Book of the Magistrates of the Athenians

manner, and therefore many make themselves protectors and instigators, Jove, Mars, Mercury, Pallas, Vulcan, and similar monsters for the greater sustainment of their virtue and their opinions. The Athenians, therefore, not contenting themselves with only one nobility, that is, that of Pallas, descend many names to the various parts that they call Tribes from the names of the Eponyms ancestral heroes from whom tribes are named. These were nothing other than Gods, and the first of these was among men the memory; those, therefore, who had the statues for virtue did not have them so much for their memory as so that others would imitate their virtue, helping them in this manner to make them become better. There were four Tribes at first. One was called Cecropia from ancient Cecrops (because if one believes Pausanias Greek geographer, there were two). The other Autochthon indigenous, a word peculiar to the peoples; the third Attea, he called it Attean; the fourth was said to be Paralia, taking the name from the proximity of the sea. These voices searching them more anciently, Cranaus legendary king makes them four and different: Cranaei from himself, Attida, Diacria, and Mesogea. Attida from the word of the people; Diacria from a very high place of the city (because the Athenians are on a hill); the Mesogei from the middle part were called. The mother, to hide the adultery, showed that Erichthonius was the son of Jove, who, simulating to return thanks to the father, placed on Athens four names taken from the Gods. Whence she said Diada from the name of Jove, Athenea from the name of Minerva; the third voice Festia from Vulcan; the fourth from Neptune she named Posidonia. And divided each part into three (which from three and not from gifts were