nd with him there came forty ships.

Such were the chiefs and princes of the Danaans. Who, then, O Muse, was
the foremost, whether man or horse, among those that followed after the
sons of Atreus?

Of the horses, those of the son of Pheres were by far the finest. They
were driven by Eumelus, and were as fleet as birds. They were of the
same age and colour, and perfectly matched in height. Apollo, of the
silver bow, had bred them in Perea--both of them mares, and terrible as
Mars in battle. Of the men, Ajax, son of Telamon, was much the foremost
so long as Achilles' anger lasted, for Achilles excelled him greatly
and he had also better horses; but Achilles was now holding aloof at
his ships by reason of his quarrel with Agamemnon, and his people
passed their time upon the sea shore, throwing discs or aiming with
spears at a mark, and in archery. Their horses stood each by his own
chariot, champing lotus and wild celery. The chariots were housed under
cover, but their owners, for lack of leadership, wandered hither and
thither about the host and went not forth to fight.

Thus marched the host like a consuming fire, and the earth groaned
beneath them when the lord of thunder is angry and lashes the land
about Typhoeus among the Arimi, where they say Typhoeus lies. Even so
did the earth groan beneath them as they sped over the plain.

And now Iris, fleet as the wind, was sent by Jove to tell the bad news
among the Trojans. They were gathered in assembly, old and young, at
Priam's gates, and Iris came close up to Priam, speaking with the voice
of Priam's son Polites, who, being fleet of foot, was stationed as
watchman for the Trojans on the tomb of old Aesyetes, to look out for
any sally of the Achaeans. In his likeness Iris spoke, saying, "Old
man, you talk idly, as in time of peace, while war is at hand. I have
been in many a battle, but never yet saw such a host as is now
advancing. They are crossing the plain to attack the city as thick as
leaves or as the sands of the sea. Hector, I charge you above all
others, do as I say. There are many allies dispersed about the city of
Priam from distant places and speaking divers tongues. Therefore, let
each chief give orders to his own people, setting them severally in
array and leading them forth to battle."

Thus she spoke, but Hector knew that it was the goddess, and at once
broke up the assembly. The men flew to arms; all the gates were opened,
and the people thronged thr