the moment has come to attack Troy. At
dawn, therefore, Agamemnon calls an assembly, and the chiefs decide to
test the mettle of the Greeks by ordering a return home, and, in the
midst of these preparations, summoning the men to fight.

These signs of imminent departure incense Juno and Minerva, who, ever
since the golden apple was bestowed upon Venus, are sworn foes of
Paris and Troy. In disguise, therefore, Minerva urges Ulysses,
wiliest of the Greeks, to silence the clown Thersites, and admonish
his companions that if they return home empty-handed they will be
disgraced. Only too pleased, Ulysses reminds his countrymen how, just
before they left home, a serpent crawled from beneath the altar and
devoured eight young sparrows and the mother who tried to defend them,
adding that this was an omen that for nine years they would vainly
besiege Troy but would triumph in the tenth.

His eloquent reminder, reinforced by patriotic speeches from Nestor
and Agamemnon, determines the Greeks to attempt a final attack upon
Troy. So, with the speed and destructive fury of a furious fire, the
Greek army, whose forces and leaders are all named, sweeps on toward
Troy, where Iris has flown to warn the Trojans of their approach.

As on some mountain, through the lofty grove
The crackling flames ascend and blaze above;
The fires expanding, as the winds arise,
Shoot their long beams and kindle half the skies:
So from the polish'd arms and brazen shields
A gleamy splendor flash'd along the fields.

It is in the form of one of Priam's sons that this divinity enters the
palace, where, as soon as Hector hears the news, he musters his
warriors, most conspicuous among whom are his brother Paris, and
Aeneas, son of Venus and Anchises.

_Book III._ Both armies now advance toward each other, the Trojans
uttering shrill cries like migratory cranes, while the Greeks maintain
an impressive silence. When near enough to recognize his wife's
seducer, Menelaus rushes forward to attack Paris, who, terrified,
takes refuge in the ranks of the Trojan host. So cowardly a retreat,
however, causes Hector to express the bitter wish that his brother had
died before bringing disgrace upon Troy. Although conscious of
deserving reproof, Paris, after reminding his brother all men are not
constituted alike, offers to redeem his honor by fighting Menelaus,
provided Helen and her treasures are awarded to the victor. This
proposal proves so welcome, th