And therefore send this man to act the scout,
Lest he should come upon me unawares,
For he would rather seize on me than take
All other Argives. [Exit Attendant.
Neop. He is gone to watch
The path. If aught thou needest, speak again.
Odys. Now should'st thou prove thyself, Achilles' son,50
Stout-hearted for the task for which thou cam'st,
Not in thy body only, but if thou
Should'st hear strange things, by thee unknown till now,
Still give thy help, as subaltern to me.
Neop. What dost thou bid me?
Odys. Thou must cheat and trick
The heart of Philoctetes with thy words;
And when he asks thee who and what thou art,
Say thou 'rt Achilles' son, (that hide thou not,)
And that thou sailest homeward, leaving there
The Achæans' armament; with bitter hate
Hating them all, who having sent to beg
Thy coming with their prayers, as having this60
Their only way to capture Ilion's towers,
Then did not deign to grant thee, seeking them
With special claims, our great Achilles' arms,
But gave them to Odysseus. What thou wilt
Say thou against me to the utmost ill:
In this thou wilt not grieve me; but if thou
Wilt not do this, on all the Argive host
Thou wilt bring sorrow; for, unless we get
His bow and arrows, it will not be thine
To sack the plain of Dardanos. And how
I cannot have, and thou may'st have access70
To him both safe and trustworthy, learn thus;
