(1) ’The Lesson of Jupiter.’—­Nineteenth Century, October, 1885.

Yet this same doctor candidly lets us know that another of his nation, the witty Benfeius, hath devised another sense and origin of Athene, taken from the speech of the old Medes.  But Muellerus declares to us that whosoever shall examine the contention of Benfeius ’will be bound, in common honesty, to confess that it is untenable.’  This, Father, is one for Benfeius, as the saying goes.  And as Muellerus holds that these matters ’admit of almost mathematical precision,’ it would seem that Benfeius is but a Dummkopf, as the Alemanni say, in their own language, when they would be pleasant among themselves.

Now, wouldst thou credit it? despite the mathematical plainness of the facts, other Alemanni agree neither with Muellerus, nor yet with Benfeius, and will neither hear that Athene was the Dawn, nor yet that she is ’the feminine of the Zend Thra’eta’na athwya’na.’  Lo, you! how Prellerus goes about to show that her name is drawn not from Ahana’ and the old Brachmanae, nor athwya’na and the old Medes, but from ’the root aith*, whence aither*, the air, or ath*, whence anthos*, a flower.’  Yea, and Prellerus will have it that no man knows the verity of this matter.  None the less he is very bold, and will none of the Dawn; but holds to it that Athene was, from the first, ‘the clear pure height of the Air, which is exceeding pure in Attica.’

Now, Father, as if all this were not enough, comes one Roscherus in, with a mighty great volume on the Gods, and Furtwaenglerus, among others, for his ally.  And these doctors will neither with Rueckertus and Hermannus, take Athene for ‘wisdom in person;’ nor with Welckerus and Prellerus, for ’the goddess of air;’ nor even, with Muellerus and mathematical certainty, for ’the Morning-Red:’  but they say that Athene is the ’black thunder-cloud, and the lightning that leapeth therefrom’!  I make no doubt that other Alemanni are of other minds:  quot Alemanni tot sententiae.

Yea, as thou saidst of the learned heathen, Oude gar allelois symphona physiologousis.  Yet these disputes of theirs they call ‘Science’!  But if any man says to the learned:  ’Best of men, you are erudite, and laborious and witty; but, till you are more of the same mind, your opinions cannot be styled knowledge.  Nay, they are at present of no avail whereon to found any doctrine concerning the Gods’—­that man is railed at for his ‘mean’ and ‘weak’ arguments.

Transliterated from Greek.

Was it thus, Father, that the heathen railed against thee?  But I must still believe, with thee, that these evil tales of the Gods were invented ’when man’s life was yet brutish and wandering’ (as is the life of many tribes that even now tell like tales), and were maintained in honour of the later Greeks ‘because none dared alter the ancient beliefs of his ancestors.’  Farewell, Father; and all good be with thee, wishes thy well-wisher and thy disciple.