QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. Why was Juno called Argiva? How did the Argivi represent her? Give in writing the reasons for her name Caprotina. What custom arose from this? Why was she named Cingula? On what accounts was she named Dominduca and Interduca? Why was she called Februalis? What animals were sacrificed to her? On what account was she named Juga, and Socigena ? Why is she called Lacinia and Lucina? What circumstances took place when they sacrificed to Juno under the name of Nuptialis? Why was she called Parthenos, and why Perfecta? What title does she give herself in Virgil? Why is she called Sospita and Unxia? CHAPTER VIII. SEC. 1.-MINERVA, OR PALLAS. BIRTH. HER IMAGE AND Minerva-it may be asked why she is clothed with armour, rather than with women's clothes. What means the head piece of gold, and the crest that glitters so? To what purpose has she a golden breastplate, and a lance in her right hand, and a terrible shield in her left? On her shield is a grisly head beset with snakes: and the cock and owl are painted on it. Minerva is armed, rather than dressed in women's clothes, because she is the president and inventress of war. The cock stands by her because he is a fighting bird, and is often painted sitting on her headpiece. The head, which seems so formidable with snakes, she not only carries on her shield, but sometimes also in the midst of her breast; it is the head of Medusa, one of the Gorgons, of which Virgil gives a beauti ful description. The Basilisk is also sacred to her to denote the great sagacity of her mind, and the dreadful effects of her courage, she being the goddess both of wisdom and of war; for the eye of the basilisk is not only piercing enough to discover the smallest object, but it is able to strike dead whatsoever creature it looks on. She wears an olive crown, because it is the emblem of peace; and war is only made that peace may follow. Though there is another reason, too, why she wears the olive: for she first taught mankind the use of that tree. When Cecrops built a new city, Neptune and Minerva contended about its name; and it was resolved, that whichsoever of the two deities found out the most useful creature to man, should give their name to the city. Neptune brought a horse; and Minerva caused an olive to spring out of the earth, which was judged a more useful creature to man than the horse therefore, Minerva named the city, and called it Athenæ, after her own name, in Greek 'Abnva. The most celebrated of the statues of Phidias, after that of Jupiter Olympius, was the statue of Minerva in her temple at Athens: it was thirty-nine feet high. History mentions five Minervas. We shall speak of that only which was born of Jupiter, and to whom the rest are referred. The account given of her birth was this: when Jupiter saw that his wife Juno had no children, he through grief struck his forehead, and after three months brought forth Minerva · whence she was called Tritonia: Vulcan *striking his head with the blow of a hatchet, was amazed to see an armed virago leap out of the brain of her father, instead of a tender infant. "De capitis fertur sine matre paterni Vertice, cum clypeo prosiluisse suo. * Lucian. in Dial. Deor. Out of her father's scull, as they report, They say besides, that it rained gold in the island of Rhodes, when Minerva was born, an observation made by Claudian also. "Auratos Rhodiis imbres, nascente Minerva, At Pallas' birth, great Jupiter, we're told,. QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. From what does Minerva derive her name? How is she represented, and what are the figures represented on the shield? Why is she armed, and what does the cock signify? Why does she wear an olive crown? How did Athens derive its name? Which is the most celebrated statue of Minerva ? What was the origin of Minerva? What happened at Rhodes when Minerva was born? SEC. 2.-NAMES OF MINERVA. Minerva is so called from diminishing, [a minis. And it is very true, that she, being the goddess of war, diminishes the number of men, and deprives families of their head, and cities of their members. But the name may be derived from threatenings, because her looks threaten the beholders with violence, and strike them with terror. Or, perhaps, she has her name from the good admonition she gives; because she is the goddess of wisdom. She is commonly thought to be wisdom itself; hence, when men pretend to teach those that are wiser than themselves, it is proverbially said, Sus Minervam, v Anvay, Cic. 9. Epist. 18. "That sow teaches Mi nerva." The Greeks call her Athena, because she never sucked the breast of a mother or nurse; for she was born out of her father's head, in full strength, and was therefore called motherless. Plato says she had this name from her skill* in divine affairs. Others think she was so named, †because she is never enslaved, but enjoys the most perfect freedom, as the Stoics well observe, who say, The philosopher is the only freeman. Liber nemo est nisi sapiens. Tollius in Paradox. She is called Pallas, from a giant of the same name, whom she slew or from the lake Pallas, where she was first seen by men; or, lastly, which is more probable, from brandishing her spear in war. She had many other names; but we shall only mention two or three, after we have given some account of the Palladium. The Palladium was an image of Pallas, preserved in the castle of the city of Troy; for while the castle and temple of Minerva were building, they say, this image fell from heaven into it, before it was covered with a roof. This raised every body's admiration; and when the oracle of Apollo was consulted, he answered, "That the city should be safe so long as that image remained within it." Therefore, when the Grecians besieged Troy, they found that it was impossible to take the city, unless the PallaIdium was taken out of it. This business was left to Ulysses and Diomedes, who undertook to creep into the city through the common sewers, and bring away the fatal image. When they had performed the task, Troy was taken without difficulty. Some say it was not lawful for any person to remove the Palladium, or even to look upon it. Others add, that it was made of wood, so that it was a wonder how it could move the eyes and shake the spear. Others, *'Ana quisa inyov, vel 'Hanvov, hoc est, quæ divina cogni scit. Plato in Clatylo. Ab a non et Darla servire. Arò r wάλλs rò dau, à vibrandâ basta. Serv. in En. 1. 1 |