Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
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 bellowed as they flew open
of their own accord -gates over which the flours 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 obedient steeds, and found the son of Saturn sitting all alone
on the topmost ridges of Olympus. There Juno stayed her horses,
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 reason, 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 punishes him
more often than any one else does.”
Juno did as he had said. She lashed her horses, and they flew
forward nothing loth midway betwixt earth and sky. As far as a
man can see when he looks out upon the sea from some high
beacon, so far can the loud-neighing horses of the gods spring at a
single bound. When they reached Troy and the place where its two
flowing streams Simois and Scamander meet, there Juno stayed
them and took them from the chariot. She hid them in a thick cloud,
and Simois made ambrosia spring up for them to eat; the two
goddesses then went on, flying like turtledoves in their eagerness
to help the Argives. When they came to the part where the bravest
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