8 7 6 who represents Prometheus, as attempting to give advice to the Titans; and Sophocles' exprefsly calls him Titan Prometheus: Thus in Lucian Mercury orders Vulcan to nail the wretched Titan, alluding to Prometheus; and the Scholiaft on Apollonius Rhodius alfo afferts, that he was one of the Titans. It remains however to fhew, that this curious office in the Fabulous Mythology was applied to Prometheus, as well as Vulcan: Heath has omitted to give this neceffary information, which I am fortunately able to fupply: For Apollodorus fays, "that when the fulness of time for the birth of Minerva was come, Prometheus, or according to others Vulcan, ftruck the head of Jupiter with an axe:" The Scholiaft on Pindar alfo obferves, "that some affigned this office to Palamaon, others to Mercury, and others to Prometheus:" Here therefore we may with certainty acquiefce in regard to the Perfon, to whom Euripides alludes in the performance of this operation. As to this extravagant relation of the birth of Minerva, this monftrous fable is often mentioned by the Græcian 10 and Roman 11 Poets: If I may hazard a conjecture on the origin of it, the name of Coryphe, the Mother of one of the Minerva's according to Cicero 12, which word correfponds with xogo or the head, may have occafioned the original foundation of it. Paufanias 13 men 5 Oedip. Colon. v. 56. 7 Argon. 1. 3. v. 864. 9 Olym. Od. 7. v. 66. 9 13 • Tom. I. p. 185. ed. Hemfter. 10 Hom. in Pall. v. 5. and in Apoll. v. 696. ed. Clarke Odyff. & vol. 2. p. 696 and 758. Hef. Theog. v. 924. Efch. Eum. v. 666. Callim. in Lav. Pall. v. 135. Apol. Rhod. Argon. 1. 4. v. 1310. According to Tzetzes on Lycophron Minerva derived the name of Pallas, παρὰ τὸ πάλλειν rà özλa, from shaking her armour, when the leaped from the head of Jove, (v. 355.) I Ter. Heaut. A. 5. f. 4. v. 13. Ovid Faft. 1. 3. v. 842. Lucan, 1. 9. v. 350. Hyg. Fab. Auct. Mythog. ed. Stav. p. 12. 12 De Nat. Deor. 1. 3. c. 23. 13 L. 4. c. 36. tions a temple of Minerva Coryphafia at Pylos; and it appears from Ovid, that the Romans adored this Divinity under the title of Capita, Parva licet videas Capitæ delubra Minervæ. Faft. 1. 3. v. 837. There are two engravings in Montfaucon 14, reprefenting this birth of Minerva, where Jupiter and this Goddess with the affiftant Operator are all drawn in their respective attitudes and devices correfponding to this romantick fable: But a fourth perfonage is alfo introduced, who fupports Jupiter, "fatigue des couches fi extraordinaires," according to the expreffion of Montfaucon. Verfe 457. Nína. No XXIV. 459. Bright Victory come. THE Chorus here implores Minerva under her title of Nina, or the Goddess of Victory, and Creufa' afterwards in this play fwears by the fame Divinity. We learn from Paufanias", "that on the fummit of the Acropolis at Athens stood a temple of Minerva, called Victory." Sophocles alfo in his Philoctetes addreffes Minerva under this appellation, Νίκη τ' Αθηνα πολιάς. (V. 135.) Here the Scholiaft informs us, that the tutelary Guardian of the citadel in Attica was called Minerva Victory And Har 3 pocration in his Lexicon cites the teftimony of Heliodorus Periegetes to the fame purpose. N° XXV. Verfe 494. Ω Πανὸς θακήματα, καὶ Παραυλίζεσα πέτρα, Μυχοὶ δαιδὶ μακραῖς. 465. Ye ruftick feats, Pan's dear delight, OUR Poet again alludes in another line' of this play to this cavern of Pan; and he there fixes its fituation, as near to the Northern Cave of Macrai, which was under the citadel of Athens: He also there mentions a fhrine and altars in honour of Pan: Thus we learn from Herodotus", "that "the Athenians built a temple to Pan under the Acropolis, "and fupplicated him with annual facrifices and a torch :" This hiftorical anecdote will fortunately enable us to underftand the true fenfe of this expreffion in Euripides of dai Mangais, which I conceive to allude to the fame celebration, mentioned by Herodotus, and to imply the feftivities in honour of the God: I approve therefore of the verfion of Canter, which is, "Seceffus longis epulis;" in preference 3 Vox Nixn'Arvã. 2 . V. 938. * Ιδρύσαντο ὑπὸ τῇ ἀκροπόλι Πανὸς ἱρὸν, καὶ ἀυὸν ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς ἀγγελίης θυσίησι ἐπιλείῃσι καὶ λαμπάδι ἱλάσκονται. (1. 6. c. 105.) to + to that of the Cambridge and Oxford Editors, who imagine, that the word pangais, instead of an epithet, implying long, ought to be rendered, as the cave of Macrai; and under this idea they have been obliged to fuppofe the word Souri corrupt, for which in their respective notes they have subftituted different emendations; the neceffity of which is avoided by this conftruction. Brodæus 3 retains duol, and translates it epulis facrificiis, but refers at the fame time the allufion to the place of Macrai under the expreffion of pangais. There is alfo a paffage in Ariftophanes *, which mentions this cave of Pan as a convenient receptacle for Women: Paufanias ' in his defcription of the citadel of Athens afferts, that there is a temple of Apollo and Pan in a cavern, where Creufa according to report was compreffed by Apollo". The words dari pangais may also perhaps be here rendered by longis tædis, in allufion to the torches mentioned in Herodotus. 5 N° XXVI. Verfe 496. Αγραυλο κόραι τρίγονοι. 499. The offspring of Agraulos they, A trinal band. THE objects, to which Euripides here alludes under the expreffion of the Damfels of Agraulos, cannot be the fame with the three virgin Daughters of Cecrops and Agraulos, already mentioned in the Prologus' of this play, as having the cuftody of the Infant Erichthonius committed to them by 3 In Ion. Annot. p. 106. 4 Η τῇ Πανὸς ἐσι τ' αὐλίον. (Lyff. v. 722.) Καὶ πλησίον Απόλλωνος ιερὸν ἐν σπηλαίῳ καὶ Πανὸς» (L. Ι. c. 28. p. 68.) Note on v. 13 of this play, p. 32. 6 See my 1 V. 23. 3 4 Minerva For a whole century must have nearly elapfed fince this event, as he was great Grandfather of Ion; and confequently they could not with any confiftent probability of chronology be reprefented, as now alive: But we have al ready been exprefsly informed by the Poet', that thefe Virgins were punished by death for their contempt of the injunction of the Goddefs in opening the cafket: Yet both Scaliger and Barnes, as appears from the notes and Latin verfion of the latter, feem not to have been aware of the abfurdity arifing from this conftruction, which refers the expreffion to the three Daughters, as now alive, of Cecrops and Agraulos, or Aglauros: But Dr. Musgrave supposes, that it alludes to an imaginary dance of them after their death and with this difference he adheres to the identity of the objects: This interpretation is built on conjecture, without any other authority to fupport this idea at Athens of a vifionary dance of the Agraulides, "except a fable related of Protefilaus by Philoftratus, and another of the course of Achilles by fome Geographers, mentioned by this Editor:" I cannot affent to this opinion, which appears to me too fantaftick and improbable. Inftead of referring this expreffion of 'Ayçaúns nógaι Tgiyovo to Agraulus and her Sifters, Brodæus interprets the word dypains, as an epithet, and not as the name of a perfon: According to this idea he tranflates the paffage, "tres, id eft quam plurimæ ruftici filiæ:" He does not inform us, who is the particular perfon, to which ruftici alludes; but Canter in his Latin verfion renders it Agreflis Dei, by which I understand him to mean 5 2 V. 274. edition. 3 On v. 23 & 496. 4 See his note on v. 508. of his Pan |