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Book Nine
spite of its adumbration at 7off.) in two and a half formular verses: with
90 cf. Od. 5.267 ev ... TiOei |i£V0£iK6a TToAAd; 91 = 221 = 24.627 (and 11 x
Od.); 92 = 1.469 etc. 7X (and 14X Od.). The retardation that is so effective
at 199-222, the meal in Akhilleus' hut, would be out of place here, but the
meal cannot be overlooked because the sequence of themes surrounding the
council requires it: see Edwards, TAP A 105 (1975) 51-72. These three
verses correspond to the fine scene of sacrifice and feast at 2.402—31 (see
nn.). The mention must be brief lest the narrative should give an impression
of complacency instead of urgency, but mention there must be. The meal is
a matter of protocol and heavy with social symbolism (but see 12.310-
2 in.). Oidipous cursed his sons in the Thebais (fr. 3 Davies) because they
did not give him the honourable cut of meat: see Griffin, HLD 14-15.
92-9 A run of verses (92-5 = 7.323-6) introduces Nestor's important
proposals. It is Nestor's habit to hold forth after dinner, cf. 2.432ff., 7-323ff.,
though not always so appositely as here. Verse 94 ( = 7.325) is a formular
hint at Nestor's primary role as man of sense and moderation. In keeping
with this characterization Nestor is made to use at 96 the complimentary
whole-verse formula of address. Contrast the bare 'ATpei8r| (32) used by
Diomedes in his sharp response to Agamemnon and Nestor's own Tu8eT8r|
(53) in words of mild reproof. Nestor continues his compliments - ev CTO! \xkv
Af)£co, aeo 6' dp^ouai is the language in which the singers of hymns apostrophized
a god - but in order to remind Agamemnon that kingship has its
duties, in this case to excel in pouAf).
99 It is Agamemnon's Zeus-given privilege to decide what is Oeuis and
what is not. Nestor tactfully implies that Agamemnon's interpretation of his
rights in book 1 was, so to speak, intra vires, though others might complain
that he 'kept Oeiiis by his side' (cf. [Aesch.] PV 186): ou yap eTxov ypcnTTOus
vouous, dAAd TO TTOCV ?)V ev TOIS Kponroucjiv (bT).
100-6 Trepi: i.e. 'more than the rest of us'. In 101 we may understand
ITTOS from the preceding verse as object of Kprjfjvai (then 6T' dv = 'whenever'),
or read 6 T 1 dv (= 'whatever') and make the clause the object. —
Verse 102: 'Credit will go to you for whatever he proposes' (Fagles). —
Verse 103 = 13.735. — Verse 106 e£eTi: 'ever since the time when', also at
Od. 8.245.
107 e(3r|S KAicrir|6ev diroupocs: 1.391 T-qv ... KAiair|Oev e(3av KTjpuKes dyovTes
suggests that KAioinOev should be taken more closely with epT)s than with
diToupas. — In reporting the events of book 1 the Iliad regularly (here and
at 1.137, 1.185, 1.356, 2.240, 19.89) uses language (OCUTOS) that naturally
implies personal action on Agamemnon's part, not action through agents.
The problem in the other passages lies in the use of auTos (on which see A.
Teffeteller, CQ40 (1990) 16-20); here it lies in the verb e^ris. The participle
icov (1.138, 22.123), like English 'go and do' may express indignation,