she found was dedicated to the goddess Juno, to whom she immediately knelt and prayed for aid. But Juno also had her own reasons for not offending Venus, though she hid them under the pretext of love for so near a relation, and of exceeding respect for the law that forbade her harbouring the servant of another deity; wherefore she begged to be excused, and requested the suppliant would about her business.

go

Thus repulsed on all sides, Psyche went straight to the house of Venus, when she was seized by an old servant, hight CUSTOM, and dragged before her enraged mistress, who, to say the truth, quite forgot the goddess in her wrath, and railed like any kitchen wench.“ Ha, ha!” quoth she, laughing bitterly, and shaking her head after the manner of angry folks-"you have at last condescended to visit your mother-in-law?-or, perhaps, you have come to look after your husband? Set your heart at rest; I will receive you like a true stepmother. What, ho there!—where are my servants, Anxiety and Sorrow? let them take this creature and scourge her soundly." Accordingly they took her away and treated her despiteously; yet still Venus was not satisfied, but flew upon her like a tigress, tearing her hair and clothes and beating her, protesting all the time that the marriage was illegal, that she had no mind to be a grandmother at her years, and that her son was unworthy of the name. When at length she was weary of this amusement, she bethought herself of a better mode of punishment, and said, "the truth is, you are so abominably ugly that you can only hope to gain favour by being useful; wherefore you must separate the wheat, barley, millet, and vetches, that are mingled in yonder heap, each from the other, arranging them in several piles, and that before night-fall."

Psyche was now left alone; feeling however that to

accomplish such a task was impossible, she did not make the attempt, but folded her arms and sate down in silent despair. Then came forth the little Emmet, and pitying her sad estate, he called to him all the ants of the land, and in an eloquent speech informed them who Psyche was, and how cruelly she had been treated. More independent, or more compassionate, than Ceres or Juno, they listened to his words and agreed to do as he desired, wave after wave of the seven-footed race pouring in, and toiling hither and thither to divide the several sorts of grain and put them into proper order. Having accomplished this, they retired as swiftly as they had come.

Late at night Venus returned from the banquet, her hair dropping wine and odours, but seeing her orders fulfilled she was more wrath than ever, and by the morning had bethought herself of a new wile, that she thought full surely must destroy her victim. "Seest thou," she said, "yonder meadows bordered by the river, and the golden-fleeced sheep that feed there without any one to guard them? I desire that at all hazards you bring me a flock of that golden wool."

At this command Psyche arose and went her way, not to do as she had been bidden, but to find a rest from care and sorrow by throwing herself into the water. Then a green reed, the sweet nurse of music, became divinely inspired by the breath of the wind, and spoke to her from the river:- -"O Psyche, I pray you pollute not my stream by your death, nor yet venture near those fearful sheep, for so long as the sun shines upon them their nature is fierce to madness, and they butt at all who approach with sharp horns and foreheads as hard as iron. Hide therefore by me under this green plane-tree till the heat of the day is over, and they have refreshed themselves in the water, when their wildness will be abated, and you may

safely gather the wool that they have left hanging upon

the briers."

And Psyche did as the friendly reed advised, and brought back a quantity of the golden fleece to Venus, who, however, was as far from being satisfied as before. Convinced that Psyche must have been somehow assisted by Cupid, although he was safely locked up in his chamber, she now said, "Seest thou yonder rock from which a black torrent is pouring down, that supplies the Stygian Lake? go thither, and fill me this crystal urn from the source of the waters."

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Again Psyche left the presence of her hard task-mistress, sure at least of finding an end to all her miseries. Indeed nothing seemed more likely before her stretched a huge mass of steep ragged rocks, down which the waters rushed, and which it was madness to think of ascending, besides that the source was guarded by dragons, whose eyes never slept, while the waves roared and clamoured, -"away with thee! away! or thou art lost." Poor Psyche was too much terrified at this tremendous scene to lament her hard fate with tears any longer; she was well-nigh petrified. But just then came sailing by the bird of Jove, and remembering how he had been helped by Cupid in the affair of Ganymede, out of gratitude he thought to serve his bride; accordingly he came down, took the crystal cup from her, and, dexterously winging his flight between the dragons, contrived to fill it in spite of them.

Great was the surprise, and no less the wrath, of Venus when Psyche returned after having again successfully fulfilled her mission. "Truly," quoth she, "you must be a witch, who can obey such commands? But I tell you what, my child; you must now take this box, wend your way to the shades below, and beg Proserpine to send me enough of her beauty to last for a single day. Say

that al I had has been wasted away in grieving for my son's sickness; and mind you make haste back again, for I have to be at a meeting of the gods to-day."

Psyche now saw that it was all over with her; and, considering that if she was to go to the Infernal Regions, the shortest way thither would be, by throwing herself from a neighbouring tower, she prepared accordingly. But the tower suddenly found a tongue, and admonished her that if she went to Orcus by that road she would never come back again, it being contrary to Pluto's laws for the soul to travel unless in company with the body; "wherefore," said the friendly tower, "go to Lacedæmon, and seek out the hill Tænaros close by, where you will find a cavern that leads to the palace of Pluto. Mind, however, that you do not go emptyhanded, but carry a cake in either hand, made of barley and honey, and a couple of farthings in your mouth. The first you will want to stop the jaws of Cerberus, and the latter to pay old Charon, for dead or living he will ferry no one over the Styx till he has got his fare. When you have gone some way you will meet a lame ass* carrying wood, driven by a fellow who is also lame, and who will ask you to pick up some of the sticks for him, but pass on and say nothing. Next you will come to Charon; let the covetous old rogue take one of the farthings from your mouth himself, and when you are in his boat you will see an aged spectre floating on the water, who will hold up his mouldering hands and cry to be taken in ; but yield you not to a compassion that is forbidden. The river being passed, you will come upon some old women spinning,† and they also will pray

* None of the commentators have been able to explain this, or the following allusion; they evidently refer to some superstition of which we nowhere else find mention.,

The Parcæ, or Fates.

of you to help them; but do nothing of the kind, for all these are snares set for you by Venus, in the hope that you may drop one of your cakes, which if you should do, you will never see the light of day again, since you will have nought left wherewith to bribe the three-headed dog Cerberus upon your return. Arrived at the palace of Proserpine, she will receive you kindly, and invite you to sit and feast with her; but do you seat yourself on the ground and eat of nothing save brown bread, after which you must tell her the purpose of your coming, and having received her gift for Venus come back directly. Then, as you gave one cake to Cerberus before, so now you must give him the other that he may let you pass freely, and the remaining farthing to Charon. One thing, however, I must particularly caution you against; on no account open the box, or be curious to know what it contains.

Up to a certain point Pysche followed the advice of the prophetic tower with great punctuality. She found Tænarus, passed the ass and his driver in silence, paid the ferryman his fare, took no note of the swimming spectre, fed Cerberus, refused to help the spinners, would eat nothing but brown bread, and came away safely with her box. Once again in the light of day the old curiosity of her sex began to stir within her, and to whisper that she might as well take a little of the beauty for her own use, and thus become more pleasing in the eyes of Cupid; why should she give it all to Venus, who had treated her so cruelly? So she opened the box, when lo! there was nothing visible within it; but a Stygian sleep-the sleep of death-arose from it, felt though not seen, and invaded all her senses, and she fell to the earth, and lay there a slumbering corse.

But the trials of Pysche were destined to have a fairer end than could have been expected. Cupid, who had by