poising a huge spear in his hand,
exclaimed,--for he was a contemner of the Gods, and never offered
invocations to them,--"Now let this right hand and this good dart be my
aid; and then I vow that my son, my dear Lausus, shall be clad in the
bright arms torn from the body of yon Trojan pirate." With these words he
drew the spear. Sent with a true aim, it struck the shield of AEneas, but
glanced from the hardened surface, and turning aside, pierced the side of
Antores, a faithful follower of Evander, who had come with Pallas to the
war. Thus died Antores, by a weapon never aimed at him, but he was
speedily avenged. AEneas, putting all his might into the cast, now in his
turn hurled his spear. It tore its way through the triple plates of
Mezentius' shield, through his corselet, and inflicted a severe wound in
his groin, though its force was so far spent that the injury was not
mortal.

Overjoyed at the sight of his enemy's blood, AEneas drew his sword from its
sheath, and rushed upon Mezentius, who was as yet bewildered by the blow.
When Lausus saw his father in such peril he sprang forward and stood
before AEneas, while Mezentius fell back among his friends, the Trojan
lance still trailing in his armor. Lausus received the first stroke of
AEneas' sword on his buckler, while the Rutulians with loud shouts
applauded him, and poured on the Trojan hero a tempest of darts. Against
this he protected himself with his shield, and meanwhile, pitying the
youth and courage of Lausus, spoke to him in words of warning: "Why do you
thus rush on your own destruction, and attempt what is beyond your
strength? Your filial devotion blinds you to your danger." But Lausus,
resolute to defend his wounded sire, returned a haughty defiance. Then
AEneas could no longer control his wrath; he exerted all his strength, and
thrust his terrible sword up to the hilt through the body of the youth,
who sank lifeless on the blood-steeped ground. When AEneas saw the comely
young warrior stretched dead before him, his heart was filled with pity.
"Ill-fated youth!" he cried, "how can I testify my reverence for thy
filial piety and thy undaunted valor? Thou shalt at least retain those
arms which it was thy delight to wear, and thy body shall be given up
unspoiled to thy friends." With that he summoned the dismayed followers of
Lausus, and with his own hands raised from the ground the comely body, all
disfigured with blood and wounds. Meantime Mezentius had r