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She is cloathed with a purple mantle, glittering with diamonds. Refulgent with a rofy crown, the is attended by two Cupids. The Graces ftand round her, and the lovely Adonis follows after, gently holding up her train. Her chariot is of ivory finely carved, beautifully painted and gilt, fashioned in the form of a fhell, and drawn by fwans, doves and fwallows, or, fometimes by fparrows, as the directs, when fhe pleases to mount it.

She is faid to have fprung from the froth of the fea; and being laid in a fhell, as it were in a cradle, to have been drawn by Zephyrus upon the island of Cyprus, where he was educated. When she grew up, fhe was carried into heaven, and presented to the gods, who, being taken with her beauty, all strove to marry her; but at last she was betrothed to Vulcan, to whom afterwards fhe was given in wedlock.

The companions of Venus, were Hymæneus, the god of marriage, and Cupid, the god of love. She is called the Lesbian Queen, from Lesbos, in the ifland of Cyprus.

On a dispute, at a feaft of the gods, between Juno, Pallas, and Venus, for the pre-eminence of beauty, Jupiter, not being able to bring them to an agreement, referred the decifion to Paris, a

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fhepherd on Mount Ida, with directions that a golden apple should be given to the faireft. Paris determined the prize in favour of Venus, and affigned to her the golden reward. Venus, in return for this fingular regard to her, promised Paris Helena, the fairest beauty in the world. Paris failed into Greece with a great fleet, and brought away Helen, who had been betrothed to Menelaus, King of Sparta; but he being then abfent, Paris carried her away with him to Troy, which brought on the famous fiege of that city.

CHAP. XXXII.

OF THE TERRESTRIAL DEITIES, TITAN, VUL CAN, AND JANUS.

TITAN, the elder brother of Saturn, though

not a god, claims the first place, being the elder fon of Coelus and Terra; and on agreement with Jupiter, his younger brother, he yielded to him his birthright, as is before mentioned. His fons were the Giants, called from him Titans.

VULCAN,

VULCAN, the husband of Venus, was fon of Jupiter and Juno; but being born deformed, he was cast down from heaven by Jupiter, as foon as he was born, and in the fall broke his leg. He was the god of fubterraneous fires, and prefided over metals.

He first made his addreffes to Minerva, and was refufed by her. He afterwards married Venus, but that goddess difregarded him for his deformity.

Vulcan made the chariot of the Sun, and fupplied Jupiter with thunder. He fixed his forges on mount Etna, but chiefly in the island Lemnos, where he worked for the gods, and taught the ĥatives the art of working iron by fire. His forgemen were the Cyclops, who are reprefented as having one eye only, in the middle of their forehead. Apollo, it is faid, flew them all, for having forged the thunder, with which Jupiter ftruck Æfculapius, the god of phyfic.

The principal temple of Vulcan was on mount Etna, and he is painted with a hat of blue colour, the fymbol of fire. He was called Mulciber, or, Multifer, from his foftening and polishing iron.

JANUS, the fon of Calus and Hecate, had a double face and forehead in one and the fame head. Hence he got the name of the two-faced god, and

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was faid to see things placed behind his back, as well as before his face. In his right hand he holds a key, and in his left a rod; and beneath his feet are twelve altars.

The temple of Janus, at Rome, was held in ' great veneration, and was kept open in the time of war, and shut in the time of peace. It is remarkable, that, within the space of seven hundred years, this temple was fhut only thrice: once by Numa; afterwards by the confuls Marcus Attilius and Titus Manlius, after a league ftruck up with the Car-· thaginians; and, lastly, by Auguftus, after the victory of Actium.

CHA P. XXXIII.

OF THE TERRESTRIAL GODDESSES, LATONA, DIANA, AND CERES,

ATONA was the daughter of Phoebe, and Caus the Titan. On account of her great beauty, fhe was beloved of Jupiter, by whom' fhe had Diana and Apollo.

DIANA, goddefs of hunting, was the daughter of Ceres and Jupiter, and fifter of Apollo.

She is

ufually

ufually painted in a hunting habit, with a bow in her hand, a quiver full of arrows hanging down from her fhoulders, and her breaft covered with the fkin of a deer. She was the goddess of hunting and chastity.

She has three different names, and as many offices. In the heavens the is called Luna and Phoebe, on the earth Diana, and in hell Hecate. In the heavens fhe enlightens all things by her On the earth fhe fubdues all the wild beafts, by her. bow and darts; and in hell keeps in fubjection the ghosts and spirits, by her power and authority.

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Many temples were erected to this goddess, of which, that of Ephefus was the chief. The woods, groves, and forefts, were alfo confecrated to her.

Altern, grandfon of Cadmus, a famous hunter, intruding himself, whilft Diana was bathing in a fountain, the goddefs changed him into a stag, and he was devoured by his dogs *.

CERES, the daughter of Saturn and Ops, is reprefented as a lady, tall in ftature, venerable with majesty, beautified with yellow hair, and crowned with a turban, compofed of the ears of corn. She holds in her right hand a burning torch, and in her left, a handful of poppies and ears of corn.

* Ovid.

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