Page 346 - the-iliad

strength he draws his knit brows down till they cover his
eyes—even so did Ajax bestride the body of Patroclus, and
by his side stood Menelaus son of Atreus, nursing great sor-
row in his heart.
Then Glaucus son of Hippolochus looked fiercely at Hec-
tor and rebuked him sternly. ‘Hector,’ said he, ‘you make a
brave show, but in fight you are sadly wanting. A runaway
like yourself has no claim to so great a reputation. Think
how you may now save your town and citadel by the hands
of your own people born in Ilius; for you will get no Lycians
to fight for you, seeing what thanks they have had for their
incessant hardships. Are you likely, sir, to do anything to
help a man of less note, after leaving Sarpedon, who was at
once your guest and comrade in arms, to be the spoil and
prey of the Danaans? So long as he lived he did good ser-
vice both to your city and yourself; yet you had no stomach
to save his body from the dogs. If the Lycians will listen to
me, they will go home and leave Troy to its fate. If the Tro-
jans had any of that daring fearless spirit which lays hold of
men who are fighting for their country and harassing those
who would attack it, we should soon bear off Patroclus into
Ilius. Could we get this dead man away and bring him into
the city of Priam, the Argives would readily give up the ar-
mour of Sarpedon, and we should get his body to boot. For
he whose squire has been now killed is the foremost man at
the ships of the Achaeans—he and his close-fighting follow-
ers. Nevertheless you dared not make a stand against Ajax,
nor face him, eye to eye, with battle all round you, for he is
a braver man than you are.’