Achilles and the Myrmidons do honours to the body of Patroclus. After
the funeral feast he retires to the sea-shore, where, falling asleep,
the ghost of his friend appears to him, and demands the rites of
burial; the next morning the soldiers are sent with mules and waggons
to fetch wood for the pyre. The funeral procession, and the offering
their hair to the dead. Achilles sacrifices several animals, and lastly
twelve Trojan captives, at the pile; then sets fire to it. He pays
libations to the Winds, which (at the instance of Iris) rise, and raise
the flames. When the pile has burned all night, they gather the bones,
place them in an urn of gold, and raise the tomb. Achilles institutes
the funeral games: the chariot-race, the fight of the caestus, the
wrestling, the foot-race, the single combat, the discus, the shooting
with arrows, the darting the javelin: the various descriptions of
which, and the various success of the several antagonists, make the
greatest part of the book.
In this book ends the thirtieth day. The night following, the ghost of
Patroclus appears to Achilles: the one-and-thirtieth day is employed in
felling the timber for the pile: the two-and-thirtieth in burning it;
and the three-and-thirtieth in the games. The scene is generally on the
sea-shore.