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of the people themselves, who in their discontent care not to fight
in defence of the ships but are being slaughtered near them. True,
King Agamemnon son of Atreus is the cause of our disaster by having
insulted the son of Peleus, still this is no reason why we should
leave off fighting. Let us be quick to heal, for the hearts of the
brave heal quickly. You do ill to be thus remiss, you, who are the
finest soldiers in our whole army. I blame no man for keeping out
of battle if he is a weakling, but I am indignant with such men as
you are. My good friends, matters will soon become even worse through
this slackness; think, each one of you, of his own honour and credit,
for the hazard of the fight is extreme. Great Hector is now fighting
at our ships; he has broken through the gates and the strong bolt
that held them."
Thus did the earth-­‐encircler address the Achaeans and urge them on.
Thereon round the two Ajaxes there gathered strong bands of men, of
whom not even Mars nor Minerva, marshaller of hosts could make light
if they went among them, for they were the picked men of all those
who were now awaiting the onset of Hector and the Trojans. They made
a living fence, spear to spear, shield to shield, buckler to buckler,
helmet to helmet, and man to man. The horse-­‐hair crests on their gleaming
helmets touched one another as they nodded forward, so closely seffied
were they; the spears they brandished in their strong hands were interlaced,
and their hearts were set on battle.
The Trojans advanced in a dense body, with Hector at their head pressing
right on as a rock that comes thundering down the side of some mountain
from whose brow the winter torrents have torn it; the foundations