He said; and, poising, hurl’d his pond’rous spear; The brazen cov’ring of the shield it struck, The outward fold, the eighth, above the sev’n Of tough bull’s-hide; through six it drove its way With stubborn force; but in the seventh was stay’d, Then Ajax hurl’d in turn his pond’rous spear, And struck the circle true of Hector’s shield; Right thro’ the glitt’ring shield the stout spear pass’d, And thro’ the well-wrought breastplate drove its way; And, underneath, the linen vest it tore; But Hector, stooping, shunn’d the stroke of death. Withdrawing then their weapons, each on each They fell, like lions fierce, or tusked boars, In strength the mightiest of the forest beasts. Then Hector fairly on the centre struck The stubborn shield; yet drove not through the spear; For the stout brass the blunted point repell’d. But Ajax, with a forward bound, the shield Of Hector pierc’d; right through the weapon pass’d; Arrested with rude shock the warrior’s course, And graz’d his neck, that spouted forth the blood. Yet did not Hector of the glancing helm Flinch from the contest: stooping to the ground, With his broad hand a pond’rous stone he seiz’d, That lay upon the plain, dark, jagg’d, and huge, And hurl’d against the sev’n-fold shield, and struck Full on the central boss; loud rang the brass: Then Ajax rais’d a weightier mass of rock And sent it whirling, giving to his arm Unmeasur’d impulse; with a millstone’s weight It crush’d the buckler; Hector’s knees gave way; Backward he stagger’d, yet upon his shield Sustain’d, till Phoebus rais’d him to his feet. Now had they hand to hand with swords engag’d, Had not the messengers of Gods and men, The heralds, interpos’d; the one for Troy, The other umpire for the brass-clad Greeks, Talthybius and Idaeus, well approv’d. Between the chiefs they held their wands, and thus Idaeus both with prudent speech address’d: “No more, brave youths! no longer wage the fight: To cloud-compelling Jove ye both are dear, Both valiant spearmen; that, we all have seen. Night is at hand; behoves us yield to night.” Whom answer’d thus the son of Telamon: “Idaeus, bid that Hector speak those words: He challeng’d all our chiefs; let him begin: If he be willing, I shall not refuse.” To whom great Hector of the glancing helm: “Ajax, since God hath giv’n thee size, and strength, And skill; and with the spear, of all the Greeks None is thine equal; cease we for to-day The fight; hereafter we may meet, and Heav’n Decide our cause, and one with vict’ry crown. Night is at hand; behoves us yield to night. So by the ships shalt thou rejoice the Greeks, And most of all, thy comrades and thy friends; And so shall I, in Priam’s royal town, Rejoice the men of Troy, and long-rob’d dames, Who shall with grateful pray’rs the temples throng. But make we now an interchange of gifts, That both the Trojans and the Greeks may say, ‘On mortal quarrel did those warriors meet, Yet parted thence in friendly bonds conjoin’d.’”