans found a significant expression 
 for their admiration of the robber's feat. 
 — rCovras (impf. tense) did hoiiour to it, 
 i.e. celebrated it with zeal (cf. ivaLdva, 
 hlp-a, V. 258, Wecklein). 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 87 
 
 vjxevaiov, 09 tot eireppeirev 
 yafxjSpolcrtv delSeiv. 
 fieTafiavddvovaa S' vfivov 
 Hpid/jLov TToXt? yepaui 
 'iro\.vdpi]vov [xeiya irov (Trevei, klkKt)- 
 (TKovaa Haptv top alvoXcKTpov, 
 Tra/JLTrpoaO^ r; iToXvdprjvov 
 alwv dfjL(f)l ttoXltclv 
 fieXeov alfjb dvarXdcra. 
 eOpeyjrev Se \60VT0<i 
 iviv 86fiot<; dydXaKTOv 
 oiTw; dvrjp (f>iX6/jbaaTov, 
 
 710 
 
 71S 
 
 arp. /8'. 
 720 
 
 715. Tra/xwpoadi]. 
 
 716. 'TroKlrav. 718 — 19. X^ovra aiviv. 
 
 "jog. €ir^pp£irev /ell to them, inclined 
 to them as a scale, which now is turned 
 the other way. — "yafJiPpoicriv deCSeiv ' to 
 sing as kinsmen of the groom '. 
 
 713. iroXvBpi^vov predicate with ari- 
 vei. Supply avTov, i.e. rbv v[x.vov. — |X£7a, 
 or |i€Td (Schneidewin), i.e. fieraarivei, 
 ' chants with repentant change ' ? The 
 difference of letters is almost nothing, 
 and either may be right. — Ki,KXi](rKov(ra 
 ...aivo'\€KTpov: finding for Paris names 
 very different from the triumphant 'AX^^- 
 av8pos (see on v. 708). In choosing the 
 contrasted name atVoXe/crpos Aeschylus is 
 guided perhaps by a certain similarity, 
 with transposition of sounds, to 'AX^^a^- 
 8pos. This however is of course not es- 
 sential to the purpose. 
 
 715 — 717: for full of lamentation have 
 been all her zveary days till now for the 
 miserable slaughter of her people, lite- 
 rally 'she who sustained ail-before a life 
 full of lamentation for' etc. — irdiiTrpoo-S' 
 ij Blomfield: iroXirdv Auratus. This 
 sentence takes up the word iro\vdp7)vov 
 from V. 713, echoing and explaining it 
 after Aeschylus' manner. — ^irdjiirpoo-Ge... 
 alwva...dvaTXd(ra. The adverb, literally 
 'ail-before', though joined in construc- 
 tion with the verb afarXacra, qualifies in 
 effect the substantive aiQva. For the 
 article r see Theb. 180; it gives to the 
 
 description the tone of an exclamation. 
 For the ' Ionic '77 see vv. 428, 1 104. — al|xa: 
 so avTaSe\(pov alfxa the slaying of a brother, 
 Theb. 705, and see L. and Sc. s. v. al/Ma. 
 — It is very important to observe that 
 the difficulties found in this passage arise 
 solely from metrical hypothesis. Apart 
 from metre the readings (not changes) of 
 Blomfield and Auratus are quite satis- 
 factory. Tra/XTTpoad' fj is also admissible, 
 but I think not so good. As to the metre 
 see Appendix II. 
 
 718. XeovTOS Ivw Conington. 
 
 719. d-ydXaKTov [ovra), the mother- 
 lioness being killed by the huntsmen who 
 took the whelp. — Dr Wecklein reads 
 dyakaKTa jBovras (see below) avrip (ptXo- 
 /xdaTwu, translating oydXaKra (pCKoixacTTOJv 
 by " a^ foster-brother of the sucklings in 
 his herd. Cf. Hesych. dyd,\a^ ' dfj-oTirdos, 
 Etym. M. ill. 42 dydXaKres oi ddeX^ol, 
 irapd rb a <X7}p.aLvov rb Ofiov, ofioydXaKTes 
 Ttves 6vT€s, Suid. dydXaKrei' 8fiai/j.oi, ddeX- 
 (poi ". This gives equally good sense, 
 but I think the evidence is strong against 
 dydXaKTo. here. The supposed changes 
 of the original dydXaKra and (piXoixdaTuv 
 have no apparent motive. 
 
 720. olras dvi]p a shepherd: olttjs 
 from 6ts, as ^ovrrjs from /SoOs. This cor- 
 rection, if worth anything, should be 
 credited to Heusde and Wecklein, who 
 
88 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 iv ^ioTOv TrporeXelotf; 
 afj,€pov, €V(f)i\.67raiBa, 
 Kol yepapol^: eVt^apToi/. 
 TToXea S' eV^' eV dyKa\.aL<i 
 veoTp6(f)ov reKvov ScKav 
 0at8/ja)7ro9 ttotI x^^P^ crai- 
 vwv re yaarpof dvdyKai^. 
 XpovLcrdel^ 8' direSet^ev 
 rido<i TO irpo^ TOKeayv' ^a- 
 
 729. lOoS. TOKTjWV, 
 
 725 
 
 dvT. /S'. 
 
 write respectively /Soray and ^ovras. 
 Something like this, some description 
 attached to dvTjp, is plainly to be sought 
 in the MS. reading, ovto^. (The u in f 
 has both accentuations, " over ': but " 
 must be what M gave, the other merely 
 the familiar accentuation ovros written 
 first by mistake. ) But otras is preferable, 
 not only for obvious technical reasons, but 
 because the sequel {z>. 751 jx-qXotpovoi.aiv) 
 shows that a shepherd, not an oxherd, 
 was in the poet's mind. — outws h, an 
 idle guess. If oOrws had been the word, 
 it would have been preserved, nor does 
 the place admit oi/rws or indeed, I feel, 
 anything except an epithet to d.vr)p. oi/Vas 
 a.vT]p would be still closer to the MS., 
 in fact almost identical, but I cannot 
 find evidence that the loss of the t in 
 ofL-ras would be a possible phonetic 
 change. 
 
 723: 7naking dignity itself to smile. 
 k'nl\'XfiTov. For x''/'^ ^i^d the cognate 
 words see on Theb. 429. — Kal even, not 
 ' and '. — Ycpapois : not ' seniors '. This 
 passage is not sufficient evidence for 
 giving to -Yepapos the otherwise unknown 
 meaning of yepono^. Dignity is more to 
 the point than age, and makes an equally 
 good antithesis to £V(|>i\6'n-ai8a, ' easily 
 making friends with the iraiSes ', which, 
 it must be remembered, includes the 
 servants as well as the children. The 
 yepapoi are Homer's aldoioi, the masters 
 and graver persons in the house generally. 
 Mr Housman proposes to read yepaioTs, 
 
 which is better than to force the meaning 
 of yepapos. 
 
 724. iroXc'a 8' 'i<r\( and many a 
 thing it got, a simple popular phrase: 
 the pretty tricks of the beast made every 
 one pet it and feed it. — Yox ax^i-v to get 
 see Pindar 01. 2. 10 iepbv icrxov o'iKijfia 
 they got a sacred habitation, Pyth, i. 65 
 iaxov 5' ' KpMKKa.'i, Pyth. 3. 24 ^crxe toi- 
 airrav d/arav she conceived such a delusion, 
 etc., with Gildersleeve's notes. — Iv d^Kci- 
 Xais goes with the words which follow 
 and specially with f€OTp6(pov. 
 
 726. <j>ai.8pw7r6s craCvwv t€. Note 
 
 the characteristic treatment of the adjec- 
 tive (paidpojirds as a participle, tjieasi <pai- 
 8pu>s TTpocropwv rrjv xetjoa: cf. vv. 349, 547» 
 1075 etc. — Many changes are proposed 
 in this sentence, chiefly, 1 think, for want 
 of the proper rendering of ^crxf. The 
 most plausible is to combine (paiSpwirus 
 (VVeilj with aaivovra (Auratus), translat- 
 ing 'and often he held it in his arms' 
 etc. So Wecklein. But the supposed 
 errors are not probable, and the 'feeding' 
 of the creature is the point required to 
 make an antithesis with the sequel. The 
 translation of ^cxe by 'it lay' is incorrect, 
 and ^(T/ce {it was, Casaubon) an inappro- 
 priate word. I find no valid objection to 
 the MS. reading. 
 
 729. i^6os Conington. The e seems 
 to have come from a marginal correction 
 of the -q in tokt^uv, transposed to the 
 wrong place. — to irpos roKtwv 'which it 
 had from its parents '. 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 89 
 
 ptv yap Tpo(f)a^ djxel^wv 
 
 hair iiKeXevaro^ erev^ev, 
 
 aifiart 8' o2/co9 iijiiipdrj, 
 
 afia')(Ov dXyo'i olKiTat<;, 
 
 fieya alvo<; ttoXvktovov' 
 
 €K oeov lepev^ rt? a- 
 
 ra'i 86fMOi<i 7rpoa€Tpd(f)9T]. 
 
 irdpavra 8' iXdelv e? 'I\tou irokiv 
 
 \eyoifi av ^povrjfia fiev vrjve/xov yaXdva^, 
 
 730 
 
 735 
 
 arp. y 
 
 734. dfiaxov 5'. 
 
 731. arais ruin, ravage, precisely as 
 in Soph. Ai. 308 (Ajax coming to his 
 senses sees the animals he has killed) koX 
 irX'^pes aTTjs ws 5i07rTei/et (Tt^os. — The 
 attempt to find a word better, or as good, 
 has been fruitless, araiffiv (i.e. "dTaiffiv?) 
 h, affaiaLf surfeit Conington, aurals 
 shrieks Ahrens, arjo.lijw breakage Klausen, 
 etc. Others to save dVais insert cvv 
 {fj.ri\o(p6voLai ain/ dVais), but the sound is 
 ugly and the preposition cumbrous. The 
 alleged difficulty is in the metre, as to 
 which, as well as that of the preceding 
 verse, see Appendix II. 
 
 734. d'lJiaxov dX-yos : the accusative 
 in apposition to the conception al'^art... 
 etpvpOri. The conjunction 5^ in f has been 
 inserted deliberately from mistake as to 
 the construction. 
 
 736. B}/ some higher power it 'oas 
 directed to the house, to be a minister as it 
 were of ruin there, €k GtoC : the patron 
 and avenger of the lions, as of the eagles 
 in V. 57 : but the tone and style of these 
 words belong rather to the interpretation 
 than to the parable. — Upevs 'a priest', 
 because ti.i]Ko<pbvos. Observe that, to 
 mark this connexion of thought, dros 
 echoes drats in v. 731. — So|ioi.s is re- 
 lated both to t£/)ei)s and to Trpoffirpdcpdr]. — 
 'n'po(rcTpd4>0i] : it teas directed by the un- 
 conscious agency of those who captured 
 it. For the Homeric form see rplwu 
 irpoffrpinw and compare iroXia for woWa. 
 in 9. 724. For the parabolical meaning 
 
 737. irpo(reTpa<p7i. 
 
 see V. 747 avfxiva ■wofJ.ivq, Atos 'B,evlov. — 
 The omission of d, a kind of error always 
 liable to happen in heavy combinations of 
 consonants (cf. v. n86 avij.(poyyo% for 
 (Tvnipdoyyos), was here facilitated by the 
 exceptional form. — irpocredpecpdr) Heath 
 and many texts: but (i) the supposed 
 corruption of this familiar form, pro- 
 tected by metre, to ■Kpoaerpa.<p7}, is 
 incredible; (2) ivpoaedpicpdri dofiois is not 
 grammatical Greek nor indeed a signifi- 
 cant expression at all ; and (3) the stolen 
 whelp was not ' reared by ' the god. — 
 The verb Trpo<TTpi(pw, though possible, is 
 not apparently extant, which is not sur- 
 prising, as it would not, except in a very 
 peculiar context, be required or ad- 
 missible. 
 
 738. irdpavra even so? This inter- 
 pretation is more suitable to the context 
 than at first, vapaxpw^ (Hesychius), and 
 may be deduced as well from the etymo- 
 logical origin Trap' avrd. On the other 
 hand the temporal sense is actually found 
 in Eur. fr. 1064, vrdpavra 6' ijadds vaTepov 
 (TTevet ixiya (Wecklein). — «XOciv : the 
 real subject is Helen, the aspects or 
 effects of whose presence are personified. 
 
 739" «f'P^^^H-* H^*** VTjv€(iov ■YoXdvas 
 the i/itaginalion ox presumption of a wind- 
 less calm, i.e. 'what was presumed a 
 secure enjoyment'. That this is the 
 meaning of this expression (rather than 
 that the spirit of Helen was like a wind- 
 less calm) is shown by the otherwise 
 
90 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 aKaaicalov t (i'yaX^a ifKovrov, 
 jxaXOaKov o/jUfi/iTCOv /3e\o9, 
 Sjj^ldvfMov €po)ro<i av6o<i. 
 irapaKKivaa eireKpavev 
 Be ydfiov irtKpov TeXevrd^, 
 SvcreBpo<i Koi Sv(T6/j,t\o<i 
 <TV/u,eva Upia/xiSataiv 
 irofiTra Ato? ^evtov, 
 
 •ira\al(f)aTO<; S' iv j3poTol<i yipmv \0709 
 740. omits T. 
 
 740 
 
 745 
 
 avT. 7 
 
 extraordinary position of fi^u, which is 
 only excusable if tppbvrjfia contains the 
 point of the antithesis between this 
 period and the next. In fact (pp6vr]/xa is 
 to be understood as qualifying the whole 
 description in vv. 739 — 742. For the 
 sense of (ppSvyj/jLa, '/wz<(/ thought', 'pre- 
 siunptuoiis imagination ', see L. and Sc. 
 s. V. 
 
 740. The metre of v. 751 seems to 
 show that there is an error here, axao-- 
 Kaiov T* Hermann; which may be right, 
 though the conjunction is out of place. 
 Nothing can be determined without more 
 certainty as to the meaning and use of 
 aKaaKoios (a unique word), and as to the 
 metaphor intended in dyoKfia. The MS. 
 points rather to aKacrKaiuv. — &Ka(TKa' 
 7)<T'JX'^^i IJ-o-^o-kQis, PpaSews Hesychius. — 
 The accumulation here of terms in appo- 
 sition admits in English only a paraphrase, 
 'a purchased pride, whose gentle eye 
 shot that soft bolt, which pricks from the 
 heart the flower of love ' or the like. 
 
 743. irapaKXCvao-' €ir£Kpav€v 8i. The 
 conjunction is so placed in order that 
 tir^Kpavev, marking what happened in 
 the result, may receive the antithetic 
 emphasis as well as irapaKXivaaa : see v. 
 232. — S/ie made sjtch end to the marriage 
 that it cost them dear. niKpois is sug- 
 gested by f as a correction, but iriKpov 
 as a proleptic epithet expresses the same 
 thing in a less commonplace way. For 
 
 the conventional sense of tnKpb% see Eur. 
 Med. 398 iriKpoiis 5' iyu a<j)LV koX Xvypoiis 
 Oijau) ydfjiovs, Bacch. 357, Supp. 832 etc, 
 
 745. 8vo-£8pos Kal 8v(r6|ji.i\os an ill 
 companion in the mined home, a poetic 
 exaggeration of language such as might 
 apply to an ill-assorted union; the con- 
 ception of Helen as a bride wedded to 
 Troy is pursued throughout. 
 
 747. iroiATra, still a bridal term, the 
 pompa or religious procession which 
 brought the wife to her new home. 
 
 748. vv|jk() 'KXaxiTos 'Epivvs a fiend 
 to wed and to rue. The language and 
 conception of the previous lines is still 
 pursued. vvp,()>6K\avTos : literally 'be- 
 wept as a wife ', i.e. one whose bridal 
 costs tears of repentance. Note that 
 vvjj.(p7] is not restricted to a dride at the 
 time of marriage but means a wedded 
 ivoman generally. See L. and Sc. s.v. — 
 vvfKpdKXavTos is sometimes, perhaps gen- 
 erally, rendered 'bewailed by brides', i.e. 
 causing the Trojan women to weep. But 
 the word must be read in the light of all 
 that leads up to it. — ' Eine Thranenbraut ' 
 Wecklein, rightly. 
 
 749. "Aeschylus is rejecting the old 
 Greek superstition that Prosperity or 
 Wealth brings woe ; it is not wealth he 
 says, but always Sin " (Sidgwick). But 
 this later doctrine had also been em- 
 bodied in a proverb older than Aeschylus. 
 See on v. 760. 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 91 
 
 T€TVKTai, /xeyau reXeaO^ura (^wto? oX^ov y^O 
 
 TCKVovcrdaL fitjS" uTraiSa OvrjaKeLV, 
 
 ix 8' a/ya0a<i Tu^a? yivet 
 
 ^XatTTciveiv aKopecrrov oli^vv. 
 
 oc^a 8' aXXcov iu,ov6(f)pcov el- 
 
 fiL' TO yap Bvcrae^e<i epyov 755 
 
 fjLerd fxev irXeiova TLKTei, 
 
 a-(f)eTepa 8' eiKora yevva^ 
 
 oIkwv yap evdvhUwv 
 
 /caWtirat? 7r6Tfio<; alei. 
 
 <f)iXel Be TIKT61V v^pa fiev TraXaia ved- arp. S'. 760 
 
 i^ovaav iu KaKol<i ^poTWv 
 
 v^piv TOT rj T06 , ore to Kvptov fMoXrj 
 
 "fveapd (f>dov^ kotov, Baifiovd re tov djxa-^ov, aTroXe/JLov, 
 
 ^62. 6Tav. 
 
 750. |i€YOV T€X€o-0€VTa 7uhen it comes 
 to its full growth, adultum. See v. 370. 
 
 752. •^i\t\. by kind, according to 
 nature. 
 
 753. ol^vv. There is no example of 
 this word in tragedy I'equiring the 
 Homeric pronunciation oii^vv. It is ad- 
 missible here and in most of the exam- 
 ples, but oi^v is now given in all texts. 
 
 754. |iov6<}>p(ov alone in my way of 
 thinking. 
 
 755- "^^ y°'P f°^ "^ reality, literally 
 ' for as to that '. So rh Zk but in reality 
 frequently, even in prose, e.g. Plato 
 Apologia 23 A olovTO-L yap /xe ot Trap6vT€S 
 TavT avTov elvai ao<pbv a. h.v SXKov 
 e|€X^7|w rh bk Kivdwetiei ry 6vti. 6 Oebs 
 ao<pbs ehai. — t6 dvcrae^is yd.p Pauw, on 
 metrical grounds, but see Appendix II. 
 
 756. |Ji€Td afterwards. 
 
 759. KaW^irais ttotjios combines in 
 one phrase the ideas that the prosperity 
 of the house is reproduced in successive 
 generations, and that this prosperity is 
 itself the child of righteousness, as miseiy 
 is of sin. 
 
 760. <|>iXei 8^ tCkt€iv ijppis ...vPpiv. 
 Similar language with slight variations 
 occurs in an ancient oracle cited by 
 Herodotus (8. 77), in Pindar (0/. 13. 9), 
 
 and elsewhere in Aeschylus (Euin. 536) ; 
 it was evidently consecrated by religious 
 tradition. For some remarks upon the 
 origin of it see Seven against Thebes, Ap- 
 pendix II. p. 142. 
 
 762. TOT T] TOTC at this titne or that, 
 i.e. sooner or later. — oT€...|io\Ti: archaic 
 and poetical construction, for which the 
 MS. has substituted the regular ^rav, 
 added originally as an explanatory note 
 (Klausen). 
 
 763 — -766 : injured and not to be re- 
 stored with any certainty. The general 
 sense is that v^pis (the parent) gives 
 birth to i!/3/3ts (the child) and also to 
 Opdaos, an offspring like their progeni- 
 tors. — In V. 763 something extraneous 
 has been incorporated with the text: I 
 should be satisfied with Sre rb Kipiov fj.6\ii 
 veapa, (pdovs, when the young one (the 
 young vppis) comes to the appointed hour 
 of light (t6 Kvpiov (pdovs), i.e. of birth, and 
 for daifjLovd re rby, condemned by metre 
 and Aeschylean usage, perhaps Sal/xova 
 T irav {erdv Wecklein) and a kindred 
 spirit. In vz'. 764 — 766 either the plurrj 
 €i5ofj.iva%, or else the dual throughout 
 (i.€\aiva..,&Ta...€l5oiiiva, seems correct, 
 the second better (Donaldson), as ac- 
 counting easily for the errors, having 
 
92 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 dviepov dpd(TO<i fiekai- 
 
 vm fieX(i0poicriv dra^, 7^5 
 
 elSofievav roKevaiv.'f' 
 
 BUa Be XdfjbTret fjuev iv 8v(TKd7rvoi<i Bwfiaariv, dvr. B' . 
 
 TOP S' ivalac/jLov rUi. 
 
 rd "x^pvcroTracrra 8' eBedXa avv irivw y^epwv 
 
 7raX,ivTp67rot<i 6fx,/j,aaL XiTTova oaia irpoae^aro, "jyo 
 
 BvvafXLv ov ae^ovaa TrXoy- 
 
 Tov napdarjfMov atvtp' 
 
 irdv 8' eVi Tepfxa vcofMa. 
 
 dye Bt], ^acnXev, Tpola<i 'iro\liropd\ 
 'Ar/oew? yeveOXov, 
 
 3. tUl piov. 769. iaOXa. 
 
 775 
 
 770. irpoai^a rod. 
 
 been mistaken for the nominative sin- 
 gular and variously corrected to the ace. 
 plural and the ace. singular. For a great 
 number of suggestions see Wecklein's 
 Appendix. 
 
 768. Tov £vaC(ri(Aov (ke virtuous 
 man. — )3toc (omitted by Ahrens) is a 
 mistaken explanation. Aeschylus would 
 write ivaiaiixov j3ioi> not rbv ivalcri/xov 
 §iov. 
 
 769. ?5e6\a abodes, Auratus. The 
 MS. error is due to the omission of re- 
 peated letters in SeSe^Xa; hence ed\a, 
 corrected to the common ecrdXd. 
 
 770. o<ria "irpoere'PaTO, supply ?5e^Xa: 
 s/ie goes to the holy (gnomic aorist). — I 
 see no reason to doubt that it is this 
 aorist irpoai^dTO which appears, very 
 slightly concealed, in the MS., part being 
 read as the common form irpoa^jSa, and 
 the termination corrected into the ap- 
 pearance of a possessive genitive. For 
 analogous forms compare ^^7]v — e(f>6.fj.r\v, 
 i(pdriv — (pOdfievos, 'iiTTr)v-e'irra.iJ.7}v , ^Krav — 
 ^KTaro, etc. Some of these aorists 
 actually extant are extremely rare 
 {<pddfj.€uos occurs twice) ; so are other 
 analogous forms from the stem /3a- itself 
 {e.g. virip^aaav for virepi^ri<xa.v II. 12. 
 469); and it is probably the merest 
 accident that the small fraction of 
 
 archaic Greek literature now remaining 
 does not, if it does not, exhibit any 
 example but this of the analogous middle 
 form e/Sd^iyf, which must, it would seem, 
 have been at the command of any archa- 
 istic writer who chose to employ it. The 
 corrections proposed here, Trpocr^fJioXe 
 Hermann, wpoaiavTo Ahrens, etc., do not 
 account for the MS. reading. If we sup- 
 pose an explanatory gloss, the author of 
 a gloss would have used the common 
 vocabulary (e.g. wpoariKde) not a poetic 
 form like irpoa-i^a. The presumption in 
 favour of the existence of the 'middle' 
 aorist may be measured by considering 
 that perhaps very few scholars indeed 
 would venture to say, without consulting 
 books, whether it is extant or not. 
 
 772. ■irapdo-T]|j.ov al'vw mis-stamped 
 with praise, like a forged coin bearing an 
 untrue mark of value. 
 
 774 — 800. Agamemnon enters in a 
 chariot, followed by Cassandra, also in a 
 chariot, attended by his soldiers, and 
 surrounded by an applauding crowd. 
 The elders are only too well aware that 
 this apparently unanimous enthusiasm is 
 with many only affected, and their first 
 thought is to suggest suspicion and 
 apprise the king that he is being deceived. 
 See the Introduction. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 93 
 
 Tral? o"e TrpocretTro) ; 7rco<? ere o-e^u^o) 
 
 fjbyjO^ virepdpa'i fjuyjO^ v7roK(ifiyp'a<i 
 
 Katpov ■)(^dpi.ro<i ; 
 
 TToWoi Se ^porwv to Bok€iv eivai 
 
 trporiovai SIktjv 7rapa^dvTe<;. 7"^ 
 
 Tft) SvaTrpayovvTi, 8' ein<XTeva')(eiv 
 
 ira'i Ti<; eroifxo'i' Selyfia Se Xvttt)'; 
 
 ovSev icf)' rjirap irpoaLKvelraL' 
 
 KoX ^v'y)(alpov(7 Lv oiMocoTrpeTrei'? 
 
 ar/iXaa-ra irpocrcoTra ^la^o/ievoL. 7°5 
 
 776. ffejSi'fw. 
 
 776. o-€pC5«: ae^i^u) f, Doric aorist was to give ov5iv its common adjectival 
 subj., here highly improbable. But sense, 'no sting of grief, the less com- 
 mon adverbial use being ignored. But 
 drj-yfia is much too strong a word for the 
 place and consequently spoils the sense. 
 The point is not that the grief does not 
 7U02i)t(/, but that there is no grief at all. — 
 The citations of Stobaeus are full of gross 
 inaccuracies and must not be weighed 
 against a valid reading in the MS. of the 
 author. Indeed for obvious reasons a 
 quotation is at best a poor authority on 
 details. Stobaeus only proves at most 
 that the reading drjy/jLa is ancient. 
 
 784. Kttl |x)YX*>'^po^''"'''' i'^V X'^'Poi'Ti) 
 oixotoTrpe-ireis a/u/ they copy the looks of 
 him that laughs. x^-'-P^'-" (see on -'. 723) 
 refers originally and properly to the look, 
 not to the feeling, of happiness. — It is 
 debated (see Hermann) whether ^vyxal- 
 povaiv is verb or dative participle depend- 
 ing on o/xoioTTpeirels 'seeming like sympa- 
 thizers'. If it is the participle, the verb 
 must have been contained in the line 
 which may be lost after v. 785 (see next 
 note). The objection to this is that the 
 preceding clause (t(J; 5i'(r7rpaYoO;'Tt kt\.) 
 raises a strong expectation of an anti- 
 thetic Kal Tw x'^'PO»'" ^uyxa.lpoi'<ri.i' or 
 the like, so that as soon as Kal ^vjxo.^- 
 povffiv is heard it would naturally be 
 understood as a verb. 
 
 7S5 : piitti'ig force iipo)i faces where no 
 sini/c is. — Pia^dixcvoi. | oo-tis- Note the 
 break in metre, contrary to anapaestic 
 
 here highly improbable. But 
 the very fact that such an unfamiliar 
 form was regarded as likely and not at 
 once corrected is some evidence that 
 Aeschylus did sometimes employ it. See 
 on z'. 686. 
 
 777. vircpdpas 'over-aiming', a meta- 
 phor from the raised bow, viroKotjixJ/as 
 ' turning short of, from the chariot race. 
 780. irpoTCovcri rod flvai, supplied 
 from TO SoKtiv tlvoLi the appeara^ice of 
 reality. — The iroWol who like to be 
 deceived are contrasted with the ayadbs 
 TrpopaToyvwfiuv. That this is the mean- 
 ing (and not that many prefer to deceive) 
 is shown, I think, by the word irporiovaL. 
 It could scarcely be said that hypocrites 
 'give more honour to' the unreal. The 
 elders, who are expecting recognition as 
 the 'faithful found', are vexed by the 
 flattering demonstration going on around 
 them ; but they rely, they say, on the 
 fairness (Slkt)) and judgment of the king 
 to acknowledge his true friends and detect 
 imposture. See on v. 785. 
 
 782. 8€i7|Aa 8^ ktX. 7cihen the display 
 of grief reaches not at all to the heart. 
 8€lY|ia XvTTTjs, i-e. 'the grief displayed', 
 the Greek and English idioms coinciding. 
 For SelKvvfjLi in the sense of ostentation 
 see L. and Sc. s.v., and for ovhkv as an 
 emphatic negative, ih. s.v. oiideis. — dijy/xa 
 Stobaeus and (presumably by ctmjecture) 
 Cod. Farn. The motive of the change 
 
94 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 0(TTi<i 8' d<ya66<; Trpo^aroyvcofKov, 
 ovK eari Xadelv ofMfxara ^wroq, 
 TO. hoKoiiVT ev(f>povo(; €k hiavoia<i, 
 vBapel aaiveiv <f)LXoT'r)Ti. 
 (TV Si fioc Tore fiev crreWMv arpariav 
 'EXe^T^i? €peK {ov yap eirr] Kevaw) 
 Kapr dTrofjbou(T(o<; rjcrOa <yeypafifi€vo<i 
 ovSi' ev TrpaiTihwv otaKa vefxcov, 
 
 790 
 
 791. 
 
 ewiKevcru). 
 
 rule. If it is not an oversight, which 
 after all is possible, we must suppose 
 either (with Hermann) that something is 
 lost, or that some interval (perhaps a 
 change of voices) protected the hiatus. 
 There is at any rate a strong break in 
 the sense; 6'crTis 5e kt\. is antithetical 
 not to what immediately precedes, but to 
 V7J. 779 — 780; see note there. I think 
 it more than possible that the hiatus was 
 made deliberately in order to mark this. 
 Such devices were perfectly well known 
 to the Greek poets, from whom they 
 were copied by the Romans, e.g. by 
 Horace, in whose Odes they are of the 
 highest importance. 
 
 786. TrpoPaTOYvwjiwv : one who, like 
 a good herdsman, 'knows the points', as 
 it were, of men. What is the particular 
 deceptive symptom in the animal, which 
 suggests here the vSap^s 6nfia, I am not 
 enough irpo^aroyvuiixoiv to say. 
 
 787. OVK 'ia-ri, XaOciv it cannot es- 
 cape (him). The object of XaOciv is 
 TovTov, supplied from the relative clause. — 
 o|Xfi,aTa <})(i)t6s: the htiman eyes {(pcoros 
 antithetic to Trpo^aro-) of hypocrites who 
 pretend to weep tears of sympathetic joy 
 or sorrow. — oji|xaTa...<(>iX6Ti]Ti. This 
 whole substantival clause is the subject of 
 'haOe'iv ; 'the man of judgment will detect 
 that those eyes, which pretend (to glisten) 
 with kind feeling, are flattering him with 
 a love that is but water', when such is 
 really the case. The word cralveiv, in re- 
 lation to the expression of the eye, signi- 
 fies merely the look of kindness (Soph. 
 
 O. C. 319), though it easily takes the 
 sense of flattery. Here it is to be sup- 
 plied with TO. doKovvra from the main 
 verb of the sentence. — If cratVet (Casaubon) 
 be read, to, becomes relative and nomina- 
 tive, the subject of aaivei, the infinitive 
 being supplied with doKovvTa as before. 
 But this does not seem to be an improve- 
 ment : the words ovk iari \adeiv o^ifiara 
 (pwrbs, if taken as a complete sentence, 
 ought to mean 'he will not fail to observe 
 the eyes', which is not exactly the point. 
 
 790. TOTt before, i.e. during the con- 
 tinuance of the war, ariXKuv, like (rT6\os, 
 covering the whole enterprise. 
 
 791. ov Yclp ^iTT) Kcvcu for I will 
 speak out {what I am thinking), literally 
 'will not suppress speech', cf. Eur. 
 Suppl. 295 — 96 AI. dXX' ei's 6kvov hoi fivdoi 
 ov Kevdu (pepei. GH. alffxpiv y IXe^as, 
 XPV""''' ^"■'7 Kpvwreiv (p'lKovs, where the 
 phrase Kevdeiv iwri has exactly the same 
 sense. The singular (KeCdeiv iiros) is com- 
 mon in Homer, see L. and Sc. s.vv. KeiOw, 
 iiriKevOo}. — This seems the simplest cor- 
 rection. OVK €TriK€ijffu) (Hermann) does 
 not account for the MS. ou yap cr iiriKetjao} 
 Musgrave ; but though KeOdeip tI tivo. was 
 correct, we cannot infer the same of eTrt- 
 Keideiv tI riva, which apparently is not 
 certified by any one more trustworthy 
 than Apollonius Rhodius. 
 
 792: thoti hadst no pleasing figure to 
 my eyes, 'wast in my view pictured un- 
 pleasingly'. 
 
 793 : i.e. as not showing a full com- 
 mand of your judgment. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 6ap(To<i eKovatov 
 
 avZpnat OvrjcTKOvcn KOfil^wV 
 
 vvv S' ovK air aKpa<i (f)p€vd<i ovS' d(f)iKa)^. 
 
 794- 
 
 794 — 95. dvSpao-i Ov^o-KOvo-i. Kop.(^(ov : 
 
 'in spending the lives of men to recover 
 (Helen)'. For Koni^eiv in this same con- 
 nexion see Eur. Iph. A. 770 x^iXfocTts 
 Ap7;s 'EX^vaj' iK Hpidfiov Ko/jdaai deXuv 
 h yav 'EXXctSa, id. Or. 161 4 (Menelaus 
 speaks) cJ rKrifxov 'EXej'i7...«r^ ccpdyiov 
 eKo/Mia €K ^pvywi', and for numerous ex- 
 amples L. and Sc. s.z/. — dvSpdo-i Qvr^a■^ 
 Kovcri: instrumental dative, as with 
 words signifying purchase, literally ' with 
 dying men'. The complaint here is 
 the same as in -■. 455 foil., to which all 
 this passage directly refers. — Odpo-os 
 (Kova-iov {dapcTos Cod. Farn., doubtless by 
 conjecture but accidentally right). This 
 phrase, though peculiar, should not be 
 hastily condemned. What the context 
 requires is some description of Helen 
 such as to mark the folly of spending 
 lives to win her back (Weil, cf. v. 62). 
 Now «Kovcriov cotisenting is exactly to the 
 point and may be precisely illustrated 
 by Eur. El. 1065 t) fi^v yap (Helen) ap- 
 ■Kaadeiu' eKova' dircpx^o, and id. Tro. 370, 
 which paraphrases and expands eKovaiov 
 here, 6 5^ arparriybs (Agamemnon) 6 
 crocpbs ex&'i'O'TUv inrep \ rd (plXTaT wXecr', 
 r]Sovds ras oLKodev | t€kvwv d5eX0(p Soil's 
 yvpaiKbs ovveKa, | Katravd' e KO^arj^ kov 
 pi(l.\€\r}<Tfj.evi]$: a woman who surren- 
 dered herself to the seducer was not 
 worth recovery at all, much less at such a 
 cost. Nor is Odpcros difficult in itself. 
 Like iM<7os and arvyos, so ddpffos or 9pdaoi 
 is used in a personal sense {e.g. Eur. 
 Andr. 261 w pdp^apov cfii dp^nfia Koi 
 OKKtiphv Opaffos), and it is of course 
 common as a synonym of dvaldeia. The 
 form Opdffos is more frequent in this sense 
 (in fact seldom or never has any other, 
 which accounts for the reading of f here, 
 originally added as in explanation), but 
 
 Odpcros is used so also. There is no reason 
 therefore why Odpcros here should not mean 
 a 7va7ito}i, that is Helen herself. The 
 question then is whether Odpao^ in this par- 
 ticular sense was sufficiently established 
 in popular use to make Odpao's eKovaiop 
 sufficiently intelligible with this con- 
 text in the sense a co7tse7itmg wanton. 
 The text is some evidence for the affir- 
 mative, and the parallel passages from 
 Euripides above cited suggest that such 
 language, applied to the case of Helen, 
 was a traditional commonplace. — The 
 correction Opdaos €k Ovjiwv . . . Kofii^wv 
 (Franz) 'restoring confidence to the sol- 
 diers by the sacrifice (of Iphigenia) ' 
 attributes to ko/j.I^oji' an impossible mean- 
 ing, nor would it be natural that at this 
 moment the elders should touch on this 
 far-off story. What they have in their 
 minds is the recent (and in tnith still 
 unappeased) indignation of the people 
 for the loss of life in the war. 
 
 796. vvv 8'...d4>CXws. Bui now our 
 judgment of thee is not (tints) superficial 
 and unkittd. The verb is yeypa/i/xhos et 
 'thou art represented', or something to 
 the same effect, supplied according to 
 rule from the antithetic clause T6Te...T7(r^a 
 yeypaixpihos. ' Now that the suffering is 
 over and the end won, we can revise our 
 hasty judgment and make fair allow- 
 ance'. — dir' aKpas <t>p€v6s literally 'with 
 the surface (only) of the mind'. Cf. Eur. 
 Hec. 242 ov yap &Kpas KapSias ^xf/avae /xov 
 'it made a more than superficial (deep) 
 impression on me'. (In Eur. Ifi/p. 255 
 /cat /j-rj TTpbi a.Kpov /xveXbu ^vxv^, the word 
 aKpov must, if the text were correct, bear 
 the exactly opposite sense of inmost, but 
 I think the correction given by Wecklein 
 in his note here, vpbs aKpov Kal /uri five\6i> 
 xpvxrj^, is jireferable. Even in Eur. Bacch. 
 
96 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 evf^pwv irovo'i ev TeXiaacriv. 
 <yv(i)aei he '^povto Siairevdofievo^ 
 Tov re BcKaL(i)<; Kol rbv dKaipw^i 
 ttoKlv olKovpovvra irdXtratv. 
 
 AFAMEMNnN. 
 
 irpcoTov fiev "Ap^o? Koi 6eov<i e<y')(^u)piov<i 
 Zlkt) Trpoa-enrelv, tov<; ifiol fieraLTiov; 
 voarov SiKaicov 6^ wv €7rpa^d.jj,7]v iroXiv 
 TlpidfioV SiKa<; <ydp ovk diro y\(i>a<r7)<; Oeoil 
 Kkvovre^ dvhpo6vrjTa<i, Wlov <f>Oopd<i, 
 
 800 
 
 805 
 
 -203, oi)5' ei 5t' aKpwv ro ao(p6v rtvprjrai 
 (ppevwv, the same sense is probably to 
 be taken, 'not for any subtleties which 
 superficial minds may have invented'.) 
 The term an-' aKpas <ppev6s is taken or 
 imitated, like dTPo/iO'jcrws, from the vo- 
 cabulary of criticism. 
 
 797. €v4>pwv...T€\€(ra(riv //len think 
 happily of their sufferings, zvhen they 
 have won success, literally 'a toil is happy 
 in the view of those who have well ac- 
 complished it'. Probably a proverb: 
 for the favourite play on eS see on v. 
 557. — This is commonly joined as one 
 sentence to v. 796, but it is almost 
 universally admitted (see Wecklein's 
 Appendix) that so taken it gives no 
 satisfactory sense. A better punctuation 
 removes the difficulty. 
 
 801 — 845. Agamemnon's speech has 
 two divisions: (i) 801 — 820 Salutation to 
 the gods and thanks (not very becomingly 
 expressed) for his victory, (2) his answer 
 to the hints of the elders ; he is on his 
 guard and intends to treat all according 
 to their deserts. In the first part, not- 
 withstanding the proud tone, there is a 
 hint of exculpation in reference to the 
 destruction of Troy ; he insists upon the 
 share of the gods in the work and the 
 profits of vengeance. In the second 
 part his selfish and imperious nature is 
 fatally exhibited, when, with every mo- 
 tive to be complaisant, he takes occasion 
 
 to make a bitter attack upon those to 
 whom he owes his triumph. The whole 
 harangue is haughty and repulsive. 
 
 801. That Argos and the gods should 
 be first addressed is required both by 
 atstom (for which sense of Mki] see L. 
 and Sc. s.v.) and in this 'case by justice, 
 — Tovs €|Aol (leTairCovs 7i>ho with me 
 have contributed to etc., a strange form 
 for the expression of religious gratitude. 
 
 803. iroXiv : note the emphasis on 
 this word. The drift of this passage is 
 to put upon the gods the destruction of 
 the city. 
 
 804. S^Kas OVK diro YXw<r<rt]S our 
 cause argued not with the tongue, but 
 with the sword. Cf. Blki^P eiireip to plead 
 a cause. 
 
 805. dv8po9vT}Tas (5//cas) a tnortal 
 argument, i.e. one in which was demanded 
 the penalty of death. — dv5/)0Kyu^ras Blom- 
 field, but there is nothing against the 
 text. — 'IXiov <|>6opds importing the de- 
 struction of Troy, literally 'a destiTiction 
 to Troy', in apposition to SiKas, as /crxi5s 
 to irevKT] in v. 299, and with the same 
 adjectival force. The phrase translates 
 the metaphor of dvSpodvTJTas into the 
 literal fact. — (pBopa^ (Dobree) would give 
 the same sense, a S7iit of (i.e. for) de- 
 struction. — The construction (pdopas xf/rj- 
 (j>ovs-^devTo {i\f/7](pi(rayTo), 'they voted 
 the destruction' (Paley), is forbidden by 
 the words is al/xarripov reOxos : nor if we 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 97 
 
 €9 alfiarrfpov rev')(^o<; ov Si^oppoTTtw? 
 '\jr7](f)ov<; eOevTo' tm 8' ivavriw icvrei 
 cXttU TTpoajjei ^eipo? ov ifXt-jpovfievw. 
 Kairvcp S' oKovaa vvv eV 6vaT]fio<i 7ro\i9. 
 a.TTj'i OveWai ^oocrt' avvOv^aKOvaa Se 
 cTTToSo? TrpoTrefiTret 7ri,ova<; irXovrov irvod^. 
 Tovrwv Oeolcri ')(^prj 'rroKvpLvrjcnov X"P''^ 
 Tivetv, iiretTTep kuI raya^ virepKorov^i 
 
 813. 7ra7ay. 
 
 810 
 
 read (pOopds can we naturally refer to 
 ^77001/5 the words dvSpodvTjras 'I\lov (pdo- 
 pSs. The accusative \p-r](povs comes too 
 late and too far off to govern <p9opas, 
 and the words es alixaTTjpbv revxos would 
 be then useless and cumbrous. 
 
 806. aijiartjpov T«i}\os the bloody ves- 
 sel, i.e. that which was to receive votes 
 for the penalty of death. 
 
 807. 'But to the opposite tirn hope of 
 the hand came nigh, yet it "was not filled, 
 a quaint and fanciful but quite character- 
 istic way of saying that the other urn 
 expected votes but did not get them ' 
 (Sidgwick). IXttIs with emphasis, hope 
 07tly, and no actual hand with a vote. — 
 'EXirls irpoo-efei \£ipas, 'hope waved 
 her hand before it' as if to put votes 
 there (Margoliouth), is so close to the 
 MS. that it must almost be called an 
 alternative reading of it, and the choice 
 is a question of taste. It must be ob- 
 served, however, that irpoffeieiv x^^P^ 
 means 'to shahe the hand at, make 
 vehement signs to', and irpoadeiv gene- 
 rally to wave something before an animal 
 as an allurement (see L. and Sc. s.v.); 
 neither of which associations are perti- 
 nent here. I agree with Mr Sidgwick 
 that the common text is satisfactory. — 
 The 'hope' refers to the long postpone- 
 ment of the capture by the dissensions of 
 Olympus. — Dr Wecklein, who takes irpo- 
 ae'ui x^'^pO'^j truly remarks that the plural 
 must be referred to the repetition of the 
 gesture of Hope each time that a vote is 
 given. 
 
 V. JE. A. 
 
 809. A bitter jest ; the city may 
 boast itself 'conspicuous' still. Kairvw 
 with eUarinoi. 
 
 810. Life in the ruin pants, while 
 from the expiring ash is breathed a reek of 
 richness. aTiis OveWai X,iaa-\., literally 
 'in the ruin are living blasts': for ar?;? 
 see V. 731. ^i^eXXa, usually 'blast' of a 
 storm, is used here as a sort of gigantic 
 term for a 'gasp', the glowing heap 
 being compared to a dying animal. — 
 (ruv9v^o-Kov(ra <riro86s. When the ash 
 is cold, the gasps of life will cease ; with 
 them therefore the ash is dying. — irCovas 
 ttXovtov irvods. The chief symbol of 
 Eastern wealth to a Greek mind was the 
 costly perfume imported from Asia for 
 purposes of religion and luxury : this idea 
 has coloured the picture here. — Hence 
 the suggestion dvriXal censers (Hermann), 
 but by this what is gained to the figure 
 in consistency is lost in picturesque force. 
 
 812. J^or all this there mnst be paid 
 to the gods a metnorable return, even as 
 the fine is great, which onr wrath hath 
 taken. xaYcls (M. Schmidt, see Weck- 
 lein) is, in my judgment, a certain cor- 
 rection. The form of the sentence, 'we 
 should pay largely, since a great (...) also 
 we have exacted', demands some word 
 .signifying 'payment exacted'. Now 
 ray-q (extant in other senses) is simply 
 the archaic synonym of rd^is, regularly 
 used for an ' assessment ', or ' payment 
 imposed', as by a victor upon the con- 
 quered, from rdaaeiv 'to prescribe'. The 
 abstract nouns in -<rtj, answering to the 
 
98 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 iirpa^nfiecrOa, Kol yvvaiKOf; ovveKU 
 •TToXtv BirjfMaOuvev ^Apyelov BaKO<i, 
 tTTTTOv veocrcro^, d(T7ri8r](TTp6(po^ Xeft;?, 
 TrrjBijijb 6povcra<; d/i(f)i UXeinBcov 8vcnv' 
 
 815 
 
 aorist in -era, steadily encroached in com- 
 mon use upon the abstracts in -r), corre- 
 sponding to the strong aorist ; but there is 
 abundant evidence that in the older lan- 
 guage Xaj8T7, Xax^> etc. were used with the 
 same freedom as in the later Xtjij/is, Xtj^ls 
 etc. They were simply the abstract nouns 
 answering to the verbs and admitted the 
 same range of meaning. — '7rdyas...iTrpa- 
 ^aixiffda. is not likely to be defended ; 
 Trdyas ... e<ppa^aiJ.€<T9a (Hermann) 7ve 
 fenced a snat-e has meaning in itself but 
 no correlation with the context. — vwepKd- 
 Trous Heath. The words are in the Mss. 
 almost interchangeable, but with raya^ 
 vircpKOTODS exceeding wrathful may well 
 stand. 
 
 815. 'Ap7€iov 8aKos: the 'foal of the 
 horse' would not usually be described as 
 SctKos, but the expression comes down 
 (with much of the language of this pas- 
 sage) from ancient tradition, when the 
 Argive horse inspired the strange and 
 superstitious terror depicted in the Seven 
 against Thebes (see the Introduction to 
 that play, § 1). The legend of the mares 
 of Augeas, which were fed on human flesh, 
 is a similar testimony to the formidable 
 renown of the horse of Thessaly. 
 
 816. tirirov v€0(r<r6s may perhaps 
 allude distantly to the stratagem of the 
 wooden horse and the soldiers who 
 came out of its belly; but this would 
 not account (particularly as the wooden 
 horse had little to do with the ' level- 
 ling ' of Troy and no connexion with 
 this play) for the description of the 
 Argive people generally as 'the foal of 
 the horse'. It is possible, I think pro- 
 bable, that both the horse here and the 
 lion of V. 818 are emblematic animals, 
 connected with Argolis and its people by 
 some heraldic (or totemistic?) tradition. 
 The horse was certainly an animal 
 
 typical of Argos, and according to the 
 Argive legends was created there by 
 Poseidon. The lion on the other hand 
 would belong rather (as witness the gates) 
 to Mycenae, the Homeric town of Aga- 
 memnon. Aeschylus has perhaps com- 
 bined in poet's fashion two types be- 
 longing to different layers of legend. In 
 Eur. Siipp. 1223 the sons of The Seveti, 
 who under the name of the Epigoni 
 avenged their fathers upon Thebes are 
 called eKTeOpajj-fjiivoL aK-ufxvoi Xebwuiv, but 
 it does not appear whether this descrip- 
 tion is applied to them specially as 
 Argives. See Paley's note. 
 
 ih. d(riri,8T|o-Tpo<j)os Xecos. On the 
 large metal shield as the ancient charac- 
 teristic of Argos and the Argives see 
 Theb. 89 and the Introduction to that 
 play p. xxii. The title points to a time 
 when in metal work, especially armour, 
 the Achaeans of the Argolid were much 
 in advance of their neighbours. — For 
 -(7Tpo(pos {wielders of the shield) Weck- 
 lein refers to Soph. Ai. 575 5td voXvppd- 
 (pov <TTpi(j)U3v irbpiraKO% eTrrafioiov dppTjKTOv 
 (jaKos. 
 
 817. d|j.(t>l nXeidSwv Svcriv i.e. in late 
 autumn, early in November. "The time 
 (Klausen observes) is mentioned which 
 would best account for the storm before 
 described, since between the setting and 
 the rising of the Pleiads it was not the 
 sailing season; see Theocr. 13. 25, and 
 Hesiod. 0pp. Cij. Demosthenes (p. 1214) 
 speaks of the tempests which usually 
 followed the former event ". Paley. See 
 the Introduction. — On the recent inter- 
 pretation 'at midnight' see Appendix P. 
 — The context suggests that the season 
 was in some way connected either with 
 the horse or with the Argives, but the 
 legendary foundation does not seem to be 
 now traceable. 
 
APAMEMNQN. 
 
 99 
 
 virepOopwv 8e TTupyov (o/jbi](TT))'i Xecov 
 (iSrjv e\ei,^€v a"fiaTO<; rvpavi'iKOV. 
 6eoL<; /Jbev i^ireiva (fypoifiiov ToBe' 
 T(i S' e? TO aov (f)p6vr)/jia, /xe/xv7}/jiaL kXvcov 
 Kol (t>r]/Jbi ravTo koL crvvfjyopov fi e^e«?- 
 riravpoL'i yap dvSpcov ecrrt crvyyev€<; roSe, 
 (plXov TOP evTV^^ovvT (ivev (f)66vMP ae^eiv' 
 Sua(f)pa)v yap to? KapBlav 7rpo(77]/xevo<i 
 (i')(6o<i BiTrXoi^ec tcS ireirapbevw vocrov, 
 rol<i T ai/To? avTov TrrjfiacTLV ^apvverai 
 Kal TOP Ovpaiov oX^ov elaopcov crrevei. 
 elBa)<i XeyoL/jb dv ev yap e^eTriara/Jbai, 
 6fitX.La<; KaroTTTpov, e'lBcoXov aKia<i, 
 
 820 
 
 825 
 
 830 
 
 82 2 . ravra. 
 
 819. aVjiaTos TvpavviKov : an ex- 
 pression significant to some of his 
 hearers. 
 
 820. Oeois jtiv €|^T£iva : ' So far my 
 
 first word to the gods, which I have 
 not scanted'. In i^ireiva (/ /lave made 
 long) there is the thought that on such 
 an occasion a brief salutation would be 
 inadequate. See the same conception 
 turned satirically in v. 907. 
 
 821. Td...<j)p6vT]|ia but as to the 7iiat- 
 ter of yotir cum feelings (see vv. 776 — 
 800). — (i€(j.vT]|jiai kXvwv / remember 
 what I have heard. He refers plainly to 
 intimations of the disaffection at home 
 which had reached him before his return 
 and on his -first arrival at the coast. 
 That he should have heard something 
 would naturally be supposed, and is in 
 fact required to account for his bearing. 
 This allusion gives the key. (It is un- 
 natural and unnecessary to suppose him 
 to mean that he remembers what was 
 said a few minutes ago.) 
 
 822. <rvvt{7op6v n' ^X^^'S yott have in 
 me a supporter of your accusation, a avv-q- 
 yopop in the proper Attic sense of the 
 term (see L. and Sc. s.v.). These words 
 must not be weakened into a mere re- 
 petition of (l>-r]fjLl ravTo. by taking <Twri- 
 yopov for 'agreeing with'. What the 
 
 826. TreiratJ.iJ.ivo}. 
 
 elders have spoken is an accusation, not 
 the less menacing because general, against 
 their fellow townsmen (see particularly 
 their last words vv. 798 — 800). The 
 king declares himself on their side, deter- 
 mined to investigate and to punish (v. 
 839), and his threats do not fall to the 
 ground. 
 
 824. <j)£Xov: a predicate, as the em- 
 phasis shows: (plXov (T^^etv to admire 
 kindly. — <j)6ov(ov envious feelings, envying, 
 inclination to envy. The plural <bd6voi 
 makes a class-term 'what is like envy', 
 as in Plato, Philcbus 40 E -Kepi (j>6^u)v 
 KoL Ovfxwv Kal TravTCov tQv toiovtwv. The 
 difference from <p96vos is perceptible and 
 it is highly improbable that the rare plural 
 is an error. — (pOovov h, \p6yov Stobaeus. 
 
 826. Tw ireTTa^EVw voorov hi>/i that 
 has aught amiss with him. In voaov, a 
 word of very wide and vague signification 
 in Greek poetry, the two ideas of distress 
 and vice here merge. — ireiraiAevai Porson. 
 
 830. 6(j.i\Cas KaroiTTpov the ?nirror of 
 friendship, i.e. the false friendship which 
 is to the genuine as the reflexion to the 
 reality, or, as he puts it with angry ex- 
 aggeration, as the reflexion of a shadow 
 to the shadow itself. — SoKoiivTas: the 
 example (the protended friends of Aga- 
 memnon) is put in apposition to the 
 
 7—2 
 
100 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 SoKovvTa<; elvai Kcipra irpevfieveh e/xoi. 
 fiovo'i S' ^OSvcrcrev^, ocnrep ov'^ eKwv hifKei,, 
 i^ev)(jde\^ eTOifJbo<i rjv ifiol cr€ipa(f)opo(;' 
 etr ovv 6av6vTo<i ecre Koi ^a)VTo<; Tripe 
 Xeyo). ra 8' dXka Trpo? ttoXlv re Kol 6eov^ 
 KOivov^ dya)va<; 6evre<i ev Travijyvpet 
 ^ovXevaofieada. kol to jxev KaXw<i e')(pv 
 ^TTft)? ^(^povi^ov ev fjuevel ^ovXevreov' 
 oTOi 8e Koi hel (fiapfiaKcov 7raio)VLQ)v, 
 rJTOi KeavTe<i ^ r€fi6vT€<; €v^p6v(0<i 
 ireipaa-ofjueaOa irTj/iaTO^ rpeylrat voaov. 
 vvv 8' e? fjbiXaOpa kol Bofiovi ecf^eariov; 
 
 835 
 
 840 
 
 general conception which it illustrates. — 
 All this language, though ostensibly di- 
 rected against the absent, and in this 
 aspect forcibly exhibiting the character of 
 the man, is full of menace for those about 
 him. 
 
 832. oo-irep ktX. If you would have 
 good service from men, you must ride 
 them hard. Such is the suggested moral. 
 — Odysseus was entrapped by Palamedes 
 into accompanying the expedition. 
 
 834. «it' o5v...\€7«. Note the empha- 
 sis given by the rhythm to X^yu, which 
 is properly a separate clause in itself; 
 with 6it' odv...iripi. another \iy03 is sup- 
 plied ; That I will say for him, living or 
 dead. — Another most unhappy remark. 
 It is not the moment to remind the 
 people, especially without a word of 
 sympathy, that after all the losses of the 
 war most of the returning army have 
 probably perished at sea. 
 
 836. d7<ovas: o-yopas, meetings. 
 
 839. oTw %\ Kal Set. 6'tw is neuter, 
 "what must have remedy, answering anti- 
 thetically to t6 /caXiDs ^xo''- What 'kind 
 lancet or cautery ' may be needed to 
 remove the peccant humours of the body 
 politic will not be spared. The grim 
 speciousness of eixftpovwi reminds us of 
 Antony's ironical question to the mur- 
 derers of Caesar, 'Who else must be let 
 blood, who else is rank ? " 
 
 841. irrfnaTos Tp^\J/ai vocrov to defeat 
 the mischief of the sore, or (as Porson) 
 iTTJiA diro<rTp€\|/ai v6o-ov to avert the harm 
 of the ailment. It cannot be admitted 
 that the MS. reading here is impossible 
 or even strange. voo-qv ■miiJiaTOS the 
 ailment or mischief of the sore is a 
 simple expression. For 7r^/ta see Soph. 
 Ai. 582 TonCbv Trrj/xa, a tumour that 'craves 
 the knife '. And it will be observed that 
 the metaphor, as the previous line shoivs, 
 is from surgery notfro?n medicine. Tp€i{/ai 
 to defeat (see rpoTrri) is of course not a 
 phrase which would have been used in 
 prose, or even by most poets, but it is in 
 the manner of Aeschylus thus to load the 
 imagery with a metaphor within a meta- 
 phor. Moreover there is often a tendency 
 in metaphorical language to fall back in 
 the direction of the literal ; and when the 
 king speaks metaphorically of 'lancing 
 or cauterizing' the state, what he really 
 means is that with the support of his 
 friends he will 'defeat' his enemies and 
 theirs. It is not unnatural therefore that 
 the word defeat, though not very suitable 
 to his surgical metaphor, should come 
 into his mind. The reading of Porson 
 has been frequently followed, but it is not 
 inserted in some recent texts {e.g. Weck- 
 lein 1885; Paley also expresses doubt) 
 and I prefer to give it as a possible al- 
 ternative. — Wecklein in the text of 188«; 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 lOI 
 
 iXOcov OeolcTL TrpcoTa Se^icoaofxac, 
 olirep Trpoao) Tre/i'v/rai/Te? rjywyov iraXvv. 
 VLK7] S" iireiirep eairer, e/u,7reS&)9 fievot. 
 KA. dvSp€<; TToXlrai, Trpea/do'i ^Apyeicoi' roSe, 
 ovK alaxvvovfiai, toi)? ^i\dvopa<{ rpoirovi 
 Xe^ac Trpo'i v/u,a^' ev y^povw 8' anTo<^divei, 
 TO Tapj3o<i dvdpwTTOLcnv. OVK dWu>v Trdpa 
 fjbadova €/xavTrj<; Svacfiopov Xe^o) ^lov 
 ToaovS' oaovrrep ovro<; rjv vir 'iXt'tu. 
 TO fiev yvvaiKa irpwrov dpo-evo<i hiya 
 rjcrOat So/jiot^ eprjfMov eKirayXov kukov, 
 7roWa<i Kkvovcrav 'r)hovd'i TraXtjKorovi... 
 
 845 
 
 850 
 
 punctuated thus ireipacdfiecrOa inf}fj.aTOS, 
 Tpi\pai v6aov, but in that of 1887 gives 
 Person's correction. 
 
 845. Significant again. He is aware 
 that ?r' etff' aYwyes, that he has still 
 enemies to encounter at home. — The 
 whole of the last part of the speech would 
 be on the stage extremely effective. All 
 the auditors are agreed that t6 KaXQs 
 ix°'' ^Tws xP<"'^f<"' ^^ fievei ^ovXevr^ov (cf. 
 V. 362) and on the necessity of 'surgery' 
 for the good of the state, only there is a 
 difference of opinion as to the sense of 
 these expressions. The king speaks as 
 he does because, not having a glimpse of 
 the plot against him, he naturally believes 
 himself irresistible and gives the rein to 
 his indignation. 
 
 846. As the king makes to enter, the 
 queen attended by her women {v. 899) 
 comes from the palace. Her address, 
 like her message by the herald, is in 
 effect a self-defence, better prepared but 
 not much more successful. The very 
 depth of her respect (she says) prevents 
 her from addressing the king, so she turns 
 to the assembly and principally to the 
 elders, with whom long association has 
 made her familiar. 
 
 849. OVK dXXuv irapa (laOovcra: ' my 
 own witness to my conduct will not be 
 hearsay, such as that by which I am 
 perhaps accused '. 
 
 852. d'pcrcvos SCx.a T^crOai S6(i,ois 'ipt]- 
 (Aov i/iai she should alone ivilhoitt the vian 
 fill the throne of the house (cf. z^. 271 tUiv 
 yvvaiK' eprjixwd^vTos dpaevos Opbvov) bear- 
 ing the weight of the sole responsibility. 
 See also next note. 
 
 854 : hearing many persistent flatteries, 
 i.e. besieged by tempters. ijSovds dou- 
 ceurs, compliments, Trph% ijdovTjv Xeyd/xeva, 
 'what is spoken to please'. Herodotus 
 (7. lOi Kbrepa a\rjdrjir) xpvcro/xai rj ijdovri; 
 Shall I use frankness or flattery ?) has the 
 word in a sense very nearly approaching 
 this, which, being both archaic and col- 
 loquial, would not be likely to occur 
 often in our collection, even if it was 
 once common enough. Nothing is 
 more likely than that a word which 
 properly meant agreeableness or sojne- 
 thing agreeable should take this meaning 
 in Greek as in French. The epithet 
 TraXtYKOTous implies that the flattery was 
 unwelcome but irrepressible. — Clytaem- 
 nestra just glances at the firmness of her 
 virtue. Then, feeling the peril of the 
 subject, she passes rapidly to another, 
 and presently (p. 865) contrives to bring 
 in her words again with a slight but 
 transfigurating change, as if it were 
 K\7]d6vas, and not really ijdofas at all, 
 which she had said, precisely as in v. 866 
 she twists to a new meaning the words 
 of V. 862. In both places the explana- 
 
102 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 Kal TOP fiev ijKetv top 8 i'rreLcr^epeLV kukov 
 KCLKLOV dXXo irrjfxa XdaKovra^; 86fiot<;. 
 Kal Tpav/jbdrcov fiev el roacov ervfy^avev 
 dvrjp '6h\ (t)<i Trpo<i oi')(ov (O'^erevero 
 (}>dri<}, rerprjTat, Bcktvov TrXew Xeyeiv' 
 €1 S' 17Z/ TeOvTjKUx;, (W9 iifkr^Ovvov Xoyoi, 
 Tpt(Ta)ijuaT6<; rdv Trjpvwv 6 SevT€po<; 
 TToXkrjv — avcaOev, rrjv ko-tco yap ov Xe<y(o — 
 
 859. 0dcrts(?) Tirptarai. 
 
 S55 
 
 860 
 
 tion is the same. At this last fearful 
 crisis she really is afraid of her own 
 words and unable for some minutes to 
 steady her mind. — Such I believe to be 
 the solution of this critical difficulty. To 
 write Khrjbbvas for r]5ovas (Auratus) is 
 obvious but arbitrary. To condemn v. 
 854 as spurious is much more plausible, 
 but still unsatisfactory, as there is no 
 adequate motive for the interpolation. 
 The occurrence in the immediate context 
 of a phenomenon equally and similarly 
 peculiar is a strong argument that the 
 text is genuine, and that we should seek 
 an explanation in the special circum- 
 stances and the position of the speaker. 
 
 855 : zuhile one coiner after another 
 brought to the house loud tidings of woe 
 each worse than the last, tov |A€v tJkciv 
 Tov 8' eirewrtjjtpeiv. This is again an 
 example of what has been noticed at vv. 
 360 and 575, the separation into an ex- 
 plicit antithesis in Greek of what in 
 English would be presented as one com- 
 pound notion. Literally it is 'that one 
 should be arrived and another bring in 
 addition', i.e. 'that the arriving of one 
 (messenger) should be followed by the 
 bringing' etc. It is also idiomatic in 
 such an antithesis to leave, as here, one 
 side elliptical, supplying the defect from 
 the other (see v. 784). English habit 
 would expect (see Paley) tov ii.lv 7]K€lv 
 <f)ipovTa KaKOv, tov dl kclkiov aXXo eTretcr- 
 (pepeiv. — e'7r€io-<j)p£tvai Wecklein, i.e. ' that 
 each new crier of disastrous news sJiQidd 
 be let in by his predecessor, so quickly 
 
 they followed' (see el(T<ppiw). The rhe- 
 torical expression is extremely vivid and 
 forcible, and it must be allowed that 
 iTrei(T(ppe'ivai would probably appear in 
 our MS. as eTreiacp^peiv. But is it not 
 more natural that t6v /jl^v should be the 
 frst comer, rbv 34 the second? In Dr 
 Wecklein's text the parts are of course 
 changed. However I would leave the 
 question open. 
 
 857. TpavjidiTWv [>.lv: note the order; 
 As for wounds, etc. 
 
 858. wx.€T£v«To: rumour 'came in by 
 channels'. 
 
 859. T€TpT]Tai Ahrens (see Teipo}, Tprj- 
 /xa), an almost necessary correction. A 
 net has 'holes' but not 'wounds'. — 
 irXew Xc^eiv: 'more to count' i.e. in num- 
 ber. — "The cold-blooded phrase suits 
 Klytaemnestra" and is the more horrible 
 as suggesting a vision of the sequel. 
 
 860. eirXrjdvov Person, as the regular 
 form. But in view of the double use, 
 transitive and intransitive, of dap(Tvvw, it 
 does not seem certain that irX-qdvvu} was 
 not, rightly or wrongly, used as the text 
 suggests. 
 
 860 — 64. He might have boasted many 
 times as many burials as a three-bodied 
 Geryon, who died once in each shape. 
 For 'burial' she uses the phrase 'to 
 cloak oneself in earth', 7^1/ eTrt^aaaffOai 
 Theogn. 429, Homer //. 3. 57. — (avw- 
 div, T11V KaTft) -yop ov \iyo>) meaning 
 the covei'let merely ; I say nothing of the 
 bed. ij kutcj} x^«'''«> in relation to the 
 figure of burial, would be the earth on 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 103 
 
 ^ 
 
 ')(6ov6'; Tpifiocpov '^Xatvav i^v^X^'' ^^ySwi', 
 aira^ eKacrrq) Kardavcov fjiopcfxofiaTi. 
 ToidovS' eicart kXtjSovcov 7ra\cyKOT(ov 
 iroXXci'i av(o6ev dprava<i ifir]<i 8epr]<; 
 eXvaav aXXoc 7rpo<? ^lav \e\Lp,fxev7}<i. 
 
 867. \e\y)ixfji.ivr)^. 
 
 8C5 
 
 which the dead lay, as opposed to the 
 earth laid upon him (Wecklein compares 
 Theb. 93 1 virh 8^ crwuaTi. 7as ttXoOtos 
 a^va<xos ^ffrai). I believe (see on v. 854) 
 that Hermann is right in defending this 
 disputed verse, and Dr Wecklein in his 
 remark that 'the confused expression 
 marks the disturbance in Clytaemestra's 
 thoughts '. In fact her tongue trips, or 
 rather the pressure of her secret makes 
 her fear that it has tripped, and in trying 
 to safe-guard herself she makes the matter 
 worse. The mention of the ' net', of the 
 'wounds' and 'burial', is to her so fright- 
 fully significant that she doubts for a 
 moment, without reason but very natu- 
 rally, whether it will not raise suspicion 
 in others. She therefore tries to take 
 back the reference to burial, inserting 
 'when I say mantle of earth, I mean 
 just mantle upon him ; I could not 
 think of his last bed\ Of course this is 
 nonsense, but it is perhaps none the 
 worse for that. In the same spirit im- 
 mediately afterwards {v. 866) she makes 
 upon this ■woXK'qv dvudev a sort of forced 
 and far-fetched play. In short even .Cly- 
 taemnestra for a moment is nervous and 
 not mistress of her thoughts. 
 
 863. «I'n'^x^si XaPwv : ' he might have 
 boasted a triple mantle of earth assumeiV. 
 Xafiibv literally 'having taken it on him '. 
 — With Xa/Seij/ (suggested by Paley) the 
 expression is less picturesque. 
 
 865. TraXiYKOTwv persistenty i.e. ever- 
 recurring, never-quieted. The word also 
 implies that the reports were bad, but 
 this is a secondary part of the meaning. 
 See on z'l'. 576, 854. 
 
 866. iroXXds avwOev dprdvas many 
 a hanging noose. The explanation of this 
 
 phrase (which has been without reason 
 suspected) is that dpTavri, which is but 
 imperfectly rendered by the English noose, 
 really means 'thing suspending', 'that by 
 which something is hung up (Tj/DrijTat) ', 
 more nearly hitch. Like other quasi- 
 verbal nouns it can in Aeschylus take an 
 adverb construed with the implied verbal 
 notion: dvudev dpravr} is literally 'a thing 
 which hangs up\ Aeschylus would pro- 
 bably not have written iroXXoiis dvu0ei> 
 ^pdxovs, but dvudev dprdvas is different. 
 It is but slightly bolder than eK^opd (pl- 
 Xwc i/TTO Theb. 1015. — Bepris '■from my 
 neck', kXvaav taking the construction of 
 dwiXvaav. — The forced parallel with ttoX- 
 XV dvwdev above can scarcely be re- 
 produced in translation. 
 
 867. irpos Piav X€Xi[i.|Ji€'vilS {e/J-oO), 
 preventing my eagerness, i.e. my desperate 
 desire to die, literally 'in despite of me 
 eager'. (Ahrens, Blomfield.) Cf. Theb. 
 367 fMxn^ \e\ifjLfj.evos and see L. and Sc. 
 s. V. XiTTTOfxai. The same misspelling 
 occurs in Theb. 342 XeXr/^/i^i'ot for XeXt/x- 
 lj.ivov. — This correction is trivial and, I 
 think, certain. Of the two proposed ren- 
 derings for TT/jos ^iav XeKTifM/xivris, (i), sup- 
 plying ifiov, 'of me violently seized (by 
 them)' would require " \7}<pde[a7]s the act, 
 not \e\T]fxij.€vr]s the state" (S.) and, we may 
 add, would be idiomatically expressed 
 not by a passive participle at all (the 
 Latin fashion), but by wpbs fiiav Xa^Svres: 
 and (2), supplying diprjs, ' my neck, caught 
 violently in the noose', gives Xa^elv a 
 forced meaning and makes the whole 
 pointless. Nor does either adequately 
 represent irpbs ^iav, which, though it 
 might mean merely 7C'ith violence, does by 
 convention regularly mean ' with violence 
 
104 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 e/c TMvBi rot irah ivOdK ov 'Trapaararel, 
 ifiiSv re koX aoov Kvpto<; Tna-revfiaTcov, 
 ft)? XPV^' ^Opi(jrT)<i' firjBe dav/J,d(rr]<; roSe. 
 rpecfyei <ydp avrov evfxevrj^ 8opv^evo<i 
 2tTp6<^LO^ 6 ^(OKev<i, dfi(f)l\eKTa inqixara 
 e/xol Trpotpcovcov, top ff' vir 'IXtft) creOev 
 KLvhvvov, el re Srj/juodpovi dvap-x^ia 
 
 870 
 
 to some one' 'in despite of, so much so 
 that with SXvcav aXXot irpbs jiiav an e/xoO 
 is naturally supplied, and the following 
 participle, to satisfy the ear, can only 
 complete by antithesis the meaning of 
 rrpbs ^lav. All the other corrections, 
 ivqfifj.ivris, dveifxh-q's etc., are open to the 
 same or some of the same objections, 
 besides being technically inferior to that 
 of Ahrens and Blomfield, which is indeed 
 a mere alternative reading of the MS. 
 
 868. The manner in which Clytaem- 
 nestra deals with this suspicious circum- 
 stance, the absence of her son Orestes, 
 is skilful. Here at least she says there 
 can be no doubt of her honesty (rotdSe 
 OKrjypLs ov 56\ov (pipei.) : if she had been 
 disloyal to the king she would never 
 have sent his heir out of her control. 
 The argument is sound; the flaw is in 
 the assumed facts, as to which she trusts 
 that the king is not yet informed. The 
 true facts relating to Orestes, as supposed 
 by Aeschylus, have to be gathered from 
 indications, for us rather slight and ob- 
 scure, in the Choephori, and will be best 
 considered in dealing with that play. 
 
 869. «|J.wv...iri(rT€v|xaTwv %vho should 
 best 7nake confidence between me and thee. 
 Kiy/)tos followed by a genitive signifies 
 ' having power over', or 'qualified in' the 
 matter described ; thus Kipio% damrov is 
 ' having power of death', power to inflict 
 the penalty of death, and similarly Ktpios 
 irepl Tivos, Kvpios iroi.€Lv ti means 'quali- 
 fied in respect of...', 'qualified to do...'. 
 See L. and Sc. s. v. Thus Kvpios irio-Tev- 
 ixdruv is literally 'qualified in the matter 
 of confidence', 'qualified to make confi- 
 dence ', where ir'LCTeviJ.a confidence is the 
 
 abstract from iricrTeveiv to trust, and 
 the plural cotifidences gives the meaning 
 mutual confidence. — iri<rT«(jidTwv i. e. 
 pledges Spanheim, Hermann, and many 
 texts. With deference to much authority, 
 I must hold this change mistaken. Ores- 
 tes was himself a TrlffTu/xa between his 
 parents, but being a TriaTco/xa he was 
 KvpLos TnarevfiaTuv. The proper meaning 
 of Kvpios TrurTW/MTuv would be 'qualified 
 to give a pledge ', ' qualified to deal with 
 a pledge', or the like. We have also to 
 notice that iriaTevfia, tholigh a perfectly 
 correct and natural form, is very rare, 
 apparently unique, and little likely there- 
 fore to be substituted for Tr/crTw/xa, which 
 occurs not seldoin. 
 
 871. Tp€<j>€i ^dp avTov he is under the 
 separate care of Strophms, literally ' Str. is 
 taking care of him by himself: avrbs is 
 as usual emphatic. 
 
 872. d|x4>C\€KTa...irpo<{>a)v<ii>v suggest- 
 ing to me future trouble in tivo shapes. 
 d|j.(f>(\EKTa properly 'divided into two 
 counts ' in the sense of ' heads ' or ' di- 
 visions ' in a subject, as in the technical 
 phrase '■counts of an indictment'. (So 
 also Wecklein.) 
 
 873. Tov T£...€l' T£. Thcse are ttvo 
 dangers, not parts of the same : (i) Aga- 
 memnon might die at Troy, in which 
 case his youthful heir would need protec- 
 tion against rebels or ambitious kins- 
 men ; (2) without the king's death, his 
 mere absence and the weakness of the 
 regency might encourage the unruly 'to 
 risk a plot'. To the last enterprise es- 
 pecially the impossibility of seizing the 
 heir would be a great discouragement. 
 The insinuation of this danger is the 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 105 
 
 ^ovXrjv Karappiy^euev, ware a-v'yyovov 
 ^poToicri Tov Treaovra XaKTiaaL irXeov. 
 TOidSe fievTOi (rKTJ'\Jri<i ov 86\ov (f)€p€i. 
 kfiotye fxev hi) KXavficiTcov eiricrcrvTOL 
 Tnjyal Karecr^tJKaacv, oi)8' evi cnwyodv. 
 iv 6ylrcK0LT0i<; 8' ofifiaaiv K\d^a<i e%&>, 
 
 875 
 
 880 
 
 more telling because, to a certain extent 
 and with a different aim, it has actually 
 taken effect. 
 
 875. PouXiiv KaTappCt|/ciEv should ha- 
 zard a plot against mc; Blomfield, Cf. 
 piirreiu kLvSvvov, a metaphor from the 
 throwing of dice, piirreiv Kv^ev/xa. For 
 ^ovKri, cf. Andocides 9. 4 5ia raOra elwov 
 TT] ^ovKji (I told the council) 6tl etSetryv 
 roi)s TTOf^croi/ras, Kal i^rjkey^a to, yevo/xepa, 
 8tl elarjyqcraTO [x^v irivbvTUv rifjiQv Tavrrjv 
 Ty]v ^ov\7]i> (proposed this plot) Ev^IXtjtos, 
 di>T€?Troi> 8^ iyu) kt\., a passage which 
 shows not only that this sense was in use, 
 but also that it was not affected by the 
 technical use of ij ^ovXr/ at Athens. A 
 prose writer would doubtless not have 
 said (H\pa.L ^ovKrjv for piipai kIvSwov ^ov\rj%, 
 but such extensions of the 'inner' or cog- 
 nate accusative are frequent in poetry. 
 The alternative translation 'should throw 
 down the council', i.e. overthrow the gov- 
 ernment of the queen and her advisers, is 
 not admissible ; ( i) ^ovKtj without explan- 
 ation could not bear in a poem dealing 
 with heroic times this technical meaning; 
 T7]v ^ovX-qv at least would be required ; 
 (2) the play, true to the ancient and 
 Homeric conception of authority, does not 
 suppose anything like a formal Council 
 of regency. The elders never speak of 
 themselves as such, though Aeschylus 
 knew what such a thing was and can 
 describe it clearly enough (see the open- 
 ing of the Pcrsae, the chorus of which 
 actually is such a council) ; (3) the uses, 
 literal and metaphorical, of pi^po.i (fling) 
 do not justify the translation unseat, 
 overthrow, which would be KaraXOcrat 
 or possibly KO-ro-poXdv . Thus eK^aXetv 
 TLva TTJs apxv^ is proper but not eKplfai, 
 
 Kara^aXecv riva. airb tov IVttou but not 
 KaTappi\pai. And in any case we should 
 require from the context some indication 
 of that /ro/n which (e.g. dpxv^, Kpdrovs) 
 the council was flung down. Without 
 this Karapplipai. ttji/ ^ovXrjv could mean, 
 if anything, only 'to execute the council' 
 by flinging them into some ^dpaOpov.- — ■ 
 |3ov\i]v KaTappd\|/£i6V Scaliger, 'should 
 devise a plot', is good sense, but, as I 
 think, an unnecessary change. — «o-re: 
 (is, as indeed. 
 
 877. jA^VTOu however, i.e. 'though his 
 presence would be our best assurance, the 
 explanation of his absence is trans- 
 parently honest and an assurance in 
 itself. 
 
 878. jA€v St] dismissing irrelevancies 
 and coming to the gist of the matter. 
 
 880. KXa^as eye-sores. I do not see 
 reason to reject this word. The represen- 
 tation of the /" by /3 is in the Doric and 
 Aeolic dialects frequent and regular ((pd^os 
 = (pd/os, w/3ea = w/ea yd etc.). From K\af- 
 (cf. K\av/jLa) the regular formation in these 
 dialects would be Ac\dj3-a. The language 
 of poetry preserves many dialectic forms, 
 either for convenience, as Sophocles uses 
 jxiacos, or because the words came into 
 literature or use from a dialectic source. 
 A similar instance is ve^pbs, commonly 
 referred to the root {yeF-) of vios. The 
 nouns in -7; from verb-stems, originally 
 abstracts, describing a process, are regu- 
 larly extended to the effect of the process, 
 e.g. TrXoKTj plaiting, wreath, SIkij pointing, 
 wdf, etc. : and kXci/Stj therefore is the sore 
 produced in running eyes. It was per- 
 haps some more or less distinct con- 
 sciousness of its origin which led the 
 poet to use it here (note KXalovaa). — The 
 
io6 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 Ta? d/M^L aoi K\aiovaa \afi7n'qpov')(^La<i 
 dT7]fjie\i]Tov<; alev. ev h oveipaaiv 
 XeTTToiq viral kcovcotto^ i^Tjyecpo/xrjv 
 ptiraicn 6a>vaa'ovTO<;, d/ji,(f)l croi irdOr) 
 opcoaa TrXeict) rod ^vvevhovro^ ')(^povov. 
 vvv ravra iravra rXda, direvdrjra) (f)pevi, 
 Xeyocfi dv dvhpa rovSe rcov crrad/Jboov Kvva, 
 
 885 
 
 Farnesian editor substitutes /3Xdi/3as, but 
 M, it is clear, had /cXa/Sas, which is not 
 in itself likely to be an error for /3\d/3as 
 and, so far as I can judge, is not open to 
 any suspicion. 
 
 881. Tols d|x<J>C o-oi XajJiirTt]povxias. 
 The exact meaning of this is a matter of 
 conjecture. From the analogy of other 
 like words (SpSoux'a, \afji.ira5ovxl-o- etc.) 
 we should suppose that Xa/xirTrjpovx^O' was 
 the function of XanTTTTjpovxoi. or torch- 
 bearers and T) a.ii.<p[ tivi \aixwTr)povxl-(t 
 attendance upon a person as a torch- bearer. 
 Many words of this type e.g. <rKr]WTovxos, 
 kXtjSovxos, evvovxos, etc. describe offices 
 and the performance of them. Taking 
 the word with the context it would seem 
 to mean naturally ' attending the king 
 with torches' to his chamber, \.\\e dednctio 
 in fact, which has been in all times so 
 important a part of savage and barbaric 
 state. aTTjiieXiJTOvs, neglected, would, as 
 applied to a practice of ceremony, natu- 
 rally mean 'disused'. The queen wept, 
 as she would say, for thine attendanceof 
 torch-bearers neglected still, i.e. that the 
 king came no more with the accustomed 
 state to his chamber. — Other explana- 
 tions offered are (i) that the beacons (see 
 above v. 293) were neglected, i.e. not lit, 
 for want of cause to light them, (2) that 
 the watch-fires lighted in the house in 
 expectation of the king's return 'were 
 disregarded', i.e. he did not come (Sidg- 
 wick). But neither beacons nor watch- 
 fires adequately renders \a.fj.T^Tr\p-ovxi.a.i, 
 which must be something different from 
 XafiirTrjpes. Metaphorically no doubt the 
 succession of beacons is compared to a 
 
 torch-race or Xafjiwadrj^opla, and for this 
 Xa/jLTTTTjpovxia might be inaccurately used. 
 But it is one thing to use Xajj-ira^rtcpopla as 
 an illustration (with explanation) of the 
 system of beacons, and another thing to 
 use the word, or rather a different and 
 much less suitable word, as a name for 
 beacons and without explanation. And, 
 as Mr Sidgwick says, neglected is not 
 unlit; neglected is just what, during the 
 king's absence, signal-beacons would not 
 have been. (I say nothing as to the 
 impossibility on general grounds of a 
 reference to the supposed beacons in this 
 place.) To 'watch-fires' my only objec- 
 tion is the improper form of the word 
 XafiTTTTipovxia; and perhaps that during a 
 campaign of ten years at such a distance 
 as Troy preparations for the king's un- 
 announced return would hardly be made 
 every night. 
 
 883. Xeirrais, emphasized by displace- 
 ment in the sentence, lightest. — viral 
 Kwvwiros together; piiraio-i with diavaaov- 
 Tos. The construction of virb with dative 
 of agent is not certified in Aeschylus 
 (Wecklein mentions Theb. 915, but justly 
 holds that that case is distinguishable). 
 
 885. Tov . . .yjpovov i.e. the time of my 
 sleeping. 'The personifying instinct per- 
 vades the language of Aeschylus ' (Sidg- 
 wick). 
 
 886. dircvBiiTw is distinguishable from 
 airevO-qs. The passive form, in its full 
 force, means 'relieved from grief {dis- 
 griefed so to speak, 'made airevdrj% '). 
 
 887. Twv <rTa0|xwv Kwva literally, 'of 
 the fold a dog', i.e. 7vhat a dog is to the 
 
 fold. The article, proper and necessary 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 107 
 
 acoTTJpa va6<; irporovov, v-y{n]Xr]<; are'yiTi 
 arvXov TroSy'jpT], fioi>oyev€<; tekvov Trarpi,, 
 Kal <yrjv (fyavelcrav vavriKoa irap iXirlSa, 
 KoXkiarov rjfiap elatSeiv eK ^e//u.aTO?, 
 ohoLTTopo) StyjrSvTi irrj'yatov peo<; — 
 reprrvov he rdvayKalov iK(^v<y6lv cfrrav' 
 TOLolate To'ivvv d^Lw 7rpo(T(p6eyfia(r(,v. 
 88q. (ttoXov. 
 
 890 
 
 to the full sense, should in strictness have 
 been repeated throughout the catalogue, 
 Tuv fjiif (TTadfjLWv Kijva, ttjs 8i vabs trpbTO- 
 vov, rrjs di <rTiyr]s (ttuKov, kt\., and so a 
 prose-writer would have written. But in 
 poetry the logical completeness of this 
 is naturally sacrificed to euphony: with 
 crcoTTJpa vaos irpdrovov we supply rrjs vaos, 
 and so on. — The corrections here (e.g. 
 t6v5' iyu} Weil) assume that twv is in- 
 correct, whereas what is incorrect, though 
 poetically necessary, is the absence of the 
 article afterwards. 
 
 889. o-TvXov. M had probably the 
 misspelling aroTKov. — ariiXov h. 
 
 890. Kal or again. The conjunction 
 "has offended many editors, as the other 
 nouns are unconnected ; but Klausen and 
 Schneidewin are no doubt right in saying 
 that it connects 887 — 889, which de- 
 scribe the protection and security afforded 
 by the master, with 890 — 892, which de- 
 scribe the delight of his unhoped-for 
 return. The transition from one set to 
 the other is marked by /cai." Sidgwick. 
 To which I would add that this laboured 
 list is not to be judged as if it were a real 
 natural flow of emotion. Its eloquence 
 is forced ; and this recommencement is 
 just such a touch as betrays it. In fact 
 the whole of this oration, with all its 
 poetical merits, appears to me, regarded 
 as a piece of acting on the part of Cly- 
 taemnestra, a mistake and a failure ; and 
 so, I believe, the dramatist intended. It 
 is impossible that any one should make a 
 successful speech in such a situation, 
 though it is natural enough that the 
 queen should try. As the king severely 
 
 and truly remarks, she is much too long. 
 Genuine feeling would not have spoken 
 as many words as Clytaemnestra speaks 
 verses. Upon Agamemnon she does not 
 and could not make the slightest impres- 
 sion. But she attains the real object of 
 her appearance before the palace, when 
 the king is compelled to accept the 
 perfidious compliment of the tapestry. 
 
 89 1 : daion as it looks the fairest, after 
 storm. The superlative, though much 
 criticized, seems correct, and indeed al- 
 most necessary. This allusion to the 
 recent recollections of the voyagers is the 
 queen's best hit, but she spoils it by 
 continuing the catalogue. 
 
 893 — 4 : literally, ' but relief is sweet 
 in everything; such like then are the 
 titles with which I express my praise ', 
 i.e. 'as the types of deliverance, such as 
 the foregoing, are infinite in number, I 
 take them in the sum and mean them 
 all '. The turn of the sentence here is so 
 unlike what is possible to a non-inflected 
 language as to make translation extremely 
 difficult. The cardinal point is the em- 
 phasis on Toioicf^e, emphasized in respect 
 of its difference from rolade. The queen's 
 copiousness, as is the danger of unreal 
 eloquence, has plainly overrun itself and 
 reached a point at which it is equally 
 ineffective either to go on or to stop. 
 With injyaioi> pios her declamation is in 
 no way rounded off, and yet one or two 
 more Trpo<T(p9^y/j.aTa would undoubtedly 
 carry her over the edge of the sublime. 
 Perforce therefore she generalizes, and 
 concludes in fact with an et cetera. 
 Thus a fine piece of verse is certainly 
 
io8 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 <^66vo<i 8' aTretTTO)* iroWa yap rd irplv KaKa 895 
 
 r]veL)(^6fMeada. vvv he /xot, (f)lXov Kapa, 
 
 €K/3atu airr)vri<i TrjcrSe, fir) -^afxal TL6el<i 
 
 Tov (Tov 7r68\ cova^, 'iXtoi/ iropOrjTopa. 
 
 Sfifpai, TL fieWeO', alf; iirearaXrat Te\o<; 
 
 Trehov KeXevdov arpcovvvvai TrerdcrfMacnv ; 900 
 
 ev6v<i yeveaOco irop^vpocrrpwro^ 7r6po<i, 
 
 e? Sc3/a' cieKmov (o^ dv ijyrjruL SIkij. 
 
 898. dua^. 
 
 spoiled, but we must add that it was 
 made for tlie purpose. Aeschylus was 
 not so poor in images that he could 
 not purchase a piece of truth at the 
 cost of a few sounding lines. — d^ico: 
 'to hold in value', then 'to pronounce 
 valuable ', and so, as here, 'to praise, 
 honour,' both of things and persons, 
 cf. Eur. Or. 12 10 KoKoiaip vixevaloiaiv 
 d^iovfj.tvT], Hec. 319, and see L. and 
 Sc. s.v. The verb has not strictly any 
 object; it is used, as any transitive verb 
 may be, absolutely; see e.g. v. 1182 
 (ppevuKrio 5' ovKir i^ alviyfidruv my teach- 
 ing shall be 110 longer enigmatic ; so here, 
 my praise bestows titles like these. But in 
 effect the object is dVSjoa jovht supplied 
 from the foregoing period (^. 887) of 
 which this line is really a part. — See fur- 
 ther Appendix Q. 
 
 895. <|)66vos 8' direcTTw i.e. the excess 
 of my joy, after what I have suffered, 
 does not deserve rebuke. According to 
 Greek religious feeling the display of 
 human happiness was itself a provocation 
 to fortune. 
 
 896. At a sign from the queen the 
 path to the house is strown with crimson 
 embroidered tapestries, properly used for 
 religious processions and ceremonies, over 
 which the king is invited to walk. The 
 urgency of Clytaemnestra in forcing him 
 to accept this homage has a motive more 
 direct and simple than the chance of ex- 
 posing him to the jealousy of Fate. It 
 is designed for the people, upon whose 
 conduct in a few minutes the lives of the 
 
 queen and her partisans may depend. 
 To stimulate discontent and discourage 
 loyalty is of vital moment. By the- 
 queen's arrangement, what the murmur- 
 ing spectators see is that the returned 
 Tvpavvos enters his palace with a kind of 
 pomp shocking to Hellenic eyes (see on 
 V. 938). His reluctance, even if taken 
 for genuine, could only be appreciated 
 by the immediate bystanders. It is like 
 Gracchus pointing to his head, only that 
 in this case the ill effect is designed. To 
 Aeschylus the scene may perhaps have 
 been suggested by the fate of Pausanias, 
 one of whose gravest offences was his 
 adoption of Oriental ceremony. 
 
 898. TovcroviroS*. Elision of substan- 
 tives and adjectives having the quantity 
 ----is very rare in tragic verse, and by 
 Aeschylus and Sophocles scarcely allowed 
 except under peculiar conditions. Their 
 regular use is as in v. 887 Kvva, v. 895 /caxa. 
 As to the details see Joicrnal of Philology 
 XII. p. 136. The exceptions are about 
 3 per cent. In the iambic verse of Aes- 
 chylus this is the only one sufficiently 
 attested. (On P. V. 355 duiaeiv AC, and 
 Eum. 902 Kara x^Ai»' oScra, see the article 
 cited.) What justifies it to the ear will 
 appear to be this, that in the phrase tov 
 (TOV iroda following x«/"«^ ndeis the noun, 
 being anticipated and so to speak 'dis- 
 counted ', has no weight, while on the 
 other hand what is lost by curtailment to 
 TToSa goes to increase the stress upon (t6i>, 
 on which the meaning depends, — that foot, 
 king, which thou hast set upon Troy. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 109 
 
 ra 8' aWa (fypovrh ov^ vttvm viKcofiivr) 
 Orja-ei, 8iKaLco<i (cruv deoL<;) ei/jbapfieva. 
 AT. Ar]8a9 <yeve6Xov, ScofiaTWV ejiwv <f>vXa^, 
 aiTovaia fxev el7ra<i cIkoto)^ ^H'V' 
 (xaKpav yap i^eretva^' «XV ivata-lfjico^i 
 alvelv, irap^ aWoov ^(^prj rdS' ep-x^eadai yepa'i. 
 KoX raSXa firj ryvvaifc6<; iv TpoiroL'i efie 
 (i^pvve, fiTjBe jBap^dpov ^(ot6<; Slktjv 
 ')(afiat,'JTeTe<i l36a/u,a 7rpoa')(^avrj<; ifiol, 
 fiTjS' €Lfiaat (TTpwcraa iirit^Oovov iropov 
 riOet' 6eov<; rot rolaSe TifjbaK(}>€iv ■)(p€MV, 
 
 905 
 
 910 
 
 910. ^appaOov. 
 
 902. a€X'irTov...8£KTi with ironic inten- 
 tion, meaning ostensibly scarce-hoped for 
 ...due ceremony, but for those informed 
 unexpected . . .vengeance. 
 
 903. 4>povTls ovx iiirvo) viKa)|A€VT| an 
 expression not lost upon those privy to 
 the secret of the queen's night-watch. 
 Ostensibly it is a compliment to the 
 ' open eyes ' of the king, and ra 5' dXXa 
 in fact recalls the conclusion of his speech 
 (z/. 835), which she hears as she enters. 
 
 ib. The rest a watchfulness that 
 never sleeps shall order as Just providence, 
 I trust. Intends, literally ' shall order, 
 they being, I trust, justly fated ', an 
 expression of pious reliance upon heaven 
 to show the right in the king's threatened 
 investigation. So the words must be 
 grouped, if the reading is right: ^ijeret 
 eifiapfjiiva is scarcely a possible expres- 
 sion. — OeoiJLv dpfieva Meineke, Wecklein, 
 where drja-ei. dp/xeva is * shall order them 
 fitly '. 
 
 905 . Agamemnon dismisses the queen's 
 salutation (which he does not vouchsafe 
 to return) with a sarcasm, and sternly 
 rebukes her for the untimely pomp, of 
 which he more than suspects the malicious 
 motive {v. 912). Of his danger he has 
 not a suspicion, nor does it lie in any of 
 the facts which he knows or divines, but 
 in the existence of the plot and the pre - 
 
 parations of the conspirators. See the 
 Introduction. Ai^Sas v^veOXov: a signi- 
 ficant opening. Clytaemnestra was the 
 daughter of one false wife and the sister of 
 another, and her husband, who calls her by 
 no other name or title but this, neither 
 'wife', nor 'queen', nor even 'Clytaem- 
 nestra', gives her to know that he has not 
 forgotten the fact. Cf. Ov. Her. 16. 
 291 (Paris to Helen) vix fieri, si sunt 
 vires in semine avorum, \ et lovis et Ledae 
 filia, casta potes. Euripides (if it be he, 
 Iph. A. 686) makes Agamemnon use the 
 same title, among others, without special 
 intention ; but that he should select it at 
 such a moment as this, and avoid every 
 other, is not to be supposed accidental. 
 
 909. €n,i...€noi: ^ me, who have no 
 taste for such things, however the habits 
 of my house may have been changed for 
 the worse in my absence'. See on z/. 918. 
 — kv Tpoirois: ev of circumstance. My 
 former suggestion Tpv<pais I mention only 
 to retract. 
 
 910. ^ap^dOov (f, and probably M) 
 is an odd error but seems to be merely 
 accidental. 
 
 911: literally 'make open-mouthed 
 grovelling clamour in honour of me'. 
 
 913. t£6€i with emphasis, 'do not 
 invite jealousy' at a time when it is 
 specially to be shunned. 
 
no 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KA. 
 
 Ar. 
 
 iv TTOtKikoif; Se Ovrjrov ovra KaWeaiv 
 ^aiveiv ifxol fiev ovhafiw<i aveu (po^ov. 
 Xeyco Kar civSpa, firj deov, cri^eiv ifie. 
 ^«i)pt9 TroSoyjrriaTpcov re koX twv irotKtKaiv 
 kXtjZwv nvrel' Kot to /mt] KaK(S<; (ppovelv 
 Oeov /jbiytcrrov Scopov. oX^icrac Se ■^pr) 
 jBlov reXevrrjaavT iv evearol (piXr). 
 el TrdvTa S' w? irpdcraoifx dv evOaparj^ iyco. 
 Kol ixrjv ToK elire, firj irapd yvco/JLrjv, ifioi, — 
 lyvwfirjv fM€v tcrOi firj SLUcjidepovvT' ifxe. 
 
 915 
 
 920 
 
 915. €|j.ol [liv '/0 vie at least, though 
 others, to my astonishment, do not ap- 
 parently fear the effect of displaying such 
 vicious luxury'. 
 
 916. Again ambiguous; 'I would 
 have the honour of a man — and husband 
 — not of a god '. 
 
 917. T€ Kal. The full force is 'with- 
 out carpets for the feet as without refine- 
 ments generally^. — twv iroiKCXwv: very 
 difficult of translation as including both 
 'decoration' and 'subtlety, fraud', an 
 ambiguity important to the sense. Ex- 
 cept for the sake of bringing out the 
 malicious suggestion of the word ttoikLXos, 
 such an artificial phrase as to, iroiKiXa 
 would not have been used at all. But to 
 substitute iroLKiKixaroiv (Karsten) would be 
 to spoil the point. 
 
 918: rumour cries loud, another for- 
 midable phrase. Rumour sufficiently pro- 
 claims the glory of Agamemnon — and the 
 modesty of his wife? She has dwelt on the 
 «XTjSoj'es that came from Troy {v. 865) : 
 what of the Kkqhihv ' that went there ? 
 (Propertius, who has imitated this play 
 elsewhere, seems to have had this passage 
 in mind in 2, 18, 35 ' ipse tuus semper 
 tibi sit custodia lectus, | nee 7ii7ms ornata 
 fronte sedere velis : | credam ego narranti, 
 noli committere,/awa!i?: | et terram rumor 
 transilit et viaria.) Equally significant is 
 Agamemnon's reference to the virtuous 
 mind and the confidence it gives. But 
 in relation to his own approaching fate 
 
 his language has quite another omen than 
 he intends. 
 
 921. 'And that I shall act on this 
 principle ahuays is the assurance for me ', 
 literally 'and / am confident inasmuch 
 as I should ' do all things after this 
 fashion'. — el irpacro-oi|j.' av. The opta- 
 tive with av, standing in a conditional 
 clause, has the same meaning that it would 
 have in a principal sentence, i.e. it ex- 
 presses what would happen or is likely 
 to happen, under conditions expressed or 
 implied. (It is grammatically an apodo- 
 sis.) Here the implied condition is the 
 universal condition 'whatever the cir- 
 cumstances', and is in fact contained in 
 TrdfTtt. See on Theh. 504. — irpacrcroii* 
 av 'I should do' (Paley) not, 'I should 
 fare', which ■Ko.vra. does not admit. — ws 
 thus, ' on these principles ' i.e. ' with the 
 same moderation and propriety as I show 
 in this refusal ', This remark, or rather 
 promise, is for the benefit of the bystand- 
 ers. — Note that iravTa is emphasized by 
 its irregular place before Se. — I follow 
 Mr Sidgwick in holding that this verse is 
 correct. eTTroj' rdS', ws Weil. 
 
 922 — 933. On the effect of this alter- 
 cation see Appendix R. 
 
 922 — 923. Come, answer — saving your 
 judgment — 07ie question from me. — My 
 Judgment, be answered, is fixed beyond 
 change by tne. — t68' elir^...6|j.o£ differs 
 from the usual formula for asking a 
 question, eltri /j.oi, only in the appealing 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 Ill 
 
 KA. r)v^(o 0eot<; Se/cra? /iv (S8' epSeiv TfiSe ; 
 
 AF. eiTrep rt?, etSws" 7' ev roB^ e^elirov Te\o<;. 
 
 KA. Tt 8' civ hoKel aoi Ilpia/jbo<;, el raS' rjvv(T€v ., 
 
 AT. ev TTOLKL\oL<i av KnpTa fiOL ^fjvai BoKe2. 
 
 KA. fiT] vvv Tov (IvOpwireLov alSeadjj'i yp-ojov. 
 
 AT. (f>r}fj,7] ye fievroi 8rj/j,6dpov<y fxeya adevei. 
 
 KA. 6 S' d(^d6vrir6<i J ovK eVi^T^Xo? ireXei. 
 
 AT. ovTOi yvvaiK6<; icrrcv Ifieipeiv fjuayri-i. 
 
 KA. rol<; 8' oX^lol^ ye kol to viKuaOai irpeireL. 
 
 AT. rj Kol (TV vLKrjv W]v8e Stjpio'i riei'i. 
 
 926 and 927. SoKT). 
 
 925 
 
 930 
 
 emphasis thrown upon eixoi. — toSc : the 
 question (v. 924), whicli follows the king's 
 interruption. — jiii irapd ■yvw[at)v : literally 
 'not against judgment', an afterthought 
 and parenthesis, as is shown by the use 
 of eivi (not etV^s as required by rule for 
 a prohibition). The same phrase traph 
 yvdifx-qv \iyeiv occurs in Eur. Med. e^'j'j 
 Kel irapa yvwfirjv epu) though it be an 
 ill-judged thing to say, where see note. 
 The parenthesis here is thrown in 
 just to get a hearing, and means 'you 
 may, without sacrifice of judgment, 
 answer a question '. — It is impossible to 
 be certain about ejaculatory speeches of 
 this kind, where everything depends on 
 the precise conversational value of each 
 phrase. But I think, agreeing so far 
 with Kennedy, that t65' il-Ki can only 
 mean tell Die this. — The alternative ren- 
 dering, 'Yet order tl^s not contrary to 
 my purpose' scarcely satisfies either t65' 
 eiiri or /cai iit]v. — ■yvto|JiT]v . . . jxi] 8ia<j)96povv- 
 To 'that I shall not alter my judgment 
 (resolve) for the worse'. Eur. Hipp. 388 
 ra.vTa...'irpoyvod(T^ eyu, ov BcacpdepeTv ^fxeX- 
 \ov (Paley). 
 
 924. Ybti voived perhaps in some hour 
 of terror so to perform this act?, i.e. to 
 make a humble entrance, propitiating 
 the gods by renunciation. She tries a 
 taunt of cowardice (Sidgwick). — iiv^w... 
 dv : for this conjectural use of the past 
 indicative with 6.v sec on Thcb. 696. — 
 
 ^pSeiv, properly of the performance of a 
 ritual. — The reading SeLcraaav (Hermann) 
 is defended as necessary because the 
 sentence must be interrogative (Weck- 
 lein). But surely the interrogative con- 
 jecture is a not uncommon form of speech. 
 The MS. authority is as good for deiaaaav 
 as for Selaas av, but the sense ' Have you 
 vowed to the gods that I should make 
 such a sacrifice (of costly decorations) only 
 in fear for youj- life?' seems far inferior 
 and scarcely to be got from the words. 
 
 925. TeXos fjial decision. He puts 
 aside her question, reaffirming his reso- 
 lution. 
 
 926. 8oK€i Stanley. tC represents a 
 verb to be filled in by the answer, ev 
 iroiKiXoLS §T)vai. So in ha ri ; with 
 what object 1 H represents a verb in the 
 subjunctive. — The parallel of Priam is of 
 course no argument whatever. It is the 
 king's very ground of objection that the 
 ceremony is ^apj3apov. Clytaemnestra is 
 not really arguing but merely talking 
 down resistance. 
 
 92S. TOV ctvOpwirtiov: with emphasis. 
 ' If it is not fear of the gods, fear not men '. 
 929. See on v. 918. 
 
 932. They may submit (let them- 
 selves be conquered) with grace. 
 
 933. li^.-.TCeis Vo2i plainly, no less 
 than I, think the point luorth contest. 
 Clytaemnestra has spoken as if it were 
 beneath the king's dignity to contest such 
 
112 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KA. ttlOov' Kpdro<; fiev rot 7rdp€<: y eicwv ifiot. 
 AT. d)OC el SoKel aoi Tavd\ vrrai rt? dp^vXa<; 
 Xvoc rd'X^o';, TrpoSovXov ep-^aatv ttoSo?. — 
 v/ ical ToiaBi fi ifi^alvovff dXovpyicriv Oewv 
 
 935 
 
 a trifle. The king, who believes, as the 
 fact is, that the trifle has a mischievous 
 purpose, retorts that the matter does not 
 seem indiff"erent to her. vCkt^v 'TijvSt 
 ' having the best in this matter '. Srfpios 
 tUis : the genitive is that of price. For 
 the archaic use of rkiv, ' to value at, rate 
 at', see Horn. //. 23. 703, 705. Like the 
 archaic word and form Bripios, it belongs 
 to the proverbial character (cf. Tkeb. 703) 
 of the sentiment. — It is usual to join 
 8-qpios with viKrjv, translating thus Do yo2i 
 yourself find a victory so won to your 
 taste? Here v'lKr^v r-fivde 'that sort of 
 victory' stands for rb viKaadai (see pre- 
 ceding verse). My reason for suggesting 
 and preferring the other construction is 
 that the rhythm divides the line naturally 
 after ri^vde, and also that d'^pios, if joined 
 with v'lk7]v, is superfluous, a serious fault 
 in an epigram such as this. 
 
 934. Yield: I constrain you; let it 
 be with consent. In |xev toi, as the cae- 
 sura suggests, each particle has its sepa- 
 rate force. With Kpdros |xev, literally 
 'force at all events', cf. e/xo: ix.iv in v. 915. 
 The antithesis implied in y.iv, but not 
 formally completed, is between /cparos 
 and eKiiiv, force and consent. See also 
 Theb. 736 yeivaro nkv fxopov avr^ he begat 
 a son only to be his death, and note there. 
 — TOi marks that the phrase Kparos /j.iv 
 Trapes 7' €Kd)v, 'yield willingly at least 
 what in any case will be enforced ', is a 
 common form: it must generally be omit- 
 ted in English for want of a compendious 
 equivalent. — KpareTs jxivToi. Trapeh Weil 
 and, omitting 7', Wecklein ; 'you win 
 however, if you yield willingly'; cf. v. 
 932. — With these words she lays hands 
 upon the king, who, as she says, has 
 practically no choice but to give way, 
 and compels him to descend. 
 
 936. Xvoi for the usual Xv^tw. See 
 on V. 557. — Tolxos adverbial, w;V/i speed — 
 Note the pause after the second foot, 
 almost unknown in Aeschylus' iambic 
 verse, and always significant to the ear. 
 It here adds abruptness to the abrupt 
 command. The king is impatient to 
 have done. — irpdSovXov, in its full sense, 
 servant to a servant i^vicarius), meaner 
 even than the foot (Schiitz). — Here his 
 shoes are taken off". 
 
 937. Kal TOio-Se efven tuith these if I 
 tread etc., i.e. raiis Troaiv, with his bare 
 feet, not his shoes : note the emphasis on 
 iroaLv in v. 939. The demonstrative pro- 
 noun is explained here, as often, by look 
 and gesture. Even thus he fears to 
 provoke <p96vos by his act. The whole 
 conception of this scene is quite alien 
 from our ideas, but the strength of Aga- 
 memnon's repugnance, partly practical 
 and partly superstitious, will not seem 
 exaggerated to any one who will re- 
 member what 'the evil eye' still is in 
 Italy. — This clause is generally joined 
 with the preceding, Kal being taken as 
 and and roiade with aXovpyicnv. The 
 objection to this was marked by the 
 Farnesian editor (who gives ^iiv raiade 
 i.e. rats dp^vXais) and acknowledged by 
 Blomfield, Heath, Dobree, Hartung etc. 
 Tolffde so taken is superfluous, whereas 
 the position shows it to be emphatic. — 
 0€wv belongs to aXovpyicLv {sacred tapes- 
 tries proper only for divine service) as the 
 rhythm demands. — aXovp-^io-iv. That 
 dXovpyh (adj.) should be used as a sub- 
 stantive is not impossible but, with 
 6ewv depending on it, improbable. On 
 the other hand as an error aXovpy^cnv is 
 easily accounted for by the wrong inter- 
 pretation of Toiffde. I should therefore 
 prefer the normal form aXovpylcyiv. 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 113 
 
 fXT] ri<; irpocroiOev 6fifiaT0<i /BiiXoi <f)d6iw<;. 
 ttoWj] yap alSax; aco^aro^dopelv iroalv 
 <f)6eipovra ttKovtov apyvpcovrjrov; 0' i5(^a?. 
 TovTcov fiev ovT(o' TTjv ^evrjv Se irpevp.evw'i 
 rrjvh^ eaKOfii^e. rov Kparovvra /iaX^a/cw? 
 0e6^ nrpoawOev evfxev(o<i irpocrhepKerai' 
 eKwv yap ovSel<i SouXlo) ')(pT]Tai ^vyw. 
 avrrj he iroWcov ^ptj/jLarcov i^aipeTOv 
 av6o<i arparov hwprjpj e/xol ^vvecnrero. 
 enrei S' aKovetv crov KaTecnpap.fiaL rahe, 
 elfx e<f Sofioiv /j,e\a6pa 7rop(f)vpa<i Trarcov. 
 
 940 
 
 945 
 
 945. aVTT]. 
 
 938. (ATI pdXoi / /io/>e no distant eye 
 may give me an evil glance. — irpocrwOev 
 
 from a distance ; this is no needless ad- 
 dition, but on the contrary marks the 
 point. See Appendix R. To supply 
 deCJv is neither necessaiy nor legitimate. 
 According to the superstition, the eye 
 of human jealousy is as dangerous as the 
 divine. See on 7'. 942. 
 
 939. <r«(jiaTo4>9op€iv iroo-lv <j>9€CpovTa 
 to stain with the stain of human feet, 
 (pdeipeiv to spoil has the same sense 
 as in CJio. ion (pbvov ktjkIs . . .ToWas 
 ^a(pas (pdeipovaa rov iroiKiXfJiaTos. — (r(d)xa- 
 TO(j)0op€iv has been too summarily rejected. 
 If aufjia in the compound be taken as the 
 object of (pdelpeiv, the word is here mean- 
 ingless ; but ffw/MaTo^96pos equally admits 
 the sense 'staining (or stained) zcith the 
 body', as in x^'POM'^X'"' SaKTvXodeiKTos 
 etc. Garments stained by wearing would 
 be <T(i3naT64>6opa, the person wearing them 
 awp.aTO(/)d6pos ei/xaruv, and his act awfia- 
 TO<pdop€iv eifxaTa. The word therefore 
 distinguishes the bare feet ('feet of the 
 body') from the shod, and that is precise- 
 ly what is here wanted. — None of the pro- 
 posed corrections {€lp.aTo<{)dopeiv, crrpw/xa- 
 To(pdopeiv, 8o}/j.aTo^6op€ii>) are so good as 
 the text ; and it is in itself improbable 
 that a unique word should be either an 
 error or a conjecture. 
 
 940. irXovTov dpYvpwvrJTOvs 0' v<}>ds 
 
 V. JE. A. 
 
 948. 86/x,ov^. 
 
 'what is wealth, textures bought for 
 silver'. irXovTOv: in an emphatic and 
 restricted sense, as we speak of the preci- 
 ous metals. dpYvpwvifTovs : the ordinary 
 dress, tapestry etc. of a Greek household 
 were not bought at all, but made there. — 
 T€ is not necessary but is often used where 
 simple apposition would be admissible. 
 
 941. TovTwv \i.lv ovTw: literally 'of 
 this thus', a formula impatiently dismiss- 
 ing the subject. There is an ellipse of 
 something {e.g. diraWax^uifJ-ev), but of 
 what, a native Greek might have been 
 unable to say. Nothing exactly analo- 
 gous seems to occur elsewhere, for such 
 cases as d77eXia aiirod news of him, and 
 even rod KaaiyvrjTov ri (pys, ij^ovTos rj p.i\- 
 XovTos ; (Soph. £1. 317), may, as Weck- 
 lein says, be distinguished. But it seems 
 bold to pronounce it impossible. — Tovfxbv 
 Emperius, Wecklein. — ttjv ^€vt]v 8« : see 
 Appendix R. 
 
 942. Tov KparoviVTa fj.a\0aKws: see 
 on V. 10. He flatters himself with the 
 thought that whatever may be the effect 
 on other ' distant eyes ' (see v. 938), divine 
 eyes at least will be propitiated by his 
 humanity. 
 
 945. aiiTT] Auratus. 
 
 946. €(Aol belongs both to 8wp7]p.a and 
 to ^vviaireTO. Cf. w. 866, 1365. 
 
 947. 'Since I am reduced to obey 
 you herein'. 
 
 8 
 
114 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KA. ecTTLv ddXaaaa, rt? 8e viv Karaa-^eaeL ; 
 
 Tpe<pov(7a TToWrj'i 7rop(f)vpa<i Icrdpyvpov 95^ 
 
 KTjKiSa irayKalviarov, elfjbdrwv /3a0a9. 
 
 OLKO^i S' iinrdp'^et roSvBe (tvv 0eo2'j, ava^, 
 
 €-)(eLV' TrevecrdaL S' ovk eiricnaraL B6fjio<i. 
 
 iroXkoov irarrjcrpiov S' elfidrcov av rjv^a/xrjv, 
 
 Sofiotai 7rpovve')(^devroq ev '^^^prja-rrjpiot'i 955 
 
 '^^XV'* fcofiKTTpa rfja-Be fjbT}')(^avQ)/j.evrj. 
 
 pt^7)<} <ydp ova7]<i (f)vWd<; iKer e? So/xovi, 
 
 aKidv uTTepreivao-a cretptov KVi>o<i. 
 
 Kai aov p,o\6vTO<i Sco/naTLTiv eanav, 
 
 6d\7ro'? /xev ev -^^eLfJUMVL arj/jLaivetii /jloXcov 960 
 
 ei's dpyvpov. 954. deLfidruiv. 956. fJi-qxO'V^IJ-ivris. 
 
 950- 
 
 949 — 953. 'There is purple enough in 
 the sea, and enough within''. As the 
 king proceeds to the door along the path 
 with its crimson iroiKlXfiaTa, it is to the 
 eye of the queen, who foresees the et/xa- 
 Tuv /3a0ds that are to follow within (v. 
 1382), as though already he walked in 
 blood. There is also in the mere sound 
 and imagei-y of the opening verse the 
 feeling of her hatred, deep, cruel, and 
 inexhaustible. But no commentary can 
 exhaust the significance of this marvellous 
 scene, which for spectacidar writing, if 
 the phrase may be used, has probably 
 never been rivalled. — GaXao-cra: see Ap- 
 pendix O. 
 
 950. lo-dpyupov (Salmasius) zvorth its 
 weight in silver: laoaTacnos yap rjv ri wop- 
 <p{ipa Trpbs dpyvpov e'^erafoyU.^z'Tj (Theopom- 
 pus ap. Athenaeum Xii. 526 C, cited by 
 Hermann). — KTiKiSaira-YKaivKrTov/?/^;^/^ 
 ooze ever fresh atid fresh. ktjkCs, because 
 the dye is the juice or ooze of a shell-fish. 
 But in fact it is the underlying thought, 
 and not the surface-meaning, which deter- 
 mines the form of the expression. 
 
 952. There is a chamber of stich, I 
 trust, from which to take thereof. t«v8« 
 depends both on oXko% and on ^x^'" i^^ 
 slightly different ways ; with ol/cos it is 
 material, with ^x^"* partitive. — (riv Oeois : 
 see V. 904. — A difficulty is raised as to 
 
 olKO'i, {ohoLS Porson). But the expression 
 'room of them', for 'store of them', does 
 not seem an unnatural stretch of language, 
 particularly as oTkos constantly means the 
 contents of the house rather than the 
 structure ; cf. oiKovbfxos. 
 
 954. iro\X«3v 'jraTTj<r(i6v Se : ttoWQiv 
 is displaced for emphasis. The full sense 
 is 'as for trampling of tapestries I would 
 have devoted many to the trampling'. 
 8' einciTWV Canter. 
 
 955. irpovvex.Se'vTOS tou ev^aadai : had 
 it been proposed to me. — 80^,010-1 ... ev 
 XpT]a-Ti]p{ois together, in some temple 
 oracular. 
 
 956. |XT])(^avwp,6VT| Abresch, Hermann. 
 The genitive absolute is not impossible 
 but objectionable and a likely error. 
 
 957. iKiTO, gnomic aorist, comes. The 
 comparison and the thing compared mix 
 together, ' Thy life is the root of the 
 house, and thy safe coming as the putting 
 forth of the shading leaves '. 
 
 957 — 960. Note here again the artifi- 
 cial manner in which the images, splendid 
 as they are, are accumulated and repeat- 
 ed : cf. V. 887. 
 
 958. tr\(xo.v .. .Kw>h% shade against : see 
 i-Kvov aKos V. 17. 
 
 960. [AoXwv : fxoKbv Voss. But as the 
 sense is 'thy coming signifies the coming 
 of warmth', either is right. 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 "5 
 
 orav Be tcv'^^t) Zei)? «tt' 6fi(f)aK0<i iTLKpa'i 
 olvov, TOT ijSi] '\lrv'x^o<; ev 86fj,oi<; ireXet 
 dvSpd<; Te\,€LOV BcofM iirtcrTpaxfxjo/jievov. — 
 ZeO Zev reXeie, t«<? e'/irt? ev')(^(i<; TeXei' 
 fxeXot Be rot crol rduvTrep av ixeWrj'i reKelv. 
 
 965 
 
 XO. riirre /xoi rdS' i/xTreBaxi 
 Bely/xa Trpo(nari]piov 
 
 961. 
 
 963. TtXeiov a grim word. As ap- 
 plied to llie husband or master of tlie 
 house, it mQ^iws govcruiug, ' hearing rAos' 
 i.e. authority or office (see on T/id>. 152). 
 But it is also a ritual term, applied to the 
 perfect victim, fit for the sacrifice (cf. 
 av5po(7<pa-y€lov v. 1077 ^^^ no\.e the ritual 
 term reKelv, to accomplish a ri/c, in ?'. 
 964). Nor is eirKTTpaxjxoiievov without 
 bearing on this suggestion ; for the victim 
 which came by accident to the place of 
 sacrifice was regarded as specially marked 
 by the god, and the analogy was strictly 
 extended to human sacrifice, as in the 
 case of the Tauric Artemis, to whom were 
 offered all strangers whom she caused to 
 be cast on her shore. 
 
 964. Agamemnon has passed within ; 
 Clytaemnestra follows him, turning at 
 the door for her final prayer. — rtXeie 
 'supreme' and over all, as the man over 
 the house (cf. the title "Hpa reXeia given 
 to the goddess of matronhood). Cly- 
 taemnestra conceives herself to have a 
 claim upon the god of the family-life as 
 the avenger of Iphigenia, if it is his 
 pleasure to interfere at all. — rtXei* [uKoi 
 8^ Accojnplish niy prayers, ami then thy 
 providence may accomplish even what thou 
 mayest ititend: i.e. 'give me vengeance, 
 be the sequel what it may'. (ic'Xoi. 
 This use of the optative to signify ac- 
 quiescence belongs to the same archaic 
 syntax as the imperative optative (see v. 
 936). For an exact parallel see Hom. 
 //. 21. 359 X^7' ^pi^os, TptSas 5^ /cai avrUa 
 Sios'Axi-KXev^ dffTeoi i^eXacreie, cease stripe, 
 ami /consent that etc. (see Monro, Homeric 
 
 arp. a 
 
 Grammar % 299 for more illustrations). — 
 For (icXciv specially of the moral provi- 
 dence see V. 38 1 ovK i<pa. tis deovs (ipoTQiv 
 d^tovcrOaL fi^Xeiv oaois clOLktwv X'^P'-^ "'''■ 
 To?To.—v. 965 is generally taken as 
 merely a repetition of r^Xei, but this (i) 
 makes it superfluous, (2) does not ac- 
 count for the change of mood, and (3) 
 does not justify the generality of TCivirep 
 dv fiiXXrjs. — If the reading be correct 
 T«v"ir€p (for rwv rdwep) is an example, 
 said to be unique, of the Attic 'attrac- 
 tion ' occurring in a relative of this archaic 
 form. It could be removed by reading 
 either yuArjy or ixiXri wipL (Maelily). See 
 Wecklein. 
 
 965. Clytaemnestra enters the house, 
 leaving Cassandra seated in her chariot. 
 As to the scene generally at this point 
 see the Introduction. 
 
 967. 8«i-Y|Jia sign, i.e. 'advertisement' 
 or 'warning' of something that is to 
 come. For a not dissimilar use of the 
 word, which in poetry is extremely rare 
 and generally not common, see Eur. El. 
 1 1 74 (Orestes and Electra, after slaying 
 Clytaemnestra, come from the house with 
 blood upon their feet) rpowaia Seiyfiar' 
 ddXlcov irpo(T4>6eyiJ.dTwv 'a victorious ad- 
 vertisement of the unhappy salutation (they 
 will pronounce)'. 'Apparition, spectre' 
 is an impossible translation, as it does 
 not give the proper meaning of 8elKvvfii, 
 diZy\ia must have been in M and is pre- 
 sumably right ; but the full interpretation 
 of it must depend on that of the whole 
 sentence, on which see Appendix S. — 
 Sei/xa h. 
 
 X 
 
ii6 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KapSia^ rerpaa-KOirov iroTarai, 
 
 fiavTtTToXel 8' aKe\€V<TTO<; afxicrOo^ aoc8d ; 
 
 ovS" (hro'mvcra'; BIkuv 
 
 SvcrKpirav oveipdrcov 
 
 6dp(T0<; ev7ret6e<i i^ei, 
 
 ^pevo^ (f)[Xov Opovov; y^p6vo<i h iirl 
 
 IT pv fxvrjCT [wv ^uvefi^oXoi'i 
 I yjra/JbfiC dKra<i irapr)- 
 - fx'qaev, evG" vir "JXiov 
 
 wpro vav^dra^ arparo^. 
 
 972. evindh. 973. eTret. 
 
 970. ov8' diroiTTvo-as... Opovov; Canst 
 thozi 7iot spit it away, like an unex- 
 plained drea}?i, and so reach such willi^tg 
 trust as the mind is glad to repose iipon ? 
 i.e. 'why not dismiss at any rate for the 
 time forebodings too obscure to be of any 
 use?' The speaker expostulates with 
 
 970 
 
 _ w - — o — 
 
 _ O _- u 
 
 975 
 
 — u 
 
 himself, a natural form of speech when 
 the mind, as here, is personified. — ovSi 
 ...; literally 'wilt thou not even... 7 \ or 
 '■not so 7nuch as...V — diro'7rTiio-as...V5€i.: 
 for the relation of the participle and verb 
 see vv. 606, 611, 1031, 1052 etc. The 
 principal notion is in aTroTrriyo-as, and we 
 should use in English (if this way of 
 putting it may be tolerated) such a form 
 as ovK a.TVOTrTuaii%, ware iKiadat; — diroTT- 
 Tvi(ras literally, the act being supersti- 
 tiously supposed efficacious as a magic 
 prevention. If a dream can be inter- 
 preted, well and good ; if not, you relieve 
 your mind by 'spitting it away', and 
 think no more about it. The object of 
 awoTTTvcFas [it, the foreboding) is readily 
 supplied from the previous sentence. — 
 eviTEiOes (lacob) 'easy-believing', see on 
 V. 286, i.e. a voluntary trust assumed 
 in default of contrary evidence. — ({>pev6s 
 (|>i\ov Opovov : in apposition to Odpaos, 
 literally 'a welcome seat to the mind'. — 
 This sentence, not really difficult with a 
 proper punctuation, is commonly taken . 
 as one with the preceding. There being 
 then no subject for v.iroTrTvaas...i^€c, 
 Scaliger changed it to diroirTv<Tai'...i^ei, 
 
 975 — 76. ipap-jxlas (XKOLTa Traprj^Tjaev. 
 
 i.e. 'while confidence does not spit it 
 away... and sit on the seat of my mind'. 
 But even so there is no satisfactory sense, 
 as several further corrections show. The 
 notions of 'spitting' and of 'sitting on 
 the seat of the mind', attached as meta- 
 phors to a personified ddpaos, jar against 
 each other, and the epithet ^fXoi' is point- 
 less. 
 
 973 — 977. Yet time hath heaped the 
 sand-grains of the shore upon the anchor- 
 stones., since the naval host set forth to 
 Troy ; and they are returned, as I know 
 by the witness of my oivn eyes, i.e. ' It 
 is so long since the sacrifice at Aulis, 
 and the prophecies thereupon (z^. 160) 
 are so far refuted by the king's safe re- 
 turn, that we might well be re-assured'. 
 — This passage has clearly been defaced, 
 and though the error is probably small, 
 certain restoration is scarcely to be hoped. 
 The above text is given merely as pos- 
 sible. — lirl and d/cdras Cod. Farn.: 
 aKTcis Wellauer. I suggest xj/a/jL/xLaKTas 
 as a combination of letters likely to pro- 
 duce error from confusion of xpafi/iia 
 (from xpafijuiov) with the adjective \pafj.- 
 /J.10S. irapT) jji,T]o-€v : cf. v. 1^20 ^laafj-druv 
 Codex Venetics for fua<r/jLdTwv : one form 
 of /3 closely resembles /j., being in fact a 
 fi without the tail. For irap-apAo) to 
 heap as a cover see dfidd}, and compare 
 wapa/XTriax^, irapaKoKiJWTCi} etc. — irpviivt]- 
 irCuv ^vv«|JiP6Xois : a ^vvifx^oXov is by 
 etymology 'what is thrown in with' 
 
ArAMEMNfiN. 
 
 117 
 
 TrevOofiat S' «tt' ofx^drcov 
 voarov, avrofiaprvi wv. 
 rov h\ avev \vpa^ oTTty?, v/xvofiBei 
 dprjvov 'Epiyuo? avrohihaKTO<; eawdev 
 6v/j.6^, ov TO irnv e^cov 
 eXTTiSo? (f)i,\ov dpdao<i. 
 cnfKd'y)(ya 8' ovrot /jLard^ei, 
 TT/JO? evSiKOi.'; <f)p€alv Te\ea(f)6poi,<i 
 8ivai<; KVKXovfievov Keqp. 
 I ev'x^o/jiai S" e^ e/xa? \ _ ^ — — o 
 
 981. 
 
 something, here with the cables {wpvixvi}- 
 aia). As a description of the large stones 
 which the Greeks used as anchors it 
 seems a simple phrase. Naturally they 
 were not always carried about, but left 
 where they lay, others being found at the 
 next mooring. The vtooring of the fleet 
 in Aulis was the important fact in the 
 story (see TreianaTwv d.cpeide'h v. 205), and 
 it is thus a natural sign of the lapse of 
 time since the departure, to say that 
 ' the mooring-stones have disappeared in 
 the sand'. — tvTt since in the temporal 
 sense, as Sophocles occasionally {O. C. 
 84) uses it for since in the causal sense. 
 Cf. the uses of eirei. — \j/a/jLfj.6s (xktSs irapri- 
 X't<yev Wecklein, from which I take the 
 suggestion that /3 in Traptj^j^crev is an 
 error. That xpovos irap-q^-qaev ' time has 
 passed his youth' should be used for 'a 
 long time has elapsed' is incredible. 
 
 980. 8« but yet as in v. 973 and con- 
 stantly. Tov, demonstrative that strain 
 {vfivov), to which dpijvop 'Epivvos is added 
 as a further description after the manner 
 of Homer (Monro Horn. Gr. §§ 258, 
 ■259). — av€v Xvpas 01TWS 'sings ivithoiit 
 the lyre as it wei'e^ i.e. unbidden, unin- 
 vited, dK^eucrros {v. 969), an expression 
 apparently proverbial, and naturally 
 arising from the Greek habit of passing 
 the lyre in company. To receive the 
 lyre was to be asked to sing; &v€v Xvpas 
 q,deuf therefore 'to sing unasked'. That 
 lyreless music was generally sad (see 
 
 980 
 
 985 
 
 epifvvs. 
 
 ciXvpos, d(p6pfx.iKTos) is also here part of the 
 meaning, as it is commonly explained. 
 This however does not fully account for 
 Sttws, which is commonly changed (after 
 Auratus) to Sfius. But the point of this 
 whole passage is not merely that the 
 presentiment is sad but that it is un- 
 explained or, as we also say, ' uncalled 
 for'. — 'Elpivvos Porson. 
 
 982. ov TO irdv not to the full. The 
 misgiving constantly recurs in spite of 
 the encouraging circumstances. I was 
 mistaken here in doubting the traditional 
 reading; see on vv. 185, 687. 
 
 984. o-irXa-yxva. The metaphor passes 
 from the /xavTis to the inward parts of 
 the victim from which he draws his con- 
 clusions. 
 
 985 : the throb that with meaning 
 recurrence the heart repeats to the unmis- 
 taken (Jr^aj/, Jiterally 'the coming round 
 of the heart with portentous revolution 
 against the truth-teUing breast'. The 
 form of expression is strange to our lan- 
 guage but in itself powerful and natural. 
 
 987. But I pray my false expectation 
 may lose itself in void, literally, ' that out 
 of ,my expectation may come falsehood 
 falling into non-accomplishment'. — Note 
 the correlation of €|...€S. — »|/v8tj is really 
 part of the predicate like a 'proleptic' 
 epithet. (The form is presumably right: 
 there is no reason why ^ySos should not 
 have existed as well as xj/udos. The stem 
 rpvS- is warranted by \f/evSris), — The MS. 
 
ii8 
 
 AI2XYA0Y 
 
 1 eXirlSo'i yjrvSi] ireaelv 
 
 3 e? TO fit] reXea^opov. 
 
 finXa yap tol ra? 7roX.Xri? vyteia'i 
 (iKopeaTov rep/ma' vocro'i yap 
 y€LT(ov 6fJb6roL')(o^ ipeihet. 
 Kal TTOTfio^; evOvTTopwv 
 dvBpo^ eirataev a(^avTov epfjba. 
 Kal TO fiev irpo j^prjfMaTcov 
 
 (XT p. /3'. 990 
 
 995 
 
 here is correct. The Coci. farn. scriptor 
 substitutes eiixo-|/J.at 5' a.-w' e-|/xas rot | e'X- 
 7r/-|5os (ctX., to suit his mysterious ver- 
 sion of the strophe, \f/a/ji.fx'i.\as d/cdlras 
 irap-lrj^rjc/ ( eiid' kt\. In the following 
 strophae he has made other like conjec- 
 tures, of which no notice is here taken. 
 
 990—991. If these lines originally 
 corresponded by syllables to the anti- 
 strophe {vv. 1004 — 1005), they must be 
 injured beyond restoration. The mean- 
 ing is clear in both places. On the 
 metre see Appendix II. — 'True it is that 
 the health, -which abounds, encroaches; for 
 sickness is its neighbour right up to the 
 wall', i.e. 'high condition passes easily 
 into bad condition', and generally, as the 
 proverb is interpreted in the next lines, 
 'great prosperity is dangerous'. — Yap toi 
 formula of assenting answer, in which 
 70/3 means not for but more nearly in- 
 deed. — rds TToXXas vYieias: literally, the 
 health which is iniicli : health lies in 
 moderation, and is essentially a /xeaov 
 not a woXv. — aKopco-TOv Ttpfjia its boun- 
 dary is unsatisfied or rapacious, the 
 quality of the encroaching neighbour- 
 being metaphorically given to the boun- 
 dary {ripfia) which he pushes forward 
 into his neighbour's land. The meaning 
 is that, becoming ttoWtj, iiyieia neces- 
 sarily enlarges into vocros, there being no 
 unoccupied land between them. — «pciSei. 
 presses close to. 
 
 993 — 994- ^fid human fortune, run- 
 ning too straight, oft strikes on a hidden 
 reef. — dvSpos: i.e. ^porov as occasionally 
 in poetry. See Theb. 425 where dvdpdffiv 
 
 is opposed to deous, and note there. 
 There is no sign here of anything lost. 
 See on the antistrophe. 
 
 995 — 1009. A difficult passage, in 
 some points not explicable with the exist- 
 ing materials. The general connexion is 
 this. All prosperity is dangerous (990 — 
 994) ; and, while some kinds of loss may 
 be averted by a timely and willing sac- 
 rifice of gain (995 — 1000), which sac- 
 rifice itself the bounty of heaven can 
 make good (looi — 1003), the life once 
 lost is never restored (1004 — ioo6), no, 
 not the life of the most virtuous (1007 — 
 1009). Note that vv. 1 001— 1003 are 
 not a fresh illustration of the point 
 that prosperity can be restored, but a 
 parenthetic remark upon the foregoing 
 illustration, as is shown by the con- 
 necting particle (toi not a copula). This 
 is pointed out by Mr Housman in the 
 paper before cited. Journal of Philology, 
 XVI. p. 271, where he discusses the whole 
 passage. 
 
 995. TO p.€v answers to to Se in "'. 
 1004, on the one hand. ..on the other. 
 
 995 — 1000. The metaphor is taken 
 from a boat which may be saved if not 
 overloaded ; but neither the meaning nor 
 the construction can be fixed without 
 further information on o-t|>€v8dvas ctir' 
 e-ujxtTpov. The current explanation is 
 that oKcos is the 'fear', which throws 
 the cargo overboard in a storm, and that 
 cripeudovas aTr' ev/xirpov means 'with well- 
 measured throw'. But a sling has 
 nothing to do with the casting away of 
 cargo, still less has the measure of a 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 119 
 
 KTrjalcop, 0KV0<i /3a\cov 
 
 cr<f)€vB6va^ dir evfieTpov, 
 
 ovK eSv irpoira^ Bofxof 
 
 7ra/jbOPa<; ye/juoiv d<yav, 
 
 oOS' €7r6vTia-€ (TKd(f)o^. 1000 
 
 TToWd Toi Soctk: €k Ato? dfjL(f)iXa(fi7]<; re, koX 
 
 ef dXoKcov eirereuiv 
 
 vrjCTTtv (oXeaev voaov. 
 
 TO 8' fcVi ^dv Trecrov dira^ davdaifiov dvr. y9'. 
 
 999. wrj/jLovas. 
 
 sling, whether referred to the capacity of 
 the sling, or (if this is possible) to the 
 length of the throw. None of the mean- 
 ings of <T<pevd6i>Ti, which are various but 
 all traceable to that of a sling, is admis- 
 sible here; and as the words are mani- 
 festly genuine, there is an infinite field 
 for conjecture as to their unknown sense. 
 See Appendix T. — to |xJv irpo \p-r\^a,r<)iv 
 KT-r]trio)v: literally 'so far as concerns the 
 preservation of wealth': irpo where prose 
 would use virip oil behalf of. (We can 
 scarcely separate -Rpb from xpy]p.6.Twv, or 
 make xp- ^'t"- mean 'the main cargo' as 
 opposed to part of it.) — okvos paXtov 
 (XPTlH-aTa) if apprehension discharges it: 
 for the 'pendent' nominative participle 
 of. Supp. 455 (cat yKdxTaa. ro^eijcraffa /Ui) to. 
 Kaipta, yivoLTO fivdov fivdos dp 6e\KTripios : 
 it is really 'in apposition to' the main 
 sentence, like the much commoner accus- 
 ative (v. 236); the 'casting-off ' is 'the 
 not-sinking of the house'.— <r<|)€v8dvas 
 dir €up.eTpov: from the duly-weighted 
 sling, i.e. from the balance (?) : see Ap- 
 pendix. — 86)1.0$ is not part of the metaphor 
 of the ship, but is the thing metaphori- 
 cally compared to a ship, the house (cf. v. 
 38S), which by liberality desires toescajie 
 the [lenalty of too much. Tra^iovas 
 "yciuov a'yav : over-fraught -with riches 
 (Housman). For Tra/xoc'^, from irdo/xai, 
 to possess, a synonym of Trd/j.a, compare 
 the parallel forms Trrjuovrj-irrj/xa, x'^pl^o'^- 
 Xdpfxa, Tr\ri(T /j-of Tj- irXiia /j.a : so also Tracts* 
 
 1004. ireaovd'. 
 
 KTijffis Hesychius, tr drapes' KTr/ropes 
 Photius. See the paper above cited for 
 an interesting discussion of this rare class 
 of words. It may be taken as certain 
 that irafiovri would appear in our Mss. as 
 irr]ixov7), and I do not doubt that Mr 
 Housman is right : wTj/xowds mischief, 
 damage, is contrary to the sense. 
 
 1 00 1 — 1 003 . /^ich we know and abun- 
 dant is the gift of Zeus, and rids the 
 plague of hunger out of the annual field, 
 i.e. the produce of each year supplies the 
 year's food. The application of this 
 commonplace (note rot) to the present 
 purpose is this, that as Heaven gives 
 man year by year in plenty what is need- 
 ful for him, the eagerness for more than 
 plenty is inexcusable. In agriculture, 
 as usual, is sought the type of natural 
 prosperity, and in commerce (cf. the im- 
 piae rates of Horace Od. I. 3 etc.) that of 
 avarice and excess. — wXecrcv v6<rov, as if 
 hunger were some weed or other mis- 
 chievous thing in the soil (cf. a^eproj 
 alavrjs vbcToz Etim. 482, 943) which Zeus, 
 by his bounty, destroys. This concrete 
 and picturesque way of putting the idea 
 is quite in the manner of the old prover- 
 bial poetry, such as that of Hesiod, 
 which Aeschylus is here following and 
 probably quoting. — -ijXaffev (Schiitz) is 
 not technically probable and seems need- 
 less. 
 
 1004. TO 8i : see on v. 995. — Tr€<rov 
 Auratus. 
 
120 
 
 AI2XYA0Y 
 
 'rrpoirap avhp6<i /xeXav alfjua tU av 
 irdXiv dyKaXeaacT eiraeihwv ; 
 ovhe TOP opOoharj 
 Twv (f)0i,fji>evQ)V av eV avXajBela. 
 €0 Se firj rerayfieva 
 
 (pdLnivwv dvayeiv \ Zei)s aiir' ^Trava^ iir\ 
 
 1005 
 
 lOIO 
 
 1008- 
 
 -09. 
 
 1005. iiAav: see on T^cd. 43. 
 
 1007. ov8i...avXap€tq, 7/ay, /o revive 
 the most straitly virtuous were a sin : 
 literally, 'not even the straitly virtuous of 
 the dead may one recall from the dead 
 withinnocency'. — ctv, supply dvoKaX^crat- 
 t6 Tts, the elliptical o.v marking, as 
 usual, that the verb of the previous 
 sentence, as well as the subject, is con- 
 tinued. — Tov 6p0o8aT] literally 'the 
 rightly schooled ', cf. the Homeric 
 5at<j>pu3v virtuous. The allusion is to the 
 standing example of Hippolytus (Find. 
 Fyth. 3. 98, Eur. Ale. 123, Horace, Od. 
 4. 7. 25, Verg. Aen. 7. 765): for re- 
 storing him to life Asclepios was slain by 
 Zeus, and according to one form of the 
 story Hippolytus also perished a second 
 time (see Horace). Hippolytus is the 
 typical ascetic trained in the Orphic 
 discipline above the common level of 
 humanity (see Eur. Hipp. 11, 952, and 
 passim). Hence opQoha.y\% here : the word 
 itself is probably Orphic; see the refer- 
 ences to the late Orphica in L. and Sc. 
 s.vv. opdoddreipa, darjros. — twv «()0i|j.€V«v : 
 the genitive is constructed (as partitive) 
 with TOV opdodaij and is also supplied (as 
 ablative) with the verb. — eir' avXapcia: 
 i.e. €ir* dpXaPeiq, (h) where ini expresses 
 the terms and conditions upon which a 
 thing is done. I retain under reserve the 
 form aiiXa^eiq. as given, perhaps rightly, by 
 the MS. The initial /3 of the stem /3Xa/3- 
 is supposed by some to represent an orig- 
 inal f. From dfXa^Tjs the regular Aeolic 
 formation would be aiiXajS-rjs, as avp-rjKTos 
 (a-fpr]KTos) evpdyT] {e-fpayrj) in Alcaeus, 
 and the preservation of that form might 
 be due to some literary association. — 
 The metre shows that either this passage 
 
 has been interpolated or the strophe 
 is deficient. To prove that the error 
 is here, it is almost enough that the 
 metre can be exactly mended by an 
 excision which leaves a text plainly liable 
 to be misunderstood and filled up. The 
 chances against this as an accident are 
 enormous. Moreover while the strophe 
 is perfect sense, this as it stands is 
 unconstruable. The exact origin of the 
 insertion we cannot expect to trace; it 
 appears to be from a note or notes, 
 dvdyoi and Zei)s a'Vo ^iravae i.e. ' Supply 
 dvdyoi\ 'Zeus put an end to it', or the like. 
 loio. And were it not that the decrees 
 of fate check and limit one another, my 
 heart, outrunning my tongue, would have 
 poured these bodings forth. 'So strong 
 is my sense of an evil destiny at work, 
 that I must perforce have spoken, but 
 for the consoling reflexion, that it may be 
 counteracted by a good destiny', for 
 there are many divine powers, whose 
 purposes sometimes clash, and in the 
 case of Agamemnon there is evidence 
 both for the evil destiny and for the 
 good. (Professor Goodwin, cited and 
 followed by Mr Sidgwick). — T€Ta-y|A€va... 
 €K Oeiuv decreed by gods belongs both to 
 ixoipa. and (supplied again in the accus- 
 ative) to fxatpav. — jitj irXe'ov <f>€p6i.v : liter- 
 ally from winning more, encroaching 
 further : cf. TrXeoveKrrjs taking more than 
 your own. — Dr Wecklein refers iiolpa. 
 y-olpav to different conditions of men (king 
 and subject) and explains the meaning 
 to be that respect prevented the elders 
 from speaking out. The sense put on 
 ixoipa. is perfectly legitimate, but would, I 
 think, require more indication in the 
 context than there is. 
 
APAMEMNQN. 
 
 121 
 
 fioipa /xotpav t/c Oecov 
 elp<ye fit) irXiov (pepetu, 
 irpo(f)dda-a(Ta KapSia 
 yXcoaaav tiv rdh^ e^e^^et. 
 
 VVV S' ilTTO (TKOTfp ^pe/M€l 
 
 dvfjLaXy/)^ re Kal ovhev eTreXirofjiiva irore 
 Kaipcov eKroXvirevaetv 
 ^Q)7rvpovfieva<; (j)pev6<i. 
 
 1015 
 
 KA. elo(o KOfii^ou Kal au, K.a<T(ivBpau Xeyco, 
 eVei a edrjKe 'Ziev^ d/.njviTco'i 86/u,oi^ 
 Koivcovov elvai -)(epvifi(i)i>, iroWwv ixerd 
 hov\(ov crradelaav /cT7/criof ^wfiou TreXas". 
 eK^aLi/ d7r^vi]'i Ti}(TBe, /a?;S' virepcfypovei. 
 Kal Tralha jdp rot (f)aalv ' A\K/j,)']vrj<; Trore 
 TTpadevra TXrjvat hov\ia<i fid^rj^i /3ia. 
 
 1015. /3\^7r€t corr. to (3piiJ.€L. 
 
 1020 
 
 1025 
 
 1015 — 1017. VVV 84 'rtj // is I ponder 
 the matter sadly and without reaching 
 any concUision ', or as Aeschylus expresses 
 it in an image homely, but vivid and 
 telling, mj/ heart mutters in darkness, 
 vexed and hopeless ever to ivind off its 
 task in time, while it stirs the fire within 
 me. The figure is that of a woman with 
 her wool, working in the winter against 
 time, as we say, with no better light than 
 she gets by stirring her fire. Virgil may 
 perhaps have taken a touch from here for 
 a well-known picture in the Aencid (8. 
 410), 'cum femina prinium, | cui tolerare 
 cole vitam tenuique Minerva | imposi- 
 tum, cinerem et sopitos suscitat igncs \ noc- 
 tem addens operi '. 
 
 1019. Clytaemnestra, coming from 
 the house, finds Cassandra still seated in 
 the chariot and summons her imperiously 
 to join, as a member of the household, the 
 sacrifice which is to be performed within 
 for the king's return. 
 
 1020. d(J.T]v£Ta)s not ungraciously, 
 because in a house where according to 
 humane and ancient custom the slaves 
 are, to the due extent, treated as mem- 
 
 bers of the family, not merely as chattels 
 to be worked. 
 
 1022. KTT]o-iov Pa>|xo{) : the altar of 
 Zeus Ktesios, guardian of the property 
 and therefore of the slaves. 
 
 1025. irpaOt'vTaTXTJvai literally 'being 
 sold (as a slave) endured', i.e. bore up 
 tinder the conditions of slavery. The 
 phrase must be distinguished from trKi] 
 Trpadrjvai 'bore to be sold'; see T/ieb. 
 739 (jireipas ^rXa and note there. — Bov- 
 Xias fxci^iis Piq. ifi spite of the slaves'' 
 broth. Heracles, as being habitually a 
 great feeder, a (juality always and natur- 
 ally ascribed to him in the stories on 
 account of his great strength, would feel 
 the more this sort of privation. Hence 
 the popular saying, which Clytaemnestra 
 coarsely applies to the case of the en- 
 slaved princess. — The slight quasi-per- 
 sonification of the fare as a thing to 
 contend against is scarcely noticeable in 
 the style of Aeschylus, and the MS. 
 reading should not be suspected. The 
 spelling 5oi/Xe/as and the omission of the 
 iota subscript are both regular. 
 
122 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 et S ovv avc'vyKT] rijaS' iinppeiroL ti^^?;?, 
 <ip^ai.,07r\ovTcov heairoroov iroWr] '^dpi^' 
 o\ h oviroT €X7naavT€<i rjfjirjaav /caXw?, 
 (OfiOi re 8ov\ot,<i iravTa Koi irapdaradpioi. 
 e^et? Trap' rj/ioov oldirep vo/jbl^erac. IO30 
 
 XO. aoi TOi Xeyovaa Trauerat, aa(f>7] Xoyov. 
 ivTO'i S' av ovcra fxopcrlfjicov dypev/xaToyv 
 
 1029. ■rrapaffTddfji.wv. 
 1026. ovv implies as usual that other the type of sudden and unexpected gain ; 
 
 whereas the gains of mining are naturally 
 and typically such. 
 
 1029 : arc' to their slaves in all things 
 cruel and over-exacting. — TrapdcrTaOiJioi. 
 'exceeders of the proper standard': cf. 
 Trapdvofj-os. The grammar requires an 
 adjective, to be joined by re Kal to 
 LOfioi. Otherwise what is the construc- 
 tion of re ? On technical grounds Trapa- 
 ffTadfJLUV (Trapaffrdd/iuil) is at least as 
 likely to represent irapdaTadfioi as Trapd 
 arddfirjv (h). 
 
 1030. Thozi art receiving from us 
 the treatment due by custom, in being 
 invited, that is, to share the family wor- 
 ship, an example already of what she 
 may expect. See on v. 1020. 
 
 lO', I. (ToL-.Traverai "'tis to thee she 
 has spoken, and plainly. The participle 
 is principal, traverai. adding only the 
 notion that she is waiting {pausing) for 
 compliance. — <ra<j>TJ: only too plain, as 
 they think. 
 
 1032. av-.-ireiOoi' civ. The optative 
 with dV is used as a gentle imperative, 
 properly a suggestion of something which 
 may be done. The courtesy of the 
 speaker throws into relief the harshness 
 of the queen. As this courtesy dictates 
 the conditional form of the imperative, 
 that form is naturally and properly 'fore- 
 felt' from the beginning of the sentence, 
 which is the effect of the anticipatoiy 6.v. 
 — oKodaa. (C. G. Haupt). 
 
 1033. el TTCiOoio : a further qualifica- 
 tion, if thou zvouldst (obey); see v. 1393. 
 direiOoCTis 8* (dv) I'o-ws : i.e. though I can 
 understand it if you do not. dv is carried 
 
 hypotheses are dismissed and this hypo- 
 thesis, ' that one is to be a slave ', is taken 
 instead (see on v. 681). In English the 
 effect is given by stress, 'if that fate 
 should fall to one '. A scholium rightly 
 explains the meaning by filling up the 
 ellipse: KaXbv p.iv, <pr)al, fj,r] Treipadijvai 
 BovXfias, €1 di TTfipipTd tis, KdWiop dpxo-i'- 
 oTrXoiVots dovXeveiv. Cf. Cho. 563 foil. 
 Kal Stj oOtls S.v...d4^aiTo' ei 8' ovv dfielxf/io 
 'but if I do enter' etc., Soph. O. T. 851 
 et S' ol>v TL KdKTplwoiTo ' but even if he 
 should diverge somewhat' etc., and 
 passages collected in Paley's note. — 
 eirippeiroi : the optative puts the case as 
 an imaginary general supposition, eivip- 
 piirei (h) must refer to the particular 
 present case of Cassandra, but then d 
 should be ewd and the pronoun aoi would 
 be required after the intervening vz'. 1024 
 —25. 
 
 1028. i\^i\(Tav KoXtos literally 'have 
 made a good heap' i.e. become suddenly 
 rich. This sense of dp-do) (sivecp together) 
 is more common in the compounds eVa- 
 pdop.ai, avva/xdofiai, etc., but occurs also 
 in later literature for the simple verb (see 
 L. and Sc. s.v.). I think we should 
 assume it here and refer the origin of the 
 phrase to the language of mining. It 
 translates in fact exactly the vulgar 'make 
 a p/le\ That this expression is vulgar 
 by modern convention is of course nothing 
 to the point. The rendering ' have made 
 a good harvest' (e/c 6epL(Tp.ou schol. ) has 
 the advantage of giving to d/xdco its older 
 sense. But it is not likely that in any 
 language a harvest should be taken as 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 123 
 
 ireidoC av, el TreldoC ' d'ir6i,doii]<^ 8' t(T(o<i. 
 KA. aXA,' eiirep earl /jltj T^eXtSdi'os Slktjv 
 
 dyvaiTa (fxovrjv /3dpl3apov KeKT'qfievt}, 
 
 eaco (ppefwv Xeiyovaa 7rei6(o viv Xo'yw. 
 XO. eiTov' TO. Xwara rooif Trapearcorcop \eyei. 
 
 TTidov \17rovcra TOILS' d/xa^}']p7j Opovov. 
 KA. ovToi dvpalav rr^vh^ ifiol c^oXj} irdpa 
 
 rpi/Seiv' Tci /j,€V yap k<nia<; /xeaoficfxiXov 
 
 1038. weiOov. 
 on as in Soph. O. T. 9.^7 i'fiow fiev, ttujs 
 5' ovK av ; derxaXXois 5' iffws : literally 
 ' perhaps thou mayest disobey '. 
 
 1034. If her foreign tongue is any- 
 thing less unintelligible than a sivallo^u's 
 tiviltering. ^t\ \e\i8ovos 8ikt]v d"yvwTa. 
 Note that by the order and rhythm the 
 negative belongs to x^^'^oj'os diKiji', not 
 to (pwvrjv (idp^apov KeKTrnj-evrj. The queen 
 does not suppose Cassandra to speak 
 Greek or to know it, but she holds an 
 opinion, which still, though not professed, 
 is often betrayed, that her own language 
 is essentially rational, and that the speech 
 of any human being must bear so much 
 analogy to it, as to make it intelligible, 
 if spohen simply and dearly. Every one 
 will have heard travellers, who have 
 nothing but English, trying to convey 
 their meaning to foreigners by speak- 
 ing emphatically and briefly. — P'or the 
 swalloio, a standing comparison, cf. 
 Aristoph. Frogs 688, Birds 1681. 
 
 1036. The persuasions I urge are 
 spoken luithin her understanding. Again 
 the participle is principal as in v. 1031. 
 
 1037. Ttt XaioTa Twv irapecTTWTwv 'of 
 what the circumstances allow', P. V. 
 232, Aristoph. Knights 30 (Wecklein). 
 
 1039. I have no leisure., you may k)io7o, 
 to lie dallying abroad.— C\y\.a.Q\x\nQsixa, 
 throughout this scene, haughtily affects 
 popular expressions and images (vv. 1024, 
 1028, 1034). — 6vpa(av is a substantive, 
 like Tpoiraia (see dvcraepTJ Tpoiralav v. 229) 
 and evvala ( = ei)c^). An ellipse of Tpi^rjv 
 can scarcely be supposed, when the verb 
 TpijieLv, for which it is to bo supplied. 
 
 1035 
 
 1040 
 
 follows, and at such a distance. But 
 there is no reason why the ellipse should 
 not have become stereotyped and thus 
 formed a popular substantive dvpaia gad- 
 ding, staying out of the house. For an 
 exact parallel see 'J'heb. 692 rpoiralq. 
 Xpovia i'crojs aj' V^doi 6e\ffiCj}T^pif) irvivpuTi 
 where irvoy, lost by fixed ellipse in 
 Tpowai<f, reappears in wvevfiari, as here 
 Tpi^i-q in Tpi^uv. — (TxoXtjc Dobree ; but 
 axo\-q here is an unlikely error. 
 
 1040. TO, (A€v "ydp ««TTias |A€(ro(ji<j)dXov 
 kt\. literally 'for as to the matter of 
 the central hearth, the sheep are already 
 placed ', i.e. ' the state of our sacrifice 
 within is that the sheep' etc. — For ra 
 ecTTias fieaofj.(paKov, grammatically in a 
 loose apposition to the sentence 'ecni]Kev 
 kt\., cf. V. 995 TO p.ev wpo xpw*''''»"' ^iiid 
 V. 82 1 TO. 6' es Tb dbv (ppovijfxa. So Peile 
 and others rightly ; but \i.iv nevertheless 
 answers to 8e in v. 1043 (Hermann). — 
 The alternative is to take to. as a demon- 
 strative anticipating fxrjXa (Monro Horn. 
 Grammar §§ 258, 259) and effrlai as a 
 locative with 'iar-qKe. But the locative 
 uses of the genitive (see Monro Horn. 
 Grammar § 149) do not seem to justify 
 this ; iffrias earrjKe should mean 'stand 
 on the altar side' or 'in the altar part' ot 
 something. The rhythm also seems to 
 be in favour of connecting iarias prima- 
 rily with TO, p-iv, although we must doubt- 
 less supply from it the local tlelinition of 
 'icTTrjKiv, so that there is not much practi- 
 cal difference between the two views.' 
 See also the next note. — The epithet 
 |A€<ro|Ji.<}>a\o\) deserves attention. It must 
 
124 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 ftj? ouTTOT iXTTLcraat ti]vS' e^eiv '^dpiv. 
 (TV S" et Ti Spaaet<; rcovSe, /Jirj (T')(o\rjV rlOei. 
 el 8' ci^vvrjiicov ovaa fir/ Se^ei Xoyov, 
 (TV 8' (ivrl (f)0)V})<; (f)p('i^€ Kapl3dv(p %e/3t. 
 
 1 045 
 
 refer here to the jiosition of the altar i/i 
 the centre of the a.\)\-r\, or court of the 
 palace, within. But why this common 
 position should be so prominently marked 
 is not clear ; and it is remarkable that 
 while the word, otherwise almost un- 
 known, occurs in the tragedians repeated- 
 ly as the familiar title of the sanctuary at 
 Delphi {Thcb. 732 etc.; Eur. /1?« 462 
 has the exact phrase iJ-ea-d/j-cpaXos icTTia), 
 this is the only place where it is applied 
 to anything else ; and we should therefore 
 look for some intention. Now Cassandra 
 (see the sequel) is wearing her robes and 
 insignia as prophetess of Apollo, is dressed 
 in fact as the Pythia. To this, I believe, 
 Clytaemnestra mockingly refers: the full 
 force of TO. yuec earias fieaoficpaXov..., av 
 8e kt\. is 'as for a earla fiea6jJi<pa\os, that 
 is all ready ; li yoti, the prophetess, mean 
 to take your part, you must come at 
 once '. 
 
 1 04 1, irpos o-<j)aYds ir-upos for the 
 sacrifice of the fire, i.e. for the feast which 
 they were already holding in honour of 
 the beacon {irvp as in vv. 481, 593, 
 where the sacrifices also are mentioned, 
 oMws iQvov). This, says the queen, they 
 had commenced before, not expecting (as 
 indeed well they might not) to have 'the 
 present joy' of seeing the king arrive 
 close after his message. Consequently 
 victims and all arrangements for a feast 
 are already at hand in the palace ; the 
 ceremony is already prepared and there- 
 fore the queen has no time to waste. — 
 The received interpretation of tt/jos a(l)a.- 
 70.5 trvpos, so far as any is received, has 
 been 'to be slain for the fire', i.e. for 
 burning on the altar. But a long list of 
 corrections (wapos, Musgrave, the least 
 unsatisfactory) shows that this is felt to 
 
 be indefensible. The use of the objective 
 genitive would be bold, but much more 
 alien from Greek would be the superfluity 
 of the phrase and of the most promi- 
 nent word wvpos. Besides, without some 
 reference to the previous occasion for 
 sacrifice, there is no point in v. 1042, 
 where TTjvde x^P'-" implies an iKelvrjv. 
 After the foregoing scenes the sacrifice of 
 the fire is quite as intelligible as it is 
 meant to be. 
 
 1042. «US ov'ttot' l\"ir£(ra<rt as it %vas 
 never expected, literally 'as for persons not 
 having any expectation'. The absence 
 of a defining pronoun {e.g. ij/uv which 
 Kennedy would read for TJdri) gives the 
 same force as the English passive. — 
 iroT€ generalizes and emphasises the 
 negative, exactly as in the English never 
 for not. So oiid^v ttotc v. 1134, oii yap 
 ttot' tjSxovv v. 511 . — Those who take 
 Trpos cr(payas wpds for 'in readiness for 
 burnt-offering', take v. 1042 to mean 'as 
 for an unexpected triumph '. But surely 
 this could not account for the fact that 
 the victims were ready now. The more 
 sudden the occasion, the longer would 
 be the time required for preparation. 
 
 1044. ^''- since. Clytaemnestra ex- 
 plains her conmiand by gesture. 
 
 1045. 8e marks the apodosis, erv stands 
 for a repetition of a^wqiJiuiv odcra, 'thou, 
 being what thou art'. For both see 
 £u»i. 888 el jxiv ayvbv iari aoL neidovs ae^as 
 ...(TV 5' oHv fjL^vois av. — Others (Wecklein) 
 refer ad to the elder, who is to explain 
 Clytaemnestra's words by signs. But it 
 does not appear why she should not do 
 so herself, and it is difficult to refer Kap^apcp 
 Xfpi to any but the foreigner.- — (f>pa|€ 
 signify your ?neaning. See Herod. 4. 
 113 /cai (puvrjffai p-iv oxik elxe, ov yap 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 125 
 
 XO. epfi7)veQ)<i eoiKev y ^evt] ropov 
 
 Beladai' rpoiro'i he 6i]p6<i t«j<? veaiperov. 
 KA. 77 iMalverai je koI kukwu Kkvet (fypeimv, 
 
 rjTi<; XiTTOvcra fiev iroXtv veaiperov 
 
 TjKei, -x^aXivov 8' ovk eirlaTarai ^epeiv, IO50 
 
 irplv al^aTripov e^acfypi^eadai fi€vo<;. 
 
 ov jxrjv 7r\i(o piyjraa drifiaad/jcrofjbai. 
 XO. eyu) 8', eTTOiKreipQ) yap, ov du/jLcoaofiai. 
 
 W\ (o raXaiva, rovS" eprjficoaaa o-^ov, 
 
 CKOva ovar/Kr) TrjSe Kaiviaov ^vyov. 1055 
 
 KASANAPA. 
 
 OTOTOTOTol TTOTTol 8a. (TTp. a . 
 
 (SttoWov SttoWov. 
 XO. Tt ravT dvcoTOTv^ai; dficf)! Ao^lov ; 
 
 o{i yap TOi,ovTO<i ware 6pr]v7]Tov rv)(elv. 
 
 KA. OTOTOTOTOL TTOTToZ 8d. dvT. d . IO6O 
 
 (iiroWov coTToWov. 
 XO. i) 8' auT€ Sv(T(})T]fiovaa top 6e6v KoXet 
 
 ovSev irpoarjKOVT ev y6ot<i irapaaTaTelv. 
 
 1048. 17. 1051 — 1 158. Readings of M. 1052. /utj (yUTjc m). 
 
 avvkaav dWrjXuji', ttj S^ X"P' ^4>P'^i^ ' of interest ' (see v. 1 105 and passim). 
 
 (Wecklein). The avdyKt] is personified as imposing 
 
 1045. Cassandra takes no notice of the yoke. For the antithesis «kovw* 
 
 the queen, but her bearing and gestures dvd7KT| (do wilHngly what must be done) 
 
 begin to express a great horror. The see v. 934 Kparos jxiv toi -wapis y eKwv.— 
 
 elders understand nothing: Clytaemnes- To substitute €t/coi'(r'(Robortello) is need- 
 
 tra understands only too well. Per- less and makes the expression more 
 
 ceiving her imprudence and danger she commonplace. 
 
 quits the stage hastily as if in indignation 1056. Cassandra leaves the chariot 
 
 at the captive's perversity. and comes forward, away from the palace. 
 
 1047. Note the emphasis on de'iffdai: The prophetic frenzy is upon her and 
 'An interpreter, and a plain one, she ^i^i-j-, she sees both the past and the future of 
 it seems, want'. — rpoiros 8i: prose would the bloody house. — iroiroi 8a. The origin 
 use yap, English no conjunction at all. and original meaning of these exclama- 
 
 1048. kKvu listens to, obeys. tions is uncertain. 5a is commonly iden- 
 
 1051. atjAaTtipov predicate, in blood. tified with a Doric form for 7a. rorot 
 
 1052. / ivill not waste more words to Dindorf : ttottol others. 
 
 be thus scorned. 1057. "AiroXXov. The story is given 
 
 1055. Take on thee without resistance below, v. 1201. 
 the new yoke of this necessity. dvd^KT] 1062. 8i yet, where prose would use 
 
 the common possessive dative or dative dWa.. 
 
126 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KA. "AttoWov "AttoWov 
 
 ayvuiT , airoWcov i/jio<i' 
 
 (iTTcoXeaa^ yap ov /xoXt? to Sevrepov. 
 XO. 'X^p7]a€iv eoiKev d/ji(f)l rcov avTr]<; KaKwv. 
 
 fievet TO delov 8ov\ia Trap" €u (ppevi. 
 KA. ^' AiroXkov "AttoWov 
 
 dyviar, diroWcov e/io?. 
 
 a TTol TTOT ijyaye^ /me; 7rpo9 Trotav areyqv; 
 XO. TTpo? rrjv ^ArpecSdov. el av firj roS" ivpoel<i, 
 
 iyco Xiyo) aoi' koX Tcih^ ovk epel<i y^vdrj. 
 
 KA. 
 
 pbLaodeov fiev ovv, TroWd avvLcnopa 
 avro^ova Kaxd Kapra ' vai, 
 
 1076. KapravaL. 
 
 CTTp. /3'. 
 1065 
 
 dvT. yS'. 
 
 1070 
 
 (TTp. y . 
 
 1075 
 
 1065. diroXXwv I|i6s' dirwXeeras 7<ip, 
 
 bringing out tlie suggtslion of the name. 
 ov p,6Xi,s ' more than enough ' to deserve 
 the name. — dyviara, voc. of dyvioLTTjs ; 
 addressing (as a new-comer to the house?) 
 the guardian Apollo before the door in 
 the street (ayvid). So Polynices leaving 
 his father's house addresses his farewell 
 specially to the ^ol^os 'AyvutJS {Phoen. 
 631, see also Ar. V^esp. 869). 
 
 1066. dirwXetras thoti hast been a 
 destroyer. 
 
 1067. y^rytTiw: i.e. she is about to 
 'declaim' in the style of inspiration. It 
 is noticeable that the first effect of this is 
 to diminish their sympathy sensibly ; they 
 ai-e even disposed to mock and sneer 
 {vv. 1072 — 73). Their attitude towards 
 fiavTiKT} is the common attitude of super- 
 stition, a dislike between respect and 
 contempt. 
 
 1068. The soul retains inspiration, 
 when all is slave but that. SovXia xap' 
 tv literally ' slave-like save one thing ' or 
 'with one exception'; for the use of 
 irapd see L. and Sc. s. v. To understand 
 this verse (which, as I think, is spoilt by 
 writing, after Schiitz, SovXiq, irep ev) we 
 must remember that the Greeks viewed 
 the ooOXos as something in nature differ- 
 ent from the eXtvdepos, something between 
 
 the complete man and the mere animal, 
 and also held that, as Homer says, en- 
 slavement changed the nature, brutalizing 
 and debasing it to the new condition. 
 The statements of philosophy on these 
 subjects merely make precise what was 
 before implied in popular language. Of 
 this the elders suppose themselves to be 
 witnessing a signal illustration : Cas- 
 sandra, they think, is scarcely rational ; 
 she can neither understand nor signify 
 her thoughts. But a slave might be 
 'possessed' no less than the free, and 
 the dictum here, conceived in a spirit by 
 no means respectful to to deiov, rests 
 upon this fact. 'The spiritual faculty', 
 if we may translate the phrase into much 
 later conceptions, 'is the last to go'. But 
 the sarcasm recoils, as is the intention, 
 upon the speakers. 
 
 1072: 'if thot( (the prophetess) per- 
 ceivest not that, / can tell it thee ; and 
 thou wilt not find it untrue', a sufficiently 
 palpable insinuation. 
 
 1075. TroXXd a-vvia-ropa fitll of guilty 
 secrets : o-vvCo-ropa (from crvvetdipai ti 
 eavT(^ to have a thing upon the conscience) 
 takes the construction (ttoXXci) of a parti- 
 ciple. Kiihner Gr. Grammar, § 409, 
 note 4a. — KaKa, in apposition to TroXXd. 
 
 1076. See Appendix U. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 127 
 
 dvSpocr^ayelov, 7rac8ioppavTi]piov. 
 XO. hoLKev evpi<i r) ^evrj kvv6<; SIktjv 
 
 elvai, fxarevei S' wv avevprjaet <f)6vov. 
 KA. fiaprvpLoiai yap rolcrh^ eTTLirelOofiai' 1 
 
 KXaLOfieva rd /Specfir] a(f)ayd^ 
 
 oirrdii re adpKa<; Trpo? 7raTp6<i ^e^pci)fi€va<i. 
 XO. tj/jieif /cXeof aou /xavriKov ireTTVafievoi, 
 
 ■)]/u,ev' 'Trpo(pi]Ta<i S' ovriva^ fMaarevo/xev. 
 
 1080 
 
 1077. dvdpba (T<p6.'yi.ov Kal iredoppavrripLov. 
 
 loSo. /xapTvploia. roicrSe ireirelOo/iai. 
 
 1077. dvSpoo-cjjaYtiov Dobree: irai- 
 Sioppavrqpiov : for the error compare 
 Traidlov (M) for ireSlov v. 309; it is a 
 common confusion of spelling. The word 
 is a compound like dvdpoarpayeiov, made 
 by the poet for the occasion: a place 
 where hninan beings arc sacrificed, where 
 babes are bled for the sprinkling, both 
 ff<pa.^eiv and paivuv being here used as 
 terms of ritual. It is to be remembered 
 that the children of Thyestes (seez'. 1081) 
 were slain as Agamemnon is about to be 
 slain, under the pretext of a sacrificial 
 feast (see v. 1592). — wedoppavrripLov is 
 generally allowed to be faulty; there is 
 no force in describing the house as ' a 
 place where the floor is sprinkled': the 
 MS. reading I take to have come ^"om 
 an attempt to restore the metre, destroyed 
 by the misspelling ize^Loppavrripwv . The 
 correction is suggested to me by Weil's 
 TraiSotr^a^etov for avSpocrcpayeiov : and 
 see next note. 
 
 1079. *^vai : note the emphasis (vv. 
 14, 1047 etc.); 'The strange woman is 
 indeed, it seems, keen at a scent. She 
 is upon a trail of blood where she will 
 find it ' : literally ' she is seeking the blood 
 of those of whom she will find the blood'. 
 The elders, at first little inipressed, be- 
 come grave at the allusion to the crime 
 of Atreus. The fact that they now com- 
 prehend Cassandra is strongly in favour 
 of the reading TdidioppavTripiou, without 
 which there is nothing in her words 
 sufficiently definite to convince lliem, — 
 
 1081. 
 
 1079. fJ-O-VTivei. av evprjayj. 
 rdoe. 1084. r)/j.r]v. 
 
 |xaT€vci f, h, a.vf.vpr^a^il Porson. 
 
 1080. |xapTvp(oi.(rt Pauw, T0i<r8' eni- 
 viiQoiiai Abresch. 
 
 1083. IFe had heard of thy fame as 
 prophetess, had heard of it ; ^vc seek none 
 to speak for thee. '7rpo<f>'»iTas i.e. fidprv- 
 pas, literally roiis \i^ovTa% Tj/juf wepl aov 
 schol. The word is used in its proper 
 sense 'one who speaks y^r another', but 
 with a slight variation in the meaning of 
 wpo-, which is here equivalent to vir^p. 
 The meaning fiavTis is secondary only, 
 and in fact (as Mr Housman shows, 
 Journal of Philology xvi. p. 266) the 
 word does not in the classical writers 
 mean /udirts, though a /uacrts is often 
 'irpo(priTrjs deou. — r](ji;v: this, as the ac- 
 centuation shows, was the word wrongly 
 written at first in M as ^/J-rju, and in my 
 judgment may well be right, as an 
 emphatic repetition of the verb. The 
 speakers, alarmed and displeased, are 
 eager to silence Cassandra, whom they 
 take to be merely displaying her powers 
 of divination to impress them, with 
 the assurance that they knew them by 
 reputation. But ijd-i] (Housman) is not 
 improbable. — The supposition that ^fiev 
 is a mere error introduced from the 
 previous line is not satisfactory to me, 
 nor the translation of toutwv irpo(priTai 
 (Weil) ])y 'prophets (?) of these things'. 
 — |i.a<rT€vo(Ji€v (cf. /uaerrjjp) is a warranted 
 form and need not be altered to fiarfv- 
 
 OflfV. 
 
128 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KA. loo TTOTTOt, rl TTore /jLrjSeraL ; cnp. b, 1085 
 
 Ti Tohe veov «^o? /xe7a 
 
 fie^^ ev 86/xoL(Ti TolaSe firjSerat kukov 
 
 (icpeprov ^lXoktlv, 
 
 hvaiarov ; d\Ka o 
 
 e/ca? (iTroaraTet. 1090 
 
 XO. rovTcov ai8p[<; elfit rSv fMavrevfidraiv. 
 
 eKelva 8' eyvcoV irdaa <yap 7roXt<? (3oa, 
 KA. loo rnXaiva, ToBe <ydp reXet?; dvT. 8'. 
 
 TOV OflohiflVLOV TTOcnv 
 
 XovTpotac (fjaiBpvvaaa — ttcS? (fipdaoo TeXo^ ; IO95 
 
 Tayo^ 'yap TOO ecTTai. 
 
 irporelvei Be %ei/3 ^k 
 
 ^epo? ope<yofieva. 
 XO. oviroo ^vvrjKa' vvv ^ydp ef alvLypbdroov 
 
 eTrapyefioicri BeaipaToifi dfir)-)^avco. 1 100 
 
 KA. e € irairal irairal, (rrp. e . 
 
 TL roSe ^aiPeTai, ; 
 
 J7 Blktvov Tt "AtSov. 
 
 aXX" dpKV<i 7] ^vvevvo<;, rj ^vvania. 
 
 1086. 6.x6o^ (axos m). 1097. x^^P corr. to x^'^p'- 1 103- '^' V- 
 
 1085. She sees in vision from point however, as it is found in tI ov, may be 
 
 to point the murder of Agamemnon. admitted. 
 
 1092. €K€iva: TO. wepl Qviarov schol. 1104. °-^ cipKvs iiay, rather the 
 
 See V. 1075. sna7-e is she, i.e. the murderess herself is 
 
 1097. X*^p' *•* X*P°5 she is reaching, the true snare : Siktvov is properly a cast- 
 
 stretching forth hand after hand. The net, &pKvs a stake-net, but the distinction 
 
 subject is still 'the murderess'. X*P°S must not be pressed. — ij |iiv€vvos, i] ^vvai- , 
 
 later MSS. — X^P^^ opiyixara Hermann, but ria. the partner of the bed, the partner 
 
 see Appendix II. ofthecrhne. ^vvtvvo^: wife or paj-amott}-? 
 
 1099: to the perplexity of hints has Rather both: the preceding context points 
 
 succeeded that of oracles blind. No exact to the bed of the husband ; but the 
 
 distinction need be sought, but the associations of the word, which is hardly 
 
 general meaning is that while vv. T093 ever used in an honourable sense, natu- 
 
 — 98 are less vague than V2>. 1085 — 90, rally bring the seducer into view, and 
 
 they stop short of the conclusion, as if this suggestion is confirmed by tj ^vvair'ia. 
 
 the seer could not see her way. |vvaiTia is explained by some to mean 
 
 1 102. She sees the enfolding of the 'accomplice of the Siktvov, of the fatal 
 king in the robe {v. 1381). robe'. This cannot be the whole mean- 
 
 1103. Ti "At8o\i Dindorf. The ye is ing, as it does not satisfy the correspond- 
 not easily explicable and may easily have ence of ^vvevvos . . .t,vvaLTia, but it is per- 
 been inserted to remove the hiatus, which haps suggested also. The trath is that 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 (f)6vov (ndai<i S' dK6peaTo<i yevet, 
 KaTo\o\v^dTQ) 
 Ovfiaro^ Xevaifxov. 
 XO. TToiav ^l^pivvv TTjvSe Scofiaa-iv /ceXei 
 
 129 
 1 105 
 
 arp. 
 
 in such a scene as this we must avoid the 
 error of seeking explanations too precise. 
 If the language is suggestive, it is all 
 that it ought to be. It is not meant to 
 be clear. — To take <p6vov with ^vvaiTla 
 would spoil the rhythm and misplace the 
 emphasis. See also next note. 
 
 1 105. <f)6vov o-Td<ris Chonis of Death. 
 Here <p6vov is necessary; without defi- 
 nition (TTaats would be too vague to 
 suggest the following question iroiav 'Ept- 
 vvv ; — As (p6vov trrdcrts forms one idea, of 
 which (f>6vov is the emphatic part, the 
 position of 5^ is according to Aeschylus' 
 habit natural and correct (see v. 249). - 
 aKopeo-TOS {(pdvov) yivei. never sated ivith 
 the blood of the race, literally 'insatiable 
 to the race'. — I do not venture to write 
 cLKoperoi (Bothe) : for making aKoperoi 
 from the stem of Kopivvvfii there appears 
 to be no satisfactory analogy: -aiveros, 
 -aiperos, -deros, etc. are different, and see 
 on the other hand dcr^faros, aKipaaros, 
 (TKeSaffTds. On the metre see Appendix II. 
 1 107. KaToXo\u|dTw 6v|iaTOS Xevo-C- 
 \LOv raise the solemn cry over sacrifice to 
 be slain by ^toning. The context demands 
 that 6u[Aa X€vo-l(ji,ov should mean the 
 murder, which must be called so meta- 
 phorically, but why, or what to a Greek 
 0P/xa \ev(jip.ov would suggest, is obscure. 
 Sacrifice by stoning, though not generally 
 practised in historic Hellas, is traceable 
 here and there in tradition. Thus at 
 Condylea in Arcadia the name of the local 
 goddess Artemis the Strangled ('A7ra7xo- 
 yi.hy\) was explained by a story that some 
 children, having in play pretended to 
 strangle the image with a rope, were 
 stoned, and the people suffered plagues 
 in consequence, till they consulted the 
 Pythia, who condemned the stoning of 
 the children and imposed expiations 
 
 V. /E. A. 
 
 (Pausanias 8. 23. 6). At Troezen again 
 a feast called AidopoXla was celebrated 
 in honour, it was said, of two virgins 
 from Crete, who in the confusion of a 
 riot were stoned by the opposite faction 
 {(TTaaiaffavTwv 8i 6/J.olus tQiv iv rrj wSXei 
 aTravTCov Kal Tai'ros <f>aali' virb ruv dvTL- 
 (TTaaLdirQv KaToXivcrOrjvaL Paus. ■2. 32. 2). 
 It is obvious that these stories, which are 
 of a familiar type, really refer to former 
 customs of human sacrifice; and it is 
 remarkable that at Troezen the persons 
 by whom the rite was performed were 
 called a erTao-ts (at least this seems the 
 most natural way of accounting for the 
 absurd and confused story about (jTaaiQi- 
 rat), which may throw light upon ardai's 
 here. In human sacrifices the use of 
 stoning would be explicable as a technical 
 way of avoiding the pollution of blood- 
 shed (since the act is not done by any 
 one hand and does not necessarily shed 
 the blood as a^ayrj does). And that this 
 really was the motive seems likely from 
 the Arcadian case. The symbolical stran- 
 gulation, which Pausanias implies to 
 have been practised still, points to a 
 previous real use of strangulation also, 
 as a method of sacrifice; and strangula- 
 tion is another known way of killing so 
 as to avoid bloodshed and consequent 
 pollution. It seems therefore possible 
 that the metaphor here is taken from 
 barbarous rites of this type ; the murder 
 being compared to a ' sacri fi ce by stoning ' 
 i.e. a human sacrifice, over which the 
 chorus of fiends, who are performing it, 
 are bidden to rejoice.— To refer OvfjLa 
 \€v(XLfiov to the imagined stoning of 
 Clytaemncstra by the people seems im- 
 possible. The death of Clytaemncstra is 
 not here relevant, and a false prediction 
 would spoil the whole effect. 
 
I30 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KA. 
 
 eiropOid^etv ; ov ere (f)ai8pvveL X6yo<;' 
 
 iirl Be KapSlav eSpa/xe KpoKo/3a<pr)<; 
 
 araycov, are Katpia TrTooatfiof 
 
 ^vvavvrei /3iov 
 
 hvvro<i avyai<;' ra^et- 
 
 a S' ara TreXet. 
 
 a, a, ioov Loov 
 
 aire'xe rrj^; ^o6(; 
 
 TOP ravpoV ev ireifkoicnv 
 
 fieXajKepo) Xa^ovcra fir^'^avrjixarL 
 
 mo 
 
 avT. € . 
 
 III5 
 
 1 109. 
 
 IIIO- 
 
 1109. o{} fie. 
 
 ov <r\ : see next note. 
 -1 1 14 : />aic is the drop thai runs 
 to thy hearty even such as from a mortal 
 7V02tnd drips slow and slozvcr when lifers 
 light sets and death is coming qtiick. — 
 KaipCa irTwtrijj.os Dindorf, literally 'shed 
 so as to be mortal', see v. 1342 : Kal Sopl 
 TrTw(ri|j,os, 'even such as from a spear- 
 wound', is also possible. — |vvavvT«t... 
 av^ais literally ' ceases (dripping) as the 
 light ceases', the wound ceasing to bleed 
 as the eyes of the wounded man close in 
 death. — raxEia 8' ara ireXei. For the 
 independent sentence where prose style 
 would use a dependent clause see v. 1089, 
 aX/cd. 5^ /ct\. 'while help is far'. — The 
 description is of one seized with intense 
 horror and turning, as we say, 'pale as 
 death'. The paleness of the dying face 
 is attributed inaccurately but poetically to 
 the blood. — As v. 1 109 is given in M, ov 
 fie (paidpiivei, this description would seem 
 to refer to the speaker himself. To one 
 ancient scribe this appeared so improbable 
 that he actually transferred these verses 
 (11 10 — 1 1 14) to Cassandra (so originally 
 in the MS.). This is impossible; but the 
 transition to such terrible emotion on the 
 part of the Chorus is strangely sudden, 
 and stranger is it that their next speech 
 {v. 1 122) shows no such feeling, but 
 expresses as before merely bewilderment 
 and vague apprehension. On these 
 grounds, and considering also that by the 
 1 109 the empha- 
 
 order of the words in 
 
 1 1 1 1. Kal Sopia. 
 
 sis ought to be on the pronoui), I think 
 that we should read ov a-l, 'Thou lookest 
 not glad thyself at what thou sayest'. 
 The horror described is then naturally 
 that of Cassandra as the vision begins to 
 show the striking of the murderous stroke. 
 The error is not great nor difficult to 
 understand. If off fie be retained I should 
 still refer the following description to Cas- 
 sandra. Harsh as the transition then is, 
 I cannot understand the words otherwise. 
 1 1 18 : ivith her crafty tueapon, her black 
 horn. — jAtixavnuaTi : i.e. the axe with 
 which she has provided herself. — ixeXa^- 
 K€pw does not mean that the firjxdvyjfia is 
 black -horned but that it is represented, 
 in the figure, by the black horn. — Dr 
 Wecklein, reading iv tt^itXiov viv fieXay- 
 Kipifi ktK., takes the fieXayKipuv fiTjxdvri- 
 fia to be the enveloping robe, which, as 
 Agamemnon stretches out his arms in 
 it, 'has an appearance as of something 
 black-horned '. In favour of this it must 
 be admitted that Xa/Sowa, if not con- 
 structed with fieXayK^pw fiexO'VVfio.Ti, is 
 irregularly placed. Nor do I think the 
 grotesqueness of the conception any valid 
 objection in such a place. On the other 
 hand it is difficult not to suppose, as 
 readers in general have done, that the 
 horn which gores is the axe which strikes. 
 — The scholia record both [JieXa-yKepw and 
 fieXayKipuiy (i.e. rbv fieXayK^puv ravpov), 
 apparently a device to remove the ir- 
 regularity in \a^ov(ra above noticed. 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 131 
 
 rvirrei' TTLTvei S' ev ivv8p(p revy^et. 
 
 8o\o(f)6vov \i^r)- 
 
 TO^ TU'^av croi Xeyco. 
 XO. ov KO/jLTrda-ai/jb tiv Oea^arwv yvcoficov (Upof; 
 
 elvat, KaK(p he rrp TrpocreiKn^o} raSe. 
 
 niro 8e Oea-ijidTcov Tt? nyadd (l>ari<; 
 
 /3poTOL<; (TTeWeTai; KaKwv yap Btal 
 
 TroXveireU re'yvai 
 
 deairuphbv <p6^ov 
 
 <f)€povatv fiaOelv. 
 KA. l(i) Im raXaiva^ 
 
 KaKOTTorpbOi Tvyai. 
 
 TO yap epbov 6pow 
 
 7rddo<; eireyxeacra. 
 
 TTol 8rj fxe Sevpo rrjv rdXaivav rjyaye^, 
 
 ovBiv TTor el firj ^vv6avov/j,evi]V ' tl yap ; 
 
 1 1 20 
 
 1125 
 
 a-rp. ^'. 
 1 130 
 
 II 19. omits ev. 
 
 II 19. «V «vvSpw: Schiitz. — t6v\€i: 
 Kirei Blonifield. See Appendix II. 
 
 1 123. «Ivai : with emphasis (see vv. 
 1047, '°79 etc.), exactly as we should 
 give it in English, 'A very good judge of 
 the oracular I cannot boast that I am, 
 but ', etc. 
 
 112=;. PpoTois o-T^Wtrai, is sent to 
 man, does not seem difficult. rAXerat 
 Hermann. — KaKwv ^dp StaV: 'it is all 
 woe, a mass of cunning phrase, offering 
 for lesson but a terrifying chant '. KaKwv 
 8ial (Hermann). The preposition is em- 
 phatic, ^thrtnia;h woes', i.e. 'in woe 
 thronghout\ — Te'xvai: the 'science' or 
 'skill ' of the fidvTis : cf. rix"^'- KdXxarros 
 in V. 260 ; the reference is particularly 
 (as TroXueTTfTs shows ; see Itto?, iirri) to 
 the phraseology and metrical form of 
 prophetic utterance. Much of the effect 
 of 'oracles', as they were used in the 
 believing age of Greece by those who 
 went to the common /uavTis, depended on 
 the simple notion that the power to pour 
 out rapidly language cast in a formal 
 shape indicates some sort of inspiration. 
 The art of the /jlcIvtis was just beginning 
 
 1125. 5td. 
 
 to decline in repute among the educated 
 in the time of Aeschylus. It is more 
 severely treated by Sophocles, and by 
 Euripides generally with contempt. 
 
 1 132. iiTiyyjia<ra : 'as a drop' or 
 ' ingredient more ' added to the lament 
 for the king. See a somewhat similar 
 metaphor in v. 17. — Of the corrections 
 proposed to adjust the metre to the 
 strophe, iTreyxeai (Campbell, Sidgwick) 
 is the least violent: but it assumes a 
 very strange use of the explanatory in- 
 finitive and is tolerable only as an expe- 
 dient. The MS., it must be admitted, 
 gives exactly the proper turn to the 
 meaning, and I believe myself that it is 
 right. See Appendix II. 
 
 1 133. An apostrophe to Agamemnon 
 (Paley), not surely to Apollo : the king 
 is already in her mind, t6 (fidv in z'. 113 1 
 being antithetic to rb tov 'Aya/xi/jLVOvos: 
 and note specially ^vvOauov/xivTiv, with 
 which grammar requires us to supply coi. 
 On the stage the actor's look (towards 
 the palace) would add a completing com- 
 ment. 
 
 1 1 34. tC yiip > 'i-'liat else ? 
 
 9—2 
 
132 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 XO. (^pevofiavTj^ n^ el deocjiopijro'i, dfi- 
 
 <f)l S' avrd'i 6po€t<i 
 
 vofiov dvojjbov, old rt? ^ovda 
 
 dK6pe(TT0<i ^od<;, (f)€v, 
 
 ToXaivai^ (f)pealv 
 
 "Iruv "Itvp crrkvovcf dfjL<f)LdaXr} KaKoi<; 
 
 drjSoov ^lov. 
 KA. lu) lob Xij6La<; 
 
 fiopov d7]8ovo<i. 
 
 7r€pe/3a\ov yap ol 
 
 Trrepocfiopov Se/ia? 
 
 OeoL, lyXvKvv j dydova KXaufidrcov drep 
 
 ifiol Se fiifivei cr^tcr/Ao? afi^rjKet Bopl. 
 XO. irodev iTTtcrcrvTOVi 6eo(f)6povf; t e')(ei<i 
 
 1 143. drjddvos fi6pov. ii44' Trepe^dXovro yap ol. 
 
 p£ov aU 
 
 rrp. 
 
 "35 
 
 1 140 
 
 avT. ^ . 
 
 1 145 
 
 avT. a 
 
 1 146. t'. 
 
 1 140. a (!.(}) lOoX-t] KaKois 
 
 her sorrow-filled days. 
 
 1 144 — 1 147. Her the gods changed 
 into a winged form, a siocet passage and a 
 tearless, while I mtist be parted ivith the 
 sharp steel. irepe'PaXov, the ' Aeolic' form 
 for wepLi^aXov, which should be retained 
 (Wecklein, comparing ^«;«. 637). ^dp (?) 
 or perhaps to 7«: the article, or rather 
 demonstrative pronoun, used to mark 
 the antithesis. The full equivalent in 
 English would be 'what the gods did to 
 her at least was to clothe her in a winged 
 form'. For examples in Homer, where 
 this use of the anticipatory pronoun with 
 various particles is characteristic, see 
 Monro Homeric Gramm. §§ 258 — 259, and 
 for the combination with the dative pro- 
 noun see e.g. Herod. 3. 65 t6 fikv Stj 'ipyov 
 i^eipyaaral /j.oi...oi 5i vfxlv Ma70t Kpari- 
 ovaL tGiv I3acn\7]lu}v. — The middle Trepe- 
 pdXovTo can hardly be right, meaning ' to 
 put on oneself ; on the other hand simply 
 to strike out to (Blomfield) seems arbi- 
 trary, while yap is easily explained as a 
 conjectural suggestion for t6 y. — dyStva.: 
 literally 'a struggle', used, as in Euripides 
 frequently, for what is terrible, critical, 
 or both at once, e.g. Hec. ii<j irapiaTq-x^ 
 ws ioiK' ayijiv fji^yas, Med. ^366 ^r' eiV' 
 
 d7t<;j'es xoTs vniiarl vvfKpiois, Stipp. 71 
 ayiiiv 6'5' aXXos ^px^rai. So also ayijjvi- 
 afxa Eur. £1. 987 inKpbv re XV^^ ray ili- 
 vicTfjA /jLoi. The application of the word 
 here to the quitting of life suggests the 
 beginning of the special association which 
 was afterwards fixed and still attaches to 
 the cognate aytiivia. agony. The accusa- 
 tive is 'in apposition to' the sentence; 
 the transformation to a bird was a yXvKijs 
 d7ctij/. — That dywva is right, and aiuva, 
 a conjecture suggested in M, wrong, seems 
 to me certain. The antithesis (see v. 
 1 146) is between the death which awaits 
 Cassandra and the painless transformation 
 of Philomela (Enger) ; and the 'sweet 
 life', even if consistent with v. 1140, 
 is not the point. — The frequent error 
 re for -ye is here specially probable as 
 giving the accusative a commoner con- 
 struction. — <rxi(r|J.6s cleaving, sundering, 
 combines the actual wounding with the 
 parting of soul and body. 
 
 1 148. irdBtv lirio-o-iiTOvs 6€o<|>6po\)s 
 T€ whence sent, and by whom imposed, 
 literally 'god-brought'. — To omit re 
 (Hermann) rather confuses than clears 
 the sentence; re couples together the two 
 adjectives which are predicates. 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 TO, 5' i7rL(f)O0a Svcr^aTrp Kkayya 
 
 fie\0TV7r6l<i OfjLOV T 6p- 
 
 6loi<; iv vo/jLoi'i ; 
 
 TTodev opov<; e%et? dea'Treaia'; ohov 
 
 KaKopprjfiova<; ; 
 KA. tft) <^aybOi rydfjioi, IlaptSo? oXeOpiot 
 
 (fjiXcov. Ico ^KafMcivSpov irdrpLov ttotov 
 
 Tore /xev afxcj)! ad<i diovwi Tc'ikaiv 
 
 TJvvTO/jiav Tpo(f)ac<i' 
 
 vvv S' dfKpl Keo/cuToi/ re Ka-^epovcTLOv^ 
 
 6')(dov^ eoLKa 6ecr7nu>hr]aeiv rd-^a. 
 XO. tI ToSe Topov dyav e7ro<? i<pr)/uil(r(o ; 
 
 veoyv6<; dvOpwircov fidOoi. 
 
 1 1 59 — the end. Readings of f. 
 
 '33 
 1 1 50 
 
 arp. 7; , 1 1 5 5 
 
 1 1 60 
 arp. /8'. 
 
 1 1 50: and shapest that fearful song 
 with zvords so hard and harsh and yet 
 with a march so clear, ojaov t€, and at the 
 same time, marks an antithesis. They 
 had called her utterance vbjiov 6.vo\xov (v. 
 1 137), a wild tune, literally 'an unordered 
 order ', v6/ttos being properly the order or 
 arrangement of notes in a tune. But 
 they are forced to admit that there is 
 'method in it'. — 6pdios signifies both 
 raised in tone and straightforward and 
 was applied with both associations speci- 
 ally to military march music (see Lex. 
 S.V.). The second meaning is here most 
 prominent and suggests the following 
 metaphor of the 'way and the bourns or 
 guiding-stones. 
 
 1154. How findest thou the terms of 
 ^woe which guide thy inspired way ? 
 
 1 162. A man nezv-born might under- 
 stand. The changes suggested here are 
 not any of them probable, nor do I 
 believe that the text is wrong. Such 
 a proverbial phrase might be expected 
 to exhibit, as it does, archaic construc- 
 tions (see on v. 557). The substantival 
 adjective, v€oyv6s for 6 v(:h-^ovo%, is in 
 Aeschylus common. The partitive geni- 
 tive, or rather genitive 'of distinction 
 
 from ', is the same which survives in the 
 vocative phrases 5?a "^vva^KCiv, (piXa yvfM- 
 Kwv etc., in dpideiKeros avZpQiv {II. 11. 
 248), and in the forms of emphasis ko-ko. 
 KaKwv {things evil among evils) etc. 
 (Kiihner Gr. Grammar, § 414, 5, b): in 
 short ;'eo7J'6s is treated (according to the 
 meaning, 6 veuraros dvOpwiruv) as a su- 
 perlative ; cf. irpbirpvixva. eK^oXQv utter 
 wreck in Theb. 754. — dvOpwirwv is in- 
 dispensable ; 'a new-born one among 
 human beings' is in modern phrase 'the 
 youngest human intelligence'. — Lastly 
 (idBoi falls under the following exceptional 
 usage of archaic grammar. "From ac-' 
 quiescence or willingness that something 
 shall happen, the optative passes to 
 admission of possibility, i.e. willingness to 
 suppose or believe that the thing will 
 happen... ft/. 3. 231 pe?a dehs y' idiXtai/ 
 Kal TTjXdOev dvSpa ffawcrai. This is said 
 as a concession: 'we men must allow 
 that a god can save even from afar' " 
 (Monro, Homeric Grammar § 299 f.). 
 Precisely so here: the meaning of the 
 proverb is not this is intelligible, but this 
 must be allowed to be intelligible or / can 
 no longer complain of obscurity. See 
 further Appendix IL 
 
134 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 TreTrXTjjfiat 8' vtto SijyfjLan (potvio) 
 Bvaayel tvxO' fitvvpa 0p€o/j.€va<i, 
 dpavfiar ifiol Kkveiv. 
 
 KA. tco TTovoi, ITOVOL iToKeo^ oXofievwi 
 
 TO Trdv. l(io TTpoTTvpyoL dvaiat 7raTp6<i 
 7ro\vKav€L<; ^otwv TrotovofioiV aKO<; 8' 
 ovhev eirrjpiceaav 
 
 TO fiT] iroXtv fxev wairep ovv ej(eLV iraOelv, 
 iyco Be dep/jiovov^ '^^% ^fnriScp /3aXa5. 
 
 XO. eTTOfxeva Trporepoi^ rdS' iTre(f>7}/MlaQ). 
 
 1 164. dvcrayyel. /xivvpa «a/ca. 
 
 II65 
 dvT. rj . 
 
 1 1 70 
 dvT. /8'. 
 
 1 163. {iiro: vTToX h, Sttws Hermann. 
 After all it is perhaps only an imitation 
 of the Homeric h-Kh deicras etc., which 
 though really explained by the digamma 
 {inrd Sfeicras) must have seemed to Aes- 
 chylus an arbitrary lengthening by the 
 ictus of the verse. Such mistaken ar- 
 chaisms occur in all literatures. See on 
 T/ie6. 712 in Appendix I. to that play, 
 p. 136. 
 
 1 1 64. 8v(raY€i. . . kXvciv at the breaking 
 misery of her piteous song which shatters 
 me to hear it. For the correlative meta- 
 phors in dvaayel...dpavixaTa cf. the 
 Homeric eweKkdadri <piXov rjTop. — Svcra'yei 
 from 0.7?; breaking (a/yvvm) ; cf. SvffTvxn^, 
 Tvxv- The spelling 5v(rayy-^s was pro- 
 bably adopted on purpose, to distinguish 
 dvcyay-ris from dvaayris impious ; cf. 'Eptc- 
 vvs for 'Epivvs and see on v. 11-2. — dvaaX- 
 yel (Canter) would not have been so 
 mistaken, and besides the strong meta- 
 phor in dpaO/xara requires something to 
 lead up to it. — In itself the metaphor 
 (literally 'a shattering to hear') seems to 
 me, as to Mr Sidgwick and others, natural 
 enough. Dr Wecklein rejects it and 
 reads dpciy/xa d' e/j.ol kXijciv (see dpaaaw). 
 — |xivvpa 8p€oji.€vas: on the metre see 
 Appendix II. 
 
 1 167. irpoirvp-yoi before the town or 
 on behalf of the town (Blomfield)? Pro- 
 bably it would be truest to say that the 
 first meaning is first intended, and then 
 the second assumed by a tacit shifting of 
 
 1 1 72. e0?j/uto"w. 
 
 thought. 
 
 1 1 70. TO |xi] kt\. As the principal 
 sentence {ovbkv iiryjpKecrav) is negative, 
 regular usage would require in the con- 
 secutive clause pi.r] ov. But we cannot 
 assume that the grammar of poetry was 
 undeviating. — «cnrep ovv ^X^"-^ iraOeiv : 
 i.e. ^xeii' iradeiv diairep oSv (e'xet Tradeiv), 
 ' to save the city from receiving such 
 treatment as in fact she has received'. 
 This elliptic sentence, as preserved by 
 both Florentinns and Venetus, is precisely 
 analogous to the common prose use of So-ris 
 5r)TroTe, e.g. tirades 8 tl S-rjiroTe (^Trades) 'you 
 have been treated as you have been' : and 
 though no exactly parallel use of Ciairep oOp 
 seems to be found, it is so much in the spirit 
 of Greek that we need not find it difficult. 
 — The Cod. Farn. offers a conjecture of its 
 usual kind, Hairep odv 'ixei. waduv. Dr 
 Wecklein very justly objects that this is not 
 classic idiom, which would require either 
 uxTirep odv e'xet ^x^"' or wcTcp odv iirade 
 iradeiv, As in v. 1287 irpd^aaav ws iirpa^tv. 
 Soph. 0. T. 1376 jiXaaroua Sttws ijiXaff- 
 Tev etc. Dr Wecklein suggests wcnrep o&v 
 ^X«'' ^« {i-e. ^X"** wfTep oDv ^x^O- But 
 the supposed derangement in the order 
 of the words is scarcely conceivable, or 
 at least would require supporting illustra- 
 tion. 
 
 1 1 7 1 : zvhi/e /, the sick-brained, shall 
 soon be sent after the wise. See Appen- 
 dix V. 
 
 1 1 72. €ir€<{)T]p,£<r« Paley. 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 135 
 
 Kal TL<; (T6 KaKO^poveiv rldr]- 
 at Sai/jicov V7r€p^aprj<i e/xTTLTVcov, 
 
 fMeXl^eiv irdOrj yoepd davaT0(f)6pa' 11/5 
 
 repfia S' dp,ri'^avoo. 
 KA. Kal jjbrjv 6 '^^prjCT 1X0'^ ovKer eK KaXv/jb/Lidrcov 
 ea-rac 8e8opKco<i veoydfiov vvficj^wi SIktjv, 
 
 Xa/JLTTpO^ S' €OLK€V TjXlOV TT/SO? dvTO\d<i 
 
 TTvewv iarj^eiv, oocrre KVfiaTO<i hiicrjv II80 
 
 Kkveiv irpo^ avyd<; rovSe 7rr]/jiaT0<i ttoXv 
 
 fiel^ov' (f>pevco(TO} 8' ovKer i^ alviyfidrcov. 
 
 Kal /jLapTvpetT€ avvSp6jjiO)<i 'i'^vo<; kukoov 
 
 pLvrjXaTov (77) tcov irdXai TreTrpajfievcov. 
 
 rrjv yap crTeyrjv ttjvS" ovttot iKXecTrei x^P^'^ 11*^5 
 
 ^vfi<jidoyyo<; ovk €V(f>covo<i' ov yap eu \eyei. 
 
 Kal fiTJv 7re7r(OK(o<i y, 00? OpaavveaOai Trkeov, 
 
 ^poretov alfxa Kco/J.o'i ev So/xoi^ fievec, 
 
 hvcnrepi'irro'i e^w, ^vyyovcov 'Eptvvcov. 
 
 vfMVOvai S" vfjuvov Bc6/J,aaiv rrpoarjixevaf II90 
 
 1 186. cvn. (poyyos. 
 
 1 1 73. tCs emphatic: 'and there is wind (^r^''/^/, so here in any other language 
 
 some power which' etc., i.e. there is in- two words are required, one to beinanti- 
 
 spiration in this and not mere wildness. thesis to e/c KaXvfMfidrwv, the other to suit 
 
 — KaKo<j>pov€iv Ti0i]ori...|j[.£Xi5€iv luaddciis the new metaphor of wind". Sidgwick. 
 thee... to sing, quasi Ka.KO(ppoviLV riOricni', 1180. €<n]^€iv: 'its coming in'' or 
 
 were /xeXi^eiv, the infinitives being ac- ' ^;//;j shall be as of a clear fresh wind '. 
 
 cumulated, which, separated as they are, ia4^€t.v Bothe : and ea-q^etv is no doubt 
 
 is not objectionable. For the construe- not the obvious word to use of a wind, 
 
 tion of rLdy]iJ.i. see L. and Sc. s.v. B. i. But the expression is influenced by the 
 
 4. — KaKocppovwv, in malice, Schiitz: but remembrance marked in the previous 
 
 ' malice' of the inspiring power is not to note. 
 
 the purpose. — Tep|Aa ,§-^a/, the same meta- uSi. kXvciv, i.e. kKv^eiv, but we 
 
 phor as in z/. 1153. must not substitute the common form. 
 
 1 1 78. vv|j.(J)as perhaps by error for The existence of kKvuv to hear is no 
 j/i^M^vys, the a having come in from the reason against the co-existence of /fXi;w = 
 neighbourhood of the lyric dialogue. /cXi^fw: cf. the analogous pairs jSXi^w- 
 But this might also affect the poet. /3Xi5fw, (pXvui-cfiKi^o}. 
 
 1 1 79. The metaphor changes to that 1187. ws: UKxre. 
 
 of a strong wind at morning, under which 1190. Swpiao-iv irpo<rti(ji€vai besieging 
 
 the rolling waves of the sea are seen the chambers (?), cf. vipyois irpocrrjaOai, 
 
 relieved against the light of dawn. Cas- not 'sitting in the house', an impossible 
 
 Sandra, it may seem, recalls her recent rendering, cv Sofjiois (v. 1188) therefore 
 
 voyage and the scene of the morning. apparently means 'in the fore-court {av- 
 
 "Xajxirpos: the Greeks called a strong X17)', or perhaps in the hall (/j^yapov), 
 
136 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 eufa? dhek^ov tm irarovvn Sva/jt,evei<i. 
 ^fiaprov ; i} rrjpco ri TO^OTrj<i rt? w?; 
 
 dcbfiara being the inner rooms. But it 
 must be confessed that to make a dis- 
 tinction between 56juoi and ddi/xara is 
 forced, and there is probably some error. 
 — Trdifxaati' TTpoarj/j.ei'ai, sitting at (heir cups 
 (cf. KuiTTT? TTpocriixtvo% V. 1617), is possiblc, 
 and irw/j.a, the later form being irofj-a, is 
 apt to be mistaken. — ai/uLaaiv irpocrrifj.evaL 
 or duifxa<yLv wpoarjixixevy^v Weil. 
 
 1 191. ■irpujTapxos...€v |X€p€i. Se i.e. 
 irpdjTapxos ixkv ev fxipu 8i, literally 'begin- 
 ning and in succession ' or 'in succession 
 from the first beginner '. The term 
 apx^i'V (v/xvov, doidijs, etc.) was conven- 
 tional and almost technical; see e.g. 
 Pindar Nem. 3. 4 — 10 yuecovr/ (<re) /xeXiya- 
 pvuu TCKTOves Kui/Jiiop peavlai. . .dpxe 5' 
 oipavou TToXweipeXa Kpkovri, Ovyarep, 
 iroKudoKi/xov v/mvov, especially where as 
 here there was a repetition and a burden 
 to the song; so in Theocritus l., dpxere 
 /3w/coXt/cas, MQaai (piXai,, dpxer' doidds. — 
 The sentence, being a further explanation 
 of v/jLvoua-iv vfjLvov, has according to rule 
 no copula. — aTif)v . . . dire'iTTva-av tA^j' de- 
 nounce the sin, cry against it. The 
 aorist is used because the common for- 
 mula of disgust was not dTTowTiiw but 
 diriTTTvaa. — €vvds dStXcJ)©! may be taken 
 in apposition to ary^v, the accusative to 
 iraTovvTL being supplied from it, or, per- 
 haps better, simply with iraTodvTi, the 
 defiler of a brother's bed, the order being 
 arranged to emphasize the words ei}j/ds 
 a.CitK<l>o\j. — Sv(r|Ji€V£is " can be nominative 
 or accusative, but it is better nominative, 
 being (as Enger and Schneidewin observe) 
 a grim allusion to their name Ey/tevtSes," 
 (Sidgwick). I think also that a personi- 
 fication of the f.\)va.\. would obscure the 
 imagery, but it is a question of taste. — 
 The allusion is to the adultery of Thyestes 
 with the wife of Atreus ; Atreus avenged 
 himself by the 'banquet', for which in re- 
 
 turn vengeance is now about to be 
 taken. — irpu)Tapxov dr-qv, as if depending 
 on vfxvovai, they sing of the original crime, 
 is the conjecture of Triclinius {Cod.Farii.), 
 very improbable technically (for there is 
 nothing in the context to produce Trpw- 
 Tapxos as an error) and creating difficulty. 
 For what is the irpuirapxos drri if not the 
 sin of Thyestes ? For the purpose of 
 this play Atreus and Thyestes are the 
 starting point, and naturally ; for the 
 crime of Thyestes had no moral connex- 
 ion with anything before it, even if we 
 assume that the various stories found 
 elsewhere as to the e'arlier history of the 
 house appeared at all in the authorities 
 followed by Aeschylus. We cannot in- 
 troduce here, against authority, an 
 obscure reference to events lying outside 
 the scope of the play. 
 
 1 193. Have I missed? Or do I at all 
 take obseri'ation, like one that aimeth a 
 shot? Or am la false prophet, a babbler 
 and a vagabond? Bear witness, swearing 
 first, that I know the ancient sifts in the 
 story of this house, rrip» * to watch for 
 an opportunity', is generally used with 
 phrases expressing the nature of the op- 
 portunity (a favourable moment, a wind, 
 a dark night, etc., see L. and Sc. s.v.), 
 but here absolutely, the nature of the 
 opportunity, the time to shoot, being 
 implied by the context. As applied here 
 the metaphor in riypu; is the same which 
 we use (but have ceased to feel as 
 metaphorical) in 'to s^tz\>icircumspectly\ 
 The second question (TijpCj ri;) corrects 
 the metaphor of the first (Tj/j-aprov;). ' Miss- 
 ing ' implies ' aiming ' ; it implies con- 
 jecture or taking a shot, as we say. But 
 Cassandra knows (z/. 1196): and this, she 
 says, may be seen in the manner of her 
 affirmation. The quack fortune-teller, 
 who comes to your door and wishes to 
 
APAMEMNQN. 
 
 13; 
 
 XO. 
 
 rj ylrevBofiavTL'i el fit dvpoKoiro'i (f>\eB(ov ; 
 eKfiaprvprjaov 7rpovjui6(Ta<; to /uL elBivat 
 XojM TraXatd^ toSvS" dfiapTLWi Boficov. 
 KoX TTcG? dv opKO<i, TTTjfia yevvalw^ Trayev, 
 iraiwvLov f^evocro ; davfid^co Be aov, 
 
 1 195 
 
 win confidence Ijy a good hit, will be 
 vague at first and not hazard anything 
 till he gets a hint; he will 'watch, like 
 one that shooteth '. Not so Cassandra, 
 who in eiivas d5e\0oD has gone without 
 hesitation to a fact ancient, secret, and 
 definite. Therefore she knozvs. The 
 eagerness of the prophetess that her re- 
 putation should be attested is not the least 
 pathetic feature in the situation.— elSt'vai 
 opposed to TOTrdfeiJ' as in v. i_^68 and 
 P. V. 947 i-^ijj rdS' olSa. — Xo^w iraXaids 
 old in story, — The sense here depends 
 entirely on the emphatic meaning of 
 eidivai. If this be missed, there is no 
 connexion. Hence the suspicion of t7?/)w 
 (Kvpu) Ahrens and others), it being sup- 
 posed that V. 1 193 should mean 'Do I 
 miss or hit?': but then to^ott/s rts ws is 
 superfluous. Hence also t6 /jltj eidivat 
 \6yifi (Hermann), translated 'that I do 
 not know by report '. But this would 
 require rb /jl eldivai, /jL-q \6-/i{i, and more- 
 over Cassandra has done nothing to 
 disprove, if it be supposed likely, that she 
 knew the facts X67y. 
 
 1 197. And how could an oath mend 
 matters, a thing framed in its nature to do 
 harm? irrjp.a Y^vvaCcos tra,-^iv framed na- 
 turally to be a hzirt. ■yevvaCws : 'according 
 to its '^hva. or nature '. This is the proper 
 meaning of •^evvo.lo% as defined by Aris- 
 totle, Hist. An. I. I. 32 t6 yevvaLov €<tti 
 TO fiT] i^iaTtxixtvov eK T^s avTou (picfiu}'i: see 
 Hom. //. 5. 253 ov fioi yevfolop aXvcrKa^ovri. 
 fidxeffdai (cited in L. and Sc. s.v.). The 
 meaning is this: the essential function of 
 a opKos, properly the thing by which the 
 oath is sworn, is that it causes the 
 person swearing falsely by it to suffer 
 certain penalties: except in the case of 
 
 falsehood it docs not act at SPl^^hf'd' in y 
 that case, as was and still is the bclierof 
 superstition, it acts mechanically and 
 without regard to qualifying considera- 
 tions, such as bona fides. No superstitious 
 person therefore (including the ancient 
 Greeks universally) will ever swear so- 
 lemnly to a thing unless he is compelled 
 to do so or has an object to gain ; and it 
 is often, as every one knows, difficult to 
 make such a person take an oath upon a 
 proper occasion. The function of the 
 opKO'i is here expressed by calling it Trrnxa., 
 precisely as Hesiod [Theog. 792) calls 
 the Styx, the opKO% deQv, /xiya wrlfia 
 deoldi, and thereupon states the penalty 
 suffered in case of falsehood. The • 
 speaker therefore here, in the true spirit 
 of canny superstition, declines to swear 
 to Cassandra's knowledge (which is not 
 exactly proved after all), as the oath, he 
 says, could do no good and would only 
 expose the swearer unnecessarily to the 
 danger of falsehood. — irawovi-ov 'a thing 
 of remedy'; the neuter better suits the 
 antithesis between Traiwiov and 7r^/xa. — 
 irrjyfxa yevvaiws irayiv [a compact (?) 
 honestly ratified), the conjecture of Aura- 
 tus, makes the words not pointless but 
 contrary to the point ; for if it were in the 
 nature of a op/cos to be -waLWVLov at all, it 
 would certainly be more so if honestly 
 sworn than otherwise. 
 
 1 198. 6av|Adt« 8«. They admit that 
 her accuracy is surprising. — o-ov should 
 not be changed to ere (Auralus). The 
 construction is like the common davfj-d^u 
 tI Tivoi 'to wonder at something in a 
 person'. Here the accusative is repre- 
 sented by the following infinitive sentence 
 Kvpetv ktX. 
 
138 
 
 aiixyaoy 
 
 TTOVTov irepav Tpa(f)ei<Tav aWodpovv ttoXcv 
 
 Kvpeiv Xijovaav uicnrep el irapeardreif. 1200 
 
 KA. fiavTL<; /Lt' ^ AiroWoiV rooS' iirecrr'qcrev reket 
 
 irpoTov /u,€P ai.8a)<; rjv ifiol Xeyetv rdSe 
 
 XO, ficou Kol deo^ irep Ifiepw ireTrKijyfjievo'? ; 
 
 d^pvverat yap Tra? rt? ev Trpdacrcov irXeov. 
 KA. ...dX)C rjv TraKataTVj'i Kdpr ifiol irveoov ')(dpLv. 1205 
 
 XO. 77 Kol reKvoov eh epyov rjXderov vofio) ; 
 KA. ^uvaivecraaa Ao^cav eyjrevcrdfirjv. 
 XO. rjSi) re')(yaLaLV evdeoL<i ^pri/xevrj ; 
 KA. 7)^7] iroklraL'i Trdvr edeairi^ov Trddrj. 
 
 XO. 7rc39 SrJT dvuKTO^ rjada Ao^lov kotoo ; I2I0 
 
 KA. enecdov ovSev^ ovSev, oj? raS' rjfnrXaKov. 
 XO. 77//.ty 76 fieV Brj irLard OeaTrl^ecv So/cet?. 
 
 KA. lov loV, W (0 KUKd. 
 
 VTT av fie Betv6<; 6pdofxavTela<; irovo'i 
 
 1 1 99. d\X60povv (oo-irtp kt\. : 
 
 'should be as right on the subject of an 
 alien town as if etc. — Kvptiv absolutely, 
 like Tvx^^v, to be right. — dXXoOpovv irdXiv. 
 The object of X^yovcrav (the theme 
 spoken of, cf. Xi-^wv xet/xwi'a v. 653) is 
 accommodated by a bold compression of 
 phrase to et TrapecrxdTets. The expanded 
 prose version would be X4yov<Tav rk ei> 
 dXXri TToXet yevd/Meva, wawep ei iraprj<rda 
 oSirep iyivero. 
 
 1 201. For better warrant of her 
 prophetic power, she begins to relate 
 from whom and how dearly she pur- 
 chased it, but pauses in an agony of 
 shame. The Argives, who have heard 
 the strange story by rumour (v. 1083), 
 prompt her with a question, observing, 
 as an excuse for pressing her, that deli- 
 cacy was better suited to her former 
 condition than her present ! In spite of 
 their sympathy they insist on gratifying 
 their Greek (perhaps rather Athenian) 
 curiosity. This again is no small addi- 
 tion to the nature and pathos of the 
 scene. It is worth while to compare 
 that in which the Coloniates, avowedly 
 for no serious purpose, insist on dragging 
 
 a confession of his past story out of the 
 reluctant Oedipus (Soph. O.C. 510 foil.). 
 Here the unhappy woman sacrifices her 
 modesty to her intense desire for belief. — 
 On the details of the story which follows 
 see Appendix W. 
 
 1204 answers the scruple expressed 
 in V. 1202, but it is unnecessary and 
 injurious to change for this reason the 
 positions of v. 1202 and v. 1203. Yotp 
 introduces, as often, not a proof of 
 what has been said, but a justification for 
 saying it, here for putting the preceding 
 question. 
 
 1205. She continues, with an effort ; 
 dXXa answers to /J.^f in v. 1203. 
 
 1213. The agony of prophecy comes 
 upon her again. 
 
 12 14. Seivos or 5lvos (M. Schmidt, 
 Wecklein)? I do not find any clear 
 ground for decision. Stfos certainly fits 
 excellently with a-rpo^ii, and the epithet 
 Scivos might be thought rather to weaken 
 the language. On the other hand, it can 
 hardly be said that n6vos (rrpo^el /j.e, the 
 pain twists me, is defective, and if blvot be 
 taken, we must either take ttocos as in 
 apposition, which clogs the verse, or 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 UO 
 
 arpo^el rapaa-awv <^poifiioL<i — i<p7}fi€Vov<;... 1215 
 
 Spare; ...TOvaB6...rov<; 86/jioi,<i icfirj/uLevov^... 
 
 veov<;, oveipwv nrpoac^epel^i /jiopcfxtifiaaLv. 
 
 TralSe'i 6av6vT€<; axrirepel Trp6<i rcov cpiXcov, 
 
 '^elpa'i Kpewv 7r\rjdovTe<i olK€ia<i ^opa^, 
 
 (Tvv ivTepoc<; re aTrXdy^v, iiroLKTicrTov <yefJbo<i, 1220 
 
 irpkirova e^ovre^, wv irarrip iyevauTo. 
 
 CK TWvBe 7roivd<i (^r]fxl /SovXeveiv tlvcl 
 
 Xkovr dvaXKiv ev Xe^ei arpcocficofjievov 
 
 OLKOvpov, oifiot, rw /jioXovTi, SecrTTortj 
 
 i/xw' (pepeiv yap ■x^pij to SovXlov ^vyov. 1225 
 
 veoov T d'irap-)(o^ ^\Xiov r dva(7rdTr)<; 
 
 1220. y^fi. 
 
 change it (with Wecklein) to wouuu, which 
 again makes a heavy construction. — viro, 
 an adverb, signifying the tmsccit and 
 gradual coming on of the fit. 
 
 121 5. <})poLfACois, beginning of greater 
 pain to come, as in llicb. 7. — £4)T](1€'vovs. 
 May we not demur to the general assump- 
 tion that this word has come in by error 
 from the next line? Surely, as it stands, 
 it is much more than justifiable. No doubt 
 at (ppoi/jLioLS the sentence, though gram- 
 matically complete, is rhythmically in- 
 complete : a full stop after the fourth 
 foot is very rare, and ippoi/j.ioLs wants an 
 epithet. Doubtless also the sentence 
 i(f>T)IJ.ivoLi kt\. is misshapen and disar- 
 ranged. But all this is part of the intended 
 effect. Suddenly, in the very midst of 
 her cries of pain, the vision itself bursts 
 upon her, and she points to it with wild 
 broken exclamations, Sitting there!... 
 do ye see them ? ... there ! ... sitting before the 
 house. ..young children .. .like phantom 
 forms, etc. 
 
 12 16. 6paT€;, best taken (with Her- 
 mann) as a question. — 86|xoi,s €<J)r]n,€vovs 
 'sitting before' the house, i.e. as sup- 
 pliants at the door, or at the altar before 
 the door ; see ^p^ras i(prjiJ.ei>os, Eum. 
 412. For the construction cf. €<pe(TTa.vaL 
 TrvXaij to stand at a gate, €<pe<jT6.vai. TriXet 
 
 to lie before a city (of an army), and see 
 Theb. 525. 
 
 1 2 1 8. Like children slain by those that 
 should love them. This, with the reference 
 to dream-phantoms, seems to presume a 
 belief that the children of infanticides 
 haunted the house in this way, a belief 
 very natural, where, as in the historic age 
 of Greece, infanticide was admitted in 
 theory but reprobated if not prohibited in 
 practice. — Without some such explana- 
 tion the words ■iraLdes...<pl\u}i> seem want- 
 ing in force, and it may also be observed 
 that we cannot quite properly join 
 together as parallel words OavdvTes... 
 ir\'qdovTe%...'ixovTes, because in that case 
 there should either be no copula (re) at 
 all, or else another copula {x^^pas re). 
 As it is, re couples TrXTjOovTes with ?x<"'- 
 res, and iratbes . . .<pi\ii}v is a separate 
 clause, qualifying the whole sentence and 
 explained by wliat precedes. 
 
 1 2 1 9. o'lKeias Popds : because the flesh 
 of the children was the llesh of the father 
 himself. 
 
 1224. Seo-iroT'jj cjiw ■ c^cpcivyap- The 
 appellation 'lord of me', and the humble 
 acknowledgement, have here a bitterly 
 ironical etfect. 
 
 1226. V€a(V...dvao~raTTis lie that for 
 Troy destroyed hath lost his sovereign fleet. 
 
140 
 
 AlIXYAOV 
 
 ovK olhev ola <y\(loaara fiiarjTT]^; kvv6<;, 
 Xe^aca KUKreivaaa (f>a(,8p6vov<; Blktjv 
 aT7}<; \a6paiov, rev^erat KaKrj tv'^^. 
 
 1228. Kal KTelvdaa. 
 
 literally 'being at once discommanded 
 of his fleet and destroyer of Troy'. The 
 conjunctions t€...t€ mark the close union 
 of the two descriptions. Agamemnon is 
 dvaffTCLTTjs 'IXiov and i^eQv dwapxos there- 
 fore also. The two are thus linked by 
 the Trojan captive in bitter satire: the 
 wreck and dispersion of the fleet was the 
 direct consequence of the sacrilegious 
 destruction and razing {avdaraais) of Troy 
 {w. 350, 640), and on the destruction of 
 the fleet in turn depended the fate of 
 Agamemnon himself (see the Introduc- 
 tion). Here as before (see on v. 532) the 
 Athenian poet has in mind the destruction 
 of Athens and its punishment at Sala- 
 mis. — aTrttpx.os : for the form (from o.px'i)^ 
 cf. aTTOTroXis, aTTOffTpdrTjYOj etc. The 
 genitive case (ye.uiv) follows the privative 
 according to rule. — ^Tra.pxos Canter. Al- 
 though this suggestion has been so long 
 incorporated with the text that it may 
 seem a sacrilegious avdaracns to disturb 
 it, I cannot but think it doubly and 
 trebly wrong; for (i) ^irapxos, meaning 
 praefectus, one placed in command by 
 another (see L. and Sc. s.v.), is a word 
 quite inappropriate to the position of 
 Agamemnon ; (2) no one would have 
 invented or blundered into the unique 
 word a.-Ka.pxo^, having before him 'iirapxos, 
 in later Greek extremely common as an 
 official title; and (3) re. ..re requires a 
 close connexion of the descriptions, as is 
 explained above. If the whole sentence 
 had a conjunction, it would be 5e (G. 
 Voss), not re. But it is treated as an 
 explanation of the preceding (^ovXeveiw 
 TLud ktX.), and has no conjunction (cf. v. 
 
 334)- 
 
 1227 — 1229. KaKTcivao-a Canter. He 
 knoxvs not how the tongue of that lewd crea- 
 twe hath spoken and stretched, with joy- 
 ful thoughts, her plea and cast of treacher- 
 
 ous harm, which fatally shall succeed. 
 ola adverbial accusative, equivalent to 
 fiTrwt, qualifying the whole sentence. 
 \€^a(ra...Xa9paCov describes, with allu- 
 sive ambiguity, the queen's reception of 
 Agamemnon. The expressions are loaded, 
 indeed over-loaded, with double meaning, 
 (i) In relation to '^\Q>(ica....\i^a.<ja., the 
 word ^lKr\v means primarily plea (cf. the 
 common phrase divdv diKTjv and contrast 
 diKas OVK dwo yXuacrris v. 804) : Clytaem- 
 nestra's whole address {v. 846) is a S^/ct; 
 in this sense, an exculpation of herself. 
 We are also reminded of her ambiguous 
 S'lKt] in V. 902. In this connexion iKrel- 
 vacra. means lengthening, and refers to the 
 artificial length of her address, noted by 
 Agamemnon {v. 907 ixaKpdv -/dp i^^reivas) 
 in similar terms. But (2) in eKreivaffa 
 dlKr]v...T€v^€Tai there is also involved 
 another sense of dlKrj, connected with diKT) 
 Justice very remotely if at all, namely a 
 cast (as of a tiet) from diKelv to throw 
 (cf. /36Xos from ^dWeiv and note the 
 similar derivation of BLktvov). To 5lKr]v 
 in this sense eKrelveiv to reach forth (cf. 
 iKTelveiv tt]v x^^P^) is literally applicable, 
 and in this metaphor the allusive phrases 
 naturally meet. — arris XaOpaiov belongs 
 primarily, as defining genitive, to UK-qv 
 but determines the meaning of Tei^lerat 
 7vill reach (the object). — I give here the 
 explanation, or rather explanations, of 
 (i) Mr Macnaghten [yottrnal of Philo- 
 logy, XVI. p. 213) and (2) Mr J. B. 
 Bury {Classical Review i. 241). Both 
 satisfy me, and the second exactly sup- 
 plies, I think, what is wanting, as Mr 
 Macnaghten candidly points out, to the 
 first, viz. an explanation wdiy the poet 
 should permit himself a phrase so far 
 from natural as iKzelveiv diK7)u is, if we 
 recognize only the first sense of Blkt]. — ■ 
 See further Appendix X. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 141 
 
 TOidSe ToXfjia, OrjXvi (ip(Tevo<i (f)ovev<;. 
 €(TTiv — Ti VLV KaXovaa Sv(T(f)i\e'i oaKO<i 
 TV-^oLjjb (IV ; d/jb(f)ia^aivav, i) ItKvWav tlvu 
 otKovaav iv irirpaLcn, vavrlXwv ^Xa^rjv, 
 Ovovaav "AiBov X^rop^ dcnrovSov t dpav 
 
 1230 
 
 1230 
 
 HVr^p'. 
 
 1230. So daring is her intent, the wo- 
 man slaying the man ! ToidSe : so daring, 
 that he cannot suspect it. 6i]\vs... 
 <|)0V6vs, where OrfKvs is in effect subject 
 and (poveifs predicate, stand in loose appo- 
 sition, as an exclamation, to roXyua or to 
 the sentence rotd.5e To'Xjxa {icrri), exactly as 
 in the corresponding English. — With the 
 punctuation drfKvs...icTTiv., the division of 
 the rhythm is bad and ^(ttlv not correct. 
 — ToXjia H. L. Ahrens. 
 
 1 23 1. ?o-n,v — tC viv ktK. She is — 
 ah, what should the loveless monster he fitly 
 called? She pauses for words. 
 
 1233. vavrCXwv pXdprjv. The cir- 
 cumstances of the king's arrival give 
 point to the comparison. 
 
 1234. 9vov(rav: an ambiguous word 
 such as Aeschylus affects, particularly in 
 oracular passages. Primarily the refer- 
 ence is to the sacrifices which play so 
 important a part in the plot. (See par- 
 ticularly vv. 592 — 599 a.vui\6\v^a...'6fi(j3i 
 d' idvov and note eVwXoXi^^aTo below.) 
 But " A180V suggests also the sense raging 
 (from the other Ovd) which is generally, 
 and so far rightly, here taken. The 
 first however cannot be left out of sight 
 in this context and after what has pre- 
 ceded. The point lies in the ambiguity : 
 her sacrifice is the ritual of a Fury. — ^' Ai- 
 80V y.r\ripa. (?) : a very doubtful expres- 
 sion. Mr vSidgwick translates it by Dam 
 of Death, which sounds well ; but we 
 have to remember that Hades is strictly 
 a proper name, the deity of the lower 
 world. To describe a woman as mother 
 of Hades seems beyond the artistic limits 
 of raving. XriTopo O. Miiller, followed 
 by Wecklein (from Hesycliius, Xebopei' 
 Upeiai, and Xyreipai' Upeiat, and XrjTeipaf 
 
 Upeiat tCjv aefxvQv OeOiv : cf. v. 736 lepev^ 
 aras), priestess of Hades. This fits exactly 
 and may be provisionally taken. If |Jit]T^p' 
 can be retained, it must be, I think, by 
 taking it in the sense not of mother but, 
 which is possible in itself, of matron, 
 and translating like a matron of Hades. 
 But I do not maintain this. 
 
 ib. 6vo\)orav...'irvlov(rav offering her 
 fiendish sacrifice, like a priestess of Death, 
 even while in the prayer of her soul her 
 htisbatid has no part. t£ couples Qvovaav 
 to vv^ovaav, contrasting them as things 
 which should not coexist. — d<rirov8ov 
 dpdlv 4>CXoi,s. The dative depends on 
 d(Tirov5oi'. We should not change dpav 
 to 'Aptju (or 'Apt]), particularly if Xyropa 
 be accepted. IfApyjs suggests the notion 
 of airovSal, so also does dpd (see v. 464). 
 An dpd created a bond between those 
 who joined in the a-irovdal (libation) by 
 which it was typified. An dpd which is 
 d(Tirovd6s tlvi is a prayer in which that 
 person can have no part. The prayers 
 with which Clytaemnestra secretly ac- 
 companied her pretended sacrifice for 
 her husband's return were curses upon 
 his head and vows of the success of her 
 ^wwfxdTai. It is in fact the 'conjuration' 
 which is here in view, and if we were better 
 informed respecting that part of the 
 story, we should probably appreciate the 
 point more perfectly. — irv€ovo-av signifies 
 that she sacrifices in the spirit of impre- 
 cation, as we say, preserving the same 
 metaphor in a dead form. The breath is in 
 Greek a standing type of the purpose or 
 feeling with which any one is, as we say 
 again, animated. — (j>fXois: the typical 
 word in Attic poetry for the husband or 
 wife, 
 
142 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 (f)L\oi<: TTveovcrav ; a><; S' eTroyXoXv^aro 1235 
 
 77 iravTOToXfio^;, cocrirep ev fici'^ri^ Tporrfj, 
 
 BoKel Be ■y^alpeiv voari/xo) o-coTr/pta. 
 
 Koi TcovS' ofiotov et n /jLtj ireldoi' Ti 7«/); 
 
 TO fieWov ^fet. koX crv pbr)v Taj^et irapwv 
 
 cu^av 7' aKn)QbiiavTiv olKTeipa<i epei<i. 1240 
 
 XO. rrjv fiev ^vearov Balra TraiSeicov Kpecou 
 
 ^vvrJKa Kol 7recf)piKa, /cat (po^o'i fi ^'%^* 
 
 kXvovt aXrjddof ov8ev i^rjKacr/jLeva' 
 
 TO. S' aXX,' fiKovaa^ e/c Bpofiov irecrwv Tpe'^^co. 
 KA. * Aiya/jbifivovo^; ae (fifj/jb eiro-^eaOai /xSpov. 1 245 
 
 XO. ev(f)r)/j,ov, (o ToXaiva, Koi/jUjcrov crTOfia. 
 KA. aW' ovTi Tratwv twS' eTrLcnarel Xoyrp. 
 XO. OVK, 6t irapearai 7 ' aWa p,i] yei'OLTO tto)?. 
 
 1 24 1. TraiSt'wc. 
 
 1236. <3<rir£p...TpoirTJ as at the ino- 
 mcnt of victory. Kennedy rightly under- 
 stands this of Clytaemnestra's victorious 
 revenge, which is the real subject of her 
 joy. The figure is from women watching 
 a fight and raising the oKoko\\)yiJ.bs when 
 they see the enemy fly. 
 
 1237. 8oK€i h\ though she pretends. 
 1238: literally, 'it is all one if I am 
 
 as to any point herein not believed '. 
 
 1239. Kal o-i ^y\v nay, thou thyself 
 ere long, a present witness, etc. /xtjv marks 
 the climax upon to /jl^Wov rj^ei. The 
 fact can scarcely be called rb fi^Wov : the 
 elders are there to see it. — Kal empha- 
 sizes trv, thy very self 
 
 1240. 7«. As for confirmation of her 
 truth, that at least will be only too com- 
 plete. — In order to provide a pronominal 
 object in this sentence /nV has been 
 altered to ya' iv (Auratus) or 7' to /x' 
 (Pauw), changes both undesirable in 
 themselves. But is there any need for a 
 pronoun ? The effect of the sentence as 
 it stands is thou wilt say with compassion 
 'A prophetess only too true\ The object 
 is not fie, but fidvnv, 'thou wilt call the 
 prophetess only too true a prophetess', 
 and this object is to be supplied out of 
 
 the predicate d\r]96fJ.avTii' itself. 
 1 241. iraiSeCwv Schiitz. 
 
 1243. dXT]9aJs...€|TiKao-|A€va 7uhat is 
 in truth no mere vague semblance. They 
 admit that her utterances have as she 
 asserts (w. 1193) all the character of 
 reality. Cf. Theb. 432. 
 
 1244. €K...Tp€)(« / am throiun off the 
 track, at a loss. 
 
 1246. «i5<})t](Aov : a technical expres- 
 sion of religion. They remind her with 
 horror that she is in the presence of the 
 gods of the house, in whose honour a 
 sacrifice is now being performed, so that 
 abstinence from ominous words is a reli- 
 gious duty. From the reference to Jiaujiv 
 {Apollo') in the answer it appears that 
 they point specially at the Agyiens {v. 
 1065). 
 
 1247. IVay, it is not as saviour thai 
 he directs this sentence, but as d7r6XXwi' 
 (see V. 1065, and contrast v. 517 vvv... 
 tffdi Tratwftos). — eiriffTaTeip \6yip 'to 
 govern it', or see it carried out. 
 
 1248. No indeed, if he tneans to ap- 
 pear; but I trust it shall not be so, i.e. 
 I trust it is an idle prediction which the 
 god does not support, and will not see 
 executed. But a moment later Cassandra 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 143 
 
 KA. 
 XO. 
 KA. 
 XO. 
 KA. 
 XO. 
 KA. 
 
 (TV fjLev Karev'x^ei, Toi<i S' diroKTelveiv /jbiXei. 
 TLVo<i Trpo'i avEpo<i tovt «;^o<? Tropavverai ; 
 t] KapT cip' av irapeo'Koiretii '^p'r)(rfj,(Sv eficov. 
 Tov yap T€\ovvTO<i ov ^vvrjKa /jLrj'y^avyjv. 
 Kol /xrjv ciyav <y "^Wrjv iTTiara/xai ^/iTiv. 
 KoX yap TCI TTvOoKpavra' SvcnrvOi) 8' ofio)<;. 
 iraTrat, olov rh irvp' eTrepx^rai. he /xoi. 
 OTOTOi, AvK€i " AttoWov, ot iyo) eyco. 
 avTT] Slttov^ Xeaiva avyKOifxw/jLeur) 
 XvKW XioPTo^ evyevov^ (iTrova-ia, 
 
 1250 
 
 1255 
 
 125 1. irapecjKoirei'i. 
 
 1254. SvcnraOT]. 
 
 1257. 
 
 6/7rXoiis. 
 
 beholds the god himself (z'. 1268). It is 
 to be remembered that Agamemnon, as 
 well as Cassandra, was a sinner against 
 Apollo in having violated his sanctuary. 
 The apparition of the god here at the 
 crisis is a forecast of his leading part in 
 the following plays. — «Vep ^crrai (Schiitz) 
 assumes (I think wrongly) that the sub- 
 ject of the verb is 6 X670?. 
 
 1250. They are thinking of Aegisthus; 
 hence ctvSpos. 
 
 1251. T/iou must indeed have missed 
 clean the purport of my revelation, liter- 
 ally 'must have looked much wide of 
 (Trapa)'. For the tense with dv see 7'. 
 924 and note there. — There is apparently 
 no reason to doubt this reading, which 
 according to Wecklein (Vitelli) is ori- 
 ginal in f, -q being merely written above 
 the ei, a suggestion arising from a confused 
 notion that av required the subjunctive 
 termination (see vv. 926, 927). irapeaKb- 
 TTTjs h. — Note that by the caesural divi- 
 sion of 7rap-eo-/c67reis an emphasis is thrown 
 upon irapa (an adverb), and cf. Theb. 525. 
 In fact irapea-Kb-n^eis is not one word but 
 two. — 17 Kapra rdpa wapiKoTrrjs Hartung ; 
 but apart from the evidence, TrapaKSvTo- 
 fiai is scarcely the right word for the 
 place. There is no reason to suggest 
 that they have been deluded. 
 
 1252: literally 'of the person likely 
 to perform it I do not understand the 
 device', i.e. ' I do not see how he, whom 
 
 I should naturally suspect of the design, 
 has any means of executing it'. 6 Te\Civ 
 is Aegisthus, as in v. 1250. It would be 
 impossible that the elders, knowing what 
 they did, should not have their minds 
 turned in this direction by Cassandra's 
 words. But as they say, what they do 
 not comprehend is how the adulterers 
 can act, assuming of course that they are 
 not mad. The fivx^-^V is the conspiracy. 
 It is the very foundation of the whole 
 play that the king's friends do not know 
 the strength of their enemies and the 
 extent of their preparations. — rovs re- 
 Xovvras (Heimsoeth) perverts the mean- 
 ing. 
 
 1253. eC^av -ye : by the fatal inspiration 
 of Apollo, which adds a point to the next 
 verse. 
 
 1254. 8vo"iro0i] hard to enquire of Jiard 
 to learn, from irvOicrOat. : cf. einridrjs. I 
 give this in preference to dva-fiadrj (Ste- 
 phanus), both as being more liable to 
 mistake than a word so familiar, and 
 also for the assonance to irvdbKpavTa, 
 which is, I think, Aeschylean in manner. 
 The error might arise through the mis- 
 spelling SvcrTTOiOrj. 
 
 1255. «irtpxeTai it is coming, the pro- 
 phetic seizure. 
 
 1257. SCiroDS Victorius. — a.vrr\ See 
 there... \ It is better to stop the sentence 
 at iwovalq.. 
 
144 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KTevet fie rr/v raXaivav' «w? Se ^cipfiaKov 
 rev')(Ovaa ku/jLov fiLaOov ev6i)cret kotw. 
 iirev'^eTai 6t]youaa <^cot\ (jjaayavov 
 ifif]<; d<ya)<yrjq avTiTiaaadai <f>6vov. 
 TV hrJT ifiavTrj(i KarayeXoiT e^&) raSe, 
 Kol (TKriiTTpa fcal /jbavreXa Trepl Beprj (TT6(f)7} ; 
 ere fiev irpo fioipaq rr]<; e/iJ)? StatfiOepco. 
 IT e? (})66pov Treaovra 0* wS' d/jLeL^ofiai. 
 dXkrjv Tiv drrjv dvT efxov irXouTi^ere. 
 ISov S' ^ AttoWcov avr6<; eK^vcov efie 
 'X^prjarripiav eadrjr' e7ro7rTev<Ta<i Se fie 
 Kav rolahe KoafioL'i KarayeXcofiivrjv fiera, 
 
 1266. dyadih 5' d/JLel^o/jiai (corr. to d/xeiipofMai). 
 
 1260 
 
 1265 
 
 1270 
 
 i^SQ — 1260. S/ie bmvs, as it 7ae?r, a 
 7nedicine for her ivrath and will add to it 
 (as an ingredient) also the recompense for 
 me, i.e. the revenge for the insult done to 
 her as a wife, kotw, dative 'of interest', 
 belongs to the whole sentence, both to 
 reuxovsa. and to evdrjaei, the wrath, i.e. 
 the craving for vengeance, being per- 
 sonified as the patient to be cured. — k6t(^ 
 is indispensable here to make (pdpfiaKov 
 Te'jxovaa intelligible. Since the meaning 
 of Khros is such that it cannot possibly 
 depend on iv in ivdrjaei, or make any 
 sense with ivdrjaei except that intended, 
 there is no obscurity ; and the order of 
 words is in itself natural. — 7r6T(jj (Aura- 
 tus) leaves the simile of (pdpjxaKov unex- 
 plained. — The abrupt recommencement 
 €ir€vx€Tai kt\. is effective and in character 
 (vv. 1218, 1222, 1226, 1267). 
 
 1264. <rKTJTrTpa...<rT€<j)T|: at each word 
 she dashes down the thing named. — 
 o-KTJirTpa her divining wands. 
 
 1265. o-J: some other object, uncertain 
 without the scenic explanation, "an 
 image of Apollo, I guess, which she 
 wore on her head or breast " (Munro, y. 
 Ph. XI. 140). 
 
 1266. 'Down, cursed things, to the 
 ground, where thus I take my vengeance 
 on you ! ' She tramples the insignia under 
 foot. See Appendix Y. 
 
 1267. 'As I am destroyed, be your 
 rich substance in its own way destroyed 
 too!', literally 'enrich another kind of 
 destruction in return for the destruction 
 of me '. aTT]v ttXodtC^stc enrich Destruc- 
 tion, i.e. ' be destroyed ', as in Soph. O. T. 
 30 "Ai8r]s (TTevayfiois /cat 7601s TrXovri^erai, 
 but here with more point in so far as the 
 notion of ttXovtos is literally appropriate 
 to the robes and insignia. — aXXT)v rivd 
 (according to prose usage iripav TLvd) 
 marks the fanciful analogy. If the in- 
 signia cannot be killed, like Cassandra, 
 they can at least be spoiled. — wt' «(xov, 
 as in the cotnparatio cotnpendiaria, for 
 dvrl r^s e/x^s arijs. She expresses more 
 precisely the idea of AfxtilSofxai in v. 
 1266. — The reading here is correct. 
 The suggested changes (ar?;? Hermann, 
 etc.) proceed on the assumption that the 
 required meaning is ' Bestow yourselves 
 on another'. But the insignia are not to 
 go to another; they are, as she says, to 
 be destroyed. 
 
 1269 : having enjoyed the sight of me 
 exposed, even in and along with this 
 sacred garb, to the derision of fric7id and 
 foe alike — all in vain ! . . . 
 
 1270. fi.€Ta: 'together with them' i.e. 
 with the k6(t/j.oi. Here, as in v. 591 criv 
 di irXovTi^eiv i/j.i and again in v. 1644, 
 the adverbial preposition is emphasized 
 
AFAMEMNQN. 
 
 H5 
 
 (f)t\cov VTT e-^^Optj^v ov Bi'^oppoTTco'i, /xnTrjv 
 (^KakovfjLevrj 8e, ^oiTa<; co<i, dyvprpia 
 'irTco-)(^o<; Tokaiva \ifjbodvi)<i r]vea-')(^6/jbr]v), 
 Kol vvv 6 /jidvTi<; fidvriv e/cvrpa'^a? e/xe 
 UTnjyay' e? roidcrSe davaal/xovi TV')(a^. 
 jScOfxov TrarpMov 8' dvT eTrl^rjvov fievet 
 uep/j,(p KOTrelarj^; <f)Oivi(p 7rpocr<f)dj/jLaTL. . 
 ov firjv ari/jLOL <y eV 6ewv TeOvrj^ofxev. 
 
 1278. dTLfiou (corr. to aTi/xoi). 
 
 1275 
 
 by separation, so as to mark the point. 
 Apollo had punished Cassandra with 
 such unscrupulous cruelty, that while she 
 was mocked, he cared not if the sacred 
 emblems of his own religion were ex- 
 posed to indignity 'along with' her. 
 |i£Td here means ou/cayei; tovtuv precisely 
 as <Tvv in v. 591 means /^rj dvev rwv 
 aWuv. — The adverb fi^ya (Hermann) 
 would much weaken the expression, 
 while /JL€Ta, properly understood, rein- 
 forces it. 
 
 1 2 7 1 . «j)£Xwv ... 8 ixoppdirus ^j/ friends 
 and foes indiffe7-ently, disbelieved, that 
 is, in Argos just as formerly in Troy 
 (Hermann, Peile, Conington etc.). The 
 absence of a copula between (plXwv and 
 eX^P'^v depends on the same principle of 
 antithesis as ai/w koltu} up and dotoit, 
 avdpQv yvvaiKuv Soph. An/. 1079, daKveif 
 daKveadai Aristoph. frogs, 861 (KUhner, 
 § 546, 5, e, d). — Others join <pl\wv, as an 
 adjective, to ix^P'^" ^^ ^'^'^ versa, or take 
 together /iera and (piXwv. But the con- 
 text, particularly the words oii dixopp&irus, 
 shows the meaning intended. — fjtarrjv. 
 As the prophecies were still disbelieved, 
 the mockery was borne in vain. — The 
 construction of ixaT-qv with KarayeXw/xeprju 
 requires a pause after dLXoppi-jrwi and 
 consequently a sharp and peculiar em- 
 phasis on the final word. This however 
 I think to be legitimate and effective, 
 especially as the exclamation /jlolttju is 
 explained and expanded in the two paren- 
 thetic verses which follow. 
 
 1273. rdXaiva A las ! 
 
 V. M. A. 
 
 1274. Kttl vxJv resumes the main 
 sentence. As Apollo has followed with 
 revengeful delight her sufferings as a pro- 
 phetess, so nmv also he has come to witness 
 the last penalty. — |j.dvTiv «Kirpd^as i^i 
 'having finished my seership', 'having 
 done with me', as it were, 'as a seer'. 
 Finished here is not quite the same thing 
 as destroyed (Soph. O. C. 1659); Cas- 
 sandra the /j-avTis is ' finished ', as having 
 completed her punishment so far as it 
 was to be inflicted through the prophetic 
 gift. In sign of which the god by her 
 own hands has stripped off the fatal 
 emblems. 
 
 1276 — 1277: andin plcueof the altar of 
 my home there a^vaits me the victim'' s block, 
 a victitn struck ere yet her predecessor' s 
 blood be cold. — Koircio-qs, possessive, de- 
 pending on eTrl^r]vov, literally, 'the block 
 of one struck'. That Koirelaa is strictly 
 general in sense also explains the use of 
 the timeless aorist. — 0€pjj,u...<j>otvtw -n-po- 
 (r<j)d"y(J.aTi. The arrangement of the words 
 shows that 0€p|i,w is a predicate to 4>oiv((i> 
 •n-po<r(j>d7|j.aTi : a prose-writer, if he liad 
 used this dative at all, would have dis- 
 tinguished the subject further by the 
 article, rifi (poiviu) TrpoacpdyfMaTi. The 
 literal translation is ' upon the before-shed 
 (or first-shed) blood being warm'. The 
 dative is that which, on the analogy of 
 the genitive, is sometimes called 'abso- 
 lute'. See further Appendix Z. The 
 irp6(r<})a*Y|xa in this case is the blood of 
 Agamemnon. 
 
 1278. T€9vi]5o(i.€V ri'-', strictly plural, 
 
 10 
 
146 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 7?fet <yap tjficov aWo? av n^dopo^, 
 firjTpoKTovov <f)iTUjj.a, TTOivcnwp Trarpoii' 
 (f)V'yd<; 8' aXr/T?;? TtjaBe 7179 diro^evo'i 
 KCLTeicriv dra'i rdcrhe dpL<yKc6aoiv <^tXot9'- 
 d'^ei VLV vTrTiaa/xa Keifievov 7rarp6<i. 
 TV BfJT iyco KdToiKO<i <w8' dvaa-revo) ; 
 iirel TO TrpwTOV elSov 'iXtou ttoXiv 
 Trpd^acrav (w? eirpa^ev, 01 S' el-^ov iroXtv 
 
 1283. d'^eic vvv. 
 
 1280 
 
 1285 
 
 Cassandra and Agamemnon, as appears 
 from iroivdTCjp irarphs in v. 1280. — Ob- 
 serve that this change to the plural is 
 naturally accounted for by v. 1277 as 
 above explained. — fiTi(ioi unregarded. 
 
 1283. a^€i g, h. Hermann retaining 
 a^eti» (f) inserts here v. 1289, but see note 
 there. — vtcrla.v^ix : a word almost unique, 
 of which only a conjectural explanation 
 can be given. It means literally ' the 
 turning of a thing upside down'. Thus 
 the position of the hands in prayer 
 with the palms upwards is inrTlacTna 
 Xeipiov. Here it refers to the overthrow 
 of the fallen (KSLfiivov) Agamemnon. But 
 it cannot be supposed that the poet, 
 without some special reason, would de- 
 scribe so simple a matter by such a 
 far-fetched and unnatural word, or that 
 vwriacrpLa Keifxevov irarpos is merely a 
 verbose equivalent for Ksifievos Trarrip. 
 As this verse is in form a commentary 
 on the preceding, it is there we should 
 look for the explanation. The only ex- 
 pression there likely to suggest remark 
 is OpiyKUffuv, also a very rare word and a 
 not common metaphor. I think therefore 
 that with this metaphor inrTiaa/xa must 
 be connected ; the vwrlaaixa (this is the 
 connexion required) of Agamemnon's 
 fall will bring or lead to the dpiyKos of 
 Orestes' vengeance. The OpiyKoi was 
 the finish of a piece of building, such as 
 the coping stone of a wall, the abacus of 
 a capital, etc. : and \nnlaaix.a therefore, to 
 suit the metaphorical application, should 
 be what comes before, i.e. below, the 
 
 dpiyKos. Now in all building, unless on 
 a very small scale, the projection of the 
 dpiyKos is secured and connected with 
 the vertical by an iinoard slope; and this 
 slope is effected by a stone or piece 
 which is a invTiacnia in the proper sense, 
 having a larger end and a smaller, and 
 standing upon the smaller, i.e. upside 
 down. More particularly in the capital of 
 a pillar, the inward-sloping part (in Doric 
 architecture the echinus), which carries 
 the abacus or flat top, is precisely a 
 iiTTTiafffia. I should conjecture therefore 
 that to this part of a wall or column the 
 term vTrrlaafia, or some term {e.g. rb 
 vwTLov) naturally suggesting this, was 
 familiarly applied. It is of course but a 
 guess, and the reader's knowledge may 
 supply a better. But that virTiaa-iJ.a is 
 used here to make a point seems to me 
 certain, and nearly certain that this point 
 is connected with the dpiyKos. For the 
 same architectural metaphor with the 
 same application see v. 1339. 
 
 1284. kyu) KaroiKos / iha( am come 
 to )ny home. KaroiKos means ' one who 
 settles' or takes up his abode in a place; 
 it does not seem to have been in common 
 use but is suggested here by Kdretcn in v. 
 1282. In bitter irony Cassandra identifies 
 herself as she has been bidden to do (v. 
 1020) with the house of Agamemnon, 
 and chides herself for delaying to enter 
 where she is to abide. — KarotKros Scaliger, 
 but surely without need. 
 
 1286. il\ov corrected to elXov (Mus- 
 grave), and otherwise, on the ground 
 
APAMEMNQN. 
 
 147 
 
 ovT(o<i d7raWd(T<T0V(Tiv €k decov Kplcrei, 
 iovaa rrrpd^oi, T\j]crofxai, to KarOavelv' 
 oficofxoTai ynp opKO^ ck decou fiiya'i. 
 "AiSov TTvXa'i 8e rdcrS' iyw irpoaevveTroi. 
 
 1290. Tas \i-yu. 
 
 1290 
 
 that an aorist is required. This however 
 seems to be an error. The imperfect 
 tense is correctly used in contrast to the 
 succeeding present airaWaffaovaiv : cf. v, 
 709 iifj-ivaiov OS t6t' iirippeirev ya/j.^po'icn.v 
 deideiv. 61 8' tlxpv is literally ' those who 
 (then) were the takers (of the town)'. 
 (As o-xc'" is to take, so ^x^'" is to be taking, 
 as in V. 670.) — irdXiv Keck, for iroXiv, i.e. 
 on the contrary or in their turn. I be- 
 lieve this to be right: in the style of 
 Aeschylus the object to erxoc (a,\)ri]v) 
 would naturally be supplied, and itoXiv is 
 much to the point. However the change 
 is not necessary. 
 
 1287: 'are brought by their choice of 
 gods io their present pass', literally 'are 
 coming off thus by choice of gods'. Ik 
 9€<3v out of or among gods, depends upon 
 KpicTEi. [choosing, from Kplv(j} choose) ; cf. v. 
 1365, Theb. 806 iitt' aXX^Xwi/ (povi^ etc. — h 
 dewv Kplcrei. (g, h) is presumably only a 
 conjecture to simplify the construction, 
 but the meaning is not altered. — The ar- 
 gument of Cassandra's despair is this: 
 from the triumph of Agamemnon and 
 the Greeks it might have appeared, and 
 it was argued, that the Trojans had 
 chosen their patrons ill, and in particular 
 that they erred in adopting the Kpl<jis, the 
 judgment or rather choice, of Paris (for I 
 think this well known phrase is in the 
 poet's mind) : but now it seems that Zeus 
 Xenios, Hera, and the other vaunted 
 patrons of the Greeks, have no mind to 
 protect the victors. Evil destiny there- 
 fore is omnipotent, and nothing remains 
 but to submit to it. — The reading kv Oeuiv 
 Kpiaei may also be rendered 'under the 
 decision of the gods', but this is less 
 pointed and the reading critically prefer- 
 able does not admit it. 
 
 1288. lov<ra irpa^w 'I will go to my 
 own fate (faring) '. The use of wpa.^03 is 
 explained (as Paley says) by irpa^aaav in 
 V. 1286 to which it directly refers. — All 
 the recent English editors (Paley, Ken- 
 nedy, Sidgwick") retain this reading in 
 spite of numerous objections, and it 
 seems in this context clear and right, 
 though it is a matter rather for feeling 
 than argument. — TXTJ<ro|Aai rh KarOaveiv 
 an explanation of Trpa^w, added in the 
 abrupt manner of the speaker. 
 
 1289. For have not the gods s7uo>-n a 
 mighty oath ? i. e. what I am to suffer is 
 
 fated, as was the destruction of Troy, as 
 is the impending death of Agamemnon, 
 as is the future vengeance of Orestes. 
 The divine oath is in Homer always the 
 assurance and symbol of certain destiny. 
 Cassandra uses it so here with a general 
 application. — That this verse is meaning- 
 less or out of place we can by no means 
 admit. It sums up forcibly the fatalistic 
 argument of the whole passage. Her- 
 mann (and many since) place it before v. 
 1283; but is not this more than bold? 
 How did it come thence here? Argument 
 for the change there is really none, ex- 
 cept that f has afetf in v. 1283, which 
 suggests that something may be lost. 
 But, with V following, d^et might become 
 a^eiv so easily, that no weight can be 
 allowed to this. 
 
 1290. 'But in my salutation this gate 
 shall be the gate of Death'. Note the 
 emphasis on l-yw and by displacement on 
 "AiSov. .She contrasts her conscious 
 going-in to death with the confident 
 salutation of Agamemnon, deoiis €yx<^pl-ovs 
 diKT] Trpoffeiire'iv (v. 801), and again is 
 /xiXadpa i\6uv deoiffi Se^iwcrofj-ai {v. 843). 
 The parallel is first introiluced by 
 
 10 — 2 
 
148 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 iirev'X^o/xaL 8e Katpia'^ TrXrjyi}'? rv)(e'tv, 
 ai<i n(T(fid8a<TT0'i, ai/ndrcov evdvqaifMfov 
 nTToppvevTcov, ofxfjba av/jU^d\(o roSe. 
 
 XO. (t) TToWd fiev rdXaiva, irdKkd 8e cr-^^eOpd 
 yvvai, fiaKpdv €Tet,va<i' el S' eTr)TVfi(o<; 
 jJLopov Tov avTrj<i olcrda, ttcS? OerjXnrov 
 /3oo9 Slktjv irpo^ ^Mfiov evT6\/J,(o<i TraTet? ; 
 
 KA. ovK €(TT a\v^L<;, ov, ^ivoi, -^povw ifKeat. 
 
 XO. 6 K vararo'i 76 rov ■)(^p6vov Trpear/Severat. 
 
 1208. ttX^w. 
 
 1295 
 
 1294. 5^ <ro(pri. 
 
 KOLTOiKos ill V. 1284 and guides the whole 
 tliought down to this. — rdo-S' iyd Aura- 
 tus; the common error between A and A. 
 
 1294. Note the change of tone on 
 the part of the Chorus. It is again in- 
 credulous and almost cavilling. Proba- 
 bly we have another speaker. roXaiva... 
 <r)^€9pd z'e/y miserable, hut very pa- 
 tient (see the following lines). <TxeSp6s 
 or ax^dpos is given by Hesychius, with 
 the interpretation rXri/uLuv patient, which 
 this passage (see v. 1301) would naturally 
 suggest. For the derivation from ax^'-^ 
 to bear, cf. ai'CKrxerds. — I suggest this as 
 a possible restoration of the defective 
 TToXXd 5^ (To<l>rj preserved both by f and 
 g: <jo<p-l], an unsuitable word, I take to 
 be an alternative explanation of cTxedpd, 
 arising from the false identification of 
 (TX^Sp^i and aK€6p6s (see L. and Sc. 
 S.W.). — 5' av (h) is neither critical nor 
 satisfactory. 
 
 1295. ' You have talked off your fate 
 for some time, it is true, but if you really 
 foresee it, why go to it at all?' This is 
 the tone. 
 
 1296. ivi\Ka,TOv god-impelled, if a vic- 
 tim came to the place of sacrifice willing- 
 ly and of its own accord it was supposed 
 to indicate the divine choice of it. 
 
 1297. «vt6\|a«s literally 'with easy 
 courage ', carelessly rather than bravely. 
 See on Eur. Med. 496. 
 
 1298. xpovo) -irXto). When the time 
 is full, there is no escape. The reading 
 of the MS. (for the omission of the i sub- 
 
 script is nothing) is, I believe, right. 
 The dative is that dative of circumstance, 
 analogous to the genitive absolute, which 
 has been treated in Appendix Z. Here 
 the case may be quasi-instrumental, 7vith 
 fullness of time there is no escape, or quasi- 
 possessive, a fnll time hath no escape, the 
 Xpovo^ being personified as in v. 885 ; see 
 the note cited and particularly Theocr. 
 13. 29. But it is unnecessary and im- 
 proper to decide the exact relation, as the 
 case like the genitive signifies merely ac- 
 companying circumstance. — yj^ovQ\. irXew 
 (Weil) the times are full, a separate 
 clause. This is almost indistinguishable 
 from the MS. and the abruptness not 
 unjustifiable. The plural however is 
 doubtful. 
 
 1299. Two constructions are possible: 
 (i) Toii xpovov irpeo-ptveTai he that is 
 last (to undergo the inevitable) has the 
 advantage in respect of time; so Her- 
 mann, Paley and others : and (2) 6 
 vcrraTOS tow xP^vov the last of the 
 time is best, uVraros following the 
 gender of xpovo% as in -f, i]/j,i(Teia ttjs 
 ■qp.ipas and other partitive expressions ; 
 so Elberling cited by Hermann. Neither 
 can be demonstrated as against the other, 
 but (2) is preferable, since (i) introduces 
 a comparison of different persons, which 
 is scarcely to the point. Either way 
 there is antithesis between iiVraTos and 
 wpe<T^€vf.Tai (properly to be first), and 
 either way the meaning of the saying is 
 tliat an inevitable evil may at least be 
 
AfAMEMNQN. • 149 
 
 K A, rjKei roK rjfjLap ' ajxiKpd KepSavw 4'V<yi). 1 30O 
 
 XO. «XX' 'laOi rXy/jLcov ova (itt evroXfxov cf)pev6<i. 
 
 KA. ovBel'i (iKovei ravra rcov ev8at/u6vcov. 
 
 XO. a\X' evKXeco'i rot Kardaveip %«pi9 (BpoTM. 
 
 KA, t(D TTciTep aov Tu>v T€ yevvaioov reKvoiv. 
 
 XO. Ti S' i<JT\ ■^(^prjixa, Tt9 (T (iTToarpec^ei (^6j3o^ ; 1 305 
 
 KA. (^ev (fiev. 
 
 XO. Ti TOVT €(j)€u^a<; ; ei tl p,rj (f)p€P(i)V crTvyo'i. 
 
 KA. (f)60ov 86/xot TTveovcTLV ai/JbaToarwyrj. 
 
 XO. Kal 7r(o<i ; toS" o^ei OvfiaTCOv i(f)et7TLQ)V. 
 
 KA. OfjLoi,o<i dTfiof; wcnrep eV rdcfiov Trpewet,. 13^*-* 
 
 XO. ov ZfVptov dyXc'nafxa hdofxacnv Xeyet^. 
 
 KA. aXX eifii icdv 86/xoiai KooKvaova^ e/xrjv 
 
 ^Ajafie/uivovo^ re fxolpav. dpKelrco /3i09. 
 
 tct) ^evoi. 
 
 ovroc Sva-Oi^o) Odfivov (6<i 6pvi<i (fyo^oi 13^5 
 
 dXXo)^' Oavovarj fiapTvpelre /xoi ro'Se, 
 
 orav yuvj] <yvvaLK6<i avT ifiov davr], 
 
 dvr]p re SvaSd/xapTO'i dvr dv^pa Treay. 
 
 iTTt^evovfxat, ravra 8' (w? Oavov/xevrj. 
 
 1 3 16. dW <1)S. 
 
 put off to the last. — tow xP®"**^ ^^^ the ment. Degraded as she is she does not 
 
 article as referring to '(/le time' of the count herself among ra yevvala ruiv riK- 
 
 preceding verse. vwc. There is no ei;/cXecSs Kardavelv for 
 
 1301 — 1303. They attempt to console her. 
 
 her with praise, but she answers with 1308. T/ie house exhales a horror of 
 
 sad resignation. Although impressed dripping blood. ({>6|3ov of that which 
 
 they are determined not to be convinced terrifies, as in v. 1305 (which is here an- 
 
 (see V. 1305) and their consolation is but swered) and Theb. 487. With irviovai 
 
 half serious. — On the rearrangement of (po^ov cf. kKcl^ovctl <p6^ov Theb. 373. — 
 
 this passage by Heath and Hermann <f>bvov is suggested, avowedly as a conjec- 
 
 (thus, 1301, 1303, 1302) see Paley and ture, in the Cod. Fani. but is an inexcus- 
 
 Sidgwick, who, with Kennedy, follow able change which would have been 
 
 Conington in retaining the MS. order. rejected peremptorily if proposed since 
 
 The proposal of Heath is not entertain- the invention of printing. If Aeschylus 
 
 able. To assign to Cassandra the senti- requires testimony, see Tennyson, Maud 
 
 ment dW ei;/c\eu!s ktX. is forbidden by i. 3 'The red-ribbed ledges drip zuith a 
 
 the whole spirit of the scene. silent horror of blood'. 
 
 1304. Wiih this cry of misery and I3i4' . She turns back again, 
 
 repentance, suggested partly by ewXews 1316. d'XXws" Gavovo-i] Hermann, an 
 
 Kardavelv, she moves to enter, but starts admirable correction, 
 
 back again in an agony of physical hor- i3'9 : J.^. 'if I make a claim upon you 
 
 ror. — T«v. (Twv (Auratus) is no improve- as my new ^ivoi., it is my first and my 
 
ISO 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 XO. CO r\r]fjiov, oLKreipw ae deac^drov /xopov. 
 
 KA. aira^ er elireiv pijaiv — i) Oprjvov 6e\(o 
 ifiuv TOP avrrj^ ; ifkiw 8 €7rev-^o/J,at, 
 Trpo? vararov (fxlo'i, Tot<i e'/xot? ri/xaopoi'i 
 e'^6pov<; (f)6v€v<Ttv Tov<i e//.oi)? rivecv bfiov 
 hovXrji; 6avov(T7)<i ev/jbapov^ ')(^eip,(op,aTo<;. 
 icio ^poreta irpa^ixar ' evrv^ovvra /xev 
 aKtd Ti9 av rpe-^eieV el he Svarvx^rj, 
 /3o\aL<; vypcoaacov cnroy'yo'i ojXecrev <ypa<priv. 
 Kal rauT eKelvwv fxaWov OiKrelpco ttoXv. 
 
 1324. exdpois (poveucn rols e/xois (originally tous). 
 
 1320 
 
 1325 
 
 last', literally 'I claim ^evia, but (/ui^ as 
 one about to die': cf. the common /cat 
 ravra 'and that' and see v. 556. — If this 
 verse be taken as one clause, the sense is 
 the same, but the position of d4 awkward 
 and hardly justifiable. 
 
 1320: spoken by one too profoundly 
 moved to pretend doubt any more. This 
 is the only speaker who expresses full 
 conviction and sympathy, and the one 
 touch of relief to the horror of the scene. 
 One ^^vos responds to her last appeal, and 
 with that she turns from them for ever. 
 
 1 32 1 . / luojtld speak one speech more, 
 or is it mine own dirge ? She has spoken 
 lis davov/j.ivri (v. 1319) yet she will speak 
 once more, if it be but uis davovaa.. It is 
 the last stage in the conflict between her 
 terror and her despair. — With the proper 
 tone, which I have tried to show by 
 punctuation, I do not find the text 
 open to any just objection. Hermann's 
 pyjaiv, oil dprjvov is a 'quiet and dignified 
 rejection of the chorus' pity' (Sidgwick). 
 But there is nothing stoical in Cassandra, 
 nothing but utter and horrible fear. Nor 
 would e/ibv rbv avrris be any longer ap- 
 propriate. — Wecklein retains the text. 
 
 1322 — 1325. The general sense is 'I 
 make to the sun my last prayer, that 
 when vengeance comes my wrongs may 
 not be forgotten '. In the words there is 
 some slight error, and many corrections 
 (see Wecklein) are more or less plausible. 
 I think however (with Mr Housman J. 
 
 1327. avrpiipeiev. 
 
 Ph. XVI. p. 286) that «xOpois-.Toiis tjAovs 
 (Pearson) and <j>6v€vo-iv (Bothe, cf. ^ovevw, 
 cpdvev/xa) are almost certain, and I would 
 change nothing else. Translate 'I call 
 upon the sun, unto the last I see, that 
 those my avengers may take of these viy 
 enemies bloody vengeance also for the 
 easy conquest of a poor slain slave '. 
 Between tois «'(aois and ojxov (ai the satne 
 time with the vengeance for Agamemnon) 
 there is no doubt a logical inconsistency : 
 logic would require roh tov ^aa-Lkicjs 
 Ti/jLadpois or the like. But what is lost in 
 logic is gained in effect : she says once 
 too often that which she wants to say, 
 that the wrong is hers also, the avengers 
 hers also.— Mr Housman would mend 
 the logic by writing rots viois. — 1^\£(}),... 
 TTpos vo-TttTov <j)£5s : these expressions are 
 cumulative, one repeating the other: 
 17X1011 (Jacob) is a simplification, but not 
 an improvement. — The easy confusion of 
 (povevaiv with (f/ovevcriv accounts for every- 
 thing, and f, it appears, actually had tovs 
 (not Tots) originally. 
 
 1326 — 1329. Alas for the state of 
 man ! If prosperity may be changed, as it 
 were, by a shade, misery is a picture ivhich 
 at the dash of the ivet sponge is gone. And 
 this I say is the more pitiable by far. In 
 dv Tpe\|/ei£v (Person) rpiirw has the sense 
 analogous to rpoir'^ change.— ravra the 
 latter, the case of the miserable, €K«Cvwv the 
 former, that of the prosperous, as usual. 
 — She is still protesting, as in the pre- 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 151 
 
 XO. TO fjiev €V irpdcrcreiv ciKopearov €(f>v 
 Tract ^porolaiv' SaKTvXoBecKTcov 8' 
 ovTi<i diretirodv ecpyei fjueXdOpcov, 
 fir)Ker iaiXOrj'i, raSe (fxovwv. 
 Kal TwSe rroXtv /xev eXeiv eSocav 
 fxcLKape^ ripcn/xov, 
 6eoTiijLr)TO<i 8 oiKaS' iKuvet' 
 vvv 8' el irporepcov alfjb fiTroricreo 
 KUi Tol(TL davovai, Oavwv dWwv 
 TTotvd'i davuTOiv irnKpavel, 
 
 1 333- MK^Ti 5' dai\9rjs. 
 
 vious lines, against neglect of her part in 
 the wrong about to be commiited. The 
 murder of the poor slave may count for 
 little beside the murder of the great king ; 
 and vulgar opinion may esteem, as it is 
 apt to do, the overthrow of prosperity a 
 more tragic thing than the extinction of 
 misery which is only just on this side of 
 nothing. But this, not that, is truly the 
 more pitiable case. — There is no need to 
 force toOt' iKdvuv, either by referring 
 ravra to the case of the prosperous, eKei- 
 vfjiv to the case of the miserable, or by 
 referring ToSiTa. to the general misery of 
 mankind and eKeivuv to the special case 
 of Cassandra (v. 1320). These devices 
 are adopted to avoid the futile truism that 
 'misery is more pitiable than prosperity', 
 which however is not meant or said : 
 that t/ie destruction of misery is more 
 pitiable than the destruction of prosperity 
 is no truism or, if such, is a truism neg- 
 lected and pathetic. — skl^ tis a.v -wpi- 
 i^-etev [one may liken them to a sketch) 
 Conington : but even if the change were 
 otherwise justifiable, the statement of a 
 lexicographer (Photius), who does not 
 give us his example, is insufficient evi- 
 dence for so unlikely a use as Trpi\paL = 
 ofMoiuiaaL. It is probably a mere blunder 
 or misreading. irp4\j/ai- (iKafffiivo^, eUa- 
 ffdfis (Hesychius) is no doubt correct, but 
 does not lend countenance to the other. 
 — 8v(rTvxxi Victorius, Bvcttuxoi Blom- 
 ficld. Either is possible in poetry and 
 
 1330 
 
 1335 
 
 the MS. could not be relied upon to dis- 
 tinguish them. But Svo-tv^i], which the 
 MS. gives, is also possible and expresses 
 the point better ; the conditional sentence 
 is then elliptical, the verb [rpiyj/euv or 
 something of the same general sense) 
 Ijcing supplied from rpl^peiev, a usage not 
 at all uncommon. The change which to 
 prosperity is an overshadowing is to 
 misery utter annihilation. Whichever be 
 read the meaning is practically the same. 
 — Dr Wecklein takes this passage almost 
 exactly as I have done. 
 
 ^2>ii- HT)K€T* ««tcXOtis Hermann. The 
 ancient editors wrongly completed the 
 verse to a full dimeter. 
 
 1338. Toicri 9avov<ri Oavwv adding 
 death to deaths. With the dative cf. 
 Soph. 0. T. 11^ aWov 5' av aWqj irpocr- 
 /Sots 'opiievov life on life mayst tho2i see 
 speed, where ' the dative seems to depend 
 mainly on the notion of adding implied 
 by the iteration itself (Jebb). See also 
 on Theb. 424 K^p8ei K^pSos dWo TlKrerai, 
 and on vv. 1171 and 1277 above. ^"'^• 
 cession is the primary notion here, but that 
 of interest (dying for or in Justice to the 
 dead) is not necessarily excluded. It is 
 the essence of poetic expression to be sug- 
 gestive rather than precise. 
 
 i/>. a\X<ov ... €iriKpavei ?iiHst croivn 
 the pile cuith yet other deaths in revenge, 
 literally 'is putting other revengeful 
 deaths as a capital upon the column', 
 referring to v. 1283, where the same nieta- 
 
152 
 
 AI2XYA0Y 
 
 Tt? Tty av ev^aoTO j3poTU)v dartvel 
 haifiovL (f>vvac rd8' aKovwv ; 
 
 1340 
 
 AT. co/xoi, 7re7r\r)yfj,aL Kaipiav TrXrjyrjv ecrw. 
 XO. alya' rL<i TrXrjyrjv avret KaiplQ)<i ovTa(T/xevo<i ; 
 AT. wfMoi /u.dX' av9t^, SevTepav 7re7r\r]yp,ei>o<i. 
 XO. Tovpyov elpydadat, BoKei fiot ^aat\e(o<{ ol/xcoyfiacriv. 1 345 
 aWa Kotvcocrcofied^ dv TTtu? daipaXr] ^ovXevfiara. 
 I. iyoj fiev vpTiv rrjv kp.r\v yvoofirjv \ey(o, 
 
 1340- 
 
 phor is applied to the same facts. — «iri- 
 Kpav€i is generally rejected on the ground 
 of metre, being taken for the future of 
 iiriKpaivw, eiriKpavu. But I submit that 
 it is the present, not of iwiKpalvw, but of 
 iiriKpav^w, derived from ewUpdvov the 
 capital of a column (and from the stem 
 KpS.v- head, whence Kpavlov skull etc.), 
 upon the analogy of eirireKid) from riXos. 
 The word was probably not common, 
 and perhaps never existed elsewhere, but 
 it is such as the poet was at liberty to 
 form for the purpose of this metaphor. 
 The present tense is used, as often and 
 particularly in relation to prophecy (Kiih- 
 ner, Gr. Gratnm. § 382, 5 and 6), of 
 that which is on the way to be done and 
 is the inevitable sequence of the present. 
 
 1340. A syllable is wanting. I sug- 
 gest t£s t£v' dv ev^aiTo...; (a double 
 interrogative, who could affirm that any 
 mortal etc.), as supplying the place with 
 something easily dropped. — r/s, ri's (Mus- 
 grave) is perhaps too passionate. 
 
 1342. KO-KpLav mortal. On the history 
 of this word, which, though formed from 
 Kaipds, seems to have been influenced in 
 use by a resemblance to Kr^pios from K-qp, 
 see Leaf on //. 4. 185. 
 
 1346. Koivwo-w)i.€0' dv irws ktX. i.e. 
 to render the full force, ' we will, if we 
 may, give each other safe counsel'. — 
 This example of av with the imperative 
 subjunctive is generally rejected. But if 
 we may reason from other phenomena 
 of the language, such a use ought to 
 
 be found occasionally in the Greek of the 
 tragedians. It exists in Homer with Kev, 
 as the expression of a conditional pur- 
 pose (Monro, Hom. Grammar, § 275), 
 and disappeared no doubt gradually, 
 being retained meanwhile in poetry like 
 other archaic syntax (e.g. Situs dv with 
 the optative v. 376). According to the 
 analogy of uis, ws &v, Sttws, ottws av with 
 the subjunctive, as used by the Athenian 
 poets, the effect to them of the addition 
 of av would be to give a tentative tone, 
 suggesting subjection to the condition of 
 possibility. This is the account usually 
 given of the final clauses with dv and 
 without, and it appears to be correct, so 
 far as any difference is strictly observed. 
 It is not difficult to explain why in the 
 imperative the like variation should be 
 extremely rare. Between the tentative 
 and the imperative there is a natural in- 
 consistency, and such a variation is not 
 commonly wanted. But this is the rare 
 place where it is wanted. Like the ad- 
 dition of TTojs it emphasizes the uncertain- 
 ty of a paralysed will. — The proposed 
 corrections, ^^Tras, r]v ttws, av ttws etc., 
 are all very unsatisfactory. 
 
 1347. On the distribution of these 
 speeches see Wecklein. The text points, 
 as observed by Bamberger and O. Miiller, 
 to a chorus of 12 elders, and this is pro- 
 bably the intention, although a tradition 
 (schol. to Aristoph. Knights 589) gives 
 to this play a chorus of 15. Considering 
 the way in which the plot and arrange- 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 153 
 
 TT/DO? Sw/ia Sevp' dcTTOiai Krjpvcraeiv l3oi]v. 
 efjLol S' ^TTCt)? TrtT^fCTTa 7' ifjLTreaeiv SoKei 
 Koi 7rpdy/ji iXiy)(^eiv avv veoppiirw ^i<pet. 
 Koyco TOiovTov yva)fjLaTO<; koivu)v6<^ wv 
 yfrrj^l^ofxai n hpdv' rb fir] fieWecv S' (ik/jlt]. 
 opCiv Trdpeart' (ppoificd^ovrac <yap oof 
 rvpavvi8o<i arjfiela Trpaaaovret; TroXei. 
 ')(povt^ofX€v ydp' o'c 8e fjieXXovcTij^; /cXeo? 
 ireSot 7raT0vvTe<i ov KadevSovaiv ^ept. 
 ovK olBa l3ov\f]<i ijaTLvo'i tv^oov Xeyco. 
 Tov Spdoi>T6<i eart Kao to ^ovXevaat irepi. 
 Kayco roLovr6<i elfx , iirei 8vafX7])^avQ) 
 Xoyocai tov Oavovr dvio-Tdvai TrdXiv. 
 17 Kal ^iov KTecvovT€<i coS' virei^oixev 
 
 1355. TTj^ ixeWovarjs. 
 
 1350 
 
 1355 
 
 1360 
 
 ment of the play as a whole are treated 
 by the ancient commentators, little or no 
 weight is due to their dicta on such things. 
 — On the scene in general at this point 
 see the Introduction. 
 
 1348. Poiiv i.e. ^oy}daav: to cry a 
 rescue. 
 
 1355' |A€XXovo-T]S : supply from the 
 previous line avri)^, i.e. ttjs v6\eij}s, the 
 city or citizens. 'From the way they 
 begin', says the last speaker, 'it would 
 seem they mean to enslave the city'. 
 'Because we delay', answers this one 
 impatiently. 'They while she hesitates 
 trample her honour down and work un- 
 resting ! ' The 7r6\ts, as he conceives, is 
 represented by themselves. — Various an- 
 cient writers (among them Trypho, of 
 the time of Augustus, Trepl Tpotruv ill. p. 
 196), cite, as an Aeschylean example of 
 /ueXXw delay, but without specifying the 
 play, xpovi^op.ev w5€ r-qi fieWovs X^'P'-"- 
 If this refers to our passage, it is so in- 
 accurately given as to deserve little atten- 
 tion ; it shows at most that some one not 
 at all careful or critical read here tt]? 
 (xeXXovs. If we adopt it (as Hermann and 
 others) /leWu will be a personification for 
 oi ^XXovTcs, w/iiie they, trampling on the 
 
 honour of Delay, i.e. 'of those who delay , 
 etc., the same in meaning, but less natural 
 in expression. It may be suspected how- 
 ever that T'^s /xeWovs is no more than an 
 ancient conjecture upon a text exhibiting, 
 as ours do, rrjs ixeWovarjs, where ttJs is a 
 note merely, indicating, as the fact is, 
 that a prose-writer would have used the 
 article. — The Coil. Farn. actually reads 
 oX 5^, fxeWovaiji, explaining fieWovaris 
 wrongly by rrjs TVpauvi5os drfKovoTi, and 
 it is possible that M really had this, not 
 T^s /xeWova-ns, though the Cod. Farn. is 
 no trustworthy evidence of it. — To render 
 TTJs /xeWovs . . .TraTovvTfs, by scorning the 
 credit of delay cannot be right: such 
 'credit' is not «■X^os and TraroOi'Tes irkboi 
 is much more than scorning. — ire'Sou 
 Hermann. 
 
 1358. To the doer {of a thitig) it be- 
 longs to make plans about it, i.e. it is of no 
 use making suggestions where no execu- 
 tion is to follow. This speaker is utterly 
 helpless, the next almost idiotic with 
 terror. 
 
 1 36 1. pCov KT€ivovT£S slaying our life, 
 i.e. accepting a condition no better than 
 death. Compare the common phrase ov 
 ^iw<Ti/ji.op for an intolerable state. This 
 
154 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 9- 
 
 lO. 
 
 II. 
 
 12. 
 
 86/xcov KaTaia-^vvrljpat TotcrS' t]'yov/j,evoi<i ; 
 d\\' ovK (iveKTov, dXXn KarOavelv KpareZ' 
 TreTrairepa yap /nolpa t//9 TvpavvlBo<;. 
 rj yap reKfXTjpiOLatv i^ ol/xwy/xaTtov 
 fiavTevaSfjuecrOa rdvSp6<; (w? 6Xa>\6TO<i ; 
 adxf)' €l86Ta<; XP^ roovSe fjivOovadat Trepi' 
 TO yap roTrd^ecv tov crd(f>' elhevac St%a. 
 TavT7]v eiraivelv TrdvroOev irXriOvvofiai, 
 rpavw^ 'ArpelSrjv elSevai KvpovvO" oTrco^;. 
 
 1365 
 
 1370 
 
 KA. TToWwi' irdpoiOev Katpioi^ elpTj/xevav 
 rdvavTi elvrelv ovk eiraiaxyvdi^aoijiai. 
 TTft)? yap TL<i eyOpol'i i^Ppd iropavvcov ; (f)i\ot<; 
 SoKovcriv elvai Trrj/xovrjv dpKvararov 
 (ppd^etev v'\{ro<i upeiacrov eKTryStjfiaTo^. 
 
 1375 
 
 explanation is offered by the Cod. Farn., 
 nor does it seem to me impossible. — 
 In any case ^iop Telvovres (Canter) is no 
 solution : any editor finding this would 
 have left it. It is possible that ktsIvov- 
 res covers some rare or unknown word, 
 e.g. KTiKovvres making our lives tame. 
 
 1365. TeK|XT)pioi(riv i% ol[j,wY|xaTwv. 
 See vv. 804, 1288, 141 2, 1630, Theb. 
 1015 iK<f)opa, (piXuv viro, etc. 
 
 1367. 6v|iov<r0ai (E. Ahrens, Her- 
 mann) IFe had best know the facts before xue 
 indulge anger. I give precedence to this 
 conjecture in deference to general opinion 
 but without assent. — jji\j0o{io-8ai : literally 
 ' to be-talk one another' (the mutual wse of 
 the passive voice) formed from /xvdos in its 
 depreciatory sense (talk, mere zao?-ds), IVe 
 had best kttow the facts before we hear each 
 other talk. Surely this is a more pointed 
 expression than the other. The verb fxudou 
 is not extant elsewhere, but why should 
 this be expected ? The analogy of Tricro-ocj, 
 Xpvffou ' to be-pitch, be-gold ' etc., is quite 
 as close as is required, when a word is 
 invented to make a point. In such a 
 case the strangeness of the formation is 
 its merit. Our own poets, especially 
 those older poets who answer to Aeschy- 
 
 lus, abound in similar devices. Certainly 
 fivOovffdai could not be used for /xvdeia- 
 6ai. : but neither is it. 
 
 1369. TavTT]v (t7}v yvuiixTjv) see V, 
 1347. — TravToOev irX'qGvvojj.ai lit. / am 
 multiplied from all sides, i.e. From all 
 sides I find support to approve this vote. 
 Somewhat sitailar is the use in Supp. 6 1 2 
 brjixov KpaTOvca xf'P ^ttj TrXrjdvfeTai (Sidg- 
 wick). The previous speaker is received 
 with general signs of approval. 
 
 1371. See the Introduction. 
 
 1373 — 1375. //ow should one [be 
 ashamed of se)~viceablefalsehood\ who plots 
 as a foe against a foe? With the sem- 
 blance of friendship "let him ?nake his 
 dangerous snare too high to be overleaped, 
 i.e. 'All is fair in war'. The language is 
 probably proverbial or modelled upon a 
 proverb. — irws "Yctp tis eTratcrxw^TjcreTot 
 kt\., supplied from the previous sentence. 
 For examples see L. and Sc. s.v. ttws, 
 1 1 1 . — «x^P** 'Topcrvvwv literally ' contriving 
 hostility'.— <})CX.oLs instrumental neuter, 
 antithetic to ex^P^ not to ix^poU. As this 
 sentence only repeats the sense of the 
 preceding question it properly has no 
 copula. Note the emphasis given to 
 <f>l\ois by the rhythm. — irr]|j.oviiv apKvo-- 
 
APAMEMNQN. 
 
 ifiol 8' dyoov 28' ov/c d(f)p6vTiaro'i 7rd\ai 
 viKi]<; 7raXa6«9 ^XOe, crvv ■y^povM ye /m/]V 
 earrjKa 8' evd' eirata eV e^eipyaa-fievofi. 
 ovTO) o' eirpa^a (/cal Ta8' ot}«; dpi/rjcrofjuat) 
 w? A^'/Te (f)ev'yeiv fxr'jT dfivvaaOat fjbopov, 
 
 155 
 
 1380 
 
 TttTov, literally 'mischief set as a snare'. 
 — <{>pd^£i€v: the optative imperative, as 
 in V. 936. This archaic construction has 
 been already noticed in another prover- 
 bial passage (z'. 557) where, as here, it is 
 joined with the proverbial tis. — vi|/os 
 accusative, defining the extent of the 
 action (ppdaaeiu. — These three verses are 
 commonly punctuated as one sentence 
 and, being thus unconstruable, are cor- 
 rected to get a construction. With 
 TTTjfj.oviis (Auratus) and dpKijcrTaT' dv 
 (Elmsley) they are rendered, ' for how 
 else (than by deceit) could one, devising 
 ill^ for foes who seem friends, fence the 
 snares of woe too high to leap over?' 
 But this is not to the point. The 'sem- 
 blance ' or ' pretence ' of friendship on the 
 part of the attacked has nothing to do 
 with the matter. What is to be excused 
 is the pretence of friendship on the part 
 of the assailant. This must apply to 
 any explanation which makes 0i\ois mas- 
 culine, and is sufficient to show that it is 
 neuter. 
 
 1376. For me, I have had long enough 
 to prepare this wrestle for victory, though 
 it has come at last. — d7wv...viKT)s struggle 
 for victory: dyuv in its proper agonistic 
 sense, a contest in the games. — irdXai... 
 iraXaids: a sort of assonance or play, in 
 the use of which Aeschylus resembles 
 Shakespeare, on the two possible senses 
 of TraXaioy, ancient, from TrdXat, and in 
 wrestling from irdXr). See Cho. 865 
 roidvSe ndXriv /xovos wu ^(pedpos diiTcro7i 
 fj,iX\€i...'0pi(7Tris d\p€LV eirj 5' iwl vIktj, 
 where i<t>e5pos, meaning 'a third cham- 
 pion who waits to contend with the 
 victor in a preliminary contest', implies 
 that the victory of Aegisthus and Cly- 
 taemnestra was itself a vIkt] iraXala, and 
 
 is in fact an allusion to this passage. 
 Whether we write iraXaids or iraXaias (as 
 the adjective from vdXr] would probably 
 be accented) is in such a case indifferent. 
 The metaphor of the TrdX?; leads up natu- 
 rally to the picture in v. 1378. On the 
 Aeschylean use of equivocation in general 
 see Appendix II. to the Seven Against 
 Thebes and the Index there, under Ver- 
 bal Equivocation. — Of vLk7]S TroXatar, 
 referred to TraXat only, no passable 
 explanation has been offered, and most 
 texts give after Heath vdK-r)^, a supposed 
 equivalent of veiKovs, i.e. this fightitig out 
 of an old qtiarrel, which however leaves 
 us still to seek a satisfactory reason for 
 the repetition TrdXat... TraXataj. The form 
 vdKf] depends on the testimony of Eur. 
 Or. 1679 vdKa.% re diaXOeaOe (with va- 
 riant velKos) : but as the use of 8iaX6o/ji.ai 
 points to a genitive case, it is doubtful 
 whether veiKcis can be correct. The state- 
 ments of the ancient lexicographers [velKT)' 
 (piXoveLKia Suidas) are of little weight with- 
 out examples. Very likely they proceed 
 from mere misspellings of vikt). On the 
 other side the absence of any derived 
 form, such as veiKdu, veiKa^u etc., is not 
 without weight, considering the frequency 
 of vcIkos, v€(.k^u}. On the whole Blomfield 
 was justified in holding the form uncerti- 
 fied, and at any rate there is no evidence 
 for it here. 
 
 1378. Note the harsh and striking 
 rhythm of this verse, which, as eV e't- 
 €Lpya(Tfj.€voL$ belongs to ^ar-riKa, has in 
 effect no caesura. 
 
 1379. KalrdS' this also, see vv. 1371 — 
 1372. 
 
 1 380. And I made the death such ...as 
 to forbid escape or resistance, an envelope 
 impassable, like the fisherman's net a- 
 
156 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 aireipov (ifK^l^XTjarpov, cocrrrep l^Ovwv 
 
 7repiaTi.-)^i^a)v, ttXovtov eifjuaro<i kukov. 
 
 Traiw Se VLV 81'i' kuv hvotv olfxco'yixacnv 
 
 fieOiJK€v avrov KooXa' koI TreirrcoKoTt 
 
 rpirrjv eTrevSiSco/jii, tov kuto. '^6qv6<;, 13^5 
 
 ' Aihov veicpoov cr(i)Trjpo<;, evKraiav ')(^apLv. 
 
 ovrw TOV avTov dvfiov oppLaivei nreawv' 
 
 KciKcpuatcov o^elav aipiaTO<i acpayrjv 
 
 /SaXXei fi epepbvfj -y^aKoZL (jioivla^ Spoaov, 
 
 '^aipovaav ovhev rjcraov rj hioahorw 1390 
 
 fyavei aiTopriro<i koKvko'^ iv '\,o)(^evfiaat,v. 
 
 (o<i cSS' e'X,6vT0)v, 7rp€a/3o^ 'Apyelcov roSe, 
 
 'X^alpotT dv, el ■)(^aipoLr , iyco 8' eireu'^^^ofiaL 
 
 el 8 rjv irpeTTovTcov (Lcxt eirio-irevheiv veKpa>, 
 
 rdS' av SiKalco'i rjv, virephiKa)^ fxev ovv. 1 395 
 
 1382. wepi.<jTOLX}'^i>iv. I390' ^'^s voTU] yav d. 
 
 round a shoal, piopov death here signifies 
 the means or instrument of death, as in 
 Cko. 1072 (TUT-qp, rl fidpov eiirw, Theb. 736 
 iyetvaro /j-dpov avrQ, inf. 1495 5o\li{) fiipv 
 da/xelt etc. See also the uses of aryj. — 
 dir€ipov a.\i.^l^\'t\(rrpov in apposition to 
 IJ.bpov. — w(rir€p...Tr€pio-TixtSwv (g), liter- 
 ally, 'as one that puts (his net) about 
 fish': the object of TTipiaTixlt^v is sup- 
 plied from a.fj.(pl^\-q(TTpov. — The correc- 
 tions suggested here (irepto-rix'i'w, Trepe- 
 (ttLxi-^ov) are misconceived. It is much 
 more natural and proper that the word 
 irepiffTLxi^eiv should be referred to the 
 fisherman of the simile and not directly 
 to Clytaemnestra. 
 
 1384. avTov 'then and there' illico 
 (Hermann). — aiirod Voss. 
 
 1385. The third blow is compared to 
 the third libation usually poured to 'Zwrrjp 
 or Zei)s 2coTT7p (see v. 257) with a certain 
 ambiguity in the word awrrfp. Hades, 
 the god of the lower world, is 'the cruTrjp 
 of the dead', in the sense that he 'keeps 
 them safely ' ; for which sense of <r<fJfaj see 
 L. and Sc. — Note that tov Kard x0ov6s, 
 ' the subterranean power ', is a separate 
 substantive, to which "AtSou veKpwv 
 
 au)T7)pos is added as an explanation. 
 
 1387. 6pp,aCvei s/>ed, with the secon- 
 dary suggestion of panted forth (see on 
 Theb. 381). — opvy6.vu (Hermann from 
 Hesych. opvyivei' epeuyeraL) belched, may 
 perhaps have been an ancient variant or 
 conjecture here. But the form is not be- 
 yond suspicion and there is no evidence 
 against the text. 
 
 1390. Sioo-SoTO) "ydvei Porson, a bril- 
 liant correction. 
 
 1392. Note the mocking effect of the 
 address, compared with v. 846 : so in the 
 following x'^^P°'-'^' °-^i f' X'^^po'-'''^ the echo 
 of their implied rebuke (see vv. 1031 — 
 33) is probably not accidental. 
 
 1394 — 1395- Could there be a fit case 
 for a libation over the dead, justly and 
 more than justly this zvould be that case. — 
 €l i^v...w<rT€ if it had been possible, cf. 
 Eur. Hipp. 705 dXX' tari. kcIk twv5' wcrre 
 (TwOrjvai, riKvov, Soph. Phil. 656 ap' Hcxtlv 
 wcrre Kayyvdev deav Xa^eiv etc. (Paley). 
 — TrpeTTo'vTwv {tuu vpayfidruu), under fit 
 circumstances, with good cause, is an 
 adverb to i'Kicnvhhiiv, but placed before 
 were as taking the emphasis. It is a 
 genitive absolute like w5' exovrwv in v. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 157 
 
 XO. 
 
 KA. 
 
 XO. 
 
 ToawvBe Kparr^p ev 8o/iot<f kukwv o^e 
 7r\7](Ta<i apaicdv ain6<i eKiTLvei fjboXwv. 
 Oaufjid^ofiev aov yXcoaaav, w? 6pa(TucrTOfio<i 
 y]Tt<i Toioi'S' eV avSpl K0fjL7ra^€L<; Xoyov. 
 ireipacrde fiov yuvaiKO'; &)<? a(f)pn<7fiovo<;. 
 iyw S' nrpiarw Kaphia irpo'i et'^oraf 
 Xeyco' (TV S' alvelv etVe yu.e -^Ireyeiv ^eXet? 
 ofiowv' oin6<i iartv 'Aya/xefivcov, €fi6<i 
 7r6<TL^, V€Kp6<i Be rrjaSe Se^ta'i, %e/0O9 
 epyov, 8iKaia<i TeKTOVo'?. ra^ <uS' €-)(^et. 
 ri KaKov, do jvvat, 
 ■)(9oi>orpe(^e^ ehavov fj ttotov 
 Traaa/jiiva pvru'i e^ a\6<i hpfjuevov 
 t6^ eiredov 6vo<i 8r]/j,odpoov<i t apa<i ; 
 1 408. pijaas. 6pu>fjL€vov. 
 
 1400 
 
 1405 
 
 <Trp. 
 
 1392, and the subject of it is the same, 
 circumstances, to, irpay/j-aTa.. In fact it is 
 this 0)5' exovTwu which guides the con- 
 struction of the whole sentence. — Ta£' otv 
 T)V TTpiirovTa ■Kpa.yn.a.Ta. — The grammar 
 is clear and correct if we observe the true 
 construction of wpeirdvTwv. There is no 
 need to write irpeirovTws (Stanley), which 
 is only a less appropriate synonym for 
 irpewovTidv, still less to change raS' to T(fi5' 
 (Tyrwhitt), which throws the whole sen- 
 tence out of gear. But Stanley, Blomfield, 
 Wellauer, Hermann, and others were 
 right in rejecting the translation of et 5' 
 71V TrpeirovTwv by i/ it had been a fitting 
 thing, which would require et 5' y\v tuv 
 irpeirovTUv eiricnr^vdeiv or rb eiricririv5Hv . — 
 €iri<rir€v8eiv vcKpi: if ever, that is, a 
 death might justly be the subject of reli- 
 gious exultation. 
 
 1396. KpaTTipa...KaKtov apaiwv. The 
 boivl 'full of the imprecations of suffering 
 homes', which Agamemnon had filled for 
 himself and now had returned to drink, 
 is the conjuration against him, provoked 
 by the sacrifice of Argive lives. See w. 
 464, 1234, which interpret both the 
 imagery and the meaning of this passage. 
 This appeal to the real or supposed 
 wrongs of the people is for the queen's 
 
 applauding partizans. See next note. — «v 
 86|AOis KttKwv together, as the arrange- 
 ment of the sentence shows. 
 
 1401. €l86Tas...<rv8€: clearly contrast- 
 ed, not the same, cv is the last speaker 
 representing the elders. The ei'Sores to 
 whom she appeals are her own fellow- 
 conspirators. On the other hand some 
 of the crowd receive her with execrations 
 (v. 1409). 
 
 140S. pvTcis «I oXos: the sea serves as 
 the type of Water and //V/?/?V/ generally as 
 opposed to solid (Paley). So on^pos in 
 Soph. 0. T. 1428, where see Jebb's note. 
 The MS. pL'(7as {i.e. pvcras -crinkled) is a 
 curious, though quite mistaken, conjec- 
 ture). 
 
 1409. T<58' eirtOov 9vos : 'What evil 
 drug or draught led thee to bring upon 
 thyself tJie ftiry ajid loud curses of yon 
 folkT Qvos/ury, cf. dveiv to rage. I had 
 written a note arguing for this interpreta- 
 tion, which is not commonly noticed; but 
 I find that Dr Wecklein assumes it, not 
 without reason, as obvious. The other 
 dvos {sacrifice, incense, parallel to the 
 other dvia) is not admitted by the context. 
 The form of expression clearly implies 
 visible and audible expressions of rage. 
 Naturally the crowd now includes many 
 
158 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 a7reSt/ce?, airerafie'i' (iTroTroXci 8' ecrei' 
 
 fXCaO^ 6fjL/3pLjjLOl> a(TT0l<i. 
 
 KA. vvv fiev 8iKd!^€L<; e'/c TroXeo)? (pvyrjv ifiol 
 
 Koi /xt(TO<i darojv Srj/jLodpovi t e-)(eiv dpd<i, 
 ov crvv To3' dvSpl tcSS' evavrlov cjjepcov' 
 09 ov irporifxcov, (Dcnrepet ^orov fxopov, 
 fiyjXcov (jjXeovTcoi' einroKoc^ vo/ji€Vfia(Tiv, 
 Wvcrev avTOV TralSa, ^CKrarr^v ejxoi 
 whlv , eircpSov %pr)KLwv d-q/uLaTcov. 
 ov rovTOV e'/c '^rj<i rr/aSe 'X^prj a dphprfKarelv, 
 fiiaa/idTQ)v drroLV ; e7nJK00<i 8 ifjicSv 
 
 1410. aTToXts. I4I4- 01) criV corr. to oi>5^j'. 
 
 I418. re Xrifx/xoLTUv. 
 
 I4IO 
 
 I415 
 
 1420 
 
 who did not share and have no sympathy 
 with the conspiracy. But as an unpre- 
 pared minority they are helpless. 
 
 1 4 10. These broken exclamations 
 seem sufficiently intelligible though not 
 exactly constructed. ' As thou hast 
 broken all bands, so shall all bands be 
 broken with thee'. — diroiroXis Seidler. 
 On the metre, see Appendix II. o[iPpi|Aov 
 i.e. 6ppifM0P, but the exceptional form 
 (with a phonetic fi) is perhaps correct.— 
 ixicros in the personal sense, 'object of 
 hate'. The dative ao-roij depends both 
 on /juffos and on 6/j.^pLfj.ov a load on the 
 people's hate, i.e. a thing against which 
 their hatred will rise and throw it off. 
 
 1412. vtJv ji^v yes, now. The guilt 
 of taking life, she says, is a discovery 
 which they seem to have made in her 
 particular case. 
 
 1413. 'iYjt\.v to bear, explanatory infini- 
 tive. 
 
 1 4 1 4. <rvv adverbial : andjoinest not in 
 laying that reproach against my husband 
 here. For (pipnv to allege see Demosth. 
 1328, 22 Tracrcts airias oiaei.v cited by L. 
 and Sc. s.v. (pipoi. rdSe : the reproach 
 of murder upon which the queen and her 
 party ground their cause. — It is clear that 
 M had the text, as copied first in f ; had 
 ovMv been original it would not have 
 been changed to ov avv, whereas the con- 
 
 trary change, as a careless conjecture, is 
 obvious, and was probably already append- 
 ed in M by one of th^ annotators. From 
 ov^kv rod' comes ovdii' tot (Voss) the 
 reading of modern texts, suggested by 
 pvv ixiv m V. 1412. This antithesis is im- 
 plied, but it need not be explicitly 
 completed. See further on f . 141 9. 
 
 1 416: although his fleecy herds had 
 sheep enough : the dative vofievpiaaiv is 
 quasi-possessive, the herd being personi- 
 fied after Aeschylus' manner. 
 
 1418. dijueiTwv Canter (A for A) : to 
 charm the zoijids of Thrace {v. 202). 
 
 1419. 'Shouldst not thou banish 
 him?' This grim comparison between 
 the guilt of herself and the guilt of the 
 corpse is not merely or altogether 
 ironical. According to the traditional 
 doctrine of Greek law and religion, a 
 corpse (as in the case of Polynices; see 
 the Seven Against Thebes) could be both 
 condemned and punished. — XPV" (Porson) 
 is a change suggested only by the un- 
 authorized reading of v. 14 14. But 
 Clytaenmestra is not gravely arguing that 
 at the time of the sacrifice at Aulis 
 Agamemnon ought to have been banished 
 from Argos. Her argument relates to 
 the present, and is properly expressed 
 by XPV- — ^i.a.<Ttia,T(i]v g. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 159 
 
 epycov 8iKaarrj<> Tpa'^vf el. Xeyco Si croi 
 roiavT (iTreiXelv oj? 7rap6(TKevaafji,evri<i, 
 
 €K TCOV OfjbOLCOP %fi/3l VlKt'jaaVT €fXOV 
 
 ap-^^eiv, idv he TovfiiraXiv Kpaivrj deoq, 
 f^vwcrei 8i,8a)(6eU oyjre jovv to cTuxppovelv. 
 
 XO. iJ,€<ya\,6iJ,r]Ti<; el, 
 
 7r6pi(f)pova S" eXaKe^, Scrirep ovv 
 (f)OvoXi^el Tv-^^a (pprjv eTrtfiaiverai. 
 XtTTO? eV o/jL/jLcitcov aLiJuaro'^ ev irpeireL. 
 avrierov 'in ae ■)(^prj arepofievau (j)iX(ov 
 TVfi/jba TV/jLfiaTt Tiaai. 
 
 KA. Kol TJ;f8' aKOveL<; opKicov ifiwv defxiv' 
 
 fia TTJv riXeiou t?;? e'/x?;? TratSo? Alktju, 
 "Arrjv 'Kpivvv 6\ alert, rovK €cr(f)a^' iyco, 
 ov fioi (fyo/Sov fxeXaOpov eXiri'^ e/xTrarel, 
 
 1 43 1. TVjxiJLa Tiaai. 
 
 1425 
 avT. 
 
 1430 
 
 1435 
 
 1421 — 25: i.c'. 'threaten if you please, 
 but remember that I am prepared to 
 fight the contest fairly and abide by 
 the event'. €K tuv 6\lomv.. <rio<j>pov€iv 
 expresses the conditions for which she is 
 prepared, literally ' that he who conquers' 
 etc. The second alternative, which for 
 symmetry should have run in the infini- 
 tive, is turned (see on ?'. 1455) into an 
 'independent clause. — €K twv 6p.oib>v 
 (viiih viK7](ravTa) on fair tervis is contemp- 
 tuously ironical. By the success of the 
 plot the queen has her opponents at her 
 mercy. — viK-rjo-avra strictly general, for 
 the prose tov viK-qsavTa., that he who con- 
 quers me. — €dv...KpaivT) if, as it may 
 prove, fate is accomplishing (i.e. intends) 
 the contrary. The tense, which points 
 to the existing facts as determining the 
 result, has more point than /cpai'77 [shall 
 accomplish, Herwerden). 
 
 1427. wffirtp . . . tirinaCvtrai literally 
 'as indeed with the blood-shedding 
 stroke thy mind is frenzied', i.e. 'this 
 outrageous defiance already displays the 
 maddening fury, which sooner or later 
 will bring thee to punishment '. 
 
 1429. The I'lood-flcck on thine eye doth 
 
 well beseem thee or 'is right natural', 
 referring not to a stain of blood from the 
 murdered man (which is not consistent 
 with ett' o'/x/xarwi') but rather to the blood- 
 shot eye, which they see, or suppose 
 themselves to see, in the furious face of 
 the murderess. It is the bloody mind, 
 they say, which shows there. 
 
 1430. dvT^eTov, if right, is a parallel 
 form to avTiTOV (cf. dTrei^xeTos, direvK- 
 Tos) meaning retribtttive, paid back, from 
 dva-Tieiv to pay back, and is in construc- 
 tion a predicate to TVfifxa. — oltUtov h (a 
 conjecture for metre) is a similar equiva- 
 lent for oiTLTou, unavenged, a predicate to 
 ae. — The first gives the better sense 
 and is metrically possible. See Appen- 
 dix II. 
 
 1 43 1. TV|ji|xaTi I. Voss. 
 
 1432. opKCcov.. 6€(jiiv 'solemnity of an 
 oath', i.e. solemn oath. 
 
 1 434. "Att)v 'Epiv^v 0' in apposition 
 to AtKrjv. 
 
 1435. " /l/y hope 2va/ks not in the house 
 of fear. A fine picturesque phrase, 
 surely not too imaginative or metaphorical 
 for Aeschylus : she means ' My hope does 
 not ap[)roach fear ; my confidence is 
 
i6o 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 ^tyiado^, CO? TO TrpoaOev ev ^povwv efioL 
 ovTO<i yap ijfiiv d(nrl'i ov afiLKpd 6pdcrov<i 
 KCiTat <yvvaiK6<; TTJaSe \vfiavrr}pLo<i, 
 ^pvarjihu)i> fieiXiy/jLU rtSv vir 'lXt&), 
 r) T al)(^fidXo)ro'i ijSe koI repa<TK6Tro<i 
 KoX Koiv6\€KTpo<; TOvSe de(r(f)aT7)\6yo<;, 
 irLCTTr) ^vvevvo^ vavTikwv 8e creXp-drcov, 
 laTorpL^T]^. cLTLfxa S' ovK eirpa^drrjv' 
 
 1440 
 
 dashed with no misgivings.'" Sidg- 
 wick. — efxirardv Victorias. 
 
 1 436. al'9T] -irOp . . . «|ids hnd/t's Ji?'e for 
 the lightiii^^ of mine altars, i.e. shares my 
 home and power. The form of expres- 
 sion is adapted (note ws rb npbcdev in 
 the next line) to Aegisthus' last exploit, 
 the beacon-fire and the consequent 'send- 
 ing round ' of sacrifice {irepiTr€/j,\j/i.s vv. 
 87 — 96) to the houses and altars (plural, 
 vv. 96, 600) of Argos, in fact to the 
 whole successful conduct of the conspi- 
 racy. See the Introduction. For the 
 plural e<TTtas, necessary to the meaning, 
 see YxiX.Her. 145 ttoXXwc eariaL. In thus 
 speaking of Argos as hers Clytaemnestra 
 significantly assumes on behalf of herself 
 and Aegisthus the place of the dead 
 king. — For the use of iirc see L. and Sc. 
 s.v. C. III. I.— The customary change of 
 ifj.as to ifurjs is critically most improbable 
 (the plural being rare and the singular 
 very common) and contrary to the 
 meaning. 
 
 1438. For there, as otir broad shield 
 of confidence, lies my husband, outraging 
 his wife,... and tvitk him his tnistress ', liter- 
 ally 'he there (a broad shield of confi- 
 dence to us) lies as the outrager of his 
 wife here... and she also' etc. The words 
 dairh...dpa(rov^ are in apposition not to 
 oDtos but to the whole statement o5tos 
 K€iTai...\vfjLavTrjpios ij re kt\. Aegisthus 
 and Clytaemnestra can face the world, 
 when they can point to the husband laid 
 beside the mistress whom he proposed to 
 place in his house (see Eur. £1. 1032). — 
 
 The absence of the article with the 
 adjective XvixavT-qpios, noted by Hermann 
 as a difficulty, is explained and justified if 
 vv. 1439 — 1440 are correctly punctuated 
 as one sentence. 
 
 1439. r»j<r8€ : she points to herself. 
 
 1440. See Horn. II. i. 378. — The 
 way in which this ' furious exclamation 
 is interpolated between o5tos and t) re 
 resembles Theb. 560 — 562, where see note. 
 
 1443. '7ri<rTi]...(r6X|AdT«v who shared 
 with him faithfully even the shifs bench, 
 literally 'faithful bed-partner, though of 
 ship's bench': the genitive <r«X.jjidT«v 
 depends upon ^ivevvos as a word 'of 
 sharing'. Be, which cannot be used as 
 one conjunction in a series, implies an 
 antithesis, a preceding iriaTri fi^v. This 
 will apply whether we punctuate at 
 ffeX/xaTuii' (as I think probable) or join 
 the next word. 
 
 1444. io-TOTpipiis. It is best to leave 
 this, even if we cannot explain it. We 
 have not that knowledge of sailors' lan- 
 guage in Aeschylus' time, which would 
 enable us. to say what terms a woman 
 like Clytaemnestra might borrow from it 
 to apply to a woman like Cassandra, or 
 what those terms might mean. At any 
 rate nothing is mended by writing 
 l(TOTpL§ri% (Pauw): vavriXuv creX/xaTuv 
 iaoTpL^ri$ is variously translated, 'nautis 
 aeque cum transtris trita' or 'sharing a- 
 likewithhim the mariner's bench'. But no 
 analogy is offered either for the supposed 
 sense of Icrorpi^rji or for the supposed 
 construction. I doubt whether creXfidTcov 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 i6i 
 
 ^ev yap outco<;, j; Se roc kvkvov Siktjv 
 TOP vcnarov jjbeXy^racTa davncTLixov yoov 
 KetTai (f)i\y]TQ)^ tov8\ ifiol S' eTrrjyayev 
 
 XO. <pev, Ti<i av ev rn^ei, ixr) ireptwhvvoq, 
 fiTjSe BefivtoTtjpT]!;, 
 fioXoi TOP alel (^epova ev r)fxiv 
 
 1445 
 
 arp. a . 
 1450 
 
 laoTpi^^s is possible Greek for any- 
 thing. It may be added that the practice 
 of Aeschylus is strongly against running 
 on the sentence from line to line and 
 then stopping it at the second foot. 
 Even when the sense is not run on, this 
 very rare pause produces a quite suffi- 
 cient rhythmical dislocation ; which how- 
 ever is here justified, the torrent of 
 invective being broken by a new thought. 
 1445 — 1447' o K'^v Vtip oijTws, rj Z\... 
 K€iTai <j>iXiiTws TouSe for he lies as ye see, 
 and she also like his beloved, literally 'she 
 lies loveably to him (as he to her) '. The 
 construction of roOSe is modelled on the 
 genitive of relation in place^ as in Thuc. 
 I. 36. 1 Trjs 'IraXlas Kal St/ceX^as xaXcus 
 irapairXov Keirai (ij KdpKvpa), Herod. 2. 
 112 TO? 'li(paicrrT]tov wpbs votov dvefxov 
 Kelfj-evov : cf. the genitive with a7X'> ^vtos, 
 6irL<Tdev etc., and see Kiihner Gj'. Grain- 
 jnar § 418. 8 a. Note the parallel be- 
 tween ovTCjjs...(pL\7jTws. — Here again f 
 has faithfully preserved the reading of 
 M: g (and h of course) gives the 
 simpler but much less pointed (piKrp-wp 
 [lover) from (jtiKiw, which might be 
 feminine, like crwTTjp. The scholia con- 
 tain a gloss T) EK i/vxTJs (pCKovfiivri, written 
 on <t>L\T)Tuip, which the author derived 
 from 0tXos and yirop heart. If this note 
 is derived from M, as it may be, it 
 would show that this reading also ap- 
 peared in that MS. Possibly M had 
 
 p 
 (fyiKrjTws, and the note is from a hand (m^?) 
 
 which added or accepted the p. Thus 
 
 e 
 
 in Theb. 490 Styo'x'Aioj', the e and a gloss 
 Sucrxe'Aiepo»' are added by m\ and so 
 frequently elsewhere. But the passive 
 
 V. M. A. 
 
 0tX7jTws is better, besides having more 
 technical probability. If any change be 
 required, rySe (with (piXrjTus, cf. v. 1581) 
 would be better than <f>i\riTup: but the 
 text is sound. — Hermann is surely mis- 
 taken in arguing, against Blomfield, that 
 <()CKtjtu3p really is derived from rirop and 
 really does mean heart-beloved. 
 
 F447. She adds to the luxury of vty 
 triumph a spice of sex. Translation here 
 is very difficult, but the meaning and 
 construction are, I think, clear. To the 
 joy of revenge for her daughter, and other 
 satisfactions of the moment, the coming 
 and death of Cassandra have added the 
 sweetness of revenge for her injuries as 
 a woman and a wife, eivrjs stands to 
 irapo\{/b)v'r]|i,a in the relation of a qualify- 
 ing adjective, 'concerned with evv-q' i.e. 
 with the relations of sex, while xXi8i]S 
 is the ordinary objective genitive de- 
 pending on ■n-apoxpdjvrjfxa. in its verbal 
 aspect, 'a seasoning added io\ For the 
 combination of genitives cf. Soph. Ai. 
 308 iv ipenrioisveKpCJi' apvetov <p6vov, lite- 
 rally 'in the corpse-wreckage of slain 
 sheep', id. Trach. 1191 rhv Oittjs Ztjtos 
 7ra7ot', Eur. Phoen. 308 ^ocrrpOxuv 
 . . -Xa-'-Ta's-'n-XoKa.p.ov 'hair-plait of locks', 
 and see Kiihner, Or. Grannnar § 414, 4, 
 note 3. 
 
 1 45 1. €vii|j.rv: dubious, but defended 
 by Conington and others and perhaps 
 justifiable in the sense 'bringing into us'; 
 cf. Eur. Med. 424 kv ap-eripq. -yvdifjLq. w- 
 Tfaae deairiv aoiMv put into our minds 
 the gift of inspired song. — <j>€pov(r av 
 T]|iiv (Emperius) 'to bring us perchance 
 eternal sleep ' is a poetical and attractive 
 correction. 
 
 U 
 
l62 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 Motp' areXevTov vttvov, hajxevTO^ 
 (f)v\aKO^ evfievecTTarov koI 
 TToWa rXavTos yvvatKO^; Siat, 
 '7rp6<; yvvaiKot; S' aTrecpdicrev ^iov. 
 
 Iw 7rapav6/jLOV<;'f 'EXei^a, 
 fiLU ra? TToWdf, Ta<; Travv 7roWd<i 
 ^frv')(^d<i oXecraa virb Tpola, 
 vvv he reXelav 
 
 TToXv/bLvacrrov eTrrjvOlcra) hC alix dvtiTTOv. 
 fj ri<; rjv tot iv 86fMot.<i 
 
 1455 
 
 1460 
 
 1455. For the change from the parti- 
 cipial to the principal construction see 
 V. 1287, and 7'7'. 1457 — 1460 below. 
 
 1456 — 1462. These lines are probably 
 to be repeated as an ' ephymnium ' or 
 burden in the antistrophe after v. 1475 as 
 there indicated (Burney, followed by 
 Wecklein; cf. w. 1490 and 1514). They 
 may however be mere recitative not in- 
 cluded in the strophe. —The suggestion 
 of Hermann that these lines are anti- 
 strophic to vv. 1539 — 1549 is not to be 
 entertained. Apart from the want of 
 correspondence in position, it is impossible 
 to suppose (as the theoi7 requires) that 
 vv. 1459 — 1460 are the corrupt and 
 casually united fragments of sentences 
 originally separated by several lost verses. 
 See note there. 
 
 1456 was perhaps originally ana- 
 paestic (though irapavo|iOTJ<ra is good in 
 sense, Alas! for the transgression of 
 Helen!). If so, Iw irapti -irvp ovo|ji' ovo-' 
 'EXe'va (Housman) has some probability, 
 literally, 'Ah thou, named Helen from 
 fire', i.e. 'whose name is a symbol of de- 
 struction', the derivation indicated being 
 {xova k\6.vt\ fire-brand. "I think I find 
 the same etymology in Euripides. In 
 Tro. 891 sqq. Hecuba is warning Menelaus 
 against the charms of Helen bpd.v he TT]v5e 
 (pevye, /xtj a eXy Tr60ip' | aipei yap a.vdpQiv 
 6p.iJ.aT , e^aipel iroXeis — so far the ^Tvp.ov is 
 eXelv (see supra v. 693) ; but then she 
 goes on — Trl/xTrp7]cn S' ockovs : surely that 
 is a glance at iXdvrj " (y. Ph. xvi. p. 
 
 282). The facility of the supposed cor- 
 ruption is obvious. — Iw av irapuvvp-os oCcr' 
 'EX^va Wecklein. 
 
 1457 — 1460. Afanj, ah many, are the 
 lives thou hast destroyed before Troy, 
 and now, for thy final crotvn, thou hast 
 destroyed one, the stain of whose murder 
 shall not be washed away : literally ' thou 
 hast crowned thyself with (the destroying 
 of) a final life, (a destruction) memorable 
 because tlie blood cannot be washed off'. 
 With TeXtCav the words i\/vxav oKophav 
 are supplied according to Greek habit 
 from the previous sentence. — «iriivOfo-w 
 \{/vxa.v 6\op.hav: Helen is compared to 
 a conqueror whose glory is the lives he 
 takes ; eTravOi^ecrdai is ' to take on oneself 
 as a crown' or 'glory', a metaphor from 
 dvdos a wreath. See Theb. 933 ICo iroWois 
 eTTavOtaavTes trbvoiCL yevedv Oh with many 
 a gallant feat have ye crowned your 
 lineage, and for illustrations see the note 
 there. For the representation of the 
 deed as a crown see -Kbvois in Theb. I. c. 
 and an exact parallel in Theb. 705 dXX' 
 avrdheKK^ov alp.a hpiipaaQai BiXeis Is the 
 blood of a brother the prize thou ivouldst 
 pluck'?, where also see note. — ttoXv- 
 |j.va<rTov (feminine, agreeing with i^vxav) 
 81* al|i' aviTFTov together.— There is no 
 irregularity in these lines, nor any reason 
 to suspect them. They are thoroughly 
 Aeschylean both in thought and ex- 
 pression. 
 
 1461 — 1462. tf Tis Schlitz: Surely 
 there must have been erewhile between the 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 163 
 
 ept<; epcB/j,aTO<i nvSpo'^ ol^v<i. 
 KA. firjSev Oavarov jxolpav i-rrev'yov 
 
 TolaZe ^apvv9el<i- 
 
 /iT/S' 6t9 'EiX,€vr]v KOTOv eKTpe'^rj'i'f, 
 
 ft)? avSpoXereip', w? /jllu ttoWmv 
 
 avSpcvv yfrv)^(i'i Aai'acov oKeaacr 
 
 a^vararov dXyof enrpa^ev. 
 XO. Saifioi', o? eixTrlrveL'i 8(6/j.a(Ti. koi, 8icJ)vl- 
 
 oiai TavToXiSaKTip, 
 
 Kpdro^^ 1(t6->^v)(ov €k yvi'aiKcov 
 
 14(^7. oXicrat'. 1469. f/t7r/7rrfts. 5i(pve?ffi. 
 
 1465 
 
 avT. a . 
 1470 
 
 1 47 1, omits re. 
 
 Jiousl's a han{-foits;Jit rivahy for /he misery 
 of their lords, literally 'of the husband '. 
 Evil powers might seem to have played 
 a match for the ruin of Agamemnon and 
 Menelaus by means of the two wicked 
 sisters, their wives, Clytaemnestra and 
 Helen. The parallel has been suggested 
 already in vv. 1454 — 55 and is further 
 pursued below, z». 1469. — ron foriner/y, 
 in the past. For examples see L. and 
 Sc. s. V. — €V Sofxois in the hoitse, i.e. 
 between the tvyo branches of the Atridae. 
 — ?pts.. ol?trs: literally 'contention con- 
 tention-surpassed, a misery to the hus- 
 band'; for the apposition of ol^vs in the 
 sense ' causing misery ' see'on v. 298. ?pis 
 epiSjiaros is an artificial but not unnatural 
 figure of poetry for 'a contest in which 
 effort surpasses effort'. ' In this fatal 
 rivalry it were hard to say which of the 
 sisters had done better. 
 
 1463. ^r[h\v : emphatic negative, see 
 V. 783. 
 
 1465. €KTpe'xT]S f and no doubt M 
 also: iKxpixpys (g, h, probably from the 
 margin of M) is a possible correction but 
 not probable. It is more likely that 
 iKTpixv^ covers some unknown word or 
 form, and I have therefore simply printed 
 it as an error. 
 
 1467. oXsVav agreeing with dXyos, 
 f, g. 6\i<ra<r' h. 
 
 1468. a^voTaTOv incomparable Klau- 
 sen, Paley, unexampled Kennedy; lite- 
 
 rally 'that which cannot be weighed or 
 balanced with ' an equal. As Kennedy 
 says, we can but judge the sense of a rare 
 compound word from the particular con- 
 text, which points here to this explana- 
 tion. Clytaemnestra affects to be jealous 
 of Helen's superiority in the mere number 
 of her victims. — (2) incurable ' not to be 
 healed ' or ' closed ', as a disease or 
 wound. This is possible, but the epithet 
 is not much to the point. — Mr Sidgwick 
 rejects incompaj-able, apparently on the 
 ground that in Aristoph. Cloi/ds 1367 
 d^^ffTciTos is applied in some sense, which 
 is certainly not that of this passage, to 
 Aeschylus himself. We are not bound 
 to suppose that the word had any one 
 fixed meaning. Like other poetical com- 
 pounds, it would follow the context. I 
 do not see that either of the above views 
 can be disproved, though I decidedly 
 prefer the fir?t. 
 
 1469. «iMrCTveis Canter. 8i({>v(oio-i 
 
 Hermann. The Mss. have substituted 
 involuntarily the more commonplace 
 forms. — The Chorus correct their judg- 
 ment so far as that they attribute the 
 fatal work of Helen and Clytaemnestra 
 in the last resort to the evil genius of the 
 race, and put the two sisters on the same 
 level of triumph or shame. 
 
 1471 — 1474. t' Hermann. KapSio- 
 8t)ktov Abresch. Literally 'and winnest 
 a victory, equal in lives on the part of the 
 
 I I — 3 
 
164 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KA. 
 
 KapBioBrjKTOv e/xol Kparvvei^i. 
 iirl Be (Toofiaro^ SIkuv fioi 
 KopaKo^ e'xOpov (TTa6el<; ivv6[JiOi<i 
 vjjbvov vfivelv eTreu^er' ev')(eTaL. 
 <i(a Trapavofiov^'f 'KXeva kt\.> 
 vvv 8' copOaxTWi aTo/jbaTo^i <yv(6/jir]v, 
 rov TpiTTo.'yyLov 
 
 Baifiova yevvr)^ rrjaBe KiKXr/aKav. 
 eK Tov yap €p(o<i alfiaroXoi'^^o'; 
 
 1475 
 
 1472. Kapdia SrjKTbf. 
 
 women, that wounds me to the heart '. 
 Kparos i<r6\|/vxov €k 'y'"^''''*'!^'^'^'- This 
 bold phrase is explained by the preceding 
 context, without which it would be un- 
 intelligible. In vv. 1457 — 60 Helen was 
 ironically praised as a victor who had 
 destroyed many lives {\pvxci-s). Clytaem- 
 nestra, accepting and retorting the irony, 
 demurs to the solitary glory accorded to 
 Helen (v. 1466 fxia woWQv ^pvxds). Here 
 the Chorus, still in the same strain, divide 
 the credit, as it were, saying that fate has 
 won by means of the two wives a victory 
 (/cpdros) e<^tta/ in lives as between them ; 
 i.e. one in which they may share the 
 destruction equally. — Apart from the evi- 
 dence of the context, Icrdij/vxov cannot 
 mean like-minded {^d\t.y and others), (1) 
 because the epithet is inapplicable to 
 Kparos, (2) because the compounds of lao- 
 have not this sense (like) in classical 
 Greek but only that of equality or eipii- 
 valence. — In spite of the metrical defect, 
 I do not feel any doubt that in labxj/vxov 
 the MSS. (f, g, h) are right. The pecu- 
 liarity of the word and its peculiar 
 connexion with this context forbid us to 
 suppose it either the invention or the 
 blunder of a critic. The loss of t (Her- 
 mann) is easily accounted for : some 
 editor, not familiar with the form of 
 the sentence (an exclamation), struck out 
 the copula in order to make /cpdros... 
 KpaTvvei.s into a principal clause. — KapSio- 
 8t]KTov €|xol : note that this phrase is 
 
 1475. v/xveiv eirevxcrai. 
 
 properly passive, stung into my heart or 
 a 7vound {^r(y\x.a.) to my heart. 
 
 1473. S^Kav (JLOi KopaKos together : 
 like a fold bird of prey, mcthinks. 
 
 1474. (TTaOels i.e. the 8ai/iwv in the 
 shape of Clytaemnestra ; better than «rra- 
 OeTff (Schiitz). 
 
 1474 — 1475 : pretends to celebrate a just 
 and laivfil triumph, literally 'boasts that 
 lawfully he celebrates a (theme) proper 
 for exultation ', referring to Clytaem- 
 nestra's words (v. 1393) e7cb 5' e-KeuxofJ-o-i' 
 d S' ^v kt\. — kiTivy^iTa matter for boast- 
 ing over is object to viivov v/xvetv. For 
 the form see dTreiyxfTos and cf. x^P'''^ 
 matter for rejoicing, as in Soph. Trach. 
 228 x''/"'0'' f^ " '^^^ (pipeis. — I suggest 
 this reading as a simple restoration of the 
 metre; seez'. 1455. The assonance would 
 be characteristic and the cause of the 
 error manifest. 
 
 1476. vvv 8€ Aye, but noiu thou hast 
 corrected thy saying, etc. 
 
 1477. Tpiirdxviov: this adjective form, 
 though not normal, may well have been 
 created on the analogy of such forms as 
 8i(pvios. — TpnrdxvfTov Bamberger. 
 
 1479. For therefrom is bred this crav- 
 ing of the maw for blood to lick, ever new 
 gore, ere the old woe be done. The appo- 
 sition of the description '7rplv...l!x*»P to 
 ipw alfiaroXoLX^s (the only construction 
 of which the text admits) is a very bold 
 extension of the Aeschylean use noted on 
 V. 1462 and elsewhere. That in v. 1230 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 165 
 
 veipcL Tpi<f)€Tai, Trpiv KaTaXrj^ai 
 TO iraXaiov (ix^'i, veo<i Ix^P- 
 XO. rj iie^yav oikoi<; rolcrSe 
 
 8aL/nova Kol ^apufirjviv alu€i<i, 
 
 (f>€v (f)ev, KaKov alvov drr)- 
 
 pa<i TV'xa'i (iKOpearov 
 
 tft) Ij], Sial Ato? 
 
 TravaiTLOv Travepjera. 
 
 TL yap /3poTOL<i (iveu Ato? rekelrat ; 
 
 Tt roovh' ov OeoKpavrov ecTTLV ; 
 
 i(o ^acnXev ^aaiXev, 
 
 TTft)? ere SaKpvaco ; 
 
 <f)pev6^ GK (f)iXia<; tI ttot eiTrco ; 
 
 K€i(rai 8' dpd')(y'r}<i iv vcfxicrfxart rwS' 
 
 dae^el davdrco ^cov eKirvecov, 
 
 (io/jLOt fiot,, Kolrav tuvS" dveXevdepou, 
 
 1487. wavepyeTav. 
 
 1480 
 
 (TTp. /3'. 
 
 1485 
 
 1490 
 
 149s 
 
 however is not dissimilar and the so- 
 called nominative absolute [v. 996) re- 
 sembles it in principle. If the reader 
 feels it to be impossible (though I do not, 
 but much admire it) I would commend 
 Mr Housman's suggestion, rp^cperai, Kal 
 i>^, irplv Kr\. 'and there flows fresh gore 
 ere' etc. : veipeihe deduces from va {Jloios, 
 see L. and Sc. s. v.) with pet written over 
 it as an interpretation, which is a process 
 possible or even probable. (See y. Ph. 
 XVI. p. 282.) — veipa Casaubon, Wel- 
 lauer, on the evidence of Hesychius, vdp-r}' 
 Koikia, ecxo-Tf], perhaps rightly. But there 
 is no proof against the existence of the 
 form uelpos, 
 
 1482. See Appendix II. 
 
 1483. alvcis ^/lou dost celebrate, i.e. 
 testify to his power. 
 
 1484. KaK6v...dKop€<rTov: literally 'a 
 fatal praise of him as never tiring of dead- 
 ly stroke'. The genitive Tvxas depends 
 on aKopicTov (masculine). The double 
 
 epithet aTrjpds aKopiarov (feminine) 
 
 would not be Aeschylean. 
 
 1487. Travtp-YtTa h, Doric genitive of 
 iravepyiTas. 
 
 1490. iu) 10} h, but the passage is not 
 properly anapaestic, see v. 1494. 
 
 1493. K6io-ai8' . . .eKirv€wv Ami to think 
 of thee lying etc. From iKTrveuu, which 
 (note the tense) cannot refer to the corpse, 
 it is seen that Keiaai is a histoHc present. 
 — dpdxvT]S €v vi<|>d<r|xaTi i.e. the envelop- 
 ing dfj.(pi^\7]crTpoi' : but in relation to the 
 whole plot the term has more significance 
 than the speakers at the moment perceive, 
 a favourite device with Aeschylus and 
 with the Attic poets generally. See the 
 Introduction. 
 
 1495. Koirav accusative 'cognate 'to 
 Kercrat.— dvtXevOcpov tmfree, i.e. of a slave, 
 a peculiar and significant expression. 
 iXevdepoi is a term strictly limited to 
 legal, political, or social relations. A fly 
 in a spider's web could not be called 
 dveXevOepos, nor a man merely because 
 his limbs were entangled. But the fall 
 of Agamemnon is properly dvfXevOepos, 
 because the murder is the first act and 
 sign of the new Tvpavvls. See v. 1354 
 and contrast the description of Oi'estcs' 
 enterprise in Cho. 862 <pQ>s iif iXevOeplq. 
 8alti)f dpxo-^s re iroXiaaoydfiots {free attd 
 
1 66 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 86\l(p /jLoprp Sa/jLcU 
 €K %epo9 dficfuTOfia) /3e\efiva>. 
 KA. ai);j^et9 elvai roSe rovpjov ifxov ; 
 
 ^Ajafiefivouiav etvai yH aXoyov. 
 (l>avTa^6/ji€V0<; Be <yvvaLK\ veKpov 
 rovh^ 6 TToX.ato'i Bpt/J,v<i aXdtnuip 
 'ATjOeo)? ')(cike'Trov doLvarrjpo^ 
 TOPS' d'jreTLcrev 
 reXeov veapot<i eTridvaa^. 
 XO. (t)<i fxev dvaiTLO^ el 
 
 TovSe (povov Tt? fiaprvpy^aojv ; 
 TTcG TTCO ; TrarpoOev Se avWrj- 
 TTTcop yivotT dv dXciaTOip. 
 ^id^erat 8' o/jLoaTropot'i 
 einppoataiv alfidrwv 
 fiiXa^ "Apr]<; 6 TraiSiKo, irpoajSalvoiv 
 1 5 12. 6'7rot 5^ Koi. 
 
 lawful government). It is not so much 
 Agamemnon who is here lamented as the 
 legitimate royalty and liberties of Argos, 
 destroyed in his person. The implied 
 thought is that which is put explicitly by 
 Shakespeare's Antony {Jnl. C. 3. 2. 194) 
 ' Great Caesar fell. O, what a fall was 
 there, my countrymen ! Then you and I 
 and all of us fell down, Whilst bloody 
 treason flourished over us'. 
 
 1499. (ATjS* tiriXtxO-ps kt\. : literally 
 '^ do not even suppose that this is I at all'. 
 For the deponent meaning of the tense 
 eTreXe'x^'VJ' (for which eTreXe^d/j.Tji' would 
 be more regular) cf. wpoaSepxdri P. K 53, 
 iiTToSex^e's Eur. Her. 757, i(ppd<rd7j id. 
 //ee. 546, SieXix^V frequently, etc. 
 (Paley). 
 
 1503. Ooivarrjpos: see z». 1590 foil. 
 
 1504. t6v8' dir€Ti(r€v /lat/i made him 
 to be payment /or the slain children. The 
 XQwdexm^ punished [wKeTlaaTo) is of course 
 erroneous (Conington). 
 
 1505: literally 'making the full-grown 
 victim follow the young'; for reXeos in 
 the ritual sense see v. 963. 
 
 1500 
 
 ^ 1505 
 dvT.. /3'. 
 
 1510 
 
 1508. irw; Doric form of woO zahere? 
 used, like ttQs; and irodev; in the sense 
 Now should it be ? Impossible, Cf. vth- 
 fjLaXa not at all. (Hermann.) Dr Weck- 
 lein cites here Athen. 9 p. 402 c otl 
 Atffxi^Xos diarpi^as ev 'EiiKeXia ttoXXocs 
 KexpV'o.t. (puivah 'ZiKeXiKois ovd^f dav/xacT- 
 t6v, a remark to be remembered also 
 in connexion with v. 686. — iraTpoOcv bj/ 
 heredity. — (rvXXtjirTwp -ytvoiT dv jnight 
 be fo2ind assistant {in the deed). The 
 fiend, punishing the crime inherited from 
 Atreus, might be thought to have part in 
 the crime, which yet is the queen's. 
 
 1 5 10 — :i5i2: while in fresh streams 
 of kindred blood ramps the red Man- 
 slayer, ivho comes to the infant gore of the 
 babes that luere served for meat. For the 
 conception of Ares as the man-devouring 
 fiend, see on v. 647. — p.£\as: see Theb. 
 43. — Trdxvq, (corrected to the dative by 
 Hermann) is locative. With ■irpo^a.lywv 
 (Canter, on metrical grounds) wdxvq. 
 would be instrumental, meaning 'drawn 
 on by the blood', irdxvr] is properly the 
 clot, or blood congealed (see irriyvufM, 
 
ArAMEMNQN. 
 
 167 
 
 7ra^i/a, Kovpo/36pq) nrape^ei,. 
 l(o ^acriXev ^aacXev, 
 7r<w9 (re SaKpuaco ; 
 (f)p€v6<; eK (})i\(a<; rl ttot et-jroi ; 
 Kelaat S' dpd'^v'r)<; eV v(f)dafiaTt twB 
 dae/Sel davdru» ^lov eKTrveoov, 
 q)/jLOl /xot, KOLTUV rdvS' dveXevOepov, 
 SoXlu) fx,6pq) SafM€L<; 
 eK %epo9 dfKpLTOfiq) ^ekeixvu). 
 X0./8'. oi/t' dveXevOepov olfxai, ddvarov 
 TcGSe jevecrOac, — 
 KA, ovSe yap ovto<; SoXiav drrjv 
 
 1515 
 
 1520 
 
 irewriyus), and the notion (whether with 
 wpo^aivbiv or irpoa^alvuv) is that the old 
 crime is a lure wliich brings the fiend of 
 murder again to the house. On the 
 metrical question see Appendix II. — 
 TraiSiKa: see v. 1593 Trap^crx^ Salra wai.- 
 deiwv Kpewv, and for the parallel use of 
 the form in -ikos cf. vikov depfj-a skin of a 
 pig, iinriKa, cppvayp-ara 7icighi)ig 0/ horses, 
 dvdpiKbs lopws sweat of a man, etc. — 
 KovpoPopcp iraps'leu in apposition, literally 
 ' the serving of children as meat ', i.e. 
 'children served as meat', the abstract 
 irdpe^is (from irapajx^^") see v. 1593 
 above cited) being used, as abstracts 
 frequently are in poetry, for the concrete, 
 serving for that which is served. — That 
 irap£^€i is the dative of irape^is, not the 
 future of Trape'xw, appears to me certain. 
 The future tense is inadmissible here, 
 whether referred to the Thyestean feast 
 or to the murder of Agamemnon. On 
 the other hand irdpe^is is required to 
 complete the allusion. As to iraiSiKq., it 
 not only fills the place with the necessary 
 meaning but, as will be seen, reproduces 
 the MS. almost to a letter. From the 
 exact similarity of the language in v. 1593 
 it may be conjectured that Aeschylus 
 follows in both places some familiar 
 version. 
 
 1522 — 23. One of the queen's party, 
 indignant at the repeated accusation of 
 
 setting up a Tvpavvls (see on v. 1495), 
 begins to answer the elders on this point. 
 This man, methinks, is not the victim of 
 despots, nor — , but here Clytaemnestra, 
 who is in no mood for such a discussion, 
 fiercely breaks out again upon her per- 
 sonal wrongs. The incident is highly 
 significant. In every conspiracy a large 
 part is played by those who are really 
 deceived as to the justice of their cause 
 and the effect of their action. For the 
 tmth of the scene and with a view to the 
 sequel it is proper that the error and 
 disappointment of this class should be 
 shown. The speaker, who would defend 
 the murder as tyrannicide, is wrong and 
 the elders right : Clytaemnestra could 
 stand only by the suppression of all law 
 and opinion. Her behaviour here is al- 
 ready ominous and before the end of the 
 play the situation defines itself beyond 
 mistake. — As these lines cannot be spoken 
 by any one of the dramatis personae 
 noticed in the MS. list, they are generally 
 struck out as an interpolation (Seidler), 
 which however is not to be justified even 
 on technical grounds. A critic sufticiently 
 punctilious to quarrel with tiie supposed 
 original text would certainly not have 
 been satisfied with such grammar as ovre 
 .,., ovS^ "ydp... 
 
 1524. ov8^ Y^P ovTos /crX. : literally 
 'Then did not he either (or 'he on his 
 
1 68 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 o'Ikocctiv eOrjK ; 
 
 dXk! ifxov eK tov8^ epvo<i depOev 
 Ti]V iroXvKXavrov t 'Icfuyeueiavf 
 dvd^ca Spd(ra<; a^ia vdcr'X^cov 
 firjSev iv "AtSoy fjueydkav^^^eiro), 
 
 Oavdroi rtcra? direp rjp^ev, 
 XO. dii-q-^avoo <f)povTL8o<i arepr]6el<i 
 evTraXdficov fMepifivdv, 
 
 1525 
 
 1530 
 
 (TTp. 7'. 
 
 part') commit treachery against his house?' 
 To fill up the thought in full we should 
 in English write ' It is hard forsooth that 
 he should suffer treachery, for he did not 
 practise it ! ' 
 
 1526 — 28. The error here cannot be 
 fixed exactly. More than one correction 
 is likely. In v. 1527 re, though not 
 perhaps impossible, is very offensive. 
 The name seems to be an explanation 
 worked into the text. We may easily 
 accept either Elmsley's ttjv woXvKXavroi', 
 dcd^ta dpaaas, \ a^ia Trdcrxwc, | iXTjbkv, or 
 Hermann's &,^ia dpdcras with ttju ttoXv- 
 KXavTOv y' (Pauw). — In Hermann's 
 reading &^ia...d^ta are correlative and 
 pleonastic. The deed is worthy of the 
 punishment, the punishment of the deed. 
 (Sidgwick.) 
 
 15 3 1, ifp^sv : from dpxet-v to be the 
 aggressor, to do an injury unprovoked. 
 Mr Housman cites Eur. fr. 825 Dind. 
 Tifiisipiav 'iTKTiv uv Tjp^iv KUKUv, and id. 
 //. F. 1 1 69 Tivcav 6' d/UoijSds wv vir-qp^ev 
 'BpaKXijs (y. Ph. XVI. p. 283). 
 
 1532. 'There are indeed injuries on 
 both sides. It is a fatal story of wrong 
 and retribution. And we must look for 
 more to follow. The family is accursed'. 
 This is the meaning, expressed under the 
 bold figure of one expelled from his fall- 
 ing cottage by a storm and vainly seeking 
 shelter. The figure must not be pressed 
 too closely; the 'falling house' typifies 
 vaguely the accursed family, yet the speaker 
 is not himself exposed to the curse. But 
 taken poetically it is highly impressive. 
 
 1533. eviraXajAWv |X€pijxvdv. The 
 form ey7rd\a/xos was restored by Porson, 
 the genitive plural (a simpler construc- 
 tion) by Enger. — I find in the blank of 
 my thoughts no ready hint, ivhich way to 
 turn, while the ho2ise totters. The storm 
 will strike, I fear, and wreck it qtiite, the 
 storm of blood. The rain is ceasing; yet 
 jficstice is but whetting once more, on the 
 whetstone of hindrance, her sword (?) to 
 punish again. — SeSoiKa 8€...\|/eKds %k... 
 AiKa 8e. After the fashion of the archaic 
 X^^ts eipojxivq, the sentences are simply 
 strung together, their exact relations being 
 left to the understanding. In the two 
 last clauses the hi is slightly adversative ; 
 after each outburst of the storm there is 
 indeed a pause, but it is the terrible pause 
 of preparation for the next stroke, or as 
 the poet puts it, changing the metaphor, 
 Justice is sha7-pening her sword. Such a 
 time of pause between stroke and stroke 
 is actually now just beginning ; but ^e/cdy 
 XT77et is rather general than particular. 
 The same sense might have been put 
 thus, when the rain ceases, then etc. — 
 The current interpretation of \peKas Xr/yei 
 {no longer it comes in drops, i.e. the rain 
 begins to be heavy) is to me quite incre- 
 dible. There is no proof that i/'e/cds 
 applied only to slight rain, and if it did, 
 in no language could ' the shower is 
 ceasing'' stand for 'there is now falling 
 more than a shower '. — irpdY|j.a exaction, 
 punishment, not simply deed : the asso- 
 ciation of irpcuraeiv with bUy) in this sense 
 is so very common, that TrpSy/xa would 
 
AfAMEMNON/ 
 
 oTra TpaTTcofiai, ttltvovto^; oI'kov. 
 
 SiSotKa 8' ofx^pov KTVTTOv 8ofMOcr(f)a\r} 
 
 rov alfiaTTjpov. yjr€Kd<i 8e Xijyei, 
 
 Alku S' evr' aWo vpajfia 6r]<ydv€i ^Xd^r]<; 
 
 7rpo9 aWai'i 6T]'ydvat<; "j* /noipa. 
 
 l(o yd yd, eWe p! iSe^co, 
 
 irplv rovK eiTL^elv dpyvporoi')(pv 
 
 SpoLTa<i Kari'^ovTa ')(aixevvav. 
 
 Tt? Oayjrcov vtv ; rt? o dpr)vr)(Ta)v ; 
 
 Tj (TV To8' ep^ai t\7](T7], Kreivaa 
 
 dvSpa rov avTrj<; aTTOKCOKvcrai 
 
 "^^XV^' d'^apcv %a/?ti' dvr epyeov 
 
 p,eydXo)v d8iK(o<; iTrcKpdvai; 
 
 Ti9 S' eTTLTvplSiO'i alvo<i eir dvhpl 6ei(p 
 
 ^vv 8aKpvoi<; IdirTcoi' 
 
 dXrjdeia ^pevwv irovtjaet ; 
 
 169 
 1535 
 
 1540 
 
 1533. eviraKoiixvov fiipifivoLV. I537- 
 
 1539. 'hemichoiii notam habent f g'. 
 
 Oriyei. 
 
 naturally take colour from the juxta- 
 position. — OTjYavei Hermann. — pXap-qs... 
 6T)Ydvais 'cvlictstoiies of hindrance; the in- 
 terval during which crime (as in the case of 
 Clytaemnestra) may hold off punishment 
 serves Justice to prepare the stroke. For 
 /3\a/377 hindrance, from pXairreii' hinder, 
 see on Theii. 183. — It is possible also to 
 take /3\aj377s with wpdyfjia in the sense 
 deed of harm. But the expression has 
 little force or point. — |j.orpa covers some 
 accusative, signifying the instrument 
 which At/c?; whets. OiiYcivais (xaxaipov 
 Musgrave, 6i]7dvai<riv dop (more pro- 
 bably) Housman {J. Ph. xvi. 278). 
 Possibly however it is a word unknown. 
 — The alternative correction of Uko. to 
 Uko.v {Fate sharpens Justice) would raise 
 a strange and unsatisfactory picture. 
 
 1539 — 1549- Perhaps a burden to be 
 repeated after z/. 1565 (Burney). 
 
 '545- axopiv KT-X. A thankless com- 
 pensation to aiuardfor an injury not fairly 
 prof>ortioned to it! an ironically moderate 
 expostulation. — (ifydXtov dSiKios, literally 
 ' unfairly great ', are to be taken together 
 
 (not ddiKCos iTn.Kpa.vai) ; • otherwise pLeyd- 
 \(ov would be pointless and feeble, whence 
 the conjectures p-eXiuf, pnapQv, pLvcrapGiv 
 etc. 
 
 1547. iiriTvpL^iov alvov Voss ; but the 
 erroneous substitution of the nominative 
 is not likely. €iriTv|Apios, a participial 
 adjective agreeing with tis (cf. 6pOpios, 
 Kaipios iroieiv ti, etc.), should at all events 
 stand. May not alvos be a neuter accu- 
 sative, a parallel form, like the compara- 
 tively rare eCxos beside the common 
 evxv^ The word had certainly two forms 
 (see aivT)) and might well have a third. 
 Moreover the forms aivi-au, aive-rds 
 would lead us to expect a corresponding 
 substantival form alvos (genit. aiVeos) : cf. 
 evxos, aTTtvxeTos, t^Xos, reXiffw, yivos, 
 yevlrrji etc. 
 
 1 548. I'aiTTwv. . .TTovijo'ei. IVho stand- 
 ing over the heroes grave imll pour forth 
 the tearful eulogy zoith heart that truly 
 aches? The relation of the verb and 
 participle, as we should put it, is in- 
 verted. See on v. 970 etc. 
 
t;o 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 KA. ov ere irpoarjKei to fMeXtj/ju akeyeiv 
 rovro' 7rpd<; -ij/jlcov 
 KaTTireae, KarOave, Koi KaraOay^ofiev, 
 
 OV'^ VTTO KkavdfXWV rCOV i^ OIKCOV, 
 
 dXX" ^l(f)i<y6V€id vtv daTraaico'; 
 Ovydrrjp, 009 %p^', 
 irarep avrtdaaaa 7rp6<i coKV'rropou 
 TTopdfievfM d'^ewv 
 Trepl %et/3a l3a\ovaa (ptXtjo-et, 
 XO. oveiSo^ rjKet roS' avr 6v6l8ov<;. 
 Svafxa^a S' earl Kplvat. 
 (pepec (pepovT, eKTivei S' o Kaivwv. 
 pbl[Mvei he fiifivovTO<; iv dpovw Aio? 
 iradelv top ep^avra' 6ecr/xLov yap. 
 Ti? dv yovdv dpalov eK^dXoi Soficov ; 
 KeKoWrjTat yevo<; Trpoad-yjrai. 
 <lco yd yd kt\.> 
 
 1550 
 
 1555 
 
 dvT. y. 
 
 1560 
 
 1565 
 
 1550. fxiXrjfxa XiyeLV. 
 1562. XP^''^ ('■^' XP°''V)- 
 
 1550. jisXriii* akiyav (Karsten) /0 
 regard this dtity. — If these anapaests 
 were originally antistrophic to vv. 1566 — 
 1576, two lines have been lost here or 
 inserted there. But there is no trace of 
 this in the text nor any reason to presume 
 the correspondence. 
 
 1557. dxeiif (originally dxcitwi') g. It 
 is probable therefore that M had axenov. 
 axiuiv (f; may be accepted provisionally. 
 
 1558. «J^'M"'^'' Stanley. 
 
 1562. 6p6vw (?) Schiitz. For some 
 unexplained reason xpo^'os occurs, where 
 the sense points to Opbvos, several times 
 in Aeschylus. So clearly in Eit/ii. 18, 
 and probably in Eiim. looi. But to 
 substitute dpovos is not altogether satis- 
 factory : for dp'jvos was a very familiar 
 word in later Greek, and the confusion of 
 X and 6 is not frequent in M. However 
 it may be accepted as an expedient. 
 
 1564. YovAv opaiov Hermann, the 
 accursed b)-eed. 
 
 1 565. li is a sori thai sticketh fast, 
 
 1558. t0\TJ(T7?. 
 
 1564. paov. 
 
 literally 'the kind is glued for the 
 fixing on', where 'fixing on' is transi- 
 tive. The metaphor is excluded from 
 poetry in English ; but this is accidental 
 and irrelevant. irpoo-ct^'ai is an ex- 
 planatory infinitive. The word is from 
 the same vocabulary as /ce/cdXXrjrat it- 
 self. — TT/jox arq. Blomfield, 'the family 
 is fastened (glued) to calamity', a sug- 
 gestion not deserving the vogue which 
 it has obtained. Not only does the 
 metaphor thus become extremely harsh ; 
 but it is not to be supposed that •^ov-i) 
 and 7^vos, words closely cognate and 
 practically synonymous, should bear 
 totally different meanings in the same 
 context. 
 
 1566. Up to this death it hath truly 
 /ollcnoed prophecy ; but for all that I am 
 willing eic. es rovSe literally 'up to this 
 man' i.e. Agamemnon, to whose corpse 
 she points: he is the last at present 
 in the fatal series (see vv. 1561 — 
 1565). — ivi^y\: the subject is 'the 
 
APAMEMNON. 
 
 171 
 
 KA. 69 Toi/S' ivi^i] ^vv dXrjdeia 
 XPV^f^op, iyco S' ovv 
 iOeXoi Salfiopc tu> HXeicrdeviSav 
 opKov<i de/xivT] Ta8€ fxkv (TTcpyetv, 
 BvaTXrjTci Trep 6vd\ o he 'Kolirov, iovT 
 e/c Tu>vhe So/jicov aXkijv yeveav 
 rpl^eLv 6avdT0b<i avdivrataiv. 
 KTedi/cov re //.epo? 
 
 jBaiou i'x^ovar} irdv, aTro'^^pr] ^fxol 8' 
 dWrjXo^ovovi 
 fiavLa'i /jueXdOpcov dcfyeXovarj. 
 
 1570. 5i;iT7rX7;Ta. 
 
 1570 
 
 1575 
 
 fate' or 'curse' of the family, naturally 
 supplied from z'v. 1564 — 65 and more 
 exactly expressed by dal/xwv in the fol- 
 lowing clause. — XPT^K'°^ • accusative of 
 space with i/xj3aiveiv zaa/k in, as a verb 
 of motion ; cf. Eur. Suppl. 989 r-qvl' 
 i/M^aivovcra K^Xevdop, walking this way. 
 The accusative is the only case which the 
 verb in this sense admits ; the dative 
 belongs to the moi'e common sense tread 
 upon. The xpV<^f^o^ is the path which 
 so far fate has walked or trodden. The 
 prophecy of Calchas [^'v. 153 foil.) traces 
 events up to the death of Agamemnon 
 and only so far ; and the allusion may be 
 to this or to some other like prophecy not 
 recorded. It is not however necessary 
 to suppose any prophecy more particular 
 than the general sentence against the 
 house. 'This', concedes the queen, 'has 
 so far been fulfilled ; let us hope that so 
 far will be far enough'.— The MS. reading 
 is far better and more clear than any of 
 the proposed corrections (ey^/Sijs Canter, 
 Xpy)<Tix6s Casaubon). The error has lain 
 in connecting rbvSe with xRV^'f^o", where- 
 as here, as frequently and in fact in the 
 dramatic poets generally, o5e is deictic 
 and the meaning of it is given by the 
 gesture, 
 
 1567. nXeio-OtviSdv and H\€ia64vovs 
 yivos V. 1602. The origin of this family 
 name is uncertain. 
 
 1570. Svo-tXtjtcC g. — loVTa rhv dal- 
 
 ixova : 'that he depart and vex' etc. The 
 relation of the clauses would in later style 
 be more exactly indicated ; ' I am willing 
 to come to terms with the genius of the 
 house, and to say nothing of the past if he 
 will now depart elsewhere'. The notion 
 of such a bargain and the reasonable air 
 of Clytaemnestra's proposal is of course 
 but a ghastly jest. 
 
 1573 — 1 5 76- A part of the wealth is 
 but a small thing to me., ivho have it all, 
 and moreover ^tis enough for me if I but 
 rid the house of this internecine frenzy. 
 Pursuing the figure of a bargain with 
 fate, she declares herself ready to make 
 material sacrifices ! If the departing 
 5al/xuu will take with him some of the 
 eiidai/jLovia, he is welcome to take it ; she 
 can afford it, and would besides readily 
 spend something for the peace of this 
 unfortunate family. It should be remem- 
 bered here that Clytaemnestra is not 
 herself of the Pelopid house. She is 
 pleased to speak as one who has suffered 
 much by connexion with it and would 
 gladly, even at some cost, have done 
 with its boasted but unhappy Saifxwv. For 
 the evdai/jLovia of the Pelopidae see Eur. 
 Or. 972 oix«'"'i' irpowaffa yivva Ili\owoi 
 6 T iirl ficiKapiois fijXos uv wot'' oIkois, and 
 so frequently. — T€...8i: not me rely... but: 
 the substitution of di for re in ihe second 
 
172 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 Ainseos. 
 
 ft) (^67709 eix^pov riixepa<i 8tK7)(f)6pov, 
 
 (f)aii]v av 17877 vvv ^poTcov rtfiaopov; 
 
 6€ov<; (ivwdev yi]^ iiroTrreveLV ayrj, 
 
 IScov v(f>avTol<; iv vreTrXot? ^^pivvwv 1 5^0 
 
 Tov avSpa TovSe Kel/juevov ^/Xo)? ifioi, 
 
 X^po'i 7raTpa)a<; eKTivovra firj-^avdf;. 
 
 'Arpei)? yap ap')(^u)V rrjaSe yrj';, rovruv TraTrjp, 
 
 irarepa %ve(TTriv tov i/xou, co<; ropw'i (f)pdaaL, 
 
 avTOV T dSeXcfyov, d/jb(f)iX€KTO<; aiv Kpdrei, 15^5 
 
 of two clauses, when re has been pro- 
 mised, marks that there is a rise or 
 climax : see T/ic^k 5 7 1 and references 
 there given. — diroxpT 'p.ol: the position 
 of the pronoun, which is displaced for 
 emphasis, shows that the form is ejuoi, 
 not fioi.— diT6\pr\ is impersonal. — Great 
 difficulty has been made here by want of 
 punctuation. Supposing the four verses 
 to be one sentence, Auratus changed re 
 in V. 1573 (as in that case would be 
 necessary) to 5e, aud Canter struck out 
 5^ in V. 1574. This destroyed the metre 
 (/xoi I d\\r]\o\o<p6vous) and accordingly 
 Erfurdt rearranged the words thus, navias 
 /j.e\ddpu}v d\\r]\o(p6vovs, with all which 
 changes they are commonly printed. But 
 even so there is no tolerable result ; in 
 the supposed sentence Kreavuv fi^pos ^aibv 
 exoi^o"?? "■«'' dTToxpv fJ-oi the word irdv is 
 superfluous and unconstruable (see Hous- 
 man J. Ph. xvi. 277). Nor is the sense 
 suitable, such as it is : Clytaemnestra 
 does not offer, even in jest, to reduce 
 herself to poverty : she only says with 
 mock generosity that she would sacrifice 
 a part of the slain king's wealth to be rid 
 of the daifJLuv which pursues his family. 
 There is no real difficulty in the MS. 
 The position of 5^ would be justified 
 according to Aeschylus' usage by the 
 close connexion of the preceding words, 
 and with the emphasis on ifiol it is the 
 preferable order. It may be observed 
 that if any editor had wished to restore 
 
 the faulty metre (which is supposed to be 
 the origin of 5^) he would presumably 
 have adopted the obvious expedient of 
 Erfurdt. 
 
 1577. See the .Introduction. The 
 speech of Aegisthus sets forth (i) his 
 claim or pretended claim to the throne 
 (vv. 1585, 1605), (2) his hereditary feud 
 with the dead king, (3) his own skill 
 in directing the conspiracy. The story 
 of Thyestes is told in a brief allusive 
 manner which for us, who do not know 
 the Aeschylean version from any other 
 source, leaves some points in it obscure. 
 
 1578. tJ8tj vvv, whereas hitherto ovk 
 ^<pT}v. Aegisthus assumes the character 
 of one who has long vainly waited for 
 justice. 
 
 1579- 7^s depends on avwOev : with 
 ax'H is to be supplied avrup, i.e. ^porCov, 
 from the previous line : cf. Eur. fi-. 959 
 Dind. i(TTi, Ket rts e77e\$ \6yip, Zevs Kal 
 deol PpoTeia XevacrovTes ttoOt) (Housman 
 y. F/i. XVI. p. 286). 
 
 1 580. v<j)avTois. . .'Epivvwv lorappcd in 
 raivient of the Erinyes' weaving, the 
 d/LKpi^XTja-Tpof, standing as in v. 1495 
 for a type of the plot. 
 
 1 58 1. (f>CX(os €(i,o£ (IS I am glad to see 
 him. 
 
 1585. avTov T£ : re is irregular. 
 Usage (as pointed out by Elmsley) re- 
 quires in such a case either iraripare... 
 d8€\<p6v re (cf. Soph. Trach. 406) or 
 ■iraTipa...d8e\(p6i' de. Perhaps 5f should. 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 rjvSpTjXaTrjo-ev e/c 7r6Xec6<; re Kal So/xrav. 
 Kai '7rpo(TTpo7raLO<i earcwi fioXcou Trdkiv 
 T\7]fX(ov ©fecTT?;? fJuoZpav rj'vpeT (icr^aXrj, 
 TO firj Oavdov TrarpMOv al^d^at irehov. 
 avTov ^evia he rovSe Bv(T0€o<i Trarrjp 
 Arpevf, 7rpoOv/j,a)<; fxdWov rj <^tA,&)<? irarpl 
 Too/JiM, Kpeovpyov rjixap evdvfi(i)<; nyeiv 
 So/ccov, 7rapecr')(e Satra iratheiwv Kpewv. 
 
 173 
 
 1590 
 
 be restored, but as poetry not unfrequent- 
 ly uses a single re where a prose writer 
 would certainly use re... re, the slight 
 inaccuracy may be the poet's own. — 
 dfx<{>iX€KTOS wv Kpdrti />a>i^ questioned 
 ill his sovcreigniy. Yox the quasi-local 
 dative of 'the thing affected' see Thel>. 
 683. The more deadly offence of Thyes- 
 tes is suppressed by his son (see v. 
 1192). 
 
 1586. T£ Kttl banislu'd from /lis Jioitsc 
 and from the city as well. 
 "1588. |j.oipav T]vp€T d(r<j>a\Y] to (Atf 
 KT\.fou7id a partial safety so far as that 
 he did not, literally 'obtained the saving 
 of part'. For /uotpa in its proper sense 
 of pai-t {fxelpofjLai, fiipos) see Cho. ■237, 
 Thel). 563, Eur. Med. 430. — It would 
 not be idiomatic Greek to use fioipa 
 a.ffcpa\-^s safe lot as a periphrasis for 
 d(r<pa.\€ia: and on the other hand the 
 notion partial is required by the sense. 
 
 1590. a^Toij |€Via 8^ ktX. : but taking 
 the very occasion of his arrival Atreus, 
 the impious father of this slain man, 
 pretending, with eagerness little %velcotne 
 to 7ny father, to hold a glad day of festi- 
 val, served him a banquet of his children's 
 flesh. avTOv ^e'via literally 'as an arrival- 
 feast to (Thyestes) himself, accusative in 
 apposition to the whole act following. 
 The peculiar treachery and cruelty of 
 Atreus showed itself first in making the 
 home-coming of his reconciled brother 
 the pretended occasion for the abomin- 
 able feast. The words avrov ^ivia being 
 flosely connected and separated from the 
 
 rest of the sentence, the position of 5^ is 
 natural and an aid to clearness. — It is 
 possilile also to join avrov {on the spot) to 
 the previous sentence ; but the emphasis 
 of the position would be false and ^ivia 
 without avTov bald. — For the metre of 
 ^ivia cf. Cho. I (Wecklein).— irpo0u|ji.<os 
 ...Tw|iw: lit. 'eagerly more than to my 
 father welcomely'; ^t'Xws is constructed 
 asinz/. 1581. The celebration of the feast 
 was forced upon the unwilling suppliant, 
 who had Jio motive for feigning this ex- 
 travagant enthusiasm over the reconcilia- 
 tion, and regarded it rather with sus- 
 picion. Aeschylus no doubt gives the 
 main lines of the story after some familiar 
 version. — With this punctuation, giving 
 TTarpl to (pi\o}s, the words appear to be 
 intelligible and effective. If irpodijfius 
 jxaXKov rj (plXws be stopped off separately 
 (the usual punctuation), the text cannot be 
 defended. ''More zealous than friendly 
 is only possible as a joke, when applied 
 to a man who under cover of a banquet 
 murders his brother's children ; and 
 Aegisthus is not joking" (Sidgwick). — 
 The suggestion of Schiitz to make one 
 verse out oi vv. i;qo — 1591 thus, ^ivia. 
 hk Tovde 8va9eos Trarrip irarpl tw/xS kt\., 
 is specious but will not bear examination : 
 aiiTov, as already remarked, cannot be 
 removed without loss of effect ; and irpo- 
 dv/xws kt\. is, if properly punctuated, too 
 subtle, if wrongly punctuated, too absurd 
 to be a likely interpolation. — The as- 
 sonance of irpodv/xus. . .evOvfiui is to the 
 point and therefore good. 
 
174 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 TO, fiev TToByjpr} koI -^epcov ciKpov; Kreva^i 
 edpvTTT (ivcodev dvhpaic(i<i Kadi'jp,ef^o<;. 
 uarjfMa 8' avTMV avriK ayvoia \a/3(ov 
 ecrdet, ^opav dcratrov, ax; opa<;, yevei. 
 KaireiT eTriyvoix; epyov ov KardiaLov 
 a)fi(o^ev, a/jbTTLTTTet 8' airo acfiayrjv eprov, 
 fiopov S' (i^epTov XleXoTTtSat? eTrey^erat, 
 XaKTicr/jia Seiirvov ^vvSiK(o<i riOel'i dpa, 
 
 1595 
 
 i6oo 
 
 1594- XPf^c. 
 
 1599. ^^' "■''"■Tei 5' aVo (Tcftayri^. 
 
 1594 — 97: uncertain. There is per- 
 haps some error in the reading, but as 
 we have no independent knowledge of 
 the story followed by Aescliylus, altera- 
 tion is hazardous. The sense seems to 
 be that Atreus made of the extremities a 
 mince or broth, which being spread over 
 (avdoOev) the roasted bodies prevented 
 Thyestes from recognizing them for what 
 they were until he had eaten of the Bpvfi- 
 jxara. — affrj/x. 8 5' (Dindorf for dffrjfxa 5') 
 is perhaps right : ^crOei as it stands should 
 have for subject Atretts: however such 
 obscurity is found in Greek as in other lan- 
 guages [e.g.v.iGoG). — dvSpaKas KaOi]|i€vos 
 viritim sedens is strictly speaking a sole- 
 cism ; the word av^paKos tnan by man, 
 singly, requires a plural subject, and the 
 company, not the host, should be said 
 KadrjaGai dvdpaKcis. On the other hand 
 such expressions are not unknown or 
 very uncommon, where a single person 
 has a representative character: thus we 
 might certainly say in English, 'One 
 commander preferred to advance in large 
 divisions, the other in small ', where the 
 phrase zn large divisions applies properly 
 to the army. Similarly it is not impos- 
 sible that a host should be said Kad-SjcrOai 
 avSpaKas with the meaning that his com- 
 pany sat so. — KaOrjfjL^fois (Casaubon) will 
 not pass, as it would certainly imply that 
 the human flesh was served to the whole 
 company. — avevdev dvSpaKas Kad-qixivwv 
 apart from the company seated singly 
 Wecklein (ed. 1887).— The object of 
 mentioning the arrangement of the com- 
 
 pany (according to the archaic fashion) 
 at separate small tables is to show how 
 the fatal mess was safely served to Thyes- 
 tes only : see the account of the similar 
 feast of Harpagos in Herod, i. 119, and 
 cf. Eur. /ph. T. 949 iiivLa /jLovorpdirf^a 
 (Wecklein). — avudev dvOpaKos KaBrj^iixhov 
 over kindled coals (Ilousman y. Ph. xvi. 
 285) l)ears a striking resemblance to the 
 MS., but it seems improbable that a word 
 so peculiar and appropriate as dvdpaKdi 
 is a penman's error. No absolutely 
 certain objection lies against the text, 
 and I prefer to leave it under reserve. 
 
 1596. aiiTwv avT^K* d-yvoCa not know- 
 ing the meat at the moment for what 
 it was : aird, as usual, has an emphasis, 
 literally ' the meat itself. The adverb 
 avTiKa belongs in sense to the substan- 
 tive. 
 
 1 599. d[ATrCirT€i Canter. — diro o-<(>a7T|v 
 epwv (Auratus) i.e. direpQiv acpayyjv, dis- 
 gorging the (sacrificial) meat. 
 
 1601. "It is perhaps simplest to 
 construe this 'spurning the banquet to 
 aid his curse', aivSiKos being properly 
 one ivho pleads with you, an aider in the 
 cause. o-vvSCkojs governs dpa.... The 
 violent crash of the banquet was the 
 symbol (ovtojs) of the invoked destruction 
 of the family" (Sidgwick). I prefer this 
 to the alternative rendering of crvvdlKias 
 generally, or in common, which has little 
 point and is not sufficiently supported 
 by the use of the word. — ovtcos. The 
 analogy intended is more close than that 
 of mere overthrowing. The death of 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 175 
 
 ouTCt)? oXecrdat irav to Yl\eicrdevov<; y€PO<;. 
 CK TcovSi aoi ireaovTU TOPS' ISeiv irapa. 
 /cdyco SiKaio^ TovBe rov cf)6vov pa(f>ev<i' 
 TpLTOV <ydp bvTa pJ eTrlBcK aOxUo Trarpt 
 avve^eXavvei tvtOov ovt iv cnrap<yavoi^' 
 Tpa(f)6VTa 8' audi<i rj ZIkti Kan^'ya'yev. 
 Kol rovhe T(ivhpb<i r/yjrdp.Tjv 6vpato<; (i)i>, 
 irdarav ^vvay\ra<i firj'^avijv Sucr^ovXia^i. 
 o'vTco KaXov St) /cal to KaTdavelv epLoi, 
 IBovTa TovTov T»;? BtKrj^i iv ep/cea-tv. 
 
 1605. ^''"' o^k'. 
 
 1605 
 
 I6I0 
 
 Agamemnon lias been achieved, like the 
 outrage of Atreus, under the pretence of 
 a sacrificial feast in honour of a home- 
 coming. With the Homeric version (see 
 the Introduction) the similarity would be 
 even closer, since the feast of Aegisthus 
 was properly l^via: and we may reason- 
 ably guess that when the Thyestean 
 story was first grafted on to the legend, 
 the XaKTia/JLa delirvov also played a more 
 important part in the revenge, being 
 perhaps the signal for the treacherous 
 assault. 
 
 1605. lir£8iKa...'TraTpl hi satisfaction 
 of my tin/tappy father's claim, literally 'as 
 what was liable to his claim'. In mock- 
 ery of Thyestes' claim to share the royal 
 inheritance (v. 1585) Atreus pretended to 
 have discharged all obligations by sparing 
 and banishing along with him the third 
 child. If the Aeschylean legend agreed 
 with the common version in giving to 
 Pelops three sons (Atreus, Thyestes, 
 Chrysippus), the parallel extends to Tpi- 
 Tov, me, as his lawful third. The word 
 eTTidiKos was specially applied to a dis- 
 puted inheritance and marks the point 
 upon which Aegisthus naturally insists, 
 that he is of the royal family and re- 
 presents a legal claim to the succession. 
 The story of the 'banquet', for which 
 after all Agamemnon was not responsible, 
 is brought in only ad invidiam. — The 
 correctness of this reading receives con- 
 
 firmation from ^lKa.10% in v. 1604 and still 
 more from ■r\ 8Cki] ('Mt' justice of the 
 cause') in v. 1607 and v. 161 r. The use 
 of the article with a mere general term or 
 personification (yiistice) is not according 
 to Aeschylus' habit (so we have Ukt), not 
 7) dlK-q, in w. 767, 1537, Thch. 633, 654, 
 658 etc. passim). It is to the preceding 
 iwidiKa that rj dlKr) and ttjs SIktjs refer ; 
 Aegisthus finds a proper answer to the 
 cruel jest of Atreus in the fact that the 
 child sent away with Thyestes 'as repre- 
 senting his right ' has now come back 
 to avenge that right. — The MS. iirl 8^k 
 {thirteenth child) is absurd ; but the cor- 
 rections proposed {iirX dv<ra6\io:, in 
 8v(Tad\iqi etc.), besides being open to 
 other objections, do not supply what the 
 sense requires. Without eirlSiKa, or 
 something of this kind, vv. 1604 — 1607 
 do not hang together. 
 
 1608. T^xj/dfiTiv Ovpaios «i'v / have 
 reached him fro»! my exile, literally ' while 
 abroad'. He compliments himself upon 
 the skill with which he has drawn to- 
 gether the threads of the conspiracy and 
 'contrived' the execution of it, under all 
 the disadvantages of one who dared not 
 openly appear in the country. 
 
 161 1. iSovra: for the ace. with the 
 inf., notwithstanding f/xo/, see P. V. 234, 
 Soph. Ai. 1006, Eur. Med. 814. (Sidg- 
 wick, Wecklein.) 
 
176 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 XO. Atyia-d^ v^pl^eiv ev KaKolcriv ou cre^w' 
 (TV S' (ivSpa TovBe 0?)? ckcov KaraKTavetv, 
 /jlovo^ S' eiroiKTOV rovhe ^ovXevaai (j)6vov ; 
 01) (f)'t]fi aXv^eiv iv Slkt) to <t6v Kapa 
 S'T]/j,oppi(})€t<i, ad(f)' taOc, X€vaifj,ov<i (\pn<i. 
 
 AI. cri) ravra (^wvel<i veprepa tt poari ^evo<i 
 
 KCOTTT), KparovvTcov Twv eirl ^vym 8op6<; ; 
 yv(i)(jei yepwv wv &)? SiSnaKeadat, ^apv 
 Tu> TrjXiKouTO) aaxjipoveiv elprjixevov. 
 Bea/xwv Be koL to yrjpa<i a" re vr}(TTihe<i 
 
 1615 
 
 1620 
 
 161 7. veTlpa. 
 
 1612. vPpC^ei-v o-e'Pio, o-vi 8^ kt\. 
 
 Aegistkits — not that I care to itistdt mise- 
 ry, — dost tJioit etc. They think, or try to 
 think, not recognizing the full extent of 
 their calamity and putting their own sense 
 upon Aegisthus' talk of dying {v. 1610), 
 that the murderer has run to his own de- 
 struction. The antithesis indicated by 
 5^ is between the sentiment v^pi^eii'...ou 
 ci^o} and their manner of speaking to 
 Aegisthus as one doomed. At the same 
 time they reflect obliquely upon the li^pts 
 of Aegisthus himself. 
 
 16 13. <j)iis kKwv froft'ss unasked, 'vo- 
 lunteer the statement ' in modern phrase. 
 The use of (p-qixl extends to admission as 
 well as assertion; see v. 1578. They 
 are surprised that he should anticipate 
 trial {ev Uk-q v. 161 5) by admitting a 
 complicity which will cost his life. — The 
 suspicions directed agaihst eK<hv arise 
 from the error of joining it with /cara/cra- 
 velv. 
 
 1 616: imprecations which the people, 
 trust me, shall hail on thee in shape of 
 stones, i.e. 'their curses which will doom 
 thee to the death of stoning'. The point 
 of this expression, and of the emphasis 
 on the word Sr]ij.oppi(pe'LS, lies in the con- 
 trast between these Sr]/jLopp(.<peh dpai and 
 the fnjxa-vrj dvff^ovKias (also a 5r]fioppi<p}]S 
 dpa in a totally different sense of the 
 words : see vz>. 464 and 875), of which 
 Aegisthus has just boasted. His lan- 
 
 162 1. Sea/jLov, 
 
 guage brings home to the elders, for the 
 first time, the consciousness that the 
 'popular conspiracy', which they dread- 
 ed, has been in actual existence all this 
 while and that the murderers are sup- 
 ported by a powerful party. They still 
 hope however that it may be outnum- 
 bered, a hope quickly dispelled by 
 Aegisthus' contempt. 
 
 161 7. vepripa. The reading of f (i/e- 
 T^pa) points perhaps to the form vriT^pq, 
 {feirepg.): cf. vrncrra' ^axara, KaTurraTa, 
 Hesychius. — The two parties are com- 
 pared to the ^vy^Tai (rowers of the upper 
 tier) and daXafurai (lower tier) in a 
 bireme ship (Klausen). 
 
 1619. 8i8d<rK€cr0ai...(rw<j)poveiv «ip'»]- 
 |ji£Vov to have impressed upon hi/n the 
 lesson of prudence, literally ' to take teach- 
 ing, when prudence is enjoined '. ei'/jjj- 
 jxivov is ace. absolute. 
 
 1 62 1. 8€crp.o)v...at T6 VTJ<rTi8£s 8vai 
 the pai)is of impj-isonment and the pains 
 of hunger. The genitive Sea/xQv (depend- 
 ing on d6ac) is required by the article al, 
 justifiable according to the use of Aeschy- 
 lus only if at urjarides dijai are contrasted 
 with some other ovai. — Both the trust- 
 worthy copies (f, g) give the impossible 
 reading dea/j.6v, reproducing doubtless that 
 of M, in which and w are not seldom 
 accidentally confused, the sounds having 
 been probably indistinguishable. The 
 Cod. Farn., as might be expected, offers 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 177 
 
 8vat 8i8d(rK€iu i^o'^corarat (ppevwu 
 laTpofjiavTeis- oJ;^ ^V'?'» opwv T(i8e ; 
 TTpo? Kempa fxi) X/iKTi^e, /jbt) 7ralaa<i fj,oyf}<;. 
 yuvat, (TV Toi)? r]Kovra<i eK /u.n'^?79 veov 
 0LK0vp6<i evvrjv avhpo<; ala')(yvova ajxa — ; 
 dvSpl crrpaTrjya) t6v8^ i/3ov\evaa<; /xopov. 
 Kol ravra raTri] KXavfjicircov ap-^rjyevfj. 
 ^Op(f)el Se yXwaaau rrjv ivavriav e%et9' 
 fiev yap rjye iravT dtro cfidoyyP]<i %«/3a, 
 (TV S' e^opLva<i 7]7rioi<; vXdyjxatnv 
 d^ei' KparrjOel^ 6' r)p,epa)repo<i (jjavei. 
 XO. (6<i By) (TV fjboi Tupavvo<i ^Apyeicov eaet, 
 
 1624. TTTycras. 
 
 XO. 
 
 AT 
 
 1625 
 
 1630 
 
 SecTj-ibs, which makes indeed a construc- 
 tion but would be intolerably obscure, as 
 suggesting irresistibly that to yTJpas is 
 nominative and coupled to 5ecryu6s by «at. — 
 Kal TO ■Yinpt*'S--5i5do-K€Lv fo leach even 
 your age. The infinitive is explanatory, 
 depending on e^ox- dalv larp. — to "yripas 
 has the article (l//e, or rather l/ia/, such)' 
 as referring to -yipoiv preceding. In the 
 archaistic language of Aeschylus the 
 'article' is still felt as a demonstrative, 
 and very rarely employed except where 
 it is indispensable. 
 
 1623. Doth not this sight ivarn thee? 
 literally ' dost not thou beware, seeing 
 this?' a kind of play on the two senses of 
 the word. — rdSe the whole scene. 
 
 1624. Cf. P. V. 339. — [IT] iraCo-as 
 (schol. on Find. Pyth. 1. 173) jxoYfis lest 
 hitting tho7i hurt thyself. 
 
 1625. Thou woman! To thee, who 
 abodest at home, helping to defile a brave 
 viatCs bed, to thee shall warriors fresh 
 returned from battle — ? It is a captain 
 of soldiers whose death thoti hast thus 
 contrived! The interrogative sentence 
 Yijvai...a|ia — ; which requires to com- 
 plete it a verb such as Kparrjaeis or Kara- 
 (TTpixf/ei, is broken off in the violence of 
 indignation, and the point of it is ex- 
 pressed in another shape. Similarly the 
 translation rerjuires the completion yield 
 
 V. ^E. A. 
 
 or submit: the change of form is made 
 necessary by the order of words in an 
 uninfiected language. — alo-\vvov<ra parti- 
 ciple of the imperfect, ajjia: with an- 
 other woman, the wife. — The elders (if 
 this speaker be not rather a surviving 
 soldier) threaten the murderer with the 
 vengeance of the veterans. But these 
 are already slain or overpowered, which 
 is part of Aegisthus' meaning in his reply. 
 — fievuv (for viov) Wieseler, alax^vuv 
 Keck, but without reason. It is possible 
 that V. 1627 is an interpolation, formed 
 in part from v. 1634 : if so, it would be 
 by Aegisthus that the speaker is inter- 
 rupted. But it is a strong objection to 
 this, that the only motive for interpolation 
 would be to complete the construction, 
 which V. 1627 does not complete. I 
 believe the text to be sound. 
 
 1630. diro <j>9o'YYTjs X'^'P'?'' see vv. 
 1365, 1412 etc. 
 
 1 63 1. ijirCois soothing, properly appli- 
 cable to the music with which Orpheus 
 tamed the beasts, is transferred to the 
 vXay/j-aTa in irony.— t'')?'7rtois Jacob. 
 
 1632. tt^ei : i.e. cLTrd^ei, passive, 7c>i/t 
 be haled to prison. 
 
 1633. COS 8i]...?o-€i thou forsooth shall 
 be etc.: another elliptical phrase of in- 
 dignation for '(do you mean forsooth) 
 that you shall be?' This ellipse became 
 
 12 
 
178 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 09 ovK, iTretSr} rwS' i^ovXevaaij /xopov, 
 Bpriaat roS^ epyov ovk eTXrj<; avT0KT6vu)<; ; 
 
 AI. TO yap SoXcoaat 7rp6<; yvvaiKO'^ rjv tra^ft)?' 
 €70) 8' i/TTOTTTo? iyOpo'i rj 7ra\aiy€vri<;. 
 eK TU)V he rovhe ■^p'qp,dro)v Treipdaofxat 
 dp')(6LV TToXiToov' TOP Se fj^rj TreiOdvopa 
 ^ev^Q) ^apeiaa ovri /a?) a€ipa(j)6pov 
 Kpidcovra TTCoXov' aW' o Sv(T<j)iXrj<i koto) 
 \ifi6<i ^vvoLKo<i [xakdaKov a(f)^ eTroyJreTai. 
 
 XO. Tt 8?) Tov avSpa TovS" dirb '^v')(fj<i KaKrj^ 
 OVK avro^ rjvdpii^e';, dWd avv <yvv7], 
 
 1635 
 
 1640 
 
 1637. 17. 
 
 fixed in the language and occurs also in 
 Eur. Atidr. 234, Soph. 0. C. 809 (where 
 see Jebb's note) and elsewhere. 
 
 1634. «PovXevoras : see7'7^. 1609, 1614, 
 1627. They harp in scorn upon his own 
 language. 
 
 1635. avTOKTovws: here 'as sole mur- 
 derer ' a good example of freedom in the 
 new application of compound words. 
 
 1637. if Person. 
 
 1638: i.e. he will apply the treasure 
 and spoils of Agamemnon in payment 
 of his hireling followers, ck twv 8^ 
 Jacob. 
 
 1640. 5*'"^<^ P'^'P^^'^'i'S (ffei'7Xa's). Simi- 
 lar ellipses are irX-qyrjvai TroXXas {Tr\-qyas), 
 yvujvaL TTjv viKwaav {yvd^fiyjv) etc. — ovTi 
 |i.i]...Kpi6covTa no^, be assured, with high 
 
 feeding, like a horse for the trace. The 
 horse which ran with a separate trace 
 {(T€ipaip6pos) is contrasted with those 
 driven under the yoke. The strength of 
 the trace-horse was of great importance 
 at the turns of the chariot-race: hence 
 KpidLcvra (Wecklein). — The appearance of 
 irregularity in this sentence {ov /xri or ovti 
 /j.-ri being properly constructed with finite 
 verbs, subj. or future indicative) is an 
 appearance only. In reality the negative 
 applies by relation to the verb ^ev^oo. — 
 oihi fi,7]v Karsten. 
 
 1 64 1. 6 8vo'<{>i.Xi]s k6t(>> X.i|ji6s ^vvoiKos 
 hunger that 7vill not dwell at peace with 
 
 1638. Tuipde. 
 
 rage, literally 'hunger, that is to rage 
 ill-friendly as a housemate ', so called 
 because where hunger comes rage is 
 ' turned out of doors ', or in plain words 
 the angry spirit is tamed. — This pictu- 
 resque and characteristic personification 
 is in my opinion undoubtedly genuine. 
 The prevalent alteration SvacpCKet o-kStij} 
 (Scaliger) spoils the point and reduces 
 the significant Sva-cpiXris to a feeble and 
 inappropriate epithet. 
 
 1643. The haste, with which Aegis- 
 thus drops the topic of his part in the 
 exploit and falls back upon threats (vv. 
 1636 — 42), shows that, notwithstanding 
 his plausible reply, he is sensitive to the 
 taunt of cowardice and care for his own 
 safety. Accordingly his enemies instantly 
 urge it again. — Vv. 1643—48 are placed 
 by Heimsoeth after v. 1627 on the ground 
 that it is useless to ask a question already 
 answered. But a furious altercation of 
 this kind is not subject to the rules of 
 logical debate. 
 
 1644. <rvv with thee also: see vv. 591, 
 1270, 1358. Why must his ivife join 
 with thee in the murder? — There is no 
 error here : it is the cue of the speakers 
 to treat Aegisthus as primarily respon- 
 sible, according to his own declaration. 
 The reading has been suspected only 
 from the misrepresentation of the plot, 
 which gives Aegisthus no part to play 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 179 
 
 1645 
 
 '^oopa^ fxiacr/xa kul oecoi' e'yyjcopiwv, 
 €KTeiv ; 'Opecrr?;? apd irov ^Xeirei (j)no<;, 
 OTTft)? KareXOoov Sevpo irpevfievel TV')(r) 
 a/j,(f)olv yevr]Tat TotvBe 7rayKpaTrj<i (f)Ovev'i ; 
 aXX' eVei SoKel^ rdS' epSeiv koI Xeyeiv, yvcoaet ra'^a. 
 XO.7'. eta Srj, ^iXoi Xo^lrai, rovpyov ov-x^ €Kci<i roSe. 1650 
 
 AI. eJa 8t), ^i<^09 TrpoKQJTTOv 7rd<; rt? evTpein^eTO). 
 
 dWd ixrjv Kayco TrpoKcoTTo^ ovk dvalvo/nat davelv. 
 Sexo/Jyevot^; \€yei,<; Oavelv ere' Trjv Tu^^rjv 8' alpov/jbeOa. 
 /jL7)Sap,cJo<;, CO (fiiXrar dvSpoov, dWa Zpdawfiev KaKa. 
 
 AI. 
 
 XO. 
 
 XO.7 
 
 KA. 
 
 1652. Ko/yCo ixTjv. 
 
 and thus obscures the meaning not only 
 of these lines but of the whole scene. 
 
 1645. X'*P'''5-*7X"P'"'' in apposition 
 to the notion to ri)v yvvaiKa Kreivai. 
 
 1649 — 53. There is some uncertainty 
 here as to the distribution of the parts. 
 The tradition, as originally given by f, the 
 most trustworthy of the Mss., divides 
 them thus 1649 Aeg., 1650 Cho., 165 1 
 Aeg., 1652 Aeg., 1653 ^^°- At 1651 the 
 mark is corrected to Cho. and the ar- 
 rangement so corrected agrees with g and 
 h. The arrangement now generally pre- 
 valent gives 1649 — 50 and 1652 to Aegis- 
 thus, 1651 and 1653 to the elders; some 
 further suppose that a verse is lost before 
 1650- The difficulty has arisen, I believe, 
 from the fact that there are really not 
 two parties, as commonly supposed, but 
 three, Aegisthus, the elders, and the 
 \o-xJiTai of Aegisthus. That one of these 
 Xox'Tat speaks is strongly indicated by 
 V. 1653. From the use of the plural 
 {alpovneOa.) we should naturally suppose 
 that the speaker is a c/torejites ; and yet 
 it is clearly the party of Aegisthus who 
 are about to commence the fight, or 
 rather massacre, and therefore should 
 have the last word before the queen's 
 interference. The distribution above given 
 (which follows f everywhere except at 
 1652) is to be understood thus: seeing 
 the turn which the altercation is taking 
 one of Aegisthus' impatient troop (1650) 
 exclaims with joy to his comrades that 
 
 1653. ipov/jLeOa. 
 
 they will not have to wait much longer. 
 At Aegisthus' order (165 1) they draw 
 their swords, whereupon the elders and 
 the few who are with them draw also 
 and prepare to sell their lives dearly 
 (hence ovk dvaivofiai Oavetv, language not 
 appropriate to the party now triumphant). 
 The others eagerly accept their defiance 
 and are at the point to fall on when Cly- 
 taemnestra interferes. — This view has the 
 incidental advantage of accounting for 
 the error and uncertainty in the MS. tra- 
 dition. The ancient editors here, as in 
 some other places, were short of per- 
 sonae. 
 
 1649. ■yvwo-ei rdxa. 'thou shalt have 
 an iiHjncdiate lesson ', contrasted with the 
 long discipline of imprisonment. The 
 emphasis is on rdxa- 
 
 1652. p.i^v Ka-yti Porson. 
 
 1653. aipov[J.€0a Auratus. 8cyo|Ji€VOis 
 and Ti^v Ti5x.Tlv atpov|Ae0a mean the same 
 thing, that they accept the favourable 
 omen of the others' despair. 
 
 1654. The motive of Clytaemnestra 
 in this interference is disguised, and the 
 truth of the scene injured, by needless 
 changes in vv. 1656 and 1659. It is 
 essential to the advantage of the tyrants 
 that the elders should remain prisoners 
 and liable to suffer, and therefore that 
 they should not be killed. The piety 
 of Clytaemnestra is edifying but not dis- 
 interested. As to lilierating the elders, 
 there is never any question of it. 
 
 12 — 2 
 
i8o 
 
 AIIXYAOY 
 
 aWa Kol rciK e^afi^jaai iroWd, Sixtttjvov Oepo^. 1 65 5 
 
 Trriixovri<; S' a\L<i y uTrap^e' /jbi]8ev at/MaTWfjLeOa. 
 *f<rTet;^eTe S' ol <y6povTe<; tt/jo? 86fj,ov<i TreTrpco/xeVou? roucrSe, 
 Trplv iradeiv ep^avre'i Katpov' XPV^ ''"'^^' ^"^ eTrpd^afiev.'f 
 el Be rot p.o-yQwv yevono roovS' aXt? 7', e-y^oifMeO' dv, 
 Saifx,ovo<; XV^V ^cipela 8vcrTVX(o<; 7re7r\7jy/uL6V0L. 1660 
 
 (08 eyet X6yo<i yuvaiKO'i, et Ti<i d^tol /xaOeiv. 
 AI. aWd TovaSe /xot jxaraiav yXwcrcrav wS' aTTavOiaaL , 
 
 1655. 6 ipU3%. 
 
 1655. "The order of the words points 
 to taking iroWd as predicate, Even these 
 are many to reap, a bitter harvest. The 
 commoner rendering Eveti to reap these 
 many woes is a hitter harvest is possible, 
 but would rather require rocavra." 
 Sidgwick. — Oe'pos Schiitz, O for 0. 
 
 1656. TTTjiAovTJs 8' aXis 7* inrapxe 
 let ptmishinent at least begin with what is 
 enough : let ns shed no blood, literally, 
 'as. to punishment, make beginning of it 
 at all ev'ents to a sufficient extent'. 
 ■m]|xoviis pain but with the secondary 
 suggestion of punishment (cf. owi pains and 
 penalties), as in P. V. 601 iv^^ev^as a/map- 
 Tovaav ev iriqixovais and in that play 
 frequently. For the regular construction 
 of the genitive with inrapxn-v see L. and 
 Sc. s.v. — The disciplinary imprisonment, 
 which Aegisthus has already promised, 
 may prove sufficent to subdue rebellion, 
 so that to inflict death would be prema- 
 ture. The point is put still more clearly 
 in V. 1659. — virdpxeL Scaliger. 
 
 1657 — 58 are beyond restoration, 
 having clearly been both miswritten 
 and ill-mended: 'ip^avra g, h: M prob- 
 ably had ^p^avras, as Mr Housman infers, 
 but it is not certain even whether this 
 ^p^avras, or the word which it represents, 
 is (as seems to be more commonly 
 assumed) from ?p5w, p^^w or from etpyoii, 
 the two verbs having the tenses ^p^uv 
 and ep^ai. in common. I should myself 
 guess the general sense to be (TTeixer ^S-q 
 Tovs yipovTas h Sofiovs Treirpwixivovs trplv 
 Tradeiv ep^ovres, ' go at once and take 
 
 them to prison before they come to 
 harm ', an order addressed to her atten- 
 dants and spoken as if she would gladly 
 save the elders from their own folly. The 
 expression 86|j.ovs ireirpwiievovs destined 
 dwelling-place is not inapplicable to a 
 prison. All however is uncertain, and 
 the doubt extends to XP^" ''"'^o' '»'s 
 eirpd^ap,ev.i which may or may not be a 
 sentence complete, according as we 
 correct Kaipbv. 
 
 1659. And if we find that this suffer- 
 ing has gojte far enough, we tvill stay 
 our hand, literally 'if of these sufferings 
 there should prove to have been enough ' 
 (ye throws the emphasis upon aXis), if, 
 that is, confinement and starvation pro- 
 duce submission. — [>.6\B(ov. This word 
 like TrrjpLOPTj is applied in the Prometheus 
 repeatedly to the punishment of the 
 hero. — lxoi(Ji£0' civ 'we will refrain or 
 stop and inflict no more '. For this sense 
 of the verb see examples in L. and Sc. 
 s.v. C, iv. — dexoified' Martin. 
 
 1 660 : smitten as zve have been by the 
 grievous spur of fate. She speaks of the 
 murders already done as an unhappy 
 . necessity. — X'H^fi' Wecklein compares 
 Pers. 518 w dvcTirdurjTe daifj-ov ws dyav 
 ^api/s trodolp iv-qWov iravrl UepffiKi^ yevet. 
 
 1662. (jiaTaCav 7X(ocr<rav...dirav6i(rai 
 flaunt the folly of their tongues, literally, 
 'make a foolish tongue break out in 
 bloom'. Cf. R. Browning, Caliban upon 
 Setebos, 'letting the rank tongue blossom 
 into speech'. This, rather than 'cull the 
 flower ' of the tongue, is the sense which 
 
AfAMEMNQN. 
 
 i8i 
 
 KdKJBoKelv €777) ToiavTa haiixovo<i 7reipoifi€vov<;. 
 
 'faa)(f)povo<; yucofXTj'; 8' dfiapTiJTov Kparovvra. 
 XO. ovK av ^Apyelayv toS' eiTj, (jxara irpoaaaivetv kukov. 1 665 
 AI. aXX,' eyty <t ev vcnepaLcnv rjfiepai^ /xerei/ji ere. 
 XO. ovfc, eav Saificov ^Opecnrjv hevp (iTrevOvvr) /uLoXeiv. 
 AI. 0I8' iyco (f)6vjovTa<i ap8pa<; eXTrtSa? (TLTOv[xevov^. 
 XO. irpPiacre, TTialvov, fxcaivcov t))v SiKrjv' eirel Trdpa. 
 AI. ladc /jLoi Scoacov aiTotva rfjaSe fj,oipia<i '^cipip. 1670 
 
 XO. Kc/xTraaov Oapawv, dXeKTcop ware dr}\eLa<i TreXa?. 
 KA. fiy) 'TTpoTipby'iarji; fxaraicov rayvB' vXayfiaTOiv' iyoo 
 
 Kal av dijao/xev Kparovvre rcovSe hwfxdrwv /faXcoi?. 
 
 1663. Sal/xovas. 
 
 1 67 1, oicnrep. 
 
 the context suggests. — The infinitive is 
 the exclamatory infinitive of indigna- 
 tion. 
 
 1663. 8ai[xovos (Casaubon : the Mss. 
 have involuntarily accommodated the case 
 to veLpixifxivovs) tempting their fate. 
 
 1664. If 8' is correct, the verse can- 
 not be a continuation of the foregoing, 
 wliicli would require either koI or re. 
 Perhaps therefore it should be given to 
 Clytaemnestra and written thus, <jih(ppovo% 
 •^vCop.-q'i 5' afj.apT7J rov KparoOuO' d/xapTaveiv, 
 literally 'But that he who is master of 
 them should lose his senses along with 
 them ! ' i.e. ' If they are foolish, need you 
 therefore let yourself be provoked into 
 the folly of killing them?' The asso- 
 nance of aixa.pTri...aixapTa.vuv is in the 
 poet's manner, and on the other hand 
 afiapraveiv might easily drop off as a 
 supposed double reading. — afiapreiu rbv 
 (Casaubon for ap.apTrJToi') is highly im- 
 probable. 
 
 1672 — 3. omits iyd) and /caXws. 
 
 1665. Aegisthus is with difficulty re- 
 strained from putting the elders to death, 
 and they are led away, answering with 
 defiant taunts his threats of executing his 
 purpose another time. 
 
 1669. Ti^v SCktjv doing oiit)-age to the 
 rightful cause, that of Orestes : not jiis- 
 tice; see on z'. 1607. 
 
 1670. TTJo-8€ [xcopCas X^'^P'''' '^ peri- 
 phrasis for T'^crSe /xupias, but not quite 
 synonymous with it. It has an ironical 
 force, as in English we might say, ' I 
 will thafik you another time for these 
 insults '. 
 
 1 67 1. oS<rT€ Scaliger. 
 
 1672. TrpoTi(j.T]<rTis vXa7|idTwv: for 
 the loose construction, imitating that of 
 (ppovri^eLv, is cited Eur. Ale. 761. 
 
 id. iyw, (pTjai, Kal aii Kparovvres 
 rQuBe rwv diOfxaTUV diadyiffo/Jieda ra KaO' 
 avToiis KoKQs schol. , whence the words 
 eyw and KaXws are supplied in the text 
 (Canter, Auratus). 
 
APPENDIX I 
 
 A. 
 
 V. 2. Koi^w/xevos 
 
 crT€yats 'ArpeiSwv ay KaOev, kwos Blktjv. 
 
 Two interpretations have been suggested: (i), reading areyi^s and 
 taking ayKaOev for ctvcKa^ev, sleeping above {on f) the roof. A gloss in 
 Hesychius shows that this interpretation is ancient. But ayKaOev is not 
 a legitimate contraction for dve/ca^ev, nor does dv€Ka6ev mean o?i, but 
 above or from above. This therefore is generally abandoned. 
 
 (2), couched on the roof, resting dog-like upon my arm (Hermann). 
 This is provisionally accepted but is not really defensible : for {a) the 
 use of the dative cannot be justified. There is nothing in KoifiojfMevos 
 to determine the dative (which in itself signifies merely relation of some 
 kind) to the meaning on : KOLixwfX€vo<5 o-reyais, if the dative were taken as 
 quasi-local, would mean sleeping in the house, as crreyats Six^aOat (Eur. 
 Or. 46) means to receive in the house, under (not o?i) the roof, and orw^ecr- 
 Qai (TTcyais (Eur. Hec. loi^) to be kept in the house, (b) ayxa^ev does not 
 mean on the arm but in the arms : ayxa-s, o.yKa-Be.v, dyKd-Xrj etc. are 
 always used of the inside of the bent arm, and to describe the act of 
 embracing (see Aesch. Ji^um. 80). Hermann, to forestall this objection, 
 points out that dyKw-v means both the hollow and the angle of the arm. 
 But if the difference of stem is immaterial, how is it that we have 
 abundant instances for the double meaning in one case, while all the 
 numerous examples are uniform in the other ? Moreover here koi/xw/acvos 
 itself suggests that ec/Ka6ev has its proper sense : Koifj-daOai. yuvatKt 
 dyKadiv, or l3pe(f>os fJLrjTpl dyKaOev kckoi/aijto would be natural and regular 
 expressions in the language of poetry for the babe was sleeping in its 
 mother's arms, etc., the datives being common datives of relation, (c) 
 A man could hardly describe himself as having lain in a certain posture 
 for a year. 
 
1 84 APPENDIX I. 
 
 The words Koi\i.w[x(.vo% «rreyais ayKa6cv can, I believe, mean nothing 
 but KoifjLw/xivos crreywi' eV ayKaA.at? lulled ill the embrace of the roof. Is 
 this a conceivable expression ? For this speaker and in this situation 
 I think it is. In the Prometheus (1049) Hermes says to the hero 
 
 (f)apayya jSpovry «ai Kepavvia (fiXoyl 
 irarqp (nrapa^ei xr^VSe, Kai Kpv\pu Se/xas 
 TO (Tov, TreTpaia 8' dyKaXr] ce /Saoracret, 
 
 comparing the sufferer ironically to a child carried softly in the arms. 
 If the sentinel were represented lying in an angle of sloping roofs (and 
 no position would be more natural) he might well describe himself, 
 with an irony like that of Hermes but differing as the persons differ, 
 as * cradled in the roofs embrace '. The metaphor is not more strong 
 than KD/AUTcov iv ayKa'Aais cited from some poet (probably Aeschylus) 
 by Aristophanes (Pan. 704). The words kwos ^lktjv do not affect the 
 question. There is no need to join them specially with Koi/xoj/xevos... 
 ayKaOcv : and they mean no more than that he is made to sleep, like a 
 watch-dog, in the open air. 
 
 B. 
 
 W. 49 — 5^' TpoTTOv utyvTTtcov otT €K7rartots 
 aAyecri TratSwv, VTraroi Ac^ewr, 
 arpocfiooivovvTai ktX. 
 
 Like vultures, who, vexed by boys in the supreme solitudes where they 
 nest, wheel routid and routtd, etc. 
 
 All the commentaries on this passage start from the assumption that 
 TraiSwv means the ' children ', that is, the ' young ' of the birds. I think 
 this impossible : Trais does not mean ' offspring ' but ' a young human 
 being ' and is never, I believe, applied by writers whose usage is of any 
 authority to the offspring of animals. The word meaning ' offspring ', 
 and as such common to men and beasts, is teki/ov (see Aesch. Theb. 
 278 etc.), and the distinction is supported by hundreds of examples 
 from every kind of poetry. The apparent exceptions either prove 
 nothing to the point or prove the strength of the rule. 
 
 L. and Sc. cite only Aesch. Pers. 580, where fish are called avauSoi 
 TraiSes ras dfxidvTov ' dumb children of the unstained (sea) ', which of 
 course proves nothing. The nightingale is TratSoAeVajp {Phes. 549), 
 because she is Philomela, mourning for her son : Medea (Eur. Afed. 
 1407) is TratSo^o'vos Xiaiva. These are for the rule. In Eur. /on 175 
 
APPENDIX I. 185 
 
 the birds are commanded /xr/ TraiSovpyeiv in the temple, an expression 
 proper to the human relation being borrowed for decency and to avoid 
 a coarser term. How decisively human, to the ear of Aeschylus, was 
 the word Trat? is shown by Ag. 723, where the lion-whelp is €u<j!)i\o7rat9 : 
 the epithet would be unintelligible, if there could be any doubt that 
 TTttts means a human being. Nor is there anything in the present 
 passage to put upon the word an exceptional meaning ; on the 
 contrary, the purpose of the simile naturally requires the mention of 
 the offenders as well as the offended. The words ttoVov o{naKi^v 
 dXco-ai/res, which have suggested the false rendering, come too late to 
 affect the hearer's interpretation of TraiSwv one way or another, even if 
 there were reason to think that the supposed use would have seemed 
 to Aeschylus permissible at all. We must take then Trat'Scov in its proper 
 sense for the boys, who rol) the nest, answering to the dypoVai, not to 
 the T€Ki'a, of the Homeric simile which Aeschylus is imitating (cited by 
 Bochart, Hermann etc.) kXoIov re Atyews dSivwrepov r/ t oIwvol, (^rjvai 
 y] atyvTTioi yafxifjoji'V^ei;, o'htl re reKia dyporai i^eiXoi'To, Tra'pos TrereT^i'o, 
 
 yevea^at {Od. 16. 2i6). The genitive will then be that of the subject or 
 origin, and aX-yeai TratSwi' will be literally ' in grief from boys '. 
 
 For eKTTciTto? the old interpretation of Hesychius, iKirdrLov to e'^w 
 TraVov, 'that which is solitary, away from the haunts of man', is correct. 
 The word ttcitos tread seems to have gone out of use in its primary 
 sense as early as Homer, who has it several times in the same restricted 
 meaning haimt of man, as opposed to solitary places, such as hills and 
 deserts. Thus Poseidon (//. 20. 137) invites the gods to retire Ik 
 rraTov €s a-Komrjv, and Bellerophon wanders in the Aleian plain, oV Ov/xov 
 KareSwv, irdrov dvOpwiroiv dAceiVcov. Here the word applies properly to 
 the birds themselves, but is transferred to their feelings (dAyvj) by a 
 usage in which Greek poetry is peculiarly bold. The present case is 
 little if at all more different from our habit of language than e.g. Soph. 
 An/. 794 I'etKos dvSpwv ^vvai/xov, for 'a strife between kinsmen'. The 
 epithet is exactly to the point ; it is an aggravation of the complaint 
 that the robbers are also invaders. 
 
 So far I do not find any difficulty. But there remains a real 
 difficulty in vTraroL Xe^ewv, commonly rendered ' high above their nest '. 
 Mr Housman (_/ J^/i. xvi. 247) raps this fancy (which of course I had 
 always accepted) with not more smartness than truth. " The learner 
 of Greek, in quest of probable or even plausible reasons for believing 
 that vTraTot Xex^ixiv siimmi cubiliuiii means vVep \f.^iwv super cubilia, is 
 dismissed to these references '■luyd.Tt] yQovo'i Prom. 865, vdrdiov vcw's 
 Suppl. 697, vTraros x^V*^*» 'Lf.v'i Ag. 492 '. The first two of these 
 
1 86 APPENDIX I. 
 
 passages tto'/Vis iu-xy-rrj \6ovo<; and otaKos va-TUTov v/cws prove to him 
 what he could well believe without proof, that such a phrase as OpiyKus 
 uVaTo? T€t;^oiis n coping ^i'/iich is the highest part of a 7vall is Greek ; but 
 since vultures on the wing are not the highest part of their eyries the 
 information does not help him. Had he been referred, say, to a 
 passage where a fish following a ship is called vcnaTo% vcws, then he 
 would have been helped ; but Greek literature contains no such 
 passage: such a fish is vcmpo<; vtws". The third reference, meaning 
 properly ' Zeus highest in the land ' and therefore ' supreme over ' it, 
 makes for the same argument. I think it unanswerable and conclude ^ 
 that if viraTot Xexi<av be taken with crrpo^oSivoiJvTat it is unintelligible. 
 Mr Housman concludes that it is altogether unintelligible ; but this I 
 do not yet accept. 
 
 If vwaroL X^xeoiv is correct, the genitive must, as Mr Housman says, 
 be of the partitive kind. But why not? No one would demur to 
 QpiMTTLOL vaiovaiv (or elalv) €(txo-tol rrj^ Botwria?, or tO a description of 
 the Athena of the Acropolis as ->] virarr] ovaa Upwv she whose sanctuary 
 is highest, literally she who is highest among sanctuaries, the name of the 
 people or the goddess standing for the place of abode. On such 
 analogy, I submit, is formed wVaTot Aexewv, literally highest oj nests (not 
 of their nests), for nesting highest of all birds. And observe, that this 
 again reinforces the point marked by lKTva-xioi<i, that the injured parents 
 are invaded in their own solitudes. A prose writer, if in prose such an 
 expression could have been used at all, would have written vi:a.Toi ovres 
 Aexe'wv : but it is equally certain that Aeschylus would not insert the 
 participle; his style abounds in these participial adjectives (e.g. Ag. 
 
 58). 
 
 I should translate then literally, 'who, in grief among-the-solitudes 
 inflicted-by-boys, being-highest-nested, wheel round and round with 
 stroke of their wings' etc., to which the paraphrase above given comes 
 as near as our language permits. 
 
 VV. 125 — 129. KeSvds 8e cTTpaTO/AavTts iSwv hvo Xtjfxaai ^Lcraovs 
 'ArpeiSas fxa-^iixovi iSdrj AayoSatVas 
 TTOfXTTovs T ap)^d<;. 
 
 From the difference (Sicro-ous) which Calchas saw between the royal 
 brothers, he perceived that they were typified by the two different 
 
APPENDIX I. 187 
 
 eagles, and that the appearance was ominous. The writer of XrJ/Liao-i 
 conceived the difference to He in the tempers of the princes, Agamemnon 
 being conspicuously brave, Menelaus /xaX^aKos al)(jxr]Trj^ (//. 17, 588, 
 cited by Plato Sym/>. 174 c). The eagle with white feathers in the tail 
 and wings was commonly called Truyapyos (Schol. on z;. 117 o c^ottio-o) 
 AenKo?, o ecTTtv o irvyapyos), and the word, whether because this species 
 though larger than others was not so strong or for other reasons, was 
 applied to i'07Vi'irds '. Trvyapyos £i8os dcTov. %0(ji0KX.y)<i ctti tou SetXov. avro 
 7175 \tvKT]<; Tvvyyj<; (Soph. fr. 962 a). Cf. the proverb 'showing the white 
 feather', and see L. and Sc. s.v. nvyapyos. 
 
 Such is the ancient and traditional explanation, but it is far from 
 satisfactory. For j^rst Menelaus was not a coward or unwarlike. He 
 is (3or]v aya^o's and his prowess is frequently celebrated. Plato, who 
 requires for the sake of a jest to suppose him unwarlike, makes the 
 most of a single expression divorced from the context, which shows it to 
 be a mere insinuation made for the purpose of the moment. In this 
 very passage of Aeschylus the epithet fxaxifJ-ov<; seems to be inserted to 
 prevent any misconception. Secojidly if the fact were so, it would be 
 strange that Calchas should imply such an ignominy in the presence of 
 Menelaus and his army. Thirdly tSwv points to visible difference. 
 Fourthly part of the present symbol, or at least something closely 
 resembling it, is found in Sophocles {Ant. 114) with an explanation. 
 There ' the eagle with snow-white wings ' stands for the Argives (in the 
 narrower sense, the people of Argos) distinguished by their white shields. 
 Note also that in the passage before us not only does the word -nrvyapyos 
 not occur, but there is nothing definitely referring to the tail at all. The 
 words are ' white-marked at the back '. 
 
 Putting this together, we may well believe that the difference which 
 Calchas ' saw ' was not in the characters of the brothers, but in the shields 
 slung upon their backs, and consequently that Xrjixaa-L is a false correc- 
 tion of some word unknown. These considerations or some of them 
 led Haupt to propose Aeya/xacri and Pleitner arjixacri. But no known 
 or credible meaning of Xe/x/xa will fit, and it is not the emblems (aTjfxaTa) 
 of the shields to which we are directed by the passage in Sophocles, but 
 their colours. Certainty in such a matter is impossible, but a word 
 which would fit all the conditions is the derivative, whatever it should 
 be, not of Xa- but of Xi<^- to paint— Xifxp-a, aXt/x/xa, Xei/A/xa or aXet/A/xa. 
 That this stem (like the Latin lin-ere) originally had this sense is shown 
 by the use of dXet^etv (/xiXtw, xpifjivOiia etc., see L. and Sc. s.v.): 
 Xifx-p-adL 8to-(rovs different in their tincts gives the sense we should 
 seek. Critically it is little less probable than \y\\x.a<ji itself. The type 
 
i8S APPENDIX I. 
 
 of misspelling is common (sec e.g. Ag. 86 7) and nowhere more likely 
 to occur than in a technical term of ancient 'heraldry'. 
 
 D. 
 
 VI). 146 — 149- ToVfTcov Trep evif)po)V, «aXa, 
 
 8p(j(T0L(Tiv aeTTTOt? fJiaXepwv edvrcov 
 TrdvTiov T dypovofiwv <^tXo/xao"rois 
 Orjpwv ojSpiKaXoiaL repTri/a, kt\. 
 
 Kind as thou art, fair goddess, to the uncouth offspring of the many 
 creatures fierce, as well as sweet unto the suckling yotmg of all kinds that 
 range the field, etc.— ^taXepwv lovT^av {Q-qpQtv) literally 'of fierce 
 creatures, though they are fierce '. For the use of the form ewv' in the 
 lyrics of tragedy cf Eur. Andr. 124 a/x(^i XeKxpuiv Sihv/xwv Ittikoivov 
 iovaav. The reference to fierce animals is, strictly speaking, irrelevant, 
 as the sympathy of the goddess had been evoked, in the case of which 
 Calchas is speaking, by hares. But the suggestion, that her universal 
 love (note the emphatic toVo-wv, TraVrwv) extends to the savage kinds as 
 well as the rest, is very much to his present purpose, which is to per- 
 suade her not to involve in the punishment of the Atridae the hapless 
 Iphigenia, and to propitiate her on behalf of the ' house of the eagles '. 
 
 I have ventured to write idvTwv for ovtwv (M), and not AeoVrwv, in 
 spite of the testimony that X^uvtuiv was actually an ancient reading. 
 The objection to XeovTwi/ is mainly critical. 
 
 In the first place AeoWwv is of course inconsistent with toVo-wv and 
 requires us to assume that some one, without any motive, wrote toVo-wv 
 for To'crcrov. But further if the original reading was Spoo-oKTw aeTrrots 
 fxakepuiv X^ovruiv, it is impossible to account for the present reading of 
 M, hpoa-otcnv deXiTTots /jiaXcpwv oVtcov, descended, as the scholium shows, 
 from a MS. which had aeVrois. No editor would invent, except upon 
 some supposed evidence, a reading so absurd as SpoaoLacv deXitTois : 
 and none would be likely to mistake a word so common as AeovTwv. 
 On the other hand, if eoVrwv was the original, the history is simple. 
 To the line as it originally stood were appended two marginal notes, 
 ovTwi/ and AeiTret to A,, the first explaining idvrwv, the second on the 
 contrary proposing the correction of it given by the Etym. Mag., 
 XeovTOiv. The two notes indicated in fact the two ancient opinions 
 about the reading. The scribe of M, or some preceding scribe, took 
 the gloss ovTcov as a correction into the text : as the note AeiVci to A 
 had so lost its application, he or some other /ut the X into the wrong 
 
APPENDIX L 189 
 
 7vord, thus manufacturing diXirT(n<;. The existence of the reading 
 XiopTwv is perfectly well accounted for as a mere sHp of memory. 
 The quotations of the ancients are even more inaccurate than those 
 of the present day ; notliing would be more likely than that a writer 
 who was concerned only with the use of ()p6(To<; should be misled by 
 fiaXepMv into the false quotation of the etymologist. 
 
 It may be added that //o/zs have nothing to do with the matter, 
 either directly or indirectly. 
 
 E. 
 
 7'V. 183 — 185. Zrjva 8e' T15 Trpo(f>poi'(D<; iiTLVLKia «Xa^oji-' 
 T€U^€Tai (fypevMV TOTrar. 
 MS. K/Va^o)!'. . .TO Trai'. 
 Scholia. 184 cTTt eXTTtSt viKrj<;. 185 6\o(r)(ep(Zs (^pori/x,os (.(TTai. 
 
 The general meaning here is clear, ' trust in Zeus will not be misplaced, 
 his strength is invincible '. Upon the words three questions arise : — 
 (i) as to the sense of 7rpo(f>p6vo)<;, (2) as to the reading kXcx^mv, (3) as to 
 the reading to wdv. It will be convenient to take {3) first. 
 
 In a paper in the Journal of Philology^ Vol. ix., it was pointed out 
 that the existence and use of the words tottci^w, i-KOToirkw, aVoTros and 
 others, warranted, under the general laws of Greek formation, the 
 assumption that there also existed the corresponding words tott?;' (or 
 TOTra) and tottos a conjecture, guess, and TOTra'w to guess, a parallel form 
 to TOTra'^w : that these words are very liable to be confused with others : 
 and that they should be borne in mind in interpreting our mss., 
 especially those of the tragedians. These positions, in their general 
 and a priori bearing, have not, so far as I know, been disputed ; and 
 are approved by (among others) Mr A. Sidgwick'. In the paper 
 mentioned were collected the passages which seemed to require 
 consideration from this point of view, among them vv. 185, 687, 982 of 
 this play, each exhibiting the ambiguous letters Toirav. Mr Sidgwick 
 prefers to Trai' in each and, as will be seen from my text, I agree with 
 him as to the two last, though as to v. 687 with much hesitation. In 
 the present passage I believe that to irdv cannot be construed, and 
 that TOTrdv is right. Mr Sidgwick (with modern editors generally) 
 accepts the explanation of the scholia, and translates ' shall find wisdom 
 altogether'. But the sense put upon Tev^erai (jipei/wv cannot be got 
 from the words. ^peVes (or 4'(^V^') does not mean 'wisdom', it means a 
 
 ^ See his edition of the A^amonnon, App. 11. ' The a priori proljal)ility ' etc. 
 
190 APPENDIX L 
 
 mmd : <^pcvas f-X'^iv is not ' to be wise ' but to have a cojisciousness or he 
 co?iscioiis, as in the address of Philoctetes to his bow (Soph. Phil. 1 1 30) 
 •q TTOV iXcLvov opas, ^piva^ et Ttva5 ex^'^' '^'''^* • ^P^^'^v ettt^^oXos is a 
 synonym not of (rocfios but of evvous and means possessed of his intellect, 
 marking the difference between the man and the infant {P. V. 460) : 
 <f>p€vo}v Kevo's (Soph. Ant. 754), dTro(r<f}aXeLS (Aesch. P.V. 488), afxaprdvei 
 (Eur. Ale. 327), are all, as the context will show, very strong 
 expressions, importing the absence or loss not of ivisdom but of sense 
 or the faculty of thought. The exact expression Tvyx^vi.iv <f)pev^v I 
 cannot find, and am not surprised, for in its proper sense it would 
 require a very peculiar context to justify it : the nearest approach is 
 Soph. PI. 992, €1 <jip€vwv I eTvyxav avrrj fxrj Ka/cwv, eorw^er av | Tr]v 
 evXdfSaav, had she been blessed with a mind not niischievoiis, where the 
 qualification /u,^ KaKuiv would be needless and injurious, if Tvyxdveiv 
 <f>p€vwv could bear the meaning assumed for the present passage. 
 Abundant evidence, positive and negative, goes to show that rev^erai 
 (fipeviZv TO TTttv could mean only ' will find wits ' or ' will be blessed with 
 a mind altogether', and therefore for the present purpose has not a 
 meaning at all. On the other hand Tcu'^erat <f>p€vwv Toirdv tvill be right 
 iji the guess of his thought is simple, and has a special fitness here from 
 its correlation with the preceding passage (irpoo-eLKdcraL v. 173) and, as 
 will be immediately shown, v/ith the words irpot^povta'; kiTLvUia. 
 
 Next as to -rrpo^povw^ : — -n-po^tpm', literally ' forward- minded' or 
 'fore-minded ', means elsewhere willing or zealous. But ancient tradition 
 was right in saying that here the poet has used 7rpo<^poVcos so as to 
 suggest the meaning (equally admitted by the form of the word) fore- 
 casti?ig, prophetically, by anticipation. That this was the ancient tradition 
 is shown by the note in the schoHa 'in expectation of his victory', 
 which has nothing to go upon except Trpo^povws thus interpreted. The 
 difference is very small, in substance indeed none at all, but the 
 purpose of the poet is clearly indicated by the antithesis oi fore and 
 after in 7rpo^poVa)s-€7rij/tKia (properly ' such as follow a victory '), and 
 by the correspondence between 7rpo<^povws and ^pevos ro-n-dv. Such 
 development of latent capacity in a word is the very essence of poetical 
 expression, and here saves the word 7rpo<^poVws from being flat and 
 superfluous. The very point of the whole passage and of this sentence 
 is that Zeus' power is supreme and his triumphs therefore certain 
 beforehand. The certainty of an event cannot be put more strongly 
 than by saying, that ' he who guesses it will be so will be right '. 
 Whether 7rp64>p(Jiv was often used by the poets in this sense, we are not 
 in a position to say, nor is it material. The prevalence of another 
 
APPENDIX I. 191 
 
 sense is no argument to the contrary, as may be seen from innumerable 
 other compounds, e.g. tt/joSikos, Trpoyovos, TrpoeiSoi/, Tr^octTroi', Trpoytyvo/iai, 
 TTpoStSw/xt, all of which have various meanings. 
 
 Lastly as to the reading kXci^cov liriviKia singing sofigs of victory or 
 kXci^wv (the quasi-Doric equivalent for kXtji^wv) i-rr ivUia giving titles of 
 victory. The MS. offers the choice, for the presence or absence of the 
 iota subscript is nothing. My reasons for preferring KXa^iov are ( i ) that 
 t/ie name of Zeus is the topic of the passage (?'. 170) and the significance 
 of that name has already been hinted (see v. 175 and the reference given 
 above); (2) that KXa'^w, which applies properly to harsh discordant 
 sounds, such as the screaming of birds (?'. 48), always, even in its looser 
 applications, signifies the quality or tone of the sound, as deep or harsh 
 or repellent or terrible or the like (see vv. 165, 211), whereas here no such 
 suggestion can be intended. The only apparent cases I can find to 
 support the view that Kkat^mv could mean merely to sing are Soph. Track. 
 206, and Eur. Ion 905. But in the first there is an antithesis between 
 the treble voices of women and apo-eVcov KXayya the masculine bass ; 
 and in the second the terms KiOdpa xA-a^ets, addressed to Apollo, are 
 purposely offensive (see the context) and suggest a comparison between 
 the ' song ' of the cruel god and the ' screams ' of a bird of prey. 
 
 F. 
 
 vv. 286 — 7- XO. TTorepa 8 oveipMV (^acr/xar evTriOr/ crcySeis ; 
 KA. ov8' 6ij/av' av XafioLfxi ppit,ovcr'q<i tppevos. 
 
 ov 86^av M. ovS' 6ij/av* Wecklein. I have accepted, provisionally at 
 least, his suggestion, agreeing with him that the text is faulty. 
 
 Dr Wecklein explains his reading thus : " ov8' av Xdpoi|i.i, das ist 
 ' ich verwahre mich dagegen, dass ich hinnehme (/«at xaipetv KeXevo)) ' 
 Vgl. Elini. 228 ovV av 8exoLfxr]v wctt' ^x^'-^ rifxas (reOev^ Soph. Ant. 730 
 KP. epyov yap iaru tou? a.KO(r[xovi'Ta<; (r^jBeiv ; AIM. orS' av KeX^vcraiix 
 ercreySetv ets rows kukous ". In these passages ' I would not so much as 
 stands for ' I would not care to ', and so Dr Wecklein takes ovS 
 av...Xa/3o^/J,t here. 
 
 So far however I cannot follow him. This would require, as Dr 
 Wecklein himself shows by his citations and his lemma, the order owS' 
 av Xa/3oi/xt oi/'ttva. 
 
 If 01)8' oi//av' av Xa^ot/xt is right, the translation is / ivould not accept 
 even the oij/ava of a sleepy mind, and we must distinguish ot/zara, as 
 something more valid or convincing, from oveipoiv cjidap-ara. Such a 
 
192 APPENDIX L 
 
 distinction is not improbable or inexplicable. The word oij/avov seems 
 to occur only once, in the description of Clytaemnestra's dream, that 
 she suckled a snake (Orestes) which drew blood from the teat {C/io. 
 532). 
 
 XO. avTTj irpocridXf. [xaaTov iv Twveipart. 
 
 OP. Kal TTws arpoiTov ovOap rjv vtto crrvyovs ', 
 
 XO. war h' yaXaKri upojxfiov ai/xaT05 cnraaai. 
 
 OP. ovTOL ixuTatov av to8' oij/aj'ov TreAot'. 
 
 XO. 7j 8 i^ vTTvov KCKAayyev lirrorjixivq. 
 
 * She herself gave it the breast '. ' Then the teat must have been 
 wounded?' 'Yes, it even drew blood with the milk'. 'This oxj/avov 
 cannot be insignificant'. 'And she woke with a cry'. It will be 
 noticed here that it is to the oipavov that Orestes attaches particular 
 weight. Taking this with Dr Wecklein's proposal here, I would suggest 
 that, according to the true meaning of the passage in the Choephori, 
 the teat was actually flecked with blood, as the sleeper found upon 
 waking, and that 6i(/avov (oi/^eo-^ai) properly meant, in the language- of 
 divination, a dream visibly confirmed, or the visible confirinatioji of a 
 dream. It need hardly be said that those who ' beHeve in dreams ' will 
 vouch for many such proofs of their reality. This interpretation further 
 brings out the force of ^pdpvfyq^, which, as distinguished from euSouo-Tys, 
 means not 'sleeping' but 'nodding, sleepy'. The oij/avov, in the sense 
 supposed, would of course be perceived or imagined by a mind not 
 asleep but, as Clytaemnestra contemptuously says, ' half-asleep '. ' I 
 would not accept ', she says, ' dream-proof in what they call its 
 strongest form', and therefore a fortiori nothing less. Her robust 
 scepticism here offers an effective contrast to her guilty terror in the 
 following play. 
 
 The MS. reading is commonly rendered ' I would not accept the 
 fancy of a sleeping mind '. But So'^av is emphatic by position (Paley), 
 and with this emphasis the sentence implies that she might accept 
 something from a sleeping mind, but not a 80'^a : which I do not 
 understand. In fixct this explanation also requires the order ovk av 
 
 Xdf3oijjLi Sofav. 
 
 The origin of the us. reading is easily explained by the rarity of 
 the word and the false division 011 So'i/^av. 
 
 ^ I have taken provisionally the con- lead us off the subject. The sense of the 
 jecture of Martin (di> t68' for avdpos) given verse is, for our present purpose, beyond 
 by Wecklein. To discuss it here would question. 
 
APPENDIX I. 193 
 
 V. 313. ttAcov Kaun!(Ta noy ilpyjjxivwv. 
 
 Weil's translation here is certainly right. The alternative ' raising a 
 fire larger than those before mentioned' is not only prosaic but pointless 
 and even absurd. The beacon on Cithaeron, which has the smallest 
 distance of all to light, cnnnot be meant to be represented as larger than 
 that of Athos, which was to 'pass the wide main '. Uut that it might be 
 'greater than was commanded' is natural enough. 
 
 It may be thought, and it seems to me very probable, tliat there is a 
 particular intention in this compliment paid to the enthusiasm shown 
 upon the occasion of the triumph of Hellas over Asia by ' the watchers 
 upon Cithaeron'. On the north slope of Cithaeron, the side to which 
 the message came, lay the little town of Plataea, the whole of whose 
 fighting force, unsolicited and alone, came over the mountain to join 
 the Athenian army just before the battle of Marathon, while all the 
 other Greek cities delayed and made excuses. This service, which 
 produced the deepest im]:)ression upon the Athenians and was 
 constantly commemorated in their public prayers, cannot, I think, 
 have been forgotten by the writer or any Athenian hearer of these, lines. 
 For the facts and an eloquent commentary upon them see Grote, Pah 
 II., Chap. 2>^. From this point of view the text is much more than 
 defensible, and the alternative reading to be next mentioned derives 
 no support from any difficulty in the ms. 
 
 ■rrpoaaiOpLt,ov<ra TrofXTnfjLov ^Xoya : raising to the skies a missive flame. 
 These words are cited, without name of author, by Hesychius. It was 
 proposed by Dindorf to place them here after 4>povpd, and though not 
 so pointed and apposite as the ms. reading, they fit the place with an 
 exactness surprising if accidental. On the whole it seems most probable 
 that the quotation of Hesychius really is a very ancient reading of this 
 passage, and it is quite j'jossible that both readings descend from the 
 poet himself. 
 
 H. 
 
 V. 326. viKo, 8' o TrpcoTos Kol TcXcwTaio? Spa/xwi'. 
 
 Put the wifmer is he who ran first and last. The difficulty found in 
 this verse is attested by a great variety of interpretations, of which a 
 terse summary is given by Mr Sidgwick. On the one hand the natural 
 
 V. yE. A. 13 
 
194 
 
 APPENDIX I. 
 
 meaning of the words is perfectly clear, as given above. If the Hne 
 were presented alone, no one would hesitate to render it so, or think of 
 any other rendering as possible. On the other hand it is equally clear 
 that so interi)reted the remark is not properly applicable either to the 
 chain of beacon-couriers or to the chain of XafnraSr]<f)6poi. There is no 
 'runner who runs first and last'; the very point is that they run 
 successively. To a race between single runners the formula might 
 certainly apply in one single case, in the case, that is, of what we call 
 a 'walk-over'; and it is likely enough, as has been suggested to me by 
 Mr E. S. Thompson, that for this case the formula, as a sort of jesting 
 proverb, was in popular use. But for a race between chains of 
 runners even this sense would not hold, and we must still ask why the 
 phrase should be thus mis-applied. 
 
 To avoid this are proposed these interpretations: (i) 'the victory is 
 won by the first and last runners ' i.e. by the runners from first to last, by 
 the whole chain ; and (2) 'the victory is won by the first runner, who is 
 also the last ' or ' although he is the last ', i.e. by the runner who comes 
 in sooner than the final runner of any other chain (and is in this sense 
 first) though he is last to run in his own chain. Under these two heads 
 all the views may be reduced. 
 
 Now without saying that either of these is impossible, it may be said, 
 and will hardly be denied, that both are highly artificial. And taking 
 either, there remains the question, What is the point of the remark in 
 this place? Why should Clytaemnestra insist upon the fact, that all the 
 beacons contributed to the success of her design? Or that the winning 
 runner in a Xa/jiira^r](f)opLa might in a somewhat fanciful sense be called 
 ' the first runner and last '? 
 
 It is, I submit, no small confirmation of the view here taken as to 
 the foregoing narrative, that it will solve this difficulty at once. The 
 verse appears enigmatic because it is and is meant to be so. It is 
 intelligible to those only who know the truth, to Clytaemnestra, to those 
 in her confidence, and to the audience acquainted with the story. To 
 these it means simply what it says, that in this XafxiraSyjcfiopia of beacons 
 'the victory is won', ie. the queen's design is accomplished, 'by the 
 runner who ran first and last ', or, in other words, by the only one who 
 'ran' at all, the beacon upon Arachnaeus. To the audience only it is 
 in effect addressed. The elders, if they had leisure to consider the 
 matter, might explain it in any of the ways suggested by the modern 
 editors : but in such a moment as this an obscure phrase would of 
 course not attract their attention at all, and the queen might enjoy her 
 sarcasm witli impunity. 
 
APPENDIX /. 195 
 
 ^'''- 357 — 359* ^cots 8' ara/xTrXriKT^TOs £i fioXoi o-rpaTo's, 
 iyprjyopo'; to Trrj/xa twv oAcdAo'toji' 
 yei'OLT ar, ei TrpocTTraia yu.?; tv^^oi KaKa. 
 
 As will be seen from the notes, the difficulty of this passage has 
 arisen, in my judgment, entirely from wrong punctuation. \Vith the 
 common punctuation (as above) it is given up by the majority, who 
 propose emendations. Those who retain it, as for example Mr Sidgwick, 
 interpret it thus : " ' But if the army returned without such offence to 
 the gods, the woe of the dead might yet wake, if sudden ills did not 
 befall'. The second 'if is a repetition of the first in other words... 'if 
 they kept free of such offence (and accordingly) if no... sudden judgment 
 befell'." The sense of this is, I conceive, right, and the supposed 
 accumulation of parallel hypothetic clauses is not in itself impossible. 
 But where, as here, the clauses are separated, the effect is, and is 
 admitted to be, to produce very great obscurity. And there are other 
 objections. It does not appear why the judgments of the gods should 
 be distinguished from the Nemesis of the dead as necessarily 'sudden'. 
 Surely either danger might fall at once or fall later. And further, with 
 this punctuation the words yeVotr' av are, if not superfluous, wholly 
 without emphasis. But according to their place in the sentence and in 
 the verse they ought to be emphatic ; and the result is feebleness. I \ / 
 do not however think this punctuation and explanation impossible, but L/ 
 only that it makes difficulty without cause. 
 
 Of the emendations, the majority have for object to get rid of the 
 negative in dva/jLTrXo.KrjTo';, the earliest being apparently Canter's ^eois 
 8' ovK dvafjL7r\dKif]To<;, the simplest that of Pauw deots S' av a/x7rAaK7/Tos (a 
 word however not unimpeachable), and the best cra/xTrXaKryros (ado])ted 
 by Dindorf). The sense would then be, ' if the army return having 
 offended the gods, the woe of the dead may wake, if no sudden 
 mischief should occur'. But this, if somewhat less obscure, is still 1 
 unsatisfactory. The last clause still comes too late, as an awkward L' 
 afterthought, and its relation to the whole is still difficult to perceive. 
 And fresh difficulty is even introduced, for the emphasis on ^cois, 
 necessary according to the first view (and my own), is no longer necessary 
 or proper when there is no antithesis between 'the gods' and 'the 
 dead'. 
 
 13—2 
 
196 APPENDIX I. 
 
 Dr Wecklein, following H. L. Ahrens, by transposition and correc- 
 tion produces this, 
 
 ^COtS 8' dva/ATrXaKT^TO? €t floXoi (TTpCLTO<i, 
 
 Kafjuj/ai SiavXou darepov kmXov TraXtv 
 yeVoiT av, (I Trpoa-iraia fxrj nvxoL KaKa 
 iypyjyopos to irfjixa rwv oXojXotwv. 
 
 This though not faultless {Kdjx\liaL...yivoLT av is not an elegant 
 construction) might pass in itself; but the changes are very bold and, 
 as I think, unjustifiable. 
 
 J- 
 
 ZK 363. XO. /3. yuvai, Kar' av8pa troje^poi/ €vcjip6vM<; Xe'yei?. 
 iyu) 8 (XKOvaa^ tvktto. (jov T(.Kprqpia 
 6€ov<; TrpocretTreLv €u irapacrKevd^ofxaf ktX. 
 
 Here for the first time a question presents itself, which will occur 
 several times hereafter in the play. What is the character of the 
 speaker ? 
 
 It is commonly assumed that every speaker, who is not one of the 
 principal actors, is one of the elders, by whom are sung the great odes 
 of the play. In the foregoing Introduction (^ 3) I have tried to show 
 that there is no a priori ground for assuming this. It is plain from the 
 plays themselves, that in Greek drama there were often on the stage 
 together, besides the principal actors, subordinate persons of various 
 descriptions. It is a priori not probable, that all speaking should be 
 confined, against manifest convenience, to one sort of persons. And 
 in fact the assumption that there is only one chorus and only one class 
 of xopeiirat makes in the Againemnon great and hopeless difficulties. 
 
 Here we have two speeches, neither of which can be assigned to 
 any of the principal actors, separated by a speech from Clytaemnestra 
 {jn>. 329 — 366). The attitude of the two speakers towards the subject 
 before them is not merely different but diametrically opposed. The 
 first speaker (7'. 329) treats the queen's proffered 'proof of the Greek 
 victory with a reserve which is barely saved from discourtesy. He 
 distinctly declines to act upon it at once, and requests that the amazing 
 story may be repeated again 'in full detail'. His behaviour is in fact 
 only distinguished from the open incredulity of the speakers at the 
 close of the following ode (z'. 481) by such a decent disguise as the 
 queen's presence necessarily commands. 
 
APPENDIX I. 197 
 
 On the other hand the second speaker, he of the lines now before 
 us, is entirely satisfied with the (jueen and her statement. Contra- 
 dicting the other almost in his own terms, lie says that after the sure 
 proofs which he has heard ' he for his part ' (note eyoj) ' will thank the 
 gods for the victory ', which is exactly what the first declines to do, till 
 he has heard something more. 
 
 Now if these two speakers are the same person (or persons in like 
 situation) what explains this change of mind ? What has Clytaemnestra 
 said to satisfy his curiosity and remove his hesitation ? He asked for a 
 repetition, with details, of the statement about the beacons. The cjueen 
 has not taken the least notice of his reciuest. Her reiiexions may or 
 may not be very laudable and wise, but what have they to do with the 
 'evidence' of the victory? 
 
 I am by no means the first to notice these difficulties, though they 
 are commonly raised only to be thrust aside again. Thus on v. 331 Dr 
 Wecklein says, that the speaker 'desires a repetition, a wish which 
 Clytaemnestra satisfies to this extent, that she gives in v. 332, Tpotav 
 'Axaiot T^8' 'kyovd iv ijfJ-^iJa, the substance of the beacon-message, and 
 appends to it reflexions ' etc. If the speaker is content with this 
 measure of satisfaction, he might surely have spared the queen the 
 doubtful compliment of his request. The question which Clytaemnestra 
 has professed to answer in the foregoing description of the beacons is 
 the question of z'. 292, 'What messenger could possibly come so 
 quick?' Here is the 'amazing' circumstance which provokes further 
 enquiry. And the queen satisfies this enquiry by stating that the 
 victory is this day won ? 
 
 It would be hard, I think, for two speeches to offer stronger internal 
 evidence that they do not proceed from the same lips, than is contained 
 in the two before us. We shall not look far for external confirmation. 
 
 It is plain that the second speaker, whoever he is, is also the singer, 
 or one of the singers, of the hymn in anapaestic march-time which 
 immediately follows. He proposes to praise the gods for the victory, and 
 he does so accordingly. But are these the singers of the following 
 strophic ode? If so, what is the meaning of the first line of the 
 ode {v. 379)? 
 
 Aios TrXayav €)(ov(x aveiTretv. 
 
 'Tt's a stroke of Zeus which they are able to prodahn. The MS. (f) 
 has iypvaav (xKixv with the word l)(pv(jav corrected to Ixovo-*. It is 
 palpable that Ixovd o.vi.ntCiv is the tradition thus represented. The 
 suggested emendations ex^is aveiTrcTv (Schmidt), ex^'ts uv ditCiv (Karsten), 
 
198 • APPENDIX /. 
 
 t-)(pvcnv etTrdv {Cod. Farn. i.e. I'liclinius), and the forced explanation of 
 this last, Atos TrXayav lyovcriv cittciv, by 'they (the Trojans) have the 
 blow of Zeus to tell of — all these are but mutually contradictory 
 testimonies to the impossibility, upon the current assumption as to the 
 course of the preceding scene, of reading and translating the verse in 
 the obvious way. 
 
 But give up the attempt to assign all the speaking and singing to 
 the same persons, and there is no difficulty at all. The queen comes 
 naturally not unattended ; and from the course of the play both before 
 and afterwards it is evident (as was shown in the Introdtidion) that by 
 this time there have gathered about her many of those who are in her 
 secret. It is they who here interfere to rescue her from an embarrassing 
 and dangerous situation. She has partly missed her effect. Those who 
 are to be deceived have found her story more wonderful than con- 
 vincing. They believe her to be the victim of a delusion (?'. 489) and 
 have shown a desire to press enquiries impossible to satisfy and perilous 
 to elude. Her accomplices take up the cue and, to cover her escape, play 
 the required part of plain citizens, who feel none of these doubts. They 
 admire her wisdom and good feeling. They think her evidence certain. 
 They will offer thanks to heaven accordingly. While they perform this 
 impious mockery, driven like other liars farther than they meant, the 
 queen retires, and the elders are left to act as they may. 
 
 They act precisely as might be expected, so as, if possible, not to 
 commit themselves in any event. To the victory which the others 
 ' can proclaim ', they refer in brief, vague, and carefully guarded terms 
 {vv. 379 — 381). Then glancing off into generalities they pursue the 
 reflexions with which they are themselves pre-occupied, the miserable 
 cause for which the war has been Avaged, the sufferings which it has 
 caused, and the menacing discontents which are the result of those 
 sufferings. 
 
 It then occurs to them {v. 481) that the news of the victory, 
 unproved as it is, must be spreading; and in the vexation of this 
 thought their disbelief breaks out openly, whereupon ("see v. 591) this 
 new turn is reported within by their observant enemies. What they 
 might have done next we do not discover, for at this moment the 
 herald appears and the situation is completely changed. 
 
 As to MS. authority on the distribution of these speeches, there is 
 none. The ms. (following doubtless M itself) assigns vv. -^d}^ — 366 to 
 a certain ayycXos, first introduced in M as the speaker of vv. 2^0 — 275. 
 The modern editors have properly dismissed this personage to hmbo. 
 Everywhere in Aeschylus the distribution of speeches is a matter of 
 
APPENDIX I. 199 
 
 discretion. The Mcdicciis frequently gives no more than a mark 
 indicating without further specification that the speaker is changed. 
 The fact is that the company commonly assigned to tlie Agamemnon 
 does not provide characters enough for this scene and others. The 
 designation XO. for v. 363 is correct, though not complete. As it will 
 be convenient to mark the different types of xopevrat, I have marked 
 the accomplices of Clytaemnestra (who here not only speak but sing, 
 like the sub-chorus of young men in liuripides' Ilippolytus) by the 
 designation XO. /8'. 
 
 K. 
 
 VV. 417 foil. TToXu 8' ixvi(Sj(.vov\[ *^^' > o. , ^/^ 
 
 ToS' ei/i/eTToi'Tes SofJLUiv Trpoc^iyraV^ q "^^ c. -^ ^ 
 toj t(o 8o>/xa Sco/xa koX irpofJiOL, ^^^^iS^/'rir^, '^i' '] 
 I'w Ae^os Kill (TTi/3oi ^iXaVopes* ^^^^^^ii- _ : _ _ :>' 
 TTapecTTi criy.T? ari/Aos aXoi'Sopos, 
 abtcTTos a(f)€fjievwv iSeii'. 
 
 I am almost unwilling to vex these lines, exquisitely beautiful even 
 in the doubt and obscurity which rest upon them, with any furtlier 
 attempt at exact interpretation. Whether it is worth while to do so 
 must depend on the view we take as to the nature of the resjDonsion in 
 metre between strophe and antistrophe used by Aeschylus. If the last 
 two verses originally corresponded syllable by syllable to vz'. 438 — 9, 
 
 TO TToiv 8' a<^' 'EXAui^os atas (xui'op/xeVots 
 TrevOeta TXrjcTLKapSio^ ktX. 
 
 the accidental injury must be greater than we can hope to repair. 
 By writing "EXXavos (Bamberger) in v. 438 and o-iya? aVt/Aovs dXotSopov; 
 (Hermann) in 7'. 421 we may make these verses correspond with 
 changes singly slight but not really probable. If a copyist having 
 before him the simple words criyas art/x-ovs aXotSo'pou? could convert 
 them from mere inattention to something so much less obvious as 
 o-tyas art/xos dXot8opo<;, he may have done anything, and further 
 consideration is useless. The case of ?'. 422 is still harder: uTrto-xos 
 iix(f)avwv iSetv (Margoliouth), no^ believing what is before his eyes, though 
 not perhaps beyond suspicion in point of grammar, is a very striking 
 suggestion and the best made : but there is nothing in it to provoke 
 mistake, and if the scribe could change it into aSto-ros (x(jiep.iv<av iSeiv, 
 it must again be said that he has escaped beyond pursuit. 
 
 But since I hold, for reasons explained in the Appendix to my 
 
200 APPENDIX I. 
 
 edition of the Septem and in Appendix II to tliis, that as far as the 
 melre is concerned both strophe and antistrophe may be right as they 
 stand, and as I see no reason to doubt the sense of the antistrophe, 
 I think it worth while to consider further the sense of this. 
 
 The first question is, Who are the speakers, the 86fji.oiv irpoc^yjrai} 
 Opinion was divided between 'the seers of Menelaus' house' and 'the 
 seers of Priam's house', till it was pointed out independently by 
 Bamberger, H. L. Ahrens, and Housman that irpo<f>t]TT)^ does not mean 
 a scvr at all, but always one who interprets or speaks on behalf of some 
 one eitlier stated or implied in the context', and that TrpcxprJTai 8o/x,wv 
 must mean 'those who interpreted the house' or something of this kind. 
 The ' interpreters of the house ' then, it is said, will be those who at 
 the time of the flight of Helen represented the scene in the house 
 of Menelaus to the elders, who would not otherwise know of it, 
 'purveyors of gossip about the royal family' (Housman). It is however 
 dirticult to believe that a word closely associated with supernatural 
 powers would be applied, without explanation, to such a function as 
 this, even if we assume that the elders would have required ' a 
 revealer ' or ' interpreter ', being themselves, it would seem, as likely as 
 any one to have had the king's confidence. I must hold therefore that 
 the meaning of So/awv irpo<^rJTai is still to seek. 
 
 In truth this appears to be one of those passages, which from the loss 
 of knowledge, familiar at the time of writing, about the terms used and 
 the story told cannot, except by guess-work, be explained at all. From 
 the way in which Sd/x,w>/ Trpo^T/Vi/s is here used I think it clear that it had 
 some fixed conventional significance, connected, as the general use of 
 the word would indicate, with di\ination. For instance, a person, who 
 professed to report or communicate to one absent from home what 
 was said in the house which he had quitted, might not unnaturally be 
 called Bopnov Trpo^jyrT??, being an intermediary between the enquirer and 
 his house, as the Trpoc^T^Vr/s 6eov between the enquirer and the god. 
 If we may further suggest that such services were often used by 
 women, when they quitted one 8o/aos for another upon marriage, we 
 should account for the mention of the TrpocjiyJTaL here ; for the bitter 
 comparison of the rape to a marriage is pursued in this play repeatedly 
 and in this very passage (ta 415). The 'home-interpreters' will then be 
 the seers who at Troy revealed to Helen and Paris what was passing at 
 Argos, sighing, in spite of their intention to mock, at the suffering 
 which they could see. The elders put into their mouths what they 
 
 1 T/u'b. 596 is no exception to this. genitive dewv. 
 The context sufficiently suggests the 
 
APPENDIX I. 201 
 
 know to have been the facts. The picture (whether this be the true 
 account of it or no) was probably based upon some scene existing in 
 Uterature, by reference to which it could easily be understood and 
 completed. 
 
 Now as to vv. 421 — 422. One thing I consider certain, that 
 aStoTos d(f)€fjiivu)v ISelv, by whomsoever written, was not written accident- 
 ally but deliberately. The nominative to irdpio-TL is of course dvr]f), the 
 husband, supplied from <f>i.\dvoije^. 'AcfiuaOat ywoLKa (see L. and Sc. 
 s. 7'.) is ^ to put away a wife', and 01 a<^€/x£voi therefore in this context 
 means Menelaus and his friends, by whom Helen, in the language of 
 the robbers' irony, has been dismissed or divorced. Take this with the 
 use of i^SicTTos in Soph. Ai. 105 r]Sio-To?, w Sc'o-Troiva, Sccr/jtcorv;? co-w OaKU, 
 He sits, my most dclightjul prisoner, zvithin, and we see that Tra/jco-Ttv 
 aSto-Tos d(f>€fia'u)v iSdv is an appropriate and idiomatic description of 
 Menelaus, as the Trojans might describe him in mockery of his rage 
 and grief. Precisely as in the Aias, -ijoiaTus describes the object of a 
 malicious joy. Such words were never thrown casually together by a 
 blundering pen. They were written either by the poet or by some 
 singularly learned and cunning editor making poetry for Aeschylus 
 after a conception of his own. I believe they were written by the poet. 
 They represent the feelings which the 7rpo(/)7/rat Sofxwu, speaking to the 
 taste of their Trojan auditors, desired to express, sharply contrasted 
 with the pathos, which they felt in their own despite. The words 
 o-tyas (XTi/xos dXotSopos (literally ' unregarded, unscolded on the part of 
 the silence' i.e. 'with none to answer his contemned invectives') are 
 conceived in the same spirit': and the ambiguity of Iw, expressing 
 either triumph or grief, is also adapted to the purpose. 
 
 I should translate the whole then somewhat thus : And oft they 
 sighed, the interpreters of the home, as they said : '■Ah, for the home! 
 Aha, for the home! Aha I and ah! for the princes thereof! for the 
 /lusband's bed yet printed with her embrace ! There he stands, his curses 
 moclied witJi silence, tJie parted spouse, the szveetest sight of them all ! ' 
 
 U we were bound to change either this or the antistrophe, I would 
 say, let it be the antistrophe. 
 
 1 The common rendering of dXoidopos with the use of Xoidopia, Xoioopeiv. 
 [iinrcproachfid) is scarcely in accordance 
 
202 APPENDIX I. 
 
 I.. 
 
 V. 438. TvkvQf.KX. 
 
 I have said in the note that I endorse unreservedly the old 
 objection, formulated most recently by Mr Housman, against the 
 translation of ■nivQi.ia. by mourning, as if it were a possible equivalent 
 for Tr€v6os. But from this to the conclusion that the reading is corrupt 
 is too long a step. 
 
 If Trev^eta is a word (and we are not entitled to assume that it was 
 not, merely because we do not easily recognize its origin and meaning), 
 it must signify, as rXT^cnKapStos shows, a person, and, as the termination 
 shows, must be a feminine of the type of /?ao-iAeta, tepeta etc. There is 
 no reason why it should not be this, and from the context and other 
 evidence we can fairly infer its meaning. We have a suitable stem in 
 that of 7rei/^-£po9, connected according to the etymologists with the 
 English l?ind, and signifying at all events the idea of connexion or relation- 
 ship. The termination -evs (feminine -cia) is also proper to a word 
 of this class, as in ay^^io-rcu's {a kinsman), yovev's, etc. Thus formed, 
 Trei'^eia (with a presumable ancient masculine 7rf.vdi.v<i) would mean 
 kinsivoman, strictly perhaps 'connexion by affinity', but likely to be 
 so used as to include either kinship or connexion generally. Now this 
 is the very thing which the context requires. It is the ivomen left 
 behind, the mothers, wives, sisters, daughters of the absent men, who are 
 most naturally taken as types of the anxiety at home ; nor is there of 
 course any difficulty in the common usage of the person for the class, 
 'the kinswoman' for ' the kinswomen'. And to this irivOua the genitive 
 So'/Awv ' kinswoman of the house ' attaches itself quite naturally. It 
 would be strange, I think, if accidental error had produced so 
 plausible an appearance of sense, and I would therefore retain the text, 
 translating, ' heavy in each house must be the hearts of the women-folk'. 
 Another trace of this archaic group of words may be found in Y{f.v6evs. 
 Proper names in Greek {e.g. Medon ruler, Mnestor wooer etc.) 
 are often words gone out of common use. It is not to be supposed 
 that the name of Pent/ieus was given with con-sciousness of the evil 
 significance found in it by fate {lv^v<TTV)(yi(jaL tovvojx l-mrr]heio<i cT): this 
 intention would take all the point out of the coincidence. The name 
 of ' kinsman ' is a happier and a more likely name to attach to ari 
 infant ; and Euripides has perhaps preserved a glimpse of the primitive 
 
 sense in KuS/xos-.-rvpavvtSa Hei'^erSt^wo-i, dvyarpo? iK7re(fiVK0Ti {Bacch. 44). 
 
APPENDIX I. 203 
 
 For proposed corrections see Wccklein. None arc satisfactory, nor 
 if TrlvOeia be given up can the text possibly be reduced to sense without 
 being re-written. 
 
 M. 
 
 VZ>. 498 foil. Krj[)VK diT a.KTi'jS to'i'8 ojm KaracTKLOv 
 «XaSot? cAatu? ■ jxapTvpd o€ fxoi Kucrts 
 TvqXov ^vvovpo<; Sii//t'a (covts raSe, 
 oJs ovt' avavSo'; ovre ctol Sat'wv cfiXoya 
 vXt]<; opet'as arjfxavel Kani'S Trvpo<;, 
 aXX 7] TO ^aipetv /xaAAov €/</?a^ei Xeywv" k.t.X. 
 
 On the difficulty of this passage and the impossibility of accepting 
 the current interpretations I have spoken above. The only remedy 
 proposed by way of correction (see Wecklein) is to read in 71. 501 os 
 (Stanley) or o 8' (Keck) for ws. It is easy to see why this has not been 
 found satisfactory. It makes sense of the second clause, 'who (or 'he') 
 will give us the news better than by beacons ', but only to raise another 
 question — What then is raSe in z». 500? What does the dust testify? 
 But a wholly new suggestion has lately been made by Mr Housman 
 (Journal of Philology xvi. 264), which deserves to be stated in full : 
 
 The coryphaeus catching sight of the herald sees also in the distance a cloud of dust 
 which he supposes to be raised by the returning army; and the return of the army 
 means something decisive, either victory or defeat. The crew of Agamemnon's ship, if 
 Aeschylus followed Homer, would be 120 men; and these together with an a,/j.a^r]prjs 
 Opovos for Agamemnon and Cassandra, would raise in clear dry southern air a cloud of 
 dust to be seen a great way off. No doubt to us the allusion seems obscurely worded ; 
 but I fancy the Attic audience recognized an old friend. Of the plays of Aeschylus 
 only a tithe has come down to us, but in that tithe we find Su/>p. 186 opQ kovlv, avavdov 
 oyyeKov ffTparov, and Sept. 79 /xe^etrat (Trparbs OTpoLTowedov \iwuv \ ...aidepia kovis /j.e 
 ireiOei. <pavd<r \ dvavSos <ra<p7j^ ^i//;toj a77eXos. It may be guessed that by the time the 
 poet wrote this play — three years before his death — he had so familiarised his liearers 
 with the conception of kovis as an 0776X05 arparov that he could dispense with an 
 explicit reminder. The addition Kcicrts ttt^XoO ^vuovpos is mere ornament, like the 
 ai6\riv TTVpos KaiTiv oi Sept. 481. 
 
 Now it will, I think, be admitted that this explanation, in referring 
 the 'dust' to the approach of the king and his company, offers at any 
 rate a conception intelligible and natural, if only we can fairly find it in 
 the words. The difficulties which Mr Housman leaves are those which 
 he has himself perceived. First, although it is probable enough that 
 the notion of 'dust' as 'announcing' the aj^proach of a large body was 
 
204 APPENDIX I. 
 
 familiar to the audience of Acscliylus', we still feel the want here 
 of some indication that the dust is actually seen in the distant 
 landscape. Secondly, we are still without any light upon Kacrts Tr-qkov 
 ^vvovpo-i Snj/ia. Mr Housman justifies this as mere ornament by the 
 traditional reference to SepA 48 r. But the parallel will not bear a 
 moment's examination. To describe the red smoke which proceeds 
 from the mouth of a fire-breathing monster as 'smoke akin to fire' 
 is ornament indeed, and appropriate ornament. But is it equally 
 appropriate, is it ornamental at all, to describe the dust-cloud raised by 
 men marching as thirsty dust, sister and neighbour to inire'i Thirsty^ 
 though not very suitable to dust in the air, might pass as a mere 
 epithet of dryness, but sister and neighbour to mire gives surely just the 
 suggestions which are not appropriate. Here then are the points to 
 which, following Mr Housman' s lead, we should direct our attention. 
 
 Considering so, it will occur to us that the obscurest point of all, so 
 far, is the word ^ufod/dos. I have used above the common rendering 
 ' neighbour '. But ivvovpo-i really means conterminous, bordering upon, 
 marching with, and is applied always to contiguous territories or other 
 figures of space. Now if we should grant that dust, as such, whether 
 on clothes or in the air or wheresoever, might be called akin to mire, 
 as being a thing of the same class (?), yet why should these kinsmen 
 have contiguous territories ? The idea of ' dust contiguous to mud ' 
 is simple enough ; the dust of a road, for example, is ' contiguous ' to 
 the mud of the ditch : but dust in the air is not contiguous to mud, 
 nor is dust in general. In short, to have a satisfactory sense, the de- 
 scription 7rr;A.oi} ^vvovpo<i Koj/t? must be not metaphorical at all, but local. 
 
 Now the speakers are looking out towards the sea over Argolis, a 
 land so notorious for its dryness as to have been named from Homeric 
 times The Thirsty [ttoXvSliI/iov "Apyo?, cf. "Apyows Sn/'ta ^^ojv Eur. A/c. 
 563). The streams are scanty and in the summer fail entirely, so that 
 the Argives had a legend that Poseidon, defeated in a contest with 
 Athena for the possession of the land, avenged himself by cutting off 
 the water (Pausanias 2. 15. 5). For this reason in the SuJ>p/ices (784) 
 the swarthy fugitives from Egypt, who have found refuge in Argolis, 
 seeing that their pursuers are near, and calling upon the land to hide 
 them, wish that they might themselves be turned into dust and mix 
 indistinguishably with the black clouds which are sweeping over the 
 downs. In reference therefore to the plain of Argos the description 
 8L\j/ia Ko'vis is not merely appropriate, but almost sufficient of itself in 
 
 1 Some confirmatory evidence as to SeptcDi, Appendix II. 
 this will be found in my edition of the 
 
APPENDIX I. 205 
 
 the circumstances to suggest the local use. But this dust is ' sister 
 to the mire, contiguous to him'. Why so? Here is the more 
 exact description of the plain of Argos : * The eastern side is much 
 higher than the western ; and the former suffers as much from a 
 deficiency as the latter does from a superabundance of water. A 
 recent traveller (Mure) says that the streams in the eastern part of the 
 plain are all drunk up by the thirsty soil, on quitting their rocky beds 
 for the deep arable land. ...The western part of the plain, on the 
 contrary, is watered by a large number of streams, and at the south 
 western extremity near the sea there is besides a large number of 
 copious springs, which make this part of the country a marsh or morass 
 (the marsh of Lerna)...In the time of Aristotle this part of the plain 
 was well-drained and fertile, but at the present day it is again covered 
 with marshes.' (Mure, abridged in Smith's Dictionary of Geography i. 
 p. 2O0.) A glance at the map will show the situation ; and see also 
 the account in Pausanias (11. 36. 6 — 7) of the journey from Argos to 
 Lerna. Now the mud or ooze of watery land, of the Egyptian Delta 
 for instance, is called among other things ttt/Xo's (see L. and Sc. s. v.). 
 From these facts and the evidence of the context here it is a reasonable 
 conclusion that the brother and sister tvhose lands lie side by side, the 
 Dust and the Mire, is simply an ancient and traditional description of 
 Argolis, parched in its eastern part, drenched in its western. The 
 speakers are looking from Argos eastwards towards the sea, across the 
 waterless region; and it is therefore the Sister, the Dust, which tells them 
 that a large body of men is approaching from the port. Even if the 
 conception of dust announcing an army was not, as it is likely to have 
 been, an Aeschylean commonplace, the local description is quite 
 sufficient to show what is meant, especially interpreted, as on the stage, 
 by the gestures of the actors. On seeing the herald they naturally look 
 out over the country to see what comes behind. The sight of the dust 
 assures them that he is followed by a crowd, and that his news therefore 
 must be important and is probably decisive. As we have seen in the 
 Introduction, the party with the king would be very large, consisting 
 not only of his own soldiers and companions, but of those who had 
 gone to meet him and bring him as rapidly as possible to the fortress. 
 This indication that they are now in sight is extremely important to the 
 plot. The critical situation created by the arrival of the herald could 
 not possibly have been maintained for any great length of time. 
 
 As is said in the notes, the reference to the ' olive-boughs ' is itself 
 a touch of local colour and thus leads u]) naturally to the local 
 description which follows it. 
 
2o6 APPENDIX I. 
 
 N. 
 
 VV. 578 — 584. Tjylv 8e Tots XoiTTolaiv 'Apyetwv o-rparov 
 viKct TO Ke'pSos, TT-^/xa 8' ovK (IvTippeTrei. 
 ws KOfjLTraaaL twS cikos t^Xlov (ftdn 
 VTrep 6a\dcrcTr]<; kol ^6ovo<; TroT(j}fxevoi<s, 
 TpOLTjv eXovxes Si^ttox» ApycLWV cttoXo'; 
 6eo'i<; Xd<jivpa ravra rot? /ca^' 'EA.Xa8a 
 8opoL<i eTracrcraXcvcrav ap^atov yctvo?. 
 
 The ditficulty in V7'. 580 — 581 is well known, and perhaps cannot be 
 solved with certainty on the present materials. The points to observe 
 are these: (i) The ko/xtto? or Kop,7rao-p,a is to be made throughout 
 future time, as is shown by the expressions SyyVoTe and dpxouov, which 
 would only become applicable long after. To such a case as this the 
 use of an anticipatory (proleptic) predicate does not fairly extend, as 
 the Xd(f>vpa did not become an dpxouov ydvo<; by being nailed to the 
 temples. It is natural that in making the most of the triumph the man 
 should speak of eternal, not of immediate, fame. This indicates that it 
 is the sun, and not any human person, who is the agent and herald of 
 the KofXTrao-fxa, as the grammar itself would also prove : for (2) The 
 order of the words in 71. 580 favours decidedly the close connexion of 
 TwSe... >;Xtot) (^act with etKo's inserted in the middle of them. Another 
 construction is however grammatically possible : we may take rwSe 
 ^a€t either as temporal or as the object of KOjxirdaai {boast to the sun, 
 doubtful Greek but conceivable), and supply from v. 578 rjplv as the 
 subject of it depending on ct/co?. So it appears to be taken by all who 
 retain the text, e.g. Paley " The sense is ' the Argives, as they joyfully 
 speed on their way, may boast of having fixed up Trojan arms ' etc.". 
 
 But those who reject this (Weil, Wecklein and others, proposing 
 corrections) are in my opinion certainly right ; for (i) the usual 
 construction after €ikos eWt is the accusative and infinitive (not the 
 dative), and in the accusative (rip-di) the pronoun, if the subject of 
 KOfjiTrdcraL, would naturally be thought : TroTw/AeVous therefore (Stanley) 
 not TTOTw/xeVots would have been written, especially as the accusative 
 would have been free from ambiguity ; and (ii) to speak of an army or 
 of messengers as ^flying over land and sea', in the sense of 'moving 
 rapidly ', is not according to the habit of Greek metaphor. At least I 
 can find nothing like it. 
 
 Of the suggestions made on the assumption that the text is 
 
APPENDIX I. 207 
 
 unsound, the most probable is that of Merkel, that after v. 580 a verse 
 is lost by which TroTw/xivots was explained. Against all the mere 
 corrections (such as TroToi/xtVo) Heath, rdBe . . .TroTwfieva Weil) there is this 
 general objection that they do not account for the reading we find. If 
 the text is not sound, though I believe it is, we had better suppose a 
 lacuna. 
 
 O. 
 
 ^'* ^55- $vvo)fxo(Tav yop oi'tc? ^^(Okttoi to irpiv 
 
 TTvp KOL OdXacrcra, koX ra ttktt' i^eL^aTrjv 
 (f)6€Lf)orT€ Tov 8vcrT7]V()V 'ApyeiMi' arpaTov. 
 
 As to the primary meaning of these lines there is no difficulty. 
 The only question to be raised is whether we are to look beyond this. 
 It will be recognized as suitable to the genius of Greek tragedy that 
 one who is unconsciously in imminent danger should unconsciously use 
 expressions exactly signifying his danger to the audience better in- 
 formed. I believe Aeschylus has here sought that effect. 'A conspiracy', 
 says the man, ' was made between utter foes, Trvp and Odkacrcra, and 
 for pledge of their league they destroyed the hapless army of Argos '. 
 Now the speaker himself and the remnant that are returned are about 
 to be ensnared, and some if not all of them to be slain, by 'a conspiracy' 
 between two that had been utter foes ', Clytaemnestra, that is, and 
 Aegisthus, the hereditary enemy of Agamemnon's house. If then the 
 parts of these two conspirators are properly symbolized by -rrvp and 
 Odkaaaa, the coincidence is such as I at least cannot believe to be 
 unintentional. 
 
 As to the Tivp it is, I hope, unnecessary to say more. More than 
 half of this play is occupied with the part which, under the direction of 
 Aegisthus, ' the fire ' contributes to the plot by which Agamemnon fell. 
 It remains then to ask whether OdXaaaa is in like manner a symbol of 
 the part contributed by Clytaemnestra. 
 
 Now if we read the strange and thrilling speech which the queen 
 pronounces while her husband passes along the purple-strovvn pathway 
 to his death (v. 949) 
 
 ecTTtv Oakarraa — ti's 8e viv Karacr^cfrci ; — 
 Tpe(f>ovcra iroWrj^ 7rop4>vpa<; laapyvpov 
 KTjKiSa TrayKaivLUTOv, eifxdTwv f3a(f)d^... 
 
 ^ Cf. C/io. 976 ^vvwfioaav fx.^u Bavarov foregoing history wliich we liave now no 
 ddXlcf) irarpl Kal ^vvOavuadaL • Koi Ta8' means of tracing fully. 
 fvdpKuii ^Xf) 'in allusion to details in the 
 
2o8 APPENDIX I. 
 
 and compare it with her description of the bloody bath-robe folded 
 about his corpse (?'. 1382) 
 
 TtXoVTOV Cl/XttTOS KaKOV, 
 
 and again with the description of the same as it is produced long after 
 
 by Orestes {C/io. 1008) 
 
 fxapTvpel Se /xol 
 
 <^apos T08' o)? e^ai/'cv Alyio'Oov ^t'<^o?. 
 
 <ji6vov 8c Kr]KL'; $vv ;^povco tv/AjSaA-Xerat 
 
 TToXXas ;8a<^as (ftOeLpovaa tov TrotKiXyaaros, 
 
 and again with the narrative of Orestes in the Etimenides (464) 
 
 TTOiKtXots ayp^vfjiaai 
 KpvypacT, a. XovTpMV iiefjiaprvpet <f>ovov, 
 
 we shall feel that the ' sea full of welling crimson ', of which in the lines 
 first quoted the murderess is really thinking, is the bloody bath, in 
 which the colours of the fatal robe would be blotted out in one tint 
 more precious than them all. Is there then reason to believe that the 
 term OdXaaaa was so applied to a bath as to make the phrase irvp 
 Koi OdXaaaa in the passage before us intelligible as an allusion to it? 
 I think there is. There is evidence that for a lustral bath of ceremony, 
 such as was that which Agamemnon took', the term Odkaa-cra was 
 technical. This supposition will explain a passage of well-known 
 difficulty in Aristophanes, where the rites are described which are 
 practised in curing the blind Plutus at the temple of Asclepios (P/uL 
 
 656), ^ .,.,.. 
 
 TrpujTov fJi€v avTov ctti ^aXarrav Tjyofxev, 
 
 eTreiT eXou/x£v. 
 
 There is nothing in the circumstances there described to make it likely 
 that the real sea was accessible, and the abrupt appearance of this 
 OdXaTTa in the description has naturally caused perplexity. But the 
 difliculty disappears if the water of purification as such was called 
 OdXaao-a. And this is probable enough in itself. That mysterious 
 qualities of purification were attributed to sea-water is shown by the 
 proverb 
 
 OdXacraa K\vt,€i irdvTa TavOpwirdiv Ka/ca (Eur. 7/>/l. T. 1 1 91). 
 
 Where the sea was accessible it was for lustral purposes preferred 
 (Soph. Ai. 654), and for the purpose of lustration salt water was 
 
 1 Etirn. d^fi dpoirri irepwvTL Xovrpa: fact the bath which one coming from a 
 here and elsewhere the ritual term Xovrpd journey and from war would properly 
 is applied to it repeatedly. It was in take as preliminary to sacrifice. 
 
APPENDIX I. 209 
 
 artificially made (Theocr. 24. 96). From this belief to a ritual use of 
 the term for the water of ceremonial lustration, whether actually drawn 
 from the sea or not, is a natural process of language ; and that this step 
 was actually taken is indicated by the gloss of Hesychius ^aAuo-o-oj^cts- 
 ayi'tcrayu,ci'os'. 
 
 Putting these facts together I cannot avoid the conclusion that this 
 'conspiracy of fire and water, utter enemies before' is a phrase intention- 
 ally ominous. It is manifest what an excellent opportunity for dramatic 
 effect is given, when the man is made to speak accidentally in a 
 manner so apt to startle the guilty consciences of those about him who 
 are apprised of the deadly secret and at this moment are in the extreme 
 agony of suspense. 
 
 V. 817. afJi(f)i nXetaSwi' Svcrii'. 
 
 " About midnight, at which time the lion goes to his prey and Troy 
 was taken. The poet naturally marks the hour according to the time 
 of the representation of the play; for in the second half of March, 
 when the Great Dionysia were celebrated, the setting of the Pleiads 
 occurs for observers in Greece between ten and eleven at night (Keck, 
 Neue Jahrb. 1862, p. 518)." Wecklein. 
 
 I think that I ought to mention this new interpretation of these 
 words, because the traditional interpretation, which I accept, is in my 
 view of the play not unimportant to the plot. But I cannot say that I 
 hold the alternative possible. The passages cited by previous com- 
 mentators (see the note) prove, I think, that the setting of the Pleiads 
 had a fixed conventional significance, established long before the time 
 of Aeschylus and still familiar ; it marked the season of the winter 
 storms and the end of the season for sailing. But apart from this, I do 
 not see how, without explicit specification of the time of year, the setting 
 of a constellation could possibly be used as the mark of a particular hour 
 of the day. Surely the audience could not be expected to bethink 
 themselves, or indeed to know, at what hour the Pleiads set at the time 
 of the Great Dionysia ; and even if they could, would it not be a strange 
 device, destructive of all dramatic illusion, to make a character on the 
 stage, suddenly and without any indication of the purpose, use language 
 
 ' My attention was directed to this term ddXacraa was used also for certain 
 gloss by Mr H. B. Smith, who also religious vessels ; see e.g. Sophocles 
 observes that in later Greelc at least the Lexicon s.v. da\a<Tai8ioi: 
 
 V. ^. A. 14 
 
210 APPENDIX I. 
 
 not intelligible at all except under the particular circumstances of the 
 representation ? What, we may ask, did the poet intend the actor to do, 
 if the play should be repeated at some other time of the year ? 
 
 Nor do I see why Agamemnon should recall the fact that Troy was 
 taken at midnight. He had only too good reason for remembering at 
 this moment that it was taken just before the season of storms. The 
 details of the capture of Troy have no connexion with this play and are 
 never mentioned in it. It is possible indeed to detect in this passage 
 an allusion to the 'wooden horse', but it is doubtful and at any rate 
 not essential. 
 
 VV. 887 — 894. Xiyoifx' av avSpa toVSc twv CTTa^/xcSv Kvva,... 
 dSoiTTopo) 8nj/(j}VTL Trrjyalov p^O'?, — 
 Tepirvov Se rdvayKOLOV CKcfivyelv a-rraV 
 TOiotaSe TOLVvv a^tw ■iTpocr<^6iyixa<jtv. 
 
 If this passage has been rightly explained above, much of the 
 difficulty of it has been made, as will be seen, by the specious emendation 
 of Schiitz, Tot viv for to'lvw in v. 894. As I understand the words, 
 TOLVVV is indispensable. The majority of recent texts have toC viv, 
 with full stops at peos and at a-rrav. "Weil however and others are justly 
 dissatisfied, and for myself I scarcely think Mr Housman too trenchant 
 when he says of this reading and punctuation "That Aeschylus did 
 not put V. 893 where it now stands, severing v. 894 from the irpoacfidey- 
 /xara to which it refers, is evident to every one who understands, I do 
 not say the art of poetry, but I say the art of writing respectable verse " 
 {^Journal of Philology, xvi. p. 269). Nor is the matter much mended 
 if we move v. 893 to some other place. If the catalogue is supposed 
 to be properly ended at irriyaxov p€o<;, there is no excuse at all for the 
 addition of Tototo-Se rot viv d^i(Z Trpoo-^^ey/xacrtv as a separate remark. 
 The fact is that vv. 893 — 894 are feeble, irremediably feeble, both in 
 themselves and in contrast to the noble lines which precede them ; and 
 if we are really to explain the passage, we must accept this bathos for part 
 of IV hat we have to explain, which in the note I have endeavoured to do. 
 What the MS. gives us is certainly not successful eloquence ; but was it 
 meant to be ? 
 
 To omit the two verses (one is not enough) is a simple method, but 
 purely arbitrary. Mr Housman boldly carries off vv. 890 — 893 (inter- 
 changed and slightly altered) to the end of the speech, and places them 
 
APPENDIX I. 211 
 
 after v. 902. What he thus produces is certainly sense, tliough v. 893 is 
 still troublesome : but how then the verses came where they are we 
 should be troubled to say. 
 
 R. 
 
 V. 922—933. 
 
 It has been noticed in the Introduction that this altercation between 
 Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra may have different effects according to 
 the manner in which we suppose it to be delivered and acted. Does 
 the king willingly change his purpose? The general opinion, which 
 in such a matter has much weight, seems to be that he does, that he is 
 pleased by the pomp which he pretends to dislike, and gladly submits 
 to the pretended compulsion. 
 
 Undoubtedly the words admit this and the scene might be so acted. 
 But it should be pointed out that neither the words nor the circumstances 
 require it. Whatever the king's wishes, he could not, if the queen were 
 resolved, escape the scene she had prepared without a scandalous and 
 ridiculous disturbance which the matter in itself was not worth. Mr 
 Sidgwick (Introduction, p. xvii.) speaks of ' the almost pathetic futility 
 of his pious caution in taking off his shoes, when at last he agrees to 
 tread the purple.' The futility at any rate is apparent; and I confess that 
 to me the act seems to be that of a man \vho dislikes what he is doing but 
 cannot help himself Clytaemnestra's object in the whole demonstration 
 is to exhibit the king to the gazers in an unpopular light, to make it 
 appear that he has come back from Asia with his soldiers to assume (like 
 some Pausanias) the state and manners of an Asiatic tyrant. The king 
 takes off his shoes by way of a counter-demonstration. But, as he 
 remarks with vexation, he is still at a disadvantage {v. 937). Every 
 one could see that his servants were prostrating themselves and spread- 
 ing the pavement with carpets, while those at a distance could not 
 appreciate or perceive his reluctance. 
 
 Our reading of the scene will depend on the view we take of the 
 king's state of mind in relation to his wife. The impression which his 
 language makes upon me is that he hates her, or rather is prepared to 
 hate her, as cordially as she hates him, that he suspects her to be the 
 chief thing otw Sei (^ap/iaKwv Traiomwv, and that if he had lived another 
 day, she and her abettors would have assisted at a memorable demon- 
 stration of his 'kindly surgery '. If he does not fear her (and he has one 
 
 14 — 2 
 
212 APPENDIX I. 
 
 moment almost of fear, ?'. 915), that is because he is necessarily ignorant 
 of all that makes her formidable. 
 
 There is another point in this scene which is well worth notice, as 
 illustrating the supposed relations between Agamemnon and Ciytaem- 
 nestra. If the king has the slightest regard for his wife or attributes to 
 her any affection for him, why does he insult her by his behaviour to 
 Cassandra? Is there any evidence that an Athenian audience would 
 have thought it decent in a returning husband to bring a SopiKTijTov 
 Xkyo'i along with him in state to the door of his own house and give to 
 the mistress of it a public order to receive her kindly? Contrast the 
 behaviour which Soi)hocles attributes in like circumstances to the 
 Heracles of the Trachiniae (225 foil.), the indignation of the spectators 
 when his purpose is discovered, and the bitter feelings of Deianira 
 herself The language of the king respecting Cassandra and the manner 
 in which he puts her forward has, to my mind, only one possible 
 meaning ; and if anything is required to perfect the outrage, it is the 
 canting phrase with which it is accompanied. There is at any rate no 
 doubt that this is the view of Clytaemnestra (see v. 1438 foil.). 
 
 VV. 966 — 969. TtTTTc /xot T08 £/X7re8ws 
 
 Scty/Aa TrpoaTaTTjpLov 
 KapStas TepaaKOTTOv Trorarai, 
 
 jJiai'T LTToXeL O K.T.X. 
 
 The question of the probability of the ms. reading ScZy^aa depends 
 upon our conception of the metaphor by which this passage holds 
 together. The boding heart is a rcpao-KoVos, i.e. a /xaiTis, a professional 
 interpreter of signs, prodigies etc. What is the relation to this figure of 
 
 the words Sci-y/Aa Trpoo-TaTTjpiov TTOTurat ? 
 
 To answer this we must start from Trpoo-raTT^'ptos, a word of well- 
 marked associations. It signifies standing before or set before a door or 
 gate, and applies usually to images of the gods there placed. That it 
 should be used without any reference to this its proper meaning is 
 unlikely, especially here, where the whole scene, with the TrpoaTarrjpioi 
 Otoi around, is ready to suggest the usual connexion of ideas. Secondly, 
 we observe that the speakers have not a definite anticipation but only 
 a vague surmise of something wrong ; or, to put the same thing in terms 
 of the metaphor, the heart is not actually prophesying but only offering 
 as it were to prophesy. Thus, to satisfy the context, Seiy/Aa TvpoaTarripiov 
 
APPENDIX I. 213 
 
 T(.\)a.(TKoTTov shouKl be something set before tlm door of a ^(u'Tt<; to 
 advertise him as such : and this something, it would seem, TroTdrai, i.e. 
 hovers or gutters. 
 
 Now it is a coincidence curious, if accidental, that in another place 
 we find again this same rare word Selyfia associated with similar expres- 
 sions. In the Acharnians (989) Dicaeopolis has retired into his house 
 to prepare a feast of the birds which he has bought from the Boeotian; 
 and the chorus outside perceive traces of the preparations in the feathers 
 which are flung out before the door. This they describe in the odd 
 
 phrase rov ^iov 8' i^efSaXe Seiy/xa ra'Sc to. Trrepd irpo rtoc Ovpolv. Clearly 
 here the words rod (Slov Sety^aa, as an advertisement of his way of 
 living, are not such as would first occur, but are chosen for the sake of 
 some familiar association. The two passages look as if they should 
 have a common explanation and strongly suggest, I think, that the 
 professional /xaVrts used a Seiy/xa or sign before his door, and that this 
 sign was a. feather ox feathers (Trrepa), a rebus explaining itself at once by 
 the fact that Trrcpov means an omen. (Aristophanes perhaps borrowed 
 from this custom the notion of a dealer in Trrepa {icings) which is used in 
 the £irds ; see v. 1330 crO 8e rd Trrepa irpCiTov Stages raSe Kocrfj-o)' to. re 
 
 fJiOV(Tl)(^ OfJLOV T<i. T€ ftaVTlKO. KOL TO. OaXaTTLa K.T.X.). If thls Were SO, 
 
 the meaning of Aeschylus would be simple, JVhy doth my heart, prophet- 
 like, still set in front this fluttering sign ? 
 
 At any rate here is reason for retaining 8etyfxa provisionally and on 
 the chance of more certain information. The simile will appear 
 specially effective and natural, if we remember the scene, the palace-front 
 'fluttering' doubtless with gorgeous draperies, and the door through 
 which the king has just passed, according to the image suggested in 
 z: 963, like a victim going to the sacrifice. 
 
 T. 
 
 VV. 995 — 1000. Kai TO fxiv irpo )^pr]fxaT(t)v 
 
 KTrjcTLMV o/ci'os ^aXwv 
 crc^erSoi'tts ttTT evp.€Tpov, 
 OVK ISv TTpOTras 80/xos 
 Traiaom? ye'/xwi' ayar, 
 
 Ou8 £7rdvTtCT€ (TKCIC^OS. 
 
 As is said in the note, the essential difficulty of this passage turns on 
 the words (r<jiei'B6va^ dw ev/xerpov. A ' measured sling ' seems an idea 
 inapplicable, both literally and metaphorically, to a ship and its cargo. 
 
2 14 APPENDIX I. 
 
 Cargo may be flung away, but could not surely Ije slung away. 
 2^£v8ov?/, as the Lexicon will show, has many meanings, and this 
 passage demands one more. Of course in such cases we cannot get 
 beyond a guess. The main idea of the word, as of the English sling, 
 seems to be not ihro^ving but suspension. Thus ' a sling for the arm ', 
 ' a suspending bandage ', and the ' bezel ', which contains the jewel of a 
 ring, are called <Tf^i.vh6vr]. It is possible that some kind of instrument 
 for suspending and weighing heavy goods was called a sling; and 
 cv/ACT/Dos points to something like this. In that case okvos ^aXiav would 
 be not the terror which flings away a cargo in a storm, but the prudent 
 apprehension which rejects and refuses to embark part of a load 
 found to be too heavy for the boat, though it would always be more 
 profitable to take more. This would not be open to the just objection 
 of Mr Housman against the common view, that okvos means properly 
 not terror but shrinking, hesitating: okvo% would not suggest but prevent 
 such prompt action as throwing away cargo in a storm. And we have 
 then also a better explanation of ojt6, discharging from the scale. This 
 would give the sense adopted in the translation. 
 
 Mr Housman (see the article cited) would correct these lines, and 
 indeed the whole passage, freely. In any case, until the meaning of 
 o-^evSoj/r/ in connexion with cargo can be positively ascertained, the 
 whole must remain uncertain and would scarcely repay further discussion. 
 
 U. 
 
 v. 1076. avTOipova KaKa Kapra' vat, 
 
 dv8po(r(}iay€iov ktX. 
 v. 1 08 1. Kka.i6\x,i.vo. Ttt /3pe<^7/ (K^o.'ya.'i 
 
 OTTxas re fTo.pKa.% ktX. 
 
 M 1076 KaprdvaL, 1081 rdde. 
 
 In spite of the scholium avrt toi) a-yxo^Vt which with naive in- 
 difference to sense and construction assumes that Kapravat stands for 
 KoX dpravc}., they are right who hold that the word dpravr] did not 
 here occur. Hanging was to the Greek mind a type of suicide, and 
 with neither hanging nor suicide have we anything to do. Most 
 of the bolder suggestions, e.g. Kapdro/xa (Kayser), proceed on the 
 assumption that the metre of v. 1076 should be corrected to that of 
 V. 1 08 1. But I think the error, a very small one, is in v. 1081. 
 
 In V. 1076 Cassandra, as the elders observe, is 'tracking the scent' 
 
APPENDIX I. 215 
 
 of the Thyestean crime, coming nearer to it with each word : Nay, it is 
 an accursed /louse, full of guilty secrets, yea, of murders unnatural, aye 
 verily, a place where human victims bleed, where babes besprinkle the 
 altar. The asseverations [nXv ovv, Kapra, and vat mark the growing 
 clearness and certainty, till it rises {v. 1080) to actual vision. The word 
 KiipTa, here qualifying auTo</>ova, is a favourite with the poet. 
 
 In V. 1 08 1 on the other hand we have only to adopt for raSc the 
 archaic demonstrative tu, in which reading, strangely enough, the later 
 MSS. {Florefitinus, Venetus, Farnesianus) all agree. It would almost 
 seem as if they must in this place have been guided by some note or 
 tradition, independent of M, which has now disappeared. At any rate 
 it is likely enough that raSc, a correct explanation of ra, should have 
 come wrongly into the text of M, as roSe (a not very correct explana- 
 tion) has for to in jy, 175. 
 
 V. 
 
 VV. 1 1 67 — 117 I. tw irpoTTvpyoL Ovaiai irarpos 
 
 TToXv/cai/ets (3oTwv ttoiovo/awv" cikos 8' oiuScv iTTTjpKecrav 
 
 TO fJLT] TToAtV fXeV UXTTT^p OVV £X^"' "'^("■^^^^) 
 
 iyu) 8e d^pfxovovi ra^ e/XTreSo) jSaXa. 
 
 The question presented by this last line does not perhaps admit 
 complete answer. But I would call attention to one most important 
 consideration overlooked. It is a common groundwork of all views 
 that e/ATre'So) at least is wrong. Now it is, I submit, on the contrary 
 certain that e/xTreSw is right. Let us consider what the context requires : 
 cyw 8e ktX. answers to ttoAiv fxkv ktX., the second part of a dependent 
 antithesis being turned, as often in poetry {e.g. v. 1287), into an 
 independent sentence ; ' Alas ! how many a victim from his rich herds 
 did my father sacrifice on behalf of his town ! Yet they availed not at 
 all to save the city from receiving such fate as it hath, while I ' etc. In 
 spite of Priam's offerings, he and his are utterly destroyed, all but 
 Cassandra, and she will soon be added to the rest. Such is the 
 connexion of thought. 
 
 Now we must not suppose that by mere error the ms. could offer 
 exactly what is wanted to round off the period effectively, that is 
 to say, an antithesis bringing together Cassandra and Priam. That 
 Oepfiovovs hot-brained, rash-ivitted is in itself an excellent word is not 
 disputed, nor that it fitly applies to Cassandra, as she was regarded by 
 her incredulous countrymen. But I/attcSos (tov vovv) solid or sound {of 
 
2i6 APPENDIX I. 
 
 judgment) is not only a good antithesis to ^ep/xoVous, but is applied in 
 Homer as a characteristic description to Priam, e.g. II. 20. 183 cio-iv yap 
 o\ (llpta/xo)) TraiSe?, d 8' £yu,7re8o9 ov8* de(Ti(f)p(x)v (see L. and Sc. s. Z>.). 
 Aeschylus and his audience would not forget this; and the contrast of 
 the epithets here (eyw 6epiJ.6rovq, e/xTreSw avTw), when the prophecies of 
 the 'sick-brained ' Cassandra have been realized in the ruin of her ' wise ' 
 father and all his kin, is a touch of irony not to be attained by copy- 
 ing carelessly. Whoever wrote e/attcSo) meant to oppose it, as the 
 Homeric epithet of Priam, to 0epfji6vov<;. Neither is it in the manner of 
 ancient editors, so far as we know them. Indeed an editor capable of 
 it must have known more about Aeschylus than any one knows now 
 and have had much better material for his text. 
 
 From this antithesis then we have to start, whether for interpretation 
 or correction. Nor is there room for much variation of meaning : «yw 
 8k 6epjJ.6vov<; rd^a Trpds t/xTTiSov avrov Ipprjcro} — something like tliis is 
 what we should look for. But again, in the verb at least this is exactly 
 what we have; for that the intransitive fSdWeiv to fall, to go was used 
 for ippuv is proved by the popular phrases /3d\\' e's [xaKapiav, ft('XX' e? 
 KopaKas etc.: nor are we in a position to say that the popular use 
 might not find a parallel in archaic poetry. 
 
 The question then narrows itself to this, whether the case of e/xTre'Sw 
 could be constructed with /3aXw in the sense required, a question 
 difficult to answer. An ordinary locative dative would offer no difficulty. 
 In the older grammar of poetry (^dXXeLv (in the sense of going to) would 
 naturally take that case, on the analogy of ttcSio) Tre'cre, ovSei ipeio-Orj, 
 daXdacrrj eXo-at 'A^^atovs etc. (Kiihner Gr. Granwi. § 423. 4 ; Monro 
 Homeric Grammar § 145. 4) and of the transitive /3aAAw (Eur. Med. 
 1285 etc.). The extant 'locatival datives oi persotis' (Monro H. G. 
 § 145. 4) do not offer a parallel, and we should scarcely expect it. But 
 there is, I think, good reason here for a construction not exactly proper 
 to a personal object. The ruined city, the slaughtered Trojans, and the 
 dead king, who is the type of the whole, are not here truly conceived 
 as persons at all. They are, if we may mark the latent metaphor more 
 precisely, the heap on which the survivor will soon be flung. In the 
 circumstances I do not myself feel the locative case to be unnatural. If 
 there is error, it is in ^aXtS, but I do not suspect it. 
 
 The elision of rax" is noticeable, being generally confined in 
 Aeschylus to set phrases such as rdx av, rdx dcropat (see on v. 898;, but 
 it is not a ground for objection. 
 
APPENDIX I. 217 
 
 W. 
 
 V. 1 2 10. XO. TTojs t)-r]T di'UKTOS yaOa Ao^lov kotu) ; 
 KA. iireiOov oubcV ouSci' ws raS' rjfjLTrXaKov. 
 
 All texts here adopt some conjectural reading, for the most part one 
 of these two : 
 
 TTws 8rJT avuKTO'; rjo-Oa Ao^lov kotov ; Wieselcr : 
 TTojs ^irjT di'aro? rjaOa Ao^lov kotio ; Canter : 
 
 both assuming the sense to be //07a the7i could Apollo punish thee 1 
 From the first, though ai/uKTos is feeble and the use of r\(rQa {didst tJiou 
 fed) very doubtful, the sense sought can perhaps be obtained. The 
 second, though largely supported, seems to me impossible. The words 
 could only mean How didst thou escape the anger of Loxias? to which 
 the answer does not correspond ; nor can the Elders, who know the 
 story by rumour {v. 1683) and are drawing it out by leading questions, 
 possibly suppose that Cassandra did escape'. Moreover, as Blomfield 
 said, usage would require not k6t(^ but kotov. 
 
 But further there is error in the assumption, common to both 
 suggestions, as to the sense required. There is nothing in the foregoing 
 narrative to prompt the question How then could Apollo punish thee ? 
 The god might have taken vengeance in a hundred ways. From the 
 emphasis laid upon rj^rj in vv. 1208 and 1209 it is clear that the problem 
 was this. Before Cassandra proved false, Apollo had already conferred 
 the prophetic gift. Now it was the established rule that " the gods 
 themselves cannot recall their gifts ". How then, asks the enquirer, 
 could he undo what had been done ? Cassandra answers that he did so, 
 and shows how. He left the prophetic gift (which he might not take 
 away) but yet effectually annulled it by causing her never to be believed. 
 
 From this point of view we shall see that there is in v. 12 10 no 
 error at all, or at most a mere editorial error of accentuation. "AvaKros 
 is not the genitive of ava^ but the verbal adjective from ava.yf.iv, 
 represented in Latin hy revocab ills'. That which is ovk avaKTov tlvi, alicui 
 non revocabile., is that which he cannot bring back or which, as we should 
 say, ' has escaped beyond his reach '. Cassandra, having received 
 the stipulated reward upon a mere promise and before performance, 
 
 ' Cho. 539 Koi TTiis aTpwTov kt\. differs - On the question uf accentuation see 
 
 essentially both in the form of the question liraKTOi or iiraKToi. 
 and in the form of the answer. 
 
2i8 APPENDIX I. 
 
 miglit liavc seemed to be beyond the reach of Loxias' 7orafh ; and the 
 question asked is, how tlien the angry god could luring her back into 
 his power. The use of the word was probably suggested by the legal 
 associations of avdyeiv and dvaywyrj as applied to the process for the 
 recovery of what was paid by mistake or fraud. 
 
 In vv. 1205 — 1208 there is dispute as to the meaning of iraXaia tiJ<;, 
 vofiw, and rjp-qixivr], upon which I shall only say that I believe the text 
 to be sound. 
 
 X. 
 
 vv, 1227 — 1229. ovK otScv Ota yAojcro"tt fjiL(TrjT7J<; kvv6<;, 
 Xe^acra KaKTetWcra <^at8pdvovs BtKrjv 
 arrjs Xa$patov, rei^^erat KaK-fj Tvy^rj. 
 
 These lines, according to the explanation which I take, by combina- 
 tion, from Mr Macnaghten and Mr Bury (partly anticipated many years 
 ago by Mr E. S. Thompson), are open to one objection, not, I think, 
 serious. There is undoubtedly great boldness of metaphor in saying 
 that 'a tongue... reaches forth a cast'. But we must observe that there is 
 no mixture of metaphors, for there is only one metaphor : yAwo-o-a is not 
 metaphorical at all ; neither is kui/o's properly speaking metaphorical ; it 
 is simply an opprobrious term for the adulteress. Except in cKTetVao-a 
 hiK-qv (secondary sense) there is no metaphor, and to this metaphor 
 Tev'^crai is accurately adapted. It is also material that the words 
 yXwo-cra and hiKfjv are far from each other, and the transition is neatly 
 smoothed by the intermediate steps Xe^acra and cKTcimo-a. The real 
 subject being ClytaeDinestra, yXwcro-a easily drops out of view. And 
 besides, the allusive force of eKTetvaa-a and of Slktjv would go far to 
 palliate what otherwise might not please. When a writer wishes to 
 make verbal points of this kind (and Aeschylus loved them, though 
 there is a great difference in this respect between the Seven against 
 Thebes for instance and the Agamemnon), he often does some violence 
 to his language. The transition supposed is very different in kind from 
 the grotesque and unthinkable imagery of yXwo-cra kwos Xci^ao-a ko-k- 
 reivaa-a cjiaiSpov ov<s (Ahrens and Madvig) ' a tongue licking and pointing 
 a joyful ear '. 
 
 Of my own previous remarks on the passage {Journal of Philology, 
 X. 299) I find in the negative part nothing to change; but the reference 
 to V. 902, pointed out by Mr Macnaghten, makes it very improbable 
 that StKT^v is wrong, and thus puts out of court my suggested correction, 
 
APPENDIX I. 219 
 
 as well as the late l)r Munro's (^oki]v J. Ph. xi. p. 133) and many 
 others. What was wanted was something to make natural, with Sikt/i', 
 the use of the verb iKrecvuv and the genitive arr^s XaOpuwv. Exactly 
 that Mr Bury supplies. If it is to be objected against Mr Bury that we 
 have not another specimen of SUr] (or ^lkiJ) /36Xo<;, that objection will 
 not be made by me. Aikt; necessarily meant casi in Greek, as long as 
 the verb 8lk€Iv existed and was known, and might have been used in 
 that sense by Aeschylus, even if (to take a most improbable supposi- 
 tion) no one Jiad done so before or did so afterwards. 
 The reading adopted by Dr Wecklein is 
 
 ovK olScv otav yXwcrcra fH(Tr)Tij, kwos 
 Xci^acra KaKTUvacra <f)ai8p6v ous BiKrjv, 
 arrjv XaOpalov kt\. 
 
 The suggestion to separate Kut'os from the preceding words and to 
 write fXLarjTrj is attributed to Kirchhoff. I mention this as being the 
 only version adopting the readings Aet^ao-a (Tyrwhitt) and cftatSpov ovs 
 (Ahrens, Madvig), which appears to me at all tolerable. But after all, 
 it does not really avoid the fatal phrase yXc(jo-(ra...€KT£tVacra oSs : and 
 moreover the positions of the words Kwos...8t/c?7v make it dififlcult to 
 suppose that they mean /ike a dog. 
 
 Y. 
 
 V. 1266. It €9 cfiOopov ttcctovt' dyaOw 8' diJ.€iPop.ai'\'. 
 
 With diffidence I repeat here the conjecture offered in the Appe?idix 
 to my edition of the Medea (and adopted by Mr Sidgwick) TTECON- 
 TAOHA (TTco-oVra ff w8') for nECONTArAOHA. It has at least the 
 advantage of accounting perfectly by repetition of letters (TATA), for 
 the corruption: see an exact parallel in v. 222 TEFE for re. I retain 
 however dfxeifSofxai, the original reading of f, not the future d/xeii/'o/xai, 
 easily explained as an alteration to suit Zia^Q^pQ. Hermann's e'yw 8' d/x' 
 l\\iop.a.i (followed by Dindorf, Wecklein and others) gives no satisfactory 
 account of the corruption. Moreover v. 1267, properly explained, is 
 strong evidence for retaining the verb dixet/SeaOaL. 
 
 It was objected however to my suggestion by no less an authority 
 than Munro {/. Ph. xi. p. 139) (i) that 8c not re would be required, and 
 (2) that " TTco-oVra in such a sentence cannot be the same as Keifxeva", 
 As to the second point, I can see no difference between Treo-oVra dfiei- 
 /So/Attt here and tov -n-eaovTa XaKTLo-at nXiuv (v. 876) fo spurn the man 
 
220 APPENDIX I. 
 
 who is do7V/t, literally ' liim who has fallen'. Dr Munro cited the 
 ditfeience between Oavmv and nOv-qKux;. But though Te^i/rjKw? cannot be 
 used for ^ai'wi', Oavwv is used for T€Oi'r]Kw<; constantly. It seems to be 
 purely indifferent in such cases whether the past 'act' be given (^avwv, 
 Treo-wi') or the resulting state (tc^i^tj/cws, ttctttw/cws). The first objection 
 is more solid, but I do not think it sustainable. Doubtless Se would be 
 required if tV c's (fiOopov and Treo-ovra dfxuf^ofxai described separate actions 
 entirely distinct. But they do not. The whole is one cumulative action 
 and the copula re (and so) really joins not so much clauses as verbs. 
 It is as if she said (fyBdprjTe re cfiOapivTa t dixufiopai. So in Soph. At. 
 
 654 ciXA' cTyat Trpos T€ Xovrpa Kat TrapaKxtov? XttyawFas /xoXwv re. . .Kpvij/u) 
 
 To'8' eyxoS) where /xoAwf resumes el/u as ireaovTa (cTfiL having no aorist 
 participle of the sense here required) resumes tV e's <^66pov. Find. O/. i. 90 
 (.Xev irapOii ov crvvevvuv T€Ke re AayeVas e^ utows, Lys. 13. I iirpa^ev ovto'» 
 TOLavra 8t' a utt' e/xoi) /xtcretTui i;7rd re vjX(Zv Tt/xtopr^^r^o-erat. See Other 
 examples in Kiihner Gr. Grammar § 519, 3. Munro himself suggested 
 It i% (jiOopov ireaoi'T- — W, wS' afxep^ofxai ' thus will I tear you', comparing 
 the parallel scene in Eur. Troadcs 451 foil, w o-Te(f)i] roi) ^lArarou /mol 
 
 6tiov...iT aiT efxov ^pwros <jTrapayixoi<i. 
 
 V7'. 1276 — 1277. (iwpiov Trarpwov 8' ai^r' eTvi^rjvov /xevei 
 OepfxCo K07rei.a-y]<; (jtoLvtw TrpucrcfxxyfjLaTi. 
 
 These verses have been interpreted as if Oep/xw (jioivM TrpoacftdyfxaTL 
 were an instrumental dative, 7cii7/i hot and bloody sacrifice. I do not 
 think this possible. In the first place Trp6(r<f>ayixa cannot mean simply 
 sacrifice. For this is cited Eur. Tro. 634, where Trpoacf^dyixaTa is used 
 of Polyxena slain at the tomb of Achilles, ie. in its usual sense 'an 
 offering /c^r the dead' ; so also in Eur. /lee. 41 (of Polyxena), id. He/. 
 1255, id. A/c. 845. The meaning of irpo- in the compound, as in other 
 compounds, probably varied. In general it meant on behalf of {irpo- = 
 v-n-ip); thus while the living chiefs received their allotted captives Poly- 
 xena was slain on behalf of \.\\& dead Achilles. So in Eur. Iph. T. 458, 
 the human victims of Artemis are 7rpdcr<^ay/xa ^eas slain for the goddess, 
 where the object of the preposition is expressed. But Eur. Hel. 1255, 
 TTpoa-fjid^eTai fx.kv alfxa Trpwra leprtpots, shows that Trpo- easily lent itself tO 
 the temporal sense, 'the blood shed first', the 'opening sacrifice', and 
 that is perhaps rather the meaning here. At the same time the common 
 
APPENDIX I. 221 
 
 meaning 'a sacrifice for the dead' is not inappropriate, since Agamemnon 
 and his i)araniour are 'wedded in death' according to the grim concep- 
 tion of Clytemnestra (?'. 1447) •''"d each therefore slain/r^/- the other. 
 
 Secondly, Oepfxw must be a j^redicatc and equivalent to Oep/xS oVti. 
 In Aeschylus, where /wv? adjectives are used, one almost always is 
 a predicate (see on T/it'/>. 850), and here the- separate and emphatic 
 position of Oepfxio marks it clearly as such. As an epithet moreover it 
 has no point. 
 
 The construction of the dative is that which with strictly personal 
 subjects is not uncommon even in the older prose writing and might 
 be called a dative 'absolute' with as much or as little propriety as the 
 corresponding genitive (Gildersleeve, Pindar 01. and Pyt/i., Preface 
 p. xciii.). The genitive 'absolute' indicates that the act or condition 
 described by it stands in a relation to the main act conceived as resem- 
 bling that of the origin or 'point from which', or some other relation 
 expressed by this case. Where the relation to be described resembles 
 rather that of the dative, the older language uses that case also with 
 freedom. Most common are datives 'absolute' modelled on the 
 personal dative 'of interest' e.g. Herod. 6. 21 TToufjaavTi ^pvvix<^ Spofxa 
 
 M^tXrjTOv aA-wcriv es ^aKpva cTrefre to OerjTpor, Thuc. 4. 1 20 aTrocjTacrt 8' 
 
 avTois d Bpao-iSa? SteVXevo-e: but there are also datives 'absolute' resem- 
 bling the instrumental, as Theocr. 13. 29 'EXXda-n-ovToi' Ikovto t'otw Tpirov 
 oifiap aei'Tt, and Others again where, as with the genitive, special relation 
 disappears in the general relation of a'ra/msfance, Xen. Ages. i. 2 tois 
 
 Trpoyoi'ois ovo/xa^o/Ae'j'oi?, airojXvqiJiovev^Tai ottoo-to? a^ 'HpaKX€0V9 eyevero, 
 Pmd. O/. 2. 76 k€i<fi6r] Oepo-ai'Spos ipLnevTi HoXwecKeL etc. (See for a 
 large collection of examples Kiihner Gr. Granin/. § 423, 25, f, and 
 also note on T/te^. 217.) The use is very seldom found in the fully 
 developed prose style, having been driven out partly by the genitive, 
 partly by the more precise though more cumbrous use of prepositions 
 or of dependent clauses with conjunctions. So in Eum. 592 ou Kei/xevw 
 TToj ToVSc Ko/x7ra^€t<; Ao'yoi' the dative represents what a prose-writer 
 would more accurately have expressed by cVt or, if he had used a 
 simple case at all, by the genitive Kup-ivov. See also Ag. 1298, and 
 note there. Here the relation of the dative, so far as it is specialized, 
 is partly that of 'interest', extending itself after Aeschylus' manner to 
 a subject not strictly personal, partly that of mere succession to, as 
 in vz'. 1 171, 1338 and Soph. O. T. 175 aXXov 8' av aAAw {one after 
 another) Trpoo-tiSots opfxevov, where see Prof. Jebb's note. Either way 
 the meaning is that the slain Agamemnon will immediately receiTe 
 another victim in Cassandra. 
 
222 APPENDIX I. 
 
 The use of this dative 'absolute' is particularly natural here (and for 
 a similar reason in Thch. 217) where the genitive case is appropriated, 
 so to speak, by Koir€.ia"q<;. As to this genitive itself, which is sometimes 
 suspected, it would seem that no other case could be used: KOTrcTo-av 
 with jneVet would hardly be correct ; a present or future participle would 
 be required. But KOTreicri^? as explained in the note is really general 
 and therefore properly in the aorist. 
 
APPENDIX II. 
 
 On the correspondence of Strophe and Antistrophe. 
 
 On this subject, which is happily not very important to the play 
 before us, I shall be as brief as possible, referring the reader to my 
 edition of the Seveft agaifist Thebes, Appeiidix /., the conclusions of 
 which I shall here assume. "Upon the whole review, we see that three 
 types of variation from strict syllabic correspondence are common in 
 the Seven against Thebes — for we are not justified in assuming that an 
 equal strictness must be found in all the works even of the same poet. — 
 (i) a 'syncopated" foot answering to a complete foot'; (2) the trochaic 
 or ' cyclic ' dactyl answering to a trochee proper ; (3) a long syllable in 
 'thesis' answering to a short syllable". I have reason to believe that 
 the evidence offered for this has been found satisfactory, and as to (i), 
 the only part of the statement likely to cause surprise, I may now cite 
 the express agreement of Dr Fennell". 
 
 The case of the Agamemnon is different. The evidence proves 
 indeed not a few departures from syllabic correspondence. They are of 
 exactly the same kind as those which are common in the Septcm and, 
 taken in connexion with them, are not open to reasonable suspicion. 
 But they are exceptional ; and in general this play exhibits a much 
 nearer approach than the Septem to that strict treatment which seems to 
 have been approved by Sophocles. This fact, we may observe, so far 
 from diminishing the strength of the evidence for these variations, 
 increases it very greatly. If Aeschylus had always used the stricter 
 system, and if the departures from it in the ms. text were the result of 
 erroneous copying, we should expect to find them on the average 
 
 ' - = - -, in musical notation ^ The Parados of Aeschylus' Septan 
 
 m- * = m- m- etc. Cambridge, Univ. Press, 1889. 
 
224 
 
 APPENDIX II. 
 
 equally prevalent in different plays. And the contrary fact points to 
 the contrary inference. 
 
 I will now simply enumerate in classes the variations which may be 
 called regular, and add a few words on some cases of more peculiarity 
 or difficulty. 
 
 §.. - = -(J.=J,^). 
 
 [205. va. \ wv- I Ktti- I TreLO-jxa | twv 
 
 218. T€K I VOV 8a I t^— I 0) 80/A I (jiV 
 
 The vertical lines mark the divisions of the feet. The mark 
 indicates the ' holding ' of the i)receding note. 
 
 |'38o. Trap I ecTTL | tovt— \ ^^i-X \ vcwo-at 
 1 397. Trpo I (3ovXo I Trais a | ^e/otos | aras 
 
 ("384. TTttT I Ol6 O 8 I OVK~ I €V(Te(3 \ 17?— 
 
 (401. Tpi/3 I to— I «at— I Trpoa/So | Aais— 
 
 ("387. TTI'f I OV— I TMV— I jXet^OV \ 7] 8lK \ ttlW? 
 
 (404. St I w- I K€t— I Trats— I TTTttVOV I opviv 
 
 <^Xc I OV— I Twi'— I 8a)/xa | todv u | irep— | ^ci;— 
 TToX I €t— I Trpos— I Tpifxjji a I ^£p— I Toi'— I OeL<;— 
 
 1388. 
 
 C390. fxavTov I (OCTT aTT I apK— I €tv— I €V irpatri | Swv Aa | ^^oi'Ta 
 
 [407. TOV 8 £ I TTLaTpO | cfiOV— | TWvSc | ^(DT a8tK | OV Ktt^ | ttlpCl 
 
 [414. 
 
 143°- 
 
 kXov ] ovs— 
 Trap I cio"t 
 
 '449. 
 
 Xoyx«.p. 
 
 8o|- 
 
 467. 
 
 L 
 
 OVS T€ j Kttt- 
 
 ai <fi€p I ova- 
 
 ^rjy/xa | SvcrSaK | pvTOV 
 
 Trjvop OS CTTToS I OV ye 
 
 Twv TToX I VKTOV \ wv yap 
 
 TToaKoir I oi Be \ oi kcX 
 
 f699- 
 
 KcXaav I Twv 2i/ao 
 TrajXTTpoaO | r; ttoXv 
 
 ei/Tos 
 Opyjvov 
 
 vavfSaT I as OTT I Xio"p,ous 
 at ^ap I IV /Aar | aiav 
 
 av- I 
 
 ^t- I 
 
 01;« a I 
 
 at- I 
 
 as CTT I ttti I (fivXXovs 
 o)V— ap.cjiL TToX I trav. 
 
 14S2. Tj fjiiyav I otKOts I TOto-Oe | 8atp.ova | «at fiapv 
 
 ,1506. ojs p.€V av I aiTios | et- | TovSe ^ov | ov tis o 
 
 In this list of examples one striking fact is the extraordinary 
 prevalence of the 'syncopated' foot, both as a regular form and as a 
 variation, in vv. 379 — 412, a strong argument that it proceeds from 
 some purpose of the poet and not from accidental injury of the text, 
 which cannot reasonably be supposed to have acted upon a particular 
 strophe and aiitistrophe in this exceptional but yet methodic manner. 
 
APPENDIX IT. 225 
 
 Some of these variations may, as we should expect, be reduced to 
 syllabic regularity by such expedients as the insertion of tc or ye'. 
 But others cannot. Not the least objection, except that grounded on 
 metre, lies against oiKots roia-^e (the common dative of relation) in t. 
 1482. In 7'. 414 the supposed metrical difficulty has led to criticisms 
 and proposals, which without it would not have been entertained for 
 a moment. In the order of the words ao-Trt'crropas KXovovi Xoy;;^t/xous re 
 {t.e. /cAo'i'ovs dcTTrarTopas Xoy^i^i'jMous tc difi of s/u'c/ii and spcar) there is 
 nothing irregular : re follows according to rule the word (Xoyyi^ovi) 
 which it serves to couple on : and where adjectives are thus coupled 
 by re some other word constantly stands between them, e.g. in ICur. 
 
 Hec. 267 al^fidXioTov XP^ ''"''' c'^'^ptTov Oavelv KaXXei 9 v7r€p<j)epov(xav 
 
 (i.e. €KK:piToi'...Ka/\/\et 6^ vTrepf^ipovaav). On the Other hand the double 
 change proposed for the sake of syllabic responsion (dcnrurTopa^ 
 kA.oi'ous t€ Koi \oyxtfJi-ov<; rav/Jaras 6^ oTrXtcr/Aow's) makes an arrangement 
 not only improper but unconstruable. The first re, however it be 
 taken, is both useless and out of its place ^. 
 
 § 2. - = ^ in the unaccented part of the foot. 
 
 This (the ' unnatural ' long syllable of H. Schmidt's terminology) is 
 found in almost all poets and in every kind of metre. It occurs in the 
 strophae of the Agamemnon with moderate frequency. 
 
 j'192. yap I t? /St I atws | creXfJia 
 [200. 6^ I wv TraA. I ippo | Ool^ €v 
 
 j'207. Tpi(3 I (0 KUT I c^ — I atvov I av6o<; | Apyet | oiv. 
 (220. peeO I pOLS TTttT I po) — I ovs x^P I "■'^ (^^ I i"'"^ ""^'^ I "5- 
 
 Here, as is not uncommonly the case, the feet interchange. All the 
 feet are equal, most of them true trochees, the second in each set (not 
 counting the anacrusis) a ' syncopated ' trochee, while the trochaic — — 
 appears in the fifth foot of the first set, and in the fourth foot of the 
 second. So also in the first feet of vv. 392, 3, 4 compared with tc». 
 409, 10, II and in the last foot oi v. 393 compared with that of 7'. 410. 
 So in V7>. 426, 27, 28. So in v. 1105 yeVet by 1119 revx" : see Soph. 
 
 ^ Not that these insertions are justi- valent for re or Kai. 
 
 tied by the usage of the poet. Roth in - According to the MS. there would 
 
 205 and ih 401 the inserted re is perfectly be a 'syncopated' foot in v. 441 over- | fiev 
 
 otiose and offensive. Aeschylus is not in yap e | ireii\j/€v : but see note there, 
 the habit of using re Kal as a mere equi- 
 
 V. /E. A. 15 
 
226 
 
 APPENDIX IT. 
 
 O. C. 1557 and 1568. So in the first syllabic (anacrusis) of 7'. 1162 
 veoyj'os compared with v. 11 73 «ai tis ere. 
 
 One or two more cases are doubtful. In v. 1469 the correction 
 c/A7riTV6is is probable, in ?'. 1512 Trpo^aivwv is not improbable. In a 
 462 Orelli's conjecture Ix^ovras would give an instance, but the ms. 
 c^ovTas is better. 
 
 8 3- - 
 
 -^r I n I M 
 
 This, which in the Septan is scarcely less frequent than (i) and (2), 
 is in the A^^aiiienuion rare. Two certain examples are close together : 
 
 r7i8. 
 
 728. 
 
 XPo 
 
 ^pei// - 
 
 VIV 8ofJi 
 
 Ttts av 
 I via — 
 
 60s TO 
 
 "yap Tpo(ji 
 fjirjXocjiOv 
 
 ev Sc Xe I ovTOS | 
 
 ois aya | XaKTOv | 
 
 •>7p <^tXo I fxacTTov I 
 
 Tou TrpoTC I Xetois etc. 
 
 ^eis 8' ttTTC I 8ei^€v I 
 
 Trpos T0/c€ I ojv ;;(ap | 
 
 as a I fX£LJ3<i)v I 
 
 oio-tv I arais etc. 
 
 V - 
 
 IV — 
 
 Both the last lines have been variously emended, but the suggested 
 changes in 7'. 730 (e. g. rpoe^as a.TTa[xd(iwv) are arbitrary and those in 
 V. 731 (see note there) very unhappy. From the mere fact that the 
 same peculiarity occurs in two successive lines, we may be sure that 
 there is no error. Such variations are naturally often grouped together. 
 See also v. 715, as given in § i above. In v. 412 we should perhaps 
 retain KAoTrats, and in v. 458 ttpoSlkolo-lv : but these dative forms are 
 always uncertain. 
 
 §4. - = --(j^^n). 
 
 This, the so-called ' resolution of a long syllable ', is not unfrequent. 
 j'394. XaKTicr I avTL /xey | aXa 8lk I as — | 
 
 I411. 
 
 r](T)(v 
 
 I ve e 
 
 evL I av TpaiT e 
 
 c- 
 
 ("417. a I rXrjra | rXacra | ttoXv S av | (.(JTe | vov — 
 (433. /3e I (3aKev \ oi//is | ov fxS | va-rep \ ov — 
 
 1090. 
 
 eKas a Troo^TaT 
 
 .1098. X^P°^ ^ I P^yo/'iev I a — I 
 
 See also 7'e'. 422, mo, 1162, 1454, and 1482. Some of these can be 
 
APPENDIX II. 227 
 
 removed by plausible changes, some not without great violence. But 
 there is no reason to suspect any of them. 
 
 I have reserved for separate consideration one or two places of 
 special character or special importance. 
 
 r42I. Trap I ^CTTi I (jty — | a? a | ti/xos a | Xot8op | o? — | 
 
 a I Si(TT09 I a(fi€fiev | toi' tS | tti' — | 
 
 437- """^ I '^'^*' ^ "*^ I EWaSos I at — I as ^vv | op/xev | ots - | 
 
 Trev I OeLa \ rXrjin | Kap8t | os — | 
 
 It will be seen that there is here no variation other than tliose 
 which have been illustrated above, except the lengthening of the hist 
 syllable of «Aoi^opos by the ictus of the verse and by the rhythmical 
 or musical break between 'Hne' and Mine'. This is found again at 
 7'. 436 
 
 TMvS VTT I €p/?aT | W Tfp | d — | 
 
 and is in fact too familiar to require further notice'. In 422 = 438 there 
 is one variation, in 421,= 437 there are two, all of common types. And 
 I would ask the reader to notice, as a significant testimony in favour of 
 the MS. text, the subtle and nicely calculated balance of vv. 421 and 
 437. The metre of both verses is trochaic. Each verse exhibits two 
 variations or quasi trochees, am/ the same two (see above, §§ i and 3), 
 differetitly disposed ifi the verse^ so that the total quantity, so to speak, 
 of each verse is exactly the same. That this delicacy of rhythm has 
 been produced by mere blundering I cannot believe, and I therefore 
 hold both verses correct. 
 
 743. Trapa | kXi — | vatr eTre | Kpa — | v€v 8e ya/A | 
 ov TTLK I pov re I Xewras. 
 
 754. Si^a 8 I aXX — I u)v fxovo | <f)po)v — | £t/x.t to | 
 yap — I Svcrae/Sis | epyov. 
 
 Here exact correspondence may be restored by changing the order of 
 the words (to Svaae^h yap Pauw) ; and though mistakes of this kind 
 are not nearly so common in the mss. of verse as they are sometimes 
 said to be, still the case is doubtful. We should notice however that 
 the antistrophe (not the strophe) has the rhythm which we should 
 
 ^ The principle extends to the case of does not really affect the question. The 
 
 V. 1410 dw^SiKes, dweTcifxes ' \ aTrdiroXis 5' break of music and rhythm, correspond- 
 
 Iffei, where to produce the appearance of ing to the pause in the sense, is there, 
 
 regularity we ought to print dirSnoXis however we mark it, and is allowed to 
 
 kt\. in a separate line. But the arrange- protect the final syllable of air^ra/jLes from 
 
 nient of lines, which is purely arbitrary, abbreviation. 
 
 15—3 
 
228 APPENDIX II. 
 
 expect ; the metre is the so-called Ionic a vn'nore, one of the many 
 forms of the lyric trochaic. 
 
 A still more doubtful problem is presented by the following : 
 
 990. jUaXa yap roi Ta9 iroXXas uyietas 
 aKopecTTOV Tcp/xa • voo-os yap 
 yeiTwv ofJiOTOL^o^ epetSct. 
 1004. TO 8' cTTt yav ireaovO^ aTra^ 6avd(Tip.ov 
 TTpotrap avSpos fJiiXav aip,a tis av 
 irdXiv ay/caXecratr' eTrattStov ; 
 Here the question is embarrassed by the fact that there is undoubtedly 
 some error, since 71. 1004 has no construction. The correction com- 
 monly received (ttcctov Auratus) is facile but far from certain, as there 
 is no apparent likelihood in the error supposed. It is perhaps more 
 likely that cVi yav, which could well be spared, covers some neuter 
 adjective or participle to which ttco-oV tc was attached. The whole 
 rhythm also of V7>. 990 and 1004 is or appears to be exceptional and 
 complicated. It is not probable that the correspondence here was 
 strictly syllabic, but no positive conclusion is to be reached. I will 
 note merely that the lines which can be construed as they stand can 
 also be scanned as they stand, 
 
 991. ttKop I eoTTOv I Tepp,a vocr | os - | yap yei | twv o/xo 
 
 I TOti^o? ep ] ctSet. 
 1005. TTpoTrap I ai/8 — | pos /xeXav | atp,a ti5 | av TraXii/ | ayxaXeo" 
 
 I atT €7ra | eiScov, 
 
 and that they exhibit the same kind of balance which has been noticed 
 in 7'7'. 421 and 437. 
 
 In V7K 249 and 1132 we have metrical irregularities which, though 
 at first sight widely dissimilar, may perhaps be referred to the same 
 principle. In ?'. 249 there is apparently a strange hiatus 
 KpoKov j3a(f)d<; 8' es TeSov ^eoucra 
 c^aXXe ktX. 
 and in v. 11 32 a hypermetric syllable, TrdOo<; cVcyxeao-a answering to 
 ■7rTepo(f)6pov Se/xas. In neither place does the sense give any hint of 
 error, nor has either been found amenable to correction". With regard 
 
 ^ Note that a hiatus of this kind has - 249 ^a<f>as...peov<Tas Keck, x^ncr' 
 
 no resemblance to those cases where at w5' Hermann, x^<"^<^' «^' Kennedy, ^a- 
 
 the end of the line a short syllable taking XoOo-' 'iKaarov Karsten, /3dX' ilv eKacrrov 
 
 the stress of the rhythm is treated as Ahrens. — 11 32 dpoeh ...e-rreyx^o-^ Franz 
 
 long. This is quite common ; while the etc. The conjectures (see Wecklein) are 
 
 examples of the other are rare and un- too numerous to quote. None of them 
 
 satisfactory. give a sense so good as the MS. reading. 
 
APPENDIX II. 229 
 
 to the first, the solution is, I believe, that the short vowel actually is 
 elided according to rule, the scansion being this : 
 
 KpoK I ov )8a^ I as 8- I €S TTcS I ov x^ I ov(T- I e I /?aXA etc. 
 
 ^ll^l lll^M^l 11 ^ll 
 
 answering to 
 
 260 
 
 T€x I vat Se I Ka\— | ;^avTos | ou« a \ KpavTOi | 8tK | a etc. 
 
 f^ii hi III hii hi! II ^IJ 
 
 J I J. J I ^ IJ.J IJ.J IwJIri^ 1^* 
 
 If so, the case really falls under § i (see above), and it may throw 
 some light upon v. 1132. In mere principle there is nothing surprising 
 in the occurrence of such a ' hypermetric ' syllable as we find in TrdOos 
 iireyx^aaa. If it were common, every one would regard it as quite 
 natural, and the wonder is that it is not. The final trochee of TrdOos 
 cTreyxeao-a answers to the final long syllable of TTTcpo^cpov Se/^as, or to 
 put the same thing otherwise, the musical bar is completed by a note in 
 the first and by a rest in the second. When the Romans first began to 
 imitate Greek metres they abounded in such 'hypermetric' lines, as well 
 as in lines with a superfluous ' anacrusis ' ', and the same thing is true 
 mutatis mutandis of most modern versification. It is not likely /r/w<z 
 facie that the most severe treatment would avoid an occasional lapse (if 
 such it is) of this kind, and where the genuineness of the exception is 
 supported by the meaning, it would be rash to reject it on the bare 
 evidence of a metrical discrepancy rather apparent than real. 
 
 Lastly in those parts of the play which are written in dochmii'\ or 
 in metre for practical purposes not distinguishable from the dochmiac, 
 there are a few noticeable variations. In v. 1408 ki aXos opofxevov (ms. 
 6p(vfxevov) may be correct, though exact correspondence is restored by 
 op/Mivov. In 7'. 1 164 (if KaKo., as seems probable, be omitted) we have 
 [XLvvpd Opeofxepas answering to yoepd 6avaTo<f)6pa. The first is a not 
 uncommon variety of doc/imius, in which the first and second ' long ' 
 syllables are ' resolved '. The second would be an iambic trimeter with 
 ' resolved ' syllables (yoepa | ^avaro | (f>opa) : on the iambic trimeter as 
 a variation in this metre see on the Septe7n 206, 219 etc. {Aj)pe?idix I. 
 p. 133 in my edition). The same variation is exhibited by M in Ag. 
 1 143 dr;8ovos fj.6pov, answering to v. 11 30 «aKOTroT/xoi Tu^at : it is not 
 
 1 As to the superfluous ' anacrusis ' mii(s will be found in the paper of Dr 
 
 see on S. C. Th. v. 723, Appendix I. p. Fennell already cited, pp. 6 foil. With 
 
 136. most of what he says I entirely agree. 
 
 ^ An interesting discussion of the dock- 
 
230 APPENDIX II. 
 
 certain therefore that Hermann was right in changing the order to /xopov 
 
 A small question, partly metrical partly linguistic, is presented by 
 the word uKopco-Tos {vik 1105, 1138), where it is usual to substitute the 
 supposed equivalent form aKopcros. But the metrical evidence is 
 dubious as well as the form. In v. 1105 there is already exact 
 responsion, if the second syllable of eVv'Spw (?'. 11 19) be scanned as long. 
 In V. 1 138, the scansion intended, since in the dochmii of this scene 
 the metre is generally continuous, may be ^ovQa. 'KopecrT09 : that \op(.(T- 
 To<; might answer to fxeXorvnei'; all would admit. The general cjuestion 
 whether in the dochmius the first iambus might be represented by an 
 anapaest (v,- v^ - | - | ^ - for w - | - | ^ -) cannot be answered with 
 certainty in the present state of the evidence. 
 
TRANSLATION. 
 
 {For the scenery and action see the Introduction.) 
 
 A Watchman. A whole long year of watch have I prayed heaven 
 for release, a year that, like a dog, I have made my bed in the embrace 
 of this palace-roof, till I know all the nightly company of the stars, and 
 chiefly those chief signs that, marked by their brightness for the princes 
 of the sky, bring summer and winter to. man, all their wanings and the 
 risings thereof. And still I am watching for the token-flame, the 
 beacon-blaze which is to carry the news from Troy, the tidings of the 
 capture ! This it is to be commanded by a woman, who brings her 
 quick hopes into the business of men ! When I have found my bed, 
 rain-wetted, restless, and safer than some are from the visit of dreams 
 (for instead of sleep comes the fear that sleeping might close my eyes 
 for ever), and when the fancy comes to whistle or sing by way of 
 a salve for drowsiness, then tears arise of sorrow for what hath 
 befallen this house, now put to no such good work as in the old 
 days. But ah, this time may the blessed release be given, the blessed 
 beacon dawn with its message from the dark. 
 
 O joy ! O welcome blaze, that showest in night as it were a dawn, 
 thou harbinger of many a dance, that shall be set in Argos for this good 
 hap ! What ho ! What ho ! Lady of Agamemnon, I cry you loud. 
 Up from the dark couch, quick, up, and raise the morning-hymn of 
 thine house in honour of yon fire, if, as the signal doth manifestly 
 announce, Troy town is taken indeed. Aye, and myself at least will 
 prelude the dancing ; for ray score shall profit by my master's game, 
 the treble-six, thrown me by yon fire-signal. 
 
 Well, may the king return, may I clasp his welcome hand in mine. 
 The rest shall be unspoken (my tongue hath upon it an ox-foot weight), 
 though the house itself, if it could find a voice, might declare it plain 
 
232 TRANSLATION vv. 38—102. 
 
 enoLigli ; for I mean to be, for my part, clear to who knows and to him 
 who knows not blind. \Exit.'\ 
 
 Chorus of Elders. 'Tis now the tenth year since, to urge their 
 powerful right against Priam, King Menelaus and King x^gamemnon, 
 the mighty sons of Atreus, paired in the honour of throne and sceptre 
 derived from Zeus, put forth from this land with an Argive armament, 
 a thousand crews of fighting men, summoned to their aid. 
 
 Loud rang their angry battle-cry, as the scream of vultures who, 
 vexed by boys in the supreme solitudes where they nest, wheel with 
 beating pinions round and round, when they miss the young brood 
 whose bed it was their care to watch. And the shrill sad cry of the 
 birds is heard by ears supreme, by Apollo belike or Pan or Zeus, who 
 to avenge the licensed sojourners of their dwelling-place, sends soon or 
 late on the offenders the ministers of punishment. Even such ministers 
 are the sons of Atreus, sent to punish the triumph of Paris by their 
 mightier Zeus, guardian of hospitality, that so for a woman whom many 
 could win there should be wrestlings many and weary, where the knee 
 is pressed in the dust and the shaft, the spousal shaft, is snapped, 
 between suffering Greek and Trojan suffering too. 
 
 The cause is this day no further: the end will be as it must. By no 
 increase of fuel or libation, and by no tears, shalt thou overcome the 
 stubbornness of a sacrifice that will not burn. 
 
 As for us, whose worn thews could not render their service, that 
 martial gathering left us behind, and here we bide, on guiding-staves 
 supporting our childish strength. For if the young breast, where the 
 sap is but rising, is no better than eld but in this, that the spirit of war 
 is not there, oh what is man, when he is more than old ? His leaf is 
 withered, and with his three feet he wanders, weak as a child, a day-lit 
 dream. 
 
 But what of thee, daughter of Tyndareus, Queen Clytaemnestra? 
 What chance? What news.? On what intelligence, what convincing 
 report are thy messengers gone round bidding sacrifice? To all the 
 gods that dwell in Argos, upper and nether gods, the high gods and the 
 low, the altars blaze with gifts, while on all sides the flames soar up to 
 the sky, yielding to the innocent spell and soft persuasion of hallowed 
 oil, rich from the store of kings. All this (so far as thou canst and 
 may est consent) do thou explain, and thus cure my present care, which 
 vexes me now anon, although at whiles the sacrifices call up a kindly 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 103—174. 233 
 
 hope and drive from my mind the unsated thought that still returns to 
 the prey (?). 
 
 It is my right to tell — it is an encouragement upon their way 
 permitted to them whose vigour is past, that still at their years they 
 draw from heaven that winning inspiration, which is the strength of 
 song, — how the twin-throned Achaean Kings, concordant leaders of 
 Hellas' youth, were sped with avenging arm and spear to the Teucrian 
 land by a gallant omen, when to the kings of ships appeared the black 
 king of birds and the white-backed king together, seen near the palace 
 on the spear-hand in conspicuous place, feasting on hares, then full of 
 young, stayed one course short of home. 
 
 Be sorrow, sorrow spoken, but still let the good prevail ! 
 
 ' Then the good seer, who followed the host, when he saw how the two 
 brave Atridae were in temper' twain, took cognizance of those hare- 
 devouring birds and of the princely captains, and thus he spake 
 interpreting : ' After long time they that here go forth must win King 
 Priam's town, though ere they pass the wall all their cattle, their public 
 store, shall perforce be divided and consumed. Only may no divine 
 displeasure fore-smite and overcloud the gathering of the host, whose 
 might should bridle Troy. For the wrath of holy Artemis rests on the 
 house of those winged coursers of her sire, who sacrifice a trembling 
 mother with all her young unborn. She loathes such a feast of eagles. 
 
 ' Be sorrow, sorrow spoken, but still let the good prevail. 
 
 ' Yea, fair one, loving though thou art unto the uncouth whelps of 
 many a fierce breed, and sweet to the suckling young of all that roam 
 the field, yet to this sign thou art prayed to let the event accord. 
 Auspicious are these eagle-omens, but not without a flaw. But oh, in 
 the blessed name of the Healer, raise thou not hindering winds, long to 
 delay from the seas the Argive fleet ; urge not a second sacrifice, foul 
 off"ering of forbidden meat, which shall put hate between flesh and bone 
 and break marital awe. For patient, terrible, never to be laid, is the 
 wrath of the wife still plotting at home revenge for the unforgotten child.' 
 
 Thus Calchas crossed his chant of high promise to the royal house 
 from the omens of the march : and so with according burden 
 
 Be sorrow, sorrow spoken, but still let the good prevail ! 
 
 'Zeus' — power unknown, whom, since so to be called is his own 
 .pleasure, I by that name address. When I ponder ujjon ali things, I 
 
 ^ Or ' in colour '. See Ap])cndi.\ C. 
 
234 TRANSLATION vv. 175—244. 
 
 can conjecture nought but 'Zeus' to fit the need, if the burden of vanity 
 is in very truth to be cast from the soul. Not he, who perhaps was 
 strong of yore and flushed with victorious pride, could now be so much 
 as proved to have had being : and he that came next hath found his 
 concjueror and is gone. But whoso to Zeus by forethought giveth titles 
 of victory, the guess of his thought shall be right. And Zeus it is who 
 leadeth men to understanding under this law, that they learn a truth 
 by the smart thereof. The wound, where it lies dormant, will bleed, 
 and its aching keep before the mind the memory of the hurt, so that 
 wisdom comes to them without their will. And it is perhaps a mercy 
 from a Power, who came by struggle to his majestic seat. 
 
 Thus it was with the Achaean ammiral, the elder of the twain. A 
 prophet, thought he, is not to blame, so he bent before the blast. But 
 when his folk began to weary of hindering winds and empty cask, still 
 lying over against Chalcis, where the tides of Aulis rush to and fro, 
 while still the gales blew thwart from Strymon, stayed them and starved 
 them, and penned them in, port, grinding the men and making of ship 
 and tackle a prodigal waste, and with lapse of time, doubled over and 
 over, still withering the flower of Argos away; then at last, when the 
 prophet's voice pointed to Artemis and told of yet one more means to 
 cure the tempest's bane, a means pressing more on the princes, which 
 made the sons of Atreus beat their staves upon the ground and let 
 the tear roll down : — the elder then of the twain found voice and 
 said : 
 
 ' Sore is my fate if I obey not, and sore if I must slay my child, the 
 jewel of my home, staining paternal hands with virgin stream from the 
 victim at the altar's side. Are not the two ways woeful both ? How 
 can I fail my fleet and lose my soldiery ? For eager is their craving 
 that to stay the winds her virgin blood should be offered up, and well 
 they may desire it. May it be for the best ! ' 
 
 So, having put on his neck the harness of Necessity, his spirit set 
 to the new quarter, impious, wicked, unholy, and from that moment he 
 took to his heart unflinching resolve. For to put faith in the shedding 
 of blood is an obstinate delusion, whose base suggestion is the 
 beginning of sin. Howsoever he did not shrink from slaying a victim 
 daughter in aid of war waged for a stolen wife, a spousal-rite to bind 
 unto him his fleet ! 
 
 Her prayers, her cries to her father, mere life-breath of a girl, the 
 spectators, eager for war, regarded not at all. Her father, after prayer, 
 gave word to the ministers, while casting her robes about her she bowed 
 herself desperately down, to lift her, as it were a kid, over the altar, 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 245—292. 235 
 
 and, for prevention of her heautiful lii)S, to stop the voice tliat miglit 
 curse his house with the dumb cruel violence of the gag. 
 
 And she, as she let fall to earth her saffron robe, smote each one of 
 the sacrificers with glance of eye that sought their pity, and seemed like 
 as in a painting, fain to speak : for oft had she sung where men were 
 met at her father's noble board, with pure voice virginally doing dear 
 honour to the grace and blessing that crowned her father's feast. 
 
 What followed I saw not, neither do I tell. The rede of Calchas 
 doih not lack fulfilment. Yet is it the law that only to experience 
 knowledge should fall : when the future comes, then thou mayest hear 
 of it ; ere that, I care not for the hearing, which is but anticipating 
 sorrow ; it will come clear enough, and with it the proof of the rede 
 itself. Enough : let us pray for such immediate good, as the present 
 matter needs. Here is our nearest concern, this fortress, sole protection 
 of the Argive land. 
 
 \_Eutcr Clytaemnestra, Conspirators, etc.'] 
 
 I am come, Clytaemnestra, in observance of thy command. 'Tis 
 right to render obedience to the sovereign and queen, when the 
 husband's throne is empty. Now whether tidings good or not good 
 have moved thee by this ceremony to announce good hope, I would 
 gladly learn from thee : though if thou would'st keep the secret, I am 
 content. 
 
 Clytaemnestra. For ' good ', as says the proverb, may the kind morn 
 announce it from her kind mother night. But 'hope' is something short 
 of the joy thou art to hear. The Argive army hath taken Priam's town. 
 
 An Elder. How sayest thou? I scarce caught the words, so 
 incredible they were. 
 
 CI. I said that Troy is ours. Do I speak clear ? 
 
 Eld. 'Tis joy that surprises me and commands its tear. 
 
 CI. Yes, 'tis a loyal gladness of which thine eye accuses thee. 
 
 Eld. And what then is the proof? Hast thou evidence for this ? 
 
 CI. I have indeed, if miracle deceive me not. 
 
 Eld. Is it a dream-sign that commands thine easy credence ? 
 
 CI. Not sight-proof would I accept from a brain bemused. 
 
 Eld. Yet canst thou have taken cheer from some uncertified 
 presage ? 
 
 CI. Thou boldest my sense as low as it were a babe's. 
 
 Eld. And what sort of time is it since the city fell ? 
 
 CI. It fell, I say, in the night whence yonder light is this moment 
 born. 
 
 Eld. But what messenger could arrive so c^uick ? 
 
236 TRANSLATION vv. 293—348. 
 
 CI. The firc-god was tlie messenger. From Ida he sped forth the 
 bright blaze, which beacon after beacon by courier flame passed on to 
 us. Ida sent it first to Hermes' rock in Lemnos ; and to the great 
 bonfire on Lemnos' isle succeeded third Zeus' mountain of Athos, with 
 such a soaring pile of wood upon it as might strengthen the travelling 
 torch to pass joyously over the wide main ; and this, with the golden 
 light as it were of a sun, blazed on the message to the outlook on 
 Makistos. Nor he for any delay or for overcoming sleep neglected 
 heedlessly his messenger-part. Far over Euripus' stream came his 
 beacon-light and gave the sign to the watchers of Messapiiis. These 
 raised an answering light to pass the signal far away, with pile of 
 withered heath which they kindled up. And the torch thus strengthened 
 flagged not yet, but leaping, broad as a moon, over Asopus' plain to 
 Cithaeron's scar, roused in turn the next herald of the fiery train ; nor 
 there did the sentinels refuse the far-heralded light, but made a bonfire 
 higher than was bid, whose flying brightness lit beyond Gorgopis' water, 
 and reaching the mount of Aegiplanctus, eagerly bade them not tO' 
 slack the commanded fire. They sped it on, throwing high with force 
 unstinted a flame like a great beard, which could even overpass, so far 
 it flamed, the headland that looks down upon the Saronic gulf, and 
 thus alight then, and only then, when it reached the outlook, nigh to 
 our city, upon the Arachnaean peak ; whence next it lighted (at last !) 
 here upon our royal roof, yon light, which shows a pedigree from the 
 fire of Ida. Such are the torch-bearers which I have ordained, by 
 succession one to another completing the course: — of whom the victor is 
 he who ran first and last. Such is the evidence and token I give thee, 
 my husband's message sped out of Troy to me. 
 
 Eld. My thanksgiving, lady, to heaven shall be presently paid ; 
 but first this story — I would fain satisfy my wonder by hearing it 
 repeated, in thy way of telling, from point to point. 
 
 CI. Troy is this day in the hands of the Achseans ! Methinks 
 there must be sound there of voices that will not blend. Pour 
 with the same vessel vinegar and oil, and thou wilt exclaim at their 
 unfriendly parting. Even so their tones, the conqueror and the con- 
 quered, fall different as their fortunes upon the ear. These on the 
 ground clasping the dead, their husbands, brothers, fatliers, sons, young 
 children weeping for gray sires, themselves enslaved, are wailing for their 
 beloved. Those the hungry weariness of fighting and a restless night 
 hath set to break their fast upon what is in the town, not billeted 
 orderly, but lodging themselves forthwith, by such chance as falls to 
 each eager hand, in the captured houses of Troy, to escape as they may 
 
TRANSLATION vv. zA9-A^o. 237 
 
 the miseries of the open air, the frosts and the dews. With no watch 
 to keep they will sleep the whole night long. 
 
 Now must they pay due respect to the gods that inhabit the town, 
 the gods of the conquered land, or their victory may end in their own 
 destruction after all. Too soon belike for their safety, the soldiery, 
 seized with greed, may yield to their covetousness and lay hands on 
 forbidden spoil. They have still to bring themselves home, have still 
 the backward arm of the double course to make. And if no sin against 
 heaven rest on the returning host, there is the wrong of the dead that 
 watches. Evil may find accomplishment, although it fall not at once. 
 
 But for all these my womanish words, may the good prevail, plainly, 
 I say, and undoubtfully ; for choosing so, I choose more blessings than 
 one. 
 
 A Conspirator. Lady, no man could speak more kindly wisdom 
 than thou. For my part, after the sure proof heard from thee, my 
 purpose is now to give our thanks to the gods, who have wrought a 
 return in full for all the pains. \Exit Clytaemuesira. 
 
 Cofispirators. Hail, sovereign Zeus, hail, gracious night, high is the 
 glory thou hast won, thou night, that hast cast over the towers of Troy 
 meshes so close, that none full-grown, nay, nor any young could pass 
 the wide enslaving net, one capture taking them all. Zeus, god of host 
 and guest, I confess him great, who hath wrought this vengeance for 
 Paris' sin, though long he bent his bow, that so neither heaven-high the 
 bolt might go, nor short of the mark might fall. 
 
 Elders. Zeus' stroke it is which they dare proclaim. This thought 
 we may follow out. As He determines, so He accompHshes. It was 
 said by one that the gods deign not to regard sinners, when they trample 
 upon the grace of sacredness. But impiously was it said. It is mani- 
 fested, how pregnant is the insolence of a too defiant pride, when the 
 fulness of the house grossly exceedeth the best. And this best shall 
 be so much, as will let a man blest with sense live of it undistressed. 
 
 For there is no defence for that man, who in the pride of wealth 
 doth haughtily spurn the fixed foundation of Right, whereby he may 
 be unseen : though strong is that obstinate persuasion, servant of 
 Blindness and shaper of her decree. Remedy is all vain. Unhidden 
 the mischief glows with a baleful light. Like base metal beneath, the 
 rub and touch, he shows the black grain under justification (for his 
 pursuit is idle as the boy's who follows the flying bird), and leaves upon 
 his people a fatal mark of the touching. Deaf to supplication, the gods 
 condemn for wicked whosoever is conversant with such. 
 
 Such was the sin of Paris, who came to that house of the Atridae and 
 
238 TRANSLA TION vv, 41 1— 48 1. 
 
 dishnnourcd the hospitable board by theft of the wife. Leaving to her 
 countrymen the din of shield and spear and the arming of fleets, and 
 bringing to Ilium ruin for her dower, she had passed with light step, 
 careless of sin, through the gates. And oft they sighed, the interpreters 
 of the home, as they said, ' Ah for the home ! aha, for the home ! 
 Aha, and ah, for the princes thereof, for the husband's bed yet printed 
 with her embrace. We can see him there, his curses mocked with 
 silence, the parted spouse, the sweetest sight of them all ! He shall 
 pine for her that is far ' beyond sea, till he seems but a phantom 
 lord of the house. Grace of beautiful statues the husband hateth : 
 with the want of the eyes all the passion is gone. Dream-forms stay 
 with him a while, convincing semblances, and offer delight in vain ; 
 for lo, when vainly he thinks to grasp the phantom, the vision escapes 
 through his arms and is gone that instant on wings that follow the 
 passing of sleep.' 
 
 Such was the home-sorrow ere they parted hence ; and other woes 
 they have, woes surpassing yet beyond these. And in every home of 
 those who set forth together from Hellas' land the hearts of their 
 women-folk ache, as ache they must, with all they have to wound 
 them. Whom they sped forth, them they know; but it is not the 
 man they know that comes to his home ; it is but an urn and ashes. 
 A merchant in gold is Ares, and bodies of men are his gold : in battle 
 he hoideth his scale. He sends from Ilium dust out of his fire, a 
 heavy gold to weeping love, powder that once was a man, now pressed 
 into the compass of a jar. 
 
 And they lament them, telling their praises, how skilled was the 
 dead in battle, or how bravely he shed his blood — 'And all through 
 another's wife', snarls some one in a whisper: and so there spreads a 
 resentful anger against the quarrel of the sons of Atreus. 
 
 Others there by the town, in their own shapes, possess graves in 
 Trojan earth, which hating them doth hide its fair possessors away. 
 
 Now when one anger moves a people, there is danger in their talk ; 
 it is a bond no less than a covenant sworn. And I am waiting in fear 
 for a voice from the darkness of my thoughts. 
 
 For whosoever are guilty of lives, upon them God's eyes are fixed. 
 The time comes when fortune unmerited turns to misfortune at a touch, 
 when the dark Chastisers take the man's strength away : and once he is 
 gone, no help for him. Glory too high is dangerous; it is upon the peak . 
 that the thunder strikes. Nay, let my happiness challenge no jealousy : 
 and let me be no conqueror, nor see myself a conquered slave. 
 
 First Elder. The beacon hath spoken fair, and the report is 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 482—525. 239 
 
 spreading swiftly among the folk; but hath it spoken true? Who 
 knows? It is indeed miraculous, — if not false. 
 
 Second Elder. How can one be so childish, so crazed of wit, to fire 
 with hope at a sudden message of flame, and risk the pain of altered 
 news? 
 
 Third Elder. With woman's impulse it is natural to give indulgent 
 credit before the proof. 
 
 Fourth Elder. She is too ready of belief, a boundary cjuickly 
 passed and encroached upon ; but quick to pass away is the rumour that 
 women cry. 
 
 First Elder. 'Twill not be long ere we know of this line of torch- 
 bearers, this beacon chain of succeeding fires, whether they be true, or 
 whether this gladding light, a dream-like visitor, hath beguiled the 
 sense. Yon herald comes from the shore, I see, with his shade of olive 
 boughs. And the information of the thirsty Dust, sister and neighbour 
 to the Mire, assures me of this, that with something more than dumb 
 signals of fire-smoke, more than a bonfire of wood burnt you upon a hill, 
 he with a plain word will either expUcitly bid us rejoice, or else — but 
 the other word, for the sake of these, shall remain unspoken. May 
 the fair appearance receive a like addition ! 
 
 A Conspirator. If there be any that agrees not in this patriot 
 prayer, let him reap himself the consequence of his mistake. 
 
 [Efiter a Herald.] 
 
 The Herald. O native earth, O Argos, my country, hail ! With 
 the dawn of this tenth year I am come to thee, at last. Many a hope 
 hath broken, but one I have grasped. For I never thought I should 
 die here, in this land of Argos, and have my plot in her well-beloved 
 soil. But now I bless' the land, I bless the bright sun, blessed be our 
 Zeus supreme, and blessed he, the lord of Pytho ; may he shoot his 
 shafts not upon us any more. Long enough he came in enmity to 
 Scamander's plain. But now be Saviour, O king Apollo, and Healer 
 again ! And the gods assembled here, I salute them all, him too, mine 
 own protector, Hermes the Herald, whom heralds love and revere, and 
 all the deified, them who sent forth the host, I bid them now receive 
 it, so much as the spear hath spared. Hail royal palace, mansion 
 beloved, and solemn seats, and deities eastward looking (and oh, how 
 long ye have looked !) ; with this bright gladness in your eyes welcome 
 
 ^ An adequate translation is here Sac, -wpoc^i-ntlv) common to both. The 
 
 impossible, because in English the forms ambiguity of the Greek is an essential 
 
 for greeting and farewell are absolutely point. Sec the note on v. 508. 
 distinct and not (like x^^P^ '"^H'' Trpoaav- 
 
240 TRANSLATION %>v. 526—571. 
 
 fitly the king so long away. For our prince is returned, bringing 
 light in darkness to impart unto all that are here, even Agamemnon 
 our king. 
 
 But ye must greet him observantly, as is his due, having digged 
 Troy out of the earth with the mattock of Zeus the Avenger, which hath 
 broken her soil to dust. Her foundations cannot be found, or her fixed 
 religious fanes, and all she might grow from is perishing out of the 
 ground. So strong compulsion hath the elder son of royal Atreus put 
 upon Troy, and happiest of mankind he comes home. None hath 
 such claim to requital, not one in the live world. As for Paris and 
 his people, bound with him to payment, they cannot boast a balance 
 of damage done. Sentenced for theft and rapine too, he hath not 
 only lost the reprisal but also hath ruined and razed* his very father's 
 house, it and the place thereof together. Two-fold the loss the sons of 
 Priam have paid. 
 
 A)i Elder. Joy to thee, herald of the coming Achaean host ! 
 
 Herald. 
 
 Eld. Hast thou longed for thy native land with a torturing love ? 
 
 Her. Aye, so that for joy mine eyes weep tears upon it. 
 
 Eld. Then learn that 'tis a sweet languishing ye have taken. 
 
 Her. How so ? I need a lesson to master thy saying. 
 
 Eld. As being struck with a passion not unreturned. 
 
 Her. Argos, thou sayest, pined for her pining soldiers. 
 
 Eld. So pined, as oft to sigh for thee from a weary heart. 
 
 Her. Whence this melancholy ? Was there yet this distress reserved 
 for us that have fought ? 
 
 Eld. For long past I have used silence to prevent hurt. 
 
 Her. But how so? Wast thou, the kings being away, in fear of 
 some one ? 
 
 Eld. So much that now, as thou sayest, e'en death were grateful. 
 
 Her. Yes, we have done well every way, well, for the length of 
 time. A man must speak well of his fortune, though part be not so 
 good. Only a god can be without trouble all his time. For were I to 
 count our sufferings in bad quarters, the narrow and comfortless berths 
 (and in the day-time miserable for want of everything), and other 
 miseries by land (and there it was worse, our camp being close to the 
 enemy's wall), how the sky rained, and the dews from the marshy 
 ground, ever rotting our garments and breeding foul life upon us : or 
 were one to count the winter's cold, made so intolerable by the 
 snows of Ida that the birds fell dead, or the heat, when in his 
 noon-day rest the sea sank windless and waveless to sleep — but what 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 572—621. 241 
 
 need to grieve for these things? The pain is past; so past for the 
 dead, that they care not so much as to rise up any more. Ah wliy 
 should wc count the number of the slain, when the living suffer by 
 fortune's persistency? A full release from chance is also, say I, some- 
 thing worth. And for us who are left of the Argive host, the gain 
 on the balance overwcighs the hurt, seeing that yon bright sun may 
 proclaim in our honour, winging our fame over land and sea, 'Troy 
 in old time was won by an Argive armament : and these are the 
 spoils which, to the glory of the gods throughout Hellas, they nailed 
 upon the temples for a monumental pride.' Hearing this, men must 
 needs praise Argos and them that led her host ; and the grace of Zeus 
 that wrought it all shall be paid with thanks. And so I have said my 
 say. 
 
 Eld. Defeat in argument I do not deny. To be teachable is a 
 thing that ages not with age. But the household and Clytaemnestra, 
 whom this news should most nearly interest, must share the gain with 
 me. 
 
 Clytaemnestra (entering). My joy was uttered some while ago, 
 when the first fiery messenger came in the night, telling that Ilium was 
 taken and destroyed. Then there were some who found fault with me, 
 and said, * Art thou for a beacon persuaded to think that Troy is taken 
 now ? How like a woman's heart to fly up so high ! ' Thus they argued, 
 proving my error. But for all that I would sacrifice ; and by womanly 
 ordinance the townsfolk one and all took up the loud cry of holy 
 gladness and in the sacred temples stilled with feeding incense the 
 fragrant flame. 
 
 And now, for the fuller tale, what need I to take it from thee? 
 From the king himself I shall learn it all. Rather, that I may bring 
 my revered lord with swift return to my loving reception — what light 
 more sweet to the eyes of a wife than this, when she opens the gate to 
 her husband, restored by heaven safe from war ? — take thou back to my 
 lord this message : let him come with all speed to the people that love 
 him, come to find in his home the wife faithful, even such as he left her, 
 a very house-dog, loyal to one and an enemy to his foes ; aye, and in 
 all else unchanged, having never broken seal at all in this long while. I 
 know of pleasure or scandalous address from any other no more than of 
 dyeing bronze. \Exit?^ 
 
 A Conspirator. Self-praise like this, filled full with its truth, it doth 
 not misbeseem a noble wife to sound. 
 
 An Elder. What she hath said and they admire thou by their plain 
 comment dost understand. 
 
 V. TE. A. 16 
 
242 TRANSLATION 7>v. (i22—6sT. 
 
 But herald, say thou : I would know of Menelaus, our well-loved 
 king, this only, whether he hath returned safe and will arrive with you. 
 
 Her. It were impossible, if I told a false tale fair, that as time goes 
 on, your love should enjoy it still ! 
 
 Eld. Oh, that thy true tale might be happily told ! 'Tis not easy 
 to hide, when good and true are parted. 
 
 Her. The prince is gone from the Achaean host, himself and his 
 ship also. It is the truth. 
 
 A Conspirator. Did he put forth in your sight from Ilium? Or 
 was he snatched from the rest by a storm which fell upon all?' 
 
 Her. Thou hast, like a master bowman, hit the mark, and put a 
 length of trouble in a brief phrase. 
 
 Eld. What then of the prince ? Did the general rumour of the 
 voyagers declare him living or dead ? 
 
 Her. None can tell that for certain, save one only, the Sun that 
 sustaineth life over all the earth. 
 
 Eld. And what from first to last was the story of the storm, thus 
 sent on the fleet by angry gods ? 
 
 Her. A day sacred to joy should not be fouled by the tongue of 
 evil tidings. ReHgion sunders the two. When one with sad counten- 
 ance brings to a people heavy tidings of an army fallen, the state 
 wounded with one great national grief and many a home robbed of its 
 single victim by Ares' fork, his weapon beloved, two-headed, horrible, 
 red in both prongs with blood ; he that beareth such a pack of woe may 
 well say a hymn to those who punish. But when one cometh with 
 tidings of deliverance to a folk rejoicing in happiness — how shall I 
 mingle this good with that ill, with a tale of storm, at which our 
 national gods must needs be displeased ? 
 
 A conspiracy there was between two that had been utter foes, 
 between fire and sea, and for pledge and proof of their league they 
 destroyed the hapless men of Argos. In darkness it was done, which 
 
 1 I have here assigned these lines, as tion short. Clytaemnestra does her best 
 
 I think they belong, to the speaker of to send the Herald away at once. She 
 
 vv. 618—619. The Herald is surprised, then departs, because she dares not ex- 
 
 as well he may be, at the rapidity with pose herself to questions, and the Elders 
 
 which the questioner, out of a hundred detain the Herald to ask about Menelaus. 
 
 possibilities, lights upon the exact truth. Even now they are not to be satisfied till 
 
 But as a fact this questioner has the same they have had the story. The common 
 
 knowledge of the facts which Clytaem- arrangement (as in the text) is possible, 
 
 nestra exhibits before the Herald's arrival, but in my judgment much injures the 
 
 and his question is put merely in the truth and point of the scene, 
 hope of cutting this dangerous conversa- 
 
TRANSLATION vv. Gs^—1 27,. 243 
 
 swelled the agony to its height ; for the ships were dashed one against 
 another by Thracian winds, till butting violently beneath the storm of 
 the hurricane and the beating rain of the surge they fled away and away, 
 lashed round by their cruel driver. And when the bright dawn rose, 
 we saw on the .^gean corpses thick as flowers, our dead and wreck 
 of our ships. As for ourselves and our ship, yet whole in hull, we were 
 stolen away or, may be, were begged off by some one more than human, 
 who took her helm. Fortune, to save us, was ]:)leased to ride aboard of 
 her, and keep her alike from taking in the surging water between her 
 planks and from running upon rocks. So having escaped a watery grave, 
 there in the white day, scarce sure of our good fortune, we brooded 
 melancholy upon our altered case, our host undone and utterly dashed 
 to pieces. And at this moment if any of them is living and draws 
 breath, they are doubtless speaking of us as lost, while we imagine the 
 same case for them. But let us hope the best. 
 
 For Menelaus then, be it first supposed and soonest, that he got 
 home. And at worst, if any where the sun's ray is discovering him, 
 Zeus, we may hope, who cannot mean to destroy his offspring quite, 
 will contrive to bring him alive and well to his home again. So much 
 is all I can warrant you for fact. [^Extf. 
 
 The Elders. Who can have given that name, so to the very letter 
 true? Was it some unseen power, who by foreknowledge of fate 
 guided his tongue aright, that named the woman wooed with battle 
 and spear by the name of Helen? She proved her name indeed 
 upon ship and men and peoples, when from the delicate veils of 
 her costly bower she passed over sea before the gale of the felon 
 West, and after her a great hunt of shielded soldiers, following by 
 the vanished track of the oar a quarry landed on Simois' banks, 
 whose woods were to be wasted by their bloody fray. 
 
 A bride? A sorrowful bride she was to Ilium, pursued by sure- 
 remembering wrath, destined one day to avenge the dishonour of 
 the board, and of Zeus the sanctifier of the feast, upon those that 
 gave significant honour to that bridal music, the marriage-hymn of 
 the groomsmen, their vantage of an hour. The aged city of Priam 
 hath learnt an altered song, a burden surely of loud lamentation, 
 and finds for the wedded Paris an evil name; for burdened with 
 lamentation have been all her weary days till this for the miserable 
 slaughter of her people. 
 
 A shepherd man in his house brought up a lion's whelp, weaned 
 from the teat, a hungry suckling. Gentle it was in its infant days 
 of love, made friends with youth, drew smiles from gravity's self. 
 
 16 — 2 
 
244 TRANSLATION vv. 724—792. 
 
 And many a thing it got when, hke a nursing-child embraced, it 
 fixed a bright eye on the hand and fawned for its belly's need. But 
 after a time it showed the way that was born in it ; for it paid thanks 
 for its rearing by bloody ravage of the flock, making a feast unbidden ; 
 and the house was dabbled with gore, and the house-folk helpless 
 in agony, and wide was the murderous waste. God sent it to that 
 dwelling with a mission of ravage therein. 
 
 Even so came, would I say, to Ilium what seemed to fancy a 
 windless calm, a darling of rjch indolence \ whose gentle eye shot that 
 soft bolt, which pricks from the heart the flower of love. But swerving 
 from that, she made them rue in the end that she was won, blasting 
 with her companionship the ruined house of Priam's sons, whither the 
 god of guest-plight sped and conducted her, a fiend to wed and repent. 
 
 It is an ancient maxim, made long ago among men, that wealth of 
 man, grown big, gets offspring of its body before it die, and that of 
 good fortune the natural scion is unappeasable woe. But I think not 
 with the generality. It is in truth the impious deed, which after 
 begetteth more, and like to its own kind. The house that keepeth 
 righteousness, fair is the generation thereof for ever. But it is the 
 way of old pride to beget in the wicked soon or late, when the destined 
 hour arrives for the youthful birth, a young pride and the kindred 
 spirit (?) of insolence, godless, resistless, masterless, black curses both 
 to the mansion and like their parents both. 
 
 But righteousness shineth in sooty dwellings and prizeth the modest 
 man. If the palace is gilt but foul the hands, with eyes averted she 
 goes thence to the pure home, disdaining the might of wealth mis- 
 stamped with praise. And she guideth all to the goal. 
 \Enter Agamemnon, Cassandra, etc.] 
 
 See now, O sovereign, Troy's conqueror, Atreus' son, how shall I 
 address thee ? How pay thee homage neither above nor short of due 
 complaisance ? 
 
 Many rate semblance above reality, and do injustice so. Sighs for 
 the suffering all have ready, although of the outward grief none 
 touches the heart ; and they copy the looks of him that laughs, putting 
 force upon faces where no smile is. But he that knoweth the points of 
 a man is sure to detect when the human eyes, which pretend to glisten 
 with kindness, are flattering him with a love that is but water. 
 
 Thou in past time, while warring still for Helen's sake (frankly be it 
 said) didst make an ungracious figure in mine eyes, didst seem an 
 
 ^ Reading aKaaKaloiv and adopting Hesychius. But with aKaaKoidv t the 
 the gloss Tjaix'^^ {securorum) from sense may be much the same. 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 793—835. 245 
 
 undexterous steersman to thy wits, that thou for a willing wanton 
 would'st spend the lives of men. But now we contemplate thee with 
 riper judgment and less unkind. Happy the labour that is happily 
 done. Thou wilt learn by inquisition hereafter, who here at home hath 
 done his duty, and who hath mis-spent the time. 
 
 Againenuion. To Argos first my salutation is due, and to the gods 
 that inhabit here, who have aided me to my home-coming and the 
 justice which I have taken of Priam's town. For they, having heard 
 the mortal argument which with main force we pleaded for Troy's 
 destroying, put their votes undivided into the vase for blood, while to 
 the opposite urn hope of the hand came nigh, yet it was not filled. By 
 her smoke the conquered city is conspicuous even yet. Life in the ruin 
 pants, and from the expiring ash is breathed a reek of richness. For all 
 this there must be paid to the gods a memorable return, even as the 
 fine is great, which our wrath hath taken, since for one woman stolen a 
 city hath been laid level by the fierce beast of Argos, the foal of the 
 horse, the folk of the shield, that launched himself with a leap in the 
 season of the Pleiads' fall. Over the wall he sprang and, like a lion 
 fleshed, lapped his fill of proud princes' blood'. 
 
 Now, having given to religion this ample precedence, I come to thee 
 and thy feelings. I remember what I have heard. I am with thee, and 
 support thine accusation. Rare among men are they to whom it is 
 natural to love and admire the fortunate without envying. The poison 
 of ill-will settles to the heart and doubles the load of him that has aught 
 amiss: at once his own sorrows press upon him and he sighs to see 
 the other's happiness. I may speak with knowledge, having learnt 
 thoroughly that mirror of friendship, image of a shadow, the hypocrites' 
 semblance of devotion to me. Ulysses only, Ulysses, who joined the 
 fleet against his will, I found, being once in harness, mine own right horse. 
 That I will say for him living or dead. 
 
 [Enter CLYTAEMNESTRA^] 
 
 And for the rest, the affairs of state and religion too in general 
 
 1 We want a better word for rvpavvos and for the Agamciitnon at least the 
 
 than English supplies. Despot or tyrant words have their full and worst meaning 
 
 is too specific and would not here do at (see vv. 1354, 1633). The Asiatic royalty 
 
 all ; and yet the distasteful sound of the of Priam might of course be called a 
 
 word to Greek ears is almost always rvpavvis, and the unpleasing title suits the 
 
 important, and here especially so. It is tone of the speaker. To the conspirators 
 
 not accurate to say, as is sometimes said, it is only too suggestive. 
 that the dramatists habitually use rOpav- '■^ See on w. 903, 904. The king does 
 
 voi, TvpavvU etc. without regard to their not perceive her, till at the end of his 
 
 associations. They scarcely ever do so, speech he turns to enter the palace. 
 
246 TRANSLATION vv. 836—892. 
 
 assembly summoned together wc will debate ; where we must take such 
 counsel that what is well may endure so and abide, while as for what 
 must have medicinal remedy, we will do our kind endeavour with lancet 
 or cautery to defeat the mischief of the sore. 
 
 For the moment, I go to mine house and private chambers, where 
 my hand's first greeting must be to the gods, who sent me forth and 
 have brought me back. May victory, as she hath attended me, 
 constantly abide with me still! 
 
 Clytaemnestra. Townshien of Argos, her noblest present here, what 
 love I have practised toward my husband my modesty will let me 
 declare to you. With time men lose their fear. 
 
 Upon no witness but mine own I can say, how weary were my days 
 all the long while my lord lay before Ilium. A sore grief it is in itself, 
 for a woman without a man to sit in the empty throne of the house, 
 with ever persistent flatteries at her ear, and one coming after another 
 with loud tidings of woe to the house each worse than the last. As for 
 wounds, if my lord was wounded as often as the conduits of fame 
 brought news of it, he hath holes in him more in number than a net. 
 And had he died, as report thereof multiplied, he might, with three 
 bodies like another Geryon, have boasted many times three — not beds, 
 but coverlets rather of earth taken on to him, if he had had one death 
 for each of his shapes. Such, ever present at mine ear, were the 
 rumours that put me many times to the hanging noose, which others, 
 preventing my eagerness, loosed from my neck. 
 
 This is indeed why the boy Orestes, he who might best make 
 confidence between thee and me, is not, as he should be, here ; be not 
 surprised. He is in the special care of our ally, Strophius of Phocis, who 
 warned me of double mischief, the peril first of thee before Ilium, and 
 the chance that noisy rebellion from below might risk a plot against us, 
 as it is native to man to spurn the more him that is down. The excuse 
 however is such as cannot have guile in it. 
 
 But as for me, the fountains of my tears have run themselves dry, 
 and there is no drop there. With watching late mine eyes are sore, 
 with weeping for thine attendance of torch-bearers neglected still. The 
 droning gnat with lightest flutter would wake me from dreams, in 
 which I saw thee pass through more than the time of my sleep. 
 
 Now, after all this misery, in the relief of my soul, I would hail 
 this my husband as a watch-dog to the fold, the ship's securing stay, 
 the high roof's grounded pillar, the father's sole-born child; or as a 
 land espied by mariners in despair, dawn as it looks most beautiful 
 after storm, a flowing spring to the thirsty wayfarer, — but everywhere^ 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 893—931. 247 
 
 escape from distress is sweet ; let these then stand for types of my 
 salutation. And let jealousy refrain, seeing how much was the woe we 
 endured before. 
 
 But now, I pray thee, beloved, step from this car — but not on the 
 earth, king', set that foot of thine, which has humbled Troy. Slaves, 
 why delay ye to do your commanded office, and strow the ground 
 of his way with coverings ? In a moment let the laid path be turned 
 to purple, that to a home unexpected he may have conduct due. 
 
 ' And for the rest ', a vigilance never laid asleep shall order it as 
 just providence, I trust, intends". 
 
 Ag. Daughter of Leda, who hast my house in charge, if to the 
 measure of my absence thou hast stretched the length of thy address, 
 still, for a modest praise, the honour should proceed from some other 
 lips. For the rest, offer no womanish luxuries to me, nor before me, 
 as before a king of the East, grovel with open-mouthed acclaim, nor 
 with vestures strown draw jealous eyes upon my path. To the gods 
 these honours belong. To tread, a mortal, upon fair fineries is to my 
 poor thoughts a thing of fear. Give me I say the worship not of thy god 
 but of thy lord. No foot-cloths, no false refinements, need proclaim 
 what rumour cries. An unpresumptuous mind is God's greatest gift : 
 happy let him be called, who has come prosperously to the end. And 
 that such will be ever my rule is the confidence for me. 
 
 CL Come answer, saving thy judgment, one question from me — 
 
 Ag. My judgment, be assured, is fixed beyond change by me. 
 
 CI. — Didst thou bind thyself belike, in some hour of terror, to this 
 observance ? 
 
 Ag. Never was last word spoken on better reflexion than this, 
 
 CI. What had Priam done, thinkest thou, if he had achieved the 
 same? 
 
 Ag. He had made him a fine fair path, I am very sure. 
 
 CI. Then let not blame of men make thee ashamed. 
 
 Ag. But the voice of the multitude is a mighty thing. 
 
 CI. Aye, but who moves no jealousy wins no envy. 
 
 Ag. To love contention is not a woman's part. 
 
 ^ I suspect that the ms. here has pre- perhaps expresses more douht of the text 
 
 served the letters (oi/a^) correctly and than 1 intend. I mean only to object to 
 
 that we should write not wwf but ava^, the construction of dixapfxiva as a predi- 
 
 the vocative with the article, often used cate with OijijiL. Properly divided and 
 
 in abrupt and peremptoiy apostrophe. constructed I do not find the words open 
 
 She stops him in the act of descending. to any objection. 
 
 - The note here is not quite clear and 
 
248 TRANSLATION vv. 932—984. 
 
 CI. Nay, but the great may e'en yield a point with grace. 
 
 Ag. Thou plainly, no less than I, thinkest the point worth fight. 
 
 CI. Yield : I constrain thee ; let it be with consent. 
 
 Ag. Then, if this be thy will, quick, let one loose my shoes, these 
 trodden slaves to the serving foot. — Even with these bare soles, as 
 I walk the sacred purple, I hope no distant eye may give me an evil 
 glance. It is shame enough ' to stain with the stain of human feet 
 textures of price, purchased for silver. 
 
 Of this enough. But here is one, whom thou must receive into the 
 house with kindness. A gentle master wins from the distant eye of 
 God an approving glance; for none takes willingly to the yoke of a 
 slave. This damsel was the choice flower of a rich treasure, bestowed 
 by the soldiers upon me, with whom she goes. 
 
 And now, since I am reduced to obey thee herein, I will proceed to 
 the palace along your purple path". 
 
 CI. There is a sea (and who shall drain it dry?) which hath in 
 it purple enough, precious as silver, oozing fresh and fresh, to dye 
 vestures withal. And we have, O king, I trust, a chamber of such from 
 which to take thereof, our house being unacquainted with poverty. 
 Vestures plenty would I have devoted to the trampling, had it been 
 proposed to me in some temple of divination, when I was devising 
 means to bring this dear life back. It is the root of the house, whereby 
 the leaves arrive that make a shade overhead against the dog-star. Yes, 
 now, at thy coming to the familiar hearth, thy winter-coming betokens 
 warmth, and when Zeus from the grape's sourness is making wine, then 
 it is to the home like a sudden coolness to be visited by the crowned 
 lord thereof. \Exit Agameiimon. 
 
 Zeus, Zeus, who crownest all, crown but my prayer and let thy 
 providence do even what thou wilt. \_Exit Clytaannestra. 
 
 The Elders. Why is it that so constantly my auguring soul shows 
 at the door this fluttering sign, and the prophet-chant offers itself without 
 bidding or fee ? Canst thou not spit it away, like an unexplainable 
 dream, and reacli such willing trust as the mind is glad to rest upon ? 
 Yet time hath heaped the sands of the shore upon the anchor-stones, 
 since the naval host set forth to Troy : and they are returned, mine 
 own eyes tell me so. But yet, as without the lyre, my bosom repeats 
 that dirge of Doom, unlearned and self-inspired, unable to grasp in full 
 the welcome assurance of hope. It cannot be for naught, the throb 
 
 ^ See vv. 950, 1655 etc. phasis, given in Greek by the position 
 
 - I have inserted the word your as , and mere sound of the words ■Kop<pvpa% 
 some compensation for the loss of em- waruv. 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 985—1045. 249 
 
 that with meaning recurrence the heart repeats to the unmislaken l:)rcast. 
 But I pray my false expectation may lose itself in void. 
 
 Too true it is, that the health which abounds encroaches ; for 
 sickness is its neighbour right up to the wall : and human fortune, 
 running straight, will strike on a hidden reef. And as to the saving of 
 goods, fear, discharging the measured scale (?), may keep the whole 
 house from sinking under an over-freight of riches, and the boat from 
 going down. (Rich we know and abundant is the gift of Zeus, and rids 
 the plague of hunger out of the annual field.) But as for a man's red 
 blood, once shed from his dying body upon the ground, who with 
 incantation may call it back ? Nay, not the straitest in virtue may be 
 called from the dead without sin ! 
 
 And were it not that one god's purpose doth check and limit 
 another's decree, my heart outrunning my tongue would have poured 
 these bodings forth : but now she mutters in darkness, vexed and hope- 
 less ever to wind off her task in time, and stirring the fire within me. 
 \Enter Clytaemnestra.] 
 
 Clytaemnestra. Come in with thee, thou also, Cassandra, thou : 
 since Zeus of his mercy hath set thee in a house, where thou mayest 
 share the holy water in thy place with the crowd of slaves at the 
 altar of stead and store. Descend from the car, and be not 
 proud. They say that Alcmene's son himself was sold and still bore 
 up in spite of the slave's low fare. If it so fall that one needs must 
 take that state, masters not new to wealth are a thing to be thankful for. 
 They to whom a rich pile hath come by surprise are to their slaves 
 cruel always and over-strict. From us thou art receiving what custom 
 bids. 
 
 An Elder. 'Tis to thee she speaks, and plainly. She waits for 
 thee. And may-be, since thou art in the toils of fate, thou should'st 
 obey, if it may be, — though, may-be, thou wilt not. 
 
 CI. Nay, if her foreign tongue is anything less unintelligible 
 than a swallow's twitter, my reason urged is spoken within her under- 
 standing. 
 
 Eld. Go with her. She urges what, as things are, is best. Obey, 
 arise, and leave the chariot. 
 
 CI. I have no leisure, you may know, to be thus dallying abroad. 
 For at the hearth, 'the central hearth', there are victims standing already 
 for the sacrifice of the fire— since of the present joy there was no expec- 
 tation ! And thou, if thou wilt take part in this, must not delay. If 
 for want of understanding thou takest not what I say, then with thy 
 foreign hand converse instead of voice. 
 
250 TRANSLATION vv. 1046— 1094. 
 
 Eld. An interpreter, and a plain one, the strange lady doth indeed 
 seem to want. She hath the air of a beast new-taken. 
 
 CI. Aye, mad she is, and listens to her folly. She comes here from 
 a new-taken town, and yet she has not the sense to bear the bridle, 
 until she foam her humour away in blood ! But I will waste words no 
 more, to be so scorned ! \Exit. 
 
 Eld. And I, for I pity her, will not be angry. Come now, 
 unhappy, come down from where thou ridest and take on thee willingly 
 the new yoke of hard fate. 
 
 Cassandra. Ah ! . . . O God ! . . . Apollo, O Apollo ! 
 
 Eld. What means this sad cry on the name of Loxias ? It suits 
 him not to meet a singer so melancholy. 
 
 Cass. Ah ! . . . O God ! . . . Apollo, O Apollo ! 
 
 Eld. Once more the ill-omened cry, and upon that' god, one all 
 unfit for a scene of lamentation ! 
 
 Cass. Apollo, God of the Gate, a very Apollo to me ! Thou hast 
 more than proved thy name, before and now again. 
 
 Eld. She will prophesy, methinks, upon her own miseries. The 
 soul retains that gift, when all but that is slave. 
 
 Cass. Apollo, God of the Gate, a very Apollo to me ! Ah, where, 
 where hast thou led me? Oh, what house should this be^? 
 
 Eld. The palace of Atreus sure it is. That, if thou conceivest it 
 not, I tell to thee : and thou canst not say it is false. 
 
 Cass. Ah no, ah no, an abominable place, full of guilty secrets. . .yea, 
 of unnatural murderers... aye verily, a place of human sacrifice, sprinkled 
 with blood of babes ! 
 
 Eld. The strange woman doth indeed seem keen as a hound upon 
 a scent. She is on a track of murder where she will find. 
 
 Cass. Yes, there is the evidence that I trust upon ! See yonder 
 babes, weeping their sacrifice, their flesh roasted and eaten by their sire ! 
 
 Eld. We had heard of thy fame as prophetess, had heard of it : 
 we seek none to speak for thee. 
 
 Cass. Oh God .'...What is this, what purpose of strange woe, 
 horrible, horrible, that she purposeth here within? The fate of her 
 nearest, fate beyond remedy, and no help nigh ! 
 
 Eld. This prophesying is beyond my knowledge. The other I 
 knew, for all the town is loud with it. 
 
 Cass. O cruel ! Wilt thou do it ? The partner of thy bed, wilt 
 
 ^ rhv is demonstrative. between To what a house ?, as the words 
 
 ^ It is hard, if not impossible, to pre- are meant, and To what house?, as the 
 serve perfectly the ambiguity of the Greek hearers understand them. 
 
TRANSLA TION vv. 1 095— 1 1 60. 251 
 
 thou cleanse him with lustration, and then — O, how can I say it? Aye, 
 soon it will be done. She is reaching forth, she is stretching hand after 
 hand ! 
 
 Eld. I understand not yet. Then hints, now oracles blind perplex 
 me still. 
 
 Cass. Ah! 
 
 What appeareth now? Surely a net of Death? Nay, rather the 
 snare is she, who shared the bed, who shares the crime. Now let the 
 Chorus of Death, who thirst for the blood of the race, raise their ritual 
 cry over their victim stoned. 
 
 Eld. What fiend is this, whom thou biddest sing triumph over this 
 house ? Thou lookest not glad thyself at the word. Pale is the droj) 
 that runs to thy heart, even such as from a mortal wound drips slow 
 and slower when life's light sets and death is coming quick. 
 
 Cass. Ah! Ah! See, see ! 
 
 Keep the bull from the cow ! She hath caught him in a vesture and 
 gores him with her black, crafty horn. He falls in a vessel of water. In 
 a treacherous murderous caldron is done the thing I tell thee. 
 
 Eld. I cannot boast high skill in judging words inspired ; but these 
 I judge to figure some ill. But by this way what good word ever is sent 
 to man ? It is all ill, a skill of manifold phrases, offering for knowledge 
 a terrifying chant. 
 
 Cass. Alas, alas, for the hapless doom of a wretch, for mine own 
 fate ! It shall have its drop in the lament. 
 
 Where is this thou hast brought me, a hapless wretch, just only 
 to die with thee, and nothing more? 
 
 Eld. Thou art in some sort crazed by the god who hurries thy 
 thoughts, and wailest thyself in a wild tune, like some brown nightingale, 
 that with singing never sated laments, alas, heart-sore, for Itys, Itys all 
 her sorrow-filled days. 
 
 Cass. All, the fate of the musical nightingale ! For her the gods 
 did clothe in a winged form, a sweet passage and a tearless, while I 
 must be parted by the steel's sharp edge. 
 
 Eld. Whence sent, by what power imposed, is thy vain agony, 
 that thou shapest that fearful song with words so hard and harsh and yet 
 with a march so clear? How findest thou the terms of woe which 
 guide thine inspired way ? 
 
 Cass. Alas, for the bridal of Paris, the doom of his kin ! Ah, 
 sweet Scamander, my native stream ! Once on thy banks, ah me, was I 
 nursed and grew. But now by the River of Wailing, aye, and of Woe, 
 my prophet-voice, methinks, will be uttered soon. 
 
252 TRANSLATION vv. 1161— 1210. 
 
 Eld. What is this word thou hast spoken, only too plain? A man 
 new-born might understand. I bleed beneath the wound of the piteous 
 singer's breaking misery, which shatters me to hear it. - 
 
 Cass. Alas, for the labour of Troy, Troy destroyed utterly ! 
 Alas, for my father's sacrifices in her behalf, so many grazing victims 
 slain ! They served not at all to save the town from such fate as now it 
 hath ; and I, the sick-brained, I shall soon be sent after the wise. 
 
 Eld. Thy latter words go along with those before. Some power 
 there is who with over-bearing press maddens thee to sing of sorrows 
 tending to death, though the end I cannot see. 
 
 Cass. See now, my prophecy shall not any more be like a bride 
 new-wed looking forth from a veil. It shall come in bright as a fresh 
 wind blowing toward sunrise and roUing wave-like against the light a 
 woe far higher than this now. My teaching shall be by riddles no 
 longer. And be ye witnesses with how close a scent I run in the track 
 of the crimes done long ago. 
 
 For out of that house there never departs a choir of voices in unison 
 not sweet, for the words are not fair. Aye, and they have drunk, to be 
 the bolder, of human blood, and in the house they abide, hard to be 
 turned away, a rout of sister-fiends. They besiege the chambers and 
 sing their song, with still-repeated burden denouncing the hated sin 
 of him who defiled a brother's bed. 
 
 Have I missed ? Or do I at all take observation like one that 
 aimeth a shot? Or am I a false prophet, who babbles from door to door? 
 Bear witness, swearing first, that I do verily know the ancient sins in the 
 story of this house. 
 
 Eld. And how could an oath do good, being framed in its nature 
 to hurt? But I find it strange in thee, that bred beyond the sea 
 thou should'st be as right about an alien city, as if thou hadst been there 
 present. 
 
 Cass. The prophet-god it was who gave me this power, for... The 
 time hath been when I dared not speak of it. 
 
 Eld. For Apollo's self desired thee. Was it so ? We are all more 
 delicate in prosperity. 
 
 Cass. Yea, then, he wrought with me, and mighty was his charm. 
 
 Eld. And came ye too to the deed of kind in natural course? 
 
 Cass. I promised, but kept not faith with Loxias. 
 
 Eld. And had he won thee with inspiration already given? 
 
 Cass. Yes, already I prophesied to my people all that befell 
 them. 
 
 Eld. And how could the wrath of Loxias reach thee then ? 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 1211 — 1251. 253 
 
 Cass. After I did that wrong, I could never make any believe me. 
 
 Eld. To us however thou seemest a prophet worthy belief. 
 
 Cass. Ah ! ... Oh agony ! 
 
 Again the fearful pangs of present vision' grow on me, whirling my 
 soul in a confused beginning of — There !... Sitting there!... do ye see 
 them? Sitting before the house !... young children, like forms in a 
 dream. 
 
 As infants slain by their parents they appear, their hands full of that 
 meat of which he ate, whose own flesh it was, carrying, oh pitiable 
 burden !, the hearts and inward parts, of which their father tasted. 
 
 And hence the vengeance, plotted, I tell you, now by a certain lion 
 of a craven sort, who haunting the couch hath watched at home for 
 him, alas, who is come, who is lord — for the slave must bear the yoke — of 
 me. Little he knows, the destroyer of Ilium, captain of a lost fleet, 
 how the tongue of that lewd creature hatli spoke and 'stretched', with 
 joyful thoughts her 'plea' (her cast!) of treacherous death, and fatally 
 shall reach him ! So bold the crime, a woman to slay the man ! 
 
 She is — ah what should the loveless monster be fitly called? A 
 dragon, a Scylla, housed in the rocks, the mariner's bane, offering her 
 fell sacrifices, like a priestess of Death, even while in the prayer of her soul 
 her husband hath no part. And how the bold wretch raised her cheer, 
 as at the turn of battle, pretending to be glad of the safe coming- 
 home ! 
 
 And of this how much is believed, it matters not. What is to be 
 will come, nay, soon thou present thyself wilt say with compassion ' A 
 prophet only too true ! ' 
 
 Eld. Thyestes' feast of children's flesh I understood, and shuddered. 
 Truly 'tis more than semblance, and it makes me afraid to hear it. But 
 in what else was said I am thrown out of the track. 
 
 Cass. I say that thou wilt see Agamemnon dead. 
 
 Eld. O hush, poor creature, hush thy profane lips ! 
 
 Cass. Nay, it is not as a Saviour that he directs this sentence. 
 
 Eld. No indeed, if he will be present ; but I trust it shall not 
 be so. 
 
 Cass. While thou prayest against them, they are busy to slay. 
 
 Eld. Who is the man who is contriving this woe ? 
 
 Cass. Thou must indeed have looked far wide of what I showed. 
 
 ^ By the peculiar word opOofiafrela which the object becomes, as in this case, 
 
 was probably meant in the language perceptible to the actual senses of the 
 
 of fxavTLK-f) not (rue divination but direct fxavTis. 
 divination, that is a communication in 
 
254 TRANSLATION vv. 1252— 1289. 
 
 Eld. 'Tis that I understand not the plan of him who should 
 do it. 
 
 Cass. See now, I know the speech of Hellas, only too well. 
 
 Eld. Greek are the Pythian oracles, and yet hard to understand. 
 
 Cass. Oh, this burning fire !...It is creeping over me !,..Ah mercy, 
 Apollo Lyceus, mercy upon me ! ' 
 
 See the lioness two-footed, that couches with the wolf while the 
 noble lion is away ! She will slay me, wretch that I am ! Brewing as 
 it were a medicine for her wrath, she will add to it also the recompense 
 for me. She vows as she sharpens her man-slaying sword, to take of 
 him for the bringing of me a bloody revenge. 
 
 Why then in derision of myself do I bear these, and the sceptre of 
 divination, and the stole about my neck ? 
 
 Thee at least I will destroy ere I perish myself! 
 
 Down, cursed things, to the ground, where thus I take vengeance 
 upon you ! Because ye have been my ruin, die ye too, so as ye may. 
 
 But see, Apollo himself, stripping from me the prophet's vesture! 
 He hath had the spectacle of me exposed, even in and along with this 
 sacred garb, to the derision of friend and foe ahke, and in vain — yes, 
 ' mountebank, beggar, starveling ' were the names, alas, that vagabond- 
 like I had to bearjj and now the Seer hath finished my seership and 
 brought me to die like this, where there awaits me not the altar of my 
 home but a butcherly block for a victim struck before the last blood is 
 cold. 
 
 Yet not unregarded of heaven shall we die. For there shall come 
 another yet to requite for us, one born to slay his mother, to avenge 
 his sire. Exiled from this land, a wanderer disowned, he shall return, 
 to put on this tower of unnatural crimes that pinnacle, whereto his 
 father's death is the leading spired 
 
 I am come to my 'home', and why thus wail? Since I saw first 
 Ilium meet the fate it hath, and now they, who were her captors, are 
 brought by the gods of their choice to their present pass, I will go meet 
 fate, will take death patiently, because the gods with a mighty oath have 
 sworn it ! 
 
 ^ On the use of the title Lycais here, those master-strokes of language which 
 somewhat in the sense of a.vT-r]Kio%^ wpoff- can be felt but not explained. 
 TUT'qpLos, see Prof. Jebb on Soph. 0. T. ^ These terms of modem architecture 
 ■204. As the name also conventionally by no means fit as well as those of the 
 imported protection, it is in itself an original, but I can do no better. Trans- 
 appeal for mercy, and at the same time lation in such a case is more than com- 
 portends, as it were, the Xi)/cos of the monly helpless, 
 coming vision. It is in fact one of 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 1290— 1329. 255 
 
 Only I greet this door as the portal of Death, and my prayer is to 
 receive a mortal stroke, that the blood-stream may flow easy, and I may 
 not struggle but close mine eyes. 
 
 Eld. O woman patient as miserable ! When all this is spoken, 
 yet now, if verily thou dost know thine own death, why goest thou to it, 
 stubbornly as the ox, which the god moves toward the altar ? 
 
 Cass. There is no escape, friends, none, when the time is full. 
 
 Eld. Yea, but the last of the time is best. 
 
 Cass. The day is come. Little shall I gain by flight. 
 
 Eld. Then be assured, that thou hast a stubborn patience ! 
 
 Cass. So praised is never any save the unhappy. 
 
 Eld. Yet a mortal may be glad to die with honour. 
 
 Cass. Ah father, to think of thee and those, thy genuine children ! . . . 
 
 Eld. What is it ? What horror turns thee back ? 
 
 Cass. O foul, O foul! 
 
 Eld. What callest thou foul, if the loathing be not in thy fancy ? 
 
 Cass. 'Tis the horror of dripping blood, that the house exhales. 
 
 Eld. Nay, nay : it is the scent of the hearth- sacrifice. 
 
 Cass. It is such a reek as might come out of a grave. 
 
 Eld. Thou canst not mean the sweet incense of the palace'. 
 
 Cass. Yet I will go, and within, as here, will wail the fate of me 
 and of Agamemnon. Enough of life ! 
 
 Oh friends, my friends! 
 
 I do not clamour for naught as a bird that dreads a bush. Bear this 
 witness to me dead, when some day for my death another woman shall 
 die, and for the hapless husband another falP. This office I ask of you 
 at the point to die. 
 
 Eld. Ah miserable, I pity thee for thy death foretold ! 
 
 Cass. I would speak one speech more — or is it mine own dirge ? 
 To the sun I call, unto the last I see, that those my avengers may take 
 of these my enemies a bloody vengeance also for the easy conquest of a 
 poor slain slave. 
 
 Alas for the state of man ! If happiness may be changed as it were 
 by a shade, misery is a picture which at the dash of the wet sponge 
 is gone. And this I say is the more pitiable by far. {Exit. 
 
 1 Literally, 'It is not the Syrian - The Greek implies, what cannot 
 
 sweetness of the house which you de- with equal simplicity be conveyed in 
 
 scribe'. But perhaps this verse should English, that both (Agamemnon and 
 
 be read as a question, 'Dost thou not Aegisthus) are dw'Spes to the same 7W77. 
 mean the spicy incense?' 
 
256 TRANSLATION vv. 1330— 1368. 
 
 Tlic Elders. Prosperity in all men doth naturally crave more. 
 Though the palace be pointed at by jealous fingers, none forbidding 
 shuts fortune out with these words 'Enter no more'. 
 
 And so to the king the gods have given to take the town of Priam, 
 and he comes honoured of heaven to his home : yet now if he must 
 pay for the blood of those before, if adding death to deaths he is to 
 crown the pile with yet other deaths in revenge, who hearing this could 
 afiirm that any mortal is born with fortune beyond harm ? 
 
 Agamemnofi {within). Oh, I am struck, deep-struck and mortally ! 
 
 Eld. Silence ! Who shrieks as wounded with a mortal stroke ? 
 
 Ag. Again, oh again ! Another stroke ! 
 
 Eld. The deed, I doubt, is done, from the cries of the king. But let 
 us give each other safe counsel, if we may. 
 
 The Elders in succession. 
 
 1. I give you mine own judgment, that we summon a rescue of the 
 townsfolk to the palace. 
 
 2. Nay, I think we had best dash in at once, and prove the deed 
 by the dripping sword. 
 
 3. And I too am with this judgment so far', that my vote is for 
 action. It is no moment for delay. 
 
 4. There is occasion to beware. Their beginning betokens a plan 
 to enslave the city. 
 
 5. Yes, because we linger! They, while she hesitates, tread her 
 honour down and work unresting. 
 
 6. I know not what advice I may find to say. To a doer it belongs 
 to advise about the doing. 
 
 7. I too am of like mind, for I see not how with words to raise up 
 again the dead. 
 
 8. Are we to make death of life, thus yielding to the rule of those 
 that have thus defiled a house ? 
 
 9. Nay, 'tis intolerable, nay, death is better. It is a milder fate 
 than to be enslaved. 
 
 10. Are we then indeed by inference from a cry to divine that the 
 prince hath perished ? 
 
 1 1 . Best know the facts before we hear each other talk. Guessing 
 and knowing are two things. 
 
 ' Literally 'share a judgment like this'. 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 1369— 1409. 257 
 
 12. All sides support mc in assenting to this, to have clear know- 
 ledge how it is with Atreus' son. 
 
 Clytaemncstra. If now I contradict all that to suit the moment 
 I said before, I shall feel no shame. What shame should he feel, who 
 plots as a foe against a foe ? With the semblance of friendship let him 
 make his dangerous snare too high to be overleaped. 
 
 For me, I have had long enough to prepare this wrestle for victory, 
 though it has come at last. I stand where I struck, over the finished 
 work. And such I made the death (I will own this also) as to forbid 
 escape or resistance, a net unpassable, like the fisherman's round a shoal, 
 a rich robe deadly dyed'. Twice I smote him, and with two shrieks 
 he let himself sink down. And when he had fallen, I gave him yet 
 a third stroke, an oftering of thanks to the nether god, to Hades, safe 
 keeper of the dead. With that he lay and himself gasped away his 
 breath. And as he blew the spurts of his running blood, he rained 
 upon me a crimson' gory dew, and I rejoiced no less than beneath the 
 sweet rain of heaven doth the corn when it bursts from the labouring 
 sheath. 
 
 So stands the case, ye nobles of Argos here ; be glad of it, if ye 
 will; for me, I triumph upon it. And could there be case fit for a 
 libation over the dead, justly and more than justly now would it be. 
 With so many imprecations of suffering homes this man hath filled the 
 bowl which himself returning hath drained. 
 
 Eld. We are astonished that thy mouth bears so bold a tongue, to 
 boast over thy dead lord in such terms. 
 
 CI. Ye challenge me, supposed an unthinking woman. But I 
 speak with unshaken courage to those who know, indifferent whether 
 thou choosest to praise or blame. This is Agamemnon, my husband, 
 wrought to death by the just handicraft of this my hand. So stands 
 the case. 
 
 CJw. What poison hast thou taken, woman, what drug born of 
 the earth or draught from the great water, that thou hast brought on 
 thyself the fury and the loud curses of yon folk? Thou hasl cut off, 
 
 ^ For the suggestion conveyed by the haliit would demand more distinction of 
 language here see on v. 949. colour. 
 
 - Literally 'dark-coloured', but modern 
 
 V. /E. A, 17 
 
258 TRANSLATION vv. 1410—1462. 
 
 cast off' : and cast from communion shalt thou be, as a load on the 
 people's hate. 
 
 CI. Yes, now thou would'st award to me exile from my country, the 
 hate of the people and their loud curses to bear. Thou dost not join 
 in laying that reproach against him who lies here, against him who, 
 caring no more than for the death of a beast, though his fleecy herds 
 had sheep enough, sacrificed his own child, the darling born of my 
 pains, to charm the winds of Thrace. Is it not he whom thou should'st 
 banish from Argive soil for his foul crime? No, it is in judgment 
 of me that thou art an auditor severe ! But I warn thee, threatening 
 thus, to think that I am prepared, ready that he who conquers me in 
 fair fight sliould rule me; but if fate intends the contrary, thou wilt 
 be taught, too late, the lesson of prudence. 
 
 Eld. Thou art proud of thought, and presumptuous is thy note, 
 for indeed the murderous stroke is maddening thee. The blood-fleck 
 in thine eyes is right natural. For all this, thou shalt find thyself 
 friendless and pay retaliatory stroke for stroke. 
 
 CI. This also for thy hearing I solemnly swear. By the accom- 
 plished Justice for my child, by Doom and Revenge, to whom I offered 
 this dead man up, my hope doth not set foot in the house of fear, 
 so long as fire be kindled for the lighting 5F my hearths by Aegisthus, 
 still devoted as ever to me. 
 
 For there, as our broad shield of confidence, lies, outraging his 
 wife, my husband — the darling of each Chryseis in the Trojan camp ! — 
 and with him his captive, his auguress, his oracle-monger mistress, 
 who shared with him faithfully even the ship's bench and the canvas ! 
 But they did it not unpun'shed ! For he lies as ye see, and she, having 
 sung swan-like her last sad song of death, lies by him loveably, adding 
 to the sweet of my triumph a spice of sex. 
 
 Eld. Ah, could some death come quick, which without agony, 
 without pillowed watch, might bring to us endless sleep, now that our 
 kindest protector is laid low, who having much endured for a woman's 
 sin ", hath by a woman lost his life ! 
 
 Oh... Helen, who didst alone destroy that multitude, that great 
 multitude of lives at Troy, now, for thy final crown, thou hast destroyed 
 one, the stain of whose murder shall not be washed away ! Surely 
 there hath been in this house a hard-fought rivalry of fatal wives. 
 
 ^ Theconjectureof Wieseler,dTr^5iKe 0-', But I think it injurious and (for reasons 
 
 diriTa/xev <t\ should perhaps have been explained in Appendix II.) unnecessarj'. 
 mentioned in the note, as a simple re- ^ To be accurate, the word should be 
 
 storation of the .syllabic correspondence. ambiguous between ivoman and -wife. 
 
TRANSLATION vv. 1463— 1538. 259 
 
 CI. Nay, pray not for death in indignation at this. Nor turn thine 
 anger on Helen, as if alone in destruction slie had destroyed that 
 multitude of Argive lives and wrouglit incomparable woe. 
 
 Eld. Oh Curse, how hast thou fallen on Tantalus' house in either 
 branch, and shared between two women a life-destroying victory for 
 which my heart is sore! Lo, on the body, methinks, like a foul bird 
 of prey he stands, boasting to celebrate a triumph lawful and just. 
 
 Oh... Helen, who didst alone etc. 
 
 CI. Nay, now thou hast mended the judgment of thy lips, in that 
 thou callest upon the fat-fed Curse of this race. For therefrom is bred 
 this craving of the maw for blood to lick, ever new gore, ere the old 
 woe be done. 
 
 Eld. Verily mighty he is and malignant, the Curse of this house, 
 of whose never-sated cruelty thou dost, alas, so grievously testify. 
 And oh, and oh, it cometh by Zeus, the cause of all, the doer of all! 
 For what without Him is accomplished upon men ? What of all this is 
 not of divine appointment ? 
 
 Oh king, oh king, how shall I weep for thee? Out of my heart's 
 love what shall I say? And thou didst lie in this spider-web, dying by 
 a wicked death, ah me, on this couch of slavery, struck down by a 
 crafty arm with a weapon of double edge ! 
 
 CI. Barest thou say this deed was mine ? Imagine not that I am 
 Agamemnon's spouse. No, in the shape of this dead man's wife, the 
 bitter fiend, long since provoked by Atreus the cruel feaster, hath made 
 by this full-grown victim payment for those slain babes. 
 
 Eld. That thou art guiltless of this murder, who shall aver ? It 
 cannot, cannot be : though perchance the fiend of his sire might be 
 thy helper. He riots in fresh streams of kindred blood, the red Man- 
 slayer, drawn to the infant blood-slot of the child-flesh served for meat. 
 
 Oh king, oh king, how etc. 
 
 A Conspirator. His death, methinks, is not a death of slavery, 
 nor — 
 
 CI. And did he not then himself do a crafty crime against his 
 house ? Nay, for the thing he did to the blossom born of me and 
 him, my long-wept Iphigenia, justice is done upon him ! Let him not 
 boast in Hades, for he hath paid, as he sinned, with death. 
 
 Eld. My mind is blank and I find no ready thought, which way to 
 fly from the tottering house. The storm will strike it, I fear, and wreck 
 it quite, the storm of blood. The rain is ceasing, yet Justice is but 
 whetting once more on the whet-stone of hindrance her sword to punish 
 again. 
 
 17 — 2 
 
26o TRANSLA7Y0N vv. 1539—1597. 
 
 Oh earth, earth, would that thou hadst received me, before I had seen 
 my lord laid thus low in the silver-sided bath ! Who shall bury him ? 
 Who sing his dirge? Wilt thou dare to do it, thou, that hast slain thy 
 husband, dare to lament his parted soul? The compensation will 
 scarce atone the ofifence ! But who will stand over the hero's grave and 
 pour forth the tearful praise with heart that truly aches ? 
 
 CI. It belongs not to thee to regard this care. By us he fell, he 
 died, and we will bury him, not with weeping of his household, no, but 
 Iphigenia his daughter, as is fit, will meet her father with joy at the swift 
 passage of the sorrowful ford, and fling her arms around him, and give 
 him a kiss. 
 
 EM. Thus is reproach answered with other reproach ! 'Tis a hard 
 case to judge. The spoiler spoiled, the slayer amerced ! And it 
 abides, while Zeus. abides on his throne, that to him that doeth it shall 
 be done : for lawful is it. Who can expel the cursed breed from the 
 house ? It is a kind that sticketh fast. 
 
 Oh earth, earth, would that etc. 
 
 CI. Up to this death it hath truly followed prophecy, but I now am 
 ready to swear a compact with the Fortune of the house of Pleisthenes, 
 that we accept, hard though it be, what is done, if henceforth he will 
 leave this house and harass with kin-murder some other race. A part 
 of the wealth is not much to me who have it all, and moreover I am 
 content if I but rid the palace of this internecine frenzy. 
 \Enter Aegisthus etc.] 
 
 Acgisthus. Hail, kindly dawn of the day that brings justice ! 
 This hour I will confess that from above earth gods look upon and 
 avenge the woes of men, now that I see in a robe of the Furies' 
 weaving this man lying as I would, and paying for what the hands of 
 his father devised. 
 
 For Atreus, ruling in Argos, this man's father, being questioned in 
 his sovereignty by Thyestes, who was (to make all clear) father to me 
 and brother to Atreus himself, banished him from his house and from 
 the country also. And Thyestes, having returned as a suppliant to the 
 hearth, found, unhappy man, safety so far, that his life-blood was not 
 shed upon his father's floor. But taking the very occasion of his 
 arrival, Atreus, the impious father of this slain man, pretending, with 
 eagerness little welcome to my father, to hold a glad day of festival, 
 served him a banquet of his children's flesh. Of the extremities, the 
 foot-parts and fingered hands, he put a mince on the top, sitting down 
 with tables apart. And not knowing it at the moment for what it was, 
 he took of the meat disguised, and ate of a meal, which, as thou seest, 
 
TRANSLA TfON vv. 1598—1 640. 26 1 
 
 his race have found unwholesome. And when lie perceivetl ihe monstrous 
 thing he had done, he shrieked and fell back vomiting the sacrifice, 
 and called a terrible doom on the house of Pelops, aiding his 
 imprecation by the spurning of the banquet, that thus might perish 
 all the race of Pleisthenes. 
 
 This is the cause which has laid this man where ye may see. And 
 it is a justice that I am the maker of this murder. Me whom, for my 
 miserable sire's 'just third', he sent, a swaddled babe, into exile along 
 with him, that justice hath brought back again as a man. Even from 
 beyond the border I reached my victim, contriving and combining the 
 whole hard plan. And now I can even die with honour, having seen 
 him in the toils of this just revenge. 
 
 Eld. Aegisthus, I care not to insult distress ; but dost thou confess 
 unasked to be this man's slayer, the sole contriver of this pitiable 
 murder? I say that thou before justice wilt not escape, be sure, 'the 
 people's dangerous imprecation ' of stones'. 
 
 Aeg. Speakest thou so, thou, whose place is at the lower oar, while 
 they of the deck are masters of the ship ? Thine age will learn how 
 grievous it is for one of thy years to be schooled in the dictate of 
 prudence. Yet the pains of bonds and the pains of hunger are most 
 surpassing mediciners to school the oldest mind. Doth not this sight 
 warn thee? Kick not against the pricks, lest hitting thou hurt thy- 
 self. 
 
 Eld. (?) Thou woman ! Thou, who abodest at home, helping to 
 defile a brave man's bed ! And shall then warriors fresh returned from 
 battle — ? It is a captain of soldiers whose death thou hast thus 
 ' contrived '. 
 
 Aeg. These words again will prove the fathers of weeping. Thy 
 tongue is the opposite of Orpheus' : for whereas he drew all things along 
 with the joy of his voice, thy soothing bark will provoke, till thyself art 
 drawn along. But once mastered thou wilt prove tamer. 
 
 Eld. And shall I think that thou shalt be despot of the Argives, 
 who, being the ' contriver ' of the king's death, didst not dare to do the 
 deed of murder thyself? 
 
 Aeg. The part of deceit fell manifestly to the wife : I, as a hereditary 
 foe, was open to suspicion. In the wealth of the dead man I shall seek 
 the means of control. On the disobedient subject I shall lay a heavy 
 yoke, and give him, I warrant you, less than a racer's provender. Yes, 
 
 1 The point here made upon apo. and that no tianslalion can fairly represent 
 piiTTeiu is so far alien from modern English it. 
 
262 TRANSLATION vv. \6^\—\\\Q Qn(\. 
 
 hunger, which doth not mate peaceably with high spirit, will not leave 
 him till he is mild. 
 
 E/d. Why then of thy cowardice didst thou not butcher the victim 
 alone ? Why, to the defilement of our country and our country's gods, 
 join the wife with thee in the murder? Oh, doth Orestes haply live, 
 that by grace of fortune he may return to this land and slay this pair 
 victoriously ? 
 
 Aeg. Nay then, if thou wilt so say and do, thou shalt have a lesson 
 at once ! 
 
 A Soldier of Aegtsthus. Come on, comrades ! Our work is not far 
 oflf now. 
 
 Aeg. Come on ! Make ready ! Draw every man his sword ! 
 
 Eld. Nay, I too, sword in hand, am prepared to die. 
 
 ■Soldier. ' To die ! ' An acceptable word ! We take the moment. 
 
 CI. Nay, dearest, let us do no more ill. What is done is much 
 to reap, a bitter harvest. Begin pain with enough ; but let us have no 
 bloodshed. Go ye at once and confine these old men to their destined 
 dwelling-place before they come to harm (?). What we arranged should 
 have stood'. And if we should find that enough has been inflicted, 
 there we will stop, sore smitten as we have been by the heavy heel" of 
 fate. 
 
 Aeg. And must they thus flaunt the folly of their tongues against 
 me, and tempt fate with a fling of such high words ? 
 
 CI. And when they lose their senses, must he who is master of 
 them do the like ? 
 
 Eld. It is not the way in Argos to fawn upon a villain ! 
 
 Aeg. Well, I will come up with thee one of these days yet. 
 
 Eld. Not if heaven guide Orestes back to the land. 
 
 Aeg. I know myself how exiles feed upon hopes. 
 
 Eld. Go on, make thee fat, and befoul the good cause, as thou 
 canst. 
 
 Aeg. Be sure thou shalt make me amends for this kind insolence ! 
 
 Eld. Brag, brag with boldness, like a cock beside his hen ! 
 
 CI. Care not for this idle barking. I and thou will make good 
 order, being masters in this house. 
 
 1 Taking apKetv for Kaiphv. fighting cock. Aeschylus draws upon 
 
 2 Modern English will hardly bear the this pastime for poetry more than once. 
 Greek metaphor from the 'spur' of the 
 
INDEX I. GREEK. 
 
 ( The numbers are those at the head of the notes indicated) 
 
 A. 
 
 -a, Doric in senarius, 1178 
 
 a, retained in place of 1? after v, loi 
 
 dpXa^elq., 1007 
 
 a^poTLfios, 694 
 
 djKaOev, App. A 
 
 ar^vvvixi. v\7)v., 699 
 
 ayopoloL Oeol, 90 
 
 dyviaTrjs, 1065 
 
 ^Ayvteijs, 1246 
 
 ay uiv, ay uvia, 1 144 
 
 dyuiv, meeting; 836 
 
 ayuPLot. deoi, 518 
 
 ddiiTTOs, App. K 
 
 dtiTTO^, 146 
 
 -at, elision of (?), 381 (see App. II.) 
 
 aiveiv, 97 
 
 aTvos, neuter (?), 1547 
 
 airoufxai, I am asked, 150 
 
 "■^XMi impulse, 489 
 
 alwi>, 238 
 
 aKaaKalos, 74O 
 
 aKopecTTOs, 990 
 
 (XKopeTos (?), 1 105 
 
 aKpas dwo <ppev6s, 796 
 
 ^/cwj', ^uithout zvill, 189 
 
 oKiyeiv, 1550 
 
 'AX^^avopos, 61, 375, 708, 713 
 
 &\»?, 204 
 
 aXXos Tts for erepos rts, 1267 
 
 dXoiSopos, ^'///. K 
 
 d\oiip7T;s, dXovpyb, 937 
 
 dfidpTLof, 541 
 
 dfxdoj, 973, 1028 
 
 dp.(pi\€KTos, 872 
 
 S»*, anticipatory, 1032 
 
 <Si', with past tense of indicative (con- 
 jectural), 924, 1251 
 
 di', with subjunctive, as modified impera- 
 tive, 1346 
 
 dvaKTos, or 
 
 dvaKTos, App. W 
 
 dvaarivetv, 551 
 
 wSpa/caj Kadijadai, 1594 
 
 dvHivetv, 379 
 
 dveKevdepos, 1495 
 
 «"W, 535 
 dvrip=^poT6s, 994 
 dvdeiv, 664 
 dvdos, wreath, 1457 
 d^/TTjXtos, 524 
 d^icpvWos, 699 
 ct^i^crrciros, 1468 
 "Op (?), 1532 
 'ATrayxofxivr], 1 107 
 diravOi^uv, 1662 
 aTraTTTTOs, 323 
 dirapKeiv, 389 
 dwapxos, 1226 
 dirivBfiTOs, 886 
 aiT-qixavTOS, 389 
 dTroifj-di^it}, 341 
 dTTOTTTycrat, 1191 
 
264 
 
 INDEX I. GREEK. 
 
 avoaKOTToSi 467 
 
 ajToaTiyeiv, 504 
 
 S.WTepos (pans, 288 
 
 dpd, 464 
 
 dpd, 1616 
 
 dpd daTTOfSos, 1234 
 
 dpKuv, 389 
 
 dpfibs, 670 
 
 "Apre/xis, 1 107 
 
 apxtiv, to be agi^rcssor, 1531 
 
 dpx^crOat ii/iivov etc., iit)i 
 
 (StcTTToi'Oos d/)a, 1234 
 
 arat, 731 
 
 arjj, ;-«z«, 810 
 
 drh-qs, driros, 72 
 
 -aros, adjectives in, from substantives in 
 
 -yua, 1 2 1 
 avXa^eig,, 1007 
 a^Tos, 684, 871, 1590 
 avT6x0ovos (?), 541 
 auro'x^coi', 541 
 dtpieffdai (■yyva'iKa), App. K 
 
 B. 
 
 ^alvw, aor. middle, 770 
 jidWeip = ippeiv, App. V 
 piaiov, TTpbs TO, 133 
 /3ta^ws, 192 
 /3ta;', Trpos, 867 
 /3ioi' KTelveiv, 1 36 1 
 pXd^Tj, hindrance, 1533 
 (Borj = poi^deia, 1348 
 ^ovXtJ, 875 
 /SoOs, proverbial, 36 
 jipa^eijs, 238 
 §pl^uv, App. F 
 Pp6T0i = a'i/j.aTa, 232 
 /3w^s, 392, 532 
 
 r. 
 
 7, doubling of as a graphic device, 112, 
 
 1164 
 7a/(), 227 
 7ap, justifying (not proving) what was 
 
 previously said, 1204 
 yivva, as a plural term, 121 
 ■yevvaiojs, by nature, 1197 
 7e»'oD, periphrastic imperative made with, 
 
 origin of, 97 
 
 yepapos, 722 
 
 717015, 696 
 
 yvwfjLTji', wapd, 922 
 
 yvvrj, term of abuse, 1625 
 
 5^, apodotic with resumptive pronoun 
 
 (o-i) Se), 1045 
 5^ (and ydp), postponed in the sentence, 
 
 232, 308, 743, 954, 1290, 1573, 1590 
 5^, resumptive, 12, 194 
 5^, for dWd, 1062 
 Sely/xa, sign, App. S 
 ^eiytxa., display, 783 
 htlirvov, 142 
 oeKarov rjfiap, 509 
 5f/"7- 341 
 SrifioKpavTos, 464 
 01) 1x6 K par OS, 464 
 Orifxappicpris, 1 616 
 oiaTToveTadai, 19 
 SiKaioOi', 398 
 
 5t/C97 (St/ceic), 1227, y^//. X 
 5i/ci;, 7w;;/, custom, 261 
 SiKfjcpopos, 530 
 StiZ-ta x^'^»') ^//- M 
 opbfxoi, 121 
 Spoffos and ^pcr?;, 147 
 5('iTd7^j, 1 164 
 oytTTTi^^Tjs, 1254 
 
 E. 
 
 ijBdfxrji', -J -JO 
 
 eyyovetv, 385 
 
 'iyyovos, 385 
 
 iypijyopos (?), 358 
 
 et, concessive, 357, 359 
 
 et 5' ovv, 681, 1026 
 
 el' TTov, 524 
 
 etKos, with dative, 580, App. N 
 
 'EiXeldvLa, 136 
 
 erp7w (^p|w), 1657 
 
 eipr)p.iva, rd, what was commanded, 
 
 App. G 
 etpofj.^v7] X^tts, 1532 
 «s (di^ai'etaj'), 392 
 
 eKoAcnos, 794 - v 
 
 iKiraTins, App. B 
 
INDEX r. GREEK. 
 
 265 
 
 eKTe'iveti', 820, 1227 
 e/creXT/s, 1 05 
 €K(paTCx)s, 70S 
 
 f'^Xf^". 334 
 
 eKihv (jioivai, 1613 
 
 eXala, 498 
 
 eX^cas, 693 
 
 eXevOepo^, 1495 
 
 ifj-^alvo}, with accusative, 1566 
 
 ifiiraios, 196 
 
 l/niredoi, TC'/Vt', ^//. V 
 
 iiravOl^faOai, 1 45 7 
 
 ei/, of 'circumstance', 487, 690, 909 
 
 ivdrjpos, 566 
 
 eireLv, 'iweadai, 146 
 
 eiretvai, 552 
 
 eir€L(T(pp€U}, 855 
 
 eTretyxeTos, 1475 
 
 cTri, of the object of an action, 61 
 
 eiTiaivoi, 288 
 
 iiridiKos, 1605 
 
 eirLKpavita, 1339 
 
 eTriKeyeaOai («TTfX^x^T;»'), 1499 
 
 iinv^ixeadaiy passive, 491 
 
 ein(p7ifj,L'^eadai,, 11 72 
 
 eTTopdpia^eiv, 29 
 
 ^TTOS (^ttt;) Kevdeiv, 791 
 
 epiKVfxaros, 121 
 
 ?pts epidfj-aros, 1461 (see also ion) 
 
 'ipKos, 267 
 
 ^pffT/, 147 
 
 etrr/, ^trri, 436 
 
 ^(TTt, 676 
 
 iariai, 1436 
 
 ^ras (?), 763 
 
 €TT]T{lfJ.WS, 177, 687 
 
 eD, assonance on, 557, 797 
 
 e(5^eros, 451 
 
 ivae^elv, transitive (?), 350 
 
 evToXnos, 1297 
 
 ev<pp6v7j, two meanings, 276 
 
 e<prja-6aL TTi/Xats, etc., 12 16 
 
 ^Xf"', /rt-^'^i receive, 670, 724 
 
 exeadai, siop, 1659 
 
 ^cj;' for w;», ^//. D 
 
 H. 
 
 -17, preserved in Chorus, 385, 427, 715 
 -77, Epic, as an archaism, 580 
 
 rj/iat, 1 1 1 
 
 i]hovii, Jlaileiy, 854 
 •)75t5s, .'///. K 
 ■J7/ae/)o</)aros, 82 
 ijirios, 1631 
 ^ TTou, 524 
 
 e. 
 
 daKOi, 524 
 
 ^dXa(7cra, ritual meaning of, ^///'. O 
 
 0dp(Tos, 794 
 
 davfxageiv, construction of, i lyS 
 
 ^eioy, miraculous, 484 
 
 difxis, absolutely, like xp^-^"} 224 
 
 depp.6vovs, 1 171 
 
 OripiovaOaL, 566 
 
 ^'T'?, 431 
 
 dvycrKu {TiOvrfKo), 544 
 
 Opdaos, 794 
 
 dpaavvetv, transitive and intransitive, 232 
 
 Opavfxa, 1 164 
 
 OpL-yKos, dpijKou}, 1283 
 
 OveLu, 1234 
 
 ^(/eXXa, 810 
 
 Ovrfk-q, 810 
 
 dvo/xai, 142 
 
 dvos, /my, 1409 
 
 dvpaia, substantive, 1039 
 
 I. 
 
 -las (dpyi'as), 1 17 
 
 -tKos, adjectives in, 15 10 
 
 r^is, 718 
 
 1V0-, in compounds, 75, 147 1 
 
 laoTpijBiqs (?), 1444 
 
 icrb-^vxos, 147 I 
 
 IffTOTpijirjs, 1444 
 
 K. 
 
 Ktxdaipetv, condemn, 408 
 Ktt^ = a;?(/ particularly, 4 
 Kaipios, viortal, 1342 
 Ka\d, as invocation, 146 
 KOLpra, A pp. U 
 /cara^tu), 577 
 KaraTri'eFi', 107 
 Ka.TapplTrT€iv , 875 
 Karepydi'ecrdai, 531 
 /cdrotKos, 1284 
 
266 
 
 INDEX I. GREEK. 
 
 KiXevOos = 6dus, j^vi/ii;, 1.52, 434 
 Kepdvvv/jLi, metaphorical application to 
 
 contracts, 464 
 Kivetv, 88 
 kM^t], 880 
 K\dj'w, -A/iJ). E 
 (cX^fw, ^/>p. E 
 /cXi/w = «Xi^fw, 1 181 
 KoWdv, metaphorically, 1565 
 KOfxl^eiv, 794 
 
 KbvL% Kaais wriXou, App. M 
 Koaixu}, 524 
 
 KpaTTjp, figure for a bond or league, 1 396 
 KpoLTOs, victory, 147 1 
 Kpivu), prefer, 477 
 KpicTLS, choosing, 1287 
 /CTjJ^'os, 133 
 KTr\aio%, 1022 
 KipLo%, 869 
 KiJwc, 17, term of contempt, 1227, App. X 
 
 XoLKTia/xa delvvov, 1601 
 
 \afjiTrTr)povxia, 881 
 
 X^^ts eipofiivq, 1532 
 
 Xevcrifxov Ovfxa, 1107 
 
 Xridofxai, 39 
 
 Xyreipai, 1234 
 
 Xtjtwp, 1234 
 
 Xlfifxa (dXifi/iia, Xelfifxa, aXei/x/xa ?), ^//. C 
 
 XiTTTo/xat, 867 
 
 XoLOopelv, XoLdopia, App. K 
 
 Xvpas, dvev, 980 
 
 M. 
 
 /;idfa SouXia, 1025 
 
 /xdvTcs, use of sign by, ^//. S 
 
 ^dcTTif, 647 
 
 fieydXa, adv., 392 
 
 fjL^Xas, red, 1005, 1510 
 
 /xeXXc6 (?), 1355 
 
 /x^j', position of, 739 
 
 /;cec, not always inserted where admissible, 
 1191 
 
 ^tAv Toi, separate force,, 934 
 
 fji.e<T6/x(paXos, 1040 
 
 fi/j, with pres. subj., as independent sen- 
 tence, 353 
 
 /jtTjre.. /xt/t' odv, 371 
 
 fM'jTrip, matron (?), 1234 
 
 ixoipa, division, 133 
 
 ixoipa, part, 1588 
 
 p.6pos, 'means of death', 1380 
 
 /j.vdova6ai, 1367 
 
 N. 
 vq, = p€? (?), 1480 
 
 velKT] — ve?KOS (?), 1376 
 
 i/ei'pa (?), 1480 
 
 velpos (?), 1480 
 
 viov, adverb, 1625 
 
 vijaTLS, plural VT^crreis (?), 343 
 
 vyTepos (?), 1617 
 
 ft/c^ S' 6 TrpwTos ktX. , /^/^. H 
 
 ;'6/xos 6p6ioi, 11 50 
 
 |iit'-, ^/(r., see (rvi>-, etc. 
 -^w, -fa, tenses in, 686 
 
 0. 
 
 6'5e, emphatic, the present, the last, 1041 
 6'5e, explained by gesture, 504, 937, 1566 
 6S6s, metaphorically for the journey of 
 
 life, 105 
 Ota, hoiv, 1227 
 oI5a, emphatic sense, 1193 
 oiKos, store, 953 
 oiVas, olry\%, 720 
 ci/c;'os, yif//. T 
 bpa.v, be-ivare, 1623 
 opyai, 69 
 6p9ios vdfios, 1 150 
 opKoSt 1 197 
 bpfxalveiv, 1387 
 ocrcros, ocraov, peak, 475 
 0Te = 6'Taj', 762 
 ouS^ 7dp...;, 1524 
 ovSeu, emphatic negative, 783 
 oC TTore, 01)5^;' TTOTf, emphatic negative, 
 
 1042 
 oiSttw, never, as strong negative, 683 
 ovpdvioL deoL, 90 
 Oi)pac6s, Kpows, Zews, 170, 178 
 -ovxos, 881 
 6\pavov, App. F 
 
INDEX I. GREEK. 
 
 267 
 
 II. 
 
 Tratai', 254 
 
 waidLoppavTrjpiov, 1077 
 
 TraTs, 722 
 
 Trats, servant, 397 
 
 irais and riKvov, A pp. B 
 
 Tratw^, 1246 
 
 TrdXatos (from TrdX??), 1376 
 
 ■KoXi-yKOTO'i, 865 
 
 iraixovr) (iraofxai), etc., 995 
 
 na/JLTTpoade, 715 
 
 Trapd in Trapa toctouto;', Trap' eV, etc., 1068 
 
 irapapAw, 973 
 
 wapaTrifiweiv, 441 
 
 TrapacTKowelv, 1251 
 
 wapaarad ixos (?), 1029 
 
 irdpavTa, 738 
 
 7rdpe|ts, 1 5 10 
 
 irdpij^ts (?), 561 
 
 Trdpi^ts (?), 561 
 
 irdros, ^//. B 
 
 ■irei.d-qiJ.03v, 429 
 
 irei^c6, 106 
 
 irivdei.a, A pp. L 
 
 irevd-q/Muv, 429 
 
 Trep- for trepi-, 1144 
 
 irepLirepLTrTa, Trepiirefi^pis, 88 
 
 TTijXds, ^//. M 
 
 TrrjfjLa, oi a. 8pKos, 1197 
 
 iriaTev/xa, 862 
 
 ttXovtos, emphatic sense, 940 
 
 TTveiv, metaphorically of spirit, 1234 
 
 Tn'eif, compounds of, double sense, 107 
 
 irveieiv, 107 
 
 irotKtXos, TO. TTOiKiKa, 916 
 
 iroios; 290 
 
 7r6Xts = xoXtTttt, 398 
 
 woTciffdai, metaphorically of person or 
 
 thing renowned, 580 
 trpayfia, exaction, 1532 
 TrpSfts, 267 
 
 irpdffau), absolutely, 1288 
 irpeVei, w nahcrally, 439 
 TTpeirovTuiv, gen. absol., 1394 
 Trpo-, eTTi-, correlative, ^//. E 
 7rp6,8oiiXos, 397 
 7rp65iKos, 457 
 7rp6!?oi;Xoy, vicarius, 936 
 
 trpocrdoKav, suppose, 6S9 
 irpoadeLv (?), 807 
 TTpoaeLKa^eiv, 173 
 irpocrfjcrOai, 1 190 
 TTpdcTTratos, 359 
 irpocFTpiiru), 737 
 irpoffTp^cpw (?), 737 
 TrpoarpifxpLU, 398 
 irp6a<payiJ.a, App. Z 
 TTpoT^Xeia, 65, 237 
 TrpoTLixdv, with genitive, 1672 
 irpo<priT7)%, 1083 
 irpo^TjTTjs dofiui', App. K 
 irp6(ppiiiv, Trpo(pp6vus, App. E 
 TTupos acpayat, 1041 
 7rw = TToO, 1508 
 
 P. 
 
 prjypviJ.1, 519 
 
 plwT€I.V ^OVXtJV, 875, 1616 
 pVCTLOV, 540 
 
 aalveLv, 'jS'j 
 crdp^, muscle, 72 
 ffeipa(p6po^, 1640 
 <xriiJ.avTripi.os, 614 
 (7t7a, 456 
 ffiripfia, 532 
 ffrrodeicrdai, 676 
 (Trdfeii/, 1 89 
 (TTdcts (povov, 1 105, 1 107 
 
 (TTpOvdoS, 152 
 
 trd (trot), 501 
 (T&yKOTos, 463 
 <ri;/u/3o\os, 150 
 crvfiirveiv, 196 
 ffvfj.(pvTos, 159 
 ffy^, instrumental, 661 
 ffwifx^oXov, 973 
 ffijvevvos cre\fidTU3v, 1443 
 crvvriyopos, 822 
 ffi);' ^eois, 904 
 ffipayal irvpos, IO4I 
 <T(p(v56vT], 995, .-^//. T 
 (TXeSpo?, ffx^Opos, 1294 
 aup.aTotpdope'iv, 939 
 (Xiorrip v€KpQv, 1385 
 
268 
 
 INDEX J. GREEK. 
 
 T, 
 
 ra-^-T} (tci^'is), Sr.5 
 
 raXira. M., 551, 1.519 
 
 re, u6, 128 
 
 re and 5^, 296, 1585, App. Y 
 
 re. ..5^, 1573 
 
 Te...Kal, as. ..so, 334 
 
 T€...Te, as... so, 76 
 
 T€...Te, coupling closely related descrip- 
 tions, 1226 
 
 TeKjx-qpLOv, billet, 344 
 
 Te\ideiv, 100, 473 
 
 ri'Keios, of a victim, 963, 1505 
 
 riXos, Jinal decision, 925 
 
 riixviiv, as term in medicine, 17 
 
 rei^X'i') eVei/fa/XTji', 153 
 
 T^X^'^'-i of the mantic art, prophecy, 260, 
 1 125 
 
 TTjpelv, 1 193 
 
 T^, representing a verb, 79, 926 
 
 rf >(£/); 1 134 
 
 ri 01); 561 
 
 TlOecrdai, to score, as in a game, 32 
 
 Ww=d^tt3, with genitive, 933 
 
 TO, etc., as demonstrative, 322, 362 
 
 TO, etc., as relative, 354, 531 
 
 Tb yap, 755 
 
 rh Se, 755 
 
 t6 niv...Tb di, 995 
 
 rb fiT), with infinitive, depending on (po- 
 ^eiadai, (fiojSos, 14 
 
 TOTTCl, TOTTl), etC, ^//. E 
 
 rb irdp, 437 
 
 t6 ttSi', 01), 982 
 
 Toaao%, 146 
 
 Tore, before, 790 
 
 Toi^Tw;' yit^i' oiJrw, 941 
 
 Tpiweiv voaov, 841 
 
 T/)ipi7, 471 
 
 Ti/pai'cos, 819 (see Translation) 
 
 ijfivov apxicrOai, i:{c., 1191 
 virapxeiv (tivos), to make a beginning of, 
 1656 
 
 VTTVOiiJ, 189 
 UTTO (?), I 163 
 
 ijwo, with dative, 883 
 virriacr/xa, 1283 
 
 *. 
 
 ^a-, ^d, 82 
 (pdvai eKtkv, 161 2 
 (pans, address, 616 
 (pdovoi, 824 
 
 <Pl\-qTWp (?), 1445 
 
 (piXus €/j,oi, 1 58 1 
 
 (po^os aifiaTOffTayris, 1307 
 
 06cei'(rts, 132 1 
 
 (pprjv, App. E 
 
 <^p6vr\ix.a., presjunption, 739 
 
 tpVToK/xios, 339 
 
 (pojvuiv (etTre), 215 
 
 Xa^pe, 544 
 
 Xaipeiv, with dative, 577 
 
 Xaipeiv, Tb, 503 
 
 XaXKOv ^a<pai, 617 
 
 Xapa, 722 
 
 Xapl^eadal Ti, 315 
 
 Xap'S, charm, 383 
 
 XeXidwv, 1034 
 
 X>?X^) 1660 
 
 Xpeos, obligation, 464 
 
 ^. 
 
 xpanixiov, 973 
 ^(;5os, 987 
 
 cLs, in limiting or qualifying sense, 347 
 tUcTTe (^(TTtc wo-re), 1394 
 
INDEX II. ENGLISH. 
 
 [Only stick references are given in this Index as could not conveniently 
 find a place in the foregoing.) 
 
 A. 
 
 Abstract for concrete (7rd/)£|ts = r6 Trape- 
 
 Xi/ifi-oc), 1 510 
 Accusative in apposition to the action, 
 
 653- 734 
 in apposition to the action, preceding 
 
 the verb, 245 
 of duration of time (/xipos), 561 
 of ' motion to ', extension of, 300 
 Adjective, verbal, with construction of 
 verb, 1075 
 neuter used as substantive, 273 
 treated as participle, 726 
 Adverb with dependent case, 1581, 1590 
 ' Aeolic ' form of nepi- in compounds, 
 
 1 144 
 Anapaests, hiatus in, 785 
 Aorist in Oratio Obliqua with future 
 tense (?), 680 
 participle expressing action contempo- 
 raneous with that of aorist verb, 300 
 Apollo, image of, worn by priestess (?), 
 
 1265 
 Apollo and Cassandra, 1201 
 Apostrophe to the absent, 1133, 83 
 
 to the speaker's self, 970 
 Apposition, 105, 296, 740, 805, (to. ix.kv 
 yap icTTlas) 1040, 1230, 1380, I4'^i, 
 1479, ^Ch^ 
 Ares, cannibal rites of, 647 
 
 Ares, cannibal god, 15 10 
 
 Argolis, natural division of, ^//. M 
 
 Argos, emblems of, 815, 816, 817 
 
 Artemis 'A7ra7xo^e'j'r;, 1107 
 
 Article, Aeschylean use of, 30, 60, 90, 
 
 133' 187, 300. 336. 347. 396, 49". 
 
 519, 589, 692, 694, 768, 887, 89S 
 
 (see Translation)^ 980, 1144, 1605, 
 
 1621 
 Asyndeton between contrasted terms 
 
 (<pi\wv utt' ixdpwv), 1 27 1 
 Attraction of relative in form to etc. , 9(^4 
 
 B. 
 
 Bathos, intentional, 893, A/fp. Q 
 Betrothal, ritual of, 65 
 Broken sentence (indignation), 1625 
 Burden, repetition, in singing, 1 191, i4,s('), 
 
 1490, 1 539 
 Burial, ' to cloak oneself in earth ', S60 
 
 Caesura, affecting the sense, 125 1 
 
 Capital of pillar, 1283, 1339 
 
 Chorus, numl)er of, 1347 
 
 Second, 363, 506, 618, 631 (see Trans- 
 lation), 1522, 1649, '^/Z- J 
 
 Clause, coordinate, where English would 
 have subordinate, 360, 575 
 independent for dependent, 1 1 ro 
 
270 
 
 INDEX II. ENGLISH. 
 
 Clause, independent for dependent in 
 nntithesis, 1421 
 with finite verb instead of participle, 
 1287, 1455 
 Colour of shields, interprets a symbol, 
 
 App. C 
 Column, 1283, 1339 
 Composition of adjectives in ■■r\% etc., 439 
 
 of substantives and adjectives, 397 
 Condylea, ritual of, 1107 
 Council (place of), 524 
 
 D. 
 
 Dactyl, initial, 4 
 
 Dative 'absolute', 437, 129S, App. Z 
 ethic, 504 
 
 ethic, indefinite {<soi), 501 
 ' of interest ', 27, 580, App. A 
 of interest in relation to the sentence, 
 
 737. 1259 
 instramental-local with Trpo^atVw or 
 
 Trpoff^aivw, 1 5 10 
 instrumental, with eKxeif, 334 
 instrumental of purchase, 794 
 personal instrumental, 618 
 'possessive' or ' of interest ', 1055 
 possessive, combined with another 
 
 dative, 139 
 quasi-local of person, App. V 
 signifying succession (To7crt Oavovai 
 
 Oavihv), 1337 
 of 'thing affected ', 1585 
 Doric forms, 686, 693, 1508 
 
 E. 
 
 Elision of words having the quantity ~'~', 
 
 898 
 Ellipse of optative with &, supplied from 
 
 foregoing clause, 1007 
 of part of the subject, irregular, 565 
 (of indignation), 1625, 1633 
 in one clause of antithesis, 855 
 of verb with ttws;, 1373 
 of verb to be supplied from verbal 
 
 adjective, 483 
 of verb supplied from previous clause, 
 
 1328 
 of verb common to two opposed clauses, 
 
 796 
 
 Ellipse in tovtuv fxkv ovtu, 941 
 
 of substantive in rpoTrala, Ovpala, 1039 
 
 of uv, 484 
 
 of iSv with eidivai and adjective, 547 
 
 with UKTirep ovv etc., 11 70 
 Ephymnium, 1456, 1490, 1539 
 'Epic' forms in Chorus, 1S9, 724, 737, 
 
 App. D 
 Epithet, personal, transferred to feelings 
 etc., App. B 
 
 transference of, 1 59 
 Epode, recitative, not strophic, 165 
 Espousal, ritual of, 65 
 Etymologicitm Jllai^ninii, false citation 
 
 by, App. D 
 Evil eye, App. R 
 
 F. 
 
 Fork or flesh-hook, 647 
 Future, second person of, in place of the 
 general rts, 69 
 
 G. 
 
 Gender in partitive expression (6 vcraros 
 ToO xp6voi'), 1299 
 partitive in viraroi 'Kex^i^v, App. B 
 Genitive of agent following negative adj., 
 App. K 
 adjectival 'of equivalent' (iiixaTos fiipos), 
 
 561 
 after adjectival substantive Sta yvvaLKcbv 
 
 etc., 1 162 
 of definition, combined with another 
 
 genitive, 1447 
 local, 1040 
 of local or quasi-local relation with 
 
 adverb (Keirai ^lXtjtus roDSe), 1445 
 of person with davfxd^eip, 1 1 98 
 Geryon, 860 
 
 Gods, first salutation to, 801 
 Goldsmith, metaphor of, 445 
 
 H. 
 
 Heracles as a slave, 1025 
 Hermes, patron of heralds, 519 
 Hesychius, origin of false gloss in, 133 
 Hiatus, as a method of punctuation, 785 
 
 after ri, 1 103 
 Hippolytus, 1007 
 
INDEX //. ENGLfSn. 
 
 271 
 
 Horse, as the type of Ars^os, Sr5, S16 
 Hunger as a symbolical portent, 133 
 Husband and wife, Af/>. R 
 Hyperljole (inrip aarpLcv), 377 
 
 Imperative, periphrastic with 76j'oi'', origin 
 
 of, 97 
 Imperfect tense in antithesis to present, 
 
 1286 
 Infanticide, t2iS 
 Infinitives, consecutive, one depending on 
 
 the other, 1173 
 Interrogative, double, 1340 
 Ionic form, irregularly used, 659 
 
 L. 
 
 Law, ancient criminal, 537 
 Leda (AijSas -yiveffkov), 905 
 Legends of mythology morally interpreted, 
 
 170 
 Lyre at feasts, 980 
 
 M. 
 
 Masculine gender of collective, notwith- 
 standing feminine gender of indi- 
 viduals, 338 
 
 Medicine and surgery, terms of, in poetry, 
 189 
 
 Metaphor of the 'falling house', 1531 
 of the woman working at night, 1015 
 
 Metaphorical language, crossed with 
 literal, 841 
 
 Metaphors, bold combination of, 137 
 
 Middle voice, 142, 153 
 
 N. 
 
 Negative phrases, in the same sentence, 
 
 collision of, 561 
 Neuter, dative substantival {(piXois unth 
 
 friendliness), 1373 
 'Nominativus pendens', 995, 1479 
 
 O. 
 
 Oath, superstitious view of, 1197 
 
 of the gods, 1289 
 Olive-wreath, use of, at Argos, 498, 
 Apf. M 
 
 Optative, in coordinate clause (quasi- 
 concessive) for English indicative, 
 where main clause is optative, 360 
 
 in dependent clause (temporal, modal 
 etc.), where principal clause is opta- 
 tive, 264, 331 
 
 archaic, imperative use of, 557, 936, 
 
 1373 
 deliberative, 628 
 
 expressing acquiescence in result, 9^)4 
 expressing admission of probability, 
 
 1162 
 with av in hypothetical clause, 92 1 
 with oTTWs 0.V, 376 
 Orphic discipline, 1007 
 
 Participle with suV)stantive, as Latin capta 
 2t7-bs, the taking of the city, 118, 645 
 use of, TO (paviv, proof, 490 
 subordination of, to another participle, 
 
 186, 561 
 with X^yeiv, 281 
 and verb, 418, 605, 610, 970, 1031, 
 
 1036, 1052, 1548 
 Kara avvecriv, irregular construction of, 
 
 561 
 with TXijvai, 1025 
 passive, use of, 867 
 Pause after first foot of senaritis, used for 
 emphasis, 13, 537, 835, 912, 1047, 
 1079, ^083, 1123, 1225 
 after second foot oi senariiis, 1444 
 after fourth foot of senarins, 1 2 1 5 
 Pelopidae, wealth of, 1573 
 Persians, destruction of Athens by the. 
 
 Personification, 160, 807, 885, 973, 990, 
 
 1025, 1055, 1416, 1435, 1641 
 Philomela, 1144 
 Pillar, 1283, 1339 
 Plataea, allusion to, App. G 
 Pleiads, setting of, 817, App. P 
 Plural and singular, variation between, 549 
 of a single subject, representing English 
 
 indefinite article, 192 
 of words of feeling, (pOovoi etc., 824 
 Preposition as adverb, 263, 59 r, 756, 
 1270, 1358, 1414, 1644 
 
272 
 
 INDEX 11. ENGLISH. 
 
 Present tense in prophecy, 1339 
 Pronoun, obscurity arising from omission 
 
 of, ii;94 
 demonstrative (o5e), resuming subject 
 
 with emphasis, 650 
 Purple dye, value of, 950 
 
 R. 
 
 Relative, attraction of, 964 
 
 Sacrifice (aSairos OvaLa), 157 
 
 by Treplire/j.\l/is, 88 
 
 by stoning and by strangulation, 1 107 
 Salt water, ritual use of, ^//. O 
 Sea, as a type of water, 1408 
 Seal, metaphor of, 614 
 Shield, as a symbol, A/>/>. C 
 * Sleep ' of a dormant pain, 189 
 ' Spear-hand ' = right, 1 1 9 
 Stoning as a method of sacrifice, 1107 
 
 Subjunctive with dv, as imperative, 1346 
 Suljstantive, construction depending on, 
 
 as upon a verb, 186, 804, 866, 1287, 
 
 1365. 1630 
 
 Theft, ancient law of, 537 
 Thyestean feast, 136, 1075, 1583 
 Tmesis, 1599 
 Troezen, ritual of, 1107 
 
 V. 
 
 'Vanity' (to fidrav), 175 
 
 Verb, finite, instead of participle, 1287, 
 
 1455 
 clause (independent) substituted for 
 participial or other dependent clause 
 in antithesis, 318 
 V^erbal adjective governing case, 434 
 equivocation, 276, 530, 702, 1376, 
 1456, 1623 
 
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