To

junction to kill herself, to which, being now plunged into the utmost grief and defpair, fhe was by no means reluctant. effect her own deftruction with equal speed and certainty, the immediately afcended a fteep tower, with intent to throw herself headlong from it, and thus terminate her career of mifery. But just as fhe was on the point of executing her rash resolution, the benevo lent, but invifible, genius, who had hitherto attended her through all her fufferings, addreffed her in an audible voice from the tower, and bade her go to Tænarus, near Lacedæmon, where she would find a paffage by which fhe might defcend to the infernal regions ; enjoining her rigidly to obferve the following instructions during her journey thither and her return back.

She was ordered to provide herself with two cakes, (and the reader will recollect that cakes and water are at this day offered in India to the dead,) bearing one of them in each hand; he was likewife to carry with her two pieces of money, which were to be borne in her mouth; the was told that if fhe accidentally met in her way to the fhades any person who might be in diftrefs, and crave her affiftance, not to take any notice, but to obferve a reli

gious

gious filence, and pursue her journey; that, when the arrived at the infernal river, and Charon demanded his fee for ferrying her over, one of the pieces of money which she carried was his allotted fee, which the muft fuffer him to take out of her mouth; that she must pass without notice the numerous crouds of departed spirits who would cover the banks of Styx, and folicit relief from her; and that, when arrived at the gate of Proferpine's palace, fhe must give one of the cakes to the great dog that guarded it, who would let her pass into the interior court. She was informed that Proferpine would receive her with great kindness, and invite her to a noble entertainment, of which, however, fhe must by no means partake, but, fitting down upon the ground, make her folitary and abstemious repaft upon black bread. She must then inform her of the occafion of her vifit to that infernal kingdom, and, having folicited and received the precious cafket, muft hurry back with it to the regions of day.

On her return, the muft pacify Cerberus with the other cake, and fee Charon with the remaining piece of money, but must take efpecial care, during her return, not to be feduced by any confideration whatever to open

the

1

the cafket containing the portion of beauty fent by Porferpine to Venus. Pfyche fuccefsfully executed her dangerous errand, and punctually obeyed all the injunctions given her except the laft; to obferve that with equal fidelity proved too much for the powerful operations of female VANITY. She could not refift the inclination to examine the cafket, and appropriate to herself a small particle, at least, of the beauty intended to adorn the mother of Cupid.

Ah! too delufive vanity, of what nameless evils in every age haft thou been the unfortunate fource to the young and beautiful! With adventurous hand, in a luckless hour, the curious Pfyche opened the cafket, which, like the box of Pandora, contained nothing but mifery for its ill-fated poffeffor. Inftead of the rofe of eternal youth, instead of the bloom of unfading beauty, that casket was stored only with a deadly, infernal, foporiferous, vapour, which in an instant overpowered all her faculties, and fhe funk down upon the earth in a profound flumber. In that lethargic flumber she lay for fome time, nor ever would have awaked from it, had not Cupid, now fully appeafed and healed of his wound, fed out of the windows of his mother's palace, to feek

his

his dear, his long-loft, Pfyche. His wonder was as great as his anguish was exquisite, when he, at length, discovered her lying fast asleep upon the ground: but, immediately divining the caufe, he exerted the portion of divinity which he enjoyed by being the offspring of a deity, and burft the charm that bound her. He waked her by gently wounding her with the point of his arrow; he collected together the fumes of the deadly vapour which had isfued, and, returning them to the fatal casket, bade her carry it to his mother. He himself, in the mean time, winged his flight to heaven, and laid the whole affair before Jupiter. Jupiter immediately called an affembly of the gods, and, with the awful nod that shakes Olympus, not only himself confented to his marriage with Pfyche, but infifted that Venus fhould no longer oppofe their union. Mercury was dispatched in hafte to bring Pfyche up to heaven, and, the period of her terrestrial fojourning and probation being over, the drank ambrofia, and became IMMORTAL. fion of her apotheofis and nuptials, a magnificent banquet was prepared in heaven, at which all the gods were prefent, at which Apollo played upon the harp, and even Venus herfelf danced. Pfyche, thus folemnly reuni

On occa

ted

ted to Cupid, commenced a new career of happiness, not subject to interruption or decay; and the fruit of her renovated affection was a daughter, named PLEASURE; that is, celestial and eternal pleasure, opposed to that which is earthly and temporal.*

The general moral, intended to be inculcated throughout the preceding fable, must be obvious to the reader, although many of the circumstances recorded in it, being introduced merely for the fake of ornament, no direct or particular application can be made of every part of it. We can, however, collect from it, on the whole, that the ancient Greeks, like the brahmins, conceived there was no greater enemy to the foul, aspiring to the heights of purity and virtue, than carnal affection, fymbolized by Venus, whose servant CUSTOм drags us on against our better inclinations and refolutions to criminal indulgence, and then delivers us over, by the command of her mistress, to be tormented by her two other fervants, SORROW and ANXIETY. There are variety of defigns, on ancient gems and marbles, which still more ftrikingly and diftinctly explain their meaning on this point, and many of these may be feen in Mountfaucon and other collections.

*

X X X

Apuleii Metamorph. lib. vi. p. 135.