Chasing the heavy shadows of dismay.

Though they should question most impetuously

Its hidden soul, it gossips something wrong—

Some senseless and impertinent reply.

But thou, who art as wise as thou art strong,

Canst compass all that thou desirest. I

Present thee with this music-flowing shell,

Knowing thou canst interrogate it well...."

Apollo is not slow to learn the new art with which he is ever after to delight both gods and men; but he is not at first quite at ease in his mind, fearing that Hermes will not only recapture the lyre but steal his friend's bow and arrows into the bargain. Hermes, however, swears by all that is holy never to do so, and the friendship of the two artful gods is sealed for ever. The minstrel does not forget, at this point, to remind his hearers, among whom we may imagine not a few professional followers of Hermes to have been mixed, that the robber's honour is pledged by his divine patron to respect the treasures of Apollo's shrines. Let not the votary think, he adds, that Apollo's oracles are equally useful to good and to bad men: these mysteries are truly efficacious only for the pious and orthodox who follow the established traditions of the temple and honour its servants. Apollo says:—

 "He who comes consigned By voice and wings of perfect augury To my great shrine shall find avail in me:  "Him I will not deceive, but will assist. But he who comes relying on such birds As chatter vainly, who would strain and twist The purpose of the gods with idle words, And deems their knowledge light, he shall have missed His road—whilst I among my other hoards His gifts deposit...." 

"He who comes consigned

By voice and wings of perfect augury

To my great shrine shall find avail in me:

But he who comes relying on such birds

 Prev. P 28/162 next