The Iliad by Homer (ereader for textbooks .txt) 📕

many had foals running with them. All these did
we drive by night to Pylus, the city of Neleus, taking them within the
city; and the heart of Neleus was glad in that I had taken so much,
though it was the first time I had ever been in the field. At daybreak
the heralds went round crying that all in Elis to whom there was a debt
owing should come; and the leading Pylians assembled to divide the
spoils. There were many to whom the Epeans owed chattels, for we men of
Pylus were few and had been oppressed with wrong; in former years
Hercules had come, and had laid his hand heavy upon us, so that all our
best men had perished. Neleus had had twelve sons, but I alone was
left; the others had all been killed. The Epeans presuming upon all
this had looked down upon us and had done us much evil. My father chose
a herd of cattle and a great flock of sheep--three hundred in all--and
he took their shepherds with him, for there was a great debt due to him
in Elis, to wit four horses, winners of prizes. They and their chariots
with them had gone to the games and were to run for a tripod, but King
Augeas took them, and sent back their driver grieving for the loss of
his horses. Neleus was angered by what he had both said and done, and
took great value in return, but he divided the rest, that no man might
have less than his full share.

"Thus did we order all things, and offer sacrifices to the gods
throughout the city; but three days afterwards the Epeans came in a
body, many in number, they and their chariots, in full array, and with
them the two Moliones in their armour, though they were still lads and
unused to fighting. Now there is a certain town, Thryoessa, perched
upon a rock on the river Alpheus, the border city of Pylus. This they
would destroy, and pitched their camp about it, but when they had
crossed their whole plain, Minerva darted down by night from Olympus
and bade us set ourselves in array; and she found willing soldiers in
Pylos, for the men meant fighting. Neleus would not let me arm, and hid
my horses, for he said that as yet I could know nothing about war;
nevertheless Minerva so ordered the fight that, all on foot as I was, I
fought among our mounted forces and vied with the foremost of them.
There is a river Minyeius that falls into the sea near Arene, and there
they that were mounted (and I with them) waited till morning, when the
companies of foot soldiers came up with us in force. Thence in full
panoply and equipment we came towards noon to the sacred waters of the
Alpheus, and there we offered victims to almighty Jove, with a bull to
Alpheus, another to Neptune, and a herd-heifer to Minerva. After this
we took supper in our companies, and laid us down to rest each in his
armour by the river.

"The Epeans were beleaguering the city and were determined to take it,
but ere this might be there was a desperate fight in store for them.
When the sun's rays began to fall upon the earth we joined battle,
praying to Jove and to Minerva, and when the fight had begun, I was the
first to kill my man and take his horses--to wit the warrior Mulius. He
was son-in-law to Augeas, having married his eldest daughter,
golden-haired Agamede, who knew the virtues of every herb which grows
upon the face of the earth. I speared him as he was coming towards me,
and when he fell headlong in the dust, I sprang upon his chariot and
took my place in the front ranks. The Epeans fled in all directions
when they saw the captain of their horsemen (the best man they had)
laid low, and I swept down on them like a whirlwind, taking fifty
chariots--and in each of them two men bit the dust, slain by my spear.
I should have even killed the two Moliones, sons of Actor, unless their
real father, Neptune lord of the earthquake, had hidden them in a thick
mist and borne them out of the fight. Thereon Jove vouchsafed the
Pylians a great victory, for we chased them far over the plain, killing
the men and bringing in their armour, till we had brought our horses to
Buprasium, rich in wheat, and to the Olenian rock, with the hill that
is called Alision, at which point Minerva turned the people back. There
I slew the last man and left him; then the Achaeans drove their horses
back from Buprasium to Pylos and gave thanks to Jove among the gods,
and among mortal men to Nestor.

"Such was I among my peers, as surely as ever was, but Achilles is for
keeping all his valour for himself; bitterly will he rue it hereafter
when the host is being cut to pieces. My good friend, did not Menoetius
charge you thus, on the day when he sent you from Phthia to Agamemnon?
Ulysses and I were in the house, inside, and heard all that he said to
you; for we came to the fair house of Peleus while beating up recruits
throughout all Achaea, and when we got there we found Menoetius and
yourself, and Achilles with you. The old knight Peleus was in the outer
court, roasting the fat thigh-bones of a heifer to Jove the lord of
thunder; and he held a gold chalice in his hand from which he poured
drink-offerings of wine over the burning sacrifice. You two were busy
cutting up the heifer, and at that moment we stood at the gates,
whereon Achilles sprang to his feet, led us by the hand into the house,
placed us at table, and set before us such hospitable entertainment as
guests expect. When we had satisfied ourselves with meat and drink, I
said my say and urged both of you to join us. You were ready enough to
do so, and the two old men charged you much and straitly. Old Peleus
bade his son Achilles fight ever among the foremost and outvie his
peers, while Menoetius the son of Actor spoke thus to you: 'My son,'
said he, 'Achilles is of nobler birth than you are, but you are older
than he, though he is far the better man of the two. Counsel him
wisely, guide him in the right way, and he will follow you to his own
profit.' Thus did your father charge you, but you have forgotten;
nevertheless, even now, say all this to Achilles if he will listen to
you. Who knows but with heaven's help you may talk him over, for it is
good to take a friend's advice. If, however, he is fearful about some
oracle, or if his mother has told him something from Jove, then let him
send you, and let the rest of the Myrmidons follow with you, if
perchance you may bring light and saving to the Danaans. And let him
send you into battle clad in his own armour, that the Trojans may
mistake you for him and leave off fighting; the sons of the Achaeans
may thus have time to get their breath, for they are hard pressed and
there is little breathing time in battle. You, who are fresh, might
easily drive a tired enemy back to his walls and away from the tents
and ships."

With these words he moved the heart of Patroclus, who set off running
by the line of the ships to Achilles, descendant of Aeacus. When he had
got as far as the ships of Ulysses, where was their place of assembly
and court of justice, with their altars dedicated to the gods,
Eurypylus son of Euaemon, met him, wounded in the thigh with an arrow,
and limping out of the fight. Sweat rained from his head and shoulders,
and black blood welled from his cruel wound, but his mind did not
wander. The son of Menoetius when he saw him had compassion upon him
and spoke piteously saying, "O unhappy princes and counsellors of the
Danaans, are you then doomed to feed the hounds of Troy with your fat,
far from your friends and your native land? Say, noble Eurypylus, will
the Achaeans be able to hold great Hector in check, or will they fall
now before his spear?"

Wounded Eurypylus made answer, "Noble Patroclus, there is no hope left
for the Achaeans but they will perish at their ships. All they that
were princes among us are lying struck down and wounded at the hands of
the Trojans, who are waxing stronger and stronger. But save me and take
me to your ship; cut out the arrow from my thigh; wash the black blood
from off it with warm water, and lay upon it those gracious herbs
which, so they say, have been shown you by Achilles, who was himself
shown them by Chiron, most righteous of all the centaurs. For of the
physicians Podalirius and Machaon, I hear that the one is lying wounded
in his tent and is himself in need of healing, while the other is
fighting the Trojans upon the plain."

"Hero Eurypylus," replied the brave son of Menoetius, "how may these
things be? What can I do? I am on my way to bear a message to noble
Achilles from Nestor of Gerene, bulwark of the Achaeans, but even so I
will not be unmindful of your distress."

With this he clasped him round the middle and led him into the tent,
and a servant, when he saw him, spread bullock-skins on the ground for
him to lie on. He laid him at full length and cut out the sharp arrow
from his thigh; he washed the black blood from the wound with warm
water; he then crushed a bitter herb, rubbing it between his hands, and
spread it upon the wound; this was a virtuous herb which killed all
pain; so the wound presently dried and the blood left off flowing.


BOOK XII

The Trojans and their allies break the wall, led on by Hector.

SO THE son of Menoetius was attending to the hurt of Eurypylus within
the tent, but the Argives and Trojans still fought desperately, nor
were the trench and the high wall above it, to keep the Trojans in
check longer. They had built it to protect their ships, and had dug the
trench all round it that it might safeguard both the ships and the rich
spoils which they had taken, but they had not offered hecatombs to the
gods. It had been built without the consent of the immortals, and
therefore it did not last. So long as Hector lived and Achilles nursed
his anger, and so long as the city of Priam remained untaken, the great
wall of the Achaeans stood firm; but when the bravest of the Trojans
were no more, and many also of the Argives, though some were yet left
alive--when, moreover, the city was sacked in the tenth year, and the
Argives had gone back with their ships to their own country--then
Neptune and Apollo took counsel to destroy the wall, and they turned on
to it the streams of all the rivers from Mount Ida into the sea,
Rhesus, Heptaporus, Caresus, Rhodius, Grenicus, Aesopus, and goodly
Scamander, with Simois, where many a shield and helm had fallen, and
many a hero of the race of demigods had bitten the dust. Phoebus Apollo
turned the mouths of all these rivers together and made them flow for
nine days against the wall, while Jove rained the whole time that he
might wash it sooner into the