ESON MADE YOUNG AGAIN.

239

What was the surprise of Eetes, when the next day he found that the Argonauts had taken the advantage of the night to depart, and had carried Medea his daughter along with them! he sent his only son Absyrtus in pursuit of the fugitives; but Medea was able to persuade her brother to join in her flight: the danger however did not end here: etes finding his son did not return, himself followed the pursuit: sorcerers are always cruel: Medea perceiving herself almost overtaken, made no scruple to tear her brother Absyrtus in pieces, and scatter his mangled limbs in the way: etes could not endure the agonizing spectacle he stopped to gather up the limbs of Absyrtus, and the lovers escaped.

:

At length, through multiplied dangers, and after many years absence, the Argonauts returned to Thessaly whence they set out: both son and Pelias were now grown old and decrepid: Jason's first visit was to his father son, and observ. ing his great infirmities, he applied to his consort and fellow traveller Medea, and asked her whether she had no charms by which she could make an old man young again: she replied she had she drew, the wasted and watery blood from the body of son: she infused the juice of certain potent herbs into his veins; and son rose from the operation to the full as fresh and vigorous a man as his son.

They then went to court to demand the resignation of Pelias: they found the hoary usurper surrounded with his daughters: these ladies declared that they could not think of resisting so just a claim; but, while they retired into private life, they requested Medea to do the same kindness for their father which she had already done for Æson: she

240 MEDEA'S FLIGHT THROUGH THE AIR.

said she would: she told them the method was to cut the old gentleman in pieces, and boil him in a kettle, with an infusion of certain herbs; and he would come out as smooth and active as a child.

The daughters of Pelias a little scrupled the operation: Medea, seeing this, begged they would not think she was deceiving them; if however they harboured any doubts, she desired they would bring her the oldest ram from their flocks, and they should see the experiment: they did so: Medea cut up the ram, cast in certain herbs, and. the old bell-weather came out as beautiful and innocent a he-lamb as you ever beheld: the daughters of Pelias were now satisfied: they divided their old father in pieces: but he was never restored either to youth or life.

After this Medea and Jason, driven out By some rebellion of the people, who did not love their new queen, retired to Corinth: there they lived ten years: Jason however at last grew tired of her he did not like to have a sorceress for his wife he gave her notice that he would not live with her any longer; and Medea, to punish his infidelity, murdered the two children she had borne him, before his face: Jason or dered her to be taken into custody, that she might be brought to justice: but Medea laughed at his threats, and mounting a chariot drawn by fiery dragons, flew away to Athens: here she is said to have become the wife of geus king of that place.

Circe was the sister of etes and Pasiphae, and was, like Medea her niece, skilful in magic:

f Eur. Medea. Ov. Ep. xiii. Med. ad Jas.

she had besides the gift of immortality: she retired to ξa, an island of the Tyrrhenian sea, and there lived like a queen: she was exquisitely beautiful, but she employed the charms of her person, and the seducing grace of her manners, to a bad purpose: she presented to every stranger who landed in her island, an inchanted cup which she intreated him to drink: he no sooner tasted it, than he was turned into a hog, and was driven by the Goddess to her sty: the unfortunate stranger retained under this filthy figure the perfect consciousness of what he was, and mourned for ever the easiness of temper by which he had been reduced to this melancholy pass: this is a lively representation of the mischievous effects of intemperance, by which a man makes a beast of himself.

Hom. Od. E. 136.

Id. x. 232.

M

CHAP. XXVI.

OF THE ARGONAUTS.

Amphion raises the Walls of Thebes by the Music of his Lute.-Orpheus, King of Thrace.-The Wild Beasts and the Woods follow his Music.-Goes to Hell in Pursuit of Eurydice, his Wife.-Obtains her from Pluto. Loses her again.-His Tragical Death.-Arion saved by a Dolphin.-Esculapius-after his Death becomes a Serpent.-Apollo keeps the Flocks of Admetus, King of Thessaly.-Alcestis, Queen of Thessaly, consents to die for her Husband.-Footrace of Hippomenes and Atalanta, won by means of the Golden Apples of the Hesperides.-Jupiter courts Leda in the Form of a Swan.-Pollux shares his Immortality with Castor his Brother.

SEVERAL of the Argonauts were famous for other exploits: it has indeed in some instances been doubted whether these exploits were performed by the Argonauts, or by other persons of the same name: this enquiry is not material; and where the persons achieving these adventures lived about the period of the Argonautic expedition, I shall not think it worth while to preserve a useless distinction.

The adventures of Hercules have already been related.

Amphion was the son of Jupiter and Antiope: Antiope was the niece of Lycus, viceroy of Thebes; and being cruelly treated by her uncle, Amphion, with his twin-brother Zethus, set upon him, put him to death, and delivered Antiope

ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE.

243

from her dungeon: Amphion now usurped the crown of Thebes: he was a skilful musician, and played admirably on the lute, in which he had been instructed by Mercury: one extraordinary proof he gave of his skill was, that being desirous to surround his capital with a wall, the stones were moved by the sound of his instrument, and arranged themselves in the way he intended, without a human hand being once applied in the erection of this miraculous bulwarki: Thebes was inclosed by Amphion with a wall, and in the wall there were seven famous gates.

Orpheus was the son of Apollo by one of the Muses: he was a native of Thrace, and one of the sovereigns of that country: he was the most accomplished musician that ever existed: when he played upon his lyre, the savage beasts forgot their nature, and assembled round him, the woods came down from the mountains and followed his steps, and the most rapid rivers ceased to flow.

Orpheus married Eurydice, one of the woodnymphs; but Aristaus, another son of Apollo, and who is the God supposed to preside over the cultivation of olives and of the bee, fell in love with her at the same time, and endeavoured to persuade her to give him her company: Eurydice disdained his overtures, and one day running away from Aristæus that she might escape his importunities, she was stung by a serpent so that she died.

Never did husband doat upon a wife as Orpheus doated upon Eurydice: confident in the music of his lyre, he set out for the realms of Pluto in pursuit of her: when he began his celéstial strains, all Hell was suspended at the sound:

iHom. A. 259. Paus. ix. 17. Horat. iii. Od. 11.