Leda, Queen of Sparta, bare a daughter, Helen by name, that grew to be the fairest of all women upon earth. She married Menelaus, son of Atreus, and for a while dwelt in peace with her husband, bearing him a daughter, Hermione by name. But there came to the court of Menelaus, who was by this time King of Sparta, a certain Paris, second in birth among the sons of Priam, King of Troy. Menelaus entertained him hospitably, but Paris repaid his kindness with evil, for he carried off his wife, the fair Helen, and took with her many of the King's possessions. Le'-da. Men-e-la'-us. Ag-a-mem'-non. Her-mi'-o-ne. A'-treus. Then Menelaus, with his elder brother Agamemnon, who was lord of all the Greeks, went to all the chiefs, and prayed that they would help them to avenge this wrong. Thus was a great host gathered together, even a hundred thousand men, and eleven hundred fourscore and six ships. For nine years did the Greeks besiege the city of Troy. They won, indeed, in the field, but could not break through the walls. Now because they had been away from their homes for many years, they were in want of things needful. Therefore it was their custom to leave part of the army to watch the city, and with part to spoil the cities in the country round about. And in this way the great quarrel that caused such trouble to the host came about. The Greeks sacked the city of Chryse, where was a temple of Apollo, and a priest that served the temple. And when they divided the spoil, they gave to King Agamemnon, with other gifts, the priest's daughter Chryseis. Thereupon Chryses, the priest, came to the camp, wishing to ransom his daughter. Much gold he brought with him, and on his staff of gold he carried the holy garland, that men might reverence him the more. He went to all the chiefs, and to the sons of Atreus first of all, saying:-- Chry'-se. A-pol'-lo. Chry-se'-is. Chry'-ses. "Loose, I pray you, my dear daughter, and take the ransom for her; so may the gods that dwell in Olympus grant you to take the city of Troy, and to have safe return to your homes." Then all the others spake him fair, and would have done what he wished. Only Agamemnon would not have it so. "Get thee out, graybeard!" he cried in great wrath. "Let me not find thee lingering now by the ships, neither coming hither again, or it shall be the worse for thee, for all thy priesthood. And as for thy daughter, I shall carry her away to Argos, when I shall have taken this city of Troy." Then the old man went out hastily in great fear and trouble. And he walked in his sorrow by the shore of the sounding sea, and prayed to his god Apollo. "Hear me, God of the silver bow! If I have built thee a temple, and offered thee the fat of many bullocks and rams, hear me, and avenge my tears on these Greeks with thine arrows!"