AiKavcKoi; Ao'709 in Euripides. 37 



yS. 549-557. Why do you prize sovereignty so highly ? It 

 is but prosperity with injustice, — -an empty honor. Why toil 

 laboriously when you have much at home ?^ Wealth is but a 

 name, and riches belong not to men, but to the gods. 



7- 558~565- I propose to you two alternatives. Do you 

 prefer to rule or to save the city .-* Do you say you prefer to 

 hold the throne .■" Then, if he is victorious, you will see 

 Thebes conquered and many captive maidens ruined by your 

 enemies. 



h: 568-583:2 



(Toi jjiev rdh^ av8o), aol Se TIo\vv€LK€<; Xeyto. 

 (Addressed to Polyneikes.) Adrastos has not wisely con- 

 ferred his favors, and you are foolish for coming to destroy 

 the city. Suppose you take the city — Heaven forbid ! — 

 how can you inscribe upon the spoils : 



" &)]^a<i, 7rvpcoaa<i rdaSe IIo\vv€ik7]<; deol'i 

 da7rl8a<; eOrjKe ; " 



On the other hand, if you are defeated, how can you return 

 to Argos after leaving the dead ? Many will say : 



" 0) KUKa fivrjarev/jiaTa 

 "ASpaa-re 7rpo(j6ei<i, Sta p,id<i vvfM(f)'rj<i ydfiov 

 aTTCoXo/jLeada." 



4. 'E7ri\o709, 584' 585 ■ 



fiedeTOV TO Xiav, jxeOerov • dfxadiat Svolv, 

 et? ravO' orav /xoXtjtov, e'^^dtarov kukov. 



The arguments of lokaste, powerful as they are, have no 

 effect on Eteokles. He declares that words can accomplish 

 nothing in the present contest (588, 589), and orders his 

 brother to leave the city (593). This causes a very passion- 

 ate debate to take place between the brothers in a series of 

 trochaic verses (594-624). At first the debate is conducted 

 in anxop'vOia (596-602), but as their anger increases they 

 change to rj/niarL'xi'Ci, and thus continue to the end (603-624). 



1 V. 552. Retain ec dufiaai of the MSS. On evSaifwva (thf^ reading of 

 Nauck) see Eur. Stud. I, 78. 



2 Dindorf rightly condemns vv. 566, 567. Nauck puts v. 567 in brackets. 



403 



