Chapter XXIX: Book XXIV

_The Ghosts of the suitors in Hades--Ulysses sees
his father--is attacked by the friends of the
suitors--Laertes kills Eupeithes--Peace is made between
him and the people of Ithaca._

Then Mercury took the fair golden wand with which he
seals men's eyes in sleep or wakes them just as he
pleases, and led the ghosts of the suitors to the house
of Hades whining and gibbering as they followed. As bats
fly squealing about the hollow of a great cave when
one of them has fallen from the cluster in which they
hang--even so did they whine and squeal as Mercury the
healer of sorrow led them down into the dark abode of
death. When they had passed the waters of Oceanus and
the rock Leucas, they came to the gates of the Sun and
the land of dreams, whereon they reached the meadow of
asphodel where dwell the souls and shadows of men that
can labour no more.

Here they came upon the ghosts of Achilles, Patroclus, 15
Antilochus, and Ajax, and that of Agamemnon joined them.
As these were conversing, Mercury came up with the ghosts
of the suitors, and Agamemnon's ghost recognised that of
Amphimedon who had been his host when he was in Ithaca;
so he asked him what this sudden arrival of fine young
men--all of an age too--might mean, and Amphimedon told
him the whole story from first to last.

Thus did they converse in the house of Hades deep within 203
the bowels of the earth. Meanwhile Ulysses and the others
passed out of the city and soon reached the farm of
Laertes, which he had reclaimed with infinite labour.
Here was his house with a lean-to running all round it,
where the slaves who worked for him ate and slept, while
inside the house there was an old Sicel woman, who looked
after him in this his country farm.

"Go," said Ulysses to the others, "to the house, and kill 214
the best pig you have for dinner; I wish to make trial of
my father and see whether he will know me."

So saying he gave his armour to Eumæus and Philœtius, 219
and turned off into the vineyard, where he found his
father alone, hoeing a vine. He had on a dirty old shirt,
patched and very shabby; his legs were bound round with
thongs of oxhide to keep out the brambles, and he wore
sleeves of leather against the thorns. He had a goatskin
cap on his head and was looking very woebegone.

When Ulysses saw him so worn, so old and full of sorrow, 232
he stood still under a tall pear tree and began to weep.
He doubted whether to embrace him, kiss him, and tell
him all about his having come home, or whether he should
first question him and see what he would say. On the
whole he decided that he would be crafty with him, so he
went up to his father who was bending down and digging
about a plant.

"I see, Sir," said Ulysses, "that you are an excellent 244
gardener--what pains you take with it to be sure. There
is not a single plant, not a fig-tree, vine, olive, pear,
nor flower-bed, but bears the traces of your attention.
I trust, however, that you will not be offended if I
say that you take better care of your garden than of
yourself. You are old, unsavoury, and very meanly clad.
It cannot be because you are idle that your master takes
such poor care of you; indeed, your face and figure have
nothing of the slave about them, but proclaim you of
noble birth. I should have said you were one of those
who should wash well, eat well, and lie soft at night
as old men have a right to do. But tell me, and tell me
true, whose bondsman are you, and in whose garden are you
working? Tell me also about another matter--is this place
that I have come to really Ithaca? I met a man just now
who said so, but he was a dull fellow, and had not the
patience to hear my story out when I was asking whether
an old friend of mine who used to live here was still
alive. My friend said he was the son of Laertes son of
Arceisius, and I made him large presents on his leaving
me."

Laertes wept and answered that in this case he would 280
never see his presents back again, though he would have
been amply requited if Ulysses had been alive. "But tell
me," he said, "who and whence are you? Where is your
ship? or did you come as passenger on some other man's
vessel?"

"I will tell you every thing," answered Ulysses, "quite 302
truly. I come from Alybas, and am son to king Apheides.
My name is Eperitus; heaven drove me off my course as I
was leaving Sicania, and I have been carried here against
my will. As for my ship, it is lying over yonder off the 307
open country outside the town. It is five years since
Ulysses left me--Poor fellow! we had every hope that we 308
should meet again and exchange presents."

Laertes was overcome with grief, and Ulysses was so 315
much touched that he revealed himself. When his father
asked for proof, he shewed him the scar on his leg.
"Furthermore," he added, "I will point out to you the
trees in the vineyard which you gave me, and I asked
you all about them as I followed you round the garden.
We went over them all, and you told me their names and
what they all were. You gave me thirteen pear trees, ten
apple trees, and forty fig trees, and you also said you
would give me fifty rows of vines; there was corn planted
between each row, and the vines yield grapes of every
kind when the heat of heaven has beaten upon them." He
also told his father that he had killed the suitors.

Laertes was now convinced, but said he feared he should 345
have all the people of Ithaca coming to attack them.
Ulysses answered that he need not trouble about this, and
that they had better go and get their dinner, which would
be ready by the time they got to the house.

When they reached the house the old Sicel woman took 361
Laertes inside, washed him, and anointed him. Minerva
also gave him a more imposing presence and made him look
taller and stronger than before. "When he came back,
Ulysses said, "My dear father, some god has been making
you much taller and better looking." To which Laertes
answered that if he was as young and hearty as when he
took the stronghold Nericum on the foreland, he should
have been a great help to him on the preceding day, and
would have killed many suitors.

Dolius and his sons, who had been working hard by, now 383
came up, for the old Sicel woman, who was Dolius's
wife, had been to fetch them. When they were satisfied
that Ulysses was really there, they were overjoyed and
embraced him one after the other. "But tell me," said
Dolius, "does Penelope know, or shall we send and tell
her?" "Old man," answered Ulysses, "she knows already.
What business is that of yours?" Then they all took their
seats at table.

Meanwhile the news of the slaughter of the suitors had 412
got noised abroad, and the people gathered hooting and
groaning before the house of Ulysses. They took their
dead, buried every man his own, and put the bodies of
those who came from elsewhere on board the fishing
vessels, for the fishermen to take them every man to his
own place. Then they met in assembly and Eupeithes urged
them to pursue Ulysses and the others before they could
escape over to the main land.

Medon, however, and Phemius had now woke up, and came to 439
the assembly. Medon dissuaded the people from doing as
Eupeithes advised, inasmuch as he had seen a god going
about killing the suitors, and it would be dangerous to
oppose the will of heaven. Halitherses also spoke in the
same sense, and half the people were pursuaded by him.
The other half armed themselves and followed Eupeithes in
pursuit of Ulysses.

Minerva then consulted Jove as to the course events 472
should take. Jove told her that she had had everything
her own way so far, and might continue to do as she
pleased. He should, however, advise that both sides
should now be reconciled under the continued rule of
Ulysses. Minerva approved of this and darted down to
Ithaca.

Laertes and his household had now done dinner, and 489
Eupeithes with his band of men were seen to be near at
hand. Ulysses and the others put on their armour, and
Minerva joined them. "Telemachus," said Ulysses, "now
that you are about to fight in a decisive engagement,
see that you do no discredit to your ancestors, who were
eminent all the world over for their strength and valour."

"You shall see, my dear father," replied Telemachus, "if 510
you choose, that I am in no mind, as you say, to disgrace
your family."

"Good heavens," exclaimed Laertes, "what a day I am 513
enjoying. My son and grandson are vying with one another
in the matter of valour." Minerva then came up to him,
and bade him pray to her. She infused fresh vigour into
him, and when he had prayed to her he aimed his spear
at Eupeithes and killed him. Ulysses and his men fell
upon the others, routed them, and would have killed one
and all of them had not Minerva raised her voice and
made every one pause. "Men of Ithaca," she cried, "cease
this dreadful war, and settle the matter without further
bloodshed."

On this they turned pale with fear, dropped their armour, 533
and fled every man towards the city. Ulysses was swooping
down upon them like an eagle, but Jove sent a thunderbolt
of fire that fell just in front of Minerva. "Whereon she
said, "Ulysses, stay this strife, or Jove will be angry
with you."

Ulysses obeyed her gladly. Minerva then assumed the voice 545
and form of Mentor, and presently made a covenant of
peace between the two contending parties.

[1] _Journal of Hellenic Studies_, Vol. VII. 170-88, and _Introduction to Homer_, 3rd edit. 1888, pp. 57-62, and Appendix, Note 1.

[2] _Journal of Philology_, Vol. XXIV. p. 39, &c.

[3] Temesa was on the West side of the toe of Italy and was once famous for its copper mines, which, however, were worked out in Strabo's time. See _Smith's Dictionary of Ancient Geography_.

[4] Heading Νηρίτῳ instead of Νηίῳ, cf. Book xiii. 96, &c., and 351, where the same harbour is obviously intended.

[5] _i.e._ "flowing," or with a current in it.

[6] The mountain is singular, as though it were an isolated mountain rather than a range that was in the mind of the writer. It is also singular, not plural, in the parallel cases of xv. 175 and xix. 538.

[7] Reading ὑπονηρίτου for ὑπονηίου, _cf_.i. 186 and also xiii. 351.

[8] The reader will note that the fact of Orestes having also killed his mother is not expressly stated here, nor in any of the three other passages in which the revenge taken by Orestes is referred to--doubtless as being too horrible. The other passages are _Od_. i. 40 and 299 (not given in this summary), and xi. 408, &c.

[9] For fuller translation and explanation why I have bracketed the passage, see Chapter VI.

[10] It is curious that the sleeping arrangements made by Helen for Telemachus and Pisistratus, as also those made for Ulysses by Queen Arete (vii. 336, &c.), though taken almost verbatim from those made by Achilles for Priam and Idicus (_Il_. xxiv. 643-47 and 673-76), should do so well for a building of such a different character as the house of Menelaus must have been from the quarters of Achilles before Troy.

[11] For explanation why I bracket this passage see Chapter VI.

[12] Scheria means "Jutland"--a piece of land jutting out into the sea.

[13] Gr. πάππα φίλ', line 57.

[14] Penelope and Calypso also had gardens: so had Laertes (xxiv. 217). I remember no allusion to them in the _Iliad_.

[15] It is a little odd that this disc should have been brought, considering that none such were used by the Phæacians. We must suppose that Minerva put it in along with the others, and then shed a thick darkness over it, which prevented the attendants from noticing it.

[16] Alcinous never seems to have got beyond saying that he was going to give the cup; he never gives it, nor yet the talent--the familiar ῶς εἰπὼν ἐν χερσὶ τίθει κ.τ.λ. is noticeably absent. He found the chest, and he took a great deal of pains about stowing the presents in the ship that was to take Ulysses to Ithaca (see xiii. 18, &c.), but here his contributions seem to have ended.

[17] Dwellers on the East coast of Sicily believe the island here referred to to be Acitrezza, between Acireale and Catania. I have been all over it and do not believe that it contains more than two acres of land on which any goat could ever have fed. The idea that the writer of the _Odyssey_ would make Ulysses and his large body of men spend half a day in killing over a hundred goats on such a site need not be discussed seriously, I shall therefore pass it over without notice when I come to discuss the voyage of Ulysses. That it should be so confidently believed to be the island off the land of the Cyclopes serves as a warning to myself, inasmuch as it shows how easily people can bring themselves to accept any site for any scene if they make up their minds to do so.

[18] See Chapter xv. for reasons why I have bracketed lines 115--137.

[19] Ulysses was to appease Neptune's anger by going as a missionary to preach his name among a people that did not know him.

[20] The want of coherence here is obvions, but as it is repeated when Ulysses ought to come to the wandering cliffs (which he never does) it must be referred to a _lacuna_ not in the text, but in the writer's sources of information--of which she seems fully aware.

[21] I suppose this line to have been added when lines 426--446 of this book were added.

[22] The wandering cliffs are certainly intended, for when Ulysses is recapitulating his adventures in Book xxiii. he expressly mentions having reached the πλαγκτὰς πέτρας, just after the Sirens, and before Scylla and Charybdis (xxiii. 327). The writer is determined to have them in her story however little she may know about them.

[23] I incline to think that these lines are an after thought, added by the writer herself.

[24] σὺν ἀρτεμέεσσι φίλοισιν.

[25] Minerva, in her desire to minimise the time during which the suitors had been at Ulysses' house, seems to have forgotten that they had been there ever since Telemachus was quite a child (_Od_. ii. 312-14).

[26] _i.e_. which seemed to fly past them.

[27] According to tradition, she had hanged herself on hearing a report of the death of her son.

[28] See Chapter XII, near the beginning.

[29] In almost all other places he is called Melanthius.

[30] All this might very well be, if the scene is laid in an open court, but hardly if it was in a hall inside a house.

[31] ἐς μέσσον (line 447).

[32] They might very well fight in the middle of an open court, but hardly in a covered hall. They would go outside.

[33] ἐν μεγάροισιν, but not ἐν μεγάροισι σκιόεσσι.

[34] There is no indication as though they went out to do this; they seem to have emptied the ashes on to the open part of the court.

[35] I have repeatedly seen geese so feeding at Trapani and in the neighbourhood. In summer the grass is all burned up so that they cannot graze as in England.

[36] This is the only reference to Sardinia in either _Iliad_ or _Odyssey_.

[37] If Telemachus had never seen anything of the kind before, so probably, neither had the writer of the _Odyssey_--at any rate no commentator has yet been able to understand her description, and I doubt whether she understood it herself. It looks as though the axe heads must have been wedged into the handles or so bound on to them as to let the hole be visible through which the handle would go when the axe was in use. The trial is evidently a double one, of strength as regards the bending of the bow, and accuracy of aim as regards shooting through a row of rings.

[38] It is not expressly stated that the "stone pavement" is here intended. The Greek has simply ἆλτο δ᾽ ἐπὶ μέγαν οὐδόν, but I do not doubt that the stone pavement is intended.

[39] This again suggests, though it does not prove, that we are in an open court surrounded by a cloister, on the rafters of which swallows would often perch. Line 297 suggests this even more strongly, "the roof" being, no doubt, the roof of the cloister, on to which Minerva flew from the rafter, that her ægis might better command the whole court.

[40] Probably the hide of the heifer that Philœtius had brought in that morning (xx. 186).

[41] This room was apparently not within the body of the house. It was certainly on the ground floor, for the bed was fixed on to the stump of a tree; I strongly suspect it to be the vaulted room, round the outside of which the bodies of the guilty maids were still hanging, and I also suspect it was in order to thus festoon the room that Telemachus hanged the women instead of stabbing them, but this is treading on that perilous kind of speculation which I so strongly deprecate in others. If it were not for the gruesome horror of the dance, in lines 129--151, I should not have entertained it.