Part 20 (1/2)
Paris, ashamed now of his former flight, soon joined his brother upon the battlefield, and together they performed many deeds of valor. The time had now come when Jupiter was about to redeem the promise given to Thetis, for little by little the Greeks were forced to yield before the might of the Trojans, who, stimulated by their partial success, and fired by Hector's example, performed miracles of valor, and finally drove their a.s.sailants into their intrenchments.
Death and defeat now dogged the very footsteps of the Greek forces, who were driven, inch by inch, away from the walls, ever nearer the place where their vessels rode at anchor. They now ardently longed for the a.s.sistance of Achilles, whose mere presence, in days gone by, had filled the Trojan hearts with terror; but the hero, although Briseis had been returned unmolested, paid no heed to their entreaties for aid, and remained a sullen and indifferent spectator of their flight, while the Trojans began to set fire to some of the vessels of their fleet.
”The G.o.ddess-born Achilles, swift of foot, Beside his s.h.i.+ps still brooded o'er his wrath, Nor came to counsel with the ill.u.s.trious chiefs, Nor to the war, but suffered idleness To eat his heart away; for well he loved Clamor and combat.”
Homer (Bryant's tr.).
Discouraged by all these reverses, in spite of their brave resistance, the Greeks, in despair, concluded that the G.o.ds had entirely forsaken them, and beat a hasty and ignominious retreat to the sh.o.r.e, closely followed by the enemy, who uttered loud cries of triumph.
[Sidenote: Patroclus dons Achilles' armor.]
Patroclus, Achilles' intimate friend, then hastened to the hero's side to inform him of his comrades' flight, and implore him once more to rescue them from inevitable death. But Achilles, summoning all his pride to his a.s.sistance, did not waver in his resolve. Suddenly Patroclus remembered that the mere sight of Achilles' armor might suffice to arrest the enemy's advance and produce a diversion in favor of the Greeks: so he asked permission to wear it and lead the Myrmidons, Achilles' trusty followers, into the fray.
”Send me at least into the war, And let me lead thy Myrmidons, that thus The Greeks may have some gleam of hope. And give The armor from thy shoulders. I will wear Thy mail, and then the Trojans, at the sight, May think I am Achilles, and may pause From fighting, and the warlike sons of Greece, Tired as they are, may breathe once more, and gain A respite from the conflict.”
Homer (Bryant's tr.).
Achilles had sworn, it is true, not to return to the scene of strife, but was quite willing to lend men and arms, if they might be of any use, and immediately placed them at his friend's disposal. Hastily Patroclus donned the glittering armor, called aloud to the Myrmidons to follow his lead, and rushed forth to encounter the enemy.
[Sidenote: Death of Patroclus.]
The Trojans paused in dismay, thinking Achilles had come, and were about to take flight, when all at once they discovered the fraud. With renewed courage, they opposed the Greek onslaught. Many heroes bit the dust in this encounter, among others Sarpedon, the son of Jupiter and Europa (p. 45),--whose remains were borne away from the battlefield by the twin divinities Sleep and Death,--ere Hector, son of Priam, and chief among the Trojan warriors, challenged Patroclus to single combat. Needless to say, the two closed in deadly battle, and fought with equal valor, until Patroclus, already exhausted by his previous efforts, and betrayed by the G.o.ds, finally succ.u.mbed.
”The hero fell With clas.h.i.+ng mail, and all the Greeks beheld His fall with grief.”
Homer (Bryant's tr.).
With a loud cry of victory, Hector wrenched the armor off the mangled corpse, and quickly withdrew to array himself in the brilliant spoils. The tidings of Patroclus' fall spread rapidly all through the Grecian camp, and reached Achilles, who wept aloud when he heard that his beloved friend, who had left him but a short time before full of life and energy, was now no more. So noisily did the hero mourn his loss, that Thetis, in the quiet ocean depths, heard his groans, and rushed to his side to ascertain their cause.
[Sidenote: Achilles' grief.]
Into his mother's sympathetic ear Achilles poured the whole story of his grief and loss, while she gently strove to turn his thoughts aside from the sad event, and arouse an interest for some pursuit less dangerous than war. All her efforts were vain, however; for Achilles' soul thirsted for revenge, and he repeatedly swore he would go forth and slay his friend's murderer.
”No wish Have I to live, or to concern myself In men's affairs, save this: that Hector first, Pierced by my spear, shall yield his life, and pay The debt of vengeance for Patroclus slain.”
Homer (Bryant's tr.).
Then, in sudden dread lest Hector should fall by another's hand, or withdraw from the battlefield and thus escape his vengeance, Achilles would have rushed from his tent unarmed; but his mother prevailed upon him to wait until the morrow, when she promised to bring him a full suit of armor from Vulcan's own hand. Rapidly Thetis then traversed the wide s.p.a.ce which separates the coast of Asia Minor from Mount AEtna, where Vulcan labored at his forge.
”She found him there Sweating and toiling, and with busy hand Plying the bellows.”
Homer (Bryant's tr.).
[Sidenote: Achilles' armor.]
Arrived before him, she breathlessly made known her errand, and the G.o.d promised that the arms should be ready within the given time, and immediately set to work to fas.h.i.+on them. By his skillful hands the marvelous weapons were forged; and when the first streak of light appeared above the horizon, he consigned them to Thetis, who hastened back to her son's tent, where she found him still bewailing the loss of Patroclus.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THETIS BEARING THE ARMOR OF ACHILLES.--Gerard.]
During Thetis' absence, messengers had come to Achilles' tent to warn him that Patroclus' body was still in the enemy's hands, and to implore him to come and rescue the precious corpse. Mindful of his promise to his mother, Achilles still refused to fight, but, springing upon the rampart, uttered his mighty war-cry, the sound of which filled the enemy's hearts with terror, and made them yield to the well-directed onslaught of Ajax and Diomedes, who finally succeeded in recovering the body, which they then reverently bore to Achilles' tent.
To console Achilles for his friend's death, Thetis exhibited the glorious armor she had just obtained, helped him put it on, and then bade him go forth and conquer.
”'Leave we the dead, my son, since it hath pleased The G.o.ds that he should fall; and now receive This sumptuous armor, forged by Vulcan's hand, Beautiful, such as no man ever wore.'”
Homer (Bryant's tr.).
[Sidenote: Death of Hector.]
Thus armed, mounted in his chariot drawn by his favorite steeds, and driven by his faithful charioteer Automedon, Achilles went forth to battle, and finally seeing Hector, whom alone he wished to meet, he rushed upon him with a hoa.r.s.e cry of rage. The Trojan hero, at the mere sight of the deadly hatred which shone in Achilles' eyes, turned to flee. Achilles pursued him, and taunted him with his cowardice, until Hector turned and fought with all the courage and recklessness of despair.
Their blows fell like hail, a cloud of dust enveloped their struggling forms, and the anxious witnesses only heard the dull thud of the blows and the metallic clash of the weapons. Suddenly there came a loud cry, then all was still; and when the dust-cloud had blown away, the Trojans from the ramparts, where they had waited in agony for the issue of the fight, beheld Achilles tear the armor from their champion's body, bind the corpse to his chariot, and drive nine times round the city walls, Hector's princely head dragging in the dust. Priam, Hecuba, and Andromache, Hector's beautiful young wife, tearfully watched this ignominious treatment, and finally saw Achilles drive off to the spot where Patroclus' funeral pile was laid, and there abandon the corpse.
Achilles then returned to his tent, where for a long time he continued to mourn his friend's untimely end, refusing to be comforted.
[Sidenote: The G.o.ds' decree.]
The G.o.ds, from their celestial abode, had also witnessed this heartrending scene, and now Jupiter sent Iris to Thetis, and bade her hasten down to Achilles and command him to restore Hector's body to his mourning family. He also directed Mercury to lead Priam, unseen, into Achilles' tent, to claim and bear away his son's desecrated corpse. Thetis, seeking Achilles in his tent, announced the will of Jove:-- ”I am come A messenger from Jove, who bids me say The immortals are offended, and himself The most, that thou shouldst in thy spite detain The corse of Hector at the beaked s.h.i.+ps, Refusing its release. Comply thou, then, And take the ransom and restore the dead.”
Homer (Bryant's tr.).
[Sidenote: Return of Hector's body.]
Mercury acquitted himself with his usual dispatch, and soon guided Priam in safety through the Grecian camp to Achilles' tent, where the aged king fell at the hero's feet, humbly pleading for his son's body, and proffering a princely ransom in exchange.
Achilles, no longer able to refuse this entreaty, and touched by a father's tears, consigned Hector's corpse to the old man's care, and promised an armistice of fourteen days, that the funeral rites in both camps might be celebrated with all due pomp and solemnity; and with the burial of Hector the Iliad comes to a close.
[Sidenote: Death of Penthesilea.]
At the end of the truce the hostilities were renewed, and the Trojans were reinforced by the arrival of Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons, who, with a chosen troop of warrior maidens, came to offer her aid. The brave queen afforded them, however, only temporary relief, as she was slain by Achilles in their very first encounter.
He, too, however, was doomed to die ”in the flower of his youth and beauty,” and the Fates had almost finished spinning his thread of life. In an early skirmish, while in close pursuit of the Trojans, Thetis' son had once caught sight of Polyxena, daughter of Priam, and had been deeply smitten by her girlish charms. He now vainly tried to make peace between the conflicting nations, hoping that, were the war but ended, he might obtain her hand in marriage.
[Sidenote: Death of Achilles.]
His efforts to make peace failed; but at last he prevailed upon Priam to celebrate his betrothal with Polyxena, with the stipulation that the marriage would take place as soon as the war was over. The betrothal ceremony was held without the city gates; and Achilles was just about to part from his blus.h.i.+ng betrothed, when Paris, ever treacherous, stole behind him and shot a poisoned arrow into his vulnerable heel, thus slaying the hero who had caused so many brave warriors to bite the dust.
”Thus great Achilles, who had shown his zeal In healing wounds, died of a wounded heel.”
O. W. Holmes.
His armor--the glorious armor forged by Vulcan--was hotly contested for by Ulysses and Ajax. The former finally obtained the coveted weapons; and Ajax' grief at their loss was so intense, that he became insane, and killed himself in a fit of frenzy, while Polyxena, inconsolable at her betrothed's death, committed suicide on the magnificent tomb erected over his remains on the Trojan plain.
[Sidenote: Philoctetes' arrows.]