Fired by such words, they gather heart and stand in close array, Till step by step 'gins Turnus now to yield him from the play, And seek the river and the side the wet wave girds about. Then fiercer fall the Teucrians on, and raise a mighty shout, 790 And lock their ranks: as when a crowd of men-folk and of spears Falls on a lion hard of heart, and he, beset by fears, But fierce and grim-eyed, yieldeth way, though anger and his worth Forbid him turn his back about: no less to fare right forth Through spears and men avails him not, though ne'er so fain he be. Not otherwise unhasty feet drew Turnus doubtfully Abackward, all his heart a-boil with anger's overflow. Yea, twice, indeed, he falls again amidmost of the foe, And twice more turns to huddled flight their folk along the walls; But, gathered from the camp about, the whole host on him falls, 800 Nor durst Saturnian Juno now his might against them stay; For Jupiter from heaven hath sent Iris of airy way, No soft commands of his high doom bearing his sister down, If Turnus get him not away from Troy's high-builded town. So now the warrior's shielded left the play endureth not, Nought skills his right hand; wrapped around in drift of weapon shot About his temples' hollow rings his helm with ceaseless clink; The starkly-fashioned brazen plates amid the stone-cast chink; The crest is battered from his head; nor may the shield-boss hold Against the strokes: the Trojans speed the spear-storm manifold, 810 And lightening Mnestheus thickeneth it: then over all his limbs The sweat bursts out, and all adown a pitchy river swims: Hard grows his breath, and panting sharp shaketh his body spent. Until at last, all clad in arms, he leapt adown, and sent His body to the river fair, who in his yellow flood Caught him, and bore him forth away on ripple soft and good, And gave him merry to his men, washed from the battle's blood. BOOK X. ARGUMENT. THE GODS TAKE COUNSEL: ÆNEAS COMETH TO HIS FOLK AGAIN, AND DOETH MANY GREAT DEEDS IN BATTLE. Meanwhile is opened wide the door of dread Olympus' walls, And there the Sire of Gods and Men unto the council calls, Amid the starry place, wherefrom, high-throned, he looks adown Upon the folk of Latin land and that beleaguered town. There in the open house they sit, and he himself begins: