m who was
the guardian of the city and ourselves, him have you lately slain;
therefore I am now come to the ships of the Achaeans to ransom his body
from you with a great ransom. Fear, O Achilles, the wrath of heaven;
think on your own father and have compassion upon me, who am the more
pitiable, for I have steeled myself as no man yet has ever steeled
himself before me, and have raised to my lips the hand of him who slew
my son."

Thus spoke Priam, and the heart of Achilles yearned as he bethought him
of his father. He took the old man's hand and moved him gently away.
The two wept bitterly--Priam, as he lay at Achilles' feet, weeping for
Hector, and Achilles now for his father and now for Patroclus, till the
house was filled with their lamentation. But when Achilles was now
sated with grief and had unburthened the bitterness of his sorrow, he
left his seat and raised the old man by the hand, in pity for his white
hair and beard; then he said, "Unhappy man, you have indeed been
greatly daring; how could you venture to come alone to the ships of the
Achaeans, and enter the presence of him who has slain so many of your
brave sons? You must have iron courage: sit now upon this seat, and for
all our grief we will hide our sorrows in our hearts, for weeping will
not avail us. The immortals know no care, yet the lot they spin for man
is full of sorrow; on the floor of Jove's palace there stand two urns,
the one filled with evil gifts, and the other with good ones. He for
whom Jove the lord of thunder mixes the gifts he sends, will meet now
with good and now with evil fortune; but he to whom Jove sends none but
evil gifts will be pointed at by the finger of scorn, the hand of
famine will pursue him to the ends of the world, and he will go up and
down the face of the earth, respected neither by gods nor men. Even so
did it befall Peleus; the gods endowed him with all good things from
his birth upwards, for he reigned over the Myrmidons excelling all men
in prosperity and wealth, and mortal though he was they gave him a
goddess for his bride. But even on him too did heaven send misfortune,
for there is no race of royal children born to him in his house, save
one son who is doomed to die all untimely; nor may I take care of him
now that he is growing old, for I must stay here at Troy to be the bane
of you and your children. And you too, O Priam, I have heard that you
were aforetime happy. They say that in wealth and plenitude of