In charge of Nastes came the Carian troops, Of barbarous speech; who in Miletus dwelt, And in the dense entangled forest shade Of Phthira’s hill, and on the lofty ridge Of Mycale, and by Maeander’s stream; These came with Nastes and Amphimacus; Amphimacus and Nastes, Nomion’s sons; With childish folly to the war he came, Laden with store of gold; yet nought avail’d His gold to save him from the doom of death; Slain by the son of Peleus in the stream; And all his wealth Achilles bore away. Sarpedon last, and valiant Glaucus led The Lycian bands, from distant Lycia’s shore, Beside the banks of Xanthus’ eddying stream. ARGUMENT. THE DUEL OF MENELAUS AND PARIS. The armies being ready to engage, a single combat is agreed upon, between Menelaus and Paris (by the intervention of Hector) for the determination of the war. Iris is sent to call Helen to behold the fight. She leads her to the walls of Troy, where Priam sat with his counsellors, observing the Grecian leaders on the plain below, to whom Helen gives an account of the chief of them. The kings on either part take the solemn oath for the conditions of the combat. The duel ensues, wherein Paris being overcome, is snatched away in a cloud by Venus, and transported to his apartment. She then calls Helen from the walls, and brings the lovers together. Agamemnon, on the part of the Grecians, demands the restoration of Helen, and the performance of the articles. The three-and-twentieth day still continues throughout this book. The scene is sometimes in the field before Troy, and sometimes in Troy itself. BOOK III. WHEN by their sev’ral chiefs the troops were rang’d, With noise and clamour, as a flight of birds, The men of Troy advanc’d; as when the cranes, Flying the wintry storms, send forth on high Their dissonant clamours, while o’er the ocean stream They steer their course, and on their pinions bear Battle and death to the Pygmaean race. On th’ other side the Greeks in silence mov’d, Breathing firm courage, bent on mutual aid. As when the south wind o’er the mountain tops Spreads a thick veil of mist, the shepherd’s bane, And friendly to the nightly thief alone, That a stone’s throw the range of vision bounds; So rose the dust-cloud, as in serried ranks With rapid step they mov’d across the plain. But when th’ opposing forces near were met, A panther’s skin across his shoulders flung, Arm’d with his bow and sword, in front of all Advanc’d the godlike Paris; in his hand He pois’d two brass-tipp’d jav’lins, and defied To mortal combat all the chiefs of Greece.