f that ancient country. Among the regal descendants of Lynceus was
Danae, whose son Perseus performed marvelous deeds, by the special favor
of Athene, among which he brought from Libya the terrific head of the
Gorgon Medusa, which had the marvelous property of turning every one to
stone who looked at her. Stung with remorse for the accidental murder of
his grandfather, the king, he retired from Argos, and founded the city of
Mycenae, the ruins of whose massive walls are still to be seen--Cyclopean
works, which seem to show that the old Pelasgians derived their
architectural ideas from the Egyptian Danauns. The Perseids of Mycenae thus
boasted of an illustrious descent, which continued down to the last
sovereign of Sparta.

(M323) The grand-daughter of Perseus was Alcmena, whom mythology
represents as the mother of Hercules by Jupiter. The labors of Hercules
are among the most interesting legends of pagan antiquity, since they are
types of the endless toils of a noble soul, doomed to labor for others,
and obey the commands of worthless persecutors. But the hero is finally
rewarded by admission to the family of the gods, and his descendants are
ultimately restored to the inheritance from which they were deprived by
the wrath and jealousy of Juno. A younger branch of the Perseid family
reigned in Lacedaemon--Eurystheus, to whom Hercules was subject; but he,
with all his sons, lost their lives in battle, so that the Perseid family
was represented only by the sons of Hercules--the Heracleids, or Heraclidae.
They endeavored to regain their possessions, and invaded the Peloponnesus,
from which they had been expelled. Hyllos, the oldest son, proposed to the
army of Ionians, Achaeans, and Arcadians, which met them in defense, that
the combat should be decided between himself and any champion of the
invading army, and that, if he were victorious, the Heracleids should be
restored to their sovereignty, but if defeated, should forego their claim
for three generations. Hyllos was vanquished, and the Heracleids retired
and resided with the Dorians. When the stipulated period had ended, they,
assisted by the Dorians, gained possession of the Peloponnesus. Hence the
great Dorian settlement of Argos, Sparta, and Messenia, effected by the
return of the Heracleids.

(M324) Another important legend is that which relates to Deucalion and the
deluge, as it is supposed to shed light on the different races that
colonized Greece. The wickedness