522 A DESCRIPTION OF 
him ? Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home 
thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?" Ch. xxxix. v. 
9 11. In the book of Psalms, xcii. v. 10. " My horn 
shalt thou exalt like the horn of a Unicorn." 
THE PEGASUS. 
ANOTHER liberty has been taken with the horse. My- 
thology has added wings to its elegant figure, and called 
it Pegasus. This animal sprang from the blood of Medusa, 
when Perseus had cut off her head ; and immediately 
afterwards he flew upwards towards heaven, but stopped 
short, and alighted on Mount Helicon, where he struck the 
ground with his foot, and instantly the fountain Hippocrene 
burst from the ground. During his residence on Mount 
Helicon, Pegasus, became a great favourite of the Muses, 
who resided occasionally on that lofty mountain; and still, 
when any one attempts extravagant flights of poetry, he 
is said to have mounted on his Pegasus, as it was difficult 
to approach the Muses when raised so high. On the con- 
trary, the Castilian fountain on Mount Parnassus was 
more accessible, and inspired poetry of a gentler nature. 
But to return to Pegasus ; he was at length tamed by 
Neptune, or Minerva, and lent to the latter, by Bellero- 
phon, to enable him to conquerthehorrid monster called the 
Chimera, which was always shifting its place, and vomit- 
ing forth flames and smoke. After the victory was 
achieved, Bellerophon attempted to fly up to heaven ; but 
Pegasus threw his rider, and flying up to heaven without 
him, was changed into the constellation of stars which still 
bears his name Pegasus is sometimes confounded with 
the Hippogriph, or Ippogrifo of Ariosto, which is often 
seen in coats of arms. 
THE CENTAUR. 
LIKE the Sphinx, this creature is a compound of the 
