Their loose career, disposing them to Protiaon’s son, Astynous, with special charge, to keep them ever on, And in his sight. So he again, amongst the foremost went. At Hector then another shaft, incenséd Teucer sent, Which, had it hit him, sure had hurt, and, had it hurt him, slain, And, had it slain him, it had driv’n all those to Troy again. But Jove’s mind was not sleeping now, it wak’d to Hector’s fame, And Teucer’s infamy; himself (in Teucer’s deadly aim) His well-wrought string dissevering, that serv’d his bravest bow; His shaft flew quite another way, his bow the earth did strow. At all which Teucer stood amaz’d, and to his brother cried: “O prodigy! Without all doubt, our angel doth deride The counsels of our fight; he brake a string my hands put on This morning, and was newly made, and well might have set gone A hundred arrows; and, beside, he strook out of my hand The bow Apollo gave.” He said: “Then, good friend, do not stand More on thy archery, since God, preventer of all grace Desir’d by Grecians, slights it so. Take therefore in the place A good large lance, and on thy neck a target cast as bright, With which come fight thyself with some, and other some excite, That without labour at the least, though we prove worser men, Troy may not brag it took our ships. Come, mind our business, then.” This said, he hasted to his tent, left there his shafts and bow, And then his double double shield did on his shoulders throw; Upon his honour’d head he plac’d his helmet thickly-plum’d, And then his strong and well-pil’d lance in his fair hand assum’d, Return’d; and boldly took his place, by his great brother’s side. When Hector saw his arrows broke, out to his friends he cried: “O friends, be yet more comforted; I saw the hands of Jove Break the great Grecian archer’s shafts. ’Tis easy to approve That Jove’s pow’r is direct with men; as well in those set high Upon the sudden, as in those depress’d as suddenly, And those not put in state at all. As now he takes away Strength from the Greeks, and gives it us; then use it, and assay With join’d hands this approachéd fleet. If any bravely buy His fame or fate with wounds or death, in Jove’s name let him die. Who for his country suffers death, sustains no shameful thing, His wife in honour shall survive, his progeny shall spring In endless summers, and their roofs with patrimony swell. And all this, though, with all their freight, the Greek ships we repell.” His friends thus cheer’d; on th’ other part, strong Ajax stirr’d his friends: “O Greeks,” said he, “what shame is this, that no man more defends His fame and safety, than to live, and thus be forc’d to shrink! Now either save your fleet, or die; unless ye vainly think That you can live and they destroy’d. Perceives not ev’ry ear How Hector heartens up his men, and hath his fire-brands here Now ready to inflame our fleet? He doth not bid them dance, That you may take your ease and see, but to the fight advance.