THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGO-
NAUTS.

We: are forced to approach the historical period
of Greece through a cloud-land of legend, in which
stories of the gods are mingled with those of men,
and the most marvellous of incidents are introduced
as if they were every-day occurrences. The Argo-
nautic expedition belongs to this age of myth, the
vague vestibule of history. It embraces, as does the
tale of the wanderings of Ulysses, very ancient ideas
of geography, and many able men have treated it
as the record of an actual voyage, one of the earliest
ventures of the Greeks upon the unknown seas.
However this be, this much is certain, the story is
full of romantic and supernatural elements, and it
was largely through these that it became so cele-
brated in ancient times.

The story of the voyage of the ship Argo is a
tragedy. Pelias, king of Ioleus, had consulted an
oracle concerning the safety of his dominions, and
was warned to beware of the man with one sandal.
Soon afterwards Jason (a descendant of AMolus, the
wind god) appeared before him with one foot un-
sandalled. He had lost his sandal while crossing a
swollen stream. elias, anxious to rid himself of
this visitor, against whom the oracle had warned

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