ted it as their own, robbing the brute mother of her charge.
They named the boy Paris. He grew in strength and beauty, and gave
early and extraordinary proofs of courage and energy, as if he had
imbibed some of the qualities of his fierce foster mother with the
milk she gave him. He was so remarkable for athletic beauty and manly
courage, that he not only easily won the heart of a nymph of Mount
Ida, named Oenone, whom he married, but he also attracted the
attention of the goddesses in the heavens.

At length these goddesses had a dispute which they agreed to refer to
him. The origin of the dispute was this. There was a wedding among
them, and one of them, irritated at not having been invited, had a
golden apple made, on which were engraved the words, "TO BE GIVEN TO
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL." She threw this apple into the assembly: her
object was to make them quarrel for it. In fact, she was herself the
goddess of discord, and, independently of her cause of pique in this
case, she loved to promote disputes. It is in allusion to this ancient
tale that any subject of dispute, brought up unnecessarily among
friends, is called to this day an _apple_ of discord.

Three of the goddesses claimed the apple, each insisting that she was
more beautiful than the others, and this was the dispute which they
agreed to refer to Paris. They accordingly exhibited themselves before
him in the mountains, that he might look at them and decide. They did
not, however, seem willing, either of them, to trust to an impartial
decision of the question, but each offered the judge a bribe to induce
him to decide in her favor. One promised him a kingdom, another great
fame, and the third, Venus, promised him the most beautiful woman in
the world for his wife. He decided in favor of Venus; whether because
she was justly entitled to the decision, or through the influence of
the bribe, the story does not say.

All this time Paris remained on the mountain, a simple shepherd and
herdsman, not knowing his relationship to the monarch who reigned over
the city and kingdom on the plain below. King Priam, however, about
this time, in some games which he was celebrating, offered, as a
prize to the victor, the finest bull which could be obtained on Mount
Ida. On making examination, Paris was found to have the finest bull
and the king, exercising the despotic power which kings in those days
made no scruple of assuming in respect to helpless peasants, took it
away.