aving
possessed the empire, Jocasta could not reconcile her children.--Polynices,
prepared as against an enemy, rushed out of the city. Now Tiresias
prophesied that victory should be on the side of the Thebans, if Menoeceus
the son of Creon would give himself up to be sacrificed to Mars. Creon
refused to give his son to the city, but the youth was willing, and, his
father pointing out to him the means of flight and giving him money, he put
himself to death.--The Thebans slew the leaders of the Argives. Eteocles
and Polynices in a single combat slew each other, and their mother having
found the corses of her sons laid violent hands on herself; and Creon her
brother received the kingdom. The Argives defeated in battle retired. But
Creon, being morose, would not give up those of the enemy who had fallen at
Thebes, for sepulture, and exposed the body of Polynices without burial,
and banished Oedipus from his country; in the one instance disregarding the
laws of humanity, in the other giving way to passion, nor feeling pity for
him after his calamity.

* * * * *

THE PHOENICIAN VIRGINS.

* * * *

JOCASTA.

O thou that cuttest thy path through the constellations[1] of heaven, and
art mounted on thy golden-joined seats, thou sun, whirling thy flame
with[2] thy swift steeds, how inauspicious didst thou dart thy ray on that
day when Cadmus came to this land having left the sea-washed coast of
Phoenicia; who in former time having married Harmonia, daughter of Venus,
begat Polydorus; from him they say sprung Labdacus, and from him Laius. But
I am[3] the daughter of Menoeceus, and Creon my brother was born of the
same mother; me they call Jocasta (for this name[4] my father gave me), and
Laius takes me for his wife; but after that he was childless, for a long
time sharing my bed in the palace, he went and inquired of Apollo, and at
the same time demands the mutual offspring of male children in his family;
but the God said, "O king of Thebes renowned for its chariots, sow not for
such a harvest of children against the will of the Gods, for if thou shalt
beget a son, he that is born shall slay thee, and the whole of thy house
shall wade through blood." But having yielded to pleasure, and having
fallen into inebriety, he begot to us a son, and having begot him, feeling
conscious of his error and the command of the God, gives the babe to some
herdsmen to expose at the meads o