hild; and I lament your sisters.

AG. Terribly indeed has king Bacchus brought this misery upon thy house.

BAC. [Ay,] for I have suffered terrible things from ye, having a name
unhonored in Thebes.

AG. Farewell, my father.

CAD. And you farewell, O miserable daughter; yet you can not easily arrive
at this.

AG. Lead me, O guides, where I may take my miserable sisters as the
companions of my flight; and may I go where neither accursed Cithaeron may
see me, nor I may see Cithaeron with my eyes, and where there is no memory
of the thyrsus hallowed, but they may be a care to other Bacchae.

CHOR. There are many forms of divine things; and the Gods bring to pass
many in an unexpected manner: both what has been expected has not been
accomplished, and God has found out a means for doing things unthought of.
So, too, has this event turned out.[70]

* * * * *

NOTES ON THE BACCHAE

* * * *

[1] For illustrations of the fable of this play, compare Hyginus, Fab.
clxxxiv., who evidently has a view to Euripides. Ovid, Metam. iii. fab. v.
Oppian, Cyneg. iv. 241 sqq. Nonnus, 45, p. 765 sq. and 46, p. 783 sqq.,
some of whose imitations I shall mention in my notes. With the opening
speech of this play compare the similar one of Venus in the Hippolytus.

[2] Cf. vs. 176; and for the musical instruments employed in the
Bacchanalian rites, vs. 125 sqq. Oppian, Cyn. iv. 243. [Greek: nebrisi d'
amphebalonto, kai estepsanto korymbois, En spei, kai peri paida to mystikon
orchesanto. Tympana d' ektypeon, kai kymbala chersi krotainon]. Compare
Gorius, Monum. Libert. et Serv. ad Tab. vii. p. 15 sq.

[3] Such is the sense of [Greek: synapsomai], [Greek: machen] being
understood. See Matthiae.

[4] Drums and cymbals were invented by the Goddess in order to drown the
cries of the infant Jupiter. Minutius Felix, xxi. "Avido patri subtrahitur
infans ne voretur, et Corybantum cymbalis, ne pater audiat, vagitus initus
eliditur" (read _audiat vagitus, tinnitus illi editur_, from the _vestigia_
of Cod. Reg.). Cf. Lactant. i. 13.

[5] Cf. Homer, Hymn. in Cerer. 485. [Greek: olbios, hos tad' opopen
epichthonion anthropon: Hos d' ateles, hieron host' ammoros, oupoth'
homoion Aisan echei, phthimenos per, hypo zophoi euroenti]. See Ruhnken's
note, and Valck. on Eur. Hippol.

[6] This passage is extremely difficult. [Greek: Plokamon] seems decidedly
corrupt. Reiske would read [Greek: po