SB 115 525 
 
PAULINE FORE MOFFITT 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 GENERAL LIBRARY, BERKELEY 
 
., 
 
 
/*L 
 
 i/rU^e^L Jfa~s t 
 
THE STORY 
 OF THE ILIAD 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A. 
 
 Lately Professor of Latin in University College, London 
 
 With Illustrations after FLAX MAN 
 
 
 
 LONDON 
 
 SEELEY AND CO., LIMITED 
 
 ESSEX STREET, STRAND 
 
 1893 
 
Copyright in the United States. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 FOURTEEN years ago, in introducing my 
 'Stories from Homer' to the public, I ex- 
 pressed the hope that they would ' repre- 
 sent Homer not unfaithfully to readers, old 
 and young, who did not know him in the 
 original.' The book has found, on both 
 sides of the Atlantic, many such readers, 
 and not a few, I am proud to think, who, 
 knowing the original, have judged this 
 adaptation to be not altogether unworthy 
 of it. If I could have anticipated so warm 
 a welcome for my little work the sale 
 now exceeds twenty thousand copies I 
 should not have attempted to compress 
 into a single volume the substance of the 
 two poems. The two volumes which I 
 
 375 
 
iv PREFACE 
 
 now publish, under the titles of ' The Story 
 of the Iliad,' and 'The Story of the 
 Odyssey,' give a much fuller, and, I trust, 
 a more adequate presentment of them. 
 In the first of these the narrative has 
 been made continuous and completed by 
 a beginning and an ending, both very 
 brief, and containing, it may be said, 
 nothing that is not strictly Homeric ; in 
 the second, Homer's own order has been 
 restored, so that Ulysses now tells his 
 adventures in the first person. 
 
 A. C. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. OF \VHAT BEFELL BEFORE THE QUARREL, . 1 
 
 II. THE QUARREL, 4 
 
 III. THE ASSEMBLY, 19 
 
 IV. THE DUEL OF PARIS AND MENELAUS, . . 34 
 V. THE BROKEN OATH, 45 
 
 VI. THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED, ... 54 
 
 VII. GLAUCUS AND DIOMED, 74 
 
 VIII. HECTOR AND ANDROMACH, .... 82 
 
 IX. THE DUEL OF HECTOR AND AJAX, ... 92 
 
 X. THE BATTLE ON THE PLAIN, . . . .103 
 
 XI. THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES, . . . .117 
 
 XII. THE ADVENTURE OF ULYSSES AND DIOMED, . 142 
 
 XIII. THE VALIANT DEEDS OF AGAMEMNON, . . 151 
 
 XIV. THE WOUNDING OF THE CHIEFS, . . .157 
 XV. THE BATTLE AT THE WALL, 168 
 
 XVI. THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS, . . . .178 
 XVII. THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS (continued], . . 190 
 XVIII. THE DEEDS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS, . . 203 
 
vi CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XIX. THE ROUSING OF ACHILLES, .... 214 
 
 XX. THE MAKING OF THE ARMS, . . . . 224 
 
 XXI. THE ENDING OF THE STRIFE, . . . . 231 
 
 XXII. THE BATTLE AT THE RIVER, .... 237 
 
 XXIII. THE BATTLE OF THE GODS, .... 244 
 
 XXIV. THE SLAYING OF HECTOR, .... 257 
 
 XXV. THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS, .... 274 
 
 i 
 
 XXVI. THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR, . . . .295 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 THE GODS DESCENDING TO BATTLE, . . . Frontispiece 
 
 ATHENE SUPPRESSING THE FURY OF ACHILLES, IO 
 
 DIOMED CASTING HIS SPEAR AGAINST ARES, . . 70 
 
 HECTOR CHIDING PARIS, 84 
 
 THE MEETING OF HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE, ... 88 
 
 HECTOR AND AJAX SEPARATED BY THE HERAI DS, . . IOO 
 
 HERtf AND ATHENE GOING TO ASSIST THE GREEKS, . . 112 
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES, 122 
 
 DIOMED AND ULYSSES RETURNING WITH THE SPOILS OF 
 
 RHESUS, . - . . . . . '. .148 
 
 POLYHAMUS ADVISING HECTOR TO RETIRE FROM THE 
 
 TRENCH, 170 
 
 AJAX DEFENDING THE GREEK SHIPS AGAINST THE TROJANS, 2OO 
 
 SLEEP AND DEATH CONVEYING THE BODY OF SARPEDON 
 
 TO LYCIA, 210 
 
 THE FIGHT FOR THE BODY OF PATROCLUS, . . . 214 
 
 THETIS BRINGING THE ARMOUR TO ACHILLES, . . . 228 
 
 HECTOR'S BODY DRAGGED AT THE CHARIOT OF ACHILLES, . 264 
 
 ANDROMACHE FAINTING ON THE WALL, .... 268 
 
THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OF WHAT BEFELL BEFORE THE QUARREL. 
 
 LEDA, the wife of Tyndareus, King of 
 Sparta, bare a daughter, Helen by name, that 
 grew to be the fairest of all women upon earth. 
 She married Menelaiis, son of Atreus, and for 
 a while dwelt in peace with her husband, bear- 
 ing him a daughter, Hermione by name. But 
 there came to the court of Menelaiis, who was 
 by this time King of Sparta, a certain Paris, 
 second in birth among the sons of Priam, King 
 of Troy. Him did Menelaiis hospitably enter- 
 tain, but Paris repaid his kindness with evil, 
 for he carried off his wife, the fair Helen, and 
 took with her many of the King's possessions. 
 
 Then Menelaiis, with his elder brother 
 Agamemnon, who was over-lord of all the 
 
 A 
 
2 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Greeks, went to all the chiefs, and prayed that 
 they would help them to avenge this wrong. 
 Thus was a great host gathered together, even 
 a hundred thousand men, and eleven hundred 
 iourscore and six ships. At Aulis in Euboea 
 was their gathering ; and from Aulis they 
 crossed over to Troy. 
 
 The great chiefs of the host were these : 
 
 First the two brothers, the sons of Atreus. 
 
 Next Diomed, the son of Tydeus, and with 
 him Sthenelus. 
 
 Nestor, son of Neleus, who had outlived 
 three generations of mortal men. 
 
 Ulysses, son of Laertes, from Ithaca. 
 
 Thoas the ^tolian. 
 
 Idomeneus, King of Crete, and Meriones 
 with him. 
 
 Tlepolemus, son of Hercules, from Rhodes. 
 
 Eumelus, son of Admetus and Alcestis, from 
 Thessaly. 
 
 And, bravest and strongest of all, Achilles, 
 and with him Patroclus. 
 
 For nine years did the Greeks besiege the 
 city of Troy. They prevailed, indeed, in the 
 field, but could not break through the walls. 
 
OF WHAT BEFELL BEFORE THE QUARREL. 3 
 
 Now because they had been away from their 
 homes for many years, they were in want of 
 things needful. Therefore it was their custom 
 to leave part of the army to watch the city, 
 and with part to spoil the cities in the coun- 
 try round about. And in this way the great 
 quarrel that caused such trouble to the host 
 came about. 
 
THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE QUARREL. 
 
 THE Greeks sacked the city of Chryse, 
 where was a temple of Apollo, and a priest 
 that served the temple. And when they 
 divided the spoil, they gave to King Aga- 
 memnon, with other gifts, the priest's daughter 
 Chrysei's. Thereupon there came to the camp 
 Chryses, the priest, wishing to ransom his 
 daughter. Much gold he brought with him, 
 and on his staff of gold he carried the holy 
 garland, that men might reverence him the 
 more. He went to all the chiefs, and to the 
 sons of Atreus first of all, saying : 
 
 " Loose, I pray you, my dear daughter, and 
 take the ransom for her; so may the gods that 
 dwell in Olympus grant you to take the city of 
 Troy, and to have safe return to your homes." 
 
 Then all the others spake him fair, and 
 would have done what he wished. Only Aga- 
 memnon would not have it so. 
 
THE QUARREL. 5 
 
 " Get thee out, graybeard ! " he cried in 
 great wrath. " Let me not find thee linger- 
 ing now by the ships, neither coming hither 
 again, or it shall be the worse for thee, for all 
 thy priesthood. And as for thy daughter, I 
 shall carry her away to Argos, when I shall 
 have taken this city of Troy." 
 
 Then the old man went out hastily in great 
 fear and trouble. And he walked in his sorrow 
 by the shore of the sounding sea, and prayed 
 to his god Apollo. 
 
 " Hear me, God of the silver bow ! If I have 
 built thee a temple, and offered thee the fat 
 of many bullocks and rams, hear me, and 
 avenge my tears on these Greeks with thine 
 arrows ! " 
 
 And Apollo heard him. Wroth was he that 
 men had so dishonoured his priest, and he 
 came down from the top of Olympus, where 
 he dwelt. Dreadful was the rattle of his arrows 
 as he went, and his coming was as the night 
 when it cometh over the sky. Then he shot 
 the arrows of death, first on the dogs and the 
 mules, and then on the men ; and soon all 
 along the shore rolled the black smoke from 
 
6 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 the piles of wood on which they burnt the 
 bodies of the dead. 
 
 For nine days the shafts of the god went 
 throughout the host ; but on the tenth day 
 Achilles called the people to an assembly. So 
 Hera bade him, for she loved the Greeks, and 
 grieved to see them die. When they were, 
 gathered together he stood up among them, 
 and spake to Agamemnon. 
 
 " Surely it were better to return home, than 
 that we should all perish here by war or 
 plague. But come, let us ask some prophet, 
 or priest, or dreamer of dreams, why it is that 
 Apollo is so wroth with us." 
 
 Then stood up Calchas, best of seers, who 
 knew what had been, and what was, and what 
 was to come, and spake. 
 
 "Achilles, thou biddest me tell the people 
 why Apollo is wroth with them. Lo ! I will 
 tell thee, but thou must first swear to stand by 
 me, for I know that what I shall say will anger 
 King Agamemnon, and it goes ill with common 
 men when kings are angry." 
 
 " Speak out, thou wise man ! " cried Achilles ; 
 u for I swear by Apollo that while I live no one 
 
THE QUARREL. 7 
 
 shall lay hands on thee, no, not Agamemnon's 
 self, though he be sovereign lord of the Greeks." 
 
 Then the blameless seer took heart, and 
 spake : " It is not for vow or offering that 
 Apollo is wroth ; it is for his servant the 
 priest, for he came to ransom his daughter, but 
 Agamemnon scorned him, and would not let 
 the maiden go. Now, then, ye must send her 
 back to Chryse without ransom, and with her 
 a hundred beasts for sacrifice, so that the plague 
 may be stayed." 
 
 Then Agamemnon stood up in a fury, his 
 eyes blazing like fire. 
 
 " Never," he cried, " hast thou spoken good 
 concerning me, ill prophet that thou art, and 
 now thou tellest me to give up this maiden ! I 
 will do it, for I would not that the people should 
 perish. Only take care, ye Greeks, that there 
 be a share of the spoil for me, for it would ill 
 beseem the lord of all the host that he alone 
 should be without his share." 
 
 " Nay, my lord Agamemnon," cried Achilles, 
 "thou art too eager for gain. We have no 
 treasures out of which we may make up thy 
 loss, for what we got out of the towns we have 
 
8 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 either sold or divided ; nor would it be fitting 
 that the people should give back what has been 
 given to them. Give up the maiden, then, with- 
 out conditions, and when we shall have taken 
 this city of Troy, we will repay thee three and 
 four fold." 
 
 "Nay, great Achilles," said Agamemnon, 
 " thou shalt not cheat me thus. If the Greeks 
 will give me such a share as I should have, well 
 and good. But if not, I will take one for my- 
 self, whether it be from thee, or from Ajax, or 
 from Ulysses ; for my share I will have. But 
 of this hereafter. Now let us see that this 
 maiden be sent back. Let them get ready 
 a ship, and put her therein, and with her a 
 hundred victims, and let some chief go with the 
 ship, and see that all things be rightly done." 
 
 Then cried Achilles, and his face was black 
 as a thunder-storm : " Surely thou art altogether 
 shameless and greedy, and, in truth, an ill ruler 
 of men. No quarrel have I with the Trojans. 
 They never harried oxen or sheep of mine in 
 fertile Phthia, for many murky mountains lie 
 between, and a great breadth of roaring sea. 
 But I have been fighting in thy cause, and that 
 
THE QUARREL. 9 
 
 of thy brother Menelaiis. Naught carest thou 
 for that. Thou leavest me to fight, and sittest 
 in thy tent at ease. But when the spoil is 
 divided, thine is always the lion's share. Small 
 indeed is my part * a little thing, but dear.' 
 And this, forsooth, thou wilt take away ! Now 
 am I resolved to go home. I have no mind to 
 heap up goods and gold for thee, and be myself 
 dishonoured." 
 
 And King Agamemnon answered: " Go, and 
 thy Myrmidons with thee ! I have other chief- 
 tains as good as thou art, and ready, as thou art 
 not, to pay me due respect ; and Zeus, the god 
 of council, is with me. I hate thee, for thou 
 always lovest war and strife. And as for the 
 matter of the spoil, know that I will take thy 
 share, the girl Brisei's, and fetch her myself, if 
 need be, that all may know that I am sovereign 
 lord here in the host of the Greeks." 
 
 Then Achilles was mad with anger, and he 
 thought in his heart, " Shall I arise and slay 
 this caitiff, or shall I keep down the wrath in 
 my breast ? " And as he thought he laid his 
 hand on his sword-hilt, and had half drawn his 
 sword from the scabbard, when lo ! the goddess 
 
10 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Athene stood behind him (for Hera, who loved 
 both this chieftain and that, had sent her), and 
 caught him by the long locks of his yellow hair. 
 But Achilles marvelled much to feel the mighty 
 grasp, and turned, and looked, and knew the 
 goddess, but no one else in the assembly might 
 see her. Terrible was the flash of his eyes as 
 he cried: "Art thou come, child of Zeus, to 
 see the insolence of Agamemnon ? Of a truth, 
 I think that he will perish for his folly." 
 
 But Athene said : " Nay, but I am come 
 from heaven to abate thy wrath, if thou wilt 
 hear me ; white-armed Hera sent me, for she 
 loveth and cherisheth you both alike. Draw 
 not thy sword ; but use bitter words, even as 
 thou wilt. Of a truth, I tell thee that for this 
 insolence of to-day he will bring thee hereafter 
 splendid gifts, threefold and fourfold for all 
 that he may take away. Only refrain thyself 
 and do my bidding." 
 
 Then Achilles answered : " I will abide by 
 thy command for all my wrath, for the man 
 who hearkens to the immortal gods is also 
 heard of them." And as he spake he laid 
 his heavy hand upon the hilt, and thrust back 
 
THE QUARREL. II 
 
 the sword into the scabbard, and Athene went 
 her way to Olympus. 
 
 Then he turned him to King Agamemnon, 
 and spake again, for his anger was not spent : 
 " Drunkard, with the eyes of a dog and the 
 heart of a deer! never fighting in the front 
 of the battle, nor daring to lie in the ambush ! 
 'Tis a race of dastards that thou rulest, or this 
 had been thy last wrong. But this I tell thee, 
 and confirm my words with a mighty oath 
 by this sceptre do I swear. Once it was the 
 branch of a tree, but now the sons of the 
 Greeks bear it in their hands, even they who 
 maintain the laws of Zeus ; as surely as it shall 
 never again have bark, or leaves, or shoot, so 
 surely shall the Greeks one day miss Achilles, 
 when they fall in heaps before the dreadful 
 Hector ; and thou shalt eat thy heart for rage, 
 to think that thou hast wronged the bravest of 
 thy host." 
 
 And as he spake he dashed the sceptre, all 
 embossed with studs of gold, upon the ground, 
 and sat down. And on the other side Aga- 
 memnon sat in furious anger. Then Nestor 
 rose, an old man of a hundred years and more, 
 
12 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 and counselled peace. Let them listen, he 
 said, to his counsel. Great chiefs in the old 
 days, with whom no man now alive would dare 
 to fight, had listened. Let not Agamemnon 
 take away from the bravest of the Greeks the 
 prize of war; let not Achilles, though he was 
 mightier in battle than all other men, contend 
 with Agamemnon, who was sovereign lord of 
 all the hosts of Greece. But he spake in vain. 
 For Agamemnon answered : 
 
 " Nestor, thou speakest well, and peace is 
 good. But this fellow would lord it over all ; 
 yet there are some, methinks, who will not 
 obey him. For if the immortal gods have 
 made him a great warrior, do they therefore 
 grant him leave to speak lawless words ? Ver- 
 ily he must be taught that there is one here, 
 at least, who is better than he." 
 
 And Achilles said : " I were a slave and a 
 coward if I owned thee as my lord. Not so : 
 play the master over others, but think not 
 to master me. As for the prize which the 
 Greeks gave me, let them do as they will. 
 They gave it ; let them take it away. But if 
 thou darest to touch aught that is mine own, 
 
THE QUARREL. 13 
 
 that hour thy life-blood shall redden on my 
 spear." 
 
 Then the assembly was dismissed. Chrysei's 
 was sent to her home with due offerings to the 
 god, the wise Ulysses going with her. And all 
 the people purified themselves, and offered 
 offerings to the gods; and the sweet savour 
 went up to heaven in the wreathing smoke. 
 
 But King Agamemnon would not go back 
 from his purpose. So he called to him the 
 heralds, Talthybius and Eurybates, and said : 
 
 " Heralds, go to the tents of Achilles, and 
 fetch the maiden Brisei's. But if he will not 
 let her go, say that I will come myself with 
 many others to fetch her; so will it be the 
 worse for him." 
 
 Sorely against their will the heralds went. 
 Along the seashore they walked, till they came 
 to where, amidst the Myrmidons, were the tents 
 of Achilles. There they found him, sitting 
 between his tent and his ship. He did not 
 rejoice to see them, and they stood in great 
 terror and shame. But he knew in his heart 
 wherefore they had come, and cried aloud: 
 " Come near, ye heralds, messengers of gods 
 
14 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 and men. Tis no fault of yours that ye are 
 come on such an errand." 
 
 Then he turned to Patroclus (now Patroclus 
 was his dearest friend) and said : " Bring the 
 maiden from her tent, and let the heralds lead 
 her away. But let them be witnesses, before 
 gods and men, and before this evil-minded 
 King, against the day when he shall have sore 
 need of me to save his host from destruction. 
 Fool that he is, who knoweth not to look back 
 and to look forward, that his people may be 
 safe!" 
 
 Then Patroclus brought forth the maiden 
 from her tent, and gave her to the heralds. 
 And they led her away; but it was sorely 
 against her will that she went. But Achilles 
 went apart from his comrades, and sat upon 
 the seashore, falling into a great passion of 
 tears, and stretching out his hands with loud 
 prayer to his mother, Thetis, daughter of the 
 sea. She heard him where she sat in the 
 depths by her father, the old god of the sea, 
 and rose from the gray sea, as a vapour rises, 
 and came to where he sat weeping, and stroked 
 him with her hand, and called him by his name. 
 
THE QUARREL. 15 
 
 " What ails thee, my son ? " she said. 
 
 Then he told her the story of his wrong, and 
 when he had ended he said : 
 
 "Go, I pray thee, to the top of Olympus, to 
 the palace of Zeus. Often have I heard thee 
 in my father's hall, boast how, long ago, thou 
 didst help him when the other gods would 
 have bound him, fetching Briareus of the hun- 
 dred hand , who sat by him in his strength, so 
 that the gods feared to touch him. Go now, 
 and call these things to his mind, and pray him 
 that he help the sons of Troy, and give them 
 victory in the battle, so that the Greeks, as 
 they flee before them, may have joy of this 
 king of theirs, who has done such wrong to the 
 bravest <~i his host." 
 
 And his mother answered him: "Surely 
 thine is an evil lot, my son. Thy life is short, 
 and it should of right be without tears and full 
 of joy; but now it seems to me to be both 
 short and sad. But I will go as thou sayest to 
 Olympus, to the palace of Zeus ; but not now, 
 for he has gone, and the other gods with him, 
 to a twelve days' feast with the pious Ethio- 
 pians. But when he comes back I will entreat 
 
16 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 and persuade him. And do thou sit still, nor 
 go forth to battle." 
 
 Meanwhile Ulysses drew near to Chryse 
 with the holy offerings. And when they were 
 come within the haven, they furled the sail, 
 and laid it in the ship, and lowered the mast, 
 and rowed the ship to her moorings. They 
 cast out the anchor stones, and made fast the 
 cables from the stern. After that they landed, 
 taking with them the offerings and the maid 
 Chrysei's. To the altar they brought the maid, 
 and gave her into the arms of her father, and 
 the wise Ulysses said : " See now ; Agamemnon, 
 King of men, sends back thy daughter, and 
 with her a hundred beasts for sacrifice, that 
 we may appease the god who hath smitten 
 the Greeks in his wrath." 
 
 Then the priest received his daughter right 
 gladly, and when they had ranged the beasts 
 about the altar, and poured out the water of 
 purification, and took up handfuls of bruised 
 barley, then the priest prayed, " Hear me, God 
 of the silver bow ! If before thou didst hearken 
 to my prayer, and grievously afflict the Greeks, 
 so hear me now, and stay this plague which is 
 come upon them," 
 
THE QUARREL. I? 
 
 So prayed he, and the god gave ear. 
 
 Then they cast the barley on the heads of 
 the cattle, and slew them, and flayed them, 
 and they cut out the thigh-bones and wrapped 
 them up in folds of fat, and laid raw morsels 
 on them. These the priest burned on fagots, 
 pouring on sparkling wine; and the young 
 men stood by, having the five-pronged forks 
 in their hands. And when the thighs were 
 consumed, then they cut up the rest, and 
 broiled the pieces carefully on spits. This 
 being done, they made their meal, nor did any 
 one lack his share. And when the meal was 
 ended, then they poured a little wine into the 
 cups to serve for libations to the gods. After 
 that they sat till sunset, singing a hymn to the 
 Archer God, and making merry; and he heard 
 their voice and was pleased. 
 
 When the sun went down they slept beside 
 the stern-cables ; and when the dawn appeared 
 then they embarked, raising the mast and 
 spreading the sail ; and Apollo sent them a 
 favouring wind, and the dark blue wave hissed 
 about the stem of the ship as she went : so 
 they came to the camp of the Greeks. 
 
 B 
 
1 8 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 But all the time Achilles sat in wrath beside 
 his ships ; he went not to the war, nor yet to 
 the assembly, but sat fretting in his heart, 
 because he longed for the cry of the battle. 
 
1HE ASSEMBLY. IQ 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE ASSEMBLY. 
 
 WHEN the twelfth day was come, Thetis rose 
 out of the sea, and went to high Olympus. 
 There she found Zeus sitting apart on the 
 topmost peak of Olympus, and she knelt 
 down before him ; with her left hand she 
 clasped his knees, and with her right she took 
 his beard, and she made her supplication to 
 him. 
 
 " O Father Zeus, if ever I have aided thee 
 by word or deed, fulfil now my prayer. Give 
 honour, I beseech thee, to Achilles my son, 
 that hath so short a space of life ; for now 
 Agamemnon hath put dishonour upon him, 
 taking away the gift that the Greeks gave him. 
 Grant, therefore, that the men of Troy may 
 prevail for a while, so that the Greeks may do 
 honour to my son." 
 
 So she spake, but Zeus sate long time si- 
 lent ; but Thetis would not loose her hold. 
 
20 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Then she spake again : " Give me now thy 
 promise, and confirm it with a nod, or else 
 deny me. So shall I know that I am held 
 least in honour of all the gods." 
 
 Then Zeus made answer much disturbed: 
 " This is a hard matter, for thou wilt set me at 
 strife with Hera, and she will upbraid me with 
 bitter words. Even now she is ever reproach- 
 ing me, saying that I favour the men of Troy 
 in the battle. Therefore do thou get thee 
 away, that she know not of thy coming ; and 
 I will consider how this thing may be best 
 accomplished. And now I will assure my 
 promise with a nod ; for when I give my nod, 
 then the thing may not be repented of or left 
 undone." 
 
 So he spake, and nodded with his dark 
 brows, and the hair waved about his head, and 
 all Olympus was shaken. 
 
 Then Thetis departed, diving into the deep 
 sea, and Zeus went to his own house, and all 
 the gods rose up before him. And when he 
 sat upon his chair, then Hera, knowing that 
 Thetis of the silver feet had held counsel with 
 him, addressed him with bitter words, 
 
THE ASSEMBLY. 21 
 
 " Who hath been in counsel with thee, thou 
 plotter ? Thou dost always take pleasure, 
 when I am absent, in secret devices, and never 
 tellest thy thought to me freely." 
 
 To her the sire of gods and men made 
 reply: "Hera, think not to know all my 
 thoughts; that were too hard for thee, even 
 though thou art my wife. That which is fit- 
 ting thou shalt hear first ; but into such coun- 
 sel as I take by myself inquire thou not." 
 
 Hera answered : " What sayest thou ? I 
 have not pried into thy counsels. These thou 
 devisest as thou wilt. And now I sorely fear 
 that Thetis of the silver feet hath prevailed 
 with thee. At dawn of day I saw her kneel- 
 ing before thee ; thou hast granted, I doubt 
 not, that Achilles shall have honour, and that 
 many of the Greeks shall die beside their 
 ships." 
 
 To this Zeus made reply : " Verily nought 
 escapeth thee, thou witch. If it be as thou 
 sayest, such is my will. Do thou sit silent, 
 and obey. Else all the gods in Olympus shall 
 not save thee, when I lay upon thee the hands 
 that none may stay." 
 
22 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Then Hera was afraid, and held her peace, 
 and all the gods were troubled. But Hephaes- 
 tus the craftsman spake, saying : " This indeed 
 will be a grievous business, if ye two come to 
 strife for the sake of mortal men, and make 
 trouble among the gods. If such ill counsels 
 prevail, what pleasure shall we have in our 
 feasting ? Now will I advise my mother that 
 she make peace with Zeus, lest he rebuke her 
 again. Were he minded to hurl her from 
 these seats, who should withstand him ? " 
 
 Thereupon he put the double-handled cup 
 into his mother's hand, and said : " Have pa- 
 tience, mother, for all that thou art vexed, lest 
 I see thee beaten before mine eyes. I could 
 not help thee. Once before, when I would 
 have succoured thee, he grasped me by the 
 foot, and flung me from the threshold of 
 heaven. All day I fell, and at sunset I lighted 
 in Lemnos." 
 
 Then Hera smiled, and took the cup from 
 her son. And he went round to all the gods, 
 going from left to right as a cupbearer should, 
 and poured the nectar from the mixing-bowl, 
 and laughter without end was woke among the 
 
THE ASSEMBLY. 23 
 
 blessed gods, when they saw the Haltfoot go 
 puffing through the hall. 
 
 So they feasted in the hall, lacking neither 
 the lyre, for on this Apollo played, nor sing- 
 ing, for the Muses sang sweetly, answering 
 one to the other. 
 
 Gods and men slept that night ; but Zeus 
 slept not, for he thought in his heart how 
 he might do honour to Achilles. And as he 
 thought, he judged it best to send a deceiving 
 dream to Agamemnon. Therefore he said : 
 " Go, deceiving Dream, to the swift ships of 
 the Greeks, and seek the tent of Agamemnon. 
 Bid him make haste and arm the Greeks, for 
 that he shall of a surety take the city of 
 Troy." 
 
 So the dream went to the tent of Agamem- 
 non, and found him wrapped in sleep. It took 
 the shape of Nestor, the old chief, whom the 
 King honoured more than all besides. 
 
 Then the false Nestor spake : " Sleepest 
 thou, Agamemnon ? It is not for kings to 
 sleep all through the night, for they must 
 take thought for many, and have many cares. 
 Listen now to the words of Zeus : ' Set the 
 
24 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 battle in array against Troy, for the gods are 
 now of one mind, and the day of doom is come 
 for the city, and thou shalt take it, and gain 
 everlasting glory for thyself.' " 
 
 And Agamemnon believed the dream, and 
 knew not the purpose of Zeus in bidding him 
 go forth to battle, how that the Trojans should 
 win the day, and great shame should come to 
 himself, but great honour to Achilles, when all 
 the Greeks should pray him to deliver them 
 from death. So he rose from his bed, and 
 donned his tunic, and put over it a great cloak, 
 and fastened the sandals on his feet, and hung 
 from his shoulders his mighty silver-studded 
 sword, and took in his right hand the great 
 sceptre of his house, which was the token of 
 his sovereignty over all the Greeks. 
 
 First he called a council of the chiefs by the 
 ship of King Nestor ; and when they were 
 seated, he said : " Hear me, my friends. This 
 night a dream came to me in my sleep ; most 
 like it was to Nestor. Above my head it 
 stood, and said : ' Thou sleepest, son of Atreus. 
 It is not for kings to sleep all through the 
 night. Now mark my word ; I come to thee 
 
THE ASSEMBLY. 2$ 
 
 from Zeus, who careth for thee, though he be 
 far away. He bids thee call the Greeks to 
 battle, for now thou shalt take the city of 
 Troy.' So spake the Dream. Come, there- 
 fore, let us rouse the Greeks ; but first I will 
 try their spirit, counselling them to flee to 
 their homes, and do ye dissuade them." 
 
 Then up rose Nestor in his place, and spake : 
 " Had any other told us this dream, we had 
 thought it false ; but seeing that he hath seen 
 it who is chief among us, let us call the people 
 to arms." 
 
 Then the heralds made proclamation, and 
 the people hastened to their places. Even as 
 the bees swarm from a hollow rock and cluster 
 about the flowers of spring, and some fly this 
 way and some that, so the many tribes marched 
 from the ships and the tents to the place of the 
 assembly. Great was the confusion and great 
 the uproar, and nine heralds sought to quiet 
 the people, that they might listen to the speak- 
 ing of the Kings ; and at the last the Greeks 
 ceased from their shouting, and sat in their 
 places. 
 
 To them Agamemnon rose up, holding the 
 
26 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 sceptre in his hand, and spake thus : " O my 
 friends, ill hath Zeus dealt with me. He prom- 
 ised me that I should take the city of Troy, and 
 so return to my home. But his words were 
 deceitful, for now he bids me go back to Argos, 
 inglorious, having lost much people. Shame 
 indeed were it for men to know hereafter that 
 we who are so many have yet fought in vain ; 
 many we are, and we fight with them that are 
 fewer than ourselves, and yet we see no end. 
 Verily, if the Greeks and the men of Troy 
 should make a truce and number themselves, 
 and the Greeks should be ranked in tens, and 
 for each ten should take a man of Troy to pour 
 the wine, verily, I say, many a ten would lack 
 a cupbearer. Fewer indeed by far are the Tro- 
 jans, but they have allies, valiant spearmen, who 
 hinder me from taking the city. And now nine 
 years have passed, and the timbers of our ships 
 are rotted, and the rigging is worn ; and our 
 wives and our children sit at home and wait 
 for us. Come, therefore, let us flee to the land 
 of our fathers, for Troy we may not take." 
 
 So spake the King, and stirred the hearts of 
 the people; that is to say, of all that knew not 
 
THE ASSEMBLY. 27 
 
 his secret counsel. All the assembly was moved 
 as the sea is moved, when the east wind raiseth 
 the waves, or as a cornfield, when the strong 
 west wind comes upon it, and shakes the ears 
 Shouting they hasted to the ships, and laid 
 hands on them to drag them down, and some 
 made clear the launching channels, and drew 
 the shores from under the sides. 
 
 Then had the Greeks returned, even though 
 fate willed it not. But Hera spake to Athene : 
 "Will the Greeks thus idly flee to their 
 homes ? and will they leave Helen a boast 
 to Priam and to Troy, Helen, for whom so 
 many have fallen far from their fatherland ? 
 Hasten now, and turn them from their pur- 
 pose." 
 
 So Athene hastened down from Olympus, 
 and she found Ulysses, who had laid no hand 
 upon his ship, for grief had touched him to his 
 heart. To him she said : " Son of Laertes, 
 will ye indeed flee to your fatherland, and leave 
 Helen, for whom so many have fallen, to be a 
 boast to Priam and the men of Troy? Go 
 now, and dissuade the Greeks, and suffer them 
 not to drag their ships to the sea." 
 
28 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 And when Ulysses heard the voice of the 
 goddess, he cast away his cloak, and ran. 
 King Agamemnon gave him his sceptre, and, 
 bearing that, he went among the ships. When 
 he saw a chief, he said with gentle words, 
 " Hold, sir, it ill becomes thee to be a coward ; 
 sit still and hold the people back. Thou 
 knowest not the mind of the King; he did 
 but make trial of the spirit of the Greeks. 
 Anger him not, lest he do some mischief to 
 the people." 
 
 But when he saw a common man, he smote 
 him with his sceptre, and said : " Fellow, sit 
 still, and listen to them that are better than 
 thou. Let there be one master, one king, to 
 whom Zeus has given authority." 
 
 Thus did he turn them from their purpose. 
 And they hasted again to the assembly with 
 such a noise as when a wave breaks along the 
 shore. 
 
 But, when all the rest were silent, Thersites 
 alone flouted and jeered the princes, that he 
 might move laughter among the Greeks. 
 Most ill-favoured was he of all that came to 
 Troy, bandy-legged, and halting on one foot, 
 
THE ASSEMBLY. 29 
 
 with a hump on his back, narrow-chested, and 
 his head misshapen, with straggling down 
 thereon. Loud he shouted now, reviling 
 Agamemnon : 
 
 " What lackest thou yet, son of Atreus ? 
 Full of bronze are thy tents, and many the 
 fair women whom we have given thee for a 
 prey. Wantest thou more than these ? Surely 
 a leader of men should not bring the Greeks 
 into trouble. And ye, who are women rather 
 than men, why sail ye not home, and leave this 
 man to gorge himself with his spoils alone ? 
 For now he hath wronged Achilles, taking away 
 his gift Achilles, who is far better than he. 
 Surely Achilles is mild of temper, or this, son 
 of Atreus, had been thy last wrong-doing ! " 
 
 Thereupon Ulysses rose up beside him, and 
 spake in wrath : " Peace, babbler ; take not the 
 name of kings upon thy lips, nor taunt thy bet- 
 ters. Hearken now to me : if I hear thee speak 
 idle words again as thou hast done this day, 
 surely I will strip from off thee cloak and 
 tunic, and drive thee to the ships with shame- 
 ful blows." So speaking, he smote him with 
 the sceptre on back and shoulders ; and a 
 
30 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 bloody weal rose up beneath the blow. All 
 dazed, the fellow cowered down and wiped 
 away his tears. 
 
 Merrily laughed the others, saying one to 
 his neighbour: "Often hath Ulysses done well, 
 but never better than now, when he hath 
 stopped this babbler's tongue. He will not 
 rail against the kings again." 
 
 Then Ulysses stood up to speak, holding the 
 sceptre in his hand ; and Athene stood by his 
 side, in the likeness of a herald, bidding the 
 people keep silence that all, nearest and farthest 
 alike, might hear his words. 
 
 "Now, O King," he said, "the Greeks go 
 about to shame thee, abiding no more by their 
 promise which they made thee coming from 
 Argos; to wit, that they would not return till 
 they had taken the city of Troy. Truly there 
 is toil enough here to make us sick of heart 
 and wishful to return. For a man will feel 
 weary if he be kept but a single moon from 
 his wife by winter winds and stormy sea, and 
 we have lingered here for twelve moons nine 
 times told. But it is not well to tarry long 
 and come back empty-handed, after all. Ye all 
 
THE ASSEMBLY. 3-1 
 
 remember all whom death hath not carried 
 away what befell in Aulis when the host was 
 gathered to make war on Troy, and we were 
 sacrificing to the immortal gods under a fair 
 plane tree by a spring, ye remember, I say, 
 how a great serpent, fiery red and horrible to 
 behold, glided from beneath the altar, and 
 darted to the tree. There on the topmost 
 bough was a sparrow's brood, crouching be- 
 neath the leaves. Eight were they in all, and 
 the mother was the ninth. These the serpent 
 devoured, one by one, twittering piteously ; 
 and the mother flew around, crying for her 
 children. Her last he caught by the wing, 
 twisting himself about. And when he had 
 devoured the brood and the mother, the god 
 that sent him made the sign yet more manifest, 
 turning him into stone. Then Calchas said, as 
 we stood wondering : ' Why are ye silent ? It 
 is to us this portent hath been sent. As the 
 snake hath eaten the brood of eight and the 
 mother the ninth, so for nine years shall we 
 make war in the land whither we go, and in 
 the tenth we shall take the fair city of Troy.' 
 So he spake ; and, without doubt, his words 
 
32 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 shall be fulfilled. Remain, therefore, ye Greeks, 
 till ye have taken Priam's mighty town." 
 
 So he spake, and all the Greeks shouted in 
 assent ; and the ships sent back the shout as it 
 had been thunder. 
 
 Then King Agamemnon stood up, and said : 
 " Go now to your meal, and afterwards we will 
 join the battle. Let every man whet well his 
 spear, and fit his shield, and feed his horses 
 abundantly, and look to his chariot, that all 
 day long we may fight, and cease not, even for 
 a little space, till, haply, night shall come and 
 separate the hosts. Truly the band of the 
 shield shall grow wet, and the hand be weary 
 that holdeth the spear, and the horse shall 
 sweat that draweth the polished car. And 
 whoso holdeth back from the fight, tarrying at 
 the ships, nothing shall save him from feeding 
 the dogs and the fowls of the air." 
 
 Then the Greeks shouted again. Quickly 
 did they scatter themselves among the ships 
 and the tents, and make their meal. And 
 Agamemnon made a feast, and called thereto 
 the chiefs, Nestor and Idomeneus, and Ajax 
 the Greater and Ajax the Less, and Diomed, 
 
THE ASSEMBLY. 33 
 
 and Ulysses ; but Menelalis, good at need, came 
 uncalled, knowing that he would be welcome. 
 
 Then King Agamemnon stood up and 
 prayed : " O Zeus, let not the sun set and the 
 darkness fall before I humble Priam's roof-tree 
 in the dust, and burn his doors with fire, and 
 rend the coat of Hector on his breast ! " 
 
 So he prayed, but Zeus hearkened not as yet. 
 
 And when the feast was ended, the chiefs 
 marshalled their hosts for the battle ; and 
 Athene in the midst swept through the host, 
 urging them to the conflict; and in every 
 heart she roused delight of battle, so that there 
 was no man but would have chosen war rather 
 than to return to his home. As is the flare of 
 a great fire when a wood is burning on a hill- 
 top, so was the flash of their arms and their 
 armour, as they thronged to the field. And 
 as the countless flocks of wild geese or cranes 
 or swans now wheel and now settle in the 
 great Asian fen by the stream of Cayster, or 
 as the bees swarm in the spring, when the 
 milk-pails are full, so thick the Greeks 
 thronged to the battle in the great plain by 
 
 the banks of the Scamander. 
 
 c 
 
34 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE DUEL OF PARIS AND MENELAUS. 
 
 So now the hosts drew near to battle. With 
 many a cry the men of Troy came on, clamor- 
 ous as a flock of cranes when they fly south- 
 ward from the winter and the rain. But the 
 Greeks marched in silence, resolute to stand 
 by one another in the battle; and beneath 
 their feet rose up a great cloud of dust, thick 
 as the mist which the south wind brings over 
 the mountain-tops the mist which the shep- 
 herd hateth, but the thief loveth more than 
 night. 
 
 They were now about to fight, when from 
 the ranks of the Trojans Paris rushed forth. 
 He had a panther's skin over his shoulders, and 
 a bow and a sword, and in either hand a spear, 
 and he called aloud to the Greeks that they 
 should send forth their bravest to fight with 
 him. But when Menelaiis saw him he was 
 glad, for he said that now he should avenge 
 
THE DUEL OF PARIS AND MENELAUS. 35 
 
 himself on the man who had done him such 
 wrong. So a lion is glad when, being sorely 
 hungered, he finds a stag or a wild goat ; he 
 devours it, and will not be driven from it by 
 dogs or hunters. He leapt from his chariot 
 and rushed to meet his enemy ; but Paris was 
 afraid when he saw Menelalis, and fled back 
 into the ranks of his comrades, just as a man 
 steps back in haste when unawares in a moun- 
 tain glen he comes upon a snake. But Hector 
 saw him, and rebuked him : " Fair art thou to 
 look upon, Paris, but nothing worth. Surely 
 the Greeks will scorn us if they think that 
 thou art our bravest warrior, because thou 
 art of stately presence. But thou art a cow- 
 ard; and yet thou daredst to go across the 
 sea and carry off the fair Helen. Why dost 
 thou not stand and abide the onset of her hus- 
 band, and see what manner of man he is? 
 Little, I ween, would thy harp and thy long 
 locks and thy fair face avail when thou wert 
 lying in the dust ! A craven race are the sons 
 of Troy, or they would have stoned thee ere 
 this." 
 
 Then Paris answered : " Thou speakest well, 
 
36 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Hector, and thy rebuke is just. As for thee, 
 thy heart is like iron, ever set on battle ; yet 
 are beauty and love also the gifts of the gods, 
 and not to be despised. But now set Menelalis 
 and me in the midst, and let us fight, man to 
 man, for the fair Helen and for all her posses- 
 sions. And if he prevail over me, let him take 
 her and them and depart, and the Greeks with 
 him, leaving you to dwell in peace ; but if I 
 prevail they shall depart without her." 
 
 Then Hector was glad, and going before 
 the Trojan ranks, holding his spear by the 
 middle, he kept them back. But the Greeks 
 would have shot at him with arrows and slung 
 stones, only Agamemnon cried aloud and said, 
 " Hold, Hector has somewhat to say to us." 
 
 Then Hector said : " Hear, Trojans and 
 Greeks, what Paris saith, Paris who hath bred 
 this quarrel between us : ' Let all besides lay 
 their arms upon the ground, and let Menelaus 
 and me fight for the fair Helen and all her 
 wealth. And let him that is the better keep 
 her and them, but the rest shall swear faith 
 and friendship.' ' 
 
 Then Menelaus stood up and spake: "Listen 
 
THE DUEL OF PARIS AND MENELAUS. 37 
 
 to me, for this trouble toucheth me nearer than 
 you all. The Greeks and the men of Troy 
 would fain, I think, be at peace, for they have 
 suffered grievous things because of my quarrel 
 and of the wrong that Paris did. Therefore 
 we two will fight together, and let him perish 
 that is doomed to die. Bring two sheep, ye 
 men of Troy, a white wether for the sun, and 
 a black ewe for the earth, and we will bring 
 another for Zeus. And because the sons of 
 Priam are high-handed and light of faith, let 
 Priam himself come, and do sacrifice, and take 
 the oath. Young men are ever changeable ; 
 but when an old man is among them, he 
 taketh thought for all." 
 
 So spake Menelalis ; and both the armies 
 were glad, hoping to see an end of doleful war. 
 
 Then Hector sent a herald to the city, to 
 summon Priam to the sacrifice and to fetch 
 the sheep. 
 
 And while he went, Iris, in the guise of 
 Laodice, fairest of the daughters of Priam, 
 came to Helen, where she sat in her hall, 
 weaving a great web of double breadth and 
 dyed with purple, whereon she had wrought 
 
38 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 many battles of the Greeks and the men of 
 Troy. Iris came near and said : " Come, dear 
 sister, and behold this marvel. Heretofore the 
 Greeks and the men of Troy have fought to- 
 gether on the plain, but now they sit in peace, 
 and the war is stayed ; for Paris and Menelaus 
 are to fight for thee, and thou shalt be the wife 
 of him that shall prevail." 
 
 So spake the goddess, and roused in Helen 
 sweet longing for her former spouse, and her 
 city, and her parents. So she wrapped herself 
 in white apparel, and went forth from her 
 chamber, weeping the while. 
 
 Meanwhile Priam sat on the wall with the 
 old men. They had ceased from war, but in 
 speech they were to be admired; they were 
 like to the crickets that sit upon a tree in the 
 wood, and send forth a thin, sweet voice. And 
 as they talked, the fair Helen came near, and 
 they said : " What wonder that men should 
 suffer much for such a woman, for indeed she 
 is divinely fair! Yet let her depart in the 
 ships, nor bring a curse on us and our 
 children." 
 
 But Priam called to her: "Come near, my 
 
THE DUEL OF PARIS AND MENELAUS. 39 
 
 daughter, that thou mayest see him that was 
 thy husband, and thy friends and kinsmen. I 
 find no fault with thee, for 'tis not thou, 'tis the 
 gods who have brought about all this trouble. 
 But tell me, who is this warrior that I see, so 
 fair and strong? There are others even a 
 head taller than he, but none of such majesty." 
 
 And Helen answered : " Ah, my father ! I 
 owe thee much reverence; yet would that I 
 had died before I left husband and child to 
 follow thy son. But as for this warrior, he is 
 Agamemnon, a good king and brave soldier, 
 and my brother-in-law in the old days." 
 
 " Happy Agamemnon," said Priam, " to rule 
 over so many ! Never saw I such an army 
 gathered together, not even when I went to 
 help the Phrygians when they were assembled 
 on the banks of the Sangarus against the 
 Amazons. But who is this that I see, not so 
 tall as Agamemnon, but of broader shoulders ? 
 His arms lie upon the ground, and he is 
 walking through the ranks of his men just 
 as some great ram walks through a flock of 
 sheep." 
 
 "This," said Helen, " is Ulysses of Ithaca, 
 
40 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD, 
 
 who is better in craft and counsel than all 
 other men." 
 
 " 'Tis well spoken, lady," said Antenor. 
 " Well I remember Ulysses when he came 
 hither on an embassy about thee with the 
 brave Menelalis. My guests they were, and 
 I knew them well. And I remember how, in 
 the assembly of the Trojans, when both were 
 standing, Menelalis was the taller, but when 
 they sat, Ulysses was the more majestic to 
 behold. And when they rose to speak, Mene- 
 lalis said few words, but said them wisely and 
 well ; and Ulysses you had thought him a 
 fool, so stiffly he held his sceptre and so down- 
 cast were his eyes ; but as soon as he began, 
 oh ! the mighty voice, and the words thick as 
 the falling snow ! No man then might vie 
 with Ulysses, nor thought we any more of his 
 outward appearance." 
 
 Then Priam said, " Who is that stalwart 
 hero, so tall and strong, overtopping all by 
 head and shoulders ? " 
 
 " That," said Helen, " is mighty Ajax, the 
 bulwark of the Greeks. And next to him is 
 Idomeneus. Often has Menelaus had him as 
 
THE DUEL OF PARIS AND MENELAUS. 41 
 
 his guest in the old days, when he came from 
 Crete. As for the other chiefs, I see and 
 could name them all. But I miss my own 
 dear brothers, Castor, tamer of horses, and 
 Pollux, the mighty boxer. Either they came 
 not from Sparta, or, having come, shun the 
 meeting of men for shame of me." 
 
 So she spake, and knew not that they were 
 sleeping their last sleep far away in their dear 
 fatherland. 
 
 Meanwhile the heralds were bringing the 
 sheep from the town, and wine in a goatskin ; 
 and Idaeus, the herald, carried a bowl and 
 golden cups. He came near to King Priam, 
 and told him how the armies called for him. 
 So he went, and Antenor with him. And he, 
 on the one side, for the Trojans, and King 
 Agamemnon for the Greeks, made a covenant 
 with sacrifice that Paris and Menelalis should 
 fight together, and that the fair Helen, with all 
 her treasures, should go with him who should 
 prevail. 
 
 And when the sacrifice and the prayers 
 were ended, King Priam said: "I will go back 
 to Troy, for I could not endure to see my son 
 
42 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 fighting with Menelalis. But which of the two 
 is doomed to death, Zeus and the immortal 
 gods only know." 
 
 So he spake and climbed into his chariot 
 and took the reins ; and Antenor stood beside 
 him ; so they went back to Troy even as they 
 came. 
 
 And afterwards Hector and Ulysses marked 
 out a space for the fight, and Hector shook 
 two pebbles in a helmet, looking away as he 
 shook them, that he whose pebble leapt forth 
 the first should be the first to throw his spear. 
 And it so befell that the lot of Paris leapt forth 
 first. Then the two warriors armed themselves, 
 and came forth into the space, and stood over 
 against each other, brandishing their spears, 
 with hate in their eyes. Then Paris threw his 
 spear. It struck the shield of Menelalis, but 
 pierced it not, for the spear point was bent 
 back. Then Menelalis prayed to Zeus: " Grant, 
 Father Zeus, that I may avenge myself on Paris, 
 who has done me this wrong ; so shall men in 
 after time fear to do wrong to their host." So 
 speaking, he cast his long-shafted spear. It 
 struck the shield of Paris and pierced it through, 
 
THE DUEL OF PARIS AND MENELAUS. 43 
 
 and passed through the corselet, and through 
 the tunic, close to the loin ; but Paris shrank 
 aside, and the spear wounded him not Then 
 Menelalis drew his silver-studded sword and 
 struck a mighty blow on the top of the helmet 
 of Paris, but the sword broke in four pieces in 
 his hand. Then he cried in his wrath, " O 
 Zeus, most mischief-loving of the gods, my 
 spear I cast in vain, and now my sword is 
 broken." Then he rushed forward and seized 
 Paris by the helmet, and dragged him towards 
 the hosts of the Greeks, for he was choked by 
 the band of the helmet. And truly he had 
 taken him, but Aphrodite loosed the strap that 
 was beneath the chin, and the helmet came off 
 in his hand. And Menelaus whirled it among 
 the Greeks and charged with another spear in 
 his hand. But Aphrodite snatched Paris away, 
 covering him with a mist, and put him down in 
 his chamber in Troy. Then Menelaus looked 
 for him everywhere, but no one could tell him 
 where he might be. No son of Troy would 
 have hidden him out of kindness, for all hated 
 him as death. 
 
 Then King Agamemnon said, " Now, ye 
 
44 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 sons of Troy, it is for you to give back the 
 fair Helen and her wealth, and to pay me, 
 besides, so much as may be fitting for all my 
 cost and trouble." 
 
 So spake King Agamemnon, and the Greeks 
 applauded. 
 
THE BROKEN OATH. 45 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE BROKEN OATH. 
 
 MEANWHILE the gods sat in council in the 
 hall of Zeus ; and fair Hebe poured out for 
 them the nectar, and they pledged each other 
 in cups of gold, looking down upon the city 
 of Troy. Then spake Zeus, seeking to pro- 
 voke Hera with taunting words : 
 
 " Two helpers hath Menelaiis among the 
 goddesses, even Hera and Athene. But now 
 they sit still and take their pleasure, while 
 Aphrodite walketh beside Paris, and deliver- 
 eth him from instant death. Yet, seeing that 
 Menelaus hath prevailed, let us consider what 
 shall next be done. Shall we stir up war 
 again, or make peace between the hosts ? If 
 it please you to make peace, then let Mene- 
 laus take Helen to his home again, and let 
 Priam's city continue." 
 
 So he spake. But Hera and Athene sat 
 wrathful side by side, meditating evil in their 
 
46 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 hearts against the men of Troy. Athene kept 
 silence, for all the fury that raged within her, 
 but Hera could not contain her wrath, and 
 spake : 
 
 " What is this thou sayest, son of Chronos ? 
 Wouldst thou make void all my toil and 
 trouble, with which I have gathered this peo- 
 ple together, that Priam and his sons may be 
 destroyed ? Do as thou wilt ; but it pleaseth 
 not the other gods." 
 
 To her Zeus spake in answer wrathfully: 
 " Tell us what evil have Priam and the sons 
 of Priam done in thy sight that thou desirest 
 so pitilessly the downfall of this fair city of 
 Troy? Verily wert thou to pass within the 
 gates, and eat Priam raw, and his sons with 
 him, then might thy hate be satisfied. Do, 
 then, as thou wilt. Let not this matter breed 
 ill-will betwixt me and thee. Yet remember 
 what I say. If I be minded to destroy in time 
 to come some city that thou lovest, say me not 
 nay, nor hinder me, for in this have I yielded 
 to thy will, though sore unwilling. Verily of 
 all the cities of men that lie beneath the stars, 
 I have loved holy Troy the best. Never there 
 
THE BROKEN OATH. 47 
 
 has my altar failed of feast and banquet and 
 the sweet savour that is the due of gods." 
 
 Then Hera answered : " Three cities have I 
 that I love, Argos and Sparta and Mycenae. 
 If they have offended thee, destroy them; I 
 begrudge them not ; nor, indeed, could I with- 
 stand thy will. Yet my toil also should not 
 be made vain ; for I, too, am a daughter of 
 Chronos, and first in place among the immor- 
 tals, seeing that I am thy wife, who art the 
 King. Come, therefore, let us yield to one 
 another, and the other gods will follow us. 
 Let now Athene go down, and bring it to 
 pass that some one of the Trojans begin the 
 strife and break the truce." 
 
 Thus she ended, and Zeus said not nay, but 
 spake straightway to Athene : " Make haste, 
 get thee down to the host, and bring it to pass 
 that the men of Troy break the truce." 
 
 So Athene sped down from the top of 
 Olympus, like to a star which Zeus sends as 
 a sign to sailors on the sea, or to some host 
 that goeth forth to battle ; and wonder cometh 
 upon all that behold it. 
 
 Among the host of Troy she went, taking 
 
48 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 upon herself the shape of Laodocus, son of 
 Antenor, and went to Pandarus, son of Ly- 
 caon, where he stood among his men. Then 
 the false Laodocus said : " Pandarus, darest 
 thou aim an arrow at Menelalis ? Truly the 
 Trojans would love thee well, and Paris best of 
 all, if they could see Menelalis slain by an 
 arrow from thy bow. Aim then, but first pray 
 to Apollo, and vow that thou wilt offer a hun- 
 dred beasts when thou returnest to thy city 
 Zeleia." 
 
 Now Pandarus had a bow made of the horns 
 of a wild goat which he had slain ; sixteen 
 palms long were the horns, and a cunning 
 workman had made them smooth, and put a 
 tip of gold whereon to fasten the bow-string. 
 And Pandarus strung his bow, his comrades 
 hiding him with their shields. Then he took 
 an arrow from his quiver, and laid it on the 
 bow-string, and drew the string to his breast, 
 till the arrow-head touched the bow, and let fly. 
 Right well aimed was the dart, but it was not 
 the will of heaven that it should slay Mene- 
 laiis. For the daughter of Zeus stood before 
 him, and turned aside the shaft, waving it from 
 
THE BROKEN OATH. 49 
 
 him as a mother waveth a fly from her child 
 when he lieth asleep. She guided it to where 
 the golden clasps of the belt came together, 
 and the breastplate overlapped. It passed 
 through the belt, and through the corselet, 
 and through the girdle, and pierced the skin. 
 Then the red blood rushed out and stained 
 the white skin, even as some Lycian or Carian 
 woman stains the white ivory with red to 
 adorn the war-horse of a king. Even so were 
 the thighs and legs and ankles of Menelaus 
 dyed with blood. 
 
 Sore dismayed was King Agamemnon to see 
 the blood ; sore dismayed also was the brave 
 Menelaus, till he spied the barb of the arrow, 
 and knew that the wound was not deep. But 
 Agamemnon cried : " It was in an evil hour 
 for thee, my brother, that I made a covenant 
 with these false sons of Troy. Right well, in- 
 deed, I know that oath and sacrifice are not in 
 vain. For though Zeus fulfil not now his pur- 
 pose, yet will he take vengeance at the last, 
 and the guilty shall suffer, they and their 
 wives, and their children. Troy shall fall ; but 
 woe is me if thou shouldst die, Menelaus. 
 
 D 
 
50 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 For the Greeks will straight go back to their 
 fatherland, and the fair Helen will be left a 
 boast to the sons of Troy, and I shall have 
 great shame when one of them shall say, as he 
 leaps on the tomb of the brave Menelaus, 
 ' Surely the great Agamemnon has avenged 
 himself well ; for he brought an army hither, 
 but now is gone back to his home, but left 
 Menelaus here.' May the earth swallow me 
 up before that day ! " 
 
 " Nay," said Menelaus ; " fear not, for the 
 arrow hath but grazed the skin." 
 
 Then King Agamemnon bade fetch the 
 physician. So the herald fetched Machaon, 
 the physician. And Machaon came, and drew 
 forth the arrow, and when he had wiped away 
 the blood he put healing drugs upon the 
 wound, which Cheiron, the wise healer, had 
 given to his father. 
 
 But while this was doing, King Agamemnon 
 went throughout the host, and if he saw any 
 one stirring himself to get ready for the battle 
 he praised him and gave him good encourage- 
 ment ; but whomsoever he saw halting and 
 lingering and slothful, him he blamed and 
 
THE BROKEN OATH. 51 
 
 rebuked whether he were common man or 
 chief. The last that he came to was Diomed, 
 son of Tydeus with Sthenelus, son of Capa- 
 neus, standing by his side. And Agamemnon 
 spake : " How is this, son of Tydeus ? Shrink- 
 est thou from the battle? This was not thy 
 father's wont. I never saw him, indeed, but 
 I have heard that he was braver than all other 
 men. Once he came to Mycenae with great 
 Polyneices to gather allies against Thebes. 
 And the men of Mycenae would have sent 
 them, only Zeus showed evil signs from 
 heaven and forbade them. Then the Greeks 
 sent Tydeus on an embassy to Thebes, where 
 he found many of the sons of Cadmus feasting 
 in the palace of Eteocles ; but Tydeus was not 
 afraid, though he was but one among many. 
 He challenged them to contend with him in 
 sport, and in everything he prevailed. But 
 the sons of Cadmus bare it ill, and they laid an 
 ambush for Tydeus as he went back, fifty men 
 with two leaders, Maeon and Lycophon. But 
 Tydeus slew them all, leaving only Maeon 
 alive, that he might carry back the tidings to 
 Thebes. Such was thy father ; but his son is 
 
52 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 worse in battle, but better, it may be, in 
 speech." 
 
 Nothing said Diomed, for he reverenced the 
 King ; but Sthenelus cried out : " Why speak- 
 est thou false, King Agamemnon, knowing the 
 truth ? We are not worse but better than our 
 fathers. Did not we take Thebes, though we 
 had fewer men than they, who indeed took it 
 not ? " But Diomed frowned and said : " Be 
 silent, friend. I blame not King Agamemnon, 
 that he rouses the Greeks to battle. Great 
 glory will it be to him if they take the city, 
 and great loss if they be worsted. But it is 
 for us to be valiant." 
 
 So he passed through all the host. And 
 the Greeks went forward to the battle, as the 
 waves that curl themselves, then dash upon the 
 shore, throwing high the foam. In order they 
 went after their chiefs ; you had thought them 
 dumb, so silent were they. But the Trojans 
 were like a flock of ewes which wait to be 
 milked, and bleat hearing the voice of their 
 lambs, so confused a cry went out from their 
 army, for there were men of many tongues 
 gathered together. And on either side the 
 gods urged them on. 
 
THE BROKEN OATH. 53 
 
 Among the Trojan ranks was Ares, and 
 among the Greeks Athene, and with her Fear, 
 and Flight, and Strife that never grows weary, 
 sister and comrade of Ares. Mean is her stat- 
 ure at the first, but in the end she holds her 
 head to heaven, while she walks with her feet 
 upon the earth. 
 
$4 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. 
 
 WHEN the armies were come into one place, 
 they dashed together with buckler and spear ; 
 and there was a great crash of shields that met, 
 boss upon boss. Next rose up a great moan- 
 ing of them that were stricken down, and 
 shouting of the conquerors; and the ground 
 ran with blood. As when two torrents, swol- 
 len with rains of winter, join their waters in 
 a hollow ravine at the meeting of the glens, and 
 the shepherds hear the din far off among the 
 hills, even so, with a mighty noise and great 
 confusion, did the two armies meet. 
 
 Antilochus, son of Nestor, was the first to 
 slay a man of Troy, Ecepholus by name, smit- 
 ing him through the helmet on the forehead. 
 Like a tower he fell, and Elphenor the Euboean 
 sought to drag him away, that he might strip 
 him of his arms. But Agenor smote him with 
 his spear as he stooped, so baring his side to 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. 55 
 
 a wound. Dreadful was the fight around his 
 body. Like wolves the Trojans and the Greeks 
 rushed upon each other. And Ajax Telamon 
 slew Simoeisius (so they called him, because he 
 was born on the banks of Simois). He fell 
 as a poplar falls, and Antiphon, son of King 
 Priam, aimed at Ajax, but, missing him, slew 
 Leucus, the valiant comrade of Ulysses. And 
 Ulysses, in great anger, stalked through the 
 foremost fighters, brandishing his spear, and 
 the sons of Troy gave way, and when he hurled 
 it he slew Democoon, a son of Priam. N v Then 
 Hector and the foremost ranks of Troy were 
 borne backward, till Apollo cried from the 
 heights of Pergamos: "On, Trojans! The 
 flesh of these Greeks is not stone or iron, 
 that ye cannot pierce it. Know, too, that the 
 mighty Achilles does not fight to-day." But 
 on the other side Athene urged on the Greeks 
 to battle. Then Peiros the Thracian slew Di- 
 ores, first striking him to the ground with a 
 huge stone, and then piercing him with his 
 spear ; and him in turn Thoas of /Etolia slew, 
 but could not spoil of his arms, so strongly did 
 the men of Thrace defend the body. Then 
 
56 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Athene roused Diomed to battle, making a 
 fire shine from his helmet, bright as Orion 
 shines in the vintage time. First there met 
 him two warriors, sons of Dares, priest of 
 Hephaestus, Phegeus and Idaeus, the one fight- 
 ing on foot and the other from his chariot. 
 First Phegeus threw his spear and missed his 
 aim ; but Diomed missed not, smiting him 
 through the breast. And Idaeus, when he saw 
 his brother fall, fled, Hephaestus saving him, 
 lest the old man should be altogether bereaved. 
 And when the Trojans saw that of the two 
 sons of Dares one had perished and the other 
 had fled, their hearts were troubled within 
 them. 
 
 Then did Athene take Ares by the hand, 
 and say to him: "Come, let us leave the 
 Greeks and the men of Troy to fight, and let 
 Zeus give the glory to whom he will ; only let 
 us draw back, and avoid his wrath." 
 
 So she drew back fierce Ares from the war, 
 and caused him to sit by the banks of Scaman- 
 der. Then did the Greeks beat back the men 
 of Troy. And each of the chiefs slew a foe ; 
 but there was none like Diomed, who raged 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. $7 
 
 through the battle so furiously that you could 
 not tell with which host he was, whether with 
 the Greeks or with the sons of Troy. Then 
 Pandarus aimed an arrow at him, and smote 
 him in the right shoulder as he was rushing 
 forward, and cried aloud : " On, great-hearted 
 sons of Troy, the bravest of the Greeks is 
 wounded ! Soon, methinks, will his strength 
 fail him, unless Apollo has deceived me." 
 
 So he spake exulting, but the arrow quelled 
 not Diomed. Only he leapt down from the 
 chariot, and spake to Sthenelus, his charioteer, 
 " Come down, and draw this arrow from my 
 shoulder." Then Sthenelus drew it, and the 
 blood spirted out from the wound. And Dio- 
 med prayed to Athene : " O Goddess, if ever 
 thou didst love my father, and stand beside 
 him in the fiery war, be thou a friend to me 
 also ; let me come within a spear's cast of this 
 man who hath wounded me, and who boasteth 
 himself over me, saying that I shall not long 
 look upon the shining of the sun." 
 
 So he prayed, and Athene heard; and she 
 made light his hands and his feet, and stood 
 beside him, and spake: "Be bold now, O 
 
58 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Diomed, and fight with the men of Troy ! 
 X I have breathed into thy heart the spirit that 
 was in Tydeus, thy father, and I have taken 
 away the mist that was upon thine eyes, that 
 thou mayest know god from man.V Fight not 
 thou with any of the immortals, if a god should 
 come in thy way ; only if Aphrodite comes 
 into the battle, her thou mayest wound." 
 
 So spake Athene, and went her way; and 
 Diomed turned back to the battle, and mingled 
 with the foremost. Eager he had been before 
 to fight, but now his eagerness was increased 
 threefold. Even as a lion whom a shepherd 
 wounds a little as he leaps into the fold, but 
 kills not, and the man escapes into his house, 
 and the sheep flee in their terror, falling hud- 
 dled in a heap, even so did Diomed rage 
 among the men of Troy. 
 
 Many did he slay, as the two sons of Eury- 
 damas, the old dreamer of dreams, who read 
 no dream to them aright of safe return, and 
 the two sons of Phcenops, darlings of their 
 father, for they were his only sons, and he had 
 none besides, and two sons of Priam, riding in 
 one chariot. As a lion leaps into the herd, 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. 59 
 
 and breaks the neck of a heifer or a cow, even 
 so did Diomed dash them struggling from the 
 chariot, and gave their horses to his followers, 
 that they should drive them to the ships. 
 
 ^Eneas saw him, and thought how he might 
 stay him in his course. So he passed through 
 the host till he found Pandarus. " Pandarus," 
 he said, " where are thy bow and arrows? See 
 how this man deals death through the ranks. 
 Send a shaft at him, first making thy prayer 
 to Zeus." 
 
 Then Pandarus answered : " This man, me- 
 thinks, is Diomed. The shield and the helmet 
 and the horses are his. And yet I know not 
 whether he is not a god. Some god, at least, 
 stands by him and guards him. But now I 
 sent an arrow at him, and smote him on the 
 shoulder, right through the corselet, and 
 thought that I had slain him ; but lo ! I have 
 harmed him not at all. And now I know 
 not what to do, for here I have no chariot. 
 Eleven, indeed, there are at home, in the 
 house of my father Lycaon, and the old man 
 was earnest with me that I should bring one 
 of them; but I would not, fearing for my 
 
60 THE STORY OF THE TLTAD. 
 
 horses, lest they should not have provender 
 enough.- So I came, trusting in my bow, and 
 lo ! it has failed me these two times. Two of 
 the chiefs I have hit, Menelalis and Diomed, 
 and from each have seen the red blood flow, 
 yet have I not harmed them. Surely, if ever I 
 return safe to my home, I will break this use- 
 less bow." 
 
 " Nay," said ^Eneas, "talk not thus. Climb 
 into my chariot, and see what horses we have 
 in Troy. They will carry us safe to the city, 
 even should Diomed prevail against us. But 
 take the rein and the whip, and I will fight ; 
 or, if thou wilt, fight thou, and I will drive." 
 
 " Nay," said Pandarus, " let the horses have 
 the driver whom they know. It might lose us 
 both, should we turn to flee, and they linger or 
 start aside, missing their master's voice." 
 
 So Pandarus mounted the chariot, and they 
 drove together against Diomed. And Sthene- 
 lus saw them coming, and said to his com- 
 rades : " I see two mighty warriors, Lycaon 
 and yneas. It would be well that we should 
 go back to our chariot." 
 
 But Diomed frowned, and said : " Talk not 
 
THE VAUANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. 6 1 
 
 \ 
 
 of going back. Thou wilt talk in vain to me. 
 As for my chariot, I care not for it. As I am 
 will I go against these men. Both shall not 
 return safe, even if one should escape. But do 
 thou stay my chariot where it is, tying the 
 reins to the rail ; and if I slay these men, 
 mount the chariot of /Eneas and drive it into 
 the host of the Greeks. There are no horses 
 under the sun such as these, for they are of 
 the breed which Zeus himself gave to King 
 Tros." 
 
 Meanwhile Pandarus and /Eneas were com- 
 ing near, and Pandarus cast his spear. Right 
 through the shield of Diomed it passed, and 
 reached the corselet, and Pandarus cried: 
 
 " Thou art hit in the loin. This, methinks, 
 will lay thee low." 
 
 " Nay," said Diomed, " thou hast missed and 
 not hit at all." 
 
 And as he spake he threw his spear. 
 Through nose and teeth and tongue it passed, 
 and stood out below the chin. Headlong from 
 the chariot he fell, and his armour clashed 
 about him. Straightway /Eneas leapt off with 
 spear and shield to guard the body of his 
 
62 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 friend, and stood as a lion stands over a car- 
 cass. But Diomed lifted a great stone, such 
 as two men of our day could scarcely carry, 
 and cast it. It struck ^neas on the hip, 
 crushing the bone. The hero stooped on his 
 knee, clutching the ground with his hand, and 
 darkness covered his eyes. That hour he had 
 perished, but his mother Aphrodite caught 
 him in her white arms, and threw her veil 
 about him. But even so, Diomed was loath 
 to let his foe escape, and knowing that the 
 goddess was not of those who mingle in the 
 battle, he rushed on her and wounded her on 
 the wrist, and the blood gushed out such 
 blood (they call it ichor) as flows in the veins 
 of the immortal gods, who eat not the meat 
 and drink not the drink of men. With a loud 
 shriek she dropped her son, but Apollo caught 
 him up and covered him with a dark mist, lest 
 perchance one of the Greeks should spy him 
 and slay him. 
 
 But Diomed called aloud after Aphrodite: 
 " Haste thee from the battle, daughter of Zeus. 
 It is enough for thee to beguile weak women." 
 
 Wildly did the goddess rush from the battle. 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. 63 
 
 And Iris, swift as the winds, took her by the 
 hand, and led her out of the press, for she was 
 tormented with the pain. She found Ares on 
 the left of the field, and knelt before him, beg- 
 ging for his horses with many prayers. " Help 
 me, dear brother," she said, "and lend me thy 
 horses to carry me to Olympus, for I am tor- 
 mented with a wound which a mortal man 
 gave me, even Diomed, who would fight with 
 Father Zeus himself." 
 
 Then Ares gave her his chariot, and Iris 
 took the reins, and touched the horses with the 
 whip. Speedily came they to Olympus, and 
 then Iris reined in the horses, and Aphrodite 
 fell on the lap of her mother Dione, who took 
 her daughter in her arms, and caressed her, 
 saying: 
 
 " Dear child, which of the immortals hath 
 harmed thee thus?" 
 
 Aphrodite answered, " No immortal hath 
 done it, but a mortal man, even Diomed, who 
 now fighteth with the immortal gods." 
 
 But Dione answered: " Bear up and endure 
 thy pain, for many who dwell in Olympus have 
 suffered pain at the hands of mortal men. So 
 
64 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Ares endured when the two giants bound him 
 with mighty bonds. Nineteen months he lay 
 in a jar of bronze, aye, and had perished there, 
 but that Hermes stole him therefrom. Pain 
 also did Hera endure when the strong Her- 
 cules smote her in the breast with a three- 
 pointed arrow ; and Pluto also when the same 
 man struck him at Pylos, where are the gates 
 of hell. And now Athene hath urged on the 
 son of Tydeus. Fool that he is! he knoweth 
 not that brief are the days of him who would 
 fight with the immortal gods. No children 
 shall stand at his knee and call him father. 
 Let him take heed, for all that he is so 
 strong ! " 
 
 So spake she, and wiped the moisture from 
 the wound with both her hands, and the griev- 
 ous hurt was healed. But Hera and Athene 
 looked on and mocked. And Athene said to 
 Zeus, " Now hath thy daughter been moving 
 one of the Greek women to follow the Trojans 
 whom she loveth so well, and lo ! she hath 
 wounded her hand with the pin of a golden 
 brooch." 
 
 But the father smiled, and called Aphrodite 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. 65 
 
 to him, and said, " My child, deeds of war are 
 not for thee, but love and marriage ; leave the 
 rest to Athene and Ares." 
 
 Meanwhile Diomed sprang upon /Eneas, 
 though he knew that Apollo himself held 
 him. He regarded not the god, for he was 
 eager to slay the hero and to strip off his 
 arms. Thrice he sprang, and thrice Apollo 
 dashed back his shining shield. The fourth . 
 time Apollo warned him with awful words, 
 " Beware, son of Tydeus, and fall back, nor 
 think to match thyself with gods." But Apollo 
 carried /Eneas out of the battle, and laid him 
 down in his own temple in the citadel of Troy, 
 and there Artemis and Latona healed him of 
 his wound. And all the while the Trojans 
 and the Greeks were fighting, as they thought, 
 about his body, for Apollo had made a like- 
 ness of the hero and thrown it down in their 
 midst. Then Sarpedon the Lycian spake to 
 Hector with bitter words : 
 
 " Where are thy boasts, Hector ? Thou 
 saidst that thou couldst guard thy city, with- 
 out thy people or thy allies, thou alone, with 
 thy brothers and thy brothers-in-law. But I 
 
 E 
 
66 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 cannot see even one of them. They go and 
 hide themselves, as dogs before a lion. It_js_ 
 
 we, your allies, who maintain the battle. I 
 
 have come from far to help thy people, from 
 Lycia, where I left wife and child and wealth, 
 nor do I shrink from the fight, but thou 
 shouldst do thy part." 
 
 And the words stung Hector to the heart. 
 He leapt from his chariot and went through 
 the host, urging them to the battle. And on 
 the other side the Greeks strengthened them- 
 selves. But Ares brought back ^Eneas whole 
 from his wound, and gave him courage and 
 might. Right glad were his comrades to see 
 him, nor did they ask him any question ; scant 
 leisure was there for questions that day. Then 
 were done many valiant deeds, nor did any 
 bear himself more bravely than yEneas. Two 
 chieftains of the Greeks he slew, Crethon and 
 Orsilochus, who came from the banks of 
 Alpheiis. Sore vexed was Menelalis to see 
 them fall, and he rushed to avenge them, Ares 
 urging him on, for he hoped that ^neas 
 would slay him. But Antilochus, Nestor's 
 son, saw him go, and hasted to his side that 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DfOMED. 67 
 
 he might help him. So they went and slew 
 Pylaemenes, King of the Paphlagonians, and 
 Medon, his charioteer. Then Hector rushed 
 to the front, and Ares was by his side. Di- 
 omed saw him, and the god also, for his eyes 
 were opened that day, and he fell back a space 
 and cried : 
 
 " O my friends ! here Hector comes ; nor is 
 he alone, but Ares is with him in the shape of 
 a mortal man. Let us give place, still keeping 
 our faces to the foe, for men must not fight 
 
 -^ | , - . jur _ n_i -^^- - - - 
 
 with gods." 
 
 Then drew near to each other Sarpedon the 
 Lycian and Tlepolemus, the son of Hercules, 
 the one a son and the other a grandson of 
 Zeus. First Tlepolemus spake : 
 
 " What art thou doing here, Sarpedon ? 
 Surely 'tis a false report that thou art a son 
 of Zeus. The sons of Zeus in the old days 
 were better men than thou art, such as my 
 Father Hercules, who came to this city when 
 Laomedon would not give him the horses 
 which he had promised, and brake down the 
 walls and wasted the streets. No help, me- 
 thinks, wilt thou be to the sons of Troy, slain 
 here by my hands," 
 
68 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 But Sarpedon answered: " He, indeed, spoiled 
 Troy, for Laomedon did him grievous wrong. 
 But thou shalt not fare so, but rather meet 
 with thy death." 
 
 Then they both hurled their spears, aiming 
 truly, both of them. For Sarpedon smote 
 Tlepolemus in the neck, piercing it through 
 so that he fell dead, and Tlepolemus smote 
 Sarpedon in the left thigh, driving the spear 
 close to the bone, but slaying him not, for his 
 Father Zeus warded off the doom of death. 
 And his comrades carried him out of the 
 battle, sorely burdened with the spear, which 
 no one had thought to take out of the wound. 
 And as he was borne along, Hector passed 
 by, and Sarpedon rejoiced to see him, and 
 cried: 
 
 " Son of Priam, suffer me not to become a 
 prey to the Greeks ; let me at least die in your 
 city; for Lycia I may see no more, nor wife, 
 nor child." 
 
 But Hector heeded him not, so eager was he 
 for the battle. So his comrades carried him to 
 the great beech tree and laid him down, and 
 one of them drew the spear out of his thigh. 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. 69 
 
 When it was drawn out he fainted, but the 
 cool north wind blew and revived him, and he 
 breathed again. 
 
 But all the while Hector, with Ares at his 
 side, dealt death and destruction through the 
 ranks of the Greeks. Hera and Athene saw 
 him where they sat on the top of Olympus, 
 and were wroth. So they went to Father 
 Zeus, and prayed that it might be lawful to 
 them to stop him in his fury. And Zeus said, 
 " Be it as you will." So they yoked the horses 
 to the chariot of Hera and passed down to 
 earth, the horses flying at every stride over so 
 much space as a man sees who sits upon a cliff 
 and looks across the sea to where it meets the 
 sky. They alighted on the spot where the 
 two rivers Simoi's and Scamander join their 
 streams. There they loosed the horses from 
 the yoke, and then sped like doves to where 
 the bravest of the Greeks stood round King 
 Diomed. There Hera took the shape of Sten- 
 tor with the lungs of bronze, whose voice was 
 as the voice of fifty men, and cried : " Shame, 
 men of Greece ! When Achilles went to the 
 battle, the men of Troy came not beyond the 
 
70 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD- 
 
 gates, but now they fight far from the city, 
 even by the ships." But Athene went to Dio- 
 med, where he stood wiping away the blood 
 from the wound where Pandarus had struck 
 him with the arrow. And she spake : " Surely 
 the son of Tydeus is little like to his sire. 
 Small of stature was he, but a keen fighter. 
 But thou whether it be weariness or fear 
 that keeps thee back I know not canst 
 scarcely be a true son of Tydeus." 
 
 But Diomed answered : " Nay, great goddess, 
 for I know thee who thou art, daughter of 
 Zeus, it is not weariness or fear that keeps me 
 back. 'Tis thy own command that I heed. 
 Thou didst bid me fight with none other of 
 the immortal gods but only with Aprodite, 
 should she come to the battle. Therefore I 
 give place, for I see Ares lording it through 
 the ranks of war." 
 
 Then Athene spake : " Heed not Ares ; drive 
 thy chariot at him, and smite him with the 
 spear. This very morning he promised that 
 he would help the Greeks, and now he hath 
 changed his purpose." 
 
 And as she spake she pushed Sthenelus, 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. 71 
 
 who drove the chariot, so that he leapt out 
 upon the ground, and she mounted herself and 
 caught the reins and lashed the horses. So . 
 the two went together, and they found Ares 
 where he had just slain Periphas the ^tolian. 
 But Athene had donned the helmet of Hades, 
 which whosoever puts on straightway becomes 
 invisible, for she would not that Ares should 
 see her who she was. The god saw Diomed 
 come near, and left Periphas, and cast his 
 spear over the yoke of the chariot, eager to 
 slay the hero. But Athene caught the spear 
 in her hand, and turned it aside, so that it flew 
 vainly through the air. Then Diomed in turn 
 thrust forward his spear, and Athene leant 
 upon it, so that it pierced the loin of Ares, 
 where his girdle was clasped. And Ares 
 shouted with the pain, loud as a host of men, 
 thousands nine or ten, shouts when it joins in 
 battle. And the Greeks and Trojans trem- 
 bled as they heard. And Diomed saw the 
 god go up to Olympus as a thunder-cloud 
 goes up when the wind of the south blows 
 hot. 
 
 By the side of Zeus did he sit down, and 
 
72 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 showed the immortal blood as it flowed from 
 the wound, and cried : " Father Zeus, canst 
 thou contain thyself, seeing such deeds as 
 these ? See now this daughter of thine, how 
 she is bent on evil and mischief. All we that 
 dwell in Olympus are obedient to thee; but 
 her thou checkest not with word or deed ; she 
 is thy child, forsooth, a very child of mischief. 
 And now she hath set on this bold Diomed to 
 wreak his madness on the immortal gods : first 
 he wounded Aphrodite on the wrist ; then he 
 rushed on me ; my swift feet bare me away,\ 
 else surely I had suffered the pains of death 
 among the carcasses of the slain." 
 
 But Zeus frowned on him, and spake: 
 " Come not to me with thy complaints, for of all 
 the Olympian gods thou vexest me the most, 
 for battle and strife are ever dear to thee. 'Tis 
 thy mother Hera that hath put thee to this 
 pain. Yet I may not suffer thee to endure the 
 anguish any more, for thou art my child ; verily, 
 hadst thou been the offspring of any other god, 
 thou hadst lain long since deep down in Tar- 
 tarus below the giant race." 
 
 Then Zeus called Paeon the healer, and bade 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED. 73 
 
 him tend the wound ; and he, sprinkling on it 
 pain-dispelling simples, cured it of its smart. 
 Then Hebe gave to Ares the bath, and clad 
 him in fair array, and he sat down by Zeus, 
 rejoicing. 
 
74 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 GLAUCUS AND DIOMED. 
 
 Now when Ares had departed, the Greeks 
 prevailed again, slaying many of the sons of 
 Troy and of their allies. But at last Helenus, 
 the wise seer, spake to Hector and -^Eneas: 
 
 " Cause the army to draw back to the walls, 
 and go through the ranks and give them such 
 strength and courage as ye may. And do 
 thou, Hector, when thou hast so done, pass 
 into the city, and bid thy mother go with the 
 daughters of Troy, and take the costliest robe 
 that she hath, and lay it on the knees of 
 Athene in her temple, vowing therewith to 
 sacrifice twelve heifers, if perchance she may 
 have pity upon us, and keep this Diomed from 
 our walls. Surely there is no Greek so strong 
 as he ; we did not fear even Achilles' self so 
 much as we fear this man to-day, so dreadful 
 is he and fierce. Go, and we will make such 
 stand meanwhile as we can." 
 
GLAUCUS AND DIOMED. ?$ 
 
 Then Hector passed through the ranks, bid- 
 ding them be of good heart, and so departed to 
 the city. 
 
 And when he was gone, Glaucus the Lycian 
 and Diomed met in the space between the two 
 hosts. Then first spake Diomed : " Tell me, 
 thou mighty man of valour, who thou art of 
 mortal men, for never before have I seen thee 
 in the battle ; but now thou comest out far 
 before the ranks of thy fellows, and art willing 
 to abide my spear. Luckless are the fathers 
 of them that set themselves against my might. 
 Yet, if thou be one of the immortal gods, and 
 hast come down from heaven, I fight thee not. 
 I dare not match myself with the gods of 
 heaven. For King Lycurgus, son of Dryas, 
 that fought with the gods, lived not long. 
 Through the land of Nysa did he drive the 
 nursing mothers of Bacchus, wielding an ox- 
 goad in his fury, so that they dropped their 
 wands for fear; and Bacchus also fled and 
 leapt into the waves of the salt sea, being sore 
 afraid; and Thetis took him to her bosom. 
 Nevertheless, the gods that live at ease were 
 wroth with Lycurgus, for all that he thus pre- 
 
/6 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 vailed, and Zeus took from him the sight of his 
 eyes; nor did he live many days, seeing that 
 he was abhorred of all the gods. Therefore, I 
 will not fight against any god ; but if thou art 
 mortal man, such as eat of the fruits of the 
 field, come thou near, that I may give thee to 
 death." 
 
 To him Glaucus the Lycian made answer : 
 " Valiant son of Tydeus, why seekest thou to 
 know my name and lineage, and the genera- 
 tions of my fathers? For the generations of 
 men are as of the leaves of the wood. The 
 wind scattereth them on the ground, and the 
 wood bringeth forth others in the springtime. 
 So is it with the generations of men one 
 goeth, and another cometh. Yet, if thou wilt 
 know these things, hearken unto me. There 
 is in the midst of Argos a certain city, Ephyre, 
 wherein dwelt Sisyphus, son of yolus, that 
 was the craftiest of men. This Sisyphus be- 
 gat Glaucus, and Glaucus begat Bellerophon, 
 whom the gods made beautiful and strong 
 above all other men. But Proetus, who, by 
 the ordering of Zeus, bare rule over the land 
 of Argos, hated him, and drave him forth from 
 
GLAUCUS AND D 10 MED. JJ 
 
 among the people. And the cause was this : 
 fair Anteia, that was wife to the King, loved 
 Bellerophon ; but he would not hearken to her 
 words ; for he was wise and upright of heart. 
 Then Anteia spake falsely to the King, her 
 husband, saying, * If thou wouldst not die, O 
 King, thou must slay this Bellerophon, for he 
 would have had me love him, only I said him 
 nay.' So she spake, and the King was very 
 wroth when he heard her saying. He slew not 
 Bellerophon, for shame forbade him ; but he 
 sent him to Lycia, to the King, the father of 
 Anteia, and with him he sent a token of death, 
 folding it in a tablet, that he might show it to 
 the King and the King might slay him. So 
 Bellerophon journeyed to Lycia, and the gods 
 kept him safely on the way. And when he 
 was come to the land, even to the river of 
 Xanthus, then the King of the country made 
 a great entertainment for him. Nine days he 
 feasted him, slaying on every day an ox. And 
 when the morning of the tenth day was come, 
 he inquired of him his errand, and would see 
 what writing he had brought. And when he 
 had noted the token of death, he sent Bellero- 
 
78 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 phon to slay the beast which no man could 
 conquer, even the Chimaera. Now this Chi- 
 maera was of the race of the gods and not of 
 the race of men. Her face was the face of a 
 lion, and her hinder parts were the tail of a 
 serpent, and her middle the shape of a goat, 
 and the breath of her mouth was flaming fire. 
 Her, indeed, he slew, for the gods guided him 
 in his deed. And after this he fought with 
 the Solymi, that were valiant men of war; 
 and never, he was wont to say in aftertime, 
 did he encounter warriors so fierce and strong 
 as they. Then, again, he fought with the 
 Amazons, that were women with the strength 
 of men, and prevailed over them. But when 
 he was coming back from these doings, the 
 King devised against him a crafty device. 
 For he set an ambush against him, choosing 
 for it the bravest men of all the land of Lycia. 
 But not one man of these returned to his 
 home, for Bellerophon slew them all. And 
 when the King knew how valiant he was, and 
 that he was of the race of the gods, he would 
 keep him in the land, and gave him his daugh- 
 ter to his wife, yea, and with her the half of 
 
GLAUCUS AND DfOMED. 79 
 
 his kingdom. The men of Lycia also meas- 
 ured out for him a fair domain of vineyards 
 and plough-land. And his wife bare to Beller- 
 ophon three children ; but after this the wrath 
 of the gods came upon him, and he wandered 
 alone over the Aleian plain, devouring his 
 heart in sorrow, and avoiding the paths of 
 men. And of his children, Peisander, his 
 son, fell in battle, fighting against the Solymi, 
 and Laodamia died smitten by the arrow of 
 Artemis, after that she had borne a son to 
 Zeus, even Sarpedon. But he had yet another 
 son, by name Hippolochus. He is my father, 
 and he sent me to Troy, saying to me, ' Strive 
 evermore to be the first and to overpass other 
 men, and shame not the house of thy fathers, 
 who held high place in Ephyre and in the 
 broad land of Lycia.' This, then, noble Dio- 
 med, is the house and lineage of which I claim 
 to be." 
 
 So spake Glaucus, and Diomed was glad at 
 heart. His spear he drave into the earth, and 
 he spake pleasant words to the prince : " Ver- 
 ily, thou art by inheritance a friend of my 
 house. For long ago great CEneus entertained 
 
80 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Bellerophon in his dwelling, keeping him 
 twenty days. Goodly gifts did they give one 
 to the other. GEneus gave to Bellerophon a 
 belt richly broidered with purple, and Bellero- 
 phon gave to QEneus a cup of gold with a 
 mouth on either side. This I left when I 
 came hither, in my palace at home. Now 
 CEneus begat Tydeus, and Tydeus was my 
 father. My father he was, but I remember 
 him not; for he left me when I was a little 
 child, and perished with the chiefs, his compan- 
 ions, righting against Thebes. Therefore, I 
 am thy friend and host when thou comest to 
 the land of Argos, and thou art mine if any 
 chance shall bring me to Lycia. But now, let 
 each of us shun the spear of the other, yea, in 
 the closest press of the battle. Many sons of 
 Troy there are, and many of their brave allies, 
 whom I may slay if the gods deliver them into 
 my hands, and my feet be swift to overtake 
 them. And thou also hast many Greeks to 
 slay if thou canst. But now let us make ex- 
 change of arms and armour, that both the 
 Greeks and the men of Troy may know that 
 we are friends by inheritance." 
 
GLAUCUS AND DIOMED. 8 1 
 
 So spake Tydeus. And the two chiefs leapt 
 down from their chariots, and clasped each the 
 hand of the other, and pledged their faith. 
 Then Zeus changed the wisdom of Glaucus to 
 folly, so that he gave his armour in exchange 
 for the armour of Diomed, gold for bronze, the 
 price of five-score oxen for the price of nine. 
 
82 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE. 
 
 HECTOR came into the city by the Scaean 
 gates, and as he went wives and mothers 
 crowded about him, asking how it had fared 
 with their husbands and sons. But he said 
 nought, save to bid them pray; and indeed 
 there was sore news for many, if he had told 
 that which he knew. Then he came to the 
 palace of King Priam, and there he saw Hec- 
 uba, his mother, and with her Laodice, fairest 
 of her daughters. She caught him by the 
 hand and said : 
 
 " Why hast thou come from the battle, my 
 son ? Do the Greeks press thee hard, and art 
 thou minded to pray to Father Zeus from the 
 citadel ? Let me bring thee honey-sweet wine, 
 that thou mayest pour out before him, aye, and 
 that thou mayest drink thyself, and gladden 
 thy heart." 
 
 But Hector said : " Give me not wine, my 
 
HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE. 83 
 
 mother, lest thou weaken my knees and make 
 me forget my courage. Nor must I pour out 
 an offering with Zeus thus, with unwashed 
 hands. But do thou gather the mothers of 
 Troy together, and go to the temple of Athene 
 and take a robe, the one that is the most pre- 
 cious and beautiful in thy stores, and lay it on 
 the knees of the goddess, and pray her to keep 
 this dreadful Diomed from the walls of Troy ; 
 and forget not to vow therewith twelve heifers 
 as a sacrifice. As for me, I will go and seek 
 Paris, if perchance he will come with me to 
 the war. Would that the earth might open 
 and swallow him up, for of a truth he is a 
 curse to King Priam and to Troy." 
 
 Then went Queen Hecuba into her house, 
 and gave command to her maids that they 
 should assemble the aged women of the city. 
 Afterwards she went to her store-chamber, 
 where lay the well-wrought robes, work of Si- 
 donian women, which Paris himself brought 
 from Sidon, when he sailed upon the broad sea, 
 bringing home with him high-born Helen. The 
 fairest robe of all did the Queen take. Bright 
 as a star it was, and it lay the undermost of all. 
 
84 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 And when she and the aged women that 
 were with her came to the temple of Athene 
 that was in the citadel, Theano, Antenor's 
 wife, whom the Trojans had made priestess 
 of Athene, opened the doors to them. They 
 lifted their hands, and cried aloud, and Theano 
 laid the garment on the knees of the goddess, 
 and spake, saying : 
 
 " Lady Athene, that keepest the city, break 
 now the spear of Diomed, and let him fall 
 upon his face before the Scaean gates. So 
 will we sacrifice to thee twelve heifers that 
 have not felt the goad, if only thou wilt have 
 pity upon our town, and on the wives and little 
 ones of the men of Troy." 
 
 So prayed Theano, but Athene heeded not 
 her words. 
 
 Meanwhile Hector went to the house of 
 Paris, where it stood on the citadel, near to his 
 own dwelling and the dwelling of Priam. He 
 found him busy with his arms, and the fail- 
 Helen sat near him and gave their tasks to her 
 maidens. 
 
 When Hector saw his brother, he spake to 
 him bitter words, taunting him, as if it were 
 
HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE. 85 
 
 by reason of his anger that he stood aloof from 
 the battle. " Verily thou doest not well to be 
 angry. The people perish about the walls, 
 and the war burns hot round the city ; and all 
 for thy sake. Rouse thee, lest it be con- 
 sumed." 
 
 And Paris answered : " Brother, thou hast 
 spoken well. It was not in wrath that I sat 
 here. I was vexed at my sore defeat. But 
 now my wife has urged me to join the battle ; 
 and truly it is well, for victory comes now to 
 one and now to another. Wait thou, then, till 
 I put on my arms, or, if thou wouldst depart, I 
 will overtake thee." 
 
 Then spake Helen with soothing words : 
 "O my brother, would that I had perished on 
 the day when my mother bare me ! But if 
 this might not be, would that the gods had 
 made me the wife of one who feared the blame 
 of his fellow-men ; but this man hath no under- 
 standing, no, nor ever will have. Surely, he 
 shall eat of the fruit of his ill-doing. But 
 come in, sit thee down in this chair, for my 
 heart is weary because of my sin and of the 
 sin of my husband. Verily Zeus hath ordained 
 
86 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 for us an evil fate, so that our story shall be 
 sung in days that are yet to come." 
 
 But Hector said : " Ask me not to rest, for 
 I am eager to help the men of Troy, for verily 
 their need is sore. But do thou urge thy hus- 
 band that he overtake me while I am yet 
 within the city, for now I go to my home that 
 I may see my wife and my little son, because I 
 know not whether I shall return to them again." 
 
 So Hector departed and went to his own 
 home, seeking his wife Andromache, but found 
 her not, for she was on a tower of the wall 
 with her child and her child's nurse, weeping 
 sore for fear. And Hector spake to the 
 maids : 
 
 " Tell me, whither went the white-armed 
 Andromache ; to see some sister-in-law, or to 
 the temple of Athene with the mothers of 
 Troy?" 
 
 " Nay," said an aged woman, keeper of the 
 house. " She went to one of the towers of 
 the wall, for she had heard that the Greeks 
 were pressing our people hard. She hasted 
 like as she were mad, and the nurse carried 
 the child." 
 
HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE. 8? 
 
 So Hector ran through the city to the Scaean 
 gates, and there Andromache spied him, and 
 hasted to meet him Andromache, daughter 
 of King Eetion, of Thebe-under-Placus. And 
 with her was the nurse, bearing the young 
 child on her bosom Hector's only child, 
 beautiful, headed as a star. His father called 
 him Scamandrius, after the river, but the sons 
 of Troy called him Astyanax, the " City- King," 
 because it was his father who saved the city. 
 Silently he smiled when he saw the child, but 
 Andromache clasped his hand and wept, and 
 said : 
 
 " O Hector, thy courage will bring thee to 
 death. Thou hast no pity on thy wife and 
 child, but sparest not thyself, and all the 
 Greeks will rush on thee and slay thee. It 
 were better for me, losing thee, to die ; for I 
 have no comfort but thee. My father is dead, 
 for Achilles slew him in Thebe slew him 
 but spoiled him not, so much he reverenced 
 him. With his arms he burnt him, and the 
 mountain-nymphs planted poplars about his 
 grave. Seven brethren I had, and they all fell 
 in one day by the hand of the great Achilles. 
 
88 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 And my mother, she is dead, for when she had 
 been ransomed, Artemis smote her with an 
 arrow in her father's house. But thou art 
 father to me, and mother, and brother, and 
 husband also. Have pity, then, and stay here 
 upon the wall, lest thou leave me a widow and 
 thy child an orphan. And set the people here 
 in array by this fig tree, where the city is easi- 
 est to be taken ; for there come the bravest of 
 the Greeks, Ajax the Greater, and Ajax the 
 Less, and Idomeneus, and the two sons of 
 Atreus, and the son of Tydeus." 
 
 But Hector said : " Nay, let these things be 
 my care. I would not that any son or daughter 
 of Troy should see me skulking from the war. 
 And my own heart loathes the thought, and 
 bids me fight in the front. Well I know, in- 
 deed, that Priam, and the people of Priam, and 
 holy Troy, will perish. Yet it is not for Troy, 
 or for the people, or even for my father or my 
 mother that I care so much, as for thee in the 
 day when some Greek shall carry thee away 
 captive, and thou shalt ply the loom or carry 
 the pitcher in the land of Greece. And some 
 one shall say when he sees thee, * This was 
 
HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE. 89 
 
 Hector's wife, who was the bravest of the sons 
 of Troy.' May the earth cover me before that 
 day ! " 
 
 Then Hector stretched out his arms to his 
 child. But the child drew back into the bosom 
 of his nurse, with a loud cry, fearing the shin- 
 ing bronze and the horse-hair plume which 
 nodded awfully from his helmet top. Then 
 father and mother laughed aloud. And Hector 
 took the helmet from his head, and laid it on 
 the ground, and caught his child in his hands, 
 and kissed him and dandled him, praying aloud 
 to Father Zeus and all the gods. 
 
 "Grant, Father Zeus and all ye gods, that 
 this child may be as I am, great among the 
 sons of Troy; and may they say some day, 
 when they see him carrying home the bloody 
 spoils from the war, ' A better man than his 
 father, this,' and his mother shall be glad at 
 heart." 
 
 Then he gave the child to his mother, and 
 she clasped him to her breast, and smiled a 
 tearful smile. And her husband's heart was 
 moved ; and he stroked her with his hand, and 
 spake : 
 
90 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 " Be not troubled over much. No man shall 
 slay me against the ordering of fate ; but as 
 for fate, that, methinks, no man may escape, 
 be he coward or brave. But go, ply thy tasks, 
 the shuttle and the loom, and give their tasks 
 to thy maidens, and let men take thought for 
 the battle." 
 
 Then Hector took up his helmet from the 
 ground, and Andromache went her way to her 
 home, oft turning back her eyes. And when 
 she was come, she and all her maidens wailed 
 for the living Hector as though he were 
 dead, for she thought that she should never 
 see him any more returning safe from the 
 battle. 
 
 And as Hector went his way, Paris came 
 running, clad in shining arms, like to some 
 proud steed which has been fed high in his 
 stall, and now scours the plain with head aloft 
 and mane streaming over his shoulders. And 
 he spake to Hector : 
 
 " I have kept thee, I fear, when thou wast in 
 haste, nor came at thy bidding." 
 
 But Hector answered : " No man can blame 
 thy courage, only thou wilfully heldest back 
 
HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE. 91 
 
 from the battle. Therefore do the sons of 
 Troy speak shame of thee. But now let us go 
 to the war." 
 
 So they went together out of the gates, and 
 fell upon the hosts of the Greeks and slew 
 many chiefs of fame, and Glaucus the Lycian 
 went with them. 
 
92 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE DUEL OF HECTOR AND AJAX. 
 
 Now when Athene saw that the Greeks were 
 perishing by the hand of Hector and his com- 
 panions, it grieved her sore. So she came down 
 from the heights of Olympus, if haply she might 
 help them. And Apollo met her and said: 
 
 " Art thou come, Athene, to help the Greeks 
 whom thou lovest ? Well, let us stay the battle 
 for this day; hereafter they shall fight till the 
 doom of Troy be accomplished." 
 
 But Athene answered, " How shall we stay it ?" 
 
 And Apollo said, " We will set on Hector to 
 challenge the bravest of the Greeks to fight 
 with him, man to man." 
 
 So they two put the matter into the mind of 
 Helenus the seer. Then Helenus went near 
 to Hector, and spake, saying : 
 
 " Listen to me, for I am thy brother. Cause 
 the rest of the sons of Troy and of the Greeks 
 to sit down, and do thou challenge the bravest 
 

 THE DUEL OF HECTOR AND AJAX. 93 
 
 of the Greeks to fight with thee, man to man. 
 And be sure thou shalt not fall in the battle, 
 for the will of the immortal gods is so." 
 
 Then Hector greatly rejoiced, and passed to 
 the front of the army, holding his spear by the 
 middle, and kept back the sons of Troy ; and 
 King Agamemnon did likewise with his own 
 people. Then Hector spake : 
 
 " Hear me, sons of Troy, and ye men of 
 Greece. The covenant that we made one w r ith 
 another hath been broken, for Zeus would have 
 it so, purposing evil to both, till either you shall 
 take our high-walled city or we shall conquer 
 you by your ships. But let one of you, who call 
 yourselves champions of the Greeks, come forth 
 and fight with me, man to man. And let it be 
 so that if he vanquish me he shall spoil me of 
 my arms, but give my body to my people, that 
 they may burn it with fire ; and if I vanquish 
 him, I will spoil him of his arms, but give his 
 body to the Greeks, that they may bury him 
 and raise a great mound above him by the 
 broad salt river of Hellespont. And so men 
 of after days shall see it, sailing by, and say, 
 1 This is the tomb of the bravest of the Greeks, 
 
94 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 whom Hector slew.' So shall my name live 
 forever." 
 
 But all the Greeks kept silence, fearing to 
 meet him in battle, but shamed to hold back. 
 Then at last Menelalis leapt forward and 
 spake : 
 
 " Surely now ye are women and not men. 
 Foul shame it were should there be no man to 
 stand up against this Hector. Lo ! I will fight 
 with him my own self, for the issues of battle 
 are with the immortal gods." 
 
 So he spake in his rage rashly, courting 
 death, for Hector was much stronger than he. 
 Then King Agamemnon answered: 
 
 " Nay, but this is folly, my brother. Seek 
 not in thy anger to fight with one that is 
 stronger than thou; for as for this Hector, 
 even Achilles was loth to meet him. Sit thou 
 down among thy comrades, and the Greeks 
 will find some champion who shall fight with 
 him." 
 
 And Menelaiis hearkened to his brother's 
 words, and sat down. Then Nestor rose in 
 the midst and spake : 
 
 " Woe is me to-day for Greece ! How would 
 
THE DUEL OF HECTOR AND AJAX. 95 
 
 the old Peleus grieve to hear such a tale ! Well 
 I remember how he rejoiced when I told him 
 of the house and lineage of all the chieftains 
 of the Greeks, and now he would hear that 
 they cower before Hector, and are sore afraid 
 when he calls them to the battle. Surely he 
 would pray this day that he might die! Oh, 
 that I were such as I was in the old days, 
 when the men of Pylos fought with the Arca- 
 dians by the stream of lardanus! Now the 
 leader of the Arcadians was Ereuthalion, and 
 he wore the arms of Arei'thous, whom men 
 called ' Arei'thous of the club,' because he fought 
 not with bow or spear, but with a club of iron. 
 Him Lycurgus slew, not by might, but by craft, 
 taking him in a narrow place where his club 
 of iron availed him not, and smiting him with 
 his spear. He slew him, and took his arms. 
 And when Lycurgus grew old he gave the 
 arms to Ereuthalion to wear. So Ereuthalion 
 wore them, and challenged the men of Pylos 
 to fight with him. But they feared him. Only 
 I, who was the youngest of all, stood forth, 
 and Athene gave me glory that day, for I slew 
 him, though he was the strongest and tallest 
 
96 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 among the sons of men. Would that I were 
 such to-day! Right soon would I meet this 
 mighty Hector." 
 
 Then rose up nine chiefs of fame. First of 
 all, King Agamemnon, lord of many nations, 
 and next to him Diomed, son of Tydeus, and 
 Ajax the Greater, and Ajax the Less, and then 
 Idomeneus, and Meriones, who was his com- 
 panion in arms, and Eurypylus, and Thoas, son 
 of Andraemon, and the wise Ulysses. 
 
 Then Nestor said, " Let us cast lots who 
 shall do battle with the mighty Hector." 
 
 So they threw the lots into the helmet of 
 King Agamemnon, a lot for each. And the 
 people prayed, " Grant, ye gods, that the lot of 
 Ajax the Greater may leap forth, or the lot of 
 Diomed, or the lot of King Agamemnon." 
 Then Nestor shook the lots in the helmet, and 
 the one which they most wished leapt forth. 
 For the herald took it through the ranks and 
 showed it to the chiefs, but none knew it for 
 his own till he came to where Ajax the Greater 
 stood among his comrades. But Ajax had 
 marked it with his mark, and put forth his 
 hand for it, and claimed it, right glad at heart. 
 
THE DUEL OF HECTOR AND AJAX. 97 
 
 On the ground by his feet he threw it, and 
 said : 
 
 " Mine is the lot, my friends, and right glad 
 I am, for I think that I shall prevail over the 
 mighty Hector. But come, let me put on my 
 arms ; and pray ye to Zeus, but silently, lest 
 the Trojans hear, or aloud, if ye will, for no 
 fear have we. Not by force or craft shall any 
 one vanquish me, for not such are the men 
 whom Salamis breeds." 
 
 So he armed himself and moved forwards, 
 dreadful as Ares, smiling with grim face. 
 With mighty strides he came, brandishing his 
 long-shafted spear. And all the Greeks were 
 glad to behold him, but the knees of the Tro- 
 jans were loosened with fear, and great Hector's 
 heart beat fast ; but he trembled not, nor gave 
 place, seeing that he had himself called him to 
 battle. So Ajax came near, holding before the 
 great shield, like a wall, which Tychius, best of 
 craftsmen, had made for him. Seven folds of 
 bull's hide it had, and an eighth of bronze. 
 Threateningly he spake : 
 
 " Now shalt thou know, Hector, what manner 
 of men there are yet among our chiefs, though 
 
 G 
 
98 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Achilles the lion-hearted is far away, sitting 
 idly in his tent, in great wrath with King Aga- 
 memnon. Do thou, then, begin the battle." 
 
 " Speak not to me, Zeus-descended Ajax," 
 said Hector, " as though I were a woman or 
 a child, knowing nothing of war. Well I 
 know all the arts of battle, to ply my shield 
 this way and that, to guide my car through 
 the tumult of steeds, and to stand fighting 
 hand to hand. But I would not smite so 
 stout a foe by stealth, but openly, if it so 
 befall." 
 
 And as he spake he hurled his long-shafted 
 spear, and smote the great shield on the rim of 
 the eighth fold, that was of bronze. Through 
 six folds it passed, but in the seventh it was 
 stayed. Then Ajax hurled his spear, striking 
 Hector's shield. Through shield it passed and 
 corselet, and cut the tunic close against the loin; 
 but Hector shrank away and escaped the doom 
 of death. Then, each with a fresh spear, they 
 rushed together like lions or wild boars of the 
 wood. First Hector smote the middle of the 
 shield of Ajax, but pierced it not, for the spear- 
 point was bent back ; then Ajax, with a great 
 
THE DUEL OF HECTOR AND AJAX. 99 
 
 bound, drove his spear at Hector's shield and 
 pierced it, forcing him back, and grazing his 
 neck so that the black blood welled out. Yet 
 did not Hector cease from the combat. A 
 great stone and rough he caught up from the 
 ground, and hurled it at the boss of the seven- 
 fold shield. Loud rang the bronze, but the 
 shield brake not. Then Ajax took a stone 
 heavier by far, and threw it with all his might. 
 It brake the shield of Hector, and bore him 
 backwards, so that he fell at length with his 
 shield above him. But Apollo raised him up. 
 Then did both draw their swords ; but ere they 
 could join in close battle came the heralds, and 
 held their sceptres between them, and Id^us, 
 the herald of Troy, spake : 
 
 " Fight no more, my sons ; Zeus loves you 
 both, and ye are both mighty warriors. That 
 we all know right well. But now the night 
 bids you cease, and it is well to heed its 
 bidding." 
 
 Then said Ajax : " Nay, Idaeus, but it is for 
 Hector to speak, for he called the bravest of 
 the Greeks to battle. And as he wills it, so 
 will I." 
 
100 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 And Hector said : " O Ajax, the gods have 
 given thee stature and strength and skill, nor 
 is there any better warrior among the Greeks. 
 Let us cease then from the battle ; we may yet 
 meet again, till the gods give the victory to me 
 or thee. And now let us give gifts the one to 
 the other, so that Trojans and Greeks may 
 say, ' Hector and Ajax met in fierce fight and 
 parted in friendship.' " 
 
 So Hector gave to Ajax a silver-studded 
 sword with the scabbard and the sword-belt, 
 and Ajax gave to Hector a buckler splendid 
 with purple. So they parted. Right glad 
 were the sons of Troy when they saw Hector 
 returning safe. Glad also were the Greeks, as 
 they led Ajax rejoicing in his victory to King 
 Agamemnon. Whereupon the King called the 
 chiefs to banquet together, and bade slay an 
 ox of five years old, and Ajax he honoured 
 most of all, giving him the chine. And when 
 the feast was ended, Nestor said : 
 
 " It were well that we should cease awhile 
 from war and burn the dead, for many, in 
 truth, are fallen. And we will build a great 
 wall and dig a trench about it, and we will 
 
\ 
 
 THE DUEL OF HECTOR AND AJAX. IOI 
 
 make gates, wide that a chariot may pass 
 through, so that our ships may be safe, if the 
 sons of Troy should press us hard." 
 
 But the next morning came a herald from 
 Troy to the chiefs, as they sat in council by the 
 ship of King Agamemnon, and said : 
 
 " This is the word of Priam and the men of 
 Troy : Paris will give back all the treasures of 
 the fair Helen, and many more besides ; but 
 the fair Helen herself he will not give. But if 
 this please you not, grant us a truce, that we 
 may bury our dead." 
 
 Then Diomed spake, " Nay, we will not take 
 the fair Helen's self, for a man may know, even 
 though he be a fool, that the doom of Troy is 
 come." 
 
 And King Agamemnon said, " Herald, thou 
 hast heard the word of the Greeks, but as for 
 the truce, be it as you will." 
 
 So the next day they burnt their dead, and 
 the Greeks made a wall with gates and dug a 
 trench about it. And when it was finished, 
 even at sunset, they made ready a meal, and 
 lo ! there came ships from Lemnos bringing 
 wine, and Greeks bought thereof, some with 
 
102 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 bronze, and some with iron, and some with 
 shields of ox hide. All night they feasted 
 right joyously. The sons of Troy also feasted 
 in their city. But the dreadful thunder rolled 
 through the night, for Zeus was counselling 
 evil against them. 
 
THE BATTLE ON THE PLAIN. 103 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BATTLE ON THE PLAIN. 
 
 WHEN the next morning came Zeus called 
 the gods to an assembly on the topmost ridge 
 of Olympus, and spake to them, saying : 
 
 " Hearken, gods and goddesses ! Let none 
 of you presume to go against my word. Who- 
 soever of you shall succour either Greek or 
 Trojan, him will I smite with the thunder, or 
 else will cast him far down to the darkness of 
 Tartarus, whose gates are iron and whose 
 threshold bronze, and he shall know that I am 
 chief among gods. And if ye will make trial 
 of my strength, let down a chain of gold from 
 heaven to earth, and take hold thereof, all ye 
 gods and goddesses. Yet shall ye not drag 
 down Zeus, no, though ye strive with all your 
 might. But if I should draw with all my 
 strength, I could lift you up, and earth and 
 sea with you, and bind the chain about a 
 horn of Olympus, and leave you hanging 
 
104 THE- STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 there. So much am I stronger than all be- 
 sides." 
 
 Then all the gods sat silent and amazed. 
 But at last spake Athene : " Surely we know, 
 Father Zeus, that thy might brooks no control. 
 Yet we have compassion of the Greeks, lest 
 they should perish altogether. We will keep 
 aloof from the war, according to thy command, 
 but we will give them counsel." 
 
 And Zeus smiled upon her, and gave con- 
 sent. Then he yoked to his chariot his swift 
 horses, and touched them with his whip. 
 Midway between heaven and earth they flew, 
 and came to Ida, the mountain of many 
 springs. There he stayed his course, and sat 
 down amidst the peaks, looking on the city of 
 Troy and the host of the Greeks. 
 
 The Greeks took their meal in haste, and 
 armed themselves. The men of Troy also 
 made them ready for battle in the city ; fewer 
 they were in number than their foes, but not 
 less eager for the fight, for indeed a sore need 
 was upon them, the need to fight for children 
 and wife. Then the gates were opened, and 
 the people went quickly forth. 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE PLAIN. 105 
 
 And the two hosts came together, buckler 
 against buckler, and spear against spear, and 
 the bosses of the shields clashed with a great 
 ringing sound. While the day was increasing, 
 neither this side prevailed nor that; but at 
 noon Father Zeus stretched on high his 
 golden scales, laying in them two weights of 
 death ; for the Greeks one, and one for the 
 sons of Troy. By the middle he took the 
 scales, and let them hang, and the scale of 
 the Greeks sank lower. Then did he send his 
 blazing bolt among the people from the 
 heights of Ida, and they saw it and were 
 dismayed. 
 
 Then could no man hold his ground. Only 
 Nestor remained, and that against his will, for 
 Paris had slain one of his chariot-horses with 
 an arrow. And while the old man cut away 
 the traces, came Hector through the press. 
 Then had the old man perished, but Diomed 
 was swift to mark. With a great cry he called 
 Ulysses, and said : 
 
 " Son of Laertes, whither dost thou flee, 
 turning thy back like a coward in the press ? 
 See that no man thrust thee in the back with 
 
106 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 a spear. Tarry, rather, and keep back this 
 fierce man of war from old Nestor." 
 
 So he spake, but Ulysses heeded not, fleeing 
 fast to the ships. 
 
 Then rushed Diomed, alone as he was, into 
 the foremost rank, and stood before the chariot 
 of old Nestor, and spake : " Old sir, the 
 younger fighters press thee sore; feeble thou 
 art, and weak thy charioteer, and thy horses 
 slow. Come, mount upon my chariot, and 
 see what the horses of Tros can do, that I 
 took from ^Eneas, how they can flee, and 
 follow and speed this way and that ! To thy 
 horses thy charioteer and mine shall look; 
 come thou with me, and Hector shall see 
 whether there is yet any strength in the spear 
 of Diomed." 
 
 To this Nestor gave consent, and took the 
 reins in his hand, and plied the whip. Soon 
 they came near to Hector, and Diomed cast 
 his spear. Hector he missed; but his char- 
 ioteer, brave Eniopeus, he smote upon the 
 breast, so that he fell from the chariot, and 
 the swift horses started back. Hector's heart 
 was dark with grief for his comrade; yet he 
 
\ 
 THE BATTLE OF THE PLAIN. IO/ 
 
 let him lie where he fell, for he must needs 
 find another charioteer. 
 
 Then there had been rout among the men 
 of Troy, and they had been pent up in the 
 city, as sheep in a fold, but that Zeus hurled a 
 blazing thunderbolt. Right before the chariot 
 of Diomed did it fall ; and the horses crouched 
 in fear, and Nestor let fall the reins from his 
 hands, for he was sore afraid, and cried 
 aloud : 
 
 " Son of Tydeus, turn thy horses to flight ; 
 seest thou that Zeus is not with thee ? To-day 
 he giveth glory to Hector; to-morrow, haply, 
 to thee. The purpose of Zeus none may 
 hinder." 
 
 Then the son of Tydeus spake : " Old sir. 
 thou sayest well ; but this goeth to my heart, 
 that Hector will say, ' Diomed fled before me, 
 seeking the ships.' Then may the earth 
 swallow me up ! " 
 
 But Nestor made reply, " Though Hector 
 call thee coward, yet will not the sons of Troy 
 believe him, nor the daughters whose gallant 
 husbands thou hast tumbled in the dust." 
 
 Then he turned his horses, and fled. But 
 
108 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Hector cried after him : " Art thou the man to 
 whom the Greeks give high place in the feast, 
 and plenteous cups of wine ? Not so will they 
 honour thee hereafter. Run, girl ! run, coward ! 
 Shalt thou climb our walls, and carry away 
 our daughters in thy ships ? " 
 
 Then Diomed was very wroth, doubting 
 whether to flee or to turn; but when he 
 turned Zeus thundered from on high, making 
 him afraid. And Hector bade the hosts of 
 Troy be of good courage, for that Zeus was 
 with them, and called to his horses: "Come, 
 now, Bayard, and Whitefoot, and Flame of Fire, 
 and Brilliant; forget not how the fair An- 
 dromache has cared for you ; aye, even before 
 me, who am her husband. Carry me fast, that 
 I may win old Nestor's shield, which men say 
 is all of gold, and strip from the shoulders of 
 Diomed the breastplate which Hephaestus 
 wrought." 
 
 So the Greeks fled headlong within the wall 
 which they had built, Hector driving them be- 
 fore him, and all the space between the wall 
 and the ships was crowded with chariots and 
 with men. Then verily had Hector burned 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE PLAIN. 109 
 
 the ships, had not Hera put it in the heart 
 of King Agamemnon to exhort the Greeks to 
 battle. On the ship of Ulysses, that was mid- 
 most of all, he stood, so that he could shout to 
 either end, to where Ajax the Greater on one 
 side, and Achilles on the other, had drawn up 
 their ships. And he cried aloud : 
 
 ^Shame on y_ou, ye Greeks ! Where are 
 now your boastings wherewith ye boasted in 
 Lemnos, as ye ate the flesh of cattle, and drank 
 from the brimming bowls of wine, how one 
 man of you would outmatch five score, yea, 
 ten score, of the sons of Troy ? And now one 
 single man is of more worth than you all ! O 
 Father Zeus, hast thou ever afflicted any king 
 in such fashion ? and yet have I never passed 
 by altar of thine, but burnt on it the fat of 
 beeves, praying that I might take the city of 
 Troy. Grant us, now, that we may at least 
 escape with our lives." 
 
 And Zeus hearkened to his prayer, and sent 
 a sign from heaven, an eagle that held a kid 
 m his claw; by the altar of Zeus, the god of 
 warning, did he drop it, and the Greeks, 
 when they saw it, took heart, and leaped upon 
 
I 10 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 the men of Troy, and rejoiced again in the 
 battle. 
 
 Foremost of all was Diomed, who slew a 
 Trojan, Agelaiis by name. Through the back 
 he pierced him with his spear, driving it through 
 his breast, and tumbled him from his chariot. 
 
 After him came the sons of Atreus, and 
 either Ajax, and Idomeneus, and all the chiefs, 
 and among them Teucer, who stood beneath 
 the shield of Ajax Telamon, as he bent his 
 bow. Ajax would lift his shield a little, and 
 Teucer, peering out, would shoot a warrior in 
 the throng. Then would he go back as a child 
 to his mother, and Ajax would hide him be- 
 neath his shield. Eight warriors did he slay ; 
 and when Agamemnon saw him, he came near, 
 and spake, saying : " Shoot on, Teucer, and be 
 a light to thy people and to thy father Tela- 
 mon. Surely when Zeus and Athene shall 
 grant me the spoil of Troy, to thee, first after 
 myself, will I give a goodly gift." 
 
 Teucer made reply : " Why dost thou urge 
 me on that am myself so eager ? Never have 
 I ceased to ply them with mine arrows, ac- 
 cording to my strength. Eight shafts have I 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE PLAIN. 1 1 1 
 
 launched, and every shaft has been buried in a 
 warrior's flesh ; but that man I cannot strike." 
 
 He spake, and shed another arrow from the 
 string, aiming at Hector. Him he touched 
 not, but he slew a son of Priam. Yet once 
 again he shot, and slew this time the charioteer 
 of Hector, striking him full upon the breast, as 
 he rushed into battle. Then Hector's heart 
 grew dark with rage and grief. He bade his 
 brother Cebriones take the reins. Then he 
 leapt from his chariot to the ground, and 
 caught a stone in his hand, and went towards 
 Teucer, desiring to crush him. Then Teucer 
 took an arrow from the quiver and fitted it on 
 the string, but as he drew the arrow to his 
 shoulder, Hector smote him where the collar- 
 bone stands between neck and breast, and 
 snapped the bow-string, and numbed arm and 
 wrist, so that the bow flew from his hand, 
 and he fell upon his knee. But Ajax bestrode 
 him, covering him with his shield, and two of 
 his comrades bare him, groaning deeply, to the 
 ships. 
 
 Then again did Zeus put courage into the 
 hearts of the men of Troy, and they thrust the 
 
112 7 HE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Greeks back to the ditch; and Hector moved 
 ever in the front, rejoicing in his strength. 
 Even as a dog pursues a wild boar or a lion, 
 and catches him by hip or thigh, so did Hector 
 hang upon the Greeks, and smite the hindmost 
 as they fled. 
 
 But Hera saw and pitied them, and spake to 
 Athene : " Shall not thou and I have pity on 
 the Greeks once again, if never more ? Haply 
 they will perish beneath the onslaught of Hec- 
 tor, who hath already wrought them manifold 
 
 woe." 
 
 Athene made reply : " It is my father, who 
 hath listened to Thetis, when .she besought 
 him to give honour to Achilles. But another 
 day, may be, he will hearken unto me. Make 
 ready, therefore, the horses, while I arm myself 
 for the war. We will see whether Hector will 
 be glad when he beholds thee and me in the 
 forefront of the battle." 
 
 So Hera made ready the chariot, and 
 Athene armed herself for the war. And when 
 she was armed, Hera lashed the horses, and 
 the great gates of heaven, where the Hours 
 keep watch, opened before them. 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE PLAIN. 113 
 
 But Zeus saw them from Ida, and said to 
 Iris of the golden wings: " Go now, swift Iris, 
 bid these two not come face to face with me, 
 for our meeting would be ill for them. Verily 
 I will hough their horses, and cast them from 
 their chariot, and break the chariot in pieces. 
 Not for ten years would they recover of their 
 wounds should the lightning smite them." 
 
 So Iris hasted on her way, and gave the two 
 goddesses the Father's message. 
 
 Then spake Hera to Athene : " No more do 
 I counsel that we two should do battle with 
 Zeus for the sake of mortal men. Let this one 
 perish and that live, as it may befall, and Zeus 
 dispense his judgments,' as is meet and fit." 
 
 So they two went back to Olympus, and sat 
 down in their chairs of gold, among the other 
 gods, right heavy of heart. 
 
 Zeus also hastened from Ida to Olympus, 
 and came into the assembly of the gods ; but 
 Hera and Athene sat apart, and spake not, and 
 asked no question. 
 
 Then said Zeus: "Why are ye so cast down? 
 Surely ye are not wearied with the war, with 
 slaying th^ Trojans whom ye hate so sore. All 
 
 H 
 
114 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 the gods of Olympus may not overbear me ; and 
 ye two tremble, or ever ye have looked on war." 
 
 He spake, and the two goddesses murmured 
 where they sat side by side. Athene kept 
 silence for all her wrath; but Hera spake, 
 " Well do we know, son of Chronos, that thy 
 might is beyond all bounds; nevertheless ^ve_ 
 pity the Greeks, lest they fill up the measure 
 of their fate and die." 
 
 Then Zeus spake again, "To-morrow, Queen 
 Hera, shalt thou see worse things than these ; 
 for great Hector will not cease from his slay- 
 ing till the son of Peleus be roused by his 
 ships, in the day when they shall fight about 
 the dead Patroclus in the dark press of men." 
 
 And now the sun sank into the sea ; wroth 
 were the Trojans that the light should go, but 
 to the Greeks welcome, much prayed for, came 
 the night 
 
 Then Hector called the men of Troy to an 
 assembly. In his hand he held a spear eleven 
 cubits long, with flaming point of bronze, and 
 circled with gold ; on it he leant and spake : 
 
 " Give ear, ye Trojans, Dardans, and allies ! 
 I thought this day to destroy the hosts of the 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE PLAIN. 115 
 
 Greeks and their ships, and so to return to 
 Troy; but night hath hindered me. Let us 
 yield to night, and take our meal. Unharness 
 your horses and feed them. Fetch also from 
 the city kine, and sheep, and wine, and bread, 
 and store of fuel also, that we may burn many 
 fires, lest, haply, the Greeks escape across the 
 sea in the night. Not in peace shall they 
 embark, but each shall carry away a wound 
 to nurse at home that others may not seek 
 to trouble the men of Troy with war. Also 
 let the heralds make proclamation in the city, 
 that the lads and the old men should guard 
 the wall, and that every woman should light 
 a great fire in her house, and that all should 
 keep watch, lest an ambush should enter the 
 city while the people are away. So much to- 
 day; but to-morrow I will speak other words 
 to you. In the morning will we arm ourselves, 
 and wake the war beside the ships. Then 
 shall I know whether Diomed will drive me 
 from the wall, or I slay him with the spear. 
 Would that I were immortal and held in 
 honour as are the gods, as surely as to- 
 morrow will bring ruin on the Greeks." 
 
Il6 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 So Hector spake, and all the Trojans shouted 
 their assent. They loosed their horses, and 
 fetched provender from the city, and gathered 
 store of fuel. All night long they sat high in 
 hope ; and as on some windless night the stars 
 shine bright about the moon, and all the crags 
 and dells are shown, and the tops of the hills 
 also, and the depths of the sky are open, and 
 all the stars appear, and the shepherd's heart is 
 glad ; so many showed the Trojan fires between 
 the stream of Xanthus and the ships. A 
 thousand fires were burning, and fifty sat in 
 the glare of each ; and the horses stood beside 
 the chariots champing barley and spelt, and 
 waited for the morn. 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 
 
 WHILE the Trojans watched with good hope, 
 the Greeks were possessed with fear. And 
 King Agamemnon was troubled beyond all 
 others. He bade the heralds call every man 
 to the assembly, bidding them severally with- 
 out making proclamation. Gloomily they sat, 
 and when the King rose up to speak, his tears 
 dropped down, as the waters drop down a steep 
 cliff-side from some spring which the sunshine 
 toucheth not. Thus he spake : " O friends, 
 lords and leaders of the Greeks, verily Zeus 
 dealeth ill with me. Once he promised that 
 I should take the city of Troy and so return 
 home ; but now he hath deceived me, bidding 
 me go back dishonoured, having lost much 
 people. Thus indeed do I now read his de- 
 cree. Wherefore let us flee with our ships to 
 the land of our fathers, for Troy we may not 
 take." 
 
Il8 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Long time the chiefs kept silence, for they 
 were out of heart; but at the last rose Diomed, 
 and spake : " Be not wroth, O King, if I con- 
 tend with this thy madness. Thou hast called 
 me laggard and coward ; whether I be so in- 
 deed the Greeks know well, both young and 
 old. But to thee Zeus hath given lordship 
 and the power of the sceptre above thy fellows ; 
 but courage he hath not given, and courage is 
 best of all. Now if thine heart be bent upon 
 return, go thou ; the way is nigh, and thy ships 
 are by the sea ; but all the other Greeks will 
 abide till they have taken Troy. Yea, and if 
 these also will go, then we two, I and Sthenelus, 
 will abide and fight till we make an end of the 
 city, for it was the gods that sent us hither." 
 
 Then Nestor spake : " Thou art brave in 
 war, son of Tydeus, and excellent in council 
 above thy fellows. In what thou hast said 
 none will gainsay thee. But now let us take 
 our meal ; and let sentinels watch along the 
 trench. And do thou, son of Atreus, make 
 a feast for thy chiefs, as is meet. And him 
 who counsels thee most wisely thou must 
 follow. Sorely do we need wise counsel, see- 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 1 19 
 
 ing that the enemy have so many fires near 
 our ships. Verily this night will save our 
 army or destroy." 
 
 So King Agamemnon called the chiefs to a 
 feast ; and when the feast was ended Nestor 
 rose up and spake : " Zeus hath made thee 
 King over many nations, that thou mayest deal 
 wisely with them. Therefore it is thy part to 
 listen to the word of another when he shall 
 speak that which is profitable. Evil was the 
 day, O King, when thou didst send and take 
 the damsel Brisei's from the tent of Achilles. 
 The chiefs of the Greeks consented not to thy 
 deed. And I would fain have persuaded thee 
 to forbear, but thou wouldst not hearken, but 
 didst listen to the counsel of pride, working 
 shame to the bravest of the people, and taking 
 from him the reward of his labours. Let us 
 therefore take thought how we may best 
 appease him with noble gifts and pleasant 
 words." 
 
 Then said King Agamemnon : " These are 
 true words that thou hast spoken, old man. 
 Truly I did as a fool that day, and I deny it 
 not. For he that is loved of Zeus is of more 
 
120 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 worth than whole armies of men ; and verily 
 Zeus loveth this man, seeing that he putteth 
 the Greeks to flight that he may do him 
 honour. But even as I wronged him in my 
 folly, so will I make amends, and give a recom- 
 pense beyond all telling. And now I will de- 
 clare before you all the gifts that I will give : 
 seven tripods that the fire hath never touched, 
 and ten talents of gold, and twenty shining 
 caldrons, and twelve stout horses, that have 
 won prizes in the race by fleetness of foot. 
 No beggar were he, nor without store of pre- 
 cious gold, who should hold all that my horses 
 have won for me. And seven women will I 
 give him, skilled in excellent handiwork, 
 daughters of Lesbos, fairer than all women 
 else, whom I chose for my portion of the spoil 
 in the day when he took Lesbos by the might 
 of his arm. These will I give him, and with 
 them the damsel Briseis, even as I took her 
 from him. And if the gods shall grant us to 
 destroy the great city of Priam, then let him 
 come when we divide the spoil, and choose for 
 himself twenty women of Troy, the fairest 
 there be after Argive Helen. And if he come 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 121 
 
 again to the land of Greece, then shall he be 
 my son, and I will honour him even as I 
 honour Orestes. Three daughters have I in 
 my palace at home, Chrysothemis, and Lao- 
 dice, and Iphianassa. Let him choose which 
 of them he will, and take her, unbought by 
 wooer's gift, to the hall of Peleus. Yea, and 
 I will give with her a great dower also, such as 
 man never yet gave to his daughter. Seven 
 fair cities will I give him, with pasture-lands and 
 vineyards, wherein dwell men that have many 
 flocks and herds, who will honour him with 
 gifts even as men honour a god, and will fulfil 
 his commands. All this will I give him, if so 
 be that he will cease from his anger. Let him 
 yield ; for only Death of all things that are 
 yieldeth not, wherefore Death is abhorred of 
 all men." 
 
 To him Nestor made answer : " No man 
 may lightly esteem the gifts that thou givest 
 to great Achilles. Come, therefore, let us 
 choose men that they may go with all speed 
 to his tent. Let Phcenix, who is beloved of 
 Zeus, lead the way ; and let Ajax the Greater 
 and Ulysses go with him, and two heralds also. 
 
122 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 And now let men bring water for our hands, 
 and let all keep silence while we pray to Zeus, 
 that he may have mercy upon us." 
 
 Then the heralds poured water on their 
 hands, and filled the bowls full with wine. 
 And, when they had made libation to the 
 gods, they drank, and so came forth from the 
 tent of the King. And Nestor charged them 
 all, but chiefly Ulysses, of what they should 
 say, and how they might best persuade the 
 son of Peleus. 
 
 So they went by the shore of the sea ; and, 
 as they went, they made instant prayer to the 
 god that shakes the earth that they might turn 
 the heart of Achilles. And when they came 
 to the ships of the Myrmidons, they found the 
 King taking his pleasure with a harp, fairly 
 wrought, with a crossbar of silver upon it, that 
 he had taken from the spoil of Thebe-under- 
 Placus, that was the city of King Ee'tion. 
 There he sat, delighting his soul with music, 
 and sang the deeds of heroes of old time. 
 And Patroclus sat over against him in silence, 
 waiting till he should cease from his singing. 
 Then the two chiefs came forward, Ulysses 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 123 
 
 leading the way, and stood before the face 
 of Achilles ; and Achilles leapt up in much 
 amaze, holding the harp in his hand. And 
 Patroclus rose also from his seat when he saw 
 the twain. Then said Achilles, fleet of foot, 
 " Welcome ye are, and right dear to me, for 
 all my anger." 
 
 So spake Achilles, and led them forward ; 
 and he bade them sit on seats that were cov- 
 ered with coverlets of purple. Then said he 
 to Patroclus, " Bring forth the biggest bowl, 
 and mingle drinks of the strongest, for each 
 man a cup, for I have not dearer friends than 
 these that are come beneath my roof this day." 
 
 And Patroclus hearkened to his words. 
 And afterwards he set before the heat of the 
 fire a mighty fleshing-block ; and he laid upon 
 it the back of a sheep and of a fatted goat, 
 and a hog's chine also rich with fat. And 
 Automedon, that was charioteer to Achilles, 
 held the flesh, and Achilles carved it. Well 
 did he carve it, and spitted it upon spits, and 
 Patroclus made the fire burn high. And when 
 the flames had died away, he smoothed down 
 the embers, and laid the spits with the flesh 
 
124 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 upon the spit-racks above them, sprinkling 
 them first with salt. And when the flesh 
 was broiled, he portioned it forth upon plat- 
 ters ; and afterwards took bread, and set it 
 upon the table in baskets. Then Achilles 
 sat himself down over against Ulysses by the 
 other wall of the tent. And Patroclus did 
 sacrifice to the gods at his bidding, casting 
 the first-fruits into the fire. After this the 
 chiefs stretched forth their hands to the meat 
 that lay ready before them. And when they 
 had done with the desire for food and drink, 
 Ajax nodded to Phcenix that he should speak ; 
 but Ulysses perceived it, and was beforehand 
 with him, and filled a cup with wine, and 
 pledged Achilles, and spake : " Hail, Achilles ! 
 No lack have we had of feasting before in the 
 tent of King Agamemnon and now in thine; 
 but it is not of feasting that we think this 
 day ; for we behold a sore destruction close at 
 hand, and are afraid. Verily, we are in doubt 
 whether or no we may save our ships, unless 
 thou wilt gird on thy might again. For in- 
 deed this day the men of Troy and their allies 
 came near to the ships to burn them with fire. 
 
- 
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 12$ 
 
 And Zeus shows them favourable signs, even 
 lightning on the right hand. As for Hector, 
 he rages furiously, trusting in Zeus, and cares 
 not aught for god or man. Verily, even now 
 is he praying that the morning may appear; 
 for he vows that he will cut off their ensigns 
 from our ships, yea, and burn the ships with 
 fire, and make havoc of the Greeks while they 
 are dazed with the smoke of the burning. 
 Sorely do I fear in my heart lest the god ful- 
 fil his threats, and doom us to perish here in 
 Troy, far from the plains of Argos. Up, there- 
 fore, if thou art minded even now to save the 
 Greeks ! Delay not, lest thou repent here- 
 after, for there is no remedy for that which 
 is done. Did not the old man Peleus, thy 
 father, in the day when he sent thee from 
 Phthia to King Agamemnon, give thee this 
 commandment, saying : ' My son, Athene and 
 Hera will give thee strength, if it be their 
 will ; but do thou restrain thy pride of heart, 
 for gentleness is better than pride ; and keep 
 thee from strife, that the Greeks, both young 
 and old, may honour thee the more ' ? So the 
 old man crave thee commandment, but thou 
 
126 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 forgettest his words. Yet even now cease 
 from thy anger. Verily, Agamemnon offereth 
 thee worthy gifts, so that thou put away thy 
 wrath ten tripods that have not felt the fire, 
 and ten talents of gold, and twenty shining cal- 
 drons, and twelve stout horses that have won 
 much wealth for Agamemnon by fleetness of 
 foot, and seven women, daughters of Lesbos, 
 skilful in handiwork, and fairer than all their 
 kind ; and Brisei's herself he will restore to 
 thee, even as he took her from thee. All 
 these things will he give ; and if we take the 
 great city of Priam, twenty daughters of Troy, 
 fairest of women, after Argive Helen. And 
 when we shall go back to Greece, thou shalt 
 have his daughter to wife, her whom thou 
 shalt choose, and pay no gifts of wooing for her, 
 but rather have such dowry as never king gave 
 with his daughter before: seven cities shalt 
 thou have, lying all of them near to the sea, a 
 land of vineyards, and cornfields, whose folk 
 shall pay thee tribute and honour. But_Jf 
 thou yet hate from thy heart Agamemnon and 
 his gifts, then I pray thee have pity upon the 
 Greeks, who will honour thee even as men 
 
. \ 
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 1 27 
 
 honour a god. Hector, too, thou mayest slay, 
 for he will come near thee in his madness, for 
 he deems that there is not a man of all the 
 Greeks that can stand against him." 
 
 To him Achilles, fleet of foot, made answer : 
 " Son of Laertes, plain shall be my speech, 
 setting forth my thought and the steadfast pur- 
 pose of my heart ; for J would not have you 
 sit before me, seeking to coax me, one man 
 this way and another another. As for the 
 man that hideth one thing in his heart, and 
 speaketh another with his lips, I hate him as I 
 hate the gates of death. Tell me, why should 
 a man do battle without ceasing with the foe ? 
 Surely it is a thankless work, for he that abid- 
 eth at home hath equal share with him that 3t| 
 ceaseth not from battle, and the coward hath 
 like honour with the brave, and death cometh 
 with equal foot to him that toileth not and to 
 him that ceaseth not from toil. No profit have 
 I had for all the tribulation that I have endured, 
 ever staking my life in the battle. For even 
 as a bird carrieth morsels to her unfledged 
 brood, but herself fareth ill, so passed I many 
 sleepless nights, and fought for many toil- 
 
128 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 some days. Twelve cities laid I waste, sailing 
 thereto on ships, and eleven whereunto I jour- 
 neyed by land, all in this fair land of Troy; 
 and out of all I took many and fair possessions. 
 And these I carried to King Agamemnon ; 
 and he, ever abiding at the ships, portioned 
 out a few to others, but kept the most himself. 
 And what he gave to the other princes or the 
 host he left to them ; but from me, only from 
 me among all the Greeks, he took away the 
 gift that he had given. Yea, he took from me 
 the lady whom I loved. He took her; let him 
 keep her, if he will. Why must the Greeks 
 make war against the sons of Troy? Why 
 did the sons of Atreus gather this host to- 
 gether, and lead them to this land ? Was it 
 not for fair-haired Helen's sake ? Tell me, 
 then, do the sons of Atreus alone of all men 
 love their wives ? Nay, but whosoever is good 
 and sound of heart loveth his wife and cherish- 
 eth her, even as I loved mine, though I won 
 her by my spear. He took her from me, and 
 deceived me; let him not make trial of me 
 again, for I know him well, and he shall not 
 prevail with me. Let him take counsel now 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 1 29 
 
 with thee, Ulysses, and with the other princes 
 of the host, how he may keep from the ships 
 the devouring fire. Many things hath he done 
 without my help, building a wall and digging 
 a ditch about it, both wide and deep, and set- 
 ting stakes in the ditch ; yet for all this can he 
 not keep Hector from the ships. And yet, 
 when I fought in the host of the Greeks, this 
 Hector dared not set his army in array far 
 from the walls, but scarce came to the Scaean 
 gates and the fig tree. Once did he await me 
 there to do battle, man against man, and 
 scarce escaped my spear. But now, seeing 
 that I have no mind to fight with him, I will 
 do sacrifice to-morrow to Zeus and all the 
 gods, and I will store my ships and launch 
 them on the sea. Yea, to-morrow, right early 
 in the morning, thou shalt see them, if thou 
 wilt, sailing along the Hellespont, and my men 
 toiling eagerly at the oar; and if the god that 
 shaketh the earth grants me a fair journey, on 
 the third morning shall I come to the fair land 
 of Phthia. There is all the wealth that I left 
 behind me when I came to Troy ; and hence I 
 shall carry with me yet more of gold and 
 
 I 
 
130 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 bronze and iron, and fair women slaves, my 
 portion of the spoil. My portion they are, but 
 my choicest gift King Agamemnon has taken 
 from me ; he took it, having given it himself. 
 Never will I take counsel with him again, nor 
 bear him company in battle ; once hath he 
 deceived me; let this suffice. He shall not 
 beguile me again with lying speech. And as 
 for his gifts, I scorn them ; though he give me 
 tenfold, yea, twentyfold, all that he now hath 
 promised, though it be as the wealth of Thebes 
 that is in the land of Egypt, and than Thebes, 
 I ween, there is no wealthier city. A hundred 
 gates it hath, and from each gate two hundred 
 warriors issue forth with horses and chariots. 
 Yea, verily, though he give me gifts as the 
 sand of the sea for multitude, he shall not per- 
 suade me, till he shall have endured like bitter- 
 ness of soul with mine. And his daughter I 
 will not wed no, not though she be as fair as 
 golden Aphrodite, and match Athene of the 
 flashing eyes in skill of handiwork. Let him 
 choose him, forsooth, from among the Greeks 
 some kinglier son-in-law than I, and for me, if 
 the gods bring me safe to my home, Peleus 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 131 
 
 shall choose a wife. Many maidens, daughters 
 of princes, are there in Hellas and in Phthia. 
 Of these I will wed whomsoever I will. Often, 
 indeed, in time past was I moved to take for 
 me a wife, to be my helpmeet, that I might 
 have joy with her of the possessions of Peleus, 
 my father. For all the wealth that was stored 
 in the city of Troy, in the days of peace, before 
 the Greeks came thither, and all the treasure 
 that is laid up in the temple of Apollo the 
 Archer that is in the city of Delphi all this 
 I count as nothing in comparison of life. For 
 a man may take cattle and sheep for spoil, and 
 he may buy tripods and horses ; but the life of 
 a man, when it hath once passed from out his 
 lips, he may not win back by spoiling or by 
 buying. And to me my mother, even Thetis, 
 the goddess of the silver foot, hath unfolded 
 my doom. A double doom it is. If I abide 
 in this land and fight against the city of Troy, 
 then shall I return no more to my native coun- 
 try, but my name shall live forever ; but if I 
 go back to my home, then my fame shall be 
 taken from me, but I shall live long and see 
 not the grave. Therefore I go, and verily I 
 
132 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 counsel you all to go, for Troy ye never shall 
 take as ye desire, seeing that Zeus, who seeth 
 all things before, holdeth over it his hand, and 
 her sons are a valiant folk. And now go your 
 way ; carry back this answer to the princes of 
 the Greeks : ' Devise ye in your hearts some 
 better counsel whereby ye may keep the men 
 of Troy from your ships ; for this counsel 
 availeth naught, so fierce is my anger.' But 
 let the old man Phoenix abide with me in my 
 tent to-night, that he may sail in my ship on 
 the morrow. Verily he shall sail, if he will ; 
 but I will not take him by force." 
 
 Thus spake Achilles. And the chiefs sat 
 still and held their peace, marvelling at his 
 speech, so vehement was he in his denying. 
 But at the last the old man Phoenix made 
 answer. With many tears he spake, for he 
 was sore afraid lest the ships of the Greeks 
 should perish : " If indeed thou art minded 
 to depart, and carest not to save the ships 
 from devouring fire, how can I endure to 
 be left alone of thee? For the old man 
 Peleus made me thy teacher, both of words 
 and of deeds, in the day when he sent thee 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHfLLES. 133 
 
 forth from the land of Phthia to King Aga- 
 memnon, a stripling without knowledge of 
 war or of counsel. Therefore I will not leave 
 thee, no, not if the gods would take from me 
 my years, and make me young as I was when 
 I left the land of Hellas. Hellas I left be- 
 cause I had angered the old man, my father, 
 and he cursed me, calling instantly on the 
 Furies that never son of mine should sit 
 upon his knees. Thus he prayed, and the 
 gods hearkened to him, even Zeus that rules 
 the dead and awful Persephone. Then was I 
 minded to slay him with the sword ; but some 
 god kept me back, putting it in my heart 
 that I should be called the murderer of my 
 father throughout the land of Hellas. But 
 I was purposed not to abide in his dwelling 
 any more. Then came comrades and kins- 
 men with many prayers, and would have kept 
 me. Nine days they slew fat sheep and 
 oxen, and broiled the swine's flesh in the fire, 
 and wine they drank without stint from the 
 old man's jars. Nine nights they slept about 
 me, keeping watch by turn, and the fires 
 burned continually, one in the cloister of the 
 
134 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 court, and one in the porch before the chamber 
 doors. But when the tenth night came, and 
 darkness was over all, I brake the chamber 
 doors for all their cunning fastening, and, 
 coming forth, leapt over the courtyard fence, 
 and neither watchman nor handmaid marked 
 me. Far over the land of Hellas I fled, and 
 came to Phthia, to King Peleus. And Peleus 
 received me with a kindly heart, and cherished 
 me as a father cherisheth his son, even the 
 heir of his possessions. Yea, and he made 
 me rich, and gave me people to be under me, 
 and I ruled the Dolopes that dwelt in the 
 uttermost border of Phthia. And thee, Achil- 
 les, did I rear to the stature that thou hast. 
 With no man but me wouldst thou go unto 
 the feast, or take thy meat in the hall; but 
 I set thee upon my knees, and cut the sa- 
 voury morsel for thee from the dish, and put 
 the wine-cup to thy lips. Many a tunic hast 
 thou stained for me, sputtering forth the wine 
 upon it. Much have I suffered, and much 
 toiled for thee ; for child of mine own I had 
 not, and thou wast to me as a son, Achilles, 
 to cherish me in my need. And now, I pray 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 135 
 
 thee, rule thy anger, for it becometh thee not 
 to keep a ruthless heart. Even the gods are 
 turned from their purpose, and they are more 
 honourable and mightier than thou. Yea, men 
 turn them with incense and drink-offering, and 
 burnt-offering and prayer, if so be that one has 
 transgressed against them. Moreover, Prayers 
 are the daughters of Zeus ; halt are they, and 
 wrinkled, and with eyes that look askance, and 
 they follow ever in the steps of Sin. Strong is 
 Sin, and fleet of foot, and far outrunneth them 
 all, and goeth before over all the earth, working 
 harm to men ; nevertheless, Prayers follow be- 
 hind to heal the harm. And whosoever shall 
 reverence these daughters of Zeus when they 
 come near unto him, him they bless, and accept 
 his petitions ; but when one denieth them and 
 refuseth them in the hardness of his heart, then 
 they depart and make supplication to Zeus that 
 he may perish. Take heed, therefore, Achilles, 
 that thou pay to the daughters of Zeus such 
 reverence as becometh a righteous man. If, 
 indeed, King Agamemnon offered thee not 
 gifts in the present, and promised thee more 
 hereafter, I would not bid thee cease from thy 
 
136 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 anger, no, not to save the Greeks in their dis- 
 tress. But now he gives thee much and prom- 
 ises thee more, and hath sent his ambassadors, 
 the men that are the noblest of the host, and 
 withal dearest to thee. Refuse not, therefore, 
 their words. For the heroes also in former 
 days when fierce anger came upon them could 
 be turned with gifts and persuaded by prayers. 
 Listen, now, to this tale that I will tell. The 
 Curetes in old time fought against the fair city 
 of Calydon, and the ^tolians defended it, and 
 there was war between them. For Artemis 
 had brought a plague upon them, being wroth 
 because King GEneus offered her not the first- 
 fruits. The other gods had sacrifice, but to 
 the daughter of Zeus he made no offering, 
 whether he forgot the matter or heeded her 
 not. And the Queen of Arrows was very 
 wroth, and sent, a great wild boar with long 
 white tusks into the land, that laid waste 
 gardens and orchards. But Meleager, son of 
 CEneus, slew the beast, having first gathered 
 many hunters and dogs, for only of many could 
 he be slain, so mighty was he,, and so many did 
 he bring to the funeral fires. And when he 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 137 
 
 was slain much trouble arose about his head 
 and shaggy hide, for the Curetes and ^Etolians 
 contended together who should have them. 
 Now, so long as Meleager fought in the host 
 of the /Etolians, so long it fared ill with the 
 Curetes, till they dared not to come without 
 the walls of their city, for all that they were 
 many in number. But after a while he went 
 no more with the host of the ^Etolians to battle, 
 but tarried at home with his wedded wife, Cleo- 
 patra, daughter of Marpessa and of Idas, that 
 was the strongest of mortal men. Strongest 
 he was, and dared to stand face to face with his 
 bow against the archer Apollo. For Idas had 
 carried away Marpessa from the halls of her 
 father, and when Apollo would have taken her 
 from him, he stood against him; so the two 
 fought together ; but Zeus commanded that the 
 damsel should choose between them. So she 
 chose the hero rather than the god, for, she 
 said, ' He will be faithful to me.' And now 
 Meleager tarried at home, being wroth with his 
 mother, Althaea ; and the cause of his anger 
 was this : He was minded to give the spoils of 
 the wild boar to the fair huntress, Atalanta, that 
 
138 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 came from the land of Arcadia ; and when the 
 brethren of his mother would have taken them 
 from her, he slew them. Then his mother, 
 being grieved for her brethren, knelt on her 
 knees upon the ground, and beat it with her 
 hands and wept, praying instantly to Pluto and 
 Persephone, that they should bring her son to 
 death. And the Fury that walketh in darkness 
 and hath no pity upon men, heard her from 
 the pit. And now there was the din of foe- 
 men about the gates; and the elders of the 
 ^tolians besought him, sending the priests of 
 the gods, the holiest that there were, to come 
 forth and defend them, and promised him a 
 goodly gift. For they bade him choose for 
 himself from the plain of ^tolia, even where 
 it was richest, a fair domain, of ploughland 
 half and of vineyard half. Then the old man 
 CEneus besought him, standing on the threshold 
 of his chamber and shaking the .doors. Also 
 his sisters and his mother besought him, but 
 he refused the more vehemently. And his 
 comrades came that were nearest and dearest 
 of all men to him, but they prevailed not with 
 him. But at the last, when the enemy were 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 139 
 
 now battering the door of his chamber, and 
 were climbing on the towers, and burning the 
 fair city with fire, then the fair Cleopatra arose 
 and besought him with many tears that he 
 would save the people ; for she told him all 
 the woes that come upon them whose city is 
 taken by their enemies, how that the warriors 
 are slain, and the streets wasted with fire, and 
 the children and women led into captivity. 
 Then was his spirit stirred within him, and 
 he rose from his place, and put his shining 
 arms upon him, and saved the ^Etolians from 
 destruction. He saved them; but the gifts, 
 many and fair, which they had promised, they 
 gave him not. But let not thy thoughts, my 
 son, be as the thoughts of Meleager. It would 
 be an ill task for thee to save the ships when 
 they are already burning. Come, therefore, for 
 the gifts which the King will give thee ; come, 
 and the Greeks will honour thee as men honour 
 a god. But this honour wilt thou miss if thou 
 receive not the gifts, yea, though thou save us 
 from the men of Troy." 
 
 To him Achilles, fleet of foot, made answer: 
 " Phcenix, my father, such honour as this I need 
 
140 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 not ; already have I honour enough by the_giv- 
 ing of Zeus. And this also I say to thee. 
 Trouble me no more with thy tears and thy 
 lamenting while thou seekest to serve King 
 Agamemnon. Favour him not, lest thou be 
 hated of me, who love thee now. Rather 
 shouldst thou vex the man who vexeth me. 
 Come, therefore, and take the half of my king- 
 dom. Let these take my message to the King, 
 but abide thou here with me ; and when the 
 day shall come we will take counsel together 
 whether we will tarry here or depart." 
 
 Then Achilles nodded to Patroclus, that he 
 should spread a couch for the old man Phoenix, 
 that so the other twain might depart without 
 delay. Then said Ajax, the son of Telamon : 
 " Let us depart, Ulysses. I trow that we shall 
 accomplish naught this day. Let us, therefore, 
 take back the tidings, evil though they be, to 
 them that wait for us. As for Achilles, he hath 
 wrought his soul to fury, and he seeketh not 
 of the love of his comrades, or of the honour 
 wherewith they honoured him above all others 
 in the host. And yet a man will take fit rec- 
 ompense at the hand of him who hath slain his 
 
THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 141 
 
 brother or his son. He taketh it, and his anger 
 is appeased and the shedder of blood abides 
 in peace in his own land. But thou keepest 
 thy anger forever, and all for a damsel's sake. 
 Look ! we offer thee seven d'amsels, very fair 
 to see, and many gifts besides. Think thee, 
 and have also some thought for thy guest, for 
 we are under thy roof, and would fain be thy 
 friends, dearer to thee than all besides." 
 
 Then said Achilles : " Thy speech seemeth 
 to please me well, great son of Telamon. Nev- 
 ertheless, my heart swells with wrath, when I 
 remember how the son of Atreus shamed me 
 before all the people, as though I 'was some 
 stranger nothing worth. But go and take my 
 message. I will not arise to the battle till 
 Hector shall come as he slays the Greeks even 
 to the tents of the Myrmidons, and shall en- 
 circle their ships with fire. But when he shall 
 come to my tent and to my ships, then I ween 
 shall he be stayed, for all that he is eager for 
 battle." 
 
 Then Ajax and Ulysses departed, and told 
 the message of Achilles to King Agamemnon, 
 
142 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE ADVENTURE OF ULYSSES AND DIOMED. 
 
 THE other chiefs of the Greeks slept that 
 night; but King Agamemnon slept not; sore 
 troubled was he in heart. For when he looked 
 towards Troy, and saw the many fires, and 
 heard the sound of flute and pipe and the 
 murmur of men, he was astonished; and when 
 he looked towards the ships he groaned, and 
 tare his hair, thinking what evil might come 
 to the people. Then it seemed good to him 
 to seek counsel from Nestor, if haply they 
 two might devise some useful device. So he 
 arose, and drew his coat about his breast, and 
 bound the sandals on his feet, and wrapped a 
 tawny lion's hide about him, and took a spear 
 in his hand. 
 
 To Menelaiis also came no sleep that night. 
 So he arose, and wrapped a leopard's skin 
 about him, and put on his head a cap of 
 
ADVENTURE OF ULYSSES AND DIOMED. 143 
 
 bronze, and took a spear in his hand, and went 
 to seek his brother. 
 
 He found him arming by his ship, and said : 
 " Why armest thou ? Wilt thou send some 
 one to spy out the doings of the Trojans ? I 
 fear me much that no man will undertake the 
 task to go alone, for it is a daring deed." 
 
 To him replied King Agamemnon : " We 
 Jiave need of good counsel, my brother, that 
 we may save the people. Truly the mind of 
 Zeus is changed; for never hath a man 
 wrought such destruction in one day as did 
 Hector on the Greeks, and yet he is not the 
 son either of goddess or of god. But now run 
 thou to Ajax and Idomeneus, and call them to 
 the council, and I will go to Nestor." 
 
 So the chiefs were gathered to the council. 
 First of all they went to the company of them 
 that watched the camp. These they found 
 not sleeping but awake, like to dogs that hear 
 the sound of some wild beast in the wood, so 
 did the watch look towards the plain, think- 
 ing to hear the sound of the feet of the 
 Trojans. 
 
 Gladly did old Nestor see them, and spake, 
 
144 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 saying, " Such be your watch, my children, 
 lest we become a prey to our enemies." 
 
 Then he hasted to cross the trench, and 
 with him went the other princes. In an open 
 space they sat down that was clear of dead, 
 even where Hector had turned back from 
 slaying the Greeks. 
 
 And Nestor rose and said : " Is there now a 
 man who will go among the sons of Troy, and 
 see what they are minded to do ? Great hon- 
 our will he win, and gifts withal." 
 
 Then Diomed said, " I am ready to go, but 
 I would fain have some one with me. To 
 have a companion gives comfort and courage, 
 and, indeed, two wits are better than one to 
 take counsel and to foresee." 
 
 And many were willing to go with Diomed. 
 Ajax the Greater and Ajax the Less, and Me- 
 riones, and Thrasymedes, old Nestor's son 
 (and no one, indeed, wished it more than he), 
 and Menelaiis and Ulysses. 
 
 But Agamemnon said, " Choose the best 
 man, O Diomed, and regard not the birth or 
 rank of any." This he said, fearing for his 
 brother Menelaiis, 
 
ADVENTURE OF ULYSSES AND DIOMED. 145 
 
 And Diomed answered: " Nay, but if I may 
 choose, whom should I choose rather than the 
 wise Ulysses? Brave is he, and prudent, and 
 Athene loves him well." 
 
 But Ulysses said: "Praise me not overmuch, 
 nor blame me. Only let us go, for the night is 
 far spent." 
 
 So these two armed themselves. Diomed 
 took a two-edged sword and a shield, and a 
 helmet without a crest, and Ulysses a bow and 
 a quiver and a sword, and a helmet of hide 
 with the white teeth of a wild boar about it. 
 Then both prayed to Athene that she would 
 help them, and after that they went through 
 the darkness like to two lions, trampling over 
 dead bodies and arms and blood. 
 
 But Hector, meanwhile, was thinking on the 
 same things, for he called the chiefs to a coun- 
 cil and said : " Who now will go and spy 
 among the Greeks, and see what they purpose 
 to do on the morrow, and whether they are 
 keeping watch through the night. A goodly 
 reward shall he have, even a chariot and 
 horses, the best that there are in the camp of 
 the Greeks." 
 
 K 
 
146 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Then stood up a certain Dolon, the son of 
 the herald Eumedes. Ill-favoured was he, but 
 a swift runner, the only son of his father, but 
 he had five sisters. He said : 
 
 "I will go, Hector; but come, lift up thy 
 sceptre, and swear to me that thou wilt give 
 ! me the chariot and the horses of Achilles." 
 
 So Hector sware to him, but it was an idle 
 oath. And Dolon took his bow, and a helmet 
 of grisly wolf-skin, and a sharp spear, and went 
 his way in haste. But Ulysses saw him, and 
 said : 
 
 " Here cometh a man, Diomed, but whether 
 he be a spy or a spoiler of the dead I know 
 not. Let him pass by a space that we may 
 take him. If he outrun us, press him with thy 
 spear towards the ships; only let him not turn 
 back to the city." 
 
 So they lay down among the dead, a little 
 out of the way, and Dolon passed by them un- 
 knowing ; but when he had gone a little space 
 they ran upon him. For a while he stood 
 hearkening to their steps, for he thought that 
 Hector had sent comrades to call him back. 
 But when they were a spear's throw from him, 
 
ADVENTURE OF ULYSSES AND DIOMED. 1 47 
 
 or less, he knew them for foes and fled. And 
 just as two dogs follow a fawn or a hare, so 
 they two ran, pursuing Dolon. And when he 
 had_well-nigh reached the trench, for they kept 
 him that he should not turn back to the city, 
 Diomed rushed forward and cried : 
 
 " Stay, or I will slay thee with my spear." 
 
 And he threw the spear, and smote not the 
 man indeed, for that he wished not, but made 
 it pass over his shoulder, so that it stood in the 
 ground before him. Then Dolon stood trem- 
 bling and pale, and with teeth chattering with 
 fear. And the two heroes, breathing hard, 
 came up and laid hands on him. And he said, 
 weeping : 
 
 " Hold me to ransom ; much gold and bronze 
 and iron will my father give, if he hear that I 
 am a prisoner at the ships." 
 
 Then said the wise Ulysses : " Be of good 
 cheer, and think not of death. But tell us 
 truly, why wast thou coming hither through 
 Jthe darkness ? To spoil the dead, or, at Hec- 
 tor's bidding, to spy out our affairs at the 
 ships, or on some errand of thine own ? " 
 
 And Dolon answered, " Hector persuaded 
 
148 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 me, promising to give me the horses and 
 chariot of Achilles, and he bade me go and 
 spy out what ye purposed to do on the mor- 
 row, and whether ye were keeping watch in 
 the night." 
 
 And Ulysses smiled and said: "Surely it 
 was a great reward that thy soul desired. The 
 horses of Achilles are grievous for any man _to 
 drive, save for him that is born of a goddess. 
 But tell me, where is Hector, and where are 
 the watches of the sons of Troy ? " 
 
 Then Dolon answered : " Hector holds coun- 
 cil with the chiefs by the tomb of Ilus. But as 
 for the army, there are no watches set, save 
 only where be the Trojans themselves. But as 
 for the allies, they sleep secure, and trust to 
 the Trojans to watch for them, seeing that 
 they have not wives or children near." 
 
 Then Ulysses asked, " Do they sleep, then, 
 among the Trojans, or apart ? " 
 
 " Next to the sea," said Dolon, "are the men 
 of Caria and Paeonia, and close to these the 
 men of Lycia and Mysia and Phrygia. But if 
 ye wish to enter the camp, lo ! apart from all 
 are some newcomers, Thracians, with Rhesus, 
 
ADVENTURE OF ULYSSES AND DIOMED. 149 
 
 their King. Never have I seen horses so fair I 
 and tall as his. Whiter are they than snow, 
 and swifter than the winds. But do ye now 
 send me to the ships, or, if ye will, bind me 
 and leave me here." 
 
 But Diomed said : " Think not to escape, 
 Dolon, though thy news is good ; for then 
 wouldst thou come again to spy out our 
 camp or to fight. But if I slay thee, thou 
 wilt trouble the Greeks, no more." 
 
 So he slew him, and took from him his arms, 
 hanging them on a tamarisk tree, and made a 
 mark with reeds and tamarisk boughs, that they 
 might know the place as they came back. So 
 they went on across the plain and came to 
 where the men of Thrace lay sleeping, and by 
 each man were his arms in fair array, and his 
 horses ; but in the midst lay King Rhesus, 
 with his horses tethered to the chariot-rail. 
 Then Diomed began to slay. As a lion 
 rushes on a flock, so rushed he on the men 
 of Thrace. Twelve he slew, and as he slew 
 them Ulysses dragged them out of the way, 
 that there might be a clear road for the horses, 
 lest they should start back, fearing the dead 
 
ISO THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 bodies, for they were not used to war. And 
 the thirteenth was King Rhesus himself, who 
 panted in his sleep, for an evil dream was on 
 him. And meanwhile Ulysses drove the horses 
 out of the encampment, smiting them with his 
 bow, for he had not thought to take the whip 
 out of the chariot. Then he whistled, making 
 a sign to Diomed that he should come, for 
 Diomed lingered, doubting whether he might 
 not slay yet more. But Athene whispered in 
 his ear : 
 
 " Think of thy return, lest haply some god 
 rouse the Trojans against thee." 
 
 And, indeed, Apollo was even then rousing 
 them. For Hippocoon, cousin to King Rhe- 
 sus, awoke, and seeing the place of the horses 
 empty and his comrades slain, groaned aloud, 
 and called to the King, and the Trojans were 
 roused, and flocked together with tumult and 
 shouting. But Diomed and Ulysses mean- 
 while had mounted the horses, and were riding 
 to the ships. Glad were their comrades to see 
 them safe returned, and praised them much for 
 all that they had done. 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF AGAMEMNON. 151 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE VALIANT DEEDS OF AGAMEMNON. 
 
 A( 
 
 t 
 
 WHEN the next day dawned, King Aga- 
 memnon called the Greeks to battle. And 
 first he donned his arms ; about his breast he 
 put the corselet which Cinyras of Cyprus gave 
 him ; twelve bands it had of dark iron, and 
 twelve of gold, and of tin twenty, and on either 
 side three dragons upright, stretching up to 
 the neck, with many colours, as the rainbow 
 which Zeus setteth in the clouds to be a sign 
 to men. From his shoulder he hung his 
 flashing sword with bosses of gold and silver 
 scabbard ; and on his arm he put his shield, 
 ankle-long, with a Gorgon head, dreadful to 
 look upon, in the midst, and Fear and Flight 
 on either side. Rimmed with silver was the 
 shield, and wrought upon the rims in iron a 
 dragon with three heads growing from a single 
 neck. Last he took two spears, one in either 
 
152 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 hand ; and Athene and Hera thundered as he 
 went to do him honour. 
 
 On the other side Hector set in order the 
 men of Troy. As a baleful star now shineth 
 from the clouds, and now is hidden, so Hector 
 now shone among the foremost ranks, and now 
 ordered the rearward. 
 
 Then the men of Troy and the Greeks 
 leapt upon each other. As reapers reap in 
 a rich man's field, making the barley and the 
 wheat fall in long swathes, so did the Trojans 
 and the Greeks slay one another. So long as 
 the day was waxing the battle was equal, and 
 the people fell alike on either side; but at 
 noon, at the hour when he that cutteth wood 
 among the hills groweth weary of his work 
 and craveth for food, then the Greeks with a 
 great onset brake the Trojan line, and Aga- 
 memnon leapt first into the breach. First 
 he slew two men in one chariot, Bienor and 
 his charioteer; and next to these two sons 
 of Priam, Isus and Antiphus. These two 
 Achilles had taken aforetime as they fed their 
 flocks on the slopes of Ida, and had let them 
 go for a ransom. Now Agamemnon came 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF AGAMEMNON. 153 
 
 upon them, and he knew them, having seen 
 them before at the ships. One he smote upon 
 the breast with his spear, the other on his ear 
 with his sword. Even as a lion comes upon 
 the young of a doe, and crusheth them in 
 his teeth, and the mother cannot help them, 
 though she be near, but flieth trembling 
 through the wood, so did these two perish, 
 and none of the Trojans dared to help them, 
 but rather fled themselves. 
 
 Next to these Agamemnon found the sons 
 of Antimachus. These two he took alive in 
 their chariot, for they had dropped the reins, 
 and stood helpless before him, crying out that 
 he should spare them, and take ransom, for 
 that Antimachus their father had much gold 
 and bronze and iron in his house, and would 
 gladly buy them back alive. Now Antima- 
 chus had taken a bribe from Prince Paris, 
 and had given counsel to the Trojans that 
 they should not give back the fair Helen. So 
 when King Agamemnon heard them, he said : 
 " Nay, but if ye be sons of Antimachus, who 
 counselled the men of Troy that they should 
 slay Menelaus when he came an ambassador 
 
154 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 to their city, ye shall die for your father's sin." 
 So he slew them both, and, leaving them, still 
 rushed on, driving back the Trojans, even to 
 the walls of their city, and the Greeks came 
 after him, and footman slew footman, and 
 horseman, horseman. As a fire falleth on a 
 wood, and sweepeth it away, so Agamemnon 
 fell upon the men of Troy, and swept them 
 before him. Past the Tomb of Ilus, and past 
 the wild fig tree in the plain, they fled, and 
 the King followed hard upon them, shouting 
 aloud. But when they came to the Scaean 
 gate they turned and stood, and the battle 
 was renewed. 
 
 Then spake Zeus to Iris, saying: "Get thee 
 away, swift Iris, and bear this word to Hector. 
 So long as he shall see King Agamemnon 
 laying waste the ranks of men, so long let him 
 hold back from the battle. But when the 
 King shall be wounded with spear or arrow, 
 and shall leap from his chariot, then let him 
 advance, and I will give him strength to slay 
 till he shall come to the ships, and the sun 
 shall set." 
 
 So he came, and told these words to Hector. 
 
THE VALIANT DEEDS OF AGAMEMNON. 155 
 
 And when Hector heard them, he leapt from 
 his chariot, and went up and down the ranks 
 of Troy, strengthening them for the fight. 
 And the two hosts stood, and faced each other. 
 
 Then did King Agamemnon slay the two 
 sons of Antenor. First he slew Iphidamas, 
 who had been reared in his grandsire's halls, 
 the father of fair Theano, Antenor's wife. 
 There he had married a wife, giving for her 
 many gifts ; a hundred oxen he paid in hand, 
 and a thousand sheep and goats he promised ; 
 but little joy he had, for while yet a bride- 
 groom he came to fight for Troy, and now the 
 King slew him. First Agamemnon threw his 
 spear, but missed his cast ; then Antenor's son 
 smote the King upon the girdle, beneath the 
 corselet, leaning his weight upon the blow ; but 
 he pierced not the girdle, for the spear point 
 came full upon the silver, and turned aside as 
 it had been lead. Then the King caught the 
 spear, and wrenched it from his hand, and 
 smote him a deadly blow upon the neck. 
 
 But Coon, Antenor's first-born son, was 
 grieved for his brother, and standing sideways, 
 so that the King saw him not, he stabbed him 
 
156 THE STORY OF THE ILTAD. 
 
 in the middle of the arm, beneath the elbow, 
 and the spear pierced it through. The King 
 started, yet ceased not from battle, but as^ 
 Coon dragged his brother by the foot out of 
 the press, calling upon the chiefs to help, then 
 Agamemnon smote him with the spear, be- 
 neath the shield, and drove him to the ground, 
 and after smote off his head with the sword. 
 Thus did Agamemnon slay the two sons of 
 Antenor. 
 
 For a while, while the wound was warm, the 
 King fought as before ; but when it grew cold 
 and stiff, great pain came upon him, and he 
 leapt into his chariot and bade the charioteer 
 drive him to the ships, for that he could fight 
 no more. 
 
THE WOUNDING OF THE CHIEFS. I $7 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE WOUNDING OF THE CHIEFS. 
 
 WHEN Hector saw that Agamemnon had 
 departed from the battle, he called aloud toj 
 the Trojans and the allies : " Come on, and 
 play the man. The leader of the Greeks is 
 gone ; and Zeus giveth the honour unto me." 
 
 So he stirred the spirit within them. As a 
 hunter setteth his dogs on a wild boar or a 
 lion in the field, so did Hector set the men 
 of Troy upon the Greeks, and he himself went 
 among the foremost, and plunged into the battle 
 as a storm cometh down upon the sea. Many 
 valiant men did he slay, till Ulysses called to 
 Diomed: "Son of Tydeus, have we forgotten 
 our courage ? Come hither, and stand by me ; 
 it were shame if Hector should take our ships." 
 
 Strong Diomed made answer, " I will, in- 
 deed, abide with thee ; but it will fare ill with 
 us if Zeus give the mastery to the men of Troy 
 rather than to us." 
 
158 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 So he spake, and slew a man, and Ulysses 
 another; and afterwards they slew two apiece, 
 making head against the men of Troy, and the 
 Greeks, as they fled from Hector, gladly took 
 breath and turned again. 
 
 Hector was quick to see what they did, and 
 he came upon them with a cry, and the compa- 
 nies of Troy followed after him. But when 
 Diomed saw him, he was afraid, and said to 
 Ulysses, " See, mighty Hector cometh against 
 us ; let us be firm and stand against him." 
 
 And even as he spake he cast his spear, nor 
 missed his aim. On the helmet he smote Hec- 
 tor; but the spear glanced from the bronze, 
 nor wounded the flesh ; for the helmet which 
 Apollo had given him saved him. But he stag- 
 gered under the blow, falling on his knee, and 
 darkness came over his eyes. And when Dio- 
 med came after his spear, far through the fore- 
 most ranks, to where it had lighted on the 
 ground, then Hector, breathing again, leapt 
 upon his car, and drove into the. midst of the 
 host, avoiding death. 
 
 Then Diomed, as he rushed on, with his 
 spear in his hand, cried aloud : " Dog, thou 
 
, 
 
 THE WOUNDING OF THE CHIEFS. 159 
 
 hast escaped from death once more ; but mis- 
 hief came near thee. Apollo hath saved thee, 
 16 whom doubtless thou prayest ere thou came 
 into the press of war. But some time I will 
 slay thee, if only some god will help." 
 
 And he turned to slay the men of Troy. 
 But while he spoiled the son of Paeon, whom 
 he had slain ere Hector came against him, 
 Paris, who was in hiding behind the pillar on 
 the Tomb of Ilus, drew his bow, and smote him 
 with an arrow through the ankle of the right 
 foot. Loud he boasted of his aim. " Only," 
 he said, " I would that I had pierced thee in 
 the loin ; then hadst thou troubled the sons of 
 Troy no more." 
 
 But Diomed answered: "Small good were 
 thy bow to thee, cowardly archer, if thou 
 shouldst dare to meet me face to face. And 
 as for this graze on my foot, I care no more 
 than if a woman or child had smitten me. 
 Not such the wounds I deal ; as for those that 
 meet my spear in the battle, I think that they 
 are dearer to the fowls of the air than to 
 women in the chamber." 
 
 Then Ulysses stood before him, while he 
 
 
>SWflU 
 
 1 60 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 drew the arrow out of his foot. Grievous 
 was the smart of the wound, for all his brave 
 words. Wherefore he leapt into his chariot, 
 and bade drive in haste to the ships ; and 
 Ulysses stood alone, and none of the Greeks 
 stood by him, for all were sore afraid. Then 
 spake he to himself : 
 
 " What shall I do ? It were much evil to 
 fly before these many foes, and yet worse evil 
 were I to be caught and slain, for truly Zeus 
 hath sent great fear upon the Greeks. But 
 why talk I thus ? Tis only the coward that 
 draweth back from the war; the brave man 
 standeth whether he smite or be smitten." 
 
 And as he spake, the Trojans came about 
 him as men with dogs come about a wild boar 
 who stands at bay, gnashing his white teeth. 
 Fiercely Ulysses stood at bay, and slew five 
 chiefs of fame. But one of them, Socus by 
 name, before he fell, wounded him on the 
 side, scraping the flesh from the ribs. High 
 spurted the blood from the wound, and the 
 Trojans shouted to see it. Then Ulysses cried 
 aloud for help ; three times he cried, and Mene- 
 lalis heard him, and called to Ajax, saying : 
 
' V 
 
 THE WOUNDING OF THE CHIEFS. l6l 
 
 " O Ajax, I hear the voice of Ulysses ; and 
 he shouteth as if the men of Troy had com- 
 passed him about, and he was left alone. 
 Come, therefore, let us help him, lest he come 
 to harm, and the Greeks have a heavy loss !" 
 
 TTHus he spake, and led the way, and Ajax 
 followed him ; and when they came to Ulysses, 
 the Trojans had beset him, even as the jack- 
 als beset a long-horned hart among the hills, 
 which a hunter hath wounded with an arrow 
 from the bow. From the hunter he flieth, 
 while the wound is warm, but when he grow- 
 eth weak the jackals tear him. Then cometh 
 a lion, and the jackals flee. So fled the Tro- 
 jans when Ajax came and stood beside Ulys- 
 ses. Then Menelaus took Ulysses by the 
 hand, and led him from out the throng. 
 
 Then Ajax leapt upon the Trojans and slew 
 many, scouring the plain, and killing horse 
 and man. But Hector knew not of it, for 
 he fought upon the left of the battle by the 
 banks of Scamander, where old Nestor and 
 Idomeneus of Crete kept up the battle for 
 the Greeks. Nor had these given way but 
 that Paris, husband of Helen, stayed Machaon 
 
M 
 
 >* 
 
 162 THE STORY OF THE IUAD. 
 
 from the fight, wounding him on the right 
 shoulder with a three-pointed arrow. There- 
 fore spake Idomeneus to Nestor, " Quick, 
 Nestor, mount thy chariot and take Machaon 
 with thee, and drive quickly to the ships, for 
 the life of a physician is as the lives of many 
 men ! " 
 
 So Nestor mounted on his chariot, and 
 Machaon stood beside him. He touched the 
 horses, and they flew right willingly to the 
 ships. 
 
 Meanwhile Cebriones, Hector's charioteer, 
 said to Hector : " We two fight with the 
 Greeks upon the outskirts of the battle ; but 
 yonder Ajax confounds the men of Troy. 
 Let us, therefore, turn the chariot thither, for 
 there is the sorest need." 
 
 So he spake, and lashed the horses. And 
 when they felt the whip, they bare the chariot 
 swiftly on, over shields and bodies of men, 
 and the axle beneath and the chariot sides 
 were bespattered with blood. Up and down 
 the ranks went Hector, but he avoided the 
 mighty Ajax. But Zeus the Father sent fear 
 upon Ajax, and he cast his seven-fold shield 
 
/ 
 
 THE WOUNDING OF THE CHIEFS. 163 
 
 behind his shoulders, and turned his back, 
 yet again and again he faced round upon the 
 enemy. As when an ass turns into a field and 
 "eats" the standing corn, and the children beat 
 him with sticks, but their strength is feebleness, 
 and the sticks are broken on his back, for he 
 is slow to go, nor do they drive him out, 
 though with much pains, till he has eaten his 
 fill, thus did the men of Troy hang upon Ajax, 
 and thrust at him with their lances. And now 
 he would turn about and check them, and now 
 he would draw back ; but ever he kept them 
 from the ships. 
 
 And when Eurypylus saw him thus beset he 
 went and stood beside him, and smote a Tro- 
 jan chief and slew him. But when he leapt 
 upon the dead man and began to spoil him of his 
 arms, then Paris drew his bow upon him, and 
 pierced him with an arrow in the right thigh. 
 
 Then Eurypylus called aloud, " O friends, 
 leaders of the Greeks, come, and keep the day 
 of death from Ajax, for he is sore beset." 
 
 Then the Greeks stood close about him, and 
 Ajax turned about and stood when he came to 
 the ranks of his fellows. 
 
164 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Now Achilles was standing on the stern of 
 his ship, looking at the war, and he saw Nestor 
 
 .. .1 1 I I ...... - , | t | | -jl . L ----' 
 
 carrying Machaon in his chariot to the ships. 
 Then he called to Patroclus, and Patroclus, 
 who was in the tent, came forth; but it was an 
 evil hour for him. Then said Achilles : 
 
 " Now will the Greeks soon come, methinks, 
 praying for help, for their need is sore. But 
 go and see who is this whom Nestor is taking 
 to the ships. His shoulders are the shoulders 
 of Machaon, but I saw not his face, so swift 
 the horses passed me by." 
 
 Then Patroclus ran. 
 
 Meanwhile Nestor brought Machaon into 
 his tent. There Hecamede of the beautiful 
 locks, whom the Greeks had given to Nestor 
 from the spoils of Tenedos, mixed them a 
 posset. First she placed a table, and set on it 
 a charger of bronze, with a leek that giveth 
 savour to drink, and yellow honey, and barley 
 meal. After that she brought a bowl ; four 
 handles it had, pair and pair, and over each 
 pair twin doves that seemed to peck. A man 
 might scarce lift it from the table when it was 
 full, but Nestor raised it easily. Into the bowl 
 

 w 
 
 THE WOUNDING OF THE CHIEFS. 165 
 
 the dame poured Pramnian wine, and shredded 
 on it cheese of goat's milk, and scattered the 
 barley meal. And when the mess was ready, 
 she bade them drink. So they drank, and de- 
 lighted their souls with talk. But Patroclus 
 stood in the door. But when old Nestor saw 
 him, he went and took him by the hand, and 
 would have had him sit down. But Patroclus 
 would not, saying : 
 
 " Stay me not. I came but to see who is 
 this that thou hast brought wounded from the 
 battle. And now I see that it is Machaon. 
 Therefore I will return ; for thou knowest 
 what manner of man is Achilles, that he is 
 hasty and swift to blame." 
 
 Then said Nestor: " But what careth Achilles 
 for the Greeks ? or why doth he ask who are 
 wounded ? But, O Patroclus, dost thou mind 
 the day when I and Ulysses came to the house 
 of Peleus, and how that thy father Menaetius 
 was there, and how we feasted in the hall ; and 
 when the feast was finished told our errand, 
 for we were gathering the heroes for the war 
 against the sons of Troy ? Right willing were 
 ye two to come, and many counsels did the old 
 
166 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 ~ Fj we 
 
 men give you. Then to Achilles Peleus said 
 that he should always be foremost in the host, 
 but to thee thy father Menaetius spake : 'Achilles 
 is nobler born than thou, and stronger far; but 
 thou art older. Do thou therefore counsel him 
 well, when there is need.' But this thou for- 
 gettest, Patroclus. Hear, then, what I say. It 
 may be that Achilles will not go forth to the 
 battle. But let him send thee forth, and the 
 Myrmidons with thee, and let him put his arms 
 upon thee, so that the sons of Troy be affrighted, 
 thinking that he is in the battle, and we shall 
 have breathing space." 
 
 Then Patroclus turned to run to Achilles, 
 but as he ran he met Eurypylus, who spake to 
 him : 
 
 " Small hope is there now for the Greeks, 
 seeing that all their bravest chiefs lie wounded 
 at the ships. But do thou help me, for 
 thou knowest all the secrets of healing, see- 
 ing that the wise Cheiron himself taught 
 thee." 
 
 Then Patroclus answered, " I am even now 
 on my way to tell these things to Achilles, but 
 thee I may not leave in thy trouble." 
 
THE WOUNDING OF THE CHIEFS. 1 67 
 
 So he took him to his tent, and cut out the 
 arrow from his thigh, washing the wound with 
 water, and putting on it a bitter, healing root, 
 so that the pain was stayed and the blood 
 stanched. 
 
1 68 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE BATTLE AT THE WALL. 
 
 Now by this time the Trojans were close 
 upon the trench. But the horses stood on the 
 brink, fearing to leap it, for it was broad and 
 deep, and the Greeks had put great stakes 
 therein. Thus said Polydamas : 
 
 " Surely, Hector, this is madness that we 
 strive to cross the trench in our chariots, for it 
 is broad and deep, and there are great stakes 
 therein. Look, too, at this : even if we should 
 be able to cross it, how will the matter stand ? 
 If, indeed, it be the pleasure of Zeus that the 
 Greeks should perish utterly it will be well. 
 But if they turn upon us and pursue us, driv- 
 ing us back from the ships, then shall we not 
 be able to return. Wherefore let us leave our 
 chariots here upon the brink, and go on foot 
 against the wall." 
 
 So they went in five companies, of whom 
 Hector led that which was bravest and largest, 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE WALL. 169 
 
 and with him were Polydamas and Cebriones. 
 And the next Paris commanded. And of the 
 third Helenus and Dei'phobus were leaders, 
 and with them was Asius, the son of Hyrtacus, 
 from Arisbe. And the fourth followed ^Eneas, 
 the valiant son of Anchises. But of the allies 
 Sarpedon was the leader, and with him were 
 Glaucus and Asteropaeus. And in each com- 
 pany they joined shield to shield, and so went 
 against the Greeks. Nor was there one of 
 them but hearkened to the counsel of Poly- 
 damas when he bade them leave their chariots 
 by the trench, save Asius only. But Asius 
 drove his chariot right up to that gate which 
 was on the left hand in the wall. Now the 
 gates chanced to be open, for the warders had 
 opened them, if so any of the Greeks that fled 
 might save themselves within them. Now the 
 warders were two mighty heroes of the race of 
 the Lapithae, Polypcetes and Leonteus ; and 
 these, when they saw Asius and his company 
 coming, went without and stood in front of the 
 gates, just as two wild boars stand at bay 
 against a crowd of men and dogs. And all 
 the while they that stood on the wall threw 
 
Ufrifc 
 
 I/O THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 heavy stones which fell, thick as the snow- 
 flakes fall in the winter, on the men of Troy, 
 and loud rang the helmets and the shields. 
 And many fell wounded to the death, nor 
 could Asius, for all his fury, win his way into 
 the walls. But where, at another of the gates, 
 Hector led the way, there appeared a strange 
 marvel in the skies, for an eagle was bearing 
 in his claws a great snake, which it had taken 
 as a prey. But the snake fought fiercely for 
 its life, and writhed itself about, even till it bit 
 the eagle on the breast. Whereupon the 
 eagle dropped it into the midst of the host, 
 and fled with a loud cry. Then Polydamas, 
 the wise counsellor, came near to Hector and 
 said : 
 
 " Now it will be well that we should not 
 follow these Greeks to their ships. For I take 
 it that this marvel that we have seen is a sign 
 to us. For as this eagle had caught in his 
 claws a snake, but held it not, dropping it 
 before it could bear it to her young, so shall it 
 fare with us. For we shall drive the Greeks 
 to their ships, yet shall not subdue them, but 
 shall return in disorder by the way that we 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE WALL. i;t 
 
 came, leaving full many of our comrades 
 behind us." 
 
 But Hector frowned, and answered : " Nay, 
 but this is ill counsel, Polydamas. For if thou 
 sayest this from thy heart, surely the gods 
 have changed thy wisdom into foolishness. 
 Dost thou bid me forget the command of Zeus 
 the Thunderer, and take heed to birds, how 
 they fly? Little care I whether they go to 
 the east or to the west, to the right or to 
 the left. Surely there is but one sign for a 
 brave man, that he be fighting for his father- 
 land. Wherefore take thou heed ; for if thou 
 holdest back from the war, or holdest back any 
 other, lo ! I will smite thee with my spear." 
 
 Then he sprang forward, and the men of 
 Troy followed him with a shout. And Zeus 
 sent down from Ida a great blast of wind 
 which bore the dust of the plain straight to 
 the ships, troubling the hearts of the Greeks. 
 Then the Trojans sought to drag down the 
 battlements from the wall, and to wrench up 
 the posts which had been set to strengthen it. 
 Nor did the Greeks give way, but they joined 
 shield to shield, and fought for the wall. And 
 
1/2 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 foremost among them were Ajax the Greater 
 and Ajax the Less. Just as the snowlalts~ in 
 mid-winter, when the winds are hushed, and 
 the mountain-tops are covered, and the plains 
 and the dwellings of men and the very shores 
 of the sea, up to the waves' edge, so thickly 
 fell the stones which the Greeks showered 
 from the wall against the men of Troy, and 
 which these again threw upon the Greeks. 
 But still Hector and his men availed not to 
 break through the gate. But at the last Zeus 
 stirred up the heart of his own son, Sarpedon. 
 Holding his shield before him he went, and he 
 shook in either hand a spear. As goes a lion, 
 when hunger presses him sore, against a stall 
 of oxen or a sheepfold, and cares not though 
 he find men and dogs keeping watch against 
 him, so Sarpedon went against the wall. And 
 first he spake to stout Glaucus, his comrade : 
 " Tell me, Glaucus, why is it that men honour 
 us at home with the chief rooms at feasts, and 
 with fat portions of flesh and with sweet wine, 
 and that we have a great domain of orchard 
 and plough land by the banks of Xanthus ? 
 Surely it is that we may fight in the front rank. 
 
^ 
 
 us Jj 
 
 J0f, THE BATTLE AT THE WALL. 173 
 
 ^CwUt/ 
 
 Then shall some one who may behold us say, ' Of 
 a truth these are honourable men, these princes 
 of Lycia, and not without good right do they 
 eat the fat and drink the sweet, for they fight 
 ever in the front.' Now, indeed, if we might 
 live forever, nor know old age nor death, 
 neither would I fight among the first, nor 
 would I bid thee arm thyself for the battle. 
 But seeing that there are ten thousand fates 
 about us which no man may avoid, let us see 
 whether we shall win glory from another, or 
 another shall take it from us." 
 
 And Glaucus listened to his words and 
 charged at his side, and the great host of the 
 Lycians followed them. Sore dismayed was 
 Menestheus the Athenian when he saw them. 
 All along the wall of the Greeks he looked, 
 spying out for help ; and he saw Ajax the 
 Greater and Ajax the Less, and with them 
 Teucer, who had just come forth from his tent. 
 Close to him they were, but it was of no avail 
 to shout, so loud was the clash and din of arms, 
 of shields and helmets, and the thundering at 
 the gates, for each one of these did the men of 
 Troy assail. 
 
T74 1HE STORY OF THE ILIAD, m' 
 
 
 
 Wherefore he called to him Thoas the herald, 
 and said : " Run, Thoas, and call Ajax hither, 
 both of the name, if that may be, for the end 
 is close upon us in this place, so mightily press 
 on the chiefs of the Lycians, who were ever 
 fiery fighters. But if there is trouble there 
 also, let at the least Ajax the Greater come, 
 and with him Teucer with his bow." 
 
 Then the herald ran and said as he had 
 been bidden. 
 
 And Ajax Telamon spake to the son oi 
 Oi'leus : " Stand thou here with Lycomedes 
 and stay the enemy. But I will go thither, 
 and come again when I have finished my 
 work." 
 
 So he went, and Teucer his brother went 
 with him, with Pandion carrying his bow. 
 And even as they went the Lycians came up 
 like a tempest on the wall. But Ajax slew 
 Epicles, a comrade of Sarpedon, smiting him 
 on the head with a mighty stone, and crushing 
 all the bones of his head. And Teucer smote 
 Glaucus on the shoulder and wounded him sore. 
 Silently did Glaucus leap down from the wall, 
 for he would not that any of the Greeks should 
 
eu>afK>w^^r \KBCO 
 
 tei/d 
 
 BATTLE AT THE WALL. 1 75 
 
 see that he was wounded. But Sarpedon saw 
 that he had departed, and it grieved him. 
 Nevertheless he ceased not from the battle, but 
 first slew Alcmaon, the son of Mestor, and next 
 caught one of the battlements in his hands, and 
 dragged it down. So the wall was laid open, 
 and a way was made for the Trojans to enter. 
 Then did both Ajax and Teucer aim at him 
 together. And Teucer smote the strap of the 
 shield, but harmed him not, and Ajax drove 
 his spear through his shield and stayed him, so 
 that he fell back a space from the battlement, 
 yet would not cease from the fight. Loud he 
 shouted to the Lycians, crying : 
 
 " Men of Lycia, why do ye abate your cour- 
 age ? Hard is it for me, for all that my 
 strength is great, to break down the wall with 
 my own hands only, and to clear the road to 
 the ships." 
 
 So spake Sarpedon, and his people shrank 
 from the reproach, and crowded close about 
 their King. And on the other hand the Greeks 
 strengthened their ranks within the wall, for 
 the matter was of life or death. Long time 
 they fought with equal might, for neither could 
 
t06 M 
 
 ..fflb 
 
 176 77/ STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 the Lycians break through the wall of the 
 Greeks and make a way to the ships, nor could 
 the Greeks drive back the Lycians from the 
 wall. Even as two neighbours, standing with 
 measures in their hands, contend about some 
 boundary, so the Lycians and the Greeks con- 
 tended for the battlements. And many a man 
 was wounded with the pitiless bronze, either 
 smitten in the back, where he was without 
 defence, or smitten in front through his shield ; 
 and all the battlements were bespattered with 
 the blood of men. And still they held the 
 scales of battle level between them, as when a 
 just-dealing woman puts the weight in one 
 scale and the wool in the other, and lifts them 
 up and balances them, earning a petty gain, 
 that she may feed her children therewith. 
 
 So it was till Zeus gave the glory to Hector. 
 He leaped within the wall, and cried to the 
 men of Troy, " Now follow me, and break 
 down the wall, and burn the ships." 
 
 So he spake, and they heard his voice, and 
 rushed together on the wall. Now in front of 
 the gate there lay a great stone, broad at the 
 base and sharp at the top. Scarce could two 
 
TtiE BATTLE AT TtiE WALL. if? 
 
 men of the strongest, such as are men in these 
 days, move it with levers on to a wagon ; but 
 Hector lifted it easily, easily as a shepherd 
 carries in one hand the fleece of a sheep. Two 
 folding doors there were in the gates, held by 
 bolts and a key, and at these he hurled the 
 great stone, planting his feet apart, that his 
 aim might be the surer and stronger. With 
 a mighty crash it came against the gates, and 
 the bolts held not against it, and the hinges 
 were broken, so that the folding doors flew 
 back. Then Hector leapt into the space, hold- 
 ing a spear in either hand, and his eyes flashed 
 as fire. And the men of Troy came after him, 
 some mounting the wall, and some pouring 
 through the gates. 
 
 M 
 
178 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 <>o- Go/' 
 CHAPTER XV,. 
 
 THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 
 
 AND when Zeus had brought the Trojans 
 near to the ships, he turned away his eyes, and 
 looked upon them no more, for he deemed that 
 none of the immortal gods would come to help 
 or Trojan or Greek. But Poseidon was watch- 
 ing the battle from the wooded height of Samo- 
 thrace, whence he could see Ida and Troy and 
 the ships. And he pitied the Greeks, when he 
 saw how they fled before Hector, and purposed 
 in his heart to help them. So he left the height 
 of Samothrace, and came with four strides to 
 ^)gae, where his palace was in the depths of 
 the sea. There he harnessed the horses to his 
 chariot, and rode, passing over the waves, and 
 the great beasts of the sea gambolled about 
 him as he went, knowing their king. 
 
 His horses he stabled in a cavern of the sea, 
 and loosed them from the car, and gave them 
 immortal food to eat, and put shackles of gold 
 

 I 
 
 THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 179 
 
 about their feet that they might abide his 
 coming. 
 
 And all the while the men of Troy came on, 
 following Hector, like a storm or a great flame, 
 for they thought to take the ships and to slay 
 the Greeks beside them. 
 
 But Poseidon came to the camp of the 
 Greeks, taking upon him the shape of Calchas 
 the herald. ^Jst he spake to either Ajax, say- 
 ing : " Hold fast, ye men of might, so that ye 
 save the people. For the rest of the wall I fear 
 not, but only for the place where Hector rages. 
 Now may some god inspire you to stand fast 
 and drive him back." 
 
 And as he spake, he smote each with his 
 staff, and filled them with courage, and gave 
 strength to hands and feet. Then he passed 
 from them even as a hawk that riseth from 
 a cliff, chasing a bird. 
 
 _And the Lesser Ajax knew him, and spake to 
 his comrade, saying : " This is some god that 
 bids us fight for the ships ; he was not Calchas, 
 for I marked the goings of his legs and his feet 
 as he went. The gods are easily discerned. 
 And verily my heart within me is eager for the 
 

 ISO THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 The Greater Ajax answered him, " Even so 
 do my own hands yearn about the spear, and 
 my heart is on fire, and my feet carry me away, 
 and I am eager to fight with Hector, even I 
 alone, for all his fury." 
 
 Then Poseidon went to the other chiefs, 
 going up and down the ranks, and urged them 
 to stand fast against their enemies. But not 
 the less did the men of Troy press on, Hector 
 leading the way. 
 
 Among the foremost came Dei'phobus, high 
 in heart, holding his shield before him. At 
 him Meriones cast his spear, and missed not 
 his aim, for the spear struck full the bull's-hide 
 shield. Yet it pierced it not, but brake ; and 
 De'iphobus held it from him, fearing greatly 
 the stroke; but Meriones went back to his 
 own people vexed in heart, and ran to his tent, 
 that he might fetch another spear. 
 
 Next Teucer slew a Trojan, Imbrius by 
 name, wounding him under the ear. He fell 
 as some tall poplar falls which a woodman fells 
 with axe of bronze. Then Teucer rushed to 
 seize his arms, but Hector cast his spear. 
 Teucer it struck not, missing him by a little ; 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. l8l 
 
 but Amphimachus it smote on the breast so 
 that he fell dead. Then Hector_seized the 
 dead man's helmet, seeking to drag the body 
 among the sons of Troy. But Ajax stretched 
 forth his great spear against him, and struck 
 the boss of his shield mightily, driving him 
 "Backwards, so that he loosed hold of the hel- 
 met of Amphimachus. And him his comrades 
 bore to the rear of the host, and the body 
 of Imbrius also they carried off. Then did 
 Idomeneus the Cretan, son of Minos, the wise 
 judge, perform many valiant deeds, going to 
 the left-hand of the battle-line, for he said : 
 
 " The Greeks have stay enough where the 
 great Ajax is. No man that eats bread is 
 better than he ; no, not Achilles' self, were the 
 two to stand man to man, but Achilles, indeed, 
 is swifter of foot." 
 
 And first of all he slew Othryoneus, who 
 had but newly come, hearing the fame of the 
 war. For Cassandra's sake he had come, that 
 he might have her to wife, vowing that he 
 would drive the Greeks from Troy, and Priam 
 had promised him the maiden. But now 
 Idomeneus slew him, and cried over him : 
 
1 82 THE STORY OF THE ILfAD. 
 
 " This was a great thing that thou didst 
 promise to Priam, for which he was to give 
 thee his daughter. Thou shouldst have come 
 to us, and we would have given thee the fairest 
 of the daughters of Agamemnon, bringing her 
 from Argos, if thou wouldst have engaged to 
 help us to take this city of Troy. But come 
 now with me to the ships, that we may treat 
 about this marriage ; thou wilt find that we 
 have open hands." 
 
 So he spake, mocking the dead. Then 
 King Asius charged, coming on foot with his 
 chariot behind him. But ere he could throw 
 his spear, Idomeneus smote him that he fell, 
 as falls an oak, or an alder, or a pine, which 
 men fell upon the hills. And the driver of his 
 chariot stood dismayed, nor thought to turn 
 his horses and flee, so that Antilochus, the son 
 of Nestor, struck him down, and took the 
 chariot and horses for his own. Then Dei'pho- 
 bus in great wrath came near to Idomeneus, 
 and would have slain him with a spear, but 
 could not, for he covered himself with his 
 shield, and the spear passed over his lu-ad. 
 Yet did it not fly in vain, for it li^hu-d on 
 
Mjjt?l c 
 
 tfD ^j 
 
 THE BATTLE AT THE SHfPS. 183 
 
 Hypsenor, striking him on the right side. 
 Andjis he fell, Dei'phobus cried aloud : 
 
 " Now is Asius avenged ; and though he go 
 down to that strong porter who keeps the gates 
 of hell, yet will he be glad, for I have sent him 
 a companion." 
 
 But scarce had he spoken when Idomeneus 
 the Cretan slew another of the chiefs of Troy, 
 Alcathoiis, son-in-law of old Anchises. For 
 Poseidon dazed his eyes, and spread a numb- 
 ness through his limbs ; he could not flee, nor 
 yet shun the spear, but stood as stands a tree, 
 or a stone that is a monument of the dead. 
 Right in the breast did Idomeneus smite him, 
 and rent the coat of bronze that shielded him 
 from death. With a loud clash he fell, and the 
 slayer cried : 
 
 " Small reason hast thou to boast, Dei'pho- 
 bus, for we have slain three for one. But come 
 thou and meet me in battle, that thou mayest 
 know me who I am, son of Deucalion, who was 
 the son of Minos, who was the son of Zeus." 
 
 Then Dei'phobus thought within himself, 
 should he meet this man alone, or should he 
 take some brave comrade with him ? And it 
 
1 84 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 seemed to him better that he should take a 
 brave comrade with him. Wherefore he ...went 
 for ^Eneas, and found him in the rear of the 
 battle, vexed at heart because King Priam did 
 not honour him among the princes of Troy. 
 Then said he : 
 
 " Come hither, ^neas, to fight for Alcatholis, 
 who was wont to care for thee when thou wast 
 young, and now he lies dead under the spear 
 of Idomeneus." 
 
 So they two went together ; and Idomeneus 
 saw them, but yielded not from his place, only 
 called to his comrades that they should gather 
 themselves together and help him. And on the 
 other side ^neas called to Dei'phobus, and 
 Paris, and Agenor. So they fought about the 
 body of Alcathous. Then did ^neas cast his 
 spear at Ido.meneus, but struck him not; but 
 Idomeneus slew CEnomaus, only when he would 
 have spoiled him of his arms he could not, for 
 the men of Troy pressed him hard, so that 
 perforce he gave way. And as he turned, 
 Dei'phobus sought to slay him with his spear, 
 but smote in his stead Ascalaphus, son of Ares. 
 But the god, his father, knew not of it, for he 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 185 
 
 sat on Olympus, kept back from the battle by 
 the will of Zeus. Great was the fight about 
 the dead man and his arms, for Dei'phobus 
 snatched away the helmet, but Meriones leapt 
 forward, and struck him through the wrist with 
 a spear. Straightway he dropped the helmet 
 which he had seized, and Polites, his brother, 
 led him out of the battle. And he climbed 
 into his chariot and went back to the city. 
 Then Peisander came against King Menelaus ; 
 but it was an evil fate that brought him. First 
 the son of Atreus cast his spear, but missed his 
 aim. Then Peisander cast his spear against 
 the shield of the King, but he could not pierce 
 it, and the spear-head was broken off. Next 
 the son of Atreus drew his silver-studded sword, 
 and sprang on Peisander; and he drew from 
 beneath his shield a goodly axe of bronze, set 
 on a handle of olive wood. He struck the hel- 
 met of the King, beside the plume ; but Mene- 
 laus struck him in the face above the nose, and 
 laid him dead upon the ground. 
 
 Then Menelaus set his foot upon his breast, 
 and spake : " Thus shall ye have the ships, ye 
 haughty men of Troy. Ye never want for 
 

 1 86 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 wickedness and shameful deeds. My wedded 
 wife ye took from me, and much wealth be- 
 sides ; and now ye seek to burn our ships. 
 Can it be, Father Zeus, that art the wisest of 
 gods and men, that these things are from 
 thee ? " 
 
 Then Harpalion, son of Pylaemenes, the 
 Paphlagonian King, leapt upon him, and smote 
 his shield with his spear, but pierced it not. 
 Then he fell back, avoiding death, but Merio- 
 nes struck him with an arrow through the hip, 
 and he fell, wounded to the death, and his 
 friends lifted him upon his chariot, and bare 
 him back to Troy. 
 
 Very wroth was Paris ; for he loved Harpa- 
 lion more than all the men of his land. Now 
 there was among the Greeks one Euchenor, 
 son of a seer of Corinth. He had come to 
 Troy, knowing well his fate ; for his father had 
 told him that either he should perish of sick- 
 ness in his hall, or be slain by the Trojans by 
 the ships ; so now Paris slew him with an 
 arrow. 
 
 Thus on the left the Greeks beat back the 
 men of Troy; but Hector knew not of it 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 187 
 
 where he fought upon the right, pressing hard 
 the Greeks, for there the wall was lowest, and 
 the approach most easy. Yet there also did 
 the defenders of the walls make a brave stand ; 
 for in the front around the Greater and the 
 Lesser Ajax stood many mighty chiefs; and 
 behind, the Locrians shot with their arrows. 
 These had neither shield, nor spear, nor hel- 
 met ; and it was not their custom to mingle in 
 the press of battle. They came to Troy, 
 trusting in their bows and slings of twisted 
 wool, and with these they made havoc among 
 the ranks of Troy, the warriors clad in bronze 
 standing before and sheltering them. 
 
 Then had the men of Troy fallen back from 
 the ships in grievous disarray, but Polydamas 
 said to Hector : 
 
 " O Hector, thou art ever loath to hear coun- 
 sel from others. Yet think not that because 
 thou art stronger than other men, therefore 
 Zeus hath also made thee wiser. For truly he 
 gives diverse gifts to diverse men strength 
 to one and counsel to another. Hear, then, 
 my words. Thou seest that the Trojans keep 
 not all together, for some stand aloof, while 
 
<^ 
 
 1 88 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 some fight, being few against many. Do thou 
 therefore call the bravest together. Then shall 
 we see whether we shall burn the ships, or, it 
 may be, win our way back without harm to 
 Troy; for indeed I forget not that there is a 
 warrior here whom no man may match, nor 
 will he, I trow, always keep aloof from the 
 battle." 
 
 And the saying pleased Hector. ^o_he^ 
 went through the host looking for the chiefs 
 for Dei'phobus, and Helenus, and Asius, 
 and Acamas, son of Asius, and others, who 
 were the bravest among the Trojans and allies. 
 And some he found, and some he found not, 
 for they had fallen in the battle, or had gone 
 sorely wounded to the city. But at last he 
 spied Paris, where he stood strengthening the 
 hearts of his comrades. To him he spake, 
 saying: 
 
 " O Paris, fair of face, cheater of the hearts 
 of women, where is Dei'phobus, and Helenus, 
 and Asius, and Acamas, son of Asius? " 
 
 But Paris answered him, " Some of these are 
 dead, and some are sorely wounded. But we 
 who are left fight on. Only do thou lead us 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 189 
 
 against the Greeks, nor wilt thou say that we 
 are slow to follow." 
 
 So Hector went along the front of the battle, 
 leading the men of Troy. Nor did the Greeks 
 give way when they saw him, but Ajax the 
 Greater cried : 
 
 " Friend, come near, nor fear the men of 
 Greece. Thou thinkest in thine heart to spoil 
 the ships, but we have hands to keep them, 
 and ere they perish Troy itself shall fall before 
 us. Soon, I trow, wilt thou wish that thy 
 horses were swifter than hawks, when they 
 bear thee fleeing before us across the plain to 
 the city." 
 
 But Hector answered: "Nay, thou braggart 
 Ajax, what words are these ? I would that I 
 were as surely one of the Immortals as this 
 day shall surely bring woe to the Greeks. 
 And thou, if thou darest to meet my spear, 
 shalt be slain among the rest, and feed with 
 thy flesh the beasts of the field and the fowls 
 of the air." 
 
 So he spake, and from this side and from 
 that there went up a great cry of battle. 
 
THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 $UfO 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS (continued). 
 
 So loud was the cry that it roused old Nestor 
 whereTie^aTte his tent, tending the wounded 
 Machaon. Whereupon he said, " Sit thou here 
 and drink the red wine till the fair Hecamede 
 shall have got ready the bath to wash the blood 
 from thy wound ; but I will ask how things 
 fare in the battle." 
 
 So he went forth from the tent, seeking 
 King Agamemnon. And as he weniv- the 
 King met him, and with him were Diomed 
 and Ulysses, who also had been wounded that 
 day. So they held counsel together. And 
 Agamemnon for it troubled him sore that 
 the people were slain would that_ _ they 
 should draw down the ships into the sea, 
 and should flee homewards, as soon as the 
 darkness should cover them and the Trojans 
 should cease from the battle. 
 
 But Ulysses would have none of such coun- 
 
WJ 
 
 BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 
 
 sel, saying : " Now surely, son of Atreus, thou 
 art not worthy to rule over us, who have been 
 men of war from our youth. Wilt thou leave 
 this city^for the taking of which we have suf- 
 fered so much ? That may not be ; let not 
 any one of the Greeks hear thee say such 
 words. And what is this, that thou wouldst 
 have us launch our ships now, whilst the hosts 
 are fighting? Surely, so doing, we should per- 
 ish together, for the Greeks would not fight 
 any more, seeing that the ships were being 
 launched, and the men of Troy would slay us 
 altogether." 
 
 Then King Agamemnon said, " Thou speak- 
 est well." And he went through the host, bid- 
 ding the men bear themselves bravely ; and all 
 the while Poseidon put courage and strength 
 into their hearts ; and, on the other hand, Hera 
 lulled Zeus to sleep on the heights of Olympus, 
 so that now the battle went against the men of 
 Troy. Then Hector cast his spear against 
 Ajax Telamon. The shield kept it not off, 
 for it passed beneath, but the two belts, of the 
 shield and of the sword, stayed it, so that it 
 wounded not his body. Then Hector in wrath 
 
UtO^ I 
 
 (/u. 
 
 192 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 and fear went back into the ranks of his com- 
 rades ; but as he went Ajax took a great stone 
 now were there many such which they had 
 as props for the ships and smote him above 
 the rim of his shield, on the neck. As an oak 
 falls, stricken by the thunder of Zeus, so he 
 fell, and the Greeks rushed with a great cry to 
 drag him to them, but could not, for all the 
 bravest of the sons of Troy held their shields 
 before him, Polydamas, and yEneas, and Sar- 
 pedon, and Glaucus. Then they carried him 
 to the Xanthus, and poured water upon him. 
 And after a while he sat up, and then again 
 his spirit left him, for the blow had been very 
 grievous. But when the Greeks saw that Hec- 
 tor had been carried out of the battle, they 
 pressed on the more, slaying the men of Troy, 
 and driving them back even out of the camp 
 and across the trench. But when they came 
 to their chariots, where they had left them on 
 the other side of the trench, there they stood 
 trembling and pale with fear, as men that flee 
 in the day of battle. 
 
 And now Zeus woke from his sleep, and he 
 looked upon the earth ; and he saw how the 
 
1 
 
 THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 193 
 
 Greeks were driving the men of Troy before 
 them, and Hector lay upon the plain, and vom- 
 ited blood, and his friends knelt about him. 
 Senseless he lay, for it was no puny hand that 
 had dealt the blow. Very wroth was Zeus to 
 see such a sight, and he said to Hera: " What 
 is this that thou hast done, sending Hector 
 from the battle ? Rememberest thou not how 
 I hung thee amid the clouds with a band of 
 gold about thy hands and an anvil of gold on 
 either foot, and how when any god came to 
 help thee I flung him from Olympus to fall till 
 he came utterly spent to the earth ? Make an 
 end of thy deceits, or verily nothing shall pro- 
 tect thee from my wrath." 
 
 Then Hera answered : " It is Poseidon that 
 afflicts the Trojans, and bears up the Greeks. 
 Yet he, too, would do well to walk in the paths 
 wherein thou walkest." 
 
 Then said Zeus : " Call hither Iris and 
 Apollo the Archer; let Iris go to Poseidon, 
 and bid him cease from the battle and get him 
 to his own domain, and let Apollo strengthen 
 Hector, that he may go back to the battle ; so 
 shall my will be accomplished, fulfilling the 
 
 N 
 
194 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 oath that I sware to Thetis of the sea that I 
 would do honour to her son." 
 
 So he spake, and Hera obeyed his voice. 
 To the council of the gods she went. Her 
 brows were black with anger as she spake: 
 " Fools ! in your madness ye are wroth with 
 Zeus, but he sitteth apart, and careth not. 
 Take, therefore, what evil he may send, even 
 as Ares must take the death of his son Ascala- 
 phus, who even now hath been slain in the 
 battle." 
 
 Then Ares started up in wrath, and smote 
 his thighs, and said, " Nay, but I will go to 
 the ships to avenge my son, even though I be 
 smitten with the thunderbolt of Zeus." 
 
 So he bade Flight and Fear yoke his horses, 
 and he donned his glittering arms. Then had 
 the anger of Zeus fallen on the gods ; but 
 Athene rose from her seat, and caught Ares, 
 and took the helmet from his head, and the 
 shield from his shoulders, and the spear from 
 his hand. " What wilt thou do, madman ? " 
 she said. " Wilt thou bring the anger of Zeus 
 upon us all ? Lay aside thy wrath for thy son, 
 for mightier men than he have fallen." 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 195 
 
 So speaking she set Ares again in his seat. 
 
 Then Iris went to Poseidon, and gave him 
 the message of Zeus. Very wroth was the 
 god, and said : " Thinketh he then to control 
 me by force who am his equal in honour? 
 Three brethren are we, and the Fates gave the 
 sea to me for my dominion, and to Hades the 
 realm of darkness, and to Zeus the heaven ; 
 but the earth is for all. I walk not by the will 
 of Zeus; let him remain in his own posses- 
 sions, and meddle not." 
 
 But Iris answered : " Shaker of the earth, 
 shall I bear back so rough an answer to Zeus ? 
 Surely thou knowest the might of the elder 
 born?" 
 
 Then Poseidon said, " Iris, thou speakest 
 well ; this time will I yield, but know that if 
 he shall scorn me and the other gods and let 
 Troy stand untaken, and give not victory to 
 the Greeks, there shall be endless feud between 
 him and me." 
 
 Meanwhile Apollo went, at the bidding of 
 Zeus, to Hector. He found him sitting up, 
 for the will of Zeus had revived him. Then 
 spake Apollo : " Hector, why sittest thou apart 
 
196 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 from thy fellows? Hath trouble come upon 
 thee?" 
 
 Hector made reply in a feeble voice : " Who 
 art thou among the gods that speakest to me ? 
 Knowest thou not that Ajax smote me with a 
 mighty stone and stayed me from the battle ? 
 Verily I thought that I had gone down this 
 day to the dwellings of the dead." 
 
 But Apollo said: " Be of good cheer, for Zeus 
 hath sent me, who am Apollo of the Golden 
 Sword, to stand by thee and to succour thee. 
 Come, now, and bid thy people advance toward 
 the ships, and I will go before thee, and make 
 the way easy for thy horses." 
 
 So Hector rose up in his might, and entered 
 into the battle, even as men that chase a stag 
 or a wild goat, and lo ! a lion crosseth their 
 path, so were the Greeks afraid when they saw 
 Hector, the son of Priam. And Thoas the 
 y^tolian spake, saying: 
 
 " Surely this is a great marvel that I see with 
 mine eyes. For we thought that Hector had 
 been slain by the hand of Ajax, son of Tela- 
 mon, and now, behold ! he is come back to the 
 battle. Many Greeks have fallen before him, 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 197 
 
 and many, methinks, will fall, for of a truth 
 some god has raised him up and helps him. 
 But come, let all the bravest stand together. 
 So, mighty though he be, he shall fear to enter 
 our array." 
 
 jAnd all the bravest gathered together and 
 stood in the front, but the multitude made for 
 the ships. But Hector came on, and Apollo 
 before him, with his shoulders wrapped in 
 cloud, and the aegis shield in his hand. And 
 many of the Greeks fell slain before the sons 
 of Troy, as lasus of Athens, and Arcesilaiis the 
 Boeotian, and Medon, who was brother to Ajax 
 the Less, and many more. Thus the battle 
 turned again, and came near to the trench ; 
 and now Apollo made it easy for the men of 
 Troy to pass, so that they left not their 
 chariots, as before, upon the brink, but drave 
 them across. 
 
 Meanwhile Patroclus sat in the tent of Eury- 
 pylus, dressing his wound and talking with him. 
 But when he saw what had chanced, he struck 
 his thigh with his hand and cried : 
 
 " Now must I leave thee, Eurypylus ; for I 
 must haste to Achilles, so dreadful is now the 
 
RIL 
 
 198 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 battle. Perchance I may persuade him that 
 he go forth to the fight." 
 
 So he ran to the tent of Achilles. Now, 
 indeed, the men of Troy were at the ships; 
 for Hector and Ajax were fighting for one of 
 them, and Ajax could not drive him back, and 
 Hector could not burn the ship with fire. 
 Then sprang forward Caletor with a torch in 
 his hand, and Ajax smote him on the heart 
 with a sword, so that he fell close by the ship. 
 Then Hector cried : 
 
 " Come, now, Trojans and allies, and fight 
 for Caletor, that the Greeks spoil him not of 
 his arms." 
 
 So saying, he cast his spear at Ajax. Him 
 he struck not, but Cytherius, his comrade, he 
 slew. Then was Ajax sore dismayed, and 
 spake to Teucer, his brother : 
 
 " See, now, Cytherius, our dear comrade, is 
 dead, slain by Hector. But where are thy 
 arrows and thy bow?" 
 
 So Teucer took his bow and laid an arrow 
 on the string, and smote Clitus, who was char- 
 ioteer to Polydamas. And then he aimed an 
 arrow at Hector's self; but ere he could loose 
 

 THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 199 
 
 it, the bow-string was broken in his hands, and 
 the arrow went far astray, for Zeus would not 
 that Hector should so fall. Then Teucer 
 cried aloud to his brother : 
 
 " Surely some god confounds our counsels, 
 breaking my bow-string, which this very day I 
 tied new upon my bow." 
 
 But Ajax said : " Let be thy bow, if it please 
 not the gods, but take spear and shield, and 
 fight with the men of Troy. For though they 
 master us to-day, they shall not take our ships 
 for naught." 
 
 So Teucer armed himself afresh for the bat- 
 tle. But Hector, when he saw the broken 
 bow, cried out : 
 
 " Come on, ye men of Troy, for Zeus is with 
 us. Even now he brake the bow of Teucer, 
 the great archer. And they whom Zeus helps 
 prevail, and they whom he favours not grow 
 weak. Come on ; for even though a man fall, 
 it is well that he fall fighting for his fatherland ; 
 and his wife and his children are safe, nor shall 
 his glory cease, if so be that we drive the Greeks 
 in their ships across the sea." 
 
 And on the other side Ajax, the son of Tela- 
 
200 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 mon, called to the Greeks and bade them quit 
 themselves like men. Then the battle grew 
 yet fiercer, for Hector slew Schedius, who led 
 the men of Phocis, and Ajax slew Laodamas, 
 son of Antenor, and Polydamas Otus of Cyl- 
 lene. Then Meges thought to slay Polydamas ; 
 but his spear went astray, smiting down Craes- 
 mus ; and Dolops, who was grandson to Lao- 
 medon, cast his spear at Meges, but the corselet 
 stayed the point, though it pierced the shield. 
 But Dolops' self Menelalis smote through the 
 shoulder, but could not spoil him of his arms, 
 for Hector and his brothers hindered him. So 
 they fought, slaying one another ; but Hector 
 still waxed greater and greater in the battle, 
 and still the men of Troy came on, and still 
 the Greeks gave way. So they came again, 
 these pushing forward and these yielding 
 ground, to the ships. And Hector caught 
 hold of one of them, even the ship of Protesi- 
 laiis: him, indeed, it had brought from Troy, 
 but it took him not back, for he had fallen, 
 slain by the hand of Hector, as he leapt, first 
 of all the Greeks, upon the shore of Troy. 
 This Hector caught, and the battle raged like 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS. 2OI 
 
 fire about it; for the men of Troy and the 
 Greeks were gathered round, and none fought 
 with arrows or javelins from afar, but man to 
 man, with battle-axe and sword and great 
 spears pointed at either end. And many a 
 fair weapon lay shattered on the ground, and 
 the earth flowed with blood as with a river. 
 But still Hector held the stem of the ship with 
 his hand, and called to the men of Troy that 
 they should bring fire, for that Zeus had given 
 them the victory that day. Then even Ajax 
 himself gave way, so did the spears of the 
 Trojans press him ; for now he stood no longer 
 upon the stern deck, but on the rowers' bench, 
 thrusting thence with his spear at any one who 
 sought to set fire to the ship. And ever he 
 cried to the Greeks with a terrible voice : 
 
 " O ye Greeks ! now must ye quit yourselves 
 like men. For have ye any helpers behind ? 
 or have ye any walls to shelter you ? No city 
 is here, with well-built battlements, wherein ye 
 might be safe, while the people should fight 
 for you. For we are here in the plain of Troy, 
 and the sea is close behind us, and we are far 
 from our country. Wherefore all our hope is 
 
202 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 in valour, and not in shrinking back from the 
 battle." 
 
 And still he thrust with his spear, if any of 
 the men of Troy, at Hector's bidding, sought 
 to bring fire against the ships. Full twelve he 
 wounded where he stood. 
 
DEEDS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS. 203 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE DEEDS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS. 
 
 PATROCLUS stood by Achilles, weeping bit- 
 terly. Then said Achilles : " What ails thee, 
 Patroclus, that thou weepest like a girl-child 
 that runs along by her mother's side, and 
 would be taken up, holding her gown, and 
 looking at her with tearful eyes till she lift her 
 in her arms ? Hast thou heard evil news from 
 Phthia? Mencetius yet lives, they say, and 
 Peleus. Or art thou weeping for the Greeks, 
 because they perish for their folly ? " 
 
 Then said Patroclus : " Be not wroth with 
 me, great Achilles, for indeed the Greeks are 
 In grievous straits, and all their bravest are 
 wounded, and still thou cherishest thy wrath. 
 Surely Peleus was not thy father, nor Thetis 
 thy mother ; but the rocks begat thee, and the 
 sea brought thee forth. Or if thou goest not 
 to the battle, fearing some warning from the 
 gods, yet let me go, and thy Myrmidons with 
 
204 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 me. And let me put thy armour on me; so 
 shall the Greeks have breathing-space from the 
 
 war." 
 
 So he spake, entreating, nor knew that for 
 his own doom he entreated. And Achilles 
 made reply : 
 
 "It is no warning that I heed, that I keep 
 back from the war. But these men took from 
 me my prize, which I won with my own hands. 
 But let the past be past. I said that I would 
 not rise up till the battle should come nigh 
 to my own ships. But thou mayest put my 
 armour upon thee, and lead my Myrmidons to 
 the fight. For in truth the men of Troy are 
 gathered as a dark cloud about the ships, and 
 the Greeks have scarce standing-ground be- 
 tween them and the sea. For they see not the 
 gleam of my helmet. And Diomed is not 
 there with his spear ; nor do I hear the voice 
 of Agamemnon, but only the voice of Hector, 
 as he calls the men of Troy to the battle. Go, 
 therefore, Patroclus, and drive the fire from 
 the ships. And then come thou back, nor 
 fight any more with the Trojans, lest thou 
 take my glory from me. And go not near, in 
 

 DEEDS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS. 205 
 
 the delight of battle, to the walls of Troy, lest 
 one of the gods meet thee to thy hurt ; and, of 
 a truth, the keen archer Apollo loves the Tro- 
 jans well." 
 
 But as they talked the one to the other, Ajax 
 could hold out no longer. For swords and 
 javelins came thick upon him, and clattered on 
 his helmet, and his shoulder was weary with 
 the great shield which he held ; and he breathed 
 heavily and hard, and the great drops of sweat 
 fell upon the ground. Then at the last Hector 
 came near and smote his spear with a great 
 sword, so that the head fell off. Then was 
 Ajax sore afraid, and gave way, and the men 
 of Troy set torches to the ship's stem, and a 
 great flame shot up to the sky. And Achilles 
 saw it, and smote his thigh and spake : 
 
 " Haste thee, Patroclus, for I see the fire 
 rising up from the ships. Put thou on the 
 armour, and I will call my people to the war." 
 
 So Patroclus put on the armour, corselet, 
 and shield, and helmet, and bound upon his 
 shoulder the silver-studded sword, and took a 
 mighty spear in his hand. But the great 
 Pelian spear he took not, for that no man but 
 
206 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Achilles might wield. Then Automedon yoked 
 the horses to the chariot, Bayard and Piebald, 
 and with them in the side harness, Pedasus ; 
 and they two were deathless steeds, but he was 
 mortal. 
 
 Meanwhile Achilles had called the Myrmi- 
 dons to battle. Fifty ships had he brought to 
 Troy, and in each there were fifty men. Five 
 leaders they had, and the bravest of the five 
 was Pisander. 
 
 Then Achilles said : " Forget not, ye Myrmi- 
 dons, the bold words that ye spake against the 
 men of Troy during the days of my wrath, 
 making complaint that I kept you from the 
 battle against your will. Now, therefore, ye 
 have that which you desired." 
 
 So the Myrmidons went to the battle in close 
 array, helmet to helmet and shield to shield, close 
 as the stones with which a builder builds a wall. 
 And in front went Patroclus, and Automedon 
 in the chariot beside him. Then Achilles went 
 to his tent and took a great cup from the chest, 
 which Thetis his mother had given him. Now 
 no man drank of that cup but he only, nor did 
 he pour out of it libations to any of the gods, 
 
'^Mttoty 
 
 DEEDS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS. 207 
 
 but only to Zeus. This first he cleansed with 
 sulphur, and then with water from the spring. 
 And after this he washed his hands, and stood 
 in the midst of the space before his tent, and 
 poured out of it to Zeus, saying, " O Zeus, I 
 send my comrade to this battle ; make him 
 strong and bold, and give him glory, and bring 
 him home safe to the ships, and my people 
 with him." 
 
 So he prayed, and Father Zeus heard him, 
 and part he granted and part denied. 
 
 But now Patroclus with the Myrmidons had 
 come to where the battle was raging about the 
 ship of Protesilalis, andjwhen the men of Troy 
 beheld him, they thought that Achilles had 
 forgotten his wrath and was come forth to 
 the war. And first Patroclus slew Pyraechmes, 
 who was the chief of the Paeonians who live 
 on the banks of the broad Axius. Then the 
 men of Troy turned to flee, and many chiefs 
 of fame fell by the spears of the Greeks. So 
 the battle rolled back to the trench, and in 
 the trench many chariots of the Trojans were 
 broken, but the horses of Achilles went across 
 it at a stride, so nimble were they and strong. 
 
,,oU 
 
 208 7^? STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 And the heart of Patroclus was set to slay 
 Hector; but he could not overtake him, so 
 swift were his horses. Then did Patroclus 
 turn his chariot, and keep back those that fled, 
 that they should not go to the city, and rushed 
 hither and thither, still slaying as he went. 
 
 But Sarpedon, when he saw the Lycians 
 dismayed and scattered, called to them that 
 they should be of good courage, saying that he 
 would himself make trial of this great warrior. 
 So he leapt down from his chariot, and Patro- 
 clus also leapt down, and they rushed at each 
 other as two eagles rush together. Then first 
 Patroclus struck down Thrasymelus, who was 
 the comrade of Sarpedon ; and Sarpedon, who 
 had a spear in either hand, with the one struck 
 the horse Pedasus, which was of mortal breed, 
 on the right shoulder, and with the other 
 missed his aim, sr nding it over the left shoul- 
 der of Patroclus. But Patroclus missed not 
 his aim, driving his spear into Sarpedon's 
 heart. Then fell the great Lycian chief, as 
 an oak, or a poplar, or a pine falls upon the 
 hills before the axe. But he called -to Glau- 
 cus, his companion, saying : "Now must thou 
 
DEEDS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS. 209 
 
 show thyself a good warrior, Glaucus. First 
 call the men of Lycia to fight for me, and do 
 thou fight thyself, for it would be foul shame 
 to thee, all thy days, if the Greeks should spoil 
 me of my arms." 
 
 Then he died. But Glaucus was sore trou- 
 bled, for he could not help him, so grievous 
 was the wound where Teucer had wounded 
 him. Therefore he prayed to Apollo, and 
 Apollo helped him and made him whole. 
 Then he went first to the Lycians, bidding 
 them fight for their King, and then to the 
 chiefs of the Trojans, that they should save 
 the body of Sarpedon. And to Hector he 
 said : " Little carest thou for thy allies. Lo ! 
 Sarpedon is dead, slain by Patroclus. Suffer 
 not the Myrmidons to carry him off and do 
 dishonour to his body." 
 
 But Hector was troubled to hear such news, 
 and so were all the sons of Troy, for Sarpedon 
 was the bravest of the allies, and led most 
 people to the battle. So with a great shout 
 they charged, and drove the Greeks back a 
 space from the body; and then again the 
 Greeks did the like. And so the battle raged, 
 
 o 
 
fua > P( #n / 
 ) 
 
 210 77/jE 1 STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 till no one would have known the great Sarpe- 
 don, so covered was he with spears and blood 
 and dust. But at the last the Greeks drave 
 back the men of Troy from the body, and 
 stripped the arms, but the body itself they 
 harmed not. For Apollo came down at the 
 bidding of Zeus and carried it out of the midst 
 of the battle, and washed it with water, and 
 anointed it with ambrosia, and wrapped it in 
 garments of the gods. And then he gave it 
 to Sleep and Death, and these two carried it to 
 Lycia, his fatherland. 
 
 Then did Patroclus forget the word which 
 Achilles had spoken to him, that he should 
 not go near to Troy, for he pursued the men 
 of the city even to the wall. Thrice he 
 mounted on the angle of the wall, and thrice 
 Apollo himself drove him back, pushing his 
 shining shield. But the fourth time the god 
 said : " Go thou back, Patroclus. It is not for 
 thee to take the city of Troy ; no, nor for 
 Achilles, who is far better than thou art." 
 
 So Patroclus went back, fearing the wrath 
 of the archer god. Then Apollo stirred up 
 the spirit of Hector, that he should go against 
 
y MftXl (AW j v u - y. :> v- 
 
 fe^k^ \^cmz\ 
 
 o^ t 
 
 DEEDS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS. 211 
 
 Patroclus. Therefore he went, with his 
 brother Cebriones for driver of his chariot. 
 But when they came near, Patroclus cast a 
 great stone which he had in his hand, and 
 smote Cebriones on the forehead, crushing it 
 in, so that he fell headlong from the chariot. 
 And Patroclus mocked him, saying: 
 
 " How nimble is this man ! how lightly he 
 dives ! What spoil he would take of oysters, 
 diving from a ship, even in a stormy sea! 
 Who would have thought that there were such 
 skilful divers in Troy ! " 
 
 Then again the battle waxed hot about the 
 body of Cebriones, and this too, at the last, the Qj\ 
 Greeks drew unto themselves, and spoiled it of ' \\c\ 
 the arms. And this being accomplished, Pa- 
 troclus rushed against the men of Troy. 
 Thrice he rushed, and each time he slew nine 
 chiefs of fame. But the fourth time Apollo ^\(^ 
 stood behind him and struck him on the head 4. 
 and shoulders, so that his eyes were darkened. 
 And the helmet fell from off his head, so that jji 
 the horse-hair plumes were soiled with dust. 
 Never before had it touched the ground, for it 
 was the helmet of Achilles. And also the god " 
 
 O 
 
f^r r A 
 
 }w^ \ l ; 
 
 212 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 brake the spear in his hand, and struck the .-.u 
 shield from his arms, and loosed his corselet. 
 All amazed he stood, and then Euphorbus, 
 son of Panthoiis, smote him on the back with 
 his spear, but slew him not. Then Patroclus 
 sought to flee to the ranks of his comrades. 
 But Hector saw him, and thrust at him with his 
 spear, smiting him in the groin, so that he fell. 
 And when the Greeks saw him fall, they sent 
 up a terrible cry. Then Hector stood over 
 him and cried : 
 
 "Didst thou think to spoil our city, Patro- 
 clus, and to carry away our wives and daugh- 
 ters in the ships ? But lo ! I have slain^thee, 
 and the fowls of the air shall eat thy flesh ; nor 
 shall the great Achilles help thee at all 
 Achilles, who bade thee, I trow, strip the 
 tunic from my breast, and thou thoughtest in 
 thy folly to do it." 
 
 But Patroclus answered : " Thou boasteth 
 much, Hector. Yet thou didst not slay me, but 
 Apollo, who took from me my arms, for had 
 twenty such as thou met me, I had slain them 
 all. And mark thou this: death and fate are 
 close to thee by the hand of the great Achilles." 
 
DEEDS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS. 213 
 
 And Hector answered, but Patroclus was 
 dead already : " Why dost thou prophesy death 
 to me ? May be the great Achilles himself 
 shall fall by my hand." 
 
 Then he drew his spear from the wound, 
 and went after Automedon, to slay him, but 
 the swift horses of Achilles carried him away. 
 
214 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE ROUSING OF ACHILLES. 
 
 FIERCE was the fight about the body of 
 Patroclus, and many heroes fell, both on this 
 side and on that, and first of them all Euphor- 
 bus, who first had wounded him. For as he 
 came near to strip the dead man of his arms, 
 Menelaiis slew him with his spear. He slew 
 him, but took not his arms, for Hector came 
 through the battle ; nor did Menelaiis dare to 
 abide his coming, but went back into the ranks 
 of his own people. Then did Hector strip off 
 the arms of Patroclus, the arms which the 
 great Achilles had given him to wear. Then 
 he laid hold of the body, and would have 
 "dragged it into the host of the Trojans, but 
 Ajax Telamon came forth, and put his broad 
 shield before it, as a lion stands before its cubs 
 when the hunters meet it in the woods, draw- 
 ing down over its eyes its shaggy brows. 
 
THE ROUSING OF ACHILLES. 215 
 
 Then Hector gave place, but Glaucus saw 
 him, and said: 
 
 """"Now is this a shame to thee, that thou 
 darest not to stand against Ajax. How wilt 
 thou and thy countrymen save the city of 
 Troy? For surely no more will thy allies 
 fight for it. Small profit have they of thee. 
 Did not Sarpedon fall, and didst thou not 
 leave him to be a prey to the dogs ? And 
 now, if thou hadst stood firm and carried off 
 Patroclus, we might have made exchange, and 
 gained from the Greeks Sarpedon and his 
 arms. But it may not be, for thou fearest 
 Ajax, and fleest before him." 
 
 But Hector said : " I fear him not, nor any 
 man. Only Zeus giveth victory now to one 
 man and now to another. But wait thou here, 
 and see whether I be a coward, as thou sayest." 
 
 Now he had sent the armour of Patroclus 
 to the city. But now he ran after those that 
 were carrying it, and overtook them, and put 
 on the armour himself (but Zeus saw him 
 doing it, and liked it not), and came back to 
 the battle ; and all who saw him thought that 
 it had been the great Achilles himself. Then 
 
v 
 
 nAS 
 
 2l6 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 they all charged together, and fiercer grew the 
 battle and fiercer as the day went on. For 
 the Greeks said one to another : " Now had 
 the earth better yawn and swallow us up alive, 
 than we should let the men of Troy carry off 
 Patroclus to their city " ; and the Trojans said : 
 " Now if we must all fall by the body of this 
 man, be it so, but we will not yield." But the 
 horses of Achilles stood apart from the battle, 
 when they knew that Patroclus was dead, 
 and wept. Nor could Automedon move them 
 with the lash, nor with gentle words, nor with 
 threats. They would not return to the ships, 
 nor would they go into the battle; but as a 
 pillar stands on the tomb of some dead man, 
 so they stood, with their heads drooped to 
 the ground, and with big tears dropping to 
 the earth, and their long manes trailing in the 
 dust. 
 
 But Father Zeus beheld them, and pitied 
 them, and said : 
 
 " It was not well that we gave you, immortal 
 as ye are, to a mortal man ; for of all things 
 that move on earth, mortal man is the fullest 
 of sorrow. But Hector shall not possess you. 
 
THE ROUSING OF ACHILLES. 21? 
 
 It is enough for him, yea, and too much, that 
 he hath the arms of Achilles." 
 
 Then did the horses move from their place, 
 and obey their charioteer as before. Nor could 
 Hector take them, though he desired them 
 very much. And all the while the battle raged 
 about the dead Patroclus. And at last Ajax 
 said to Menelaiis (now these two had borne 
 themselves more bravely in the fight than all 
 others) : 
 
 " See if thou canst find Antilochus, Nestor's 
 son, that he may carry the tidings to Achilles, 
 how that Patroclus is dead." 
 
 So Menelaiis went and found Antilochus on 
 the left of the battle, and said to him : " I have 
 ill news for thee. Thou seest that the men of 
 Troy have the victory to-day. And also Patro- 
 clus lies dead. Run, therefore, to Achilles, and 
 tell him, if haply he may save the body ; but as 
 for the arms, Hector has them already." 
 
 Sore dismayed was Antilochus to hear such 
 tidings, and his eyes were filled with tears, and 
 his voice was choked. Yet did he give heed 
 to the words of Menelaiis, and ran to tell 
 Achilles of what had chanced. But Menelaiis 
 
< r: i j\ . <-\\fs- t f- 
 
 2l8 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 went back to Ajax, where he had left him by 
 Patroclus, and said : 
 
 " Antilochus, indeed, bears the tidings to 
 Achilles. Yet I doubt whether he will come, 
 for all his wrath against Hector, seeing that he 
 has no armour to cover him. Let us think, 
 then, how we may best carry Patroclus away 
 from the men of Troy." 
 
 Then said Ajax, u Do thou and Meriones 
 run forward and raise the body in your arms, 
 and I and the son of Oileus will keep off, mean- 
 while, the men of Troy." 
 
 So Menelaiis and Meriones ran forward and 
 lifted up the body. And the Trojans ran for- 
 ward with a great shout when they saw them, 
 as dogs run barking before the hunters when 
 they chase a wild boar ; but when the beast 
 turns to bay, then they flee this way and that. 
 So did the men of Troy flee when Ajax the 
 Greater and Ajax the Less turned to give 
 battle. But still the Greeks " gave way, and 
 still the Trojans came on, and ever in the front 
 were Hector, the son of Priam, and yEneas, the 
 son of Anchises. But in the meantime Anti- 
 lochus came near to Achilles, who, indeed, 
 
llot 
 
 THE ROUSING OF ACHILLES. 219 
 
 seeing that the Greeks fled and the men of 
 Troy pursued, was already sore afraid. And 
 he said, weeping as he spake : 
 
 " I bring ill news, Patroclus lies low. The 
 Greeks fight for his body, but Hector has his 
 
 arms." 
 
 Then Achilles took of the dust of the plain 
 in his hand, and poured it on his head, and lay 
 at his length upon the ground, and tare his hair. 
 And all the women wailed. And Antilochus 
 sat weeping ; but ever he held the hands of 
 Achilles, lest he should slay himself in his great 
 grief. 
 
 Then came his mother, hearing his cry, from 
 where she sat in the depths of the sea, and laid 
 her hand on him and said : 
 
 " Why weepest thou, my son ? Hide not the 
 matter from me, but tell me." 
 
 And Achilles answered: "All that Zeus 
 promised thee for me he hath fulfilled. But 
 what profit have I, for my friend Patroclus is 
 dead, and Hector has the arms which I gave 
 him to wear. And as for me, I care not to 
 live, except I can avenge me upon him." 
 
 Then said Thetis : " Nay, my son, speak not 
 
I CQ, 
 
 la 
 
 220 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 
 thus. For when Hector dieth, thy doom also 
 
 is near." 
 
 And Achilles spake in great wrath : " Would 
 that I might die this hour, seeing that I could 
 not help my friend, but am a burden on the 
 earth I, who am better in battle than all the 
 Greeks besides. Cursed be the wrath that sets 
 men to strive the one with the other, even as 
 it set me to strive with King Agamemnon ! 
 But let the past be past. And as for my fate 
 let it come when it may, so that I first 
 avenge myself on Hector. Wherefore, seek 
 not to keep me back from the battle." 
 
 Then Thetis said: " Be it so; only thou 
 canst not go without thy arms, which Hector 
 hath. But to-morrow will I go to Hephaestus, 
 that he may furnish thee anew." 
 
 But while they talked the men of Troy 
 pressed the Greeks more and more, and the 
 two heroes, Ajax the Greater and Ajax the 
 Less, could no longer keep Hector back, 
 but that he should lay hold of the body of 
 Patroclus. And indeed he would have taken 
 it, but that Zeus sent Iris to Achilles, who 
 said : 
 
THE ROUSING OF ACHILLES. 221 
 
 " Rouse thee, son of Peleus, or Patroclus will 
 be a prey for the dogs of Troy! " 
 
 But Achilles said: " How shall I go? for 
 arms have I none, nor know I whose I might 
 wear. Haply I could shift with the shield of 
 Ajax, son of Telamon, but he, I know, is carry- 
 ing it in the front of the battle." 
 
 Then answered Iris, " Go only to the trench 
 and show thyself ; so shall the men of Troy 
 tremble and cease from the battle, and the 
 Greeks shall have breathing-space." 
 
 So he went, and Athene put her aegis about 
 his mighty shoulders, and a golden halo about 
 his head, making it shine as a flame of fire, 
 even as the watch-fires shine at night from 
 some city that is besieged. Then went he to 
 the trench ; with the battle he mingled not, 
 heeding his mother's commands, but he 
 shouted aloud, and his voice was as the 
 sound of a trumpet. And when the men of 
 Troy heard, they were stricken with fear, and 
 the horses backed with the chariots, and the 
 drivers were astonished when they saw the 
 flaming fire above his head which Athene 
 had kindled. Thrice across the trench the 
 
~ 
 
 Stfs - 
 
 222 777^ STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 great Achilles shouted, and thrice the men of 
 Troy fell back. And that hour there perished 
 twelve chiefs of fame, wounded by their own 
 spears or trampled by their own steeds, so great 
 was the terror among the men of Troy. 
 
 Right gladly did the Greeks take Patroclus 
 out of the press. Then they laid him on a bier, 
 and carried him to the tent, Achilles walking 
 with many tears by his side. 
 
 But on the other side the men of Troy held 
 an assembly. Standing they held it, for none 
 dared to sit, lest Achilles should be upon them. 
 
 Then spake Polydamas : " Let us not wait 
 here for the morning. It was well for us to 
 fight at the ships while Achilles yet kept his 
 wrath against Agamemnon. But now it is not 
 so. For to-morrow he will come against us in 
 his anger, and many will fall before him. 
 Wherefore, let us go back to the city, for high 
 are the walls and strong the gates, and he will 
 perish before he pass them." 
 
 Then said Hector : " This is ill counsel, Poly- 
 damas. Shall we shut ourselves up in the city, 
 where all our goods are wasted already, buying 
 meat for the people ? Nay, let us watch to-night, 
 
THE ROUSING OF ACHILLES. 22$ 
 
 and to-morrow will we fight with the Greeks. 
 And if Achilles be indeed come forth from his 
 tent, be it so. I will not shun to meet him, for 
 Ares gives the victory now to one man and now 
 to another." 
 
 So he spake, and all the people applauded, 
 foolish, not knowing what the morrow should 
 bring forth. 
 
224 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE MAKING OF THE ARMS. 
 
 MEANWHILE in the camp of the Greeks they 
 mourned for Patroclus. And Achilles stood 
 among his Myrmidons and said : 
 
 " Vain was the promise that I made to Menoe- 
 tius that I would bring back his son with his 
 portion of the spoils of Troy. But Zeus fulfils 
 not the thoughts of man. For he lies dead, nor 
 shall I return to the house of Peleus, my father, 
 for I, too, must die in this land. But thee, O 
 Patroclus, I will not bury till I bring hither the 
 head and the arms of Hector, and twelve men 
 of Troy to slay at thy funeral pile." 
 
 So they washed the body of Patroclus and 
 anointed it, putting ointment nine years old 
 into the wounds, and laid it on a bed, and 
 covered it with a linen cloth from the head to 
 the feet, and laid a white robe over it. All 
 night the Myrmidons mourned for Patroclus 
 dead ; and Zeus spake to Hera, saying : 
 
THE MAKING OF THE ARMS. 22$ 
 
 " So thou hast had thy will, and hast roused 
 Achilles, the swift of foot. Truly thou art as a 
 mother to the Greeks ! " 
 
 And Hera answered : " Will not a man 
 make good his word to his fellow, though he 
 be but a man ? Then how should I, who am 
 chief among the goddesses, not send trouble 
 on the Trojans, against whom I have great 
 wrath ? " 
 
 But Thetis went to the house of Hephaestus. 
 She found him busy at his work, making twenty 
 cauldrons with three feet, that were to stand 
 about the house of the gods. Golden wheels 
 had they beneath, that they might go of their 
 own motion into the chambers of the gods, and 
 of their own motion return. But Charis, which 
 is by interpretation Grace, that was wife to 
 Hephaestus, espied Thetis, and caught her by 
 the hands, and said, " Why, goddess, whom we 
 love and honour, comest thou to our house, 
 though thou art not wont so to do ? " 
 
 So spake she, and led her in, and set her on 
 a silver-studded chair, and put a chair beneath 
 her feet. Then she called to her husband, 
 saying ; - 
 
 p 
 
226 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 " Come quick. Thetis would have some- 
 what of thee." 
 
 And he said : " Verily, there is one in my 
 house that was my saviour in the day of 
 trouble ; for my mother cast me out because 
 I was lame, but Thetis and her sister received 
 me in the sea. Nine years I dwelt with them, 
 and hammered many a trinket in a hollow 
 cave. Verily, I would pay the price of my 
 life for Thetis." 
 
 Then he put away his tools, and washed 
 himself, and took a staff in his hand, and came 
 into the house, and sat upon a chair, and said : 
 " Speak all thy mind. I will do thy pleasure, 
 if it can be done." 
 
 Then did Thetis tell him of her son Achil- 
 les, and of the wrong that had been done to 
 him, and of his wrath, and of how Patroclus 
 was dead, and that the arms that he had had 
 were lost. 
 
 " Make me now," she said, "for him a shield 
 and a helmet, and greaves, and a corselet." 
 
 And Hephaestus answered : " Be of good 
 cheer. Would that I could keep from him the 
 doom of death as easily as I can make him 
 
THE MAKING OF THE ARMS. 227 
 
 such arms that a man will wonder when he 
 looks upon them." 
 
 Then he went to his smithy, and turned the 
 bellows to the fire, and bade them work. Also 
 he put bronze and tin and gold and silver into 
 the fire, to melt them, and set the anvil, and 
 took the hammer in one hand, and the tongs 
 in the other. 
 
 First he made a shield, great and strong, 
 and fastened thereto a belt of silver. On it he 
 wrought the earth, and the sky, and the sea, 
 and the sun, and the moon, and all the stars. 
 He wrought also two cities. In the one there 
 was peace, and about the other there was war. 
 For in the first they led a bride to her home 
 with music and dancing, and the women stood 
 in the doors to see the show, and in the market- 
 place the judges judged about one that had 
 been slain, and one man said that he had paid 
 the price of blood, and the other denied. But 
 about the other city there sat an army besieg- 
 ing it, and the men of the city stood upon the 
 wall defending it. These had also set an 
 ambush by a river where the herds were wont 
 to drink. And when the herds came down, 
 
228 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 they rose up and took them and slew the herds- 
 men. But the army of the besiegers heard the 
 cry, and came swiftly on horses, and fought by 
 the bank of the river. Also he wrought one 
 field where many men drove the plough, and 
 another where reapers reaped the corn, and 
 boys gathered it in their arms to bind into 
 sheaves, while the lord stood glad at heart, 
 beholding them. Also he wrought a vineyard, 
 wherein was a path, and youths and maidens 
 bearing baskets of grapes, and in the midst a 
 boy played on a harp of gold and sang a pleas- 
 ant song. Also he made a herd of oxen going 
 from the stables to the pastures, and herdsmen 
 and dogs, and in the front two lions had caught 
 a mighty bull and were devouring it, while the 
 dogs stood far off and barked. Also he made 
 a sheepfold ; also a marvellous dance of men 
 and maidens, and these had coronets of gold, 
 and those daggers of gold hanging from belts 
 of silver. And round about the shield he 
 wrought the great river of ocean. 
 
 Besides the shield, he also made a corselet 
 brighter than fire, and a great helmet with a 
 ridge of gold for the crest, and greaves of tin. 
 
THE MAKING OF THE ARMS. 229 
 
 And when he had finished all the armour, he 
 set them before the mother of Achilles. Like 
 to a hawk did she leap from Olympus, carrying 
 them to her son. And when she came to the 
 ships, she found him lying on the earth with 
 his arms about the body of Patroclus, weeping 
 aloud, and his men stood about lamenting. 
 
 The goddess stood in the midst, and clasped 
 her son by the hand, and spake : " Come, now, 
 let us leave the dead man; for he hath been 
 slain according to the ordering of the gods. 
 And do thou receive from Hephaestus this 
 armour, exceeding beautiful, such as man 
 never yet wore upon his shoulders." 
 
 So she spake, and cast the armour before 
 Achilles. Loud did it rattle as it fell, and the 
 Myrmidons feared to look upon the sight. 
 But Achilles took the splendid armour into 
 his hand, and was glad, and spake, saying: 
 " Mother, the gods have given me arms, such 
 as it is fitting should be made in heaven, and 
 I vow I will arm me for the fight. Yet much I 
 fear that decay will mar the body of Patroclus, 
 now that the life hath gone from out of it." 
 
 But Thetis made answer : " Let not this 
 
230 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 trouble thee ; I will keep decay from his flesh, 
 yea, though he should lie here till the year 
 come round again. Go, then, and call the 
 people to the assembly, and put away thy 
 wrath against King Agamemnon, and arm 
 thyself for the battle." 
 
 So she spake, putting trust and valour into 
 his soul ; and into the nostrils of the dead man 
 she poured ambrosia and ruddy nectar, that 
 his flesh might be sweet. 
 
THE ENDING OF THE STRIFE. 23 I 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE ENDING OF THE STRIFE. 
 
 ACHILLES went along the shore of the sea, 
 shouting aloud to the warriors. And at his 
 call they came, even they who before had 
 remained at the ships, as the pilots and they 
 who dealt out the food, because Achilles, who 
 had been absent so long from the battle, had 
 returned thereto. Also Diomed and Ulysses 
 came to the assembly, leaning on spears, for 
 their wounds were fresh, and King Aga- 
 memnon. 
 
 Then Achilles stood up, and spake : " It was 
 ill done, son of Atreus, that we strove for a 
 woman ! Would that Artemis had slain her 
 with an arrow on the day when I took her cap- 
 tive ! Many a Greek who hath now bitten the 
 ground had then lived, and the Trojans had 
 not reaped such profit from our wrath. But 
 come, let the past be past. Here I make an 
 end of my anger. And now make haste, and 
 
232 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 send the Greeks to battle. Let us see whether 
 the men of Troy will camp beside the ships." 
 
 Then said Agamemnon, speaking from his 
 place : " Listen, ye Greeks. Oft have ye blamed 
 me for this quarrel. Yet it was not I that was 
 in fault ; rather it was Zeus and Fate, and the 
 Fury that walketh in darkness. But to thee, 
 Achilles, I make full amends, for here I offer 
 thee the gifts which Ulysses promised thee 
 yesterday. Stay awhile, while my people bring 
 them from my ships." 
 
 To him Achilles made answer : " Give thy 
 gifts, O King, if it be thy will, or keep them 
 to thyself. But let us turn without delay to 
 the battle." 
 
 Then spake the wise Ulysses: "Achilles, 
 urge not the Greeks to enter fasting into the 
 battle : for verily the strife will not be short, 
 seeing that both this host and that are inspired 
 with might from heaven. A man that hath not 
 eaten cannot fight till set of sun, for his limbs 
 grow heavy unawares, and he is hindered by 
 hunger and thirst. Bid, therefore, the people 
 disperse, and make ready their food. Mean- 
 while, let King Agamemnon send for the gifts 
 
THE ENDING OF THE STRIFE. 233 
 
 and deliver them to thee in full assembly. 
 And afterwards let him furnish a feast of rec- 
 onciliation, that so thou mayest miss nothing 
 of thy due." 
 
 Then said the King: " Thou speakest well, 
 Ulysses. Do thou thyself fetch the gifts, and 
 let the herald fetch us a boar, that we may do 
 sacrifice to Zeus and to the Sun." 
 
 But Achilles said : " This business had suited 
 better some other time, as when there was some 
 breathing-space in the war, and my heart was 
 not so hot within me. But now the dead whom 
 Hector slew r lieth low, and ye bid me think of 
 food. Let the Greeks enter fasting into battle, 
 and make them a great supper when the sun 
 goes down. As for me, neither food nor drink 
 shall pass my lips." 
 
 To him Ulysses made reply : " Thou art the 
 stronger, son of Peleus, yet I may be the wiser, 
 for I am older than thou, and of more experi- 
 ence. Ask not the Greeks to fast because of 
 the dead. Verily they fall every day. How, 
 then, should there be any interval of grief? 
 Rather let us bury him that dieth, and bewail 
 him for a day, and harden our hearts to forget : 
 
234 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 and then let us who are left eat and drink, that 
 we may fight with better heart." 
 
 Then did Ulysses go to the tent of the King ; 
 and they brought thence the gifts, seven tri- 
 pods, and twenty caldrons, and twelve horses, 
 and seven women, skilled workers with the 
 needle, and the fair BriseTs the eighth. And 
 before them came Ulysses, bearing the talents 
 of gold, full weight of the balance. 
 
 These the Myrmidons took to the tent of 
 Achilles. But when Brisei's saw Patroclus, she 
 beat her breast and her fair face and neck, and 
 wailed aloud, for he had been gentle and good, 
 she said. And all the women wailed with her, 
 thinking each of her own sorrows. 
 
 Then the chiefs would have Achilles feast 
 with them ; but he hearkened not, for he would 
 neither eat nor drink till he had had vengeance 
 for the dead. And he spake, saying : " Often, 
 Patroclus, hast thou ordered the feast when we 
 were hastening to the war. And now thou 
 liest slain, and for grief for thee I cannot eat 
 nor drink. For greater sorrow could not have 
 come to me, not though Peleus himself were 
 dead, or my young son Neoptolemus. Often 
 
THE ENDING OF THE STRIFE. 235 
 
 did I think that I only should perish here, but 
 that thou shouldst return and show my son all 
 that was mine, goods and servants and palace." 
 
 And as he wept, the old men wept with him, 
 thinking each of what he had left at home. 
 
 But Zeus said to Athene : " Carest thou not 
 for Achilles that is so dear to thee ? See, the 
 other Greeks are gone to their meal, but he sits 
 fasting." 
 
 Then Athene leapt down from heaven, and 
 shed into the breast of Achilles nectar and 
 ambrosia, that his knees should not fail from 
 hunger. 
 
 Meanwhile the Greeks poured out to battle, 
 and in the midst Achilles armed himself. He 
 put the lordly greaves about his legs, and fitted 
 the corselet on his breast. From his shoulders 
 he hung the sword, and he took the great shield 
 that Hephaestus had made, and it blazed as it 
 were the heaven. Also he put the helmet on 
 his head, and the plumes waved all around. 
 Then he made trial of the arms, and they fitted 
 him well, and bare him up like wings. Last 
 he drew from its case his father's spear, which 
 Cheiron cut on the top of Pelion, to be the 
 
236 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 death of many, and none might wield it but 
 Achilles' self. Then he spake to his horses : 
 " Take heed, Bayard and Piebald, that ye save 
 your driver to-day, nor leave him dead on the 
 field, as ye left Patroclus." 
 
 Then Hera gave to the horse Bayard a voice, 
 so that he spake : " Surely we will save thee, 
 great Achilles ; yet for all that, doom is near to 
 thee, nor are we the cause, but the gods and 
 mastering Fate. Nor was it of us that Patro- 
 clus died, but Apollo slew him and gave the 
 glory to Hector. So shalt thou, too, die by the 
 hands of a god and of a mortal man." 
 
 And Achilles said : " What need to tell me 
 of my doom ? Right well I know it. Yet will 
 I not cease till I have made the Trojans weary 
 of battle." 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE RIVER. 237 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE BATTLE AT THE RIVER. 
 
 THUS did Achilles go again into the battle, 
 eager above all things to meet with Hector 
 and to slay him. 
 
 But Apollo stood by ^neas, and spake to 
 him, "./Eneas, where are now thy boastings 
 that thou wouldst meet Achilles face to face ? " 
 
 Then yEneas answered : " Nay, I have stood 
 up against him in the day when he took the 
 town of Lyrnessus. But I fled before him, 
 and only my nimble feet saved me from falling 
 by his spear. Surely a god is ever with him, 
 making his spear to fly aright." 
 
 Him Apollo answered again : " Thou, too, 
 art the son of a goddess, and thy mother is 
 greater than his, for she is but a daughter of 
 the Sea. Drive straight at him with thy 
 spear, and let not his threats dismay thee." 
 
 Then ^neas stood out from the press to meet 
 \Achilles, and Achilles said : " Tightest thou 
 
238 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 with me because thou hopest to reign over the 
 men of Troy, or have they given thee a choice 
 portion of ground, ploughland and orchard, 
 to be thine when thou hast slain me ? Thou 
 wilt not find it easy. Dost thou not remem- 
 ber how thou fleddest before me in the day 
 that I took Lyrnessus ? " 
 
 Then ^Eneas answered : " Think not to 
 terrify me with words, son of Peleus, for I, too, 
 im the son of a goddess. Let us make trial 
 one of the other." 
 
 Then he cast his spear, and it struck the 
 shield of Achilles with so dreadful a sound 
 that the hero feared lest it should pierce it 
 through, knowing not that the gifts of the 
 gods are not easy for mortal man to vanquish. 
 Two folds, indeed, it pierced, that were of 
 bronze, but in the gold it was stayed, and there 
 were yet two of tin within. Then Achilles 
 cast his spear. Through the shield of ^Eneas 
 it .passed, and though it wounded him not, yet 
 was he sore dismayed, so near it came. Then 
 Achilles drew his sword, and rushed on 
 ^)neas, and ^Eneas caught up a great stone 
 to cast at him. But it was not the will of the 
 
s 
 
 THE BATTLE AT THE RIVER. 239 
 
 gods that ^Eneas should perish, seeing that 
 lie and his sons after him should rule over the 
 men of Troy in the ages to come. Therefore 
 Poseidon lifted him up, and bore him over 
 
 ithe ranks of men to the left of the battle, but 
 
 (__ .^^^^^ _ - . __ 
 
 Erst he drew the spear out of the shield, and 
 
 laid it at the feet of Achilles. Much the hero 
 marvelled to see it, crying : " This is a great 
 wonder that I behold with mine eyes. For I 
 see my spear before me, but the man whom I 
 sought to slay I see not. Of a truth yEneas 
 spake truth, saying that he was dear to the 
 immortal gods." 
 
 Then he rushed into the battle, slaying as 
 he went. And Hector would have met him, 
 but Apollo stood by him, and said, " Fight 
 not with Achilles, lest he slay thee." There- 
 fore he went back among the men of Troy. 
 Many did Achilles slay, and among them Poly- 
 dorus, son of Priam, who, because he was the 
 youngest and very dear, his father suffered not 
 to^gojto_the battle. Yet he went, in his folly, 
 and being very swift of foot, he trusted in his 
 speed, running through the foremost of the 
 fighters. But as he ran, Achilles smote him, 
 
240 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 and wounded him to the death. When Hector 
 saw it, he could not bear any more to stand 
 apart. Therefore he rushed at Achilles, and 
 Achilles rejoiced to see him, saying, " This is 
 the man who slew my comrade." And to 
 Hector he cried, " Come hither, and taste of 
 death." 
 
 And Hector made answer: " Son of Peleus, 
 
 seek not to make me afraid with words. For 
 
 ^____ ~~~~~ 
 
 though I be weaker than thou, yet victory 
 lieth on the knees of the gods, and I, too, bear 
 a spear." 
 
 Then he cast- his spear ; but Athene turned 
 it aside with her breath, and laid it again at 
 his feet. And when Achilles leapt upon 
 Hector with a shout, Apollo snatched him 
 away. Three times did Achilles leap upon 
 him, and three times he struck only the mist. 
 But the fourth time he cried with a terrible 
 voice, " Dog, thou hast escaped from death, 
 Apollo helping thee ; but I shall meet thee 
 again, and make an end of thee." 
 
 Then Achilles turned to the others, and 
 slew multitudes of them, so that they fled, 
 some across the plain, and some to the river, 
 
JS 
 
 THE BATTLE AT THE RIVER. 241 
 
 the eddying Xanthus. And these leapt into 
 the water as locusts leap into a river when a 
 fire which men light drives them from the 
 fields. And all the river was full of horses 
 and men. Then Achilles leapt into the 
 stream, leaving his spear on the bank, resting 
 on the tamarisk trees. Only his sword had he, 
 and with this he slew many ; and they were as 
 fishes which fly from some great dolphin in 
 the sea. In all the bays of a harbour they 
 hide themselves, for the great beast devours 
 them apace. So did the Trojans hide them- 
 selves under the banks of the river. And 
 when Achilles was weary of slaying, he took 
 twelve alive, whom he would slay on the tomb 
 of Patroclus. 
 
 Then met he with a son of Priam, Lycaon 
 by name, whom he had taken captive before. 
 He had found him in his father's vineyard, 
 making the rims of a chariot from a wild fig- 
 tree trunk, and sold him across the sea to 
 Lemnos. There a friend ransomed him for a 
 goodly price; so he came again to his father's 
 house. For eleven days he feasted with his 
 comrades, and on the twelfth went forth to 
 
 Q 
 
242 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 the battle. Thus did Fate put him again into 
 the hands of Achilles. 
 
 Then Achilles said : " This is a wonder that I 
 see. The Trojans whom I sold across the sea 
 come back. Now shall this man taste of my 
 spear, and I will mark whether he shall return 
 again from below the earth, from the place that 
 holdeth the mighty fast." 
 
 But when he lifted his spear, Lycaon ran 
 beneath it, and caught him by the knees, and 
 prayed, saying, " Slay me not, I beseech thee, 
 but take ransom for my life, for though I be 
 Priam's son, I am not own brother to Hector 
 that slew thy friend." 
 
 But Achilles would have no pity, but slew 
 him, and taking the body by the foot, cast it 
 into the river, saying, " Lie there and feed the 
 fishes ; no mother shall lay thee on a bed, and 
 make lamentation over thee." 
 
 Then next there met him Asteropaeus, who 
 was the grandson of the river-god Axius, and 
 led the men of Paeonia. And Achilles won- 
 dered to see him, and said, " Who art thou, that 
 standest against me ? " 
 
 And he said, " I am the grandson of the 
 
THE BATTLE AT THE RIVER. 243 
 
 river-god Axius, fairest of all the streams on 
 the earth, and I lead the men of Paeonia." 
 
 And as he spake he cast two spears, one 
 with each hand, for he could use either alike ; 
 and the one struck the shield, nor pierced it 
 through, for the gold stayed it, and the JD the r 
 grazed the right hand so that the blood spurted 
 forth. Then did Achilles cast his spear, but 
 missed his aim, and the great spear stood fast 
 in the bank. And thrice Asteropasus strove 
 to draw it forth. Thrice he strove in vain, and 
 the fourth time he strove to break the spear. 
 But as he strove Achilles smote him that he 
 died. Yet had he some glory, for that he 
 wounded the great Achilles. 
 
244 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 
 
 WHEN the River saw that Asteropaeus was 
 dead, and that Achilles was slaying many of 
 the Paeonians for these were troubled, their 
 chief being dead he took upon him the shape 
 of a man, and spake to Achilles, saying : " Truly, 
 Achilles, thou excellest all other men in might 
 and deeds of blood, for the gods themselves 
 protect thee. It may be that Zeus hath given 
 thee to slay all the sons of Troy ; nevertheless, 
 depart from me and work thy will upon the 
 plain ; for my stream is choked with the mul- 
 titude of corpses, nor can I pass to the sea. 
 Do thou, therefore, cease from troubling me." 
 
 To him Achilles made answer: " This shall 
 be as thou wilt, O Scamander. But the Tro- 
 jans I will not cease from slaying till I have 
 driven them into their city and have made trial 
 of Hector, whether I shall vanquish him or he 
 shall vanquish me." 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 245 
 
 And as he spake he sped on, pursuing the 
 Trojans. Then the River cried to Apollo: 
 " Little thou doest the will of thy father, thou 
 of the Silver Bow, who bade thee stand by the 
 men of Troy and help them till darkness should 
 cover the land." And he rushed on with a 
 great wave, stirring together all his streams. 
 The dead bodies he threw upon the shore, 
 roaring as a bull roareth ; and them that lived 
 ;he hid in the depth of his eddies. And all 
 about Achilles rose up the flood, beating full 
 upon his shield, so that he could not stand fast 
 upon his feet. Then Achilles laid hold of a 
 lime tree, fair and tall, that grew upon the 
 bank ; but the tree brake therefrom with all 
 its roots, and tare down the bank, and lay 
 across the River, staying its flow, for it had 
 many branches. Thereupon Achilles leapt out A/ 
 of the water and sped across the plain, being 
 sore afraid. But the River ceased not from 
 pursuing him, that he might stay him from 
 slaughter and save the sons of Troy. So far 
 as a man may throw a spear, so far did Achil- 
 les leap; strong as an eagle was he, the 
 hunter-bird that is the strongest and swiftest 
 
246 THE STORY OF 7*HE ILIAD. 
 
 of all birds. And still as he fled the River 
 pursued after him with a great roar. Even 
 as it is with a man that would water his 
 garden, bringing a stream from a fountain ; 
 he has a pickaxe in his hand, to break down 
 all that would stay the water ; and the stream 
 runs on, rolling the pebbles along with it, 
 and overtakes him that guides it. Even s 
 did the River overtake Achilles, for all tha 
 he was swift of foot, for indeed the gods are 
 mightier than men. And when Achilles 
 would have stood against the River, seeking 
 to know whether indeed all the gods were 
 against him, then the great wave smote upon 
 his shoulders ; and when he leapt into the air, 
 it bowed his knees beneath him and devoured 
 the ground from under his feet. Then Achil- 
 les looked up to heaven and groaned, crying 
 out : " O Zeus, will none of the gods pity me, 
 and save me from the River ? I care not what 
 else may befall me. Truly my mother hath 
 deceived me, saying that I should perish under 
 the walls of Troy by the arrows of Apollo. 
 Surely it had been better that Hector should 
 slay me, for he is the bravest of the men of 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 247 
 
 Troy, but now I shall perish miserably in the 
 River, as some herdboy perisheth whom a tor- 
 rent sweeps away in a storm." 
 
 So he spake ; but Poseidon and Athene 
 stood by him, having taken upon them the 
 shape of men, and took him by the hand and 
 strengthened him with comforting words, for 
 Poseidon spake, saying: " Son of Peleus, trem- 
 le notT neither be afraid. It is not thy fate to 
 be mastered by the River. He shall soon 
 cease from troubling thee.. And do thou heed 
 what we say. Stay not thy hands from the 
 battle, till thou shalt have driven all the sons 
 of Troy that escape thee within the walls of 
 the city. And when thou shalt have slain 
 Hector, go back to the ships ; for this day is 
 the day of thy glory." 
 
 ^ Then the two departed from him. Now all 
 
 > the plain was covered with water, wherein 
 
 floated much fair armour and many dead 
 
 bodies. But Achilles went on even against 
 
 v the stream, nor could the River hold him 
 
 t^ack ; for Athene put great might into his 
 
 heart. Yet did not Scamander cease from his 
 
 wrath, but lifted his waves yet higher, and 
 
248 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 cried aloud to Simois : " Dear brother, let us 
 two stay the fury of this man, or else of a 
 surety he will destroy the city of Priaml 
 Come now, fill all thy streams and rouse thy 
 torrents against him, and lift up against him 
 a mighty wave with a great concourse of tree- 
 trunks and stones, that we may stay this wild 
 man from his fighting. Very high thoughts 
 hath he, even as a god ; yet shall neither his 
 might, nor his beauty, nor his fair form profit 
 him ; for they shall be covered with much 
 mud ; and over himself will I heap abundance 
 of sand beyond all counting. Neither shall 
 the Greeks be able to gather his bones 
 together, with such a heap will I hide them. 
 Surely a great tomb will I build for him ; nor 
 will his people have need to make a mound 
 over him when they would bury him." 
 
 Then lie rushed again upon Achilles, swell- 
 ing high with foam and blood and dead bodies ; 
 of men. Very dark was the wave as it rose, 
 and was like to have overwhelmed the man, so 
 that Hera greatly feared for him, lest the River 
 should sweep him away. And she cried to 
 Hephaestus, her son, saying : " Rouse thee, 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 249 
 
 Haltfoot, my son ! I thought that thou wouldst 
 have been a match for Scamander in battle. 
 But come, help us, and bring much fire with 
 thee; and I will call the west wind and the 
 south wind from the sea, with such a storm as 
 shall consume the sons of Troy, both them and 
 their arms. And do thou burn the trees that 
 are by the banks of Xanthus, yea, and the 
 River himself. And let him not turn thee 
 from thy purpose by fury or by craft ; but 
 burn till I shall bid thee cease." 
 
 Then Hephaestus lit a great fire. First it 
 burned the dead bodies that lay upon the 
 plain, and it dried all the plain, as the north 
 wind in the autumn time dries a field, to the 
 joy of him that tills it. After this it laid hold 
 of the River. The lime tree and the willows 
 and the tamarisks it burned ; also the plants 
 that grew in the streams. And the eels and 
 the fishes were sore distressed, twisting hither 
 and thither in the water, being troubled by the 
 breath of Hephaestus. So the might of the 
 River. was- subdued, and he cried aloud: "O 
 Hephaestus, no one of the gods can match him- 
 self with thee. Cease now from consuming 
 
250 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 me ; and Achilles may drive the men of Troy 
 from their city if he will. What have I to do 
 with the strife and sorrow of men ? " 
 
 So he spake, for all his streams were boiling 
 as a caldron boils with a great fire beneath 
 it, when a man would melt the fat of a great 
 hog ; nor could he flow any longer to the sea, 
 so sorely did the breath of the Fire-god trouble 
 him. Then he cried aloud to Hera, entreating 
 her : " O Hera, why doth thy son torment me 
 only among all ? Why should I be blamed 
 more than others that help the men of Troy ? 
 Verily, I will cease from helping them, if he 
 also will cease. Nay, I will swear a great oath 
 that I will keep no more the day of doom from 
 the sons of Troy; no, not when all the city 
 shall be consumed with fire." 
 
 And Queen Hera heard him, and called to 
 Hephaestus, saying: "Cease, my son; it doth 
 not beseem thee to work such damage to a god 
 for the sake of a mortal man." 
 
 So Hephaestus quenched his fire, and the 
 River flowed as he flowed before. 
 
 But among the other gods there arose a 
 dreadful strife, for they were divided, the onej 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 2$ I 
 
 part against the other. With a great crash 
 they came together, and the broad earth re- 
 sounded, and the heavens rang as with the 
 voice of a trumpet; and Zeus heard it as he 
 sat on Olympus, and was glad in heart to see 
 the gods join in battle. 
 
 First of all, Ares, the shield-piercer, rushed 
 against Athene, holding his spear in his hand, 
 and cried : " Why dost thou make the gods to 
 strive in battle, thou that art bold as a fly and 
 shameless as a dog ? Dost thou not remember 
 how thou didst set Diomed, the son of Tydeus, 
 upon me to wound me, and how thou didst 
 take his spear in thy hand, so that all might 
 see it, and drive it through my thigh ? Now 
 will I requite thee for all that thou hast 
 done." 
 
 And he smote on the aegis shield the 
 mighty shield that not even the thunder of 
 Zeus can break. But Athene took up in her 
 hand a great stone that lay upon the plain. 
 Black it was and rough, and very great, that 
 men of old had set for a boundary of the field. 
 With this she smote Ares on the neck, that his 
 knees failed beneath him. He lay along the 
 
252 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 ground, a hundred feet and more, and Athene 
 laughed when she saw him, and cried : " Fool ! 
 hast thou not yet learned how much stronger I 
 am than thou, that thou matchest thy might 
 against me ? Lie there and suffer the curses 
 of thy mother; for she is wroth because thou 
 hast betrayed the Greeks and helpest the men 
 of Troy." 
 
 But Aphrodite took him by the hand, and 
 would have led him away; deep did he groan, 
 and scarce could he gather his spirit together. 
 But when Hera saw it, she cried to Athene, 
 saying : " See now, how Aphrodite would lead 
 Ares out of the battle ! Pursue her now, and 
 hinder her." 
 
 So Athene pursued after her, and smote her 
 on the breast with her heavy hand ; and her 
 knees failed beneath her. So these two lay 
 upon the earth, and Athene cried over them : 
 " Now would that all who help the sons of 
 Troy were as brave and strong as these two. 
 Long since had we ceased from war and de- 
 stroyed the fair city of Troy." 
 
 Then the Great Earthshaker spake to 
 Apollo: "Why stand we apart? Surely tin's 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 253 
 
 doth not become us, now that the others have 
 joined battle ! It were shameful that we should 
 go back to Olympus and have not first fought 
 together. And surely thou art foolish. Dost 
 thou not remember what we suffered, thou and 
 I alone of all the gods, when by the will of 
 Zeus, we served King Laomedon for the space 
 of a year, labouring for wages ? I, indeed, built 
 a wall about Troy, broad and very fair, that no 
 man should spoil the city, and thou didst tend 
 the herd of oxen in the glens of Mount Ida. 
 But when the Hours brought the term of our 
 hiring to an end, then did this evil Laomedon 
 rob us of all our hire, and threaten us, and 
 send us away. As for thee, he sware that he 
 would bind thy hands and feet, and sell thee to 
 some far island across the sea. Also, he 
 affirmed that he would cut off the ears of both 
 of us. So we departed, wrathful in heart, and 
 lacking the hire which he promised and paid 
 not. Yet for all this, thou helpest this people, 
 and joinest not thyself to us, that these men of 
 Troy may perish altogether they and their 
 wives and their children." 
 
 To him Apollo made answer : " Earth- 
 
254 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 shaker, thou wouldst not call me wise were_j 
 to fight with thee for the sake of miserable 
 men. For they are but as the leaves. For 
 to-day they be in the midst of their life, eating 
 the fruit of the ground, and to-morrow they 
 perish utterly. Let others strive ; but we will 
 not fight together." 
 
 And he turned to depart; for he feared to 
 join battle with the brother of his sire. But 
 his sister Artemis, the great huntress of beasts, 
 was very wroth when she saw him depart, 
 and rebuked him, crying : " Dost thou fly, 
 Far-Shooter, and yield the victory to Posei- 
 don ? For what then hast thou thy bow ? 
 Never let me hear thee boast again, as thou 
 hast been wont to boast in the hall of thy 
 father, that thou wouldst do battle with Posei- 
 don!" 
 
 No answer made Apollo; but the wife of 
 Zeus spake to her in wrath : " How thinkest 
 thou, shameless one, to stand against me ? No 
 easy one am I for thee to match, for all that 
 thou hast a bow, and that Zeus hath made 
 thee a devouring lioness for women to slay 
 whom thou wilt. Tis better for thee to hunt 
 
THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 255 
 
 deer upon the hills than to fight with them 
 that are stronger than thou." 
 
 Then did Hera lay her left hand upon the 
 hands of Artemis by the wrist, and with her 
 right hand she took from her her arrows and 
 her bows, and smote her with them about the 
 ears, as she turned away, smiling the while ; 
 and the arrows fell from the quiver. And the 
 goddess fled, leaving her bow behind, even as 
 a dove flieth from before a hawk to her hole 
 among the rocks. 
 
 Then spake Hermes to Latona : " I will 
 not fight with thee, O Latona! Tis a hard 
 thing to strive with them that Zeus hath 
 loved. Boast as thou wilt among the immor- 
 tal gods that thou hast conquered me in 
 battle." 
 
 So he spake ; but Latona gathered together 
 the bow and the arrows that had fallen this 
 way and that way in the dust. And Artemis 
 came to Olympus, to the hall of Zeus that is 
 paved with bronze ; and, weeping sore, she sat 
 on her father's knee ; and her veil was shaken 
 about her with her sobbing. Then her father 
 took her to him, and laughed, and said : " Who, 
 
2 $6 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 of the dwellers in heaven hath so dealt with 
 thee, my child ? " 
 
 And Artemis said, " It was Hera, my father, 
 that smote me Hera, that always maketh 
 strife and quarrel among the immortal gods." 
 
 fc. 
 
 - 
 
THE SLAYING OF HECTOR. 257 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE SLAYING OF HECTOR. 
 
 WHILE these things were doing, Achilles 
 ^easedjiatJtCLpiirsue and slay . the mea of Troy, 
 and Priam stood on a tower of the wall and 
 saw the people. Sore troubled was he, and he 
 hastened down to the gates and said to the 
 keepers, " Keep the wicket-gates in your hands 
 open, that the people may enter in, for they fly 
 before ^Achines/j So the keepers held the 
 wicket-gates in their hands, and the people 
 hastened in, wearied with toil and thirst, and 
 covered with dust, and Achilles followed close 
 upon them. And that hour would the Greeks 
 I have taken the city of Troy, but that Apollo 
 I saved it. For he put courage into the heart of 
 Antenor's son Agenor, standing also by him, 
 that he should not be slain. Therefore Agenor 
 stood, thinking within himself : 
 
 "Shall I now flee with these others? Nay, 
 for not the less will Achilles take me and slay 
 
 R 
 
cicls wo\(o<^($kM* 
 
 258 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 i^^^mfi^and I shall die as a coward dies. Or shall 
 I flee across the plain to Ida, and hide me in 
 the thickets, and come back at nightfall to the 
 city ? Yet should he see me he will overtake 
 me and smite me, so swift of foot is he and 
 strong. But what if I stand to meet him 
 before the gates ? Well, he, too, is a mortal 
 man, and his flesh may be pierced by the spear." 
 Therefore he stood till Achilles should come 
 near. And when he came he cast his spear, 
 striking the leg below the knee, but the greave 
 turned off the spear, so strong was it. But 
 when Achilles would have slain him, lo ! Apollo 
 lifted him up and set him within the city. And 
 that the men of Troy might have time to enter, 
 he took upon him Agenor's shape. And the 
 false Agenor fled, and Achilles pursued. But 
 meanwhile the men of Troy flocked into the 
 city, nor did they stay to ask who was safe and 
 who was dead, in such haste and fear did they 
 flee. Only Hector remained outside the walls, 
 standing in front of the great Scaean gates. 
 But all the while Achilles was fiercely pursu- 
 ing the false Agenor, till at last Apollo turned 
 and spake to him : 
 

 
 SLAYING OF HECTOR. 259 
 
 "Why dost thou pursue me, swift-footed 
 Achilles ? Hast thou not yet found out that I 
 am a god, and that all thy fury is in vain ? 
 And now all the sons of Troy are safe in their 
 city, and thou art here, far out of the way, seek- 
 ing to slay me, who cannot die." 
 
 In great wrath Achilles answered him:*) "Thou" 
 hasTclone me wrong in so drawing me away 
 from the wall, great archer, most mischief-loving 
 i_pf_all the gods that are. Had it not been for 
 this, many a Trojan more had bitten the ground. 
 Thou hast robbed me of great glory, and saved 
 thy favourites. O that I had the power to take 
 vengeance on thee ! Thou hadst paid dearly 
 for thy cheat ! " 
 
 Then he turned and rushed towards the 
 city, swift as a race-horse whirls a chariot 
 across the plain. Old Priam spied him from 
 the walls, with his glittering armour, bright as 
 that brightest of the stars men call it 
 Orion's dog which shines at vintage-time, a 
 baleful light, bringing the fevers of autumn to 
 men.^ And the old man groaned aloud \vhen 
 he saw him, and stretching out his hands, cried 
 to his son Hector, where he stood before the 
 
r 
 
 260 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 gates, eager to do battle with this dread 
 warrior : 
 
 " Wait not for this man, dear son, wait 
 for him, lest thou die beneath his hand, 
 indeed he is stronger than thou. Wretch 
 he is ! I would that the gods bare such love 
 to him as I bare ! Right soon would the dogs 
 and vultures eat him. Of many brave sons 
 has he bereaved me. Two I miss to-day 
 Polydorus and Lycaon. May be they " are~yet- J 
 alive in the host of the Greeks, and I shall buy 
 them back with gold, of which I have yet great 
 store in my house. And if they are dead, sore 
 grief will it be to me and to the mother who 
 bare them; but little will care the other sons 
 of Troy, so that thou fall not beneathjhe hand 
 of Achilles. Come within the walls, dear 
 child ; come to save the sons and daughters of 
 Troy; come in pity for me, thy father, for 
 whom, in my old age, an evil fate is in store, to 
 see sons slain with the sword, and daughters 
 carried into captivity, and babes dashed upon 
 the ground. Ay, and last of all, the dogs 
 which I have reared in my palace will devour 
 me, lapping my blood and tearing my flesh as 
 
THE SLAYING OF HECTOR. 261 
 
 t 
 
 I lie on the threshold of my home. That a> 
 young man should fall in battle and suffer 
 such lot as happens to the slain, this is to be 
 borne; but that such dishonour should be 
 done to the white hair and white beard of the 
 old, mortal eyes can see no fouler sight than 
 this." 
 
 Thus old Priam spake, but could not turn 
 the heart of his son. And from the wall on 
 the other side of the gate his mother called to 
 him, weeping sore, and if, perchance, she might 
 thus move his pity, she bared her bosom in his 
 sight, and said : 
 
 "Pity me, my son ; think of the breast which 
 I gave thee in the old days, and stilled thy 
 cries. Come within the walls ; wait not for 
 this man, nor stand in battle against him. If 
 he slay thee, nor I, nor thy wife, shall pay thee 
 the last honours of the dead, but far away by 
 the ships of the Greeks the dogs and vultures 
 will devour thee." 
 
 So father and mother besought their son, 
 but all in vain. He was still minded to abide 
 the coming of Achilles. Just as in the moun- 
 tains a great snake at its hole abides the com- 
 
262 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 ing of a man : fierce glare its eyes, and it coils 
 its tail about its hole : so Hector waited for 
 Achilles ; and as he waited he thought thus 
 within himself : 
 
 " Wo.e is me if I go within the walls ! Poly- 
 damas will be the first to reproach me, for he 
 advised me to bring back the sons of Troy to 
 the city before the night when Achilles roused 
 himself to war. But I would not listen to him. 
 Would that I had ! it had been much better for 
 us; but now I have destroyed the people by 
 my folly. I fear the sons and daughters of 
 Troy, what they may say; I fear lest some 
 coward reproach me : ' Hector trusted in his 
 strength, and lo ! he has destroyed the people/ 
 Better were it for me either to slay Achilles or 
 to fall by his hand with honour here before the 
 walls. Or stay : shall I put down my shield, 
 and lay aside my helmet, and lean my spear 
 against the wall and go to meet the great 
 Achilles, and promise that we will give back 
 the fair Helen, and all the wealth that Paris 
 carried off with her ; ay, and render up all the 
 wealth that there is in the city, that the Greeks 
 may divide it among themselves, binding the 
 
THE SLAYING OF HECTOR. 263 
 
 sons of Troy with an oath that they keep 
 nothing back ? But this is idle talk : he will 
 have no shame or pity, but will slay me while 
 I stand without arms or armour before him. 
 It is not for us to talk as a youth and a maiden 
 talk together. It is better to meet in arms, 
 and see whether the ruler of Olympus will give 
 victory to him or to me." 
 
 Thus he thought in his heart ; and Achilles 
 came near, brandishing over his right shoulder 
 the great Pelian spear, and the flash of his arms 
 was as the flame of fire, or as the rising sun. 
 And Hector trembled when he saw him, nor 
 dared to abide his coming. Fast he fled from 
 the gates, and fast Achilles pursued him, as 
 a hawk, fastest of all the birds of air, pursues a 
 dove upon the mountains. Past the watch- 
 tower they ran, past the wind-blown fig tree, 
 along the wagon-road which went about the 
 walls, and they came to the fair-flowing fountain 
 where from two springs rises the stream of 
 eddying Scamander. Hot is one spring, and a 
 steam ever goes up from it, as from a burning 
 fire; and cold is the other, cold, even in the 
 summer heats, as hail or snow or ice. There 
 
. 
 
 /Mr; ; ^4 few dc ^ die it 
 
 264 raS 1 STORY 
 
 STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 are fair basins of stone, where the wives and fair 
 daughters of Troy were wont to wash their 
 garments, but that was in the old days of peace, 
 or ever the Greeks came to the land. Past the 
 springs they ran, one flying, the other pursuing; 
 brave was he that fled, braver he that pursued ; 
 it was no sheep for sacrifice or shield of ox-hide 
 for which they ran, but for the life of Hector, 
 the tamer of horses. Thrice they ran round 
 
 the city, and all the eods looked on. 
 
 J r~ 
 
 And Zeus said: J* This is a piteous sight that 
 I behold. My heart is grieved for Hector 
 Hector, who has ever worshipped me with sac- 
 rifice, now on the heights of Ida. and now in the 
 citadel of Troy; and now the great Achilles is 
 pursuing him round the city of Priam. Come, 
 ye gods, let us take counsel together. Shall we 
 save him from death, or let him fall beneath the 
 (hand of Achilles-? "- 
 
 Then Athene said : " ! What is this that thou 
 sayest, great sire ? to rescue a man whom fate 
 has appointed to die ? Do it, if it be thy will ; 
 but we, the other gods, approve it not." 
 
 Zeus answered her: "My heart is loath; yet 
 I would do thee pleasure. Be it as thou wilt." 
 
-tl^St ;/ t 
 
 SLAYING OF HECTOR. 26$ 
 
 Then Athene came down in haste from the 
 top of Olympus, and still Hector fled and 
 Achilles pursued, just as a dog pursues a fawn 
 upon the hills. And ever Hector made for the 
 gates, or to get shelter beneath the towers, if 
 haply those that stood upon them might defend 
 him with their spears ; and ever Achilles would 
 get before him, and drive him towards the plain. 
 So they ran, one making for the city, and the 
 other driving him to the plain. Just as in a 
 dream, when one seems to fly and another seems 
 to pursue, and the one cannot escape and the 
 other cannot overtake, so these two ran to- 
 gether. But as for Hector, Apollo even yet 
 helped him, and gave him strength and nimble 
 knees, else could he not have held out against 
 Achilles, who was swiftest of foot among the 
 sons of men. 
 
 Now Achilles had beckoned to the Greeks 
 that no man should throw his spear at Hector, 
 lest, perchance, he should be robbed of his 
 glory. And when the two came in their run- 
 ning for the fourth time to the springs of 
 Scamander, Zeus held out the great balance 
 of doom, and in one scale he put the fate of 
 
/-T{/i/v'-<y wv\jiy*i/ v yv$ tv/ ' 
 
 -W \ . 
 
 I wrov^sas 
 
 266 27/A- STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Achilles, and in the other the fate of Hector ; 
 and lo ! the scale of Hector sank down to the 
 realms of death, and Apollo left him. 
 
 Then Athene lighted down from the air 
 close to Achilles and said : " This, great 
 Achilles, is our day of glory, for we shall slay 
 Hector, mighty warrior though he be. For it 
 is his doom to die, and not Apollo's self shall 
 save him. But stand thou still and take 
 breath, and I will give this man heart to meet 
 thee in battle." 
 
 So Achilles stood leaning upon his spear. 
 And Athene took the shape of Dei'phobus, and 
 came near to Hector and said : 
 
 " Achilles presses thee hard, my brother, 
 pursuing thee thus round the city of Priam. 
 Come, let us make a stand and encounter 
 him." 
 
 Then Hector answered him, " Dei'phobus, 
 I always loved thee best of all my brothers; 
 but now I love thee yet more, for that thou 
 alone, while all others remained within, hast 
 ventured forth to stand by my side." 
 
 But the false Dei'phobus said : " Much did 
 father and mother and all my comrades beseech 
 
THE SLAYING OF HECTOR. 267 
 
 me to remain. But my heart was sore troubled 
 for thee, and I could not stay. But let us 
 stand and fight this man, not stinting our 
 spears, and see whether he shall carry our spoil 
 to the ships, or we shall slay him here." 
 
 Then the two chiefs came near to each 
 other, and Hector with the waving plume spake 
 first, and said : " Thrice, great Achilles, hast 
 thou pursued me round the walls of Troy, and 
 I dared not stand up against thee ; but now I 
 fear thee no more. Only let us make this 
 covenant between us : if Zeus give me the 
 victory, I will do no dishonour to thy body ; 
 thy arms and armour will I take, and give back 
 thy body to the Greeks ; and do thou promise 
 to do likewise." 
 
 But Achilles scowled at him and said: 
 " Hector, talk not of covenants to me. Men 
 and lions make no oaths between each other, 
 neither is there any agreement between wolves 
 and sheep. So there shall be no covenant 
 between me and thee. One of us two shall 
 fall ; and now is the time for thee to show thy- 
 self a warrior, for of a truth Athene will slay 
 thee by my spear, and thou shalt pay the 
 
A 
 
 U, 
 
 268 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 penalty for all my comrades whom thou hast 
 slain." 
 
 Then he threw the mighty spear, but Hector 
 saw it coming and avoided it, crouching on 
 the ground, so that the mighty spear flew 
 above his head and fixed itself in the earth. 
 But Athene snatched it from the ground and 
 gave it back to Achilles, Hector not perceiv- 
 ing. 
 
 Then Hector spake to Achilles : " Thou 
 hast missed thy aim, great Achilles. It was 
 no word of Zeus that thou spakest, prophesy- 
 ing my doom, but thou soughtest to cheat me, 
 terrifying me by thy words. Thou shalt not 
 drive thy steel into my back, but here into 
 my breast, if the gods will it so. But now 
 look out for my spear. Would it might bury 
 itself in thy flesh ! The battle would be easier 
 for the men of Troy were thou only out of the 
 way." 
 
 And as he spake he threw his long-shafted 
 spear. True aim he took, for the spear struck 
 the very middle of Achilles' shield. It struck, 
 but pierced it not, but bounded far away, for 
 the shield was not of mortal make. And 
 
THE SLAYING OF HECTOR. 269 
 
 Hector stood dismayed, for he had not another 
 spear, and when he called to Dei'phobus that 
 he should give him another, lo ! Dei'phobus 
 was gone. Then Hector knew that his end 
 was come, and he said to himself : " Now have 
 the gods called me to my doom. I thought 
 that Dei'phobus was near; but he is within 
 the walls, and the help which he promised me 
 was but a cheat with which Athene cheated 
 me. Zeus and Apollo are with me no more ; 
 but if I must die, let me at least die in such 
 a deed as men of after time may hear of." 
 
 So he spake, and drew the . mighty sword 
 that hung by his side : then as an eagle rushes 
 through the clouds to pounce on a leveret or 
 a lamb, he rushed on the great Achilles. But 
 he dealt never a blow ; for Achilles charged 
 to meet him, his shield before his breast, his 
 helmet bent forward as he ran, with the long 
 plumes streaming behind, and the gleam of his 
 spear-point was as the gleam of the evening 
 star, which is the fairest of all the stars in 
 heaven. One moment he thought where he 
 should drive it home, for the armour which 
 Hector had won from Patroclus guarded him 
 
2/0 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 well ; but one spot there was, where by the 
 collar-bone the neck joins the shoulder (and 
 nowhere is the stroke of sword or spear more 
 deadly). There he drave in the spear, and the 
 point stood out behind the neck, and Hector 
 fell in the dust. 
 
 Then Achilles cried aloud : " Hector, thou 
 thoughtest in the day when thou didst spoil 
 Patroclus of his arms that thou wouldst be 
 safe from vengeance, taking, forsooth, no ac- 
 count of me. And lo ! thou art fallen before 
 me, and now the dogs and vultures shall 
 devour thee, but to him all the Greeks shall 
 give due burial." 
 
 But Hector, growing faint, spake to him : 
 " Nay, great Achilles, by thy life, and by thy 
 knees, and by thy parents dear, I pray thee, 
 let not the dogs of the Greeks devour me. 
 Take rather the ransom, gold and bronze, that 
 my father and mother shall pay thee, and let 
 the sons and daughters of Troy give me burial 
 rites." 
 
 But Achilles scowled at him, and cried : 
 " Dog, seek not to entreat me ! I could mince 
 that flesh of thine and devour it raw, such grief 
 
&' 
 
 THE SLAYING OF HECTOR. 2/1 
 
 hast thou wrought me. Surely the dogs shall 
 devour thee, nor shall any man hinder. No 
 ransom, though it were ten times told, should 
 buy thee back ; no, not though Priam should 
 offer thy weight in gold." 
 
 Then Hector, who was now at the point to 
 die, spake to him : " I know thee well, what 
 manner of man thou art, that the heart in thy 
 breast is iron only. Only beware lest some 
 vengeance from the gods come upon thee in 
 the day when Paris and Apollo shall slay thee, 
 for all thy valour, by the Scaean gates." 
 
 So speaking, he died. But Achilles said, 
 "'_Die, hound ; but my fate I meet when Zeus 
 and the other gods decree." 
 
 Then he drew his spear out of the corpse, and 
 stripped off the arms ; and all the Greeks came 
 about the dead man, marvelling at his stature 
 and beauty, and no man came but wounded the 
 dead corpse." And one would say to another, 
 " Surely this Hector is less dreadful now than 
 in the day when he would burn our ships with 
 fire." 
 
 Then Achilles devised a ruthless thing in his 
 heart. He pierced the ankle-bones of Hector, 
 
2/2 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 and so bound the body with thongs of ox-hide 
 to the chariot, letting the head drag behind, 
 the head that once was so fair, and now was_sp 
 disfigured in the dust. So he dragged Hector 
 to the ships. And Priam saw him from the 
 walls, and scarce could his sons keep him back, 
 Lbut that he should go forth and beg the body j 
 of his dear son from him who had slain him. 
 And Hecuba, his mother, also bewailed him, 
 but Andromache knew not as yet of what had 
 befallen. For she sat in her dwelling, wearing 
 a great purple mantle broidered with flowers. 
 And she bade her maidens make ready a bath 
 for Hector, when he should come back from the 
 battle, nor knew that he should never need it 
 more. But the voice of wailing from the town 
 came to her, and she rose up hastily in great 
 fear, and dropped the shuttle from her hand, 
 and called to her maidens : 
 
 " Come with me, ye maidens, that I may see 
 what has befallen, for I heard the voice of 
 Queen Hecuba, and I fear me much that some 
 evil has come to the children of Priam. For 
 it may be that Achilles has run between Hec- 
 tor and the city, and is pursuing him to the 
 
THE SLAYING OF HECTOR. 2? 3 
 
 plain, for never will Hector abide with the 
 
 army, but will fight in the front, so bold is he." 
 . Then she hasted through the city like as she 
 
 were mad. And when she came to the wall, 
 jshe stood and looked ; and lo ! the horses of 
 
 ^Achilles were dragging Hector to the ships. 
 
 Then did darkness come on her, and she fell 
 ( back fainting, and from her fair head dropped 
 Liliejiet and the wreath and the diadem which 
 
 golden Aphrodite gave her on the day when 
 
 Hector of the waving plume took her from the 
 
 house of Eetion to be his wife. 
 
2/4 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 
 
 WHILE the Trojans mourned for Hector in 
 the city, the Greeks went back to the camp. 
 All the others were scattered, each to his own 
 ship, but Achilles spake to the Myrmidons, 
 saying, " Loose not your horses from the yoke, 
 but let us do honour to Patroclus, driving our 
 chariots round the dead, and making lamenta- 
 tion the while." 
 
 Then the Myrmidons did as he had bidden 
 them ; thrice round the dead they drave their 
 chariots, and made lamentation ; and Achilles 
 led the mourning. Also he laid the body of 
 Hector in the dust beside the dead. After that 
 he made a funeral feast for his people. He 
 himself was brought by the chiefs, much against 
 his will, to King Agamemnon, who had made a 
 great feast for the leaders of the Greeks. But 
 when the heralds heated water in a caldron, 
 and would have had him wash off the blood, 
 
THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 2?$ 
 
 he refused, saying : " Nay ; water shall not 
 come nigh me till I have laid Patroclus on 
 the fire, and heaped a mound over him. Now 
 let us eat our meal, though it be in sorrow ; to- 
 morrow we will pay due honour to the dead." 
 
 So they ate and drank ; and when they had 
 had enough, the others lay down to sleep, each 
 in his own tent, but Achilles lay groaning heav- 
 ily amidst the Myrmidons in an open place by 
 the sea. 
 
 While he slept, the shade of Patroclus stood 
 above his head. The very same was he in 
 stature, and voice, and height, yea, even in the 
 garments that he wore. The spirit spake, say- 
 ing : " Sleepest thou, Achilles, and forgettest 
 _me ? Bury me speedily, for the spirits of the 
 dead suffer me not to be with them, but Jjwan- 
 der alone in Hades. And give me now thine 
 hand, for never shall we two sit apart and hold 
 counsel together, for I shall come again no 
 jtpore from the dead after that the fire hath 
 ,. consumed me. Lay also thy bones with mine, 
 that we may be together, even as when we 
 grew together, thou a lad and I a lad, in thy 
 father's hall." 
 
276 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Then Achilles stretched out his hands, but 
 caught not the ghost, for it fled as a smoke 
 flieth. 
 
 The next day they made a great pile of 
 wood, and laid the dead man thereon. Nine 
 dogs had the Prince, and Achilles slew two of 
 them on the pile, and four horses he slew, and 
 also the twelve youths of Troy whom he had 
 taken at the river. Then he set fire to the 
 pile, saying : " Hear, Patroclus ; twelve of the 
 sons of Troy doth the fire devour with thee ; 
 but Hector will I give to the dogs." 
 
 And when the burning was well-nigh ended, 
 Achilles spake, saying : " Quench ye the fire 
 that yet remains with wine, and gather the 
 bones of Patroclus together where they lie 
 apart in the midst of the pile, and put them 
 in an urn of gold against the day of my death. 
 And make over them a tomb not over large ; 
 but when I am dead also, then shall ye that 
 are left make it higher, as is meet." 
 
 And when all these things were ended, 
 Achilles, willing to do all honour to the dead 
 man, would have games, wherein the chiefs 
 should contend one with the other. So, hav- 
 
THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 2/7 
 
 ing called the people together, he brought 
 forth out his ships many things that should be 
 for prizes, caldrons, kettles of bronze, and 
 horses and mules, and fair women-slaves, and 
 iron. 
 
 _First, he would have a contest of chariots 
 and Jhorses, for which he set forth three prizes : 
 For the first, a woman-slave, skilled in all the 
 works of the loom, and with her a kettle of 
 bronze with three feet, of twenty and two 
 measures; and for the second, a mare of six 
 years old; and for the third, a kettle of bronze, 
 of four measures, fair and new; and for the 
 fourth, two talents of gold ; and for the fifth, a 
 double cup; then he stood up in the midst, 
 and spake : " Ye men of Greece, behold these 
 prizes, which I have set in the midst for a race 
 of chariots. Now know ye that if we were 
 doing honour to another than Patroclus, I my- 
 self should carry the first prize to my tent, for 
 there are not in the camp horses such as mine ; 
 and, indeed, they are not of mortal breed, but 
 Poseidon gave them to Peleus, my father. 
 But from this race I stand apart, and they 
 also; for he that drave them is dead, whom 
 
2/8 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 they loved ; therefore they stand grieving sore, 
 and their manes droop to the ground. But 
 contend together ye that will." Then stood 
 up five chiefs ; first of all, Eumelus, who was 
 the son of Admetus, and Alcestis his wife, and 
 next to him Diomed, having horses of Troy, 
 which he took from .^Eneas (but ^Eneas him- 
 self Apollo delivered from death); and third, 
 Menelaus, driving his horse Whitefoot, and a 
 mare, Flash-of-Fire, which Echepolus of Sic- 
 yon gave to King Agamemnon, that he might 
 not sail to Troy, but might tarry at home, for 
 he was very rich. Fourth came Antilochus, 
 son of Nestor of Pylos, and after him Meriones. 
 Then said Nestor, the old man, to Antil- 
 ochus : u My son, the gods have given thee 
 skill in driving, wherefore there is small need 
 to teach thee. But thy horses are not swift 
 as those with whom thou contendest, and I 
 fear much that thou wilt suffer defeat. Yet 
 may counsel avail much, by which others also, 
 as woodmen and pilots, excel. For one man, 
 trusting in his chariot and his horses, that 
 they are good, suffereth them to stray over 
 the plain ; but another looketh ever unto the 
 
THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 279 
 
 turning-post, that he go not far from it, and 
 holdeth well the reins and watcheth him that 
 is before. And now heed what I say. There 
 is a stump of a tree, a fathom high, and by it 
 two white stones, the tomb of some man of old, 
 or may be a boundary. There hath Achilles 
 set the point of turning. To this keep thou 
 as close as may be, leaning thyself to the left 
 in thy chariot. And thy off horse thou must 
 smite with the goad and shout to him, loosing 
 the rein, but the near thou must press close to 
 the stump, till the nave of the wheel be close to 
 it ; but touch not the stones, lest thou frighten 
 thy horses and break thy chariot. And be sure 
 that if thou art first here, no man shall pass 
 thee afterwards, not though he drave Arion, 
 which was the horse of Adrastus, or the horses 
 of King Laomedon." 
 
 After this they drew lots for their places. 
 And the first lot fell to Antilochus, and after 
 him came Eumelus, and Menelaiis, and Meri- 
 ones, and Diomed, in this order. Then 
 Achilles marked the course, making old Phoe- 
 nix the judge. After this the race began, and 
 the men lifted their whips and smote their 
 
280 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 horses, and shouted also. And the dust rose 
 up beneath the horses' breasts, and their manes 
 were blown by the wind, and the chariots were 
 seen now low upon the earth and now high in 
 the air. But when they were come near to the 
 end of the course at the turning-point, it might 
 be seen which steeds were the better. For 
 the horses of Eumelus were foremost, and next 
 to these the horses of King Diomed, very close, 
 so that they seemed about to step upon the 
 chariot that was before them, and the back 
 and broad shoulders of Eumelus were hot 
 with breath, their heads being close upon him. 
 And, indeed, Diomed had now passed him, or 
 been equal in the race, but Apollo grudged 
 him the victory, for the god loved him not, 
 and struck the whip out of his hand. Very 
 wroth was Diomed, and his eyes were filled 
 with tears, that his horses should thus lack 
 control. But Athene saw the thing and had 
 pity on him, and gave him back the whip, and 
 put strength into his horses. Also she went 
 near to the son of Admetus, and brake the 
 yoke of his chariot, so that the pole smote 
 upon the ground, and the man himself was 
 
THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 281 
 
 thrown down, having his elbows and mouth 
 and nostrils sorely bruised, and a wound on 
 his forehead over the eyebrows. Then did 
 Diomed take the first place with his chariot, 
 and next to him came Menelalis. But Antil- 
 ochus cried to his horses, saying: "Now 
 speed ye as best ye can. I bid you not strive 
 with the horses of King Diomed, for Athene 
 giveth them swiftness and strength ; but the 
 horses of Menelalis ye can overtake. It were 
 a shame to you that Flame-of-Fire, being a 
 mare, should surpass you. Nay, hear me. If 
 ye be worsted in this, to Nestor ye shall not 
 return, for I will slay you here with my sword." 
 And the horses feared the fury of the 
 Prince, and leapt forward. Now Antilochus 
 had spied a narrow place in the way, where it 
 had been broken by the floods in the winter; 
 and as Menelalis drove his chariot thereby, 
 Antilochus, turning a little out of the way, 
 sought to pass at the same time. Now there 
 was not space sufficient for two chariots, and 
 Menelalis feared, and cried : " Why drivest 
 thou so madly, Antilochus ? Stay awhile, and 
 thou canst pass me if thou wilt, where the way 
 
282 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 is broader ; but now thou wilt hurt thy chariot 
 and mine." But Antilochus drave the more 
 furiously, making as though he heard not. 
 And for the space of a quoit's throw the 
 chariots were abreast, but then Menelalis held 
 back, fearing lest they should clash together. 
 But he cried to Antilochus : " Was there ever 
 man so evil-minded as thou ? Yet shalt thou 
 not win this prize unless thou shalt forswear 
 thyself that thou hast dealt fairly." And to 
 his horses cried : " Speed ye ! Stand not still ; 
 ye shall overtake them, for they will grow 
 weary before you." 
 
 In the meantime the Greeks sat waiting till 
 the chariots should come back. And Idome- 
 neus of Crete espied them first, for he sate 
 apart from the crowd, where the ground was 
 higher. Then he said, for he noted one 
 horse that was bay, with a great circle of white, 
 like unto the moon, upon his forehead, " Do 
 ye also see these chariots, men of Greece ? 
 For surely the order is changed, and he is not 
 foremost that was so, but some mishap hath 
 befallen him on the way. But it may be that 
 my eyes see not as well as they were wont. 
 
THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 283 
 
 Look ye, therefore ; for I know not who 
 cometh first, yet do I think that it is Diomed, 
 son of Tydeus." 
 
 Then spoke Ajax Oileus, swift of foot: 
 " Why talkest thou thus idly, and before the 
 time? Thou art not the youngest among 
 the Greeks, nor thine eyes the keenest. The 
 horses are yet foremost that were at the first, 
 and the charioteer is Eumelus." 
 
 Then Idomeneus, in great wrath, made 
 reply: "Ajax, thou art ready to strive and 
 fierce of speech, for in naught else dost thou 
 excel. Come, let us wager a kettle of bronze 
 or a caldron, and Agamemnon shall judge. 
 So when thou payest thou wilt learn wisdom." 
 
 But when Ajax would have answered him 
 again, Achilles suffered him not, but made 
 peace between them. Then came in Diomed 
 first of all, and leapt from the chariot; and 
 next to him Antilochus, having surpassed 
 Menelalis by craft and not by speed ; nor, 
 indeed, was Menelaus far behind, being as near 
 to him as a chariot is near to the horse which 
 draweth it, so swift was the mare Flame-of- 
 Fire, for at the first he had been a whole 
 
284 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 quoit's throw behind. But Meriones was van- 
 quished by the flight of a spear, for his horses 
 were the slowest, and he himself less skilled to 
 drive. Last of all came Eumelus, drawing his 
 chariot, and driving his horses before him. 
 And Achilles pitied him, and said : " The 
 most skilful cometh last. Surely he shall have 
 the second prize." 
 
 And the Greeks gave consent; but Antil- 
 ochus cried aloud : " Wilt thou take away this 
 prize from me because his chariot was broken ? 
 Had he prayed to the gods, this had not 
 happened. But if thou pitiest him, give him 
 somewhat of thine own. As for this prize, no 
 man taketh it from me but by arms." 
 
 And Achilles laughed and said : " 'Tis well 
 said, Antilochus. I will give him of mine own, 
 even a breastplate which Asteropasus wore." 
 
 Then stood up Menelaiis, in great wrath, 
 and said : " What is this that thou hast done, 
 Antilochus? For thou hast shamed me and 
 my horses, putting thine own in front, which 
 are, of a truth, much worse than they. Judge, 
 therefore, between us, ye chiefs of the Greeks. 
 And thou, Antilochus, stand before thy chariot 
 
THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 285 
 
 and thy horses, as the custom is, holding in 
 one hand thy whip, and laying the other hand 
 on thine horses, and swear by Poseidon that 
 thou didst not hinder my chariot by fraud." 
 
 To him Antilochus made reply : " Bear with 
 me, Menelaiis, for I am younger than thou, and 
 thou knowest how young men go astray, for 
 their judgment is hasty and their wit small. 
 And as for the mare, I give it thee, and aught 
 else that thou desirest, rather than that I should 
 be at strife with thee or sin against the gods." 
 
 And the soul of Menelaiis was glad, as the 
 corn is glad when the dew falleth upon it ; and 
 he said : " This is well said, son of Nestor. 
 And now for thy father and thy brother 
 have borne much for my sake I give thee 
 this mare." 
 
 And he himself took the kettle of bronze, 
 and the fourth prize Meriones had; but the 
 double cup Achilles gave to old Nestor, saying : 
 " Take this to be a memorial of the burial of 
 Patroclus, whom thou wilt not see any more. 
 For I know that old age hinders thee, that 
 thou canst not contend in wrestling or boxing 
 with the rest." 
 
286 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 And the old man gave him thanks, and told 
 what marvellous things he had done in his 
 youth ; that no man had vanquished him in 
 wrestling, or in boxing, or in the race, or in 
 casting the spear ; only in the chariot-race he 
 had been surpassed, and that by craft, for the 
 two sons of Actor rode together, and one held 
 the reins and the other plied the whip. 
 
 After this Achilles set forth two prizes for 
 boxers : for the conqueror a mule, and for him 
 that should be vanquished a cup with two 
 mouths. Then stood up Epelis, the son of 
 Panopeus, and spake: "Who desireth to take 
 this cup ? for the mule no man but I shall 
 have. In battle I am weak for what man 
 can do all things ? but whosoever shall stand 
 against me to-day, verily, I will tear his flesh 
 and break his bones, so that his friends had 
 best be at hand to carry him away." 
 
 Then there rose up against him Euryalus, 
 son of Mecisteus, a man of Argos. King 
 Diomed stood by him, wishing much that he 
 might prevail, and brought him his girdle that 
 he might gird himself, and gave him the great 
 gloves of bull's hide. Then the two stood 
 
THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 287 
 
 together in the midst. Many blows did they 
 deal to each other, so that the noise was dread- 
 ful to hear, and the sweat ran down from them. 
 But after a while Epelis sprang forward and 
 smote Euryalus on the jaw, even through his 
 guard, and Euryalus could not stand against 
 him ; but even as a fish is dashed by the north 
 wind against the shore, so was he dashed to the 
 earth. But Epeiis raised him up, and his com- 
 panions led him away, sorely wounded and 
 amazed. 
 
 After this Achilles would have a match of 
 wrestling, saying that the conqueror should 
 have a great kettle of bronze, of twelve oxen's 
 worth, and the vanquished a woman-slave, 
 skilful at the loom, worth four oxen. _Then 
 stood up Ajax the Greater and Ulysses, and 
 took hold of one another with their hands, and 
 strove together for the mastery. But after a 
 while, when neither could prevail, and the 
 people were weary with looking, Ajax spake, 
 saying : " Come, Ulysses ; thou shalt lift me 
 from the ground if thou canst, and I thee. So 
 shall we finish this matter." Then Ajax laid 
 hold of Ulysses to lift him ; and this he had 
 
288 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 done, but Ulysses used craft, as was his wont, 
 and put forth his leg and smote Ajax on the 
 sinew behind the knee, so that he fell, and 
 Ulysses also above him. Then Ulysses would 
 have lifted Ajax from the ground ; a little space 
 he moved him, but lifted him not, and his knee 
 yielded beneath him, and they fell to the ground, 
 both of them. But when they would have 
 striven the third time, Achilles hindered them, 
 saying : " Hold ! it is enough. Ye are con- 
 querers both, and your prizes shall be equal" 
 Next to this was a trial of racers on foot, in 
 which three contended, Ajax the Less, and 
 Ulysses, and Antilochus. Three also were the 
 prizes ; first of all, a great mixing-bowl of 
 silver; six measures it held, nor was there 
 aught fairer upon earth. In Sidon was it 
 wrought, and Phoenician merchants brought 
 it over the sea and gave it King Thoas; and 
 Euneus, who was son of Hypsipyle, daughter 
 to Thoas, gave it to Patroclus to be a ransom 
 of Lycaon, son of King Priam. And for the 
 second winner was a well-fattened ox, and for 
 the third half a talent of gold. From the 
 point where the chariots had turned in the 
 
yv/A ' wit 
 
 THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 289 
 
 race they ran, and in a short space Ajax the 
 Less was foremost, with Ulysses close upon 
 him, close as is the shuttle to the breast of a 
 woman who stands at the loom and weaves. 
 Hard behind him he ran, treading in his steps 
 before the dust could rise from them. And 
 when they were now drawing to the end of 
 the course Ulysses prayed to Athene that she 
 should help him, and Athene heard him, and 
 made his knees and feet right nimble, and even 
 / at the very end she caused that Ajax slipped 
 in the fiTtPTwhere certain oxen had been slain, 
 so that his mouth and nostrils were filled with 
 it. So Ulysses gained the mixing-bowl; but 
 Ajax stood and spat the filth from his mouth, 
 and laid his hand on the head of the ox, and 
 cried, " Surely the goddess caused my feet to 
 slip, for she ever standeth, by Ulysses, and 
 helpeth him as a mother helpeth a child." 
 
 So he spake, and all men laughed to hear 
 him ; and last of all came Antilochus, taking 
 the third prize. And he said : " Ye know well, 
 my friends, that the immortal gods ever help 
 the aged. As for Ajax, he is but a little older 
 than I, but Ulysses is of another generation. 
 
 T 
 
2QO THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Yet is his verily a green old age ; hardly may 
 any of the Greeks strive with him, but only 
 Achilles himself." 
 
 This was Achilles well pleased to hear, and 
 said : " Thou shalt not praise me in vain, 
 Antilochus. Take now another half lajent 
 to thy half." 
 
 And he gave him the gold, and Antilochus 
 took it, and was glad. 
 
 Then did Achilles set in the midst a long- 
 shafted spear, and a shield, and a helmet. The 
 arms of Sarpedon they were, which Patroclus 
 had taken from him on the plain of Troy, in 
 the day wherein he also had been slain. And 
 he spake, saying : " Now let two chiefs, such 
 as are the bravest among the men of Greece, 
 come forth and fight for the mastery, having 
 armed themselves as if for the battle. And it 
 shall be that he who shall first pierce the skin 
 of him that standeth against him shall have 
 the victory. To him will I give this sword, 
 with studs of silver, fair work of Thrace, which 
 I took from the great Asteropaeus. As for 
 these arms, the two shall divide them. Also 
 to both will I give a great banquet in my tent." 
 
c 
 
 THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 261 
 
 Then stood up to contend together .Ajax, 
 the son of Telamon, and Diomed, son of 
 Tydeus. Three times did they charge each 
 other ; and Ajax drave his spear through Dio- 
 med's shield, but the skin he touched not, for 
 the breastplate hindered him. But Diomed 
 smote with his spear over the edge of the 
 shield at the neck of Ajax. Then were the 
 Greeks sore afraid for the hero, and cried out 
 that the battle should cease, and that the two 
 should have equal rewards. Nevertheless, the 
 victory was counted to Diomed, and Achilles 
 gave him the sword with the scabbard, and 
 also the belt thereof. 
 
 Then took Achilles a great weight of iron 
 for a quoit, which had been King Eetion's, who 
 was the father of Andromache, Hector's wife. 
 And he said : " He who shall cast this the far- 
 thest shall have it for his own. And, verily, 
 he that hath it, though his field be very wide, 
 shall not lack for iron. Five years shall it last, 
 so that neither shepherd nor ploughman shall 
 have need to go to the town to buy. 
 
 Then there rose up to contend Polypoetes, 
 who was of the race of the Lapithae, and Leon- 
 
2Q2 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 teus, his comrade, also Ajax, the son of Tela- 
 mon, and Epeiis. And first Epelis cast it, and 
 all the Greeks laughed, for he cast it not far, for 
 all that he was so strong ; and after him Leon- 
 teus made trial of it, and next Ajax, overpassing 
 the marks of them that had gone before. But 
 when Polypoetes stood up, lo ! he cast it as far 
 beyond the others as a herdsman flings his 
 staff among his herd. And all the ,people 
 shouted, and the comrades of Polypoetes rose 
 up and bare the prize to the ships. 
 
 And after this the archers contended to- 
 gether, and the prize for the first was ten axes 
 of iron, with an edge on either side ; and for 
 the second ten axes also, but having one edge 
 only. Now the two that strove were Teucer, 
 who was the brother of Ajax the Greater, and 
 Meriones, who was the comrade of King Idom- 
 eneus of Crete. The mark that was set for 
 them was the mast of a ship which Achilles 
 had set up far off in the sands by the sea, to 
 the top whereof he had bound a wood-dove, 
 having a cord about its foot. And the lot fell 
 to Teucer that he should shoot the first, and 
 he shot, drawing the bow mightily; but he 
 
BURNING OF PATROCLUS. 293 
 
 prayed not to Apollo, nor vowed that he would 
 offer to him a sacrifice of a hundred lambs. 
 The bird he hit not, for this Apollo gave not to 
 him; but he smote the cord wherewith the 
 dove was bound, and divided it; and the bird 
 flew into the air, and the Greeks clapped their 
 hands to see it. Then did Meriones take the 
 bow from his hand, for they shot with the 
 same, the two of them, and the arrow he had 
 made ready before against his turn. Also he 
 vowed a sacrifice of a hundred lambs to King 
 Apollo. Then he beheld, and lo! the dove 
 was very high in the clouds above his head, and 
 he shot, and the arrow smote it under the wing 
 as it wheeled in the air, and passed right 
 through it. Before the feet of the archer fell 
 the arrow, and the bird lighted on the mast. 
 Then speedily it died, so that it fell upon the 
 ground. So Meriones took the double-edged 
 axes, and Teucer them that had one edge only. 
 Then there was a contest of throwing the 
 spear ; and the prize was a long-shafted spear, 
 and a caldron that had never felt the fire, of 
 the worth of an ox. For this there stood up 
 King Agamemnon and Meriones, who was the 
 
294 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 comrade of King Idomeneus. But when 
 Achilles saw the two, he spake, saying : " King 
 Agamemnon, all men know that thou excellest 
 in strength. Take thou this prize for thyself ; 
 and, if thou wilt, we will give a spear to Meri- 
 
 ones." 
 
 And the saying pleased King Agamemnon. 
 So the Games of Patroclus were ended ; and 
 the people were scattered to the ships, and sat 
 down to eat and drink; and afterwards they 
 slept. But Achilles slept not, for he remem- 
 bered his dear Patroclus, and all that the two 
 had done and endured together, journeying 
 over sea and land, and standing against the 
 enemy in the day of battle. 
 
THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 295 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 
 
 WHEN the burial of Patroclus was ended, the 
 held council about Hector, for Achilles 
 despite to the body of Hector, dragging it , 
 about the tomb of his friend, but the gods had 
 pity on the dead man, because in his life he 
 had ever honoured them. 
 
 Then did Zeus send for Thetis, and when 
 she was come to Olympus, he said : " Get thee \ 
 to the camp, and bid thy son give up Hector 
 for ransom, for I am wroth with him because J 
 
 --, ,., u , -, IL _ _- w rj-im-*rtni--j n. -j_t-_ __ -jxi " 1 " J ^' 
 
 doth despite to the dead." 
 So Thetis went to Achilles, and found him 
 weeping softly for his dead friend, for the 
 strength of his sorrow was now spent, and she 
 said to him : " It is the will of the gods 
 that thou give up the body of Hector, and 
 take in exchange the ransom of gold and 
 precious things which his father will give thee 
 for him," 
 
296 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 And her son answered, "Be it so, if the 
 gods will have it." 
 
 Then Zeus sent Iris, who was his messenger, 
 to King Priam, where he sat with his face 
 wrapped in his mantle, and his sons weeping 
 about him, and his daughters wailing through 
 the chambers of his palace. 
 
 Then Iris spake : " Be of good cheer, Priam, 
 
 son of Dardanus; Zeus has sent me to thee. 
 
 | Go, taking with thee such gifts as may best 
 
 please the heart of Achilles, and bring back 
 
 1 the body of thy dear son Hector. Go without 
 
 fear of death or harm, and go alone. Only let 
 
 an aged herald be with thee, to help thee when 
 
 thou bringest back the body of the dead." 
 
 Then Priam rose with joy, and bade his sons 
 bring forth his chariot ; but first he went to 
 his chamber, and called to Hecuba, his wife, 
 and told her of his purpose, nor heeded when 
 she sought to turn him from it, but said : 
 " Seek not to hold me back, nor be a bird of 
 evil omen in my house. If any prophet or 
 seer had bidden me do this thing, I should 
 have held it a deceit ; but now have I heard 
 the very voice of the messenger of Zeus. 
 
THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 297 
 
 Wherefore, I shall go. And if I die, what 
 care I ? Let Achilles slay me, so that I em- 
 brace once more the body of my son." 
 
 Then he bade put into a wagon shawls and 
 mantles that had never been washed, and rugs, 
 and cloaks, and tunics, twelve of each, and ten 
 talents of gold, and two bright three-footed 
 caldrons, and four basins, and a cup of passing 
 beauty which the Thracians had given him. 
 The old man spared nothing that he had, if 
 only he might buy back his son. None of the 
 Trojans would he suffer to come near him. 
 " Begone," he cried, " ye cowards ! Have ye 
 nothing to wail for at home, that ye come to 
 wail with me ? Surely, an easy prey will ye 
 be to the Greeks, now that Hector is dead." 
 
 Then he cried with like angry words to his 
 sons, Paris, and Agathon, and Dei'phobus, and 
 the others there were nine of them in all : 
 
 " Make haste, ye evil brood. Would that ye 
 all had died in the room of Hectof. Surely, 
 an ill-fated father am I. Many a brave son I 
 had, as Mestor, and Troilus, and Hector, who 
 was fairer than any of the sons of men. But 
 all these are gone, and only the cowards are 
 
298 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 left, masters of lying words, and skilful in the 
 dance, and mighty to drink wine. But go, 
 yoke the mules to the wagon." 
 
 So they yoked the mules to the wagon. 
 But the horses for his chariot Priam, with the 
 herald, yoked himself. 
 
 Then Hecuba came near, and bade a wo- 
 man-servant come and pour water on his 
 hands. And when she had poured, King 
 Priam took a great cup from the hands of his 
 wife, and made a libation to Zeus, and 
 prayed : 
 
 " Hear me, Father Zeus, and grant that 
 Achilles may pity me. And do thou send me 
 now a lucky sign, that I may go with a good 
 heart to the ships of the Greeks." 
 
 And Zeus heard him, and sent an eagle, a 
 mighty bird, whose wings spread out on either 
 side as wide as is the door of some spacious 
 chamber in a rich man's house. On his right 
 hand it flew high above the city, and all re- 
 joiced when they saw the sign. 
 
 Then the old man mounted his chariot in 
 haste, and drove forth from the palace. Before 
 him the mules drew the four-wheeled wagon, 
 
THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 299 
 
 and these the herald Idaeus guided. But his 
 chariot the old King drove himself. And all 
 his kinsfolk went with him, weeping as for one 
 who was going to his death. But when they 
 came down from the city to the plain, Priam 
 and the herald went towards the ships of the 
 Greeks, but all the others returned to Troy. 
 
 But Zeus saw him depart, and said to Her- 
 mes : " Hermes, go guide King Priam to the 
 ships of the Greeks, so that no m^fti see him 
 before he comes to the tents of Achilles." 
 
 Then Hermes fastened on his feet the fair 
 sandals of gold with which he flies, fast as the 
 wind, over sea and land, and in his hand he 
 took the rod with which he opens and closes, 
 as he wills, the eyes of men. And he flew 
 down and lighted on the plain of Troy, taking 
 on him the likeness of a fair youth. 
 
 r - _- ^._ 
 
 But when they had driven past the great 
 Tomb of Ilus, they stopped the horses and the 
 mules, to let them drink of the river. And 
 darkness came over the land ; and then the 
 herald spied Hermes, and said : 
 
 " Consider, my , lord, what we shall do. I 
 see a man, and I am sore afraid lest he slay 
 
300 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 us. Shall we flee on the chariot, or shall we 
 go nea7~an3~entreartitm^ that he may have 
 pity upon us ? " 
 
 Then the old man was sore troubled, and 
 his hair stood up with fear. But Hermes 
 came near and took him by the hand and 
 said : 
 
 " Whither goest thou, old man, with thy 
 horses and mules through the darkness? Hast 
 
 [thou no fear of these fierce Greeks, who are 
 close at hand? If any one should see thee 
 with all this wealth, what then ? And thou 
 art not young, nor is thy attendant young, that 
 ye should defend yourselves against an enemy. 
 But I will not harm thee, nor suffer any other, 
 I for thou art like my own dear father." 
 
 " It is well, my son," said the old man. 
 
 " Surely one of the blessed gods is with me, in 
 
 j causing me to meet such an one as thou, so 
 
 fair and so wise. Happy the parents of such 
 
 a son ! " 
 
 And Hermes said : " Come, tell me true, old 
 man. Are you sending away all these treas- 
 ures that they may be kept safe for you far 
 away ? or are all the men of Troy leaving the 
 
THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 30 1 
 
 city, seeing now that Hector, who was their 
 bravest warrior, is dead ? " 
 
 Then Priam answered, " Who art thou, my 
 son, and what thy race, that thou speakest so 
 truly about my hapless son ? " 
 
 " Often," said Hermes, " have I seen Hector 
 in the battle, both at other times, and when he 
 drove the Greeks before him at the ships. 
 We, indeed, stood and watched and marvelled 
 at him, for Achilles would not suffer us to 
 fight, being wroth with King Agamemnon. 
 Now I am a follower of Achilles, coming from 
 Greece in the same ship with him. One of 
 the Myrmidons I am, son of Polyctor, an old 
 man such as thou art. Six other sons he has, 
 and when we drew lots who should come to 
 the war, it fell to me. But know that with the 
 morning the Greeks will set their battle in 
 array against the city, for they are weary of 
 their sojourn, and the kings cannot keep them 
 back." ' 
 
 Then said Priam, " If thou art an attendant 
 of Achilles, tell me true, is my son yet by the 
 ships, or have the dogs devoured him ? " 
 
 And Hermes answered : " Nor dogs nor vul- 
 
302 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 tures have devoured him. Still he lies by the 
 ships of Achilles ; and though this is the\ 
 twelfth day since he was slain, no decay has\ 
 touched him. Nay, though Achilles drags 
 him round the tomb of his dear Patroclus, yet 
 
 ! even so does no unseemliness come to him. 
 
 ! All fresh he lies, and the blood is washed from 
 him, and all his wounds are closed; and many 
 spear-points pierced him. The blessed gods 
 love him well, dead man though he be." 
 
 This King Priam was well pleased to hear. 
 " It is well," he said, " for a man to honour the 
 gods ; for, indeed, as my son never forgot the 
 dwellers on Olympus, so have they not for- 
 gotten him, even in death. But do thou take 
 this fair cup, and do kindness to him, and lead 
 rne to the tent of Achilles." 
 
 "Nay," answered Hermes; "thou speakest 
 this in vain. No gift would I take from thy 
 hand unknown to Achilles ; for I honour him 
 much, and fear to rob him, lest some evil hap- 
 pen to me afterwards. But thee I will guide 
 to Argos itself, if thou wilt, whether by land or 
 sea, and no one shall blame my guiding." 
 Then he leapt into the chariot of the King 
 
THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 303 
 
 and caught the reins in his hand, and gave the 
 horses and the mules a strength that was not 
 their own. And when they came to the ditch 
 and the trench that guarded the ships, lo ! 
 the guards were busy with their meal ; but 
 Hermes made sleep descend upon them, and 
 opened the gates, and brought in Priam with 
 his treasures. And when they came to the 
 tent of Achilles, Hermes lighted down from 
 the chariot and said: 
 
 " Lo ! I am Hermes, whom my Father Zeus 
 hath sent to be thy guide. And now I shall 
 depart, for I would not that Achilles should 
 see me. But go thou in, and clasp his knees, 
 and beseech him by his father, and his mother, 
 and his child. So shalt thou move his heart 
 with pity." 
 
 So Hermes departed to Olympus, and King 
 Priam leapt down from the chariot, leaving 
 the herald to care for the horses and the 
 mules, and went to the tent. There he found 
 Achilles sitting; his comrades sat apart, but 
 two waited on him, for he had but newly ended 
 his meal, and the table was yet at his hand. 
 But no man saw King Priam till he was close 
 
304 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 to Achilles, and caught his knees and kissed 
 his hands, the dreadful, murderous hands that 
 had slain so many of his sons. As a man who 
 slays another by mishap flies to some stranger 
 land, to some rich man's home, and all wonder 
 to see him, so Achilles wondered -to see King 
 Priam, and his comrades wondered, looking 
 one at another. Then King Priam spake : 
 
 " Think of thy father, godlike Achilles, and 
 pity me. He is old, as I am, and, it may be, 
 his neighbours trouble him, seeing that he has 
 no defender; yet so long as he knows that 
 thou art alive, it is well with him, for every 
 day he hopes to see his dear son returned 
 from Troy. But as for me, I am altogether 
 wretched. Many a valiant son I had, nine- 
 teen born to me of one mother, and most of 
 them are dead, and he that was the best of all 
 who kept our city safe, he has been slain by thee. 
 He it is whom I have come to ransom. Have 
 pity on him and on me, thinking of thy father. 
 Never, surely, was lot so sad as this, to kiss the 
 hands that slew a son." 
 
 But the words so stirred the heart of 
 Achilles that he wept, thinking now of Patro- 
 
THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 305 
 
 clus, and now of his old father at home ; and 
 Priam wept, thinking of his dead Hector. But 
 at last Achilles stood up from his seat and 
 raised King Priam, having pity on his white 
 hair and his white beard, and spake : 
 
 " How didst thou dare to come to the ships 
 of the Greeks, to the man who slew thy sons ? 
 Surely, thou must have a heart of iron. But 
 sit thou down: let our sorrows rest in our 
 hearts, for there is no profit in lamentation. 
 It is the will of the gods that men should 
 suffer woe, but they are themselves free from 
 care. Two chests are set by the side of 
 Father Zeus, one of good and one of evil gifts, 
 and he mixes the lot of men, taking out of 
 both. Many noble gifts did the gods give to 
 King Peleus: wealth and bliss beyond that of 
 other men, and kingship over the Myrmidons. 
 Ay ! and they gave him a goddess to be his 
 wife. But they gave also this evil, that he 
 had no stock of stalwart children in his house, 
 but one son only, and I cannot help him at 
 all in his old age, for I tarry here far away in 
 Troy. Thou, too, old man, hadst wealth and 
 \ power of old, and lordship over all that lies 
 
 u 
 
306 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 between Lesbos and Phrygia and the stream 
 of Hellespont. And to thee the gods have 
 given this ill, that there is ever battle and 
 slaughter about thy city walls. But as for 
 thy son, wail not for him, for thou canst not 
 raise him up." 
 
 But Priam answered : " Make me not to sit, 
 great Achilles, while Hector lies unhonoured. 
 Let me ransom him, and look upon him with 
 my eyes, and do thou take the gifts. And the 
 gods grant thee to return safe to thy father- 
 land." 
 
 But Achilles frowned and said: "Vex me 
 not ; I am minded myself to give thee back 
 thy Hector. For my mother came from the 
 sea, bearing the bidding of Zeus, and thou, 
 methinks, hast not come hither without some 
 guidance from the gods. But trouble me no 
 more, lest I do thee some hurt." 
 
 And King Priam feared and held his peace. 
 Then Achilles hastened from his tent, and two 
 comrades with him. First they loosed the 
 horses from the chariot and the mules from 
 the wagon ; then they brought in the herald 
 Idaeus, and took the gifts. Only they left of 
 
RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 307 
 
 them two cloaks and a tunic, wherein they 
 might wrap the dead. And Achilles hade the 
 women wash and anoint the body, but apart 
 from the tent, lest, perchance, Priam should 
 see his son and cry aloud, and so awaken the 
 fury in his heart. But when it was washed 
 and anointed, Achilles himself lifted it in his 
 arms and put it on the litter, and his comrades 
 lifted the litter on the wagon. 
 
 And when all was finished, Achilles groaned 
 and cried to his dead friend, saying : 
 
 "Be not wroth, Patroclus, if thou shouldst 
 hear in the unknown land that I have ransomed 
 Hector to his father: a noble ransom hath he 
 paid me, and of this, too, thou shalt have thy 
 share, as is meet." 
 
 Then he went back to his tent, and set him- 
 self down, over against Priam, and spake : 
 Thy son is ransomed, old man, and to-morrow 
 shalt thou see him and take him back to Troy. 
 But now let us eat. Did not Niobe eat when 
 she lost her twelve children, six daughters and 
 six blooming sons, whom Apollo and Artemis 
 sleW Apollo these and Artemis those be- 
 cause she likened herself to the fair Latona ? 
 
308 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 So let us eat, old man. To-morrow shalt thou 
 weep for Hector ; many tears, I trow, shall be 
 shed for him." 
 
 So they ate and drank. And when the meal 
 was ended, Achilles sat and marvelled at King 
 Priam's noble look, and King Priam marvelled 
 at Achilles, so strong he was and fair. 
 
 Then Priam said : " Let me sleep, great 
 Achilles. I have not slept since my son fell 
 by thy hand. Now I have eaten and drunk, 
 and my eyes are heavy." 
 
 So the comrades of Achilles made him a 
 bed outside, where no one might see him, 
 should it chance that any of the chiefs should 
 come to the tent of Achilles to take counsel, 
 and should espy him, and tell it to King Aga~ 
 memnon. 
 
 But before he slept King Priam said : " If 
 thou art minded to let me bury Hector, let there 
 be a truce between my people and the Greeks. 
 For nine days let us mourn for Hector, and on 
 the tenth will we bury him and feast the people, 
 and on the eleventh raise a great tomb above 
 him, and on the twelfth we will fight again, if 
 fight we must." 
 
THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 309 
 
 And Achilles answered, " Be it so : I will 
 ] stay the war for so long." 
 
 But while Priam slept there came to him 
 Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, and said : 
 "Sleepest thou, Priam, among thy foes ? Achilles 
 has taken ransom for thy Hector ; but thy sons 
 that are left would pay thrice as much for thee 
 should Agamemnon hear that thou wert among 
 the ships." 
 
 The old man heard and trembled, and roused 
 the herald, and the two yoked the horses and 
 the mules. So they passed through the army, 
 and no man knew. And when they came to 
 the river, Hermes departed to Olympus, and 
 the morning shone over all the earth. Wail- 
 ing and weeping, they carried the body to the 
 city. 
 
 It was Cassandra who first espied them as 
 they came. ( Her father she saw, and the herald, 
 and then the dead body on the litter, and she 
 cried, "Sons and daughters of Troy, go to 
 meet Hector, if ever ye have met him with joy 
 as he came back from the battle." 
 
 And straightway there was not man or woman 
 left in the city. They met the wagon when it 
 
310 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 was close to the gates : his wife led the way, 
 and his mother and all the multitude followed. 
 And in truth they would have kept it thus till 
 evening, weeping and wailing, but King Priam 
 spake : 
 
 " Let us pass ; ye shall have enough of wail- 
 ing when we have taken him to his home." 
 
 So they took him to his home and laid him 
 on his bed. And the minstrels lamented, and 
 the women wailed. 
 
 Then first of all came Andromache, his wife, 
 and cried : 
 
 " O my husband, thou hast perished in thy 
 youth, and I am left in widowhood, and our 
 child, thy child and mine, is but an infant ! I 
 fear me he will not grow to manhood. Ere 
 that day this city will fall, for thou art gone 
 who wast its defender. Soon will they carry us 
 away, mothers and children, in the ships, and 
 thou, my son, perchance will be with us, and 
 serve the stranger in unseemly bondage ; or, it 
 may be, some Greek will slay thee, seizing thee 
 and dashing thee from the wall ; some Greek 
 whose brother, or father, or son, Hector has 
 slain in the battle. Many a Greek did Hector 
 
THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR. 3 1 1 
 
 slay ; no gentle hand was his in the fray. There- 
 fore, do the people wail for him to-day. Sore is 
 thy parents' grief, O Hector, but sorest mine. 
 Thou didst stretch no hands of farewell to me 
 from thy bed, nor speak any word of comfort for 
 me to muse on while I weep night and day." 
 
 Next spake Hecuba, his mother : " Dear 
 wast thou, my son, in life to the immortal gods, 
 and dear in death. Achilles dragged thee about 
 the tomb of his dear Patroclus, but could not 
 bring him back, I ween, and now thou liest 
 fresh and fair as one whom the God of the silver 
 bow has slain with sudden stroke." 
 
 And last of all came Helen, and cried : " Many 
 a year has passed since I came to Troy would 
 that I had died before ! And never have I 
 heard from thy lips one bitter word, and if ever 
 husband's sister, or sister-in-law, or mother-in- 
 law for Priam was ever gentle as a father 
 spake harshly to me, thou wouldst check them 
 with thy grace and gracious words. Therefore 
 I weep for thee ; no one is left to be my friend 
 in all the broad streets of Troy. All shun and 
 hate me now." 
 
 And all the people wailed reply. 
 
312 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 Then Priam spake : " Go, my people, gather 
 wood for the burial, and fear not any ambush 
 of the Greeks, for Achilles promised that he 
 would stay the war until the twelfth day should 
 
 come." 
 
 So for nine days the people gathered much 
 wood, and on the tenth they laid Hector upon 
 the pile, and lit fire beneath it. And when it 
 was burnt they quenched the embers with wine. 
 Then his brethren and comrades gathered 
 together the white bones, and laid them in a 
 chest of gold ; and this they covered with 
 purple robes and put in a great coffin, and laid 
 upon it stones many and great. And over all 
 they raised a mighty mound ; and all the while 
 the watchers watched, lest the Greeks should 
 arise and slay them. Last of all was a great 
 feast held in the palace of King Priam. 
 
 So they buried Hector, the tamer of horses. 
 
 THE END OF TROY. 
 
 After these things came Memnon the Ethi- 
 opian to the help of Troy. He slew Antilo- 
 chus, son of Nestor, in battle, but was himself 
 
THE END OF TXOY. 313 
 
 slain by Achilles. Not many days after this 
 Achilles himself perished, for, having declared 
 at a banquet of the chiefs that he would make 
 his way by his valour into Troy, he strove to 
 break through the Scaean gate. There did 
 Paris wound him to the death with an arrow, 
 but it was Apollo that guided the archer's 
 hand. 
 
 When Achilles was dead, his mother gave 
 his arms to be a prize to the bravest of the 
 Greeks. Then stood up Ulysses and Ajax 
 the Greater, and contended together ; but the 
 Greeks adjudged the prize to Ulysses; there- 
 fore Ajax slew himself. 
 
 Yet still Troy could not be taken. Then 
 Helenus the seer, who was one of the sons of 
 Priam, having been taken prisoner by Ulysses, 
 said to the Greeks : " Ye cannot take the city 
 unless ye bring hither Philoctetes, with the 
 bow which Hercules gave him, and with him 
 one who is one of the race of Achilles." 
 
 Now the Greeks, when they sailed to Troy, 
 had left Philoctetes in Lemnos, because the 
 stench of the wound where a serpent had 
 bitten him could not be endured. So they 
 
314 THE STORY OF THE ILIAD. 
 
 sent Ulysses to fetch him. Also they sent for 
 Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, that was 
 brought up in Scyros by the father of his 
 mother. 
 
 Philoctetes, when he was come to Troy, slew 
 Paris with one of the arrows of Hercules, and 
 Neoptolemus slew the son of Telephus, who 
 was the last and bravest of the allies of Troy. 
 
 But when the city still held out, a certain 
 Epeius, Athene advising him, devised a device 
 by which it was taken. The Greeks made as 
 if they had departed, burning their camp and 
 sailing away in their ships. But they left 
 behind them a great horse of wood in which 
 the bravest of the chiefs hid themselves. This 
 the men of Troy drew into their city ; and at 
 night, when their thoughts were given to feast- 
 ing, for they thought that the war was ended, 
 the chiefs came out of the horse and threw 
 open the gate, so that the Greeks entered and 
 took the city. 
 
 COLSTON -AND COMPART, PftlHTBOS, EDINBURGH. 
 
RETURN TO the circulation desk of any 
 University of California Library 
 
 or to the 
 
 NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station 
 University of California 
 Richmond, CA 94804-4698 
 
 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 
 
 2-month loans may be renewed by calling 
 (510)642-6753 
 
 1-year loans may be recharged by bringing 
 books to NRLF 
 
 Renewals and recharges may be made 
 4 days prior to due date 
 
 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 
 
 OCT 7 2005 
 
 DD20 12M 1-05 
 
 dKtwpwa?^ *&