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he took unjustly, not wishing to let go. But let these men be judged by their weapons, with courage, I say, awarding the woman to the victor. 38 A truce had to be made upon these terms, and it is made. And Priam is present for the agreements, trusted more than his sons on account of his grey hair. See the chariot team, how it hurries on its course, guided by an old charioteer. And as a companion of his journey and of the chariot, poetry named this man Antenor, and the painter did not fail to recognize him. The burden, then, for the team is two old men, bent by misfortunes and old age; one occupies the front position and holds the reins; while Antenor has mounted up holding onto the one before him. And some hoplite scouts also stand by, to act as a bodyguard for the king. 39 Let us dismount from the chariot with Priam and, taking him by the right hand with Antenor, let us lead him to Agamemnon, who is stooped with age and leaning on a staff. But the gentle Agamemnon both extends his hand and receives an enemy's right hand, and though Odysseus [............] .. forbids Priam to go any further. And with his hand he signals the old man to stop, thinking it fit [.........................] wishing the elder only to speak and listen standing at a sufficient distance [......] of the [He]llenes speaking, Agamemnon is unarmed, indicating the truce by his appearance, and the sword he alone has, the last remnant of security [............] ..[....] he hands to his left [.........]ing rests his hand on the hilt of the sword. A cloak is thrown over his shoulders and for him an embroidered t[unic] is fastened around the middle with a belt. Ajax is present with him, imitating Odysseus and the son of Tydeus, if you will, with his hand, extending his right hand from behind Agamemnon to Priam and telling him to stop, touching nothing of the king's. And Nestor shines forth with his white grey hair, although appearing from the middle; for he stands beside the son of Atreus as a ready counselor, in case he should need to ask anything. Menelaus is a good hoplite and even before the battle strikes fear into the barbarian; he is fully armed and acts as a guard, and he touches his upright shield, not yet having taken it up, not yet having leveled his spear for war, but holding it with a strong right hand drawn toward himself, for the time being still standing. For he awaits from Diomedes standing beside him the signal for battle and the sound of the trumpet. 40 When, then, the truce was made and the trumpet sounded, whetting their spirit, there stand by Ajax, baring his chest to the navel, and Agamemnon's brother and Nestor the Pylian. For Odysseus out of eagerness moves along with the one fighting in single combat, just as intense spectators share in the posture of the charioteers. And I can almost perceive him shouting: "Strike the man, strike him on whose account you are bereft of Helen, on whose account we have wandered." And Menelaus, after the threat of spears, when the battle came to swords, indeed leaping up he seized the horse-haired helmet. For in his rush he seizes and pulls at the helmet and is carried along with the blow. And Paris is lamented, though perhaps not yet struck. Therefore Priam puts forward his grey head and hand in supplication and strikes his forehead three times, while the other raises his right hand to the sky and with consternation bewails his fate. And Antenor stands beside Priam, lest he might secretly contrive something terrible for himself out of despondency. But stay your blow, O Menelaus, lest you unwittingly fight against a god through Alexander, almost striking a naked Aphrodite who has enveloped Paris. For she presses on from behind and does not beg for the one being struck, who is bent over his shield toward the ground and loosening the strap of his helmet with his right hand. And Aphrodite steals the victory from you, O Menelaus, just as she stole the woman from Sparta. 41 From there the bedchamber received the unmanly soldier and a stool is placed for him before the latticed gate. And Helen weeps for his salvation, even if Aphrodite does not wish it. For you see how she is dejected and bows to the ground and blames the abducting Aphrodite. But she leads the unwilling one and consoles her as she weeps, with a thin tunic concealing nothing of what is within, and brings them together to the bed, Paris with her left hand, and the woman with her right. 42 But who of the

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ἔλαβεν ἀδίκως οὐ μεθιέναι βουλόμενον. ἀλλὰ κρινέσθων οὗτοι τοῖς ὅπλοις, δικαζούσης, φημί, ἀνδρείας τῷ νικῶντι τὸ γύναιον. 38 Ἔδει σπονδὰς ἐπὶ τούτοις γενέσθαι καὶ γίγνονται. καὶ πάρεστιν ἐπὶ συνθήκαις ὁ Πρίαμος, μᾶλλον τῶν παίδων ἐκ τῆς πολιᾶς πιστευόμενος. ὅρα τὸ ζεῦγος, ὅσον ἐπείγεται δρόμῳ ὑφ' ἡνιόχου γέροντος ἰθυνόμενον. κοινωνὸς δὲ τῆς πορείας αὐτῷ καὶ τοῦ ἅρματος, Ἀντήνορα τοῦτον ἡ μὲν ποίησις εἶπεν, ὁ δὲ γραφεὺς οὐκ ἠγνόησεν. τὸ δ' οὖν φορτίον τῷ ζεύγει γέροντε δύο συμφοραῖς καὶ γήρᾳ καμπτόμενοι· ὁ μὲν τὴν πρόσθεν ἔχει χώραν καὶ τῶν ἡνίων ἀντέχεται· ὁ δὲ Ἀντήνωρ ἐπανέβη τοῦ προλαβόντος ἐχόμενος. παρεστᾶσι δὴ καὶ πρόδρομοί τινες ὁπλῖται τὸν βασιλέα δορυφορήσοντες. 39 Συναποβῶμεν τῷ Πριάμῳ τοῦ ζεύγους καὶ σὺν Ἀντήνορι τῆς δεξιᾶς ἑλόντες προσάγωμεν Ἀγαμέμνονι κεκυφότα τῷ γήρᾳ καὶ βακτηρίας ἐχόμενον. ὁ δὲ πρᾷος Ἀγαμένων καὶ χεῖρα προτείνει καὶ δεξιὰν πολέμιον ὑποδέχεται, κἀν Ὀδυσσεὺς [···········] ο̣υ᾿̣ περαιτέρω βαίνειν ἀγορεύει Πριάμῳ. καὶ στῆναι τῇ χειρὶ τῷ γέροντι διατείνεται ἀξιῶν [···························] ἱκανὸν πόρρωθεν ἑστῶτα λέγειν τι καὶ ἀκούειν τὸν πρεσβύτην ἐθέλων μόνον [······]ων[················· Ἑ]λλήνων φθεγγόμενος, ἄοπλος μὲν Ἀγαμέμνων τὰς σπονδὰς μηνύων τῷ σχήματι καὶ ὅπερ μόνον ἔχει ξίφος ἀσφαλείας ἔσχατον λείψανον [············] κρ[······] λαιᾷ παραδίδ̣ω̣σ̣ι̣ν̣ [·········]στήσας τῇ λαβῇ τοῦ ξίφους ἐπαναπαύει τὴν χεῖρα. χλανὶς δὲ τοῖς ὤμοις ἐπέρριπται καὶ χ[ιτὼν] αὐτῷ ποικίλος ζώνῃ δή τινι περὶ τὰ μέσα σφιγγόμενος. πάρεστιν Αἴας αὐτῷ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα καὶ τὸν Τυδέως εἰ βούλει τῇ χειρὶ μιμησάμενος, ἐκ νώτων Ἀγαμέμνονος προτείνων τὴν δεξιὰν Πριάμῳ καὶ στῆναι λέγων μηδέν τι τῶν βασιλέως ἁπτόμενον. ὁ δὲ Νέστωρ λευκῇ προλάμπει πολιᾷ καίπερ ἐκ μέσου φαινόμενος· τῷ γὰρ Ἀτρέως παρέστηκε σύμβουλος ἕτοιμος, μή τι καὶ δέῃ πυνθάνεσθαι. Μενέλαος δὲ ὁπλίτης ἀγαθὸς καὶ πρὸ τῆς μάχης καταπλήττει τὸν βάρβαρον· πᾶς τε καθώπλισται καὶ δορυφορεῖ ὀρθῆς τε τῆς ἀσπίδος ἐφάπτεται, οὔπω ταύτην ἀναλαβών, οὔπω δόρυ κλίνας εἰς πόλεμον, ἀλλ' ἐρρωμένῃ δεξιᾷ καὶ πρὸς αὑτὸν διηγμένῃ συνέχων, ἔτι τέως ἱστάμενος. ἀναμένει γὰρ τοῦ παρ' αὐτὸν ἑστῶτος ∆ιομήδους μάχης τε σύνθημα καὶ σάλπιγγος ἦχον. 40 Ὡς γοῦν γεγόνασιν αἱ σπονδαὶ καὶ ἤχησεν ἡ σάλπιγξ τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῖς παραθήγουσα, παρεστᾶσι μὲν Αἴας εἰς ὀμφαλὸν τὰ στέρνα γυμνούμενος ἀδελφός τε Ἀγαμέμνων καὶ Νέστωρ ὁ Πύλιος. Ὀδυσσεὺς γὰρ ἐκ προθυμίας μονομαχοῦντι συγκινεῖται, ὥσπερ οἱ σφοδροὶ θεαταὶ τοῖς ἡνιόχοις κοινωνοῦντες τοῦ σχήματος. σχεδὸν δέ τι καὶ βοῶντος αἰσθάνομαι· "βάλλε τὸν ἄνδρα, βάλλε δι' ὃν Ἐλένης χηρεύεις, δι' ὃν ἐπλανώμεθα." ὁ δὲ Μενέλεως, μετὰ τὴν δοράτων ἀπει λὴν εἰς ξίφη τῆς μάχης ἐλθούσης, ἦ καὶ ἐπαΐξας κόρυθος λάβεν ἱπποδασείης. συναρπάζει γὰρ τῷ δρόμῳ καὶ τοῦ κράνους ἐφέλκει καὶ τῇ πληγῇ συνεπαίρεται. καὶ θρηνεῖται Πάρις καὶ μήπω τάχα βαλλόμενος. τοιγαροῦν ὁ Πρίαμος πολιὰν καὶ χεῖρα πρὸς ἱκετηρίαν προβάλλεται καὶ τρὶς πλήττει τὰ μέτωπα, τὴν δεξιὰν θατέρου πρὸς αἰθέρα μετεωρίζοντος καὶ σὺν ἐκπλήξει τὴν τύχην ὀδυρομένου. Ἀντήνωρ δὲ παρέστηκε Πριάμῳ, μή τι καὶ λάθῃ δεινὸν ὑπ' ἀθυμίας αὑτῷ μηχανώμενος. ἀλλὰ στῆσον τὴν πληγήν, ὦ Μενέλαε, μὴ καὶ λάθῃς πρὸς θεὸν δι' Ἀλεξάνδρου μαχόμενος, μικροῦ δὴ καὶ γυμνὴν βαλὼν Ἀφροδίτην περιχυθεῖσαν τῷ Πάριδι. ἐκ νώτου γὰρ ἐπίκειται καὶ οὐ παραιτεῖται πληττόμενον, κεκυφότα κατὰ τῆς ἀσπίδος πρὸς ἔδαφος καὶ τὴν τοῦ κράνους λαβὴν τῇ δεξιᾷ διαλύοντα. καὶ κλέπτει σοι τὴν νίκην Ἀφροδίτη, ὦ Μενέλαε, καθάπερ ἐκ Σπάρτης τὸ γύναιον. 41 Θάλαμος ἐντεῦθεν τὸν ἄνανδρον στρατιώτην ἐδέξατο καὶ δίφρος αὐτῷ πρὸ τῆς κιγκλίδος ὑπέστρωται. καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ σωτηρίαν Ἐλένη δακρύει, κἂν Ἀφροδίτη μὴ βούληται. ὁρᾷς γὰρ ὡς κατηφής τε ἐστὶ καὶ κύπτει πρὸς γῆν καὶ μέμφεται τὴν ἁρπάσασαν Ἀφροδίτην. ἡ δὲ μὴ βουλομένην ἄγει καὶ παραμυθεῖται δακρύουσαν, λεπτῷ χιτῶνι μηδὲν τῶν ἔνδον λανθάνουσαν, καὶ πρὸς κοίτην συνάγει λαιᾷ μὲν τὸν Πάριν, δεξιᾷ δὲ τὸ γύναιον. 42 Ἀλλὰ τίς τῶν