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the temple of Apollo. And immediately Menelaus, having established him with great attendance, sailed away to Crete, leaving him in his own palace. While Menelaus was staying in Crete sacrificing to Asterian Zeus and to Europa in the city of Gortyn, it happened that 95 Helen went down into the garden of her palace to be seen with Aethra, the kinswoman of Menelaus from Pelops and of Clytemnestra from the race of Europa. But Paris, peeking into the garden and having paid attention to the beauty of Helen and her youth, being struck with love for her, and through Aethra the kinswoman of Menelaus the Pelopid and of Clytemnestra from the race of Europa, having seduced Helen, took her and fled by means of the ships he had with him from Troy with three hundred pounds of money and many precious ornaments and silver, together with Aethra of the race of Pelops and Clytemnestra of the race of Europa and 5 of her chamber-maid slaves. And he crossed over to Sidon, and from there to Proteus, king of Egypt, no longer going to the temple of Apollo and making the sacrifice in Greece. But the soldiers guarding the palace of Menelaus, having learned of Helen's flight, being afraid, immediately sent three soldiers from the city of Sparta in Greece to the city of Gortyn in Crete to announce to king Menelaus the theft of Helen by Paris, and that with her he also took Aethra his kinswoman and that of Clytemnestra. And upon hearing this, Menelaus remained as if dumbfounded; for he was very grieved on account of Aethra; for she 96 had a reputation with him as being very prudent. And immediately sailing down he returned to Greece to the city of Sparta, sending everywhere in search of Helen and Paris and those with her. And they did not find them. But after a time, Paris came from Egypt, having Helen and her money and all her wealth. And Priam and Hecuba, having seen Helen with Paris and that she had such beauty, wondering, inquired of her who she was or of whom she was a descendant. And Helen said, "I am a kinswoman of Alexander, also called Paris, and am more related to Priam and Hecuba, and not to Menelaus, the son of Plisthenes; for she said that she herself was of the race of Danaus and Agenor the Sidonians and from the race of Priam, from his own race. for from Plesione, the daughter of Danaus, were born Atlas and Electra, from whom came king Dardanus, from whom came Tros and the kings of Ilium. and through Phoenix, the son of Agenor, whose descendant was king Dynas, the father of Hecuba; and she said that Leda too was from the race of Dynas. And having said these things to Priam and Hecuba, Helen asked them, making them swear not to betray her, and saying that she had taken none of Menelaus's things, but said she had only 97 her own. And then Hecuba, embracing her, kissed her tenderly and clung to her more than to all others. And Agamemnon and Menelaus, having learned of Helen's arrival in Troy with Paris, sent ambassadors for Helen to be returned; for her sister Clytemnestra also troubled her own husband Agamemnon, the king of Argos, on account of the coming of Helen, her sister; she also wrote a letter to her and gave it to Menelaus, who was to persuade Helen. And Menelaus came to Priam seeking Helen, his own wife, before the war; and the sons of Priam were not persuaded to give her up. And so the kings, the sons of Atreus, marched against Ilium, urging on the champions, that is, the toparchs. And they prevailed upon Peleus and his wife, Thetis, and her father Chiron, the philosopher king, to provide them with Achilles, the son of Thetis and of this same Peleus, a descendant of

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τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος. καὶ εὐθέως ὁ Μενέλαος καταστήσας αὐτὸν ἐν πολλῇ θεραπείᾳ ἀπέπλευσεν ἐπὶ τὴν Κρήτην, ἐάσας αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ ἴδιον παλάτιον. Ἐν τῷ δὲ διάγειν τὸν Μενέλαον ἐπὶ τὴν Κρήτην θυσιάζοντα ∆ιὶ Ἀστερίῳ καὶ τῇ Εὐρώπῃ ἐν τῇ Γορτύνῃ πόλει συνέβη τὴν 95 Ἑλένην κατελθεῖν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ παλατίου αὐτῆς εἰς τὸ ἐωρισθῆναι μετὰ τῆς Αἴθρας τῆς συγγενίδος τοῦ Μενελάου ἐκ Πέλοπος καὶ τῆς Κλυταιμνήστρας ἐκ γένους τῆς Εὐρώπης. ὁ δὲ Πάρις παρακύψας εἰς τὸν παράδεισον καὶ προσεσχηκὼς τῷ κάλλει τῆς Ἑλένης καὶ τὴν νεότητα, βληθεὶς ἔρωτι εἰς αὐτὴν καὶ διὰ τῆς Αἴθρας τῆς συγγενίδος Μενελάου τῆς Πελοπίδος καὶ τῆς Κλυταιμνήστρας ἐκ γένους τῆς Εὐρώπης ὑπονοθεύσας τὴν Ἑλένην, ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἔφυγε διὰ τῶν εἶχε μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ πλοίων ἐκ τῆς Τροίης μετὰ χρημάτων λιτρῶν τριακοσίων καὶ κόσμου πολλοῦ πολυτίμου καὶ ἀργύρου ἅμα τῆς Αἴθρας τῆς ἐκ γένους τοῦ Πέλοπος καὶ τῆς Κλυταιμνήστρας τῆς ἐκ γένους Εὐρώπης καὶ εʹ δουλίδων κουβικουλαρίων αὐτῆς. καὶ ἀντεπέρασεν εἰς τὴν Σιδῶνα, κἀκεῖθεν πρὸς τὸν Πρωτέα, βασιλέα τῆς Αἰγύπτου, μηκέτι ἀπελθὼν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ ποιήσας τὴν θυσίαν ἐν Ἑλλάδι. μεμαθηκότες δὲ οἱ φυλάττοντες τὸ παλάτιον Μενελάου στρατιῶται τὴν τῆς Ἑλένης φυγήν, φοβούμενοι εὐθέως ἐξέπεμψαν στρατιώτας τρεῖς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Σπάρτου τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἐν τῇ Γορτύνῃ πόλει τῆς Κρήτης ἀπαγγελοῦντας τῷ Μενελάῳ βασιλεῖ τὴν κλοπὴν τῆς Ἑλένης τὴν ὑπὸ Πάριδος, καὶ ὅτι μετ' αὐτῆς ἔλαβε καὶ τὴν Αἴθραν τὴν συγγενίδα αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς Κλυταιμνήστρας. καὶ ἀπέμεινεν ἀκούσας ὁ Μενέλαος ὡς ἔξηχος· πολὺ γὰρ ἐλυπήθη διὰ τὴν Αἴθραν· ἦν γὰρ 96 ἔχουσα ὑπόληψιν παρ' αὐτῷ σώφρονος πάνυ. καὶ εὐθέως καταπλεύσας ὑπέστρεψεν ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι ἐν πόλει Σπάρτῳ, πανταχοῦ πέμπων εἰς ἀναζήτησιν τῆς Ἑλένης καὶ τοῦ Πάριδος καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτῆς. καὶ οὐχ εὗρον. Μετὰ δὲ χρόνον ἦλθεν ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ὁ Πάρις ἔχων τὴν Ἑλένην καὶ τὰ χρήματα καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον ὅλον τὸν αὐτῆς. ὁ δὲ Πρίαμος καὶ ἡ Ἑκάβη ἑωρακότες τὴν Ἑλένην μετὰ Πάριδος καὶὅτι τοιοῦτον εἶχε κάλλος θαυμάζοντες, ἐπυνθάνοντο παρ' αὐτῆς τίς εἴη ἢ τίνων ἀπόγονος. ἡ δὲ Ἑλένη ἔφη Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ καὶ Πάριδός εἰμι συγγενίς, καὶ μᾶλλον προσήκειν Πριάμῳ καὶ τῇ Ἑκάβῃ, καὶ οὐ τῷ Πλεισθένους υἱῷ Μενελάῳ· ∆αναοῦ γὰρ ἔφη καὶ Ἀγήνορος τῶν Σιδονίων καὶ ἐκ γένους τοῦ Πριάμου καὶ αὐτὴν ὑπάρχειν ἐκ τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ. ἐκ Πλησιόνης γὰρ τῆς ∆αναοῦ θυγατρὸς ἐγενήθη ὁ Ἄτλας καὶ ἡ Ἠλέκτρα, ἐξ ἧς ὁ ∆άρδανος βασιλεύς, ἐξ οὗ ὁ Τρῶος καὶ οἱ τοῦ Ἰλίου βασιλεῖς. καὶ διὰ Φοίνικα, τὸν Ἀγήνορος υἱόν, οὗτινος ἐγένετο ἀπόγονος ∆ύνας βασιλεύς, ὁ Ἑκάβης πατήρ· ἐκ τοῦ γένους δὲ τοῦ ∆ύνα καὶ ἡ Λήδα ἔλεγεν εἶναι. ταῦτα δὲ εἰποῦσα ἡ Ἑλένη τῷ Πριάμῳ καὶ τῇ Ἑκάβῃ ᾔτησεν αὐτοὺς ὁρκώσασα μὴ προδοθῆναι, καὶ λέγουσα μηδὲν τῶν Μενελάου εἰληφέναι, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἴδια 97 μόνα ἔλεγεν ἔχειν. καὶ λοιπὸν ἡ Ἑκάβη περιλαβοῦσα αὐτὴν κατεφίλει καὶ πλείω πάντων αὐτῆς ἀντείχετο. Γνόντες δὲ οἱ περὶ Ἀγαμέμνονα καὶ Μενέλαον τὴν τῆς Ἑλένης ἐπὶ τὴν Τροίην μετὰ Πάριδος παρουσίαν, ἔπεμψαν πρέσβεις ἀποδοθῆναι τὴν Ἑλένην· ὤχλει γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς Κλυταιμνήστρα τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀνδρὶ Ἀγαμέμνονι, τῷ βασιλεῖ τοῦ Ἄργους, διὰ τὸ ἐλθεῖν τὴν Ἑλένην, τὴν αὐτῆς ἀδελφήν· ἥτις καὶ ἐποίησε πρὸς αὐτὴν γράμματα καὶ ἔδωκε Μενελάῳ ὀφείλοντα πεῖσαι τὴν Ἑλένην. καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ Μενέλαος πρὸς Πρίαμον ζητῶν τὴν Ἑλένην, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα, πρὸ τοῦ πολέμου· καὶ οὐκ ἐπείσθησαν οἱ Πριαμίδαι δοῦναι αὐτήν. καὶ λοιπὸν ἐπεστράτευσαν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰλίου οἱ Ἀτρεῖδαι βασιλεῖς, προμάχους, ἤτοι τοπάρχας, προτρεπόμενοι. καὶ ἐδυσώπησαν τὸν Πηλέα καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ γυναῖκα, τὴν Θέτιν, καὶ τὸν αὐτῆς πατέρα Χείρωνα, τὸν φιλόσοφον βασιλέα, παρασχεῖν αὐτοῖς τὸν Ἀχιλλέα, υἱὸν τῆς Θέτιδος καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Πηλέως, ἔκγονον δὲ