No epic or tragedy concerning the early fortunes of Theseus and the history of Perseus has reached us: summaries in Plutarch and Apollodorus provide the outlines of the legends. The descriptions of costume, arms, and mode of life are derived from Homer and from the 'Mycenæan' relics discovered in the last thirty years by Dr. Schliemann, Mr. A. J. Evans, and many other explorers. 'The Fleece of Gold,' first published in an American magazine, has also appeared in America in a little volume (Henry Altemus & Co.). It is here reprinted by permission of Messrs. Altemus, with some changes and corrections._ * * * * * Transcriber's note: Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note. Some Illustrations have been moved to avoid splitting paragraphs and make smoother reading. There are inconsistencies in the use of ligatures in some of the names. These inconsistencies have been left as in the original text.