his brother,
whereon his squires gladly stripped the armour from off his shoulders.
Then Nestor rose and spoke, "Of a truth," said he, "the Achaean land is
fallen upon evil times. The old knight Peleus, counsellor and orator
among the Myrmidons, loved when I was in his house to question me
concerning the race and lineage of all the Argives. How would it not
grieve him could he hear of them as now quailing before Hector? Many a
time would he lift his hands in prayer that his soul might leave his
body and go down within the house of Hades. Would, by father Jove,
Minerva, and Apollo, that I were still young and strong as when the
Pylians and Arcadians were gathered in fight by the rapid river Celadon
under the walls of Pheia, and round about the waters of the river
Iardanus. The godlike hero Ereuthalion stood forward as their champion,
with the armour of King Areithous upon his shoulders--Areithous whom
men and women had surnamed 'the Mace-man,' because he fought neither
with bow nor spear, but broke the battalions of the foe with his iron
mace. Lycurgus killed him, not in fair fight, but by entrapping him in
a narrow way where his mace served him in no stead; for Lycurgus was
too quick for him and speared him through the middle, so he fell to
earth on his back. Lycurgus then spoiled him of the armour which Mars
had given him, and bore it in battle thenceforward; but when he grew
old and stayed at home, he gave it to his faithful squire Ereuthalion,
who in this same armour challenged the foremost men among us. The
others quaked and quailed, but my high spirit bade me fight him though
none other would venture; I was the youngest man of them all; but when
I fought him Minerva vouchsafed me victory. He was the biggest and
strongest man that ever I killed, and covered much ground as he lay
sprawling upon the earth. Would that I were still young and strong as I
then was, for the son of Priam would then soon find one who would face
him. But you, foremost among the whole host though you be, have none of
you any stomach for fighting Hector."

Thus did the old man rebuke them, and forthwith nine men started to
their feet. Foremost of all uprose King Agamemnon, and after him brave
Diomed the son of Tydeus. Next were the two Ajaxes, men clothed in
valour as with a garment, and then Idomeneus, and Meriones his brother
in arms. After these Eurypylus son of Euaemon, Thoas the son of
Andraemon, and Ulysses also rose. Then Nestor knight o