ods, and reconciles them to
himself by his piteous cries and by frankincense, with drink-offerings
and the savour of burnt sacrifice. For prayers are as daughters to
great Jove; halt, wrinkled, with eyes askance, they follow in the
footsteps of sin, who, being fierce and fleet of foot, leaves them far
behind him, and ever baneful to mankind outstrips them even to the ends
of the world; but nevertheless the prayers come hobbling and healing
after. If a man has pity upon these daughters of Jove when they draw
near him, they will bless him and hear him too when he is praying; but
if he deny them and will not listen to them, they go to Jove the son of
Saturn and pray that he may presently fall into sin--to his ruing
bitterly hereafter. Therefore, Achilles, give these daughters of Jove
due reverence, and bow before them as all good men will bow. Were not
the son of Atreus offering you gifts and promising others later--if he
were still furious and implacable--I am not he that would bid you throw
off your anger and help the Achaeans, no matter how great their need;
but he is giving much now, and more hereafter; he has sent his captains
to urge his suit, and has chosen those who of all the Argives are most
acceptable to you; make not then their words and their coming to be of
none effect. Your anger has been righteous so far. We have heard in
song how heroes of old time quarrelled when they were roused to fury,
but still they could be won by gifts, and fair words could soothe them.

"I have an old story in my mind--a very old one--but you are all
friends and I will tell it. The Curetes and the Aetolians were fighting
and killing one another round Calydon--the Aetolians defending the city
and the Curetes trying to destroy it. For Diana of the golden throne
was angry and did them hurt because Oeneus had not offered her his
harvest first-fruits. The other gods had all been feasted with
hecatombs, but to the daughter of great Jove alone he had made no
sacrifice. He had forgotten her, or somehow or other it had escaped
him, and this was a grievous sin. Thereon the archer goddess in her
displeasure sent a prodigious creature against him--a savage wild boar
with great white tusks that did much harm to his orchard lands,
uprooting apple-trees in full bloom and throwing them to the ground.
But Meleager son of Oeneus got huntsmen and hounds from many cities and
killed it--for it was so monstrous that not a few were needed, and many
a man