Mentor, the shepherd of the people, to make your sons cease from their foolish ways. A great villainy they wrought in their evil infatuation, wasting the wealth and holding in no regard the wife of a prince, while they deemed that he would never more come home. And now let things be on this wise, and obey my counsel. Let us not go forth against him, lest haply some may find a bane of their own bringing.'

So he spake, but they leapt up with a great cry, the more part of them, but the rest abode there together. Now his counsel was not to the mind of the more part, but they gave ear to Eupeithes, and swiftly thereafter they rushed for their arms. So when they had arrayed them in shining armour of bronze, they assembled together in front of the spacious town. And Eupeithes led them in his witlessness, for he thought to avenge the slaying of his son, yet himself was never to return but in that very spot to meet his doom.

Now Athene spake to Zeus, the son of Cronos, saying: 'O Father, our father Cronides, throned in the highest, answer and tell me what is now the hidden counsel of thy heart? Wilt thou yet further rouse up evil war and the terrible din of battle, or art thou minded to set them at one again in friendship?'

Then Zeus, the gatherer of the clouds, answered her saying: 'My child, why dost thou thus straitly question me, and ask me this? Nay didst not thou thyself devise this very thought, namely, that Odysseus should indeed take vengeance on these men at his coming? Do as thou wilt, but I will tell thee of the better way. Now that goodly Odysseus hath wreaked vengeance on the wooers, let them make a firm covenant together with sacrifice, and let him be king all his days, and let us bring about oblivion of the slaying of their children and their brethren; so may both

sides love one another as of old, and let peace and wealth abundant be their portion.'

Therewith he roused Athene to yet greater eagerness, and from the peaks of Olympus she came glancing down. Now when they had put from them the desire of gladdening food, the patient goodly Odysseus began to speak among them, saying:

'Let one go forth and see, lest the people be already drawing near against us.'

So he spake, and the son of Dolius went forth at his bidding, and stood on the outer threshold and saw them all close at hand. Then straightway he spake to Odysseus winged words:

'Here they be, close upon us! Quick, let us to arms!'

Thereon they rose up and arrayed them in their harness, Odysseus and his men being four, and the six sons of Dolius and likewise Laertes and Dolius did on their armour, grey-headed as they were, warriors through stress of need. Now when they had clad them in shining armour of bronze, they opened the gates and went forth and Odysseus led them.

Then Athene, daughter of Zeus, drew near them in the likeness of Mentor, in fashion and in voice. And the patient goodly Odysseus beheld her and was glad, and straightway he spake to Telemachus his dear son :

'Telemachus, soon shalt thou learn this, when thou thyself art got to the place of the battle where the best men try the issue, namely, not to bring shame on thy father's house, on us who in time past have been eminent for might and hardihood over all the world.'

Then wise Telemachus answered him, saying: 'Thou shalt see me, if thou wilt, dear father, in this my mood no whit disgracing thy line, according to thy word.'

So spake he, and Laertes was glad and spake, saying: 'What a day has dawned for me, kind gods; yea, a glad man am I! My son and my son's son are vying with one another in valour.'

Then grey-eyed Athene stood beside Laertes, and spake to him: O son of Arceisius that art far the dearest of all my friends, pray first to the grey-eyed maid and to father Zeus, then swing up thy long spear and hurl it straightway.'

Therewith Pallas Athene breathed great strength into him. Then he prayed to the daughter of mighty Zeus, and straightway swung his long spear aloft and hurled it, and smote Eupeithes through his casque with the cheek-piece of bronze. The armour kept not out the spear that went clean through, and he fell with a crash, and his arms rattled about his body. Then Odysseus and his renowned son fell on the fighters in the front, and smote them with swords and two-headed spears. And now would they have slain them all and cut off their return, had not Athene called aloud, the daughter of Zeus lord of the aegis, and restrained all the host of the enemy, saying:

'Hold your hands from rough warfare, ye men of Ithaca, that so ye may be parted quickly, without bloodshed.'

So spake Athene, and pale fear gat hold of them all. The arms dropped from their hands in their terror and fell all upon the ground, as the goddess uttered her voice. To the city they turned their steps, as men fain of life, and the patient goodly Odysseus with a terrible cry gathered himself together and hurled in on them, like an eagle of lofty flight. Then in that hour the son of Cronos cast forth a flaming bolt, and it fell at the feet of the grey-eyed goddess, the daughter of the mighty Sire. Then grey-eyed Athene spake to Odysseus, saying:

Son of Laertes, of the seed of Zeus, Odysseus of many devices, refrain thee now and stay the strife of even-handed war, lest perchance the son of Cronos be angry with thee, even Zeus of the far-borne voice.'

So spake Athene, and he obeyed and was glad at heart. And thereafter Pallas Athene set a covenant between them with sacrifice, she, the daughter of Zeus lord of the aegis, in the likeness of Mentor, both in fashion and in voice.

NOTES.

NOTE, PAGE I; BOOK i. 2.

ἱερός.

Ir is difficult to determine whether iepós in Homer does not sometimes retain its primitive meaning of strong (see Curtius, Etym. No. 614): in certain phrases this may perhaps be accepted, as an archaism. It is not obvious how else to explain, e. g. Il. xvii. 464 iepa dippw, Il. x. 56 φυλάκων ἱερὸν τέλος. Combinations however such as ἱερὸν πτολίεθρον in the text, and iepòv ĥμap Od. x. 56, easily admit the ordinary sense. So too in iepòv pévos, iepǹ is, phrases which are applied to princes, one may, as in the epithet eos, trace the idea of sacredness which attached to the kingly office. On the whole we have not felt so sure of the archaic usage as to adopt it in our translation.

NOTE 2, PAGE I; BOOK i. 14.

δια θεάων.

The original meaning of dios was bright (see Curtius, Etym. No. 269), and survivals of this are found in the phrases ἠὼ δίαν, αἰθέρα διαν. The word is commonly taken to denote noble birth, but this interpretation often fails, e. g. when the term is used as an epithet of Philoetius the neatherd (Od. xxi. 240), and as an epithet of places. The great majority of instances where it is used, whether of persons or places, seem best satisfied by understanding it of the external quality, beauty. It has very rarely, perhaps never, a moral reference; sometimes the context directly excludes any such meaning. The difficulty of translating dîos lies in this, that it was probably more vague and fluctuating than any corresponding adjective in English. Special kinds of excellence were less sharply separated off from one another in the early period of the Greek language than they were later. The uses of ȧpúpav illustrate this. Similarly Froissart and Brantome apply respectful terms of moral excellence to knights and ladies whom they describe as anything but moral.