THES.  In the shades beneath the earth, I unhappy wish, dying, to dwell in darkness, reft as I am of thy most dear company, for thou hast destroyed rather than perished—­What then do I hear? whence came the deadly chance, lady, to thine heart?  Will any speak what has happened, or does my royal palace contain to no purpose the crowd of my attendants?—­Alas me on thy account! unhappy that I am, what grief in my house have I seen, intolerable, indescribable! but—­we are undone! my house left desolate, and my children orphans.

CHOR.  Thou hast left us, thou hast left us, O dear among women, and most excellent of those as many as both the light of the sun, and the star-visaged moon of night behold.  O unhappy man! how great ill doth the house contain! with tears gushing over, my eyelids are wet at thy calamity.  But the woe that will ensue on this I have long since been dreading.

THES.  Alas! alas!  What I pray is this letter suspended from her dear hand? does it mean to betoken some new calamity?—­What, has the unhappy woman written injunctions to me, making some request about[30] my bridal bed and my children?  Be of good courage, hapless one; for no woman exists, who shall enter the bed and the house of Theseus.  But lo! the impressions of the golden seal[31] of her no more here court my attention.[32] Come, let me unfold the envelopments of the seal, and see what this letter should say to me.

CHOR.  Alas! alas! this new evil in succession again doth the God bring on.  To me indeed the condition of life will be impossible to bear,[33] from what has happened; for I consider, alas! as ruined and no more the house of my kings.  O God, if it be in any way possible, do not overthrow the house; but hear me as I pray, for from some quarter, as though a prophet, I behold an evil omen.

THES.  Ah me! what other evil is this in addition to evil, not to be borne, nor spoken! alas wretched me!

CHOR.  What is the matter?  Tell me if it may be told me.

THES.  It cries out—­the letter cries out things most dreadful:  which way can I fly the weight of my ills; for I perish utterly destroyed.  What, what a complaint have I seen speaking in her writing!

CHOR.  Alas! thou utterest words foreboding woes.

THES.  No longer will I keep within the door of my lips this dreadful, dreadful evil hardly to be uttered.  O city, city, Hippolytus has dared by force to approach my bed, having despised the awful eye of Jove.  But O father Neptune, by one of these three curses, which thou formerly didst promise me, by one of those destroy my son, and let him not escape beyond this day, if thou hast given me curses that shall be verified.

CHOR.  O king, by the Gods recall back this prayer, for hereafter you will know that you have erred; be persuaded by me.

THES.  It can not be:  and moreover I will drive him from this land.  And by one or other of the two fates shall he be assailed:  for either Neptune shall send him dead to the mansions of Pluto, having respect unto my wish; or else banished from this country, wandering over a foreign land, he shall drag out a miserable existence.