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All About History Books
The Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.
Hyginus Fables is in Greek Books.
Greek Books, Hyginus Fables 63
Danaë, daughter of Acrisius and Aganippe.
It was her fate that the child she would bear would kill Acrisius. Fearing this, Acrisius shut her up within a stone-walled chamber. But Jupiter (Zeus), having transformed himself into a golden shower, lay with Danaë; from that union Perseus was born.
Because of the dishonor, her father placed her with the infant Perseus into a chest and cast them into the sea.
By the will of Jupiter, they were carried to the island of Seriphos, where the fisherman Dictys found them. Breaking open the chest, he saw the woman and the infant, and brought them to King Polydectes, who took Danaë as his wife and raised Perseus in the temple of Minerva.
When Acrisius learned that they were staying with Polydectes, he set out to retrieve them. When he arrived, Polydectes interceded on their behalf. Perseus gave his grandfather Acrisius his word that he would never harm him.
However, when Acrisius was delayed by a storm, Polydectes died. During the funeral games held in his honor, Perseus threw a discus, which the wind carried off course and struck Acrisius in the head, killing him.
Thus, what he had sought to avoid by his own will was brought about by the will of the gods. After Acrisius was buried, Perseus went to Argos and took possession of his ancestral kingdom.
Danae Acrisii et Aganippes filia.
Huic fuit fatum ut quod peperisset Acrisium interficeret; quod timens Acrisius, eam in muro lapideo praeclusit. Iovis autem in imbrem aureum conversus cum Danae concubuit, ex quo compressu natus est Perseus.
Quam pater ob stuprum inclusam in arca cum Perseo in mare deiecit.
Ea voluntate Iovis delata est in insulam Seriphum, quam piscator Dictys cum invenisset, effracta ea vidit mulierem cum infante, quos ad regem Polydectem perduxit, qui eam in coniugio habuit et Perseum educavit in templo Minervae.
Quod cum Acrisius rescisset eos ad Polydectem morari, repetitum eos profectus est; quo cum venisset, Polydectes pro eis deprecatus est, Perseus Acrisio avo suo fidem dedit se eum numquam interfecturum.
Qui cum tempestate retineretur, Polydectes moritur; cui cum funebres ludos facerent, Perseus disco misso quem ventus distulit in caput Acrisii [et] eum interfecit.
Ita quod voluntate sua noluit, deorum factum est; sepulto autem eo Argos profectus est regnaque avita possedit.
