or QUICKSILVER. See CHEMISTRY and MINERALOGY Index.

in the heathen mythology. See HERMES.

Most of the actions and inventions of the Egyptian Mercury have likewise been ascribed to the Grecian, who was said to be the son of Jupiter and Maia, the daughter of Atlas. No one of all the heathen divinities had so many functions allotted to him as this god: he had constant employment both day and night, having been the common minister and messenger of the whole Pantheon; particularly of his father Jupiter, whom he served with indefatigable labour, and sometimes, indeed, in a capacity of no very honourable kind. Lucian is very pleasant upon the multitude of his avocations; and, according to the confession of the emperor Julian, Mercury was no hero, but rather one who inspired mankind with wit, learning, and the ornamental arts of life, than with courage. The pious emperor, however, omits some of his attributes; for this god was not only the patron of trade, but also of theft and fraud.

Amphion is said, by Pausanias, to have been the first that erected an altar to this god; who, in return, invested him with such extraordinary powers of music (and masonry), as to enable him to fortify the city of Thebes in Boeotia, by the mere sound of his lyre.

Horace gives us the best part of his character:

Thou god of wit, from Atlas sprung, Who by persuasive pow'r of tongue, And graceful exercise, refin'd The savage race of human kind, Hail! winged messenger of Jove, And all th' immortal pow'rs above, Sweet parent of the bending lyre, Thy praise shall all its sounds inspire. Artful and cunning to conceal Whate'er in sportive theft you steal, When from the god who gilds the pole, E'en yet a boy, his herds you stole; With angry voice the threat'ning power Bade thee thy fraudulent prey restore; But of his quiver too beguil'd, Pleas'd with the theft, Apollo smil'd. You were the wealthy Priam's guide, When safe from Agamemnon's pride, Through hostile camps, which round him spread Their watchful fires, his way he sped. Unspotted spirits you confign To blissful feats and joys divine; And, pow'rful, with thy golden wand, The light, unbodied crowd command; Thus grateful does thy office prove To gods below, and gods above.

FRANCIS.

This ode contains the substance of a very long hymn to Mercury, attributed to Homer. Almost all the ancient poets relate the manner in which the Grecian Mercury discovered the lyre; and tell us that it was an instrument with seven strings; a circumstance which makes it essentially different from that said to have been invented by the Egyptian Mercury, which had but three. However, there have been many claimants besides Mercury to the seven-stringed lyre. See LYRE.

His most magnificent temple was on Mount Cyrene, in Arcadia. He is described by the poets as a fair beardless youth, with flaxen hair, lively blue eyes, and a smiling countenance. He has wings fixed to his cap and sandals, and holds the caduceus (or staff surrounded with serpents, with two wings on the top), in his hand; and is frequently represented with a purse, to show that he was the god of gain. The animals sacred to him, were the dog, the goat, and the cock. In all the sacrifices offered to him, the tongues of the victims were burnt; and those who escaped imminent danger sacrificed to him a calf with milk and honey.

& in Astronomy. See ASTRONOMY Index.

This planet is brightest between his elongations and superior conjunction, very near to which last he can generally be seen. He becomes invisible soon after he has found his elongation, going towards his inferior conjunction; and becomes visible again a few days before his next elongation. The brightness of this planet alters sometimes very considerably in 24 hours. It has been observed when less than three degrees distant from the sun, and may, perhaps, sometimes be seen even in conjunction with it.

Mercury and Venus appear brightest and most beautiful in the opposite parts of their orbits: the first, be- Mercury between his elongations and superior conjunction; and the other, between her elongations and inferior conjunction. Therefore, Venus is seen in great perfection as a crescent, particularly in her inferior conjunction, whilst Mercury is seldom seen in such perfect phases. Mercury should be always observed on or near the meridian. When farthest from the sun, he always appears with a very faint light; and when he has a great fourth declination, or the atmosphere is not perfectly clear, he seldom can be seen in those parts of his orbit, where he only begins to recover his brightness, or where it is much diminished. He has frequently been seen on the meridian even with a small telescope and small power; and it appears from the above statement that he may be obscured in a clear day rather more than half his orbit, or near one hundred and four score days in the year.

in Heraldry, a term used in blazoning by planets, for the purple colour used in the arms of foreign princes.