Dishonour with so little pow’r? My chariot-horse are tir’d With posting to and fro for Greece, and bringing banes desir’d To people must’ring Priamus, and his perfidious sons; Yet thou protect’st, and join’st with them whom each just Deity shuns. Go on, but ever go resolv’d all other Gods have vow’d To cross thy partial course for Troy, in all that makes it proud.” At this, the cloud-compelling Jove a far-fetch’d sigh let fly, And said: “Thou fury! What offence of such impiety Hath Priam or his sons done thee, that, with so high a hate, Thou shouldst thus ceaselessly desire to raze and ruinate So well a builded town as Troy? I think, hadst thou the pow’r, Thou wouldst the ports and far-stretch’d walls fly over, and devour Old Priam and his issue quick, and make all Troy thy feast, And then at length I hope thy wrath and tiréd spleen would rest; To which run on thy chariot, that nought be found in me Of just cause to our future jars. In this yet strengthen thee, And fix it in thy memory fast, this if I entertain As peremptory a desire to level with the plain A city where thy lovéd live, stand not betwixt my ire And what it aims at, but give way, when thou hast thy desire; Which now I grant thee willingly, although against my will. For not beneath the ample sun, and heav’n’s star-bearing hill, There is a town of earthly men so honour’d in my mind As sacred Troy; nor of earth’s kings as Priam and his kind, Who never let my altars lack rich feast of off’rings slain, And their sweet savours; for which grace I honour them again.” Dread Juno, with the cow’s fair eyes, replied: “Three towns there are Of great and eminent respect, both in my love and care; Mycene, with the broad highways; and Argos, rich in horse; And Sparta; all which three destroy, when thou envi’st their force, I will not aid them, nor malign thy free and sov’reign will, For if I should be envious, and set against their ill, I know my envy were in vain, since thou art mightier far. But we must give each other leave, and wink at either’s war. I likewise must have pow’r to crown my works with wishéd end, Because I am a Deity, and did from thence descend Whence thou thyself, and th’ elder born; wise Saturn was our sire; And thus there is a two-fold cause that pleads for my desire, Being sister, and am call’d thy wife; and more, since thy command Rules all Gods else, I claim therein a like superior hand. All wrath before then now remit, and mutually combine In either’s empire; I, thy rule, and thou, illustrate, mine; So will the other Gods agree, and we shall all be strong. And first (for this late plot) with speed let Pallas go among The Trojans, and some one of them entice to break the truce By off’ring in some treach’rous wound the honour’d Greeks abuse.” The Father both of men and Gods agreed, and Pallas sent, With these wing’d words, to both the hosts: “Make all haste, and invent Some mean by which the men of Troy, against the truce agreed,