cus-you look thirsty, sir-steady, you fiery colts-Proserpine, the Misses Danaides-daughters of a king, my dear, and eminent collaborators with Tantalus, in the liquid cause-deep in the science of water power-Ladies, our new queen will give out cards for a ball, as soon as she is rested from her journey. Lord Sysiphus, my love a great mineralogist. Hippodamia, we must tax thy dutiful loyalty to set down that water pitcher, and do us a few errands. Let our people hear the news, and share their sovereign's joy. tice Minos, and desire him to hasten to the palace to draw a marriage settlement-carry Mr. Tantalus a bottle of hocktell him, I say he must drink it—set Ixion's wheel turning the other way-drive the vultures from off old Tityus, and tell all the souls to rest themselves and be happy; this is our royal wedding-day, and our bridal shall be a jubilee, by the Styx! First see chief jus Smack, went the whip, and on dashed the royal vehicle, burning the tracks of its rapid course in lines of vivid lightning. THE SUBMISSION. Within an iron chamber, deep in the sombre palace, were crouching three old women, sitting and spinning, sad, solemn, sullen, sulky, scandalous. The threads those women spun, were of no earthly texture; the hands that held that distaff, were of no terrene mould, no mortal fingers they that shut those bright edged scissors, opened and shut, and cut the fated thread of human life. Mournfully, mysteriously, went round your magic wheel, ye priestesses of Destiny, when Hell received your mistress, rival, and queen. Why should gangrenous jealousy corrupt the eternal Parca? Why pales their sinking cheek, why fades their ancient eye, why falls their thin red hair, all matted on their bony necks, reeking with proofs of recent lack of combs, and clean rain water! Proserpine sleeps on Pluto's neck, and Erebus rejoices. Now haste, the bridal bed bedeck, ye ghosts lift up your voices; fill high with vinum Samium, and swell the glad Epithalamium, High on a throne, which carpenters far famed, on earth, of yore, but now mechanic ghosts, had temporary raised upon a hill, covered with carpets, Brussels and Ingrain, Pluto exalted sat; by twelve steps raised to that good eminence; and, from his seat, the summoned myriads of his realm surveyed, Tartarean and Elysian. By his side, queenly, his bride sat wondering at the shades, jostling, and for good places eager pressing. As, when from senior's pews, the silken gowned step glorious, and o'erspread the covered stage, on glad commencement-day-day of relief from board with circles chalked, and conic sections-solemn, grave Præses sits, and Latin talks, and morals; in the body of the church, sound fans incessant, beating the hot air; while youth, ingenuous, plies the elbow. 66 The monarch, by the sight uplifted, slowly rose, and murmuring plaudits rumbled through the crowd as he began to speak. Spirits and ghosts, our subjects dutiful"—but here, a sudden clap of interposing thunder stopped the begun infliction, announcing unexpectedly, a messenger from Jove. Mercury knelt at the feet of the king, and handed him a let ter. Pale Proserpine trembled, while Pluto, muttering, broke the seal, and swore, in a low tone-and loud Alecto laughed, shaking her tied up snakes,-tied with white ribbons, for the bridal-as o'er his royal shoulder, bending joyous, she read the following epistle. VOL. II.-2 "Dear Plute, "This a cursed bad business of yours about Proserpine. Ceres is raising the very Old Nick, up here, and we shall have no quiet until you let the girl go. I have had to promise the old woman, that if her daughter has not eaten, since you have had her,—you know what that means-you shall give her up entirely, but if she has tasted food on your premises, that-then-then she shall divide her time, half yearly, between you and her mother. Come, now, that's an equitable decision-don't appeal, you shall have the first six months, my boy Thy affectionate brother, JOVE OMNIP." "P. S. Send me a box of good pocket matches-I'm quite out-how are you off for nectar? J." "She has eaten, she has eaten,” blabbed mean Ascalaphus, young grey-eyed imp, delighted at the chance to do his master service. "She has eaten, she has eaten, within the Elysian fields; in the shadow of an arbor I was sitting, when the queen, on her tiptoe stretching up, plucked a nectarine, and ate it !" Another peal of thunder! The snakes upon the heads of the furies hissed and grinned, and Mercury flew back to hea ven. CLASSIC RHAPSODIES. NO. II. A ROMAN CHARIOT RACE. BY M. T. CICERO. To the Spirit of the Turf and Soul of the Times. I SEND the enclosed with an apology for not translating ALL the Latin. My plea is, that some friend has miscellaneously borrowed my dictionary. Don't expect, however, to be troubled again, in this way, for I have written to Tully that he has more time to study the people's American than I have to figure out the Consul's Latin, and that the next chapter be all in our vernacular.* Yours respectfully, J. CYPRESS, Jr. * That is rather a lame excuse for a man who means to trot fair. What is it but saying "my groom left the stable door open and somebody stole my saddle?"—But what can WE do? will some of the legal branches of our tree of knowledge let a small apple of advice fall into our lap? Seven and sixpence we paid to a night-school-teacher to dig into one of our ministerial imps, how to render an account current of the stuff into our vernacular. We forbear to do more than to add the render-the get. Here it is! "Cicero in Elysium-heathen E-next door to-vide Virgil :— Taking his comfort, "To Porter, of all joys the gentle guardian,— Times chronicler, magnificent and Spirit dear : Court, Chief, of Wagner and Old Whitenose, Justice of, And Jove knows what else not * * * * -Taking the shine off every common chariot- L. L. D.-O. K., &c. &c. &c. "Respectfully and profoundly, "With sentiments of the highest consideration, CICERO, in Elysio, jucunditatem imbibens, PORTERO, gaudiorum janitori Temporum spiritui, magnifico, carissimo, Stadiorum, Wagnerorum, Bostonium, gubernatori, Splendorem abstrahenti omnibus loaferibus ordinariis -&c. &c. &c. Salutem. Quantum dolorem acceperim, et quanto fructu sim privatus et forensi et domestico,-Cato and Socrates who room with me take on dreadfully about it,-Aquila canoe ab illa dirutione infelicissimâ, tertio cursu, te præsente flenteque, besides the burst up of the match between Wagner and Boston, and old Eclipse colting on his former laurels as though he was stadii functus officio;-—and not a heroic stallion to adjure by, on the course, imprimis, pro nostra consuetudine existimare potes. Next, all that I have to say, is, that I send you an account of an old race that was run a little way out of town when I practised law in Rome. It was just before Cataline abused my patience so that I had to kick him out of the house. Sceleratus! Snakes! Infernissimus! Fire and tow! Inter infernos! I won seven thousand Aurei Denarii-none of your patent "How much grief I have been cursed with, and how much enjoyment I have been deprived of, both domestic and forensic"-then comes some English-after that-" by that infernal break down of Grey Eagle on the third heat, you being present and weeping-more Latin-stadii functus officio'--used up-then a little more English, to the word 'course' inclusive, then, in the first place read IMPRIMIS'-which every body knows by heart :-go on according to our fashion, my dear fellow.' The rest is easy as losing a bet. Do you want to go on any thing privately? Put up your currency. The dew will rust it. Peace, the swifest kind of horses -a Westly Richards fowling piece of the last and most ample build, rod and hooks lucky, and most of all a mistress true and beautiful be with you." That's pretty much the story. The note is rather familiar than modest. But, as we said before, what can we do? Cicero writes, and we can't lose a word of the letter. We shall call our next colt "Atticus," after ourselves.-EDITORS. |