And when the watch had been set Ulysses said again, “I will tell what it is needful for thee to say and do.  Only thou must be bold, son of Achilles, and that not only with thy hand, but in heart also, if what I shall now unfold to thee shall seem new or strange.  Hearken then:  when the man shall ask thee who thou art and whence thou comest, thou shalt answer him that thou art the son of Achilles, and that thou hast left the host of the Greeks, because they had done thee great wrong, for that, having prayed thee to come as not being able to take the great city of Troy without thee, yet they would not deliver to thee the arms of thy father Achilles, but gave them to Ulysses.  And here thou mayest speak against me all kinds of evil, for such words will not trouble me, but if thou accomplish not this thing thou wilt trouble the whole host of the Greeks.  For know that without this man’s bow thou canst not take the city of Troy; know also that thou only canst approach him without peril, not being of the number of those who sailed with him at the first.  And if it please thee not to get the bow by stealth, for this indeed thou must do—­and I know thee to be one that loveth not to speak falsely or to contrive deceit—­yet bethink thee that victory is sweet.  Be thou bold to-day, and we will be righteous to-morrow.”

Then the Prince made reply, “’Tis not in me, son of Laertes, to work by craft and guile, neither was it in my father before me.  I am ready to carry off this man with a strong arm; and how, being a cripple, shall he stand against us? but deceit I will not use.  And though I should be loath to fail thee in this our common enterprise, yet were this better than to prevail by fraud.”

Then said Ulysses, “And I, too, in my youth would do all things by the hand and not by the tongue; but now I know that the tongue hath alone the mastery.”

And the Prince replied, “But thou biddest me speak the thing that is false.”

“I bid thee prevail over Philoctetes by craft.”

“But why may I not persuade him, or even constrain him by force?”

“To persuasion he will not hearken, and force thou mayest not use, for he hath arrows that deal death without escape.”

“But is it not a base thing for a man to lie?”

“Surely not, if a lie save him.”

“Tell me what is the gain to me if this man come to Troy.”

“Without this bow and these arrows Troy falleth not.  For though it is the pleasure of the Gods that thou take the city, yet canst not thou take it without these, nor indeed these without thee.”

And when the Prince had mused awhile, he said, “If this be so with the arms, I must needs get them.”

Then Ulysses said, “Do this, and thou shalt gain a double honour.”

And the Prince said, “What meanest thou by thy ‘double honour’?  Tell me, and I refuse no more.”

“The praise of wisdom and of courage also.”