The history of this famous siege has been rendered immortal by the
tragic muse; few of our readers can require to have its details
repeated to them. The unfortunate Œdipus, on quitting his kingdom,
left it to the government of his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who
agreed to mount the throne alternately. Eteocles, as the elder, reigned
first; but, at the termination of his year, he was so enamoured of
the power he had tasted, that he violated his oath, and endeavoured
to exclude his brother from the throne. Polynices took up arms, and
sought on all sides for partisans to assist him against the usurper;
Adrastus, king of the Argives, roused all Greece in his favour. The
contest was long and sanguinary, and the chief loss fell upon the
adherents of Polynices. After many fruitless battles beneath the walls
of Thebes, the brothers resolved to terminate their quarrel by a single
combat. The two armies were drawn up as witnesses of the fight, and
as securities for its fairness. The unnatural enemies entered the
prescribed lists, and attacked each other with such deadly animosity,
that both fell dead upon the spot. It is feigned that, when their
bodies were burnt, the spirit of hatred remained unextinct even in
their remains, and that the flames separated as they arose. Their
antipathy was preserved in their posterity, breaking out into needless
but bloody wars. In such a work as this, principally intended for the
young, it was impossible to pass by so memorable a siege; otherwise, we
conceive the whole history of Œdipus and his race to be one of the most
unpleasing handed down to us by the Greeks.