But to him the Gerenian knight Nestor made answer: "O friend, since thou hast put me in mind of the toil, which we sons of the Grecians, irresistible in might, suffered amongst that people, both whatever things [we endured] with ships wandering over the darkling sea after booty, wheresoever Achilles led us, and whatever, when we fought about the great city of king Priam, where afterwards were slain as many as were the bravest: there lies warlike Ajax, and there Achilles, and there Patroclus, a counsellor equal to the gods, and there my dear son, both brave and blameless, Antilochus, exceeding swift in running, and a warrior: and many other evils besides these we suffered. Who, indeed, of mortal men could relate them all? Not even if waiting five or even six years, thou shouldst inquire what ills the divine Grecians suffered there. Sooner indeed wouldst thou sorrowing arrive at thy paternal land: for nine years we planned[1] evil things, attacking them around with all kinds of stratagems; and the son of Saturn with difficulty brought them to an end. There no one wished to be equal in counsel to him, since divine Ulysses, thy sire, surpassed very much in all kinds of deceit; if in truth thou art his son; astonishment possesses me as I behold thee; for indeed thy discourse is like, nor would you say that a younger man speaks so like. Whilst, then, I and divine Ulysses were there, we never spoke at variance in the assembly or in the council, but having one mind, we considered in our thoughts and prudent reflection, by what means the best possible things might be done by the Grecians. But when we had thoroughly destroyed the lofty city of Priam, and had gone away in the ships, and the deity had dispersed the Grecians; then indeed Jove devised in his mind a sad return for the Greeks; for they were by no means all prudent or just: wherefore many of them drew on themselves an evil fate, from the pernicious wrath of the blue-eyed goddess, born of a mighty sire, who set contention between both the sons of Atreus. But they having called all the Grecians to an assembly in vain, but not according to what was right, at the setting sun, (for the sons of the Grecians came heavy with wine,) related the cause, on account of which they assembled the people. There Menelaus commanded all the Grecians to be mindful of a return over the wide back of the sea. But it was not altogether pleasing to Agamem-
- ↑ Literally, "sewed." Cf. xv. 379, 423.
