in fabulous history, the daughter of Jupiter and Ceres, was carried off by Pluto as she was gathering flowers with her companions. Ceres, disconsolate for the loss of her daughter, after having long sought her, heard where she was, and intreated Jupiter to let her return from hell. This request Jupiter granted, on condition she had tasted nothing in Pluto's dominions. Ceres therefore went to fetch her; but when her daughter was preparing to return, Alcaphus gave information that he had seen Proserpine eat some grains of a pomegranate she had gathered in Pluto's garden; on which she was sentenced to continue in Tartarus in quality of Pluto's spouse, and the queen of those gloomy regions: but to mitigate the grief of Ceres for her disappointment, Jupiter granted that her daughter should only spend six months together in hell with her husband, and the other six on earth with her mother.

Some mythologists imagine that the latter part of the fable