considered the goddess of fire, and appointed priestesses called Vestal virgins. These young women were chosen from the most noble families, and during the thirty years they continued in the temple, were not allowed to marry: their duties were to watch over the sacred fire, and to instruct the younger vestals. So much importance was attached to the preservation of the holy flame, that the vestal, by whose carelessness it was permitted to expire, was buried alive, and the people went into mourning as during the time of a public misfortune. The vestals had many privileges. When they went abroad, the fasces were carried before them, and if they met a condemned criminal, they had the power of pardoning him."

"Mamma, I have been thinking where I had seen the word vestal, and now I remember it is in some lines under the print of a nun; but I forget how it is used."

"Were these the lines?

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot,

The world forgetting, by the world forgot."

"Yes, mamma, those were the lines, and I suppose nuns are compared to vestals, because they do not marry, but live retired.

'Yes, my dear; but the word vestal is not un

frequently used in speaking of a single woman, particularly by the poets. In the temple of Vesta was kept the Palladium, which we were speaking of in the first part of our conversation."

"But, mamma, you said that statue was stolen by the Greeks: how then did it get to Rome ?"

Many stories are told of it, my love; one of which says that the statue stolen was only an imitation, and that the real Palladium was brought from Troy by Eneas. Numa built a temple to Faith, and taught his subjects that nothing was more necessary than to keep their promises sacred. He also fixed bounds to the city, and built a temple to Terminus, the god of boundaries."

"Mamma, that is very like our word terminate; I suppose it is derived from the Latin."

"Numa, in order to employ his subjects, and turn their thoughts from war, encouraged agriculture, and divided the lands taken from the enemy among the poorer citizens; he destroyed all distinction between Romans and Sabines, but classed the people, according to their trades, into companies. He amended some of the laws of Romulus, rendering them far less severe. He is said to have lived much amongst

his people, reproving those who deserved blame, and rewarding the good and industrious. After a useful and happy reign of forty-three years, this excellent prince died of old age, and, contrary to the custom of the heathens at funerals, ordered his body to be buried."

"What did they do with their dead then, mamma?"

"They burned their bodies upon a funeral pile, my love, and collecting the ashes in an urn or vase, preserved them."

"What could make Numa act differently, mamma?"

"That is a question which it is impossible to answer, Anne, with any certainty. Some attribute it to the humility so apparent in all his actions, which led him to wish to be restored to that earth to which all nature shews that we must return; be that as it will, his body was buried in a most magnificent way by the senate, but what was more glorious to his memory, was, that he was followed to the grave by the tears of his subjects, who lamented him as a common father."

Mamma, as Numa studied so much, do not you think it possible that he might have dis

covered that, in early times, the dead were buried instead of burned."

"My dear girl, he might have done so, but as we cannot decide why he made the request, and as it is not material that we should, it would be loss of time to puzzle ourselves about it."

"Mamma, there is no danger in my admiring Numa too much, is there? His virtues were not dazzling, they were solid."

"Nothing can be solid that is without foundation. The foundation of any virtue is the principle that gives rise to it. What was the principle or foundation of Numa's goodness?" "Was it not religion, mamma ? He was very anxious to make his subjects worship the gods in the way he thought right, and he built many temples. If his faith was false, you know, he had been taught it from childhood; and if he was sincere in that which he had been taught, that was all that could be expected from a heathen."

"But, Anne, notwithstanding Numa built so many temples, and was so anxious about religious ceremonies, I much doubt whether he really believed in the gods he worshipped. A strong feeling of religion in the common people is of use to every lawgiver: this Numa was well

aware of, and he did every thing in his power to excite it in the Romans; by its means he brought about all his designs, and imposed upon his subjects in the grossest manner."

"Imposed, mamma! I thought he built a temple to Faith, and imposing upon any one is contrary to the laws of good faith and sincerity. But pray tell me what he did?"

"He pretended, my love, that a goddess came down from heaven to instruct him how to govern his people; and in the time of a pestilence in the city, he produced a shield, which he said had fallen from heaven, for the safety and use of the people. To prevent this shield from being stolen, he had eleven made exactly like it, and he appointed priests to take charge of these Ancylia, as the twelve shields were called; he also instituted festivals in honour of them. The priests were called Salii, and the Ancylia were kept in the temple of Vesta. Is this sufficient to prove that he had not a firm belief in his gods?"

"Quite, mamma, for he would not have trifled with what he held sacred. Then I suppose that Numa's goodness arose from a natural desire to do right?"

"I think it did, Anne: acted upon by the