IRIS,
The Rain-bow, one of the most wonderful Meteors of the Air. Plutarch re∣ports, that Plato writes, that she was esteem∣ed the Daughter of Thaumas, because of her wonderful beauty. And Hesiod in his Theogonia has made Iris the Daughter of Thaumas and Electra. Tully agrees with Plato's opinion: Cur autem Arcûs species non in Deorum numero re∣ponatur? Est enim pulcher, & ob eam causam, quia speciem habet admirabilem, Thaumante dici∣tur esse nata.
Poets call her Nuncia Junonis the Messenger of Juno, because she gives us notice of the disposition of the air, represented by the name of Juno. And God himself in Genesis, has given the Rainbow for a token, that there never shall be any more Flood. And altho' the Rainbow might have appear'd before the Flood, yet it was not seen at all in the time of the Deluge, all the Sky being then cover∣ed with very thick Clouds, where the Rain∣bow was not able to appear, because its fair Colours shine only upon a thin Cloud. Wherefore it was a token naturally proper to signifie, that living Creatures should ne∣ver any more be destroyed by a Flood.
Servius observes, that Mercury and Iris being both Messengers of the Gods, the Errands of Mercury are always tending to Concord, and the Messages of Iris to War and Discord, from whence she was called Iris. And this Grammarian wisely observes, that Iris doth not always raise Discords, for her first insti∣tution was to declare the Treatise of Pacifi∣cation between God and Man.
As for the Etymology of the word Iris, Plato is rather to be believ'd than Servius, when he says that it comes from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 di∣cere, annunoiare, because it predicts fair wea∣ther. What Vossius says is not to be omitted, viz. that the name of Iris may be derived from the Hebrew word Ir or Hir, which signi∣fies an Angel or Messenger; for this name is given to the Angels in the Holy Scripture, because of their watchfulness. For the pro∣per meaning of the word Hir is Vigil.
However it must be granted, that Servius has grounded his opinion upon Hesiod's report, when he derived the word Iris from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; and said that her Errands were tending to discord: And this Poet tells us still, that when any of the Gods has told a lye, Jupiter sends Iris to fetch water from the River Styx in a golden Vessel, whereupon the Lyer must take the Oath, and if he forswears himself, he remains a whole year without life and motion, but a long year, which contains many thousand of years. Therefore the Errand of Iris sup∣poses indeed some discord, but yet conduces to pacify it.
Statius seems to give another reason why Iris is the Messenger of the Gods, viz. her situation, one part of her touching Heaven, and the other Earth.