Come, tell me what sort of clothing he wore, what cut of man was he? What of the men who followed in his train?

"Now, stranger, I think I’ll test you, just to see
if there in your house, with all his friends-in-arms,
you actually entertained my husband as you say.
Come, tell me what sort of clothing he wore,
what cut of man was he?
What of the men who followed in his train?"

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 19, lines 248-253. When Penelope’s visitor (Odysseus disguised) claims to have befriended her husband, Penelope is wary about his story. So she decides to test him. She asks what clothing he wore, his build, and about those who followed him. Here Penelope demonstrates the kind of cunning Odysseus himself has – he would often test people to see if he could trust them.

Homer Quotes