70(5 J A S 
The boldnefs and popularity of Jafon intimidated Pe¬ 
lias; lie was unwilling to abdicate the crown, and yet he 
feared the refentment of his adverfary. As Jafon was 
young and ambitious of glory, Pelias, at once to remove 
his immediate claims to the crown, reminded him that 
,/Eetes king of Cholchis had inhumanly murdered their 
common relation Phryxus. He obferved that fuch a treat¬ 
ment called aloud for punifhment, and that the under¬ 
taking would be accompanied with much glory and fame. 
He farther added, that his old age had prevented him 
from avenging the death of Phryxus ; and that, if Jafon 
would undertake the expedition, he would refign to him 
the crown of Iolchos when he returned victorious from 
Colchis. Jafon readily accepted a propofal which l’eemed 
to promife fuch military fame. His intended expedition 
was made known in every part of Greece, and the youngeft 
and bravell of the Greeks afiembled to accompany him, 
and fliare his toils-and glory. They embarked on-board 
a Ihip called Arge, and after a feries of adventures they 
arrived at Colchis, .ffietes promifed to reftore the golden 
fleece, which was the caufe of the death of Phryxus, and 
of the voyage of the Argonauts, provided they fubmitted 
to his conditions. Jafon was to tame bulls who breathed 
flames, and who had feet and horns of brafs, and to 
plough with them a field facrad to Mars. After this he 
was to fow in the ground the teeth of a ferpent from which 
armed men would arife, whofe fury would be converted 
againft him who ploughed the field. He was alfo to kill 
a monftrous dragon who watched night and day at the 
foot of the tree on which the golden fleece was fufpended. 
All were concerned for the fate of the Argonauts; but 
Juno,-who watched with an anxious eye over the fafety 
of Jafon, extricated them from all thefe difficulties. Me¬ 
dea, the king’s daughter, fell in love with Jafon ; and, as 
her knowledge of herbs, enchantments, and incantation, 
was uncommon, file pledged herlelf to deliver her lover 
from all his dangers if he promifed her eternal fidelity. 
Jafon, not infenfible to her charms and to her promife, 
vowed eternal fidelity in the temple of-Hecate, and received 
from Medea whatever inftruments and herbs could pro- 
teft him againft the approaching dangers. He appeared in 
the field of Mars, he tamed the fury of the oxen, ploughed 
the plain, and fowed the dragon’s teeth. Immediately an 
army of men fprang from the field, and ran towards Ja¬ 
fon. He threw a ltone among them, and they fell one 
upon the other till all were totally deftroyed. The vigi¬ 
lance of the dragon was lulled to fleep by the power of 
herbs, and Jafon took from the tree the celebrated golden 
fleece, which was the foie objeft of his voyage. Thefe 
aftions were all performed in the prefence of zEetes and 
his people, who were all equally aftoniffied at the bold- 
nefs and l'uccefs of Jafon. After this celebrated conqueft, 
Jafon immediately let fail for Europe with Medea, who 
had been fo inftrumental in his prefervation. Upon this 
^Eetes, defirous to revenge the perfidy of his daughter 
Medea, fent his foil Abfyrtus to purfue the fugitives. 
Medea killed her brother, and ftrewed his limbs in her 
father’s way, that flie might more eafily efcape, while he 
was employed in coilefting the mangled body of his fon. 
For fome other conjectures on the purpofe of the Argo- 
u antic expedition, fee the article Argonauts, vol. ii. 
p. 14.8. 
The return of the Argonauts into Theflaly was cele¬ 
brated with univerfal feftivity ; but FEfon, Jafon’s father, 
was unable to attend on account of the infirmities of old 
age. This obftruftion was removed ; and Medea, at the 
requeft of her huffiand, reftored AU’on to the vigour and 
fprightlinefs of youth. Pelias, the ufurper of the crown 
of Iolchos, wifii i alfo to feehimfelf reftored to the flower 
of youth ; and his daughters, perfuaded by Medea, who 
wifii 1 to avenge her hufband’s wrongs, cut his body to 
pieces, and.placed his limbs in a cauldron of boiling wa¬ 
ter. Their credulity was feverely puniffied. Medea fuf- 
fered the flefti to be confumed to the bones, and Pelias 
was never reftored to life. This inhuman action drew 
J A § 
the refentment of the populace upon Medea, and ffie fled 
to Corinth with her hulband Jafon, where they lived in 
perfeft union and love during ten fucceifive years. Ja¬ 
fon’s partiality for Glauce, the daughter of the king of 
the country, afterwards difturbed their matrimonial hap- 
pinefs,_ and Medea was divorced, that Jafon might more 
freely indulge his amorous propenfities. This infidelity 
was feyerely revenged by Medea, who deftroyed her chil¬ 
dren in the prefence of their father. After his feparatiom 
from Medea, Jafon lived an unfettled and melancholy life. 
As he was one day repofing himfelf by the fide of the 
fiiip which had carried him to Colchis, a beam fell upon 
his head, and he was cruflied to death. This tragical 
event had been predicted to him before by Medea, ac¬ 
cording to the relation of fome authors. Some fay that 
he afterwards returned to Colchis, where he feized the 
kingdom, and reigned in great lecurity. 
JAS'PER,yi in mineralogy. See Jaspis. 
JAS'PER, a man’s name. 
JAS'PIS, f the Jasper; in mineralogy, a genus of 
filiceous earth, confifting of filex, a fmaller proportion of 
alumine, and a fmall quantity of oxyd of iron, with o-ene- 
rally a little magnefia and potaffi; liardiffi, opake, break¬ 
ing into indeterminate fragments, of a conchoidal tex¬ 
ture, lightifh, fometimes detached, fometimes a principal 
ingredient of ancient mountains, of a common form j 
lofing its colour in the fire. There are four fpecies. 
1. Jafnis Aigyptia, or Egyptian pebble : of a dull co¬ 
lour, varied with differently-coloured concentric ftripes or 
layers, and black dendritical figures. Found near Suez 
in Egypt, and fometimes in Hungary and Lorraine, gene¬ 
rally in iongifn oval flattiffi pebbles, and enveloped in a 
coarfe rough cruft; colour liver-brown, glittering when 
broken, the fragments irregularly angular and °opake„ 
and taking a fine poliffi; the concentric ftripes or layers 
are various ffiades of yellow, reddifh, green, or white, but 
the dots and dendritical figures are always black ; frac¬ 
ture conchoidal; when heated it. does not decrepitate. 
Specific gravity 2-6. It is made into vafes, lnuff-boxes, 
and other ornaments. 
2. Jafpis fafciata, ftriped or riband jafper: in differ¬ 
ently-coloured alternate parallel layers, without luftre in¬ 
ternally, of an imperfeftly-conchoidal texture. Found in 
Siberia, in Saxony near Gnantftein and Woiftitz, and par¬ 
ticularly fine at Ural, in large amorphous mafles forming 
long layers;' colours yellowifli, greeniffi-grey, ochraceous, 
ifabella yellow, browifh-red, pale or dark fteffi-red, moun¬ 
tain or dark green ; generally difpofed in parallel layers, 
which are commonly ftraight, rarely curved, feldomer in 
oblong fpots. When broken it exhibits a dull imperfeftly- 
conchoidal furface, and is fometimes femi-traniparent on 
the edges. It takes a high poliffi. 
3. Jafpis porcellana, or porcellane jafper: hard, rifty 
internally, of an imperfeftly-conchoidal frafture. This 
fpecies is found in large compact layers, and frequently 
between the fiflures of bafaltes, in Bohemia and Saxony 5 
has an arid appearance when broken, like dried clay, and 
is full of cracks oe flits ; and is fuppoied to have been al¬ 
tered by the aftion of fire. 
4. Jafpis vulgaris, or common jafper: hardifh, ftiining- 
or polifhed internally, of one uniform colour, or veined 
or fpotted. Found in Germany,. Saxony, Silefia, Hun¬ 
gary, &c. in large compact mafles, fometimes coarfely in- 
terlperfed in alternate layers with other ftones, and often 
in. obtufe angular pieces; colours different fliades of black, 
white, yellow,, red, brown, and green; often variegated, 
fpotted, or veined, with feveral colours; is frequently en¬ 
riched with iron and gold ores, and admits a fine poliffi ; 
fra ft u re conchoidal, or fometimes imperfeftly foliated. 
Specific gravity from 2-53 to 2 - 70. 
Wood. Jafper. This variety is fo called from its general 
appearance, which often very accurately refembles petri¬ 
fied wood. In fome cafes this appearance is the refillt of 
the original formation of the fubitance; in others it teems 
to'luve arifen from the aftual depofition of filiceous in 
