I
So the Trojans held their bivouac, and whiled away the time with
drinking, and music, and song. Far other were the feelings of the
cowed and beaten Greeks. Many a warrior lay sleepless on his uneasy
couch, tossed on a troubled sea of anxiety and dread. Among the
leaders there was no thought of rest, and they soon received a hasty
summons to attend a council in Agamemnon's quarters. Small comfort had
they to receive from the lips of their king, who was utterly broken and
cast down, and had nothing to advise but instant flight. A long
silence followed his despairing words, and the first to speak was
Diomede, whose young and elastic spirit made him a bright exception
amid the general despondency of his comrades. Indignantly rejecting
the cowardly counsels of Agamemnon, he avowed his intention of
remaining and carrying on the war with his single troop, if all the
rest of the Greeks deserted their posts. His bold words rekindled the
courage of the rest, and they all joined their voices in a fixed
resolution to remain and fight out their quarrel to the last.
"'Tis well," said Nestor, who was the next to speak. "Thou art a
proper youth, young son of Tydeus, worthy to take the lead in council
and in fight. But now listen to an old man's advice. The Trojans are
holding their leaguer within sight of our gates, and may make an onfall
at any moment; therefore let a watch be set by the moat outside the
camp, and let this charge be given to the young men. We, the elders,
have a graver matter to consider--how we may end the lamentable feud
which has brought division among us, and made us an easy prey to our
enemies."
The matter thus obscurely hinted at by Nestor was, of course, the
quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon; and as soon as the watch was
set, and left under the charge of Antilochus, Nestor's eldest son, the
old King of Pylos reopened the debate with these words: "To thee,
mighty son of Atreus, I will address myself, for thou art the
vicegerent of Zeus, and holdest the sceptre of righteousness which thou
hast received from his hands. Great is thy place, and high the trust
imposed in thee--even the lives and fortunes of all this people.
Therefore will I speak roundly with thee, concealing nothing which is
in my heart. Thou hast erred, great sovereign, thou hast erred
grievously, in putting public dishonour on the bravest and most
illustrious champion in all thy host. It is thine act which hath
brought us to this pass; and it is for thee to make restitution, that
he may cease from his sore anger, and incline his heart unto us again."
Far from showing any resentment at Nestor's plain speaking, Agamemnon
freely confessed his fault. "I have sinned," he said, "yea, I have
sinned grievously, in the great blindness of my heart. But, thanks be
to heaven! I am both able and willing to atone for the wrong which I
have done. Attend, while I declare unto you the ransom which I will
pay unto Achilles to wipe out the stain upon his honour. Vessels of
silver will I give him, and vessels of bronze, ten talents of gold, and
twelve steeds, all prizewinners, which have won me much wealth by the
speed of their feet. Also I will give him seven women, my
bondservants, skilled in all manner of needlework, whom I won at the
sack of Lesbos; and with them shall go Briseis, who, since I took her
from him, has lived in all honour with the ladies of my retinue. And
if ever the gods grant us to capture the city of Priam he shall have a
shipload of treasure, and twenty Trojan ladies, the noblest and the
fairest, as his share of the spoil. Moreover, when we return home from
the war, he shall be as a son of my house, and I will give him one of
my daughters in marriage, without money and without price,[1] and will
add a rich dower besides. And he shall be a prince of my land, and
lord of seven fair cities, honoured and obeyed as a god by those that
dwell therein. Surely, if he hath a human heart, he cannot turn away
from me, his monarch, and his elder, when I come to him with full
hands, beseeching him to forgive."
[1] In Homeric times wives were bought by their husbands.
The King's magnificent offer drew warm words of praise from the chiefs,
and nothing now remained but to choose those who were to be entrusted
with this important embassy. At the suggestion of Nestor it was
decided to send Phœnix, an aged noble, who was connected with
Achilles by close ties of early affection, Odysseus, and the greater
Ajax. After a few words of warning and counsel from Nestor, they were
despatched forthwith to the tent of Achilles, and with them went two
heralds, to give greater solemnity to their mission.