By and by, instead of the wretched caves among the rocks, there was a
little town on the top of the hill, with neat houses and a market place;
and around it was a strong wall with a single narrow gate just where the
footpath began to descend to the plain. But as yet the place had no
name.
One morning while the king and his wise men were sitting together in the
market place and planning how to make the town become a rich, strong
city, two strangers were seen in the street. Nobody could tell how they
came there. The guard at the gate had not seen them; and no man had ever
dared to climb the narrow footway without his leave. But there the two
strangers stood. One was a man, the other a woman; and they were so
tall, and their faces were so grand and noble, that those who saw them
stood still and wondered and said not a word.
The man had a robe of purple and green wrapped round his body, and he
bore in one hand a strong staff with three sharp spear points at one
end. The woman was not beautiful, but she had wonderful gray eyes; and
in one hand she carried a spear and in the other a shield of curious
workmanship.
"What is the name of this town?" asked the man.
The people stared at him in wonder, and hardly understood his meaning.
Then an old man answered and said, "It has no name. We who live on this
hill used to be called Cranae; but since King Cecrops came, we have been
so busy that we have had no time to think of names."
"Where is this King Cecrops?" asked the woman.
"He is in the market place with the wise men," was the answer.
"Lead us to him at once," said the man.
When Cecrops saw the two strangers coming into the market place, he
stood up and waited for them to speak. The man spoke first:
"I am Neptune," said he, "and I rule the sea."
"And I am Athena," said the woman, "and I give wisdom to men."
"I hear that you are planning to make your town become a great city,"
said Neptune, "and I have come to help you. Give my name to the place,
and let me be your protector and patron, and the wealth of the whole
world shall be yours. Ships from every land shall bring you merchandise
and gold and silver; and you shall be the masters of the sea."
"My uncle makes you fair promises," said Athena; "but listen to me.
Give my name to your city, and let me be your patron, and I will give
you that which gold cannot buy: I will teach you how to do a thousand
things of which you now know nothing. I will make your city my favorite
home, and I will give you wisdom that shall sway the minds and hearts of
all men until the end of time."
The king bowed, and turned to the people, who had all crowded into the
market place. "Which of these mighty ones shall we elect to be the
protector and patron of our city?" he asked. "Neptune offers us wealth;
Athena promises us wisdom. Which shall we choose?"
"Neptune and wealth!" cried many.
"Athena and wisdom!" cried as many others.
At last when it was plain that the people could not agree, an old man
whose advice was always heeded stood up and said:
"These mighty ones have only given us promises, and they have promised
things of which we are ignorant. For who among us knows what wealth is
or what wisdom is? Now, if they would only give us some real gift, right
now and right here, which we can see and handle, we should know better
how to choose."
"That is true! that is true!" cried the people.
"Very well, then," said the strangers, "we will each give you a gift,
right now and right here, and then you may choose between us."
Neptune gave the first gift. He stood on the highest point of the hill
where the rock was bare, and bade the people see his power. He raised
his three-pointed spear high in the air, and then brought it down with
great force. Lightning flashed, the earth shook, and the rock was split
half way down to the bottom of the hill. Then out of the yawning crevice
there sprang a wonderful creature, white as milk, with long slender
legs, an arching neck, and a mane and tail of silk.
The people had never seen anything like it before, and they thought it a
new kind of bear or wolf or wild boar that had come out of the rock to
devour them. Some of them ran and hid in their houses, while others
climbed upon the wall, and still others grasped their weapons in alarm.
But when they saw the creature stand quietly by the side of Neptune,
they lost their fear and came closer to see and admire its beauty.
"This is my gift," said Neptune. "This animal will carry your burdens
for you; he will draw your chariots; he will pull your wagons and your
plows; he will let you sit on his back and will run with you faster than
the wind."
[Illustration: "OUT OF THE YAWNING CREVICE THERE SPRANG A WONDERFUL
CREATURE"]
"What is his name?" asked the king.
"His name is Horse," answered Neptune.
Then Athena came forward. She stood a moment on a green grassy plot
where the children of the town liked to play in the evening. Then she
drove the point of her spear deep down in the soil. At once the air was
filled with music, and out of the earth there sprang a tree with slender
branches and dark green leaves and white flowers and violet green fruit.
"This is my gift," said Athena. "This tree will give you food when you
are hungry; it will shelter you from the sun when you are faint; it will
beautify your city; and the oil from its fruit will be sought by all the
world."
"What is it called?" asked the king.
"It is called Olive," answered Athena.
Then the king and his wise men began to talk about the two gifts.
"I do not see that Horse will be of much use to us," said the old man
who had spoken before. "For, as to the chariots and wagons and plows, we
have none of them, and indeed do not know what they are; and who among
us will ever want to sit on this creature's back and be borne faster
than the wind? But Olive will be a thing of beauty and a joy for us and
our children forever."
"Which shall we choose?" asked the king, turning to the people.
"Athena has given us the best gift," they all cried, "and we choose
Athena and wisdom!"
"Be it so," said the king, "and the name of our city shall be Athens."
From that day the town grew and spread, and soon there was not room on
the hilltop for all the people. Then houses were built in the plain
around the foot of the hill, and a great road was built to the sea,
three miles away; and in all the world there was no city more fair than
Athens.
In the old market place on the top of the hill the people built a temple
to Athena, the ruins of which may still be seen. The olive tree grew and
nourished; and, when you visit Athens, people will show you the very
spot where it stood. Many other trees sprang from it, and in time became
a blessing both to Greece and to all the other countries round the great
sea. As for the horse, he wandered away across the plains towards the
north and found a home at last in distant Thessaly beyond the River
Peneus. And I have heard it said that all the horses in the world have
descended from that one which Neptune brought out of the rock; but of
the truth of this story there may be some doubts.
[Illustration]