Nor force of chariots, but I fear a Pow’r much better seen In right of all war than all we. That God, that holds between Our victory and us his shield, lets conquest come and go At his free pleasure, and with fear converts her changes so Upon the strongest. Men must fight when his just spirit impels, Not their vain glories. But come on, make thy steps parallels To these of mine, and then be judge, how deep the work will draw. If then I spend the day in shifts, or thou canst give such law To thy detractive speeches then, or if the Grecian host Holds any that in pride of strength holds up his spirit most, Whom, for the carriage of this prince, that thou enforcest so, I make not stoop in his defence. You, friends, ye hear and know How much it fits ye to make good this Grecian I have slain, For ransom of Jove’s son, our friend. Play then the worthy men, Till I indue Achilles’ arms.” This said, he left the fight, And call’d back those that bore the arms, not yet without his sight, In convoy of them towards Troy. For them he chang’d his own, Remov’d from where it rained tears, and sent them back to town. Then put he on th’ eternal arms, that the Celestial States Gave Peleus; Peleus, being old, their use appropriates To his Achilles, that, like him, forsook them not for age. When He, whose empire is in clouds, saw Hector bent to wage War in divine Achilles’ arms, he shook his head, and said: “Poor wretch, thy thoughts are far from death, though he so near hath laid His ambush for thee. Thou putt’st on those arms, as braving him Whom others fear; hast slain his friend, and from his youthful limb Torn rudely off his heav’nly arms, himself being gentle, kind, And valiant. Equal measure then, thy life in youth must find. Yet since the justice is so strict, that not Andromache, In thy denied return from fight, must ever take of thee Those arms, in glory of thy acts; thou shalt have that frail blaze Of excellence that neighbours death, a strength ev’n to amaze.” To this His sable brows did bow; and he made fit his limb To those great arms, to fill which up the War-god enter’d him Austere and terrible, his joints and ev’ry part extends With strength and fortitude; and thus to his admiring friends High Clamour brought him. He so shin’d, that all could think no less But he resembled ev’ry way great-soul’d Æacides. Then ev’ry way he scour’d the field, his captains calling on; Asteropæus, Eunomus, that foresaw all things done, Glaucus, and Medon, Desinor, and strong Thersilochus, Phorcis, and Mesthles, Chromius, and great Hippothous; To all these, and their populous troops, these his excitements were: “Hear us, innumerable friends, near-bord’ring nations, hear. We have not call’d you from our towns, to fill our idle eye With number of so many men (no such vain empery Did ever joy us) but to fight; and of our Trojan wives, With all their children, manfully to save the innocent lives. In whose cares we draw all our towns of aiding soldiers dry,