WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. 437 



was conquered, her carcass was laid upon an ass ; for there is nothing 

 so subtile and abtrusc, but after l&amp;gt;eing once made plain, intelligible, and 

 common, it ma/ be received by the slowest capacity. 



\Vc must not omit that Sphinx was conquered by a lame man, and 

 impotent in his feet ; for men usually make too much haste to the 

 solution of Sphinx s riddles ; whence it happens, that she prevailing, 

 their minds are rather racked and torn by disputes, than invested with 

 command by works, and effects. 



XI. -Tilt: I- AIILi: OF PROSERPINE. 



EXPLAINED OF THE SPIRIT INCLUDED IN NATURAL BODIES. 



THEY tell us, Pluto having, upon that memorable division of em 

 pire among the gods, received the fnfernal regions for his share, des 

 pairing of winning any one of the goddesses in marriage by an 

 obsequious courtship, and therefore through necessity resolved upon a 

 rape. Having watched his opportunity, he suddenly seized upon 

 Proserpine, a most beautiful virgin, the daughter of Ceres, as she was 

 gathering narcissus flowers in the meads of Sicily, and hurrying her to his 

 chariot, carried her with him to the subtcrraneal regions, where she was 

 treated with the highest reverence, and styled the Lady of Dis. Hut 

 Ceres missing her only daughter, whom she extremely loved, grew j&amp;gt;cn- 

 sive and anxious bcyorvl measure, and taking a lighted torch in her 

 hand, wandered the world over in quest of her daughter, -but all to no 

 purpose, till, suspecting she might be carried to the infernal region , 

 she, with great lamentation ;:nd abundance of tears, importuned Jupiter 

 to restore her ; and with much ado prevailed so far as to recover and 

 bring her away, if she had tasted nothing there. This proved a hard 

 condition upon the mother, for Proserpine was found to have eaten 

 three kernels of a pomegranate. Ceres, however, desisted not, but fell 

 to her entreaties and lamentations afresh, insomuch that at last it was 

 indulged her that Proserpine should divide the year betwixt her hus 

 band and her mother, and live six months with the one and as many 

 with the other. After this Theseus and Pentiums, with uncommon 

 audacity, attempted to force Proserpine away from Pluto s bed, but 

 hnppcning to grow tired in their journey, and resting themselves u|&amp;gt; &amp;gt;n 

 a stor.e in the realms l&amp;gt;elow, they could never rise from it again, but 

 temam sitting there for ever. Proserpine, therefore, still continued 

 queen of the lower regions, in honour of whom there was also added 

 this grand privilege, that though it had never Ixrcn permitted any one 

 to return after having once descended thither, a particular exception 

 was made, that he who brought a golden bough as a present to Pro 

 serpine, might on that condition descend and return. This was an 

 only bough that grew in a large dark grove, not from a tree of its own, 

 but like the mistletoe, from another, and when plucked away a fresh 

 one always shot out in its stead. 



