For good, but not evil ends; and surely not for murderous
violence.

MENELAUS
Never shalt thou wrest her from my grasp.

PELEUS
With this good staff I'll stain thy head with blood!

MENELAUS
Just touch me and see! Approach one step!

PELEUS
What! shalt thou rank with men? chief of cowards, son of

cowards! What right hast thou to any place 'mongst men? Thou who didst
let Phrygian rob thee of thy wife, leaving thy home without bolt or

guard, as if forsooth the cursed woman thou hadst there was a model of
virtue. No! a Spartan maid could not be chaste, e'en if she would, who

leaves her home and bares her limbs and lets her robe float free, to
share with youths their races and their sports,-customs I cannot

away with. Is it any wonder then that ye fail to educate your women in
virtue? Helen might have asked thee this, seeing that she said goodbye

to thy affection and tripped off with her young gallant to a foreign
land. And yet for her sake thou didst marshal all the hosts of

Hellas and lead them to Ilium, whereas thou shouldst have shown thy
loathing for her by refusing to stir a spear, once thou hadst found

her false; yea, thou shouldst have let her stay there, and even paid a
price to save ever having her back again. But that was not at all

the way thy thoughts were turned; wherefore many a brave life hast
thou ended, and many an aged mother hast thou left childless in her

home, and grey-haired sires of gallant sons hast reft. Of that sad
band am I member, seeing in thee Achilles' murderer like a malignant

fiend; for thou and thou alone hast returned from Troy without a
scratch, bringing back thy splendid weapons in their splendid cases

just as they went. As for me, I ever told that amorous boy to form
no alliance with thee nor take unto his home an evil mother's child;

for daughters bear the marks of their mothers' ill-repute into their
new homes. Wherefore, ye wooers, take heed to this my warning: "Choose

the daughter of a good mother." And more than this, with what wanton
insult didst thou treat thy brother, bidding him sacrifice his

daughter in his simpleness! So fearful wast thou of losing thy
worthless wife. Then after capturing Troy,-for thither too will I

accompany thee,-thou didst not slay that woman, when she was in thy
power; but as soon as thine eyes caught sight of her breast, thy sword

was dropped and thou didst take her kisses, fondling the shameless
traitress, too weak to stem thy hot desire, thou caitiff wretch! Yet

spite of all thou art the man to come and work havoc in my
grandson's halls when he is absent, seeking to slay with all indignity

a poor weak woman and her babe: but that babe shall one day make
thee and thy daughter in thy home rue it, e'en though his birth be

trebly base. Yea, for oft ere now hath seed, sown on barren soil,
prevailed o'er rich deep tilth, and many bastard has proved a better

man than children better born. Take thy daughter hence with thee!
Far better is it for mortals to have a poor honest man either as

married kin or friend than a wealthy knave; but as for thee, thou
art a thing of naught.

LEADER
The tongue from trifling causes contrives to breed great strife

'mongst men; wherefore are the wise most careful not to bring about
a quarrel with their friends.

MENELAUS
Why, pray, should one call these old men wise, or those who once

had a reputation in Hellas for being so? when thou, the great
Peleus, son of famous father, kin to me through marriage, employest

language disgraceful" target="_blank" title="a.可耻的；不光彩的">disgraceful to thyself and abusive of me because of a
barbarian woman, though thou shouldst have banished her far beyond the

streams of Nile or Phasis, and ever encouraged me; seeing that she
comes from Asia's continent where fell so many of the sons of

Hellas, victims to the spear; and likewise because she shared in the
spilling of thy son's blood; for Paris who slew thy son Achilles,

was brother to Hector, whose wife she was. And dost thou enter the
same abode with her, and deign to let her share thy board, and

suffer her to rear her brood of vipers in thy house? But I, after
all this foresight for thee, old man, and myself, am to have her

torn from my clutches for wishing to slay her. Yet come now, for
'tis no disgrace to argue; suppose my daughter has no child, while

this woman's sons grow up, wilt thou set them up to rule the land of
Phthia, barbarians born and bred to lord it over Hellenes? Am I then

so void of sense because I hate injustice, and thou so full of
cleverness? Consider yet another point; say thou hadst given a

daughter of thine to some citizen, and hadst then seen her thus
treated, wouldst thou have sat looking on in silence? I trow not. Dost

thou then for a foreigner rail thus at thy nearest friends? Again,
thou mayst say, husband and wife have an equally strong case if she is

wronged by him, and similarly if he find her guilty of indiscretion in
his house; yet while he has ample powers in his own hands, she depends

on parents and friends for her case. Surely then I am right in helping
my own kin! Thou art in thy dotage; for thou wilt do me more good by

speaking of my generalship than by concealing it. Helen's trouble
was not of her own choosing, but sent by heaven, and it proved a great

benefit to Hellas; her sons, till then untried in war or arms,
turned to deeds of prowess, and it is experience which teaches man all

he knows. I showed my wisdom in refraining from slaying my wife,
directly I caught sight of her. Would that thou too hadst ne'er

slain Phocus! All this I bring before thee in pure good-will, not from
anger. But if thou resent it, thy tongue may wag till it ache, yet

shall I gain by prudent forethought.
LEADER

Cease now from idle words, 'twere better far, for fear ye both
alike go wrong.

PELEUS
Alas! what evil customs now prevail in Hellas! Whene'er the host

sets up a trophy o'er the foe, men no more consider this the work of
those who really toiled, but the general gets the credit for it. Now

he was but one among ten thousand others to brandish his spear; he
only did the work of one; but yet he wins more praise than they.

Again, as magistrates in all the grandeur of office they scorn the
common folk, though they are naught themselves; whereas those others

are ten thousand times more wise than they, if daringcombine with
judgment. Even so thou and thy brother, exalted by the toilsome

efforts of others, now take your seats in all the swollen pride of
Trojan fame and Trojan generalship. But I will teach thee henceforth

to consider Idaean Paris a foe less terrible than Peleus, unless
forthwith thou pack from this roof, thou and thy childless daughter

too, whom my own true son will hale through his halls by the hair of
her head; for her barrenness will not let her endure fruitfulness in

others, because she has no children herself. Still if misfortune
prevents her bearing offspring, is that a reason why we should be left

childless? Begone! ye varlets, let her go! I will soon see if anyone
will hinder me from loosing her hands. (to ANDROMACHE) Arise; these

trembling hands of mine will untie the twisted thongs that bind
thee. Out on thee, coward! is this how thou hast galled her wrists?

Didst think thou wert lashing up a lion or bull? or wert afraid she
would snatch a sword and defend herself against thee? Come, child,

nestle to thy mother's arms; help me loose her bonds; I will yet
rear thee in Phthia to be their bitter foe. If your reputation for

prowess and the battles ye have fought were taken from you Spartans,
in all else, be very sure, you have not your inferiors.

LEADER
The race of old men practises no restraint" target="_blank" title="n.抑制；管束；克制">restraint; and their testiness

makes it hard to check them.
MENELAUS

Thou art only too ready to rush into abuse; while, as for me, I
came to Phthia by constraint and have therefore no intention either of