Not those mutinous fools; there was too much wine to swill, too many sheep to slaughter down along the beach, and shambling longhorn cattle.

"Then I urged them to cut and run, set sail,
but would they listen? Not those mutinous fools;
there was too much wine to swill, too many sheep to slaughter
down along the beach, and shambling longhorn cattle."

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 9, lines 50-53. This passage illustrates the theme of greed. On the way home from Troy Odysseus raided Ismarus, stronghold of the Cicones. He allowed his men plunder the city, but when it was time to go they refused to leave, because they wanted more wine and meat. The delay resulted in six of his men being killed when the Cicones attacked them.

Homer Quotes