Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 479

mvp-comment-1140-1 γ’ ὁ μέλλων ¹

mvp-comment-1141-1 The MSS. give τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ καλῶς φέρειν χρή . There has certainly been an interpolation, equivalent to uu- . (1) Some reject the words φέρειν χρή . Then τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ καλῶς must be taken with φλέγεσθον :

(pass.): or, if with Herm. the verb is made midd., (cp. the act. in Ai. 196

ἄταν οὐρανίαν φλέγων

). So, if the MS. μηδ’ ἄγαν is kept, μηδ’ = (Herm., ). But μηδὲν ἄγαν or μηδ’ ἔτ’ ἄγαν (see cr. n.) gives in this case a clearer sense. (2) Wecklein, with whom I agree, rejects καλῶς and χρή , keeping φέρειν . Then τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ φέρειν = the inf. standing for imperat., a use fitting in such a precept ( O. T. 1529 ). The origin of the interpolated words is thus clear: χρή explained the use of the inf., while καλῶς was meant to fix the sense of φέρειν , lest τὸ φέρον should obscure it.

mvp-comment-1141-2 τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ ²

mvp-comment-1141-3 τὸ φέρον ³

mvp-comment-1142-1 The MS. μηδ’ ἄγαν οὕτω answers to λήγετε τοῦδ’ in 1722 . The question is, Are we (1) to compress the former, or (2) to expand the latter? Dindorf and others prefer (1), and so eject οὕτω , reading μηδ’ ἔτ’ (or μηδὲν ) ἄγαν ,=

. This view agrees with the metre, and is adopted by Heinrich Schmidt (see Metr. Analysis). If, on the other hand, οὕτω is kept here, then Hermann's λήγετ’ <ἤδη> τοῦδ’ is the simplest supplement in 1722. For Wecklein's conjecture λήγετ’ <αἰνοῦ> τοῦδ’ ( Ars Soph. emendandi p. 81), it may be said that might have dropped out before : cp. Ai. 706

αἰνὸν ἄχος

.

mvp-comment-1143-1 οὔτοι κατάμεμπτ’ ἔβητον ⁴

mvp-comment-1143-2 κατάμεμπτα ⁵

mvp-comment-1143-3 βαίνειν ⁶

mvp-comment-1143-4 But the scholium in L is:—

: [Elmsley ] (Theseus). . Does the lemma point to another reading? I do not think so. Papageorgius points out ( Krit. und palaeogr. Beiträge z. d. alt. Sophoklesscholien , p. 59) that was probably a mere slip, by the scholiast who copied the old scholia into L, for ( ), while was a like error for . On the strength of this schol., however, (1) Nauck conjectured οὔτοι κατάμεμπτος αἶσα : (2) Hartung, οὔτοι κατάμεμπτ’ ἔβη γάρ : (3) M. Schmidt, οὔτοι κατάμεμπτ’ ἀπέσβη , which Wecklein adopts, citing Bekk. Anecd. 422 . But the word would ill suit the swift passing of Oed.: it rather suggests a gradual extinction of life: cp. Eur. Med. 1218

⁷ χρόνῳ δ’ ἀπέσβη καὶ μεθῆχ’ ὁ δύσμορος | ψυχήν

.

1692. mvp-comment-903-1 Tricl. and several editors read διδύμα . . ἀρίστα. This is the slightest of at least six changes which have been made in 11. 1689-1695, 1715-1722, to secure a metrical correspondence which remains defective.

1693. mvp-comment-904-1 τὸ φέρον ἐκ θεοῦ καλῶς φέρειν χρή] You must bear with fortitude the lot whose direction is from heaven. φέρειν, as in the frequent φέρειν εἰς, expresses tendency or intention. φέρειν ἐκ occurs only here; but cp. Eur. Ι. Α. 69, ὅτου πνοαὶ φέροιεν Ἀφροδίτης φίλα: Hdt. 1. 159, φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἀδύτου γενέσθαι φέρουσαν πρὸς τὸν Ἀριστόδικον. For the rare form of verse, troch. trim. brachycat., cp. Aesch. 977, 790, supr. 1240, and Eur. Hel. 243, H. F. 120, where the 1st arsis is resolved, as here.

1695. mvp-comment-905-1 οὗ τοι κατάμεμπτ᾽ ἔβητον You have no cause to complain of your lot. More literally, The point at which you have arrived is not to be found fault with. The chorus mean to say, You, and your father's memory, are safe in the hands of Theseus. Cp. infr. 1737-1740. For the transference of the verb of motion, more frequent, however, with the adjective than the adverb, see Essay on Language p. 97, and cp. El. 979, εὖ βεβηκόσιν.