nor bedding, nor a stick of furniture of
any kind. In winter he sleeps on the floor in front of the fire
with the men, and his clothes are in a shocking state, but in
summer, when the warm weather comes on again, he sleeps out in the
vineyard on a bed of vine leaves. He takes on very much about your
not having returned, and suffers more and more as he grows older:
as for me I died of nothing whatever in the world but grief about
yourself. There was not a thing the matter with me, but my
prolonged anxiety on your account was too much for me, and in the
end it just wore me out.'"

In the course of time Ulysses comes to a pause in his narrative and
Queen Arete makes a little speech.

"'What do you think,' she said to the Phaeacians, 'of such a guest
as this? Did you ever see anyone at once so good-looking and so
clever? It is true, indeed, that his visit is paid more
particularly to myself, but you all participate in the honour
conferred upon us by a visitor of such distinction. Do not be in a
hurry to send him off, nor stingy in the presents you make to one in
so great need; for you are all of you very well off.'"

You will note that the queen does not say "_we_ are all of _us_ very
well off."

"Then the hero Echeneus, who was the oldest man among them, added a
few words of his own. 'My friends,' he said, 'there cannot be two
opinions about the graciousness and sagacity of the remarks that
have just fallen from Her Majesty; nevertheless it is with His
Majesty King Alcinous that the decision must ultimately rest.'

"'The thing shall be done,' exclaimed Alcinous, 'if I am still king
over the Phaeacians. As for our guest, I know he is anxious to
resume his journey, still we must persuade him if we can to stay
with us until to-morrow, by which time I shall be able to get
together the balance of the sum which I mean to press on his
acceptance.'"

So here we have it straight out that the monarch knew he had only
contributed the coat and waistcoat, and did not know exactly how he
was to lay his hands on the 250 pounds. What with piracy--for we
have been told of at least one case in which Alcinous had looted a
town and stolen his housemaid Eurymedusa--what with insufficient
changes of linen, toping like an immortal god, swaggering at large,
and open-handed hospitality, it is plain and by no means surprising
that Alcinous is out at elbows; nor can there be a better example of
the difference between the occasiona