She said, and Vulcan stay’d his fiery strength, And, back returning, in his wonted bed Flow’d the fair River. Xanthus thus subdued, These two their warfare ceas’d, by Juno check’d, Despite her wrath; but ’mid the other Gods Arose contention fierce, and discord dire, Their warring passions rous’d on either side. With fearful crash they met: the broad Earth groan’d; Loud rang the Heav’n as with a trumpet’s sound: Jove, on Olympus’ height, the tumult heard, And in his heart he laugh’d a joyous laugh, To see the Gods in angry battle met. Not long they stood aloof, led on by Mars The buckler-breaker, who to Pallas first, Poising his spear, his bitter speech address’d: “What dost thou here, thou saucy jade, to war The Gods exciting, overbold of mood, Led by thy haughty spirit? dost thou forget How thou the son of Tydeus, Diomed, Didst urge against me, and with visible spear Direct his aim, and aid to wound my flesh? For all I suffer’d then, thou now shalt pay.” Thus as he spoke, he struck the tassell’d shield, Awful to view, which not the lightning bolt Of Jove himself could pierce: the blood-stain’d Mars Against it thrust in vain his pond’rous spear. The Goddess stoop’d, and in her ample hand Took up a stone, that lay upon the plain, Dark, rugged, vast, which men of elder days Had set to mark the limits of their land. Full on the neck of Mars she hurl’d the mass, His limbs relaxing: o’er sev’n hundred feet Prostrate he lay, his hair defil’d with dust: Loud rang his armour; and with scornful smile Pallas address’d him thus with vaunting speech: “Fool, hast thou yet to learn how mightier far My strength than thine, that me thou dar’st to meet? Bear thus the burthen of thy mother’s curse, Who works thee harm, in wrath that thou the Greeks Deserting, aid’st the haughty Trojans’ cause.” She said, and turn’d away her piercing glance: Him, deeply groaning, scarce to life restor’d, Jove’s daughter Venus taking by the hand, Led from the field; which when the white-arm’d Queen Beheld, in haste to Pallas thus she cried: “O Heav’n, brave child of aegis-bearing Jove, Undaunted! lo again this saucy jade Amid the press, the bane of mortals, Mars Leads from the field; but haste thee in pursuit.” Thus Juno: Pallas hasten’d in pursuit Well pleas’d; and Venus with her pow’rful hand Assailing, struck upon the breast; at once The Goddess’ courage and her limbs gave way. There on the ground the two together lay, While Pallas o’er them thus with vaunting speech: “Would all were such, who aid the Trojan cause, Whene’er they meet in fight the warlike Greeks, As valiant and as stout as Venus proves, Who brings her aid to Mars, confronting me; Then had our warlike labours long been o’er, And Ilium’s strong-built citadel overthrown.” Thus Pallas spoke: the white-arm’d Goddess smil’d, And to Apollo thus th’ Earth-shaker spoke: