29. Sive ego te feci testem, falsove citavi FLORA. FAS. V. 183. THE worship of Flora, the Goddess of Blossoms, may be said to have been coeval with the city itself, since we are told that she was an ancient Sabine goddess, established at Rome by Titus Tatius, the colleague of Romulus, and that a peculiar priest or flamen was assigned to her by Numa1. The games, however, called 'Floralia,' were not instituted until 238 B. C.2, and were celebrated, it would seem, in the Circus Florae, which was situated at the foot of the Quirinal. There were also dramatic exhibitions. The festival commenced on IV. Kal. Mai. (28th of April), and continued until the 1st of May, inclusive. MATER, ades, florum, ludis celebranda iocosis: Distuleram partes mense priore tuas. Incipis Aprili: transis in tempora Maii: Circus in hunc exit clamataque palma theatris : 1 Varro L. L. 5. 10; 7. 3. 2 Pliny H. N. 18. 29, referred to above, p. 60. 5 Ipsa doce quae sis: hominum sententia fallax: Optima tu proprii nominis auctor eris. Sic ego, sic nostris respondit Diva rogatis; Corrupta Latino Nominis est nostri litera Graeca sono. Chloris eram, Nymphe campi felicis, ubi audis, Quae fuerit mihi forma, grave est narrare modestae: Ver erat: errabam: Zephyrus conspexit. Abibam: Et dederat fratri Boreas ius omne rapinae, Vim tamen emendat dando mihi nomina nuptae: ΙΟ 15 20 25 30 Et variae radiis intepuere comae; Conveniunt pictis incinctae vestibus Horae, 35 Inque leves calathos munera nostra legunt. Protinus accedunt Charites; nectuntque coronas, Prima per immensas sparsi nova semina gentes, 40 Prima Therapnaeo feci de sanguine florem: Tu quoque nomen habes cultos, Narcisse, per hortos: Quid Crocon, aut Attin referam, Cinyraque creatum; 46 50 55 Nos quoque idem facimus: tunc cum iuvenilibus annis Luxuriant animi, corporaque ipsa vigent. бо 30. MINERVA. FAS. III. 809. 3 MINERVA, who shared the triple temple of the Capitol with Jupiter and Juno', seems to have been an Etrurian deity, although Varro asserts that she was of Sabine origin. The name, derived from the same root with 'mens,' indicates that she was the Goddess of Reason. Hence the old verb' promenervare' in the songs of the Salii, signifying 1 Val. Max. 2. 1, 2; Aug. De Civ. Dei 4. 10. 2 For the proofs of this see Müller, Die Etrusker, 3. 3, 2. The name occurs upon Etruscan 'paterae' under the forms Menerfa,' 'Menfra,' 'Mnfra.' 3 L. L. 5. 10. to advise,' 'to warn,' and the phrases 'facere aliquid pingui Minerva, invita Minerva, crassa Minerva,' in which Minerva denotes the intellectual powers bestowed by nature, as Cicero explains, De Off. 1. 31: 'Nihil decet invita, ut aiunt, Minerva, id est, adversante et repugnante natura.’ 6 Compare also Cic. Ep. Fam. 12. 25, where he puns on the expression Quinquatribus, frequenti senatu, causam tuam egi non invita Minerva. Etenim eo ipse die senatus decrevit ut Minerva nostra, custos urbis, quam turbo deiecerat, restitueretur,' and Hor. A. P. 385, Tu nihil invita dices faciesve Minerva.' In Hor. S. 2. 2. 3, 'Rusticus abnormis sapiens crassaque Minerva,' 'crassa Minerva,' means good coarse common sense. Minerva was mistress of the Inventive Faculty also, and thus exercised control over literature and science in general. Mechanics and artists of every description, musicians, poets, schoolmasters, physicians, all paid homage to her as their patroness, and she was believed to take peculiar interest in spinning and weaving, the most ancient and honourable of female occupations. The first temple of Minerva was that upon the Capitol; there was another upon the Aventine1, and a third near the Coelian, in which she was worshipped as 'Minerva Capta2,' an epithet said to have been applied when her statue was transported from Falerii, after the capture of that city by Camillus. Her great festival was called the Quinquatrus, or Quinquatria. It commenced on XIV. Kal. Apr. (19th March), and ended XI. Kal. Apr. (23rd March). On all the days, except the first, there were gladiatorial exhibitions, and on the last a ceremony was performed, called the Tubilustrium, or purification of trumpets, the invention of wind instruments being attributed to the goddess. Ov. Fast. 3. 849, 'Summa dies e quinque tubas lustrare canoras Another Tubilustrium was held on IX. Kal. Jun. (24th May,) in honour of Vulcan, the fabricator of the instrument. Fast. 5. 724, 1 Ov. Fast. 6. 727; Fest. in verb. 'Scribas.' 2 Ib. 3. 835, where several explanations of the epithet Capta' are proposed. 'Proxima Vulcani lux est: Tubilustria dicunt, A second festival of Minerva, the Quinquatrus Minusculae, or Quinquatria Minora, fell upon the Ides of June, and was observed with great pomp by the Tibicines or flute players. Ov. Fast. 6. 651, Et iam Quinquatrus iubeor narrare minores, Nunc ades O! coeptis, flava Minerva, meis. Quid sibi personae, quid stola longa, volunt?' Compare Varro L. L. 6. 3: ‘Quinquatrus Minusculae dictae Iuniae Idus ab similitudine Maiorum, quod tibicines tum feriati vagantur per urbem et conveniunt ad aedem Minervae.' And Festus: Minusculae Quinquatrus appellabantur Idus Iuniae, quod is dies festus erat tibicinum, qui Minervam colebant. Quinquatrus proprie dies festus erat Minervae, Martio Mense.' With regard to the Tibicines, see note, p. 176. Observe that the later Romans identified Minerva with Pallas Athene, both being Goddesses of Wisdom, and invested the former with all the attributes of her Grecian sister. NA dies media est; et fiunt sacra Minervae : VNA Nomina quae iunctis quinque diebus habent. Erudit; et rarum pectine denset opus. 5 ΙΟ 1 Compare Varro L. L. 6. 3: 'Dies Tubilustrium appellatur, quod eo die in atro sutorio sacrorum tubae lustrantur.' And Festus: Tubicines etiam ii appellantur, qui sacerdotes, viri speciosi, publice sacra faciunt tubarum lustrandarum gratia.' And Paulus: Tubilustria dies appellabant, in quibus agna tubas lustrabant.' |