Section 1 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls. Once upon a time there was a certain king of Sparta, who had a most beautiful daughter, Helen by name. There was not a prince in Greece but wished to marry her. The king said to them, Now, you must all swear that you will be good friends with the man whom my daughter shall choose for her husband, and that if anyone is wicked enough to steal her away from him, you will help him get her back. And this they did. Then the fair Helen chose a prince whose name was Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon, who reigned in Mycenae, and was the chief of all the kings of Greece. After a while Helen's father died, and her husband became king of Sparta. The two lived happily together till they came to Sparta a young prince, Paris by name, who was son of Priam king of Troy. This Paris carried off the fair Helen, and with her much gold and many precious stones. Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon sent to the princes of Greece and said, Now, you must keep your oath and help us to get back the fair Helen. So they all came to a place called Aulis, with many ships and men. Others also, who had not taken the oath, came with them. The greatest of these chiefs were these, Diomed, son of Tidus, Ajax the greater and Ajax the less, Antusa, the archer, who was brother of Ajax the greater, Nesta, who was the oldest man in the world, the wise Ulysses, Achilles, who was the bravest and strongest of all the Greeks, and with him his dear friend Petrolicus. For nine years the Greeks besieged the city of Troy, but they could not break through the walls, and as they had been away from their homes for all this time, they came to be in great want of food and clothes and other things. So they left part of the army to watch the city, and with part they went about and spoiled other cities. Thus came about the great quarrel of which I am now going to tell. End of How the War with Troy began. Section 2 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls This is a LibriVox recording, all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Lizzie Driver. The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church. The Quarrel The Greeks took the city of Crisi, and divided the spoils among the chiefs. To Agamemnon they gave a girl named Criseus, who was the daughter of the priest of Apollo, the god who was worshipped in the city. Then the priest came bringing much gold, with which he wished to buy back his daughter. First of all he went to Agamemnon and his brother, then to the other chiefs, and begged them to take the gold and give him back the girl. So, he said, may the gods help you take the city of Troy and bring you back safe to your homes. All the other chiefs were willing, but Agamemnon cried, Away with you old man, do not linger here now and do not come again, or it be the worst for you, though you are a priest. As for your daughter, I will carry her back with me when I have taken Troy. So the old man went out in great fear and trouble, and he prayed to Apollo to help him. And Apollo heard him, very angry was the god that his priest should suffer such things, and he came down from his palace on the top of the mountain Olympus. He came as night comes across the sky, and his arrows rattled terribly as he went. Then he began to shoot, and his arrows carried death. First to the dogs and the mules, and then to the men. For nine days the people died, and on the tenth day Achilles called in assembly. When the Greeks were gathered together he stood up in the middle and said, Surely it would be better to go home than to stay here and die. Many are slain in battle, and still more are slain by the plague. Let us ask the prophets why it is that Apollo is angry with us. Then Calcas the prophet stood up. You wish to know why Apollo is angry? I will tell you. But first you must promise to stand by me. For King Agamemnon will be angry when he hears what I shall say. Say on, cried Achilles, No man shall harm you while I live, no, not Agamemnon himself. Then Calcas said, Apollo is angry because when the priest came to buy back his daughter, Agamemnon would not listen to him. Now you must send back the girl, taking no money for her. And with her a hundred beasts as sacrifice. Then King Agamemnon stood up in a rage and cried.  The girl I was sent back, for I would not have the people die, but I will not go without my share of the spoil. You think too much of gain King Agamemnon, said Achilles. Surely you would not take from any man that which has been given him. Wait till Troy has been conquered, and then we will make up to you what has been lost three times over. Do not try to cheat me in this way. Answered Agamemnon, My share I will have at once. If the Greeks will give it to me well and good, but if not, then I will take it from one of the chiefs. From you Achilles, or from Ajax, or from Ulysses. But now let us see about the sending back of the girl. Then Achilles was altogether carried away with rage and said, Never was there a king so shameless and so greedy of gain. The Trojans never did harm to me or mine.  But when the spoil is divided, then you have the lion's share, and now you will take the little that was given me.  I will go home. Go, said Agamemnon, and take your people with you. I have other chiefs as good as you and ready to honor me as you are not. But Mark this, the girl Braseus, who was given to you as your share of the spoil, I will take, if I have to come and fetch her myself. For you must learn that I am master here. Achilles was mad with anger to hear this, and said to himself, Now I will slay this villain where he sits, and he half drew his sword from its scabbard. But at that instant the goddess Athena stood behind him, and seized him by his long yellow hair. And when he turned to see who had done this, he could perceive the goddess. But no one else in the assembly could see her, and said, Are you come to see this villain die? Nay, she answered, I am come to stay your rage. Queen Hera and I love you both. Draw not your sword, but say what you will. Someday he will pay you back three times and four times for all the wrong he shall do. Achilles answered, I will do as you bid, for he who hears the gods is heard by them. So he thrust back his sword into the scabbard, and Athena went back to Olympus. Then he turned to Agamemnon and cried, Drunkard, with the eyes of a dog and the heart of a deer, hear what I tell you now. See this scepter that I have in my hand? Once it was the branch of a tree, now a king carries it in his hand. As surely as it whenever more shoot forth in leaves, so surely will the Greeks one day miss Achilles. And you, when you see your people falling by the sores of the Trojans, will be sorry that you have done this wrong to the bravest man in your army. And he dashed the scepter on the ground and sat down. Then the old man Nestor stood up, and would have made peace between the two. Listen to me, he said. Great chiefs of old, with whom no one now alive would dare to fight, were used to listen to me. You, King Agamemnon, do not take away from the brave Achilles the gifts that the Greeks gave him. And you Achilles, pay due respect to him who is the king of kings and Greece. So spoke Nestor, but he spoke in vain. The Agamemnon answered, Peace is good, but this fellow would lord it over all. The gods have made him a great warrior, but they have not given him leave to set himself up above the law and order. He must learn that there is one here better than he. And Achilles cried, You, better than me? I were a slave and a coward if I owned it. Watch the Greeks gave me, let them take away if they will.  Then the assembly was broken up. After a while Agamemnon said to the heralds, Go now to the tent of Achilles, and fetch thence the girl of Prasaius. And if you will not let her go, say that I will come with others to fetch her, and that it will be worse for him. So the heralds went, but it was much against their will that they did this errand. And when they came to that part of the camp where Achilles and his people were, they found him sitting between his tent and his ship, and they stood in great fear and shame. But when he saw them he spoke kind words to them, for all that his heart was full of rage.  Then he turned to Petrolicus and said, Fetch Prasaius from her tent and give her to the heralds. Let them be witnesses of this evil deed, that they may remember it in the day when he shall need my help, and shall not have it. So Petrolicus brought out the girl, and gave her to the heralds. And she went with them much against her will, and often looking back. And when she was gone Achilles left his companions and sat upon the seashore, weeping aloud and stretching out his hands to his mother Thetis, the daughter of the sea. She heard his voice where she sat in the depths by the side of her father, and rose from the sea as a cloud rises, and came to him where he sat weeping, shaking him with her hand and calling him by his name. Why do you weep, my son? she said.  You helped him once in the old time, when the other gods would have put him in chains, fetching the great giant with the hundred hands to sit by his side, so that no one dared to touch him. Remind him of these things, and ask him to help the Trojans, and to make the Greeks flee before them, but Agamemnon may learn how foolish he has been. His mother said, Surely my son, your lot is hard. Your life must be short, and it should be happy. But, as it seems to me, it is both short and sad. Truly, I will go to Zeus, but not now, for he has gone with the other gods to a twelve-day feast. But when he comes back, then I will go to him, and persuade him. Meanwhile, do you sit still, and do not go forth to battle? Meanwhile, Ulysses was taken back the priest's daughter to her father. Very glad was he to see her again, and he prayed to his god that the plague among the Greeks might cease, and so it happened. But Achilles sat in his tent and fretted, for there was nothing that he liked so much as the cry of the battle. End of the quarrel Section 3 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls This is LibriVox Recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Lizzie Driver The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church What Thetis did for her son When the twelve days of feasting were over, Thetis rose out of the sea, and went away to Olympus. There she found Zeus, sitting alone on the highest peak of the mountain. She knelt down before him, and to left hand she laid upon his knees, and with the right hand she caught hold of his beard. Then she made this prayer to him, O Father Zeus, if I have ever helped thee at all, now give me what I ask. Namely, that my son Achilles may have honour done to him. Agamemnon has shamed him, taking away the gift that the Greeks gave him. Do thou, therefore, make the Trojans prevail for a while in battle, so that the Greeks may find that they cannot do without him. So shall my son have honour. For a long time Zeus sat saying nothing, for he knew that great trouble would come out of this thing. But Thetis still hold him fast by the knees and by the beard, and she spoke again, saying, Promise me this thing, and make your promise sure by nodding your head, or else say outright that you will not do it. Then I shall know that you despise me. Zeus answered, This is a hard thing that you ask. You will make a dreadful quarrel between me and the Lady Hera, my wife, and she will say many bitter words to me. Even now she tells me I favour the Trojans too much. Go then, as quickly as you can, that she may not know that you have been here, and I will think how I may best do what you ask, and see I will make my promise sure with a nod, for when I nod my head, then the thing may not be repented of or undone. So he nodded his head, and all Olympus was shaken. Then Thetis went away and dived down into the sea, and Zeus went to his palace, and when he came in at the door all the gods rose up in their places, and stood till he sat down on his throne. But Hera knew that Thetis had been with him, and she was very angry, and spoke bitter words.  When I am not here, then you take pleasure in hiding what you do, and in keeping things from me. Zeus answered, O Hera, do not think to know all of my thoughts. That is too hard for you, even though you are my wife. That which it is right for you to know, I will tell you before I tell it to any other god. But there are matters which I keep to myself. Do not seek to know these. But Hera was even more angry than before. What say you? she cried. I do not pry into your affairs. Settle them as you will. But this I know, that Thetis with the silver feet has been with you, and I greatly fear that she has had her way. At dawn of day I saw her kneeling before you.  I am sure that you have promised her that Achilles should have honour. Ah, me, many of the Greeks will die for this. Then Zeus answered, Truly there is nothing that you do not find out. Which that you are. But if it be as you say, then know that such is my will.  All the gods and Olympus cannot save you if once I lay my hands upon you. Hera sat still and said nothing, for she was very much afraid. Then her son, the god who made arms and armour, and cups and other things out of silver and gold and copper, said to her, It would be a great pity if you and the father of the gods should quarrel on account of a man. Make peace with him, and do not make him angry again. It would be a great grieve to me if I were to see you beaten before my eyes, for indeed I could not help you. Once before when I tried to come between him and you, he took me by the foot and threw me out of the door of heaven. All day I fell, and in the evening I lighted in the island of Lemnos. Then he thought how he might turn the thoughts of the company to something else. There was a very beautiful boy who used to carry the wine-round. The god, who was a cripple, took his place and mixed the cup and hobbled round with it, puffing for breath as he went. And all the gods fell into great fits of laughter when they saw him. So the feast went on and Apollo and the Muses sang, and no one thought any more about the quarrel. But while all the other gods were sleeping, Zeus remained awake, thinking how he might do what Theatres had asked of him for his son. The best things seemed to be to deceive Agamemnon and make him think that he could take the city of Troy without the help of Achilles. So he called a dream and said to it, Go dream to the tent of Agamemnon and tell him that if he will lead his army to battle he will take the city of Troy. So the dream went and it took the shape of Nestor, whom the king thought to be the wisest of the Greeks, and stood by his bedside and said, Why do you waste your time in sleep? Arm the Greeks and lead them out to battle, for you will take the city of Troy. And the king believed that this false dream was true. End of what Vitis did for her son. Section 4 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lizzie Driver The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church The Jewel of Paris in Menelaus On the day after the false dream had come to him Agamemnon called all his army to go out to battle. All the chiefs were glad to fight, for they thought that at last the long war was coming to an end. Only Achilles and his people stopped behind, and the Trojans, on the other hand, set their army in order. Before they began to fight, Paris, who had been the cause of all the trouble, came out in front of the line. He had a panther's skin over his shoulders, and a bow and a quiver slung upon his back, for he was a great archer. By his side the hung a sword, and in each hand he carried a spear. He cried aloud to the Greeks, Send out the strongest and the bravest man you have to fight with me. When King Menelaus heard this, he said to himself, Now, this is my enemy. I will fight with him, and no one else. So he jumped down from his chariot, and ran out in front of the line of Greeks. But when Paris saw him he was very much afraid, and turned his back and ran behind the line of the Trojans. Now the best and bravest of the Trojans was a certain Hector. He was one of the sons of King Priam. If it had not been for him the city would have been taken long before. When he saw Paris run away he was very angry and said, Oh, Paris, you are good to look at, but you are worth nothing, and the Greeks think that you are the bravest man we have.  The Trojans ought to have stoned you to death long ago. Paris answered, You speak the truth, great Hector. I am indeed greatly to be blamed.  But now listen to me. Set Menelaus in me to fight, man to man, and let him that conquers have the fair Helen and all her possessions. If he kills me let him take her and depart, but if I kill him then she shall stay here, so whatever may happen you will dwell in peace. Hector was very glad to hear his brother Paris speak in this way, and he went along the line of the Trojans holding his spear in the middle. This he did to show that he was not meaning to fight, and to keep his men in their places that they should not begin the battle. At first the Greeks made ready spears and stones to throw at him, but Agamemnon cried out, Hold your hands, great Hector has something to say. Then everyone stood still and listened, and Hector said, Hear Trojans and Greeks what Paris says. Paris, who is the cause of this quarrel between us. Let Menelaus and me fight together. Everyone else, whether he is Greek or Trojan, shall lay his arms upon the ground, and look on while we two fight together. For the fair Helen and her riches we will fight, and the rest will cease from war and be good friends for ever. When Hector had spoken King Menelaus stood up and said, Listen to me, for this is my affair. It is well that to the Greeks and the Trojans should be at peace, for there is no quarrel between them. Let me and Paris fight together, and let him of us two be slain whose fate it is to die. And now let us make a sacrifice to the gods, and swear a great oath over it, that we will keep our agreement. Only let King Priam himself come and offer the sacrifice, and take the oath, for he is more to be trusted than the young men his sons. So spoke Menelaus, and both armies were glad, for they were tired of the war. Then Hector sent a messenger to Troy to fetch King Priam, and to bring a sheep for the sacrifice. And when the herald was on his way, one of the gods put it into the heart of the fair Helen as she sat in her hall, to go out to the wall and see the army of the Greeks. So she went, leaving the needle-work with which she was busy, a great piece of embroidery, on which the battles between the Greeks and the Trojans were worked. Now King Priam sat on the wall, and with him were the other princes of the city, old men who could no longer fight, but could take counsel and make beautiful speeches. They saw the fair Helen as she came, and one of them said to another, See how beautiful she is, and yet it would be better that she should go back to her own country, then that she should stop here and bring a curse upon us and our children. But Priam called to her and said, Come hither, my daughter, and see your friends and kingsmen in Yonder army, and tell us about them. Who is that warrior there, so fair and strong? There are others who are even ahead taller than he is, but there is no one who is so like a king. That, said Helen, is Agamemnon, a brave soldier and a wise king, and my brother-in-law in the old days. And King Priam cried, Happy Agamemnon to rule over so many brave men as I see in Yonder army, but tell me, who is that warrior there, who is walking through the ranks of his men and making them stand in good order? He is not so tall as Agamemnon, but he is broader in the shoulders. That, said Helen, is Ulysses Ithaca, who is wiser than all other men, and gives better advice. You speak truly fair lady, said one of the old men, and to Nor by name. Well do I remember Ulysses when he came with Menelaus on an embassy. There were guests in my house, and I knew them well. And when there was an assembly of the Trojans to hear them speak on the business for which they came, I remember how they looked. When they were standing Menelaus was the taller. But when they sat down, the Ulysses was the nobler of the two to look at. And when they spoke, Menelaus said but a few words, and said them wisely and well.  But when he began to speak, how grand was his voice, and how his words poured out, thick as the falling snow. There never was a speaker such as he, and we thought to know more about his looks. Then King Priam asked again, Who is that mighty hero, so big and strong, taller than all the rest by his head and shoulders? That, said Helen, is Ajax, a tower of strength to the Greeks, and other chiefs I see whom I know and could name. But my own dear brother's castor, Tim of Horses, and Pollux, the mighty boxer I see not. Is it that they are ashamed to come on account of me? So she spoke, not knowing that they were dead. And now came the messenger to tell King Priam that the armies wanted him. So he went, and Antonore with him, and they took the sheep for sacrifice. Then King Priam, on behalf of the Trojans, and King Agamemnon on behalf of the Greeks, offered sacrifice and made an agreement, confirming it with an oath, that Menelaus and Parish should fight together, and that fair Helen with her treasure should belong to him who should prevail. When this was done, King Priam said, I will go back to Troy, for I could not bear to see my dear son fighting with Menelaus. So he climbed into the chariot, and Antonore took the reins, and they went back to Troy. Then Hector for the Trojans, and Ulysses for the Greeks, marked out a space for the fight, and Hector put two pebbles into a helmet, one for Parish, and one for Menelaus. These he shook, looking away as he did so, for it was agreed that the man whose pebble should first fly out of the helmet should be the first to cast his spear at the other. And this might be much to his gain, for the spear, being well thrown, might kill his adversary or wound him to death, and he himself would not come into danger. And it so happened that the pebble of Parish first flew out. Then the two warriors armed themselves, and came into the space that had been marked out, and stood facing each other, very fierce with their eyes, so that it could not be seen how they hated each other. First Parish threw his spear, it hit the shield of Menelaus, but did not pierce it, for the point was bent back. Then Menelaus threw his spear, but first he prayed, grant, Father the Zeus, the time I have vengeance on Parish, who's done me this great wrong. And the spear went right through the shield, and through the armour that Parish wore upon his body, and through the tunic that was under the armour. But Parish ran away, so that the spear did not wound him. Then Menelaus threw his sword, and struck the helmets of Parish on the top with a great blow. The sword was broken into four pieces, then he rushed upon Parish and caught him by the helmet, and dragged him towards the army of the Greeks. Neither could Parish help himself, for the strap of the helmet choked him. Then indeed, would Parish have been taken prisoner and killed, but that the goddess Aphrodite helped him, for he was her favourite. She luched the strap under his chin, and the helmet came off in the hand of Menelaus. The king threw it among the Greeks, and taking another spear in hand, ran furiously at Parish. But the goddess covered him with a mist, and so snatched him away, and sent him down in his own house at Troy. Everywhere did Menelaus look for him, but he could not find him. It was no one of the Trojans that hit him, for they all hated him as death. Then said King Agamemnon in a loud voice, Now must you Trojans keep the covenant that you have made with an oath. You must give back the fair Helen and the treasures, and we will take her and leave you in peace. End of the Duel of Parish in Menelaus. How the oath was broken Now, if the Trojans had kept the promise which they made, confirming it was an oath, it would have been well for them. But it was not to be, and this is how it came to pass that the oath was broken and the promise not kept. Among the chiefs who came from the countries round about to help King Priam and the Trojans, there was a certain Pandaris, son of the king of Lycea. He was a great archer, and could shoot an arrow as far and with as good an aim as any man in the army. To this Pandaris, as he stood waiting for what should happen next, there came a youth, a son of King Priam. Such indeed he seemed to be, but in truth the goddess Athena had taken his shape, for she and, as has been before said, the goddess Hera hated the city of Troy, and desired to bring it to ruin. The false Trojan came up to Pandaris, as he stood among his men, and said to him, Prince of Lycea, dare you to shoot an arrow at Menelaus? Truly the Trojans would love you well, and Paris best of all, if they could see Menelaus killed with an arrow from your bow. Shoot at him as he stands, not thinking of any danger. But first vowed to sacrifice a hundred beasts to Zeus, so soon as you shall get back to your own country. Pandaris had made a bow out of the horns of a wild goat, which she had killed. It was four feet long from end to end, and on each end there was a tip of gold in which the bow-string was fixed. While he was stringing his bow, his men stood round and hid him, and when he had strung it, he took an arrow from his quiver, and laid it on the string, and drew back the string till it touched his breast, and then let the arrow fly. But though none of the Greeks saw what Pandaris was doing, Athena saw it, and flew to where Menelaus stood, and kept the arrow from doing him deadly hurt. She would not ward it off altogether, for she knew that the Greeks would be angry to see the king, whom they loved so treacherously wounded, and would have no peace with the Trojans. So she guided it to where there was a space between the belt and the breastplate. There it struck the king, passing through the edge of the belt and through the garment that was under the belt, piercing the skin.   I know that they who do such things will suffer for them. Sooner or later the man who breaks his oath will perish miserably. Nevertheless, it will be a great shame and sorrow if you, my brother, should be killed in this way. For the Greeks will go to their homes saying, Why should we fight any more for Menelaus, seeing that he is dead? And the fair Helen, for whom we have been fighting these many years, will be left behind. And one of these false Trojans will say when he sees the tomb of Menelaus, Surely the great Agamemnon has not got that for which he came, for he bought a great army to destroy the city of Troy. But Troy still stands, and he and his army have gone back. Only he has left his brother behind him. But Menelaus said, Do not trouble yourself, my brother, for the wound is not deep. See here is the barb of the arrow. Then King Agamemnon commanded that they should fetch Machaeon, the great physician. So Machaeon came, and drew the arrow out of the wound, and wiped away the blood, and put healing jugs upon the place which took away all the pain. After this King Agamemnon went through the army to see that it was ready for battle. When he found anyone bestowing himself, putting his men in order, and doing such things as it was his duty to do, him he praised. And if he saw anyone idle and slow to move, him he rebuked. When all was ready then the host went forward. In silence it went, but the Trojans, on the other hand, were as noisy as a flock of sheep, which bleeds when they hear the voice of the lambs. End of How the Oath Was Broken Section 6 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls This is Librivox Recording, all Librivox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librivox.org Recording by Lizzie Driver The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church The Great Deeds of Diomed Many great deeds were done that day, and many chiefs showed themselves to be valiant men, but the greatest deeds were done by Diomed, and of all the chiefs there was not one who could be matched with him. No one could tell, so fierce was he, and so swiftly did he charge in which host he was fighting, whether with the Greeks or with the sons of Troy. After a while the great archer Pandaris aimed an arrow at him, and hit him on the right shoulder. And when Pandaris saw that he had hit him, for the blood started out from the wound, he cried out in great joy, O men of Troy, I have wounded the bravest of the Greeks. He will soon fall dead in his chariot, or grow so weak that he can fight no longer. But Diomed was not to be conquered in this fashion. He leapt down from his chariot, and said to the man who drove the horses, Come, and draw this arrow out of the wound. And this the driver did. And when Diomed saw the blood spurt from the wound, he prayed to the goddess Athena, O goddess, stand by me, as you always did stand by my father, and as for the man who has wounded me, let him come within a spear's cast of me, and he will never boast again. And Athena heard his prayer, and came and stood beside him, and took away the pain from his wound, and put new strength into his hands and feet. Be bold, O Diomed, and fight against the men of Troy, as I stood by your father, so will I stand by you. Then Diomed fought even more fiercely than before. Just as the lion, which his shepherd has wounded a little, when he leaps into the fold, grows yet more savage. So it was with Diomed. And as he went to and fro through the battle, slaying all whom he met, Aeneas, who was the bravest of the Trojans after Hector, thought he might best be stopped. So passed through the army till he came to where Pandorus the archer stood. To him he said, Where are your bow and arrows? Do you see this man how he is dealing death wherever he goes? Shoot an arrow at him, but first make your prayers to Zeus that you may not shoot in vain. Pandorus answered, This man is Diomed. I know his shield and his helmet. The horses too are his. Some god I am sure stands by him and defends him. Only just now I sent an arrow at him, yes, and hit him in the shoulder. I thought that I had wounded him to the death, for I saw the blood spurt out. But I have not hurt him at all. And now I do not know what I can do, for I have no chariot here. Eleven chariots I have at home, and my father would have had me bring one of them with me. But I would not. For I was afraid that the horses would not have Pravandeer enough, being shut up in the city of Troy. So I came without chariot, trusting to my bow, and lo, it has failed me these two times. Two of the chiefs I have hit. First Menelaus, and then this Diomed. Yes, I hit them, and I saw the red blood flow, but I have not harmed them. Surely if I ever get back to my home I will break this useless bow. Then Aeneas said to him, Nay, my friend, do not talk this way. If you have no chariot, then come in mine, and see what horses we have in Troy. If Diomed should be too strong for us, still they will carry us safely back to Troy.  Or, if you would rather, do you fight and I will drive? Pandora said, It is best that the horses should have the driver whom they know. If we should have to flee, they might stand still, or turn aside, missing their master's voice. Now Diomed was on foot, for he had not gone back to his chariot, and his chariot here was by his side. And the man said to him, Look there, two mighty warriors, Pandoras and Aeneas are coming against us. It will be well for us to go back to the chariot, though we may fight them on equal terms.  As for my chariot, I do not want it. As I am, I will go against these men. Both of them surely shall not go back, even if one should escape. And if I slay them, then do you climb into the chariot and drive it away? There are no horses in the world as good as these, for they are the breed which Zeus himself gave to King Tross. While he was speaking, the two Trojan chiefs came near. And Pandoras cast his spear at Diomed. It pierced the shield and also the belt, so strongly was it thrown. But it went no further. But Pandoras cried, Aha! You are hit in the loin. This wound will stay you from fighting. Not so, said Diomed. You have not wounded me at all. But now see what I will send. And he threw his spear, nor did he throw in vain. For it passed through the warrior's nose and teeth and tongue and stood out under his chin. And the man fell from his chariot and the armour clashed loudly upon him. But Ineos would not leave his comrade. He leapt from the chariot and stood with the shield and spear over the body, as a lion stands over the carcass of some beast which has killed. Now Diomed had no spear in hand. Neither could he draw out from the dead body that which he had thrown. Therefore he stooped and took up from the ground a big stone. So big was it that two men such as men are now could scarcely lift it up and threw it at Ineos. On the hip it struck him and crushed the bone and the hero fell upon his knees and clutched at the ground with his hands and everything would dark before his eyes. Thus had he died, but for his mother the goddess of Hedaiti she caught him up in her arms and threw a veil over him to hide him. But Diomed did not like that he should escape and he rushed with his spear at the goddess and wounded her in the arm and the blood gushed out. Such blood as flows in the veins of gods who eat not the food nor drink the drink of men. She dropped her son with a loud shriek and fled up into the sky. And bold Diomed called after her. You should not join in the battle, daughter of Zeus. You have to do not with men but with women. But Apollo caught up in Ineos when his mother dropped him. Even then Diomed was loathe to let him escape for he was bent on killing him and stripping him of his arms. Three times did he spring forward and three times did Apollo put back his shining shield. And when he came to the fourth time Apollo called out to him in an awful voice. Beware Diomed! Do not think to fight with gods. Then Diomed fell back for he was afraid. But Apollo carried Ineos to the citadel of Troy and there his mother Latona and his sister Artemis healed to the hero of his wounds. But he left an image of the hero in the midst of the battle and over him the Greeks and the Trojans fought as if it had been the real Ineos. Enter the great deeds of Diomed. Section 7 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lizzie Driver The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church Concerning other valiant deeds Now among the chiefs who came to help King Priam and the Trojans there was a certain Sarpidon who was Prince of Lycia and with him there was one Glaucous who was his cousin. When Sarpidon saw how Diomed was laying waste to the army of the Trojans and that no man was willing to stand up against him he said to Hector Where are your boasts, oh Hector you used to say that you could keep the city of Troy safe without your people and without us who have come to help you and your brothers and your brothers in law would be enough you said but now I look about to me and I cannot see one of them they all go and hide themselves as dogs before a lion it is we who keep up the battle look at me, I have come far to help you even from the land of Lycia where I have left a wife and child and wealth nor do I shrink back from the fight but you also should do your part these words stung Hector to the heart he jumped down from his chariot and went through the army telling the men to be brave and Ares brought back Inaeus with his wound healed and he himself went back with Hector in the shape of a man and even the brave Diomed when he saw him and knew that he was a god held back a little saying to his companions see, Hector is coming and Ares is with him in the shape of a man let us give way a little for we must not fight with gods but we will still keep our faces to the enemy just then a great Greek warrior who is one of the sons of Hercules the strongest of men was killed by Sarpidon the Lycian this man cried out to Sarpidon what are you doing here you are foolish to fight with men who are better than you men say that you are the son of Zeus but the sons of Zeus are braver and stronger than you are you as good as my father Hercules have you not heard how he came to the city of Troy and broke down the walls and spoiled the houses because the king of Troy cheated him on his pay for my father saved the king's daughter from a great monster of the sea and the king promised him a team of horses but did not keep his promise and you have come to help the Trojans so they say small help will you be to them when I have killed you Sarpidon answered tis true that your father broke down the walls of Troy and spoiled the houses the king of the city had cheated him and he was rightly punished for it but you shall not do what he did no, for I shall kill you first then the two warriors drew their spears at the same moment they threw them and both of them hit the mark the spear of Sarpidon went right through the neck of the Greek so that he fell down dead and the spear of the Greek hit Sarpidon on the thigh of the left leg and went through it close to the bone it went very near to killing him but it was not to be his fate to die that day so his men carried him out of the battle with the spear sticking in the wound for no one thought of drawing it out so great was their hurry as they were carrying him along Hector passed by and he cried out oh Hector do not let the Greeks take me let me at least die in your city which I came to help for T'laisia I shall not go back nor shall I see my wife and my child but Hector did not heed him so eager was he to fight so the men carried him to the great oak tree and laid him down in the shade of it and one of them drew the spear out of the wound when it was drawn out he fainted but a cool north wind blew on him and refreshed him and he breathed again at this time the Greeks were being driven back many were killed and many wounded for Hector with Aries by his side was so fierce and strong that no one dared to stand up against him when the two goddesses Hera and Athena who loved the Greeks saw this they said to Zeus father do you see how furiously Aries is raging in the battle driving the Greeks before him may we stop him before he destroys them all together Zeus said you may do what you please then they yoked the horses to Hera's chariot and went as fast as they could to the earth very fast they went for every stride of the horses was over as much space as a man can see when he sits upon the cliff and looks over the sea to where the sky seemed to come down upon it when they came to the plain of Troy they unharnessed the horses at a place where the two rivers met they covered them in the chariot with a mist that no one might be able to see them and they themselves flew as doves to where the Greeks and Trojans were fighting then Hera took the shape of Stentor who could shout as loud as fifty men shouting at once and cried shame men of Greece when Achilles came to the battle the Trojans scarcely dared to go beyond the gates of their city but now they are driving you to your ships Athena went to Diomed where he was standing and wiping the way the blood from the wound which the arrow had made he were not like your father he was a little man but he was a great fighter I do not know whether you are holding back because you are tired or because you are afraid but certainly you are not like him Diomed knew who it was that was speaking to him and answered great goddess I am not holding back because I am tired or because I am afraid you yourself said to me do not fight against any god only if Aphrodite comes into the battle you may fight against her and this I have done her I wounded on the wrist and drove away but when Apollo carried Ines from me then I held back and now I see Ares rushing to and fro through the battle and I dare not go against him then said Athena do not be afraid of Ares I will come with you and you shall wound him with your spear and drive him away from the battle then she pushed Diomed's charioteer with her hand but the man did not see who it was that pushed him and when he jumped down from the chariote she took his place and caught the reins in her hand and lashed the horses straight at Ares she drove where he was standing by a Greek whom he had killed now Athena had put on her head the helmet of Hades that is to say of the god who rules the dead Ares did not see her for no one who wears the helmet can be seen and he rushed at Diomed thinking to kill him and threw his spear with all his might but Athena put out her hand and turned the spear aside so that it flew through the air and hurt no one then Diomed thrust his spear at Ares and Athena lent all her weight upon it so that it pierced the god just below the girdle and when Ares felt the spear he shouted with the pain as loud as an army of ten thousand men shouts when it goes forth to battle and Diomed saw him rise up to the sky as the thunder cloud arises and this was the greatest of the deeds of Diomed that he wounded Ares the god of war and drove him out of the battle end of concerning other valiant deeds section 8 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls this is a LibriVox recording or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information on the LibriVox recording please visit the link in the description and if you are interested please visit the link in the description for more information on the LibriVox please visit LibriVox.org recording by Lizzie Driver Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church of Glorcus and Diomed and now the Trojans in their turn were driven back for they could make no stand against the Greeks now there was one of the sons of King Priam who was a very wise prophet and knew all that men should do to win the favour and help of the gods and his name was Hellenus this man went up to Hector and said to him and to Ineas who was standing near him make the army full back and get as close to the walls as may be for it will be safer there than in the open plain and go through the ranks and speak to the men and put as much courage into them as you can and when you have done this do you Hector go into the city and tell your mother to gather together the daughters of Troi and go with them to the temple of Athena taking with her the most precious robe that she has and lay the robe on the knees of the goddess and promise to sacrifice twelve heifers and beseecher to have pity on us and to keep Diomed from the walls never did I see so fierce a man even Achilles himself was not so terrible as he is so dreadful as he and so fierce go and come back as soon as you can and when you are done come back as soon as you can and we will do what we can to bear up against the Greeks while you are away so Hector went through the ranks bidding the men be of good courage and when you have done this he went into the city and now the Trojans had a little rest the way in which this happened shall now be told Sarpodon and Lycean had a cousin Glaucous by name the two were sons of brothers this Glaucous this Glaucous being one of the bravest of men went in front of the Trojan line to meet Diomed when Diomed saw him he said tell me mighty man of Valor who you are for I have never seen you before for this is a bold thing that you have done to come out in front of your comrades and to stand against me truly those men whose children come in my way in battle are unlucky tell me who you are for if you are a god from heaven I will not fight with you already today I have done enough fighting with them for it is an unlucky thing to do King Lysurgis in the land of Thrace fought with the god and it was a bad thing for him that he did so for he did not live long he drove back us the god of wine into the sea but the other gods were angry with him for this cause and Zeus made him blind and he perished miserably but if you are no god but a mortal man then draw near the time I kill you with my spear Glock has said brave Diomed why do you ask who I am and who is my father and my father's father the generations of men are like the leaves on the trees in the spring they shoot forth and in autumn they fall and the wind blows them to and fro and then when the spring comes others shoot forth and these also fall in their time so are the generations of men one goes and another comes still if you would hear of what race I come listen in a certain city of Greece which is called Corinth they dwelt a great warrior Balerophon by name someone spoke evil of this man falsely to the king of the city and the king believed this false thing and plotted his death he was ashamed to kill him but he sent him with a message to the king of Lycia this message was written on a tablet and the tablets were folded up in a cover and the cover was sealed but on the tablet was written this is a wicked man cause him to die so Balerophon travelled to Lycia and when he was come to the king's palace the king made a great feast for him for nine days did the feast last and every day an ox was killed and eaten on the morning of the tenth day the king said let me see the message which you have brought and when he had read it he thought how he might cause the man to die first he sent him to conquer a great monster that there was in that country called the Chimaera many men tried to conquer it but it had killed them all it had the head of a lion and its middle parts were those of a goat and it had the tail of a serpent and it breathed out flames of fire this monster he killed the gods helping him then the king sent him against a very fierce tribe of men who were called the Solmai these he conquered after much fighting for as he said himself there never were warriors stronger than they after this he fought the Amazons who were women fighting with the arms of men and these also he conquered and when he was coming back from fighting the Amazons the king set an ambush against him choosing for it to the bravest men in the whole land of Lycia but Balerophon killed them all and came back safe to the king's palace when the king saw this he said to himself the gods love this man he cannot be wicked so he asked him about himself and Balerophon told him the whole truth then the king divided his kingdom with him and gave him his daughter to wife three sons he had of whom one was the father of Sapodon and one was my father and when my father sent me hither he said always seek to be the first and to be worthy of those who have gone before this then brave Diomed is the race to which I belong when Diomed heard this he was very glad and said it is well that we did not fight for we ought to be friends as our fathers were before us long ago Orwinaeus entertained Balerophon in his house for twenty days he kept him and when they parted they gave great gifts to each other the one a belt embroidered with purple and the other a cup of gold with a mouth on either side of it now Orwinaeus was my grandfather as Balerophon was yours if then you should come to Corinth you will be my guest and I will be yours if I go to the land of Lycia but now we will not fight together there are many Trojans and allies of the Trojans who I may kill if I can overcome them and there are many Greeks for you to fight with in Gonca if you can but we too will not fight together and now let us exchange our armour that all men may know that we are friends so the two chiefs jumped down from their chariots and exchanged their armour and men said afterwards that Glaucus had lost his wits for he gave armour of gold in exchange for armour of brass armour that was worth a hundred oxen for armour that was worth nine only End of of Glaucus and Diomed Section 9 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lizzie Driver The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church Hector and Andromache When Hector passed through the gates into the city hundreds of Trojan women crowded round him asking what had happened to their sons or husbands but he said nothing to them except to bid them to pray that the gods would protect those whom they loved When he came to the palace there met him his mother Queen Hecuba She caught him by the hand and said Oh Hector, why have you come from battle? Have the Greeks been pressing you hard? Or have you come maybe to pray for help from Father Zeus? Let me bring a cup of wine that you may pour out an offering to the god I, and that you may drink yourself and cheer your heart But Hector said Mother, give me no wine lest it should make my knees weak and take the courage out of my heart Nor must I make an offering to the gods with my hands unwashed What I would have you do is this gather the mothers of Troy together and take the most beautiful and precious robe that you have and go with them and lay it upon the knees of Athena and pray to her to keep this terrible diameter from the walls of Troy and do not forget to promise a sacrifice of twelve heifers and I will go and call Paris and bid him come with me to the battle of a truth I could wish that the earth would open her mouth and swallow him up for he is a curse to his father and to you his mother and to the whole city of Troy Then Queen Hecobar went into her palace and opened the store where she kept her treasures and took out of it the finest robe that she had and she and the noblest ladies that were in Troy carried it to the temple of Athena Then the priestess, who was the wife of Antinor received it from her hands and laid it upon the knees of the goddess making this prayer Oh Lady Athena, keeper of the city break we beseech thee the spear of Diomed and making full dead before the gates of Troy if thou wilt have pity on the wives and children of the men of Troy that we will offer to thee twelve heifers that have never been made to draw the plow So the priestess prayed but Athena would not hear and indeed it was she who stirred up Diomed to fight so fiercely against Troy and had given him fresh strength and courage Meanwhile Hector went to the house of Paris it stood on the citadel close to his own house and to the palace of King Priam He found him cleaning his arms and armour and the fair Helen sat near him with her maids busy with needle work Then Hector thought to himself if I tell him that he went away from the battle because he was afraid then I shall offend him and do no good I will try another way So he said Oh Paris, is it right that you should stand aside and not fight in the battle because you are angry with your countrymen? The people perish and the fight grows hotter and hotter every minute about the city Rouse yourself and come forth before Troy is burnt up for remember it is you that are the cause of all these troubles Then Paris answered Oh brother you have spoken well but it was not because I was angry that I came away from the battle it was because I was so much ashamed of being beaten but now I will come back for this is what my wife would have me do maybe I shall do better another time for the gods give victory now to one man and now to another Then the fair Helen said to Hector sit down now and rest a little for you must be very tired with all that you have done But Hector answered You must not ask me to rest I must make haste to help my countrymen for indeed they are in sore need of help but do you see that your husband overtakes me before I go out of the city gate Now I am going to my house to see my wife and my little boy for I do not know whether I shall ever see them again When he said this Hector went to his house to see his wife Andromache for that was her name but he did not find her at home for she had gone to the wall being very much afraid for her husband Hector asked the maids Where is the lady Andromache? Has she gone to see one of her sisters in law or maybe with the other mothers of Troy to the temple of Athena Then an old woman who was the housekeeper said Nay, she went to one of the towers of the wall that she might see the battle for she had heard that the Greeks were pressing our people very much She seemed like a mad woman so much haste did she make and the nurse went with her carrying the child Then Hector ran towards the gate and Andromache saw him from where she stood on the wall and made haste to meet him and the nurse came with her carrying the child Hector's only son a beautiful boy with a head like a star so bright with his golden hair His father called him Scumandris after the river which runs across the plains of Troy but the people called him Asteianicus which means the city king because it was his father who saved the city Hector smiled when he saw the child but Andromache did not smile for she caught her husband by the hand and wept saying Oh Hector, your courage will be your death you have no pity on your wife and child and you do not spare yourself Someday all the Greeks will join together and rush on you and kill you for she did not believe that any one of them could conquer him But if I lose you it is better for me to die than to live I have no comfort but you My father is dead for the great Achilles killed him when he took our city He killed him but he did him a great honour for he would not take his arms for a spoil but burnt them with him Yes, and the nymphs of the mountains planted populace by his grave I had seven brothers and they also are dead for the great Achilles killed them in one day and my mother also is dead and my father had redeemed her with a great sum of money Artemis slew her with one of her deadly arrows But you are father to me and mother and brother and husband also have pity on me and stay here upon the wall lest you leave me a widow and your child an orphan and set your people out in order of battle by this fig tree for here the wall is easier to attack here too I see the bravest chiefs of the Greeks Hector answered her Dear wife leave these things to me I will look after them one thing I cannot bear that any son or daughter of Troy should see me skulking from battle I hate the very thought of it I must always be in front alas I know that prime and the people of prime and this holy city of Troy will perish but it is not for Troy or for the people of Troy not even for my father and my mother it is for you when I think how some Greek will carry you away captive and you be set to spin or to carry water from the spring in a distant land and someone will say see that slave woman there she was the wife of Hector who was the bravest of the Trojans then Hector stretched out his arms to take the child but the child drew back into the bosom of the nurse making a great cry for he was frightened by the helmet and by the horsehair plume which nodded so awfully and both his father and mother laughed to hear him then Hector took the helmet from his head and laid it on the ground and caught the boy in his hands and kissed him and dangled him and he prayed aloud to Father Zeus and to the other gods saying grant Father Zeus and other gods who were in heaven that this child may be as I am a great man in Troy and may the people say some day carrying home the bloody spoils of some enemy whom he has killed in battle a better man than his father this and his mother will be glad to hear it then he gave the boy to his mother and she clasped into her breast and smiled but there were tears in her eyes when she smiled and Hector's heart was moved when he saw the tears and he stroked her with his hand and said do not let these things trouble you no man will be able to kill me unless it be my fate to die but fate no one may escape whether he be a brave man or a coward but go dear wife to your spinning again and give your maids their tasks and let the men see to the battle then he took up the helmet from the ground and put it on his head and Andromache went to her home but often as she went she turned her eyes to look at her husband and when she came to her home she called all the maids together and they wept and wailed for Hector as though he were already dead and indeed she thought in her heart that she should never again see him coming home safe from the battle Hector went on his way to the gate and as he went Paris came running after him his arms shone brightly in the sun and he himself went proudly along like a horse at his fresh from his stables and prances over the grass and tosses his mane and he said to Hector I'm afraid that I have kept you when you were in a hurry to get back to your comrades Hector answered No man doubts that you are brave but you are willful and hold back from the battle when you should be foremost so it is that the people say shameful things about you but now let us make haste to the battle so they went out by the gate and fell upon the Greeks and killed many of them and Glaucus the Lycian went with them End of Hector and Andromache Section 10 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls This is a LibriVox recording or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lizzie Driver The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church How Hector and Ajax fought Athena was very sorry to see how her dear Greeks were being killed by Hector and his companions so she flew down from the heights of Olympus to see whether she could help them When she had come to the plains of Troy she met Apollo Apollo loved the Trojans and said to her Are you calm Athena to help the Greeks whom you love? Now I as you know love the Trojans Let us therefore join together and stop them from fighting for today Hereafter they shall fight till that fate which the fates have settled for Troy shall come to pass Athena answered How will we stop them from fighting? Apollo said We will set on Hector to challenge the bravest of the Greeks to fight with him man to man So these two put the thought into the mind of the prophet Hellenus So Hellenus went up to Hector and said Hector listen to me I am your brother and also the gods have made me a prophet so that you should take my heed to the things which I say Now my advice is this Calls the men of Troy and the Greeks to sit down in peace and do you challenge the bravest of the enemy to fight with you, man to man I be sure that in this fight you will not be killed for so much the gods have told me But whether you will kill the other that I do not know for the gods have not told me This pleased Hector greatly and he went to the front of the army holding his spear by the middle and keeping the Trojans back and King Agamemnon did the same with his own people Then Hector said Hear me sons of Troy and ye men of Greece The covenant which we made together was broken Truly this was not my doing the gods would have it so for it is their will that we should fight together to either you take our city back to your ships and compel you to go back to your own land and yet listen to what I shall now say for it may be that the gods will repent and suffer peace to be made between us Do you Greeks choose out from those who are strongest and bravest among you someone who will fight with me man to man and let this be agreed between us If this man shall conquer me then he shall take my arms for himself but he shall give my body back to my people that they may burn it with fire and in a like manner if I shall conquer him then I will take his arms for myself but I will give his body to his people that they may bury it and raise a great mound over it and so in days to come men who shall see it as they sail by will say this is the tomb of the bravest of the Greeks whom Hector of Troy killed in battle fighting him man to man so my name will be remembered forever when the Greeks heard these words they all stood still saying nothing they feared to meet the great Hector in battle for he seemed to be stronger than he had ever been before but they were ashamed to hold back then Menelaus jumped up in his place and cried surely now you are women and not men what a shame it is to Greece that no one can be found to fight with this Hector I will fight him my own self for the gods give the victory to one man or to another as they will so spoke Menelaus for he was very angry and did not care whether he lived or died and indeed it would have been his death to fight with Hector who was by much the stronger of the two but King Agamemnon would not suffer him to be so rash nay my brother he said this is but folly, seek not to fight with one who is much stronger than you even Achilles was not willing to meet him sit still therefore for the Greeks would find some champion to meet him and Menelaus harkened to his brother's words and sat down but when no one stood up to offer himself to fight with Hector old Nestor rose in his place and said now this is a sad day for Greece how sorry old Pelius would be to hear of this thing I remember how glad he was when I told him about the chiefs who were going to fight against Troy who they were and whence they came and now he would hear that they are all afraid when Hector challenged them to fight with him man to man he would pray that he might die oh that I was such as I was in the old days when the men of Pelius fought with the men of Arcadia the men of Arcadia had a great champion who was the strongest and biggest of all the men that day and who carried the most famous arms in Greece and a club of ions such as no one else could wield and when this man challenged the men of Pelius to fight with him the others indeed were afraid for the man was like a giant but I stood up though I was the youngest of them all and Athena stood by me and gave me great glory for I slew him and took from him his arms and his great iron club oh that I were now such as I was that day Hector would soon find himself someone to fight with him when old Nestor sat down nine chiefs stood up first among them was King Agamemnon and after him Diomed and Ajax the greater and Ajax the less and Ulysses and four others then said Nestor let us cast lots to see who of these nine shall fight with Hector so the nine chiefs threw their lots each man allot into the helmet of King Agamemnon and the people standing round prayed silently to the gods grant that the lot of Ajax may leap first out of the helmet or the lot of Diomed or the lot of King Agamemnon then Nestor shook the helmet and it came to pass that the lot which first leapt forth was the very one which they most desired for when the herald carried it round to the chiefs no one took it for his own till the man came to Ajax the greater but Ajax had marked it with his own mark he put out his hand therefore and claimed it he was very glad in his heart and he threw down the lot of his feet and cried the lot is mine my friends and I am glad above measure for I think that I shall conquer this mighty Hector and now I will put on my arms and do you pray Father Zeus silently if you will that the Trojans may not hear or if you'd rather pray aloud than do so for I fear no man none shall conquer me either by force or by craft for the men of Salamis it was from the island of Salamis he came are not to be conquered so Ajax put on his armour and when he was finished he went forward as dreadful to look at as the god of war himself and there was a smile on his face but it was not the smile that other men like to see taking great strides he went and he shook his great spear and when the Trojans saw him their knees trembled beneath them and even the great Hector felt his heart beat more quickly than before but he showed no fear and stood firmly in his place for he himself challenged his adversary so Ajax came near holding his great shields before him as it might be a wall there was no such shield in all the army of the Greeks he lifted seven folds of bull's hide and one fold the eighth of bronze then Ajax spoke in a loud voice come near Hector that you may see what men we have among us we Greeks though the great Achilles is not here but sits idle in his tent Hector answered do not speak to me Ajax as though I were a woman or a child I knew nothing of war I know all the arts of battle to turn my shield this way and that fear of the enemy and to drive my chariot through the crowds of men and horses and to fight hand to hand but come let us fight openly face to face as honest men should do and as he spoke he threw his great spear at Ajax through six folds of bull's hide it passed but the seventh stopped it for all that it was so strongly thrown it was no easy thing to pierce the great shield with his seven folds but when Ajax in his turn through his spear at Hector it passed through his shield and through the armour that covered his body and went through the garment that was under the armour it went near to killing him but Hector bent his body away and so saved himself then each took a fresh spear and ran together as fiercely as lions or wild boars again did Hector drive his spear against the great shield and again did he drive it in vain for the spear point was bent back but Ajax making a great leap from the ground pierced Hector's shield with his spear and pushed him back from the place where he stood and the spear point grazed his neck so that the blood spurted out then Hector caught up a great stone that lay upon the ground and threw it and yet once more the great shield stayed him nor could he break through it and the stone which Ajax threw was heavier by far and it broke Hector's shield and bore him to the ground so that he lay on his back upon the ground with the broken shield over him truly it had fared ill for him but that Apollo raised him up and set him on his feet then the two warriors drew their swords but before they could get close together the two heralds came up and thrust their stays between them and the Trojan heralds said it is enough my sons fight no more your great warriors both of you but now the knight is at hand and bids you cease and you will do well to obey then said Ajax yes herald but it is for Hector to speak for he began this matter challenging the bravest of the Greeks to fight with him and what he wills that I will also Hector said the herald speaks well verily the gods have given you o Ajax, stature and strength there is no better warrior among the Greeks let us cease them from fighting happily we may meet again another day and the gods may give victory to you or to me but now let us give gifts to each other so that the Trojans and Greeks may say Hector and Ajax met in battle but parted in friendship so Hector gave to Ajax a silver studded sword with a scabbard and a belt and Ajax gave to Hector a buckler splendid with purple so they parted and the Trojans were right glad to see Hector coming back safe from the battle on the other hand the Greeks rejoiced yet more for indeed their champion had prevailed and King Agamemnon called all the chiefs to a feast and to Ajax he gave the chine the Trojans also feasted in their city but Zeus sent thunder all that night to be a sign of trouble to come end of how Hector and Ajax fought Section 11 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings run in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Lizzie Driver The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church The Battle on the Plane When it was morning Zeus called all the gods and goddesses to an assembly on top of Mount Olympus and said to them Now listen to me and obey No one of you shall help either the Greeks or the Trojans and mark this If any god or goddess dares to do so I will throw him down from here into the outer darkness and there he shall learn that I am lord in heaven Does any one of you think that I am not stronger than you? Yes, than all of you put together Well, let it be put to the trial Let down a golden chain from heaven to earth and take hold of it all of you and see whether you can drag me from the throne You cannot do it not though you pull with all your might But if I should choose to put out all my strength I could lift you up and the earth and the sea with you and fasten the chain round one of the peaks of this mountain Olympus here and leave you hanging in the air So did Zeus speak and all the gods sat saying nothing for they were terribly afraid But at last Athena said Father, we know right well that none of us can stand up against you and yet we cannot help pity in the Greeks for we fear they will be altogether destroyed We will not help them for this you forbid but if you will permit we will give them advice and Zeus smiled for Athena was his daughter and he loved her better than any other among the gods and goddesses and he gave his consent Then he had his horses yoked to his chariot and touched them with his whip and they flew midway between heaven and earth till they came to a certain mountain which was called Ida and was near to Troy There he sat down and watched the battle for the time was to come when he would keep the promise which he had made to Thetis The Greeks ate their food in haste and freshened themselves to battle and the Trojans also armed themselves inside the city and when they were ready the gates were opened and they went out So the two armies came together and shield was dashed against shield and spear against spear and there was great clash of arms and shouting of men So long as the sun was rising higher in the sky neither of the two prevailed over the other But at noon Zeus held out in the sky his golden scales and in one scale he laid a weight for the Trojans and in the other a weight for the Greeks Now the weights were weights of death and the army whose weight was the heavier would suffer most and below the scale of the Greeks sank lower Then Zeus sent a thunderbolt from the top of Mount Ida into the army of the Greeks and there was great fear among both men and horses After this no man could hold his ground Only old Nestor remained where he was and he remained against his will for Paris had killed one of his horses with an arrow and the chariot could not be moved So the old man began to cut the traces that he might free the horse that was yet alive from the horse that was dead While he was doing this he threw the crowd of fighting men Then had the old man perished but Diomed saw it and went to help him But first he called to Ulysses whom he saw close by running towards the ships Ulysses He cried as loudly as he could Where are you going? Are you not ashamed to turn your back in this way like a coward? Take care that no man thrust you in the back with a spear and disgrace you forever Stop now and help me to save old Nestor He was a fierce hector So he spoke But Ulysses gave no heed to his words but still fled to the ships for he was really afraid And Diomed saw this he made haste, though he was alone to go to the help of Nestor When he got to the place where the old man was he stopped his chariot and said Old friend the young warriors are too much for you leave your own chariot for others to look after and climb into mine and see what these horses of King Trost can do for these are they which I took away from Ineas They're an unfaster or better or easier to turn this way or that Take these reins in your hand and I will go against this hector and see whether the spear of Diomed is as strong as it was of old So old Nestor climbed up into his chariot and took the reins in his hand and touched the horses with the whip driving straight at hector And when they were near him Diomed threw his spear at him him he missed but he struck down his chariot here and the man fell dead to the ground hector was greatly grieved but he let him lie where he fell for he must needs find another man to drive the horses and when he went back from the front to look for the man then the Trojans went back also for it was hector to whom they looked and to whom they followed but when Diomed would have pursued them Zeus threw another thunderbolt from Ida it fell right in front of the chariot and the horses crouched on the ground for fear and Nestor let the reins drop from his hand for he was greatly afraid and cried Oh Diomed let us fly see you not that Zeus is against us he gives glory to hector today tomorrow maybe he will give it to you but what he wills that will he do and no man may hinder him Diomed answered old sir you speak wisely yet it goes to my heart to turn back for hector will say Diomed fled before me seeking to hide himself in the ships I had sooner that the earth should open her mouth and swallow me up than I should hear such things but Nestor answered oh Diomed be content though hector may call you coward the sons of Troy will not believe him no nor the daughters of Troy whose brothers and husbands you have tumbled in the dust so then he turned the horses to fly and hector cried when he saw the great Diomed fly before him are you the man to whom the Greeks give the chief place in their feasts and great cups of wine they were not so on you after today run girl run coward are you the man that was to climb our walls and carry away our people captive Diomed was very angry to hear these words and doubted whether he should flee or turn again to the battle but as he doubted Zeus made a great thundering in the sky and he was afraid then hector called to his horses by their names he called them saying come whitefoot and bayard and brilliant and flame of fire remember how the fair Andromache has cared for you putting you even before me who am her husband carry me now as fast as you can that I may take from old denesta his shield which men say is made all of gold and from Diomed his breastplate which was wrought for him in the forge of heaven so the Greeks fled as fast as they could within the wall which they had built for a defence for their ships for hector drove them before him nor was there one who dared stand up against him and the space between the wall and the ships was crowded with chariots and no spirit was left in any man then Hera put into the heart of King Agamemnon that he should encourage his people to turn again to battle so the kings stood by the ship of Ulysses which was in the middle of the ships for they were drawn up in a long line upon the shore and cried out shame on you Greeks wear your boats which you boasted before you came to this land how that one of you would be more than a match for a hundred yay for two hundred Trojans it was easy to say such words when you ate the flesh of bullocks and drank full cups of wine but now when you are put to the trial a single Trojan is worth more than you all was there ever a king who had such cowards for his people then the Greeks took courage and turned again and set upon the Trojans and the first of all to turn and slay a Trojan was Diomed he drove his spear through the man's back for now the Trojans were flying in their turn and tumbled him from his chariot and after Diomed came King Agamemnon and Ajax and other chiefs among them was Tusa the brother of Ajax a skillful archer he stood under the shield of his brother and Ajax would lift the shield a little and then Tusa would peer out and take aim and send an arrow at some Trojan and kill him or wound him then he would go back as a child runs to his mother and Ajax covered him with his shield eight warriors did he hit in his way and when King Agamemnon saw him he said shoot on Tusa and bring a joy to your people and to your father surely we have taken the city of Troy and shall divide the spoil and we shall have the best gift of all after mine and Tusa said I need no gifts, O King to make me eager I have not ceased to shoot my arrows at these Trojans eight arrows have I shot and everyone has found its way through some warrior's armor into his flesh but this Hector I cannot hit and as he spoke he let fly another arrow at Hector from the sling him he did not touch and then he shot yet a tenth and this time he laid low the charioteer who stood by Hector's side then Hector's heart was filled with rage and grief he lent down from his chariot and caught up a great stone in his hand and ran at Tusa that he might crush him to the earth and Tusa when he saw him coming made haste and took an arrow from his quiver and fitted it to the sling but even as he drew back his shoulder the great stone struck him where the collarbone stands out against the neck and the arm it broke the bow string and made his arm and wrist all weak and numb so that he could not hold the bow and he fell upon his knees dropping the bow to the ground but Ajax stood over him and covered him with his shield and two of his comrades took him up in their arms and carried him groaning deeply to the ships when the Trojans saw the great archer carried away from the battle they took fresh courage and drove back the Greeks to the ditch for there was a ditch in front of the wall and Hector was always in the very front as a dog follows a wild beast and catches him by the hip or the thigh as he flies so Hector followed the Greeks and slayed the hind most of them then Hera as she sat on the top of Olympus said to Athena shall we not have pity on the Greeks and help them let us do it this once if we'd never do it again I fear much that they will perish altogether by the hand of Hector see what harm he has done to them already Athena answered this is also my father's doing he listened to Thetis when she asked him to do honour to her son Achilles but perhaps he may now listen to me and will let me help the Greeks make your chariot ready therefore and I will put on my armour so we will go together to the battle maybe that Hector will not be glad when he sees us coming against him so Hera made her chariot ready and Athena put on her armour and took a great spear and prepared us for battle then the two mounted the chariot and the hours opened the gates of heaven for them and they went towards Troy but Zeus saw them from where he sat on the top of Mount Ida and he called to Iris who is the messenger of the gods and said to her go now Iris and tell these two that they had better not set themselves against me if they do then I will lame their horses and throw them down from their chariot and break the chariot in pieces if I do would strike them with my thunderbolt they will not recover from their hurts for ten years and more so Iris made all the haste she could and met the two goddesses on their way and gave them the message of Zeus when Hera heard it she said to Athena it is not wise for us to to fight with Zeus for the sake of men let them live or die as he may think best but we will not set ourselves against him so Hera turned to the chariot and they went back to Olympus and sat down in their chairs of gold among the other gods very sad and angry were they when Zeus saw that they had gone back he left Mount Ida and went to Olympus and came into the hall where the gods were assembled when he saw Hera and Athena sitting by themselves with gloomy faces he mocked them saying why do you look so sad surely it cannot be that you have tired yourselves by joining in the battle and slaying these Trojans whom you hate so much but if it is because the thing that I will does not please you then know that what I choose to happen that shall happen yes if all the other gods should join against me still I shall prevail over them and when Zeus had so spoken then Athena for all that her heart was bursting with anger said nothing but Hera would not keep silence well do we know oh Zeus that you are stronger than all the gods nevertheless we cannot but pity the Greeks when we see them perishing in this way Zeus spake again is that so do you pity the Greeks for what they have suffered today tomorrow you shall see worse things than these oh queen for Hector will not see driving the Greeks before him and slaying them till the great Achilles himself shall be moved and shall rise from his place where he sits by his ships and now the sun sank into the sea and the night fell the Trojans were angry that the darkness had come and that they could not see any longer but the Greeks were glad of the night for it was a shelter to them and gave them time to breathe then Hector called the Trojans to an assembly at the place that was near the river where the ground was clear of dead bodies he stood in the middle of the people holding in his hand a spear sixteen feet or more in length with a shining head of bronze and a band of gold by which the head was cast into the shaft what he said to the people was this Harkon men of Troy and yer allies who have come to help us I thought that today we should destroy the army of the Greeks and burn their ships and so go back to Troy and live in peace but night has come and hinders us from finishing our work let us sit down therefore and rest and take a meal lose your horses from your chariots and give them their food go some of you to the city and fetch thence cattle and sheep and wine and bread that we may have plenty to eat and drink also fetch fuel that we may burn fires all the night that we may sit by them and also that we see whether the Greeks will try to escape in the night truly they shall not go in peace many we will kill and the rest shall at the least carry away with him a wound for him to heal at home that so no man may come again and trouble the city of Troy the heralds also shall go to the city and make a proclamation that the old men and boys shall guard the wall and that every woman shall light a half fire and that all shall keep watch lest the enemy should enter the city while the people are fighting at the ships and now I will say no more but tomorrow I shall have other words to speak to you but know this we shall arm ourselves and drive these Greeks to their ships and if it may be burn these ships with fire then we shall know whether the bold diamie shall drive me back from the wall or whether he shall be slain with a spear tomorrow shall surely bring ruin on the Greeks a word that I were as sure of living for ever and ever and of being honoured as the gods are honoured so Hector spoke and all the Trojan shouted with joy their words then they unharnessed the horses and fetched Provanda from the city and also gathered a great store of fuel they sat all night in the hope of what the next day would bring as on a calm night the stars shone bright so shone the watchfires of the Trojans a thousand fires were burning and by each fire sat fifty men and the horses stood by the chariots jumping oats and barley so they all waited for morning end of the battle on the plane section 12 the Iliad for boys and girls this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Lizzie Driver the Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church the repentance of Agamemnon while the Trojans made merry being full of hope that they would soon be rid of their enemies the Greeks on the other hand were full of trouble and fear and not one of them was more sad at heart than King Agamemnon after a while he called to the heralds and told them to go round to the chiefs and bid them come to a council Bid them one by one he said and do not proclaim the thing publicly for I would not have the people know of it so the chiefs came and sat down each man in his seat not a word did they say but looked sadly on the ground at last King Agamemnon stood up and spoke oh my friends lords and rulers of the Greeks truly Zeus seems to hate me once he promised me that I should take this city of Troy and return home in safety but this promise he has not kept I must go back to the place from which I came without honour having lost many of those who came with me but now before we all perish let us flee in our ships to our own land for Troy we may not take and when the king had finished his speech the chiefs sat still not saying a word for they were out of heart but after a while seeing that no one else would speak brave Diamed stood up in his place and said oh king do not be angry if I say that this talk of yours about fleeing in our ships to our own land is nothing but madness it was but two days since that you called me a coward whether this be true the Greeks both young and old know well I will not say yes or no but this time I tell you Zeus has given you to be first among the Greeks and to be a king among kings but courage he has not given you and courage is the best gift of all and without it all others are of no account now if you're bent on going back go your ships are ready to be launched and the way is short but all the other Greeks will stay till they have taken the city of Troy I and if they also choose to go with you still I will stay I and Thenalus here my friend yes we too will stay and we will fight till we make an end of the city for the gods sent us hither and we will not go back to we have done the thing for which we came then old Nestor stood up in his place and said you are a brave man Diomed and you speak words of wisdom there is not a man here but knows that you have spoken the truth and now oh king Agamemnon do you seek counsel from the chiefs and when they have spoken follow that counsel which will seem to you wisest and best but first let them sit down to eat and to drink also set sentinels to keep watch along the trench lest our enemies should fall upon us unawares for they have many watchfires and a mighty host thoroughly this night will either save us or make an end of us altogether so the king bade his men prepare a feast and the chiefs sat down to eat and drink and when they had had enough Nestor rose up in his place and spoke oh king Zeus has made you lord over many nations and put many things into your hand therefore you have the greater need of good counsel and are the more bound to listen to wise words even though they may not please you it was an evil day oh king when you sent the heralds to take away Brasaius from Achilles the other chiefs did not consent your deeds yes and I myself advise you not to do this thing but you would not hear rather you followed your own pride and pleasure and shamed the bravest of your followers taking away from him the prize which he had won with his own hands do you therefore and do this evil deed and make peace with this man whom you have wronged speaking to him pleasant words and give him noble gifts King Agamemnon stood up and said you have spoken true words old sir truly I acted as a fool that day I do not deny it for not only is Achilles a great warrior but he is dear to Zeus and he that is dear to Zeus is worth more than whole armies of other men see now how we are put to flight when he stands aside from the battle this surely is the doing of Zeus and now as I did him wrong so I will make amends giving him many times more than that which I took from him here now the gifts which I will give him seven kettle standing on three feet new which the fire has never touched ten talents of gold and twenty bright cauldrons and twelve strong horses which have won many prizes for me by their swiftness the man who had as much gold of his own as these twelve horses have won for me would not be a beggar also I will give him some women slaves skilled with their needle and another work of the hands who are in my portion of the spoil when we took the island of Lesbos yes and I will send him the maid in Briseus whom I took from him and when by favour of the gods we shall have taken the city of Troy and shall divide the spoil then let him come and choose for himself twenty women the most beautiful that there are in the city after the fair Helen for none can be so beautiful as she and I will give him yet more than this when we get back to the land of Greece then he shall be as a son to me and I will honour him even as I honour my own son Austus three daughters of I in my palace at home of these he shall have the one whom he shall choose for his wife and shall take her to the house of his father Palaeus nor shall he give any gifts as a man is used to give when he seeks a maiden for his wife he shall have my daughter without a price and more than this I will give her a great dowry such as a king has never before given to his daughter seven fair cities will I give him and with each city fields in which many herds, foxen and flocks of sheep are grazing and vineyards out of which much wine is made and the people of these cities shall honour him as their lord and master all these things will I give him only he will cease from his anger let him listen to our prayers for of all things that are in the world there is but one that does not listen to prayers and this one thing is death and this verily is the cause why death is hated of all men let him therefore not be as death when Agamemnon had made an end of his speech and the people of these cities when Agamemnon had made an end of his speaking Nesta said to him the gifts which you are ready to give to the greater Achilles are such as no man can find fault with let us therefore without delay choose men who may go to his tent and offer them to him let Phoenix go first for he is dear to the gods and Achilles also honours him for indeed Phoenix has the care of him when he was a child and with him Ajax the greater should go and Ulysses also and let two heralds go with them and now let the heralds bring water and pour upon our hands and let each keep silence while we pray to Zeus that he may have mercy on us and incline the heart of this man to listen to our entreaties then the heralds brought water and poured it upon the hands of the chiefs and they filled the bowls with wine and each man took his bowl and poured out a little on the ground praying meanwhile to the gods and when they had done this they drank and came out from the king's tent and before they went on their errand Old Nestor charged them what they should say all of them he charged but Ulysses most of all because he was the best speaker of them all end of the repentance of Agamemnon section 13 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information on to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Lizzie Driver the Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church the Embassy to Achilles so they went along the shore of the sea and as they went they prayed to the god who shakes the earth that is to say the god of the sea that he would shake the heart of Achilles and when they came to the camp of the myrmidons for these were the people of Achilles they saw the king with a harp in his hand the harp he had taken from the city of Thebes which was also the city of Andromache he was playing on the harp and as he played he sang a song about the valiant deeds which the heroes of old time had wrought and Petrolicus sat over against him in silence waiting till he should have ended his singing so the three chiefs came forward Ulysses leading the way and stood before Achilles and he, when he saw them jumped up from his seat not a little astonished holding his harp in his hand and Petrolicus also rose up from his seat to do the mona and Achilles said you are welcome my friends though I am angry with the king you are not the less my friends and when he had said this he bade them sit down upon chairs that were there covered with coverlets of purple and to Petrolicus he said bring out the biggest bowl and mix the wine and make it as strong and as sweet as you can and give each of these my friends a cup that they may drink there are none whom I love in this whole army of the Greeks and this Petrolicus did and when he had mixed the wine strong and sweet and had given each man his cup then he made ready a feast nor were they unwilling though they had but just feasted in the tent of King Agamemnon for the men of those days were as mighty in eating and drinking as in fighting and the way that he made ready the feast was this a great block of wood as close as he might be to the fire and on this he put the back that is to say the saddle of a sheep and the same portion of a fatted goat and also the same of a well fed pig the charioteer of Achilles held the flesh in its place for the spit and Achilles carved it and when he had carved the portions he put each on a skewer then Petrolicus made the fire burn high and when the flames had died down then he smoothed the red hot embers and put the racks upon the top of them again the spits with flesh but first he sprinkled them with salt and when the flesh was cooked he took it from the skewers and put portions of it on the platters also he took bread and put it in baskets then they all took their places for the meal and Achilles gave the place of honour to Ulysses but before they began he signed to Petrolicus that he should sacrifice to the gods and this he did by casting into the fire something of the flesh and of the bread after this they put forth their hands and took the food that was ready for them when they had had enough Ajax nodded to Phoenix meaning that he should speak and tell Achilles why they had come but Ulysses perceived it and began to speak before ever Phoenix was ready to begin first he filled a cup and drank to the health of Achilles and then he said Hail Achilles truly we have no lack of feasting first in the tent of King Agamemnon and now in yours but this is not a day to think of feasting for destruction is closed at hand and we are greatly afraid this very day the Trojans and their allies came very near to burning our ships and we are greatly in doubt whether we shall save them for it is plainly to be seen that Zeus is on their side what therefore we have come to ask of you is that you will not stand aside any longer from the battle but will come and help us of old and truly our need is great for this Hector rages furiously saying that Zeus is with him and not caring for God or man and even now he is praying that morning may appear for he vows that he will burn the ships with fire and destroy us while we are choked with the smoke of the burning and I am greatly afraid that the gods will give him strength to make good his threats and to kill us all here far from the land in which we were born now therefore stir yourself before it is too late you have a mind to save the Greeks make no delay lest it be too late and your repent only when that which is done shall be past or recalling did not the old man Pellis your father on the day when he sent you from Pythia your country to follow King Agamemnon lay this charge upon you saying my son the gods will give you strength and will make you mighty in battle if it be their will but there is something which you must do yourself keep down the pride of your heart full gentleness is better than pride also keep from strife so shall the Greeks both young and old love you and honour you this charge your father laid upon you but you have not kept it nevertheless there is yet a place of repentance for you for the king has sent us to offer you gifts great and many to make up the wrong he did to you so great and so many are they that no one can say that these are not worthy and then Ulysses set forth in order all the things which Agamemnon had promised to give kettles and cauldrons and gold and women slaves and his daughter in marriage and seven cities to be her dowry and when he had finished the list of these things he said be content take these gifts which indeed no man can say that are not sufficient and if you have no thought for Agamemnon yet you should have thought for the people who perish because you stand aside from the battle take the gifts therefore for by doing so you will have wealth and love and honour from the Greeks and great glory also for you will slay Hector who is now ready to meet you in battle so proud is he thinking that there is not a man of all the Greeks who can stand against him when Achilles answered I will speak plainly O Ulysses and will set out clearly what I think is in my heart and what I intend to do it does not please me that you should sit there and coax me one man saying one thing and another man saying another yes I will speak both plainly and truly for as for the man who thinks one thing in his heart and says another with his tongue he is hateful to me as death itself will be always fighting day after day it is but thankless work for the man that stays home has an equal share with the man who lever leaves the battle and men honour the coward even as they honour the brave and death comes alike to the man that works and to the man who sits idle at home look at me now what profit have I had of all that I have endured putting my life in peril day after day even as a bird carries food to these nestlings till they are fledged and never ceases to work for them and her self is but ill fed so it has been with me many nights have I been without sleep and I have laboured many days I took twelve cities to which I travelled in ships and eleven to which I travelled by land and from all I carried away much spoil all this spoil I brought King Agamemnon and he who all the time stayed safe in his tent gave a few things to me and to others but kept the great apart for himself and then what did he do he left to the other chiefs that which he had given to them but what he had given to me that he took from me yes he took Prasaius let him keep her if he will but let him not ask me anymore to fight against the Trojans there are other chiefs whom he has not wronged and shamed in this way he may counsel with them how he may keep away the devouring fire from the ships many things he has done already he has built a wall and dug a ditch about it can he not keep Hector from the ships with them and yet in the time past when I used to fight this Hector dead not says his army in a ray far from the walls of Troy nay he scares to venture to come outside the gates once indeed did he gather his courage together and stand up against me to fight man with man and then he barely escaped from my spear but neither with him nor with any other of the sons of Troy will I fight again tomorrow I will do sacrifice to Zeus and the other gods and I will store my ships with food and water and launch them on the sea yes early in the morning tomorrow if you care to look you will see my ships upon the sea and my men rowing with all their might and if the gods of the sea give me good passage on the third day I shall come to my own dear country even to Pythia there the riches which I left behind me when I came to this land of Troy and thither shall I carry such things gold and silver and slaves as King Agamemnon has not taken from me but with him I will never take council again nor will I stand by his side in battle as for his gifts I scorn them I and were they twenty times as great I would scorn them still not with all the wealth of Thebes which is in the land of Egypt would he persuade me and then Thebes there is no wealthier city in all the world a hundred gates it has and through each gate two hundred warriors ride forth to battle with chariots and horses and as for his daughter whom you would give me to be my wife I would not marry her not though she was as beautiful as Aphrodite herself and as skilled in all the works of the needle as Athena let him choose for his son-in-law some chief of the Greeks who is better than I am as for me if the gods suffer me to reach my home my father Pellis shall choose me a wife many maidens daughters of kings are there in Pythia and in Hellas and not one among them who would scorn me if I came a wooing often in times past I have thought to do this thing to marry a wife and to settle down in peace and to enjoy the riches of the old man my father and such things as I have gathered for myself for long since my mother Theetus of the sea said to me my son there are two lots of life before you and you may choose which you will if you stay in this land and fight against Troy then you must never go back to your own land but will die in your youth only your name will live forever but if you will leave this land to go back to your home then shall you live long even to old age but your name will be forgotten once I thought fame was a better thing than life but now my mind has changed for indeed my fame is taken from me seeing that King Agamemnon puts me to shame before all the people and now I go away to my own land and I counsel you to go also for Troy I will never take the city is dear to Zeus and he puts courage into the hearts of the people and take this answer back to the man who sent you find some other way of keeping Hector and the Trojans from the ships for my help he shall not have but to let Phoenix stay with me this night that he may go with me in my ship when I depart tomorrow nevertheless if he choose rather to stay let him stay for I would not take him by force he should end at his speech all the chief sat silent so vehement was he end of the embassy to Achilles