1. δόμον Ν.

1. In the Γυναικῶν κατάλογος, from which the first part of this poem is stated, in one of the Greek arguments, to have been borrowed, Hesiod had commenced each description of his heroines with on, or like as', whence the name Eoiae, μeyáλai 'Hoîai, was given to that portion of the poem, for there is every probability that the Ηοίαι and the Κατάλογος are two names of the same or parts of the same poem, at least in their later recension. The long description of Alcmena's beauty and of the amour of Zeus has no connexion with the general subject, beyond showing cause for the innate valour of Hercules. Goettling therefore distinguishes 1-56 from the rest, as probably prefixed by a rhapsodist. K. Müller also (Hist. Gr. Lit. p. 98) says, "It is clear to every reader of the poem that the first 56 verses are taken out of the Eoiae, and only inserted because the poem itself had been handed down without an introduction." On the highly probably supposition, that the • Shield of Hercules was composed in a much later age than Hesiod's, we may still have in this prooemium a considerable fragment of a genuine lost poem.

2. Merà with an accusative necessarily means 'after,' or 'following Amphitryon.' We should have rather expected

2. eis N.

μετ ̓ ἀμύμονος οι ἀρηΐου Αμφιτρύωνος, 'with her husband Amphitryon.' There is some confusion in the legend. Here Amphitryon is represented as banished (by Sthenelus, king of Argos) for slaying Electryon, after he had married Alcmena; so that his wife followed him into exile, from Argos to Thebes. Tzetzes; φεύγει εἰς Θήβας μετὰ ̓Αλκμήνης, οὐ πρὶν μιγεὶς ταύτῃ, πρὶν εἰς τέλος ἀφανίσαι Ταφίους δίκην δόντας τῶν φόνων τῶν τῆς ̓Αλκμήνης ἀδελφῶν. But according to another account, he slew Electryon, in conjunction with the Taphii, in a dispute about his patrimony, which also caused the death of his sons, the brothers of Alcmena. In consequence of this, Alcmena promised her hand to the avenger of her brothers. Amphitryon undertook and performed the task, by slaying his former allies the Taphii, and so received her hand after the banishment. Apollonius, i. 747, represents the quarrel about the oxen as between the Teleboae and the brothers of Alcmena; è de Boŵv ἔσκεν λάσιος νομὸς, ἀμφὶ δὲ βουσὶ Τηλεβόαι μάρναντο καὶ υἱέες Ηλεκτρύωνος, οἱ μέν ἀμειβόμενοι, ἄταρ οἵγ ̓ ἐθέλοντες ἀμέρσαι, ληϊσταὶ Τάφιοι. That the whole story is a solar myth, and Electryon another name of 'HλéкTwp, the sun, is self-evident.

3. λαοσσόπου

4. ἐκαίνυτο, surpassed. Hesych. ἐνίκα. This word is once used in Homer, Od. iii. 282, Φρόντιν Ονητορίδην, ὃς ἐκαίνυτο φῦλ ̓ ἀνθρώπων νῆα κυβερνῆσαι. Also by Moschus, Europa, v. 91, τοῦ δ ̓ ἄμβροτος ὀδμὴ τηλόθι καὶ λειμῶνος ἐκαίνυτο λαρὸν ἀϋτμήν. It is of rare occurrence in this tense, which is perhaps the only one in use; for it seems that κέκασμαι (root eas or καδ) is erroneously referred to καίνυμαι, though it takes the same construction, as Il. xiii. 431, πᾶσαν γὰρ ὁμηλικίην ἐκέκαστο κάλλεϊ καὶ ἔργοισιν. Analogous deponent forms are αἴνυμαι, λάζυμαι.— θηλυτεράων, from a positive θηλύτερος, like ὀρέστερος, ἀγρότερος, ἀμφότερος.

5. γε μέν, but, verum. See Opp. 772. The connexion is 'She surpassed mortal women in grace; but as for intellect, none could vie with her in that except goddesses.'

7. κρῆθεν, for κάρηθεν, a synonym of κρατός βλεφάρων, if from βλέφαρον, should not take the purely feminine form κυανεάων. Hence some have supposed a nominative ἡ βλεφάρα or ή βλέφαρος. The Schol. B. on Il. xix. 1, says the termination in άων is the Boeotian dialect, and he cites Κρητάων for Κρητῶν, νησάων for νήσων, and the present passage as proving that it was also the neuter genitive. Perhaps, ἀπὸ κρηθέν τ' ὀφρύων τ ̓ ἀπὸ κ.τ.λ., since Theocritus has κυάνοφρυς νύμφα, iii. 18, and Homer, κυανέῃσιν ἐπ' ὀφρύσι νεῦσε

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11. Fot Fϊφι

Κρονίων. Οr, βλεφάρων ἄπο κυανέων τε. One or two MSS. give κυανεόντων or —ώντων.

8. ἄητο, spiravit. Virg. (Aen. i. 403) 'Ambrosiaeque comae divinum vertice odorem Spiravere. Fragrance was a peculiar attribute of a divine person. τίς ἀχὼ, τίς ὀδμά; asks Prometheus (v. 115). ὦ θεῖον ὀδμῆς πνεῦμα, Hippolytus exclaims of Artemis, v. 1391. And so the gift of fragrance is imparted to Berenice by Venus, Theocr. xvii. 36, τὰς μὲν Κύπρον ἔχοισα Διώνας πότνια κώρα Κόλπον ἐς εὐώδη ῥαδινὰς ἐσεμάξατο χεῖρας. Theognis says all Delos was filled with fragrance when Apollo was born, v. 59. The construction is the same as the neuter adjective and the double genitive with ὄζειν, e. g. ἡδὺ ἔζει χιτῶνος μύρου. So here Alcmena is said ὄζειν κρατὸς τοῖον οἷον Αφροδίτης. This seems a truer explanation than the supposing an ellipse of ἄημα οι πνεῦμα.

9. καὶ ὣs, even though he was in banishment for having slain her own father. So Goettling. "Quamvis pulcherrima esset,” says Robinson, who finds here a sarcasm on fair women. But the sense really depends on ἢ μὴν following, which is equivalent to καίτοι. She loved her husband, though he was the slayer of her own father. As if the poet had said, “In truth, he had slain her father; but even as the homicide she loved him.

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12. περί βουσί, about some oxen.” It is quite clear from v. 82, κτείνας Ηλεκτρύωνα βοῶν ἕνεκ ̓ εὐρυμετώπων, that the poet represents this quarrel as the cause of Electryon's death, whether it was ἄκων οι ἑκὼν φόνος on the part of Amphitryon. Goettling needlessly reads πέρι, for περισσῶς, " iratus erat bubus, uno alterove extra agmen evagantibus,” supposing (with Tzetzes) the slaughter to have been unintentional.—λιπών, for φυγών, • being banished in consequence. This would mean 'retiring from it,' if the deed was accidentally done, as Theseus did in Eur. Hipp. 37, ἐνιαυσίαν ἔκδημον αἰνέσας φυγήν.

13. ἱκέτευσε, & came as a suppliant; where the double notion of ἱκέτης and ἱκέσθαι may be noticed, as is Πηλῆς ἱκέτευσε, Hom. Il. xvi. 574. Καδμείους may thus be taken as an additional accusative of motion towards, rather than simply exegetical of ἐς Θήβας. Goettling explains, ἐς Θήβας ἐλθὼν ἱκέτευσε Καδμείους. Hesychius does not distinguish the two peoples: Τηλεβόαι· οἱ Τάφιοι.

14. ἔναις. The imperfect implies duration.

15. οὐδέ οἱ Hermann for οὐ γάρ οἱ, since of is properly a digammated word. Cf. v. 20, ως γάρ Fοι διέκειτο. But in Il. xxiv. 53, there is clearly no digamma, μὴ ἀγαθῷ περ ἐόντι νεμεσσηθέωμέν οἱ ἡμεῖς. Ibid. xxiii. 865, μέγηρε γάρ

οἱ τόδ' Απόλλων. See on Opp. 526, οὐ γάρ οἱ ἠέλιος κ.τ.λ.

17. πρὶν τίσαιτο, antequam ultus esset. The optative is used in past narration where, in present time, a negative preceding, πρὶν ἂν with the subjunctive would have expressed the unfulfilled condition ; οὐκ ἔστι μοι εὐνῆς ἐπιβῆναι, πρὶν ἂν τίσωμαι. If the poet had been describing the event as accomplished, not merely as pending, he would have said οὐκ ἐπέβη εὐνῆς, πρὶν ἐτίσατο κ.τ.λ.

It is clear that he makes the slaughter of Alcmena's brothers by the Taphii (pirates inhabiting some of the Echinad group of islets) quite a distinct matter from the slaughter of Electryon by Amphitryon. The latter event had not interrupted the harmony of married life. The condition of matrimonial abstinence until vengeance for the brothers had been taken, seems to be represented as a compact made afterwards quite independently.

18. καταφλέξαι (opative), incendisset. Ar. Pac. 608, πρὶν παθεῖν τι δεινὸν, αὐτὸς ἐξέφλεξε τὴν πόλιν. ΙΙ. xxii. 512, ἀλλ ̓ ἤτοι τάδε πάντα καταφλέξω πυρὶ κηλέφ.

19. The Taphii are called ἥρωες because the profession of a pirate was rather honourable than otherwise, Thuc. i. 5.

20. διέκειτο, ‘it was agreed between

them,