This line admits of several readings: it expresses the Chorus’s wish that Oidipous or itself “had never found out” or that the Chorus “had never known” him. Would the Chorus be right to wish that either Oidipous or itself had never discovered the truth? If the error of over-valuing the powers of reason is to be corrected, it is crucial to understand precisely how damaging it was. Indeed, is it not precisely this discovery towards which the god has so assiduously been working? And if the god’s work to enlighten both Oidipous and the citizenry of Thebes can be taken as an expression of his commitment to them, Oidipous is wrong to see himself as “most hated” (ἐχθότατον; l. 1346). Consequently, the Chorus’s wish that Oidipous might never have known would reveal the city to be propagating the error of viewing him as the victim of a malevolent god. [Ad] Considering the plague from which it has been suffering, the alternate reading expressing the preference of the populace to have been left ignorant of its ruler’s crimes is equally misguided. [Apaon] The wish never to have known Oidipous would make sense only if it were true that it would not otherwise have been polluted and thus become infected with plague. Its readiness to regard Oidipous as god-like at the play’s opening suggests, however, that its beliefs have resembled those of its rulers, going back as far as Laios and Iokste and perhaps father. Thus, like Oidipous, the city requires enlightenment, which means that it can be expected to be subjected to further miseries. The proper wish is for both Oidipous and the city (and this also pertains to Athens) to learn as soon as possible that the mortal mind is of less value than a healthy relationship with the gods. [Mpea] [Mw] [P]