bride, her ambitious fifter immediately hurried away to the rocky eminence, whence the had formerly been wafted to the palace of Cupid; and, not doubting but that the fame zephyr would fafely transport her thither, the let herself drop down from the summit, and was dafhed in pieces on the rocks below. Shortly after, meeting the other fifter, fhe deluded her with the fame ftory, and she also miferably perished in the fame fnare. In this respect Pfyche was not actuated by the dictates of her accustomed benevolence; but, let it be remembered, her wrongs were trying. and aggravated; and, when once VIRTUE is fled, RAGE and REVENGE, with a thousand other turbulent paffions, rush in unrefifted upon the defenceless foul. In the mean time, Venus incenfed beyond measure both at the failure of her fcheme for Pfyche's deftruction, and at the torments which Cupid fuffered from his wound, refolved to find out her rival upon earth, and inflict upon her the most exemplary vengeance. That unhappy exile was ftill traverfing the earth in search of her dear Cupid, and accidentally coming to a temple of Ceres, the collected from a neighbouring corn-field a few ears of loose grain, and devoutly offered them up up to that goddess, earnestly entreating her to take an unhappy female under her protection, and fhield her from the menaced fury of the mother of Cupid. Ceres vouchfafed her no other answer than that she would not be actively hoftile to her, nor betray the path of her flight to Venus. She met with nearly the fame reply from Juno, at whofe shrine she afterwards paid homage, and offered facrifice. At length she refolved to proftrate herself before the cruel Venus herfelf, with whom it was poffible the might find Cupid, who, fhe flattered herself, would relent at her tears, and prevail on his mother to relent alfo. In both thefe expectations fhe was cruelly disappointed; for, when he came to her temple, the haughty vindictive goddess refused to receive, as a fuppliant, her whofe crimes no repentance could obliterate, no prayers atone for, no tears expunge. She was determined to feize her as a victim, but that the thought it beneath her dignity to do at a time when fhe came to her altars in a humble and fupplicating posture. She therefore afcended Olympus, and entreated Jupiter to dispatch Mercury to bring Pfyche before her as a guilty criminal destined to appease the vengeance of an infulted goddess. Before Before the swift Mercury could execute his cruel miffion, CUSTOм, one of the confidential domeftics of Venus, happened to meet with Pfyche, and, feizing her, dragged her by the hair of her head to her mistress. Venus, the instant she saw her rival, in a paroxyfm of rage, flew at her, tore her beautiful and flowing treffes, and rent in pieces her filken robe; violently beating her about the head and wounding that face whofe exquifite beauty had won from her fo many admirers. But this was not all, Pfyche was now under the abfolute dominion of Venus, (ILLICIT LOVE,) who makes mere drudges of her votaries, and subJECTS THEM TO THE MOST PAINFUL AND TOILSOME SERVITUDE.' The first talk which Venus, the mater fæva cupidinum, impofed upon the beautiful Pfyche, was to feparate into diftinct parcels an immenfe heap of grains intermixed, confifting of wheat, barley, millet, poppies, peas, lentils, and beans, all promifcuously jumbled together. She was enjoined to perform this tedious and difficult task before night, and Venus appointed two others of her attendants, SORROW and ANXIETY, to be her vigilant guardians and companions. Pfyche was thunderstruck at this fevere injunction, to perform, within within so short a period, what she conceived to be totally impracticable in the course of a prolonged life, and remained, for fome time, in ftupid infenfibility. But a brood of induftrious ants who tenanted a neighbouring hillock, hearing the injunction, took compaffion upon her, and feparated the grain for her within the allotted time. The fecond task enjoined her was to fetch her fevere tyrant a lock of golden wool from certain sheep that, fed on the steep and almoft-inacceffible banks of a broad and rapid river, which must be paffed before fhe could reach the demanded object. Pfyche defpairing of being able either to pass the stream, or obtain the lock of golden wool, was just on the point of again attempting to drown herself, when a reed foftly whispered certain articulate founds, from which fhe learned how to get poffeffion of the wool without danger, which fhe in confequence obtained, and exultingly bore to Venus. All this ready and punctual performance of tasks, fcarcely practicable by human nature, was of no avail; Venus feemed to rife in the severity of her injunctions, in proportion to the promptitude of Pfyche to execute them; and fhe now orders her to fetch her a pitcher of black and deadly water that issued from a fountain fountain guarded by dragons. As fhe was confidering with herfelf how this, the most terrible of her mandates yet iffued, was to be accomplished, an eagle, pouncing down from above, with his talons fnatched the pitcher from her trembling hand, then, foaring away to the appointed fountain, filled it, and brought it back to Pfyche, who carried it to Venus, and hoped that now, at least, her labours and forrows would have their final confummation. But what pencil can adequately paint the horrors of the exhaufted Pfyche, when, instead of being instantly admitted to her forgiveness and the enjoyment of her former communion with Cupid, the received immediate and pofitive orders to vifit the gloomy fubterraneous regions of Pluto, and request of Proferpine a casket which might contain a portion of the beauty of the Stygian queen, to repair what Venus herself had loft by her anxiety and exertion in curing the wound of Cupid. She was commanded to use dispatch on this embassy, fince there was fhortly to be an affembly of the gods, in which it was impoffible for Venus to appear with beauty the leaft impaired. Pfyche, ignorant of any other way of visiting the infernal region than by death, interpreted this order into an in junction + |