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Elsewhere Eumedes through a throng of foes
to battle rode, the high-born Dolon's child,
famous in war, who bore his grandsire's name,
but seemed in might and courage like his sire:
that prince, who reconnoitring crept so near
the Argive camp, he dared to claim for spoil
the chariot of Achilles; but that day
great Diomed for such audacious deed
paid wages otherwise,—and he no more
dreamed to possess the steeds of Peleus' son.
When Turnus recognized in open field
this warrior, though far, he aimed and flung
his javelin through the spacious air; then stayed
his coursers twain, and, leaping from his car,
found the wretch helpless fallen; so planted he
his foot upon his neck, and from his hand
wrested the sword and thrust it glittering
deep in the throat, thus taunting as he slew:
“There's land for thee, thou Trojan! Measure there
th' Hesperian provinces thy sword would find.
Such reward will I give to all who dare
draw steel on me; such cities they shall build.”
To bear him company his spear laid low
Asbutes, Sybaris, Thersilochus,
Chloreus and Dares, and Thymoetes thrown
sheer off the shoulders of his balking steed.
As when from Thrace the north wind thunders down
the vast Aegean, flinging the swift flood
against the shore, and where his blasts assail
the cloudy cohorts vanish out of heaven:
so before Turnus, where his path he clove,
the lines fell back, the wheeling legions fled.
The warrior's own wild impulse swept him on,
and every wind that o'er his chariot blew
shook out his plume in air. But such advance
so bold, so furious, Phegeus could not brook,
but, fronting the swift chariot's path, he seized
the foam-flecked bridles of its coursers wild,
while from the yoke his body trailed and swung;
the broad lance found his naked side, and tore
his double corselet, pricking lightly through
the outer flesh; but he with lifted shield
still fought his foe and thrust with falchion bare;
but the fierce pace of whirling wheel and pole
flung him down prone, and stretched him on the plain.
Then Turnus, aiming with relentless sword
between the corselet's edge and helmet's rim
struck off his whole head, leaving on the sands
the mutilated corpse.

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load focus Notes (Georgius Thilo, 1881)
load focus Notes (John Conington, 1876)
load focus Latin (J. B. Greenough, 1900)
load focus English (John Dryden)
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