his voyage, was detained here, that he might bury his companion, and perform the funeral rites. But when he also, going over the dark sea in his hollow ships, came running to the lofty mountain of the Maleans, then far-beholding Jove decreed a hateful journey for him, and poured upon him the blast of the shrill winds, and the mighty swollen waves, equal to mountains; there having divided the fleet, he made part approach Crete, where the Cydonians dwelt, about the streams of Jardanus. But there is a certain smooth lofty rock in the sea, at the extremity of Gortys, in the shadowy main. There the south wind thrusts the great wave to the dangerous[1] promontory to Phœstus; but a small rock wards off a mighty wave. The ships then came here, and the men with great care avoided death, but the waves broke the ships against the crags; but the wind and wave bearing five azure-prowed ships, made them approach to Egypt. Thus far he, collecting much property and gold, wandered with his ships to men of a different language. But in the mean time Ægisthus devised these sad things at home, having slain the son of Atreus; and the people were subdued under him. For seven years then he reigned over Mycene rich in gold; but in the eighth year divine Orestes came back from Athens, an evil for him, and slew the murderer of his father, crafty Ægisthus, who slew his illustrious father. He then having slain him gave a funeral banquet[2] to the Argives for his hateful mother and unwarlike Ægisthus:[3] but on the same day Menelaus strenuous in battle came to him, bringing many possessions, whatever his ships carried as their burden.
"And do not thou, my friend, wander long at a distance from home, leaving thy possessions and men so overbearing in thine house; lest they should consume all, dividing your possessions, and you should have come a vain journey. But I advise and exhort thee to go to Menelaus; for he has lately come from elsewhere, from those people; from whence that man could not hope in his mind to come, whomsoever first the storms
- ↑ σκαιὸν, like the Latin "lævum," unlucky, fatal.
- ↑ τάφος, περίδειπνον ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν οἰχομένων τιμῆ, Hesychius. Cf. Il. ψ. 29. Hesiod, ἐργ. 735. The Latins called it "silicernium."
- ↑ The question whether Homer was acquainted with the legend of Orestes' persecution by the Erinnyes has been discussed by Muller, Eumenid. § 87, p. 204, note.
