The Gods, that mighty labor, from beside The Thunderer’s throne with admiration view’d, When Neptune, shaker of the shores, began.525 Eternal father! is there on the face Of all the boundless earth one mortal man Who will, in times to come, consult with heaven? See’st thou yon height of wall, and yon deep trench With which the Grecians have their fleet inclosed,530 And, careless of our blessing, hecatomb Or invocation have presented none? Far as the day-spring shoots herself abroad, So far the glory of this work shall spread, While Phœbus and myself, who, toiling hard,535 Built walls for king Laomedon, shall see Forgotten all the labor of our hands. To whom, indignant, thus high-thundering Jove. Oh thou, who shakest the solid earth at will, What hast thou spoken? An inferior power,540 A god of less sufficiency than thou, Might be allowed some fear from such a cause. Fear not. Where’er the morning shoots her beams, Thy glory shall be known; and when the Greeks Shall seek their country through the waves again,545 Then break this bulwark down, submerge it whole, And spreading deep with sand the spacious shore As at the first, leave not a trace behind. Such conference held the Gods; and now the sun Went down, and, that great work perform’d, the Greeks550 From tent to tent slaughter’d the fatted ox And ate their evening cheer. Meantime arrived Large fleet with Lemnian wine; Euneus, son Of Jason and Hypsipile, that fleet From Lemnos freighted, and had stow’d on board555 A thousand measures from the rest apart For the Atridæ; but the host at large By traffic were supplied; some barter’d brass, Others bright steel; some purchased wine with hides, These with their cattle, with their captives those,560 And the whole host prepared a glad regale. All night the Grecians feasted, and the host Of Ilium, and all night deep-planning Jove Portended dire calamities to both, Thundering tremendous!—Pale was every cheek;565 Each pour’d his goblet on the ground, nor dared The hardiest drink, till he had first perform’d Libation meet to the Saturnian King Omnipotent; then, all retiring, sought Their couches, and partook the gift of sleep.570 BOOK VIII. ARGUMENT OF THE EIGHTH BOOK.