Meantime, Minerva progeny of Jove,
  On the adamantine floor of his abode 445
  Let fall profuse her variegated robe,
  Labor of her own hands.  She first put on
  The corslet of the cloud-assembler God,
  Then arm’d her for the field of wo, complete. 
  Mounting the fiery chariot, next she seized 450
  Her ponderous spear, huge, irresistible,
  With which Jove’s awful daughter levels ranks
  Of heroes against whom her anger burns. 
  Juno with lifted lash urged on the steeds. 
  At their approach, spontaneous roar’d the wide- 455
  Unfolding gates of heaven; the heavenly gates
  Kept by the watchful Hours, to whom the charge
  Of the Olympian summit appertains,
  And of the boundless ether, back to roll,
  And to replace the cloudy barrier dense. 460
  Spurr’d through the portal flew the rapid steeds: 
  Which when the Eternal Father from the heights
  Of Ida saw, kindling with instant ire
  To golden-pinion’d Iris thus he spake. 
    Haste, Iris, turn them thither whence they came; 465
  Me let them not encounter; honor small
  To them, to me, should from that strife accrue. 
  Tell them, and the effect shall sure ensue,
  That I will smite their steeds, and they shall halt
  Disabled; break their chariot, dash themselves 470
  Headlong, and ten whole years shall not efface
  The wounds by my avenging bolts impress’d. 
  So shall my blue-eyed daughter learn to dread
  A father’s anger; but for the offence
  Of Juno, I resent it less; for she 475
  Clashes[15] with all my counsels from of old. 
  He ended; Iris with a tempest’s speed
  From the Idaean summit soar’d at once
  To the Olympian; at the open gates
  Exterior of the mountain many-valed 480
  She stayed them, and her coming thus declared. 
    Whither, and for what cause?  What rage is this? 
  Ye may not aid the Grecians; Jove forbids;
  The son of Saturn threatens, if ye force
  His wrath by perseverance into act, 485
  That he will smite your steeds, and they shall halt
  Disabled; break your chariot, dash yourselves
  Headlong, and ten whole years shall not efface
  The wounds by his avenging bolts impress’d. 
  So shall his blue-eyed daughter learn to dread 490
  A father’s anger; but for the offence
  Of Juno, he resents it less; for she
  Clashes with all his counsels from of old. 
  But thou, Minerva, if thou dare indeed
  Lift thy vast spear against the breast of Jove, 495
  Incorrigible art and dead to shame. 
    So saying, the rapid Iris disappear’d,
  And thus her speech to Pallas Juno turn’d. 
    Ah Pallas, progeny of Jove! henceforth