tory of Cadmus.--His father
Agenor.--Europa.--Telephassa.--The pursuit of Europa.--Fruitless
result.--Cadmus settles in Greece.--Thebes.--Arts introduced by
him.--The ancient legend of Cadmus.--Jupiter.--Adventures of
Jupiter.--His love for Europa.--His elopement.--Jupiter and Europa
in Crete.--The expedition of Cadmus.--His various wanderings.--Death
of Telephassa.--Visit to the oracle at Delphi.--The directions of
the oracle.--Cadmus finds his guide.--The place for his city
determined.--The fountain of Dirce.--The dragon's teeth.--Thebes
built.--Cadmia.--Ancient ideas of probability.--Belief in supernatural
tales.--Final recording of the ancient tales.

Some men are renowned in history on account of the extraordinary
powers and capacities which they exhibited in the course of their
career, or the intrinsic greatness of the deeds which they performed.
Others, without having really achieved any thing in itself very great
or wonderful, have become widely known to mankind by reason of the
vast consequences which, in the subsequent course of events, resulted
from their doings. Men of this latter class are conspicuous rather
than great. From among thousands of other men equally exalted in
character with themselves, they are brought out prominently to the
notice of mankind only in consequence of the strong light reflected,
by great events subsequently occurring, back upon the position where
they happened to stand.

The celebrity of Romulus seems to be of this latter kind. He founded a
city. A thousand other men have founded cities; and in doing their
work have evinced perhaps as much courage, sagacity, and mental power
as Romulus displayed. The city of Romulus, however, became in the end
the queen and mistress of the world. It rose to so exalted a position
of influence and power, and retained its ascendency so long, that now
for twenty centuries every civilized nation in the western world have
felt a strong interest in every thing pertaining to its history, and
have been accustomed to look back with special curiosity to the
circumstances of its origin. In consequence of this it has happened
that though Romulus, in his actual day, performed no very great
exploits, and enjoyed no pre-eminence above the thousand other
half-savage chieftains of his class, whose names have been long
forgotten, and very probably while he lived never dreamed of any
extended fame, yet so brilliant is the illumination which the
subsequent events