Matheson Collection > Togail na Tebe

THE THEBAID
that I ask of you, for I now hate this frail fading body in which
I am. But I ask of you that the head of Melanippus be given
me, for methinks his strength was brought down by the cast
I made at him. And, ye Greek kingfolk," said he, " grant me
that request of you. And where," said he, " is warlike Hippo-
medon ? and where is most puissant Parthenopaeus ? Bring the
mad-voiced Greek, Capaneus. Give over to me, O youths, the
head of the hero who has wounded me."
And when he heard that, Capaneus arose and preceded
everyone to the place where Melanippus was; and when he
arrived, he raised him on his strong left shoulder, and made a
cast of him thence into the presence of Tydeus. But when
Tydeus had seen Melanippus there in blanchings of death and
in symptoms of dissolution, this is what he said : " Bring the
head of the hero close to me," said he. And when it was brought,
he remained a while looking at it angrily; and he formed a
plan, he pulled it down towards himself, and there commenced
gnawing and rending hard at the head of Melanippus. And
when he was thus engaged, then came Minerva, to wit, the
goddess of valour, from Jove, son of Saturn, and it was about
this she had gone to him, to ask help for Tydeus in the battle ;
and "when it was not granted her, she asked of Jove to make a
god of Tydeus. Fifteen Theban kings had Tydeus killed that
day in single combats. And that was granted her, and she came
unto Tydeus, and he being seen by her, horror and great fear
seized her before him. She had seen him eating the head of
Melanippus ; and when the rough hor&io serpents of the Gorgon
had risen about the head of the goddess, to wit, Minerva, she
turned and fled from Tydeus, and left him in that guise behind
her. And he was thus eating the head of Melanippus, until
the little life that was in him stole away from him, and he died
forthwith.
The fury of Tydeus thus far.
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