turrim in praecipiti stantem summisque sub astra eductam tectis, unde omnis Troia videri et Danaum solitae naves et Achaica castra, adgressi ferro circum, qua summa labantis iuncturas tabulata dabant, convellimus altis sedibus impulimusque; ea lapsa repente ruinam cum sonitu trahit et Danaum super agmina late incidit.
A tower stood on the sheer edge, rising skyward from the rooftop, whence all Troy was wont to be seen, and the Danaan ships and the Achaean camp. Assailing this with iron round about, where the topmost stories offered weak joints, we wrenched it from its lofty place and thrust it forth. With sudden fall it trails a thunderous ruin, and over the Danaan ranks crashes far and wide.