CHAPTER I

THE

STORY OF THE ILIAD

BY THE

REV. ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A.

LATELY PROFESSOR OF LATIN IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

LONDON

EDITED FOR SCHOOL USE

New York

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD.

1920

_All rights reserved_

COPYRIGHT, 1905,

BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.

Set up and electrotyped. Published March, 1905.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE ILIAD:

I. THE QUARREL

II. THE ASSEMBLY

III. THE DUEL OF PARIS AND MENELAUS

IV. THE BROKEN OATH

V. THE VALIANT DEEDS OF DIOMED

VI. GLAUCUS AND DIOMED

VII. HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE

VIII. THE DUEL OF HECTOR AND AJAX

IX. THE BATTLE ON THE PLAIN

X. THE EMBASSY TO ACHILLES

XI. THE ADVENTURE OF ULYSSES AND DIOMED

XII. THE WOUNDING OF THE CHIEFS

XIII. THE BATTLE AT THE WALL

XIV. THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS

XV. THE DEEDS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS

XVI. THE ROUSING OF ACHILLES

XVII. THE MAKING OF THE ARMS

XVIII. THE ENDING OF THE STRIFE

XIX. THE BATTLE AT THE RIVER

XX. THE BATTLE OF THE GODS

XXI. THE SLAYING OF HECTOR

XXII. THE BURNING OF PATROCLUS

XXIII. THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR

PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES

INTRODUCTION

Three thousand years ago the world was still young. The western

continent was a huge wilderness, and the greater part of Europe was

inhabited by savage and wandering tribes. Only a few nations at the

eastern end of the Mediterranean and in the neighbouring parts of

Asia had learned to dwell in cities, to use a written language, to

make laws for themselves, and to live in a more orderly fashion. Of

these nations the most brilliant was that of the Greeks, who were

destined in war, in learning, in government, and in the arts, to play

a great part in the world, and to be the real founders of our modern

civilization. While they were still a rude people, they had noble

ideals of beauty and bravery, of duty and justice. Even before they

had a written language, their singers had made songs about their

heroes and their great deeds; and later these songs, which fathers

had taught to children, and these children to their children, were

brought together into two long and wonderful poems, which have ever

since been the delight of the world, the _Iliad_ and the _Odyssey_.

The _Iliad_ is the story of the siege of Ilium, or Troy, on the

western coast of Asia Minor. Paris, son of the king of Troy, had

enticed Helen, the most beautiful of Grecian women, and the wife of a

Grecian king, to leave her husband's home with him; and the kings and

princes of the Greeks had gathered an army and a fleet and sailed

across the Ægean Sea to rescue her. For ten years they strove to

capture the city. According to the fine old legends, the gods

themselves took a part in the war, some siding with the Greeks, and

some with the Trojans. It was finally through Ulysses, a famous

Greek warrior, brave and fierce as well as wise and crafty, that the

Greeks captured the city.

The second poem, the _Odyssey_, tells what befell Ulysses, or

Odysseus, as the Greeks called him, on his homeward way. Sailing

from Troy with his little fleet of ships, which were so small that

they used oars as well as sails, he was destined to wander for ten

years longer before he could return to his rocky island of Ithaca, on

the west shore of Greece, and to his faithful wife, Penelope.

He had marvellous adventures, for the gods who had opposed the Greeks

at Troy had plotted to bring him ill-fortune. Just as his ships were

safely rounding the southern cape of Greece, a fierce storm took them

out of their course and bore them to many strange lands--lands of

giants, man-eating monsters, and wondrous enchantments of which you

will delight to read. Through countless perils the resolute wanderer

forced his way, losing ship after ship from his little fleet, and

companion after companion from his own band, until he reached home

friendless and alone, and found his palace, his property, and his

family all in the power of a band of greedy princes. These he

overcame by his cunning and his strength, and his long trials were

ended.

As you read these ancient tales, you must forget what knowledge you

have of the world, and think of it as the Greeks did. It was only a

little part of the world that they knew at all,--the eastern end of

the Mediterranean,--but even that seemed to them a great and

marvellous region. Beyond its borders were strange and mysterious

lands, in which wonders of all kinds were found, and round all ran

the great world-river, the encircling stream of Ocean.

In the mountains of Olympus, to the northward, lived the gods. There

was Zeus, greatest of all, the god of thunder and the wide heavens;

Hera, his wife; Apollo, the archer god; Athene, the wise and clever

goddess; Poseidon, who ruled the sea; Aphrodite, the goddess of love;

Hephæstus, the cunning workman; Ares, the god of war; Hermes, the

swift messenger; and others still, whom you will learn to know as you

read. All these were worshipped by men with prayer and sacrifice;

and, as in the early legends of many races, the gods often took the

shape of men and women; they had their favourites and those whom they

hated; and they ruled the fate of mortals as they chose.

If you let yourselves be beguiled into this old, simple way of

regarding earth and heaven, you will not only love these ancient

tales yourself, but you will see why, for century after century, they

have been the longest loved and the best loved of all tales--beloved

by old and young, by men and women and children. For they are

hero-tales,--tales of war and adventure, tales of bravery and

nobility, tales of the heroes that mankind, almost since the

beginning of time, have looked to as ideals of wisdom and strength

and beauty.

THE ILIAD

CHAPTER I

THE QUARREL

Leda, Queen of Sparta, bare a daughter, Helen by name, that grew to

be the fairest of all women upon earth. She married Menelaus, son of

Atreus, and for a while dwelt in peace with her husband, bearing him

a daughter, Hermione by name. But there came to the court of

Menelaus, who was by this time King of Sparta, a certain Paris,

second in birth among the sons of Priam, King of Troy. Menelaus

entertained him hospitably, but Paris repaid his kindness with evil,

for he carried off his wife, the fair Helen, and took with her many

of the King's possessions.

Le'-da. Men-e-la'-us. Ag-a-mem'-non. Her-mi'-o-ne. A'-treus.

Then Menelaus, with his elder brother Agamemnon, who was lord of all

the Greeks, went to all the chiefs, and prayed that they would help

them to avenge this wrong. Thus was a great host gathered together,

even a hundred thousand men, and eleven hundred fourscore and six

ships.

For nine years did the Greeks besiege the city of Troy. They won,

indeed, in the field, but could not break through the walls.

Now because they had been away from their homes for many years, they

were in want of things needful. Therefore it was their custom to

leave part of the army to watch the city, and with part to spoil the

cities in the country round about. And in this way the great quarrel

that caused such trouble to the host came about.

The Greeks sacked the city of Chryse, where was a temple of Apollo,

and a priest that served the temple. And when they divided the

spoil, they gave to King Agamemnon, with other gifts, the priest's

daughter Chryseis. Thereupon Chryses, the priest, came to the camp,

wishing to ransom his daughter. Much gold he brought with him, and

on his staff of gold he carried the holy garland, that men might

reverence him the more. He went to all the chiefs, and to the sons

of Atreus first of all, saying:--

Chry'-se. A-pol'-lo. Chry-se'-is. Chry'-ses.

"Loose, I pray you, my dear daughter, and take the ransom for her; so

may the gods that dwell in Olympus grant you to take the city of

Troy, and to have safe return to your homes."

Then all the others spake him fair, and would have done what he

wished. Only Agamemnon would not have it so.

"Get thee out, graybeard!" he cried in great wrath. "Let me not find

thee lingering now by the ships, neither coming hither again, or it

shall be the worse for thee, for all thy priesthood. And as for thy

daughter, I shall carry her away to Argos, when I shall have taken

this city of Troy."

Then the old man went out hastily in great fear and trouble. And he

walked in his sorrow by the shore of the sounding sea, and prayed to

his god Apollo.

"Hear me, God of the silver bow! If I have built thee a temple, and

offered thee the fat of many bullocks and rams, hear me, and avenge

my tears on these Greeks with thine arrows!"

And Apollo heard him. Wroth was he that men had so dishonoured his

priest, and he came down from the top of Olympus, where he dwelt.

Dreadful was the rattle of his arrows as he went, and his coming was

as the night when it cometh over the sky. Then he shot the arrows of

death, first on the dogs and the mules, and then on the men; and soon

all along the shore rolled the black smoke from the piles of wood on

which they burnt the bodies of the dead.

O-lym'-pus.

For nine days the shafts of the god went throughout the host; but on

the tenth day Achilles called the people to an assembly. So Hera

bade him, for she loved the Greeks, and grieved to see them die.

When they were gathered together he stood up among them, and spake to

Agamemnon.

A-chil'-les. He'-ra.

"Surely it were better to return home, than that we should all perish

here by war or plague. But come, let us ask some prophet, or priest,

or dreamer of dreams, why it is that Apollo is so wroth with us."

Then stood up Calchas, best of prophets, who knew what had been, and

what was, and what was to come, and spake.

Cal'-chas. seer, prophet.

"Achilles, thou biddest me tell the people why Apollo is wroth with

them. Lo! I will tell thee, but thou must first swear to stand by

me, for I know that what I shall say will anger King Agamemnon, and

it goes ill with common men when kings are angry."

"Speak out, thou wise man!" cried Achilles; "for I swear by Apollo

that while I live no one shall lay hands on thee, no, not Agamemnon's

self, though he be lord of the Greeks."

Then the blameless seer took heart, and spake: "It is not for vow or

offering that Apollo is wroth; it is for his servant the priest, for

he came to ransom his daughter, but Agamemnon scorned him, and would

not let the maiden go. Now, then, ye must send her back without

ransom, and with her a hundred beasts for sacrifice, so that the

plague may be stayed."

Then Agamemnon stood up in a fury, his eyes blazing like fire.

"Never," he cried, "hast thou spoken good concerning me, ill prophet

that thou art, and now thou tellest me to give up this maiden! I

will do it, for I would not that the people should perish. Only take

care, ye Greeks, that there be a share of the spoil for me, for it

would be ill if the lord of all the host should alone be without his

share."

"Nay, my lord Agamemnon," cried Achilles, "thou art too eager for

gain. We have no treasures out of which we may make up thy loss, for

what we got out of the towns we have either sold or divided; nor

would it be fitting that the people should give back what has been

given to them. Give up the maiden, then, without conditions, and

when we shall have taken this city of Troy, we will repay thee three

and four fold."

"Nay, great Achilles," said Agamemnon, "thou shalt not cheat me thus.

If the Greeks will give me such a share as I should have, well and

good. But if not, I will take one for myself, whether it be from

thee, or from Ajax, or from Ulysses; for my share I will have. But

of this hereafter. Now let us see that this maiden be sent back.

Let them get ready a ship, and put her therein, and with her a

hundred victims for sacrifice, and let some chief go with the ship,

and see that all things be rightly done."

A'-jax.

Then cried Achilles, and his face was black as a thunder-storm:

"Surely thou art altogether shameless and greedy, and, in truth, an

ill ruler of men. No quarrel have I with the Trojans. They never

seized oxen or sheep of mine in my native land, for many mountains

lie between, and a great breadth of roaring sea. But I have been

fighting in thy cause, and that of thy brother. Naught carest thou

for that. Thou leavest me to fight, and sittest in thy tent at ease.

But when the spoil is divided, thine is always the lion's share.

Small indeed is my part, and this, forsooth, thou wilt take away!

Now am I resolved to go home. I have no mind to heap up goods and

gold for thee, and be myself dishonoured."

And King Agamemnon answered: "Go, and thy Myrmidons with thee! I

have other chieftains as good as thou art, and ready, as thou art

not, to pay me due respect; and Zeus is with me. I hate thee, for

thou always lovest war and strife. And as for the matter of the

spoil, know that I will take thy share, the girl Briseis, and fetch

her myself, if need be, that all may know that I am sovereign lord

here in the host of the Greeks."

Myr-mi-dons, the soldiers of Achilles. Bri-se'-is.

Then Achilles was mad with anger, and he thought in his heart, "Shall

I arise and slay him, or shall I keep down the wrath in my breast?"

And as he thought he laid his hand on his sword-hilt, and had half

drawn his sword from the scabbard, when lo! the goddess Athene stood

behind him (for Hera, who loved both chieftains had sent her), and

caught him by the long locks of his yellow hair. Achilles marvelled

much to feel the mighty grasp, and turned, and looked, and knew the

goddess, but no one else in the assembly could see her. Terrible was

the flash of his eyes as he cried: "Art thou come, child of Zeus, to

see the insolence of Agamemnon? Of a truth, I think that he will

perish for his folly."

A-the'-ne.

But Athene said: "Nay, I am come from heaven to calm thy wrath, if

thou wilt hear me; white-armed Hera sent me, for she loveth and

cherisheth you both alike. Draw not thy sword; but use bitter words,

even as thou wilt. Of a truth, I tell thee that for this insolence

of to-day he will bring thee hereafter splendid gifts, threefold and

fourfold for all that he may take away. Only restrain thyself and do

my bidding."

Then Achilles answered: "I will abide by thy command in spite of my

wrath, for the man who hearkens to the immortal gods is also heard by

them." And as he spake he laid his heavy hand upon the hilt, and

thrust back the sword into the scabbard, and Athene went her way to

Olympus.

Then he turned him to King Agamemnon, and spake again, for his anger

was not spent: "Drunkard, with the eyes of a dog and the heart of a

deer! never fighting in the front of the battle, nor daring to lie in

the ambush! This I tell thee, and confirm my words with a mighty

oath--by this sceptre do I swear. Once it was the branch of a tree;

and as surely as it shall never again have bark, or leaves, or

shoots, so surely shall the Greeks one day miss Achilles, when they

fall in heaps before the dreadful Hector; and thou shalt eat thy

heart for rage, to think that thou hast wronged the bravest of thy

host."

And as he spake he dashed the sceptre upon the ground, and sat down.

And on the other side Agamemnon sat in furious anger. Then Nestor

rose, an old man of a hundred years and more, and counselled peace.

Let them listen, he said, to his counsel. Great chiefs in the old

days, with whom no man now alive would dare to fight, had listened to

him. Let not Agamemnon take away from the bravest of the Greeks the

prize of war; let not Achilles, though he was mightier in battle than

all other men, contend with Agamemnon, who was sovereign lord of all

the hosts of Greece. But he spake in vain. For Agamemnon answered:--

"Nestor, thou speakest well, and peace is good. But this fellow

would lord it over all; yet there are some, methinks, who will not

obey him. For if the immortal gods have made him a great warrior, do

they therefore grant him leave to speak lawless words? Verily he

must be taught that there is one here, at least, who is better than

he."

And Achilles said: "I would be a slave and a coward if I owned thee

as my lord. Play the master over others, but think not to master me.

As for the prize which the Greeks gave me, let them do as they will.

They gave it; let them take it away. But if thou darest to touch

aught that is mine own, that hour thy life-blood shall redden on my

spear."

Then the assembly was dismissed. Chryseis was sent to her home with

due offerings to the god, the wise Ulysses going with her. And all

the people purified themselves, and offered sacrifices to the gods;

and the sweet savour went up to heaven in the wreathing smoke.

But King Agamemnon would not go back from his purpose, So he called

to him the heralds, Talthybius and Eurybates, and said:--

Tal-thyb'-i-us. Eu-ryb'-a-tes.

"Heralds, go to the tents of Achilles, and fetch the maiden Briseis.

But if he will not let her go, say that I will come myself with many

others to fetch her; and it will be the worse for him."

Sorely against their will the heralds went. Along the seashore they

walked, till they came to where, amidst the Myrmidons, were the tents

of Achilles. There they found him, sitting between his tent and his

ship. He did not rejoice to see them, and they stood in great terror

and shame. But he knew in his heart wherefore they had come, and

cried aloud: "Come near, ye heralds, messengers of gods and men.

'Tis no fault of yours that ye are come on such an errand."

Then he turned to Patroclus, his dearest friend, and said: "Bring the

maiden from her tent, and let the heralds lead her away. But let

them be witnesses, before gods and men, and before this evil-minded

king, that the day will come when he shall have sore need of me to

save his host from destruction."

Pa-tro'-clus.

Then Patroclus brought forth the maiden from her tent, and gave her

to the heralds. And they led her away, sorely against her will. But

Achilles went apart from his comrades, and sat upon the seashore,

falling into a great passion of tears, and stretching out his hands

with loud prayer to his mother, Thetis, daughter of the sea. She

heard him where she sat in the depths by her father, the old god of

the sea, and rose from the gray sea, as a vapour rises, and came to

where he sat weeping, and stroked him with her hand, and hailed him

by his name.

The'-tis.

"What ails thee, my son?" she said.

Then he told her the story of his wrong, and when he had ended he

said:--

"Go, I pray thee, to the top of Olympus, to the palace of Zeus.

Often have I heard thee boast how, long ago, thou didst help him when

the other gods would have bound him, fetching Briareus of the hundred

hands, who sat by him in his strength, so that the gods feared to

touch him. Go now, and call these things to his mind, and pray him

that he help the sons of Troy, and give them victory in the battle,

so that the Greeks, as they flee before them, may have joy of this

king of theirs, who has done such wrong to the bravest of his host."

Bri-a'-re-us.

And his mother answered him: "Surely thine is an evil lot, my son.

Thy life is short, and it should of right be without tears and full

of joy; but now it seems to me to be both short and sad. But I will

go as thou sayest to Olympus, to the palace of Zeus; but not now, for

he has gone, and the other gods with him, to a twelve days' feast

with the pious Ethiopians. But when he comes back I will entreat and

persuade him. And do thou sit still, nor go forth to battle."

Meanwhile Ulysses drew near to Chryse with the holy offerings. And

when they were come within the haven, they furled the sail, and laid

it in the ship, and lowered the mast, and rowed the ship to her

moorings. They cast out the anchor stones, and made fast the cables

from the stern. After that they landed, taking with them the

offerings and the maid Chryseis. To the altar they brought the maid,

and gave her into the arms of her father, and the wise Ulysses said:

"See now; Agamemnon, king of men, sends back thy daughter, and with

her a hundred beasts for sacrifice, that we may appease the god who

hath smitten the Greeks in his wrath."

Then the priest received his daughter right gladly, and when they had

ranged the beasts about the altar, then the priest prayed, "Hear me,

God of the silver bow! If before thou didst hearken to my prayer,

and grievously afflict the Greeks, so hear me now, and stay this

plague which is come upon them."

So prayed he, and the god gave ear.

Then they slew the cattle, and flayed them, and burned an offering to

the gods. Then they cut up the rest, and broiled the pieces

carefully on spits. This being done, they made their meal, nor did

any one lack his share. And when the meal was ended, then they

poured a little wine into the cups to serve for an offering to the

gods. After that they sat till sunset, singing a hymn to the Archer

God, and making merry; and he heard their voice and was pleased.

When the sun went down they slept beside the stern-cables; and when

the dawn appeared then they embarked, raising the mast and spreading

the sail; and Apollo sent them a favouring wind, and the dark blue

wave hissed about the ship as she went: so they came to the camp of

the Greeks.

But all the time Achilles sat in wrath beside his ships; he went not

to the war, nor yet to the assembly, but sat fretting in his heart,

because he longed for the cry of the battle.