, for they say that
thou too art sprung from Venus, the daughter of Jove, but he from an
inferior goddess; for the one is from Jove, and the other from the aged
sea-god. But direct thy invincible brass right against him, nor let him
at all avert thee by haughty words and threats."

Thus saying, he breathed great courage into the shepherd of the people;
and he advanced through the front ranks, accoutred in shining brass. Nor
did the son of Anchises escape the notice of white-armed Juno, going
against the son of Peleus through the ranks of men; but, calling the
gods together, she addressed them:

"Consider now, both Neptune and Minerva, in your minds, how these things
shall be. This AEneas, accoutred in shining brass, has advanced against
the son of Peleus; and Phoebus Apollo has urged him on. But come, let us,
however, turn him back again; or let some one of us stand by Achilles,
and give him great strength, nor let him at all be wanting in courage;
that he may know that the mightiest of the immortals love him; and that
those, on the contrary, are vain, who hitherto avert war and slaughter
from the Trojans. But we have all come down from Olympus, about to
participate in this battle, lest he should suffer anything among the
Trojans to-day; but hereafter he shall suffer those things, as
many as Fate at his birth wove in his thread [of destiny],[645] to him,
what time his mother brought him forth. But if Achilles shall not learn
these things from the voice of a god, he will afterwards be afraid when
any god comes against him in battle; for the gods, when made manifest,
are terrible to be seen manifestly." [646]

But her then earth-shaking Neptune answered:

"Juno, be not beyond reason enraged; nor is it at all necessary. I,
indeed, would not desire that we should engage the other gods in a
battle, since we are much more powerful.[647] Rather let us, going out
of the way, sit down upon a place of observation,[648] but the war shall
be a care to mortals. But if Mars shall begin the combat, or Apollo, or
shall restrain Achilles, and not suffer him to fight, then immediately
shall the strife of contention there arise to us; and I think that they,
having very speedily decided it, will return to Olympus, and mix with
the assembly of other gods, violently subdued by necessity under our
hands."

Thus then having spoken, the azure-haired [god] led the way to the lofty
mound-raised wall of divine Hercules, which the Trojans and