And the goodly Paris donned his beautiful armor, and hastened after his brother, whom he overtook, and he made excuse for his long tarrying.  And Hector answered him, “No man can justly speak lightly of thy deeds, for thou art strong; but thou art slack and careless, and I am grieved when I hear shameful things said of thee by the Trojans, who for thee bear so much toil.  But let us be going.”

So the twain brothers, the glorious Hector and the goodly Paris, went forth to the battle.  And Paris slew Menesthius, of Arne, son of Areithous; and Hector smote noble Eioneus in the neck, and relaxed his limbs in death.  And Glaucus, captain of the Lycian allies, cast his spear at Iphinous, and pierced his shoulder; and he fell from his chariot, and his limbs were loosened.

But when the fierce-eyed Athene saw the Trojans making havoc of the Achaians, she rushed down from the peaks of Olympus, to sacred Ilium.  And Apollo, who favored the Trojans, saw her from Pergamus, and hastened to meet her; and they met by the beech-tree, and Apollo of the Silver Bow addressed her:  “Why dost thou come, O Daughter of the Loud-Thunderer?  Is it to bring victory to the Greeks? for thou hast no pity on the Trojans.  But hearken unto me, and let us stop the battle for this day—­hereafter they shall fight again.”

And the fierce-eyed goddess answered him, “Be it so, Far-Darter! for this was my purpose when I came from high Olympus.  But how thinkest thou to make the war to cease?”

Then King Apollo spake.  “Let us rouse the valiant spirit of horse-taming Hector, to challenge one of the Greeks to deadly single combat.”  And the fierce-eyed Maid assented to his words.

And the dear son of royal Priam, Helenus, the wise augur, who knew the counsel of the Gods, drew near to Hector, and spake thus to him:  “Dear brother, who art peer of Zeus in counsel, wouldst thou listen to me?  Make the Trojans and the Achaians sit down; and do thou challenge the bravest of the Achaians to meet thee in single combat.  I hear the voice of the deathless Gods, that it is not yet thy lot to die.”

And the great Hector rejoiced at his words; and going into the throng, he held back the companies of the Trojans with his spear, holding it in the middle, and made them all sit down.  And Agamemnon made the well-greaved Achaians sit down.  And Athene and Apollo, in the form of vultures, sat on a lofty tree, and watched the hosts.  And Hector stood between the two armies, and spake:  “Hear me, ye Trojans and Achaians!  Amongst you are the great chiefs of the Achaians.  Now let one of these be your champion, to fight with me, Hector:  and I call Zeus to witness, that if he slay me, you shall let him carry off my armor, but give my body to the Trojans, that they may render to me the honor of the funeral pyre.  But if the Far-Darter shall grant me glory, that I may slay him, then will I strip him of his armor, and hang it in the Temple of Apollo; but his lifeless body I will give back to the long-haired Achaians, that they may bury him, and build him a barrow by the Hellespont.”