[Illustration: _DEATH OF HECTOR_]
_Life Stories for Young People_
ACHILLES
_Translated, and abridged from the German of
Carl Friedrich Becker_
BY
GEORGE P. UPTON
_Translator of “Memories,” “Immensee,” etc._
WITH THREE ILLUSTRATIONS
[Illustration: A. C. McCLURG & CO.]
CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1912
Copyright
A. C. McClurg & Co.
1912
Published September, 1912
THE·PLIMPTON·PRESS
[W·D·O]
NORWOOD·MASS·U·S·A
Translator’s Preface
In tracing the career of Achilles in connection with the Trojan war,
that inimitable classic story-teller, Carl Friedrich Becker, follows the
lines of Homer’s Iliad. He gives the reader a graphic picture of the
stirring events in the ten years’ siege maintained by the Greeks, under
the leadership of Agamemnon, king of Mycenæ, in their finally successful
effort to redress the injury done to Menelaus, king of Sparta, whose
wife, Helen, was carried off by Paris. The striking points in this
thrilling narrative are the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles; the
exploits of Hector, noblest character of them all; the human
impersonations of the gods, who take part in the strife—some on one
side, some on the other; the death of Patroclus; the final
reconciliation of Achilles and Agamemnon and the former’s tremendous
exploits; the death of Hector, and the touching interview with the aged
Priam, who seeks to recover his body.
The ultimate fate of Achilles and the fall of the city are not told, nor
the wretched end of Agamemnon, who, according to Æschylus, was killed by
Clytemnestra, the queen, upon his return. Hector is one of the most
conspicuous figures in this great drama and appears only second to
Achilles among all the warriors. The exciting Trojan war story has never
been told more graphically or interestingly in modern prose than in
Becker’s version. In adapting it to the series of “Life Stories” the
translator has been obliged to abridge the original work somewhat, but
the parts omitted do not interfere with the flow of the story.
G. P. U.
Chicago, _May_, 1912.
Contents
Chapter Page
I The Greeks March Against Troy—Agamemnon Quarrels with Achilles 11
II Thetis Promises to Aid the Angry Achilles and Begs Jupiter’s
Assistance—Juno is Angry—Agamemnon and the Other Princes
Summon the Greeks to Battle 21
III Meeting of the Armies—Menelaus and Paris—Agamemnon Leads the
Greeks into Battle 28
IV Continuation of the Battle—The Gods Take Part 38
V The Greeks are Successful—Hector Hastens to the City—Glaucus
and Diomedes, Hector and Andromache 46
VI Hector and Ajax in Single Combat—A Truce—Another Battle at
the Ships 53
VII Agamemnon Advises Flight—Council of the Princes—A Deputation
is Sent to Achilles 63
VIII Agamemnon in Battle—Many of the Greeks are Wounded 71
IX Agamemnon Consoled—The Gods Take Part in the Strife and the
Trojans are Driven Back 82
X Jupiter’s Message to Poseidon—The Battle for the Ships 90
XI Patroclus Hastens into Battle and Scatters the Trojans—Hector
and Patroclus 97
XII The Fight for Patroclus’ Body—Achilles Mourns His Fallen
Friend—Thetis and Vulcan—The Shield of Achilles 104
XIII Achilles and Agamemnon Become Reconciled—Achilles Goes into
Battle 115
XIV Achilles in Battle—His Fight on the River Scamander 120
XV Hector and Achilles—Hector’s Death 131
XVI Priam and Achilles—Hector’s Burial in Troy 139
Illustrations
Death of Hector _Frontispiece_
Rescue of Paris by Aphrodite 34
Thetis Consoling Achilles 110
Achilles
Chapter I
The Greeks March against Troy—Agamemnon Quarrels with Achilles
Troy was a small portion of that section of Asia Minor which was later
called Phrygia. Its northern coast touched the entrance to the
Hellespont. It was very densely populated and had, besides many little
plantations, villages, and settlements of farmers or herdsmen, a large
city with a strong wall, towers, and gates. Homer never called the city
Troy, but always Ilios or Ilium. The surroundings he calls Troy and the
inhabitants Trojans, after an ancestor named Tros, who was said to have
founded the city. He describes them as a bold, enterprising people, who
lived in a high degree of comfort and practised many arts of which the
Europeans of that time were ignorant.
The Achaians, as Homer calls the inhabitants of Greece, and the Trojans,
engaged in mutual depredations upon each other’s property,—until at last
the long-standing national hatred broke out violently through the fault
of the Trojans. Alexandros, or Paris, one of the sons of the old Trojan
king, Priam, sailed across to Europe and paid a visit to King Menelaus,
ruler over several cities in Sparta. He was hospitably received and
entertained for many days, but repaid his good host with most shameless
ingratitude. He persuaded the queen, the beautiful Helen, to forget her
duty and flee with him. Menelaus sought revenge and called upon his
brother Agamemnon, ruler over Mycenæ, old Nestor of Pylos, Ulysses of
Ithaca, and many other valiant princes to ally themselves with him. A
number of young lords who had long been wishing to take part in some
glorious enterprise, like the expedition of the Argonauts, of which
their fathers had so much to tell, offered their services with
innumerable followers.
News of the mighty campaign which was being arranged spread throughout
Greece, causing great rejoicing. Everyone looked upon it as a great
opportunity and an event in which it would be shameful not to take part.
A whole year passed in preparing the equipments. In the meanwhile Nestor
and Ulysses travelled about everywhere to persuade the princes of Greece
and its neighboring islands, who had hesitated hitherto, not to miss
their share in the honors and spoils which so brilliant a campaign was
sure to afford. For the object was nothing less than the destruction of
the celebrated city of Troy, and the booty which was to be expected from
such a rich people was incalculable. They had excellent success on this
recruiting expedition, calling upon Peleus, father of Achilles in
Thessalia, King Idomeneus in Crete, old Telamon in Salamis, and others.
The harbor of Aulis in Bœotia was selected for the place of meeting and
at the appointed time more than one thousand ships assembled, with men
from all parts of Greece. They agreed to offer the command to Agamemnon,
one of the foremost among the princes, partly because he had brought the
largest following and partly because he and his brother had organized
the campaign. He was, besides, a clever and honorable man and a brave
warrior, although considerably inferior in physical strength to
Achilles, the invincible.
All was ready for departure, but the ships waited in vain for a
favorable wind. It was supposed that some god was delaying the voyage
and that he must be propitiated by an offering, so the priest Calchas
was commanded to consult the oracle. After observing the usual signs he
announced that Agamemnon had slain a sacred animal in the chase, thereby
offending Artemis, who now demanded a human sacrifice in the shape of
Agamemnon’s eldest daughter, Iphigenia. She was accordingly brought to
the altar, but Artemis relented at the moment when the fatal stroke was
about to be given, removed the trembling maiden in a dense cloud, and
put an animal in her place. When Iphigenia awoke from her swoon, she
found herself in the temple of Artemis in Taurus, where she served for a
long time as priestess.
The same day, after this sacrifice, a favorable wind swelled the sails
and the impatient heroes boarded their ships. In a few days the fleet
arrived at Troy. On the way they had stopped to plunder a few cities on
the islands of Scyros and Lesbos, had killed the men, and taken the
women on board as slaves. After landing they proceeded in the same
manner in the country about Troy. At the end of the war the godlike
Achilles boasted that he alone with his Myrmidons had conquered twelve
rich cities by sea and eleven by land in the Trojan territory. The booty
which each skirmishing party brought in to camp was divided and the
chief always received the best of everything. The inhabitants of the
capital were safe behind their walls, and as the Greek forces were
seldom united, the Trojans were often able, by a sudden sortie, to
repulse the attacking parties which ventured too near the gates. This
desultory warfare continued for several years, until many of the
Achaians began to long for home. But they were ashamed to depart thus,
without having accomplished their object. The leaders concentrated their
men and began the siege in earnest.
The Trojans now took measures for more careful defence and sent to the
neighboring peoples to demand their aid. Many princes responded to the
call with their followers, until they had formed an alliance equal in
strength to the Achaians. In the tenth year of the siege fortune seemed
to have turned her back on the Greeks, for besides the hardships of war,
they had to contend with a pestilence, and finally were nearly destroyed
by the Trojans, while their two mightiest chiefs, Agamemnon and
Achilles, were quarrelling.
Agamemnon had plundered a city and had taken Chryseïs, daughter of a
priest of Apollo, for his slave. In the same way Achilles had become
possessed of a maid named Briseïs, to whom he became so attached that he
wished to keep her always with him. After a time the priest appeared in
the Greek camp with rich presents to ransom his daughter, but Agamemnon
did not wish to give up the maiden and returned a harsh answer. The
Greeks urged him to release the maid out of respect for the priest and
for fear of Apollo’s wrath, but the obstinate man refused to listen to
reason and bade the father depart on pain of chastisement. With loud
lamentations the old man retired to the seacoast and prayed to Apollo.
The legend tells us that Apollo at once left Olympus, seated himself at
some distance from the ships, and began to shoot his arrows into the
Greek camp. Whatever was struck died a sudden death by the plague. First
the donkeys and dogs and then the men fell victims. The pestilence raged
for nine days, during which the funeral pyres burned incessantly.
This filled the leaders with great apprehension, so that on the tenth
day Achilles summoned a folk assembly and advised the people to call
upon the seer Calchas to discover what fault of the army had brought
this woe upon them and by means of what sacrifice the god might be
appeased. Calchas hesitated, but at length answered that he knew the
reason, but feared to give it until the bravest among the heroes had
sworn to protect him in case a man of great power among the Achaians
should be angry at his decree. Then Achilles stood up and made a public
vow to protect him, even though the man he meant were Agamemnon,
mightiest of the Greeks. “Very well, then,” replied Calchas, “I will
declare the truth. Yes, it is Agamemnon with whom Apollo is angry, for
he has dishonored his priest and has refused to restore his daughter to
him. Therefore hath he sent this punishment upon us and we cannot escape
it until the maiden shall be returned freely to her father and a rich
sacrifice has been offered to the god upon his holy altar.”
Agamemnon, trembling with rage, cried: “Miserable seer, must I do
penance for the people’s sins? The maiden is wise and well trained in
feminine tasks. I prize her above my spouse, Clytemnestra, and must I
give her up? Let it be so; take her! I will bear even more than this for
the people’s good. But I tell you, ye must provide another gift in her
place, for she was my share of the booty.”
“Avaricious, insatiable man,” answered Achilles, “what dost thou demand?
I knew not that we had treasures in reserve. Therefore be patient until
the gods aid us to conquer rich Troy. Then thou mayst replace thy
treasure many times over.”
Although this speech was just, the angry man imagined that it was
intended in mockery and he cried: “Not so, Achilles; strong and brave as
thou art, thou shalt not intimidate me! Dost thou expect to keep thy
spoils and the others theirs, while mine is taken from me? I tell thee,
if I receive no compensation, I will myself take it from thy tent or
those of Ulysses or of Ajax, or wherever I please, and let him whom I
despoil avenge himself. Take now the maiden, put her aboard the ship,
together with the sacrificial steer, and row her to Chryse, where her
father lives, that the god may no longer be angry with us.”
This speech infuriated Achilles and he cried angrily: “What! Thou
wouldst take away my prize? Did we march against the Trojans for our own
sakes? Not I, indeed! They never injured me, nor ever robbed me of a
horse or cow, nor pillaged my newly sown fields. I was well protected by
wooded hills and the broad sea and never thought of Troy in my Phthian
home. It was solely on thy account, thou selfish, shameless man, that I
came hither to avenge thine and thy brother’s sullied honor. And this
hast thou so speedily forgotten and threatenest even to take away the
spoils which the Achaians have unanimously accorded me and which I have
honestly earned? Have I not hitherto borne the chief burden of the war?
Who has fought as much as I? Let him appear! And when have I received
prizes like thine? Thou hast always taken the best of everything, while
I have contented myself with little. Very well! Thou mayest fight alone!
I return to Phthia!”
“Fly, if thy heart bids thee!” flashed forth Agamemnon in anger. “Truly
I shall not beg thee to remain. There are other warriors here through
whom Jupiter will help me to achieve honor. Thou hast been obnoxious to
me from the beginning. Thou hast ever loved quarrelling and strife and
hast never kept peace. Thy strength hath been given thee by the gods and
thou dost pride thyself altogether too much upon it. Thou mayest sail
away with all thy followers and rule peacefully over thy Myrmidons. Thy
wrath is nothing to me. But I tell thee, that as Phœbus Apollo has taken
Chryse’s daughter from me, I shall take from thee the rosy daughter of
Briseïs, thy prize, so that thou mayest learn how much more powerful I
am than thou, and that no other in future shall dare to defy me as thou
hast done.”
In a rage Achilles drew his shining sword from its scabbard to cut down
Agamemnon. Suddenly, unseen by all the rest, the goddess Athena stood
behind him and whispered to him not to draw his sword against the king,
but that he might scold as much as he pleased. “Thy word I must obey, oh
goddess,” answered Achilles, “though anger fills my heart. The gods
attend those who follow their counsel.” With these words he returned his
sword to its scabbard, but turning to Agamemnon he cried: “Thou
miserable drunkard, with the look of a dog and the courage of a hare!
Never hast thou dared to risk a decisive battle or to lie in ambush with
the other nobles; but it is more comfortable to take away his prize from
the single man who opposes thee. I swear that thou shalt never again see
me raise my arm against the Trojans, though all thy Achaians should
perish and thou shouldst beseech me on thy knees to save thee.”
Thus he spake, and dashing his sceptre upon the ground, sat down in
silence. Agamemnon was preparing to answer this passionate speech when
up rose old Nestor, reverenced like a father by everyone for his age,
wisdom, and experience. When it was seen that he wished to speak all
were quiet. Even Agamemnon bridled his anger, and the well-meaning old
man began: “Dear friends, what are you about! What an unhappy fate do ye
bring upon us all! How Priam, his sons, and the whole Trojan people will
rejoice when they hear that the foremost Achaians are quarrelling.
Listen to me, for ye are all much younger than I. However much power the
Achaians have given thee, Agamemnon, do not abuse it. Let Achilles keep
the prize with which the Achaians have rewarded him. And thou, Achilles,
do not defy the king, for never has Jupiter crowned a king with such
honor as this one. Though thou art stronger than he and boastest thyself
of divine ancestry, he is the more powerful and all the people obey
him.”
“Truly, honorable father,” answered Agamemnon, “thou hast spoken
worthily. But this man is unreasonable; he wishes to be above all
others, to rule all, to make laws for all.”
Achilles interrupted him. “Indeed I should be a coward did I submit to
all thy insults. I will keep the vow I have sworn. One thing I will
say—if the Achaians wish the maiden they have given me, they may have
her. But woe to thee if thou layest hands upon my other spoils.”
Agamemnon insisted on taking the maiden, and he had the power to carry
out his threats. Wisdom counselled Achilles to surrender what he was not
strong enough to hold. He withdrew from the quarrel with more dignity
than his unjust enemy, and his threat of abandoning the war gave him
ample satisfaction. The result proved his value. He had thus far been
the only one able to vanquish Hector, Priam’s most valiant son; and now
that he had withdrawn, it was the Trojans, day after day, who were the
victors. It seemed as though a god had doomed the Greeks to destruction.
Agamemnon first sent Ulysses to conduct his slave and the appointed
animals for the sacrifice to her father’s home. Next he called upon two
heralds to fetch the beautiful Briseïs from Achilles’ tent. They obeyed
his command in fear and trembling. But Achilles banished their fears,
saying: “Come hither, ye sacred messengers and peace be with ye. For ye
are not to blame, but he who sends ye. He shall have the maid. Go,
Patroclus, and fetch her out. Ye are all witnesses before gods and men
that I have sworn never to lift a hand again for Agamemnon against
Troy.”
They received the maid from the hands of his friend, Patroclus, and she
went reluctantly away with them, often glancing sorrowfully backward
toward the tent of her former beloved master.