Iobates, King, Gods, Youth, Death, Chim Bellerophon, or
Bellerophontes, was the son of Glaucus, king of Corinth, and
grandson of Sisyphus. In consequence of an unpremeditated murder
Bellerophon fled to Tiryns, where he was kindly received by King
Prœtus, who purified him from his crime. Antea, the wife of
Prœtus, was so charmed with the comely youth that she fell in
love with him; but Bellerophon did not return her affection, and
she, in revenge, slandered him to the king by a gross
misrepresentation of the facts. The first impulse of Prœtus,
when informed of the conduct of Bellerophon, was to kill him;
but the youth, with his gentle and winning manners, had so
endeared himself to his host that he felt it impossible to take
his life with his own hands. He therefore sent him to his
father-in-law, Iobates, king of Lycia, with a kind of letter or
tablet which contained mysterious signs, indicating his desire
that the bearer of the missive should be put to death. But the
gods watched over the true and loyal youth