chief to all us others? Jove would
instantly leave the Trojans and Achaeans to themselves; he would come
to Olympus to punish us, and would grip us up one after another, guilty
or not guilty. Therefore lay aside your anger for the death of your
son; better men than he have either been killed already or will fall
hereafter, and one cannot protect every one's whole family."

With these words she took Mars back to his seat. Meanwhile Juno called
Apollo outside, with Iris the messenger of the gods. "Jove," she said
to them, "desires you to go to him at once on Mt. Ida; when you have
seen him you are to do as he may then bid you."

Thereon Juno left them and resumed her seat inside, while Iris and
Apollo made all haste on their way. When they reached many-fountained
Ida, mother of wild beasts, they found Jove seated on topmost Gargarus
with a fragrant cloud encircling his head as with a diadem. They stood
before his presence, and he was pleased with them for having been so
quick in obeying the orders his wife had given them.

He spoke to Iris first. "Go," said he, "fleet Iris, tell King Neptune
what I now bid you--and tell him true. Bid him leave off fighting, and
either join the company of the gods, or go down into the sea. If he
takes no heed and disobeys me, let him consider well whether he is
strong enough to hold his own against me if I attack him. I am older
and much stronger than he is; yet he is not afraid to set himself up as
on a level with myself, of whom all the other gods stand in awe."

Iris, fleet as the wind, obeyed him, and as the cold hail or snowflakes
that fly from out the clouds before the blast of Boreas, even so did
she wing her way till she came close up to the great shaker of the
earth. Then she said, "I have come, O dark-haired king that holds the
world in his embrace, to bring you a message from Jove. He bids you
leave off fighting, and either join the company of the gods or go down
into the sea; if, however, you take no heed and disobey him, he says he
will come down here and fight you. He would have you keep out of his
reach, for he is older and much stronger than you are, and yet you are
not afraid to set yourself up as on a level with himself, of whom all
the other gods stand in awe."

Neptune was very angry and said, "Great heavens! strong as Jove may be,
he has said more than he can do if he has threatened violence against
me, who am of like honour with himself. We were three brothers who