Origin of Mythology. 193 



arts, and to act as the interpreter of the gods. His Greek- 

 name Hermes^ from Psj/^w^, a word, speech, gives the same 

 result.* 



Hence we observe Mercury is the god of speech, of let- 

 ters, and of commerce ; or an imaginary being represent- 

 ing speech, trade, and mutual intercourse, by the use of 

 language and letters.f 



As in the Celtic language, 7}2a?'c or me?'c was a horse, 

 it is not impossible that some of the ancients might mis- 

 take the origin of the name of Mercury, supposing the 

 first syllable to signify a horse, and hence assign to this 

 personage the character of a horseman, a messenger ; and 

 represent him as presiding over travellers. Cesar, in a 

 passage hereafter cited, gives countenance to the opinion 

 that this was the real origin of his name. 



Dragon, draco, Bryant supposes to be an imaginary 

 being, formed by mistaking Tarchon, a watch-tower, with 

 lights, and writing it trachon. Faber says that the dra- 

 gon of ancient mythology was merely a large serpent, and 

 not an imaginary being. 



Gebelin cites, from a fragment of Sanchoniathon, that 

 Mercury taught that dragons " abondoient plus en esprits 

 que tons les autres reptiles ; qu'ils etoient d'une nature 

 ignee ; qu'ils se mouvoient avec la plus gi'and vitesse, 

 quoique prives des organes communs a tons les autres 

 animaux." — Dragons abound with spirits, more than 

 other reptiles — they are of a fiery nature ; they move 

 with the greatest celerity, although not furnished with 

 the organs common to all other animals. 



* See Gebelin ut supra — Lhuyd. Arch. Brit. p. 80. Cicero, speak- 

 ing of Mercury, and enumerating several of the name, says — "Quin- 

 tus, quern cokint Pheneatae, qui et Argum dicitur intercmisse, ob 

 eamque causam, vEgyptum profiigisse, atque ^Egyptiis literas et le- 

 ges traclidisse. liunc ^Egyptii Thoih appellant". ...De Nat. Deor. ill. 22. 



t The people of Lystra called Barnabas, Jupiter, and Paul, Mercu- 

 ry, because he was the chief s/^eaA-e7^...Acts xiv. 12. See Bochart. 

 Phoen. lib. i. 42, and the authors cited. Philo Byblius, from San- 

 choniathon, says Taaut originated «^o Mia-wp, from Misor or Egypt ; 

 and Plato in Philaebo, says Thoth invented a muhitude of words.... 

 See also a passage from the Abbe Caperan in the Oriental Collec- 

 tions, vol. ii. 404. 



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