" ‘Πρεσβεύσω , ’ ἔφην ‘ὁ γὰρ νοῦς τῆς πρεσβείας ἦν μὴ ἀπολέσθαι αὐτούς . ἀλλ᾿ ἐγώ τί σου , Ἀχιλλεῦ , δέομαι . ’ ‘ξυνίημι , ’ ἔφη ‘δῆλος γὰρ εἶ περὶ τῶν Τρωικῶν « ἐρωτήσων » . ἐρώτα δὲ λόγους πέντε , οὓς αὐτός τε βούλει καὶ Μοῖραι ξυγχωροῦσιν . ’ ἠρόμην οὖν πρῶτον , εἰ κατὰ τὸν τῶν ποιητῶν λόγον ἔτυχε τάφου . ‘κεῖμαι μέν , ’ εἶπεν ‘ὡς ἔμοιγε ἥδιστον καὶ Πατρόκλῳ ἐγένετο , ξυνέβημεν γὰρ δὴ κομιδῇ νέοι , ξυνέχει δὲ ἄμφω χρυσοῦς ἀμφορεὺς κειμένους , ὡς ἕνα . Μουσῶν δὲ θρῆνοι καὶ Νηρηίδων , οὓς ἐπ᾿ ἐμοὶ γενέσθαι φασί , Μοῦσαι μὲν οὐδ᾿ ἀφίκοντό ποτε ἐνταῦθα , Νηρηίδες δὲ ἔτι φοιτῶσι . ’ μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ ἠρόμην , εἰ ἡ Πολυξένη ἐπισφαγείη αὐτῷ , ὁ δὲ ἀληθὲς μὲν ἔφη τοῦτο εἶναι , σφαγῆναι δὲ αὐτὴν οὐχ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν , ἀλλ᾿ ἑκοῦσαν ἐπὶ τὸ σῆμα ἐλθοῦσαν καὶ τὸν ἑαυτῆς τε κἀκείνου ἔρωτα μεγάλων ἀξιῶσαι προσπεσοῦσαν ξίφει ὀρθῷ .
" Τρίτον ἠρόμην · ‘ἡ Ἑλένη , ὦ Ἀχιλλεῦ , ἐς Τροίαν ἦλθεν , ἢ Ὁμήρῳ ἔδοξεν ὑποθέσθαι ταῦτα ; ’ ‘πολὺν’ ἔφη ‘χρόνον ἐξηπατώμεθα πρεσβευόμενοί τε παρὰ τοὺς Τρῶας καὶ ποιούμενοι τὰς ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς μάχας , ὡς ἐν τῷ Ἰλίῳ οὔσης , ἡ δ᾿ Αἴγυπτόν τε ᾤκει καὶ τὸν Πρωτέως οἶκον ἁρπασθεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ Πάριδος . ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπιστεύθη τοῦτο , ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς τῆς Τροίας λοιπὸν ἐμαχόμεθα , ὡς μὴ αἰσχρῶς ἀπέλθοιμεν . ’ ἡψάμην καὶ τετάρτης ἐρωτήσεως καὶ θαυμάζειν ἔφην , εἰ τοσούσδε ὁμοῦ καὶ τοιούσδε ἄνδρας ἡ Ἑλλὰς ἤνεγκεν , ὁπόσους Ὅμηρος ἐπὶ τὴν Τροίαν ξυντάττει . ὁ δὲ Ἀχιλλεὺς ‘οὐδὲ οἱ βάρβαροι’ ἔφη ‘πολὺ ἡμῶν ἐλείποντο , οὕτως ἡ γῆ πᾶσα ἀρετῆς ἤνθησε . ’
" Πέμπτον ἠρόμην · ‘τί παθὼν Ὅμηρος τὸν Παλαμήδην οὐκ οἶδεν , ἢ οἶδε μέν , ἐξαιρεῖ δὲ τοῦ περὶ ὑμῶν λόγου ; ’ ‘εἰ Παλαμήδης’ εἶπεν ‘ἐς Τροίαν οὐκ ἦλθεν , οὐδὲ Τροία ἐγένετο · ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀνὴρ σοφώτατός τε καὶ μαχιμώτατος ἀπέθανεν , ὡς Ὀδυσσεῖ ἔδοξεν , οὐκ ἐσάγεται αὐτὸν ἐς τὰ ποιήματα Ὅμηρος , ὡς μὴ τὰ ὀνείδη τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως ᾄδοι . ’

I will be an ambassador , I said , for the point of the intercession is not to destroy them . But I need something from you , Achilles . " I understand " he said " for it is clear you will ask about the Trojan war . Then ask five questions , which you yourself wish and the Fates permit . Therefore , I asked first if he ever obtained a burial in accordance with the account of the poets . " I lie buried " , he said , " as is pleasant to me at least and Patroclus , for we met when we were quite young , and in a golden urn we lie mixed together as one . But as for the dirges of the Muses and the Nereids , that they claim to have made over me , the Muses never once came here , but the Nereids still visit . And after that I asked if Polyxena was slaughtered over him , and indeed he said this to be true , however she had not been slain by the Achaeans , but went to the grave willingly and considered the love of her and Achilles so great that she fell upon an upright sword . Third , I asked , " Did Helen , Achilles , come to Troy , or did Homer think to suggest this ? " For a long time , " he said , " We were deceived , sending ambassadors to the Trojans and doing battle over her , as if she were in Ilium , but she was dwelling in Egypt and in the house of Proteus , having been carried off by Paris . And after we trusted this , what remained for us was to fight for Troy itself ; thus , we would not have gone away shamefully . " I also undertook my fourth question and said that I was wondering , whether the Greeks brought together so many such men , as great as Homer draws up against the Trojans . And Achilles said , " nor were the Barbarians so greatly inferior to us , in this way the whole earth was at the height of excellence . Fifth , I asked , how did it happen that Homer does not know Palamedes , or indeed does know , but takes him out of his account of you all ? " If , " he said , " Palamedes did not come to Troy , Troy did not exist . " " But since that very wise and warlike man died , because it seemed good to Odysseus , Homer does not bring him into the work , as not to glorify the disgrace of Odysseus . "

" ‘I will , ’ I replied , ‘since the purpose of the message is to save them from destruction . But I have a request to make of you , Achilles . ’ ‘I understand , ’ he replied ; ‘you are obviously going to ask about the Trojan War . So you can ask five questions , such as you wish and the Fates permit . ’ So first I asked if he received burial in the way the poets describe . ‘I am buried , ’ he replied , ‘in the way most pleasing to myself and to Patroclus , for we met when we were very young men , and a golden vessel holds us both as a single person . But as for the dirges which they say the Muses and the Nereids made over me , why , the Muses never once came here , though the Nereids still visit . ’ After that I asked if Polyxena had been slaughtered in his honor . He said that this was true , though she had not been sacrificed by the Achaeans , but had come to the tomb by her own choice , and had paid a great tribute to their mutual love by falling on an upturned sword .
" Thirdly I asked , ‘Did Helen come to Troy , Achilles , or did Homer choose to invent all that ? ’ ‘For a long time , ’ he replied , ‘we were fooled , sending embassies to the Trojans and doing battle on her account , as if she was in Ilium . In fact she was living in Egypt and the house of Proteus after Paris had carried her off . Once we were convinced of this , thereafter we fought to win Troy itself , so as not to leave in disgrace . ’ I ventured my fourth question , and said I was surprised that Greece had produced as many and as great heroes as Homer arrays against Troy . Achilles replied , ‘Nor were the barbarians much our inferiors , so much did the whole world teem with virtue . ’
" My fifth question was : ‘How is it that Homer does not know about Palamedes , or if he does excises him from his account of you all ? ’ ‘If Palamedes did not come to Troy , ’ he replied , ‘Troy did not exist either . But since that wisest and most warlike of heroes was killed by a ruse of Odysseus , Homer does not bring him into his poem to avoid celebrating Odysseus’s crimes . ’