the same friend as before to your old friends, difficult of access,[22] and rarely within doors.  But it behooves not a man who has met with great fortune to change his manners, but then chiefly to be firm toward his friends, when he is best able to benefit them, being prosperous.  I have first gone over these charges against thee, in which I first found thee base.  But when thou afterward camest into Aulis and to the army of all the Greeks, thou wast naught, but wast in stupefaction at the fortune which then befell us from the Gods, lacking a favorable breeze for the journey.  But the Greeks demanded that you should dismiss the ships, and not toil vainly at Aulis.  But how cheerless and distressed a countenance you wore, because you were not able to land your army at Priam’s land, having a thousand ships under command.[23] And thou besoughtest me, “What shall I do?” “But what resource shall I find from whence?” so that thou mightest not lose an ill renown, being deprived of the command.  And then, when Calchas o’er the victims said that thou must sacrifice thy daughter to Diana, and that there would [then] be means of sailing for the Greeks, delighted in heart, you gladly promised to sacrifice your child, and of your own accord, not by compulsion—­do not say so—­you send to your wife to convoy your daughter hither, on a pretext of being wedded to Achilles.  And then changing [your mind] you are caught altering to other writings, to the effect that you will not now be the slayer of your daughter.  Very pretty, forsooth!  This is the same air which heard these very protestations from thee.  But innumerable men experience this in their affairs; they persevere in labor when in power,[24] and then make a bad result, sometimes through the foolish mind of the citizens, but sometimes with reason, themselves becoming incapable of preserving the state, I indeed chiefly groan for hapless Greece, who, wishing to work some doughty deed against these good-for-nothing barbarians, will let them, laughing at us, slip through her hands, on account of thee and thy daughter.  I would not make any one ruler of the land for the sake of necessity,[25] nor chieftain of armed men.  It behooves the general of the state to possess sense, for every man is a ruler who possesses sense.

CHOR.  ’Tis dreadful for words and strife to happen between brothers, when they fall into dispute.

AG.  I wish to address thee in evil terms, but mildly,[26] in brief, not uplifting mine eyelids too much aloft through insolence, but moderately, as being my brother.  For a good man is wont to show respect [to others.] Tell me, why dost thou burst forth thus violently, having thy face suffused with rage?  Who wrongs thee?  What lackest thou?  Wouldst fain gain a good wife!  I can not supply thee, for thou didst ill rule over the one you possessed.  Must I therefore pay the penalty of your mismanagement, who have made no mistake?  Or does my ambition annoy thee?  But wouldst thou fain hold in thine