times a mule is added, because she has no children, and shines by the light of the sun. Some say, that Lunæ of both sexes have been worshipped, especially among the Egyptians; and indeed they give this property to all the other gods. Thus both Lunus and Luna were worshipped, but with this difference, that those who worshipped Luna were thought subject to the women, and those who worshipped Lunus were superior to them. We must also observe, that the men sacrificed to Venus, under the name of Luna in women's clothes, and the women in men's clothes. ; This Luna had a lover who was named Endymion, and he was courted by her, insomuch, that to kiss him, she descended out of heaven, and came to the mountain Latmus, or Lathynius, in Caria he lay condemned to an eternal sleep by Jupiter; because, when he was taken into heaven, he attempted to make love to Juno. In reality, Endymion was a famous astronomer, who first, described the course of the moon, and he is represented sleeping, because he contemplated nothing but the planetary motions. Hecate may be derived from inader [hekathen] eminus; because the moon darts her rays or arrows afar off. She is said to be the daughter of Ceres by Jupiter, who being cast out by her mother, and exposed in the streets, was taken up by shepherds, and nourished by them; for which reason she was worshipped in the streets, and her statue was usually set before the doors of the houses, whence she took the name Propylæa. Others derive her name from ixarov [hecaton] centum, because they sacrificed a hundred victims to her: or, because, by her edict, those who die and are not buried, wander a hundred years up and down hell. However, it is certain that she is called Trivia, from triviis, "the streets;" for she was believed to preside over the streets and ways; so that they sacri ficed to her in the streets; and the Athenians, every new moon, made a sumptuous supper for her there, which was eaten in the night by the poor people of the city. They say that she was excessively tall, her head was covered with frightful snakes instead of hair, and her feet were like serpents. She was represented encompassed with dogs; because that animal was sacred to her; and Hesychius says, that she was sometimes represented by a dog. We are told that she presided over enchantments, and that when she was called seven times she came to the sacrifices as soon as these were finished, several apparitions appeared, called from her Hecatæa. She was called by the Egyptians, Bubastis; her feasts were named Bubasta; and the city where they were yearly celebrated was called Bubastis.. She is called Chitone and Chitonia, * because women after childbirth used first to sacrifice to Juno, and then offer to Diana their own and their children's clothes. She was named Dictynna, not only from the nets which she used, for she was a huntress, and the princess of hunters (for which reason all woods were dedicated to her,) but also because Britomartis the virgin, whom she hunted, fell into the nets, and vowed, if she escaped, to build a temple for Diana. She did escape, and then consecrated a temple to Diana Dictynna. Others relate the story thus: When Britomartis, whom Diana loved because she was a huntress, fied from Minos her lover, and cast herself into the sea; she fell into the fishermen's nets, and Diana made her a goddess. The ancients thought that Diana left off hunting on the ides of August, therefore at that time it was not * X, quasi tunicata a xráv, tunica; solebant enim fœminæ partus laboribus perfanctæ Junoni sacrificare; suas autem et infantium vestes Dianæ consecrare. Plut. 3. Symp. c. ult. Retia enim dixura dicuntur. lawful for any one to hunt, but they crowned the dogs with garlands, and by the light of torches, made of stubble, hung up the hunting instruments near them. We shall only adjoin, to what has been said, the two stories of Chione and Meleager. Chione was the daughter of Dædalion, the son of Dædalus she was beloved by Apollo and Mercury, and was the mother of twins; namely, Philammon, a skilful musician, and Autolychus, who proved a famous juggler, and an artful thief. She was so far from thinking this a shame, that she grew very proud; nay, openly boasted, that her beauty had charmed two gods. Besides, she was so bold as to speak scornfully of Diana's beauty, and to prefer herself before her: but Diana punished the insolence of this boaster, for she drew her bow, and shot an arrow through her tongue, and thereby put her to silence: -"Se præferre Dianæ Sustinuit, faciemque Deæ culpavit. At illi She to Diana's durst her face prefer, And blame her beauty. With a cruel look, Meleager was punished for the fault of his father Oeneus, who, when he offered his first fruits to the gods, wilfully forgot Diana; therefore she was angry, and sent a wild boar into the fields of his kingdom of Caledonia, to destroy them. Meleager, accompanied with many chosen youths, immediately undertook either to kill this boar, or to drive him out of the country. The Virgin Atalanta was among the hunters, and gave the boar the first wound; and soon after Meleager killed him. He valued Atalanta more who wounded him, than himself who killed him, and therefore offered her the boar's skin. But the uncles of Meleager were enraged that the hide was given to a stranger, violently took it from her; upon which Meleager killed them. As soon as his mother Althæa understood that Meleager had killed her brothers, she sought revenge like a mad woman. In Althæa's chamber was a billet, which, when Meleager was born, the Fates took, and threw into the fire, saying, The new-born infant shall live as long as this stick remains unconsumed: "Tempora, dixerunt, eadem lignoque tibique, O modo nate, damus: quo postquam carmine dicto, O lately born, one period we assign To thee and to the brand. The charm they weave His mother snatch'd it with a hasty hand Out of the fire, and quench'd the flaming brand, And by preserving it prolongs his days. The mother snatched it out of the fire and quenched it, and laid it in a closet. But now, moved with rage, she goes to her chamber, and fetching the stick, she threw it into the fire : "Dextraque aversa trementi, Funereum torrein medios conjecit in ignes. -With eyes turn'd back, her quaking hand As the log burned, Meleager, though absent, felt fire in his bowels, which consumed him in the same manner that the wood was consumed; and when at last the log was quite reduced to ashes, and the fire quenched, Meleager at the same time expired, and turned to dust. QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. How is Diana described? What is said of Acteon? Why does Diana represent the moon? What is said of her with regard to Alpheus? Why is she called Triformis? How is she named in the heavens, in the earth, and in hell; and why so? Repeat the Latin distich. Why is she named Lunæ ? How was Luna worshipped among the Egyptians? What is said of Endymion? What is said of Hecate? Why was she called Trivia? Why is she represented as encompassed with dogs? Why is she called Bubastæ, and why Brimo? Why was she called Lucina and Opis? Why was she called Chitone? Why was she named Dictynna? Why did the ancients esteem it unlawful to hunt after the first of August? Give some account of the stories of Chione and Meleager. CHAPTER XV. PALES, FLORA, FERONIA, POMONA. THAT old lady, whom you see surrounded by shepherds, is Pales, the goddess of shepherds and pastures. Some call her Magna Mater and Vesta. To this goddess they sacrificed milk, and wafers made of millet, that she might make the pastures fruitful. They instituted the feasts called Palilia, or Parilia, to her honour, which were observed upon the eleventh or twelfth day of the calends of May |