Barchester Towers
Chapters 32 to 34

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Chapter 32
A New Candidate for Ecclesiastical Honours

Mercuries
 Mercury was the messenger god on Olympus.  His name is often used as a synonym for messengers, as Trollope has Mr. Slope use it in his letter to Tom Towers here.  [JC]
 

Chapter 33
Mrs. Proudie Victrix

Victrix
 In the title of this chapter, we can see a Latin word, victrix, which means conqueress or female victor. This title refers to the unofficial war which has existed between Mrs. Proudie and Mr. Slope over the ultimate authority to govern Bishop Proudie. We can therefore infer that she has already won or is about to win this war, and will therefore effectively be ruling behind the scenes as the Bishop of Barchester. Cited as being used in English as early as 1651 by the OED.  [MD]

Mrs. Proudie as the Medea of Barchester
This is a comparison between Mrs. Proudie and Medea from Greek mythology.  Medea fell in love with and married Jason of the Argonauts; however, after several years he wanted to marry Creusa, the daughter of the King of Corinth. Medea was so enraged that she sent a gift to Creusa, which burned her alive; Medea then proceeded to kill her own children and flee to Athens. The legendary vindictiveness and ferocity which is associated with Medea is attributed here to Mrs. Proudie, who is described as being harsh enough to eat Mr. Slope for interfering in her ecclesiastical affairs.
http://www.bartleby.com/65/me/Medea.html  [MD]
 

Chapter 34
Oxford--the Master and Tutor of Lazarus

Fate
Trollope here treats the concept of fate in the classical manner as a deity, with a capitalized name.  Mr. Harding has made up his mind to relinquish any idea of going back to his comfortable job at the hospital; he will instead take whatever comes to him, and stay in his little room in Barchester.  [JM]

Deus ex machina
 Latin, "god from the machine," meaning the device used to suspend gods over the stage during Greek plays; comes to mean an unexpected and providential circumstance that solves a problem.  Dr. Gwynne is potentially the deus ex machine who can act against Slope and save Barchester from his actions, yet he may not be able to act in this capacity because "the avenging god is laid up with the gout."  Dr. Gwynne is unfit for this battle, and thus may not be able to serve as the deus ex machina. 
OED  [JM]

Status quo
 Latin, "state in which," the currently accepted way of doing things.  [JM]
Alma mater
Latin, "nourishing mother."  This phrase referred to several Roman goddesses, especially Cybele and Ceres, and has been used in English to refer to schools or universities that act almost as mothers to their students and alumni.  [JM]

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