IDEM GRÆCE REDDITUM.

ΑΝΑΞ. ΙΣΑΒΕΛΛΗ. ΛΟΥΚΙΩΝ.

Α. Νόμῳ μὲν ἴσθ ̓ ὀφλόντα σὸν κάσιν δίκην, σύ δ ̓ ἐκχέουσα πολλὰ καὶ μάτην ἔπη.

πάλαι γὰρ οὐχὶ ζημίαν ὠφλίσκανον ψυχῶν ὅσαιπερ ἦσαν; ἀλλ ̓ ἀκέσματα ὁ πλεῖστα ποινὰς λαμβάνειν δίκαιος ὢν ἐξευρεν αὐτός πῶς ποτ ̓ ἂν κυροῖς ἔχων, κρίσεως ἁπάσης εἴ γ ̓ ὁ πρεσβεύων ἄναξ ὅπως ἐφεύροι σ ̓ ὧδε καὶ κρίνειν θέλοι; μέμνησο δῆτα τῶνδε χειλέων δέ σοι ἔσωθεν αὐτίκ ̓ οἶκτος ὧδ ̓ ἐπουριεῖ ὡς νεαρὸν ἀλλάξαντος ἀνθρώπου τύπου. Α. στέργοις ἂν ἤδη ταῦτα, καλλίστη κόρη ὁ γὰρ καταγνοὺς σοῦ κασιγνήτου θανεῖν ὁ θεσμός, οὐκ ἔγωγε· καὶ τῷδ ̓ ἀνδρὶ δὴ ξύναιμος, εἴτ ̓ ἀδελφός, εἴτ ̓ εἴη τέκνον, κἂν ταὐτὰ πάσχοι· χρὴ δ ̓ ἐς αὔριον θανεῖν.

ISAB. To-morrow? O, that's sudden! Spare him, spare him:

He's not prepar'd for death! Even for our kitchens

We kill the fowl of season; shall we serve heaven

With less respect than we do minister

To our gross selves? Good, good my lord, bethink you:

Who is it that hath died for this offence?

There's many have committed it.

LUCIO. Ay, well said.

ANG. The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept:

Those many had not dar'd to do that evil,

If the first man that did the edict infringe,
Had answer'd for his deed: now, 'tis awake;
Takes note of what is done; and, like a prophet,
Looks in a glass, that shews what future evils,
(Either now, or by remissness new-conceiv'd,

And so in progress to be hatch'd and born,)

Are now to have no successive degrees,

Bút, where they live, to end.

ISAB. Yet show some pity.

ANG. I show it most of all, when I show justice;

For then I pity those I do not know,

Which a dismiss'd offence would after gall;

Ι. ἐς αὔριόν γε; φεῦ· τόδ ̓ ὡς ἄφνω λίαν· ξυγγνῶθι δ'· οὐχ ὡραῖος εἰ τεθνήξεται. ἀλλ ̓ οὐδ ̓ ἀλέκτορ ̓ εἰς ἴπνον νομίζομεν σφάζειν ἄωρον· μῶν λατρεύοντες θεῷ ἥσσω νεμοῦμεν μοῖραν ἢ σαρκὸς πάχει; ἄγ ̓, ὦ φέριστε δέσποτ ̓, ἐνθυμοῦ πάλιν τίς ἐσθ ̓ ὁ τοῦδε σφάλματος θανὼν ὕπερ; πολλοὶ γὰρ ἁμαρτόντες.

Λ.

εὖ μέντοι λέγεις.

Α. νόμος γὰρ οὐ τέθνηκε, καὶ βρίζων ὅμως· οὐδ ̓ οἱ τοσοῦτοι τοῦτ ̓ ἂν ἐξῆκον κακοῦ εἰ γοῦν ὁ πρώτιστ ̓ ἐντολὴν ὑπερδραμὼν τὸ πρᾶγος ἀντέτισεν ἀλλ ̓ ἐγρηγορὼς ὁ θεσμὸς ἤδη φράζεται τὰ δρώμενα, σκοπούμενος κάτοπτρον, ἐν προμαντέως τρόποισι, τῶν ἔπειτα μηνυτὴν κακῶν, ὅσ ̓ εἴτε νῦν εἴτ ̓ αὖθις, ὡς νεόσπορα ῥᾳθυμίας κυήμαθ', ὧδε σὺν χρόνῳ εἰς ἐκκόλαψιν καὶ τόκους ἥξειν δοκεῖ οὗτοι τάδ ̓ ἕξει διαδοχὴν βλαστῶν ἔτι,

αὐτοῦ δ ̓ ὅπου ζῇ πᾶν τελευτήσει κακόν. Ι. μικρὸν δέ σ ̓ οἶκτον λίσσομαι νέμειν ὅμως. Α. νέμω μὲν οὖν μάλιστα, τὴν δίκην νέμων· οὕτω γὰρ ἀγνῶτας μὲν οἰκτείρω βροτούς οὓς ἐκπεφευγὸς σφάλμα κἂν αὖθις δάκοι·

And do him right, that, answering one foul wrong,

Lives not to act another. Be satisfied;

Your brother dies to-morrow; be content.

ISAB. So you must be the first, that gives this sentence;

And he, that suffers: O, it is excellent

To have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous

To use it like a giant.

LUCIO. That's well said.

ἀμείβομαι δ' ἐκεῖνον ὃς λώβην μίαν τίσας ἐπ ̓ ἄλλην οὐκέτ ̓ ἐκτείνει βίον. πρὸς ταῦτα τλῆθι· σὸν κάσιν τὴν αὔριον θανεῖν δέδοκται· ταῦτ ̓ ἐπαρκούντως ἔχοι. Ι. εἶτ ̓ οὖν σὲ πρῶτον τήνδε δεῖ ψῆφον φέρειν, πρῶτον δὲ πάσχειν κεῖνον· ὡς ἄρ ̓ ἔξοχον τὸ μὲν γιγάντων ἀμφιβάλλεσθαι βίαν, τὸ δ' ἐν γιγαντείοισι νωμῆσαι τρόποις τυραννικὸν μάλ' ἔργον.

A.

εν τάδ' ἐννέπεις.