repay all the dowries, whatever I gave him, for the impudent damsel, because his daughter is fair, but not chaste."
Thus he spoke; and the gods were assembled at the brazen house: earth-shaking Neptune came, all-beneficent[1] Mercury came, and the far-darting king Apollo came: but the female deities each remained at home through shame. And the gods, bestowers of good things,[2] stood in the vestibule; and there arose an inextinguishable laughter amongst the blessed gods, when they saw the arts of ingenious Vulcan. But thus some one[3] said, looking to another who was near: "Evil works do not succeed: the slow overtakes the quick: as now Vulcan, although slow, has caught Mars, the swiftest of the gods who possess Olympus, he being lame, [has caught him] by his art; wherefore he owns a fine for being detected in adultery."
Thus they spoke such things to one another; and king Apollo, the son of Jove, addressed Mercury: "O Mercury, son of Jove, messenger, giver of good things, wouldst thou be willing, pressed in strong chains, to sleep in the bed near golden Venus?"
But him the messenger, the slayer of Argus, immediately addressed: "I wish this might happen, O king, far-darting Apollo, (and) might thrice so many immense chains surround me, and ye gods behold, and all the goddesses, yet I would sleep near golden Venus."
Thus he spoke, and laughter arose amongst the immortal gods. But laughter did not possess Neptune; but he constantly entreated the illustrious artificer Vulcan, that he would loose Mars: and addressing him, spoke winged words: "Loose him; and I promise that he shall pay, as thou commandest, all the things that are proper amongst the immortal gods."
But him illustrious Vulcan addressed in turn: "Do not, O earth-shaking Neptune, command me these things. Wretched indeed are the sureties to be received for the bad.[4] How could I
- ↑ ἐριούνης, ἔρι ὄνησας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, μεγαλωφέλης, πολυωφέλης. Schol. Cf. Alberti on Hesych. t. i. 1432.
- ↑ On this sentiment respecting the heavenly bestowal of "every good gift," see Duport, Gnom. Hom. p. 190, and Barth. on Gratius, Cyneg. 1.
- ↑ τις = one to another.
- ↑ I follow Loewe, understanding δειλαὶ ἢ ὥστε ἐγγυᾶσθαι, in the sense of λαμβάνειν ἐγγύας, as Eustathius rightly says.
