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[95] ἀπώλεσα οἶκον. The Schol. M.V. makes this an ambiguous phrase, “ἀμφίβολον πότερον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἢ τὸν τοῦ Πριάμου”. But there is no real doubt. He means he was obliged to leave his house to be wasted, when he went to Troy; and wasted it was completely, although he had more than replaced the loss on his return. He then, at the words ὧς ὄφελον, passes on to another reason for his statement “οὔ τοι χαίρων ἀνάσσω”, namely, the many lives lost for his sake at Troy (in contrast to Agamemnon's death at home); and he says he would much rather be in possession of one-third of his old “οἶκος”, than be, as he now is, richer than ever—could he but have all those lives restored.

Homer's Odyssey. W. Walter Merry. James Riddell. D. B. Monro. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1886-1901.

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