420
SENECA'S TRAGEDIES.
[Lines 234—269
Pro quo nihil debetur, hunc nulli iraputo.
Vobis revexi ceteros, unum mihi. 235
Inceffe nunc, & cunfla flagitia ingere;
Fatebor. obici crimen hoc folum poteft,
Argo reverfa, virgini placeat pudor.
Paterque placeat; tota cum ducibus ruet
Pelafga tellus. hie tuus primum gener 240
Tauri ferocis ore flammanti occidet.
Fortuna' caufam, qua volet, noftram premat
Non pcenitet fervaffe tot regum decus.
Quodcunque culpa prsemium ex omni tuli.
Hoc eft penes te, fi placet, damna ream: 245
Sed redde crimen, fum nocens, fateor, Creo.
Talem fciebas esse, cum genua altigi,
Fidemque fupplex pnefidis dextra: petii.
Terra hac miferiis angulum & fedem rogo,
Latebrafque viles. urbe fi pelli placet, 250
Detur remotus aliquis in regnis locus.
CR. Non effe me, qui fceptra violenter geram,
Nee qui fuperbo miferias calcem pede,
Teftatus equidem videor baud clare parum,
Generum exfulem legendo, & affliiflum, & gravi 255
Terrore pavidum. quippe te poense expelit
Letoque Acaftus, regna Thelfalica obtinens.
Senio trementem debili atque sevo gravem
Patrem peremtum queritur, & csefi fenis
Difciffa membra; cum dolo captas tuo 260
PiK forores impium auderent nefas.
Poteft Jafon, fi tuam caufam amoves,
Suam tueri: nullus innocuum cruor
Contaminavit. abfuit feiTO manus,
Proculque veftro purus a ccetu ftetit. 265
Tu tu malorum machinati'ix facinorum,
Cui femioea nequitia, ad audeudum omnia
Virile robur, nulla famse memoria eft,
Egredere, purga regna; letales fimul
for bringing whom nothing is owing to me! I charge no one but myself for that act! I brought the others back in safety for thee—him (Jason) to please myself!! Now set upon me, and heap up all things upon my shoulders, as crimes: I will confess to what is true, but can this solitary thing be thrown up in my teeth as a crime? Suppose the Argonauts had met with a reverse and it had suited me better, to have upheld the character of a virgin, and my wish had been to please my father;—all the Pelasgian land would have come to ruin, with