walked Phœbus Apollo, clad as to his shoulders with a cloud,[1] and he held the mighty, dreadful, fringed,[2] dazzling ægis, which the artist Vulcan had given to Jove, to be borne along for the routing of men. Holding this in his hands, he led on the people. But the Greeks remained in close array, and a shrill shout arose on both sides. [Many] arrows bounded from the strings, and many spears from gallant hands: some were fixed in the bodies of warlike youths, but many half way, before they had touched the fair body, stuck in the earth, longing to satiate themselves with flesh. As long as Phœbus Apollo held the ægis unmoved in his hands, so long did the weapons reach both sides, and the people fell. But when, looking full in the faces of the swift-horsed Greeks, he shook it, and he himself besides shouted very loudly, then he checked the courage in their breasts, and they became forgetful of impetuous valor. But they—as when two wild beasts, in the depth of the dark night,[3] disturb a drove of oxen or a great flock of sheep, coming suddenly upon them, the keeper not being present—so the enfeebled Greeks were routed; for among them Apollo sent terror, and gave glory to the Trojans and to Hector. Then indeed man slew man, when the battle gave way. Hector slew Stichius and Arcesilaus; the one the leader of the brazen-mailed Bœotians; but the other the faithful companion of magnanimous Menestheus. But Æneas slew Medon and Iasus: Medon indeed was the illegitimate son of godlike Oïleus, and brother of Ajax; and he dwelt in Phylace, away from his fatherland, having slain a man, the brother of his stepmother Eriopis, whom Oïleus had betrothed. Iasus, however, was appointed leader of the Athenians, and was called the son of Sphelus, the son of Bucolus. But Polydamas slew Mecistis, and Polites Echius, in the van, and noble Agenor slew Klonius. Paris also wounded Dëiochous in the extremity of the shoulder from behind, while he was flying among the foremost combatants; and drove the brass quite through.
While they were spoiling these of their armor, the Greeks in the mean time falling into the dug trench and stakes, fled
