Iliad by Homer - Join iZDOT

Homer’s Iliad
before him like a wall, and stood hard by, whereon the Trojans fled
in all directions. Menelaus took Ulysses by the hand, and led him
out of the press while his squire brought up his chariot, but Ajax
rushed furiously on the Trojans and killed Doryclus, a bastard son
of Priam; then he wounded Pandocus, Lysandrus, Pyrasus, and
Pylartes; as some swollen torrent comes rushing in full flood from
the mountains on to the plain, big with the rain of heaven- many a
dry oak and many a pine does it engulf, and much mud does it
bring down and cast into the sea- even so did brave Ajax chase the
foe furiously over the plain, slaying both men and horses.
Hector did not yet know what Ajax was doing, for he was fighting
on the extreme left of the battle by the banks of the river
Scamander, where the carnage was thickest and the war-cry loudest
round Nestor and brave Idomeneus. Among these Hector was
making great slaughter with his spear and furious driving, and was
destroying the ranks that were opposed to him; still the Achaeans
would have given no ground, had not Alexandrus husband of
lovely Helen stayed the prowess of Machaon shepherd of his
people, by wounding him in the right shoulder with a triplebarbed
arrow. The Achaeans were in great fear that as the fight had
turned against them the Trojans might take him prisoner, and
Idomeneus said to Nestor, “Nestor son of Neleus, honour to the
Achaean name, mount your chariot at once; take Machaon with you
and drive your horses to the ships as fast as you can. A physician is
worth more than several other men put together, for he can cut out
arrows and spread healing herbs.”
Nestor knight of Gerene did as Idomeneus had counselled; he at
once mounted his chariot, and Machaon son of the famed physician
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