Page:History of Greece Vol II.djvu/196

 180 HISTORY OF GREECE. Patroclus and Nestor) in the eleventh and in the following books, plainly imply that the humiliation of the Greeks before him, for of anxiety to work upon the mind of Achilles, and reproaching him with hardness of heart, ever bring to remembrance the ample atonement which hud been tendered to him ; while Achilles himself repeats the original ground of quarrel, the wrong offered to him in taking away Briseis, continuing the language of the first book ; then, without the least allusion to the atonement and restitution since tendered, he yields to his friend's proposition, just like a man whose wrong remained unredressed, but who was, nevertheless, forced to take arms by necessity (xvi. 60-63) : 'A-^Aii TU HEV irpOTer(>Y9ai eu.cTOfj.ev, ovS 1 upa mjf T/V 'Ao/rep^ef Ke%o%.aff&ai evi Qpeaiv fjTot Ifyrjv ye (Jii Ttplv nrjvL'&fj.bv KO.Tairavaefj.ev, d/lA' OTtorav dr) N7/af ifiuf uQiKijTai UVTTJ TE Trrofapof re. I agree with the Scholiast and Heyne in interpreting ttyrjv ye as equivalent to dievoqiSjjv, not as referring to any express antecedent declaration. Again, farther on in the same speech, " The Trojans (Achilles says) now press boldly forward upon the ships, for they no longer see the blaze of my helmet: but if Agamemnon were favorably disposed towards me, they would presently run away and fill the ditches with their dead bodies" (71) : Tu . Kev ^evyovrcf ivavtovf HMjaetav VEK.VUV, el fioi tcpeiuv 'Aya^f/zvuv Now here again, if we take our start from the first book, omitting the ninth, the sentiment is perfectly just. But assume the ninth book, and it becomes false and misplaced ; for Agamemnon is then a prostrate and repentant man, not merely" favorably disposed" towards Achilles, but offering to pay any price for the purpose of appeasing him. 4. Again, a few lines farther, in the same speech, Achilles permits Patro- clus to go forth, in consideration of the extreme peril of the fleet, but restricts him simply to avert this peril and do nothing more : " Obey my words, so that you may procure for me honor and glory from the body of Greeks, and that they may send back to me the damsel, giving me ample presents besides : when you have driven the Trojans from the ships, come back again " - 'Qf uv ftoi rifj^v jUe; akrjv KOI ttiidof apoto Upbc TCU.VTUV Aavaoif urup ol nepiKa^ea Kovprjv "A^ anovuaaum, Trporl 6' ayAaa Stipa -xopuaiv 'E/c vquv ihi'iaaf, levai 7ru/Uv (84-87). How are we to reconcile this with the ninth book, where Achilles declares that he does not care for being honored by the Greeks, is. 604? In the mouth of the affronted Achilles, of the first book, such words are apt enough : lie will grant succor, but only to the extent necessary for the emergency, and in such a way as to insure redress for his own wrong, which redresi
 * H;na tldeii)' vvv 6e GTOUTOV ufj.t[idxovTai.