ABSTRACT
1. Morcourius Rusticans: In classical Latin, the name ‘Mercuriua’ refers specifically to Meronry, the messenger of the gods, the patron of traders and thieves, and the conductor of the souls of the dead to the Lover world. However, in mediaeval and renaissance Latin, the word begins to nave a much wider application. It is often used in a general sense to denote any kind of messenger: for instance, during the period of the Civil War, the name ‘Mercuriua’ appears in the title of many weekly papers, both Royalist and Parliamentary, e.g. Mercurius Aulious, Mercurius Britannious. and Mercurius Academiouas and, indeed, some modern newspapers have retained the name. Since a messenger, or herald, must possess a certain degree of eloquence, ‘Merourius’ can also mean one skilled in the art of rhetoric, a disciple of Mercury, or a student. Hence, ‘student’ is the meaning given to the word in the title of this particular play.
