 Section 24 of the Iliad for Boys and Girls This is a LibriVox recording, or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Read by Lizzie Driver. The Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church. The Slaying of Hector King Priam stood on a tower of the wall and saw how Achilles was driving the men of Troy before him, and his heart was much troubled within him, thinking how he could help his people. So he went down and spoke to those he kept the gates. Keep now the wicked gates open, holding them in your hand, that the people may enter by them, for they are flying before Achilles. So the keepers held the wicked gates in their hands, and the people made haste to come in. They were wearied with toil and consumed with thirst, and Achilles followed close after them. And the Greeks would have taken the city of Troy that hour, but that Apollo saved it. For the gates being open, they could enter with the Trojans, whereas the gates being shut, the people were left to perish. And the way in which he saved the city was this. He put courage into the heart of Agnor, son of Antonor, standing also by him, that he should not be slain. Agnor therefore stood thinking to himself, Shall I flee with these others? Not so, for Achilles will overtake me, so swift a foot as he, and shall slay me, and I shall die the death of a coward. Or shall I flee across the plain to Mount Ida, and hide myself in the thicket, and come back to the city when it is dark? But if he see me, he will pursue me and overtake me. Shall I not rather stand here and meet him before the gates? For he too is a mortal man, and may be slain by the spear. Therefore he stood by the gates, waiting for Achilles, for Apollo had given him courage. And when Achilles came near, Agnor cast his spear, and struck his leg beneath the knee. But the grieve turned the spear so strong was it, having been made by a god. But when Achilles rushed at him to slay him, Apollo lifted him up from the ground, and set him safe within the walls. And that the men of Troy might have time to enter. The god took Agnor's shape, and fled before Achilles, and Achilles pursued him. Meanwhile the Trojans flocked into the city, through the wicked gates. Nor did they stay to ask who was safe and who was dead. So great was their fear and such their haste. Only Hector remained outside the city, in front of the great gates, which were called the Cecian gates. All the while Achilles was fiercely pursuing the false Agnor. Till at last Apollo turned and spoke to him. Why do you perceive me swift-footed Achilles? Have you not yet found out that I am a god, and that all your fury is in vain? And now the Trojans are safe in the city, and you are here, far out of the way, seeking to kill one who cannot die? Achilles answered him in great anger. You have done me a great wrong in this. Surely of all the gods you are the one who loves mischief the most. If it had not been for this many Trojans, more would have fallen. But you have saved your favourites and robbed me of great glory. Oh, that I could take vengeance on you. Truly you would have paid dearly for your cheat. Then he turned and ran towards the city, swift as a race-horse, when it wells a chariot across the plains, and his armour shone upon him as bright as a Ryan, which men also call the dog, shines in the autumn, when the vintage is gathered, and evil light bring in fevers to men. Old Primes saw him and groaned aloud, and stretched out his hands crying to hector his son, where he stood before the gates, waiting to fight with this terrible warrior. Oh, my son, wait not for this man lest he kill you, for indeed he is far stronger than you. I would that the gods had such love for him as I have. Soon would he be food for dogs and vultures. Of many sons he has bereaved me, but if he should bereave me of you, then would not I only end the mother who bore you mourn, but every man and woman in Troy. Come within these walls, my dear son. Come, for you are the hope of the city. Come, lest an evil fate come upon me in my old age, that I should see my son slain with the sword, and my daughters carried into captivity, and the babes dashed upon the ground. So spoke Old Priam, but he could not move the heart of his son. Then from the other side of the wall his mother, Queen Hecuba, cried to him. She wept aloud, and hoping that she might so persuade him, she laid bare her bosom, saying, Oh, hector my son, have pity on me. Think of the breast which in old days I gave you when you were hungry and stilled you're crying. Come, I beseech you, inside the walls, and do not wait for him, or stand up in battle against him. For if he conquers you, then not only will you die, but dogs and vultures will eat your flesh far from here by the ships of the Greeks. But her prayers were in vain, for he was still minded to await the coming of Achilles, and stand up to him in battle. And as he waited, many thoughts passed through his mind. Oh, is me, if I go within the walls. Will not they reproach me, who gave me good advice which I would not hear, so that I should bring the people within the walls when the great Achilles roused himself to the battle? Would that I had done this thing? It had been far better for us. But now I have destroyed the people. I fear the sons and daughters of Troy, lest they should say. Hector trusted in his strength, and he has brought the people whom he should have saved to harm. It would be far better for me to stay here and meet the great Achilles, and either slay him, or, if it must be so, be slain by him. Or shall I lay down my shield and take off my helmet, and lean my spear against the wall, and go meet him and say, We will give back the fair Helen and all the riches which Paris carried off with her. Also we will give all the precious things that there are in the city, that the Greeks may divide among themselves, taking an oath that we are keeping nothing back, if only you will leave us in peace. But this is idle talk. He will have neither shame nor pity, and will slay me as I stand, without defence before him. No, it is better far to meet in arms, and see whether Zeus will give the victory to him or to me. These were the things which Hector thought in his heart. And Achilles came near, shaking over his right shoulder the great Pilean spear. And the flashing of his arms were like to fire or to the sun when it rises. But Hector trembled when he saw them, and his heart failed him so that he turned his back and fled. Fast he fled from the place where he stood, by the great's seeing-gate. And fast did Achilles pursue him. Just as a hawk, which is more swift than all other birds, pursues a dove among the hills. The two ran past the watchtower and past the wild fig tree, along the wagon-road which ran round the walls, till they came to the springs from which the river rises. Two springs there were, one hot as though it had been heated with fire, and the other cold, cold as ice or snow, even in the summer. There were two basins of stone in which the daughters of Troy had been used to wash their garments. But that was in the old days, when there was peace, before the Greeks came to the land, past to the springs they ran. It was no race which men run for some prize, a sheep may be, or an oxhide shield. Rather, the prize was the life of Hector. So they ran round the city, and to the Trojans on the wall, and to the Greeks upon the plain looked on. And the gods looked on as they sat in their palace on the top of Olympus. And Zeus said, Now this is a piteous thing which I see. My heart is grieved for Hector, Hector who has never failed to honour me, and the other gods with sacrifice. See how the great Achilles is pursuing him? Come, let us take counsel together. Shall we save him from death, or shall we let him fall by the spear of Achilles? Athena said, What is this that you propose? Will you save a man whom the fates appoint to die? Do this, if you will, but the other gods do not approve. Then said Zeus, This is a thing that I hate, but be it as you will. All this time Hector still fled, and Achilles still pursued. Hector sought for shelter in the walls, and Achilles ever drove him towards the plain. Just as in a dream when one seems to fly and another seems to pursue, and the first cannot escape, neither can the second overtake. So these two ran. Yet Apollo helped Hector, giving strength to his knees. Else he had not held out against Achilles, then whom there was no faster runner among the sons of men. Three times did they run round the city. But when they came for the fourth time to the springs, Athena lighted from the air close to Achilles and said, This is your day of glory, for you shall slay Hector, though he be a mighty warrior. It is his doom to die, and Apollo himself shall not save him. Stand here and take breath, and I will make him meet you. So Achilles stood leaning on his spear. And Athena took the shape of Diphobus, and came near to Hector and said to him, My brother, Achilles presses you hard. But come, we too will stand up against him. Hector answered, O Diphobus, I have always loved you above all my brothers, and now I shall love you still more, for you only have come to my help while they remain within the walls. Then said Diphobus, March did my father and my mother and my comrades entreat me to stay within the walls. But I would not, for I could not bear to leave you alone. Come, therefore, let us fight this man together, and see whether he will carry our spoils to the ships, or we shall slay him here. Then Hector said to Achilles, Three times have you pursued me round the walls, and I dared not stand against you. But now I fear you no more. Only let us make this covenant. If Zeus gives me the victory to-day, I will give back your body to the Greeks, only I will keep your arms. Do you, therefore, promise to do the same with me? Achilles frowned at him, and said, Hector, talk not of covenants to me. Men and lions make no oaths to each other. Neither is there any agreement between wolves and sheep. Make no delay, let us fight together, that I may have vengeance for the blood of all my comrades, whom now has slain, and especially of Petrolicus, the man whom I loved beyond all others. Then he threw the great spear. But Hector saw it coming and avoided it, crouching down so that the spear flew over his head, and fixed itself in the ground. But Athena snatched it up and gave it back to Achilles. But this Hector did not see. Then said Hector to Achilles, You have missed your aim, Achilles. Now see whether I have not a truer aim. Then he cast his spear, and the aim indeed was true, for it struck upon the shield. It struck, but it bounded far away. Then he cried to Diphobus, Give me another spear. But lo! Diphobus was gone. Then he knew that his end was come, and he said to himself, The gods have brought my doom upon me. I thought that Diphobus was with me. But he is behind the walls. And this was better cheat, with which Athena cheated me. Nevertheless, if I must die, let me at least die in the doing of such a deed as men shall remember in the years to come. So he spoke, and drew his great sword, and rushed upon Achilles as an eagle rushes down from the clouds upon its prey. But never a blow did he deal, for Achilles ran to meet him, holding a shield before him, and the plumes of his helmet streamed behind him as he ran, and to the point of his spear was as bright as the evening star. For a moment he doubted whether he should drive it home, for the armour of Procholicus which Hector wore guarded him well. But a spot there was, where the stroke of spear or sword is deadliest, by the collarbone where the neck joins the shoulder. There he drove in the spear, and the point stood out behind the neck, and Hector fell in the dust. Then Achilles cried aloud, Hector, you thought not of me when you slew Procholicus and spoiled him of his arms. But now you have fallen, and the dogs and vultures shall eat your flesh. But to him the Greeks will give honourable burial. But Hector said, his voice now growing faint, O Achilles, I entrust you, by all that you hold dear, to give my body to my father and mother, that they may duly bury it. Large ransoms will they pay of gold, and silver, and bronze. Speak not to me of ransom, said Achilles. Prime shall not buy thee back, no, not for your weight in gold. Then Hector said, I know you well, what manner of man you are, and that the heart in your breast is of iron. Only beware lest the anger of the gods come upon you for such deeds. In the days when Paris and Apollo shall slay you hard by these very gates. So speaking he died, and Achilles said, Die, dog, that you are, at my doom, I will meet when it shall please the gods to send it. Then did Achilles devise a cruel thing. He pierced the ankle bones of the dead man, and fastened the body with thongs of oxide to the chariot, and so dragged it to the ships. Now Andromachy knew nothing of what had come to pass. She sat in a house weaving a great mantel, embroidered with flowers. And she bade her maidens make ready the bath for Hector, when he should come back from the battle, knowing not that he would never need it any more. Then there rose a great wailing from the walls. And she rose up from her weaving and great haste, and dropped the shuttle from her hands and said to the maids, Come now, I must see what has happened, for I fear that some evil has come to the men of Troy. Every Hector is in danger, for he is always bold, and will fight in the front. Then she ran along the streets to the walls like a madwoman. And when she came to the walls she looked, and lo, the horses of Achilles would drag in the body of Hector to the ships. Then a sudden darkness came upon her, and she fell to the ground as though she were dead. End of the slaying of Hector. THE RANSOMING OF HECTOR The Greeks made a great mourning for Petrolicus, and paid due honours to him. The body of Hector was shamefully treated, for Achilles caused it to be dragged daily about the tomb of his friend. Then Zeus sent for Thetis, and said to her, Go to the camp, and bid your son give up the body of Hector for ransom. It angers me to see him do dishonour to the dead. So Thetis went to the tent of Achilles, and found him weeping softly for his friend, for the strength of his sorrow was now spent. And she said to him, It is the will of Zeus that you give up the body of Hector for ransom. And he said, Let it be so, if the gods will have it. Then again Zeus sent Iris his messenger to King Priam, where he sat in his palace, with his face wrapped in his mantle, and his sons weeping round him, and his daughter and his daughters-in-law wailing in their chambers at the palace. Iris said to him, Be of good cheer, I come from Zeus. He bids you take precious gifts we're with to buy back the body of Hector from Achilles. Nor will Achilles refuse to give it up. So Priam rose from his place, with gladness in his heart. Nor would he listen to the Queen, when she would have kept him back. I have heard the voice of the messenger of Zeus, and I will go. And if I die, what do I care? Let it kill me slay me, so that I hold the body of my son once more in my arms. Then he caused precious things to be put into a wagon. Mantles which had never been washed, and rugs and cloaks, twelve of each, and ten talants of gold, and cauldrons and basins, and a great cup of gold which the Thracians had given him. Nothing of his treasures did he spare, if only he might buy back his son. Then he bade his sons yoke the meals to the wagon. With many bitter words did he speak to them. They were cowards, he said, an evil brood, speakers of lying words, and mighty only to drink wine. But they did not answer him. Then Priam himself yoked the horses to the chariot, the herald helping. But before he went he poured out wine to Zeus, and prayed, saying, Hear me, O Father, and cause Achilles to pity me, and give me also a lucky sign that I may go on this business with a good heart. So Zeus sent an eagle, a mighty bird, and it flew with wings outstretched over the city, on the right hand of the king. Then the king passed out of the gates. Before him the mules drew the wagon, these the herald drove. But Priam himself drove his horses. Then Zeus said to Hermes, Go, guide the king, so that none of the Greeks may see him before he comes to the tent of Achilles. So Hermes fastened to his feet the winged saddles, with which he flies. And he flew till he came to the plain of Troy. And when the wagon and the chariot were close to the tomb of Illas, the herald spied a man, for Hermes had taken the shape of a man, and said to the king, What shall we do? I see a man. Shall we flee? Or shall we beg him to have mercy on us? And the king was greatly troubled. But Hermes came near and said, Where do you go in the darkness with these horses and mules? Have you no fear of the Greeks? If anyone should spy all this wealth, watch then. You are old, and could scarcely defend yourselves. But be of good cheer. I will protect you, for you are like to my own dear father. Priam answered, Happy is he to have such a son. Surely the gods are with me, that I have met such a one as you. Then said Hermes, Tell me true, are you sending away these treasures for safekeeping, fearing that the city will be taken now that Hector is dead? Priam answered, Who are you that you speak of Hector? Hermes said, I am a mermidon, one of the people of Achilles, and often I have seen your son in the front of the battle. Then the king asked him, Is the body of Hector yet whole, or have the dogs and the vultures devoured it? Hermes answered, It is whole and without blemish, as fresh as when he died. Surely the gods love him, even though he be dead. Then King Priam would have had the young man take a gift. But Hermes said, I will take no gift unknown to my master, so to do would be wrong to him, but I will guide you to his tent, if you would go thither. So he leapt into the chariot and took the reins. And when they came to the trench where the sentinels were at their meal, Hermes caused a deep sleep to fall on them. And he opened the gate and brought in the king with his treasures. And when they were at the tent of Achilles, the young man said, I am Hermes, whom Father Zeus sent to be your guide. Go in and clasp him about to the knees, and entreat him to have pity upon you. And he vanished out of his sight. Then Priam went to the tent, where Achilles, who had just ended his meal, sat at the table, and caught his knees and kissed his hands, yea, the very hands which had slain so many of his sons. He said, have pity on me, O Achilles, thinking of your own father. He is old as I am, yet it goes well with him, so long as he knows that you are alive, for he hopes to see you coming back from the land of Troy. But as for me, I am altogether miserable. Many sons have I lost, and now the best of them all is dead. And, lo, I kiss the hands which slew him. Then the heart of Achilles was moved with pity, and he wept, thinking now of his own father, and now of the dead Petrolicus. At last he stood up from his seat and stared, How dare you come to my tent, old man! Surely you must have a heart of iron. But come, sit, and eat, and drink, for this a man must do, for all the sorrows that come upon him. But the king said, Ask me not to eat and drink, while my son lies unburied and without honour. Rather, take the gifts which I have brought, with which to ransom him. But Achilles frowned and said, Fex me not. I am minded to give back the body of Hector, but let me go my own way. Then Prime held his peace, for he feared to rouse the anger of Achilles. Then Achilles went forth from the tent, and two companions with him. First they took the gifts from the wagon. Only they left two cloaks, and a tunic were with to cover the dead. And Achilles bathed the women to wash and anoint the body. Only that they should do this apart from the tent. Lest Prime should see his son, and lament aloud when the body was washed and anointed. Achilles himself lifted it in his arms, and put it on a litter. And his comrades put the litter in the wagon. When all was finished, Achilles groaned and cried to his dead friend, saying, Be not angry Opetrolicus, that I have given the body of Hector to his father. He has given a noble ransom, and of this you shall have your share as his met. Then he went back to his tent, and said, Your son, old man, is ransomed, and to-morrow shall you see him, and take him back to Troy. But now let us eat and drink. And this they did. But when this had ended, they sat and looked at each other. And Achilles wandered at King Priam, so noble was he to behold. And Priam wandered to see how strong and how fair was Achilles. King Priam said, Let me sleep, Achilles, for I have not slept since my son was slain. So they made up for him a bed, but not in the tent, lest perhaps one of the chiefs should come in and see him. But before he slept the King said, Let there be a truce for nine days between the Greeks and the Trojans, that we may bury Hector. And Achilles said, It shall be so, I will stay the war for so long. But when the King slept, Hermes came again to him and said, Do you sleep among your enemies, O Priam? Awake and depart. For although Achilles has taken ransom for Hector, what would not your sons have to pay for you if the Greeks should find you in the camp? Then the old man rose up, and the wise herald yoked the mules to the wagon and the horses to the chariot. And they passed through the camp of the Greeks, no man knowing, and came safe to the city of Troj. On the ninth day the King and his people made a great burying for Hector, such as had never been seen in the land of Troj. The end of Troj. After these things came Memnon, a black warrior who said he was the son of Morning. He slew Antelokkas, son of Nestor, and was himself slain by Achilles. Not many days afterwards Achilles himself was slain by the Sassian gates. It was by an arrow from the bow of Paris that he was killed. But the arrow was guided by Apollo. Yet Troj was not taken. Then Hellenus the seer, having been taken prisoner by Ulysses, said, You cannot take the city till you bring the man who has the arrows of Hercules. So they fetched the man, and he killed many Trojans with the arrows, and among them Paris, who was the cause of all this trouble. Last of all the Greeks devised this plan. Some of the bravest of the chiefs hid themselves in a great horse of wood, and the rest made a pretense of going away, but went no further than till an island hard by, and when the Trojans had dragged the horse into the city, thinking it was an offering to the gods of the city. Achilles let themselves out of it by night, and the other Greeks, having come back, took the city in the tenth year from the beginning of the siege. End of section 25. End of the Iliad for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church.