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CHAPTER YI. 



"pAETHENOPE, Ligeia, Leucosia — these are pretty 

 -^ names as ever were bestowed on tlie offspring of a 

 river god and a muse; nor are Molpe, Aglaophonos, and 

 Thelxiope* — which some will have it were the true 

 designations of the daughters of Achelous and Melpomene 

 — unmusical. Blessed with powers of voice and fascina- 

 tion equal to Sontag — for, however the habitues of her 

 Majesty's Theatre may reasonably doubt it, they too 

 were irresistible, — the sirens, unlike that fair, spotless 

 enchantress, poured forth their gush of song to the ruin 

 of their entranced audience, though they certainly never 

 executed Rode's variations; it may, indeed, be doubted 

 whether any sublunary being, with the exception of the 

 gifted countess, ever could — at least with her supreme 

 excellence. And so these accursed of Ceres continued 

 in their course of musical murder, surrounded by the 

 corses of their victims, whose remains were wreathed 

 with flowers, radiant with beauty, as our own Etty has 

 depicted them, till their career was closed by the ^vily 

 Greek, who had received his lesson from another mistress 

 of enchantment ; and so they perished. 



But, it seems, their crimes were not sufficiently ex- 

 piated. Years rolled on their ceaseless course. Greece 



* Or, according to others, Thelxione. Tlie maternity is given 

 by some genealogists to Calliope, by others to Terpsichore ; but 

 the better opinion is, that Melpomene was the mamma of these 

 deluders. Like other irregular branches of families they became 

 troublesome to theirs ; a meddling friend, Hera, excited them to 

 contend with the Muses, who conquered them, and, as a punish- 

 ment for their presumption, tore off their wings. 



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