[184] AEQUIVOCA.

AMBIGUITIES

Ἀλέκτωρ, Ἀλεκτρυών Graecis, uti etiam Latinis Gallus, vox est aequivoca, et multa significat. Alector, teste Eustathio[1], filius fuit Epei Regis Elidis. Eiusdem nominis filium dicitur habuisse Argea Pelopis filius, et Hegesandrae filiae Amiclae, cuius filia Iphiloche, vel Echemelus Megapenthi filio Menel{e}ai nupta fuit, ut idem Eustathius tradit. Quidam Alectryon nomine tyrannidem quondam gessit, et Persis primus imperasse dicitur, etiam antequam vel Darius, vel {Megabyzus[2]} <Megabazus>: unde etiam Gallus, ut post dicemus, ales Persica appellatur[3]. Alectryon item nomen ducis est Philippi Regis, qui a Chare<te> Atheniensi interemptus fuisse fertur: at num cum superiori idem fuerit, vel, quod magis credo, diversus, non ausim affirmare: docet autem historia, hunc Charetem saepius, et nimis arroganter istius facti verba apud populum Atheniensem fecisse, adeo ut hinc postmodum natum sit proverbium Φιλίππου ἀλεκτρυών, id est Philippi Gallus[4]: ubi quis de levi quopiam facinore perinde ut maximo se iactaret. {Alectryon} <Electryon> quoque dicebatur {Amphitrionis} <Amphitryonis> {pater, filius} <patruus, frater> vero Alcei, cuius meminit Hesiodus[5].

Aléktør, alektryøn for Greeks, as also gallus for Latins, is an ambiguous term and means many things. Alector, according to the testimony of Eustathius, was the son of Epeus, king of Elis. Argeios, son of Pelops and Hegesandra, daughter of Amicla, is said to have had a son of the same name, whose daughter – of Alector - Iphiloche or Echemela was bride of Megapenthes, son of Menelaus, as Eustathius of Thessalonica himself hands down. Once, someone named Alectryon ruled as tyrant, and they say that he has been the first ruling the Persians, even before both Darius and Megabazus: whence the rooster is also called the Persian bird, as I shall later say. Alektryon is the name of a commander of king Philip 2^nd too, about whom they say he was killed by the Athenian Chares: whether he was identical with the former or, as I incline to believe, was a different person, I do not dare to assert: on the other hand history shows that this Chares related about this event too much often and with too much arrogance to Athenian people, so much so that subsequently hence arose the saying Philìppou alektryøn, to wit, Cock of Philip: when somebody was bragging about a trivial undertaking as though it was the biggest one. Was also called Electryon the uncle of Amphitryon, the former being brother of Alceus, mentioned by Hesiod.

Ἀλέκτωρ Eustathio[6] coniugem significat pro ὁμόλεκτρος, quasi ὁμόλεκτος, litera alpha significante ὁμοῦ. Eadem vox alpha privandi vim habens innuptam significat, quare Minervam ἀλέκτορα dictam legimus apud Athenaeum[7], ubi Pompeianus sophista cum Panathenaea festa celebrarentur, in quibus iudicia cessant dicebat: γενέθλιός ἐστι τῆς ἀλέκτορος Ἀθηνᾶς, καὶ ἄδικος ἡ τῆτες ἡμέρα.

Aléktør means wife in Eustathius, instead of homólektros - bedmate, equivalent to homólektos, the letter alpha signifying homoû - together. When this same word has an alpha with privative meaning, indicates unmarried, that’s why we read in Athenaeus that Minerva is called aléktora in the passage where Pompeianus the sophist, being that the Panathenaic festival was celebrated when law court trials are suspended, was saying: ghenéthliós esti tês aléktoros Athënâs, kaì ádikos ë têtes hëméra - it is the birthday of Athena aléktoros - the virgin - and this is an unjust day.

Apud Ionem[8] αὐλὸς, hoc est, tibia, ἀλέκτωρ vocatur, quod propter soni dulcedinem auditores a cubili revocet, vel dormire non sinat. Unde etiam sol Homero ἠλέκτωρ[9] nuncupatur, quia homines ἄλεκτρους facit, sive a lecto discedere, vel potius quod ipse ἀλέκτρως, id est, pervigil sit, hoc est nunquam cubet, ac quiescat.

By Ion of Chios the aulòs, i.e. the flute, is called aléktør because through the sweetness of the sound it calls from their bed those who hear it, that is, does not allow them to sleep. Hence also the sun is called ëléktør - shining sun - by Homer, because it makes men álektrous, i.e. it causes them to leave their bed, or better, because the sun itself is aléktrøs, that is, always vigilant, i.e. never going to bed nor resting.

Ἀλέκτωρ denique Plinio[10] gemma est, de qua post in denominatis: nam alii codices Pliniani legunt ἀλέκτορας; alii ἀλεκτορείας.

Finally, aléktør is a gem in Pliny; about what I shall speak later under the paragraph Denominations: because some codices of Pliny read aléktoras and others alektoreías.

Gallus, ut scriptum reliquit Quintilianus[11], vox pariter ambigua est; Utrum enim, inquit, avem, an gentem, an nomen, an fortunam corporis significet incertum est. Galli in primis vocabantur decantati illi sacerdotes, qui praesto erant sacris Cybele<i>is. Hos archigallos Iulius Firmicus[12] vocabat teste Brodaeo. Romae epitaphium videre est in Divo Martino, ubi quoque archigalli dicuntur. Id autem est huiusmodi: d. m. c. camerius crescens archigallus {martis} <matris> deum magnae id<a>eae[13], et attis po. ro. etc. Meminit huius epitaphii {Grysaldus} <Gyraldus>[14], qui Tertulliani[15] etiam verba de quodam Archigallo[16] repetit{:}<.> Caeterum Galli sacerdotes ita dictos volunt a flumine eiusdem nominis, cuius tam admirandam vim esse commenti sunt prisci, nimirum quod parce potus et cerebrum purget, et insaniam tollat: contra largiori manu haustus lymphaticos, et insanos reddat. Plinius[17] quidem hos sacerdotes ab hoc fluvio nomen traxisse scribit: sed tam admirandae facultatis minime meminit. Alii sacerdotes illos mox a potu eiusmodi aquae furore correptos fuisse memorant, atque se ipsos castravisse, id vero citra vitae dispendium facere non potuisse, nisi Samia testa uterentur. Meminit Ovidius[18]:

“Cur igitur Gallos, qui se excidere vocamus{?}<,>  
Cum tantum a Phrigia Gallica distet humus?”
“Inter” ait “viridem Cybelen, altasque {Selenas} <Celaenas>  
Amnis it insana nomine Gallus aqua.  
Qui bibit inde, furit: procul hinc discedite, queis est  
Cura bonae mentis, qui bibit inde furit.”

As Quintilian left written, also gallus is an ambiguous word; he says: It is uncertain whether it means a bird, a people, a personal name, or a state of the human body. First of all were called Galli those extolled priests devoted to the worship of Cybele. As testified by Jean Brodeau, Iulius Firmicus called them archigalli. At Rome one can see an epitaph in St. Martin's church, and here too they are called archigalli. It runs as follows: D. M. C. Camerius Crescens Archigallus Matris Deum Magnae Idaeae et Attis po. Ro. etc. Giglio Gregorio Giraldi mentioned this epitaph, who also reports Tertullian's words about a certain chief of the priests of Cybele. On the other hand the Galli priests claim to be so called from a river of the same name whose strength the ancients imagined to be so extraordinary because just a very small drink of it both purges the brain and dispels insanity: on the contrary, a drink done with more generous hand makes furious and mad. Pliny indeed writes that these priests have drawn the name from this river, but he does not in the least mention a such amazing power. Others are relating that those priests were immediately seized by fury in drinking such a water, and that they castrated themselves, but they could not have done this without losing their life, unless they had used a Samian earthenware pot. Ovid said:

“Why then we call Galli those who castrate themselves,  
being that the Gallic land is so far from Phrygia?”  
“Between the green mount Cybele” she says “and the lofty - town of - Celaenae  
flows a river named Gallus whose water is deranging.
He who drinks from it goes mad: get far away from here you to whom  
it does matter to have a sound mind, he who drinks from it becomes frantic.”

Quidam[19] Gallum puerum putaverunt, qui contracta offensa Deae se execuerit, et simul fluvio nomen fecerit. Fluvium illum in Sangarium evolvi nescius non sum: at minime credam tam noxiam fluminis vim fuisse, ut homines, vel furibundos redderet, vel enecaret. Quantum vero virium semper habuerint ad homines dementandos vanae superstitiones qui nescit, is alienus non modo ab omni historiarum lectione, sed vitae etiam communis usu. Unde etiam proverbialiter dicimus[20] Γάλλους τί τέμνεις, id est, Gallos quid execas[21], pro quid actum agis.

Some people thought that Gallus was a boy who, having offended the Goddess, castrated himself, and at the same time gave his name to the river. I am quite aware that that river is pouring into the Sangarius: but I am not inclined at all to believe that the strength of the river was so evil to make men incensed or to kill them. Whoever is ignorant of how many importance had the empty superstitions for driving men crazy is unacquainted not only with reading historical works - with the lesson coming from historical events, but also with a common experience of life. Hence also in a proverb we say Gállous tí témneis, i.e., why do you castrate the Galli - priests, instead of saying why do you do something already done.

A quibus sacerdotibus quam bene Baptista Pius, ut id obiter dicamus, Gallos populos per {convitium} <convicium> Romanorum nomen fuisse adeptos colligat, ipse viderit: quasi scilicet, quod exectorum hominum nomina haberent.

To say it incidentally, everyone might judge how correctly Baptista Pius is concluding that the peoples of the Gauls had obtained the name from these priests by an insult of the Romans: that is, so to speak, because they had the name of castrated men.