Epeisodion 1
Copreus
Not even if I have right upon my side and prove my case?
Demophon
How can it be right to drag the suppliant away by force?
Copreus
Well,Reading with Musgrave οὐκοῦν . . . ἀλλ’ οὐ. Jerram reads οὔκουν . . . ἀλλὰ σοὶ giving as the sense of this line and the next—Cop. No disgrace to me: the hurt will be thine. Dem. So it will, if I let thee take them. mine is the disgrace; no harm will come to thee.
255
Demophon
Tis harm to me, if I let them be haled away by thee.
Copreus
Banish them thyself, and then will I take them from elsewhere.
Demophon
Nature made thee a fool, to think thou knowest better than the god.
Copreus
It seems then evildoers are to find a refuge here.
Demophon
A temple of the gods is an asylum open to the world.
260
Copreus
Maybe they will not take this view in Mycensa.
Demophon
What! am I not lord of this domain?
Copreus
So long as thou injure not the Argives, and ifKirchhoff places a comma after ἐκείνους, and changes ἣν into ἄν, but this is not necessary. wise, thou wilt not.
Demophon
Be injured for all I care, provided I sin not against the gods.
Copreus
I would not have thee come to blows with Argos.
265
Demophon
I am of like mind in this; but I will not dismiss these from my protection.
Copreus
For all that, I shall take and drag my own away.
Demophon
Why then perhaps thou wilt find a difficulty in returning to Argos.
Copreus
That shall I soon find out by making the attempt.
Demophon
Touch them and thou shalt rue it, and that without delay.
270
Chorus
I conjure thee, never dare to strike a herald.
Demophon
Strike I will, unless that herald learn discretion.
