THYESTES

What thing (my mind) consyderst thou? or else so long whert Dooste thou so easy counsel wrest? Wilt thou to things unsure Thy brother and the kingdom trust? fearest thou those ils tendure Now overcome, and mield made? and travails dooste thou flee That well were placed? it the isles, a myser now to be. Turn hens thy pace while leefull is, and keep thee from his hand. I may but then when die I might. the kingdom takes not twain. Believe me well, with titles false the great thyngꝭ v delight: And heavy happꝭ in vain are feared, while high I stood in sighed, I never styn ed then to quake, and self same sword to fe re, That hanged by mine own side uva , O how great good it were, With none to strive, but careless food to e to and rest to know? The greater gylts they enter not in cottage set allow: And safer oode is fed upon, at narrow board alway, While drunk in gold the poison is: by proof well taught I say, That evil haps before the good to love it likes my will. Of haughty house that stands aloft in tickle top of hill, And sways aside, the city low need never be affryght: Nor in the top of roof above, there shines no Ivory bright, Nor watchman none defends my sleeps by night, or guards my rest: With fle to I Fish not, nor the see I have not backward pressed, Nor turned to flight with built wall: nor wicked belly I With taxes of the people fed: nor parcel none does lie, Of ground of mine beyond the Getes: and Parthians fa about: Nor worshipped with francausence I am, nor (Jove she out) My Altars decked are: nor none in top of house does stand In garden treese, nor kindled yet with help of eke men hand, The baths do smoke: nor yet are days in slothful slumbers led, Nor nights past forth in watch and wine, without the rest of bed. We nothing fear, the house is safe without the hidden knife, And poor estate the sweetness feels, of rest and Quiet life. Great kingdom is to be content, without the same to live. Not yet desyerd it ought to be. Bydds he? the more is to be feared: there lurks there some train. Doth Atreus then his brother love? eke Ursa First on hie, The seas shall wash, and swelling surge of seas of S ylye Shall rest and all assuaged be, and corn to rypenes grow In bottom of Ionian seas, and darkest night shall show And spread the light about the soil: the waters with the fire, The life with death, the wind with seas, shall friendship First require, And be at league. As for my self I nothing dread: you little babes make me Afraid of him. I follow you. I lead you not. I could excuse my self, except thou werte as now thou art. But Atreus) now I grant, the fault mine in very part: And I offended have in all. my cause the worse to be, Your this days kindness makes: in deed a guilty wight he, That would so good a brother hurt as you, in any whyt. But now with tears I must entreat, and First I me submit. These hands that at thy feet do lie, do thee beseech and pray, That ire and hate be laid aside, and from thy bosom may Be scraped out: and clear forgotten. for pledges take thou These Oh brother deer, these guiltless babes. A lust reward for such desertꝭ, the goddꝭ (oh brother deer) Repay to the: but on my head a regal crown to wear, My loathsome life denies: and far doth from the sceptor flee My hand unhappy: in the mydst let leefull be for me Of men to lurk What ever is (oh brother) yours, I count it mine to be. The gifts of his eke man it wots, how soon they pass again. You have your praise in offering , and I it to forsake. And full persuaded to refuse the kingdom, am I still. I take it then. and bear I will the name thereof alone: The rights and arms, as well as mine they shall be yours eke one. Enough with meat and eke with wine, now satysfyde am I. But yet of all my joys it were great increase to me, If now abou my side I might my little children see. of brother's feast I take full willingly The final gift, shed some to godꝭ of this our father's land, Then let the rest be drunk. whatꝭ Thy ? in no wise will my hand Obey: the payse incre seth soar, and down mine arm doth sway. And from my lypps the wafting wynt it self doth fi e away, And in deceived mouth, about my jaws it runneth round: The table to, it self doth shake, and leap from trembling ground. Scant burns the fire: the air it self with heavy here to sighed Forsook of sun amazed is between the day and night. What means this? yet more and more of backward beaten sky The compass falls: and thicker mist the world does overly Then blackest darkness, and the night in night it self doth hide. ll stars be fled: what so it be, my brother God provide And soons to spare: the godꝭ so grant that all this tempest fallen On this vile head. but now restore to me my children all. What tu ulte tumbleth so my guttꝭ, and doth my bowels gnaw? What quakes within? with heavy payse I feel my self oppressed, And with and other voice then mine wails my dole ull breast. Come near my soons, for you now doth unhappy father call: Come near, for you once seen, this grief would soon assuage and fallen. Whence murmur they? I know my brother: such a guilt yet canst thou suffer well o earth to bear? nor yet from hens to Stygian lake of hell Dooste thou both drown thy self and us? nor yet with broken ground Dooste thou these kingdoms and their king with Chaos rude confound? Nor yet vprentyng from the soil the bowers of wicked land Dooste thou Mycena's overturn? with Tantalus to stand, And auncyters of ours, if there in hell be any one, Now ought we both. now from the frames on either side anon Of ground, all here and there rend up, out of thy bosom deep Thy dens and dungeons set abroad, and us enclosed keep, In bottom low of Acheront: above our heddꝭ aloft Let wander all the guilty ghosts, with burning frete full oft Let fyry Phlegethon that dryues his sands both to and fro, To our confusion ouetroon, and violently floe. Oh slothful soil unshaken payse, unmoved yet art thou? The godꝭ are fled. Is this thy league? may this thy lous and faith of brother be? And dooste thou so repose thy hate? the father doth not crave His soons alive (which might have be without the guilt,) to have: And eke without thy hate, but this doth brother brother pray: That them he may ent mbe, restore, whom see thou shalt straight way Be burned: the father nought requires, of the that have he shall, But soon forgo. Lie they in fields, a food out flung for fleeing fool's to waste? Or are they kept a pray, for wild and brutish beasts to eat? O this is it that shamed the goddꝭ: and day from hens did drive Turned back to east. alas I wretch what wailings may I gyve? Or what complaints? what woeful words may be enough for me? The r heads cum e of, and hands of torn, I from the r bodies see, And wrenched fe to from broken thyghe , I here behold again. is this that greedy father could not suffer to sustain. In belly roll my owels round, and closed crime so great Without a passage stryues within, and seeks away to get. Thy sword (oh brother) lend to me: much of my blood alas It hath: let us therewith make way for all my soons to pass. Is yet the sword from me withheld? thy self thy bosoms tear. And let thy breasts resound with strokes: yet wretch thy hand forbear, And spare the dead. who ever saw such mischief put in proof? What rude Heniochus, that dwells by ragged coast aloof, Of Caucasus unapt for men? or frare to Athens, who Procustes wild ? the father I oppress my children do And am oppressed, is any means of guilt or mischief yet? o you, encloa with bending banks abought All seas me hear, and to this you gods now harken well What ever plam you fl dde are to: ear all you sprights of hell, and here you lands, and night so , that them dooste overly With cloud so black, to my complaints do thou thy self apply. To thee now left I am, thou dooste alone me myser see, And thou art left without thy starts: I will nut make for me P ions yet. nor ought for me r quire, may ought yet be That me should vail? for you shall all my wishes now foe esee. Thou guider great of skies above, and prince of highest might, Of he place, now all with clouds full hortible to sight, Enwrap the world, and let the winds on every syd break out, And send the dreadful thunder clap, through all the world about. Not with what hand thou guiltless house and undeserved wall With lesser volte art wont to beat, but with the which did fallen The three upheaped mountains once, and to hylls in height Stood equal up, the yantꝭ huge: throweout such weapons straight, and fling thy yres, and therewithal revenge the drowned day. et flee thy flames, the light thus lost and hid from heaven away, With flashes fill: the cause, (least long thou shouldst doubts whom to hit,) Of eke of us is ill: if not at least let mine be it, Me strike: with tryple edged fool thy brand of flaming fire Beat through this breast: if father I my children do desire To lay in tomb, or corpses cast to fire as doth be hove, I must be burned: I nothing now the gods to wrath move, Nor pour from skies with thunder bolte none strikes the wyched men. Let yet eternal night remain, and hide with darkness then The world about: I (Titan) nought complain, as now it stands, If still thou hide thee thus away. In what offended have my soons? Settest thou the soons for father's food? the gods that guide a infants, I protest. the gods shall all of this revenge S be: and unto them for vengeance endue, my vows thee render shall. nought worth at all, if thou desire it nought. who would the guilt with guilt so yght again? Of every chone: what end at length might I provide of fear? In all he can he hates me. The cause of fear that I know not, thou dooste require to hear. I see nothing that makes me dread, and yet I greatly fear. I would go on, but yet my lymmꝭ with we y leggꝭ do slack: And other way then I would pass, I am withholden back. So oft the ship that driven is with wind and eke with over, The swelling surge resisting both, beats back upon the shore.