Togail na Tebe = The Thebiad of Statius : the Irish text

THE THEBAIDthat I have met my fate. And when thou wilt show my armsand my raiment to her, say to her that I have deserved to meetmy fate ;this war.for in her despite and unknown to the gods, I came toAnd make ye no sorrow or moan at the tale, and bearwith you my locks to her as a means to emphasise my fate.And tell her not to allow my arms and my dogs to be given toanyone else but to remain with herself; and do thou thyselfoffer these arms that are in my hand as a sacrifice from thee toDiana." And after that bequest his soul separated from his bodyforthwith.BOOK XNow it was then that Jove, son of Saturn, hastened greatnobles towards those hosts to check their fray. Nevertheless itwas not for good to Greeks or Thebans that he did that but toaid the kindly foreign tribes he had destroyed along with them.It was horrible to dwell in the plains of Thebes that night ; forthere were left soldiers with their followers slain, officers with theircompanies slaughtered, chiefs with their champions fallen, armsfuriously broken, and fleet horses stark dead that were sweatingin heroes' chariots at the beginning of the day before. It wasthen thosehosts separated, to wit, the Thebans to houses andthe heroic mangled Greeks to camps. And though the gateswere narrow for those goodly hosts in going to battle, they werebroad and full-wide in going from it owing to the number oftheir losses. Again there was an exulting shout and vastweeping with each of those. It was a vast joy to the Thebansthat four Greek kings should be slain and their hosts astrayafter them, to wit, Amphiaraus, Tydeus, Hippomedon andParthenopaeus. The Thebans reached the cities, and this isthe plan they resolved on to send out watchmen and a guardon the camps of the Greeks that night, in order that theymight not escape them. And it was these that went on thatguard, to wit, soldierly Meges, and heroic Lycus with theirfollowers. And they brought with them wine feasts and fires.And Eteocles, king of Thebes, was strengthening them, and this249