16. For suppose that it had
occurred to us, moved either
by suitable influence or violent fear of you,4158
| 4158
Lit., “by the violence of your terror.” The
preceding words are read in the ms.
ideo motos—“so moved by authority,” and were
emended idonea, as in the text, by Gelenius. |
to
worship Minerva, for example, with
the rights you deem
sacred, and the usual ceremony: if, when we
prepare sacrifices, and approach to make
the offerings appointed
for her on the flaming
altars, all the Minervas shall
fly thither, and
striving for the right to that name, each demand that the offerings
prepared be given to herself; what drawn-out
animal shall we place
among them, or to whom shall we direct the
sacred offices which are our
duty?
4159
| 4159
Lit., “to what parts shall we transfer the duties of pious
service.” |
For the
first one of whom we spoke will perhaps say: “The name
Minerva is mine, mine
4160
| 4160
The ms. reads cum numen;
Rigaltius, followed by Oehler emending, as above, meum; the
first four edd., with Oberthür, tum—“then
the deity is mine;” while the rest read cum
numine—“with the deity.” |
the
divine majesty, who bore Apollo and
Diana, and by the fruit of my
womb enriched
heaven with deities, and multiplied the number of the
gods.” “Nay, Minerva,” the fifth will say,
“are you speaking,
4161
| 4161 So
LB., Orelli, and Oehler, reading tu tinnisfor the
ms. tutunis. |
who, being a
wife, and so often a
mother, have lost the sanctity of spotless
purity? Do you not see
that in all
temples4162
| 4162
Capitoliis. In the Capitol were three shrines,—to
Jove, Juno, and Minerva; and Roman colonies followed the
mother-state’s example. Hence the present general
application of the term, which is found elsewhere in ecclesiastical
Latin. |
the images of Minervas are those of
virgins, and that all artists refrain from giving to them the figures
of matrons?
4163
| 4163
Lit., “Nor are the forms of married persons given to these by all
artists;” nec read in all edd. for the ms. et—“and of married,”
etc., which is opposed to the context. |
Cease,
therefore, to appropriate to yourself a name not rightfully
4164
| 4164
Lit., “not of your own right.” |
yours.
For that I am Minerva, begotten of
father Pallas, the whole
band of
poets bear witness, who call me Pallas, the surname being derived from
my
father.” The second will
cry on hearing this:
“What say you? Do you, then, bear the name of Minerva, an
impudent parricide, and one
defiled by the
pollution of
lewd lust, who,
decking yourself with rouge and a
harlot’s arts, roused upon
yourself even your
father’s passions, full of maddening
desires? Go further, then,
seek for yourself another name; for
this
belongs to me, whom the Nile, greatest of
rivers, begot from among
his flowing waters, and brought to a
maiden’s
estate from the
condensing of
moisture.
4165
| 4165
Concretione roris—a strange phrase. Cf. Her., iv.
180: “They say that Minerva is the daughter of Poseidon and
the Tritonian lake.” |
But if you inquire into the
credibility of the matter, I too will bring as witnesses the Egyptians,
in whose
language I am called Neith, as Plato’s
Timæus4166
| 4166
St. p. 21. The ms. reads
quorum Nili lingua latonis; the two Roman edd. merely insert
p., Plat.; Gelenius and Canterus adding
dicor—“in whose language I am called the
Nile’s,” Nili being changed into Neith by
Elmenhorst and later edd. |
attests.” What, then, do we
suppose will be the result? Will she indeed cease to say that she
is Minerva, who is named Coryphasia, either to mark her mother, or
because she sprung forth from the top of Jove’s head, bearing a
shield, and girt with the
terror of arms?
Or are we to
suppose that she who is third will quietly surrender the name? and
not argue
4167
| 4167
Lit., “take account of herself.” |
and
resist
the assumption of the first
two with such words as these:
“Do you thus
dare to assume the honour of my name, O
Sais,
4168
| 4168
So Ursinus suggested in the margin for the ms. si verum. |
sprung from
the mud and eddies of a
stream, and formed in miry places? Or do
you usurp
4169
| 4169 The
third Minerva now addresses the fourth. |
another’s rank, who falsely say that you were
born a
goddess from
the head of
Jupiter, and
persuade very
silly men that you are
reason? Does he conceive and bring forth
children from his
head? That the arms you bear might be forged and formed, was
there even in the hollow of his head a smith’s workshop?
were
there anvils, hammers,
furnaces, bellows,
coals, and pincers?
Or if, as you maintain, it is true that you are reason, cease to claim
for yourself the name which is mine; for reason, of which you speak, is
not a certain form of
deity, but the understanding of difficult
questions.” If, then, as we have said, five Minervas should
meet us when we essay to
sacrifice,
4170
and
contending as to whose this name is,
each demand that either fumigations of
incense be offered to her, or
sacrificial wines poured out from golden
cups; by what arbiter, by what
judge, shall we dispose of so great a dispute? or what examiner will
there be, what umpire of so great
boldness as to attempt, with such
personages, either to give a just decision, or to declare their causes
not founded on right? Will he not rather go
home, and, keeping
himself apart from such matters, think it safer to have nothing to do
with them, lest he should either make enemies of the rest, by giving to
one what belongs to all, or be charged with folly for yielding
4171
| 4171
According to the ms.
sic—“for so (i.e., as you do) yielding,”
etc. |
to all what
should be the property of one?
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
