ΥΠΟΘΕΣΙΣ

ΟΙΔΙΠΟΔΟΣ ΤΥΡΑΝΝΟΥ

ΕΜΜΕΤΡΟΣ

ΑΡΙΣΤΟΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΙΚΟΥ.

Λιπὼν Κόρινθον Οἰδίπες πατρὸς νόθος
Πρὸς των απάν]ων λοιδορέμενος ξένος,
Ηλθεν πυθεσθαι Πυθικῶν θεσπισμάτων,
Ζητῶν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ γένες φυτοσπόρον.
Εὑρὼν δε τλήμων ἐν σεναῖς ἁμαξιτοῖς,

Ακων ἔπεφνε Λάϊον γεννήτορα.

Σφιγγός δε δεινής θανάσιμον λύσας μέλος,

Ησχυνε μητρὸς άγνοεμένης λέχος.

Λοιμὸς δὲ Θήβας εἷλε, καὶ νόσος μακρά.
Κρέων δὲ πεμφθεὶς Δελφικὴν πρὸς ἑσίαν,

Όπως πύθηται τα κακέ παυτήριον,
Ηκεσε φωνῆς μαντικῆς θες πάρα,
Τὸν Λαΐειον ἐκδικηθῆναι φόνον.
Οθεν μαθὼν ἑαυτὸν Οἰδίπες τώλας,
Δισσαῖσι χερσὶν ἐξετύφλωσεν κόρας·
Αὐτὴ δὲ μήτηρ αγχόναις διώλετο.

ΤΑ ΤΟΥ ΔΡΑΜΑΤΟΣ ΠΡΟΣΩΠΑ.

ΟΙΔΙΠΟΥΣ, ὁ τῶν Θηβῶν Τύραννος, ἢ Βασιλεύς.

ΙΕΡΕΥΣ, ὁ τε Διὸς, γέρων.

ΚΡΕΩΝ, ὁ της Ιοκάςης αδελφός.

ΧΟΡΟΣ, ἐκ Θηβαίων γερόντων, Ιερέων.

ΤΕΙΡΕΣΙΑΣ, ὁ Μάντις Θηβαῖος, τυφλός.

ΙΟΚΑΣΤΗ, ἡ πρόσθε μὲν Λαΐς, νῦν δὲ Οἰδίποδος γυνή. ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ από Κορίνθε, γέρων, ὁ Πολύβη τῇ ἐκεῖ βασιλεύοντος

νομεύς.

ΘΕΡΑΠΩΝ, γέρων, ό τε Λαΐς νομεύς.

ΕΞΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ.

ΤΑ ΚΩΦΑ ΠΡΟΣΩΠΑ,

ΘΗΒΑΙΟΙ ΗΙΘΕΟΙ, οἱ περὶ τὸν Ιερέα.

ΤΕΙΡΕΣΙΟΥ ΠΑΙΣ.

ΟΙΔΙΠΟΔΟΣ ΤΕΚΝΑ.

ACTUS PRIMI SCENA PRIMA.

ΟΙΔΙΠΟΥΣ ΙΕΡΕΥΣ.

ΙΑΜΒΟΙ.

Οι. Ω τέκνα, Κάδμο τε πάλαι νέα τροφή, Τίνας πόθ ̓ ἕδρας τάσδε μοι θοάζετε

1. The last subject upon which I refer to the moon for the present, is the Edipus Tyrannus of Sophocles ; the hero of which piece, Edipus himself, has the same prototype as Ralph in Hudibras. He is drawn in

Fig. 120.

Ικτηρίοις κλάδοισιν ἐξεςεμμένοι ;
Πόλις δ' ὁμε θυμιαμάτων γέμει.
Ομῶ δὲ παιάνων τε καὶ ςεναγμάτων.
Α γὼ δικαιῶν μὴ παρ' ἀγγέλων, τέκνα,
Αλλων ακέειν, αὐτὸς ὧδ ̓ ἐλήλυθα,
Ο πᾶσι κλεινὸς Οἰδίπους καλομενος.
Αλλ' ὦ γεραιέ, φραζ (ἐπεὶ πρέπων ἔφυς
Πρὸ τῶνδε φωνεῖν) τίνι τρόπῳ καθέςατε
Δείσαντες, ἣ ςέξαντες· ὡς θέλοντα άν

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10

with some of the attributes belonging to him, which hereafter are brought in question, one of which, that is, his swelled foot with the mark as of a bandage upon it, or a hole through his ancle, is particularly to be noticed, as being the cause of his name.

2. Fig. 125 gives a view of the groupe of suppliants around a blazing altar, formed out of the same space in the moon (of which the south side is supposed to be placed uppermost) as constitutes the person of Edipus, which, indeed, is hinted by the expression εδρας τασδε μοι, History records, that in times of plague and pestilence people have been in the habit of carrying about with them, at the end of walking-sticks, or otherwise, nosegays of flowers or sweet smelling herbs, Boccacio

Εμδ προσαρκεῖν πᾶν δυσάλγητα γὰρ ἂν
Εἴην, τοιάνδε μὴ ἐ κατοικτείρων ἕδραν.

particularly notices this in his Account of the Plague at Florence.

Fig. 125.

No

4, 5. The various streaks of light intermixed with the shadows in the moon (which may be conceived to resemble smoke as from the burning of incense) justify the use of the term Juμiaμatwv; and the likeness of a lyre and other musical instruments there, that of raiavwv.

8. As in treating a subject in the Greek type, the reader's attention cannot be drawn to particular passages by the use of Italic characters; in order to effect the same purpose, the whole or part of such passages will be reprinted in the notes, with