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The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury; Now First Collected and Edited by Sir William Molesworth, Bart., (London: Bohn, 1839-45). 11 vols. Vol. 10.

Author: Homer
Translator: Thomas Hobbes
Editor: Sir William Molesworth

Part of: The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, 11 vols.

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LIB. VII.

Alcinous entertains him, and grants him a convoy, and both he and the lords give him presents.

Whilst there he pray’d, Nausicaa went on,
And stay’d her coach the outer gate without,
And like to Gods her brothers came each one,
From out the house and her stood round about.
5The mules they freed, th’ apparel they took in,

Nausicaa straight to her chamber went;
Eurymedusa made a fire therein;
Who, ta’en by rovers on the continent,
Was given to the king Alcinous,
10That like a God was honour’d by the nation

Of the Phœacians at home. And thus
She of Nausicaa had th’ education.
A fire she made her, and her supper brought.
Ulysses then into the city went,
15Pallas of air had made him such a coat,

As he could not be seen; lest insolent
And sturdy townsmen should him mock and jeer,
Or ask him questions, who, what, or why.
But when he was unto the gate come near,
20Pallas appeared to him openly,

Like a young maid with pail upon her head.
Ulysses then spake to her, and said thus:
Sweet pretty girl, will you be pleas’d to lead
Me to the house of king Alcinous?
25For I a stranger come, and no man know,

Nor ever in my life was here before.
Yes, then said Pallas, I will you it show,
For ’tis the next unto my father’s door.
Go softly, thus, and I will lead the way,
30For our folk strangers do not well endure;

But in good ships their honour wholly lay,
And the wide sea to pass themselves inure:
For Neptune given to them has this gift,
That their good ships fly like to thought or wind.
35This said, the Goddess led with motion swift;

And on her steps he treading went behind.
And through the people so he pass’d unseen.
For why, the Goddess Pallas, for good will,
A wondrous mist of air had wrapt him in.
40Then looking at the house he there stood still.

The havens and the ships he wonder’d at;
The market-place, and walls so thick and high.
Then Pallas said, Alcinous’ house is that.
There sup the king and queen now merrily.
45Though you a stranger be, fear not, go in;

The bold than fearful always better speed.
And first of all the house you’ll find the queen,
Arete is her name. Both from one seed
Descended are she and Alcinous,
50In Perrhæa, child of Eurimedon.

The God o’ th’ seas begot Nausithous
Who two sons had; Alcinous was one,
The other was Rexenor, who no son
But one fair daughter only left behind.

Alcinous entertains him, &c.

55Arete was her name. Besides her none.

Alcinous and she in wedlock join’d;
And he to her so much respect doth bear,
As no man living to a wife bears more,
And honour’d is by all her children dear.
60The people like a Goddess her adore,

And bless her when she comes into the street;
And loving to them all is also she,
For a wise woman is she and discreet.
When they fall out she makes them to agree.
65If you her favour can but once obtain,

You need not fear but you your friends shall see,
And safely to your country come again.
And when she this had said, away went she
O’er sea to Marathon in Attica,
70T’ Erectheus’ house. And he now was to enter

Into the house. But long he laid the law
Unto himself before he would adventure.
Ent’ring he saw the walls lin’d round with brass,
And fring’d about with colour of the sky.
75The door within golden all over was,

And all appear’d like heaven to the eye.
The door-posts silver, glorious to behold,
The lintle-tree upon them silver too;
The sill was brass, the ring to pull it, gold.
80And by the door great dogs were standing two,

Of silver one, the other was of gold,
As watch before the royal gate to stay,
Immortal dogs that never can grow old.
And round about them all, thrones ev’ry way,
85All cover’d with a dainty stuff and fine,

The work of women’s hand. There us’d to eat
The king and lords, and drink and make good cheer.
His riches was a never-dying teat.
About the altar were set boys of gold,
90That to the guests, as soon as it was night,

With burning torches they the light might hold;
For now the sun had borne away his light.
Fifty maid-servants were at work within,
Some at the mill were grinding wheat for bread,
95And others with their distaffs sat to spin,

And others cloth were weaving with the thread;
Like to the leaves of a high aspen tree
Their fingers went. So much they did excel
In all the works, that taught by Pallas be,
100The women that in other places dwell;

As do these men all other men surpass
In all things that belong to navigation;
For wit and art more Pallas given has
To them, than women of another nation.
105Close by the house a dainty orchard is,

Four-square and fenc’d with hedge and pale about,
Of pear, pomegranate, apple, olive-trees,
And fig-trees. For the season ne’er goes out
Summer nor winter, for by Zephyrs some
110Are made put forth, and others ripened;

Pears after pears, apples to apples come;
Grapes are by grapes, figs by figs followed;
And in it was the vineyard of the king.
Grapes in some places by the sun were dried,
115In others staid till vintage ripening.

Upon some vines no flower yet was spied,
And grapes on some to blacken now began.
Green beds of herbs there were on ev’ry side,
And through it from two springs the water ran,
120And to and fro the one did winding glide,

The other to the house his stream did bear,
And under ground was to the town convey’d,
And rose a fountain for the people there.
And when Ulysses had all this survey’d,
125Then went he in, and found them in the hall

Sitting at supper, and to Mercury
There off’ring up of wine: which last of all
At bed-time men do offer usually.
And on he went up to the king and queen,
130And both his hands upon her knee did lay.

Pallas had kept him in the mist unseen;
But thither come, the mist straight fell away.
Amaz’d they were when first they saw the man,
And like to men that had been stricken dumb.
135Ulysses then t’ Arete thus began:

O queen Arete, to your knee I come,
And to the king, and those that with you sit:
May the Gods grant you all much happiness,
Long life, and your possessions to transmit
140T’ your children, and your honours still possess;

And may you me send presently away
Unto my house: long absent I have been.
This said, he sat down by the fire. And they
Said nothing, such amazement they were in.
145At last old Echineus spake, that knew

Both what in former times and now was fit:
O king Alcinous, is’t good, think you,
To let the stranger in the ashes sit?
We silent sat to see what was your will;
150Pray make him rise, and to a chair him bring,

And bid the squire to temper wine and fill,
That we to Jove may make our offering,
Who with poor strangers keepeth company;
And bid the maid before him set such meat
155As she within has in her custody.

This said, Alcinous rose from his seat,
T’ Ulysses went, and took him by the hand,
And to a chair him led, where sat his son
Laodamas, to whom he gave command
160To give him place, although he loved none

So dearly as he lov’d Laodamas,
Who next unto him us’d to sit at meat.
Then by a maid brought in a bason was
And ewer of gold, to wash ere he did eat;
165Another maid before him layed bread,

And other good things on his table laid,
And heartily thereon Ulysses fed.
Alcinous then to the squire said:
Temper the wine, Pontonous, that we
170Wine-offering to Jove may offer up,

In whose protection all suppliants be,
And round about presented be the cup.
Then went about the wine from one to one;
And when the sacred offering was over,
175Then said Alcinous: Since we have done,

Let’s go to bed, and soon as we discover
Aurora rising, hither come again,
And make unto the Gods a sacrifice,
And this our stranger farther entertain,
180And how to send him to his house advise,

That safely he may go, and joyfully,
And swiftly to the place where he would be,
How far soever hence his dwelling lie,
Nor on the sea delay or trouble see,
185Until his native country he be at:

But what his fate is after he is there,
Be’t good or evil, he must suffer that.
But if it be some God that sitteth here,
’Tis only our devotion t’ approve;
190For to that end Gods let themselves be spied,

To sit with men at holy feasts they love,
And not themselves in caves like giants hide.
To this Ulysses said: O king, lay by
That thought of yours. With Gods I’ll not compare,
195For body or for mind. Of misery

If man can boast, to boast ’mong them I dare;
For I more tokens can produce of woe
Than any man that shall with me contend,
Though all I tell not that I can. Yet so
200I fain would of my supper make an end.

No creature is so fierce as is the gut,
And so loud barketh when it is forgot,
That out of mind it never can be put,
But will be heard whether one will or not.
205So ’tis with me, that am afflicted sore,

Yet still my belly bids me eat and drink,
And forget all I had endured before,
And on my misery no more to think.
And so, since now I hunger to go home,
210Forget not with a ship me to supply

To-morrow: for were I once thither come,
I could be well contented there to die.
When this was said, he was by all commended.
He speaks discreetly; let him then, said they,
215A speedy conduct have. When all was ended,

The rest unto their houses went away.
Only Ulysses stay’d, and by him sate
The king and queen. Tables removed were,
And all that to the supper did relate;
220The queen then marked what garments he did wear,

And that she and her maids had made them, knew.
Stranger, said she, who are you? whence? and more,
The garments you have on, of whom had you?
Had you them on, then, when you came ashore?
225Grievous, said he, O queen, is your command,

That calls again, when past it is, my pain;
Yet will I answer make to this demand.
An island lieth far hence in the main,
Ogygia ’tis call’d; Calypso there,
230The daughter fair of Atlas, lives alone,

Nor God nor man she has to dwell with her;
And I by fate upon that isle was thrown,
For Jove my good ship had with thunder split:
My fellows in the sea all perished,
235But I the rudder had, and held by it:

And thus nine days and nights I wandered,
And thrown was on that isle the tenth, at night.
Calypso there received me, and fed;
And immortality have had I might,
240If I had with her there inhabited.

But I to that would never give consent.
Yet there by force I stayed seven years,
For want of ship and men, in discontent,
Washing the clothes she gave me with my tears.
245The eighth year come, she did my going press,

Whether by Jove’s command I cannot say,
Or whether ’twere because she loved me less.
Then on a raft of trees I came away.
Bread and sweet wine upon the deck she laid,
250And garments gave me fair, and a good wind;

And good for seventeen days the weather stay’d.
On th’ eighteenth near your coast myself I find;
And glad I was, though still unfortunate,
For more I was to suffer by and by:
255For Neptune rais’d against me, in his hate,

A storm of winds, with furious waves and high,
And then I forced was the raft to quit:
The trees asunder floated here and there,
The storm so broken had and scatter’d it.
260Then swam I: ’gainst the rocks the waves me bear,

And falling off, they cast me back again.
Again I swam, and to the river came,
And there I saw the landing smooth and plain,
And from the wind defended was the same:
265There landed I, half dead, and now ’twas night.

Then up I went and in a thicket lay,
Cover’d with leaves abundance, dry and light,
And slept till almost spent was the next day,
For then the sun was setting. There I hear
270The voice of women playing by the brook;

And going out I saw your daughter there,
That like a Goddess come from heaven did look.
To her I made my prayer in this distress:
Wisely she answered, and beyond her age,
275(For th’ younger commonly consider less),

And gave me food my hunger to assuage.
Of her I had the garments I have on.
Nay, stranger, answered Alcinous,
’Twas in my child an indiscretion,
280That she not brought you with her to my house.

To this Ulysses answered and said:
’Twas not her fault we came not both together:
She bade me, I would not; but was afraid
What you and they would think that saw me with her,
285For jealous and mistrustful mortals be.

To this again Alcinous replied:
From such ill thoughts I always have been free.
O Jove and Pallas make you here abide;
Such are you, and our thoughts so well agree,
290That you Nausicaa should have for bride,

If you would with me live here willingly,
And for your house and wealth I would provide.
But ’gainst your will I will not make you stay
(From such iniquity the Gods me keep);
295To-morrow shall be ready your convey,

And till then go you to your bed and sleep.
And here be men, that, when the wind shall fail,
Can row you on how far soe’er you’ll go;
Their hands can do as much as any sail,
300Although beyond Eubœa they must row:

For farther no Phœacian ever went.
But thither once they carried Rhadamant,
Of Tityus to see the punishment,
Son of the earth, that terrible giant;
305Yet that long voyage cost them but a day

Going and coming all the way at ease.
But you yourself, when you are on the way,
Will see how stoutly our men plough the seas.
This said, Ulysses joyful was, and pray’d,
310Make all this good, O father Jove, said he,

The glory of the king will be display’d,
And quickly in my country I shall be.
Whilst they together thus discoursing stay’d,
Arete bade the maids to make his bed,
315And see fair purple rugs upon it laid,

And under them soft woolly blankets spread.
Then went away the maids into the porch,
And made his bed, and soon came back again,
And stood before Ulysses with a torch.
320Come stranger, said they, all is ready. Then

Ulysses to his bed went willingly.
Alcinous in a room lay far within,
Where formerly he used was to lie,
That was prepared for him by the queen.

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LIB. VII. - Homer, The English Works, vol. X (Iliad and Odyssey) [1839]

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Part of: The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, 11 vols.

About Liberty Fund:

Copyright information:

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LIB. VII.