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The third, Erato, has her name from love, because she sings of amours; or because learned men are beloved and praised by others. She is also called Soltatrix ; for she first invented the art of dancing, over which she presided. She was also the inventress of poetry.

The fourth, Thalia, from b her gayety, briskness, and pleasantry; because she sings pleasantly and wantonly. Some ascribe to her the invention of comedy, others of geometry.

The fifth, Melpomene, from the excellency of her song, and the melody she makes when she sings. She is supposed to preside over tragedy, and to have invented sonnets.

The sixth, Terpsichore, has her name from the pleasure she takes in dancing, because she delights in balls. Some call her Citharistria.

The seventh, Euterpe, or Euterpia, from the sweetness of her singing. Some call her Tibicina, because, according to them, she presides over the pipes: 'andi some say, logic was invented by her.

The eighth, Polyhymnia, or Polymnia, or Polymneia, from her excellent memory; and therefore the invention of writing history, is attributed to her; which requires a good memory. It was owing to her, that the songsters add to the verses that they sing, hands and fingers which speak more than the tongue; an expressive silence; a language without words; in short, gesture and action.

The ninth, Urania, was so called, either because she sings of divine things; or because, through her assistance, men are praised to the skies: or because, by

a ̓Απὸ τὸ ἔρωτος, ab amore. Ovid. Art. Am. 2. Β Από το Jay, id est, virere, germinare, et florere. Procl. in Hesiod. • Α μέλτσομαι canto et modulor, vel ἀπὸ τὸ μέλος ποιεῖν cond ̓Απὸ τέρπειν τοῖς χόροις, quod choreis delectetur. e Ab εὐτερωὴς, jucunda nempe in concentu. πολύς multus et μνεία memoria. g Plut. in Sympos. carminibus additæ sint orchestrarum loquacissinæ manus, lin

centum facere.

fA

h Quod

osi digiti, silentium clamosium, expositio tacita, uno verbo tus et actio. 1’Awò vỡ spava, à cœlo.

the sciences, they become conversant in the contemplation of celestial things.

a

Bahusius, a modern poet, has comprised the names of all the Muses in a a distich; that is, he has made the nine Muses to stand, which is something strange, but upon eleven feet. Perhaps you will remember their names better, when they are thus joined together in

two verses.

SECT. 4.- -THE COMMON NAMES OF THE MUSES.

P. WHAT names have the Muses common to them all?

M. The most remarkable are,

Heliconide or Heliconiades, from the mountain Helicon, in Baotia.

Parnassides, from the mountain Parnassus in Phocis, which has two heads; bwhere if any person slept, he presently became a poet. It was anciently called Larnassus, from Larnace, the ark of Deucalion, which rested here, and was named Parnassus after the flood, from an inhabitant of this mountain so called.

Citherides, or Citheriades, from the mountain Citheron, where they dwelt.

Aonides, from the country Aonia.

Pierides, or Pieria, from the mountain Pierus, or Pieria, in Thrace; or from the daughters of Pierius and Anippe, who, daring to contend with the Muses, were changed into pies.

Pegasides and Hippocrenides, from the famous fountain Helicon, which by the Greeks is called Hippocrene, and by the Latins, eCaballinus, both which words signify, the horse's fountain: it was also named Pegaseius, from Pegasus the winged horse, which by striking a

Calliope, Polymneia, Erato, Clio, atque Thalia, Melpomene, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Urania. 1. 4. epig. 1. b Persius in Proœmio. c Idem ibid. d Ab ίππος equus, et pan fons. e Caballinus, à Caballus, id est, equus.

Ovid. Met. 5.

stone in this place with his foot, opened the fountain, a and the waters of it became vocal.

Aganippides, or Aganippea, from the fountain Aga

nippe.

Castalides, from the fountain Castalius at the foot of Parnassus.

SECT. 5-THE NUMBER OF THE MUSES.

P. WHAT was the number of the Muses? ..M. Some writeb, that they were but Three in the beginning; because sound, out of which all singing is formed, is naturally threefold; either made by the voice alone; or by blowing, as in pipes; or by striking, as in citherns and drums. Or it may be, because there are three tones of the voice or other instruments, the bass, the tenor, and the treble. Or because three is the most perfect of numbers; for it agrees to the persons of the godhead. Or lastly, because all the sciences are distributed into three general parts, philosophy, rhetoric, and mathematics; and each three parts are subdivided into three other parts; philosophy into logic, ethics, and physics; rhetoric into the demonstrative, deliberative, and judicial kind; mathematics into music, geometry, and arithmetic and hence it came to pass, that they reckoned not only Three Muses, but Nine..

Others give us a different reason why they are Nine. "When the citizens of Sicyon appointed three skilful artificers to make the statues of the Three Muses, promising to choose those three statues out of the nine which they liked best, they were all so well made that they could not tell which to prefer; so that they bought them all, and placed them in the temples: and Hesiod afterward assigned to them the names mentioned above, P. Were they virgins?

M. Some affirm it; and others deny it, who reckon

a Sidonius Apollin. b Var. apud August. c Censorin de die natali. d Phur. de Deorum Natura. e Var. apud August. ex Lil. Gyr. f Plato ap. eundem. Vide Nat. Com.

up their children. But, however, let no person despise the Muses, unless he design to bring destruction upon himself by the example of Thamyras or Thamyris;a who being conceited of his beauty and skill in singing, presumed to challenge the Muses to sing, upon condition, that if he was overcome, they should punish him as they pleased. And after he was overcome, he was deprived at once both of his harp and his eyes.

CHAPTER X.

THEMIS, ASTRÆA, NEMESIS.

P. THESE three goddesses, I see, contrive and consult together on affairs of great moment.

M. I suppose so; for the business of them is almost the same: the same function is incumbent upon each of them. But, however, let us inspect them all singly.

Themis, the first of them, bis the daughter of Calum and Terra. According to the signification of her name, her office is to instruct mankind to do things honest, just, and right, "Therefore her images were brought and placed before those who were about to speak to the people, that they might be admonished thereby to say nothing in public but what was just and righteous. Some say, eshe spoke oracles at Delphi, before Apollo; though Homer says, that she served Apollo with nectar and ambrosia. There was another Themis, of whom Justice, Law, and Peace, arc said to be born. Hesiod, by way of eminence, calls her modest, because she was ashamed to see any thing that was done against right and equity. Eusebius calls her Carmenta; because by her verse and precepts she

a Hom. Iliad. 2. Plut. de Musica. C és enim significat fas.

1.

f Hymn. in Apollinem. dam. Hesiod. in Theog.

b Hesiod. in Theog. d Ex. Lil. Gyr. e Ovid. Met. Adony, id est, pudibunh Quod carminibus edictisque

suis præcipiet unicuique quod justum est. Euseb. Præp. E. vang. 1. 3.

directs every one to that which is just. But, here he means a different Carmenta from the Roman Carmenta, who was the mother of Evander, otherwise called Themis Nicostrata, a prophetical lady. She was worshipped by the Romans, because she prophesied; and was called Carmenta, either from the verse in which she uttered her predictions, or from the madness which seemed to possess her when she prophesied. To this lady an altar was dedicated near the gate Carmentalis, by the Capitol; and a temple was built to her honour also upon this occasion: When the senate forbad the married women the use of litters or sedans, they combined together, and resolved, that they would never bring children, unless their husbands rescinded that edict they kept to this agreement with so much resolution, that the senate was obliged to change their sentence, and yield to the women's will, and allow them all sedans and chariots again. And when their wives conceived and brought forth fine children, they erected a temple in honour of Carmenta.

Astrea, the daughter of Aurora and Astræus the Titan (or as others say, the daughter of Jupiter and Themis) was esteemed the princess of Justice. The poets feign, that in the Golden Age she descended from heaven to the earth; and being offended at last by the wickedness of mankind, she returned to heaven again, after all the other gods had gone before her. many times directly called by the name of Justitia particularly by hVirgil. And when she had returned to heaven again, she was placed where we now see the constellation Virgo.

She is

; as

a Solinus in descriptione Romæ. b A Carmine. Ovid. Fast. c Quasi carens mente. d Vide Ovid. in Fast. 1. 2.

od. in Theog. f Justitiæ antistita.

Victa jacet pietas, et virgo cæde madentes

Ultima calestûm terras Astræa reliquit.

Ail duty dies, and weary'd justice flies

From bloody earth at last, and mounts the skies.

[blocks in formation]

Justitia excedens terris vestigia fecit.

Justice last took her flight from hence, and here
The prints of her departing steps appear.

i Bocca. Gen. Deor.

e Hesi.

Geo. 2.

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