ZEUS

Hermes, do you know Inachus’ daughter, the one that’s so pretty?

HERMES

Yes. You mean Io, ¹ don’t you?

ZEUS

She’s not a girl, but a heifer now.

HERMES

Wonders will never cease! How this change?

ZEUS

Hera did it out of jealousy. But that’s not all. She’s played another nasty unheard-of trick on the poor girl. She’s put a herdsman called Argus with ever so many eyes in charge of her. He keeps an eye on her as she grazes, and he never goes to sleep.

HERMES

Well, what are we to do about it?

ZEUS

You must fly down to Nemea—Argus is on his beat thereabouts—and kill him. Then take Io over the sea to Egypt, and make her into Isis. Hereafter let her be goddess of the folk there, raising the waters of the Nile, sending them their winds, and preserving seafarers from harm.

Hephaestus

Have you seen Maia’s baby, Apollo? such a pretty little thing, with a smile for everybody; you can see it is going to be a treasure,

Apollo

That baby a treasure? well, in mischief, Iapetus is young beside it.

Hephaestus

Why, what harm can it do, only just born?

Apollo

Ask Posidon; it stole his trident. Ask Ares; he was surprised to find his sword gone out of the scabbard. Not to mention myself, disarmed of bow and arrows.

Hephaestus

Never! that infant? he has hardly found his legs yet; he is not out of his baby-linen.

Apollo

Ah, you will find out, Hephaestus, if he gets within reach of you.

Hephaestus

He has been.

Apollo

Well? all your tools safe? none missing?

Hephaestus

Of course not.

Apollo

I advise you to make sure.

Hephaestus

Zeus! where are my pincers?

Apollo

Ah, you will find them among the baby-linen,

Hephaestus

So light-fingered? one would swear he had practised petty larceny in the womb.

Apollo

Ah, and you don’t know what a glib young chatterbox he is; and, if he has his way, he is to be our errand-boy! Yesterday he challenged Eros—tripped up his heels somehow, and had him on his back in a twinkling; before the applause was over, he had taken the opportunity of a congratulatory hug from Aphrodite to steal her girdle; Zeus had not done laughing before— the sceptre was gone. If the thunderbolt had not been too heavy, and very hot, he would have made away with that too.

Hephaestus

The child has some spirit in him, by your account.

Apollo

Spirit, yes—and some music, moreover, young as he is.

Hephaestus

How can you tell that?

Apollo

He picked up a dead tortoise somewhere or other, and contrived an instrument with it. He fitted horns to it, with a cross-bar, stuck in pegs, inserted a bridge, and played a sweet tuneful thing that made an old harper like me quite envious. Even at night, Maia was saying, he does not stay in Heaven; he goes down poking his nose into Hades—on a thieves’ errand, no doubt. Then he has a pair of wings, and he has made himself a magic wand, which he uses for marshalling souls—convoying the dead to their place.

Hephaestus

Ah, I gave him that, for a toy.

Apollo

And by way of payment he stole—

Hephaestus

Well thought on; I must go and get them; you may be right about the baby-linen.