have been won over by silver-footed Thetis, daughter of the Ancient of
the sea, for she at early morn sat by thee and clasped thy knees. To her
I deem thou gavest a sure pledge that thou wilt do honour to Achilles,
and lay many low beside the Achaians' ships."

To her made answer Zeus the cloud-gatherer: "Lady, Good lack! ever art
thou imagining, nor can I escape thee; yet shalt thou in no wise have
power to fulfil, but wilt be the further from my heart; that shall be
even the worse for thee. And if it be so, then such must my good
pleasure be. Abide thou in silence and hearken to my bidding, lest all
the gods that are in Olympus keep not off from thee my visitation, when
I put forth my hands unapproachable against thee."

He said, and Hera the ox-eyed queen was afraid, and sat in silence,
curbing her heart; but throughout Zeus' palace the gods of heaven were
troubled. Then Hephaistos the famed craftsman began to make harangue
among them, to do kindness to his mother, white-armed Hera: "Verily this
will be a sorry matter, neither any more endurable, if ye twain thus
fight for mortals' sakes, and bring wrangling among the gods; neither
will there any more be joy of the goodly feast, seeing that evil
triumpheth. So I give counsel to my mother, though herself is wise, to
do kindness to our dear father Zeus, that our father upbraid us not
again and cast the banquet in confusion. What if the Olympian, the lord
of the lightning, will to dash us from our seats! for he is strongest
far. Nay, approach thou him with gentle words, then will the Olympian
forthwith be gracious unto us."

So speaking he rose up and sat in his dear mother's hand the twy-handled
cup, and spake to her: "Be of good courage, mother mine, and endure,
though thou art vexed, lest I behold thee, thou art so dear, chastised