and most amiable was Paris,
whom Jupiter had appointed to be the judge of beauty.

Paris, unlike his brothers, cared nothing for affairs of State, but
lived as a shepherd upon Mount Ida with his wife Oenone, a nymph of that
mountain, in perfect happiness and peace, loved and honored by the whole
country round, which had given him the name of "Alexander," which means
"The Helper." One would think that if anybody was safe from the mischief
of Ate, it was he.

But one day, while he was watching his flocks and thinking of Oenone,
there came to him what he took for three beautiful women--the most
beautiful he had ever seen. Yet something told him they were more than
mere women, or even than Oreads, before the tallest said--

"There is debate in Olympus which is the most beautiful of us three, and
Jupiter has appointed you to be the judge between us. I am Juno, the
queen of gods and men, and if you decide for me, I will make you king of
the whole world."

"And I," said the second, "am Minerva, and you shall know everything in
the whole universe if you decide for me."

"But I," said the third, "am Venus, who can give neither wisdom nor
power; but if you decide for me, I will give you the love of the most
beautiful woman that ever was or ever will be born."

Paris looked from one to the other, wondering to which he should award
the golden apple, the prize of beauty. He did not care for power; he
would be quite content to rule his sheep, and even that was not always
easy. Nor did he care for wisdom or knowledge: he had enough for all his
needs. Nor ought he to have desired any love but Oenone's. But then
Venus was really the most beautiful of all the goddesses--the very
goddess of beauty; no mortal could refuse anything she asked him, so
great was her charm. So he took the apple and placed it in the hands of
Venus without a word, while Juno and Minerva departed in a state of
wrath with Paris, Venus, and each other, which made Ate laugh to herself
more than ever.

Now the most beautiful woman in the whole world was Helen, step-daughter
of King Tyndarus of Sparta, and sister of Castor and Pollux: neither
before her nor after her has there been any to compare with her for
beauty. Thirty-one of the noblest princes in Greece came to her father's
Court at the same time to seek her in marriage, so that Tyndarus knew
not what to do, seeing that, whomsoever he chose for his son-in-law, he
would make thirty powerful enemies. The m