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well aware I slew Creon; the father of Megara; and am in possession of
his throne。 So I have no wish that these children should grow up and
be left to take vengeance on me in requital for what I have done。
  AMPHITRYON
    As for Zeus; let Zeus defend his son's case; but as for me;
Heracles; I am only anxious on thy behalf to prove by what I say
this tyrant's ignorance; for I cannot allow thee to be ill spoken
of。 First then for that which should never have been said;…for to
speak of thee Heracles as coward is; methinks; outside the pale of
speech;…of that must I clear the with heaven to witness。 I appeal then
to the thunder of Zeus; and the chariot wherein he rode; when he
pierced the giants; earth's brood; to the heart with his winged
shafts; and with gods uplifted the glorious triumph…song; or go to
Pholoe and ask the insolent tribe of four…legged Centaurs; thou craven
king; ask them who they would judge their bravest foe; will they not
say my son; who according to thee is but a pretender? Wert thou to ask
Euboean Dirphys; thy native place; it would nowise sing thy praise;
for thou hast never done a single gallant deed to which thy country
can witness。 Next thou dost disparage that clever invention; an
archer's weapon; come; listen to me and learn wisdom。 A man who fights
in line is a slave to his weapons; and if his fellow…comrades want for
courage he is slain himself through the cowardice of his neighbours;
or; if he break his spear; he has not wherewithal to defend his body
from death; having only one means of defence; whereas all who are
armed with the trusty bow; though they have but one weapon; yet is
it the best; for a man; after discharging countless arrows; still
has others wherewith to defend himself from death; and standing at a
distance keeps off the enemy; wounding them for all their watchfulness
with shafts invisible; and never exposing himself to the foe; but
keeping under cover; and this is far the wisest course in battle; to
harm the enemy; if they are not stationed out of shot; and keep safe
oneself。 These arguments are completely opposite to thine with
regard to the point at issue。 Next; why art thou desirous of slaying
these children? What have they done to thee? One piece of wisdom
credit thee with; thy coward terror of a brave man's descendants。
Still it is hard on us; if for thy cowardice we must die; a fate
that ought to have overtaken thee at our braver hands; if Zeus had
been fairly disposed towards us。 But; if thou art so anxious to make
thyself supreme in the land; let us at least go into exile; abstain
from all violence; else thou wilt suffer by it whenso the deity causes
fortune's breeze to veer round。
    Ah! thou land of Cadmus;…for to thee too will I turn; upbraiding
thee with words of reproach;…is this your succour of Heracles and
his children? the man who faced alone the Minyan host in battle and
allowed Thebes to see the light with freemen's eyes。 I cannot praise
Hellas; nor will I ever keep silence; finding her so craven as regards
my son; she should have come with fire and sword and warrior's arms to
help these tender babes; to requite him for all his labours in purging
land and sea。 Such help; my children; neither Hellas nor the city of
Thebes affords you; to me a feeble friend ye look; that am but empty
sound and nothing more。 For the vigour which once I had; is gone
from me; my limbs are palsied with age; and my strength is decayed。
Were I but young and still a man of my hands; I would have seized my
spear and dabbled those flaxen locks of his with blood; so that the
coward would now be flying from my prowes beyond the bounds of Atlas。
  LEADER
    Have not the brave amongst mankind a fair opening for speech;
albeit slow to begin?
  LYCUS
    Say what thou wilt of me in thy exalted phrase; but I by deeds
will make thee rue those words。 (Calling to his servants) Ho! bid
wood…cutters go; some to Helicon; others to the glens of Parnassus;
and cut me logs of oak; and when they are brought to the town; pile up
a stack of wood all round the altar on either side thereof; and set
fire to it and burn them all alive; that they may learn that the
dead no longer rules this land; but that for the present I am king。
(angrily to the CHORUS) As for you; old men; since ye thwart my views;
not for the children of Heracles alone shall ye lament but likewise
for every blow that strikes his house; and ye shall ne'er forget ye
are slaves and I your prince。
  LEADER
    Ye sons of Earth; whom Ares on a day did sow; when from the
dragon's ravening jaw he had torn the teeth; up with your staves;
whereon ye lean your hands; and dash out this miscreant's brains! a
fellow who; without even being a Theban; but a foreigner; lords it
shamefully o'er the younger folk; but my master shalt thou never be to
thy joy; nor shalt thou reap the harvest of all my toil; begone with
my curse upon thee! carry thy insolence back to the place whence it
came。 For never whilst I live; shalt thou slay these sons of Heracles;
not so deep beneath the earth hath their father disappeared from his
children's ken。 Thou art in possession of this land which thou hast
ruined; while he its benefactor has missed his just reward; and yet do
I take too much upon myself because I help those I love after their
death; when most they need a friend? Ah! right hand; how fain
wouldst thou wield the spear; but thy weakness is a death…blow to
thy fond desire; for then had I stopped thee calling me slave; and I
would have governed Thebes; wherein thou art now exulting; with
credit; for city sick with dissension and evil counsels thinketh not
aright; otherwise it would never have accepted thee as its master。
  MEGARA
    Old sirs; I thank you; 'tis right that friends should feel
virtuous indignation on behalf of those they love; but do not on our
account vent your anger on the tyrant to your own undoing。 Hear my
advice; Amphitryon; if haply there appear to thee to be aught in
what I say。 I love my children; strange if I did not love those whom I
laboured to bring forth! Death I count a dreadful fate; but the man
who wrestles with necessity I esteem a fool。 Since we must die; let us
do so without being burnt alive; to furnish our foes with food for
merriment; which to my mind is an evil worse than death; for many a
fair guerdon do we owe our family。 Thine has ever been a warrior's
fair fame; so 'tis not to be endured that thou shouldst die a coward's
death; and my husband's reputation needs no one to witness that he
would ne'er consent to save these children's lives by letting them
incur the stain of cowardice; for the noble are afflicted by
disgrace on account of their children; nor must I shrink from
following my lord's example。 As to thy hopes consider how I weigh
them。 Thou thinkest thy son will return from beneath the earth: who
ever has come back from the dead out of the halls of Hades? Thou
hast a hope perhaps of softening this man by entreaty: no; no!
better to fly from one's enemy when he is so brutish; but yield to men
of breeding and wisdom; for thou wilt more easily obtain mercy there
by friendly overtures。 True; a thought has already occurred to me that
we might by entreaty obtain a sentence of exile for the children;
yet this too is misery; to compass their deliverance with dire
penury as the result; for 'tis a saying that hosts look sweetly on
banished friends for a day and no more。 Steel thy heart to die with
us; for that awaits thee after all。 By thy brave soul I challenge
thee; old friend; for whoso struggles hard to escape destiny shows
zeal no doubt; but 'tis zeal with a taint of folly; for what must
be; no one will ever avail to alter。
  LEADER
    If a man had insulted thee; while yet my arms were lusty; there
would have been an easy way to stop him; but now am I a thing of
naught; and so thou henceforth; Amphitryon; must scheme how to avert
misfortune。
  AMPHITRYON
    'Tis not cowardice or any longing for life that hinders my
dying; but my wish to save my son's children; though no doubt I am
vainly wishing for impossibilities。 Lo! here is my neck ready for
thy sword to pierce; my body for thee to hack or hurl from the rock;
only one boon I crave for both of us; O king; slay me and this hapless
mother before thou slay the children; that we may not see the
hideous sight; as they gasp out their lives; calling on their mother
and their father's sire; for the rest work thy will; if so thou art
inclined; for we have no defence against death。
  MEGARA
    I too implore thee add a second boon; that by thy single act
thou mayst put us both under a double obligation; suffer me to deck my
children in the robes of death;…first opening the palace gates; for
now are we shut out;…that this at least they may obtain from their
father's halls。
  LYCUS
    I grant it; and bid my servants undo the bolts。 Go in and deck
yourselves; robes I grudge not。 But soon as ye have clothed
yourselves; I will return to you to consign you to the nether world。
                                    (Lycus and his retinue withdraw。)
  MEGARA
    Children; follow the footsteps of your hapless mother to your
father's halls; where others po

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