sonnes were in such sort despised of Danaus, sent his sonnes with a great
armie to make warre against their vncle, giuing them in charge not to
returne, till they had either slaine Danaus, or obtained his daughters
in mariage. The yoong gentlemen according to their fathers commandement,
being arriued in Greece, made such warre against Danaus, that in the end
he was constrained to giue vnto those his 50. nephues his 50. daughters,
to ioine with them in mariage, and so they were. But as the prouerbe
saith, "In trust appeared treacherie." For on the first night of the
mariage, Danaus deliuered to ech of his daughters a sword, charging them
that when their husbands after their bankets and pastimes were once
brought into a sound sléepe, ech of them should slea hir husband,
menacing them with death vnlesse they fulfilled his commandement. They
all therefore obeied the will of their father, Hypermnestra onely
excepted, with whom preuailed more the loue of kinred and wedlocke, than
the feare of hir fathers displeasure: for shee alone spared the life of
hir husband Lynceus, waking him out of his sléepe, and warning him to
depart and flée into Aegypt to his father. He therefore hauing all the
wicked practises reuealed to him by his wife, followed hir aduice, and so
escaped.

[Sidenote: _Pausanias_.]
Now when Danaus perceiued how all his daughters had accomplished his
commandement, sauing onelie Hypermnestra, he caused hir to be brought
forth into iudgement, for disobeieng him in a matter wherein both the
safetie and losse of his life rested: but she was acquitted by the
Argiues, & discharged. Howbeit hir father kept hir in prison, and
séeking to find out other husbands for his other daughters that had
obeied his pleasure in sleaing their first husbands, long it was yer
he could find any to match with them: for the heinous offense committed
in the slaughter of their late husbands, was yet too fresh in memorie,