The weird of the wanderer Being the papyrus records of some incidents in one of the previous lives of Mr. Nicholas Crabbe

those divine ones were pleased to send me another team. Wherefore, four heavenly steeds were selected from that godly stock which the indomitable hero Herakles won from King Laomedon. But, when quick-eyed though blindfolded Love had seen my grandsire about to descend bearing away beautiful horses, he had howled (that dire intractable boy), only for the sake of annoying, saying that steeds ought not to be sent to me, seeing that he himself (even Love) with his burning breath and wide-sailing wings was ready to come at my call to be my beast, my bird, my bearer of burdens and deep delight for ever and ever. But, when Hermes persisted (for the thing was an order from the All-father which must be obeyed), then Divine Eros had betaken himself to his bow and arrows, shooting through the bars of heaven’s gate, so that more than nine times the halters had been severed, and the horses had gone free, galloping here and there, till, at last, being caught and herded safely out of range, they were led down to me, apparently docile and ready for the traces. Such was the apology of Hermes. But Pan, standing by and listening attentively, saw how highly I was in favour with the gods of lofty Olympos; and he stooped, picking up a sprig of fragrant fennel, wherewith he touched my two eyes, saying: “Receive the power of seeing as the gods see.” And instantly he was gone, I know not where. But Hermes laughed, triumphantly merry, saying: “Thou, O my brave child, hast indeed won old Pan’s favour: for few there be to whom he would communicate this virtue, a very signal one, as thou shalt know anon.” Thus having spoken, he bade me to prepare for my fearsome journey. But, while I obeyed him, he illuminated my mind with knowledge of the ordeals through which I was to pass: yet he could not tell me everything, for the time was short; and, as much of the rest as he might, he said that he would tell me by the way. For he was going with me as far as was permitted. But I went even gleefully, having so affable and so splendid a young god for my comrade. But I yoked the white steeds to the well-wrought chariot, carven of silver inlaid with adornments of crabs and moons in mother-of-pearl, whereon was poised the silver Love, blindfolded, naked, larger than life, and just in the act of flight. But my grandsire examined my glittering armour; and, having approved it, he wrapped me in my great trailing mantle of tissue of silver lined with white furs and clasped with the signs of the crab and the moon. Furthermore, he gave me a heavenly amulet for my use and comfort, formed of two chalcedonyxes having the similitude of eyes set in the Sign of the Crab in a silver finger-ring, saying that I would need it on occasion. And he let me twist long stalks of fennel into a monstrous torch, three stalks with seven stalks and nine stalks, nineteen in all. And, having lighted it, we mounted my chariot, both I and the god. Now the silver Love on the chariot was motionless and dumb, as the manner of gods is when they are made of metal: yet it evidently was a very potent and unheard-of magic, though neither Hermes nor I, Odysseys, wily and knowing as we both were, fully understood it, for the divine ones inhabiting olympian palaces had not manifested their will in this particular. For which cause, I stood in my proper place on the left:[40] but Hermes went to the other side of the flying Love, seizing the reins, and urging the huge white horses onward with the shouts of a charioteer. But they plunged madly forth into the cloud of fennel-smoke. I closed my eyes, smarting with the murky reek. But the flaming firebrand which I bore flared like a banner far behind me: so that, though I love sunlight as well as any man alive, I gladly and joyously went (god-driven) from the grain-giving earth to the netherworld, dashing into the secret adit whereby the souls of dwellers in daylight go down to the dark house of Hades. Thus, then, I went, to despoil the king of shades. But we galloped on, at more than mortal speed, down the broad path, never slipping nor stumbling: for Hephaistos had shodden the heavenly steeds, and Hermes drove them, mightily encouraging them with shoutings. And my firebrand, fanned by the wind of the speed of my going, flamed on the pallor of dead men, terror-stricken, who were passing down the same road, like sheep unshepherded, toward old Kharon and his insatiable barge. We came to the shelving river-bank; and the Old Man of Styx drove many souls from our path as the silver-shining chariot dashed irresistibly into the stink of the putrid stream. But my lusty horses swam swiftly to the farther hythe; and Hermes buoyed up the ponderous chariot with magic so that it did not sink. But we speeded on, over sandy desolate wastes, veiled in impenetrable gloom. Fast and faster tore those untiring stallions of matchless breed; and the whirling wheels span round; and chill winds blew in our faces, so that I wrapped myself shivering in my furry cloak. League after league we flew, through unpeopled wildernesses; and the earth became no more sandy, but thick with salt, which flashed back the gleam of my fast-burning torch, lying wide-spread on both sides of the narrowing way. But when I (being inquisitive) addressed a word to my grandsire concerning the phrenetic speed of our going, and what should come thereafter, and the salt which lay by the way, then, indeed, he answered me, saying: “The tides of hell are flowing fast; and, as we crossed Styx at the slack, so we must cross Pyriphthlegethon at the full, or we shall not win through: for none may traverse those dread streams excepting at such times. Nor can a man tarry upon the banks, by reason of the singularly putrid fumes arising. Neither may a man dally in this wilderness of salt, which is sacrosanct: for every grain thereof contains selections from the body of a dead man, and thus they are preserved against the day when they shall be required for use once more.” To whom I, without delay, spoke boldly, saying: “And what of those men who (by the sanction of the gods) have not died until after they have occupied several different bodies?” For I was thinking of Amenemhat and of Neandros and Thalos, and of the other persons whom I myself (from time to time) have metamorphosed. But young Hermes responded to me, saying: “Know, O inquisitive wily and well-beloved child, that, in every body of a mortal, there is that which is beautiful and that which is hideous, just as, in every soul of a mortal, there is that which is good and that which is evil. Wherefore, it is the will of Zeys, the Father of all, that the evil and the hideous shall perish everlastingly, but the good and the beautiful blended together shall live in immortal palaces.” And it seemed to me very strange to hear such words of wisdom coming from a youth, whose cheeks of summer hue shewed not the tender mother of the vine-down. But he, Hermes, the powerful Argicide, fell again to urging the heavenly steeds, crying: “On, on, to the house of shady Hades!” And the gloom before us was illumined with a dull-red glow, which shot up into the dark vault like a roof above our heads: for, indeed, we were rushing into the very abysses of the netherworld; and the light grew clearer and more fierce to us advancing. But, behind us, we left a trail of smoke from my flaming firebrand, and a trail of steam from the straining stallions. And the cold wind died; and immensurable flames streamed upward from the river of fire, licking invisible heights, flashing and flickering. And I heard my divine charioteer praising great Zeys with bated breath, for that we were come at a propitious time. For, as we flew down to the blackened shore, our wheels drove heavily among the crackling cinders; and the flames died, and evanesced: for, as the tides of the accursed mystic river were flowing full, the flames (which blazed and roared through ebb and flow) were hushed in phosphorescent silence. But my mighty steeds, mad by nature, plunged bravely in the stream which bubbled and boiled with recent heat: yet, because of their heavenly breed, they (already mad) succumbed not to the scalding flood, though they screamed with terror and piety, as did Ares (potent in battle) when (wounded by Diomedes son of Tydeys) he fell, covering seven acres, and fled (bellowing) to Paieon (the surgeon of the gods) to be healed of his hurt. But, when we were on the other side of that flaming moat which surrounds the city of the dead, Hermes assuaged the pangs of my mad horses with a holy _Spell_ which he contrived to remember just then, so that they became much madder than they ever had been before and went most valiantly onward. Then, also, that same divine one of gods cried aloud to me, saying: “If thou thyself canst remember any inchantments, work them well now, O master of crafts: for this locality is very fatal to miserable mortals as a rule; and twice already thou hast escaped herefrom alive: but, for a third attempt something extremely exquisite of magic will be found desirable.” Thus he admonished me. But I instantly recited aloud most potent _Spells_, to wit, _The Spell of Sniffing the Air and Getting Power over the Water in the Netherworld_, and _The Spell of Not Dying Again in the Netherworld_,[41] making the proper _Signs_, and saying: “_I take hold of air and water: I watch and guard the egg of the great cackler._ “_It groweth, and I will grow: it sniffeth the air, and I will sniff the air._ “_It liveth, and I will live: I will triumph in the air and the water of the netherworld._ “_Let the place of hiding things be opened: for I will not be treated with scorn._ “_I will not submit to any violence: nor will I die again in the netherworld._” And, having thus composed and fortified my will, we continued to rage furiously onward. Now the gloom of the place was very grey and terrible, insomuch that the mad heads of my horses were invisible to us standing behind them in the chariot, for a dense fog was enveloping the netherworld. And, anon, we found our way blocked by a great and monstrous wall which frowned blackly in the shade, wherein loomed a mountainous barbacan fortified with turrets and pierced by a tremendous gate. But the gate was guarded by unsleeping Kerberos, the hound of hell spoken of by Pythian Phoibos Apollon, barking at me with three ugly heads and gnashing the relative mouthfuls of teeth. Whom my grandsire appeased, silencing him with the _Word of Power_.[42] But divine Hermes began to warn me, saying that his business ended in the realms of shady Hades, his uncle; and he gave me to know that, in what more remained to be done, I must trust only in myself: but he bade me to be very wary regarding the mood in which I should find surly King Hades, biding my time and not precipitantly asking inopportune or excessive favours. And these were the mandates which he had brought to me from Zeys Pantokrator and Pampator. But, when he had said these things and embraced me, and when he had whispered a most pious and secret monition, then, indeed, he kicked off and vanished away; and his swift winged-sandals bore him again to the summit of lofty Olympos. But I lifted up my voice, terrifically shouting to the warden of the gate. And a blameless titan peered over the battlements, and brayed with the formidable degorgement of a trumpet, demanding of me the password. Whom I answered in the language of the gods, speaking one of the _Words_ which Hermes had left with me, but I may not write it on account of a religious reason. And instantly the gate unfolded its enormous hinges. In these circumstances, then, I came thundering in my silver-shining chariot invading the city of infernal shades. FOOTNOTES: