hall meet him in battle, or some other plan shall
avail us, if we refrain from the war-cry. And let us not merely
by force, before putting words to the test, deprive him of his own
possession. But first it is better to go to him and win his favour by
speech. Oftentimes, I ween, does speech accomplish at need what prowess
could hardly catty through, smoothing the path in manner befitting. And
he once welcomed noble Phrixus, a fugitive from his stepmother's wiles
and the sacrifice prepared by his father. For all men everywhere, even
the most shameless, reverence the ordinance of Zeus, god of strangers,
and regard it."

(ll. 194-209) Thus he spake, and the youths approved the words of
Aeson's son with one accord, nor was there one to counsel otherwise.
And then he summoned to go with him the sons of Phrixus, and Telamon and
Augeias; and himself took Hermes' wand; and at once they passed forth
from the ship beyond the reeds and the water to dry land, towards the
rising ground of the plain. The plain, I wis, is called Circe's; and
here in line grow many willows and osiers, on whose topmost branches
hang corpses bound with cords. For even now it is an abomination with
the Colchians to burn dead men with fire; nor is it lawful to place
them in the earth and raise a mound above, but to wrap them in untanned
oxhides and suspend them from trees far from the city. And so earth has
an equal portion with air, seeing that they bury the women; for that is
the custom of their land.

(ll. 210-259) And as they went Hera with friendly thought spread a thick
mist through the city, that they might fare to the palace of Aeetes
unseen by the countless hosts of the Colchians. But soon when from
the plain they came to the city and Aeetes' palace, then again Hera
dispersed the mist. And they stood at the entrance, marvelling at the
king's courts and the wide gates and columns which rose in ordered lines
round the walls; and high up on the palace a coping of stone rested on
brazen triglyphs. And silently they crossed the threshold. And close by
garden vines covered with green foliage were in full bloom, lifted
high in air. And beneath them ran four fountains, ever-flowing, which
Hephaestus had delved out. One was gushing with milk, one with wine,
while the third flowed with fragrant oil; and the fourth ran with water,
which grew warm at the setting of the Pleiads, and in turn at their
rising bubbled forth from the hollow rock, cold as crystal. S