CADS L'S, the thew of several persons in Greek history. The most fawns was the legendary founder of Thebes, who was the son of Armour, king of the Mamma's*, and was sent in search of his sister roarape. who had been carried off, wording to the old fable, by Jupiter sutler the form of a bull. Cadmus touched at Them, when Le left Alelabliarue and wise of hi. followers (Herod., iv., 147), and these. proceeded to Ilmotia., where, in obedience to the oracle, he formed a oridemeat on a epee pointed out by a heifer which he had labreed. sad shish lay down by the stream; of Dime. He had how. ever I. the Sus place to kill a fierce dragon who guarded the piece, sad as owlet the teeseter's teeth aa he was directed to do, a host of armed men erring front the grossed, and fought with one another till as lost emus teem dela sevenjoined Ca Imes In founding Calwels, sebsequessly the citadel of Thebes; helmet the Theban. we galled Nord ;,•rown.coen'). All thug lieu& are given sue snenvely he • shone: of Euripides (' Phoenim.; 611430, and Scholiast.), sari venoms attempt. hes• teen med. to esplain them. Some contend
wleh lieroderthe few the Maeda's origin of the traditions, °then refer them to Egypt, and one modern scholar has endenvoured to prove that Cadmus was the leader of a Cretan colony. We are inclined to believe with Muller that Cadmus wee au old Pelsegian god. Indeed very strong evidence has been given that he wag identical with Cadmilue, the father of the Cabin', and that his wife Harmonia was also connected with the Samothmelatt rhea. (Shiller'a ' Orchomenos; p. 461.) The legend goes on to relate that he and his wife were changed into ser pent., and that he retired to Illyria (Pnusan., ix. 533), from whence ho led a host of barbarian. into Greeoe and sacked Delphi (Herod., v. 61, ix. 43; Eurip., ' Bacohle,' 1333; Niebuhr, • Hist. Rom.,' I. p. 50). To Cadmus la attributed the invention of seventeen letters of the Greek alphabet; the remaining eight having been added by Palamodes and Simonides. (Pliny, 'Hist. Nat.,' t. vii., o. 56.)