earth eager [to
go on], for it had burst through both orbs of the mighty[660] shield.
But he, having escaped the long spear, stood still, but immoderate
sadness was poured over his eyes, terrified, because the weapon had
stuck so near him. But Achilles eagerly sprang upon him, drawing his
sharp sword, and shouting dreadfully. Then AEneas seized in his hand a
stone, a great weight, which not two men could bear, such as men now
are; but he, though alone, easily wielded it. Then indeed had AEneas
smitten him, rushing on, with the stone, either upon the helmet or the
shield, which kept off grievous destruction from him; and Pelides, in
close fight, had taken away his life with the sword, had not
earth-shaking Neptune quickly perceived it, and immediately addressed
this speech to the immortal gods:

[Footnote 659: See on ver. 168.]

[Footnote 660: Cf. Buttm. Lexil. p. 83. The Schol. and Hesych.
t. i. p. 296, interpret it "man-encircling."]

"Ye gods! certainly there now is grief to me, on account of magnanimous
AEneas,[661] who will quickly descend to Hades, subdued by the son of
Peleus, foolish, being persuaded by the words of far-darting Apollo; nor
can he by any means avert[662] sad destruction from him. But why now
should this guiltless[663] man suffer evils gratuitously, on account of
sorrows due to others, for he always presents gifts agreeable to the
gods who inhabit the wide heaven? But come, let us withdraw him from
death, lest even the son of Saturn be angry, if indeed Achilles slay
this man: moreover, it is fated that he should escape, that the race of
Dardanus, whom Jove loved above all the children that were descended
from him and mortal women, may not perish without offspring, and become
extinct. For already hath the son of Saturn hated the race of Priam, and
the might of AEneas shall now rule over the Trojans, and the sons of his
sons, who may be born in after-times."

[Footnote 661: The remarks of Grote, vol. i. p. 428, sqq. on the
character and position of AEneas throughout the Iliad, deserve
much attention.]

[Footnote 662: "The examples of [Greek: chraismein] are frequent
enough in Homer to enable us safely to assert, from a comparison
of them, that it never has (at least in his writings) the more
general meaning of _to be useful, to help_, but, without an
exception, the more definite sense of _to ward off_..... by
examining passages we find, that even where no ac