No , no ; let him go by sea . '' But when Theseus heard of robbers and monsters , he pricked up his ears , and was so much the more eager to take the road along which they were to be met with . On the third day , therefore , he bade a respectful farewell to his grandfather , thanking him for all his kindness ; and , after affectionately embracing his mother , he set forth with a good many of her tears glistening on his cheeks , and some , if the truth must be told , that had gushed out of his own eyes . But he let the sun and wind dry them , and walked stoutly on , playing with the golden hilt of his sword , and taking very manly strides in his father 's sandals . I can not stop to tell you hardly any of the adventures that befell Theseus on the road to Athens . It is enough to say , that he quite cleared that part of the country of the robbers about whom King Pittheus had been so much alarmed . One of these bad people was named Procrustes ; and he was indeed a terrible fellow , and had an ugly way of making fun of the poor travelers who happened to fall into his clutches . In his cavern he had a bed , on which , with great pretense of hospitality , he invited his guests to lie down ; but , if they happened to be shorter than the bed , this wicked villain stretched them out by main force ; or , if they were too tall , he lopped off their heads or feet , and laughed at what he had done , as an excellent joke . Thus , however weary a man might be , he never liked to lie in the bed of Procrustes . Another of these robbers , named Scinis , must likewise have been a very great scoundrel . He was in the habit of flinging his victims off a high cliff into the sea ; and , in order to give him exactly his deserts , Theseus tossed him off the very same place . But if you will believe me , the sea would not pollute itself by receiving such a bad person into its bosom ; neither would the earth , having once got rid of him , consent to take him back ; so that , between the cliff and the sea , Scinis stuck fast in the air , which was forced to bear the burden of his naughtiness . After these memorable deeds , Theseus heard of an enormous sow , which ran wild , and was the terror of all the farmers round about ; and , as he did not consider himself above doing any good thing that came in his way , he killed this monstrous creature , and gave the carcass to the poor people for bacon . The great sow had been an awful beast , while ramping about the woods and fields , but was a pleasant object enough when cut up into joints , and smoking on I know not how many dinner tables . Thus , by the time he reached his journey 's end , Theseus had done many valiant feats with his father 's golden-hilted sword , and had gained the renown of being one of the bravest young men of the day . His fame traveled faster than he did , and reached Athens before him . As he entered the city , he heard the inhabitants talking at the street corners , and saying that Hercules was brave , and Jason too , and Castor and Pollux likewise , but that Theseus , the son of their own king , would turn out as great a hero as the best of them . Theseus took longer strides on hearing this , and fancied himself sure of a magnificent reception at his father 's court , since he came thither with Fame to blow her trumpet before him , and cry to King Aegeus , `` Behold your son ! '' He little suspected , innocent youth that he was , that here , in this very Athens , where his father reigned , a greater danger awaited him than any which he had encountered on the road . Yet this was the truth .
You must understand that the father of Theseus , though not very old in years , was almost worn out with the cares of government , and had thus grown aged XXXXX his time .
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