Instead of answering directly, the witness begs Oidipous “by the gods” to desist from further questioning. The reference to the gods might again, as so often already in the play, appear to be a much-wanted gesture in the direction of submission to divine will, but since it is offered in place of the answer that would in fact fulfill the god’s will, it impedes the god’s progress. The herdsman’s calling upon the gods is a way of avoiding performance of their bidding. Iokaste had earlier made the same plea in nearly the same terms (ll. 1060-61) when she called upon her husband “by the gods” to abandon his investigation. Her appeal was rendered all the more striking by her pronouncement of skepticism towards the institution of prophecy and thus to any possibility of communication between gods and men. The herdsman’s use of the same term is less striking, perhaps, because he has made no such explicit statement of skepticism. His avoidance strategy suggests rather confusion or ignorance about the implications of his decision not to destroy the infant. His present appeal to Oidipous “by the gods” suggests, however, that when he saved the infant, he was indeed assisting the god to realize his prophecy. If he knew of the prophecy, he should have understood that saving the infant meant allowing for it to be Laios’ death and thereby to serve prophecy and Apollo. At the crossroads he should not only have inferred that the killer was Laios’ son, he should have looked upon him as a divine agent. That he did not do so suggests that he preferred to hide from the truth. He may be no declared skeptic, but his actions show him to be one. Whether the human actors are willing to see it that way or not, the audience can see that it is precisely “by the gods” that the present action is being directed. Rather than appealing to Oidipous in the gods’ name to adopt the course of action upon which the herdsman has determined, it would clearly be far wiser to appeal to the gods directly for instruction regarding the best course of action and to encourage Oidipous to do the same. [Mp] [P] [Mi]