, glows, bubbling up within on all sides, while melting the
fat of a delicately-fed sow, whilst the dry wood lies beneath it; so
were his fair streams dried up with fire, and the water boiled; nor
could he flow on, but was restrained, and the vapour [raised] by the
might of crafty Vulcan harassed him. At length, supplicating much, he
addressed to Juno winged words:

"O Juno, why does thy son press upon my stream, to annoy [me] beyond
others? nor truly am I so much to blame as all the others, as many as
are assistants to the Trojans, But I will, however, desist, if thou
biddest it; and let him also cease; and I moreover will swear this, that
I never will avert the evil day from the Trojans, not even when all
burning Troy shall be consumed with destructive fire, and the warlike
sons of the Greeks shall burn it."

But when the white-armed goddess Juno heard this, she straightway
addressed her beloved son Vulcan: "Vulcan, my illustrious son, abstain;
for it is not fitting thus to persecute an immortal god for the sake of
mortals."

Thus she spoke; and Vulcan extinguished his glowing fire, and the
refluent water immediately lowered its fair streams. But when the might
of Xanthus was subdued, then indeed they rested; for Juno restrained
herself, though enraged.

Among the other gods, however, grievous, troublesome contention fell
out, and the inclination in their minds was borne in opposite
directions. They engaged with a great tumult, and the wide earth
re-echoed, and the mighty heaven resounded around. And Jove heard it,
sitting upon Olympus, and his heart laughed with joy, when he beheld the
gods engaging in contest. Then they did not long stand apart; for
shield-piercing Mars began, and rushed first against Minerva, holding
his brazen spear, and uttered an opprobrious speech:

"Why thus, O most impudent, having boundless audacity, dost thou join
the gods in battle? Has thy great soul incited thee? Dost thou not
remember when thou didst urge Diomede, the son of Tydeus, to strike me?
And taking the spear thyself, thou didst direct it right against me, and
didst lacerate my fair flesh. Now, therefore, I think that I will
chastise thee, for all that thou hast done against me."

So saying, he struck [her] on the fringed aegis, horrible, which not even
the thunderbolt of Jove will subdue; on it gore-tainted Mars smote her
with the long spear. But she, retiring, seized in her stout hand a stone
lying in the plain, black,