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the one hand towards the tents of Ajax son of Telamon, and on the
other towards those of Achilles-­‐ for these two heroes, well-­‐assured
of their own strength, had valorously drawn up their ships at the
two ends of the line. There she took her stand, and raised a cry both
loud and shrill that filled the Achaeans with courage, giving them
heart to fight resolutely and with all their might, so that they had
rather stay there and do battle than go home in their ships.
The son of Atreus shouted aloud and bade the Argives gird themselves
for battle while he put on his armour. First he girded his goodly
greaves about his legs, making them fast with ankle clasps of silver;
and about his chest he set the breastplate which Cinyras had once
given him as a guest-­‐gift. It had been noised abroad as far as Cyprus
that the Achaeans were about to sail for Troy, and therefore he gave
it to the king. It had ten courses of dark cyanus, twelve of gold,
and ten of tin. There were serpents of cyanus that reared themselves
up towards the neck, three upon either side, like the rainbows which
the son of Saturn has set in heaven as a sign to mortal men. About
his shoulders he threw his sword, studded with bosses of gold; and
the scabbard was of silver with a chain of gold wherewith to hang
it. He took moreover the richly-­‐dight shield that covered his body
when he was in battle-­‐ fair to see, with ten circles of bronze running
all round see, wit it. On the body of the shield there were twenty
bosses of white tin, with another of dark cyanus in the middle: this
last was made to show a Gorgon's head, fierce and grim, with Rout
and Panic on either side. The band for the arm to go through was of
silver, on which there was a writhing snake of cyanus with three heads
that sprang from a single neck, and went in and out among one another.