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upon their coasts; that they sent him presents to his ship; but he;
having invited Antiope; who brought them; to come aboard;
immediately set sail and carried her away。 An author named Menecrates;
that wrote the History of Nicae in Bithynia; adds; that Theseus;
having Antiope aboard his vessel; cruised for some time about those
coasts; and that there were in the same ship three young men of
Athens; that accompanied him in this voyage; all brothers; whose names
were Euneos; Thoas; and soloon。 The last of these fell desperately
in love with Antiope; and; escaping the notice of the rest; revealed
the secret only to one of his most intimate acquaintances; and
employed him to disclose his passion to Antiope; she rejected his
pretences with a very positive denial; yet treated the matter with
much gentleness and discretion; and made no complaint to Theseus of
anything that had happened; but Soloon; the thing being desperate;
leaped into a river near the seaside and drowned himself。 As soon as
Theseus was acquainted with his death; and his unhappy love that was
the cause of it; he was extremely distressed; and; in the height of
his grief; an oracle which he had formerly received at Delphi came
into his mind; for he had been commanded by the priestess of Apollo
Pythius; that wherever in a strange land he was most sorrowful and
under the greatest affliction; he should build a city there; and leave
some of his followers to be governors of the place。 For this cause
he there founded a city; which he called; from the name of Apollo;
Pythopolis; and; in honour of the unfortunate youth; he named the
river that runs by it Soloon; and left the two surviving brothers
intrusted with the care of the government and laws; joining with
them Hermus; one of the nobility of Athens; from whom a place in the
city is called the House of Hermus; though by an error in the accent
it has been taken for the House of Hermes; or Mercury; and the
honour that was designed to the hero; transferred to the god。
  This was the origin and cause of the Amazonian invasion of Attica;
which would seem to have been no slight or womanish enterprise。 For it
is impossible that they should have placed their camp in the very
city; and joined battle close by the Pnyx and the hill called
Museum; unless; having first conquered the country around about;
they had thus with impunity advanced to the city。 That they made so
long a journey by land; and passed the Cimmerian Bosphorus; when
frozen; as Hellanicus writes; is difficult to be believed。 That they
encamped all but in the city is certain; and may be sufficiently
confirmed by the names that the places hereabout yet retain; and the
graves and monuments of those that fell in the battle。 Both armies
being in sight; there was a long pause and doubt on each side which
should give the first onset; at last Theseus; having sacrificed to
Fear; in obedience to the command of an oracle he had received; gave
them battle; and this happened in the month of Boedromion; in which to
this very day the Athenians celebrate the Feast Boedromia。 Clidemus;
desirous to be very circumstantial; writes that the left wing of the
Amazons moved towards the place which is yet called Amazonium and
the right towards the Pnyx; near Chrysa; that with this wing the
Athenians; issuing from behind the Museum; engaged; and that the
graves of those that were slain are to be seen in the street that
leads to the gate called the Piraic; by the chapel of the hero
Chalcodon; and that here the Athenians were routed; and gave way
before the women; as far as to the temple of the Furies; but; fresh
supplies coming in from the Palladium; Ardettus; and the Lyceum;
they charged their right wing; and beat them back into their tents; in
which action a great number of the Amazons were slain。 At length;
after four months; a peace was concluded between them by the mediation
of Hippolyta (for so this historian calls the Amazon whom Theseus
married; and not Antiope); though others write that she was slain with
a dart by Molpadia; while fighting by Theseus's side; and that the
pillar which stands by the temple of Olympian Earth was erected to her
honour。 Nor is it to be wondered at; that in events of such antiquity;
history should be in disorder。 For indeed we are also told that
those of the Amazons that were wounded were privately sent away by
Antiope to Chalcis; where many by her care recovered; but some that
died were buried there in the place that is to this time called
Amazonium。 That this war; however; was ended by a treaty is evident;
both from the name of the place adjoining to the temple of Theseus;
called; from the solemn oath there taken; Horcomosium; and also from
the ancient sacrifice which used to be celebrated to the Amazons the
day before the Feast of Theseus。 The Megarians also show a spot in
their city where some Amazons were buried; on the way from the
market to a place called Rhus; where the building in the shape of a
lozenge stands。 It is said; likewise; that others of them were slain
near Chaeronea; and buried near the little rivulet formerly called
Thermodon; but now Haemon; of which an account is given in the life of
Demosthenes。 It appears further that the passage of the Amazons
through Thessaly was not without opposition; for there are yet shown
many tombs of them near Scotussa and Cynoscephalae。
  This is as much as is worth telling concerning the Amazons。 For
the account which the author of the poem called the Theseid gives of
this rising of the Amazons; how Antiope; to revenge herself upon
Theseus for refusing her and marrying Phaedra; came down upon the city
with her train of Amazons; whom Hercules slew; is manifestly nothing
else but fable and invention。 It is true; indeed; that Theseus married
Phaedra; but that was after the death of Antiope; by whom he had a son
called Hippolytus; or; as Pindar writes; Demophon。 The calamities
which befell Phaedra and this son; since none of the historians have
contradicted the tragic poets that have written of them; we must
suppose happened as represented uniformly by them。
  There are also other traditions of the marriages of Theseus; neither
honourable in their occasions nor fortunate in their events; which yet
were never represented in the Greek plays。 For he is said to have
carried off Anaxo; a Troezenian; and having slain Sinnis and
Cercyon; to have ravished their daughters; to have married Periboea;
the mother of Ajax; and then Phereboea; and then Iope; the daughter of
Iphicles。 And further; he is accused of deserting Ariadne (as is
before related); being in love with Aegle; the daughter of Panopeus;
neither justly nor honourably; and lastly; of the rape of Helen; which
filled all Attica with war and blood; and was in the end the
occasion of his banishment and death; as will presently be related。
  Herodorus is of opinion; that though there were many famous
expeditions undertaken by the bravest men of his time; yet Theseus
never joined in any of them; once only excepted; with the Lapithae; in
their war against the Centaurs; but others say that he accompanied
Jason to Colchis and Meleager to the slaying of the Calydonian boar;
and that hence it came to be a proverb; Not without Theseus; that he
himself; however; without aid of any one; performed many glorious
exploits; and that from him began the saying; He is a second Hercules。
He also joined Adrastus in recovering the bodies of those that were
slain before Thebes; but not as Euripides in his tragedy says; by
force of arms; but by persuasion and mutual agreement and composition;
for so the greater part of the historians write; Philochorus adds
further that this was the first treaty that ever was made for the
recovering the bodies of the dead; but in the history of Hercules;
it is shown that it was he who first gave leave to his enemies to
carry off their slain。 The burying…places of the most part are yet
to be seen in the villa called Eleutherae; those of the commanders; at
Eleusis; where Theseus allotted them a place; to oblige Adrastus。
The story of Euripides in his suppliants is disproved by Aeschylus
in his Eleusinians; where Theseus himself relates the facts as here
told。
  The celebrated friendship between Theseus and Pirithous is said to
have been thus began; the fame of the strength and valour of Theseus
being spread through Greece; Pirithous was desirous to make a trial
and proof of it himself; and to this end seized a herd of oxen which
belonged to Theseus; and was driving them away from Marathon; and;
when the news was brought that Theseus pursued him in arms; he did not
fly; but turned back and went to meet him。 But as soon as they had
viewed one another; each so admired the gracefulness and beauty; and
was seized with such respect for the courage of the other; that they
forgot all thoughts of fighting; and Pirithous; first stretching out
his hand to Theseus; bade him be judge in this case himself; and
promised to submit willingly to any penalty he should impose。 But
Theseus not only forgave him all; but entreated him to be his friend
and brother in arms; and they ratified their friendship by oaths。
After this Pirithous married Deida

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