itten by Fenelon for his pupil the
Dauphin, in the age of Louis XIV.

Another great series of Greek poems is the Theban Cycle, which
comprises the Thebais, by some unknown author, wherein is related in
full the story of Oedipus, that of the Seven Kings before Thebes, and
the doings of the Epigoni.

There exist also cyclic poems in regard to the labors of Heracles,
among others one called Oechalia, which has proved a priceless mine
for poets, dramatists, painters, and sculptors.[1]

In the Alexandra by Lycophron (270 B.C.), and in a similar poem by
Quintus Smyrnaeus, in fourteen books, we find tedious sequels to the
Iliad, wherein Alexander is represented as a descendant of Achilles.
Indeed, the life and death of Alexander the Great are also the source
of innumerable epics, as well as of romances in Greek, Latin, French,
German, and English. The majority of these are based upon the epic of
Callisthenes, 110 A.D., wherein an attempt was made to prove that
Alexander descended directly from the Egyptian god Jupiter Ammon or,
at least, from his priest Nectanebus.

Besides being told in innumerable Greek versions, the tale of Troy has
frequently been repeated in Latin, and it enjoyed immense popularity
all throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. It was, however, most
beloved in France, where Benoit de St. Maur's interminable "Roman de
Troie," as well as his "Roman d'Alexandre," greatly delighted the
lords and ladies of his time.

Besides the works based on the story of Troy or on the adventures of
Alexander, we have in Greek the Theogony of Hesiod in some 1022 lines,
a miniature Greek mythology, giving the story of the origin and the
doings of the Greek gods, as well as the Greek theory in regard to the
creation of the world.

Among later Greek works we must also note the Shield of Heracles and
the Eoiae or Catalogue of the Boetian heroines who gave birth to
demi-gods or heroes.

In 194 B.C. Apollonius Rhodius at Alexandria wrote the Argonautica, in
four books, wherein he relates the adventures of Jason in quest of the
golden fleece. This epic was received so coldly that the poet, in
disgust, withdrew to Rhodes, where, having remodelled his work, he
obtained immense applause.

The principal burlesque epic in Greek, the Bactrachomyomachia, or
Battle of Frogs and Mice, is attributed to Homer, but only some 300
lines of this work remain, showing what it may have been.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: A detailed account of O