(_For The Mirror_.)
The origin of the veil is referred by the Greeks to modesty and
bashfulness.
About thirty furlongs from the city of Sparta, Icarius placed a
statue of MODESTY, for the purpose of perpetuating the following
incident:--Icarius having married his daughter to Ulysses, solicited
his son-in-law to fix his household in Sparta, and remain there with
his wife, to which Ulysses would not consent.
Icarius made the request to his daughter, conjuring her not to abandon
him, but seeing her ready to depart with Ulysses, for Ithaca, he
redoubled his efforts to detain her, nor could he be prevailed on to
desist from following the chariot on the way.
Ulysses wearied with the importunities of Icarius, said to his wife,
"_You_ can best answer this request; it is yours to determine whether
you will remain with your father at Sparta, or depart with your
husband for Ithaca; you are mistress of the decision."
The beautiful Penelope finding herself in this dilemma, blushed, and
without making the least reply, drew her veil over her face, thereby
intimating a denial to her father's request, and sunk into the arms of
her husband.
Icarius, very sensibly affected by this behaviour, and being desirous
of transmitting it to posterity by the most durable monument,
consecrated a statue to Modesty, on the very spot where Penelope had
thrown the veil over her face; that after her it might be a universal
symbol of delicacy among the fair sex.