Page 103 - the-iliad

ture, made with her own hands, on to her father’s threshold,
and donned the shirt of Jove, arming herself for battle. She
threw her tasselled aegis about her shoulders, wreathed
round with Rout as with a fringe, and on it were Strife, and
Strength, and Panic whose blood runs cold; moreover there
was the head of the dread monster Gorgon, grim and awful
to behold, portent of aegis-bearing Jove. On her head she set
her helmet of gold, with four plumes, and coming to a peak
both in front and behind—decked with the emblems of a
hundred cities; then she stepped into her flaming chariot
and grasped the spear, so stout and sturdy and strong, with
which she quells the ranks of heroes who have displeased
her. Juno lashed the horses on, and the gates of heaven bel-
lowed as they flew open of their own accord—gates over
which the Hours preside, in whose hands are Heaven and
Olympus, either to open the dense cloud that hides them, or
to close it. Through these the goddesses drove their obedi-
ent steeds, and found the son of Saturn sitting all alone on
the topmost ridges of Olympus. There Juno stayed her hors-
es, and spoke to Jove the son of Saturn, lord of all. ‘Father
Jove,’ said she, ‘are you not angry with Mars for these high
doings? how great and goodly a host of the Achaeans he has
destroyed to my great grief, and without either right or rea-
son, while the Cyprian and Apollo are enjoying it all at their
ease and setting this unrighteous madman on to do further
mischief. I hope, Father Jove, that you will not be angry if I
hit Mars hard, and chase him out of the battle.’
And Jove answered, ‘Set Minerva on to him, for she pun-
ishes him more often than any one else does.’

10 The Iliad