The Seven Against Thebes
Among the legendary tales of Greece, none of which are strictly, though
several are perhaps partly, historical, none--after that of Troy--was
more popular with the ancients than the story of the two sieges of
Thebes. This tale had probably in it an historical element, though
deeply overlaid with myth, and it was the greatest enterprise of Grecian
war, after that of Troy, during what is called the age of the Heroes.
And
Greece, that of the sisterly affection and tragic fate of Antigone,
whose story gave rise to noble dramas by the tragedians AEschylus and
Sophocles, and is still a favorite with lovers of pathetic lore.
As a prelude to our story we must glance at the mythical history of
OEdipus, which, like that of his noble daughter, has been celebrated
in ancient drama. An oracle had declared that he should kill his father,
the king of Thebes. He was, in consequence, brought up in ignorance of
his parentage, yet this led to the accomplishment of the oracle, for as
a youth he, during a roadside squabble, killed his father not knowing
him. For this crime, which had been one of their own devising, the gods,
with their usual inconsistency, punished the land of Thebes; afflicting
that hapless country with a terrible monster called the Sphinx, which
had the face of a woman, the wings of a bird, and the body of a lion.
This strangely made-up creature proposed a riddle to the Thebans, whose
solution they were forced to try and give; and on every failure to give
the correct answer she seized and devoured the unhappy aspirant.
OEdipus arrived, in ignorance of the fact that he was the son of the
late king. He quickly solved the riddle of the Sphinx, whereupon that
monster committed suicide, and he was made king. He then married the
queen,--not knowing that she was his own mother.
This celebrated riddle of the Sphinx was not a very difficult one. It
was as follows: "A being with four feet has two feet and three feet; but
its feet vary, and when it has most it is weakest."
The answer, as given by OEdipus, was "Man," who
"First as a babe four-footed creeps on his way,
Then, when full age cometh on, and the burden of years weighs full heavy,
Bending his shoulders and neck, as a third foot useth his staff."
When the truth became known--as truth was apt to become known when too
late in old stories--the queen, Jocasta, mad with anguish, hanged
herself, and OEdipus, in wild despair, put out his eyes. The gods who
had led him blindly into crime, now handed him over to punishment by the
Furies,--the ancient goddesses of vengeance, whose mission it was to
pursue the criminal with stinging whips.
The tragic events which followed arose from the curse of the afflicted
OEdipus. He had two sons, Polynikes and Eteocles, who twice offended
him without intention, and whom he, frenzied by his troubles, twice
bitterly cursed, praying to the gods that they might perish by each
other's hands. OEdipus afterwards obtained the pardon of the gods for
his involuntary crime, and died in exile, leaving Creon, the brother of
Jocasta, on the throne. But though he was dead, his curse kept alive,
and brought on new matter of dire moment.
It began its work in a quarrel between the two sons as to who should
succeed their uncle as king of Thebes. Polynikes was in the wrong, and
was forced to leave Thebes, while Eteocles remained. The exiled prince
sought the court of Adrastus, king of Argos, who gave him his daughter
in marriage, and agreed to assist in restoring him to his native
country.
Most of the Argive chiefs joined in the proposed expedition. But the
most distinguished of them all, Amphiaraues, opposed it as unjust and
against the will of the gods. He concealed himself, lest he should be
forced into the enterprise. But the other chiefs deemed his aid
indispensable, and bribed his wife, with a costly present, to reveal his
hiding-place. Amphiaraues was thus forced to join the expedition, but his
prophetic power taught him that it would end in disaster to all and
death to himself, and as a measure of revenge he commanded his son
Alkmaeon to kill the faithless woman who had betrayed him, and after his
death to organize a second expedition against Thebes.
Seven chiefs led the army, one to assail each of the seven celebrated
gates of Thebes. Onward they marched against that strong city, heedless
of the hostile portents which they met on their way. The Thebans also
sought the oracle of the gods, and were told that they should be
victorious, but only on the dread condition that Creon's son,
Menoeceus, should sacrifice himself to Mars. The devoted youth, on
learning that the safety of his country depended on his life, forthwith
killed himself before the city gates,--thus securing by innocent blood
the powerful aid of the god of war.
Long and strenuous was the contest that succeeded, each of the heroes
fiercely attacking the gate adjudged to him. But the gods were on the
side of the Thebans and every assault proved in vain. Parthenopaeus, one
of the seven, was killed by a stone, and another, Capaneus, while
furiously mounting the walls from a scaling-ladder, was slain by a
thunderbolt cast by Jupiter, and fell dead to the earth.
The assailants, terrified by this portent, drew back, and were pursued
by the Thebans, who issued from their gates. But the battle that was
about to take place on the open plain was stopped by Eteocles, who
proposed to settle it by a single combat with his brother Polynikes, the
victory to be given to the side whose champion succeeded in this mortal
duel. Polynikes, filled with hatred of his brother, eagerly accepted
this challenge. Adrastus, the leader of the assailing army, assented,
and the unholy combat began.
Never was a more furious combat than that between the hostile brothers.
Each was exasperated to bitter hatred of the other, and they fought with
a violence and desperation that could end only in the death of one of
the combatants. As it proved, the curse of OEdipus was in the keeping
of the gods, and both fell dead,--the fate for which their aged father
had prayed. But the duel had decided nothing, and the two armies renewed
the battle.
And now death and bloodshed ran riot; men fell by hundreds; deeds of
heroic valor were achieved on either side; feats of individual daring
were displayed like those which Homer sings in the story of Troy. But
the battle ended in the defeat of the assailants. Of the seven leaders
only two survived, and one of these, Amphiaraues, was about to suffer the
fate he had foretold, when Jupiter rescued him from death by a miracle.
The earth opened beneath him, and he, with his chariot and horses, was
received unhurt into her bosom. Rendered immortal by the king of the
gods, he was afterwards worshipped as a god himself.
Adrastus, the only remaining chief, was forced to fly, and was preserved
by the matchless speed of his horse. He reached Argos in safety, but
brought with him nothing but "his garment of woe and his black-maned
steed."
Thus ended, in defeat and disaster to the assailants, the first of the
celebrated sieges of Thebes. It was followed by a tragic episode which
remains to be told, that of the sisterly fidelity of Antigone and her
sorrowful fate. Her story, which the dramatists have made immortal, is
thus told in the legend.
After the repulse of his foes, King Creon caused the body of Eteocles
to be buried with the highest honors; but that of Polynikes was cast
outside the gates as the corpse of a traitor, and death was threatened
to any one who should dare to give it burial. This cruel edict, which no
one else ventured to ignore, was set aside by Antigone, the sister of
Polynikes. This brave maiden, with warm filial affection, had
accompanied her blind father during his exile to Attica, and was now
returned to Thebes to perform another holy duty. Funeral rites were held
by the Greeks to be essential to the repose of the dead, and Antigone,
despite Creon's edict, determined that her brother's body should not be
left to the dogs and vultures. Her sister, though in sympathy with her
purpose, proved too timid to help her. No other assistance was to be
had. But not deterred by this, she determined to perform the act alone,
and to bury the body with her own hands.
In this act of holy devotion Antigone succeeded; Polynikes was buried.
But the sentinels whom Creon had posted detected her in the act, and she
was seized and dragged before the tribunal of the tyrant. Here she
defended her action with an earnestness and dignity that should have
gained her release, but Creon was inflexible in his anger. She had set
at naught his edict, and should suffer the penalty for her crime. He
condemned her to be buried alive.
Sophocles, the dramatist, puts noble words into the mouth of Antigone.
This is her protest against the tyranny of the king:
"No ordinance of man shall override
The settled laws of Nature and of God;
Not written these in pages of a book,
Nor were they framed to-day, nor yesterday;
We know not whence they are; but this we know,
That they from all eternity have been,
And shall to all eternity endure."
And when asked by Creon why she had dared disobey the laws, she nobly
replied,--
"Not through fear
Of any man's resolve was I prepared
Before the gods to bear the penalty
Of sinning against these. That I should die
I knew (how should I not?) though thy decree
Had never spoken. And before my time
If I shall die, I reckon this a gain;
For whoso lives, as I, in many woes,
How can it be but he shall gain by death?"
At the king's command the unhappy maiden was taken from his presence and
thrust into a sepulchre, where she was condemned to perish in hunger and
loneliness. But Antigone was not without her advocate. She had a
lover,--almost the only one in Greek literature. Haemon, the son of
Creon, to whom her hand had been promised in marriage, and who loved her
dearly, appeared before his father and earnestly interceded for her
life. Not on the plea of his love,--such a plea would have had no weight
with a Greek tribunal,--but on those of mercy and justice. His plea was
vain; Creon was obdurate: the unhappy lover left his presence and sought
Antigone's living tomb, where he slew himself at the feet of his love,
already dead. His mother, on learning of his fatal act, also killed
herself by her own hand, and Creon was left alone to suffer the
consequences of his unnatural act.
The story goes on to relate that Adrastus, with the disconsolate mothers
of the fallen chieftains, sought the hero Theseus at Athens, and begged
his aid in procuring the privilege of interment for the slain warriors
whose bodies lay on the plain of Thebes. The Thebans persisting in their
refusal to permit burial, Theseus at length led an army against them,
defeated them in the field, and forced them to consent that their fallen
foes should be interred, that last privilege of the dead which was
deemed so essential by all pious Greeks. The tomb of the chieftains was
shown near Eleusis within late historical times.
But the Thebans were to suffer another reverse. The sons of the slain
chieftains raised an army, which they placed under the leadership of
Adrastus, and demanded to be led against Thebes. Alkmaeon, the son of
Amphiaraues, who had been commanded to revenge him, played the most
prominent part in the succeeding war. As this new expedition marched,
the gods, which had opposed the former with hostile signs, now showed
their approval with favorable portents. Adherents joined them on their
march. At the river Glisas they were met by a Theban army, and a battle
was fought, which ended in a complete victory over the Theban foe. A
prophet now declared to the Thebans that the gods were against them, and
advised them to surrender the city. This they did, flying themselves,
with their wives and children, to the country of the Illyrians, and
leaving their city empty to the triumphant foe. The Epigoni, as the
youthful victors were called, marched in at the head of their forces,
took possession, and placed Thersander, the son of Polynikes, on the
throne. And thus ends the famous old legend of the two sieges of Thebes.
More
-
The Perils Of The Wilderness
On the 31st day of October, in the year 1753, a young man, whose name was as yet unknown outside the colony of Virginia, though it was destined to attain world-wide fame, set out from Williamsburg, in that colony, on a momentous errand. It was th... The Pirates Of Barataria Bay
On the coast of Louisiana, westward from the delta of the Mississippi, there lies a strange country, in which sea and land seem struggling for dominion, neither being victor in the endless contest. It is a low, flat, moist land, where countless wate... The Plague At Athens
During the period after the Persian war two great powers arose in Greece, which were destined to come into close and virulent conflict. These were the league of Delos, which developed into the empire of Athens, and the Peloponnesian confederacy, u... The Poisoning Of Sir Patrise
After the quest of the Sangreal was ended, and all the knights who were left alive had come again to Camelot, there was great joy in the court, with feasts and merrymakings, that this fortunate remnant might find a glad welcome. Above all, King Ar... The Progress Of Christianity In Japan
The fact that such a realm as that of Japan existed remained unknown in Europe until about six centuries ago, when Marco Polo, in his famous record of travel and adventure, first spoke of it. He knew of it, however, only by Chinese hearsay, and the ... The Proscription Of Sulla
While Marius and his friends were ruling and murdering in Rome, Sulla, their bitter enemy, was commanding and conquering in the East, biding his time for revenge. He drove the Asiatic foe out of Greece, taking and pillaging Athens as an episode. He ... The Prussian War And The Paris Commune
There have been two critical periods in the story of France in which history was made at a rate of rapidity rarely equalled in the history of the world. The first of these was the era of the Revolution and the Napoleonic regime, which has no paralle... The Raid Of The Goorkhas
During the past two and a half centuries the great empire of China has been under foreign rule, its emperors, its state officials, its generals and trusted battalions, being of Tartar blood, and the whole nation being forced to wear, in the shaved h... The Raids Of The Sea-rovers
While Central and Southern Europe was actively engaged in wars by land, Scandinavia, that nest of pirates, was as actively engaged in wars by sea, sending its armed galleys far to the south, to plunder and burn wherever they could find footing on ... The Railroad In Turkestan
On the 24th of January, 1881, Edward O'Donovan, a daring traveller who had journeyed far through the wastes and wilds of Turkestan, found himself on a mountain summit not far removed from the northern boundary of Persia, from which his startled ey... The Reign Of A Glutton
The death of Nero cut all the reins of order in Rome. Until now, as stated in a preceding tale, some form of hereditary succession had been followed, the emperors being of the family of Caesar, though not his direct descendants. Now confusion reigne... The Reign Of Otho Ii
Otho II., Emperor of Germany,--Otho the Red, as he was called, from his florid complexion,--succeeded to the Western Empire in 973, when in his eighteenth year of age. His reign was to be a short and active one, and attended by adventures and fluc... The Reign Of Taitsong The Great
The history of China differs remarkably from that of Japan in one particular. In the latter a single dynasty of emperors has, from the beginning, held the throne. In the former there have been numerous dynasties, most of them brief, some long extend... The Relief Of Londonderry
Frightful was the state of Londonderry. "No surrender" was the ultimatum of its inhabitants, "blockade and starvation" the threat of the besiegers; the town was surrounded, the river closed, relief seemed hopeless, life, should the furious besiege... The Rescue Of Thebes
On a certain cold and wet evening, in the month of December of the year 379 B.C., seven men, dressed as rustics or hunters, and to all appearance unarmed, though each man had a dagger concealed beneath his clothes, appeared at the gate of Thebes, ... The Retreat Of Napoleon's Grand Army
In the spring of 1812 Napoleon reached the frontiers of Russia at the head of the greatest army that had ever been under his command, it embracing half a million of men. It was not an army of Frenchmen, however, since much more than half the total... The Retreat Of The Ten Thousand
We have now to tell of one of the most remarkable events in Grecian history, to describe how ten thousand Greeks, who found themselves in the heart of the great Persian empire, without a leader and almost without food, marched through the land of ... The Return Of Columbus
In the spring succeeding the fall of Granada there came to Spain a glory and renown that made her the envy of all the nations of Europe. During the year before an Italian mariner, Christopher Columbus by name, after long haunting the camp and cour... The Revenge Of Coriolanus
Caius Marcius, a noble Roman youth, descended from the worthy king Ancus Marcius, fought valiantly when but seventeen years of age in the battle of Lake Regillus, and was there crowned with an oaken wreath, the Roman reward for saving the life of a ... The Revolt Of The Gladiators
At the beginning of the first Punic War, or war with Carthage, a new form of entertainment was introduced into Rome. This was the gladiatorial show, the fights of armed men in the arena, the first of which was given in the year 264 B.C., at the fune... The Revolt Of The People
The overthrow of the kings of Rome did not relieve the people from all their oppression. The inhabitants of that city had long been divided into two great classes, the Patricians, or nobles, and the Plebeians, or common people, and the former held i... The Ring Of Polycrates
Near the coast of Asia Minor lies the bright and beautiful island of Samos, one of the choicest gems of the AEgean archipelago. This island was, somewhere about the year 530 B.C., seized by a political adventurer named Polycrates. He accomplished ... The Rise Of The Manchus
Twice had a Tartar empire been established in China, that of the Kin dynasty in the north, and that of their successors, the Mongols, over the whole country. A third and more permanent Tartar dynasty, that of the Manchus, was yet to come. With the s... The Rival Kings Of Granada
"In the hand of God is the destiny of princes. He alone giveth empire," piously says an old Arabian chronicler, and goes on with the following story: A Moorish horseman, mounted on a fleet Arabian steed, was one day traversing the mountains which ... The Rival Queens
From the days of Clovis to the days of Charles Martel and Charlemagne the history of the Frankish realm, so far as its kingship is concerned, is almost a blank. It was an era of several centuries of incompetent and sluggish monarchs, of whom we can ... The Rivalry Of Tristram And Palamides
When morning again dawned over the forest and the smiling fields that surrounded the castle of Epinegris, the two brothers rode out, taking with them the blessings and prayers for good fortune of those they left behind. But had they known into wha... The Rock Of Gibraltar
The great Mediterranean Sea has its gate-way, nine miles wide, opening into the Atlantic, the gate-posts being the headland of Ceuta, on the African coast, and the famous rock of Gibraltar, in southwestern Spain, two natural fortresses facing each... The Romantic Story Of The Prince Of Tezcuco
About a hundred years before the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, there reigned over the kingdom of Tezcuco, in the valley of Mexico, a monarch whose history is as interesting and romantic as any that can be found in the annals of Europe. His story... The Royal And Diamond Jubilees Of Queen Victoria
In the year 1887 came a great occasion in the life of England's queen, that of the fiftieth anniversary of her reign, a year of holiday and festivity that extended to all quarters of the world, for the broad girdle of British dominion had during h... The Sabine Virgins
A tract of ground surrounded by walls does not make a city. Men are wanted, and of these the new city of Rome had but few. The band of shepherds who were sufficient to build a wall, or perhaps only a wooden palisade, were not enough to inhabit a cit... The Sacred War
There were two places in Greece which had been set aside as sacred,--Plataea, the scene of the final defeat of the Persian invaders, and Delphi, the seat of the great temple of Apollo, in whose oracles all Greece placed faith. We have already seen... The Sacrifice Of Virginia
In the year 504 B.C. a citizen of Regillum, of much wealth and importance, finding himself at odds with his fellow-citizens, left that city and proceeded to Rome, with a long train of followers, much as the elder Tarquin had come from Tarquinii. His... The Sea Fight In The Waters Of Japan
On the memorable Saturday of May 27, 1905, in far eastern waters in which the guns of war-ships had rarely thundered before, took place an event that opened the eyes of the world as if a new planet had swept into its ken or a great comet had sudde... The Sea-kings And Their Daring Feats
From the word vik, or bay, comes the word viking, long used to designate the sea-rovers of the Northland, the bold Norse wanderers who for centuries made their way to the rich lands of the south on plundering raids. Beginning by darting out suddenly... The Second Conquest Of The Capital Of Mexico
The ancient city of Mexico, the capital of the Aztecs and their Spanish successors, has been the scene of two great military events, its siege and capture by Cortez the conqueror in 1521, and its capture by the American army under General Scott in... The Second Day Of The Tournament
When the next morning dawned, Tristram, Palamides, and Gareth, with La Belle Isolde and her ladies, all arrayed as before in green, took horse at an early hour, and rode into the fresh forest. But Dinadan was left still asleep in bed. As they pass... The Seven Against Thebes
Among the legendary tales of Greece, none of which are strictly, though several are perhaps partly, historical, none--after that of Troy--was more popular with the ancients than the story of the two sieges of Thebes. This tale had probably in it a... The Siege Of Belgrade
The empire of Rome finally reached its end, not in the fifth century, as ordinarily considered, but in the fifteenth; not at Rome, but at Constantinople, where the Eastern empire survived the Western for a thousand years. At length, in 1453, the T... The Siege Of Calais
Terrible and long-enduring had been the siege of Calais. For a whole year it had continued, and still the sturdy citizens held the town. Outside was Edward III., with his English host, raging at the obstinacy of the French and at his own losses du... The Siege Of Fort Schuyler
All was terror in the valley of the Mohawk, for its fertile fields and happy homes were threatened with the horrors of Indian warfare. All New York State, indeed, was in danger. The hopes of American liberty were in danger. The deadliest peril th... The Siege Of Jerusalem
Christ had not long passed away from the earth when the reign of peace and brotherly love which He had so warmly inculcated ceased to exist on the soil of Judaea. Forty years after He foretold the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem that noble ed... The Siege Of Saragossa
On the banks of the Ebro, in northwestern Spain, stands the ancient city of Saragossa, formerly the capital of Aragon, and a place of fame since early Roman days. A noble bridge of seven arches, built nearly five centuries ago, crosses the stream,... The Siege Of Sianyang
In the year 1268 the army of Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis the famous conqueror, made its appearance before the stronghold of Sianyang, an important city of China on the southern bank of the Han River. On the opposite side of the stream stood the... The Siege Of Sinching
When the great dynasty of the Hans, which had held supreme rule in China for more than four hundred years, came to an end, it left that country divided up into three independent kingdoms. The emperors who had once ruled over all China found themselv... The Sports Of The Amphitheatre
In no other nation upon the earth and no other period of history has enjoyment taken so cruel and brutal a shape as in the Roman empire. The fierce people of the imperial city seemed to have a native thirst for blood and misery, which no amount of s... The Story Of Arabella Stuart
Of royal blood was the lady here named, near to the English throne. Too near, as it proved, for her own comfort and happiness, for her life was distracted by the fears of those that filled it. Her story, in consequence, became one of the romances ... The Story Of Lucretia
We have next to tell how Tarquin the Proud lost his throne, through his own tyranny and the criminal action of his son. Once upon a time, when this king was at the height of his power, he, as was usual, offered sacrifices to the gods on the altar in... The Story Of Queen Exilona
When Roderic overthrew the ancient dynasty of Spain and made himself king, he had the defences of the cities thrown down that they might not give shelter to his enemies. Only the walls of the frontier cities were left, and among these was the anci... The Story Of The Regicides
The years 1675 and 1676 were years of terrible experience for New England. The most dreadful of all the Indian outbreaks of that region--that known as King Philip's War--was raging, and hundreds of the inhabitants fell victims to the ruthless rag... The Story Of The Sainte Ampoule
Sad years were they for kings and potentates in France--now a century ago--when the cup of civilization was turned upside-down and the dregs rose to the top. For once in the history of mankind the anarchist was lord--and a frightful use he made of h... The Strange Adventures Of Sir Bors
When Sir Bors parted from his companions, on the quest of the Sangreal, not far had he gone when he met a religious man riding on an ass, whom he courteously saluted. "Who are you?" asked the good man. "I am one of those knights who have set ... The Stratagem Of Theodomir
The defeat of the Guadalete seemed for the time to have robbed the Goths of all their ancient courage. East and west, north and south, rode the Arab horsemen, and stronghold after stronghold fell almost without resistance into their hands, until n... The Suitors Of Agariste
Sicyon, the smallest country of the Peloponnesus, lay on the Gulf of Corinth, adjoining the isthmus which connects the peninsula with the rest of Greece. In this small country--as in many larger ones--the nobles held rule, the people were subjects... The Swiss At Morgarten
On a sunny autumn morning, in the far-off year 1315, a gallant band of horsemen wound slowly up the Swiss mountains, their forest of spears and lances glittering in the ruddy beams of the new-risen sun, and extending down the hill-side as far as t... The Table Of Solomon
We have told how King Roderic, when he invaded the enchanted palace of Toledo, found in its empty chambers a single treasure,--the famous table of Solomon. But this was a treasure worth a king's ransom, a marvellous talisman, so splendid, so beaut... The Taking Of Pontefract Castle
On the top of a lofty hill, with a broad outlook over the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, stood Pontefract Castle, a strong work belonging to the English crown, but now in the hands of Cromwell's men, and garrisoned by so... The Tartar Invasion Of Japan
In all its history only one serious effort has been made to conquer the empire of Japan. It ended in such dire disaster to the invaders that no nation has ever repeated it. During the thirteenth century Asia was thrown into turmoil by the dreadful o... The Tartars And Genghis Khan
In the northern section of the vast Mongolian plateau, that immense outreach of pasture-lands which forms the great abiding-place of the shepherd tribes of the earth, there long dwelt a warlike race which was destined to play an extraordinary part i... The Temptation Of Sir Percivale
Many adventures had the other knights that set out in search of the Sangreal, and much reproof did many of them receive for the evil lives they had led; but all this we cannot stop to tell, but must confine ourselves to the deeds of a few only. As... The Thrilling Adventure Of Captain John Smith
For those who love stories of the Indians, and the strange and perilous adventures of white men in dealing with the forest tribes, we cannot do better than give a remarkable anecdote of life in the Virginia woodlands three centuries ago. On a day... The Tournament At Lonazep
When Palamides learned that Tristram was not at Lonazep, he tarried not there, but crossed the Humber, and sought him at Joyous Gard. Here he found lodgings in the town, and word was quickly brought to Tristram that a knight-errant had come. "W... The Trapping Of The Lion
In May, when every lusty heart flourisheth and bourgeoneth,--for as winter, with its rough winds and blasts, causes man and woman to cover and sit fast by the fire, this fresh and joyous season brings them forth to gladden in the coming of the flo... The Treachery Of King Mark
The story of Tristram's valorous deeds, and of the high honor in which he was held at Camelot, in good time came to Cornwall, where it filled King Mark's soul with revengeful fury, and stirred the heart of La Belle Isolde to the warmest love. The ... The Tribunal Of The Holy Vehm
The ideas of law and order in mediaeval Germany were by no means what we now understand by those terms. The injustice of the strong and the suffering of the weak were the rule; and men of noble lineage did not hesitate to turn their castles into d... The Tyrants Of Corinth
We have already told what the word "tyrant" meant in Greece,--a despot who set aside the law and ruled at his own pleasure, but who might be mild and gentle in his rule. Such were the tyrants of Sicyon, spoken of in our last tale. The tyrants of C... The Vengeance Of Queen Olga
The death of Oleg brought Igor his ward, then nearly forty years of age, to the throne of Rurik his father. And the same old story of bloodshed and barbarity went on. In those days a king was king in name only. He was really but the chief of a ban... The Victory Of The Don
The history of Russia during the century after the Mongol conquest is one of shame and anarchy. The shame was that of slavish submission to the Tartar khan. Each prince, in succession, fell on his knees before this high dignitary of the barbarians... The Voyage Of The Argonauts
We are forced to approach the historical period of Greece through a cloud-land of legend, in which atones of the gods are mingled with those of men, and the most marvellous of incidents are introduced as if they were everyday occurrences. The Argo... The West Gothland Insurrection
Sweden never had a wiser or more judicious ruler than King Gustavus Vasa, but in that land of turbulent lords and ambitious mischief-makers the noblest and most generous of kings could not reign without secret plotting and rebellious sentiments. So ... The White Rose Of England
The wars of the White and the Red Roses were at an end, Lancaster had triumphed over York, Richard III., the last of the Plantagenets, had died on Bosworth field, and the Red Rose candidate, Henry VII., was on the throne. It seemed fitting, indeed... The Woes Of Two Lovers
Early on the third morning of the tournament the knights of Tristram's party were up and armed, they now being all arrayed in red, as was also Isolde and her maidens. And rare was the show they made as they rode gayly to the priory, where they lef... The Wonderful March Of The Freebooters
The March of the Ten Thousand, from Babylon to the Black Sea, is one of the famous events of history. The march of the three hundred, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, which we have here to tell, is scarcely known to history at all, yet it was mar...