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THE COMMON ALMOND. 



accompanied the Greeks to the siege of Troy, was Demophon, 

 or Acamas, a son of Theseus and Ph2edra. yEthra, the 

 mother of Theseus, was made captive by Castor and Pollux, 

 when they rescued their sister Helen. She was taken to 

 Sparta, and went with Helen when carried off by Paris, and 

 was in constant attendance upon her. When Helen was 

 summoned to 



see the wondrous deeds 

 Of horse-taming Trojans and brass-coated Greeks, — //. b. iii. 1. 130. 



on Paris and Menelaus having undertaken to decide the fate 

 of Helen and of Troy by single combat, 



From her room she hastened, shedding tender tears ; 

 Not alone, but two handmaids with her followed, 

 yEthra, Pittheus' child, and full-eyed Clymene ; — 



//. b. iii. 1. 142. 



who (.^thra) was afterwards set free from slavery by the 

 efforts of her grandson, Demophon. 



Demophon on his return from Troy was shipwrecked on the 

 coast of Thrace, where he met with Phyllis, daughter of the 

 Thracian king, Sithon. A mutual attachment sprang up 

 between Demophon and Phyllis and they became espoused, 

 but ere the nuptials were celebrated, Demophon was sum- 

 moned to Attica on the death of his father. Hope for a 

 speedy, return, and fear of a prolonged absence, led the young 

 pair to fix too early a date for their reunion. The gentle 

 Phyllis, with all the anxiety attendant on inactive waiting, 

 counted the minutes which must elapse before the day, long 

 looked for, would dawn ; it dawned at length, and nine times 



7 

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