"'Tis man, who in life's early day Four-footed crawleth on his way; When time hath made his strength complete, Upright his form and twain his feet; When age hath bound him to the ground A third foot in his staff is found." And when the Sphinx found that her riddle was answered she cast herself from a high rock and perished. As a reward Oedipus received the great kingdom of Thebes and the hand of the widowed queen Jocasta in marriage. Four children were born to them--two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene. Now the gods had decreed that Oedipus should murder his own father and marry his own mother, and by a curious chance this was precisely what he had done. As a baby he had been left to die lest he should live to fulfil the doom, but had been rescued by an old shepherd and brought up at the court of Corinth. Fleeing from there that he might not murder him whom he believed to be his father, he had come to Thebes, and on the way had met Laius, his true father, the king, and killed him. While he remained ignorant of the facts Oedipus was very happy and reigned in great power and glory; but when pestilence fell upon the land and he discovered the truth of the almost forgotten oracle, he was very miserable, and in the madness of grief put out his own eyes. ANTIGONE. A FAITHFUL DAUGHTER AND SISTER Jocasta, when she learned that Oedipus was really her son, was so filled with horror and distress that she took her own life. But Antigone and Ismene were sorry for their father, whom they loved very dearly, and sought by every means they knew to render his suffering less. Longing to see again the land of Corinth which he had left seized the blind Oedipus, and like a beggar, staff in hand, he set out. Only Antigone accompanied him, guiding his step and striving daily to keep up his courage.