We all day may hold fiercely out. No man must rest, or breath; The bosoms of our targeteers must all be steeped in sweat; The lancer’s arm must fall dissolv’d; our chariot-horse with heat Must seem to melt. But if I find one soldier take the chace, Or stir from fight, or fight not still fix’d in his enemy’s face, Or hid a-ship-board, all the world, for force, nor price, shall save His hated life, but fowls and dogs be his abhorréd grave.” He said; and such a murmur rose, as on a lofty shore The waves make, when the south wind comes, and tumbles them before Against a rock, grown near the strand which diversely beset Is never free, but, here and there, with varied uproars beat. All rose then, rushing to the fleet, perfum’d their tents, and eat; Each off’ring to th’ immortal gods, and praying to ’scape the heat Of war and death. The king of men an ox of five years’ spring T’ almighty Jove slew, call’d the peers; first Nestor; then the king Idomenëus; after them th’ Ajaces; and the son Of Tydeus; Ithacus the sixth, in counsel paragon To Jove himself. All these he bade; but at-a-martial-cry Good Menelaus, since he saw his brother busily Employ’d at that time, would not stand on invitation, But of himself came. All about the off’ring over-thrown Stood round, took salt-cakes, and the king himself thus pray’d for all: “O Jove, most great, most glorious, that, in that starry hall, Sitt’st drawing dark clouds up to air, let not the sun go down, Darkness supplying it, till my hands the palace and the town Of Priam overthrow and burn; the arm, on Hector’s breast Dividing, spoiling with my sword thousands, in interest Of his bad quarrel, laid by him in dust, and eating earth.” He pray’d; Jove heard him not, but made more plentiful the birth Of his sad toils, yet took his gifts. Pray’rs past, cakes on they threw; The ox then, to the altar drawn, they kill’d, and from him drew His hide, then cut him up, his thighs; in two hewn, dubb’d with fat, Prick’d on the sweetbreads, and with wood, leaveless, and kindled at Apposéd fire, they burn the thighs; which done, the inwards, slit, They broil’d on coals and eat; the rest, in giggots cut, they spit, Roast cunningly, draw, sit, and feast; nought lack’d to leave allay’d Each temp’rate appetite; which serv’d, Nestor began and said: “Atrides, most grac’d king of men, now no more words allow, Nor more defer the deed Jove vows. Let heralds summon now The brazen-coated Greeks, and us range ev’rywhere the host, To stir a strong war quickly up.” This speech no syllable lost; The high-voic’d heralds instantly he, charg’d to call to arms The curl’d-head Greeks; they call’d; the Greeks straight answer’d their alarms. The Jove-kept kings, about the king all gather’d, with their aid Rang’d all in tribes and nations. With them the gray-eyed Maid Great Ægis (Jove’s bright shield) sustain’d, that can be never old, Never corrupted, fring’d about with serpents forg’d of gold, As many all suffic’d to make an hundred fringes, worth