STRO. The Virtues: for whoe'er of mortal men Dares impious deeds, him the gods punish: how To mortals, should yourselves transgress those laws? Neptune, and Jove that reigns supreme in heav'n, CHORUS. Thee, prompt to yield thy lenient aid, And thee, my Pallas, martial maid, I call; O hear the strain! Thou, whom the Titan from the head of Jove, By the raving maid repeated, On the hallow'd tripod seated, O haste thee, Goddess, and with thee A virgin thou, a virgin she, L. 459. Prometheus. Against the interpretation of Barnes see Dr. Musgrave, and note to the Furies of Æschylus, p. 408. I. 1. ANTIS. EPOD. Sisters to the Delphian king; Him, Virgins, let your vows implore, To mortal man this promis'd grace When round the father's hearth a race The wealth, the honours, from their high-drawn line More than proud wealth's exhaustless store, More than a monarch's bride to reign, The dear delight to Virtue's lore No: my desires to moderate wealth I bound, Ye rustic seats, Pan's dear delight, ION. Rings, O Pan, these caves around; When gods with mortals mix th' embrace, ION, CHORUS. Ye female train, that place yourselves around Making inquiries of his childless state? CHOR. Yet in the temple, stranger, he remains. ION. But he comes forth, the sounding doors announce XUTHUS, ION, CHORUS. XUTH. Health to my son! This first address is proper. JON. XUTH. ION. XUTH. ION. O let me kiss thy hand, Art thou, stranger, Well in thy wits; or hath the god's displeasure Reason bids, That which is dearest being found, to wish Off, touch me not, thy hands Will mar the garlands of the god. XUTH. My touch XUTH. Asserts no pledge: my own, and that most dear, I find. Wilt thou not keep thee distant, e'er Why fly me, When thou shou'dst own what is most fond of thee? Kill me, raise my funeral pyre, But, if thou kill me, thou wilt kill thy father. 10N. My father thou! how so? it makes me laugh XUTH. ION. XUTH. Presented? Though a present, born my son. And didst thou first meet me? ION. This fortune whence? None else, my son. This delights me most. Chang'd to some other. ION. Hast thou e'er mounted an unlawful bed? XUTH. In foolishness of youth. ION. Was that before Thy marriage with the daughter of Erectheus? XUTH. Since never. |