y half satisfied the hatred of Juno, but it
made the life of Hercules exceedingly bitter.

In fact, Hercules was but a child, when Juno sent two enormous
serpents against him. These serpents, gliding into his cradle, were on
the point of biting the child when he, with his own hands, seized them
and strangled the life out of their slimy bodies.

Having grown up to man's estate, Hercules did many mighty deeds of
valor that need not be recounted here. But the hatred of Juno always
pursued him. At length, when he had been married several years, she
made him mad and impelled him in his madness to kill his own beloved
children!

When he came again to his sober senses, and learnt that he was the
murderer of his own offspring he was filled with horror, and betook
himself into exile so that he might hide his face from his fellow men.
After a time he went to the oracle at Delphi to ask what he should do
in atonement for his dreadful deed.

He was ordered to serve his brother Eurystheus--who, by the help of
Juno, had robbed him of his kingdom--for twelve years. After this he
was to become one of the Immortals. Eurystheus feared that Hercules
might use his great strength and courage against him, in punishment
for the evil that he had done. He therefore resolved to banish him
and to impose such tasks upon him as must certainly bring about his
destruction. Hence arose the famous twelve labors of Hercules.

Eurystheus first set Hercules to keep his sheep at Nemea and to
kill the lion that ofttimes carried off the sheep, and sometimes the
shepherd also.

The man-eater lurked in a wood that was hard by the sheep-run.
Hercules would not wait to be attacked by him. Arming himself with a
heavy club and with a bow and arrows, he went in search of the lion's
lair and soon found it.

Finding that arrows and club made no impression upon the thick skin of
the lion, the hero was constrained to trust entirely to his own thews
and sinews. Seizing the lion with both hands, he put forth all his
mighty strength and strangled the beast just as he had strangled the
serpents in his cradle. Then, having despoiled the dead man-eater of
his skin, Hercules henceforth wore this trophy as a garment, and as a
shield and buckler.

In those days, there was in Greece a monstrous serpent known as the
Hydra of Lerna, because it haunted a marsh of that name whence it
issued in search of prey. As his second labor, Hercules was sent to
slay this creature.