(3.167-193) Now the heroes apart in ambush, in a back-water of the river, were met in council, sitting on the benches of their ship. And Aeson's son himself was speaking among them; and they were listening silently in their places sitting row upon row: "My friends, what pleases myself that will I say out; it is for you to bring about its fulfilment. For in common is our task, and common to all alike is the right of speech; and he who in silence withholds his thought and his counsel, let him know that it is he alone that bereaves this band of its home-return. Do ye others rest here in the ship quietly with your arms; but I will go to the palace of Aeetes, taking with me the sons of Phrixus and two comrades as well. And when I meet him I will first make trial with words to see if he will be willing to give up the golden fleece for friendship's sake or not, but trusting to his might will set at nought our quest. For so, learning his frowardness first from himself, we will consider whether we shall meet him in battle, or some other plan shall avail us, if we refrain from the war-cry. And let us not merely by force, before putting words to the test, deprive him of his own possession. But first it is better to go to him and win his favour by speech. Oftentimes, I ween, does speech accomplish at need what prowess could hardly catty through, smoothing the path in manner befitting. And he once welcomed noble Phrixus, a fugitive from his stepmother's wiles and the sacrifice prepared by his father. For all men everywhere, even the most shameless, reverence the ordinance of Zeus, god of strangers, and regard it."
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167 Ἥρωες δ' ἀπάνευθεν ἑῆς ἐπὶ σέλμασι νηὸς
168 ἐν ποταμῷ καθ' ἕλος λελοχημένοι ἠγορόωντο.
169 αὐτὸς δ' Αἰσονίδης μετεφώνεεν: οἱ δ' ὑπάκουον
170 ἠρέμας ᾗ ἐνὶ χώρῃ ἐπισχερὼ ἑδριόωντες:
171 "̂Ὠ φίλοι, ἤτοι ἐγὼ μὲν ὅ μοι ἐπιανδάνει αὐτῷ
172 ἐξερέω: τοῦ δ' ὔμμι τέλος κρηῆναι ἔοικεν.
173 ξυνὴ γὰρ χρειώ, ξυνοὶ δέ τε μῦθοι ἔασιν
174 πᾶσιν ὁμῶς: ὁ δὲ σῖγα νόον βουλήν τ' ἀπερύκων
175 ἴστω καὶ νόστου τόνδε στόλον οἶος ἀπούρας.
176 ὧλλοι μὲν κατὰ νῆα σὺν ἔντεσι μίμνεθ' ἕκηλοι:
177 αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐς δώματ' ἐλεύσομαι Αἰήταο,
178 υἷας ἑλὼν Φρίξοιο δύω δ' ἐπὶ τοῖσιν ἑταίρους.
179 πειρήσω δ' ἐπέεσσι παροίτερον ἀντιβολήσας,
180 εἴ κ' ἐθέλοι φιλότητι δέρος χρύσειον ὀπάσσαι,
181 ἦε καὶ οὔ, πίσυνος δὲ βίῃ μετιόντας ἀτίσσει.
182 ὧδε γὰρ ἐξ αὐτοῖο πάρος κακότητα δαέντες
183 φρασσόμεθ', εἴτ' ἄρηι συνοισόμεθ' εἴτε τις ἄλλη
184 μῆτις ἐπίρροθος ἔσται ἐεργομένοισιν ἀυτῆς.
185 μηδ' αὔτως ἀλκῇ, πρὶν ἔπεσσί γε πειρηθῆναι,
186 τόνδ' ἀπαμείρωμεν σφέτερον κτέρας. ἀλλὰ πάροιθεν
187 λωίτερον μύθῳ μιν ἀρέσσασθαι μετιόντας.
188 πολλάκι τοι ῥέα μῦθος, ὅ κεν μόλις ἐξανύσειεν
189 ἠνορέη, τόδ' ἔρεξε κατὰ χρέος, ᾗπερ ἐῴκει
190 πρηΰνας. ὁ δὲ καί ποτ' ἀμύμονα Φρίξον ἔδεκτο
191 μητρυιῆς φεύγοντα δόλον πατρός τε θυηλάς.
192 πάντες ἐπεὶ πάντῃ καὶ ὅτις μάλα κύντατος ἀνδρῶν,
193 Ξεινίου αἰδεῖται Ζηνὸς θέμιν ἠδ' ἀλεγίζει."
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