22 Ernest Heinrich Klotsche 



Told under oath-seal to thy son her pangs : 



He, even as was righteous, would not heed 



The tempting; no, nor when sore-wronged of thee 



Broke he the oath's pledge, for he feared the Gods." 



Taken in its context v. 612 may, indeed, be justified; but the 

 formula itself is objectionable on account of the possible abuse of 

 its application. When Euripides distinguished between the 

 tongue that pronounces the formula of the oath and the mind 

 that does or does not acquiesce in the words pronounced, he did 

 certainly not intend to express doubt as to the sanctity of oaths 

 or even justify perjury, but intended to distinguish between valid 

 and invalid oaths thus attempting to goad people to reflection. 

 We may, however, well imagine that the Greeks in Euripides' 

 days, who were nourished on the idea that the formula of oath, 

 when pronounced, was absolutely binding, were scandalized when 

 they heard in the theatre that oaths might be discriminated ac- 

 cording to the circumstances under which they were made. 



The following oath of the chorus is important for the sequel 

 of the play. It prevents the chorus from revealing to Theseus 

 the truth about the relations of Hippolytus and Phaedra and 

 saving Hippolytus : 



Hipp. 713-14: 



o/jivvfxi, aeixvr)v ApTejj,iv Atos Kopriv, 

 fj,r]8ev KaKuv aihv eU (pdos dei^eiv wore. 



" I swear by reverend Artemis, Zeus' child, 

 Never to bare to light of thine ills aught." 



The formula ^' kpreixiv Atos Kopyiv was suggested by the statue of 

 Artemis, which stood on the stage. 



Euripides had no regard for the function of soothsayers or 

 prophets. He evidently considers them as public impostors and 

 attacks them whenever opportunity offers. Hippolytus driven 

 from Attica by his father, complains that he has been exiled 

 without a trial, without proof of the crime of which he is accused, 

 and without consultation of the soothsayers : 



Hipp. 1055-56: 



oii5' opKov ovde irluTLv ov8k /lavTecov 

 (j)T]lxas ekky^as aKptrov bi0a\els fxe yfjs; 



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