Then moreover Adrastus took his stand at the foot of a tree,
having the spear of his son-in-law Polynices in his grasp as he
stood in the midst of the host, and he asked of the maiden
Hj^sipyle : " Who is thy father, O maiden," said he, " and what
is thy native land ? " The maiden answered him miserably and
sadly : "0 noble one, O Adrastus," said she, "cruel are the deeds
thou dost enjoin upon me to relate, how the women of the isle
of Lemnos killed their men, save myself alone. I," said
she, " did not slay my father ; and that is enough to relate,"
said she, " for ye are in haste for the battle. But yet Thoas,
son of Bacchus, is my father, and mine own name is Hypsipyle,
and I am in bondage to Lycurgus one of your people."

Every one turned his attention to her, and thought it honour-
able and desirable to listen to her tales. Adrastus said to her :
"Tell all thy tidings, till the common folk have run through
the wood, for it is not easily traversed."

And she went ahead with the tale : " The isle of Lemnos,"
said she, " stands in the stormy .^Egean sea, with mount Etna
on one side of it, mount Athos on the other, and Thrace opposite,
and there are huge green-branched woods in it, and abundance
of every good in it both of men and of treasures, and not better
than that isle is the isle of Samos, or Delos, or any isle situated
in the whole ^gean. But yet we had never offered sacrifice to
Venus, the goddess of love, and hence Venus was angry, so

"7



E. 22b 48 TOGAIL NA TEBE Eg. 203a n

i84oUenir de sin, co ra-adand truth I dasacht ar lucht' na hindsi ^ •
uili. Ni sutacA somenmacA rabid ar [s]loig i n-aidchi ac lucht
na hindsi" sin acht mad aniwdi •] esoenta ceiw no co' tanic ar
menmain do Isechraid (p. 23) landiumsaig tocht do togail tiri na
Tragia -\ ge rauadar a meic ■] a muftter 'ca n-astad* nir-ansad

1845 aco. Na mna, immorro, ua toirrsech iat-side don turis inna fer
sin uaithib. Et ua hoc anarsaid misi in tan sein," ar si Ipsifile,
"T ni roibi snim ar mo menmaiw. 