Terpsion to Polycles To convince you how insensibly love gets admission into the most innocent hearts, be pleased to read over the following story: A young country girl fell desperately in love with her mistress's gallant, and took fire herself, while she contributed to extinguish that of others. Being obliged to keep watch upon the stairs, lest the lovers should be surprised, she could not but often hear their murmuring and fighting. She saw them too, folded in one another's embraces, performing the ceremony of love; and thus through the eyes and ears of this tender girl, the god of love, with his torch and arrows, plunged himself over head and ears in her panting breast.

She bewailed the unhappiness of her condition, and accused her destiny for giving her a mind susceptible of the most tender impressions, yet denying her the means of satisfying them, "Why should not I," said she, "participate in pleasure with my mistress, since I have a soul as sensible as hers?

Why should love, that tramples over all the distinctions of rank and quality, show himself faint-hearted only in my quarrel?" But she did not long afflict herself with these unprofitable complaints. Venus would not suffer her to lose the time in lazy wishes; for being sent one afternoon to invite the gallant to her mistress's lodgings, without any preamble or preface, she accosted him in this manner: