SWIFT AND OLD-GOLD 1 89 



pieces into the fire. When all had partaken of 

 the good cheer before them Ulysses filled a cup 

 with wine and pledged it to Achilles and made 

 known the object of their coming. 



All night long the three messengers pleaded 

 with Achilles to lay aside his anger and to give 

 to the sorely tried Greeks the succor of which 

 they stood in so great need. And they promised 

 in the name of Agamemnon that he should have 

 for his reward seven tripods untouched by fire, 

 and ten talents of gold, and twenty caldrons of 

 bronze, and twelve prize-winning horse's, and 

 seven women slaves skilled in the finest handi- 

 work. More than this, if they should succeed 

 in taking Troy, then Achilles might load his ship 

 full of gold and bronze from the pillage of the 

 palaces ; and he might choose the fairest of Aga- 

 memnon's daughters for his wife, and take with 

 her as her dower seven well-peopled cities that 

 lay near the sea. But Achilles turned a deaf ear 

 to all their entreaties, and declared that it was his 

 purpose to sail on the morrow with his Myrmi- 

 dons back to his native land. 



" Hateful to me," he said, " are Agamemnon's 

 gifts, and to me he is not worth a straw. Not 

 even if he gave me ten times, yea, twenty times. 



