After that, however, at the end of a year, Polynices sent
a messenger to his brother Eteocles — the name of the messenger
was Tydeus — and the messenger told him to give up the king-
dom to his brother. Great anger seized Eteocles, and he said
that what he had seized he would not let go, and he would
not do right or reason respecting it, unless superiority in
numbers or in battle should take it from him. " And I raise,"
said he, "no feud or jealousy about the high headship of all
Greece through the friendship of king Adrastus, provided
ye leave to me the rocky narrow farms of greenswarded
Thebes. And my belief is that my father was Oedipus; and
there are of his compeers, to wit, great Pelops, son of Tantalus,
and Jove, happy son of Saturn. And it is I," said he, " that this
people were used to have over them, and they do not wish,"
said he, "to be under the sway of a doubtful leader but to
belong to one distinguished king of their own ; for every kingdom
that will not be constant, is not sparing of tribes. And dost thou
not see the terror and the fear that lie upon my people at my
going from them ? And, indeed, the nobles of the Theban tribes
will not let me away at all, or let me give the kingdom to him."
But then Tydeus could not endure to hear or listen to those
foolish wordy chirpings of Eteocles.
