'He made yet another picture--a dancing-place with youths and maidens
dancing, their hands upon each others' hands. Beautiful dresses and
wreaths of flowers the maidens had on, and the youths had daggers of
gold hanging from their silver belts. A great company stood around those
who were dancing, and amongst them there was a minstrel who played on
the lyre.'

'Then all around the rim of the shield Hephaistos, the lame god, set an
image of Ocean, whose stream goes round the world. Not long was he in
making the shield and the other wonderful pieces of armour. As soon as
the armour was ready Thetis put her hands upon it, and flying down from
Olympus like a hawk, brought it to the feet of Achilles, her son.'

'And Achilles, when he saw the splendid armour that Hephaistos the lame
god had made for him, rose up from where he lay and took the
wonderfully-wrought piece in his hands. And he began to put the armour
upon him, and none of the Myrmidons who were around could bear to look
upon it, because it shone with such brightness and because it had all
the marks of being the work of a god.'




XVII


Then Achilles put his shining armour upon him and it fitted him as
though it were wings; he put the wonderful shield before him and he took
in his hands the great spear that Cheiron the Centaur had given to
Peleus his father--that spear that no one else but Achilles could wield.