put upon himself the armour he had
stripped off the body of Patroklos. The armour fitted every limb and
joint and as he put it on more courage and strength than ever yet he had
felt came into the soul of Hector.'

[Illustration]

'And the immortal steeds that Patroklos had driven, having galloped from
the battle, stood apart and would not move for all that their
charioteer would do. They stood apart with their heads bowed, and tears
flowed from their eyes down on the ground. And Zeus, the greatest of the
gods, saw them and had pity upon them and spoke to himself saying, "Ah,
immortal steeds, why did I give ye to king Peleus, whose generations die
while ye remain young and undying? Was it that ye should know the
sorrows that befall mortal men? Pitiful, indeed, is the lot of all men
upon the earth. Even Hector now, who boasteth in the armour that the
gods once gave, will shortly go down to his death and the City he
defendeth will be burned with fire."'

'So saying he put courage into the hearts of the immortal steeds and
they went where the charioteer would have them go, and they came safely
out of the battle.'

'Now Hector, with the armour of Achilles upon him, gathered his
companies together and brought them up to the battle to win and carry
away the body of Patroklos. But each one who laid hands upon that body
was instantly slain by Aias. All day the battle went on, for the Greeks
would say to each other, "Comrades, let the earth yawn and swallow us
rather than let the Trojans carry off the body of Patroklos." And on
their side the Trojans would say, "Friends, rather let us all be slain
together beside this man than let one of us go backward now."'

'Now Nestor's son, Antilochos, who was fighting on the left of the
battlefield, heard of the slaying of Patroklos. His eyes filled with
tears and his voice was choked with grief and he dashed out of the
battle to bring the grievous tidings to the hut of Achilles. "Fallen is
Patroklos," he cried, "and Greeks and Trojans are fighting around his
body. And his body is naked now, for Hector has stripped the armor from
it."'

Then Achilles fainted away and his head lay in the ashes of his hut. He
woke again and moaned terribly. His goddess-mother heard the sound of
his grief as she sat within the depths of the Ocean. She came to him as
he was still moaning terribly. She took his hand and clasped it and
said, "My child, why weep'st thou?" Achilles ceased his moaning and
an