s observed by Nemesius, de
Nat. Hom. Sec. 21.]

[Footnote 17: I have used "Greeks" wherever the whole army is
evidently meant. In other instances I have retained the specific
names of the different confederate nations.]

And upon this, the blameless prophet then took confidence, and spoke:
"Neither is he enraged on account of a vow [unperformed], nor of a
hecatomb [unoffered], but on account of his priest, whom Agamemnon
dishonoured; neither did he liberate his daughter, nor did he receive
her ransom. Wherefore has the Far-darter given woes, and still will he
give them; nor will he withhold his heavy hands from the pestilence,
before that [Agamemnon] restore to her dear father the bright-eyed[18]
maid, unpurchased, unransomed, and conduct a sacred hecatomb to Chrysa;
then, perhaps, having appeased, we might persuade him."

[Footnote 18: See Arnold.]

He indeed, having thus spoken, sat down. But to them arose the hero, the
son of Atreus, wide-ruling Agamemnon,[19] agitated; and his all-gloomy
heart was greatly filled with wrath, and his eyes were like unto
gleaming fire. Sternly regarding Calchas most of all, he addressed
[him]:

"Prophet of ills, not at any time hast thou spoken anything good for me;
but evils are always gratifying to thy soul to prophesy,[20] and never
yet hast thou offered one good word, nor accomplished [one]. And now,
prophesying amongst the Greeks, thou haranguest that forsooth the
Far-darter works griefs to them upon this account, because I was
unwilling to accept the splendid ransom of the virgin daughter of
Chryses, since I much prefer to have her at home; and my reason is, I
prefer her even to Clytemnestra, my lawful wife; for she is not inferior
to her, either in person, or in figure, or in mind, or by any means in
accomplishments. But even thus I am willing to restore her, if it be
better; for I wish the people to be safe rather than to perish. But do
thou immediately prepare a prize for me, that I may not alone, of the
Argives, be without a prize; since it is not fitting. For ye all see
this, that my prize is going elsewhere."

[Footnote 19: "In the assembly of the people, as in the courts of
justice, the nobles alone speak, advise, and decide, whilst the
people merely listen to their ordinances and decisions, in order
to regulate their own conduct accordingly; being suffered,
indeed, to follow the natural impulse of evincing, to a certain
extent, the