Aeneid 2.152-198

He had spoken. That man, instructed by tricks and Greek art, he lifted palms stripped of chains to the stars, “I swear to you, eternal fires, and your inviolable divine power,” she says, “you altars and unspeakable swords which I fled, and fillets of the gods, which I endured as a sacrifice: it is right for me to break the sacred oaths of the Greeks, it is right to hate the men and bear everything to the airs, if they cover anything, and I am not held by the fatherland or any laws. You, saved Troy, only abide by your promises and serve faith, if I will tell the truth, if I will weigh out great things. All hope of the Danaans and the faith of the begun war always stood in the aid of Pallas. But for from which (time) impious Diomedes and Ulysses the inventor of the crimes proceeded to tear away the deadly Paladium from the sacred temple, the guards of the highest citadel having been killed, they snatched the sacred image with bloody hands, having dared to touch the maiden fillets of the goddess, from that (time) the collapsed hope of the Danaans flowed and was born back, the mind of the goddess was hostile. Nor Tritonia gave these signals with unambiguous signs. Scarcely was the image placed in the camp, flashing fires burned from her excited eyes, and a salty sweat went through its limbs, and three times—wondrous to say—it sprang to the ground itself, bearing its shield and trembling spear. Immediately Calchas sings that the sea must be tried by flight and that Pergama cannot be destroyed by Argive spears unless they recover everything in Argos and bring back the divine power (which they carried with them on the sea in ships and now as to that fact they have sought paternal Mycenas by the wind, they prepare weapons and gods as companions, and with the sea re-traversed, they will be present unforeseen); thus Calchas interprets everything.

(183) Warned, they set up this image for the Palladium, for the injured divine power, which would expiate the sad impiety. Calchas ordered, however, that they lift this high mass with woven oak and lead (it) to the sky lest it could be taken into the gates or lead into the walls, least it protect a people under ancient religion. For if your hand would have violated the gifts of Minerva, then it would be a great ruin for the power of Priam and Phrygia (which omen may the gods first send upon himself); but if with your hands it would have climbed into your city, voluntarily with great war Asia would come to the walls of Pelops and these fates would remain for our grandsons.” With such tricks and lying art of Sinon the matter was believed, and (we were) captured by tricks and forced tears, whom neither Diomeder nor Larisaean Achilles, not ten years, not a thousand ships tamed.