is brother, and the race of men
did obeisance to Zeus, and received Pandora at his hands, for the
greatness of her beauty enslaved the hearts of all who looked upon
her. But they rejoiced not long in the gift of the gods, for Pandora
saw a great cask on the threshold of the house of Epimetheus, and she
lifted the lid, and from it came strife and war, plague and sickness,
theft and violence, grief and sorrow. Then in her terror she set down
the lid again upon the cask, and Hope was shut up within it, so that
she could not comfort the race of men for the grievous evil which
Pandora had brought upon them.

IO AND PROMETHEUS.

In the halls of Inachos, King of Argos, Zeus beheld and loved the fair
maiden Io, but when Here, the Queen, knew it, she was very wroth, and
sought to slay her. Then Zeus changed the maiden into a heifer, to
save her from the anger of Here, but presently Here learned that the
heifer was the maiden whom she hated, and she went to Zeus, and said,
"Give me that which I shall desire," and Zeus answered, "Say on." Then
Here said, "Give me the beautiful heifer which I see feeding in the
pastures of King Inachos." So Zeus granted her prayer, for he liked
not to confess what he had done to Io to save her from the wrath of
Here, and Here took the heifer and bade Argos, with the hundred eyes,
watch over it by night and by day.

[Illustration: THALIA.]

Long time Zeus sought how he might deliver the maiden from the
vengeance of Here, but he strove in vain, for Argos never slept, and
his hundred eyes saw everything around him, and none could approach
without being seen and slain. At the last Zeus sent Hermes, the bright
messenger of the gods, who stole gently towards Argos, playing soft
music on his lute. Soothingly the sweet sounds fell upon his ear, and
a deep sleep began to weigh down his eyelids, until Argos, with the
hundred eyes, lay powerless before Hermes. Then Hermes drew his sharp
sword, and with a single stroke he smote off his head, wherefore men
call him the slayer of Argos, with the hundred eyes. But the wrath of
Here was fiercer than ever when she learned that her watchman was
slain, and she sware that the heifer should have no rest, but wander
in terror and pain from land to land. So she sent a gad-fly to goad
the heifer with its fiery sting over hill and valley, across sea and
river, to torment her if she lay down to rest, and madden her with
pain when she sought to sleep. In grief and