Page 422 - the-iliad

for you to strive with the offspring of Saturn’s son. You de-
clare yourself sprung from the blood of a broad river, but I
am of the seed of mighty Jove. My father is Peleus, son of
Aeacus ruler over the many Myrmidons, and Aeacus was
the son of Jove. Therefore as Jove is mightier than any riv-
er that flows into the sea, so are his children stronger than
those of any river whatsoever. Moreover you have a great
river hard by if he can be of any use to you, but there is
no fighting against Jove the son of Saturn, with whom not
even King Achelous can compare, nor the mighty stream of
deep-flowing Oceanus, from whom all rivers and seas with
all springs and deep wells proceed; even Oceanus fears the
lightnings of great Jove, and his thunder that comes crash-
ing out of heaven.’
With this he drew his bronze spear out of the bank, and
now that he had killed Asteropaeus, he let him lie where
he was on the sand, with the dark water flowing over him
and the eels and fishes busy nibbling and gnawing the fat
that was about his kidneys. Then he went in chase of the
Paeonians, who were flying along the bank of the river in
panic when they saw their leader slain by the hands of the
son of Peleus. Therein he slew Thersilochus, Mydon, Asty-
pylus, Mnesus, Thrasius, Oeneus, and Ophelestes, and he
would have slain yet others, had not the river in anger taken
human form, and spoken to him from out the deep waters
saying, ‘Achilles, if you excel all in strength, so do you also
in wickedness, for the gods are ever with you to protect you:
if, then, the son of Saturn has vouchsafed it to you to destroy
all the Trojans, at any rate drive them out of my stream, and

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