The history of the world

§. IIII. Of the Actes of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 at the siege.

THese, and many other of lesse note, arriuing at Troy, sound such sharpe entertainment, as might easily perswade them to think that the warre would bee more than one yeeres worke. For in the first encounter, they lost Protesilaus, whom Hector slew, and many other, without a∣ny great harme done to the Troians: saue onely that by their numbers [unspec 30] of men, they wonne ground enough to incampe themselues in, as appeareth in Thucydides. The principall impediment which the Greekes found, was want of vic∣tuals, which grew vpon them by reason of their multitude, and the smallnesse of their vessels, wherein they could not carry necessaries for such an armie. Heereupon they were compelled to send some part of their men, to labour the ground in 〈◊〉〈◊〉: others to robbe vpon the Sea for the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Campe. Thus was the warre protracted nine whole yeeres, and either nothing done, or if any skirmishes were, yet could the towne receiue little losse by them, hauing equall numbers to maintaine the field against such Greekes as continued the siege, and a more safe retrait if the enemie got the better. [unspec 40]

Wherefore Ouid saith, that from the first yeere, till the tenth, there was no figh∣ting at all: and Heraclides commends as very credible, the report of Herodicus; That the Greekes did not lye before Troy the first nine yeeres: but onely did beate vp and downe the seas, exercising their men, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 themselues, and so by wasting the enemies Country, did blocke vp the towne, vnto which they returned not, vntill the fatall time drew neere when it should be subuerted.

This is confirmed by the enquirie which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 made, when the Greeke Princes came into the field, the tenth yeere, for he knew none of them; and therefore sitting vpon an high tower (as Homer tels) he learned their names of Helen: which though* 1.1 it is like to be a fiction, yet could it not at all haue beene supposed that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 should [unspec 50] bee ignorant of them, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they had shewed themselues before the towne so many yeeres together. Betweene these relations of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and Herodicus, the diffe∣rence is not much, the one saying that a few of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 remained in the Campe before Troy, whilest the rest made purueyance by land and sea: the other, that the

whole armie did spend the time in wasting the sea-coastes. Neither doe the Poets greatly disagree from these authours: for they make report of many townes and Ilands wasted, and the people carried into Captiuitie; in which actions 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was imployed, whom the armie could not well, nor would bane spared, if any seruice of importance had beene to be performed before the Citie. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it was, this is agreed by generall consent, that in the beginning of that Summer, in which Troy was taken, great booties were brought into the Campe, and a great 〈◊〉〈◊〉 arose among the Greekes: which Homer saith that Apollo sent in reuenge of his Priests daughter, whom Agamemnon had refused to let goe, for any ransome: but 〈◊〉〈◊〉 interpreting the place, saith that by Apollo was meant the Sunne: who raised [unspec 10] pestilent fogges, by which the armie was infected, being lodged in a moorish piece of ground. And it might well bee that the campe was ouer-pestered with those, who had beene abroad, and now were lodged all close together: hauing also grounded their ships within the fortifications.

About the same time arose much contention betweene Agamemnon and Achil∣les about the bootie, whereof Agamemnon, as Generall, hauing first chosen for his part a captiue woman, and Achilles in the second place chosen for himselfe another, then 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Vlysses, and so the rest of the Chieftaines in order: When the Soothsayer Calchas had willed that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 woman should be restored to her father, Apollo's Priest, that so the Pestilence might cease, then did Agamemnon greatly rage and say, [unspec 20] that hee alone would not lose his part of the spoile, but would either take that which had beene giuen to Achilles, or that which had fallen to 〈◊〉〈◊〉, or to Vlysses. Hereupon Achilles defied him, but was faine to suffer all patiently, as not able to hold his Concubine by strong hand, nor to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 her losse, otherwise than by re∣fusing to fight, or to send forth his Companies. But the Greekes incouraged by their Captaines, presented themselues before the Citie without him and his troupes.

The Troians were now relieued with great succours, all the neighbour Coun∣tries háuing sent them ayd: partly drawne to that warre by their Commaunders, who 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Priamus for money, wherewith hee abounded when the warre began [unspec 30] (as appeares by his words in Homer) or for loue of himselfe and his sonnes, or hope of marriage with some of his many and faire daughters; partly also (as we may well guesse) incited by the wrongs receiued of the Greekes, when they wasted the Coun∣tryes adioyning vnto Troy. So that when Hector islued out of the towne, hee was little inferiour to his enemies in numbers of men, or qualitie of their Leaders. The principall Captaines in the Troian armie, were Hector, Paris, Deiphobus, Helenus and the other sonnes of Priamus: Aeneas, Antenor, and his sonnes, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Sarpedon, Glaucus, Asius, and the sonnes of Panthus, besides Rhosus, who was slaine the first night of his arriuall, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Queene Penthesilea, and others who came towards [unspec 40] the end of the warre. Betweene these and the Greekes were many battels fought: the greatest of which were, that at the tombe of King Ilus vpon the plaine; and another at the very trenches of the Campe, wherein Hector brake through the sor∣tifications of the Greekes, and began to fire their ships; at which time Aiax, the sonne of Telamon with his brother Teucer, were in a manner the onely men of note that remaining vnwounded, made head against Hector, when the state of the Greekes was almost desperate.

Another battell (for so antiquitic calls it) or rather the same renewed, was fought by Patroclus, who hauing obtained leaue, drew forth Achilles troopes, relieuing the wearie Greekes with a fresh supply. Agamemnon, Diomedes, Vlysses, and the rest of the Princes, though sore wounded, yet were driuen to put on armour, and with help [unspec 50] of Patroclus, repelled the Troians very hardly. For in that fight Patroclus was lost, and his body, with much contention recouered by his friends, was brought backe into the Campe: the armour of Acbilles which he had put on, being torne from him by Hector. It was the manner of those warres, hauing slaine a man, to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 him

and hale away his bodie, not restoring it without ransome, if he were one of marke. Of the vulgar little reckoning was made: for they fought all on foote, slightly ar∣med, and commonly followed the successe of their Captaines; who rode not vpon horses, but in Chariots, drawne by two or three horses, which were guided by some trustie followers of theirs, which draue vp and downe the field, as they were directed by the Captaines, who by the swiftnesse of their horses presenting them∣selues where neede required, threw first their Iauelins, and then alighting fought on foote, with swords and battel-axes, retiring into the rankes of the footmen, or else returning to their Chariots when they found cause, and so began againe with a new dart as they could get it, if their old were lost, or broken. Their armes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 [unspec 10] were helmets, brest-plates, bootes of brasse or other metall, and shields commonly of leather, plated ouer. The offensiue were swords and battel-axes at hand; and stones, arrowes or darts when they fought at any distance. The vse of their Chariots (be∣sides the swiftnesse) was to keepe them from wearinesse, whereto the leaders were much subiect, because of their armour, which the strongest and stoutest ware hea∣uiest: also that from them they might throw their Iauelins downewards, with the more violence. Of which weapon I finde not that any carried more than one or two into the field: wherefore they were often driuen to returne to their Tents for a new one, when the old was gone. Likewise of armours they had little change or none; euery man (speaking of the chiefe) carried his owne compleat, of which if [unspec 20] any piece were lost or broken, he was driuen to repaire it with the like if he had any fitting, taken from some Captaine whom hee had slaine, and stripped: or else to borrow of them that had by such meanes gotten some to spare. Whereas there∣fore Achilles had lost his armour which Hector (as is said before) had taken from the body of Patroclus, he was faine to await the making of new, ere he could enter the fight: whereof he became very 〈◊〉〈◊〉, that he might reuenge the death of Patro∣clus his deare friend.

At this time Agamemnon reconciled himselfe vnto Achilles, not onely restoring his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Brise is, but giuing him very great gifts, and excusing former matters as well as he might. In the next battell Achilles did so behaue himselfe, that he did [unspec 30] not onely put the Troians to the worst, but also slew the valiant Hector, whom (if Homer may herein be beleeued) hee chaced three times about the walles of Troy. But great question may bee made of Homers truth in this narration. For it is not likely that Hector would stay alone without the Citie (as Homer doth report of him) when all the Troians were fled into it: nor that he could leape ouer the riuers of Xan∣thus and Simois, as he must haue done in that flight: nor that the Troians perceiuing Hector in such an extremitie, would haue forborne to open some of their gates and let him in. But this is reported onely to grace Achilles, who hauing (by what meanes soeuer) slaine the noble Hector, did not onely carry away his dead bodie, as the cu∣stome then was, but boring holes in his feet, and thrusting leatherne thongs into [unspec 40] them, tyed him to his Chariot, and dragged him shamefully about the field, selling the dead bodie to his father Priamus for a very great ransome. But his crueltie and couetousnesse were not long vnreuenged; for he was shortly after slaine with an ar∣row by Paris, as Homer sayes, in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 gate, or as others in the Temple of Apollo, whither he came to haue married Polyxena the daughter of Priamus, with whom he was too farre in loue, hauing slaine so many of her brethren, and his body was ran∣somed (as Lycophron saith) at the selfe-same rate that Hectors was by him sold for. Not long after this, Penthesilea Queene of the Amazons arriued at Troy; who after some proofe giuen of her valour, was slaine by Pyrrhus the sonne of Achilles. [unspec 50]

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hom. Iliad. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.