ans and Jupiter himself? I confess it, he did bear
them; nor is it any part of mine with malice to detract from the good
deeds {of others;} but let him not alone lay claim to what belongs to
all, and let him give to yourselves, as well, some of the honour. The
descendant of Actor, safe under the appearance of Achilles, repelled the
Trojans, with their defender, from the ships on the point of being
burnt. He, too, unmindful of the king, and of the chiefs, and of myself,
fancies that he alone dared to engage[39] with Hector in combat, being
the ninth in that duty, and preferred by favour of the lot. But yet,
most brave {chief}, what was the issue of thy combat? Hector came off,
injured by no wound. Ah, wretched me! with how much grief am I compelled
to recollect that time at which Achilles, the bulwark of the Greeks, was
slain: nor tears, nor grief, nor fear, hindered me from carrying his
body aloft from the ground; on these shoulders, I say, on these
shoulders I bore the body of Achilles, and his arms together {with him},
which now, too, I am endeavouring to bear off. I have strength to
suffice for such a weight, {and}, assuredly, I have a soul that will be
sensible of your honours.

"Was then, forsooth! his azure mother {so} anxious in her son's behalf
that the heavenly gifts, a work of so great ingenuity, a rough soldier,
and one without any genius, should put on? For he will not understand
the engravings on the shield; the ocean, and the earth, and the stars
with the lofty heavens and the Pleiades, and the Hyades, and the Bear
that avoids the sea, and the different cities, and the blazing sword of
Orion; arms he insists on receiving, which he does not understand. What!
and does he charge that I, avoiding the duties of this laborious war,
came but late to the toil begun? and does he not perceive that {in this}
he is defaming the brave Achilles? If he calls dissembling a crime, we
have both of us dissembled. If delay {stands} for a fault, I was earlier
than he. A fond wife detained me, a fond mother Achilles. The first part
of our time was given to them, the rest to yourselves. I am not alarmed,
if now I am unable to defend myself against this accusation, in common
with so great a man. Yet he was found out by the dexterity of Ulysses,
but not Ulysses {by that} of Ajax.

"And that we may not be surprised at his pouring out on me the
reproaches of his silly tongue, against you, too, does he make
objections worthy of sham