IOL. Is then the army already armed as for the work?
SERV. Ay; and already the victims are led away from the ranks.
IOL. And how far distant is the Argive army?
SERV. So that the general can be distinctly seen.
IOL. Doing what? arraying the ranks of the enemies?
SERV. We conjectured this, for we did not hear him; but I will go; I should
not like my masters to join battle with the enemy, deserted as far as my
part is concerned.
IOL. And I will go with you; for we think the same things, being present to
aid our friends as much as we can.
SERV. It is not your part to say a foolish word.
IOL. And not to share the sturdy battle with my friends!
SERV. One can not see a wound from an inactive hand.
IOL. But what, can not I too strike through a shield?
SERV. You might strike, but you yourself would fall first.
IOL. No one of the enemy will dare to behold me.
SERV. You have not, my good friend, the strength which once you had.
IOL. But I will fight with them who will not be the fewer in numbers.
SERV. You add but a slight weight to your friends.
IOL. Do not detain me who am prepared to act.
SERV. You are not able to do any thing, but you may perhaps be to advise.
IOL. You may say the rest, as I not staying to hear.
SERV. How then will you appear to the soldiers without arms?
IOL. There are within this palace arms taken in war, which I will use and
restore if alive; but the God will not demand them back of me, if I fall;
but go in, and taking them down from the pegs, bring me as quickly as
possible the panoply of a warrior; for this is a disgraceful house-keeping,
for some to fight, and some to remain behind through fear.
CHOR. Time does not depress your spirit, but it grows young again, but your
body is weak: why dost thou toil in vain? which will harm you indeed, but
profit our city but little; you should consider your age, and leave alone
impossibilities, it can not be that you again should acquire youth.
ALC. Why are you, not being in your senses, about to leave me alone with my
children?
IOL. For valor is the part of men; but it is your duty to take care of
them.
ALC. But what if you die? how shall I be saved?
IOL. Your sons who are left will take care of your son.
ALC. But if they, which Heaven forbid, should meet with fate!
IOL. These strangers will not betray you, do not fear.
ALC. Such confidence indeed I have, nothing else.
IOL. And Jove, I well know, cares for your toils.
ALC. Alas! Jupiter shall never be reproached by me, but he himself knows
whether he is just toward me.
SERV. You see now this panoply of arms; but you can not make too much
haste[22] in arraying your body in them, as the contest is at hand, and,
above all things, Mars hates those who delay; but if you fear the weight of
arms, now then go forth unarmed,[23] and in the ranks be clad with this
equipment, and I will carry it so far.
IOL. Thou hast said well; but bring the arms, having them close at hand,
and put a spear in my hand, and support my left arm guiding my foot.
SERV. Is it right to lead a warrior like a child?
IOL. One must go safely for the sake of the omen.
SERV. Would you were able to do as much as you are willing.
IOL. Make haste, I shall suffer sadly if too late for the battle.
SERV. It is you who delay, and not I, seeming to do something.
IOL. Do you not see how my foot presses on?
SERV. I see you rather seeming to hasten than hastening.
IOL. You will not say so, when you behold me there.
SERV. Doing what? I wish I may see you successful.
IOL. Striking some of the enemy through the shield.
SERV. If indeed we get there; for that I have fears of.
IOL. Alas! O arm, would thou wert such an ally to me as I recollect you in
your youth, when you ravaged Sparta with Hercules, how would I put
Eurystheus to flight; since he is but a coward in abiding a spear. But in
prosperity then is this too which is not right, a reputation for courage;
for we think that he who is prosperous knows all things well.
CHOR. O earth, and moon that shinest through the night, and most brilliant
rays of the God, that gave light to mortals, bring me news, and shout in
heaven and at the queenly throne of the blue-eyed Minerva. I am about, on
behalf of my country, on behalf of my house, having received suppliants I
am about to cut through danger with the white steel. It is terrible that a
city, prosperous as Mycenæ, and much praised for valor in war, should
nourish secret[24] anger against my land; but it is evil too, O city, if we
are to give up strangers at the bidding of Argos.[25] Jupiter is my ally, I
fear not; Jupiter rightly has favor toward me. Never shall the Gods seem
inferior to men in my opinion.[26] But, O venerable Goddess, for the soil
of this land is thine, and the city of which you are mother, mistress, and
guardian, lead away by some other way him who unjustly leads on this
spear-brandishing host from Argos; for as far as my virtue is concerned, I
do not deserve to be banished from these halls. For honor, with much
sacrifice, is ever offered to you; nor does the waning[27] day of the month
forget you, nor the songs of youths, nor the measures of dances; but on the
lofty hill shouts resound in accordance with the beatings of the feet of
virgins the livelong night.
SERV. O mistress, I bring news most concise for you to hear, and to myself
most glorious; we have conquered our enemies, and trophies are set up
bearing the panoply of your enemies.
ALC. O best beloved, this day has caused thee to be made free for this thy
news; but from one disaster you do not yet free me, for I fear whether they
be living to me whom I wish to be.
SERV. They live, the most glorious in the army.
ALC. Does not the aged Iolaus survive?
SERV. Surely, and having done most glorious deeds by help of the Gods.
ALC. But what? has he done any doughty act in the fight?
SERV. He has changed from an old into a young man again.
ALC. Thou tellest marvelous things, but first I wish you to relate the
prosperous contest of your friends in battle.
SERV. One speech of mine shall tell you all this; for when stretching out
[our ranks] face to face, we arrayed our armies against one another, Hyllus
putting his foot out of his four-horse chariot, stood in the mid-space of
the field;[28] and then said, O general, you are come from Argos, why leave
we not this land alone? and you will do Mycenæ no harm, depriving it of one
man; but you fighting alone with me alone, either killing me, lead away the
children of Hercules, or dying, allow me to possess my ancestral
prerogative and palaces. And the army gave praise; that the speech was well
spoken for a termination of their toils, and in respect of courage. But he
neither regarding those who had heard the speech, nor, although he was
general, his [own character for] cowardice, ventured not to come near the
warlike spear, but was most cowardly; and being such, he came to enslave
the descendants of Hercules. Hyllus then returned again back to his ranks;
but the soothsayers, when they saw that the affair could not be arranged by
single combat of one shield, sacrificed, and delayed not, but let fall
forth immediately the propitious slaughter of mortal throats; and some
mounted chariots, and some concealed their sides under the sides of their
shields; but the king of the Athenians gave to his army such orders as
become a high-born man. "O fellow-citizens, now it behooves one to defend
the land that has produced and cherished us."[29] And the other also
besought his allies not to disgrace Argos and Mycenæ. But when the signal
was sounded on a Tyrrhenian trumpet, and they joined battle with one
another, what a clash of spears dost thou think sounded, how great a
groaning and lamentation at the same time! And first the dashing on of the
Argive spear broke us; then they again retreated; and next foot being
interchanged with foot, and man standing against man, the battle waged
fierce; and many fell; and there were two cries, O ye who [dwell in]
Athens, O ye who sow the land of the Argives, will ye not avert disgrace
from the city? And with difficulty doing every thing, not without toils did
we put the Argive force to flight; and then the old man, seeing Hyllus
rushing on, Iolaus, stretching forth his right hand, besought him to place
him on the horse-chariot; and seizing the reins in his hands, he pressed
hard upon the horses of Eurystheus. And what happened after this I must
tell by having heard from others, I myself hitherto having seen all; for
passing by the venerable hill of the divine Minerva of Pellene, seeing the
chariot of Eurystheus, he prayed to Juno and Jupiter to be young for one
day, and to work vengeance on his enemies. But you have a marvel to hear;
for two stars standing on the horse-chariot, concealed the chariot in a dim
cloud, the wiser men say it was thy son and Hebe; but he from the obscure
darkness showed forth a youthful image of youthful arms. And the glorious
Iolaus takes the four-horse chariot of Eurystheus at the Scironian
rocks--and having bound his hands in fetters, he comes bringing as glorious
first-fruits of victory, the general, him who before was prosperous; but by
his present fortune he proclaims clearly to all mortals to learn not to
envy him who seems prosperous, till one sees him dead, as fortune is but
for the day.
CHOR. O Jupiter, thou turner to flight, now is it mine to behold a day free
from dreadful fear.
ALC. O Jupiter, at length you have looked upon my miseries, but still I
thank you for what has been done: and I, who formerly did not think that my
son dwelt with the Gods, now clearly know it. O children, now indeed you
shall be free from toils, and free from Eurystheus, who shall perish
miserably; and ye shall see the city of your sire, and you shall tread on
your inheritance of land; and ye shall sacrifice to your ancestral gods,
debarred from whom ye have had, as strangers, a wandering miserable life.
But devising what clever thing has Iolaus spared Eurystheus, so as not to
slay him, tell me; for in my opinion this is not wise, having taken our
enemies, not to exact punishment of them.
SERV. Having respect for you, that with your own eyes you may see him[30]
defeated and subjected to your hand; not, indeed, of his own will, but he
has bound him by force in constraint, for he was not willing to come alive
into your sight and to be punished. But, O old woman, farewell, and
remember for me what you first said when I began my tale. Make me free; and
in such noble people as you the mouth ought to be free from falsehood.
CHOR. To me the dance is sweet, if there be the thrilling delight of the
pipe at the feast; and may Venus be kind. And sweet it is to see the good
fortune of friends who did not expect it before; for the fate which
accomplishes gifts gives birth to many things; and Time, the son of Saturn.
You have, O city, a just path, you should never be deprived of it, to honor
the Gods; and he who bids you not do so, is near madness, such proofs as
these being shown. God, in truth, evidently exhorts us, taking away the
arrogance of the unjust forever. Your son, O old woman, is gone to heaven;
he shuns the report of having descended to the realm of Pluto, being
consumed as to his body in the terrible flame of fire; and he embraces the
lovely bed of Hebe in the golden hall. O Hymen, you have honored two
children of Jupiter. Many things agree with many; for in truth they say
that Minerva was an ally of their father, and the city and people of that
Goddess has saved them, and has restrained the insolence of a man to whom
passion was before justice, through violence. May my mind and soul, never
be insatiable.
MESS. O mistress, you see, but still it shall be said, we are come,
bringing to you Eurystheus here, an unhoped-for sight, and one no less so
for him to meet with, for he never expected to come into your hands when he
went forth from Mycenæ with a much-toiling band of spearmen, proudly
planning things much greater than his fortune, that he should destroy
Athens; but the God changed his fortune, and made it contrary. Hyllus,
therefore, and the good Iolaus, have set up a statue, in honor of their
victory, of Jove, the putter to flight; and they send me to bring this man
to you, wishing to delight your mind; for it is most delightful to see an
enemy unfortunate, after having been fortunate.
ALC. O hateful thing, art thou come? has justice taken you at last? first
then indeed turn hither your head toward me, and dare to look your enemies
in the face; for now you are ruled, and you rule no more. Art thou he, for
I wish to know, who chose, O wretch, much to insult my son, though no
longer existing? For in what respect didst thou not dare to insult him? who
led him, while alive, down to hell, and sent him forth, bidding him destroy
hydras and lions? And I am silent concerning the other evils you contrived,
for it would be a long story; and it did not satisfy you that he alone
should endure these things, but you drove me also, and my children, out of
all Greece, sitting as suppliants of the Gods, some old, and some still
infants; but you found men and a city free, who feared you not. Thou needs
must die miserably, and you shall gain every thing, for you ought to die
not once only, having wrought many evil deeds.