Vol. 4: A Roland for an Oliver

My favorite story from JUNIOR CLASSICS VOL. 4: HEROES OF CHIVALRY

Guerin de Montglave held the lordship of Vienne, subject to Charlemagne. He had quarrelled with his sovereign, and Charles laid siege to his city, having ravaged the neighboring country. Guerin was an aged warrior, but relied for his defence upon his four sons and two grandsons, who were among the bravest knights of the age. After the siege had continued two months, Charlemagne received tidings that Marsilius, King of Spain, had invaded France and, finding himself unopposed, was advancing rapidly in the Southern provinces. At this intelligence, Charles listened to the counsel of his peers, and consented to put the quarrel with Guerin to the decision of Heaven, by single combat between two knights, one of each party, selected by lot. The proposal was acceptable to Guerin and his sons. The names of the four, together with Guerin’s own, who would not be excused, and of the two grandsons, who claimed their lot, being put into a helmet, Oliver’s was drawn forth, and to him, the youngest of the grandsons, was assigned the honor and the peril of the combat. He accepted the award with delight, exulting in being thought worthy to maintain the cause of his family. On Charlemagne’s side Roland was the designated champion, and neither he nor Oliver knew who his antagonist was to be.

They met on an island in the river Rhone, and the warriors of both camps were ranged on either shore, spectators of the battle. At the first encounter both lances were shivered, but both riders kept their seats, immovable. They dismounted, and drew their swords. Then ensued a combat which seemed so equal, that the spectators could not form an opinion as to the probable result. Two hours and more the knights continued to strike and parry, to thrust and ward, neither showing any sign of weariness, nor ever being taken at unawares. At length Roland struck furiously upon Oliver’s shield, burying Durendal in its edge so deeply that he could not draw it back, and Oliver, almost at the same moment, thrust so vigorously upon Roland’s breastplate that his sword snapped off at the handle. Thus were the two warriors left weaponless.

Scarcely pausing a moment, they rushed upon one another, each striving to throw his adversary to the ground, and failing in that, each snatched at the other’s helmet to tear it away. Both succeeded, and at the same moment they stood bareheaded face to face, and Roland recognized Oliver, and Oliver, Roland. For a moment they stood still, and the next, with open arms, rushed into one another’s embrace.

“I am conquered,” said Roland.

“I yield me,” said Oliver.

The people on the shore knew not what to make of all this. Presently they saw the two late antagonists standing hand in hand, and it was evident the battle was at an end. The knights crowded round them, and with one voice hailed them as equals in glory. If there were any who felt disposed to murmur that the battle was left undecided, they were silenced by the voice of Ogier the Dane, who proclaimed aloud that all had been done that honor required, and declared that he would maintain that award against all gainsayers.

The quarrel with Guerin and his sons being left undecided, a truce was made for four days, and in that time, by the efforts of Duke Namo on the one side, and of Oliver on the other, a reconciliation was effected. Charlemagne, accompanied by Guerin and his valiant family, marched to meet Marsilius, who hastened to retreat across the frontier.

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The War on Happy Holidays

One of my favorite things about Christmastime in recent years is the way that the War on Christmas is in full and shambolic retreat. It’s heartwarming to see so many people treating the fake regard for the imaginary holidays with all the contempt and derision that it has always merited.

[Excessively vulgar derision removed. Sure, it’s funny, but edifying it is not. Any time you can be mistaken for South Park, you’ve gone too far.]

I can’t even imagine what the channers and memelords are going to do to the Diwali festival if anyone tries to shove that one down our throats…

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What Democracies?

The primary Clown World justification for its relentless wars against sovereign nations around the world over the last 200 years doesn’t even exist. The so-called “liberal democracies” are neither liberal nor democratic.

Labour is facing fury today after it emerged more elections are being delayed amid dire polls for Keir Starmer. Four mayoral contests that were due to be held in May are being pushed back by two years, with accusations that the PM is ‘subverting democracy’ to ‘save his skin’.

Some 7.5million residents in Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Sussex and Brighton, and Norfolk and Suffolk will not vote until 2028.

Ministers argue that more time is needed to finish reorganising local authorities in England.

But critics point out that Sir Keir is braced for a hammering in the local elections, as polls show his party trailing far behind Reform. Even Labour MPs voiced concerns, with former minister Jim McMahon saying the government had to be ‘better than this’. Battles in nine council areas, East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey have already been postponed from this year to 2026.

Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice this morning accused Sir Keir of ‘running scared’, swiping that ‘generally it’s dictators that cancel elections. Some 7.5 million people are now going to be denied the opportunity of voting in mayoral elections,’ he said.

‘Funny isn’t it, we’ve just announced our mayoral candidates for all of these areas and all of a sudden the Government, terrified of losing to Reform, are cancelling them.’

He added that a two-year delay ‘is a deliberate dictatorial cancelling of democracy in the United Kingdom and we shouldn’t tolerate it’.

The truth is that the “representative democracy” at which the trained media clowns bark and clap approvingly has always been an inversion of the actual concept of democracy. Everything from the constitutions and elections and judiciary systems are designed to limit democracy, to rein it in, and to prevent the will of the people from being enacted.

It’s a fundamentally dishonest system and it always has been. Now the veil is being torn, in the USA, in Ukraine, and in the UK, which is less a cause of Clown World’s systemic collapse than a consequence of it.

But it was always a lie.

There are a few genuine demi-democracies, where referendums actually consult the will of the entire electorate. But even those are strictly leashed by their “representative” and “judicial” elements, both of which are de facto anti-democratic. But “representative democracy” is no more democracy than “civic nationalism” is nationalism.

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Economic Ugliness

This is the sort of thing that we last saw in 2008. Not that it was this bad back in 2008.

Something just shifted deep inside the global financial system — and almost no one is explaining what it means for you.

Japan’s 30-Year LSEG Government Bond just hit a historic high yield of 3.427%.

Worse, Japan’s 10-year government interest rate just spiked to 1.84%, the highest level since 2008, jumping more than 11% in a single day.

That doesn’t sound dramatic on the surface. It is.

For 30 years, Japan was the quiet engine that kept the world’s debt machine running. Their interest rates were near zero. That meant banks, hedge funds, and governments could borrow cheap money from Japan and pour it into U.S. bonds, stocks, real estate, and everything else that now feels permanently expensive.

That cheap money kept:

  • Mortgage rates lower
  • Stock markets higher
  • Government borrowing easier
  • Credit cheap and plentiful
  • That era is now ending.

Translation: interest rates are finally going to start climbing. And by climbing, I mean by a LOT. I can remember when they were 17 percent. No one is financing new cars at 17 percent, and home prices will be coming down hard if the central banks can’t find yet another can to kick.

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The Collapsing Economy

All the media reports are breathlessly positive about the success of the Black Friday sales, nearly 10 percent higher than last year. But the media can never be trusted in matters economic, or anything else.

Notable that Black Friday sales data shows a 9.1% increase spend from last year.

But: -1% in total item volume from last year. Prices +7% higher. Consumers bought on average 4.1% fewer items.

And: An 11% increase on buy-now-pay-later use. Klarna specific use up 45% by volume since last year

Meaning: Roughly 11% of ALL Black Friday spending was financed through BNPL. And 84% of all purchases were financed by credit cards, where 67% of those consumers expect to not pay the full balance in the first month.

This is the sign of a weakening and stretched consumer.

There was no increase, just the combination of more debt and more inflation. It’s all a house of cards.

Now, the Castalia sale went very well, despite the fact that our prices were actually LOWER than they were a year ago. This, ironically, also points to economic contraction, because historically, books do best during periods of contraction and inflation since it’s a) cheaper to stay home than go out and b) books offer some of the highest value-per-dollar of any entertainment option.

I worked it out on last night’s Darkstream. The average individual reads at 238 words per minute. There are about 1.2 million words in the 10-volume set of the Junior Classics. It will therefore take around 84 hours to read through them once. At the retail price of $349.99, that’s a price of $4.16 per hour.

Compare that to the price of a ticket to a 90-minute movie, which is $16.08, or $10.72 per hour. Except you can, and you will, re-read the Junior Classics, and multiple people can read them. In a household with children, the cost per hour is probably around 65 cents. So, it makes sense that as the economy contracts and people find themselves staying at home more, they tend to read more and purchase more books.

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Don’t Buy New Cars

I never intend to buy a post-2010 car again.

Thousands of Porsche vehicles across Russia automatically shut down. The cars lock up and engines won’t start due to possible satellite interference. Many speculate the German company is carrying out an act of sabotage on EU orders. No official comments yet.

Any modern car can do this. I’d rather have a 1980 Ford Escort or Honda Civic than a new high-end Mercedes or Acura at this point. What is the point of having a vehicle when your transportation ability can be removed, and will be eliminated when you need it most?

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He’s Not Entirely Wrong

Richard Spencer celebrates the subversion of Christmas music:

I, for one, really appreciate the Jewish contribution to Christmas music. This time of year wouldn’t be the same without “Rudolph,” “White Christmas,” “Chestnuts,” and more. As opposed to attacking this supposed “subversion” of Christmas, traditionalists should ask themselves why they are so unmusical, charmless, and boring and couldn’t compose any timeless songs.

Of course Spencer doesn’t care about the subversion; he’s not a Christian. And the 20th Century songs are quite good, for the most part, being catchy and well-compose. But that doesn’t make them any less subversive; their intent is to shift the focus of Christmas from the Christian celebration of the birth of Man’s Savior to rather less edifying topics, including snow, hoofed mammals with nasal abnormalities, and the urban shopping experience.

Silver Bells is absolutely and undeniably a charming song. That’s why it is successfully subversive.

Where Spencer has a point is when he observes that we Christians would do well to follow the lead of our gifted forebears and compose our own songs. We can’t possibly know if they are timeless or not, because only the test of time will tell. And, let’s face it, neither we nor the subversives will ever write anything as good as Adeste Fideles. But that shouldn’t stop us from doing our best to serve our King.

So, this would seem to be as good time as ever to share this new mix of This Very Night, complete with guitar and choir. If you’re a UATV subscriber, you can download the MP3 by clicking on the blue button.

Stars above shine ever bright
Angels sing with pure delight
Of Mary born this sacred night
Comes our savior, Jesus Christ

Shepherds hear the holy call
Heaven’s gift for one and all
In the darkness shines a light
A savior born this very night

Heartfelt prayers on Christmas eve
In His grace we now perceive
And by faith do we believe
The King of Kings shall we receive

Hallelujah raise your voice
In His birth now we rejoice
Come to Jesus, hear the call
He has come to save us all

Children gather ’round the tree
Hearts aglow with reverie
Love and hope and faith and glee
By this birth are we set free

Hallelujah raise your voice
In His birth now we rejoice
This is Christmas, heed the call
Jesus came to save us all

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Last Day for Based Books

Last day to get some of the two hundred fifty books in the 2025 Summer Based Book Sale for $0.99 or free!

I think Midnight’s War fans will be very pleased to know that the sequel to OUT OF THE SHADOWS is already underway and A MERCILESS NIGHT will be published a) after SIGMA GAME is published and b) much sooner than you would ever expect from the author who took seven years to write the sequel to A THRONE OF BONES.

In fact, I’ve already got the covers for book 2 and book 3 done, and it is only with an iron will that might be envied by Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici himself that I refrain from sharing them with you. But I can assure, they are, in a word, magnificent.

Also, if anyone has typos or errata for OUT OF THE SHADOWS, please send me a text file with them ASAP. We’d like to start getting the print editions together. We’ll also be sure to get the ebook out to the remaining Signed First Edition backers this week.

From OUT OF THE SHADOWS:

October 31st, 3:45 PM PST

Elliott stood before the wall of monitors in HemaTech’s windowless executive conference room, watching the final confirmations stream in from distribution centers around the globe…

“Mr. Grahame?” Natalie’s voice pulled him from his calculations. “David Porter is here.”

Elliott turned to see The Wall Street Journal reporter standing in the doorway, looking considerably sharper than he had three months ago. The success of his HemaTech exposé had elevated him to journalism’s highest tier—a Pulitzer nomination, a book deal, and frequent television appearances on multiple cable networks. The man who’d uncovered the life-extension breakthrough of the century now wore an expensive suit and carried himself with a new degree of confidence.

“David,” Elliott said, gesturing to a chair facing the largest monitor. “Thank you for coming.”

“After what the first story on HemaTech did for me? I’d have flown to Antarctica if you’d asked.” Porter sat, pulling out his phone with practiced ease. “Lorenzo told me there would be another story, something even bigger. I have to admit, I can’t imagine what could possibly be bigger than the life extension you’ve already announced.”

“You’re about to find out,” Elliott said, glancing at his watch again. “In approximately thirteen minutes.”

Porter leaned forward, intrigued. “That sounds unusually specific.”

“Very specific indeed.” Elliott moved to the monitor controls, bringing up a feed from the BBC. The regular programming continued, oblivious to what was coming. “You’ll recall that three months ago, I gave you the initial story about HemaTech’s breakthrough. Tonight, you’re going to learn exactly why we turned down Blackrock and the IPO.”

“I thought it was about profit and control of the technology,” Porter said. “What we turned up—”

“Your investigation was entirely accurate, insofar as it went,” Elliott interrupted. “But it was rather like describing an iceberg based on what can be seen above the water. The real story, the larger purpose that HemaTech now serves, is about to come to light.”

Natalie moved silently around the room, dimming lights and activating additional monitors. Each screen showed a different news channel from around the world—CNN, Al Jazeera, NHK, Deutsche Welle. All continuing their regular programming, their anchors unaware that their teleprompters would soon display words that would shatter human civilization’s most fundamental assumptions.

“You’re making me downright nervous, Elliott,” Porter said, though his tone carried more excitement than anxiety. “The last time someone promised me the story of the century, it turned out to be exactly that.”

“You should be. This isn’t the story of the century,” Elliott said quietly. “It’s the story of the last several millennia. And of the centuries to come.”

The clock on the wall read 11:52 PM Greenwich Mean Time. Eight minutes.

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Clown World Historical Fiction

Clown World is a constant source of historical disinformation, when it isn’t outright fiction:

Kaja Kallas, the de facto EU foreign minister already notorious for her chirpy incompetence, has done it again: displayed such elementary ignorance that you have to rub your eyes and double-check before you believe it’s true. But – as always with her – it is. This time, she has informed the world that Russia has not been attacked by anyone for a hundred years.

Those Nazi generals who planned Operation Barbarossa – the 1941 attack on the Soviet Union (and thus very much Russia) that left 27 million Soviet citizens dead – are probably spinning in their graves. Yes, blinded by prejudice and ideology (“values”) they badly underestimated the Russians (sounds familiar?) and lost (catastrophically). But having your whole 3-million-men-150-division operation wiped out Orwell-style?

And what about the many other Europeans who joined the Nazis, either from the beginning or later, with official contingents or as volunteers? The Romanians, Finns, Italians, Spanish, Croatians, Belgians, French, Norwegians, Slovaks, Bulgarians, Hungarians, and, last but not least, Balts, such as from Kallas’s native Estonia?

And let’s not even start about those prickly Japanese! They, too, got a drubbing at the 1939 Nomonhan/Khalkhin Gol clash (and yes, it took place on the edge of Mongolia, a Soviet client state), but, again, pretending they never even tried?

Being historically illiterate to such an extent seems almost pitiable. Where geometry has made former German Foreign Minister Annalena “360 degrees” Baerbock intellectually immortal, it is history where Kallas reaches peak benightedness.

That is especially disturbing because failing so badly, in particular in the history of last century’s great wars, makes Kallas a very dangerous person. The reason is as simple as 1,2,3: Together, the last two World Wars – both caused by Europeans – cost up to over 81 million lives.

To quote Norm McDonald, isn’t it just amazing that the good guys always won?

No one is pretending that the historical Russians, the Soviet Union, modern Russia, or modern China are government by angels in human form who have nothing but the best interests of humanity as a whole in mind.

But the obvious historical fact is that it is Great Britain, it is the USA, it is the nations of Europe, and it is Israel that are the violent aggressors over the course of the last 200 years. The USA didn’t establish the Pax Americana and 750 military bases in over 80 countries because they’re defending America’s borders from invasion. Israel hasn’t repeatedly attacked Gaza, Syria, Iran, Qatar, and Lebanon because they are just defending themselves. And while I do believe that Stalin was preparing to attack the Third Reich, that doesn’t change the fact that Germany invaded the Russian homeland without any actual provocation.

China, meanwhile, has been repeatedly invaded and occupied by everyone from the Mongols and the Japanese to the British and the Americans. Its historical sins, which were particularly great in the 20th century, have for the most part been committed against its own people, not other nations.

Free Tibet? How about free Texas and the rest of the Confederate States of America first.

Binary thinking is bad enough, since most of the time there are no good guys. But binary thinking combined with historical fiction is pure Clown World delusion. And delusion is no basis for debate, diplomacy, or democracy.

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Vol. 3: Hector and Ajax

FYI: we’re rapidly approaching the last few hours of the Thanksgiving Junior Classics sale. The sets will still be available going forward at the following links, and via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers, but the price will be the retail price $349.99 instead of the sale price of $249.99

And remember, if you’re having any trouble ordering from Arkhaven, please don’t hesitate to use NDM Express. They’re two entirely different systems, so if one doesn’t work, the other usually will.

HECTOR AND AJAX, from Tales of Greece and Rome

The Greeks went forward to the battle, as the waves that curl themselves and then dash upon the shore, throwing high the foam. In order they went after their chiefs; you had thought them dumb, so silent were they. But the Trojans were like a flock of ewes which wait to be milked, and bleat hearing the voice of their lambs, so confused a cry went out from their army, for there were men of many tongues gathered together. And on either side the gods urged them on, but chiefly Minerva the Greeks and Mars the sons of Troy. Then, as two streams in flood meet in some chasm, so the armies dashed together, shield on shield and spear on spear.

Now when Minerva saw that the Greeks were perishing by the hand of Hector and his companions, it grieved her sore. So she came down from the heights of Olympus, if happily she might help them. And Apollo met her and said, “Art thou come, Minerva, to help the Greeks whom thou lovest? Well, let us stay the battle for this day; hereafter they shall fight till the doom of Troy be accomplished.”

But Minerva answered, “How shall we stay it?”

And Apollo said, “We will set on Hector to challenge the bravest of the Greeks to fight with him, man to man.”

So they two put the matter into the mind of Helenus the seer. Then Helenus went near to Hector, “Listen to me, for I am thy brother. Cause the rest of the sons of Troy and of the Greeks to sit down, and do thou challenge the bravest of the Greeks to fight with thee, man to man. And be sure thou shalt not fall in the battle, for the will of the immortal gods is so.”

Then Hector greatly rejoiced, and passed to the front of the army, holding his spear by the middle, and kept back the sons of Troy, and King Agamemnon did likewise with his own people. Then Hector spake:

“Hear me, sons of Troy, and ye men of Greece. The covenant that we made one with another hath been broken, for Jupiter would have it so, purposing evil to both, till either you shall take our high-walled city or we shall conquer you by your ships. But let one of you who call yourselves champions of the Greeks come forth and fight with me, man to man. And let it be so that if he vanquish me he shall spoil me of my arms but give my body to my people, that they may burn it with fire, and if I vanquish him, I will spoil him of his arms but give his body to the Greeks, that they may bury him and raise a great mound above him by the broad salt river of Hellespont. And so men of after days shall see it, sailing by, and say, `This is the tomb of the bravest of the Greeks, whom Hector slew.’ So shall my name live forever.”

But all the Greeks kept silence, fearing to meet him in battle, but shamed to hold back. Then at last Menelaus leapt forward and spake, “Surely now ye are women and not men. Foul shame it were should there be no man to stand up against this Hector. Lo! I will fight with him my own self, for the issues of battle are with the immortal gods.”

So he spake in his rage rashly, courting death, for Hector was much stronger than he. Then King Agamemnon answered, “Nay, but this is folly, my brother. Seek not in thy anger to fight with one that is stronger than thou; for as for this Hector, even Achilles was loth to meet him. Sit thou down among thy comrades, and the Greeks will find some champion who shall fight with him.”

And Menelaus hearkened to his brother’s words, and sat down. Then Nestor rose in the midst and said, “Woe is me today for Greece! How would the old Peleus grieve to hear such a tale! Well I remember how he rejoiced when I told him of the house and lineage of all chieftains of the Greeks, and now he would hear that they cower before Hector, and are sore afraid when he calls them to the battle. Surely he would pray this day that he might die! O that I were such as I was in the old days, when the men of Pylos fought with the Arcadians! I, who was the youngest of all, stood forth, and Minerva gave me glory that day, for I slew their leader, though he was the strongest and tallest among the sons of men. Would that I were such today! Right soon would I meet this mighty Hector.”

Then rose up nine chiefs of fame. First of all, King Agamemnon, lord of many nations, and next to him Diomed, and Ajax the Greater and Ajax the Less, and then Idomeneus and Meriones, and Eurypylus, and Thoas, son of Andraemon, and the wise Ulysses.

Then Nestor said, “Let us cast lots who shall do battle with the mighty Hector.”

So they threw the lots into the helmet of King Agamemnon, a lot for each. And the people prayed, “Grant, ye gods, that the lot of Ajax the Greater may leap forth, or the lot of Diomed, or the lot of King Agamemnon.”

Then Nestor shook the lots in the helmet, and the one which they most wished leapt forth. For the herald took it through the ranks and showed it to the chiefs, but none knew it for his own till he came to where Ajax the Greater stood among his comrades. But Ajax had marked it with his mark, and put forth his hand for it, and claimed it, right glad at heart. On the ground by his feet he threw it, and said:

“Mine is the lot, my friends, and right glad I am, for I think that I shall prevail over the mighty Hector, but come, let me don my arms, and pray ye to Jupiter, but silently, lest the Trojans hear, or aloud, if ye will, for no fear have we. Not by force or craft shall any one vanquish me, for not such are the men whom Salamis breeds.”

So he armed himself and moved forwards, smiling with grim face. With mighty strides he came, brandishing his long-shafted spear. The Greeks were glad to behold him, but the knees of the Trojans were loosened with fear and great Hector’s heart beat fast, but he trembled not, nor gave place, seeing that he had himself called him to battle. So Ajax came near, holding before the great shield, like a wall, which Tychius, best of craftsmen, had made for him. Seven folds of bull’s hide it had, and an eighth of bronze. Threateningly he spake:

“Now shalt thou know, Hector, what manner of men there are yet among our chiefs, though Achilles the lion-hearted is far away, sitting idly in his tent, in great wrath with King Agamemnon. Do thou, then, begin the battle.”

“Speak not to me, Jupiter-descended Ajax,” said Hector, “as though I were a woman or a child knowing nothing of war. Well I know all the arts of battle, to ply my shield this way and that, to guide my car through the tumult of steeds, and to stand fighting hand to hand. But I would not smite so stout a foe by stealth, but openly.”

As he spake he hurled his long-shafted spear, and smote the great shield on the rim of the eighth fold, that was of bronze. Through six folds it passed, but in the seventh it was stayed. Then Ajax hurled his spear, striking Hector’s shield. Through shield it passed and corslet, and cut the tunic close against the loin, but Hector shrank away and escaped the doom of death. Then, each with a fresh spear, they rushed together like lions or wild boars of the wood.

First Hector smote the middle of the shield of Ajax, but pierced it not, for the spear-point was bent back; then Ajax, with a great bound, drove his spear at Hector’s shield and pierced it, forcing him back, and grazing his neck so that the blood welled out. Yet did not Hector cease from the combat. He caught up a great stone from the ground, and hurled it at the boss of the sevenfold shield. Loud rang the bronze, but the shield broke not. Then Ajax took a stone heavier by far, and threw it with all his might. It broke the shield of Hector, and bore him backwards, so that he fell at length with his shield above him. But Apollo raised him up. Then did both draw their swords, but ere they could join in close battle the heralds came and held their scepters between them, and Idaeus, the herald of Troy, spake.

“Fight no more, my sons; Jupiter loves you both, and ye are both mighty warriors. That we all know right well. But now the night bids you cease, and it is well to heed its bidding.”

Then said Ajax, “Nay, Idaeus, but it is for Hector to speak, for he called the bravest of the Greeks to battle. And as he wills it, so will I.”

And Hector said, “O Ajax, the gods have given thee stature and strength and skill, nor is there any better warrior among the Greeks. Let us cease then from the battle; we may yet meet again, till the gods give the victory to me or thee. And now let us give gifts the one to the other, so that Trojans and Greeks may say—Hector and Ajax met in fierce fight and parted in friendship.”

So Hector gave to Ajax a silver-studded sword with the scabbard and the sword-belt, and Ajax gave to Hector a buckler splendid with purple. So they parted. Right glad were the sons of Troy when they saw Hector returning safe. Glad also were the Greeks, as they led Ajax rejoicing in his victory to King Agamemnon. Whereupon the king called the chiefs to banquet together, and bade slay an ox of five years old, and Ajax he honored most of all. When the feast was ended Nestor said:

“It were well that we should cease awhile from war and burn the dead, for many, in truth, are fallen. And we will build a great wall and dig a trench about it, and we will make wide gates that a chariot may pass through, so that our ships may be safe, if the sons of Troy should press us hard.”

But the next morning came a herald from Troy to the chiefs as they sat in council by the ship of King Agamemnon, and said:

“This is the word of Priam and the men of Troy; Paris will give back all the treasures of the fair Helen, and many more besides, but the fair Helen herself he will not give. But if this please you not, grant us a truce, that we may bury our dead.”

Then Diomed spake, “Nay, we will not take the fair Helen’s self, for a man may know even though he be a fool, that the doom of Troy is come.”

And King Agamemnon said, “Herald, thou hast heard the word of the Greeks, but as for the truce, be it as you will.”

So the next day they burnt their dead, and the Greeks made a wall with gates and dug a trench about it. And when it was finished, even at sunset, they made ready a meal, and lo! There came ships from Lemnos bringing wine, and Greeks bought thereof, some with bronze, and some with iron, and some with shields of ox hide. All night they feasted right joyously. The sons of Troy also feasted in their city. But the dreadful thunder rolled through the night, for Jupiter was counselling evil against them.

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