Page:The Argonautics of Apollonius Rhodius.djvu/43

Not long with Pelias young Acastus stay'd;
He left his sire to lend the Grecians aid.280
Argus, whom Pallas with her gifts inspir'd,
Follow'd his friend, with equal glory fir'd.
Such the compeers of Jason highly fam'd;
And all these demigods were Minyans nam'd.
The most illustrious heroes of the host285
Their lineage from the seed of Minyas boast:
For Minyas' daughter, Clymena the fair,
Alcimeda, great Jason's mother, bare.
When all was furnish'd by the busy band
Which vessels destin'd for the main demand;290
The heroes from Iölcos bent their way
To the fam'd port, the Pagasæan bay,
And deep-environ'd with thick-gathering crowds,
They shone like stars resplendent thro' the clouds.
Then thus among the rout, with wondering look,295
Some swain survey'd the bright-arm'd chiefs and spoke:
'Say, what can Pelias, mighty Jove, intend,
'Far, far from Greece so great a force to send!
'Sure, should Æeta spurn the sons of Greece,
'And to their claims refuse the golden Fleece,300
'That self-same day shall see his palace, crown'd
'With glittering turrets, levell'd to the ground.

But