These arms, the work of heavenly hands: no man
Could forge them. Now I arm myself for war.
But for the valiant Menœtiades
I greatly fear that flies will gather round
The wounds inflicted by the spear, and worms
Be bred within them, to pollute the corpse
Now that the life is gone, and taint the whole."

And silver-footed Thetis answered thus:
"Son, have no care for that. The task be mine
To drive away the importunate swarm that feed
On heroes slain in battle. Though it lie
The whole year long, the body shall remain
Even more than uncorrupted. Call thou now
To council all the Achaian chiefs; renounce
Thy feud with Agamemnon, king of men,
And arm for war, and put on all thy might."

She spake, and called a fiery courage up
Within the hero's breast. The goddess then
Infused ambrosia and the ruddy juice
Of nectar through the nostrils of the dead
Into the frame, to keep it from decay.

Along the beach the great Achilles went,
Calling with mighty shouts the Grecian chiefs.
Then even they who till that day remained
Beside the fleet, -- the pilots and the men
Who held the helm, the stewards of the ships,
And the purveyors, -- all made haste to swell
The assembly, for they knew that he who long
Had borne no part in the disastrous war

-402-