"Proteus thus to virgin Thetis said,
'Fair goddess of the waves, consent to wed,
A son you'll have, the terror of the field,
To whom, in fame and power, his sire shall yield.'
Jove, who adored the nymph with boundless love,
Did, from his breast, the dangerous flame remove;
He knew the fates, nor cared to raise up one,
Whose fame and greatness, should eclipse his own.
On happy Peleus he bestowed her charms,
And blessed his grandson in the goddess' arms: