Though Greek heroes were indeed numerous there, and their
feats many, the strong, bold, steadfast, resolute man, to wit,
Tydeus, son of the king of Calydon, surpassed them all. And a
panic of great fear seized his enemies before him, so that they
could make no stand against him but only a hasty flight in
every direction before him. And when he saw them in that
guise, this is what he said to them : " Do not flee at all,
Thebans, seeing it is more proper for you to avenge on me the
fifty heroes of you I slew on another occasion, and the many
soldiers that fell to-day by my hand." And whilst he was saying
that, he saw away in the battle the conspicuous pure-bright
shimmer of the helmet of Eteocles, king of the Thebans. Then,
however, he shook and brandished the bitter-nosed lethal spear,
and discharged a throw of a cast of it at Eteocles. And I should
have reluctantly to cease from that war, had not the gods checked
the cast in order that it might be so that it struck Eteocles'
chariot-fighter, to wit, Phlegyas, and left him lifeless. And when
Tydeus saw that, he plied a sword-smiting upon the battalions
while making for Eteocles, till the strong and mighty chiefs of
the Thebans made a very sharp naked hedge-bill of their arms
round about the high-king, and brought him back with them
away out of the battle in' order to avoid Tydeus. And yet, that
did not restrain his mighty valour in destroying the hosts, till
these heroes fell by his hand, to wit, menacing Thoas, mad
Deilochus, triumphant Clonius, and angry Hippotades. And
this is the thing which Tydeus then used to do, as he slew a
hero he used to hurl his head and his helmet at once away
through the battle. And there he used to select a narrow part
of a road in the midst of the battle, the hosts hewing at him,
till he was unable to effect a movement owing to the very
high ramparts of heroes' bodies cruelly mangled, and owing to
the bloody spoils of the champions falling around him on every
side. 