Achilles' hands, he said:

[Illustration]

'"In thy father's house did I not rear thee to greatness--even thee,
most noble Achilles. With me and with none other wouldst thou go into
the feasthall, and, as a child, thou would'st stay at my knee and eat
the morsel I gave, and drink from the cup that I put to thy lips. I
reared thee, and I suffered and toiled much that thou mightst have
strength and skill and quickness. Be thou merciful in thy heart,
Achilles. Be not wrathful any more. Cast aside thine anger now and save
the host. Come now. The gifts Agamemnon would give thee are very great,
and no king nor prince could despise them. But if without gifts thou
would'st enter the battle, then above all heroes the host would honour
thee."'

'Achilles answered Phoinix gently and said, "The honour the host would
bestow upon me I have no need of, for I am honoured in the judgment of
Zeus, the greatest of the gods, and while breath remains with me that
honour cannot pass away. But do thou, Phoinix, stay with me, and many
things I shall bestow upon thee, even the half of my kingdom. Ah, but
urge me not to help Agamemnon, for if thou dost I shall look upon thee
as a friend to Agamemnon, and I shall hate thee, my foster-father, as I
hate him."'

Then to Odysseus, Achilles spoke and said, "Son of Laertes, wisest of
men, harken now to what I shall say to thee. Here I should have stayed
and won that imperishable renown that my goddess-mother told me of, even
at the cost of my young life if Agamemnon had not aroused the wrath that
now possesses me. Know that my soul is implacable towards him. How often