Then Hector aimed again his shining spear At Ajax, who perceived it as it came, And just avoided it. The weapon struck Schedius, the valiant son of Iphitus, And bravest of the Phocians, whose abode Was Panopeus the famous, where he ruled O’er many men. Beneath the collar-bone It pierced him, and passed through; the brazen point Came out upon the shoulder; to the ground He fell, his armor clashing with his fall. Then Ajax smote the valiant Phorcys, son Of Phoenops, in the navel. Through the mail The brazen weapon broke, and roughly tore The entrails. In the dust he fell, and clenched The earth with dying hands. The foremost ranks, Led by illustrious Hector, at the sight Yielded the ground; the Greeks with fearful shouts Dragged off the bodies of Hippothoüs And Phorcys, and despoiled them of their arms.
Then would the Trojans have been put to flight Before the warlike Greeks, and, craven like, Gone up to Troy, and great had been the fame Gained by the might and courage of the Greeks, Beyond what Jupiter designed to give, Had not Apollo brought Aeneas forth By putting on the form of Periphas, The herald and the son of Epytus, Who in that office as a prudent friend And counsellor had served, till he grew old, The father of Aeneas. In his shape Thus spake Apollo, son of Jupiter:—
“Aeneas, ye might even hold the towers Of lofty Ilium safe against a god, Were ye to act as some whom I have seen— Valiant, and confident in their own might And multitude of dauntless followers. And now Jove favors us and offers us The victory o’er the Greeks, and yet ye flee In abject terror, and refuse to fight.”
He spake; Aeneas, looking at him, knew The archer-god, and with a mighty voice Called out to Hector: “Hector! Thou and all Who lead the troops of Troy, and our allies, Great shame it were if we were put to rout Before the warlike Greeks, and beaten back To Troy like cowards. Standing by my side, One of the gods already hath declared That Jupiter, All-wise, is our ally In battle. Let us therefore boldly fall Upon the Greeks, nor suffer them to bear Patroclus unmolested to their fleet.”