5 10 11 ORPHEUS WITH HIS LUTE ORPHEUS with his lute made trees, Hung their heads, and then lay by. In sweet music is such art, Fall asleep, or, hearing, die. - WILLIAM SHAKSPERE: King Henry VIII. as, as if; in old times sea was pronounced "say"; lay by, remained quiet; art, power. 1. What did you learn about Orpheus in The Story of Jason ? 2. What is a lute? 3. What different things were affected by the music of Orpheus? 4. What words at the ends of the lines rhyme in these verses? Word Study. — sun, sea, mountain, showers, plants, flowers. To how many things does each of the second three ? that refer to one thing only. each of the first three words refer? Find all the other words in the poem Find those that refer to more than one. Rule. Words that refer to one person or thing are said to be singular. Words that refer to more than one person or thing are said to be plural. Which of these words form their plurals by adding s to the singular? Which by adding es? Write in a group all those that form their plurals by changing f or fe into ves. Write in another group those that form their plurals by changing y into ies. Rules for the Formation of Plurals.-1. Add s to the singular of most words to form the plural: book-books. 2. Add es to the singular of most words ending in a hissing sound, such as s, sh, ch, x, z: class-classes; brush-brushes; church -churches, fox-foxes. 3. Most words that end in f or fe change it into ves in the plural: leaf leaves; knife - knives. 4. Many words ending in y change it into ies in the plural: city-cities. 12 HERCULES AND THE GOLDEN APPLES [Hercules, perhaps the most celebrated of the Grecian heroes, was the ideal of the utmost strength and courage that man could possess. The gods had decreed that for twelve years he should serve a certain king, and this king gave him twelve mighty tasks to perform, and these are known as the twelve labors of Hercules. The first was to kill a terrible lion, whose skin he thereafter always The second was to destroy a dreadful dragon-snake, which had a hundred heads. The third was to catch the swiftest of stags, wore. golden-headed, and with brazen feet. The eleventh Hawthorne has described in the following tale.] DID you ever hear of the golden apples that grew in the garden of the Hesperides? Ah, those were such apples as would bring a great price, by the bushel, if any of them could be found growing in the orchards of nowa5 days! But not so much as a seed of those apples exists any longer. And, even in the old, old, half-forgotten times, before the garden of the Hesperides was overrun with weeds, a great many people doubted whether there could be real 10 trees that bore apples of solid gold upon their branches. All had heard of them, but nobody remembered to have seen any. Children, nevertheless, used to listen, openmouthed, to stories of the golden apple tree, and resolved to discover it, when they should be big enough. Adven15 turous young men, who desired to do a braver thing than any of their fellows, set out in quest of this fruit. Many of them returned no more; none of them brought back the apples. No wonder that they found it impossible to gather them! It is said that there was a dragon beneath 20 the tree, with a hundred terrible heads, fifty of which were always on the watch, while the other fifty slept. And once the adventure was undertaken by a hero who had enjoyed very little peace or rest since he came into the world. At the time of which I am going to speak, 25 he was wandering through the pleasant land of Italy, with a mighty club in his hand, and a bow and quiver slung across his shoulders. He was wrapped in the skin of the biggest and fiercest lion that ever had been seen, and which he himself had killed; and though, on the whole, he was kind, and generous, and noble, there was a 5 good deal of the lion's fierceness in his heart. As he went on his way, he continually inquired whether that were the right road to the famous garden. So he journeyed on and on, still making the same inquiry, until, at last, he came to the brink of a river 10 where some beautiful young women sat twining wreaths of flowers. "Can you tell me, pretty maidens," asked the stranger, "whether this is the right way to the garden of the Hesperides?" "The garden of the Hesperides!" cried one. "We thought mortals had been weary of seeking it, after so many disappointments. And pray, adventurous traveler, what do you want there?" 15 "A certain king, who is my cousin," replied he, “has 20 ordered me to get him three of the golden apples." "And do you know," asked the damsel who had first spoken, "that a terrible dragon, with a hundred heads, keeps watch under the golden apple tree?" "I know it well," answered the stranger, calmly. 25 "But, from my cradle upwards, it has been my business, and almost my pastime, to deal with serpents and dragons." The young women looked at his massive club, and at the shaggy lion's skin which he wore, and likewise at his heroic limbs and figure; and they whispered to each other that the stranger appeared to be one who might reason5 ably expect to perform deeds far beyond the might of other men. But, then, the dragon with a hundred heads! What mortal, even if he possessed a hundred lives, could hope to escape the fangs of such a monster? "Go back," cried they all, 66 go back to your own 10 home! Your mother, beholding you safe and sound, will shed tears of joy; and what can she do more, should you win ever so great a victory? No matter for the golden apples! No matter for the king, your cruel cousin! We do not wish the dragon with the hundred heads to eat 15 you up!" The stranger seemed to grow impatient at these remonstrances. He carelessly lifted his mighty club, and let it fall upon a rock that lay half buried in the earth, near by. With the force of that idle blow, the great rock 20 was shattered all to pieces. "Do you not believe," said he, looking at the damsels with a smile, "that such a blow would have crushed one of the dragon's hundred heads?" Then he sat down on the grass, and told them the 25 story of his life, from the day when he was first cradled in a warrior's brazen shield. While he lay there, two immense serpents came gliding over the floor, and opened |