o
offered him empire or power, Minerva wisdom, and Venus promised him the
possession of the most beautiful woman in the world. Fatally for himself
and family, the shepherd, more susceptible of love than of ambition or
virtue, decided the contest in favor of Venus.

The sacrifices usually offered to Venus, were white goats and swine,
with libations of wine, milk and honey. The victims were crowned with
flowers, or wreaths of myrtle, the rose and myrtle being sacred to
Venus. The birds sacred to her were the swan, the dove, and the sparrow.

It were endless to enumerate the variety of attitudes in which Venus is
represented on antique gems and medals; sometimes she is clothed in
purple, glittering with diamonds, her head crowned with myrtle
intermixed with roses, and drawn in her car of ivory by swans, doves, or
sparrows: at other times she is represented standing with the Graces
attending her, and in all positions Cupid is her companion. In general
she has one of the prettiest, as Minerva has sometimes one of the
handsomest faces that can be conceived. Her look, as she is represented
by the ancient artists and poets, has all the enchanting airs and graces
that they could give it.

LATONA. This goddess was daughter of Caeus the Titan and Phoebe, or,
according to Homer, of Saturn. As she grew up extremely beautiful,
Jupiter fell in love with her; but Juno, discovering their intercourse,
not only expelled her from heaven, but commanded the serpent Python to
follow and destroy both her and her children. The earth also was caused
by the jealous goddess to swear that she would afford her no place in
which to bring forth. It happened, however, at this period, that the
island Delos, which had been broken from Sicily, lay under water, and
not having taken the oath, was commanded by Neptune to rise in the AEgean
sea, and afford her an asylum. Latona, being changed by Jupiter into a
quail, fled thither, and from this circumstance occasioned it to be
called Ortygia, from the name in Greek of that bird. She here gave birth
to Apollo and Diana. Ni{)o}be, daughter of Tant{)a}lus, and wife of
Amph{=i}on, king of Thebes, experienced the resentment of Latona, whose
children Apollo and Diana, at her instigation, destroyed. Her beauty
became fatal to Tityus, the giant, who was put to death also by the same
divinities. After having been long persecuted by Juno, she became a
powerful deity, beheld her children exalted to divine honors, and