as he
rushed at him: and it was cleft in twain and fell on each side upon his
shoulders. And Polydeuces slew huge Itymoneus and Mimas. The one, with
a sudden leap, he smote beneath the breast with his swift foot and threw
him in the dust; and as the other drew near he struck him with his right
hand above the left eyebrow, and tore away his eyelid and the eyeball
was left bare. But Oreides, insolent henchman of Amycus, wounded Talaus
son of Bias in the side, but did not slay him, but only grazing the
skin the bronze sped under his belt and touched not the flesh. Likewise
Aretus with well-seasoned club smote Iphitus, the steadfast son of
Eurytus, not yet destined to an evil death; assuredly soon was he
himself to be slain by the sword of Clytius. Then Ancaeus, the dauntless
son of Lycurgus, quickly seized his huge axe, and in his left hand
holding a bear's dark hide, plunged into the midst of the Bebrycians
with furious onset; and with him charged the sons of Aeacus, and with
them started warlike Jason. And as when amid the folds grey wolves
rush down on a winter's day and scare countless sheep, unmarked by the
keen-scented dogs and the shepherds too, and they seek what first to
attack and carry off; often glaring around, but the sheep are just
huddled together and trample on one another; so the heroes grievously
scared the arrogant Bebrycians. And as shepherds or beekeepers smoke
out a huge swarm of bees in a rock, and they meanwhile, pent up in their
hive, murmur with droning hum, till, stupefied by the murky smoke, they
fly forth far from the rock; so they stayed steadfast no longer, but
scattered themselves inland through Bebrycia, proclaiming the death of
Amycus; fools, not to perceive that another woe all unforeseen was hard
upon them. For at that hour their vineyards and villages were being
ravaged by the hostile spear of Lycus and the Mariandyni, now that their
king was gone. For they were ever at strife about the ironbearing land.
And now the foe was destroying their steadings and farms, and now the
heroes from all sides were driving off their countless sheep, and one
spake among his fellows thus:

(ll. 145-153) "Bethink ye what they would have done in their cowardice
if haply some god had brought Heracles hither. Assuredly, if he had been
here, no trial would there have been of fists, I ween, but when the king
drew near to proclaim his rules, the club would have made him forget his
pride and the rules to boot.