The alliance he is so much enamoured of is with a princess.AegeusWho gives his daughter to him? go on, I pray.MedeaCreon, who is lord of this land of Corinth.AegeusLady, I can well pardon thy grief.MedeaI am undone, and more than that, am banished from the land.AegeusBy whom? fresh woe this word of thine unfolds.MedeaCreon drives me forth in exile from Corinth.AegeusDoth Jason allow it? This too I blame him for.MedeaNot in words, but he will not stand out against it. Ο, I implore thee by this beard and by thy knees, in suppliant posture, pity, O pity my sorrows; do not see me cast forth forlorn, but receive me in thy country, to a seat within thy halls. So may thy wish by heaven’s grace be crowned with a full harvest of offspring, and may thy life close in happiness! Thou knowest not the rare good luck thou findest here, for I will make thy childlessness to cease and cause thee to beget fair issue; so potent are the spells I know.AegeusLady, on many grounds I am most fain to grant thee this thy boon, first for the gods’ sake, next for the children whom thou dost promise I shall beget; for in respect of this I am completely lost.The Schol. gives two interpretations of φροῦδος, (1) I am ruined as far as begetting children goes. (2) I am entirely devoted to doing so. Neither is satisfactory owing to want of parallel passages. ’Tis thus with me; if e’er thou reach my land, I will attempt to champion thee as I am bound to do. Only one warning I do give thee first, lady; I will not from this land bear thee away, yet if of thyself thou reach my halls, there shalt thou bide in safety and I will never yield thee up to any man. But from this land escape without my aid, for I have no wish to incur the blame of my allies as well.i.e., as well as Jason.MedeaIt shall be even so; but wouldst thou pledge thy word to this, I should in all be well content with thee.AegeusSurely thou dost trust me? or is there aught that troubles thee?MedeaThee I trust; but Pelias’ house and Creon are my foes. Wherefore, if thou art bound by an oath, thou wilt not giveTo avoid the very doubtful form μεθεῖς = μεθείης some read μεθεῖ’ ἂν. me up to them when they come to drag me from the land, but, having entered into a compact and swornReading ἐνώμοτος. Hermann changes καὶ into μὴ. A simpler change, supported by a Schol., and one MS., would be to read ἀνωμοτος = whereas if thou only make a verbal compact, without oath, thou mightest be persuaded, etc. The whole passage is, as it stands, probably corrupt; numerous emendations have been proposed. If the above emendation be adopted, it will be necessary to alter οὐκ ἂν πίθοιο for which Munro proposed ὀκνῶν πίθοιο = and fearing their demands of surrender thou mightest yield. Wecklein, τάχ’ ἂν τίθοι σε (adopted by Nauck), is tempting. by heaven as well, thou wilt become my friend and disregard their overtures. Weak is any aid of mine, whilst they have wealth and a princely house.