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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

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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

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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

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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

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Our foremost foes, and on his shoulders bore

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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,

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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

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."

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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,

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And turned their eyes to the broad heaven, and said:—

"Grant, Father Jove, that Ajax, or the son

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