they gathered. And the place of assemblage was in an uproar, and the
earth echoed again as the hosts sate them down, and there was turmoil.
Nine heralds restrained them with shouting, if perchance they might
refrain from clamour, and hearken to their kings, the fosterlings of
Zeus. And hardly at the last would the people sit, and keep them to
their benches and cease from noise. Then stood up lord Agamemnon bearing
his sceptre, that Hephaistos had wrought curiously. Hephaistos gave it
to king Zeus son of Kronos, and then Zeus gave it to the messenger-god
the slayer of Argus [Or, possibly, "the swift-appearing"]; and king
Hermes gave it to Pelops the charioteer, and Pelops again gave it to
Atreus shepherd of the host. And Atreus dying left it to Thyestes rich
in flocks, and Thyestes in his turn left it to Agamemnon to bear, that
over many islands and all Argos he should be lord. Thereon he leaned and
spake his saying to the Argives:

"My friends, Danaan warriors, men of Ares' company, Zeus Kronos' son
hath bound me with might in grievous blindness of soul; hard of heart is
he, for that erewhile he promised me and pledged his nod that not till I
had wasted well-walled Ilios should I return; but now see I that he
planned a cruel wile and biddeth me return to Argos dishonoured, with
the loss of many of my folk. So meseems it pleaseth most mighty Zeus,
who hath laid low the head of many a city, yea, and shall lay low; for
his is highest power. Shame is this even for them that come after to
hear; how so goodly and great a folk of the Achaians thus vainly warred
a bootless war, and fought scantier enemies, and no end thereof is yet
seen. For if perchance we were minded, both Achaians and Trojans, to
swear a solemn truce, and to number ourselves, and if the Trojans should
gather together all that have their dwellings in the city, and we
Achaians should marshal ourselves by tens, and every company choose a
Trojan to pour their wine, then would many tens lack a cup-bearer: so