THE TAKING OF ILIOS 



His weals laden with unseemly blood showed the 

 ruinous track of the swift lash. Straightway he 

 grovelled before the feet of Priam, and touched his 

 ancient knees with suppliant hands ; and entreating 

 the old man he uttered his craftily woven tale : 



" Sceptred King, son of Dardanus, behold me the 

 fellow voyager of the Argiv^es, if thou pitiest me, and 

 deliverer of the Trojans and their city, if thou wilt 

 save 'me, and lastly foe of the Achaeans : behold how 

 they evilly entreated me who had done no wrong, 

 heeding not the regard of the gods, evil and unkind 

 always. Even so they snatched away his reward 

 from Achilles, son of Peleus, and even so they left 

 Philoctetes," fettered by the bite of the water snake, 

 and slew in wrath Palamedes ^ himself. And behold 

 now what they have done to me in their wicked 

 folly, for that I would not flee with them, but bade 

 my comrades stay. Overcome by frenzied foolish- 

 ness they stripped me of my raiment and wounded 

 all my body y^ith unseemly stripes and left me on an 

 alien shore. But, blessed one, do thou have regard 

 unto the majesty of Zeus, the god of suppliants. 

 For I shall be a joy to the Argives, if thou lettest a 

 suppliant and a stranger perish at the hands of the 

 Trojans. But I shall be surety unto all of you that 

 ye no more dread returning war of the Achaeans." 



So he spake, and the old man comforted him with 

 gentle voice : " Stranger, it befits thee not to be 

 afraid any more since thou hast mingled with the 



* Palamedes, son of Nauplius. king of Euboea, exposed 

 the ruse by which Odysseus tried to avoid the expedition to 

 Troy. In revenge Odysseus contrived to bury a quantity 

 of gold in the tent of Palamedes and forged a letter from 

 Priam offering bribes for the betrayal of the Greek array. 

 Palamedes was found guilty of treason and stoned to death. 



bOl 



