t with each other, until all except five were killed.
These last surviving warriors made peace with each other, and it was with
their assistance that Cadmus now built the famous city of Thebes. In later
times the noblest Theban families proudly claimed their descent from these
mighty earth-born warriors.

Ares was furious with rage when he discovered that Cadmus had slain his
dragon, and would have killed him had not Zeus interfered, and induced him
to mitigate his punishment to that of servitude for the term of eight
years. At the end of that time the god of war became reconciled to Cadmus,
and, in token of his forgiveness, bestowed upon him the hand of his
daughter Harmonia in marriage. Their nuptials were almost as celebrated as
those of Peleus and Thetis. All the gods honoured them with their presence,
and offered rich gifts and congratulations. Cadmus himself presented his
lovely bride with a splendid necklace fashioned by Hephaestus, which,
however, after the death of Harmonia, always proved fatal to its possessor.

The children of Cadmus and Harmonia were one son, {205} Polydorus, and four
daughters, Autonoe, Ino, Semele, and Agave.

For many years the founder of Thebes reigned happily, but at length a
conspiracy was formed against him, and he was deprived of his throne by his
grandson Pentheus. Accompanied by his faithful wife Harmonia, he retired
into Illyria, and after death they were both changed by Zeus into serpents,
and transferred to Elysium.

PERSEUS.

Perseus, one of the most renowned of the legendary heroes of antiquity, was
the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos.

An oracle having foretold to Acrisius that a son of Danae would be the
cause of his death, he imprisoned her in a tower of brass in order to keep
her secluded from the world. Zeus, however, descended through the roof of
the tower in the form of a shower of gold, and the lovely Danae became his
bride.

For four years Acrisius remained in ignorance of this union, but one
evening as he chanced to pass by the brazen chamber, he heard the cry of a
young child proceeding from within, which led to the discovery of his
daughter's marriage with Zeus. Enraged at finding all his precautions
unavailing, Acrisius commanded the mother and child to be placed in a chest
and thrown into the sea.

But it was not the will of Zeus that they should perish. He directed
Poseidon to calm the troubled waters, and caused the chest to f