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The builders of Troy, Chapter 2 · The Golden Porch

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  Section twenty two of The Golden Porch. This is a librovox recording. All
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  libroxx recordings were in the public domain. More information not to volunteer, please
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  visit librox dot org. The Golden Porch by W. M. L.
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  Hutchinson. The Builders of Troy, Chapter two. When Aachus came back to
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  his island, heavy tidings were brought to him. Fretta chanced that while his
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  three sons were playing at Coit's, the eldest threw his quoite slantwise, and
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  it struck the youngest on the head and killed him. Now, the two
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  elder were the sons of their father's first wife, but the youngest, whose
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  name was Phocus, was the child of their stepmother. So when the two
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  elder princes saw that their half brother was dead, they fled out of the
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  island. But their father loved him the best, and they feared lest he
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  should believe they had murdered the lad out of jealousy. These princes were called
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  Telamon and Pelias, and the adventures that befell Pelias had told you already.
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  But Telamon, the eldest, was betrothed to the daughter of a king who
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  ruled the island called Salamis, and to that island he fled, while Peleias
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  went to seek his fortune in distant lands. There, Telamon took a solemn
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  oath that he had slain focus by mischance, and the king of Salamis purified
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  him of a blood guilt by prayer and sacrifice, as the manner was,
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  and promised to give him his daughter in marriage when he had mourned for his
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  brother a year and a day before that time. However, the king fell
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  sick and died, and because he had no son, the folk of Salamis
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  chose Telamon to rule over them in his stead. Thus he became king,
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  and at the year's end he married the princess. On his marriage day,
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  Telamon held a great feast in his house, to which all the men of
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  the island were bidden, both rich and poor, And while they sat at
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  his table, one of his servants told him that the stranger stood at the
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  gate, desiring to speak with him. What manner of vanity, said Telamon,
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  And why do you not bring him into the hall. He seems in
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  haste to depart, o king, said the servant. And as for who
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  or what he is, we know not, But he is strangely arrayed.
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  He is no garment, but a lion's skin girt about him, and carried
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  the hugest bow that ever man saw. It is the noble Heracles, cried
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  Telamon, my father's friend and mine, And he ran to the gate to
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  welcome him Heracles, for he, it was, indeed, had first excused
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  himself from coming in to the banquet, saying that he had come on other
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  business than merrymaking, as might be seen from his rough garb. You shall
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  tell me of that when you have eaten and drunk, said Telamon, for
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  it is ill talking to a full man in a fasting. Come. You
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  shall not deny me. This, you must know, is my marriage feast,
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  and it is a lucky chancell that brings me such a guest to grace
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  it with that, he brought Heracles into the hall and set him in the
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  seat of honor, and the feast went merrily on. Then, when all
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  had had their fill of good cheer, Telamon bade his cupbearer fill a great
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  golden cup with wine, and taking the goblet, he gave it into the
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  hand of Heracles, saying, my noble guest, pour out now the accustomed
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  libation for you are worthier than I. And thereby he paid Heracles the highest
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  mark of honor, since it was his own right, as lord of the
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  feast, to pour out the first drink offering to the gods. Now,
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  the custom of the drink offering was that when men began carousing after a feast,
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  their cups were filled thrice with wine, and at each filling, one
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  cup was poured out to some god of the prayer for blessing. But always
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  the first cup of those three was offered to Zeus. Heracles took the golden
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  goblet and rose up, and thus he prayed as he poured the wine on
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  the ground. Hear me, now, King of the gods, if ever
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  prayer of mine could win your grace, grant that the sun may be born
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  to Telamon, my friend, as brave in soul and as strong in body
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  as the lion whose hide I wear. Even that mighty beast, I slew
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  it Nemea in the first of my fight with savage monsters. Even as he
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  spoke, an eager flew into the hall through the open doors, perched a
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  moment on the oaken rafters, and flew forth again. Rejoice, Telamon,
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  cried Heracles, Beezeus has sent his own bird and signed that he will grant
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  my prayer. You will have the sun your heart secretly longs for, and
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  when he is born, call him. I charge you after the eagle.
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  Heracles said this with a rapt look and chanting voice, like yesee, when
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  the spirit of prophecy comes over him, and forthwith. He sat down presently.
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  Telamon asked him what that errand was that brought him to Salamas. But
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  Heracles said, I came to call you to a fray, and little thought
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  to light on a wedding feast. Let us speak of the matter to morrow,
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  ra not Mardi's revels with talk of blood shedding. So on the morrow
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  he told Telamon that he needed a warrior comrade to sail with him to try
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  and fight against L'almadon, who had used him very evily. And Telamon was
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  so eager to share the adventure that he commanded a ship to be made ready,
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  took leve of his bride, and set sail with Heracles. That very
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  day, Lamadon heard news of their landing and went out to give them better
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  with all his men. That day, those two valiant comrades did wonderful feats
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  of arms, and with the crew of one ship, they fought the whole
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  army of Troy until they drove them in flight to their walls. Many were
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  slain as they flared, but Lamudon and the greater part of his host escaped
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  into the city and barred the gates behind them. Then, shouting his war
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  cry in a voice like thunder, Telamon sprang to the wall, and in
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  the very spot where the serpent crossed it, he batted it down with the
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  butt end of his spear and rushed through the breach, calling Heracles to follow.
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  And Heracles came after, bending his terrible bow, and shot Lamudon through
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  the heart in the midst of the city. When the people saw their king
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  fall, there was no more spirit in them. Troy is taken, they
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  cried and implored mercy of their conquerors. Thus did vengeance overtake their treacherous king.
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  Heracles took all the treasures of his house and all the wealth of the
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  city, and divided the spoil, giving a due portion to all his followers.
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  Now three sons of Lamudon were slain in the fight, but his youngest,
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  who was yet a child, was found hiding the palace with assists the
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  Princess Hessione, and they had brought his captives to heracles. The princess wept
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  and wrung her hands, crying, alas, Queen Champion, will you slay
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  this child for his father's sin? Nay, Princess said heracles, that would
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  be far from me. I would set him free for my own part.
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  But my comrades have a right to divide the captives among them by lod Nevertheless,
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  you shall ransom him at a price from the man to whom the lot
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  gives him. As for yourself, I may claim you for my own prize,
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  because I am leader. Then they drew lots for all the captives,
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  and the little prince fell to the lot of Telamon, chieftain, said Hessione,
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  what ransom will you take for my brother? I will take the gold
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  broidered veil you wear, said Telamon. So HESSIONI ransomed her brother for that
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  price, and gave him in charge to the elders of the city to be
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  brought up. From that day, the child was called Priam, which means
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  bored with a prize, and when he grew up he reigned as king in
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  Troy. But Hessigoni was glad when she heard she was the prize of Heracles,
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  for she had loved him since he delivered her from being cast to the
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  sea monster. And she said to him, it were hateful to me to
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  abide here. Now my father is dead. Let me follow you whithersoever you
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  are going, my lord fairest to Sione, said Heracles, I am a
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  wanderer on the earth, and my road lies in perilous places. For I
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  cannot take a maiden. I will send you with Telamon to Salamis, and
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  for my sake he will treat you well. But as for me, I
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  am going even now on another adventure. I go not home without you,
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  my comrade, cried Telamon. Never shall it be said that I returned with
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  spoils and captives, leaving you to face new dangers alone. Take me in
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  your quest, whatever it be. Let me have the glory of fighting twice
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  at the side of Heracles. Then Heracles consented, and when Telamon had sent
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  his ship home with Hesionee and the other captives and the booty, the two
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  friends went eastward to the country of the Amazons, for the king whom Heracles
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  served, had bidden him fetch for his daughter the golden girdle of the Amazon
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  queen. Now, the Amazons were a nation of women who suffered no men
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  to come into their country, and they were warriors, all armed with brazen
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  bows and riding fierce, swift horses. But how Heracles, the help of
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  Telamon, overcame them is a great battle and took the girdle of their queen,
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  who fell fighting. And what else the comrades did before they came back
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  to Salamus belongs to another tale. Here we tell only the building of Troy,
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  in what came of it. A whole year was Telamon away, And
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  when he came again to his house, he found it full of mirth and
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  gladness, because the son was born for whom Heracles prayed. Telemon remembered his
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  friend's bidding and called the child Ajax, which means the eagle in the old
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  speech of that land. And Ajax grew up a mighty youth, according to
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  the prayer of Heracles, with a fearless soul that matched his stalwart body.
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  Meanwhile, King Aiachus heard all these things in Aegina and sent for his son
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  Telamon, desiring to be reconciled to him before he died. When the ship
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  he had sent returned Aachus went down to the harbor to meet it, and
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  saw a son standing on the deck, holding the young Ajax in his arms,
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  and they greeted again with tears. But Telamon would not set foot on
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  shore till he had solemnly called the gods to witness that he was guiltless of
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  murdering Pocus, his brother. Now, while Telamon sojourned in a Gena,
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  the time came for good King Aacus to die, and in his last hour
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  he bade his son bring the child Ajax to him. And then he told
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  the marvel he had seen at the building of Troy's war, and how Apollo
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  foretold from the sign of the three serpents that the city should twice be taken
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  by warriors of his house, and the second time be utterly laid low the
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  god's grant. He said, laying his hand on the head of Ajax,
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  that this my grandchild may prove to be that third Serpent, the conqueror.
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  But that prayer was vain, but the fate of Ajax was otherwise ordained.
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  He went indeed with the great host that beleagued Troy in days to come,
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  And of all the champions he fought in the long war, none did more
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  valiant deeds than he, except a killer, the son of Pelias. But
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  those two of the two warriors sprung from Aeacus, whose doom was foreshadowed by
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  the death of the first two serpents, who then was the third, the
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  golden crested, who sprang with a cry of victory over the new built wall.
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  In the Tale of Pelias and Thetus, it was told how Achilles wedded
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  the king's daughter of the isle where his mother hid him, and left her
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  a morning bride to follow the way of glory, and he, the flower
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  of all heroes, found death and deathless flame on the battlefield of Troy,
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  and never saw the child whom the king's daughter bore to him in Skyro's Then
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  came prophecy to the Greek host that the city should never be taken without help
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  of the son of Achilles. They sent and fetched the young prince to their
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  camp. The comrades of his father beheld the lad with mingled joy and pain,
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  so like he was to their lost chief. And when he led them
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  to the fight in shining arms and flew lionlike upon the foes, the cry
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  went up that Achilles was come back to life and did no long time.
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  All Apollo's word to Aiacus was fulfilled, for that golden haired youth was the
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  golden crested, conquering serpent who appeared to the builders of Troy. The end
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  end of Section twenty two, read by inkl End of The Golden Porch by
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  W. M. L. Hutchinson