he pretended to the shepherd that he was only some foreigner who by stress
of weather had put into that port; and framed on the sudden a story to
make it plausible, how he had come from Crete in a ship of Phaeacia; when
the young shepherd, laughing, and taking Ulysses's hand in both his, said
to him: "He must be cunning, I find, who thinks to overreach you. What,
cannot you quit your wiles and your subtleties, now that you are in a
state of security? must the first word with which you salute your native
earth be an untruth? and think you that you are unknown?"

Ulysses looked again; and he saw, not a shepherd, but a beautiful woman,
whom he immediately knew to be the goddess Minerva, that in the wars of
Troy had frequently vouchsafed her sight to him; and had been with him
since in perils, saving him unseen.

"Let not my ignorance offend thee, great Minerva," he cried, "or move thy
displeasure, that in that shape I knew thee not; since the skill of
discerning of deities is not attainable by wit or study, but hard to be
hit by the wisest of mortals. To know thee truly through all thy changes
is only given to those whom thou art pleased to grace. To all men thou
takest all likenesses. All men in their wits think that they know thee,
and that they have thee. Thou art wisdom itself. But a semblance of thee,
which is false wisdom, often is taken for thee, so thy counterfeit view
appears to many, but thy true presence to few: those are they which,
loving thee above all, are inspired with light from thee to know thee. But
this I surely know, that all the time the sons of Greece waged war against
Troy, I was sundry times graced with thy appearance; but since, I have
never been able to set eyes upon thee till now; but have wandered at my
own discretion, to myself a blind guide, erring up and down the world,
wanting thee."