nd the people
kept perishing][4]; because the son of Atreus had dishonoured the
priest Chryses: for he came to the swift ships of the Greeks to ransom
his daughter, and bringing invaluable ransoms, having in his hands the
fillets of far-darting Apollo on his golden sceptre. And he supplicated
all the Greeks, but chiefly the two sons of Atreus, the leaders of the
people:

"Ye sons of Atreus, and ye other well-greaved Greeks, to you indeed may
the gods, possessing the heavenly dwellings, grant to destroy the city
of Priam, and to return home safely: but for me, liberate my beloved
daughter, and accept the ransoms, reverencing the son of Jove,
far-darting Apollo."

[Footnote 3: Rut see Anthon.]

[Footnote 4: Observe the full force of the imperfect tense.]

Upon this, all the other Greeks shouted assent, that the priest should
be reverenced, and the splendid ransoms accepted; yet was it not
pleasing in his mind to Agamemnon, son of Atreus; but he dismissed him
evilly, and added a harsh mandate:

"Let me not find thee, old man, at the hollow barks, either now
loitering, or hereafter returning, lest the staff and fillet of the god
avail thee not.[5] For her I will not set free; sooner shall old age
come upon her, at home in Argos, far away from her native land, employed
in offices of the loom, and preparing[6] my bed. But away! irritate me
not, that thou mayest return the safer."

[Footnote 5: Of [Greek: chraismein], Buttmann, Lexil. p. 546,
observes that "it is never found in a positive sense, but
remained in ancient usage in negative sentences only; as, '_it is
of no use to thee_,' or, '_it helps thee not_,' and similar
expressions."]

[Footnote 6: The old mistake of construing [Greek: antioosan]
"sharing," which still clings to the translations, is exploded by
Buttm. Lex. p. 144. Eust. and Heysch. both give [Greek:
eutrepizonsan] as one of the interpretations; and that such is
the right one is evident from the collateral phrase [Greek:
porsynein lechos] in Od. iii. 403. [Greek: Lyphizezkas] is the
perfect tense, but with the force of the present.]

Thus he spoke; but the old man was afraid, and obeyed the command. And
he went in silence along the shore of the loud-resounding sea; but then,
going apart, the aged man prayed much to king Apollo, whom fair-haired
Latona bore:

"Hear me, god of the silver bow, who art wont to protect Chrysa and
divine Cilla, and who mightil