ote 676: [Greek: Amarte] is here an adverb.]

[Footnote 677: Symmachus, Epist. ix. 105: "Pari nitore atque
gravitate senatorias actiones et Romanae rei monumenta limasti, ut
plane Homerica appellatione [Greek: peridexion], id est,
aequimanum, te esse pronunciem."]

"Lie so: it is a difficult thing for thee, though descended from a
River, to contend with the sons of the most mighty Saturnian [Jove].
Thou saidst thou wert of the race of a wide-flowing River, but I boast
myself to be of the race of mighty Jove. The hero ruling over many
Myrmidons begat me, Peleus, son of AEacus; but AEacus was from Jove;
wherefore Jove is more powerful than Rivers flowing into the sea, and
the race of Jove again is more powerful than that of a river. Besides, a
very great River is at hand to thee, if it can aught defend thee; but it
is not lawful to fight with Jove, the son of Saturn. With him neither
does king Acheloues vie, nor the mighty strength of deep-flowing Oceanus,
from which flow all rivers, and every sea, and all fountains, and deep
wells; but even he dreads the bolt of the great Jove, and the dreadful
thunder, when it bellows from heaven."

He said, and plucked his brazen spear from the bank. But him he left
there, after he had taken away his life, lying in the sand, and the dark
water laved him. About him, indeed, the eels and fishes were busied,
eating [and] nibbling the fat around his kidneys. But he (Achilles)
hastened to go against the Paeonian equestrian warriors, who were already
turned to flight beside the eddying river, when they saw the bravest in
the violent conflict bravely subdued by the hands and sword of the son
of Peleus. Then he slew Thersilochus, Mydon, Astypylus, Mnesus,
Thrasius, AEnius, and Ophelestes. And now had swift Achilles slain even
more Paeonians, had not the deep-eddying River, enraged, addressed him,
likening itself to a man, and uttered a voice from its deep vortex:

"O Achilles, thou excellest, it is true, in strength, but thou doest
unworthy acts above [others], for the gods themselves always aid thee.
If indeed the son of Saturn has granted to thee to destroy all the
Trojans, at least having driven them from me, perform these arduous
enterprises along the plain. For now are my agreeable streams full of
dead bodies, nor can I any longer pour my tide into the vast sea, choked
up by the dead; whilst thou slayest unsparingly. But come, even cease--a
stupor seizes me--O chieftain of