spoken, he led on; and they followed along with him
with a mighty shout, and the troops likewise shouted in the rear. The
Greeks, on the other side, raised a shout, nor were they forgetful of
their valour, but they awaited the bravest of the Trojans, assaulting.
But the clamour of both reached to the aether and the shining
splendour[453] of Jove.

[Footnote 453: Cf. Pind. Ol. iii. 43: [Greek: Augais aliou]. So
"auras aetherias," Virg. Georg. ii. 291. Lucret. i. 208,
"Dias-luminis auras."--Kennedy.]

BOOK THE FOURTEENTH.

ARGUMENT.

Agamemnon and the other wounded chiefs visit the battle with Nestor.
Juno, having borrowed the cestus of Venus, first obtains the assistance
of Sleep, and then hastens to Ida to inveigle Jove. She prevails, Jove
sleeps, and Neptune seizes the opportunity to aid the Trojans.

But the shouting did not entirely escape the notice of Nestor, although
drinking, but he addressed winged words to the son of AEsculapius:
"Consider, noble Machaon, how these things will be; greater, certainly,
[grows] the shouting of the blooming youths at the ships. But sitting
here at present, drink indeed the dark wine, until fair-haired Hecamede
has warmed the tepid baths, and washed away the bloody gore; whilst I,
going with speed to a watchtower, will gain information."

So saying, he took the well-made shield of his own son, horse-breaking
Thrasymedes, [which was] lying in the tent, all shining with brass (for
he had the shield of his sire); and seized a strong spear, pointed with
sharp brass; and stood without the tent, and soon beheld an unseemly
deed,--these [the Greeks] in confusion, and those, the haughty Trojans,
routing them in the rear; but the wall of the Greeks had fallen. And as
when the vast deep blackens with the noiseless[454] wave, foreboding
with no effect, the rapid courses of the shrill blasts, nor yet is it
rolled forwards or backwards, before some decisive blast comes down from
Jove: so meditated the old man, distracted in his mind between two
opinions: whether he should go amongst the throng of fleet-horsed
Greeks, or to Agamemnon, the son of Atreus, shepherd of the people. But
to him thus reflecting, it appeared better to go in quest of the son of
Atreus. Meanwhile they kept slaughtering each other, contending, and the
solid brass around their bodies rang, as they were stricken with the
swords and two-edged spear