ttacked the Centaurs, and after a
violent hand-to-hand struggle in which many perished, forced them to
relinquish their prey.

After the death of Hippolyte Theseus sought the hand of Phaedra, the sister
of his former bride Ariadne, to whom he became united. For some years they
lived happily together, and their union was blessed by the birth of two
sons. During this time Hippolytus, the son of the Amazonian queen, had been
absent from home, having been placed under the care of the king's uncles in
order to be educated. When, having grown to manhood, he now returned to his
father's palace, his young stepmother, Phaedra, fell violently in love with
him; but Hippolytus failed to return her affection, and treated her with
contempt and indifference. Filled with rage and despair at his coldness
Phaedra put an end to her existence; and when she was discovered by her
husband she held in her hand a letter, accusing Hippolytus of being the
cause of her death, and of having conspired against the honour of the king.

Now Poseidon had upon one occasion promised to grant Theseus whatever
request he should demand; he therefore called upon the sea-god to destroy
Hippolytus, whom he cursed in the most solemn manner. The father's awful
malediction fell but too soon upon his innocent son; for, as the latter was
driving his chariot along the sea-shore, between Troezen and Athens, a
{267} monster, sent by Poseidon, rose out of the deep, and so frightened
the horses that they became altogether unmanageable. As they rushed on in
their mad career the chariot was dashed to pieces, and the unfortunate
youth, whose feet had become entangled in the reins, was dragged along
until life was nearly extinct.

In this condition he was found by the unhappy Theseus, who, having
ascertained the true facts of the case from an old servant of Phaedra, had
hastened to prevent the catastrophe. But he arrived too late, and was only
able to soothe the last moments of his dying son by acknowledging the sad
mistake which he had committed, and declaring his firm belief in his honour
and innocence.

After these events Theseus was persuaded by his friend Pirithoeus, who had
also about this time lost his young wife, Hippodamia, to join him in a
journey through Greece, with the object of carrying off by force the most
beautiful maidens whom they should chance to meet.

Arrived at Sparta they beheld, in the temple of Artemis, Helen, the
daughter of Zeus and Leda, who