The Iliad of Homer | Page 3

indeed, thus having spoken, sat down; but to them there arose by far
the best of augurs, Calchas, son of Thestor, who knew the present, the
future, and the past,[13] and who guided the ships of the Greeks to
Ilium, by his prophetic art, which Phoebus Apollo gave him, who,

being well disposed,[14] addressed them, and said:
"O Achilles, dear to Jove, thou biddest me to declare the wrath of
Apollo, the far-darting king. Therefore will I declare it; but do thou on
thy part covenant, and swear to me, that thou wilt promptly assist me in
word and hand. For methinks I shall irritate a man who widely rules
over all the Argives, and whom the Greeks obey. For a king is more
powerful[15] when he is enraged with an inferior man; for though he
may repress his wrath[16] for that same day, yet he afterwards retains
his anger in his heart, until he accomplishes it; but do thou consider
whether thou wilt protect me."
But him swift-footed Achilles, answering, addressed: "Taking full
confidence, declare the divine oracle, whatsoever thou knowest. For, by
Apollo, dear to Jove, to whom thou, praying, O Calchas, dost disclose
predictions to the Greeks, no one of all the Greeks, while I am alive and
have sight upon the earth, shall lay heavy hands upon thee at the hollow
ships; not even if thou wast to name Agamemnon, who now boasts
himself to be much the most powerful of the Greeks." [17]
[Footnote 13: A common formula in the ancient poets to express the
eternity of things. Empedocles apud Pseud. Arist. de Mundo: [Greek:
Panth' osa t' ên, osa t' esti, kai ossa te estai opisô]. Virg. Georg. iv. 392:
"Novit namque omnia vates, Quæ sint, quæ fuerint, quæ mox ventura
trahantur."]
[Footnote 14: See Abresch. on Æschyl. p. 287. Ernesti.]
[Footnote 15: [Greek: anagaktousi gar dia tên yperochen]. A--rist. Rhet.
ii. 2, quoting this verse.]
[Footnote 16: Lit. "digest his bile". Homer's distinction between [Greek:
cholos] and [Greek: kotos] is observed by Nemesius, de Nat. Hom. §
21.]
[Footnote 17: I have used "Greeks" wherever the whole army is
evidently meant. In other instances I have retained the specific names
of the different confederate nations.]

And upon this, the blameless prophet then took confidence, and spoke:
"Neither is he enraged on account of a vow [unperformed], nor of a
hecatomb [unoffered], but on account of his priest, whom Agamemnon
dishonoured; neither did he liberate his daughter, nor did he receive her
ransom. Wherefore has the Far-darter given woes, and still will he give
them; nor will he withhold his heavy hands from the pestilence, before
that [Agamemnon] restore to her dear father the bright-eyed[18] maid,
unpurchased, unransomed, and conduct a sacred hecatomb to Chrysa;
then, perhaps, having appeased, we might persuade him."
[Footnote 18: See Arnold.]
He indeed, having thus spoken, sat down. But to them arose the hero,
the son of Atreus, wide-ruling Agamemnon,[19] agitated; and his
all-gloomy heart was greatly filled with wrath, and his eyes were like
unto gleaming fire. Sternly regarding Calchas most of all, he addressed
[him]:
"Prophet of ills, not at any time hast thou spoken anything good for me;
but evils are always gratifying to thy soul to prophesy,[20] and never
yet hast thou offered one good word, nor accomplished [one]. And now,
prophesying amongst the Greeks, thou haranguest that forsooth the
Far-darter works griefs to them upon this account, because I was
unwilling to accept the splendid ransom of the virgin daughter of
Chryses, since I much prefer to have her at home; and my reason is, I
prefer her even to Clytemnestra, my lawful wife; for she is not inferior
to her, either in person, or in figure, or in mind, or by any means in
accomplishments. But even thus I am willing to restore her, if it be
better; for I wish the people to be safe rather than to perish. But do thou
immediately prepare a prize for me, that I may not alone, of the Argives,
be without a prize; since it is not fitting. For ye all see this, that my
prize is going elsewhere."
[Footnote 19: "In the assembly of the people, as in the courts of justice,
the nobles alone speak, advise, and decide, whilst the people merely
listen to their ordinances and decisions, in order to regulate their own
conduct accordingly; being suffered, indeed, to follow the natural
impulse of evincing, to a certain extent, their approbation or

disapprobation of their superiors, but without any legal means of giving
validity to their opinion." Müller, Gk. Lit. p. 30.]
[Footnote 20: But we must not join [Greek: manteyesthai] with [Greek:
kika].--Nägelsbach.]
But him swift-footed godlike Achilles then answered: "Most noble son
of Atreus, most avaricious of all! for how shall the