d forthwith beneath the waves, while
silver-footed Thetis went her way that she might bring the armour for
her son.

Thus, then, did her feet bear the goddess to Olympus, and meanwhile the
Achaeans were flying with loud cries before murderous Hector till they
reached the ships and the Hellespont, and they could not draw the body
of Mars's servant Patroclus out of reach of the weapons that were
showered upon him, for Hector son of Priam with his host and horsemen
had again caught up to him like the flame of a fiery furnace; thrice
did brave Hector seize him by the feet, striving with might and main to
draw him away and calling loudly on the Trojans, and thrice did the two
Ajaxes, clothed in valour as with a garment, beat him from off the
body; but all undaunted he would now charge into the thick of the
fight, and now again he would stand still and cry aloud, but he would
give no ground. As upland shepherds that cannot chase some famished
lion from a carcase, even so could not the two Ajaxes scare Hector son
of Priam from the body of Patroclus.

And now he would even have dragged it off and have won imperishable
glory, had not Iris fleet as the wind, winged her way as messenger from
Olympus to the son of Peleus and bidden him arm. She came secretly
without the knowledge of Jove and of the other gods, for Juno sent her,
and when she had got close to him she said, "Up, son of Peleus,
mightiest of all mankind; rescue Patroclus about whom this fearful
fight is now raging by the ships. Men are killing one another, the
Danaans in defence of the dead body, while the Trojans are trying to
hale it away, and take it to windy Ilius: Hector is the most furious of
them all; he is for cutting the head from the body and fixing it on the
stakes of the wall. Up, then, and bide here no longer; shrink from the
thought that Patroclus may become meat for the dogs of Troy. Shame on
you, should his body suffer any kind of outrage."

And Achilles said, "Iris, which of the gods was it that sent you to me?"

Iris answered, "It was Juno the royal spouse of Jove, but the son of
Saturn does not know of my coming, nor yet does any other of the
immortals who dwell on the snowy summits of Olympus."

Then fleet Achilles answered her saying, "How can I go up into the
battle? They have my armour. My mother forbade me to arm till I should
see her come, for she promised to bring me goodly armour from Vulcan; I
know no man whose arms I can put on, save o