Book XX
  
     Thus, then, did the Achaeans arm by their ships round you, O son of
     Peleus, who were hungering for battle; while the Trojans over
     against them armed upon the rise of the plain. 
     
     Meanwhile Jove from the top of many-delled Olympus, bade Themis
     gather the gods in council, whereon she went about and called them
     to the house of Jove. There was not a river absent except Oceanus,
     nor a single one of the nymphs that haunt fair groves, or springs of
     rivers and meadows of green grass. When they reached the house of
     cloud-compelling Jove, they took their seats in the arcades of
     polished marble which Vulcan with his consummate skill had made for
     father Jove. 
     
     In such wise, therefore, did they gather in the house of Jove.
     Neptune also, lord of the earthquake, obeyed the call of the
     goddess, and came up out of the sea to join them. There, sitting in
     the midst of them, he asked what Jove's purpose might be. "Why,"
     said he, "wielder of the lightning, have you called the gods in
     council? Are you considering some matter that concerns the Trojans
     and Achaeans- for the blaze of battle is on the point of being
     kindled between them?" 
     
     And Jove answered, "You know my purpose, shaker of earth, and
     wherefore I have called you hither. I take thought for them even in
     their destruction. For my own part I shall stay here seated on Mt.
     Olympus and look on in peace, but do you others go about among
     Trojans and Achaeans, and help either side as you may be severally
     disposed. If Achilles fights the Trojans without hindrance they will
     make no stand against him; they have ever trembled at the sight of
     him, and now that he is roused to such fury about his comrade, he
     will override fate itself and storm their city." 
     
     Thus spoke Jove and gave the word for war, whereon the gods took
     their several sides and went into battle. Juno, Pallas Minerva,
     earth-encircling Neptune, Mercury bringer of good luck and excellent
     in all cunning- all these joined the host that came from the ships;
     with them also came Vulcan in all his glory, limping, but yet with
     his thin legs plying lustily under him. Mars of gleaming helmet
     joined the Trojans, and with him Apollo of locks unshorn, and the
     archer goddess Diana, Leto, Xanthus, and laughter-loving Venus. 
     
     So long as the gods held themselves aloof from mortal warriors the
     Achaeans were triumphant, for Achilles who had long refused to fight
     was now with them. There was not a Trojan but his limbs failed him
     for fear as he beheld the fleet son of Peleus all glorious in his
     armour, and looking like Mars himself. When, however, the Olympians
     came to take their part among men, forthwith uprose strong Strife,
     rouser of hosts, and Minerva raised her loud voice, now standing by
     the deep trench that ran outside the wall, and now shouting with all
     her might upon the shore of the sounding sea. Mars also bellowed out
     upon the other side, dark as some black thunder-cloud, and called on
     the Trojans at the top of his voice, now from the acropolis, and now
     speeding up the side of the river Simois till he came to the hill
     Callicolone. 
     
     Thus did the gods spur on both hosts to fight, and rouse fierce
     contention also among themselves. The sire of gods and men thundered
     from heaven above, while from beneath Neptune shook the vast earth,
     and bade the high hills tremble. The spurs and crests of
     many-fountained Ida quaked, as also the city of the Trojans and the
     ships of the Achaeans. Hades, king of the realms below, was struck
     with fear; he sprang panic-stricken from his throne and cried aloud
     in terror lest Neptune, lord of the earthquake, should crack the
     ground over his head, and lay bare his mouldy mansions to the sight
     of mortals and immortals- mansions so ghastly grim that even the
     gods shudder to think of them. Such was the uproar as the gods came
     together in battle. Apollo with his arrows took his stand to face
     King Neptune, while Minerva took hers against the god of war; the
     archer-goddess Diana with her golden arrows, sister of far-darting
     Apollo, stood to face Juno; Mercury the lusty bringer of good luck
     faced Leto, while the mighty eddying river whom men can Scamander,
     but gods Xanthus, matched himself against Vulcan. 
     
     The gods, then, were thus ranged against one another. But the heart
     of Achilles was set on meeting Hector son of Priam, for it was with
     his blood that he longed above all things else to glut the stubborn
     lord of battle. Meanwhile Apollo set Aeneas on to attack the son of
     Peleus, and put courage into his heart, speaking with the voice of
     Lycaon son of Priam. In his likeness therefore, he said to Aeneas,
     "Aeneas, counsellor of the Trojans, where are now the brave words
     with which you vaunted over your wine before the Trojan princes,
     saying that you would fight Achilles son of Peleus in single
     combat?" 
     
     And Aeneas answered, "Why do you thus bid me fight the proud son of
     Peleus, when I am in no mind to do so? Were I to face him now, it
     would not be for the first time. His spear has already put me to
     Right from Ida, when he attacked our cattle and sacked Lyrnessus and
     Pedasus; Jove indeed saved me in that he vouchsafed me strength to
     fly, else had the fallen by the hands of Achilles and Minerva, who
     went before him to protect him and urged him to fall upon the
     Lelegae and Trojans. No man may fight Achilles, for one of the gods
     is always with him as his guardian angel, and even were it not so,
     his weapon flies ever straight, and fails not to pierce the flesh of
     him who is against him; if heaven would let me fight him on even
     terms he should not soon overcome me, though he boasts that he is
     made of bronze." 
     
     Then said King Apollo, son to Jove, "Nay, hero, pray to the
     ever-living gods, for men say that you were born of Jove's daughter
     Venus, whereas Achilles is son to a goddess of inferior rank. Venus
     is child to Jove, while Thetis is but daughter to the old man of the
     sea. Bring, therefore, your spear to bear upon him, and let him not
     scare you with his taunts and menaces." 
     
     As he spoke he put courage into the heart of the shepherd of his
     people, and he strode in full armour among the ranks of the foremost
     fighters. Nor did the son of Anchises escape the notice of
     white-armed Juno, as he went forth into the throng to meet Achilles.
     She called the gods about her, and said, "Look to it, you two,
     Neptune and Minerva, and consider how this shall be; Phoebus Apollo
     has been sending Aeneas clad in full armour to fight Achilles. Shall
     we turn him back at once, or shall one of us stand by Achilles and
     endow him with strength so that his heart fail not, and he may learn
     that the chiefs of the immortals are on his side, while the others
     who have all along been defending the Trojans are but vain helpers?
     Let us all come down from Olympus and join in the fight, that this
     day he may take no hurt at the hands of the Trojans. Hereafter let
     him suffer whatever fate may have spun out for him when he was
     begotten and his mother bore him. If Achilles be not thus assured by
     the voice of a god, he may come to fear presently when one of us
     meets him in battle, for the gods are terrible if they are seen face
     to face." 
     
     Neptune lord of the earthquake answered her saying, "Juno, restrain
     your fury; it is not well; I am not in favour of forcing the other
     gods to fight us, for the advantage is too greatly on our own side;
     let us take our places on some hill out of the beaten track, and let
     mortals fight it out among themselves. If Mars or Phoebus Apollo
     begin fighting, or keep Achilles in check so that he cannot fight,
     we too, will at once raise the cry of battle, and in that case they
     will soon leave the field and go back vanquished to Olympus among
     the other gods." 
     
     With these words the dark-haired god led the way to the high
     earth-barrow of Hercules, built round solid masonry, and made by the
     Trojans and Pallas Minerva for him fly to when the sea-monster was
     chasing him from the shore on to the plain. Here Neptune and those
     that were with him took their seats, wrapped in a thick cloud of
     darkness; but the other gods seated themselves on the brow of
     Callicolone round you, O Phoebus, and Mars the waster of cities. 
     
     Thus did the gods sit apart and form their plans, but neither side
     was willing to begin battle with the other, and Jove from his seat
     on high was in command over them all. Meanwhile the whole plain was
     alive with men and horses, and blazing with the gleam of armour. The
     earth rang again under the tramp of their feet as they rushed
     towards each other, and two champions, by far the foremost of them
     all, met between the hosts to fight- to wit, Aeneas son of Anchises,
     and noble Achilles. 
     
     Aeneas was first to stride forward in attack, his doughty helmet
     tossing defiance as he came on. He held his strong shield before his
     breast, and brandished his bronze spear. The son of Peleus from the
     other side sprang forth to meet him, fike some fierce lion that the
     whole country-side has met to hunt and kill- at first he bodes no
     ill, but when some daring youth has struck him with a spear, he
     crouches openmouthed, his jaws foam, he roars with fury, he lashes
     his tail from side to side about his ribs and loins, and glares as
     he springs straight before him, to find out whether he is to slay,
     or be slain among the foremost of his foes- even with such fury did
     Achilles burn to spring upon Aeneas. 
     
     When they were now close up with one another Achilles was first to
     speak. "Aeneas," said he, "why do you stand thus out before the host
     to fight me? Is it that you hope to reign over the Trojans in the
     seat of Priam? Nay, though you kill me Priam will not hand his
     kingdom over to you. He is a man of sound judgement, and he has sons
     of his own. Or have the Trojans been allotting you a demesne of
     passing richness, fair with orchard lawns and corn lands, if you
     should slay me? This you shall hardly do. I have discomfited you
     once already. Have you forgotten how when you were alone I chased
     you from your herds helter-skelter down the slopes of Ida? You did
     not turn round to look behind you; you took refuge in Lyrnessus, but
     I attacked the city, and with the help of Minerva and father Jove I
     sacked it and carried its women into captivity, though Jove and the
     other gods rescued you. You think they will protect you now, but
     they will not do so; therefore I say go back into the host, and do
     not face me, or you will rue it. Even a fool may be wise after the
     event." 
     
     Then Aeneas answered, "Son of Peleus, think not that your words can
     scare me as though I were a child. I too, if I will, can brag and
     talk unseemly. We know one another's race and parentage as matters
     of common fame, though neither have you ever seen my parents nor I
     yours. Men say that you are son to noble Peleus, and that your
     mother is Thetis, fair-haired daughter of the sea. I have noble
     Anchises for my father, and Venus for my mother; the parents of one
     or other of us shall this day mourn a son, for it will be more than
     silly talk that shall part us when the fight is over. Learn, then,
     my lineage if you will- and it is known to many. 
     
     "In the beginning Dardanus was the son of Jove, and founded
     Dardania, for Ilius was not yet stablished on the plain for men to
     dwell in, and her people still abode on the spurs of many-fountained
     Ida. Dardanus had a son, king Erichthonius, who was wealthiest of
     all men living; he had three thousand mares that fed by the
     water-meadows, they and their foals with them. Boreas was enamoured
     of them as they were feeding, and covered them in the semblance of a
     dark-maned stallion. Twelve filly foals did they conceive and bear
     him, and these, as they sped over the rich plain, would go bounding
     on over the ripe ears of corn and not break them; or again when they
     would disport themselves on the broad back of Ocean they could
     gallop on the crest of a breaker. Erichthonius begat Tros, king of
     the Trojans, and Tros had three noble sons, Ilus, Assaracus, and
     Ganymede who was comeliest of mortal men; wherefore the gods carried
     him off to be Jove's cupbearer, for his beauty's sake, that he might
     dwell among the immortals. Ilus begat Laomedon, and Laomedon begat
     Tithonus, Priam, Lampus, Clytius, and Hiketaon of the stock of Mars.
     But Assaracus was father to Capys, and Capys to Anchises, who was my
     father, while Hector is son to Priam. 
     
     "Such do I declare my blood and lineage, but as for valour, Jove
     gives it or takes it as he will, for he is lord of all. And now let
     there be no more of this prating in mid-battle as though we were
     children. We could fling taunts without end at one another; a
     hundred-oared galley would not hold them. The tongue can run all
     whithers and talk all wise; it can go here and there, and as a man
     says, so shall he be gainsaid. What is the use of our bandying hard
     like women who when they fall foul of one another go out and wrangle
     in the streets, one half true and the other lies, as rage inspires
     them? No words of yours shall turn me now that I am fain to fight-
     therefore let us make trial of one another with our spears." 
     
     As he spoke he drove his spear at the great and terrible shield of
     Achilles, which rang out as the point struck it. The son of Peleus
     held the shield before him with his strong hand, and he was afraid,
     for he deemed that Aeneas's spear would go through it quite easily,
     not reflecting that the god's glorious gifts were little likely to
     yield before the blows of mortal men; and indeed Aeneas's spear did
     not pierce the shield, for the layer of gold, gift of the god,
     stayed the point. It went through two layers, but the god had made
     the shield in five, two of bronze, the two innermost ones of tin,
     and one of gold; it was in this that the spear was stayed. 
     
     Achilles in his turn threw, and struck the round shield of Aeneas at
     the very edge, where the bronze was thinnest; the spear of Pelian
     ash went clean through, and the shield rang under the blow; Aeneas
     was afraid, and crouched backwards, holding the shield away from
     him; the spear, however, flew over his back, and stuck quivering in
     the ground, after having gone through both circles of the sheltering
     shield. Aeneas though he had avoided the spear, stood still, blinded
     with fear and grief because the weapon had gone so near him; then
     Achilles sprang furiously upon him, with a cry as of death and with
     his keen blade drawn, and Aeneas seized a great stone, so huge that
     two men, as men now are, would be unable to lift it, but Aeneas
     wielded it quite easily. 
     
     Aeneas would then have struck Achilles as he was springing towards
     him, either on the helmet, or on the shield that covered him, and
     Achilles would have closed with him and despatched him with his
     sword, had not Neptune lord of the earthquake been quick to mark,
     and said forthwith to the immortals, "Alas, I am sorry for great
     Aeneas, who will now go down to the house of Hades, vanquished by
     the son of Peleus. Fool that he was to give ear to the counsel of
     Apollo. Apollo will never save him from destruction. Why should this
     man suffer when he is guiltless, to no purpose, and in another's
     quarrel? Has he not at all times offered acceptable sacrifice to the
     gods that dwell in heaven? Let us then snatch him from death's jaws,
     lest the son of Saturn be angry should Achilles slay him. It is
     fated, moreover, that he should escape, and that the race of
     Dardanus, whom Jove loved above all the sons born to him of mortal
     women, shall not perish utterly without seed or sign. For now indeed
     has Jove hated the blood of Priam, while Aeneas shall reign over the
     Trojans, he and his children's children that shall be born
     hereafter." 
     
     Then answered Juno, "Earth-shaker, look to this matter yourself, and
     consider concerning Aeneas, whether you will save him, or suffer
     him, brave though he be, to fall by the hand of Achilles son of
     Peleus. For of a truth we two, I and Pallas Minerva, have sworn full
     many a time before all the immortals, that never would we shield
     Trojans from destruction, not even when all Troy is burning in the
     flames that the Achaeans shall kindle." 
     
     When earth-encircling Neptune heard this he went into the battle
     amid the clash of spears, and came to the place where Achilles and
     Aeneas were. Forthwith he shed a darkness before the eyes of the son
     of Peleus, drew the bronze-headed ashen spear from the shield of
     Aeneas, and laid it at the feet of Achilles. Then he lifted Aeneas
     on high from off the earth and hurried him away. Over the heads of
     many a band of warriors both horse and foot did he soar as the god's
     hand sped him, till he came to the very fringe of the battle where
     the Cauconians were arming themselves for fight. Neptune, shaker of
     the earth, then came near to him and said, Aeneas, what god has
     egged you on to this folly in fighting the son of Peleus, who is
     both a mightier man of valour and more beloved of heaven than you
     are? Give way before him whensoever you meet him, lest you go down
     to the house of Hades even though fate would have it otherwise. When
     Achilles is dead you may then fight among the foremost undaunted,
     for none other of the Achaeans shall slay you." 
     
     The god left him when he had given him these instructions, and at
     once removed the darkness from before the eyes of Achilles, who
     opened them wide indeed and said in great anger, "Alas! what marvel
     am I now beholding? Here is my spear upon the ground, but I see not
     him whom I meant to kill when I hurled it. Of a truth Aeneas also
     must be under heaven's protection, although I had thought his
     boasting was idle. Let him go hang; he will be in no mood to fight
     me further, seeing how narrowly he has missed being killed. I will
     now give my orders to the Danaans and attack some other of the
     Trojans." 
     
     He sprang forward along the line and cheered his men on as he did
     so. "Let not the Trojans," he cried, "keep you at arm's length,
     Achaeans, but go for them and fight them man for man. However
     valiant I may be, I cannot give chase to so many and fight all of
     them. Even Mars, who is an immortal, or Minerva, would shrink from
     flinging himself into the jaws of such a fight and laying about him;
     nevertheless, so far as in me lies I will show no slackness of hand
     or foot nor want of endurance, not even for a moment; I will utterly
     break their ranks, and woe to the Trojan who shall venture within
     reach of my spear." 
     
     Thus did he exhort them. Meanwhile Hector called upon the Trojans
     and declared that he would fight Achilles. "Be not afraid, proud
     Trojans," said he, "to face the son of Peleus; I could fight gods
     myself if the battle were one of words only, but they would be more
     than a match for me, if we had to use our spears. Even so the deed
     of Achilles will fall somewhat short of his word; he will do in
     part, and the other part he will clip short. I will go up against
     him though his hands be as fire- though his hands be fire and his
     strength iron." 
     
     Thus urged the Trojans lifted up their spears against the Achaeans,
     and raised the cry of battle as they flung themselves into the midst
     of their ranks. But Phoebus Apollo came up to Hector and said,
     "Hector, on no account must you challenge Achilles to single combat;
     keep a lookout for him while you are under cover of the others and
     away from the thick of the fight, otherwise he will either hit you
     with a spear or cut you down at close quarters." 
     
     Thus he spoke, and Hector drew back within the crowd, for he was
     afraid when he heard what the god had said to him. Achilles then
     sprang upon the Trojans with a terrible cry, clothed in valour as
     with a garment. First he killed Iphition son of Otrynteus, a leader
     of much people whom a naiad nymph had borne to Otrynteus waster of
     cities, in the land of Hyde under the snowy heights of Mt. Tmolus.
     Achilles struck him full on the head as he was coming on towards
     him, and split it clean in two; whereon he fell heavily to the
     ground and Achilles vaunted over him saying, "You he low, son of
     Otrynteus, mighty hero; your death is here, but your lineage is on
     the Gygaean lake where your father's estate lies, by Hyllus, rich in
     fish, and the eddying waters of Hermus." 
     
     Thus did he vaunt, but darkness closed the eyes of the other. The
     chariots of the Achaeans cut him up as their wheels passed over him
     in the front of the battle, and after him Achilles killed Demoleon,
     a valiant man of war and son to Antenor. He struck him on the temple
     through his bronze-cheeked helmet. The helmet did not stay the
     spear, but it went right on, crushing the bone so that the brain
     inside was shed in all directions, and his lust of fighting was
     ended. Then he struck Hippodamas in the midriff as he was springing
     down from his chariot in front of him, and trying to escape. He
     breathed his last, bellowing like a bull bellows when young men are
     dragging him to offer him in sacrifice to the King of Helice, and
     the heart of the earth-shaker is glad; even so did he bellow as he
     lay dying. Achilles then went in pursuit of Polydorus son of Priam,
     whom his father had always forbidden to fight because he was the
     youngest of his sons, the one he loved best, and the fastest runner.
     He, in his folly and showing off the fleetness of his feet, was
     rushing about among front ranks until he lost his life, for Achilles
     struck him in the middle of the back as he was darting past him: he
     struck him just at the golden fastenings of his belt and where the
     two pieces of the double breastplate overlapped. The point of the
     spear pierced him through and came out by the navel, whereon he fell
     groaning on to his knees and a cloud of darkness overshadowed him as
     he sank holding his entrails in his hands. 
     
     When Hector saw his brother Polydorus with his entrails in his hands
     and sinking down upon the ground, a mist came over his eyes, and he
     could not bear to keep longer at a distance; he therefore poised his
     spear and darted towards Achilles like a flame of fire. When
     Achilles saw him he bounded forward and vaunted saying, "This is he
     that has wounded my heart most deeply and has slain my beloved
     comrade. Not for long shall we two quail before one another on the
     highways of war." 
     
     He looked fiercely on Hector and said, "Draw near, that you may meet
     your doom the sooner." Hector feared him not and answered, "Son of
     Peleus, think not that your words can scare me as though I were a
     child; I too if I will can brag and talk unseemly; I know that you
     are a mighty warrior, mightier by far than I, nevertheless the issue
     lies in the the lap of heaven whether I, worse man though I be, may
     not slay you with my spear, for this too has been found keen ere
     now." 
     
     He hurled his spear as he spoke, but Minerva breathed upon it, and
     though she breathed but very lightly she turned it back from going
     towards Achilles, so that it returned to Hector and lay at his feet
     in front of him. Achilles then sprang furiously on him with a loud
     cry, bent on killing him, but Apollo caught him up easily as a god
     can, and hid him in a thick darkness. Thrice did Achilles spring
     towards him spear in hand, and thrice did he waste his blow upon the
     air. When he rushed forward for the fourth time as though he were a
     god, he shouted aloud saying, "Hound, this time too you have escaped
     death- but of a truth it came exceedingly near you. Phoebus Apollo,
     to whom it seems you pray before you go into battle, has again saved
     you; but if I too have any friend among the gods I will surely make
     an end of you when I come across you at some other time. Now,
     however, I will pursue and overtake other Trojans." 
     
     On this he struck Dryops with his spear, about the middle of his
     neck, and he fell headlong at his feet. There he let him lie and
     stayed Demouchus son of Philetor, a man both brave and of great
     stature, by hitting him on the knee with a spear; then he smote him
     with his sword and killed him. After this he sprang on Laogonus and
     Dardanus, sons of Bias, and threw them from their chariot, the one
     with a blow from a thrown spear, while the other he cut down in
     hand-to-hand fight. There was also Tros the son of Alastor- he came
     up to Achilles and clasped his knees in the hope that he would spare
     him and not kill him but let him go, because they were both of the
     same age. Fool, he might have known that he should not prevail with
     him, for the man was in no mood for pity or forbearance but was in
     grim earnest. Therefore when Tros laid hold of his knees and sought
     a hearing for his prayers, Achilles drove his sword into his liver,
     and the liver came rolling out, while his bosom was all covered with
     the black blood that welled from the wound. Thus did death close his
     eyes as he lay lifeless. 
     
     Achilles then went up to Mulius and struck him on the ear with a
     spear, and the bronze spear-head came right out at the other ear. He
     also struck Echeclus son of Agenor on the head with his sword, which
     became warm with the blood, while death and stern fate closed the
     eyes of Echeclus. Next in order the bronze point of his spear
     wounded Deucalion in the fore-arm where the sinews of the elbow are
     united, whereon he waited Achilles' onset with his arm hanging down
     and death staring him in the face. Achilles cut his head off with a
     blow from his sword and flung it helmet and all away from him, and
     the marrow came oozing out of his backbone as he lay. He then went
     in pursuit of Rhigmus, noble son of Peires, who had come from
     fertile Thrace, and struck him through the middle with a spear which
     fixed itself in his belly, so that he fell headlong from his
     chariot. He also speared Areithous squire to Rhigmus in the back as
     he was turning his horses in flight, and thrust him from his
     chariot, while the horses were struck with panic. 
     
     As a fire raging in some mountain glen after long drought- and the
     dense forest is in a blaze, while the wind carries great tongues of
     fire in every direction- even so furiously did Achilles rage,
     wielding his spear as though he were a god, and giving chase to
     those whom he would slay, till the dark earth ran with blood. Or as
     one who yokes broad-browed oxen that they may tread barley in a
     threshing-floor- and it is soon bruised small under the feet of the
     lowing cattle- even so did the horses of Achilles trample on the
     shields and bodies of the slain. The axle underneath and the railing
     that ran round the car were bespattered with clots of blood thrown
     up by the horses' hoofs, and from the tyres of the wheels; but the
     son of Peleus pressed on to win still further glory, and his hands
     were bedrabbled with gore.