Then the goddess stepped forth and called to the combatants in a loud voice: “Men of Ithaca, desist! Give up this unhappy war which displeases the gods! Shed no more blood and depart quickly hence!” Upon this no one dared speak of revenge, and even the bravest warriors put away their weapons with the resolve never to use them against the man who had right upon his side. Time, by degrees, dulled the hatred even of the fathers of the murdered men. The wisdom, magnanimity, and kindness of Ulysses soon won all hearts and at last converted even his bitterest foes into friends. Ulysses did not forget the vow which he had made in the kingdom of departed souls, to the gods of Hades, to offer in sacrifice a young ox and, to the spirit of Tiresias, a black ram when he should be at home once more. Both victims were brought forth, and while the heralds were preparing the feast for the people, Ulysses gave the death stroke to the animals. While the fat pieces were burning on the altar, he prayed solemnly, with uplifted hands: “Holy gods of Hades, here in my kingdom I thus gratefully fulfil the vow I made in yours. I have surmounted many difficulties and often barely escaped with my life, always trusting in a fortunate outcome. And now, ye gracious gods, I can look back gratefully upon my past. Often will I renew this offering, for one should remember the dead gladly, nor ever shun the goddess of death and fate. But wherever destiny may lead me, oh grant that I may rule the people gloriously and in peace, and that the name of the illustrious Ulysses may live among future generations of men.” LIFE STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE _Translated from the German by_ GEORGE P. UPTON 44 Volumes Now Ready _American Explorers_ Columbus Francisco Pizarro Cortes Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky, and Other Pre-Columbian Discoverers of America _Historical and Biographical_ Washington Franklin Penn Maximilian Barbarossa William of Orange Maria Theresa The Maid of Orleans Frederick the Great The Little Dauphin Herman and Thusnelda The Swiss Heroes Marie Antoinette’s Youth The Duke of Brittany Louise, Queen of Prussia The Youth of the Great Elector Emperor William First Elizabeth, Empress of Austria Charlemagne Prince Eugene Eugénie, Empress of the French Queen Maria Sophia of Naples Emin Pasha General (“Chinese”) Gordon David Livingstone Stanley’s Journey through the Dark Continent _Musical Biography_ Beethoven Mozart Johann Sebastian Bach Joseph Haydn _Legendary_ Frithjof Saga Gudrun The Nibelungs William Tell Arnold of Winkelried Undine Ulysses of Ithaca Achilles Gods and Heroes The Argonautic Expedition and the Labors of Hercules