done many valiant feats with his father's golden-hilled sword,

and had gained the renown of being one of the bravest young men
of the day. His fame traveled faster than he did, and reached

Athens before him. As he entered the city, he heard the
inhabitants talking at the street corners, and saying that

Hercules was brave, and Jason too, and Castor and Pollux
likewise, but that Theseus, the son of their own king, would

turn out as great a hero as the best of them. Theseus took
longer strides on hearing this, and fancied himself sure of a

magnificentreception at his father's court, since he came
thither with Fame to blow her trumpet before him, and cry to

King Aegeus, "Behold your son!"
He little suspected, innocent youth that he was, that here, in

this very Athens, where his father reigned, a greater danger
awaited him than any which he had encountered on the road. Yet

this was the truth. You must understand that the father of
Theseus, though not very old in years, was almost worn out with

the cares of government, and had thus grown aged before his
time. His nephews, not expecting him to live a very great

while, intended to get all the power of the kingdom into their
own hands. But when they heard that Theseus had arrived in

Athens, and learned what a gallant young man he was, they saw
that he would not be at all the kind of a person to let them

steal away his father's crown and scepter, which ought to be
his own by right of inheritance. Thus these bad-hearted nephews

of King Aegeus, who were the own cousins of Theseus, at once
became his enemies. A still more dangerous enemy was Medea, the

wicked enchantress; for she was now the king's wife, and wanted
to give the kingdom to her son Medus, instead of letting it be

given to the son of Aethra, whom she hated.
It so happened that the king's nephews met Theseus, and found

out who he was, just as he reached the entrance of the royal
palace. With all their evil designs against him, they pretended

to be their cousin's best friends, and expressed great joy at
making his.acquaintance. They proposed to him that he should

come into the king's presence as a stranger, in order to try
whether Aegeus would discover in the young man's features any

likeness either to himself or his mother Aethra, and thus
recognize him for a son. Theseus consented; for he fancied that

his father would know him in a moment, by the love that was in
his heart. But, while he waited at the door, the nephews ran

and told King Aegeus that a young man had arrived in Athens,
who, to their certain knowledge, intended to put him to death,

and get possession of his royal crown.
"And he is now waiting for admission to your majesty's

presence," added they.
"Aha!" cried the old king, on hearing this. "Why, he must be a

very wicked young fellow indeed! Pray, what would you advise me
to do with him? "

In reply to this question, the wicked Medea put in her word. As
I have already told you, she was a famous enchantress.

According to some stories, she was in the habit of boiling old
people in a large caldron, under pretense of making them young

again; but King Aegeus, I suppose, did not fancy such an
uncomfortable way of growing young, or perhaps was contented to

be old, and therefore would never let himself be popped into
the caldron. If there were time to spare from more important

matters, I should be glad to tell you of Medea's fiery chariot,
drawn by winged dragons, in which the enchantress used often to

take an airing among the clouds. This chariot, in fact, was the
vehicle that first brought her to Athens, where she had done

nothing but mischief ever since her arrival. But these and many
other wonders must be left untold; and it is enough to say,

that Medea, amongst a thousand other bad things, knew how to
prepare a poison, that was instantly fatal to whomsoever might

so much as touch it with his lips.
So, when the king asked what he should do with Theseus, this

naughty woman had an answer ready at her tongue's end.
"Leave that to me, please your majesty," she replied. "Only

admit this evil-minded young man to your presence, treat him
civilly, and invite him to drink a goblet of wine. Your majesty

is well aware that I sometimes amuse myself by distilling very
powerful medicines. Here is one of them in this small phial. As

to what it is made of, that is one of my secrets of state. Do
but let me put a single drop into the goblet, and let the young

man taste it; and I will answer for it, he shall quite lay
aside the bad designs with which he comes hither."

As she said this, Medea smiled; but, for all her smiling face,
she meant nothing less than to poison the poor innocent

Theseus, before his father's eyes. And King Aegeus, like most
other kings, thought any punishment mild enough for a person

who was accused of plotting against his life. He therefore made
little or no objection to Medea's scheme, and as soon as the

poisonous wine was ready, gave orders that the young stranger
should be admitted into his presence.

The goblet was set on a table beside the king's throne; and a
fly, meaning just to sip a little from the brim, immediately

tumbled into it, dead. Observing this, Medea looked round at
the nephews, and smiled again.

When Theseus was ushered into the royal apartment, the only
object that he seemed to behold was the white-bearded old king.

There he sat on his magnificentthrone, a dazzling crown on his
head, and a scepter in his hand. His aspect was stately and

majestic, although his years and infirmities weighed heavily
upon him, as if each year were a lump of lead, and each

infirmity a ponderous stone, and all were bundled up together,
and laid upon his weary shoulders. The tears both of joy and

sorrow sprang into the young man's eyes; for he thought how sad
it was to see his dear father so infirm, and how sweet it would

be to support him with his own youthful strength, and to cheer
him up with the alacrity of his loving spirit. When a son takes

a father into his warm heart it renews the old man's youth in a
better way than by the heat of Medea's magic caldron. And this

was what Theseus resolved to do. He could scarcely wait to see
whether King Aegeus would recognize him, so eager was he to

throw himself into his arms.
Advancing to the foot of the throne, he attempted to make a

little speech, which he had been thinking about, as he came up
the stairs. But he was almost choked by a great many tender

feelings that gushed out of his heart and swelled into his
throat, all struggling to find utterance together. And

therefore, unless he could have laid his full, over- brimming
heart into the king's hand, poor Theseus knew not what to do or

say. The cunning Medea observed what was passing in the young
man's mind. She was more wicked at that moment than ever she

had been before; for (and it makes me tremble to tell you of
it) she did her worst to turn all this unspeakable love with

which Theseus was agitated to his own ruin and destruction.
"Does your majesty see his confusion?" she whispered in the

king's ear. "He is so conscious of guilt, that he trembles and
cannot speak. The wretch lives too long! Quick! offer him the

wine!"
Now King Aegeus had been gazing earnestly at the young

stranger, as he drew near the throne. There was something, he