34. δεινά . is nom. λέξαι and δρακεῖν epex. inf. after the adj. Things terrible to tell of, terrible to behold have sent me back, etc.'

36. ὥς , Epic for ὥστε, common in Trag., esp. in Aeschylus (e.g. Ag. 358, 546, 575, 665, 1381).

36. σωκεῖν , ‘to be strong.'

36. ἀκταίνω , a unique word of which the meaning is disputed. The Schol. and old lexicons give (1) to uplift, or be uplifted. (2) to exult, ‘prance' (γαυριᾶν), ‘leap violently' (ἀτάκτως πηδᾶν). The sense however requires, not, 'I can't move violently, but rather 'I can hardly move at all:' it is best therefore to take ἀκταίνω, to lift. βάσιν, my step: this is a correction in the best MS., all the texts reading στάσιν, (which is perhaps possible, and then 'to uplift my standing' would mean to stand upright;) but βάσιν is easier and far more likely.

37. χερσίν , ‘by aid of hands:' holding on, to support her failing limbs. [Schol. actually says she comes out on all fours, τετραποδηδόν!!]

38. ἀντίπαιs , rather a strange compound, the preposition ἀντί governing (so to speak) the waῖς, and not some word outside as usual. Aeschylus is fond of these compounds : ἀντίκεντρον 136, 466, ἀντίφερνον Ag. 406, ἀντήνωρ ib. 443, ἀντίδουλος Cho. 135.

38. μὲν οὖν , corrective, as usual. 'Nay, she is as a child.'

40. ὀμφαλός , navel, was the name given to Delphi, as the centre of the earth, and particularly (as here) to a white stone in the μυχός of the temple¹. Strabo tells us (9. 3.) that 'an ὀμφαλός bound with fillets' was shown in the temple; and Pausanias (10. 16. 3) that 'the Delphians said their ὀμφαλός, which was made of white stone, was the centre of the earth, and quoted from Pindar a passage which agreed with their account. ¹ The ὀμφαλός as a round or oval object is often found on coins or vases or sculptures relating to Delphi.

40. μέν answers δέ 1. 46.

41. προστρόπαιον , lit. turning toward, hence suppliant. The supplication might be for vengeance (as Ag. 1587, Cho. 286), or more commonly for purification, as here. Hence the word contracts another meaning, guilty; see below 11. 234, 237.

43-45. σωφρόνως seems to mean duly , piously.

46. λόχος , ‘troop:' for the number of the Eumenides see Introduction.

48. Γοργόνας . : Aeschylus describes these in the Prometheus (899) as 'Three winged sisters with snakes for hair, loathed of men, whom no mortal shall see and live:' and the Furies are compared to them, Cho. 1047, 'In dusky robes and twined with many snakes, like Gorgons.’

51. γε μήν , ‘yet,' adversative as usual: γε μέντοι, γε μὲν δή (and in Homer γε μέν), also used in the same way. So σπορᾶς γε μὴν ἐκ τῆσδε Ρ. V. 871, σὺν χρόνῳ γε μήν Ag. 1378.

53. οὐ πλατοῖσι , ‘unapproachable:' for the breath was deadly with blood and fire, and withered up what it touched (138). MSS. read πλαστοῖσι, feigned: but the other is far more forcible.

55. κόσμος , their garb.

59. μὴ μεταστένειν πόνον , without repenting of its toil, is an elaborate repetition and explanation of ἀνατί, unharmed. [The inf. is literally the object of ἐπεύχεται : 'boasts that having reared... it does not repent,' i. e. 'boasts to rear without repenting'].

64. διὰ τέλους , idiomatic expression for ever.

68. ὕπνῳ πεσοῦσαι , ‘prostrate in sleep' [they lie] : πεσοῦσαι used rather loosely for the perfect, like θανόντes for τεθνηκότες. But the construction is rather harsh, with a strained tense and no verb: and not improbably πεσοῦσαι is corrupt for some verb. The best suggestion is Weil's πεδῶνται : (others πρέπουσι, πέλουσι : παρεῖνται Weckl.).

69. μίγνυται , 'consorts.”

69. γραῖαι , παλαιαὶ παῖδες, ‘old, wrinkled maidens;' a bold and contemptuous oxymoron to express loathing.

78. βουκολούμενος . (mid. as Schol. interprets), tending, i. e. brooding over; a bold metaphor characteristic of the poet.

80. ἄγκαθεν , in thy arms, from ἄγκη, ‘the bent arm:' like the Homeric ἀγκὰς ἑλεῖν or ἔχειν, to take in the arms: cf. Ag. 3.

81. θελκτηρίους , ‘persuasive,' to the judges of the Areiopagos.

88. σε . φρέναs, the acc. of whole and part, common from Homer down: like Τρῶας τρόμος αἰνὸς ὑπήλυθε γυῖα ἕκαστον ; τὸν βάλε κνήμην; and μέθες με πρὸς θεῶν χεῖρα etc.

90. κάρτα δ᾽ ὧν ἐπώνυμος , true to thy name, give guidance : the title πομπαῖος meaning the guider .

100. πρός , common poetic use for ὑπό of agent: Cho. 133, 346, etc. So ἐκ, παρά, and ἀπό are poetically used. So below 1. 102.

104. ὄμμασιν λαμπρύνεται , stately Aeschylean for 'is clearsighted.'

105. μοῖρ᾽ ἀπρόσκοπος βροτῶν , 'tis the lot of mortals to be blind. Others take it the lot of men cannot be foretold: but the sense of the other is better, the antithesis is more pointed, ('seeing in sleep, blind in the day,') and ἀπρόσκοπος is more naturally active. [The Schol. says ἡ τῆς φρενὸς μοῖρα, whence H. and others read φρενῶν for βροτῶν : but the Schol. is only (rather stupidly) explaining μοῖρα in connection with the φρήν of the last line: it proves nothing about the reading: φρήν and φρενῶν would be very flat repetition.]

109. ὥραν , the acc. is best explained as a kind of loose apposition to νυκτίσεμνα δείπνα: the apposition really being to the part of the expression which contains the notion of night. The Erinyes alone had midnight sacrifices.

112. καὶ ταῦτα , usually with participle: here loosely but naturally with principal verb. The fact is, the ὤρουσεν is grammatically needless ('he is gone like a fawn, and that too from the very midst of the snare'), but is redundantly added, picking up and further emphasizing οἴχεται.

113. ἐγκατιλλώψας , a strange word, which occurs again Aesch. Sisyph. (Frag. 211) meaning mock. We find also κατιλλώπτω, ἐνιλλώπτω: the derivation seems to be ἴλλω, twist, ὀπ-, face:' hence to leer, to sneer, and so to scoff.

114. τῆς ἐμῆς περὶ ψυχῆς , ‘for dear life;' a proverbial expression as in English (rather strange in the mouth of a ghost), meaning that the issue is of the last importance to her.

116. ὄναρ , might be nom., I, a dream, like Ag. 82 ὄναρ ἡμερόφαντον ἀλαίνει (so Schütz, Wakef. H. Pal.). But it is rather more naturally taken acc. in a dream, as l. 131. II [The Furies begin to groan and mutter and move uneasily in their sleep.]

127. κύριοι ξυνωμόται , fit conspirators: a bold and characteristic image. κύριος means rightful: sleep and weariness naturally act together. For the figure cp. Ag. 650 ξυνώμοσαν γάρ, ὄντες ἔχθιστοι τὸ πρὶν Πῦρ καὶ θάλασσα.

134. μηδ᾽ ἀγνοήσῃς πῆμα , ‘forget not my wrong.'

169. μάντις ὤν , i. e. ‘though a seer,' and thus the last who should have allowed pollution.

174. τόν , Orestes: for Epic form cp. 137, 357.

mvp-comment-28-1 λέξαι: λείξαι Ald.

mvp-comment-29-1 σθένειν μήτε μ' ἀκταίνειν βάσιν: σωβεῖν Par. Deinde μή τ' ἐμακταίνειν Ald. Scholiastes ἀκταίνειν interpretatur κουφίζειν· σημαίνει δὲ καὶ τὸ γαυριᾶν καὶ ατάκτως πηδῶν. Ex hoc loco, ut videtur, Hesychius ακταίνειν, μεταεωρίζειν. Εtym. Μ. p. 54, 34. ἀκταίνω. ἐπὶ ἵππων ἀκταίνειν, τὸ μετεωρίζεσθαι καὶ ἐπαίρεσθαι, καὶ γαυριᾶν. παρὰ τὸ ἦκται ἀκτός, καὶ ῥῆμα ἀκτῶ, ἀφ᾽ οὗ ἀκταίνω τὸ κουφίζω παρὰ Αἰσχύλῳ, uti emendavit Ruhnkenius ad Tim. p. 21. ibidem p. 20. afferens quae apud Phrynichum (in Bekkeri Anecd. p. 23, 12.) leguntur, Αἰσχύλος “οὐκέτ ἀκταίνω” φησί, βαρυτόνως, οἷον οὐκέτι ὀρθοῦν δύναμαι ἐμαυτήν. In fine versus libri στάσιν, neque vituperari hoc potest, non erecta stare possum. Sed in M. G. supra adscriptum γρ. βάσιν, quod a Stephano commemoratum inde a Cantero plerique receperunt. Et videtur praestare.

mvp-comment-30-1 ποδωκίᾳ: Scholiastes ad v. 39. τὰ δεινὰ ἐξέπεμψέ με τοῦ μαντείου. ἰδοῦσα γὰρ Ὀρέστην ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ καὶ τὰς Ἐρινύας κοιμωμένας, ἔξεισι τεταραγμένη τετραποδηδὸν ἐκ τοῦ νεώ. Nihil aliud sacerdos indicat, quam manuum adiumento sibi ad incedendum opus esse. ποδωκείᾳ Flor. ποδωκεία Ven.

mvp-comment-31-1 οὐδέν, ἀντίπαις μὲν οὖν: Male μὲν οὖν olim mutaveram in μένος. Nam οὐδέν significat quod nos dicimus es ist nichts damit. Inde explicatio addi potest, quae, si οὐδέν graviorem haberet significationem, supervacanea atque inepta foret. Suppl. v. 719. γυνὴ μονωθεῖσ᾽ οὐδέν· οὐκ ἔνεστ᾽ Ἄρης. Euripides Hec. v. 626. τὰ δ᾽ οὐδén· ἄλλως φροντίδων βουλεύματα, γλώσσης τε κόμποι. Huius οὐδέν exempla inveniuntur etiam in Phoen. v. 417. εὖ πρᾶσσε· τὰ φίλων δ᾽ οὐδέν, ἤν τις δυςτυχῇ. Androm. v. 642. σὺ δ᾽ οὐδὲν εἶ. Iph. Taur. v. 114. τοὺς πόνους γὰρ ἀγαθοὶ τολμῶσι, δειλοὶ δ᾽ εἰσὶν οὐδὲν οὐδαμοῦ. Cycl. v. 639. ἄνδρες πονηροὶ κοὐδὲν οἶδε σύμμαχοι.

mvp-comment-32-1 ὀμφαλῷ ... θεομυσῆ: ὀφθαλμῷ Ven. θεομυσῆ Μ. θεομυσῇ Rob. θεομιση G. Ven. Farn. Ald. Θεομισεῖ Turn.

mvp-comment-33-1 ἕδραν ἔχοντα: ἕδρας Flor. Farn. ἔχοντα Ven. Flor. Turn. et in corrigendis Robortellus. Sic, ut videtur, etiam Farn. ἔχοντι M. G. Par. Ald. Rob.

mvp-comment-34-1 νεοσπαδὲς: νεοσπαδὲς M. G. Ald. Rob. Turn. νεοσπαθές Ven. Flor. Farn.

mvp-comment-35-1 λῆνῃ μεγίστῃ σωφρόνως ἐστεμμένον: Libri λήνει μεγίστῳ σωφρόνως ἐστεμμένον, nisi quod λίνει habent Ven. Flor. Farn. Rob. et μεγίστω sine iota subscripto G. Ald. Rob. Valckenarius ad Phoen. v. 994. “pro λήνει μεγίστῳ,” inquit, “Georg. Arnaldus in margine libri posuerat λήγει μὲν ολός, quae correctio mihi quidem Hemsterbusii videtur, quem docentem audierat." Exemplum dicit editionis Victorianae: id ego nunc possideo. Coniectura autem illa, cuiuscumque sit, non est talis quae inventori laudem parere possit. Nam nec uév hic locum habet, ut vidit Abreschius, neque, quod Schützius intellexit, opus habitura essent haec verba explicatione quam adiecit poeta. Mirum quantum differt illud, ἅλω δὲ πολλήν, ἀσπίδος κύκλον λέγω, ab Iosepho Scaligero, quem memoral Valckenarius, ad Varronem p. 49. comparatum. Sed ut λήνει μεγίστῳ a poeta dictum esse existimem, adduci non possum. Videtur Aeschylus scripsisse λήνει μεγιστοσοφρόνως ἐστεμμένον. Sic μεγιστότιμος invenitur in Suppl. v. 679.

mvp-comment-36-1 πρόσθεν δὲ τἀνδρὸς ... θαυμαστὸς λόχος: προέθεν Rob. Deinde δὲ τἀνδρὸς Ven. Flor. Turn. δέ τ' ἀνδρὸς M. G. Ald. Rob. Deinde θαυμαστὸς λόγος M. Ven. Flor. Rob. Turn. θαυμαστὸν λέχος G. (sic G.) Par. Ald.

mvp-comment-37-1 εὕδει: ἅδει pro εὕδει Ald.

mvp-comment-38-1 Γοργόνας: Similitudinem Furiarum cum Gorgonibus latius quam par erat extendit Böttigerus in libro de personis Furiarum p. 13. seqq. et p. 112. seqq. Sequemur, ut certa, quae ipse Aeschylus veteresque. tradunt: hic in Prometheo v. 799. πέλας δ᾽ ἀδελφαὶ τῶνδε τρεις κατάπτεροι, δρακοντόμαλλοι Γοργόνες βροτοστυγεῖς. Choeph. v. 1045. ποῖαι γυναῖκες αἵδε Γοργόνων δίκην φαιοχίτωνες καὶ πεπλεκτανημέναι πυκνοῖς δράκουσιν ; ex illis autem Pausanias I. 28, 6. πρῶτος δέ σφισιν (Furiis) Αισχύλος δράκοντας ἐποίησεν ὁμοῦ ταῖς ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ θριξὶν εἶναι.

mvp-comment-39-1 εἶδόν ποτ᾽ ἤδη: εἶδόν ποτ' ἤδη M. G. Ald. Rob. Τurn. εἶδόν ποτ᾽ εἶδον Ven. Flor. Farn. Ante hunc versum Wakefieldius et Northmorus versum excidisse putarunt, scholiis eam suspicionem adiuvare visis. Scholiastae in codice M. ad v. 50. haec est adnotatio, nullo praemisso lemmate, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ Αρπυίας αὐτὰς λέγω. εἶδον γὰρ αὐτὰς ἐν γραφῇ πτερωτάς. At non potest ex isto scholio versus restitui qualem confinxit Wakefieldius, metro laborantem, aut qualem Schutzius, metri vitio carentem. Excidisse videntur ante versum 52. plures versus, in quibus sacerdos dixerat, cur terrificae illae mulieres non viderentur esse Gorgones, et deinde Harpyias nominaverat. V. Opusc. VI. 2. p. 20. Dindorfio post haec verba, εἶδόν ποτ᾽ ἤδη, lacunam statuenti assensus est Linwoodius. De ea re ambigi potest: illud certum est, mancam esse sacerdotis orationem.

mvp-comment-40-1 βδελύκτροποι: βδελύκτροποι M. G. Turn, βδελύκτοποι Ald. κδελύτροποι Rob. quod in corrigendis in βδελύτροποι mulari iubetur. βδελύτροποι Ven. Flor. Farn.

mvp-comment-41-1 οὐ πλαστοῖσι φυσιάμασιν: Schutzius haec ita interpretatus est, slertunt autem halitu, cui periculosum est appropinquare. Haec interpretatio si vera esset, scribendum esset οὐ πλατοῖσι, ut Elmsleius voluit ad Eur. Med. v. 149. Sed quod libri habent, οὐ πλαστοῖσι φυσιάμασιν, recte puto Stanleium interpretatum esse non fictis flatibus. Similiter Aeschylus loquitur in Prometheo v. 1034. πρὸς ταῦτα βούλευ· ὡς ὁδ᾽ οὐ πεπλασμένος ὁ κόμπος, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν εἰρημένος. In Sept. c. Th. 894. ἐτύμως δακρυχέων ἐκ φρενός. In Eum. v. 489. πολλὰ δ᾽ ἔτυμα παιδότρωτα πάθεα προςμένει τοκεῦσιν μεταὖθις ἐν χρόνῳ.

mvp-comment-42-1 λείβουσι δυςφιλῆ λίβα: λοίβουσι δυσφαλῆ Rob. Deinde δία M. G. Ald. codex Robortelli. βίαν Rob. ex coniectura Sophiani et Turnebus, et habent βίαν Ven. Flor. et, ut videtur, Farn. Egregie Burgesius λίβα. V. ad Choeph. v. 299. Similiter dixit Aeschylus in Choeph. v. 1055. κἀς ὀμμάτων στάζουσιν αἷμα δυςφιλές.

mvp-comment-43-1 τὸ φῦλον οὐκ ὄπωπα τῆσδ᾽ ὁμιλίας: Vix quisquam explicet, quomodo Schutzius adduci potuerit, ut haec ita interpretaretur, nusquam vidi mulierum genus, quocum hunc coetum comparare possem. . Hoc dicitur, genus huius societatis, vel nationem huius gentis non vidi.

mvp-comment-44-1 οὐδ᾽ ἥτις αἶα: οὐδ᾽ ἥτις αλα M. Rob. οὐδ᾽ ὅτι γαῖα Ven. (sic Ven. Flor. Farn. οὐδ᾽ εἴτις γαῖα G. Ald. οὐ δή τι γαῖα Turn.

mvp-comment-45-1 ἀνατὶ ... πόνον: ἀνατὶ Dindorfius. ἀνατεῖ Turn. ἀνατεί ceteri. Deinde μεμετὰ στένειν Turn. Denique πόνον Arnaldus. Libri πόνων. Legit πόvor etiam scholiastes, in cuius adnotatione, τὸ τῆς ἀνατροφῆς, scribendum est τὸν pro τό. Euripides Phoen. v. 1434. ἔκλαι, ἐθρήνει τὸν πολὺν μαστῶν πόνον στένουσα.

mvp-comment-46-1 τἀντεῦθεν ἤδη: τἀντεῖθεν ήδη M. G. Ald. Rob. Turn. τάντεῦθε μὲν οὖν Ven. Flor. Farn.

mvp-comment-47-1 δωμάτων: δομάτων G. Non opus est Wakefieldii coniectura, δειμάτων.

mvp-comment-48-1 οὔτοι προδώσω: Personae notam omittunt G. Ald. Sed in G. adscriptum στροφή. πρὸς Ὀρέστην Απόλλων, ἀπέστη γὰρ ἡ ἱέρεια. In M. adseriptum πρὸς Ὀρέστην φησίν. ἀπέστη γὰρ ἡ ἱέρεια. Scholiastes ἐπιφανεὶς Ἀπόλλων συμβουλεύει Ὀρέστῃ καταλιπεῖν μὲν τὸ μαντεῖον, φυγεῖν δὲ εἰς ᾿Αθήνας, καὶ δευτέρα δὲ γίνεται φαντασία, στραφέντα γὰρ μηχανήματα ἔνδηλα ποιεῖ τὰ κατὰ τὸ μαντεῖον ὡς ἔχει. καὶ γίνεται ὄψις τραγική, τὸ μὲν ξίφος ᾑμαγμένον· ἔτι κατέχων Ὀρέστης, αἳ δὲ κύκλῳ φρουροῦσαι αὐτόν. Haec non recte ad hunc versum adscripta esse videntur, quum deberent ad v. 97. adnotari. Eodem modo scholion, quod ad ipsum fabulae initium ponendum fuerat, ad v. 48. adscriptum est. Certe hic non cogitandum est de versis machinis. Nam non solum nulla caussa erat cur nunc Furiae conspicerentur, sed etiam importune poeta animos spectatorum novo isto et terribili adspectu Furiarum avocasset ab audiendo Apollinis et Orestis colloquio. Prodeunt ex templo Apollo, Orestes, Mercurius. Dixi de hac re in Opusculis vol. VI. 2. p. 163. et in Anualium Vindobonensium vol. CXI. p. 246. seqq. προδόσω G. Ald. προδώσο Rob.

mvp-comment-49-1 καὶ πρόσω γ᾽ ἀποστατῶν: Recte Blomfieldius καὶ πρόσω γ' ἀποστατῶν. Libri καὶ πρόσω δ᾽ ἀποστατῶν. Sed hic quidem και - δέ ineptum est.

mvp-comment-50-1 ἐχθροῖσι: ἐχθροῖς Ald. Pro πρέπων aliam lectionem, πέπων, memorat scholiastes.

mvp-comment-51-1 ἁλούσας: εἰλούσας Rob. Interpunctionem, quae post vлvo erat, post dous recte transtulit Bothius.

mvp-comment-52-1 ὕπνῳ πεσοῦσαι δ': Libri πεσοῦσαι δ', nisi quod πεσοῦμαι δ' Ven. πεποῦσαι δ' Ald. Quod in Opusc. VI. 2. p. 23. putabam, participium pro verbo finito positum esse, probari non potest, quia participium aoristi ita usurpari nequit. Non puto tamen aliquid mutandum esse, quamquam non inepte scriberetur ὕπνῳ πνέουσι δ', ut in Choeph. v. 611. sed videtur potius huiusmodi versus excidisse, ἐν τοῖςδε τοῖς θρόνοισιν ἀσθενεῖς πάρα. Quare lacunae signa posui.

mvp-comment-53-1 γραῖαι, παλαιαὶ παῖδες: Libri γραῖαι παλαιαὶ παῖδες. Adscriptum est in M. hoc scholion, sine lemmate, πολιαὶ γάρ (hoc ad γραῖαι παλαιαί pertinet). παῖδες, διὰ τὸ νέον· ἢ ἐπειδὴ ἄγαμοι καὶ παρθένοι εἰσί. τὸ ἀλλόκοτον δὲ τῆς φύσεως διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων τραγικώτερον διασύρει. Valckenarius ad Callimachi elegiarum fragmenta p. 147. "primum corrigebam,” inquit, “πέλουσι δ' αἱ κατάπτυστοι κόραι Γαίας παλαιαὶ παῖδες. et certe, secundum Hesiodum Theog. v. 185, Furias terra genuit: postea credere malui, vocem youîai esse vicinarum interpretamentum, Aeschylum dedisse Νυκτὸς παλαιαὶ παῖδες· ut infra v. 322. 419. 748. 1036.” (319. 408. 737. 1015.) "Servius in Virg. Αen. III. 212.” Ex his πέλουσι miror viro summo in mentem venisse, quem meminisse oportebat Euripidi facilius quam Aeschylo convenire huiusmodi expositionem, quae ad solos spectatores pertineret. Illud alterum autem, Νυκτός, et ingeniosum est et videtur esse verum.

mvp-comment-54-1 κἀγένοντ', ἐπεὶ κακὸν: ἐπὶ κακὸν G. Ald. Turn.

mvp-comment-55-1 μισήματ᾽: μίσημα τ' ἀνδρῶν G. Ald.

mvp-comment-56-1 ἐλῶσι ... μακρᾶς: ἑλῶσι G. Ald. μακρὰς G.

mvp-comment-57-1 βιβῶντ᾽ ἀν' ἀεὶ τὴν πλανοστιβῆ χθόνα: βεβῶντ᾽ ἂν αἰεὶ τὴν M. Par. Rob. βεβῶντ᾽ ἂν ἀείτην G. Ald. βεβόντ᾽ ἂν αἰεὶ τὴν Ven. Flor. βεβόντ' αἰεὶ τὴν Farn. βεβῶντ' ἀνατεὶ τὴν Turn. Deinde πλανοστηβῆ χθόνα Rob. Stephanus probavit ἀνατεί, sed βεβῶτα aut βιβῶντα scribendum putavit. Ει βεβῶν ἀνατεί editores receperunt. Dixi in Opusc. VI. 2. p. 24. scribendum esse ἂν ἀεί, ea praepositionis collocatione, a qua ne prosa quidem oratio abstinuit. Sic enim Plato Leg. VIII. p. 832. C. ἀλλ' ἀκόντων ἑκοῦσα ἄρχει σὺν ἀεί τινι βίᾳ. Verum non erat retinendum βεβῶτα, sed recepta altera Stephani coniectura, βιβῶντα, quae in librorum scriptura latet, ita scribendum, βιβῶντ᾽ ἂν ἀεὶ τὴν πλανοστιβῆ χθόνα. Non obstat quod ßißor in iis quas habemus tragicorum fabulis non invenitur. Vtitur eo verbo praeter epicos Pindarus.

mvp-comment-58-1 πόντον: πόντον Turnebus. πόντου M. G. Ven. Flor. Farn. Ald. Rob.

mvp-comment-59-1 βουκολούμενος: Non satis accurate scholiastes βουκολούμενος per περιέπων explicat. Inest enim in hoc verbo diu frustrati laboris significatio, neque active, sed passive intelligendum est.

mvp-comment-60-1 Παλλάδος ποτὶ πτόλιν: παλλάδος ποτὶ πτόλιν G. Ven. Flor. Ald. Turn. et ex emendatione Sophiani Rob. ποτὶ πτόλιν παλλάδος M. et codex Robortelli: sed in M. verus verborum ordo litteris asupra adscriptis indicatur.

mvp-comment-61-1 ἵζου ... ἄγκαθεν: ἕζου 'Turn. Αγκαθεν scholiastes recte interpretatur ἐν ἀγκάλαις. V. ad Ag. v. 3.

mvp-comment-62-1 μὴ ἀδικεῖν: μὴ ἀδικεῖν Ven. Flor. Farn. In Flor. Farn. συνίζησις adscriptum. μὴ ἀδικεῖν M. Rob. μὴδικεῖν G. Ald. Turn. μὴ δοκεῖν codex Robortelli.

mvp-comment-63-1 ἐπίστᾳ ... μὴ ἀμελεῖν: ἐπίστα Porsonus. ἐπίσται Μ. ἐπίστα ceteri. Deinde μὴ ἀμελεῖν Ven. Flor. Farn. συνίζησις adscriptum in Flor. Farn. μὴ μελεῖν Μ. μὴμελεῖν G. Turn. μὴ μελεῖν Ald. Rob.

mvp-comment-64-1 ἐκνόμων σέβας: τόδ' ἐκνύμων σέβας M. G. Ven. τόδ᾽ ἐκ νόμων σέβας Ald. Rob. Turn. xvóμwr an ix róuor habeant Flor. Farn. ignoratur. In Opusc. VI. 2. p. 25. putabam scribendum esse izvóµws, valde. Nihil mutandum est, sed retinendum τόδ᾽ ἐκνόμων σέβας. Recte scholiastes τὸ τῶν ἱκετῶν σέβισμα καὶ δέημα οὐ μόνον τιμᾷ ὁ Ζεύς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σέβει, ὁρῶν αὐτὸ ὁρμώμενον προςηκούσῃ τύχῃ. Suidas et Zonaras ἐκνόμοις, παρανόμοις. Est autem afinitas quaedam vocabulorum scelere contaminatos significantium et eos qui ob hanc caussam supplices ad templa deorum accedunt. Sic oоçτóñάiç sceleratum significat, idque etiam in talibus locis, a quibus propria huius vocabuli significatio alienissima est, ut in hac ipsa fabula v. 236. 437. Vt hic ¿zróµwv ot- Bas, ita v. 433. oeuvòs noosíztwo dicitur. Significatur autem misericordiam non deesse sceleratis a fido comite adiutis.

mvp-comment-65-1 εὕδοιτ᾽ ἄν: Abeunt Orestes et Mercurius. Apollo in templum revertitur. Clytemnestrae umbra per ávaníɛoua, quod in proscenio erat, emittitur.

mvp-comment-66-1 ὧν: Libri s. Rectissime Tyrwhittus et Wakefieldius dr. Sic legit scholiastes, male intelligens: adnotavit enim haec, kɛina ɛlµí, vnèg ὧν ἐφόνευσα Αγαμέμνονα ἀπώσασθε. καὶ οἱ ἐμὲ φονεύσαντες οὐκ áriμázovτai. Hoc dicit, me vero sic a vobis neglectam inter alios mortuos non deserunt opprobria eorum quos occidi, Agamemnonis. V. Opusc. VI. 2. p. 26. seq.

mvp-comment-67-1 ἀλῶμαι: ἄλωμαι Ald.

mvp-comment-68-1 παθοῦσα δ᾽: παθοῦσα γ' οὕτω Ven. Flor. Farn.

mvp-comment-69-1 οὐδεὶs ... ὑπέρ μου: ovdeis d' Ven. Flor. Farn. ὑπὲρ μοῦ G. Ald. et Bekkero teste Ven. ὑπερμοῦ Rob. ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ Farn.

mvp-comment-70-1 χερῶν: χειρῶν G. Ald.

mvp-comment-71-1 καρδίας ὅθεν: καρδίαι σέθεν Μ. καρδία σέθεν G. Par. Flor. καρδία σέθεν Ven. Farn. Rob. καρδίας σέθεν Ald. Turn. καρδίας ἔθεν, id ut esset idem quod quédev, Canterus scribendum putabat. Defendit Schoemannus καρδίᾳ σέθεν. Sed ad δρα plane inutiliter καρδίᾳ σέθεν additum esset, praesertim quum oé v prorsus supervacaneum sit. Scripsi, ut in Opusc. VI. 2. p. 28. scribendum esse dixeram, ὅρα δὲ πληγὰς τάςδε καρδίας ὅθεν. O. Müllero hanc emendationem eo evertere conanti, quod v. 582. Orestes matrem interfecisse dicitur ξιφουλκῇ χειρὶ πρὸς δέρην τεμών, assensus est Linwoodius. Quasi tam anxie haec rimanda essent, aut quasi nemo gladio superne iugulo alicuius defixo cor percutere possit. Ipse Linwoodius καρδίας σέθεν scripsit et πληγάς καρδίας metaphorice dictas ad convicia a Clytaemnestrae choro iniecta referendas putavit. Hoc nemo intellexisset. Contorta sunt et improbabilia quae Schne dewinus in Notitiis litterariis Gottingensibus a. 1845. p. 1948 seqq. de his versibus protulit.

mvp-comment-72-1 ὄμμασιν: uuao Victorius et sic Ven. ouao M. G. Flor. Ald. Rob. Turn.

mvp-comment-73-1 μοῖρ᾽ ἀπρόσκοπος βροτῶν: μοῖρα πρόσκοπος M. G. Ven. Flor. Farn. Ald. μοῖρα πρό-σκοπτος Rob. Recte Turnebus μοῖρ᾽ ἀπρόσκοπος ex hac scholiastae adnotatione, ἡ τῆς φρενὸς μοῖρα οὐ προορᾷ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ. Deinde libri Poorur, inepte. Scribendum, ut in Opusc. VI. 2. p. 29 dixi, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ δὲ μοῖρ᾽ ἀπρόσκοπος φρενῶν. Ita legit scholiastes, cuius adnotationem modo attuli. Stanleius praeter alia haec comparavit Ciceronis de divin. I. 30. quum ergo est somno serocalus animus a societate et contagione corporis, tum meminit praeteritorum, praesentia cernit, futura praevidet. Mirifice fallitur Linwoodius, qui hos duo versus 107. et 108. aliunde insertos putat. Recte scholiastes ἐν τῷ καθεύδειν ὁ νοῦς ἀκριβέστερον ὁρᾷ, μὴ παραπλανώμενος τῇ θέᾳ. τραγικώτερον δὲ τὸ εἴδωλον Κλυταιμνήστρας σώζει τὴν oqay. Haec igitur dicit Clytemnestra, vide haec vulnera cordis, a quo illata sunt: nam in somnis mens claro oculorum lumine utitur; interdiu vero non est eius sors ut longe videat.

mvp-comment-74-1 νηφάλια: mália Rob. Turn. vigáλia M. G. Ven. Flor. Farn. Ald.

mvp-comment-75-1 νυκτίσεμνα: νυκτίσεμνα Turn. νυκτίσεμνά Μ. νυκτὶ σεμνὰ G. Flor. Ald. Rob. et Bekkero teste Ven.

mvp-comment-76-1 ἔθυον: εv9vov Ald. male lecta scriptura codicis G. De accusativo our dixit Elmsleius ad Bacch. v. 722.

mvp-comment-77-1 καὶ πάντα ταῦτα: καὶ ταῦτα πάντα Par.

mvp-comment-78-1 ὃ δ᾽ ἐξαλύξας ... νεβροῦ: odişahé§as codex Robortelli: ipse ex emendatione Sophiani ó d'¿§akvğaç dedit, quod ceteri libri omnes habent. Deinde veßooũ M. Rob. vεzgov G. Ven. Flor. Ald. Turn. Deinde dízɛır Ald.

mvp-comment-79-1 ἀρκυστάτων: ἀρκυστάτων Turnebus. αρκυσμάτων Μ. ἀρκυσμάτων G. Ven. Flor. Par. Rob. άozioµátov Ald. dozvoμtwv ex Farn. affertur.

mvp-comment-80-1 ὑμῖν ... ἐγκατιλλώψας: ἡμῖν Bekkero teste Ven. Deinde ἐγκατιλλώψας Turn. ἐκκατιλλώψας M. G. Ven. (Bekkero teste). Flor. Farn. Ald. Rob. In Farn. glossa χλεβάσας, i. e. χλευάσας. In M. adscriptum χλευάσας, ἐγγελάσας. διὰ δὲ τούτων ερεθίζει αὐτάς.

mvp-comment-81-1 ἀκούσαθ᾽ ὡς ἔλεξα: Nihil hic mutandum erat. Audite, inquit: nam de capitali meo periculo loquor: recipite mentem el cogitationem, expergefactae.

mvp-comment-82-1 Κλυταιμνήστρα: κλυταιμνήστρας Ven. Recte Wakefieldius et Schützius intellexerunt hoc dicere Clytaemnestram, ego illa Clytemnestra, quae umbra sum el somnium, vos invoco.

mvp-comment-83-1 NA: Sequuntur epodica: respondet enim uvyμòs uvyµ@, wyμòs ὠγμῷ, et deinde epodum constituit μυγμὸς ille διπλοῦς ὀξύς, et quae somnians loquitur chorus. Chori nomen versibus 120. 123. 126. 129. 132. praefixum in Rob. Turn. In Ald. versibus 120. 126. In M. personae lineolis distinctae sunt. Omissae personarum notae in G. In Ven. Flor. Farn. versibus 120. 123. 126. 129. praefixum nóλλwv.

mvp-comment-84-1 ἀνὴρ: Libri ário, nisi quod avio est in Farn.

mvp-comment-85-1 προςίκτορες: Huic versui άn'. praefixum in Rob. Libri φίλοις γάρ εἰσιν οὐκ ἐμοῖς προσέκτορες, et G. quidem commate post εἰσιν posito. yag eloìv Ald. Rob. Horum verborum quae prolatae sunt explicationes, ipsis Graecis verbis obscuriores sunt. Schützius scribendum putavit qi- λοι γὰρ εἰσίν, οὐκ ἐμοί, προςίκτορος, quod sic interpretatur, sunt enim (dii) amici cius supplicis, sive eum supplicem recepturi, iidemque mihi haud amici. At haec sententia et alium verborum ordinem et ¿uov requireret. Quod olim dedi, φίλοι γὰρ εἰσὶν οὐκ ἐμοὶ προςίκτορες, που est mihi amicum praesidium, propterea displicet, quod qio non recte in initio positum est. Scribendum est, ut in Opusc. VI. 2. p. 32. seqq. demonstravi, φίλοις γάρ εἰσιν, οὐκ ἐμοί, προςίκτορες, cognatis enim meis sunt, non mihi, ad quorum praesidium confugiant. Iposizτoges hic non supplices, ut v. 433. sed eos significat, ad quos quis supplex accedit. Sic Ζεὺς ἀφίκτωρ in initio Supplicum, sic προς- Tónшos, et alia: ipsum nomen izétys sic quidam accipiebant, de qua re v. Eustathium p. 1807, 5.

mvp-comment-86-1 ἄγαν ... ὑπνώσσεις: ayar y Ven. Flor. Farn. υπνώσεις Rob.

mvp-comment-87-1 ὠγμός: ωγμός Rob. μωγμὸς M. Ven. Flor. μυγμός G. Farn. Ald. Turn. sed in G. v puncto notatum et supra scriptum w.

mvp-comment-88-1 ὤζεις ... οὐκ: άζεις G. Ald. ώξεις Rob. Eustathius p. 127, 10. παρὰ τὸ ὦ ὤζω ἐν Αἰσχύλῳ. 7/1 O. Müllero scribendum videbatur Çaç vaνός- oovo'; Ea mutatione non opus est. οὐκ Μ. G. Ald. Rob. Turn. κοὐκ Ven. Flor. Farn. Deinde libri dvaotion.

mvp-comment-89-1 πέπρακται: Non opus est ut néлgazia ex Stanleii Bentleiique sententia in néлgora, aut, ut Wakefieldius volebat, in tétaxta mutetur. In Prometheo quidem v. 521. est τί γὰρ πέπρωται Ζηνὶ πλὴν ἀεὶ κραττεiv; hic non minus recte dici videtur, quid tibi aliud agitur negolium quam mala perpetrare? Neque fortasse aliter intellexit scholiastes, qui haec adscripsit τί οὖν μέλλεις τὸ σὸν ἔργον ἀνύειν;

mvp-comment-90-1 ὠγμός: ώγμός Rob.

mvp-comment-91-1 ἐξεκήραναν: ἐξεκράαναν Par.

mvp-comment-92-1 μυγμὸς διπλοῦς ὀξύς: In Rob. ante dinkovs insertum z2. sequens autem versus rursus choro tributus est. In Ven. Flor. et, ut videtur, etiam in Farn. versui 133. praefixum yogòs evµevídwr.

mvp-comment-93-1 κλαγγαίνεις: Libri zλayyaivas. Dindorfio, ut antea Wakefieldio, scribendum videtur κλαγγάνεις, αἱ ἐπανακλαγγάνειν est apud Xenophontem et κλαγγάνειν in versu Sophoclis apud Strabonem XV. p. 687. όπου τις ὄρνις οὐχὶ κλαγγάνει, ubi codex Med. 3. κλαγκάζει habet. Non puto zhayyaivas mutandum esse. Lobeckius enim in Pathol. proleg. p. 37. complura verba in aivo et άo desinentia ex eadem radice orta affert. Potuit igitur κλαγγαίνειν dici ut κλαγγάζειν.

mvp-comment-94-1 οὔποτ᾽: οὔπω τ' Rob.

mvp-comment-95-1 τί δρᾷς;: ti dous; Rob. Ceteri, ut videtur, omnes ví dous; Non recte hic diceretur quid agis? sed dicendum erat ecquid agis? i. e. agedum. Itaque scribendum τὶ δρᾷς;

mvp-comment-96-1 ἀγνοήσῃς ... μαλθαχθεῖσ᾽: ἀγνοήσεις Par. Deinde μαλαχθεὶς Ven. Farn. μαλαχθεῖσ᾽ Rob.

mvp-comment-16-1 ἀκταίνειν] Schol.

Hesych.

μετεωρίζειν,

pedem levare. A similar form occurs Od. ΧΧΙΙΙ. 3

πόδες δ' ὑπερικταίνοντο.

Plat. Legg. 11. p. 672 c

καὶ ὅταν ἀκταινώσῃ ἑαυτὸ τάχιστα, ἀτάκτως αὖ πηδᾷ.

mvp-comment-17-1 χερσίν] By the support of my hands against the wall. The Schol. (unless indeed he records a stage tradition) seems wrongly to explain ἔξεισι τετραποδηδόν.

mvp-comment-18-1 ἀντίπαις] Rather she is as a child. Cf. Cho. 128

‘and I am no better than a slave.'

mvp-comment-19-1 The recent act of murder is described, as the Schol. remarks, in this verse.

mvp-comment-20-1 τῇδε γάρ] For in this respect (viz. the size of the tufts and the sober method of the arrangement, unlike that of some mad fanatic) I will give a clear account. Cf. Soph. El. 643

The Schol. says the interior of the shrine was seen by the spectators; but this does not seem certain. There is nothing in the narrative to suggest more than a description of what has scared the speaker. Indeed, the statement here is inconsistent with that at v. 64, where he says the interior of the shrine is now displayed by the eccyclema. car-

mvp-comment-21-1 τύποις] The earliest sculptures were ugly Gorgonheads cut in shallow relief, and called τύποι perhaps from a resemblance to heads on coins. She proceeds to say that she has seen drawings or paintings of winged winged harpies rying off the dinner from Phineus; but these Furies were different, in that they had no wings. The Argonautic story was well known to both Aeschylus and Pindar. It is alluded to also in Cho. 620 seqq.

mvp-comment-22-1 οὐ πλατοῖσι] not to be approached.

mvp-comment-23-1 καὶ κόσμος] Their dress, too, was such as neither could be brought as an offering to the statues of the gods (like the peplus to Pallas) nor admitted into the abodes of men.

mvp-comment-24-1 τὸ φύλον] the tribe or race to which they could be supposed to belong. Schol.

‘nor know I what land can aver that it rears this brood without harm to itself, and has not to repent afterwards of its pains.' -πόνον, Schol.

τὸν

(MS. τὸ) τῆς ἀνατροφῆς.

mvp-comment-25-1 τἀντεῦθεν] quae sequuntur. The priestess now retires, leaving to Apollo himself to get rid of the foul monsters which have beset and defiled his shrine.

mvp-comment-26-1 τοῖσιν ἄλλοις] i.e. and therefore much more so to himself. Schol.

mvp-comment-27-1 Apollo himself appears (apparently as an actor on the stage, though this is not certain). No! he exclaims, I will not desert you! I will watch over and guard you to the end, either at your side or from a distance, and I will show no gentleness to your enemies. We might conceive that Apollo appeared as in the air, by the μηχανὴ, and that this verse really means Even though far from you, as much as if I were close by you. Yet, as an interlocutor throughout the play, it would be difficult to suppose he always spoke from the μηχανή. - The use of καὶ δὲ is not common in tragedy, though very frequent in the later Attic prose. See Pers. 263, 548 . -πέπων, mitis, opposed to ὠμός, stern.

mvp-comment-28-1 This verse is corrupt, and the scholia give no help. Perhaps κόπῳ δ᾽ ὑπνώσσουσ᾽ αἱ κ. κ., in which case ἁλούσας, caught, will mean in my power, unable to stir, the capturers being themselves captured.

mvp-comment-29-1 οὐ μίγνυται] The sense is purposely ambiguous between cohabit and associate. So Homer says of Calypso, Od. νι. 288

mvp-comment-30-1 κακῶν ἕκατι] Their very existence is due to the existence of evil; if there were no crimes there would be no Furies to punish them. This is inferred from the race being altogether hellish and excluded from heaven.

mvp-comment-31-1 ὅμως] Though they are now asleep, you must continue your flight, for they will pursue you even through the spacious mainland, as well as over the sea and to island settlements.

mvp-comment-32-1 βιβῶντ'] This is an epic and Pindaric form. (See Veitch, Gr. V. p. 132 .) The Med. has βεβῶντ'. For the separation of avà Hermann compares Plat. Legg. VIII. p. 832 c

So also Eur. El. 1121

ὁρᾷς; ἀν᾿ αὐ σὺ ζωπυρεῖς νείκη νέα.

mvp-comment-33-1 βουκολούμενος] Brooding over. Schol.

Cf. Ag. 652

έβουκολοῦμεν φροντίσιν νέον πάθος.

For προκάμνειν, to give in too soon, cf. Herc. F. 119

μὴ προκάμητε πόδα βαρύ τε κώλον.

Thuc. 11. 39

περιγίγνεται ἡμῖν τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἀλγεινοῖς μὴ προκάμνειν.

mvp-comment-34-1 ἵζου] sit as a suppliant at the ancient wooden image (distinguished as Πολιάς) in the Erechtheum. -ἄγκαθεν, Schol.

See Ag. 3 .

mvp-comment-35-1 ἔπεισα] The emphasis is on this word: You were persuaded to slay your mother, and therefore it was not altogether ἑκὼν φόνος.—κτανεῖν, as inf. 96 ἔκτανον, a somewhat rare form for the usual Attic ἀποκτεῖναι.

mvp-comment-36-1 Orestes, in acknowledging the universally received title of Apollo as the god of Justice, begs him to use his omnipotence in looking after and protecting him. It is remarkable that these three verses are the only words that Orestes utters till he arrives at the Athenian Acropolis, ν. 226.

mvp-comment-37-1 μέμνησο] This refers to the injunction just given μὴ πρόκαμνε κ.τ.λ. Cf. Agam. 803 .

mvp-comment-38-1 κάρτα ἐπώνυμος, as in Theb. 655 , is true to your name, a brief phrase for κάρτα παρέχων πομπὴν ἧς ἐπώνυμος εἶ.

mvp-comment-39-1 This verse is corrupt. The Scholium is in some way confused, but the words ὁρῶν αὐτὸ ὁρμώμενον προσηκούσῃ τύχῃ suggest that he read τόδ' εἰσορῶν γέρας. Or from the gloss τὸ τῶν ἱκετῶν σέβισμα καὶ δέημα we might conjecture τόδ' ἱκτήρων οι ἱκτόρων γέρας. We can hardly defend σέβει σέβας, even if ἐκνόμων meant outlaws. Orestes here leaves the stage under the charge of Hermes, and Apollo retires, perhaps, into the adytum. After a brief pause the ghost of Clytemnestra rises through the trap-door called ἀναπίεσμα, and rouses the slumbering Furies to inform them that their captive has escaped. Schol.

Sleep on, ho! But we want not sleepers. While I am thus slighted by you, I am continually haunted among the other dead as a Murderess, and wander among the shades in disgrace. The syntax is equivalent to ἀεὶ ὀνειδίζομαι. The Schol. appears to have found ὧν μὲν ἔκτανον, for he explains, 'I am held in no regard by you for having killed my husband, but those who slew me are not slighted by you, but persecuted. The general sense must be, I am blamed for killing him, because you, the Furies, and the other infernal powers, are indifferent to my having been slain by my own son;' and thus attention is directed to my crime alone, and its punishment is thought to be just.

mvp-comment-40-1 κείνων ὕπο] Schol.

viz. the νεκροὶ or φθιτοὶ who attend him as a King in Hades.

mvp-comment-41-1 The Med. has ὅρα δὲ and σέθεν. But the verb is in the plural throughout this speech, and the sense is much simpler, See this wound over my heart, from whose hand it proceeded. The Schol. here observes, It is a tragic device to make the ghost of Clytemnestra retain the wound where she was stabbed.

mvp-comment-42-1 εὕδουσα γάρ] 'See it, I say, even in your sleep; for the mind in sleep can see brightly with its eyes; it is in the day that it is the lot of man not to have the power of foresight. This is one of the Pythagorean theories about dreams, to which the poet often alludes. Compare Xen. Cyr. VIII. 7, 21

. We have 'the mind's eye,' φρένα ὠμματωμένην, Cho. 839 . For βροτῶν, which may well refer to a general proposition as the lot of mankind, the Schol. seems to have read φρενῶν.

mvp-comment-43-1 ἐλείξατε] You licked up, or, lapped. They are described as hounds with lolling tongues, who had been propitiated by wineless libations at the family altar at the solemn hour of midnight. -ἀοίνους, see inf. 975. Oed. Col. 100, 481 .

mvp-comment-44-1 κούφως] See Pers. 101 , Ag. 350, 1347 . He has escaped, she says, like a nimble stag from the very middle of the stake-net, thereby mocking you sorely. Schol.

Pollux, 11. 52 , gives ἰλλώπτειν and κατιλλώπτειν as comic words. The words ἴλλειν and ἰλλὸς expressed rolling or leering with the eyes, as ἰλλὸς γεγένημαι προσδοκῶν, Αr. Thesm. 846 . -τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς. This is used ambiguously, since the speaker is a ψυχὴ or spirit; but the phrase commonly means a struggle or contest for life. – φρονήσατε, ‘ be conscious, viz. of your duties and your mission. This imperative occurs Soph. Ant. 49

οἴμοι, φρόνησον, ὦ κασιγνήτη.

mvp-comment-45-1 ὄναρ] See v. 126. I address you as a vision addresses one in a dream, i. e. not appealing to your bodily senses, but to your spiritual intelligence quickened by sleep. Lit. for it is in your slumber that I call upon you now, the waking-scene being yet to follow. And it seems that the ghost applied some vigorous measures to the snoring and insensible company.

mvp-comment-46-1 μύζοιτ᾽ ἄν] See 94 and 180. The moaning noise, or a sound representing uneasy dreamers, is here indicated by the stage-notes ( παρεπιγραφαί), μυγμός, ὠγμός, &c. In the next verse ἐμοὶ is Hermann's correction for ἐμοῖς. The sense is, There are gods (who protect their friends, Apollo and Pallas), but none who aid me, and therefore the murderer has escaped. Thus Ζεὺς ἀφίκτωρ is the patron of Suppliants in Suppl. 1 .

mvp-comment-47-1 Ας φεύζειν is to cry φεῦ, so ὤζειν is to cry Oh! Ar. Vesp. 1526

Aeschylus used τέκνοις ἐπώζειν, to wail over her children, in the Niobe, which Hesychius misinterprets of a hen sitting on her eggs. See inf. 337.

mvp-comment-48-1 τεύχειν κακά ( Cho. 717 ), to go on doing harm, virtually means to make matters worse, since now the culprit can exult in his escape.

mvp-comment-49-1 δρακαίνης] The fell she-dragon is the leader of the chorus, who has been addressed in the two preceding couplets. -κηραίνειν, referred by Curtius, Gr. Et. 147 , to a root κειρ, is perhaps different from κηραίνειν ‘to have at heart,' to care for. See Suppl. 976 . Trach. 29

Schol.

παρείλοντο.

Hesych.

ἐξεκήρανεν· ἐξέφθειρεν.

mvp-comment-50-1 φράζου] Mark him! They are dreaming, says the Schol., that they are pursuing Orestes. Accordingly Clytemnestra says, It is in a dream (only) that you are chasing the beast, and making these uneasy sounds, as a dog barks when not even asleep he gives up his fondness for the toil. This characteristic of the dog is described by Lucretius, Iv. 992-6 .

mvp-comment-20-1 διάλειμμα γίνεται). πρὸς (παρ᾿ Μ) ὀλίγον ἔρημος ἡ σκηνὴ γίνεται. οὔτε γὰρ ὁ χορός) πω πάρεστιν, ἥ τε ἱέρεια εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν ναόν. τὰ δεινὰ ἐξέπεμψέ με τοῦ μαντείου. ἰδοῦσα γὰρ Ὀρέστην ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ καὶ τὰς Ἐρινύας κοιμωμένας, ἔξεισι τεταραγμένη τετραποδηδὸν ἐκ τοῦ νεώ.

mvp-comment-21-1 διὰ τὸ γῆρας. κουφίζειν· σημαίνει) δὲ καὶ τὸ γαυριᾶν καὶ ἀτάκτως πηδᾶν (s. Plat. Leg. II, 672 C).

mvp-comment-22-1 ἱκέτην.

mvp-comment-23-1 (zu νεοσπ.) ἐμφατικῶς τοῦτο νεωστὶ ηὐθεντηκότα (αὐθ. Μ) παρίστησιν. νεωστὶ ἐσπασμένον.

mvp-comment-24-1 εἰώθασιν, ὅταν ἀσαφές τι εἴπωσιν, οἱ ποιηταὶ ἐπεκδιδάσκειν αὐτό. Ὅμηρος (Ε 586) „κύμβαχος ἐν κονίηισιν, ἐπὶ βρεγμόν τε καὶ ὤμους“.

mvp-comment-25-1 τῶν Ἐρινύων.

mvp-comment-26-1 πρὸς τὸ φοβερὸν τῆς ὄψεως.

mvp-comment-27-1 ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ Αρπυίας αὐτὰς λέγω· εἶδον γὰρ αὐτὰς ἐν γραφῆι πτερωτάς.

mvp-comment-28-1 ἃς τις βδελύξαιτο καὶ ἐκτραπείη (so!) μισήσας. σκυθρωποί.

mvp-comment-29-1 οἷον αἱματηράν.

mvp-comment-30-1 ὃν ἔχουσι περικείμενον (Scal. für παρακ.) ἑαυταῖς.

mvp-comment-31-1 οὐδέποτε τοιοῦτον γένος εἶδον. συνηθείας, συνουσίας, συστήματος.

mvp-comment-32-1 τὸν (Herm. f. τὸ) τῆς ἀνατροφῆς.

mvp-comment-33-1 ὥστε εἰ θεραπείας χρεία, ἰατρός ἐστιν· εἶἴτε μαντείας, τερατοσκόπος· εἴτε καθαρμῶν, καθάρσιος.

mvp-comment-34-1 πόσωι μᾶλλον τῶν ἰδίων.

mvp-comment-35-1 ἐπιφανεὶς Ἀπόλλων συμβουλεύει Ὀρέστηι καταλιπεῖν μὲν τὸ μαντεῖον, φυγεῖν δὲ εἰς Ἀθήνας. καὶ δευτέρα δὲ γίνεται φαντασία. στραφέντα γὰρ μηχανήματα ἔνδηλα ποιεῖ τὰ κατὰ τὸ μαντεῖον ὡς ἔχει καὶ γίνεται ὄψις τραγική· τὸ μὲν ξίφος ἡιμαγμένον ἔτι κατέχων Ορέστης, αἱ δὲ κύκλωι φρουροῦσαι αὐτόν. πρὸς Ὀρέστην φησίν· ἀπέστη γὰρ ἡ ἱέρεια.

mvp-comment-36-1 ἐπίστασαι,

mvp-comment-37-1 τὸ δὲ σὸν σθένος ἀσφαλές ἐστιν εἰς τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν.

mvp-comment-38-1 γράφεται πρέπων“, οὐχ ὅμοιος (Paley st. - ον)· αἱ μὲν γὰρ καθεύδουσιν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐγρήγορα.

mvp-comment-39-1 πολιαὶ γάρ· παῖδες διὰ τὸ νέον, ἢ ἐπειδὴ ἄγαμοι καὶ παρθένοι εἰσί. τὸ ἀλλόκοτον δὲ τῆς φύσεως διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων τραγικώτερον διασύρει.

mvp-comment-40-1 ἕνεκεν τοῦ κακοποιεῖν.

mvp-comment-41-1 ἐλάσουσι (Ddf. f. -ωσι).

mvp-comment-42-1 περιέπων.

mvp-comment-43-1 ταῖς ἀγκάλαις.

mvp-comment-44-1 τὸ τῶν ἱκετῶν σέ-

mvp-comment-45-1 ὅδιος γὰρ ὁ θεός (auch f).

mvp-comment-46-1 φυλάσσων. βισμα καὶ δέημα οὐ μόνον τιμᾶι ὁ Ζεύς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σέβει, ὁρῶν αὐτὸ ὁρμώμενον προσηκούσηι τύχηι.

mvp-comment-47-1 ὁ μὲν Ὀρέστης φυγῆι οἴχεται Ἀθήναζε πυθόμενος· αἱ δὲ Ἐρινύες μόναι καθεύδουσιν, ὑπὸ πόνου ἴσως καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος, τοῦ τραγωιδοποιοῦ τοῦτο ἐπιτηδεύσαντος, ἵνα διὰ τούτου ἐμφάνηι (hellenist. f. -ήνηι; -ανῆ Μ) τὸ ἄγριον αὐτῶν καὶ χαλεπόν. πῶς δὲ διεγείρονται; οὐχ ὑπὸ Ἀπόλλωνος, οὐδὲ ὑφ᾽ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ἄλληι φαντασίᾶι. ἐφίσταται γὰρ τὸ εἴδωλον Κλυταιμήστρας καὶ μεμψάμενον ἀνεγείρει, ὥστε ποικίλαις φαντασίαις πεπύκνωται.

mvp-comment-48-1 λείπει εἰμί. ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐφόνευσα Αγαμέμνονα ἀπώσασθε καὶ οἱ ἐμὲ φονεύσαντες οὐκ ἀτιμάζονται. παιδευτικὰ δὲ ταῦτα· τὸ γὰρ τοὺς ἐναγεῖς καὶ μετὰ θάνατον ὑπὸ νεκρῶν ἀτιμάζεσθαι ἱκανῶς ἔχεται παιδεύσεως.

mvp-comment-49-1 ἐν

mvp-comment-50-1 καὶ σφαγεῖσα αἰτιῶμαι ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν, τῶν περὶ Ἀγαμέμνονα. τῶι καθεύδειν ὁ νοῦς ἀκριβέστερον ὁρᾶι, μὴ παραπλανώμενος τῆι θέᾶι. τραγικώτερον δὲ τὸ εἴδωλον Κλυταιμήστρας σώιζει τὴν σφαγήν.

mvp-comment-51-1 ἡ τῆς φρενὸς μοῖρα οὐ προορᾶι ἐν ἡμέρᾶι.

mvp-comment-52-1 οἶνος γὰρ οὐ σπένδεται Ἐρινύσιν.

mvp-comment-53-1 ἔθυον ἐν ἡι οὐδεὶς τῶν θεῶν ἐκοινώνει τῆς θυσίας ὑμῖν. ἐν γὰρ τῶι μεσονυκτίωι μόναις Ἐρινύσιν ἀπάρχονται. ὅτι (auf ein χ) ταύταις μόναις ἐν νυκτὶ θύουσιν.

mvp-comment-54-1 διὰ τὸ πεφευγέναι ἐκ τοῦ νεώ.

mvp-comment-55-1 χλευάσας, ἐγγελάσας (auch f). διὰ δὲ τούτων ἐρεθίζει αὐτάς.

mvp-comment-56-1 παρεπιγραφή. τοῦτο δὲ ἐστιν ὁ φησιν ὁ ποιητής (ΙΙ. Δ 20) „αἱ δ᾽ ἐπέμυξαν“. τὸ δὲ (εὐθὺς) ἐγείρεσθαι (ἐγ. (ἀθρόως) Weckl. nach Schol. 140) τὰς παρειμένας ὕπνωι οὐ πιθανόν· κατὰ βραχὺ οὖν ἐκ προσβάσεως τὴν ἔγερσιν ποιήσονται.

mvp-comment-57-1 ὡς παρὰ) τὸ αἳ αἳ αἰάζειν, οὕτω παρὰ) τὸ ὦ ὦ ὤιζειν.

mvp-comment-58-1 τί οὖν μέλλεις τὸ σὸν ἔργον ἀνύειν

mvp-comment-59-1 συνωμοσίαν ποιήσαντες κατεκοίμισαν ὑμᾶς.

mvp-comment-60-1 παρείλοντο.

mvp-comment-61-1 ὀνειροπολοῦσαι διώκειν Ὀρέστην τοῦτό φασιν (φησιν) Μ).

mvp-comment-1-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 251

mvp-comment-1-2 Prolog, wenn man das Erwachen der Erinyen 140-178 als Parodos und das zweite Erscheinen derselben 244-275 als Epiparodos gelten läfst. Andernfalls müfste man den Prolog bis zum eigentlichen Auftreten des Chors als der wirklichen Parodos, also 1-243 rechnen. Die Pythia, welche als Greisin (38) sich auf einen Stab stützt, kommt (durch eine Seitenthüre der Hinterwand) aus einem Nebenraume des Tempels zum Haupteingange desselben und verrichtet vor dem Eintritt ein Gebet (30 f.). Sie hat die χρηστηρία ἐσθής wie Kasandra in Agamemnon (zu Ag. 774 ). Gut bemerkt der Schol. :

(d. h. die Exposition ist nicht unvermittelt wie bei Euripides, sondern wohl motiviert). τὰ δὲ πρῶτα εὐχαὶ καὶ ἐπικλήσεις θεῶν, ἵνα ἀπὸ τῶν εὐφημοτέρων ἄρξηται ἡ προφῆτις (in der That breitet das Gebet der Priesterin über den Anfang eine weihevolle Stimmung aus). οἰκονομικῶς δὲ οὐκ ἐν ἀρχῇ διώκεται Ὀρέστης, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ δράματος κατατάττει, ταμιευόμενος τὰ ἀκμαιότατα ἐν μέσῳ.

mvp-comment-24-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 255

mvp-comment-24-2 δεινὰ . . δεινὰ δέ wie δεινὰ μὲν . . δεινὰ δέ.

mvp-comment-25-1 ¹

mvp-comment-25-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 255

mvp-comment-25-3 ὡς, ὥστε. σωκεῖ· ἰσχύει Hesych. Also οὐ σωκεῖν „ohnmächtig sein". ἀκταίνειν: Schol. κουφίζειν, Hesych. μετεωρίζειν. In Bekk. Anecd. p. 23, 12 wird οὐκέτ᾽ ἀκταίνω als Ausdruck des Aschylos mit οὐκέτι δύναμαι ὀρθοῦν ἐμαυτήν und Etym. M. p. 54 ein Fragm. des Aschylos ἀκταῖνον μένος mit ἀνάγον καὶ δυνάμενον ἀνορθοῦν erklärt. Darnach bedeutet οὐκ ἀκταίνειν βάσιν nicht aufrecht gehen können".

mvp-comment-26-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 255

mvp-comment-26-2 Gegen die Ansicht des Schol. :

τεταραγμένη τετραποδηδὸν ἐκ τοῦ νεώ bemerkt mit Recht Hermann (nach Stanley): nihil aliud sacerdos indicat quam manuum adiumento sibi ad incedendum opus esse. Vgl. Eur. Hek. 1058 . Mit ποδωκεία σκελῶν vgl. 916 ἀστύνικον πόλιν, Sept. 207

αστυδρομουμέναν πόλιν

, 716 κτεάνων χρηματοδαίτας.

mvp-comment-27-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 255

mvp-comment-27-2 γραῦς: nach Diod. XVI 26 waren im Anfang die Priesterinnen Jungfrauen; nach der Entführung einer Priesterin aber beschlossen die Delpher, nur Frauen über 50 Jahren das Priesteramt anzuvertrauen. Diesen Gebrauch der späteren Zeit verlegt Aschylos in das Altertum. οὐδέν: Suppl. 757

, Eur. Iph. T. 115 δειλοὶ δ᾽ εἰσὶν οὐδὲν οὐδαμοῦ. ἀντίπαις wie ἀντίκεντρα 136, ἀντίδουλος Cho. 135 . μὲν οὖν (immo vero) wie Ag. 1075 , 1395.

mvp-comment-28-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 255

mvp-comment-28-2 Die Orakelstätte war, wie in Theben der Vogelschauersitz des Tiresias ( Eur. Bakch. 350 ), mit στέμ ματα (wollenen Binden) gekennzeichnet. Vgl. Einl. S. 17 N. 2. Eur. Ion 222

, 1309 ΚΡ. ἤν γ᾽ ἐντὸς ἀδύτων τῶνδέ με σφάξαι θέλῃς. ΙΩΝ. τίς ἡδονή σοι θεοῦ θανεῖν ἐν στέμμασι; Aristoph. Plut. 39

τί δῆτα Φοῖβος ἔλακεν ἐκ τῶν στεμ μάτων; μυχόν

und ὀμφαλῷ wie Cho. 953 . Die Auflösung im fünften Furse ist wie Prom.52 gebildet.

mvp-comment-29-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 255

mvp-comment-29-2 ἕδραν προστρόπαιον: dafs Orestes als Schutzflehender dort kniet, verrät besonders der Zweig, von dem weifse wollene Bänder herabhängen. Vgl. Cho. 1033 , Soph. Oed. T. 2 τίνας ποθ᾽ ἕδρας τάσδε μοι θοάζετε ἱκτηρίοις κλάδοισιν ἐξεστεμμένοι; αἵματι στάζοντα χεῖρας wie Soph. Ai. 10

, wofür Burges νεοσταγές vermutet, verbindet zwei Vorstellungen:,,gezückt und von frischem Blut gerötet".

mvp-comment-30-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 256

mvp-comment-30-2 Vgl. zu Cho. 1033 .

mvp-comment-31-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 256

mvp-comment-31-2 λῆνος wird als minder gewöhnliches, vielleicht sakrales Wort im folg. V. erklärt. Vgl. Sept. 476

. Zwischen μεγίστῳ und σωφρόνως besteht scheinbar ein Widerspruch, in Wirklichkeit nicht, weil hier die Gröfse (die Länge der wollenen Binden) ein Kennzeichen der Unterwürfigkeit ist.

mvp-comment-32-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 256

mvp-comment-32-2 Γοργόνας: sie gleichen den Gorgonen durch die Schlangenhaare und die dunklen Gewänder. Vgl. zu Cho. 1046 u. 1048. Äschylos giebt hier welchen Gestalten er die Elemente seines Furienbildes entnommen hat. Hom. E 741 Γοργείη κεφαλὴ δεινοῖο πελώρου δεινή τε σμερδνή τε, Διός τέρας αιγιόχοιο.

mvp-comment-32-3 ²

mvp-comment-33-1 ³

mvp-comment-33-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 256

mvp-comment-33-3 D. i. und doch weicht ihre Gestalt auch wieder von der der Gorgonen ab. Vgl. die ähnliche Darstellung Suppl. 285

mvp-comment-34-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 256

mvp-comment-34-2 γεγραμμένας d. i. gemalte weibliche Wesen. Ähnlich Eur. Ion 209

; Durch Φινέως δεῖπνον φερούσας (άρπαζούσας) sind sie hinreichend als die Harpyien gekennzeichnet. ,,Flügel allerdings haben diese nicht (insofern gleichen sie den Harpyien nicht), schwarz aber, durchaus scheufslich sind sie (insofern gleichen sie ihnen). ἄπτεροι: vgl. 250. Dagegen Eur. Or. 317 δρομά δες ὦ πτεροφόροι ποτνιάδες θεαί .. μελάγχρωτες Εὐμενίδες. Dunkel sind die Erinyen als die Kinder der Nacht (69). Eur. Or. 408 νυκτὶ προσφερεῖς κόρας. Nicht nur die Kleidung (353, Cho. 1047 ), sondern auch die Hautfarbe ( Eur. El. 1345 χρῶτα κελαιναί, Or. 321 μελάγχρωτες) ist schwarz, wiewohl Aristoph. Plut. 422 f. der Erinye in der Tragödie Blässe des Gesichts zugeschrieben wird. Von den Harpyien haben sie vielleicht auch lange Krallen an den Fingern und struppige Haare.

mvp-comment-35-1 ⁴

mvp-comment-35-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 256

mvp-comment-35-3 ἀπλάτοισι : Prom. 387

und τη φυσιάμασιν Hor. sat. II 8, 95 velut illis Canidia adflasset peior serpentibus Afris.

mvp-comment-36-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 257

mvp-comment-36-2 κόσμος: Strabon III p. 175 τὰς δ᾽ ἄλλας (nämlich τὰς Καττιτερίδας) οἰκοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι μελάγ χλαινοι, ποδήρεις ἐνδεδυκότες χιτῶνας, ἐζωσμένοι περὶ τὰ στέρνα, μετὰ ῥάβδων περιπατοῦντες ὅμοιοι ταῖς τραγικαῖς Ποιναῖς. Der Gürtel, welchen sie um das lange dunkle Gewand tragen, ist nach Diog. L. VI 102 purpurrot ( ζώνη φοινική). κόσμος φέρειν δίκαιος für κόσμον φέρειν δίκαιόν ἐστι wie Hom. X 13

, Soph. Oed. K. 37 ἔχεις γὰρ χῶρον οὐχ ἁγνὸν πατεῖν.

mvp-comment-37-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 257

mvp-comment-37-2 Geschlecht und Art dieser Gesellschaft habe ich noch nicht gesehen. Hom. E 441 οὔποτε φύλον ὁμοῖον ἀθανάτων τε θεῶν χαμαὶ ἐρχομένων τ᾿ ἀνθρώπων.

mvp-comment-38-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 257

mvp-comment-38-2 οὐδὲ, nämlich ὄπωπα ( οἶδα).

mvp-comment-39-1 ⁵

mvp-comment-39-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 257

mvp-comment-39-3 πόνον· τὸν τῆς ἀνατροφῆς Schol.

mvp-comment-40-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 257

mvp-comment-40-2 Λοξία μεγασθενεῖ wie Cho. 268

.

mvp-comment-41-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 257

mvp-comment-41-2 ἰατρόμαντις wie Suppl. 269

Aristoph. Plut. 11

ἰατρὸς ὢν καὶ μάντις

.

mvp-comment-42-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 257

mvp-comment-42-2 τοῖσιν ἄλλοις: er möge also auch für die Reinheit seines Hauses sorgen. Apollon, der Gott des Lichtes, ist vorzugsweise der reinigende und sühnende Gott, wie sich besonders an seine Feste Reinigungen und Sühnungen anknüpften. Nachdem die Priesterin in ihre Äschylos, Qrestie, v. WECKLEIN. Wohnung (zu 1) zurückgegangen ist, wird das Innere des Heiligtums sichtbar: στραφέντα μηχανήματα ἔνδηλα ποιεῖ τὰ κατὰ τὸ μαντείον ὡς ἔχει. καὶ γίνεται ὄψις τραγική τὸ μὲν ξίφος ἡμαγμένον ἔτι κατέχων Ὀρέστης, αἳ δὲ κύκλῳ φρουροῦσαι αὐτόν Schol. Nach diesen Worten zu schliefsen, kam nicht das ἐκκύκλημα zur Anwendung, sondern das στροφεῖον, das die Bestimmung hatte eine Fernsicht zu geben, dessen Beschaffenheit aber aus der Beschreibung bei Poll. IV 132 nicht klar wird. Man erblickt nach der Drehung der Maschinerie sofort Apollon, dem Hermes zur Seite steht, und vor Apollon den Orestes in schutzflehender Stellung. Darum erwidern die ersten Worte des Apollon die Bitte des Orestes. Auch die 282 f. erwähnte Reinigung des Orestes mufs als vorhergegangen (zwischen 34 und 63) gedacht werden. Im Hintergrunde sitzen um den weifsen Stein, welcher den ὀμφαλὸς γῆς vorstellt (40), auf welchem der mit Wolle umwickelte Ölzweig des Orestes (43) liegt, auf Stühlen die schlafenden Erinyen

mvp-comment-43-1 ⁶

mvp-comment-43-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 257

mvp-comment-43-3 πρόσω διχοστατῶν, getrennt und fern von dir. Vgl. διχοστα τοῦντα 389.

mvp-comment-44-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 257

mvp-comment-44-2 πέπων, μαλθακός (74), mürbe. Vgl. Ag. 1642 .

mvp-comment-45-1 ⁷

mvp-comment-45-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 258

mvp-comment-45-3 ὕπνῳ παρείνται (sind erschlafft) wie Eur. Kykl. 591

. Die Stellung von δέ wie 623. Vgl. zu Ag. 744 .

mvp-comment-46-1 ⁸

mvp-comment-46-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 258

mvp-comment-46-3 Νυκτὸς παῖδες: vgl. 322 f., 419, 748, 796, 1034. Bei Sophokles (Oed. K. 40) heifsen sie Γῆς τε καὶ Σκότου κόραι. Nach Hes. Theog. 185 sind sie von der Erde geboren aus den Blutstropfen des von Kronos entmannten Uranos. Vgl. auch Lykophr. 437

, Ovid. Met. IV 452 sorores Nocte .. genitas, Verg. Aen. VI 250 matri Eumenidum, XII 846 Dirae quas Nox . . uno eodemque tulit partu. Ζη παλαιαὶ παῖδες vgl. παῖδες ἄπαιδες 1034. Doch s. Anhang. αἷς οὐ μίγνυται: Soph. Ai. 835

καλῶ τὰς ἀεί τε παρθένους σεμνὰς Ἐρινῆς τανύποδας

. Der Ausdruck wie Hom. η 247 Καλυψώ .. δεινὴ Θεός· οὐδέ τις αὐτῇ μίσγεται οὔτε θεῶν οὔτε θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων.

mvp-comment-47-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 258

mvp-comment-47-2 θήρ: Suppl. 1010

; Besonders werden damit die Kentauren bezeichnet. Soph. Trach. 1096

διφυῆ τ᾽ ἄμικτον ἱπποβάμονα στρα τὸν θηρῶν

, 556, 568 u. δ.

mvp-comment-48-1 ⁹

mvp-comment-48-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 258

mvp-comment-48-3 ἐλῶσι, ἐλάσουσι. — Du mufst dich auf eine lange Irrsal gefafst machen ( μὴ μαλθακὸς γένῃ); denn wenn du auch durch das weite Festland geschritten den Boden unter den Fülsen verlierst, werden sie dich über das Meer verfolgen. βεβὼς wie Eur. Bakch. 646

vgl. Cho. 569 . - περιρρύτας πόλεις, νήσους. Wegen der Form περιρρύτας vgl. Hymn. auf Apoll. 251 ἀμφιρύτας κατὰ νήσους und zu Ag. 1527 .

mvp-comment-49-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 258

mvp-comment-49-2 πρόκαμνε, vor der Zeit. βουκολούμενος, Schol. περιέπων, abweidend d.i. durchmachend. Wakefield erklärt es passivisch: agitatus ut bos. Mit βουκολούμενος πόνον wäre dann τοὺς ὑπερμήκεις δρόμους γυμνάζεται Prom. 616 zusammen zu stellen. Vgl. Ag. 674 .

mvp-comment-50-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 258

mvp-comment-50-2 ποτί im Trimeter wie auch einmal bei Sophokles ( Trach. 1214

).

mvp-comment-51-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 258

mvp-comment-51-2 παλαιὸν βρέτας, das altheilige hochverehrte Holzbild der ᾿Αθηνῶ Πολιάς auf der Akropolis. Vgl. Eur. El. 1254 ἐλθὼν δ᾽ Ἀθήνας Παλλά δος σεμνὸν βρέτας πρόσπτυξον, C. I. Gr. I n. 160 ἐπιστάται τοῦ νεω τοῦ ἐν πόλει ἐν ᾧ τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἄγαλμα, Paus. I 26, 6 τὸ δὲ ἁγιώτατον ἐν κοινῷ πολλοῖς πρότερον νομισθὲν ἔτεσιν ἢ συνῆλθον ἀπὸ τῶν δήμων (d. i. vor dem s. g. Synoikismos des Theseus) ἐστὶν Ἀθηνᾶς ἄγαλμα ἐν τῇ νῦν ἀκροπόλει, τότε δὲ ὀνο μαζομένῃ πόλει (in diesem Sinne kann man hier auch Παλλάδος πτό- λιν nehmen). φήμη δὲ ἐς αὐτὸ ἔχει πεσεῖν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (also ein ξόανον διιπετές). ἄγκαθεν, ταῖς ἀγκάλαις Schol. Vgl. 258 περὶ βρέ τει πλεχθείς und πρόσπτυξον in der a. St. des Euripides.

mvp-comment-52-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 259

mvp-comment-52-2 οἶσθα τὸ μὴ ἀδικεῖν, vgl. 752 τὸ μὴ ἀδικεῖν σέβοντες. Der Gedanke ist: Deine Worte zeigen, dafs du dich darauf verstehst, nicht Unrecht zu thun d.h. dafs du weifst was du zu thun schuldig bist (deinem Versprechen gemäfs, Cho. 1036 f. ), es kommt nur darauf an, dafs du daran denkst; die Macht fehlt dir ja nicht. ἐπίστα wie 584, δύνα Soph. Phil. 849 , Oed. Τ. 696. φερέγγυον: Schol. :

Vgl. Sept. 383

προστατεῖν φερέγγυος

.

mvp-comment-53-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 259

mvp-comment-53-2 μέμνησο: sei dessen eingedenk, was du gesagt hast, dafs ich die Macht habe dich zu schützen, und fürchte dich darum nicht. σὲ . . φρένας: Krüger II § 46, 16, 3 .

mvp-comment-54-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 259

mvp-comment-54-2 αὐτάδελφον: Sept. 705

; Soph. Ant. 1

ὦ κοινὸν αὐτάδελφον Ισμήνης κάρα

. Man braucht αὐτάδελφον nicht auf die gemeinsame Mutter ( Hesych. :

ἀδελφοί· οἱ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς δελφύος γεγονότες· δελφὺς γὰρ ἡ μήτρα λέγεται

) zu beziehen und eine Abweichung von der_gewöhnlichen Abstammung des Hermes ( Cho. 809 ) anzunehmen.

mvp-comment-55-1 ¹⁰

mvp-comment-55-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 259

mvp-comment-55-3 ὢν ἐπώνυμος πομπαῖος ἴσθι: Sept. 8

und zu Ag. 517 . Hermes ist zunächst Geleiter der Seelen in die Unterwelt ( ψυχοπομπός, vgl. Soph. Ai. 832

καλῶ δ᾽ ἅμα πομπαίον Ἑρμῆν χθόνιον εὖ με κοιμίσαι

, Hom. ω 3 ), dann aber Geleiter überhaupt (πομπαῖος, πομπός).

mvp-comment-56-1 ¹¹

mvp-comment-56-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 259

mvp-comment-56-3 τὸ κηρύκων σέβας wie Suppl. 715

. Die Unverletzlichkeit der Herolde schützt Zeus, damit diese den armen Sterblichen sicheres Geleite gewähren können. ὁρμώμενον ist zu σέβας konstruiert, während es dem Sinne nach zu κηρύκων gehört. Orestes geht, von Hermes geleitet, (durch den linken Zugang der Bühne) ab. Apollon tritt in den Hintergrund zurück.

mvp-comment-56-4 ¹²

mvp-comment-57-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 259

mvp-comment-57-2 Wie Pers. 683 der Schatten des Darius, so steigt hier (durch das αναπίεσμα) der Schatten der Klytämestra aus der Unterwelt empor. Man sieht an ihrem Halse (595) die Wunden, die ihr ehemals der Sohn geschlagen (103). εν δοιτ᾽ ἄν (spottisch schlaft nur") wie 118 μύζοιτ᾽ ἄν.

mvp-comment-58-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 260

mvp-comment-58-2 ἀπητιμασμένη, als wenn ὀνειδίζομαι, wie 100 παθοῦσα, als wenn οὐδεμιᾶς τιμωρίας τυγχάνω folgte. Vgl. 480 und zu Ag. 653 . ἄλλοισιν ἐν νόμοισιν, indem verschiedene Gesetze gelten. Es wird mit ungleichem Mafse gemessen: für den Mord, den ich begangen habe, werde ich unter den Toten ohne Unterlafs geschmäht, ja schwer beschuldigt; wegen des Mordes, der an mir von den Nächststehenden begangen worden ist, grollt keine Gottheit. Vgl. Soph. Oed. K. 907 νῦν δ᾽ οὔσπερ αὐτὸς τοὺς νόμους εἰσῆλθ᾽ ἔχων, τούτοισι κοὐκ ἄλλοισιν ἁρμοσθήσεται. ἔκτανον, absolut wie Cho. 887 : dafs ich gemordet habe. αἰσχρῶς ἀλῶμαι, in schimpflicher Weise bin ich aus der Gesellschaft der Toten ausgestolsen. - προυννέπω, ich erkläre feierlich, nachdrücklich. κείνων, τῶν φθιτῶν. τῶν φιλτάτων wie Cho. 233 , hier allgemein von dem Sohne. μηνίεται mit langem wie Hom. B769 ὄφρ᾽ Αχιλεὺς μήνιεν.

mvp-comment-58-3 ¹³

mvp-comment-59-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 260

mvp-comment-59-2 ὅρα zur Chorführerin wie 131, 183. — τραγικώτερον τὸ εἴδωλον Κλυταιμήστρας σώζει τὴν σφαγήν Schol. - καρδίᾳ, mit dem Inneren.

mvp-comment-59-3 ¹⁴

mvp-comment-60-1 ¹⁵

mvp-comment-60-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 260

mvp-comment-60-3 Schol. ἐν τῷ καθεύδειν ὁ νοῦς ἀκριβέστερον ὁρᾷ μὴ παραπλανώμενος τῇ θέα. Schlafenden Augen wird der Geist erhellt, während am Tage die Natur des Geistes nicht weitblickend ist. Vgl. Pind. frg. 108 Bgk. εὕδει δὲ πρασσόντων μελέων· ἀτὰρ εὐδόντεσσιν ἐν πολλοῖς ὀνείροις δείκνυσι τερπνῶν ἐφέρποισαν χαλεπῶν τε κρίσιν, Xenoph. Kyr. VIII 7, 21 ἐγγύτερον μὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων θανάτῳ οὐδέν ἐστιν ὕπνου· ἡ δὲ ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴ τότε δήπου θειοτάτη καταφαίνεται καὶ τότε τι τῶν μελλόντων προορᾷ, Platon περὶ πολιτ. ΙΧ 1, Aelian. ποικ. ἱστ. ΙΙΙ 11 οἱ Περιπατητικοί φασι μεθ᾿ ἡμέραν θητεύουσαν τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ σώματι περιπλέκεσθαι καὶ μὴ δύνασθαι καθαρῶς τὴν ἀλήθειαν θεωρεῖν, νύκτωρ δὲ διαλυθεῖσαν τῆς περὶ τοῦτο λειτουργίας καὶ σφαιρωθεῖσαν ἐν τῷ περὶ τὸν θώρακα τόπῳ μαντικωτέραν γίνεσθαι, ἐξ ὧν τὰ ἐνύπνια. Cic. d. divin. I 30 cum ergo est somno sevocatus animus a societate et a contagione corporis, tum meminit praeteritorum, praesentia cernit, futura providet; iacet enim corpus dormientis ut mortui, viget autem et vivit animus.

mvp-comment-61-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 260

mvp-comment-61-2 ἐλείξατε, wie durstige Hunde (vgl. zu Ag. 1104 ). Klytämestra hat den Erinyen Opfer gebracht nach der Ermordung des Agamemnon, um deren Groll abzuwenden.

mvp-comment-62-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-62-2 ἀοίνους: οἶνος γὰρ οὐ σπέν δεται Ερινύσιν Schol. Vgl. Soph. Oed. K. 100 ἀοίνοις. Die Spenden, welche den Erinyen ausgegossen werden ( νηφάλιαι σπονδαὶ Schol. zu Soph. a. O.) bestehen aus reinem Quellwasser oder aus Wasser und Honig, vgl. ebd. 469, 481.

mvp-comment-63-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-63-2 νυκτίσεμνα δείπνα sollte noch wie χοὰς ἀοίνους als Apposition zu πολλά stehen, wird aber von einem νυκτίeigenen Verbum regiert. σεμνα dicuntur sacrificia, quae eo ipso, quod nocte fiunt, augustiora sunt et sacrum quasi horrorem incutiunt (Schütz). Vgl. Einl. S. 12.

mvp-comment-64-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-64-2 ὥραν .. θεῶν: zu einer Zeit, welche ihr mit keiner Gottheit teilt (in der „Geisterstunde"); ἐν γὰρ τῷ μεσονυκτίῳ μόναις Ερινύσιν ἀπάρχονται Schol. Der Akk. wie Eur. Bakch. 723

. Vgl. zu Cho. 812 .

mvp-comment-65-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-65-2 λὰξ πατούμενα wie Cho. 640 .

mvp-comment-66-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-66-2 ἐγκατιλλώψας: ἐγγελάσας. Διὰ δὲ τούτων ερεθίζει αὐτάς Schol.

mvp-comment-67-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-67-2 ὡς kausal. περὶ ψυχῆς wie Hom. ι 423 πάντας τε δόλους καὶ μῆτιν ὕφαινον ὥς τε περὶ ψυ χῆς, Hel. 946 τοὺς δὲ Μενέλεω ποθῶ λόγους ἀκοῦσαι τίνας ἐρεῖ ψυχῆς πέρι, und in Redensarten wie μάχεσθαι, θέειν, τρέχειν περὶ ψυχῆς, ὁ περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγών ( Soph. El. 1492 ), doch hier mehr in übertragenem Sinne ,,es ist mir blutiger Ernst um die Sache". φρονήσατε, bringt es euch zum Bewurstsein.

mvp-comment-68-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-68-2 ὄναρ, im Traume euch erscheinend. Der Dichter giebt damit den Zuschauern die richtige Auffassung des Folgenden an die Hand. Vgl. 131.

mvp-comment-69-1 ¹⁶

mvp-comment-69-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-69-3 Die παρεπιγραφαί geben den äufseren Vorgang an; sie kommen öfter in Handschriften des Aristophanes, bei Tragikern nur hier vor, wie auch die Art der äufseren Handlung vereinzelt steht.

mvp-comment-70-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-70-2 μύζοιτε: zu Ag. 1058 .

mvp-comment-71-1 ¹⁷

mvp-comment-71-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-71-3 Er hat eben Freunde, die anderer Art sind als die meinigen.

mvp-comment-72-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 261

mvp-comment-72-2 πάθος, was euch und mir widerfahren ist, dafs Orestes die Flucht ergriffen hat.

mvp-comment-73-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 262

mvp-comment-73-2 πέπρακται, ist dein Werk, vgl. Eur. Med. 1064

und dazu Schol. :

ἀντὶ τοῦ κέκριται, εἴμαρται, πέπρωται

. Bentley will hier πέπρωται schreiben nach Prom. 535

τί γὰρ πέπρωται Ζηνὶ πλὴν ἀεὶ κρατεῖν

. Vgl. 71 κακῶν δ᾽ ἕκατι κἀγένοντο.

mvp-comment-74-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 262

mvp-comment-74-2 συνωμόται: Ag. 655 .

mvp-comment-75-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 262

mvp-comment-75-2 ἐξεκήραναν, Schol. παρεί λοντο. Hesych. ἐξεκήρανεν· ἐξέ φθειρε.

mvp-comment-76-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 262

mvp-comment-76-2 λαβὲ (wie man dem Hunde zuruft fals") φράζου (,,hab acht") spricht die Chorführerin im Traume.

mvp-comment-77-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 262

mvp-comment-77-2 κύων, ein Jagdhund. Vgl. Aristot. Tiergesch. IV 10 ἐνυπνιάζειν φαίνονται οὐ μόνον ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἵπποι καὶ κύνες καὶ βόες, Lucret. IV 988 venantumque canes in molli saepe quiete iactant crura tamen subito vocesque repente mittunt et crebro reducunt naribus auras, ut vestigia si teneant inventa ferarum etc.

mvp-comment-78-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 262

mvp-comment-78-2 πῆμα, das Unglück, dafs Orestes entronnen ist.

δεινά . is nom. λέξαι and δρακεῖν epex. inf. after the adj. Things terrible to tell of, terrible to behold have sent me back, etc.

ὥς , Epic for ὥστε, common in Trag., esp. in Aeschylus (e.g. Ag. 358, 546, 575, 665, 1381 ).

σωκεῖν , to be strong.

ἀκταίνω , a unique word of which the meaning is disputed. The Schol. and old lexicons give (1) to uplift, or be uplifted. (2) to exult, prance (γαυριᾶν), leap violently (ἀτάκτως πηδᾶν). The sense however requires, not, 'I can't move violently, but rather I can hardly move at all: it is best therefore to take ἀκταίνω, to lift. βάσιν, my step: this is a correction in the best MS., all the texts reading στάσιν, (which is perhaps possible, and then to uplift my standing would mean to stand upright;) but βάσιν is easier and far more likely.

χερσίν , by aid of hands: holding on, to support her failing limbs. [Schol. actually says she comes out on all fours, τετραποδηδόν!!]

ἀντίπαιs , rather a strange compound, the preposition ἀντί governing (so to speak) the waῖς, and not some word outside as usual. Aeschylus is fond of these compounds : ἀντίκεντρον 136, 466,

Ag. 406 ,

ἀντήνωρ

ib. 443 ,

ἀντίδουλος

Cho. 135 .

μὲν οὖν , corrective, as usual. Nay, she is as a child.

mvp-sidgwick-32-1-1 The inner sanctuary of Delphi (μυχός) contained the statue of Apollo: the ὀμφαλός, see next note: the altar with the eternal fire, fed only with fir-wood; and the roof all hung with garlands (πολυστεφή). In the centre was the chasm with the tripod where the priestess sate, and inhaled the intoxicating fumes of the smoke which came up from below.

ὀμφαλός , navel, was the name given to Delphi, as the centre of the earth, and particularly (as here) to a white stone in the μυχός of the temple¹. Strabo (9. 3.) tells us that

was shown in the temple; and Pausanias (10. 16. 3) reports that

the Delphians said their ὀμφαλός, which was made of white stone, was the centre of the earth, and quoted from Pindar a passage which agreed with their account.

¹ The ὀμφαλός as a round or oval object is often found on coins or vases or sculptures relating to Delphi.

μέν answers δέ l. 46

.

προστρόπαιον , lit. turning toward, hence suppliant. The supplication might be for vengeance (as Ag. 1587 , Cho. 286 ), or more commonly for purification, as here. Hence the word contracts another meaning, guilty; see below ll. 234, 237

.

mvp-sidgwick-34-2-1 Some take it here agreeing with ἄνδρα; but rhythm and order indicate that it goes with ἕδραν, a suppliant seat; so Soph. O. C. 1309 , π. λιταί.

mvp-sidgwick-35-1-1 The olive-branch, with tufts of wool attached, was the regular sign of the suppliant :

Suppl. 23 ,

κλάδοις κατάσκιον ὅμιλον

ib. 354 ,

ἱκτηρίοις κλάδοισιν ἐξεστεμμένοι

Ο. Τ. 3 .

σωφρόνως seems to mean duly, piously.

mvp-sidgwick-36-1-1 For so will I plainly tell, i. e. about the suppliant there was nothing strange : the horrible and mysterious part of the sight she goes on to describe.

λόχος , troop: for the number of the Eumenides see Introduction.

Γοργόνας . : Aeschylus, Prometheus 899,

and the Furies are compared to them, Cho. 1047,

In dusky robes and twined with many snakes, like Gorgons.

mvp-sidgwick-39-1-1 If this line is right the substantive is understood: [Monsters] have I seen ere now in a picture, snatching the feast of Phineus, i.e. the Harpies.

mvp-sidgwick-39-2-1 The Harpyiae are in Homer simply the spirits of the storm who are said to have carried off those who disappear suddenly (e. g. Od. 1. 241). The story is told by later writers as follows: Phineus, king of Thrace, being falsely told that his sons were conspiring to corrupt their stepmother, put out their eyes. The gods in wrath blinded him, and sent loathsome monsters, the Harpies, to snatch away his banquet. The best known account is Vergil's, Aen. 3. 212.

mvp-sidgwick-39-3-1 [Herm. and others thinking the omission of the subst. too harsh, suppose a line lost; but it would be difficult to write one which would not separate δεῖπνον too much from Φινέως. Schol. plainly had our text.]

γε μήν , yet, adversative as usual: γε μέντοι, γε μὲν δή (and in Homer γε μέν), also used in the same way. So

Ρ. V. 871 ,

σὺν χρόνῳ γε μήν

Ag. 1378 .

οὐ πλατοῖσι , unapproachable: for the breath was deadly with blood and fire, and withered up what it touched (138). MSS. read πλαστοῖσι, feigned: but the other is far more forcible.

κόσμος , their garb.

mvp-sidgwick-43-1-1 i. e. I know not the race nor land whence this company are sprung.

μὴ μεταστένειν πόνον , without repenting of its toil, is an elaborate repetition and explanation of ἀνατί, unharmed. [The inf. is literally the object of ἐπεύχεται : boasts that having reared... it does not repent, i. e. boasts to rear without repenting].

mvp-sidgwick-45-1-1 The horror and pollution of these monsters is too fearful: she will leave it to Apollo himself, who as seer (τερασκόπος) will understand, as prophet-healer (ἰατρόμαντις) will cure, as καθάρσιος will purify.

mvp-sidgwick-46-1-1 [The priestess retires: the scene shifts and shews the interior of the shrine: Orestes with a bloody sword seated on the ὀμφαλός, Apollo and Hermes standing by: the chorus of Furies asleep all about on stone seats or the floor.]

διὰ τέλους , idiomatic expression for ever.

mvp-sidgwick-48-1-1 If MSS. καὶ πρόσω δέ is right, it means and even when far away, i. e. ' I will watch over you when near, and even when afar, and I will punish your foes.' This makes good sense and need not be altered, though καὶ πρόσω γε Blom. is possibly right.

ὕπνῳ πεσοῦσαι , prostrate in sleep [they lie] : πεσοῦσαι used rather loosely for the perfect, like θανόντes for τεθνηκότες. But the construction is rather harsh, with a strained tense and no verb: and not improbably πεσοῦσαι is corrupt for some verb. The best suggestion is Weil's πεδῶνται : (others πρέπουσι, πέλουσι : παρεῖνται Weckl.).

μίγνυται , consorts.

γραῖαι , παλαιαὶ παῖδες, old, wrinkled maidens; a bold and contemptuous oxymoron to express loathing.

mvp-sidgwick-51-1-1 The least alteration of MSS. is to read βιβῶντ᾽ ἀν᾿ ἀεὶ τὴν π. χ., ever pacing the travelled earth. This involves the displacement of the preposition ἀνά by ἀεί, a very rare and harsh licence: H. P. quote Plato σὺν ἀεί τινι βίᾳ, but ἀεί τινι is far less harsh an interruption than ἀεί alone. [This we shall see if we try it in English, rule with always some violence, is less impossible than walk over always the earth.] A better example is Laws 797 D ἐν ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν οὐ τοῖς μὲν τοῖς δ᾽ οὐ.

mvp-sidgwick-51-2-1 The conjectures are very numerous ² but do not convince : ἀνάγκῃ Musgr. is perhaps the best: or to read περῶντα δ᾽ ἀεί with Weil and Weckl. I leave the ἀν' ἀεί, as it is perhaps barely possible.

mvp-sidgwick-51-3-1 The Homeric βιβῶντ' (used also by Pindar) is a better correction than βεβῶτ', as nearer the MSS. and more likely to have been corrupted.

mvp-sidgwick-52-1-1 Notice περιρρύτας, fem. form from compd. adj. So

Pers. 596 ,

εὐφιλητάν

Theb. 108 ,

δυσοιστά (?)

Eum. 789 ,

παναρκέτας (?)

Cho. 69 .

βουκολούμενος . (mid. as Schol. interprets), tending, i. e. brooding over; a bold metaphor characteristic of the poet.

ἄγκαθεν , in thy arms, from ἄγκη, the bent arm: like the Homeric ἀγκὰς ἑλεῖν or ἔχειν, to take in the arms: cf. Ag. 3 .

θελκτηρίους , persuasive, to the judges of the Areiopagos.

mvp-sidgwick-56-1-1 Learn also to take heed, though to our ears it sounds too bold to be said to a god, is not so meant in the Greek, nor does Apollo so take it: it is simply forget me not, O god. Notice ἐπίστᾳ contracted for ἐπίστασαι; so we find δύνᾳ.

mvp-sidgwick-57-1-1 Thy strength is warrant thou wilt aid me; taking eὖ ποιεῖν together.

σε . φρέναs, the acc. of whole and part, common from Homer down: like Τρῶας τρόμος αἰνὸς ὑπήλυθε γυῖα ἕκαστον ; τὸν βάλε κνήμην; and μέθες με πρὸς θεῶν χεῖρα etc.

κάρτα δ᾽ ὧν ἐπώνυμος , true to thy name, give guidance : the title πομπαῖος meaning the guider.

mvp-sidgwick-60-1-1 Zeus reveres this sanctity of outlaws, which comes to men from the fortune of fair escort; a rather obscure expression, but explained by the context: Zeus reveres the claim which outlaws have (on the pity of men), a claim which springs from the (divine) power which guides them: i. e. ‘Orestes, though an outlaw, will find pity since thou wilt guide him. [Wecklein reads τὸ κηρύκων (for τόδ᾽ ἐκ.), of Hermes: certainly much simpler, though perhaps unnecessary.]

mvp-sidgwick-60-2-1 [Apollo retires; Hermes leads Orestes out ; the stage is empty. Then from below the ghost of Klytaimnestra rises.]

mvp-sidgwick-61-1-1 This sentence is written with an effective vehemence which is very dramatic: the broken and rough grammar being exactly imitative of strongly excited speech.

mvp-sidgwick-61-2-1 The drift is: 'I, thus dishonoured by you [the negligent Furies], among the dead below am constantly reproached for my deeds-wandering in disgrace and blamed by all-but for my sufferings no god takes heed.'

mvp-sidgwick-61-3-1 Thus the antithesis to ὧν μὲν ἔκτανον is really παθοῦσα δ᾽ (100) and αἰσχρῶς δ᾽ ἀλῶμαι answers οὐκ ἐκλείπεται. Note the double break of construction: (1) the intrusion of οὐκ ἐκλείπεται with a new subject between ἐγώ and ἀλῶμαι : (2) the entire anacoluthon παθοῦσα δ᾽ without verb followed by οὐδεὶς μηνίεται. For the latter compare Ag. 1008

Cho. 521

πάντα ἐκχέας . . . μάτην ὁ μόχθος,

and Eur. Cycl. 331 , Hipp. 24 , Iph. Taur. 947 , etc. See 478.

πρός , common poetic use for ὑπό of agent: Cho. 133, 346 , etc. So ἐκ, παρά, and ἀπό are poetically used. So below l. 102

.

mvp-sidgwick-63-1-1 The MSS. read ὅρα δὲ πληγὰς τάσδε καρδίᾳ σέθεν, ‘behold these wounds with thy heart, the use of καρδίᾳ being at first sight supported by what follows for the mind sees in sleep.' But Aeschylus always uses καρδία (as we do heart) of emotion not of intelligence : grief, anxiety, care, fear, wrath, courage, favour, desire-never of perception. So I take Canter's καρδίας ὅθεν adopted by Dind. Pal. Herm. Paley is further no doubt right in reading ὁρᾶτε: the plural is wanted: the asyndeton improves the sense, being more passionate: and the singular clearly arose from σέθεν.

mvp-sidgwick-63-2-1 Behold these wounds in my heart, from whence they came; a fierce reminder of their duty to hunt Orestes, and a far finer sense than the MSS. reading.

ὄμμασιν λαμπρύνεται , stately Aeschylean for is clearsighted.

μοῖρ᾽ ἀπρόσκοπος βροτῶν , 'tis the lot of mortals to be blind. Others take it the lot of men cannot be foretold: but the sense of the other is better, the antithesis is more pointed, ( seeing in sleep, blind in the day,) and ἀπρόσκοπος is more naturally active. [The Schol. says ἡ τῆς φρενὸς μοῖρα, whence H. and others read φρενῶν for βροτῶν : but the Schol. is only (rather stupidly) explaining μοῖρα in connection with the φρήν of the last line: it proves nothing about the reading: φρήν and φρενῶν would be very flat repetition.]

mvp-sidgwick-66-1-1 Wineless libations, sober cheer: poetic amplification. The Ερινύες had no wine in their offerings:

Ο. C. 100 ,

μηδὲ προσφέρειν μέθυ

ib. 481 . So again l. 860

ἀοίνοις θυμώμασι.

ὥραν , the acc. is best explained as a kind of loose apposition to νυκτίσεμνα δείπνα: the apposition really being to the part of the expression which contains the notion of night. The Erinyes alone had midnight sacrifices.

καὶ ταῦτα , usually with participle: here loosely but naturally with principal verb. The fact is, the ὤρουσεν is grammatically needless ('he is gone like a fawn, and that too from the very midst of the snare'), but is redundantly added, picking up and further emphasizing οἴχεται.

ἐγκατιλλώψας , a strange word, which occurs again Aesch. Sisyph. (Frag. 211) meaning mock. We find also κατιλλώπτω, ἐνιλλώπτω: the derivation seems to be ἴλλω, twist, ὀπ-, face:' hence to leer, to sneer, and so to scoff.

τῆς ἐμῆς περὶ ψυχῆς , for dear life; a proverbial expression as in English (rather strange in the mouth of a ghost), meaning that the issue is of the last importance to her.

ὄναρ , might be nom., I, a dream, like Ag. 82 ὄναρ ἡμερόφαντον ἀλαίνει (so Schütz, Wakef. H. Pal.). But it is rather more naturally taken acc. in a dream, as l. 131

. II [The Furies begin to groan and mutter and move uneasily in their sleep.]

mvp-sidgwick-72-1-1 The MSS. read φίλοις γάρ εἰσιν οὐκ ἐμοῖς προσίκτορες, which makes no sense, since it could only be translated for there are protectors for friends who are not mine, an obscure and impossible expression for my enemies have gods to help them. Herm.'s correction οὐκ ἐμοί is neat and simple: my friends have helpers: I have none: and P. D. adopt it.

mvp-sidgwick-72-2-1 But it is not really satisfactory : φίλοις without article or possessive is very harsh, and even the use of the word at all is unnatural (not at all like line 108): and προσίκτωρ, though supported by

(Supp. 1 ), is suspicious.

mvp-sidgwick-72-3-1 I prefer on the whole Weil's φίλοι γάρ εἰσιν, οὐκ ἐμοῖς προσεικότες for he has friends, not like to mine, an effective taunt simply expressed.

mvp-sidgwick-73-1-1 Notice the ironic elaborate plainness of this line, as of an angry person who cannot make herself understood.

mvp-sidgwick-74-1-1 If we keep the MSS. πέπρακται, we can only construe (with Paley) this line What hast thou accomplished save to work me harm? i. e. 'you are appointed to avenge me, and by negligence you have only done harm, in letting Orestes escape.'

mvp-sidgwick-74-2-1 The Schol. however paraphrases τί μέλλεις τὸ σὸν ἔργον ἀνύειν ( why delay to do your duty?), clearly understanding the text what business is yours save to do harm (to Orestes)? Herm. followed by Weil tries to get this sense out of πέπρακται, quid tibi agitur: but the tense makes it impossible. If we accept the meaning of the Schol. we must read with Bentley [Stanl. Butl. Hart.] πέπρωται or with Wakef. τέτακται. I have taken πέπρωται. The scornful summons What is your business but mischief?' is more characteristic of Klytaimnestra and more effective than a complaint.

κύριοι ξυνωμόται , fit conspirators: a bold and characteristic image. κύριος means rightful: sleep and weariness naturally act together. For the figure cp. Ag. 650

mvp-sidgwick-76-1-1 [Mutterings redoubled and louder] Seize him, seize him ... give heed! The muttering and restless movements and slow awakening with fierce cries are finely dramatic: Aeschylus is unmatched in producing these effects of suspense and terror. Müller ingeniously suggests that it should be read φράζου, followed by λαβέ seven times repeated, as φράζου, mark him, more naturally comes first: the iambic metrical system is preserved: and the leader would then say φράζου, and each of the seven pairs λαβέ. We have however (see p. 23) preferred the view that the chorus was 12, not 15.]

mvp-sidgwick-77-1-1 The dreams of animals are noticed by Theocr. (21.44), Lucret. (4. 989), and Aristotle (Hist. An. 4. 10).

μηδ᾽ ἀγνοήσῃς πῆμα , forget not my wrong.