THE TAKING OF ILIOS 



And now Athena, unwearying thougli she be. Mould 

 have shrunk from her latest labour and all her sweat 

 had been in vain, had not the seer <* turned from the 

 bride-stealing lust of Deiphobus and come from Ilios 

 as guest of the Danaans, and, as doing a favour to 

 Menelaus in his travail, prophesied the late-fulfilled 

 ruin of his own fatherland. And at the prophesying 

 of jealous Helenus they straightway prepared an end 

 of their long toil. From Scyros, too, leaving that 

 city of fair maidens, came the son^ of Achilles 

 and august Deidameia ; who, albeit he mantled not 

 yet on his goodly temples the down of manhood, 

 showed the prowess of his sire, young warrior though 

 he was. Came, too, Athena to the Danaans with her 

 holy image " ; the prey of war but a helper to her 

 friends. 



Now, too, by the counsel of the goddess her 

 servant Epeius ^ wrought the image that was the 

 foe of Troy, even the giant horse. And wood was 

 cut and came down to the plain from Ida, even Ida 

 whence formerly Phereclus built the ships for 

 Alexander ' that were the beginning of woe. Fitted 

 to broadest sides he made its hollow belly, in size as 

 a curved ship which the carpenter turns true to the 



possession of Philoctetes. So Neoptoleraus was brought 

 from Scyrus by Odysseus alone, or with Phoenix (Soph. 

 Ph. 343, <•/. Philostr. Imaff. ii.), or with Diomedes (Quint. 

 Smyrn. vii. 169 ff.). 



' The Palladium, the ancient image of .\thena, said to 

 have been given by Zeus to Dardanus, on the possession of 

 which the safety of Troy depended. It was stolen by 

 Odysseus and Diomedes. 



** Epeius, son of Panopeus, built the Wooden Horse by 

 means of which Troy was taken. Od. viii. 493, xi. 523, 

 Verg. A. ii. 264. 



• Paris. 



585 



