Note (return) — BOOK THE TWENTY-FOURTH.

“Alas! wretched one, thou hast certainly suffered many evils in thy mind. How hast thou dared to come alone to the ships of the Greeks, into the sight of the man who slew thy many and brave sons? Assuredly thy heart is iron. But come now, sit upon a seat; and let us permit sorrows to sink to rest within thy mind, although grieved; for there is not any use in chill grief. For so have the gods destined to unhappy mortals, that they should live wretched; but they themselves are free from care. 795 Two casks of gifts, 796which he bestows, lie at the threshold of Jupiter, [the one] of evils, and the other of good. To whom thunder-rejoicing Jove, mingling, may give them, sometimes he falls into evil, but sometimes into good; but to whomsoever he gives of the evil, he makes him exposed to injury; and hungry calamity pursues him over the bounteous earth; and he wanders about, honoured neither by gods nor men. So indeed have the gods given illustrious gifts to Peleus from his birth; for he was conspicuous among men, both for riches and wealth, and he ruled over the Myrmidons, and to him, being a mortal, they gave a goddess for a wife. 797 But upon him also has a deity inflicted evil, for there was not to him in his palaces an offspring of kingly sons; but he begat one short-lived son; nor indeed do I cherish him, being old, for I remain in Troy, far away from my country, causing sorrow to thee and to thy sons. Thee too, old man, we learn to have been formerly wealthy: as much as Lesbos, above the seat of Macar, cuts off on the north, and Phrygia beneath, and the boundless Hellespont: among these, O old man, they say that thou wast conspicuous for thy wealth and thy sons. But since the heavenly inhabitants have brought this bane upon thee, wars and the slaying of men are constantly around thy city. Arise, nor grieve incessantly in thy mind; for thou wilt not profit aught, afflicting thyself for thy son, nor wilt thou resuscitate him before thou hast suffered another misfortune.”