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down upon his shoulders, and be would have to keep flying on and on
in great dismay; for the angry flood was tiring him out as it flowed
past him and ate the ground from under his feet.
Then the son of Peleus lifted up his voice to heaven saying, "Father
Jove, is there none of the gods who will take pity upon me, and save
me from the river? I do not care what may happen to me afterwards.
I blame none of the other dwellers on Olympus so severely as I do
my dear mother, who has beguiled and tricked me. She told me I was
to fall under the walls of Troy by the flying arrows of Apollo; would
that Hector, the best man among the Trojans, might there slay me;
then should I fall a hero by the hand of a hero; whereas now it seems
that I shall come to a most pitiable end, trapped in this river as
though I were some swineherd's boy, who gets carried down a torrent
while trying to cross it during a storm."
As soon as he had spoken thus, Neptune and Minerva came up to him
in the likeness of two men, and took him by the hand to reassure him.
Neptune spoke first. "Son of Peleus," said he, "be not so exceeding
fearful; we are two gods, come with Jove's sanction to assist you,
I, and Pallas Minerva. It is not your fate to perish in this river;
he will abate presently as you will see; moreover we strongly advise
you, if you will be guided by us, not to stay your hand from fighting
till you have pent the Trojan host within the famed walls of Ilius-­‐
as many of them as may escape. Then kill Hector and go back to the
ships, for we will vouchsafe you a triumph over him."
When they had so said they went back to the other immortals, but Achilles