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I have followed Apollodorus on the whole, but I have added from Euripides the stories of the appeal of Adrastus, the madness of Hercules, and the fate of Hippolytus; from Sophocles his kindness to Oedipus; from Plutarch the story of his death, to which Apollodorus gives only a sentence.

Polyneices had been joined by six chieftains, one of them the King of Argos, Adrastus, and another Adrastus’ brother-in-law, Amphiaraus.

This last joined the enterprise most unwillingly because he was a prophet and he knew that none of the seven would come back alive except Adrastus.

He had sworn this once when he and Adrastus had quarreled and Eriphyle had reconciled them.

But Menoeceus had not died in vain; in the end the Thebans prevailed and of the seven champions all were killed except Adrastus only.