Malea, longas navibus fleftens moras.
NUTR. Sile, obfecro, queftufque fecreto abditos 150
Manda dolori. gravia quifquis vulnera
Patiente & aequo mutus animo pertulit,
Referre potuit. ira, quae tegitur, nocet.
Profeffa perdunt odia vindiflse locum
MED. Levis eft dolor, qui capere confilium poteft, 155
Kt clepere fefe. magna non latitant mala.
Libet ire contra, nutr. Sifte furialem impetum,
Alumna, vix te tacita defendit quies
MED. Fortuna fortes metuit, ignavos premit.
NUTR. Tunc eft probanda, fi locum virtus habet. 160
MED. Nunquam poteft non effe virtuti locus.
NUTR. Spes nulla monftrat rebus affli(5lis viam.
MED. Qui nil poteft fperare, defperet nihil.
NUTR. Abiere Colchi. conjugis nulla eft fides,
Nihilque fupereft opibus e tantis tibi. 165
MED. Medea fupereft. heic mare & terras vides,
Ferrumque, & ignes, & Deos, & fulmina.
NUTR. Rex eft timendus. med. Rex meus fuerat pater.
The entire blame is with Creon, who, in his irrestrainable power, has dissolved my marrige with Jason, and it is he, who has separated a mother from her children, and ruthlessly disturbed that conjugal fidelity, by which we were both bound by the strictest pledges! No, he alone shall be sought out for this, he shall suffer that punishment which he so richly deserves—I will reduce his palace to a heap of cinders, and the promontory of Malea, which causes from its numerous bends so much obstruction and delay to navigators, shall witness a black whirlwind of smoke rise out of the flames. (Malea, which extended five miles into the sea, became proverbial for its danger.)
NURSE.
Be silent, I beseech thee, consign thy wrongs to the secret recesses of thy own angry bosom; whoever bears in silence, and with a patient unruffled spirit, the grievous stings of fate, can always place them to better account (to give like for like in revenge); anger which is pent-up, and not shown to the world, is always more effective, when brought into play—but grievances which are openly paraded lose many an opportunity for revenge! (e. g. apprizing others of your intentions).
MEDEA.
That grievance is light indeed which can tolerate any advice from others, and hide itself away, as it were;
