.lEHOES 

 
 -7.^^
 
 Ex Libris 
 C. K. OGDEN
 
 HEROES AND KINGS
 
 HEROES AND KINGS 
 
 STORIES FROM THE GREEK 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF LATIN IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON 
 
 SEELEY, JACKSON & HALLIDAY, FLEET STRE ET 
 LONDON. MDCCCLXXXIII 
 [All Rights Reserved]
 
 TO 
 
 RICHARD HOLT HUTTON 
 
 THIS BOOK 
 
 IS DEDICATED. 
 
 105C680
 
 PREFACE, 
 
 The favour with which " Stories from 
 Homer " has been received has often made 
 me regret that it was thought expedient to 
 confine the work within the limits of a 
 single volume. I have therefore been glad 
 to take the opportunity of supplying some of 
 the omissions which I was then compelled to 
 make. A friendly critic in the Spectator^ 
 whose praise and blame have always been 
 most instructive, found fault with me for 
 omitting that classical specimen of Homer's 
 humour, " The Battle of the Gods." It is 
 included in this volume. The " Embassy to 
 Achilles," though some critics have declared 
 it to be non-Homeric, is full of vigorous 
 eloquence ; the " Funeral Games of Pat- 
 roclus" equally full of vigorous action.
 
 viii PREFACE. 
 
 " The Visit of Ulysses to the Dead " supplies 
 a genuine picture of primitive beliefs about 
 the condition of the departed, standing out 
 in curious contrast with the philosophical 
 reflections with which Virgil has adorned 
 his treatment of the same subject. I have 
 been very glad to get back to the first and 
 greatest of poets ; if I can inspire my readers 
 with anything of the same pleasure, I shall 
 have achieved a success. 
 
 " The Story of the Ship Argo " will be found 
 interesting, I hope, both for its own sake and 
 as a specimen of the best of the ancient 
 imitators of Homer. 
 
 Two stories from Herodotus, for which I 
 could not find space elsewhere, complete the 
 volume. May I be permitted to commend 
 this to the public as an effort on the part of 
 the publishers and myself to meet the in- 
 creasing demand for cheap books ? 
 
 ALFRED CHURCH. 
 
 Hadley Green, 
 
 May, 1883.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Story of the Ship Aego (Froiyi Apolloniv.s 
 
 Modiv.s) 1 
 
 The Meeting of Glaucus axd Diomed (From Homer) 8S 
 The Embassy to Achilles (From Homer) . . .98 
 The Battle of the Gods (Frohi Homer) . . .127 
 The Funeral Games of Patroclus (Frovii Hohicr) . 143 
 The Visit of Ulysses to the Dead (From Homer) . 165 
 The Triumph of Ulysses (Fmn Homer) . . 185 
 The Story of Periander of Corinth (Frora Hero- 
 dotus) 207 
 
 The Story of Polycrates of Samos (Frora Hero- 
 ctotv.s) 224
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. 
 
 The Dkowkixg of Helle . 
 The Building of the Argo 
 The Heroes of the Argo . 
 The Daughters of Pelias 
 Medea's Chariot .... 
 The Slaying of the Chim.era . 
 The Embassy to Achilles . 
 The Great £oar of Calt^don . 
 The Gods Descending to Battle 
 The Funeral Pile of Patroclus 
 Hermes and the Souls of the Suitor 
 
 p 
 
 AGE 
 
 . A/itiqv.e 
 
 ■i 
 
 . Antique 
 
 7 
 
 ■ Antique 
 
 14 
 
 . Antique 
 
 82 
 
 . Antique 
 
 SO 
 
 . Antiqi'.e 
 
 95 
 
 . Fkuxman 
 
 105 
 
 . Antique 
 
 119 
 
 . Flaxman 
 
 135 
 
 . Flaxman 
 
 145 
 
 ORs . Flaxman 
 
 187
 
 THE 
 
 VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE CAUSES OF THE VOYAGE. 
 
 jEson, the son of Cretheus, bequeathetl the 
 kingdom of Thessaly to his brother Pelias, to 
 keep for Jason, his son, whom he had sent to 
 be taught by Chiron, the wise Centaur. Now 
 when Jason was returning from Chiron, he 
 came to Anaurus, which is a river of Thessaly, 
 and would have crossed it, but there was an 
 old woman on the river bank, and she en- 
 treated of Jason that he would carry her over 
 the river, for she feared hei-self, she said, to 
 cross it. But the old woman was in truth the 
 goddess Here, who had taken upon herself the 
 
 1
 
 Z HEKOES AND KINGb. 
 
 likeness of an old woman to try the young 
 -man's heart. Jason therefore carried her over, 
 but in crossing he lost one of his sandals, for 
 it cleaved to the sand that was in the river ; 
 and so he came to the dwelling of King Pelias, 
 where they were preparing a great sacrifice 
 and feast to Poseidon and the other gods. 
 Now there had come an oracle aforetime to 
 Pelias, saying, " Beware of him who shall 
 come to thee with one sandal only, for it is 
 thy doom to die by his means." Therefore, 
 when Pelias saw Jason come in this plight he 
 was afraid ; also he would fain keep the 
 kingdom for himself. He dared not slay 
 him ; but he set him a task from which he 
 might win great renown, hoping that he 
 should never return therefrom ; and the task 
 was this : to fetch the fleece of gold from the 
 land of the Colchians. 
 
 Now the story of the fleece is this : — To 
 Athamas, that was brother to Cretheus, were 
 born two children of Nephele, his wife ; and 
 the names of these two were Phrixus and 
 Helle. But Ino, whom Athamas had taken 
 to wife when Nephele was dead, laid a plot
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 3 
 
 agaiDst the children to cause them to be put 
 to death ; and the plot was this. She per- 
 suaded the women of the land to parch with 
 fire the seed of the corn that their husbands 
 sowed in the earth. And when the seed bare 
 no increase, King Athamas sent to inquire of 
 the oracle at Delphi what the cause might be. 
 But Ino persuaded the messengers that they 
 should bring back this message, as though it 
 were the answer of the god : *' Sacrifice the 
 two children, Phrixus and Helle, if ye would 
 be rid of this barrenness." So Athamas, 
 being persuaded, brought the children to the 
 altar to sacrifice them ; but the gods had pity 
 on them ; and sent a winged ram with a 
 fleece of gold to carry them away. So the 
 ram carried them away, but Helle fell from 
 it and was drowned (for which cause the sea 
 in those parts is called the Sea of Helle to this 
 day), but Phrixus came safe to the land of the 
 Colchians. There he sacrificed the ram as a 
 thankofi'ering to Zeus, and afterwards married 
 the daughter of the king of that land, and 
 then died. And now Pelias would have 
 Jason fetch tbe fleece of gold as belonging of 
 
 1—2
 
 HEKOEb AND KINGS. 
 
 right to his own house. To this Jason con- 
 sented, and he sent messengers through the 
 
 THE DROWNING OF IIELLE, 
 
 laud of Greece to gather the heroes, that they 
 might be his companions in this labour ; and 
 the heroes hearkened to his word.
 
 THE VOYAGE OP THE ARGO. 5 
 
 First there came Orpheus, the great singer 
 of Thrace, who could cause rocks to move 
 from their places and rivers to stay their 
 course and trees to follow him, so sweetly he 
 sang ; and Polj^hemus, who in his youth had 
 fought with the Lapithse against the Centaurs, 
 and though his limbs were burdened with 
 many years, he bare a brave heart within 
 him ; and Admetus, of Thessaly, for whom 
 his wife Alcestis was willing to die ; and 
 Canthus, the soothsayer, whom Apollo had 
 taught to know better than all other men 
 the voices of birds ; and Mopsus, of Eubcea 
 (but the doom of these two was that they 
 should die in Libya, far from their native 
 country) ; and the two sons of -^acus, of 
 ^Egina, Telamon andPeleus,of whomTelamon 
 dwelt in Salamis, and Peleus in Phthia, for 
 they had fled from ^gina, having slain 
 Phocus, their brother, unwittingly. But 
 Theseus, the bravest of the sons of Attica, 
 came not, being imprisoned with Pirithoiis in 
 the dwellings of the dead. Also there came 
 Tiphys, who was the most skilful of men 
 to foresee when the waves would rise and the
 
 6 HEKOES AND KINGS. 
 
 winds blow, aad to guide a ship by sun and 
 stars ; and Hercules, who was newly come to 
 Argos from Arcadia, whence he had brought 
 alive the great Erymanthian boar, and put 
 him down in the market-place of Mycenae ; 
 and the twin brethren, Castor, the tamer of 
 horses, and Pollux, the mighty boxer ; and 
 Lynceus, who was keener of sight than all 
 other men, so that he could see even the 
 things below the earth ; and another Poly- 
 phemus, the son of Poseidon, fleetest of foot 
 among men, who could run over the sea, nor 
 dip his feet therein. With him came the two 
 brethren, sons of Boreas, the Prince of Thrace, 
 and of Oreithyia, daughter to Erectheus, even 
 Calais and Zetes. Wings had these two upon 
 their feet — a wonder to behold, black, shining 
 with scales of gold ; and their hair streamed 
 behind them on either side as they ran. 
 These and many more were the heroes Jasou 
 gathered together ; and they called themselves 
 by the name of Minyoe, because the mother of 
 Jason was Alcimede, that was the daughter 
 of Clymene, that was the daughter of Minyas. 
 As for the ship Argo, the goddess Athene
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 7 
 
 devised it, but the hands of Argus, the sou of 
 Arestor, builded it. 
 
 Great was the wonder among the people to 
 see such a gathering of heroes. " Surely," 
 they said, " they will burn the house of 
 
 ^^^^^gp^^. 
 
 THE BU1LDI>-G OF THE ARGO. 
 
 ^aetes with fire if he withhold from them 
 the fleece." But the women lifted up their 
 hands and prayed for a safe return ; also they 
 wept one to another, no one more bitterly 
 than Alcimede, the mother of Jason, casting 
 her arms about her son, and bewailing the
 
 8 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 day when Pelias had sent him on this errand, 
 seeing that he was her only son, and she 
 would be left desolate and alone. But Jason 
 comforted her, saying that Athene would 
 help him in his quest, and that Apollo had 
 prophesied good things for him ; only he 
 bade her abide within the house, lest she 
 should speak some word of ill omen at their 
 departure.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE SAILING OF THE ARGO. 
 
 When the heroes were gathered together at 
 the ship, Jason stood up in the midst, and 
 spake : " My friends, seeing that all things 
 are now ready for the voyage, and that there 
 is nothing to hinder ns from sailing, the wind 
 being favourable, let us choose for our leader 
 him whom we judge to be the best among us, 
 for our going and our returning concerneth us 
 all." Then the young men cast their eyes on 
 Hercules, and cried out with one voice that 
 he should be their leader. But the hero 
 stretched forth his right hand from where he 
 sat, and cried, " Not so ; let no man seek to 
 give me this honour, for I will not receive it. 
 Let him that hath gathered us be also our 
 leader." So spake Hercules, and they all were 
 obedient to his word, and chose Jason to
 
 10 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 be their leader. Then said Jason, " First let 
 us make a feast and a sacrifice to Apollo. 
 But while the slaves fetch the oxen, let us drag 
 down the ship to the sea, and when we have 
 put all her tackling into her, let us cast lots for 
 the benches whereon we shall sit." Then the 
 heroes undergirded the ship with ropes, that 
 she might be the stronger against the waves ; 
 and afterwards, standing on either side, 
 pushed her with all their might ; but Tiphys 
 stood in the midst, and gave the word that 
 they might do it with one heart and at one 
 time. Quickly ran the A rgo on the slips, and 
 the heroes shouted as she ran. Then they 
 fastened the oars in the rowlocks, and put 
 a mast in the ship, and sails well woven. 
 After this they divided the heroes among the 
 benches, two heroes to a bench ; and in the 
 hindmost bench they set Hercules and 
 Ancaeus of Tegea, by choice and not by lot, 
 considering the stature of the heroes, for there 
 the ship was deepest. But for helmsman 
 they chose Tiphys by common consent. 
 
 After this they built an altar of stones 
 upon the shore. Then Jason prayed to
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE AEGO. 11 
 
 Apollo, " O king, bring us again safe to 
 Greece ; so will we offer young bullocks on 
 thy altars, both at Delphi and in Delos. And 
 now let us raise our cable in peace, and give 
 us favourable winds and a calm sea." Then 
 Hercules smote one of the oxen with his fist 
 between the horns and felled him to the 
 earth ; and Ancaeus slew the other, smiting 
 him on the neck with an axe. And the 
 young men cut them in pieces, and they 
 covered the thighs with fat and burned them 
 in the fire. But when Idmon, the seer, saw 
 the blue smoke, how it arose in circles above 
 the flames, he cried, by the inspiration of 
 Apollo, " Truly ye shall come hither again, 
 and bring the fleece of gold with you ; but as 
 for me, I must die far from my home in the 
 land of Asia. This, indeed, I knew before, 
 yet am I with you to-day, that I may share 
 the glory of this voyage." And now the sun 
 was setting, and the heroes sat in order on the 
 shore, and drank the wine out of great cups, 
 talking with each other as men are wont 
 to talk at the banquet. But Jason sat apart, 
 busy with many thoughts, which when the
 
 12 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 hero Idas saw, he said, " What fearest thou, 
 son of ^^sou ? By this spear I swear — and 
 in truth my spear helpeth me more than 
 Zeus — thou shalt fail in nought if only Idas 
 be with thee." And as he spake he raised 
 with both his hands a mighty bowl of wine, 
 and drenched his lips and bearded cheeks. 
 Then the heroes murmured against him ; but 
 Idmon, the seer, spake aloud : — " These are 
 evil words that thou speakest against thyself. 
 Hath the wine so wrought with thee that 
 thou revilest the gods ? Eemember the sons 
 of Aloeus, how mighty they were ; but when 
 they spake against the gods, Apollo slew them 
 with his darts," Then Idas laughed aloud, 
 and cried, " Thinkest thou, then, that the gods 
 will slay me as Apollo slew the sons of 
 Aloeus ? Only take heed to thyself if thou 
 shalt be found to have prophesied falsely con- 
 cerning me." But Jason stayed them, that 
 they should not strive together any more. 
 
 After this Orpheus took his harp and sang. 
 He sang how tlie earth and heaven and sky, 
 having had but one form before, were divided 
 from each other ; and how the stars are fixed
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE AKGO. 13 
 
 ill heaven ; and of the moon and the courses 
 of the sun. Also he sang how the mountains 
 arose and the rivers flowed ; and how of old 
 Ophion and Eurynome reigned in Olympus, 
 and after them Chronos and Ehea, ruling the 
 Titan gods, while Zeus was yet a child, dwell- 
 ing in the caves of Ida, before the Cyclopes 
 had armed his hand with the thunderbolt. 
 Then Orpheus ended his song ; but the heroes 
 sat awhile, after that he had ceased, with 
 their heads bent forwards, so mighty was the 
 spell upon them. After this they burnt the 
 tongues of the beasts with fire, and poured 
 wine upon them ; and so lay down to sleep. 
 
 But when the morning shone on the top of 
 Pelion, Tiphys first woke out of sleep, and 
 roused the heroes, bidding them embark and 
 prepare for rowing. But before they departed 
 came Chiron down from the hills, and his 
 wife with him, cai-rying in her arms the little 
 Achilles, that Peleus, his father, might em- 
 brace him. And Chiron prayed aloud to the 
 gods that the heroes might have a safe return. 
 
 Thus did the ship Argo depart upon her 
 voyage. The heroes smote the sea with their
 
 14 
 
 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 oars in time to the music of Orpheus, and 
 drave her on her course with a marvellous 
 quickness. The tackling of the ship glistened 
 like gold in the sun, and the waves were 
 
 Bl 
 
 f 
 
 % 
 
 ^ 
 
 t 
 
 ^fe^ 
 
 v^ 
 
 \l 
 
 TO.tf^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 \ 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 THE HEROES IN THE ARCiO. 
 
 parted, foaming on either side of the prow, 
 and their way was white behind them, plain 
 to see as the path upon a meadow. 
 
 So soon as they were clear of the harbour's 
 winding ways — and well did Tiphys guide 
 them, holding the polished tiller in his hands 
 — they set up the great mast in its socket,
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 15 
 
 fastening it by ropes on either side ; and 
 upon the mast they spread out the sail, setting 
 it duly with pulleys and sheets. Then, with 
 the wind blowing fair behind them, they sped 
 forward ; and Orpheus sang the while of 
 Artemis ; and the fishes followed, leaping out 
 of the sea about the ship, even as sheep when 
 they are fed to the full follow back the 
 shepherd to the sheepfold as he goes before 
 them, making sweet music on his oaten pipe. 
 Past the rocks of Pelion they sped, and 
 Sciathos and Magnessa ; and when they came 
 to the tomb of Dolops they drave their ship 
 to the shore and did sacrifice by the tomb. 
 There they abode for two days, for the sea 
 was stormy ; but on the third day they 
 launched their ship and hoisted the great sail. 
 Whereupon to this day they call this place 
 " The Launching of the Argo." Then as they 
 sailed they saw the valleys of Ossa and 
 Olympus ; all night the wind carried them on, 
 and the next day there appeared Athos, the 
 great mountain of Thrace ; so great is it that 
 its shadow falls on Myrina in Lemnos, though 
 it be a half- day's journey for a fleet ship.
 
 16 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 Then they came to Lemnos. There, but a 
 year before, had been wrought a dreadful 
 deed ; for the women had slain then' husbands, 
 aye, and every male throughout the land, lest 
 the children, being grown to manhood, should 
 avenge their fathers. Only Hypsipyle had 
 spared the old man Thoas, her father, hiding 
 him in a cave by the sea, that she might send 
 him away alive. And now the women 
 ploughed the fields, and donned the armour 
 of men ; nevertheless, they watched ever in 
 fear lest the Thracians that dwelt on the 
 shore over against them should come upon 
 them. And now, when they saw the Arf/o 
 and the band of heroes, they sallied forth 
 from their city, duly armed, with Hypsipyle 
 their Queen for their leader ; for they thought 
 that now indeed the Thracians were come. 
 Speechless they were for fear, for all their 
 brave show of war. But the heroes sent their 
 herald to tell who they were, and whence 
 they had come, and whither they went. For 
 that day, therefore, they abode on the shore. 
 But the Queen called the women to council ; 
 and when these were gathered together, she
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 17 
 
 rose iu the midst, and said : " Let us give 
 gifts to these strangers, food and wine ; but 
 let them abide without the walls, for we have 
 done a dreadful deed, and it is not well that 
 they should know it. But if anyone have 
 some better counsel, let her speak." Then 
 Polyxo, that was nurse to the Queen, stood 
 forth. Very old she was ; she halted upon 
 her feet, she leant upon her staff ; and four 
 young maidens, with long yellow hair, held 
 her up. Yet could she scarce lift up her head, 
 so bowed she was with age ; nevertheless, age 
 had not tamed her tongue. Thus she spake : 
 " It is well, as saith the Queen, to send gifts 
 to these strangers. Yet, bethink you, my 
 daughters, what will ye do in the time to 
 come ? How will it fare with you, if these 
 Thracians come, or other enemies ? When ye 
 are old, how will ye live I Will the oxen yoke 
 themselves to the plough, or the harvests come 
 without toil ? As for me, though hitherto the 
 Fates have passed me by, I shall surely die 
 this year or the next, and escape from the 
 evil to come. But what will ye do, my 
 daughters ? Wherefore my counsel is that ye 
 
 2
 
 18 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 make these men the partners of all that 
 ye have." And the whole assembly gave 
 their consent, and they sent Iphinoe as their 
 herald to the heroes. And when these had 
 heard the words of the daughter of Lemnos, 
 the thing pleased them. 
 
 Then indeed had they dwelt in Lemnos to 
 the end of their days, but Hercules called 
 them apart and said : " Did ye come hither, 
 my friends, to marry wives ? Are there not 
 maidens fair enough whom ye may wed at 
 home ? "Will ye be content to plough and 
 sow and reap in Lemnos 1 Think you that 
 some god will put this fleece of gold into your 
 hands while ye tarry here ?" So did he re- 
 buke them ; but they answered him not again, 
 nor dared so much as to lift their eyes from 
 the ground. But the next day they climbed 
 into their ship, and ranged themselves in 
 order on the benches, and so departed. And 
 after a while, the south wind blowing, they 
 entered the Hellespont, and passing through 
 it, came to the sea which men call the Pro- 
 pontis, and to a certain city of which Cyzicus 
 was king, and now men call it by his name
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 19 
 
 Here were they entertained with all hospi- 
 tality ; for the King had been warned that if 
 a ship of strangers should come, he should 
 deal kindly with them, if haply he might so 
 escape his fate. For his fate was this, that 
 he should die by the hands of a stranger. 
 Wherefore he gave them great store of flesh 
 and wine. Now the next day some would 
 climb the hill Dindymus, that they might 
 behold the sea on which they should sail ; 
 and some rowed the Argo to a more con- 
 venient haven. But there were in an island 
 hard by certain giants, of monstrous shape. 
 Six hands had each of them — two such as 
 other men have, and four strangely growing 
 from their sides. These sallied forth against 
 the heroes, and would have blocked the mouth 
 of the haven with rocks, as men block a wild 
 beast in a cavern. But Hercules drew his 
 bow against them, and slew many with arrows. 
 And the heroes, when they saw what had be- 
 fallen, left their journey and came to the help 
 of their companions, and pursued the giants 
 till they had destroyed them. But Queen 
 Her6 had reared these giants that they might 
 
 2—2
 
 20 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 do some harm to Hercules. After this the 
 heroes set sail, and all that day they sped on- 
 ward on their course ; but at nightfall the 
 ■wind blew contrary, and carried them back 
 to the city of Cyzicus. Yet they knew not 
 whither they were come ; neither did any of 
 the men of Cyzicus know the heroes for the 
 darkness. Therefore they joined battle as 
 though they had been enemies ; and Jason 
 smote King Cyzicus on the breast and slew 
 him. Thus was his doom fultilled. Many 
 others also were slain ; and the men of Cyzicus 
 fled before the heroes, and shut themselves 
 into their city. But when it was morning the 
 heroes knew what they had done in their 
 ignorance, and lamented. Also they set up a 
 great tomb for the slain, and circled it thrice, 
 clad in their armour, and celebrated funeral 
 games in the meadow hard by. But Clite, 
 that was the wife of Cyzicus, when she knew 
 that her husband was dead, hanged herself ; 
 and the gods changed her tears into a foun- 
 tain which is yet called Clite, after her 
 name. 
 
 For twelve days the heroes tarried in this
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 21 
 
 land, so stormy were the winds ; but in the 
 twelfth night a kingfisher flew with a shrill 
 cry over the head of Jason as he slept ; and 
 Mopsus the seer knew what the kingfisher 
 said, and cried, " Let us bnild an altar to 
 Cybele, the mother of the gods, and do sacri- 
 fice to her. So shall we have an end of these 
 stormy winds." 
 
 This therefore they did ; and the next 
 morning they departed. Quickly they sped, 
 so that not even the chariot of Poseidon 
 could have outstripped them. But towards 
 the evening the wind blew more strongly, 
 and the waves arose. Then indeed did 
 Hercules, as he toiled with all his might in 
 rowing, break his oar in the middle. One 
 half he held ir his hands and fell therewith, 
 but the other half the sea carried with it. 
 But when they were come to the land the 
 people of Mysia entertained them with hos- 
 pitality. And the next day Hercules went 
 into the woods, seeking a pine-tree for an oar. 
 And when he had found one that had but 
 few branches or leaves upon it, but was tall 
 and straight as a poplar, he laid his bow and
 
 Z2 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 his arrows and his lion-skin also on the 
 gronnd, and first he smote the pine-tree with 
 his club and loosened it, and then put his 
 hands about the stem, and tare it by the roots 
 from the earth, and so went back to the ship 
 bearing it on his shoulders. 
 
 But in the meanwhile the youth Hylas had 
 gone forth with his pitcher to fetch water 
 from a spring ; for he was page to Hercules, 
 and would have all things ready for him 
 against his coming back. Now all the 
 Nymphs of the land, whether they dwelt in 
 the water or on the hills, were wont to as- 
 semble at this fountain. And one of these 
 saw the youth, how fair he was, for the moon 
 was at her full and shone upon him as he 
 went, and she loved him in her heart. And 
 when the youth dipped his pitcher into the 
 spring to fill it, she threw her arms about his 
 neck and drew him down, and he fell into 
 the fountain, but called aloud on Hercules as 
 he fell. Now Polyphemus heard the cry of 
 the youth, and hastened to the place, but 
 found nothing. But as he returned from out 
 of the wood, for he feared lest some wild
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 23 
 
 beast or enemy should assail him, he met 
 Hercules, and spake, saying, " These are sad 
 tidings that I bring thee. For Hylas is gone 
 to the spring and hath not returned, and 
 either some beast hath slain him, or robbers 
 have carried him away." So all that night 
 Hercules wandered through the wood seek- 
 ing for the youth, even as a bull which some 
 gad-fly stings rusheth over the fields nor 
 resteth anywhere. So Hercules hastened 
 hither and thither, seeking for the youth, and 
 calling him by his name, but found him 
 not. 
 
 When it was now day, Tiphys, the helms- 
 man, bade them depart, for that the wind 
 favoured them. But after a while they found 
 that they had left the best of their company 
 behind them unwittingly ; and then arose 
 great strife and contention among them. Then 
 spake Telamon in his wrath, " Truly this is 
 well, that we have left our bravest behind us ! 
 Thine is this counsel, O Jason, that thy glory 
 might not be shadowed by his glory in the 
 land of Greece, if so be that the gods shall 
 bring us back," And he would have leapt
 
 24 HEKOES AND KINGS. 
 
 ou Tiphys, the helmsman, only the two sons 
 of Boreas held him back ; for which deed 
 they suffered afterwards, seeing that Hercules 
 slew them both as they returned from the 
 funeral games of Pelias, because they had 
 hindered the heroes from seeking for him. 
 But in the midst of their anger there appeared 
 to them the sea-god Glaucus. From the midst 
 of the waves he lifted his shaggy head and 
 breast, and laid hold of the ship and spake, 
 "Why do ye seek to take Hercules to the 
 land of the Colchians against the will of 
 Zeus ? For it is his doom that he should 
 fulfil his previous toils for Eurystheus, and 
 afterwards be numbered with the gods. And 
 as for Polyphemus, it is his fate to build a 
 city in the land of the Mysians. Neither 
 mourn ye for Hylas, seeing that the Nymph 
 of the fountain hath taken him for her hus- 
 band." And when the god had so spoken he 
 sank again into the sea, and was hidden from 
 their sight. Then said Telamon to Jason, 
 clasping him by the hand, " Pardon me, son 
 of ^Esou, if I have wronged thee, and be not 
 wroth for my hasty words. For indeed a
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE AEGO. 25 
 
 great sorrow drave me to speak, and now let 
 us be friends as before." To him answered 
 Jason, " Thy words indeed were harsh when 
 thou saidst that I had betrayed my friend, 
 yet I bear no anger for them. For thy wrath 
 was not for cattle or gold, but for a man whom 
 thou lovest. And, indeed, I would have thee 
 contend with me yet again for a like cause, if 
 such should arise." So Telamon and Jason 
 were made friends. And all that day and all 
 that night the wind blew strong ; but in the 
 morning there was a calm ; yet the heroes 
 plied their oars, and at sunset they drave their 
 ship on to the shore.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 POLLUX CONTENDETH WITH AMYCUS— THE 
 HEROES SUCCOUR PHINEUS AND ESCAPE 
 THE CLASHING ROCKS 
 
 Now the land whereunto they were come was 
 the land of the Bebryces, whose King was 
 one Amycus, the son of Poseidon. No man 
 was more arrogant than he ; for he made it a 
 law that no stranger should depart from the 
 land before he had made trial of him in box- 
 ing ; and thus had he slain many. And 
 coming down to the ship, when he had 
 inquired of them the cause of their journey, 
 he spake, saying : " Hearken to me, ye wan- 
 derers of the sea ; no man cometh to the land 
 of the Bebryces but he must stand up against 
 me in a fight of boxers. Choose me out, 
 therefore, the best of your company, and set 
 him to fight with me here ; and if not, I will
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE AKGO. 27 
 
 compel you." But the heroes were very wroth 
 when they heard these words, and Polhix 
 more than all. Wherefore he stood forth 
 before his fellows, and said : " Talk not to us 
 of compulsion. We will follow this custom 
 of thine. Lo, I will meet thee myself." Then 
 Amycus glared at him, even as a lion upon 
 the hill glares at the man that wounded him 
 at the first, caring not for the others that gird 
 him about. Then Pollux laid aside his mantle, 
 which one of the daughters of Lemnos had 
 given him ; and Amycus also stripped off his 
 cloak, and put aside the great shepherd's crook 
 made of a wild olive-tree, that he bare. Very 
 diverse were they to behold, for the King was 
 like to Typhoeus, or one of the giants, the 
 sons of Earth ; but Pollux was like a star of 
 Heaven, so fair he was. And he tried his 
 hands, whether they were supple as of old, or 
 haply were grown stiff with toiling at the oar. 
 But Amycus stood still, looking upon Pollux, 
 as thirsting for his blood. Then Lycoreus, 
 the King's companion, threw down at Pollux's 
 feet two pair of gauntlets, covered with blood, 
 and stiff, and marvellously hard. And Amy-
 
 28 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 cus said, "Take which thou wilt, stranger, 
 that thou blame me not hereafter, and fit 
 them to thine hands. So haply shalt thou 
 learn that I can fell an ox or wound a man's 
 cheek to bleeding." But Pollux answered 
 him nothing, but smiled and took the gauntlets 
 that lay nearest. Then came Castor and 
 Talaus and bound the gauntlets upon him, 
 and bade him be of good courage. But Aretus 
 and Orniptus bound them for King Amycus, 
 and knew not that they should never bind 
 them for him any more. Then the two stood 
 up against each other. And Amycus came 
 on as a wave of the sea comes upon a ship ; 
 which yet, by the skilful handling of the 
 pilot, escapes from its might. Then did the 
 King follow hard after Pollux, suffering him 
 not to rest, but he, so skilful was he, escaped 
 ever without a wound, for he knew wherein 
 lay the strength of the King and wherein 
 also he failed. So the two strove together, 
 and the sound of their strokes was as the 
 sound of shipwrights that build a shijx And 
 after a while they rested, wiping the sweat 
 from their faces. Then they joined battle
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE AEGO. 29 
 
 again, as bulls that fight for the mastery. 
 But at the last Amycus, rising as one that 
 fells an ox, smote with all his might. But 
 Pollux leapt from under the blow, turning his 
 head aside ; yet did the King's arm graze his 
 shoulder. Then he reached forward with his 
 knee by the knee of the King, and smote him 
 with all his might under the ear ; and the 
 giant fell to the earth with a groan, and all 
 the heroes set up a shout when they saw 
 it. 
 
 But the Bebryces were wroth to see that 
 their King was slain ; and they set them- 
 selves with their clubs and hunting-spears 
 against Pollux ; but the heroes drew their 
 swords and stood by him. Then the battle 
 waxed fierce ; and many of the Bebryces were 
 slain, and of the heroes certain were wounded ; 
 but at the last Ancaeus and the two sons of 
 ^acus and Jason rushed upon the enemy and 
 scattered them. After this they feasted on 
 the shore ; and the next day they put into 
 their ships so much of the spoil of the land 
 as they would, and so departed ; and on the 
 morrow they came to the land of Phineus,
 
 30 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 the SOU of Agenor. Now Phineus, being- 
 skilled in divination beyond all other men, 
 revealed to men all that Zeus prepared to do ; 
 for which reason the god smote him with old 
 age and with blindness ; and also sent the 
 plague of the Harj^ies upon him, which, 
 coming down suddenly upon him as he sat at 
 the banquet, snatched away the meat from 
 the table. And if they left somewhat, it 
 stank so foully that a man might not touch 
 it. 
 
 When Phineus heard that the heroes were 
 come he was glad, and came forth to meet 
 them. Very feeble was he with old age and 
 hunger ; and when he saw them, he said, 
 " Welcome, ye heroes ! Eight glad I am to 
 see you, for I know by the inspiration of 
 Apollo that there shall come to this land the 
 two sons of Boreas, who shall deliver me from 
 this plague that I endure." And he told them 
 what things he suffered from the Harpies. 
 Then Zetes laid hold of the old man's hand 
 and said, " We pity thee, son of Agenor, and 
 will help thee, if it may be ; but first thou 
 must swear that we shall not anger the gods
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 31 
 
 thereby, for, as thou knowest, these evils have 
 come upon thee because thou hast revealed 
 their will to men too plainly." And the old 
 man swore that the thing was pleasing to the 
 gods. Then they prepared a banquet for 
 him ; and as soon as the old man had reached 
 his hand to the food, of a sudden the Harpies 
 flew down, as lightning cometh out of the 
 clouds, and carried off the meat. But the 
 two sons of Boreas followed hard after them, 
 and Zeus gave them strength ; otherwise of 
 a truth they had not caught them, for the 
 winds themselves were not more fleet. And 
 when they had caught them they would have 
 slain them, only Iris, the messenger of Zeus, 
 came down and said : " Slay not the Harpies, 
 that are the hounds of Zeus. I will swear to 
 you that they shall not come any more to the 
 dwelling of Phineus, the son of Agenor." 
 So they stayed from slaying them. After 
 this Phineus and the heroes feasted together ; 
 and the King said : " I will expound to you 
 things to come, yet so much only as the gods 
 will have me tell ; for they will not that men 
 should know all things, but that they should
 
 32 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 yet need counsel and help. When ye have 
 departed from this land ye shall see certain 
 rocks, between the which ye must needs pass. 
 Do ye therefore first send a dove before you, 
 and if she pass through safely, then may ye 
 also follow. And row with all your might ; 
 for your hands rather than your prayers shall 
 deliver you. But if the dove perish, then do 
 ye go back, for it is not the will of the gods 
 that ye should go further. After this ye 
 shall see many places, as Helica, and the river 
 of Halys, and the land of the Chalybes, the 
 workers of iron, and at the last shall come to 
 the river of Phasis, whereby ye shall see the 
 town of ^setes, and the grove of ^a, where 
 the fleece of gold hangeth even on the top of 
 a beech-tree, and the dragon, a terrible monster 
 to behold, watcheth it with eyes that turn 
 every way." Then were the heroes much dis- 
 mayed ; but when Jason would have ques- 
 tioned him further, he said, " Seek ye for the 
 help of Aphrodite, for the victory will be of 
 her. And now ask me no more." And when 
 he had ended his words the two sons of Boreas 
 came back, panting from their course, and
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE AKGO. 33 
 
 told what things they had done. And the 
 next morning many were gathered together 
 to hear from him of things to come, among 
 whom was a certain Parcebius, whom the 
 King had delivered from great trouble ; for 
 the man's father had cut down an oak upon 
 the mountains, not heeding the prayers of the 
 Xymph that dwelt therein that he should 
 spare it, for which reason the Nymph sent all 
 manner of evil upon him, and his children 
 after him. Nor did they know the cause till 
 Phineus expounded it to them. 
 
 After this they departed, and forgot not to 
 take with them a dove, which Euphemus held 
 bound to his hand by a cord ; and Athene 
 helped them on their way. And when they 
 came to the rocks whereof Phineus had 
 spoken, Euphemus let fly the dove, and it 
 passed through, yet did the rocks, clashing 
 together, touch the last feather of her tail. 
 Then Tiphys shouted to them that they should 
 row with all their might, for the rocks had 
 parted again ; but as they rowed a great 
 terror came upon them, for they saw destruc- 
 tion hanging over them, and a great wave, 
 
 3
 
 34 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 like to a mountcaiu, rose ii]) agaiust them. 
 And when they saw it they turned their heads 
 away, thinking it must overwhehu them ; but 
 Tiphys turned the helm, and the w^ave passed 
 under the keel, lifting up the Argo to the 
 top of the rocks. Then said Euphemus, "Row 
 ye with all your might." And the heroes 
 rowed till the stout oars were bent as bows. 
 Athene also, with one hand, kept the ship 
 from the rocks, and with the other drave it 
 forward ; and the rocks clashed together be- 
 hind it, nor w^ere divided any more ; for it 
 was the will of the gods that this should be 
 so when any ship should pass through safely. 
 But the heroes breathed again, being delivered 
 from death. And Tiphys cried, " Fear not, 
 son of ^'Eson, for surely Athene hath delivered 
 us, and now all things will be easy to thee, 
 and thou wilt accomplish the command of the 
 King." But Jason spoke, " Nay, my friend. 
 Would that I had died before I took this 
 task in hand, for there are perils by sea and 
 perils by land, and I have no rest day or 
 night. For myself I fear not, but for these
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE AKUO. 35 
 
 my companions, lest I should not take them 
 back in safety." This he said, for he would 
 try the temper of the heroes ; and when they 
 cried out that they feared not, he was glad at 
 heart. 
 
 3—2
 
 CHAPTEK IV. 
 
 IDMON IS SLAIN BY A BOAK— TIPHYS DIETH 
 —THE HEEOES FIND THE SONS OF PHEIXUS 
 AND COME TO THE LAND OF JE.ETES. 
 
 So the heroes passed ou their way till they 
 came to the laud of the Mariandyni, of whom 
 one Lycus was king. Now these had beeu 
 cruelly oppressed by the Bebryces, and they 
 knew that Pollux had slain King Amyous, 
 and that the host of the King had fled before 
 the heroes. Wherefore they received them 
 with great gladness, honouring Pollux more 
 than all his companions. And Lycus bade 
 them feast in his house. And when they had 
 feasted, Jason told him of their voyage, and 
 of all that had befallen. But it grieved Lycus 
 ,sore that Hercules was not come with them. 
 And he said : " 0, my friends, this is a 
 grievous thing that ye came to the land of
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARftO. oT 
 
 JEseies without Hercules. Well do I know 
 him, for I saw him in the days of Dascjlus, 
 my father, when I was but a youth, for he 
 came hither on his way, bearing with him the 
 girdle of the Amazon Hippolyta. And here 
 in our funeral games (for Priolaus, my brother, 
 had been slain by the Mysians, and we buried 
 him) he conquered the great boxer Titias. 
 Also he subdued the Phrygians under my 
 father, and gave to him other dominions, 
 whereof this Amycus whom ye have slain 
 took from me no small part. Now, therefore, 
 I will make such return as I may ; for 
 Dascylus, my son, shall go with you, and with 
 him ye shall find all people friendly till 
 ye come to the river of Thermodon." 
 
 The next day the King went with the 
 heroes to their ship, carrying with him gifts 
 without end. Lycus also, his son, went with 
 him. But ere they departed his doom came 
 upon Idmon that he should perish. For 
 though he was a prophet, yet his prophecy 
 availed him not against fate. Now there 
 chanced to be in the marsh a great boar, that 
 lay wallowing in the mud. Great white
 
 38 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 tusks had he ; and even the Nymphs were 
 afraid of him. And as Idmon walked by the 
 river side the boar rushed on him of a sudden 
 out of the reeds, and smote him on the thigh 
 with his tusk, making a great wound. The 
 hero fell not, indeed, but shouted aloud ; and 
 his comrades ran thither at his voice. And 
 first Peleus cast his javelin at the beast, but 
 missed his aim ; and afterwards Idas smote 
 him, and he gnashed with his teeth upon the 
 spear. Then the heroes carried back their 
 companion to the ship, but he died even as 
 they carried him. Then they abode in that 
 place for three days, and on the fourth they 
 made a great funeral for him ; and Lycus 
 and his people came also to do honour to the 
 dead man. But while they mourned for him 
 it befell that Tiphys, the pilot, died also ; for 
 he could not endure his great sorrow for his 
 companion. So they buried Tiphys also, and 
 for each they built a great tomb, to be a 
 memorial to them who should come after. 
 
 Sore dismayed were the heroes that their 
 helmsman was dead, and they sat a long time 
 in silence, aud neither ate nor drank. Then
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. :39 
 
 Here put courage iuto the heart of Ancieus, 
 aud he spake to Peleus, saying, " Is it well, 
 son of ^Eacus, to abide here in the land of 
 strangers ? Here am I that know more of 
 seamanship than of war ; and others also as 
 skilful, nor should we suflfer loss if we set one 
 of them at the helm." Then spake Peleus in 
 the midst of the heroes, " Why waste we time 
 in sorrow, my friends ? There are skilful 
 helmsmen ; many are in this company, of 
 whom let us choose us out the best." But 
 Jason answered, " If there be such, why sit 
 they here with the rest lamenting ? I fear 
 me much that we shall see neither the city of 
 ^Etetes nor yet the land of Greece." But 
 Ancaeus stood forth, saying, that he would be 
 their helmsman ; so also did Euphemus and 
 other two ; but the heroes chose Ancseus. 
 
 So on the morning of the twelfth day they 
 set sail, and a strong west wind blew from 
 behind and carried thtm quickly over the 
 sea. But when they came to the tomb of 
 Sthenelus they beheld a marvellous sight. 
 Now this Sthenelus was companion to 
 Hercules in battlins: with the Amazons, and
 
 40 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 had been wounded with an arrow, and so 
 died. And he besought Persephone, that 
 is Queen of the dead, that he might look 
 upon the heroes ; and when she consented, 
 he stood upon the top of his tomb equipped 
 as one that went forth to battle, with a fair 
 four-crested helmet on his head. Much did 
 the heroes marvel to behold him. But 
 Mopsus, the seer, bade them tarry and make 
 offerings to the dead. Wherefore they landed 
 and built an altar, and offered sacrifices, and 
 Orpheus also dedicated his harp for a gift. 
 After this they departed, and sailed by the 
 river of Parthenius, which is by interpretation 
 the Virgin Eiver ; so men call it, because 
 Artemis the Virgin, the daughter of Latona, 
 is wont to bathe therein when she is weary 
 with hunting. Also they passed the river of 
 Therraodon, and tarried not, for such was the 
 will of Zeus, that they might not join battle 
 with the Amazons who dwelt in these parts, 
 a fierce race and delighting in war. Surely 
 not without much bloodshed and damage to 
 both such battle had been. The next day 
 they came to the land of the Chalybes.
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 41 
 
 These care not to plough the land with oxen, 
 or to plant seed or to reap harvests ; nor 
 have they flocks or herds ; but they dig iron 
 out of the earth, and change it with other men 
 for food. Never doth morning come, but it 
 seeth them at their toil, where they labour 
 without ceasing in the midst of reek and 
 smoke. But after the Chalybes they came to 
 the Mossyni, a strange folk that are contrary 
 to other men, doing abroad what others do at 
 home, and at home what others do abroad. 
 Their king also sitteth all day on his throne, 
 and judgeth his people ; nor, indeed, is he to 
 be envied for all his royal state, seeing that if 
 he err at all in his judgment the people shut 
 him in prison till he die of hunger. Next 
 they came to the island of Aretias, wherefrom 
 as they sailed in the twilight there came 
 a great bird flying over them, and shooting a 
 sharp-pointed feather from its wing. And 
 the feather struck Oileus on his left shoulder 
 and wounded him, so that he dropped the oar 
 from his hand. But Erybotes, that sat next 
 to him, drew out the dart and bound up the 
 wound ; and when there came another bird
 
 42 HEROES AND KIXCtS, 
 
 flying, like unto the first, Clytins shot at 
 it with his arrow, for he had his bow ready 
 bent, and smote it, so that it fell into the sea 
 by the ship. Then said Amphidamas to the 
 heroes : '* We are come to the island of 
 Aretias, and I judge that we shall not prevail 
 over these birds with our arrows. For 
 Hercules prevailed not thus over the birds of 
 the Lake Stymphalus, as I saw with my own 
 eyes. Do ye, therefore, as I bid you. Put 
 ye on your helmets, and let some of you row 
 with the oars, and let the rest so order their 
 spears and their shields that they may be 
 a covering to the ship. Shout also with all 
 your might ; and when ye shall be come nigh 
 unto the island, beat upon your shields, and 
 make all the noise that ye may." And the 
 heroes did so, and covered the ship, even as a 
 house is covered from the rain by its roof ; and 
 they shouted and beat upon their shields ; nor 
 did they suffer further damage from the birds. 
 Now it chanced in these days that the sons 
 of Phrixus sailed from the laud of King 
 -^aetes to the city of Orchomenus, that they 
 might get for tliemselves the {)Ossesbious of
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 43 
 
 their father. Aud comiug near to this same 
 island of Aretias, a mighty wind from the 
 north brake their ship ; and the men, being 
 four in number, laid hold of a beam, and 
 so were driven about by the waves, being in 
 great peril of death, till, at the last, they were 
 cast upon the shore of the island. Therefore, 
 when the Argo came near, one of them spake 
 to the heroes, saying, " We entreat you, who- 
 soever ye be, to help us, seeing that the waves 
 have broken our ship. Give us, T pray you, 
 some clothing and a morsel of food." Then 
 said Jason, "Tell us who you are, and 
 whence ye are come, and whither ye go," 
 Then the man made answer, " Doubtless ye 
 have heard how Phrixus came to the city of 
 King ^setes on a ram with the fleece of gold, 
 and how the fleece hangeth to this day on a 
 tree near to the city ; how the King gave to 
 this Phrixus his daughter ChalcioiDe in mar- 
 riage ; and we are the children of these two. 
 And our father being newly dead, we sailed to 
 Orchomenus that we might get for ourselves 
 the possessions of Athamas, our grandfather ; 
 for so Phrixus, our father, commanded us."
 
 44 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 The heroes were right glad of this meeting, 
 and Jason made answer, "Ye are my kins- 
 men, for Cretheus and Athamas were brothers, 
 and I am grandson to Cretheus ; and I sail 
 with these my comrades to the city of King 
 ^aetes. But of these things we will talk 
 hereafter. But now we will give you what 
 ye need." So he gave them clothing, and 
 afterwards they did sacrifice in the Temple of 
 Ares that was hard by, and there feasted 
 together. And after the feast Jason spake, 
 saying, '' It is manifest that Zeus hath a care 
 both for you and for us ; for us he hath 
 brought safely through many perils to this 
 place, and you he suffered not to perish in the 
 sea. Ye shall sail hereafter in this ship 
 whithersoever ye will ; but now do ye help us 
 in our quest, for we are come from the land 
 of Greece seeking the fleece of gold, and we 
 would gladly have you for our guides." 
 
 But the men were sore dismayed to hear 
 these words, knowing what manner of man 
 King ^cetes was. And he who had spoken 
 at the first made answer, " O my friends, ye 
 shall have such help as we can give you. But
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 4o 
 
 kuow that ^Eaetes is tierce and savage beyond 
 all other men, and that your voyage is 
 perilous. Men say that he is of the race of 
 the Sun, and he is mighty in battle as Ares 
 himself. Nor will it be an easy thing to 
 carry away the fleece, for a dragon watcheth 
 it continually, and this dragon cannot be 
 slain, and it sleepeth not." Then many of the 
 heroes, when they heard these words, gi-ew 
 pale. But Peleus spake out boldly : " Fear 
 not, my friend ; we lack not strength to meet 
 King ^setes in battle, if need be, for we are 
 well used to war, and are, for the most part, 
 of the race of the gods. Wherefore, if the 
 King yield us not the fleece peaceably, I 
 judge that his Colchians shall not help him." 
 After this the heroes slept. And the next 
 day they departed, and sailing with a favour- 
 able wind, came near to the further end of 
 the Euxine Sea ; thence they could see the 
 mountains of Caucasus, whereto the Titan 
 Prometheus is bound. And indeed in the 
 evening they beheld the great vulture which 
 feedeth on his liver flying above their ship ; 
 and after a while they heard the Titan
 
 46 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 groaning with the bitterness of his pain, and 
 then again the vulture returning by the same 
 way when his feast was ended. That night, 
 by skilful guidance of the sons of Phrixus, 
 they came to the river of Phasis, and straight- 
 way they lowered the sails and the yardarms, 
 and afterwards the mast, and so entered the 
 river. And on their left hand was the 
 mountain of Caucasus and the city of ^aetes, 
 and on the right the oak-grove wherein the 
 dragon watched continually the fleece of gold. 
 And Jason poured a libation of wine from a 
 cup of gold into the river, praying to the gods 
 of the land, and to the spirits of the dead 
 heroes, that they should help them in their 
 quest. And when their prayers were ended 
 they fastened the ship with anchors under 
 cover of a wood that was hard by, and so 
 slept.
 
 CE AFTER Y. 
 
 HERE AXD ATHENE TAKE COUNSEL TO SAVE 
 JASON AND HIS COMPANY— JASON DE- 
 MANDETH THE FLEECE OF THE KING. 
 
 But while the heroes lay hidden amoDg the 
 reeds of the river, Here and Athene sought a 
 chamber where they might hold counsel apart 
 from the other gods. And Here first spake, 
 saying, " Come now, daughter of Zeus, con- 
 sider by what craft or device we may bring it 
 to pass that the heroes may carry back the 
 fleece of gold to the land of Greece." Then 
 Athene made answer, " That which thou 
 askest, Her^, I had already in my thoughts ; 
 but though I have weighed many counsels, 
 yet have I not found one that would serve 
 this purpose." Then said Here, "Come let 
 us go to Aphrodite, and when we have 
 foimd her, let us persuade her to command
 
 48 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 her SOD, if only he will hearken to her words, 
 that he smite the daughter of King -^^aetes 
 with an arrow, that she may love Prince 
 Jason, for she is skilful in magic and drugs." 
 This counsel pleased Athene mightily, and 
 she said : " I know not anything of these 
 matters, nor can I say what may work love in 
 a maiden's heart. Yet thy counsel pleaseth 
 me ; only, when we are come to Aphrodite, 
 do thou speak for us both." 
 
 So the two departed, and came to the 
 palace of Aphrodite, which her husband, the 
 halting god, had wrought for her when he 
 first took her to wife, and they stood in the 
 porch. Now Hephaestus was gone to his 
 workshop, and the goddess sat alone over 
 against the door ; and she was combing her 
 hair with a comb of gold, and weaving her 
 tresses. But when she saw the two she rose 
 from her seat, and gave them welcome, and 
 spake, saying, " What is your errand, that ye 
 are come now after these many years V 
 
 To her Her6 made answer : " "We are in 
 trouble, Queen ; for Jaison and they that 
 are with him are come to the river of Phasis,
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO, 49 
 
 seeking the fleece of gold ; and I fear for him. 
 Yet would I serve him with all my strength, 
 on whatever errand he might go ; for he hath 
 always honoured me with sacrifices ; and 
 besides, he did me good service at the river of 
 Anaurus. For the mountains were white 
 with snow, and the streams came down from 
 the heights, and the river was swollen. And 
 Jason came from his hunting, and when he 
 saw me he had pity on me, for I had made 
 myself like to an old woman, and he carried 
 me over the river." 
 
 Then said Aphrodite : " It were ill done of 
 me were I to deny such hel]) as these weak 
 hands can give.'' 
 
 And Here spake again : " We want no help 
 of hands, be they weak or strong. Only bid 
 thy son smite with his arrows the daughter of 
 King JEddtes, for surely if she be willing to 
 help him he will easily carry away the fleece 
 of gold and so come safe to lolcos." 
 
 But Aphrodite made answer: "Surely he 
 will hearken to you rather than to me. For 
 to you, shameless though he be, he must 
 needs pay some reverence ; but me he 
 
 ■i
 
 60 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 lieedeth uot at all. I had well nigh broken 
 in my M^rath his arrows and his bows." 
 
 Aud when the goddesses laughed, she spake 
 again, saying : " Yea, I know that others 
 laugh at my sorrows. But if ye are urgent 
 for this thing, I will persuade him, and I 
 doubt not but that he will hearken to me." 
 
 So the three went together to the halls of 
 Olympus. And they found Eros playing at 
 dice with Ganymede, that was the cupbearer 
 of Zeus ; and he laughed aloud, for he had 
 won at his playing, but the other was angry, 
 having lost. And when Aphrodite saw him, 
 she said : " Hast thou defrauded him, after 
 thy wont, that thou laughest ! But come, do 
 now what I shall tell thee, and thou shalt 
 have a fair plaything of Zeus that his nurse 
 Adrastea made for him, a ball with two 
 bands of gold about it ; and none can see the 
 seams of it ; and when thou throwest it it 
 will glitter like a star. And the thing is 
 this : that thou make the maiden daughter of 
 King u:E8etes to love Jason ; and this thou 
 must do without delny, or it profiteth 
 nothing."
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 51 
 
 Then cried Eros, " Give me the ball 
 straightway." But she caught him in her 
 arms and kissed him, and said : " I will not 
 deceive thee ; only do my bidding." Then he 
 took up his bow and passed his quiver on his 
 back, and went his way to the land of 
 Colchis. 
 
 : Meanwhile Jason spoke to the heroes, 
 " Hearken now, and I will unfold my counsel. 
 I will go to the hall of ^Eietes, and the sons 
 of Phrixus with me, and two heroes besides ; 
 and first I will make trial of him, whether he 
 will yield the fleece of gold willingly, for it 
 would be ill to seek to take it by force till we 
 have seen what words can do." To this the 
 heroes agreed ; wherefore Jason departed, 
 taking with him the sons of Phrixus, and 
 Telamon and Augeas ; and as they went 
 Here threw a mist about them till they had 
 passed through the city ; but when they came 
 to the palace of the King, then was the mist 
 scattered ; and they stood in the porch 
 marvelling at the things which they saw, 
 even the mighty gates, and the walls set with 
 pillars, and the cornice of brass above them. 
 
 4—2
 
 b-J. HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 Eound about the threshold grew great vines, 
 and under the vines four fountains that 
 ceased not to flow, whereof one was of milk, 
 and one of wine, and one of sweet-smelling 
 oil-olive, and of water the fourth ; and the 
 water was hot in the winter-tide, and as cold 
 as ice in the summer. In the midst stood the 
 hall, with chambers on either side, two 
 chambers being loftier than the rest, in one 
 whereof dwelt the King and his wife, and in 
 the other Absyrtus his son, whom the Col- 
 chians also called Phaeton, because he excelled 
 all his equals of age. Now two of the 
 chambers were of the King's daughters, 
 Chalciope and Medea ; and it chanced that 
 Medea was now going to the chamber of her 
 sister. Meanwhile came Eros unseen through 
 the air, and stood behind a pillar in the porch, 
 and bent his bow, fitting to it an arrow, the 
 sharpest of all his quiver. And he came 
 lightly into the hall, following close upon 
 Jason, and drew his bow with both his hands, 
 and shot the arrow at Medea, and smote her 
 under the heart. And when he had so done 
 he laughed, and departed from the palace.
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 53 
 
 Then the servants prepared a meal for the 
 sons of Phrixus and for Jason. And when 
 they had bathed, they sat down, and ate and 
 drank and were merry. 
 
 Jason and the sons of Phrixus having 
 eaten well, the King inquired of his grand- 
 sons, saying, " What brings you back ? Did 
 some misfortune overtake you on your 
 journey ? Surely it was not of my bidding 
 that ye went ; for I knew how perilous was 
 the way, having seen it from the chariot of 
 the Sun, my father, when he took Circe, my 
 sister, to the land of Hesperia. But tell me 
 now what befell you, and who are these your 
 companions ?" Then Argus made answer, 
 " Our ship was broken and we scarcely were 
 saved ; and as for these men, they gave us 
 food and raiment, treating us kindly when 
 they heard thy name and the name of Phrixus 
 our father ; and they are come for the fleece 
 of gold, for they say that the wrath of Zeus 
 may not be turned away from the land of 
 Greece till this be brought back. Never was 
 such ship as theirs, for Athene built it ; 
 neither can storm break it, and it is swift
 
 54 HEEOES AND KINGS. 
 
 alike with sails or with oars ; and for a crew 
 it hath all the heroes of the land of Greece. 
 But their chief thinketh not to take the 
 fleece by force, but will make thee due re- 
 turn, subduing under thee thy enemies the 
 Sauromatae. And if thou wouldst hear his 
 name, know that it is Jason, grandson to King 
 Cretheus, whose brother was Athamas, father 
 to Phrixus, and they that are with him are 
 Augeas and Telamon." 
 
 But the King was very wroth when he 
 heard these words, and cried, " Get you out 
 of my sight ! Ye are not come for the fleece, 
 but to spy out the land, that ye may possess 
 my kingdom. Surely, had ye not eaten at 
 my table, I had cut out your tongues and 
 lopped your hands." 
 
 Then Telamon was minded to give the King 
 a fierce answer, but Jason held him back, and 
 spake softly, " 'Tis not as thou thinkest, O 
 King ; we do not desire thy kingdom, but 
 are coming at the bidding of the gods. Also 
 for what we seek we will make thee due re- 
 compense, subduing under thee the Sauro- 
 matre, or whomsoever thou wilt."
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARCO. .'»o 
 
 Then the King doubted awhile whether he 
 should not fall on them straightway with the 
 sword, but afterwards spake again, " If ye 
 be in truth of the race of the gods, I will 
 give you the fleece, for I grudge nothing to 
 brave men. But tirst I must make trial of 
 your strength. There feed in the plain of 
 Ares two bulls, having hoofs of brass and 
 breathing fire from their nostrils. With these 
 I plough the field of Ares, four acres and more ; 
 and, having ploughed it, I sow it with seed — 
 not, indeed, with the seed of corn, but with 
 the teeth of a serpent ; and when these have 
 sprung up into armed men, I slay the men 
 and so finish my harvest. In the morning I 
 yoke the bulls, and in the evening I rest from 
 my reaping. And if ye will do this, ye shall 
 have the fleece of gold ; but, if not, ye shall 
 not have it." 
 
 Then the heroes stood for a while, with 
 their eyes cast upon the ground, speechless, 
 for they knew not what they should say. 
 But afterwards Jason spake, " I will do this 
 thicg, even if I die for it;" And the King 
 answered, "If ye hold back from the plough-
 
 56 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 ing or the reaping it shall be the worse for 
 you." Then Jason and his companions de- 
 parted from the palace ; and Medea looked 
 upon Jason, as he went, from behind her veil, 
 and loved him. And when he was gone she 
 thought to herself of his face, and of the 
 garments wherewith he was clothed, and of 
 the words which he had spoken. But when 
 the heroes were now without the city, Argus 
 spake to Jason, saying, " There is a maiden, 
 the priestess of Hecate, that is skilled in all 
 manner of witchcraft ; and, if she be willing 
 to help you, ye need not fear this task. Only 
 I doubt me much whether I shall prevail 
 with her. Nevertheless, if thou art willing, 
 I will speak with my mother, who is her 
 sister, of the matter." And Jason said, 
 " Speak to thy mother, if thou wilt ; but, if 
 we must put our trust in women, there is 
 little hope of our return." Then they went 
 back to the ship to the rest of the heroes, and 
 told to them the words of the King. And 
 for a while they sat speechless and sad, for 
 the thing seemed greater than they could do. 
 But then rose up Peleus, and cried, " If thou
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE AKQO. 57 
 
 wilt give thyself to this task, son of ^son, 
 it is well ; but if not, and if there be none 
 other of this company that will adventure 
 upon it, yet will I not shrink from it, for a 
 man can but die." And Telamon and the 
 sons of Tyndarus, and Meleager the sou of 
 CEneus, said that they would follow him. 
 Then said Argus, "This can ye do, my friends, 
 if there be no other way. But hearken to 
 me : abide ye yet in your ship , for there is a 
 maiden in the palace of the King whom 
 Hecate hath taught to use all the drugs that 
 are in the earth, so that she can quench fire, 
 and stay winds, and turn the stars from their 
 courses. Maybe my mother will persuade 
 her that she help you. If this counsel please 
 you, I will go to her straightway." 
 
 And as he spake, the birds gave a favour- 
 able sign, for a dove that fled from a hawk 
 fell into the bosom of Jason ; and the hawk 
 fell upon the hinder part of the ship. And 
 when Mopsus saw it, he prophesied, saying, 
 " Ye must make your supplication to the 
 maiden. Nor do I doubt that she will hearken 
 to you ; for did not Phrixus prophesy that
 
 58 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 our help should be in Aphrodite ? And did 
 ye not see how the dove that is her bird hath 
 escaped from death ?" And all the heroes 
 gave heed to his words ; but Idas was very 
 wroth, and cried with a terrible voice, " Will 
 ye look at doves and hawks, and turn back 
 from battle ? Out on you, that ye think to 
 cheat maidens with words, rather than to 
 trust in your spears !" But Jason said, " We 
 will send Argus as he hath said. Only we 
 will not lie hidden here, as if we were afraid, 
 but will go forth." So the heroes brought 
 forth the ship.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE COUNSELS OF MEDE^. 
 
 Meanwhile, King ^'Epetes held a council of 
 the Colchians, to whom he said, " So soon as 
 the oxen have killed, as surely they will kill, 
 the man who shall seek to yoke them, then 
 will I burn these fellows with their ship. 
 For, verily, I had not received Phrixus with 
 hospitality, but for the commands of Zeus ; 
 but as for these robbers, they shall not go 
 unpunished." 
 
 But while he yet spake, Argus went to the 
 palace to his mother Chalciope, and besought 
 her that she should persuade her sister Medea 
 to help the heroes. And this the woman had 
 herseK thought to do ; only she feared the 
 anger of her father. And as they talked, it 
 befell that Medea dreamed a dream, for she 
 had fallen asleep for weariness. And in her
 
 60 HEEOES AND KINGS. 
 
 dream she yoked the bulls right easily ; but 
 her father would not fulfil his promise, say- 
 ing that he had given this task not to maidens 
 but to men ; and hereupon there arose great 
 strife ; but she took part with the strangers, 
 and her parents cried shame upon her. After 
 this she awoke, and leapt in great fear from 
 her bed, saying to herself, " I fear me much 
 lest this coming of the heroes should be the 
 beginning of great sorrows. As for this 
 Jason, let him wed a maiden of his own race ; 
 but I will keep my unmarried state, and abide 
 in my father's house ; yet, if my sister need 
 help for her sons, I will not stand aloof." 
 Then she made as if she would seek her sister, 
 standing barefoot on the threshold of her 
 chamber, yet went not, for shame. Thrice 
 she essayed to go, and thrice she returned, for 
 love drove her on, as shame kept her back ; 
 but one of her maidens spied her, and told 
 the thing to her sister Chalciope. And Chal- 
 ciope came to her and took her by the hand, 
 saying, " Why weepest thou, Medea ? Dost 
 thou fear the wrath of thy father ? As for 
 me, would that I had perished before I saw
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 61 
 
 this day !" And after long silence Medea 
 made answer, speaking craftily, for love so 
 taught her to speak, "My sister, T am troubled 
 for thy sons, lest thy father slay them with 
 these strangers ; for, verily, I have seen 
 terrible dreams in my sleep." So she spake, 
 for she would have her sister pray to her for 
 help for her sons. And when Chalciope heard 
 these words she cried aloud, " O my sister, I 
 beseech thee by the gods, and by thy father 
 and mother, that thou help us in our strait. 
 For, verily, if thou help us not, I will haunt 
 thee as a Fury." Then the two lifted up 
 their voices together and wept. But at the 
 last Chalciope said, " Wilt thou not, for my 
 children's sake, give help to this stranger? 
 Verily, my son Argus is come to beg this 
 thing of me, and he is even now in my 
 chamber." When Medea heard these words 
 she was glad at heart, and said, " My sister, 
 I will surely help thy sons, for they are as 
 brothers to me, and thou as my mother. 
 Wherefore, so soon as it is dark, I will carry 
 to the temple of Hecate such drugs as shall 
 tame these oxen." Then Chalciope went to
 
 62 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 her chamber, and told the tidings to her son 
 that Medea would help them ; but Medea 
 sat alone and lamented over herself, because 
 she was minded to betray her father to do 
 service to a stranger. Nor did she sleep 
 when night came and all the world was at 
 rest, doubting whether she should do this 
 thing or no, and crying, "Would that Artemis 
 had slain me with her arrows before this 
 stranger came to the land !" And she rose from 
 her bed, and looked into the chest wherein 
 her drugs were stored, some being good and 
 some evil. And now she was minded to take 
 from it some deadly thing that she might end 
 herewith her troubles, but there came upon 
 her a great horror of death, for she thought 
 of all the joys that the living possess, but the 
 dead lose for ever ; and also, when she re- 
 garded her face in the glass, she seemed to 
 herself fairer to look upon than before. 
 
 But in the morning she arose and adorned 
 herself, and put a white veil about her head. 
 Tlien she bade her maidens — twelve she had 
 of like age with herself — to yoke the mules to 
 hei' chariot, that she might go to the temj^le
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARUO. 63 
 
 of Hecate. And while they yoked them, she 
 took from the chest the medicine that is 
 called the Medicine of Fronietheus, where- 
 with if a man anoint himself, water shall 
 not hurt him, nor tire burn. This cometh, 
 men say, from a certain flower which grew 
 from the blood of Prometheus when it dropped 
 from the vulture's beak, and the flower is of 
 the colour saffron, having a root like to flesh 
 that is newly cut, but the juice of the root is 
 black. Then she climbed into the chariot, 
 and a maiden stood on either side, but she 
 took the reins and the whip, and drove the 
 horses through the city, and the other maidens 
 ran behind, laying their hands on the chariot ; 
 and the people made way before them as they 
 went. 
 
 And when they were come to the temple, 
 Medea said to her maidens, " Argus and his 
 brethren have besought me to help this 
 stranger in his task, and I made as if I 
 hearkened to their words. But the thing 
 that I am minded to do is this : I will give 
 him some medicine indeed, but it shall not
 
 64 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 be that which he needs, and we will divide 
 his gifts between us. And now he cometh to 
 have speech with me ; do ye, therefore, de- 
 part, and leave us alone." And the counsel 
 pleased the maidens well.
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 MEDEA AIDS JASON— THE FLEECE IS WON. 
 
 Now -when Jason went his way to the temple, 
 Argus and Mopsus, the soothsayer, were with 
 him ; and as they went Mopsus heard the 
 speech of a raven that said, " Verily the 
 prophet is a fool ; if he knew what all men 
 know, will a maid speak kind words to a 
 youth if his companions be with us V And 
 Mopsus laughed when he heard it, and spake 
 to Jason saying, " Go now to the temple of 
 Hecate, and Aphrodite will help thee, but go 
 alone ; and I and Argus will abide where we 
 are." So Jason went forward, and Medea 
 saw him as he came, very beautiful and bright 
 to behold, even as the star Sirius, when it 
 riseth from the sea. But when she saw him 
 her eyes were darkened with fear, and her 
 cheeks burned with a blush, and her knees 
 
 5
 
 66 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 failed under her. But when Jason saw how 
 she was troubled, he spake softly to her : 
 " Fear me not, lady, for I am not of those 
 who speak the thing that is false ; but listen 
 to my words, and give me this medicine that 
 shall strengthen me for my work, as thou hast 
 promised to Chalciope, thy sister. Verily 
 thou shalt not miss thy reward. For thou 
 shalt be famous in the land of Greece ; and 
 all the heroes shall tell of thee, and their 
 wives and mothers, who now sit lamenting 
 upon the shore for those who are far away. 
 Did not Ariadne help King Theseus, and the 
 gods loved her for her kindness, making her a 
 star in the heavens ? So shalt thou be loved 
 of the gods, if thou wilt save this famous 
 company of heroes. And, indeed, thou 
 seemest to be both wise and of a kindly 
 heart." 
 
 And when the maiden heard these words, 
 she took the medicine from her bosom and 
 gave it to Jason, who took it with great glad- 
 ness of heart. Then spake Medea, " Hear, 
 now, O Prince, what thou must do, so soon as 
 my father shall give thee the serpent's teeth
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 67 
 
 to SOW. Wait till it be midiiitrlit ; but liave 
 no companion with thee. Then dig a trench 
 that shall be round of form ; and build in it 
 a pile of wood, and slay on it a ewe sheep, and 
 pour over the sheep a libation of honey 
 to Queen Hecate. After this, depart from 
 the place, and turn not at any sound, or the 
 barking of dogs. But in the morning thou 
 shalt anoint thyself with the medicine ; and 
 it shall give thee the strength of the gods. 
 Anoint also thy spear and thy shield. So the 
 spears of the giants shall not harm thee, nor 
 the fire that the bulls shall breathe. But 
 remember that this strength endurethfor the 
 day only, wherefore slack not thy hand, but 
 finish thy work. And I will tell thee another 
 thing that shall be for thy help. So soon as 
 the giants shall begin to spring uj^ from the 
 furrows wherein thou shalt have sown the 
 teeth, throw secretly among them a great 
 stone ; and it shall come to pass that they 
 will fall upon each other and perish by their 
 own hands. So wilt thou carry away the 
 fleece of gold to the land of Greece, depart- 
 ing when it shall please thee to go." ^ And 
 
 5—2
 
 t)8 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 when she had spoken these words she wept, 
 thinking how he would depart and leave her. 
 Then she spake again : " When thou art 
 come to thy home, remember, I pray thee, 
 Medea, even as I shall remember thee ; and 
 tell me whither thou art minded to go." 
 
 Then Jason made answer, " Surely, lady, I 
 shall not cease to think of thee if only I 
 return safe to my native country. And if 
 thou wouldst fain hear what manner of land 
 it is, know that it is girded about with the 
 hills and feedeth many sheep. The name of 
 him that founded the kingdom is Deucalion, 
 and the name of the city is lolcos." And 
 Medea said, " I would that where thou shalt 
 be there could come some tidings of thee 
 by bird of the air or the like ; or that the 
 winds could carry me thither, that I may 
 know for a certainty that thou hast not 
 forgotten me." Then Jason said, " O lady, 
 if thou wilt come to that land, surely all shall 
 honour thee, and thou shalt be my wife, 
 neither shall anything but death only divide 
 us twain." And when the maiden heard 
 these words she stood divided between fear
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 69 
 
 and love. But Jason said, " Surely now the 
 sun is setting, and it is time to go back, 
 lest some stranger come upon us." So Medea 
 went back to the city, and Jason to the 
 heroes, to whom he showed the medicine that 
 the maiden had given him. And they all 
 rejoiced, save Idas only, who sat apart in 
 great anger. 
 
 The next day Jason sent Telamon and 
 another to fetch from the King the serpent's 
 teeth ; and the King gave them gladly, for 
 he thought that if Jason should yoke the 
 oxen, yet he should not overcome the giants 
 in battle. And when the heroes slept, Jason 
 went alone and did as Medea had commanded 
 him. And when he had finished the sacrifice 
 he departed ; and Queen Hecate came, and 
 there was a great shaking of the earth and a 
 barking of dogs. But Jason looked not 
 behind him, but departed to the heroes. 
 
 On the morrow King ^£etes armed him 
 for the battle, giving him a breastplate which 
 Ares liad given to him, and a helmet of gold 
 with four crests, and a shield of bull's hide, 
 many folds thick, and a spear such as none of
 
 70 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 the others but Hercules only could have 
 borne. And Jason anointed them with the 
 medicine ; which when he had done, all 
 the heroes made trial of the arms, but did 
 them no damage ; and when Idas smote with 
 his sword on the butt of the sj)ear, it bounded 
 back as from an anvil. After this he anointed 
 himself with the medicine, and it was as if his 
 strength had been multiplied tenfold. After- 
 wards he took to himself a helmet and a 
 sword, and so went forth to his labour. And 
 there lay ready to his hand a brazen yoke for 
 the bulls, and a great plough of iron. Then he 
 fixed his spear in the earth, and laid down 
 his helmet, but he himself went on with his 
 shield. But when the bulls saw him they ran 
 forth from their stalls, and all the heroes 
 trembled to behold them ; but Jason stood 
 tirm, holding his shield before him. And the 
 bulls drave their horns against the shield, but 
 harmed him not. And though they breathed 
 lire from their nostrils, for all this the medicine 
 of Medea kept him safe. TJien he took hold 
 of the right-hand bull by the horns, and 
 dragged it down to the yoke, and, kicking its
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 71 
 
 hoof from under it, so brought it to the 
 ground ; and in like manner dealt with 
 the other. And the King marvelled at his 
 strength. Then the heroes helped him with 
 the fastening of the bulls to the plough, for 
 so much was permitted to him. Then he put 
 his shield upon his shoulders and took the 
 serpents' teeth, a helmet full, and drave the 
 bulls before him, which went with a horrible 
 bellowing, and as he made the furrow he 
 threw the teeth into it. Now when the day- 
 was a third part spent he had finished the 
 ploughing ; and he loosed the bulls and went 
 back to the ship, for as yet there had sprung 
 nothing from the furrows. And he took of 
 the water of the river in his helmet and 
 drank, and while he drank the giants sprang 
 up from the furrows. 
 
 Then Jason remembered the words of 
 Medea, and took from the earth a great 
 round stone — of such bigness it ws that four 
 youths could not lift it — and cast it into the 
 midst of the giants. And straightway they 
 fell upon each other with great rage, and 
 Jason sat behind his shield and watched.
 
 rl HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 But when they had been now fighting among 
 themselves for a long while, and many were 
 wounded and many dead, Jason drew his 
 sword and ran among them till he had slain 
 them all. So he finished his work that day ; 
 but the King and his people returned, sad at 
 heart, to the city.
 
 CHAPTEK VIII. 
 
 JASON GAINETH THE FLEECE, AND SO RE- 
 TURNETH TO HIS HOME. 
 
 All that night the King sat with his nobles, 
 meditating harm against Jason and the 
 heroes ; for he knew that the thing had been 
 done by craft, and also that his daughter was 
 concerned in the matter. And Medea also 
 sat grievously troubled in her chamber, fear- 
 ing the wrath of her father ; and oft-time she 
 thought that she had best kill herself with 
 poison. But at last Here put it into her 
 heart that she should flee, taking the sons of 
 Phrixus for companions. Then she arose from 
 her bed, and took the medicines that she had 
 from their chest, and hid them in her bosom. 
 And she kissed her bed and the posts of 
 her chamber doors and the walls. Also she 
 cut off a long lock of her hair, to be a
 
 /4 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 memorial of her to her mother. And when 
 she had done this she cried with a lamentable 
 voice, "Farewell, my mother, and thou, 
 ()halciope, my sister ! Would that this 
 stranger had perished before he came to the 
 land of the Colchians !" Then she went out 
 from the house, the great gates opening before 
 her of their own accord, for she had anointed 
 them with a mighty drug ; and, being come 
 into the street, she ran very swiftly, holding 
 her robe over her head, till she saw the light 
 of the tires where the heroes sat feasting 
 all the night in the joy of the victory that 
 Jason had won. Then she came near, and, 
 lifting up her voice, cried to the youngest of 
 the sons of Phrixus, whose name was Phrontis. 
 And Phrontis heard her, and knew the voice 
 that it was the voice of Medea, and told the 
 thing to Jason. Then Jason bade the heroes 
 be silent ; and they listened. Thrice she 
 cried, and thrice did Phrontis answer hei-. 
 And the heroes loosed the ship and rowed it 
 across the river ; but ere ever it came to the 
 other shore Jason and the sons of Phrixus 
 leapt from the deck on to the laud.
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. lO 
 
 And when Medea saw the brothers, she rau 
 to them, and caught them by the knees, and 
 cried to them, "Save me now from King 
 JE^tes ! yea, and save yourselves also, for all 
 things are now known to him. Let us fly 
 hence in the ship, before he come upon us 
 with a great army. But first I will give the 
 Fleece into your hands, having laid to sleep 
 the dragon that guardeth it. But do thou, 
 Prince Jason, do as thou didst promise, call- 
 ing the gods to witness." And Jason was 
 glad when he saw her, and took her by the 
 hand, and lifted her up, and spake kindly to 
 her, saying, " Dearest of women, now may 
 Zeus and Here his wife, that is the goddess 
 of marriage, be my witnesses that I will take 
 thee to wife so soon as we shall have returned 
 to the land of Greece." Then he bade the 
 heroes row the ship to the sacred grove, 
 for he was minded to take away the fleece 
 that very night, before the King should know 
 of the matter. Then the heroes rowed ; and 
 the Argo passed quickly over the waves till 
 they came to the grove. Then Medea and 
 Jason went forth from the ship, and followed
 
 76 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 the path, seeking for the great bush whereoji 
 the fleece was hung. And in no long space 
 they found it ; for it was like a cloud which 
 the shining of the sun makes bright when he 
 riseth in the East. But before the tree there 
 lay a great serpent, with eyes that slept not 
 night nor day. Horribly did it hiss as they 
 came. But Medea cried aloud to Sleep, that 
 is mightiest among the servants of the gods, 
 that he should help her. Also she called 
 to the Queen of Night, that their undertaking 
 might prosper in their hands. And now the 
 great serpent, being wrought upon by her 
 charms, began to unloose his folds ; yet his 
 head was lifted up against them, and his 
 dreadful jaws were opened. Therefore 
 Medea took a bough that she had newly 
 cut from a juniper tree, and put a mighty 
 medicine upon it, and dropped the drops 
 of the medicine into his mouth, singing her 
 charms all the while. Then sleep came 
 upon the beast, and he dropped his head 
 upon the ground. When Jason saw this, he 
 snatched the fleece of gold from the tree, for 
 Medea had bidden him do it and delay not ;
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 77 
 
 but she stood the while and put the medicine 
 on to the head of the beast, fearing lest 
 perchance he should awake. After this they 
 both departed from the grove ; and Jason 
 carried the fleece with great gladness of 
 heart. A mighty fleece it was, hanging 
 down from his shoulders even to his feet. 
 And as he went the day dawned. And when 
 he was come near to the ship the heroes 
 marvelled to behold him, for the fleece was 
 very bright to look upon. But when they 
 would have touched it, Jason hindered them, 
 and covered it with a covering which he had 
 prepared for it. 
 
 Then Jason said to his companions, " Come 
 now, my friends ; we have accomplished this 
 thing for the which we came to this land. 
 Let us think, therefore, of our return. As to 
 this maiden, I will take her to be my wife in 
 the land of Greece. But do you remember 
 that she has saved all our lives this day. 
 Eow, therefore, with all your might, the half 
 of you ; and let half hold forth your shields 
 to be a defence against the spears of our 
 enemies, if they should come upon us. For
 
 78 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 as ye shall quit yourselves this day, so shall it 
 be whether or no we see again our native 
 country and our homes." Then he cut with 
 his sword the cable of the ship ; bidding the 
 maiden sit by the helmsman Ancaeus. Then 
 the heroes rowed with all their might, and 
 were far away before the King had knowledge 
 of their going. 
 
 Many things they suffered in their journey, 
 and many lands they visited, for the gods 
 suffered them not to return by the way by 
 wliich the}^ went, and some of them perished ; 
 but at the last they brought back the ship 
 Argo to the land of Greece, and the fleece of 
 Gold for which Pelias had sent them. And 
 when they were returned, Prince Jason took 
 Medea to be his wife.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE END OF THE ARGO. 
 
 Though Jasou came back safe with his 
 companions to the land of Greece, yet he and 
 Medea his wife had not peace and happiness ; 
 for the gods loved them not, because they 
 were not true of heart, nor careful to do that 
 which was right. For first of all, Medea 
 deceived her father for love of a stranger ; 
 and next she wrought a wicked deed, such as 
 never a woman in the world had done before. 
 The manner of her doing it was this. When 
 she fled in the ship Argo from the land of 
 Colchis, she took with her her brother, that 
 was a lad of some sixteen years or thereabouts, 
 Absyrtus by nam . For she said to herself, 
 " My father loves this lad ; therefore he shall 
 be to us for a hostage, and we will escape by 
 his means." Now, when King iEetes knew
 
 80 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 that the ship Argo had departed, and that 
 Jason and his companions had taken with 
 him not the golden fleece only, but also his 
 daughter Medea, he was very wroth, and cried 
 to his servants, " Make ready for us ships, 
 that we may pursue after these robbers." So 
 they made ready ships, and launched them. 
 And because the ship Argo had now been 
 beaten by many storms, the oars of the heroes, 
 for all their strength, could not make it pass 
 swiftly through the waters, so that the ships 
 of the Colchians were about to overtake it. 
 And when Medea saw that they were ap- 
 proaching, she said to Jason, " I have a 
 counsel whereby we may escape, if^only thou 
 wilt consent thereto." And he answered, 
 " Say on, for I should be loth to lose the 
 heroes my companions, and the fleece of 
 gold, and thee whom I love." Then said 
 Medea, " I will take this lad, even my 
 brother Absyrtus — for what is he in com- 
 parison of thee ? — and will cut him in pieces, 
 and scatter the pieces upon the sea ; and it 
 shall come to pass that when my father shall 
 see them, he will stay from his pursuing, that
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE AEGO. 81 
 
 he may gather them together and give them 
 burial." To this counsel Jason consented, not 
 willingly ; but Medea over-pei-suaded him, 
 being not only fair to look upon, but ready of 
 speech, and one that could bend all things to 
 her will. So these two slew the lad Absyrtus, 
 and scattered the limbs upon the sea. And 
 it fell out as Medea had said ; for the King 
 tarried to gather the pieces together, and to 
 bury them, so that the ship Argo, being now 
 near to the end of the journey, escaped to the 
 land of Greece. 
 
 After this, Jason came to the land of lolcos, 
 where Pelias was King, looking to receive the 
 kingdom from him ; for Pelias had promised 
 him, saying, " I will give thee this kingdom if 
 thou wilt bring back the fleece of gold from 
 the land of the Colchians." But Pelias delayed 
 to fulfil his promise, saying to Jason, " Thou 
 seest that I am an old man, and that the day 
 of my death is near. Suffer me, therefore, to 
 keep the kingdom till I die, and afterwards 
 thou shalt be King in my room." And the 
 people loved Pelias, for he had reigned over 
 them now many years, but Jason they knew 
 
 6
 
 82 
 
 HEROES AND KINGS.
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 66 
 
 not, for he was a stranger. Nor did they love 
 the foreign woman whom he had taken to be 
 his wife. But when Jason told this thing to 
 Medea, she said, " Trouble not thyself about 
 this matter ; I will order it according to thy 
 liking." So she went to the daughters of the 
 King, and said to them, " The King your 
 father is an old man and feeble, and cannot 
 bear the burden of his kingdom. Will ye 
 that he be made young again ?" And the 
 daughters of Pelias made answer, " How can 
 this be ? Was it ever seen that an old man 
 was made young V 
 
 Then said Medea, " See, now, what I can 
 do with my enchantments, and with certain 
 herbs that I have brought with me from the 
 land of the Colchians, wherein grow many 
 mighty herbs, both bad and good." Then 
 she took a ram that was very old and feeble, 
 and cut him in pieces before their eyes, and 
 put the pieces into a caldron, and filled the 
 caldron with water, and put fire under it till it 
 boiled. And while the water was boiling she 
 sang over it her enchantment, and mixed 
 with it certain herbs that she had. Then she 
 
 6—2
 
 84 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 commanded that they should take the caldroil 
 from oflf the fire, and pour out the water upon 
 the earth. And they did so ; and when they 
 looked, behold, the ram was there, and he was 
 whole, and his youth had come back to him. 
 Then said Medea, " Thus shall ye deal with 
 your father. Cut him in pieces, and boil the 
 pieces in a caldron upon the fire ; and ye shall 
 sing over him the enchantments even as I 
 sang them ; and I will give you herbs of 
 power, that ye may mix with the water." 
 And the daughters of Pelias did so, and sang 
 the enchantment ; and Medea gave them 
 herbs, but these were not herbs of might, nor 
 did they avail anything. 
 
 So King Peleus died by the hands of his 
 daughters, who were deceived by Medea. 
 But Jason received not the kingdom, for the 
 people would not have him to reign over 
 them, but chose Acastus, that was son to 
 Pelias, to be their king. And Acastus drave 
 forth Jason and Medea from the land of lolcos. 
 
 After this Jason and Medea came to the 
 land of Corinth, whereof at this time a 
 certain Creon was king. And when they had
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. 85 
 
 dwelt there for a space, Jason was minded to 
 put away Medea, and to marry the King's 
 daughter, thinking that he should have the 
 kingdom -when Creon should be dead. But 
 when Medea knew of his purpose she was 
 very wroth. Nevertheless, she dissembled 
 her anger, that she might the more easily 
 take vengeance for the wrong that was done 
 to her. Her vengeance she wrought in this 
 ■wise. She took a robe, very beautiful to see, 
 and a crown of gold, and sent them as a 
 marriage gift to the King's daughter by the 
 hands of her sons— for she had borne two 
 sons to Jason. But she put a poison on 
 the robe and on the crown, very deadly, 
 so that whosesoever flesh it should touch, it 
 should burn him like fire. And when the 
 King's daughter had put the robe about her 
 body, and the crown upon her head, so soon 
 as these had grown warm, the poison began 
 to work. So she died, being grievously 
 tormented with pain, and the old man her 
 father died also, for he had caught her in his 
 arms, seeking to help her, and the poison laid 
 hold upon him and slew him.
 
 HEEOES AND KINGS. 
 
 In the meanwhile Medea prayed to the 
 Sun — for the Sun was the father of King 
 ^etes — that he would help her to escape from 
 
 MEDEA 'S CHARIOT. 
 
 the land of Corinth. So the Sun sent to her 
 a chariot drawn by winged dragons, wherein 
 she might fly through the air whithersoever
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO. «/ 
 
 she would. So when Jason came to lay 
 hands upon her, he found her not ; only 
 looking up to the sky, he saw her sitting in 
 her chariot, and her two children with her 
 (only some say that she slew the lads before 
 his eyes), and when she had rebuked him for 
 his falseness, and prophesied to him by what 
 death he should die, she departed in the 
 chariot, and came to the city of Athens. 
 
 As to Jason, his end was this. He walked 
 upon a day by the sea, and coming to a place 
 where the ship Argo was drawn up, he lay 
 down to sleep under the shadow of it. Now 
 the ship was old, and the fastenings of the 
 beams were loosened. So it came to pass 
 that a great timber out of the stern fell upon 
 him, and smote him, that he died.
 
 THE 
 
 MEETING OF GLAUCUS AND 
 DIOMED. 
 
 Among all the Greeks that fought against 
 Troy, there was no man swifter of foot or 
 stronger or braver than Diomed, the son of 
 Tydeus, and none of all the allies that helped 
 the city and King Priam who bare himself 
 more valiantly than Glaiicas the Lycian. Now, 
 it chanced on a time that these two met 
 together, eager to do battle the one against 
 the other in the space that was between the 
 two armies. For Diomed had driven the men 
 of Troy before him all the day, yea, and he 
 had wounded Queen Aphrodite when she 
 would have caught away yEneas, her son, out 
 of the battle, and Ares also, the God of war,
 
 THE MEETING OF GLAUCUS AND DIOMED 89 
 
 when he sought to help the Trojans in their 
 trouble. Nevertheless, when Hector, the son 
 of Priam, passed through the liost, and bade 
 them be of good cheer and bear themselves 
 like men, they stayed from their flight, and 
 turned their faces to their enemies, and stood 
 firm. And the Greeks, when they saw it, 
 gave ground and ceased from slaughter, 
 deeming that one of the immortal gods had 
 come down from heaven to help the men of 
 Troy. Thus it came to pass that there was 
 left a space between the armies ; into which 
 space came forward Glaucus and Diomed. 
 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.
 
 90 HEROES AXD KINGS. 
 
 Through the laud of Nysa did he drive the 
 uursing 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 Lycargus, for all that he thus 
 prevailed, 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. There- 
 fore, 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 
 thy flesh to the fowls of the air, and to the 
 beasts of the field." 
 
 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 bringetli forth others in the springtime. 
 So is it with the generations of men — one 
 goeth, and another cometh. Yet, if thou
 
 THE .MEETING OP GLAUCUS AND DIOMED. 91 
 
 wilt kuow the><e things, hearken unto me. 
 Tliere is in the midst of Argos a certain city, 
 Ephyre, wherein dwelt Sisyphus, son of 
 ^olus, that was the craftiest of men. This 
 Sisyphus begat Glaucus, and Glaucus begat 
 Bellerophon, whom the gods made beautiful 
 and strong above all other men. But Prcetus, 
 who, by the ordering of Zeus, bare rule over 
 the land of Argos, hated him, and drave him 
 forth from 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 tlie 
 King might slay him. So Bellerophon
 
 92 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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- 
 phon to slay the beast which no man could 
 conquer, even the Chimsera. Now this 
 Chimsera 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 Solyrai, 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
 
 THE MEETING OF GLAUCUS AND DIOMED. 93 
 
 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 
 daughter to his wife, yea, and with her the 
 half of his kingdom. The men of Lycia also 
 measured out for him a fair domain of vine- 
 yards and plough-land. And his wife bare to 
 Bellerophon 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, 
 Pisander, 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 Hippo- 
 lochus. He is my father, and he sent me to 
 Troy, saying to me, ' Strive evermore to be
 
 94 HEKOES AND KINGS. 
 
 the first and to overpass other men^ and shame 
 not the house of thy fathers, who held high 
 place in Ephyra and in the broad land of 
 Lycia.' This then, noble Diomed, 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. 
 " Verily, thou art by inheritance a friend of 
 my house. For long ago great CEneus enter- 
 tained Bellerophon in his dwelling, keeping 
 him twenty days. Goodly gifts did they 
 give one to the other. CEneus gave to Bellero- 
 phon a belt richly broidered with purple, and 
 Bellerophon gave to CEneus 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 com- 
 l)anions, fighting against Thebes. Therefore, 
 I am thy friend and host when thou comest 
 to the laud of Argos, and thou art mine if 
 any chance shall bring me to Lycia. But
 
 THE MEETING OF OLAUCUS AND DIOMED. 97 
 
 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 exchange of arms and armour, 
 that both the Greeks and the men of Troy- 
 may know that we are friends by inherit- 
 ance," 
 
 So spake Tydeus. And the two chiefs 
 leapt down from theii' 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.
 
 THE 
 
 EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 
 
 King Agamemnon made a feast for the 
 chief princes of the Greeks, and held counsel 
 with them what were best to be done ; for the 
 battle had gone sorely against them that day, 
 and the men of Troy would have burst through 
 the wall and burned the ships with fire, but 
 that the darkness had fallen before the deed 
 could be accomplifched. Then spake Nestor, 
 the wise old man : " King Agamemnon, to 
 thee I speak, for thou art King over many 
 nations, and Zeus hath given the sceptre into 
 thy hand, and ordained that thou shouldest 
 take counsel for the people. And, because 
 these things are so, therefore shouldest thou 
 hearken if another shall speak that which is
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 99 
 
 profitable. Evil was the day, O King, when 
 thou didst send and take the damsel Briseis 
 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 there- 
 fore 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 born of Zeus is of more 
 worth than whole armies of men ; and verily 
 Zeus loveth this man, seeiog 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 re- 
 compense beyond all telling. And now I 
 will declare 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 
 
 7—2
 
 100 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 horses, that have won prizes in the race by 
 fleetness of foot. No beggar were he, nor 
 without store of precious gold, who should 
 hold all that my horses have won for me. 
 And seven women will T 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, and will swear a mighty oath that I 
 have never come near her. 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 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, 
 Chrysothgmis, and Laodice, 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
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 101 
 
 yet gave to his daughter. And seveu fair 
 cities will I give him, with pasture-lands and 
 vineyards, wherein dwell menthat,;have many 
 Hocks 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 Phoenix, who is beloved of 
 Zeus, lead the way ; and let Ajax the Greater 
 and Ulysses go with him, and two heralds 
 also. 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
 
 102 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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, for so 
 men called the people of Achilles, 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 
 Eetion. 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 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."
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 103 
 
 So spake Achilles, and led theoi forward ; 
 and he bade them sit on seats that were 
 covered with coverlets of purple. Then said 
 he to Patrochis : " 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 Automgdon, 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 awa}', he 
 smoothed down the embers, and laid the 
 spits with the flesh upon the spit-racks above 
 them, sprinkling them first with salt. And 
 when the flesh was broiled, he portioned it 
 forth upon platters ; and afterwards took 
 bread, and set it upon the table in baskets. 
 Then Achilles sat himself down ovei* against
 
 104 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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 Phoenix 
 that he should speak ; but Ulysses per- 
 ceived 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 indeed this day the 
 men of Troy and their allies came near to 
 the ships to burn them with fire. And Zeus 
 shows them favourable signs, even lightning 
 on the right hand. As for Hector, he rages 
 furiously, tiiisting in Zeus, and cares not 
 aught for god or man. Verily, even now is 
 he praying that the morning may appear; for
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 107 
 
 he vows that he will cut off their ensigus 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 fulfil his 
 threats, and doom us to perish here in Troy, 
 far from the plains of Argos. Up, therefore, 
 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 
 Her^ 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 V So 
 the old man gave thee commandment, but 
 thou 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
 
 108 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 twenty sliiuing caldrons, and twelve stout 
 horses that have won much wealth for 
 Agamemnon by fleetness of foot, and seven 
 women, daughters of Lesbos, skilful in handi- 
 work, 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 ; and seven 
 cities shalt thou have, lying all of them near 
 to the sea, a land of vineyards, and corn-fields, 
 whose folk shall pay thee tribute and honour. 
 But if thou yet hate from thy heart Aga- 
 memnon and his gifts, then I pray thee have 
 pity upon the Greeks, who will honour thee 
 even as men 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."
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 109 
 
 To him Achilles fleet of foot made answer : 
 "Son of Laertes, plain shall be my speech, 
 setting forth my thought and the steadfast 
 purpose of my heart ; for I 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 
 thatabidethat home hath equal share with him 
 that 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 toilsome days. Twelve 
 cities laid I waste, sailing thereto on ships, 
 and eleven whereunto I journeyed by land, all 
 in this fair land of Troy ; and out of all
 
 110 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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 priuces 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 
 lad}'' 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 together 
 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 cherisheth 
 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 
 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
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. Ill 
 
 without my help, building a wall and digging 
 a ditch about it, both wide and deep, and 
 setting 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 oak-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-moiTow 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 Helles- 
 pont, 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 bronze and iron, and 
 fair women slaves, my portion of the spoil. 
 My portion they are, but my choicest gift
 
 112 HER0E8 AND KINGS. 
 
 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 ten- 
 fold, 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 persuade me, till 
 he shall have endured like bitterness of soul 
 with mine. And his daughter I will not 
 wed— no, not though she be as fair as golden 
 Aphrodite, and match Athen^ of the flashing 
 eyes in skill of handiwork. Let him choose 
 him, forsooth, from among the Greeks some 
 kiuglier son-in-law than I, and for me, if 
 the gods bring me safe to my home, Peleus 
 shall choose a wife. Many maidens, daughtei-s
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 113 
 
 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 com- 
 parison 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 
 agairst the city of Troy, then shall I return 
 no more to my native country, but my name 
 shall live for ever ; 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 counsel 
 
 8
 
 114 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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 ACHILLES. 115 
 
 forth from the laud of Phthia to King 
 Agamemnon, 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 because 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 
 njy father throughout the land of Hellas. 
 But I was purposed not to abide in his 
 dwelling any more. Then came comrades and 
 kinsmen 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 
 
 8—2
 
 116 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 court, and oue iii the porch before the chamber 
 doors. But wheu 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, 
 Achilles, did I rear to the stature that thou 
 hast. With no man but me wouldst thou go 
 unto the feast, or take thy meat iu the hall ; 
 but I set thee u[;on my knees, and cut the 
 savoury 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 sujffered, 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. 117 
 
 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-offer- 
 ing, 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, Prayer follows behind 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, there- 
 fore, 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
 
 118 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 thee more hereafter, I would not bid thee 
 cease from thy anger, no, not to save the 
 Greeks in their distress. But now he gives 
 thee much and promises 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 
 Kiug (Eneus 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 CEueus, slew 
 the beast, having first gathered many hunters 
 and dogs, for only of many could he be slain,
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 121 
 
 SO mighty was he, and so many did he bring 
 
 to the funeral fires. And when he was slain 
 
 much trouble arose about his head and shaggy 
 
 hide, for the Curetes and JEtolians 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 ^tolians to battle, but 
 
 tarried at home with his wedded wife, 
 
 Cleopatra, 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
 
 122 HEROES AND KINOB. 
 
 anger was this. He was minded to give the 
 spoils of the wild boar to the fair huntress, 
 Atalanta, that 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 foemen about the 
 gates ; and the elders of the iEtolians be- 
 sought 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 JEtolia, even where it was richest, a 
 fair domain of ploughland half, and of vine- 
 yard half. Then the old l^man GEneus be- 
 sought 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 com-
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 128 
 
 rades 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 
 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 
 ^tolians 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 burn- 
 ing. 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
 
 124 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 the gifts, yea, though thou save us from the 
 men of Troy." 
 
 To him Achilles, fleet of foot, made answer : 
 " Phoenix, my father, such honour as this I 
 need not ; already have I honour enough by 
 the giving 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 kingdom. 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 
 Phcenix, 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 nought this day. 
 Let us, therefore, take back the tidings, evil 
 though they be, to them that wait for us. As
 
 THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES. 125 
 
 for Achilles, he hath wrought his soul to fury, 
 and he seeketh not of the love of his com- 
 rades, or of the honour wherewith they 
 honoured him above all others in the host. 
 And yet a man will take fit recompense at the 
 hand of him who hath slain his 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 
 for ever, and all for a damsel's sake. Look ! 
 we ojffer thee seven damsels, 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 seemetli 
 to please me well, great son of Telamon. 
 Nevertheless, 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,
 
 126 HEROES AND KINGS, 
 
 and shall encircle 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.
 
 THE 
 
 BATTLE OF THE GODS. 
 
 The Battle of tl;e Gods happened in this wise. 
 Long time had there been strife among them 
 that dwelt in the halls of Father Zeus, some 
 having a favour for the sons of Troy, and 
 some helping the Greeks. And once Queen 
 Here and Athene, the daughter of Zeus, h ad 
 set on King Diomed to wound Ares and 
 Aphrodite, but never did the gods join battle 
 the one against the other before the day 
 when Achilles came forth to take vengeance 
 for Patroclus, whom Hector and the sons 
 of Troy had slain. Furiously did Achilles 
 rage over the plain, and he drave the sons of 
 Troy before him as a man driveth sheep, till 
 they came to the river of Scamander. And
 
 128 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 when they leapt into the river seeking to 
 escape him, even as locusts fly before a tire 
 that devours them, then Achilles leapt iu 
 also, pursuing them. His spear he left on the 
 bank, and slew them with his sword, smitiug 
 them this way and that, till the water was 
 red with blood. Very wroth was the Kiver 
 to see such slaughter, for he loved the sons of 
 Troy, and first he put courage into the heart 
 of Asteropseus, the Paeonian ; but him 
 Achilles slew, for all that he was the son 
 of a river god and a great watrior that could 
 throw a spear with his left hand even as 
 he threw it with his right. And when the 
 Biver saw that Asteropseus was dead, and 
 that Achilles was slaying many of the 
 Paeouians — 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 them- 
 selves 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
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 129 
 
 with the multitude 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 
 Trojans 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." 
 
 And as he spake he sped on, pursuing the 
 Trojans. Then the Eiver 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 root.-*, 
 
 9
 
 130 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 and tare down the bank, and lay across the 
 river, staying its flow, for it had many 
 branches. Thereupon Achilles leapt out 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 
 Achilles leap ; strong as an eagle was he, the 
 hunter-bird that is the strongest and swiftest 
 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 
 so did the River overtake Achilles, for all 
 that 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 BATTLE OF THE GODS. 131 
 
 the air, it bowed his knees beneath him and 
 devoured the ground from under his feet. 
 Then Achilles looked up to heaven and 
 groaned, crying out : " O Zeus, will none of 
 the gods pity me, and save me from the 
 Kiver ? I care not what else may befall me. 
 Truly my mother has deceived me, saying 
 that I should perish under the walls oi 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 Troy, but now 
 I shall perish miserably in the river, as some 
 herdboy perisheth whom a torrent 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, 
 tremble not, neither be afraid. It is not thy 
 fate to be mastered by the Ptiver. 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
 
 132 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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 
 the stream, nor could the Eiver hold him 
 back ; for Athene \mt great might into his 
 heart. Yet did not Scamander cease from 
 his wrath, but lifted his waves yet higher, 
 and 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 Priam. 
 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 (Ireeks be able to gather
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 133 
 
 his bones together, with such a heap will 
 I hide them. Surely a great tomb will I 
 build for hira ; nor will his people have need 
 to make a mound over him when they would 
 bury him," 
 
 Then he 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 Here greatly feared for him, lest 
 the Kiver should sweep him away. And she 
 cried to Hephsestus, her sou, saying : " Rouse 
 thee, 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 Eiver 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 tire. First it
 
 134 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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 Eiver. 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 Eiver was subdued, and 
 he cried aloud, " O Hephaestus, no one of the 
 gods can match himself with thee. Cease now 
 from consuming 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 boil- 
 ing — 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 Here, entreating her, " O Her(^, why doth 
 thy son torment me only among all ? Why
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 137 
 
 should I be blamed more than others that 
 help the men of Troy ? Yerily, I will cease 
 from helping them, if he also will cease. Nay, 
 I will swear a great oath that 1 will keep no 
 more the day of doom from the sons of Troy ; 
 no, not when all the cities shall be consumed 
 with fire." 
 
 And Queen Her^ heard him, and called to 
 Hephsestus, saying, '* Cease, my son ; it doth 
 not beseem thee to work such damage to a 
 god for the sake of a mortal man." 
 
 So Heph^stus quenched his fire, and the 
 river flowed as he flowed before. 
 
 But among the other gods there arose a 
 dreadful strife, for they were di\dded the one 
 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
 
 138 HEROES AXD KINGS. 
 
 and shameless as a dog ? Dost thou not re- 
 member how thou didst set Diomed, the son 
 of Tydeus, npon 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 ^gis shield — the 
 mighty shield that not even the thunder of 
 Zeus can break. But Athen^ 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 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 1 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.
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 139 
 
 and scarce could he gather liis spirit together. 
 But when Here 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 lier, 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 destroyed the fair city of Troy." 
 
 Then the Great Earthshaker spake to 
 Apollo, " Why stand we apart ? Surely 
 this 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
 
 140 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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 • 
 shaker, thou wouldst not call me wise were I 
 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, eat- 
 ing 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
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE GODS. 141 
 
 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 A^ictory 
 to Poseidon ? 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 
 Poseidon !" 
 
 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 lion for women to 
 slay whom thou wilt. 'Tis better for thee to 
 hunt deer upon the hills than to fight with 
 them that are stronger than thou." 
 
 Then did Here 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
 
 142 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 as a dove ilieth 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 immortal 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, of the dwellers in heaven hath so 
 dealt with thee, my child I" 
 
 And Artemis said : " It was Here, my 
 father, that smote me — Here, that always 
 maketh strife and quarrel among the im- 
 mortal gods."
 
 THE 
 
 FUNERAL GAMES OF PATROCLUS. 
 
 King Agamemnox and the Greeks made a 
 great burjiug for Patroclus. For first they 
 built a pile of wood that was a hundred feet 
 every way, and in the midst they laid the 
 body. And when Achilles had slain many 
 oxen aud sheep, he took the fat and covered 
 the pile therewith. Also he put vessels of 
 honey and of oil about it. And he slew four 
 horses and twelve youths, sons of Troy, whom 
 he had taken for this end, and laid their 
 bodies on the pile. And then he prayed to 
 the North Wind and to the West Wind that 
 they would blow, that the fire might burn 
 the more vehemently. This, indeed, they 
 did, for Iris herself, who was the messenger
 
 144 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 of the gods, fetched them from where they 
 feasted in the West Wind's house. 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 
 ishould contend one with the other. So, 
 having 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, which was very precious in those 
 days. 
 
 First, he would have a contest of chariots 
 and horses, 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
 
 THE FUNERAL GAMES OF PATROCLUS, 147 
 
 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 myself 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 they loved ; 
 therefore they stand gi-ieving sore, and their 
 manes droop to the ground. But contend 
 together ye that will." Then stood up five 
 chiefs J 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 ^neas (but ^neas him- 
 self Apollo delivered from death) ; and third, 
 
 10—2
 
 148 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 Menelaiis, driving his horse Whitefoot and 
 a mare, Flash-of-Fire, which Echepolus of 
 Sicyon 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 Anti- 
 lochus : " 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 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 maybe a 
 boundary. There hath Achilles set the point
 
 THE FUNERAL GA5JES OF PATROCLUS. 149 
 
 of turning. To this keep thou as close as 
 maybe, leaning thyself to the left in thy 
 chariot. And thy off horse thoij 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 Menelars and 
 Meriones and Diomed, in this order. Then 
 Achilles marked the course, making old 
 Phcenix the judge. After this the race 
 began, and the men lifted their whips and 
 smote their 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
 
 150 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 course, at the turning-point, it might be seen 
 which steeds were the better. For the horses 
 of Eumekis 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 wide 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 thrown down, having his elbows 
 and mouth and nostrils sorely bruised, and a 
 wound on his forehead over the eyebrows. 
 Then di<l J3iomed take the first ]jlace with 
 his chariot, and next to him came Menelaiis.
 
 THE FUNERAL GAMES OF PATROCLUS. 151 
 
 But Antiloclius cried td 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 Menelatis 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 Menelatis 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 
 Menelatis feared, and cried : " Why drivest 
 thou so madly, Antilochus ? Stay awhile, 
 and thou canst pass me if thou wilt, where 
 the way 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
 
 152 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 the chariots were abreast, but then Menelaus 
 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 
 Idomeneus 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. 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 :
 
 THE FUNERAL GAMES OF PATEOCLUS. 153 
 
 " 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 nought 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 hav^e answered him 
 again, Achilles suflFered 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 
 Menelaiis by craft and not by speed ; nor, 
 indeed, was Menelaiis 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 quoit's throw behind. But Meriones 
 was vanquished by the flight of a spear, for 
 his horses were the slowest, and he himself less
 
 154 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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 Anti- 
 lochus 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 Astero- 
 pseus 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 cha- 
 riot and thy horses, as the custom is, holding in
 
 THE FUNEEAL GAMES OF PATROCLUS. 155 
 
 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 theii' 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 
 as the rest."
 
 156 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 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 Epeiis, the son of 
 Panopeus, and spake : — Who desireth to take 
 this cup 1 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 arose 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
 
 THE FUNERAL GAMES OF PATROCLUS. 157 
 
 stood together in the midst. Many blows did 
 they deal to each other, so that the noise was 
 dreadful to hear, and the sweat ran down 
 from them. But after a while Epeiis 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 companions 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 oxens' 
 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 w6ary 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
 
 158 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 liad 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 conquerors both, and your 
 prizes shall be equal." 
 
 Xext 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
 
 THE FUNERAL GAMES OF FATROCLUS. 159 
 
 point where the chariots had turued in the 
 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 filth where 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
 
 160 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 help the aged. As for Ajax, he is but a little 
 older than I, but Ulysses is of another genera- 
 tion. 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 talent 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 
 agaiust 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 
 
 I
 
 THE FUNERAL GAMES OF PATROCLUS. 161 
 
 great Asteropseus. As for these arms, the 
 two shall divide them. Also to both will I 
 give a great bauquet in my tent.'' 
 
 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 
 Diomed'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 suie a: raid lor the hero, aud cried 
 out that the battle should ce.ise, ana ih iL the 
 two should have equai rewarus. NcxeiL.ivieoH, 
 the victory was counted i<j Dnjiuad, aua 
 Achilles gave him the sword with tiie 
 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 farthest shall have it for his own. And, 
 verily, he that hath it, though his held be 
 very wide, shall not lack for iron. Five years 
 shall it last, so that neither shepherd uor 
 
 U
 
 162 HEROES AND KINGS, 
 
 ploughman shall need to go to the city to 
 buy." 
 
 Then there rose up to contend Polypcetes, 
 who was of the race of the Lapithae, and 
 Leonteus, his comrade, also Ajax, the son of 
 Telamon, and Epeiis. And first Epeiis cast 
 it, and all the Greeks laughed, for he cast it 
 not far, for all that he was so strong ; and 
 after him Leonteus made trial of it, and next 
 Ajax, overpassing the marks of them that had 
 gone before. But when Polypcetes stood up, 
 lo ! he cast it as far beyond the others as a 
 herdsman flings his staff amoug his herd. 
 And all the people shouted, and the comrades 
 of Polypcetes 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 Idomeneus of Crete. The mark that 
 was set for them was the mast of a ship which
 
 THE FUNERAL GAMES OF PATROCLUS. 163 
 
 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 ; 
 bnt he 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 lie 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, and the bird fell before the feet of the 
 archer. But the bird flew back to the mast 
 wherefrom it had come, and when it had 
 perched on it awhile, its wings failed under 
 
 11—2
 
 161 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 it, and 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 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 Meriones." 
 
 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 
 remembered 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 VISIT OF ULYSSES TO 
 THE DEAD. 
 
 Circe, the goddess, bade Ulysses go down to 
 the dwellings of the dead, that he might see 
 the prophet Tiresias, and inquire of him 
 things to come. So early in the morn Id g 
 Ulysses roused his comrades, saying, "Awake ! 
 have done with sleep, sweet though it be ; 
 and let us go, for so Circe counsels us. So 
 they arose ; but one of them, the youngest of 
 the company, and of little worth either for 
 battle or for counsel, had climbed upon the 
 roof, for coolness' sake, for he was inflamed 
 with wine. And now, forgetting to come 
 down by the ladder, he fell down headlong 
 from the wall, and so brake his neck ; and 
 his soul went down to the dwellings of the
 
 166 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 dead. And when his comrades were as- 
 sembled, Ulysses spake to them, saying : 
 " Ye think that ye are about to go back 
 to Ithaca, but Circe has ordered for us 
 another journey, even to the dwellings of the 
 dead, that we may inquire of the Teiresias, the 
 prophet of Thebes." 
 
 Sorely were the men troubled to hear these 
 tidings ; and they sat upon the ground, 
 groaning and tearing their hair. And while 
 they sat came Circe, and tethered by the 
 ship's side a ram and a ewe, black both of 
 them ; but they saw her not. After a while 
 they made the ship ready for sailing, and put 
 the black sheep on board, and so departed ; 
 and Circd sent a wind from behind that 
 filled the sails ; and all the day through the 
 ship passed quickly over the sea. 
 
 And when the sun had set they came to 
 the utmost border of the ocean, where the 
 Cimmerians dwell, being compassed about 
 with mist and cloud. Never doth the sun 
 behold them, either when he climbs into the 
 heaven, or when he descends therefrom ; but 
 darkness surrounds them. Then Ulysses
 
 THE VISIT OF ULYSSES TO THE DEAD, 167 
 
 bade two of his comrades make ready the 
 sheep for sacrifice ; and he himself dug a pit 
 of a cubit every way, and poured in it 
 a drink offering of honey and milk, and sweet 
 wine, and water, and sprinkled barley upon 
 the drink-offering. Afterwards he took the 
 sheep and slew them, that their blood ran 
 into the trench. And the sons of the dead 
 were gathered to the place, maidens, and old 
 men who had borne the sorrows of many 
 years, and warriors that had been slain in 
 battle, having their arms covered with blood. 
 All these gathered about the pit with a 
 terrible cry ; and Ulysses was sore afraid. 
 Then he bade his comrades flay the carcases 
 of the sheep and burn them with fire, and to 
 pray to the gods of the dead ; but he himself 
 sat down by the pit's side, and would not 
 suffer the souls of the dead to come near 
 unto the blood until he had inquired of 
 Teiresias. 
 
 First of all came the soul of his comrade, 
 Elpenor. Then said Ulysses, " How comest 
 thou hither, Elpenor, to the land of darkness ] 
 and how have thy feet outstripped my ship ?
 
 168 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 Then said Elphenor, " I fell from the roof 
 of the palace of Circe, not bethinking me of 
 the ladder, and so brake my neck. But now, 
 I pray thee, if thou lovest wife and father 
 and son, forget me not, when thou returnest 
 to the island of Circe, neither leave me 
 without lamentation or burial. Burn me 
 with fire and my arms with me ; and make a 
 mound for me by the shore of the sea, that 
 men may hear of me and of my fate in after 
 time. And set up my oar upon my tomb, 
 even the oar which I was wont to ply 
 among my comrades." 
 
 Then said Ulysses, " All this shall be done 
 as thou desirest." 
 
 After him came to Ulysses the sons of his 
 mother, whom he had left alive when he 
 sailed to Troy. Sorely he wept to see her, 
 yet suftered her not to come near and drink 
 of the blood till he had inquired of Teiresias 
 Then came Teiresias, holding a golden sceptre 
 in his hand, and spake, saying : " Why hast 
 thou left the light of day and come hither to 
 this land of the dead, wherein is no delight ? 
 But come, depart from the pit, and take
 
 THE VISIT OF ULYSSES TO THE DEAD. 169 
 
 away thy sword, that I may come near and 
 tell thee true." 
 
 So Ulysses thrust his sword into the 
 scabbard ; and Teiresias drank of the blood ; 
 and when he had drunk, he spake. " Thou 
 seekest to hear of thy going back to thy 
 home. Know, therefore, that it shall be with 
 peril and toil. For Poseidon will not easily 
 lay aside his wrath against thee, because thou 
 didst take from his dear son the Cyclops the 
 sight of his eye. Yet for all this ye may yet 
 come safe to your home, if only thou canst re- 
 strain thyself and thy comrades when ye come 
 to the island of the Three Capes, and find there 
 the oxen and the sheep of the sun. If ye let 
 them be and harm them not, then may ye yet 
 return to Ithaca, though it be after grievous 
 toil. But if not, then shall ye perish. And 
 if thou escape thyself, after long time shalt 
 thou return, having lost all thy comrades, 
 and the ship of strangers shall carry thee ; 
 and thou shalt find trouble in thy house, 
 even men of violence that will devour thy 
 substance while they seek thy wife in marriage. 
 And -when thou shalt have avenged thyself on
 
 170 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 these, whether it be by craft, or openly with 
 the sword, then take thine oar and travel till 
 thou come into the laud of men that know 
 not the sea, and eat not their meat mingled 
 with salt, and have never looked on ships nor 
 on oars, which are as the wings of ships. 
 And this shall be a clear token to thee, when 
 another traveller, meeting thee in the way, 
 shalt say that thou bearest a winnowing fan 
 upon thy shoulders : then fix thine oar in the 
 ground and do sacrifice to Poseidon, even 
 a sheep and a bull, and a boar. And after- 
 wards return to thy home, and offer sacrifice 
 of a hundred beasts to all the gods. And 
 death shall come to thee far from the sea, 
 very gentle, and thou shalt die in thy old age, 
 with thy people dwelling in peace about thee." 
 
 Ulysses made answer : " So be it, Teiresias. 
 All these things the gods have ordered after 
 their own will. But tell me this. Here 
 I see the soul of my mother that is dead ; and 
 she sits near the blood, but regards me not, 
 nor speaks to me. How can she know me, 
 that I am indeed her son 1" 
 
 Then said Teiresias, " Whomsoever of the
 
 THE VISIT OF ULYSSES TO THE DEAD. 171 
 
 dead thou shalt suffer to drink of the blood, 
 he will speak to thee ; but -whomsoever thou 
 sufferest not, he will depart in silence." 
 
 So Ulysses abode in his place ; and the 
 soul of his mother came near, and drank 
 of the blood. And when she had drunk, she 
 knew her son, and said^ " My son, why hast 
 thou come into the land of darkness, being 
 yet alive ? Hast thou not yet returned to 
 thy home ?" 
 
 To her Ulysses made answer. "I came 
 hither to inquire of Teiresias of Thebes, and 
 my home have I not seen. Truly trouble 
 hath followed me from the day that I lirst 
 went with King Agamemnon to the land of 
 Troy. But tell me, how didst thou die 
 Did a wasting disease slay thee, or Artemis 
 smite thee with sudden stroke of her arrow ? 
 And my father and my son, have they enjoy- 
 ment of that which is mine, or have othei-s 
 taken it from them 1 And my wife, is she 
 true to me, or hath she wedded some Prince 
 among the Greeks ?" 
 
 Then said his mother, "Thy wife is true, 
 and sits weeping for thee day and night. And
 
 172 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 thy son hath enjoyment of thy possessions, 
 and hath his due place at the feasts of the 
 people. But thy father cometh no longer to 
 the city, but abideth in the country. Nor 
 hath he any couch for his bed, but in winter- 
 tide he sleeps, even as sleep the slaves, in the 
 ashes near unto th^ fire, and when the 
 summer comes, in the corner of the vineyard 
 upon leaves. Greatly doth he sorrow, wait 
 ing for thy return, and the burden of old age 
 lies heavy upon him. But as for me, no 
 wasting disease slew me, nor did Artemis 
 smite me with her arrows ; but I died of 
 longing for thee, so sorely did I miss thy 
 wisdom and thy love." 
 
 Then Ulysses would have laid hold upon 
 the soul of his mother. Thrice he sprang 
 forward, eager to embrace her ; and thrice 
 she passed from out his hands, even as 
 passeth a shadow. And when he said " How 
 is this, my mother ? art thou then but a 
 phantom, that the Queen of the dead hath 
 sent me V 
 
 His mother answered him : " Thus it is 
 with the dead, my son. They have no more
 
 THE VISIT OF ULYSSES TO THE DEAD. 173 
 
 any flesh and bones ; for these the might of 
 the fire devours ; but their souls are even as 
 dreams flying hither . and thither. But do 
 thou return so soon as may be to the light, 
 and tell all that thou hast seen and heard to 
 thy wife." 
 
 After these two had ended their talk, there 
 came to Ulysses, of the sending of Queen 
 Persephon6, the souls of the famous women 
 that had been of old. And he sufi'ered them 
 to come near one by one, and drink of the 
 blood ; and each, when she had drunk, told 
 him her name and her lineage. Thus he saw 
 Alcmena, that bare Hercules to Zeus, and 
 Chloris, that was mother of Nestor, the wisest 
 of mortal men, and Leda, whose sons were 
 Castor, the tamer of horses, and Pollux, the 
 mighty boxer, and Iphimedia, wife of Aloeus, 
 who bare Otus and Ephialtes, tallest of mortal 
 men, and fairest fi'.so, after noble Orion. 
 Tallest they were ; for, being but nine years 
 old, they had fifty-aud-four feet of height, 
 and of breadth fifteen. These were minded 
 to make war upon the gods, purposing to set 
 Ossa on Olympus, and Pelion, with all its
 
 174 HKROES AND KINGiS. 
 
 woods, upon Ossa. So they purposed ; and 
 verily they had done so, had they come to 
 their full growth ; but the son of Zeus, whom 
 Latona bare to him, slew them with his 
 arrows before the down had grown upon their 
 cheeks. Ariadne also did Ulysses see, daughter 
 of King Minos, whom Theseus carried away 
 from the land of Crete, and would have 
 wedded her, but Artemis smote with her 
 arrows ; and Eriphyle that sold the life of her 
 husband for gold. These he saw, and many 
 others also, wives and daughters oflheroes. 
 
 And when these had departed, for Queen 
 Persephone bade them go even as she had 
 sent them, there came the soul of Agamemnon, 
 son of Atreus. Sorely grieving it came, and 
 about it were the souls of all that had perished 
 together with him by the evil craft of 
 ^^gisthus. And when his s])irit had drunk 
 of the blood it knew Ulysses, and stretched out 
 its hands to him, seeking to lay hold of him, 
 but could not, for it was a shadow only, and 
 had no substance in it. And when Ulyases 
 saw it he had pity on the King, and spake : 
 " Tell me. King Agamemnon, that was greatest
 
 THE VISIT OF ULYSSES TO THE DEAD. 175 
 
 of all the Kings of the earth, what doom of 
 death hath come upon thee ? Did Poseidon 
 raise a mighty storm against thee, and break 
 thy ships ? or did men slay thee on the land, 
 when thou wast seeking to drive away their 
 cattle and sheep or to take their city by 
 force ?" 
 
 To him Agamemnon made answer : "Neither 
 did Poseidon break my ships, nor did men 
 slay me upon the land, but ^gisthus contrived 
 death against me ; he and my accursed wife 
 together took counsel against me. He called 
 me to a feast, and after the feast he slew me 
 as a man smiteth an ox at the manger. Thus 
 did I die in lamentable fashion, I and my 
 comrades about me ; for they were slain with- 
 out mercy, as swine are slain in some rich 
 man's house for a marriage, or a common 
 feast, or a banquet. Verily, I have seen the 
 deaths of many men, of whom some were 
 slain alone, and some in the press of the 
 battle ; but never saw I slaughter so piteous 
 as this, when about the mixing bowls of wine, 
 and the tables laden with meat, we lay 
 dying in the hall, and the pavement ran with
 
 176 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 blood. And as I lay, I heard the very piteous 
 voice of Cassandra, the daughter of Priaui, 
 whom Clytsemnestra, my wife, slew for my 
 sake. Then I laid my hands upon my sword, 
 even as I was dying, and would have raised 
 it for a stroke. And she, my evil wife, stood 
 apart, neither would she close my eyes or my 
 mouth. Surely there is nothing on the earth 
 more terrible or shameless than a woman. 
 For think what a deed this woman did — con- 
 triving death against her own husband. And 
 I had thought that I should come a welcome 
 guest to mj' children and my household ; and 
 lo ! the greeting that I had ! Verily this 
 woman hath wrought that which shall be a 
 shame for all women hereafter, even for them 
 that shall do righteously." 
 
 Then Ulysses made answer, " Verily, Zeus 
 hath wrought great evil to this house by 
 means of the race of women. Many they 
 were that were slain in war for Helen's sake, 
 and ClytaBmnestra also contrived death for 
 thee." 
 
 Then King Agamemnon spake again. 
 " Mind that thou be not gentle with any
 
 THE VISIT OF ULYSSES TO THE DEAD. In 
 
 woman whatsoever, nor tell to any all thy 
 counsel, but rather show a part and hide a 
 part. Nevertheless, Ulysses, thy doom shall 
 not come to thee from thy wife, for Penelope, 
 the daughter of Icarus, is good and wise. 
 We left her, I mind me, a newly married wife 
 in thy house, when we sailed for Troy ; and 
 she had thy young son upon her breast. Now, 
 i take it, he hath come to man's estate. 
 Happy is he, for his dear father will see him 
 when he cometh to his home, and they two 
 shall clasp each other in their arms as father 
 and son should do. But as for me, my wife 
 suffered me not to satisfy my eyes with look- 
 ing on my son, but slew me first ! And 
 hearken thou again to this thing that I tell 
 thee. When thou comest back to thy native 
 land, come not openly, but in secret, for women 
 men may trust no more. Eemember thou 
 this, and tell me also ; didst thou hear per- 
 chance of my son Orestes, that he lived, when 
 thou wast in Pylos, maybe, or in bparta, 
 with my brother Menelaiis 1 For surely he is 
 yet alive." 
 
 Then said Ulysses, " Ask me not concerniDg 
 
 12
 
 178 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 him, for I know not whether he be alive or 
 dead ; and it is ill to speak things that profit 
 not." 
 
 So these two spake together ; and after- 
 wards there came other souls, as of Achilles, 
 and of Patroclus, and of Antilochus, that was 
 eldest son of King Nestor, and of Ajax, that 
 was the strongest of all the Greeks after the 
 son of Peleus. 
 
 And first Achilles spake to him in a piteous 
 voice. " What marvellous deed is that thou 
 hast done, son ot Laertes ? How didst tliou 
 dare to come down to the land wherein dwell 
 the spirits of the dead ?" 
 
 To him Ulysses made answer : " I came 
 hither, Achilles, to inquire of Teiresias the 
 seer, if he would show me some counsel by 
 which I might return to Ithaca. For I have 
 not yet attained to the land of Greece, nor to 
 my native land, but wander about in trouble 
 without end. So evil is my doom ; but there 
 never hath been man that was happier than 
 thou, no, nor shall be hereafter ; for while 
 thou wast yet alive, we Greeks honoured thee, 
 as men honour a god, and now that thou art
 
 THE VISIT OF ULYSSES TO THE DEAD. 179 
 
 dead, thou ai-t the king of all the folk that 
 dwell herein." 
 
 But Achilles answered him forthwith : 
 " Speak to me, Ulysses, no comfortable words 
 about death. Verily, I would desire to serve 
 for hire some man of little substance, that had 
 but scant provision for his house, so that 
 I might be alive upon the earth, rather than 
 be king over all the dead. But come, tell me 
 tidings of my son, if thou hast any. Did he 
 go to the war to be the tirst among the 
 Princes ? Tell me also of the old man Peleus, 
 my father. Doth he yet hold his place of 
 honour among the Myrmidons ? or do they 
 make him of little account because old age 
 hath come upon him, taking from him the 
 swiftness of his feet and the strength of his 
 hands 1 Verily, if I could come to help him 
 under the light of the sun, being such as 
 I was m the old days, when I slew heroes 
 without number before the walls of Troy, 
 verily, I say, I would hinder them who do 
 him violence, and keep him from the honour 
 that is his." 
 
 Then Ulysses made answer, " Of Peleus I 
 
 12—2
 
 180 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 have heard nothing ; but of thy son Neopto- 
 lemus I will tell thee all the truth as thou 
 wouldst have me do. I brought him myself 
 from the island of Scyros to Troy, to the host 
 of the Greeks. And when he came among us, 
 he was behind no man in counsel. And 
 in battle he never abode in the crowd, but 
 was ever foremost, and slew many in the host 
 of the Trojans. T could not tell their names, 
 so many they were ; but the chiefest of 
 all was Eurypylus, the Mysian, that was son 
 to King Telephus, and was the fairest of men 
 that ever I beheld, save only Memnon, the 
 son of the Morning. And when we entered 
 into the Horse of Wood, that Epeiis wrought 
 for the Greeks, that we might take the city of 
 Troy, then all the other Princes of the Greeks 
 wept sore, and trembled for fear, but he 
 alone grew not pale at all, nor wiped a tear 
 from his cheek, but was ever longing to 
 go forth from the horse, and had his hand 
 upon the hilt of his sword, purposing evil 
 against the men of Troy. And when we 
 sacked the fair city of King Priam, then 
 he liad a goodly jjortion of the spoil, and
 
 THE VISIT OP ULYSSES TO THE DEAD. 181 
 
 sailed home therewith in his ship, nor was he 
 wounded at all with spear or sword, as oft- 
 times chanceth to men in the press of the 
 Imttle." So spake Ulysses, and the soul of 
 Achilles departed with great strides through 
 the meadow of asphodel, very glad because 
 his son had won for himself much renown in 
 war. 
 
 The souls of other heroes also spake to 
 Ulysses, and told their grief, but Ajax, the 
 son of Telamon, stood apart and kept silence. 
 For he was wroth because Ulysses had 
 prevailed over him when they two had 
 contended together for the arms of Achilles. 
 And Ulysses said, " Art thou, great Ajax, 
 still angry by reason of these accursed arms ? 
 Surely the gods made them a trouble to the 
 Greeks, seeing that they caused thee, who 
 wast a very tower of strength to the host, to 
 perish. Truly the Greeks mourned for thee, 
 even as they mourned for Achilles, the sou of 
 Peleus. Yet blame not me, therefore, I pray 
 thee, but Zeus, who bare a grudge against 
 the Greeks ; and come hither and speak with
 
 182 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 But Ajax spake not a word, bat departed. 
 
 After this, Ulysses saw King Minos sitting 
 on a throne holding a sceptre of gold in his 
 hand. Thus he sat and judged the dead. 
 
 Also he saw the giant Orion driving the 
 beasts together as a hunter drives them 
 in a meadow of asphodel, and he held in 
 his hand a great club wrought wholly of 
 bronze. 
 
 And he saw Tityos, the mighty son of 
 Earth. On the ground he lay, and covered 
 seven furlongs Two vultures sat by him 
 and tare his liver ; nor could he keep them 
 from him with his hands. 
 
 Tantalus also he saw, that was in very 
 grievous plight ; for he stood in a pool, and 
 the water came near unto his chin ; but when 
 be would drink thereof, being sore athirst, he 
 could not. For so often as he stooped forward 
 to drink, so often the water was swallowed up 
 by the earth, and the ground was seen about 
 his feet. Trees also of fair fruitage hung over 
 liis head, pears and pomegranates, and apples 
 very fair to behold, and sweet figs and olives ; 
 but so often as he reached his hand to lay
 
 THE VISIT OF ULYSSES TO THE DEAD. 183 
 
 hold of them, so ofteu the wind bore them 
 away even to the clouds. 
 
 And Sisyphus he saw, and he also was in 
 sore distress. For with both his hands he 
 grasped a great stone, seeking to push it up 
 the side of a hill. With much toil of knees 
 and arms he pushed it, but so soon as it came 
 near to the top, then it brake from him and 
 leapt down very swiftly to the bottom of the 
 hiU. 
 
 Last of all, he saw the shadow of Hercules, 
 his shadow only, for the hero himself sat and 
 feasted with the gods above, having Hebe to 
 wife, the daughter of Zeus. And all about 
 him there was a great crying of the souls, as 
 is the crying of birds ; and he, with a coun- 
 tenance dark as night, stood with his bow in 
 his hand and an arrow ever on the string, 
 looking with a dreadful purpose in his eyes 
 like one about to shoot ; and about his heart 
 was a buckler of gold, and marvellous things 
 wrought thereupon, bears, and wild boars, 
 and lions with glaring eyes, battles also, and 
 terrible slaughters of men. And the shade 
 of Hercules spake to Ulysses, saying, " Tell
 
 184 HEROEa AND KINGS. 
 
 me, hast thou also such an evil lot on earth 
 as Zeus gave to me. For he put me under 
 the dominion of a churl that ever set me hard 
 labours to perform. Yea, and he sent me 
 hither to fetch hence the dog of Hell, think- 
 ing that he could give me no harder task than 
 this. But I brought him up from Hell to the 
 light of day, for Hermes and Atlien6 helped 
 me ou my way." 
 
 So spake the shade of Hercules and de- 
 parted. Then Ulysses waited awhile, if haply 
 he might see the souls of other heroes that 
 had lived in old time ; but as he stood, lo ! 
 there came about him thousands and thousands 
 of the dead with a terrible cry, and he was 
 sore afraid. For he feared lest the great 
 Queen Persephon^ should send against him 
 the terrible head of the Gorgon. Therefore 
 he departed from his place, and bade his com- 
 rades embark upon the ships and loose the 
 ropes. And they embarked and sat upon the 
 benches ; and the great stream of Ocean bare 
 them onward, rowing at the first, and after- 
 wards hoisting the sails.
 
 THE 
 
 TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 
 
 Prince Ulysses, coming back to his home 
 in the twentieth year after that he had left it, 
 found therein a company of godless men that 
 had wasted his substance. For these had come 
 from the islands round about seeking his wife 
 in marriage, for they thought that he himself 
 was dead, and they had made merry in his 
 hall, devouring that which was not theirs. 
 Therefore Ulysses slew them, Athene helping 
 hira, he and his son Telemachus, and Eumpeus, 
 that was the keeper of the swine. These 
 therefore being slain, Hermes led their souls 
 down to the dwellings of the dead, having in 
 his hand the rod of gold wherewith he toucheth 
 the eyes of men, causing some to sleep and
 
 186 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 some to wake, and led them down, and they 
 followed after with a clattering noise, like to 
 the noise of bats when they fly to and fro in 
 a cavern. Then they went along the dark 
 waters of death, by the side of the stream of 
 Ocean, and the gates of the Sun and the land 
 of dreams, till they came to the meadow of 
 asphodel, where dwell the spirits of them that 
 have lived their life. There they saw the 
 spirit of Achilles, and of Patroclus, and of 
 Antilochus, son of Nestor, and of Ajax ; and 
 after these the spirit of Agamemnon, and 
 with him they that had perished in his com- 
 pany by the hand of --JEgisthus. 
 
 Then spake Achilles to Agamemnon. " Truly, 
 son of Atreus, men were wont to say that 
 Zeus loved thee above all others, making thee 
 ruler over many valiant men in the land of 
 Troy. Nevertheless, the doom of death came 
 upon thee after an evil sort. Better hadst 
 thou died before the walls of Troy, for then 
 had the Greeks raised for thee a mighty 
 tomb !" 
 
 To him the spirit of Agamemnon made 
 answer : " Happy wert thou, son of Peleus, in
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 189 
 
 that thou diedst far away from the land of 
 Greece. Many valiant men of the sons of 
 Troy and of the Greeks were slain around 
 thee, where thou wast lying with the dust of 
 thebattle about thee, forgetting all thy craft 
 of war. All that day we fought, and had not 
 ceased but that Zeus stayed the battle with a 
 whirlwind. Then we carried thee back to 
 the ships, and laid thy body on a bed, and 
 washed it with water and anointed it with 
 ointment. And even as we sat weeping about 
 thee, came thy mother with the deathless 
 daughters of the sea ; and we heard a terrible 
 voice and were sore afraid. Then had we fled 
 to the ships, but that Nestor, the wise old 
 maD, stayed us, saying, ' Tarry ye here, sous 
 of the Greeks, for the mother of Achilles 
 Cometh with the daughters of the sea to 
 mourn for her son.' 
 
 " Then we feared no more ; and the 
 daughters of the sea stood about thee, making 
 lamentation, and put on thee clothing of the 
 gods. And the nine Muses sang thy dirge, 
 answering one the other with a very lovely 
 voice ; and there was not one of the Greeks
 
 190 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 but wept, so sweetly did they sing. Seveu- 
 teen nights and days as many we bewailed 
 thee, gods and men mingled together ; and 
 on the eighteenth day, we kindled a great tire 
 and burnt thy body. Many sheep and oxen 
 did we slay ; and thou didst lie upon the pile 
 with the garments of the gods about thee, 
 being anointed with much ointment and 
 honey ; and the chiefs ran round the burning 
 pile clad in their armour, and the cry of the 
 host went up to heaven. And when the 
 llame had consumed thy body, then we 
 gathered thy white bones together and laid 
 them in an urn of gold that thy mother had 
 brought, for Dionysus had given it to her, 
 and it was the Fire-god's workmanship. And 
 with thy bones were mingled the bones of Patro- 
 clus; and near to them but apart were the bones 
 of Nestor's son, Antilochus, whom thou didst 
 love beyond all thy comrades, save Patroclus 
 only. And for you three the Greeks made a 
 great tomb upon a jutting rock, near to the 
 Hellespont, that men who pass thereby may 
 see it f»n- all time to come. And thy mother 
 brouglit prizes for which the sons of the
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 191 
 
 Greeks might contend in running, wrestling, 
 and the like. Truly I have seen the burying 
 of many men, when the young men gird up 
 their loins to contend together, doing honour 
 to some King that is dead, but never have I 
 seen such a burying as thine, so fair were the 
 prizes that Thetis of the silver foot set before 
 the chiefs of the host. Verily thou wast dear 
 to the gods, and thy name shall be famous for 
 ever ; but as for me, I died an evil death by 
 the hands of ^gisthus and of my accursed 
 wife." 
 
 Thus did they speak together. And mean- 
 while the souls of the suitors came near, an 
 exceeding great company. And the heroes 
 marvelled to see them. And when King 
 Agamemnon looked upon them he knew 
 Amphimedon ; for he had been his guest- 
 friend in old time. And he said : " Tell me, 
 Amphimedon, how is this that ye come hither 
 in this fashion, chiefs all of you, and all of 
 you of equal age. Did Poseidon slay you on 
 ship-board, raising stormy winds and great 
 waves of the sea against you ? or did ye fall 
 by the hand of the enemy on the land i Tell
 
 192 HEROKS AND KINGS. 
 
 me, I pray thee, for thou' art a friend by 
 inheritance. Dost thou not remember how I 
 came, and my brother Menelaiis with me, to 
 thy house of thy father, that we might per- 
 suade Ulysses to go with us against Troy ?" 
 
 To him Amphimedon made answer : " All 
 this I remember. And as to the fashion of our 
 death, I will tell thee truly. We sought the 
 wife of Ulysses in marriage, thinking that he 
 was dead. But she would none of our wooing, 
 but devised this device. She set up a great 
 loom and said : ' Suffer me to tarry till I have 
 made a shroud for the burial of Laertes, that 
 is father to my husband ; that I may have no 
 reproach among the daughters of the Greeks. 
 And when I have made it, then will I marry 
 the one whom I shall choose !' And when we 
 had consented thereto, she deceived us, for she 
 wrought the shroud by day, but at night she 
 undid all that she had wrought. So she 
 deceived us for the space of three years ; and 
 in the fourth year we discovered her deceit. 
 And after this an evil fate brought Ulysses to 
 his home again ; and he, and his son Tele- 
 machuH and Eumseus, the swineherd, con-
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 19 o 
 
 trived our ^death. For he bade (^)iieeii 
 Penelope bring forth the bow that was his, 
 and say that whosoever should bend it he 
 should be her husband. So we took the bow, 
 bat there was not one of us that could bend 
 it ; but when Ulysses took it in his hand he 
 bent it right easily. Then he stood on the 
 threshold of the chamber, and shot arrows 
 against us. Antinoiis first of all he slew, and 
 the rest afterwards, so that not one of us was 
 left alive. And now our bodies lie uncared- 
 for in his hall, nor is there anyone to mourn 
 for us or to bury us." 
 
 Then said Agamemnon, " Happy art thou, 
 Ulysses, and mightily hast thou avenged thy 
 wife. And she verily hath a heart that is 
 good and true. Never shall her fame perish 
 from among men. But as for Clytsemnestra 
 she shall have an evil report for ever because 
 she slew her husband." 
 
 So these spake together in the dwellings of 
 the dead. Meanwhile, Ulysses went forth 
 from his palace to the dwelling of Laertes, 
 that was in the fields. There the old man 
 dwelt, and a woman of Sicily cared for him. 
 
 13
 
 194 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 And Ulysses spake to his son and to the 
 shepherds, saying, "Go ye into the house 
 and prepare a meal of swine's flesh, as savoury 
 as may be ; and I will make trial of my 
 father, whether he will know me. For it 
 may well be that he hath forgotten me, seeing 
 that I have been now a long time absent." 
 
 So spake Ulysses, and gave also his arms to 
 the men to keep for him. So they went into 
 the house. And Ulysses went to the orchard, 
 making search for his father. There he found 
 not Dolius, that was steward to Laertes, nor 
 any one of his servants, nor of his sons, for 
 they were gone to make a fence about the 
 field. Only the old man he found ; and he 
 was busy digging about a tree. Filthy was 
 the tunic that he had about him and sewn 
 with thread ; and he had coverings of ox-hide 
 on his legs to keep them from the thorns, and 
 gloves upon his hands, and a cap of dogs'- 
 skin on his head. And when Ulysses saw 
 him, how that he was worn with old age and 
 very sorrowful, he stood under a pear-tree 
 and wept. Then for a while he took counsel 
 with himself, whether he should kiss his
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 195 
 
 father and embrace him, and make himself 
 known, and tell him how he had come back 
 to his home, or should first inquii*e of him, 
 and learn all that he would know. And he 
 judged it best first to inquire. So he came 
 near to the old man ; and the old man was 
 digging about a tree, having his head bent 
 down. 
 
 Then said Ulysses : " Verily, old man, thou 
 wantest not in skill to deal with an orchard. 
 And truly, neither fig, nor vine, nor olive, 
 nor pear may flourish in a garden without 
 care. But yet another thing will I say to 
 thee, and be not thou wroth when thou 
 hearest it. Thy garden indeed is well cared 
 for, but thou thyself art in evil plight. For 
 old age lieth heavy upon thee, and thou art 
 clad in filthy garments. Yet truly thou art 
 not idle that thy master thus dealeth with 
 thee ; nor indeed art thou in any wise like 
 unto a slave ; for thy face and thy stature are 
 as it might be of a King. Such an one as 
 thou art should wash himself, and sit down 
 to meat, and sleep softly ; for such is the due 
 of old age. But come, tell me truly, whose 
 
 13—2
 
 196 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 servant art thou ? Whose orchard dost thou 
 tend ? Tell me this also : Is this indeed the 
 land of Ithaca to which I am come ? Tliis, 
 indeed, a certain man that I met as I came 
 hither told me, but he seemed to be but of 
 scanty wit, nor would he listen to my words, 
 nor tell me of a guest-friend that I have who 
 dwelleth in this place, whether he be alive or 
 dead. I entertained him a long time since 
 in my house, and never was there stranger 
 whom I loved more than him. And he said 
 that he was the son of Laertes, and that he 
 came from the land of Ithaca. Gifts also I 
 gave him, seven talents of gold, and a mixing- 
 bowl of silver, wrought about with flowers, 
 and twelve cloaks that had never been washed, 
 and rugs as many, and four cloths, and tunics 
 as many also. Also I gave him four women, 
 fair to look upon, and skilled in all manner of 
 handiwork." 
 
 To him Laertes made answer, weeping the 
 while : " Doubt not, stranger, that thou art 
 come to the land of which thou inquirest. 
 But unrighteous and violent men have it in 
 possession. But as for the son of Laertes,
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 197 
 
 hadst thou fouiixl him here, v^erily he had 
 sent thee away with many gifts, even such as 
 thou gavest to him. But tell me truly, is it 
 long time since thou didst give him entertain- 
 ment ? For indeed he is my son, unhappy 
 man that I am. Surely, either he hath been 
 drowned in the sea, and the fishes have 
 devoured him, or wild beasts and birds of the 
 air have eaten him upon the land. And 
 neither father nor mother, nor his wife, Pene- 
 lope, most prudent of women, could make 
 lamentation for him and lay him out for his 
 burial. But tell me, who art thou ? Where 
 is thy city, and what thy parentage ? Did 
 thine own ship bring thee hither and thy com- 
 panions with thee, or didst thou come as a 
 trader upon the ship of another V 
 
 Then said Ulysses, "All this I will tell 
 thee truly. I am of the city of Alybas, and 
 my father is Apheidas, and my name Eperitus. 
 It was of the doing of the gods that I came 
 hither from the land of Sicily, and not of 
 mine own will. And my ship is moored hard 
 by. As for Ulysses, it is now the fifth year 
 since he left me. Yet verily, the omens were
 
 198 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 good when he went forth on his journey, so 
 that we both rejoiced, thinking that he would 
 journey safely, and that we should be friends 
 the one to the other in the time to come." 
 
 So spake Ulysses ; and when the old man 
 his father heard these words, great grief 
 came upon him, and he took up the dust in 
 his hands and poured it upon the white hairs 
 of his head. And the heart of Ulysses was 
 moved within him as he saw it, and he was 
 ready to weep when he beheld his father. 
 Then he threw his arms about him and kissed 
 him, and said, " My father, here am I, thy 
 son for whom thou weepest. Lo ! I am come 
 back to my native country after twenty years, 
 and I have avenged myself on them that 
 sought my wife in marriage, slaying them 
 all." 
 
 To him the old man made answer : " If 
 thou art my very son Ulysses, tell me some 
 clear sign whereby I may know thee." 
 
 Then said Ulysses : " See, now, this scar 
 upon my thigh where the wild boar wounded 
 me on Mount Parnassus. Foi' thou and my 
 mother sent me to my grandfather, Autolycus,
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 199 
 
 and I was wounded in the hunting. And let 
 this also be a sign to thee. I will tell thee 
 what trees of the orchard thou gavest ine long 
 since, wlien I was a boy and walked with thee, 
 inquiring of thee their names. Thirteen pear- 
 trees didat thou give me, and ten apple-trees, 
 and of fig-trees two -score. Fifty rows also 
 of vines didst thou promise to give me when 
 the time of grapes should come." 
 
 And the old man's heart was moved within 
 him, and his knees failed him, for he knew 
 that the signs were true. And he threw his 
 arms about his son, and his son took him to 
 him, and the spirit of the old man revived, 
 and he said, " Now I know that there are 
 gods in heaven when I hear that these evil 
 men, the suitors, have been punished for their 
 wrong-doing. Nevertheless, I fear me much 
 lest their kinsmen should stir up the men of 
 Ithaca and of the islands round about against 
 us." ' 
 
 Then said Ulysses : '' Trouble not thyself 
 with these matters, my father. Let us go 
 rather to the house. There are Telemachus 
 and Eumaeus, and the keeper of the herds,
 
 200 HEROES AND KINGS 
 
 and they have made ready that we may 
 dine." 
 
 So they went to the house, and found Tele- 
 machus and his companions cutting flesh for 
 the dinner and mixing the wine. Then the 
 woman of Sicily washed the old man Laertes 
 and anointed him with oil, and clad him in a 
 fair cloak. And Athene also stood by him, 
 and made him taller and sturdier to look on 
 than before. And his son marvelled to behold 
 him, so fair he was and like to the gods that 
 live for ever, so that he spake to him, saying: 
 " my father, surely one of the gods that 
 live for ever hath made thee fair to look upon 
 and tall." 
 
 And Laertes made answer : " Would to 
 God that I had stood by you yesterday, 
 taking vengeance on the suitors, such as I was 
 in the old time when I took the fair city of 
 Nerian. Many a man had I slain with ray 
 spear, and thou wouldst have rejoiced in thy 
 heart." 
 
 Thus spake they together. And when the 
 dinner was ready they sat down to meat ; and 
 the old man, Dolius, with his sons approacherl ,
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 201 
 
 coming iu from their labour ; for the woman 
 of Sicily, that was the mother of the lads, 
 had called them. And when they saw Ulysses, 
 they stood amazed and speechless. And 
 UJysses said, " Cease to wonder, old man, at 
 this sight, and sit down to meat ; truly we 
 are ready for our meat, and have waited long 
 time for you." 
 
 Then Dolius ran to him, stretching forth 
 both his hands, and caught the hand of 
 Ulysses and kissed it on the wrist. And he 
 spake, saying, " Eight glad are we at thy 
 coming, for we looked not for thee. Surely 
 it is of the gods that thou hast returned. 
 May all things be well with thee. But tell 
 me this. Knoweth Queen Penelope of thy 
 coming, or shall I send a messenger to tell 
 her ?" 
 
 "Verily she knoweth it," said Ulysses. 
 Then the old man sat down to meat, and his 
 sons also, when they had greeted Ulysses. 
 
 In the meanwhile, there spread through the 
 city the tidings how the suitors had been 
 slain ; and the kindred of the men came to 
 the house of Ulysses with many groans and
 
 202 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 tears, and carried away the dead bodies and 
 buried them. But such as came from other 
 lands, they put on shipboard, that they might 
 carry them to the sepulchres of their fathers. 
 And when these things were ended they 
 gathered themselves together in the market- 
 place ; and Eupithes stood up amongst them, 
 being sore troubled in his heart for his son 
 Antinolis, whom Ulysses had slain first of all 
 the suitors. He stood up, therefore, in the 
 midst and spake. " Surely this man hath 
 wrought great evils in this land. First he 
 took comrades with him to Troy, many in 
 number and brave. These all he lost and 
 their ships also. And now he hath come 
 hither and slain the princes of the people. 
 Shame it were to us, yea among the genera- 
 tions to come, if we avenge not ourselves on 
 them that have slain our sons and our 
 brothers. Verily I desire not life, if such 
 should go unpunished. Come, therefore, let 
 us make haste lest they cross over the sea and 
 so escape." 
 
 So Eupithes spake, weeping the while. 
 And all the people had pity to hear him.
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 203 
 
 But Medon, the herald, stood up in the 
 assembly and spake, saying : " Hear me, men 
 of Ithaca. Verily Ulysses did not all these 
 things without the helping of the gods that 
 live for ever. I, indeed, saw with mine own 
 eyes one of the gods standing by Ulysses, 
 being like to Prince Mentor in shape. By 
 Ulysses there stood a god, and strengthened 
 him ; and another was there among the 
 suitors, troubling them so that they fell." 
 
 Thus spake Medon, the herald, and after 
 him stood up Alitherses the seer, that knew 
 all things that had been and should be here- 
 after, and spake, saying, '*It is of your folly, ye 
 men of Ithaca, that all these things have come 
 to pass. Ye would not hearken to me, no 
 nor to Mentor, nor would ye restrain your 
 sons from their folly. Great wickedness did 
 they work, wasting the goods of a brave man, 
 and making suit to his wife, for they thought 
 not that he would return. Come now, 
 hearken unto me, lest some worse evil befall 
 you." 
 
 Then some indeed rose up and made haste 
 to depart ; and these were the greater part ;
 
 204 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 l)ut the others remained in their places, for 
 they liked not the counsel of Medon and the 
 seer, but regarded the words of Eupithes. 
 Then they clad themselves in their armour 
 and marched to the city, Eupithes leading 
 them. 
 
 Then spake Athene to Zeus, " Tell me, my 
 father, what dost thou purpose in thy heart ? 
 Wilt thou that there be strife or friendship 
 between these two V 
 
 To her Zeus made answer : " Why dost 
 thou inquire this thing of me ? Was it not 
 of thy contriving that Ulysses slew the suitors 
 in his palace? Order it as thou wilt. But 
 let there be peace and friendship in the end, 
 that Ulysses may prosper in the land, and the 
 people dwell in happiness about him." 
 
 Then Athene departed, and came to the 
 land of Ithaca. 
 
 And when Ulysses and they that sat with 
 him had made an end of eating and drinking, 
 the King said, " Let some one go forth and 
 see whether these men are near at hand." 
 
 So the son of Dolius went forth. And as 
 he stood on the threshold he saw them ap-
 
 THE TRIUMPH OF ULYSSES. 205 
 
 pioachmg, and cried, "They are even now 
 close at hand ; let us arm ourselves in all 
 haste." 
 
 So they armed themselves. With Ulysses 
 were Telemachns and Eumaeus, and the 
 keeper of the herds. Also there stood with 
 him six sons of Dolius ; and the two old men 
 also, Laertes and Dolius, though their heads 
 were white with age. And as they went 
 fourth from the house Athene came near, 
 having the form and the voice of Prince 
 Mentor. And when Ulysses saw her, he was 
 glad at heart, and spake to Telemachns, 
 saying, "I know thee well, my son, that thou 
 wilt bear thyself bravely, and do no dishonour 
 to the house of thy fathers, that have ever 
 been famo<.is in the land for courage and man- 
 hood." 
 
 Telemachus answered, " This, my father, 
 thou shalt see for thyself, if thou wilt." 
 
 And Laertes was glad at heart, and said, 
 " How happy is this day, in the which my 
 son and my grandson contend one with the 
 other in valour !" 
 
 Then Athene came near to the old man
 
 206 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 and said, " Laertes, pray thou first to Athene 
 and Father Zeus, and then cast thy spear." 
 
 So she spake, and breathed great strength 
 into his heart. And having prayed, he cast 
 his spear, and smote Eupithes through the 
 helmet, so that he fell dead upon the ground. 
 Then Ulysses and his son fell upon the men 
 of Ithaca with swords and two-handed spears. 
 Verily they had slain them all, but that 
 Athene cried aloud, saying, "Cease, men of 
 Ithaca, from the battle, for it is too hard for 
 you." 
 
 And the men were sore afraid when they 
 heard her voice, and threw their arms upon 
 the ground and fled, if haply they might 
 escape to the city. And when Ulysses would 
 have pursued after them, Zeus cast a thunder- 
 bolt from heaven, so that it fell before the 
 feet of Athene. And Athene cried, " Cease 
 from the battle, son of Laertes, lest Zeus be 
 wroth with thee." 
 
 So Ulysses was stayed from the battle ; and 
 Zeus and Athend made peace between the 
 King and the men of Ithaca.
 
 THE STOEY 
 
 OF 
 
 PERIANDEE OF CORINTH. 
 
 In the city of Corinth in old times the Sous 
 of Bacchis bore rule, nor did any beside 
 share the government with them. Now it 
 was the custom of the Sons of Bacchis that 
 they gave their daughters in marriage to 
 husbands that were of the same lineage, and 
 the young men also married wives of their 
 own kindred. But it so fell out that a certain 
 Amphion, being of this house, had a daughter 
 born to him that was lame. And the name 
 of this daughter was Labda. This Labda, 
 none of the Sons of Bacchis were willing to 
 marry. Therefore her father gave her to a 
 certain Aetion, that was of the lineage of
 
 208 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 Coeneus, King of the Lapith^ in old time. 
 (These Lapithse dwelt in Thessaly and fought 
 with the Centaurs.) And when Labda bare 
 her husband no children, he sent to the oracle 
 at Delphi, to inquire of the god. And as soon 
 as ever he came into the temple, the Pythia 
 (for so they call the minister that speaks the 
 mind of the god), spake to him. 
 
 Aetion, hear the words of fate — 
 TJnhonoured now in Corinth's state, 
 High honours yet thy house await. 
 Such son shall Labda bear, a rock, 
 That rolling down with awful shock 
 Shall crush the royal house, and gain 
 For Corinth's state her rights again. 
 
 Now it chanced that by some means the 
 answer that the Pythia gave to Aetion 
 became known to the Sons of Bacchis ; and it 
 seemed to them to make plain another oracle 
 which had in former days been spoken con- 
 cerning Corinth, and which none had been 
 able to understand. This famed oracle was 
 in the words now following: 
 
 " The ca^le on the rocky height 
 
 Shall build, and rear a Hon brood, 
 A savage beast and strong, whose food 
 Is iiesh of men. Eefore his might
 
 THE STORY OF PEEIANDER OF CORINTH. 209 
 
 Full many a stalwart limb shall bow ; 
 
 Hear ye my words, and mark them well, 
 
 By fair Pirene's fount who dwell, 
 And Corinth's cliffs with beetling brow." 
 
 (Now aetos signifies eagle in the Greek tongue, 
 and Aetion dwelt in the region of Petra, which 
 is by interpretation a rock). So the Sons 
 of Bacchis understood this oracle by that 
 which was given to Aetion, and so under- 
 standing, they kept quiet, having it in their 
 minds to destroy any child that should be born 
 to Aetion. So soon, therefore, as Labda bare 
 a son, they sent ten men that were of their 
 kindred to the place where Aetion dwelt, 
 giving them commandment to slay the child. 
 So the men came to Petra, and entered the 
 dwelling of Aetion, and made enquiry for the 
 child. And Labda, having no knowledge of 
 their purpose, and thinking they had come for 
 friendship's sake, took the child and laid it in 
 the hands of one of the ten. Now the men 
 had agreed together, while they were on the 
 way, that whosoever should first take the child 
 in his hands should dash it upon the ground. 
 But when the mother had thus given the child 
 
 14
 
 210 HEKOES AND KINGS. 
 
 to the man, it so happened by a marvellous 
 chance that the babe smiled upon him. And 
 when he saw it he had compassion on the 
 child, so that he could not slay it. Therefore 
 he handed it to the second, and the second in 
 like manner to the third, till all the ten re- 
 ceived it in turn, for no one was willing to 
 slay it. Then they gave back the child to its 
 mother, and departed from the house. But 
 so soon as they were without, they stood by 
 the door and blamed the one the other, and 
 chiefly the man that first took the child, that 
 he had not done according to their agreement. 
 And when they had thus talked together a 
 long while, they resolved that they would go 
 back and do the deed, each having a part in 
 the slaying of the child. Nevertheless, it was 
 the will of the gods that trouble should come 
 to Corinth from the house of Action. For 
 Labda chanced to be standing near to the door, 
 and she heard them talking together. Fearing, 
 therefore, that they should repent them of 
 having spared the child, and should take him 
 a second time and slay him, she hid him in 
 the place that seemed to her the most unlikely
 
 THE STORY OF PERIANDER OF CORINTH. 211 
 
 that she could conceive, to wit, a flour-bin, for 
 she knew that if the men should come back 
 and seek for the child they would search the 
 whole house. And this, indeed, they did. 
 But when they found him not, it seemed good 
 to them to go back to them that had sent 
 them, and affirm that they had done as had 
 been commanded them. But the child grew 
 up, and his father and mother called him 
 Cypselus, because he had thus escaped from 
 this great danger, for in the Greek tongue a 
 flour-bin is cypseU. 
 
 When this Cypselus came to years of man- 
 hood he inquired of the god at Delphi, and 
 the god answered in words that signified both 
 good and evil. The words were these : 
 
 ' Favoured is he of powers divine 
 Who bows this day before my shrine, 
 Action's son. The fates ordain 
 In famous Corinth he shall reign ; 
 Both he, and after him, his son : 
 These ends the doom : the race is run.' 
 
 Taking courage by this oracle, he made 
 himself master of Corinth ; and being master, 
 he behaved himself in this fashion. Many 
 of the Corinthians he drove forth into banish- 
 
 14 -2
 
 212 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 ment, and from many he took away their 
 goods, and many more he slew. Cypsehis then, 
 after reigning for thirty years, ended his life 
 in great prosperity, and Periander, his son, 
 reigned in his stead. At the first, indeed, 
 this Periander was milder than his father ; 
 but afterwards, when he had had communi- 
 cation with Thrasybuliis, that was lord of 
 Miletus, by means of messengers, he became 
 more cruel ; for he sent a herald to Thrasy- 
 bulus, inquiring of him what government he 
 should establish that he might best rule the 
 city. And when the man was come to Miletus, 
 Thrasybulus led him without the city, and 
 entering into a corn-field, he began to walk 
 through it ; and as he walked he asked liiQi 
 many times concerning his coming from 
 Corinth, nor did he ever cease to break off 
 and cast away such of the ears of corn as were 
 taller than the others. And this he did till 
 he had destroyed the fairest and best portion 
 of the corn-field. Afterward he sent away the 
 herald, but of answer to his question he spake 
 never a word. When the herald was come back 
 to Corinth, Periander was very anxious to know
 
 THE STORY OF PEEIANDEK OF CUEINTH. 213 
 
 what auswer he had brought. But the man 
 said, " He said not a word to me of answer ; 
 and, indeed, I marvel much that thou didst 
 send me to such a man, for he is a madman 
 and wasteth his own goods." And he told 
 him what Thrasybulus had done. But 
 Periauder perceived the significance of the 
 thing : that Thrasybulus counselled him to 
 slay the chief men among the citizens ; and 
 after this he dealt very cruelly with the people, 
 for all that his father had left undone, sparing 
 any from death or banishment, this Periander 
 completed. 
 
 Periander slew his wife Melissa, and 
 when she was dead he repented him of 
 his deed. And not long afterwards he sent 
 messengers to the Thresprotians, who dwell 
 by the river of Acheron, where there is an 
 oracle of the dead. This he did to inquire 
 concerning some pledge that a friend had 
 given into his charge, for he knew not where 
 it was. And the spirit of Melissa appeared, 
 but would make no answer concerning the 
 pledge, for she said, " I have no clothing, and 
 I am cold, for the garments that were buried
 
 214 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 with me profit me nothing, not having been 
 burnt with fire," and at the same time she 
 gave a token that Periander might know that 
 it was indeed she that spake. "When Periander 
 heard this, he straightway made proclamation 
 that all the wives of the Corinthians should 
 assemble at the temple of Here. So the 
 women went, having clad themselves in their 
 best garments, as if to keep holiday. And when 
 they were there assembled, Periander, having 
 set guards about the temple that none should 
 go forth, stripped them of their garments, 
 making no difference between the free women 
 and the handmaids that followed them. And 
 he took their clothes to a pit and burned them 
 with fire, calling on the name of Melissa. 
 After this he sent yet again to the oracle of 
 the dead ; and the spirit of Melissa appeared 
 a second time, and told him of the place 
 where he had laid by the pledge of his friend. 
 Now Melissa had borne two sons to 
 Periander. And when these were now grown 
 up, the elder being eighteen years of age and 
 the younger seventeen, Procles, lord of 
 Epidaurus, that was their mother's father,
 
 THE STOKV OF PEKIAXDEK OF COKIMH. 215 
 
 seut for them to his court, and entreated them 
 kindly, as, indeed, was fitting with the children 
 of his daughter. And when he was about to 
 seud them back to their home, he inquired of 
 them, saying, "Know ye, children, who it 
 was that slew your mother?" The elder 
 made no account of these words, but the 
 younger, whose name was Lycophron, took 
 them very much to heart, so that when he 
 was come to Corinth he would not speak to 
 his father, knowing that he had murdered 
 his mother ; and when he was addressed he 
 answered not again, nor would he give any 
 reason for this behaviour. At the last 
 Periander grew so wroth with him that he 
 drave him out of his house. And when he 
 was gone the King inquired of the elder son 
 what his grandfather had said to him. Then 
 the lad answered that his grandfather had 
 received them with all kindness, but of the 
 words that he spake in sending them away he 
 made no mention, for indeed he had taken no 
 account of them. But Periander said that it 
 could not but be but that the old man had 
 said something to them ; and he questioned
 
 216 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 him much, and at the last learned the truth. 
 Then, after considering the matter awhile, 
 and not being minded to yield, he sent to 
 them in whose house his son Lycophron had 
 taken refuge, commanding that they should 
 not receive him. So he was driven away ; 
 and when he went to another he was driven 
 away from this also, for Periander threatened 
 them that they should not receive him. And 
 when some, nevertheless, took him into their 
 houses, the King made a proclamation that 
 whosoever should receive him should pay a 
 fine to Apollo. After this no one would take 
 him into his house, or so much as speak to 
 him ; and the young man himself was not 
 willing to do the thing that had been for- 
 bidden, and made shift to live in the public 
 porticoes. And after four da3^s Periander, 
 seeing into what sad plight his son had fallen, 
 for he had not washed himself, nor taken 
 food, had compassion on him, and putting 
 away his anger, went near to him, and said, 
 ''My son, which thinkest thou to be the 
 better, thy present plight or the lordship of 
 Corinth, and the receiving after me of all the
 
 THE STORY. OF PERIANDER OF CORINTH. 217 
 
 good things which I possess ? Thou art my 
 son, and lord of this great city of Corinth, and 
 yet thou hast chosen the life of a beggar, 
 setting thyself against him whom it is thy 
 duty to honour. And if there is aught for 
 which thou bearest ill-will against me, bethink 
 thee that I too suffer from this trouble, yea, 
 and 80 much the more that I wrought it with 
 mine own hands. But now, seeing that thou 
 knowest how much better it is that men 
 should envy thee than that they should pity 
 thee, come back with me to thy house." To 
 this the lad made no answer, save that his 
 father owed a fine to Apollo because he had 
 spoken to him. Then Periander knew^ that 
 there was no remedy for that which ailed the 
 youth, and he sent him away out of his sight, 
 putting him on shipboard, and sending him to 
 Corcyra, for he was lord of this country 
 also. 
 
 After this he made war upon his father-in- 
 law, Procles, thinking that he was the cause 
 of all this. And he took the city of Epidaurus, 
 and carried Procles into captivity. 
 
 But when Periander grew old, and knew
 
 218 HEROES AND KINGS, 
 
 within himself that he could no longer order 
 the aifairs of his kingdom, he sent to Corcyra, 
 and would have had Lycophron return, that 
 he might take the kingdom. For his eldest 
 son was heavy and dull. But Lycophron 
 would not so much as ask a question of the 
 messenger. Then Periander, being much set 
 upon the matter, sent again to him, and this 
 time by the hand of his daughter, own sister 
 to Lycophron, for he thought that she would 
 persuade him more easily than could any 
 other. And when the woman was come to 
 Corcyra, she said to Lycophron, " My brother, 
 dost thou indeed wish that the kingdom 
 should pass into the hands of strangers, and 
 that the possessions of thy father should be 
 plundered, rather than thyself return and 
 take them ? Come home, I entreat thee, and 
 cease from thy anger. It profits nothing to 
 be headstrong. Seek not to cure evil by evil. 
 Many there be that set mercy above justice. 
 Eemember also that many have come to ruin 
 because they have favoured mother rather 
 than father. Truly, kingship is a thing that 
 may easily be lost, and there are many that
 
 THE STOKY OF PERIANDEK OF CORINTH. 219 
 
 covet it. Aud our father is uow au old inau 
 and past his strength. Take heed, therefore, 
 lest thou give to others the good things that 
 are thine own." 
 
 To this the young man made answer : " I 
 will never come back to Corinth so long as 
 my father shall be alive." 
 
 This message the woman took back. And 
 when Periander heard it he sent yet another 
 messenger, sayiug, " I will come to Coroyra, 
 and do thou come to Corinth and take my 
 kingdom." 
 
 To this the lad gave consent. But when 
 the men of Corcyra heard it they slew the 
 young man, for they were not minded that 
 Periander should come to their country. 
 
 For this wi'ong Periander sought to avenge 
 himself upon the men of Corcyra in this 
 fashion : He took three hundred children of 
 the chief men among the people, and sent 
 them to Sardis, to Alyattes, King of Lydia, to 
 be his slaves. And it so happened that the 
 Corinthians that had charge of the children 
 put in to the island of Samos. And when the 
 men of Samos heard for what purpose they
 
 220 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 were being carried to Sardis, they counselled 
 them to take refuge in the temple of Artemis, 
 nor would they suffer the Corinthians to drag 
 them away from the temple. And when these 
 would have kept all food from the children, 
 the men of Samos made a feast, which feast 
 they kept afterwards year by year. So soon 
 as it was night, all the time that the children 
 sat as suppliants in the temple, they caused 
 that there should come into the temple troops 
 of young men and maidens, carrying in their 
 hands cakes of honey and sesame, to the end 
 that the children might snatch the cakes, and 
 so get that whereon they might live. So, 
 after a while, the Corinthians departed, and 
 the men of Samos sent back the children to 
 their parents in Corey ra. 
 
 In the days of King Periander there lived 
 a certain Arion, of whom this story is told. 
 He was a man of Methymna, that is in the 
 island of Lesbos, and was a very skilful player 
 on the harp, and a sweet singer. When he 
 had lived now many years in the court of 
 Periander, he conceived a desire to sail to 
 Italy and Sicily. This he did, and having
 
 THE STORY OF PERIANDER OF CORINTH. 221 
 
 gathered together much wealth iu those parts 
 he desu'ed to return to Corinth. He set sail 
 therefore from Tarentum, choosing for his 
 voyage a ship of Corinth, because he trusted 
 Corinthian sailors more than all others. But 
 these men, when they were now far from 
 land, took counsel against Arion that they 
 would cast him foyth from the ship into the 
 sea, and keep his wealth for themselves. 
 When Arion perceived this, he besought 
 them, saying, "Take my money for your- 
 selves, but spare my life." 
 
 But they would not hearken to him, but 
 said, '' Kill thyself if thou wouldst have a 
 tomb on dry land, or leap out without delay 
 from the ship into the sea." 
 
 Arion answered, '* Suffer me then to put all 
 my ornaments on me, and to stand on the 
 stern of the ship and there sing. And when 
 I have sung I promise that I will kill myself." 
 The men said to themselves, " This is good, 
 tjiat we shall hear the best singer that there 
 is in all the world." So they went into the 
 middle of the ship, leaving the hinder part to 
 Arion ; and he put all his ornaments upon
 
 222 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 him, and standing on the stern sang a song. 
 And when he had ended the song he threw 
 himself, as he was, with all his ornaments 
 upon him, into the sea, and the men of Corinth 
 sailed on towards Corinth. As for Arion, a 
 dolphin, for so men say, swam to him, and 
 took him upon his back, and carried him safe 
 to Taenarum, that is in yie country of the 
 Lacedaemonians. Then he landed, and having 
 still his singer's dress upon him journeyed to 
 Corinth, and there told all that had befallen 
 him. But the things seemed incredible to the 
 King. Therefore he put Arion in ward, that 
 he might not depart from Corinth, and waited 
 till the ship should come into harbour. When 
 the men were come he called them, and said, 
 "Have ye aught to tell me concerning Arion ?" 
 They answered, " He is safe and sound in the 
 land of Italy, for we left him in great 
 prosperity at Tarentum." And lo ! even as 
 they spake, Arion came forth just as they 
 had seen him leap into the sea ; and whep 
 they saw him they were confounded, and con- 
 fessed their wickedness. 
 
 Periander died, being fourscore and four
 
 THE STORY OF PERIANDER OF CORINTH, 22o 
 
 years of age, having had great grief for the 
 son whom the men of Oorcyra slew. And his 
 sister's son reigned in his stead. But after 
 three years the Spartans drave him from his 
 kingdom.
 
 THE STORY 
 
 OF 
 
 POLYCRATES OF SAMOS. 
 
 PoLYCRATES, a man of Samos (which is an 
 island hard by the coast of Asia), gained the 
 lordship of the estate by the help of his two 
 brothers. Having gained it, he shared his 
 power for a while with them ; but afterwards, 
 having slain the one and banished the other, 
 he reigned alone. Very wise and prudent 
 was he, and he made Samos to be the richest 
 of all the countries of Greece, so that no- 
 where could there be found sheep or goats, 
 or swine or dogs, such as the Samians had. 
 Also he brought from other lands the most 
 skilful artificers, offering them such wages as 
 none else were willing to pay. . He had also
 
 THE STORY OF POLYCRATES OF SAMOS. 225 
 
 the most skilful physician in the world, one 
 Democedes, a man of Crotona, in Italy. This 
 Democedes had fled from Crotona because of 
 the cruelty of his father, and coming to 
 iEgina, had surpassed all the physicians of 
 the place, and that though he lacked instru- 
 ments and all other things of which a 
 physician has need. In the second year the 
 men of ^gina gave him for his hire four 
 hundred pounds ; and in the third year, going 
 to Athens, whereof at this time Pisistratus 
 was lord, he had four hundred and ninety 
 pounds ; and in the fourth year, Polycrates 
 hired him for eight hundred pounds. 
 
 This Polycrates became famous through- 
 out the whole land of Greece ; and he 
 prospered whithersoever he sent his armies. 
 Fifty ships, each with fifty oars, he had, and 
 a thousand bowmen ; and he plundered all, 
 making no difference between friends and 
 foes, for he said, " I do more pleasure to my 
 friends giving them back the things which I 
 have taken from them, than not taking them 
 at all." Many islands did he take, and many 
 towns upon the mainland. And when the 
 
 15
 
 226 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 Lesbians came to help the men of Miletus he 
 conquered them in battle, and took many- 
 alive. These men dug the moat that is about 
 the castle of Samos, working in chains, 
 
 Polycrates had friendship and alliance 
 with Amasis, King of Egypt, who, hearing 
 how marvellously he prospered in all his 
 undertakings, wrote to him a letter in these 
 words : 
 
 "Amasis to Polycrates, greeting. It is a 
 pleasant thing to hear of the prosperity of a 
 friend. Nevertheless, thy exceeding good 
 fortune pleaseth me not, for I knoio that the 
 gods are jecdous of the good fortune of men. 
 Wherefore, both for myself and for them that 
 are dear to me I would wish this, that loe should 
 he prospet'oiis in some things and unfortunate 
 in others; counting this to be better than to 
 succeed in all. For, indeed, I have never yet 
 heard of mortal man that succeeded in all 
 things who did not perish utterly in the end. 
 Hearken thou, therefore, unto me, and take this 
 remedy against thy too great prosperity. Choose 
 out of all thy jjossessions that which is the most 
 precious, and which it would most vex thee to
 
 THE STORY OF POLYCRATES OF SAMOS. 227 
 
 lose, and so throw it from thee that it may 
 nevermore come into the sight of men. And if 
 again thy good fortune shall continue without 
 change, then do again as I have counselled" 
 
 When Polycrates read this letter, he per- 
 ceived that the counsel of Amasis was good. 
 Therefore he considered which of all his 
 possessions he should most vex himself by 
 losing. And, after considering awhile, he 
 remembered that he had a signet -ring that 
 he was wont to wear, having in it an emerald. 
 (This ring was the work of Theodorus of 
 Samos.) He manned a ship of fifty oars, 
 and, embarking thereon, bade the sailors put 
 out to sea. And when he was now a long 
 way from the island, he took the ring from 
 oif his finger, and cast it, all that were in the 
 ship looking on, into the sea. This done, he 
 went back to his house and lamented over 
 his loss. 
 
 But on the fifth or sixth day after, there 
 befell the thing that shall now be told. A 
 fisherman caught a fish so great and fair 
 that he was minded to give it to the King. 
 So he brought it to the door of the palace, 
 
 15—2
 
 228 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 and said that he would speak with the King. 
 And being admitted, he gave the fish and 
 said, " King, when I caught this fish I 
 considered that I ought not to take it to the 
 market, though, indeed, I be one that lives 
 by the work of his hands, but that I should 
 give it to thee, as being worthy of thy king- 
 ship." 
 
 The King was well pleased with these 
 words ; and he made answer, " My friend, 
 thou hast done well, and I owe thee thanks, 
 both for thy gift and for thy speech. And 
 now thou shalt dine with me to-day." 
 
 Then the fisherman went to his house 
 rejoicing, for he counted it a great honour to 
 dine with the King. But when the servants 
 cut open the fish, lo ! they found the ring in 
 his belly. Thereupon they carried it with 
 all speed to the King, telling him in great 
 joy how it had been found. When Poly crates 
 heard this, he wrote all the things that had 
 befallen him in the matter of the ring in a 
 roll, and sent the roll to Amasis. And when 
 Amasis had read the roll that came from 
 Polycrates, he perceived that it was impos-
 
 THE STORY OF POLYCRATES OF SAMOS. 229 
 
 sible to deliver a man from that which was 
 ordained to come upon him ; and that Poly- 
 crates must needs come to a bad end, seeing 
 that he was so fortunate that he found 
 again even the things that he cast away. 
 Therefore, he sent a herald to Samos, saying 
 that he dissolved the friendship that was 
 between him and the King. For he would 
 not that, when some great and terrible mis- 
 fortune should overtake Polycrates, he 
 should himself suffer such grief as he needs 
 must for the overthrow of a friend. 
 
 Now about this time Cambyses, King of 
 Persia, was preparing to make war upon 
 Egypt. And Polycrates sent to him, that he 
 should by no means forget to get help from 
 Samos. Thereupon Cambyses, with all 
 willingness, sent a messenger to Samos, 
 asking for ships that should sail with his 
 fleet against Egypt. Then Polycrates chose 
 out of the city such men as he most feared, 
 and manning with them forty ships, having 
 three banks of oars, sent them to Cambyses, 
 and with them a message that they should 
 by no means be suffered to return. Some
 
 230 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 say that these forty ships never came to 
 Egypt, but when they came to Carpathus 
 (which is between Rhodes and Crete), took 
 counsel with each other, and so returned. 
 But others say that they came indeed to 
 Egypt, but finding that they were watched, 
 fled away, and sailed back to Samos ; and 
 that when Polycrates came forth to meet 
 them, they fought with his ships and 
 conquered them, and so landed. Neverthe- 
 less, when they would have taken the city 
 they could not, for they were few in number. 
 Nor could they that were within the city 
 help them, for Polycrates had shut up the 
 women and children in the sheds wherein 
 the ships were laid up, and was ready, if 
 need were, to burn them all together. So 
 the men departed to Sparta, seeking help 
 against King Polycrates. And when the 
 rulers of Sparta gave them audience they 
 made their request, using many words, as 
 men are wont to do when they desire a thing 
 exceedingly. The rulers answered, " What 
 ye said at the first we have forgotten, and 
 what ye said afterwards we do not under-
 
 THE STORY OF POLYCRATES OF SAMOS. 231 
 
 stand." The next day they came again, 
 having with them a bag, and said, "The bag 
 lacks flour," and no more. The rulers 
 answered, " Now it is well ; but there was no 
 need of the bag.'' Then the men of Sparta, 
 having first held counsel with their allies, 
 gathered an army, and sent it to Samos to 
 make war against King Polycrates. For 
 forty days they assailed the city, and indeed 
 came nigh to taking it, for they carried the 
 tower which is on the wall by the sea ; but 
 thereupon King Periander came against them 
 with a great army and drave them back. 
 Yet, doubtless, even then the city had been 
 taken if all the Spartans had borne them- 
 selves as bravely as did Archias and Lycopas. 
 For these two, being left of all their com- 
 panions, followed the Samians (who had 
 sallied forth from the city and been driven 
 back), and coming within the walls together 
 with them that fled, were hindered of their 
 return, and so died. Herodotus talked with 
 the grandson of this Archias, and the man 
 told him that he honoured the Samians more 
 than all other men, because they had buried
 
 232 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 his grandfather with great honour by reason 
 of his valour. For forty days did the 
 Spartans besiege the city of Samos ; and at 
 the end of this time they departed to their 
 own homes. But some say that King Poly- 
 crates coined much money of lead, and having 
 covered this lead-money with gold, gave it to 
 the Spartans that they should depart. The 
 end of Polycrates was this. Oroetes, whom 
 Cyrus, King of Persia, had made governor 
 of Sardis, hated him, and this though he 
 had suffered no wrong in word or deed from 
 him, and, indeed, had not so much as seen 
 him. Some say that the cause of his hatred 
 was this. He and another Persian sat 
 together in the gate of the King's palace. 
 These two fell to quarrelling and disputing 
 which was the better man. Then said the 
 other to Oroetes, " Art thou worthy to be 
 called a man, when this island of Samos is 
 nigh at hand and thou dost not conquer it 
 for the King ? Yet a citizen of this country, 
 having with him fifteen soldiers only, made 
 himself lord of this island, yea, and rules it 
 to this day." When Oroetes heard this he
 
 THE STORY OF POLYCRATES OF SAMOS. 233 
 
 was very wroth, not with the man that had 
 so spoken, but with Polycrates himself. 
 Others say that Oroetes sent a messenger to 
 Polycrates about a certain matter, and that 
 the messenger found the King talking with a 
 certain poet, Anacreon of Teos, and that 
 when he delivered his message the King 
 turned not to him, for he chanced to have 
 his face to the wall, and when he had ended, 
 answered him not a word. 
 
 Now Polycrates had in his mind such a 
 purpose as never man had before. He 
 thought to win for himself the lordship of 
 the sea, and to rule over Ionia and the 
 islands. Therefore, Orcetes, for he knew of 
 this purpose, sent to him this message : 
 ^^ Orcetes to Polycrates, greeting. I hear that 
 thou conceii'est great things in thy heart, hut thy 
 means are not equal to thy thoughts. Now if 
 thou, wilt do as I shall hid thee, thou shalt hoth 
 prosper in thy undertaking, and also save me 
 alive. King Camhyses purposeth to hill me. 
 This I knovj of a certainty. Come, therefore, 
 and carry aicay hoth vie and my possessions. 
 Of these thou shcdt safer me to keep apart, and
 
 234 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 the rest thou shalt have for thyself. And verily^ 
 with, this wealth thou shalt make thyself lord of 
 all Greece. If thou doubtest of what I say, 
 se)id the most faithful servant that thou hasty 
 and I will show him the treasure.'^ 
 
 When Polycrates heard these things he 
 was very glad ; and he sent his scribe, 
 Masandrius, to look at the treasure. When 
 Orcetes heard that the man was coming, he 
 filled eight chests with stones, almost up to 
 the brim ; and on the top of the stones he 
 put gold. Then he bound the chests with 
 cords and kept them ready ; and when 
 Mseandrius came he saw the treasure, and so 
 returned to King Polycrates. 
 
 Then the King determined in himself that 
 he would go ; and this he did, though both 
 the soothsayers and his friends also did many 
 things to persuade him that he should not 
 go. His daughter also told him a dream 
 that she had dreamed, but he heeded it not. 
 The dream was this. She saw her father 
 hanging high in air, and Zeus bathed him, 
 and the sun anointed him. For this cause 
 she was very earnest with her father that he
 
 THE STORY OF POLYCEATES OF SAMOS. 235 
 
 should not go to Oroetes ; and when he 
 embarked on his ship, she followed him, 
 crying out with words of ill omen. The 
 King, being very wroth, said to her, "Verily, 
 if I come again in peace, thou shalt abide 
 unmarried many 5'ears." "Then she answered, 
 Be it unto me as thou sayest, so that I be not 
 bereaved of my father." 
 
 So Polycrates went to Oroetes, and 
 perished miserably, being put to death in a 
 very cruel fashion. Thus was the dream of 
 his daughter fulfilled. For when his body 
 hung upon the cross, it was bathed by Zeus, 
 that is to say, it was washed by the rain, and 
 it was anointed by the sun, for the heat 
 caused the moisture to come forth upon 
 it. 
 
 Oroetes did not escape unpunished for this 
 his great wickedness, being slain by his 
 own guards at the commandment of King 
 Darius. 
 
 Democedes of Crotona, the physician, was 
 of the number of those that went with King 
 Polycrates to Sardis. When the King was 
 dead, Oroetes made slaves of him and of all his
 
 236 HEKOES AND KINGS. 
 
 companions ; and when in his turn Orcetes 
 suffered due punishment for his wickedness, 
 being slain by command of King Darius, 
 then Democedes was carried up to Sardis. 
 Not many days after it chanced that King 
 Darius, leaping from his horse as he was 
 hunting, twisted his foot. So much twisted 
 was it that the ankle-bone was thrust out of 
 the socket. Now the King had at his court 
 certain physicians of Egypt whom he judged 
 to be the most skilful in their art of all that 
 could be found. To these he resorted ; but 
 they, using violence to the foot, made it not 
 better, but worse ; so that for seven days 
 and seven nights Darius slept not at all for 
 the violence of the pain. On the eighth day, 
 when he was now in very evil case, one who 
 had heard before in Sardis how Democedes 
 of Crotona was a skilful physician, told the 
 thing to Darius. Then the King commanded 
 that they should bring the man before him 
 with all speed. So they brought him even as 
 they found him among the slaves of Orcjetes, 
 with fetters on his feet, and clothed in rags. 
 "When he was put in the midst, Darius asked
 
 THE STORY OF POLYCRATES OP SAMOS. 237 
 
 him, " Knowest thou the art of the physician ?" 
 And the man said, " No ;" for he feared lest, 
 if he should confess it, he should never again 
 return to Greece. But the King, perceiving 
 that he spake falsely, commanded that they 
 should bring scourges and goads. There- 
 upon Democedes confessed, saying, " I am 
 not indeed skilled in the art ; but, having con- 
 sorted with one that was a physician, have a 
 certain slight knowledge of it." So the King 
 showed his foot, and he, applying such reme- 
 dies as the Greeks use, and dealing gently 
 with it, first caused him to sleep, and after- 
 wards made him sound as before, though 
 indeed he had never hoped to stand upon his 
 foot again. Then the King gave him two 
 sets of fetters of gold. When Democedes said, 
 " Wilt thou, then, double my sorrows because 
 I have made thee whole ?" Darius was pleased 
 with his words, and bade the attendant take 
 him to see the King's wives, and to say to 
 them, " This is the man that made the King 
 whole." Then each of the women, dipping 
 with a saucer into the treasury of gold, gave 
 to the man all that she took up. So bounti-
 
 238 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 ful was this giving, that the slave that 
 followed Democedes, picking up the coins 
 that fell from the saucers, gathered together 
 no small store of gold. The name of this 
 slave was Sciton. 
 
 After this Democedes dwelt in a great 
 house at Susa, and sat at the King's table, 
 and indeed had all that his heart desired, 
 save only that which he most wished — that 
 he might go back to Greece. After a while 
 it chanced that Atossa, who was wife to King 
 Darius, had a very grievous boil. This she 
 showed to Democedes. And the man said, 
 " I will cure thee of this : only thou must first 
 promise that thou wilt grant me the request 
 that I shall make." 
 
 So the Queen promised. And when Demo- 
 cedes had healed her he said, " Lady, I will 
 that thou ask of the King that he give thee 
 women of Greece — from Sparta, and Argos, 
 and Athens, and Corinth — to be thy hand- 
 maids. And counsel him that he should first 
 spy out this land of Greece, and send me 
 with the spies to be their guide." 
 
 So Atossa said to the King, " It is a strange
 
 THE STORY OF POLYCRATES OF SAMOS. 239 
 
 thing that thou, having such power, and 
 being also in the vigour of thy age, shouldst 
 sit idle and do nothing to prove to the 
 Persians that indeed it is a man who ruleth 
 them." 
 
 Darius answered, " "Woman, thou hast said 
 the very thing that was in my heart. I pur- 
 pose to join this land of Asia with the land 
 of Europe by a bridge, and to make war 
 upon the Scythians." 
 
 Atossa said, •' Let be the Scythians for a 
 while. These thou mayest conquer at any 
 time. Go rather against the land of Greece, 
 for I would have women of Sparta, and 
 Argos, and Athens, and Corinth to be my 
 handmaids. And now, behold, thou hast in 
 thy court a man that is fit beyond all other 
 to tell thee all thou wouldst know about 
 this land of Greece, and to be thy guide — 
 him, that is, that healed thy foot." 
 
 Then said Darius, " If thou thinkest that 
 we had best go first against the Greeks, then 
 must I needs send men to spy out the land. 
 This I will do, and then shall go with them 
 this man of whom thou speakest."
 
 240 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 So Darius chose out fifteen men of repute 
 among the Persians, and bade them sail by 
 the coasts of Greece, taking Democedes with 
 them. " But take heed," he said, " lest the 
 man escape out of your hands ; for by all 
 means you must bring him back." 
 
 Then the King sent for Democedes, and 
 said to him, " I will that thou go as guide to 
 these men, and show them the whole land of 
 Greece ; and afterwards thou shalt come 
 back to me. Take now all that thou hast 
 for gifts to thy father and thy brethren, and 
 I will give thee hereafter many times as 
 much. And besides this, I will give thee a 
 merchant - ship, full of all manner of good 
 things, that shall sail with thee." 
 
 The King said this, it is to be believed, 
 without guile. But Democedes thought that 
 he was making trial of him. Therefore he 
 made no haste to take all that the King 
 would give him, but said, "What I have 
 here I will leave behind me against the time 
 when I come again. But the merchant-ship 
 I will take gladly, that I may give gifts to 
 my brethren."
 
 THE STORY OP POLYCRATES OF SAMO«. 241 
 
 So Darius sent away the Persians, and 
 Democedes with them. And the men went 
 down to Phoenicia, and from Phoenicia to 
 Sidon. Then they fitted out two galleys 
 with three banks of oars, and a merchant- 
 ship which they filled with all manner of 
 precious things, and so set sail. And coming 
 to the land of Greece, they sailed by all the 
 coast till they came to Tarentum, in the 
 land of Italy. And the King of Tarentum, 
 for love of Democedes, took off the rudders 
 of the Persian ships, and put the men in 
 prison for spies. In the meanwhile Demo- 
 cedes escaped to Crotona, and afterwards 
 the King set the Persians free, and gave 
 their rudders back to them. Thereupon 
 they sailed to Crotona, and, finding Demo- 
 cedes in the market-place, laid hands upon 
 him. Then some of the men of Crotona, 
 fearing the power of the Great King, would 
 have delivered Democedes into their hands ; 
 but others withstood them, and held Demo- 
 cedes fast— yea, and struck the Persians 
 with their staves. They, on their part, ceased 
 not to cry, " Men of Crotona, take heed what 
 
 16
 
 242 HEROES AND KINGS. 
 
 ye do. This man whom ye take out of our 
 hands is a runaway, a slave of the Great 
 King. Think ye that he will suffer this great 
 wrong at your hands ? Think ye that it will 
 be well with you if ye do such things ? Will 
 not the King make war upon you before all 
 others, and lead you into captivity ?" But 
 the men of Crotona paid no heed to them, 
 but took away Democedes from them, and 
 laid hands also on the merchant-ship. So 
 the Persians, having lost their guide, departed 
 to Asia. Nevertheless, before they departed, 
 Democedes sent for them and said, " Tell 
 King Darius that I have taken to me to 
 wife the daughter of Milo ;" for the name 
 of Milo, the wrestler, was held in great 
 honour by the King. It is commonly believed 
 that Democedes hastened this marriage by 
 giving much money to Milo, to the end that 
 the King might think that he was a man of 
 high degree in his own country. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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