diately 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 go about her business. 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 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 them 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, | a rest from care and sorrow by throwing herself ha!" quoth she, laughing bitterly, and shaking her head after the manner of angry folks-" you have at last condescended to visit your motherin 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 beat-selves in the water, when their wildness will be ing 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." 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." Psyche was now left alone; feeling however Again Psyche left the presence of her hard that to accomplish such a task was impossible, task-mistress, sure at least of finding an end to she did not make the attempt, but folded her all her miseries. Indeed nothing seemed more arms, and sate down in silent despair. Then likely before her stretched a huge mass of steep came forth the little Emmet, and pitying her sad ragged rocks, down which the waters rushed. estate, he called to him all the ants of the land, and which it was madness to think of ascending, and in an eloquent speech informed them who besides that the source was guarded by dragons, Psyche was, and how cruelly she had been treated. whose eyes never slept, while the waves roared More independent, or more compassionate than and clamoured, "away with thee! away! or Ceres or Juno, they listened to his words, and thou art lost." Poor Psyche was too much terriagreed to do as he desired, wave after wave of fied at this tremendous scene to lament her hard the seven-footed race pouring in, and toiling hi fate with tears any longer; she was well-nigh ther and thither to divide the several sorts of petrified. But just then came sailing by the bird grain and put them into proper order. Having of Jove, and remembering how he had been accomplished this, they retired as swiftly as they helped by Cupid in the affair of Ganymede, out had come. 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 infernal regions, and beg Proserpine to send me enough of her beauty to last for a single day. Say that all 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 the regions below 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 Styx till he has got his fare. When 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 of you to help them; but do nothing of the kind, for all these you * 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. 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 to bribe the three-headed dog, Cerberus, with 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, nor 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 but 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 this time recovered of his burn, and who could no longer endure the ab sence of his wife, slipt through his prison-window, and flew on the wings of love to her assist ance. Carefully brushing the fatal sleep from her eyes, he enclosed it again in the box, and waking her with the blunted end of an arrov, said, "Ah Psyche! again has thy curiosity wellnigh destroyed thee. But now arise, and fulfil the hests of my mother, and in the meantime I will provide the rest." While Pysche, thus encouraged, set out to fulfil her mission, Cupid, who feared the anger of his mother, betook himself to the footstool of Jove, fly from your embraces, but may your nuptials last for ever." and there pleaded his own cause so well, that the God-king granted all he desired, and immediately summoned a general congress of all the deities This short speech was mightily applauded by under a penalty of a thousand pounds to whom- all the Gods and Goddesses, who now sate down soever should be absent. A fine so heavy pro-to the feast in high good humour. Ganymede duced immediate obedience, and when they were ministered the cup to Jove; Bacchus served the all assembled Jupiter in an excellent speech, full rest; Vulcan cooked the supper; the Hours of morals and fine sentiments, enlarged upon the crimsoned all around with roses; the Graces peccadillos of Cupid, to which he said, it was scattered perfumes; the Muses sang, while high time to put an end by giving him a wife | Apollo accompanied them on his harp; Venus, who would look after him. Then, turning to now reconciled to the match, or appearing to be Venus, he added, "and you, my dear daughter, trouble not yourself about the bride being only a mortal; I will myself take care that the marriage is all right and proper according to the canons of the civil law." Herewith he commanded a splendid banquet to be spread, at which order the countenances of all his guests began visibly to brighten up, and Pysche being by name Tauriscus, "pictured a little Pan, whom he callfetched to him by Mercury, he held out to her aed Paniscus, in manner of an antick." Cicero, however, sparkling goblet of ambrosia, saying at the same time, “Drink and be immortal; may Cupid never so, danced, as only Venus can dance, to the sweetest music; Satyrus played the flute, and Paniscus recited verse to the sound of the pipe. Thus was Pysche lawfully married to Cupid, and their first child was Pleasure. * According to Pliny (Lib. 35. c. xi.) a certain painter, tells us that the Panisci were inferior deities who presided over woods and fields. They were in fact little Pans, and were much the same as the Satyrisci, or little Satyrs. LIFE AND LETTERS OF THOMAS À BECKET. of the various biographies and authorities rela THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF THOMAS A BECKET. ting to the subject of his work, our author By J. A. Giles. 2 Vols. 8vo. Il. 4s. introduces us to the family of à Becket, which he proves to have been of Norman, and not, as some have supposed, of Anglo-Saxon origin. Of a much more doubtful character is the "beautiful legend," as he calls it, "of the loves of Gilbert and Matilda, the father and mother of the future archbishop. According to this: So far as the letters are concerned, these volumes are assuredly of great value, but the writer either wants the faculty of reading characters and events, or else he is too much biassed by his prejudices to be safely trusted as a historian. He seems to think that he can not better elevate Becket than by depressing his monarch; and "When Gilbert was a young man, he took hence, while the former is exhibited as the proupon him our Lord's cross by way of penance, foundest of statesmen, the bravest of soldiers, and set out for the Holy Land, accompanied and the most pious as well as sagacious of by a single serving man, whose name was churchmen, that great and wise sovereign, Henry Richard. As these two were on their way II. dwindles under his hands into a mere pup-holy places, they were surprised by an ambuswith others to offer up their prayers at the pet. If Dr. Giles be right, all that was done cade, made prisoners, and given in chains to be of good, or noble, or successful, in that reign, the slaves of a certain Amurath, and chief of was owing not to the king, but to his counsellor. the Pagans. Here they remained some time, It is not so that other authors, and of some emi-earning a scanty subsistence by the daily labour nence too, have dealt with this subject. At the of their hands. A year and half passed away in this Sclavonian bondage, and Gilbert began to same time it cannot be denied that he has done attract more notice and respect than the others, good service in rescuing a great character from much undeserved obloquy, showing from the various letters addressed to à Beckett that he was free from many of the faults that have been imputed to him. particularly in the eyes of Amurath, with whom he got into such favour, that he often, though still in chains, waited on him at table, and conversed with him and his guests on the customs and manners of different countries. For his sake, also, much favour was extended to his fellow After a long and useful account in the preface captives, principally by the mediation of Amu Gilbert, much troubled in his mind, consults a conclave of holy bishops, upon which, he of Chichester suddenly starting up exclaims : : "It was the hand of God, and not of man, which had conducted that woman from so far a land, and that she would be the mother of a son, whose sanctity and sufferings should elevate the whole Church, to the glory of Christ the Lord!"—Vol. I. p. 19. rath's only daughter, a beautiful and courtly | Richard to conduct her to the house of a widow damsel, who, as will be shown presently, was lady, who lived near him, who would treat her smitten with love for the captive Gilbert. One as if she were her own daughter. The damsel day the young lady took an opportunity of no sooner saw and recognised the man, than speaking to him more freely than usual, and she fell down in a swoon as if dread outright.— asked him what country and city he came from, Vol. I. pp. 18, 19. also about the doctrines and life of the Christians, what was the nature of their creed, and hope of reward in a future life. To this Gilbert replied, that he was an Englishman, and that he lived at London, to which he added an exposition of the Christian faith, as he was best able to give it. < And would you dare to die,' says the damsel, for your God, and for that faith of Christ which you profess? Most willingly,' replied he, would I die in the cause of my God.' On hearing this, the girl seemed penetrated with the words which he had spoken, and declared, that for his sake she would become a Christian, if he would pledge himself, by the faith which he professed, to take her for his wife.' But he said nothing in reply, deliberating within himself, and apprehensive of deceit and though she urged it, he not only declined to acquiesce at once, but put her off from day to day, and showed great reluctance to consent at all to her proposal. The damsel was much afflicted at his continued hesitation, and became, as is usual with women, a prey to anxiety."—Vol. I. pp. 14, 16. In time he makes his escape to England, when the love-sick damsel finding herself thus de serted follows him thither: The The materials for the early life of a-Becket seem to have been very scanty, notwithstanding his numerous biographers, and we find him converted into a chancellor, without, well-knowing how he arrived at the distinction. king's attachment to him now appears unbounded, and serves him as a shield against the enmities of his clerical brethren, and, whether it was owing to his virtues, or to his pride and arrogance, he had abundance of opponents even in the Church. We should not hesitate to take the unfavourable side of the question; in the midst of the indiscriminate eulogies heaped upon a-Becket by his new biographer, facts come out in ample measure indicative of his ostentation and arrogance. A single instance will suffice--the manner of his journey to Paris, when sent thither as the king's ambassador, as related by Fitz.Stephen : "With no other means of making known her wishes, than by exclaiming London! London! which was the name of the place she was seeking. At this city she speedily arrived wandering through the streets, looked wildly into the faces of the passers-by, to all of whom she afforded "Every thing had been prepared that might subject of derision, particularly the children, display English luxury to the greatest advanwho followed her, laughing and marvelling at tage; that the person who sent him might be her foreign dress and uncouth accents. In this honoured in him by all and before all, and that guise she passed in front of the house where his own person might be honoured in himself. Gilbert was living, in one of the more open and He had with him two hundred men on horsebetter frequented quarters of the city, where back of his own family, soldiers, clerks, butlers, now stands the hospital erected in honour of serving-men, knights, and sons of the nobility, St. Thomas. It was soon told in the house who were performing military service to him, that a young crazy girl was going by, follow- and all equipped with arms, They and their ed by boys and others who were laughing and whole train shone in new holiday clothes, each mocking her. Gilbert's man Richard, who has according to his rank. He had also four and been mentioned above, ran out with others twenty changes of garments, almost all of which to see the sight. On approaching nearer he were to be given away and left in foreign parts, recognised the damsel, and returned with all elegant tartans, grieze and foreign skins, cloaks speed to tell his master, that it was Amurath's and carpets, such as those with which the bed daughter who had attracted so great a con- and chamber of a bishop are adorned. He had course of people. At these words Gilbert was with him dogs and birds of all kinds, such as struck with amazement, and could not believe kings and rich men keep. There were in his a thing which he considered absolutely impos- train eight bige or carriages, each drawn by five sible but as Richard persisted in what he said, horses, in size and strength equal to chargers. his master's incredulity somewhat abated. In Each horse had his appointed groom in a new doubt what could be the cause of her coming, vest, walking by the side of the carriage; and he nevertheless judged it wiser not to admit the carriage had its driver and guard. Two her into his own house; wherefore he sent carriages were filled with beer, made by a de coction of water from the strength of corn, in might such prodigality continue for a long time 'An ape, that aper of the human race.' In his entry into the French villages and castles, first went the footman, about two hundred and fifty in number, going six or ten together, and sometimes more, singing some song or other after the fashion of their country. At some interval followed the dogs in couples, and harriers fastened by thongs, with their keepers and attendants. At a little distance followed the sumpter-horses, with their grooms riding on them, with their knees placed on the haunches of the horses. Some of the French came out of their houses at the noise, as they passed, and asked who it was? whose family was it that was passing? They received for reply, that it was the chancellor of the king of England, going on an embassy to their lord, the king of France. The French said, 'What a remarkable man the king of England must be, if such a great man as this is his chancellor! After these came the squires, carrying the shields of the knights, and leading their chargers: then came other squires, then young men, then the falconers with the birds on their wrists, and after them the butlers, the masters and attendants of the chancellor's house, then the knights and clerks, all riding two and two together: lastly came the chan cellor, and about him some of his particular friends."-Vol. I. pp. 72 to 75. Notwithstanding these defects of pride and luxury, there can be no question that he fulfilled the duties of his high office with honour to himself and advantage to his country, defeating the French armies in the field and outwitting the French ministers in the cabinet; for neither the clerical nor the legal character in those days were looked upon as a bar to the functions of a soldier. The Church was really and truly a Church Militant, however difficult we may now find it to imagine an Archhishop of Canterbury, or a Lord Chancellor, leading on our armies against an enemy. But we fear a much worse charge than even pride or luxury must be brought against aBecket-namely hypocrisy, and that of the grossest kind; during the whole time of his chancellorship, he assisted the king so ably in his attempts to repress the ambition of the Church, that Henry was deceived into the idea of his having a firm and enlightened friend in him, who, if placed in a wider sphere of action would prove yet more useful to him. Hence, according to a practice very usual in those days, he transformed his chancellor into an archbishop, when the world had another signal example of when the world had another signal example of the frozen snake, rendered yet blacker by the previous hypocrisy: the serpent had made no promise, whereas the churchman had given his master ample reason to believe that he might confide in him; and it was the royal favour alone that advanced him to this high rank in defiance of the canons which required an archbishop of the monastic order. When too, we reflect upon the acute character of Henry, as displayed upon other occasions, it would seem that it must have required no ordinary degree of hypocrisy to have deceived him; the mask that a-Becket wore for the purpose must have been absolutely impenetrable. It is indeed stated by the present writer, as it has so often been by previous historians, that a-Becket opposed his own His housekeeping also was formed upon a promotion by every means in his power, knowing gigantic scale, and while he himself affected the well that the claims of the king and the Church abstemiousness of an anchorite, his table was were so opposed, that it was impossible for the loaded with every dainty of the season; same person to serve both; it is difficult howare told," says Dr. Giles, "that a dish of eels ever to believe that Henry would have persisted was one day purchased for the chancellor's table, in making an archbishop of him, had he canat the high price of a hundred shillings." Well didly informed him before hand of his intention "we H |