Page 393 - the-iliad

rather sally as one man and loose the fury of war upon the
Trojans.’
When he had thus spoken he took with him the sons of
Nestor, with Meges son of Phyleus, Thoas, Meriones, Lyco-
medes son of Creontes, and Melanippus, and went to the
tent of Agamemnon son of Atreus. The word was not soon-
er said than the deed was done: they brought out the seven
tripods which Agamemnon had promised, with the twenty
metal cauldrons and the twelve horses; they also brought
the women skilled in useful arts, seven in number, with Bri-
seis, which made eight. Ulysses weighed out the ten talents
of gold and then led the way back, while the young Achae-
ans brought the rest of the gifts, and laid them in the middle
of the assembly.
Agamemnon then rose, and Talthybius whose voice was
like that of a god came to him with the boar. The son of
Atreus drew the knife which he wore by the scabbard of his
mighty sword, and began by cutting off some bristles from
the boar, lifting up his hands in prayer as he did so. The
other Achaeans sat where they were all silent and orderly
to hear the king, and Agamemnon looked into the vault of
heaven and prayed saying, ‘I call Jove the first and mighti-
est of all gods to witness, I call also Earth and Sun and the
Erinyes who dwell below and take vengeance on him who
shall swear falsely, that I have laid no hand upon the girl
Briseis, neither to take her to my bed nor otherwise, but that
she has remained in my tents inviolate. If I swear falsely
may heaven visit me with all the penalties which it metes
out to those who perjure themselves.’

The Iliad