Last Days of a Hero



When Hercules finsihed so many of the other distinguished deeds so that it took a long time to report these. At last after many years Dejanara, daughter of Oeneus, married him. When three years had passed, a boy whom, with the name Eunonius, he killed by accident. On account of this, the people ordered Hercules to go into exile. Hercules hastened therefore to go forth with his wife from to the boundries of his state. While they made a journey, they arrived to a river in which there was no bridge. First they had attemped to find a boat that they would be able to cross the river.

Then a Centaur who, with the name Nessus, approached the travelers so that he offered his help. Hercules placed his wife upon the back of Nessus; then Nussus swam across the river. But proceeding little in the water, he returned to the bank suddenly that Dejanira was carried away. So far as Hercules saw, he returned quickly, and saw that Nessus was fleeing with his wife, he aimed his bow and shot an arrow into the chest of Nessus.

Nessus dying, not leaving the oppurtunity to punish Hercules, thus was speaking: " You, Dejanira, hear the words of my death. To conserve the strength of your husbands' love, put on this thing in the blook and keep it; then, he comes ever suspicious in your mind, your busband poisioned with this blood." Dejanira, not suspecting anything bad, obeyed his commands.

After a short time, Hercules against the order of Eurytum, King of Oechaliae, undertook this. This king with hos sons killed, and his daughter Iolen lead back the otherwise captive. Then she set up an alter that she made a sacrifice to Jupiter. While she made the sacrifice however, Licham, who brought back the white vest, accompanied his master sending; Dejanira, believing to hold there love towards Iolus, gave the vest of Lichae, whcih was infected in the blood of Nessus.

Hercules not suspecting something bad he quickly put on the vest whcih Lichas had brought. Immediately he felt pain throughout all limbs. He attemped to remove the vest that made the pain; it then hesitated in his body and he was not able to cut off the vest in any fashio. Then he **** himself in Oetam mountain and in a funeral pyre, which made great speed, placed upon himslef. Where he made, a certain shepard, influenced about compassion, incensed a question. Then Hercules, conceled in the fog and dense clouds, was carried off by Jupiter into Olympus to live among the gods.



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