A Fleece of Gold | Page 2

would be to go in quest of the royal prize. Forthwith he makes
preparations for the expedition, and with a band of other lusty young
heroes starts on a sea voyage toward the land of the Colchian king. It is
not without difficulty, however, that they accomplish the voyage, for at
the entrance of the Euxine Sea they encounter two floating islands,
veritable mountains of rock, huge and shaggy, which, in their tossings
and heavings, at intervals come together "crushing and grinding to
atoms any object that might be caught between them." But "_Jason and
his men seized the favorable moment of the rebound, plied their oars
with vigor and passed through in safety_."
Approaching the royal palace Jason makes known his mission,
whereupon the king promises to relinquish the valuable possession if
Jason will yoke to the plow two fire-breathing bulls and sow the teeth
of the dragon. Apprehending that by this means the king seeks to
destroy him, Jason pleads his cause to Medea, the king's daughter, who
furnishes him a charm by which he can safely encounter the fiery
breath of the beasts and the armed men that will spring up in the furrow
where the dragon's teeth are sown.
In his "Age of Fable," Bullfinch gives us a graphic picture of the scene:
"At the time appointed the people assembled at the grove of Mars, and
the king assumed his royal seat, while the multitude covered the
hill-sides. The brazen-footed bulls rushed in, breathing fire from their
nostrils that burned up the herbage as they passed. The sound was like
the roar of a furnace, and the smoke like that of water upon quick-lime.
Jason advanced boldly to meet them. His friends, the chosen heroes of
Greece, trembled to behold him. Regardless of the burning breath, he
soothed their rage with his voice, patted their necks with fearless hand,
and adroitly slipped over them the yoke, and compelled them to drag
the plow. The Colchians were amazed; the Greeks shouted for joy.
Jason next proceeded to sow the dragon's teeth and plow them in. And
soon the crop of armed men sprang up, and, wonderful to relate! no
sooner had they reached the surface than they began to brandish their

weapons and rush upon Jason. The Greeks trembled for their hero, and
even she who had provided him a way of safety and taught him how to
use it, Medea herself, grew pale with fear. Jason for a time kept his
assailants at bay with his sword and shield, till finding their numbers
overwhelming, he resorted to the charm which Medea had taught him,
seized a stone and threw it in the midst of his foes. They immediately
turned their arms against one another, and soon there was not one of the
dragon's brood left alive."
Having complied with all the conditions set forth by the king, the victor
now turns with eager step toward the grove of Mars, and seizing the
golden prize makes his way back to Thessaly, rejoicing in his glorious
success.

I
The Ruling Element

"Jason and His Men."
What constitutes a state? Not high-raised battlements or labored mound,
Thick wall or moated gate; Not cities proud with spires and turrets
crowned; Not bays and broad armed ports, Where, laughing at the
storm, rich navies ride; Not starred and spangled courts, Where
low-browed baseness wafts perfume to pride. No! men--high-minded
men-- With powers as far above dull brutes endued, In forest, brake, or
den, As beasts excel cold rocks and brambles rude.
--Sir William Jones.

The Young Man
Jason has just stepped over the threshold into the glory of a rich young
manhood. And he is careful to select for his expedition some of the
choicest heroes of Greece--young, brave, and strong. It has ever been
thus. Youth has always been synonymous with adventure. It is a
condition which seems inherent; nature instilling into the blood of her
sons the very spirit of discontent--of longing to push out from the
commonplace scenes of childhood into broader domains of experience.
The very books which most fascinate the boy are those which deal in
thrilling tales of adventure. The wily and unscrupulous traffickers in

cheap literature have ever been awake to this fact, and their
highly-colored productions have been flung from the vicious presses
like lava from Pelée to pollute the minds of the young. Why is it that
"Robinson Crusoe" and stories of this character hold such a charm for
young people, lingering in their minds long after books of a profounder
type have been forgotten? It is the love of adventure. To what boy at
school does not the doleful history lesson assume a more brilliant
aspect when the adventures of Columbus are taken up? His interest is
awakened, his imagination