373. ὑπ᾿ αἰθέρι , beneath the sky, i.e. when they are living on earth.

374. κατὰ γᾶν , on earth, is the MS. reading: but as Hermann said, the sense below the earth, κατὰ γᾶs, is required in antithesis to ὑπ᾿ αἰθέρι. The same mistake occurs again 11. 838, 871. 11. 375, 376. Bold and imaginative expressions :

i.e. [their human glories come to naught] when we the Furies attack them and weave these magic dances which make them our captive (as we are doing to Orestes).

377. λυμή is the destruction which attacks his mind, and blinds him to the threatening evil;

377. τόδε is best taken (not of the fall as many edd., which would be simply

377. πίπτων οὐκ οἶδεν , but) of the presence and power of the Furies.

378. κνέφας . is in apposition to

378. μύσος , and is predicative: we should say, So dark a cloud of pollution hovereth over him .

378. ἐπί , Epic adverbial use (tmesis) of the preposition, going with the verb.

381. μένει γάρ , for the law abides: so μίμνει Ag. 1563. But it is obscure and abrupt: and possibly corrupted.

382. ἐσμέν is easily understood: Crafty are we, and unfailing to accomplish.

385-388. διόμεναι is rather a strange word (though the English to pursue a task or charge exactly illustrates it): hence Heath ingeniously suggested διέπο- μεν. But διόμεναι was read by Schol. and the MS. may stand.

387. ἀνηλίῳ λάμπᾳ , lit. in sunless light, an oxymoron, meaning in a light which is no light, where no sunlight shines. [Others translate

387. λάμπᾳ , filth, mould; for there is a very late word λάμπη, 'scum; and Dind. adopts Wieseler's conj. λάπᾳ in the same sense. But the strain of meaning is very harsh, and the word in the last degree unlikely.]

387. δυσοδοπαίπαλα is suspicious, as the metaphor is rather harsh (though perhaps continued from διόμεναι): the metre does not correspond with the antistrophe (καίπερ ὑπὸ χθόνα); and the double compound with δυσis unusual, indeed unique.

mvp-comment-259-1 σπενδομένα δ᾽ ἀφελεῖν τινὶ τάςδε μερίμνας Μοῖρ᾽ ἀτέλειαν ἐμαῖσι λιταῖς ἐπικραίνει, μηδ᾽ εἰς ἄγκρισιν ἐλθεῖν: σπευδόμεναι δ᾽ ἀφελεῖν τινὰ τάσδε μερίμνας, θεῶν δ᾽ ἀτέλειαν ἐμοῖσι λιταῖς ἐπικραίνειν, μηδ᾽ ἐς ἄγκρισιν ἐλθεῖν. Ita M. a quo ceteri libri in paucis dissentiunt. σπευδόμαι δ' Αld. male lecto compendio. Hinc σπεύδομαι δ' Turn. Deinde τίνα τάςδε Αld. τινα τᾶςδε Rob. Deinde ἐμᾶσι pro ἐμαῖσι G. Ald. Denique ἐς έγκρισιν Ven. Flor. Farn. Rob. ἐς ἄκροισιν G. ἐπ' ἄκροισιν Ald. Turn. Vict. ἐς ἄγκρισιν, quod M. habet, commemoratum a Stephano primus recepit Canterus. εἰς ἀγκρισιν scribendum esse Pauwius vidit. Scholiastae haec adnotatio est, εὔχομαι τοῖς θεοῖς τελέσαι μου τὸ βούλημα καὶ μὴ εἰς μάχην μοι ἐλθεῖν. Praeterea in M. ad τάςδε μερίμνας supra adseriplum est τῆς κλυταιμνήστρας. Neque intelligi possunt hi versus ut in libris scripti sunt, neque emendandi conatus successum habuerunt. Videor mihi nunc haec recte emendasse: σπενδομένα δ᾽ ἀφελεῖν τινὶ τάςδε μερίμνας Μοῖρ᾽ ἀτελείαν ἐμαῖσι λιταῖς ἐπικραίνει, μηδ᾽ εἰς ἄγκρισιν ἐλθεῖν. Moiga adscriptae, ut videtur, ad tirá explicationi 9ɛv cesserat. Dicitur autem Parca precibus, quibus Furiae invocantur, immunitatem a provocatione dare. Εμαῖσι λιταῖς enim passive dictum est. Ita in Sept. e. Th. v. 197. πρὸς μακάρων λιτάς. In Ag. v. 214. λιτὰς δὲ καὶ κληδόνας πατρῴους. In Euripidis Suppl. ν. 262. λιταὶ θεῶν.

mvp-comment-260-1 Ζεὺς γὰρ δειματοσταγὲς ἀξιόμισον ἔθνος τόδε λέσχας ἧς ἀπηξιώσατο: ζεὺς γὰρ αἱματοσταγὲς ἀξιόμισον ἔθνος τόδε λέσχας ἷς ἀπηξιώσατο Μ. G. Ald. Rob. Turn. nisi quod λέσχος est in Rob. et ἃς in G. Ald. Rob. et deinde απεξιώσατο in Rob. ζεῦ αἱματοσταγές etc. Ven. Flor. Farn. sed in Farn. οὐκ ὀρθῶς in margine adscriptum est. Deinde ὣς pro ἇς Farn. Quod Turnebus pro λέσχας ἇς ut aliam lectionem affert, μὲν σχάσας, ipsius haud dubie coniectura est. V. ad v. 310. Scholiastes ad ἔθνος τόδε adnotavit τὸ τῶν φονέων. Abreschius recte sensit, non de parricidis, sed de Furiis sermonem esse. Sed idem sine idonea caussa negavit αἱματοσταγές quadrare in Furias. Non ergo hanc ob caussam, sed propter metrum αἱματοσταγές in δειματοσταγές mutavi. V. ad Choeph. v. 828.

mvp-comment-262-1 δόξαι τ᾿ ἀνδρῶν: δόξαι τ' ἀνδρῶν eliam M. δόξαι τ' ἀνδρῶ ΑΙ.

mvp-comment-263-1 τακόμεναι κατὰ γᾶς: τακόμεναι ad prius a supra adscripto η Flor. τ᾿ ἀκόμεναι G. Ald. Deinde libri κατὰ γῆν. Scripsi κατὰ γᾶς. Tum μηνύθουσιν Farn.

mvp-comment-264-1 ἡμετέραις: ἡμετέροις Rob. ἐφόδους μελανοίμοσιν Αld.

mvp-comment-265-1 ἐπιφθόνοις: ἐπὶ φόνοις Rob. Ceteri επιφόνοις. Emendavit Heathius.

mvp-comment-266-1 πίπτων δ᾽ οὐκ οἶδεν ... λύμα: πίπτον Αld. οἶδεν M. G. Ald. Rob. οἶδε Ven. Flor. Turn. λυμα Ald. Turn.

mvp-comment-267-1 ποῖον ἐπὶ ... μύσος πεπόταται: τοῖον ἐπὶ Heathius. Libri τοῖον γὰρ ἐπί. Deinde μύσος Victorius. μύσος M. Ven. Rob. Turn. μῖσος G. Ald. Denique επιπόταται Rob.

mvp-comment-268-1 δνοφεράν ... ἀχλὺν κατὰ δώματος: κεδνοφεράν et καταδύματος Rob. ἀχλήν Αld.

mvp-comment-269-1 μένει γάρ: μένει γάρ, manet enim firmum hoc: sumus promptae, i. e. nos esse promptas. Ag. v. 1530. μίμνει δὲ μίμνοντος ἐν θρόνῳ Διὸς παθεῖν τὸν ἔρξαντα. V. Opusc. VI. 2. p. 74.

mvp-comment-270-1 τε: τε recte et necessario Wakefieldius. Libri δέ. Particulae τε και etiam in antistropha in eodem loco sunt.

mvp-comment-271-1 τε μνήμονες, σεμναὶ: τε τλήμονες σεμναὶ Par. τε μνήμονες τε σεμναὶ Ven. Flor.

mvp-comment-272-1 δυςπαρήγοροι: δυσπαράγωγοι Farn.

mvp-comment-273-1 ἀτίετα: ἀτίετα Canterus. ἀτίεται M. G. Par. Ald. Rob. Turn. ἀτίετον Ven. Flor. Farn.

mvp-comment-274-1 διχοστατοῦντ᾽: διχοστατοῦντο Ven. Flor. Rob. διχοστατοῦ | τ' Μ. G. Turn. διχοστατού | τ' Αld.

mvp-comment-275-1 λάμπα, δυςοδοπαίπαλα: λάμπαι Μ. G. Par. Farn. Ald. λαμπα Ven. Flor. Rob. λάμψαι Turn. Perperam Wieselerus scribendum coniecit λάπα, situ, quod verum putaverunt et alii et Dindorfius in Parisiensi editione Thesauri Stephani. Rectissime Canterus λάμπα. Vsus est hoc vocabulo Aeschylus, ut videtur, etiam infra v. 1022. et, ut Musgravius intellexit, Euripides in Suppl. v. 993. ubi scribendum est λάμπαι δ᾽ ὠκύθοοί νιν ἀμφιππεύουσι δι᾽ ὄρφνας. Nihil autem aliud ἀνηλίῳ λάμπα significatur quam sole destituta caligo, quae mox v. 388. δυςήλιον κνέφας dicitur. Sic in Simonidis carmine de Danae νυκτιλαμπεῖ κυανέῳ τε διάφοτανυσθείς, et sexcenta alia, in quibus lucis et similium rerum notio tantum ad augendum contrarium adiicitur. V. Seidl. ad Eur. Troad. v. 566. Deinde δυσοδοπαίπαλα M. Turn. δυσοδοπαίπαλα G. δυσόδῳ παίπαλα Ald. δυσοπαίπαλα Ven. Flor. Farn. Rob.

mvp-comment-276-1 δερκομένοισι: δερχομένοισι Ald. καὶ δερκόμενοισι, adscripto ἴαμβος, Farn.

mvp-comment-115-1 This passage is very obscure, yet the metre does not indicate corruption. The Scholium is perplexing, εὔχομαι τοῖς θεοῖς τελέσαι μου τὸ βούλημα. If this is based on a reading τέλειον, the commentator understood the sense thus, and it is for the gods at my request to fulfil my wish. But nothing can be made of this. There is a further difficulty in ἀφελεῖν, which should rather be ἀφελέσθαι. Then a finite verb in the plural should follow σπευδόμεναι, for which the singular καταφέρω seems substituted in v.

mvp-comment-116-1 It is easy however to read σπευδομένα. Between τάσδε and τᾶσδε there is a further doubt; a gloss in the Med. explains the latter of Clytemnestra. We may perhaps (comparing inf. 808) translate, 'and in my eagerness to remove another (i.e. Apollo) from this care, -for the gods can only prevent prayers to me from being fulfilled, but they must not come to a dispute with me, since Zeus disowns, as unworthy of converse, this blood-dripping and accursed race, -in doing this, I say ( γὰρ οὖν), I bring down from far above the heavy-falling force of my foot, my nimble limbs which trip up in the end even runners in a long course, a calamity hard for them to bear. That is, that Apollo may not rescue him, I now pursue him. The Schol. seems here right, τοῖς τανυδρόμοις αὐτῶν ἐπάγουσα τὰ σφαλερά μου κῶλα, οἷον, καὶ οἱ ταχυδρόμοι οὐ δύνανταί με ἐκφυγεῖν. For the notion of a demon leaping down see on 4--2 v. 169. As to ἀτέλειαν, ‘non-fulfilment,' the doctrine is held in view, that the gods do not directly thwart or interfere with each other's designs: see Eur. Hipp. 1330 .

mvp-comment-117-1 δόξαι κ.τ.λ.] Even the proud and high conceits of men are brought low in the other world in those who come under the spell of our weird dance. Schol.

mvp-comment-118-1 οὐκ οἶδεν] The proud man is for long unconscious that we have him in our grasp. Like the physical pining by blood-draining (v. 257), so the moral and social descent of the family is gradual and unperceived; a gloom comes over the house, and evil things are said of it: it is under a cloud, as we express it.

mvp-comment-119-1 Schol.

Id. κακὴ δὲ φήμη περὶ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ λέγεται. Perhaps he read δνοφερὰ ἀχλὺς, by which this sentence more nearly fits the syntax of the preceding. Cf. Eur. Phoen. 125

οὗτος Μυκηναῖος μὲν αὐδᾶται γένος.

Hesych.

αὐδᾶται: λέγεται.

But αὐδᾶται may be the middle voice, or ἀχλὺν may stand in apposition to the sentence. Pers. 666

Στυγία γάρ τις ἐπ᾿ ἀχλὺς πεπόταται.

mvp-comment-120-1 μένει γάρ] 'For 'tis an abiding law. If we compare Ag. 1540

we shall conclude that the poet means to say that the fate he has described is inevitable. It is called a θεσμός, inf. 369. And the Furies go on to declare that they have means to work out their will, never forget and never forgive either in this world or the next. Cf. Prom. 524

Μοῖραι τρίμορφοι μνήμονές τ᾿ ᾿Ερινύες.

Αjax 1390

μνήμων τ᾽᾽ Ερινὺς καὶ τελεσφόρος Δίκη.

mvp-comment-121-1 λάμπᾳ] Inf. 994 and in Eur. Suppl. 993 the word seems the same as λαμπάς, but the Schol. explains, our duties are kept apart from those of the gods through the sunless gloom in which we exercise them ( τῷ προσόντι αὐτοῖς σκότει). Photius, λάμπη· παχὺς ἀφρὸς ἐπιπολῆς τοῦ οἴνου. Perhaps the Schol. took a sunless torch to mean the absence of sunlight. There was a word λάπη, which Hesychius (in λάπτης) explains βόρβορος, and Wieseler proposed to restore it here. ibid. δυσοδοπαίπαλα] Schol.

In place of λάχη we seem to want some word meaning ὁδοὺς, 'pursuing them over rough and difficult ways. By a harsh figure, the duties ( λάχη) of the pursuers are themselves called rough and rugged for the pursued.

mvp-comment-144-1 τῆς Κλυταιμήστρας (auch f).

mvp-comment-145-1 λείπει εὔχομαι τοῖς θεοῖς. τελέσαι μου τὸ βούλημα καὶ μὴ εἰς μάχην μοι ἐλθεῖν.

mvp-comment-147-1 τὸ τῶν φονέων.

mvp-comment-148-1 καὶ τοὺς ὑψηλοὺς καθαιροῦμεν.

mvp-comment-149-1 τοῖς τανυδρόμοις αὐτῶν κώλοις ἐπάγουσα τὰ σφαλερά μου κῶλα. ἢ ἀπ᾿ ἄλλης ἀρχῆς, καὶ τοῖς τανυδρόμοις γίνεται σφαλερὰ τὰ κῶλα διὰ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν αὐτοῖς ἄτην δύσφορον ὑπ᾿ ἐμοῦ. οἷον, καὶ οἱ ταχυδρόμοι οὐ δύνανταί με ἐκφυγεῖν.

mvp-comment-150-1 παραφρονῶν (Steph. f. περιφρ.) γὰρ οὐκ αἰσθάνεται τοῦ κακοῦ.

mvp-comment-151-1 σκότος φρενῶν. λείπειν φασὶ διά, διὰ (Kirchh. f. δὲ) μύσος· οὐκ ἔστι δέ, αὐτὸ γὰρ τὸ μύσος κνέφας εἴρηκεν.

mvp-comment-152-1 κακὴ δὲ φήμη περὶ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ λέγεται.

mvp-comment-153-1 λείπει τὸ ἐσμέν. ἡμεῖς γὰρ εὐμήχανοι ἐσμεν καὶ ἐπιτελεστικαὶ καὶ τῶν κακῶν μνήμονες.

mvp-comment-154-1 οὐ ταχέως παρηγορούμεναι ὑπὸ βροτῶν.

mvp-comment-155-1 ἀφωρισμένα τῶν θεῶν τῶι προσόντι αὐτοῖς σκότει. μετερχόμεναι λάχη ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐ τιμώμεθα ὑπὸ θεῶν.

mvp-comment-156-1 δυσπαράβατα καὶ τραχέα ζῶσι καὶ τοῖς θνήισκουσιν (καὶ τεθνηκόσιν Wieseler).

mvp-comment-191-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 276

mvp-comment-191-2 erstes Stasimon, welches besonders in den Ephymnien den Charakter des ὕμνος δέσμιος hat. ,, Apollon beraubt uns unseres Rechtes, indem er uns diesen Flüchtling entzieht, der uns zur Sühne des Muttermords zukommt und dem unser grauser Gesang gilt. Denn SO hat das Schicksal bestimmt, dafs wir die Mörder verfolgen und peinigen. Drum weil Umsturz von Häusern unser Los ist, haben die Götter des Lichts keine Gemeinschaft mit uns und Feste der Freude sind uns versagt. Dafür sind die Götter dieser traurigen Sorge überhoben und brauchen sich nicht mit Blutbefleckten zu befassen. Wir verfolgen den Mörder und stürzen ihn von der Höhe seines Ruhms. Er wird, ohne dessen in seiner Geistesnacht inne zu werden, von der Stimme des Volkes verurteilt und allgemeine Mifsachtung umnachtet sein Haus (vgl. Cho. 53 ff. , Ag. 463 ff. ). So steht es fest: Geniessen wir auch nicht die Ehre, den oberen Göttern gesellt zu sein, so haben doch die Sterblichen die vom Schicksal gegebene Satzung, auf der unser altheiliges Amt beruht, zu fürchten und zu verehren." Wenn man aus den drei Ephymnien schliefsen darf, wird jedes der drei ersten Strophenpaare von einem Stoichos, die Ephymnien und das vierte Strophenpaar von dem Gesamtchore vorgetragen.

mvp-comment-209-1 ¹

mvp-comment-209-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 278

mvp-comment-209-3 aïde, wir hier. τινά, Zeus und die anderen Götter. Wir sind bestrebt, die Götter dieser Sorgen zu entledigen und Freiheit derselben von solcher Last durch die Rufe zu uns zu bewirken, damit sie sich nicht auf die Untersuchung von Mord einzulassen haben; denn Zeus hat dieses bluttriefende hassenswerte Volk (der Mörder) von seiner Unterredung verbannt. ἐμοῖσι nach σπεύδομεν, wie in Chorgesängen Singular und Plural häufig wechselt. ἐμοῖσι vertritt den gen. obi. zu λιταῖς. Man ruft die Erinyen an (515), weil man von ihnen Verfolgung des Mörders erwartet, und behelligt nicht die Götter mit solchen Greueln. μηδὲ ( θεοὺς) . ἐλθεῖν schliefst sich an ἀτέλειαν an, ist also auch von ἐπικραίνειν ( ποιεῖν ὥστε) abhängig. ἀνάκρι σις nach attischem Recht die Voruntersuchung des Beamten ( ἐξέτασις ὑφ᾽ ἑκάστης ἀρχῆς γινομένη πρὸ τῶν δικῶν Harpokr.), hier die Untersuchung überhaupt, welche einen mündlichen Verkehr mit dem Mörder fordert. Die Form αἷμοσταγής statt der gewöhnlichen αἱματοσταγής kommt auch bei Eurip. (frg. 388) vor. &ς: ὅς noch Sept. 628 . ἀνατροπάς (scil. δωμάτων nach 355) steht in freier Weise als Apposition zu τάσδε μερίμνας.

mvp-comment-210-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 278

mvp-comment-210-2 ὑπ᾽ αἰθέρι wie οὐρανόμηκες κλέος: der Ruhm der stolz bis zu den Sternen sich hebt, sinkt nieder zur Erde und vergeht in ἐπιφθόνοις, gehässig,

mvp-comment-211-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 279

mvp-comment-211-2 Mit gewaltigem Sprunge setze ich von oben auf ihn nieder die schwer auf ihn fallende Spitze des Fufses, die ihn um so sicherer zum Falle bringt, als den Weitausholenden die Fülse leicht ausgleiten. ποδὸς ἀκμάν wie Pers. 1061

(mit den Fingerspitzen), Soph. Oed. T. 1243

κόμην σπῶσ᾽ ἀμφιδεξίοις ἀκ μαῖς. σφαλερὰ (γάρ ἐστι τανυδρόμοις καλα

steht als Zwischensatz und als Begründung zu δύσ φορον ἄταν (schwer zu tragendes Unheil), welches Apposition zu βαρυπεσῆ ποδὸς ἀκμάν ist. δρόμοις, weil sie mir entrinnen wollen. τανυ

mvp-comment-212-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 279

mvp-comment-212-2 Er stürzt ohne sich dessen zu versehen infolge verderblichen Wahnsinns; so grofs ist die Dunkelheit, welche mit der Befleckung auf dem Manne gelagert ist, wie auf seinem Hause schwarze Finsternis ruht, welche die vielen Klagen des Volkes auf dasselbe werfen. τοῖον κνέφας steht prädikativ zu dem Subjekt μύσος. — ἐπιπεπότα ται ebenso Pers. 672

(med.) πολύστονος φάτις vgl. Ag. 463 , Cho. 51

δνόφοι καλύ πτουσι δόμους

.

mvp-comment-213-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 279

mvp-comment-213-2 μένει γάρ wie Ag. 1562 . Der Gesamtchor fafst das von den einzelnen Reihen Vorgetragene zusammen. εὐμήχανοι τε καὶ τέλειοι ( οὖσαι), d. i. die wir (die uns zufallende Rache) vollbringen und dazu viele Mittel und Wege haben. τε vor μνήμονες braucht nicht als lange Silbe betrachtet zu werden, zu Ag. 980 . μνήμονες wie Prom. 532

- μονές τ' Ερινύες. σεμναί, unnahbar. ἄτιμ᾽ ἀτίετα κτέ, das Amt, dessen wir walten, ist nicht geehrt, nicht geachtet, insofern wir fern von den Göttern in sonnenlosem Moder unsere Stelle haben. διέπομεν wie 932. διχοστα τοῦντα, vgl. 350. ἀνηλίω λάπα das gleiche wie ζόφω ευρώεντι Hymn. auf Demeter 482. λάχη δυσοδοπαίπαλα κτἑ., Schol. δυσπαράβατα καὶ τραχέα ζῶσι καὶ τεθνηκόσιν. Schwer wandeln den rauhen Pfad zu mir Lebende wie Tote. Vgl. Hom. ω 10 ευρώεντα κέλευθα, Verg. Aen. VI 462 per loca senta situ noctemque profundam. Also,,ich habe meinen Wohnsitz fern von den Göttern an dunkler, unzugänglicher Stätte". Indes ist δυσοδοπαίπαλα wegen mangelhafter Responsion mit καίπερ ὑπὸ χθόνα (398) zu beanstanden. Heimsöth vermutet δυσποροπαίπαλα, Weil δυσποδοπαίπαλα, Oberdick δύσβατα, παίπαλα, Davies δυσβατοπαίπαλα. δερκομένοισι καὶ δυσομμάτοις wie ἀλαοῖσι καὶ δεδορκόσιν 323.

mvp-sidgwick-173-1-1 Again an obscure passage. MSS. read :

And then should follow what has got displaced in the MSS.:

μάλα γὰρ οὖν ἁλομένα, κ.τ.λ.

mvp-sidgwick-173-2-1 Where the general drift seems to be: [I pursue the guilty] and am eager to relieve another (the gods) of this charge, and set the gods free, and prevent the crime from coming to trial-for Zeus has banished the guilty from his sight, etc.

mvp-sidgwick-173-3-1 This seems to make a fair sense, and it is best with most editors to suppose the nom. pendens σπευδόμεναι to be taken up again by μάλα γὰρ οὖν, so that the sentence is only grammatically completed when we reach καταφέρω.

mvp-sidgwick-173-4-1 [This anacoluthon is rather harsh: Wecklein and Kirchhoff take Döderlein's suggestion σπεύδομεν αΐδ', we here are eager. But the phrase is then abrupt and unnatural.]

mvp-sidgwick-173-5-1 The points that remain are:

mvp-sidgwick-173-6-1 (1) 362 ἐμαῖσι λιταῖς, which, if right, must be referred to the prayer of the Eumenides to Apollo not to interfere. But the passage is too general to refer specially to Orestes, though he is of course in their minds. So that perhaps ἐμαῖς μελέταις is better, and by my labour to set the gods free (lit. to bring about the freedom or immunity of the gods, i. e. freedom from the duty of punishing the criminal).

mvp-sidgwick-173-7-1 (2) 363 μηδ' εἰς ἄγκρισιν ἐλθεῖν: i. e. to take the guilty into my own hands and prevent the matter from being tried by the gods;the very thing they feared was going to be done with Orestes. ἄγκρισις or ἀνάκρισις is the technical term for the preliminary investigation by a magistrate.

mvp-sidgwick-173-8-1 (3) Bloody hateful race, i.e. as Schol. explains, the race of murderers: the whole passage from l. 348

being a general description of the office of the Furies and their relation to the gods. [H. P. and others refer ἔθνοs to Furies: but they would hardly call themselves ἀξιώμισον.]

mvp-sidgwick-173-9-1 The whole passage may then be translated as follows:

μάλα with

ἁλομένα :

The emendation adopted [

ὅμως inserted and

μάταν , see above l. 359

] is almost necessary to give the right sense, even though they fly swiftly.

ὑπ᾿ αἰθέρι , beneath the sky, i.e. when they are living on earth.

κατὰ γᾶν , on earth, is the MS. reading: but as Hermann said, the sense below the earth, κατὰ γᾶs, is required in antithesis to ὑπ᾿ αἰθέρι. The same mistake occurs again ll. 838, 871

. ll. 375, 376

. Bold and imaginative expressions :

Before our black-robed assault,

And the vengeful measures of our foot;

i.e. [their human glories come to naught] when we the Furies attack them and weave these magic dances which make them our captive (as we are doing to Orestes).

mvp-sidgwick-177-1-1 After this line in the MSS. comes μάλα γὰρ οὖν . . . μάταν ( ll. 367-371

). It is possible that the words are repeated as a refrain both here and after l. 380

.

λυμή is the destruction which attacks his mind, and blinds him to the threatening evil;

τόδε is best taken (not of the fall as many edd., which would be simply

πίπτων οὐκ οἶδεν , but) of the presence and power of the Furies.

κνέφας . is in apposition to

μύσος , and is predicative: we should say, So dark a cloud of pollution hovereth over him.

ἐπί , Epic adverbial use (tmesis) of the preposition, going with the verb.

mvp-sidgwick-180-1-1 Again a highly imaginative and picturesque phrase which needs no alteration:

The groans of the past victims are heard as it were making a horror of gloom about the house of wickedness.

μένει γάρ , for the law abides: so

Ag. 1563 . But it is obscure and abrupt: and possibly corrupted.

ἐσμέν is easily understood: Crafty are we, and unfailing to accomplish.

διόμεναι is rather a strange word (though the English to pursue a task or charge exactly illustrates it): hence Heath ingeniously suggested διέπο- μεν. But διόμεναι was read by Schol. and the MS. may stand.

ἀνηλίῳ λάμπᾳ , lit. in sunless light, an oxymoron, meaning in a light which is no light, where no sunlight shines. [Others translate

λάμπᾳ , filth, mould; for there is a very late word λάμπη, 'scum; and Dind. adopts Wieseler's conj. λάπᾳ in the same sense. But the strain of meaning is very harsh, and the word in the last degree unlikely.]

δυσοδοπαίπαλα is suspicious, as the metaphor is rather harsh (though perhaps continued from διόμεναι): the metre does not correspond with the antistrophe (καίπερ ὑπὸ χθόνα); and the double compound with δυσis unusual, indeed unique.

mvp-sidgwick-184-3-1 There are many suggestions to cure the metrical fault, δυσποροπ., δυσποδοπ., δυσμολοπ., δυσβατοπ., etc. But it is best to leave it.

mvp-sidgwick-185-1-1 Compare

l. 322 .