THE ICHNEUTAE OF SOPHOCLES 437
Column 1.
Apollo. Unto all gods and unto all mortal men be it known :
A bason of gold I hereby covenant to deliver Unto him that shall bring back my cattle that are afar off. For a hard thing is it and grievous unto my spirit That I yearn continually for my milch kine with a
fruitless 1 yearning, 5 For the noise of my bullocks, and the sweet breath of
my heifers.
These are all departed ; and for their footsteps do I
make vain search, While they wander secretly far from the crib of the
place of their stalling, And going astray seek pasture : whereas I had never
thought
That any either of the gods or of men that live but for
a day 10 Thus far had presumed against me without shipwreck
on the rock of his presumption. 2 Since therefore this thing befell me, astonied in my distress I have gone forth, yea, I have made search, with the
ceremonies of perfect proclamation To gods and to mortal men, bidding none be ignorant
of the business That mortar in hand, unlike unto myself, I conduct
with my head discovered. 15 I have made visitation of the tribes of the whole host
of the Locrians,
1 Wlsd. xv. 4. 2 Esth. xiii. 2 ; ii Mac. v. 18.
v. 15. Docet Hunt Ρ exhibere [.....]υθιαιγαρεμμανεισκυνηγετω, nisi quod dubium esse judicat θ literam septimo loco positam: indicat idem Ρ2 εμμανεισ in έμμανῐσ convertisse. Quae quidem correctio tam manifeste incompleta est et versum in verba Graeca adeo relinquit indivisum ut suspicer signo aliquo, hodie fortasse obliterato, aut primam aut secundam μ literam P2 delevisse haereamque incertus an monstratura sit investigatio curiosior, vel quia, excepto έμανῐσ, Ρ sic scripserit, vel quod P2 ita correxerit, vel partim ex hac partim ex ilia causa, [.....]υειαιπαρέμανῐσκυνησεπω citra emendationem posse legi.
v. 16. Lacuna in fine versus octo fortasse literarum, quantas scribit P, capax est; sed addit versui notam P2, cujus superest nihil nisi finis του et colon; in lacuna igitur stabat olim et hujus notae prior pars.
