ary. 'But,' as the same author says, 'those who were not
so ready at adopting fabulous narratives as a part of history, say
that it was the policy of Numa which led him to feign a conversation
with the Nymph Egeria, to make his laws respected by his people, and
that he thence followed the example of the Greek sages, who adopted
the same method of enforcing the authority of their laws with the
people.'

The Romans were so persuaded of the fact of Numa's conferences with
the Nymph Egeria, that they went into the grove of Aricia to seek
her; but finding nothing but a fountain in the spot which he used to
frequent, they promulgated the story of the transformation of the
Nymph. St. Augustin, speaking on this subject, says that Numa made
use of the waters of that fountain in the divination which was
performed by the aid of water, and was called Hydromancy.

Theseus having left Ariadne in the isle of Naxos, flattered himself
with the hopes of marrying her sister Phaedra. Deucalion, succeeding
Minos in Crete immediately after his death, sent Phaedra to Athens.
On arriving there, she fell in love with Hippolytus, the son of
Theseus, who had been brought up at Troezen by Pittheus. As she did
not dare to request of Theseus that his son might be brought from
the court of Pittheus, she built a temple to Venus near Troezen, that
she might the more frequently have the opportunity of seeing
Hippolytus, and called it by the name of Hippolyteum. According to
Euripides, this youth was wise, chaste, and an enemy to all
voluptuousness. He spent his time in hunting and chariot racing,
with other exercises which formed the pursuits of youths of high
station. According to Plutarch, it was at the time when Theseus was
a prisoner in Epirus, that Phaedra took the opportunity of disclosing
to Hippolytus the violence of her passion for him. Her declaration
being but ill received, she grew desperate on his refusal to comply
with her desires, and was about to commit self-destruction, when her
nurse suggested the necessity of revenging the virtuous disdain of
the youth.

Theseus having been liberated by Hercules, Phaedra, being fearful
lest the intrigue should come to his knowledge, hanged herself,
having first written a letter to inform him that she could not
survive an attempt which Hippolytus had made on her virtue.
Plutarch, Servius and Hyginus, following Euripides, give