'I have heard nothing,' I answered, 'of Peleus, but I can tell you all about your son Neoptolemus, for I took him in my own ship from Scyros with the Achaeans. In our councils of war before Troy he was always first to speak, and his judgement was unerring. Nestor and I were the only two who could surpass him; and when it came to fighting on the plain of Troy, he would never remain with the body of his men, but would dash on far in front, foremost of them all in valour. Many a man did he kill in battle--I cannot name every single one of those whom he slew while fighting on the side of the Argives, but will only say how he killed that valiant hero Eurypylus son of Telephus, who was the handsomest man I ever saw except Memnon; many others also of the Ceteians fell around him by reason of a woman's bribes. Moreover, when all the bravest of the Argives went inside the horse that Epeus had made, and it was left to me to settle when we should either open the door of our ambuscade, or close it, though all the other leaders and chief men among the Danaans were drying their eyes and quaking in every limb, I never once saw him turn pale nor wipe a tear from his cheek; he was all the time urging me to break out from the horse--grasping the handle of his sword and his bronze-shod spear, and breathing fury against the foe. Yet when we had sacked the city of Priam he got his handsome share of the prize money and went on board (such is the fortune of war) without a wound upon him, neither from a thrown spear nor in close combat, for the rage of Mars is a matter of great chance.'

ὣς ἔφατ΄͵ αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον· ἦ τοι μὲν Πηλῆος ἀμύμονος οὔ τι πέπυσμαι͵ αὐτάρ τοι παιδός γε Νεοπτολέμοιο φίλοιο πᾶσαν ἀληθείην μυθήσομαι͵ ὥς με κελεύεις· αὐτὸς γάρ μιν ἐγὼ κοίλης ἐπὶ νηὸς ἐΐσης ἤγαγον ἐκ Σκύρου μετ΄ ἐϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιούς. ἦ τοι ὅτ΄ ἀμφὶ πόλιν Τροίην φραζοίμεθα βουλάς͵ αἰεὶ πρῶτος ἔβαζε καὶ οὐχ ἡμάρτανε μύθων· Νέστωρ δ΄ ἀντίθεος καὶ ἐγὼ νικάσκομεν οἴω. αὐτὰρ ὅτ΄ ἐν πεδίῳ Τρώων μαρναίμεθ΄ Ἀχαιοί͵ οὔ ποτ΄ ἐνὶ πληθυῖ μένεν ἀνδρῶν οὐδ΄ ἐν ὁμίλῳ͵ ἀλλὰ πολὺ προθέεσκε͵ τὸ ὃν μένος οὐδενὶ εἴκων· πολλοὺς δ΄ ἄνδρας ἔπεφνεν ἐν αἰνῇ δηϊοτῆτι. πάντας δ΄ οὐκ ἂν ἐγὼ μυθήσομαι οὐδ΄ ὀνομήνω͵ ὅσσον λαὸν ἔπεφνεν ἀμύνων Ἀργείοισιν͵ ἀλλ΄ οἷον τὸν Τηλεφίδην κατενήρατο χαλκῷ͵ ἥρω΄ Εὐρύπυλον· πολλοὶ δ΄ ἀμφ΄ αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι Κήτειοι κτείνοντο γυναίων εἵνεκα δώρων. κεῖνον δὴ κάλλιστον ἴδον μετὰ Μέμνονα δῖον. αὐτὰρ ὅτ΄ εἰς ἵππον κατεβαίνομεν͵ ὃν κάμ΄ Ἐπειός͵ Ἀργείων οἱ ἄριστοι͵ ἐμοὶ δ΄ ἐπὶ πάντ΄ ἐτέταλτο͵ [ἠμὲν ἀνακλῖναι πυκινὸν λόχον ἠδ΄ ἐπιθεῖναι͵] ἔνθ΄ ἄλλοι Δαναῶν ἡγήτορες ἠδὲ μέδοντες δάκρυά τ΄ ὠμόργνυντο͵ τρέμον θ΄ ὑπὸ γυῖα ἑκάστου· κεῖνον δ΄ οὔ ποτε πάμπαν ἐγὼν ἴδον ὀφθαλμοῖσιν οὔτ΄ ὠχρήσαντα χρόα κάλλιμον οὔτε παρειῶν δάκρυ΄ ὀμορξάμενον· ὁ δέ με μάλα πόλλ΄ ἱκέτευεν ἱππόθεν ἐξέμεναι͵ ξίφεος δ΄ ἐπεμαίετο κώπην καὶ δόρυ χαλκοβαρές͵ κακὰ δὲ Τρώεσσι μενοίνα. ἀλλ΄ ὅτε δὴ Πριάμοιο πόλιν διεπέρσαμεν αἰπήν͵ μοῖραν καὶ γέρας ἐσθλὸν ἔχων ἐπὶ νηὸς ἔβαινεν ἀσκηθής͵ οὔτ΄ ἂρ βεβλημένος ὀξέϊ χαλκῷ οὔτ΄ αὐτοσχεδίην οὐτασμένος͵ οἷά τε πολλὰ γίνεται ἐν πολέμῳ· ἐπιμὶξ δέ τε μαίνεται Ἄρης.