Impos'd a king with arbitrary sway,
To loose their fetters, or their force allay.

QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.

Who was Eolus, and where did he live?
What was his character as a philosopher?
What was generally believed of him?
How was he styled in consequence of this?
Give Virgil's fine description-

CHAPTER V.

MOMUS.

THE name of the god Momus is derived from the Greek, signifying a jester, mocker, or mimick; for that is his business. He follows no particular employment, but lives an idle life, yet nicely observes the actions and sayings of the other gods, and when he finds them doing amiss, or neglecting their duty, he censures, mocks and derides them with the greatest liberty.

Neptune, Vulcan, and Minerva, may witness the truth of this. They all contended for the mastery as the most skilful artificer: whereupon Neptune made a bull, Minerva a house, and Vulcan a man : Momus was appointed judge between them; but he chid them all three. He accused Neptune of imprudence, because he did not place the bull's horns in his forehead before his eyes: for then the bull might give a surer and a stronger blow. He blamed Minerva, because her house was immoveable; so that it could not be carried away, if by chance it was placed among bad neighbours. But he said that Vulcan was the most imprudent of them all, because he did not make a window in the man's breast, that we

might see what his thoughts were, whether he designed some trick, or whether he intended what he spoke.

The parents of Momus were Nox and Somnus. It is a sign of a dull, drowsy, sottish disposition, when we see a man satirizing and censuring the actions of all other men, because none but God is wholly perfect some imperfections attaches to every other being, so that every thing is defective and liable to blame.

QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.

What does the name of Momus signify?

How is he employed?

For what did Neptune, Vulcan, and Minerva contend? What was the decision of Momus with respect to their scveral performances?

Who were the parents of Momus?

What does a satirical temper indicate

CHAPTER VI.

OF THE TERRESTRIAL GODDESS VESTA.

VESTA, whom you see sitting and holding a drum is the wife of Coelum, and the mother of Saturn. She is the eldest of the goddesses, and is placed among the terrestrial goddesses, because she is the same with Terra, and has her name from *clothing; plants and fruits being the garments of the earth. Or, faccording to Ovid, the earth is called Vesta from its stability, because it supports itself. She

* Quod plantis frugibusque terra vestiatur.

"Stat vi terra sua, vestando Vesta vocatur."By its own strength supported Terra stands ; Hence it is Vesta nam'd.

-Fast. 6.

sits, because the earth is immoveable, and was supposed to be placed in the centre of the world. Vesta has a drum, because the earth contains the boisterous winds in its bosom; and divers flowers weave themselves into a crown, with which her head is crowned. Several kinds of animals creep about and fawn upon her. Because the earth is round, Vesta's temple at Rome was also round, and some say that the image of Vesta was orbicular in some places, but *Ovid says her image was rude and shapeless. And hence round tables were anciently called vestæ, because, like the earth, they supply all necessaries of life for us. It is no wonder that the first oblations in all sacrifices were offered to her, since whatever is sacrificed springs from the earth. And the Greeks both began and concluded their sacrifices with Vesta, whom they esteemed as the mother of all the gods.

er.

There were two Vestas, the elder and the youngThe first of whom I have been speaking was the wife of Coelum and the mother of Saturu. The second was the daughter of Saturn by his wife Rhea. And as the first is the same with Terra, so the other is the same with Ignis: and her power was exercised about altars and houses. The word vesta is often put for fire itself, for it is derived from a Greek word which signifies a chimney, a house, or household goods. She is esteemed the president and guardian of houses, and one of the household deities; not without reason, since she invented the art of building houses: and, therefore, an image of Vesta, to which they sacrificed every day, was placed before the doors of the houses at Rome: and the places where these statues were set up were called vestibula, from Vesta.

* "Effigiem nullam Vesta nec ignis habet." No image Vesta's shape can e'er express,

Or fire's