Amused at ease, the godlike man they found,
Pleased with the solemn harp's harmonious sound.
(The well wrought harp from conquered Thebæ came;
Of polish'd silver was its costly frame).
With this he soothes his angry soul, and sings
The immortal deeds of heroes and of kings.
Pope, Iliad, Book IX.
The ambassadors were received with great respect. Achilles rose from his seat and welcomed them as warriors and friends. Then food and drink were placed before them, and after they had refreshed themselves, Ulysses stated the object of their visit. He described the danger of the Grecian army, threatened with destruction by the terrible Hector and his victorious hosts. He next told of the many gifts which Agamemnon had offered, and then in earnest words he begged Achilles to lay aside his anger, and come to the relief of his countrymen in their great peril.
But the wrath of the son of Peleus was not thus to be appeased. He replied to Ulysses in a long speech, recounting his services during the war, and bitterly complaining of the ingratitude and selfishness of Agamemnon.
"Twelve cities have I with my fleet laid waste,
And with my Myrmidons have I o'erthrown
Eleven upon this fertile Trojan coast.
Full many a precious spoil from these I bore,
And to Atrides Agamemnon gave.
He, loitering in his fleet, received them all;
Few he distributed, and many kept."
Bryant, Iliad, Book IX.
As for the apologies which Agamemnon now made, the wrathful hero declared that he could have no confidence in a man who had deceived him, nor would he accept the offered gifts.
"Let him ne'er again,
Though shameless, dare to look me in the face.
I will not join in council nor in act
With him: he has deceived and wronged me once,
And now he cannot wheedle me with words.
Let once suffice. I leave him to himself,
To perish. All-providing Jupiter
Hath made him mad. I hate his gifts; I hold
In utter scorn the giver."
Bryant, Iliad, Book IX.
In vain also were the entreaties of Phœnix and Ajax. They too tried to persuade the hero to dismiss from his mind the thought of his wrongs, and lead his brave Myrmidons once more into the field for the honor of his country. But Achilles persisted in his refusal to take further part in the war, and so there was nothing left for the ambassadors but to return to the tent of Agamemnon and report the failure of their mission.