that breathed fire from their nostrils, and slay a great
dragon. But the Princess Medea saw Jason, and loved him, and purposed in
her heart that she would help him. And being a great witch, and knowing
all manner of drugs and enchantments, she gave him an ointment which
kept all that anointed themselves with it so that they took no harm in
battle with man or beast. But first Jason had promised, swearing to her
a great oath, that she should be his wife, and that he would take her
with him to the land of Greece, and that he would be faithful unto her
to his life's end. So when he and his companions had yoked the bulls,
and slain the dragon, and carried away the fleece, they took Medea with
them in the ship, and so departed. But when Jason was come to the land
of Iolcos, Pelias was not willing to keep his promise that he would give
the kingdom to him. Whereupon Medea devised this thing against him. She
took a ram, and cut him in pieces, and boiled his flesh in water,
putting herbs into the cauldron, and saying divers enchantments over it;
and, lo! the beast came forth young, though it had been very old. Then
she said to the daughters of Pelias, "Ye see this ram, how he was old,
and I have made him young by boiling him in water. Do ye so likewise to
your father, and I will help you with drugs and enchantments, as I did
with the ram." But she lied unto them, and helped them not. So King
Pelias died, being slain by his daughters, when they thought to make him
young. But the people of the land were very wroth with Medea and with
Jason her husband, and suffered them not to dwell there any more. So
they came and dwelt in the land of Corinth. Now when they had abode
there many days, the heart of Jason was turned away from his wife, and
he was minded to put her away from him, and to take to himself another
wife, even Glauce, who was daughter to Creon, the King of the city.

[Illustration: PELAS SENDING FORTH JASON.]

Now, when this thing was told to Medea, at first she went through the
house raging like a lioness that is bereaved of her whelps, and crying
out to the Gods that they should smite the false husband that had sworn
to her and had broken his oath, and affirming that she herself would
take vengeance on him. And they that had the charge of her children kept
them from her, lest she should do some mischief. But when her first fury
was spent, she came forth from her house, and spake to certain women of
Corinth of her acquaint