Book 3, Chapter 12

26 “What do you think, for instance, of that man, “‘Descended from Tantalus, son of Pelops, who once won “‘Hippodamia from her father, King Oenomaus, in a stolen marriage’? “Why, he is Jupiter’s great-grandson. Can he be so abject, so broken? “‘Do not,’ he says, ‘come near me, strangers! Stay just there, “‘So that my touch or shadow may not harm the good. “‘So powerful a stain of crime clings to my body.’ “Will you condemn yourself, Thyestes, and deprive yourself of daylight because of the force of another’s crime? And that son of the Sun—do you not think him unworthy of his own father’s light? “‘His eyes have sunk; his body wastes to skin and bone; “‘The moisture of his tears has eaten his bloodless cheeks; “‘Amid his filthy face, his beard, foul and “‘Unshorn, darkens his chest, rough with neglect.’ “You have added these evils yourself, most foolish Aeetes. They were not contained in what chance brought upon you. And this when the misfortune had long grown old, when the swelling of the soul had subsided—for distress, as I shall show, lies in the opinion of a recent evil. Evidently, though, you grieve from longing for your kingdom, not your daughter. You hated her, perhaps with justice; but you could not bear the loss of your kingdom. It is shameless mourning to wear yourself out with grief because you are not allowed to rule free people.

27 “Indeed, the tyrant Dionysius, expelled from Syracuse, taught boys at Corinth: so incapable was he of doing without command. But what could be more shameless than Tarquin, who made war on those who had refused to endure his arrogance? When neither the armies of Veii nor those of the Latins could restore him to his kingdom, he is said to have retired to Cumae and to have wasted away there from old age and distress.”

26 “How would you describe this man? “‘Tantalus his ancestor, Pelops his father, who once from his father-in-law “‘King Oenomaus carried off Hippodamia as his bride—’ “Jupiter is his great-grandfather, no less! Yet he’s broken, utterly beaten down? “‘Visitors, stay where you are,’ he says, ‘don’t approach me, “‘Lest contact with me, or my shadow, harm good people.’ “‘The force of such a crime has stuck to my body.’ “Thyestes, someone else committed that terrible crime. Are you going to sentence yourself for it and deprive yourself of daylight? And look at that son of the Sun: wouldn’t you say he’s unfit for his own father’s light? “‘The eyes have drawn back; the body has shrunk and wasted. “‘Streaming tears have worn his pale cheeks away. “‘On his filthy face the beard bristles with dirt; “‘Untrimmed, it darkens a chest made rough by grime.’ “Aeetes, what a fool you are! You brought these troubles on yourself, over and above anything chance had brought. The disaster was already old, too, and your mind’s swelling had gone down. I’ll explain later that distress involves believing an evil is still fresh. Evidently it’s your kingship you miss and mourn, not your daughter. You hated her, perhaps justly; what you wouldn’t accept was doing without your throne. To waste away in mourning because you can no longer give orders to free people is shameless.

27 “After the tyrant Dionysius was driven out of Syracuse, he taught boys at Corinth. That’s how incapable he was of doing without power. And what could be more shameless than Tarquin, waging war against people who wouldn’t put up with his arrogance? When neither the forces of Veii nor those of the Latins could put him back on the throne, he is said to have moved to Cumae, where old age and distress wore him out.”