Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
many to whom the Epeans owed chattels, for we men of Pylus
were few and had been oppressed with wrong; in former years
Hercules had come, and had laid his hand heavy upon us, so that
all our best men had perished. Neleus had had twelve sons, but I
alone was left; the others had all been killed. The Epeans
presuming upon all this had looked down upon us and had done
us much evil. My father chose a herd of cattle and a great flock of
sheep- three hundred in all- and he took their shepherds with him,
for there was a great debt due to him in Elis, to wit four horses,
winners of prizes. They and their chariots with them had gone to
the games and were to run for a tripod, but King Augeas took
them, and sent back their driver grieving for the loss of his horses.
Neleus was angered by what he had both said and done, and took
great value in return, but he divided the rest, that no man might
have less than his full share.
“Thus did we order all things, and offer sacrifices to the gods
throughout the city; but three days afterwards the Epeans came in a
body, many in number, they and their chariots, in full array, and
with them the two Moliones in their armour, though they were still
lads and unused to fighting. Now there is a certain town,
Thryoessa, perched upon a rock on the river Alpheus, the border
city Pylus; this they would destroy, and pitched their camp about
it, but when they had crossed their whole plain, Minerva darted
down by night from Olympus and bade us set ourselves in array;
and she found willing soldiers in Pylos, for the men meant
fighting. Neleus would not let me arm, and hid my horses, for he
said that as yet I could know nothing about war; nevertheless
Minerva so ordered the fight that, all on foot as I was, I fought
among our mounted forces and vied with the foremost of them.
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