ost extraordinary feats of strength and valor he drove
the Greeks away from the body. They attacked it on every side, but
AEneas, wheeling around it, and fighting now on this side and now on
that, drove them all away. They retired to a little distance and then
began to throw in a shower of spears and darts and arrows upon him.
AEneas defended himself and the body of his friend from these missiles
for a time, with his shield. At length, however, he was struck in the
thigh with a ponderous stone which one of the Greek warriors hurled at
him,--a stone so heavy that two men of ordinary strength would have
been required to lift it. AEneas was felled to the ground by the blow.
He sank down, resting upon his arm, faint and dizzy, and being thus
made helpless would have immediately been overpowered and killed by
his assailants had not his mother interposed. She came immediately to
rescue him. She spread her vail over him, which had the magic power of
rendering harmless all blows which were aimed at what was covered by
it, and then taking him up in her arms she bore him off through the
midst of his enemies unharmed. The swords, spears, and javelins which
were aimed at him were rendered powerless by the magic vail.

Aphrodite, however, flying thus with her wounded son, mother-like,
left herself exposed in her anxiety to protect him. Diomedes, the
chief of the pursuers, following headlong on, aimed a lance at Venus
herself. The lance struck Venus in the hand, and inflicted a very
severe and painful wound. It did not, however, stop her flight. She
pressed swiftly on, while Diomedes, satisfied with his revenge, gave
up the pursuit, but called out to Aphrodite as she disappeared from
view, bidding her learn from the lesson which he had given her that it
would be best for her thenceforth to remain in her own appropriate
sphere, and not come down to the earth and interfere in the contests
of mortal men.

Aphrodite, after conveying AEneas to a place of safety, fled, herself,
faint and bleeding, to the mountains, where, after ascending to the
region of mists and clouds, Iris, the beautiful goddess of the
rainbow, came to her aid. Iris found her faint and pale from the loss
of blood; she did all in her power to soothe and comfort the wounded
goddess, and then led her farther still among the mountains to a place
where they found Mars, the god of war, standing with his chariot. Mars
was Aphrodite's brother. He took compassion upon his sist