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208

NOTES ON THE TEXT OF SHELLEY.

How mad is he whom drinking makes not glad![1]
For drink means strength renewed for love-making,
⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*
⁠*⁠*⁠*; aye, dancing too,
Aye, and forgetfulness of ills. What then,
Shall I not buy me such a drink, and bid
Fool Cyclops with his one mid eye go hang?"

In this laudable frame of mind the Falstaff of Olympus makes off on his sheep-stealing errand; and the Chorus, which hitherto has modestly stood aside and left the talking to him, now first addresses the new-comer:—

"Hear you, Ulysses, we would talk with you.

Ulysses.

Well, on then, as you come like friends to a friend.

Chorus.

Ye have taken Troy, and laid your hands on Helen?

Ulysses.

And utterly destroyed the race of Priam.[2]

Chorus.

'Well, when ye had got the girl then, did ye not

All of you take your sport with her in turn,
Seeing she delights in marrying many men?
The wanton wretch!" &c.

[3]

  1. ↑ Rabelais gives an admirable version of this line (Book iv. ch. 65): Veritablement, il est escript par vostre beau Euripides, et le dict Silenus, beuveur memorable;
    ⁠Furieux est, de bon sens ne jouist,
    ⁠Quiconques boyt et ne s'en resjouist."
  2. ↑ These two lines are in Shelley's text.
  3. ↑ Or, if we retain the reading οὐ κυνήσομαι instead of admitting this of οὐκ ὠνήσομαι,
    ⁠"Shall I not worship such a drink," &c.,
    for we are told to take κυνεῑν here in the sense of προσκυνεῑν, or I should render it simply,
    ⁠"Shall I not kiss a drink like this?"
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