And then, in time to come, shall some one say, Sailing in his good ship the dark-blue deep,
'This is the sepulchre of one who died Long since, and whom, though fighting gallantly, Illustrious Hector slew.' So shall he say Hereafter, and my fame shall never die."
He spake; but utter silence held them all, — Ashamed to shun the encounter, yet afraid
To meet it,―till at length, with heavy heart, Rose Menelaus from his seat, and thus Bespake the
army with reproachful words:—
"O boastful ones, no longer to be called Greek warriors, but Greek women! a disgrace Grievous beyond all others will be ours,
If none be found in all the Achaian host To meet this Hector. May you, every one, There where ye now are sitting, turn to earth And water, craven as ye are, and lost
To sense of glory! I will arm myself For this encounter. With the immortal gods Alone it rests to give the victory."
He spake, and put his glorious armor on. Then, Menelaus, had the Trojan's hand Ended thy life, for he was mightier far
Than thou, had not the Achaian kings at once
Uprisen to hold thee back, while Atreus' son, Wide-ruling Agamemnon, took thy hand In his, and made thee listen while he spake:- "Sure, noble Menelaus, thou art mad.
Such frenzied daring suits not with the time. Restrain thyself, though thou hast cause for wrath; Nor in thy pride of courage meet in arms One so much mightier,-Hector, Priam's son, Whom every other chief regards with fear, Whom even Achilles, braver far than thou, Dreads to encounter in the glorious fight. Withdraw, then, to thy comrades, and sit down. The Greeks will send some other champion forth Against him; and though fearless, and athirst For combat, he, I deem, will gladly bend His weary knees to rest should he escape
From that fierce conflict in the lists alive."
With words like these the Grecian hero changed The purpose of his brother, who obeyed
The prudent counsel; and with great delight
The attendants stripped the armor from his breast. Then Nestor rose amid the Greeks and said:-
"Ye gods! a great calamity hath fallen
Upon Achaia. How the aged chief Peleus, the illustrious counsellor and sage, Who rules the Myrmidons, will now lament!- He who once gladly in his palace-home Inquired of me the race and pedigree
Of the Greek warriors. Were he but to know That all of them are basely cowering now
In Hector's presence, how would he uplift
His hands and pray the gods that from his limbs The parted soul might pass to the abode
Of Pluto! Would to Father Jupiter And Pallas and Apollo that again
I were as young as when the Pylian host
And the Arcadians, mighty with the spear, Fought on the banks of rapid Celadon
And near to Phea and Iardan's streams. There godlike Ereuthalion stood among
Our foremost foes, and on his shoulders bore
The armor of King Areïthoüs, —
The noble Areïthoüs, whom men
And graceful women called the Mace-bearer;
For not with bow he fought, nor ponderous lance,
But broke the phalanxes with iron mace.
Lycurgus slew him, but by stratagem,
And not by strength; he from a narrow way, Where was no room to wield the iron mace, Through Areïthous thrust the spear: he fell Backward; the victor took his arms, which Mars
The war-god gave, and which in after-time Lycurgus wore on many a battle-field.
And when within his palace he
grew old, gave them to be worn by one he loved,—
To Ereuthalion, who attended him
In battle, and who, wearing them, defied The bravest of our host. All trembled; ail Held back in fear, nor dared encounter him. But me a daring trust in my own strength Impelled to meet him. I was youngest then Of all the chiefs; I fought, and Pallas gave The victory over him, and thus I slew The hugest and most strong of men; he lay Extended in vast bulk upon the ground. Would I were young as then, my frame unworn By years! and Hector of the beamy helm Should meet an adversary soon; but now No one of all the chieftains here, renowned To be the bravest of the Achaian race, Hastens to meet in arms the Trojan chief."
Thus with upbraiding words the old man spake; And straight arose nine warriors from their seats. The first was Agamemnon, king of men;
The second, brave Tydides Diomed;
And then the chieftains Ajax, bold and strong; And then Idomeneus, with whom arose Meriones, his armor-bearer, great
As Mars himself in battle. After them, Eurypylus Evæmon's valiant son, And Thoas, offspring of Andræmon, rose, And the divine Ulysses,—claiming all To encounter noble Hector in the lists. But then spake Nestor the Gerenian knight:— "Now let us cast the lot for all, and see To whom it falls; for greatly will he aid The nobly-armed Achaians, and as great Will be his share of honor should he come
Alive from the hard trial of the fight."
Then each one marked his lot, and all were cast
Into the helm of Agamemnon, son
Of Atreus. All the people lifted up
Their hands in prayer to the ever-living gods,
And turned their eyes to the broad heaven, and said:—
"Grant, Father Jove, that Ajax, or the son
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