PALLA′DIUM. A famous statue of the goddess Pallas (Minerva). She is
sitting with a spear in her right hand, and in her left a distaff and
spindle. Various accounts are given of the origin of it. Some writers
say it fell from the skies. It was supposed that the preservation of
the statue would be the preservation of Troy; and during the Trojan War
the Greeks were greatly encouraged when they became the possessors of
it.
PAL′LAS, or Minerva. The name was given to Minerva when she destroyed
a famous giant named Pallas. See Minerva.
“Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury,
Inspire me that I may this treason find.”