that I mean to give him. As regards- his escort it will be a matterfor you all, and mine above all others as the chief person among you."And Ulysses answered, "King Alcinous, if you were to bid me tostay here for a whole twelve months, and then speed me on my way,loaded with your noble gifts, I should obey you gladly and it wouldredound greatly to my advantage, for I should return fuller-handedto my own people, and should thus be more respected and beloved by allwho see me when I get back to Ithaca.""Ulysses," replied Alcinous, "not one of us who sees you has anyidea that you are a charlatan or a swindler. I know there are manypeople going about who tell such plausible stories that it is veryhard to see through them, but there is a style about your languagewhich assures me of your good disposition. Moreover you have toldthe story of your own misfortunes, and those of the Argives, as thoughyou were a practised bard; but tell me, and tell me true, whetheryou saw any of the mighty heroes who went to Troy at the same timewith yourself, and perished there. The evenings are still at theirlongest, and it is not yet bed time- go on, therefore, with yourdivine story, for I could stay here listening till to-morrowmorning, so long as you will continue to tell us of your adventures.""Alcinous," answered Ulysses, "there is a time for makingspeeches, and a time for going to bed; nevertheless, since you sodesire, I will not refrain from telling you the still sadder tale ofthose of my comrades who did not fall fighting with the Trojans, butperished on their return, through the treachery of a wicked woman."When Proserpine had dismissed the female ghosts in alldirections, the ghost of Agamemnon son of Atreus came sadly up tome,surrounded by those who had perished with him in the house ofAegisthus. As soon as he had tasted the blood he knew me, andweeping bitterly stretched out his arms towards me to embrace me;but he had no strength nor substance any more, and I too wept andpitied him as I beheld him. 'How did you come by your death,' saidI, 'King Agamemnon? Did Neptune raise his winds and waves againstyou when you were at sea, or did your enemies make an end of you onthe mainland when you were cattle-lifting or sheep-stealing, orwhile they were fighting in defence of their wives and city?'"'Ulysses,' he answered, 'noble son of Laertes, was not lost atsea in any storm of Neptune's raising, nor did my foes despatch meupon the mainland, but Aegisthus and my wicked wife were the deathof me between them. He asked me to his house, feasted me, and thenbutchered me most miserably as though I were a fat beast in aslaughter house, while all around me my comrades were slain like sheepor pigs for the wedding breakfast, or picnic, or gorgeous banquet ofsome great nobleman. You must have seen numbers of men killed eitherin a general engagement, or in single combat, but you never sawanything so truly pitiable as the way in which we fell in thatcloister, with the mixing-bowl and the loaded tables lying allabout, and the ground reeking with our-blood. I heard Priam's daughterCassandra scream as Clytemnestra killed her close beside me. I laydying upon the earth with the sword in my body, and raised my hands tokill the slut of a murderess, but she slipped away from me; shewould not even close my lips nor my eyes when I was dying, for thereis nothing in this world so cruel and so shameless as a woman when shehas fallen into such guilt as hers was. Fancy murdering her ownhusband! I thought I was going to be welcomed home by my childrenand my servants, but her abominable crime has brought disgrace onherself and all women who shall come after- even on the good ones.'"And I said, 'In truth Jove has hated the house of Atreus from firstto last in the matter of their women's counsels. See how many of usfell for Helen's sake, and now it seems that Clytemnestra hatchedmischief against too during your absence.'"'Be sure, therefore,' continued Agamemnon, 'and not be too friendlyeven with your own wife. Do not tell her all that you know perfectlywell yourself. Tell her a part only, and keep your own counsel aboutthe rest. Not that your wife, Ulysses, is likely to murder you, forPenelope is a very admirable woman, and has an excellent nature. Weleft her a young bride with an infant at her breast when we set outfor Troy. This child no doubt is now grown up happily to man's estate,and he and his father will have a joyful meeting and embrace oneanother as it is right they should do, whereas my wicked wife didnot even allow me the happiness of looking upon my son, but killedme ere I could do so. Furthermore I say- and lay my saying to yourheart- do not tell people when you are bringing your ship to Ithaca,but steal a march upon them, for after all this there is no trustingwomen. But now tell me, and tell me true, can you give me any newsof my son Orestes? Is he in Orchomenus, or at Pylos, or is he atSparta with Menelaus- for I presume that he is still living.'"And I said, 'Agamemnon, why do you ask me? I do not know whetheryour son is alive or dead, and it is not right to talk when one doesnot know.'"As we two sat weeping and talking thus sadly with one another theghost of Achilles came up to us with Patroclus, Antilochus, and Ajaxwho was the finest and goodliest man of all the Danaans after theson of Peleus. The fleet descendant of Aeacus knew me and spokepiteously, saying, 'Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, what deed of daringwill you undertake next, that you venture down to the house of Hadesamong us silly dead, who are but the ghosts of them that can labour nomore?'"And I said, 'Achilles, son of Peleus, foremost champion of theAchaeans, I came to consult Teiresias, and see if he could advise meabout my return home to Ithaca, for I have never yet been able toget near the Achaean land, nor to set foot in my own country, but havebeen in trouble all the time. As for you, Achilles, no one was everyet so fortunate as you have been, nor ever will be, for you wereadored by all us Argives as long as you were alive, and now that youare here you are a great prince among the dead. Do not, therefore,take it so much to heart even if you are dead.'"'Say not a word,' he answered, 'in death's favour; I would ratherbe a paid servant in a poor man's house and be above ground thanking of kings among the dead. But give me news about son; is he goneto the wars and will he be a great soldier, or is this not so? Tell mealso if you have heard anything about my father Peleus- does hestill rule among the Myrmidons, or do they show him no respectthroughout Hellas and Phthia now that he is old and his limbs failhim? Could I but stand by his side, in the light of day, with the samestrength that I had when I killed the bravest of our foes upon theplain of Troy- could I but be as I then was and go even for a shorttime to my father's house, any one who tried to do him violence orsupersede him would soon me it.'"'I have heard nothing,' I answered, 'of Peleus, but I can tellyou all about your son Neoptolemus, for I took him in my own ship fromScyros with the Achaeans. In our councils of war before Troy he wasalways first to speak, and his judgement was unerring. Nestor and Iwere the only two who could surpass him; and when it came tofighting on the plain of Troy, he would never remain with the bodyof his men, but would dash on far in front, foremost of them all invalour. Many a man did he kill in battle- I cannot name every singleone of those whom he slew while fighting on the side of the Argives,but will only say how he killed that valiant hero Eurypylus son ofTelephus, who was the handsomest man I ever saw except Memnon; manyothers also of the Ceteians fell around him by reason of a woman'sbribes. Moreover, when all the bravest of the Argives went insidethe horse that Epeus had made, and it was left to me to settle when weshould either open the door of our ambuscade, or close it, thoughall the other leaders and chief men among the Danaans were dryingtheir eyes and quaking in every limb, I never once saw him turn palenor wipe a tear from his cheek; he was all the time urging me to breakout from the horse- grasping the handle of his sword and hisbronze-shod spear, and breathing fury against the foe. Yet when we hadsacked the city of Priam he got his handsome share of the prizemoney and went on board (such is the fortune of war) without a woundupon him, neither from a thrown spear nor in close combat, for therage of Mars is a matter of great chance.'"When I had told him this, the ghost of Achilles strode off across ameadow full of asphodel, exulting over what I had said concerningthe prowess of his son."The ghosts of other dead men stood near me and told me each his ownmelancholy tale; but that of Ajax son of Telamon alone held aloof-still angry with me for having won the cause in our dispute aboutthe armour of Achilles. Thetis had offered it as a prize, but theTrojan prisoners and Minerva were the judges. Would that I had nevergained the day in such a contest, for it cost the life of Ajax, whowas foremost of all the Danaans after the son of Peleus, alike instature and prowess."When I saw him I tried to pacify him and said, 'Ajax, will younot forget and forgive even in death, but must the judgement aboutthat hateful armour still rankle with you? It cost us Argives dearenough to lose such a tower of strength as you were to us. Wemourned you as much as we mourned Achilles son of Peleus himself,nor can the blame be laid on anything but on the spite which Jove boreagainst the Danaans, for it was this that made him counsel yourdestruction- come hither, therefore, bring your proud spirit intosubjection, and hear what I can tell you.'"He would not answer, but turned away to Erebus and to the otherghosts; nevertheless, I should have made him talk to me in spite ofhis being so angry, or I should have gone talking to him, only thatthere were still others among the dead whom I desired to see."Then I saw Minos son of Jove with his golden sceptre in his handsitting in judgement on the dead, and the ghosts were gathered sittingand standing round him in the spacious house of Hades, to learn hissentences upon them."After him I saw huge Orion in a meadow full of asphodel driving theghosts of the wild beasts that he had killed upon the mountains, andhe had a great bronze club in his hand, unbreakable for ever and ever."And I saw Tityus son of Gaia stretched upon the plain andcovering some nine acres of ground. Two vultures on either side of himwere digging their beaks into his liver, and he kept on trying to beatthem off with his hands, but could not; for he had violated Jove'smistress Leto as she was going through Panopeus on her way to Pytho."I saw also the dreadful fate of Tantalus, who stood in a lakethat reached his chin; he was dying to quench his thirst, but couldnever reach the water, for whenever the poor creature stooped todrink, it dried up and vanished, so that there was nothing but dryground- parched by the spite of heaven. There were tall trees,moreover, that shed their fruit over his head- pears, pomegranates,apples, sweet figs and juicy olives, but whenever the poor creaturestretched out his hand to take some, the wind tossed the branches backagain to the clouds."And I saw Sisyphus at his endless task raising his prodigious stonewith both his hands. With hands and feet he' tried to roll it up tothe top of the hill, but always, just before he could roll it overon to the other side, its weight would be too much for him, and thepitiless stone would come thundering down again on to the plain.Then he would begin trying to push it up hill again, and the sweat ranoff him and the steam rose after him."After him I saw mighty Hercules, but it was his phantom only, forhe is feasting ever with the immortal gods, and has lovely Hebe towife, who is daughter of Jove and Juno. The ghosts were screaminground him like scared birds flying all whithers. He looked black asnight with his bare bow in his hands and his arrow on the string,glaring around as though ever on the point of taking aim. About his