totaque Peliacae sternebat cuspidis ictu 80 agmina, perque acies aut Cygnum aut Hectora quaerens. Congreditur Cygno: decimum dilatus in annum Hector erat. Tum colla jugo candentia pressos exhortatus equos, currum direxit in hostem, concutiensque suis vibrantia tela lacertis, Quisquis es, O juvenis,' dixit' solamen habeto mortis, ab Haemonio quod sis jugulatus Achille.' hactenus Aeacides: vocem gravis hasta secuta est. sed quamquam certa nullus fuit error in hasta, nil tamen emissi profecit acumine ferri, utque hebeti pectus tantummodo contudit ictu. 85 • Nate dea, nam te fama praenovimus,' inquit ille, quid a nobis vulnus miraris abesse?'mirabantur enim - Non haec, quam cernis, equinis fulva jubis cassis, neque onus cava parma sinistrae auxilio mihi sunt: decor est quaesitus ab istis; Mars quoque ob hoc capere arma solet. Removebitur hujus tegminis officium: tamen indestrictus abibo. est aliquid, non esse satum Nereïde, sed qui Nereaque et natas et totum temperet aequor.' 90 Dixit, et haesurum clipei curvamine telum misit in Aeaciden, quod et aes et proxima rupit terga novena boum, decimo tamen orbe moratum est. excutit hoc heros, rursusque trementia forti tela manu torsit: rursus sine vulnere corpus sincerumque fuit; nec tertia cuspis apertum et se praebentem valuit destringere Cygnum. haud secus exarsit, quam circo taurus aperto, cum sua terribili petit irritamina cornu, poeniceas vestes, elusaque vulnera sensit. Num tamen exciderit ferrum, considerat, hastae: haerebat ligno. • Manus est mea debilis ergo, 95 100 quasque' aitante habuit vires, effudit in uno? vel cum purpureus populari caede Caÿcus. 115 ΠΙΟ Dixit, et, ante actis veluti male crederet, hastam 115 misit in adversum Lycia de plebe Menoeten, loricamque simul subjectaque pectora rupit. quo plangente gravem moribundo vertice terram, extrahit illud idem calido de vulnere telum, atque ait: Haec manus est, haec, qua modo vicimus, hasta ; utar in hoc isdem : sit in hoc precor exitus idem.' 120 qua tamen ictus erat, signatum sanguine Cygnum 125 viderat, et frustra fuerat gavisus Achilles. 130 vulnus erat nullum: sanguis erat ille Menoetae. Tum vero praeceps curru fremebundus ab alto desilit, et nitido securum cominus hostem ense petens, parmam gladio galeamque cavari cernit, at in duro laedi quoque corpore ferrum. haud tulit ulterius, clipeoque adversa retecto ter quater ora viri et capulo cava tempora pulsat; cedentique sequens instat, turbatque, ruitque, attonitoque negat requiem. Pavor occupat illum: 135 ante oculosque natant tenebrae, retroque ferenti aversos passus medio lapis obstitit arvo. quem super impulsum resupino pectore Cygnum vi multa vertit, terraeque adflixit Achilles. tum clipeo genibusque premens praecordia duris, 140 vincla trahit galeae, quae presso subdita mento elidunt fauces, et respiramen iterque eripiunt animae. Victum spoliare parabat : arma relicta videt; corpus deus aequoris albam contulit in volucrem, cujus modo nomen habebat. 145 XIII. 7.] Rivalry of Ajax and Ulysses. 117 XIX. RIVALRY OF AJAX AND ULYSSES. [BOOK XIII. - 1-398.] [As the chiefs marvel at this prodigy, Nestor relates of Cæneus, once a maiden (Cænis), but made into an invulnerable man, who was present when the nuptial feast of Pirithous and Hippodamia was disturbed by the battle of the Lapitha and the Centaurs. For the Centaurs, monsters of vast strength and fury, half-man, halfhorse, had attempted to steal away the bride. And Cæneus, remaining unhurt through the fight, was at length overwhelmed with vast piles of trees, and transformed by Neptune to an eagle (XII. 146–535). The son of Hercules, Tlepolemus, tells also of Periclymenus, slain by Hercules as he flew against him in the form of an eagle (536-579). At the request of Neptune, whose son Cygnus had been slain, Apollo guides the arrow of Paris to the vulnerable heel of Achilles; so that he dies, and a strife arises among the other chiefs who shall receive his armor, the rival claimants being Ajax and Ulysses (580-628).] Ajax maintains his claim, before the assembled chiefs, first as of nobler descent, and then by his martial exploits, chiefly the defence of the Grecian fleet; at the same time scorning the strategy of Ulysses, and asserting that himself alone has might to wield the immortal armour (1-122). To which Ulysses replies, that his own counsel had been most effective in the siege, and his own acts most essential, especially in the night attack of the tents of Rhesus, and the carrying away of the Palladium (123-381). To him the victory is judged; and Ajax, in ungovernable wrath, slays himself with his own sword, the flower hyacinth springing from his blood (382-398). ONSEDERE duces, et vulgi stante corona Co surgit ad hos clipei dominus septemplicis Ajax. utque erat impatiens irae, Sigeïa torvo litora respexit, classemque in litore vultu, 6 intendensque manus, Agimus, pro Juppiter!' inquit 5 'ante rates causam, et mecum confertur Ulixes! at non Hectoreis dubitavit cedere flammis, quas ego sustinui, quas hac a classe fugavi. tutius est igitur fictis contendere verbis, quam pugnare manu. Sed nec mihi dicere promptum, nec facere est isti; quantumque ego marte feroci inque acie valeo, tantum valet iste loquendo. • Nec memoranda tamen vobis mea facta, Pelasgi, esse reor, vidistis enim sua narret Ulixes, quae sine teste gerit, quorum nox conscia sola est. praemia magna peti fateor, sed demit honorem aemulus Ajaci non est tenuisse superbum, sit licet hoc ingens, quicquid speravit Ulixes. iste tulit pretium jam nunc certaminis hujus : quo cum victus erit, mecum certasse feretur. Atque ego, si virtus in me dubitabilis esset, nobilitate potens essem, Telamone creatus, moenia qui forti Trojana sub Hercule cepit, litoraque intravit Pagasaea Colcha carina. Aeacus huic pater est, qui jura silentibus illic reddit, ubi Aeoliden saxum grave Sisyphon urguet. Aeacon agnoscit summus, prolemque fatetur Juppiter esse suam. Sic ab Jove tertius Ajax. nec tamen haec series in causam prosit, Achivi, si mihi cum magno non est communis Achille. frater erat fraterna peto. Quid sanguine cretus Sisyphio, furtisque et fraude simillimus illi, inserit Aeacidis alienae nomina gentis? 15 20 25 30 'An quod in arma prior, nulloque sub indice veni, 35 arma neganda mihi? potiorque videbitur ille, 40 |