THE 



WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. 



CASSANDRA, OR DIVINATION. 



The poets fable, that Apollo being enamoured of 

 Cassandra, was, by her many shifts and cunning 

 sleights, still deluded in his desire ; but yet fed on 

 with hope until such time as she had drawn from him 

 the gift of prophecying ; and having by such her dissi 

 mulation, in the end attained to that, which from the 

 beginning she sought after, at last flatly rejected his 

 suit : who, finding himself so far engaged in his pro 

 mise, as that he could not by any means revoke again 

 his rash gift, and yet inflamed with an earnest desire 

 of revenge, highly disdaining to be made the scorn of 

 a crafty wench, annexed a penalty to his promise, to 

 wit, that she should ever foretel the truth but never 

 be believed ; so were her divinations always faithful, 

 but at no time regarded, whereof she still found the 

 experience, yea, even in the ruin of her own country, 

 which she had often forewarned them of, but they 

 neither gave credit nor ear to her words. 



This fable seems to intimate the unprofitable 

 liberty of untimely admonitions and counsels : for 



