be gentle, nor pitying me, but tell me plainly as thou hast met with the sight [of it]; I beseech thee, if ever my father, good Ulysses, has accomplished any word or deed for you, having undertaken it amongst the people of the Trojans, where ye Greeks suffered losses, be mindful of these things now, and tell me true."

And auburn-haired Menelaus mourning greatly addressed him: "O gods! indeed they have sought to lie in the bed of a stout-hearted man, themselves being weak. As when a hart, having laid her new-born suckling fawns in the den of a strong lion, feeding, searches the thickets 12 and grassy valleys, but he then has entered his lair, and on them both has brought a severe fate; so Ulysses will bring a severe fate upon those men. I wish, O father Jupiter, and Minerva and Apollo, being such formerly, in well-built Lesbos, rising he wrestled in contention with the son of Philomela,13 and threw him with violence, and all the Greeks rejoiced. Should Ulysses, being such a one, engage with the suitors, [all would be quick fated, and would have a bitter marriage.] But as to these things, which thou inquirest and beseechest of me, I would not tell thee other things besides, indirectly, nor will I deceive thee: but as to the things which the true old man 14 of the sea told me, of these I will by no means hide or conceal a word from you.

"The gods detained me in Egypt, desiring to return hither, since I did not offer up to them perfect hecatombs: [but the gods always wish that we should be mindful of their commands.] There is a certain island then in a boisterous sea, before Egypt, they call it Pharos,-so far distant as a hollow ship would make in a whole day, when a whistling wind should blow on from behind. But in it there is a haven with good mooring, from whence they take equal ships into the sea, having drawn black water. There for twenty days the gods detained me, nor did favourable winds ever appear blowing on the sea, which are the conveyers of ships over the wide back of the ocean. And now all my provisions would have been consumed, and the strength of my men [would have failed], had not one of the goddesses taken pity on me, and preserved me, Idothea, daughter of illustrious Proteus, the old man of the

12 Or, the foot of a mountain.

13 Patroclus.

14 Proteus.

sea: for I very much moved her mind, who met me wandering alone, at a distance from my companions; for they, constantly wandering about the island, fished with crooked hooks; for hunger subdued their belly. But she standing near me spoke, and said, 'Thou art exceedingly foolish, O stranger, or remiss in mind, or thou art willingly neglectful, and art delighted at suffering griefs; thus now thou art a long time detained in an island, nor canst thou discover any means of escape, and the heart of thy companions wastes away.'

"Thus she spoke; and I addressed her in answer: 'I will tell thee, indeed, whoever thou art of the goddesses, that I am by no means willingly detained; but I must have sinned against the immortals, who possess the wide heaven; but do thou tell me, for the gods ken all things, who of the immortals hinders me, and has bound me from my journey, and [tell me of] my return, how I shall go over the fishy sea.'

"Thus I spoke; but she, the divine one of goddesses, immediately answered: 'I will tell thee, indeed, O stranger, very correctly. A certain true old man of the sea has his haunts here, immortal Proteus the Egyptian, who is acquainted with the depths of the whole sea, the servant of Neptune; they say that he is my father, and that he begot me. Him if thou couldst by any means insnare and take, he would tell thee the way and the measures of the track, and thy return, how thou mayest go over the fishy sea. And he will tell thee, besides, O noble one, if he chooses, what evil and good has happened in thy palace, whilst thou wast absent on a long and difficult journey.'

"Thus she spoke; but I addressed her in answer: Do thou now thyself bethink thee of the snare for the divine old man, lest by any means foreseeing me, or knowing beforehand, he should escape me: for a god is difficult to be subdued by a mortal man.'

"Thus I spoke; but she, divine one of goddesses, straightway answered: Therefore, O stranger, will I tell thee very correctly. When the sun has gone round up to the middle of the heaven, then the unerring old man of the sea comes forth from the deep, under the breathing of the west wind, covered with the black foam; and having gone out, he lies down to rest under the hollow caves. But around him sea-calves, the

offspring 15 of fair Halosydna, sleep together, emerging from the hoary sea, breathing forth a bitter smell of the deep sea. There I will lead thee, together with the appearance of morn, and lay thee in order; but do thou choose well three companions, who are the best at your well-benched ships; but I will tell thee all the terrible tricks 16 of the old man. First he will reckon and go over the sea-calves; and when he has numbered all on his five fingers, and has seen them, he will lie down in the middle, as a shepherd among a flock of sheep. And when thou shalt have first seen him laid to sleep, then let strength and force be thy care to keep him there, although desirous and striving to escape. But he will make the attempt, becoming all things, whatsoever reptiles are upon the earth, and water, and fire that blazes from the gods;17 but do thou keep him firmly, and press him still more. But when he himself shall ask thee with words, being such as thou sawest him when asleep, then, O hero, desist from force, and loose the old man: but ask him, who of the gods hurts thee, and about thy return, how thou mayest go over the fishy sea.'

"Thus having spoken, she dived under the billowy sea: but I went to the ships, where they stood on the sands; but my heart was deeply troubled 18 much as I went. But when I came to the ship and to the sea, we made ready a supper, and ambrosial night came on; then we lay down to rest on the shore of the sea. But when the mother of dawn, rosy-fingered morning, appeared, then I went to the shore of the wide-wayed sea, much supplicating the gods; and I took three companions, in whom I most trusted for every attempt. But in the mean time she, having dived beneath the wide bosom of the sea, brought from the deep four skins of sea-calves; and all were fresh-skinned, and she planned a stratagem against her sire;

15 Νέποδες "without feet," or "that make their way by swimming." But Eustathius says, Νέποδες γὰρ θαλάσσης, αἱ φῶκαι ὅ ἐστι τέκνα. Νέπους γὰρ, κατὰ τινα γλῶσσαν, ὁ ἀπόγονος. See Loewe.

16 Probably oλopóïa is derived from ỏλoò and paivw, because these tricks, though not terrible, seemed so. Loewe.

17 Cf. Buttm. Lexil. p. 357. 4.

18 Πορφύρειν, τὸ βαθέως διαλογίζεσθαι, ὡς ἀπὸ θαλάσσης, ἐφ ̓ ἧς καὶ τὸ πορφύρειν καὶ τὸ ἰοδνεφὲς καὶ τὸ μέλαν καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγεται. τὸ δ ̓ αὐτὸ καὶ καλχαίνειν, ἀπὸ τῆς κάλχης, ὃ πορφύραν δηλοῖ. See Donaldson on Soph. Antig. 20.

8

and having hollowed out beds in the sands of the sea, she sat waiting, but we came very near to her; and she laid us down in order, and threw a skin over each of us. There, however, the ambush was most grievous; for a most pernicious smell [from the skins] of sea-nourished calves afflicted us horribly for who would sleep near a whale of the sea? But she preserved us and bethought her of a mighty remedy; she brought ambrosia and placed it under the nostrils of each, which breathed very pleasantly, and destroyed the smell of the whale. And we waited the whole morning with patient mind. And the sea-calves came together from the sea; they then lay in order near the shore of the sea. And the old man at mid-day came from the sea, and found the well-nourished sea-calves; and he went over all and counted their number. And he counted us first amongst the whales, nor did he at all suspect in his mind that it was a trick; and then he himself also lay down. But we immediately shouting rushed upon him; and threw our hands around him: nor did the old man forget his wily art. And first indeed he became a lion with noble mane, and then a dragon, and a leopard, and a great boar; and he became liquid water and a lofty-leaved tree. But we held him firmly with patient mind; and when at length the old man mourned, skilled in terrible tricks, then inquiring of me with words he addressed me; 'Who of the gods, thou son of Atreus, planned counsels for thee, that thou mightest take me against my will, having insnared me? of what hast thou need?' "Thus he spoke; but I addressed him in answer : • Thou knowest, old man-why dost thou ask me these things, deceiving me? Since I am now detained a long time in the island, nor can I find any means of escape, and my heart wastes away within me. But do thou tell me, for the gods know all things, who of the immortals hinders me, and has bound me from my journey, and [tell me about] my return, how shall I go over the fishy sea.'

"Thus I spoke; but he answering again addressed me: 'But thou oughtest by all means to embark, having offered favourable sacrifices to Jupiter, and the other gods, that thou mayest come as quick as possible to thy country, sailing over the dark sea. For it is not the destiny for thee to behold thy friends and to come to thy well-built house and thy paternal land, before thou shalt return again to the water of

the Egyptian river filled by Jove,19 and shall offer sacred hecatombs to the immortal gods, who possess the wide heaven: and then the gods will grant thee the journey for which thou art anxious.'

"Thus he spoke; but my dear heart was grievously afflicted, because he commanded me to go again to Egypt over the shadowy sea, a long and difficult journey. But even so answering him with words I addressed him: These things I will indeed so perform, O old man, as thou commandest. But come, tell me this and relate it truly, if all the Grecians have returned with their ships, unhurt, whom Nestor and I left when we set out from Troy, or has any one perished with unlooked-for death in his ship, or in the hands of his friends after he had brought the war to an end ?'20

"Thus I spoke; but he again answering addressed me: 'O son of Atreus, why dost thou ask me these things? It is not at all fit that thou shouldst know or learn my mind; nor do I think that thou wilt long be without weeping, when thou hast heard all things rightly. Many of these have been subdued and many have been left. But two leaders only of the brazen breastplated Grecians have perished in their return; for thou also wast present at the battle: and one is still detained some where alive on the wide sea. Ajax indeed was subdued amongst the long-oared ships; first Neptune made him approach to the great rocks Gyræ, and saved him from the sea; and now he would have escaped death, although hated by Minerva, had he not thrown out a haughty expression, and he was greatly hurt:21 for he said that he would escape the mighty wave of the sea against the will of the gods. And Neptune heard him boasting great things. Immediately then taking his trident in his sturdy hands, he struck the Gyrean rock, and cut it off. And one [part] remained there, but another fragment fell into the sea; upon this Ajax at first sitting was greatly hurt, for it carried him into the vast billowy sea. [Thus he perished there, when he drank salt water.] But thy brother by some means avoided death, and escaped in his hollow ships; for venerable Juno preserved

19 i. e. "by rain sent from Jove," vεtî πλnpovμévov. Eustath. 20 See on i. 238.

21 Where the former prose translator learnt that μéy' dáσ0ŋ meant "greatly offended her," I am unable to discover. Cf. vs. 509.