bs See eats, Ree en ae a : y he? Sat muon y SN ga ' . 5 : - P Py ; rt e ~~ > a = hs , : a aie oi ‘ $ , > = id 5 . : ig % 7 ‘ ‘+ s ’ : : ’ rae i > . i . ; | ‘ a By 4 ‘ hs 7 y, . Watt * hn ; . j ea . ’ - . . * eA a Mer is . 7 - aE | ; — " ” L) t - ¢ _ * > > MY ‘ : tn ‘ ‘ = ‘ a 3 ‘een ee F tt * Ae: } | ; y ‘ - } ~ | i € oN d : a ; , . ‘ i : , , - 3 ay ts, r * at s * : =, - z , 3 \ ' ad : 4 See, : + 4 . . : # ts = * j ’ ‘ et ee k ‘ * ‘ f ve ; | < j V ; ~ ‘ z : y + 7 . ‘ y 4 . AG J ¥ st ; : re , e| . f ig * , ae ° - ae J » ¥ m . fing j a J > ¢ b : a4 % “ 2S Re ) ‘_ . Ne . ; : ‘ * + . 4 ' ‘ . A . | ly > : v ‘ . ( \ ; : : j A ; ’ i - . > Mew rad! Mee .AGEDIE S PO OF SOPHOCLES. From the GREEK; By THOMAS FRANCKLIN, M. A: Fellow of Trinity-College, and Greek Profeffor in the Univerfity of Cambridge. DV Pandan LE. AN CUO Aa 4.8 MEM ech Antigone, Do not defpife me, I but afk to dye With thee, and pay due honours to the dead. AGN: T 1G ON. E. Pretend not to a merit which thou haft not, Live thou; it is enough for me to perifh, | ISMENE. But what is life without thee? | ANTIGONE. Afk thy friend And patron there. [pointing to Creon, ISMEN E. Why that unkind reproach, When thou fhoud’ft rather comfort me? | ANTIGON E. Alas t It gives me pain when I am fore’d to fpeak So bitterly againit thee. | : ISMENE. Is there aught That I can do to fave thee? | A NOE TG ONE. Save thyfelf, I fhall not envy thee. ISMENE. ae ys : 40 AON TD 19G: O NEP ISMEN E,. ae And will you not — | Permit me then to fhare your fate? | 38 A N T 1 G.Q NE. Thy choice Was life; ’tis mine to dye. ee Ett Nia 1 I told the oft’ it woud be fo, ANTIGONE. Thou did’ft, and was’t not well Thus to fulfill thy prophecy? ISMEN E. The crime Was mutual, mutual be the punifhment. AN ALG OEN-ZE, Fear not; thy life is fafe, but mine long {ince Devoted to the dead. ‘ CREO N. Both feem depriv’d OF reafon; one indeed was ever thus. ISMEN E. O! king, the mind deth feldom keep her feat When funk beneath misfortunes, CREON. ANTIGONE 41 CREON. | Sunk indeed Thou wert in wretchednefs to join with her, ISMEN E. But what is life without Antigone ? ) CREON. Then think not of it; for fhe is no more. ISMEN E. Wou'd'ft thou deftroy thy fon’s long-deftin’d wife? : Gor ON. QO! we fhall find a fitter bride. ISMEN E, Alas! He will not think fo, Crlk .O-N: Pll not wed my fon " To a bafe woman. Ao hoG:.O N E O! my deareft Hemon|! Vol. I. F And O! we fhall find a fitter bride. "The original is Apwoipot yap oy’ a&reowy cio yvai, ‘ atabilia funt aliorum arva, which literally tranflated is ‘ there are other * fields to be till’d.’ As this image might be thought a little too grofs for mo-= dern delicacy I have drop’d it, and only retain’d the fentiment which it was de- fign’d to conyey. Ratallerus has foften’d it thus, ‘ haud famine deerunt cre- andis liberis. O! my dearefi Hemon. Antigone’s love of Hemon heightens the diftrefs of the tragedy, by fettin g in a {lronger light the tyranny of Creon, who thus facri- : | fices ra ANTIGONE And is it thus thy: father doth difgrace thee ? ) CREON. Such an alliance were as hateful to me As is thyfelf. ISMENE. Wilt thou then take her from him ? » Cok BO IN: Their nuptials fhall be finithed by death. TSMEN E. She then muft perifh? CR EO UN. So muft you and I; Therefore no more delay; go, take them hence, Confine them both: henceforth they fhall not ftir ; When death is near at hand the braveft fly. Shh, OR Ue: STROPHE Thrice happy they, whofe days in pleafure flow, ‘Who never tafte the bitter cup of woe; ) For fices the happinefs of his fon to his refentment. Antigone becomes likewife a greater object of compaffion ; in fpite of all her courage and refolution, a figh efcapes her for the fate of Hemon, doom’d to feel fuch misfortunes from an unnatural father. Hier complaint conlifts but of a line, which a modern writer would have {pun out to many a page. Thrice happy they, Sc. "This beautiful intermede, or fong of the chorus, arifes naturally from he preceding circumftances, and laments the ruin of the family of OFdipus. The ftrophe, on the power and knowledge of Jupiter, 1s noble and poetical, and gives usa favourable idea of heathen piety and virtue. ANTIGONE. 43 For when the wrath of heav’n defcends On fome devoted houfe, there foul difgrace, With grief and all her train attends, And fhame and forrow o’erwhelm the wretched race. Evn as the Thracian fea, when vex’d with. ftorms, | Whilft darknefs hangs incumbent o’er the deep, When the bleak North the troubled fcene deforms, And the black fands in rapid whirlwinds {weep, The groaning waves beat on the trembling it And echoing hills rebellow to the roar. ANTISTROPHE I. 70! Labdacus, thy houfe muft perifh all; Ev'n now I fee the ftately ruin fall; Shame heap’d on fhame, and il on ill, Difgrace and never-ending woes; Some angry god purfues thee ftil, Nor grants or fafety or repofe: One fair and lovely branch unwither’d ftood And brav’d th’ inclement {kies; f'2 But O! Labdacus, &c. The genealogy of the unfortunate houfe of OEdipus funs thus, ‘ Cadmus, Polydorus, Labdacus, Lauus, Okdipus, Eteocles, Poly- mices, Antigone and Ponene: One fair and lovely branch, Gc. The chorus here plainly alludes to the un- , fortunate Antigone, whom Pluto, or the infernal gods, obliged to pay funeral ites te her brother Polynices. 44. ANTIGONE. But Pluto comes, inexorable god, She finks, fhe raves, fhe dyes, a PUR SOS We -Shall man below controul the gods above, Or human pride reftram the pow’r of Jove, | Whole eyes by all-fubduing fleep Are never clos’d as feeble mortals are, But ftill their -watchful vigils keep Through the large circle of th’ eternal year ? Great lord of all, whom neither time nor age With envious ftroke can weaken. or decay; He, who alone the future can prefage, Who knows alike to-morrow as to day; Whilft wretched man is doom’d, by heav’n’s decree, To toil and pain, to fin and mifery. 3 AN PT 18 F. RUO Pan & ae Oft times the flatt’rer hope, that joy infpires, Fills the proud heart of man with fond defires; He Whofe eyes, Sc. * He that keepeth thee will not flumber. Behold he that ** Keepeth Ifrael fhall neither flumber nor fleep.” Pfalm, 121, v. 3, 4. Th’ eternal year. ‘The Greek is axanato Oewy pnves, * the untired months * of the gods,” which conveys a fine image, but would not admit of a literal tranflation. ANTIGONE, 45 He, carelefs trav ller, wanders ftill Thro’ life, unmindful of deceit, Nor dreads the danger, till he feel The burning fands beneath his feet. When heav’n impels to guilt the madd’ning mind, Then good like ill appears, | And vice, for univerfal hate defign’d, The face of virtue wears. [ Exeunt. He, carelefs trav'ller, Sc. Sophocles fays, Eidorr 3 ed'ev,, EOE Tew ups Seguw mode tis meornpn ‘ Nihil enim fcienti contingit, ‘ Priufquam igni ardenti pedem. quis admoverit.” This beautiful image is, we fee, but imperfectly glanced at in the original; I have endeavour’d to exprefs it more fully in the tranflation. Horace feems to have caught this idea in his | pone ‘ Incedis per ignes € Suppofitos cineri dolofo.’ Hor. End of ACT II, ACT HEL 46 A NiToIng ON‘E A’ Sg oie: ie SC. SE Ba eet CREON, HEMON, CHORUS. CHORU &, EHOLD, O! king, thy youngeft hope appear, The noble Hemon ; loft in grief he ircnm, | vee the fate of poor Antigone. | CREON, He comes, and better than a prophet, foon Shall we divine his inmoft thoughts: my fon, . Com’ft thou, well-knowing our decree, to mourn Thy promis’d bride, and angry to difpute A father’s will; or, whatfoe’er we do Stull to hold beft, and pay obedience to us? HEMON, My father, I am thine; do thou command, And I in all things fhall obey; “tis fit My promis’d nuptial rites give place to thee, CR BAO WN, It will become thee with obedience thus To bear thee ever, and in evry a& To yield fubmiflive to a father’s will * Tis theiiony O! my fon, that men do pray : For ANTIGONE. . 47 For children, who with kind officious duty May guard their helplefs age, refift their foes, And, like their parents, love their parent’s friend ; But he, who gets a difobedient child, What doth he get but mifery and woe? His enemies will laugh the wretch to fcorn. Take heed, my fon, thou yield not : up thy reafon,,. In hopes of pleafure from a worthlefs woman ; For cold is the embrace of impious love, | And deep the wounds of falfe diffembled friendthip ;, Hate then thy bitt’reft foe, defpife her arts, And leave her to be wedded to the tomb;, Of all the city her alone I found — Rebellious; but I have her, nor fhall Thebes: Say I'm a lyar; I pronounc’d her fate, And fhe muft perifh; let her call on Jove Who guards the rights of kindred, and the ties Of nature; for if thofe by blood. united | Tranforefs: ‘Elis enemies €8c. The feripture expreflion which F have here made ufe of; feems to convey the moft exact idea of the original: one cannot read this. pafiage of Sophocles, without recolleéting the words of the holy Pfalmitt ; « Like as the arrows in the hand of the giant, even fo are the young. * children; | « Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them ;.they fhall not be « afhamed when they fpeak with their enemies in the gate. Plal, 127, Ve §) Oo. 48 ANTIGONE Tranfgrefs the laws, I hold myfelf more near Ev’n to a ftranger: who in private life Is jult and good, will to his country too Be faithful ever; but the man who proud And fierce of foul contemns authority, Defpifeth juftice, and o’er thofe who rule Wou'd have dominion, fuch fhall never gain Th’ applauding voice of Creon; he alone, Whom the confenting citizens approve, Th’ acknowledg’d fov’reign, fhou’d in all command ; Juft or unjuft his laws, in things of oreat on little import, whatfoe’er he bids, A fubje@ is not to difpute his will; He knows alike to rule and to obey; _ And in the day of battle will maintain The foremoft rank, his country’s beft defence, Rebellion is the worft of human ills; This ruins kingdoms, this deftroys the peace | of Th acknowledged fov'reign Sc, Sophocles, with the utmoft propriety, puts the maxims of arbitrary government into the mouth of a tyrant, whofe cha- racter he defigns to render more odious and deteftable to his countrymen, the free citizens of Athens, In the old poet Rotrou, we find the paflage beforg us thus Huftrated and adapted to a French theatre ; ‘ Sur les deffeins des Rois, comme fur ceux des re ‘ Des fidéles fujers doivent fermer les yeux, Fd ls foumettant ieur fens au pouvoir des couronnes, c ¢ puelles que foient les loix, croire qu elles font bonnes, ANTIGONE. 449 OF nobleft families, this wages war, And puts the brave to flight; whilft fair aledicnce Keeps all in fafety ; to preferve it ever Shou’d be a king’s firft care; we will not yield To a weak woman; if we muft fubmit, At leaft we will be conquer’d by a man, Nor by a female arm thus fall inglorious, HEMON. Wifdom, my father, is the nobleft gift The gods beftow on man, and better far Than all his treafures; what thy judgment deems Moft fit, I cannot, wou’d not reprehend ; Others perhaps might call it wrong; for me, My duty only bids me to inform you If aught be done or faid that cafts reproach Or blame on you; fuch terror wou’d thy looks Strike on the low plebeian, that he dare not Say aught unpleafing to thee; be it mine To tell thee then, what I of late have heard In fecret whifper’d: your afflicted people MOL,’ U. G United » Such terror Sc. Rotrou has tranflated, or rather paraphrafed this with eal Jamais la verité, cette fille timide, Pour entrer chez les rois ne trouve qui la guide, Au lieu que le menfonge a mille partifans, Et vous eft préfentée par mille conrtifans, 50 ANTIGONE. United mourn th’ unhappy virgin’s fate Unmerited, moft wretched of her fex,. To dye for deeds of fuch diftinguifh’d virtue, For that fhe wou’d not let a brother lye’ Unburied, to the dogs and birds a prey ; Was it not rather, fay the murm’ring croud, Worthy of golden honours, and fair praife? Such are their dark and fecret difcontents. Thy welfare, and thy happinefs alone Are all my wifh; what can a child defire More than a father’s honour, or a father : More than his child’s? O! do not then retain Thy will, and ftill believe no fenfe but thine Can judge aright: the man who proudly thinks None but himfelf or eloquent, or wile, By time betray’d, is branded for an ideot ; True wifdom will be ever glad to learn, And not too fond of pow’r; obferve the trees That bend to wint’ry torrents, how their boughs Unhurt remain, whilft thofe that brave the ftorm, Uprooted What can'a child Sc. ‘The filial piety, obedience, and foftnefs of Hemon, is finely contrafted to the imperious feverity, and inexorable cruelty of his father ; we cannot, at the fame time, but perceive that his anfwer to Creon is, confidering his circumftances, rather too cold, and fententious, ‘la mo- * rale (as Brumoy obferves) eft pouflée affez loin, a la maniére des Grecs.’ Uprooted torn, fhall wither and decay ; The pilot, whofe unflacken’d fail defies Contending winds, with’ fhatter’d bark purfues His dang’rous courfe; then mitigate thy wrath, My father, and give way to {weet repentance. If to my youth be aught of judgment giv’n, He, who by knowledge and true wifdom’s rules Guides ev'ry action, is the firft of men; But fince to few that happinefs is giv’n, The next is he, who, not too proud to learn, Follows the counfels of the wife and good. CHORUS. O! king, if right the youth advife, ’tis ft — That thou fhoud’ft liften to him; fo to thee Shou’d he attend, as beft may profit both. we) Rr BoOaN, And hav’d we liv’d fo long then to be taught At laft our duty by a boy like thee? : HA MON. Young tho’ I am, I ftill may judge aright; Wifdom in aétion lyes, and not in years. : G 2 | CREON. Wifdom in action Ee. ‘ Honourable age (fays Solomon) is not that which « ftandeth in length of time, nor that is meafured by number of years; but ‘ awifdom is the grey hair unto men, and an un{potted life is old age.’ | Book of Wildom. $2 | ANTIGONE | CREB OND | Call you it wifdom then to honour thofe Who difobey the laws? ) | HAMON. I wou’d not have thee Prote& the wicked. Ne CREON. Is fhe not moft guilty ? OMe. | H #-MO N.. Thebes doth not think her fo. G REO N: ee Shall Thebes prefcribe To Creon’s will? HEMO N.. ; How weakly doft thou talk! CYRUBTO UN: Am I king here, or fhall another reign P H #M ON. °Tis not a city, where but one man rules. CREON. The city is the king’s. | tf H AM ON. Go by thyfelf then, And rule henceforth o’er a deferted land. CREON. ANTIGONE 53 | CREON. (to the chorus,. He pleads the woman’s caufe. | ae HEMON, ‘If thou art fhe, i do ;. i. O! I {peak but for thy fake ;. ris care is all for thee.. ‘“EREO N. Abandon’d wretch! Difpute a father’s will !. HA MON, Efee: thee: exry ‘ And therefore do it, CREON. Is’ it then a: crime: To: guard my throne and rights from violation ? H #= MO N.. He cannot guard them, who contemns the gods, And violates their laws, CREON. 3 O! thou art worfe, More impious evn than her thou haft defended. H # MON. Nought have I done to merit this reproof. CREON: "ea ANTIGONE yt Ree CREON. Haft thou not pleaded for her? | id HEMON.. No; for thee, And for myfelt for the infernal gods. | , GRE O Noa But know, the fhall not live to be thy wife. HEMON. Then fhe muft dye; another too may fall. GREON. Ha! doft thou threaten me? audacious traitor. HAMON. What are my threats? alas! thou heed’ft them not, CREON. That thou fhalt fee; thy infolent inftruion Shall coft thee dear. | HEMON. But for thou art my father, Now Another too may fall. The Greek is Qaves’ carci ra. ‘ whenever fhe dies * (he will deftroy fomebody.’ The fenfe, we fee, is purpofely left ambiguous; Creon imagines’ that Hemon has a defign upon his life; it appears afterwards that he meant his own. ‘This whole fcene confifts, in the original, of fhort {peeches of one verfe each, containing an equal number of fyliables in every line, which, one would imagine, muft have caufed a difagreeable. monotony throughout; a circumftance which I have endeavour’d to avoid in the tranfla- non by frequently dividing the blank verfe between the two {peakers, which tclieves the ear of the reader, and would on the Hage give more life and Reid: to the action. ANTIGONE $5 Now wou'd I fay thy fenfes were impair’d. CREON. Think not to make me thus thy {corn and laughter, Thou woman’s flave. HEMON. Still wou'd’ft thou fpeak thyfelf, And never liften to the voice of truth; Such is thy will. CREON. Now by Olympus here ¥ fwear, thy vile reproaches fhall not pafs Unpunifh’d;, call her forth: before her bridegroom : ['To one of the attendants: | She fhall be brought, and perifh in his fight. HAMON, Thefe eyes fhall never fee it: let the flaves Who fear thy rage fubmit to it; but know, ’Tis the Jaft time thou fhalt behold thy fon, [Exit Hemon. Gra IN BE TB. be fon Fe ONS GC H.O'-R U.S, Sudden in anger fled the youth; O! king, A mind opprefs’d like his is defperate. : CREON. Why, let him go; and henceforth better: learn: Tham ~~ AgNara gclon.F Than to oppofe me; be it as it may, © Death is their portion, and he fhall not fave them. . ’ bes @ GH IORRAD SS) Muft they both dye then? Be ! CREON. No; ’tis well advis’d, Ifmene lives; but for Antigone——— | CLE OGR Wig sia ©! king, what death is fhe decreed to fuffer ? ae CREON. Far from the haunts of men I'll have her led, : 5 And in a rocky cave, beneath the earth, Bury’d alive; with her a little food, Enough to fave the city from pollution ; There let her pray the only god fhe worfhips To fave her from this death: perhaps he will, Or if he doth not, let her learn how vain It is to reverence the pow'rs below, | | _ (Exit Creon, oO. SCE With ber a little food. 'To deftroy any one by famine was look’d on by the Grecians as impious; probably (as is obferved by the fcholiaft on this patlage) becaufe it reflected difgrace on any country to fuffer its inhabitants to perifh by hunger; when they buried perfons alive, therefore, it was cuftomary tg give them a {mall quantity of victuals, * orws piace (lays Sophocles) UMEXguro, ‘ odis, ‘ that the city might efcape pollution ;’ a piece of Pagan fupeiftition NOt unlike our mod.ra jefuitifm, calculated, we may obferve, with a defi.y to jeperate crimes from guilt, and give tyrants a power to gratify their refent.nent with impunity. 3 . | fete SNeeaGONE —~ +57 Ole, Ee Nt Baa TIT CHORUS. align Op Pariah. J. Mighty pow’r, all pow’rs above, Great unconquerable love! T hou, who ly’ft in dimple fleck On the tender virgin’s cheek, Thee the rich and great obey, Ev'ry creature owns thy fway. O’er the wide earth and o'er the main Extends thy univerfal reign; All thy madd’ning influence know, Gods above, and men below; All thy pow’rs refiftlefs prove, _ Great unconquerable love! Poe: I Oi RAOVP HE SI, Thou can’ft lead the juft aftray From wifdom and from virtue’s way ; The ties of nature ceafe to bind, When thou difturb’{t the captive mind, Behold, enflav’d by fond defire, The youth contemns his aged fire, : VOL, I, H Enamour’d Mighty pow, &c, ‘The ladies will probably be furprifed, and, I doubt not equally pleafed, to meet, in fo antient a writer as Sophocles, with an.ode ex- prefily on the power of love ; though they may at the fame time find faule with my author's brevity om a fubject to extentive, 538 #$ANTIGONE Enamour’d of his beauteous maid, Nor laws nor parents are obey’d; Thus Venus wills it from above, And great unconquerable love. C.H:' O - RUss: Ev’n I, beyond the common bounds of orief,. Indulge my forrows, and from thefe fad eyes. Fountains of tears will flow, when I behold. Antigone, unhappy maid, approach The bed of death, and haften to the tomb.. § GPE NSE? DY: ANTIGONE, CHORUS. A NYE. GO NEES Farewel, my friends, my countrymen, farewell Here on her laft fad journey you behold | The Farewel, my friends, Gc. This lamentation of Antigone, though perhaps more agreeable to the tafte of the antients than our own, is extremely beautiful and pathetic ; we meet with another of the fame kind in the laft act of the Iphi- genia in Aulis, by Euripides. Such, we may imagine, was the lamentation of the daughter of Jeptha, when fhe went with her companions and bewail’d her virginity upon the mountains, as it is related in the 12th chapter of the book of Judges. Brumoy judicioufly obferves on this paflage, that the grief here ex— prefs’d by Antigone is not in the leaft inconfiftent with her charaéter ; as to meet death with infeufibility is rather brutality than heroifm. At the fame time that Antigone makes the facrifice of lite, fhe feems confcious of its value: her complaints are the laft fighs of nature, which, fo far from diminithing true greatnels of mind, ferve but to give it a more diftinguith’d luftre. The {peech- es of Antigone (in the original) arein ftrophe and antiftrophe, but as they are interrupted by rhe replies of the chorus, would, I thought, have appear’d auk- ward in ode or rhyme ; | have therefore preferved the blank verfe. 3 AWEUGONE | The poor Antigone; for never more Shall I return, or view the light of day : The hand of death condués me to the fhore Of dreary Acheron; no nuptial fong — Referv’d for me, the wretched bride alone Of Pluto now, and wedded to the tomb. Gd pOwR: US, Be it thy glory ftil, that : by the {word Thou fall’ft not, nor the flow-confuming hand Of foul diftemp’rature, but far diftinguifh’d Above thy fex, and to thyfelf a law, Doom’ft thy own death, fo fhall thy honour live, And future ages venerate thy name. | A N IT #G ONE, Thus Tantalus’ unhappy daughter fell, The Phrygian Niobe; high on the top Of tow’ring Sipylus the rock enfolds her, Ev’n as the ivy twines her tendrils round The lofty oak, there ftill (as fame reports) To melting fhow’rs, and everlafting {now Obvious fhe ftands, her beauteous bofom wet With tears, that from her ever-ftreaming eyes | Ors GF TInceflant The Phrygian Niobe. The ftory of Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus, chang- ed into a.rock, is too well known to need any explanation. See Ovid’s Meta. b, 6, 60 ANTIGONE. Inceffant flow; her fate refembles mine. CHO R US, A goddefs fhe, and from a goddefs fprung; We are but mortal, and of mortals born: To meet the fate of gods thus in thy life, And in thy death, O! ’tis a glorious doom. | AVA ES TSG SON dar Alas! thou mock’ft me! why, whilft yet I live, Wou'd’ft thou affliét me with reproach like this? OQ! my: dear country, and my dearer friends Its bleft inhabitants, renowned Thebes ! And ye Dircean fountains, you I call To witnefs, that I dye by laws unjuft, To my deep prifon unlamented go, To my fad tomb, no fellow-fuff’rer there To footh my woes, the living, or the dead. | Chere o Rafhnefs like thine muft meet with fuch reward; A. father’s crimes, I fear, lye heavy on thee. ACN EE GPO one “Oh! thou haft touch’d my worft of miferies! My father’s fate, the woes of all our houfe, The wretched race of Labdacus, renown’d For it’s misfortunes! O! the guilty bed OF ANTIGONE. «6 Of thofe from whom I {prang; unhappy offspring Of parents moft unhappy! lo! to them I go accurs'd 5; a virgin and a flave, O! my poor brother! moft unfortunate Were thy fad nuptials; they have flain thy fifter. GeH- OR US! Thy piety demands our praife; but know, Authority is not to be defpifed ; | "Twas thy own rafhnefs brought deftruction on thee. Bo N Bnd G7 Ol Ne EB. Thus friendlefs, unlamented, muft I tread The deftin’d path, no longer to behold “Yon facred light, and none fhall’ mourn my fate. BS GFE peNi E yar¥. CREON, ANTIGONE, CHORUS, CREON. Know ye not, flaves like her to death devoted Wou'd never ceafe their wailings? wherefore is it You thus delay to execute my orders? Let her be carry’d inftant to the cave, And leave her there alone, to live, or dye ; Her Thy fad nuptials. Polynices married the daughter of Adraftus, who, in de- fence of his fon-in-law, led his Argians againft Thebes : thus his marriage was the caufe of his death, and the decree againit Antigone coniequent upon it, 62 AN TIGONE Her blood refts not oe us: but fhe no longer | ~ Shall reatiion on Bt. ey S$ OB. NM; Bar Vb A.NOT 2:G ONE, -G)HLO-R Wes, AN TIGON E. ae ©! dreadful marriage-bed! O01 my deep dungeon! my eternal home, Whither I go to join my kindred dead! For not a few hath fell Perfephone Already ta’en; to her I go, the laft And moft unhappy, eer my time was come; But ftill I have fweet hope I fhall not go Unwelcome to my father, nor to thee, My mother; dear to thee, Eteocles, Still fhall I ever be; thefe pious hands Wath’d your pale bodies, and adorn’d you both With rites fepulchral, and libations due: : And thus, my Polynices, for my care Of thee am I rewarded, and the good Alone fhall praife me: for a hufband dead, Nor, had I been a mother, for my children Wou'd I have dared to violate the laws: Another hufband and another child [| Exit Creon. * oot Eee a eee ANTIGONE 63. Might footh affliGion ; but, my parents dead, A brother's lo& cou’d never be repair'd, And therefore did I dare the vent’rous deed, And therefore dye by Creon’s dread command. Ne’er fhall I tafte of Hymen’s joys, or know A mother’s pleafures in her infant race ; But friendlefs and forlorn alive defcend Into the dreary manfions of the dead : ~ And how have I offended the juft gods! But wherefore call on them! will they protect me When thus I meet with the reward of ill For A brother's lofs Se. Sophocles vifibly alludes in this paffage to the follow— ing ftory told by Herodotus in his Thalia, — n . : Darius fufpecting that Intaphernes and his relations might raife a rebellion, againft him, caufed him to be feized with his children and family ; whilft: they were under confinement, and bound in order to execution, the wife of: Intaphernes went to the gates of the palace, weeping and lamenting loudly, which fhe continued fo affiduoufly, that at laft Darius, moved with» compaf-- fion,. fent a meffenger to fpeak to her in thefe terms, “ Woman, the king *« gives you the life of any one ‘among your relations who are prifoners, and: «« Jeaves you the choice of the perfon. Since the king, faid fhe, after fome « deliberation, will grant me.no more than one, I chufe my brother.” Da- rius, when he heard her anfwer, wondering at her choice, difpatch’d another effenger, to afk her, in his name, “ why fhe had fhewn fo little regard to her hufband and children, and rather chofe to fave the life of her brother, “ who was not fo near related to her as her children, nor could be fo dear to; «° her as her hufband?” She anfwer'd, ‘ that by the permiffion of God, the- «© might have another hufband,. and other. children, if the fhould be deprived. “¢ of thofe the had; but could never have another brother, becaufe her father: ‘© and mother were already dead.” The king was fo well-pleafed with this. an{wer, that he not only pardon’d her brother, but gave her likewife the life: of her eldeft fon, and put all the reft to death. | See Littlebury’s Herodotus, v. 1. p.. 3793. mM ras {4 ARM DGrON E For doing eood | ?if thiseberjuft, we gedsyiiii, fac aah if I am guilty let me fuffer foredtse Ss But if the crime be theirs, O! let them fel. That weight of mis’ry they have laid on me, | CHORUS. The ftorm continues, and her angry foul Still pours its forrows forth. 8 Goo. Ni iE we Uae CREON, AN TIGONE, CHORUS. ph BUB Qodbiit The flaves fhall fuffer For’ this delay, | | An Ee TG O. Nitti. Alas! death cannot be Far from that voice. 13 x CBs is Oy dis I wou'd not have thee hope A moment's refpite. | | ANTIGONE, O! my country’s gods ! And thou, my native Thebes, I leave you now, Look on me, princes, fee thé latsot all My royal race, fee what I fuffer, fee Prom ANTIGONE 65 From whom I bear it, from the worft of men, Only becaufe I did delight in virtue. : { Exit Creon. Si Cro Boo Ni) EVIE. ANTIGONE, CHORUS. Gir ORe,U) S: hon Oe EL. 1. Remember what fair Danae endur’d, Condemn’d to change heav’ns chearful light For fcenes of horror and of night, Within a brazen tow’r long time immur’d; Yet was the maid of nobleft race, And honour’d ev’n with Jove’s embrace ; But O! when fate decrees a mortal’s woe, Nought can reverfe the doom, or ftop the blow, Nor heav’n above, nor earth and feas below. Wor ed. I | Lie Se IN ud Oe Remember what, &c, The chorus, as dependants on Creon, could neither defend nor affift Antigone, they can only lament thofe misfortines which it was not in their power to remove; they endeavour therefore to aflwage her grief by the mention of other illuftrious perfons, whom they compare with her, not in their guilt but in their fufferings. Fair Danae.. Acrifius, king of the Argives, having been warn’d by an ora- cle, that he fhould be flain by his grandfon, fhut up his daughter Danae in a brazen tower; Jupiter, however, according to the poets, gain’d acce{s to her by transforming himfelf into a golden fhower. Horace has apply’d this fiction with his ufual elegance. See book 3, od. 16. 66 ANTIGONE ANTISTROPHE I. The Thracian. monarch, Dryas’ haplefs fon, Chain’d to a rock in torment lay, And breath’d his angry foul away, By wrath mifguided, and by pride undone ; Taught by th’ offended god to know From foul reproach what evils flow ; | For he the rites prophan’d with fland’rous tongue, The holy flame he quench’d, difturb’d the fong, And wak’d to wrath the mufes’ tuneful throng. oT RO PH Er. His turbid waves where Salmydeffus roll’d, And proud Cyanea’s rocks divide the flood, There from thy temple, Mars, did’ft thou behold ‘The fons of Phineus welt’ring in their blood ; . The Thracian monarch. Lycurgus, king of Thrace, for contemning, or difturb~ ing the rites of Bacchus was, according to Sophocles, chain’d to a rock, where he perifh’d. Homer punifhes him with blindnefs. See the Iliad, b, 7. Some are of opinion that the fable took its rife from this monarch’s virtuous regard for his people, who feeing the ill effects of their intemperance in the ufe of wine, caufed all the vines in his country to be rooted up and deftroy’d. Brumoy, . by miftake, calls this Thracian monarch Orpheus, though he is both here and in Homer fpecified as the fon of Dryas, and confequently can be no other than the Lycurgus abovemention’d. Salmydeffus, Fc. Salmydeffus was a river in Thrace, near which was a tem- ple dedicated to Mars. The Cyanez were two rocks, or fmall iflands near the Thracian Bofphorus. | The fons of Phineus. Plexippus and Pandion, whofe eyes were put out by their ftep-mother Idea, the wife of Phineus, after the death of their own mo- ther Cleopatra, the daughter of Boreas and Orithyia, whofe fate is alluded to in the latter part of the ode. ANTIGONE A mother did the cruel deed, A mother bad her children bleed ; Both, by her impious hand, depriv’d of light, In vain lamented long their ravifh’d fight, And clos'd their eyes in never-ending night. Apes Sl RO P OE, IE Long time they wept a better mother’s fate, _ Unhappy offspring of a lucklefs bed! ~ Yet nobly born, and eminently great Was the, and mid’ft fequefter’'d caverns bred ; Her father’s anery ftorms among, Daughter of gods, from Boreas {prung ; Equal in {wiftnefs to the bounding fteed, She fkim’d the mountains with a courfer’s {peed, Yet was the nymph to death and mifery decreed. Bn) ora 4,» I, 67 [Exeunt. ACT IVs 68 ANTIGONE A Closbpene giv h> ae. E N E I. TIRESIAS, GUIDE, CREON, Chon di Dees gues ike Bi WA . RINCES of Thebes, behold, copateed hither By my kind guide, (fuch is the blind man’s fate) Tirefias comes. CREON. O! venerable prophet, What haft thou to impart? | ge Pris Ge Cae aS aa I will inform thee : Obferve, and be obedient. | CREON. Princes of Thebes. The name Avaxres, or princes, among the Greeks, was given not only to fovereigns, but frequently to the principal and moft honoura- ble members of the common wealth: Tirefias, we fee, compliments the an- tient citizens of Thebes, who compofed the chorus, with this title. Odferve, and be obedient, The prophet Tirefias is here introduced with great propriety ; his appearance has fomething in it very folemn and affecting, his age and blindnefs adding a kind of melancholy dignity to the fcene: the tyrant himfelf, we fee, pays, at firft, the utmoft deference to his authority, and trem- bles at his power, though he afterwards treats him with contempt, and even accufes him of being corrupted by the friends of Antigone. This conduct of the poet is artful, as it raifes the character of the prophet, and heightens his confequence, at the fame time that it aggravates the guilt of Creon, by repre- fenting him as a contemner of the gods, and renders aye a fitter objet of di- vine vengeance. | , ANTIGONE. 69 CREON. Have I not Been ever fo? 3 TIRESIAS, Thou haft; and therefore Thebes Hath flourifh’d ftill CREON. By thy protecting hand. et R Exs 1 A S. Therefore be wife; for know, this very hour Is the important crifis of thy fate. CREON. Speak then, what is it? how I dread thy words | tie Bese G7 LAS, When thou haft heard the portents which my art But now difcover'd, thou wilt fee it all. Know then, that fitting on my antient throne Augurial, whence each divination comes, Sudden a ftrange unufual noife was heard Of birds, whofe loud and barb’rous diffonance i Of Birds, Sc. Divination by birds was in great efteem among the antients the augurs were cloathed in white, with a crown of gold upon their heads, and feated on a kind of throne, from whence, asthe fcholiaft informs us, they had power to aflemble the birds from all quarters, whenever they had occafion for them. Tirefias does not tell us what birds they were that he heard fighting in the air, moft probably vulturs, as they feed only on carcafes; thefe, and other birds of prey, were always fuppofed to foretell blood and flaughter. 7 ANTIGONE I knew not how ¢’ interpret ; by the found Of clafhing wings, I cou’d difcover well That with their bloody claws they tore each other; Amaz’d and fearful, inftantly I try’d On burning altars holy facrifice ; When, from the victim, lo! the fullen flame Afpir’d not; {mother’d in the afhes full Lay’d the moift flefh, and, roll’d in fmoke, repell’d The rifing fire, whil& from their fat the thighs Were fep'rate; all thefe figns of deadly omen, Boding dark vengeance, did I learn from him; [pointing to He is my leader, king, and I am thine. the guide. | Then mark me well; from thee thefe evils flow, From thy unjuft deeree; our altars all Have been polluted by th’ unhallow’d food Of birds and dogs, that prey’d upon the corfe Of wretched OEdipus’ unhappy {fon ; Nor will the gods accept our offer’d pray’rs, | Or From the victim Sc. ‘Tirefias, alarm’d at the fighting of the birds, proceeds to the rugouevrea, or divination by fire of the facrifice, which terrifies him with frefh omens; for, whenthe fire was kindled with difficulty, when the — flame was divided, when it did not immediately fpread itfelf over all the parts of the victim, but confumed them by degrees ; when inftead of afcending in a {trait line, it whirl’d round, or was extinguith’d; when it caft forth a thick black {moke; when the panos, or thighs of the victim, parts appropriated more particularly to the gods, were not cover’d with fat, in order to confume them more quickly ; all thefe were confider'd as marks of the divine difpleafure, and infallible portents of future mifery. ANTIGONE. aa Or from our hands receive the facrifice ; No longer will the birds fend forth their founds Aufpicious, fatten’d thus with human blood. Confider this, my fon; and, O! remember, To err is human ; tis the common lot Of frail mortality ; and he alone -Is wife and happy, who when ills are done Perfifts not, but wou’d heal the wound he made; But felf-fufficient obftinacy ever Is folly’s utmoft heighth : where is the glory To flay the flain, or perfecute the dead? I wifh thee well, and therefore have fpoke thus ; When thofe, who love, advife, ’tis fweet to learn. CR Be OvaN: I know, old man, I am the gen’ral mark, The butt of all, and you all aim at me: For me I know your prophecies were made, And I am fold to this detefted race; Betray'd to them: but make your gains; go, purchafe Your Sardian amber, and your Indian gold; They fhall not buy a tomb for Polynices: No, Your Sardian amber. Sardis was a principal city of Lydia, near the river Pactolus, celebrated in the fables of antiquity for what it never had, fands of gold; Sophocles calls it xAe«rgov, or amber, probably on account of it’s tran- (parency. yp ASN @ alGeOeNn: E No, fhou’d the eagle feek him for his food, And tow’ring bear him to the throne of Jove, I wou’d not bury him; for well I know, The gods by mortals cannot be polluted ; But the beft men, by fordid gain corrupt, Say all that’s ill, and fall beneath the loweft. E TERE SSL vA; Who knows this, or who dare accufe us of it? GR ExOon; What mean’ft thou by that queftion? afk’ft thou se Tesh Rak: Sic Aes. How far is wifdom beyond evry good! GIR VE Oans As far as folly beyond ev'ry ill. TR ole Sal: Ags: That’s a diftemper thou’rt affli@ed with. GR2EcO.Ni Vl not revile a prophet. TileRvb SAA SG: But thou doft; ‘Thou’llt not believe me. G.R.E O Ne Your prophetic race Are lovers all of gold. | , TIRESIAS, ANTIGONE. 73 Deck: Ry 8 154.8. abc igs Tyrants are fo, Howe'er ill-gotten. pier a CREON. Know’ft thou ’tis a king Thow’ tt talking thus to? Bel RE S 1A. S. Yes, I know it well; , ey A king, who owes to me his country’s fafety. | 4 eOeR. FB. O.N. Thou'tt a wife prophet, but thou art unjuft. al Be. Sede 8. Thou wilt oblige me then to utter that Which I had purpos’d to conceal. | GR EON. Speak out, Say what iui wilt, but fay it not for hire, RD aes de ide Pe, Thus may it feem to thee. CREON. + s But know, old man, I am not to be fold. Po Bie Lh ALS, Remember this: K Not 74 ANTIGONE Not many days fhall the bright fun perform His ftated courfe, e’er f{prung from thy own loins Thyfelf fhall yield a victim, in thy turn © = Thou too fhalt weep, for that thy cruel fentence Decreed a guiltlefs virgin to the tomb, — And kept on earth, unmindful of the gods, Ungraced, unburied, an unhallow’d corfe, Which not to thee, nor to the gods above Of right belong’d; “twas arbitrary pow’r: But the avenging furies lye conceal’d, The minifters of death have fpread the fnare, And with like woes await to punifh thee; Do I fay this from hopes of promis'd gold? Pafs but a little time, and thou {halt hear The fhrieks of men, the women’s loud laments O’er all thy palace; fee th’ offended people Together rage; thy cities all by dogs And beafts and birds polluted, and the ftench Of filth obfcene: on evry altar laid, Thus from my angry foul have I. fent forth It’s keeneft arrows (for thou haft provok’d me} ) Nor Nor to the gods above &c;: The heathen deities were divided into the fuperi, and the inferi, the gods above, and the gods below ; to the latter of thefe the Oza veprepat, Or, infernal powers, belonged the care of the dead, whom Creon ~ had offended by refufing burial to the corpfe of Polynices. Oe hed ANTIGONE ~~ 4 Nor fhall they fly in vain, or thou efcape The deftin'd blow: now, boy, condu& me home; On younger heads the tempeft of his rage Shall fall; but, henceforth let him learn to fpeak In humbler terms, and bear a better mind, [ Exit Tirefias. SiC. EeosN, BE HL. 4 GR E-O Ny CH-O.R US. CPJALOURSU' S$. He’s gone, and dreadful were his prophecies ; Since thefe grey hairs were o'er my temples fpread, Nought from thofe lips hath flow’d but facred truth. CREON. | I know there hath not, and am troubled much For the event: ‘tis grating to fubmit, And yet the mind fpite of itfelf muft yield In fuch diftrefs, CHORUS. Son of Menzceus, now Thou need’ft good countel. Car Eo ON; } What woud’ft thou adyife? I will obey thee, K 2 ve CHORUS, 76 ANTIGONE. CHORUS. Set the virgin free, 3 And let a tomb be rais’d for Polynices, CREON. And doft thou counfel thus? and muft I yield? CG H-O7R. US: aes Immediately, O! king, for vengeance falls . e With hafty footfteps on the guilty head, | CREON: I cannot; yet I muft reverfe the fentence; There is no ftrugeling with neceflity. CHORUS. , Do it thyfelf, nor truft another hand. & . © RAB O New | I will; and you my fervants, be prepar’d; Each with his axe quick haften to the place; Mytelf, (for thus I have refolved) will go, And the fame hand that bound fhall fet her free; For, O! I fear ’tis wifeft ftill thro’ lifes To keep our antient laws, and follow virtue. SCENE The fame hand Sc. Creon, whofe cruel nature was proof even againft the remonitrances of paternal affection, is intimidated by the heavy judgments de- \G nounced againft him bythe prophet; he goes out with a defign to prevent the execution of his fentence againft Antigone; this produces a new fituation in the drama, and leaves the audience in jufpence concerning the cataftrophe. ANTIGONE ras $5 C EN E IL cmoruts STROPHE IL Bacchus, by various names to mortals known, F e. Semele’s illuftrious fon, epring of funder are Jove, shonour’ft fam’d Italia wi , Gn. ‘with thy love! Who “dwell’t where erft the Meagan s teeth were Attow’ d, Or where I{menus pours his. gentle flood ; Who doft o’er Ceres’ hallow’d rites prefide, And at thy native Thebes propitious. ftill refide, y* ANTISTROPHE L | There fam’d Parnaffus’ forked hills uprife, ee & To thee afcends the facrifice ; me ape Corycia’s Bacchus, by various names, Ge. This chorus may be confider’d as an image of the antient Greek tragedy, which in its firft rude ftate was no more than what we here meet with, a hymn to Bacchus. The old men, affrighted at the predictions of Tirefias denouncing mifery to Thebes, addrefs themfelves to that god as their tutelary deity: the whole ode Is in the original to the laft de- gree beautiful, and written with the true fpirit and genius of antiquity. Fair Semele's illufirious fon, &c. Bacchus was generally reputed a Theban, and fuppofed by the poets-to be the fon of Jupiter, by Semele the daughter of ~ Cadmus; he had feveral names as Lyeus, Euius, Lenzus, Bromius, Eleleus, and many others, Italy is mention’d as his favourite country, on account of the number of vines growing there. He was worfhip’d together with Ceres in the Eleufinian myfteries, a 98 ANTIGONE Corytiate nyc attend’ I iby, Whilft from Caftalia’ sfoun f O’er Nyfa’s mountains wreathes of i Ivy twine, waters flow; ’ " And mix their tendrils with the clutt’ ring vine: Around their mafter croud the virgin throng, a And praife the god of Thebes in never-dying _ <. STROPHE Il. ot, Happieltijof cities, Thebes! above the reft bed r ll By Semele and Bacchus bleft! | O! vifit” now thy once belov’d abode, O! heal. _our woes, thou kind prot Ring oil fai « Froth Reep Parnaffus, or th’ Eubean fea, ¥ win, giles aufpicious come, and bring with thee = Hee Joy and peace, and fair profperity. ; ‘er? AN TIS TR OPHE ll. 328 Immortal leader of the madd’ning. choir, Whofe torches blaze with unextinguifh’d fire, Great fon of Jove, who guid’ft the tuneful throng, Thou, who prefideft o’er the nightly fong, Come Corycia’s nymphs. The mutes, fo call’d from Corycium at the foot of mount Parnafius. | Nyfa’s mountains. Parnaflus is defcribed by the poets as having two tops, » one call’d Cirrha, facredto Apollo, the other Nyfa, facred to Bacchus ; there was allo a city in Arcadia of this name, where Bacchus was nurfed, ANTIGONE. jo : Come with thy Naxian maids, a feftive train, Who wild with joy, and raging o’er the plain, For thee the dance prepare, to thee devote the ftrain. 19 3 (MC ae : : [ Exeunt. pa | Naxian maids, Naxos was one of the Cyclades, iflands in the Archi-pelago, famous for its vines : of the nymphs of Naxos, call’d Thyades, or Menades, it is re hat they ran wild and frantic about the woods, with each a torch or hyrfusin her hand, finging the praifes of Bacchus ; Sophocles calls them there- @ Foteyavoperat rposmorn, ‘ the madd’ning choir, 3 Bnd? wf tA CT ng TV A: Crt. V, 80 ANTIGONE. $ GE Noe E ye a ‘ MESSENGER, CHORUS, 4 a ® MESSENGER, E race of Cadmus, fons of antient Thebes, ; Henceforth no ftate of human life by me Shall be or valu’d or defpis'd; for all Depends on fortune; fhe exalts the low, | And cafts the mighty down; the fate of men Re Can never be foretold: there was a time | When Creon liv’d in envy’d happinefs, Rul’d o’er renowned Thebes, which from her foes He had deliver’d, with fuccefful pow’r ; Bleft in his kingdom, in his children bleft, He ftretch’d o’er all his univerfal {way ; Now all is gone: when pieafure is no more, % Man is but as an animated corfe, _ Nor can be faid to live; he may be rich, Or deck’d with regal honours; but if joy Be | When pleafure is no more, Sc, Athenzus will needs have it that on this fenti- ment in Sophocles was founded the famous fyftem of Epicurus, which places the {ymmum bonum, or chief good, in the enjoyment of pleafure; but as he gives us no authority in fupport of this opinion, we are not obliged to fubfcribe to it, @NTIGONE, 8 Be abfent from him, if he taftes them not, "Tis ufelefs grandeur all, and empty {fhade. rr Oo Re US, Touching our royal mafter bring’ft thou news Of forrow to us? MESS -EN GE R. They are dead; and _ thofe, Who live, the dreadful caufe. rt Or RO? 8: Quick, tell us who, The flayer and the flain ? Momo. IN? GBR, | Hemon is dead, CrP OR USS. Dead! by what hand, his father’s or his own? WOE. <1. L M E 5- They are dead The moft correét antient tragic writers, probably the better to preferve the unities, generally throw the principal circumftances of the ca- taftrophe into narration ; the moderns, for reafons fufficiently obvious, bring the whole into aétion; much may be faid in defence of the methcds ufed by both. Leaving this queftion therefore to be determined by the critics, I fhall only add, that in regard to the denouement of the Antigone, nothing can be more fimple, or natural ; the confequence of Creon’s cruelty, and his too late repentance, brings on the death of Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice. Poeti- cal juftice is ftri€tly obferved; the unfortunate Creon fuffers as a king, as a husband, and as a father; and in fpite of all his crimes becomes an object of compaflion. Thus terror and pity are both effectually rais’d, the one by his exemplary punifhment, and the other by his unparallel’d misfortunes, ¢ AWM GONE MESSENGER. | Enrag’d and grieving for his murther’d love He flew himfelf. CHORUS, O! prophet, thy predictions Were but too true! | M ES S$ EN G. ER: Since thus it be, tis fit We fhould confult; our prefent ftate demands it. Unsaid wR on U.S, But fee, Eurydice the wretched wife Of Creon comes this way; or chance hath brought her, Or Hemon’s haplefs fate hath reach’d her ear. Ob. 5 Boa Se a “EURY DICE; MESSENGER, CHOR GS EG mY D1 Ge, , O! citizens, as to Minerva’s fane Ev’n now I went to pay my vows, the doors I burft, O! citizens, &c. As the queen is going out to the temple of Minerva, the opens the door, and overhears the meflenger relating to the chorus the death | of Hemon; fhe faints at the news, and as foon as recoverd enters with ‘impatience to know the truth of it. Sophocles never brings his characters on the ftage without fome preparation and a reafon for their appearance there ; a conduct, which I would recommend to our modern dramatic writers for their imitation. ANTIGONE. 83 I burft, and heard imperfectly the found Of moft difaftrous news which touch’d me nea. Breathlefs I fell amidft the virgin throng, And now I come to know the dreadful truth; Whate’er it be, I’ll hear it now; for O! I am no ftranger to calamity. . MESSENGER. Then mark, my miftrefs, I will tell thee all, Nor will I pafs a circumftance unmention’d. Should I deceive thee with an idle tale T’were foon difcover’d ; truth is always beft. Know then, I follow’d Creon to the field, Where torn by dogs the wretched carcafe lay Of Polynices, (firft to Proferpine | And angry Pluto, to appeafe their wrath, Our humble pray’rs addrefling) there we lav’d In the pure ftream the body, then with leaves Frefh gatherid cov ring burnt his poor remains, And on the neighb’ring turf a tomb uprais‘d; Then tow’rds the virgin’s rocky cave advanc'd, When from the dreadful chamber a fad cry As from afar was heard, a fervant ran To tell the king, and ftill as we approach’d, LL 2 The oS NPT Ow He * . Nip 5 The found of forrow from a voice unknown And undiftinguifh’d iffued forth. Alas! | ' Said Creon, am I then a faithful prophet ? And do I tread a more unhappy path Than e’er I went before? It is my fon, I know his voice: but get ye to the door, My fervants, clofe, look thro’ the ftony heap, Mark if it be fo ; is it Haemon’s voice, Again he cry’d, or have the gods deceiv’d me? Thus {poke the king: we, to our mournful lord Obedient, look’d, and faw Antigone Down in the deepeft hollow of the cave By her own veftments hung; clofe by her fide The wretched youth embracing in his arms Her lifelefs corfe, weeping his father’s crime, His ravifh’d bride, and horrid nuptial bed. Creon beheld, and loud approaching cry’d, What art thou doing? what’s thy dreadful purpofe ? What means my fon? come forth, my Hemon, come, Thy father begs thee; with indignant eye The youth look’d up, nor fcornful deign’d an anfwer, But filent drew his fword, and with fell rage Struck at his father, who by flight efcap’d The blow, then on himfelf bent all his wrath, Full ANTIGONE By Full in his fide the weapon fix’d, but fill, | Whilft life remain’d, on the foft bofom hung Of the dear maid, and his laft {pirit breath’d O’er her pale cheek, difcolour’d with his blood. Thus lay the wretched pair in death united, And celebrate their nuptials in the tomb, To future times a terrible example Of the fad woes which rafhnefs ever brings, [Exit Eurydice, mee ye Ne BR IIL. MESSENGER, CHORUS. Chit -OrR U.S, What can this mean? fhe’s gone, without a word. MESS EN:-G-E R. ‘Tis ftrange, and yet I truft the will not loud Proclaim her griefs to all, but, for I know | She’s Whilft life remain'd, &c. The death of the two lovers is finely defcribed and the circumftances of it remarkably natural and affeCting. I doubt whe- ther Otway himfelf, with all his tendernefs, could have drawn a more ftri- king picture. She's gone, &c. The filence and departure of Eurydice, on hearing the news. of her fon’s death, are extremely judicious, and more expreffive of her feelings on the occafion than words could poffibly have made it ‘‘ cure leves loguuntur, in- gentes ftupent. When Oedipus is difcover’d to be the murtherer of his father, Jocatta acts in the fame manner. A modern writer would perhaps have lengthen’d out this fcene with complaints and declamation ; but Sophocles (to. {peak in the language of Shakefpear) never o’erfteps the modefty of nature ;. his iaithful mirror refleéts all her features without magnifying, diminifhing,, or diftorting them, 86 ANTIGONE _ She's ever prudent, with her virgin train 4 In fecret weep her murther’d Hemon’s fate. dict SHO ORE Uasaes Clamour indeed were vain; but fuch deep filence Doth ever threaten horrid confequence. ME: 8: $:E SN Goer. Within we foon thall know if aught fhe hide Of deadly purport in her angry foul; For well thou fay’{t her filence is moft dreadful. : _ {Exit Meflenger | Gl OR U Ge. ee But lo! the king himfelf, and in his arms See his dead fon, the monument accurs’d Of his fad fate, which, may we fay unblamed, Sprang not from others guilt but from his own. Sk eS Ne IV. CREON, MESSENGER, CHORUS. [Creon enters bearing the body of Hemon} CRE OW ‘ Ah me! what deadly woes from the bad mind Perpetual | In bis arms, ce, Ut is plain from thefe words, which are literally tranflated from the original, that Creon enters bearing the body of his dead fon. So- phecles, we may imagine, thought it would heighten the diftrefs. Shakefpear was of the fame opinion, and brings in Lear with Cordelia in his arms; though in Fate’s alteration of it, which is always ridiculoufly follow’d in the reprefentation, this circumftance is omitted. H 7 AGRE IGT GS: ONE, _ 897 Perpetual flow; thus in one wretched houfe Have you beheld the flayer and the flain! O fatal counfels! O unhappy fon! Thus with thy youthful bride to fink in death; Thou dy ft, my child, and I alone have kill’d thee: | CHORUS. O king, thy juftice comes too late. C.Re EO) N. It doth, I know it well, unhappy as I am ; For O! the god this heavy weight of woe Hath caft upon me, and his fierceft wrath Torments me now, changing my joyful ftate To keeneft anguifh; O! the fruitlefs toils Of wretched mortals ! Ete Oi oh) Nich |W MESSENGER, CREON, CHORUS. | MESSENGER. Thus opprefs'd, my lord, With bittereft misfortune, more affliCion Awaits thee ftill, which thou wilt find within. CREON. And can there be more woes? is aught to come More horrible than this? ) | ME S- 88. ANTIGONE MESSENGER. The queen is dead; Her wounds yet frefh, eager alas! to fhew A mother’s love, fhe follow’d her loft child. WG: ReEs Orme O death infatiate! how doft thou afflict me! What cruel news, thou meffenger of ill; Haft thou brought now ?. all O Rou, & ae aoe A wretch, already dead a a With grief, oe horrid tale once more hath flain. of MECR-E ON: Didft thou not fay a frefh calamity - ee iy Fis Had fall’n upon me? didft not fay my wife Was dead, alas! for grief of Hamon’s fate? [Scene opens and difcovers the body of Eurydice. | MESSENGER. Behold her there, | CG Rak vO Se O me! another blow! What now remains? what can I fuffer more, Thus bearing in thefe arms my breathlefs fon? My wife too dead! O! moft unhappy mother. And O! thou wretched child! ME S- ANTIGONE. 89» MESSENCER. Clofe by the altar She drew the fword, and clos’d her eyes in death, - Lamenting firft her loft Megareus’ fate And Hemon’s death, with imprecations dire Still pour’d on thee, the murth’rer of thy fon; CREON. I fhudder at it: till no friendly hand Deftroy me quick? for O! I am moft wretched ; Befet with mis’ries! MESSENGER. She accus’d thee oft, And faid the guilt of both their deaths was thine. | CREON. Alas! I only am to blame; ’twas I Who kill’d thee, Hemon; I confefs my crime; _ Bear me, my fervants, bear me far from hence For I am — _ nothing. CHORUS, If in ills like thefe Aught can be well, thou haft determin’d right ; _ When leaft we fee our woes, we feel them leatft. M CREON, Megareus fate. Megareus was the firft husband of Eurydice. 90° UNDERGONE... CREON.. | Quick let my laft, my happieft hour appear ; Wou’d it were come, the period of my woes! OF that I might not fee another day | CHORUS. Time muft determine that: the prefent hour Demands our care; the reft be left to heav’n, | CREON, But I have wifh’d and pray’d for’t. “GH, OG: Re Ges Waray for nothing ; There’s no reverfing the decrees of fate. CR EON: Take hence this ufelefs load, this guilty wretch Who flew his child, who flew e’en thee, my wife ; t know not whither to betake me, where lo turn my eyes, for all is dreadful round me, And fate hath weigh’d me down on every fide, } CHORU S, Wifdom alone is man’s true happinefs ; We are not to difpute the will of heav'n; Sor ever are the boaftings of the proud ANTIGONE., oI By the juft Gods repay’d, and man at laft Is taught to fear their anger, and be wife. And man &c. This moral reflection, naturally arifing from the action of the drama, concludes the tragedy of Antigone ; a piece, which for the con- duct of its plot, the juftnefs of its characters, and the propriety of its fenti- ments and expreffions cannot be too much admired. That fimplicity, and want of incidents, which modern critics may condemn, were probably among thofe beauties which recommended it to the favour of antiquity: it met with re- markable fuccefs on the Athenian ftage, having been reprefented there (ac- . cording to Ariftophanes the grammarian) two and thirty times, and was look’d on as fo confiderable a teftimony of the author’s merit, as to procure for him in reward the government of Samos. Per * : A ea s ~! 7 “ t Zk ~ ere : * i 7 re We: a S - a “a - ig 2 ow id « : b] ~, oo ? hs < ~ 2. ae aS ie oat =4 : ee ain oR 3 wr 2 a ; gr | eee i sar i ‘ . j y 7. aie oe enil, ‘£3 1 ¥ 9 P : - Ye y — , - at 3 . = npg te ; rF Ja ; ee a j Sa a ‘ ve oe 4 7 - Pes ‘ bs ey : : ; ; : \ , - t * ’ x } ( “4 ' f é BX : r “ 3 , 4 * - F L f 4 i ; ps oe i < > . \ es _ 4 = "rtd Squgaguegggeegeoengusaseseeeese | TRAC INI £ BBDB TE SBS eae 58 GG HS Oo 0 ao a Es xnuxa avaxta TRACHINI4. 99 Is gone, and none can tell me where; he went And left me moft unhappy ; O! fome ill Hath fure befall’n him! for no little time “Hath he been abfent; ‘tis full fifteen moons Since I beheld him, and no meffenger Is come to Deianira; fome misfortune Doubtlefs hath happen’d, for he left behind A dreadful fcroll: O! I have pray’d the gods A thoufand times it may contain no ill. AWN END ANT. My royal miftrefs, long have I beheld Thy tears and forrows for thy loft Alcides ; But if the counfels of a flave might claim Attention, I wou’d fpeak, wou’d afk thee wherefore Amongft thy fons, a num ’rous progeny, None hath been fent in fearch of him, and chief Thy Hyllus, if he holds a father’s health And fafety dear: but, evn as we cou’d with, Behold him here, if what I have advis'd Seem fitting, he is come in happiett hour To execute our purpofe. Nog SCENE My royal miftrefs Ge, The firt introduction of confidantes on the ftage has by fome been attributed to the French writers ; the {cene before us is, how- ever, a proof that it is of much more antient original: in the moderns it is perhaps more excufable, becaufe the chorus of the Greeks feems to_have rea- der’d it altogether unneceflary, | pe - RACH IN PE s).Crany N@EY 1p enon’ hea oa fe a HYLLUS, DEIANIRA, ATTENDANT. a DBT ALE TAR lapel nh et ‘ OT my"ion, ™ | oe oe Oft from the meaneft tongue the words of truth And fafety flow; this woman, tho’ a flave, - | Hath {poke what wou’d have well become the mouth Of freedom’s felf to utter. | ar. Pare WY MAE eS! ec Se May I know Se What fhe hath faid? ; DB. DA NO REA | She fays it doth refle& Difgrace on thee, thy father fo long abfent,- Not to have gain’d fome knowledge of his hte: HSU s. I have already, if I may rely On what report hath faid of him. DEIAN IRA. / O! where, Where is he then, my font . HY B40 e Thefe twelve months paft, If fame fay true, a Lydian woman held him ReAC HIN. In fhameful fervitude. DEIANIRA., If it be fo, ‘May evry tongue reproach him. HY: ob Om 0 lee But I hear He now is free. DEIANIRA. And where doth 1 rumour fay ie is? alive or dead? Yb US. “Tis faid, he leads Or means to lead his forces tow’rds Eubea, The land of Eurytus. DEIANIRA. Alas! my fon, Dott thou not know the oracles he left Touching that kingdom. Ee Sek aba. §, No, I know not of them; What were they? | BE A NE R.A. There, he faid, or he fhou’d dye, Or, if he fhoud furvive, his life to come Tor Wou’'d 102 RR ACAI N EA Wou’d all be happy: wilt thou not, my fon, ae : In this important crifis ftrive to aid te ar Thy father? if he lives, we too fhall live In fafety; if he dyes, we perifh with him, aw yi a HY LEvVs asa Mother, I go; long fince I had been there But that the oracle did never reach Mine ears before; mean-time that happy fate, - Which on my father ever wont to fmile Propitious, fhou’d not fuffer us to fear; a Thus far inform’d, I will not let the means Of truth efcape me, but will know it all, DEIANIRA, Hafte then away, my, fon, and know, good deeds Tho’ late perform’d are crown’d with fure fuccefs, BD: Cas ORR heey LE: | | CHORUS, DEIANIRA, ATTENDANT, STROPHE’ I. | On thee we call, great god of day, To whom the night, with all her ftarry ftrain, ' * Yields her folitary reign, To fend us fome propitious ray ; Say On thee qwe call, Sc. ‘This is the firft appearance of the chorus, compofed moft properly of the principal virgins of Trachis, who come in to condole with the “ TRACHINI & 103 Say thou, whofe all-beholding eye Doth nature’s every part defcry, What dane’rous ocean, or what land unknown From Deianira keeps Alcmena’s valiant jon. Ae STR P HE: 1, For fhe nor joy nor comfort knows, But weeps her abfent lord, and vainly tries To clofe her ever-{treaming eyes, Or footh her forrows to repole: Like the fad bird of night, alone She makes her folitary moan ; And ftill, as on her widow’d bed reclin’d She lyes, unnumber’d fears perplex her anxious mind’ STROPHE IL’ By ne ay the: troubled: billows roar, When angry Boreas rules th’ inclement fkies, And waves on waves tumultuous rife To lafh the Cretan {fhore: Thus forrows ftill on forrows preft, Fill the great Alcides’ breaft ; Unfading the afflicted Deianira, and offer up a beautiful addrefs to Apollo ; in which are intermix’d, according to the cuftom of the antients, moral reflections on the inftability of human affairs. The whole fong naturally arifes from the circum- {tances of the Drama, and is, according to Horace’s rule, of a piece with the bufinefs of it. 104. TOR! ATC DM Fas RS Unfading yet fhall his fair virtues bloom, | And fome prote&ing god preferve him from the tomb, — AUN 'T: T SoPe RS OrPrHn yo Tis Wherefore, to better thoughts inclin’d, : - Let us with hope’s fair profped fill thy breaft, Calm thy anxious thoughts to reft, And eafe thy troubled mind: No blifs on man, unmix’d with woe, Doth Jove, ereat lord of all, beftow; But good with ill and pleafure ftill with pain, Like heaven’s revolving figns, alternate reign, POD i. | - Not always do the fhades of night remain, | Nor ever with hard fate is man opprefs’d; The wealth that leaves us may return again, , Sorrow and joy fucceflive fill the breaft ; : Fearlefs then of every ill, | n Let chearful hope fupport thee full: Remember, queen, there is a pow’r above ; And when did the great father, careful Jove, Forget his children dear, and kind paternal love? DEIANIRA, The fame, it feems, of Deianira’s woes Hath reach’d thine ears, but, O! thou little know’ft What © TRACHINI 4A, Rely What I have fuffer’'d ; thou haft never felt Sorrows like mine; and long may be the time Fer fad experience fhall affli@ thy foul With equal woes! alas! the youthful maid In flow’ry paftures ftill exulting feeds, Nor feels the fcorching fun, the wint’ry ftorm, Or blaft of angry winds; fecure fhe leads A life of pleafure, void of ev'ry care, Till to the virgin’s happy ftate fucceeds The name of wife; then fhall her portion come Of pain and anguifh, then her terrors rife For hufband and for children; then perchance You too may know what ’tis to be unhappy, And judge of my misfortunes by your own. Long fince opprefs’d by many a bitter woe, Oft have I wept, but this tranfcends them all; For I will tell thee, when Alcides laft Forth on his journey went, he left behind An antient fcroll; alas! before that time In all his labours he did never ufe To fpeak as one who thought of death, fecure _ VOL! i: O Always The youthful maid, Sc. Horace has caught this image. Que yelut latis equa trima camps, Ludit exultim, metuitque tangl, Nuptiarum expers, B, 3, Od. 11; 106 TRACHINIA. Always he feem’d of vidory, but now This writing marks as if he were to dye, The portion out referv’d for me, and wills His children to divide th’ inheritance ; Fixes the time, in fifteen moons, it fays, He fhou’d return; that paft, or he mutft perith, Or, if he “fcape the fatal hour, thenceforth Shou’d lead a life of happinefs and joy: Thus had the gods, it faid, decreed, his life And toils fhou’d end; fo from their antient beach’ Dodona’s doves foretold: th’ appointed hour Approaches that muft bring th’ event, ev’n now, My friends, and therefore nightly do I ftart From my fweet flumbers, ftruck with deadly fear, Left I fhou’d lofe the deareft beft of men. C2 Pt) ee oe Of better omen be thy words; behold A Dodona’s doves. At Dodona, a city of Chaonia in Epirus, was a temple dedicated to Jupiter Dodonaus, and in a grove near it a beach-tree on which two doves fate and prophecy’d: the {choliaft in this place turns the doves into old women, becaufe the word veAgia is not far from zoAga, and therefore may fignify grey: the opinion of Euftatheus is rather more rational, who fuppofes thefe doves to have been the prieftefles of Jupiter, and fo call’d becaufe they made their predictions by the obfervation of thofe birds; a much better conceit than that of Herodotus, who very gravely affures us, that the old women were call’d doves becaufe their language was barbarous, and as unintelligible as that of birds; and for the fame reafon they might as well have been call’d par- ridges or quails. ReMCHINIE ix A meflenger, who bears (for on his brow I fee the laurel crown) fome joyful news. Dw INS. BOTY. MESSENGER, DEIANIRA, ATTENDANT, CHORUS, MESSENGER, | | I come, my royal miftrefs, to remove _ Thy fears, and bring the firft glad tidings to thee, ‘To tell thee that Alcmena’s fon returns With life and victory; ev’n now he comes To lay before his country’s gods the fpoils Of glorious war. DE- TAN IRA. What doft thou fay, old man? What doft thou tell me? MESS ENG ER, That thy dear Alcides, Thy valiant lord, with his victorious bands, Will foon attend thee. D.EoD ALN IR A. | From our citizens Didft thou learn this, or from a ftranger’s tongue fr M EB S78 BE iNiG-eER. The herald Lichas, in yon flow’ry vale, But now reported, and I fled impatient O 2 Soon 108 TRACHINI &. Soon as I heard it, that I firft might tell thee And be rewarded for the welcome tale. DoE TAN EPRsA. But wherefore tarries Lichas, if he bring Glad tidings to me? MESSENGER. "Tis impoflible To reach thee, for the Melian people throng Around him, not a man but longs to know Some news of thy Alcides, ftops his journey, Nor will releafe him till he hear it all; Spite of himfelf he waits to fatisfy Their eager doubts; but thou wilt fee him foon. D EF PACNAT AR A: O! thou, who dwell’ft on OEta’s facred top, Immortal Jove! at length, tho’ late, thou giv'ft The wifh’d-for boon; let evry female now, You that within the palace do refide, And you, my followers here, with fhouts proclaim The bleft event! for, lo! a beam of joy, I little hop’d, breaks forth, and we are happy. Oda AOR Bi rae. Quick let founds of mirth and joy Evry chearful hour employ ; Hatfte, Quick let founds Ge, This fecond fong of the chorus is a hymn of thanks- giving to Apollo and Diana, Deianira, on the agreeable news of her hufband’s arrival, TRACHINIE 109. Hafte, and join the feftive fong, You, who lead the youthful throng, On whom the {miles of profp’rous fate, And Hymen’s promis’d pleafures wait, Now all your Io Pzans fing, To Pheebus, your protector and your king. AwN Tt. $)-T: RO. PH. E, And you, ye virgin train, attend, Not unmindful of your friend, His fifter huntrefs of the groves, Who ftill her native Delos loves, Prepare the dance, and choral lays, To hymn the chafte Diana’s praife ; To her, and her attendant choir Of mountain-nymphs, attune the votive lyre. EPODE. Already hath the god poffefs’d My foul, and rules the fov’reign of my breaft; Fvoe, arrival, calls together her friends and fervants to partake of her happiness ; it was probably accompanied both with mufic and dancing, ad tibiam, fays Ca- merarius, choream agitatam apparet ; I have endeavour’d to adapt the Englith meafure to the feftivity of the fubjeét ; thofe who contend for the divifion into aéts as parted by the fongs of the chorus, will pleafe to remember this is the fecond intermede, Sov'reign of my breaft, Almoft a literal tranflation of ‘ Tugam’ suas Opeves’ «tyrant of my foul’; an expreflion which carries with it a remarkably modern air, and much in the ftile of our dramatic lovers, | Evoe, \Bacelun 1 lo! I cor ‘to join bak ’ ant . ‘Thy throng ; around me doth | he _ Thyrfus twine, Hoke @ And I am All'd with rage di vine: | See! the glad meflenger app To calm thy doubts, and to remove: thy fears 5 Let us our Io Peans fing — Bae ind To Phebus, our protector and our ig. . Eid or AOL ed spiders > “ ‘ * at ‘9 _ } AG TB. thes TRACHINIGE. II eG vE i wt. SCENE I. DETANIRAI CHORUS, ib AON YY RA. HESE eyes deceive me, friends, or I behold A crowd approach this way, and with them comes The herald Lichas: let me welcome him, If he bring joyful news. : PC re, NE DI. LICHAS, IOLE, SLAVES, DEIANIRA, CHORUS, Pau rt arg My royal miftrefs, We greet thee with fair tidings of fuccefs, - And therefore fhall our words deferve thy praife. : DEIANIRA. ©! thou dear meffenger, inform me firft What firft I wifh to know, my lov’d Alcides, Doth he yet live, fhall I again behold him? LICH a gs. I left him well; in health and manly ftrength Exulting. DEL 12 TRACHINIA DLE FT ALN AR A Where? in his own native land, Or ’midft Barbarians? ; LICHAS. On Eubeea’s fhore He waits, with various fruits to crown the altar, _ And pay due honours to Cenzan Jove. De TAN TR oa Commanded by fome oracle divine _ Performs he this, or means but to fulfll A vow of gratitude for conqueft gain’d ? LI GH Ave: For vid’ry o’er the land, whence we have brought Thefe captive ‘women, whom thou fee’ft before thee, | DE 1 A. Nal Bos Whence come the wretched flaves? for, if I judge Their ftate aright, they muft indeed be wretched, ~*~ je Oe Ceo Ba a ob Know, when Alcides had laid wafte the city Of Eurytus, to him and to the gods Were thefe devoted. | DEE Cenean Sfove. So call’d from Cenzum, a promontory in Euboea, where - a ajiais were raifed, and facrifice offer'd up to him. The heathens, after viGo: y; never omitted paying their grateful acknowledgements to the fupreme power: thcugh miftaken in the objet of their worfhip, they are, perhaps, not unwor- thy of our imitation in their punctual and devout performance of it. TRACHINIA. 113 DEIANIRA, — In Oechalia then Hath my Alcides been this long long time?: © PO Hr A'S: Not fo:- in Lydia, (as himfelf reports) Was he detain’d a flave; fo Jove ordain’d ; And who fhall blame the high decrees of Jove? Sold to barbarian Omphale, he ferv’d Twelve tedious months; ill brook’d he the foul fhame ; Then in his wrath he made a folemn vow Fie wou'd revenge the wrong on the bafe author, And bind in chains his wife and all his race: Nor fruitlefs the refolve, for when the year Of flav’ry paft had expiated the crime Imputed, foon with gather’d force he march’d Gainit the devoted Kurytus, the caufe (For fo he deem’d him) of thofe hateful bonds ; Within his palace he had erft receiv’d 8 ag 6B P Alcides, Omphale. A queen of Lydia. Hercules, who, like many other heroes, was a dupe to women, became fo enamour’d of her as to fubmit to every tafk which fhe thought proper to impofe on him; fhe found hima willing flave and treated _ him accordingly, puta diftaffin his hands, and fent him to fpin with her maids. This fact, according to general tradition, was prior to his marriage with Deia- nira: Sophocles, however, has taken the poetical liberty to change the tune as moft agreeable to his purpofe, Lichas foftens the matter to Deianira, and makes itan involuntary fervitude; though he well knew that his matter had in reality fold himfelf. He calls her Barbarian Omphale, becanfe the Greeks look’d on all nations but themfelves as fuch. 14, TRACHINIE Alcides, but with bitt’reft taunts revil’d: him, Boafting, in {pite of his all-conqu’ring arrows, His fon’s fuperior, fkill, and faid a flave. Like him fhou’d bend beneath a freeman’s pow’r Then ’midft the banquet’s. mirth, enflam’d with wine, Caft forth his antient gueft; this to revenge When Iphitus to.fearch his paftur’d fteeds Came to Tyrinthia, Hercules furpris’d, And, as he turn’d his wand’ring eyes afide, Hurl’d head-long from the mountain’s top; great Jove, Father of men, from high Olympus faw And difapprov’d the deed, unworthy him Who ne'er before by fraud deftroy’d his foes ; With open force had he reveng’d the wrong, Jove had forgiv’n, but violence conceal’d The gods abhor, and therefore was he fold To flav’ry; Eurytus’ unhappy fons Were punifh’d too, and dwell in Erebus; Their city is deftroy’d, and they, whom here Thou fee’ft, from freedom and profperity, Reduc'd Hurl d headlong Sc. § Xt is furprifing (fays Brumoy) that Sophocles fhould ‘impute fuch an action to his hero, even in an account that is afterwards ‘found to be fictitious.’ But the French critic forgets that he had a foundation, for this ftory in Homer, as we obferved in a former note. Reduc’d to wretchednefs; to thee they come, Such was Alcides’ will; which I, his flave, Have faithfully perform’d; himfelf e’er long Thou fhalt behold, when to ‘paternal Jove He hath fulfill’d his vows: thus my long tale Ends with the welcom’{t news which thou cou’d’ft hear, Alcides comes, CHORUS, O! Queen, thy happinefs Is great indeed, to fee thefe flaves before thee, And know thy lord approaches. DEIANTI RA. I am happy: To fee my Hercules with vi@’ry crown’d Tis fit I fhou’d rejoyce; and yet, my friends, If we confider well, we ftill fhou’d fear For the fuccefsful, left they fall from blifs. It moves my pity much when I behold Thefe wretched captives in a foreign land Without a parent, and without a home, Thus doom’d to flav’ry ‘here, who once perhaps Enjoy’d fair freedom’s beft inheritance: O! Jove, averter of each mortal ill, Let not my children ever feel thy arm P 2 Thus 16 TRACHDNIA”~ Thus rais’d againft them! or, if ’tis decreed, — Let it not be whilft Deianira lives: — 7 ia The fight of thefe alarms my fears: but tell me- ae a Thou poor afflicted captive, who thou art; wala: [to Tole, = Art thou a mother? or, as by thy years 3 a i Thou feem’ft, a virgin, and of noble birth? ae | Can’ft not thou tell me, Lichas, whence fhe {prang? Inform me, for, of all thefe flaves, fhe moft Hath won my pity, and in her alone Have I obferv’d a firm and gen’rous mind. LI Gebeées) tl Why afk of me? I know not who fhe is; | Perhaps of no mean rank. DEIANIRA,. The royal race Of Eurytus? DL diGablt acs. I know not, nor did eer Inquire. | | Do Bel AcNod eR A And did’f{t thou never hear her name From her companions? RS Lod die Ase: Never, I perform’d TRACHINI &. 117 My work in filence. POSE TA N ROR A, Tell me then thyéelf, Thou wretched maid, for I am moft mbes Till I know who thou art. dy Or Ass. She will not {peak ; I know fhe will not; not a word hath pat Her lips, e’er fince fhe left her native land, But ftill in tears the haplefs virgin mourns The burthen of her fad calamity ; Her fate is hard: fhe merits your forgivenefs. Doe Pr AcN? FoR 3A, Let her go in: I'll not difturb her peace, Nor wou'd I heap frefh forrows on her head, She hath enough already: we'll retire, Go where thou wil’t; my cares within await me. [to Tole, (Exeunt Lichas, Iole, and flaves. SCENE She will not foeak. Nothing can be better imagined, or more artfully con. trived, than the concern which Deianira exprefles for Iole: the youth, beauty, and modefty of the fair captive plead ftrongly in her behalf, and the queen is, as it were, enamour’d of herrival. She is anxious to know who and what fhe is; but Iole, whofe bufinefs it was to conceal herfelf, remains filent. Caffan- _ dra behaves in the fame manner with regard to Clytemneftra, in the Agamem- non of Ai{chylus. 118 TRACHINI £4 S.1.cwEw Ne Baik hice MESSENGER, DEIANIRA, CHORUS | MESSENGER. Stay thee awhile. I have a tale to tell Touching thefe captives, which imports thee nearly, And I alone am able to inform thee. DEA AN TRA. What doft thou know? and why woud’ft thou detain me > MESSENGER. Return, and hear me; when I fpake before I did not fpeak in vain, nor fhall I now. ; ) DEITANIRA. — Woud’ft thou I call them back, or mean’{t to tell. a Thy fecret purpofe here to me alone? MESSENGER. To thee, and thefe thy friends, no more. DEIANIRA. They’re gone ; Now fpeak in fafety. MESSENGER. Lichas is difhoneft, And Stay thee awhile. 'This is the fame meffenger who. appear'd in the firft act to «nnounce the arrival of Lichas: he is moved by the unhappy fituation of Dei- anira, and ftops her, as fhe is going out, to difclofe the fecret to her, and acquaint her with the treachery of Lichas. TRACQHINI &€. LI9 And either now, or, when I faw. him laf Hath utter’d falfhood. DEIANIRA, Ha! what doft thou fay? F underftand thee. not, explain it quickly. MESSENGER. I heard him fay, before attendant. crouds, It was this virgin, this fair flave deftroy’d OEchalia’s lofty tow’rs, *twas love alone That waged the war, no Lydian fervitude, Nor Omphale, nor the pretended fall Of Iphitus (for fo the tale he brings Woud fain perfuade thee) know, thy own Alcides, For that he cou’d not gain th’ affenting voice Of Eurytus to his unlawful love, Laid wafte the city where her father reign’d, And flew him; now the daughter, as a flave, Is fent to thee; the reafon is too plain, Nor think he meant-her for a flave alone, The maid he loves, that wou’d be ftrange indeed. My royal miftrefs, moft unwillingly Do I report th’ unwelcome news, but thought It was my duty: I have told thee truth, And the Trachinians bear me witnefs of it. | Wretch ~ * -~ “* P % pe wr. 4 “7 ts n> TRA cares Wretch that I am! to what am I referwd? What hidden peftilence within my roof Have I receiv’d unknowing! haplefs woman ; She feem’d of beauteous form and noble birth ; Have you not heard her name, for Lichas faid | He knew it not. M EouS Suk aNe Gop. Daughter of Eurytus, Her name Iole; he had not enquir’d Touching her race, CUR OeRv is Perdition on the man, OF all moft wicked, who hath thus deceiv’d thee. DEIANIRA. What’s to be done, my friend? this dreadful news Amicts me forely. | G' Hee? Res. Go, and learn the whole From his own lips, compel him to declare The truth. D EP AcNeTsR we I will; thou counfel’ft me aright. | ‘Shall 3g Perdition on the man, c. The chorus here throws an oblique reflection on IYereules for his falfhood to Deianira; though it is fo worded, probabl with a purpofed ambizuity, as to be applicable to the herald Lichas, TRACHINI€ QE CHORUS, Shall we attend you? - DEIANIRA. No; for fee he comes; Uncall’d. BECP aN OU OCIV. LICHAS, DEIANIRA, ATTENDANT, MESSENGER, CHORUS. LICHAS. O! queen, what are thy laft commands To thy Alcides? for evn now I go To meet him, hi Be A TT RA, ] Haft thou -ta’en fo long a journey To Trachis, and wou’df now fo foon return, Ever I can hold fome further converfe with thee? LIC HAs. If thou wou'd{t queftion me of aught, behold me Ready to tell thee, VOL. II. : Q. DETI- O! queen, &e. The wecohaers information having made the prefence of Lichas on the {tage immediately necefiary, he is introduced with propriety to take his leave of Deianira, who embraces this opportunity to found him with regard to the accufation, which fhe does with all the fubtlety of a woman, and ail the dignity of a queen, ufing every artifice to draw him into a confeffion, and at laft perfuading him to it by an affected indifference about her huitband’s fidelity, od m TRACHINIE DEIANIRA. Wilt thou tell me truth? LICH A 8. In all I know ; fo bear me witnefs, Jove! , DEIANIRA. ial Who is that woman thou haft brought? LICHAS., | I hear She’s of Eubcea; for her race and name I know them not. DE IAy Nelo Rudy Look on me; who am I? Li GH AS. Why afk me this? | DEIANIRA. Be bold, and anfwer me. L td. Grok S; Daughter of OEneus, wife of Hercules, If I am not deceiv'd, ’tis Deianira, My queen, my miftrefs. DUB TL AgNGT R Ag Am I fo indeed? eo Am I thy miftrefs? LICHAS., If I am not deceiv'd. This may, perhaps, appear odd to the Englifh rea- der, but it is almoft a literal tranflation of the original, « ¢; ea xupeW Agua MaTEdely € nifi perperam video, nifi oculi me fallunt.’ TRACHINIA, os ARINC Fin A 18,7 Doubtlefs. DEIANIRA., | Why, ’tis well Thou doft confefs it: then what punifhment Wou’dft thou deferve, if thou wer’t faithlefs to her? LICHAS. How faithlefs? mean’ft thou to betray me? DEIANIRA. No; The fraud is thine. | rete rs AO Twas folly thus to flay And hear thee; I muft hence. LE a AON TR: A, Thou fhalt not go Till I have afk’d thee one fhort queftion. LkeG fic Ars: Atk it, For fo it feems thou art refolv’d. DEIANIRA. Inform me ; | Q 2 | This For fo it feems, Sc. The Greek is, ¢ crynaros a, ‘you are not very filent, or, * not much given to filence ;’ a kind of impertinent familiarity from a fervant to a miftrefs which modern delicacy would {carce admit; I have therefore foften’d it a little in the tranflation, | | wz TRACHINIZ This captive, doft thou know her? L1C.HA:S. I have told thee; What wou’dft thou more? DEIANIRA., Didft thou not fay, this flave, Tho’ now, it feems, thou know’ft her not, was daughter Of Eurytus, her name Iole? : Lo HiaéA 8&8; Where ? To whom did I fay this? what witnefs have you? DEILANIR A, Affembled multitudes; the citizens Of Trachis heard thee. bb ti Ais, They might fay they heard Reports like thefe; but muft it therefore feem A truth undoubted? DE aA ER A Seem? didft thou not {wear That thou hadft brought this woman to partake The bed of my Alcides? L jG, HA. Ss. Did I fay fo? But TRACHINIA. 125 But tell me who this ftranger is. DEIANIRA. te The man Who heard thee fay, Alcides’ love for her, And not the Lydian, laid the city wafte. | Lb 1gGuHy AS. Let him come forth and prove it; ’tis no mark Of wifdom thus to trifle with th’ unhappy. DBI AN:E.R:A, O! do not, I befeech thee by that pow’r, Whofe thunders roll o’er OEta’s lofty grove, Do not conceal the truth; thou fpeak’ft to one Not unexperienc’d in the ways of men; To one who knows we cannot always joy In the fame object: ‘tis an idle tafk To take up arms againit all-pow’rful love ; Love which commands the gods; love conquer’d me, And wherefore. fhou’d it not fubdue another, Whofe nature-and whofe paflions are the fame? If my Alcides is indeed opprefs'd With this fad malady, I blame him not; ar That This ftranger. It is plain from hence, that the meflenger, who had accufed Lichas, remains on the flage during all this fcene ; Lichas bids him fland forth and make good his charge; Deianira prevents him, and takes a better method to bring him to confeffion, 126 TRACHINIGE. That were a folly; nor this haplefs maid, — Who meant no ill, no injury to me; ‘Tis not for this I fpeak; but, mark me well; If thou wert taught by him to utter falfhood, A vile and fhameful leffon didft thou learn; And if thou art thy own inftructor, know, Thou fhalt feem wicked ev’n when moft fincere, And never be believ’d; fpeak then the truth ; For to be branded with the name of liar Is ignominy fit for flaves alone, | And not for thee; nor think thou canft conceal it; Thofe who have heard the tale, will tell it me, If fear deters thee, thou haft little caufe; For to fufpect his falfhood is my grief, To know it, none; already have I feen Alcides’ heart eftrang’d to other loves, Yet did no rival ever hear from me One bitter word, nor will I now reproach This wretched flave, ev’n tho’ fhe pines for him With ftrongeft love: alas! I pity her, Whofe beauty thus hath been the fatal caufe Of all her mis’ry, laid her country watte, And brought her here, far from her native land, A helplefs captive; but no more of this ; Only TRACHINIA 9 wy Only remember, if thou muft be falfe, Be falfe to others, but be true to me. © BH-OvR' US She Pacaks moft kindly to thee; be perfuaded ; Hereafter thou fhalt find her not ungrateful ; We too will thank thee. LICHAS. O! my deareft miftrefs, Not unexperienc’d thou in human life, Nor ignorant; and therefore nought from thee Will I conceal, but tell thee all the truth: "Tis as he faid; and Hercules indeed Doth love Iole: for her fake alone OEchalia, her unhappy country, fell; This, (for ’tis fit I tell thee) he confefs'd, Nor will’d me to conceal it; but I fear'd ’"Twou'd peirce thy heart to hear th’ unwelcome tale, And therefore own I wou’d have kept it from thee; That crime, if fuch it was, I have committed ; But fince thou know’ft it all, let me entreat thee, For her fake and thy own, O! do not hate This wretched captive, but remember well, What thou haft promis’d, faithfully perform. 128 TRACHINIEZ He, whofe victorious arm hath conquer’d all, Now yields to her, and is a flave to love. DEIANIRA. "Tis my refolve to act as thou advifeft ; Tl not refit the gods, nor add frefh weigh To my calamity: let us go in, That thou may’ft bear my orders to Alcides, And with them gifts in kind return for thofe We have receiv’'d from him; thou muft not hence With empty hand, who hither brought’ft to me Such noble prefents, and fo fair a train. 5 CoS aeNGiariye CHORUS, ST Rt OrPsHoe; Thee, Venus, gods and men obey, And univerfal is thy fway ; Need I recount the pow'rs fubdu’d by love? Neptune who fhakes the folid ground, The king of Erebus profound, Or, the great lord of all, faturnian Jove? He, whofe victorious arm &e. we em nunquam Juno feriefque immenfa laborum, Fregerit, huic lolen impotuifie jugum, { Exeunt, | Ovid, Tixee, Venus, Sc. This is the third intermede, or fong of the chorus: my female readers will pleafe to obferve that the gallant Sophocles has here civen us another ode to love, which naturally introduces an account of the combat of Hercules and Achelous for Dejanira, the heroine of the drama, TRACHINIAG, 129 To mortals let the fong defcend, é* To pity our afflicted friend, And footh the injur’d Deianira’s woes: For her the angry rivals came, For her they felt an equal flame, For her behold the doubtful battle glows. AWNed. 8 ER OF P-Hk, In dreadful majefty array’d, Affrighting fore the fearful maid, Uprofe the horned monarch of the flood ; He, who through fair /tolia’s plain, Pours his rich tribute to the main; A bull’s tremendous form. bely’d the god ;_ | From his own Thebes, to win her love, With him the happier fon of Jove, The great Alcides came, and in his hand The club, the bow, and glitt’ring {pear ; Whilft Venus, to her vot’ries near, Wav'd oer their heads her all-deciding wand, EPO} DE, - Warm, and more warm the conflict grows, Dire was the noife of rattling bows, Of front to front oppos’d, and hand to hand ; | VOL. I. R DeeP 136 .-0l(C§sC PRR ACHINISA | Deep was the animated ftrife For love, for conqueft, and for life; Alternate groans re-echo’d thro’ the land: Whilft penfive on the diftant fhore, She heard the doubtful battle roar, Many a fad tear the haplefs virgin fhed ; Far from her tender mother’s arms, She knows not yet for whom her charms She keeps, or who fhall fhare her bridal bed. [ Exeunt, End of A;C.T. Il, ACT I, TRACHINIA 9 1331 mee OTE, | “SCENE I; DELANIRA, CHORUS, DEIANIRA. Y gueft, in pity to the captive train, Laments their woes, and takes his kind farewel; Mean-time, my friends, in fecret came I here To pour forth all my mis'ries, and impart To you my inmoft thoughts, my laft refolve: Alas! within thefe walls I have receiv’d, Like the poor failor, an unhappy freight To fink me down, no virgin, but a wife, The wife of my Alcides; his lov’d arms Now muft embrace us both: my faithful lord | (Faithful and good I thought him) thus rewards My tender cares, and all the tedious toils I fuffer’'d for him; but I will be calm; For *tis an evil I have felt before: And yet to live with her! with her to fhare My hufband’s bed! what woman cou’d fupport it! Her youth is ftealing onward to it’s prime, Whilft mine is wither’d, and the eye, which longs R 2 Se 0, 132 TRACHINIAZ. To pluck the op’ning flow’r, from the dry leaf Will turn afide; her younger charms, I fear, Have conquer’d, and henceforth in name alone Shall Deianira be Alcides’ wife. But ill do rage and violence become The prudent matron, therefore mark me well, And hear what I have purpos’d, to relieve My troubled heart: within a brazen urn, Conceal’d from ev'ry eye, I long have kept: That antient gift which Neflus did bequeath me, The hoary centaur, who was wont for hire To bear the travler o’er the rapid flood Of deep Evenus, not with oars or {ail -He ftem’d the torrent, but with nervous arm Oppos’d, and pafs’d it: me, when firft a bride 1 left my father’s hofpitable roof With my Alcides, in his arms he bore Athwart Neffus. This ftory, which is the foundation of the piece before us, ftrip’d of all it’s poetical ornaments, is as follows. Neffus was one of that fabulous race call’d centaurs, half man and half horfe ; his ufual employment was the carrying paflengers over the river Evenus; Deianira entrufted herfelf to his care; the centaur fell in love with, and would have ravifh’d her; Hercules perceiving his defign, flew him with one of his arrows, poifon’d with the blood of the Lernzan hydra: Neffus, to revenge himfelf on his rival, told Deianira in his laft moments, that if ever her hufband proved faithlefs fhe might recall his love by dipping his garment in fome of that blood which was then ftream- ing from him; Deianira believed him, and preferved the philtre ; the confe- quence of this forms the fubje&t of the Trachiniz, TRACHINIA 133 Athwart the current, half way o’er, he dar’d To offer violence, I fhrick’d aloud; When lo! the fon of Jove, his bow fwift bent, Sent forth a fhaft, and pierc’d the monfter’s breaft, Who with his dying voice did thus addrefs me, Daughter of OEneus, liften to my words, So fhalt thou profit by the laft fad journey Which I fhall ever go; if in thy hand Thou take the drops out-flowing from the wound “A “nA “~ wn A This arrow made, dip’d in th’ envenom’d blood Gs Of the Lernezan hydra, with that charm May’ft thou fubdue the heart of thy Alcides, nr Nor fhall another ever gain his love: Mindful of this, my friends, (for from that hour In fecret have I kept the precious gift) Behold a garment dip’d ith’ very blood He gave me, nor did I forget to add What he enjoin’d, but have prepar’d it all; I know no evil arts, nor wou’d I learn them, For they. who practife fuch are hateful to me; I only with the charm may be of pow’r To win Alcides from this virgin’s love, And bring him back to Deianira’s arms, 134 TRACHINIGE. If ye fhall deem it lawful, but if not Pil go no farther. CHORUS, Cou’d we be affur'd Such is indeed th’ effe&, ’tis well determin’d. Duk vi: ATNR aa kO © I cannot but believe it, tho’ as yet | Experience never hath confirm’d it to me. G: TE OR: &: Thou fhoud’f be certain; thou but feem’ft to know If thou haft never try d. | | DEIANIRA. Pll try it foon; For fee evn now he comes out at the portal: Let him not know our purpofe ; if the deed Be wrong, concealment may prevent reproach ; Therefore be iilent. S) ChB ONT Badd, | LICHAS, DETANLR A, CHORiVs bed sG.H A. 8. Speak thy laft commands, Daughter of OEneus, for already long | Have we delay’d our journey, DE I1- TRACHINIA 135 DEEAN IR «A, | ; : Know then, Lichas, That whilft thou commun’dft with thy friends, my felf Have hither brought a garment which I wove For my Alcides, thou muft bear it to him: Tell him, no mortal muft with touch profane Pollute the facred gift, nor fun behold it, Nor holy temple, nor domeftic hearth, Fer at the altar of paternal Jove Himfelf fhall wear it; twas my folemn vow Whene’er he fhow’d return, that, cloth’d in this, He to the gods fhou’d offer facrifice. Bear too this token, he will know it well; Away: remember to perform thy office, But go no farther, fo fhall double praife, And favour from us both reward thy duty. LichiCi HA S$. If I have aught of fkill, by Hermes right | Inftructed Nor fun behold it &c. - Deianira probably gave this caution becaufe fhe imagined that the virtue of her charm wou'd be extracted by fire, and confe- quently, if held near that, wou’d have no effet when Hercules put it on. This token. This token was a cgoayis, or feal-ring, which Deianira fent with the veft, to convince Hercules that it came from her. By Hermes &c. Hermes or Mercury always appears as meflenger of the gods, and favourite errand-boy of Jupiter ; he therefore naturally prefided over mortal meflengers, and is properly mention’d by the herald as his patron and inftructor. 136 TRACHINIEZ. Inftructed in his art, I will not fail To bear thy gift, and faithful to report What thou haft faid. DEIANIRA,-, - Begone; what here hath paft Thou know’ft. LT Core ANS; I do; and fhall bear back the news That all is well. DE T AUNT Re: Thou art thyfelf a witnefs How kindly I receiv’d the gueft he fent me. Ll CEA LS Ie filld my heart with pleafure to behold it. DE I-A-N IRA, What can’t thou tell him more? alas! I fear Hell know too well the love I bear to him; Wou'd I coud be as certain hed return it! (Exeunt. SCENE To bear thy gift. Ignaroque Liche, quid tradat nefcia, luctus Ipfa fuos tradit. fays the elegant Ovid, who has told this ftory in a moft agreeable manner in the ninth book of his metamorphofis. ‘a TRACHINIA 13 Ge Ca be NE: all, Ch OO Up Seis SET RO, P HET. You, who on OEta’s craggy fummit dwell, Or from the rock, whence oufhing riy’lets flow, Bathe in the warmer fprings below, You, who near the Melian bay To golden-fhafted Dian hymn the lay, — Now hafte to ftring the lyre, and tune the vocal fhell: Peet GS. ROPE ETc, No mournful theme demands your penfive ftrain, But fuch as kindled by the facred fire | The mufes might themfelves admire, - A loud and chearful fong; for fee, The fon of Jove returns with victory, And richeft f{poils reward a life of toil and pain: Mou, II. : S STROPHE You, who on Oeta’s, Sc. This is the fourth fong or intermede of the Chorus» who, rejoicing at the expected arrival of Hercules, invite the neighbouring youths and maidens to celebrate the feftival, and welcome the returning conqueror. axe Warmer forings, &c. It is reported that Vulcan firft raifed warm {prings in Trachis or Sicily for the ufe of Hercules, whence warm vaths were ufually call’d Avrpa Hpaxrgia. ‘ Herculean Baths.’ The Melian bay, &c. The bay of Melis was not far from Trachis and adjoining to Artemifium, celebrated by the famous fea-fight between the Gre- cians and the Perfians, on the fame day with the battle at Thermopyle ; near it was a temple facred to Diana. 39 TRIACHINIzA STROPHE IT. Far from his native land he took his way : For twelve long ‘moons, uncertain of his fate, Did we lament his exil’d ftate, , What time his anxious wife deplor’d With never-ceafing tears her abfent lord; But Mars at laft hath clofed his long laborious day. ASNVE To“ oR OF Bek It Let him from fair Eubcea’s ifle appear 5 : Let winds and raging feas oppofe no more, But waft him to the wifh’d-for fhore; Th’ anointed veft’s perfuafive charms Shall bring him foon to Deianira’s arms, Soon fhall we fee the great the lov’d Alcides here. End’ or “ASG hr. Wee AG Foie Far from his native land, Sc. The laft Strophe and Antiftrophe of this Chorus are fo drolly tranflated by Mr. Adams, that I cannot refufe my readers a fight of it. It runs as follows ; ST KR OP CA are © He whom, abfent from home twelve months, we waited for, being on the “ rough fea, knowing nothing of him, but his dear miferable wife, the wretched ‘lady, with ever-ftreaming tears afflicted her fad heart; but now raging © Mars hath finith’d the term of his labours.’ ANT TY SSFOR'O PRE Th ‘ Let him come, nor let his fhip ftand ftill e’er he arrives at this city, © leaving this ifland habitation, where he is faid to facrifice, whence let him ‘ come haftening all the day, clad with this well befineared coat of reconci- « ation of his love to Deianira, as the Centaur dire&ted her.” TRACHINIG. 139 RRR ASAT TY. Ba ch oN: Bi sf. Df PAN ERA CH O RIS, 1 AR abe ite oy fa Be a AL AS! my friends, I fear I’ve gone too far, Cutt O-ZR-U- §; Great queen, in what? DELLA NI R A: I know not what; but dread Something to come, left where I had moft hope Of happinefls, I meet with bitt’reft woe. CHORUS, Mean’ft thou thy gift to Hercules? Dy Hel AGN TRA. I do; Nor wou’d I henceforth counfel thofe I lovw’d To do a dark and defp’rate deed like this, Uncertain of th’ event. | O HO °R2U S. How was it? fpeak, If thou can’ft tell us. | S 2 DEIANIRA, 140 PR ACHIN TR DIE TAN IR A, O! ’twas wonderful! For you fhall hear it; know then, the white wool Wherein I wrap‘d th’anointed veft, untouch’d By any hand, drop’d {elf-confum’d away, And down the ftone, ev’n like a liquid, flow’d Diffolving: (but tis Ht I tell you all) Whate’er the wounded centaur did enjoin me Mindful to practife, facred as the laws On brazen tablets grav’d, I have perform’d: Far from the fire, and from the fun’s warm beams He bad me keep the charm, from ev’ry eye In fecret hid, till time fhould call on me T’anoint and ufe it: this was done; and now, The fleece in fecret pluck’d, the charm prepar’d, Long from the fun within a cheft conceal’d, At length I brought it forth, and fent the gift To my Alcides, when behold a wonder, Moft ftrange for tongue to tell, or heart of man _Evn The white wool, Sc. ‘This wool was probably made ufe of as a fponge, with which, after dipping it in the blood, the wetted the magic robe; this imbibing . the fiery and poifonous particles, on being expofed to the air, took fire, and con- fumed away, a circumftance which cou’d not fail to alarm the fears of Deia- nira, who now begins to repent of her hazardous attempt: her remorfe is na- turally and pathetically defcribed, and at the fame time gradually prepares the audience for the cataftrophe, TRACHINIG, Ev’n to conceive! perchance the wool I caft Into the funfhine ; foon as it grew warm It fell to duft, Aa ae all away | In moft ftrange manner, then from th’ earth uprofe In frothy bubbles, e’vn as from’ the grape In yellow autumn flows the purple wine: I know not what to think; but much I fear Tve done a horrid deed: for, why, my friends, Why fhould the dying favage with to ferve _ His murth’rer ? that could never be: O! no; He only meant by flatt’ry to deftroy Me his deftroyer: truth is come too late, | And I alone have flain my dear Alcides, I know that by his arrows Chiron fell ; I know whate’er they touch’d they fill were fatal ; That very poifon mingled with the blood Of dying Neflus, will not that too kill My Hercules? it muft: but if he dies, My refolution is to perifh with him; ° 141 Thofe Chiron. Chiron was one of the Centaurs, and was wounded by Hercules with one of his arrows dip’d in the blood of the Hydra: the ftory is told at Jarge in the fifth book of Ovid’s Fafti. Deianira recollects that Hercules had flain Neffus alfo with one of the fame arrows which {he knew to be poifon’d ; the effect was the fame on both, and the confequence but too vifible with re« gard to Hercules himfelf, 42 TRACHINI£ Thofe, who their honour and their virtue prize, Can never live with infamy and fhame. CH OR DS, "Tis fit we tremble at a deed of horror; But ’tis not fitting, e’er we know th’ event, To give up hope, and yield us to defpair. DEIANIRA. There is no hope when evil counfel’s ta’en, Cob: Oo Re ths, But when we err from. ignorance alone, Small is the crime, and flight the punifhment; Such is thy fault. a D. Bol Ar Nod Rel ) The guiltlefs may talk thus, _ Who know no ill; not thofe, who are unhappy. EA HlOuRe ssi No more; unlefs thou mean’ft thy fon fhou’d hear thee, Who now returns from fearch of thy Alcides : Rehold him here. Hes Of es Weenie Oe Ak HYLLUS, DEIANIRA, CHORUS os Ripe ie ie Pos O! wou’d that thou wert dead! Wou’d TRAC HTN! 1+ 2e: 143 Wou'd I were not thy fon! or, being fo, Wou'd I cou’d change thy wicked heart! Pero A NT RA, My fon, What means this paflion ? Pt ere GIs.” Thou haft flain thy hufband ; This very “ey my father haft thou flain. DP AVN TR 4AS Alas! my child, what fay’ft thou? He ¥ (eb 07S: | What is pait, And therefore muft be; who can e’er undo The deed that’s done? DEIANIR A; But who cou’d fay I did it? Hey B -b Us, I faw it with thefe eyes; I heard it all From his own lips. DEIANIRA.,. Where did’ft thou fee him then? Tell me, O! quickly tell me. YE Lv Ss; 144 TaReApC HylyNil at HayYaLeL ous... If I muft, a Obferve me well: when Hercules, return’d From conqueft, had laid wafte the noble city Of Eurytus, with fair triumphal fpoils He to Eubcea came, where o'er the fea, Which beats on evry fide, Cenezum’s top Fangs dreadful, thither to paternal Jove His new rais‘d altars in the leafy wood He came to vifit; there did my glad eyes” Behold Alcides firft: as he prepar’d The frequent victim, from the palace came Lichas thy Meflenger, and with him brought The fatal gift: wrap’d in the deadly garment (For fuch was thy command) twelve oxen then Without a blemifh, firftlings of the fpoil, He flew; together next a hundred fell, The mingled flock: pleas’d with his gaudy velt And There did my glad eyes Gc. tis obferved that the diftance from Cenzum to Trachis is too great to admit of Hyllus’s return in the fhort time which So- phocies has allow’d him; for how could Hyllus perform this journey; fee his father, affift at the facrifice, be a witnefs of his agonies, and -req turn back to Trachis, during the reprefentation of little more than one act? ‘The unity of time is here apparently broken. The poet, as Brumoy imagines, prefumed on the diftance of Athens, from the fcene of action, and probably met with indulgence from his {pectators, though it was not agreeable to hig yival accuracy in thefe particulars, a ae Se ae TRACHINIEA 146 And happy in it he awhile remain’d, Off’ring with joy his grateful facrifice ; But lo! when from the holy vidim rofe The bloody flame, and from the pitchy wood Exhal’d it’s moifture, fudden a cold fweat Bedew'd his limbs, and to his body ftuck As by the hand of fome artificer Clofe joyn’d to ev’ry part, the fatal veft; Convulfion rack’d his bones, and through his veins, Like the fell ferpent’s deadly venom, rag’d; Then queftion’d he the wretched guiltlefs Lichas By what detefted arts he had procur’d The poifon’d garb; he, ignorant of all, Cou’d only fay, it was the gift he brought From Deianira; when Alcides heard it, Tortur’'d with pain, he took him by the foot, And hurld him headlong on a pointed rock That o’er the ocean hung; his brains dafh’d forth With mingled blood flow’d thro’ his clotted hair In horrid ftreams; the multitude with fhriecks Lamented loud the fury of Alcides, And Lichas’ haplefs fate; none durft oppofe His raging phrenzys proftrate on the earth at No 146 TRACHINIAZ, Now wou'd he lay and groan; and now uprifing Wou’d bellow forth his griefs; the mountain-tops Of Locris, and Eubcea’s rocks return’d His dreadful cries; then on the ground out-ftretch’d In bitt’reft wrath he curs’d the nuptial bed Of OEneus, and his execrations pour’d On thee his worft of foes: at length his eyes, Diftorted forth from the furrounding {moak, He caft on me, who midft attending crouds Wept his fad fate; ‘ approach, he cry’d, my fon, ‘ Do not forfake thy father, rather come ‘ And fhare his fate than leave me here; O! hatte, ‘ And take me hence; bear me where never eye ¢ OF mortal fhall behold me; O! my child, ‘ Let me not perifh here:’ thus {pake my father, And I obey’d: diftraé@ed with his pains A. vefiel brings him to this place, and foon Living or dead you will behold him here. This have thy horrid machinations done For thy Alcides: O! may juftice doom thee T > righteous punifhment, if it be lawful For me to call down vengeance on a mother, As fure it is, on one who hath difelain’d All TRACHINIE 147 All piety like thee; the earth fuftains not A better man than him whom thou haft murther’d, Nor fhalt thou e’er behold his like again. [Exit Deianira. CHORUS. Whence this abrupt departure? know’ft thou not To go in filence thus confirms thy guilt? Mie as H ZEMON. Let her be gone: and may fome proip’rous gale Waft her far off, that thefe abhorring eyes May never fee her more: what boots the name Of mother, when no longer fhe performs A mother’s duty? let her go in peace, And, for her kindnefs to my father, foon May fhe enjoy the bleffing fhe beftow’d. (Ree) O..O. RB Urs, lor fhalt thou, Sc. © Orrotoy araov vx oer ig fays the original. Shake- ee makes his Hamlet fpeak the fame language. Take him for all ‘in all, I fhall not look upon his like again. Hamlet. To go in filence, Sc. This filence exa@ly refembles that of Eurydice i in the Antigone before taken notice of, and, as Brumoy obferves, is infinitely preferable to Ovid's sap el repetition i Impia quid cel Tas, Deianira, mori? ‘ On ne s’exhorte point (fays the French critic) 4 mourir, quand le deffein © en eft bien pris. Beaucoup moins le fait on avec tant d’art; le filence eft « plus eloquent, & plus vif.’ 148 TRACHINIG. CHOR WU S. § “ToR tOepsbht Bait. ‘True was the oracle divine, Long fince deliver’d from Dodona’s fhrine, Which faid, Alcides’ woes fhou’d laft Till twelve revolving years were pat; Then fhou’d his labours end in {weet repofe: Behold, my friends, ’tis come to pals, Tis all fulfill’d; for who, alas! In peaceful death, or toil or flavry knows? AN TolbS. FR O° PcH ik, hh If deep within his tortur’d veins The centaur’s eruel poifon reigns, That from the Hydra’s baleful breath Deftructive flow’d, replete with death, On him another fun fhall never rife; The venom runs thro’ evry part, And, lo! to Neffus’ direful art Alcides falls a helplefs facrifice. STROPHSE True was the oracle, &c. This is the fifth intermede or fong of the Chorus, and, if we divide the play into acts, muft conclude the Pein as it is the only part where the ftage can be fuppofed vacant: it turns, we fee, on the double fenfe of the oracle, which was now accomplith’d in the death of Hercules, This oracle is mention’d by Deianira in the firft {cene of the tragedy, and by Hercules himfelf alfo in the laft. TRACHINI EZ. 149 STROPHE IU. Poor Deianira long deplor’d Her waining charms, and ever faithlefs lord ; At length by evil counfel fway’d Her paffion’s di@ates the obey’d, Refolv’d Alcides’ doubtful truth to prove; But now, alas! laments his fate In ceafelefs woe, and finds too late A dying hufband, and a foreign love. ; A Me £69 GR OP Hoek ell. Another death muft foon fucceed, Another victim foon fhall bleed, Fatal, Alcides, was the dart That piere’d the rival monarch’s heart, And brought Iole from her native land; From Venus did our forrows flow, The fecret fpring of all our woe, For nought was done but by her dread command. [ Exeunt. Bac (oC A’OT. cIV. A Cy rev . Another death &c. The Chorus foretells the death of Delanira, who had already declared that if fhe did not fucceed in the attempt to regain her huf- band’s affection, fhe wou’d not long furvive him ; this prepares the audience for the {cene that follows. 150 TRACHINIG. A: aGs oD ai: SG gua Ne se iT [A noife within the palace. CHORUS, R Im deceiv’d, or I did hear loud thrieks Within the palace; “twas the voice of one In anguifh; doubtlefs fome calamity Hath fall’n upon us now; what can it be? But fee, yon matron, with contracted brow And unaccuftom’d fadnefs, comes to tell The dreadful news. S. GulE eiNecd 4h N5U BSB Gab OuRel.s, NURSE, What woes, my haplefs daughters, Alcides’ fatal gift hath brought upon us? GUHiO Be. What doft thou tell us? Ni Roe Deianira treads The laft fad path of mortals. G FO. RU 8: Is fhe .gone? N U Rise TRACHINI &. 151 a NURSE, *Tis fo indeed, i : CHORUS. What! dead! Neti R: Sok: Again I fay She is no more. | C H OsRiVis. Alas! how did fhe perifh? | NeUe-R: Sti - Mott fearfully: twas dreadful to behold. C HOUR U 8. How fell fhe then? win, UR SE. By her own hand. GC HigeRy, Us. | : But wherefore ? What madnefs, what diforder? what cou’d move her To perpetrate fo terrible a deed? Thus adding death to death. LN-@: R:S E. The fatal fteel Deftroy’d her. CHOR WU $: iz TRACHINIEZA CHORUS. Did’ft thou fee it; ‘NU'"R*S EF I was by, Clofe by her fide. ; C*H'O R U &. How was it? NURSE. | | Her own arm ‘Struck the fad blow. HOR UAE: Indeed } Ni Reo By Moft veritably, C. H OR: Urs, In evil hour this rival virgin came To bring deftruction here. N U'R SE. And fo fhe did; Had’ft thou like me been witnefs to the deed, Thou woud’ft much more have pity’d her, CHO RUNS: Alas! How coud a woman do it? N U Risk TRACHINIA 15; aN We Ry.S°E: ‘Twas moft dreadful, As thou thalt hear, fis I will tell thee all, Soon as fhe enter’d at the palace gate And faw her fon prepare the fun’ral bed, To th’ inmoft chamber filent the retir’d From evry eye, there, at the altar’s feet Falling, lamented loud her widow’d ftate; And ever as the lit on aught her hands Had us’d in happier days, the tears wou’d flow; From room to room fhe wander’d, and it chance A lov’d domeftic crofs'd her fhe wow’d weep And mourn her fate, for ever now depriv’d Of converfe fweet, and hymenzal joys ; Then wou'd fhe ftrew her garments on the bed Of her Alcides, (for conceal’d I watch’d Her evry motion) throw herfelf upon it, And as the tears in a warm flood burft forth; NO Pac T kB, U ¢ Farewel ! And ever as fhe lit &c. Such little incidents as thefe, arifing with propriety from fituation and circumftance, contribute as much as any thing to point out the fuperiority of a good writer: in Sophocles we always meet with the lan- guage of nature, and a complete knowledge of the human heart, without any of thofe forced conceits and refinements fo 1 frequent in modern writers: Pare can exceed the fimplicity and elegance of this defcription ; Virgil felt all it’s mierit, and has copied it clofely. ” See fin. b. 4. 154 TRY Ab CH RD ENT UAS © Farewel! (fhe cry’d) for ever farewel now ‘ My nuptial eouch! for never fhalt thou more 1 © Receive this wretched burthen;’ thus fhe fpake, And with quick hand the golden button loos’d, Then caft her robe afide, het bofom bared And feem’d prepar’d to ftrike; I ran and told The dreadful purpofe to her fon, too late We came, and faw her wounded to the heart ; The pious fon beheld his bleeding mother ) And wept, for well he knew, by atiger fir’d, : And the fell centaur’s cruel fraud betray’d, Unweeting fhe had done the dreadful deed: Clofe to her fide he laid him down, and join’d His lips to hers, lamenting fore that thus He had accus’d her guiltlefs; then deplor’d His own fad fate, thus fuddenly bereav’d Of both his parents: you have heard my tale. Who to himfelf fhall promife length of life? None but the fool: for, O! to day alone Is ours; we are not certain of to-morrow, , CHORUS. Which fhall I weep? which moft our hearts fhou’d fill With grief, the prefent, or the future ill? The dying, or the dead? ’tis equal woe To feel the ftroke, or fear th’ impending blow. STROPHE, el Me Te ee i ie b $ ( TRAC HHINI eS te ST ROP HE. OO! for a breeze to waft us o’er Propitious to fome diftant fhore! To fhield our fouls from fore aftright, And fave us from the dreadful fight : That fight the hardeft heart wou’d move In his latt pangs the fon of Jove; To fee the poifon, run through ev’ry vein, And limbs convuls’d with agonizing pain. Aoe Tt 1 SD ROP FE, Behold th’ attendant train is nigh, I hear the voice of mifery ; Ev'n as the plaintive nightingale, That warbles fweet her mournful tale ; U 2 Silent O! for a breeze, Gc. This is the fixth and laft intermede, or fong of the chorus, who, alarm’d at the approaching fate of Hercules, and fhock’d at the death of Deianira, lament their own diftrefsful fituation, as obliged to be wit- nefies of fo melancholy a fcene : it is remarkable, that throughout this play the chorus’s are every one of them clofely attach’d to the fubject, and arife natu- rally from the various circumftances of it. Some diftant fbore. ‘Thejlearned reader, who confults this paffage in the original, will find that the fcholiafts have entirely miftaken the meaning of it; and, according to cuftom, mifled the tranflators, one of whom renders it thus, * Utinam aliquis afpiret fecundus noftram ad domum ventus! ‘ Would to ‘ heaven a favourable wind would blow us home!’ ‘though it is apparent that as the chorus confifts of virgins of Trachis, they were at/home already, and only with'd to be removed for a time, to avoid a fight fo difagreeable as the death of Hercules. Ratallerus, who, as I obferved, is the only tranflator that feems to have underftood Sophocles, perceived this abfurdity, and has given us the true fenfe,. rar OT RAC HANIA Silent and flow they lead him on; Hark! I hear Alcides groan! Again ‘tis filence all! this way they tread; Or fleeps he now, or refts he with the dead? Bio oe IN "Sak GaeaaT. HERCULES, HYLLUS, NURSE, CHORUS, A PTEN ID ANTS, HY ours: Alas! my father; whither fhall I go, Wretch that I am! O! where fhall I betake me? What will become of thy afflitted fon? A TT ENeDiAGNG: Speak foftly, youth, do not awake his pains ; Refrain thy grief, for yet Alcides lives, Tho’ verging to the tomb; be calm. H Y¥y BL Os: What fay’ft thou? Doth he yet live? } AT T(E ND A Not. He doth; difturb not thus His flumbers, nor provoke the dire difeafe, be Y as. Alas! I cannot bear to fee him thus, — [ Hercules awakes, HE R- TRACHINIE 154 He BOUL Bs. O! Jove! where am I, and with whom? what land Contains the wretched Hercules, opprefs’d With never-ending woes? ah, me! again The deadly poifon racks me. A:T EN, DeA NT: [to Hyllus. |: | See’ft thou not ’Twere better far to have remain’d in filence, And not awak’d him. EE. XY Ey EUS: “Twas impoffible ~Unmov’'d to look on fuch calamity ; I cou’d not do it. mW E.R. CULL: E-S, O! Cenezan rocks, Where {moak the facred altars! ‘is it thus O! Jove, thou doft reward my piety ? What dreadful punifhment is this thy hand Hath laid on me, who never cou’d deferve Such bitter wrath? what incantations now, What O! ove, where am I. Hercules, we muft fuppofe, is here brought on ihe ftage on a couch or litter, ‘ affertur (fays Camerarius) inter cruciatus fo- « pitus in lectulo ;° his pains intermitting for a fhort time, he is drop’d into a flumber ; in this condition he is met by Hyllus, who imagines him to be dead ; the chorus perceive he is only afleep ; he awakes in agony ; the {cene ftrongly refembles one in the Hippolytus of Euripides, 158 TRACHINIGE What pow’r of med’cine can affuage my pain, Unlefs great Jove aflifted? health to me Without him, were a miracle indeed. | Let me, O! let me reft, refufe me not A little flumber ; why will ye torment me? Why bend me forward? O! ’tis worfe than death ; Had you not waked me, I had been at peace: Again it rages with redoubled force ; Where are you now, ye thanklefs Grecians, where, Whom I have toil’d to ferve on the rough main, And through the pathlefs wood? where are ye now To help a dying wretch? will no kind hand Stretch forth the friendly fword, or in the flame Confume me? none, alas! will cut me off From hated life, AT TYRGNE De AS a: O! youth! affift thy father; It is beyond my ftrength; thy quicker fight May be more ufeful. i, SY os Dee My poor aid is ready ; But wherefoe’er I am, ’tis not in me T° expel the fubtle poifen that deftroys him; Such is the wil of Jove, HE R- TRACHINIA. Igy HE R.G.U-L/E.6, | My fon, my fon, Where art thou? bear me up, aflift me; O! Again it comes, th’ unconquerable ill, The dire difeafe; O! Pallas, aid me now, Draw forth thy fword, my fon; ftrike, flrike thy father, And heal the wound thy impious mother made; O! coud I fee her like myfelf deftroy’d, I thou’d be happy! brother of great Jove, Sweet Pluto, hear me! O! with fpeedy death Lay me to reft, and bury all my woes, | CHORUS. The anguifh of th’ unhappy man, my friends, Is terrible; I tremble but to hear him. BoE RoC UiL ES. What hath this body fuffer’d! O! the toils, The labours I endur’d, the pangs I felt, Unutterable woes! but never aught So dreadful as this fore calamity Opprefs’d Alcides ; not the wife of Jove, Nor vile Euryftheus cou’d torment me thus, | . As OQ! the toils &c. ‘This pathetic lamentation of Hercules hath met with univerfal applaufe from the admirers and critics of antiquity. The great Ro- man orator has left us a tranflation of it, which remains almoft the only {peci- men Of his poetical abilities, See Tully’s Tufculan queftions, b, 2. 160 TRACHINIZ. As OEneus thy deceitful daughter hath: Oh! I am tangled in a cruel net, Wov'n by the furies; it devours my flefh, Dries up my veins, and drinks the vital blood; My body’s wither’'d, and I cannot break Th’ indiffoluble chain: nor hoftile {pear, Nor earth-born giants, nor the favage herd, The wild Barbarian, or the Grecian hoft, Not all the nations I have journey’d o'er Cou’d do a deed like this: at laft I fall Like a poor coward, by a woman’s hand, Unarm’d, and unafiifted; O! my fon, Now prove thyfelf the offspring of Alcides ; Nor let thy rev’rence of a mother’s name Surpafs thy duty to an injurd father ; Go, bring her hither, give her to my wrath, That I may fee whom thou wilt: moft lament, When thou behold’ft my vengeance fall on her ; Fear Ae my fon, but go ; have pity on me, Pity thy father; all muft pity me, Whilft they behold, ev’n as the tender maid, Wicides weep, who never wept before. I bore my forrows all without a groan, But now thou feeft I am a very woman. | Come TRACHINI &. 161 ‘Come near, my child; O! think what I endure, For I will thew thee; look on this poor body, Let all behold it: what a fight is here! Oh! me! again the cruel poifon tears My entrails, nor affords a moment’s eafe. O! take me, Pluto, to thy gloomy reign; Father of lightning, mighty Jove, fend down Thy bolt, and ftrike me now! again it racks, It tortures me! O! hands, that once had {trength, And you, my finewy arms, was it by you ‘The terrible Nemzan lion fell, The dreadful hydra, and the lawlefs race Of centaurs? did this wither’d hand fubdue The Erymanthian boar, wide-wafting plague! And from the fhades of Orcus drag to light The triple-headed monfter? by this arm Did the fierce guardian of the golden fruit In Libya’s defarts fall? unnumber’d toils Have I endur’d of old, and never yet Did mortal bear a trophy from Alcides : But nervelefs now this arm; fee, from the bone WV © L. Il: My Sei Starts WNemean lion. Nemea was a wood near Argia in Peloponnefus, where Hercules flew a lion of prodigious fize and fiercenefs, The Erymantbian boar. Erymanthus was a mountain of Arcadia, where Hercules flew a wild boar that infefted the country. 162 £TRACHIA NT Zt. Darts the loofe flefh; I wafte beneath the pow’r Of this dark peftilence: O! Hercules, Why boaft thy mother {prung of nobleft race, And vainly call thyfelf the fon of Jove? But, mark me well; this creeping fhadow ftill, Poor as it is, fhall yet revenge itfelf On her who did the execrable deed ; ~ Wou'd fhe were here to feel my wrath, to know And teach -mankind, that Hercules tho’ dead, As whilft he liv’d, can fcourge the guilty ftill! e-GoH OF ous. Unhappy Greece! how wilt thou mourn the lof Of fuch a man! Hey vbr EL Ues, Permit me but to fpeak, Diftemper’d as thou art, my father, hear me ; Nought fhall I afk unfit for thee to grant ; Be calm and liften to me; yet thou know’ft not How groundlefs thy complaints, and what new joy Awaits thee ftil. HOE R © U0? Eeeks, Be brief then, and inform me ; My pains affi@ me fo I cannot guefs Thy fubtle purpofe. HY LLUS. TRACHINIA 163 MWALAL U's. ‘Twas to fpeak of her, » My mother; “twas to tell thee of her ftate And how unweeting fhe offended thee. HERCULES. Thou worft of children! woud’ft thou then defend The murth’rer of thy father? dar’ft thou thus Recall the fad réimembrance of her ‘crime? : Yr i ese It muft not be conceal’d; I know too well I can no longer hide it. HE ROG UL -E What? her guilt ? *Tis known already. : be VG lo eS, Thou'lt not always think fo. tek, he Cero ts ES, Speak then, but take good heed thou fhew thyfelf Worthy thy father. | a ie es ie Bags Obs Know then,—fhe is dead! HE RGU SE ES. ©! dreadful! murther’d? by what hand? EY aL AL 0 8.. Her own. xX 2 H E R- a 164. TRACHINIE HER CULL ES. Wou'd fhe had fall’n by mine! HY ESL US, Alas! my father, Did’ft thou know all, thy anger wou’d be chane’d To pity for her. HERCULE &. That were ftrange indeed ; Why doft thou think fo? (ed Mo ay. Use ¢ She did mean thee well, But err'd unknowing. | HERCULES. Mean’t fhe well to flay Thy father? HY, ED S: Thy new marriage was the caufe: She had prepar’d a philtre for thy love, And knew not ’twas a poifon. Pha RG A a eS: But, fay, who So fkill’d in magic arts at Trachis here Cou’d give her this? ae Ms | BE Ba pc The favage centaur Neflus, Who TRACHINI£ 165 Who did perfuade her ’twou’d reftore thy love Giv’n to another wife. HERC U L £& S. “4 Undone Alcides ! I dye, my child; there is no life for me; Alas! I fee it now; I fee my woes ; Hyllus, away, thy father is no more #4 Begone, and call thy brothers, call Alcmena, The wife, alas! in vain, the wife of Jove; Go, bring them here, that with my lateft breath I may declare my fate long fince foretold By oracles divine. 5 PY -ELE Us. | Alcmena’s gone To Tyrinth ; with her many of thy fons Remain ; fome dwell at Thebes, the reft are here, And wait with me to hear, and to obey thee. | HERCULES, Then liften to me, for the time is come . When thou muft prove thyfelf indeed my fon; Know, Jove, my heav’nly fire, long fince foretold I was not born to perifh by the hand : Of ‘ Io Iyrinth, T Chas or Tyrinthia was a city in the neighbourhood of Ar gos, 166 TRACHINI GE. Of living man, but from fome habitant Of Pluto’s dark abode fhou’d meet my fate ; The centaur Neffus (fo was it fulfill’d) Though dead deftroy’d me: but I'll tell thee more, New oracles confirm’d the old, for know When to the Selli’s facred stove I came, (The wand’ring priefts who o’er the mountains roam, And reft their weary’d limbs on the cold ground) An antient oak prophetic did declare That if I liv’d to this decifive hour, Here all my labours, all my toils fhou’d end: I thought it told me I fhou’d live in peace; Alas! it only meant that I muft dye, For death will put an end to ev'ry care. Since thus it is, my fon, thou too muft join To eafe Alcides; let me not reproach thee, But yield thy willing aid, nor e’er forget — The beft of laws, obedience to a father, HYLLUS, Of living man. The original is TVEWVTOS pend evos, which literally tranflated an{wers exactly to our. common expreflion, ‘no man breathing ; but this is too low and familiar for tragedy: it is obfervable that there is a {trong refem- blance between the oracles of antiquity, and the witches of modern times: we cannot read the paffage before us without recollecting a parallel one in Shakefpear, where he makes his witches foretell ‘ That none of woman born fhould flay Macbeth ;’ which is accomplith’d by it’s proving afterwards that Duncan < Was from his mother’s womb untimely rip’d,’ in the fame manner as Hercules fell by the artifice of Neflus, long after his a OtCaws ys TRACHINI &. HYLOUS: Thy words affright me; but declare thy purpofe ; Behold me ready to perform thy orders | Whate’er they be. HERCUL-ES.- Firft give me then thy hand. mY Lb US. But why this pledge, and wherefore anxious thus Doft thou require it? H ERC U LES. Wilt thou give it me, Or doft refufe ? we ik & WS. There, take it; I obey. Peibok © Wik ES. Firft fwear then by the head of Jove my fire. is hg ad va OR I will; but what? ELE R.G ULES. Swear that thou wilt perform All I, enjoin thee. be Yoh BW: S, Bear me witnefs, Jove! I {wear, 167 H E R- 18 TRACHINIGE. H ERC UE. S. And imprecate the wrath divine If thou perform’ft it not. BY TS ae aft I fhall not fail ; But, if I do, may vengeance {wift o’ertake me. HER Gaia, abe: Thou know’ft the top of OEta’s facred hill, Hey 2.3) aU Ss. I know it well, and many a facrifice Have offer’d there. HE RC -UcEige: That is the deftin’d place, Where thou, aflifted by thy chofen friends, My fon, muft bear the body of Alcides ; There fhalt thou cut thee many a leafy branch From the wild olive and deep-rooted oak, Then caft me on it, take thy torch, and light My fun’ral pile; without one tear or groan Unmanly do it, if thou art my fon; For if thou fail’ft, remember, after death A father’s curfes will fit heavy on thee. HY iL OU 5S, Alas! my father, what haft thou commanded? What TRACHINIAZA What haft thou bade me do? HERCULES. What muft be done, Or thou art not the fon of Hercules, : Hey Fe Ewes: A dreadful deed! and muft I then become A parricide, and murther thee? te Re C7 UD LES. | O! no! My kind phyfician, balm of all my woes. frie i US; Myfelf to caft thee in the flames! is that An office fit for me? ? HERCULES, If that alone Seem dreadful to thee, yet perform the reft. PLY es 13S. I'll bear thee thither. We RGU LES: Wilt. thou raife the pile? Faye i. £40. S, I will do any thing but be myfelf Thy executioner. ¥ O Le. H, ¥ 169. Il E R- m0 TRACHINIZ HERCULES, Tis well, my fon: But one thing more, and I am {fatisfy’d ; °Tis but a little. H Yor OS Be it eer fo great, I fhall obey. | HSRC. PO Ee Bes. Thou know’ft the virgin daughter Of Eurytus. ° HY ¥ Ln Ss. Tole ? ) HBR aC SES. Her, my fon; Remember, ’tis a father’s laft command, And thou haft fworn obedience; that Iole I do bequeath thee; take her to thy arms When I am dead, and let her be thy wife: It Take her to thy arms. It muft be acknowledged that the requeft of Her- cules is of a very extraordinary nature: the fon is defired, or rather com- manded to marry his father’s miftrefs, and this, not to fhield her from the refentment of the injured mother now dead, but only, as it fhould feem, that fo valuable a treafure fhould not go out of the family. Hyllus remonttrates againit it, but in vain, and at la{t gives his tather a promife of confent, which we do not however remember to have read that he ever perform’d. Racine is fuppofed by Brumoy to have copied this incident in his Mithridate, though with fome difference in the circumftance, his ton being reprefented as an ad- mirer of his father’s miftrefs, and therefore well prepared to receive the legacy. TRACHINIE 171 ‘It is not fitting fhe who lay by th’ fide Of Hercules to any but the fon Of Hercules fhou’d e’er defcend; to thee Alone I yield her: fpeak not, but obey me; After thy kind compliance to refufe So flight a favour were to cancel all. HYLIEUS. [afide. ] Alas! diftemper’d as he is, to chide him Were moft unkind; and yet, what madnefs this! , HERCULES. Thou wilt not do it then? Hoy b L. U.S. What! marry her, Who flew my mother! her, who hath brought thee To this fad ftate! it were an act of phrenzy: Death be my portion, rather than to live With thofe I hate. HERCULES. [turning to the chorus. | He will not pay me then The duty which he owes a dying father : But if thou doft not, curfes from the gods Await thee, | | re HYLLUS, Who lay by th’ fide of Hercules, This is a literal tranflation of the original * euois maAeupas xray, and anfwers exactly to our own idiom, ‘* She might lay by th’ fide of an emperor, and command him tafks.’ Shakefpear’s Othello. 7 =TRACHINIZ HY GW Ss. O! thou ravft; it is the rage Of thy diftemper makes thee talk fo wildly. H: ExR-G OE ees) Thou haft awaken’d all my woes; again They torture now. | ee gO tn OFS Alas! what doubts arife, What fears perplex me! HERCULES, Mean’ft thou to difpute A father’s will? EY sa, iS: Muft I then learn of thee To do a wicked deed? HE eet U0 bee It is not wicked, If I requeft it of thee. OY I ee, Is it jufte H EUR ie a a It is; the gods are witnefles ’tis juft. BL Ys aes a. Then by thofe gods I fwear, I. will perform What x. BReCuINEs 173 What thou command’ft: I never can be deem’d Or bafe, or impious, for obeying thee. He toR © Unb-E S, Tis well, my fon; one added kindnefs more, And I am fatisfy’d: before the racks Of dire convulfion, and the pangs of madnefs Again attack me, throw me on the pile. _ Hafte then, and bear me to it, there at laft I fhall have peace, and reft from all my forrows. mye Le UPS. Since “tis thy will, my father, we fubmit. ee Py eR U, 18S, Now, eer the dreadful malady return, Be firm, my foul, ev’n as the harden’d fteel; Sufpend thy cries, and meet. the fatal blow With joy and pleafure; bear me hence, my friends, For you have fhewn yourfelves my friends indeed, And prov'd the bafe ingratitude of thofe From whom I fprang, the cruel gods, who faw Unmov’d the woes of their unhappy fon. -Tis not in mortal to forefee his fate; Mine is to them difgraceful, and to me: Moft terrible, to me of all mankind The moft diftrefed, the poor, the loft Alcides. CHORUS, 174 TRACHINIGE. CH @-R U S. Icle, come not forth, unhappy virgin, © : Already haft thou feen enough of woe, And yet frefh forrows wait thee; but remember, All is decreed, and all the work of Jove. Jole, Sc. Tole, we mutt fuppofe, is coming on the ftage, anxious to know the fate of Hercules, but is ftop’d by the chorus, and prevented from being a witnefs of the melancholy fcene. Hercules is led out by Hyllus, who had promifed to accompany him to mount O#ta, where he expired, II] This tragedy gave rife to the Hercules Furens of Seneca, and the - Hercule Mourant of Rotrou ; they who will take the trouble to perufe thefe imperfect copies of Sophocles, will eafily perceive how much the Latin and French poets have deviated from the fimplicity and beauty of the original. FOP ON: B's Mm pirPrdu s aey Rh. AAN N.U.S, WRIA OOOO OOK ROOK OOK OR ORO Dramatis Perfone. OE DIP U &, king of Thebes, JOCAST A, wife of OEdipus, CREON, brother to Jocatfta, ee : ; TIRESIAS, a blind prophet of Thebes, " y ' : : 4 A SuePpueEeRD from Corinth, A MESSENGER, An O.utp SHEPHE RD, formerly belonging to Laius, i Hicu Priest of Jupiter, Gen ORE Us Compofed of the Prizsts and AnTiznT Men of Thebes, Theban Yourus, CHILDREN of OEdipus, ATTENDANTS, &c, eng? Gani d yrs) 1a Bs 2 Thebes, before the palace of OEdipus, C17) eT. peu, 8 OY wdc A Nae INE OAS, | he Oe Be B28 2hir De GaN Bye de OEDIPUS, HIGH PRIEST of Jupiter. OP LBW: S, | My lov’d fons, the youthful progeny | ; ® Of antient Cadmus, wherefore fit you here VOL. I. Z And It is {carce poflible to conceive any thing more folemn and magnificent than the opening of this tragedy; in the front of the fcene is the palace of OEdipus ; before it, an altar erected to him; at the foot of which, we fee a number of young men of the firft quality in Thebes, with boughs of {upplication in their hands, and proftrate on the earth ; with them the High-Prieft of Jupiter, and a little behind, feveral other priefts and old men, as preparing for a facrifice ; beyond them we have a diftant view of the two temples of Minerva, with their altars, and a large concourfe of people ftanding round them, feeming, by various acts of worfhip, to deprecate the general calamity ; the fcenery and deco- ations, neceflary on this occafion, account in fome meafure for the otherwife incredible expence which the Athenians are faid to have been at, in the repre- {entation of this piece. O! my lov'd fons, Sc. OFdipus, alarm’d at the groans and lamentations of his people thronging to the altar, comes out of his palace to enquire into ue caufe 17a)” OR w\WOP. US And fuppliant thus, with facred boughs adorn’d, Croud to our altars? frequent facrifice, And pray’rs and fighs and forrows fill the land. Y coud have fent to learn the fatal caufe; But fee, your anxious fov’reign comes himfelf To know it all from you; behold your king, a : Renowned OEdipus ; do thou, old man, For beft that office fuits thy years, inform me, Why you are come; is it the prefent ill That calls you here, or dread of future woe? Hard were indeed the heart that did not feel For caufe of their diftrefs ; this humanity and tendernefs recommend his character to the audience, and naturally excite that pity and compaflion which the poetintends to raife for his {ucceeding misfortunes ; he calls his fubjeéts the progeny of Cadmus, who was the founder of Thebes, about two hundred ~ years before his time. With facred boughs adorn’d. When prayers and fupplications were to be made, either in the temples or other places, the petitioners carry’d boughs in their hands, bound round with fillets of white wool ; this was always look’d on as a mark of diftrefs, which entitled them to a peculiar regard, render’d their perfons facred, and protected them from all violence ; it is not improbable, but that this cuftom among the Greeks was borrow’d from the Jews, whom we find carrying boughs on folemn feftivals. See Macchab. Chap, 13. Renowned OEdipus, Dacier obferves in this place, that OFdipus’s mention of himfelf anfwers the double purpofe, of making his perfon known to the f{pec- - tators on his firft entrance, and at the fame time conveying to them an idea of his character as proud and felf-{fufficient; the latter of thefe reafons, afcribed by Dacier, may perhaps appear unneceflary to thofe who are acquainted with the manners and genius of antiquity; the heroes of Homer and Virgil, we may remember, make no fcruple of boafting their own abilities and perfections ; Sophocles therefore wants no excufe for talking the fame language. T wea NEN: YS. For grief like yours, and pity fuch diftrefs: If there be aught that OEdipus can do To ferve his people, know me for your friend, PR EE.S 7. O! king, thou fee’ft what numbers throng thy altars ; Here, bending fad beneath the weight of years, _ The hoary priefts, here croud the chofen youth _ Of Thebes, with thefe a weak and fuppliant train Of helplefs infants, laft in me behold The minifter of Jove: far off thou fee’ft Affembled multitudes, with laurel crown’d, To where Minerva’s hallow’d temples rife Frequent repair, or where Iimenus_laves Apollo’s facred fhrine: too well thou know’ft, Thy wretched Thebes, with dreadful ftorms oppreis‘d, Scarce lifts her head above the whelming flood ; The teeming earth her blafted harveft mourns, And on the barren plain the flocks and herds Unnumber’d perifh; dire abortion thwarts _ The mother’s hopes, and painful fhe brings forth yO Ay 179 The Thy wretched Thebes Se. This fhort but pathetic defcription of the plague at Thebes cannot be fufficiently admired: the poetical image of the flery god {talking over the city, and Pluto’s growing rich .with the groans of the dying men, mutt ftrike every feeling heart; perhaps the beauty and fimplicity of this paffage will beft appear by comparing it with the tinfel refinements of Seneca, and the wild rants of our own madman Lee, on the fame fubject, 180 c. 6n =p Tt Pw Ss The half-form’d infant; baleful peftilence Hath laid our city wafte, the fiery god Stalks o’er deferted Thebes; whilft with our groans Enrich’d, the gloomy god of Erebus — Triumphant {miles: O! OEdipus, to thee We bend; behold thefe youths, with me they kneel, And fuppliant at thy altars fue for aid, To thee the firft of men, and only lefs Than them whofe favour thou alone can’ft gain, The gods above; thy wifdom yet may heal The deep-felt wounds, and make the pow’rs divine Propitious to us: Thebes long fince to thee Her fafety ow’d, when from the Sphynx deliver’d Thy grateful people faw thee, not by man But From the Sphynx deliver'd, The ftory of the Sphynx, from the variety of accounts handed down to us concerning it, is almoft as much a riddle to us as it was to OEdipus: the Sphynx, according to poetical hiftory, was a mon- fter with the face of a woman, wings of a bird, body of adog, and claws like a lion; fhe dwelt near Thebes, and every day deftroy’d many people; the ora- ele declared that fhe could never be conquer’d, till fome one was found that could expound a certain riddle, or enigma, which fhe propofed. After many unfuccefsful attempts OEdipus came, and explain’d it; the Sphynx was de- {troy rd; the nation deliver’d, and OEdipus rewarded for it with the king- dom or Thebes; fome attr | interpret the Sphynx intoa maritime force, inva- ding Beeotia under the command of a woman, whom OBES flew ; others pre- tend that the Sphynx was a natural daughter of Laius, who flew all thofe The- bans, who dared to mention an oracle of Apollo, faid to have been given to Cadmus, concerning the fucceffion to the throne, and declaring baftards inca- pable of inheriting it; the fable fays, that fhe defy’d them to produce this ora- cle; but that it was feed d to OEdipus in a dream, who repeated it publicly, and deftroy’d his fifter. ) tT YR 2 NBN. S. ISI But by the gods inftructed, Gel the land ; | Now then, thou beft of kings, affift us now, O! by fome mortal or immortal aid _ Now fuccour the diftrefs’d! on wifdom oft And prudent counfels, in the hour of ill, Succefs awaits; O! deareft prince, fupport, Relieve thy ‘Thebes, on thee its faviour once Again it calls; now, if thou woud’ft not fee _ The mem’ry perifh of thy former deeds, : Let it not call in vain, but rife, and fave. With happieft omens once and fair fuccefs We faw thee crown’d; O! be thyfelf again, And may thy will and fortune be the fame! If thou art yet to reign, O! king, remember A. fovereign’s riches is a peopled realm; For what will fhips or lofty tow’rs avail Unarm’d with men to guard and to defend them? OF} D 1 P. U.S. O! my unhappy fons, too well I know Your fad eftate; I know the woes of Thebes ; And yet amongft you lives not fuch a wretch As Okdipus ; for O! on me, my children, Your forrows prefs; alas! I feel for you My people, for myfelf, for Thebes, for all; Think m 2 @EMDM P US Think not, I (leptin oardicts of your ills; O! no, with many a tear I wept your fate And oft in meditation deep revolv’d How beft your peace and fafety to reftore : The only med’cine that my thoughts cou’d Eeda I have adminifter’d, Mencceus’ fon, The noble Creon, went by my command To Delphos, from Apollo’s fhrine to know What muft be done to fave this wretched land ; Tis time he were return’d; I wonder much At his delay; if, when he comes, your king Perform not all the God enjoyns, then fay He is the worft of men. Ti. ob aeons Las Oh king, thy words Are gracious, and if right thefe youths inform me, Creon is here. ) OEDIPUS, Q! Pheebus, grant he come With tidings chearful as the {mile he wears! PRIEST. He is the meflenger of good; for fee, His i TL SR A INGEN Oy os 183 His brows are crown’d with laurel. OF D 1-P:U-4. 3 ! We fhall foon Be fatisfy’'d: he comes. | S2do) SB Brak’ cue CREON, OEDIPUS, PRIEST, CHORUS, OE DIP US, My deareft Creon, O! fay, what anfwer bear’{t thou from the God, Or good, or ill? 7 . Gm E-O«uN; Good, very good; for know, The wortft of ills, if rightly ufed, may prove The means of happinefs. Ob DrreP: US. What fays my friend? This anfwer gives me nought to hope or fear. C'R EON. Shall we retire, or wowd you that I {peak In public here? Sci tb Ge Ets brows are crown’d with laurel. It was ufual for thofe who, on confultin g the oracle of Delphos, had received a favourable anfwer, to put on a crown of laurel at their return, in token of their fuccefs: Creon had reafon to look upon his in that light, as it pointed out an immediate remedy for the evil: the fight of the laurel therefore raifes the hopes of OEdipus, and confequently heightens his difappointment afterwards. Sophocles throughout this excellent piece ap= pears like a fine painter, whofe judicious mixture and difpofition of light and f{hade animates and enlivens the picture. 184. OEMD 2 US 1 OE. Dae Was. bi de: Before them all declare it; Their woes fit heavier on me than my own. pee CR E20. Then mark what I have heard: the God commands That inftant we drive forth the fatal caufe Of this dire peftilence,. nor nourifh here Th’ accurfed monfter. OEDIPUS, Who? what monfter? how Remove it? CREON, Or by banifhment, or death; Life muft be giv’n for life; for yet his hige Refts on the city. POE DsLaAPuas. Whofe? what means the God? CREON, ©! king, before thee Laius rul’d o’er Thebes. OED ER Ub. 8. I know he did, though I did ne’er behold him, CREON. Laius was flain, and on his murtherers, So Phoebus fays, we muft have vengeance, OEDIPUS, TYRANNUS 186 OPED PU & Where, Where are the murth’rers? who fhall trace the guilt _Bury’d fo long in filence? CREON. Here, he {faid, Bv'n in this land: what’s fought for may be found, But truth unfearch’d for, feldom comes to light. OF DIPUS. How did he fall, and where? at home, abroad, Dy’d he at Thebes, or in a foreign land? aot. It. Aa CREON. How did he fall? This, Dacier thinks, is the only objection that can be made to the fable of OEdipus, and which is, in his opinion, infuperable: Ariftotle _ had previoufly affirm’d it to be abfolutely necefiary, that among all the incidents which compofe the fable, no one fhould be without reafon; or, if that be impoffi- ble, it ought to be fo managed, that what is without reafon fhould be always out of the tragedy ; as Sophocles has prudently obferved in his OEdipus. It was with- out reafon (fays Dacier in his comment on this paflage of Ariftotle) that OEdi- pus fhould be fo long marry’d to Jocafta, and not know in what manner Laius was kill’d, or make enquiry after the murtherers ; but as the fubject could not fubfift without this circumftance, Sophocles has judicioufly placed it out of the action: the poet is anfwerable only for thole incidents, which make a part in his fubject, and not for thofe which Nee or follow it. Brumoy is of the fame opinion with Dacier, and fays it is ‘un defaut vilible, quoique neceffaire,’ ‘a « vifible though a neceflary fault,’ that Ariftotle therefore has endeavour’d to excufe Sopnocles as well as he could, If I had leifure and inclination to turn commentator on this paflage before us, I cannot but think it were an eafy talk, in oppofition to the arbitrary decifion both of Greek and French critics, to defend Sophocles, and to prove that there is no fuch glaring abfurdity in the ee ion of OEdi pus’s real or pretended ig~ morance on this occafion: was it the bufinefs of OF Opt us, of a flranger, who by a lucky concurrence of BE Sup Ces was juft railed to a throne which he had 186 OF ID ‘Ine U's CREON., He left his palace, fame reports, to feek Some oracle; fince that, we ne’er beheld him. | OE DIP US. But did no meffenger return? not one Of all his train, of whom we might enquire, Touching this murther? ee CREON. One, and one alone, Came back, who, flying, *{caped the gen’ral laughter s But nothing, fave one little circumftance, Or knew, or eer related. OEDIPUS, What was that ? | Much. had no right to, to infpeét too narrowly into the murther of his predeceffor, whom he thought no ways related to him? ‘To make public enquiry might only have raifed public commotions ; and as to. the private intelligence, which he might have had from Jocafta, it was certainly a fubjeét too delicate to be touch’d on when they firft came together, and of very little confequence afterwards : it might indeed be the bufinefs of the people, and doubtlefs would have been, but for a circumftance which feems to have efcaped Ariftotle and his followers, and is notwithftanding an obvious reafon for their filence in this particular: we are told, a few lines below, that the Thebans made no enquiry into the mur- ther of Laius, becaufe their attention was otherwife employ’d,. The Sphynx, Her dire enigma kept our thoughts intent On prefentills, nor gave us time to fearch The paft myfterious deed. ‘This kept every thing quiet for a time,, till the affair by degrees. naturally funk into oblivion. ali + a . ee i ee TPAD Nw ss. Much may be learn’d from that: a little dawn Of light appearing may difcover all. CREON., Laius, attack’d by robbers, and opprefs’d By numbers, fell; fuch is his tale. OEDIPUS. Wou'd they, Wou'd robbers do fo defperate a deed, Unbrib’d and unaffifted P } CREON. So indeed Sufpicion whifper'd then; but, Laius dead, No friend was found to vindicate the wrong, OE D1 PP! US. But what ftrange caufe cou’d flop enquiry thus Into the murther of a king? CREON. The Sphynx, Her dire enigma kept our thoughts intent On prefent ills, nor gave us time to fearch The paft myfterious deed. 187 ee OF Tek Pe U8, _@ Opprefsd by numbers. This proves afterwards not to be true; for OEdipus was alone when he kill’d Laius; the fervant notwithftanding might be fuppofed to have related the ftory in this manner, to excufe his own cowardice, and fave the honour of his mafter. This falfhood was neceflary to the carrying on of the plot, which would otherwife have be en too foen unravell’d, 188 OE VD) LP: DiS: OEDIPUS, ~ Myfelf will try Soon to unveil it; thou, Apollo, well, And well haft thou, my Creon, lent thy aid; Your OEdipus fhall now perform his part ; Yes, I will fight for Phoebus and my country, And fo I ought; for not to friends alone Or kindred owe I this, but to myfelf: Who murther’d him perchance wou’d murther me; His caufe is mine: wherefore, my children, rife, Take hence your fuppliant boughs, and fummon here The race of Cadmus, my affembled people ; Nought fhall be left untry’d: Apollo leads, And we will rife to joy or fink for ever. PR'‘TES T, Hafte then, my fons; for this we hither came ; About it quick, and may the god, who fent This oracle, protect, defend, and fave us. | [ Exeunt. CHORUS. Myfelf will try Sc. Nothing could be better defign’d than thus making OEdipus a principal agent in the difcovery of his own guilt: every method, which he-makes ufe of to promote his eafe and fafety, tends to his mifery and. defiruGtion ; he endeavours only to find out the murtherer of his wife’s firft: hufband; that hufband proves to be his own father, and himfelf the murtherer of that father ; the whole is truly tragical. - ee en eS Ne ee ? * ri - (fe. See. &, Seta ~ T YRUAINTNINU 5s. 189 CHORUS, | rk OPH E £E O! thou, great oracle divine, Who didft to happy Thebes remove From Chorus. The critics are much divided in opinion concerning the perfons who compofe the chorus of this tragedy. The antient Greek {choliaft aflures us that the moment the high-prieft of Jupiter, with his ‘attendant train of young men, leave the ftage at the end of the laft fcene, a cer- tain number of the inhabitants of Thebes enter and form the chorus; with this opinion of the fcholiaft, Mr. Boivin partly agrees ; and only adds, that the chorus confifted of the whole body of the people, who, impatient to hear the anf{wer of the oracle, had affembled together, and crowded towards the palace ; that the principal citizens take their places on the ftage, and {peak by their cho- ragus or chief, the reft ftanding at fome diftance : in fupport of this affertion Mr. Boivin produces feveral arguments ; the moft forcible of which is, that OEdipus, in his addrefs to the chorus, calls them the citizens of Thebes and defcendants es of Cadmus: Mr, Dacier on the other hand affirms, that on the departure of — the high-prieft, the other priefts and facrificers, who remain on the ftage, com- pofe the chorus, which is afterwards join’d by the people, whom OLdipus.. had commanded to affemble, and who could not poflibly have been got together fo quickly as to enter and make a chorus immediately, according to Boivin : it is much more natural, he fays, to fuppofe that the priefts belonging to the feve~ ral temples, the ‘ 6: cur ynpa Sages, who had heard the converfation between OEFdipus and Creon, fhould join in their invocation to Apollo, requefting him to explain the oracle, and deliver their country. Thofe, who are defirous of en- tering more minutely into the arguments brought by thefe gentlemen on both fides of the queftion, will meet with afummary account of it in the Hiftoire de l’Academie des infcriptions & Belles Lettres Yorn. 3. p. 108. Brumoy fides. with the {choliaft and Boivin, and gives the chorus the title of antient Thebans ;, alledging only as his reafon, that Jocafta calls them ywoeas avaxtes ‘ Princes, < or, men of the firft rank, in Thebes,’ which perhaps might be applied with equal propriety to the prietts. The learned Dr. Burton, whofe TeraAcgia is juft come to my hands, has gi- ven us, in his excellent and ufeful notes on the OEdipus Tyrannus, an opinion in fome meafure differing from, and perhaps preferable to all the reft:. be ima- gines that OEdipus, the high prieft, &c. retiring, the ftag . fie! the priefts, who form the chorus and fing the firft {ong or intermede du: ing the ablence: ge is left in poffeflion of 190 OF Dx TMP. WU-sS. From Delphi’s golden fhrine, And in fweet founds declare the will of SjOVe’s Daughter of hope, O! footh my foul to reft, And calm the rifing tumult in my breaft; Look down, O! Phoebus, on thy lov’d abode ; Speak, for thou know’ft the dark decrees of fate, Our prefent and our future ftate, ' O! Delian, be thou ftill our healing God! AN TIS- abfence of the king, who returns foon after together with the affembled people ; ) that then the priefts go out and give place to a new chorus, compofed of the principal citizens of Thebes, who continue on the ftage to the end of the drama. This folution of the difficulty isingenious, but feems to want that kind of con- firmation which arifes from fimilitude of practice in the fame author: we-do not remember any inftance in Sophocles of the like conduct with regard to his chorus, The Dr. indeed fays, examples are not wanting, and mentions the hymn to Apollo in the Iphigenia in Tauris of Euripides, as a fimilar circum- {tance ; but, befides that the cafes are not exactly parallel, it may be fufficient to obferve that the conduct of Euripides fhould by no means determine that of So- phocles, who is infinitely more correct and regular in the plan and difpofition of every part of his tragedies, than his illuftrious rival. If, after the ingenious conjectures of f thefe gentlemen, 1 were to propofe my own on this point, it would be, that the fame chorus continues from the beginning to the end, and that it confifted of the priefts and facrificers, intermingled with the principal and moft antient inhabitants of Thebes. O! theu, great oracle Sc. The firft intermede or fong of the chorus is a folemn invocation of Apollo and one deities, intreating them to fuccour T hebes, and pathetically deicribing the dreadful effects of the peftilence. The whole is, in a origt. nobly expre{s’d, and naturally arifing from the circumftances of the dram The will of “fove. The oracle of Apollo only interpreted the will of Jove, the ¢ great father and fource of all. Que Phoebo pater omnipotens mihi Pheebus Apollo Predixit, fays Virgil. Abfard as the pagan theology was, we frequently find the antients refolving a'l paves into one fupreme being, call’d, particularly in Sophocles, by the naine of < Ogor, OL the God,’ T Yara WN UY: S. ror ANTISTROPHE L Minerva, firft on thee I call, Daughter of Jove, immortal maid, Low beneath thy feet we fall, O! bring thy fifter Dian to our aid; _ Goddefs of Thebes, from thy imperial throne — Look with an eye of gentle pity down, | And thou, far-fhooting Pheebus, once the friend Of this unhappy, this devoted land, O! now if ever let thy hand Once more be ftretch’d to fave and to defend! : STROPHE I. Great Thebes, my fons, is now no more, She falls and ne’er again fhall rife, Nought can. her health or ftrength reftore, The mighty nation finks, fhe droops, fhe dies: Strip’'d of her fruits behold the barren earth ; The half-form’d infant ftrugeles for a birth ; The mother finks unequal to her pain: Whilft quick as birds in airy circles fly, Or lightnings from an angry fky, Crouds prefs. on. crouds tan Pinay’: dark. domain, ANTISTROPHE. Ik Behold what heaps of wretches flain, Unbury’d, unlamented lye, Nor pt "OR Dig uy Sy Nor parents now nor friends remain To grace their deaths with pious obfequy ; The aged matron and the blooming wife, Clung to the altars, fue for added life; With fighs and groans united Pzans rife 4 Re-echo’d ftill does great Apollo’s name Their forrows and their wants proclaim, Frequent to him afcends the facrifice. oT RO Pada pal Le Hafte then, Minerva, beauteous maid, Defcend in this afflicive hour, Hafte to thy dying people’s aid, | | Drive hence this baneful, this deftructive pow’r! Who comes not arm’d with hoftile fword or fhield, © Yet ftrews with many a corfe th’ enfanguin’d field; To Amphitrite’s wide-extending bed O! drive him, Goddefs, from thy fav’rite land, - Or let him, by thy dread command, Bury in Thracian waves his ignominious head. ALIN TD oh St R OOP e Tins vaiia Father of all, immortal Jove, O! now thy fery terrors fend ; From thy dreadful ftores above . 3 Let lightnings blaft him and let thunders rend ; And vole _ [es ba ; Pn ‘ . : © T YORWAS NON) NP wes. > 195° Ss ®e. And thou, O! Lydian king, thy aid impart ; _ Send from thy golden bow, th’unerring dart; Smile, chafte Diana, on this lov’d abode, _Whilft Theban Bacchus joins the mad'ning throng, O! God of wine and mirth and fong, Now with thy torch deftroy the bafe inglorious god. - * | | { Exeunt. With thy torch, &c. Bacchus is always defcribed with torches; probably in remembrance of his birth, as being born in flames, when his mother Semele was confumed by Jove’s lightning. We read of ‘ the Aaurrngia eoprn, or featt ‘ of torches,’ dedicated to this god. Dacier imagines that the chorus invoke _ Bacchus with his torches, becaufe wine and fire are the beft prefervatives again{ft the plague: but this feems to be a mere allegorical and vifionary refine- ment. mod ore A C-T...I. eee AT | Bb AGT 194. OE D I P Ue s Ais (@ieethiall Be: S. (GSB ONE ae OEDIPUS, CHORUS, the People affembled. OEDIPUS. OUR pray’rs are heard; and, if you will obey ~ Your king, and hearken to his words, you foomn ~~ Shall find relief; myfelf will heal your woes: | I was a ilranger to the dreadful deed, | A ftranger ev’n to the report till now; And yet without fome traces of the crime I fhou’d not urge this matter; therefore hear me 3; " I {peak to all the citizens of Thebes, Mylelf a citizen ; obferve me well: . If any know the murtherer of Laius, Let him reveal it; I command you all; _ But if reftrain’d by dread of punifhment ; . He hide the fecret, let him fear no more; For nought but exile {hall attend the crime at a Yc er) J A geet) Whene’er confefs'd; if by a foreign hand The horrid deed was done, who points him out. Commands our thanks, and meets a fure reward ; But if there be who knows the murtherer, And yet conceals him from us, mark his fate Which Len ” T YR ACWN U s 196 Which here I do pronounce : let none receive Throughout my Kingdom, none hold converfe with him, Nor offer pray’r, nor {prinkle o’er his head The facred cup 5 let him be driv’n from all, By all abandon’ " and by all accurs’d, For fo the delphic oracle declar’d ; And therefore to the gods I pay this duty And to the dead: O! may the guilty wretch, Whether alone, or by his impious friends Affifted, he perform’d the horrid deed, Deny'd the common benefits of nature, Wear out a painful life! and O! if here, Within my palace, I conceal the traitor, On me and mine alight the vengeful curfe! To you my people, I commit the care Bb 2° Of Let none receive Sc. Sophocles has here given us the folemn form of a pagan excommunication, almoft as terrible in it’s circumftances as a pope’s bull; this we find was frequently denounced again{t thofe who were guilty of asither, or any other very heinous crime: the antients believed that no- thing could prevent or turn afide {uch execrations, dira deteftatio : Nulla expiatur victima., Hor. b. 5. od. 5. We may judge, therefore, what effect this curfe muft have had on a fuperfti- tious people, when deliver’d by their fovereign, and how great their horror and aftonifhment, when he himfelf becomes the unhappy object of it. Nor forinkle 0er his bead &c. Before the facrifice, it was enftomary for thofe, who partook -of it, to wafh their hands together in the luftral water, with which they were afterwards eater by the priefts, by wey of purifi- cation: to be denied this, was always confider ‘das a mark of g ail and infamy, ioe. 2 OF D PM U's 7 Of this important bufinefs; ’tis my cauf, The, caufe of heav’n, and your expiring country 5 Ev’n if the god had nought declar’d, to leave . This crime unexpiated were moft ungrateful ; : He was the beft of kings, the beft of men; : That f{cepter now is mine which Laius bore ; ef His wife is mines; fo would his children be Did any live; and therefore am I bound, : | Ev’n as he were ‘my father, to revenge him: Yes, I will try to find this murtherer, » I owe it to the fon of Labdacus, ) ‘To Polydorus, Cadmus, and the race Of great Agenor: O'! if yet there are, Who will not join me in the pious deed, From fuch may earth withhold her annual ftore, And barren be their bed, their life moft wretched, And their death cruel as the peftilence That waftes our city! but on you, my Thebans, Who So had bis children been Sc. By this, the poet means to inform us, that Laius had no other children by Jocafta but Ol:dipus : it feems indeed effential to this fable, with regard to the conftitution of the drama, that it fhould be fo, for reafons fufficiently obvious.. Corneille, one cf the many unfuceefsful followers of Sophocles in this fubject, has, notwithftanding, given Laius a daughter by Jocatta, whom: he calls Dirce, and makes The(ens in. love with: her: in the preface to his OEdipus, we find a defence of this epifode, which. to the judicious reader, will yet appear ablolutely indefenfible. ~ Shall dictate to thee. TY R A N N U ‘S 197 Who with ae tase fuccefs, may juftice finile Rapisous, and the gods for ever blefs. . : CH OR. S, oO ! King, thy imprecations unappal’d be T hear, and join thee, guiltlefs of the crime Nor knowing who committed it; the god Alone, who gave the oracle, ele clear : Its doubtful fenfe, and point out the offender™ POT iy 1 -P: US. "Tis true; but who fhall force the pow’rs divine To fpeak their hidden purpofe ? CHORUS, f One thing more, If I might {peak. | ’ OR Daf spi Ge S; Say on, whate’er thy mind Cro R US. As amonett the gods. All-knowing Pheebus, fo to mortal men. Doth Say on Gc. In the original, the chorus fays, “ let me give you a fecond ¢ advice,’ to which OEdipus replies, ‘ if you have a third, don’t omit it.’ This puts one in mind of Hamlet’s odd reply to. Rofencraus, ‘ we fhall ope Ys * were fhe ten times our mother.’ Expreffions fo uncommon, and purely idiomatical, will not admit of,a literal tranflation ; I have therefore, in’ this. paflage, varied the phrafe, and retain’d only the moft probable meanin. g of it. 98 OE Dele P W'S Doth fage Tirefias in foreknowledge fure - Shine forth preeminent ; perchance his aid Might much avail us. | , : OEDIPUS. ae Creon did fuggeft | : The fame expedient, and by his advice — Twice have I fent for this Tirefias ; much . I wonder that he comes not. GAt'O Rew: Tis moft fitting ~ We do confult him; te the idle tales Which rumour (ies are not to be regarded. OF) 1D Te B. tS: What are thofe tales? for nought fhou’d we defpifes Cio R UTS. ’Tis faid, fome trav’llers did attack the king. OR VD LPs, It is; but ftill no proof appears. | : ? CHORUS. | — And yet, If it be fo, thy dreadful execration Will force the guilty to confefs. : * OE D I ee Ube | By his advice. This circumftance is artfully thrown in by the poet, as it lays a foundation for the fufpicions of OEFdipus againft sane and prepares the fpeétators for the enfuing quarrel between them. oY eA NEN: BS. 199 OEDIPUS. O! no! Who fears not to commit the crime will ne’er Be frighted at the curfe that follows it. Co OR. UY S, Behold he comes, who will difcover all, The holy prophet, fee! they lead him hither ; _He knows the truth and will reveal it to us. : Po Be NES IT. TIRESIAS, OE DIP YS, CHORUS OEDIPUS, Oo! fage Tirefias, thou who knoweft all That can be known, the things of heav’n above And earth below, whofe mental eye beholds, ' Blind as thou art, the ftate of dying Thebes, And weeps her fate, to thee we look for aid, On thee alone for fafety we depend: This anfwer, which perchance thou haft not heard, Apollo gave; the plague, he faid, fhou’d ceafe, When thofe who murther’'d Laius were difcover’d, And Blind as thou art. The antients give us various accounts of the caufe of Tirefias’s blindnefs. Ovid, who is perhaps the beft poetical aunt HOniby, tells us, that Tirefias, being appointed by Jupiter and Juno to decide a difference between them, gave his opinion in favour of the former; upon which, the enraged Juno deprived him of his fight; and Jupiter, to make him amends, beftow'd on him the gift of prophecy. 200 GED Tf U Fs And paid the forfeit of their crime by death, Or banithment:. O! do not then conceal Aught that thy art prophetic from the ‘flight Of birds or other omens may difclofe ; O! fave thyfelf, fave this affliated city, Save OEdipus, avenge the guiltlefs dead From this pollution! thou art all our hope; y Remember ‘tis the privilege of man, His nobleft function, to affift the wretched. _ TIRES IA S. gee Alas! what mifery it is to know, | ‘When knowledge is thus fatal! O! Tirefias, Thou art undone! woud I had never came ! OE Dit PeUis, + What fay’ft thou? whence this ftrange dejection? {peak. RS TE OM PRA S. Let me be gone; *twere better for us both That I retire in filence; be advifed. OPPs 10 Ter iO wae It is ingratitude to Thebes who bore And cherifh’d thee, it is unjuft to all, To hide the will of heav’n. TT RRS) ea Tis rafh in thee tT JA MN WS. 201: To afk, and rath I fear will prove my anfwer. CHORUS, OQ! do not, by the gods, conceal it from us, Suppliant we all requeft, we all conjure thee, . : a shal i ee. LAYS, You know not what you afk; Ill not unveil Your mis’ries to you. Oi 1 bP by S, : Know'ft thou then our fate, And wilt not tell it? mean’ft thou to betray Thy country and thy king? ORR Ee th: Ayo, I wou'd not make Mytelf and thee unhappy ; why thus blame My tender care, nor liften to my caution ? GE 4 PUY 'S. Wretch as thou art, thou wou’dft provoke a flone, Inflexible and cruel, full implor’d | And ftill refufing, NO) LA. as ake: 1 BR HS BA S. Thou would ft provoke a fione. This is a clofe and literal tranflation of ‘ reroe © gucw avy opyaveles, ‘vel faxum irritare gueas.” The uvlearned reader may probably think the expreffion too low and vulgar for the dignity of the bufkin: I have notwithftanding preferved it, becaufe the phrale could not be vary 'd without departing from the original ; belides that it ferves, amorgtt many other paflages, to point out the remarkable analogy of the greek language with our OWN. 2.02 OED. Lok U xe ND? RES PA'S, Thou condemn’ft my warmth, Forgetful of thy own. . | OEDIPUS. Who wou’d not rage To fee an injur'd people treated thus With vile contempt? Pa RES PAs. What is decreed by heav’n Muft come to pafs, though I reveal it not. OEDIPUS. Still *tis thy duty to inform us of it, TER BS.12A4: 8. Pll {peak no more, not tho’ thine anger fwell Ev n to its utmoft. ORD: Tee Use, Nor will I be filent. I tell thee once for all thou wert thyfelf Accomplice in this deed ; nay more, I think, But for thy blindnefs, woud’ft with thy own hand Have done it too. ) | | A ga Wied hal DMs han) sho s oes | ‘Tis well; now hear Tirefias; The fentence, which thou didft thyfelf proclaim, Falls. TMWWANN US. 2: Falls on thyfelf; henceforth fhall never man Hold converfe with thee, for thou art accurs’d The guilty caufe of all this city’s woes. POH UD TP: U's. Audacious traitor, think’ft thou to efcape The hand of vengeance? Tl RIB SK 8, Yes, I fear thee not; For truth is ftronger than a tyrant’s arm. Ont Lf PU S. Whence didft thou learn this? was it from thy art? Tok R BS oP AS, I learn’d it from thyfelf; thou didft compel me To ipeak, unwilling as I was. | ay i a Slee O etiehe 2 Once more Repeat it then, that I may know my fate More plainly ftil: oul Br Bes! ee As. Is it not plain already ? | cae 2 Or Audacious traitor Sc, The chara&ter of OEdipus begins now to open upon us, and difplay itfelf: we find him prefumptuous, felf-fufficient, refentful and — fufpicious ; his impiety in contemning the prophet of Apollo in this fcene, and his groundlefs accufation of Creon in the next, diminifh our pity for his mise fortunes, raife a proper degree of terror in the fpectators, and reconcile us to his approaching fate. 2.04, OE DT ee U.S: Or mean’ft thou but to tempt me? ) OE: DEP Ushi! | No; but fay, Speak it again. . | To RE Sel Abs: ‘Again then I declare ~ i Thou art thy felf the murth’rer whom thou feek’ft. OF. DIT PyU'sS, A. fecond time thou fhalt not pafs unpunifh’d. CoS RS Bes TAG. ~ What woud’ft thou fay, if I fhou’d tell thee all? | OE DIPUS, | Say what thou wilt; for all is falfe. T TD Ro Bosal ss Know then, That OEdipus, in fhameful bonds united With thofe he loves, unconfcious of his guilt, ~ Is yet moft guilty. OF DEP Us. Darit thou utter more, And hope for pardon? POR RES ACS: Yes, if there be ftreneth In facred truth. OEDIPUS. T yi RUA NON U)s. 206 OEDIPUS, But truth dwells not in thee: Thy body and thy mind are dark alike, For both are blind; thy ev'ry fenfe is loft. | ei RBS PALS: Thou doft upbraid me with the lofs of that For which thyfelf e’er long fhalt meet reproach From ev'ry tongue. OF Dol’ P: U8; Thou blind and impious traitor ! Thy darknefs is thy fafeguard, or this hour Had been thy laft, YOR Fe Sah -AsS. It is not in my fate To fall by thee; Apollo guards his prieft. On Dt Pa S: Was this the tale of Creon, or thy own? Toho Ei oul Acs. Creon is guiltlefs, and the crime is thine. OBeD «he P ies: ©! riches, pow’r, dominion, and thou far Above them all, the beft of human bleflings, Excelling wifdom, how doth envy love To follow and opprefs you! this fair kingdom, Which 206 Ok D AP US Which by the nation’s choice, and not my own, I here pofiefs, Creon, my faithful friend, 3 For fuch I thought him once, wou’d now wreft from me, And has fuborn’d this vile impoftor here, This wand’ring hypocrite, of fharpeft fight When int’reft prompts, but ignorant and blind When fools confult him; tell me, prophet, where Was all thy art, when the abhorred Sphynx | Alarm’d our city? wherefore did not then Thy wifdom fave us? then the man divine Was wanting; but thy birds refus’d their omens, Thy god was filent; then came OEdipus, This poor, unlearned, uninftructed fage ; Who not from birds uncertain omens drew, But by his own fagacious mind explor’d The hidden myftery; and now thou com’ft To caft me from the throne my wifdom gain’d, And fhare with Creon my divided empire: ‘But you fhou’d both lament your il-got pow’r, You and your bold compeer; for thee, this moment, But that I bear refpect unto thy age, I'd make thee rue thy execrable purpofe. Cok Ovd. Wis, You both are angry, therefore both to blame ; Much 4 a — T Y Ri ANNU oe 207 Much rather fhou’d you join, with friendly, zeal And mutual ardour, to explore the will Of all-deciding heavn. © R'E § P-AS. What though thou rul’f Over Thebes defpotic, we are equal here; I am Apollo’s fubje@, and not thine ; Nor want I Creon to protect me. No; I tell thee, king, this blind Tirefias tells thee, Seeing thou fee’ft not, know’ft not where thou art, What, or with whom: canft thou inform me who Thy parents are, and what thy horrid crimes *"Gainft thy own race, the living and the dead? A father’s and a. mother’s curfe attend thee; Soon fhall their furies drive thee from the ‘land, And leave thee dark like me; what mountain then, Or confcious fhore, fhall not return the groans Of OEdipus, and echo to his woes? When thou fhalt look on the detefted bed, And in that haven, where thou hope’ft to reft, Shalt meet with ftorm and tempeft; then what ills Shall fall on thee and thine! now vent thy rage . What mountain then, Inthe original, it is, what Citheron? Citheron was. the mountain where OEdipus was expofed when an infant; this, therefore, has a remarkable propriety, but could not be expre(s’d in the tranflation,. 208° OE Dial .P AMS. On old Tirefias, and the guiltlefs Creon 5 We fhall be foon aveng’d, for ne'er did heav’n Cut off a wretch fo bafe, fo vile as thou art. OEDIPUS, ) Muft I bear this from thee? away, begone, Home, villain, home. TAR BS 9A Ss) I did not come to thee Unfent for, | OEDIPUS. Had I thought thou woud’ft have thus Infulted me, I had not call’d thee hither. TY To) HS. 8 ACS: Perhaps thou hold’ft Tirefias as a fool, And madman; but thy parents thought me wife. OEDIPUS. My parents, faid’ft thou? {peak, who were my parents ?- : it TR Wy Sy ane This day, that gives thee life, fhall give thee death. OE D, 1 Bape This day &c. That is, * this day, which fhall difcover who thy parents are © that gave thee life, fhall alfo, by that difcovery, caufe thy death, when thou ¢ fhalt be found the murtherer of thy father:’ he tells him afterwards, that his virtues had undone him, which was literally true, as his wifdom in ex- pounding the riddle of the Sphynx, and his good fortune in being faved by the {hepherd in his infancy, gave him the opportunity of committing thofe crimes which he could otherwife never have been guilty of. The affected ob{curity — eee NS. 20 | OE DIP US. Still dark, and ftill perplexing are the words Thou utter’ft, : fe Leh. 12 A SG: “Tis thy bufinefs to unriddle, And therefore thou can’ft beft interpret them, On ler Ors, Thou doft reproach me for my virtues. TTR ES J A'S. They, And thy good fortune, have undone thee. OT Ty dy U Se: Since I fav’'d the city, P’m content. Dale Re Ee Gah ALS, Farewell. Boy, lead me hence. OF Db If U's, Away with him, for here His prefence but difturbs us; being gone, We {hall be happier. eho. son a AY GS. : Okdipus, I go, VOTa TH, Dd | But obfcurity of Tirefias’s predictions keeps the fpectators in a proper fulpence, and, at the fame time, throws an air of folemnity over the fcene, which renders it more intereiting. 205 | OE Dp -t.2 ae s But firft inform thee, for I (ear He not, Wherefore oF came; kaow then, I came to tell thee, The man thou feek’ft, ‘the man on whom thou pour dit — Thy execrations, evn the murtherer Of Laius, now is here; a feeming ftranger And yet a Theban; he fhall fuffer foon a For all his crimes; from light and affluence driv’n To penury and dark Hel. poor and blind, Prop’d on his flaff, and from his native land Expeli’d; I fee him in a foreign clime A helplefs wand’rer; to his fons at once, A father, and a brother; child, and hufband Of her from whom he fprang: adulterous, Inceftuous parricide, now fare thee well; Go, learn the truth, and if it be not fo, Say I have ne’er deferv’d the name of prophet. Cre Qa Os S. Sf ROP Ae L When will the guilty wretch appear, Whom Delphi's facred oracle emands ; pe 7 | Pe ys | When will the guilty, Sc. This ts rahe fecond intermede, or pias of the cho- rus, who, divided between hope and fear, concerning the murther of Latus, exprefs their fentiments on this occafion: their refpect and veneration for the — character of Tirefias, inclines them to believe him ; whilft, on the other hand,’ their regard for OEdipus would perfuade them to quettion the prophet’s vera- city; they determine theiefore in favour of their fovereign, and conclude him innocent. : Yt Vea eN WS. 211 Author of crimes too black for mortal ear, Dipping in royal blood his facrilegious hands? ‘Swift as the ftorm by rapid whirlwinds driv’n, Quick let him fly th’ impending wrath of heav’n; | For lo! the angry fon of Jove, Arm’d with red lightnings from above, Purfues the murth’rer with immortal hate, And round him fpreads the fnares of unrelenting fate. ANTISTROPHE lI. From fteep Parnaffus’ rocky cave, Cover’d with fhow, came forth the dread command ; Apollo thence his facred mandate gave, To fearch the man of blood through evry Jand: Silent, and fad, the weary wand'rer roves, O’er pathlefs rocks, and folitary groves, Hoping to ’fcape the wrath divine, Denounc’d from great Apollo’s fnrine ; Vain hopes to ‘{cape the fate by heavn decreed 3 For vengeance hovers {til oer his devoted head. 9 TRO UP bak. “Li Tirefias, fam’d for wifdom’s lore, Hath dreadful ills to OEdipus divin’d; ~ And as his words myfterious I explore, Unnumber’d doubts perplex my anxious mind, Did 2 Now 22 OF B® rp: utse F - Now rais'd by hope, and now with fears opprefs’d, Sorrow and joy alternate fill my breaft: How fhou’d thefe haplefs kings be foes, When never ftrife between them rofe! . Or why fhou’d Laius, flain by hands unknown, Bring foul difgrace on Polybus’ unhappy fon ? | - J A NST UD SR dor P ae te: From Phoebus and all-feeing Jove Nought can be hid of ations here below ; But earthly prophets may deceitful prove, And little more than other mortals know: Though much in wifdom man doth man excell, In all that’s human error ftill muft dwell: ae Cou’d he commit the bloody deed, , - Who from the Sphynx our city freed? O! no! he never fhed the guiltlefs blood, The Sphynx declares him wife, and innocent, and good. [Exeunt. Polybus' unhappy fon. ‘This circumftance pleads ftrongly in favour of OEdi- pus, who is ftill fuppofed to be the fon of Polybus ; it was not therefore pro- bable, that he fhould murther a man who had never pbs him, and with whom he could have no connection, End*? ot "Avg Ory ae A T WweA NWIN'U SS. 215; Bec an: Tr. BC. iN AB 2 L CREON, CHORUS. CREON., ! citizens, with grief I hear your king : Hath blafted the fair fame of guiltlefs Creon! And moft unjuftly brands me with a crime My foul abhors: whilft defolation {preads On ev'ry fide, and univerfal ruin Hangs or the land, if I in word or deed Cou’d join to {well the woes of haplefs Thebes, I were unworthy, nay I woud not with To live another day: alas, my friends, Thus to be deem’d a traitor to my country, To you my fellow-citizens, to all That hear me, O! ‘tis infamy, and fhame ; I cannot, will not bear it. | CHORUS. . "Twas th’ effect Of fudden anger only, what he faid But coud not think. CURE ON! Who told him I fuborn’d : - : Rene 2 s] . t toe _ a EDI PU Ss The prophet to el alely ? what cou'd raife This vile fufpicion ? : Si) (C HeOsRe tase Such he had, but whence I know not. | | CR EON, Talk’d he thus with firm compote ~ And confidence of mind? Rise C ED. OR Bide I cannot fay ; Tis not for me to know the thoughts cf kings, Or judge their a@ions; but behold, he comes. S. Givi Bie: NV edie 2h OE*D:I P U.S) (Gan hae: Ny CHORUS. OEDIPUS, | Ha! Creon here? and dar{t thou thus approach My palace, thou who woud’ft have murther’d- me, And ta’en my kingdom? by the gods I afk thee, _Anfwer me, traitor, 'did’ft thou: think me fool, Or coward, that I cou’d not fee thy arts, Or had not ftrength to vanguilh them? what madnefs, What flrange infatuation led thee on, Without or force, or friends, to orafp at empire, Which only their united force can give? ly ae mk NGUNEU s. What wert thou doing? CREON. Hear what I fhall anfwer, Then judge impartial. GE» DilPrU &: Thou can’ft talk it well, But I fhall ne’er attend to thee; thy guilt Is plain; thou art my deadlieft foe, : ei TRIE ON, | But hear. What I fhall urge. OE DIP US. Say not, thou'rt innocent. CREON. If felf-opinion void of reafon feem ConviGion to thee, know thou err’ft moft grofsly. (mon EU S. And thou more grofsly, if thou think’ft to pafs Unpunifh’d for this injry to thy friend. | CB FO ON, I fhou'd not, were! guilty ; but what crime Have I committed? tell me. OED 1 PU S. Wert not thou 215 The 60) OEND HP UE TE The man who uroe’d me to require the aid Of your all-knowing prophet ? | CREO N. True, I was ; I did pertuade you; fo I wou'd again. OE -DidaP: Urs. How long is it fince Laius— CREON. Laius? what? ORK Did Pe: Since Laius fell by hands unknown? SRI eg CREON. A. long, rie Long tract of years. | OE Dil -Pi U-S: Was this Tirefias then A prophet? C RaE GON; Ay! in wifdom and in fame As now excelling. ; | OEDIPUS. Did he then fay aught Concerning me? CREON. I never heard he did. : | ae ~ OEDIPUS. T@YSR CA INN WW S. 217. Ory 1 -P U.S, Touching this murther, did you ne’er enquire Who were the authors? | CREON. -~Doubtlefs; but in vain. OEDIPUS. Why did not this fame prophet then inform you? | CREON. I know not that, and when I'm ignorant I'm always filent. OEDIPUS. ane What concerns thyfelf At leaft thou know’ft, and therefore fhoud’ft declare it. CREON. What is it? fpeak; and if ’tis in my pow’r, Pil anfwer thee. P.O Dik PiU. S. Thou know’ft, if this Tirefias Had not combin’d with thee, he wou’d not thus Accufe me, as the murtherer of Laius. C Rap. O: WN. What he declares, thou beft can’ft tell: of me, What thou requirft, myfelf am yet to learn. OE DIP U 64, Go, learn it then; but ne’er fhalt thou difcover, Wao bh KI, | Ee That 218 OB YD. “RRP SULNSF That OEdipus is guilty. CREON. Art not thou My fifter’s hufband ? OF DiI Petes. Granted. CREON. ) Join’d with her, Thou rul’ft o’er Thebes. | OR Dat PU S | *Tis true, and all fhe afks Moft freely do I give her. CREON., Is not Creon In honour next to you? OEDIPUS. Thou art; and therefore The more ungrateful. CREON.. Hear what I fhall plead, : And thou wilt never think fo: tell me, prince, Ts Foin'd with her, Se, Creon, as brother to the queen, and prefumptive heir to the crown after the death of Laius, had reafon to think himfelf aggrieved by the marriage of OEdipus, and. his fucceflion to the kingdom of Thebes ; a circumftance which, though unobferved by the commentators, accounts in the moft probable manner for the ftrong fufpicions of the one, and the warm re- fentment of the other, } a ‘ - Yh hee | 2 eee Yee NN. 3 Is there a man, who woud prefer a throne With all its dangers to an equal rank In peace and fafety? I am not of thofe Who chule the name of king before the pow’r; Fools only make fuch wifhes: 1 have all From thee, and fearlefs I enjoy it all: Had I the {ceptre, often muft I act Againift my will; know then, I am not yet S void of fenfe and reafon, as to quit A real ’vantage for a feeming good : Am I not happy, am I not rever'd, Embrac’d, and lov’d by all? to me they come Who want thy favour, and by me acquire it: What then {how'd Creon with for; fhall he leave All this for empire ? bad defires corrupt The faireft mind: I never entertain’d A thought fo vile, nor woud F lend my aid To forward fuch bale purpofes : but go! To Delphos, afk the facred oracle If I have fpoke the truth; if there you find That with the prophet 1 confpir d, deftroy The guilty Creon ; not thy voice alone Shall then condemn me, for myfelf will join In the juft fentence 5 but accufe me not ) On Ee e.2 On weak fufpicion’s moft uncertain teft ; Juftice wou’d never call the wicked good, Or brand fair virtue with the name of vice Unmerited: to caft away a friend Faithful and juft, is to deprive ourfelves Of life and being, which we hold moft dear: But time and time alone revealeth all; That only fhews the good man’s excellence; A day fuficeth to unmafk the wicked. GC HOR U's: O! king, his caution merits your regard ; Who judge in hafte do feldom judge aright. PORN: [Spor st When they are quick who plot againft my life, "Tis fit I fhou’d be quick in my defence; If I am tame and filent, all they with Will foon be done, and OEdipus muft fall. GR EBsiOnm. What wou'dit thou have? my banifhment? OED BR iUns Thy death. C Re EY Gun But firft inform me wherefore I fhou’d dye. OE res Gee Doft thou rebel then? wilt thou not fubmit? CREOM TY RA NEN WS) 223 CREON: Not when I fee thee thus deceiv’d. OEDIPUS. | Tis fit I fhou’d defend my own. | CREON. And fo fhou’d I, Of. DT: PP. U8, Thou art a traitor. CREON. What if it thou’d prove I am not fo. ia ile a OF Di kaP.U CoH. ORS. O! king, we pity thy diftrefs; but wait With patience his arrival, and defpair not. . OEDIPUS, My father Polybus, &c. The plot advances gradually, and as it were infen- fibly, to the utmoft point of perfection: OEdipus is already but too well con- vinced that he is the murtherer of Laius, but ftill believes himfelf the fon of Polybus, and Merope. If the cafual murther of a ftranger, and the marriage of his widow, makes him fo unhappy; what will be ea eoweiuons when lie difcovers that {tranger to be his father, and that widow, his mother? His arrival. ‘The arrival of the fhepherd mention’d by Jocatta, whom we fhall find of fignal fervice in keeping up the attention of the {pectators and protracting the cataftrophe. TAR AAIMI NOU S.. bee CRROE DAP B19. 9) That fhepherd is my only nope Bee Wou'd he were here | JOCAST A, Suppofe he were ; what then? What wou'dft thou do? OE DIPUS, ll tell thee; if he fays The fame as thou doft, I am fafe, and guiltlefs, 7 J O-GA STA; What faid I then? OE DT PU S. _ Thou faid’ft he did report Laius was flain by robbers; if ’tis true He fell by numbers, I am innocent, For I was unattended; if but one Attack’d and flew him, doubtlefs I am he. : $90 Aseria Be fatisfy’d it muft be as he farft Reported it; he cannot change the tale ; Not I alone, but the whole city heard it: Or grant he fhou’d, the oracle was ne'er Fulfiil’d 5 for Phoebus frid, Jocafta’s. fon Shou’d flay his father; that cou’d never be; Cig 2 For | 236 OEM DITAP HO. ¥S For, O! Jocafta’s fon long fince is dead ; He coud not murther Laius; therefore, never Will I attend to prophecies again. OE: D TSP. Us. Right, my Jocafta; but, I beg thee, fend And fetch this fhepherd; do not fail. JOC AlScr nas I will This moment; come, my lord, let us go in; I will do nothing but what pleafes thee. | [Exeunt. SS. Code NV ey CHO GR a8; S 2daR 0 B HoEeLE Grant me henceforth, ye pow’rs divine, In virtue’s pureft paths to tread! In ev'ry word, in ev'ry deed, May fanétity of manners ever fhine ! Obedient to the laws of Jove, The laws defcended from above, Which Grant me henceforth Sc. This is the third intermede or fong of the chorus ; who fhock’d at the impiety of Jocafta, in queftioning the truth of the oracle, agreeably to their office and character, declare their abhorrence of fuch pre- fumption, and deprecate the wrath of the gods, which muft inevitably fall on the delinquent: the whole is full of noble and religious fentiments adapted to the fubject, De ae a Te NS nT as? Se AE coe en , ea ; PT een ere ee ee se ee ee ne en ae 2 = Tee A NWN Ys Which, not like thofe by feeble mortals giv'n, Bury’d in dark oblivion lye, : Or worn by time decay, and dye, But bloom eternal like their native heav’n! AM Gh hS-T-R-O-P HE I. Pride firft gave birth to ‘tyranny : 237, That hateful vice, infulting pride, When, evry human pow'r defy’d, She lifts to glory’s heighth her votary ; Soon {tumbling from her tott’ring throne, She throws the wretched vi@im down: But may the god indulgent hear my pray’r, That god whom humbly I adore, O! may he {mile ‘on Thebes once more, And take it’s wretched monarch to his care! Sob ROP Fe Big, Perifh the impious and prophane, Who, void of reverential fear, Nor juftice, nor the laws revere, Who leave their god for pleafure or for gain! Who {well by fraud their ill-got ftore, Who rob the wretched and the poor! } I Perifh the impious Gc. ‘This apparently glances at the conduct of Jocafta in the preceding fcene ; though the chorus, out of refpect to their fovereign, exprefs themfelves in general terms, and rather feem to exculpate themfelves than to accufe her. eS ae See 238 OF DIP US If vice unpwnifh’d virtue’s meed wheat Who fhall refrain th’ impetuous foul > The rebel paflions who controul? Or wherefore do I lead this choral train? AN’ T [*S¥TAR FOV ane ae: No more to Delphi’s facred fhrine : Need we with incenfe now repair, No more fhall Phocis hear our pray’r, Nor fair Olympia fee her rites divine; If oracles no longer prove : The pow’r of Phcebus and of Jove: Great lord of all, from thy eternal throne Behold, how impious men defame Thy lov’d Apolio’s honour'd name ; O! guard his rights, and vindicate thy own. [ Fxeunt, If vice unpunifh'd Gc. * If vice, fays the chorus, meets with the reward of ‘virtue, who will be good and virtuous, or why fhould we facrifice to the ‘gods? We meet with a parallel paffage in holy writ, — « I was grieved at the wicked (fays David) Ido fee the ungodly in fuch ¢ profperity, thefe profper in the world, and thefe have riches in pofifeffion ; * and I faii, then have J cleanfed my heart in vain, and wafhed my hands £ in innocency.’ Pial...9 3; LVo more to Delphi's ©c. It was ufual to depute certain priefts from every temple to carry offerings to the temple of Apollo, and to afiit at the aflem- biies of Greece, particularly at Olympia, or Pifa, a city of Elis in the Peloe ponnefus, famous for the Olympic games, and the temple of Jupiter, End of ACT. HI, AG T TY BA WN S229 igh oe TenssVi er as IN OE Se JOCASTA, CHORUS J O CAST A. AGES and rulers ao the land, I come To feek the altars of the gods, and there With incenfe and oblations to appeafe Offended heav’n: my OEdipus, alas ! No longer wife and prudent, as you all Remember once he was, with prefent things Compares the paft, nor judges hike himfelf ; Unnumber’d cares perplex his anxious mind, And evry tale awakes new terrors in him; Vain is my counfel, for he hears me not. Firft then, to thee, O! Phebus, for thou ftill Art Sages and rulers Sc. The title of “Avaxres, or rulers, with which Jocaft “ falutes the chorus, sete points out to us the age and dignity of thofe Hs compofed it, being only given to the guardians and defenders of their coun- try. Jocafta, we fee, alarm’d at the defpondency and miferable condition of OEdipus, enters with boughs of fupplication in her hand, and is going with great humility to the temples of the gods, whofe oracles fhe had juft before treated with contempt: fo natural is the tranfition from open impiety and prefumption to fervile fears, and enthufiaftic fuperftition. , Firft then to thee, Gc. The words ‘ ayoisos yao et. * thou art the neareft have puzzled the commentators. I have ventureu to give them a figurativ® fenfe, as moft agreeable to the context. There is, | think, a propriety in het firft and particular application to Apollo on this occafion, as it was probably meant to make amends for her former impiety and contempt of him. 240 OED “PoP Ge F Art near to help the wretched, we appeal ; And fuppliant beg thee now to grant: thy aid Propitious ; deep is our diftrefs; for, O! We fee our pilot finking at the helm, And much already fear the vefiel loft. S.-C PBN ea SHEPHERD from Corinth, JOCASTA, CHORUS, SH EP A ER Can you inftru& me, ftrangers, which way lyes - The palace of king OEdipus ; himfelf I woud moft gladly fee; can you inform me? GeO) oie ie This is the palace; he is now within ; Thou fee’ft his queen before thee. SH EP ae Ree Ever bleft And happy with the happy may’ft thou live. poor 'senie Stranger, the fame good with to thee, for well Thy words deferve it; but fay, wherefore com’ft thou, | And With the batpy, Sc. There is fomething remarkable in this wifh; * may’ft ‘thou live, not only happy thyfelf, but with thofe who are fo!’ Sophocles knew that a good mind, even in the midft of affluence, could enjoy no felicity, whilft there were fcenes of mifery, and diftrefs before it; and that all human hap- pinefs is increafed by participation. 7 WR A NENG Ss 2g And what’s thy news? oS. Dien Pio ER Dd, To thee, and to thy hufband, Pleafure, and joy. | : JQ G.AlS TA. What pleafure? and whence art thou? Seite Per EY BR Op. From Corinth: to be brief; I bring thee tidings Of good and evil. | | FOC AST" A. Ha! what mean thy words Ambiguous ? Somer bi R'E D—: Know then, if report fay true, The Ifthmian people will choofe OEdipus Their fov’reign. OG AS. A. Is not Polybus their king? aS i et We DY dS REN ga PD No; Polybus is dead. 7 Oe Bea 8 & H h PO Cons THA. The lfibnuan people. The people of Corinth; fo called from the famous Ifthmus there, Polybus is dead. 'This peripetie, or change of fortune, arifing fo naturally, and fo agreeably bringing on the cataftrophe, has been defervedly celebrated bY the critics: the news of Polybus’s death, and the difcovery of bis not being th father of OEdipus, inftead of delivering that unfortunate king from all his tears» becomes the means of difplaying his guilt, and involving him in ruin and deftruction: nothing, as.Ariftotle obferves, can be more compleatly tragical. 242 OF Dm to R. OR J OsGeAs suk yA: What fay’ft thou? dead ? | S Hho EP; EbsBs RVD: If I {peak falfely, may death feize on me! JO GAS | [To one of her attendants. Why Aly’ft thou not to tell thy mafter? hence! What are you now, you oracles divine! Where is your truth? the fearful OEdipus, From Corinth fled, left he fhou’d flay the king, This Polybus, who perifh’d, not by him, But by the hand of heav’n. Ota Bsn E Ill. OEDIPUS, ) ea ws SHEPHERD, CHORUS, OR Dit Pa os, My dear Jocatfta, Why haft thou call’d me hither? POaNsT © Hear this man, And when thou hear’ft him, mark what faith is due To your revered oracles. | OF (Dh Bek is. Who is he? And what doth he report? | To Ou Cin 8 DAs He comes from Corinth ; And TY JR TA | NON. UW? S; 243 ~ And fays, thy father Polybus is dead. SOR DP Uns, What fay’ft thou, ftranger? {peak to me, O! fpeak, SHEPHERD. If touching this thou firft defir’ft my anfwer ; Know, he is dead. | OEDIPUS. How dy'd he? fay, by treafon, Or fome difeafe ? : ShEPH E RD. Alas! a little force Will lay to reft the weary limbs of age. ro Dole US: ae then did kill him? fhy S le Solid 2g oe Wael Pie es | That in part, And part a length of years that wore him down. OEDIPUS. | Now, my Jocafta, who fhall henceforth truft To prophecies, and feers, and clam’rous birds With their vain omens: they who had decreed That I fhou’d kil my father? he, thou feeft Beneath the earth lies buried, whilft I live In fafety here, and guiltlefs of his blood: (a Ba eRe Unlefs 244, OE MD ALE “Urs Unlefs perhaps forrow for lofs of me Shorten’d his days, thus only coud I kill My father; but he’s gone, and to the fhades Hath carry’d with him thofe vain oracles Of fancy’d ills, no longer worth my care. JOG Arsiae Did I not fay it wou’d be thus? OEDIPUS. Thou. didi? 2 But I was full of fears. J 0 GA Serra Henceforth, no more Indulge them. OF DUES: But my mother’s bed—that ftll Muft be avoided: I muft fly from that. ; JOCASTA. Unlefs perhaps Sc. This is merely as it were in triumph over the predic- tion, and as acircumftance too ridiculous to deferve attention. As-foon as OEdipus is acquainted with the death of Polybus, his fuppofed father, he fides with Jocafta, and laughs at the oracle: the event, however, proved the folly of this contempt and impiety, and conveys at the fame time this ufeful leffon to mankind, viz. that nothing is to be doubted, ridiculed, or call’d in quef- tion, that comes from heaven, how difputable foever it may appear in the eyes of men, who are unable to comprehend it. If the antient drama may be thought by fome to fall fhort of the modern in fome lefs important points, we mutt at leaft agknowledge it, with regard to morality, infinitely fuperior to our own. } oe ee OA ONIN CS. 245 : POCA STA, Why fhou’d man fear, whom chance, and chance alone Doth ever rule? Foreknowledge all is vain, | And can determine nothing; therefore beft It is to live as fancy leads, at large, ~ Uncurb’d, and only fubje@ to our will. Fear not thy mother’s bed: oft’times in dreams Have men committed inceft; but his life Will ever be moft happy, who contemns Such idle phantoms. : OE D-1’P’ US. Thou wert right, Jocafta, * Did not my mother live; but as it is, ‘Spite of thy words, I muft be anxious ftill. TOG & STA Think on thy father’s death, it is a light To Why foou'd man fear Sc, Jocatta had already treated the oracle of Apollo with contempt ; we are not therefore furprifed at the impiety of this fentiment, which has been embraced by the defpifers of religion from the earlieft period of time to this day. When men are once perfuaded that chance and not providence rules all things here below, they naturally conclude them- felves at liberty to follow their own inclinations, without the leaft regard to the will of heaven, ‘ Let us eat and drink, for to. morrow we dye.’ The dif- covery of Jocafta’s guilt, and her immediate punif{hment was apparently de- fign’d by Sophocles as a leffon to the free-thinkers of his age, and may af- ford no unprofitable admonition to thofe of our own. It is a light Sc, The expreffion, in the original, is fomething fingular, 4 % Eves “G0 ORDA P U Ss To guide thee here. %, . ee It is f; yet J at eae Whilft fhe furvives him. A iy . § HEP Ho Eee, Who is it you mean? What woman fear you? ! OF DT Pile a Merope, the wife - OF Polybus, , | pe oe eal aleve ede IDE WEN LAN 2 And wherefore fear you her ? Gh DTP US: Know, ftranger, a moft dreadful oracle Concerning her affrights me. : Se P Hon May I know it, Or muft it be reveal’d to none but thee oe OEDIPUS, O! nof Pll tell thee; Phoebus hath declar’d That OEdipus fhou’d ftain his mother’s bed, ; , | And “ peyas opSarpos cr mateos raga, ‘the tomb of thy father, is a great eye; i. e. an eye by which thou may’ft fee how little oracles are to be confided in, which with regard to him haye already proved falfe, Tew a NON WP s. And dip his hands in his own father’s blood : Wherefore I fled from Corinth, and liv’d here, In happinefs indeed; but ftill thou know’ ft It is a bleffing to behold our parents, And that I had not, SHEPHERD. ~ Was it for this caufe ‘Thou wert an exile then OED Ir U Ss: it was; I féard™ That I might one day prove my father’s murth’rer, Serge bP Ser i What if I come, O! king, to banifh hence Thy terrors, and reftore thy peace. Oncol PU" Ss. O! firanger, Cou’dft thou do this, I wou’d reward thee nobly. SHEPHERD, Know then, for this I came; I came to ferve, And make thee happy. OE DIP US. But I will not go Back to my parents. 247 SH E P- 248 OB D ‘HRP. Us Sy HRP EE Re a: Son, I fee thou know’ft not What thou art doing; OE DIP US, Wherefore think’ft thou fo? By heav’n I beg thee then do thou inftrué& me. S-H BJP. HE ReaD. If thou did’ft fly from Corinth for this caufe. : OE DI PU S, Apollo’s dire predictions ftill affright me. roi as Gad why 8 werd we Qa KARO ad BE Fear ft thou pollution from thy parents? OEDIPUS. That, And that alone I dread. Oae | SHRP Hk Rep, Thy fears are vain. OE DTP Gs. Son, €c. Dacier obferves on this paflage, that the age and condition of the fhepherd, who had faved OEdipus in his infancy, might entitle him to the ufe of this appellation; but remarks, at the fame time, that fuch familiarity from a fhepherd to a king would not fuit with French manners, nor the ex- ~preffion be admitted in the French tongue, Abhorrent however as it may be to a French ear, it is by no means difagreeable to an Englifh one, as the fre- quent ufe of itin Shaketpear and other writers fufficiently confirms. If thou did’ ft fy Sc. This is a continuation of the fhepherd’s laft fpeech, who purfues his fentiment without regard to the intervening requeft of OEdipus, TOYJRSA NIN US. 249 im OE DIPUS, Not if they are my parents. : SHEPHERD... : ts Polybus Was not a-kin to thee. : OEDIPUS. | What fay’{t thou? Speak; Say, was not Polybus my father? | S HE IPH BRD. | : t. ENG; No more than he is mine. OEDIPUS, Why call me then His fon? | | Sdaeter HE RD. Becaufe long fince I gave thee to him ; He did receive thee from thefe hands. VOL. II. P4 | OEDI- Polybus was not a-kin Gc, One may ealily conceive the powerful effea, which this firft difcovery muft have had on the mind of OFdipus, and how finely and gradually it prepares the terrible and affecting cataftrophe. Arifto- tle has with great truth therefore obferved, that nothing could be better ima- gined than the circumftance before us, see his Art of Poetry, chap, xi. In the original, here follow two lines, which No more than he 1s mine, have either no meaning at all, or a very foolifh one, and which I have there- fore omitted in the tranflation, OEDIPUS. , : Indeed? x And coud he love another’s child fo well? | 4 SH EcP HE R D. He had no children; that perfuaded him To take and keep thee. | OE'D P/U S. Did’{ft thou buy me then, Or am I thine, and muft I call thee father? er BP ik DD, I found thee in Cithezron’s woody vale. OE DI PU &. What brought thee there ? | S HE Pon RD. I came to feed my flocks On the green mountain’s fide. OED IAP. og. | | It feems thou wert ©° - A wand'ring fhepherd. | S* Be RoR Ee ea Thy deliverer ; I favd thee from deftruction. OR do babs oo How!. what then | | Had fH A NWoN DY) S: 251 Had happen’d to me? Syria 2 H ER D. Thy own feet will belt ‘Inform thee of that circumftance. OED.I Pi S, : Alas! Why call’ft thou to remembrance a misfortune Of fo long date? oe SHEPHERD. : | "Twas I who loos’d the tendons Of thy bored feet. : OE DIP U S. It feems in infancy I fufter’d much then. bo £8 ow id Bhat ig H ER D. To this accident Thou ow’ft thy name. OE DI Pov S. My father, or my mother, Who did it? know’ ft thou? Dor S.H EPs Thou ow ft thy name. Oderes, or OEdipus, fignifies in the Greek, {well’d- foot, “Siw To odey res wodas § tumore nactus nomen ac vito pedum (fa LYS * Seneca’ ‘ taking his name from the fore and fwelling of his foot.’ This remarkable rirdlimtance, which fo ftrongly confirms the fhepherd’s veracity, awakens the fufpicions, and raifes the curiolity of OEdipus, .who proceeds i{e Ev from queition to queftion to a full conviction of his own guilt lt and mifery 252 OF D I. P. Ul St S HOE P EE R.D. He, who gave thee to me, ~ Muft tell thee that. , | OE DIPUS. Then from another's hand Thou did’ft receive me. So Es PoBie BRD; | | Ay, another fhepherd. OR. D LP Oss. Who was he? Can’ft thou recolleé& ? SoH E PH ER D: Twas one, At lealt fo call’d, of iia family. OF DTP U's: Eaius, who rul’d at Thebes? SHE Bb BRP; The fame; this man Was fhepherd to king Laius. OEDIPUS. Lives he ftill, And coud I fee him? | . SAVE P er tte Re { pointing to. chorus, | Some of thefe perhaps | His countrymen may give you information. OEDIPUS, rT Ewa NW s. 253 OEDIPUS [to the chorus 0! fpeak, my friends, if any of you know This fhepherd; whether ftill he lives at Thebes Or in fome neighb’ring country ; tell me quick, For it concerns us near. | : | CHORUS. It muft be he Whom thou did’ft lately fend for; but the queen Can beft inform thee. OE DIP U:S. Know'ft thou, my Jocatta, Whether the man whom thou didft order hither, And whom the fhepherd {peaks of, be the fame? Tie BR S77 tA Whom meant he? for I know not. OEdipus, Think not fo deeply of this thing. OH. DeL :P US. | Good heav’n Forbid, Jocafta, I fhou’d now neglea To clear my birth, when thus the path is mark’d And ’ Whom meant he? Jocafta, already but too well acquainted with the horrid truth, is reduced to a ftate of ftupefaction: fhe pretends, when OEdipus ad- drefles her, to be ignorant of all that has been faid, and endeavours to dif- fuade him from all farther enquiry ; her advice naturally increafes that curio- fity which it was meant to remove, and leads the unfortunate OEdipus to a difcovery of the whole. | ae a. ke heer 5 SG . ca Os fe 4. ey ' far } Van 254 OE D IPUS And open to me! : q JOCASTA. Do not, by the gods I beg thee, do not, if thy life be dear, , a | ae | Tt) Make farther fearch, for I have felt enough.’ ~~ ~~! . Sa Already: from it, + “Of DYES. Reft thou fatisfy’d; — Were I defcended from a race of flaves, oo ’Twou'd not difhonour thee, | JOCAS TA, Yet hear me; do not, Once more I beg thee, do not fearch this matter. CBD) her anos I will not be perfuaded: I muft fearch And find it too. hae JOG AS eae I know it beft, and beft Advife thee. | OF Di Ts PR Ueg That advice perplexes more, JOGAS TA. A race of faves, The original is, © ed’ay ex | | : = ) TPOITNS EV LNT POS » * not if I was thrice a flave from a third mot ; bie aoe Sa oe her,” i. e. not if ith ibs Cit my mother, with her mother, and grandmother, 4 for three generations back, had b mothe : een flaves. ‘This could not be admitted in the tranflation. : YOANN WS gc TAG BiS A O! wou'd to heav’n that thou may’ft never know Or who, or whence thou art! OEDIPUS. [to the attendants, | Let fome one fetch That fhepherd quick, and leave this woman here To glory in her high defcent. JOCAST A: Alas ! Unhappy OFdipus! that word alone I now can {fpeak, remember ’tis my laft. ; | {Exit Jocafta. Bee tN oR. LV ORF DIPUS, CHORUS, CH OR.WU Why fled the queen in fuch diocdes hence ? : , | Sorely- Remember ’tis my laft. "The filence and departure of Jocafta, on this occa~ fion, are extremely judicious, and infinitely preferable to the rhetorical parade of lamentation put into her mouth by Seneca, Corneille‘and Dryden ; nothing more could,, indeed, be faid by her with any degree of propriety: fhe was al- ready convinced of her own and OEdipus’s guilt, and in confequence of it had refolved to deftroy herfelf ; ‘ remember ’tis my laft word ;’ this, we fee, is pur- pofely exprefs’d in an ambiguous manner, and OEdipus does not perceive that fhe means never to fpeak to him again. Dacier remarks, that the conduct of So- phocles is truly admirable in this particular ; for though it was abfolutely necef- fary that Jocatta fhould be prefent at the unraveling of the plot, and difcovery of OEdipus’s birth, it was no longer fo when the difcovery was made, as their meeting afterwards would have been {hocking and indecent: the truth of this obfervation may be juftifed by turning to Seneca, where the reader will fee how that pompous writer has. fail’d by leaving his matter, and trufting to his own weaker genius. 2G ~~ OF OD. TH UA Se. e Sorely diftrefsd fhe feem’d, and much I fear Her filence bodes fome fad event. OEDIPUS. ) | Whate’er May come of that, I am refolv'd to know The fecret of my birth, how mean {foever It chance to prove; perhaps her fex’s pride May make her blufh to find I was not born Of noble parents; but I call myfelf _ : The fon of fortune, my indulgent mother, Whom I fhall never be afham’d to own. The kindred months that are like me, her children, The years that roll obedient to her will, — Have .raisd me from the loweft ftate to pow’r And {plendor; wherefore, being what I am, I need not fear the knowledge of my birth. The fon of fortune. The antients call’d all thofe the fons of fortune, who not knowing their parents, or being of mean extraction, had raifed themfelves by merit to rank and dignity in the ftate. Horace freaking of himseif fays © Luferat in campo fortune filius.’ Book 2, fat. 6. The expreffion is luckily agreeable to our own idiom, and frequently made ufe of amongft us'to convey exactly the fame idea. What follows, when OEdipus confiders himfelf as the offspring of time, and calls the months: his brethren, is perhaps the verbum ardens of Tully, or what the French term, idée trop hardie; the fituation, however, and circumftances of Ofdipus at this time, may render it more excufable, $C Bad TYRANNUS. 29 POO +h “Nie Boy, GUFE"O"R U's; oat “R- Or P/Hek; If my prophetic foul doth well divine, E’er on thy brow to-morrow’s fun thall thine, Cithzron, thou the myft’ry fhalt unfold ; The doubtful OEdipus, no longer blind, Shall foon his country and his father find, And all the ftory of his birth be told ; Then {hall we in grateful lays Celebrate our monarch’s praife, And in the fprightly dance our fongs triumphant raife. ener Ss TR OP HE. What heav’nly pow’r gave birth to thee, O! king? From Pan, the god of mountains, did’{t thou {pring, VOL, I. Kk With a my prophetic foul, Sc. OEdipus retreating with the thepherd of Corinth in expectation of the old man, to fupply the intermediate {pace of time, the chorus advances towards the middle of the theatre, probably near the al- tar of Apollo. As they are inclined throughout to judge favourably of their fovereign, they feem to with, and almoft to believe, that he may be found the fon of fome divinity. Dacier and doétor-Burton obferve that ‘ the ftrophe and “antiftrophe coming thus in the middle of the act is fomething fingular and “uncommon, but that the chorus in this place do not fing but fpeak.’ With all due deference to the opinion of thefe learned gentlemen, I cannot, for my own part, fee any reafon why the ftrophe and antiftrophe fhouid not be fung in this place as well as in any other ; this is doubtlefs the fourth fong or intef- mede of the chorus, but the arbitrary divifion into acts, for which, as [ before obferved, there is no foundation, had puzzled the commentators, and forced them to this expedient as the beft method of folving the difficulty. a 282 208 B® MPA UTS With fome fair daughter of Apollo join’d? Art thou from him who or Cyllene reigns, . Swift Hermes, fporting in Arcadia’s plains? — Some Nymph of Helicon did Bacchus find, Bacchus, who delights to rove Through the foreft, hill and grove, And art thou, prince, the offspring of their ess) BSC) Ob Ne ae | | OEDIPUS, CHORUS, SHEPHERD from Comma OE Db P U's, If I may judge of one whom yet I ne'er Had converfe with, yon old man, whom I fee This way advancing, muft be that fame pe Rec We lately fent for, by his age and mein, Ev'n as this ftranger did defcribe him to us; My fervants too are with him ; but you beft Can fay, for you muft know him well. © bbw. By Ges. Tis he, My lord, the faithful fhepherd of king Laius. OB. Dob. «Bi WS; [To the thepherd from Corinth. What fay’ft thou, flvsapee! is it he? 0 SHE P- If I may judge, &c. OEdipus returns with the fhepherd of Corinth ; as he comes on the flage, feeing the old fhepherd with the attendants at a Si Arenas and advancing towards him, he addrefles the chorus. teem ANN SS. ogg TSH EP HERD. , | It is, STG A BRON? BO REE, | OLD SHEPHERD, OEDIPUS, SHEPHERD from Corinrny; CHORUS. OE DIP U S&%. Now anfwer me, old man, look this way, fpeak, ~Didft thou belong to Laius? @ Lan weedize POH ERD. | Sir, I did, No hireling flave, but in his palace bred, I ferv’d him long. OR iD.) PB: U.S: What was thy bus’nefs there? OLD SIFLE.PA ERD. For my life’s better part I tended fheep. 7 "ae est pee! ar Set 6 Be And whither didft thou lead them? OD oe a 2.1128. RD. To Cithzron, And to the neighb’ring plains. OF ear Puss. Behold this man, [ Pointing to the fhepherd of Corinth. Doft thou remember to have feen him? KK 2 SHE P- oe 6° (ORYD AUT OE D S i EP HERD. Whom ? What hath he donk? ci OF DT Pc U8: Him, who now ftands before thee, — Call’ ft he to mind, or converfe or connection - Between you in times paft ? ce OLD S°H. EPH EeeR D. I cannot fay I recolle& it now. avon ‘ SHEPHERD of Corinth. I do not wonder He fhou’d forget me, but I will recall Some facts of antient date; he muft Pomenben When on Cithezron we together fed Our fev’ral flocks, in daily converfe join’d From fpring to autumn, and when winter bleak Approach’d, retir’d; I to my little cot Convey’d my fheep, he to the palace led His fleecy care; can’ft thou remember this? OLD SHEP? ERD I do, but that is long long fince. SHEPHERD of Corinth. It 1s; But TYiRGAIMENoU S261 But fay, good fhepherd, can’f{t. thou call to mind An infant, whom thou didit deliver to me, Requefting me to breed him as my own? . OLD SHEPHERD. Ha! wherefore afk’ft thou this ? | SHEPHERD of Corinth. | | | Pointing to OEdipus. | Behold him here, That very child. igs ) OLD SHEPHERD. O! fay it not, away, Perdition on thee! OE DIP. S. Why reprove him thus? Thou art thyfelf to blame, old man. _ OUD. SHEEP H-E RD. | In what Am I to blame, my lord? OBR DL PU. §: Thou will’t not fpeak Touching this boy. : OLD SHEPHERD. Alas! poor man, he knows not What he hath faid.. . OE DI- 1065 “OE D'TPR US” OE DI P US. If not by fofter means To be perfuaded, force fhall wring it from thee; OL DiS Be? ER? Treat not an old man _harfhly. és OE D ft P Ul se : | [ to the attendants, - ‘ Bind his hands. OTD STPE PHS Ri Dt Wherefore, my lord? what wou’d’ft thou have me do? OF DIP U § I That child he talks of, didft thou give it to him? OLD SHEPHERD. | I did, and wou’d to heav’n I then had dy’d! OF? Dik 4 Xs: Dye foon thou fhalt, unlefs thou tell’ft it all. OLD SHEPHERD. Say rather if I do. ORD een: This fellow means To trifle with us, by his dull delay, ) OVD (So 2 eee { do not; faid I not I gave the child? Of Dit Lo Whence came the boy? was he thy own, or who Did Tt Wey A OO, S. Did give him to,dheet: iy 9 = OLD* SHEP H E R D. mss _.. From another hand I had receiv’d him. | OE.D, f)P.;U.,8, | Say, what hand? from whom? Whence eame hes? =: OLD SHEPHERD, ~ Do not, by the gods I beg thee, Do not inquire, . ORY Det: -P UU: S: Force me to afk ic And thou fhalt dye, OLD SHEPHERD, In Laius’s palace born | OL DIPUS, Son of a flave, or of the king? OLD SHEPHERD. Alas! "Tis death for me to fpeak, Ge lie ee ou. 5. And me to hear; Yet fay it, | 263 OLD 264. GE PD el Wi sUr esr ager OLD SHEPHERD: He was call’d the fon of Laius; — | But afk the queen, for fhe can beft inform thee. OEDIPUS, : Did fhe then give the child to thee? OLD SHEPHERD. She did, fW | OF DIP. US, For what? OLD; SHEPHERD To kill him. ORD TY Feune: Kill her child! inhuman And barb’rous mother ! OTD SE Pee ERD. A dire oracle Affrighted, and conftrain’d her to it. OEDIPUS, | Ha! What oracle? ae OLD “S:AvE PH eh Pp. Which faid, her fon fhou’d flay His parents, OEDIPUS, TAYORAAINONIU S 265 OEDIPUS, _ Wherefore gav’ft thou then the infant To this old fhepherd? OLD SHEPHERD. Pity movd me to it: I hop'd he wou’d have foon convey’d his charge To fome far diftant country; he, alas! Preferv'd him but for mifery and woe; For, O! my lord, if thou indeed art he, Thou art of all mankind the moft unhappy. OF .-D.- d; P.U, 8; O! me! at length the myftery’s unravel’d, ‘Tis plain; ‘tis clear; my fate is all determin’d : Thofe are my parents who fhou’d not have been Ally’d to me: fhe is my wife, ev’n fhe Whom nature had forbidden me to wed; I have flain him who gave me life, and now Of thee, O! light! I take my laft farewel ; For OEdipus fhall ne’er behold thee more, { Exeunt. VOL. TU. a | SCENE 266 & QED OPaP sUz§ § G BUN. ®Oovimr, CHORUS, § TROP eee QO! haplefs flate of human race! How quick the fleeting fhadows pais . Of tranfitory blifs below, Where all is vanity and woe! By thy example taught, O! prince, we fee, Man was not made for true felicity. ACN 4ST UR ® PuHake, ik Thou OEdipus, beyond the reft Of mortals, wert fupremely bleft ; Whom ev'ry hand confpir’d to raife, . Whom ev'ry hand rejoic’d to praife, When from the fphynx thy all-preferving hand Stretch’d forth its aid to fave a finking land. oP ROP Free ode Thy virtues rais'd thee to a throne, And grateful Thebes was all thy own; | Alas ! O! haplefs fate, Sc. This is the fifth and laft fong or intermede of the chorus, who, convinced of OEdipus’s guilt, lament the fate of their unhappy mafter in the moft affecting manner; drawing at the fame time, from his ex- ample, fome moral reflections on the inftability of all human happinefs, natu- rally refulting from the fubje@, and fuitable to the occafion. In juftice to Sophocles, it may here be obferved, that the fongs of the chorus throughout this play are not only in every point unexceptionable, but to the laft degree beautiful and pathetic. TYRANNUsS Alas! how chang’d that glorious name! Loft are thy virtues, and thy fame; How cou’dft thou thus pollute thy father’s bed ! How cou'dft thou thus thy haplefs mother wed ! AS PS ROP AE In How cou’d that bed unconfcious bear So long the vile inceftuous pair ! But time, of quick and piercing fight, Hath brought the horrid deed to light 5 At length Jocafta owns her guilty flame, And finds a hufband and a child the fame, Ee? OD ib. Wretched fon of Laius, thee Henceforth may I never fee, But abfent fhed the pious tear, And weep thy fate with grief fincere! ‘For thou didft raife our eyes to life and light, To clofe them now in everlafting night. Poa 7 ol AC Ps iN Lia 267 AGT 4 x s ay ; erat, oe 68 OW Ot IAP Au As ¥ PALS NOS ped Liypiid Mead aap gue UR ian MESSENGER, CHORUS. MES Sh No Go Re AGES of Thebes, moft honour’d and rever’d, If e’er the houfe of Labdacus was dear - And precious to you, what will be your grief When I fhall tell the moft difaft'rous tale You ever heard, and to your eyes prefent A fpeGacle more dreadful than they yet Did e’er behold! not the wide Danube’s waves — Nor Phatis’ ftream can wafh away the ftains Of this polluted palace; the dire crimes Long time conceal’d at length are brought to licht ; But Not the wide Danube’s waves, €c. Iftther, or the Danube, is one of the moft confiderable rivers in Europe, which pafiing by Illyricum runs into the Euxine fea. Phafis was a famous river in Colchis. The antients imagined that water, and particularly that of freth or living fprings, could cleanfe the mind as well as body from pollution ; a piece of fu- perftition which feems to have been adopted by the followers of Mahomet, whofe frequent wafhings conftitute no inconfiderable part of their religious duty. This calls to mind a fimilar paflagein our Englith Sophocles, where lady Macbeth, after the murther of Duncan, comes out rubbing her hands, “out, damn’d fpot, out I fay; will thefe hands never be white ?all the « perfumes of Arabia will not {weeten this little hand.’ Shakefpear’s Macbeth. a Yaa NIN, Wy -S. 269 But thofe, which {pring from voluntary guilt, | Are ftill more dreadful. | GF Ooo 3-8: Nothing can be worfe Than sph we know already ; bring’ {t thou more Misfortunes to us? MESSENGER, ‘To be brief, the queen, Divine Jocafta’s dead. GHORU S. Jocalta dead! fay, by what hand? | M E 5 SHN GE R. Her own; And what's more dreadful, no one faw the deed. What I myfelf beheld you all fhall hear. Enflam’d with rage, foon as the reach’d the palace, Inftant retiring to the nuptial bed, She fhut the door, then rav’d and tore her hair, Call’d out on Laius dead, and bade him think On that unhappy fon who murther’d him, And Voluntary guilt. Alluding to the actions of OEdipus; the murther and in- ceft committed by him were involuntary crimes; but his anger, impatience, contempt of the gods, and putting out his own eyes, were voluntary, and therefore, as Sophocles obferves, more dreadful: doubtlefs no misfortunes are fo bitter and infupportable as thofe which we bring on ourfelves by our own follies. why yee 270 ~ OF D TP Ut SI And ftain’d his bed; then turning her fad eyes Upon the guilty couch, fhe curs’d the place Where fhe had borne a hufband from her hufband, And children from her child; what follow’d then I know not, by the cries of OEdipus Prevented, for on him our eyes were fix'd Attentive; forth he came, befeeching us To lend him fome {harp weapon, and inform him Where he might find his mother and his wife, His children’s wretched mother, and his own: Some ill-defigning powr did then dire him (For we were. filent) to the queen’s apartment, Forcing the bolt, he rufh’d into the bed, And found Jocafta, where we all beheld her, Entangled in the fatal noofe, which foon As he perceiv’d, loofing the pendent rope, | Deeply Some fharp weapon. Odipus, in defpair, defires them to lend him a {word, or any weapon to deftroy himfelf. Dacier obferves on this paflage, that it is pain, from hence, that the antients wore no {words except in war, and laughs at Seneca for giving one to OEdipus. Some tll defizning pow'r. ‘Tis Acie’, ‘fome demon’. Brumoy tranflates it ‘ que:ique noiré divinite’, The autients generally attributed evils and misfor- unes to fome unknown maleyolent power. Leofing the pendent rope. Hinging, though a death much in fafh‘on amongtt the antient-, being at prefent fo much out of vogue, and entirely banith’d from our flage, fince the introduction of {word and poifon, it is perhaps difficult for a tranflator to render this paflage clofely wihout offence to thé delicacy of modern ears. My readers muft however excufe the common and vulgar ex- preflions , as | could not alter the manner of Jocafta’s death without an unpare conable deviation from the original, i . af Ye Br Br NOON -Uy S. Deeply he groan’d, and cafting on the oround Fis wretched body, fhew’d a piteous fight To the beholders, on a fudden thence Starting, he pluck’d from off the robe fhe wore A golden bukcle that adorn’d her fide, And bury’d in his eyes the fharpen’d point, Crying, he ne’er again woud look on her, Never wou'd fee his crimes or mis’ries more, Or thofe whom guiltlefs he cou’d ne’er behold, Or thofe to whom he now muft fue for aid; His lifted eye-lids then, - repeating full Thefe dreadful plaints, he tore; whilft down his cheek Fell fhow’rs of blood: fuch fate the wretched pair Suftain’d, partakers in calamity, Fall’n from a ftate of happinefs (tor eal Were happier once than they) to groans, and death, -Reproach and fhame, and ev'ry human woe. CHORUS. And where is now the poor unhappy man? Mi5E OSS. Bo NG FR. Open the doors, he cries, and let all Thebes Behold his parents murth’rer, adding words 271 Not Or thofe whom guiltlefs, Sc. Meaning his children, whom he could not look on without the terrible recollection of his own guilt. Or thofe to whom, &c. Meaning either his children, or Creon, to whom he applies in the laft {cene. “- 62 Gey we aS Not to be utter’d; banifh’d now, he fays, He muft be, nor, devoted as he is. By his own curfe, remain in this fad place : He wants a kind conduétor and a friend To help him now, for ’tis too much to bear. Ae But you will fee him foon, for lo! the doors Are open’d, and you will behold a fight That wou'd to pity move his deadlieft foe. § 705 FON. Sb aah OEDIPUS, MESSENGER, CHORUS. ~~ CMAP GERI Sari 2 | O! horrid fight! more dreadful {peétacle Than e’er thefe eyes beheld! what madnefs urg’d thee : To this fad deed? what pow’r malignant heap‘d On thy poor head fuch complicated woe? Unhappy man! alas! I woud have held Some O! horrid fight! Tere, we muft fuppofe, the back fcene opens, and dif-. covers OKdipus blind, and in the moft miferable condition, advancing flowl towards the tront of the ftage; the chorus, fhock’d at fo moving a fpedtacle, turn their eyes from him: the appearance of Ofdipus in this place, was in- deed extremely hazardous, as it would have been difficult for a writer of lefs abilities than Sophocles to make him {peak with propriety, and fay neither — -more nor lefs than he ought. Let the reader compare this fimpie and pa- thetic {cene with the bombaft of the turgid Seneca, who is, to the laft degree © tedious, in his awkward imitation of it. Complicated woe Dacier calls it ‘ a deluge of misfortunes.’ In the origi- nal it is, © evils greater than the greateft evils,’ which, how beautiful foever it taay be in Greek, would not admit of a literal tranflauon. 2 Voie A VY NECN US. 273 Some converfe with thee, but thy looks affright me; I cannot bear to fpeak to thee. OEDIPUS, ) O! me! Where am I? and whence comes the voice I hear? Where art thou, fortune? CHORUS, | | Chane’d to mifery, Dreadful to hear, and dreadful to behold. | Gn D 1 pues O! cruel darknefs! endlefs, hopelefs night, Shame, terrors, and unutterable woe! More painful is the mem’ry of my crimes Than all the wounds my wild diftraction made, | CHORUS. Thus doubly curs’d, O! prince, I wonder not At thy affliction, Ot bw, 8, Art thou here, my friend, I know thy voice; thou woudft not leave the wretched ; Thou art my faithful, kind affiftant ftill, | Prt, ye OL .b, How cou’dft thou thus deprive thyfelf of fight! What madnefs drove thee to the defp’rate deed? VOL, II. M-m What amg SOE TN WIP U sore What god infpird? AD iW: Se 0 08 os OE DAP U Siok 0: 10d tonena, en | Apollo was the caufe ; : . He was, my friends, the caufe of all my WOES ; But for thefe eyes, myfelf did quench their light ; I want not them; what ufe were they to me, But to difcover fcenes of endlefs woe! Ri Sa CHORUS, *Tis but too true. OE Disk sP-U 8. What pleafure now remains — For OFdipus ? he cannot joy in aught To fight or ear delightful. Curfe on him, Whoe’er he was, that loofen’d my bound feet, And fav’d me, in Citheron’s vale, from death ; I owe him nothing: had I perifh’d then, Much happier had it been for you, my friends, And for myfelf. | | CH OPR UUs as I too cou’d wifh thou had’ft. ORD Puls, I fhou’d not then have murther’d Laius; then Apollo was the caufe. By delivering the oracle, which foretold that OEdi- pus fhould kill his father, and afterwards PROG e the dreadful fentence againft the murtherer, TS RUNIN Us ae I had not ta’en Jocafta to my bed; But now I am a guilty wretch, the fon Of a polluted mother, father now To my own brothers, all that’s horrible To nature is the lot of OEdipus, G4" CHORUS, Yet muft I blame this cruel act, for fure The lofs of fight is worfe than death itfelf. OEDIPUS. I care not for thy counfel, or thy praife; For with what eyes cou’d I have e’er beheld My honour’d father in the fhades below, Or my unhappy mother, both deftroy’d By me? this punifhment is worfe than death, And fo it fhou’d be: fweet had been the fight Of my dear children, them I cou’d have wifh’d To gaze upon; but I muft never fee Or them, or this fair city, or the palace Where I was born; depriv’d of ev'ry blifs By my own lips, which doom’d to banifhment The murtherer of Laius, and expell’d M m 2 The In the fhades below. tappears, from this paflage, that the Greeks imagined the body after death would'remain exactly in the fame ftate as before. OEdi- pus believed that his blindnefs would continue, when he was removed to the fhades below, The fame opinion, we know, prevail’d with regard to the mind alfo. ae fe ° Bias 7G . 2 SORt Ds PAP uss The impious wretch, by gods and men accursd: Could I behold them after this? O! no! Would I coud now with equal eafe remove My hearing too, be deaf as well as blind, And from another entrance fhut out woe! To want our fenfes, in the hour of ill, Is comfort to the wretched. O! Cithzron, ; Why didift thou e’er receive me, or receiv d, Why not deftroy, that men might never know Who gave me birth? O! Polybus, O! Corinth, And thou, long time believ’d, my father’s palace, O! what a foul difgrace to human nature Didft thou receive beneath a prince’s form ! Impious myfelf, and from an impious race, Where is my fplendor now? O! Daulian path, The fhady foreft, and the narrow pafs Where three ways meet, who drank a father’s blood, Shed by thefe hands; do you not {till remember The horrid deed, and what, when here I came, | Follow’d more dreadful? fatal nuptials, you Produc’d My father’s palace. That is, the palace of Polybus, king of Corinth; the fuppofed father of OEdipus, who brought him up as his own, and educated him accordingly. Fatal nuptiais, Sc. * Plurals, (fays Longinus in the roth chapter of his ‘ treatife on the fublime) impart a greater magnificence to the ftile, and by the ry THERANWND s FH Produc’'d me, you return’d me to the womb That bare me; thence relations horrible Of fathers, fons and brothers came; of wives, Sifters and mothers, fad alliance! all That man holds impious and deteftable. But what in act is vile, the modeft tongue Shou’d never name: bury me, hide me, friends, From evry eye ; deftroy me, caft me forth To the wide ocean, let me perifh there; Do any thing to fhake off hated life; Seize me, approach, my friends, you need not fear, Polluted tho’ I am to touch me; none Shall fuffer for my crimes but I alone. : | : CHORUS, ‘ the copioufnefs of number, give it more emphafis and grace ; fo the words of ‘ OEdipus in Sophocles.’ [Here follows the paffage] ‘ all thefe terms (conti- ‘nues the great critic) denote on the one fide OEdipus only, and on the other € Jocafta: but the number, thrown into the plural, feems to multiply the mis- ‘ fortunes of that unfortunate pair, and excite greater and more elevated ideas.’ See Smyth’s excellent tranflation of Longinus, p. 61. But what in act Sc. OEdipus is going on, but ftops fhort, as if thock’d at the bare repetition of his crime, which produces this moral reflection; the fen-_ timent is adopted by Publius Syrus, ‘ Quod facere turpe eft; dicere ne honeftum puta.’ You need not fear. Alluding to.a fuperftitions notion amongft the antients, that it was dangerous even to touch an accurfed perfon, or one feemingly vi- fited with misfortunes by the gods, In the OEdipus Coloneus, we find this religious fear {till more ftrongly imprefs’d on the minds of all that come near that unfortunate exile. 58 > QELDiT PR US CH, ©. BoUns, In moft fit time, my lord, the noble Creon This way advances; he can beft determine ; And beft advife; fole guardian now of Thebes, To him thy pow’r devolves. — | OE DIP US. What fhall I fay? Can I apply to him for aid, whom late I deeply injur’d by unjuft fufpicion? 9 OCpokt WScknS teh CREON, OEDIPUS, CHORUS. 7 CREON. I come not,’ prince, to triumph o’er thy woes With vile reproach; I pity thy misfortunes ; But, O! my Thebans, if you do not fear The cenfure of your fellow-citizens, At leaft refpe@ the all-creating eye Of Phoebus, who beholds you thus expofing To public view a wretch accurs’d, polluted, Whom neither earth can bear, nor fun behold, Nor holy fhow’r befprinkle; take him hence, | Within Holy fiow'r.. This refers to the curfe pronounced by OEdipus himfelf on | the murtherer of Laius, in the firft fcene of the fecond act. It was cuftomary (as is obferved in a note on the pafiage) for the prielts to {prinkle water on thofe ‘ bs - i T YOM A NONSU Sty Within the palace ; thofe, “who are by iacrgh United, fhou’d alone be’ witneffes — Of fuch calamity. : OEDIPUS. 001. Creon; “thou ~ The beft of men, and I the wortt ; : how kind Thou art to vifit me! O! by the gods _ Let me entreat thee, ‘fince- ‘beyond my hopes Thou art fo good, now hear me; what I afk Concerns thee moft. : | CREON. What is it thou defir’ft Thus ardently ? OEDIPUS. I beg thee, banifh me From Thebes this moment, to fome land remote, Where I may ne'er converfe with man again. CREON. thofe who affifted at the facrifice, and fometimes, probably, in fuch abundance as might properly be call’d ‘a fhow’r;’ this cuftom of purification we find 7 parce) in other places as well as Greece, and alluded to in fcripture :’ ‘then « will I fprinkle clean water upon you, and ye fhall be clean from all your filthi- “nefs. Ezek. 36, v.25. ‘ Let us draw near (fays the author of the epiftle to ‘ the Hebrews) having our hearts fprinkled from an evil confcience, and our © bodies wath’d with pure water, Heb, 10, v. 22. ois h cae GiB ee Ite Myfelf long fice eR done it, but. the ent ~Muft be confulted firft. | OB.D F Pi vis. Their. will is known Already, and their oracle declar’d The guilty parricide. fhou'd.. dye. CREON. 7 It Baths But, as it is, “twere better to enquire What muft be done * OE DIP US. For fuch a wretch as me ; Wou'dft thou again explore the will of heav’n? C.R ‘By ON Thy haplefs fate fhou’d teach us to believe, And reverence the gods. OB Dido Powe: Now, Creon, lift ; I beg thee, I conjure thee, let a tomb Be The gods muft be confulted. As Creon was next heir to the crown of Thebes, if he had, on the conviétion of OFdi ipus’s guilt, immediately put in execution the fentence againft him without farther confultation of the oracle, it might have been attributed to his impatient defire of fucceeding to the kingdom: this w ould in fome meafure have ftain’d the purity of his abies which Sopho- cles has reprefented as blamelefs and unf{potted throughout his whole drama, | thouzhhe has taken the liberty to change it in another. T Wa NN US 22) - Be rais’'d, and all due honours paid to her Who lies within; fhe was thy fifter, Creon ; It is a duty which thou ow’ft: for me, I cannot hope this city now will deign To keep me here; O! Creon, let me go, And feek the folitary mountain’s top, My own Citheron, by my parents doom’d Long fince to be the grave of OEdipus; There woud I dye, as they decreed I fhou’d: Alas! I cannot, muft not perifh yet, Till I have fuffer’d evils worfe than death, For I was only fav’'d to be unhappy. “But I muft meet my fate, whate’er it be. My fons are men, and wherefoever fortune May place them, cannot want the means of life; They ‘fhall not burthen thee; but, O! my friend, What will become of my unhappy daughters ; With tend’reft love, beneath a father’s hand, Cherifh’d fo long? O take them to thy care, Thou beft of men! O! might I but embrace them, But fhed a tear o'er their difaftrous fate, Might I be fuffer'd but to touch them here, 1 fhou’d rejoice, and think I faw them ftll. But hark! methinks even now I hear the voice WL) IT. Non of yaks Pe at OF). Pee INS Of my dear daughters; hath the gracious Creon, — In pity to my woes, already brought My children to me; is it fo? CREON. It hiss Thy wifhes are prevented; they are here. 8 JG oe UNS ec DAUGHTERS of OEpiepus,; OEDIPUS, CREON, CuO RasG OF DIP U.S, May heav’n reward thee for this goodnefs to me, And give thee much more blifs than I have known! Now, my dear children, come towards me, come Towards your father and your—brother ; fee Thefe fightlefs eyes, pierc'd by my own mad hands ; Behold that wretched father who begat you Unknowingly on her who gave me birth; I cannot fee you now, I can but weep Your fate, to think-what hours of wretchedneds You Now, my dear children, Gc. The paffions of terror and pity were never more effectually or more judicioufly raifed than in this tragedy: that horror which the {pectators muft feel at the crimes of OEdipus, 1s finely contrafted by this pathetic addrefs to his daughters, which excites the warme{t compaffion for his misfortunes, and creates in the minds of the audience that piety and fubmiffion to the will of the gods, which the whole drama is vifibly defign’d to inculcate. TYBAN NUS. 28 You have to know hereafter: whither now Muft my poor children fly? from ev'ry featt _ Joylefs with grief and fhame hall you return ; And when the time fhall come, when riper years Shou’d give you to the nuptial bed, who then, Carelefs of fame, will let his child partake The infamy of my abhorred race, Sprang from a wretch accurs’d, who kill’d his father, And from the womb that bare him did beget You my unhappy daughters? fuch reproach Muft full be yours, to virgin folitude Devoted ever, and a barren bed. Son of Menceceus, thou alone art left . Their father now, for O! Jocafta’s dead, And I am—nothing; do not then forfake Thy kindred; nor, deferted and forlorn, Suffer them {ftill, in penury and woe, To wander helplefs, in their tender age: Remember, they have no fupport but thee. O! gen’rous prince, have pity on them, give me Thy friendly hand in promife of thy aid. To you, my daughters, had your eariy years Permitted, I: had giv’n my. laft advice; Too young for counfel, all I afk of you Non 2 Is 284. OF TD: PaPtU ss Is but to pray the gods that my fad life May not be long, but yours, my, children, crown . With many days, and happier far than mine. CR BAO Ne It is enough; go in, thy grief tranfports thee Beyond all bounds. : OF BTIVE rs. "Tis hard, but I fubmit. CREON. The time demands it, therefore go. | ORD eT Frags. . O! Creon, Know’ft thou what now I with? GorRY Be aN - What is it? fpeak. OR a Pils: That I may quit this fatal place. GC RUE ONG Thou afk’ft What heav’n alone can grant, ORD 2 7s, Alas! to heav'n I am moft hateful. ° CREON. aX ERAT NEN UCS.: 28¢:. ORR OAND | ’ ~ Yet thalt thou obtain: What thou defir’ft, OF DT PU? Hy Shall 1 indeed ? . | CREON,., fp Thou halt; I never fay aught that I do not mean. e OF DIP US, 39 hen let me go; may I depart? CREON. Thou may’ft; But leave thy children. | ORD Ir Us; Do not tale them from me, CREON: Leave thy children. Dacier judicioufly obferves on this paflage, that every thing dreadful was to be fear’d from the violent temper and unfortunate condi- tion of OEdipus. Creon was probably apprehenfive, that in the height of de- {pair he might deftroy his children; he prudently, therefore, keeps them from him. To which remark it may be added, that OEdipus had but juft before de- liver’d his daughters to the care of Creon, who had confequently a right to dif- pofe of them as hethought proper. Mr. Boivin finds fault with the behaviour of Creon on this occafion ; he makes no fcruple of condemning the two laft {cenes as {purious, calls the fpeech of OEdipus to. his daughters, ‘ lamentation “indigne d’un grand perfonnage,’ and accufes him of ‘ une bizarre change- “ment d’ humeur & decaractere. He makes, at the fame time, feveral other fevere, but ill-founded refleGtions, on the conduct of the drama, which feem to have arifen partly from his ignorance of Grecian manners, and partly from mifunderftanding the fenfe of the original; miftakes, which it were ealy to point out; but I refer my readers to the criticifm itfelf, which they will find in the oth vol. of the Hiftoire de I’ Academie des infcriptions, &c. 4to p. 372. 2,86 OF} Dt InP aU gS CREON. ‘Thou muft not always have thy will; already Thou ft fuffer’d for it. CHORUS. Thebans, now behold The great, the mighty OEdipus, who once The Sphynx’s dark enigma cou’d unfold ; Who lefs to fortune than to wifdom ow’d; In virtue as in rank to all fuperior, Yet fall’n at laft to deepeft mifery. Let mortals hence be taught to look beyond The prefent time, nor dare to fay, a man Is happy, till the laft decifive hour Shall clofe his life without the tafte of woe. Let mortals hence, Sc. This fentiment is originally attributed to the wife law-giver Solon, and faid to have been fpoken by him to Crefus. Ovid has turn’d it thus, . ultima femper, ExpeCtanda dies homini, dicique beatus Ante obitum nemo, fupremaque funera debet. Mr. Boivin pofitively afferts that thefe lines do not belong to Sophocles, bnt were foifted in by fome tranfcriber: he calls them ‘une moralité fade, ufée, & ‘ triviale, un Nae commun, qui convient indifféremment a la plufpart des {ujets ‘ tragiques,’ ‘apiece of infipid, trite and trivial morality, a common place, _ ‘fuited equally to almoft any tragedy.’ In fpite of this fevere cenfure, J] can- not but be of opinion that the moral is bere introduced with the utmoft proprie- ty, and though it may indeed be applied to other. fubjects, feems peculiarly adapted to this, as it could never be better exemplified and illuftrated, than by the ftory of OEdipus in the preceding drama; a performance which refleéts the highett } honour on its author, being perhaps, confider'd in every batts his molt fnith’ d OO and the hee ceuvre of antiquity. Rick BAND iil ais: Oe ee Og te SIE me eS Ey = mage Me Raa Mae So * eee ee ae — HORCOIOKAOIIIOIOK ROOK AC IR AOR IO HOR OKI IRR RAO OE Ss Sa ea COLONEUS SOOO OOMIOOUK HORII IOI HOIOOHOK Dramatis Perfonz. OEDIPUS, CREON, AN T 1G ONE, Thine E, € Daughter of OEdipus, POL YNICES, Son of OEdipus, T HES EU §, King of Athens, An A THLE NTS MESSENGER, ATTENDANTs on Creon, Thefeus and Ifmene. CORO Ss Rie ae Compofed of Antizent Men of Thebes. $C ENE A grove, at the entrance to the temple of the Furies. ™ ( 289 ) a 6) UE Op apg: Oe ee ee jy oi i Be | SY GCE ON Oh “h OEDIPUS, ANTIGONE. OEDIPUS, | HERE are we now, my dear Antigone P _ Know’ft thou the place? Will any here afford Their fcanty alms to a poor wanderer, _ The banifh’d OEdipus? I afk not much, \a a oie 8 a Qo Yet Where are we now, Gc. ‘This tragedy is a continuation of the hiftory of OEdipus, who, condemn’d to perpetual banifhment, is fuppofed to have wander'd from city to city, and to arrive at laft, conducted by his daughter Antigone, at Colonus, a little hill, not far from Athens, where was a temple and grove facred to the furies, or, as they are ftiled, the venerable goddefies. The fubject is extremely fimple, containing little more than a narration of the principal and moft remarkable circumiftances attending the death of OEdipus, To tafte the beauties of this piece, it is abfolutely neceflary that the reader have an eye throughout both to the political and religious ftate of Greece, and the time of its appearance on the flage. Valerius Maximus informs us that Sepho- | cles 2,90 OE QE W US Yet ‘iefs receive; but I am fatisfy’d: Long time hath made my woes familiar to me, And I have: learn’d to bear calamity. yo qe But tell me, daughter, if thou fee’ft a place. Or facred, or profane, where I may reft, There fet me down, from fome inhabitant A chance but we may learn where now we are, And aét, fo ftrangers ought, as he directs us. ACN E. I°G OCNM@e, OQ! OEdipus, my poor unhappy father, Far as my eyes can reach, I fee a city, ~ With lofty turrets crown’d, and, if I err not, This place is facred, by the laurel fhade Olive and vine thick-planted, and the fongs Of cles wrote it when he was near a hundred ears of Age, and prefers it, for what reafon I know not, to all his tragedies. Cicero alfo, who was a much more competent judge, feems to have been highly pleafed with it, and has left us the following remarkable anecdote concerning it, viz. That Sophocles wrote tragedies even in extreme old age; beftowing fo much attention on them as totally to negle&t every thing elfe; infomuch that his fons fummon’d him before the judges as an ideot and dotard, utterly incapable of acting for himfelf; and requefting, that the “adminiftration of his affairs might be taken from him and put into their hands: the old man appear’d in court to defend himfelf againft the accufation, and producing the tragedy of OEdipus Colo- neus, which he had juft then finifh’d, afk’d the judges if that appear'd to be the work of an ideot.' The piece was read, and applauded, the fons petition rejected with derifion, and Sophocles acquitted with honour. We know not what authority Tully had for this ftory; it may not, however, be amifs to obferve, that the bitter accufations againft his fons, which the poet hath put ‘nto the mouth of OEdipus, feem to confirm the truth of it. Gop hi Mite wesc a Of nightingales {weet-warbling thro’ the grove; Bisse fet thee down, and reft thy weary’d limbs Or tude ftone; ‘tis a long vay, for age 1 thine to travel. ue OF DI PUSS. Place me here, and guard A fightlefs wretch. | AN TIGON E. Alas! at fuch a time Thou need’ft not tell Antigone her duty. | OF ay) bP Ues, Know ft thou not where we are? ANTDIGONE. As I have learn’d From pafling travellers, not far from Athens ; The place I know not; wou’d you that I go a - ‘a i= ~ Avis 7 > ad ed es, we Rs Se “7a : ~~ bes 1 ‘ ar * a » if ve « 5 Ps . = y ry a. . a * . - . . r >» Sa ae « ety” 2 al es —- £ eo aan ’ 7% oe ie i. 4 + | 4 i lj 7, 4 y i | > ; a: ‘ * m4 a =& 5 Le SJ x . ¥ Af ane eae ee oF: eee And ftrait enquire? but now I need not leave thee, For, lo! a ftranger comes this way, ev’n now He ftands before you, che will foon inform us. | 61 Gr de DB oe a, An ATHENIAN, OEDIPUS, ANTIGONE, ODL PBs Stranger, thou com’ft in happy hour to tell us What much we with to know; Iet me then afk thee— | Oo 2 STRAN- te i ; ; Br Miles : © . - 16. et See: ih ( ig hos P “i aA , Sod : ts on ® ; Fe eR ie a RSS i\ ae et a . Md ont te i. i eh ie 3 eae? = Bye Sg a ¢ cs ; es ‘ ; iy . : a4 i > a y Nie * ay " : . an a" 23 Pt ge a hee eee ae .. < 7 ety Ws ir J ill - oe) iF: ° a . Ne : as is ‘tae F \ : } toe hge ue ee at | £0 MAST AS INSTA Ni?) laa oig 1OF Afk nothing; fpeak not till thou art removd i Pee From off that hallow’d fpot, where now thou fone” a a, By human footfteps not to be profan’d. | 2 SOELD F BUter 201 . To whom then is it facred? | A THEN EA N: el igea. place Where but to tread is impious, and to dwell Forbidden; where the dreadful goddeffes, Daughters of earth and night, alone inhabit. “OR IDL Bus, Ha! let me hear their venerable names. oe A T ‘H-E'N-1-A.N. By other names in other climes ador’d, The Speak nof, Sc. Amongft the antients not only the temples and altars of their deities, but alfo the groves, forefts and vineyards adjoining to them were efteem’d facred ; infomuch that it was held impious and unlawful for any bat the priefts to enter into them: the Athenian ftranger, therefore, -will not con- verfe with OEdipus till he is removed from that forbidden fpot, where he had placed himfelf, into the public path. The dreadful goddeffes. ‘Thefe dreadful, or venerable goddeffes, were the three furies, Alecto, Megera, and Tifiphone; daughters, as Sophocles tells us, of earth and night; or, according to other poetical genealogifts, of Nox and Acheron, fuppofed to be the avengers of impiety ; as fuch altars and tem- ples were erected to them. Thofe, whoare inclined to allegorife the pagan mythology, eafily transform them into the flings of confcience, which tor- mented OLdipus. 5 : {gore? * ey fe 4 ie a? Sh es i if bem * 2 92 "hea f aes yon Ps ot a emt hig he og all them. Bumenides, a T aia “mai pow'rs. | deel es OR. Dil PU S. What doft thou | mean ? OE DI Pp U- Ss. 3 | It fuits my forrows. wel ! i ATHENIAN, i Pe agen I muft inform the citizens ; : tll then nd | ba: i toot ‘Remain, : ee dk A OO ae si» gla fae he PLORID IPTU 8. a ie é O! ‘do not {corn a wretched exile, But tell me, ftranger.— bord ga ds ae ATHEN ] AUN. 3 | Speak 5 I fcorn ee not, 4 GESD TiPU_S, a0 eae ae ‘What place is | this ? Bs ak wet og : ‘ATHENIAN. idarec Bee! rive V’ll tell thee what I know. | a’ | “This silane is facred all: great Neptune here ae, aap cate A Prefides, . - ~ Great Neptune, Se. ‘Neptune is reported by the poets to have ftruck the earth with 2 bis trident, which immediately produced a horfe: in allufion to.this, ~ 4€olonus, where he was worthip’d, is call’d the Equeftrian hill, 3. OESD IR Ur S Prefides, ‘and he who bears the living. fire, Titan Prometheus; where thou tread’ft, is call’d The brazen way, the bulwark of our ftate’: From this equeftrian hill, their fafeft guard, The neighb’ring villagers their gen’ral name Derive, thence call’d Colonians all. OE DIP US. ) ) But fay, Are there, who dwell here then? AL. Ee NM. LA IN: There: are, and calrd From him they worfhip. OED tT PF Uas: Is the pow’r fupreme Lodg’d in the people’s voice, or in the king? ATHENIANS ‘Tis in the king, | | OEDIPUS Titan Prometheus. Prometheus, according to the tales of the heathens con- cerning him, was fuppofed to have ftolen fire from heaven, and with it to have made men, or, according to the fatirical Lucian, which was more criminal, wo- men; for which impiety he was punifh’d by the gods in the fame manner as the rebellious Titans: he is therefore call’d in this place Titan Prometheus. The brazen way. Near this brazen way was fuppofed to be the paffage to Hades, or the fhades, by which Pluto convey’d the ravith’d Proferpine to his. dominions. Some imagine it was fo call’d from the. brazen mines abounding in that neighbourhood: it was moft probably a kind of bridge, or narrow pa{s for travellers, and lay between the two parts of the facred grove, from which the Athenian ftranger calls to OEdipus. a a ee ew Fg Te COO 6 MW wou S “aps OEDIPUS, Who is he? ATHENIAN. . Thefeus, fon Of AEgeus, their laft fov’reign, | OEDIPUS. Who will go, And tell him— Ao Tso EN T ALN, What, to come and meet thee here? OEDIPUS. ; To tell him that a little help beftow’d Woud amply be repay’d., ATHENIAN. Why, what cou’d{t thou do, Dark as thou art? : | _ Ob DIP 'U s. _ My words will not be fo. ATHENIAN. Then mark me, that thou err not; for to me Thy fortune feems ill-fuited to thy nature, Which is moft noble; therefore ftay thou here Till I return, I will not go to Athens, But om 3 Or oa I PU. & But afk thefe wala who eon here,’ If thou may’ft ftay. : | (Exit Athenian, {SCREEN EE, a me “OF DIP U S$, "AN Ta GONE, © um OEDIPUS. My daughter, is he gone? ACN Tei GO Noe: He is, and thou may’ft fafely Foca for I tie Alone am with thee, | | OEDIPUS. Goddeffes rever’d ! Since in your feats my weary’d fteps have found ~ Their firft repofe, not inaufpicious {mile On Pheebus and on me! for know, the god Who ’gainft unhappy OEdipus denounc’d Unnumber’d Goddeffes rever'd, &c. One would not imagine that this play, from the ap- parent fimplicity and barrennefs of the fable, which promifes no more than an account of the death of a poor old man in an obfcure corner of the earth, could poflibly produce any incidents that would pleafe or inftruct; Sophocles he not withftanding, fo contrived as to make the bufineds of this play extremely intereft- ing toan Athenian audience. OEdipus, as foon as he is inform’d where he is, addrefles himfelf in the moft folemn manner to the deities of the place, recol- le€ting an oracle which fince his banifhment has declared to him, that this {pot would put a period to all his woes. We {hall perceive that the hero of the drama becomes every moment of more and more confequence, and that no lefs than the fafety a: nd eel ofa whole kingdom depends on this feemingly accidental and infignificant circumitance, -_ ea OS rie. s \ v s | rs a, Pe hy iv 4 ‘ Unnumber’d woes, foretold that here at laft I fhou’d have reft, within this hallow’d grove Thefe hofpitable fhades, and finith here A life of misty: happy thofe, he faid, Who fhou'd receive me, glorious their reward, And woe to them who ftrove to drive me: hence Inhuman ;» this he promis’d to confirm By figns undoubted; thunder, or the found Of dreadful earthquake, or the light’ning’s blaft _ Launch’d from the arm of Jove; I doubt it not, From you fome happy omen hither led — My profp’rous fteps, that firft to you I came Pure to the pure; and here on this rude feat Repos’d me, cou’d not be the work of chance; Wherefore, ye pow’rs! as Phoebus hath decreed, Here let me find a period of my woes! Here end my wretched life! unlefs the man, Who long hath groan’d beneath the bitt’reft ills That mortals feel, ftill feem to merit more, Daughters of Antient Night! O! hear me now! 7 And thou, from great Minerva call’d, the beit And nobleft city, Athens! pity me; VOL, II. P p Pity Pure.to the pure. Jn the original it is ‘ fober to the fober,” alluding to the facrifices offerd to the furies, in which wine was never ufed; becaufe, fays | pis JL \ Uy er) Peas oo OR Ss ee doctor Potter, the divine juftice ought always to be chafte, fober and vigilant, 298 OH. BD. RU Oe Pity the fhadow of poor OEdipus | For, O! I am. not what I was. AN TIGON £. No more: Behold a venerable band approach | Of antient natives, come perchance to feek thee. OEDIPUS. I've done; Antigone, remove me hence, And hide me in the grove, till by their words, Liftning I learn their purpofe ; fuch foreknowledge Will beft dire@ us how to a@ hereafter. {Exeunt. Sa HE ON SG ae, CHO RUS. Where is he? look, examine, fearch around -For this abandon’d exile, of mankind The moft profane, doubtlefs fome wretched ftranger ; Who elfe had dar’d on this forbidden foil To tread? where dwell the dreadful deities We tremble ev’n to name, and as we pais Dare Where is he? This is the firft appearance of the chorus, who being acquaint- ed by the Athenian traveller that there was a man in the facred grove, alarm’d at fuch prefumption and impiety, enter in fearch of OEdipus, who had retired with Antigone to the inner part of the wood. In this, and the following fcene, the reader muft enter into, and make allowance for the follies of Pagan fuperftition. CO OD ANCE UW S. 299 Dare not behold, but filently revere, Or foft with words of faireft omen greet. Of thefe regardlefs here we come to find An impious wretch; I look around the grove, - But ftill he lurks unfeen. : e LCy Bee NE ON: : OEDIPUS, ANTIGONE, CHORUS. OED Puig!) i. Behold me here; For by your words I find you look for me. Con O'R U SS. [looking ftedfaftly at him. Dreadful his voice, and terrible his afpect! Ob Dy lee .U 8: I am no outlaw; do not look thus on me, CHO KW S. Jove the defender! who is this old man? Of tb Us 8. One on whom fortune little hath beftow’d To call for rev’rence from you ; that, alas! | ip. Ts Behold me here. OFEdipus and Antigone, overhearing the words of the chc- rus, and apprehenfive of being foon difcover’d by them, leave their retreat, and re-enter the ftage. No out-law. The word out-law, though not very poetical, feems the beft which our language can afford to exprefs the precife meaning of ‘ avoxos;’ one whom the laws of his country had expell’d from all the benefits and privileges of fociety, 300 Of DyIXP .U cs Is but too plain; thus by another’s eyes Conduéted here, and on her aid depending, Old as I am. | CHORUS. . Alas! and wert thou born Thus fightlefs? full of forrow and of years Indeed thou feem’ft; but do not let on us Thy curfe devolve; thou haft tranfgrefs’d the bounds ~ Prefcrib’d to mortals; fhun this hallow’d grove, Where on the graffly furface, to the pow’rs A welcome off’ring, flows with honey mix’d The limpid ftream; unhappy flranger, hence, Away, begone: thou feeft ‘tis a long fpace Divides us: doft thou hear me, wretched exile? This inftant, if thou doft, depart, then fpeak, But not before. OSD Beis: Antigone, my daughter, What’s to be done? AN PUG oye ee Obey the citizens; Give me thy hand. | OEDIPUS. > Oe ee 2 eeers, 1) 2 ‘ : : : * 2 a7 , I 7 $ ' c@aypana UW S. 301; | OEDIPUS. : I will; and now, my friends, ‘ Confiding thus in you, and rea removing As you direéted, let. me not be injur’d, CHORUS. T he fhalt not; be affur’d that thou art fafe ; None fhall offend -or drive thee hence. OEDIPUS, Yet more Muft I approach? CHORUS. A little farther ftill, OEDIPUS. Will this fuffice ? C'H'OR US: Remove him this way, virgin; Thou heart us. ANTIGONE, Thou muft follow me, my father, Weak as thou art; we are unhappy ftrangers, And muft fubmit; what e’er the city hates | Content And now my friends, Se. ee we mutt fuppofe, that OEdipus, with the Meiadee of mafin moves a little way from the place where he firft ftood; but the chorus, perceiving that he is {till on part of the holy ground, will not converfe with him till he is entirely removed to a ftone at the extremity of it, which probably lay in the ah road, 302 GE DW FP US Content to hate, and what fhe loves to love. OE D IP US. Lead me, my daughter, to fome hallow’d {pot For mutual converfe: fit, nor let us ftrive With dire neceflity. | GH OR: U-S, Stop there, nor move Beyond that ftone. OE DIP US. Thus then? C HiOsRours. It is enough. OEo ls BRE ot 3: Where fhou’d I fit? CHORUS. -» A little forward lean, And reft thee there. ANTIGONE, [taking hold of him, Alas! ’tis my fad office, | Let me perform it, to direct thy fteps ; To this lov’d hand commit thy aged limbs : I will be careful. [She feats him on the ftone. OEDIPUS. O! unhappy ftate ! CHORUS, ‘C2QULTO: MEW S 303 CHORUS. Now, wretched ftranger, tell us who thou art, Thy country, and thy name. © OE D-I PU §, Alas! my lords, A poor abandon’d exile, but, O! do not— CHORUS, What fay’ft thou? | : OEDIPUS. Do not afk me who I am; _ Enquire no farther. CHORU S&S, Wherefore ? OE Di P'U &: My fad race Cony O1R? U's, _ Speak on. | a: OE DIP U &. [turning to Antigone, My daughter, how fhall I proceed? Cc HsOeR Us: Thy race, thy father OF Dil U.S, O! Antigone, What do I fuffer ? ANTTI- qq 2 HOH BD wHPLUNsSy ANTIGONE Speak, thou canft not be More wretched than thou art. — : | OE D- 1: Pi US. I will, for, O! It cannot be conceal’d. ) G3 Hi G7 RD Wi §). You do delay; Inform us ftrait. “oe OED DP2t 4S | Know you the fon of Laius? CPHJOTRSAUeS., Alas ! OF i DIT Pwd & The race of Labdacus. CHORUS, | O! Jove! xy a OE DIPUS, Th’ unhappy OEdipus. @M CHORUS, Th unhappy OEdipus. OEdipus ftammers, hefitates, and is, with the ut- moft difficulty, brought to difcover himfelf to the chorus; who, agreeably to his apprehenfions, are fo fhock’d and terrified when they know who he is, that they are even about to retract their promife of favour and protection, which - they had juft made to him. They feem afraid that his guilt was contagious ; and that a man fo accurfed, would bring down upon them the wrath of the gods ; ti{] mollified by his predictions of future advantages to their country, they retent. COLONEUS 305 CHORUS, And art thou he? OGD +E: P:-U-S: Be not affrighted at my words. CHORUS. O! heav’n! On PD EP US. Wretch that I am! what will become of me? Co i10+-R US. Away, begone, fly from this place. | : OEDIPUS. Then where Are all your promifes ? are they forgotten? © H-O.R U.S. Juftice divine will never punith thofe Who but repay the inj’ry they receive; And fraud doth merit fraud for it’s reward. Wherefore, begone, and leave us, left once more Our city be compell’d to force thee hence, AINE 1.G.O NE. O! my kind friends, as you revere the name Of virtue, tho’ you will not hear the pray’rs Of my unhappy father, worn with age, And laden with involuntary crimes ; Meer, If. Qq Wet 306 OF OD 4° O- U's Yet hear the daughter pleading for her fire, And pity her, who with no evil eye Beholds you, but, as one of the fame race, Born of one common father, here entreats Your mercy to th’ unhappy, for on you, As on fome god alone, we mutt rely ; Then grant this wifh’d-for boon, O! grant it now, By all that’s dear to thee, thy facred word, Thy intereft, thy children, and thy god; °Tis not in mortals to avoid the crime — Which heav’n hath pre-ordain‘d. CHORUS, We pity thee, Daughter of OEdipus; we pity him, ) And his misfortunes; but, of wrath divine Still fearful, dare not alter our decree. OED Ps, Now who fhall truft to olory and fair fame? What fhall it profit, that your pious city Was once for hofpitable rites renown’d, That fhe alone wou’d pity and relieve | : Th’ Your pious city. Inthis, and many other paflages ofthe OFdipus Coloneus Sophocles takes occafion to compliment his countrymen the Athenians, and more particularly the inhabitants of Coloneus ; which is fuppofed to have been the place of his nativity. CoG. ‘Of Ni Ba 5S 2zep Th’ affli€ed ftranger? is the fo to me Who drives me hence, and trembles at a name? Me you can never fear, and for my crimes ) I am the fuff’rer, not th’ offender: what _ Touching my father I have fpoke, alas! If *tis for that you do abhor me thus, Was I to blame? the injury receiv’d I but repay’d, and therefore had I known The crime I aged, I were guiltlefs ftill: Whither I came, I came unknowingly ; Not fo they acted who have banifh’d me. By your commands already here remov’d, O! by the gods, preferve, aflift me now; If you revere them, do not thus defpife What they decree, their eyes behold the good And view the evil man, nor fhall the wicked Efcape their wrath: ufe not their facred names To cover crimes, and ftain the fame of Athens: As you receiv’d the fuppliant, O! remember Your plighted faith, preferve me, fave me now; Look not contemptuous on this wretched form, Or caft reproach unmerited; I come Nor impious, nor prophane; and with me bring To Athens much of profit and renown, Qq 2 As 308 OE DIPUS As when your king arrives, you all fhall know; Mean time defpife me not, | , | CHORUS. Rice. Old man, thy words Are full of weight, and merit our obfervance; . If thofe who here prefide but know thy purpofe, It doth fuffice. fsa eta Pe tt OE;D,1 PU S.., ‘But fay, where is the king?- , . CHORUS. Within his palace; but a meflenger Is gone to fetch him hither, OE. DAP US: : O! my friends, Think you a fightlefs wretch like me will move His pity or his care, that he will come? C,H/O; RR. US. Moft readily, when he fhall hear the name Of OEdipus. OE.D.1T P32: And who fhall tell it him? CHORUS. The journey’s long; but pafling travellers Will catch the tale, and he muft hear it foon; Fear G7, Oe Tag OF Ni ET. W208) 309 Fear not, thy ftory is already known ; On ev’ry fide, ‘twill quicken his flow fteps, And bring him inftant. hither. OE DIP US. May he come In happy as to Athens and to me! He will; what good man Hoth not love ‘his chon AN TaA:GOiNDE. 0! ii what fhall I fay or think? my father— QE 19 FR VIl. OEDIPUS, ANTIGONE, CHORUS, CHORUS. Stranger, albeit we know tis moft ungrateful To raife the fad remembrance of paft woes, Yet woud we gladly hear | OEDIPUS. What wou’dft thou know? | CHORUS, The caufe of thy unhappy ftate. OEDIPUS. Alas ! By all the facred hofpitable rites, I beg thee do not afk me to reveal it; My crimes are horrible. CHORUS. Already fame Hath fpread them wide, and ftill talks loudly of them: Tell us the truth, OF DT PP’ Uas, Alas ! GH OR U.S. Let me befeech thee! Sf 2 OEDIPUS, ge “SOR DE 'POUL S. OEDIPUS. O! me! CHORUS. Comply: afk what thou wilt of me, And thou fhalt have it. OE DIP US. I have fufter’d much; The gods can witnefs ‘twas again{ft my will ; I knew not of it. ; CHORUS, Knew not what? OF DI? PU S. The city, Soenering too, bound me in horrid nuptials. CHORUS. And didft thou then pollute, as fame reports, Thy mother’s bed? | OE DIPUS. O! death to hear! I did: Here, here they are. C H’'O RUS. Who’s there ? HOF iD SP oS, My crimes! my daughters] CHORUS, C Ofeb OU IN GE: FUsiS. 325 : CHORUS. ¥ Daughters and fifters of their father? Oh! ‘Tis horrible indeed. (OE D-1 P'U'S. | "Tis woe on woe. CHORUS. Great Jove! both daughters of one a mother | What haft thou fuffer’d? | OE. Det P.-U'S. Ills not to be borne! CHO R B.S. Dida thou then perpetrate the horrid deed ? OED LP US. O! no! : CHORUS. Not do it? OEDIPUS. I receiv’d from Thebes A fatal gift; woud I had never ta’en it! CHORUS. And art thou not a murth’rer too? OEDIPUS, A fatal gift, Meaning the throne of Thebes, with Jocafta whom he married. A 326 OE DIPUS OEDIPUS. | What’s that Thou fay’ft? C H O2R-U 8, Thy father— | OEDIPUS. Thou add’ft grief to grief. C Heo RUS. | | Did’ft thou not murther him? OE D.1P U.S, I did: but hear— CHO ‘Be. S, Hear what? | OEDIPUS, The caufe. “GH OR Ung, What caufe? OE «D: “TP aS: I'll tell thee; know then, ¥ murther’'d others too, yet by the laws I ftand abfolv’d; *twas done in ignorance. CH OR Us; (feeing Thefeus, who enters, But, lo! the king, Aigean Thefeus, comes; | The fame of thee hath brought him here already, 3 SCENE OC O Fite NCE oO S. 327 SiR 2R-iEs VHL THESEUS, OEDIPUS, ANTIGONE, CHORUS. oe Tl eek BAR &, | O! fon of Laius, long e’re this, the tale Of thy difaftrous fate, by many a tongue Related, I had heard; thy eyes torn forth By thy own defp’rate hand, and now I fee It was too true: thy garb and dreadful afped Speak who thou art: unhappy OEdipus, I come to afk, in pity to thy woes, What’s thy requeft to Athens or to me ; Thine, or this haplefs virgin on thy fteps Attendant; fpeak; for large muft be the boon I woud refufe thee; I have known too well, Myfelf a wretched wanderer, the woes Of cruel exile, not to pity thine; Of toils and dangers, in a foreign land, Much have I fuffer’d, therefore not to me_ Shall Much have I fugfer'd. This is almoft literally tranflated by Virgil, in his {peech of Dido to Aineas, Me quoque per multos fimilis fortuna labores Jaétatum, hac demum voluit confiftere terra. Non ignara mali, miferis fuccurrere difco. Nothing can be more amiable than the character of Thefeus; he receives, pities, and comforts the unfortunate exile; in return for his generofity, OEdi- pus gives him the moft folemn affurances of future happineis, with certain fuccefs and victory to the whole ftate of Athens. 328 Or DviisP | eas Shall the poor ftranger ever fue in vain For aid and fafety: mortals as we are, Uncertain ever is to-morrow’s fate, Alike unknown to Thefeus and to thee. , OF * Dr Iv Pe Oes. Thefeus, thy words declare thy noble nature, And leave me little to reply: thou know’ft. My ftory, who, and whence I am; no more Remains, but that I tell thee my requeft, And we have done. : ‘THESEUS. Proceed then, and inform me. | GED" TP UNS: I come to give this wretched body to thee, To fight ungracious, but of worth more dear To thee, than faireft forms cou’d boatft. it TH ES E-U's. What worth? | OEeD 1.-P Os. Hereafter thou fhalt know, not now. Tse BS ES: But when Shall we receive it? OE: DJ]. P-U-S, When I am no more; When Ci Ome eO iN ED Us. 329 When thou shalt bury me, WY AES E US. Death is, it feems, Thy chief concern, and life not worth thy care, OE DIP US. That will procure me all the means of life. ite SE UF S: And is this all thou afk’ft, this little boon? oe OF DIP US, Not little is the ftrife which’ fhall enfue. Ae PH BRS GS es-3S. What ftrife? with whom? thy children, or my own? OF: Del BUS: Mine, Thefeus; they wou’d have me back to Thebes. eukl: BiyS -Ea v's. And wou 'dft thou rather be an exile here? OBR’ D: hebs U6. Once they refus’d me, Deby EE. Seb S, Anger fuits but ill With low eftate, and miferies like thine. OR Paes Uaby Hear firft, and then condemn me. VOL. II. ae t T H E- 330 OEP PD Do ROU. S TH ES sates. Not unheard All thou can’ft urge, wou’d I reprove thee ; {peak. OF BD F.P: Urs: O! Thefeus, I have borne the worft of ills. ) T He's BU & The curfes on thy race? OE DI P:U 5S. ) | O! no! all Greece Hath heard of them. POPE GS) Ee We OF What more than mortal woe Affli@s thee then? OF D T°P' U's: Ev’n this: my cruel fons Have driv’n me from my country; never more Muft Thebes receive a_parricide, Pr eS) ee, Why then Recall thee now, if thou muft ne’er return? ORD Boat ews. Commanded by an oracle divine. TT ABS Wie, Why, what doth it declare? , OEDIPUS, CGO “OUNIE U.S. “gen Shee PAS"; That Thebes fhall yield To thee, and to thy arms. : | FFE: SB US, But whence fhou’d {pring Such dire contention? On DIP Us. Deareft fon of A:geus, From age and death exempt, the gods alone Immortal and unchangeable remain, Whilft all things elfe fall by the hand of time, ash The univerfal congu’ror: earth laments Her fertile pow’rs exhaufted ; human ftrength Is wither’d foon; evn faith and truth decay, it 2 _ And That Thebes fhall yield Sc. Thofe, who are acquainted with the Grecian hiftory, and the many battles fought between the Thebans and Athenians, will eafily perceive the defign of Sophocles in this agreeable flattery of his country- men. The abbe Sallier has gone fo far as to make the whole of this tragedy political, and alluding throughout to the circumftances of the times in which it was written. Te fixes the date of it to a particu‘ar period of the Pelopon- nefian war, and endeavours to explain feveral paflages in favour of his opinion ; but I refer my readers to his ingenious diflertation, which they will find in the. fixth vol. of the hiftoire de l’Academie des in{fcriptions, &c. p. 385. From age and death Gc, "This juft and beautiful fentiment is, with great propriety, put into the mouth of OEdipus, whofe age and misfortunes would naturally incline him to moral reflections, in which the OHdipus Coloneus feems peculiarly to abound, and which render this play, perhaps not the moft interefting in it’s circumftances, at leaft more inftructive and agreeable than any of the reft. 332 OP SD 41 eR! OS And from their afhes fraud and falfhood rife ; _ Nor friendfhip long from man to man endures, Or realm to realm; to each, fucceflive rife Bitter and fweet, and happinefs and woe. Athens and Thebes thou fee’ft united now, And all is well; but, pafling time fhall bring The fatal day (and flight will be the caufe) That foon fhall change the bonds of amity And holy faith, for feuds and deadlieft hate ; Then bury’d long in earth, fhall this cold corfe Drink their warm blood, which from the mutual wound Frequent fhall flow ;. it» muft be. as. I tell thee, If Jove be Jove, and great Apollo true. But why fhou’d I reveal the fix’d decree Of all-deciding heav’n? Permit me now To end where I began; thy plighted faith Once more confirm, and never fhalt thou fay The wretched OEdipus to Thefeus came An ufelefs and unprofitable guelft, If the immortal gods have not deceiv’'d me. CHORUS. O! king, already hath this man declar’d The fame good will to thee and to our country. TH ESE US: C Out®: INGE 1U:;.S. 333 aris i St UES: Can I reject benevolence and love Like this, my friends? O! no! the common rites Of hofpitality, this altar here, The witnefs of our mutual vows, forbid it; He comes a fuppliant to thefe goddefies, And pays no little tribute both to me And to my kingdom; he fhall find a feat Within my realms, for I revere his virtues: If here it pleafeth him to ftay, remember [ to the chorus, ‘Tis my command you guard this ftranger well. If thou woud’ft rather go with me, thou may’ft; I leave it to thy choice, (to OEdipus, OE -D I°P:U-S: Reward them, Jove. THESEUS. What fay’ft thou, wilt thou follow me? OE: Di TP U;S. I woud, If it were lawful, but it muft be here— This is the place THES E: U.S. For what? I'll not deny thee— OEDIPUS, 334. OE iD wile cP, Ua) OF D ER. US, Where I muft conquer thofe, who banifh’d me. THESEUS, That wou’d be glory and renown to this Thy place of refuge. OEDIPUS. If I may depend On thy fair promife. TyH Eos & US. Fear not, I fhall ne’er Betray my friend, | OEDIPUS, 1 will not bind thee to it By oath, like thofe, whom we fufpect of ill. eh BSc eel S: Thou need’ft not, OEdipus, my word’s my oath, OF} DD eer iS How mutt I a&@ then? A BAS oS: Fear’ft thou aught? ORSD TD Paves. laos A force will come. again{ft me. : T HES EU S. [pointing tothe chorus. Here’s thy guard ; } Thefe COMMON EUS. xz Thefe fhall proteé thee. Oe PF PW: s; | If thou goeft, remember And fave me, Thefeus. 7 THESEUS, Teach not me my duty, OF Di P.vU.S, Still am I fearful. | do SEs, Thefeus is not fo. , OF DI PrU-s. Know ft thou not what they threaten’d? a Pb es? ou: S. | This I know, No pow’r on earth fhall wreft thee from this place. Oft-times the angry foul will vent its wrath In idle threats, with high and empty words, Which ever, as the mind is to itfelf Reftor’d, are—nothing: they may boaft their ftrength, And fay they'll tear thee from me; but, I tell thee, - The journey wou’d be long and tedious to them; They will not hazard it, they dare not: therefore Be comforted, for if by Phoebus fent Thou hither cam’ft, thou’rt fafe without my aid, | Ev'n 336 Ofg DD. leeP US Ev'n if I leave thee fafe; for know, the name Of Thefeus here fufficeth to protect thee. | [ Exit hepa oe, SC RINE eK OEDIPUS, ANTIGONE, CHORUS, & CHORUS. ; oF RI OVPRH a OF D> TI PP Us With joy, my father. | OE DIP US): ~O! where are you? AN TIGON E. , Here. OED ' Tt PU S, My deareft children. | AN TIGONE. To our father ftill | May evry pleafure come! OE DTe Usa | [leaning on Antig. My beft fupport! AON T E.G: O NTH The wretched bear the wretched. OE:-D IP US. [embracing them, - I have alt That’s precious to me; were I now to dye, Whilft you are here, I fhou’d not be unhappy : Support me, daughters, to your father’s fide Clofe prefs’'d; O! footh to peace a wretched exile, Long time deferted: tell me what hath happen’d, But let the tale be fhort, as beft becomes Thy tender age. ANTE C GALPOLN: 8. Us. 363 AN TIGON E., | [pointing to Thefeus, - _ Here is our great protector, He will inform you; fo fhall what I {peak Be brief, as thou wou'dft have it. — | OE DIP US. Noble Thefeus, My children thus beyond my hopes reftor’d, If I thou’d talk too long on fuch a theme, Thou wilt not wonder; ’tis to thee alone I owe my joys; thou didft protect and fave My much-lov’d daughters; may the gods repay Thee and thy kingdom for this goodnefs to me ! Here only have I found or faith, or truth, Or juftice; you alone poffefs them all; I will atteft it, for I- know it well; I feel your virtues; what I have is all From you. O! king, permit me but to touch Thy hand; O! ftretch it forth, or let me kifs Thy honour’d lips! but O! what do I fay! ‘Can fuch a wretch as OEdipus e’er hope With guilty hands to touch a man like thee, So pure, fo fpotlefs? yet I muf embrace thee ; They only, who have known misfortune, feel For other’s griefs with fympathifing woe, aZ 2 Hail! 36a OEM DS LV RUS Hail! beft of men, and may ft thou ever be, As thou haft been, my guardian and my friend! TYREE) SHES. a ies Thus happy as thou muft be in thy children, Had’ft thou faid more, much more, and talk’d to them Rather than me, it had not mov’d my wonder ; Nor think I fhou’d refent it: not by words Would Thefeus be diftinguifh’d, but by deeds Iluftrious ; this thou know’ft, for what I {wore I have perform’d, reftor’d thy daughters to thee, Safe from the tyrant’s threats: how paft the confli& -Why fhou’d I boaft? they at their leifure beft May tell you all: mean-time to what I heard, As hither coming, OEdipus, attend : Of little import feem’d the circumftance, And yet “twas ftrange; but nought fhou’d mortal man Deem or beneath his notice or his care, OER Do ToPR vs S. What is it, fon of Ageus? O! inform me, For nothing have I heard, T HES EUS. A man, they fay, Who boafts himfelf by blood ally’d to thee, At Neptune’s altar, whilft I facrifie’d, In COU @ NBs. - 26 In humbleft pofture ftood. OB Did Bits, What cou’d it mean? Whence came he? Tpke BS BE Urs, That I know not; this alone They told me, fuppliant he requefted much To talk a while with thee. | OB 7 Daly P U8; With me? ’tis ftrange, And yet miethinks important. THESEUS, ‘He defir’d But to converfe with thee, and then depart. | OE DTI.P.U S. Who can it be? oH ES EUS: Haft thou no friend at Argos, None of thy kindred there who wifh’d to fee thee? OE DIP US. No more, my friend. | THES # U S. What fay’ft thou? OEDIPUS, 66 2 OED Wi U's OE D1 U8: Ee, Do not afk me. TAHnse Ss EU Ss: Afk what—— OE DIP U &: I know him now; I know too well Who’s at the altar. Te Bi bis aes Who is it? OED 1.P US, My fon; That hateful fon, whofe voice I loath to hear. yi ued wg Wipe aw ad Cbg EVE Sy But why not hear him? fill thou may’ft refufe What he fhall afk. OF Df Puss: I cannot, cannot bear it; Do not oblige me. OT EB ok oe. But the facred place, Where i know him now. OFEdipus is firft at a lofs to guefs who this ftranger could be that enquired after him, but on recolle€tion concludes it was his fon. ‘ Antigo- ‘ne & ia fceur (fays Brumey) devinent que ce’lt leur frere Polynice, & elles «le difent a leur pere;’ the French critic is here miftaken, for OEdipus is not told by his daughters, but imagines himfelf it mult be Polynices, as foon as Thefeus mentiogs his coming from Argos, | | Where now he ftands, and rev’rence to the gods, Demand it of thee. AN TIGON FE. Let me, O! my father, Young as I am, admonifh thee! O! grant _ Thy friend his juft requeft, obey the gods, And let our brother come; whate’er he fays Tt need not draw thee from thy firft refolve. What harm to hear him? words have oft produc’d The nobleft works: remember ’tis thy child, _ Thou didft beget him; tho’ he were the worft Of fons to thee, yet wou’d it ill become A father to return it: let him come. Others like thee have bafe unworthy children, And yet their minds are foften’d to forgiveneds By friend’s advice, and all their wrath fubdu’d, Think on thy own unhappy parent's fate, Thence may’ft thou learn what dreadful ills have flow’d From anger’s bitter fountain ; thou, alas! Art a fad proof; thofe fightlels eyes too well Bear witnefs to it; thofe, who only afk What juftice warrants, fhou’d not afk in vain, Nor, who receives a benefit, forget The hand that gave, but ftudy to repay it. OEDIPUS, 368 ORD Te RPS OE Dsl? Vis, You have o’ercome me: with reluctant pleafure I yield; my children, be it as you pleafe: But if he comes, O! Thefeus, guard my life. i T HCE SPE Ris: I've faid enough; no more: I will not boaft, But thou art fafe if heav’n forfakes not me. Stab NG ge eee GSAS Ru Hie? PRO eR: oe: In facred wifdom’s path is feldom feen The wretch, whom fordid love of wealth infpires Negle&ful of the happy golden mean, His foul nor truth nor heav’nly knowledge fires: No length of days to him can pleafure bring, In death alone he finds repofe, ) End of his wifhes and his woes; In that uncomfortable night Where never mufic’s charms delight, Ner virgin choirs their hymenzals fing. AN TIS- With reluétant pleafure. "The original is remarkably elegant; ‘ Bapeay ydornv vixnere xe. I have endeavour’d to render it as clofely as pofiible. In facred wifdom's path Se. This is the third fong, or intermede of the chorus, who, fhock’d at the unparallel’d misfortunes of OEdipus, fall into fome melancholy reflections on the miferies of old age, and the unhappy con- dition of human life, in every period of it; this gives time and prepares the zudience for the arrival of Polynices. ¢ pe. OO N 4 20S. ANTISTROPHE. The happieft fate of man is not to be; And next in blifs is he who foon as born, From the vain world and all its forrows free, Shall whence he came with {fpeedieft foot return ; For youth is full of folly, toils and woe, Of war, fedition, pain and ftrife, With all the bufy ills of life, Till helplefs age comes creeping on, Deferted, friendlefs and alone, Which neither pow’r nor joy nor pleafure knows. BP On Dy The haplefs OEdipus, like me, Is doom’d to age and milery ; Ev’n as around the northern fhore The bleak winds howl, and tempefts roar, Contending ftorms in terror meet, And dafhing waves for ever beat; Thus is the wretched king with grief opprefs’d, And wees on woes afi his long-diftemper’d breaft. [E xeunt. End of ACT IIL. VOL, IU. Aaa 369 370 OE DERUS AN a) ah a TV. OG ae Nr 1. OEDIPUS, ANTIGONE, ISMENE, CHORUS, AN TIGON E HIS way, my father, lo! the wretched man Approaches, unattended and in tears, OF DT PU s. Who comes, my child? ANT ft GO NUE: Ev’n he I told thee of, Poor Polynices, | : spar, OR RP o aatil ova bE POLYNICES, OEDIPUS, ANTIGONE, ISMENE, CHORUS, | PoOCE Yo ae ne O! my fifters, fee Of all mankind the moft unhappy; where Shall I begin? fhall I lament my own, Or fhall I weep an aged parent’s fate? For O! my fifters, Sc. Nothing can be more artful, tender and pathetic than this fpeech of Polynices: confcious of his own guilt, and well acquainted with the fiery difpofition of his father, he addrefies himfelf firft to his fitters, and then flides, as it were, infenfibly into his modeft and humble fupplication, clothed in terms that muft have moved any but the implacable OEdipus, Ci, OE WIO IT Ni EL Ws. 371 For O! tis horrible to find him thus | A wand'ring exile in a foreign land; In this mean garb, with wild difhevell’d hair, Bereft of fight, and deftitute, perhaps, Of needful food and nourifhment ; alas! Too late I know it, worthlefs as I am, I flew to fuccour him, to plead my caufe, That not from others he might hear the tale Of my misfortunes; facred pity fits Faft by the throne of Jove, oer all his works Prefiding gracious; O! let her infpire Thy breaft, my father; crimes already done, Which cannot be recall’d, may ftill be heal’d By kind forgivenefs; why then art thou filent ? O! fpeak, my father, do not turn afide ; Wilt thou not anfwer? wilt thou let me go Without one word; nor tell me whence thy wrath Contemptuous fprings? my fifters, you at leaft Will try to move his unrelenting heart, And loofen his clos’d lips, that not thus fpurn’d And thus unanfwer’d, though a fuppliant here At Neptune’s altar, I return with fhame And foul difgrace. — Aj Gal G, ONE. Say, wherefore didft thou come, Ava xg My 32 OEDIPUS. My haplefs brother? tell thy mournful tale; Such is the pow’r of words, that whether fweet They move foft pity, or when bittter urge To violence and wrath, at leaft they ope Th’ unwilling lips, and make the filent fpeak. POLYNICES. ’Tis well advis'd, and I will tell thee all: O! may that deity propitious fmile, Whofe altar late I left, whence Thefeus rais’d This wretched fuppliant, and in converfe free Mix’d gracious with me; may I hope from you The like benevolence? and now, my father, Pll tell thee wherefore Polynices came. Thou fee’ft me banifh’d from my native land, Unjuftly banifh’d for no other crime But that I ftrove to keep the throne of Thebes, By birthright mine, from him, who drove me thence, The young Eteocles: not his the claim By juftice, nor to me his fame in arms Superior, but by foft perfuafive arts He won the rebel city to his love, Thy curfe, my father, was the caufe of all, I know it was; for fo the priefts declar’d In oracles divine: to Argos then C Qe ON J Powis, I owe him much, and wou'd repay his goodnefs, Ev’'n as I promis’d him. ) CH OOR, WS. QO! hafte, my fon ; I know it well. At C (Oni OPN? & Ges. At Neptune’s altar leave the facrifice, | And hither fly, for OEdipus to thee And to thy country grateful waits to pay Thy. bounties; hafte, O! T hefeus, to receive them, af Se EN uh LV; | THESEUS, QEDIPUS, ANTIGONE, ISMENE, CHORUG. THESEUS, Again this noife, this wild aftonifhment, _Amongft you all! was OEdipus the caufe? Or did the bolt of Jove, and rufhing hail Affright you? when the god in raging ftorms Defcends thus dreadful, we have caufe to fear. | OEDIPUS. O! king, thou com’ft in happy hour, fome god Propitious led thee hither. THESEUS. Son of Laius, What new event hath happen’d? OF (Deal Pas. Know, my life At length is verging to its lateft hour ; 353 I with to dye, but firft my vows to thee, And to this city, faithful muft perform. : THESEUS. 384 Of DAT RP MES To Et BSB sc, But who hath told thee thou fo foon fhalt dye? OEDIPUS, The gods themfelves, who never utter falfhood, By figns infallible have warn’d me of it. TEES Sn oe How {fpake they to thee? OE DT 'P ues. In repeated thunder And light’ning from th’ all-pow’rful hand of Jove. A ELE oS MRR Beto; I do believe thee, for thy prophecies Were never falfe; but fay, what muft be done? OF “Det Paws: O! fon of geus, I will tell thee all The blifs referved for thee in thy age, For thee, and for thy country; I mutt go To my appointed place, and there fhall dye: I go without a guide, nor muft thou tell To mortal ear where OEdipus doth lye, | For ever hid; O! king, that facred place , Shall be thy fure defence, and better far Than many a fhield, or ail the focial aid Of firm alliance in the field of war; What COLONEUS 385 What more remains, unutterable now, Of higher import, thither when thou com ft To thee alone hall be deliyer’d- ; nought Shall I reveal, or to the citizens, Or evn to thefe, beloved as they are, My pious daughters; thou muft ever keep - The folemn fecret, only when thy life Draws near its end, difclofe it to thy fon, Heir of thy kingdom, and to him alone. From king to king thus fhall the tale devolve, And thus thy Athens be for ever fafe From Theban force; even the> beft of cities, Where juftice rules, may {werve from virtue’s laws And be oppreffive, but the gods, tho’ late, Will one day punifh all who difobey Their facred mandates; therefore, fon of Ageus, Be careful, and be juft; but this to thee I need not fay: quick let us to the place, For fo the gods decree: there muft I go, Thence never to return: come then, my daughters, Long have you been my pious guides, henceforth I muft be yours; follow, but touch me not; Let me find out the tomb where I muft hide lies ; remains; that way my journey : v7 a [Pointing with his hand] VOL, II. Coc Away: 4 DOR DD B Ruts Away : thou god of fhades, great Mercury, And Proferpine, infernal pow’rs, conduct me! O! fightlefs eyes, where are you? never more Shall thefe hands touch your unavailing orbs, O! light and life, farewel! at length I go To hide me in the tomb; but O! for thee, My beft beloved friend, and this fair land, And thefe thy fubjeéts, may profperity Attend you ftill, and may you fometimes deign Amidft your blifs to think on OEdipus, [ Exeunt. CH OR U SG. Goddefs invifible, on thee we call, If thee we may invoke, Proferpina, and thee Great Pluto, king of fhades, O! grant That not opprefs'd by tort'ring pain Beneath the ftroke of death he linger long, ‘But fwift with eafy fteps defcend, | To Styx’s drear abode; For he hath led a life of toil and pain; May the juft gods repay his undeferved woe! Ye Goddefs tnvifible Sc. ‘This is the fourth fong, or intermede of the chorus, who perceiving that the death of OEdipus is unavoidable, and every moment to be expected, put up their prayers to the infernal powers for his eafy and peaceful departure’; the original confifts, like the other choruffes, of {trophe and antiftrophe : I have taken the liberty to throw the whole into one irregulag ode, of varied meafures without rhime. COUGQINGEMS- Ye goddeffes rever’d, who dwell - ‘Beneath the earth deep hid, and thou, Who barking from thy gloomy cave, Unconquer’d Cerb’rus, guard’{t the ghofts below, ~On thee, O! fon of Tartarus, we call, For thou art ever wakeful, lead, O! lead To thy dark manfions this unhappy ftranger. [ Exeunt. End of ACT IV. C64; 2 ACT V., 388 OE sD A PUES Ay Hh Ae se Ve SCE Ne ee M E.'S! E'N1G.E Ri G10 Gee MESSENGER. ©! citizens, I come to tell a tale— * But to be brief, know, OEdipus is dead. To {peak the manner and ftrange circumftance Of his departure will require more words, And calls for your attention. GH OR Us: Is he gone? Unhappy man! MESSENGER, For ever hath he left The path of life. GH OURS-OFS: How dy’d he? by the hand Of heav’n difmis'd, without difeafe or pain? Of OEdipus is dead. "The length of this defcription, and the number of cir. cumftances recounted in it, feem to make it highly improbable that fo many things could have happen’d in the fhort fpace of time allow’d for them, being only from the exit of OEdipus to the entrance of the meffenger. There is no way of excufing Sophocles in this particular, but by fuppofing that the prece- ding ode of the chorus being fet to mufic, might take up a long time in the performance ; perhaps the impatience of the {pectator to know the cataftrophe may plead {till more ftrongly in defence of this precipitation. Cr O24 G7 OF N-E -@ S. 389 MESSENGER. O! ’twas a fcene of wonder; how he left This place, and, felf-condu@ted, led us on, Blind as he was, you all remember well. Soon as he came to where the cragey fteep With brazen fteps leads to the hollow gulph, Where various paths unite, a place renown’d For the fam’d league of Thefeus and his friend, Between Acherdus and the Thracian rock, On a fepulchral ftone he fat him down; Pull’d off the filthy weeds he long had wore, And bade his daughters inftantly prepare The bath and {plendid garb; with hafty fteps ‘To Ceres’ neighb’ring altar they repair Obedient, bring the veffel, and the robe Funereal; all things done, as cuftom bids For dying men, fudden a dreadful clap Of thunder fhook the ground; the virgins trembled, And clinging fearful round their father’s knees Beat their fad breafts, and wept; foon as he heard The found portentous, he embrac’d his daughters : Children, he cry d, your father is no more; x O O! ’twas a feene of wonder Sc. The celebrated critic Longinus takes no- tice, in his treatife on the fublime, of this narration of OEdipus’s death, as a proof of Sophocles’s peculiar excellency in the defcriptive. 96 OF DT BoUR 8: No longer fhall you lead a life of pain, No longer toil for OEdipus ; alas! “Twas dreadful to you, but this day, my children, Shall end your forrows and my life together : Never did: father love his daughters more Than I have lowd, but henceforth you muft live Without your OEdipus ; farewel for ever ! He fpake, and long in fad embraces join‘d, They wept aloud; at length did clam’rous grief To filent forrow yield, and all was ftll; When fuddenly we heard a voice that oft Repeated, ‘ OEdipus, why this delay? ¢ Where art. thou, OEdipus?’ the wretched king, Attentive to the call of heav’n, defir’d ‘That Thefeus might be fent for; Thefeus came: When thus the dying exile; O! my friend, Give me thy hand, my daughters give him yours, Let this, my deareft Thefeus, be the pledge Of amity between you, promife here That you will ne’er forfake my haplefs children, But henceforth cherifh, comfort, and protect them: The gen’rous king, in pity to their woes, Vow'd to perform what OFdipus defir’d: The father threw his feeble arms around His G O81 IO°N °F urs. His weeping children, you, he cry’d, muft learn To bear your fuff’rings with an equal mind, _ And leave this place; for not to mortal eye Is giv’n. to fee my future fate; away ; Thefeus alone muft ftay, and know it all. - This did we hear him utter as we ftood Attentive ; when his duteous daughters left him, And went their way; we wept, and follow’d them; Soon we return’d, but OEdipus was gone ; The king, alone remaining, as if ftruck With terror at fome dreadful f{pedacle, Had with his hand o’er-veil’d his downcaft eye; A little after we beheld him bend In humble adoration to the earth, And then to heav’n prefer his ardent pray’r: How the poor exile perifh’d none can tell But Thefeus; nor the fiery blaft of Jove Deftroy’d, nor fea o’erwhelm’d him, but from heav’n Some meffenger divine did fnatch -him hence, Or pow’r infernal bade the pitying: earth Open her peaceful bofom to receive him; Without a groan, difeafe, or pain he fell: -Twas wondrous all; to thofe, who credit not This ftrange report, I anfwer, ‘ts moft true. 391 Ci GO R US. 392 OE*sD V1 AP SU T#S CHORUS. Where are his daughters, with their weeping friends Who follow’d them? ME 8 S: EN Gok RR: They cannot be far off; The voice of grief I hear proclaims them nigh. 9 Gs (aN aghiad a ANTIGONE, ISMENE, with Arrenpants, MESS EN GER) CeHcO Regie AN TIGON E. Alas! the time is come when we muft weep Our father’s fate, the fate of all his race Long fince unhappy; various were the toils, The labours we endur’d, but this is far, Far above all, unutterable woe. CH QR US. What is it? A Nee deG) Oulvas: O! it cannot be conceivd. CHORUS. Is he then dead? AN TIGONE, He is: his death was ftrange And wonderful; for not in war he fell, Nog C96 4 TEE Es. Nor did the fea o’erwhelm him, but the earth Hath hid him from us; deadly night hath clos’d Our eyes in fadnefs; whether o’er the {eas We roam, or exiles in a foreign land Lead our fad days, we muft be ftill unhappy :. Alas! I only wifh I might have dy’d | With my poor father; wherefore fhou’d I afk For longer life? eli O- RU S. Ye good and pious daughters, Remember, what the will of heav’n decrees With patience we muft bear; indulge not then Excefs of grief; your fate hath not deferv’d it, ae AN T1G ‘ONE. O! I was fond of mifery with him; Ev'n what was moft unlovely grew belov’d, When he was with me. O! my deareft father, Beneath the earth now in deep darknefs hid, Worn as thou wert with age, to me thou Mill Wert dear, and fhalt be ever, | Coie OUR US. Now his courfe: Is finifh’d. MO, Il. Ddd 393 AN TI- 394 OB DB 4 Be GS AUN “2 APG @ NOE, » Evn as he with’d he dy’d In a ftrange land, for fuch was his defire; A fhady turf cover’d his lifelefs limbs; Nor unlamented fell; for O! thefe eyes, My father, ftill fhall weep for thee, nor time E’er blot thee from my memory. | ) ISMENE., | Alas! Alas! my fifter, what muft be our fate, Forlorn and helplefs, of our father thus Bereft? GH: OR Us, His end was happy, therefore ceafe Your fruitlefs tears: from forrow none is free, ANTIGONE Let us be gone, TSE ee IN But where? AN T.1G ONE I wifh—— ISMENE. | O! what? ANTE COLON F UPs ie | ANTIGONE, To fee the tomb. ISMENE. : Whofe tomb? ANTIGONE Our father’s: oh! © ISMENE. But is it lawful? know’ft thou that ? AN TIGON E.-- Why thus Reprove me, my I{mene? ie is M EN &, He is yet Unbury’d, and without ANTIGONE. O! lead me there, Then kill me if thou wilt; for where, alas! Can I betake me? CHORUS, Friends, be comforted. AN?T IG ON E, Where fhall I fly? | CH O'R VU S. Thou haft already feap'd Ddd 2 Unnumber’d OR, Hm EPO 'S Unnumber’d ills, ) AUNT deGeO iin. E- I'm thinking, my If{mene— ISMENE. What think’ft thou? AN TIGON E. How we fhall get home. CHORUS. , No more; Thou haft been long familiar with afflicion, AN TIGON E. My life hath ever been a life of pain And forrow, but this far exceeds them all, CORE OUR CU cor The ftorm beats hard upon you. ANTIGONE., O! it doth. CoH: OR YGHSE { know it muft. AN TIGON E. O! whither fhall we fly ? Great Jove ' what hope remains ? CG HO, Revues: | Supprefs your griefs; We © Os L707 N E USGS. 297 We fhou’d not weep for thofe who wifh’d to dye, And meet their fate with pleafure; tis not juft — ‘Nor lawful to lament them. Dee be see TEL THESEUS, ANTIGONE, ISMENE, CHORUS, ANT bh G ONE. | Son of Aigeus, Suppliant to thee we come. ie dee ES E83 What wou’d you of me? AON ab GO -N-E, Permit us but to fee our father’s tomb. : qr, bob U 25, It is not lawful. AMET LG: OuNe By js! O! what fay’ft thou, king? Aue sO itgie) g@opaerasr Know, pious virgins, OEdipus himfelf Forbade that any fhou’d approach his tomb ; That facred fpot, which he pofleffes there, No mortal muft profane: to me, he faid, If careful I perform’d his laft command, Shou’d joy and fafety come, with victory And peace to Athens; this your gods did hear, Confirmed 398 OF. DD * BYU's Confirmed by the facred oath of Jove. SAN T TG OWN E, If fuch our father’s will, we muft fubmit; But O! permit us to revifit Thebes, That fo we may prevent th’ impending fate Of our dear brothers. SEE aS be Uae All that you requeft, Or may be grateful to that honour’d fhade, Whole mem’ry we revere, I freely grant; For I muft not be weary of my tak. COM OR. Gas: Remember, virgins, to reprefs your forrows, And ceafe your fruitlefs grief; for know, ’tis all Decreed by fate, and all the work of heav’n, Bile ON eS