The hour is now come for those high feats of arms that you have so long been pining for, therefore keep high hearts each one of you to do battle with the Trojans." With these words he put heart and soul into them all, and they serried their companies yet more closely when they heard the words of their king.

As the stones which a builder sets in the wall of some high house which is to give shelter from the winds--even so closely were the helmets and bossed shields set against one another.

Shield pressed on shield, helm on helm, and man on man; so close were they that the horse-hair plumes on the gleaming ridges of their helmets touched each other as they bent their heads.
In front of them all two men put on their armour--Patroclus and Automedon--two men, with but one mind to lead the Myrmidons.

Then Achilles went inside his tent and opened the lid of the strong chest which silver-footed Thetis had given him to take on board ship, and which she had filled with shirts, cloaks to keep out the cold, and good thick rugs.

In this chest he had a cup of rare workmanship, from which no man but himself might drink, nor would he make offering from it to any other god save only to father Jove.