Iliad book II the matter of troy

BOOK II.

ARGUMENT.

THE TRIAL OF THE ARMY, AND CATALOGUE OF THE FORCES.

Jupiter, in pursuance of the request of Thetis, sends a deceitful vision to Agamemnon, persuading him to lead the army to battle, in order to make the Greeks sensible of their want of Achilles. The general, who is deluded with the hopes of taking Troy without his assistance, but fears the army was discouraged by his absence, and the late plague, as well as by the length of time, contrives to make trial of their disposition by a stratagem. He first communicates his design to the princes in council, that he would propose a return to the soldiers, and that they should put a stop to them if the proposal was embraced. Then he assembles the whole host, and upon moving for a return to Greece, they unanimously agree to it, and run to prepare the ships. They are detained by the management of Ulysses, who chastises the insolence of Thersites. The assembly is recalled, several speeches made on the occasion, and at length the advice of Nestor followed, which was to make a general muster of the troops, and to divide them into their several nations, before they proceeded to battle. This gives occasion to the poet to enumerate all the forces of the Greeks and Trojans, and in a large catalogue.

The time employed in this book consists not entirely of one day. The scene lies in the Grecian camp, and upon the sea-shore; towards the end it removes to Troy.

Now pleasing sleep had seal'd each mortal eye,

Stretch'd in the tents the Grecian leaders lie:

The immortals slumber'd on their thrones above;

All, but the ever-wakeful eyes of Jove.⁷⁶

To honour Thetis' son he bends his care,

And plunge the Greeks in all the woes of war:

Then bids an empty phantom rise to sight,

And thus commands the vision of the night.

"Fly hence, deluding Dream! and light as air,⁷⁷

To Agamemnon's ample tent repair.

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Bid him in arms draw forth the embattled train,

Lead all his Grecians to the dusty plain.

Declare, e'en now 'tis given him to destroy

The lofty towers of wide-extended Troy.

For now no more the gods with fate contend,

At Juno's suit the heavenly factions end.

Destruction hangs o'er yon devoted wall,

And nodding Ilion waits the impending fall."

Swift as the word the vain illusion fled,

Descends, and hovers o'er Atrides' head;

Clothed in the figure of the Pylian sage,

Renown'd for wisdom, and revered for age:

Around his temples spreads his golden wing,

And thus the flattering dream deceives the king.

Now from Goddess; vow of a great blood line and people stemming from teh heroes of this epic,  to a returning to the matter of the first troy that was in need of change, ulyssess  and aggamenon have thier army ready, to topple the tower and take over troy renewing it as a new regime, thus getting rid of the corruption that has led to this war!!!  Ibasmuch as the tale was abridged because of the heroes hate of the old regime and the people  attacking people in it, down with these Greeks the heroes yelled/  This  is not anti greeek but pro the wisdom pf the true greek from teh Atredes to all those bound in the new wedding and alliance of the soon to be new troy.  Only in this way will the peoples of this land be healthy and prosper.