XLII. And white and silver robes, all overwrought His herds in every corner, thus did greet Great Hermes :-" Little cradled rogue, declare, Of my illustrious heifers, where they are! XLIII. 'Speak quickly! or a quarrel between us In fiery gloom to dwell eternally! XLIV. To whom thus Hermes slily answered :-" Son Have heard a word of the whole business; XLV. "An ox-stealer should be both tall and strong, The cradle-clothes about me all day long, Or, half asleep, hear my sweet mother sing, And to be washed in water clean and warm, And hushed and kissed and kept secure from harm. 66 XLVI. Oh, let not e'er this quarrel be averred! The astounded Gods would laugh at you, if e'er You should allege a story so absurd, As that a new-born infant forth could fare Out of his home after a savage herd. : I was born yesterday—my small feet are Too tender for the roads so hard and rough:And if you think that this is not enough, XLVII. "I swear a great oath, by my father's head, He winked as fast as could be, and his brow XLVIII. Apollo gently smiled and said: "Aye, aye,- Of thieves will lay their siege before his door, In the wild glens rough shepherds will deplore That you or yours, having an appetite, Met with their cattle, comrade of the night! XLIX. 66 And this among the Gods shall be your gift, To be considered as the lord of those Who swindle, house-break, sheep-steal, and shop-lift ;- And sneezed and shuddered-Phoebus on the grass Towards the subtle babe the following scoff: 66 Do not imagine this will get you off, "You little swaddled And seized him : LI. child of Jove and May!" By this omen I shall trace My noble herds, and you shall lead the way."- Rose, and with hands lifted towards his face, LII. “With me, you unkind God?"—said Mercury: Is it about these cows you teaze me so? I wish the race of cows were perished!—I s-I do not even know Stole not your cows What things cows are. Alas! I well may sigh, That, since I came into this world of woe, I should have ever heard the name of oneBut I appeal to the Saturnian's throne." LIII. Thus Phoebus and the vagrant Mercury LIV. He of the Silver Bow, the child of Jove, LV. And from the folded depths of the great Hill, Immortals rushed in mighty multitude; To Phoebus said ::- "Whence drive this sweet prey, you This herald-baby, born but yesterday? LVI. "A most important subject, trifler, this Under Cyllene's mountains far away— LVII. "I never saw his like either in heaven Or upon earth for knavery or craft:Out of the field my cattle yester-even, By the low shore on which the loud sea laughed, He right down to the river-ford had driven; And mere astonishment would make you daft To see the double kind of footsteps strange He has impressed wherever he did range. LVIII. "The cattle's track on the black dust full well I know not how I can describe in words LIX. “He must have had some other stranger mode Of moving on those vestiges immense, Far as I raced them on the sandy road, Seemed like the trail of oak-toppings:-but thence |