shall be the victor's prize, but that his remains shall
receive honorable burial. Conscious that none of their warriors--save
Achilles--match Hector, the Greeks at first hesitate, but, among the
nine who finally volunteer, Ajax is chosen by lot to be the Greek
champion. Overjoyed at this opportunity to distinguish himself, Ajax
advances with boastful confidence to meet Hector, who, undismayed by
his size and truculent speeches, enters into the fight. The duel is,
however, not fought to a finish, for the heralds interrupt it at
nightfall, pronouncing the champions equal in strength and skill and
postponing its issue until the morrow.

In his elation Ajax offers thanks to Jupiter before attending a
banquet, where Nestor prudently advises his friends to fortify their
camp by erecting earthworks. While the Greeks are feasting, the
Trojans debate whether it would not be wise to apologize for the
broken truce and restore Helen and her treasures to the Greeks. But
this suggestion is so angrily rejected by Paris that Priam suggests
they propose instead an armistice of sufficient length to enable both
parties to bury their dead.

At dawn, therefore, Trojan heralds visit Agamemnon's tent to propose a
truce, and offer any indemnification save Helen's return. But,
although the Greeks consent to an armistice, they feel so confident of
success that they refuse all offers of indemnity. Both parties now
bury their dead, a sight witnessed by the gods, who, gazing down from
Olympus, become aware of the earthen ramparts .erected during the
night to protect the Greek fleet. This sight prompts Neptune to
express jealous fears lest these may eclipse the walls he built around
Troy, but Jupiter pacifies him by assuring him he can easily bury them
beneath the sand as soon as the war is over.

_Book VIII._ At daybreak Jupiter summons the gods, forbidding them to
lend aid to either party, under penalty of perpetual imprisonment in
Tartarus. Having decreed this, Jupiter betakes himself to Mount Ida,
whence he proposes to watch all that is going on. It is there, at
noon, that he takes out his golden balances, and places in opposite
scales the fates of Troy and Greece. A moment later a loud clap of
thunder proclaims the day's advantage will remain with the Trojans,
whose leader, Hector, is protected by Jupiter's thunder-bolts each
time that Diomedes attacks him. This manifestation of divine favor
strikes terror in the hearts of the Greeks, but e