gatehouse. Pisistratus lashed the horses on and they flew forwardnothing loth; presently they came to the corn lands Of the opencountry, and in the course of time completed their journey, so welldid their steeds take them.Now when the sun had set and darkness was over the land.BOOK IV.THEY reached the low lying city of Lacedaemon them where theydrove straight to the of abode Menelaus [and found him in his ownhouse, feasting with his many clansmen in honour of the wedding of hisson, and also of his daughter, whom he was marrying to the son of thatvaliant warrior Achilles. He had given his consent and promised her tohim while he was still at Troy, and now the gods were bringing themarriage about; so he was sending her with chariots and horses tothe city of the Myrmidons over whom Achilles' son was reigning. Forhis only son he had found a bride from Sparta, daughter of Alector.This son, Megapenthes, was born to him of a bondwoman, for heavenvouchsafed Helen no more children after she had borne Hermione, whowas fair as golden Venus herself.So the neighbours and kinsmen of Menelaus were feasting and makingmerry in his house. There was a bard also to sing to them and play hislyre, while two tumblers went about performing in the midst of themwhen the man struck up with his tune.]Telemachus and the son of Nestor stayed their horses at the gate,whereon Eteoneus servant to Menelaus came out, and as soon as he sawthem ran hurrying back into the house to tell his Master. He wentclose up to him and said, "Menelaus, there are some strangers comehere, two men, who look like sons of Jove. What are we to do? Shall wetake their horses out, or tell them to find friends elsewhere asthey best can?"Menelaus was very angry and said, "Eteoneus, son of Boethous, younever used to be a fool, but now you talk like a simpleton. Take theirhorses out, of course, and show the strangers in that they may havesupper; you and I have stayed often enough at other people's housesbefore we got back here, where heaven grant that we may rest inpeace henceforward."So Eteoneus bustled back and bade other servants come with him. Theytook their sweating hands from under the yoke, made them fast to themangers, and gave them a feed of oats and barley mixed. Then theyleaned the chariot against the end wall of the courtyard, and ledthe way into the house. Telemachus and Pisistratus were astonishedwhen they saw it, for its splendour was as that of the sun and moon;then, when they had admired everything to their heart's content,they went into the bath room and washed themselves.When the servants had washed them and anointed them with oil, theybrought them woollen cloaks and shirts, and the two took their seatsby the side of Menelaus. A maidservant brought them water in abeautiful golden ewer, and poured it into a silver basin for them towash their hands; and she drew a clean table beside them. An upperservant brought them bread, and offered them many good things ofwhat there was in the house, while the carver fetched them plates ofall manner of meats and set cups of gold by their side.Menelaus then greeted them saying, "Fall to, and welcome; when youhave done supper I shall ask who you are, for the lineage of suchmen as you cannot have been lost. You must be descended from a line ofsceptre-bearing kings, for poor people do not have such sons as youare."On this he handed them a piece of fat roast loin, which had been setnear him as being a prime part, and they laid their hands on thegood things that were before them; as soon as they had had enough toeat and drink, Telemachus said to the son of Nestor, with his headso close that no one might hear, "Look, Pisistratus, man after myown heart, see the gleam of bronze and gold- of amber, ivory, andsilver. Everything is so splendid that it is like seeing the palace ofOlympian Jove. I am lost in admiration."Menelaus overheard him and said, "No one, my sons, can hold hisown with Jove, for his house and everything about him is immortal; butamong mortal men- well, there may be another who has as much wealth asI have, or there may not; but at all events I have travelled muchand have undergone much hardship, for it was nearly eight years beforeI could get home with my fleet. I went to Cyprus, Phoenicia and theEgyptians; I went also to the Ethiopians, the Sidonians, and theErembians, and to Libya where the lambs have horns as soon as they areborn, and the sheep lamb down three times a year. Every one in thatcountry, whether master or man, has plenty of cheese, meat, and goodmilk, for the ewes yield all the year round. But while I wastravelling and getting great riches among these people, my brother wassecretly and shockingly murdered through the perfidy of his wickedwife, so that I have no pleasure in being lord of all this wealth.Whoever your parents may be they must have told you about all this,and of my heavy loss in the ruin of a stately mansion fully andmagnificently furnished. Would that I had only a third of what I nowhave so that I had stayed at home, and all those were living whoperished on the plain of Troy, far from Argos. I of grieve, as I sithere in my house, for one and all of them. At times I cry aloud forsorrow, but presently I leave off again, for crying is cold comfortand one soon tires of it. Yet grieve for these as I may, I do so forone man more than for them all. I cannot even think of him withoutloathing both food and sleep, so miserable does he make me, for no oneof all the Achaeans worked so hard or risked so much as he did. Hetook nothing by it, and has left a legacy of sorrow to myself, forhe has been gone a long time, and we know not whether he is alive ordead. His old father, his long-suffering wife Penelope, and his sonTelemachus, whom he left behind him an infant in arms, are plungedin grief on his account."Thus spoke Menelaus, and the heart of Telemachus yearned as hebethought him of his father. Tears fell from his eyes as he heardhim thus mentioned, so that he held his cloak before his face withboth hands. When Menelaus saw this he doubted whether to let himchoose his own time for speaking, or to ask him at once and findwhat it was all about.While he was thus in two minds Helen came down from her high vaultedand perfumed room, looking as lovely as Diana herself. Adraste broughther a seat, Alcippe a soft woollen rug while Phylo fetched her thesilver work-box which Alcandra wife of Polybus had given her.Polybus lived in Egyptian Thebes, which is the richest city in thewhole world; he gave Menelaus two baths, both of pure silver, twotripods, and ten talents of gold; besides all this, his wife gaveHelen some beautiful presents, to wit, a golden distaff, and asilver work-box that ran on wheels, with a gold band round the topof it. Phylo now placed this by her side, full of fine spun yarn,and a distaff charged with violet coloured wool was laid upon thetop of it. Then Helen took her seat, put her feet upon thefootstool, and began to question her husband."Do we know, Menelaus," said she, "the names of these strangerswho have come to visit us? Shall I guess right or wrong?-but Icannot help saying what I think. Never yet have I seen either man orwoman so like somebody else (indeed when I look at him I hardly knowwhat to think) as this young man is like Telemachus, whom Ulysses leftas a baby behind him, when you Achaeans went to Troy with battle inyour hearts, on account of my most shameless self.""My dear wife," replied Menelaus, "I see the likeness just as youdo. His hands and feet are just like Ulysses'; so is his hair, withthe shape of his head and the expression of his eyes. Moreover, when Iwas talking about Ulysses, and saying how much he had suffered on myaccount, tears fell from his eyes, and he hid his face in his mantle."Then Pisistratus said, "Menelaus, son of Atreus, you are right inthinking that this young man is Telemachus, but he is very modest, andis ashamed to come here and begin opening up discourse with onewhose conversation is so divinely interesting as your own. Myfather, Nestor, sent me to escort him hither, for he wanted to knowwhether you could give him any counsel or suggestion. A son has alwaystrouble at home when his father has gone away leaving him withoutsupporters; and this is how Telemachus is now placed, for his fatheris absent, and there is no one among his own people to stand by him.""Bless my heart," replied Menelaus, "then I am receiving a visitfrom the son of a very dear friend, who suffered much hardship formy sake. I had always hoped to entertain him with most markeddistinction when heaven had granted us a safe return from beyond theseas. I should have founded a city for him in Argos, and built him ahouse. I should have made him leave Ithaca with his goods, his son,and all his people, and should have sacked for them some one of theneighbouring cities that are subject to me. We should thus have seenone another continually, and nothing but death could haveinterrupted so close and happy an intercourse. I suppose, however,that heaven grudged us such great good fortune, for it has preventedthe poor fellow from ever getting home at all."Thus did he speak, and his words set them all a weeping. Helen wept,Telemachus wept, and so did Menelaus, nor could Pisistratus keep hiseyes from filling, when he remembered his dear brother Antilochus whomthe son of bright Dawn had killed. Thereon he said to Menelaus,"Sir, my father Nestor, when we used to talk about you at home, toldme you were a person of rare and excellent understanding. If, then, itbe possible, do as I would urge you. I am not fond of crying while Iam getting my supper. Morning will come in due course, and in theforenoon I care not how much I cry for those that are dead and gone.This is all we can do for the poor things. We can only shave our headsfor them and wring the tears from our cheeks. I had a brother who diedat Troy; he was by no means the worst man there; you are sure tohave known him- his name was Antilochus; I never set eyes upon himmyself, but they say that he was singularly fleet of foot and in fightvaliant.""Your discretion, my friend," answered Menelaus, "is beyond youryears. It is plain you take after your father. One can soon see when aman is son to one whom heaven has blessed both as regards wife andoffspring- and it has blessed Nestor from first to last all hisdays, giving him a green old age in his own house, with sons about himwho are both we disposed and valiant. We will put an end thereforeto all this weeping, and attend to our supper again. Let water bepoured over our hands. Telemachus and I can talk with one anotherfully in the morning."On this Asphalion, one of the servants, poured water over theirhands and they laid their hands on the good things that were beforethem.Then Jove's daughter Helen bethought her of another matter. Shedrugged the wine with an herb that banishes all care, sorrow, andill humour. Whoever drinks wine thus drugged cannot shed a single tearall the rest of the day, not even though his father and mother both ofthem drop down dead, or he sees a brother or a son hewn in piecesbefore his very eyes. This drug, of such sovereign power and virtue,had been given to Helen by Polydamna wife of Thon, a woman of Egypt,where there grow all sorts of herbs, some good to put into themixing-bowl and others poisonous. Moreover, every one in the wholecountry is a skilled physician, for they are of the race of Paeeon.When Helen had put this drug in the bowl, and had told the servants toserve the wine round, she said:"Menelaus, son of Atreus, and you my good friends, sons ofhonourable men (which is as Jove wills, for he is the giver both ofgood and evil, and can do what he chooses), feast here as you will,and listen while I tell you a tale in season. I cannot indeed name