fight valiant. But we suffered much more than this; what mortal
tongue indeed could tell the whole story? Though you were to
stay here and question me for five years, or even six, I could
not tell you all that the Achaeans suffered, and you would turn
homeward weary of my tale before it ended. Nine long years did
we try every kind of stratagem, but the hand of heaven was
against us; during all this time there was no one who could
compare with your father in subtlety--if indeed you are his
son--I can hardly believe my eyes--and you talk just like him
too--no one would say that people of such different ages could
speak so much alike. He and I never had any kind of difference
from first to last neither in camp nor council, but in
singleness of heart and purpose we advised the Argives how all
might be ordered for the best.

"When, however, we had sacked the city of Priam, and were setting
sail in our ships as heaven had dispersed us, then Jove saw fit
to vex the Argives on their homeward voyage; for they had not
all been either wise or understanding, and hence many came to a
bad end through the displeasure of Jove's daughter Minerva, who
brought about a quarrel between the two sons of Atreus.

"The sons of Atreus called a meeting which was not as it should
be, for it was sunset and the Achaeans were heavy with wine.
When they explained why they had called the people together, it
seemed that Menelaus was for sailing homeward at once, and this
displeased Agamemnon, who thought that we should wait till we
had offered hecatombs to appease the anger of Minerva. Fool that
he was, he might have known that he would not prevail with her,
for when the gods have made up their minds they do not change