Philoctetes is the possessor of the bow and arrows of Hercules, without which Troy, which has now been besieged for ten years, cannot be taken. Suffering from an ulcer caused by the bite of the Hydra, and becoming intolerable by his yells of anguish to the Hellenic camp, he has been put ashore by Ulysses on the lonely island of Lemnos, and there left for the ten years, whence he has conceived a deadly hatred of Ulysses and the Hellenic host. His bow and arrows being indispensable, the crafty Ulysses undertakes the task of inveigling him, and goes to Lemnos for that purpose, taking with him Neoptolemus, the young and generous son of Achilles, as a decoy. Neoptolemus, at the instance of Ulysses, filches from Philoctetes the bow and arrows, but being overcome by his nobler nature restores them. Here is now a crisis worthy of the intervention of a god. Hercules descends upon the scene, bids Philoctetes go to Troy with his bow, and promises to send Aesculapius to heal him of his sickness. * * * * * THE DECOY.Ulysses explains the plan of action to Neoptolemus, and labours to bend him to his purpose. LINES 1-134.ULYSSES.This is the shore of Lemnos' lonely isle, NEOPTOLEMUS.My work, Ulysses, has been quickly done. ULYSSES.Is it above us, tell me, or below? NEOPTOLEMUS.Above us here, and sound of step is none. ULYSSES.See that he is not sleeping in his lair. NEOPTOLEMUS.I look, and none in the retreat appears. ULYSSES.And is there naught to show that man dwells there? NEOPTOLEMUS.A bed of leaves, as though one couched thereon. ULYSSES.Is all else bare? Is there no garniture? NEOPTOLEMUS.There is a wooden cup, the handiwork ULYSSES.Thy inventory shows that he is here. NEOPTOLEMUS.Faugh! here are rags left in the sun to dry, ULYSSES.'Tis plain enough that here his dwelling is. NEOPTOLEMUS.The attendant is despatched; watch will be kept. ULYSSES.Son of Achilles, what thou cam'st to do. NEOPTOLEMUS.What wouldst thou have me do? ULYSSES.Beguile the mind NEOPTOLEMUS.Son of Laertes, what my ears abhor ULYSSES.Son of a glorious sire, myself in youth NEOPTOLEMUS.What is it thou dost bid me do but lie? ULYSSES.I bid thee Philoctetes circumvent. NEOPTOLEMUS.Will not persuasion work as well as guile? ULYSSES.He will not yield, and force him thou canst not. NEOPTOLEMUS.Has he such might as to defy us all? ULYSSES.He has the unerring arrows winged with death. NEOPTOLEMUS.Is it not safe e'en to encounter him? ULYSSES.Only if thou canst snare him as I say. NEOPTOLEMUS.Seems it not shameful to thee thus to lie? ULYSSES.No, if the lie alone can do our work. NEOPTOLEMUS.How look him in the face and say such things? ULYSSES.With gain in view our scruples must give way. NEOPTOLEMUS.Suppose him brought to Troy, what gain to me? ULYSSES.Troy can be taken only by his bow. NEOPTOLEMUS.I, then, am not to be her conqueror. ULYSSES.Not by thyself, nor without thee the bow. NEOPTOLEMUS.If so it be, the bow must be secured. ULYSSES.Secure it and a double meed is thine. NEOPTOLEMUS.Prove this to me, and I will do thy will. ULYSSES.Thou wilt be hailed at once as wise and brave. NEOPTOLEMUS.Well, I will do it; all my qualms are gone. ULYSSES.Canst thou remember what erewhile I taught? NEOPTOLEMUS.That can I, since my word has once been passed. ULYSSES.Then bide thou here, and wait for his approach: * * * * * THE HERO BETRAYED.Neoptolemus, having filched the bow of Philoctetes, Philoctetes prays him to restore it. LINES 927-962.PHILOCTETESO pest, O bane, O of all villainy This eBook was produced by Juliet Sutherland, William Koven, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team We are now trying to release all our eBooks one year in advance of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing. 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