Hymn XXXI. PALLAS (part 1)

XXXI. TO PALLAS. A HYMN. ONLY-Begotten, noble race of Jove, Blessed and fierce, who joy'st in caves to rove: 2 p. 157 O, warlike Pallas, whose illustrious kind, Ineffable and effable we find: Magnanimous and fam'd, the rocky height, 5 And groves, and shady mountains thee delight: In arms rejoicing, who with Furies dire And wild, the souls of mortals dost inspire. Gymnastic virgin of terrific mind, Dire Gorgons bane, unmarried, blessed, kind: 10 Mother of arts, imperious; understood, Rage to the wicked., wisdom to the good: Female and male, the arts of war are thine, Fanatic, much-form'd dragoness, divine: 14 O'er the Phlegrean giants rous'd to ire, 15 15 Thy coursers driving, with destruction dire. p. 158 Sprung from the head of Jove, of splendid mien, Purger of evils, all-victorious queen. p. 159 Hear me, O Goddess, when to thee I pray, With supplicating voice both night and day, 20 p. 160 And in my latest hour, peace and health, Propitious times, and necessary wealth, And, ever present, be thy vot'ries aid, O, much implor'd, art's parent, blue eyed maid. Footnotes 156:2 XXXI. Ver. 2.] Who joy'st in caves to rove . Proclus, in Plat. Theol, P. 372. informs us, that there are three zoogonic or vivific p. 157 monads, Diana, Proserpine, and Minerva; and that these three divinities exist together. Hence the reason is obvious why this Goddess is celebrated as living in caves, and delighting in rocks and mountains, from her agreement with Diana: and hence is appears, that Rutikenius was mistaken in imagining these epithets were misplaced. We may likewise see the reason from hence, why Minerva is called, in line 14, Female and Male, as well as the Moon; and why the Moon is called in the Hymn to her πάνσοφε κύρη, i. e. "all-wife virgin." 157:14 Ver. 14.] Much-form'd dragoness . It is easy to perceive the agreement between Minerva, who is the same with divine Wisdom and Providence, and a Dragon; since according to Phurnutus, a dragon is of a vigilant and guardian nature. 157:15 Ver. 15.] O'er the Phlegrean giants , &c. The fable of the giants is common; but its philosophical explanation is, I fear, but little known and less understood. For the sake of thc liberal, therefore, the following account of the battles of the Gods, p. 158 from the excellent Commentary of Proclus, on Plato's Republic, p. 373, is inserted. "The divisible progressions of all beings, and the diversities of substances, receive a supernal origin, from a division of unknown primitive causes, which are mutually at strife with principles, subject to the universe. For some determine their essence about unity, on which they depend; and others receive in themselves a never-failing power of infinity, by which they generate universals, and a cause of multitude and progression, according to which they possess their peculiar essences. Hence, after the same manner as the first principles of beings, are mutually separated from each other; so all divine genera and true beings have among themselves a progression distinguished by order. In consequence of this, some insert in things posterior the principle cause of unity; but others afford the power of separation.