Mere man then must not fight with him that still hath Gods to friend, Averting death on others’ darts, and giving his no end But with the ends of men. If God like fortune in the fight Would give my forces, not with ease wing’d victory should light On his proud shoulders, nor he ’scape, though all of brass he boasts His plight consisteth.” He replied: “Pray thou those Gods of hosts, Whom he implores, as well as he; and his chance may be thine; Thou cam’st of Gods like him; the Queen that reigns in Salamine Fame sounds thy mother; he deriv’d of lower Deity, Old Nereus’ daughter bearing him. Bear then thy heart as high, And thy unwearied steel as right; nor utterly be beat With only cruelty of words, not proof against a threat.” This strengthen’d him, and forth he rush’d; nor could his strength’ning fly White-wristed Juno, nor his drifts. She ev’ry Deity Of th’ Achive faction called to her, and said: “Ye must have care, Neptune and Pallas, for the frame of this important war Ye undertake here. Venus’ son, by Phœbus being impell’d, Runs on Achilles; turn him back, or see our friend upheld By one of us. Let not the spirit of Æacides Be over-dar’d, but make him know the mightiest Deities Stand kind to him; and that the Gods, protectors of these tow’rs That fight against Greece, and were here before our eminent pow’rs, Bear no importance. And besides, that all we stoop from heav’n, To curb this fight, that no impair be to his person giv’n By any Trojans, nor their aids, while this day bears the sun. Hereafter, all things that are wrapp’d in his birth-thread, and spun By Parcas in that point of time his mother gave him air, He must sustain. But if report perform not the repair Of all this to him, by the voice of some Immortal State, He may be fearful (if some God should set on him) that Fate Makes him her minister. The Gods, when they appear to men, And manifest their proper forms, are passing dreadful then.” Neptune replied: “Saturnia, at no time let your care Exceed your reason; ’tis not fit. Where only humans are, We must not mix the hands of Gods, our odds is too extreme. Sit we by, in some place of height, where we may see to them, And leave the wars of men to men. But if we see from thence Or Mars or Phœbus enter fight, or offer least offence To Thetis’ son, not giving free way to his conqu’ring rage, Then comes the conflict to our cares; we soon shall disengage Achilles, and send them to heav’n, to settle their abode With equals, flying under-strifes.” This said, the black-hair’d God Led to the tow’r of Hercules, built circular and high By Pallas and the Ilians, for fit security To Jove’s divine son ’gainst the whale, that drave him from the shore To th’ ample field. There Neptune sat, and all the Gods that bore The Greeks good meaning, casting all thick mantles made of clouds On their bright shoulders. Th’ oppos’d Gods sat hid in other shrouds On top of steep Callicolon, about thy golden sides,