The Story of Troy

he ancients had no such powerful engines of war as those used in armies of the present day. The strongest buildings may now be easily destroyed by cannon; but in those days they had no cannon or gun

the full strength of their powerful arms. They had shields of circular or oval shape, which they wore on the arm to ward off blows, and which could be moved at pleasure so as to cover almost any part of th

the back, and often drawn by three horses. They usually carried two warriors, both standing, and the charioteer, or driver, was generally the companion or friend, and not the servant, of the fighters wh

rt in the battles, sometimes giving victory to one side and sometimes to the other. The Trojan War was in fact as much a war of the gods as of men, and in Homer's story we find Jupiter and Juno and Apollo and Neptune and Venus and Minerva mentioned almost as frequently as the Greek and

st many of the towns of Troas, or of the neighboring countries which were allies and supporters of Troy. When the Greeks captured a town they carried off not only the provisions and riches it contained, but also many of its inhabitants, whom

fs, Chryseis fell to the share of Agamemnon, and the maiden Briseis was given to Achilles, who took her to his tent with the intention of making her his wife. But the priest Chryses was deeply grieved at the taking away of his daughter, and he came to the Grecian camp to beg the chiefs to restore

, but chief im

ings, of Atre

rriors! may your

walls lie level

e you when your

easures of you

ve a wretched

seis to these

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chiefs were moved to pity, and they advised that his r

ol

in M

ismi

corn, and added t

e not find thee

oomy ships,

st the fillet

f thy god pro

I release no

ke her in my

her nativ

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ed home in sorrow, walking along the shores of the sea, he pr

! if I ever

temple, if

ar the fat t

ant my prayer, a

he Greeks the

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. With his silver bow, every clang of which was heard throughout the camp, the archer

s comes t

om the ships a

rrible was h

ndent bow. At

he swift dogs,

e deadly arr

e the frequent

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burning, for it was the custom in those times to burn the bodies of the dead. On the tenth day of the plague Achilles c

o much enraged with us, and whether he may, when we shall have offered sacrifi

he soothsayer,

I may irritate the king who rules over all the Argives, and in his anger he may do evil to me. Pro

"While I am alive not one of all the Greeks,

but speak bol

nd declare the

, dear to Jov

ray to, when th

racles to me

yet I live, an

lay a violent

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n. This was why the people were perishing, and the wrath of the god could be appeased only by restoring Chryseis to her father, and se

must give up the maiden. I shall do so, since I wish not the destruction of the people, but anot

said he, "since all the spoils have already been divided? We cannot ask the people to return what has been given to th

I will seize yours or that of Ajax or Ulysses. This matter, however, we will attend to afterwards. For

s was very angr

f any quarrel of my own. The Trojans have done no wrong to me. It is to get satisfaction for your brother we have come here in our ships, and we do mos

"Go home, by all means, with your ships and your Myrmidons. Other chi

, in

ee; since Ph?

will send he

ends, and, comi

he fair-cheeked

thou learn h

d that other c

gth with me, and

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hind him and caught him by his yellow hair. She had been sent down from heaven by Juno to pacify the hero, for Juno and Minerva were friendly to the Greeks. Ever since the judgment on Mount Ida they hated

rest. He instantly knew who she was, and he said to her: "O goddess, have you come to witness the insolenc

ke soothing wor

heaven to pac

heed my couns

hite-armed, t

ever watches

violence; let

ord, but utter

as occasio

what time shal

ds shall yet b

cely cost, for t

angry spiri

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ess, shall I observe your command, though in my soul much enraged, for so

e hero again addressed Agamemnon in bitter words, and he took a solemn oath on the scepter he held in his h

oath! inviol

r:-when bleedi

lles, she shall

Iliad,

oice to hear of strife between the bravest men of the Greeks. He advised Achilles, though of a goddess-mother born, not to contend against his superior

ds! Achilles s

eece, and bulwa

Iliad,

would not yield from his purpose of taking away the prize o

at strife of w

assembly at th

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deprived

by H

d to Apollo. The anger of the god being thus appeased, the army was relieved from the plague. Then Agamemnon proceeded to carry

re Achilles h

fair Brisei

hither. If he

orth to claim

nd it shall be

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He delivered Briseis to the heralds, and they conducted her to the tent of Agamemnon. Thus was committed the deed which brought countless woes upon the G

insult offered to me by this tyrant king, and when there shall be need of m

er of Achilles. The poem, indeed, relates the events of only fifty-eight days, but they were events of the highest interest and they were very numerous. It is remarked by Pope that the subject of the Iliad is the s

les, which in the first line of the firs

, to Greece the

er'd, heavenly

h hurl'd to Plu

ighty chiefs u

nburied on th

s and hungry

chilles and A

eign doom, and suc

Iliad,

ver poetry, science, music, and dancing. Apollo, as god of music and the fine arts, was their leader. They held their meetings on the top of Mount Par-nas'sus in Greec

mer does this in the very first line of the Iliad, the word for word transla

epic poem, "Paradise Lost," which tells about the

disobedience,

dden tree who

nto the world,

Eden, till on

nd regain the

Muse, that, o

of Sinai, d

ho first taught

ng how the hea

Chaos; or,

e, and Siloa's b

oracle of

id to my adv