The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1884-01-18

| 81 know" answered Perseus, "that Medusa
is stronger than / am, but the immortal gods
are my friends, and if have their assistance
can fear nothing"
"If the gods fight for you," replied Poly
| dectes, you will indeed conquer, and you
| will not only have my thanks and my gooC
will, but will win to yourself immortal re
nown and honor. And so commit you tc
| their care"
Perseus went back to his house, and pray
| cd to the gods to assist him. And they were
not long in hearing his prayers. First came
| Athene, the goddess of wisdom, and she gave
| him shield, which was as clear as mirror
and beautifully reflected everything TO which
| it was held. Hermes, the messenger of the
gods, gave him two wings for his shoulders
| and two for his heels. Dis lent him his he'll
met, which made those that wore it invisible
and Hephestus, the god of art, gave him q
short dagger, called harpe, the hilt of which
was set with diamonds. When he had re,
ceived all these present. Perseus felt himself
to be another man, and bidding good bye to
Dame, he bravely set forth on his expedition
And he had no occasion for ship when he
left the island. He trusted to his wings, and
raised himself high in the air, among the
beautiful pink wreaths of cloud that you may
see in summers sky, and far above the
sounds of men and the dash of the salt waters
Westward and westward he flew, and the
Mediterranean was spread below him like u
blue lake, and many little bark here and
there, specked it with spot of snow. AT
length he came to the place which was after
ward called the Pillars of Hercules, and by lis
the Strait of Gibraltar; and then he knew
that he was near the place for which he was
seeking. And so, before long he saw the
blue mountains of an island rising out of the
horizon, and then he knew that it behooved
him to be careful, for he was coming close
to the scene of his conflict.
Athene, filling him with wisdom, taught
him to what part of the island to go, and he
presently alighted on the sea-shore. The
cliffs ran down to the beach, forming many
coves and creeks, among which the waters
dashed and gurgled with pleasant sound.
And there, in the mouth of n huge dark cav
ern, lay the three Gorgons fast asleep.
Perseus trod softly on the shingle, and
drew near to the entrance of the cave, that he
might examine those dreadful monsters more
closely. Their bodies ended in the tail of a
serpent, and were covered with great scales
of iron, as large as the tiles of Il cottage that
made a fearful gathering when they moved
or turned their hands and arms were of solid
brass. and Medusa had living snakes instead
of hair. Perseus trembled, as well he might,
for what if they should wake while he was
killing Medusa? They would set their eyes
upon him, and he would become stone. He
crept softly round corner of one of the
rocks and put on the helmet of Dis, so that
even if they woke they would not be able to
see him. But still, if he fixed his eyes ON
theirs, he would be petrified, and he must
look steadily at them, in order TO be able to
aim true blow. Then he discovered why
Athenc had given him u buckler of glass, An
old tree hung down over the cavern it had
once, perhaps, shaded it with fair arbor of
leaves; but now it was dead, dry, and sapless.
On one of the branches of this tree Perseus
hung his buckler, so that in it he might see
the monsters plainly reflected, without look
ing at the Gorgeous themselves. Then he
drew his sword, and commended himself to
the gods, and looked steadily at the buckler
The snakes on Medusa's head twined and
twisted themselves together, as if they were
afraid of the stranger they Kissed with their
long forked tongues, and seemed to shoot
fire out of their eyes. But Perseus wreathed
his hand in three of them, as you would do
to n Towering grass by the stream side, that
you wanted to break off. Medusa awoke
and uttered q furious YELL and tried to en-
Irvine her scaly body around him. If she had
done that, nothing could have saved him, but
he was too quick for her. For as her long
tail came rafting over the stones to enfold
him, he, pulling at the snakes, made her
stretch her neck out to its full length. Then
he smote it manfully with his sword, and it
came off in his hand.
But though Medusa was dead, the danger
to Perseus was not over The other Gorgons
had awoke at her dying yell, and terrible was
their fury and their violence. They roared,
they screamed, they struck the ground with
their tails; they sought in all directions for
the slayer of their sister monster. Their out
cries were echoed by the cliffs above, and died
away among the winding valleys of the island.
Perseus, meanwhile, invisible in the helmet
of Dis, smiled at their rage. And when their
fury had exhausted ITSELF he took Medusas
head in his hands, and winged his way back
toward Seriphos.
, This is, when rightly explained, a very true
story, and, what is stranger, it is or ought to
be true of every one of those who read it.
We have all of us a Medusa, against whom
We are bound to go forth, and whom we
must kill, if we would not have her kill us.
The world, the flesh, and the devil, are the
three Gorgons with whom we have to fight.
OF these, the world and the devil are beyond
our power to destroy; we must be content to
resist them. But though we shall never be
able while we live, entirely to overcome our
own evil wills, we may begin to do so, we may
little by little destroy them daily. And this
is what is meant, when it is said that two of
the Gorgons were immortal, but that Medusa
was mortal.
And we cannot go forth TO battle in our
own strength. We must take the helmet of