vest and garment around him, he went out of the bath like unto the immortals in person; and going near Nestor, the shepherd of the people, he sat down. But when they had roasted the upper parts and had separated them, they sat down and feasted; and the excellent men arose, pouring wine into the golden cups. But when they had taken away the desire of eating and drinking, the Gerenian knight Nestor began to address them :

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My sons, come, lead forth, and yoke under the chariot beautiful-haired horses for Telemachus, that he may perform his journey."

Thus he spoke but they quickly heard and obeyed him; and they swiftly yoked the swift horses under the chariot; and the housekeeper placed in it bread and wine, and dainties, such as Jove-nourished kings eat. Telemachus then mounted the very beautiful chariot; and near him Pisistratus, the chieftain of men, son of Nestor, mounted the chariot, and took the reins in his hands, and scourged them that they might go on; and they twain flew not unwilling to the plain, and left the lofty citadel of Pylos. And all the day they shook the yoke holding it on both sides: and the sun set, and all the ways were overshadowed. And they came to Pheræ, to the house of Diocles, son of Orsilochus, whom Alpheus begot for his son. There they rested during the night; and he gave

them hospitable gifts.

But when the mother of dawn, rosy-fingered morning, appeared, they yoked the horses and mounted the variegated chariots: [and drove out of the vestibule, and the resounding portico. 47 And he scourged them that they might go on; and they twain flew not unwilling: and they came to the wheat-producing plain; there then they finished their journey; for so quickly the swift horses ran. And the sun set, and all the ways were overshadowed.

48 A suspected verse.

BOOK IV.

ARGUMENT.

Menelaus entertains Pisistratus and Telemachus; the latter of whom relates the state of matters in Ithaca, and makes inquiries respecting his father. Menelaus then gives him the particulars of the return of the Grecians, as far as he is acquainted with them; and informs Telemachus that he had been acquainted by Proteus, that Ulysses was being detained by Calypso. At Ithaca, in the mean time, the suitors in council determine to lay wait for Telemachus on his return, and put him to death. Minerva comforts Penelope, who was afflicted at her son's absence, by a dream, appearing to her in the form of Ipthime, the sister of Penelope.

THEY came to hollow Lacedæmon with its many clefts;1 and they drove to the house of glorious Menelaus. And they found him making a nuptial feast in his house, of his son and spotless daughter, to many friends.2 Her he sent to the son of the warlike Achilles; for in Troy he first promised and agreed that he would bestow her: and the gods brought their marriage to pass. He sent her to go there with horses and chariots, to the illustrious city of the Myrmidons, over whom he reigned and to his son he brought from Sparta the daughter of Alector, who was born to him in his old age, brave Megapenthes, from a slave: but the gods no more gave an offspring to Helen, after she had first brought forth her lovely daughter Hermione, who had the form of golden Venus.

So these neighbours and friends of glorious Menelaus feasted in the lofty-roofed, large house, delighted: and amongst them a divine bard sang, playing on the harp; and two dancers amongst them turned round in the middle, the song having commenced.3 But they themselves and their horses,

1 Cf. Buttman Lexil. p. 379-383, where he has completely set at rest the old interpretations of this word, which he derives primarily from_xáw, χάσκω. Loewe has adopted the same view. Κοίλη is applied to Lacedæmon, because it was situated in the valley between Mounts Taygetus and Parthenius.

2 His son Megapenthes wedded the daughter of Alector, and his daughter Hermione, Neoptolemus.

3 In the old prose translation, the author of which is seldom guilty of losing an opportunity for a blunder, we have an amusing oscillation between ἐξάρχοντες and ἐξάρχοντος. Had he been aware that the commentary of Eustathius on this passage is simply a quotation from Athenæus, who read άρxovros, he would have seen that the reading, not the interpretation, was the question.

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the hero Telemachus and the illustrious son of Nestor, stood in the vestibule of the house: but excellent Eteoneus, the trusty servant of glorious Menelaus, coming forward, saw them; and he hastened through the house to announce them to glorious Menelaus; and standing near him spoke winged words:

"There are some strangers here, O Menelaus, nourished of Jupiter, two men, and they are like unto the race of mighty Jove. But say, whether we shall loose their swift horses, or send them to go to some one else, who may receive them kindly."

Auburn-haired Menelaus very indignant addressed him: "Formerly indeed thou wast not foolish, O Eteoneus, son of Böetheus, but now, like a child, thou speakest foolish things. We indeed having consumed many hospitable gifts from other men came here; [to see] if Jupiter even hereafter shall allow us to cease from toil; but loose the horses of the strangers, and bring them in immediately to be feasted."

Thus he spoke; and he hastened from the palace, and exhorted his other trusty servants to follow him. But they loosed the horses sweating under the yoke; and bound them to the horses' manger: and they set oats near them, and mixed white barley with them: and they tilted the chariot against the shining walls, and led them into the divine house: but they, beholding, marvelled at the house of the Jove-nurtured king. For there was a splendour like as of the sun and the moon, through the lofty-roofed house of glorious Menelaus. But when, beholding with their eyes, they were satisfied, going into the well-polished baths they washed themselves. When therefore the maid-servants had washed them, and anointed them with oil, and had also thrown woollen cloaks and garments around them, they set them on thrones near Menelaus, the son of Atreus. And a handmaid bringing water in a beautiful golden ewer, poured it over a silver cauldron, to wash in and she spread a polished table near at hand. And the venerable housekeeper brought bread and set it near them, serving up many dainties, gratifying them as well as she could out of the provisions that were at hand. And the waiter lifting up dishes of all kinds of flesh placed them near; and 3 On this meaning of кpɛiwv see Loewe. 4 I have some doubts about this passage.

set near them golden cups. Auburn-haired Menelaus then giving them his right hand addressed them:

"Both taste food and rejoice; but when ye twain have eaten of supper, we will inquire of you, who of men you are; for the race of your parents has not perished; but ye are the race of Jove-nurtured, sceptre-bearing kings; for bad men would not produce such as ye are.'

Thus he spoke, and he set near them the fat back of an ox, taking in his hands the roasted part, which they had placed near him as an honour: and they stretched forth their hands to the viands lying ready before them. But when they had taken away the desire of drinking and eating, then Telemachus addressed the son of Nestor, holding his head near, that the others might not hear:

Consider, thou son of Nestor, most pleasing to my mind, the shining of the brass throughout the resounding house, and of gold, and amber, and silver, and ivory. Some such, forsooth, is the hall of the Olympian Jupiter within. How many vast things are here! astonishment possesses me as I behold them."

Auburn-haired Menelaus understood him speaking, and addressing them, spoke winged words:

"My sons, no one indeed of mortals would contend with Jove; for immortal are his houses and possessions; but any one of mortals would either contend with me in possessions, or not. Certainly, having suffered many things, and having wandered much, I was brought in my ships, and I returned in the eighth year: having wandered to Cyprus, and Phoenice, and the Ægyptians, I came to the Ethiopians and Sidonians, and Erembians, and Libya, where the lambs immediately become horned. For the sheep bring forth thrice in a whole year: there indeed neither king nor shepherd is in want of cheese and flesh, nor of sweet milk; but they always furnish milk for milking throughout the year. Whilst I wandered collecting much livelihood in those places, in the mean while another slew my brother secretly, unexpectedly, through the deceit of his pernicious wife: so I by no means rejoicing rule over these possessions. And ye must have heard these things from your fathers, whoever they be; for I have suffered very many things, and have lost my house, which was very well inhabited, containing many and excellent things. Of which

I would wish having even the third part to dwell in my house, and that the men should be safe who then perished in spacious Troy far from horse-pasturing Argos. But however mourning and grieving for all, ofttimes sitting in my palace, sometimes I am delighted in my mind with grief, at other times again I rest; but the satiety of chilly grief is quick. I do not so much lament for all these, although saddened, as for one, who makes my sleep and my food hateful to me, when I call him to mind; since no one of the Grecians laboured so much, as Ulysses laboured and endured; but for him indeed it was fated that there should be sad cares, but to me grief never to be forgotten on account of him, since indeed he is a long time absent, nor do we know at all whether he is alive or dead. Old Laertes, and prudent Penelope, and Telemachus whom he left lately born in his house, are now some where mourning for him."

Thus he spoke; and he excited in him the desire of grief on account of his sire. And he shed tears from his eyelids on the ground, hearing of his father, holding up a purple mantle before his eyes with both his hands. And Menelaus perceived him, and then he meditated in his thoughts and in his mind, whether he should leave him to make mention of his father, or should ask him first, and inquire of him every thing.

Whilst he meditated these things in his thoughts and in his mind, Helen came out of the sweet-smelling, lofty-roofed chamber, like unto Diana of the golden distaff. For her Adrasta immediately placed a well-made seat; and Alcippe brought tapestry of soft wool; and Phylo brought a silver basket, which Alcandra the wife of Polybus gave her, who dwelt in Egyptian Thebes, where very many possessions lie in his house: who gave to Menelaus two silver baths, and two tripods, and ten talents of gold; and his wife moreover gave beautiful gifts to Helen; she presented a golden distaff, and a round basket, silver, but the lips were finished with gold. This indeed the handmaid Phylo brought and placed near her, filled with well-dressed thread; and upon it the distaff was stretched, containing violet-coloured wool. And she sat on the seat, and a foot-stool was under her feet and she straightway inquired every thing of her husband with words: "Do we know, O thou Jove-nurtured Menelaus, what

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