286 The Honey-Makers 



was suspended, and had become hollow, a swarm of bees 

 entered it, and filled it with honey-comb. When this 

 happened the Amathusians consulted the oracle respecting 

 it, and an answer was given them that they should take 

 down the head and bury it, and sacrifice annually to 

 Onesilus as to a hero ; and if they did so, it would turn 

 out better for them. The Amathusians did accordingly, 

 and continued to do so until my time." 



The literature and mythology of the ancients contain 

 numerous such stories of prophecy, good or bad, given by 

 the bees. 



The sweetness of honey came to be symbolical of 

 the sweetness of speech. As honey was sweet in the 

 mouth, sweet also were the words of the eloquent that 

 proceeded out of the mouth. Hence the expressions 

 " honeyed speech," " honeyed tongue," " his tongue dropped 

 honey," and many others. 



Hesiod, for instance, speaking of the gifts bestowed by 

 the Muses upon whomsoever among the kings of men 

 they delight to honor, says, — 



" Upon his tongue they shed a balmy dew ; 

 And words, as honey sweet, drop from his lips." 



Future greatness and future eloquence are said frequently 

 to have been foretold by bees. 



Cicero relates, in his work on divination, the belief con- . 

 cerning Plato : — 



''While Plato was an infant in his cradle, a swarm of 

 bees settled on his lips during his slumbers ; and the 

 diviners answered that he would become extremely elo- 

 quent; and this prediction of his future eloquence was 

 made before he even knew how to speak." 



And Pliny says the same thus : " Bees settled upon the 

 lips of Plato when still an infant even, announcing thereby 



