"MOMUS, in fabulous history, the god of raillery, or the jester of the celestial assembly, and who ridiculed both gods and men. Being chosen by Vulcan, Neptune, and Minerva, to give his judgment concerning their works, he blamed them all: Neptune for not making his bull with horns before his eyes, in order that he might give a surer blow; Minerva for building an house that could not be removed in case of bad neighbours and Vulcan, for making a man without a window in his breast, that his treacheries might be seen."
— Author Unknown
Author
Date
1797
Metaphor
"MOMUS, in fabulous history, the god of raillery, or the jester of the celestial assembly, and who ridiculed both gods and men. Being chosen by Vulcan, Neptune, and Minerva, to give his judgment concerning their works, he blamed them all: Neptune for not making his bull with horns before his eyes, in order that he might give a surer blow; Minerva for building an house that could not be removed in case of bad neighbours and Vulcan, for making a man without a window in his breast, that his treacheries might be seen."
Metaphor in Context
MOMUS, in fabulous history, the god of raillery, or the jester of the celestial assembly, and who ridiculed both gods and men. Being chosen by Vulcan, Neptune, and Minerva, to give his judgment concerning their works, he blamed them all: Neptune for not making his bull with horns before his eyes, in order that he might give a surer blow; Minerva for building an house that could not be removed in case of bad neighbours and Vulcan, for making a man without a window in his breast, that his treacheries might be seen. For his free reflections upon the gods, Momus was driven from heaven. He is generally represented raising a mask from his face, and holding a small figure in his hand.
(XII, p. 208)
(XII, p. 208)
Categories
Provenance
Searching in Google Books; found also in ECCO. Passage draws language from Noorthuck's Historical and Classical Dictionary (1776), vol II, entry "Momus."
Citation
See Encyclopædia Britannica; or, a Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous Literature; ... The Third Edition, in Eighteen Volumes, Greatly Improved. Illustrated With Five Hundred and Forty-Two Copperplates. (Edinburgh: Printed for A. Bell and C. Macfarquhar, 1797). [18 vols., vols. 1-12 edited by Colin Macfarquhar; vols. 13-18 by George Geig] <Link to ESTC><Link to Dublin edition in ECCO>
Date of Entry
11/16/2013
