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 th