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life and happiness, and may they leave their possessions to
their children, and all the honours conferred upon them by
the state) to help me home to my own country as soon as
possible; for I have been long in trouble and away from my
friends.’
Then he sat down on the hearth among the ashes and
they all held their peace, till presently the old hero Ech-
eneus, who was an excellent speaker and an elder among
the Phaeacians, plainly and in all honesty addressed them
thus:
‘Alcinous,’ said he, ‘it is not creditable to you that a
stranger should be seen sitting among the ashes of your
hearth; every one is waiting to hear what you are about to
say; tell him, then, to rise and take a seat on a stool inlaid
with silver, and bid your servants mix some wine and wa-
ter that we may make a drink offering to Jove the lord of
thunder, who takes all well disposed suppliants under his
protection; and let the housekeeper give him some supper,
of whatever there may be in the house.’
When Alcinous heard this he took Ulysses by the hand,
raised him from the hearth, and bade him take the seat of
Laodamas, who had been sitting beside him, and was his
favourite son. A maid servant then brought him water in
a beautiful golden ewer and poured it into a silver basin
for him to wash his hands, and she drew a clean table be-
side him; an upper servant brought him bread and offered
him many good things of what there was in the house, and
Ulysses ate and drank. Then Alcinous said to one of the ser-
vants, ‘Pontonous, mix a cup of wine and hand it round that

11 The Odyssey