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οἰκεῖν τοιαύτας εἰκὸς, οὐ χρηστηρίοις
ἐν τοῖσδε πλησίοισι τρίβεσθαι μύσος.
χωρεῖτ ̓ ἄνευ βοτῆρος απολούμεναι
ποίμνης τοιαύτης δ ̓ οὔτις εὐφιλὴς θεῶν.
ΧΟ. ἄναξ Απολλον, ἀντάκουσον ἐν μέρει.
αὐτὸς σὺ τούτων οὐ μεταίτιος πέλει,

ἀλλ ̓ εἰς τὸ πᾶν ἔπραξας, ὡς παναίτιος.
ΑΠ. πῶς δή; τοσοῦτο μῆκος ἔκτεινον λόγου.
ΧΟ. ἔχρησας ὥστε τὸν ξένον μητροκτονείν.

185

190

ΑΠ. ἔχρησα ποινὰς τοῦ πατρὸς πέμψαι. τί μήν; και

Το Tale on gyro ΧΟ. κἀπειθ' ὑπέστης αἵματος δέκτωρ νέου.

head

9. inf. 594

ΑΠ. καὶ προστραπέσθαι τούσδ ̓ ἐπέστελλον δόμους.
ΧΟ. καὶ τὰς προπομποὺς δῆτα τάσδε λοιδορεῖς ;
ΑΠ. οὐ γὰρ δόμοισι τοῖσδε πρόσφορον μολεῖν.
ΧΟ. ἀλλ ̓ ἔστιν ἡμῖν τοῦτο προστεταγμένον.

ΑΠ. τίς ήδε τιμή; κόμπασον γέρας καλόν.
ΧΟ. τοὺς μητραλοίας ἐκ δόμων ἐλαύνομεν.

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195

200

ΑΠ. τί γάρ ; γυναικὸς ἦτις ἄνδρα νοσφίσῃ ; αλογα. Ρal. 1427
ΧΟ. οὐκ ἂν γένοιθ' ὅμαιμος αὐθέντης φόνος.

186. The commentators quarrel with the epithet πλησίοισι. But there is no reason why ἐν τοῖσδε πλησίοισι χρηστηρίοις should not mean “in the neighbourhood of this shrine," literally "in this shrine, being near to you." So Hermann: πλησία χρηστήρια, “ vicinum templum sunt, ante quod Furiæ commorantur."

192. δή expresses irony and contempt.
194. πέμψαι. Το προπομπός, ν. 197.
It need not be altered to πρᾶξαι.—τί
μήν; “ quidni?”

195. ὑπέστης, sub. εἶναι. αἵματος,
"murderer," abstract for concrete.
200. κόμπασον, “Boast of an honour-

able privilege-when you have it,” not of a base occupation, unworthy of Goddesses. So Paley; and this is more probable than to suppose the words simply ironical, "Proclaim this fine privilege of yours."

202, 203. Transl. "What! matricide in the case of a woman who rids herself of her husband?"

Ch. " Aye for this would not be murder committed on a blood-relation." αὐθέντης, αὐτοσφαγὴς, αὐτοφόνος, αὐτ τοχεὶρ, αὐτοκτόνος, either applicable to self-murder or that inflicted by or upon a blood-relation ; 50 αὐτουργίαι, inf. ν. 322.

ΑΠ. ή κάρτ ̓ ἄτιμα καὶ παρ ̓ οὐδὲν εἰργάσω
Ἥρας τελείας καὶ Διὸς πιστώματα

Κύπρις δ' ἄτιμος τῷδ ̓ ἀπέῤῥιπται λόγῳ,
ὅθεν βροτοῖσι γίγνεται τὰ φίλτατα.

εὐνὴ γὰρ ἀνδρὶ καὶ γυναικὶ μορσίμη

205

ὅρκου 'στὶ μεῖζον τῇ δίκῃ φρουρουμένη. guarded by julic R. εἰ τοῖσιν οὖν κτείνουσιν ἀλλήλους χαλᾷς

τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι, μηδ ̓ ἐποπτεύειν κότῳ,

οὔ φημ ̓ Ορέστην σ ̓ ἐνδίκως ἀνδρηλατεῖν. in his core τὰ μὲν γὰρ οἶδα κάρτα σ' ἐνθυμουμένην, τὰ δ ̓ ἐμφανῶς πράσσουσαν ἡσυχαιτέραν.

case

δίκας δὲ Παλλὰς τῶνδ ̓ ἐποπτεύσει θεά. ΧΟ. τὸν ἄνδρ ̓ ἐκεῖνον οὔ τι μὴ λίπω ποτέ. ΑΠ. σὺ δ ̓ οὖν δίωκε, καὶ πόνον πλέον τίθου. ΧΟ. τιμὰς σὺ μὴ ξύντεμνε τὰς ἐμὰς λόγῳ. ΑΠ. οὐδ ̓ ἂν δεχοίμην ὥστ ̓ ἔχειν τιμὰς σέθεν.

204. The MSS. have ἠρκέσω, “vocem nihili,” variously altered to ᾐδέσῳ, ἤρκεσεν, ἀρκέσει, &c.; Herm. ἧκέ σοι. But I follow Paley in preferring εἰργάσω, “ fecisti” (Wordsworth's conjecture), because it is the only verb which completely agrees with both ἄτιμα and παρ' οὐδέν.

205. Διός, scil. τελείου: not in the usual sense of "the Accomplisher," but the God of Marriage: τέλος γὰρ ὁ γάμος (Schol. ad Arist. Thesm. 973). Comp. inf. 799.

208, εὐν—φρουρουμένη. “ For marriage between man and woman, brought about by Destiny, if rightly observed, is more binding than an oath.” τῇ δίκη δικαίως. μεῖζον and φρουρουμένῃ are superfluous alterations.

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211. τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι (τίνεσθαι, Herm.). Paley translates this, "So that it does

210

215

not happen that you visit them wrath-
fully." This is harsh and improbable.
This verse refers to what the Chorus
had said in v. 203, οὐκ ἂν γένοιθ'
ὅμαιμος αὐθέντης φόνος. The expression
is therefore elliptical: in full it would
be τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι ὅμαιμον αὐθέντη φόνον.
Transl. “ If then to murder, in the case
of married folk, you concede that it is no
murder, and that you do not visit them
wrathfully; I deny the justice of your
persecution of Orestes.”—χαλᾷς, “yield
the point, art indulgent enough to say;"
as Hec. 403.

214. πράσσουσαν ἡσυχαιτέραν, “too
remiss in exacting vengeance."

215. εποπτεύσει, “ shall look to, take
care of," as Choeph. 1.

217. σὺ δ ̓ οὖν—τίθου. This line is
of course ironical.—πλέον τίθου
= "In-
crease,” πλέον being an adverb.

H

unclean

ΧΟ. μέγας γὰρ ἔμπας πὰρ Διὸς θρόνοις λέγει | 220

ἐγὼ δ', ἄγει γὰρ αἷμα μητρῷον, δίκας

μέτειμι τόνδε φῶτα κἀκκυνηγετῶ.

ΑΠ. ἐγὼ δ' ἀρήξω, τὸν ἱκέτην τε ῥύσομαι·

δεινὴ γὰρ ἐν βροτοῖσι κἀν θεοῖς πέλει

τοῦ προστροπαίου μῆνις, εἰ προδῶ σφ ̓ ἑκών. 225

ΟΡΕΣΤΗΣ.

ἄνασσ' ̓Αθάνα, Λοξίου κελεύσμασιν

ἥκω, δέχου δὲ πρευμενῶς ἀλάστορα, a poor amelih
οὐ προστρόπαιον, οὐδ ̓ ἀφοίβαντον χέρα,
ἀλλ ̓ ἀμβλὺν ἤδη, προστετριμμένον τε πρὸς
ἄλλοισιν οἴκοις καὶ πορεύμασιν βροτῶν·
ὅμοια χέρσον καὶ θάλασσαν ἐκπερῶν,

220. ἔμπας καὶ ἔμπα Αττικῶς, ἔμπης
δὲ Ἰωνικῶς· δηλοῖ δὲ τὸ ὅμως, Zonaras.
This is a poetic word, derived from ev
πᾶσι; it does not mean “altogether,"
but "in all circumstances," i. e. "at
all events," and hence "nevertheless."
Here it is καὶ χωρὶς τῶν ἐμῶν τιμῶν,
"anyhow." In Soph. Aj. 121, it serves
to strengthen the force of καίπερ (ἐποικ-
τείρω δέ νιν Δύστηνον ἔμπας, καίπερ ὄντα
δυσμενῆ) like the Homeric Νέστορα δ'
οὐκ ἔλαθεν, πίνοντά περ ἔμπης. Comp.
Antig. 845.

221. δίκας — κἀκκυνηγετῶ, “I will proceed to punish this man, and even now I am on his track.” μέτειμι δίκας τιμωρήσω. The double accus. occurs similarly Bacch. 346.

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225. εἰ προδῶ. Jelf, Gr. Gr. 854. 1, thus explains the difference between εἰ γένοιτο, εἰ γένηται, and ἐὰν γένηται. Εἰ γένοιτο implies a mere supposition, often an improbable one: "If it should happen.” εἰ γένηται, that it may or may not happen, without any notion of a

230

definite time, “ If it does.” ἐὰν γένηται, that it is expected to happen at the particular time "when it does." Instances of el with the subj. occur Pers. 787, Suppl. 86, Ajax 491, Cd. Tyr. 198, 874. Ed. Col. 1443. It is doubtful whether this construction can be used in prose; in Thucyd. vi. 21, εἰ ξυστῶσι, the MSS. vary: see Arnold.

226. The scene is shifted to Athens. See Introd. § 13.

228. προστρόπαιον. Introd. § 22. 229. ἀμβλύν—βροτῶν. Transl. “But already have the edge of my guilt blunted, and worn down by contact with (πρός) the dwellings and haunts of other men.” προστετριμμένον = "attritum, rubbed against.” Comp. Sept. c. Theb. 712, τεθηγμένον τοί μ' οὐκ ἀπαμβλυνεῖς λόγῳ. Wellauer thinks πρὸς is an adverb, = “insuper,” as Orest. 621, Med. 704, which is not impossible. Hermann's reading is not satisfactory. 231. ὅμοια "perinde"-"All the same, as much as if I had not been

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in obedience to

σ.ι. καυτού

σώζων ἐφετμὰς Λοξίου χρηστηρίους,

πρόσειμι δῶμα καὶ βρέτας τὸ σὸν, θεά.

αὐτοῦ φυλάσσων ἀναμενῶ τέλος δίκης. Hem. άμμενώ ΧΟ. εἶεν. τόδ ̓ ἐστὶ τἀνδρὸς ἐκφανὲς τέκμαρ

235

ὅπου δὲ μηνυτῆρος ἀφθέγκτου φραδαῖς. Gelligo, hints cas de relo τετραυματισμένον γὰρ ὡς κύων νεβρὸν,

the disps of blood πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σταλαγμὸν ἐκμαστεύομεν. αι. ἐκματεύομεν, Gracle out πολλοῖς δὲ μόχθοις ἀνδροκμῆσι φυσιᾷ

241

σπλάγχνον· χθονὸς γὰρ πᾶς πεποίμανται τόπος,
ὑπέρ τε πόντον ἀπτέροις πωτήμασιν
ἦλθον διώκουσ', οὐδὲν ὑστέρα νεώς.
καὶ νῦν ὅδ ̓ ἐνθάδ' ἐστί που καταπτακών.
ὀσμὴ βροτείων αἱμάτων με προσγελᾷ.

ὅρα, ὅρα μάλ' αὖ, λεῦσσέ τε πάντα μὴ

purified at all." So according to Reiske's emend., Eur. Hec. 398, ὅμοια, κισσὸς δρυὸς ὅπως, τῆσδ ̓ ἕξομαι, where, however, we should perhaps read ὁποῖα κισσὸς δρυὸς, ἐγὼ τῆσδ ̓ ἕξομαι.

233. πρόσειμι, not from εἶμι, “ibo,” but εἰμὶ, “sum : ” for Orestes had already come to the temple of Pallas, comp. ἥκω, ν. 227. So πάρειμι, Eur. Bacch. 805.

234. Paley wrongly joins αναμένω φυλάσσων, making it = φυλάσσω. Read ἀναμεν, and join αὐτοῦ φυλάσσων.

240. πεποίμανται, “ has been traversed," as carefully as by a shepherd seeking out shady nooks where he may find grass for his flock.

241. ἀπτέροις. See v. 51.

243. καταπτακών. The second aor. ἔπτακον is only used in compounds of πτήσσω. The verb means prop. “ to drop the wings for fear," as a bird; so

245

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Ajax 171, of a dove: hence “to crouch, cower.” πτώσσω is always intrans. πτήσσω in Il. xiv. 40, is “to scare, but this is unusual. —πτὰξ and πτώξ are used indifferently as to sense.

244. προσγελᾷ, “greets,” Pal. compares σαίνω, used “ de aliqua re quæ furtim sensibus illabitur:” we may transl. "The smell of human blood lures me on,” after Milton, Par. Lost, ii. 665.

245. This is another Commatic Ode, see on v. 138.

245. λευσσέ τε, Herm. Müller's defence of the MSS. reading, λεύσσετον, is ingenious. He supposes that the Choreutæ enter in two long lines, and part to the right and left, so that the dual is applied to the two files, as it is in Homer to the two banks of oarsmen in a bireme. But several MSS. plainly indicate that λεῦσσε . . ... τον were sepa

but he afterwards

draught

λάθῃ φύγδα βὰς ματροφόνος ἀτίτας.

ὅδ ̓ αὐτέ γ' ἀλκὰν ἔχων

περὶ βρέτει πλεχθεὶς θεᾶς ἀμβρότου,

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ὑπόδικος θέλει γενέσθαι χερῶν. μας deedo
τὸ δ ̓ οὐ πάρεστιν· αἷμα ματρῷον χαμαὶ
δυσαγκόμιστον, παπαῖ.

τὸ διερὸν πέδοι χύμενον οἴχεται.
ἀλλ ̓ ἀντιδοῦναι δεῖ σ ̓ ἀπὸ ζῶντος ῥοφεῖν
ἐρυθρὸν ἐκ μελέων πέλανον· ἀπὸ δὲ σοῦ
βοσκὰν φέροιμ ̓ ἂν πώματος δυσπότου
καὶ ζῶντά σ ̓ ἰσχνάνασ ̓ ἀπάξομαι κάτω,
ἀντίποιν ̓ ὡς τίνῃς ματροφόνου δύας.
ὄψει δὲ κεἴ τις ἄλλον ἤλιτεν βροτῶν,
ἢ θεὸν ἢ ξένον [τιν' ἀσεβῶν] ἢ τοκέας φίλους,
ἔχονθ ̓ ἕκαστον τῆς δίκης ἐπάξια.

rate words, and Spa in the former clause
confirms this.—πάντα for πάντη.

247. ἀτίτας, nom. = ἀτιμώρητος, Schol.

changed his mind to the Paley makes it the accus. pl.

first- mentioned view.

P. understands it as ironical.

66

us the avengers," quoting Klausen, Agam. 72. 248. ἀλκάν, “ aid,” as Suppl. 711. αὖτε, “ No longer as before,” Pal.

250. ὑπόδικος—χερῶν, “ Is willing to take his trial for the works of his hands" —χερῶν lit. “ in respect of his hands or handiwork."-Paley's "to place himself in our power," is exactly contrary to the sense for this was what Orestes wished to avoid, by clasping the statue of Pallas. Hermann's reading χρεῶν, " debts,” is somewhat tame.

253. τὸ διερόν, “ the life - blood.” Διερὸς (from διd means " penetrabilis.” So Arist. Aves, 213, μέλεα διερὰ = διαπρύσια “ thrilling,” not = ὑγρὰ “liquid.” Comp. Od. vi. 201, ix. 43. From the same root come διώκω, διαίνω, δίομαι, &c.

250

255

260

255. πέλανoν. Blomf. Gloss. Pers. 821.

256. φέροιμ' ἄν. J. Wordsworth for φεροίμαν.

258. The MSS. have ἀντιποίνους τίνεις ματροφόνας δύας, which is variously altered. I have adopted Hermann's reading; "that you may pay the penalty

of
your mother's disastrous murder," as
Pers. 471, ὧν ἀντίποινα παῖς ἐμὸς πράξειν
δοκῶν. We might also read ματροφόνους
δύας, accus. in apposition with ἀντίποινα
-the sense is the same.

260. τιν' ἀσεβῶν. These words spoil the metre, and Paley would omit them. It is doubtful whether λITEV could govern an accus. of the person injured, though it does in Homer. Comp. Jelf, Gr. Gr. 565. Herm. reads οὐκ εὐσεβῶν, but this also is a doubtful construction: in Agam. 322, the proper reading is εὖ σέβουσι (not εὐσεβοῦσι) τοὺς θεούς.

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