THE TWENTY-NINTH PAPYRUS

But the way in which we Olympians went forth to war was on this wise.

King Zeys, armed with black clouds and white thunder, sat throned in the areiopagos of the immortals, collecting his forces, assigning commands and stations. For, as when some hairy barbarian (devoid of reason) was wont to prance minaciously in the vicinity of the flowing-haired ingenuous Akhaians, or as when some city (jealous, or what-not) warred against its neighbour or some bumptious young colony against its staid and respectable mother-city, all the other Argives were wont to mingle themselves hilariously together against the foe, so, also, when the Olympian gods are menaced, each one (from the highest to the lowest) and including the heroes takes up arms in defence of his dear motherland.

But King Zeys, whose joy is in the thunder, bade golden-wanded Hermes to summon from the house of shady Hades the shades of innumerable heroes who had not attained immortality; and these were as unnumbered as are leaves and flowers in their season: nor could I number them, did not the Muses, daughters of Zeys of the dark and holy Aigis, put into my mind the names of some who came at call to lofty Olympos. For, when the Olympians go forth to war, then the shades of heroes are called from the netherworld, and are endowed with bodies. But, if they stolidly permit themselves to be slaughtered in battle, they lose an opportunity of attaining immortality and return as shades to the house of Hades for at least another hundred years. Such, indeed, is the law. But I remember that these were called from the netherworld, to wit, yellow-haired fleet-footed Akhilleys, and daring Patroklos his dear comrade, and red-haired Neoptolemos his son as brave as his father, and horse-taming Diomedes, and Phoinix dear to Zeys, and blameless Telamonian Aias the Great, and Lokrian Aias the Little, and great-hearted Iphitos, and Abantian Elephenor breathing fury (whose hair flowed behind), and high-hearted Erekhtheys, and godly Eyryalos, and Agamemnon shepherd of the people, and warlike Agapenor, and stalwart Diores, and pious Polyxeinos, and Meges peer of Ares, and large-souled Oineys, and gold-haired Meleagros, and Idomeneys the famous spearman fierce as flame, and Meriones peer of the man-slaying war-god, and goodly tall Tlepolemos the Rhodian son of Herakles, and Philoktetes the cunning archer, and glorious Eyrypylos, and unflinching Polypoites, and fleet Prothoos, and sage Antenor, and high-stepping Pandaros, and fluent Talthybios the herald, and comely Sthenelos, and the lusty cheerful stripling Simoeisios, and well-greaved Tydeys, and noble Hypsenor, and glancing-eyed Diokles, and innocent Pylaimenes, and Mydon the squire, and that nymph-born shepherd Boykolion, and haughty Bellerophon. And these, being summoned, gathered with speed.

And, as the many tribes of well-plumed birds, wild geese, or swans or long-necked cranes, or even blooming bustards, on the Asian meadow by River Kaystros, fly hither and thither enjoying their plumage, and (with loud cries) settle ever onward, and the meadow resounds, so poured forth the many tribes of warriors, with Theseys the most righteous of men, from the house of Hades; and they joined with the immortal heroes, lion-hearted Herakles, and my own cousin Perseys of the sea (the most renowned of heroes), and Kastor the tamer of horses, and Polydeykes the pugilist, and magnanimous Iason with his nine-and-forty generous marine Argonayts, and with others quite innumerable whose names I have not written for a religious reason: all mingled together manning the walls of lofty Olympos.

Then came forth from their well-built golden palaces, Ares the lordly stormer of battlements, and Phoibos Apollon lord of the silver bow, and his chaste sister Artemis the Archer wearing the moon. And bright-eyed Pallas Athene cast off her rainbow-hued garments which she herself had woven; and did on her armour for battle. And, about her shoulders, she put the terrible Aigis, which knows neither age nor death, whereon wave a hundred taslets of pure gold, all deftly twisted, and each worth a hundred oxen: whereon, also, is Panic as a crown round about, and Strife, and Valour, and horrible Onslaught withal; and thereon, also, is the grisly snake-haired head of Medoysa the Gorgon, a portent dreadful and grim. And upon her virginal head, she set the two-crested golden casque of fourfold plates bedecked with the men-at-arms of a hundred cities. And she brandished the great stout spear, wherewith she vanquishes and demolishes all with whom her immortal sire is wrath. But Hephaistos, the glorious lame god, sweated in toil, busy about the bellows and the anvil in his house of bronze, imperishable, star-like, far-seen among the abodes of the immortals: for he was forging thunderbolts, with arms, and armour.

And, anon, came running the Hora Dike, warden of the cloudy gate, bringing news that the Latins were approaching in battle-array.

But, instantly, we were pouring out, like wasps who dwell by the roadside: whom silly boys are wont to irritate, incessantly harassing creatures possessing cells by the wayside, and causing a common evil to many. And, as when thick snow-flakes flutter down, born in the æther and chilled by the blasts of Boreas, so, thickly streamed forth brightly-glittering helms and bossy shields, with strong-plated corslets and nastily-pointed spears. And the sheen thereof filled the heavens near; and the world underneath winked at the flashing of gold and silver and at the noise of the trampling; and our teeth gnashed together; and our eyes blazed like so many flaming fires.

But wing-footed Hermes and wind-borne Iris flew, like unseen arrows, the one to azure-haired Poseidon lord of the ocean, the other to blameless Hades lord of the netherworld, always collecting reinforcements. And gallant young Love, ruddy, naked and invulnerable, rushed with me into the mellay. For no shafts are more deadly than Love’s.

And the war-chariot of King Zeys the Scarer thundered, awfully rolling along by the polished colonnades of palaces, bearing the father and king of gods and men to the forefront of the fray.

But King Quirinus was leading the heroes of the Latins, all blameless of course, with Aulus master of knights on the left and Furius on the right, with Herminius in the rear. Turnus served under King Quirinus, with Mamilius prince of the Latian name. Under Aulus, served Metius of Anxur and Astur lord of Luna. Under Furius, served showy Curtius, the forlorn hope. These were all the most righteous of heroes. But the Latin gods preferred to look on, sullen, from the rear, in what they fondly deemed to be security.

Thus, immortals were matched against pseud-immortals.