The Tide of Battle

"A thousand camp-fires gleamed upon the plain... even thus shone the watchfires of the Trojans before Ilius."

Book VIII is the turning point of Jove's plan. Forbidding divine interference, the King of Gods weighs the fates of the two armies. The Achaeans are driven back to their very ships, while the Trojans, emboldened by omens, camp on the open plain, ready for a final strike.