oble Hector."

Thus he spoke, nor did the azure-eyed goddess disobey. But Helenus, the
dear son of Priam, perceived in his mind the counsel, which seemed good
to the gods deliberating. He therefore went and stood near Hector, and
thus accosted him:

"Hector, son of Priam, equal to Jove in wisdom, wilt thou obey me in
aught? for I am thy brother. Cause all the rest of the Trojans and the
Greeks to sit down, but do thou thyself challenge whoever is the bravest
of the Greeks to fight against thee in grievous combat. For it is not
yet thy fate to die, and draw on fate; for to this effect have I heard
the voice of the immortal gods."

Thus he spoke. But Hector in turn rejoiced exceedingly, having heard his
advice, and accordingly advancing into the midst, grasping his spear in
the middle, he restrained the phalanxes of the Trojans; and they all sat
down. Agamemnon also caused the well-greaved Greeks to sit down; and
Minerva also, and silver-bowed Apollo, sat like unto vulture birds, on a
lofty beech-tree of their sire, the aegis-bearing Jove, delighted with
the heroes; of these the ranks sat thick, horribly bristling with
shields, and helmets, and spears. And as the ripple of the west wind,
just risen, is poured over the ocean, and the sea begins to darken under
it, such sat the ranks of the Greeks and Trojans in the plain: but
Hector thus spoke in the midst of both armies:

"Hear me, ye Trojans, and ye well-greaved Greeks, whilst I speak what
the mind in my breast commands me. Saturnian Jove, indeed, sitting
aloft, has not ratified the leagues, but devising evils against both
sides, ordains them, till either ye take well-turreted Troy, or
yourselves fall at your sea-traversing ships. Amongst you, indeed, there
are the bravest of all the Greeks, of whom whomsoever his mind orders to
fight with me, let him come hither from amongst all, to be a champion
against noble Hector. This then do I propose, but let Jove be our
witness; if, on the one hand, he shall slay me with his long-pointed
spear, having stripped off my armour, let him bear it to the hollow
ships, but send my body home, that the Trojans and the wives of the
Trojans may make me, deceased, a partaker of the funeral pyre. But if,
on the other hand, I shall slay him, and Apollo shall give me glory,
having stripped off his armour, I will bear it to sacred Ilium, and I
will hang it up on the temple of far-darting Apollo: but his body I will
send back to the well-benc