That loves thy son and wife Penelopé. Thy search shall find him set aside his herd, That are with taste-delighting acorns rear’d, And drink the dark-deep water of the spring, Bright Arethusa, the most nourishing Raiser of herds. There stay, and, taking seat Aside thy herdsman, of the whole state treat Of home-occurrents, while I make access To fair-dame-breeding Sparta for regress Of lov’d Telemachus, who went in quest Of thy lov’d fame, and liv’d the welcome guest Of Menelaus.” The much-knower said: “Why wouldst not thou, in whose grave breast is bred The art to order all acts, tell in this His error to him? Let those years of his Amids the rude seas wander, and sustain The woes there raging, while unworthy men Devour his fortunes?” “Let not care extend Thy heart for him,” said she, “myself did send His person in thy search; to set his worth, By good fame blown, to such a distance forth. Nor suffers he in any least degree The grief you fear, but all variety That Plenty can yield in her quiet’st fare, In Menelaus’ court, doth sit and share. In whose return from home, the Wooers yet Lay bloody ambush, and a ship have set To sea, to intercept his life before He touch again his birth’s attempted shore. All which, my thoughts say, they shall never do, But rather, that the earth shall overgo Some one at least of these love-making men, By which thy goods so much impair sustain.” Thus using certain secret words to him, She touch’d him with her rod; and ev’ry limb Was hid all-over with a wither’d skin; His bright eyes blear’d; his brow-curls white and thin; And all things did an agéd man present. Then, for his own weeds, shirt and coat, all-rent, Tann’d, and all-sootiéd with noisome smoke, She put him on; and, over all, a cloke Made of a stag’s huge hide, of which was worn The hair quite off; a scrip, all-patch’d and torn, Hung by a cord, oft broke and knit again; And with a staff did his old limbs sustain. Thus having both consulted of th’ event, They parted both; and forth to Sparta went The gray-eyed Goddess, to see all things done That appertain’d to wise Ulysses’ son. THE END OF THE THIRTEENTH BOOK OF HOMER’S ODYSSEYS. [1] _Γερούσιος οι͒νος, quod pro honorario senibus datur._ And because the word so Englished hath no other to express it, sounding well, and helping our language, it is here used. [2] Intending in chief the senators, with every man’s addition of gift. [3] _Εὐήνορα χαλκὸν, bene honestos faciens æs._ [4] The Phæacians were descended originally from Neptune. [5] _Αμϕικαλύπτω, superinjicio aliquid tanquam tegmen seu operimentum._ [6] Minerva like a shepherd (such as kings’ sons used at those times to be) appears to Ulysses. [7] _Λυπρὸς, velut tristis, jejunaque naturâ._ [8] _Επίκλοπος, furandi avidus._ [9] _Σχέτλιε, ποικλομη̑τα, varia et multiplicia habens consilia._ THE FOURTEENTH BOOK OF HOMER’S ODYSSEYS THE ARGUMENT