avenly gods; he who once pursued the
nurses of raving Bacchus through sacred Nyssa; but they all at once cast
their sacred implements[240] on the ground, smitten by man-slaying
Lycurgus with an ox-goad; but Bacchus, too, terrified, sunk under the
wave of the sea, and Thetis received him affrighted in her bosom; for
dreadful trembling had seized him, on account of the threat of the man.
With him the peaceful-living gods were afterwards enraged, and the son
of Saturn rendered him blind, nor did he live much longer, for he became
an object of aversion to all the immortal gods. Wherefore I should not
wish to fight with the blessed gods. But if thou art any one of mortals,
who eat the fruit of the earth, come hither, that thou mayest speedily
reach the goal of death."

[Footnote 240: Not merely the thyrsi. See Anthon.]

Him then the renowned son of Hippolochus addressed in turn: "Magnanimous
son of Tydeus, why dost thou inquire of my race? As is the race of
leaves, even such is the race of men.[241] Some leaves the wind sheds
upon the ground, but the fructifying wood produces others, and these
grow up in the season of spring. Such is the generation of men; one
produces, another ceases [to do so]. But if thou wouldst learn even
these things, that thou mayest well know my lineage (for many know it),
there is a city, Ephyra, in a nook of horse-pasturing Argos; there dwelt
Sisyphus, who was the most cunning of mortals, Sisyphus, son of AEolus;
and he begat a son, Glaucus. But Glaucus begat blameless Bellerophon; to
whom the gods gave beauty and agreeable manliness. But against him
Proetus devised evils in his soul: who accordingly banished him from the
state (since he was far the best of the Greeks; for Jove had subjected
them to his sceptre). With him the wife of Proetus, noble Antea,[242]
passionately longed to be united in secret love; but by no means could
she persuade just-minded, wise-reflecting Bellerophon. She, therefore,
telling a falsehood, thus addressed king Proetus: 'Mayest thou be dead, O
Proetus! or do thou slay Bellerophon, who desired to be united in love
with me against my will.' Thus she said: but rage possessed the king at
what he heard. He was unwilling, indeed, to slay him, for he scrupled
this in his mind; but he sent him into Lycia, and gave to him fatal
characters, writing many things of deadly purport on a sealed tablet;
and ordered him to show it to his father-in-law, to the end that he
might peris