Jupiter, in pursuance of the request of Thetis, sends a deceitful
vision to Agamemnon, persuading him to lead the army to battle, in
order to make the Greeks sensible of their want of Achilles. The
general, who is deluded with the hopes of taking Troy without his
assistance, but fears the army was discouraged by his absence, and the
late plague, as well as by the length of time, contrives to make trial
of their disposition by a stratagem. He first communicates his design
to the princes in council, that he would propose a return to the
soldiers, and that they should put a stop to them if the proposal was
embraced. Then he assembles the whole host, and upon moving for a
return to Greece, they unanimously agree to it, and run to prepare the
ships. They are detained by the management of Ulysses, who chastises
the insolence of Thersites. The assembly is recalled, several speeches
made on the occasion, and at length the advice of Nestor followed,
which was to make a general muster of the troops, and to divide them
into their several nations, before they proceeded to battle. This gives
occasion to the poet to enumerate all the forces of the Greeks and
Trojans, and in a large catalogue.
The time employed in this book consists not entirely of one day. The
scene lies in the Grecian camp, and upon the sea-shore; towards the end
it removes to Troy.