ficial messenger of the immortals, whom Maia brought forth, a fair-tressed, hallowed nymph, mingled with Jove in love. And she shunned the company of the blessed gods, dwelling[1] within a shady cave, where the son of Saturn was mingled with the fair-tressed nymph in the depth of night, whilst sweet sleep held white-armed Juno,[2] unknown to the immortal gods and mortal men. But when now the counsel of mighty Jove was on the point of fulfilment, and to her the tenth month was now fixed[3] in the heaven, she led him into the light, and remarkable deeds were wrought, and she there brought forth her cunning son, of fair speech, a thief, a stealer of cattle, an escorter of dreams, a looker-out for night,[4] a gate-keeper, who was quickly about to show forth glorious deeds amongst the immortal gods. Born at dawn, he played the lyre at mid-day, in the evening he stole the cows of far-darting Apollo, on the fourth day of the month, on which his mother Maia gave him birth. Who also, when he had leaped from the immortal limbs of his mother, did not long remain lying in the sacred cradle,[5] but he indeed, leaping forth, sought the cows of Apollo, crossing the threshold of the high-roofed cave, where finding a tortoise, he acquired immense wealth. [Hermes indeed first devised the musical tortoise,][6] which fell to his notice at the doors of the court, feeding on the well-grown grass before the house, walking slowly on its feet.
- ↑ But Valck. on Phœn. 727, justly finds fault with ἔσω being used for ἔνδον, and hence Hermann has well proposed ἄντρον ἔσω δύνουσα, comparing Od. xiii. 366, xi. 578.
- ↑ "Cum nympha concubuit, donec Juno dormiret." Herm.
- ↑ Cf. Arat. Phœn. 10, αὐτὸς γὰρ τάγε σήματ' ἐν οὐρανῷ ἐστήριξεν.
- ↑ Because adapted for thievish purposes. The thefts of Mercury are amusingly described by Lucian, Dial. Deor. vii. 2, 3, who observes οὕτως ὀξύχειρ' ἐστὶ καθάπερ ἐν ττῇ γαστρὶ ἐκμελετήσας τὴν κλεπτικήν.
- ↑ "The basket in which the infant (Bacchus) is carried is of twigs interwoven, of that sort called λικνόν, used by the Greeks for the two purposes of winnowing corn and cradling children." Libr. of Entertaining Knowledge, Townley Gallery, vol. i. p. 125, 126, to which I must refer the reader for some excellent information. See also Spanh. on Callim. in Jov. 48, Gesner on Orph. Hymn, xlvi. ed. Herm.
- ↑ A doubtful line.
more precise language—is described as having been at the very first provided with seven strings; yet the words of Terpander are still extant in which he boasts of having introduced the seven-stringed cithara in the place of the four-stringed." Hist. of Gk. Lit. vii. 5.
