“Tydeus hath left a son unlike himself; For he, though low in stature, was most brave; And when he went, an envoy and alone, To Thebes, the populous Cadmean town, And I, enjoining him to keep aloof From wars and rash encounters, bade him sit Quietly at the feasts in palace-halls, Still, to his valiant temper true, he gave Challenges to the Theban youths, and won The prize with ease in all their games, such aid I gave him. Now I stand by thee in turn, Protect thee, and exhort thee manfully To fight against the Trojans; but today Either the weariness of toil unnerves Thy frame, or withering fear besets thy heart. Henceforth we cannot deem thee, as of late, The offspring of Oenides skilled in war.”