The Story of Troy Part 17

POPE, _Iliad_, Book XVIII.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

XI. END OF THE WRATH OF ACHILLES--DEATH OF HECTOR.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Design by Burne-Jones._]

Thetis faithfully performed her promise to Achilles. Having ascended to the top of Olympus, she found the G.o.d of smiths busy in his forge, a workshop so magnificent that it was a wonder to the G.o.ds themselves.

Silver-footed Thetis came Meanwhile to Vulcan's halls, eternal, gemmed With stars, a wonder to the immortals, wrought Of bra.s.s by the lame G.o.d. She found him there Sweating and toiling, and with busy hand Plying the bellows.

BRYANT, _Iliad_, Book XVIII.

Vulcan willingly consented to make the armor as Thetis requested, for she had been his friend and had protected him in his infancy, when his mother Juno threw him out of heaven into the sea. Juno did this because Vulcan was not a good-looking child. He was, in fact, so ugly that his mother could not bear the sight of him, and so she cast him out of Olympus. But Thetis and her sister Eu-ryn'o-me received him in their arms as he fell, and for nine years they nursed and took care of him in their father's palace beneath the waves. Gladly, therefore, Vulcan set to work at the request of his old friend. In his workshop were immense furnaces, and he had plenty of precious material in store.

Upon the fire He laid impenetrable bra.s.s, and tin, And precious gold and silver; on its block Placed the huge anvil, took the ponderous sledge, And held the pincers in the other hand.

BRYANT, _Iliad_, Book XVIII.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THETIS BRINGING ARMOR TO ACHILLES.

_Painting by Gerard._]

And first he made a s.h.i.+eld, large and ma.s.sive, upon which he wrought figures of the earth and the sky, the sun, moon, and stars, with many other beautiful designs. He wrought upon it numerous scenes of human life,--representations of war and peace, of battles and sieges, of reapers in the harvest fields, of shepherds tending their flocks, of vintagers gathering their grapes; and scenes of festivity with music, song, and dancing. Homer gives a long and splendid description of this wonderful s.h.i.+eld. When Vulcan had finished it, he forged a corselet brighter than fire, and greaves of tin, and a helmet with crest of gold.

Then he laid the magnificent armor at the feet of Thetis, and the G.o.ddess bore it away and carried it down to the Grecian camp in the early morning to present it to her son.

Like a falcon in her flight, Down plunging from Olympus capped with snow, She bore the s.h.i.+ning armor Vulcan gave.

BRYANT, _Iliad_, Book XVIII.

Great was the delight of Achilles on seeing the beautiful armor and the marvelous workmans.h.i.+p of its various parts. And now he hastened to prepare for battle. First he went along the beach from tent to tent, calling with a mighty shout on his brother chiefs to a.s.semble. When all were together he spoke friendly words to Agamemnon, expressing sorrow that strife had come between them, and declaring that his wrath was now ended.

"Here then my anger ends; let war succeed, And even as Greece has bled, let Ilion bleed.

Now call the hosts, and try if in our sight Troy yet shall dare to camp a second night!"

POPE, _Iliad_, Book XIX.

Agamemnon, too, spoke words of peace and friends.h.i.+p, and all the chiefs rejoiced that the anger of Achilles, which had brought so many woes upon the Greeks, was at length appeased. Then the troops took their morning meal, and when they had refreshed themselves with food and drink, they marched forth to the field. Achilles, having put on his bright armor, mounted his chariot, to which were yoked the two immortal and swift-footed steeds, Xanthus and Balius.

And here a wonderful thing occurred. When the hero spoke to the animals, charging them in loud and terrible voice to bring him back safely from the battle, and not leave him dead on the plain, as they had left Patroclus, Xanthus, to whom Juno had, for the moment, given the power of speech, replied to the words of his master, saying that it was not through any fault of himself and his comrade that Patroclus had been slain, but by the interference of Apollo. He also warned Achilles that the hour of his own death was near at hand.

"Not through our crime, or slowness in the course, Fell thy Patroclus, but by heavenly force; The bright far-shooting G.o.d who gilds the day (Confess'd we saw him) tore his arms away.

No--could our swiftness o'er the winds prevail, Or beat the pinions of the western gale, All were in vain--the Fates thy death demand, Due to a mortal and immortal hand."

POPE, _Iliad_, Book XIX.

But Achilles already knew his fate, and he was prepared to meet it with courage.

"I know my fate: to die, to see no more My much-loved parents, and my native sh.o.r.e-- Enough--when heaven ordains, I sink in night: Now perish Troy!" He said, and rush'd to fight.

POPE, _Iliad_, Book XIX,

In the battle which now began many of the G.o.ds took active part, Jupiter, at a council on Mount Olympus, having given them permission to do so. Down to the plain before Troy they sped with haste, Juno, Minerva, Neptune, Mercury, and Vulcan taking the side of the Greeks, and Mars, Apollo, Venus, Diana, Latona, and the river G.o.d, Xanthus, going to the a.s.sistance of the Trojans.

Meantime Achilles, having rushed forth to the field, plunged into the thick of the fight, eagerly seeking for Hector. But first he met aeneas, whom Apollo had urged to encounter him. Achilles warned the Trojan hero to withdraw from the battle.

"Once already," said he, "I forced you to flee before my spear, running fast down Ida's slopes. I counsel you now to retire, lest evil happen to you."

aeneas answered that he was not to be thus frightened, as if he were a beardless boy. "I am the son of the G.o.ddess Venus," said he, "and my father, Anchises, was descended from Jove himself. We are not here, however, to talk, but to fight, and words will not turn me from my purpose."

So saying, aeneas hurled his spear. It struck the s.h.i.+eld of Achilles with a ringing sound, and pa.s.sed through two of its folds.

Vulcan's skill Fenced with five folds the disk,--the outer two Of bra.s.s, the inner two of tin; between Was one of gold, and there the brazen spear Was stayed.

BRYANT, _Iliad_, Book XX.

Achilles now cast his heavy javelin. Through the s.h.i.+eld of aeneas it crashed, but, as the hero stooped to avoid it, the spear pa.s.sed over his shoulder, and plunged deep into the earth. Then with sword in hand, the Myrmidonian chief rushed furiously upon aeneas. He would probably have slain him, had not Neptune interfered. But the ocean G.o.d spread a mist over the eyes of the Greek warrior, and carried aeneas away in safety to the rear of the battlefield. The Trojan prince was thus preserved because the Dardan race, to which he belonged, was beloved by Jupiter.

Moreover it was decreed by the Fates that the son of Anchises should, in later times, rule over a Trojan people, and that his sons' sons should rule after him.

Having placed aeneas out of danger, Neptune removed the mist from the eyes of Achilles. The hero, on looking about him, was amazed at not seeing the foe with whom, only an instant before, he had been in fierce conflict. But he did not wait to think over this strange occurrence.

Rus.h.i.+ng into the midst of the Trojans, he smote down warrior after warrior, as they came within reach of his spear. Amongst them was Pol-y-do'rus, the youngest son of Priam. His father had forbidden him to go into the battle, because he loved him most of all his sons. But Polydorus was a brave youth, and he wished to show his swiftness, for in speed of foot he excelled all the young men of Troy.

He ranged the field, until he lost his life.

Him with a javelin the swift-footed son Of Peleus smote as he was hurrying by.

BRYANT, _Iliad_, Book XX.

Now Hector had been warned by Apollo to avoid meeting Achilles, but when he saw his young brother slain, he could no longer stand aloof. He therefore sprang forward to attack the son of Thetis. As soon as Achilles saw the Trojan chief, he bounded towards him, crying out:

"Draw nearer that thou mayst the sooner die."

BRYANT, _Iliad_, Book XX.

Hector replied in words of defiance, and then brandished and hurled forth his spear. But Minerva turned it aside, and it missed its aim.

Then Achilles, with a wild shout, rushed against his enemy. Apollo now came to the rescue, covering the Trojan hero in a veil of clouds, and taking him away from the conflict. The enraged Achilles struck into the dense mist with his sword again and again, and in loud voice reproached Hector for what seemed to be his cowardly flight.

"Hound as thou art, thou hast once more escaped Thy death; for it was near. Again the hand Of Phbus rescues thee. I shall meet thee yet And end thee utterly, if any G.o.d Favor me also. I will now pursue And strike the other Trojan warriors down."

BRYANT, _Iliad_, Book XX.

The enraged hero then attacked the Trojans so furiously that they fled before him in dismay. Some rushed towards the gates of the city, others to the Xanthus, into which they leaped in such numbers that the river was soon filled with a crowd of steeds and men.

So, plunged in Xanthus by Achilles' force, Roars the resounding surge with men and horse.

POPE, _Iliad_, Book XXI.