AiKavoKot A0709 zu Euripides. 9 



The i7rLXoyo<; is rarely wanting. ^ Sometimes it is a brief 

 statement that the speaker has said all that is of importance 

 in defence of his case. It may be a resume of the arguments 

 or a statement of the speaker's position, as in Andr. 361 fg., 

 688 fg., Hipp. 971 fg., Iph. Aul. 400 fg., Troad. 961 fg. It 

 may be a supplication for mercy, as in Herak. 226 fg. ; or an 

 address to a god, as in Med. 516 fg. Again it is almost pro- 

 verbial, as Hek. 293 fg., Hiket. 506 fg. In Elek. 1049-50, 

 the first speaker bids her opponent answer the arguments, 

 and this is a conclusion to the prjcn<i. 



The average length of the p/jcrei^ is a little less than 

 fifty lines, but some of them exceed that number, as Andr. 

 590-641, Hek. 1 1 32-1 182, 1 187-1237, Her. Main. 170-235, 

 Hiket. 195-249, Iph. Aul. 1 146-1208, Med. 465-519, 522- 

 575, Orest. 544-604, Troad. 914-965, 969-1032, Phoin. 

 528-585. In some discussions the two p/cret9 exactly balance 

 each other in the number of lines, as Hek. 1132-1182, 1187- 

 1237, Elek. ion- 1050, 1060-1099, Herak. 134-178, 181- 

 231,2 Med. 465-519, 522-575. In Phoin. 469-585, we find 

 the remarkable coincidence of twenty-seven lines by each of 

 the disputants and fifty-six by locaste in reply, being almost 

 exactly twice the number of each of the preceding prjaeL^. 

 This universal tendency to balance, which in Greek became 

 a law, must not, however, be pushed too far in these speeches, 

 much less be considered as ground for textual criticism. To 

 do so would be to reduce poetical genius to simply mathe- 

 matical ingenuity. It is much better to consider them as 

 does Johann Kvicala (Eur. Stud. II, 81), who says (in his 

 discussion of Hek. 11 32-1 182, 1 187-1237) : " Eine Ueberein- 

 stimmung der Verszahl dieser beiden Reden konnte, wenn 

 die Ziffer 51 richtig ist, nicht fiir beabsichtigt gelten." 



The two p}](reL<i are generally separated from each other by 

 two verses of the chorus, but this rule is violated in a few 

 cases, as Andr. 641-645, Hek. 295-299, Hel. 943-947, Troad. 

 965-969, where we have three verses. In Her. Main. 169, 



1 See Andr. 180, Hek. 331, Helen 943, 995. 



2 Vv. 220-225 are doubtless interpolated. 



375 



