Palladis Tamia the Latin genitive of "Pallas," another name for the goddess Athena, who in Greek mythology was the goddess of wisdom and statecraft. Thus, "Palladis Tamia" becomes the "dispenser" or "treasurer" of Pallas Athena, or "wisdom". "Palladis Tamia" was the second in a series of four volumes of short pithy sayings with the generic title of "Wits Commonwealth", the first of which was "Politeuphuia: Wits Commonwealth" (1597), compiled by John Bodenham or by Nicholas Ling, the publisher. The third volume was "Wits Theater of the Little World" (1599), dedicated to Bodenham and variously credited to him, Robert Allott, or Ling, and
Egeria (mythology) identified with figures like Atys or Hippolyte, because of the Diana reference (see Frazer). Described sometime as a "mountain nymph" (Plutarch), she is usually regarded as a water nymph and somehow her cult also involved some link with childbirth, like the Greek goddess Ilithyia. But most of all, Egeria gave wisdom and prophecy in return for libations of water or milk at her sacred groves. This quality has been made especially popular through the tale of her relationship with Numa Pompilius (the second legendary king of Rome, who succeeded its founder Romulus). According to mythology she counseled and guided the