Page 46 - the-odyssey

during all this time there was no one who could compare
with your father in subtlety—if indeed you are his son—
I can hardly believe my eyes—and you talk just like him
too—no one would say that people of such different ages
could speak so much alike. He and I never had any kind of
difference from first to last neither in camp nor council, but
in singleness of heart and purpose we advised the Argives
how all might be ordered for the best.
‘When, however, we had sacked the city of Priam, and
were setting sail in our ships as heaven had dispersed us,
then Jove saw fit to vex the Argives on their homeward voy-
age; for they had not all been either wise or understanding,
and hence many came to a bad end through the displeasure
of Jove’s daughter Minerva, who brought about a quarrel
between the two sons of Atreus.
‘The sons of Atreus called a meeting which was not as it
should be, for it was sunset and the Achaeans were heavy
with wine. When they explained why they had called the
people together, it seemed that Menelaus was for sailing
homeward at once, and this displeased Agamemnon, who
thought that we should wait till we had offered hecatombs
to appease the anger of Minerva. Fool that he was, he might
have known that he would not prevail with her, for when the
gods have made up their minds they do not change them
lightly. So the two stood bandying hard words, whereon the
Achaeans sprang to their feet with a cry that rent the air,
and were of two minds as to what they should do.
‘That night we rested and nursed our anger, for Jove was
hatching mischief against us. But in the morning some of