[Illustration] “Unready” does not mean unprepared but injudicious (from Anglo-Saxon raed, “wisdom, counsel").

ATHE’NA (Pallas) once meant “the air,” but in Homer this goddess is the representative of civic prudence and military skill; the armed protectress of states and cities.  The Romans called her Minerva.

ATHE’NIAN BEE, Plato, so called from, the honeyed sweetness of his composition.  It is said that a bee settled on his lip while he was an infant asleep in his cradle, and indicated that “honeyed words” would fall from his lips, and flow from his pen.  Sophocles is called “The Attic Bee.”

ATH’LIOT, the most wretched of all women.

  Her comfort is (if for her any be),
  That none can show more cause of grief than she.

  Wm. Browne, Britannia’s Pastorals, ii. 5 (1613).

ATH’OS.  Dinoc’rates, a sculptor, proposed to Alexander to hew mount Athos into a statue representing the great conqueror, with a city in his left hand, and a basin in his right to receive all the waters which flowed from the mountain.  Alexander greatly approved of the suggestion, but objected to the locality.

  And hew out a huge mountain of pathos,
  As Philip’s son proposed to do with Athos.

  Byron, Don Juan, xii. 86.

AT’IMUS, Baseness of Mind personified in The Purple Island (1633), by Phineas Fletcher.  “A careless, idle swain ... his work to eat, drink, sleep, and purge his reins.”  Fully described in canto viii.  (Greek, atimos, “one dishonored.”)

A’TIN (Strife), the squire of Pyr’ochles.—­Spenser, Faery Queen, ii. 4, 5, 6 (1590).

ATOS’SA.  So Pope calls Sarah duchess of Marlborough, because she was the great friend of lady Mary Wortley Montagu, whom he calls Sappho.

  But what are these to great Atossa’s mind?

  Pope.

(The great friend of Sappho was Atthis.  By Atossa is generally understood Vashti, daughter of Cyrus and wife of Ahasuerus of the Old Testament.)

AT’ROPOS, one of the Fates, whose office is to cut the thread of life with a pair of scissors.

  ... nor shines the knife,
  Nor shears of Atropos before their vision.

  Byron, Don Juan, ii. 64.

ATTIC BEE (The), Soph’ocles (B.C. 495-405).  Plato is called “The Athenian Bee.”

ATTIC BOY (The), referred to by Milton in his Il Penseroso, is Ceph’alos, who was beloved by Aurora or Morn, but was married to Procris.  He was passionately fond of hunting.

Till civil-suited Morn appear, Not tricked and flounced, as she was wont With the Attic boy to hunt, But kerchiefed in a comely cloud. II Penseroso (1638).

ATTIC MUSE (The), a phrase signifying the whole body of Attic poetry.

ATTICUS.  The surname of T. Pomponius, the intimate friend of Cicero, given to him on account of his long residence in Athens.  His biography is found in Nepor.