Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable

eus and

and discordant beginnings of things clashing together. As yet no sun gave light to the world, nor did the moon renew her slender horn month by month,- neither did the earth hang in the surrounding air, poised by

om both. The fiery part, being the lightest, sprang up, and formed the skies; the air was next in weight a

med around the earth. But a nobler animal was needed, and man was made in the image of the gods with an upright stature [The two Greek words for man have the root an, "up], so that while all other animals turn their faces downward and look to the earth, he raises his face to heaven and gazes on the stars [Every reader will be in

ngth, swiftness and sagacity. He gave wings to one, claws to another, a shelly covering to the third. Man, superior to all other animals, came last. But for man Epimetheus had nothing,- he had bestowed all his gifts elsewhere. He came to his brother for help, and Prometheus, with the aid of Minerva, we

o gladly accepted her, though cautioned by his brother to beware of Jupiter and his gifts. Epimetheus had in his house a jar, in which were kept certain noxious articles, for which, in fitting man for his new abode, he had had no occasion. Pandora was seized with an eager curiosity to know what this jar contained; and one day she slipped off the cover and looked in. Forthwith there escaped a multitude of plagues for hapless man,- such as g

sents, into which every god had put some blessing. She opened the box incautiously, and the blessings all escaped, HOPE only excepted. This sto

en or punish. The forest had not yet been robbed of its trees to furnish timbers for vessels, nor had men built fortifications round their towns. There were no such things as swords, spears, or helmets. The earth broug

Saturn, banis

ell, the world

imes a Silve

s, but more ex

autumn, winte

s but a seaso

nnual course

racted and enl

sultry heats,

ds were clogged

mortals into

from the inclem

en were caves,

ers fenced; and

seed, the fruitf

red first ben

ext in course

pring, prompt

pious

Steel suc

as the metal

Book I. Dryden

th from thence the ores of metals. Mischievous IRON, and more mischievous GOLD, were produced. War sprang up, using both as weapons; the guest was not safe in his friend's house; and sons-in-law and fathers-in- law, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, could not trust one another. Sons wished their fathers dead, that they might come to the inheritance; family love lay prostrate. The earth was wet with slaughter, and the gods abandoned it, one by one, till Astraea

cease, and ancient

tice lift alo

world her oli

ocence from heaven

nativity, stanzas x

ly she also too

it; but recollecting the danger that such a conflagration might set heaven itself on fire, he changed his plan, and resolved to drown the world. Aquilo, the north wind, which scatters the clouds, was chained up; Notus, the south, was sent out, and soon covered all the face of heaven with a cloak of pitchy darkness. The clouds, driven together, resound with a crash; torrents of rain fall; the crops are laid low; the year's labor of the husbandman perishes in an hour. Jupiter, not satisfied with his own waters, calls on his brother Neptune to aid him with his. He lets loose the rivers, and pours them over the land. At the same time, he heaves the land with an earthquake, and brings in the reflux of the ocean over the shores. Flocks, herds, men, and houses are swept awa

race as he at first made it! But as we cannot, let us seek yonder temple, and inquire of the gods what remains for us to do." They entered the temple, deformed as it was with slime, and approached the altar, where no fire burned. There they fell prostrate on the earth, and prayed the goddess to inform them how they might retrieve their miserable affairs. The oracle answered, "Depart from the temple with head veiled and garments unbound, and cast behind you the bones of your mother." They heard the words with astonishment. Pyrrha first broke silence: "We cannot obey; we dare not profane the remains of our parents." They sought the thickest shades of the wood, and revolved the oracle in their minds. At length Deucalion spoke: "Either my sagacity deceives me, or the command is one we may obey without impiety. The ear

to Pandora is too ob

uces it in Book IV

than Pandora,

l their gifts;

, when to th

ought by Herme

er fair looks,

stole Jove's

were sons of Iapetus, whic

cts of his confinement, his release, and his worship at Athens. Of these only the first is preserved, the Prometheus Bound. Prometh

med hi

e cloud of bar

beams of know

, they heard, b

ng, all things ro

real imager

ion mixed! The

sonry, the

ut like ants sti

h and scooped th

asons ranged, t

umed spring, th

its. At random

cted them to

and, a harde

e rich train of m

and the meet ar

precepts on the

ctive mother

atient steer t

oils joint-l

ssed steed was

and grace the p

lightly boundin

rse, and winged

gave th

ation from the

pon his liver. This state of torment might at any time have been brought to an end by Prometheus if he had been willing to submit to his oppressor. For Prometheus knew of a fatal marriage which Jove must make and by which he must come to r

treated this theme. The fo

whose imm

rings of

their sa

things that

hy pity's

uffering,

e vulture, a

proud can f

they do

cating se

e crime was

with thy p

human wre

en man with

as thou wer

thy pati

durance a

impenetra

d heaven could

lesson we

TH

his illustrious conquest he instituted the Pythian games, in which the victor in feats of strength, swiftness of foot, or in the chariot race, was crowned with a wreath of beech leaves; for the laurel was not yet adopted by Apollo as his own tree. And here Apollo founded his oracle at Delphi, the only oracle "that was not exclusively national, for it was consulted by many outside nations, and, in fact, was held in the highest repute all over the world

e Vatican palace where it stands] represents the god after his victory ove

of the une

fe, and poetr

uman limbs ar

om his triumph

ust been shot;

tal's vengean

eautiful disda

ash their full

that one gla

O AND

ory over Python, he said to him, "What have you to do with warlike weapons, saucy boy? Leave them for hands worthy of them. Behold the conquest I have won by means of them over the vast serpent w

the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus, and with the golden one Apollo, through the heart. Forthwith the god was seized with love for the maiden, and she abhorred the thought of loving. Her delight was in woodland sports and in the spoils of the chase. Many lovers sought her, but she spurned them all, ranging the woods, and taking thought neither of Cupid nor of Hymen. Her fath

ever was hidden from view he imagined more beautiful still. He followed her; she fled, swifter than the wind, and delayed not a moment at his entreaties. "Stay," said he, "daughter of Peneus; I am not a foe. Do not fly me as a lamb flies the wolf, or a dove the hawk. It is for love I pursue you. You make me miserable, for fear you should fall and hurt yourself on these stones, and I should be the cause. Pray ru

in the race. It was like a hound pursuing a hare, with open jaws ready to seize, while the feebler animal darts forward, slipping from the very grasp. So flew the god and the virgin he on the wings of love, and she on those of fear. The pursuer is the more rapid, howe

He touched the stem, and felt the flesh tremble under the new bark. He embraced the branches, and lavished kisses on the wood. The branches shrank from his lips. "Since you cannot be my wife," said he, "you shall assuredly be my tree. I will wear you for my crown. With you I will decorate my harp and my qui

and also of medicine. For, as the poet

each joy, alla

ase, soften

wise of anci

physic, melod

applies it to the case of one whose amatory verses, though they did not

sung in his i

ssful, was not

h that should re

ssion and app

us, acquiring u

e and filled his

y's Adonais alludes to Byron's e

olves, bold o

vens, clamorou

o the conqueror

e Desolation

rain contagion

ollo, from h

of the age o

spoilers tempt

roud feet that spu

S AND

by signs and glances, and the fire burned more intensely for being covered up. In the wall that parted the two houses there was a crack, caused by some fault in the structure. No one had remarked it before, but the lovers discovered it. 'What will love not discover? It afforded a passage to the voice; and tender messages used to pass backward and forward through the gap. As they stood, Pyramus on this side, This

of Ninus, and that the one who came first should await the other at the foot of a certain tree. It was a white mulberry tree and stood near a cool spring. All was agreed on, and they waited impatiently for the sun to go down beneath the waters and night to rise up from them. Then cautiously Thisbe stole forth, unobserved by the family, her head covered with a veil, made her way to the monument and sat down under th

len the first victim. I will follow. I am the guilty cause, in tempting thee forth to a place of such peril, and not being myself on the spot to guard thee. Come forth, ye lions, from the rocks, and tear this guilty body with your teeth" He took up the veil, carried it with him to the appointed tree, and covered it wi

amed and beat her breast; embracing the lifeless body, pouring tears into its wounds, and imprinting kisses on the cold lips. "Oh, Pyramus," she cried, "what has done this? Answer me, Pyramus; it is your own Thisbe that speaks. Hear me, dearest, and lift that drooping head!" At the name of Thisbe, Pyramus opened his eyes, then closed them again. She saw her veil stained with blood and the scabbard empty of its sword. "Thy own hand has slain thee, and for my sake," she said. "I too can be brave for once, and my love is as strong as thine. I will follow thee in d

Davy's Safety Lamp, is reminded of the w

lamp's met

in of prot

y delicat

icit, dang

sets 'twixt F

h barred young

mall holes this

h other, bu

usion to the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, and the metamorphosi

ift Pomona's

rden, free unc

eeter and the

fostered by th

re in shining

lover's blood,

o'erload the

pense of poor Pyramus and Thisbe, they may find an opportunity by turning to Sha

ion of the play and

log

hance you wond

ill truth makes

yramus, if yo

lady Thisb

ime and roughca

all, which did th

chink, poor souls

the which let

lanthorn, dog a

nshine; for, i

id these lover

us' tomb, ther

ast, which by

isby, coming

y, or rather

ed, her mantle

e with bloody

ramus, sweet

trusty Thisby'

ade, with blood

ched his boilin

tarrying in m

er drew

ht's Dream, v

US AND

loved devotedly. Her name was Procris. She was a favorite of Diana, the goddess of hunting, who had given her a dog which could outrun every rival, and a javelin which would never fail of its mark; and Procris gave these presents to her husband. Cephal

dog let loose than he darted off, quicker than their eye could follow him. If they had not seen his footprints in the sand they would have thought he flew. Cephalus and others stood on a hill and saw the race. The fox tried every art; he ran in a circle and turned on his track, the dog close upon him, with open jaws, snapping at his heels, but biting only the air. Cephalus w

inted away. Presently recovering, she said, "It cannot be true; I will not believe it unless I myself am a witness to it." So she waited, with anxious heart, till the next morning, when Cephalus went to hunt as usual. Then she stole out after him, and concealed herself in the place where the informer directed her. Cephalus came as he was wont when tired with sport, and stretched himself on the green bank, saying, "Come, sweet breeze, come and fan me; you know how I love you! You make the groves and my solitary rambles delightful." He was running on in this way when he heard, or thought he heard, a sound as of a sob in the bushes. Supposing it some wild animal, he threw hie javelin at the spot. A cry from his beloved Procris told him that the weapon had too surel

ay just quoted, the

cris, although r

t Shafalus to Pro

afalus to Proc

lads, has one on Cephalus a

nce in a gr

e noon's b

wooed the w

s brow wit

y even the wi

uld stir the

still, 'Sweet

swered, 'Come