Page 184 - the-iliad

and see whether they are drowsy with toil and sleeping to
the neglect of their duty. The enemy is encamped hard and
we know not but he may attack us by night.’
Nestor replied, ‘Most noble son of Atreus, king of men,
Agamemnon, Jove will not do all for Hector that Hector
thinks he will; he will have troubles yet in plenty if Achil-
les will lay aside his anger. I will go with you, and we will
rouse others, either the son of Tydeus, or Ulysses, or fleet
Ajax and the valiant son of Phyleus. Some one had also bet-
ter go and call Ajax and King Idomeneus, for their ships are
not near at hand but the farthest of all. I cannot however
refrain from blaming Menelaus, much as I love him and
respect him—and I will say so plainly, even at the risk of
offending you—for sleeping and leaving all this trouble to
yourself. He ought to be going about imploring aid from all
the princes of the Achaeans, for we are in extreme danger.’
And Agamemnon answered, ‘Sir, you may sometimes
blame him justly, for he is often remiss and unwilling to
exert himself—not indeed from sloth, nor yet heedlessness,
but because he looks to me and expects me to take the lead.
On this occasion, however, he was awake before I was, and
came to me of his own accord. I have already sent him to
call the very men whom you have named. And now let us be
going. We shall find them with the watch outside the gates,
for it was there I said that we would meet them.’
‘In that case,’ answered Nestor, ‘the Argives will not
blame him nor disobey his orders when he urges them to
fight or gives them instructions.’
With this he put on his shirt, and bound his sandals

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