|| she trod on my brother, who was still at the bottom, but he fortunately did not complain. She assured us all was tranquil, and that my father and mother would soon arrive ; indeed my father arrived almost immediately afterwards, and then my mother, with the guarde-du-corps which were to follow us. We again therefore set forward on our journey. Nothing particular happened to us till near the end, where we were to find a carriage to convey us on; but M. de Fersen did not know where to look for it; we were consequently obliged to wait a long time, which gave us great uneasiness, as my father went out. At last M. de Pherson returned, bringing with him the carriage; we immediately got in. M. de Fersen wished my father and mother good night, and set off in full speed. The three guarde-du-corps were Monsieurs M. de Maldau, Dumontier, and Valori; the latter travelled as courier, the others as domestics, one on horseback, and the other seated on the coach. They had changed their names; the former called himself St. Fan, the second Melchior, || the other Francois. The two women who had gone before us, we found at Bondé; they were in a small coach, we took them with us. The day began to dawn; nothing remarkable happened during the morning; however, at ten leagues from Paris, we encountered a man on horseback, who continually followed our coach. At Etoges we feared we were known. At four o'clock we passed the grand city of Chalons on the Marne, there we were immediately discovered; every one blessed God that they saw their King in safety, and put up prayers for his escape. The next post to Chalons, we were to find some troops on horseback to conduct the carriage to Montmedy, but on our arrival we did not find them there; we anxiously awaited them till eight o'clock, and then went on to Clermont. There we saw the troops, but all the village were in alarm, and would not let them mount their horses, An officer recognized my father, approached the coach, and whispered to him that he was betrayed. We saw there also Monsieur Charles de Damas, but he could do nothing there; we continued our route. The night had all at once overtaken us, and in spite of the agitation and inquietude that we were in, we all slept soundly. We were awoke by a frightful jolt, and at the same time their coming to tell us that they knew not what had become of the courier that rode before the coach. We sup posed by the fear they were in, that they thought he had been discovered and taken. We were now arrived at the commencement of the village of Varennes. There was scarcely a hundred houses in this place, and no accommodation for posting, of course travellers were obliged to bring their own horses to this place. We had them, but they were at the Castle, on the other side of the river, and nobody knew where to find them. The postilions said that their horses were fatigued, and could not go further. There were therefore no other means left than by walking them as well as we could. At last the courier arrived and brought with him a man whom he believ ed was in our confidence, but I believed, a spy of La Fayette. He came to the coach dressed in a morning gown and night-cap; he threw himself nearly withinside, saying, that he knew a secret, but he would not discover it. Madame de Touru ile asked him if he was acquainted with Madame de Korff; he said, no. We could not draw from him the secret. I have never seen this man since. We at last persuaded the postillions, with great difficulty, that our horses were at the Castle. They therefore, though with great reluctance, walked their own slowly on. On our arrival at the village we were alarmed with frightful cries round our carriage of "Stop, stop." They tore our post-boys from their seats, and the next moment our carriage was completely surrounded with armed meu and flambeaux, They demanded who we were? We replied, Madame Korff and family. They then took their lights, put them immediately before the face of my father, and signified to us that we must descend from our carriage. We refused, saying, that we were simple travellers, and must pass. They threatened to murder us, if we resisted, and at the same instant all their guns were turned against the coach. We descended; and in raversing the street, saw pass us six dragoons on horse-back; but they had unfortunately no officers among them (for had there been) six well determined men would have been able to conquer all these fellows, and have saved the King, 1 LETTERS ON MYTHOLOGY. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF C. A. DEMOUSTIER. MR. EDITOR, HAVING lately had a copy of Demoustier's celebrated work on Mythology, sent me from Paris, I find it filled with so much information, and that so agreeably delivered, that I am induced to hazard a translation of it in your excellent Magazine. Mythology is a subject upon which no woman should be ignorant, who would wish to appear well in liberal society, and as Demoustier has treated it, this branch of ancient literature becomes as amusing as a modern novel. I know of no other translation than the one which I have attempted: the original is thickly sown with verses; but as these principally consist of French gallantry, local allusions, high compliments to Emilia, &c. I have entirely omitted them, the translation otherwise is merely literal.—I remain, your obliged and constant reader, LETTER 1. You command, Emilia, and I obey: 1 basten to instruct you in the history of the fabled Gods of antiquity. 2. its calm waters, growing and flowering in the midst of gardens, and every year peopling his sauce-pans. Thus the number of Gods inhabiting the earth, soon exceeded that of the dwellers in Olympus. To reduce this crowd of divinities, into some order, they were divided into four classes; in the first rank were placed the su preme Gods; in the second the inferior deities; the humble popular divinities which composed the mob of heaven. The deities of whom I write are Gods of the first class, and such as have enjoyed a certain reputation; there were many others, but not even their names have come down to our times: the moderu calendar is a trifle in comparison with that of the ancients. The stars were the || in the third the demi-gods; aud in the fourth first objects of adoration, therefore the Heavens is the earliest of the Gods. In process of time, worship was instituted to heroes, such as Jupiter, Bacchus, &c.; afterwards to the Virtues under the name of Minerva; then to the Fine Arts and their inventors, under the names of Apollo, and the Muses; and lastly to Animals and to Plants; I am going to tell you from what cause. When the Titans united themselves to attack Jupiter in his celestial palace, their Generals, it may be supposed, were not of a very inviting appearance: there was the fierce Enceladaus, who tore up huge rocks to support his scaling-ladder; the formidable Briareus, with his hundred arms; and the frightful Tipheus, whose head reached even to the abode of the thunder, while the lashings of his scaly train made the whole earth tremble. The deities of the first order amounted to twenty-three, Apollo, Juno, Neptune, Vesta, Vulcan, Venus, Mars, Diana, Mercury, Ceres, and Minerva; Destiny, Saturn, Genius, Pluto, Bacchus, Love, Cybele, and Prosperpine. The twelve first formed what is called the council of Jupiter, from which the remaining eight were excluded. Jupiter of course had excellent reasons for this exclusion.-It is affirmed, however, that Cybele and Prosper. pine have the ear of Juno; none of the others enjoy her favour; indeed this Queen is rather hard to please. She is even accused of wanting respect for her grandmother, the worthy old Vesta, who though in her dotage, behaves to admiration. In the very first year of the world, Vesta married the Heavens, by whom At first sight of these gentlemen, all the she had issue Titan and Saturn. This ancient Goddesses fainted away. The Gods instead of lady is the same as Cybele, and Cybele is the Alying to their assistance, most gallantly stole same as the Earth. Then, twenty years afteroff, and ran to hide themselves in Egypt.wards Saturn espoused Rhea, who is the same There, in order to elude the sharp eyes of the as Cybele, who is the same as the Earth, who Titans, they changed themselves into various they say, is the same as Vesta. shapes, some into rats, others into crocodiles; many of them into cabbages, leaks, lentilles, trees, flowers, fish, &c.—From that period the Egyptian humbly adored all that surrounded him; and piously silly, peeping into the Nile, believed he saw Gods swimming incog under || To unravel this tangled enigma, I now hasten, like an enlightened, subtle, and profound genealogist, to do like all my brethren of this cloth; that is to say, follow the footsteps of fabulous antiquity, and then create on the instant persons that never existed. Vesta, surnamed Cybele on account of her principality of the Earth, gave it as a fortune to Saturn when he married Rhea. In consequence the latter (on the day of her nuptials,) took the name of Cybele, as new Princess of the Earth; and this circumstance has ever since caused her to be confounded with Vesta, her mother-in-law. by a ray of the sun. The preservation of this sacred flame was confided to the Vestals; these || priestesses made the vow of Virginity; but the innocent hearts of tender maids in that happy age in which we love, and in which we please, too frequently felt the sparks of that fire which blazed under their hands!-Nevertheless, woe to them who violated their oaths! They were buried alive. Touched by their youth, and the brightness of their beauty, the executioners were surprised into tears, the judges shuddered as they condemned them, and the multitude listened in agony to the lengthened cries of these tender victims. Alas! if the sentiment of love is a crime, cruel Nature, why hast thou given us a heart?-Adieu, my sweet Emilia, these poor Vestals have saddened my spirits, and I can write of them no longer. But while she suffered this estate to pass into the family of her son, Vesta still preserv-| ed the title and the honorary rights connected with it; at least she divided them with her daughter-in-law. Thus the worship of the one and of the other, amounts to the same thing. Nevertheless they are personally represented || in a very different manner.-The dowager Cybele sits gravely, and always maintains the serious deportment of a grand-mamma; her brow is crowned with towers and steeples, and in her hand she holds the keys of all the old castles. Always fresh, always beautiful, the young and prolific Cybele leads the hours and the seasons in her train; she traverses her domains in a light car drawn by lions, while nymphs precede her with songs and dances. This amiable Goddess passes under a pure and cloudless sky the furious winds sleep imprisoned by her side; Ceres, Flora, and Pomona weave their mingled treasures into a garland for their Queen; while Zephyr, wantoning amongst her robes, archly discovers part of that swelling bosom at which the human race are nourished. It is said, that when the statue of this deity arrived at Rome, the vessel which brought it suddenly stopped at the mouth of the Tiber. At that instant a certain Claudia, whose reputation had been rather tainted, and who was therefore willing to padlock the lips of gossip scandal, fastened the vessel to her girdle, and after a short prayer, towed it along with the greatest ease! However, I must confess that there are some sceptics who consider the story as equivocal as the lady's honour. “ Be that as it may, the young Cybele brought a little Goddess into the world, whom her grandmother shortly loved to such excess, that she wished her to be named after herself; the young couple could not do otherwise than consent. Behold now another Vesta!-She was the Goddess of Fire and Virginity: two things which are deemed a physical contradiction, In her temple at Rome, an immortal fire was carefully preserved; if ever it was unluckily extinguished, all the people made expiations and sacrifices, and it was only to be rekindled LETTER II. VESTA and the Heavens had a great number of children, the principal of these were Titan, Saturn, the Ocean, the Cyclops, Ceres, Thetis aud Rhea. This last (who was Vesta's favourite) fell desperately in love with Saturn, and married him. It was upon this occasion that she also took the name of Cybele. Titan, the eldest of the celestial family, was presumptive heir of the throne; Saturu, his youngest brother could not, therefore, pretend to the crown. Cybele was in despair; and do not you, my Emilia, comprehend the motive of her ambition. When a woman loves, she would willingly elevate the object she adores to the rank of a monarch; and if there were a rank yet higher, it is that to which her heart would aspire for him. The ambitious Cybele, artfully exerting her influence over Vesta, persuaded her that Titan ought to cede his birth-right to Saturn; and Vesta soon argued her husband into the same opinion. The obedient Titan believed it his duty to yield the throne to Saturn; but he did so upon condition that his brother should never bring up any male children, so that after him, the kingdom might return to the posterity of Titan. Saturn accepted this proposition; and willing to keep his promise inviolate, swallowed down all the male children of whom his wife was delivered, the very instant they were born. Knowing her husband to be a good unsuspecting personage, the young Cybele thought fit to play a trick with his appetite. Being brought to bed of Jupiter and Juno, she dress-d¦ up a stone amd put it in the place of the former. It seems that honest Saturn was was near-sighted, so down it went without ceremony; doubtless his stomach was better than his eye, for at the birth of Neptune and of Pluto, he made two more such meals, without complaining of an indigestion. However that may be, his wife secretly educated Jupiter in the isle of Crete. He was already grown up, when he was discovered by his uncle Titan. This prince raised an army on the instant, marched against Saturn, took him and Cybele prisoners, and confined them in Tartarus; but Jupiter escaped his vengeance; and some years after, threw Titan into chaius, and broke those of his parents. No sooner was Saturn re-established in his kingdom, than fearing in his turn the valour and ambition of his liberator, he prepared certain snares for his destruction. Jupiter, informed of these unworthy designs, drove him from Olympus. The God, dethroned for ever, then flew into Italy, into the country of the Latins, governed by Janus. There, from a - monarchhetransformed himselfinto a husbandman, and found under a straw roof the secret of happiness. A laborious people, obedient to his instructions, tilled the ground and rendered it fertile. Saturn was beloved by them. And surely the happiness of being beloved is far beyond the honour of being adored. It is evidently as the father of agriculture that Saturn is represented under the figure of an old man holding a fork in his right hand: in his left they place a serpent whose bead and tail form a circle: this is the emblem of prudence, the principal attribute of Saturn. served her image in his heart. Happy ages, in which Concord, Hymen, and Love, peaceably to took up their abode together! Blissful times will you ever return? Sorrow, returns, alas, how often! Does joy alone pass to re-visit us no more? It is to commemorate this period, that the Saturnalia was instituted at Rome: it takes place every year in the month of September. During these feasts, with the intention of recalling the virtues of equality which had formerly united mankind, the ordinary course of domestic life was overthrown: presents were exchanged every where, to shew that all sorts of goods were in common under the reign of Saturn. I am really grieved that this God, whom I consider as the only honest man of the celes. tial court, should have tolerated the sacrifice of human victims, and patronized Gladiators; but as he facilitated commerce by the inven tion of money, I am willing to overlook these foibles. The coins struck during his admini, stration, on one side represented a vessel, the symbol of trade; and on the other a man with two heads; this engaging portrait was that of King Janus. Janus had not only opened his gates to Saturn during his exile, but had even divided his throne with the royal fugitive; in recompence of such generosity, the God endowed him with the knowledge of the past and of the future. It is for this reason that Jams is de picted with two opposite faces. Ovid has said that he was the only God that had ever seen his own back. The month of January was consecrated to him. In his right hand he held a key indicating that he opened the year; and in his left a wand, as president of the Augurs, Romulus, the founder of Rome, and Tatius, The period of this God's abode in Italy was King of the Sabines, having concluded a mucalled the age of gold. Happy ages of simpli tual treaty, erected upon this occasion a tem city, innocence, and goodness! during which ple, in which there were as many altars as frankness and equity had yet a temple in Nor-months in the year. This temple was always mandy; every body spoke the truth; Gascony had inhabitants; beauty appeared without disguise, and was profoundly ignorant of virgins-milk, pearl-powder, black-fard, and vegetable rouge. Happy ages, in which every fortunate lover was discreet; and without letters, jewels, or picture of the beloved object, pre open during war, and closed during peace. It is whispered to me at this moment, that Hymen and Love have waged furious war against each other for these last thousand years, but that your dear hand, my Emilia, is about to close the temple of Janus for ever. (To be continued.) HYMENEA IN SEARCH OF A HUSBAND. (Continued from Vol. II. Page 320.) THE return of my aunt to town was greeted by the arrival of innumerable cards of an infinitude of gay parties of every descripton As she tossed them an ogether on the table, yawning over her chocolate, she requested me to skim the names of the invitors, that she might see whether there were any worth the fatigue of putting on ber diamonds. "Why, my dear aunt," cried I, “surely you do not intend turning auchorite in town, after having been the gayes of the gay in the country, that you seem to make a trouble of accepting any of these invitations to pleasure?" “I do not know," replied my aunt yet more lis less'y; "you may go to them all if you please, with some proper chaperone; but indeed you have so prosed me with your lectures about this place and the other being immoral, dangerous, &c. that I really do not know where safely to set my foot out of my own house; and so I am almost determined to turn anchorite, as you call it, and not stir out the whole winter." "But how old is this resolution?" cried I, treating it as a jest; "it was not born last night when you went to Lady Avis, and passed so many hours in her artificial grove of real nightingales. Perhaps you mean to take a hint from her bird-fancying Ladyship, and erect some leafy hermitage in your own drawing-room. My aunt hardly attended to what I said; while I was speaking she looked at her watch, and interrupting me, carelessly in quired whether or not I was going out this morning? I replied that I was at her com. mand. "Not with me," hastily rejoined she; "I thought Miss Avis talked about calling for you to-day, to see the blue-mackaw her mother wants to buy at Brooke's." While my aunt spoke I saw she frequently turned towards the window; and, in fact, seemed impatient to get rid of me. I had never met with such a circumstance in my aunt before, and I must confess No. XV. Vol. III.-N. S. it excited my curiosity; and I was, perhaps, a little ill-natured in persisting to stay. To this end I had taken up a handful of the invitation cards, and was affecting to read them, when a loud knocking at the street door made my aunt start. She coloured." Bless me" cried she, rising from her chair, and stretching her neck towards the window; "there is no carriage. It is very odd Miss Avis-that blue mackaw." son, In short, she stammered, talked she knew not what, but looked and said enough to convince me that, for some hidden reashe wished me at Jericho. She rang her bell, changed her seat from the sofa to a chair, and from the chair to a sofa again—and all in the space of a few minutes; for the drawing-room door opened, and the Earl of Castledowne was announced. My aunt's immediate recomposed air assured me that whoever she thus anxiously expected, this nobleman was not the per son. She received him with her usual easy grace; hoped his Lady also was arriv ed in town; and was naming me to him as her niece, when one of the men-servants presented her a note. As she took it from the salver I observed that a little of her former tremors returned. "Permit me, my Lord," said she to the Earl; he bowed, and she broke the seal. While his Lordship made some civil observations to me on the natural beauties of the county in which my late father's estate lay, I, by a side-long glance, noticed that my aunt's complexion mantled into a roseate blush which put to shame the rouge that covered it. This fine painting of the heart was manifestly effected by the contents of the note she was perusing. My curiosity was now stimulated beyond the bounds of politeness: I was almost ready to put some impertinent question to the blushing widow, when her Ladyship saved me the trouble. She looked up, and checking a sigh, in a pretty confusion, half murmured;→" Castle Killaloe! bles B |