le, and his armour rang rattling
round him as he fell heavily to the ground. Hector sprang forward to
take Amphimachus's helmet from off his temples, and in a moment Ajax
threw a spear at him, but did not wound him, for he was encased all
over in his terrible armour; nevertheless the spear struck the boss of
his shield with such force as to drive him back from the two corpses,
which the Achaeans then drew off. Stichius and Menestheus, captains of
the Athenians, bore away Amphimachus to the host of the Achaeans, while
the two brave and impetuous Ajaxes did the like by Imbrius. As two
lions snatch a goat from the hounds that have it in their fangs, and
bear it through thick brushwood high above the ground in their jaws,
thus did the Ajaxes bear aloft the body of Imbrius, and strip it of its
armour. Then the son of Oileus severed the head from the neck in
revenge for the death of Amphimachus, and sent it whirling over the
crowd as though it had been a ball, till it fell in the dust at
Hector's feet.

Neptune was exceedingly angry that his grandson Amphimachus should have
fallen; he therefore went to the tents and ships of the Achaeans to
urge the Danaans still further, and to devise evil for the Trojans.
Idomeneus met him, as he was taking leave of a comrade, who had just
come to him from the fight, wounded in the knee. His fellow-soldiers
bore him off the field, and Idomeneus having given orders to the
physicians went on to his tent, for he was still thirsting for battle.
Neptune spoke in the likeness and with the voice of Thoas son of
Andraemon who ruled the Aetolians of all Pleuron and high Calydon, and
was honoured among his people as though he were a god. "Idomeneus,"
said he, "lawgiver to the Cretans, what has now become of the threats
with which the sons of the Achaeans used to threaten the Trojans?"

And Idomeneus chief among the Cretans answered, "Thoas, no one, so far
as I know, is in fault, for we can all fight. None are held back
neither by fear nor slackness, but it seems to be the will of almighty
Jove that the Achaeans should perish ingloriously here far from Argos:
you, Thoas, have been always staunch, and you keep others in heart if
you see any fail in duty; be not then remiss now, but exhort all to do
their utmost."

To this Neptune lord of the earthquake made answer, "Idomeneus, may he
never return from Troy, but remain here for dogs to batten upon, who is
this day wilfully slack in fighting. Get your