an attendant who had grown old in
the service of Aeneas' aged father, and was at all times devoted to
him. In his likeness, then, Apollo said, "Aeneas, can you not manage,
even though heaven be against us, to save high Ilius? I have known men,
whose numbers, courage, and self-reliance have saved their people in
spite of Jove, whereas in this case he would much rather give victory
to us than to the Danaans, if you would only fight instead of being so
terribly afraid."

Aeneas knew Apollo when he looked straight at him, and shouted to
Hector saying, "Hector and all other Trojans and allies, shame on us if
we are beaten by the Achaeans and driven back to Ilius through our own
cowardice. A god has just come up to me and told me that Jove the
supreme disposer will be with us. Therefore let us make for the
Danaans, that it may go hard with them ere they bear away dead
Patroclus to the ships."

As he spoke he sprang out far in front of the others, who then rallied
and again faced the Achaeans. Aeneas speared Leiocritus son of Arisbas,
a valiant follower of Lycomedes, and Lycomedes was moved with pity as
he saw him fall; he therefore went close up, and speared Apisaon son of
Hippasus shepherd of his people in the liver under the midriff, so that
he died; he had come from fertile Paeonia and was the best man of them
all after Asteropaeus. Asteropaeus flew forward to avenge him and
attack the Danaans, but this might no longer be, inasmuch as those
about Patroclus were well covered by their shields, and held their
spears in front of them, for Ajax had given them strict orders that no
man was either to give ground, or to stand out before the others, but
all were to hold well together about the body and fight hand to hand.
Thus did huge Ajax bid them, and the earth ran red with blood as the
corpses fell thick on one another alike on the side of the Trojans and
allies, and on that of the Danaans; for these last, too, fought no
bloodless fight though many fewer of them perished, through the care
they took to defend and stand by one another.

Thus did they fight as it were a flaming fire; it seemed as though it
had gone hard even with the sun and moon, for they were hidden over all
that part where the bravest heroes were fighting about the dead son of
Menoetius, whereas the other Danaans and Achaeans fought at their ease
in full daylight with brilliant sunshine all round them, and there was
not a cloud to be seen neither on plain n