soon as it heard the mandate. And quickly it came to the swift ships of the Greeks, and went unto Agamemnon, the son of Atreus. But him it found sleeping in his tent, and ambrosial slumber was diffused around. And he stood over his head, like unto Nestor, the son of Neleus, him, to wit, whom Agamemnon honoured most of the old men. To him assimilating himself, the divine dream addressed him : 66 Sleepest thou, son of the warrior, horse-taming Atreus? It becomes not a counsel-giving man, to whom the people have been intrusted, and to whom so many things are a care, to sleep all the night. But now quickly attend to me; for I am a messenger to thee from Jove, who, although far distant, greatly regards and pities thee. He orders thee to arm the long-haired Greeks with all their array, for now mayest thou take the wide-wayed city of the Trojans, since the immortals, who possess the Olympian mansions, no longer think dividedly; for Juno, supplicating, hath bent_all_[to her will], and woes from Jove are impending over the Trojans. But do thou preserve this in thy recollection, nor let forgetfulness possess thee, when sweet sleep shall desert thee." Thus then having spoken, he departed, and left him there pondering these things in his mind, which were not destined to be accomplished. For he, foolish, thought that he would take the city of Priam on that day; nor knew he the deeds which Jupiter was really devising; for even he was about yet to impose additional hardships and sorrows upon both Trojans and Greeks, through mighty conflicts. But he awoke from his sleep, and the heavenly voice was diffused around him. He sat up erect, and put on his soft tunic, beautiful, new; and around him he threw his large cloak. And he bound his beautiful sandals on his shining feet, and slung from his shoulders the silver-studded sword. He also took his paternal sceptre, ever imperishable, with which he went to the ships of the brazen-mailed Greeks. The goddess Aurora now ascended wide Olympus, announcing the dawn to Jove and the other immortals. But he2 on his part ordered the clear-voiced heralds to summon the long-haired Achæans to an assembly. They therefor 2 pa appears to mark the regular transition from one event to anoth summoned them, and the people were very speedily assembled. First the assembly of magnanimous elders sat at the ship of Nestor, the Pylus-born king. Having called them together, he propounded a prudent counsel : "Hear me, my friends: a divine dream came to me in sleep, during the ambrosial night, very like unto the noble Nestor, in form, in stature, and in mien. And it stood above my head, and addressed me: Sleepest thou, son of the warrior, horse-taming Atreus? It becomes not a counsellor, to whom the people have been intrusted, and to whom so many things are a care, to sleep all the night. But now quickly attend to me; for I am a messenger to thee from Jove, who, although far distant, greatly regards and pities thee. He orders thee to arm the long-haired Greeks with all their array, for now mayest thou take the wide-wayed city of the Trojans ; for the immortals, who possess the Olympian mansions, no longer think dividedly, for Juno, supplicating, has bent all [to her will], and woes from Jove are impending over the Trojans; but do thou preserve this in thy thoughts.' Thus having spoken, flying away, it departed; but sweet sleep resigned me. [let us try] if by any means we can arm the sons of the Greeks. But first with words will I sound their inclinations, as is right, and I will command them to fly with their many-benched ships; but do you restrain them with words, one in one place, another in another." But come, He indeed having thus spoken, sat down; but Nestor, who was king of sandy Pylus, rose up, who wisely counselling, harangued them, and said: "O friends, generals and counsellors of the Argives, if any other of the Greeks had told this dream, we should have pronounced it a fabrication, and withdrawn ourselves [from the reciter]. But now he has seen it, who boasts himself [to be] by far the greatest man in the army. But come on, if by any means we can arm the sons of the Greeks." Thus then having spoken, he began to depart from the assembly; and they, the sceptre-bearing princes, arose, and obeyed the shepherd of the tribes, and the hosts rushed forward. Even as the swarms of clustering bees, issuing ever 'The dative here implies direction, πì increasing its force, according anew from the hollow rock, go forth, and fly in troops over the vernal flowers, and some have flitted in bodies here, and some there; thus of these [Greeks] many nations from the ships and tents kept marching in troops in front of the steep shore to the assembly. And in the midst of them blazed Rumour, messenger of Jove, urging them to proceed; and they kept collecting together. The assembly was tumultuous, and the earth groaned beneath, as the people seated themselves, and there was a clamour; but nine heralds vociferating restrained them, if by any means they would cease from clamour, and hear the Jove-nurtured princes. With difficulty at length the people sat down, and were kept to their respective 2 seats, having desisted from their clamour, when king Agamemnon arose, holding the sceptre, which Vulcan had laboriously wrought. Vulcan in the first place gave it to king Jove, the son of Saturn, and Jove in turn gave it to his messenger, the slayer of Argus.3 But king Mercury gave it to steed-taming Pelops, and Pelops again gave it to Atreus, shepherd of the people. But Atreus, dying, left it to Thyestes, rich in flocks; but Thyestes again left it to Agamemnon to be borne, that he might rule over many islands, and all Argos.5 Leaning upon this, he spoke words amongst the Greeks: "O friends, Grecian heroes, servants of Mars, Jove, the son of Saturn, has entangled me in a heavy misfortune. Cruel, who before indeed promised to me, and vouchsafed by his nod, that I should return home, having destroyed well-fortified Ilium. But now he has devised an evil deception, and commands me to return to Argos, inglorious, to Stadelmann and Kühner, who are followed by Anthon. I have restored the old interpretation, which is much less far-fetched, and is placed beyond doubt by Virgil's imitations.-"per florea rura," Æn. i. 430; "floribus insidunt variis." Æn. vi. 708. "Among fresh dews and flowers, Fly to and fro."-Milton. P. L. i. 771. 11. e. over the flowers in the spring-time, when bees first appear. See Virg. 1. c. Eurip. Hipp. 77, μéλioσa deiμwv' ǹpivòv diépɣetai.—Nicias, Anthol. i. 31, čap paivovoa péλiooa.-Longus, i. 4. "Observe the distributive use of κará. Cf. Od. iii. 7. Mercury. Cf. Ovid. Met. i. 624. sqq. On the extended power of Agamemnon, see Thucyd. i. 9. On this sceptre, the type of the wealth and influence of the house of the Atrides. see Grote. vol. i. p. 212. after I ve lost many of my people. So forsooth it appears to be agreeable to all-powerful Jove, who has already overthrown the citadels of many cities, yea, and will even yet overthrow them, for transcendent is his power. For this were disgraceful even for posterity to hear, that se brave and so numerous a people of the Greeks warred an incffectual war, and fought with fewer men; but as yet no end has appeared. For if we, Greeks and Trojans, having struck a faithful league,' wished that both should be numbered, and [wished] to select the Trojans, on the one hand, as many as are townsmen; and if we Greeks, on the other hand, were to be divided into decades, and to choose a single man of the Trojans to pour out wine [for each decade], many decades would be without a cupbearer. So much more numerous, I say, the sons of the Greeks are than the Trojans who dwell in the city. But there are spearwielding auxiliaries from many cities, who greatly stand in my way, and do not permit me wishing to destroy the wellinhabited city. Already have nine years of mighty Jove passed away, and now the timbers of our ships have rotted, and the ropes have become untwisted." Our wives and infant children sit in our dwellings expecting us; but to us the work for which we came hither remains unaccomplished, contrary to expectation. But come, as I shall recommend, let us all obey; let us fly with the ships to our dear native land, for at no future time shall we take wide-wayed Troy." Thus he spoke; and to them he aroused the heart in their breasts, to all throughout the multitude, whoever had not heard his scheme.4 And the assembly was moved, as the great waves of the Icarian Sea, which, indeed, both the southeast wind and the south are wont to raise,5 rushing from the 1 "Opkia is probably used as an adjective, understanding iɛpɛĩa, the victims that were slain in order to ratify the oath. See however Buttm. Lexil. p. 439. 2 The Greeks doubled the Trojans in number. See Anthon. 3 Observe the change of construction in λéλvvraι with the neuter plural. Apollon. de Syntaxi, iii. 11. Τὰ σπάρτα λέλυνται καταλληλότερον τοῦ δοῦρα σέσηπε. 4 I. e. his real object. Cf. vs. 75, sqq. 5 Spitzner and the later editors unite in reading kɩvýoy for kɩ hou from the Venice MS. See Arnold. clouds of father Jove. And as when the west wind' agitates the thick-standing corn, rushing down upon it impetuous, and it [the crop] bends with its ears; so was all the assembly agitated. Some with shouting rushed to the ships, but from beneath their feet the dust stood suspended aloft; and some exhorted one another to seize the vessels, and drag them to the great ocean; and they began to clear the channels. The shout of them, eager [to return] home, rose to the sky, and they withdrew the stays from beneath the vessels. Then truly a return had happened to the Argives, contrary to destiny, had not Juno addressed herself to Minerva: "Alas! indomitable daughter of ægis-bearing Jove, thus now shall the Argives fly home to their dear native land, over the broad back of the deep, and leave to Priam glory, and to the Trojans Argive Helen, on whose account many Greeks have perished at Troy, far from their dear native land? But go now to the people of the brazen-mailed Greeks, and restrain each man with thy own flattering words, nor suffer them to launch to the sea their evenlyplied 2 barks." Thus she spoke, nor did the azure-eyed goddess Minerva refuse compliance. But she, hastening, descended down from the summits of Olympus, and quickly reached the swift ships of the Achæans. Then she found Ulysses, of equal weight with Jove in counsel, standing still; nor was he touching his well-benched, sable bark, since regret affected him in heart and mind. But standing near him, azure-eyed Minerva said: "Jove-sprung son of Laertes, Ulysses of many wiles, thus then will ye fly home to your dear native land, embarking in your many-benched ships? And will ye then leave to Priam glory, and to the Trojans Argive Helen, on whose account many Greeks have fallen at Troy, far from their dear native land? But go now to the people of the Greeks, delay not; and restrain each man by thy own flattering words, nor suffer them to launch to the sea their evenlyplied barks." "As thick as when a field Of Ceres, ripe for harvest, waving bends Her bearded grove of ears, which way the wind 2 I. e. rowed on both sides. But Rost and Liddell (s. v.) prefer swaying, rocking on both sides." |