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

THE THEBAID"and the greatness of my spirit."And what caused him not tomention or declare his father's name was owing to the greatnessof his incest and his pollution, for he was ashamed to mentionthat incest.Then spoke the gentle long-lived king, Adrastus ": Leave offyour anger and your agitation, and come with me to my house,"said he, " that your fellowship, your covenant, and your friendshipmay be linked together; and it is likely your fellowshipwill be all the better that ye have made strife, for these twelvemen were the best in intimate friendship and fellowship in theworld:Achilles and Patroclus, Orestes and Pylades, Nisus andEuryalus, Castor and Pollux, Theseus and Pirithous, Polynicesand Tydeus." Then, after their breaking off from their fightand combat, they came along with Adrastus to the royal verylofty house ; and Adrastus was looking at those men after that,and he saw round Polynices a lion's skin bright-piled, tawnymaned,large-portioned, ill-omened, accursed. As for Tydeus, sonof Oeneus, however, thus was he, with his huge wild-boar's hidearound him, and its hard curved tusks attached to that hide.And when Adrastus saw that, he understood the truth of theprophecy which Apollo had made to him, that a huge wild pigand a fierce ravening very huge lion would be sons-in-law tohim ; and because of the hides that were about them, Adrastusrendered his thanksgiving to the gods that those heroes wouldbe sons-in-law to him. Then he took the right hands of thosetwain, and brought them with him into the most secret andhidden house in the royal castle. And thus was that house, atthe end of a sacrifice which had been made by him there, andhe said to his household :" Let flaming very great fires belighted by you, and let truly intoxicating feasts of wine berenewed by you." Then arose clatter and tumult owing to themultitude and the activity of the king's household in servingand attending at that feast, and some of them arose to make upbeds of fringed bright-purple sheets, and of beautiful goldencouches, and of fine pillows in beds of down ; others to serveand light the bright lamps with beautiful golden supportingchains therefrom ; others of them bestirring themselves and29