And now Menelaus, would the end of life have appeared for you at the hands of Hector, seeing he was mightier far, had not the kings of the Achaeans sprung up and laid hold of you. And Atreus' son himself, wide-ruling Agamemnon, caught him by the right hand and spoke to him, saying:
ἔνθά κέ τοι Μενέλαε φάνη βιότοιο τελευτὴ Ἕκτορος ἐν παλάμῃσιν , ἐπεὶ πολὺ φέρτερος ἦεν , εἰ μὴ ἀναΐξαντες ἕλον βασιλῆες Ἀχαιῶν , αὐτός τ' Ἀτρεΐδης εὐρὺ κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων δεξιτερῆς ἕλε χειρὸς ἔπος τ' ἔφατ' ἔκ τ' ὀνόμαζεν ·
ἔνθα ἄν σύ Μενέλαος φαίνω βίοτος τελευτή Ἕκτωρ ἐν παλάμη , ἐπεί πολύς φέρτατος εἰμί , εἰ μή ἀναίσσω αἱρέω βασιλεύς Ἀχαιός , αὐτός τε Ἀτρείδης εὐρύς κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων δεξιτερός αἱρέω χείρ ἔπος τε φημί ἐκ τε ὀνομάζω ·