Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 16.djvu/292

284 Astyanax was the son of Hector and Andromache. When Troy was taken, this young prince had his head cut off, and his body thrown to swine. From this fatal accident he had his name; which has, by a peculiar good fortune, been preserved entire, A sty, an ax.

Mars may be mentioned among these, because he fought against the Greeks. He was called the God of war; and is described as a swearing, swaggering companion, and a great giver of rude language. For, when he was angry, he would cry, "Kiss my a—se, "My a—se in a bandbox, My a—se all over:" which he repeated so commonly, that he got the appellation of My a—se; and by a common abbreviation, M'ars; from whence, by leaving out the mark of elision, Mars. And this is a common practice among us at present; as in the words D'anvas, D'avenport, D'anby, which are now written Dauvers, Davenport, Danby, and many others.

The next is Hercules, otherwise called Alcides. Both these names are English, with little alteration; and describe the principal qualities of that hero, who was distinguished for being a slave to his mistresses, and at the same time for his great strength and courage. Omphale, his chief mistress, used to call her lovers her cullies; and because this hero was more and longer subject to her than any other, he was in a particular manner called the chief of her cullies: which, by an easy change, made the word Hercules. His other name Alcides was given him on account of his prowess: for, in fight, he used to strike on all sides; and was allowed on all sides to be the chief hero of his age. For one of which reasons,