“Inferno,” in-ferˈno; “Purgatorio,” pur-gä-toˈre-o; “Divina Commedia,”
dee-veéˈnä com-meˈdee-ä.
P. 230.—“Mincius,” minˈci-us. A river of northern Italy emptying into the
Po, a little below Mantua, which is situated on an island in the middle
of a lagoon formed by the river.
P. 232.—“Bucolic,” bu-cŏlˈic; “Eclogues,” ĕkˈlogs.
“Dactylic hexameter,” dac-tylˈic hex-ămˈe-ter. A verse of poetry
consisting of six feet, parts, or measures (hexameter means of six
measures), the first four of which may be dactyls, that is feet of three
syllables, one long and two short; or spondees, feet of two syllables,
one long and one short: the fifth must be a dactyl, and the sixth a
spondee.
“Theocritus,” the-ŏkˈrĭ-tus. Was born in Syracuse about 250 B. C. He is
known as the creator of pastoral poetry. About thirty poems by him are
still extant, and several epigrams.
P. 234.—“Sibyl,” sĭbˈyl. A name given by the Greeks and Romans to several
women who were supposed to have been able to foretell, to avert trouble,
and to appease the gods. Some writers mention four Sibyls, others ten.
The most famous of all was this Cumæan Sibyl, and to her the Romans
traced the origin of the “oracles.” It is fabled that she offered to sell
to one of the Tarquins nine books, but the king refused. Going away she
burnt three, and then offered the six at the same price. Being refused
again she destroyed a second three, and at her first price the king
finally took those remaining. These were carefully preserved, but burnt
in B. C. 83. A new compilation was made by consulting the various oracles
of the world. The “Sibyline oracles” mentioned here are in eight books,
and were collected after the second century; they consist of a mixture of
heathen, Christian and Jewish poems.
P. 235.—“Lucina,” lu-ciˈna. The goddess who was supposed to preside over
the birth of children.
“Tiphys,” tiˈphys. The pilot of the “Argo.” He died before the ship
reached Colchis. For the story of the “Argo” see Grecian history.
P. 236.—“Fates,” or Parcæ, were mythological beings who cared for human
life.
“Linus.” The personification of the dirge.
“Calliope.” The muse of epic poetry. She usually appears with a stylus
and a wax tablet.
P. 237.—“Hesiod,” heˈsĭ-od. Greek epic poet; 800 B. C.
“Iambic pentameter.” A verse of five feet (pentameter), or ten syllables.
Each foot is an iambus; that is, is composed of one short and one long
syllable.
“Alexandrine,” ălˌex-ănˈdrĭne. A verse composed of twelve syllables,
named from a French poem on Alexander.
P. 238.—“Ceres.” The Demeter of the Romans, the goddess who presided over
grain and the harvest.
“Fauns.” The rural divinities of the Romans. They were supposed to have
introduced the worship of the gods and agriculture. They are represented
as possessed of horns, and having the figure of a goat below the waist.
“Courser’s birth.” The reference is to the creation of the horse by
Neptune. It is said that Neptune and Minerva (Athene) contested for the
honor of naming Attica. The gods decided that it should be the one who
should give the most useful gift to man. Neptune struck the ground with
his trident and the horse appeared. Athene created the olive tree; the
latter received the honor.
“Pallas.” A name frequently given to Athene.
“Cypress.” The cypress was sacred to Pluto, the god of the lower world.
P. 239—“Thule.” The land which in the time of Alexander the Great was
believed to be the northernmost part of Europe.
“Fasces,” făsˈsēz. An emblem of authority among the Romans. It was an ax
tied up in a bundle of rods.
“Balance.” The constellation Libra, or the Scales. It lies in the Zodiac
between the Virgin and the Scorpion.
“Elysium,” e-lĭzˈĭ-um. A dwelling place for the good after death.
“Proserpine,” pro-serˈpine. The daughter of Ceres, who was carried off by
Pluto, to Hades. Her mother, discovering that Jupiter had given consent
to the abduction, withdrew from Olympus, and did not allow the earth to
bring forth fruit. Jupiter tried to dissuade her, but failing, sent for
Proserpine. She returned, but as she had eaten in the lower world could
not remain all the time on earth, but was obliged to spend one-third of
the year with Pluto.
P. 254.—“Æolus,” æˈo-lus. The god of the winds.
“Sarpedon,” sar-peˈdon. A son of Jupiter and a prince of Lycia. He was an
ally of the Trojans in the Trojan war, but was slain by Patroclus, the
friend of Achilles.
“Simois.” One of the prominent rivers in the country of Troy.
P. 255.—“Orontes,” o-ronˈtes. A Lycian leader and ally of the Trojans;
“Aletes,” a-lēˈ-tes; “Abas,” aˈbas; “Achates,” a-chaˈtes.
P. 258.—“Harpalyce,” har-palˈy-ce. A Thracian princess whose mother died
in her infancy. She was trained to outdoor exercise and sports, and on
the death of her father she turned robber. She lived in the woods and was
so fleet that not even horses could overtake her.
P. 262.—“Amaracus,” a-marˈa-cus. The sweet marjoram or feverfew.
P. 263.—“Acidalian.” Venus was sometimes called _Acidalia_, from a well,
Acidalius, in Greece, where she used to bathe with the Graces.
P. 264.—“Demodocus.” In Ulysses’s wanderings, after the fall of Troy, he
was thrown on the island of Scheria, where the king of the people, the
Phæacians, honored him with feasts, at which Demodocus, a minstrel, sang
of the fall of Troy.
P. 266.—“Danaan,” danˈa-an. Danaus, the name from which this word is
derived, was a former king of Argos.
P. 270.—“Thessander,” thes-sanˈder.
“Sthenelus,” sthenˈe-lus. The friend of Diomede, under whom he commanded
the Argives in the Trojan war.
“Acamas,” aˈca-mas. A son of Theseus.
“Pelides,” pe-liˈdes. A name given to Achilles, whose father’s name
was Peleus. The “youthful heir” here spoken of was Neoptolemus, son of
Achilles.
“Machaon,” ma-chaˈon. The surgeon of the Greeks in the Trojan war. He was
the son of Æsculapius, the god of the medical art. Machaon was a warrior
as well as a doctor, and with his brother led thirty ships to Troy.
“Menelaus,” men-e-laˈus. The king of Lacedæmon, and husband of Helen.
“Epeus,” e-peˈus.
P. 288.—“Dis.” A contraction of Dives, a name given sometimes to Pluto,
and hence to the lower world.
P. 289.—“Phlegethon,” phlegˈe-thon. A river of liquid fire flowing
through Hades.
“Orcus.” Another name for Hades, or for Pluto.
“Tartarus,” tarˈta-rus. Like Orcus and Dis, Tartarus is sometimes used
synonymously with Hades.
“Acheron,” aˈcher-on. The name of a river of the lower world, flowing,
according to Virgil, into the Co-cyˈtus.
P. 290.—“Charon,” chaˈron.
“Treen.” An obsolete plural of tree.
P. 291.—“Palinurus,” pa-li-nuˈrus. He had been the pilot of Æneas’s ship,
but fell into the sea and was murdered on the coast of Lucania, by the
natives.
“Cerberus,” cerˈbe-rus. The dog that guarded the entrance to Hades.
P. 293.—“Marpesian,” mar-peˈsi-an. Derived from Marpessa, a mountain in
Paros, from which the Parian marble was taken.
P. 294.—“Hecate,” heˈca-te. An ancient divinity, the only Titan which
Jupiter allowed to retain power. She was thought to rule in heaven, earth
and hell; this three-fold power led to her being sometimes represented
with three heads.
“Gnosian,” gnoˈsi-an. From Gnosus, or Cnosus, an ancient city of Crete.
The adjective is used here as equivalent to Cretan.
“Rhadamanthus,” rha-da-manˈthus. The brother of King Minos, of Crete. His
justice through life led to his being made a judge in the lower world.
“Tisiphone,” ti-siphˈo-ne. One of the Fates.
P. 295.—“Hydra,” hyˈdra. A monster which formerly lived in a marsh in
the Peloponnesus. It had many heads, one of which being cut off was
immediately succeeded by two new ones. It was slain by Hercules.
“Aloeus,” a-loˈe-us. The son of Neptune; the sons here referred to were
of enormous size and strength. When but nine years of age they threatened
the Olympian gods with war. Apollo destroyed them before they reached
manhood. “Salmoneus,” sal-moˈne-us.
“Levin,” lĕvˈin. An obsolete word for lightning.
P. 296.—“Lapith.” A race living in Thessaly.
“Pirithous,” pi-rithˈo-us. The King of the Lapithæ. He descended to the
nether world in order to carry off Persephone, but was seized by Pluto
and fastened to a rock with Theseus, who had accompanied him. Theseus was
afterward released by Hercules, but Pirithous remained.
“Ixion,” ix-iˈon. The father of the above. Having committed a murder on
earth for which he was never purified, Jupiter took pity on him, purified
him, and took him to heaven, where he tried to win the love of Juno.
For his ingratitude he was sent to Hades, and fastened to a perpetually
rolling wheel.
P. 297.—“Teucer,” teuˈcer. The first king of Troy.
“Ilus.” The grandfather of Priam, and the founder of Ilion or Troy.
“Assaracus,” as-sarˈa-cus. The great-grandfather of Æneas.
“Dardany,” or Dardania, was a region adjacent to Ilium, lying along the
Hellespont. It was named from Dardanus, the son-in-law of Teucer.
P. 298.—“Eridanus,” e-ridˈa-nus. A river god.
“Musæus,” mu-sæˈus. A mythological character, the author of various
poetical compositions and of certain famous _oracles_.
P. 300.—“Procas.” One of the fabulous kings of Alba Longa.
“Numitor,” nuˈmi-tor. The grandfather of Romulus and Remus.
“Capys.” “Silvius.” Mythical kings of Alba Longa.
“Gabii,” gaˈbi-i. In early times a powerful Latin city near Rome.
“Nomentum,” no-menˈtum. A Latin town, about fourteen miles from Rome.
“Collatia,” col-laˈti-a. A Sabine town. “Cora.” An ancient town in
Latium. “Bola.” A town of the Æqui. “Inuus.” Usually written Inui
Castrum. A town on the coast of Latium.
P. 301.—“Ind.” The country of the Indus.
“Garamant,” garˈa-mant. The most southernly of the known people of Africa.
“Alcides,” al-ciˈdes. A name given to Hercules.
“Erymanthus,” e-ry-manˈthus. A lofty mountain of Arcadia, the haunt of
the boar which Hercules killed.
“Lerna.” A marsh and river not far from Argos, where Hercules killed the
Hydra.
P. 302.—“Decii,” deˈci-i. “Drusus,” druˈsus. “Torquatus,” tor-quaˈtus.
Famous Roman leaders in the early days of the Republic.
“Æacides,” æ-acˈi-des. A name given to the descendants of Æacus, among
whom were Peleus, Achilles and Pyrrhus.
P. 303.—“Feretrian,” fer-reˈtri-an. A name given sometimes to Jove. It
is probably derived from the verb to strike, as persons taking an oath
called on Jove to strike them if they swore falsely.