Page:The Iliad of Homer (Butler).djvu/249

BK. XIV.] pierced lobes of her ears, and threw a lovely new veil over her head. She bound her sandals on to her feet, and when she had arrayed herself perfectly to her satisfaction, she left her room and called Venus to come aside and speak to her. " My dear child," said she, " will you do what I am going to ask of you, or will you refuse me because you are angry at my being on the Danaan side, while you are on the Trojan 1 "

Jove's daughter Venus answered, " Juno, august queen of goddesses, daughter of mighty Saturn, say what you want, and I will do it for you at once, if I can, and if it can be done at all."

Then Juno told her a lying tale and said, " I want you to endow me with some of those fascinating charms, the spells of which bring all things mortal and immortal to your feet. I am going to the world's end to visit Oceanus (from whom all we gods proceed) and mother Tethys : they received me in their house, took care of me, and brought me up, having taken me over from Rhsea when Jove imprisoned great Saturn in the depths that are under earth and sea. I must go and see them that I may make peace between them; they have been quarrelling, and are so angry that they have not slept with one another this long while ; if I can bring them round and restore them to one another's embraces, they will be grateful to me and love me for ever afterwards."

Thereon laughter-loving Venus said, " I cannot and must not refuse you, for you sleep in the arms of Jove who is our king.''

As she spoke she loosed from her bosom the curiously embroidered girdle into which all her charms had been wrought — love, desire, and that sweet flattery which steals the judgement even of the most prudent. She gave the girdle to Juno and said, " Take this girdle wherein all my charms reside and lay it in your bosom. If you will wear it I promise you that your errand, be it what it may, will not be bootless."