mansions of Cora and her king, and will prefer my request; and I trust that I shall bring up Alcestis, so as to place her in the hands of that host, who received me into his house, nor drove me away, although struck with a heavy calamity, but concealed it, noble as he was, having respect unto me.  Who of the Thessalians is more hospitable than he?  Who that dwelleth in Greece?  Wherefore he shall not say, that he did a service to a worthless man, himself being noble.

ADMETUS, CHORUS.

ADM.  Alas! alas!  O hateful approach, and hateful prospect of this widowed house.  Oh me!  Alas! alas! whither can I go! where rest! what can I say! and what not! would that I could perish!  Surely my mother brought me forth to heavy fortune.  I count the dead happy, them I long for! those houses I desire to dwell in:  for neither delight I in viewing the sunbeams, nor treading with my foot upon the earth; of such a hostage has death robbed me, and delivered up to Pluto.

CHOR.  Advance, advance; go into the recesses of the house.

(ADM.  Oh!  Oh!)

Thou hast suffered things that demand groans.

(ADM.  Alas! alas!)

Thou hast gone through grief, I well know.

(ADM.  Woe!  Woe!)

Thou nothing aidest her that is beneath.

(ADM.  Ah me! me!)

Never to see thy dear wife’s face again before thee, is severe.

ADM.  Thou hast made mention of that which ulcerated my soul; for what can be greater ill to man than to lose his faithful wife?  Would that I never had married and dwelt with her in the palace.  But I judge happy those, who are unmarried and childless; for theirs is one only life, for this to grieve is a moderate burden:  but to behold the diseases of children, and the bridal bed wasted by death, is not supportable, when it were in one’s power to be without children and unmarried the whole of life.

CHOR.  Fate, fate hard to be struggled with hath come.

(ADM.  Oh!  Oh!)

But puttest thou no bound to thy sorrows?

(ADM.  Alas! alas!)

Heavy are they to bear, but still

(ADM.  Woe! woe!)

endure, thou art not the first man that hast lost

(ADM.  Ah me! me!)

thy wife; but calamity appearing afflicts different men in different shapes.

ADM.  O lasting griefs, and sorrows for our friends beneath the earth!—­Why did you hinder me from throwing myself[41] into her hallowed grave, and from lying dead with her, by far the most excellent woman?  And Pluto would have retained instead of one, two most faithful souls having together passed over the infernal lake.

CHOR.  I had a certain kinsman, whose son worthy to be lamented, an only child, died in his house; but nevertheless he bore his calamity with moderation, being bereft of child, though now hastening to gray hairs, and advanced in life.