Page:Tragedies of Sophocles (Plumptre 1878).djvu/443

Rh And therefore send this man to act the scout,

Lest he should come upon me unawares,

For he would rather seize on me than take

All other Argives.

Neop. He is gone to watch

The path. If aught thou needest, speak again.

Odys. Now should'st thou prove thyself, Achilles' son,

Stout-hearted for the task for which thou cam'st,

Not in thy body only, but if thou

Should'st hear strange things, by thee unknown till now,

Still give thy help, as subaltern to me.

Neop. What dost thou bid me?

Odys. Thou must cheat and trick

The heart of Philoctetes with thy words;

And when he asks thee who and what thou art,

Say thou 'rt Achilles' son, (that hide thou not,)

And that thou sailest homeward, leaving there

The Achæans' armament; with bitter hate

Hating them all, who having sent to beg

Thy coming with their prayers, as having this

Their only way to capture Ilion's towers,

Then did not deign to grant thee, seeking them

With special claims, our great Achilles' arms,

But gave them to Odysseus. What thou wilt

Say thou against me to the utmost ill:

In this thou wilt not grieve me; but if thou

Wilt not do this, on all the Argive host

Thou wilt bring sorrow; for, unless we get

His bow and arrows, it will not be thine

To sack the plain of Dardanos. And how

I cannot have, and thou may'st have access

To him both safe and trustworthy, learn thus;