BOOK I

. Polynices and Tydeus meet, and become allies.

II. Tydeus sets out on an embassy to Eteocles at Thebes, and escapes an ambush by the way (ll. 1485-1491). He spares Mæon, one of his 50 assailants, and sends him to Thebes with the news, whilst he himself returns to Argos instead of proceeding to Thebes (1492-3).

III. Maeon (also called Haemonides, as being the son of Haemon, Bk. iii. l. 42) returns to Thebes, and relates how Tydeus had slain 49 men out of 50. At Argos, Amphiaraus, the augur, had concealed himself, hoping to delay the war against Thebes, which he prophesied would be disastrous; but Capaneus forces him from his retirement, and war is resolved upon (1494).

IV. The seven chiefs set out against Thebes. The army suffers from thirst, but Hypsipyle, a Lemnian princess, appears, and shews them a river (1495).

V. Hypsipyle relates the story of 'the furies of Lemnos,' i. e. of the Lemnian women who killed all the men in the island except Thoas, her father, whom she saved. (See Leg. of Good Women, 1467, and note.) While she is speaking, a snake, sent by Jupiter, kills her infant, named Archemorus. The snake is killed by Capaneus (1497, 8).

VI. Description of the obsequies of Archemorus, and of the funeral games (1499).

VII. Description of the temple of Mars (see Knightes Tale). The allies arrive before Thebes, and the city is attacked. Amphiaraus is swallowed up by an earthquake (1500).

VIII. Tydeus is slain, after a great slaughter of his enemies (1501).

IX. Hippomedon, after great deeds of valour, is drowned in the river. Death of Parthenopaeus (1502, 3).

X. Capaneus is killed by lightning whilst scaling the walls of Thebes (1504, 5).

XI. Single combat between Eteocles and Polynices; both are slain (1506-8).

XII. Creon forbids the burial of the slain invaders. The wives of the six chieftains seek assistance from Theseus, king of Athens (see Knightes Tale). Argia, wife of Polynices, finds and burns her husband's body. Theseus slays Creon, and the Thebans open their gates to him (1509-10).

1485-1491. From the Thebaid, Bk. i (see above). _felawe_, comrade, brother-in-law. _Polymites_, Polynices. _Ethyocles_, Eteocles.

1492-8. From the same, Books ii-v. _Hemonides_, Haemonides, i. e. Maeon, son of Haemon. _asterte_, escaped. _fifty_; but he only slew 49, though attacked by 50. _sevene_; the seven chieftains, who went to besiege Thebes. _holy serpent_, the snake sent by Jupiter. _welle_, (apparently) the stream Langia, which refreshed the army (end of Bk. iv). _The furies_, the furious women of Lemnos, who killed all the males (but one) in the island.

1499-1505. From the same, Bks. vi-x. _Archimoris_, Archemorus, infant son of Hypsipyle; honoured by funeral games. _Amphiorax_, Amphiaraus; see Bk. ii. 105, and note to Anelida, 57. _Argeyes_, Argives, people of Argos. _Ypomedon_, Hippomedon; _Parthonope_, Parthenopaeus; see note to Anelida, 58. _Cappaneus_, Capaneus; see note to Anelida, 59.

1506-1512. From the same, Bks. xi, xii. _Argyve_, Argia, wife of Polynices; cf. Bk. iv. l. 762, above. _brent_, burnt; see Kn. Ta. A 990; but Statius says that the Thebans opened their gates to Theseus, who entered in triumph. I find nothing about any harm done to the city on this occasion.

1514. But Tydeus was Meleager's brother; see note to l. 1480.

1518. _leef_, leave it alone. Usually _leve_.

1523. _seestow_, seest thou; a general observation, _not_ addressed to Cassandra in particular, but to every one at large.

1527. _Alceste_, Alcestis; see Leg. of Good Women, 432.

1528. _but_, except, unless. Yet Bell misunderstands it.

1530. _housbonde_; Admetus, king of Pherae, in Thessaly.

1545. _smitted_, smutted, disgraced; cf. l. 1546.

1548. _fyn of the paródie_, end of the period. Chaucer, not being a Greek scholar, has somewhat mistaken the form of the word; but, in MS. H., _parodie_ is duly glossed by 'duracion,' shewing the sense intended. It is from the O. F. fem. sb. _perióde_, or _peryóde_, of which Littré gives an example in the 14th century: '_Peryode_ est le temps et la mesure de la _duracion_ d'une chose;' Oresme, Thèse de Meunier. Chaucer, being more familiar with the prefix _per-_ than with the Greek [Greek: peri-], has dropped the _i_; and the confusion between _per-_ and _par-_ is extremely common, because both prefixes were denoted, in contracted writing, by the same symbol. We may give up the old attempts at explaining the word otherwise, as we know that the glosses are usually due to the author. 'The end of the period of Hector's life was nigh at hand.'

Lydgate uses the word in the same sense, having caught it up from the present passage:--

'When the _paródye_ of this worthy knyght [Hector] Aproche shall, without[e] wordes mo, Into the fyelde playnly if he go.' Siege of Troye, Bk. iii. ch. 27; ed. 1557, fol. R 6.

'And how that he [Ulysses] might[e] not escape The _párodye_ that was for hym shape; For Parchas haue his last[e] _terme_ set,' &c. Id., Bk. v. ch. 38; fol. Dd 3.

Observe that _parodye_ is here equated to _terme_.

1558. From Guido; according to whose account Hector, having taken a prisoner, was conveying him through the throng, when Achilles thrust him through with a spear in a cowardly manner, stealing up to him unperceived. See allit. Dest. of Troy, ll. 8649-8660; Lydgate, Siege of Troy, Bk. iii. ch. 27, fol. S 2, back; Shak. Troil. v. 6. 27, 8. 1.

1634. _kalendes_, an introduction to the beginning; see note to Bk. ii. 7.

1653. _Lollius_; this incident is in the Filostrato, viii. st. 8; I do not find it in Guido.

1669. _word and ende_, beginning and end; see note to Monk. Ta. B 3911; and note to Bk. ii. 1495.

1689. 'To present your new love with.'

1760. See note to