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204 204 EURIPIDES

" Ay, and with bow, not justice, help this house ! "

" I help it, since a friend's woe weighs me too." 90

" And now, — wilt force from me this second corpse ? "

" By force I took no corpse at first from thee."

" How then is he above ground, not beneath ? "

"He gave his wife instead of him, thy prey."

" And prey, this time at least, I bear below ! " 95


 * ' Go take her ! — for I doubt persuading thee . . ."

" To kill the doomed one ? What my function else ? "

" No ! Rather, to despatch the true mature."

" Truly I take thy meaning, see thy drift ! "

" Is there a way then she may reach old age ? " 100

" No way I I glad me in my honors too ! "

" But, young or old, thou tak'st one life, no more ! "

" Younger they die, greater my praise redounds ! "

" If she die old, — the sumptuous funeral ! "

" Thou layest down a law the rich would like." 105

" How so ? Did wit lurk there and 'scape thy sense ? "

" Who could buy substitutes would die old men."

" It seems thou wilt not grant me, then, this grace ? "

" This grace I will not grant : thou know'stmy ways."

" Ways harsh to men, hateful to Gods, at least ! " uo

" All things thou canst not have : my rights for me ! "

And then Apollon prophesied^ — / thinks More to himself than to impatient Death, Who did not hear or would not heed the while, — For he went on to say " Yet even so, us