in fabulous history, the goddess of persuasion amongst the Romans. She was supposed to be the daughter of Mercury and Venus, and was represented with a diadem on her head, to intimate the influence she exercised over the hearts of men. One of her arms appeared raised in the attitude of an orator haranguing a public assembly; and in the other she held a thunderbolt and fetters, made with flowers, to signify the powers of reasoning and the attractions of eloquence. A caduceus, as a symbol of persuasion, appeared at her feet, and beside it were the writings of Demosthenes and Cicero, the two most celebrated orators amongst the ancients.