Matheson Collection > Togail na Tebe

THE THEBAID
And since he found not his sister, the plan he formed in his
mind through his wisdom was this, to go to the temple of
Apollo, the god of prophecy, and ask of him information and
direction where the maiden was. And this Apollo told him,
not to seek her, for he would not find her, but to fare forth
to-morrow away on the delicately flowering level far-extended
plain, " and a horned ever/beautiful cow would meet you on that
delicately beautiful plain. Follow her until she lie down, and
where she will lie down let a fair-built city be built by you,
with great vast walls, with very spacious palaces, and with mild
sollers bright with light," so that that city might be the city of
the pomp and assembly of the Greeks, and that its name might
be Boeotia or Thebes, owing to the power and the oracle of the
god Apollo.
Cadmus remained there, and experienced thirst; and a trusty
messenger was sent by him for a draught, with a beautiful
brazen vessel embossed around with gold and silver, unto a vast
darksome cave that was near him, in the midst of an overhanging
grove, with a very beautiful earth-cool well in the midst of it.
When the messenger had reached the well, and dipped his vessel
down into the water, from the back of the cave there came a
venomous serpent, with four huge heads upon it, and with three
rows of teeth in each several head, and of monstrous shape from
tail to head. When it saw the messenger above the well, it at
once dealt him a blow with its muzzle, and he was left there
lifeless. Afterwards when Cadmus, son of Agenor, deemed his
servant tarried long, he sent another of his following unto the
cave and unto the water, and the serpent meted out the same
treatment to him. Nay, fifty youths of his following fell thus.
Then Cadmus,- -son of Agenor, rose, donned his armour, and pre-
pared his arms with a soldier's heat, a lion's rage, and a serpent's
venom, going to the door of the cave to avenge him on the man
that had killed his retainers. And when he arrived, he saw the
unspeakable huge serpent, and it made a great arched coil of
itself from tail to head, like a mast of a very huge ship. When
it saw the great man come nigh it, they fought together there
a bloody, wounding, gory, blood-dripping fight then, and the
serpent fell at last, and its poison came to nought. Thereafter
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