the rich land of Lycia, where his brothers and kinsmen
will inter him, and will raise both mound and pillar to his memory, in
due honour to the dead."

Thus he spoke. Apollo obeyed his father's saying, and came down from
the heights of Ida into the thick of the fight; forthwith he took
Sarpedon out of range of the weapons, and then bore him a long way off,
where he washed him in the river, anointed him with ambrosia and
clothed him in immortal raiment; this done, he committed him to the
arms of the two fleet messengers, Death, and Sleep, who presently set
him down in the rich land of Lycia.

Meanwhile Patroclus, with many a shout to his horses and to Automedon,
pursued the Trojans and Lycians in the pride and foolishness of his
heart. Had he but obeyed the bidding of the son of Peleus, he would
have escaped death and have been scatheless; but the counsels of Jove
pass man's understanding; he will put even a brave man to flight and
snatch victory from his grasp, or again he will set him on to fight, as
he now did when he put a high spirit into the heart of Patroclus.

Who then first, and who last, was slain by you, O Patroclus, when the
gods had now called you to meet your doom? First Adrestus, Autonous,
Echeclus, Perimus the son of Megas, Epistor and Melanippus; after these
he killed Elasus, Mulius, and Pylartes. These he slew, but the rest
saved themselves by flight.

The sons of the Achaeans would now have taken Troy by the hands of
Patroclus, for his spear flew in all directions, had not Phoebus Apollo
taken his stand upon the wall to defeat his purpose and to aid the
Trojans. Thrice did Patroclus charge at an angle of the high wall, and
thrice did Apollo beat him back, striking his shield with his own
immortal hands. When Patroclus was coming on like a god for yet a
fourth time, Apollo shouted to him with an awful voice and said, "Draw
back, noble Patroclus, it is not your lot to sack the city of the
Trojan chieftains, nor yet will it be that of Achilles who is a far
better man than you are." On hearing this, Patroclus withdrew to some
distance and avoided the anger of Apollo.

Meanwhile Hector was waiting with his horses inside the Scaean gates,
in doubt whether to drive out again and go on fighting, or to call the
army inside the gates. As he was thus doubting Phoebus Apollo drew near
him in the likeness of a young and lusty warrior Asius, who was
Hector's uncle, being own brother to Hecuba, and son of Dymas