Part 19 (1/2)
Cowper.
Then, trembling lest her efforts should prove vain, she gently drew near the youth, and softly promised him a bride as fair as herself, in return for the coveted golden apple.
Won either by her superior attractions or by her alluring bribe, Paris no longer hesitated, but placed the prize in her extended palm.
”Ere yet her speech was finished, he consign'd To her soft hand the fruit of burnished rind; And foam-born Venus grasp'd the graceful meed, Of war, of evil war, the quickening seed.”
Coluthus (Elton's tr.).
This act of partiality, of course, called down upon him the wrath and hatred of Juno and Minerva, who, biding their time, watched for a suitable opportunity to avenge themselves; while Venus, triumphant, and anxious to redeem her promise, directed Paris to return to Troy, make himself known to his parents,--who, the G.o.ddess promised, would welcome him warmly,--and obtain from them a fleet in which he might sail to Greece.
[Ill.u.s.tration: PARIS. (Vatican, Rome.)]
In obedience to these instructions, Paris ruthlessly abandoned the fair and faithful Oenone, and, joining a band of youthful shepherds, went to Troy, under pretext of witnessing a solemn festival. There he took part in the athletic games, distinguished himself, and attracted the attention of his sister Ca.s.sandra.
[Sidenote: Paris' return to Troy.]
This princess was noted for her beauty, and it is said had even been wooed by Apollo, who, hoping to win her favor, bestowed upon her the gift of prophecy. For some reason the G.o.d's suit had not prospered; and, as he could not take back the power conferred, he annulled it by making her hearers refuse to credit her words.
Ca.s.sandra immediately called her parents' attention to the extraordinary likeness Paris bore to her other brothers; and then, breaking out into a prophetic strain, she foretold that he would bring destruction upon his native city. Priam and Hecuba, scorning her prophecy, joyfully received their long-lost son, lovingly compelled him to take up his abode in their palace, and promised to atone for their past neglect by granting his every wish.
[Sidenote: Paris sails for Greece.]
Still advised by Venus, Paris soon expressed a desire to sail for Greece, under the pretext of rescuing Hesione, his father's sister, whom Hercules had carried off, after besieging Troy. He was promptly provided with several well-manned galleys, and soon after appeared at the court of Menelaus, King of Sparta, whose young wife, Helen, was the most beautiful woman of her time, if we are to believe the testimony of her contemporaries.
”Full threescore girls, in sportive flight we stray'd, Like youths anointing, where along the glade The baths of cool Eurotas limpid play'd. But none, of all, with Helen might compare, Nor one seem'd faultless of the fairest fair. As morn, with vermeil visage, looks from high, When solemn night has vanish'd suddenly; When winter melts, and frees the frozen hours, And spring's green bough is gemm'd with silvery flowers: So bloom'd the virgin Helen in our eyes, With full voluptuous limbs, and towering size: In shape, in height, in stately presence fair, Straight as a furrow gliding from the share; A cypress of the gardens, spiring high, A courser in the cars of Thessaly. So rose-complexion'd Helen charm'd the sight; Our Sparta's grace, our glory, and delight.”
Theocritus (Elton's tr.).
[Sidenote: Helen's suitors.]
A daughter of Jupiter and Leda (whom Jove had courted in the guise of a snow-white swan), Helen had many suitors who ardently strove to win her favor. The n.o.blest, bravest, and best came to woo and hoped to win; but all were left in suspense, as the maiden did not show any preference, and refused to make known her choice.
Tyndareus, Helen's stepfather, thinking the rejected suitors might attempt to steal her away from any husband she selected, proposed that all the candidates for her hand should take a solemn oath, binding themselves to respect the marital rights of the favored suitor, and help him regain possession of his wife should any one venture to kidnap her.
”This was cause To Tyndarus her father of much doubt, To give, or not to give her, and how best To make good fortune his: at length this thought Occurr'd, that each to each the wooers give Their oath, and plight their hands, and on the flames Pour the libations, and with solemn vows Bind their firm faith that him, who should obtain The virgin for his bride, they all would aid; If any dar'd to seize and bear her off, And drive by force her husband from her bed, All would unite in arms, and lay his town, Greek or Barbaric, level with the ground.”
Euripides (Potter's tr.).
All agreed to this proposal, the oath was taken, and Helen, whose deliberations had come to an end, bestowed her hand upon Menelaus, King of Sparta.
[Sidenote: Abduction of Helen.]
On his arrival at Sparta, in Lacedaemonia, Paris was received with graceful hospitality by Menelaus and Helen. He had not sojourned there many days, however, before the king was called away from home, and departed, confiding to his wife the care of entertaining his princely guest. During his absence, Paris, urged by Venus, courted Helen so successfully, that she finally consented to elope with him, and allowed herself to be borne away in triumph to Troy.
”Then from her husband's stranger-sheltering home He tempted Helen o'er the ocean foam.”
Coluthus (Elton's tr.).
[Sidenote: Preparations for war.]
Menelaus, on his return from Crete, discovered his guest's treachery, and swore never to rest satisfied until he had recovered his truant wife, and punished her seducer. Messengers were sent in haste in every direction, to summon Helen's former suitors to keep their oath, and join Menelaus at Aulis with men and weapons. All came promptly at his call except Ulysses, King of Ithaca, who, to console himself for Helen's refusal of his suit, had married her cousin, Penelope, and had now no dearer wish than to linger by her side and admire his infant son, Telemachus.
[Sidenote: Ulysses feigns madness.]
In the presence of the messenger Palamedes, Ulysses feigned insanity, hoping thereby to elude the tedious journey to Troy; but the messenger was not so easily duped, and cleverly determined to ascertain the truth by stratagem. One day, therefore, when the king was plowing the seash.o.r.e with an ox and horse harnessed together, and sowing this strange field with salt, Palamedes placed the babe Telemachus in the furrow, directly in front of the plow, and marked how skillfully Ulysses turned his ill-a.s.sorted team aside to avoid harming his heir. This action sufficed to prove to Palamedes that the king had not lost all control of his senses, and enabled him to force Ulysses to obey Menelaus' summons.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ABDUCTION OF HELEN.--Deutsch.]
[Sidenote: Agamemnon made chief.]
At Aulis the a.s.sembled army with unanimous consent elected Agamemnon, Menelaus' brother, chief of the expedition, which numbered, among many others, Nestor, noted for his wise counsel; Ajax, gigantic in strength and courage; and Diomedes, the renowned warrior.
The troops were a.s.sembled, the vessels freighted; but before they departed, the chiefs considered it expedient to consult an oracle, to ascertain whether their expedition was destined to succeed. In a somewhat veiled and ambiguous manner, they received answer that Troy could never be taken without the aid of the son of Peleus and Thetis, Achilles, of whom the Fates had predicted that he would surpa.s.s his father in greatness (p. 305).
[Sidenote: Achilles' early life.]
Thetis loved this only child so dearly, that when he was but a babe, she had carried him to the banks of the Styx, whose waters had the magic power of rendering all the parts they touched invulnerable. Premising that her son would be a great warrior, and thus exposed to great danger, she plunged him wholly into the tide with the exception of one heel, by which she held him, and then returned home.
Some time after, an oracle foretold that Achilles would die beneath the walls of Troy from a wound in his heel, the only vulnerable part of his body. With many tears Thetis vowed that her son should never leave her to encounter such a fate, and intrusted the care of his education to the Centaur Chiron, who had taught all the greatest heroes in turn.
From this instructor Achilles learned the arts of war, wrestling, poetry, music, and song,--all, in short, that an accomplished Greek warrior was expected to know,--and, when his studies were finished, returned to his father's court to gladden his fond mother's heart by his presence.
Thetis' joy was all turned to grief, however, when rumors of the war imminent between Greece and Troy came to her ears. She knew her son would soon be summoned, and, to prevent his going, sent him off to the court of Lycomedes, where, under some pretext, he was prevailed upon to a.s.sume a disguise and mingle with the king's daughters and their handmaidens.
One messenger after another was dispatched to summon Achilles to join the fleet at Aulis, but one after another returned without having seen him, or being able to ascertain where he was hiding. The Greeks, however anxious to depart, dared not sail without him. They were in despair, until Ulysses, the wily, proposed a plan, and offered to carry it out.
”Ulysses, man of many arts, Son of Laertes, reared in Ithaca, That rugged isle, and skilled in every form Of shrewd device and action wisely planned.”
Homer (Bryant's tr.).
[Sidenote: Ulysses discovers Achilles.]
Arrayed in peddler's garb, with a pack upon his shoulders, Ulysses entered Lycomedes' palace, where he shrewdly suspected Achilles was concealed, and offered his wares for sale. The maidens selected trinkets; but one of them, closely veiled, seized a weapon concealed among the ornaments, and brandished it with such skill, that Ulysses saw through the a.s.sumed disguise, explained his presence and purpose, and by his eloquence persuaded the young Achilles to accompany him to Aulis.
The Greeks were now ready to embark; but no favorable wind came to swell the sails, which day after day hung limp and motionless against the tall masts of their vessels.
”The troops Collected and imbodied, here we sit Inactive, and from Aulis wish to sail In vain.”
Euripides (Potter's tr.).
[Sidenote: Sacrifice of Iphigenia.]
Calchas, the soothsayer of the expedition, was again consulted, to discover how they might best win the favor of the G.o.ds; and the reply given purported that no favorable wind would blow until Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon, was offered up in sacrifice to appease the everlasting G.o.ds.
Many other propitiatory methods were tried; but as they all proved ineffective, Agamemnon, urged by his companions, sent for his daughter, feigning that he wished to celebrate her nuptials with Achilles before his departure.
”I wrote, I seal'd A letter to my wife, that she should send Her daughter, to Achilles as a bride Affianc'd.”