Thetis comforts her son for the death of Patroclus, and promises to procure him new armour from Vulcan. At the command of Juno, Achilles comes forth and strikes terror into the enemy. The body of Patroclus is rescued, and prepared for funeral rites, and Vulcan forges a suit of armour and a splendid shield for Achilles.
Thus they, then,[569] were fighting, like a blazing fire; but swift-footed Antilochus came as a messenger to Achilles. Him he found in front of his lofty-prowed ships, revolving in his mind those things which had already been accomplished; and then groaning, he communed with his own mind:
[Footnote 569: This is to be taken in connection with ver. 148 of the last book, as the regular narrative is interrupted by the message of Antilochus and the grief of Achilles.]