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Acrisius. Medusa's head was again the instrument of vengeance, and Proetus became a statue in the palace from which he had driven his brother. Perseus afterwards repaired to Seriphos, where he arrived at the very moment in which his mother Danae had fled to the temple of Minerva for protection against the violence of Poly-s dectes, who had grossly insulted her. Dictys, who had before saved her from the sea, interposed in her defence; and Perseus, to reward his humanity, placed him on the throne of Seriphos, having first transformed the wicked Polydectes into a statue, together with all those who had been accomplices in his guilt. He then with all due solemnity restored to Mercury his talaria and his wings; to Pluto his helmet; to Vulcan his sword; and to Minerva her shield with the Gorgon's head placed thereon as an offering.

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Soon after these events, Perseus embarked with his mother and Andromeda for Peloponnesus; and going to Larissa, where Teutamias, king of the country, was celebrating funeral games in honour of his deceased father, the hero entered the lists, and signalised himself by his skill in throwing the quoit, of which some authors say he was the origi nal inventor. Here the oracle respecting Acrisius, the father of Danae, was fulfilled. Acrisius

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went to Larissa to meet his grandson, to whom he was indebted for his restoration to his throne: he found him engaged at play, where, at the sight of his grandfather, being seized with a desire to display his superior skill, he discharged his quoit with uncommon force. It unfortunately hit Acrisius on the head, and he died on the spot.

Perseus remained for a long time inconsolable. He was now heir to the throne of Argos; but as he could never forgive himself or forget his involuntary act of parricide, he staid but a very short time in that country. He exchanged his kingdom for Tirynthus and the maritime coasts of Argolis, where Megapenthes, the son of Protus, then reigned, and where Perseus afterwards founded Mycenae, which became the capital of his new dominions.

Perseus received divine honours after his death. Statues were erected to his memory at Mycenæ, and in the island of Seriphos. Even the Athenians raised a temple to his honour, and therein consecrated an altar to Dictys, who had treated Danae and her infant son with so much kindness.

Observations. Among the beautiful fresco paintings by Annibale and Agostino Caracci that

adorn the ceilings of the Palazzo Farnese, is one that exhibits Perseus petrifying Phineus and his armed followers, by showing them the Gorgon's bead.

Note.-1 Andromeda. Some authors assert that the adventures of Andromeda happened, not in Ethiopia, but at Joppa (a maritime town of Judea, now called Jaffa). Pliny mentions that the skeleton of the huge monster she had been exposed to was brought to Rome, by Scaurus, and very carefully preserved; and St. Jerome speaks of their showing pieces and marks of the chain by which she had been attached to the rock. From these accounts we may reasonably conclude, that a fable is not the less fabulous because the name of the place is mentioned where the incident is said to have happened, or because the relics of bones, old iron, &c. may be produced in confirmation of its truth.

Navigators observe that the entrance into the port of Joppa is very dangerous, on account of the multiplicity of rocks that lie before it. Some one or other of these, in its fantastic form, may have given the idea of a petrified monster, and the city itself might at some period have been personified under the figure of a beautiful woman attached to a rock. There were few cities of any consequence that were not personified by the Romans. The Egyptian town of Alexandria

was figured as a fine woman surrounded by the attributes of plenty. This was the granary of Rome, and therefore the abundance of vines and sheaves of corn about her were very apt and appropriate emblems. Alexandria is thus exhibited on a medal of Adrian.

PALLAS VISITS THE MUSES.

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PALLAS,' on leaving Perseus, after her interview with him in the island of Seriphos, went to visit the Muses on Mount Helicon. These tuneful sisters were all much delighted to see the goddess, and all exerted their finest talents to please and entertain her. After passing some hours together in the most agreeable manner, they sat down to repose themselves, and began a very pleasing and interesting conversation; the subject of which soon turned on the beauties of the new fountain that embellished the valley beneath, and had been produced by a kick of the winged horse Pegasus, from which circumstance it had received the name of Hippocrene, or, the horse's fountain. Pallas expressed a desire to see it, and the Muses politely accompanied her to the spot. Here they reclined under some spreading trees. The god