his breast, and spoke
mildly a
cunning speech -
'If you will fight for the
fleece with my Colchians, then
many a man must die. But do you indeed expect to win from me
the
fleece in fight? So few you are that if you be worsted I
can load your ship with your
corpses. But if you will be
ruled by me, you will find it better far to choose the best
man among you, and let him
fulfil the labours which I demand.
Then I will give him the golden
fleece for a prize and a
glory to you all.'
So
saying, he turned his horses and drove back in silence to
the town. And the Minuai sat silent with sorrow, and longed
for Heracles and his strength; for there was no facing the
thousands of the Colchians and the
fearful chance of war.
But Chalciope, Phrixus' widow, went
weeping to the town; for
she remembered her Minuan husband, and all the pleasures of
her youth, while she watched the fair faces of his kinsmen,
and their long locks of golden hair. And she whispered to
Medeia her sister, 'Why should all these brave men die? why
does not my father give them up the
fleece, that my husband's
spirit may have rest?'
And Medeia's heart pitied the heroes, and Jason most of all;
and she answered, 'Our father is stern and terrible, and who
can win the golden
fleece?' But Chalciope said, 'These men
are not like our men; there is nothing which they cannot dare
nor do.'
And Medeia thought of Jason and his brave
countenance, and
said, 'If there was one among them who knew no fear, I could
show him how to win the
fleece.'
So in the dusk of evening they went down to the river-side,
Chalciope and Medeia the witch-
maiden, and Argus, Phrixus'
son. And Argus the boy crept forward, among the beds of
reeds, till he came where the heroes were
sleeping, on the
thwarts of the ship, beneath the bank, while Jason kept ward
on shore, and leant upon his lance full of thought. And the
boy came to Jason, and said -
'I am the son of Phrixus, your Cousin; and Chalciope my
mother waits for you, to talk about the golden
fleece.'
Then Jason went
boldly with the boy, and found the two
princesses
standing; and when Chalciope saw him she wept, and
took his hands, and cried - 'O cousin of my
beloved, go home
before you die!'
'It would be base to go home now, fair
princess, and to have
sailed all these seas in vain.' Then both the
princesses
besought him; but Jason said, 'It is too late.'
'But you know not,' said Medeia, 'what he must do who would
win the
fleece. He must tame the two
brazen-footed bulls,
who
breathe devouring flame; and with them he must
plough ere
nightfall four acres in the field of Ares; and he must sow
them with
serpents' teeth, of which each tooth springs up
into an armed man. Then he must fight with all those
warriors; and little will it profit him to
conquer them, for
the
fleece is guarded by a
serpent, more huge than any
mountain pine; and over his body you must step if you would
reach the golden
fleece.'
Then Jason laughed
bitterly. 'Unjustly is that
fleece kept
here, and by an
unjust and
lawless king; and
unjustly shall I
die in my youth, for I will attempt it ere another sun be
set.'
Then Medeia trembled, and said, 'No
mortal man can reach that
fleece unless I guide him through. For round it, beyond the
river, is a wall full nine ells high, with lofty towers and
buttresses, and
mighty gates of threefold brass; and over the
gates the wall is
arched, with golden battlements above. And
over the
gateway sits Brimo, the wild witch-huntress of the
woods, brandishing a pine-torch in her hands, while her mad
hounds howl around. No man dare meet her or look on her, but
only I her priestess, and she watches far and wide lest any
stranger should come near.'
'No wall so high but it may be climbed at last, and no wood
so thick but it may be crawled through; no
serpent so wary
but he may be charmed, or witch-queen so
fierce but spells
may
soothe her; and I may yet win the golden
fleece, if a
wise
maiden help bold men.'
And he looked at Medeia
cunningly, and held her with his
glittering eye, till she blushed and trembled, and said -
'Who can face the fire of the bulls'
breath, and fight ten
thousand armed men?'
'He whom you help,' said Jason,
flattering her, 'for your
fame is spread over all the earth. Are you not the queen of
all enchantresses, wiser even than your sister Circe, in her
fairy island in the West?'
'Would that I were with my sister Circe in her fairy island
in the West, far away from sore
temptation and thoughts which
tear the heart! But if it must be so - for why should you
die? - I have an
ointment here; I made it from the magic ice-
flower which
sprang from Prometheus' wound, above the clouds
on Caucasus, in the
dreary fields of snow. Anoint yourself
with that, and you shall have in you seven men's strength;
and
anoint your
shield with it, and neither fire nor sword
can harm you. But what you begin you must end before sunset,
for its
virtue lasts only one day. And
anoint your
helmetwith it before you sow the
serpents' teeth; and when the sons
of earth spring up, cast your
helmet among their ranks, and
the
deadly crop of the War-god's field will mow itself, and
perish.'
Then Jason fell on his knees before her, and thanked her and
kissed her hands; and she gave him the vase of
ointment, and
fled trembling through the reeds. And Jason told his
comrades what had happened, and showed them the box of
ointment; and all rejoiced but Idas, and he grew mad with
envy.
And at
sunrise Jason went and bathed, and
anointed himself
from head to foot, and his
shield, and his
helmet, and his
weapons, and bade his comrades try the spell. So they tried
to bend his lance, but it stood like an iron bar; and Idas in
spite hewed at it with his sword, but the blade flew to
splinters in his face. Then they hurled their lances at his
shield, but the spear-points turned like lead; and Caineus
tried to throw him, but he never stirred a foot; and
Polydeuces struck him with his fist a blow which would have
killed an ox, but Jason only smiled, and the heroes danced
about him with delight; and he leapt, and ran, and shouted in
the joy of that
enormous strength, till the sun rose, and it
was time to go and to claim Aietes' promise.
So he sent up Telamon and Aithalides to tell Aietes that he
was ready for the fight; and they went up among the marble
walls, and beneath the roofs of gold, and stood in Aietes'
hall, while he grew pale with rage.
'Fulfil your promise to us, child of the blazing Sun. Give
us the
serpents' teeth, and let loose the fiery bulls; for we
have found a
champion among us who can win the golden
fleece.'
And Aietes bit his lips, for he fancied that they had fled
away by night: but he could not go back from his promise; so
he gave them the
serpents' teeth.
Then he called for his
chariot and his horses, and sent
heralds through all the town; and all the people went out
with him to the
dreadful War-god's field.
And there Aietes sat upon his
throne, with his warriors on
each hand, thousands and tens of thousands, clothed from head
to foot in steel chain-mail. And the people and the women
crowded to every window and bank and wall; while the Minuai
stood together, a mere
handful in the midst of that great
host.
And Chalciope was there and Argus, trembling, and Medeia,
wrapped closely in her veil; but Aietes did not know that she
was muttering
cunning spells between her lips.
Then Jason cried, 'Fulfil your promise, and let your fiery
bulls come forth.'
Then Aietes bade open the gates, and the magic bulls leapt
out. Their
brazen hoofs rang upon the ground, and their
nostrils sent out sheets of flame, as they rushed with
lowered heads upon Jason; but he never flinched a step. The
flame of their
breath swept round him, but it singed not a
hair of his head; and the bulls stopped short and trembled
when Medeia began her spell.
Then Jason
sprang upon the nearest and seized him by the
horn; and up and down they wrestled, till the bull fell
grovelling on his knees; for the heart of the brute died
within him, and his
mighty limbs were loosed, beneath the
steadfast eye of that dark witch-
maiden and the magic whisper
of her lips.
So both the bulls were tamed and yoked; and Jason bound them
to the
plough, and goaded them
onward with his lance till he
had
ploughed the
sacred field.
And all the Minuai shouted; but Aietes bit his lips with
rage, for the half of Jason's work was over, and the sun was
yet high in heaven.
Then he took the
serpents' teeth and sowed them, and waited
what would
befall. But Medeia looked at him and at his
helmet, lest he should forget the lesson she had taught.
And every
furrow heaved and bubbled, and out of every clod
arose a man. Out of the earth they rose by thousands, each
clad from head to foot in steel, and drew their swords and
rushed on Jason, where he stood in the midst alone.
Then the Minuai grew pale with fear for him; but Aietes
laughed a bitter laugh. 'See! if I had not warriors enough
already round me, I could call them out of the bosom of the
earth.'
But Jason snatched off his
helmet, and hurled it into the
thickest of the
throng. And blind
madness came upon them,
suspicion, hate, and fear; and one cried to his fellow, 'Thou
didst strike me!' and another, 'Thou art Jason; thou shalt
die!' So fury seized those earth-born phantoms, and each
turned his hand against the rest; and they fought and were
never weary, till they all lay dead upon the ground. Then
the magic
furrows opened, and the kind earth took them home
into her breast and the grass grew up all green again above
them, and Jason's work was done.
Then the Minuai rose and shouted, till Prometheus heard them
from his crag. And Jason cried, 'Lead me to the
fleece this
moment, before the sun goes down.'
But Aietes thought, 'He has
conquered the bulls, and sown and
reaped the
deadly crop. Who is this who is proof against all
magic? He may kill the
serpent yet.' So he delayed, and sat
taking
counsel with his princes till the sun went down and
all was dark. Then he bade a
herald cry, 'Every man to his
home for to-night. To-morrow we will meet these heroes, and
speak about the golden
fleece.'
Then he turned and looked at Medeia. 'This is your doing,
false witch-maid! You have helped these yellow-haired
strangers, and brought shame upon your father and yourself!'
Medeia
shrank and trembled, and her face grew pale with fear;
and Aietes knew that she was
guilty, and whispered, 'If they
win the
fleece, you die!'
But the Minuai m
arched toward their ship, growling like lions
cheated of their prey; for they saw that Aietes meant to mock
them, and to cheat them out of all their toil. And Oileus
said, 'Let us go to the grove together, and take the
fleeceby force.'
And Idas the rash cried, 'Let us draw lots who shall go in
first; for, while the
dragon is devouring one, the rest can
slay him and carry off the
fleece in peace.' But Jason held
them back, though he praised them; for he hoped for Medeia's
help.
And after
awhile Medeia came trembling, and wept a long while
before she spoke. And at last -
'My end is come, and I must die; for my father has found out
that I have helped you. You he would kill if he dared; but
he will not harm you, because you have been his guests. Go
then, go, and remember poor Medeia when you are far away
across the sea.' But all the heroes cried -
'If you die, we die with you; for without you we cannot win
the
fleece, and home we will not go without it, but fall here
fighting to the last man.'
'You need not die,' said Jason. 'Flee home with us across
the sea. Show us first how to win the
fleece; for you can do
it. Why else are you the priestess of the grove? Show us
but how to win the
fleece, and come with us, and you shall be
my queen, and rule over the rich princes of the Minuai, in
Iolcos by the sea.'
And all the heroes pressed round, and vowed to her that she
should be their queen.
Medeia wept, and shuddered, and hid her face in her hands;
for her heart yearned after her sisters and her playfellows,
and the home where she was brought up as a child. But at
last she looked up at Jason, and spoke between her sobs -
'Must I leave my home and my people, to
wander with strangers
across the sea? The lot is cast, and I must
endure it. I
will show you how to win the golden
fleece. Bring up your
ship to the wood-side, and moor her there against the bank;
and let Jason come up at
midnight, and one brave comrade with
him, and meet me beneath the wall.'