“Nestor, thou speakest well, and peace is good.  But this fellow would lord it over all; yet there are some, methinks, who will not obey him.  For if the immortal Gods have made him a great warrior, do they therefore grant him leave to speak lawless words?  Verily he must be taught that there is one here, at least, who is better than he.”

And Achilles said, “I were a slave and a coward if I owned thee as my lord.  Not so; play the master over others, but think not to master me.  As for the prize which the Greeks gave me, let them do as they will.  They gave it; let them take it away.  But if thou darest to touch aught that is mine own, that hour thy life-blood shall redden on my spear.”

Then the assembly was dismissed.  Chryseis was sent to her home with due offerings to the god, the wise Ulysses going with her.  And all the people purified themselves, and offered offerings to the Gods; and the sweet savor went up to heaven in the wreathing smoke.

But King Agamemnon would not go back from his purpose.  So he called to him the heralds, Talthybius and Eurybates, and said,—­

“Heralds, go to the tents of Achilles, and fetch the maiden Briseis.  But if he will not let her go, say that I will come myself with many others to fetch her; so will it be the worse for him.”

Sorely against their will the heralds went.  Along the seashore they walked, till they came to where, amidst the Myrmidons, were the tents of Achilles.  There they found him, sitting between his tent and his ship.  He did not rejoice to see them, and they stood in great terror and shame.  But he knew in his heart wherefore they had come, and cried aloud, “Come near, ye heralds, messengers of Gods and men.  ’Tis no fault of yours that ye are come on such an errand.”

Then he turned to Patroclus (now Patroclus was his dearest friend) and said,—­

“Bring the maiden from her tent, and let the heralds lead her away.  But let them be witnesses, before gods and men, and before this evil-minded king, against the day when he shall have sore need of me to save his hosts from destruction.  Fool that he is, who knoweth not to look back and to look forward, that his people may be safe!”

Then Patroclus brought forth the maiden from her tent, and gave her to the heralds.  And they led her away; but it was sorely against her will that she went.  But Achilles went apart from his comrades, and sat upon the seashore, falling into a great passion of tears, and stretching out his hands with loud prayer to his mother, Thetis, daughter of the sea.  She heard him where she sat in the depths by her father, the old god of the sea, and rose from the gray sea, as a vapor rises, and came to where he was weeping, and stroked him with her hand, and called him by his name.

“What ails thee, my son?” she said.

Then he told her the story of his wrong, and when he had ended he said,—­