Med. Much in love is he! A traitor to his friend is he become.
Æg. Enough! if he is a villain as thou sayest.
Med. The alliance he is so much enamoured of is with a princess.
Æg. Who gives his daughter to him? go on, I pray.
Med. Creon, who is lord of this land of Corinth.
Æg. Lady, I can well pardon thy grief.
Med. I am undone, and more than that, am banished from the land.
Æg. By whom? fresh woe this word of thine unfolds.
Med. Creon drives me forth in exile from Corinth.
Æg. Doth Jason allow it? This too I blame him for.
Med. Not in words, but he will not stand out against it. O, I implore thee by this beard and by thy knees, in suppliant posture, pity, O pity my sorrows; do not see me cast forth forlorn, but receive me in thy country, to a seat within thy halls. So may thy wish by heaven's grace be crowned with a full harvest of offspring, and may thy life close in happiness! Thou knowest not the rare good luck thou findest here, for I will make thy childlessness to cease and cause thee to beget fair issue; so potent are the spells I know.
Æg. Lady, on many grounds I am most fain to grant thee this thy boon, first for the gods' sake, next for the children whom thou dost promise I shall beget; for in respect of this I am completely lost.[1] 'Tis thus with me; if e'er thou reach my land, I will attempt to champion thee as I am bound to do. Only one warning I do give thee first, lady; I will not from this land bear thee away, yet if of thyself thou reach my halls, there shalt thou bide in safety and I will never yield thee up to any man. But from
- ↑ The Schol. gives two interpretations of φροῦδος. (1) "I am ruined as far as begetting children goes." (2) "I am entirely devoted to doing so." Neither is satisfactory owing to want of parallel passages.
