Page 160 - the-iliad

Thus he spoke, and the sons of the Achaeans for a long
while sat sorrowful there, but they all held their peace, till
at last Diomed of the loud battle-cry made answer saying,
‘Son of Atreus, I will chide your folly, as is my right in coun-
cil. Be not then aggrieved that I should do so. In the first
place you attacked me before all the Danaans and said that
I was a coward and no soldier. The Argives young and old
know that you did so. But the son of scheming Saturn en-
dowed you by halves only. He gave you honour as the chief
ruler over us, but valour, which is the highest both right and
might he did not give you. Sir, think you that the sons of the
Achaeans are indeed as unwarlike and cowardly as you say
they are? If your own mind is set upon going home—go—
the way is open to you; the many ships that followed you
from Mycene stand ranged upon the seashore; but the rest
of us stay here till we have sacked Troy. Nay though these
too should turn homeward with their ships, Sthenelus and
myself will still fight on till we reach the goal of Ilius, for
heaven was with us when we came.’
The sons of the Achaeans shouted applause at the words
of Diomed, and presently Nestor rose to speak. ‘Son of Ty-
deus,’ said he, ‘in war your prowess is beyond question, and
in council you excel all who are of your own years; no one
of the Achaeans can make light of what you say nor gain-
say it, but you have not yet come to the end of the whole
matter. You are still young—you might be the youngest of
my own children—still you have spoken wisely and have
counselled the chief of the Achaeans not without discre-
tion; nevertheless I am older than you and I will tell you

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