“Bring fire, and all together loud and clear Your war-cry raise; this day will Jove repay Our labours all, with capture of those ships, Which hither came, against the will of Heav’n, And which on us unnumber’d ills have brought, By our own Elders’ fault, who me, desiring Ev’n at their vessels’ sterns to urge the war, Withheld, and to the town the troops confin’d. But Jove all-seeing, if he then o’errul’d Our better mind, himself is now our aid.” Thus he: they onward press’d with added zeal; Nor Ajax yet endur’d, by hostile spears Now sorely gall’d; yet but a little space, Back to the helmsman’s sev’n-foot board he mov’d, Expecting death; and left the lofty deck, Where long he stood on guard; but still his spear The Trojans kept aloof, whoe’er essay’d Amid the ships to launch th’ unwearied flames; And, loudly shouting, to the Greeks he call’d: “Friends, Grecian heroes, ministers of Mars, Quit ye like men! dear friends, remember now Your wonted valour! think ye in your rear To find supporting forces, or some fort Whose walls may give you refuge from your foe? No city is nigh, whose well-appointed tow’rs, Mann’d by a friendly race, may give us aid; But here, upon the well-arm’d Trojans’ soil, And only resting on the sea, we lie Far from our country; not in faint retreat, But in our own good arms, our safety lies.” He said; and with his sharp-edg’d spear his words He follow’d up; if any Trojan dar’d, By Hector’s call inspir’d, with fiery brand To assail the ships, him with his ponderous spear Would Ajax meet; and thus before the ships Twelve warriors, hand to hand, his prowess felt. ARGUMENT. THE SIXTH BATTLE; THE ACTS AND DEATH OF PATROCLUS. Patroclus (in pursuance of the request of Nestor in the eleventh book) entreats Achilles to suffer him to go to the assistance of the Greeks with Achilles’ troops and armour. He agrees to it, but at the same time charges him to content himself with rescuing the fleet, without farther pursuit of the enemy. The armour, horses, soldiers, and officers of Achilles are described. Achilles offers a libation for the success of his friend, after which Patroclus leads the Myrmidons to battle. The Trojans, at the sight of Patroclus in Achilles’ armour, taking him for that hero, are cast into the utmost consternation: he beats them off from the vessels, Hector himself flies, Sarpedon is killed, though Jupiter was averse to his fate. Several other particulars of the battle are described; in the heat of which, Patroclus, neglecting the orders of Achilles, pursues the foe to the walls of Troy; where Apollo repulses and disarms him, Euphorbus wounds him, and Hector kills him: which concludes the book. BOOK XVI. Thus round the well-mann’d ship they wag’d the war: Meanwhile by Peleus’ son Patroclus stood, Weeping hot tears; as some dark-water’d fount Pours o’er a craggy rock its gloomy stream; Achilles, swift of foot, with pity saw, And to his friend these winged words address’d: