of gold. But the fifth prize, a vase with two
handles, was not obtained; and the noble Achilles gave this to Nestor,
and, standing by him, uttered winged words:--

"Let this, O Father! be for thee an heirloom, and a memorial of Patroclus'
funeral games--of him, whom thou wilt never see again! I give it to thee
since thou mayest not contend in boxing, nor in wrestling, nor in throwing
the lance, nor in the foot-race; for rueful old age weigheth heavily upon
thee."

Nestor gladly received the splendid gift, and spake: "True and fitting are
thy words, dear friend! My limbs are no longer sound, nor do my arms move
easily from my shoulders; and I must make way for younger men. But I
accept thy free gift with joy, and rejoice that thou dost remember our old
friendship."

Then Pelides brought forward the prizes for the rough, fierce
boxing-match: a six-year-old unbroken mule for the winner; and a
two-handled goblet for the loser. Then quickly rose the famous boxer
Epeius, and laid his hand on the stubborn mule, and boasted aloud: "Let
who will bear away the goblet; but the mule is mine! for no one will beat
me with his fists!" They all kept silence, and feared. Only one came
forward, even Euryalus, the gallant son of King Mecistus. The famous
warrior Tydides made him ready for the fight, and bade him God speed. The
twain went into the ring, and fell to work; and terrible was the gnashing
of their teeth, and the sweat ran down from their limbs. Epeius came on
fiercely, and struck Euryalus on the cheek, and that was enough; for all
his limbs were loosened. As a fish on a weedy beach, in the ripple caused
by Boreas, leapeth high in air, so Euryalus leapt up in his anguish. But
the generous Epeius raised him again to his feet, and his comrades led him
away, with dragging feet and drooping head, and spitting out black blood.

Next came the terrible wrestling match; and for this the glorious Achilles
brought out two costly prizes: for the winner, a fireproof tripod, worth
twelve oxen; and for the loser, a woman skilled in handiwork, valued at
four oxen. And he cried aloud to the Achaians, "Stand forward all ye who
will enter into this contest!"

Then rose Telamonian Ajax and the crafty Ulysses, and faced each other.
And they entered the ring, and grasped each other with their strong hands,
like the rafters of a house, joined by some skillful builder to withstand
the wind. Their backbones grated and creaked beneath the strain; th