"I knew it all, I gave him all he asked for,
bread and mellow wine, but he made me take
a binding oath that I, I wouldn’t tell you,
no, not till ten or a dozen days had passed
or you missed the lad yourself and learned he’d gone,
so tears would never mar your lovely face."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 4, lines 839-844. Eurycleia admits to Penelope that she knew Telemachus had embarked on a sea voyage to find out what happened to his father. She provided Telemachus with bread and wind, but he made her swear an oath that she wouldn’t tell Penelope until ten or twelve days later.