Provided by The Internet Classics Archive. See bottom for copyright ...

Neptune more eager than ever to help the Danaans. He darted forward
among the first ranks and shouted saying, "Argives, shall we let Hector
son of Priam have the triumph of taking our ships and covering himself
with glory? This is what he says that he shall now do, seeing that
Achilles is still in dudgeon at his ship; We shall get on very well
without him if we keep each other in heart and stand by one another.
Now, therefore, let us all do as I say. Let us each take the best
and largest shield we can lay hold of, put on our helmets, and sally
forth with our longest spears in our hands; will lead you on, and
Hector son of Priam, rage as he may, will not dare to hold out against
us. If any good staunch soldier has only a small shield, let him hand
it over to a worse man, and take a larger one for himself."
Thus did he speak, and they did even as he had said. The son of Tydeus,
Ulysses, and Agamemnon, wounded though they were, set the others in
array, and went about everywhere effecting the exchanges of armour;
the most valiant took the best armour, and gave the worse to the worse
man. When they had donned their bronze armour they marched on with
Neptune at their head. In his strong hand he grasped his terrible
sword, keen of edge and flashing like lightning; woe to him who comes
across it in the day of battle; all men quake for fear and keep away
from it.
Hector on the other side set the Trojans in array. Thereon Neptune
and Hector waged fierce war on one another-­‐ Hector on the Trojan and
Neptune on the Argive side. Mighty was the uproar as the two forces
met; the sea came rolling in towards the ships and tents of the Achaeans,
but waves do not thunder on the shore more loudly when driven before