h him. This
victory, and that which he gained afterwards at the Olympic games which
Hercules celebrated in Elis, caused him to be considered the hero and
patron of wrestlers, while his brother Castor distinguished himself in
the race, and in the management of horses.

Cicero relates a wonderful judgment which happened to one Scopas, who
had spoken disrespectfully of these divinities: he was crushed to death
by the fall of a chamber, whilst Simon{)i}des, who was in the same room,
was rescued from the danger, being called out a little before, by two
persons unknown, supposed to be Castor and Pollux.

The Greek and Roman histories are full of the miraculous appearance of
these brethren; particularly we are told they were seen fighting upon
two white horses, at the head of the Roman army, in the battle between
the Romans and Latins, near the lake Regillus, and brought the news of
the decisive victory of Paulus AEmilius to Rome, the very day it was
obtained.

Frequent representations of these deities occur on ancient monuments,
and particularly on consular medals. They are exhibited together, each
having a helmet, out of which issues a flame, and each a pike in one
hand, and in the other a horse held by the bridle: sometimes they are
represented as two beautiful youths, completely armed, and riding on
white horses, with stars over their helmets.

AJAX, son of Tel{)a}mon, king of Sal{)a}mis, by Beriboea, was, next to
Achilles, the most valiant among the Greeks at the seige of Troy. He
commanded the troops of Sal{)a}mis in that expedition, and performed the
various heroic actions mentioned by Homer, and Ovid, in the speech of
Ajax contending for the armor of Achilles. This armor, however, being
adjudged to his competitor Ulysses, his disappointment so enraged him,
that he immediately became mad, and rushed furiously upon a flock of
sheep, imagining he was killing those who had offended him: but at
length perceiving his mistake, he became still more furious, and stabbed
himself with the fatal sword he had received from Hector, with whom he
had fought. Ajax resembled Achilles in several respects; like him he was
violent, and impatient of contradiction; and, like him, invulnerable in
every part of the body except one.

He has been charged with impiety; not that he denied the gods a very
extensive power, but he imagined that, as the greatest cowards might
conquer through their assistance, there was no glory in conquering by