t give his daughter to a wooer whom she did not
love, even if he offered the highest price, at least this must have been
the general rule, for husbands and wives were very fond of each other,
and of their children, and husbands always allowed their wives to rule
the house, and give their advice on everything. It was thought a very
wicked thing for a woman to like another man better than her husband,
and there were few such wives, but among them was the most beautiful
woman who ever lived.

III

THE WOOING OF HELEN OF THE FAIR HANDS

This was the way in which people lived when Ulysses was young, and
wished to be married. The worst thing in the way of life was that the
greatest and most beautiful princesses might be taken prisoners, and
carried off as slaves to the towns of the men who had killed their
fathers and husbands. Now at that time one lady was far the fairest in
the world: namely, Helen, daughter of King Tyndarus. Every young prince
heard of her and desired to marry her; so her father invited them all to
his palace, and entertained them, and found out what they would give.
Among the rest Ulysses went, but his father had a little kingdom, a
rough island, with others near it, and Ulysses had not a good chance. He
was not tall; though very strong and active, he was a short man with
broad shoulders, but his face was handsome, and, like all the princes,
he wore long yellow hair, clustering like a hyacinth flower. His manner
was rather hesitating, and he seemed to speak very slowly at first,
though afterwards his words came freely. He was good at everything a man
can do; he could plough, and build houses, and make ships, and he was
the best archer in Greece, except one, and could bend the great bow of a
dead king, Eurytus, which no other man could string. But he had no
horses, and had no great train of followers; and, in short, neither
Helen nor her father thought of choosing Ulysses for her husband out of
so many tall, handsome young princes, glittering with gold ornaments.
Still, Helen was very kind to Ulysses, and there was great friendship
between them, which was fortunate for her in the end.

Tyndarus first made all the princes take an oath that they would stand
by the prince whom he chose, and would fight for him in all his
quarrels. Then he named for her husband Menelaus, King of Lacedaemon. He
was a very brave man, but not one of the strongest; he was not such a
fighter as the gigantic Aias, the ta