Theseus displaying not only great strength of body, but equal
bravery, and a quickness alike and force of understanding, his
mother Aethra, conducting him to the stone, and informing him who
was his true father, commanded him to take from thence the tokens
that Aegeus had left, and to sail to Athens. He without any
difficulty set himself to the stone and lifted it up; but refused
to take his journey by sea, though it was much the safer way, and
though his mother and grandfather begged him to do so. For it was
at that time very dangerous to go by land on the road to Athens,
no part of it being free from robbers and murderers. That age
produced a sort of men, in force of hand, and swiftness of foot,
and strength of body, excelling the ordinary rate, and wholly
incapable of fatigue; making use, however, of these gifts of
nature to no good or profitable purpose for mankind, but rejoicing
and priding themselves in insolence, and taking the benefit of
their superior strength in the exercise of inhumanity and cruelty,
and in seizing, forcing, and committing all manner of outrages
upon everything that fell into their hands; all respect for
others, all justice, they thought, all equity and humanity, though
naturally lauded by common people, either out of want of courage
to commit injuries or fear to receive them, yet no way concerned
those who were strong enough to win for themselves. Some of these
Hercules destroyed and cut off in his passage through these
countries, but some, escaping his notice, while he was passing by,
fled and hid themselves, or else were spared by him in contempt of
their abject submission; and after that Hercules fell into
misfortune, and, having slain Iphitus, retired to Lydia, and for a
long time was there slave to Omphale, a punishment which he had
imposed upon himself for the murder. Then, indeed, Lydia enjoyed