Thus she spoke, but he knew the voice of the goddess speaking. Then he hastened to run, and cast away his cloak, but the herald Eurybates, the Ithacensian, who followed him, took it up. But he, meeting Agamemnon, son of Atreus, received from him [1] the ever-imperishable paternal scepter, with which he went through the ships of the brazen-mailed Greeks.
Whatsoever king, indeed, or distinguished man he chanced to find standing beside him, he checked him with gentle words:
"Strange man! it ill becomes thee, coward-like, to be intrepidation; but both sit down thyself, and make the other people sit down, for thou hast not as yet clearly ascertained what the intention of Atrides is. He is now making trial of, and will quickly punish the sons of the Greeks. We have not all heard what he said in council. Take care lest he, being incensed, do some mischief to the sons of the Greeks. For the anger of a Jove-nurtured king is great; his honor too is from Jove, and great-counseling Jove loves him."
But on the other hand, whatever man of the common people he chanced to see, or find shouting out, him would he strike with the scepter, and reprove with words:
"Fellow, sit quietly, and listen to the voice of others, who are better than thou; for thou art unwarlike and weak, nor ever of any account either in war or in council. We Greeks can not all by any means govern here, for a government of many is not a good thing;[2] let there be but one chief, one king,[3] to whom the son of wily Saturn has given a scepter, and laws, that he may govern among them."
Thus he, acting as chief, was arranging the army. But they again rushed with tumult from the ships and tents to an assembly, as when the waves of the much-resounding sea roar against the lofty beach, and the deep resounds.
The others indeed sat down, and were kept to their re-
- ↑ This is an instance of the σχῆμα Σικελικόν, as in H. O. 88, γίνεται δὲ παραλαμβανομένης δοτικῆς πτώσεως ἀντὶ γενικῆς καὶ κατὰ παράλειψιν τοῦ παρὰ προθέσεως.—Lesbonax, περὶ σχημ, p. 181, ed. Valck.
- ↑ See Aristot. Polit. iv. 4, and Cicer. de Off. i. 8. This true maxim has been often abused by tyrants, as by Dion (Corn. Nepos, Dion, § 6, 4), Caligula (Sueton. Cal. 22), and Domitian (id. 12).
- ↑ On the aristocratic character of Homer's poetry, see Müller, Gk. Lit. iv. § 2.
