Page 479 - the-iliad

applause as they saw him straining his utmost, and cheered
him as he shot past them; but when they were now nearing
the end of the course Ulysses prayed inwardly to Minerva.
‘Hear me,’ he cried, ‘and help my feet, O goddess.’ Thus did
he pray, and Pallas Minerva heard his prayer; she made his
hands and his feet feel light, and when the runners were at
the point of pouncing upon the prize, Ajax, through Miner-
va’s spite slipped upon some offal that was lying there from
the cattle which Achilles had slaughtered in honour of Pa-
troclus, and his mouth and nostrils were all filled with cow
dung. Ulysses therefore carried off the mixing-bowl, for he
got before Ajax and came in first. But Ajax took the ox and
stood with his hand on one of its horns, spitting the dung
out of his mouth. Then he said to the Argives, ‘Alas, the
goddess has spoiled my running; she watches over Ulyss-
es and stands by him as though she were his own mother.’
Thus did he speak and they all of them laughed heartily.
Antilochus carried off the last prize and smiled as he said
to the bystanders, ‘You all see, my friends, that now too the
gods have shown their respect for seniority. Ajax is some-
what older than I am, and as for Ulysses, he belongs to an
earlier generation, but he is hale in spite of his years, and no
man of the Achaeans can run against him save only Achil-
les.’
He said this to pay a compliment to the son of Peleus, and
Achilles answered, ‘Antilochus, you shall not have praised
me to no purpose; I shall give you an additional half talent
of gold.’ He then gave the half talent to Antilochus, who re-
ceived it gladly.

The Iliad