the might of Jove, this man
prevented the city of the Cadmaeans from being destroyed, and thoroughly
overwhelmed by the surge of foreign enemies.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Lucian, in his dialogue entitled "Prometheus," or
"Caucasus," has given occasional imitations of passages in
this play, not, however, sufficient to amount to a
paraphrase, as Dr. Blomfield asserted. Besides, as Lucian
lays the scene at Caucasus, he would rather seem to have
had the "Prometheus solutus" in mind. (See Schutz, Argum.)
But the ancients commonly made Caucasus the seat of the
punishment of Prometheus, and, as AEschylus is not over
particular in his geography, it is possible that he may be
not altogether consistent with himself. Lucian makes no
mention of Strength and Force, but brings in Mercury at
the beginning of the dialogue. Moreover, Mercury is
represented in an excellent humor, and rallies Prometheus
good-naturedly upon his tortures. Thus, Sec.6, he says,
[Greek: eu echei. kataptesetai de ede kai ho aetos
apokeron to hepar, hos panta echois anti tes kales kai
eumechanou plastikes.] In regard to the place where
Prometheus was bound, the scene doubtless represented a
ravine between two precipices rent from each other, with a
distant prospect of some of the places mentioned in the
wanderings of Io. (See Schutz, _ibid._) But as the whole
mention of Scythia is an anachronism, the less said on
this point the better. Compare, however, the following
remarks of Humboldt, Cosmos, vol. ii. p. 140, "The legend
of Prometheus, and the unbinding of the chains of the
fire-bringing Titan on the Caucasus by Hercules in
journeying eastward--the ascent of Io from the valley of
the Hybrites--[See Griffiths' note on v. 717, on [Greek:
hybristes potamos], which _must_ be a proper name]--toward
the Caucasus; and the myth of Phryxus and Helle--all point
to the same path on which Phoenician navigators had
earlier adventured."

[2] Dindorf, in his note, rightly approves the elegant
reading [Greek: abroton (=apanthropon)] in lieu of the
frigid [Greek: abaton]. See Blomf. and Burges. As far as
this play is concerned, the tract was not actually
_impassable_, but it was so to _mortals_.

[3] [Greek: leorgos = rhadiourgos, panourgos, kakourgos].
Cf. Liddell and Linwood, s. v. The interpretation and
derivation of the etym. magn. [Greek: ho ton anthropon
plastes], is justly rejected