Undaunted Diomed replied: “You braver with your bow, You slick-hair’d lover, you that hunt and fleer at wenches so, Durst thou but stand in arms with me, thy silly archery Would give thee little cause to vaunt. As little suffer I In this same tall exploit of thine, perform’d when thou wert hid, As if a woman, or a child that knew not what it did, Had touch’d my foot. A coward’s steel hath never any edge. But mine, t’ assure it sharp, still lays dead carcasses in pledge; Touch it, it renders lifeless straight, it strikes the fingers’ ends Of hapless widows in their cheeks, and children blind of friends. The subject of it makes earth red, and air with sighs inflames, And leaves limbs more embrac’d with birds than with enamour’d dames.” Lance-fam’d Ulysses now came in, and stept before the king, Kneel’d opposite, and drew the shaft. The eager pain did sting Through all his body. Straight he took his royal chariot there, And with direction to the fleet did charge his charioteer. Now was Ulysses desolate, fear made no friend remain, He thus spake to his mighty mind: “What doth my state sustain? If I should fly this odds in fear, that thus comes clust’ring on, ‘Twere high dishonour; yet ’twere worse, to be surpris’d alone. ’Tis Jove that drives the rest to fight; but that’s a faint excuse. Why do I tempt my mind so much? Pale cowards fight refuse. He that affects renown in war must like a rock be fix’d, Wound, or be wounded. Valour’s truth puts no respect betwixt.” In this contention with himself, in flew the shady bands Of targeteers, who sieg’d him round with mischief-filléd hands. As when a crew of gallants watch the wild muse of a boar, Their dogs put after in full cry, he rusheth on before, Whets, with his lather-making jaws, his crookéd tusks for blood, And, holding firm his usual haunts, breaks through the deepen’d wood, They charging, though his hot approach be never so abhorr’d; So, to assail the Jove-lov’d Greek, the Ilians did accord, And he made through them. First he hurt, upon his shoulder blade, Deiops, a blameless man at arms; then sent to endless shade Thoon and Eunomus; and strook the strong Chersidamas, As from his chariot he leap’d down, beneath his targe of brass; Who fell, and crawl’d upon the earth with his sustaining palms, And left the fight. Nor yet his lance left dealing martial alms, But Socus’ brother by both sides, young Carops, did impress. Then princely Socus to his aid made brotherly access, And, coming near, spake in his charge: “O great Laertes’ son, Insatiate in sly stratagems, and labours never done, This hour, or thou shalt boast to kill the two Hippasides And prise their arms, or fall thyself in my resolv’d access.” This said, he threw quite through his shield his fell and well-driv’n lance, Which held way through his curaces, and on his ribs did glance, Plowing the flesh alongst his sides; but Pallas did repel All inward passage to his life. Ulysses, knowing well