I
The gods were met in full assembly in their golden palace, pledging one
another in full cups of nectar, and looking down upon the great drama
which was being enacted on the plains of Troy. Then Zeus began to
speak, casting a sly glance at his fair consort, Hera: "Menelaus has
two stout backers among the gods, Hera, Queen of Argos, and Athene,
strong to defend. But they seem to have renounced his cause, for they
have suffered Aphrodite to steal away Paris when death stared him in
the face. 'Tis well, then, Menelaus has the victory, and naught
remains but to give back Helen, and put an end to the war."
At this most unwelcome proposal Athene frowned angrily at her father,
but said nothing; Hera, however, could not contain her wrath, and
raised her voice in indignant protest: "Out upon thee, son of Cronos,
what a word hast thou spoken! Is this to be the end of all my toil and
my sweat, when I travelled without ceasing, until my steeds were
well-nigh foundered, to gather this host against Troy? Do as thou
wilt; but know this, that, if thou doest this thing, not one of us
shall praise thee, no, not one."
"What strange passion possesses thee?" answered Zeus, in tones of
displeasure, "Why harbourest thou this deadly rancour against Priam and
the sons of Priam? Methinks thou couldst find it in thy heart to go
down into the city, and feast on the raw flesh of the men of Troy,
until thou hadst devoured them all. Howbeit, let there be peace among
us; I give thee leave to work thy will upon this king and his people;
only remember that I have yielded to thee in this, and when I am minded
to destroy some city which is dear to thee stand not thou in my way.
For I love the towers of holy Ilios, and they that dwell therein, for
they have paid me faithful worship, with meat-offering and with
drink-offering, with reverence and with prayer."
"Take Argos," replied the impetuous Hera. "Take Sparta or Mycenæ, the
three choicest jewels in my crown; burn, waste, and destroy them, if
such be thy pleasure. Only grant me this boon, and let me wreak my
fury upon Troy. If thou consentest to this, lay thy command upon thy
daughter, Athene, that she may go down among the Greeks and Trojans,
and make an end of this detested truce."
Zeus nodded in token of approval, and Athene, who was only waiting for
the signal, shot down from Olympus like a falling star, and alighted in
the space between the two armies. Arrived there, she put on the form
of Laodocus, a noble Trojan youth, and went in search of Pandarus, a
famous bowman, and a favourite of the archer-god Apollo. And when she
had found him, she spake unto him in this wise: "Bold son of Lycaon,
art thou man enough to do a great deed, and win praise and reward from
all the Trojans, but especially from Paris? If thou art, take thine
arrows and thy bow, and aim a shaft at Menelaus, having first vowed a
vow to Apollo that when thou returnest to thy home among the rich
pastures of Ida, thou wilt offer him a sacrifice of lambs, the
firstlings of the flock."
So spake Athene, tempting him; and he hearkened unto her in his folly,
and began to take the cover from his bow. It was a powerful weapon,
formed from the horns of a great ibex, which he himself had brought
down by a skilful shot long ago. The horns, each sixteen palms in
length, were set firmly in a solid bridge, and tipped at each end with
gold. Resting the lower end of the bow against his foot, he leaned
upon it, and strung it, and laying it down took off the lid of his
quiver, and selected an arrow. Then he took up the bow again, and set
the arrow on the string. His companions, who had been covering him
with their shields while he was making his preparations, now stepped
aside, and he, having made his vow to Apollo, lifted up his bow, drew
the arrow to his ear, and shot. The bow twanged loud and clear, and
the arrow leapt hissing towards the Grecian ranks.
Then ill had it fared with thee, Menelaus, had not Athene been standing
at thy side, to guard thee from fatal hurt. And as a mother brushes a
fly from the face of her babe, lying in sweet slumber on her lap, so
Athene suffered not the arrow to reach any vital part, but guided it to
the place where the plates of his corslet met at his side. Through the
girdle pierced the shaft, through the brazen corslet, and through the
taslet which covered his loins; the point just grazed the surface of
his flesh, and the red blood began to flow, staining his thighs, and
trickling down to his ankles.
When Agamemnon saw his brother wounded and bleeding, he ran to his
side, and taking him by the hand began to deplore the evil issue of
their treaty. "Must thy life pay the forfeit for the perjured men of
Troy, who have trampled our covenant underfoot? I know indeed that
vengeance will overtake them in the end from the hands of Zeus, whose
name they have taken in vain; yea, well I know that the day shall come
when holy Ilios shall fall, involved with all her people in one common
doom. But what will that avail, if I lose thee, my brother? My army
will desert me, for they cannot fight without a cause, and thou art the
cause which brought them hither. Troy's doom will be wrought by other
hands, and I shall go back to Argos, a beaten man, leaving thy bones to
rot in a foreign grave."
"Speak not so loud," said Menelaus, when Agamemnon paused at last;
"thou wilt cause a panic in the army. There is no ground for alarm;
the wound is not deep. Send for Machaon, the skilled leech, that he
may draw out the arrow, and stanch the flow of blood."
Then Agamemnon was comforted, and sent Talthybius the herald to bring
the leech, who was a son of Asclepius, the most famous physician of
those times. After some delay, Machaon came to the place where
Menelaus was standing, leaning on his brother's arm, and surrounded by
an anxious group of his friends. With firm but gentle hand the leech
drew out the arrow, and, removing the prince's armour, exposed the
wound to view. Then he applied healing herbs, and bade the patient be
of good cheer, for his hurt was but slight.