Book VII

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But Paris would not agree to this. He was willing to give up Helen's treasures, and to give treasure of his own as compensation to the Greeks, but he would not consent to restore Helen herself. King Priam weakly gave way to his son, and ordered that a herald should be sent to the Greek leaders to tell them of the offer of Paris, and to request that fighting should not be resumed until the dead should be taken from the battlefield, and funeral services performed.

Accordingly the Trojan herald Idæus went next morning to the tent of Agamemnon. There he found the Argive chiefs assembled. Upon hearing his message, they scornfully rejected the terms proposed by Paris, but they agreed to a truce for the funeral ceremonies. Idæus returned to the city, and told the Trojan leaders of the answer he had received. Both Greeks and Trojans then began collecting their dead from the field and building great piles of wood, or pyres, to burn the bodies upon.

All wailing, silently they bore away Their slaughtered friends, and heaped them on the pyre With aching hearts, and, when they had consumed The dead with fire, returned to hallowed Troy. The nobly-armed Achaians also heaped Their slaughtered warriors on the funeral pile With aching hearts; and when they had consumed Their dead with fire they sought their hollow ships.

BRYANT, _Iliad_,