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weal, for me or for my sire. But now I must in any wise
endure it.'

Then Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots, made answer:
'Dear friend, seeing thou dost call these things to my
remembrance and speak thereof, they tell me that many
wooers for thy mother's hand plan mischief within the halls
in thy despite. Say, dost thou willingly submit thee to
oppression, or do the people through the land hate thee,
obedient to the voice of a god? Who knows but that Odysseus
may some day come and requite their violence, either
himself alone or all the host of the Achaeans with him? Ah,
if but grey-eyed Athene were inclined to love thee, as once
she cared exceedingly for the renowned Odysseus in the land
of the Trojans, where we Achaeans were sore afflicted, for
never yet have I seen the gods show forth such manifest
love, as then did Pallas Athene standing manifest by him,--
if she would be pleased so to love thee and to care for
thee, then might certain of them clean forget their
marriage.'

And wise Telemachus answered him, saying: 'Old man, in no
wise methinks shall this word be accomplished. This is a
hard saying of thine, awe comes over me. Not for my hopes
shall this thing come to pass, not even if the gods so
willed it.'

Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, spake to him again:
'Telemachus, what word hath escaped the door of thy lips?
Lightly might a god, if so he would, bring a man safe home
even from afar. Rather myself would I have travail and much
pain ere I came home and saw the day of my returning, than
come back and straightway perish on my own hearth-stone,
even as Agamemnon perished by guile at the hands of his own
wife and of Aegisthus. But lo you, death, which is common
to all, the very gods cannot avert even from the man they
love, when the ruinous doom shall bring him low of death
that lays men at their length.'

And wise Telemachus answered her, saying: 'Mentor, no
longer let us tell of these things, sorrowful though we be.
There is none assurance any more of his returning, but
already have the deathless gods devised for him death and
black fate. But now I would question Nestor, and ask him of
another matter, as one who above all men knows judgments 
and wisdom: for thrice, men say, he hath been king through
the generations of men; yea, like an immortal he seems to
me to look upon. Nestor, son of Neleus, now tell me true:
how died the son of Atreus, Agamemnon of the wide domain?
Where was Menelaus? What death did crafty Aegisthus plan
for him, in that he killed a man more valiant far than he?
Or was Menelaus not in Argos of Achaia but wandering
elsewhere among men, and that other took heart and slew
Agamemnon?'

Then Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots, answered him:
'Yea now, my child, I will tell thee the whole truth.
Verily thou guessest aright even of thyself how things
would have fallen out, if Menelaus of the fair hair, the
son of Atreus, when he came back from Troy, had found
Aegisthus yet alive in the halls. Then even in his death
would they not have heaped the piled earth over him, but
dogs and fowls of the air would have devoured him as he lay
on the plain far from the town. {*} Nor would any of the
Achaean women have bewailed him; so dread was the deed he
contrived. Now we sat in leaguer there, achieving many
adventures; but he the while in peace in the heart of
Argos, the pastureland of horses, spake ofttimes, tempting
her, to the wife of Agamemnon. Verily at the first she
would none of the foul deed, the fair Clytemnestra, for she
had a good understanding. Moreover there was with her a
minstrel, whom the son of Atreus straitly charged as he
went to Troy to have a care of his wife. But when at last
the doom of the gods bound her to her ruin, then did
Aegisthus carry the minstrel to a lonely isle, and left him
there to be the prey and spoil of birds; while as for her,
he led her to his house, a willing lover with a willing
lady. And he burnt many thigh slices upon the holy altars
of the gods, and hung up many offerings, woven-work and
gold, seeing that he had accomplished a great deed, beyond
all hope. Now we, I say, were sailing together on our way
from Troy, the son of Atreus and I, as loving friends. But
when we had reached holy Sunium, the headland of Athens,
there Phoebus Apollo slew the pilot of Menelaus with the
visitation of his gentle shafts, as he held between his
hands the rudder of the running ship, even Phrontis, son of
Onetor, who excelled the tribes of men in piloting a ship,
whenso the storm-winds were hurrying by. Thus was Menelaus
holden there, though eager for the way, till he might bury
his friend and pay the last rites over him. But when he in
his turn, faring over the wine-dark sea in hollow ships,
reached in swift course the steep mount of Malea, then it
was that Zeus of the far-borne voice devised a hateful
path, and shed upon them the breath of the shrill winds,
and great swelling waves arose like unto mountains. There
sundered he the fleet in twain, and part thereof he brought
nigh to Crete, where the Cydonians dwelt about the streams
of Iardanus. Now there is a certain cliff, smooth and sheer
towards the sea, on the border of Gortyn, in the misty
deep, where the South-West Wind drives a great wave against
the left headland, towards Phaestus, and a little rock
keeps back the mighty water. Thither came one part of the
fleet, and the men scarce escaped destruction, but the
ships were broken by the waves against the rock; while
those other five dark-prowed ships the wind and the water
bare and brought nigh to Egypt. Thus Menelaus, gathering
much livelihood and gold, was wandering there with his
ships among men of strange speech, and even then Aegisthus
planned that pitiful work at home. And for seven years he
ruled over Mycenae, rich in gold, after he slew the son of
Atreus, and the people were subdued unto him. But in the
eighth year came upon him goodly Orestes back from Athens
to be his bane, and slew the slayer of his father, guileful
Aegisthus, who killed his famous sire. Now when he had
slain him, he made a funeral feast to the Argives over his
hateful mother, and over the craven Aegisthus. And on the
selfsame day there came to him Menelaus of the loud
war-cry, bringing much treasure, even all the freight of
his ships. So thou, my friend, wander not long far away
from home, leaving thy substance behind thee and men in thy
house so wanton, lest they divide and utterly devour all
thy wealth, and thou shalt have gone on a vain journey.
Rather I bid and command thee to go to Menelaus, for he
hath lately come from a strange country, from the land of
men whence none would hope in his heart to return, whom
once the storms have driven wandering into so wide a sea.
Thence not even the birds can make their way in the space
of one year, so great a sea it is and terrible. But go now
with thy ship and with thy company, or if thou hast a mind
to fare by land, I have a chariot and horses at thy
service, yea and my sons to do thy will, who will be thy
guides to goodly Lacedaemon, where is Menelaus of the fair
hair. Do thou thyself entreat him, that he may give thee
unerring answer. He will not lie to thee, for he is very
wise.'

{* Reading [Greek]. v. 1. '[Greek], which must be wrong.}

Thus he spake, and the sun went down and darkness came on.
Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, spake among them,
saying: 'Yea, old man, thou hast told all this thy tale
aright. But come, cut up the tongues of the victims and mix
the wine, that we may pour forth before Poseidon and the
other deathless gods, and so may bethink us of sleep, for
it is the hour for sleep. For already has the light gone
beneath the west, and it is not seemly to sit long at a
banquet of the gods, but to be going home.'

So spake the daughter of Zeus, and they hearkened to her
voice. And the henchmen poured water over their hands, and
pages crowned the mixing bowls with drink, and served out
the wine to all, after they had first poured for libation
into each cup in turn; and they cast the tongues upon the
fire, and stood up and poured the drink-offering thereon.
But when they had poured forth and had drunken to their
heart's content, Athene and godlike Telemachus were both
set on returning to the hollow ship; but Nestor would have
stayed them, and accosted them, saying: 'Zeus forfend it,
and all the other deathless gods, that ye should depart
from my house to the swift ship, as from the dwelling of
one that is utterly without raiment or a needy man, who
hath not rugs or blankets many in his house whereon to
sleep softly, he or his guests. Nay not so, I have rugs and
fair blankets by me. Never, methinks, shall the dear son of
this man, even of Odysseus, lay him down upon the ship's
deck, while as yet I am alive, and my children after me are
left in my hall to entertain strangers, whoso may chance to
come to my house.'

Then the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, spake to him again:
'Yea, herein hast thou spoken aright, dear father: and
Telemachus may well obey thee, for before all things this
is meet. Behold, he shall now depart with thee, that he may
sleep in thy halls; as for me I will go to the black ship,
that I may cheer my company and tell them all. For I avow
me to be the one elder among them; those others are but
younger men, who follow for love of him, all of them of
like age with the high-souled Telemachus. There will I lay
me down by the black hollow ship this night; but in the
morning I will go to the Cauconians high of heart, where
somewhat of mine is owing to me, no small debt nor of
yesterday. But do thou send this man upon his way with thy
chariot and thy son, since he hath come to thy house, and
give him horses the lightest of foot and chief in
strength.'

Therewith grey-eyed Athene departed in the semblance of a
sea-eagle; and amazement fell on all that saw it, and the
old man he marvelled when his eyes beheld it. And he took
the hand of Telemachus and spake and hailed him:

'My friend, methinks that thou wilt in no sort be a coward
and a weakling, if indeed in thy youth the gods thus follow
with thee to be thy guides. For truly this is none other of
those who keep the mansions of Olympus, save only the
daughter of Zeus, the driver of the spoil, the maiden
Trito-born, she that honoured thy good father too among the
Argives. Nay be gracious, queen, and vouchsafe a goodly
fame to me, even to me and to my sons and to my wife
revered. And I in turn will sacrifice to thee a yearling
heifer, broad of brow, unbroken, which man never yet hath
led beneath the yoke. Such an one will I offer to thee, and
gild her horns with gold.'

Even so he spake in prayer, and Pallas Athene heard him.
Then Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots, led them, even
his sons and the husbands of his daughters, to his own fair
house. But when they had reached this prince's famous
halls, they sat down all orderly on seats and high chairs;
and when they were come, the old man mixed well for them a
bowl of sweet wine, which now in the eleventh year from the
vintaging the housewife opened, and unloosed the string
that fastened the lid. The old man let mix a bowl thereof,
and prayed instantly to Athene as he poured forth before
her, even to the daughter of Zeus, lord of the aegis.

But after they had poured forth and had drunken to their
heart's content, these went each one to his own house to
lie down to rest. But Nestor of Gerenia, lord of chariots,
would needs have Telemachus, son of divine Odysseus, to
sleep there on a jointed bedstead beneath the echoing
gallery, and by him Peisistratus of the good ashen spear,
leader of men, who alone of his sons was yet unwed in his
halls. As for him he slept within the inmost chamber of the
lofty house, and the lady his wife arrayed for him bedstead
and bedding.