他们到达了地势低洼的拉齐代蒙城，在那里他们直奔墨涅劳斯的住所，发现墨涅劳斯正在自己的家里，和他的许多族人一起庆祝他儿子的婚礼，同时也庆祝他女儿的婚礼。墨涅劳斯要嫁给英勇的战士阿喀琉斯的儿子。当他还在特洛伊的时候，他就答应了她，并把她许配给了他。现在，诸神正在促成这桩婚事。于是他派她带着车马前往阿喀琉斯之子统治的弥尔米多斯城。他为他的独生子娶了一位来自斯巴达的新娘，阿莱克特的女儿。这个儿子叫Megapenthes，是他的一个婢女所生，因为海伦生下赫敏之后，上帝就不再给她孩子了，而赫敏像金色的维纳斯一样美丽。于是墨涅劳斯的邻居和亲戚们在他家里设宴作乐。还有一个吟游诗人给他们唱歌，弹着竖琴，还有两个不倒翁在他们中间表演，这时那个人开始弹奏他的曲子。忒勒马科斯和内斯特的儿子把马停在门口，墨涅劳斯的仆人埃忒俄涅斯一看到他们就出来了，他急忙跑回屋里去告诉他的主人。他走近墨涅劳斯说:“墨涅劳斯，这儿来了两个陌生人，看起来像朱庇特的儿子。我们该怎么办呢? Shall we take their horses out, or tell them to find friends elsewhere as they best can?" Menelaus was very angry and said, "Eteoneus, son of Boethous, you never used to be a fool, but now you talk like a simpleton. Take their horses out, of course, and show the strangers in that they may have supper; you and I have stayed often enough at other people's houses before we got back here, where heaven grant that we may rest in peace henceforward." So Eteoneus bustled back and bade other servants come with him. They took their sweating hands from under the yoke, made them fast to the mangers, and gave them a feed of oats and barley mixed. Then they leaned the chariot against the end wall of the courtyard, and led the way into the house. Telemachus and Pisistratus were astonished when they saw it, for its splendour was as that of the sun and moon; then, when they had admired everything to their heart's content, they went into the bath room and washed themselves. When the servants had washed them and anointed them with oil, they brought them woollen cloaks and shirts, and the two took their seats by the side of Menelaus. A maidservant brought them water in a beautiful golden ewer, and poured it into a silver basin for them to wash their hands; and she drew a clean table beside them. An upper servant brought them bread, and offered them many good things of what there was in the house, while the carver fetched them plates of all manner of meats and set cups of gold by their side. Menelaus then greeted them saying, "Fall to, and welcome; when you have done supper I shall ask who you are, for the lineage of such men as you cannot have been lost. You must be descended from a line of sceptre-bearing kings, for poor people do not have such sons as you are." On this he handed them a piece of fat roast loin, which had been set near him as being a prime part, and they laid their hands on the good things that were before them; as soon as they had had enough to eat and drink, Telemachus said to the son of Nestor, with his head so close that no one might hear, "Look, Pisistratus, man after my own heart, see the gleam of bronze and gold- of amber, ivory, and silver. Everything is so splendid that it is like seeing the palace of Olympian Jove. I am lost in admiration." Menelaus overheard him and said, "No one, my sons, can hold his own with Jove, for his house and everything about him is immortal; but among mortal men- well, there may be another who has as much wealth as I have, or there may not; but at all events I have travelled much and have undergone much hardship, for it was nearly eight years before I could get home with my fleet. I went to Cyprus, Phoenicia and the Egyptians; I went also to the Ethiopians, the Sidonians, and the Erembians, and to Libya where the lambs have horns as soon as they are born, and the sheep lamb down three times a year. Every one in that country, whether master or man, has plenty of cheese, meat, and good milk, for the ewes yield all the year round. But while I was travelling and getting great riches among these people, my brother was secretly and shockingly murdered through the perfidy of his wicked wife, so that I have no pleasure in being lord of all this wealth. Whoever your parents may be they must have told you about all this, and of my heavy loss in the ruin of a stately mansion fully and magnificently furnished. Would that I had only