Euripides Heracleidae 134

Chorus

Thou then, shouldst have told the monarch of this land thy errand before being so bold, out of regard to his country’s freedom, instead of trying to drag strangers by force from the altars of the gods.

Copreus

Who is monarch of this land and state?

Chorus

Demophon, son of gallant Theseus.

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Copreus

Surely it were most to the purpose to discuss this matter somewhat with him; all else has been said in vain.

Chorus

Lo! here he comes in person, in hot haste, and Acamas his brother, to hear what thou hast to say.

Demophon

Since thou for all thy years hast outstripped younger men in coming to the rescue to this altar of Zeus, do thou tell me what hath chanced to bring this crowd together.

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Chorus

There sit the sons of Heracles as suppliants, having wreathed the altar, as thou seest, O king,

and with them is Iolaus, trusty comrade of their sire.

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Demophon

Why should this event have called for cries of pain?

Chorus

(turning to Copreus). This fellow caused the uproar by trying to drag them forcibly from this altar, and he tripped up the old man, till my tears for pity flowed.

Demophon

Hellenic dress and fashion in his robes doth he no doubt adopt, but deeds like these betray the barbarian. Thou, sirrah, tell me straight the country whence thou earnest thither.

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Copreus

An Argive I; since that thou seek’st to know.

Who sent me, and the object of my coming, will I freely tell. Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, sends me hither to fetch these back; and I have come, sir stranger, with just grounds in plenty, alike for speech or action. An Argive myself, Argives I come to fetch,

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taking with me these runaways from my native city, on whom the doom of death was passed by our laws there; and we have a right, since we rule our city independently, to ratify its sentences. And though they have come as suppliants to the altars of numerous others,

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we have taken our stand on these same arguments, and no one has ventured to bring upon himself evils of his own getting. But they have come hither, either because they perceived some folly in thee, or, in their perplexity, staking all on one risky throw to win or lose;

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for surely they do not suppose that thou, if so thou hast thy senses still, and only thou, in all the breadth of Hellas they have traversed, wilt pity their foolish troubles. Come now, put argument against argument: what will be thy gain, suppose thou admit them to thy land, or let us take them hence?

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From us these benefits are thine to win: this city can secure as friends Argos, with its far-reaching arm, and Eurystheus’ might complete; whilst if thou lend an ear to their piteous pleading and grow soft, the matter

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must result in trial of arms; for be sure we shall not yield this struggle without appealing to the sword. What pretext wilt thou urge? Of what domains art thou robbed that thou shouldst take and wage war with the Tirynthian Argives? What kind of allies art thou aiding? For ¹ whom

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will they have fallen whom thou buriest? Surely thou wilt get an evil name from the citizens, if for the sake of an old man with one foot in the grave, a mere shadow I may say, and for these children, thou wilt plunge into troublous waters. The best ² thou canst say is, that thou wilt find in them a hope, and nothing more;

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and yet this falls far short of the present need; for these would be but a poor match for Argives even when fully armed and in their prime, if haply that raises thy spirits; moreover, the time ’twixt now and then is long, wherein ye may be blotted out. Nay, hearken to me;

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give me naught, but let me take mine own, and so gain Mycenae; but forbear to act now, as is your Athenian way, and take the weaker side, when it is in thy power to choose the stronger as thy friends.

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Chorus

Who can decide a cause or ascertain its merits,

till from both sides he clearly learn what they would say?

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Iolaus

O king, in thy land I start with this advantage, the right to hear and speak in turn, and none, ere that, will drive me hence as elsewhere they would. ’Twixt us and him is naught in common,

for we no longer have aught to do with Argos since that decree was passed, but we are exiles from our native land; how then can he justly drag us back as subjects of Mycenae, ³ seeing that they have banished us? For we are strangers.

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Or do ye claim that every exile from Argos is exiled from the bounds of Hellas? Not from Athens surely; for ne’er will she for fear of Argos drive the children of Heracles from her land. Here is no Trachis, not at all; no! nor that Achaean town, whence thou, defying justice,

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but boasting of the might of Argos in the very words thou now art using, didst drive the suppliants from their station at the altar. If this shall be, and they thy words approve, why then I trow this is no more Athens, the home of freedom. Nay, but I know the temper and nature of these citizens;

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they would rather die, for honour ranks before mere life with men of worth. Enough of Athens! for excessive praise is apt to breed disgust; and oft ere now I have myself felt vexed at praise that knows no bounds.

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But to thee, as ruler of this land, I fain would show the reason why thou art bound to save these children. Pittheus was the son of Pelops; from him sprung Aethra, and from her Theseus thy sire was born. And now will I trace back these children’s lineage for thee.

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Heracles was son of Zeus and Alcmena; Alcmena sprang from Pelops’ daughter; therefore thy father and their father would be the sons of first cousins. Thus then art thou to them related, O Demophon, but thy just debt to them beyond the ties of kinship

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do I now declare to thee; for I assert, in days gone by, I was with Theseus on the ship, as their father’s squire, when they went to fetch that girdle fraught with death; yea, and from Hades’ murky dungeons did Heracles bring thy father up; as all Hellas doth attest.

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⁴ Wherefore in return they crave this boon of thee, that they be not surrendered up nor torn by force from the altars of thy gods and cast forth from the land. For this were shame on thee, and ⁵ hurtful likewise in thy state, should suppliants, exiles,

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kith and kin of thine, be haled away by force. For pity’s sake! cast one glance at them. I do entreat thee, laying my suppliant bough upon thee, by thy hands and beard, slight not the sons of Heracles, now that thou hast them in thy power to help. Show thyself their kinsman and their friend;

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be to them father, brother, lord; for better each and all of these than to fall beneath the Argives’ hand.

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Chorus

O king, I pity them, hearing their sad lot Now more than ever do I see noble birth o’ercome by fortune; for these, though sprung from a noble sire,

are suffering what they ne’er deserved.

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Demophon

Three aspects of the case constrain me, Iolaus, not to spurn the guests thou bringest; first and foremost, there is Zeus, at whose altar thou art seated with these tender children gathered round thee;

next come ties of kin, and the debt I owe to treat them kindly for their father’s sake; and last, mine honour, which before all I must regard; for if I permit this altar to be violently despoiled by stranger hands, men will think

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the land I inhabit is free no more, and that through fear ⁶ I have surrendered suppliants to Argives, and this comes nigh to make one hang oneself. Would that thou hadst come under a luckier star! yet, as it is, fear not that any man shall tear thee and these children from the altar by force.

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Get thee (to Copreus) to Argos and tell Eurystheus so; yea and more, if he have any charge against these strangers, he shall have justice; but never shalt thou drag them hence.

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Copreus

Not even if I have right upon my side and prove my case?

Demophon

How can it be right to drag the suppliant away by force?

Copreus

Well, ⁷ mine is the disgrace; no harm will come to thee.

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Demophon

Tis harm to me, if I let them be haled away by thee.

Copreus

Banish them thyself, and then will I take them from elsewhere.

Demophon

Nature made thee a fool, to think thou knowest better than the god.

Copreus

It seems then evildoers are to find a refuge here.

Demophon

A temple of the gods is an asylum open to the world.

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Copreus

Maybe they will not take this view in Mycensa.

Demophon

What! am I not lord of this domain?

Copreus

So long as thou injure not the Argives, and if ⁸ wise, thou wilt not.

Demophon

Be injured for all I care, provided I sin not against the gods.

Copreus

I would not have thee come to blows with Argos.

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Demophon

I am of like mind in this; but I will not dismiss these from my protection.

Copreus

For all that, I shall take and drag my own away.

Demophon

Why then perhaps thou wilt find a difficulty in returning to Argos.

Copreus

That shall I soon find out by making the attempt.

Demophon

Touch them and thou shalt rue it, and that without delay.

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Chorus

I conjure thee, never dare to strike a herald.

Demophon

Strike I will, unless that herald learn discretion.

Chorus

Depart; and thou, O king, touch him not.

Copreus

I go; for ’tis feeble fighting with a single arm.

But I will come again, bringing hither a host of Argive troops, spearmen clad in bronze; for countless warriors are awaiting my return, and king Eurystheus in person at their head; anxiously he waits the issue here on the borders of Alcathous’ ⁹ realm.

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And when he hears thy haughty answer, he will burst upon thee, and thy citizens, on this land and all that grows therein; for all in vain should we possess such hosts of picked young troops in Argos, should we forbear to punish thee. [Exit Copreus.

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Demophon

Perdition seize thee ! I am not afraid of thy Argos.

Be very sure thou shalt not drag these suppliants hence by force, to my shame; for I hold not this city subject unto Argos, but independently.

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