in fabulous history, king of Thebes, the son of Agenor king of Phoenicia, and the brother of Phoenix, Cilix, and Europa. He carried into Greece the 16 simple letters of the Greek alphabet; and there built Thebes, in Boeotia. The poets say, that Cadmus that he left his native country in search of his sister Europa, whom Jupiter had carried away in the form of a bull; and that, inquiring of the Delphic oracle for a settlement, he was answered, that he should follow the direction of a cow, and build a city where she lay down. Having arrived among the Phocenses, he was met by a cow, who conducted him through Boeotia to the place where Thebes was afterwards built: but as he was about to sacrifice his guide to Pallas, he sent two of his company to the fountain Dirce for water; when they being devoured by a serpent or dragon, he flew the monster, and afterwards, by the advice of Pallas, fowed his teeth, when there sprung up a number of armed soldiers, who prepared to revenge the death of the serpent; but on his casting a stone among the upstart warriors, they turned their weapons against each other with such animosity, that only five survived the combat, and these assisted Cadmus in founding his new city. Afterwards, to recompence his labours, the gods gave him Harmonia, or Hermione, the daughter of Mars and Venus; and honoured his nuptials with presents and peculiar marks of favour. But at length reigning Thebes to Pentheus, Cadmus and Hermione went to govern the Eccellenes: when grown old, they were transformed into serpents; or, as others say, sent to the Elysian fields, in a chariot drawn by serpents. See THEBES.

CADMUS of Miletum, a celebrated Greek historian, was, according to Pliny, the first of the Greeks who wrote history in prose. He flourished about 550 before Christ.