us are lying struck down and wounded at the hands of
the Trojans, who are waxing stronger and stronger. But save me and take
me to your ship; cut out the arrow from my thigh; wash the black blood
from off it with warm water, and lay upon it those gracious herbs
which, so they say, have been shown you by Achilles, who was himself
shown them by Chiron, most righteous of all the centaurs. For of the
physicians Podalirius and Machaon, I hear that the one is lying wounded
in his tent and is himself in need of healing, while the other is
fighting the Trojans upon the plain."

"Hero Eurypylus," replied the brave son of Menoetius, "how may these
things be? What can I do? I am on my way to bear a message to noble
Achilles from Nestor of Gerene, bulwark of the Achaeans, but even so I
will not be unmindful of your distress."

With this he clasped him round the middle and led him into the tent,
and a servant, when he saw him, spread bullock-skins on the ground for
him to lie on. He laid him at full length and cut out the sharp arrow
from his thigh; he washed the black blood from the wound with warm
water; he then crushed a bitter herb, rubbing it between his hands, and
spread it upon the wound; this was a virtuous herb which killed all
pain; so the wound presently dried and the blood left off flowing.

BOOK XII

The Trojans and their allies break the wall, led on by Hector.

SO THE son of Menoetius was attending to the hurt of Eurypylus within
the tent, but the Argives and Trojans still fought desperately, nor
were the trench and the high wall above it, to keep the Trojans in
check longer. They had built it to protect their ships, and had dug the
trench all round it that it might safeguard both the ships and the rich
spoils which they had taken, but they had not offered hecatombs to the
gods. It had been built without the consent of the immortals, and
therefore it did not last. So long as Hector lived and Achilles nursed
his anger, and so long as the city of Priam remained untaken, the great
wall of the Achaeans stood firm; but when the bravest of the Trojans
were no more, and many also of the Argives, though some were yet left
alive--when, moreover, the city was sacked in the tenth year, and the
Argives had gone back with their ships to their own country--then
Neptune and Apollo took counsel to destroy the wall, and they turned on
to it the streams of all the rivers from Mount Ida into the sea,
Rhesus, Heptaporus, Cares