revenge.

EU. Slay me, I do not deprecate thy wrath. But this city indeed, since it
has released me, and feared to slay me, I will present with an ancient
oracle of Apollo, which, in time, will be of greater profit than you would
expect; for ye will bury me when I am dead, where it is fated, before the
temple of the divine virgin of Pallene; and being well disposed to you, and
a protector to the city, I shall ever lie as a sojourner under the ground,
but most hostile to their descendants when they come hither with much
force, betraying this kindness: such strangers do ye now defend. How then
did I, knowing this, come hither, and not respect the oracle of the God?
Thinking Juno far more powerful than oracles, and that she would not betray
me, [I did so.] But suffer neither libations nor blood to be poured on my
tomb, for I will give them an evil return as a requital for these things;
and ye shall have a double gain from me, I will both profit you and injure
them by dying.

ALC. Why then do ye delay, if you are fated to accomplish safety to the
city and to your descendants, to slay this man, hearing these things? for
they show us the safest path. The man is an enemy, but he will profit us
dying. Take him away, O servants; then having slain him, ye must give him
to the dogs; for hope not thou, that living, thou shalt again banish me
from my native land.

CHOR. These things seem good to me, proceed, O attendants, for every thing
on our part shall be done completely for our sovereigns.

* * * * *

NOTES ON THE HERACLYDAE

* * * *

[1] Such seems to be the force of [Greek: eis aner].

[2] But the construction is probably [Greek: aletai ges], (compare my note
on AEsch. Eum. 63,) and [Greek: apesteremenoi] is _bereaved, destitute_.

[3] Cf. AEsch. Eum. 973.

[4] i.e. Oenoe, Marathon, Probalinthus, and Tricorythus.

[5] Elmsley compares Med. 1209. [Greek: tis ton geronta tymbon orthanon
sethen tithesi]; so the Latins used "Silicernium." Cf. Fulgent. Expos.
Serm. Ant. p. 171, ed. Munck.

[6] [Greek: antlos], sentina, bilge-water. See Elmsley.

[7] See Elmsley's note.

[8] See Dindorf, who repents of the reading in the text, and restores
[Greek: soi gar tod' aischron choris en polei kakon]. He, however, condemns
this and the two next lines as spurious.

[9] i.e. if I neglect them.

[10] Cf. Hor. Od. iii. 6, 48. "AEtas parentum, pejor avis, tulit Nos
nequi