I
Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus,
that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a
brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many
a hero did it yield a prey to do gs and vultures, for so were
the counsels of Jove fulfille d from the day on which the
son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out
with one another.
And which of the god s was it tha t set them on to
quarrel? It was the son of Jove and Leto; for he was angry
with the ki ng and sent a pestilence upon the host to
plague the people, becaus e the son of Atreus ha d
dishonoured Chryses his priest. Now Chryses had come to
the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had
brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his
hand the sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant? s
wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all the
two sons of Atreus, who were their chiefs.
?Sons of Atr eus,? he cried, ? and all other Achaeans, may
the gods who dwell in Olympus grant you to sack the city
of Priam, and to reach your homes in safety; but free my
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daughter, and accept a ransom for her, in rev erence to
Apollo, son of Jove.?
On this the rest of the Achaean s with one voice were
for respecting the pries t and taking the ransom that he
offered; but not so Agamemnon, w ho spoke fi ercely to
him and sent him roughly away. ?Old man,? said he, ?let
me not find you tarrying about our ships, nor yet coming
hereafter. Your sceptre of the god and your w reath shall
profit you nothing. I will not free her. She shall grow old
in my house at Argos far from her own home , busying
herself with her loom and visiting my couch; so go, and
do not provoke me or it s hall be the worse for yo u.?
The old man feared him and obeyed. Not a word he
spoke, but went by the shore of the sounding sea and
prayed apart to King Apollo whom lovely Leto h ad borne.
?Hear me,? he cried, ?O god of the silver bow, that
protectest Chryse and holy C illa and rulest Tenedos with
thy might, hear me oh thou of S minthe. If I have ever
decked your temple with garl ands, or burned your thigh-
bones in fat of bulls or goats, grant my prayer, and let your
arrows avenge these my tears upon the Danaans.?
Thus did he pray, and Apo llo heard his prayer. He
came down furious fro m the summits of Oly mpus, with
his bow and his quiver upon his shoulder, and the arrows
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rattled on hi s back with the rage that trembled within him.
He sat himself down away from the ships wi th a face as
dark as night, and hi s sil ver bo w rang death as he shot hi s
arrow in the midst of the m. First he smote their mules and
their hounds, but presently he aimed his shafts at the
people themselves, and all da y long t he pyres of the dead
were burning.
For nine w hole days he s hot his arrows among the
people, but upon the tenth day Achilles calle d them in
assembly? moved thereto by Juno, who saw the Achaeans
in their death-throes and had compassi on upon them.
Then, when they were got together, he rose and spoke
among them.
?Son of Atreus,? said he, ?I deem that we should now
turn roving home if we wou ld escap e destruction, for we
are being cut down by war and pestilence at on ce. Let us
ask some priest or prophet, or some reader of dreams (for
dreams, too, are of Jove) who can tell us why Phoebus
Apollo is so angry, and say whether it is for some vow that
we have broken, or hecatomb that we have not offered,
and whether he will accept the savour of lambs and goats
without ble mish, so as to take away the plague from us.?
With these words he sa t do wn, and Calchas son of
Thestor, wisest of augurs, who knew things pa st present
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and to come , rose to speak. He it was who had guided the
Achaeans with their fleet to Ilius, through the
prophesyings with which Phoebus Apollo had inspired
him. With all sincerity and goodwill he addressed the m
thus:?
?Achilles, loved of heaven, you bid me tell you about
the anger o f King Apo llo, I will therefore do so; but
consider first and swear that you will stand by me heartily
in word and deed, for I know that I shall offend one who
rules the Argives with might, to whom all the Achaean s
are in subjection. A plain m an cannot stand against the
anger of a king, who if he swallow his displeasure now,
will yet nurse revenge till he has wreaked it. Consider,
therefore, whether or no you will protect me.?
And Achille s answered, ?Fear not, but speak as it is
borne in up on you from heaven, for by Apoll o, Calchas,
to whom y ou pray, and whose oracles you reveal to us,
not a D anaan at our ships sh all lay his hand upon you,
while I yet live to look upon the face of the earth?no,
not though you name Agamemnon himself, who is by far
the foremost of the Achaeans.?
Thereon the seer spoke boldly. ?The god,? he said, ?is
angry neither about vow nor he cato mb, but for his priest?s
sake, whom Agamemnon has dishonoured, in that he
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would not free his daughter nor take a ransom for her;
therefore has he sent these evils upon us, and will yet send
others. He will not deliver th e Danaans from thi s
pestilence till Agamemnon has restored the girl without
fee or ransom to her father, and has sent a holy hecatomb
to Chryse. Thus we may perhaps appease him.?
With these words he sat down, and Agamemnon rose
in anger. His heart was black with rage, and his eyes
flashed fire as he scowled on Calchas and said, ?Seer of
evil, you never yet prophesied smooth things concerning
me, but have ever loved to fo retell that which was evil.
You have brought me neither comfort nor performance ;
and now y ou come se eing among Danaans, and saying
that Apollo has plague d us because I would not take a
ransom for this girl, the daug hter of Chryses. I have set my
heart on keeping her in my own house, for I love her
better even than my ow n wife Clytemnestra, w hose peer
she is alike in form and feature, in understanding and
accomplishments. Still I will give her up if I must, for I
would have the people live, not die; but you must find me
a prize instead, or I alone among the Argives shall be
without one . This is not well; for yo u behold, all of you,
that my prize is to go els ewhither.?
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And Achilles answered, ?Mos t noble son of Atreus,
covetous be yond all mankind, how shall the Achaeans find
you anothe r prize? We have no common store from
which to take one. Those we too k from the cities have
been awarded; we cannot disallow the awards that have
been made already. Give this girl, therefore, to the god,
and if ever Jove grants us to sack the city of Troy we will
requite you three and fo urfold.?
Then Agamemnon said, ?Achilles, valiant thoug h you
be, you shall not thus outwit me. You shall not overreach
and you shal l not persuade me. Are you to keep your own
prize, while I sit ta mely under my loss and give up the girl
at your bidding? Let the Achaean s find me a prize in fair
exchange to my liking, or I will co me and take your own,
or that of Aj ax or of Uly sse s; and he to whomsoe ver I may
come shall rue my coming . But of this we will take
thought hereafter; for the presen t, let us draw a ship into
the sea, and find a crew for her expressly; let us put a
hecatomb on board, and let us send Chryseis also; further,
let some chi ef man amo ng us be in command, either Ajax,
or Idomeneus, or yourself, son of P eleus, mighty warrior
that you are, that we may offer sacrifice and appease the
the anger of the god.?
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Achilles scowled at him and answered, ?You are s teeped
in insolence and lust of gain . With what heart can any of
the Achaeans do your bidding, either on foray or in open
fighting? I came not warring here for any ill th e Trojans
had done me. I have no quarrel with them. They have not
raided my cattle nor my horses, nor cut down my harvests
on the rich plains o f Phthia; f or between me and the m
there is a g reat space, both mountain and sounding sea.
We have followed you, Sir Insolence! for your pleasure,
not ours?to gain satisfaction from the Trojans for your
shameless se lf and for Mene laus. You forget this, and
threaten to rob me of the prize for which I have toiled,
and which the sons of the Achaeans have given me. Never
when the Achaeans sack any rich city of the Trojans do I
receive so good a prize as you do, though it is my hands
that do the better part of th e fighti ng. When the sharing
comes, yo ur share is far the largest, and I, forsooth, must
go back to my ships, take w hat I can get and be thank ful,
when my labour of fig hting is d one. Now, therefore, I
shall go back to Phthia; it will be much better for me to
return home with my ships, for I will not stay here
dishonoured to gather gold and substance for you.?
And Agamemnon answered, ?Fly if you will, I shall
make you no prayers to stay you. I have others here who
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will do me honour, and above all Jove, the lord of
counsel. There is no king here so hateful to me as you are,
for you are ever quarrelsome and ill- affecte d. What
though you be brave? Was it not heaven that made you
so? Go home, then, with your ship s and comrad es to lord
it over the Myrmidons. I care neither for you nor for your
anger; and thus will I do: sinc e Phoebus Apollo is taking
Chryseis from me, I shall send her with my shi p and my
followers, but I shall come to your tent and take your own
prize Briseis, that you may learn how much stronger I am
than you ar e, and that another may fear to set himself up
as equal or comparable with me.?
The son of Peleus was furious , and his heart within his
shaggy breast was divided whether to draw his sword,
push the others aside, and kill the son of Atre us, or to
restrain himself and check his anger. While he was thus in
two minds, and was drawing his mi ghty sword from its
scabbard, Minerva came down from heaven (for Juno had
sent her in the love she bore to them both), a nd seized the
son of Peleus by hi s yellow hair, visi ble to hi m alone, for
of the others no man could see he r. Achilles turned in
amaze, and by the fire t hat flashed from her eyes at once
knew that she was Minerva. ?Why are you here,? said he,
?daughter of aegis-bearing Jove? To see the pride of
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Agamemnon, son of Atreus? Le t me tell you?and it sh all
surely be?h e shall pay f or this insolence with his life.?
And Minerva said, ?I come from heaven, if you will
hear me, to bid you stay y our anger. Juno has sent me,
who cares for both of you alike. Cease, then, this
brawling, and do not dr aw your sword; rail at him if you
will, and your railing will not be vain, for I tell you?and
it shall surely be?that you shall hereafter receive gifts
three times as splendid by reas on of this present insult.
Hold, therefore, and obey.?
?Goddess,? answered Achilles, ?however angry a man
may be, he must do as you two co mmand him. This wil l
be best, for the gods ever hear the prayers of him who has
obeyed them.?
He stayed his hand on the silver hilt of his sword, and
thrust it b ack into the scabbard a s Minerva bade him.
Then she w ent back to Olympus a mong the o ther gods,
and to the house of aegis-bearing Jove.
But the son of Peleus a gain began railing at the son of
Atreus, for he was still in a rage. ?Wine-bibber,? he cried,
?with the face of a dog and the heart of a hind, y ou never
dare to go out with the host in fi ght, nor yet with our
chosen men in ambuscade. You shun this as you do death
itself. You had rather go round and rob his prizes from any
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man who contradicts y ou. Y ou de vour your p eople, for
you are king over a feeble fo lk; otherwise, son of Atreus,
henceforward you woul d insult no man. Therefore I say,
and swear i t with a great oa th?na y, by thi s my sceptre
which shalt sprout neither leaf nor shoot, nor b ud anew
from the day on which it left its parent stem upon the
mountains?for the axe stripped it of leaf and bark, and
now the sons of the Achaeans bear it as judges and
guardians of the decrees of heaven?so surely and
solemnly do I swear that hereafter t hey shall look fondly
for Achilles and shall not find him. In the day of your
distress, whe n your men fall dying by the murderous hand
of Hector, you shall not know how to help them, and
shall rend your heart with rage for the hour when you
offered insult to the bravest of the Achaeans.?
With thi s th e son of Peleus dashed his gold-bestudded
sceptre on the ground and took hi s seat, while the son of
Atreus was beginning fiercely from his place upon the
other side. Then uprose smooth-tongued Nestor, the
facile speaker of the Pylians, and the words fell from his
lips sweeter than hone y. Two generations of men born
and bred in Pylos had p assed away under his rule, and he
was now reigning over the third. With all sincerity and
goodwill, therefore, he addressed them thus:?
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?Of a truth,? he said, ?a great sorro w has befallen the
Achaean land. Surely Priam with hi s sons woul d rejoice,
and the Trojans be glad at he art if they could hear this
quarrel bet ween you two, who are so excellent in fight
and counsel. I am older than either of you; the refore be
guided by me. Moreover I have been the familiar friend of
men even greater than you are, and they did not disregard
my counsels. Never again c an I behold such men as
Pirithous and Dryas shep herd of his p eople, or as Caeneus,
Exadius, godlike Polyph emus, and Theseus son of Aegeus,
peer of the immortal s. These were the mightiest men ever
born upon this earth: mightiest were they, and when they
fought the fiercest tribes of mountai n savages they utterly
overthrew them. I came from distant Pylos, and went
about among them, for they would have me come, and I
fought as it was in me to do. Not a man now liv ing could
withstand them, but they heard my words, and were
persuaded by them. So be it also with yourselves, for this is
the more excellent way. Th erefore, Agamemnon, though
you be strong, take not this girl away, for the s ons of the
Achaeans have already given her to Achilles; and you,
Achilles, strive not further with the king, for no man who
by the grace of Jove wields a sceptre has like honour with
Agamemnon. You are strong, and have a goddess for your
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mother; but Agamemnon is stronger than you, for he has
more people under him. Son of Atreus, check your anger,
I implore you; end this quarrel with Achilles, who in the
day of battle is a tower of strength to the Achaean s.?
And Agame mnon answe red, ?Sir, all that you hav e said
is true, but this fellow must needs become our lord and
master: he must be lord of all, king of all, and captain of
all, and this shall hardly be. Granted that the g ods hav e
made him a great warrior, have they also given him the
right to speak with railing??
Achilles interrupted him. ?I should be a mean coward,?
he cried, ?were I to giv e in to you in all things. Order
other people about, not me, for I shall obey no longer.
Furthermore I say?and lay my saying to your heart?I
shall fight neither you nor any man about thi s girl, for
those that take were those also that gave. But of all else
that is at my ship you shall carry away nothi ng by force.
Try, that others may se e; if you d o, my spear shall be
reddened with your blood.?
When they had quarrell ed thus angrily, they ros e, and
broke up the assembly a t the ship s of the Acha eans. The
son of Peleus went ba ck to his tents a nd ships with the son
of Menoetius and his company , while Agamemnon drew a
vessel into the water and chose a crew of twenty oarsmen.
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He escorted Chryseis on board and sent moreover a
hecatomb fo r the god. And Ulysses went as captain.
These, then, went on bo ard and sailed their ways over
the sea. But the son of Atreus bade the people purify
themselves; so they puri fied themsel ves and ca st their filth
into the sea. Then they offered hec atombs of bulls and
goats without blemish on th e sea-shore, and the smoke
with the sav our of their sacrifice rose curling up towards
heaven.
Thus did they busy themse lves thr oughout the host.
But Agamemnon did not forget the threat that he had
made Achilles, and called his tr usty messengers and squires
Talthybius and Eurybates. ?Go,? said he, ?to the tent of
Achilles, son of Peleus; take Briseis b y the hand and bring
her hither; if he will not give h er I sh all come with others
and take her?which will press him harder.?
He charged them straigh tly further a nd dismi ssed them,
whereon they went their way sorrowfully by the seaside,
till they came to the ten ts and ships of the Myrmidons.
They found Achilles si tting by his tent and his ships, and
ill-pleased he was whe n he beheld them. They stood
fearfully and reverently before him, and never a word did
they speak, but he k new them and said, ? W elcome,
heralds, messengers of gods and men; draw near; my
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quarrel is n ot with you but with Agamemnon who has
sent you for the girl Briseis. Theref ore, Patroclus, bring
her and give her to them, but let the m be witnesses by the
blessed gods, by mortal men, and by the fierceness of
Agamemnon?s anger, that if ever again there be need of
me to save the people from ruin, they shall seek and they
shall not fi nd. Agamemnon is mad with rage and knows
not how to look before and after that the Achaeans may
fight by their ships in safety.?
Patroclus did as his dear comrade had bidden him. He
brought Briseis from the tent and gave her over to the
heralds, who took her with them to the shi ps of the
Achaeans?and the woman was loth to go. Then Achilles
went all alone by the side of the hoar sea, weeping and
looking out upon the boundless waste of waters. He raised
his hand s in prayer to his immortal mother, ?Mother,? he
cried, ?you bore me do omed to live but for a little season;
surely Jove, who thunders from Olympus, might have
made that little glorious. It is not so. Agamemnon, son of
Atreus, has done me dis honour, and has robbed me of my
prize by force.?
As he spoke he wept aloud, and his mother heard him
where she was sitting in the depths of the sea hard by the
old man her father. Forthwith she r ose as it we re a grey
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mist o ut of the waves, sat down bef ore him as he stood
weeping, caressed him with her hand, and said, ?My son,
why are you weeping? What is it that grieves yo u? Keep it
not from me, but tell me, that we may know it together.?
Achilles drew a deep sigh and said, ?You know it; why
tell you what you know well already? We went t o Thebe
the strong ci ty of Eetio n, sacked i t, a nd brought hither the
spoil. The sons of the Achaeans shared it duly among
themselves, and chose lovely Chryseis as the meed of
Agamemno n; but Chryses, priest of Apollo, ca me to the
ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and brought
with him a great ransom: mo reover he bore in his hand
the sceptre of Apollo, wreathed with a suppliant?s wreath,
and he besought the Achae ans, but most of all the two
sons of Atreus who were their chiefs.
?On this the rest of the Achaean s wi th one voi ce were
for respecting the pries t and taking the ransom that he
offered; but not so Agamemnon, w ho spoke fi ercely to
him and sent him roughly away. So he went back in
anger, and Apollo, w ho loved him dearly, heard his
prayer. Then the god sent a de adly dart upon the Argives,
and the people died thick on one another, for the arrows
went everywhither among th e wide host of the Achaeans.
At last a seer in the fulness of his knowledge d eclared to us
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the oracles of Apollo, and I was myself first to sa y that we
should appease him. Whereon the son of Atreus rose in
anger, and threatened that which he has si nce d one. The
Achaean s are now takin g the girl in a ship to C hryse, and
sending gifts of sacrifice to the god; but the heralds have
just taken from my tent the daughter of Briseus, whom
the Achaeans had awarded to myself.
?Help your brave son, therefore, if you are able. Go to
Olympus, and if you have ever done him service in word
or deed, im plore the aid of Jove. Ofttimes in my father?s
house have I heard you glory in that you alone of the
immortal s sa ved the son of Saturn f rom ruin, when the
others, with Juno, Neptune, and Pallas Minerva would
have put him in bonds. It was you, goddess, who
delivered him by calling to Olympus the hundred-handed
monster whom gods cal l Briareus, but men Aegaeon, for
he is stronger even than his fa ther; when therefore he took
his seat all -glorious beside the son of Saturn, the other
gods were afraid, and did not bin d him. Go, then, to him,
remind him of all this, clasp his knees, and bid him give
succour to the Trojans. Let the Ach aeans be hemmed in at
the sterns of their ships, and p erish on the sea-shore, that
they may reap what joy they may of their king, and that
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Agamemnon may rue his blindness in offering in sult to the
foremost of the Achaeans.?
Thetis wept and answered, ?M y son , woe is me tha t I
should have borne or suckled y ou. Would indeed that you
had lived your span free from all sorrow at your ships, for
it is all too brief; alas, that you should be at once short of
life and long of sorrow above your p eers: woe, therefore,
was the hour in which I bore you; nevertheless I will go
to the snow y heights of Olympus, an d tell thi s tal e to Jove,
if he will hear our prayer: meanwhile stay where you are
with your ships, nurse your anger against the Achaeans,
and hold al oof from fi ght. For Jove went yesterday to
Oceanus, to a feast among th e Ethi opians, and the other
gods went with him. He will return to Olympus twelv e
days hence; I will the n go to his mansion paved with
bronze and will beseech him; nor do I doubt that I shall be
able to persu ade him.?
On this she left him, still furious at the loss of her that
had been taken from him. Meanw hile Ulysses reached
Chryse with the hecato mb. When they had co me inside
the harbour they furled the sails and laid them in the ship?s
hold; they slackened the forestays, lowered the mast into
its place, and rowed the ship to the place where they
would have her lie; th ere they cas t out their mooring-
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stones and made fast the haws ers. They then got out upon
the sea-sho re and landed the hecatomb fo r Apollo;
Chryseis also left the ship, and Ulysses led her to the altar
to deliver her into the hands of her father. ?Chryses,? said
he, ?King Agamemnon has sent me to brin g you back
your child, and to offer sacrific e to Apollo on behalf of the
Danaans, that we may propit iate the god, who has now
brought sorrow upon the Argives.?
So saying he gave the girl over to her father, who
received her gladly, and they ranged the holy hecatomb all
orderly rou nd the altar of the god. They washed their
hands and took up the barley-meal to sprinkle over the
victims, while Chryses lifted up his hands and prayed
aloud on their behalf. ?Hear me,? he cried, ?O god of the
silver bow, that protectest Chryse and holy Cilla, and
rulest Tenedos with thy might. Even as thou didst hear me
aforetime when I prayed, and didst press hardly upon the
Achaeans, so hear me yet ag ain, and stay this fearful
pestilence from the Danaans.?
Thus did he pray, and Apollo heard his prayer. When
they had done praying and sprinkling the bar ley-meal,
they drew back the heads of the v ictims and killed and
flayed them. They cut o ut the thigh -bones, wrapped the m
round in two layers of fat, set some pieces of raw meat on
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the top of th em, and then Chryses laid them on the wood
fire and poured wine over th em, while the young men
stood near him with fi ve-pr onged spits i n their hands.
When the thigh-bones were bu rned and they had tasted
the inward meats, they cut the rest up small, put the pieces
upon the spits, roasted them t ill they were done, and drew
them off: then, when they had finished their work and the
feast was ready, they ate it, and every man had his full
share, so that all were satisfied. As soon as they had had
enough to eat and drink, pages filled the mixing-bowl
with wine and water and handed it round, after giving
every man his drink-offering.
Thus all day long the young men worshipped the god
with song, hymning him and chaunti ng the joyous paean,
and the god took pleasure in their voices; but when the
sun went d own, and it came on dark, they laid themselves
down to sle ep by the stern cables of the ship, and when
the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared they
again set sai l for the host of the Achaean s. Apollo sent
them a fair wind, so they rais ed their mast and hoisted
their white sails aloft. As th e sail bellied with the wind the
ship flew through the deep blue water, and the foam
hissed against her bows as she sped onward. When they
reached the wide-stretching host of the Achaeans, they
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drew the vessel ashore, high and dry upon the sands, set
her strong props beneath her, and went their ways to their
own tents and ships.
But Achilles abode at his ships and nursed his anger. He
went not to the honourable a ssembly, and sallied not forth
to fight, but gnawed at his own heart, pining for battle and
the war-cry.
Now after twelve days t he immortal gods came back in
a body to O lympus, and Jove led the way. Thetis was not
unmindful of the charge her son had laid upon he r, so she
rose from under the sea and went through great heaven
with early morning to Ol ympus, where she found the
mighty son of Saturn sitting all alone upon i ts topmost
ridges. She sat herself do wn before him, and with her left
hand seized his knees, while with her right she c aught him
under the chin, and besought him, saying:?
?Father Jove, if I ever did y ou servic e in word o r deed
among the i mmortal s, hear my prayer, and do honour to
my son, w hose life is to be cut short so e arly. King
Agamemnon has dishonoured hi m by taking his prize and
keeping her. Honour him then yourself, Olympian lord of
counsel, and grant victory to the Trojans, till the Achaeans
give my son his due and load him with riches in requital.?
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Jove sat for a while sil ent, and wi thout a wor d, but
Thetis still kept firm hold of his knees, and besought him a
second time . ?Incline your head,? said she, ?and promise
me surely, or else deny me?for you have nothing to
fear?that I may learn h ow greatly you disdain me.?
At this Jove was much trou bled and answered, ?I shall
have trouble if you set me quarrelling with Juno, for she
will provoke me with her taunting speeches; e ven now
she is always railing at me before the other gods and
accusing me of giving aid to the Trojans. Go b ack now,
lest she should find out. I will consider the m atter, and
will bring it about as you wish. See, I incline my head that
you may believe me. This is th e most solemn pro mise tha t
I can give to any god. I never recall my word, or deceive,
or fail to do what I say, when I have nodded my head.?
As he spoke the son of Saturn bow ed his dark brows,
and the amb rosial lock s swayed on hi s immortal head, till
vast Olympus reel ed.
When the pair had thus laid their plans, they parted?
Jove to his h ouse, while th e goddess quitted the splendour
of Olympus, and plunged into the d epths of the sea. The
gods rose from their seats, before the coming of their sire.
Not one of them dared to remain sitting, but all stood up
as he came among them. There, t hen, he took his seat.
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But Juno, when she saw him, knew that he and the old
merman?s daughter, silver-footed Thetis, had been
hatchi ng mischief, so she at once began to upbraid him.
?Trickster,? she cried, ?which of the gods have you been
taking into your counse ls now? You are always settling
matters in se cret behind my back, an d have never yet told
me, if you could help it, one word o f your intentions.?
?Juno,? replied the sire o f gods and men, ?you must not
expect to be informed of all my counsels. You are my
wife, but y ou would find it hard to understand them.
When it is proper for yo u to hear, there is no one, god or
man, who will be told sooner, but when I mean to keep a
matter to myself, you must not pry nor ask questions.?
?Dread son of Saturn,? answered Juno, ?what are you
talking about? I? Pry an d as k questions? Never. I let you
have your o wn way in everything. Still, I have a strong
misgiving that the old merman?s daughter Thetis has been
talking you over, for she wa s with you and had hold of
your knees this self-same morning. I believe, therefore,
that you have been promis ing her to give glory to
Achilles, and to kill much people at the ships of the
Achaeans.?
?Wife,? said Jove, ?I can do nothing but y ou suspect me
and find it out. You will take nothing by it, for I shall only
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dislike you the more, and it will go harder with you.
Granted that it is as you say; I mean t o have it so; sit down
and hold your tongue as I bid you for if I once begin to
lay my hand s about you, thoug h all heaven were on your
side it would profit you nothing.?
On this Juno was frightened, so she curbed her
stubborn will and sat down in sile nce. But the heavenly
beings were disquieted throughout the house of Jove, till
the cunning workman Vulcan be gan to try and pacify his
mother Juno. ?It will be intolerable,? said he, ?if you two
fall to wrangling and setting heaven in an uproar about a
pack of mortals. If such i ll counsels are to prevail, we shall
have no pleasure at our banquet. Let me then advise my
mother?and she must herself kn ow that it will be
better?to make friends with my d ear father Jove, lest he
again scold her and disturb our feast. If the Olympian
Thunderer wants to hurl us all from our seats, he can do
so, for he is far the stro ngest, so give him fair words, and
he will then soon be in a good humour with us.?
As he spok e, he took a double cup of nectar, and
placed it in his mother?s hand. ?Cheer up, my dear
mother,? said he, ?and make the best of it. I love you
dearly, and should be very sorry to se e you get a thrashing;
however grieved I migh t be, I could not help, for there is
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no standi ng against Jove. Once before when I was trying
to help you, he caught me by the foot and flung me from
the heavenly threshold. All day lon g from morn till eve,
was I falling, till at sunset I came to g round in the island of
Lemnos, and there I lay , with very l ittle life left in me, till
the Sintians came and tended me.?
Juno smiled at this, and as she smile d she took the cup
from her son?s hand s. Then Vulcan drew sweet nectar
from the mixing-bowl, and s erved it round among the
gods, going from left to ri ght; and the blessed gods
laughed out a loud applause as they saw him bustling
about the heavenly mansion.
Thus throug h the livelong day to the going down of
the sun they feasted, and every one had his full share, so
that all were satisfied. Apollo struck his lyre, and the
Muses lifted up their sweet voices, calling and answering
one another. But when the sun?s glor ious light had faded,
they went home to bed, each in his own abod e, which
lame Vulcan with his consum mate skill had fashioned for
them. So Jove, the Olympian Lord of Thunder, hied him
to the bed in which he always slept; and when he had got
on to it he went to sleep, with Juno of the golden throne
by his side.
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