The Story of the Iliad by Alfred John Church

Now when Ares had departed, the Greeks prevailed again, slaying many / of the sons of Troy and of their allies. But at last Helenus, the / wise seer, spake to Hector and Æneas: --

/ Glau'-cus. Hel'-e-nus.

"Cause the army to draw back to the walls, and go through the ranks / and give them such strength and courage as ye may. And do thou, / Hector, when thou hast so done, pass into the city, and bid thy / mother go with the daughters of Troy, and take the costliest robe / that she hath, and lay it on the knees of Athene in her temple, / vowing therewith to sacrifice twelve heifers, if perchance she may / have pity upon us, and keep this Diomed from our walls. Surely there / is no Greek so strong as he; we did not fear even Achilles' self so / much as we fear this man to-day, so dreadful is he and fierce. Go, / and we will make such stand meanwhile as we can."

Then Hector passed through the ranks, bidding them be of good heart, / and so departed to the city.

And when he was gone, Glaucus and Diomed met in the space between the / two hosts. Then first spake Diomed: "Tell me, thou mighty man of / valour, who thou art of mortal men, for never before have I seen thee / in the battle; but now thou comest out far before the ranks of thy / fellows, and art willing to abide my spear. If thou be one of the / immortal gods, and hast come down from heaven, I fight thee not. I / dare not match myself with the gods of heaven."

To him Glaucus made answer: "Valiant son of Tydeus, why seekest thou / to know my name and lineage, and the generations of my fathers? For / the generations of men are as the leaves of the wood. The wind / scattereth them on the ground, and the wood bringeth forth others in / the springtime. So is it with the generations of men -- one goeth, and / another cometh. Yet, if thou wilt know these things, hearken unto / me. I am the son of Hippolochus, the son of Bellerophon."

/ Hip-pol'-o-chus. Bel-ler'-o-phon.

So spake Glaucus, and Diomed was glad at heart. His spear he drave / into the earth, and he spake pleasant words to the prince: "Verily, / thou art by inheritance a friend of my house. For long ago great / Œneus entertained Bellerophon in his dwelling, keeping him twenty / days. Goodly gifts did they give one to the other. Œneus gave to / Bellerophon a belt richly broidered with purple, and Bellerophon gave / to Œneus a cup of gold with a mouth on either side. This I left / when I came hither, in my palace at home. Now Œneus was my / grandfather. Therefore, I am thy friend and host when thou comest to / the land of Argos, and thou art mine if any chance shall bring me to / Lycia. But now, let each of us shun the spear of the other, yea, in / the closest press of the battle. Many sons of Troy there are, and / many of their brave allies, whom I may slay if the gods deliver them / into my hands, so and my feet be swift to overtake them. And thou / also hast many Greeks to slay if thou canst. But now let us make / exchange of arms and armour, that both the Greeks and the men of Troy / may know that we are friends by inheritance."

/ Œ'-neus. Lyc'-i-a.

So spake Tydeus. And the two chiefs leapt down from their chariots, / and clasped each the hand of the other, and pledged their faith. / Then Zeus changed the wisdom of Glaucus to folly, so that he gave his / armour in exchange for the armour of Diomed, gold for bronze, the / price of five-score oxen for the price of nine.