tity, holding in her right
hand the dove, which is the emblem of innocence. The dress is the
long, plain tunic seen in Greek sculpture, and the thin stuff of which
it is made flows in graceful lines about the form. We are reminded of
Milton's lines in "Comus:"--

"So dear to Heav'n is saintly Chastity,
That when a soul is found sincerely so,
A thousand liveried angels lacky her,
Driving far off each thing of sin and guilt,
And in clear dream and solemn vision,
Tell her of things that no gross ear can hear."

The next figure is similar in character and meaning. It is Virginity,
holding in her right hand the lily, which is the symbol of purity. The
other two figures, of which we see only the upper portion, are
Fortune, with a cornucopia, and the helmeted Athena, with spear and
torch.

At the death of the abbess Giovanna in 1574, the convent of S. Paolo
entered upon a period of severe ecclesiastical discipline. For more
than two centuries it was impossible for outsiders to gain admittance,
and the "Sala del Pergolato" was a sealed treasure. Finally, in 1794,
the Academy of Parma gained permission to examine Correggio's
paintings. After the suppression of the convent the room was thrown
open to the public, and the building is now used for a school.

V

DIANA

In classic mythology, Diana, the Greek Artemis, was the goddess of the
moon, twin sister of the sun-god Apollo. As the rays of moonlight seem
to pierce the air like arrows, Diana, like Apollo, was said to carry a
quiver of darts; the slender arc of the crescent moon was her bow.
Thence it was natural to consider her fond of hunting, and she became
the special patroness of the chase and other sylvan sports. Her
favorite haunts were groves and lakes, and she blessed the increase of
field and meadow. She was mistress of the brute creation, and showed
special favor to the bear, the boar, the dog, the goat, and the hind.
The poet Wordsworth has described how the ancient huntsman regarded
the goddess:--

"The nightly hunter lifting up his eyes
Towards the crescent moon, with grateful heart
Called on the lovely wanderer who bestowed
That timely light to share his joyous sport;
And hence a beaming goddess with her nymphs
Across the lawn and through the darksome grove
(Not unaccompanied with tuneful notes
By echo multiplied from rock or cave)
Swept in the storm of chase, as moon and stars
Gla