not relieve my mind from the incessant anxiety which I felt about
noble Hercules whom you and Boreas had spitefully conveyed beyond
the seas to Cos, after suborning the tempests; but I rescued him,
and notwithstanding all his mighty labours I brought him back
again to Argos. I would remind you of this that you may learn to
leave off being so deceitful, and discover how much you are
likely to gain by the embraces out of which you have come here to
trick me."

Juno trembled as he spoke, and said, "May heaven above and earth
below be my witnesses, with the waters of the river Styx--and
this is the most solemn oath that a blessed god can take--nay, I
swear also by your own almighty head and by our bridal bed--
things over which I could never possibly perjure myself--that
Neptune is not punishing Hector and the Trojans and helping the
Achaeans through any doing of mine; it is all of his own mere
motion because he was sorry to see the Achaeans hard pressed at
their ships: if I were advising him, I should tell him to do as
you bid him."

The sire of gods and men smiled and answered, "If you, Juno, were
always to support me when we sit in council of the gods, Neptune,
like it or no, would soon come round to your and my way of
thinking. If, then, you are speaking the truth and mean what you
say, go among the rank and file of the gods, and tell Iris and
Apollo lord of the bow, that I want them--Iris, that she may go
to the Achaean host and tell Neptune to leave off fighting and go
home, and Apollo, that he may send Hector again into battle and
give him fresh strength; he will thus forget his present
sufferings, and drive the Achaeans back in confusion till they
fall among the ships of Achilles son of Peleus. Achilles will
then send his comrade Patroclus into battle, and Hector will kill
him in front of Ilius after he has slain many warriors, and among
them my own noble son Sarpedon. Achilles will kill Hector to
avenge Patroclus, and from that time I will bring it about that
the Achaeans shall persistently drive the Trojans back till they
fulfil the counsels of Minerva and take Ilius. But I will not
stay my anger, nor permit any god to help the Danaans till I have
accomplished the desire of the son of Peleus, according to the
promise I made by bowing my head on the day when Thetis touched
my knees and besought me to give him honour."

Juno heeded his words and went from the heights of Ida to great
Olympus. Swift as the thought of one whose fancy carries him over
vast continents, and he says to himself, "Now I will be here, or
there," and he would have all manner of things--even so swiftly
did Juno wing her way till she came to high Olympus and went in
among the gods who were gathered in the house of Jove. When they
saw her they all of them came up to her, and held out their cups
to her by way of greeting. She let the others be, but took the
cup offered her by lovely Themis, who was first to come running
up to her. "Juno," said she, "why are you here? And you seem
troubled--has your husband the son of Saturn been frightening
you?"

And Juno answered, "Themis, do not ask me about it. You know what
a proud and cruel disposition my husband has. Lead the gods to
table, where you and all the immortals can hear the wicked
designs which he has avowed. Many a one, mortal and immortal,
will be angered by them, however peaceably he may be feasting
now."

On this Juno sat down, and the gods were troubled throughout the
house of Jove. Laughter sat on her lips but her brow was furrowed
with care, and she spoke up in a rage. "Fools that we are," she
cried, "to be thus madly angry with Jove; we keep on wanting to
go up to him and stay him by force or by persuasion, but he sits
aloof and cares for nobody, for he knows that he is much stronger
than any other of the immortals. Make the best, therefore, of
whatever ills he may choose to send each one of you; Mars, I take
it, has had a taste of them already, for his son Ascalaphus has
fallen in battle--the man whom of all others he loved most dearly
and whose father he owns himself to be."

When he heard this Mars smote his two sturdy thighs with the flat
of his hands, and said in anger, "Do not blame me, you gods that
dwell in heaven, if I go to the ships of the Achaeans and avenge
the death of my son, even though it end in my being struck by
Jove's lightning and lying in blood and dust among the corpses."

As he spoke he gave orders to yoke his horses Panic and Rout,
while he put on his armour. On this, Jove would have been roused
to still more fierce and implacable enmity against the other
immortals, had not Minerva, alarmed for the safety of the gods,
sprung from her seat and hurried outside. She tore the helmet
from his head and the shield from his shoulders, and she took the
bronze spear from his strong hand and set it on one side; then
she said to Mars, "Madman, you are undone; you have ears that
hear not, or you have lost all judgement and understanding; have
you not heard what Juno has said on coming straight from the
presence of Olympian Jove? Do you wish to go through all kinds of
suffering before you are brought back sick and sorry to Olympus,
after having caused infinite mischief to all us others? Jove
would instantly leave the Trojans and Achaeans to themselves; he
would come to Olympus to punish us, and would grip us up one
after another, guilty or not guilty. Therefore lay aside your
anger for the death of your son; better men than he have either
been killed already or will fall hereafter, and one cannot
protect every one's whole family."



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