[135] Homer. Hymn. Mercur. 18.— Ἤῳος γεγονὼς, μέσῳ ἥματι ἐγκιθάριζεν, Ἑσπέριος βοῦς κλέψεν ἑκηβόλου Ἀπόλλωνος, etc. [136] Homer. Hymn. Merc. 177.— Εἰμὶ γὰρ ἐς Πύθωνα, μέγαν δόμον ἀντιτορήσων, Ἔνθεν ἅλις τρίποδας περικαλλέας, ἠδὲ λέβητας Πορθήσω καὶ χρυσὸν, etc. [137] Homer. Hymn. Merc. 442-454. Although Apollo has acquired the lyre, the particular object of his wishes, he is still under apprehension that Hermês will steal it away from him again, together with his bow, and he exacts a formal oath by Styx as security. Hermês promises solemnly that he will steal none of the acquisitions, nor ever invade the sanctuary of Apollo; while the latter on his part pledges himself to recognize Hermês as his chosen friend and companion, amongst all the other sons of Zeus, human or divine.[138] [138] Homer. Hymn. Merc. 504-520.— Καὶ τὸ μὲν Ἑρμῆς Λητοΐδην ἐφίλησε διαμπερὲς, ὡς ἔτι καὶ νῦν, etc. · · · · · Καὶ τότε Μαίαδος υἱὸς ὑποσχόμενος κατένευσε Μή ποτ᾽ ἀποκλέψειν, ὅσ᾽ Ἑκήβολος ἐκτεάτισται, Μηδέ ποτ᾽ ἐμπελάσειν πυκίνῳ δόμῳ· αὐτὰρ Ἀπόλλων Λητοΐδης κατένευσεν ἐπ᾽ ἀρθμῷ καὶ φιλότητι Μή τινα φίλτερον ἄλλον ἐν ἀθανάτοισιν ἔσεσθαι Μήτε θεὸν, μήτ᾽ ἄνδρα Διὸς γόνον, etc. So came to pass, under the sanction of Zeus, the marked favor shown by Apollo to Hermês. But Hermês (concludes the hymnographer, with frankness unusual in speaking of a god) “does very little good: he avails himself of the darkness of night to cheat without measure the tribes of mortal men.”[139] [139] Homer. Hymn. Merc. 574.— Παῦρα μὲν οὖν ὀνίνησι, τὸ δ᾽ ἄκριτον ἠπεροπεύει Νύκτα δι᾽ ὀρφναίην φῦλα θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων. Here the general types of Hermês and Apollo, coupled with the present fact that no thief ever approached the rich and seemingly accessible treasures of Delphi, engender a string of expository incidents cast into a quasi-historical form and detailing how it happened that Hermês had bound himself by especial convention to respect the Delphian temple. The types of Apollo seem to have been different in different times and parts of Greece: in some places he was worshipped as Apollo Nomios,[140] or the patron of pasture and cattle; and this attribute, which elsewhere passed over to his son Aristæus, is by our hymnographer voluntarily surrendered to Hermês, combined with the golden rod of fruitfulness. On the other hand, the lyre did not originally belong to the Far-striking King, nor is he at all an inventor: the hymn explains both its first invention and how it came into his possession. And the value of the incidents is thus partly expository, partly illustrative, as expanding in detail the general preconceived character of the Kyllênian god. [140] Kallimach. Hymn. Apoll. 47.