e
house of Jove, till the cunning workman Vulcan began to try and pacify
his mother Juno. "It will be intolerable," said he, "if you two fall to
wrangling and setting heaven in an uproar about a pack of mortals. If
such ill counsels are to prevail, we shall have no pleasure at our
banquet. Let me then advise my mother--and she must herself know that
it will be better--to make friends with my dear father Jove, lest he
again scold her and disturb our feast. If the Olympian Thunderer wants
to hurl us all from our seats, he can do so, for he is far the
strongest, so give him fair words, and he will then soon be in a good
humour with us."

As he spoke, he took a double cup of nectar, and placed it in his
mother's hand. "Cheer up, my dear mother," said he, "and make the best
of it. I love you dearly, and should be very sorry to see you get a
thrashing; however grieved I might be, I could not help, for there is
no standing against Jove. Once before when I was trying to help you, he
caught me by the foot and flung me from the heavenly threshold. All day
long from morn till eve, was I falling, till at sunset I came to ground
in the island of Lemnos, and there I lay, with very little life left in
me, till the Sintians came and tended me."

Juno smiled at this, and as she smiled she took the cup from her son's
hands. Then Vulcan drew sweet nectar from the mixing-bowl, and served
it round among the gods, going from left to right; and the blessed gods
laughed out a loud applause as they saw him bustling about the heavenly
mansion.

Thus through the livelong day to the going down of the sun they
feasted, and every one had his full share, so that all were satisfied.
Apollo struck his lyre, and the Muses lifted up their sweet voices,
calling and answering one another. But when the sun's glorious light
had faded, they went home to bed, each in his own abode, which lame
Vulcan with his consummate skill had fashioned for them. So Jove, the
Olympian Lord of Thunder, hied him to the bed in which he always slept;
and when he had got on to it he went to sleep, with Juno of the golden
throne by his side.

BOOK II

Jove sends a lying dream to Agamemnon, who thereon calls the
chiefs in assembly, and proposes to sound the mind of his
army--In the end they march to fight--Catalogue of the
Achaean and Trojan forces.

Now the other gods and the armed warriors on the plain slept soundly,
but Jove was wakeful, for he was thinking