NOTE-BOOK OF A NATURALIST. 295 



place like home/ — a reply which so roused the ire of the 

 father of gods and men, that the fiat went forth, — ' As 

 his home is so dear to him, he shall never go out of it/ 

 This was rather shocking at first ; but our philosophical 

 tortoise bowed to the decree, observing, that he much pre- 

 ferred carrying his house about with him to being a fix- 

 ture, where he might be condemned to disturbance by 

 the quarrels of his neighbours. 



But wh}^ did Apelles paint his image under the feet of 

 Aphrodite ?* Why did Phidias make the delicate foot 

 of his chryselephantine statue rest upon this sedentary 

 emblem ?t 



As a hint to ladies to be quiet, and stay at home — ex- 

 cellent things in woman. 



Upon my word, sir ! 



The idea, madam, I assure you is not mine. You read 

 Latin with the ease of a Roman matron. No ? Then 

 ask your husband, son, or brother, to do the following 

 into English: — 



Alma Venus quoenam hsec facies, quid denotat ilia 

 Testudo molli quarn pede. Diva, premis ? 



Me sic effinxit Phidias, sexumque referri 

 Faemineum nostra jussit ab effigie. 



Quodque mauere domi et tacitas decet esse puellas, 

 Supposuit pedibus talia signa meis. 



The women wore wooden images of the reptile to de- 

 note their silence and domesticity, as Lais knew to her 



* Tardigrada, herbigrada, domiporta et sanguine cassa, 

 Sub pedibus Veneris Cous quam pinxit Apelles. 

 This -must have been a diffei-ent picture from that of the celebrated 

 Venus Anadyomene bj' the same hand, which was, probably, in the 

 splendid collection of Augustus before he transferred the master- 

 piece to the temple dedicated by him to Julius Cfesar. Ovid 

 notices a painting which may well pass for it, in his description of 

 the finest works in that magnificent palace. — Trist. ii. 527, 528. 

 t In the temple of Venus Urania. 



