he went he found that the reports were much milder than the truth.

One evening in the late twilight he entered the inhospitable shelter of
the Arcadian King Lycaon, who was famed for his wild conduct. By several
signs he let it be known that he was a god, and the crowd dropped to
their knees; but Lycaon made light of the pious prayers.

"Let us see," he said, "whether he is a mortal or a god."

Thereupon he decided to destroy the guest that night while he lay in
slumber, not expecting death. But before doing so he killed a poor
hostage whom the Molossians had sent to him, cooked the half-living
limbs in boiling water or broiled them over a fire, and placed them on
the table before the guest for his evening meal.

But Jupiter, who knew all this, left the table and sent a raging fire
over the castle of the godless man. Frightened, the king fled into the
open field. The first cry he uttered was a howl; his garments changed to
fur; his arms to legs; he was transformed into a blood-thirsty wolf.

Jupiter returned to Olympus, held counsel with the gods and decided to
destroy the reckless race of men. At first he wanted to turn his
lightnings over all the earth, but the fear that the ether would take
fire and destroy the axle of the universe restrained him. He laid aside
the thunderbolt which the Cyclops had fashioned for him, and decided to
send rain from heaven over all the earth and so destroy the race of
mortals.

Immediately the North Wind and all the other cloud-scattering winds were
locked in the cave of Aeolus, and only the South Wind sent out. The
latter descended upon the earth; his frightful face was covered with
darkness; his beard was heavy with clouds; from his white hair ran the
flood; mists lay upon his brow; from his bosom dropped the water. The
South Wind grasped the heavens, seized in his hands the surrounding
clouds and began to squeeze them. The thunder rolled; floods of rain
burst from the heavens. The standing corn was bent to the earth;
destroyed was the hope of the farmer; destroyed the weary work of a
whole year.

Even Neptune, god of the sea, came to the assistance of his brother
Jupiter in the work of destruction. He called all the rivers together
and said, "Give full rein to your torrents; enter houses; break through
all dams!"

They followed his command, and Neptune himself struck the earth with his
trident and let the flood enter. Then the waters streamed over the open
meadows, covered