Homer, Iliad

Then, his strength all spent, spake to him Hector of the flashing helm:“I implore thee by thy life and knees and parents, suffer me not to be devoured of dogs by the ships of the Achaeans; [340] nay, take thou store of bronze and gold, gifts that my fathec and queenly mother shall give thee, but my bodv give thou back to my home, that the Trojans and the Trojans' wives may give me my due meed of fire in my death.” Then with an angry glance from beneath his brows spake unto him Achilhes swift of foot: [345] “Implore me not, dog, by knees or parents. Would that in any wise wrath and fury might bid me carve thy flesh and myself eat it raw, because of what thou hast wrought, as surely as there lives no man that shall ward off the dogs from thy head; nay, not though they should bring hither and weigh out ransom ten-fold, aye, twenty-fold, [350] and should promise yet more; nay, not though Priam, son of Dardanus, should bid pay thy weight in gold; not even so shall thy queenly mother lay thee on a bier and make lament for thee, the son herself did bear, but dogs and birds shall devour thee utterly.” [355] Then even in dying spake unto him Hector of the flashing helm: “Verily I know thee well, and forbode what shall be, neither was it to be that I should persuade thee; of a truth the heart in thy breast is of iron. Bethink thee now lest haply I bring the wrath of the gods upon thee on the day when Paris and Phoebus Apollo shall slay thee, [360] valorous though thou art, at the Scaean gate.” Even as he thus spake the end of death enfolded him and his soul fleeting from his limbs was gone to Hades, bewailing her fate, leaving manliness and youth. And to him even in his death spake goodly Achilles: [365] “Lie thou dead; my fate will I accept whenso Zeus willeth to bring it to pass and the other immortal gods.”