Page:History of Greece Vol I.djvu/305

 MARCH OF ADRASTUS AGAINST THEBES. 273 more comprehensive character, mentioning auxiliaries from Arcadia, Messene, and various parts of Peloponnesus j 1 aud the application of Tydeus and Polynikes at Mykenae in the course of their circuit made to collect allies, is mentioned in the Iliad. They were well received at Mykenae ; but the warning signals given by the gods were so terrible that no Mykencean could venture to accompany them. 2 The seven principal chiefs how- ever were Adrastus, Arnphiaraus, Kapaneus, Hippomedon, Par- thenopaeus.. Tydeus and Polynikes. 3 When the army had advanced as far as the river Asopus, a halt was made for sacrifice and banquet ; while Tydeus was sent to Thebes as envoy to demand the restoration of Polynikes to his rights. His demand was refused ; but finding the chief Kadmeians assembled at the banquet in the house of Eteokles, he challenged them all to con- tend with him in boxing or wrestling. So efficacious was the aid of the goddess Athene that he overcame them all ; and the Kad- meians were so indignant at their defeat, that they placed an ambuscade of fifty men to intercept him in his way back to the army. All of them perished by the hand of this warrior, small in stature and of few words, but desperate and irresistible in the fight. One alone was spared, Maeon, in consequence of special signals from the gods. 4 The Kadmeians, assisted by their allies the Phokians and the Phlegyae, marched out to resist the invaders, and fought a battle 1 Pausan. ii. 20,4; ix. 9, 1. His testimony to this, as he had read and ndmircd the Cyclic Theba'is, seems quite sufficient, in spite of the opinion ot Welcker to the contrary (^Eschylische Trilogie. p. 375). 3 There are differences in respect to the names of the seven : JEschylus (Sept. ad Theb. 461) leaves out Adrastus as one of the seven, and includes Eteoklus instead of him ; others left out Tydeus and Polynikes, and inserted Eteoklus and Mekisteus (Apollodor. iii. 6, 3). Antimachus, in his poetical T/itbats, called Parthenopseus an Argeian, not an Arcadian (Schol. ad ^schyl. Sept. ad. Theb. 532). 4 Iliad, iv. 381-400, with the Schol. The first celebration of the Nemean games is connected with this march of the army of Adrastns against Thebes- they were celebrated in honor of Archemorus, the infant son of Lykurgus, who had been killed by a serpent while his nurse Hypsipyle went to show the fountain to the thirsty Argeian chiefs (Apollod. iii 6,4; Schol. ad Pindar Nem. 1) VOL. i. 12* 18oc
 * Iliad, iv. 376.