Thus spoke Polydamas; his counsel pleas’d; And Hector sprang, in arms, from off his car; Nor long, the noble Hector when they saw, Delay’d the other chiefs; then gave command Each to his own attendant, by the ditch To keep the chariots all in due array; Then parting, form’d in order of attack, In five divisions, with their sev’ral chiefs. Round Hector throng’d, and bold Polydamas, The best and bravest; they who long’d the most To storm the wall, and fight beside the ships. With them Cebriones; for Hector left, To guard the horses, one of lesser note. The next division was by Paris led, Agenor, and Alcathous; the third By Helenus, and brave Deiphobus, Two sons of Priam; Asius was the third, Asius, the son of Hyrtacus; who brought His tow’ring fiery steeds from Selles’ stream, Hard by Arisba; stout Æneas led The fourth, Anchises’ son, Archilochus With him, and Acamas, Antenor’s sons; Both skill’d alike in ev’ry point of war. Of the far-fam’d Allies, Sarpedon held The chief command; and for his comrades chose Asteropaeus, and the warlike might Of Glaucus; these o’er all the rest he held Pre-eminent in valour, save himself, Who o’er them all superior stood confess’d. These, interlac’d their shields of tough bull’s-hide, With eager step advanc’d, and deem’d the Greeks Would, unresisting, fall before their ships. The other Trojans and renown’d Allies The words of wise Polydamas obey’d: But Asius, son of Hyrtacus, refus’d His horses and his charioteer to leave, With them advancing to assail the ships. Blind fool, unconscious! from before those ships, Escap’d from death, with horses and with car Triumphant, to the breezy heights of Troy He never shall return; ill-omen’d fate O’ershadowing, dooms him by the spear to fall Of brave Idomeneus, Deucalion’s son. He tow’rd the left inclin’d, what way the Greeks With horse and chariot from the plain return’d. That way he drove his horses; and the gates Unguarded found by bolt or massive bar. Their warders held them open’d wide, to save Perchance some comrade, flying from the plain. Thither he bent his course; with clamours loud Follow’d his troops; nor deem’d they that the Greeks Would hold their ground, but fall amid their ships. Little they knew; before the gates they found Two men, two warriors of the prime, two sons Illustrious of the spear-skill’d Lapithae: Stout Polypoetes one, Pirithous’ son, With whom Leonteus, bold as blood-stain’d Mars: So stood these two before the lofty gates, As on the mountain side two tow’ring oaks, Which many a day have borne the wind and storm, Firm rifted by their strong continuous roots: So in their arms and vigour confident Those two great Asius’ charge, undaunted, met. On th’ other side, with, shouts and wild uproar, Their bull’s-hide shields uplifted high, advanc’d Against the well-built wall, Asius the King, Iamenus, Orestes, Acamas The son of Asius, and Œnomaus, And Thoon; those within to save the ships Calling meanwhile on all the well-greav’d Greeks;