Page 244 - the-odyssey

To this you answered, O swineherd Eumaeus, ‘Eat, my
good fellow, and enjoy your supper, such as it is. God grants
this, and withholds that, just as he thinks right, for he can
do whatever he chooses.’
As he spoke he cut off the first piece and offered it as a
burnt sacrifice to the immortal gods; then he made them
a drink-offering, put the cup in the hands of Ulysses, and
sat down to his own portion. Mesaulius brought them
their bread; the swineherd had brought this man on his
own account from among the Taphians during his master’s
absence, and had paid for him with his own money with-
out saying anything either to his mistress or Laertes. They
then laid their hands upon the good things that were before
them, and when they had had enough to eat and drink, Me-
saulius took away what was left of the bread, and they all
went to bed after having made a hearty supper.
Now the night came on stormy and very dark, for there
was no moon. It poured without ceasing, and the wind blew
strong from the West, which is a wet quarter, so Ulysses
thought he would see whether Eumaeus, in the excellent
care he took of him, would take off his own cloak and give
it him, or make one of his men give him one. ‘Listen to me,’
said he, ‘Eumaeus and the rest of you; when I have said a
prayer I will tell you something. It is the wine that makes
me talk in this way; wine will make even a wise man fall to
singing; it will make him chuckle and dance and say many
a word that he had better leave unspoken; still, as I have be-
gun, I will go on. Would that I were still young and strong
as when we got up an ambuscade before Troy. Menelaus and