she writhes again. Latona, the mother of Apollo and Diana, then
challenges Mercury, but Mercury says that he is not going to fight
with any of Jove's wives, so if she chooses to say she has beaten
him she is welcome to do so. Then Latona picks up poor Diana's bow
and arrows that have fallen from her during her encounter with Juno,
and Diana meanwhile flies up to the knees of her father Jove,
sobbing and sighing till her ambrosial robe trembles all around her.

"Jove drew her towards him, and smiling pleasantly exclaimed, 'My
dear child, which of the heavenly beings has been wicked enough to
behave in this way to you, as though you had been doing something
naughty?'

"'Your wife, Juno,' answered Diana, 'has been ill-treating me; all
our quarrels always begin with her.'"

* * * * *

The above extracts must suffice as examples of the kind of divine
comedy in which Homer brings the gods and goddesses upon the scene.
Among mortals the humour, what there is of it, is confined mainly to
the grim taunts which the heroes fling at one another when they are
fighting, and more especially to crowing over a fallen foe. The
most subtle passage is the one in which Briseis, the captive woman
about whom Achilles and Agamemnon have quarrelled, is restored by
Agamemnon to Achilles. Briseis on her return to the tent of
Achilles finds that while she has been with Agamemnon, Patroclus has
been killed by Hector, and his dead body is now lying in state. She
flings herself upon the corpse and exclaims--