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length. Then Minerva vaunted over her saying, "May all who help the
Trojans against the Argives prove just as redoubtable and stalwart
as Venus did when she came across me while she was helping Mars. Had
this been so, we should long since have ended the war by sacking the
strong city of Ilius."
Juno smiled as she listened. Meanwhile King Neptune turned to Apollo
saying, "Phoebus, why should we keep each other at arm's length? it
is not well, now that the others have begun fighting; it will be disgraceful
to us if we return to Jove's bronze-­‐floored mansion on Olympus without
having fought each other; therefore come on, you are the younger of
the two, and I ought not to attack you, for I am older and have had
more experience. Idiot, you have no sense, and forget how we two alone
of all the gods fared hardly round about Ilius when we came from Jove's
house and worked for Laomedon a whole year at a stated wage and he
gave us his orders. I built the Trojans the wall about their city,
so wide and fair that it might be impregnable, while you, Phoebus,
herded cattle for him in the dales of many valleyed Ida. When, however,
the glad hours brought round the time of payment, mighty Laomedon
robbed us of all our hire and sent us off with nothing but abuse.
He threatened to bind us hand and foot and sell us over into some
distant island. He tried, moreover, to cut off the ears of both of
us, so we went away in a rage, furious about the payment he had promised
us, and yet withheld; in spite of all this, you are now showing favour
to his people, and will not join us in compassing the utter ruin of
the proud Trojans with their wives and children."
And King Apollo answered, "Lord of the earthquake, you would have