Inherit first these trophies of the field; To Scyros, or to Phthia, send the shield: And Teucer has an uncle’s right; yet he Waves his pretensions, nor contends with me. Then since the cause on pure desert is placed, Whence shall I take my rise, what reckon last? I not presume on every act to dwell, But take these few, in order as they fell. Thetis, who knew the fates, applied her care To keep Achilles in disguise from war; And till the threatening influence was past, A woman’s habit on the hero cast: All eyes were cozen’d by the borrow’d vest, And Ajax (never wiser than the rest) Found no Pelides there: at length I came With proffer’d wares to this pretended dame; She, not discover’d by her mien or voice, Betray’d her manhood by her manly choice; And while on female toys her fellows look, Grasp’d in her warlike hand, a javelin shook: Whom, by this act reveal’d, I thus bespoke: ‘Oh goddess born! resist not Heaven’s decree, The fall of Ilium is reserved for thee.’ Then seized him, and produced in open light,

Sent blushing to the field the fatal knight. Mine then are all his actions of the war; Great Telephus was conquer’d by my spear, And after cured: to me the Theban’s owe, Lesbos, and Tenedos, their overthrow; Scyros and Cylla: not on all to dwell, By me Lyrnessus and strong Chrysa fell: And since I sent the man who Hector slew, To me the noble Hector’s death is due: Those arms I put into his living hand, Those arms, Pelides dead, I now demand.

“When Greece was injured in the Spartan prince, And met at Aulis to avenge the offence, ’Twas a dead calm, or adverse blasts, that reign’d, And in the port the wind-bound fleet detain’d: Bad signs were seen, and oracles severe Were daily thunder’d in our general’s ear; That by his daughter’s blood we must appease Diana’s kindled wrath, and free the seas. Affection, interest, fame, his heart assail’d; But soon the father o’er the king prevail’d: Bold, on himself he took the pious crime, As angry with the gods as they with him. No subject could sustain their sovereign’s look, Till this hard enterprise I undertook: I only durst the imperial power control, And undermined the parent in his soul: Forced him to exert the king for common good, And pay our ransom with his daughter’s blood. Never was cause more difficult to plead, Than where the judge against himself decreed: Yet this I won by dint of argument; The wrongs his injured brother underwent, And his own office, shamed him to consent.

“ ’Twas harder yet to move the mother’s mind, And to this heavy task was I design’d: Reasons against her love I knew were vain; I circumvented whom I could not gain: Had Ajax been employ’d, our slacken’d sails Had still at Aulis waited happy gales.

“Arrived at Troy, your choice was fix’d on me A fearless envoy, fit for a bold embassy: Secure, I enter’d through the hostile court, Glittering with steel, and crowded with resort: There, in the midst of arms, I plead our cause, Urge the foul rape, and violated laws; Accuse the foes, as authors of the strife, Reproach the ravisher, demand the wife. Priam, Antenor, and the wiser few, I moved; but Paris and his lawless crew Scarce held their hands and lifted swords; but stood In act to quench their impious thirst of blood: This Menelaus knows; exposed to share With me the rough preludium of war.