Thus as he spoke, upon his right appear’d An eagle, soaring high; the crowd of Greeks The fav’ring omen saw, and shouted loud: Then noble Hector thus: “What words are these, Ajax, thou babbling braggart, vain of speech! For would to Heav’n I were as well assur’d I were the son of aegis-bearing Jove, Born of imperial Juno, and myself In equal honour with Apollo held Or blue-ey’d Pallas, as I am assur’d This day is fraught with ill to all the Greeks: Thou ’mid the rest shalt perish, if thou dare My spear encounter, which thy dainty skin Shall rend; and slain beside the ships, thy flesh Shall glut the dogs and carrion birds of Troy.” He said, and led them on; with eager cheers They followed; shouted loud the hindmost throng. On th’ other side the Greeks return’d the shout: Of all the Trojans’ bravest they, unmov’d, The onset bore; their mingled clamours rose To Heav’n, and reach’d the glorious light of Jove. ARGUMENT. JUNO DECEIVES JUPITER BY THE GIRDLE OF VENUS. Nestor, sitting at the table with Machaon, is alarmed with the increasing clamour of the war, and hastens to Agamemnon; on his way he meets that prince with Diomed and Ulysses, whom he informs of the extremity of the danger. Agamemnon proposes to make their escape by night, which Ulysses withstands; to which Diomed adds his advice, that, wounded as they were, they should go forth and encourage the army with their presence; which advice is pursued. Juno, seeing the partiality of Jupiter to the Trojans, forms a design to overreach him; she sets off her charms with the utmost care, and (the more surely to enchant him) obtains the magic girdle of Venus. She then applies herself to the god of Sleep, and with some difficulty persuades him to seal the eyes of Jupiter; this done, she goes to Mount Ida, where the god at first sight, is ravished with her beauty, sinks in her embraces, and is laid asleep. Neptune takes advantage of his slumber, and succours the Greeks; Hector is struck to the ground with a prodigious stone by Ajax, and carried off from the battle; several actions succeed; till the Trojans, much distressed, are obliged to give way; the lesser Ajax signalizes himself in a particular manner. BOOK XIV. Nor did the battle-din not reach the ears Of Nestor, o’er the wine-cup; and his speech He thus address’d to Æsculapius’ son: “Say, good Machaon, what these sounds may mean; For louder swells the tumult round the ships. But sit thou here, and drink the ruddy wine, Till fair-hair’d Hecamede shall prepare The gentle bath, and wash thy gory wounds; While I go forth, and all around survey.”