To whom the blue-ey’d Goddess thus replied: “With many pray’rs, good brother, both our sire And honour’d mother, and our comrades all Successively implored me to remain; Such fear is fall’n on all; but in my soul On thine account too deep a grief I felt. Now, forward boldly! spare we not our spears; Make trial if Achilles to the ships From both of us our bloody spoils can bear, Or by thine arm himself may be subdued.” Thus Pallas lur’d him on with treach’rous wile; But when the two were met, and close at hand, First spoke great Hector of the glancing helm: “No more before thee, Peleus’ son, I fly: Thrice have I fled around the walls, nor dar’d Await thine onset; now my spirit is rous’d To stand before thee, to be slain, or slay. But let us first th’ immortal Gods invoke; The surest witnesses and guardians they Of compacts: at my hand no foul disgrace Shalt thou sustain, if Jove with victory Shall crown my firm endurance, and thy life To me be forfeit; of thine armour stripp’d I promise thee, Achilles, to the Greeks Thy body to restore; do thou the like.” With fierce regard Achilles answer’d thus: “Hector, thou object of my deadly hate, Talk not to me of compacts; as ’tween men And lions no firm concord can exist, Nor wolves and lambs in harmony unite, But ceaseless enmity between them dwells: So not in friendly terms, nor compact firm, Can thou and I unite, till one of us Glut with his blood the mail-clad warrior Mars. Mind thee of all thy fence; behoves thee now To prove a spearman skill’d, and warrior brave. For thee escape is none; now, by my spear, Hath Pallas doom’d thy death; my comrades’ blood, Which thou hast shed, shall all be now aveng’d.” He said, and poising, hurl’d his weighty spear; But Hector saw, and shunn’d the blow; he stoop’d, And o’er his shoulder flew the brass-tipp’d spear, And in the ground was fix’d; but Pallas drew The weapon forth, and to Achilles’ hand, All unobserv’d of Hector, gave it back. Then Hector thus to Peleus’ matchless son: “Thine aim has fail’d; nor truly has my fate, Thou godlike son of Peleus, been to thee From Heav’n reveal’d; such was indeed thy boast; But flippant was thy speech, and subtly fram’d To scare me with big words, and make me prove False to my wonted prowess and renown. Not in my back will I receive thy spear, But through my breast, confronting thee, if Jove Have to thine arm indeed such triumph giv’n. Now, if thou canst, my spear in turn elude; May it be deeply buried in thy flesh! For lighter were to Troy the load of war, If thou, the greatest of her foes, wert slain.”