Then aged Nestor rose, and thus began: “Tydides, eminent thou art in war; And In the council thy compeers in age Must yield to thee; thy present words, no Greek Can censure, or gainsay; and yet the end Thou hast not reach’d, and object of debate. But thou art young, and for thine age mightst be My latest born; yet dost thou to the Kings Sage counsel give, and well in season speak. But now will I, that am thine elder far, Go fully through the whole; and none my words May disregard, not ev’n Atrides’ self. Outcast from kindred, law, and hearth is he Whose soul delights in fierce internal strife. But yield we now to th’ influence of night: Prepare the meal; and let the sev’ral guards Be posted by the ditch, without the wall. This duty on the younger men I lay: Then, Agamemnon, thou thy part perform; For thou art King supreme; the Elders all, As meet and seemly, to the feast invite: Thy tents are full of wine, which Grecian ships O’er the wide sea bring day by day from Thrace; Nor lack’st thou aught thy guests to entertain, And many own thy sway; when all are met, His counsel take, who gives the best advice; Great need we have of counsel wise and good, When close beside our ships the hostile fires Are burning: who can this unmov’d behold? This night our ruin or our safety sees.” He said; and they, assenting, heard his speech. Forth with their followers went th’ appointed guards, The princely Thrasymedes, Nestor’s son, Ascalaphus, and bold Ialmenus, Two valiant sons of Mars; Meriones, And Aphareus, and brave Deipyrus, And godlike Lycomedes, Creon’s son. Sev’n were the leaders; and with each went forth A hundred gallant youths, with lances arm’d. Between the ditch and wall they took their post; There lit their fires, and there the meal prepar’d. Then for th’ assembled Elders in his tent An ample banquet Agamemnon spread; They on the viands, set before them, fell: The rage of thirst and hunger satisfied, The aged Nestor first his mind disclos’d He who, before, the sagest counsel gave, Now thus with prudent words began, and said: