and being arranged in five columns, followed along with their leaders. Some then went with Hector and illustrious Polydamas, who were most numerous and brave, and who were most resolutely desirous, having broken down the wall, to fight at the hollow ships. And Cebriones followed as a third; for Hector left another, inferior to Cebriones, with his chariot. Others Paris commanded, and Alcathous, and Agenor. The third band Helenus and godlike Deïphobus, two sons of Priam; but the third [commander] was the hero Asius, Asius son of Hyrtacus, whom fiery, tall steeds brought from Arisba, from the river Selleïs. But the fourth, Æneas, the brave son of Anchises, led; along with him were the two sons of Antenor, Archilochus and Acamas, well skilled in every kind of fight. But Sarpedon commanded the illustrious allies, and chose to himself Glaucus and warlike Asteropæus; for they appeared to him, next to himself, decidedly the bravest of the rest: for he, indeed excelled among all. When they then had fitted each other together[1] with interlaced ox-hide bucklers, they advanced, full of courage, direct against the Greeks, nor expected that they would sustain them, but that they would fall in flight into their black ships.
Then the other Trojans and far-summoned allies obeyed the counsel of blameless Polydamas; but Asius, son of Hyrtacus, leader of heroes, was unwilling to relinquish his horses and attendant charioteer, but with them advanced to the swift ships—foolish! Nor was he destined to return again, borne on his steeds and chariot from the ships to wind-swept Ilium, having avoided evil destiny. For him unlucky fate first encircled from the spear of Idomeneus, the illustrious son of Deucalion. For he rushed toward the left of the ships, by the way in which the Greeks were returning from the plain with their horses and chariots. Thither he drove his horses and his chariot, nor did he find the gates closed[2]
- ↑ "Put for ἄραρον τὰς ἀσπίδας ἀλλήλων, ἐπ' ἀλλήλοις, clipeos consertos manibus ante se tenebant, συνασπισμῷ facto."—Heyne. Kennedy well observes that "we may trace here the rude outline of the celebrated phalanx, which formed so prominent a feature of the Macedonian tactics."
- ↑ From this passage, Heyne observes that the gates must have opened inward, being secured from within by a double bolt (cf. ver. 455, sqq.). See D'Orville on Chariton, i. xii. p. 274, ed. Lips. On the ὀχεῖς, or bars, cf. Pollux, x. 4.
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