Oidipous proceeds as is his wont by interrogatory, a means of discovery in which he places great faith. Here he takes care to determine even the order in which to question the remaining two witnesses. Rather than turning straight to the just-arrived shepherd who carries the secret of his birth, Oidipous elects first to have the Corinthian establish the new witness’s identity. This procedure displays self-restraint, knowledge of forensic technique, and adherence to protocols (already established during his questioning of the Corinthian at ll. 1027 ff.). Oidipous’s care reflects the high value he places on obtaining information of sufficient credibility to provide for a judgment free of error, and in so doing reveals his belief that usable results depend upon a well-conceived and well-managed procedure. [Mg] [Md] Considering further that he is anything but disinterested, the deliberateness with which he proceeds suggests an impressive, even astonishing, capacity for discipline and objectivity. Given the herdsman’s limitations (known to the audience but not to Oidipous), Oidipous’s skillful and methodical approach seems appropriate, and the audience cannot help but admire his wisdom: disciplined procedure is everything. Yet at the same time, it is unnecessary, for had he followed procedure with the Oracle, he would years ago, prior to Laios’ killing and marriage to his mother, have obtained the information that he now seeks. This information is no longer relevant to his action. He is only seeking it to confirm his own identity, which in turn will confirm the prophecy he once received, that he would kill father and marry mother. Were he to believe in prophecy, trust it, he would not now seek this Theban’s testimony. Thus, the full trust he places in the procedure for an interrogation measure the extent of his mistrust of prophecy; he will only be persuaded that the prophecy has proven itself valid when the evidence is sufficient to obtain a guilty verdict. It is ironic that by this technique will he proven not only his own guilt, he will discover the crime itself, which was to grant prophecy so little credence and the god so little power that he might thwart both. [Mg] [P] [Aj]