Mercurius

Mercŭrĭus, ii, m., = Ἑρμῆς,

• Mercury, the son of Jupiter and Maia, the messenger of the gods; as a herald, the god of dexterity; in speaking, of eloquence; the bestower of prosperity; the god of traders and thieves; the presider over roads, and conductor of departed souls to the Lower World: Mercurius a mercibus est dictus. Hunc etenim negotiorum omnium aestimabant esse deum, Paul. ex Fest. p. 124 Müll.; Cic. N. D. 3, 22 sq.; id. Verr. 2, 5, 72, § 185; id. Arat. 277; Caes. B. G. 6, 17; Verg. A. 4, 222; Hor. C. 1, 10, 1; Ov. F. 5, 663 sqq.: stella Mercurii, the planet Mercury: infra hanc autem stella Mercurii est, ea στίλβων appellatur a Graecis, Cic. N. D. 2, 20, 54; so, stella Mercurii, id. Univ. 9; also simply Mercurius, id. Rep. 6, 17, 17: dies Mercurii or Mercuris, Wednesday, Inscr. Murat. 402, 7.—Appel. gen. plur.: Mercuriorum, Tert. Spect. 1, 11 fin.—
• • B Transf., the withers of draught-cattle, between the neck and the back (post-class.), Veg. Vet. 2, 59; 4, 3.—
• II In partic.
• • A Aqua Mercurii, a fountain in the via Appia, Ov. F. 5, 673.—
  • B Tumulus Mercurii, near Carthago nova, Liv. 26, 44.—
  • C Promontorium Mercurii, in Africa, in Zeugitana, near Carthage, now Capo Bon, Liv. 29, 27; Plin. 3, 8, 14, § 87.

1. Mercurius, iī, m. (zu mercor, merx), I) Sohn Jupiters u. der Maja, der Bote der Götter, der Gott der gewandten Rede u. der Redekunst, Erfinder der Lyra, Geber des Wohlstands, der Gott des Handels, der List und des Verkehrs, der Vorsteher der Wege, der Gymnastik u. der Führer der abgeschiedenen Seelen in die Unterwelt. Als Götterbote bedeckt mit einem beflügelten Reisehute (petasus, πέτασος), an den Füßen mit Flügelschuhen (talaria, πέδιλα), in der Hand einen Stab u. zwar entweder einen Heroldstab (caduceus, κηρύκειον) od. (als Begleiter in die Unterwelt) einen Zauberstab (virga), Cic. Verr. 5, 185; Arat. 277. Hor. carm. 1, 10, 1 sqq. Ov. fast. 5, 663 sqq. Verg. Aen. 4, 239 sqq. Varro b. Non. 528, 20. – als Statue (wie Ἑρμης) = eine Herme (s. Hermes), Nep. Alc. 3, 2. – II) übtr., als Gestirn, der Merkur, Cic. de nat. deor. 2, 53 u.a. – als Ortsbezeichnung, Aqua Mercurii, eine Quelle an der via Appia, Ov. fast. 5, 673: Tumulus Mercurii, eine Örtlichkeit bei Carthago nova, Liv. 26, 44, 6: promunturium Mercurii, die nördlichste Spitze der ganzen Nordspitze Afrikas u. die Ostspitze des Golfs von Karthago, j. Cap Bon od. Ras Addar, Liv. 29, 27, 8. Mela 1, 7, 2 (1. § 34). Plin. 5, 23.

Mercurius [CL] 1 the god Mercury; b (as god of merchants and thieves); c (as god of intellect and eloquence); d (as type of hero); e (w. ref. to Prov. xxvi 8). caduceum, virga Mercuri GlC C 168; ~ium, Woden Ib. M 197; ~ius ‥ ab antiquis gentibus sextus deus esse dicebatur Deorum Imag. 6.  b sagittas ‥ quas ~ius arte prestigii quam ipse invenerat factus invisibilis furtim surripuerat Natura Deorum 27; ~ius ‥ dictus est deus mercatorum et deus furtorum Deorum Imag. 6; ~ius deus furum et ipse fur esse dicitur, quia mercatores, quorum deus esse describitur, perjuriis suis ‥ homines decipientes parum distant a furibus Wals. AD 18.  c dicitur ‥ ~ius quasi mentis currus Neckam NR I 18; ~ius est significator scripture et scriptorum et profunditatis scientiarum ‥ sive dulcedinis locutionis et lingue Bacon Maj. I 257; ~ius secundus Jovis filius esse sermonis et eloquencie deus asseritur Wals. AD 17.  d classis Philippi Hispaniarum regis ‥ a Carolo Howardo archithalasso ‥ victa, profligata, et maria omnia circum dijecta est; adeo ut ~ius ipse Gallo-belgicus (quamvis Anglicanae laudis satis invidus) victoriam tamen hanc non dubitavit mirabilem appellare Spelman Asp. 95.  e in acervo ~ii. consuetudinem habebant ambulantes in via ubi sepultus est ~ius lapidem jactare in acervum ipsius unusquisque pro honore ejus Gl. Leid. 8. 8; juxta sapientis regis dictum, sicut lapis est in acervo ~ii H. Bos. Thom. IV 13 p. 373; quot lapides mittitis in acervum ~ii his diebus! R. Bury Phil. 6. 95. 2 the planet Mercury. ~ius perpetuo circa solem discurrendo, quasi inexhausta sapientiae luce radiari putabatur Bede TR 8 p. 301; pro Venere autem et ~io sic: per argumentum suum examinatum in latitudinem primam intrabitur Adel. Elk. 17; ~ius ‥ talis est, qualem vicini planete permiserint, cum et ipse convertibilis nature sit potentioribusque cohereat J. Sal. Pol. 441A; ~us sextus in ordine planetarum Deorum Imag. 6; cum alie stelle tarde recurrant ad ortus suos, ~ius octavo decimo die in ortu suo invenitur Wals. AD 19. 3 (dies ~ii) Wednesday; b (ellipt. as sb. m.). c (~ii cinerum) Ash Wednesday. †844 (13c) mercoris die , 1199 die ~ii (v. 1 dies 5e); quatuor dies ~ii in quatuor legitimis jejuniis servis omnibus indulti sunt (Quad.) GAS 79; 1336 treugam ‥ a dicto die Jovis usque ad diem ~ii tunc proximum sequentem eodem die incluso ‥ duximus prorogandum RScot 395b; die ~ii proximo post festum Flete Westm. 126.  b monachus prioratus Sancti Jacobi omni die deberet in dicta capella tamen non celebrat nisi per Dominicam, ~ium, et Venerem in septimana W. Worc. Itin. 400.  c sermo generalis. ~ii cinerum S. Gaunt Serm. 206 tit.. 4 (bot.) dog’s mercury (Mercurialis perennis), annual mercury (Mercurialis annua). ~ea, A. cme[r]worht MS BL Sloane 962 f. 88v. 5 (alch., filius ~ii or ellipt.) the metal mercury, quicksilver. M. Scot Lumen 240 (v. filius 8b); fit de ~io, i. argento vi[vo] Gilb. VII 341v. 2; rerum natura omnium liquabilium genera naturaliter operata est ex ~io vel argento vivo Correct. Alch. 6; quum cibantur corpora ~ia et sublimatur ab eis Bacon Min. 313; in quibus terris oportet figere duos ~ios, sc. album in terra alba, et rubeum in rubea Ripley 367; quyksylver, argentum vivum, marcurius CathA.

1 Mercŭrĭus, (10) ĭī, m. , Mercure [messager des dieux, dieu de lʼéloquence, des poètes, du commerce, etc.] : Cic. Nat. 3, 56 ; Virg. En. 4, 222 ; Hor. O. 2, 7, 13 ; [inventeur de la lyre] Hor. O. 1, 10, 6 ; P. Fest. 124 || statue de Mercure (Hermès) : Nep. Alc. 3, 2 || la planète Mercure : Cic. Nat. 2, 54 || dies Mercuri CIL 5, 6278, Mercredi || Mercurii Aqua Ov. F. 5, 673, fontaine de Mercure [sur la voie Appienne] ; tumulus Mercurii Liv. 26, 44, 6, le Tombeau de Mercure (lieu dit près de Carthagène en Tarraconnaise) ; promunturium Mercurii Liv. 29, 27 ; Plin. 3, 87, le promontoire de Mercure (en Zeugitane).

Mercu'rius

a Roman divinity of commerce and gain, probably one of the dii lucrii. The character of the god is clear from his name, which is connected with merx and mercari. (Paul. Diac. p. 124, ed. Müller; Schol. ad Pers. Sat. 5.112.) A temple was built to him as early as B. C. 495 (Liv. 2.21, 27; Ov. Fast. 5.669), near the Circus Maximus (P. Vict. Reg. Urb. xi.); and an altar of the god existed near the Porta Capena, by the side of a well; and in later times a temple seems to have been built on the same spot. (Ov. Fast. 5.673; P. Vict. Reg. Urb. i.) Under the name of the ill-willed (malevolus), he had a statue in what was called the vices sobrius, or the sober street, in which no shops were allowed to be kept, and milk was offered to him there instead of wine. (Fest. pp. 161, 297, ed. Miller.) This statue had a purse in its hand, to indicate his functions. (Schol. ad Pers. l.c.) His festival was celebrated on the 25th of May, and chiefly by merchants, who also visited the well near the Porta Capena, to which magic powers were ascribed; and with water from that well they used to sprinkle themselves and their merchandise, that they might be purified, and yield a large profit. (Ov. Fast. v. 670 &c.; Fest. p. 148, ed. Müller.)

The Romans of later times identified Mercurius, the patron of merchants and tradespeople, with the Greek Hermes, and transferred all the attributes and myths of the latter to the former (Hor. Carm. 1.10), although the Fetiales never recognised the identity; and instead of the caduceus used a sacred branch as the emblem of peace. The resemblance between Mercurius and Hermes is indeed very slight; and their identification is a proof of the thoughtless manner in which the Romans acted in this respect. [Comp. Hermes.] [L.S]

Mercu'rius Mo'nachus Works On the Pulse

(Μερκούριος Μόναχος), the reputed author of a short treatise (or fragment) on the Pulse, published at Naples, in Greek and Latin, with notes and a long intro. duction, by Salvator Cyrillus, 8vo. 1812. It does not seem to be derived from Greek sources, and nothing is known respecting the writer. Some suppose him to have been a monk, who lived in the south of Italy, about the tenth century; but Sprengel, in the last edition of his Gesch. der Arzneikunde (ii. p. 560, quoted by Choulant in his Handb. der Bücherkunde für die Aeltere Medicin) conjectures that he lived in the thirteenth century, and derived his opinions from some one who had travelled in the East,--perhaps Carpini. Cardinal Mai, however, in the preface to the fourth volume of his collection Classicor. Auctor. e Vatican. Codicib. Editor. (p. xii. &c.) affirms, apparently from actual inspection of some manuscripts containing the work, that it does not belong to Mercurius at all, but to a person called Abitianus. The writer has no means of deciding whether this assertion is correct, but it agrees well enough with the proof arising from internal evidence that the work is derived from Oriental sources, for this Abitianus must be no other than the celebrated Arabic physician Abúi )Alí Ibn Síná, commonly called Avicenna. [Abitianus.] [W.A.G]

Mercu'rius Trismegistus

[Hermes Trismegistus.]

Mercurius ī, m

• merx, Mercury, the messenger of the gods, the god of dexterity and of eloquence, of traders and thieves, Cs., C., V., H., O.— The planet Mercury, C.

Mercurius

See Hermes.