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field. At daybreak the heralds went round crying that all in Elis
to whom there was a debt owing should come; and the leading Pylians
assembled to divide the spoils. There were many to whom the Epeans
owed chattels, for we men of Pylus were few and had been oppressed
with wrong; in former years Hercules had come, and had laid his hand
heavy upon us, so that all our best men had perished. Neleus had had
twelve sons, but I alone was left; the others had all been killed.
The Epeans presuming upon all this had looked down upon us and had
done us much evil. My father chose a herd of cattle and a great flock
of sheep-­‐ three hundred in all-­‐ and he took their shepherds with him,
for there was a great debt due to him in Elis, to wit four horses,
winners of prizes. They and their chariots with them had gone to the
games and were to run for a tripod, but King Augeas took them, and
sent back their driver grieving for the loss of his horses. Neleus
was angered by what he had both said and done, and took great value
in return, but he divided the rest, that no man might have less than
his full share.
"Thus did we order all things, and offer sacrifices to the gods throughout
the city; but three days afterwards the Epeans came in a body, many
in number, they and their chariots, in full array, and with them the
two Moliones in their armour, though they were still lads and unused
to fighting. Now there is a certain town, Thryoessa, perched upon
a rock on the river Alpheus, the border city Pylus; this they would
destroy, and pitched their camp about it, but when they had crossed
their whole plain, Minerva darted down by night from Olympus and bade
us set ourselves in array; and she found willing soldiers in Pylos,
for the men meant fighting. Neleus would not let me arm, and hid my