The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Part 68

$δ'$ shows that this is not the beginning of the speech; inceptive $δ\acute{ε}$ but/and is restricted to prose (Denniston, Greek Particles² 172 (iii)).

$α\dot{υ}τ\text{[ : }α\dot{υ}τ\acute{o}[ν$ him would provide a subject for the infinitive suggested by 2 (e.g. "allow him to taunt me at length"), who could be identified with the subject of the third-person imperatives in 4 and 6. But of course contexts could be imagined for $α\dot{υ}τ\acute{o}$, $α\dot{υ}τ\acute{o}[υ\varsigma$, $α\dot{υ}τ\text{ο}[\tilde{\imath}\varsigma$.

2 "allow [him] to commit outrage": on asyndeton with anaphora, see Kühner–Gerth, Grammatik II 345 c.

3 "neither if" seems certain, although the scribe did not mark the elision. "neither" here may imply a balancing "neither" (for) in 2 (Kannicht); it cannot be a sentence-connective, adding a third imperative to "allow... allow" or introducing "let him define."

"boundary": on confusion of opposites, see Kannicht on E. Hel. 264–6; fr. 378.2; 554a.4; 682.3.

4 "let him define," not "define," "let him define," etc., as 6 shows (there the articulation is guaranteed by punctuation). This may well be the beginning of a new sentence, see n. on fr. 1 ii 3. If so, there is asyndeton: probably because "let him define" continues (with a change of person) the series of imperatives, and restates or interprets the preceding commands.

"let him ride" suggests that "let him define" expresses motion (then "towards" Kannicht). Possible senses include (a) traverse (following the boundary between two points) and (b) separate from (draw a boundary between): "It is uncertain whether [a] Med. 432–5 'you sailed... having defined the twin... rocks' (where the scholiast B [explains as] 'instead of having separated and having passed through the Symplegades') ~ A. Suppl. 540–6 (Kerkhecker) or [b] Hel. 128 'another storm defined another (passage, implied)' (~ ibid. 1670) or Hec. 940–1 'the ship... separated me from the Ilaid land' should be compared" (Kannicht). But (c) moral definition ("we live, having defined things as unjust and just") may not be excluded (PJP).

5 "where": "where" (E. Heracl. 19, 46 PJP)? "of what sort" Kannicht.

7 "[A.] Prom. 708 'unploughed fields,' Moschion. 97 F 6,9 'he was cutting with ploughs | ... the clod'" (Kannicht).

8 "A locution characteristic of Euripides: Andr. 433 = Hec. 1019 = F 86 col. II 4 [150,1 Austin] = F 773,10 [Phaëth. 54 Diggle] 'but go out from the house' ~ Cycl. 345 'but go inside' ~ Andr. 1263 'but go out of the city of Delphi,' Tro. 92 'but go to Olympus,' Hel. 477 'but go from the house' (more briefly IT 699 = 1411 = S. Trach. 616 'but go' ~ S. Trach. 819 'but let him go' ~ OC 1643 'but go'); regarding S. F 10g fr. 10,4 ~ adesp. F 632,35 'but go [not clear]'" (Kannicht). E. Med. 403 "go into the terrible" (PJP).

"fields" Kannicht. This would suit the rustic detail of 7, though "hunt" (E. Ion 1161, Supp. 885) could also be thought of (PJP). Hunting on horseback, mentioned in passing at X. Cyn. 11.3, might suit Hippolytus.

9 "in a friendly manner" (init. trim Hipp. 597 "in a friendly manner, but not in a fine way") possibly "as a friend" (Kannicht).

"beginning, begin, having begun, at the beginning" etc. (PJP).

10 E. Alc. 356 "may be present" (PJP). "'If you are present,' etc., 'if you are present' (Antiphan. fr. 94.2 K.-A. fin. trim 'whenever you are present')" (Kannicht).

11 "to conquer, know how" (E. Ion 650 "stop these words, and know how to be fortunate"; PJP)? "Alc. 61 x — 'and you know,' Hipp. 380 x — 'we know,' ibid. 919 x — 'know'" (Kannicht).

12 "Do you want? 'Or these things or the same things do you want? Cf. Phoen. 386 'for what you want, is the same to me... dear,' IT 614 'since you want these things'" (Kannicht). But "the same things, being unwilling" is also possible (S. El. 546 "not the same things, in the judgment of an unwilling and bad father"; PJP).

13 "no one, no one..., nothing..., neither in..."

14 The scribe writes "come on" to clarify the articulation around the exclamation (not "drive," not "hey"). The aspiration of "hey" recurs in other papyri of drama (S. Euryp. fr. 221.4; 222b fr. 7.4; Ichn. 314.93, 174, 436 R.; Trag. adesp. 655.40 K.-S.; Epich. fr. 113.177 K.-A.), and is implied in the etymology stated at Schol. A Il. 9.262a (Herodian? hence Hdn. I 495 Lentz), which derives "hey" from "go," "the accent having been changed to a circumflex of necessity and the aspiration having been added in the Attic manner." Kannicht on E. fr. 693.1; Diggle on E. Phaëth. 221. Cf. Kannicht on E. Hel. 1429–33 and 1560–4, and Fraenkel on A. Ag. 1650.

"Come on for me..." seems the most likely articulation; but if we cannot rely on the scribe to mark elisions, "to me" or "we" come into consideration.

15 "worst of enemies? being hostile?"

16 "or or? to you?"