"Ah! luckless one; nor is death at all in thy thoughts, which is now near thee; hut thou puttest on the immortal armor of the bravest hero, at whom others also tremble; and thou hast slain his companion, both gentle and brave, and thou hast taken the armor from his head and shoulders not according to propriety. But now will I give into thy hands a great victory, a compensation for this, that Andromache shall never receive from thee, having returned from the battle, the illustrious arms of the son of Peleus."
The son of Saturn spoke, and moreover nodded with his sable brows. But the armor fitted the person of Hector, and Mars, the dreadful warrior, entered him. And his limbs were inwardly filled with might and strength, and he went after the illustrious allies, exclaiming aloud; and glittering in his armor, to all of them he presented the appearance of the magnanimous son of Peleus. But going among them, he animated each with his words—Mesthles, Glaucus, Medon, and Thersilochus, Asteropæus, Disenor, and Hippothous, Phorcys, Chromius, and Ennomus the augur. Exhorting these, he spoke winged words:
"Hear, ye countless troops of allies dwelling around, for I did not assemble you here, each from his own city, seeking or wanting a crowd, but that ye might willingly defend for me the wives and infant children of the Trojans from the warlike Greeks. Thinking these things, I wear away my people by gifts and provisions [to you], and I satisfy the desire of each of you. Wherefore now let some one, being turned round straight, either perish or be saved; for these are the chances of war.[1] Nevertheless, whoever will drag Patroclus, although dead, to the horse-breaking Trojans, and to whom Ajax shall yield, [to him] will I present one-half of the spoils, but I myself will keep the other half; and glory shall be to him as much as to me."
Thus he spoke; but they, lifting up their spears, advanced with condensed might[2] direct against the Greeks; and their mind eagerly hoped to draw away the dead body from Telamonian Ajax:—fools! truly over it he took away the life from
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