HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

27

it contained more merchandize, and articles of traffic, than a considerable num-ber of those which, previous to that time, had been in general use, or appliedto the same purpose.

This event, if correct in point of chronology, must have taken place about theyear of the world 2220, near a century before the time when any of those per-sonages flourished who are mentioned by other historians as having first acquired thedominion of the sea. Hercules, Perseus, Theseus, Cadmus, Prometheus, Janus,and many others among the fabulous deities and demigods, are among the subse-quent candidates for this honour: nor must we forget the well-known enterprize ofJason, which certainly appears to give him some pre-eminence among those, whosewell-known predatory expeditions have entitled them to, or, we should rather say,have procured them so much renown. On this account Lucan, Seneca, Sallust,and several other ancient authors, wish to have him considered as the parent of war-like navigation*,when the art became soextended as todeserve that term. Armais,the brother of Sesostris, better known among the Greeks by the name of Danaus,who lived about the year of the world 2470, has undoubtedly some claim, at leastto being ranked as a considerable improver of the science, though we must pe-remptorily reject allowing him the honour of having been the original inventor, forthe same reason that we doubt the pretensions of Hercules, or Janus. Atlas,king of Mauritania, or rather Libya, who lived about the time of Moses, and

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* Though very improperly, die argonautic expedition not having taken place till about the year ofthe world 2720. The following short account of it, may probably be, not improperly, introduced here.Pelias, the uncle of Jason by the mother’s side, was appointed, by Asson, the father of Jason, guardian of thekingdom of Thessaly during the minority of his son: but having resolved, if possible, to secure the crownto himself, he sent a messenger to consult the Oracle on the properest mode of effecting that purpose.He received for answer, that he was to beware of a man without a shoe. It happened not long after-wards, as Pelias was sacrificing to Neptnne, he called Jason, who was at that time on the opposite sideof a rivulet to him; the young man hurrying to obey his uncle’s orders, dropped one of his shoes in hishaste, and of course appeared to be the person pointed out by the Oracle. Pelias, not appearing to re-gard the circumstance, asked Jason his opinion and advice, as to the measures to be taken relative to theperson of whom the Oracle had ordered him to beware. Jason, without hesitation, replied, that hewould advise sending him to Colch'S, a country abounding in gold mines, strongly guarded, whence theorigin of the well-known fable of the golden fleece. Pelias immediately closed with the proposal, antiordered his nephew to prepare for the expedition. The young hero chearfully assented, and havingengaged a number of young spirited adventurers, from among the first families in Greece, to attend onan expedition which promised so much fame, and wealth added to it, procured a proper vessel to be builtfor him at Pegasa, by an artificer named Argus, in honour of whom the ship itself was called Argos, andthe crew acquired the title of Argonauts. The result is well known, and indeed is immaterial to ourpresent purpose.

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