e and the rightful works of men." Such is
his faith; still this faith is passing through the ordeal of fire: why
should the Gods, being good, keep the good Ulysses away from his
Return? The simple swineherd cannot fathom the ways of Providence,
still he believes in that Providence; he is divinely loyal. His
allegiance does not depend upon prosperity, not even upon insight. Zeus
may rule the world as he pleases, I shall still have faith: "Though he
slay me, I shall believe in him."

Now we may turn for a moment to Ulysses. He is a passive learner from
the swineherd, calling forth information by subtle inquiry; much,
indeed, has he learned from the humble, pious man. First, he has seen a
shadow of his own doubt, and how it may be dispelled. Then he has
discovered loyalty in this representative of the people, who must still
possess it in their hearts, though suppressed in the present, untoward
time. Also he hears again of the Suitors and their guilty deeds, viewed
with a loyal eye. Finally he plays the prophet to Eumaeus and foretells
the return of Ulysses. This is the height of his disguise, wherein he
rises to the humor of Providence, who has brought to the swineherd the
realization of his strongest wish without his knowing it. His prayers
have come to pass, could he but see. Herein Ulysses suggests the part
of Providence in disguise, bringing the fulfillment of his own
prophecy.

II. It is now the turn of Ulysses to give some account of himself in
answer to the swineherd's pressing questions. He tells a famous story,
a fiction of his own life, yet it has in its disguise the truth of his
career. The outer setting is changed, but the main facts are the same.
Still there is enough difference to prevent it from being a repetition.
It is the Odyssey told over again with new incidents, and variations
upon an old theme. We behold here the conscious storyteller, clothing
the events of life in the garb of a marvelous adventure. Ulysses had in
mind his own experience in this account, and he adapts it to the time
and place.

The main points of its contact with himself we may note. First, there
is the pre-Trojan period, a time of roving and marauding, which is true
of that age in general, and may have some touch of Ulysses in
particular. Second is the Trojan war, the epoch of heroic conflict to
which all had to go, so strong was the public sentiment. Third comes
the post-Trojan epoch, with the wanton attack on the AEgyptians, ve