of divine Pelides, then shaking his head, he said to his own
soul:

"Ah! luckless one; nor is death at all in thy thoughts, which is now
near thee; but thou puttest on the immortal armour of the bravest hero,
at whom others also tremble; and thou hast slain his companion, both
gentle and brave, and thou hast taken the armour from his head and
shoulders not according to propriety. But now will I give into thy hands
a great victory, a compensation for this, that Andromache shall never
receive from thee, having returned from the battle, the illustrious arms
of the son of Peleus."

The son of Saturn spoke, and moreover nodded with his sable brows. But
the armour fitted the person of Hector, and Mars, the dreadful warrior,
entered him. And his limbs were inwardly filled with might and strength,
and he went after the illustrious allies, exclaiming aloud; and
glittering in his armour, to all of them he presented the appearance of
the magnanimous son of Peleus. But going among them, he animated each
with his words,--Mesthles, Glaucus, Medon, and Thersilochus, Asteropaeus,
Disenor, and Hippothoues, Phorcys, Chromius, and Ennomus the augur.
Exhorting these, he spoke winged words:

"Hear, ye countless troops of allies dwelling around, for I did not
assemble you here, each from his own city, seeking or wanting a crowd,
but that ye might willingly defend for me the wives and infant children
of the Trojans from the warlike Greeks. Thinking these things, I wear
away my people by gifts and provisions [to you], and I satisfy the
desire of each of you. Wherefore now let some one, being turned round
straight, either perish or be saved; for these are the chances of
war.[552] Nevertheless, whoever will drag Patroclus, although dead, to
the horse-breaking Trojans, and to whom Ajax shall yield, [to him] will
I present one-half of the spoils, but I myself will keep the other half;
and glory shall be to him as much as to me."

Thus he spoke; but they, lifting up their spears, advanced with
condensed might[553] direct against the Greeks; and their mind eagerly
hoped to draw away the dead body from Telamonian Ajax:--fools! truly
over it he took away the life from many. And then Ajax addressed
Menelaus, good in the din of war:

[Footnote 552: See Duport, Gnom. Hom. p. 97.]

[Footnote 553: Schol.: [Greek: Stiphros poiesantes,
sunaspisantes, eis to auto pantes apmesantes]. A curious
interpretation is given in the Glossaries: "[Gre