Tragedies - 1833 Author:Sophocles Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: would he not have been proceeding hither, his head thus amply-wreathed with all-fruitful laurel'. CEo. Quickly shall we know, for he is within reach of hearin... more »g us. Prince, my relation, son of Menoeceus, what report from the god comest thou bringing to us ? Creon. Good : for I assert that even our grievances, should they chance to have their issues aright, might be altogether fortunate k. CEo. But of what purport is the oracle1? For I am neither rashly sanguine, nor yet however prematurely alarmed at thy present speech at least. Cr. If thou choosest to hear while these are by, I am ready to tell thee, or if [thou choosest] to retire within doors. CEo. Speak openly to all, for I make more account of the sorrows of these my people than of even mine own life. Cr. I will say what kind of answer I heard from the god. King Phoebus openly enjoins us to expelfrom the country a pollution, as having been bred in this our land, nor to foster what is incurable. 1 The laurel crowu, say the commentators, was the privilege of those " quibus laetae sortes obtigerant." Chremylus in the Plutus, however, will hardly allow the " Iffltae sortes " to be his lot, though his slave wears the chaplet. k A purposely dark answer, breathing the true Loxian spirit. ' Gh. Iotiv S1 irdiov Touiroc ; Quid hoc sermonis estl Bh. " What mean thy words'!" Dale. "Eiroc is emphatically on oracle, and moreover the expression nf yt vvv oyif would be a mere repetition, if Brunck's translation were correct. In the same passage the opposition of QpaaiiQ to irpociiaaf gives confirmation to the distinction made between 0pairoi; and Qapaoc, audacia and fiducia. CEo. By what kind of purification ? What is the nature of the evil ? Cr. By banishing, or requiting death with death, since the follow...« less