Chapter 12
Ægisthus planned a snare. He chose among the people twenty men, The bravest, whom he stationed out of sight, And gave command that others should prepare A banquet. Then with chariots and with steeds, And with a deadly purpose in his heart, He went, and, meeting Agamemnon, bade The shepherd of the people to the feast, And slew him at the board.
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book IV.
The Trojan princess, Cassandra, who accompanied Agamemnon to Mycenæ, had warned him of his doom, but as usual her words were disregarded, and she herself was slain at the same time as the ill-fated king. Agamemnon had a son named O-resʹtes, who was then but a boy, and Ægisthus intended to kill him also, but the youth's sister, E-lecʹtra, contrived to have him sent secretly to the court of his uncle, Stroʹphi-us, king of Phoʹcis. Here he was affectionately received and tenderly cared for. His constant companion was his cousin, Pylʹa-des, the son of Strophius, and so strong was their friendship for each other that it became famous in song and story.
When Orestes reached the years of manhood, he resolved to punish the murderers of his father. With this object he went to Mycenæ, taking with him his friend and companion, Pylades; and having obtained admission to the royal palace, he slew Ægisthus.
Seven years in rich Mycenæ he bore rule, And on the eighth, to his destruction, came The nobly-born Orestes, just returned From Athens, and cut off that man of blood, The crafty wretch Ægisthus, by whose hand Fell his illustrious father.
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book III.
As Clytemnestra had taken part in the murder of Agamemnon, Orestes slew her also. This killing of his own mother provoked the anger of the gods, and Orestes was commanded to go to the oracle of Apollo, at Delphi, to learn there what punishment he should suffer for his crime. He obeyed, and the oracle told him that he must bring to Greece a statue of Diana which was then in the temple of that goddess in Taurica.
This was a dangerous enterprise, for the king of Taurica had a practice of sacrificing in that very temple any foreigners found in his country. Nevertheless Orestes undertook the task. He went to Taurica, accompanied, as usual, by his ever faithful friend Pylades. No sooner had they arrived than they were seized and carried before the king, and condemned to be sacrificed. But Orestes discovered, to his surprise and delight, that the priestess of the temple was his own sister, Iphigenia, who, as will be remembered, had been carried away many years before by Diana herself, when about to be sacrificed by the Greeks at Aulis. By the help of Iphigenia, the two friends not only escaped from Taurica, but carried off the statue, and Iphigenia returned with them to Greece. Orestes succeeded to the throne of his father, and as king of Mycenæ he lived and reigned many years in prosperity and happiness.
Menelaus returned to his kingdom of Sparta with his wife, Helen, but he had many wanderings and adventures. He was detained by unfavorable winds for some time on an island near the coast of Egypt, and he might never have reached home but for the advice he received from Proʹteus, one of the sea gods. It was no easy matter to get advice from Proteus. It was very difficult to find him, and still more difficult to get him to answer questions, for he had a habit of changing himself rapidly into many different forms, and so escaping from those who came to consult him. But Menelaus had the good fortune of meeting a water nymph named I-doʹthe-a, a daughter of Proteus, and she directed him what to do. There was a certain cave near the seaside, to which the Old Man of the Sea, as Proteus was sometimes called, came every day at noon to sleep. Idothea told Menelaus he would find the old man there, and that he must seize him quickly in his arms, and hold him fast in spite of all his changes, until he took the shape in which he had first appeared. Then he would answer any question put to him.
"As soon As ye behold him stretched at length, exert Your utmost strength to hold him there, although He strive and struggle to escape your hands; For he will try all stratagems, and take The form of every reptile on the earth, And turn to water and to raging flame,-- Yet hold him firmly still, and all the more Make fast the bands. When he again shall take The form in which thou sawest him asleep, Desist from force, and loose the bands that held The ancient prophet. Ask of him what god Afflicts thee thus, and by what means to cross The fishy deep and find thy home again."
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book IV.
Menelaus followed these directions, taking with him three of his bravest warriors, as Idothea also advised. They found Proteus, and rushing upon him, they seized and held him firmly in their grip, though he tried hard to escape.
First he took the shape Of a maned lion, of a serpent next, Then of a panther, then of a huge boar, Then turned to flowing water, then became A tall tree full of leaves. With resolute hearts We held him fast, until the aged seer Was weaned out, in spite of all his wiles.
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book IV,
The Old Man of the Sea then told Menelaus that he must go to Egypt, to the river there, and offer sacrifices to the gods, and that they would send him forth upon his voyage home, which would be speedy and safe. The Greek chief did as Proteus directed, and the prophecy was fulfilled. He soon reached his Spartan home, where, with his famous queen, Helen, he spent the remainder of his life in happiness.
Idomeneus, the warrior king of Crete, reached his island kingdom in safety.
Idomeneus brought also back to Crete All his companions who survived the war; The sea took none of them.
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book III.
But a sad event occurred on his arrival in the island. During his voyage home there was a terrible storm, and Idomeneus much feared that his fleet might be destroyed. He then made a vow that if his ships escaped, he would sacrifice to Neptune the first living creature he met on landing. Unfortunately this happened to be his own son, who came down to the shore to receive and welcome his father. Idomeneus, though overwhelmed with grief, nevertheless fulfilled his promise to the god, but the Creʹtans were so incensed at the inhuman act that they banished him from the island.
A flying rumor had been spread That fierce Idomeneus from Crete was fled, Expelled and exiled.
VERGIL.
Thus driven from his own country Idomeneus sailed westward until he came to the southern coast of Italy, where he founded the city and colony of Sal-lenʹtia, and lived to an extreme old age.
The fate of Ajax Oileus, king of Locris, was almost as terrible as that of Agamemnon. On the night of the destruction of Troy he had cruelly ill-treated the princess Cassandra, whom he dragged from the altar of the temple of Minerva, to which she had fled for refuge. Even the Greeks themselves were shocked at the crime, and they threatened to punish him for it. He was, however, allowed to set sail for Greece. But Minerva borrowed from Jupiter his flaming thunderbolts, and, obtaining permission from Neptune, she raised a furious tempest, which destroyed the Locrian king's ship. He himself swam to a rock, and as he sat there he defiantly cried out that he was safe in spite of all the gods. This insult to the immortals brought upon him the wrath of Neptune, who, smiting the rock with his awful trident, hurled the impious Ajax into the depths of the sea.
He had said That he, in spite of all the gods, would come Safe from those mountain waves. When Neptune heard The boaster's challenge, instantly he laid His strong hand on the trident, smote the rock And cleft it to the base. Part stood erect, Part fell into the deep. There Ajax sat, And felt the shock, and with the falling mass Was carried headlong to the billowy depths Below, and drank the brine and perished there.
BRYANT, _Odyssey_, Book IV.
The venerable Nestor reached his home without misfortune or accident He ended his days in peace in his kingdom of Pylos, though he had to mourn the loss of his brave son Antilochus, whom Memnon had slain.
Diomede also reached his kingdom of Ætolia, but he found that in his absence his home had been seized by a stranger. This was a punishment sent upon him by Venus, whom, as we have seen, he had wounded in the hand at the siege of Troy.
"Mad as I was, when I, with mortal arms, Presumed against immortal powers to move, And violate with wounds the queen of love."
VERGIL.
Quitting his kingdom and country, the warrior wandered to other lands. He finally settled in the south of Italy, where he built a city, which he called Ar-gyrʹi-pa, and married the daughter of Dauʹnus, the king of the country.
Great Diomede has compassed round with walls The city, which Argyripa he calls, From his own Argos named.
VERGIL.
Neoptolemus, or Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles, returned to Phthia, where his grandfather, Peleus, still lived and reigned. He took with him Andromache and Helenus, the only one of Priam's sons who lived after the destruction of Troy. Pyrrhus, died a few years after his return, and Andromache became the wife of Helenus. The Trojan prince soon gained the friendship of Peleus, who gave him a kingdom in E-piʹrus to rule over, and here he and Andromache spent the remainder of their lives together.
But no one of all the warrior chiefs of Greece who fought at Troy met with so many dangers in returning to his native land as the famous Ulysses. Ten year elapsed after the end of the great war before he reached his Ithacan home. There he was welcomed by his devoted wife, Penelope, and his affectionate son, Telemachus, who had passed all those years in loving remembrance of him and anxious hope of his coming. His wonderful adventures during his many wanderings are described in Homer's Odyssey. An account of them would fill another book like this Story of Troy.
PERSONS AND PLACES MENTIONED.
Acʹ a mas A c̵haʹians (yans) A c̵hil'lēs̝ Æ ġēʹan Æ ġisʹthus Æ nēʹas Æ nēʹid Æsʹ a cus Æs c̵ū lāʹ pi us Ætʹna Æ toʹ li a Ag a memʹ non A ġēʹnor Aʹjax Amʹa zons An dromʹac̵he An tēʹ nor An tilʹo c̵hus Anʹti phus Aph ro dīʹ te A polʹ lo Ar c̵he laʹ us Ar c̵hilʹo c̵hus Arʹġīves Arʹgos Ar ġyrʹ i pa As tyʹa nax Aʹtreus (trūs) A trīʹ dēs Atʹ ro pos Auʹ lis Au roʹra Au tomʹ e don Bac̵ʹc̵hus Baʹ li us Boʹ re as Briʹa reus (rūs) Bri seʹ is C̵alʹc̵has C̵al līʹo pe C̵aʹri a C̵as sanʹdra C̵as tāʹ li a Ce lūʹo nēs̝ C̵hīʹ ron C̵hry seʹ is C̵hryʹsēs̝ C̵loʹ tho C̵lyt em nesʹ tra C̵oʹon C̵ranʹa ë C̵resʹsi da C̵reʹtans Cyʹclǒps Dar da nellesʹ Dar dāʹ ni a Darʹ da nus Dauʹ nus De iphʹ o bus Dělʹ phī Dī ănʹ a Dīʹ o mede Dīʹ o ne Dis corʹ di a Doʹ lon E ëʹ ti on Eʹġypt E lěcʹ tra E pēʹ us Eph i ălʹ tēs̝ E pīʹ rus Eʹ ris E thi oʹ pi a Eū phorʹ bus Eū ry̆lʹ a tēs̝ Eū ry̆nʹ o me Ganʹ y mede Glauʹ c̵us Hāʹ dēs̝ Hecʹ tor Hecʹ ū ba Helʹ e nus Helʹ las Hẽrʹ c̵ū lēs̝ Hẽrʹ mēs He sīʹ o ne Hōʹ mer I dæʹ us I dŏmʹ e neus (nūs) I dōʹ the a Ilʹ i on Ilʹ i um Iʹ lus I phidʹ a mas Iph i ġe nīʹ a Iʹ ris Iʹ sus Ithʹ a c̵a I ūʹ lus Juʹ no Juʹ pi ter Lac̵hʹ e sis La ẽrʹ tēs̝ La oc̵ʹ o ön La od a miʹ a La odʹ i çe La odʹ o cus La omʹ e don La toʹ na Lēʹ da Lemʹ nos Lẽrʹ na Lesʹ bos Lōʹ cris Lycʹ i a Lyc̵ o meʹ dēs̝ Lyr nesʹ sus Ma c̵haʹ on Mēʹ lēs̝ Mel e siġʹ e nēs̝ Memʹ non Men e lāʹ us Mẽrʹ c̵ū ry Me rīʹ o nēs̝ Mĭ nẽrʹ va My çēʹ næ Myrʹ mi dons Mysʹ i a Ne op tolʹ e mus Nepʹ tūne Ne reʹ i dēs̝ Neʹ re us Nesʹ tor O dy̆sʹ seus (sūs) Œ nōʹ ne O iʹ leus (lūs) O lymʹ pus O resʹ tēs̝ Oʹ tus Pæʹ on Pal a mēʹ dēs̝ Pal lāʹ di um Pal' las Panʹ da rus Par năsʹ sus Parʹ is Parʹ the non Pa trōʹ c̵lus Pědʹ a sus Pē leus (lūs) Pēʹ li on Pel o pon nēʹ sus Pēʹ lops Pe nelʹ o pe Pen the si lēʹ a Pẽrʹ ga mus Pherʹ e c̵lus Phil oc̵ tēʹ tēs̝ Phōʹ çis Phœʹ bus Phœʹ nix Phry̆ġʹ i a Phthiʹ a Phylʹ a c̵e Pluʹ to Po darʹ c̵ēs̝ Po ly̆dʹ a mas Pol y dōʹ rus Prīʹ am Pro tes i lāʹ us Prōʹ teus (tūs) Pylʹ a dēs̝ Pȳʹ los Py̆rʹ rhus Py̆thʹ i a Rhēʹ sus Sălʹ a mis Sal lenʹ tia Sămʹ o thrac̵e Sar pēʹ don Sc̵a mănʹ der Sc̵a mănʹ dri us Sçȳʹ ros Siçʹ i ly Simʹ o is Sīʹ non Sminʹ theus (thūs) Smyrʹ na Sōʹc̵us Somʹ nus Sparʹ ta Stenʹ tor Sthĕnʹ e lus Strōʹ phi us Tal thy̆bʹ i us Tarʹ ta rus Tauʹ ri c̵a Tĕlʹ a mon Te lĕmʹ ac̵hus Tĕlʹ e phus Tĕnʹ e dŏs Teuʹ c̵er Teuʹ c̵ri a Teu thrāʹ ni a Thēʹ be Thẽr sīʹ tēs̝ Thĕsʹ sa ly̆ Thēʹ tis Ti thōʹ nus Trōʹ as Trōʹ ilus Tȳʹ deus (dūs) Ty dī̄ʹ dēs̝ Ty̆nʹ da rus U ly̆sʹ sēs̝ Vēʹ nus Vērʹ ġil Vŭlʹ c̵an Xănʹ thus Zĕphʹ y rus