oked on
her fair face and listened to her gentle voice, they knew not the
power of the maiden's wrath if any one should do her wrong. So she
dwelt at Iolkos, in the house of Pelias, who had sent forth Iason to
look for the golden fleece, that he might not be King in his stead,
and the daughters of Pelias loved the beautiful Medeia, for they
dreamed not that she had sworn to avenge on Pelias the wrong which he
had done to Iason. Craftily she told the daughters of Pelias of the
power of her spells, which could tame the fire-breathing bulls, and
lull the dragon to sleep, and bring back the brightness of youth to
the withered cheeks of the old. And the daughters of Pelias said to
her, "Our father is old, and his limbs are weak and tottering, show us
how once more he can be made young." Then Medeia took a ram and cut it
up, and put its limbs into a caldron, and when she had boiled them on
the hearth there came forth a lamb, and she said, "So shall your
father be brought back again to youth and strength, if ye will do to
him as I have done to the ram, and when the time is come, I will speak
the words of my spell, and the change shall be accomplished." So the
daughters of Pelias followed her counsel, and put the body of their
father into the caldron, and, as it boiled on the hearth, Medeia said,
"I must go up to the house-top and look forth on the broad heaven,
that I may know the time to speak the words of my charm." And the fire
waxed fiercer and fiercer, but Medeia gazed on at the bright stars,
and came not down from the house-top till the limbs of Pelias were
consumed away.

[Illustration: POLYHYMNIA (_Muse Of Rhetoric and Eloquence_).]

Then a look of fierce hatred passed over her face, and she said,
"Daughters of Pelias, ye have slain your father, and I go with Iason
to the land of Argos." So thither she sped with him in her dragon
chariot, which bore them to the house of King Kreon.

Long time she abode in Argos, rejoicing in the love of Iason and at
the sight of her children, who were growing up in strength and beauty.
But Iason cared less and less for the wise and cunning Medeia, and he
loved more to look on Glauke, the daughter of the King, till at last
he longed to be free from the love and the power of Medeia.

Then men talked in Argos of the love of Iason for the beautiful
Glauke, and Medeia heard how he was going to wed another wife. Once
more her face grew dark with anger, as when she left the daughters