ss Olympus: for to thee discord is ever grateful,
and wars and battles: thou hast thy mother Juno's insufferable and
unbending disposition, which I myself can scarcely repress with words.
Wherefore I think thou sufferest these things by her instigation. Yet no
longer can I endure thy suffering pain, for thou art my offspring, and
to me thy mother brought thee forth. But hadst thou, destructive as thou
art, been born of any other of the gods, even long since hadst thou been
far lower than the sons of Uranus."

Thus he spoke, and ordered Paeon to heal him: and Paeon healed him,
spreading [on his wound] pain-assuaging medicines; for he was not by any
means mortal. As when fig-tree juice,[233] on being stirred about,
curdles the white milk, fluid before, and it very rapidly coagulates,
while one is mixing it; thus at that time did he speedily heal impetuous
Mars. Hebe then washed him, and put on him beautiful garments. Then,
exulting in glory, near Saturnian Jove he sat down.

And now again Argive Juno and the powerful assistant Minerva returned to
the palace of mighty Jove, after having stayed man-slaying Mars from his
deeds of slaughter.

[Footnote 233: Used as rennet.]

BOOK THE SIXTH.

ARGUMENT.

The gods having left the field, victory now inclines to the side of the
Greeks, and Helenus counsels Hector to order a public supplication to
Minerva in the citadel. While Hector is gone to the city for that
purpose, Diomedes and Glaucus recognize the friendship which had
formerly existed between their fathers, and exchange armour in token of
amity. Hecuba and the Trojan matrons present a robe to Minerva, and
offer up prayers for their country. Hector reproves Paris, and brings
him back to the field, having first taken an affecting farewell of his
wife and child.

And now the dreadful battle of the Trojans and the Greeks was abandoned.
Often here and there the battle raged through the plain, [the
combatants] directing against each other their brass-tipped spears,
between the rivers of Simois and Xanthus.

First Telamonian Ajax, the bulwark of the Greeks, broke through the
phalanx of the Trojans, and gave light[234] to his companions, smiting
the good and mighty hero Acamas, son of Eyssorus, who was the bravest
amongst the Thracians. First he struck him on the ridge of the
horse-haired helmet; and the brazen spear fixed itself in his forehead,
and