A book of golden deeds of all times and all lands / gathered and narrated by the author of "The heir of Redclyffe" ; illustrated by L. Frölich.

  • Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary), 1823-1901.
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A book of golden deeds of all times and all lands / gathered and narrated by the author of "The heir of Redclyffe" ; illustrated by L. Frölich. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    Or where each empurpled shoot Drooping with its myriad fruit, Curl’d in many a mazy twine, Droops the never-trodden vine.” Anstice. This beautiful grove was sacred to the Eumenides, or avenging goddesses, and it was therefore a sandtuary where no foot might tread ; but near it the exiled king was allowed to take up his abode, and was protected by the great Athenian King, Theseus. There his other daughter, Ismene, joined him, and, after a time, his elder son, Polynices, arrived. Polynices had been expelled from Thebes by his brother Eteocles, and had been wandering through Greece seeking aid to recover his rights. He had collected an army, and was come to take leave of his father and sisters; and at the same time to entreat his sisters to take care that, if he should fall in the battle, they would prevent his corpse from being left unbpried ; for the Greeks believed that till the funeral rites were performed, the spirit went wandering restlessly up and down upon the banks of a dark stream unable to enter the home of the dead. Antigone solemnly promised to him that he should not be left without these last rites. Before long, old CEdipus was killed by lightning, and the two sisters returned to Thebes. The united armies of the seven chiefs against Thebes came on, led by Polynices. Eteocles sallied out to meet them, and there was a terrible battle, ending in all the seven chiefs being slain, and the two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, were killed by one another in single combat. Creon, the uncle, who thus became king, had always been on the side of Eteocles, and therefore com- manded that, whilst this younger brother was entombed with all due solemnities, the body of the elder should be