Book VIII - Page 2

Achaeans.

The Achaeans took their morning meal hastily at the ships, and

afterwards put on their armour. The Trojans on the other hand

likewise armed themselves throughout the city, fewer in numbers

but nevertheless eager perforce to do battle for their wives and

children. All the gates were flung wide open, and horse and foot

sallied forth with the tramp as of a great multitude.

When they were got together in one place, shield clashed with

shield, and spear with spear, in the conflict of mail-clad men.

Mighty was the din as the bossed shields pressed hard on one

another--death--cry and shout of triumph of slain and slayers,

and the earth ran red with blood.

Now so long as the day waxed and it was still morning their

weapons beat against one another, and the people fell, but when

the sun had reached mid-heaven, the sire of all balanced his

golden scales, and put two fates of death within them, one for

the Trojans and the other for the Achaeans. He took the balance

by the middle, and when he lifted it up the day of the Achaeans

sank; the death-fraught scale of the Achaeans settled down upon

the ground, while that of the Trojans rose heavenwards. Then he

thundered aloud from Ida, and sent the glare of his lightning

upon the Achaeans; when they saw this, pale fear fell upon them

and they were sore afraid.

Idomeneus dared not stay nor yet Agamemnon, nor did the two

Ajaxes, servants of Mars, hold their ground. Nestor knight of

Gerene alone stood firm, bulwark of the Achaeans, not of his own

will, but one of his horses was disabled. Alexandrus husband of

lovely Helen had hit it with an arrow just on the top of its head

where the mane begins to grow away from the skull, a very deadly

place. The horse bounded in his anguish as the arrow pierced his

brain, and his struggles threw others into confusion. The old man

instantly began cutting the traces with his sword, but Hector's

fleet horses bore down upon him through the rout with their bold

charioteer, even Hector himself, and the old man would have

perished there and then had not Diomed been quick to mark, and

with a loud cry called Ulysses to help him.

"Ulysses," he cried, "noble son of Laertes where are you flying

to, with your back turned like a coward? See that you are not

struck with a spear between the shoulders. Stay here and help me

to defend Nestor from this man's furious onset."

Ulysses would not give ear, but sped onward to the ships of the

Achaeans, and the son of Tydeus flinging himself alone into the

thick of the fight took his stand before