When Dawn rose from Ocean to bring light to gods and men, Thetis came to the ships with the armor Hephaestus had made. She found Achilles fallen over Patroclus, weeping, and many of his companions weeping with him. She took his hand and told him grief must yield: heaven had willed the death; now he must take the god's rich armor, which no living man had ever worn.
She set the armor before him, and it rang aloud. The Myrmidons shrank and dared not look full at it, but Achilles's eyes burned with fiercer anger, glad when he handled the gift. He told his mother the work was fit for an immortal, and that he would arm — yet he feared flies would settle on Menoetius's son and breed worms in the wounds until the body spoiled.
Silver-footed Thetis answered that she would keep the swarms from him. He might lie a full year and his flesh would stay sound, or sounder. Call the Achaean heroes to assembly, she said; unsay your anger against Agamemnon; arm and fight with all your strength.
She put courage into his heart and dropped ambrosia and red nectar into Patroclus's wounds so the body would not change. Then Achilles went along the shore and cried aloud for the Achaean leaders.
Even those who usually stayed by the ships — pilots, helmsmen, and stewards who dealt out rations — came to the place of assembly, because Achilles had shown himself after so long apart from war. Diomedes and Odysseus came limping from their wounds and sat in the front. Last came Agamemnon, also wounded, where Coön son of Antenor had struck him with a spear.
When they were gathered, Achilles rose and spoke. Son of Atreus, he said, it would have been better for both of us if Artemis had shot Briseis dead at the ships on the day he took her from Lyrnessus. Then fewer Achaeans would have bitten the dust in the days of his anger. The quarrel had served Hector and the Trojans; the Achaeans would remember it long.
Now let it be over. Necessity had schooled them. He put away his bitter wrath and called the army to battle at once. He would go against the Trojans and stop sitting idle by the ships.
The Achaeans rejoiced that he had renounced his anger.