OED. Thou unabashed in knavery, who canst frame For every cause the semblance of a plea Pranked up with righteous seeming, why again Would'st thou contrive my ruin, and attempt To catch me where I most were grieved being caught? Beforetime, when my self-procurèd woes Were plaguing me, and I would fain have rushed To instant banishment, thou wouldst not then Grant this indulgence to my keen desire. But when I had fed my passion to the full, And all my pleasure was to live at home, Then 'twas thy cue to expel and banish me, Nor was this name of kindred then so dear. Now once again, when thou behold'st this city And people joined in friendly bands with me, Thou wouldst drag me from my promised resting-place, Hiding hard policy with courtly show. Strange kindness, to love men against their will! Suppose, when thou wert eager in some suit, No grace were granted thee, but all denied, And when thy soul was sated, then the boon Were offered, when such grace were graceless now; --Poor satisfaction then were thine, I ween! Even such a gift thou profferest me to-day, Kind in pretence, but really full of evil. These men shall hear me tell thy wickedness. Thou comest to take me, not unto my home, But to dwell outlawed at your gate, that so Your Thebè may come off untouched of harm From her encounter with Athenian men. Ye shall not have me thus. But you shall have My vengeful spirit ever in your land Abiding for destruction,--and my sons Shall have this portion in their father's ground, To die thereon. Know I not things in Thebes Better than thou? Yea, for 'tis mine to hear Safer intelligencers,--Zeus himself, And Phoebus, high interpreter of Heaven. Thou bring'st a tongue suborned with false pretence, Sharpened with insolence;--but in shrewd speech Thou shalt find less of profit than of bane. This thou wilt ne'er believe. Therefore begone! Let me live here. For even such life as mine Were not amiss, might I but have my will.
CR. Which of us twain, believ'st thou, in this talk Hath more profoundly sinned against thy peace?
OED. If thou prevail'st with these men present here Even as with me, I shall be well content.
CR. Unhappy man, will not even Time bring forth One spark of wisdom to redeem thine age?