EU. Slay me, I do not deprecate thy wrath. But this city indeed, since it has released me, and feared to slay me, I will present with an ancient oracle of Apollo, which, in time, will be of greater profit than you would expect; for ye will bury me when I am dead, where it is fated, before the temple of the divine virgin of Pallene; and being well disposed to you, and a protector to the city, I shall ever lie as a sojourner under the ground, but most hostile to their descendants when they come hither with much force, betraying this kindness: such strangers do ye now defend. How then did I, knowing this, come hither, and not respect the oracle of the God? Thinking Juno far more powerful than oracles, and that she would not betray me, [I did so.] But suffer neither libations nor blood to be poured on my tomb, for I will give them an evil return as a requital for these things; and ye shall have a double gain from me, I will both profit you and injure them by dying. ALC. Why then do ye delay, if you are fated to accomplish safety to the city and to your descendants, to slay this man, hearing these things? for they show us the safest path. The man is an enemy, but he will profit us dying. Take him away, O servants; then having slain him, ye must give him to the dogs; for hope not thou, that living, thou shalt again banish me from my native land. CHOR. These things seem good to me, proceed, O attendants, for every thing on our part shall be done completely for our sovereigns. * * * * * NOTES ON THE HERACLYDÆ * * * * [1] Such seems to be the force of εις ανηρ. [2] But the construction is probably αληται γης, (compare my note on Æsch. Eum. 63,) and απεστερημενοι is _bereaved, destitute_. [3] Cf. Æsch. Eum. 973. [4] i.e. Œnoe, Marathon, Probalinthus, and Tricorythus. [5] Elmsley compares Med. 1209. τις τον γεροντα τυμβον ορθανον σεθεν τιθησι; so the Latins used "Silicernium." Cf. Fulgent. Expos. Serm. Ant. p. 171, ed. Munck. [6] αντλος, sentina, bilge-water. See Elmsley. [7] See Elmsley's note. [8] See Dindorf, who repents of the reading in the text, and restores σοι γαρ τοδ' αισχρον χωρις εν πολει κακον. He, however, condemns this and the two next lines as spurious. [9] i.e. if I neglect them. [10] Cf. Hor. Od. iii. 6, 48. "Ætas parentum, pejor avis, tulit Nos nequiores, mox daturos Progeniem vitiosiorem." [11] Cf. Soph. Ant. 127. Ζευς γαρ μεγαλης γλωσσης κομπους ‛Υπερεχθαιρει. [12] Cf. Æsch. Sept. c. Th. 40 sq., also Soph. Œd. T. 6 sqq. [13] i.e. μαντεις κατ' αστυ θυηφολουσι. ELMSLEY.