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dying away without a name shall Phaedra's love toward thee pass unrecorded:--But thou, O son of the aged AEgeus, take thy son in thine arms and clasp him to thee; for unwillingly thou didst destroy him, but that men should err, when the Gods dispose events, is but to be expected!--and thee, Hippolytus, I exhort not to remain at enmity with thy father; for thou perceivest the fate, whereby thou wert destroyed. And farewell! for it is not lawful for me to behold the dead, nor to pollute mine eye with the gasps of the dying; but I see that thou art now near this calamity.

HIPP. Go thou too, and farewell, blessed virgin! But thou easily quittest a long companionship. But I give up all enmity against my father at thy request, for before also I was wont to obey thy words. Ah! ah! darkness now covers me over mine eyes. Take hold on me, my father, and lift up my body.

THES. Ah me! my son, what dost thou, do to me unhappy?

HIPP. I perish, and do indeed see the gates of hell.

THES. What? leaving my mind uncleansed from thy blood?

HIPP. No in sooth, since I free thee from this murder.

THES. What sayest thou? dost thou remit me free from the guilt of blood?

HIPP. I call to witness Dian that slays with the bow.

THES. O most dear, how noble thou appearest to thy father!

HIPP. O farewell thou too, take my best farewell, my father!

THES. Oh me! for thy pious and brave soul!

HIPP. Pray to have legitimate sons like me.

THES. Do not, I prithee, leave me, my son, but be strong.

HIPP. My time of strength is past; for I perish, my father: but cover my face as quickly as possible with robes.

THES. O famous realms of Athens and of Pallas, of what a man will ye have been bereaved! Oh unhappy I! What abundant reason, Venus, shall I have to remember thy ills!

CHOR. This common grief to all the citizens hath come unexpectedly. There will be a fast falling of many tears; for the mournful stories of great men rather obtain.

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NOTES ON HIPPOLYTUS

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[1] The construction in the original furnishes a remarkable example of the "nominativus pendens."

[2] Or, _that posterity might know it_. TR. Dindorf would omit these words. B.

[3] Dindorf would omit these lines. I think the difficulty in the structure may be removed by reading [Greek: hostis] instead of [Greek: hosois]. The enallage, [Greek: hostis ... toutois], is by no means unusual. B.

[4] Cf. Soph. Oed. Col. 121, sqq. B.

[5] Which at present you do not appear to have.

[6] Monk would join [Greek: okeanou] with [Greek: petra], as in the translation, but other commentators prefer, which is certainly more simple, to join it with [Greek: hydor]. Then the difficulty occurs of sea-water being unfit for washing vests. This difficulty Beck obviates, by saying that [Greek: hydor okeanou] may be applied to fresh water, Ocean being the parent of all streams, the word [Greek: okeanou] being here, in a manner, redundant. TR. Matthiae is very wrath with the "all on a washing day" manner in which the Chorus learned Phaedra's indisposition. The "Bothie of Toper na Fuosich" will furnish some similar simplicities, such as the meeting a lassie "digging potatoes." But we might as well object to the whole story of Nausicaa. It must be recollected that the duties of the laundry were considered more aristocratic by the ancients, than in modern times. B.

[7] Cf. AEsch. Pr. 23. [Greek: Chroias ameipseis anthos]. B.

[8] Literally _a speech mounted on madness_. A similar expression occurs, Odyssey [Greek: A]. 297. [Greek: Nepiaas ocheein].

[9] Plutarch in explanation of this line says, "[Greek: kathaper poda neos, epididonta kai prosagonta tais chreiais ten philian]."

[10] I have followed the elegant interpretation of L. Dindorf, who observes that [Greek: ou deth hekousa] refers to Phaedra's assertion, [Greek: ou gar es s' amartano], and that the meaning is, "non quidem consilio in me peccas, sed si tu peribis, ego quoque occidero." He compares Alcest. 389. B.

[11] See Matthiae's note. I prefer, however, [Greek: oleis], with Musgrave.