XV Lemniades
In insula Lemno mulieres Veneri sacra aliquot annos non fecerant, cuius ira viri earum Thressas uxores duxerunt et priores spreverunt. At Lemniades eiusdem Veneris impulsu coniuratae genus virorum omne quod ibi erat interfecerunt praeter Hypsipylen, quae patrem suum Thoantem clam in navem imposuit, quem tempestas in insulam Tauricam detulit. Interim Argonautae praenavigantes Lemno accesserunt. quos ut vidit Iphinoe custos portae nunciavit Hypsipylae reginae, cui Polyxo aetate †constituta dedit consilium, ut eos laribus hospitalibus obligaret hospitioque invitaret. Hypsipyle ex Iasone procreavit filios Euneum et †Deiphilum. Lemniades autem, quaecunque ex Argonautis conceperunt, eorum nomina filiis suis imposuerunt. Ibi cum plures dies retenti essent ab Hercule obiurgati discesserunt. Lemniades autem, postquam ⟨re⟩scierunt Hypsipylen patrem suum servasse, conatae sunt eam interficere. illa fugae se mandavit. hanc praedones exceptam †Thebas deportarunt et regi †Lyco in servitium vendiderunt.
15. The Lemnian women
On the island of Lemnos the women had for some years not made sacrifices to Aphrodite; through her anger their husbands took Thracian women as wives and scorned their former wives. The Lemnian women, driven by the same Aphrodite, conspired and killed every male there was on the island except Hypsipyle, who secretly put her father Thoas on a ship, which a storm carried to the island of Tauris. Meanwhile the Argonauts, sailing past, put in at Lemnos. When Iphinoe, the keeper of the gate, saw them, she reported to Queen Hypsipyle; Polyxo, †constituta in age [?], gave her advice, that she should bind them by the ties of hospitality and invite them to her home. Hypsipyle bore Jason two sons, Euneus and †Deiphilus. The Lemnian women gave the names of those Argonauts by whom they had conceived to their sons. When they had been kept there many days, they were reproved by Heracles and left. When the Lemnian women learned that Hypsipyle had saved her father, they tried to kill her. She took to flight. Pirates received her, took her to †Thebes and sold her into slavery to the king †Lycus.
XVI Cyzicus
Cyzicus Eusori filius rex in insula Propontidis Argonautas hospitio liberali excepit. qui cum ab eo discessissent totumque diem navigassent, nocte tempestate orta ad eandem insulam ignari delati sunt. quos Cyzicus hostes Pelasgicos arbitrans esse cum eis noctu in littore arma contulit et ab Iasone est interfectus. qui postero die cum prope littus appropinquasset et vidisset se regem interfecisse sepulturae eum dedit atque filiis regnum tradidit.
16. Cyzicus
Cyzicus, son of Eusorus, king on an island in the Propontis, received the Argonauts with generous hospitality. When they had left him and sailed all day, a storm arose in the night and they were carried unawares to the same island. Cyzicus, thinking them to be Pelasgian enemies, joined battle with them by night on the shore and was killed by Jason. The next day, when Jason came close to the shore and saw that he had killed the king, he gave him burial and handed the kingdom to his sons.
XVII Amycus
Amycus Neptuni et Melies filius Bebryciae rex, in huius regna qui venerat, caesti⟨bu⟩s cogebat secum contendere et devictos perdebat. hic cum Argonautas provocasset ad caestus, Pollux cum eo contendit et eum interfecit.
17. Amycus
Amycus, son of Poseidon and Melie, king of Bebrycia, forced whoever came into his kingdom to box with him (with caestus), and killed those he beat. When he challenged the Argonauts to a boxing match, Pollux fought him and killed him.
XVIII Lycus
Lycus rex insulae Propontidis Argonautas recepit hospitio in honorem eo quod Amycum interfecerant quod eum saepe insidiaretur. Argonautae dum apud Lycum morantur et stramentatum exissent Idmon ⟨Apollinis⟩ filius ab apro percussus interiit. in cuius dum diutius sepultura morantur Iphis Phorbantis filius moritur. tunc Argonautae Ancaeo Neptuni filio navem Argo gubernandam dederunt.
18. Lycus
Lycus, king of an island in the Propontis, received the Argonauts as guests in honour of the fact that they had killed Amycus, who had often plotted against him. While the Argonauts were staying with Lycus and had gone out to gather litter (stramentatum), Idmon, son of Apollo, was struck by a boar and died. While they were delayed longer by his burial, Iphis, son of Phorbas, died. Then the Argonauts gave the steering of the ship Argo to Ancaeus, son of Poseidon.
XVIIII Phineus
Phineus Agenoris filius Thrax [ex Cleopatra habuit filios duos. hi a patre novercae crimine excaecati sunt. huic etiam Phineo Apollo augurium dicitur dedisse. hic] deorum consilia cum enunciaret ab Iove est excaecatus et apposuit ei Harpyias quae Iovis canes esse dicuntur quae escam ab ore eius auferrent. huc cum Argonautae devenissent et eum iter ut demonstraret rogarent, dixit se demonstraturum si eum poena liberarent. Tunc Zetes et Calais Aquilonis venti et Orithyiae filii, qui pennas in capite et in pedibus habuisse dicuntur, Harpyias fugaverunt in insulas Strophadas et Phineum poena liberarunt. Quibus monstravit quomodo symplegadas transirent: ut columbam mitterent in recessu earum, quam petrae cum concurrissent ⟨si contudissent⟩ illi retro refugerent, * . Argonautae beneficio Phinei symplegadas transierunt.
19. Phineus
Phineus, son of Agenor, a Thracian [had two sons by Cleopatra. They were blinded by their father on the slander of their stepmother. To this Phineus Apollo is also said to have given the gift of augury. He] was blinded by Zeus for disclosing the plans of the gods, and Zeus set against him the Harpies, said to be Zeus' hounds, to snatch his food from his mouth. When the Argonauts came there and asked him to show them the way, he said he would show them if they freed him from his punishment. Then Zetes and Calais, sons of the North Wind and of Orithyia, who are said to have had wings on their head and feet, drove the Harpies away to the Strophades islands and freed Phineus from his punishment. He showed them how to pass the Symplegades: that they should send a dove into the gap between them, and if the rocks, when they clashed, ⟨had crushed it⟩, they should draw back, * . Through Phineus' favour the Argonauts passed the Symplegades.
XX Stymphalides
Argonautae cum ad insulam Ariam venissent et aves ex pennis suis eos configerent pro sagittis cum multitudini avium resistere non possent ex Phinei monitu clypeos et hastas sumpserunt ex⟨que⟩ more Curetum sonitu eas fugarunt.
20. The Stymphalian birds
When the Argonauts came to the island of Aria, and birds shot them with their feathers as arrows, since they could not withstand the multitude of birds, on Phineus' advice they took shields and spears, and in the manner of the Curetes drove them off by the noise.
XXI Phrixi filii
Argonautae cum per Cyaneas cautes, quae dicuntur petrae symplegades, intrassent mare quod dicitur Euxinum et errarent, voluntate Iunonis delati sunt ad insulam Ariam. ibi invenerunt naufragos nudos atque inopes Phrixi et Chalciopes filios Argum Phrontin Melam Cytisorum. qui cum casus suos exposuissent Iasoni, se cum ad avum festinarent Athamanta ire naufragio facto ibi esse eiectos ⟨propin⟩quos Iason receptos auxilio iuvit. qui Iasonem Colchos perduxerunt per flumen Thermod[o]ontem. et cum iam non longe essent a Colchis iusserunt navem in occulto collocari et venerunt ad matrem Chalciopen Medeae sororem indicantque Iasonis beneficia et cur venisset. Tunc Chalciope de *Medea⟨e⟩ indicat perducitque eam cum filiis suis ad Iasonem. quae cum eum vidisset, agnovit quem in somniis adamaverat Iunonis impulsu. omniaque ei pollicetur et perducunt eum ad templum.
21. The sons of Phrixus
When the Argonauts, having passed the Cyanean rocks, which are called the Symplegades, had entered the sea called the Euxine and were wandering, by Hera's will they were carried to the island of Aria. There they found, shipwrecked, naked and destitute, the sons of Phrixus and Chalciope, Argus, Phrontis, Melas, Cytisorus. When they had explained their misfortunes to Jason, saying that they were hurrying to their grandfather Athamas, but had been cast up there by shipwreck, Jason received them as ⟨relatives⟩ and helped them. They guided Jason to Colchis by way of the river Thermodon. When they were already not far from Colchis they ordered the ship to be hidden and went to their mother Chalciope, Medea's sister, and told her of Jason's kindnesses and why he had come. Then Chalciope told ⟨Medea⟩ of this and brought her with her sons to Jason. When she saw him, she recognised the man she had loved in dreams, at Hera's prompting. She promised him everything, and they led him to the temple.
XXII Aeeta
Aeetae Solis filio erat responsum, tamdiu eum regnum habiturum quamdiu ea pellis quam Phrixus consecraverat in fano Martis esset. Itaque Aeeta Iasoni hanc simultatem constituit: si vellet pellem ⟨in⟩auratam auf[f]erre, tauros aeripedes qui flammas naribus spirabant iungeret adamanteo iugo et araret dentesque draconis ex galea sereret, ex quibus gens armatorum statim enascere⟨n⟩tur et se mutuo interficeret. Iuno autem [Iasonem ob id semper voluit servatum. quod cum ad flumen *venisset volens hominum mentes tentare, anum se simulavit et rogavit ut se transferre⟨n⟩t. cum c[a]eteri qui transierant despexissent, ille transtulit eam: itaque] cum sciret Iasonem sine Medeae consilio imperata perficere non posse, petit a Venere ut Medeae amorem ini[i]ceret. Iason a Medea Veneris impulsu amatus est. eius opera ab omni periculo liberatus est. nam cum tauris arasset et armati essent enati, Medeae monitu lapidem inter eos abiecit: illi inter se pugnantes alius alium interfecerunt. dracone autem venenis sopito pellem de fano sustulit in patriamque cum Medea est profectus.
22. Aeetes
An oracle had told Aeetes, son of the Sun, that he would hold the kingdom as long as the fleece which Phrixus had consecrated was in the shrine of Ares. So Aeetes set Jason this contest: if he wanted to carry off the golden fleece, he was to yoke the bronze-footed bulls that breathed flames from their nostrils with an adamantine yoke and plough, and sow the serpent's teeth from a helmet, from which a race of armed men would spring up at once and kill one another. But Hera [always wished Jason to be saved on this account. For when she came to the river *, wishing to test men's minds, she pretended to be an old woman and asked to be carried across; when the others who had crossed looked down on her, he carried her over; so] knowing that Jason could not carry out the commands without Medea's counsel, she asked Aphrodite to put love of Jason into Medea. Jason was loved by Medea at Aphrodite's prompting. By her help he was freed from every danger. For when he had ploughed with the bulls and the armed men had sprung up, at Medea's advice he threw a stone among them; fighting one another, they killed each other. When the serpent had been put to sleep with drugs, he took the fleece from the shrine and set off for his homeland with Medea.
XXIII Absyrtus
Aeeta ut resciit Medeam cum Iasone profugisse, nave comparata misit Absyrtum filium cum satellitibus armatis ad eam persequendam. Qui cum in Adriatico mari in Histria eam †persecutus esset ad Alcinoum regem et vellent armis contendere, Alcinous se inter eos interposuit ne bellarent. quem iudicem sumpserunt. qui eos in posterum distulit. Qui cum tristior esset et interrogatus esset a coniuge Arete, quae causa esset tristitiae, dixit se iudicem sumptum a duabus diversis civitatibus [inter Colchos et Argivos].
Quem cum interrogaret Arete quidnam esset iudicaturus, respondit Alcinous: si virgo fuerit Medea parenti rediturum, sin autem mulier coniugi. Hoc cum audivit Arete a coniuge mittit nuncium ad Iasonem et is Medeam noctu in antro devirginavit. postero autem die cum ad iudicium venissent et Medea mulier esset inventa coniugi est tradita. Nihilominus cum profecti essent, Absyrtus timens patris praecepta persecutus est eos in insulam Minervae. Ibi cum sacrificaret Minervae Iason et Absyrtus intervenisset ab Iasone est interfectus. cuius corpus Medea sepulturae dedit, atque inde profecti sunt. Colchi qui cum Absyrto venerant timentes Aeetam illic remanserunt op⟨p⟩idumque condiderunt quod ab Absyrti nomine Absorin appellarunt. Haec autem insula posita est in Histria contra Pola⟨m⟩ iuncta insulae †Cantae.
23. Absyrtus
When Aeetes learned that Medea had fled with Jason, he got a ship ready and sent his son Absyrtus with armed attendants to pursue her. When he had †pursued her in the Adriatic Sea in Histria to King Alcinous, and they wanted to settle it by arms, Alcinous interposed himself between them so that they should not fight. They chose him as judge. He put the decision off to a later time. As he was rather sad and was asked by his wife Arete what was the cause of his sadness, he said that he had been chosen as judge by two different cities [between the Colchians and the Argives].
When Arete asked him what he was going to decide, Alcinous replied: if Medea was a virgin, she would be returned to her father; but if a woman, to her husband. When Arete heard this from her husband, she sent a messenger to Jason, and he took Medea's virginity at night in a cave. The next day, when they came to the judgement and Medea was found to be a woman, she was handed over to her husband. Nevertheless, when they had set out, Absyrtus, fearing his father's orders, pursued them to the island of Athena. There, while Jason was sacrificing to Athena, Absyrtus came upon him and was killed by Jason. Medea gave his body burial, and from there they set out. The Colchians who had come with Absyrtus, fearing Aeetes, stayed there and founded a town, which they called Absoris after Absyrtus' name. This island lies in Istria opposite Pola, joined to the island †Canta.
XXIIII ⟨Iason.⟩ Peliades
Iason cum Peliae patrui sui iussu tot pericula adisset cogitare coepit, quomodo eum sine suspicione interficeret. hoc Medea se facturam pollicetur. Itaque cum iam ⟨non⟩ longe ab Iolco essent, navem iussit in occulto collocari et ipsa ad Peliae filias pro sacerdote Dianae venit: eis pollicetur se patrem earum Pelian ex sene iuvenem facturam. Id quia Alcestis maior filia negavit fieri posse, Medea quo facilius eam perduceret ad suam voluntatem caliginem eis obiecit et ex venenis multa miracula fecit, quae verisimilia esse viderentur, arietemque vetulum in aenum coniecit, unde agnus pulcherrimus prosiluisse visus est. eodemque modo [unde] Peliades, id est Alcestis Pelopia Medusa Pisidice Hippothoe, Medeae impulsu patrem suum occisum in aeno coxerunt. cum se deceptas esse viderent a patria profugerunt. at Iason signo a Medea accepto regia est potitus Acastoque Peliae filio fratri Peliadum, quod secum Colchos ierat, regnum paternum tradidit. ipse cum Medea Corinthum profectus est.
24. Jason and the daughters of Pelias
When Jason, at the order of his uncle Pelias, had faced so many dangers, he began to think how he might kill him without suspicion. Medea promised to do this. So when they were already not far from Iolcus, she ordered the ship to be hidden and went herself, as a priestess of Artemis, to the daughters of Pelias: she promised them that she would make their father Pelias young from old. When Alcestis, the eldest daughter, said that this could not be done, Medea, to bring her more easily to her will, cast a mist over them and worked many wonders with drugs, which seemed credible; she threw an old ram into a cauldron, and a beautiful lamb seemed to leap out. In the same way [from which] the Peliades, that is Alcestis, Pelopia, Medusa, Pisidice and Hippothoe, at Medea's prompting killed their father and boiled him in a cauldron. When they saw that they had been deceived, they fled from their country. But Jason, having received a signal from Medea, took possession of the palace and handed his father's kingdom to Acastus, son of Pelias and brother of the Peliades, because he had gone with him to Colchis. He himself went with Medea to Corinth.
XXV Medea
Medea Ae⟨e⟩tae et Idy⟨i⟩ae filia cum ex Iasone iam filios Mermerum ⟨et Pheretem⟩ procreasset summaque concordia viverent, obi⟨c⟩iebatur ei hominem tam fortem ac formosum ac nobilem uxorem advenam atque veneficam habere. huic Creon Menoecei filius rex Corinthius filiam suam minorem Glaucen dedit uxorem. Medea cum vidit se, erga Iasonem bene merentem, tanta contumelia esse affectam coronam ex venenis fecit auream eamque muneri filios suos iussit novercae dare. Creusa munere accepto cum Iasone et Creonte conflagravit. Medea ubi regiam ardere vidit natos suos ex Iasone Mermerum et Pheretem interfecit et profugit Corintho.
25. Medea
Medea, daughter of Aeetes and Idyia, had already borne Jason sons, Mermerus ⟨and Pheres⟩, and they were living in the greatest harmony, when it was thrown in his teeth that so brave, handsome and noble a man had a foreign wife who was a poisoner. Creon, son of Menoeceus, king of Corinth, gave him his younger daughter Glauce as wife. When Medea saw that she, who had deserved well of Jason, was treated with such an insult, she made a golden crown with poisons and ordered her sons to give it as a gift to their stepmother. Creusa accepted the gift and was burned up, together with Jason and Creon. When Medea saw the palace burning, she killed her sons by Jason, Mermerus and Pheres, and fled from Corinth.
XXVI Medea exul
Medea Corintho exul Athenas ad Aegeum Pandionis filium devenit in hospitium eique nupsit. ex eo natus est Medus. Postea sacerdos Dianae Medeam exagitare coepit regique negabat sacra caste facere posse eo quod in ea civitate esset mulier venefica et scelerata. tunc iterum exulatur. Medea autem * iunctis draconibus ab Athenis Colchos redit: quae in itinere Absoridem venit ubi frater Absyrtus sepultus erat. ibi Absoritani serpentium multitudini resistere non poterant. Medea autem ab eis rogata lectas eas in tumulum fratris coniecit, quae adhuc ibi †permanentes, si qua autem extra tumulum exit debitum naturae persolvit.
26. Medea in exile
Medea, an exile from Corinth, came as a guest to Aegeus, son of Pandion, at Athens, and married him. Medus was born of him. Afterwards the priestess of Artemis began to harry Medea and told the king that she could not perform the rites in purity because there was in that city a woman who was a poisoner and criminal. Then she was again exiled. Medea, with * her dragons yoked, returned from Athens to Colchis; on the way she came to Absoris, where her brother Absyrtus had been buried. There the Absoritani could not resist a multitude of snakes. Medea, asked by them, gathered them up and threw them into her brother's tomb; they †permanentes there still, but any that comes out of the tomb pays the debt of nature.
XXVII Medus
Persi Solis filio fratri Aeetae responsum fuit ab Aeetae progenie mortem cavere⟨t⟩. Ad quem Medus ⟨Aegei et Medeae filius⟩ dum matrem persequitur tempestate est delatus. quem satellites comprehensum ad regem Persen perduxerunt. Medus ut vidit se in inimici potestatem venisse Hippoten Creontis filium se esse mentitus est. rex diligentius qu⟨a⟩erit et in custodia⟨m⟩ eum conici iussit. Ubi sterilitas et penuria frugum dicitur fuisse. Quo Medea in curru iunctis draconibus cum venisset, ⟨ibique⟩ regi se sacerdotem †Dianae ementita esset, dixit sterilitatem se expiare posse: et cum a rege audisset Hippoten Creontis filium in custodia haberi arbitrans eum patris iniuriam exequi venisse imprudens filium prodidit. Nam regi persuadet eum Hippoten non esse sed Medum Aegei filium a matre missum ut regem interficeret, petitque ab eo ut interfici⟨endus⟩ sibi traderetur, existimans Hippoten esse. Itaque Medus cum productus esset ut mendacium morte puniret, ut illa aliter esse vidit quam putavit, dixit se cum eo colloqui velle atque ensem ei tradidit iussitque avi sui iniurias exequi. Medus re audita Persen interfecit [regnumque avitum possedit]. ex suo nomine terram Mediam cognominavit.
27. Medus
Perses, son of the Sun and brother of Aeetes, had received an oracle that he should beware of death from Aeetes' offspring. To him Medus ⟨son of Aegeus and Medea⟩, while pursuing his mother, was carried by a storm. The guards seized him and brought him to King Perses. When Medus saw that he had come into an enemy's power, he lied and said he was Hippotes, son of Creon. The king questioned more closely and ordered him to be put in custody. In that place there is said to have been barrenness and scarcity of crops. When Medea came there in a chariot with yoked dragons, and ⟨there⟩ falsely told the king that she was a priestess of †Diana, she said she could expiate the barrenness; and when she heard from the king that Hippotes, son of Creon, was being held in custody, thinking that he had come to avenge his father's wrong, she unwittingly betrayed her son. For she persuaded the king that he was not Hippotes but Medus, son of Aegeus, sent by his mother to kill the king, and asked him to hand over to her the man to be killed, thinking him Hippotes. And so, when Medus was brought out to be punished with death for his lie, when Medea saw that it was otherwise than she had supposed, she said that she wished to speak with him, and handed him a sword and told him to avenge the wrongs of his grandfather. When Medus heard the matter, he killed Perses [and took possession of his ancestral kingdom]. From his own name he called the land Media.
XXVIII Otos et Ephialtes
Otos et Ephialtes Aloei et Iphimedes †Neptuni filiae filii mira magnitudine dicuntur fuisse. hi [singuli] singulis mensibus novem digitis crescebant. itaque cum essent annorum novem in coelum ascendere sunt conati. qui aditum sibi ita faciebant: montem enim Ossam super Pelion posuerunt, unde etiam Pelion Ossa mons appellatur, aliosque montes construebant. qui ab Apolline †nacti sunt interfecti. Alii autem auctores dicunt Neptuni et Iphimedes filios fuisse atrotos. — Hi cum Dianam comprimere voluissent quae cum non posset viribus eorum obsistere, Apollo inter eos cervam misit, quam illi furore incensi dum volunt iaculis interficere alius alium interfecerunt. Qui ad inferos dicuntur hanc poenam pati: ad columnam, aversi alter ab altero, serpentibus sunt deligati. †est styx inter, columnam sedens ad quam sunt deligati.
28. Otus and Ephialtes
Otus and Ephialtes, sons of Aloeus and of Iphimede, daughter of †Poseidon, are said to have been of marvellous size. They [each] grew nine fingers every month. So when they were nine years old they tried to climb up into heaven. They made themselves a way up like this: they placed Mount Ossa upon Pelion (from which Pelion is also called Mount Ossa), and were piling up other mountains. They were killed by Apollo, †nacti sunt. Other authors say they were sons of Poseidon and Iphimede, [and] atrotos. — When they wished to rape Artemis, who could not resist their strength, Apollo sent a deer between them; in a fury they tried to kill it with javelins and killed each other instead. They are said to suffer this punishment in the underworld: they are bound to a column with serpents, back to back. †est styx inter, sitting on the column to which they are bound.
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