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the Achaeans were thankful to have breathing time in their flight
from Hector.
They then took two princes with their chariot, the two sons of Merops
of Percote, who excelled all others in the arts of divination. He
had forbidden his sons to go to the war, but they would not obey him,
for fate lured them to their fall. Diomed son of Tydeus slew them
both and stripped them of their armour, while Ulysses killed Hippodamus
and Hypeirochus.
And now the son of Saturn as he looked down from Ida ordained that
neither side should have the advantage, and they kept on killing one
another. The son of Tydeus speared Agastrophus son of Paeon in the
hip-­‐joint with his spear. His chariot was not at hand for him to fly
with, so blindly confident had he been. His squire was in charge of
it at some distance and he was fighting on foot among the foremost
until he lost his life. Hector soon marked the havoc Diomed and Ulysses
were making, and bore down upon them with a loud cry, followed by
the Trojan ranks; brave Diomed was dismayed when he saw them, and
said to Ulysses who was beside him, "Great Hector is bearing down
upon us and we shall be undone; let us stand firm and wait his onset."
He poised his spear as he spoke and hurled it, nor did he miss his
mark. He had aimed at Hector's head near the top of his helmet, but
bronze was turned by bronze, and Hector was untouched, for the spear
was stayed by the visored helm made with three plates of metal, which
Phoebus Apollo had given him. Hector sprang back with a great bound
under cover of the ranks; he fell on his knees and propped himself