roth with Athens; they punished the people with
famine, making even the rivers dry up. The Athenians went to the oracle
and asked Apollo what they should do to have their guilt taken away.
Apollo made answer that they should make peace with Minos and fulfill
all his demands.

All this Theseus now heard, learning for the first time that behind the
wars and troubles in Athens there was a deed of evil that AEgeus, his
father, had some guilt in.

The demands that King Minos made upon Athens were terrible. He demanded
that the Athenians should send into Crete every year seven youths and
seven maidens as a price for the life of his son. And these youths and
maidens were not to meet death merely, nor were they to be reared in
slavery they were to be sent that a monster called the Minotaur might
devour them.

Youths and maidens had been sent, and for the third time the messengers
of King Minos were coming to Athens. The tribute for the Minotaur was
to be chosen by lot. The fathers and mothers were in fear and
trembling, for each man and woman thought that his or her son or
daughter would be taken for a prey for the Minotaur.

They came together, the people of Athens, and they drew the lots
fearfully. And on the throne above them all sat their pale-faced king,
AEgeus, the father of Theseus.

Before the first lot was drawn Theseus turned to all of them and said,
"People of Athens, it is not right that your children should go and
that I, who am the son of King AEgeus, should remain behind. Surely, if
any of the youths of Athens should face the dread monster of Crete, I
should face it. There is one lot that you may leave undrawn. I will go
to Crete."

His father, on hearing the speech of Theseus, came down from his throne
and pleaded with him, begging him not to go. But the will of Theseus
was set; he would go with the others and face the Minotaur. And he
reminded his father of how the people had complained, saying that if
AEgeus had done the duty of a king, Minos's son would not have been
slain and the tribute to the Minotaur would have not been demanded. It
was the passing about of such complaints that had led to the war and
troubles that Theseus found on his coming to Athens.

Also Theseus told his father and told the people that he had hope in
his hands--that the hands that were strong enough to slay Sinnias and
Procrustes, the giant robbers, would be strong enough to slay the dread
monster of Crete. His father at last