THE
PANTHEON,
Representing the
FABULOUS HISTORIES
OF THE
Heathen GODS
And Most
Illustrious HEROES,
IN A
Short, Plain and Familiar Method by
Way of DIALOGUE.
WRITTEN
By FRA. POMEY, of the Society of
Iesus, Author of the French and Latin
Dictionary; for the Use of the Dauphin.
The Second EDITION:
Wherein the whole Translation is revised, and
much amended, and the Work is illustrated
and adorned with elegant Copper-Cuts of the
several Deities, &c.
For the Use of Sch〈…〉〈…〉
London, Printed for Charles Harper, at the Flower-de-luce
over-against St. Dunstan's-Church in Fleet street.
MDCXCVIII
CONTENTS
1. TO THE READER.
2. The PARTS of this WORK.
3. ERRATA.
4. OF THE GODS OF THE HEATHENS.
5. An Explication of the Fable. Janus, the Em∣blem of Prudence.
6. AN APPENDIX
[illustration]
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[illustration] The PANTHEON was built by MAGRIPPA Son in law to AUGUSTUS
CAESAR an•• according to the signification of its name, dedicated to
the Honour of all the Gods•• every of whose Images were plac'd in
several Niches round the same. The Building wth some diminution
continues to this day only Pope BONIFACE IV. reconsecrated it to
the worship of the Virgin MARY and all the Saints Male and
Female. It is now call'd the Church of S. MARIA ROTONDA.
Printed for R. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and C. Harper 16••••.
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TO THE
READER.
'TIS confess'd that there are already ma∣ny
Books publisht on the present Sub∣ject,
two or three of which are in our own
Tongue, and those, we doubt not, will by some
men be thought enow. But since this can be
the Opinion but of a few and those unexpe∣rienc'd
people, we chose rather to regard the
Advice of many grave persons of known skill
in the Art of Teaching, who tell us that
Godwin in his Antiquities has done very
well indeed in the whole, but that in this
point he is too short; that Ross also deserves
commendation for his Mythology, but is tedi∣ous
and as much too large; and that Gal∣truchius,
as D'Assigny has translated and
dish'd him out to us, is so confused and art∣less
in its Method, as well as unfortunate in
its Correction, that 'tis not so useful as may
be desir'd: And hereupon this Work was re∣commended
to be translated, being first well
approv'd by learned Gentlemen, as is above∣mention'd,
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for its easie Method and for its
agreeable Plainness. Besides it having been
written by so learned a person, and so uni∣versally
receiv'd in our Neighbour Nation as
to have sold several Impressions in a short
time, we can hardly doubt of its being very
well accepted here. As for the Citations out
of the Latin Poets, we consider'd a while whe∣ther
they need be translated, or not, but 'twas
thought fit at last to print them in English
either from those who had already rendred
'em, or to render 'em our selves, for the be∣nefit
of the young Scholar.
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The PARTS of this WORK.
- THE Approach to the Pan∣theon Pag. 1
- PART I. Of the Celestial or Hea∣venly
Gods. 12
- The Celestial Goddesses. 97
- P. II. Of the Terrestrial or Earthly
Gods. 154
- The Terrestrial Goddesses. 188
- The Gods of the Woods, and the
Rural Gods. 221
- The Goddesses of the Woods. 235
- The Nymphs. 251
- The Inferior Deities. 256
- P. III. Of the Marine Gods, or Gods
of the Sea. 259
- The Monsters of the Sea. 268
- P. IV. Of the Infernal Deities. 275
- ...
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- The Fates. 289
- The Furies. 290
- The Judges of Hell. 294
- The most famous of the Con∣demned
in Hell. 295
- The Monsters of Hell. 303
- The Elysian Fields 309
- P. V. Of the subordinate and Mi∣scellaneous
Deities. 312
- P. VI. Of the Adscriptitious Gods,
Demi-Gods and Heroes. 331
- An APPENDIX of Virtues and Vi∣ces
which have been Deified. 390
ERRATA.
PAGE 19, line 27. dele was. p. 20. l. 25. after Trojan add War.
p. 22. l. 32. r. Maximum. p. 23. l. 21. after Famous add because.
p. 26. l. 30. r. Opis. p. 28. l. ult. r. Feretrius. p. 30. l. 17. r. Iupiter. p. 33.
l. 2. r. artus. p. 50. l. 31. after something add after that. p. 52. l. 8. after
were add beautified. p. 58. l. pen. after suckled. r. him. p. 69. l. 15. r. insa∣••iendo.
p. 103. l. 19. r. Tutela. p. 106. l. 25. for in coelo. r. inced••. p. 107. l.
16. dele from. p. 139. l. 23. before cover add neither. p. 159. l. 25. r. down.
p. 160. l. 5. r. Saturando. p. 168. l. 2. for he is Lord as. r. as he is Lord. p. 172.
l. 25. after place add the Poet. p. 176. l. 5. r. ferrum. p. 213. l. 14. r. Balls.
p. 223. l. 20. for his r. this. p. 130. l. 10. after they add are. p. 245. l. 19.
dele ••ain. p. 257. l. 32. after Lactucina add who is next. p. 276. l. 22.
r. crinem. p. 284. l. 3. for where r. wherefore. p. 298. l. 18. before also add
they. p. 323. l. 8. after Image add was. p. 339. l. 18. before him add
with. p. 345. l. 2. after Ram add of.
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OF THE
GODS
OF THE
HEATHENS. (Book 1)
CHAP. I.
The Approach to the Pantheon. The Ori∣gine
of Idolatry.
Palaeophilus.
WHat sort of Building is
that before us, of so
unusual a Figure? For
I think it is round, un∣less
the distance deceives my sight.
Mystagogus.
You are not deceiv'd. It is a
place well deserving to be visited in this, the
Queen of Cities. Let us go and view it, before
we go to any other place.
P.
What is its Name?
Page 2
M.
The Fabulous Pantheon. That is, the
Temple of all the Gods, which the Religious Folly
of Men hath feign'd, either through a gross
Ignorance, or through a grievous Contempt,
of the true and only God.
P.
What was the Occasion of the feigning
of many Gods?
M.
Four Causes especially, above others,
may be assign'd for it, upon which, as on so
many Pillars the whole Frame of this Fabrick
depends.
1. The folly and perverseness of the Mind of
Man, which hath deny'd to Him, who is the
inexhausted Fountain of all Good, the Honors
that it hath attributed to muddy streams: dig∣ging,
as the Holy Prophet complains, to them∣selves
broken and dirty Cisterns, and neglecting
and forsaking the most pure Fountain of living
Waters. It ordinarily happen'd after this man∣ner.
If any one did excel in Stature of Bo∣dy,
if he was endu'd with Greatness of Mind,
or Clearness of
Wit, he first made himself
to be admir'd among the ignorant Vulgar:
this Admiration was by degrees turn'd into a
profound Respect, till at length they paid him
greater Honours than Man ought to receive,
and ascrib'd the Man into the number of the
Gods. Whilst the more Prudent were either
carried away with the Torrent of the Vulgar
Opinion, or were unable or at least afraid to
resist it.
2. The sordid Flattery of Subjects towards their
Princes, was another cause of Idolatry. For to
gratifie their Vanity, to flatter their Pride, and
Page 3
sooth them in their Self conceit, they erected
Altars and set the Images of their Princes on
them; to which they offer'd Incense in like
manner as to the Gods; and many times
also while they were yet living.
3. An extravagant love of Immortality in
many, who studied to attain to it by leaving
Effigies of themselves behind them, imagin∣ing,
that their Names would still be preserv'd
from the power of Death and Time, so long
as they lived after their Funerals, in Brass, or
breath'd in lively Statues of Marble.
4. A preposterous desire of perpetuating the
Memories of extraordinary and useful Men to fu∣ture
Ages. For to perpetuate the Memory
of such Men, and to eternize their Names,
they made them Gods, or rather call'd them
so.
P.
But who was the first Fictor and Asser∣tor
of False Gods?
M.
Ninus, the first King of the Assyrians
was, as it is reported: who, to immortalize
the Name of his Father Belus, or Nimrod, wor∣shipped
him with Divine Honours after his
Decease.
P.
When, and in what manner do they say
that happened?
M.
I will tell you. After Ninus had con∣quer'd
many Nations far and near, and had
Built the City call'd after his Name, Ninive,
in a publick Assembly of the Babylonians he
Page 4
extoll'd his Father Belus, the Founder of the
City and Empire of Babylon, extravagantly as
his manner was, and represented him, not
only worthy of perpetual Honour amongst
all Posterity, but of Immortality also among
the Gods above•• he exhibited a Statue of him
that was curiously and neatly made, to which
they should pay the same Reverence that they
would give to Belus alive: and if at any time
an Offender should fly to this Statue, he should
not be forced away thence to be punished, be∣cause
he appointed it to be a common San∣ctuary
to the miserable. This thing easily
procured an Opinion of a Divinity to the dead
Prince; so that he was created a God under
the Title of Iove, or as others please, Saturn
of Babylon: where a most magnificent Tem∣ple
was erected to him by his Son, and dedi∣cated
with variety of Sacrifices, in the two
thousandth Year of the World, which was
the last Year but one of the Life of Noah.
And from thence as from a pestilential Head
the Sacrilegious Plague of Idols, passed by a
kind of a Contagion into other Nations, and
dispersed it self every where about.
P.
What? Did all other Nations of the
World worship Belus?
M.
All indeed did not worship Belus; but
after this beginning of Idolatry, several Na∣tions
form'd to themselves several Gods; re∣ceiving
into that number not only mortal and
dead Men, but Brutes also, and, which is a
greater wonder, inanimate things, even the
most mean and pitiful. For it is evident from
Page 5
the Authority of innumerable Writers, that
the Africans made the Heavens a God; the
Persians, Fire, Water and the Winds; the Ly∣bians,
the Sun and Moon; the Thebans, Sheep
and Weesels; the Babylonians of Memphis, a
Whale; the Inhabitants of Mendes, a Goat;
the Thessalians, Storks; the Syrophenicians,
Doves; the Egyptians, Dogs, Cats, C••oco∣diles
and Hawks; nay, which is more ridicu∣lous,
Leeks, Onions and Garlick. Of whom
Iuvenal facetiously says,
O sanctas Gentes, quibus haec nascuntur in Hortis
Numina!—
Religious Nations sure, and blest Abodes,
Where ev'ry Orchard is o'er-run with Gods.
P.
But certainly, the ancient Inhabitants
and most wise Citizens of Rome did not so
sottishly entertain these Images of Vain Gods,
as those Barbarous Nations did, to whom they
were superiour, not in Arms only and Hu∣manity,
but in Wit and Judgment.
M.
You are mistaken, Sir; for they ex∣ceeded
even those Barbarians in this sort of
Folly.
P.
Say you so?
M.
Indeed. For they Deified and Adored
not only Beasts and things void of all sense,
but which is a far greater madness, they wor∣ship'd
also Murderers, Adulterers, Thieves,
Drunkards, Robbers, and such like pests of
Mankind.
Page 6
P.
How many and what kind of Gods did
the Romans worship?
M.
It is scarce possible to recount them:
When besides their own Country Gods and
Family Gods, all Strange Gods that came to
the City were made Free of it. Whence it
came to pass in time, that when they saw their
Precincts too narrow to contain so many, ne∣cessity
forc'd them to send their Gods into
Colonies, as they did their Men. But you will
see these things which I cursorily tell you,
more conveniently and pleasantly by and by,
with your own Eyes, when you come into
this Pantheon with me; where we are now at
the Door. Let us enter.
CHAP. II.
The Entrance into the Pantheon. A Di∣stribution
of the Gods into several Clas∣ses.
P.
GOod God! What a Crowd of dea••
Deities is here, if all these are Deities,
whose Figures I see painted and devised up∣on
the Walls?
M.
This is the smallest part of them. For
the very Walls of the City, although it be so
large, much less of this Temple, cannot con∣tain
even their Titles.
P.
Have these Gods been all of the same
Order and Dignity?
Page 7
M.
By no means. But as the Roman Peo∣ple
was distributed into Three Ranks, viz.
into Senatorians, Knights or Gentlemen, and
Plebeians (Patricii, Equites & Plebeii;) as al∣so
into Noble, New-raised (Novi) and Igno∣ble;
(The Novi, were those who did not re∣ceive
their Nobility from their Ancestors;
but obtain'd it themselves by their own Virtue)
so the Roman Gods were divided into Three,
as it were, Classes.
The First is of those called the Superiour
Gods, Dii Majorum Gentium, for the People
paid to them a higher degree of worship; be∣cause
they imagin'd that these Gods were
more eminently concern'd in the Govern∣ment
of this World. These were call'd al∣so
Selecti, because they had always had the
Title of Celestial Gods, famous and eminent
above others, of extraordinary Authority and
Renown. Twelve of these Dii selecti were
styled Consentes, quasi Consentientes; because in
Affairs of great Importance, Iupiter admitted
them into his Council. The Images of these
were fix'd in the Forum at Rome: six of them
were Males and six Females; commonly with∣out
other addition called Dii Duodecim; and
whose Names Ennius comprises in this Distich:
Iuno, Vesta, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars,
Mercurius, Iupiter, Neptunus, Vulcanus, A∣pollo.
Page 8
Others read in the latter Verse not Iupiter,
but Iovis; and rightly in my Judgment. For
anciently they said Iovis in the Nominative,
and in Verse they, if occasion required it, cut
off the last Letter. These Twelve Gods were
believed to preside over the Twelve Months:
each of them was allotted a Month; Ianuary
to Iuno, February to Neptune, March to Mi∣nerva,
April to Venus, May to Apollo, Iune
to Mercury, Iuly to Iupiter, August to Ceres,
September to Vulcan, October to Mars, Novem∣ber
to Diana, December to Vesta. They like∣wise
presided over the Twelve Celestial Signs,
as Manilius explains it, lib. 2. Astron. And if
to these Twelve Dii Consentes, you add the
Eight following, Ianus, Saturnus, Genius, Sol,
Pluto, Bacchus, Tellus and Luna, you will have
all the Dii Selecti, i.e. Twenty.
The Second Class is of those, called inferi∣our
Gods, Dii Minorum Gentium, who shine
with a less degree of Glory, and have been
placed among the Gods as, says Tully, de nat.
Deor. by their own Merits. Whence they are
called also Adscriptitii, Minuscularii, Putati∣tii
and Indigetes. Indigetes, quod nullius r••i
indigerent; or because being translated from
this Earth into Heaven, in Diis agerent; or
being as it were fixed to certain places, com∣mitted
peculiarly to their Care; they dwelt in
them (in iis degerent) to perform the Duty
intrusted to them. Thus Aeneas was made a
God of the Order of the Indigetes, by his Mo∣ther
Venus, in the manner described by Ovid:
Metam. l. 14.
Page 9
Lustratum Genitrix divino corpus odore
Unxit, & Ambrosia cum dulci Nectare mixta
Contigit os, fecitque Deum, quem turba quirini
Nuncupat Indigetem, temploque, arisque recepit.
—His Mother then his Body purifi'd,
Anoints with sacred Odors, and his Lips
In Nectar mingl'd with Ambrosia dips;
So Deifi'd: whom Indiges Rome calls,
Honor'd with Altars, Shrines and Festivals.
The Third and lowest Class among the Gods,
is of the Minuti, Vesci or Miscellanei, com∣monly
called Semones, quasi semi-Homines,
half-Men.(For the Antients, instead of
Hominem, said Hemonem) whose Merits were
not sufficient to gain them a place among
the Celestial Gods; yet their Vertues were such
that the People thought them superiour to
mortal Men. Plautus in Cistell. calls them Pa∣tellarii,
from the Vessels (Patellae) in which
the Ancients offer'd to the Gods their Sacri∣fices,
according to Ovid, in Fast.
Fert missos Vestae pura patella cibos.
To Vesta's Deity with humble Mess,
In cleanest Dish serv'd up they now address.
To these we ought to adjoin the Novensi∣les,
the Gods which the Sabines brought to
Rome by the Command of King Tatius; and
which were so called, as some say, because
Page 10
they were latest of all (Novissimi omnium)
reckoned among the Gods: or because they
were (Novitatum Praesides) Presidents over
the Changes, by which the things of this
World subsist. Cincius believes them to have
been the strange Gods of conquered Countries:
whereof the numbers were so vast, that it was
thought fit to call them all in general No∣vensiles,
lest they should forget any of them.
And lastly, to this Class also we must refer
the Gods and Goddesses, for whose sake, says
Tully (de Nat. Deor.) Men come to be advan∣ced
to the Dignity of Gods; of which sort
are the principal Virtues, as we shall particu∣larly
shew in its proper place.
CHAP. III.
A View of the Pantheon. A more Com∣modious
Division of the Gods.
P.
I Cast my Eyes very curiously every where
about me, and yet I do not see the
Three Classes of the Gods, that you have de∣scribed
just now.
M.
Because there is made here another and
more convenient Division of them; which
we will follow also if you please in our Di∣scourse.
P.
I cannot deny my self that useful Plea∣sure
which I shall reap from your Conversa∣tion.
Page 11
M.
You see that the Three Classes, which
I mentioned to you, are here divided into six,
and painted upon the several parts of the Pan∣theon.
1. You see the Celestial Gods and God∣desses,
upon an Arch. 2. The Terrestrial,
upon the Wall on the Right Hand. 3. The
Marine and River Gods, upon the Wall on
the left. 4. The Infernal, in this lower A∣partment
by the Pavement. 5. The Minuti,
or Semones and Miscellanei, before you. 6. The
Adscriptitii and Indigetes behind you. These
Six parts shall compose our Discourse: each
of which parts shall lay before you, whatsoe∣ver
I have found most remarkable amongst
the best Authors upon this Subject: if at least
my Talkativeness is tolerable to you.
P.
Sir, you jest when you call it Talkative∣ness.
Can any thing that is more pleasing
happen to me?
M.
Then since it pleases you, let us sit
down together a while: and since the place
is free from all Company, we will take a de∣liberate
View of this whole Army of Gods,
and inspect them one after another; begin∣ning,
as it is fit, with the Celestial, and so
with Iove, according to the direction of the
Poet. Virg. Ecl. 3.
Page 12
CHAP. IV.
Of the Celestial Gods. IUPITER.
His Image.
M.
THE Gods, commonly called Celestial,
are these that follow: Iupiter, Apollo,
Mars, Mercury, and Bacchus. The Celestial
Goddesses, Iuno, Vesta, Minerva, or Pallas, Ve∣nus,
Latona and Bellona. We will begin with
the King of them all, Iupiter.
P.
Where is Iupiter?
M.
Look up to that Arch. You may easi∣ly
know him by his Habit. That is, Divum
pater atque hominum rex, the Father and King
of Gods and Men, whom you see sitting in a
Throne of Ivory and Gold, with the Beard,
holding Thunder in his Right Hand, and
throwing it against the Giants underneath him,
which heretofore he conquered. Vpon his
Scepter (which they say is made of Cypress,
which is a Symbol of the Eternity of his Em∣pire,
because that Wood is free from Corrup∣tion)
sits an Eagle: either because he was
brought up by it; or heretofore an Eagle
resting upon his Head, portended his Reign;
or because in his War with the Giants, an
Eagle brought him his Thunder, and thence
received the Title of Iovis Armiger, Iupi∣ter's
Armour-••earer. He has golden Shooes
[illustration]
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[illustration]
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Page 13
and an embroidered Cloak, diversified with
various Flowers and figures of Animals: which
Dionysius the Tyrant, as it is said, did take
from him in Sicily, and giving him a Wool∣len
Cloak instead of it, said, that that would be
more convenient for him in all Seasons, since it was
warmer in the Winter and much lighter in the Sum∣mer.
Yet let it not seem a wonder to you, if by
chance you should see him in another place in
another Dress. For he uses to be decked in
several Fashions, according to the various
Names he assumes, and the diversity of the
People amongst whom he is worshipped. Par∣ticularly
you will smile when you see him a∣mongst
the Lacedemonians without Ears, when
the Cretans are so liberal therein to him, that
they give him four. So much for the Figure
of Iupiter. For if it were my design to speak
of his Statue, I should repeat here what Verrius
says, that his Face upon Holydays ought to be
painted with Vermilion: as the Statues of the
rest of the Gods also used to be rubbed with
Ointments, and ••adorned with Garlands, accord∣ing
to an Observation of Plautus in Asinar.
P.
Was the power of darting Thunder and
Lightning in the hands of Iupiter only?
M.
The learned Hetrurians teach us, that
this Power was committed to Nine Gods
but to which of them does not plainly ap∣pear.
Some, besides Iupiter, mention Vulcan
and Minerva: whence the Phrase, Minervales
Manubiae signifies Thunder (as the Books of
those antient Hetrusci call Strokes of Thunder
Manubias) because the noxious Constellation of
Page 14
Minerva causes Tempests in the Vernal Equi∣nox.
Others say Thunder was also attributed
to Iuno, to Mars, and the South Wind: and
they reckon up several kinds of Thunders;
as Peremptalia, Pestifera, Popularia, Perversa,
Renovativa, Ostentatoria, Clara, Familiaria,
Bruta, Consiliaria. But the Romans common∣ly
took notice of no more than Two. The
Diurnal Thunder which they attributed to
Iupiter; and the Nocturnal, which they at∣tributed
to Pluto. Now let us go on to Iupi∣ters
Birth.
SECT. I.
Jupiter's Descent and Education.
P.
Who were the Parents that Iupiter was
born of?
M.
One Answer will not fully satisfie this
one Question, since there is not one Iupiter
but many, who are sprang from different Fa∣milies.
Three Jupiters, (says Tully de Nat.
Deor. 3.) are recounted by those who are called
Theologues. The first and second were born in
Arcadia. The Father of the one was Aether;
from whom Proserpine and Liber are said to be
born. The Father of the other was Coelum.
He is said to have begot Minerva. The third
was a Cretan, the Son of Saturn; whose Tomb
is yet extant in the Isle of Crete. But Varro
reckons up Three hundred Iupiters: and o∣thers
count almost an innumerable Company
of them; for there was hardly any Nation,
Page 15
which did not worship a Iupiter of their own,
and suppose him to be born amongst them∣selves.
But of all these, the famousest Iupiter
in general Opinion, is He, whose Mother was
Ops and whose Father was Saturn; to whom
therefore is usually ascrib'd all that the Poets
fabulously write about the other Iupiters.
P.
Where, and by whom was this Iupiter
educated?
M.
He was educated where he was born,
that is, upon the Mountain Ida in Crete: but
by whom the variety of Opinions is wonder∣ful.
For some affirm he was educated by the
Curetes and Corybantes. Some say by the Nymphs,
and some, by Amalthaea the Daughter of
Melissus King of Crete. Others on the con∣trary
have recorded, that the Bees fed him
with Hony. Others, that a Goat gave him
Milk. Not a few say, that he was nourished
by Doves. Some, by an Eagle: many, by a
Bear. And further, it is the Opinion of some,
concerning the foresaid Amalthaea, that she
was not the Daughter of Melissus, as we now
mentioned; but the very Goat which suck∣led
Iupiter, whose Horn, it is said, he gave
afterwards to his Nurses, with this admirable
Privilege, that whoever possessed it, should de∣sire
nothing which they should not presently
obtain. They add besides, that after this Goat
was dead, Iupiter took her Skin and made a
Shield of it; with which he singly combated
the Giants: whence that Shield was called
Aegis, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which signifies a Goat,
which at last he restored to live again, and,
Page 16
giving her a new Skin, placed her amongst
the Celestial Constellations.
SECT. II.
Jupiter's Exploits.
P.
WHen Iupiter was grown to be a Man,
what did he perform worthy of
Memory?
M.
He overcame in War the Giants and
the Titans (of whom more when we speak
of Saturn) and also delivered his Father Sa∣turn
from Imprisonment; but afterwards de∣posed
him from the Throne and banished
him, because he formed a Conspiracy against
him; dividing the paternal Inheritance with
his two Brothers Neptune and Pluto, as more
largely will be shewn in its proper place, when
we speak of each of them apart: In fine, he
so assisted and obliged all Mankind by the
great Favours that he did, that he not only
thence obtained the Name of Iupiter, quasi
juvans pater; but he was advanced also unto
divine Honours, and was esteemed the common
Father both of Gods and Men. Amongst some
of his more illustrious Actions, we ought to
remember the Story of Lycaon. For when
Iupiter had heard a Report concerning the
Wickedness and great Impiety of Men, he
descended, that he might know the real truth
of it, it is said, from Heaven to the Earth,
and came into the House of Lycaon King of
Arcadia; where declaring himself to be a God,
Page 17
whilst others did prepare Sacrifices for him,
Lycaon derided him; nor did he stop here, he
added an abominable Wickedness to this Con∣tempt,
and being desirous to try whether Iu∣piter
was a God as he pretended, he kills one
of his Domestick Servants, and roasts and
boils the Flesh of him, and sets it before Iu∣piter
for his Entertainment: who abomina∣ting
the Barbarity of the Man, fired the Pa∣lace
with Lightning, and turn'd Lycaon into
a Wolf. Ovid. Met. l. 1.
P.
Are there no other Exploits of his?
M.
Yes indeed: but they are very lewd
and dishonourable; I am almost ashamed to
mention them. For of what sort of Lewd∣ness
in the World was he not guilty? Or
what Infamy is there not branded upon his
Name? I will only mention a few Actions
of this sort amongst many.
1. In the Shape of a Crow he debauch'd
his Sister Iuno, who was born at the same
Birth with him, with pretences that he would
marry her: as how many Ladies does that
pretence delude even now?
2. He violated the Chastity of Danae, the
Daughter of Acrisius King of the Argives,
tho her Father had shut her up in a Tower,
being admonished by the Oracle, that it should
happen that he should be kild by his Grand∣son.
For changing himself into a shower of
gold, he slid down through the Roof and Tiles
of the place into the Lady's Lap. As what
place is there so fortified and guarded, into
which Love cannot find a passage? Is there
Page 18
any Heart so very hard and Iron-like, which
Mony cannot soften? What Way, what
Passage, what Undertaking is not open and
safe (converso in pretium Deo, Horat.) to a
God who turns himself into Mony to make the
purchase.
3. He corrupted Leda, the Wife of Tynda∣rus
King of Laconia, in the similitude of a
Swan: Thus a fair Outside oftimes veils the
foulest Temper; and is a beautiful Cover to
a most deformed Mind.
4. He corrupted Antiope, the Wife of Lycus,
King of Thebes, in the likeness of a Satyr.
5. He defiled Alcmena, the Wife of Amphi∣tryon
in her Husband's absence, in the likeness
of Amphitryon himself.
6. He inflamed Aegina, the Daughter of
Aesopus, King of Boeotia, with Love in the
similitude of Fire, (a lively representation of
his Crime) and so robb'd her of her Virginity.
7. He deflowred Clytoris, a Virgin of Thes∣salia,
of great Beauty, by metamorphosing
himself into what? O ridiculous, into an Ant!
And many times indeed it happens, that great
Mischiefs arise from very small Beginnings.
8. He corrupted the Daughter of Lycaon,
King of Arcadia, (her Name was Calisto)
counterfeiting, which is very strange, the Mo∣desty
and Countenance of Diana. And yet
he did not protect her from the Disgrace that
afterwards followed. For as she began to
appear big, and washed her self in the Foun∣tain
with Diana, and the other Nymphs, her
Fault being discovered, she was ignominiously
Page 19
turn'd out, and chang'd by Iuno into a Bear.
But, I mistake. Her Disgrace was indeed
••aken away by Iupiter, who advanced this
Bear into Heaven, and made it a Constella∣••ion;
which is commonly called Ursa Major,
••nd by the Greeks, Helice.
9. By sending an Eagle, he snatch'd away
••he pretty Boy Ganymede, the Son of Tros, as
••••e hunted upon the Mountain Ida. Or he
himself being chang'd into an Eagle, took
him in his Claws and carried him up to Hea∣••en.
And so he did to Asteria, the Daugh∣••er
of Coeus, a young Lady of the greatest
Modesty, whom he ravished and carried a∣way
in Eagles Claws; for he seem'd to be
••n Eagle:
10. He corrupted Europa, the Daughter of
••genor King of Phenicia, in the form of a
••urious white Bull, and carried her into Crete
with him. See how many several Beasts a
••erson resembles, who hath once put off his
Modesty! And by how many various Fables
••s this one Truth represented, that the very
Gods by practices of impure Lust become
••rutes. The Bull in reality was the Ship up∣••n
which a Bull was painted, in which Europa
••ailed; in like manner was the Horse Pegasus,
••hat was painted upon Bellerophon's Ship, and the
••am which was painted upon that of Phryxus
••nd Helle, created ample matter of Fiction
••or the Poets. But to return to our Fable.
••admus, Brother to this Europa, when he had
••n vain sought her all about, and did not dare
••o go home to his Father without her, who
Page 20
had banished him from his sight till he found
her,
—Facto pius & sceleratus eodem. (Ov. Met.)
Unnatural and pious both at once.
He built the City Thebes, not far from the
Mountain Parnassus: and whereas it happen∣ed
that his Companions that were with him,
were devoured by a certain Serpent, whilst
they went abroad to fetch Water, he, to re∣venge
their Deaths, slew that Serpent; whose
Teeth he took out, and by the Advice of Mi∣nerva
sowed them, and suddenly a Harvest
of Armed Soldiers sprouted up; who quarrel∣ling
amongst themselves, with the same speed
that they grew up, mowed one another down
again, excepting Five only, by whom that
Country was Peopled afterwards. At length
Cadmus and his Wife Hermione, or Harmonia
when they had experienced the Inconstancy
of the Fortune of this World in a great ma∣ny
instances, were changed into Serpents.
He is said to have invented Sixteen of the Let∣ters
of the Greek Alphabet; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
(to which Palamede••
in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 time of the Trojan added these Four
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) to have also taught the manner
of Writing in Prose, and to have first among
the Greeks, consecrated Statues to the Honor
of the Gods.
Now the Historical meaning of this Fable
perhaps is this. Cadmus was in truth King of
Sidon, by Nation a Kadmonite, as his Name
Page 21
intimates; of the number of those mentioned
by Moses. Which Kadmonites were the same
with the Hevaei, who possessed the Mountain
Hermon, and were thence also called Hermo∣••aei:
and so it came to pass, that the Wife
of Cadmus had the Name of Harmonia, or
Hermione, from the same Mountain. And
why is it said that Cadmus's Companions were
converted into Serpents, but because the Word
Hevaeus in the Syriac signifies a Serpent?
The Ambiguity of another Word in that Lan∣guage
occasioned the Fable, that armed Sol∣diers
sprouted forth from the Teeth of the
Serpent. For the same Word signifies both
Serpents teeth and brazen spears, with which
Cadmus first of all Men armed his Soldiers in
Greece, being indeed the Inventor of Brass,
insomuch that the Oar of which Brass is made,
is from him even now called Cadmia. As
to the Five Soldiers, which are said to survive
all the rest of their Brethren, who sprouted
up out of the Teeth of the Serpent, the same
Syriac Word signifies Fiv••, and also a Man
ready for Battel, according as it is differently
pronounced. Bochartus Geogr.
SECT. III.
Jupiter's Names.
P.
HOW many Names has Iupiter?
M.
They can hardly be numbered;
he obtained so many Names, either from the
places where he lived and was worshipped, or
from the things that he did. The more re∣markable
I will here set down Alphabetically.
Page 22
The Greeks called him Ammon, or Hammon
Arenarius, Sandy, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, arena. Ac∣cordingly
he was worshipped in Lybia under the
Figure of a Ram, because when Bacchus was
athirst in the fabulous Desarts of Arabia, and
implored the Assistance of Iupiter, Iupiter
appearing in the Form of a Ram, opened a
Fountain with his Foot and discovered it to
him. Others give this Reason; because Iu∣piter
in War wore a Helmet whose Crest was
a Rams head.
The Babylonians and Assyrians, whom he
governed called him Belus; he was the impi∣ous
Author of Idolatry: by reason of the un∣certainty
of his Descent, they believed that
he had neither Father or Mother; and there∣fore
was thought the first of all the Gods: in
different Places and Language he was after∣wards
called Beel, Baal, Beelphegor, Beelzebub,
and Belzemen.
Iupiter was called Capitolinus, from the Ca∣pitoline
Hill; upon the top whereof he had the
first Temple that ever was at Rome; which
Tarquinius Priscus design'd first, but Tarquinius
Superbus erected, and Horatius the Consul de∣dicated
it. He was besides called Tarpeius,
from the Tarpeian Rock, on which this Tem∣ple
was built. He was also styled Optimus
Maximus, because he both can and is willing
to profit all Men. Wherefore, says Tully, thou
Capitoli••e Deity, Quem propter beneficia Populus
Romanus Optimum, propter vim Maxium appel∣lavit,
&c.
Page 23
He is called also Custos. There is in Nero's
Coins an Image of him sitting on his Throne,
he bears in his Right Hand Thunder, and in
his Left a Spear, with this Inscription Iupiter
Custos.
Anciently in some Forms of Oaths he was
commonly called Diespiter, quasi Diei pater;
as by and by we shall further remark under
the Word Lapis. Macrobius (in Saturnal.)
says, that the Cretans call'd him directly Diem.
And amongst the Galls also there was hereto∣fore
a God, Diespiter; whence some think,
that the French Word, Ouy Dea, the same with
the Greek, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, hath been deriv'd down
to these Times. Bochartus in Geogr.
The Title Dodonaeus was given from the
City Dodona in Chaonia, which was so called
from Dodona, a Nymph of the Sea. Near to
which City there was a Grove sacred to Iu∣piter,
which was planted with Oaks, and fa∣mous
in it was the ancientest Oracle of all
Greece. Two Doves delivered Responses there
to those who consulted it. Or as others use
to say, the Leaves of the Oaks themselves
became vocal, and gave forth Oracles.
He was named Elicius, quod Coelo precibus e∣liciatur,
Because the Prayers of Men may bring
him down from Heaven. For so Ovid. in Fast. 3.
Eliciunt coelo, te Iupiter; unde Minores
Nunc quoque te celebrant, Eliciumque vocant.
When from high Heav'n our Prayers bring thee
down,
I'th' Name Elicius thy Deity we own.
Page 24
The Name Feretrius, is deriv'd either à feri∣endo
hoste, from his smiting of his Enemies;
or à ferenda pace, according to Festus (for
they fetcht the Scepter by which they swore,
and the Flint-stone with which they bargain'd,
from his Temple) or else à ferendis spoliis, be∣cause
they carried the Grand Spoils (Opima
Spolia) to his Temple: Romulus first presented
such Spoils to Iupiter, after he had slain Acron,
King of Caenina; and Cornelius Gallus offered
the same Spoils after he had conquered To∣lumnius,
King of Hetruria; and thirdly, M.
Marcellus, when he had vanquished Viridoma∣rus,
King of the Galls, of whom Virgil says,
Tertiaque arma Patri suspendes arma Quirino.
Their vanquisht Arms thrice to the God shall give.
Those Spoils were called Opima which one
General took from the other in Battel.
Fulminator, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is Iupiter's Title, from
hurling Thunder, which is thought to be his
proper Office, if we believe the Poet,
—O qui res hominumque Deumque
Et••rnis regis Imperiis & fulmine terres.
Who Men and Gods by thy eternal Law
Dost rule, and by thy mighty Thunder aw.
In Lycia they worshipped him under the
Name of Gragus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and Genitor, as we
find in Lycophron.
In Aegium, about the Sea Coast, he is said
to have had a Temple with the Name of
Homogyn••s.
Page 25
At Praeneste, he was called Imperator. There
was a most famous Statue of him there, after∣wards
translated to Rome.
Latialis was his Epithet, because he was
worshipped in Latium, a Country of Italy:
whence the Latinae feriae are denominated: to
which all those Cities of Italy resorted, who
desired to be partakers of the Solemnity; and
brought to him divers Oblations, particular∣ly,
a Bull was sacrificed at that time, in the
common Name of them all, whereof every
one took a part.
The Name Lapis, or as others write Lapi∣deus,
was given him by the Romans, who con∣ceived
that juramentum per Iovem Lapidem, an
Oath by Iupiter Lapis was the most obligato∣ry
Oath. And it is derived either from the
Stone which was presented to Saturn, by his
Wife Ops, who said that it was Iupiter, in
which sense Eusebius (in Chronic.) says, that
Lapis reign'd in Crete; or from Lapide silice,
the Flint-stone, which in making Bargains
the Swearer held in his hand, and said, Si
sciens fallo, it a me Diespiter, salva urbe arceque,
bonis ejiciat, ut ego hunc lapidem: If knowingly
I deceive, so let Diespiter, saving the City and
the Capitol, cast me away from all that's good,
as I cast away this Stone: whereupon he threw
the Stone away. The Romans had another
Form, not unlike to this, of making Bargains,
it will not be amiss to adjoin it here; Si dolo
malo aliquando fallam, tu illo die, Iupiter, me
sic ferito, ut ego hunc porcum hodie feriam;
Tantoque magis ferito, quanto magis potes, polles∣que.
Page 26
If with evil intent I at any time deceive,
Thou upon that day Jupiter; so strike me, as I
this Swine to day shall strike, and so much the
more strike thou, as thou the more able and skilful
art to do it, with which he struck down the
Swine.
Lucetius, derived from Luce in the old Thus∣can
Language, is the same as Diespiter in La∣tin.
Which Title is given to Iupiter, says
Gellius, quod nos die ac luce, quasi vita ipsa af∣ficeret
ac juvaret: because he affects and comforts
us with the light of the day, as much as with life
it self. Or as Festus hath it, because he was
believed to be the cause of Light.
The Peoples of Elis used to celebrate him
by the Title of Martius, Martial, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Muscularius, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Muscarum abactor,
the confounder of Flies: because when Hercules's
Religious Exercises were interrupted by a mul∣titude
of Flies, he thereupon offered a Sacri∣fice
to Iupiter, which being finished, all the
Flies flew away.
Nicephorius, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Victory-bearing, by
whose Oracle, the Emperour Adrian was told
that he should be promoted to the Empire.
Livy often mentions him; and many Coins
are extant, in which is the Image of Iupiter
bearing Victory in his hand.
He was called also Opitulus and Opitulator,
quasi Opus lator, helper. And Centipeda from
his stability: because those things stand secure
and firm which have many feet. He was
called Stabilitor and Tigellus, because he sup∣ports
the World. Almus also and Alumnus,
Page 27
because he cherisheth all things: and Ruminus
from Ruma, the Pap, by which he nourisheth
Animals.
His Title of Olympius is either derived from
his praeceptor, Olympus; or from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the
Heavens in Greek, or from the City Olympia,
which stood near the Mountain Olympus, and
was ancietly celebrated far and near for a
Temple there dedicated to Iupiter, and for
Games solemnized every five years. To this
Iupiter Olympus the first Cup was sacrificed in
their Festivals.
When the Galls besieged the Capitol, an
Altar was erected to Iupiter Pistor from pin∣sendo:
because he put it into the minds of the
Romans, to make Loaves of Bread and throw
them into the Gall's Tents: whereupon the
Siege was raised.
The Athenians erected a Statue to him, and
worshipped it upon the Mountain Hymettus:
giving him in that place the Title of Pluvius,
which is mentioned by Tibullus,
Arida nec Pluvia supplicat herba Iovi.
Nor the parcht grass for Rain from Iove does call.
Praedator was also his Name. Not because
he protected Robbers, but because out of all
the Booty taken from the Enemy, one part
was due to him. For when the Romans went
to War, they used to devote to the Gods a
part of the Spoil that they should get; and
for that reason there was a Temple at Rome
dedicated to Iupiter Praedator.
Quirinus, as appears by that Verse of Virgil
which we cited above in the Word Teretrius.
Page 28
Rex and Regnator are his common Titles in
Virgil, Homer and Ennius.
Divum atque hominum Rex.
Summi regnator Olympi.
King of Gods and Men.
Ruler of the highest heaven.
Stator comes from stando or sistendo; for
when Romulus's Soldiers fled in the Battel with
the Sabines, and Iupiter stopped their flight,
Romulus consecrated a Temple to Iupiter Stator.
Livy brings in Romulus thus praying to Iupiter
on that occasion, lib. 1. At tu pater Deum
hominumque hinc saltem arce hostem, de me terro∣rem
Romanis, fugamque foedam siste, Hic ego ti∣bi
templum Statori Iovi, quod monumentum sit
posteris tua praesenti ope servatam urbem esse,
voveo. But thou, O Father of the Gods and Man∣kind,
at this place at least drive back the Enemy,
take away the fear of the Romans, and stay their
dishonourable flight. And I vow to build a Tem∣ple
to thee upon the same, that shall bear the name
of Jupiter Stator, for a monument to posterity;
That it was from thy immed•••••••• ••ssistance that
the City received its preservati••n.
The Greeks called him 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Servator, the
Saviour, because he delivered them from the
Medes. Conservator also was his Title, as ap∣pears
from divers of Dioelesian's Coins: in
which his Effigies stands with Thunder bran∣dished
in his right hand, and a Spear in his
left; with this Inscription, Conservatori. In
others, instead of Thunder, he holds forth a
little Image of Victory, with this Inscription,
Iovi Conservatori Orbis, to Iupiter the Conser∣vator
of the World.
Page 29
The Augures called him Tonans and Fulgens.
And the Emperour Augustus dedicated a Tem∣ple
to him so called; wherein was a Statue of
Iupiter, to which a little Bell was fastned.
He is also call'd by Orpheus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and
by Apuleius, Tonitrualis, the Thunderer: and
an Inscription is to be seen upon a Stone at
Rome, Iovi Brontonti.
Trioculus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, was also an Epithet
given him by the Grecians, who thought that
he had three Eyes, with one one of which
he observed the Affairs of Heaven, with a∣nother
the Affairs of the Earth, and with the
the third he viewed those of the Sea. There
was a Statue of him of this kind in Priamus's
Palace at Troy; which, beside the usual two
had a third Eye in the Forehead.
Vejovis, or Vejupiter, and Vedius, that is
little Iupiter, was his Title when he was de∣scribed
without his Thunder; viewing angri∣ly
short Spears which he held in his hand:
The Romans accounted him a fatal and noxious
Deity; and therefore they worshipped him
only, that he might not hurt them.
Agrippa dedicated a Pantheon to Iupiter Ul∣tor,
the Avenger, at Rome, according to Pliny.
Lib. 36. c. 15.
He was likewise called Xenius, or Hospitalis,
Hospitable; because he was thought the Au∣thor
of the Laws and Customs concerning
Hospitality. Whence the Greeks called Pre∣sents
given to Strangers Xenia, as the Latins
called them Lautia.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. the proper Name of Iupiter, is deri∣ved
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because he gives life to Animals.
Page 30
SECT. IV.
The Signification of the Fable, and what is un∣derstood
by the Name Jupiter.
YOU have told us the Dreams of the
Poets about Iupiter; now pray Sir let
us know what the Historians and Mytholo∣gists
affirm concerning him.
M.
Very willingly. Iupiter was King of
Crete, and cotemporary, according to Euse∣bius,
with the Patriarch Abraham. This Iu∣piter
deposed his Father, and afterwards divi∣ded
by lot the Kingdom with his two Bro∣thers,
Neptune and Pluto. And because by lot
the Eastern part of the Country was given
to Iupiter; the Western to Pluto; and the
Maritime Parts to Neptune; they took occa∣sion
from hence to feign, that upiter was
the King and God of the Heavens, Neptune
of the Sea, and Pluto of Hell. Nay, Iupiter's
Name was so honoured by Posterity, that all
Kings and Princes were from him called Ioves,
and their Queens Iunones, from Iuno the
Wife of Iupiter.
Concerning the Mythologists, or the Inter∣preters
of Fables, I shall only observe this by
the by. There is in these kind of things such
a vast diversity of Opinions among them;
and, which yet is worse, the Accounts that
many of them give are so witless and imper∣tinent,
so incongruous to the very Fables
which they pretend to explain, that I think
Page 31
it better to write nothing from them, than
••o trouble the Reader with those things which
will not probably satisfie him: which when
•• cannot effect, I shall pass the Business over
••n silence, and leave it to every ones discretion
••o devise his own Interpretations. For it is
••etter that himself should be the Author of
••is Mistake, than to be led into it by ano∣••her;
because a slip is more tolerable and ea∣••ie,
when we our selves fall down, than when
others violently push us down at unawares.
Yet whenever the place requires, that I give
my Expositions of these Fables, that I may
••iscover some Meaning that is not repugnant
••o common Sense, I shall not be so far want∣••ng
to my Duty, as that any one should just∣••y
accuse me of Negligence. By the present
Fable I may justifie my words; for observe
only how various are Mens Opinions concer∣ning
the Signification of the Name Iupiter,
you may guess at the rest.
The Natural Philosophers many times think
that Heaven is meant by the Name Iupiter:
whence come those Phrases, Iove tonante, ful∣gente,
&c. signifying Thunder; and that of
the Poet, Virg. Aen. 10.
Panditur interea domus omnipotentis Olympi.
Mean while the Palace of th' Omnipotent
Is open'd wide.
Others imagine that the Air, and the things
that are therein contained, as Thunder, Light∣ning,
Rain, Meteors and the like, are signi∣fied
by the same Name. In which sense that
Sentence of Horace is understood,
Page 32
Iacet sub Iove frigido. Lodges in the cold A••
Or as we generally say sub Dio, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
Iupiter. Some on the contrary, call the Ai••
Iuno, and the Fire Iupiter; by which the Ai••
being warmed becomes fit for the Generati∣on
of things. Others again call the Sky Iu∣piter,
and the Earth Iuno; because out of the
Earth all things spring: which Virgil hath
elegantly expressed in these Verses. 2. Georg••
Tum pater omnipotens faecundis imbribus aether,
Conjugis in gremium laetae descendit, & omn••
Magnus alit, magno commistus corpore foetus.
In fruitful showers th' Almighty from above
Descends i'th' lap of his delighted Iove,
And great He with the mighty body join'd,
Both propagates and fosters ev'ry kind.
Ogilb••
Euripides thought so, when he said that th••
Sky ought to be called Summus Deus, th••
Great God. Plato's Opinion was different••
for he thought that the Sun was Iupiter; an••
Homer, together with the foresaid Euripid••
think that he is Fate; which Fate is, accor∣ding
to Tully's Definition, (de Divinat.) aete••••na
causa rerum, cur ea quae praeterierint facta sint
& ea quae instant, fiant, & ea quae consequun∣tur,
futura sint. The Cause from all Eternity••
why such things as already past were done; an••
why such things as are doing at present, be as the••
are; and why such things as are to follow here∣after,
shall follow accordingly. In short, other••
by Iupiter, understand the Soul of the World••
which is diffused not only through all human
Bodies, but likewise through all the parts o••
the Universe, as Virgil poetically sets forth••
Aen. 6.
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page 33
—Coelum ac terras, camposque liquentes
Spiritus intus alit, totamque infusa per antus
Mens agitat molem, & magno se corpore miscet.
The Heaven and Earth, and the vast watery
Main
A Spirit feeds within, which closely join'd,
Acts the vast Mass with an embodied Mind.
I do not regard the moral Signification of
the Fables, that would be an endless and an
impertinent Labour. It is free, as I said above,
for every one, to fancy what he pleases, and
to abound in his own Sense, according to
the Proverb.
CHAP. V.
APOLLO. His Image.
P.
BUT who is that beardless and unshaven
Youth, holding a Bow and Arrows in
his Right Hand, and a Harp in his Left, that
is crowned with Laurel, and shining in Gar∣ments
of Gold?
M.
It is the Image of Apollo: who is some∣times
described with a Shield in one Hand, and
the Graces in the other. And because he hath
a threefold Power, in Heaven where he is
called Sol, in Earth where he is named Liber
Pater, and in Hell where he is stiled Apollo;
he is usually painted with these three things,
a Harp, a Shield, and Arrows. The Harp
Page 34
shews that he bears Rule in Heaven where
all things are full of Harmony; the Shield
describes his Office in Earth where he gives
Health and Safety to terrestrial Creatures;
his Arrows shew his Authority in Hell, for
whomsoever he strikes with them, he sends
them into Hell.
SECT. I.
His Descent.
P.
WHat Family was Apollo born of?
M.
You shall know, after you
have first heard how many Apollo's there were?
P.
How many?
M.
Four. The first and ancientest where∣of
was born of Vulcan: The Second was a Cre∣tan,
a Son of the Corybantes: the Third was
born of Iupiter and Latona: the Fourth was
born in Arcadi, called by the Arcades, Nomius.
But tho, as Cicero says de Nat. Deor. lib. 3. there
were so many Apollo's, Reliqui omnes silentur,
omnesque res aliorum gestae ad unum Apollmem
Iovis & Latonae filium referuntur: Yet the rest
of them are all unspoken of, and all that they did
is referred to the Person of one only, who is he,
that was born of Jupiter and Latona.
P.
In what Place was Apollo the Son of La∣tona
born?
M.
I will tell you more than you ask; they
say the thing was thus. Latona the Daughter
of Coeus the Titan, conceived of two Twins
by Iupiter: Iuno incensed at it, sent the Ser∣pent
Page 35
Python against her: and Latona, to escape
the Serpent, betook her self into the Island
Delos; where she brought forth Apollo and Dia∣na
at the same Birth. Hesiod.
SECT. II.
Actions of Apollo.
P.
BY what Means was Apollo advanced to
the highest degree of Honour and
Worship?
M.
By these four especially: By the Inven∣tion
of Physick, Musick, Poetry, and Rhetorick;
and therefore he is supposed to preside over
the Muses. It is said that he taught the Arts
of Divining, and Shooting with Arrows:
when therefore he had gratified Mankind in∣finitely
by these Favours, they deified him.
Hear how gloriously he himself repeats his
Accomplishments of Mind and Nature, where
he magnifies himself to the flying Nymph iri
Ovid, whom he passionately loved.
—Nescis, temeraria, nescis
Quem fugias, ideoque fugis.
Iupiter est genitor. Per me quod erit{que} fuitque,
Estque patet. Per me concordant carmina nervis.
Certa quidem nostra est, nostra tamen una sagitta.
Certior in vacuo quae vulnera pectore fecit.
Inventum Medicina meum est. Opifer{que} per orbem
Dicor, & herbarum est subjecta potentia nobis.
Perhaps thou know'st not my superior State;
And from that Ignorance proceeds thy Hate.
Page 36
The King of Gods begot me: What shall be,
Or is, or ever was, in Fate, I see.
Mine is th' Invention of the charming Lyre;
Sweet Notes and heav'nly Numbers I inspire.
Sure is my Bow, unerring is my Dart;
But ah! more deadly his who pierc'd my Heart.
Med'cine is mine; what Herbs and Simples grow
In Fields or Forests, all their Pow'rs I know;
And am the great Physician call'd below.
P.
What memorable things did he perform?
M.
Many; but especially these.
1. He destroyed all the Cyclops, the For∣gers
of Iupiter's Thunderbolts with his Ar∣rows,
to revenge the Death of Aesculapius his
Son, whom Iupiter had killed with Thunder, be∣cause
by the Help of his Physick he revived the
Dead. Wherefore for this Fact being cast down
from Heaven, and deprived of his Divinity, ex∣pos'd
to the Calamities of the World, and com∣manded
to live in Banishment upon Earth;
Apollo was compelled by Want to look after
Admetu••'s Cattel: where tired with Leisure,
to pass away his time, it is said that he first
invented and formed a Harp. After this,
Mercury got an opportunity to drive away a
few of the Cattel of his Herd by stealth; for
which whilst Apollo complained and threatned
him, unless he brought the same Cattel back
again, his Harp was also stoln from him by
Mercury: so that he could not forbear turning
his Anger into Laughter.
2. He raised the Walls of the City of Troy
by the Musick of his Harp alone, if we may
believe the Poet; Ovid. Epist. Parid.
Page 37
Ilion aspicies, firmataque turribus altis
Moenia Apollineae structa canore lyrae.
Troy you shall see, and divine Walls admire,
Built to the Consort of Apollo's Lyre.
Some say, that there was a Stone, upon
which Apollo only laid down his Harp, the
Stone by the Touch of it alone became so me∣lodious,
that whenever it was struck with a∣nother
Stone, it sounded like a Harp.
3. By Misfortune he kild Hyacinthus, a pret∣ty
and an ingenious Boy that he loved. For
whilst Hyacinthus and he did play together at
Quoits, Zephyrus being inraged because Apollo
was better beloved by Hyacinthus than himself;
and having an opportunity of Revenge, he
puffed the Quoit that Apollo cast, against Hy∣acinthus's
Head, by which blow he fell down
dead; whereupon Apollo caused the Blood of
the Youth that was spilt upon the Earth, to
produce the Flowers of Violets. Ovid. Metam.
lib. 10.
Ecce, cruor qui fusus humi signaverat herbas,
Desinit esse cruor, Tyrioque nitentior ostro,
Flos or itur, formam{que} capit, quam Lilia; si non
Purpureus color his, argenteus esset in illis.
Behold the Blood which late the Grass had dy'd,
Was now no Blood, from whence a Flow'r full-blown,
Far brighter than the Tyrian Scarlet shone,
Which seem'd the same, or did resemble right
A Lily, changing but the Red to White.
Sands
He was besides a great Lover of Cyparissus,
another very pretty Boy; who, when he had
unfortunately kild a fine Deer which he ex∣ceedingly
Page 38
loved, and had brought up from its
birth, was so melancholy for the Loss thereof,
that he constantly bewailed the Loss of this
Deer, and refused all comfort. Apollo, in
pity chang'd him into a Cypress-Tree; as be∣fore
his death he had begg'd of the Gods. O∣vid.
Metam. lib. 10.
—Ut tempore lugeat omni
Ingemuit, tristisque Deus, lugebere nobis
Lugebisque alios, aderisque lugentibus, inquit.
Implores, that he might never cease to mourn.
When Phoebus sighing, I for thee will mourn,
Mourn thou for others, Herses still adorn.
Sands.
For they used Cypress in Funerals.
4. He most ardently loved the Virgin
Daphne, so famous for her Modesty. When
he pursued her, that she might secure her
Chastity from the violence of his Passion, she
was changed into a Laurel, the most chast of
Trees; which is never corrupted with the vi∣olence
of heat or cold, but remains always
flourishing, always pure. There is a Story a∣bout
this Virgin Tree, which better deserves
our Admiration than our Belief. A certain
Painter was about to draw the Picture of A∣pollo
upon a Table made of Laurel Wood:
and it is said, that the Laurel would not suf∣fer
the Colours to stick to it: as though the
dead Wood was sensible, and did abhor the
Picture of the impure Deity, no less than if
Daphne her self was alive within it.
5. He courted also a long time the Nymph
Bolina; but never could gain her: for she
chose rather to throw her self into a River
Page 39
and be drowned, than yield to his lascivious
Flames. Nor did her unconquerable Mode∣sty
lose its reward. She gained to her self an
Immortality by dying so, and sacrificing her
Life in the Defense of her Virginity, not on∣ly
overcame Apollo, but the very Powers of
Death. She became immortal.
6. Leucothoe, the Daughter of Orchamus,
King of Babylon, was not so tenacious of her
Chastity: for she yielded at last to Apollo's
Amour. Her Father could not bear such a
Disgrace branded on his Family, and there∣fore
buried her alive. Ovid. Met. lib. 4.
—defodit alta
Crudus humo, tumulum{que} super gravis addit arenae.
Interr'd her living Body in the Earth,
And on it rais'd a Tomb of heavy Sand,
Whose pondrous weight her rising might with∣stand.
Apollo was indeed much troubled at this;
but since he could do nothing else for her,
Nectare odorato sparsit corpusque locumque,
Multa{que} conquestus, Tanges tamen aethera, dixit.
Protinus imbutum caelesti nectare corpus
Delituit, terramque suo madefecit odore
Virgaque per glebas, sensim radicibus actis,
Thurea surrexit, tumulumque cacumine rupit.
He mourn'd her loss, and sprinkled all her Herse
With balmy Nectar and more precious tears.
Then said, since Fate does here our joys defer,
Thou shalt ascend to Heav'n and bless me there:
Her Body straight, embalm'd with heav'nly art,
Did a sweet Odour to the ground impart.
And from the Grave a second Tree arise,
That cheers the God with pleasing Sacrifice.
Page 40
These Amours of Leucothoe and Apollo had
been discovered to her Father by her Sister
Clytie; whom Apollo also loved, but now he
deserted; which she seeing pin'd away, with
her Eyes continually looking up to the Sun,
and at last was changed into a Heliotrope, or
the Flower that is thence called the Turn-Sole.
7. Apollo was challenged in Musick by
Marsyas a proud Musician, and when he had
overcome him, Apollo flay'd him, because he
had dared to contend with him, and afterwards
converted him into the River of Phrygia, of the
same Name: Ovid. Fast. lib. 6.
8. But when Midas King of Phrygia, fool∣ishly
gave the Victory to the God Pan, when
Apollo and he sang together: Apollo stretched
his Ears to the length and shape of those of
an Ass. Met. lib. 11.
—partem damnatur in unam,
Induturque aures, lente gradientis aselli.
Punisht in that offending part; who bears
Upon his Skull a slow-pac'd Asses Ears.
Midas endeavoured to hide this Disgrace as
well as he could by his hair: but however
since it was impossible to conceal it from his
Barber, he earnestly begg'd the Man, and
prevailed with him by great Promises, not to
divulge what he saw to any Person. But the
Barber was not able to contain so wonderful
a Secret longer, but went and digged a Hole,
Met. lib. •• 1.
—Secedit, humumque
Effodit; & domini quales conspexerit aures
Voce refert parva—
Page 41
—The Man withdraws and digs a pit,
And whispers with a low voice into it,
How long his Masters Ears.
and whisper'd into the Ditch these words, Aures
asininas habet rex Midas; King Midas hath the
Ears of an Ass; then filling up the Ditch with
the Earth again, he went away. But O won∣derful
and strange! The Reeds that grew
out of that Ditch, if they were moved by
the least blast of wind, did utter the very
same Words which the Barber had buried in it;
Aures asininas habet rex Midas: King Midas
hath the Ears of an Ass.
SECT. III.
Names of Apollo.
SOme derive the Name of Apollo from a &
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as they derive Sol in Latin from
Solus, because there is no more than one. It
is derived by some also, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
from Driving away Diseases; or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
from Darting Rays. Varro. Plutarc.
He is called Cynthius, from the Mountain
Cynthus in the Island of Delos; from whence
Diana also is called Cynthia too.
And Delius from the same Island: because
he was born there. Or from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because
Apollo (who is Sol, the Sun) by his Light
makes all things manifest, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as he is
also called Phanaeus, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to appear.
He is named Delphinius•• because he kild the
Serpent Python, called Delphis. Or else be∣cause
Page 42
when Castalius a Cretan, carried Men
to the Plantations, Apollo guided him in the
shape of a Dolphin.
His Title Delphicus, comes from the City
Delphi in Boeotia A City said to be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
the navel of the Earth: because when
Iupiter had sent forth two Eagles together,
the one from the East and the other f••om the
West, they met by equal flights exactly at this
place. Here, Apollo had the famousest Tem∣ple
in the World; in which he uttered Ora∣cles
to those who consulted him: but he re∣ceived
them first from Iupiter. And they say
that this famous Oracle became dumb at
the birth of our Saviour; and, when Au∣gustus,
who was a great Votary of Apollo, de∣sired
to know the reason of its Silence, the
Oracle answered him in these Words;
Me puer Hebraeus, divos Deus ipse gubernans,
Cedere sede jubet, tristemque redire sub orcum,
Aris ergo dehinc nostris abscedito Caesar.
An Hebrew Child, whom the blest Gods adore
Has bid me leave these Shrines and pack to Hell,
So that of Oracles I've now no more;
Away then from our Altar and farewel.
He was called Didymaeus, from the Greek,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, twins; as the Sun and Moon are sup∣posed;
who enlighten the World betwixt them
by day and night.
And Nomius, not only from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Shep∣herd,
because he fed the Cattel of Admetus;
but because the Sun, quasi pascat omnia, as it
were feeds all things that the Earth generates,
by his heat and influence. Or perhaps, from
Page 43
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Lex, because he made very severe
Laws, when he was King of Arcadia. Ma∣crobius.
Cicero de Nat. Deor. lib. ••
He is called Paean, either, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
from allaying Sorrows; or from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, fe∣rire;
wherefore he is armed with Arrows. And
we know that the Sun strikes us and oftentimes
hurts us with its Rays, as with so many darts.
Hence those Phrases 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, heal us Paean;
and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, jace & immitte Paean, sc. tela in
feram, discharge thy Arrows, Paean, against the
Beast. For so his Mother and the Spectators
cried aloud, whilst Apollo did fight with the
Serpent Python. And hence the custom came
that not only all Hymns in the praise of A∣pollo
were called Paeanes, but also in all Songs
of Triumph, and in the Celebration of all
Victories, Men cried out Io Paean. After this
manner the airy and wanton Lover in Ovid
acteth his Triumph too: de arte amandi lib. 2.
Dicite, Io Paean, & Io, bis dicite, Paean;
Decidit in casses praeda petita meos.
Sing Io Paean twice, twice Io say;
My toils are pitcht and I have caught my prey.
From the same Exclamation of Io Paean, A∣pollo
receiveth that Epithet of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Phoebus may be derived 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 quod
vi feratur, because the Sun moves with a great
force; or from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, purgo, since by the help
of Physick, which was Apollo's invention, the
Bodies of Mankind are purged and cured.
He was named Pythius, not only from the
Serpent Python which he killed, but likewise
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from asking and consulting.
Page 44
For none amongst the Gods was more con∣sulted,
or delivered more Responses and spake
Oracles than he; especially in the Temple
which he had at Delphos; to which all sorts
of Nations resorted, so that it was called, Or∣bis
terrae Oraculum, the Oracle of all the Earth.
The Oracles were given out by a young Vir∣gin,
'till one was debauched; whereupon a
Law was made, that a very antient Woman
should give the Answers, in the dress of a young
Maid: who was therefore called, ab Apolline
Pythio, Pythia; and from Phoebus, Phoebas. But
as to the manner that the Woman understood
the God's mind, Mens Opinions differ. Tully
supposes that some Vapors exhaled out of the
Earth and affected the Brain much, and rai∣sed
in it a power of Divination. De Divin.
P.
What was the Tripus in which the Pythian
Lady sat?
M.
Some say that it was a Table with three
feet, on which she rested her self when she
design'd to give forth Oracles: and because
it was covered with the Skin of the Serpent
Python, they call it also by the Name of Cor∣tina. But others say that it was a Vessel, in
which she was plunged before she prophesied;
or rather, that it was a golden Vessel, fur∣nished
with Ears, and supported by three Feet,
whence it was called Tripus; and on this the
Lady sat down. It happened that this Tripus
was lost in the Sea, and afterwards taken up
in the Nets of Fishermen, who mightily con∣tended
amongst themselves, which should
have it; the Pythian Priestess being asked, gave
Page 45
Answer, that it ought to be sent to the wisest
Man in all Greece. Whereupon it was carried
to Thales of Miletus: who sent it to Bias, as
to a wiser Person, Bias referred it to another,
and that other referred it to a Fourth; till
after it had been sent backwards and forwards
to all the wise Men, it return'd again to Thales,
who dedicated it to Apollo at Delphos.
P.
Who were those Wise Men of Greece?
M.
These Seven, to whose Names I adjoin
the Places of their Nativity. Thales of Mile∣tus,
Solon of Athens, Chilo of Lacedaemon, Pit∣tacus
of Mitylene, Bias of Priene, Cleobulus of
Lindi, and Periander of Corinth. I will add
some remarkable things concerning them.
Thales was reckoned among the Wise Men,
because he was believed to be the first that
brought Geometry into Greece. He first obser∣ved
the Courses of the Times, the Motion of
the Winds, the Nature of Thunder, and the
Motions of the Sun and the Stars. Being ask∣ed
what he thought the difficultest thing in
the World, he answered, to know ones self.
Which perhaps was the Occasion of the ad∣vice
written on the Front of Apollo's Temple,
to those who were about to enter, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Know thy self. For there are very few that
know themselves. Laert.
When Solon visited Croesus, the King of
Lydia, the King shew'd his vast Treasures to
him; and asked him whether he knew a Man
happier than he? Yes, says Solon, I know
Tellus, a very poor, but a very virtuous Man at
Athens, who lives in a little Tenement that he
Page 46
hath there; and he is more happy than your Ma∣jesty:
For neither can those things make us happy,
which are subject to the changes of the times, nor
is any one to be thought truly happy, till he hath
died. It is said, when King Croesus was after∣wards
taken Prisoner by Cyrus, and laid upon
the Pile to be burnt, he remembred this Say∣ing
of Solon, and often repeated his Name;
so that Cyrus ask'd why he cry'd out Solon, and
who the God was whose Assistance he begg'd
Croesus said, I now find by Experience that which
heretofore he said to me to be true; and so he
told Cyrus the Story: who hearing it, was so
touch'd with the Sense of the Vicissitude of
Human Affairs, that he preserved Croesus from
the Fire, and ever after had him in great Ho∣nour.
Plutarch. Herodotus.
Chilo had this Saying continually in his
Mouth, Nequid nimium cupias, desire nothing
too much. Yet when his Son had got the
Victory at the Olympick Games, the good Man
died with Joy; and all Greece honoured his
Funeral. Plin. l. 7. c. 32.
Bias, a Man famous for Learning no less
than Nobility; preserved his Citizens a long
time. And when at last, says Tully, his Coun∣try
Priene was taken, and the rest of the Inhabi∣tants
in their Escape carried away with them as
much of their Goods as they could; one advised
him to do the same, but he made Answer,
Ego verò facio, nam omnia mea mecum porto. It
is what I do already, for all the things that are mine
I carry about me. He often said, that Friends
should remember, it a amare oportere, ut aliquando
Page 47
essent osuri, To love one another so, as persons who
may sometime come to hate one another. Laert.
Tull Paradox. De Amicit.
Of the rest nothing extraordinary is repor∣ted.
SECT. III.
The Significatiin of the Fable. Apollo, the Sun.
Every body agrees that Apollo signifies the
Sun; which is the most comfortable Creature
in the World, and the most necessary to the
Conservation of all others. And those Herbs
which are most expos'd to its Heat, are found
to have the greater Power. He darts his Rays
upon the Earth like so many Arrows; and
dispels the Darkness, by which the Truth of
Things is concealed, with his Glorious Light.
His Motion in the midst of the Planets is har∣monious,
and the Seven Planets about him
may resemble the Seven strings of a Harp to
complete the Consort. Thus the Four Pro∣perties
that are attributed to Apollo, of Heal∣ing,
Discovering of Secrets, Darting and Musick,
agree in some measure to this Noble Star.
And from the things Sacrificed to Apollo, it
appears that he was the Sun. As first Olives,
which Fruit loves the Sun, and cannot be
nourished in places distant from it. 2. The
Laurel, a Tree of a hot nature, always flou∣rishing,
never old, and conducing not a little
towards Divination: because Laurel leaves put
under the Pillow produce true Dreams; and
Page 48
therefore the Poets are crown'd with Laurel.
3. Amongst Animals, Cygni non sine causa A∣pollini
dicati sunt, quòd ab eo divinationem habere
videantur; quia praevidentes quid in morte bonisit,
cum cantu & voluptate moriuntur; says Tully,
the Swans are, not without reason, consecrated to
Apollo: because from him they are endued with a
Faculty of Divination; when foreseeing the Hap∣piness
in Death, they sing dying and pleased.
Tuscul. 1. 4. Griffons also and Crows were
sacred to him for the same reason. And the
Hawk, which has Eyes as fierce as the Sun:
the Cock, which foretels his Rising; and the
Grashopper, a singing Creature. It was a Cu∣stom
with the Athenians to fasten golden Gra∣shoppers
to their Hair, in honour of Apollo.
Thucyd. Schol. Aristoph.
And especially if we derive the Name of
Latona, the Mother of Apollo and Diana, from
the Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, it will signifie, that before
the Birth of Apollo and Diana, that is, before
the Production of the Sun and the Moon, all
things lay involved in darkness: from whence
those Two glorious Luminaries afterwards
proceeded, as out of the Womb of a Mother.
But notwithstanding all this, several Inven∣tions
of the Poets agree with the Sun, but
not with Apollo. And of those therefore it is
necessary to treat apart.
Page 49
CHAP. VI.
The SUN. His Genealogy and Names.
THis Glorious Sun, which illustrates all
things with his Light, is called Sol, says
Tully, de Nat. Deor. Vel quia Solus ex omnibus
syderibus est tantus, vel quia cum exortus est ob∣scuratis
omnibus solus appareat. Either because
he is the only Star that is of that Magnitude; or
because when he rises, he puts out all the other
Stars, and only appears himself. Yet the Poets
have said, that there were Five Sols; and
Tully reckons them up. But whatever they
delivered concerning each of them singly, they
commonly applied to one, who was the Son
of Hyperion, and Nephew to Aether, begotten
of an unknown Mother.
The Persians call the Sun Mithra, and ac∣count
him the greatest of their Gods, and
they worship him in a Cave. His Statue bears
the Head of a Lion, drest with a Tiara, dressed
with Persian Attire, and holding with both
hands a mad Bull by the Horns. Those that
desired to become his Priests, and understand
his Mysteries, did first undergo a great many
Hardships, Disgraces, Stripes, Colds, Heats,
and other Torments, before they could attain
to the Honour of that Employment. And
see the Sanctimoniousness of their Religion.
It was not lawful for the Kings of Persia to
Page 50
drink excessively; but upon that Day, in
which the Sacrifices were offered to Mithra,
Greg. Naz, Orat. 1. in Iul.
The Egyptians called the Sun Horus: whence
the parts, into which the Sun divides the Day,
are called Horae Hours. They represented his
Power by a Scepter, on the top of which an
Eye was placed, by which they signified, that
the Sun sees, and that all things are seen by
his means.
These Horae were thought to be the Daugh∣ters
of Sol and Chronis; who early in the
Morning prepare the Chariot and the Horses
for their Father, and open the Gates of the
Day. Plutarch. Homer.
SECT. I.
Actions of Sol.
THE Actions of Sol were only Debauche∣ries,
and Intrigues of Love with Mi∣stresses;
with which he obscured the Honour
of his Name. I will set down the most re∣markable
of them.
1. He lay with Venus in the Island of Rhodes,
at which time they said it rained Gold, and
the Earth cloathed it self with Roses and Li∣lies:
from whence the Island was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
rosa. 2. He begat of Clymene, Phaeton, and
Phaeton's Sisters. 3. Of Neaera he begat Pa∣siphae;
and of Perseis, Circe (to omit the rest
of his Brood of more obscure Note.) Of
each of which according to my Method I shall
say something, since I have mentioned Rhodes,
I have spoke a little concerning the Colossus
Page 51
that was there, which was one of the Seven
Wonders of the World.
SECT. II.
The Seven Wonders of the World.
P.
WHat were those Seven Wonders of
the World?
M.
They were these that follow.
1. The Colossus at Rhodes; a Statue of the
Sun, Seventy Cubits high, placed at the Mouth
of the Harbour; one Man could not grasp
its Thumb with both his Arms. Its Thighs
were stretched out to such a Distance, that a
large Ship sailing might easily pass into the
Port betwixt them. It was Twelve Years a
making, and cost Three hundred Talents (a
Talent is worth Six thousand Aurei;) stood
Fifty Years, and at last was thrown down in
an Earthquake. And from this Coloss the
People of Rhodes were called Colossenses, and
every Statue since of an unusual Magnitude,
is called Colossus.
2. The Temple of Diana at Ephesus; which
was a Work of the greatest Magnificence, and
infinitely admired among the Antients. Two
hundred and twenty Years were spent in per∣fecting
it tho' all Asia was employed. It was
supported by One hundred and twenty seven
Pillars, Sixty Foot high, each of them raised by
as many Kings. Of these Thirty seven were
engraven. The Image of the Goddess was
made of Ebony, as they tell us in History.
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3. The Mausoleum, or Sepulchre of Mauso∣lus,
King of Caria, built by his Queen Artemisia
of the purest Marble; and yet the Work of it
was much more valuable than the Marble. It
lay from North to South Sixty three Feet long,
almost Four hundred and eleven Feet in com∣pass,
and Twenty five Cubits high, surrounded
with Thirty six Columns, that were to Ad∣miration.
And from this Mausoleum, all other
sumptuous Sepulchres are also called by the
same Name.
4. A Statue of Iupiter, in the Temple of the
City Olympia; made with the greatest Art by
Phidias, of Ivory; and of a vast proportion.
5. The Walls of the City Babylon, (which
was the Metropolis of Chaldea) built by the
Queen Semiramis: Sixty thousand Paces in
circumference, Two hundred Foot high, and
Fifty broad: so that Six Chariots might con∣veniently
pass upon them in a row.
6. The Pyramids of Egypt: Three of which,
remarkable for their height, do still remain.
The first has a square Basis, the Front consists
of an hundred and two Feet. It is One hun∣dred
and forty three long, and a Thousand
high. Made of so great Stones, that the least
of them is Thirty Foot thick. Three hun∣dred
and sixty thousand Men were employed
in building it, for the space of Twenty Years.
The two others which are somewhat smaller,
attract the Admiration of all Spectators. And
in these Pyramids, it is reported, the Bodies
of the Kings of Egypt lie interred.
Page 53
7. The Royal Palace of Cyrus, King of the
Medes; made by Menon, with no less Prodi∣gality
than Art, for he cemented the Stones
with Gold. Plin.
SECT. III.
The Children of the Sun.
NOW let us change our Discourse again
to Sol's Children. The famousest of
which was Phaeton, who gave the Poets an ex∣cellent
opportunity of exercising their Fancy
by the following Action. Epaphus, one of the
Sons of Iupiter, fell out with Phaeton, and said
that he falsly pretended to be the Sun of Sol,
since that was only a device of his adulterous
Mother. He was so provoked at the Slander,
that with the advice of Clymene he went to
the Royal Palace of the Sun, that he might
bring from thence some indubitable marks of
his Nativity. The Sun received him, when he
came, kindly; and owned his Son: and to
take away all occasion of doubting hereafter,
he gave him liberty to ask any thing, swearing
by the Stygian Lake, (which sort of Oath none
of the Gods dare violate) that he would not
deny him. Hereupon Phaeton desired leave to
govern his Fathers Chariot for one day: which
was the occasion of great grief to his Father;
who foreseeing his Son's ruin thereby.
Temerariae, dixit,
Vox mea facta tua est. Utinam promissa liceret
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Non dare. Confiteor, solum hoc tibi nate negarem.
Dissuadere licet. Non est tua tuta voluntas.
Magna petis, Phaeton, & quae non viribus istis.
Munera conveniunt, nec tam puerilibus annis.
Sors tua mortalis: non est mortale, quod optas.
—dictis tamen ille repugnat,
Propositumque premit, flagratque cupidine currus.
Thou to thy ruin my rash vow dost wrest.
O, would I could break promise! this request
I must confess I only would deny;
And yet dissuade I may. Thy death does lie
Within thy wish. What's so desir'd by thee
Can neither with thy strength nor youth agree,
Thou mortal dost no mortal thing desire.
—In vain dissuaded, he his promise claim'd,
With glory of so great a charge inflam'd. Sandys.
In short the Father was obliged to yield to the
rashness of the Son; and instructing him to
observe the middle path, he unwillingly grant∣ed
what he could not deny.
Occupat ille levem juvenili corpore, currum,
Statque super, manibus{que} datas contingere habenas
Gaudet, & invito grates agit inde parenti.
Interea volucres Pyroeis & Eous & Aethon
Solis equi, quartusque Phlegon, hinnitibus auras
Flammiferis implent, pedibusque repagula pulsant.
He youthful vaults into the blazing seat,
Glad of the reins nor doubtful of his skill,
And gives his Father thanks against his will.
Mean while the Suns swift Horses, hot Pyrous,
Light Aethon, fiery Phlegon, bright Eous,
Neighing aloud inflame the Air with heat,
And with their thundring hoofs the barriers beat. S.
Page 55
Immediately Phaeton unable to govern the
Horses, fired Heaven and Earth; so that Iu∣piter
struck him out of the Chariot with Thun∣der
and cast him headlong into the River Po.
His Sisters Phaethusa, Lampetia, and Phoebe, la∣menting
his death incessantly upon the banks
of that River, were turned by the pity of the
Gods into Poplar Trees, henceforth weeping
Amber instead of Tears. A great Fire that
hapned in Italy near the Po, in the time of
King Phaeton, was the occasion of this Fable:
The Ambitious are taught hereby, what event
they ought to expect, when they soar higher
than they ought.
Circe, the most skilful of all Sorceresses, poi∣soned
her Husband, a King of the Sarmatae,
for which she was banished by her Subjects,
and flying into Italy, fixed her Seat upon the
Promon••ory Circaeum, where she mightily loved
Glaucus a Sea God, who at the same time lo∣ved
Sylla. Circe turned her into a Sea-Monster,
by poisoning the water in which she used to
wash. She entertained Ulysses, who was dri∣ven
thither by the violence of storms, with
great Civility; and restored his Companions,
whom according to her usual Custom she had
changed into Hogs, Bears, Wolves and the
like Beasts, unto their former shapes again.
Ulysses was armed against her Assaults, so that
she set upon him in vain. It is said, she drew
down the very Stars from Heaven: whence
we are plainly informed, that Voluptuousness
(whereof Circe is the Emblem) alters Men
into ravenous and filthy Beasts; that even
Page 56
those, who with the lustre of their Wit and
Vertue shine in the World as Stars in the Fir∣mament,
when once they addict themselves
to obscene Pleasures, become obscure and in∣considerable,
falling as it were headlong from
the glory of Heaven.
Pasiphae was the Wife of Minos King of
Crete: she fell in love with a Bull, and ob∣tained
her desire by the Assistance of Daedalus,
who for that purpose enclos'd her in a wood∣en
Cow: she brought forth a Minotaur, a
Monster one part of which was like a Man,
the other like a Bull. Now the occasion,
they say, of the Fable was this. Pasiphae lo∣ved
a Man whose Name was Taurus, and had
two Twins by him in Daedalus's House; one
of which was very like her Husband Minos,
and the other like the Father. But however
that is, the Minotaur was shut up in the La∣byrinth,
that Daedalus made by the order of
King Minos This Labyrinth was a place di∣versified
with abundance of windings and
turnings and cross paths running into one a∣nother.
How this Minotaur was kild, and by
whom, I shall shew particularly in its place in
the account of Theseus. Daedalus was an ex∣cellent
Artificer of Athens; who first, as it is
said, invented the Axe, the Saw, the Plum∣line,
the Auger, and Glue; also he first con∣trived
Masts and Yards for Ships: besides he
carved Statues so admirably, that they not
only seemed alive, but would never stand still
in one place; and would fly away unless they
were chained. This Daedalus, together with
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Icarus his Son, was by Minos shut up in the
Labyrinth which he had made, because he had
assisted the Amours of Pasiphae: whereupon
he made Wings for himself and his Son, with
Wax and the Feathers of Birds; fastening
these Wings to his shoulders, he flew out of
Crete into Sicily; but Icarus in his flight neg∣lected
his Fathers advice, and observed not
his due course, but out of a juvenile wanton∣ness
flew higher than he ought, whereupon
the Wax being melted by the heat of the Sun,
and the Wings falling in pieces, he fell into
the Sea, which is since, according to Ovid,
from him named the Icarian Sea.
Icarus Icariis nomine fecit aquis,
Icarian Seas from Icarus were call'd.
To these Children of the Sun, we must ad∣join
his Niece and his Nephew Biblis and Cau∣nus.
Biblis so far loved Caunus, tho he was
her Brother, that she employed all her Charms
to entice him to commit Incest; and when
nothing would overcome his modesty, she fol∣lowed
him so long, that at last being quite
oppressed with sorrow and labour, she sat
down under a Tree, and shed such a quan∣tity
of Tears, that she was converted into a
Fountain.
Sic lachrymis consumpta suis Phoebeia Biblis
Vertitur in fontem, qui nunc quoque vallibus imis
Nomen habet dominae, nigraque sub ilice manat.
Thus the Phoebeian Biblis spent in tears,
Becomes a living Fountain, which yet bears
Her name, and under a black Holm that grows
In those rank Vallies plentifully flows.
Sandys
Page 58
CHAP. VII.
MERCURY.
His Image and Birth.
P.
WHO is that young Man, with a
cheerful Countenance, an honest
Look, and lively Eyes; who is so fair with-out
Paint? having Wings fixed to his Hat and
his Shooes, and a Rod in his hand, which is
winged and bound about by a couple of Ser∣pents?
M.
It is the Image of Mercury, as the E∣gyptians
paint him; whose Face is partly black
and dark, and partly clear and bright; be∣cause
sometimes he converses with the Cele∣stial,
and sometimes with the Infernal Gods.
He wears winged Shooes (which are proper∣ly
called Talaria) Wings also are fastned to
his Hat (which is called Petasus) because
since he is the Messenger of the Gods, he
ought not only to run, but flie.
P.
Of what Parents was he born?
M.
His Parents were Iupiter and Maia the
Daughter of Atlas: and for that reason per∣haps
they used to offer Sacrifices to him in
the Month of May. They say that Iuno suck∣led
awhile in his Infancy; and once while he
sucked the Milk very greedily, it ran out of
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Page 59
his Mouth, being full, upon the Heavens;
which made that white stream, which they
call Via lactea, the Milky Way; and in Greek,
Galaxia; from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Milk.
P.
What were,
SECT. I.
His Offices and Qualities?
M.
HE had many Offices. The first and
chiefest of them was to carry the
Commands of Iupiter, whence he is common∣ly
called Deorum Nuncius, the Messenger of the
Gods. 2. He swept the Room where the Gods
supped and made the Beds; and did execute
other the like mean Employments; hence he
was styled Camillus or Casmillus, that is, an
inferiour Servant of the Gods. For anciently
all Boys and Girls under age were called
Camilli and, Camillae: and the same Name
was afterwards given to the young Men and
Maids, who attended the Priests at their Sa∣crifices.
Tho the People of Boeotia, instead
of Camillus, say Cadmilus; perhaps from the
Arabick Word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Chadam, to serve; or
from the Phoenician Word, Chadmel, Gods Ser∣vant,
or Minister sacer. 3. He attended up∣on
dying Persons to unloose their Souls from
the Chains of the Body, and carry them to
Hell; he also revived and placed into new bo¦dies
those Souls which had completed their
full time in the Elysian Fields. All which things
Virgil does almost comprise in these Verses,
Aeneid. l. 4.
Page 60
Dixerat Ille patris magni parere parabat
Imperio, & primum pedibus talaria nectit
Aurea, quae sublimem alis sive aequora supra
Seu terram rapido pariter cum flamine portant.
Tum virgam capit: hac animas ille evocat Orco,
Pallentes, alias sub tristia Tartara mittit:
Dat somnos adimitque & lumina morte resignat.
About his Father's business Hermès goes,
And first he buckles on his golden shooes:
With which being wing'd o'r sea and land he flies,
A swift wind counterpoising through the Skies:
Then takes his charming Wand, whose power
pale Ghosts
Calls up, or drives to miserable coasts;
Gives or breaks sleep and seals up dying eyes.
Og,
His remarkable Qualities were likewise ma∣ny.
1. They say that he was the Inventor
of Letters: this is certain, he excelled in E∣loquence
and the Art of Speaking well; in∣somuch
that the Greeks called him Hermes,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from interpreting or explain∣ing:
and therefore he is accounted the God
of the Rhetoricians and Orators. 2. He is
reported to have been the Inventor of Con∣tracts,
Weights and Measures; and to have
taught the Art of Buying, Selling and Traf∣ficking
first; and to have received the Name
of Mercury from Merces, or Mercium cura, his
understanding of Merchandize. Hence he is ac∣counted
the God of the Merchants, and the
God of Gain; so that all unexpected Gain and
Treasure, that comes of a sudden, is from
him called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. 3. In the Art of
Thieving he certainly excelled all the Sharp∣ers
Page 61
that ever were or will be; for he is the
very Prince and God of Thieves. On that
day in which he was born, he stole away
some Cattel from King Admetus's Herd, al∣tho
Apollo was Keeper of them; who com∣plained
much of the Theft, and bent his Bow
against him: but in the mean time Mercury
stole even his Arrows from him. Whilst he
was yet an Infant, and entertain'd by Vulcan,
he stole his Tools from him. He took away
by stealth Venus's Girdler, whilst she embra∣ced
him; and Iupiter's Scepter: he design'd
to steal the Thunder too, but he was afraid
lest it should burn him. 4. He was mighty
skilful in making Peace; and for that rea∣son
was sometimes painted with Chains of
Gold flowing from his mouth, with which
he link'd together the Minds of those that
heard him. And he not only pacifi'd Mortal
men, but also the immortal Gods of Heaven
and Hell: for whenever they quarrell'd a∣mongst
themselves, he composed their diffe∣rences:
as Ovid says, lib. 5. Fast.
Pacis & armorum, superis, imisque Deorum
Arbiter, alato qui pede carpit iter.
Thee Wing foot, all the Gods both high and low,
The Arbiter of Peace and War allow.
And Claudian, de raptu Proserp.
Atlantis Tegaee Nepos, commune profundis
Et superis Numen, qui fas per limen utrumque
Solus habes, geminoque facis compendia mundo.
Fair Maias son, whose pow'r alone dos reach (beach
High Heavens bright Towers and Hells dusky
A••ommo•• God to both dost both the Worlds appease.
Page 62
And this Pacificatory Faculty of his, is sig∣nified
by the Rod that he holds in his Hand,
which Apollo heretofore gave him; for he had
given Apollo an Harp. This Rod had a won∣derful
faculty of deciding all Controversies.
This Virtue was first discovered by Mercury;
who seeing two Serpents fighting as he tra∣velled,
he put his Rod between them and
reconciled them presently, and they mutual∣ly
embraced each other, and stuck to the
Rod which is called Caduceus; and from hence
all Ambassadors sent to make Peace are called
Cadu••eatores: for as Wars were denounced by
Feciales, so they were ended by Caduceatores.
SECT. II.
Actions of Mercury.
P.
ARE any of his Actions recorded in
History?
M.
Yes, several: but such as in my Judg∣ment
do not much deserve to be remembred.
However the following Account is most re∣markable.
He had a Son by his Sister Venus, called
Hermaphroditus; i. e. Mercuric-Venus (for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
signifies Mercury, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Venus) Salmac••
a Nymph lived in the Woods in which he of∣ten
hunted: she loved this Youth extrava∣gantly,
who was very beautiful, but a great
Woman hater. She often tempted the young
man, but was as often repulsed; yet she did
not despair. She lay in Ambush at a Foun∣tain,
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where he usually came to bath, and
when he was in the water, she also leapt in
to him: but neither so could she overcome
his extraordinary Modesty. Whereupon, it
is said, she prayed to the Gods above that
the Bodies of both might become one, which
was granted. Hermaphroditus was amazed
when he saw this change of his Body; and
desired that, for his comfort, some other Per∣sons
might be like him. He obtained his re∣quest;
for whosoever washed himself in that
Fountain (called Salmacis, in the Country
Caria) became an Hermaphrodite, and was
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, androgynos, that is, had both Sexes,
Ovid. Met. l. 4. I was unwilling to omit the
following Story.
A Herdsman whose name was Battus saw
Mercury stealing Admetus's Cows from Apollo
their Keeper. When Mercury perceived that
his Theft was discovered, he went to Battus
and desired that he would say nothing, and
gave him a delicate Cow. Battus promised;
Mercury, that he might try his fidelity, came
in another shape to him, and asked him a∣bout
the Cows; whether he saw them, or
knew the place where the Thief carried them.
Battus denied it, but the God prest him hard,
and promised that he would give him both a
Bull and a Cow, if he would discover. With
the Promise he was overcome; whereup∣on
Mercury was enraged, and laying aside his
Disguise, turn'd him into a Stone, call'd Index;
as Ovid relates so prettily in Verse, that I
cannot but recite them.
Page 64
At Battus, postquam est merces geminata, sub illis••
Montibus, inquit, erant: & erant sub montibus illis.
Risit Atlantiades: & me mihi perfide prodis?
Me mihi prodis, ait? perjuraque pectora a vertit
In durum silicem, qui nunc quoque dicitur Index.
Battus, upon the double proffer, tells him, there,
Beneath those hills, beneath those hills they were.
Then Hermes laughing loud; what knave I say,
Me to my self, to my self me betray?
Then to a Touchstone turn'd his perjur'd breast,
Whose Nature now is in that Name exprest.
The Antients used to set up Statues called
Indices, where the Roads crossed each other;
because with an Arm and a Finger held out,
they indicated the way to this or that place••
The Romans placed Statues in all Publick pla∣ces
and Highways: the Athenians placed them
at their Doors for their security, to drive a¦way
Thieves; and they called these Statue••
Hermae, from Mercury, whose Greek Name ••
Hermes. Concerning which Hermae, it is to
be observed.
1. These Images had neither Hands no••
Feet, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Herod. l. 1. and from
hence Mercury was called Cyllenius, and, b••
Syncope, Cyllius; for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in Greek, signi∣fies
a Man without hands or feet: and not from
Cyllene, a Mountain in Arcadia, in which h••
was educated. Vid. Lil. Gyr.
2. A Purse was usually hung to the Statue
of Mercury, to signifie, that he was the Go••
of Gain and Profit, and presided over Me••∣chandising;
in which because many time••
things are done by Fraud and Treachery, the••
gave him the Name of Dolius.
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Page 65
3. The Romans used to join the Statues of
Mercury and Minerva together, and these I∣mages
they called Hermathenae: and sacrificed
to both Deities upon one and the same Altar.
Those who had escaped any great danger al∣ways
offered Sacrifices to Mercury; they offer∣ed
up a Calf, and Milk and Hony, and espe∣cially
the Tongues of the Sacrifices, which
with a great deal of Ceremony they cast in∣to
the Fire, and then the Sacrifice was fini∣shed;
it is said that the Megarenses first used
this Ceremony.
CHAP. VIII.
BACCHUS. His Image.
M.
WHY do you laugh, Palaeophilus?
P.
Who can forbear, when he sees
that filthy, shameless and immodest God pla∣ced
next to Mercury; with a Body naked, red
Face, lascivious Looks, in an effeminate Po∣sture,
dispirited with Luxury and overcome
with Wine. His swoln Cheeks resemble Bot∣tles;
his great Belly and fat Breasts, his di∣stended
swelling Paunch, make me think that
a Hogshead rather than a God is carried in
that Chariot.
M.
That is no wonder, for it is Bacchus
himself, the God of Wine, and the Captain and
Emperour of Drunkards. He is crowned with
Page 66
Ivy and Vine Leaves. He has a Thyrsus instead
of a Scepter; that is, a Javelin with an Iron
Head, incircled by Ivy or Vine-Leaves in his
hand. He is carried in a Chariot, sometimes
drawn by Tygers and Lions, and sometimes
by Lynxes and Panthers. And like a King he is
surrounded with a drunken Band of Satyrs,
of Cobali, or Demons, of Lenae, Nymphs that
preside over the Wine-Presses, and of Naia∣des
and Bacchae; And Silenus comes last sitting
upon a crooked Ass.
P.
But what's here? This Bacchus has got
Horns, and is a young man without a Beard:
I have heard, the Elienses paint him like an
old man with a Beard.
M.
It is true. He is sometimes painted an
old Man, and sometimes a smooth an beard∣less
Boy. For thus Ovid speaks of him. Met.
—Tibi inconsumpta juventa?
Tu puer aeternus, tu formosissimus, alto
Conspiceris coelo; Tibi, cum sine cornibus adstas,
Virgineum caput est.
Still dost thou enjoy
Unwasted Youth; eternally a Boy
Thou'rt seen in Heaven, whom all perfections
grace;
And when unhorn'd thou hast a Virgins Face.
And likewise Tibullus,
Solis aeterna est Phaebo Bacchoque juventa.
Phoebus and Bacchus only have eternal Youth.
Ovid speaks of his Horns,
Accedant capiti cornua, Bacchus eris.
Clap to thy Head a pair of Horns and Bacchus
thou shalt be.
Page 67
I will give you the reason of the Horns,
and of all the other things about the end of
the Fable.
SECT. I.
The Birth of Bacchus.
BAcchus's Birth was both wonderful and ri∣diculous,
if the Poets may be heard; as
they must when we treat of Fables.
They tell us that when Iupiter was in love
with Semele, it raised Iuno's jealousie higher
than ever before. Iuno therefore endeavoured
to destroy her; and in the shape of an old Wo∣man,
visited Semele, wished her much joy
from her acquaintance with Iupiter, and ad∣vised
her to oblige him, when he came, by
an inviolable Oath, to grant her a request;
and then, says she to Semele, ask him to come
to you as he is wont to come to Juno. And he
will come cloathed in all his Glory, and Majesty,
and Honour. Semele was enflamed hereby, and
when Iupiter came next, she desired,
—sine nomine munus.
Cui Deus, elige, ait: nullam patiere repulsam.
Quoque magis credas, Stygii quoque conscia sunto
Numina torrentis: Timor, & Deus ille Deorumest.
Laeta malo, nimium{que} petens, peritura{que} amantis
Obsequio, Semele: Qualem Saturnia, dixit,
Te solet amplecti, Veneris cum foedus initis,
Da mihi te talem.
—A Gift unnam'd:
When thus the kind consenting God reply'd,
Speak but thy choice it shall not be deny'd;
And to confirm thy Faith, let Stygian Gods,
Page 68
And all the Tenants of Hells dark abodes,
Witness my Promise; these are Oaths that bind,
And Gods that keep even Jove himself confin'd.
Transported with the sad Decree, she feels
Ev'n mighty Satisfaction in her Ills;
And just about to perish by the Grant
And kind compliance of her fond Gallant,
Says, Take Joves Vigor as you use Joves Name;
The same the strength and sinewy force the same,
As when you mount the great Saturnias Bed,
And lock'd in her embrace diffusive Glories shed.
Iupiter was very sorry, for he could not recal
his Words nor annul his Vows. So he cloaths
himself with the Terrors of his Majesty, and
enters into the House of Semele. But
—Corpus mortale, tumultus
Non tulit aethereos, donisque jugalibus arsit.
Nor could her mortal body bear the sight
Of glaring beams and strong Celestial light;
But scorch'd all o'er, with Joves embrace expir'd,
And mourn'd the Gift so eagerly desir'd.
She was struck down and stupified by the
Thunder, and burnt to Ashes by the Light∣ning.
Thus we may see what comes from
Rashness and Ambition. But when you hear
what became of the Child it will make you
laugh.
—Gene••ricis ab alvo
Eripitur, patrioque tener (si credere dignum est)
Insuitur femori, maternaque tempora complet.
Th'imperfect Babe that in the Womb doth lie
Was ta'n by Jove, and sew'd into his Thigh,
His Mothers time accomplishing.—
Page 69
Thus Bacchus was enclos'd within Iupiter's
Thigh, and in fulness of time he was born;
and then delivered into the hands of Mercury,
to be carried into Euboea, to Macris the Daugh∣ter
of Aristaeus; who immediately anointed
his Lips with Hony, and brought him up with
great care, in a certain Cave which had two
Gates.
SECT. II.
Names of Bacchus.
WE will first speak of his proper Name,
and then come to his Titles and Sur∣names.
Bacchus is derived 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
ab inaniendo, from revelling. For, for the same
reason the wild Women, his Companions, be cal∣led
Bacchae, and sometimes Thyades, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
furore: and Maenades from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, insanio, de∣sipio,
to be mad or foolish. They were also called
Mimallones, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to imitate, because
they imitated all Bacchus's Actions.
Biformis, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because he was reckoned
both a young and an old Man; with a Beard
and without a Beard: or because Wine, whereof
Bacchus is the Emblem, makes People some∣times
chearful and pleasant, sometimes peevish
and morose.
He was named Brisaeus, either, (as some
think) from the Nymph his Nurse; or from
the use of Grapes and Hony, which he in∣vented;
for Brisa signifies a Bunch of prest
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Grapes; or else from the Promontory Brisa,
in the Island Lesbos, where he was worshipped.
Bromius, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from the cracking of Fi∣re,
and noise of Thunder that was heard when
his Mother was kild with the Embrace of
Iupiter.
Bimater or Bimetor, because he had two
Mothers: the first was Semele, who conceiv'd
him in the Womb; and the other the Thigh
of Iupiter, into which he was received after
he was saved from the Fire.
He is called by divers of the Greeks Buge∣nes,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, è bove genitus, and from thence
Tauriformis or Tauriceps, and he is supposed to
have Horns, because he first plough'd with
Oxen, or because he was the Son of Iupiter
Ammon, who had the Head of a Ram.
Daemon bonus, the good Angel: and in Feasts,
after the Tables were removed, the last Glass
was drank round to his Honour.
Dithyrambus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, à bis
in januam ingrediendo: which signifies either
that he was born twice, of Semele and of
Iove; or the double Gate, which the Cave
had in which he was brought up; or perhaps
it means that Drunkards cannot keep Secrets:
but whatever is in the Heart comes into the
Mouth, and then bursts forth, quasi per gemi∣nam
portam; as it usually said, that Wine makes
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. sets both the doors of the mouth
open.
Dionysius or Dionysus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, (his Fa∣ther
Iupiter) and Nisa the Nymph, by whom
he was nursed as they say: or from the word
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〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, pungo; because he prick'd his Father's
side with his Horns when he was born: or
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, morbus, for Iupiter limped when
Bacchus was in his Thigh. Or from an I∣sland
among the Cyclades called Dia or Naxos,
which was dedicated to him when he married
Ariadne. Or lastly from the City of Nisa,
in which Bacchus reign'd.
Evobus or Evius. For in the War of the
Giants, when Iupiter did not see Bacchus, he
thought that he was kild, and cried out, Eheu,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Alas, Son. Or because when he found
that Bacchus had overcome the Giant, by
changing himself into a Lion, he cried out
again, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Euge fili.
Evan, from the Acclamations of the Bac∣chantes,
who were therefore called Evantes
Euchius is derived from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, largiter fundo,
because Bacchus loves Brimmers.
Eleleus and Eleus, from the Acclamation
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 used to encourage the Soldiers to fight,
and in the Celebration of Bacchus's Sacrifices,
call'd Orgia: it was used also in the fight it∣self.
Iacchus, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, clamo vociferor. And
it is used by Claudian de rapt. Proserp. l. 1. where
he says,
—laetusque simul procedit Iacchus,
Crinali florens hedera: quem Parthica Tigris
Velat, & auratos, in nodum colligit ungues.
—The jolly God comes in,
His Hair with Ivy twin'd, his Cloaths a Ty∣gers
Skin,
Whose golden Claws are clutcht into a Knot.
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For he did not always go naked. He was
sometimes cloathed with the Skin of a Tygre.
Donatus derives his Name Lenaeus from
hence, quòd leniat mentem vinum. But Servius
does with reason reject that Etymology; be∣cause
Lenaeus is a Greek Word, and lenire a
Latin one; therefore others derive 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Vat or Press in which Wine is made.
Liber and Liber Pater, from liberando, as
in Greek they call him 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Deli∣verer:
for he is the Symbol of Liberty, and is
worshipped in all Cities that are free.
Lyaeus and Lysius, signifie the same with
Liber: for Wine frees the Mind from Cares;
and those who have drank plentifully, speak
whatsoever comes into their minds, as Ovid
says,
Cura fugit multo, diluiturque mero.
The plenteous bowl all Cares dispels.
The Sacrifices of Bacchus were celebrated
in the night; wherefore he is called Nyctileus,
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, nocte perficio.
Because he was educated upon the Moun∣tain
Nisa, he is called Nysaeus.
He taught a certain King of Athens to di∣lute
his Wine with Water; so that Men, who
through much drinking staggered before, by
mixing Water with their Wine began to go
rectà, streight; and from thence Bacchus was
called Rectus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
His Mother Semele and his Nurse were
sometimes called Thyo: therefore from thence
they called him Thyonaeus.
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Lastly, He was called Triumphus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
because when in Triumph the Conquerours
went into the Capitol, the Soldiers cried out
Io Triumphe.
SECT. III.
Actions of Bacchus.
BAcchus invented so many things useful to
Mankind, either in finishing Controver∣sies,
in building Cities, in making Laws and
obtaining Victories, that he was declared a
God by the joint Suffrages of the whole World.
And indeed what could not Bacchus himself
do, when his Priestesses, by striking the Earth
with their Thyrsus's. drew forth Rivers of Milk
and Honey, and Wine, and wrought several
such Miracles without the least Labour. And
yet they received their whole Power from
Bacchus: Who
1. Invented the use of Wine; and first
taught the Art of planting the Trees from
whence it is made; as also the Art of ma∣king
Honey, and tilling the Earth. This he
did amongst the People of Egypt; who there∣fore
honoured him as a God, and called him
Osiris. Let Bacchus have honour, because he
invented the Art of Planting Vines; but let
him not refuse to the Ass of Nauplia its Prai∣ses,
who by gnawing Vines taught the Art
of Pruning them.
2. He invented Commerce and Merchan∣dise,
and found out Navigation when he was
King of Phoenicia.
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3. Whereas Men wandred about unsettled like
Beasts, he reduced them into Society and U∣nion:
he taught them to worship the Gods,
and was excellent in Prophesying.
4. He subdued India, and many other Na∣tions;
riding on an Elephant: he victoriously
subdued all Egypt, Syria, Phrygia, and all the
East; where he erected Pillars, as Hercules
did in the West: he first invented Triumphs
and Crowns for Kings.
5. Bacchus was desirous to reward Midas,
the King of Phrygia (of whose Asses Ears we
spake before) because he had done some Ser∣vice
to him; and bid him ask what he would,
and Midas desired that whatsoever he touchd
might become Gold; Bacchus consented. O∣vid.
Met. l. 11.
Annuit optatis, nocituraque munera solvit
Liber, & indoluit, quod non meliora petisset.
To him his harmful wish Lyaeus gives,
And at the weakness of's Request he grieves.
Laetus abit, gaudetque malo,
Glad he departs, and joys in's Misery;
So that whatsoever Midas touches becomes
Gold; nay when he touched his Meat or
Drink, they also became Gold: when there∣fore
he saw that he could not escape Death
by hunger or thirst, he then perceived that
he had foolishly begg'd a destructive Gift, and
repenting his Bargain, he desired Bacchus to
take his Gift to himself again. Bacchus con∣sented,
and bid him bath in the River Pacto∣lus:
Midas obeyed; and from hence the Sand
of that River became golden, and the River
was called Chrysorrhoas, or Aurifluus.
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6. When he was yet a Child, some Tyrrhe∣nian
Mariners found him asleep and carried
him into a Ship: wherefore he first stupified
them, stopping the Ship in such a manner,
that it was unmoveable; afterwards he caused
Vines to spring up in the Ship on a sudden,
and Ivy twining about the Oars; and when
the Seamen were almost dead with the fright
he threw them headlong into the Sea and
chang'd them into Dolphins. Ovid. Met. l. 3.
SECT. IV.
The Sacrifices of Bacchus.
IN Sacrifices Three things are to be consi∣dered:
the Creatures that are offered, the
Priests and the Sacrifices themselves, which
are celebrated by such and such Ceremonies
- 1. Amongst Trees and Plants, these were
sacred or consecrated to Bacchus, the Fir, the
Ivy, Bind weed, the Fig and the Vine. A∣mong
Animals, the Dragon and the Pye, sig∣nifying
the Talkativeness of drunken People.
The Goat was slain in his Sacrifices, because
he is a Creature destructive to the Vines.
And amongst the Egyptians they sacrificed a
Swine to his Honour before their doors.
- 2. The Priests and Priestesses of Bacchus
were the Satyrs, the Sileni, the Lenae, the
Naiades, but especially the revelling Women
called Bacchae, from Bacchus's Name.
- 3. The Sacrifices themselves were various,
and celebrated with different Ceremonies, ac∣cording
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-
to the variety of Places and Nations.
They were celebrated on stated days of the
year, with the greatest Religion, or rather
with the rankest Prophaneness and Impiety.
The Phoenicians Instituted the first Sacrifices
and called them.
Oscophoria, in which the Boys, carrying
Vine-leaves in their hands, went in ranks
praying, from the Temple of Bacchus to the
Chappel of Pallas.
The Trieterica were celebrated in the Win∣ter
by night, by the Bacchae, who went about
armed, making a great noise, and foretelling,
as it was believed, things to come. These
Sacrifices were intituled Trieterica, because
Bacchus returned from his Indian Expedition
after three years.
The Epilenaea were Games celebrated in
the time of Vintage (after that the Press for
squeezing Grapes was invented) they dispu∣ted
with one another, in treading the Grapes,
who should soonest press out most Must; and
in the mean time they sung the Praises of
Bacchus, begging that the Must might be very
sweet and good.
The Canephoria, amongst the antient Athe∣nians
were performed by Marriageable Vir∣gins,
who carried golden Baskets filled with
the First Fruits of the Year. Nevertheless
some think that these Sacrifices were institu∣ted
to the Honour of Diana; and that they
did not carry Fruit in the Baskets, but Pre∣sents
wrought with their own hands, which
they offered to this Goddess; to testifie that
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they were desirous to quit their Virginity and
Marry.
The Apaturia, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Feasts amongst
the Athenians to the Honour of Bacchus: so
called from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, fallo.
The Ambrosia, observed in Ianuary, a
Month sacred to Bacchus; for which reason
this Month was called Lenaeus or Lenaeo, be∣cause
the Wine was brought into the City a∣bout
that time. But the Romans called these
Feasts Brumalia, from Bruma, one of the
Names of Bacchus amongst them: and they
celebrated them twice a year in the Months
of February and August.
The Ascolia, so called from the Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
utris, a Leathern Bottle; several of which were
produced filled with Air, or as others say
with Wine. The Athenians were wont to
leap upon them with one foot, so that they
would sometimes fall down; however they
thought they did a great Honour to Bacchus
hereby; because they trampled upon the Skin
of the Goat, who is the greatest Enemy to
the Vines. But amongst the Romans Rewards
were distributed to those, who by artificially
leaping upon these Leathern Bottles overcame
the rest. And then all of them together calling
aloud upon Bacchus confusedly, and in Verses
unpolished, they carried his Statue about their
Vineyards in Masquerade, dawbing their Faces
with Barks of Trees and the Dregs of Wine.
So returning to his Altar again, from whence
they came, they presented their Oblations in
Basons to him, and burnt them. And in the
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last place they hung upon the highest Trees,
little wooden or earthen Images of Bacchus,
which they called Oscilla; from the smalness
of the Heads, that out of them, as out of
Perspectives, the God might look to the Vines
that they suffer no injury. Virgil hath elegant∣ly
expressed all this, where he says, Georg. l. 2.
—Atque inter pocula laeti,
Mollib••s & pratis, unctos saliere per utres.
Versibus incomptis ludunt, nisuque soluto
Oraque corticibus sumunt horrenda cavatis.
Et te, Bacche, vocant per carmina laeta, tibique
Oscilla, ex alta, suspendunt mollia, pinu.
Hinc omnis largo pubescit vinea foetu, &c.
They to soft meads heightned with wine advance,
And joyfully o'er nointed Bottles dance,
And merry, at their slippery sport they play
Some rustick Madrigal or Roundelay,
In vizards of rough Bark conceal their Face,
And with glad numbers thee, great Bacchus, grace,
Hanging soft Pictures on thy lofty Pine,
Then Vineyards swell pregnant with chearful
Wine.
Lastly the Bacchanalia, or Dionysia, or Or∣gya,
were the Feasts of Bacchus among the
Romans, which at first were solemnized in Fe∣bruary
at mid-day by Women only; but af∣terwards
perform'd by Men and Women to∣gether,
and young Boys and Girls; who, in
a word, left no sort of Lewdness and Extra∣vagancy
uncommitted. For upon this occa∣sion,
Rapes, Whoredoms, Poison, Murder,
and such abominable Impieties were promo∣ted,
under a sacrilegious pretence of Religion.
Page 79
Till the Senate by an Edict abrogated this
Festival; as Diagondas did at Thebes, says Ci∣cero,
because of their Lewdnesses; which also
Pentheus King of Thebes attempted, but with
ill success; for the Bacchae barbarously killed
him: whence came the Story, that his Mo∣ther
and Sisters tore him in pieces, fancying
that he was a Boar: There is a Story besides
that Alcithoe, the Daughter of Mineus, and
her Sisters, because despising the Sacrifices of
Bacchus, they did stay at home and spin whilst
the Orgya were celebrating, were changed in∣to
Bats. There is an idle Story, that Lycur∣gus,
who attempted many times to hinder
these Bacchanalia in vain, cut off his own Legs,
because he had rooted up the Vines, to the
dishonour of Bacchus.
SECT. V.
The Historical Sense of the Fable. Bacchus an
Emblem either of Nimrod or Moses.
I Find two meanings applyed to this Fable.
For some say that Bacchus is the same with
Nimrod: the reasons of which Opinion are,
1. The similitude of the Words Bacchus and
Ba••chus; which signifies the Son of Chus, that
is Nimrod. 2. They think the Name of Nim∣rod
may allude to the Hebrew word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Na∣mur;
or the Chaldee, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Namer, a Tyger.
And accordingly the Charriot of Bacchus was
drawn by Tygres, and himself cloathed with
the Skin of a Tygre. 3. Bacchus is sometimes
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called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which is the very same with
Nimrodus. 4. Moses stiles Nimrod a great
Hunter, and we find that Bacchus is styled
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. great Hunter. (this Name of Bac∣chus
is not mentioned above, for I design not
a nicely complete account of every thing)
5. Nor is it absurd to say, that Nimrod presi∣ded
over the Vines, since he was the first
King of Babylon, where was the most excellent
Wines, as the Antients often say.
Others think that Bacchus is Moses; because
many things in the Fable of the one, seem
derived from the History of the other. For
first, some feign that he was born in Egypt,
and presently shut up in an Ark, and thrown
upon the Waters as Moses was. 2. The Sur∣name
of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or Bimater, which belongs
to Bacchus may be ascribed to Moses: who be∣sides
his Mother by Nature, had another by
Adoption, King Pharaoh's Daughter. 3. They
were both handsom Men, brought up in A∣rabia,
good Soldiers, and had Women in their
Armies. 4. Orpheus calls Bacchus directly Móon,
and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Legislator; and further at∣tributes
to him, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the two Tables
of the Law. 5. Besides Bacchus was called
Bicornis: and accordingly the Face of Moses
appeared double-horned, when he came down
from the Mountain, where he had spoken to
God; the Rays of Glory that darted from his
Brow, resembling the sprouting out of Horns.
6. As Snakes were sacrificed, and a Dog
given to Bacchus as a Companion, so Moses
had his Caleb, which in Hebrew signifies a Dog.
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7. And as the Bacchae brought Water from
a Rock, by striking it with their Thyrsus, and
the Country wherever they came flow'd with
Milk, Wine, and Honey; so the Land of
Can••••n, into which Moses conducted the Israe∣lites,
not only flowed with Milk and Honey,
but with Wine also: as appears from that no∣ble
Bunch of Grapes, which two Men carried
upon a Staff betwixt them, (Numb. 13.)
8. Bacchus dryed up the Rivers Orontes and
Hydaspes, by striking them with his Thyrsus,
and passed through them, as Moses passed thro'
the Red Sea. 9. It is said also, that a little I∣vy
stick, thrown down by one of the Bacchae
upon the Ground, crept like a Dragon, and
twisted itself about an Oak. And 10. That
the Indians once were all covered with Dark∣ness,
whilst those Bacchae enjoyed a perfect
Day. Nonnius. Vossius apud Bochart in Chan.
From whence you may collect, that the anti∣ent
Inventors of Fables, have borrowed many
things from the Holy Scriptures, to patch up
their Conceits. Thus Homer says that Bacchus
wrestled with Pallene, to whom he yielded,
like the Story of the Angel wrestling with
Iacob. In like manner Pausanias reports, that
the Greeks at Troy found an Ark which was
sacred to Bacchus; which when Euripilus had
opened, and viewed the Statue of Bacchus
laid therein, he was presently struck with
Madriess. For this is taken from the Second
Book of Kings, where the Bethshemites were
destroyed by God, because they looked with
too much curiosity into the Ark of the Cove∣nant.
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Again, Bacchus was angry with the
Athenians because they despised his Solemni∣ties,
and received them not with due respect
when first they were brought by Pegasus 〈◊〉〈◊〉
of Boeotia into Attica. He afflicted them, 〈◊〉〈◊〉
says, with a grievous Disease in the Secret Parts,
for which there was no Cure, till by the ad∣vice
of the Oracle they performed the Reve∣rences
due to the God, and erected Phallo's
that is, Images of the afflicted Parts, to hi••
Honour: whence the Feasts and Sacrifice••
called Phallica, were yearly celebrated among
the Athenians. Is one Egg more like another
than this Fable is like the History of the Phi∣listines?
whom God punished with the E••∣rods,
for their Irreverence to the Ark; an••
when they consulted the Diviners thereupon,
they were told that they could no ways be cu∣red
unless they made Golden Images of Em∣rods,
and consecrated them to God.
SECT. VI.
The Moral Sense of the Fable. Bacchus the Symbol of Wine.
WINE, and its Effects are understood
in this Fable of Bacchus. Let us be∣gin
with Bacchus's Birth. When I imagine
Bacchus in Iupiters Thigh, and Iupiter limp∣ing
therewith, it brings to my mind the I••mage
of a Man that is burthened and over••come
with Drink; who not only halts, b••••reels
and stumbles, and madly rushes where••ever
the force of the Wine carries him.
Page 83
Was Bacchus taken out of the Body of his
Mother Semele in the midst of Thunder and
Lightning? So is the Wine drawn from the
Butt attended with Quarrels, and Fighting,
and Noise.
Bacchus was educated by the Naiades, Nymphi
of the Rivers and Fountains, which may di∣rect
Men to dilute their Wine with Water.
But Bacchus is an eternal Boy. And do
not the oldest Men become Children by too
much Drink? Does not Excess deprive us of
that Reason that distinguishes Men from Boys?
Bacchus is naked, as is he who hath lost his
Senses by Drinking. He cannot dissemble,
he cannot hide any thing. In vino veritas,
the Wine speaks truth; ••opens all the Secrets
of the Mind and Body too; witness Noah.
Bacchus is horned, according to Ovid. Epist.
Sapph.
Accedant capits cornua, Bacchus eris.
Cornuted be thy Crest and Bacchus thou shalt be.
And let the Poet decide whether Bacchus
makes fewer horned than Venus.
Cura fugit multo, diluiturque mero.
Full bowls or chase or else dissolve our cares.
Tuuc veniunt risus, tunc pauper cornua sumit.
Then enters mirth, and th' Beggar grows a King.
That is, Wine creates a Boldness, a Forward∣ness,
and Fierceness even in poor People. I
know very well that ••ome say, that Bacchus
was horned, because formerly the Cups were
Horn; whence 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, poculum, quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
is derived from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, cornu.
Page 84
He is crowned with Ivy, because that Plant
(being always green and flourishing, and as
it were young) by its natural coolness asswa∣ges
the heat occasioned by too much Wine.
He is both a young and an old Man, be∣cause
as a moderate quantity of Wine increa∣ses
the Strength of the Body, so excess of Wine
destroys it.
Women only celebrate the Sacrifices of
Bacchus; and of them only those who are en∣raged,
and entoxicated, and abandon them∣selves
to all sorts of Wickedness. According∣ly
Wine effeminates the most masculine minds,
and disposes them to Luxury. It begets ••••∣ger,
and stirs them up to madness; and there∣fore
Lions and Tyg••es draw the Chariot of
Bacchus.
The Men and Women both celebrate the
Bacchanalia in Masques. It is well that they
be ashamed of their Faults. Their Modesty
hath not quite left them; some remains of it
are yet hid under those Disguises, lest they
should be utterly oppressed by the Impudence
of ill Words and Actions. And does not
VVine mask and disguise us strangely? Does
it not make Men Beasts; and turn one into
a Lion, another into a Bear, another into a
Swine, or an Ass?
I had almost forgot to tell you, that Bacchus
is sometimes merry, and sometimes sad and
morose. For indeed what cherishes the Heart
of Man so much us Wine? What more delight∣fully
refreshes the Spirits of the mind, than that
natural Nectar, that divine Medicine, which
when we have taken
Page 85
Tunc dolor, & curae, rugaque frontis abest.
Then far away are banisht griefs and fears,
No thoughtful wrinkle in the face appears.
The Vine is so beneficial to this Life, that
in vite vitam hominis esse diceres; and therefore
many say, that the Happiness of one consists
in the Enjoyment of the other. But do not
consider, that if Wine be the Cradle of Life,
yet it is the Grave of the Reason: for if Men
do constantly sail in the Red Sea of Claret,
their Souls are oftimes drowned therein. It
blinds them, and leaves them under Darkness,
especially when it begins to draw the Sparkles
and little Stars from their Eyes. Then the
Body being drowned in Drink, the Mind
floats, or else is stranded: thus too great love
of the Vine is pernicious to Life; for from
it come more Faults than Grapes, and it breeds
more Mischiefs than Clusters. Would you
see an instance of the truth of what you read,
observe a drunken Man: O Beast! See how
his Head totters, his Hams sink, his Feet
fail, his Hands tremble, his Mouth froths, his
Cheeks are flabby, his Eyes sparkle and wa∣ter,
his Words are unintelligible, his Tongue
falters and stops, his Throat sends forth a
nasty loathsom stench; but what do I do?
It is not my Business now to tell Truths, but
Fables.
Page 86
CHAP. IX.
MARS. His Image.
P.
AS far as I see, we must tarry in thi••
place all night.
M.
Do not fear it; for I shall not say so
much of the other Gods as I have said of
Bacchus. And especially Mars, whose Image
is next, I hope will not keep us so long.
P.
Do you call him Mars, that is so fierce
and sowr in his look? Terror is every where
in his looks as well as in his d••ess; and he is
drawn by a pair of Horses, in a Chariot gui∣ded
by I know not what mad Woman. He
is covered with Armour, and brandisheth a
Spear in his Right Hand, as though he breath∣ed
Fire and Death, and threatned every Bo∣dy
with Ruin and Destruction.
M.
It is Mars himself, the God of War••
whom I have often seen also on Horseback,
in a formidable manner, with a Whip and a
Spear together. But that you may understand
every thing in that Picture; observe, that the
Creatures which draw the Chariot are not
Horses, but Fear and Terror, Discord goes be∣fore
them in tatter'd Garments, and Cla••••••
and Anger go behind. Yet some say that Fear
and Terror are Servants to Mars. Hear how
imperiously he commands them. Claud. in Ruf.
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Fer galeam Bellona mihi, nexusque rotarum
Tende Pavor; fraena rapidos Formido jugales.
My Helmet let Bellona bring, Terror my
traces fit,
And panick Fear do thou the rapid Driver sit.
As soon as they receive his Orders. Virgil.
Aen. l. 8.
—Saevit medio in certamine Mavors
Caelatus ferro, tristesque ex aethere Dirae:
Et scissa gaudens vadit Discordia, pallâ,
Quam, cum sanguineo sequitur Bellona flagello.
—Mars through the Battle rav'd,
Sad Furies hover above, himself in steel engrav'd.
Glad of her tatter'd Cloaths next Discord goes,
And fierce Bellona with her bloody Whip pur∣sues.
P.
Where is that Bellona?
M.
It is Bellona who drives the Chariot.
The Goddess of War, the Companion of Mars;
or as others say, his Sister, or Wife, or both.
She prepares for him his Chariot and Horses
when he goes to fight. It is plain that she is
called Bellona, from Bellum. She is otherwise
called Duellona from Duellum, or from the Greek
word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Needle, whereof she is said to
be the Inventress. Her Priests, the Bellona∣••ii,
sacrificed to her in their own Blood: Se∣ctisque
humeris, says Lactantius, & utraque ma∣nu
districtos gladios exerentes, currunt offeruntur,
insaniunt. Cutting their Shoulders, and holding
out drawn Swords in both their hands, they run
and are transported and mad; and People
thought, that, after the Sacrifice was ended,
they were able to foretel future Events. Clau¦dian
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introduces Bellona combing Snakes. A∣nother
describes her thus.
Ipsa facem quatiens, & flavam sanguine multo
Sparsa comam, medias acies Bellona pererrat.
Stridit tartareae nigro sub pectore Divae
Lethiferum murmur.
Her torch Bellona waving through the Air,
Sprinkles with clotted gore her flaming Hair,
And through both Armies up and down does fly,
Whilst from her horrid breast Tisiphone
A deadly murmur se••ds.
Before the Temple of this Goddess there
stood a Pillar called Bellica, over which the
Herald threw a Spear, when he proclaimed
War.
SECT. I.
His Descent.
MARS is said to be the Son of Iupiter
and Iuno; tho according to Ovid's
Story, he is the Child of Iuno only. For says
he, when Iuno did admire how it was possi∣ble
that her Husband Iupiter had conceived
Minerva, and begot her himself, without the
concurrence of a Mother. (as we shall see
in the Account of Minerva) When her a∣masement
ceased; she being desirous of per∣forming
the like, went to Oceanus to ask his
Advice; whether she could have a Child with∣out
her Husbands concurrence: she was tired
in her Journey, and sat down at the Door of
the Goddess Flora; who understanding the
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Occasion of her Journey, desired her to be
of good Heart, for she had in her Garden a
Flower, and if she did only touch it with the
tips of her fingers, the smell of it would make
her conceive a Son presently. So Iuno was
carried into the Garden, the Flower shown
her, she touched it, and conceived Mars; who
afterwards took to Wife Ner••o, or Nerione;
(which Word in the Sabine Language signifies
Virtus and Robur;) and from her the Claudian
Family formerly derived the Name of Nero.
SECT. II.
Names of Mars.
HE is called Mars, quod maribus in bello
praesit; because he presides over the Men in
War: as likewise Mavors by the Poets, quod
magna vertat, because he manages great things.
He is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in Greek; either from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, tollere; Or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, interficere: O says Sui∣das,
from a not, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to speak: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
because in War deeds
not words are necessary. But from whatsoever
words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is derived, it is certain those fa∣mous
Names Areopagus and Areopagita, are
derived from it. The Areopagus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
(that is, the Hill or Mount of Mars) was a
place at Athens, in which, when Mars was
accused of Murther and Incest, as tho he had
kild Halirothius, Neptunes Son, and debauch'd
his Daughter Alcippa: he was forced to de∣fend
himself in a Tryal before Twelve Gods,
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and was acquitted by Six Voices: from which
time that place became a Court wherein were
tryed Capital Causes, and the things belong∣ing
to Religion. The Areopagitae were the
Judges, whose Integrity and good Credit was
so great, that no Person could be admitted
into their Society, unless when he deliver'd in
publick an Account of all his Life past, he
was found in every part thereof blameless.
And that the Lawyers, who pleaded, might
not blind the Eyes of the Judges by the Charms
of Eloquence, they were obliged to plead their
Causes without any Ornament of Speech; if
they did otherwise, they were immediately
commanded to be silent. And lest they should
be moved to Compassion by seeing the mise∣rable
Condition of the Prisoners, they gave
Sentence in the dark, without Lights; not by
Words,, but in a Paper: whence arose the
Proverb of Areopagita taciturnior, one that speaks
little or nothing.
His Name Gradivus comes à gradiendo, from
marching; or from brandishing the Spear,
which in Greek is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
He is called Quirinus, from Curis or Quiris,
signifying a Spear: whence comes Securis,
quasi Semicuris, a piece of a Spear. And this
Name was afterward attributed to Romulus,
because he was esteemed the Son of Mars;
from whom the Romans were called Quirites.
Gravidus is the Name of Mars when he rages;
and Quirinus, when he is quiet. And accord∣ingly
there were two Temples at Rome dedi∣cated
to him; one within the City which was
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dedicated to Mars Quirinus, the Keeper of
the Cities Peace; the other without the City,
near the Gate, to Mars Gradivus, the Warri∣our,
and the Defender of the City against
all outward Enemies.
The antient Latins applyed to him the Title
of Salisubsulus, or Dancer, from salio, because
his Temper is very inconstant and uncertain,
inclining sometimes to this side, and some∣times
to that in Wars: whence we say, Mar∣tem
belli communem esse, that the issue of Battels
is uncertain, and the Chance dubious. But
we must not think that Mars is the only God
of War; for Bellona, Victoria, Sol, Luna and
Pluto, use to be reckoned in the number of
Martial Deities. It was usual with the Lace∣demonians
to shackle the Feet of the Image of
Mars, that he should not fly from them: and
amongst the Romans, the Priests, Salii, were
instituted to look after the Sacrifices of Mars,
and go about the City dancing with their
Shields.
He was called Enyalius, from Enyo, id est,
Bellona, and by other the like Names; but
it is not worth my time to insist upon them
longer.
SECT. III.
Actions of Mars.
IT is strange that the Poets relate only one
Action of this terrible God, which deser∣ved
to be concealed in darkness, if the light
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of the Sun had not discovered it; and if a
good Kernel was not contained in a bad Shell
Every body knows the Story of Mars and
Venus's Adultery; (from whence Hermione, a
Tutelar Deity, according to Plutarch, was born)
thus Ovid says,
Fabula narratur, toto notissima coelo,
Mulciberis, capti Marsque Venusque dolis.
The Tale is told thro Heav'n far and wide,
How Mars and Venus were by Vulcan ty'd.
When Sol discovered them both, he told it
to Vulcan, Venus's Husband: who thereupon
made a Net of Iron, whose links were so
small and slender, that it was invisible; and
spread it over the Bed of Venus. By and by
the Lovers return to their Sport; and were
caught in the Net. Vulcan calls all the Gods
together to the Shew, who jeered them ex∣tremely.
After they had long been expo∣sed
to the Jests and the Hisses of the Compa∣ny,
Vulcan, at the request of Neptune, unlooses
their Chains, and gives them their Liberty.
But Alectryon, Mars's Favourite, suffered the
Punishment that his Crime deserved; because
when he was appointed to watch he fell asleep,
and so gave Sol an opportunity to slip into
the Chamber. Therefore Mars changed him
into a Cock, a Bird of his own Name, in Greek
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Which to this day is so mindful
of his old Fault, that he constantly gives no∣tice
of the Approach of the Sun by his Crow∣ing.
Page 93
SECT. IV.
The Signification of the foregoing Fable.
LET us explain this Fable. Indeed when
a Venus is married to a Vulcan, that is,
a very handsom Lady to a very ugly Man,
it is a great occasion of Adultery. But nei∣ther
can that Dishonesty, nor any other, es∣cape
the knowledge of the Sun of Righteousness,
although it be done in the obscurest Darkness;
though it be with the utmost care guarded by
the trustiest Pimps in the World; tho they
be committed in the privatest Retirement and
concealed with the greatest a••••, they will all
at one time be exposed to both the Infernal
and Celestial Regions, in the brightest Light:
when the Offenders shall be set in the midst,
bound by the Chains of their Consciences by
that faln Vulcan, who is the Instrument of
the Terrors of the true. Iupiter; and then they
shall hear and suffer the Sentence that was
formerly threatned to David in this Life, Thou
didst this thing secretly, but I will raise up evil
against thee, in the sight of all Israel, and before
the Sun: 2 Sam. 12. 12.
But let us return again to Mars, or rather
to the Son of Mars, Tereus; who learnt Wick∣edness
from his Fathers Example, as a bad
Father makes a bad Child, says the Proverb.
Page 94
SECT. V.
The Story of Tereus the Son of Mars.
TEreus was the Son of Mars, begotten of
the Nymph Bistonis. He married Progne
the Daughter of Pandion, King of Athens,
when he himself was King of Thrace. This
Progne had a Sister called Philomela, a Virgin: in
Modesty and Beauty inferior to none. She lived
with her Father at Athens. Progne being desirous
to see her Sister, asked Tereus to fetch Philo∣mela
to her; he comply'd, and went to Athens
and brought Philomela with her Fathers
leave to Progne. Upon this Occasion, Tereus
falls in love with Philomela to distraction;
and as they travell'd together, because she re∣fused
him, he overpower'd her, and cut out
her Tongue, and threw her into a Goal.
And returning afterwards to his Wife, pre∣tended
with the greatest Assurance, that Phi∣lomela
died in her Journey; and that his Story
might appear true, he shed many Tears, and
put on Mourning. But Philomela, though she
was dumb, found out a way to tell her Sister
the villany of Tereus.
—Grande doloris
Ingenium est, miserisque venit solertia rebus.
Desire of Vengeance makes th' Invention quick,
When miserable, help with craft we seek.
She describes the Story of the Violences which
she had received from Tereus, as well as she
could, in Embroidery, and sends the Work
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folded up to her Sister; who no sooner view'd
it but she boiled with rage.
Et (mirum potuisse) silet; dolor ora repressit,
Varbaque quaerenti satis indignantia linguae
Defuerant, nec flere vacat, sed fasque nefasque
Confusura ruit, poenaeque in imagine tota est.
She held her peace, 'twas strange, grief struck
her mute.
No language could with such a passion sute:
Nor had she time to weep. Right, wrong were
mix'd
In her fell thoughts, her soul on vengeance fix'd.
Then she hastned to her Sister, and brought
her home without Tereus's knowledge. Whilst
she meditated revenge, her young Son Itys
came and embraced his Mother: but she car∣ried
him aside into the remote parts of the
House,
Et mater, mater, clamantem & colla petentem,
Ense ferit:
—He Mother, Mother, cries,
And on her clings, whilst by her Sword he dyes.
When she had kild him, she cut him into pie∣ces,
and dressed the Flesh, and gave it Tereus
for Supper.
Vescitur, inque suam sua viscera congerit alvum.
—does eat,
And his own Flesh and Blood does make his
meat.
And when Tereus sent for his Son Itys, says
Progne,
Intus habes, quod poscis, ait. Circumspicit ill••
Atque ubi sit, quaerit: quaerenti, iterumque vo∣canti,
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Prosiluit, Ityosque caput Philomela cruentum
Misit in ora patris.
Thou hast, said she, within thee thy desire.
He looks about, asks where. And while again
He asks and calls, all bloody with the slain
Forth like a Fury Philomela flew,
And at his Face the Head of Itys threw.
Tereus incensed with rage, rush'd on them both
with his drawn Sword; but they flew away,
and Fear added Wings to their flight; so that
Progne became a Swallow, and Philomela a
Nightingale. Fury gave Wings to Tereus him∣self:
he was changed into a Hoopo••, (Upupa)
which is one of the filthiest of all Birds. The
Gods out of Pity changed Itys into a Pheasant.
SECT. VI.
The Sacrifices of Mars.
TO Mars were Sacrificed the Wolf for his
Fierceness; the Horse for his usefulness
in VVar; the VVoodpecker and the Vultu••,
for their Ravenousness; the Cock for his Vi∣gilance,
which Virtue Soldiers ought chiefly
to have. And Grass; because it grows in
Towns that the VVar leaves without an In∣habitant;
and is thought to come up the thick∣er
in such places as have been irrigated with
human Blood.
Amongst the most ancient Rites belonging
to Mars, I do not know a more memorable
one than the following. Qui Belli alicujus sus∣ceperit
curam (says Servius) Sacrarium Martis
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Page 97
ingressus, primò Ancilia commovebat post hastam
simulacri ipsius; dicens, Mars, Vigila. Whoever
had undertook the Business of any War, he went
into the Vestry of the Temple of Mars; and first
stirred the Ancilia, (which were a sort of holy
Shields) afterwards the Spear of the Image of
Mars it self; and said, Mars, Watch.
CHAP. X.
The Celestial Goddesses. JUNO.
M.
YOU have viewed the Five Celestial
Gods; now look upon the Celestial
Goddesses that follow them there in order.
••irst observe Iuno carried in a Golden Cha∣••iot,
which is drawn by Peacocks; She is
••dorned with a Crown beset with Roses and
••ilies; nor is her Scepter less beautiful. For
••he is the Queen of the Gods.
—Iovisque
Et soror & conjux:
••he Sister and Wife too of Jupiter, and the Daugh∣••er
of Saturn by Ops. She was born in the Island
••amos; where she lived till she was Married.
P.
Really she seems very august. How
••right, how majestical, how charming is that
••ace, how comely are her Shapes? How well
••oes a Scepter become those Hands, and a
Crown that Head? How tempting and ra∣••ishing
are the Beauty of her Smile, and the
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Gracefulness of her Breasts? Her Presence is
generous and fine. Her Dress the same. She
is full of Majesty, and worthy of Admiration.
But what pretty Damsel is that which stands
near her, as if she were her Servant.
M.
It is Iris, the Daughter of Thaumas and
Electra, and Sister to the Harpyae. She is Iuno's
Messenger, as Mercury is Iupiter's: tho Iupiter
and the other Gods, the Furies, nay sometimes
Men have sent her on a Message. Because
of her swiftness she is painted with Wings,
riding upon her Rainbow: as Ovid says.
Effugit, & remeat per quos, modò venerat, arcus.
By the same Bow she went she soon returns.
It is her Office besides to unloose the Souls
of Women from the Chains of the Body, as
Mercury unlooses the Mens. We have an ex∣ample
of this in Dido, who laid violent Hands
on her self; for when she was almost dead.
Tum Iuno omnipotens longum miserata dolorem
Difficilesque obitus, Irim demisit Olympo,
Quae luctantem animam, nexosque resolveretartus.
Ergo Iris croceis per coelum roscida pennis,
Mille trahens varios adverso sole colores,
Devolat, & supra caput astitit. Hunc ego Diti
Sacrum jussa fero, teque isto corpore solvo:
Sic ait, & dextrâ crinem secat, omnis & unâ
Dilapsus calor, atque in ventos vita recessis.
But Juno, who her Misery bemoan'd,
And lingring Death, sent Iris from the Pole,
To loose Lifes Bonds, and free her strugling Soul••
Since neither Death deserv'd, nor Doom of Fates,
But sudden rage her Time anticipates;
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Nor Proserpine her Golden Hair did take,
Dooming her Head down to the Stygian Lake.
From Heaven then dewy Rose wing'd Iris flew,
And with Sun-Beams a thousand Colors drew:
When hovering near, I bear this second Charge
To Pluto's Court, and thee from Flesh inlarge.
With her Right Hand, thus saying she cuts her Hair,
And vital Breath mix'd with Aetherial Air.
But herein Iris differs from Mercury; for
whereas he is sent both from Heaven and
from Hell, she is sent from Heaven only. He
oftentimes was employed in Messages of Peace,
whence he was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Peace-maker:
But Iris always was sent to promote Strife and
Dissention: so that Servius says, she was called
Iris, quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. Contention, the Goddess of
Discord: tho others rather think that she is
called so, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to speak.
SECT. I.
The Children of JUNO. Her Disposition.
P.
WHAT Children had Iuno by Iu∣piter?
M. Vulcan, Mars, and Hebe.
Altho some
write that Hebe was the Child of Iuno alone,
in this manner; Before Iuno had any Chil∣dren:
she eat some wild Lettices, set before
her at a Feast in Iupiters House, being on sud∣dain
Bigbellyed she brought forth Hebe: who
for her extraordinary Beauty was by Iupiter
made Goddess of Youth: and had the office of
Cupbearer to Iupiter given her. But when by an
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unlucky unhappy fall she made all the Guests
laugh: Iupiter was enraged, and turned her
out from her Office, and put Ganimede in her
stead.
P.
Which was Iuno's most notorious fault.
M. Iealousie:
I will give one or two of the
many instances of it. Iupiter loved Iö the
Daughter of Inachus: and enjoy'd her. When
Iuno observed Iupiter to be absent from Hea∣ven,
she justly suspected that the pursuit of his
Amours was the cause of his absence. There∣fore
she immediately flew down to the Earth
after him, and luckily found the very place
where Iupiter and Iö entertain'd themselves
in private. As soon as Iupiter perceived her
coming, fearing a Chiding: he turned the
young Lady into a white Cow. Iuno seeing
the Cow, asked, whose she was, and from
what Bull she came. Says Iupiter, she was
born of a sudden out of the Earth. The cun∣ning
Goddess suspecting the Matter, desired
the Cow, which Iupiter could not refuse,
lest he should encrease her Suspition. So Iuno
taking the Cow.
—Servandum tradidit Argo
Centum luminibus cinctum caput Argos habebat,
Inde suis vicibus, capiebant bina quietem:
Caetera servabat, atque in statione manebant.
Constiterat quocunque laco, spectabat ab Iö,
Ante oculos Iö, quamvis aversus, habebat.
—The Goddess then to Argus streight convey'd
Her gift, and him the watchful Keeper made.
Argus's Head an hundred eyes possest,
And only two at once declined to rest:
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The others watch'd and in a constant round,
Refreshment in alternate courses found.
Where'r he turn'd he always Iö viewd',
Iö he saw tho she behind him stood.
Besides her troublesom confinement; she
was forced to eat insipid Leaves and bitter
Herbs: Which hardship Iupiter could not
endure to see. Wherefore he sent Mercury
to Argus, to set Iö free. Mercury under the
disguise of a Shepherd came to Argus, and
with the Musick of his Pipe lulled him asleep:
and then cut off his Head.
—Centumque oculos nox occupat una,
Excipit hos, volucrisque suae Saturnia pennis
Collocat, & gemina caudam stellantibus implet.
There Argus lies; and all that wondrous Light
Which gave his hundred Eyes their useful sight
Lies buried now in one Eternal Night.
But Juno that she might his Eyes retain.
Soon fix'd them in her gaudy Peacocks Train.
For Iuno hereupon turned Argus into a Pea∣cock,
and scattered his hundred Eyes about
the Tail of that Bird. And she committed Iö
to the Furies to be tormented. And being
driven into Aegypt she prayed to Iupiter to be
restored to her pristin Form, and her Request
granted, she thenceforth took the Name of
Isis, the Goddess of the Aegyptians, and was
worshipped with Divine Honour.
Iuno gave another clear mark of her Jea∣lousie.
For when her Anger against Iupiter
was so violent, that nothing could pacifie her;
King Cithaeron advised Iupiter to pretend that
he was about to take another Wife. The Con∣trivance
Page 102
pleased him, wherefore he takes an
Oaken Image dressed very fine, and puts it
into a Chariot: and declares publickly, that
he was about to marry Plataea the Daughter of
Aesopus. The Report spread, and came to
Iuno's Ears: who immediately running thither,
fell furiously upon the Image, and tore all the
Cloaths, till she discovered the Jest: and
laughing very much, she was reconciled to
her Husband: and from the King Cithaeron,
the Adviser of the Artifice, she was afterwards
called Citheronia. The rest of the most consi∣derable
of her Names, follow:
SECT. II.
Names of JUNO.
ANthia, i. e. Florida, Flowry, Pausanias
mentions her Temple.
Argiva from the People Argivi, amongst
whom the Sacrifices, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 were celebrated
to her Honor; in which an Hecatomb, that
is, an Hundred Oxen were sacrificed to her;
They made her Image of Gold and Ivory;
holding a Pomegranate in one Hand, and
a Scepter in the other: upon the top of which
stood a Cuckow; because Iupiter changed
himself into that Bird, when he loved
her.
Bunaea, from Buno the Son of Mercury, who
built a Temple to this Goddess at Corinth.
Calendaris (from the old Word Calo, to
call,) for she was called upon by the Priests
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upon the first days of every Month: which
Days are thence called Calendae.
Caprotina. Her Festival was observed by Maid-servants,
upon the Nones of Iuly, which on the
same day with several Free Women, sacrificed
to Iuno under a Wild Fig-tree (Caprificus) in
memory of that extraordinary Virtue, which
guided the Maid-Servants of Rome to those
Counsels, which did preserve the Honour of
the Roman Name. For after the City was taken
and the Gallick tumults quieted; the Borderers
having an oportunity almost to oppress the
Romans who had already suffered so much.
They sent an Herald to tell the Romans,
that if they desired to save the remainder of
their City from Ruin, they must send all their
Wives and Daughters. The Senate being
strangely distracted hereat: a Maid-servant,
whose name was Philotis or Iutela, telling her
design to the Senate; took with her several
other Maid-servants, dressed them like Mistres∣ses
of Families and like Virgins, and went with
them to the Enemy. Livy the Dictator dis∣persed
them about the Camp; and they inci∣ted
the Men to Drink much, because they
said that was a Festival day: The Wine made
the Souldiers Sleep soundly: whereupon a Sign
being given from a Wild Fig-Tree; the Ro∣mans
came and slew all the Souldiers. The Ro∣mans
were not forgetful of this great Service,
for they made all these Maid-servants Free•• and
gave them Portions out of the Publick Trea∣sury:
they ordered that the Day should be
called Nonae Caprotinae, from that Wild Fig-Tree
Page 104
from whence they had the sign: and
they ordered an anniversary Sacrifice, to
Iuno Caprotina, to be celebrated under a Wild
Fig-Tree, the Juice of which was mix'd with
the Sacrifices in memory of this Action.
Curis or Curitis, from her Spear, called Curis
in the Language of the old Sabines. The Matrons
were understood to be under her Guardianship.
Whence, says Plutarch, the Spear is sacred to
her, and many of her Statues lean upon Spears,
and she her self is called Quiritus and Curitis.
Hence springs the custom that the Bride combs
her Hair with hasta celibari, a Spear taken out
of the body of a dead Gladiator.
Cinxia, from Cingulum the Girdle, which the
Bride wore when about to Marry; for this
Girdle was unloosed with Iuno's good leave,
who was thought the Patroness of Marriages.
Domiduca and Interduca, à ducenda uxore in
domum maritis, from bringing home the Bride to
her Husband's House.
Egeria, quòd eam partui egerendo opitulari cre∣derent:
because she assisted, as they believed, to
the Facility of the Birth.
Februalis, Februata, Februa, or Februla, be∣cause
they sacrificed to her in the Month of
February. Her Festival was celebrated upon
the same Day with the Lupercalia, when the
Luperci, the Priests of Pan, the God of Shepherds,
running naked through the City, and striking
the Hands and Bellies of Breeding Women
with Iuno's Cloak, that is, the Skin of a Goat,
februabant eas, purified them: and they thought
that this ceremony caused to the Women Fruit∣fulness,
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and easie Labors. All sorts of purga∣tions
in any Sacrifice were called Februa: And
the Animals sacrificed to Iuno were a white
Cow, a Swine, and a Sheep. The Goose also
and the Peacock were sacred to her.
Fluonia, quòd fluoribus menstruis adest: be∣cause
she assisted them in their Courses.
Hoplosmia, that is, armed compleatly, she
was Worshipped at Elis: and from hence Iu∣piter
is called Hoplosmius.
Iuga, and in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from jugum and
conjugium, because she is the Goddess of Mar∣riages.
A street in Rome where her Altar
stood was called Iugarius from thence. And
anciently People used to enter into the Iugum,
the Yoke of Marriage at the Altar: she is also
by some called Socigena, quod nubentes associet.
Lacinia, from the Temple Lacinium, built
and dedicated to her by Lacinius.
Lucina and Lucelia is either à luco, the Grove,
in which she had a Temple; or from luce, the
Light of this World, into which Infants are
brought by her. Ovid comprises both these
Significations of Lucina in a Distich.
Gratia Lucinae: dedit haec tibi nomina Lucus,
Vel quia principium, tu Dea, lucis habes.
Lucina, hail, so nam'd from thy own Grove,
Or from the Light thou giv'st us from above.
Moneta, either because she gives wholesome
Counsel (Salutaria monita) to those who
consult her, or because she was believed to be
the Goddess of Money.
Nuptialis, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, And when they Sacri∣ficed
to her under this Name, they took the
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Gall out of the Victims, and cast it behind the
Altar: to signifie, that there ought to be no
Gall or Anger betwixt those who are married
together.
Opigena, because she gives help (opem) to
Women in labour.
Parthenos; or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Virgin or Virginity.
Pausanias tells us that she was called so from
hence. There was a Fountain amongst the
Argivi, called Canathus; where Iuno washing
herself every year, was thought to recover her
Virginity anew.
Perfecta, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, for Marriage is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
and married people 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, when therefore she
married Iupiter, she became 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is
perfecta and adulta.
Populona or Populonia, because people pray
to her, or because they are procreated from
marriage, of which she is Goddess.
And for the same Reason she was called
Pronuba: neither indeed were any marriages
lawful, unless Iuno was first called upon.
Regina, Queen, thus she calls her self, in
Virgil, Aen. 1.
Ast ego, quae Divûm, in coelo Regina, Iovisque
Et Soror, & Conjux.
Whilst I, Heaven's Queen, Sister and Wife to Jove.
Sospita, à sospitando: because all the Wo∣men
were supposed to be under her Safe-guard:
every one of which had a Iuno, as every Man
had a Genius.
Unxia was another, ah unguendo: for the
Posts of the Door were anointed; where a new
married Couple lived, whence the Wife was
called Uxor, quasi Unxor.
Page 107
SECT. III.
The Signification of the Fable. JUNO the Air.
IF we heed Varro's account, by Iuno was
signified the Earth, and by Iupiter the
Heavens: by the Marriage of which two, that
is, by the Commixtion of the Influences of the
Heavens with the Vapours of the Earth, all
things almost are generated.
But if we believe the Stoicks, Iuno is the Air:
thus the Greek words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 have an af∣finity
and likeness. Qui interjectus inter coelum
& terram; Iunonis nomine consecratus est, says
Tully; which lying betwixt the Earth and the
Heaven is consecrated by the Name of Juno.
Iuno is called Iupiters Wife, because the Air
being naturally cold is warmed by Iupiter, that
is, by Fire, She is called Aeria, because she is
from the Air it self or rules in the Air. And
hence arises the story that Iuno is bound by
Iupiter with Golden Chains, Iron Anvils
being hung at her feet. Hereby the Ancients
signified, that the Air was naturally more like
Fire, yet it was sometimes mingled with
Earth and Water the heaviest Elements.
I must not omit that every Woman had a
Iuno. as every Man had a Genius: which were
their tutelar or guardian Angels.
Page 108
CHAP. XI.
SECT. I.
MINERVA or PALLAS. Her Image.
P.
THis is a threatning Goddess. She de∣nounces
Terror altogether.
M.
It is Minerva, who derives her Name,
as some think, from Minae, the Threats of her
stern and fierce Look.
P.
But why is she Cloathed with Armour,
rather than with Womens Cloaths; What
means that Headpiece of Gold, and the Crests
that glitter so? To what purpose has she a Gol∣den
Breast-Plate, and a Lance in her Right
Hand, and a terrible Shield in her Left Hand:
on which Shield I see a Grisly Head beset with
Snakes, which she holds? And what means
the Cock and the Owl, that are painted
there?
M.
I will satisfie all your demands. She ought
to be Armed rather than dressed in Womens
Cloaths, because she is the President and Inventress
of War. The Cock is sacred to her, because it is a
fighting Bird, and is often painted sitting upon
her Headpiece; as is the Owl, of which by and
by. But as for that Head looking so formida∣ble
with Snakes, she not only carries upon the
Shield, but sometimes also in the midst of her
Breast: it is the Head of Medusa, one of the
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Page 109
••orgones. Virgil writes thus concerning it.
Aegidaque horrificum, turbatae Palladis arma,
Certatim squammis serpentem, auroque polibat;
Connexosque angues, ipsamque in pectore Divi
Gorgona, desecto vertentem lumina collo.
These angry Pallas dreadful Target mold,
And wrought her Arms with Dragons Scales and
Gold.
This Gorgon's Head with twisted Serpents plies,
Rolling in Deaths Convulsions dying Eyes.
••ut you do not observe, I believe, an Olive
Crown upon the Head of this Goddess.
P.
It escaped my notice. Nor do I yet see,
••hy the Goddess of War should be Crowned
••ith an Olive, which is an Emblem of Peace.
••or I remember I have read in Virgil.
Paciferaeque manu ramum praetendit Olivae.
And in her hand a Branch of peaceful Olive bears.
M.
Now, for that very reason, because it is
••he Emblem of Peace, it ought to be attributed
〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Goddess of War. For War is only made,
••at Peace may follow. Tho there is another
••eason too why she wears the Olive. For she
••rst taught Mankind the use of that Plant:
••hen Cecrops built a new City. Neptune and
Minerva contended about the name of that
City: it was resolved that whichsoever of the
••wo Deities found out the most useful Creature
•• Man, should give the name to the City.
Neptune brought a Horse, and Minerva caused
••n Olive to spring out of the Earth, which was
••dged a more useful Creature for Man than
••he Horse: therefore Minerva named the City,
••nd called it Athenae, after her own Name, in
Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Page 110
SECT. II.
The Birth of MINERVA.
HIstory mentions five Minerva's. We sha••
speak but of that one which was born 〈◊〉〈◊〉
Iupiter, and to whom the rest are referre••
P. But how was she born? M. I will tell yo••
if you do not know; tho it is ridiculous. Whe••
Iupiter saw that his Wife Iuno was Barren••••
thro greif struck his Forehead, and after Thre••
Months brought forth Minerva; from whence
as some say, she was called Tritonia qua••••
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Vulcan was his Midwife, who ope∣ning
his Brain with the Blow of an Hatche••
was amazed, when he saw an armed Virag••
leaping out of the Brain of her Father, instea••
of a tender little naked Girl, as Ovid spea••
of Minerva.
—De capitis fertur sine matre paterni
Vertice, cum clypeo prosiluisse suo:
Out of her Father's Scull, as they report,
Without a Mother, all in Arms, leapt forth.
Some have said, that Iupiter conceived th••••
Daughter, when he had devoured Metis, one o••
his Wives; and with that Me••t he presently
grew big, and brought forth the armed Palla••
They say besides, that it rained Gold in the
Island of Rhodes, when Minerva was born••
Which observation Claudian makes.
Auratos Rhodiis imbres, nascente Minerva,
Induxisse Iovem ferunt.
At Pallas Birth great Jupiter, we're told,
Bestrew'd the Rhodians with a Shower of Gold••
Page 111
SECT. III.
Names of Minerva.
LET us first examin whence the Names
Minerva and Pallas are derived.
Minerva, says Cicero, is derived from hence,
quòd vel minuit, vel minuatur. And it is very
true, being the Goddess of War, she diminishes
the Number of Men, and deprives both Fa∣milies
of their Heads, and Cities of their Mem∣bers.
But it may be derived from Minae, as I
said before; because her Looks threaten Vio∣lence,
and strike the Beholders with Terror.
You may derive it too from monere, her good
Admonitions, because she is the Goddess of Wis∣dom.
She is Wisdom it self in the common
esteem; whence comes the common Proverb,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Sus Minervam; which Proverb is
spoken of Men who would teach those that
are wiser than themselves. And from this
Name of Minerva comes Minerval, or Mi∣nervale,
in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, signifying the Sala∣ry
that is given by the Scholars to the Masters.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in Greek, is by some derived from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to suck or suckle by the Breast; for she
never sucked the Breast; because she was born
out of her Father's Head in full strength, and
was therefore call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Motherless.
Plato thinks she was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, skilful in Divine Affairs.
Others from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to be enslaved, be∣cause
no Philosopher or Student in Wisdom is
Page 112
obnoxious to Servitude; according to the Sen∣tence
of the Stoicks in Tully, Liberum esse ne∣minem,
nisi sapientem. The Philosopher, or the
wise Man, is the only Free-Man.
Pallas is derived from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Bran∣dishing
of her Spear, which Minerva does in
War; or from a certain Giant called Pallas,
which she slew; or from the Lake Pallas where
she was first seen by Men.
Now we pass to her other Names, and be∣cause
a great many of them are insignificant
and useless, I will speak of two or three on∣ly;
after I have first treated of the Palladium.
The Palladium was an Imge of Pallas, pre∣served
in the Castle of the City of Troy; for
while the Castle and Temple of Minerva was
building, they say this Image fell from Hea∣ven
into the Temple, before it was covered
with a Roof. This stirred up every bodies Ad∣miration;
and when Apollo was consulted, he
answered, That the City should be safe so long
as that Image remained within the City.
Therefore when the Grecians besieged Troy,
they found that it was impossible to take the
City, unless the Palladium was taken out of
it. The business was left to Ulysses and Dio∣medes,
who undertook to creep into the City
through the Common-Shores, and bring away
this fatal Image. When they had performed
this, Troy was taken without any difficulty.
Some say, it was not lawful for any Person to
remove the Palladium, or even to look upon it,
Others add, that it was made of Wood, so
that it was a wonder how it could move the
Page 113
Eyes, and shake the Spear. Others on the
contrary, report, that it was made of the Bones
of Pelops, and sold to the Trojans by the Scy∣thians:
That Aeneas recovered it, after it had
been taken by the Greeks, from Diomedes, and
carried it with him into Italy, where it was
laid up in the Temple of Vesta, as a Pledg of
the Stability of the Roman Empire, as it had
been before a Token of the Security of Troy.
And lastly, others write, that there were two
Palladiums; one Diomedes took, and another
Aeneas carried away with him.
Parthenos, i. e. Virgin, and the Temple at
Athens, where she was most religiously wor∣shipped,
was called Parthenon. For Minerva,
like Vesta and Diana, was a perpetual Virgin,
and such a Lover of Chastity, that the depriv∣ed
Tiresias of the sight of his Eyes, because he
saw her bathing in the Fountain Helicon: But
Tiresias's Mother, by her humble Petitions,
obtained, that since her own Son had lost the
Eyes of his Body, the Sight of his Mind might
be brighter and clearer, by having the Art of
Prophesie. I know that Ovid assigns another
cause of his Blindness; to wit, When Iupiter
and Iuno in a merry Dispute made him Judg,
because when he killed a She Serpent, he was
turned into a Woman, and after seven Years,
when he killed a He Serpent, he was again
turned into a Man; he pronounced for Iu∣piter,
wherefore Iuno deprived him of his sight.
This is another illustrious Instance of the
Chastity of Minerva; When Neptune had en∣joyed
the beautiful Medusa, (whose Hair was
Page 114
Gold) in her Temple, she changed into Snakes
that Hair which had tempted him; and caus∣ed,
that those that looked upon her hereafter,
should be turned into Stones.
Her Name of Tritonia is taken from the Lake
Triton, where she was educated, upon which
Lake thus Lucan writes:
Hanc & Pallas amat, patrio quod vertice nata
Terrarum primam Lybien (nam proxima coelo est,
Ut probat ipse calor) tetigit, stagnique quietâ
Vult••s vidit aquâ, posuitque in margine plantas,
Et se dilectâ Tritonida dixit ab undâ.
This Pallas loves, born of the Brain of Jove,
Who first on Lybia trod: (the heat does prove
This Land next Heaven) she standing by the side,
Her Face within the quiet water spy'd,
And gave her self from the lov'd Pool, a Name,
Tritonia.—
Or from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which word signifies
the Head in the old Boeotian and AEolick Lan∣guage;
because she was born there. Yet be∣fore
we leave the Lake Triton, let me tell you
the Ceremonies that were performed upon the
Banks of it, in Honour of Minerva. A great
Concourse of People out of all the neighbour∣ing
Towns assembled, to see the following
Performance: All the Virgins came in several
Companies, armed with Clubs and Stones;
and a Sign being given, they assaulted each
other; she who was first killed, was not e∣steemed
a Virgin, and therefore her Body
was disgracefully thrown into the Lake; but
she, who received the most and the deepest
Wounds, and did not give over, was carried
Page 115
home in Triumph in a Chariot, attended with
the Acclamations and Praises of the whole
Company.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Operaria, Workwoman; she was
thus called by the Samians, her Worshippers;
because she invented divers Arts, especially
the Art of Spinning, as the Poet teaches us;
—No•• illa colo, calathisque Minervae
Foemineas assueta manus.
To Pallas Arts her Hands were never train'd.
The Distaff is sometimes called Minerva, be∣cause
she invented it; as in Virgil. Aen. 8.
Cui tolerare colo vitam tenuique Minerva.
By th' Spinsters Trade she gets her Livelyhood.
Although Minerva so much excelled all others
in spinning; yet Arachne, a young Lady of
Lydia, very skilful at spinning, challenged
Minerva in this Art; but she was ruined by it;
for the Goddess tore her Work, and with a
Spoke of the Wheel struck her Forehead.
—Frontem percussit Arachnes,
Non tulit infelix, laqueoque animosa ligavit
Guttura, pendentem Pallas miserata levavit,
At{que}ita, Vive quidem, pende tamen improba, dixit.
Arachne thrice upon the Forehead smote;
Whose great Heart brooks it not; about her Throat
A Rope she ties; remorseful Pallas staid
Her falling Weight. Live, wretch, yet hang,
she said.
And afterwards turned her into a Spider.
—Et antiqu••s exercet Aranea telas.
And now a Spider turn'd, she still spins on.
The Art of Building, especially of Castles,
was Minerva's Invention; and therefore she was
believed to preside over them.
Page 116
She is called Musica; because, says Pliny,
Dracones in ejus Gorgone ad ictus citharae tin∣nitu
resonabant. The Dragons about her Gorgon-Head
tingled at the noise of a Harp. But more
especially because she first found out the Use
of the Pipe; but when she plaid with her Pipe
by a River side, and saw her Face in the Wa∣ter,
swell'd and deform'd by blowing, she
threw it away, saying,
I procul hinc, duxit, non est mihi tibia tanti,
Ut vidit vultus, Pallas in amne suos.
Away, thou art not so much worth, she cry'd,
Dear Pipe; when she her Face i'th' stream espy'd.
Glaucopis, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, an Owl; for her Eyes,
like the Eyes of an Owl, were grey or sky-colour'd,
that is, of a green colour mixed with
white. Others think that she was not call'd
so from the Colour of her Eyes, but from the
Terror and Formidableness of her Mien; for
which reason Lions and Dragons are also cal∣led
Glauci and Caesii.
Pylotis, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Gate; for as Mars his
Image was set up in the Suburbs, so her Ef∣figies
or Picture was placed on the City Gates
or Doors of Houses: whereby they signified,
that we ought to use our Weapons abroad to
keep the Enemy from entring our Towns;
but in the Town we must use the Assistance
of Minerva, not of Mars; that is, the State
ought to be governed at home by Prudence,
Counsel, and Law.
Page 117
SECT. IV.
The Signification of the Fable. Pallas, the Symbol
of Wisdom and Chastity.
BY this Story of Minerva, the Poets in∣tended
to represent Wisdom; that is, true
and skilful Knowledge joyn'd with discreet and
prudent Practice. They hereby signifyed also,
the understanding of the noblest Arts, and the
Accomplishments of the Mind, the Virtues,
and especially Chastity. Nor indeed without
reason; for
1. Minerva is said to be born out of Iupiter's
Brain; because the Wit and Ingenuity of Man
did not invent the useful Sciences, which for
the Use of Man were derived from the Brain
of Iupiter; that is, from the inexhausted Foun∣tain
of the Divine Wisdom, from whence, not
only the Arts and Sciences, but the Blessings
of Wisdom and Virtue also proceed.
2. Pallas was born armed; because, a wise
Man's Soul being fortified with Wisdom and
Virtue is invincible. He is prepar'd and arm'd
against Fortune: In Dangers he is intrepid;
••n Crosses unbroken; in Calamities impreg∣nable.
Quemadmodum enim non colliquescit Iu∣piter,
dum simulacrum ejus liquefit, as Seneca
said; Though the Image of Jupiter sweats in ill
weather, yet as Jupiter himself is dry and uncon∣cerned
with it; so a wise Man's Mind is har∣••ened
against all the Assaults that Fortune can
make upon his Body.
Page 118
3. Minerva is a Virgin, as all the Muses are;
and accordingly the sight of God is promised
to pure and undefiled Eyes; for even the
Heathens thought that chast Eyes could see
God; and Wisdom and Modesty has often
appear'd in the Visions of Holy Men, in the
form and habit of Virgins.
4. Minerva has a stern Look, and a frow∣ard
Countenance; because, a wise and modest
Mind gains not its Reputation and Esteem
from outward Beauty and Finery, but from
inward Honour and Virtue; for Wisdom and
plain Modesty, though clothed with Rags,
yet sends forth a glorious shining Lustre; she
has as much Beauty in tattered Garments, as
when she is clothed with Purple; and has as
much Majesty when she sits on a Dunghil, as
when she is placed on a Throne; she is as
beautiful and charming when joyned to the
Infirmities and Decays of old Age, as when
she is united to the Vigour and Comeliness of
Youth.
5. She invented and exercised the Art of
Spinning. From hence other Virgins may learn,
if they would preserve their Chastity, to em∣ploy
themselves continually in some Work,
and never to indulge Idleness; after the Ex∣ample
of Lucretia, a noble Roman Lady, who
was found late at Night spinning amongst the
Maids, working, and sitting in the middle of
the House, when the young Gentlemen came
thither from the King. Livy.
6. As the Spindle and the Distaff were the
Invention of Minerva, so they are the Arms
Page 119
of every virtuous Woman. Provided with these
she will despise the Enemy of her Honour,
and drive away Cupid from her with the great∣est
ease: For which Reason, those Instru∣ments
were formerly carryed before the Bride,
when she was brought to her Husbands House.
And somewhere it is a Custom, at the Fune∣rals
of Women, to throw the Distaff and Spin∣dle
into the Grave with them.
7. As soon as Tiresias had seen Minerva naked,
he lost his sight; was it for a punishment, or
for a reward? Surely he never saw things so
acutely before; for then he became a Prophet,
knew future things, long before they were
acted. Which is an excellent Precept to us,
That he, who hath once beheld the Beauty
of true Wisdom clearly, may without repining,
lose his bodily sight, and want the view of
corporal things, since he beholds the things
that are to come, and enjoys the contemplati∣on
of eternal heavenly things, which are not
visible to the Eye.
8. An Owl, a Bird seeing in the dark, was
sacred to Minerva, and painted upon her I∣mages,
which is a representation of a wise
Man; who scattering and dispelling the Clouds
of Ignorance and Error, is clear-sighted where
others are stark blind.
9. What can the Palladium mean, an Image
which gave Security to those Cities, in which
it was placed, unless that those Kingdoms
flourish and prosper where Wisdom Counsels.
It is supposed to have fallen down from Hea∣ven,
that we may understand, (what we find
Page 120
confirmed by the Scripture) That every the best
and perfect Gift comes from above, and descends
from the Father of Lights.
To this, I add the Inscription, which was
heretofore to be seen in the Temples of Mi∣nerva,
written in Golden Letters, amongst the
Egyptians. Ego sum, quae sunt, quae erunt, quae
fuerunt. Velum meum revelavit nemo. Quem
ego fructum peperi, Sol est natus. I am what is,
what shall be, what hath been. My Veil hath
been unveiled by none. Whatever Fruit I have
brought forth, there is the Sun born. Which are
Words, as I think, full of Mysteries, and con∣tain
a great deal of Sense. Let every one in∣terpret
them according to this own mind.
CHAP. XII.
SECT. I.
VENUS. Her Image.
M.
TUrn your Eyes now to a sweeter Ob∣ject,
and view that Goddess, on whose
countenance the most refined Charms of the
Graces sit and play. You see a Pleasantness,
a Mirth and Joy in every part of her Face:
you see a thousand pretty Beauties and A∣mours,
sporting wantonly in her snowy Bosom.
Observe with what a becoming pride she holds
up her Head and views her self, where she
finds nothing but Joys and soft Delights. She is
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crown'd with Roses, and cloath'd with a purple
Mantle glittering with Diamonds: by her side
stand two Cupids, and round her are the three
Graces: after follows the lovely beautiful
Adonis, who holds up the Goddess's Train.
Near her stands an empty Ivory Chariot, cu∣riously
wrought in the shape of an Escallop
Shell; which is drawn by Doves, or Swans,
or Swallows, as Venus orders when she rides
in it.
P.
Is that Venus, the Goddess of Love? the
Patroness of Strumpets, the vile promoter of
Impudence and Lust; infamous for so many
Whoredoms, Rapes, and Incests?
M.
Yes, that is Venus: whom in more ho∣nourable
terms Men stile the Goddess of the
Graces, the Author of Finery, Beauty, Neat∣ness,
Delight, and Cheerfulness. But in rea∣lity,
she is, as you say, an impudent, Strumpet,
and the Mistress and President of Obscenity.
P.
Why then is she so beautifully painted?
Why is her Dress so glorious? Why is not her
Chariot rather drawn by Swine, and Dogs,
and Goats, than Swans and Doves, the purest
and chastest of Birds? Infernal Spirits and
black Spirits, are attendants more suitable to
her than the Graces.
M.
What do you say? Blind foolish Men
used formerly to erect Altars and deifie their
Vices, they hallowed the grossest Impurities
with Frankincense, and thought to ascend in∣to
Heaven by the steps of their Iniquities.
But let us not inveigh against the times, but
rather proceed in our Story of Venus.
Page 122
You will in other places see her painted,
sometimes like a young Lady rising from the
Sea, and riding in a Shell: again like a Wo∣man
holding the Shell in her Hand, her Head
being Crowned with Roses: Sometimes her
Picture has a Silver Looking-glass in her Hand,
and on her Feet are Golden Sandals and
Buckles. In the Pictures of the Sicyonian••
she holds Poppy in one Hand and an Apple
in the other: They consecrated to her the
Thighs of all Sacrifices except Swine; for Ve∣nus,
altho' she her self be filthy and unclean,
abominates Swine for their uncleanness, or ra∣ther
because a Boar killed Adonis her Gallant.
At Elis she was painted treading on a Tor∣toise;
shewing thereby that Virgins ought not
to ramble abroad; and that married Women
ought to keep silence and love their own
home, and order their Family. She wore a
Girdle or Belt called Cestus (from which some
derive Incestus, Incest,) in which all kinds of
Pleasures, Delights, and Gratifications were
folded up. Some give her Arrows; and make
Python or Suada, the Goddess of Eloquence, her
Companion.
SECT. II.
The Descent of Venus
THey write, that there were Four Venus's;
born of different Parents. But this Ve∣nus
of whom we speak, was the eminentest
of them, and had the Beauties as well as the
Disgraces of the other commonly ascribed to
her. She sprang from the Froth of the Sea,
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which Froth was made, when they cut off
the Secrets of Coelum, or of his Son Saturn,
and threw them into the Sea. Therefore she
was called in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Spu∣ma;
unless, as others say, it comes from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
to be mad. As soon as she was born, she was
laid like a Pearl, in a Shell instead of a Cradle;
and was driven by Zephyrus upon the Island
Cyprus: where the Horae received her, and took
her into their Bosoms; educated, accomplish∣ed,
and adorned her, and when she came to
Age, carried her to Heaven, and presented
her to the Gods: who being taken with her
Beauty, all desired to marry her: but at last
she was betrothed to Vulcan, and afterwards
married him.
SECT. III.
Names of Venus.
HER Name Venus, says Tully, comes from
veniendo, quòd ad omnes res veniat: All
things are subject to Love. Or, quòd per eam
omnia proveniant, ac progignantur; All things
are produced 〈◊〉〈◊〉 begotten by Love. Or, as o∣thers
say, she is called Venus, quasi venusta, since
she is the Goddess of Beauty: or Venus, quasi
Adventitia. For she was first worshipped by
the Egyptians, and from the Egyptians she was
translated to the Greeks, and from them to the
Romans; who always called all that came
from Greece, Adventitia and Transmarina.
Thus Tully calls the Learning of the Greeks
Transmarinam and Adventitiam. Let us now
proceed to her other Names.
Page 124
Amica Venus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. For so the Athenians
styled her; quòd amicos & amic••s jungeret, be∣cause
she joyns Lovers together. This word is
used both in a good and a bad sense: thus
the Greeks called both Sweethearts and Whores
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from which word the Latin Pullus, sig∣nifies
a Boy whom Men caress.
Armata. Because when the Spartan Wo∣men
••allied out of their Town, besieged by
the Messenians, and beat them; their Husbands
who were ignorant of it, went out to Fight,
and met their Wives returning from the pur∣suit.
The Men believing them Enemies, made
themselves ready to Fight: but the Women
shewed both by Words and by Deeds, that
they were their Wives, (Modesty forbids a
plainer explanation) and for this reason a
Temple was dedicated to Venus Armata.
The Sidonians called her Astarte, or Dea
Syria (which Goddess others think was the
Moon) and worshipped her in the Figure of
a Star.
Apaturia from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, fallo: for neither is
any thing more deceitful than a Lover, no∣thing
more fraudulent than Love. Which flat∣ters
the Eyes, and pleases like Roses in their
finest Colours; but it leaves a Thorn in the
Heart, it torments the Mind, and wounds the
Conscience.
She was called by the Romans Barbata, be∣cause
when the Roman VVomen were so trou∣bled
with a violent Itching, that all their Hair
fell off; they entreated Venus and their Hair
grew again: whereupon they made an Image
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of Venus with a Comb, and gave it a Beard,
that she might have the signs of both Sexes,
and be thought to preside over the Generation
of both. That this thing might be expressed
more plainly; the uppermost part of the I∣mage
represented a Man, and the lower part
a Woman.
Cypris, Cypria, and Cyprogenia, because she
was worshipped in the Island of Cyprus: Cythe∣ris
and Cytherea, from the Island Cythera,
whither she was first carried in the Shell-Fish.
Festus.
There was a Temple at Rome dedicated to
Venus Calva, because when the Galls possessed
that City, Ropes for the Engines were made
with the Womens Hair.
Cluacina, from cluo, to purge: her Image be∣ing
set up in the place, in which the Peace was
concluded betwixt the Romans and Sabines.
Erycina, from the Mountain Eryce, in the
Island of Sicily: upon which Aeneas built a
splendid and famous Temple to her Honour,
because she was his Mother. Horace speaks of
her thus. Od. 2. l. 1.
Sive tu mavis, Erycina ridens,
Quam Iocus circumvolat & Cupid••.
If you, blith Goddess, will our side defend,
Whom Mirth and brisk Desire still attend.
The Epithet Ridens is properly applyed to her
thus. In Homer she is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, amans
risus. For she is said to be born laughing, and
from thence was made the Goddess of Mirth.
••ortensis. Because she looks after the pro∣duction
of Seed and Plants in Gardens. And
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Festus tells us, that the word Venus, is by Nae∣vius
put for Herbs, as Ceres is for Bread, and
Neptunus is for Fish.
Idalia and Acidalia, from the Mountain Ida∣lus,
in the Island Cyprus, and the Fountain
Acidalius in Boeotia. Marina, because she was
born of the Sea (as we said) and begotten of
the Froth of the Waters: which Ausonius hath
elegantly signified in that Verse,
Orta salo, suscepta solo, patre edita coelo.
Heaven gave her life, the Sea a Cradle gave,
And Earths wide Regions her with joy receive.
From hence she is called Aphroditis, and Ana∣dyomene;
that is, emerging out of the Waters,
as Apelles painted her. And Pontia from Pon∣tus.
Hence came the Custom that those who
had escaped any Danger by Water, used to
Sacrifice to Venus. Hence also the Mariners
observed those Solemnities called Aphrodisia,
which Plutarch describes in a Treatise against
Epicurus.
Melanis or Melaenis; nigra, tenebrosa, from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 because of nocturnal Amours, both law∣ful
and unlawful. For omne amoris opus amat
tenebras: the Works of Love do all of them seek
the dark. Whence the Egyptians worshipped
a Venus, called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, tenebrosa, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
a Goddess to be admired in the night, that
is, in Marriage.
Meretrix, because she first taught the Wo∣men
in Cyprus to prostitute themselves for
Mony.
Migonitis, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, misceo, signifies her
Power in the Affairs of Love. And Paris,
Page 127
after he had mix'd Embraces with Helena, de∣dicated
the first Temple Veneri Migonitidi.
Virgil uses the word misceo, speaking of the
Affairs of Love.
—quem Rhea Sacerdos
Furtivo partu, sub luminis edidit auras,
Mixta Deo mulier.
—Him Priestess Rhea bore
Into the lightsome World, for by stoln Ioy,
Mixt with a Deity she got the Boy.
She is called Murcia in Livy and Pliny, qua∣si
Myrtea, because the Myrtle was sacred to
Venus, and her Temple, upon the Aventine
Mountain at Rome, was antiently called Mur∣cus.
Paphia, from the City Paphos in the Island
Cyprus, where they Sacrificed Flowers and
Frankincense to her. Thus Catullus speaks
of her, de coma Beren. l. 2.
Ipsa Paphum sublimis adit, sedesque revisit
Laeta suas, ubi templum illi, centumque Sabaeo
Thure calent arae, sertisque recentibus halant.
She with a stately gate to Paphos goes,
Her antient Seat, her Fane and Altars views,
Of which a hundred stand in rising steams
Of Frankincense, and Flowers fragrant smell.
This Image had not an human shape, but as
Tacitus says, Erat continuus orbis, latiore initio,
tenuem in ambitum, metae modo exurgens; & ra∣tio
in obscuro. Lib. 3. It was from the top to
the bottom an orbicular Figure; a little broad be∣neath,
the circumference but small, and sharpen∣ing
as it went up like a Sugar loaf. The reason
unknown. Lucan observes, that it was usual
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to worship other Gods in con••used shapeless
Figures.
—simulacraque moesta Deorum
Arte carent, caesisque extant informia truncis.
All artless, plain, mishapen Trunks they are,
Their moss and mouldiness procures a Fear.
For certain the Goddess Pessinuntia (of
whom we shall say more, when we speak of
Cybele) was nothing but a shapeless Stone,
which fell down from Heaven, as we find by
Herodian. •• Et Pallas Attica, says Tertulian, &
Ceres farrea sine effigie, rudi palo, & informi lig∣no
prostant. Even ••allas the Athenian Goddess,
and Ceres the God••••ss of Corn, both of them
without any certain Effigies to them, but mere
rugged stakes, and shapeless pieces of Wood, are
things that are bought and sold. And Arnobius
adds, Arabas informem coluisse lapidem; The
Arabians worshipped a Stone without form or
shape of a Deity.
Her Name Verticordi••, quasi corda vertens,
signifies the power of Love to change the
Hearts, and ease the Minds of Men from the
Cares that perplex them. Ovid says thus of
her:
Templa jubet fieri Veneri, quibus ordine factis,
l••de Venus verso nomina corde tenet.
Temples are rais'd to Venus, whence the Name,
From changing minds, of Verticordia came.
And for the same reason Venus is called in
Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Page 129
SECT. IV.
Actions of Venus.
WHat Deeds can you expect from an
impudent and powerful Strumpet, but
those which are full of Lewdness, and Mis∣chief,
and Plagues? It were endless only to
repeat the Names of all those whom she hath
armed to the Ruin of one another; whom
she hath turned into Beasts, by inciting them
to commit such monstrous Wickednesses, as
Modesty will not let me mention.
For who without blushing can hear of the
Story of Nyctimene? who inspired by impure
Lust, and raging with cursed Flames, is said
—Patrium temerasse cubile.
—To have defiled her Fathers bed.
And was therefore changed into an Owl, an
ugly dismal Bird of the Night, who
—Conscia culpae
Conspectum, lucem{que} fugit, tenebris{que} pudorem
Celat, & à cunctis expellitur aere toto.
Still conscious of her shame avoids the Light,
And strives to shroud her guilty head in Night,
Expell'd the winged Quire.
Who does not abhor the Fact of Myrrha,
which was contrived and committed by the
encouragement and the assistance of Venus?
She committed Incest with her own Father,
by the Assistance of Cynaras, her old Nurse
(may such Practices of Old Women receive
their just reward) but her Sin prov'd her ru∣in,
for she was turned into a Tree.
Page 130
Quae quanquam amisit veteres cum corpore sensus
Flet tamen, & tepidae manant ex arbore guttae.
Tho Sense with Shape she lost, still weeping she
Sheds bitter tears which trickle from her Tree.
Why should I mention the Propoetides, the
chief of Strumpets, who denied that Venus
was a Goddess.
—pro quo, sua, Numinis ira,
Corpora, cum forma, primae vulgasse feruntur;
Utque pudor cessit, sanguisque induruit oris
In rigidum, parvo, silicem, discrimine versae.
The first that ever gave themselves for hire
To Prostitution, urg'd by Venus Ire,
Their Looks emboldned, Modesty now gone,
Convert at length to little differing Stone.
Why should I set before you Pygmalion a
Statua••y? who considering the great Incon∣veniences
of Marriage, resolved to live single.
But when he had made a most elegant and
artificial Image of Venus, he fell in love with
his own Workmanship; so that he begged
Venus, that she would turn it into a Woman,
and enliven the Ivory: his wishes were gran∣ted,
and he begot of this Image Paphus.
—de quo tenet insula nomen.
From whom the Island does its Name receive.
Let us a little relate the Stories of Pyramus
and Thisbe, Atalanta and Hippomenes, Paris
and Helena, three Couples of the most unfor∣tunate
Lovers.
Pyramus and Thisbe were both Inhabitants
of the City of Babylon; equals in Beauty, Age,
Conditions and Fortune. They begin to love
from their Cradles. Their Houses were con∣tiguous,
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so that their love proceeded from their
Neighbourhood, encreased by their mutual
Play, and was perfected by their singular
Beauty. This love encreased with their years,
and when they were Marriageable they beg∣ged
their Parents consent; which was refu∣sed,
because of some former Quarrels between
the two Families. And that the Children
might not attempt any thing against their
Parents will, they were not permitted to se••
each other, or to speak together. VVhat
could Pyramus do? or how could Thisbe bea••
this? There was a Partition VVall between
both Houses, in which VVall was a small
Crack never discovered by any of the Ser∣vants.
Ovid. Met. l. 4.
Quid non sentit amor?
—Illam, primi, vidistis, amantes,
Et vocis fecistis iter, tutaeque per illud
Murmure blanditiae minimo transire solebant.
This for so many Ages undescry'd,
(What cannot love find out?) the Lovers spy'd,
By which their whispering voices softly trade,
And Passions amorous Embass••es convey'd.
Their Sighs went through; but Kisses could
not pass: which, when they parted, they
printed on the VVall.
Parti quisque suae non pervenientia contra.
—Their Kisses greet
The senseless Stones with Lips that cannot meet••
But what a fatal rupture in their Hearts did
this small breach in the VVall produce? For
their Love was too great to be confined to
such narrow bounds: the next night there∣fore
Page 132
they resolved to enjoy that Liberty a∣broad
which they could not receive at home,
by escaping into a neighbouring VVood;
where they intended to meet under the shade
of a large Mulberry-Tree, which stood close
to a Fountain. They agree, and Night comes,
Thisbe deceives her Keepers, and escapes the
first, and flies into the VVood; for Love ad∣ded
wings to her. VVhen she came to the
appointed place, a Lioness came fresh from
the slaughter of some Cattel, to drink at the
Fountain,
Depositura sitim vicini fontis in unda.
Thisbe was so frighted that she ran into a Den,
and in her flight her Veil fell from her head;
the Lioness returning from the Fountain,
found the Veil, and tore it with his Jaws,
smeered with the Cattels blood. Afterward
comes Pyramus, and sees the Prints of a wild
Beast's Foot in the Gravel, and by and by
finds the Veil of Thisbe bloody and torn. He
immediately concluded that she was kild and
devoured by the Beast; he presently grew
distracted, and hastned to the appointed Tree,
and when he could not find Thisbe, he threw
himself upon his Sword and died. Thisbe in
the mean time recovered from her Fright,
and came to the Mulberry-Tree; where she
sees when she came near a dead Body lie.
—tremebunda videt pulsare cruentu••
Membra solum.
—Sees his panting Limbs
Strike the stain'd Earth—
She was amazed at the first, and stop'd, and
went back frighted.
Page 133
Sed postquam remorata suos cognovit amores,
But when sh•• saw it was her dearest Love.
She ran into the Embraces of her dying Lo∣ver,
and mingling her Tears with his Blood,
and folding her Arms about him,
Pyrame, clamavit, quis te mihi casus ademit?
Pyrame, responde, tua te charissima Thisbe
Nom••at; exaudi vultusque at••olle jacentes.
Ad nomen Thisbes, oculos in morte gravatos
Pyramus erexit•• visaque recondidit illa.
—Wo's me, she said,
What cursed Fate hath this division made!
O speak my Pyramus! O look on me!
Thy dear, thy desperate Thisbe calls to thee!
At Thisbe's Name he opens his dim Eyes,
And having seen her shuts them up and dies:
And now Thisbe was almost dead with Grief.
She tore her Cheeks, and beat her Breast,
and rent her Hair, and shed a deluge of
Tears upon his cold Face; nor ceased to
mourn, till she perceived her Veil bloody and
torn, in Pyramus's Hand. She then under∣stood
the occasion of his Death: and with
all her Strength, she draws the Sword out of
the Body of her Lover, and strikes it deep
into her own; and falling accidentally on
him, gave him a cold Kiss, and breathed her
last Breath into his Bosom. The Tree was
warmed with the blood of the slain, so that
it became sensible of their Misfortune and
mourn'd. Its Berries, which were before
white, became red with Grief, and blushed
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for the Death of Pyramus: when Thisbe also
died, the Berries became black and dark, as
if they had put on Mourning.
In the next place hear the Story of Ata∣lanta
and Hippomenes. She was the Daughter
of King Schoeneus, or Coeneus. It was doubt∣ful
whether her Beauty or Swiftness in run∣ning
were greatest. When she consulted the
Oracle, whether she should Marry or no, she
received this Answer, that Marriage would
be fatal to her. Hereupon the Virgin hid
her self in the Woods, and liv'd in places re∣mote
from the Conversation of Men. But,
the more she avoided them, they courted her
the more eagerly. Her Disdain inflam'd their
Desires, and her Pride rais'd their Adoration••
At last, when she saw she could not other∣wise
deliver her self from the Importunity of
her Lovers, she made this Agreement with
them.
You court me in vain, says she, he
who beats me at Running shall be my Hus∣band;
but they who•• are beaten by me
shall suffer death: I will be the Victors Prise
but the Vanquisheds Punishment. If these
Conditions please, come, go with me into
the Field.
They went.
Venit ad hanc legem temeraria turba procorum.
All her mad Wooers take the Terms propos'd.
They all strive, and were all beaten, and put
to death according to the Agreement; suffer∣ing
for the fault of their Feet, the loss of
their Heads. Yet the Example of these Gen∣tlemen
did not deter Hippomenes from under∣taking
the Race, He entertain'd Hopes of
Page 135
winning the Victory, because Venus had giv∣en
him three golden Apples, gathered in the
Gardens of the Hesperides; and did advise him
what he should do. Hippomenes briskly set
out and began the Race; and when he saw
that Atalanta overtook him, he threw down
a golden Apple: the beauty of it enticed her,
so that,
Declinat cursus, aurumque volubile tollit.
She greedy of the shining Fruit steps back
To catch the rolling Gold.—
Afterwards he threw down another, and she
stopp'd again to reach it, and again a third;
so that while Atalanta was busied in gather∣ing
them up Hippomenes reach'd the Goal,
and took the Lady as the Price of his Victory.
But how inconstant is Venus? and how base
Ingratitude? Hippomenes being drunk with
Love, gave not due thanks to Venus, but was
forgetful of her Kindness. The Goddess re∣sented
it, and inflam'd them with such strong
impatient Desires, that in their Journey they
dared to satisfie their Passion in a Temple:
for which Sacrilege they were immediately
punished, for they were turned into Lyons.
Lastly, let Paris and Helena now come up∣on
the Stage. Paris was the Son of Priamus,
King of Troy, by Hecuba: his Mother, when
she was big-belly'd, dreamt that she brought
forth a burning Torch: and asking the Oracles
the Interpretation of it, they answer'd, that
it did portend the Burning of Troy, and that
the Fire should be kindled by that Boy that
she had in her Belly. Therefore, as soon as
Page 136
the Child was born, by the Command o••
Priamus, he was expos'd upon the Mountain
Ida; where the Shepherds brought him pri∣vately
up, and nourished him, and call'd him
Paris. When he became a Man, many ex∣cellent
Endowments and good Qualities shi∣ned
in him; and particularly he gave such
great Tokens of singular Prudence and Equity
in deciding Controversies, that when a great
difference arose amongst the Goddesses, they
referr'd it to his Judgment to be determin'd.
The Goddess Discordia was the occasion of
this Contention: for, because all the Gods
and Goddesses were invited, except her self
to the Marriage of Peleus, she was angry, and
resolv'd to revenge the Disgrace: wherefore
when they all met and sat down at the Table,
she came in privately, and threw down upon
the Table an Apple of Gold, on which was
this Inscription, Pulchrior accipiat, or (which
is the same) Detur pulchriori; Let the Fairest
take it. Hereupon arose a Quarrel amongst
the Goddesses; for every one thought her∣self
the handsomest. But at last all the other
Goddesses yielded to the three superior God∣desses,
Iuno, Pallas and Venus: who disputed
so eagerly, that Iupiter himself was not able
to bring them to Agreement. He resolved
therefore to leave the final determination of
it to the Judgment of Paris; so that she
should have the Apple, to whom Paris should
appoint it. The Goddesses consent, and call
for Paris, who did then feed Sheep upon a
Mountain. They tell him the Business; they
Page 137
every one court his Favour with great Promi∣ses.
Iuno promised to reward him with Power;
Pallas with Wisdom; and Venus promis'd him
the most Beautiful Woman in the World. In
short, he observ'd them all very curiously:
but Nature guided him to pronounce Venus
the Fairest, and to assign to her the Apple of
Gold. Nor did Venus break her Promise to
Paris: for in a little time Paris was own'd to
be King Priam's Son; and sail'd into Greece
with a great Fleet, under colour of an Em∣bassy,
to fetch away Helena, the most Beautiful
Virgin in the World; who was betroth'd to
Menelaus, King of Sparta, and liv'd in his
House. When he came Menelaus was absent
from home; and in his absense Paris carried
Helena to Troy: Menelaus demanded her, but
Paris refus'd to send her back; whereupon
that fatal War between the Grecians and Tro∣jans
brake out, in which Troy, the Metropolis
of all Asia, was taken and miserably burnt, in
the Year of the World, 2871. There were
kild 886000 of the Grecians; amongst whom
Achilles their General lost his life by the Trea∣chery
of Paris himself. There were slain
676000 of the Trojans; from the beginning
of the War, to the Betraying the City. (for
it was thought that Aeneas and Antenor be∣tray'd
it) amongst whom Paris himself was
kild by Pyrrhus or Philoctetes; and his Brother
Hector, Patriae Columen, the Pillar of his Country,
was kild by Achilles. And when the City was
taken and burnt, King Priamus, the Father
of Paris and Hector, at once lost all his Chil∣dren,
Page 138
Hecuba his Queen, his Kingdom, and
his Life. Helena, after Paris was kild, mar∣ried
his Brother Deiphobus. Yet she at last be∣tray'd
the Castle to the Grecians, and admit∣ted
Menelaus into her Chamber to kill Deipho∣bus;
whereby, it is said, she was reconciled
to the Favour of Menelaus again. But these
things belong rather to History than to Fable,
to which let us return.
SECT. IV.
Venus's Companions. Cupid, the Graces, A∣donis.
MAny different Parents are ascribed to
the God of Love, Cupid, because there
were many Cupids. Plato says he was born
of Penia, the Goddess of Poverty, and Porus,
the Son of Counsel and Plenty. Hesiod relates
that he was born of Chaos and Terra. Sappho
derives him from Venus and Coelum Alcaeus
says he was the Son of Lite and Zephyrus. Si∣monides
attributes him to Mars and Venus; and
Alcmaeon to Zephyrus and Flora. But whatso∣ever
Parents Cupid had, this is plain, he al∣ways
accompanies Venus, either as a Son or
as a Servant. Cic•• de Nat. Deor.
The Poets speak of two Cupids. One of
which is an ingenious Youth, the Son of Ve∣nus
and Iupiter, a celestial Deity, and often
called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the other an obscene Debauchee,
the Son of Nox and Erebus (Hell and the
Night) a vulgar God, whose Companions
Page 139
are, Drunkenness, Sorrow, Enmity, Conten∣tion,
and such kind of Plagues: one of these
Cupids is called Eros, and the other Anteros.
Both of them are Boys, and naked, and win∣ged,
and blind; and armed with a Bow and
Arrows, and a Torch. They have two Darts
of different Natures; a Golden Dart which
procures Love, and a Leaden Dart which
causes Hatred. Anteros is also the God who
avenges slighted Love.
Altho this be the youngest of all the Gods
in Heaven, yet his Power is so great, that he
is esteemed the strongest of them; for he
subdues them all Without his assistance, his
Mistress Venus is weak and can do nothing, as
she confesses when she accosts him after this
manner. Virg. Aen. 1.
Nate, meae vires, mea magna potentia, solus.
My Son, my strength and power thou art alone.
P.
But wherefore is Cupid naked?
M.
He is naked, because the Lover has
nothing his own, but deprives himself of all
that he has for his Mistress's sake; he can co∣ver
nor conceal any thing from her, of which
Sampson is a witness: for he discovered to his
beloved Mistress, even the Secret on which
his safety did depend; and herein his Under∣standing
was blinded before his Eyes. Ano∣ther
gives the following reason of Cupids Blind∣ness.
Quare nuda Venus? nudi pinguntur amores?
Nuda quibus placeat, nudos dimittat oportet.
Why's Venus naked, and the Loves are so?
Those that like Nakedness should naked go.
Page 140
Cupid is a Boy, because he is void of Judg∣ment;
for violent Love is extravagant and
Madness. And he is blind, because a Lover
does not see the Faults of his beloved Object,
nor considers in his Mind the Mischiefs pro∣ceeding
from that Passion. He is winged,
because nothing flies swifter than Love; for
he that loves to day, will hate to morrow;
and the space of one day does oftimes see
Love and Aversion in their turns reigning in
the same Person: nay Amnon, King David's
Son, both loved and hated the same Woman
in a shorter space of time; for with the great∣est
degree of hatred he turned her out of his
Chamber, whom he just before enticed in
with the highest marks of Love. Lastly, the
Boy is armed with Arrows, because he strikes
afar off.
The Graces, Gratiae, Charites, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Gaudium, were three Sisters, the Daugh∣ters
of Iupiter and Eurynome, or Eunomia; as
Orpheus says: or, as others rather say, the
Daughters of Bacchus and Venus. The first
was called Aglaia, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Gloria, Hilaritas,
venustas; because Kindnesses ought to be per∣formed
freely and generously. The second
Thalia, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, (with an Iota, for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 with
the Diphthong is the Name of a Muse) from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, vireo; because Kindness ought never
to die, but to remain fresh always in the Re∣ceivers
memory. The third Euphrosyne, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
Laetitia; because we ought to be free
and cheerful, as well in doing as in receiving
a Kindness. Hesiod. in Theog.
[illustration]
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page [unnumbered]
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These Sisters were painted naked (or in
transparent and loose Garments) young and
merry, and all Virgins, with hands joyned.
One turned from the Beholder, as if she was
going from him; the two other turned their
Faces, as if they were coming to him: where∣by
we may understand, that when one Kind∣ness
is done, Thanks are twice due; once
when received, and again when it is repaid.
The Graces are naked, because Kindnesses
ought to be done in Sincerity and Candor,
and without Disguise. They are Young, be∣cause
the memory of Kindnesses received
ought never to grow old. They are Virgins,
because Kindness ought to be pure, without
expectation of requital: or because we ought
neither to give or receive a base or immodest
Kindness. Their Hands are joined, because
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, one good turn requires another:
there ought to be a perpetual intercourse of
Kindness and Assistance amongst Friends.
Adonis was the Son of Cynaras, King of
Cyprus, and Myrrha. He was mighty hand∣som,
wherefore Venus took great delight in
him, and loved his Company. When he
Hunted, a Boar struck his Groin with his
Tusks and kild him. Venus bewailed his death
with much sorrow and concern, and changed
his Blood which was shed on the ground into
the Flower Anemone, which ever since has
retained the colour of Blood. And while
she ran to assist him, being led by his dying
Voice, she prickt her Foot with a Thorn,
and the Blood which came from thence made
the Rose red, which was before white.
Page 142
Some add another pleasant Conceit. They
say that Venus and Proserpina contended before
Iupiter which should have Adonis. Iupiter
directed them to Calliope, whom he appointed
Judge of their Quarrel Calliope gave this Sen∣tence:
that Adonis should serve Venus every
year six Months, and Proserpina the other six.
The meaning of which Fable is this: Venus is
the Earth, and her Adonis is the Sea. She
reigns with him six months, attired with beau∣teous
Flowers, and enriched with Fruit and
Corn; the other six months the Sun leaves
us, and goes as it were to live with Proserpina.
Lastly, from Adonis comes the Proverb Ado∣nidis
Horti, which signifies all those things
which are fine and gay, but useless and trifling.
SECT. V.
The Explanation of the Fable. VENUS
Amorousness.
THE Graces, Cupid and Adonis, are Ve∣nus's
Companions, whereby is described,
the ungovernable appetite and inclination to∣wards
Obscenity.
1. She is called the Goddess of Beauty and
Comeliness: for Beauty is the greatest fomenter
of impure Desires. She sitting on a frail cor∣poreal
Throne, subdues the Soul; she by her
Flattery and Enticement steals into the Affe∣ctions
and drives Virtue from thence, and
basely enslaves the whole Man. The Cythe∣••••ans
worshipped Venus armed. Beauty needs
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no Weapons: she who possesses that is suffici∣••ntly
armed. Anacreon ingeniously tell us,
••hat Nature gave Women Beauty, that they
••••ight use it instead of Spears and Shields, and
Conquer with greater speed and force than
••ither Iron or Fire can. Helena, Phryne, and
••nnumerable others, are witnesses of this truth:
One Lady, when she was bound to the Stake
••o be stoned, with the lightning of her Eyes
••••isarmed her Executioners: Another, when
••er Crime was proved, and tho' she had often
offended before, when she tore her Garments
••nd opened her Breast, stopped the Judges
mouth, and when her Beauty pleaded her
Cause, every body acquitted her.
2. Beauteous Venus rides in a Chariot, as it
were to triumph over her subdued Enemies,
whom Love, rather than Force has conquered.
She has her Ambushes, but they are composed
of Pleasure and Enjoyment; she Skirmishes
with Delights, and not with Fire and Bullets;
••he Wounds she gives are bloodless and gentle;
she uses no other Flames than what she kindles
with her Eyes, and draws them which she
shoots from no other Quiver. And if she
••ights thus, it is no wonder if she makes the
Enemy fly to her rather than from her.
3. She wears a Crown because she is always
Victorious. Beauty never wants success: be∣cause
she fights leasurely and Conquers in
time of Peace, and Triumphs with her Eyes:
Thunder is contained in her Silence, and
Lightning in her Looks. She seizes the Breast,
storms the Mind, and takes it captive with
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one Assault, nay with one Look. Beauty
speaks without a Voice, forces us without
Violence; tyes us down without Fetters, en∣chants
us without Witchcraft, and in her to see is to
Overcome, and to be seen is to Tri∣umph.
Augustus refused to see her in Cleopa∣tra,
lest himself should be taken, and the Con∣queror
of the World submit to a Woman.
When therefore she pleaded and made her de∣fence,
he opened his Ears but shut his Eyes.
4. She carries a Looking glass, that the brit∣tleness
of the Glass may remind her of the
frailty of her Beauty. She is crowned with
flowery Garlands, because nothing is
more fading than Beauty, which like a Flower is
blasted by the least breath, and broken by the
least accident, and dies in the smallest mo∣ment.
5. She is born from the Sea, because more
Storms and Tempests afflict the Lover, than
disturb the Sea: Nothing but bitterness is his
portion, so that we may say that amare to
Love, is derived from amarus bitter. This is
certainly true, that the bitterness of the Sea
is sweet, if compared with the bitterness of
Love. But suppose Love has some sweetness,
yet like the Sea from whence Venus sprung,
it is full of tempestuous desires and stormy
disappointments; how many Vessels have
beed shipwreck'd there, how many Goods lost?
What destructions not only of Mens Estates,
but of the Understandings also, have happen∣ed
here? Instances of which, every body who
is not blind has observed.
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6. Consider the Adulteries, Rapes, Incests,
of which Venus is accused, and you will find
whitherward her Beauty tends. Those are
the Precipices, into which that Ignis fatu••s in
her Eyes betrays its Admirers. Tho her Face
appears pure, and cool as the Ice, it creates a
Passion both impure, and hot as Fire. From
that stream of sparkling Fire which comes
from her Eyes, are engendred Clouds of dark
and hellish Impurity, and black mists of Lust.
Thus by a strange contradiction, many are
blinded by others Eyes, and find Tumults rai∣sed
in their breasts from the calm serenity of
anothers looks, grow pale at the redness in
their Cheeks; loose their own Beauty in ad∣miring
the Beauty of others, and grow im∣modest
by loving their Modesty.
P.
How far I prithee will the Fervour and
the flowing Tide of your Wit and Fancy car∣ry
you? The Beauty of this Goddess, I see,
hath raised your Admiration.
M.
My Choler rather. But however you
do well in stopping me. She hath detained
us longer than I expected. Tho' not without
Reason; because she is one of the greatest of
all the Goddesses. The rest are less illustri∣ous,
and will by no means detain us so long.
Page 146
CHAP. XIII.
SECT. I.
LATONA.
LAtona, whom you see standing next to
Venus, was the Daughter of Phoebe, and
Coeus the Titan. She was so beautiful a Lady,
that Iupiter fell in love with her, and deflow∣red
her: when Iuno perceived, that she was
big with Child by him, she cast her out of
Heaven to the Earth; and obliged Terra by
an Oath, not to give her any where a habita∣tion
to bring forth in: and besides, she set the
Serpent Python upon her, to persecute her all
over the World. Iuno however was disap∣pointed
in every thing: for the Island Delos
received Latona; where under a Palm, or an
Olive-Tree, she brought forth Diana: who as
soon as she was born, performed the Office
of a Midwife to her Mother, and brought
Apollo into the world.
P.
But if Terra swore, that she would al∣low
no place to Latona, how could she bring
forth in Delos?
M
Very well. For they say, that that
Island heretofore floated in the Sea, and
was then hid under the Waters, when Terra
took her Oath; but emerged afterwards by
the Order of Neptune, and became fix'd and
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immoveable for Latona's use: from which time
it was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, conspicua, because it was
now visible like other places
P.
But why did the Island Delos emerge for
Latona's use?
M.
That is not strange. For this Island
was Sister to Latona: some say that her name
formerly was Asteria, whom Iupiter loved and
courted, but she was converted into an Island;
but others report, that she was converted into
a Quail, and flew into this Island; which was
therefore, amongst other Names, called Orty∣gia
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Quail. Niobe's Pride and the
Barbarity of the Country-men of Lycia, en∣crease
the Fame of this Goddess.
Niobe was the Daughter of Tantalus, and the
Wife of Amphion, King of Thebes. She was so
blessed with all the gifts of Nature and For∣tune,
her happiness was so great that she could
not bear it: wherefore puffed up with Pride
and full of Self-conceit, she began to despise
Latona, and to esteem her self greater than her,
saying;
Major sum, quam cui possit fortuna nocere.
Multaque ut eripiat, multò mihi plura relinquet.
In quancunque domus adverti lumina partem,
Immensae spectantur opes. Accedit eodem
Digna Deo facies. Huc natas adjice septem,
Et totidem Iuvenes: & mox Generos{que} Nurusq,
Quaerite nunc habeat quam nostra superbia cau∣sam?
My state too great for fortune to bereave:
Tho much she ravish, she much more must leave.
Page 148
Throughout my Court, behold in every place
Infinite Riches! add to this, a Face
Worthy a Goddess. Then, to crown my Ioys,
Seven beauteous Daughters, and as many Boys:
All these by marriage, to be multiply'd.
Behold, have we not reason for our Pride?
For she had brought to her Husband seven
Sons, and as many Daughters, who were all
very ingenious and very handsom. But her mad
Pride deprived her of all the Blessings which
she possessed in a short time, and reduced her
from the Heighth of good Fortune to the low∣est
degree of Misery. For when Latona saw
her self so despised, and her Sacrifices disturb∣ed
by Niobe, she left it to Apollo and Diana to
punish the Injury that was offered to their
Mother. Immediately they two go with their
Quivers well filled with Arrows, to Niobe's
House; where first they kill the Sons, then
the Daughters, and next the Father, in the
sight of Niobe: who by that means
—Orba resedit
Exanimes inter natos, natasque virumque,
Diriguitque malis.
She, by her Husband, Sons, and Daughters, sits
A childless Widow; waxing stiff with woes.
Till at length she was turned into Marble:
which because of this misfortune sheds many
Tears to this day.
The Rusticks of the Country Lycia, in Asia,
did also experience the Anger of Latona, with
their Ruine: for when she wandered in the
Fields, very big with Twins, the heat of the
Weather and the toil of her Journey, brought
Page 149
such a Drought upon her, that she almost
fainted for Thirst. At last she discovered a
Spring in the Bottom of the Valley, she ran to
it with great Joy, and fell on her Knees;
—gelidos potura liquores.
The neighbouring Country-men seeing her,
forbade her, tho she begged of them leave to;
drink in this manner:
Quid prohibetis aquas? usus communis aquarum est
Quas tamen ut detis, supplex peto. Non ego nostros
Abluere hic artus lassataque membra parabam,
Sed relevare sitim. Caret os humore loquentis.
Et fauces arent, vixque est via vocis in illis.
Haustus aquae mihi Nectar erit, vitamque fatebor
Accepisse.
Quem non blanda Deae potuissent verba movere?
Hi tamen orantem perstant prohibere; minasque
Ni procul abscedat, convitiaque insuper addunt;
Nec satis est; ipsos etiam pedibusque manuque
Turbavere lacus: imoque è gurgite mollem
Huc illuc limum, saltu movere maligno.
—Why hinder you, said she,
The use of Water, that to all is free?
The Sun, Air, Water, Nature did not frame
Peculiar; a publick Gift I claim.
Yet humbly I intreat it: not to drench
My weary limbs, but killing thirst to quench.
My tongue wants moisture, and my jaws are dry:
Scarce is there way for speech. For drink I die.
Water to me were Nectar. If I live,
'Tis by your favour:—
With whom would not such gentle words prevail?
But they, persisting to prohibit, rail;
Page 150
The place with threats command her to forsake.
Then with their hands and feet disturb the Lake:
And leaping with malicious motions, move
The troubled mud; which rising, flotes above.
Latona could no longer bear such barbarous
Treatment, wherefore cursing them,
AEternum stagno, dixit, vivatis in isto:
Eveniunt optata Deae.
Ever, said she, may y' in this water dwell.
And as the Goddess wish'd it hap'd.
Immediately they were turn'd into Frogs, and
leapt into the muddy waters.
CHAP. XIV.
SECT. I.
AURORA.
M.
DO you see a stately Goddess drawn
in a Chariot of Gold by White
Horses, who do you think she is?
P.
Is it not Aur••ra, the Daughter of Terra
and Titan, the Sister of the Sun and the Moon,
and the Mother of the Stars and the Winds?
I fancy so, because her Countenance shines
like Gold, and her Fingers are red like Roses:
and Homer describes Aurora after that manner.
M.
Your Observation is very right. It is,
as you say, Aurora: who in Greek is called
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, whence come the words Eous and
Heous: And Aurora, quasi Aurea, because sh••
Page 151
is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the golden Messenger of
the Sun. You have named her Parents right,
yet some say that she was the Daughter of
Hyperion and Thia, or else Pallas: from whom,
amongst the Poets, frequently she is called
Pallantias.
P.
Does History relate nothing done by her?
M.
She carried by force two beautiful young
Men, Cephalus and Tithonus, into Heaven.
Cephalus married Procris the Daughter of the
King of Athens: when Aurora could by no
perswasion move him to violate his Marriage
Vow, she carried him into Heaven, but even
there she could not shake his Constancy.
Therefore she sent him again to his Wife
Procris, disguised in the habit of a Merchan••;
who being desirous to try her Fidelity to her
absent Husband, tempted her with much Court∣ship
and many Presents, to yield to his de∣sires.
And when she almost consented, he
cast off his Disguise and chid his Wife for
her Inconstancy. She was greatly ashamed
and hid her self in the Woods: but afterwards
was reconciled to her Husband, and gave him
a Dart•• which never mis••ed the Mark, which
she had receiv'd from Minoe. When Cephalus had
this Dart, he spent his whole time in Hunting,
and pursuing Wild Beasts. Procris, suspecting
that her Husband loved some Nymphs, went
before and lay hid in a Bush, to discover the
Truth. But when she moved carelesly in the
Bush, her Husband heard the rustling, and
thinking that some Wild Beast was there, he
drew his Bow and shot his Wife with his uner∣ring
Dart. Ovid. Metam. l. 7.
Page 152
Tithonus was the Son of Laomedon, and Bro∣ther
of Priamus: Aurora for his singular Beau∣ty,
carried him to Heaven and married him,
and instead of a Portion, obtained from the
Fates immortality for him; she had Memnon
by him. But she forgot to ask the Fates to
grant him perpetual Youth, so that he became
so old and decrepid, that like an Infant he was
rocked to sleep in a Cradle. Wherefore he
began to be weary of Life, and wish for Death;
and therefore asked Aurora to grant him power
to die. She said that it was not in her power
to grant it; but that she would do what she
could; and therefore turned her Husband into
a Grashopper: which they say moults when it
is old, and grows young again. Ovid. Met. l. 9.
P.
And what became of Memnon?
M.
Memon, their Son, went to Troy to assist
King Priam, where, in a Duel, with Achilles, he
was killed; and in the place where he fell, a
Fountain arose, which every year on the same
day on which he died, sends forth Blood instead
of Water. But as his Body lay upon the Funeral
Pile to be burnt, by his Mother Aurora's inter∣cession
it was changed into a Bird; and many
other Birds of the same kind flew out of the
Pile with him: which were called Memnoniae
from his name; these Birds divided themselves
into two Troops: and furiously fighting with
their Beaks and Claws, with their own Blood
appeased the Ghost of Memnon, from whom
they sprang.
What they report concerning a Statue of
this Memnon, which was made of black Marble,
Page 153
and set up in the Temple of Serapis at Thebes
in Egypt, is almost incredible. They say, that
the Mouth of this Statue, when first touched
by the Rays of the rising Sun, did send forth
a sweet and harmonious sound, as tho' it re∣joyced
when its Mother Aurora came. But
when the Sun did set, it used a low melancho∣ly
Tune, as tho' it lamented his Mothers de∣parture.
And thus I have told you, Paleophilus, all
things which I thought useful, concerning the
Celestial Gods and Goddesses.
P.
How much am I indebted to you for
this, my most kind Friend. But what now?
I think you are going away. Will you not
keep your word? Did you not promise to ex∣plain
all the Images in the fabulous Pantheon?
M.
Never trouble your self: what I under∣take,
I will be sure to perform. But would
you have us stay here all day without our
Dinner? Let us dine, and we will soon return
again to our Business. Come, you shall dine
with me at my House.
P.
Excuse me, Sir, I will not give you that
trouble, I had rather dine in my own Inn.
M.
What do you talk of Trouble? I know
no person, whose Company is more obliging
and grateful. Let us go, I say: you are not
your own Master to day. Obey then.
P.
I do so, I wait upon you.
Page 154
PART II. (Book 2)
CHAP. I.
SECT. I.
Of the Terrestrial Deities. SATURN••
His Image.
P.
NOW certainly, since we have dined
so well, you will speak and I shall
mind better. Come on. Where∣abouts
would you have me look?
M.
Look upon the Wall on the right Hand;
because it would be ill luck to begin from
the left. Upon that Wall, which is the se∣cond
part of the Pantheon, and of our Discourse,
you see the Terrestrial Deities, divided into
two sorts. For some of them inhabit both
the Cities and the Fields indifferently; and
are called in general Dii Terrestres. But the
others live only in the Countries and the
Woods; and are properly called Dii Sylvestres.
We will begin with the first.
Of the Terrestrial Gods (which are so called,
because their Habitation is in the Earth) the
most celebrated are, Saturn, Ianus, Vulcan,
[illustration]
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
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AEolus and Momus. The Terrestrial Goddesses
are Vesta, Cybele, Ceres, the Muses, and Themis;
equal in number to the Celestial Gods and
Goddesses. We will begin with the eldest,
Saturn, whose Image you see there.
P.
Is that decrepid wrinkled old Man
Saturn? with a long Beard, a hoary Head,
his Shoulders are bowed like an Arch, and his
Jaws are hollow and thin; his Eyes full of
Corruption, and his Cheeks sunk; his Nose
flat, his Forehead full of Furrows, his Chin
turning up, his Lips black and blue, his little
Ears flagging, and his Hands crooked; his
right Hand holds a rusty Sickle, and his left
a Serpent biting its own Tail?
SECT. II.
His Family and Actions.
M.
IT is indeed Saturn: the Son of Terra
(or Vesta) and Coelum, Caelus, or Coelius,
••in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; who was the Son of AEther and
Dies, and the Antientest of all the Gods. This
Coelum (according to the Story) married his
own Daughter Vesta, and begat many Children
of her: the most eminent of whose was Saturn;
whose Brothers were the Cyclopes, Oceanus,
Titan, the Centimani, and divers others: and
Sisters, Ceres, Tethys, and Ops or Rhea; (which
he afterwards married.) The Sisters per∣swaded
their Mother Vesta to exclude Titan
or Titanus the eldest Son, and to appoint
Saturn Heir of his Father's Kingdom. When
Page 156
Titan saw the fixed Resolution of his Mother and
Sisters, he would not strive against the Stream,
but voluntarily quitted his Right, and trans∣ferr'd
it upon Saturn, under Condition, that
he should not bring up any Male Children,
that so, after Saturn's Death, the Kingdom
should return to the Children of Titan.
P.
Did Saturn accept that Condition?
M.
He not only accepted, but very sin∣cerely
kept it, whilst he could; for at last his
Design was prevented. For when his Wife
Ops perceived that her Husband devoured all
her Male Children, when she brought forth
the Twins Iupiter and Iuno, she sent only
Iuno to him, but sent Iupiter to be nursed in
Mount Ida by the Curetes, and Corybantes
(Priestesses of Cybele) who by the noise of
the Cymbals and Drums (which they used
in the Sacrifices) might hinder Saturn from
hearing the crys of Iupiter. By the same
Trick she also saved Neptune and Pluto from
her devouring Husband.
P.
Was this Artifice ever discovered to Sa∣turn?
M.
Yes, and he demanded the Boy of Ops.
But Ops lapp'd up a Stone in Swadling Cloaths,
and delivered that to her Husband to be de∣voured
instead of Iupiter, who swallowed it
down in a moment?
P.
What did Titan do, when he saw him∣self
cheated, and the Agreement between him
and Saturn broken.
M.
To revenge the Injury done to him, he
raised Forces, and brought them against Sa∣turn,
Page 157
and made both him and Rhea Prisoners,
and bound them, and shut them up together
in Hell (Tartarus) where they lay, till Iu∣piter
after a few years overcame the Titans,
and set his Father and Mother again at Li∣berty.
P.
I suppose that Saturn remembred this
Kindness, and favoured Iupiter afterwards.
M.
On the contrary, he strove to take a∣way
his Life, because he heard by an Oracle,
that he should be driven out of his Kingdom
by a Son. As in reality he was afterwards.
For Iupiter deposed him from the Throne,
and expelled him the Kingdom, because he
formed Conspiracies against him: Besides this,
when he found Saturn almost Drunk with
Mead, he bound him and gelded him, as Sa∣turn
had gelt his Father Coelum before with
his Sickle.
P.
And whither did Saturn go after he had
lost his Kingdom?
M.
Into Italy; which was heretofore called
Saturnia from him. He lived there with King
Ianus, and that part of Italy, in which he
lay hid, was afterwards called Latium; and
the People Latinus, à latendo; as Ovid observes.
Fast. l. 1.
Inde diu Genti mansit Saturnia nomen:
Dicta fuit Latium terra, latente Deo.
That Country long Saturnia became,
While Latium from his lying hid had Name.
King Ianus made Saturn Partner of his King∣dom,
whereby Saturn reduced the wild People
(who wandered up and down before like
Page 158
Beasts) to civil Society, and joined them to
each other as it were in Chains of Brass, that
is, by the Brass Money which he invented;
and therefore on one side of the Money was
stamped a Ship, because Saturn came thither
in a Ship, and on the other side was stamped
a Ianus Bifrons, says Ovid in Fast. l. 1.
At bona posteritas puppim signavit in aere;
Hospitis adventum testificata Dei.
A Ship by th' following Age was stampt on Coin,
To shew they once a God did entertain.
But altho' the Money was Brass, yet this was
the Golden Age in which Saturn lived, when
(as the Poets, who magnify the happiness of
that Age, would persuade us) the Earth with∣out
the Labour of Plowing and Sowing brought
forth its Fruits, and all things were common
to all; there were no Differences nor Con∣tentions
amongst any, for every thing hap∣pened
according to every Body's mind. This
Virgil hath elegantly described, Aen. l. 8.
Primum ab aethereo venit Saturnus Olympo,
Arma Iovis fugiens, & regnis exul ademptis.
Is genus indocile, ac dispersum montibus abtis
Composuit, legesque dedit, Latiumque vocari
Maluit, his quoniam latuisset tu••us in oris.
Aureaque ut perhibent illo sub rege fruere
Saecula, sic placida populos in pace regebat.
Flying Jove's Anger, Saturn to this Coast
From Heav'n first came, Coelestial Kingdoms lost
He from high Mountains the rude People draws
And taught them both Civility and Laws;
Then Latium stil'd the Country, since it held
H••m safe from all his Enemies conceal'd.
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That was the Golden Age in which he reign'd,
Because in Peace his Kingdoms were maintain'd.
Ovid says of the same Age (Amor. l. 3.)
Signabat nullo limite fossor humum.
The Delver made nor mound nor balk.
Which Virgil hath expressed almost in the same
words: 1. Georg.
Nec signare quidem aut partiri limite campum
Fas erat.
Around the Earth the Land-marks then to fix
Was held a Crime.
SECT. III.
Name of Saturn.
MAny derive the Name Saturn or Saturnus
(as they pronounced it antiently.)
1. From Satu, Sowing; as Portunus is derived
from Portu; and Neptunus, from Nuptu; be∣cause
he first taught the Art of Sowing and
Tilling the Ground in Italy; and therefore he
was esteemed the God of Husbandry, and cal∣led
by the Romans, Stercutius, because he first
fatned the Earth with Dung. He is there∣fore
painted with a Sickle, with which the
Meadows are mowed, and the Corn is cut
dow. This Sickle, called in Greek Drepanon,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 was thrown into a City of Sicily thence
called Drepanum (now Trapano.) But some
say that this City was named from that Sickle
which Ceres had from Vulcan, and gave the
Titans when she taught them to mow. But
others say, the Town had its Name, because
Page 160
it was crooked and hollow like a Sickle. In
deed Sicily is so fruitful in Corn and Pasture
that the Poets justly imagined that the Sickle
was kept there.
2. Again Saturnus is derived à Saturnand••
quasi saturet populos annona, as tho' he fills the
Bellies of the People with Provision; as hi••
Wife was called Ops, quod esurientibus opem fe∣rat,
because she helps the hungry. Or, quòd ips••
saturetur annis, quos devorat, that he is satisfied
with the years that he devours; for Saturn and
Time are the same.
3. Or thirdly, Saturnus quasi Sator 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, men∣tis
sator, because he creates Sense and Under∣standing
in the Minds of Men, and perfect••
them with Precepts and Prudence.
SECT. IV.
The Sacrifices and Festivals, Saturnalia.
MEN only were sacrificed to Saturn, be∣cause
he delighted, as they thought,
with human Blood: Wherefore the Gladiators
were placed under his Protection, and fought
at his Feasts. The Romans esteemed him an
infernal God, as Plutarch says, because the
Planet Saturn is malignant and hurtful; yet
he is commonly reckoned a Terrestrial God••
Those who sacrificed to him had their Heads
bare; and his Priests wore Scarlet Garments.
On his Altar were placed Wax Tapers light∣ed,
because by Saturn Men were reduced from
the Darkness of Error into the Light of Truth.
Page 161
The Feasts Saturnalia, in the Greek Lan∣guage
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, were instituted either by Tullus
King of the Romans; or, if we believe Livy,
by Sempronius and Minutius, the Consuls. Till
the time of Iulius Caesar they were dispatched
••n one Day, on the fourteenth of the Ka∣••ends
of Ianuary. But then they began to be
celebrated in three Days, and afterwards in
••our and five, by the Order of Caligula; and
••ome write, that they have lasted seven Days.
Whence the Expression, primis, secundis, tertiis
Saturnalibus comes. And when these Days
were added to the Feast, the first was
••eckoned from the Sixteenth of the Ka∣••ends.
Upon these Festival Days, first the Senate
did not sit. 2. The Schools kept Holy-day.
3. Presents were sent to and fro, amongst
Friends. 4. It was unlawful to proclaim War,
or execute any Offenders. 5. Servants were
allowed to be ••lco••e and merry towards their
Masters; whence Ausonius says,
Aurea nunc revocet Saturni Festa December,
Nunc tibi cum Domino ludere, verna, licet.
Now let December bring Saturn's brave Feast,
When Slaves may freely with their Masters jest.
6. Nay, the Masters waited upon the Servants
who sat at Table, in memory of that Liberty
which all enjoyed in antient Times in Saturn's
reign, when there was no Servitude. 7. Con∣••rary
to the Custom, they washed them as
soon as they arose, as if they were about sit∣ting
down to Table. 8. And lastly, they put
on a certain Festival Garment, called Synthe∣sis,
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like a Cloak of Purple or Scarlet Colour,
and this Gentlemen only wore.
SECT. V.
The Historical Sense of this Fable. Saturn, Noah.
ALtho' it is generally said that Saturn was
Nimrod, the Founder of the Empire
of Babylon; yet I am more inclined to believe
the Opinion of Bochartus, who maintains that
Saturn and Noah were the same. These rea∣sons
which he brings seem persuasive.
1. In the time of Noah, the whole Earth
spoke one Language, as we find in Gen. xi. and
the antient Mythologists say, that the Beasts
understood this Language. And it is said, that
in Saturn's Age, there was but one Language
which was common to Men and Brutes. Plato
in Polit.
2. Noah is called in the Hebrew (in Gen. ix.
20.) Vir terrae, a Man of the Earth, that is,
a Husbandman; according to an usual Phrase of
Scripture, which calls a Soldier, a Man of War;
a strong Man, a Man of the Arms, Vir brachii,
(Iob. xxii. 8.) a Murderer, a Man of Blood;
an Orator, a Man of Words; and a Shepherd,
a Man of Cattel. Now Saturn is justly called
Vir terrae, because he married Tellus; whose
other Names were Rhea and Ops.
3. As Noah was the first Planter of Vine∣yards,
so the Art of cultivating Vines and
Fields, is attributed to Saturn's Invention.
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page 163
4. As Noah was once overcome with Wine,
because perhaps he never experienced the
Strength of it before; so the Saturnals did fre∣quently
drink extreamly, because Saturn pro∣tected
Drunken Men.
5. As Noah cursed his Son Ham, because he
saw his Father's Nakedness with delight. So
Saturn made a Law, that whosoever saw the
Gods naked should be punished.
6. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (says Plato
in Timaeo) Saturn and Rhea his Wife, and those
with them, were born of Oceanus and Thetis.
Thus Noah and all that were with him, were
as it were new born out of the Waters of the
Deluge, by the help of the Ark. And if a
Ship was stamp'd upon the antient Coins, be∣cause
he came into Italy in a Ship. Surely
this Honour belonged rather to Noah, who
in a Ship preserved the Race of Mankind
from utter Destruction.
7. Did Noah foretel the coming of the
Flood? So 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
& fabricandam esse arcam, & in ea cum vo∣lucribus
reptilibus atque jumentis esse navigan∣dum.
Alex. Polyst. ap. Cyril. con. Julian. l. 1.
So did Saturn foretel, That there should be great
quantities of Rain, and an Ark built, in which
Men and Birds and creeping things should all
••ail together.
8. Saturn is said to have devoured all his
Sons, but these three, Iupiter, Neptune and
Pluto. So Noah, the Pastor and Prophet, and
as it were the Father of all Mortals may be
said to have condemned and destroyed all
Page 164
Men, because he foretold that they would
be destroyed in the Flood. For in the Scrip∣ture
Phrase the Prophets are said to do the
things that they foretel shall be done hereafter.
Thus in Ezek. xliii. 2. When I came to destroy
the City; that is, when I came to foretel, that
the City shall be destroyed. But as Saturn had
three Sons left to him not devoured, so had
Noah three, Sem, Cham and Iaphet, who were
not destroyed in the Flood.
These reasons persuade us that Cham is
Iupiter: 1. His Hebrew Name Ham is by
many called Cham, from whence it is plain,
the Egyptians derived 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and the Africans
Ammon or Hammon. 2. Cham was the young∣est
Son of Noah, as Iupiter was of Saturn.
3. Iupiter is feigned to be the Lord of the Hea∣vens;
thus Cham had Africa, which Country
is esteemed nearer the Heavens than other
Countries, because it has the Planets vertical.
4. Iupiter gelded his Father, which Story
seems to be taken from Gen. ix. 22. And Ham
saw the nakeness of his Father, and told: for
whereas vaiagged in the Hebrew Language sig∣nifies
& nunciavit, they might easily read
vaiaggod, which signifies & abscidit, especially
before the Vowels were placed under the Con∣sonants.
Iaphet is the same with Neptune, for as
Neptune had the command of the Sea, so the
Islands and Peninsula•• fell chiefly to Iaphet'••
lot.
But how shall we prove that Sem was Pluto••
What carried him into Hell? Not his Piety
Page 165
and Holiness, by which he excell'd his Bro∣thers
and glorified his own Name. Perhaps,
because he was so holy, and so great an E∣nemy
to Idolatry, the Idolaters hated him
whilst he lived, and endeavoured to blacken
his Memory when he dyed, by sending him
to the Stygian darkness, and ••etting in his
hand the Scepter of Hell.
SECT. VI.
A Philosophical Sense of the Fable. Saturn,
Time.
THat by Saturn is meant Time, is plain
from his Greek Name 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which by
one Letter only is different from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, time.
Thus Saturn is painted devouring his Children
and vomiting them up again; as indeed Time
devours and consumes all things which it hath
produced, which in process of time do revive
again, and are, as it were renew'd.
Or else Days, Months and Years are the
Children of Time, which he constantly de∣vours
and produces anew.
Sometimes he is drawn in the midst, be∣twixt
two young Boys and two Girls: as Time
is surrounded by the different Seasons of the
Year, as Parents are by their Children.
Lastly, as Saturn hath his Sithe, so hath
Time too, with which he moweth down all
things: neither can the hardest Adamant
withstand the Edge thereof.
Page 166
CHAP. II.
SECT. I.
JANUS. His Image.
P.
O Strange! What is this? An Image with
two Faces, and one Head only.
M.
It is so; and by those Faces he sees the
things placed both before and behind him.
It is Ianus the Bifrons Deus; holding a Key
in his Right Hand, and a Rod in the Left.
Beneath his Feet you see Twelve Altars. If
he could lay aside that Rod and Key, per∣haps
according to his custom, he would ex∣press
to you the number Three Hundred with
one hand, and the number Sixty Five by the
other; by the different motion, bending and
weaving his Fingers.
P.
I do not throughly understand your
meaning.
M.
You will presently clearly and per∣fectly
understand both what I say, and what
you see with your Eyes. Stay a little, till I
explain the Four most remarkable Names of
this God: for in so doing, I shall not only
explain this Picture, but also tell you whatev∣er
things are necessary concerning Ianus in
this place.
Page 167
SECT. II.
Names and Actions of Janus.
JAnus (some say) was begotten of Coelum
and Hecate. He is so called quasi eanus ab
eundo: Unde fit, says Tully, ut transitiones perviae
Iani (plurali numero) foresque in liminibus pro∣fanarum
aedium januae dicerentur. From whence
it is, that Thorough passages are called in the
plural number, Jani; and the Gates before the
Door of secular Houses, Januae. A place at
Rome was called Iani, where were three I∣mages
of Ianus, where Usurers and Creditors
always met to pay and receive Money. Tully
means this place when he speaks of some
great Men, ad medium Ianum sedentibus: as
also Horace, when he mentions imum & sum∣mum
Ianum.
As he is drawn Bifrons, with two Faces, so O∣vid
calls him Deus Biceps, the God with two heads.
Iane Biceps, Anni tacite labentis imago,
Solus de superis qui tua terga vides••
Thou double pate the sliding year dost shew,
The only God that his own back can view.
Because so great was his Prudence, that he
saw both the things past, and those which
were future. Or else, because Ianus was
thought to represent the World, that he may
view the two chief Quarters of the World,
the East and the West. He is also described,
quadrifrons, with four Faces, from the Four
Quarters of the World; because he governs
Page 168
them by his Counsel and Authority. Or be∣cause
he is Lord as of the Day, with his two
Faces he observes both the Morning and the
Evening: for thus Horace says,
Matutine pater, seu Iane, libentius audis,
Unde homines operum primos vitaeque labores
Institu••nt.
Old Janus, if you please, grave two fac'd Father,
Or else bright God o'th' morning, chuse you whe∣ther,
Who dates the Lives and Toils of mortal Men.
When Romulus and Tatius, Kings of the
Romans and Sabines made a League, the first
made an Image of Ianus Bifrons, quasi ad du∣orum
populorum imaginem; to be as it were an I∣mage
of their two Nations. Numa afterwards
dedicated a Temple to Ianus Bifrons, which
had double Doors. When Falisci, a City of
Hetruria was taken; inventum est (says Servius)
simulacrum Iani quadrifrontis: there was an I∣mage
of Janus found with four Faces; where∣upon
the Temple of Ianus had four Gates.
But of that Temple, by and by.
Claviger, or Turnkey, and Club-bearer, from
the Rod and the Key in his hands. He held the
Rod, because Rector viarum, the Guardian of
the ways: and the Key for these Reasons.
1. He was the Inventor of Locks, Doors,
and Gates; which are called Ianuae after his
Name: and himself is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Ianitor,
because Doors were under his Protection.
2. He is the Ianitor of the Year, and of
all the Months: the first of which takes the
Name of Ianuary from him. To Iuno be∣long
Page 169
the Calends of the Months, and she
committed them to his care; wherefore he is
called by some Iunonius. Martial speaks in∣geniously
of him thus.
Annorum, nitidique sator pulcherrime mundi,
Gay Founder of the World and of our Years.
For this Reason he had twelve Altars de∣dicated
to him, according to the Number of
the Months: and there were twelve small
Chappels in his Temple. The Consuls were
amongst the Romans, inaugurated in the Tem∣ple
of Ianus, who were from thence said, a∣perire
annum, to open the year. Upon the Ca∣lends
of Ianuary (and, as Macrobius says, on
the Calends of March) a new Laurel was
hung upon the Statue of Ianus, and the old
Laurel taken away; according to Ovid.
Laurea flaminibus, quae toto perstitit anno,
Tollitur, & frondes sunt in honore, novae.
The Laurel that the former Year did grace
T' a fresh and verdant garland yields his place.
Was this done because he was the In∣ventor
of Laurel Garlands? Pliny thought
that this custom was occasioned, because Ia∣nus
rules over the Year: quod Ianus Geminus
•• Numa rege dicatus, digitis ita figuratis, ut tre∣centorum
quinquaginta quinque (some read sex∣••ginta
quinque) dierum nota per significationem
••nni, temporis & aevi, se Deum indicaret: the
Statue of Janus with two Faces of the Dedication
of King Numa, had its Fingers so composed, as
••o signifie the number of Three hundred sixty five
Days: to shew that Janus was a God, by his
knowlege in the year, and Times, and Ages.
Page 170
He had not these Figures described on his
Hand, but had a peculiar way of numbring
them, by bending, stretching or mixing his
Fingers; of which Numeration many are the
Opinions of Authors.
3. He holds a Key in his Hand, because
he is as it were the Door, through which the
Prayers of Mankind have access to the Gods.
For in all the Sacrifices, Prayers were first
offered up to Ianus. Accordingly Ianus him∣self
in Ovid (Fast. lib. 1.) gives this Answer
to one that asks him the Question,
Cur quamvis aliorum numina placem,
Iane, tibi primum, thura merumque fero?
Ut possis aditum per me, qui limina tendo,
Ad quoscunque voles, inquit, habere deo••.
Why is't that tho I other Gods adore,
I first must Janus Deity implore?
Because I hold the Door by which access
Is had to any God you would address.
Fest us gives the following reason, why Prayers
were first offered up to him; quod fuerit om∣nium
primus, à quo rerum omnium factum puta∣bant
initium: ideo ei supplicabant velut parenti:
because they thought, that all things took their be∣ginning
from him; and so they supplicated him in
the quality of a common Father. For tho the Name
Father is given to all the Gods, yet Ianus was
more especially called Pater. He first insti∣tuted
Altars, Temples, and other Religious
Rites: Proptereaque in omni sacrificio perpetua ei
praefatio praemittitur farque illi & vinum primo
praelibatur: And for that Reason amongst the rest
(says one) in every Sacrifice there was a Pre∣face
Page 171
premised, and Wine and Bread Corn offer'd
to him before any other Deity. Frankincense
was not offered him, tho Ovid mentions it in
the Verse related above: which either he says
per licentiam poeticam, or else he speaks of the
times then present: for, as Pliny writes, Ilia∣cis
temporibus, thure non supplicatum: They did
not sacrifice with Frankincense in the times of the
Trojans. Neither does Homer in the least
mention Frankincense, in any place where he
speaks concerning Sacrifices, which so exact
an Author would never have omitted, if it
had been in use. Neither do I find a Greek
word that properly signifies Thus; for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, signifies not only Thus, but any odori∣ferous
Smell. Patulcius and Clausius, or Patu∣lacius
and Clusius; from patendo or patefacien∣do,
and claudendo: for in time of War Ianus's
Temple was open, but was shut in time of
Peace; this Temple was founded by Romulus
and Tatius as I said before. Numa ordained
that it should be opened when the Romans
waged War, but shut when they enjoyed
Peace. It is opened in time of War, because
a Spring of warm Water arose out of the
place where this Temple stands, when Romu∣lus
fought with the Sabines, and forced the E∣nemy
to march away: therefore in War they
opened that Temple, hoping for the same or
the like assistance: or it may be rather, be∣cause
they that go to War ought to think of
Peace, and wish for a quick return into their
native Country.
Page 172
Both these Names of Patulcius and Clusius
are expressed by Ovid in this Distich (in Fast.)
Nomina ridebis, modo namque Patulcius idem,
Et modo sacrifico Clusius ore vocor.
You'll smile, I'm now Patulc or Open call'd
By th' Priest, and then I'm Clusius or Close.
The Ceremony of the Opening of this Temple,
and the Form of the Temple it self, is thus
described by Virgil. Aen. 7. lib.
Sunt geminae belli portae, (sic nomine dicunt)
Religione sacrae, & saevi formidine Martis.
Centum aerei claudunt vectes, aeternaque ferri
Robora; nec custos absistit limine Ianus.
Has ubi certa sedet patribus sententia pugnae,
Ipse Quirinali trabea cinctuque Gabino
Insignis reserat stridentia limina Consul.
Two Gates there be stil'd the two Ports of War,
Sacred to Mars with reverential fear,
Shut with a hundred Iron and Brazen Bands,
There in the Porch bifronted Janus stands;
Here, when the Senate have a War decreed,
The Consul, glorious in his Regal Weed,
And Gabine Robe, doth groaning Gates unbar,
In his own person then proclaims the War. Og.
In another place introduces Iupiter unfold∣ing
the Secrets of the Fates to Venus, and
writes thus concerning the Shutting of the
Temple.
Aspera tum posit is mitescent saecula bellis:
Cana fides & Vesta, Remo cum fratre Quirinus
Iura dabunt: dirae ferro & compagibus arctis
Claudentur Belli portae, furor impius intus
Saeva sedens super arma, & centum vinctus ahenis
Post tergum nodis fremet horridus ore cruento.
Page 173
Then Nations milder grow, and Wars surcease;
Old Faith and Vesta, Romulus in Peace
Shall with his Brother reign, when Steel shall bar
Dire Janus Gates; within sits impious War
On cursed Arms, bound with a thousand Chains,
And horrid, with a bloody Mouth complains. Og.
But it is to be admired, that this Temple of
Ianus in the space of Seven hundred Years
was only shut thrice: the first time by King
Numa; then by the Consuls M. Attilius and
T. Manlius, after the Peace with the Carthagi∣nians;
and lastly by the Emperor Augustus
after the Battel at Actium.
An Explication of the Fable. Janus, the Em∣blem
of Prudence.
WE may see in this Story of Ianus (whom
some call Noah, some Ogyges, some a
Priest, a Philosopher and a Divine; and some
an ancient King of Italy, who was the Foun∣der
of the Town Ianiculum,) in this Fable of
Ianus, we may behold, I say, the representation
of a very prudent person: which Virtue consists,
says Tully, (de Senect.) in praeteritorum memoriâ
& providentiâ futurorum: In the remembrance
of things past, and a foresight of things to come.
The prudent Man ought therefore to have, as
it were, two Faces: that according to his na∣tural
sagacity of Mind, and ripeness of Judg∣ment,
observing both things past and things
future, he may be able to discern the Causes
and the Beginnings, the Progress, and as it
were the forerunning Accidents of all things;
Page 174
that he may be able to draw Likenesses, to
make Comparisons, to observe Consequences,
and perceive Futurities, and by a wise connecti∣on
of Causes and Events, be able to joyn
things present with things to come, and things
future with things past.
The Prudent Person hath the Key of all things:
Nothing is so obscure, that his understanding
cannot comprehend, nothing is so secret and
private, that his consideration and care can't
detect and lay open; nothing is so hard and
intricate, that his quickness and dexterity can∣not
explain and unfold. With this Key he ex∣amines
all the ways of Business, and finds which
are the most proper; he sees the Disposition
of Times, and the Exigences of Occasions:
he removes the Difficulties, and the Barrs that
lie in his way; he publishes as much as is useful:
and conceals closely whatsoever will 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hurtful
to him. With this Key he lays open for himself
a passage into the Friendship of others: he
insinuates himself into the inward Recesses of
their Breasts; he learns their most secret
Counsels, their most reserved Thoughts: he
solves Mysteries, and penetrates things un∣known,
and seeks and finds and views Ob∣jects
the most remote from the common sense
of the World.
Ianus first instituted Altars, Temples, and
Sacrifices. Thus it is a sign of the highest
Prudence and Understanding, to pay due Ho∣nour
to the Almighty, to reverence his Power,
to propagate his Worship, and magnifie his
Glory. And as Men sacrificed first to Ianus
Page 175
•• all Sacrifices because of his exemplary
Holiness and Piety; so by how much the
••ore Worship Men pay to God, by so much
••e more Honour shall they receive both from
God and Men, as the Precepts and Example
•• the holy Scripture do abundantly testifie.
CHAP III.
SECT. I.
VULCAN.
P.
O Heavens! I think that I see a Black∣smith
amongst the Gods.
M.
Very true; He is both a Smith, and a
God, by ••••me Vulcan. He hath a Shop in
••he Islan•• Lemnos, where he exercises his
Trade; and where, tho he is a God himself,
••e made Iupiter's Thunder, and the Arms of
••he other Gods.
P.
If he was a God, what Misfortune drove
him to the Forge, and tyed him to such a
••asty Employment?
M.
His Deformity, I believe. He was
••orn of Iupiter and Iuno; some say, of Iuno
only; and being contemptible for his Defor∣mity,
he was cast down from Heaven into the
••sland Lemnos (whence he is called Lemnius)
••e broke his Leg with the Fall, and if the
Lemnians had not caught him when he fell,
••e had certainly broke his Neck; ever since
Page 176
he hath been Lame. In requital for their
kindness, he fix'd his Seat amongst them, and
set up the Craft of a Smith; teaching them
the manifold Uses of Fire and Iron: and a
mulcendo ferum, from softening and polishing
Iron, he receiv'd the Name Mulciber or Mulcifer.
But you will wonder when I tell you that
this deformed nasty Smith has married the
beautifulest Goddess Venus •• whom he caught
in Adultery with Mars, and linked them to∣gether
with Chains, and exposed them to the
laughter of all the Gods. He desired migh∣tily
to marry Minerva, and Iupiter consented;
yielding up the Virgin to the Will of this na∣sty
Creature. But she resisted his attempts,
and in the struggle his Nature fell from him
upon the Earth, and produced the Monster
Erichthomiu••, Erichtheus or Erichthonicus, so cal∣led
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, contentione & terra;
which was a Boy, with the Feet of a Dragon,
who first invented Coaches, that he might
hide the deformity of his Feet. Iupiter, (as
I said) consented, that Vulcan should marry
Minerva if he could overcome her Modesty.
For when Vulcan made Arms for the Gods,
Iupiter gave him leave to choose out of the
Goddesses a Wife, and he chose Minerva. But
he admonished Minerva at the same time to
refuse him, and preserve her Virginity; as
she did admirably well.
At Rome were celebrated the Vulcania, a Feast
in Honour of Vulcan; in which they threw
Animals into the Fire to be burnt to death.
The Athenians instituted Feasts called Chalce••.
Page 177
A Temple besides was dedicated to him upon
the Mountain Aetna, from which he is some∣times
named Aethnaeus. This Temple was
guarded by Dogs, whose sense of Smelling was
so exquisite, that they could discern, whether
the persons that came thither were Chaste and
Religious, or whether they were Wicked:
They used to meet, and flatter, and follow
the good, esteeming them the Acquaintants
and Friends of Vulcan, their Master. But they
bark'd, and flew at the bad, and never left
off tearing them, till they had driven them
away.
P.
I have heard, unless I am mistaken, that
this Vulcan, by Iupiter's command, made a
living Woman. Is it true?
M.
It is a Comical thing to expect Truth in
Fables. It is indeed feigned, that the first Wo∣man
was fashioned by the Hammer of Vulcan;
and that every God gave her some Present,
whence she was called Pandora. Pallas gave
her Wisdom, Apollo the Art of Musick, Mer∣cury
the Art of Eloquence, Venus gave her
Beauty, and the rest of the Gods gave her
other Accomplishments. They say also, that
when Promotheus stole Fire from Heaven, to
animate the Man which he had made; Iupi∣ter
was incensed, and sent Pandora to Prome∣theus
with a sealed Box. But Prometheus
would not receive it. He sent her with the
same Box again to the Wife of Epimetheus,
the Brother of Prometheus; and she, out of the
Curiosity natural to her Sex, open'd it, which
as soon as she had done, all sorts of Diseases
Page 178
and Evils, with which it was filled, flew
out amongst Mankind, and have infested
them ever since. And nothing was left in
the bottom of the Box, but Hope. Pausan. in
Attic.
SECT. II.
The Cyclops, Servants to Vulcan.
P.
WHAT black nasty one eyed Fel∣lows
are those.
M.
They are the Cyclops, that serve Vulcan
in his Craft: so called from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Circle;
because they had but one Eye, which was in
the middle of their Foreheads, of a circular
Figure, Neptune and Amphitrite were their Pa∣rents.
Virgil (in Aen. 8.) mentions the names
of three of them.
Ferrum exercebant vasto Cyclopes in antro,
Brontesque, Steropesque, & Nudus membra Py∣racmon.
The following Verses shew these three were
not the only Cyclops, there were many more.
—Alii ventosis follibus auras
Accipiunt redduntque: alii stridentia tingunt
Aera lacu: gemit impositis incudibus antrum,
Illi inter sese multa vi brachia tollunt
In numerum, versantque tenaci forcipe ferrum••
—Others receive
In Bellows breath, as oft them breathless leave;
Those in cold Water dip the hissing Ore:
The hollow Vaults with thundring Anvils rore.
They with huge strength their Arms in order raise,
And turn with Tongs the Mass a thousand ways.
Page 179
SECT. III.
Cacus and Caeculus, Sons of Vulcan, Polyphemus.
CAcus was the vilest of Miscreants, his
name was given him from his wicked∣ness
(for Cacos, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies Malus evil.)
He tormented all Latium with his Fires and
Robberies; living like a Beast, in a dismal
Cave. He stole Hercules's Oxen, and drag∣ged
them backwards by their Tails into this
Cave, that so the track of their Feet might
not discover this Repository of his Thefts. But
Hercules passing by heard the lowing of the
Oxen in the Cave, and there broke into it,
(Virg. Aen. 8)
—Cacum in tenebris incendia vana vomentem
Corripit, in nodum complexus; & angit inhaerens
Elisos oculos, & siccum sanguine guttur.
—He Cacus got,
Belching vain Flames, and wreath'd him in a knot,
Then whirls him round, next down upon him lies,
Grasping his Throat, and squeezing out his Eyes.
Take the Description of the Cave it self from
the same Poet.
Hic spelunca fuit vasto submota recessu
Semihominis Caci; facies quam dira tegebat
Solis inaccessam radiis; semperque recenti
Caede ••epebat humus; foribusque affixa superbis
Ora virum tristi pendebant pallida tabo.
Huic monstro Vulcanus erat pater: illius atros
Ore vomens ignes magna se mole ferebat.
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Upon yon Hill, and Breaches wide as Hell:
There did that horrid Monster Cacus dwell••
He in these vast Recesses his dire Face
Did always hide; the Sun ne'er pierc'd that place,
Steeming with recent Slaughter; on his Door
Pale Heads of Men hung, lothsome in their Gore.
Of the huge Monster, Vulcan was the Sire,
A mighty Giant, breathing Smoke and Fire.
Caeculus also, lived by Pl••nder and Robbery.
He was so called from the smallness of his
Eyes, (it is thought, the noble Family of the
Caecilii at Rome derived their Original from
him.) Whilst his Mother sat by the Fire, a
Spark flew into her Lap: upon which ••he
grew big with Child, and when her Reckoning
was compleated she brought forth this Son;
who was afterwards the Founder of the City
Praeneste. Others say, that the Shepherds found
Caeculus unhurt in the midst of the fire, as
soon as he was born; from whence he was
thought the Son of Vulcan: Virg. Aen. 7.
To these Servants and Sons of Vulcan, add
the Shepherd Polyphemus, a Monster not unlike
them; born of Neptune. For he had but one
Eye in his Forehead like the Cyclops; he got
his living by Murders and Robberies like Cacu••
and Caeculus. This Monster drew Four of
Ulysse's Companions into his Den, in Sicily;
and devoured them. He thought too that
he was certain of the rest. But Ulysses made
him drunk with Wine, and then with a Fire∣brand
quite put out his sight. Virgil Aen. 3.
Visceribus miserorum, & sanguine vescitur atro.
Vidi egomet, duo de numero cum corpora nostro
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Prensa manu magna, medio resupinus in antro.
Frangeret ad saxum: sanieque aspersa natarent
Limina: vidi atro cùm membra fluentia tabo
Manderet, & tepidi tremerent sub dentibus artus.
Haud impunè quidem; nec talia passus Ulysses,
Oblitusve sui est Ithacus discrimine tanto.
Nam simul expletus dapibus, vinoque supultus,
Cervicem inflexam posuit, jacuitque per antrum
Immensum, saniem eructans, ac frustra cruento
Per somnum commixta mero: nos magn•• precati
Numina sortitique vices, una undique circum
Fundimur, & telo lumen terebramus acuto
I••gens; quòd torvd solum sub fronte latebat;
Argolici Clypei, aut Phoebeae lampadis instar.
Cruel his Looks, uncivil are his Words;
Bowels of Men supply his wonted Boards.
I saw when he two of our stoutest Men
Seiz'd in his mighty Hand, and 'midst his Den,
Laid on his Back, against a Pillar brain'd,
And with foul gore the sprinkled Pavement stain'd.
He would devour Mens bloody Quarters raw:
I in his Teeth the warm Flesh trembling saw.
But thus Ulysses took it not, nor yet
His own, nor his Friends Dangers did forget:
For, as he, gorg'd with Wine and Meat, did lie
In his huge Cave asleep, his Neck awry,
Vomiting Gobbets, mix'd with bloody Wine,
We take our Chance, imploring Powers Divine,
And round about beset him every where;
Then pierc'd his Eye with a sharp-pointed Spear.
'Midst his stern Brow the Luminary lay,
Like a Greek Shield, or the great Lamp of Day.
Page 182
SECT. IV.
The Signification of the Fable. Vulcan, a
Symbol of Two Sorts of Fire.
THat by Vulcan is understood Fire, the
Name it self discovers, if we follow
Varro, (who derives Vulcanus from vi ac violen∣tia
ignis, and Vulcanus, quasi Volicanus, quòd ig∣nis
per aerem volitet, because Fire is a violent Ele∣ment,
and flies about the Air.) And therefore
he is painted with a blew Hat, which is a Sym∣bol
of the Celestial or Elementary Fire, which
is by Nature clear, and immix'd; whereas
the Common Fire, that is used in Earth is weak,
and wants continual fuel to support it, and
therefore Vulcan is said to be lame. He is
said to have been cast down from Heaven;
because the Lightning comes from the Clouds;
and to have fallen into Lemnos, because Light∣ning
oft falls in that Island.
But let us a little consider the flames of Love,
for Vulcan married Venus. If you admire,
wherefore so fair, so delicate, so beautiful a
Goddess should be a Wife to so deformed and
black a God, you must suppose, that Vulcan
is the Fire, and Venus the Flame: and is not
the union between Fire and Flame very pro∣per?
But this Fire is kindled in Hell and
blowed by Cyclops. And those who are ad∣dicted
to Venery are set on fire with these
flames: For when a flame kindled by the Eyes
of a beauteous Woman sets the Breast on fire,
Page 183
how violent is the Combustion, how great
the Havock, how certain the Destruction?
Hence comes the Lovers Anguish, Deadness
and Faintness overspread his Face, his Eyes are
dull and heavy, his Cheeks meager and wan,
his Countenance puts on the paleness of
Ashes; which are fatal Arguments of a spread∣ing
Fire within, that consumes and preys upon
the interior parts. But when Impudence has
blown the Coals, so that Modesty can put no
farther stop to the Rage and Violence of this
Flame: When this hellish Offspring breaks
forth, and by degrees gathers strength: good
God! How does it spread, rage, and en∣crease?
With what fury and violence does it
bear down and destroy every thing? By this
Flame Semele was consumed. Hercule's strength
was an easie pray to it; and hereby the strong∣est
Towers, and stateliest Palaces of Troy were
consumed and reduced to Ashes.
Have you given your self up to Venus? She
will make you a Vulcan: she will make you
filthy, nasty, and black as Hell, she will
darken your Understanding, though you are
in the midst of Fire. For the fire of Venus
gives no light, but brings the greatest dark∣ness;
it freezes and stupifies the Soul, while
the Body is thawed and melted in pleasures.
How sad is the fate of an effeminate Man?
His toil and labour is like the work of Vul∣can;
for he who desperately loves a Woman,
takes a burning Iron into his Breast, his House
is a Forge, he labours and toils to soften her
Temper, more than Vulcan sweats to fashion
Page 184
the hardest Steel; he neglects the care of him∣self
to make her fine and handsome: Again
how many Estates are melted in lust's Fur∣nace?
How many Possessions reduced to
Ashes? Till nothing but Dross is left, and
the Nobility and Honour of their Families
disappear and vanish in smoak.
No Fuel can satisfie this Fire; the heat of
it never decreases, it never cools: for Venus
blows it with Sighs, kindles it with Tears, and
foments it with proud Disdain and Coldness.
Her Kindness is Cruelty, her Pride is en∣snaring.
What wonder is it then, that so
many Vulcans, not only in Lemnos but every
where, make Thunder at this Forge, which
will fall on their own Heads; by which they
are cast headlong from Heaven to Earth, that
is from the highest degree of Happiness to the
lowest vale of Misery: from which fall comes
a lameness never to be cured. These are the
effects of the love of Venus. If you will not
believe me, believe the Poet, who in a witty
Epigram says;
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Having Cupid for thy Son, and Venus for thy Wife,
Vulcan, thou well mayst be lame, all thy life.
Page 185
CHAP. IV.
SECT. I.
AEOLUS.
LET us now Blow out the fire with the wind,
and bring up Aeolus after Vulcan. For
Aeolus is next to him; the God of the Winds;
begotten by Iupiter of Acesta or Segesta, the
Daughter of Hippota; from whom he is named
Hippotades. He dwelt in one of those seven
Islands, which from him are called Aeoliae;
and sometimes Vulcaniae. He was a skilful
Astronomer, and an excellent natural Philo∣sopher,
he understood more particularly the
nature of the Winds: And because, from the
Clouds and Smoke of the Aeolian Islands, he
foretold Winds and Tempests a great while
before they arose, it was generally believed
that they were under his power; and that he
could raise the Winds or still them as he
pleased. And from hence he was stiled Em∣peror
and King of the Winds (the Children
of Astraeus and Aurora.)
Virgil describes Iuno coming to him, and
represents his Palace thus.
Nimborum in patriam, loca foeta furentibus Au∣stris,
Aeoliam venit: Hic vasto Rex Aeolus antro
Page 186
Luctantes ventos, tempestatesque sonoras
Imperio premit, ac vinclis & carcere fraenat.
Illi indignantes, magno cum murmure montis
Circum claustra a fremunt: celsa sedet Aeolus arce,
Sceptra tenens, mollitque animos, & temper at iras.
Ni faciat, maria ac terras, coelumque profundum
Quippe ferant rapidi secum, verrantque per auras.
Sed Pater omnipotens speluncis abdidit atris,
Hoc metuens, molemque, & montes in super altos
Imposuit, Regemque dedit, qui foederc certo
Et premere, & laxas sciret dare jussus habenas.
She to the Land of Storms (Aeolia) went,
Coasts big with Tempests, where King Aeolus reigns,
And the rebellious Winds in Prison chains:
But they, disdaining their so close restraint,
Round the dark Dungeon roar with loud complaint,
In a high Tow'r, here Sceptred Aeolus stands,
Calming their fierceness by severe Commands;
Else in their rapid Course they would not spare
Sea, Land, high Heaven, but sweep them through
the Air.
Jove fearing this, them in a Cave immures,
And under weight of mighty Hills secures;
And gave a King, who knows when to restrain,
And when commanded, how to loose the Rein;
Page 187
CHAP. V.
SECT. I.
MOMUS.
P.
WHAT is this man, and what is his
name?
M.
Do you expect a Man among the Gods?
The name of this God is in Greek, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
which signifies a Iester, a Mocker, a Mimick,
for that is his business. He follows no Em∣ployment;
but lives an idle life; but nicely
observes the actions and sayings of the other
Gods, and when he finds them doing amiss,
or neglecting their Duty, he censures, mocks,
and derides them with the greatest liberty.
Neptune, Vulcan, and Minerva, may witness
the truth of this, when they contended which
of them was the most skilful Artificer; where∣upon
Neptune made a Bull, Minerva a House,
and Vulcan a Man; they made Momus judge
between them, but he chid them all three.
He accused Neptune of imprudence, because
he placed not the Bull's Horn in his Forehead
before his Eyes, for then the Bull might give a
stronger and a surer blow. He blamed Mi∣nerva
because her House was immoveable, so
that it could not be carried away if by chance
it was placed among ill Neighbours. But he
said that Vulcan was the most imprudent of
Page 188
them, because he did not make a Window in
the Man's Breast, that we might see what his
thoughts were, whether he designed some
trick, whether he intended what he spoke.
P.
Who were the Parents of Momus?
M.
Nox and Somnus begat him. And in∣deed
it is the sign of a dull drowsie sottish dis∣position,
when we see a Man censuring and
disliking the Actions of all other Men, when
nothing but God is wholly perfect, something
is wanting to every thing, so that every thing
is defective and liable to censure.
CHAP. VI.
SECT. I.
The Terrestrial Goddesses. VESTA.
SHE, whom you see sitting and holding a
Drum, is the Wife of Coelum, and the
Mother of Saturn. She is the eldest of the
Goddesses.
P.
If she is the Wife of Coelum, why is she
placed amongst this Terrestrial Goddesses, and
not amongst the Coelestial rather?
M.
Because this Goddess Vesta is the same
with Terra, and has her name à Vestiendo; quod
plantis frugibusque terra vestiatur; because
Plants and Fruit are the cloathing of the
Earth.
Or according to Ovid the Earth is
Page 189
called Vesta, à vi stando, from supporting it self.
Fast. lib. 6.
Stat vi, Terra, sua, vi stando, Vesta vocatur.
Th' Earth by 'ts own power stands and therefore
Vesta's call'd.
She sits, because the Earth is immoveable,
and is placed in the center of the World.
Vesta has a Drum, because the Earth contains
the boisterous Winds in its Bosom. And di∣vers
Flowers weave themselves into a Crown,
with which Vesta's Head is crowned. Several
kinds of Animals creep about and fawn up∣on
her. Because the Earth is round, Vesta's
Temple at Rome was also round; and some
say that the Image of Vesta her self, was Or∣bicular
in some places, and Ovid says that her
Image was rude and shapeless. Fast. l. 6.
Effigiem nullam, Vesta, nec Ignis habet.
Vesta and Fire bear no shape at all.
And from hence round Tables were anciently
called Vestae,
because, like the Earth, they
supply all necessaries of Life for us. It is no
wonder that the first Oblations in all Sacrifices
were offered to her,
since whatsoever is sacri∣ficed
springs from the Earth. And the Greeks
both began and concluded all their Sacrifices
with Vesta; because they esteemed her the
Mother of all the Gods.
P.
I wish that you would resolve one Doubt
which I still have concerning this Goddess.
How can Vesta be the same with Terra, when
nothing is more frequent amongst Mytholo∣gists,
than to signifie Fire by Vesta.
Page 190
M.
I perceive that I do not deal with a No∣vice:
I will satisfie your doubt. There was
two Vesta's, the elder and the younger. The
first, of whom I have spoken, was the Wife of
Coelum and the Mother of Saturn. The second
was the Daughter of Saturn by his Wife Rhea.
And as the first is the same with Terra, as I
have already described, so the other is the
same with Ignis. Hujus enim, says Tully (de
Natur. Deor. lib. 2.) vis omnis ad aras &
focos pertinet: For the power of this Vesta is al∣together
concerned about Altars and Houses. The
word Vesta is often put for Fire, and is de∣rived
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the Greek,
which signifies
a Chimny,
a House, or Houshold Gods. She
is esteemed the President and Guardian of
Houses, and one of the Houshold Deities,
not without reason: since she invented the Art
of building of Houses; and therefore before
the Doors of the Houses at Rome, (called in
Latin Vestibula from Vesta) was placed an I∣mage
of Vesta, to which they sacrificed every
day.
This Goddess was a Virgin; and so great
an admirer of Virginity, that when Iupiter,
her Brother, gave her liberty of asking what
she would, she asked, that she might always
be a Virgin, and have the first Oblations in all
Sacrifices. Wherein she not only obtained
her desire, but received this further Honour
amongst the Romans; that a perpetual Fire was
kept in her Temple, amongst the sacred
Pledges of the Empire; not upon an Altar, or
in the Chimneys, but in earthen Vessels, hang∣ing
Page 191
in the Air; which the Vestal Virgins ten∣ded
with so much care, that if by chance this
Fire was extinguished, all publick and private
Business was intermitted, and a Vacation pro∣claimed,
till they had expiated the unhappy
prodigy with incredible pains. And if it ap∣peared
that the Virgins were the occasion of
its going out by carelesness, they were severely
punished,
and sometimes with Rods. Upon
the Kalends of March, every Year, though it
was not extinguished, they used to renew it,
not with other Fire, but by the Rays of the
Sun.
Ovid mentions both the Younger and the
Elder Vesta, in lib. 6. Fast.
Vesta eadem est, & Terra: subest vigil Ignis utri{que}
Significant sedem, Terra, Focusque suam.
Vesta and Earth are one, one Fire share,
Which does the Centre of 'em both declare.
SECT. II.
An Explication of the Fable. The Younger Vesta, the Vital Heat in the Body.
FRom hence we may conjecture, that when
the Poets say that Vesta is the same with
Fire, the terrible, scorching, lightning Fire of
Vulcan's Forge, is not understood; nor yet
the impure and dangerous Flames of Venus,
of which we spake above; but a pure, un∣mixt,
benign Flame; so necessary for us, that
Humane Life cannot possibly want it: whose
heat being diffused through all the parts of the
Page 192
Body, quickens, cherishes, refreshes and nou∣rishes
us. A Flame really sacred, heavenly
and divine; repaired daily by the Food which
we eat; on which the safety and welfare of
our Bodies depend. This Flame moves and
actuates the whole Body; and cannot be ex∣tinguished,
but when Life it self dies together
with it. And then comes a lasting Vacation,
and a certain end is put to all our business in
this World. But if by our own fault, it is ex∣tinguished,
we are guilty of our own death
and deserve that our Memory should rot with
our Bodies in the Grave, and that our Name
should be entombed with our Carcasses, which
would be an Affliction no less severe, than was
the Punishment of the guilty Vestal Virgins,
who were buried alive.
CHAP. VII.
SECT. I.
CYBELE. Her Image.
P.
STrange! Here is a Goddess whose Head
is crowned with Towers, what mean••
this? Is she the Goddess of Cities and Gar∣risons?
M.
She is the Goddess not of the Cities
only, but of all things which the Earth sustains.
She is the Earth it self: On the Earth are built
many Towers and Castles, so on her Head is
Page 193
placed a Crown of Towers. In her Hand
she carries a Key, which perhaps you did not
observe, because in Winter the Earth locks
those treasures up, which she brings forth, and
dispenses with so much plenty in the Summer.
She rides in a Chariot, because the Earth
hangs suspended in the Air, balanced and
poised by its own weight. But that Chariot
is supported by Wheels, because the Earth is a
Voluble Body, and turns round: and it is
drawn by Lions, because nothing is so savage
and ungovernable, but a motherly piety and
tenderness is able to tame it, and make it
submit to the Yoak. I need not explain why
her Garments are painted with diverr colours,
and figured with the Images of several Crea∣tures,
since every body sees that such a dress
is suitable to the Earth.
SECT. III.
Names of Cybele.
P.
IS then this Goddess called Terra?
M.
No, she is called Cybele, and Ops,
and Rhea and Dindymene, and Berecynthia, and
Bona Dea (the good Goddess) and Idaea, and
Pessinuntia, and Magn•• Deorum Mater (the
Great Mother of the Gods) and sometimes
also Vesta. All these are the names of the
same Goddess, given her for different reasons,
who was the Daughter of Coelum, and the
Elder Vesta; and Saturns Wife.
Page 194
She is called Cybele from the Mountain Cy∣balus
in Phrygia, where her Sacrifices were In∣stitutèd
first. Or, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in
Caput saltare: because her Priests danced up∣on
their Heads; and tossed about their Hair,
like mad men, foretelling things to come, and
making a horrible noise, as Luc••n speaks of
them, l. 1.
—crinemque rotantes
Sanguineum, populis ulularunt tristia Galli.
Shaking their bloody tresses some sad spell
The Priests of Cybel to the people yell.
For these Priests, as I shall shew presently,
were called Galli. Or, Lastly, you may de∣rive
Cybele from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Cube: because that
figure was by the Antients dedicated to her.
Ops, quòd opem ferat, she is a help to all things,
that are contained in this World.
Rhea, comes from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, fluo: because she a∣bounds with Blessings.
Dindymene, and Dindyme, from the Moun∣tain
Dindymus, in Phrygia.
Berecynthia, from the Castle Berecynthus, in
the same Country. She is described by this
name in Virgil, Aen. 6.
Qualis Berecynthia mater
Invehitur curru, Phrygiae turrita per urbes,
Laeta Deum partu.
As Berecynthia crown'd with turrets rides
In state through Ph••ygian Cities, by her sides
A hundred Nephews, off-springs of the Gods.
As the Romans called her, the Mother of the
Gods, so the Greeks named her Pasithea, i. e.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, omnibus Diis mater, her Sacrifices
Page 195
were likewise entitled, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
signifies to Celebrate them.
She was called Bona Dea, because all our
goods things in this life proceed from her.
Fauna, because she is said to favour all Crea∣tures
animantibus favere. Fatua from fando,
because they thought that new-born Children
never cryed till they touched the Ground. It
is said, that this Bona Dea was the Wife of
Faunus; who beat her with Myrtle Rods till
she died, because (which did not become a
Queen) she drank up a Vessel of Wine, and
was drunk. The King repented of his seve∣rity,
wherefore he Deified his dead Wife, and
paid her divine Honours. And for this rea∣son
it was forbid that any one should bring
Myrtle into her Temple. And in her Sacri∣fices
the Vessels of Wine were covered; and
when the Women drank out of them they
called it Milk, not Wine: so extraordinary
was the Modesty of this Goddess, that no
Man ever saw her, except her Husband; or
scarce heard her name: wherefore her Sacri∣fices
were performed in private, and all Men
were excluded from the Temple; as Tibullus
intimates, l. 1. El. 6.
Sacra Bonae, maribus non adeunda, Deae.
Good Goddess's Rites not to be seen by men.
Insomuch that the place, in which her Sa∣crifices
were performed, was called Opertum,
and the Sacrifices themselves, Opertanea in
Pliny; secret-Sacrifices. So Silius calls Pluto O∣pertum
regem; and Lucan, in his lib. 6.
Page 196
Nosse domos Stygias, areanaque Ditis Operti.
To hear Hell's silent Counsels, and to know
The Stygian Cells and Mysteries below.
It is true, that silence was observed in all Sa∣crifices,
but more especially in those of Bona
Dea, according to Virgil. Aen. 3.
—Fidaque silentia Sacris.
A faithful Silence paid to sacred Rites.
The Pythagoreans and Egyptians indeed taught,
that God was to be worshipped in silence, be∣cause
from it all things at first took their be∣ginning.
Loquendi, homines magistros habemu••,
tacendi Deos. Ab illis silentium accipientes, i••
initiationibus & mysteriis. Men, ••says Pliny
were our Masters, to teach us to speak; but w••
learn silence from the Gods. From these w••
learn to hold our peace, in their Rites and Ini¦tiations.
She was called Idaea Mater from the Moun∣tain
Ida in Phrygia, or Creete; for she was at both
places highly honoured. As also at Rome, whi∣ther
they brought her from the City Pesinus in
Galatia, by a remarkable Miracle. For when
the Ship, in which she was carried, stop'd in
the mouth of the Tiber, the Vestal Claudia
(whose fine Dress and free Behaviour, made
her Modesty suspected) easily drew the Ship
to the shore with her Girdle, where the God∣dess
was received by the hands of Virgins,
and the City assembled to meet her, placing
Censors with Frankincense before their Doors,
and when they had lighted the Frankincense,
they prayed that she would enter freely into
Rome, and be favourable to it. And because
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the Sybils had prophefied that Idaea Mater
should be introduced by the best Man amongst
the Romans; Haud parvae rei judicium, says
Livy, l. 9. D. 3. Senatum tenebat, qui vir op∣timus
in civitate esset: veram certe victoriam ejus
rei, sibi quisque mallet, quàm ulla imperia, hono∣resve
suffragio seu Patrum, seu Plebis delatos.
Patres Conscripti, P. Scipionem Cnei filium, ejus
qui in Hispania occiderat, adolescentem nondum
Quaestorium, judicaverunt, in tota civitate virum
optimum esse. The Senate was not a little bu∣sied
to pass a judgment in the case, and resolve,
who was the best Man in the City. For every
one was ambitious to get the Victory in a Dispute
of that nature; and more than if they stood to
be elected to any Commands or Honours by the
Voices either of the Senators or People. At last,
the Senate resolved, that P. Scipio, the Son of
that Cneus who was killed in Spain, a young
Gentleman who had never been yet Quaestor, was
the best Man, take all the City round.
She was called Pesinuntia, from a certain
Field in Phrygia, into which an Image of her
fell from Heaven; from which fall, in Greek
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Pesein, the place was called Pesinus, and
the Goddess Pesinuntia. And in this place, first
the Phrygians began to celebrate the Sacrifices
Orgia to this Goddess, near the River Gallus,
from whence her Priests were called Galli;
as I shall tell you, after I have observed, that
when these Priests desired that a great Respect
and Adoration should be paid to any thing,
they pretend that it fell from Heaven; and
they called those Images 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is sent
Page 198
from Jupiter. Of which sort were the Ancile,
the Palladium, and the Effigies of this Goddess,
concerning which we now speak. Herod. l. 1.
SECT. IV.
The Sacrifices of Cybele.
HER Sacrifices like the Sacrifices of Bac∣chus,
were celebrated with a con∣fused Noise of Timbrels, Pipes, and Cym∣bals;
and the Sacrificants bowled, as if they
were mad; they profaned both the Temple
of their Goddess, and the Ears of their
hearers, with their filthy Words and Acti∣ons.
But the following Rites were peculiar∣ly
observed in her Sacrifices. Her Temple
was opened, not by Hands, but Prayers; none
entred who had tasted Garlick: The Priests
sacrificed to her sitting and touching the Earth,
and offered the Hearts of the Victims. And
lastly, amongst Trees the Box and the Pine
were sacred to her.
The Box, because the
Pipes used in her Sacrifices were made of it.
The Pine, for the sake of Atys, Attes, or At∣tines,
a Boy that Cybele much loved, and made
him President of her Rites, upon Condition,
that he always preserved his Chastity invio∣late.
But he forgot his Vow, and lost that
Virtue.
Wherefore the offended Goddess drave
him into such a madness, that he emasculated
himself;
(tho' Lucian says that Cybele did it)
and when he was about to lay violent Hands
upon his Life, in pity she turn'd him into a
Pine.
Page 199
But take notice that there was a true Atys,
the Son of Croesus King of Lydia. He was
born dumb, but when he saw in the Fight a
Souldier at his Father's back with his Sword
lift up to kill him, the Strings of his Tongue
which hindered his Speech, burst, and by
speaking clearly, he prevented his Father's
Destruction.
SECT. V.
The Priests of Cybele.
I Just now told you that her Priests were cal∣led
Galli,
from a River of Phrygia of that
Name: whatsoever Persons drank of this Wa∣ter,
were enflamed to that degree of madness,
that they gelt themselves. It is certain that
the Galli were castrated, and from thence
called Semiviri; as oft as they sacrificed, they
furiously cut and slashed their Arms with
Knives, and thence all furious and mad People
were called Gallantes. Besides the Name of
Galli, they were also called Curetae, Corybantes,
Telchines, Cabiri, and Idaei Dactyli Some say
that these Priests were different from the Galli,
but because most People think them to be
the same, and say that they all were Priests
of Cybele, therefore I will speak something of
each of them.
The Curetes were either Cretans, or Aeto∣lians,
or Euboei; who were so called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
tonsura; so that Curetes and Detonsi signify al∣most
the same thing. For they shaved the
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Hair of their Heads before, but wore Hair
behind, that they might not be taken (as
it hath often happened) by the Fore locks by
the Enemy; or perhaps their Name may come
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, puellae; because the•• wore a long
Gown like a Woman's; or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, ab
educatione juvenum; because they educated
Iupiter. Strabo.
The Corybantes are so called from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
cornibus ferire, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 incedere, because
in the Sacrifices of their Goddess, they tossed
their Heads, and danced, and butted with their
Foreheads like Rams, after a mad fashion.
Thus when they initiated any one in their Sa∣crifices,
they placed him in a Chair, and dan∣ced
about him, like fools. Plat. in Euthyd.
The Telchines were famous Magicians and
Inchanters: they came from Crete into Cyprus,
and thence into Rhodes, which latter Island
was called Telchinis from them. Or if we be∣lieve
others, they were deserving Men, and
invented many Arts for the good of the Pub∣lick.
For they first set up the Statues and I∣mages
of the Gods. Strabo.
The Cabiri or Caberi, so called from Cabiri
Mountains of Phrygia, were either the Ser∣vants
of the Gods, or Gods themselves, or
rather Demons, or the same with the Coribantes,
for Peoples Opinions concerning them are
different. Ibid.
The Idaei Dactyli were the Servants and As∣sistants
of the Magna Mater; called Idaei from
the Mountain Ida, where they lived; and
Dactyli, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the Fingers, for these
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page 201
Priests were ten, like the Fingers; they ser∣ved
Rhea every where and in every thing; as
if they were Fingers to her. Yet many affirm,
that there was more than Ten.
CHAP. VIII.
SECT. I.
CERES. Her Image.
P.
YOU have said enough, dear Sir, of
Cybele; pray tell me, who this tall,
majestick Lady is, who stands here; beauti∣fied
with yellow Hair, and crowned with a
Turbant, composed of the Ears of Corn; her
Bosom swells with round snowy Breasts, her
right hand holds a lighted Torch, and her left
a handful of Poppies and Ears of Corn.
SECT. II.
The Explication of the Image.
M.
IT is Ceres, my Palaeophilus, the Daughter
of Saturn and Ops; whose singular Beauty
made the Gods themselves her Lovers and Ad∣mirers.
Her Brothers Iupiter and Neptune
loved and debauched her. She had Proserpina by
Iupiter; and by Neptune it is uncertain whe∣ther
she had a Daughter or an Horse. For,
Page 202
as some say, when she avoided the pursuits of
Neptune, who followed her, she cast herself a∣mongst
a drove of Mares, and immediately put
on the shape of a Mare. Which Neptune per∣ceiving,
he made himself a Horse, and from
her begat the Horse Arion. Ovid consents to
this Opinion, saying (in Met. l. 6.)
Et te, flava comas, frugum mitissima Mater,
Sensit Equus.
The Gold hair'd kindly Goddess of our Barns
Found thee a Stallion.
Hence I suppose comes the Story that is re∣ported
by Pausanias.
Upon the Mountain
Elaeus in Arcadia, an Altar was dedicated to
Ceres; her Image had the Body of a Woman,
but the Head of a Horse; it remained entire
and unhurt in the midst of Fire. Yet others
have told us, that Ceres did not bring forth a
Horse, but a Daughter: the Arcadians thought
it a wicked thing to call this Daughter by any
other Name than 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Lady; and Magna
Dea, as they called the Mother Ceres her∣self.
However the Goddess exceedingly lamented
the loss of her Honour, and testified her Sor∣row
by the mourning Cloaths, which after∣wards
she wore (whence she was named
Melaena, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, nigra) and retiring into the
dark recesses of a Cave, where she lay so pri∣vate,
that none of the Gods knew where she
was. Till Pan the God of the Woods disco∣vered
her by chance, and told Iupiter; who
sending the Fates to her, persuaded her at last
to lay aside her Grief, and arise out of that
Page 203
Hole, which was an happy and joyful thing
for all the World. For in her absence a great
Infection reigned throughout all sorts of li∣ving
Creatures, which sprang from the Cor∣ruption
of the Fruits of the Earth, and the
Granaries every where.
P.
But Why were the Fruits of the Earth
corrupted in her absence?
M.
Why? Do you not know that she is
the Goddess of the Fruits, and that her very
Name is derived à gerendis frugibus? so Ceres
is quasi Geres, or quasi Serens; or perhaps
from the old word Cereo, which is the same
with Creo, because she is the Creatrix and
Nurse of all Fruits? Or have not you heard
that she first invented and taught the Art of
Tilling the Earth, and Sowing Corn and all
Pulse (except Beans) and of making Bread
therewith; whereas before they eat only A∣corns?
Remember what the Poet says (Ovid
Met. l. 5.
Prima Ceres unco glebam dimovit aratro,
Prima dedit fruges, alimentaque mitia terris,
Prima dedit leges. Cereris sunt omnia, Munus.
The Turf with crooked plough first Ceres rent,
First gave us Corn, a better nourishment;
First Laws prescrib'd, all from her bounty sprung.
Whereas before the Earth lay rough and un∣mannred,
over run with Briars, and unprofit∣able
Plants; when there were no Proprietors
of Land, they neglected it; No body had any
Ground of his own; they did not care,
Signare quidem, aut partiri limite campum.
Or to make Land-marks or to balk their Fields.
Page 204
But all things were common to all, till by the
kindness of Ceres, Husbandry was followed,
and then they began to dispute about the li∣mits
of their Fields; and from hence came
the Origin of Law and Right, and she was
named Legifica, the Founder of Laws, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
and their Sacrifices, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. As likewise
they called her 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Terra
Mater.
P.
I understand now the meaning of her
Crown made of Corn; but yet I do not see
what that handful of Poppies signifies.
M.
I will explain the signification of that
also, in its place; but first let me speak of some
other things.
- As 1. She is beautiful and well shaped, be∣cause
the Earth, which she resembles, appears
beautiful and delightful to the beholders; espe∣cially,
when it is arrayed with Plants, diversi∣fied
with Trees, adorned with Flowers, en∣riched
with Fruits, and covered with Greens,
when it displays the honours of the Spring,
and poureth forth the gifts of the Autumn with
a bountiful Hand.
- 2. Her Hair is yellow, and when the Ears of
Corn are ripe, they are adorned with that
golden Colour.
- 3. Her Breasts swell with Milk, (whence
she is stiled Mammosa sometimes) because after
the Earth is impregnated with Seed, and big
with the Fruits thereof, it brings forth all
things out of itself in abundance; and as a
Mother feeds, and nourishes us, whence she is
called Alma, and Altrix Nostra.
- ...
Page 205
- 4. She holds a lighted Torch, because Pro∣serpina
was stoln away by Pluto. For Ceres
was desirous to find Proserpine again, and
kindled her Torches (they say) with the
Flames which burst from the top of the
Mountain Aetna; and with them sought her
Daughter through the whole World.
- 5. She carries Poppy, because, when thro
Grief she could not obtain the least rest or
sleep,
Iupiter gave her Poppy to eat: for
they say that this Plant is endued with a pow∣er
to create sleep and forgetfulness. Her
Grief was a little allay'd by sleep, but she
forgot not her loss; and after many Voyages
and Journies, she at last heard where Proser∣pina
was; as you will see in its proper place.
P.
But who is that young Man, that sits
in a Chariot drawn by flying Serpents?
M.
It is Triptolemus, in the Chariot which
Ceres gave him. He was the Son of Eleusis,
or Cereus, a Nobleman. Ceres brought him
up from his Infancy upon this occasion.
Whilst she sought Proserpine by Sea and Land,
upon the way she came into the City Eleusis;
where the Father of Triptolemus entertain'd
her: whose kindness she required, by nou∣rishing
his young Son, which in the day time
she fed with celestial and divine Milk, but in
the night covered him all over with Fire.
By this sort of uncommon Education, the
Child became a fine Youth in a few days.
His Father was mighty desirous to know how
Ceres managed him; and when looking thro
a dark hole, he saw his Son Triptolemus co∣vered
Page 206
over by Ceres with Coals of Fire; im∣mediately
he exclaims that his Son was kill'd,
and flies into the Room to save him. Ceres
punished his unadvised curiosity with death:
then putting Triptolemus into the Chariot that
you see, she sent him throughout the World,
to shew Mankind the use of Corn. Tripto∣lemus
executed his message so well, that that
name was given to him, quasi, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
hordeum terens. Ovid describes the thing thus,
Metam. l. 5.
—Geminos Dea fertilis angues
Curribus admovit, fraenisque coercuit ora,
Et medium coeli, terraeque per aera vecta est
Atque levem currum, Tritonida misit in urhem
Triptolemo; partimque rudi data semina jussit
Spargere humo, partim post tempora long a recultae
The fertile Goddess to her Chariot chains
Her yoked Dragons, checkt with stubborn rains:
Her course, 'twixt Heaven and Earth, to A∣thens
bends;
And to Triptolemus her Chariot sends.
Part of the Seed she gave, she bad him throw
On untill'd Earth; part on the till'd to sow.
P.
But what Evet is that by Ceres Feet?
for I fancy I see an Evet there.
M.
That Creature was once a Boy, whom
Ceres for his malapertness changed into a little
Beast like a Lizard. For when Ceres was ve∣ry
weary and thirsty by travelling, she came
to a Cottage and begg'd a little Water to wash
her mouth, of an old Woman that liv'd there;
the old Woman gave her also Barley broth;
which when the Goddess supped up greedily
Page 207
the Womans Son Stellio, a saucy Boy, mock∣ed
her, This raised Ceres's anger so far, that
in a rage she flung some of the Broth into
the Boys face, who thereby was changed in∣to
an Evet or Newt. (Ovid. Met. l. 5.) and
Fugit anum, latebramque petit; aptum{que} colori
Nomen habet, variis stellatus corpora guttis.
Flies the old Wife and creeps into a hole,
And from his speckled back a Name he gets.
But do you see the Man rowling himself up∣on
the ground, and tearing and eating his
own flesh?
P.
I observe him: what is his Name, and
why is he so cruel to himself?
M.
They call him Erisichthon. In con∣tempt
of the Sacrifices of Ceres, he violated
her Grove, and cut down one of her Oaks:
for which he was punished with perpetual
Hunger: so that when he has devoured all
the Meat and Food which he can by any
ways procure, he is forced to eat his own
flesh to support his Body; and to bring upon
himself an horrible Death, the better to su∣stain
his Life.
SECT. III.
The Sacrifices of Ceres.
AMongst all the Cerealia, or Sacrifices in∣stituted
to the Honour of Ceres, these
are the chief.
The Eleusinia, (by which Name the God∣dess
her self was also known) had their name
Page 208
because they were first celebrated in the Ci∣ty
Eleusis. Of these were two sorts; the Ma∣jora,
consecrated to Ceres; and the Minora, to
Proserpine. It was a custom, that those who
were initiated in the Majora, never pull'd off
the Cloaths which they then wore,
till they
fell off in Rags. In both the Majora and
Minora, a perpetual and wonderful silence
was kept: to publish any thing concerning
them was a Crime; whence the Proverb con∣cerning
silent persons, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and the
word Mysterium, signifies a religious Rite, from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, os claudo. Lighted Torches were used
in these Sacrifices, because Ceres with them
sought Proserpine: and up and down the Streets
and the High-ways, they cryed out Proserpine;
till they fill'd all places with their dismal
Howlings, as Servius tells us, Aen. 4.
Nocturnisque Hecate triviis ululata per urbes.
Games were celebrated in these Sacrifices; in
which the Victors were honoured with a Barley
Crown.
The Thesmophoria, so called from Ceres's
Name 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, legum latrix, were instituted
by Triptolemus: and those Women who vow'd
perpetual Chastity, were initiated in them.
For some days a Fast was kept;
and Wine
was altogether banished from her Altars:
whence this Expression came, Cereri nuptias
facere, which signifies a Feast (amongst the
Antients) where there was no Wine. The
Swine was sacrificed to this Goddess, because
he hurts the Fruits of the Earth; as we find
it in Ovid (in Fast. lib. 2.)
Page 209
Prima Ceres, avidae gavisa est sanguine porcae:
Ultra suas merito, caede nocentis, opes.
Ceres with Blood of Swine we best atone,
Which thus requite the mischief they have done.
And Garlands, composed of Ears of Corn,
were offered to her, as we find by Tibullus:
Flava Ceres, tibi sit nostro de rure corona
Spicea, quae templi pendeat ante fores.
To thee, fair Goddess, we'll a Garland plat
Of Ears of Corn t'adorn thy Temple Gate.
Ambarvalia, were instituted to purge the
Fields, and to beg Fruitfulness and Plenty;
they were so called quod victima ambiret arva,
because the Sacrifice was lead about the fields;
as the Suburbs, amburbium, was esteemed sa∣cred,
because the Sacrifice was carried round
the City. These Sacrifices were performed
by Husbandmen,
who carried a Sow big with
young, or a Cow-Calf, through the Corn and
the Hay, in the beginning of Harvest thrice:
the Country-men following him with Danc∣ing,
and Leaping, and Acclamations of Joy,
till all the fields rung again with the Noise.
In the mean time, one of them adorn'd with
a Crown, sung the Praises of Ceres; and after
an Oblation of Wine, mix'd with Honey and
Milk, before they began to Reap, they sa∣crificed
the Sow to her. The Rites of these
Ambarvalia are thus described by Virgil, Ge∣org. l. 1.
Cuncta tibi Cererem pubes agrestis adoret:
Cui tu lacte favos, & miti dilue Baccho;
Terque novas circum felix eat hostia fruges;
Omnis quam chorus, & socii comitentur ovantes,
Page 210
Et Cererem clamore vocent in tecta, neque ante
Falcem maturis quisquam supponat aristis,
Quàm Cereri, torta redimitus tempora quercu,
Det motus incompositos, & carminâ dicat.
Let Ceres all the youthful Swains adore,
And her with Honey, Milk, and Wine implore;
Let the blest Offering thrice new Corn surround,
Thy Roof with Guests and joyful Friends resound,
Calling on Ceres; nor the meanest Clown,
Unless his Temples Oken Garlands crown,
To Ceres rudely Dance, and Verses sing,
Shall Sickle to the Golden Harvest bring.
CHAP. IX.
SECT. I.
The MUSES. Their Image.
P.
O What Beauty, what Sweetness, what
Elegancy is here!
M.
You mean in these Nine Virgins, that
are crowned with Palms, do you not?
P.
Certainly. How pleasantly, and kindly
they smile? How decent, and becoming is
their Dress? How handsomely do they sit
together in the Shade of that Laurel Arbour?
How skilfully some of them play upon the
Harp, some upon the Cittern, some upon the
Pipe, some upon the Cymbal, and some har∣moniously
sing and play at once? Methinks
[illustration]
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[illustration]
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Page 211
I hear them with united Minds, Voices and
Hands, make an agreeable Concord arise from
their different Instruments, commanding
their several Voices in such a manner, that
they make the most noble Harmony, whose
pleasing Charms entring into my Ears, ra∣vishes
my mind with pleasure.
M.
They are the Muses: the Mistresses of
all the Sciences, the Presidents of the Musici∣ans
and Poets, and Governors of the Feasts
and Solemnities of the Gods. Iupiter begat
them of the Nymph Mnemosyne, who after∣wards
brought them forth upon the Moun∣tain
Pierius: Some say they were born of o∣ther
Parents, the Ancients say that they are
ancienter than Iupiter, and that they are the
Daughters of Coelum: They are called the
Daughters of Iupiter, and Mnemosyne (which
in Greek signifies memory) because all Stu∣dents
and Scholars ought to have great inge∣nuity
and ready memories.
SECT. II.
The Name of Muse.
M.
THE Musae were fomerly called Mosae,
and derived from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, inquirere:
because Men learn of them the things of
which they were ignorant. Or from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
to teach. Or as others derive it, Musae quasi
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Similes: because there is a Similitude,
and an Affinity and Relation betwixt all the
Sciences; in which they agree, and are con∣nex'd
Page 212
with one another. Wherefore the Muses
are often painted with their hands joyned,
dancing round, in the middle of them sits
Apollo their Commander and Prince. The
Pencil of Nature, described them in that man∣ner
upon the Agate, which Pyrrbus, who made
War against the Romans, wore in a Ring.
For, says Pliny, (lib. 37. c. 1.) the Nine Muses,
and Apollo holding a Harp were described in
it; not done by Art, but by the spontaneous
Handiwork of Nature; and the veins of the
Stone were formed so regular••, that every
Muse had her particular Distinctions.
SECT. III.
The Proper Names of the Muses.
P.
WHAT were the Proper Names of
each of them?
M.
They had each of them a Name, de∣rived
from some particular Accomplishment
of their Minds or Bodies.
The first, Calliope, was so called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
from the Goodness of her Voice, she presides
over Rhetorick; and is esteemed the most ex∣cellent
of all the Nine.
The Second, Clio, is derived from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
gloria. For she is the Historical Muse, and takes
her Name from the famousness of the things
that she records.
The Third,
Erato, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Amor, because
she sings of Amours: because Learned Men
are beloved and praised by others. She is also
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called Saltatrix for she first invented the Art
of Dancing, over which she presided: she
also found out Poetry.
The Fourth, Thalia, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to flou∣rish,
because she sings pleasantly and wanton∣ly;
some ascribe to her the invention of Co∣medy,
others of Geometry.
The Fifth, Melpomene, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Canto,
or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, concentum facere, is sup∣posed
to preside over Tragedy, and to have in∣vented
Sonnets.
The Sixth, Terpsichore, hath her Name from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, quod choreis delectet because she
delights in Bulls: some call her Citharistria.
The Seventh, Euterpe, or Euterpia, from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, jucundus, the sweetness of her singing
too. Some call her Tibicina, because, ac∣cording
to some, she presides over the Pipes:
and some say, Logick was invented by her.
The Eight, Polyhymnia, or Polymnia, or Po∣lymneia
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 memoria, was ex∣cellent
for her memory: and therefore the In∣vention
of writing of History is attributed to
her; which requires a good memory. It was
her invention, quòd carminibus additae sini Or∣chestrarum
loquacissimae manus, linguosi digiti, si∣lentium
clamosum, expositio tacita, uno verbo, ge∣stus
& actio. That the Musicians, says Cassio∣dorus
(in Virgil. l. 4) add to the Verses, that they
sing, Hands and Fingers, which speak more
than the Tongue; an expressive silence; a Lan∣guage
without words; in short, Gesture and
Action.
Page 214
The Ninth, Urania, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, coelum,
was either so called either because she sings of
divine things; or because, through her assi∣stance
Homines ad coelos evehantur laudibus:
or because by the Sciences, they become con∣versant
in the Contemplation of things cele∣stial.
A modern Poet (Bahusius) hath comprised
these Nine Muses in a Distich: That is, he
hath made the Nine Muses to stand, which
is something strange, but upon Eleven Feet.
Perhaps you will remember their names better,
when they are thus joyned together in two
Verses.
Calliope, Polymneia, Erato, Clio, atque Thalia,
Melpomene, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Urania.
SECT. IV.
The Common Names of the Muses.
P.
WHAT Names had the Muses, com∣mon
to them all?
M.
The most remarkable are,
Heliconides, or Heliconiades, from the Moun∣tain
Helicon in Boeotia.
Parnasides, from the Mountain Parnassus in
Phocis;
which has two Heads: where if any
person slept, he presently became a Poet.
It was anciently called Larnassus from Larnace,
the Ark of Deucalion, which rested here; and
was named Parnassus, after the Flood, from
an Inhabitant of this Mountain so called.
Page 215
Citherides, or Cithaeriades, from the Moun∣tain
Cithaeron, where they dwelt.
Aonides, from the Country Aonia.
Pierides and Pieriae, from the Mountain Pie∣rus
or Pieria in Thrace: or from the Daughters
of Pierius and Anippe; who ••••aring to contend
with the Muses, were changed into Pyes.
Pegasides and Hippocrenides from the famous
Fountain Helicon; which by the Greeks is
called Hippocrene, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and
the Latines, Caballinus, from Caballus a Horse;
and Pegaseius from Pegasus, the Winged Horse,
who striking a Stone in this place with his
Hoof, opened the Fountain, and the Waters
of it became vocal.
Aganippides and Aganippiae, from the Foun∣tain
Aganippe.
Castalide's, from the Fountain Castalius at
the Foot of Parnassus.
SECT. V.
The Number of the Muses.
P.
WHat was the Number of the Muses?
M, Some write, that they were
but three, in the begining; because Sound,
out of which all Singing is form'd, is natural∣ly
Threefold; either made by the Voice alone,
or by blowing as in Pipes, or by striking as in
Citterns and Drums. Or it may be, because
there are three tones of the Voice or other
Instruments, the Base, the Tenor and the
Treble. Or because three is the most perfect
Page 216
of Numbers; for it agrees to the Persons of
the Godhead: Or lastly, because all the Sci∣ences
are distributed into three general Parts,
Philosophy, Rhetorick, and Mathematicks: and
each three Parts are subdivided into three o∣ther
Parts. Philosophy into Logick, Ethicks,
and Physick. Rhetorick into the Genus Demon∣strativum,
Deliberativum, and Iudiciale. Ma∣thematicks
into Musick, Geometry, and Arithme∣tick:
whence it came to pass, that they
reckoned not only three Muses but Nine.
Others gave us a different reason why they
are Nine. When the Citizens of Sycion ap∣pointed
three skilful Artificers to make the
Statues of the three Muses, promising to
chuse those three Statues out of the Nine
which they liked best; they all were so well
made that they could not tell which to chuse
so that they bought them all and placed them
in the Temples: and Hesiod afterwards, as∣signed
to them the Names mentioned above.
P.
Were they Virgins;
M.
Some affirm, and others deny it; who
reckon up their Children. But however, let,
no person despise the Muses; unless he designs
to bring destruction on himself by the Exam∣ple
of Thamyra or Thamyris: who being con∣ceited
of his beauty and skill in singing, pre∣sumed
to challenge the Muses to sing; upon
condition, that if he was overcome, they
they should punish him as they pleased. And
after he was overcome, he was deprived at
once both of his Harp and his Eyes.
Page 217
CHAP. X.
SECT. I.
Themis, Astraea, Nemesis.
P.
THese Three Goddesses, I see contrive
and consult together of great Matters.
M.
I suppose so. For the Business of them
all is almost the same. The same Function
is incumbent upon each of them: but however
let us inspect them all singly.
Themis, the First of them is the Daughter
of Coelum and Terra. Her Office is to in∣struct
Mankind to do things honest, just and
right, according to the signification of her
Name in Greek, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Fas. Wherefore, her
Images were brought and placed before those,
who were about to speak to the People, that
they might be admonished thereby to say no∣thing
in publick, but what was just and righte∣ous.
Some say, she spoke Oracles at Delphi,
before Apollo; tho Homer says that she served
Apollo, with Nectar and Ambrosia. There was
another Themis, of whom Iustice, Law and
Peace are said to be born. Hesiod attributes to
this latter the noble Epithet 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, pudibun∣dam;
for she was ashamed to see any thing
that is done against Right and Equity. Euse∣bius
calls her Carmenta; because, carminibus
Page 218
edictisque suis, by her Verses and Precepts she
directs every one to that which is just. Where
he means a different Carmenta from
Carmenta Romana,
the Mother of Evander,
otherwise called Themis and Nicostrata, a Pro∣phetical
Lady; she was worshipped by the
Romans, because she Prophesied; and called
Carmenta, either from carmen, or quasi carens
mente. To this Lady an Altar was dedicated
near the Gate Carmentalis, by the Capitol; and
a Temple was built to her Honour also upon
this occasion. The Senate forbid the married
Women the use of Litters or Sedans, they com∣bined
together, and resolved, that they would
never bring Children, unless their Husbands
rescinded that Edict; which they executed so
long, that the Senate was obliged to change
their Sentence, and yield to the Womens
Will, and allow them Sedans and Chariots
again. And when their Wives conceived and
brought forth fine Children, they erected a
Temple to the Honour of Carmenta.
Astraea, the Daughter of Aurora and Astraeus,
the Titan, (or as others rather say, the Daugh∣ter
of Iupiter and Themis) was esteemed Iu∣stitiae
Antistita, the Princess of Iustice. The
Poets feign, that in the Golden Age she de∣scended
from Heaven to the Earth; and be∣ing
offended at last by the Wickedness of
Mankind, she returned to Heaven again, after
all the other Gods had went before her.
Victa jacet pietas, & virgo caede madentes
Ultima coelestûm, terras Astraea reliquit.
Page 219
Astraea last of all the Heavenly Birth
Affrighted leaves the blood-defiled Earth.
She is many times directly called by the
Name of Iustitia; as particularly: (Virgil
Georg. l. 2.)
—extrema per illos
Iustitia excedens terris, vestigia fecit.
—Through these old Iustice took
Her parting steps, when she the Earth forsook.
And when she had returned to Heaven again,
she was placed where we now see the Constel∣lation
Virgo.
The Parents of Nemesis were Iupiter and
Necessity; or according to others, Nox and O∣ceanus:
she was the Goddess that rewarded
Virtue, and punished Vice, and she taught
Men their Duty; says Plato de leg. Dial. 2.
So that she received her Name 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
à distributione quae unicuique fit, from
the Distribution that she made to every Body.
Iupiter enjoyed her, as the Story says, in the
Shape of a Goose; after which she brought
forth an Egg; which she gave to a Shepherd
whom she met, to be carried to Leda. Leda
laid up the Egg in a Box, and Helena was
soon after produced of that Egg. But others
give us quite different Accounts of the Matter.
The Romans certainly sacrificed to this God∣dess,
when they went to War; whereby they
signified that they never took up Arms unless
in a just Cause. She is called by another
Name Adrastaea, from Adrastus, a King of
the Argivi, who first built an Altar to her:
or perhaps from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, fugere; because no
Page 220
guilty person can escape the punishment due
to his Crimes, tho sometimes Iustice overtakes
him late: Indeed she has Wings, but does not
always use them in pursuing Offenders. For
Ad scelerum poenas ultrix venit ira tonantis
Hoc graviore manu, quo graviore pede.
The Wrath Divine to punish sin comes slow,
But th' heavier its pace, the heavier its Blow.
Rhamnusia is another Name of this Goddess,
from Rhamnus, a Town in Attica, where she
had a Temple; in which there was a Statue
of her made of one Stone, ten Cubits high,
holding the Bough of an Apple-Tree in her
Hand; and a Crown was upon her Head, in
which many Images of Deer were engraven.
She had also a Wheel, which denoted her
Swiftness when she avenges. Hence Claudian
says,
Sed Dea, quae nimis obstat Rhamnusia votis,
Ingemuit flexitque rotam.
Th' avenging Goddess t' our desires unbent
First groan'd, then turn'd her Wheel.
Page 221
CHAP. XI.
SECT. I.
The Gods of the Woods, and the
Rural Gods. Pan. His Names.
WE are now come to the second part of
the right-hand Wall; which exhibits
the Images of the Gods and Goddesses of
the Woods. Here you may see the Gods Pan,
Sylvanus, the Fauni, Satyri, Sileni, Priapus,
Aristaeus, and Terminus: and there you see the
Goddesses Diana, Pales, Flora, Feronia, Pomona,
and an innumerable company of Nymphs.
P.
What Gods, do you shew me? Do you
call those Cornuted Monsters Gods, who are
half Men, and half Beasts, hairy and shaggy,
with Goats Feet,
and Horses Tails?
M.
Why not? Since they have attained to
that honour. First, let us examine the Prince
of them all, PAN.
Pan, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Omne, is called by that name,
either as some tell us, because he was the Son
of Penelope by all her Wooers; or, because he
exhilarated the minds of all the Gods with the
musick of the Pipe, which he invented; and
by the Harmony of his Cittern, upon which
he played skilfully as soon as he was born.
Or perhaps, he is called Pan, because he go∣verns
Page 222
the Affairs of the Universal World,
by
his Mind, as he represents it by his Body, as
we shall see by and by.
The Latines called him Inuus, and Incubus;
the Night-Mare,
ab ineundo passim cum omnibus
animalibus; because he uses Carnality with all
Creatures.
And at Rome he was worshipped and called
Lupercus, and Lyceus: a Temple was built to
his honour, at the foot of the Palatine Hill;
the Festivals Lupercalia were instituted, in
which his Priests, the Luperci, ran about the
City naked.
SECT. II.
His Descent.
HIS descent is uncertain: but the com∣mon
opinion is, that he was born of
Mercury and Penelope. For when Mercury loved
her excessively, and tryed in vain to move her,
but changing himself into a very white Goat,
he obtains his desires from her, and begat Pan
of her when she kept the Sheep of her Father
Icarius in the Mountain Taygetus. Pan after
he was born,
was lapt up in the Skin of a
Hare, and carried to Heaven. But why do I
here detain you with words? Look upon the
Image of him.
SECT. III.
The Image of Pan.
P.
IS that Pan? that horned half Goat, crown∣ed
with a Pine? with a smiling red
Face; and the Feet and Tail of a Goat, cloath∣ed
Page 223
with a spotted Skin? Holding a crooked
Staff in one Hand, and a Pipe made of an
uneven number of Reeds in the other. O Ri∣diculous
Deity! fit only to fright the Boys.
M.
Believe me, he hath frighted the Men
too. For when the Galls under Brennus, their
Leader made an irruption into Greece, and
were just about to plunder the City Delphos,
Pan in the night frightned them so much,
that they all betook themselves to flight, when
no body pursued them. Whence the Proverb
came Terrores Panici, when we speak of those
who are frighted without Cause. Pausan. Plut.
Now hear, what that Image of Pan signi∣fies.
Pan, they say, is a symbol of the Uni∣versal
World, as I intimated before: In his
upper part he resembles a Man, in his lower
part a Beast; because the superiour and Cele∣stial
part of the World is beautiful, radiant, and
glorious; as is the Face of his God: whose
Horns resemble the Rays of the Sun and the
Horns of the Moon: the redness of his Face
is like the splendour of the Sky; and the spot∣ted
Skin that he wears, is an Image of the
starry Firmament. In his lower parts he is
shagged and deformed, which represents the
Shrubs, and wild Beasts, and Trees of the
Earth below. His Goats Feet signifie the so∣lidity
of the Earth; and his Pipe of seven
Reeds, that Celestial harmony which is made
by the seven Planets. He hath •• ••••eep-hook,
crooked at the top, in his Hand, which signi∣fies
the turning of the Year into itself. This
is Servius's Explication of him, in ••••rg. Eclog. 2.
Page 224
SECT. IV.
Actions of Pan.
P.
BUT what mean those Young Ladies that
dance about him?
M.
They are the Nymphs, which dance to
the Musick of his Pipe. Which Instrument
Pan first invented, Virgil. Eclog. 2.
Pan primus calamos cera conjungere plures Instituit.
Pan with ••oft wax unequal reeds first joyn'd,
And others taught the knack.
You will wonder when you hear the relations
which the Poets tell of this Pipe: to wit, as
oft as Pan blows it, the Dugs of the Sheep are
filled with Milk. For he is the God of the
Shepherds and Hunters; the Captain of the
Nymphs, the President of the Mountains and of
a Country life; and the Guardian of the Flocks,
that graze upon the Mountains. (Virg. Ecl. 2.)
Pan curat oves, oviumque magistroi.
Pan does the Sheep as well as Shepherds guard.
Although his Aspect is so deformed, yet when
he changed himself into a white Ram, he
pleased and gratified the Moon, as it is re∣ported. (Virg. Georg. lib. 3.)
Munere sic niveo lanae, si credere dignum est.
Pan, Deus, Arcadiae, captam te, Luna, fefellit.
With a white Fleece, if we may Credit give,
God Pan did Goddess Luna thus deceive.
Besides he pleased the Nymph Echo: of whom
he begot his Daughter Iringes, who gave Me∣dea
the Medicines, (they say) with which she
charm'd Iason. He could not but please Dryope;
Page 225
to gain whom he laid aside, as it were, his
Divinity, and became a Shepherd: But he did
not Court the Nymph Syrinx with so much
success: For she ran away to avoid so filthy
a Lover; till coming to a River (where her
flight was stopt) she prayed the Naiades, the
Nymphs of the Waters, because she could not
escape her pursuer, to change her into another
form, which was granted. Ovid. Met. l. 1.
Panaque cum prensam sibi jam Syring a putaret,
Corpore pro Nymphae, calamos trivisse palustres.
Pan, when he thought he had his Syrinx claspt
Between his Arms, Reeds for her Body graspt.
For she was changed into a Reed.
Dumque ibi suspirat, motos in arundine ventos
Effecisse sonum tenuem, similemque quaerenti,
Arte novâ, vocisque Deum dulcedine captum,
Hoc mihi consilium tecum, dixisse, manebit.
He sighs: they, stir'd therewith, report again
A mournful sound, like one that did complain••
Rapt with the musick; Yet, O sweet (said he)
Together ever thus converse will we.
Pan made of this Reed a Pipe, which he called
Syrinx from the Nymphs name. Yet Lucretiue
relates a different occasion of the invention of
the Pipe: where he says, lib. 5.
—Zephyri cava per calamorum sibila primûm
Agrestes docuere, cavas inflare cicutas:
Inde minutatim dulces didicisse querelas
Tibia, quas fundit digitis pulsata canentum.
While the soft Western gales blew ••er the Plains,
And shook the sounding reeds, they taught the Swains
To frame a most melodious Pipe from thence,
Whose sounds with artful Fingers they dispense.
Page 126
In the Sacrifices of this God, they offered to
him Milk and Honey, in a Shepherds Bottle.
He was more especially worshipped in Arcadia,
for which reason he is so often called Pan Deus
Arcadiae. Some derive from him, Hispania,
Spain, formerly called Iberia, for he lived there,
when he returned from the Indian War, to
which he went with Bacchus and the Satyrs.
CHAP. XII.
SYLVANUS.
ALtho' many Writers confound the Syl∣vani,
Fauni, Satyri, and Sileni, with Pan;
yet many distingish them; wherefore we will
treat of them separately, and begin with Syl∣vanus.
That old Man is Sylvanus whom you see
placed next to Pan, with the Feet of a Goat,
and the Face of a Man, of little Stature, he
holds Cypress in his Hand stretched out, he is
so called from Sylvae, the Woods; for he pre∣sides
over them. He mightily loved the Boy,
Cyparissus; who had a tame Deer, which plea∣sed
him greatly; Sylvanus by chance killed it,
whereupon the Youth died for grief. There∣fore
Sylvanus changed him into the Tree of
his own Name, and carried a Branch of it al∣ways
in his Hand, in memory of his Loss.
(Georg. 1.)
Page 127
Et teneram à radice ferens, Sylvane, Cupressum.
A tender Cypress plant Sylvanus bears.
There were many other Sylvani, who endea∣voured
as much as they could to violate the
Chastity of Women. St Austin says, Eos cum
Faunis (quos vulgo incubos vocant) improbos
saepe extitisse mulieribus, & ••orum appetisse, &
peregisse concubitum; that they and the Fauni
(commonly called Incubi) were oftentimes wick∣ed
to the Women, desiring and enjoying their Em∣braces.
And Varro says that they were very
mischievous to big-bellied Women. S. Aug. de
Civ. D. l. 15. c. 23.
CHAP. XIII.
SILENUS.
THat old Fellow, who follows next, with
a flat Nose and a bald Head, with large
Ears, and a small, fat, gorbellied Body, is Si∣lenus,
so called from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, dicteriae in ali∣quam
dicere; to jest upon any one. He sits up
on a crooked Ass, but when he walks, he leans
upon a Staff. He was Bacchus's Foster-Father,
his Master, and his perpetual Companion,
and consequently almost always drunk. For
Virgil describes him in such a Condition.
(Eclog. 6.)
Page 229
Silenum pueri somno videre jacentem,
Inflatum hesterno venas, ut semper, Iaccho.
Serta procul tantum capiti delapsa jacebant,
Et gravis attrita pendebat Cantharus ansa.
The Boys in's Cave Silenus sleeping found,
With last night's Bacchus swell'd (his usual guise)
Far from his Head his faln off Garland lies;
By a worn Handle hung his heavy Can.
Cantharus is a sort of a Cup, that Bacchus used.
When Silenus was drunk, he carried a Staff, by
which he governed his stumbling steps, as Ovid
remarks, Met. l. 4.
Quique senex ferula titubantes ebrius artus
Sustinet, & pando non fortiter haeret asello.
His Staff does hardly keep him on his legs,
When mounted on his Ass, see how he swags.
In another place Ovid hath this Distich, (l. 2.
de Arte Am.)
Ebrius ecce senex, pando delapsus asello,
Clamarunt Satyri, surge, age, surge pater.
Th' old Soker's drunk, from's Ass h'as got a fall,
Rowze, Daddy, rowze again, the Satyrs bawl.
You must know the Satyrs esteemed Silenus, as
their Father; and when they became old, they
were call'd Sileni too. And concerning Sile∣nus's
Ass, they say, that he was translated in∣to
Heaven, and placed among the Stars, be∣cause
in the Gyants War, Silenus rode on him,
and helped Iupiter very much. Arat.
But when Silenus once was taken, and ask∣ed,
Quidnam esset hominibus optimum? What
was the best thing that could befal men? He
was silent a long time, and then answer∣ed,
Omnibus esse optimum, non nasci; & natos,
Page 228
quam citissimè interire. It is best for all never
to be born; but being born, to die very quickly. Plut. in Consol. Apoll. Which Expression
Pliny repeats almost in the same words, Multi
extitere, qui non nasci optimum censerent, aut quam
citissime aboleri. In Praef. l. 7.
CHAP. XIV.
The SATYRS.
BEhold! look! Those are Satyrs, who dance
in lascivious Motions and Postures, under
the shade of that tall spreading Oak; they
have Heads armed with Horns, and Goats
Feet and Legs, crooked Hands, rough hairy
Bodies, and Tails not much shorter than
Horses Tails. There is no Animal in Nature,
more salacious and libidinous than these Gods.
Their Name itself is derived from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, vere∣trum.
Pausanias proves it by an Instance of
some Mariners, who were drove upon a De∣sart Island by a Storm, and saw themselves
surrounded with a flock of Satyrs; the Sea∣men
were frighted, and betook themselves a∣gain
to their Ships, and the Satyrs left the Men,
but they seized the Women, and committed
all manner of wickedness with them.
Page 130
CHAP. XV.
The FAUNS.
THE Fauni which you see joyned with
the Satyri, differ from them in Name
only; at least they are not unlike them in
their looks. For they have Hoofs and Horns,
and are crowned with the Branches of the
Pine. When they meet drunken Persons, they
stupifie them (they say) with their looks a∣lone.
The Boors of the Country call them,
Dii Agrestes, the Rural Gods; and pay them
the more Respect, because they armed with
Horns, and Nails, and painted in terrible
Shapes.
Faunus, or Fatuellus (as he is otherwise cal∣led)
was the Son of Picus, King of the La∣tins.
His Wife and Sister both, was Fauna or
Fatua, a prophetical Lady, whom himself first
Consecrated. And the Story says, that this
Faunus was the Father and Prince of the other
Fauni and the Satyrs. The Name is derived
from fando, or vaticinando; whence Fatui sig∣nifies
both Persons that speak rashly and in∣considerately,
and Enthusiasts. Because they
who prophesie, deliver the Mind and Will of
another, and speak things, which themselves
many times do not understand.
Page 131
CHAP. XVI.
PRIAPUS.
P.
HA! What means that Naked God,
with his Sickle, behind the Trunk of
that Tree? What makes him hide the half of
his Body so?
M.
The Painter was modest, and there∣fore
painted but half of him; because he is an
unhandsome and obscene Deity. His Name is
Priapus. I am ashamed to tell the Story of
him, he is so very filthy. And therefore I
shall say only, that he was the Son of Venus and
Bacchus, born at Lampsacus; where his Mo∣ther,
hating his deformity, and the dispropor∣tion
of his Members, rejected him. Yet he
pleased the Women of Lampsacus, insomuch
that their Husbands banished him from the
City, till by the Oracles command he was re∣called
and made God of the Gardens, and
crowned with Garden Herbs. He carries a
Sickle in his Hand, to cut off from the Trees
all superfluous Boughs, and to drive away
Thieves and Beasts, and mischievous Birds;
from whence he is called Avistupor. There∣fore
his Image is usually placed in Gardens, as
Tibullus intimates in these Verses.
Pomosisque ruber custos ponatur in hortis,
Arceat ut salva falce Priapus aves.
Page 232
With th' swarthy guardian God your Orchards grace,
With his stiff Sickle he the Birds will chase.
And Virgil. Georg. lib. 4.
Et custos furum atque avium cum falce saligna
Hellespontiaci servet tutela Priapi.
where the Poet gives him the Epithet Helles∣pontiacus,
because the City Lampsacus was situ∣ated
upon the Hellespont. But Horace relates
this Office of Priapus ingeniously, where he
brings in Priapus speaking thus of himself.
Sat. 8.
Olim truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum,
Cum faber incertus scamnum faceretne Priapum,
Malu••t esse Deum. Deus inde ego furum avium{que}
Maxima formido.
Long time I lay a useless piece of Wood,
Till Artists doubtful for what the Log was good,
A Stool or God; resolv'd to make a God:
So I was made, my Form the Log receives;
A mighty Terror I to Birds and Thieves.
They say that this was the occasion of the
Deformity of this God: when Iuno saw Venus
big with Child, she was jealous, and therefore
under pretence of assisting her in her Labour,
she spitefully misus'd her, so that the young
Child was spoil'd and deform'd, and from his
deformity was call'd Pria••us, and Phallus, and
Fascinum; all which three names savour of Ob∣scenity:
tho by some he is call'd Bonus Daemon,
or Genius.
Indeed Iuno's touch was not necessary to
make the Child monstrous: for what Off-spring
can we expect from a Sot and a Whore.
Page 233
CHAP. XVII.
ARISTAEUS.
HE is called Aristaeus, whom you see busi∣ed
in that Nursery of Olives, support∣ing
and improving the Trees. He is employ∣ed
in drawing Oil from the Olive, which
Art he first invented. He also found out the
use of Honey, and therefore you see some
rows of Bee-hives near him. For which two
profitable Inventions, the Antients paid him
Divine Honours.
He was otherwise called Nomius and Agrae∣us,
and was the Son of Apollo by Cyrene; or
as Cicero says, the Son of Liber Pater; educa∣ted
by the Nymphs, and taught by them the
Art of making Oil, Honey, and Cheese. He
fell in love with Eurydice, the Wife of Orpheus,
and pursued her into a Wood, where a Ser∣pent
stung her so that she died: the Nymphs
hated him so much for this, that they destroy∣ed
all his Bees, to revenge the death of Eury∣dice.
This loss was exceedingly deplored by
him. And asking his Mother's Advice, he
was told by an Oracle, that he ought by Sa∣crifices
to appease Eurydice. Wherefore he
sacrificed to her four Bulls and four Heifers;
and his loss was supply'd: for suddenly a swarm
of Bees burst forth from the Carcasses of the
Bulls.
Page 234
CHAP. XVIII.
TERMINUS.
BUT pray why is that Stone or Log pla∣ced
there (the distance will not let me
distinguish which of the two it is)?
M.
It has place amongst the Rural Gods,
because it is a God itself.
P.
A God do you say? Surely now you jest, Sir.
M.
No, it is not only a God, but a God
greatly honour'd in this City of Rome: which
they call Terminus; and suppose the limits of
the Fields to be under his Protection. Let
the Poet witness this, who thus addresses him.
Ovid. Fast. l. 2.
Termine, sive lapis, sive es desertus in agro
Stipes, ab antiquis tu quoque numen habes.
Old Termin, whether stump or stone thou be,
The Antients give a Godhead too to thee.
The Statue of this God was either a square
Stone, or a Log of Wood plained: which
they usually persum'd with Ointments and
crown'd with Garlands, according to Tibull••
lib. 1. Eleg. 1.
Nam veneror, seu stipes habet desertus in agris••
Seu vetus in triviis florida serta lapis.
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page 235
For I my Adoration freely give,
Whether a Stump forlorn my vows receive,
Or a beflower'd Stone my worship bave.
Seneca mentions this Deity also:
—Nullus in campo sacer
Divisit agros Arbiter populis lapis.
The sacred Landmark then was quite unknown.
And indeed these lapides Terminales (that is
Landmarks) were esteemed sacred; so that
whoever dared to move them, or Plow up, or
transfer to another place, his Head became
devoted to the Diis Terminalibus, and it was
lawful for any body to kill him.
And further, though they did not Sacrifice
the Lives of Animals to these Stones, because
they thought that it was not lawful to Stain
them with blood; yet they offer'd Wafers of
Bread to them, and the first fruits of Corn,
and the like: and upon the last day of the
year, they always observed Festivals to their
Honour called Terminalia.
Now we pass to the Goddesses of the Woods.
CHAP. XIX.
The Goddesses of the Woods.
DIANA.
P.
IT is very well. Here comes a Goddess
taller than the other Goddesses, in whose
Virgin looks we may ease our Eyes, which have
Page 236
been tired with the horrid sight of those mon∣strous
Deities. Welcom Diana: your Hunt∣ing
Habit, the Bow in your Hand, and the
Quiver full of Arrows which hangs down from
your Shoulders, and the Skin of a Deer fast∣ned
to your Breast, discover you. Your Be∣haviour,
which is free and easie, but modest
and decent; your Garments, which are hand∣som
and yet careless; shew that you are a
Virgin. Your Name 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, shews your
Modesty and Honour. I wish that you who
are tallest of the Goddesses, to whom Wo∣men
owe their Stature, would implant in
them also a love of your Chastity. For I
know you hate, you abhor the Conversation
of the Men; and fly from the very sight of
them. You reject the Temptations of De∣light,
and abhor the charming Witchcraft of
Pleasure with all your Heart.
Actaeon, the Son of Aristaeus, that famous
Huntsman, fatally learned this; when he im∣pudently
looked upon you, when you were
naked in the Fountain: you deferr'd not the
Punishment of his Impurity for a moment;
for sprinkling him with the Water, you chan∣ged
him into a Deer, which was afterwards
torn to pieces by Dogs.
Farther Honour is due to you, because you
are the Moon, Astrorum decus (Virg. Aen. 9.)
the glory of the Stars, and the only Goddess,
who, (Aen. 11.)
AEternum telorum & virginitatis amorem,
Intemerata colis.
Thy self untainted still,
Hunting and Chastity thou alway lov'd.
Page 237
Nor am I ignorant of that famous and de∣serving
Action that you did to avoid the flames
of Alphaeus: when you hastily fled to your
Nymphs, who were all together in one place;
and besmear'd both your self and them with
dirt so, that when he came he did not know
you: Whereby your honest Deceit succeeded
according to your Intentions; and the Dirt,
which fouls every thing else, added a new
Lustre to your Virtue. Welcome once again.
Horat. Carm. l. 3.
Montium custos, nemorumque virgo,
Quae laborantes utero puellas
Ter vocata audis, adimisque letho,
Diva Triformis.
Kind Guardian of my Hills and Grove
Who thrice implor'd dost hear and save
The teeming Women from the grave,
Great here on Earth, in Hell, and great above.
M.
So, Palaeophilus: Have you thus long
cheated me?
P,
I?
M.
Yes you; who have counterfeited the
person of an ordinary and ignorant Man, till
now, so dexterously?
P.
I am as ignorant as I pretended. You
may believe me when I swear, that I am alto∣gether
ignorant of these things that you teach
me. Nor can you suppose otherwise from
those things which I now repeated about Di∣ana.
For from a Boy I have loved this God∣dess
for her Modesty; and out of respect to
Page 238
her, I learn these few things which you heard
me speak. I am wholly blind, and beg, that
by your Assistance you would guide me. I
speak sincerely I am a meer Freshman.
M.
You can scarce make me believe so.
But however, I will verifie the Proverb, S••s
Minervam; and begin from that word that
you last mentioned.
Diana is called Triformis and Tergemina,
1. because though she is one, yet she has a
threefold Office, for she is Luna in the Hea∣vens,
Diana upon Earth, and Hecate in Hell.
All these three Names and Offices are ingeni∣ously
expressed in this Distich.
Terret, lustrat, agit, Proserpina, Luna, Diana,
Ima, suprema, feras, sceptro, fulgore, sagittâ.
Yet Hesiod esteems them three different God∣desses.
2. Because the Poets say that she
has Three Heads: the Head of a Horse on the
Right side, of a Dog on the Left, and of a
Man in the midst: whence some call her
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. And others ascribe to her the like∣ness
of a Bull, a Dog, and a Lion. Virgil
mentions her thus, (Aen. 4.)
Tergeminamque Hecaten, tria Virginis or a Dianae.
—Hecate in her treble Form,
Three Faces of the Virgin-Goddess see.
And Claudian de rapt. Pros. lib. 2.
Ecce procul ternis, Hecate, variata figuris.
Behold far off the Goddess Hecate
In threefold Shape advances.
Thirdly, According to the Opinion of some,
she is called Triformis, because the Moon hath
three several Faces, or Shapes. The New Moon
Page 239
casts a Circle of Light like an Arch. The
Half Moon fills a Semicircle with Light, and
the Full Moon fills a whole Circle or Orb with
its Light. But let us examine these Names
more nicely.
Luna is derived à lucendo, shining; either be∣cause
una sit, quae noctu lucet; she alone shines
so gloriously in the Night; vel quòd luce alienâ
splendeat, or because she shines by the light of ano∣ther.
In Greek her Name is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
novum lumen; because she shines always with
New Light. Her Chariot is drawn with a
white and a black Horse, or with two Oxen,
because she has got two Horns, sometimes a
Mule is added, says Festus, because she is bar∣ren
and shines by the Light of the Sun. Some
say that a Luna of both Sexes hath been wor∣shipped,
especially among the AEgyptians: and
indeed they give this property to all the other
Gods. Thus both Lunus and Luna were wor∣shipped.
But with this difference, that those
who worshipped Luna, were thought subject to
the Women, and those who worshipped Lu∣nus,
were superiour to them. We must also
observe, that the Men sacrificed to Venus, under
the name of Luna, in Womens Cloaths, and
the Women in Mens Cloaths Cic. de Deor. Nat.
lib. 2. Serv. in 2. Aen. Philocor. Endymion was the
Moons Gallant, and was mightily favoured by
her: insomuch that to kiss him, she descended
out of Heaven, and came to the Mountain
Latmus or Lathynius in Caria; where he lay
condemned to an eternal sleep by Iupiter, be∣cause
when he was taken into Heaven, he
Page 240
impudently attempted to violate the Modesty
of Iuno. In reality, Endymion was a famous
Astrologer, who first described the Course of
the Moon, and he is represented sleeping, be∣cause
he contemplated nothing but the Stars.
Hecate may be derived from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, eminus,
because the Moon darts her Rays or Arrows afar
off. She is said to be the Daughter of Ceres by
Iupiter; and being cast out by her Mother,
and exposed in the Street, the Shepherds took
her up, and nourished her. For which reason,
her Statue was usually set before the Doors of
Houses, whence she took the Name Propylae••,
and Virgil says of her, Aen. 4.
Nocturnisque Hecate triviis, ululata per urbes.
Others derive her Name from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉•• because
they sacrificed a Hundred Victims to her: or
because, by her Edict, those who die and are
not buried, wander an Hundred years up and
down Hell. However, it is certain, she is cal∣led
Trivia, à Triviis; for she was believed to
preside over the Streets and the Ways: so that
they sacrificed to her in the Streets, and the
Athenians every New Moon made a sumptuous
Supper for her there, which was eaten in the
Night by the poor People of the City. They
say that she was excessively tall, her Head was
covered with frightful Serpents instead of Hair,
and her Feet were like Serpents. She was re∣presented
encompassed with Dogs, because that
Animal was sacred to her, and Hesychius says,
that she was sometimes represented by a Dog,
She presided also over Enchantments they tell
us; and when she was called seven times she
Page 241
came to the Sacrifices, as soon as they were
finished, several Apparitions appeared, called
from her Hecataea.
She was called by the Egyptians Bubastis; her
Feasts were named Bubastea; and the City,
where they were yearly celebrated, was called
Bubastis.
Brimo is another of the Names of Hecate and
Diana: which is derived from fremitus, the
Cry, which she gave when Apollo or Mars offered
her Violence when she was Hunting.
She is called Lucina and Opis, because Infan∣tibus
in lucem venientibus open ferat; she helps to
bring Children into the world; which good Office
(it is said) she first perform'd to her Brother
Apollo; when as soon as her self was born, she
assisted her Mother Latona, and did the Office
of a Midwife. But was so affrighted with her
Mothers pains, that she resolved never to have
Children, but to live a Virgin perpetually.
She is called Chitone and Chitonia, quasi tuni∣cata,
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, tunica; because Women after
Child-birth used to sacrifice to Iuno, and to
offer to Diana their own and their Childrens
Cloaths.
She was named Dictynna, not only from the
Nets, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which she used: (for she was a
Huntress, and the Princess of Hunters, for
which reason all Woods were dedicated to her)
but also because Britomartis the Virgin when
she Hunted fell into the Nets, and vowed, if
she escaped, a Temple to Diana. She did e∣scape,
and then consecrated a Temple Dianae
Dictynnae, Others relate the Story thus; When
Page 242
Britomartis, whom Diana loved because she was
an Huntress, fled from Minos her Lover, and
cast her self into the Sea, she fell into the
Fishermen's Nets, and Diana made her a God∣dess.
And since we are talking of Hunting, give
me leave to add, that the Ancients thought
that Diana left off Hunting on the Ides of
August: therefore at that time it was not law∣ful
for any to Hunt, but they Crowned the
Dogs with Garlands, and lighted Torches made
of the Stubble, and hung up the hunting In∣struments near them.
We shall only adjoin, to what hath been
said, the Two Stories of Chione and Meleager.
Chione, the Daughter of Daedalion, was de∣flour'd
by Apollo and Mercury; she brought
forth Twins; (Philamon a skilful Lutinist, and
Autolycus, a famous Jugler.) Ovid. Met. l. 11.
—Furtum ingeniosus ad omne,
Qui facere assuerat, patriae non degener artis,
Candida de nigris & de candentibus atra.
Cunning in theft, and wily in all slights,
Who could with subtilty deceive the sight;
Converting white to black, and black to white.
Chione was mighty proud, and boasted,
Se peperisse duos, & Diis placuisse duobus,
That she two Sons had brought by having pleas'd two Gods;
And dared to value her self above Diana.
—Se praeferre Dianae
Sustinuit, faciemque Deae culpavit. At illi
Ira ferox mota est, factisque placahimus, inquit:
Nec mora, curvavit cornu, nervusque sagittam
Impulit, & meritam trajecit arundine, linguam.
Page [unnumbered]
She to Dianas durst her face confer,
And blame her Beauty. With a cruel look,
She said: Our deeds shall right us. Forthwith took
Her bow, and bent it; which she strongly drew;
And through her guilty tongue the arrow flew.
Meleager was punished for his Father Oe∣neus's
fault, who, when he offered his first Fruits
to the Gods, wilfully forgot Diana, wherefore
she was angry and sent a Wild Boar into the
Fields of his Kingdom of Caledonia, to de∣stroy
them Meleager accompanied with many
chosen Youths immediately undertook either
to kill this Boar, or to drive him out of the
Country. The Virgin Atalanta was among
the Hunters, and gave the Boar the first
wound; and soon after Meleager killed him.
He esteemed Atalanta more who first wounded
the Boar, than himself who killed him, and
therefore offered her the Boars skin.
—Exuvias, rigidis horrentia setis
Terga dat, & magnis insignia dentibus ora.
Invidere alii totoque er at agmine murmur,
Then gave the bristled spoil, and gastly head
With monstrous tushes arm'd, which terror bred.
She in the Gift and giver pleasure took.
All murmur with preposterous envy strook.
The Relations of Meleager were enraged that
the Hide was given to a Stranger, and violent∣ly
took it from her: whereupon Meleager
killed them. As soon as his Mother Althaea,
understood that Meleager had killed his own
Brothers, she sought revenge like a mad Wo∣man.
In Althaea's Chamber was a Billet;
Page [unnumbered]
which, when Meleager was born, the Fates
took and threw into the Fire; saying
Tempora dixerunt, eadem lignoque tibique,
O modo nate, damus: quo postquam carmine dicto,
Excessere Deae; flagrantem mater, ab igne
Eripuit ramum sparsitque liquentibus undis.
Servatusque diu, Iuvenis servaverat annos.
O lately born, one period we assign
To thee, and to this brand. The charm they weave
Into his fate; and then the Chamber leave.
His Mother snatcht it with an hasty hand
Out of the fire; and quencht the flagrant brand.
This in an inward Closet closely lays:
And by preserving it, preserves his days.
She therefore, moved with rage, goes to her
Chamber,
—Dextraque aversa trementi,
Funereum torrem medios conjecit in ignes.
—With Eyes turn'd back, her quaking hand
To trembling flames expos'd the funeral brand.
And as the Log burnt, Meleager, tho absent,
felt Fire in his Bowels: which consumed him
in the same manner, that the other was con∣sumed:
and when at last the Log was quite
turn'd to Ashes, and the Fire out, Melea∣ger
at the same time expired, and turn'd to
Dust.
Page 245
CHAP. XX.
PALES.
THAT old Lady which you see surrounded
with Shepherds, is Pales, the Goddess of
Shepherds and Pasture. Some call her Magna
Mater, and Vesta. To this Goddess, they sa∣crificed
Milk, and Wafers made of Millet,
that she might make the Pastures fruitful.
They instituted the Feasts called Palilia or Pa∣rilia,
to her Honor; which were observed
upon the Eleventh or Twelfth day of the
Kalends of May, by the Shepherds, in the
Fields: on the same day, in which Romulus
laid the Foundation of the City. These Feasts
were celebrated, to appease this Goddess, that
she might drive away the Wolves, and pre∣vent
the Diseases incident to Cattle. The
Solemnities observed in the Palilia were ma∣ny.
The Shepherds placed little heaps of
Straw in a particular order and at a certain
tain distance, then they danced and leaped
over them; then they purged the Sheep and
the rest of the Cattle with the fumes of Rose∣mary,
Laurel, Sulphur, and the like: Ovid
gives us a Description of these Rites in Fast,
lib. 4.
Alm•• Pales, faveas pastoria sacra ••anenti,
Prosequar officio si tua facta meo,
Page 246
Certe ego de vitulo cinerem, stipulamque fabalem
Saepe tuli, laeva, februa tosta, manu.
Certe ego transilui positas ter in ordine flammas,
Virgaque rorales laurea misit aquas.
Favour, G Pales, now my Past'ral Song,
Whilst of thy Deeds I pious mention make,
Thy Rites with Bean straw Ashes I have done,
And with my Left Hand tost the sacred Cake.
Thrice o'r the flames in order rang'd I've leapt,
And holy Dew my Laurel Twig has dript.
CHAP. XXI.
FLORA.
P.
YOU need not tell me who that Goddess
is, which I see so adorned, and fine,
and flourishing, so dressed and beautified with
Flowers. It is Flora the Goddess and President
of the Flowers: is it not?
M.
It is true, the Romans give her the Ho∣nor
of a Goddess: but in reality, she was a fa∣mous
Miss, who by her nasty Trade heaped
up a great deal of Money, and made the
People of Rome the Heir to it. Particularly
she left a certain Sum, the yearly interest of
which was paid, that the Games called Florales
or Floralia might be Celebrated annually on
her birth day. But because this appeared
scandalous, impious, and prophane to the Se∣nate,
as it really was. They covered their de∣sign,
and worshipped Flora under the Title of
Page 247
Goddess of Flowers: and pretended that they
offered Sacrifice to her, that the Plants and
Trees might flourish.
Ovid follows the same Fiction in his Fasti:
where he marries Chloris, an infamous Nymph
to Zephyrus, and says that her Husband gave
her the Power over all the Flowers. But let us
return to Flora and her Games. Her Image, as
we find in Plutarch, was exposed in the Temple
of Castor and Pollux; dressed in a Coat, and
holding in her Right Hand the Flowers of
Beans and Pease. For while these sports were
Celebrated the Officers or AEdiles, sprinkled
Beans and Pease and other Pulse amongst the
People. These Games were proclaimed and
begun by sound of Trumpet, as Iuvenal in∣timates
in saying, (Sat. 6.)
—Dignissima certè
Florali matrona tuba.
—A Matron worthy sure
Of Flora's Festal Trumpet—
Then the lewd Women came forth in pub∣lick,
and shewed Tricks naked. Strange!
that such Filthiness should be called Flores, and
the Games Floralia!
Page 248
CHAP. XXII.
FERONIA.
FEronia the Goddess of the Woods, is justly
placed near Flora the Goddess of the Flow∣ers:
her name is derived à ferendis arboribus.
The higher place is due to her because Fruits
are more valuable than Flowers, and Trees
than small and ignoble Plants. It is said, she
had a Grove sacred to her, under the Moun∣tain
Soracte: which was set on fire, the Neigh∣bours
were resolve to remove the Image of
Feronia from thence. When on a sudden the
Grove became green again. Strabo reports
that those, who were inspired by this God∣dess,
used to walk barefoot upon burning
Coals without hurt. (lib. 5.) Tho many have
believed, that by the Goddess Feronia that
Virtue only is meant, by which Trees, bring
forth Fruits and Flowers.
CHAP. XXIII.
POMONA.
POmona is Pomorum Dea, that is, the Goddess,
the Guardian, the President not of the Ap∣ples
only, but of all the Fruit and Product of
Page 249
Trees and Plants. As you see, she follows af∣ter
Flora and Feronia in order; but in the great∣ness
of her merit, she far surpasses them.
And hath a Priest who only serves her, called
Flamen Pomonalis.
P.
What old toothless Hag is that which
flatters Pomona?
M.
It is not an old Woman, but a God. I
do not wonder that you are deceived, since in
this Disguise he deceived Pomona her self:
when she was very busie in looking after her
Gardens and Orchards with great care, and
was wholly employed in watering and securing
the roots, and in lopping the overgrown
Branches, Vertumnus, a principal God amongst
the Romans, (called so à vertendo se, because
he had a power to turn himself into what
shape he pleased) was in love with Pomona,
and counterfeited the Shape of an old Wo∣man;
(Ovid. Met. l. 4.)
Innitens baculo, positis per tempora canis.
With grey hair'd Noddle, leaning on a Staff.
He came into the Gardens, admired the Fruit
and beauty of them, and commending her
care about them, he saluted her. He viewed
the Gardens, and from the observations which
he had made, he began to discourse of Mar∣riage,
telling her that it would add to the hap∣piness
even of a God, to have her to Wife.
Observe, says he, the Trees which creep up
this Wall, How do the Apples and Plums
strive which shall excel the other in Beauty
and Colour; whereas if they had not Pegs
Page 250
or Supports, which like Husbands prop them
up; they would perish and decay.
At si staret, ait, coel••bs sine palmite truncus,
Nil praeter frondes, quare peteretur, ••aberet.
Haec quoque quae juncta vitis requiescit in ulmo,
Si non juncta foret, terrae acclinata jaceret:
Tu tamen exemplo non tangeris arboris hujus.
Yet, saith he, if this Elm should grow alone,
Except for shade, it would be priz'd by none:
And so this Vine in amorous foldings wound,
If but disjoin'd, would creep upon the ground.
Yet art not thou by such Examples led:
But shun'st the pleasures of a happy bed.
All this did not move her, till Vertumnu••
changed himself into a young Man.
—In juvenem rediit, & anilia demit
Instrumenta sibi; talisque apparuit illi,
Qualis ubi oppositas nitidissima solis imago
Evicit nubes nullaque obstante reluxit.
Vimquè parat: sed vi non est opus: inque figura
Capta Dei Nympha est, & mutua vulnera sensit.
—Again himself he grew.
Th' infirmities of heatless Age depos'd
And such himself unto the Nymph disclos'd.
As when the Sun, subduing with his rays
The muffling cloud his golden brow displays.
He force prepares: of force there was no need;
Struck with his Beauty, mutually they bleed.
Page 251
CHAP. XXIV.
The NYMPHS.
NOW observe that great Company of
neat, pretty, handsome, beautiful, charm∣ing
Virgins, who are very near the Gardens of
Pomona. Some run about the Woods, and
hide themselves in the Trunks of the aged
Oaks; some plunge themselves into the Foun∣tains,
and some swim in the River. They
are called by one common Name Nymphs,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because they always look
young; or from the Verb 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, splendere: be∣cause
they are handsome. Yet all have their
proper Names besides, which they derive ei∣ther
from the places where they live, or the
Offices that they perform; they are especially
distributed into three Classes, the Celestial, the
Terrestrial, and the Marine Nymphs.
The Celestial Nymph were those Genii, those
Souls and Intellects, who guided the Spheres of
the Heavens, and dispensed the Influences of
the Stars to the things of the Earth.
Of the Terrestrial Nymphs, some presided
over the Woods, and were called Dryades from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, quercus, an Oak, which Word principally
signifies an Oak, but generally all Trees.
These Dryades had their Habitations in the
Oaks. Other Nymphs were called Hama∣dryades
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 together and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 an Oak••
Page 252
for they were born when the Oak was first
planted, and when it perishes they die also.
The Antients held strange Opinions concer∣ning
Oaks, they imagined that even the smal∣lest
Oak was sent from Heaven. The Druidae,
Priests of the Gauls, esteemed nothing more
Divine and Sacred than the excrescence which
sticks to Oaks. Others of the Terrestrial
Nymphs were called Oreades or Orestiades, from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, mons; for they presided over the Moun∣tains.
Others Napaeae, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, saltus, vallis,
for their Province was in the Groves and the
Vallies. Others Lemoniades, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, pra∣tum,
for they look after the Meadows and
Fields; and others Meliae, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, fraxinus,
an Ash: And these were supposed to be the
Mothers of those Children, who were acci∣dentally
born under a Tree, or exposed
there.
The Marine Nymphs, either presided over
the Seas, and were called Nereides and Nerinae,
from the Sea-God Nereus, and the Sea-Nymph
Doris their Parents; (which Nereus and Doris,
were born of Tethys and Oceanus; from whom
they were called Oceanitides and Oceanae:) or
those Nymphs who presided over the Fountains,
and were called Naiades and Naides, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
fluo; others inhabited the Rivers, and were
called Fluviales or Potamides, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
Fluvius; again, others preside over the Lakes
and the Ponds, and these were named Lim∣nades,
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Lake.
All the Gods had Nymphs attending them,
Iupiter speaks of his, in Ovid Met. l. 1.
Page 253
Sunt mihi Semidei, sunt rustica numina Fauni,
Et Nymphae; Satyrique & Monticolae Sylvani.
Half Gods and Rustic Fauns attend my will,
Nymphs, Satyrs, Sylvans that on mountains dwell.
Neptune had several Nymphs; in so much that
Hesiod and Pindar call him 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Nym∣pharum
ducem, the Captain of the Nymphs;
the Poets generally allow him fifty. Phoebus
had the Aganippidae and the Muses. Bacchus,
an innumerable Company of the Bacchae, Bas∣sarides,
Eloides and Thyades. Diana had her
hunting Nymphs, and Tethys the Nereides. To
Iuno belonged.
—bis septem praestanti corpore Nymphae.
—Twice seven Nymphs of noble Shapes.
I will give you the History of two of them.
Arethusa, was one of Diana's Nymphs, her
Virtue was as great as her Beauty. The plea∣santness
of the place invited her, to cool her∣self
in the Waters of a fine clear River: Al∣pheus
(the God of that River) assumed the
Shape of a Man, and arose out of the Water.
He first saluted her with kind Words, and then
approached near to her, but away she flies,
and he follows her; and when he had almost
overtaken her, she dissolved with fear by the
assistance of Diana whom she implored, into
a Fountain.
—sed enim cognoscit amatas
Amnis aquas; positoq, viri, quod sumpserat ore,
Vertitur in proprias, ut se illi misceat undas.
The River his beloved Waters knew;
And putting off th' assumed shape of man,
Resumes his own; and in my Current ran.
Page 254
To this day, Arethusa continues her flight
and by a passage through a Cavity of the Earth
she goes under ground into Sicily. Alphe••
also follows by the like subterraneous Pas••sages,
till at last he unites, and marries hi••
own Streams to those of Arethusa in that I∣sland.
Echo, who is only a Voice now, was for∣merly
a Nymph, who for her talkativeness re∣ceived
this punishment: Ovid. Met. l. 3.
Reddere de multis, ut verba novissima posset.
Fecerat hoc Iuno: quia cum deprendere posset
Sub Iove saepe suo Nymphas in monte jacentes••
Illa Deam, longo prudens sermone tenebat,
Dum fugerent Nymphae.
She only could reiterate the close
Of every speech. This Juno did impose.
For, often when she might have taken Jove,
Compressing there the Nymphs, who weakly strove••
Her long discourses made the Goddess stay.
Until the Nymphs had time to run away.
Echo by chance met Narcissus rambling in
the Woods; and she so admired his hand∣somness,
that she fell in love with him; she
discovered her love to him, courted him, fol∣lowed
him, and embraced the proud Youth in
her Arms; but he broke from her Embraces,
and hastily fled from her sight; whereupon
the despised Nymph hid her self in the Woods,
and pined away with Grief.
—Vox tantum, atque ossa supersunt:
Vox manet: ossa ferunt lapidis traxisse figuram.
Inde latet sylvis, nulloque in monte videtur.
Omnibus auditur; sonus est, qui vivit in illa.
Page 255
Nothing was left her now but voice and bones:
The voice remains; the other turn to stones;
Conceal'd in Woods, in Mountains never found,
Yet heard in all: and all is but a Sound.
Narcissus, who would neither love others, nor
admit of their love, began to admire his own
Beauty so, that the love of himself ruined
him. Ovid, ib.
Fons erat illimis, nitidis argenteus undis
A Spring there was, whose silver Waters were
As smooth as any mirror, nor less clear.
When he stooped down to drink at this Foun∣tain,
he saw his own Image, he staid, liked, ad∣mired,
and at last passionately loved it.
Spectat inexpleto mendacem lumine formam,
Perque oculos, perit ipse suos.
Looking on his false Form could not suffice,
He ruinates himself with his own Eyes.
The water hindered him from enjoying what
he wished.
—Minimum est, quod amantibus obstat.
At length, unhappy Creature, he perceived,
that he consumed for Love of himself.
—Flammas, inquit, moveoque feroque
Quod cupio, mecum est; inopem me copia fe••it.
Outinam, à nostro seced••re corpore possem.
Votum in amante novum est; vellem quod ama∣mus abesset.
I suffer in those flames which I procure.
Shall I be woo'd, or wooe? What shall I crave?
Since what I covet, I already have.
Too much hath made me poor! O you divine
And favouring Powers, me from my self disjoin!
Of what I love, I would de dispossest:
This, in a Lover, is a strange request!
Page 256
In a Word,
—Attenuatus amore
Liquitur & caeco paulatim carpitur igne.
And at last by the favour of the Gods he was
turned into the Flower Narcissus: (a Daf∣fodil.)
CHAP. XXV.
The inferiour Rural Deities.
THE Images of these Gods are so small that
we can't discern their Figures: where∣fore
I will only re-count their Names. And
first,
Rusina, to whose Care all the parts of the
Country are committed. Then
Co••ina, who reigns over the Hills.
Vallenia, who holds her Empire in the Valleys.
Hippona, who presides over the Horses and
Stables, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. This was the Name also
of a beautiful Woman begotten by one Fulvius
with a Mare. Tertul. Apolog.
Bubona, who hath the Care of the Oxen,
Boves.
Seia, who takes Care of the Seed, whilst it
lies buried in the Earth. Her Name derived
from Serendo.
Segetia, is the same, under another Name;
from Seges. Because she takes Care of the Blade,
as soon as it appears green above the Ground.
Plin. lib. 18.
Page 257
Ryncina, is the Goddess of weeding. Her Office
begins cum runcantur agri, when the Fields are to
be weeded.
Occator, is the God of Harrowing. His Of∣fice
begins, cum occantur agri, when the Fields are
to be harrowed. Serv. Georg. 1. Idem ib. c. 29.
Sator and Sarritor, from Sero and Sarrio, are
the Gods of Sowing and Raking.
To the God R••bigus was celebrated a Festival,
called Robigalia; which was usually observed
upon the 7. of the Kalends of May, to avert Ru∣biginem
à satis, the blasting of the Corn.
Stercutius, or Stercutus, or Sterculius, who is
called likewise Sterquilinus and Picumnus, is the
Rural God, who first invented the Art Sterco∣randi
of Dunging of the Ground.
Proserpina, is the Goddess which presides over
the Corn, when it is sprouted pretty high above the
Earth, cum super terram proserpserit. We shall
speak more of her, when we discourse concer∣ning
the Infernal Deities.
Nodosus or Nodutus, is the God that takes
Care of the Nodes and the Joynts of the Stalks.
Volusia, the Goddess who looks after the in∣••••olucra
folliculorum, the lapping up of the Cods;
which are, as it were, the Sheaths of the
Corn.
Patelina, takes Care of the Ear of the Corn,
after it is broken out of the Cod.
The Goddess Flora presides over the Ear,
when it blossoms; (Florescit.)
And Lactura or Lactucina to Flora, presides
over the Ear when it begins to have Milk;
(Lactescere.)
Page 258
And Matua takes Care that the Ear comes to
a just maturity.
Hostilina from Hostio, aequare (an old word:)
when the Ears of the Corn are even. Aug. de
Civ. jam laudatus.
Tutelina or Tutulina; hath the Tutelage of the
Corn, when it is reaped.
Pilumnus, who invented the Art of Baking
the Corn. Serv. Aen. 9.
Mellona, who invented the Art of making
of Honey. (Mellificii.)
And Fornax is esteemed a Goddess, because
before the Invention of grinding the Wheat,
the Bread-Corn was parched in a Furnace.
Ovid speaks of this Goddess in lib. 6. Fast. thus,
Facta Dea est Fornax, laeti fornare coloni
Orant, ut vires temperet illa suas.
A Goddess Fornax is, her th' Clowns adore,
That they may've kindly batches by her pow'r.
These Minute Powers are but the Refuse of the
Gods. Let us leave them, and turn our Eyes
to the left-hand Wall in this Pantheon, where
we shall see the Gods of the Sea.
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page 259
PART III. (Book 3)
Of the Gods of the Sea. (Book 3)
CHAP. I.
SECT. I.
Neptune. His Name and Descent.
P.
THIS is a glorious and beautiful
Scene. Are those the Gods of the
Waters? Are these the Marine
Gods, whose numerous Companies
are carried all over the liquid Plains of the Sea
in Shells.
M.
Those are the Gods, the Presidents, the
Princes of the vast Finny Regions, and the
Moderators of the flowing Waves.
P.
And who is that King with black Hair,
and blue Eyes, who holds a Scepter in his
Hand like a Fork with three Trines, and is so
beautifully arrayed in Garments of Azure? He
appears handsomely in his Chariot, and is sur∣rounded
Page 260
with a great Guard of Fishes or Men,
I cannot tell which; for their upper Part has
the shape of a Man, but their lower part the
shape of a Fish.
M.
It is Neptune; whose Name is derived
by the change of a few Letters from Nubendo,
says Varro; quod mare terras obnubat; because
the Sea encompasses, embraces, and as it were,
covers the Land. Or, as others believe, he is
so called from the AEgyptian Word (Nephthen)
which signifies the Coasts and Promontories,
and other Parts of the Earth which are wash∣ed
by the Waters. So that Tully (in lib. 2. de
Nat. Deor.) who derives Neptune à Nando,
is either mistaken, or the place (as Lipsius
thinks) is corrupt. Bochart.
It is Neptune, I say, the Governour of the Sea,
the Father of the Rivers and the Fountains,
and the Son of Saturn by Ops. His Mother
preserved him from the devouring Jaws of Sa∣turn
(who, as we remarked above, Eat up all
the Male Children that were born to him) by
by giving Saturn a young Foal to eat, in his
stead. In Greek he is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; quia 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
vinculum pedibus injicit; he binds our feet
from walking upon the Waters. Plut. in Cra••.
When he came to Age, Saturn's Kingdom
was divided by Lot, and the Maritim parts fell
to him. He and Apollo, by Iupiter's Command,
served Laomedon, in building the Walls of
Troy; because he and some other Gods had
plotted against Iupiter. Then he took Am∣phitrite
to Wife (so called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
quòd mare terram circumterat, because
Page 261
the Sea beats upon the Land all about;) He was
repulsed by her a great while, but at last by
the assistance of a Dolphin, and by the power
of Flattery, he gained her. To recompense
which kindness, the Dolphin was exalted to
the Stars and made a Constellation. Nep∣tune
had two other Wives besides, Salacia,
so named from Salum, the Sea, or the salt
water towards the lower part and bottom of the
Sea, as S. Austin explains the word. (De Ci∣vit
D.) And Venilia, from veniendo; because
the Sea goes and comes with the Tide; it ebbs
and flows by turns.
SECT. II.
Actions of Neptune.
IT is said that he produced a Horse in Attica,
out of the ground, by striking it with his
Trident.
—magno percussa tellure tridenti Vir. Georg. 1.
With his huge Trident having thumpt the Ground.
whence he is called Hippius; and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉;
and is esteemed the President over the Horse-Races:
At his Altar in the Cirque of Rome,
Games were instituted, in which they repre∣sented
the ancient Romans, by violence carry∣ing
away the Sabine Virgins. His Altar was
under ground, and he was sacrifice I unto by
the name of Consus, à Consilio dando, the God
of Counsel: which for the most part ought to
be given privately; and therefore the God
Consus was worshipped in an obscure and pri∣vate
place. The solemn Games Consualia,
which were Celebrated in the month of March,
Page 262
were in the honour of this God, or Neptune,
who was called by this name. At the same
time the Horses left working, and the Mules
were adorned with Garlands of Flowers.
Hence also it comes that the Chariot (as
you see) of Neptune is drawn by Hippocampi,
or Sea-Horses, as well as sometimes by Dolphins.
Those Sea-Horses had the Tails of Fishes, and
only two Feet; which were like the two fore∣feet
of a Horse; as Statius describes them,
(Theb. l. 2.)
Illic AEgeo Neptunus gurgite fessos
In portum deducit equ••s: prior haurit habenas
Ungula, postremi solvuntur in aequora pisces.
God Neptune's Steeds to rest are set up here,
In the AEgean Gulf, whose fore parts harness bear,
Their hinder parts Fish shap'd.
Therefore Virgil calls them, two-footed Horses,
(Bipedes) in Georg. lib. 4.
—magnum qui piscibus aequor,
Et juncto bipedum curru metitur equorum.
—Through vast Seas he glides,
Drawn by a Team half Fish half Horse he rides.
Statius hath this description of the motion of
them, in Achill. 1.
—triplici telo jubet ire jugales.
Illi spumiferos glomerant à pectore fluctus,
Ponè natant, delentque pedum vestigia, caudâ.
Shaking his Trident urges on his Steeds,
Who with two Feet beat from their brawny breasts
The foaming billows; but their hinder parts
Swim, and so smooth again the curling Surge.
Therefore it is Neptunes Office, to govern the
Horses by Land, and the Ships by Sea: and
Page 263
without doubt, whenever he rides upon the
waters, he makes the weather fair. Virg. Aen. 1.
—Tumida aequora placat,
Collectasque fugat nubes, solemque reducit.
—aequora postquam
Prospiciens Genitor, coeloque invectus aperto,
Flectit equos, curruque volans dat lora secundo.
Subsidunt undae, tumidumque sub axe tonanti
Sternitur aequor aquis, fugiunt vasto aethere nimbi.
—He calms the Sea, then clears
The Sky from Clouds, the Sun again appears.
So did his presence calm the troubled Main.
Then through clear Skies Neptune with gentle Rein
Wheels his swift Chariot, and well-manag'd Horse.
Under his thundring Ax swoln Billows ly,
And stormy Clouds forsake the clearing Sky.
SECT. III.
Sons of Neptune.
THE most remarkable of his Children,
were Phorcus or Phorcys, and Proteus.
Phorcus was his Son by the Nymph Thesea:
He was vanquished by Atlas, and drowned in
in the Sea; his surviving Friends said that he
was made a Sea God, and therefore they wor∣shipped
him. We read of another Phorcus,
who had three Daughters, who had but one
Eye between them all, which they all could
use. When any one of them desired to see
any thing, she fixed the Eye in her Forehead,
in the same manner as you fix a Diamond in
a Ring; when she had used it, she pulled the
Eye out again that her Sisters might have it:
thus they all used it as there was occasion.
Palaeph in Fab.
Page 264
Proteus, his other Son, was the Keeper of the
Phocae, or Sea-Calves; his Mother was the
Nymph Phoenice. He could Convert himself
into all sorts of shapes: sometimes he could
flow like the Water, and sometimes burn like
Fire; sometimes he was a Fish, a Bird, a
Lion, or whatsoever he pleased: Nor was
this wonderful power enjoyed by Proteus alone.
For Vertumnus, one of the Gods of the Ro∣mans,
had it: his name from Vertendo shews it,
as we observed before in the Story of Pomona.
And from this God Vertumnus comes that
common Latin Expression, Bene or Male Ver∣tat;
may it succeed well or ill: because it is
the business of the God Vertumnus, rebus ad
opinata revertentibus praeesse, says Donatus upon
Terence, to preside over the turn of things, which
happen according to expectation•• tho oftentimes
what we think good, is really bad in the
Conclusion; as that Sword was, which Dido
received from Aeneas, with which she after∣wards
killed her self. This is, male vertisse.
Upon which says Virgil Aen. 4.
—ensemque recludit
Dardanium non hos quaesitum munus in usus.
—The Trojan Sword unsheath'd,
A gift by him not to this use bequeath'd.
Neptune endued Periclimenus Nestor's Brother,
with the same power, who was afterwards
killed by Hercules in the shape of a Fly; for
when he fought against Neleus, a Fly tor∣mented
him and stung him violently; when
Pallas discovered to Hercules that this Fly was
Periclimenus, he killed him. Hom. Od. l. 11.
Page 265
Neptune gave the same power to Metra,
Mestra or Mestre, the Daughter of Erisichthon;
she obtained this reward from him, because he
had debauched her: by which power she was
enabled to succour her Father's insatiable
Hunger. (Ovid. Met. l. 8.)
Nuno equa, nunc ales, modo bos, modo cervus abibat,
Praebebatque avido non just a alimenta parenti.
Now Hart-like, now a Cow, a Bird, a Mare:
And fed his hunger with ill-pu••chas'd Fare.
For the same cause Caenis, a Virgin of Thes∣saly,
obtained the same, or rather a greater
power from Neptune. For he gave her power
to change her Sex, and made her invulner∣able;
she therefore turned her self into a Man,
and was called Caeneus: She fought against
the Cen••aurs, till they overwhelmed her with
a vast load of Trees, and buried her alive.
After which, she was turned into a Bird of her
own name. Ovid. Met. l. 12.
CHAP. II.
Triton, a••d the other Marine Gods.
TRiton was the Son of Neptune by Amphi∣trite.
He was his Father's Companion,
and Trumpeter. Down to his Navel he re∣sembles
a Man; but his other part is like a Fish.
His two Feet are like the fore-Feet of a Horse:
his Tail is cleft, and crooked, like a half
Moon, and his Hair resembles Wild Parsly.
Page 266
Two Princes of Parnassus (Virgil and Ovid)
give these descriptions of him. Vir. Aen. 10.
Hunc vehit immanis Triton, & caerula concha
Exterrens freta: cui laterum tenus hispida nanti,
Frons hominem praefert, in pristim desinit alv••••.
Spurnea semifero sub pectore murmurat unda.
This mighty Triton bore, frighting the Tides
With his shrill Trump, his Face and hairy Sides
Above presents a Man, a Whale the rest,
And foamy Waves resound beneath his Breast.
The other in Metam. lib. 1.
Caeruleum Tritona vocat, conchaque sonanti
Inspirare jubet, fluctusque & flumina signo
Iam revocare dato. Cava buccina sumitur illi
Tortilis in latum, qua turbine crescit ab imo
Buccina, quae medio concepit ubi aëra ponto,
Littora voce replet sub utroque jacentia Phoebo.
Old Triton rising from the deep, he spies
Whose shoulders rob'd with native purple rise,
And bids him his loud sounding shell inspire,
And give the Floods a signal to retire.
He his wreath'd Trumpet takes (as giv'n in charge)
That from the turning bottom grows more large:
This when the Namen o'er the Ocean sounds,
The East and West from shore to shore abounds.
Oc••anus, another of the Sea-Gods, was the
Son of Coelum and Vesta; who by the Antients
was called the Father not only of all the Ri∣vers,
but of the Animals, and of the very Gods
themselves; for they imagined, that all the
things in Nature took their beginning from
him. It is said, he begot of his Wife Tethys
three thousand Sons. The most eminent where∣of
were
Page 267
Nereus, who was nursed and educated by
the Waves, and afterwards dwelt in the Aegean
Sea, and became a famous Prophesier. He begot
50 Daughters by his Wife Doris, which Nymphs
were called after their Fathers name, Nereides.
Palaemon, and his Mother Ino, for this rea∣son
were made Sea-Deities. Ino's Husband
Athamas was distracted, and tore his Son Le∣archus
into pieces, and dashed him against the
Wall; Ino saw this, and feared lest the same
fate should come upon her self, and her other
Son Melicerta; wherefore she took her Son,
and with him threw her self into the Sea;
where they were made Sea-Deities, nothing
perished in the Waters but their Names, for
their former Names were lost in the Waves,
and they found new ones: She was called
Leucothea and he Palaemon by the Greeks, and
Portumnus by the Latins.
Glaucus, the Fisherman, became a Sea God
by a more pleasant way. For when he pulled
the Fish which he had caught, out of his Nets,
and laid them on the shore, he observed, that
by touching a certain Herb, the Fish recove∣red
their strength and leapt again in the Wa∣ter.
He wondred at so strange an Effect, and
had a desire to tast this Herb; when he had
tasted it, he followed his Fish, and leaping in∣to
the Water, became a God of the Sea. Ovid.
Metam. l. 13. Strabo.
To these we may add the Story of Canopus,
a God of the Aegyptians; who by the help
of Water gained a memorable Victory over
the God of the Chaldeans, when these two
Page 268
Nations contended about the Power and Supe∣riority
of their Gods, the Priests consented to
bring the two Gods together, that they might
decide their Controversie, the Chaldaeans brought
the God Ignis (Fire) and the Aegyptians brought
Canopus; they set the two Gods near one ano∣ther
to Fight: Canopus's Belly was a great
Pitcher, filled with water, and full of holes,
but so stopped with Wax, that no body could
discern them. When the Fight began, Fire
the God of the Chaldaeans melted the Wax
which stopped the holes; so that Canopus with
rage and violence assaulted him with streams
of water, and totally extinguished, vanquished
and overcame him. Ruffin. l. 11. c. 26.
CHAP. III.
SECT. I.
The Monsters of the Sea. The Syrens.
THERE were three Syrens, whose Pa∣rentage
is uncertain, (tho' some say that
they were the Off-spring of Achelous the River,
and Melpomene the Muse) they had the Faces
of Women, but the Bodies of flying Fish; they
dwelt near the Promontory Peloris in Sicily
(now called Capo di Faro) or in the Islands
called Sirenussae, which are situated in the ex∣tream
parts of Italy, according to Strabo.
Where, with the sweetness of their Singing,
they drew all the Men to them, that sailed
by those Coasts: and when by their Charms
Page 269
they brought upon them a deep sleep, they
drown'd them in the Sea, and afterwards took
them out, and devoured them. Their names
were Parthenope (who died at Naples, for which
reason that City was formerly called Parthe∣nope)
Ligea and Leu••osia.
That their Charms might be easilier recei∣ved,
and make the greater impression on the
minds of the hearers; they used musical In∣struments
with their Voices: and adapted the
Matter of their Songs to the temper and in∣clinations
of the hearers. With some Songs
they inticed the Ambitious, with others the
Voluptuous, and with other Songs they drew
on the Covetous to their destruction. Ovid says
of these Syrens, De Arte Amand. lib. 3.
Monstra Maris Syrenes erant, quae voce canora
Quaslibet admissas detinure rates.
Syrens were once Sea Monsters, mere decoys
Trapanning Seamen with their tuneful voice.
P.
What then? Could no Passengers ever
escape this Plague?
M.
History mentions two only who escaped,
Ulysses and Orpheus•• The first was forewarn∣ed
of the danger of their Charming Voices
by Circe: wherefore he stopped the Ears of
his Companions with Wax, and was fast bound
himself to the Mast of the Ship: by which
means he safely passed the fatal Coasts. But
Orpheus overcame them in their own Art, and
evaded the temptations of their murdering Mu∣sick
by playing upon his Harp, and singing the
praises of the Gods so well, that he outdid the
Syrens. The Fates had ordained, that the
Page 270
Syrens should live till some body who passed by
heard them sing, and yet escaped alive: when
therefore they saw themselves overcome, they
grew desperate, and precipitated themselves
into the Sea•• and were turned into Stones.
Some write, that they were formerly Virgins,
Proserpina's Companions; they sought every
where for her when she was stoln away by
Pluto, and when they could not find her, they
were so grieved, that they cast themselves in∣to
the Sea, and from that time were changed
into Sea-Monsters. Others add, that by Iuno's
persuasion they contended in Musick with the
Muses, who overcame them, and to punish
their rashness, cut off their Wings; with which
they afterwads made for themselves Garlands.
P.
What did the Poets signifie by this Fiction?
M.
That the minds of Men, as Cicero says,
are deposed from their proper Seats and States,
by the allurements of pleasure. It corrupts them.
There is not a more deadly plague in nature
to mankind than it. Whoever addicts him∣self
altogether to pleasure, loses his Reason,
and is ruined; and he that desires to decline
its Charms, must stop his Ears, and not hear∣ken
to them; but must hearken to the Musick
of Orpheus, and observe the Precepts and In∣structions
of the Wise.
Now turn your Eyes to those other two
Monsters, who are called
Page 271
SECT. II.
Scylla and Charybdis.
THE description of Scylla is very various,
for some say that she was a most beauti∣ful
Woman from the Breasts downward, but
she had six Dog's heads. Again, others say that
in her upper parts she resembled a Woman, in
her lower a Serpent and a Wolf. But whatever
her Picture was, every body says that she was
the Daughter of Phorcus, and Glaucus's Mistress;
Circe passionately loved Glaucus, and could
not bear that Scylla was preferred before
her by Glaucus: wherefore she poisoned with
venemous Herbs those Waters, in which
Scylla used to wash her self: Scylla was igno∣rant
of it, and according to her custom, went
into the Fountain, and when she saw that the
lower part of her Body was turned into the
head of a Dog: being extremely grieved that
she had lost her beauty, she cast her self head
long into the Sea, where she was turned into a
Rock, infamous for the many Shipwrecks
which happen there: which Rock is still seen in
the Sea which divides Italy from Sicily between
Messina a City of Sicily, and Rhegiam (now
called Reggio) in Calabria. This Rock is said to
be surrounded with Dogs and Wolves; who
devour the persons who are cast away there.
But by this is meant only, that when the
Waves by a violent Storm are dashed against
this great Rock, the noise a little resembles
the barking of Dogs and the howling of
Wolves.
Page 272
P.
You said, that Scylla was the Daughter
of Phorcus. But, was not she rather the
Daughter of Nisus King of Megara?
M.
No, that Scylla was another Woman:
for Scylla the Daughter of King Nisus, was
in love with Minos who besieged her Father
in the City Megara: She betrayed both her
Father and her Country to him, by cutting off
the Fatal lock of purple Hair, in which were
contained her Father's and her Country's safe∣ty,
and sent it to the besieger. Minos gained
the City by it, but detested Scyllas's perfidi∣ousness,
and hated her: She could not bear
this misfortune, but was changed into a Lark.
Nisus her Father was likewise changed into a
Spar-hawk, which is called after his name Ni∣sus:
which, as if he still sought to punish his
Daughters great baseness, still pursues the Lark
with fury to devour her, Virg. Georg. 5.
Charybdis, is a vast Whirlpool, in the same
Sicilian Sea, over against Scylla, which absorps
whatever comes within its Vortex, and Vomits
it up again. Both these Monsters, Scylla and
Charybdis, are described in Virgil, thus. Aen.
lib. 3.
Dextrum Scylla latus: laevum implacata Cha∣rybdis
Obsidet, atque imo barathri ter gurgite vastos
Sorbet in abruptum fluctus, rursusque sub auras
Erigit alternos, & sydera verberat undâ.
At Scyllam caecis cohibet speluncae latebris
Ora exertantem, & naves in saxa trahentem.
Prima hominis facies, & pulchro pectore Virgo
Pube tenus: postrema immani corpore pistrix,
Delphinum caudas uter commissa luporum.
Page 273
Scylla the right, Charybdis the left side
Inexorable guards: the swelling Tide
She at three soops doth from Hells bottom drain.
Disgorging it against the Sky again,
That Heavens bright Flames are storm'd with
briny Waves.
But Scylla lurks, hid in obscuring Caves,
And sinks in rocky Mouths up Ships distrest;
A Female, with a comely Virgins Breast,
Down to the middle; but beneath, a Whales
Body, with Wolvish Wombs, and Dolphins Tails.
They say that this Charybdis was formerly a
very ravenous Woman; who was thunder∣strook
by Iupiter, and turned into this Gulph,
because she stole Hercules's Oxen.
P.
What do these Fables of Scylla and Cha∣rybdis
represent to us?
M.
They represent to us Lust and Glut∣tony,
monstrous Vices, which render our Voy∣age
through this World extremely hazardous
and perilous. Lust, like Scylla, engages un∣wary
Passengers by the beauty and pomp of
her outside, and when they are entangled in
her snares she tortures, vexes, torments and
disquiets them with a rage and fury which ex∣ceeds
the madness of Dogs or the rapacity of
Wolves. Gluttony is a Charybdis, a Gulph, a
Whirlpool, that is insatiable. It buries Families
alive, and devou••s Estates, and consumes
Lands and Treasures, and sucks up all things.
They are Neighbouring Vices, and like Scylla
and Charybdis, are but little distant from each
other; nay they are seldom separate, but act
with united Forces. For you will not easily
Page 274
find a Man, who is greatly addicted to the luxury
of eating and drinking; who is not also a slave
to the luxury of Concupiscence: and besmeared
with the sordid filth of base Pleasures, and
wholly given up to the most vile and impu∣dent
Lusts.
But it is now time to consider the place in
which the wicked are tormented eternally; or
rather to cast down our Eyes, upon it, in the
lower Apartment of this Pantheon: where the
Infernal Gods, are painted. We will take only
a transitory view of this Scene, since it will
be very unpleasant to stay long in so doleful,
so sad a place.
Page 275
PART V. (Book 4)
Of the Infernal Deities. (Book 4)
CHAP. I.
A View of Hell.
P.
O Wondrous! What a horrid and
dismal spectacle is here!
M.
You must imagin that we
are now in the confines of Hell.
Prethee, Come along with me. I will be the
same friend to you, which the Sibyl was to Ae∣neas
in Virgil. (Aen. 6.) Nor shall you need
a golden bough to present to Proserpine. You
see here painted those Regions of Hell which
••he Poet describes thus (Virg. Aen. 6.)
Spelunca alta fuit, vastoque immanis hiatu,
Scrupea; tuta lacu nigro, nemorumque tenebris:
Quam super haud ullae poterant impune volantes
Tendere iter pennis: talis sese halitus atris
Faucibus effundeus supera ad convexa ferebat:
Inde locum Graii dixerunt, nomine, Avernum.
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There was a deep Cave with a wondr'ous breach,
Which a foul Lake, and horrid Groves immure,
O're which not swiftest Fowl could fly secure,
Such noisom Vapours from foul Iaws exhale;
From whence the Greeks the place Avernus call.
So that Avernus is the name which the Greeks
give to Hell, quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, sine avibus: because
no Birds can fly over it: for in their flight they
are certainly choaked with the poisonous
stench of it.
P.
What Monsters do I see, Virg. Aen. 6.)
Vest ibulum ante ipsum, primis{que} in faucibus Orci?
M.
Let the Poet answer your Question
thus;
Luctus, & ultrices posuere cubilia Curae:
Pallentesque habitant morbi, tristisque senectus,
Et metus, & malesuada fames, & turpis egestas,
Terribiles visu formae, lethumque laborque.
Tum consanguineus lethi sopor, and mala mentis
Gaudia, mortiferum{que} adverso in limine Bellum.
Ferreique Eumenidum thalami, & Discordia de∣mens
Vipereum crimen vittis innexa cruentis.
Iust in the Gates and horrid Iaws of Hell.
Sorrow, and Fear, and pale Diseases dwell,
Revenging Cares, and discontented Age,
Invincible Necessity, and Rage,
Labor, and Death, and Sleep, to Death akin,
Then all the false delights of deadly sin,
Terrible Forms, Discord, and bloody Wars
On th' other side lay, broaching still new Iars,
The Furies there their Iron Couches found,
Their Viperous Hair with bloody Ribbands bound.
Page 277
CHAP. II.
Charon. The Rivers of Hell. Cerberus.
P.
WHO is that nasty, old, battered,
bearded, Fellow? Or what is his
name?
M.
He is the Ferry-man of Hell, his name
is Charon, quasi Acharon, by an Antiphrasis,
sine gratia. Or in the Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, portitor,
a Ferry-man. You see his Image painted by
the Pencil; but see a more beautiful and ele∣gant
Picture of him drawn by the Pen of
Virgil. Aen. 6.
Portitor has horrendus aquas, & flumina servat,
Terribilis, squalore Charon: cui plurima mento
Canities inculta jacet: stant lumina, flammae:
Sordidus ex humeris nodo dependet amictus.
Ipse ratem conto subigit, velisque ministrat,
Et ferruginca subvectat corpora cymba,
Iam senior, sed cruda Deo viridisque senectus.
The Ferry-man of Hell, foul Charon, keeps
Those horrid Waters, and Infernal Deeps;
His untrimm'd Cheeks are rough with hoary Hair,
Elf-lock'd his Beard, his fiery Eyes do stare;
Ti'd o'er hir Shoulders, hangs a sordid Coat;
Whose Pole; and Sails, drive in his crazy Boat,
Laden with Passengers; though old, the God
Is youthful still, his Veins still full of Blood.
Page 278
P.
Why does he tarry with his Boat here?
M.
To take, and carry over to the other
side of the Lake, the souls of the dead: which
you see flocking to the Shores in Troops. Yet
he takes not all promiscuously, who come; but
such only whose Bodies are buried when they
die. For the Unburied.
Centum errant annos, volitant haec littora circum;
Tum demum admissi, stagna exoptata revisunt,
A hundred years they on these Shores remain,
At last their long expected Passage gain.
But first they pay Charon his fare; which is
at least an half penny. Lucian.
P.
Those three (or four Rivers, if my Eyes
do not deceive me) must be passed over by
the dead, must they not?
M.
Yes. The first of them is Acheron, which
receives them when they come first. This
Acheron was the Son of Terra or Ceres, born in
a Cave, and conceived without a Father. And
because he could not endure light he ran down
to Hell, and was changed into a River,
whose waters are extreme bitter.
The second, is Styx, which is a Lake rather
than a River, was formerly the Daughter of
Oceanus, and the Mother of the Goddess Victo∣ria
by Acheron. When Victoria was on Iupiter's
side in his War against the Giants, she ob∣tained
this prerogative for her Mother, that
no Oath that was sworn amongst the Gods by
her name, should ever be violated; For if any
of the Gods broke an Oath sworn by Styx, they
were banished from the Nectar and the Table
of the Gods, a year and nine days. This is
then the Stygian Lake,
Page 279
Dii cujus jurare timent & fallere numen.
By which the Gods themselves dare n't falsly
swear.
The third River, Cocytus, flows out of Styx,
with a lamentable groaning noise; and imi∣tates, and irritates the exclamation of the
Damned.
Next comes Phlegethon or Periphlegethon, so
called from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, ardeo: because it swells
with waves of fire, and all its streams are
flames.
When the Souls of the Dead have passed
over these four Rivers, they are afterwards
carried to the Palace of Pluto: where the Gate
is guarded by a Dog with three Heads, whose
body is covered in a terrible manner with
Snakes, instead of Hair. This Dog is the
Porter of Hell, begotten of Echidna and the
Giant Typhon. Virgil gives this description of
him. Aen. 6.
Cerbetus, haec ingens latratu regna trifauci
Personat, adverso recubans immanis in antro.
Stretch'd in his Kennel, monstrous Cerberus, round
From triple Iaws makes all these Realms re∣sound.
And Horace, thus, lib. 3. Od.
Cessit immanis tibi blandienti
Ianitor aulae
Cerberus: quamvis furiale centum
Muniant angues caput ejus atque
Spiritus teter, saniesque manet
Ore trilingui.
E'en Cerberus thy force confest
Well pleas'd he lay and luli'd in rest,
Page 280
Tho' hundred hissing Serpents spread
And guard around his horrid head,
And Gore foam'd round his triple tongue,
He gently listned to thy Song.
Now let us approach the Prince and Princess of
Hell, Pluto and Proserpine.
CHAP. III.
SECT. I.
PLUTO.
THIS is Pluto, the King of Hell; begotten
of Saturn and Ops; and the Brother of
Iupiter and Neptune. He hath these infernal
Dominions attributed to him, not only be∣cause
in that division of his Fathers Kingdom,
mentioned before, the Western Parts fell to
his Lot; but also as some say, because the In∣vention
of burying, and of honoring the
Dead with Funeral Obsequies proceeded from
him. For the same reason he is thought to
exercise a Soveraignty over the Dead. Look
upon him. He sits on a Throne covered with
Darkness: and discover, if you can his ha∣bit,
and the Ensigns of his Majesty more nar∣rowly.
P.
I see him, tho in the midst of so much
Darkness; and can distinguish him easily. He
holds a Key in his Hand instead of a Scepter,
and is crowned with Ebony.
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page [unnumbered]
[illustration]
Page 281
M.
Sometimes I have seen him crowned al∣so
with a Diadem; sometimes with the Flowers
of Narcissus (or White Daffadils) and some∣times
with Cypress Leaves: because those Plants,
greatly please him; and especially the Nar∣cissus,
because he stole away Proserpina when
she gathered that Flower, as I shall shew pre∣sently.
Very often a Rod is put into his Hand
in the place of a Scepter, with which he guides
the Dead to Hell. And sometimes he wears
a Head-piece which makes him invisible. His
Chariot and Horses are of a black Colour,
and when he carried away Proserpine, he rode
in it. But if you would know what those
Keys signifie, which he hath in his Hand,
The answer is plain, that they signifie, that
when once the Dead are received into his
Kingdom, the Gates are locked against them,
and there is no Regress thence into this life a∣gain.
Virg. Aen. 6.
—Facilis descensus Averni,
Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad aura••
Hoc opus, bic labor est.
To th' Shades you go a down hill easie way,
But to return and re enjoy the Day,
That is a Work, a Labour,—
P.
Why is he called Pluto?
M.
I will tell you that, and also the mean∣ing
of the rest of his Names.
Pluto, in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 comes from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
••Divitiae, Riches: and in Latin he is called Dis;
which signifies wealth. The Reason whereof
is because all our Wealth comes ab inferis, hoc
est, ex intimis terrae visceribus, from the lowest
Page 282
and most inward Bowels of the Earth: And
because as Tully writes: all the natural powers
and faculties of the Earth are under his di∣rection,
for all things go to the Earth and pro∣ceed
from thence. De Nat. Deor. lib. ••.
His Name 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in Greek, signifies, quasi
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, tristis, tenebrosus, inspe∣ctabilis:
because he sits in darkness so that he,
cannot be openly seen. Or you may derive it
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, priv. and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, videre.
He is likewise called Agesilaus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
à ducendis ad inferos populis, from bring∣ing
of People to Hell. Or, as others read the
Word, Agelastus: which comes from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, non,
and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, rideo, because Pluto never laughs.
Februus, from the old Word Februo, to
purge by Sacrifice: because purgations and lu∣strations,
were used at Funerals. Whence the
Month of February receives also its Appel∣lation:
at which time especially the Sacrifices
called Februa, were offered by the Romans to
this God.
Orcus, quasi Urgus and Uragus, from urgen∣do:
quòd homines urgeat in interitum: he urges
people to their deaths. Some reject this inter∣pretation,
because, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is a Greek word,
and signifies, extremi agminis dux, the Comman∣der
that brings up the rere; and in this sense, the
name is agreeable to Pluto, who succeeds the
last action of our lives.
In Festus we find him called Quietatis: quòd
morte quietem cunctis afferat. Because by death
he brings rest to all things.
Page 283
He is called Summanus, quasi summus. Deo∣rum
Manium, the Chief of the Dii Manes, or
the Gods, the Ghosts ••f the dead. The Thun∣der
that happens in the Night is attributed to
him: whence he is commonly styled also, the
infernal Iupiter; the Stygian Iupiter, the third
Iupiter, as Neptune is, Iupiter secundus, the
Second Iupiter.
P.
What was the Office and Power of
Pluto?
M.
If you do not fully understand that from
what hath been said already, the Fates will tell
you, who thus bespeak him; Claud. de Ratp.
Proserp.
—O, maxime noctis
Arbiter, umbrarum{que} potens, cui nostra laborant
Stamina, qui finem cunctis, & semina praebes.
Nascendique vices alterna morte rependis,
Qui vitam, lethumque regis.
Great Prince o'th' gloomy regions of the dead,
For whom we hourly move our Wheel and Thread,
Of Natures growth and end thou hast the sway,
All Mortals Birth with Death thou dost repay;
Who dost command 'em both.—
Page 284
CHAP. IV.
PLUTUS.
I joyn Plutus to Pluto (altho Plutus be not an
Infernal God) because their Names and
Offices were very like and agreeable; where
I will take this occasion to say something of
him. For they are both of them Gods of
Riches; which are the Root of all Evil, and
which, Nature our common Parent, had
placed near Hell, and indeed there is not a
nearer way to Hell than to hunt mightily af∣ter
Riches.
This Plutus was the Son of Iason or Iasius
by Ceres: He was blind and lame, injudicious,
and mighty timorous, and indeed these infir∣mities
are justly ascribed to him; for if he
was not blind and injudicious, he would ne∣ver
pass by good Men, and heap his Treasures
on the bad. He is lame, for great Estates
come slowly. He is fearful and timorous;
because rich Men watch their Treasures with
a great deal of Fear and Care.
Page 285
CHAP. V.
SECT. I.
PROSERPINE.
M.
SHE, who sits next to Pluto, is the Queen
of Hell, the Infernal Iuno, the Lady (as
the Greeks commonly call her, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Domi∣na,)
and dearest Wife of Pluto; the Daughter
of Ceres and Iupiter, she is called both Pro¦serpine
and Libera. Iupiter, her Father, begat
her when he was disguised in the Shape of a
Bull; and after she was born and grown up,
he debauched her himself in the shape of a
Dragon. Whence it came to pass, that in the
Mysteries of the Sabazia, a Golden Snake folded
in a Circle was produced, which, when any
were initiated, were usually put into their Bo∣soms,
and received again when it slid down
from them below.
P.
But by what Fate became Proserpine the
Wife of this Black God?
M.
Thus: When all the Goddesses refused
to marry Pluto because he was so deformed.
Vexed at this contempt and scorn, and troubled
that he was forced to live a single life always:
in a rage he seated himself in his Chariot, and
arose on a sudden from a Den in Sicily; he saw
a company of very beautiful Virgins, gathering
Flowers in the Fields of Enna (a beautiful
Page 286
place, situated about the middle of the Island,
and therefore called umbilicus Siciliae) one of
them, Proserpina, pleased him above the rest,
for she surpassed them all in beauty. He came
raging with love, and carried her with him
from that place; and on a sudden he sank in∣to
the Earth near Syracuse; in the place where
he descended a Lake arose. And Cicero says
that the People of Syracuse keep yearly Festi∣vals,
to which great multitudes of both Sexes
flock.
O poor Lady! I am troubled at her mis∣fortune,
her unhappiness moves my Compas∣sion.
But what followed?
M.
The Nymphs her Companions were
grievously affrighted, and fled away to any
place where they could expect safety. In the
mean time, Ceres, the Mother of Proserpine,
comes; who by chance was absent when her
Daughter was stoln; she seeks her Daughter
amongst her Acquaintance, a long time, but
in vain. Therefore in the next place she
kindles Torches, by the Flame burst forth
from the top of the Mountain Aetna, and
goes with them to seek her Daughter through∣out
the World: neither did she give over her
vain Labour, till the Nymph Arethusa fully
assured her that Proserpine was stoln by Pluto,
and carried down into his Kingdoms. And
then in great anger she hastned and expostu∣lated
with Iupiter, concerning the Violence
that was offered to her Daughter. In short
Iupiter promised to restore Proserpine again, if
she had not yet tasted any thing in Hell. Ceres
Page 287
went joyfully down, and Proserpine full
of triumph and gladness, prepar'd to return a∣gain
into this World; when one Ascalaphus
discovers, that he saw Proserpine, while she
walked in Pluto's Orchard, pluck a Pomegra∣nate
and eat some Grains of it; whereupon
Proserpine's Journey was immediately stopp'd.
Ceres, the Mother, amaz'd at this new mis∣chance,
and incens'd at the fatal Discovery of
Ascalaphus, turned him into an Owl, a Bird
of an ill Omen, and unlucky to all who see it.
And at last by the importunity of her Prayers
to Iupiter, she extorted this Favour from him,
that he should give leave to Proserpine to live
half the year, at least, with her in the Hea∣vens;
and the other half she might be below
in Hell with her Husband. Ovid. Met. l. 5.
Et Dea regnorum Numen commune duorum,
Cum matre est totidem, totidem cum conjuge menses.
The Goddess now in either Empire sways,
Six Months with Ceres, six with Pluto stays.
Proserpine afterwards lov'd this disagreeable
Husband so much, that she was jealous; and
changed Mentha, who was his Mistress, into
a Herb of her own Name. (Mint.)
SECT. II.
An Explication of the Fable.
P.
YOU have told a very pretty Story.
Pray what is the signification of it?
M.
The signification of it is this. Ceres is
Page 288
the Earth, and her Daughter Proserpine the
Fertility of the Earth; or rather the Seed by
which it is fertile. Which Seed lies buried
in the Ground in the Winter, and in the
Summer it breaks forth and becomes Fruit.
Thus Proserpine (the Emblem of this Seed)
lives half of the year in Hell, and the other
half in Heaven. Others refer this to the Moon
which is hid from us in the Hemisphere of
the Countries beneath us, as long as it shines
to ••s in our own.
Some believe that Hecate is the same with
Proserpine. And if you are willing to follow
their Opinion, you must call to mind what I
said before, where I treated of Diana.
Let us now turn our Eyes towards the Tri∣bunal
of Pluto; where you see in that dismal
Picture, continual Trials, and all Persons, as
well the Accusers as Offenders, that have been
formerly wicked in their Lives, receive their
Deaths impartially from the Three Fates; af∣ter
Death they receive their Condemnation
impartially from Three Iudges, and after
Condemnation their Punishment impartially
from Three tormenting Furies.
Page 289
CHAP. VI.
The FATES.
P.
WHere are those Fates? Shew me Sir.
M.
Those three Old Ladies are the
Fates: their Garments are made of Ermine
white as Snow, which is bordered with Pur¦ple.
They were born either of Nox and E∣rebus,
or of Necessity, or the Sea, or of that
rude and indigested Mass, which the Antients
called Chaos. In Latin their Name is Parcae,
from Partus, as Varro thinks; because they
distribute good and bad things to Persons at
their Births. Or from parcendo, by an Anti∣phrasis,
as others generally say, because they
spare no body: they are likewise called Fatum,
Fate; and are Three in number, because they
order the past, present and future time. Fate
says Tully, is all that, quod à Deo constitutum &
designatum est, ut eveniat, quod Graeci 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
appellant: Which God hath decreed and resolved
shall come to pass; and which the Grecians call
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. It is, says Chrysippus, a perpetual cer∣tain
and unavoidable series and chain of things:
Sempiterna quaedam & indeclinabilis rerum series
& catena sese volvens & implicans per dexteros
consequentiae ordines, è quibus connexa est; Wrap∣ping
up and enfolding up itself in an order of con∣sequences,
which compose the several links, and
Page 290
follow one another to all eternity. Fatum is deri∣ved
from fando: because when any one is born
these three Sisters pronounce what Fate will
befal him; as we saw above in the Story of
Meleager.
P.
What are their Names and Offices?
M.
The Name of one is Clotho, from the
Verb 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to spin. The Second is call'd La∣chesis, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, sortior. The Third A∣tropos, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 priv. and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, verto; because
she is unalterable, unchangeable. These Names
the Grecians give them; the Romans call them
Nona, Decima, and Morta.
To them is entrusted the management of
the fatal Thread of Life. For Clotho draws
the Thread betwixt her Fingers. Lachesis
turns about the Wheel: and Atropos cuts the
Thread spun, with a pair of Scissors. That
is, Clotho gives us Life, and brings us into the
World. Lachesis determines the Fortune that
shall befal us here: and Atropos concludes our
Lives. One, says Servius, speaks, the other
writes, and the third spins. (Aen. 1.)
CHAP. VII.
The FURIES.
P.
AND what are those Monsters called,
that have the Faces of Women. Their
looks are full of Terror; they hold lighted
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Torches in their hands: Snakes and Serpents
lash their Necks and Shoulders?
M.
They are the Furies, Furiae; who are
so called, quòd homines sceleratos in furorem a∣gant;
because they make Men mad with the stings
of Conscience. They are otherwise call'd Dirae,
Eumenides and Canes; but their proper Names
are Alecto, Tisiphone and Megaera, three Sisters
born of Nox and Acheron, and they are e∣steemed
Virgins; because, since they are the
Avengers of all Wickedness, nothing can per∣vert
them from inflicting the punishment that
is due to the Offender.
P.
Why are there only three Furies?
M.
Because there are three predominant
Passions of the Mind, Anger, Covetousness and
Lust, by which Mankind is chiefly hurried
into all sorts of Wickedness. For Anger be∣gets
Revenge. Covetousness provokes us to get
immoderate Wealth by right or wrong: and
Lust persuades us to pursue our Pleasures at any
rate. Indeed some add a fourth Fury, called Lisse,
Madness; but she is easily reduced to the other
three. As also Erinnys, a Name common to
them all.
P.
What is the Office of these Furies?
M.
They are appointed to observe and pu∣nish
the Crimes of ill Men; and to torment
the Consciences of secret Offenders. Whence
they are commonly also entitled. Deae Specu∣latrices
& vindices facinorum; The Goddesses,
the Discoverers and Revengers of evil Actions.
They punish and torment the Wicked, by
frightning and following them with burning
Page 292
Torches. You see the Picture of them there;
now hear their Description in Virgil. Aen. l 2.
Dicuntur geminae pestes, cognomine Dirae,
Quas & Tartaream, Nox intempesta Megaeram,
Uno eodemque tulit partu, paribusque revinxit,
Serpentum spiris, ventosasque addidit alas.
There are two Hags, the Dirae stil'd, brought forth
By everlasting Night, at one sad Birth,
To Hell's Megaera, who with Sergents join'd,
Girded their wasts, and wings with tempest lin'd.
P.
What did the Poets intend by these
Furies?
M.
Only, says Cicero, that they who have
done any wicked and unlawful thing are tor∣mented
and affrighted, not with the Blows,
and the Burning Torches of the Furies, as it is
in the Fable, but with the Stings of their own
evil Consciences. Sua enim quemque fraus
(says he, Or. pro Rosc. Am.) & suus terror
maxime vexat: suum quemque scelus exagitat, a∣mentiaque
afficit; suae malae cogitationes, consci∣entiaeque
animi terrent. Hae sunt impiis ass••duae
domesticae Furiae, quae dies noctesque poenas à sce∣leribus
repetunt. Every ones own Fraud, and his
own Terror vexes him most. Every ones own
Wickedness torments and enrages him: his own e∣vil
Thoughts, and the Lashes of his Conscience
affright ••m. These are constant and domestick
Furies to the wicked; that night and day exact
the punishment of them that their Crimes deserve
Page 293
CHAP. VIII.
NIGHT, DEATH, SLEEP.
P.
YOU have made mention of Nox and
Erebus. Are they (I pray you) of
the number of the Gods?
M.
Yes, Nox, is of all the Gods the most
Antient; she was the Brother of Erebus, and
the Daughter of the first Chaos. And of those
two Nox and Erebus, Mors, Death, was born;
who is dress'd usually with a speckled Garment
and black Wings. But there are no Temples,
nor Sacrifices, nor Priests consecrated to Mors:
because she is a Goddess whom no Prayers can
move, nor Sacrifices pacifie. Somnus, Sleep,
hath Wings too; and is thus saluted by Iris in
the Name of Iuno, when she came to his Pa∣lace.
Somne, quies rerum, placidissime Somne Deorum,
Pax animi, quem cura fugit, qui corpora duris
Fessa ministeriis mulces, reparasque labori.
Thou rest o' th' World, Sleep, the most peaceful God,
Who driv'st care from the mind, and dost unload
The tir'd Limbs of all their weariness,
And for new Toil the Body dost refresh.
Virgil says, that there are in this Palace of
Somnus two Gates, by which Dreams pass and
repass.
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Sunt geminae Somni porte, quarum altera fertur
Cornea, qua veris facilis datur exitus umbris:
Altera candenti perfecta nitens Elephanto:
Sed falsa ad coelum mittunt insomnia manes.
There are two Gates of Sleep, one made of Horn,
Through which true Visions to the Skies are born:
The other Ivory, polish'd purely bright,
Whence false Dreams sally to Ethereal Light.
Morpheus the Servant of Somnus, who can put
on any shape or figure, presents these Dreams
to those who sleep; and these Dreams are
brought from a great spreading Elm in Hell,
under whose shade they usually sit.
CHAP. IX.
The Iudges of Hell, MINOS, AEACUS,
RHADAMANTHUS.
NEAR the three Furies, and the three
Fates, you see the three Iudges of Hell,
Minos, Rhadamanthus and Aeacus; who are be∣lieved to be the Judges of the Souls of the Dead;
because they exercised the Offices of Judges in
Crete with the greatest Prudence, Discretion
and Justice. The two first were the Sons of
Iupiter by Europa; the last was the Son of
Iupiter by Aegina; and when all the Subjects
of Queen Aegina were swept away in a Plague,
besides himself, he begged of his Father, that
he would repair the Race of Mankind, (which
Page 295
was almost extinct) and Iupiter heard his
Prayer. And turned a great multitude of Ants
which crept about an hollow old Oak, into
Men; who afterwards were called Myrmidones
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, an Ant.
These Three had their particular Province
assigned by Pluto in this manner, that Rhada∣manthus
should judge the Asiaticks, and Aeacus
the Europeans; each holding a Staff in his
Hand. But Minos should have a Golden
Sceptre, and sit alone, and over-see the Judg∣ments
of Rhadamanthus and Aeacus. And if
in their Courts there arose a Case that was
ambiguous and difficult, then Minos should ••ake
the Cognizance thereof, and decide it. Tully
(in Tusc. lib. 1.) adds to these a fourth Judge,
Triptolemus. But we have already discoursed
of him in his place.
CHAP. X.
SECT. I.
The most Famous of the Condemned in
Hell.
FRom the Iudges, let us proceed to the Cri∣minals,
whom you see represented there
in horrid Colours. It will be enough if we re∣mark the most celebrated of them, and shew
their Crimes, and the Punishments which ac∣crued
to them from thence.
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SECT. II.
The Giants.
THese Giants were the Sons of Terra (the
Earth) when it was impregnated by the
Blood of Coelum, which flowed from that dis∣honourable
Wound which his Son Saturn gave
him. They are all very high in Stature, with
horrible Dragons Feet, their Looks and their
Bodies are altogether full of Terror. Their
Impudence was so great, that they strove to
depose Iupiter from the possession of Heaven.
And when they engaged with the Celestial Gods,
they heaped up Mountains upon Mountains,
and from thence darted Trees, set on fire, against
the Gods and Heaven. They hurled likewise
prodigious massy Stones, and solid Rocks,
some of which falling upon the Earth again,
became Mountains; others fell into the Sea,
and became Islands. This Battel was fought
upon the Phlegraean Plains near the Borders of
Campania, which Country is called Phlegra
from Phlego, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, uro, for it abounds with
subterraneous Fires, and hot Baths, which flow
continually. The Giants were beaten, and
all cut off either by the Thunder of Iupiter,
the Arrows of Apollo, or by the Arms of the
rest of the Gods. And some say, that out of
the Blood of the slain, which was spilt upon
the Earth, Serpents, and such envenomed and
pernicious Animals were produced. The most
eminent of these Giants were,
Page 297
Typhaeus or Typhon, the Son of Iuno; con∣ceived
by her without a Father: so vast was
his Magnitude, that, he touched the East with
one Hand, and the West with the other, and
the Heavens with the Crown of his Head. A
hundred Dragons Heads grew from his Shoul∣ders;
his Body was covered with Wings, and
rugged Hair; his Eyes sparkled with Fire, and
his Mouth belch'd out Flames. Yet he was
overcome, and the Island Sicily was thrown
upon him, the whole Island was scarcely big
enough to cover him. Ovid. (Met. lib. 5.)
Nititur ille quidem, pugnatque resurgere saepe:
Dextra sed Ausonio manus est subjecta Peloro,
Laeva, Pachyne, tibi; Lilybaeo curra premuntur;
Praegravat Aetna caput.
Ausonian Pelorus his right hand
Down weighs; Pachyne on the left doth stand;
His legs are under Lilybaeus spred;
And Aetna's bases charge his horrid head.
Pelorus, Pachynus and Lilybaeus, are the three
Promontories, which are the the three Corners of
Sicily; the Island bears the shape of a Triangle,
and is from thence called Trinacria.
Aegaeon, was another prodigious and fierce
Giant who had an hundred Hands, and fifty
Heads, according to Virgil. (Aen. 10.)
Aegaeon qualis, centum cui brachia dicunt,
Centenasque manus, quinquaginta oribus ignem
Pectoribusque arsisse: Iovis cum fulmina con••ra
Tot paribus streperet clypeis, tot stringeret enses.
Such they the hundred handed Giant fame,
Who belch'd from fifty mouths devouring Flame,
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When arm'd against Jove's Thunder-bolts, he wields
As many Swords, as many ratling Shields.
Wherefore he was called Centumgeminus; and
by the Graecians Briareus. He hurled a hun∣dred
Rocks against Iupiter at one throw. Yet
Iupiter dashed him down and bound him in a
hundred Chains; and thrust him under the
Mountain Aetna: where as often as he moves
his sides, the Mountain casts forth great Flames
of Fire.
Aloeus, because of his Age could not in this
War take up Arms against the Gods. But he
sent Othus and Ephialtes (which his Wife had
by Neptune, who from him were called Aloïdae)
they went in their Father Aloeus's stead, and
assisted the Giants. But the same Fate atten∣ded
them, and also suffered the punishment
of their rashness in Hell.
Tityus was the Son of Iupiter and Elara;
born in a subterraneous Cave, in which Iupiter
hid his Mother, fearing the Anger of Iuno.
She brought forth a Child of so prodigious
a bulk, that the Earth was rent that he
might have a passage out of the Cave; and
from thence he was believed to be the Son of
the Earth. Iuno afterwards persuaded this
Giant to accuse Latona of Adultery; where∣upon
Iupiter struck him with Thunder down
into Hell. And there he lies stretched out
and covers nine Acres of Ground with his
Body; a Vulture continually gnaws his Liver,
which grows again every Month. Virgil de∣scribes
him in the same manner. Aen. 6.
Page 299
Necnon & Tityum Terrae omniparentis alumnum
Cernere erat; cui tota novem per jugera corpus
Porrigitur, rostroque immanis vultur adunco,
Immortale jecur tundens, foecundaque poenis
Viscera, rimaturque epulis, habitatque sub alto
Pectore, nec fibris requies datur ulla renatis.
Th' All-parent Earth's huge Off-spring I beheld,
Tityus, whose Body nine whole Acres fill'd;
Where a huge Vulture, with a crooked Bill,
Li••s tearing his immortal Liver still,
And, Dainties searching, dwells upon his Breast,
Nor grants to his renewing Bowels rest.
To these we may add the Titans, the Sons of
Terra and Coelum. The Chief of whom was
Titanus Saturn's elder Brother, who made War
against Iupiter, because Iupiter usurp'd that
Kingdom which was due to him by hereditary
right. In this War Titan and his Party were
beaten, and afterwards cast down into Hell.
SECT. III.
Other Famous Offenders.
PHlegyas, King of the Lapithae in Thessalia,
was the Father of the Nymph Coronis;
and when he heard that Apollo had debauch'd
his Daughter, he went in anger, and fired the
Temple of Apollo at Delphi. For which the
God shot him through the Body with an Ar∣row,
and ordained him this punishment;
a great Stone hangs over his Head, which he
imagines every moment will fall down and
crush him in pieces. Thus he sits perpetually
fearing what will never come to pass; which
Page 300
make him frequently cry out, (Virg. Aen. 6.)
Discite justitiam montii, & non temnere Divos.
Learn Iustice hence, and don't despise the Gods.
Ixion was the Son of this Phlegyas. He kil∣led
his own Sister, and obtained his Pardon
from the Gods, who advanced him to Hea∣ven;
his Prosperity made him wanton, so that
he attempted to violate Iuno. It was told to
Iupiter who sent a Cloud in the shape of Iuno;
which the deceived Lover embraced, and from
thence those Monsters the Centaurs were born.
Whereupon he was thrown down to the Earth
again; where because he boasted every where
that he knew the Queen of the Gods, he was
struck with Thunder down into Hell, and tied
fast to a Wheel, which turns about ••ontinually.
Salmoneus, King of Elis; whose ambition
was not satisfied with an earthly Crown, for
he desired Divine Honours, and that the People
might esteem him a God; he built a brazen
Bridge over the City, and drove his Chariot
over it, imitating, by this noise, Iupiter's
Thunder; he threw down lighted Torches,
and those who were struck by them, were taken
and killed. Iupiter would not suffer so great
insolence, wherefore he threw the proud Man
head-long out of his Stage into Hell, where I
saw him, says he in Virgil Aen. 6.
Vidi crudeles dantem Salmonea poenas;
Dum flammas Iovis & sonitus imitatur Olympi.
I saw Salmoneus as he tortur'd sate,
Who Lightning could, and Thunder imitate;
Sisyphus was a famous Robber, killed by
Theseus. He is condemned in Hell to roll a
Page 301
great, & non exsuperabile saxum, and an insu∣perable
stone, to the top of a high Hill; and
as oft as the Stone almost touches the top of
the Mountain, it slides down again.
The Belides, fifty Virgins Sisters, so called
from their Grandfather Belus, named also
Danaïdes, from their Father Danaus, who mar∣ried
them to the fifty Sons of his Brother.
The Oracle foretold, that Danaus should be
slain by his Son-in-Law, wherefore he com∣manded
his Daughters to provide Daggers,
and on their Wedding Nights, to kill all their
Husbands. All the Daughters performed their
Promises and killed their Husbands; but Hy∣permnestra
spared Lynceus her Husband, who
afterwards killed Danaus, and took his King∣dom.
This great Impiety was thus punished,
they are condemned to draw water out of a
deep Well, and fill a Tub, that like a Sieve,
is full of holes. The water runs out of the
Tub, as fast as it is put in, so that they are tor∣mented
with an unprofitable labour, without
end. Thus Ovid says of them. (Met. l. 4.)
Assiduas repetunt, quas perdunt Belides undas.
They hourly fetch the Water that they spill.
Tantalus is another remarkable Criminal, he
was the Son of Iupiter by the Nymph Plota.
He invited all the Gods to a Feast, to get a
plain and clear proof of their Divinity; when
they came, he killed and quartered his own
Son Pelops, and boiled him, and set the joynt••
before them to eat. All the Gods abstained
from such horrid Diet, except Ceres, who eat
one of the Child's Shoulders. Afterwards the
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Gods sent Mercury to re-cal him to Life, and
gave him an Ivory Shoulder, instead of the
Shoulder which Ceres had eaten. This Pelops
was the Husband of Hippodamia, of whom
Atreus and Thyestes were born. The latter
whereof was banished, because he corrupted
his Brother Atreus's Wife; and when he was
re-called from thence, he eat up those Chil∣dren
that he had by her. For Atreus killed
them, and brought them in Dishes to the Ta∣ble,
where he and Thyestes Dined together.
It is said that the Sun was not able to endure
so horrible a sight, but turned his Course back
again to the East. But as Tantalus's Crime
was greater so was his Punishment. For he is
tormented with eternal Hunger and Thirst, in
the midst of Plenty both of Meat and Drink.
For he stands in water up to the Lips, but
cannot drink it; and Meat is placed just by
his Mouth, which he cannot take hold on.
Besides (Virg. Aen. 6.)
Hunc super atra silex jamjam lapsura, cadenti{que}
Imminet assimilis.
—A huge Stone
Ready to drop hangs o'er his cursed head
The former part of his punishment is thus ex∣pressed
by Ovid.
Quaerit aquas in aquis, & poma fugacia captas
Tantalus; hoc illi garrula lingua dedit.
Half drown'd he thirsts, the dangling apples swing
From's gaping chops. This comes of pratling.
For they say he divulged the secrets of the Gods
unto Men.
Page 303
Now this Fable of Tantalus represents to us
the condition of a Miser; who in the midst of
plenty suffers want; and wants as much the
things which he hath as those which he has not.
As Horace rightly says, where he ridicules the
covetous man thus. (Serm. lib. 1.)
Tantalus à labris sitiens fugientia captat
Flumina. Quid rides? mutato nomine, de te
Fabula narratur.
Tho' Tantalus, you've heard, do stand chin-deep
In water, yet he cannot get a sip.
At which you smile: now all on't would be true,
Were the name chang'd, and the tale told of you.
CHAP. XI.
Monsters of Hell.
THere are many strange Pictures of these
infernal Monsters, but the most deform∣ed
are the
Centaurs, who were the antient Inhabitants
of Thessalia; and the first who tamed Horses,
and used them in War. Their Neighbours,
who first saw them on Horse-back, thought
that they had partly the Members of a Man,
and partly the Limbs of an Horse. But the
Poets tell us another Story, for they say that
Ixion begot them of a Cloud, which he believed
to be Iuno; from whence they are called Nu∣bigenae
in Virgil Aen. 6•• and Bacchus is said to
have overcome them.
Page 304
Geryon, because he was the King of the three
Islands which are called Balearides, is feigned
tricorporem esse & tergeminum, to have three bodies.
Or it may be, because there were three Bro∣thers
of the same Name; whose Minds and
Affections were so united, that they seemed
to be governed, and to live by one Soul. They
add, that Geryon kept Oxen, which devoured the
Strangers that came to him; they were guard∣ed
by a Dog with two Heads, and a Dragon
with seven. Hercules killed the Guard, and
drove the Oxen afterwards away.
The Harpyes, (Harpyiae) are so called from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, rapio. They were born of Oc••anus and
Terra, with the Faces of Virgins, the Bodies of
Birds; thei•• Hands were armed with Claws,
and their Habitation was in the Islands. Their
Names were Aello, Ocypete and Celeno; which
last brought forth Zephyrus (the West-Wind)
and Balius, and Xanthus, the Horses of Achilles.
Virgil gives us a description of these three Sisters
(Aen. 3) thus.
At subito horrisico lapsu de montibus adsunt
Harpyiae; & magno quatiunt clangoribus alas:
Sivae D••ae, seu sint Dirae, obscaenaeque volucres:
Tristius haud illis monstrum est, nec saevior ulla
Pestis, & ira Deum, Stygiis sese extulit undis.
Virginei volucrum vultus, foedissima ventris
Proluvies, uncaeque manus, & pallida semper
Ora fame.
But from the Mountains, with a speedy flight,
On thundring Wings Harpies themselves invite;
Be they foul Birds, Furies, or Goddesses.
Page 305
No Monster like to these, no Plague more fell,
Nor sharper Vengeance Heaven e'er call'd from Hell.
These Fowl have Virgins Faces, and hook'd Claws,
Still purging Bellies, always greedy Maws,
With Hunger pale.
To the three Harpyes, add the three Gorgons,
Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale; who were the
Daughters of Phorcus and Cete. Instead of
Hair, their Heads were covered with Vipers:
which so terrified the beholder, that they turn∣ed
him presently into a Stone. Perhaps they
intended to represent by this part of the Fable,
the extraordinary Beauty of these Sisters; so
that whosoever saw them were amazed, and
stood fixed like Stones. There were other
Gorgones besides, born of the same Parents:
who were called
Lamiae, or Empusae. They had only one Eye,
and one Tooth, common to them all: They kept
this Tooth and Eye at home in a little Vessel,
and which soever of them went abroad, she used
them. They had the Faces of Women, and
also the Necks and Breasts. But below they
were covered with Scales, and they had the
Tails of Serpents. They used to entice Men
and then devour them. Their Breasts were
naked, and their Bosom was open: they look∣ed
on the ground out of modesty; thus they
tempted Men to discourse with them, and
when they came near, these Lamiae used to fly
in their Faces, and strangle them, and tear
Page 306
them to pieces barbarously. And what more
plainly expresses the devilish Arts of wicked
Women? Against whom the Scriptures cau∣tion
us in these words, Lamiae nudaverunt mam∣mam
(Lam. 4. 3.) The Lamiae have made naked
their Breasts. Others only mention one La∣mia,
who was a most beautiful Woman: Iu∣piter
debauch'd her, and Iuno through jea∣lousie,
deprived her of the Children that she
bore; she became distracted with grief, and
devoured other peoples Children in their
Cradles.
The Chimaera, is a Monster which vomiteth
forth fire. He hath the Head and Breast of
a Lion, the Belly of a Goat, and the Tail of
a Dragon.
Prima Leo, postrema Draco, media inde Capella.
And so Ovid himself describes him:
Quoque Chimaera jugo, mediis in partibus hircum,
Pectus & ora Leae, caudam Draconis habebat.
—And on the craggy top
Chimaera dwells, with Lions face and mane,
A Goats rough body and a Dragons train.
A Volcano in Lycia occasioned this Fable: for
in the top of that Mountain were Lions, in
the middle (where was Pasture) Goats lived,
and the bottom of it abounded with Serpents.
Bellerophon made this Mountain habitable,
and is therefore said to have killed the Chi∣maera.
Pausan•• in Corinth.
Page 307
The Monster Sphinx was begotten of Ty∣phon
and Echidna. She had the Head and
Face of a young Woman, the Wings of a
Bird, and the Body and Feet of a Dog. She
lived in the Mountain Sphincius; assaulted all
Passengers, and infested the Country about
Thebes; insomuch that Apollo was consulted
concerning her; who returned answer; that,
unless some body did resolve the Riddle of
Sphinx, there would be no end of that great
evil. Many endeavoured to explain it, but
were overcome and torn in pieces by the Mon∣ster.
Creon at that time was King of Thebes;
who published an Edict throughout all Greece;
in which, if any one could explain the Riddle
of Sphinx, he promised, that he would give
him to Wife his own Sister Iocasta. The
Riddle was this; Quodnam anima•• mane qua∣drupes,
meridie bipes, vesperi tripes esset? What
Animal is that, which goes upon four Feet in
the morning, upon two at noon, and upon three
at night? Oedipus encouraged with the hopes
of the Reward, undertook it, and happily ex∣plain'd
it; so that the Sphinx was enraged,
and cast her self headlong from a Rock and
died. He said that that Animal was a Man:
who in his Infancy creeps upon his Hands
and Feet, and is quadrupes: but afterwards,
he becomes bipes, for he is then supported by
nothing but by his two feet. When he is Old,
his Staff like a third foot, supports him in
walking, so that he is then Tripes.
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This Oedipus was the Son of Laius, King of
Thebes, who commanded a Soldier to destroy
him in a Wood, because the Oracle foretold
that he would be killed by his own Son. But
the Soldier being moved with pity towards the
Child, and afraid to imbrue his Hands in
Royal Blood, wherefore he pierced his Feet
with a Hook, and hanged him upon a Tree,
to be kill'd with Hunger. One of the Shep∣herds
of Polybus, King of Corinth, found him,
and brought him to the Queen, who, because
she had no Children, educated him as her
own Son. Oedipus (for that name they gave
him from his swollen feet, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, tumeo,
and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, pes,) when he came to Age, knew that
King Polybus was not his Father, and resolved
to find out his Parents; consulting the Oracle,
he was told that he should meet his Father in
Phocis. In his Journey a quarrel arose amongst
some Passengers, and he killed his Father,
whom he did not know: and then going to
Thebes, he overcame Sphinx, and for his re∣ward,
he married Iocasta, who was his Mo∣ther,
of which he was ignorant: he had by
her two Sons, Eteocles and Polynices, and two
Daughters, Antigone and Ismena. When af∣terwards
he found by clear proof, that he had
killed his Father, and married his Mother, he
was seized with so great madness, that he pul∣led
out his own Eyes; and had killed himself,
if his Daughter Antigone (who led him about
after he was blind) had not hindred him.
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Eteocles and Polynices, the Sons of Oedipus
and Iocasta, succeeded their Father in the
Government, they reigned a Year apiece in
their turns. Eteocles reigned the first Year,
and then refused to admit his Brother Polyni∣ces
to the Throne. Whereupon a War arose,
and the two Brothers in a Duel killed each
other, Their Enmity survived their Bodies;
for when their two Bodies were placed on the
same Pile to be burnt by the same Fire, the
Flames refused to unite, but divided themselves
into two parts.
CHAP. XII.
The Elysium.
THere is a place in the Kingdom below,
abounding with pleasure, and delights,
which is called the Elysium, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, solu∣tione;
because thither the souls of the good come,
corporeis solutae vinculis, after they are loosed from
the Chains of the Body; when they have been
purged from the light offences, that they have
contracted in this World. Aeneas received
this description from one of the Inhabitants
of this place. Virg. Aen. 6.
Quisque suos patimur manes; exinde per amplum
Mittimur Elysium, & pauci laeta arva tenemus.
All suffer for themselves; few to the vast
And gladsome fields of fair Elysium hast.
Page 310
Those Fields afterwards are describ'd thus by
the same Poet. Ibid.
Devenere locos laetos, & amoena vireta
Fortunatorum nemorum, sedesque beatas.
Largior hic campos aether & lumine vestit
Purpureo, solemque suum, sua sydera norunt.
This done, they came to Seats of joy and rest,
Groves, happy Ma••sions of the ever blest,
Which larger Skies cloath with a Purple Grey,
New Stars attending their own God of day.
CHAP. XIII.
The River Lethe.
THere is a River in Hell called Lethe, from
the Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Forgetfulness. For if any
body drinks this water he immediately forgets all
things past. So that when the Souls of the Pious
have spent many Ages in the Elysian Fields,
they drink the Water of Lethe, and are be∣lieved
to pass into new Bodies, and return in∣to
the World again. And it is necessary, that
they forget both the pleasures that they have
received in Elysium, and the miseries that they
did heretofore endure in this life, that they
may willingly return into this miserable life
again. (Virg. Aen. 6.)
Page 311
—Animae quibus altera fato
Corpora debentur, Lethaei ad fluminis undam
Securos latices, & longa oblivia potant.
—Souls that by Fate
Are doom'd to take new shapes, at Lethe's Brink,
Quaff secure Draughts, and long Oblivion drink:
These Souls went out from Elysium by that I∣vory
Gate, which you see painted in the lower
part of this Wall: And if you please, we will
go out thro' this Gate, and leave these infer∣nal
Regions, to view more beautiful, tho' not
less ridiculous Images of the other Gods.
Page 312
PART V. (Book 5)
Of the Dii Minorum Gentium; or
the Subordinate Deities. (Book 5)
CHAP. I.
The Penates.
NOW Palaeophilus, let us view the fifth
division of this Fabulous Pantheon, in
which are contained the Dii Mino∣rum
Gentium, or the Subordinate Deities; which
are otherwise called Semones, Minuti, Plebeii,
and Patellarii: They are painted without con∣fusion
in very good order, and very distinctly;
if we consider how infinite the number of them
was. It is plain, that the Romans had almost
as many Gods as there are things. And in∣deed,
how great is the number of Gods who
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preside over inconsiderable things, since there
are three Gods to keep one Door; first, the God
Forculus looks after the Door, the Goddess
Cardua after the Hinges, and Limentinus after
the Threshold. I shall consider only those
lightly, who assist or any ways preserve Man∣kind
from their Birth to their Death.
The Penates derive their name from Penus,
Provision: est enim omne, quo vescuntur homines,
penus, says Tully: for all that, that men eat is in∣cluded
in the name of Penus. Or perhaps, quod
penitus insident, because they are placed in the
most inward and secret parts of Heaven, where
they reign, says Varro; and thence are called
by the Poets penetrales, and the place where
their Images were kept was called Penetrale.
Yet we neither know their number, nor the
names of them: tho' both our Lives and our
Understandings are owing to them; for they
entirely govern us by their reason, their heat,
and their spirit. The antient Hertrusci called
them Consentes and Complices: supposing that
they be Iupiter's Counsellors, and the chief of
the Gods. And many reckon Iupiter himself,
together with Iuno and Minerva, among the
Penates. But I shall speak something more
clearly in this matter.
There were three orders of the Dii Penates.
1: Those who governed Kingdoms and Pro∣vinces,
and were absolutely and solely cal∣led
Penates. 2. Those who presided over Ci∣ties
only, and these were called Patrii Penates,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Gods of the Country; of whom
Aeneas speaks in Virgil,
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Tu genitor cape sacra manu, Patriosque Penates.
You Father of our holy things take care,
And of our Country-Godlings.
These were also called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Great
Gods. 3. Those who presided over particular
Houses, and were called Penates parvi: of
whom the Poets make frequent mention, and
particularly Virgil, where he speaks of the fifty
servant-Maids, whose business it was to look
after the Victuals, & flammis adolere Penates,
(Aen. 1.) And in another place he says, &
sparsos fraterna caede Penates. Again it is obser∣vable,
that by the word Penates, is oftentimes
signified the Houses themselves, in which these
Gods were worshipped. As when it is said in
Virgil (Aen. 8.) Nostris succede Penatibus
hospes; and when Tully says, exterminare ali∣quem
à suis penatibus Diis, or liberos pellere do∣mo,
ac prohibere Penatibus: In which Sen∣tences
Penates has the same signification with
Domus.
Timaeus, and from him Dionysius says, that
these Penates had no proper Shape or Figure;
but were Wooden or Brazen Rods, shaped
somewhat like Trumpets. But it is also
thought by others, that they had the shape
of Young men with Spears, which they held
apart from one another.
Page 315
CHAP. II.
The Lares.
THE Lares were the issue of the stoln Em∣braces
of Mercury with the Nymph Lara:
for when by her prating she had discovered
some of Iupiter's Amours: He was enraged
••nd cut out her Tongue and banished her to
••he Stygian Lake: It was Mercury's Office to
convey her thither, in the Journey he ravished
her. (Ovid. Fast. l. 2.)
Fitque gravis, Geminosque parit, qui compita
servant:
Et vigilant nostra semper in aede Lares.
Grows big, and brings forth Twins, the Lares
call'd,
That guard the ways, and Houshold Gods are held.
So they became Domestick Gods, and pre∣sided
over the Ways and the Streets, and
were worshipped there. The Games, Cele∣brated
in their honour, were called Compita∣litii,
and Compitalitia, or Compitalia: in which
the Effigies of Men and Women, made of
Wooll, were hung in the Streets; and so ma∣ny
Balls, made of Wooll, as there are ser∣vants
in the Family; and so many compleat
Images, as there were Children. The mean∣ing
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of which custom was this; These Feasts
were dedicated to the Lares, who were esteem∣ed
Infernal Gods; the People desiring hereby
that these Gods would be contented with these
woollen Images, and spare the persons repre∣sented
by them. When the Roman Youths
laid aside their Childrens Gowns (Bullas) they
Consecrated and hung them up to the Dii
Lares, as says Persius.
Bullaque succinctis Laribus donata pependit.
These Lares were cloathed with the Skins of
Dogs, according to Plutarch in Probl. Nay, if
you will believe Plautus, themselves were fa∣shioned
in the shape of Dogs. Whence that
Animal was sacred to them: And the place,
which was Consecrated to them was called La∣rarium.
In their Sacrifices, they offered the first
of the Fruits of the year; and supplicated
them with Wine and Incense; and adorned
them with Chaplets and Garlands. The be∣ginning
of which Worship came from hence;
that antiently the dead, who were buried at
home, were worshipped as Gods, and called
Lares. And besides we find in Pliny (Epist.
l. 10.) That they sacrificed with Wine and
Incense, to the Images of the Emperours,
whilst they yet lived.
Page 317
CHAP. III.
SECT. I.
The Genii. Their Name.
GEnius is derived from Geno (a word here∣tofore
used for Gigno;) for they thought
that this Genius or spirit of Nature could pro∣duce
and beget all things. or because it assisted
in our Generation, or because it is generated
with us•• or lastly because it protects and de∣fends
us when we are begotten. Whence the mar∣riage
Bed, called Genialis Lectus, was adorned
to the honur of this Genius; and the day of
our Births, which is usually spent in extraordi∣nary
mirth, was also called Genialis dies. And
in like manner those who live merrily, and
pass their time in ease and softness, according
to the inclinations of their minds are said to
favour their Genlus, and to live a genial life.
These Genii were by the Grecians called Dae∣mones,
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, exterreo, pavefacio, as Eu∣sebius
thinks: or quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, prudentes, sci∣entes,
periti, rerumque praescii; because they
gave oracular answers to those who consulted
them. Whence some think, that famous and
very deserving Men become Daemons after
their Deaths: who are says Plutarch, a mid∣dle
sort betwixt Men and Gods.
Page 318
SECT. II.
Their Images.
THE Images, of the Genii, resembled for
the most part the form of a Serpent;
according to Persius and his Commentators,
Sat. 1.
Pinge duos angues, pueri, sacer est locus; extra Meiite.
Paint here two Snakes, my Lads, sacred's the place,
Pray piss without.
Sometimes also they were like a Boy, or a
Girl, or an old Man; and crowned with the
Leaves of the Plane••Tree, which was genialis
Arbor, a Tree sacred to the Genii.
SECT. III.
Sacrifices.
TO the Genii were sacrificed Wine and
Flowers; especially upon every ones
birth-day, whence says Persius (Sat. 6.)
Funde merum Genio.
To our good Genius the brisk liquor fill.
And Horace (2. Epist. 1.)
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Floribus & vino genium memorem brevis horae.
Mindful how soon our flitting breath is gone,
Our Genius we with Wine and Flowers atone.
To those, they added Incense and parched bread
Corn strewed with Salt. Sometimes also a
Swine was sacrificed: tho Censorinus writes,
that it was not usual to Sacrifice to the Genii
with the blood and slaughter of any thing,
since we ought not to take life from other
Creatures on that day in which we received it.
SECT. IV.
Offices.
THE Genii were appointed the continual
Guardians, Overseers, and safe Keepers
of the Men (as the Women's Guardians and
Protectors were Iuno's) from their Cradles,
to their Graves. They likewise carried the
Prayers of Men to the Gods, and interceded
for them. Whence some call them Proestites,
says Martianus, quòd praesunt gerundis omnibus,
because they are set over the management of all
things.
To every Person were assigned two Genii,
a Bonus Genius, and a Malus Genius: Horace
calls them Album and Nigrum Genium, (2. Ep. 2.)
a white and a black one. And History tells us,
that there did appear to Cassius a black and evil
Genius, in the figure of a Man of a vast Sta∣ture:
Page 320
they asked him who he was; and he
answered, se esse 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that he was his
evil Genius (Val. Max. lib. 1.) These two Ge∣nii
are understood, says Servius, in those words
of the Poet: Quisque suos patimur Manes.
(Virg. Aen. 6.) For the Good Genius which is
given to us at our births, impels us to Virtue,
and the evil Genius on the contrary provokes
us to Vice.
Nor were these Genii assigned to Men only;
for several Countries had their Genius, who
therefore was called Numen loci, the Deity of
the place. Nay Genii were allotted to all
Houses, and Doors, and Stables, and Hearths.
And because the Hearths were usually covered
with Slates (laterculis,) therefore the God of the
Hearths was called Lateranus. But of these,
enough. Let us now proceed to the other in∣ferior
Deities.
CHAP. IV.
The Nuptial Gods and Goddesses.
FIve Deities were so absolutely necessary
to all Marriages that none could law∣fully
be solemnized without them. They
were, Iupiter perfectus seu adultus, Iuno perfecta
seu adulta, Venus, Suada, and Diana. Besides
which were worshipped at all Marriages se∣veral
Inferiour Gods and Goddesses (minores &
quasi Plebii Dii.)
Page 321
Iugatinus, who joyned the Man and the
Woman together in jugo Matrimonii, the Yoak
of Matrimony.
Domiducus, who guided the Bride into the
Bridegrooms House, (domi duceret.)
Domitius, who should keep the Bride there,
(domi teneret.)
Manturna, whose Office was to see that the
Wife continued with her Husband.
Then the Goddess Virginensis, and also the
Goddess Cinxia Iuno, was invoked when the
Virgins Girdle was unloosed.
Priapus or Mutinus, in whose filthy Lap the
Bride was commanded to sit, according to a
very religious and modest custom, forsooth!
Pertunda, or Partunda, was also worshipped;
concerning her St. Augustin thus advises us,
parcatur humanae verecundiae. Spare the modesty
of humane Nature.
Viriplaca, reconciles Husbands to their
Wives. A Temple at Rome was Dedicated
to her; whither the married Couple usually re∣paired
when any quarrel arose between them;
and speaking to one another there, the things
which were fit, they laid aside all their anger,
and returned home together friendly.
The Goddess Matuta, according to the opi∣nion
of some, was the Daughter of Cadmus,
whom the Greeks call Leucothea or Ino. The
Maid Servants were not suffered to come with
in her Temple: but the married Women ad∣mitted
one of them, and afterwards buffeted
her. Of this Goddess no Mother desired bles∣sings
to her own, but to her Sisters Children:
Page 322
and therefore while they were present at her
Sacrifices, they carried not their own, but
their Sisters Children in their Arms.
The Goddess Mena presided over the Wo∣mens
monthly Courses; and was the same with
the Moon. As 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in Greek is Luna.
And Februa was employed in the same affair,
she was so called from Februo, to purge.
CHAP. V.
The Gods presiding over Women with Child.
THree Gods assisted big-bellied Women,
when their assistance was asked.
Pilumnus from Pilum, a Roling-Pin which
we use in making of Bread.
Intercidona, the Goddess, ab intercisione secu∣ris,
the cutting of the Hatchet in felling of
Wood.
Deverra, from the Brooms quibus verritur;
with which things are brush'd clean.
And by the means of these three Duties, the
Dii Sylvani (the wild Gods of the Woods) who
were pernicious to breeding Women, were driven
away. For as neither the Trees, says S. Au∣stin,
are cut down without an Ax, nor Bread
made without a Roller, nor things preserved
clean without a Brush; so since those Instru∣ments
are thought signs of good Housewifery,
it was supposed, that these wild uncleanly
Gods would never dare to enter into the
Page 323
Chamber of a breeding Woman. S. August. de
Civit. Dei. lib. 7.
CHAP. VI.
The Gods and Goddesses presiding over
Women in Labour.
THese Goddesses assisted Women in Tra∣vel,
and promoted the happy Birth of
the Child.
Iuno Lucina; whose Image thus formed.
One hand was empty, and ready as it were
to receive the newborn Babe, the other hand
held a lighted Torch, by which was signified,
that light of life, which all who are born
enjoy.
Diana. (tho some make no difference be∣tween
her and Lucina) Tymaeus speaks very
handsomely, when he relates that Diana's
Temple was burnt the same night in which
Alexander was born; says he, it is no wonder
that she was absent from her House, when her
assistance was necessary at the Labour of O∣lympias,
Alexander's Mother. She is called Sol∣vizona,
for when Women lay in the first time
they loosed their Zona or Girdle and dedicated
it to Diana.
Egeria is so called à partu egerendo, from
casting forth the Birth.
Prosa or Prorsa, or Parima (who was called
also Postverta and Anteverta) looked after the
Page 324
Birth of the Child; it was in her power to
make the Birth easie and regular, or difficult
and preposterous.
Managaneta, presided also over the Infant,
both before and after its Birth.
Lastly, the Goddess Latona of whom we
have spoken in her place. It was thought that
she very much loved a Dunghil Cock: be∣cause
a Cock was present when she brought
forth Diana and Apollo, some imagine, that the
presence of a Cock renders the Womens La∣bours
easie.
Nixii Dii, so called ab enitendo from striving.
Quòd niteretur tum mater, tum foetus, both the
Mother and the Child struggle at that time.
The Mother struggles thro' pain, and the
Child, that he may come into the World.
CHAP. VII.
The Deities presiding over Infants at the
time of their Birth, and after.
THese Deities presided over Children in
the time of their Birth and afterwards.
Ianus, who should open Ianuam vitae, the
Door of Life, to them.
Opis, who opem ferret, should assist them
when they come into the World.
Nascio or Natio, a Goddess so call'd from
the Latin Word Nasci to be born.
Page 325
Cunia, quae cunis praeest, who attends the
Cradle, and watches the Infants while they
lie and sleep.
Carmenta, who sings their Destinies.
Vagitanus or Vaticanus, who takes care of
them, when they cry.
Levana, à levando, from lifting them up from
the Ground, For when a Child was born, the
Midwife constantly laid the Child on the
ground, and the Father, or somebody ap∣pointed
by him, lifted it from the ground,
and from thence, tollere liberos, signifies to edu∣cate
Children.
Rumina, who milks the Breast for the Child.
Ruma is an old word signifying a Breast.
Potina, quae potionem praeberet, who should
give it Drink.
Educa or Edusa, who should give it meat.
Ossilago, who should fasten the Bones, and
harden the Body.
Carna or Carnea, who should keep the in∣ward
parts safe. To this Goddess they sacri∣ficed
upon the Kalends of Iune with Bacon,
and Cake made of Beans. Whence those
Kalends were called Fabariae.
The Goddess Nundina was so called from
nono die, the ninth day of the Child's Age:
which was Dies lustricus, the Day of the Puri∣fication:
in which the Name was given it, if
it was a Boy: if it was a Girl, this Ceremo∣ny
was performed on the eighth day.
Statilinus or Statanus, who should teach the
Children to stand and walk; and preserve
them falling.
Page 326
Fabulinus, who look'd after them when they
began to speak; à fando.
Paventia, quae illis pavorem averteret, the
Goddess, who should preserve them from
Frights.
CHAP. VIII.
The Gods and Goddesses presiding over
adult Persons.
OUR several actions are supposed to be
under the protection of divers Gods.
Iuventus or Iuventas, protects us in the
beginning of our vouth, when we have
thrown off the Childs Coat.
Agenoria, excites to Action.
Strenua, encourages us to behave our selves
strenuously and bravely in all occasions.
Stimula, who eggs us on to do extraordi∣nary
actions.
Horta, is the Goddess, who exhorts us to
undertake noble Enterprizes. Her Temple
at Rome stood always open: and some call
her, Hora.
Quies had her Temple without the City,
and was supposed to be the Donor of Peace
and Quietness.
Murcia renders Men to be lazy, idle, and
dull, (Murcides.)
Adeona and Abeona by whose protection we
have power to go out and come in.
Page 327
Vibilia, who brings wanderers into the way
again.
Vacuna, protects the idle and lazy.
Fessonia, quae fessos recrearet, who should re∣create
and refresh the weary.
The Goddess Meditrina hath her Name from
medendo, and her Sacrifices were called Medi∣trinalia,
in which they drank both new and
old Wine instead of Physick.
The Goddess Vitula is so called from vitu∣lando,
exulting: for she is the Goddess of Mirth,
which mitigates the Inconveniences of Life.
The Goddess Volupia, from pleasure (vo∣luptas)
for from her we receive it.
Orbona was worshipped, that she should not
leave Parents orbos liberis, destitute of Children.
Pellonia was thought to have great power in
pellendis hostibus, driving away the Enemy,
Numeria, who should teach us (numerare) to
cast Account.
Camoena, who should incline us to Sing.
Sentia, from Sententia, from whom we
learn our Opinions.
Angerona, who should remove, angores ani∣mi;
the anguishes of the Mind. Or from An∣gina
the Squinancy. For when the Cattle of
the Romans was almost wholly destroyed by
this Disease; they offered Vows to her, and
she removed the Plague.
Haeres Martia, she was one of the Compa∣nions
of Mars, and was worshipped by those
who obtained any Inheritance.
Stata or Statua Mater, was worshipped in
the Forum; that it should not be burnt, or
Page 328
suffer damage from the frequent Fires which
happened there in the Night.
The Goddess Laverna was the protector of
Thieves, who from her were named Laver∣niones:
they worshipped her, that their De∣signs
and Intrigues might be successful: Her
Image was a Head without a Body. Scaliger
in Fest.
The God Averruncus was thought (averrun∣care)
to repell and prevent Misfortunes.
Consus, suggested good Counsel in the ma∣nagement
of Affairs.
Catius made Men circumspect, (catos)
acute and wise.
Volumnus and Volumna, à Volendo, because
thro' their means Men were willing to have
good things.
Honorius; the God, from whom they beg∣ged
Honour.
Aius Locutius; A certain common Soldier
said that in the night he heard a voice say:
the Gauls are coming; no body minded what
he said because he was a poor Fellow: After
the Gallick War Camillus advised the Romans
to expiate their offence in neglecting this
nocturnal Voice, which forewarned them of
the Gallick War and the ensuing destruction:
whereupon a Temple was dedicated in Via no∣va
to Aius Locutius.
Amongst the Ethiopians. or the Assyrians and
Persians, Poena and Beneficium (Punishment and
Favour) were reckoned in the number of the
Gods. For the former was esteemed the Di∣stributer
of Evil; the other, the Dispenser of
Good Things.
Page 329
CHAP. IX.
The Gods assigned to the several Parts of
human Bodies.
TO every part of Man's Body was assigned
and ascribed a particular God.
The Head was sacred to Iupiter, the Breast
to Neptune, the Waste to Mars, the Forehead
to Genius, the Eye-brows to Iuno, the Eyes
to Cupid, the Ears to Memoria, the Right
Hand to Fides, the Back and the Hinder
Parts to Pluto, the Reins to Venus, the Feet to
Mercury, the Knees to Misericordia, the Ankles
and Soles of the Feet to Thetis, and the Fin∣gers
to Minerva.
The Astrologers assign the parts of the Body
to the Celestial Constellations in another man∣ner,
thus. The Head they assign to Aries. The
Shoulders to Gemini, the Heart to Cancer, th••
Breast to Leo, the Belly to Virgo, the Reins to
Libra, the Secrets to Scorpio, the Thighs to Sa∣gittarius,
the Knees to Capricorn, the Legs to
Aquarius, and the Feet to Pisces.
Page 330
CHAP. X.
The Funeral Gods.
THE Chief of the Funeral Deities is Li∣bitina,
so called from Libitus or Libido:
same say that she was Venus, others that she
was Proserpine, in her Temple all things ne∣cessary
for Funerals, were sold or let. Libiti∣na
sometimes signifies the Grave: and Libiti∣narii
those Men who were employed in bu∣rying
the dead. Porta Libitina at Rome, was
that Gate thro' which dead Bodies were car∣ried
to be burned.
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PART VI. (Book 6)
Of the Dii Indigetes and Adscriptitii, or
the Semidei (Demi-Gods) and Hero's. (Book 6)
THIS now is the last Division of the
Fabulous Pantheon, in which you see
exactly described the Images of the
Dii Indigetes, or Semidei, and the Heroes. I
told you at first who the Dii Adscriptitii and
Indigetes were, and from whence they were
so called.
The Semidei, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, were those who had
Human Bodies, but Sacred Minds and Cele∣stial
Souls: they were born into this World
for the good and safety of Mankind. Labeo,
in S. Austin distinguishes them from the Heroes.
He thinks that Heros was one of Iuno's Sons,
and that from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Iuno, the Name Heros is
derived. Others derive this Name from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
the Earth; because Mankind is born from
thence. Or from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Love, of which Heroes
are the Offspring: indeed as Hierocles observes,
Heroes are full of Love. Others think that
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they have their Name from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, dicere; be∣cause
Heroes are eloquent, and are very pow∣erful
and skilful in Rhetorick. Or lastly,
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, virtus, for they are endow'd with
many. Now let us speak particularly concer∣ning
some of these Heroes, of whom the fa∣mousest
was Hercules.
CHAP. I.
SECT. I.
HERCULES.
His Birth.
THere were many Hercules's, but (as Tully
says, de Nat. Deor. lib. 3.) the famous
Actions of them all are ascrib'd to him who
was the Son of Iupiter, by Alcmena, the Wife
of Amphitryo King of Thebes.
When Amphitryo was absent, Iupiter put
on his Shape and Dress, and came to Alcme∣na;
who thinking that her Husband was re∣turn'd,
entertain'd the Deceitful God both at
Table and at Bed: and had by him a Son,
endued with 〈◊〉〈◊〉 much Strength and Vigor,
whose Limbs were so excessive large, that
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Iupiter joined three nights together, and spent
them all in generating him. Before this Alc∣mena
conceiv'd a Son by Amphitryo: he and
Hercules were Twins, he was called Iphiclus;
he was wonderful swift in Running. (Orph.
in hymn.)
Nam super extremas segetum currebat aristas,
Nec siccos fructus laedebat pondere plantae.
He over standing Corn wou'd run, and ne'er
In his swift motion bruise the tender Ear.
When Iuno knew Iupiters Adultery, she
began to hate Hercules so violently, that she
endeavoured with might and main to ruine
him. First she obtain'd an Edict from Iupiter,
by which she endeavoured the ruin of Her∣cules:
for the Wife of Sthenelus, King of My∣cene,
was big with Euristheus, at that time
when Alcmena was big with Hercules. Iupiter
ordain'd, that whichsoever of the two Chil∣dren
was born first, he should be superior to
the other: Iuno accelerated Euristheus's Birth,
so that he was born after seven Months, and
came into the World before Hercules. Again,
she sent two Vipers to destroy him when he
lay crying in his Cradle: but it was in vain;
for the valiant Infant grip'd them in his hands
till they dy'd: as the Poet says:
Tene ferunt geminos pressisse tenaciter angues,
Cum tener in cunis jam Iove dignus erat?
You kild two Serpents with your Infant ••and,
Which then deserv'd Jove's Scepter to command.
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At length by the Mediation of Pallas, Iuno
was reconciled to the Noble Youth, and let
him suck her Breasts: but he suck'd with such
violence, that he hurt her Breast; wherefore
she put him away, and some of her Milk
was split; but it was not lost, for it fell upon
the Sky, and made the Milky Way; which is
in Greek call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Some of it pass'd
through the Clouds and fell on the Earth,
and where it fell Lilies sprang up; from
whence some call those Flowers Iunoniae Rosae
(the Roses of Iuno.)
SECT. II.
Names of Hercules.
HE had two proper Names, Hercules and
Alcides: but his Surnames are innume∣rable.
His Parents called him Alcides, from
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, robur; because he greatly excell'd all
Mankind in Strength. He was afterward cal∣led
Hercules, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Iuno, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, glo∣ria;
because the hatred and unkindness of
Iuno towards him, was the great means of
the encrease of his Glory: for when she expo∣sed
him to the greatest Dangers, she made his
Glory and Honour most illustrious, and by
enjoining him so many Labours, she only ex∣ercised
his Patience and Courage.
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The Surnames I chuse rather to omit, be∣cause
it is plain that he derived them, either
from the places where his mighty Feats were
done; or from the Actions that he perfor∣med
with Applause and Honor. I will care∣fully
and distinctly recount them; they are
called Hercules Labors, so great was the Pains
and so infinite the Toil of them.
SECT. III.
The Labours of Hercules.
HErcules was subjected to Euristheus, by the
Edict of Iupiter and Unkindness of Iu∣no.
But besides, the Oracle of Apollo at Del∣phos,
advised and persuadeed him to submit
himself, and obey Eurystheus's Commands; and
especially to undergo willingly the Twelve
Labours, which his Master should lay upon
him. Hercules obey'd the Fates, and served
Euristheus twelve Years: and perform'd the
most dangerous and difficult Commands with
an answerable Courage and Success. Some
say that Hercules served him voluntarily, and
perform'd these difficult Tasks, to shew how
great love he bore Euristheus. Tho Hercules
perform'd an infinite number of memorable
Actions, Twelve are especially celebrated.
And those Twelve are comprised in as many
Latin Verses, translated out of the Greek.
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Prima Cleonei tolerata aerumna Leonis,
Proxima Lernaeum, ferro & face contudit Hy∣dram.
Mox Erymantheum vis tertia perculit Aprum.
AEripedis quartò tulit aurea cornua cervi.
Stymph••lidas pepulis volucres discrimine quinto.
Threiciam sexto spoliavit Amazon•• Baltheo.
Septima in Augeae stabulis impensa laboris.
Octava expulso numeratur adorea Tauro.
In Diomedeis victor jam nona quadrigis.
Geryone extincto decimam dat Iberia palmam.
Undecimum Mala Hesperidum distracta trium∣phum.
Cerberus extremi suprema est meta laboris.
The Cleonean Lion first he kills,
With fire and sword then Lerna's pest he quells;
Of the wild Boar he clears th' Er'manthean fields.
The brass foot Stag with golden Antlers yields:
He Stymphal clears of man devouring Birds,
And next the bouncing Amazon ungirds:
The Stables of King Augeas he cleans,
The Cretan Bull he vanquishes and chains:
Diomedes Horses him their Conq'ror own,
Then he brings low three headed Geryon:
Hesperian Apples next his Name advance••,
And his last Labour Cerberus enchains.
The particular account of these Twelve is this ••
- I. He tore in pieces, with his Nails, the Li∣on
in the Wood of Nemaea; which some say,
fell from the Circle of the Moon, and was
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-
invulnerable by any Weapon. This Place was
also named Cleone, from whence the Lion
was called Cleoneus. This was the first Labor
of Hercules. He skinn'd this Lion, and with
the Skin he made him a Shield and Breast-Plate.
- II. There was a Hydra, a Serpent in the
Lake Lerna, in the Fields of Argos; that had
seven Heads, some say nine, others fifty.
When any of these Heads were cut off, ano∣ther
presently sprang up in the place of it;
unless the Blood which issued from the Wound,
was stopt by Fire. Iolaus, the Son of Iphicles
procured for him lighted Brands from the
Neighbouring Woods: wherefore when Io∣laus
was grown to a decrepid Age, Hercules
by his Prayers restor'd to him his Youth a∣gain.
Ovid. Met. l. 9.
- III. He bound the wild Boar, whose fierce∣ness
and bigness was equally admirable, in the
Mountain Erymanthus of Arcadia, and brought
it to Euristheus.
- IV. He was order'd to bring to Mycenae an
Hind, whose Feet were Brass and Horns Gold.
No body dar'd to wound her, because she was
Consecrated to Diana; nor could any body
out-run her: yet Hercules hunted her a year
on foot, and catch'd her and brought her a∣way
on his shoulders.
-
...
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- V. He partly kild, and partly drove away
the Birds call'd Stymphalides from the Lake
Stymphalus, which used to feed upon Man's
Flesh.
- VI. He defeated the Army of the Amazons,
and took from Hippolyta, their Queen, the
finest Belt in the World.
- VII. He in one day cleansed the Stable of
Augeas, by turning the course of a River in∣to
it. This Stable had never been cleaned,
altho three thousand Oxen stabled in it thirty
years. Whence the Proverb Augeae stabulum,
that is, a thing of the greatest labour and dif∣ficulty.
- VIII. He tamed a great Bull, that did in∣numerable
Mischiefs to the Island, and brought
him bound to Euristheus.
- IX. He overcame Diomedes, the most cruel
Tyrant of Thrace; who fed his Horses with
the flesh of his Guests. Hercules bound him,
and threw him to be eaten by those Horses,
to which the Tyrant exposed others.
- X. He overcame in War Geryon, King of
Spain, who had three Bodies: we saw him be∣fore
in Hell. He took likewise his bay Oxen
who eat Mens Flesh, and brought them into
Italy; when he had kild the Dragon with se∣ven
Heads, and the Dog with two, who
guarded them.
-
...
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- XI. He kill'd the Dragon who watch'd,
and then carried away the Golden Apples in
the Gardens of the Hesperides; from whence
perhaps he is call'd Melius: (for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, melon,
signifies an Apple) and Apples were offered
up in his Sacrifices. When in Boeotia no Bull
(or Sheep) could be procur'd, when the time
of Sacrifice came, they took an Apple and
stuck into it four Straws, which represented
four Legs, and two others instead of Horns,
and again another for a Tail, and offer'd Her∣cules
this Apple instead of a Victim.
- ...
XII. Lastly, he was commanded by Euri∣stheus
to go down into Hell, and bring away
from thence the Dog Cerberus. This he per∣form'd
without delay, and bound the three-headed
Monster in a triple Chain, and brought
him up to the Earth by force: the Dog, who
strove and resisted in vain. When Cerberus
saw the light, he vomited, from whence
sprang the poisonous Herb Aconitum (Wolfs∣bane)
These are the twelve Labours of Her∣cules.
P.
Pray, Sir, let me a little interrupt you
now, since I have been silent so long. Pray
satisfie these two Scruples. First, why could
not Iuno his Enemy hinder his Birth. Second∣ly,
I know that many mention more than
twelve Labours of Hercules.
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-
...
M.
What you call an interruption, Palaeo∣philus,
is both seasonable and acceptable to
me; because it recals a thing into my memo∣ry
that I had forgot, and gives me an occasi∣on
of mentioning something which ought not
to be omitted. Know therefore, that Iuno
design'd to kill him in his Mothers Womb, or
else destroy him immediately after his Birth;
and to perform it laid her Plot: but Alcmena's
Woman Galanthis prevented it; for she cheat∣ed
Iuno, and told her that Alcmena had
brought forth a Son. Iuno believed her, and
thinking that her Contrivances were ineffe∣ctual,
she desisted; and then Alcmena brought
forth Hercules without trouble. But the De∣ceit
of Galanthis was punished, for she was
turned into a Weasel (in Greek called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,)
and because Galanthis offended by her Mouth
therefore the Weasel brings forth her Young
at her Mouth, with great pain and anguish.
As for the Labours of Hercules, I must con∣fess
that they were more than twelve (tho
those especially are called Hercules's Labours)
if you please we will continue our account of
him thus.
- XIII. The enormous Giant Antaeus, who
was above sixty four Cubits high. He was
barbarous to all Strangers; for he forced
them to wrestle with him and then choaked
them. Hercules threw this Giant down thrice,
and perceived that he recovered new strength
as oft as he touched the ground; wherefore
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-
he lifted him in his Arms from the ground,
and pinched and squeezed him till he burst
and died.
- XIV. Busiris the Tyrant used to sacrifice
all the Strangers which he caught to his Father
Neptune, till Hercules sacrificed both him and
his Son upon the same Altars.
- XV. He killed the Giants Albion and Ber∣gion,
who intended to stop his Journey. And
when in the fight his Arrows were consumed,
so that he wanted Arms, he prayed to Iupiter,
and obtained from him a shower of Stones,
with which he defeated and put to flight his
Adversaries. This they say happened in that
part of France, which was antiently called
Gallia Narbonensis, which place is still called
Campus Lapideus, the Stony Plain. Mela.
- XVI. When Atlas was weary and sunk un∣der
his burden, Hercules took the Heavens up∣on
his own Shoulders.
- XVII. He overcame the Robber Cacus (who
spit Fire,) and strangled him.
- XVIII. He shot the Eagle with an Arrow,
that devoured the Liver of Prometheus, while
he lay chained to the Rock.
- XIX. He slew Theodamas, the Father of
Hylas, because he denied to give him Victuals:
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-
but he took Hylas with him, and was very
kind to him.
- XX. He delivered Hesione, the Daughter of
Laomedon King of Troy, from the Whale, to
which Sea-Monster she was exposed, in this
manner: He raised on a sudden a Bank, in
the place where Hesione was to be devoured
by the Whale; and stood himself armed be∣fore
it: And when the Whale came gaping
and seeking his prey, Hercules leapt into his
Mouth, and sliding down into his Belly, he
spent three days in tearing the Monsters Belly;
but at length he burst through safe, and lost
his Hair. Laomedon after this, broke his word,
and refused to give Hercules the reward which
he had promised; wherefore he took by force
and pillaged the City Troy; giving to Tela∣mon,
who first mounted the Walls, the Lady
Hesione as a part of the Booty.
- XXI. He overcame Achelous, the Son of
Oceanus and Terra in a Duel, (they fought for
Deianira, who was betrothed to them both)
altho Achelous first turned himself into a Ser∣pent,
and afterwards into a Bull. For Her∣cules
plucked one of the Bulls Horns off,
which obliged him to yield. He purchased
his Horn again, giving Hercules Amalthaea's
Horn. This is the meaning of the Story.
Achelous is a River of Greece, whose course
turns and winds like a Serpent; its Stream is
so rapid, that it makes Furrows wheresoe'er it
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-
flows, and the noise of its waters resembles
the roaring of a Bull, (and indeed it is a com∣mon
thing among the Poets, to compare a
rapid River to a Bull) This River divided it¦self
into two Streams, but Hercules with Banks
forced it into one Channel, that is, he broke
off one of the Horns or Streams: The Lands
being thus drained became mighty fertile; so
that Hercules is said to have received the Horn
of Plenty.
Deianira was the Daughter of Oeneus King
of AEtolia: Hercules carried h••r to be Mar∣ried,
and they came to a River which stop∣ped
their Journey: but the Centaur Nessus
freely proffered to carry Deianira over upon
his Back. In the mean time Hercules swam
over the River. When she came on the far∣ther
side of the River, Nessus endeavoured to
ravish her: which Hercules observing while he
swam, and being enraged at the impudence
of the Monster, shot him with an Arrow, and
killed him: when Nessus was dying he gave
Deianira his bloody Coat, and told her, that
if any Husband wore that Coat, he would ne∣ver
follow unlawful Amours. The credulous
Lady accepted the Present, and not long af∣ter
experimented the virtue of it, far other∣wise
than she expected. For the unconque∣rable
Hercules, who had hitherto surmounted
so many and so great Labours, was at length
broken by the Charms and overcome by the
Pleasures of Omphale, the Queen of Lydia:
He served her, and changed the Club which
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he always carried with him, into a Distaff,
and his Arrows into a Spindle. He fell also
in love with Iole, the Daughter of Eurytus
King of Oechalia, to that degree, that he was
miserably ruined. These things made his Wife
Deianira mighty uneasie, so that she desiring
to turn him from the love of his Mistresses,
sent him Nessus's Coat, which he put on when
he went to Sacrifice: but it drove him into
such a Distraction, that he burnt himself up∣on
the Pile that he had raised, and after his
death was accounted among the number of
the Gods.
CHAP. II.
JASON.
JASON the Son of AEson King of Thessalia,
and Alcimede was an Infant when his Fa∣ther
died, so that his Uncle Pelias administred
the Government; when he came to Age, he
demanded possession of the Crown, as being
next Heir: But Pelias advised and incouraged
him to go to Colchis, under a pretence of
gaining the Golden Fleece from thence, but in
reality, to kill him with the labour and dan∣ger
of the Journey.
Page 345
P.
What Golden Fleece was that?
M.
It was the Hide of a Ram, a white or
purple Colour. This Ram was given to Phry∣xus,
the Son of Athamas and Nephele, by his
Mother: Phryxus and his Sister Helle fearing
the design of their Step-Mother Ino, got upon
the back of this Ram, intending to save them∣selves
by flight. But while they were swim∣ming
over the narrowest part of Pontus, an
Arm of the Sea, Helle was so affrighted at the
tossing of the Waves, that she fell down; from
whence that Sea hath been called the Hellespont,
ever since from her Name. Phryxus was car∣ried
over safe, and betook himself to AEta, the
King of Colchis, a Country of Asia, near the
Pontus; where he was kindly received, and
sacrificed the Ram to Iupiter, or to Mars; who
afterwards placed it among the Constellations.
Only his Hide or Fleece, was hung up in a
Grove that was Sacred to Mars; it was called
the Golden Fleece because it was of a Golden
Colour. It was guarded by Bulls, who breath∣ed
forth Fire from their Nostrils, and a vast
and watchful Dragon, since it was a Sacred
and Divine Pledge, and a Relique of the great∣est
Importance.
P.
Did Iason carry away that Fleece?
M.
Yes. He went on board a Ship called
Argus, for it was built by a Work-man of that
Name. And being inflamed with the desire
of honour, he chuses forty nine Noble Com∣panions,
who from the Ship were called the
Argonautae (the most eminent of them were
Page 346
Hercules, Orpheus, Castor and Pollux) in his Voy∣age
he visited Hypsiphile the Queen of Lemnos;
who entertained him so kindly, that she had
Twins by him. Then when he had made a
long Voyage, and had underwent many Dan∣gers,
he arrived at Colchis, and demands the
Golden Fleece of King AEta, who consented to
his Request, upon condition that he first tamed
the Bulls that guarded it; whose Feet were of
Brass, and breathed Fire. Again, if he killed
the Dragon, and sowed his Teeth in the
Ground, and destroyed the Soldiers which
would spring from the Ground, where these
Teeth were sowed, then he might carry away
the Fleece. Iason was forced to undertake
these Conditions, and was delivered from ma∣nifest
Destruction, by the Advice and assi∣stance
of Medea, the Kings Daughter, who
was in love with him. For by observing her
directions, he overcome the Bulls, laid the
Dragon asleep, carried away the Fleece, and fled
by night, carrying Medea with him, and mar∣ried
her.
P.
What did King AEta do then?
M.
He pursued them. But Medea to stop
his pursuit, tore her Brother Absyrtus (whom
she took with her for that purpose) into pieces,
and scattered them upon the road; when her
Father saw the torn Members of his Son, he
desisted from his pursuit to gather them. So
Iason and the Argonautae returned unto their
own Country: Where Medea, who was very
skilful in Sorcery, restored old de••repid AEson,
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Iason's Father, to Youth again, by her Charms.
(But some relate that AEson died before their
return.) The Daughters of Pelias were affect∣ed
so by this miraculous Cure, that (desiring
that their Father might receive the like benefit)
they were easily induced, thro' mistaken duty
and unskilful kindness, to tear their Father in
pieces, entertaining a fond and foolish hope,
that he like AEson would become Young again.
Iason after this, hated Medea, and divorcing
himself from her, he married Creusa, the Daugh∣ter
of Creon, King of Corinth. Whereupon
Medea, to revenge his perfidiousness, murdered
the two Children that she had by him, in his
own sight; and in the next place inclosing
Fire in a little Box, she sent it to Creusa; who
opened the Box, and by the fire which burst
out of it, was burnt, together with the whole
Court. And when she had done this, the ad∣mirable
Sorceress flew by the Art of Magick
to Athens. Some write, that she was reconciled
afterward to Iason again. But what hath been
said, is enough for this Hero. Let us proceed to
another.
Page 348
CHAP. III.
THESEUS.
P.
WHO were the Parents of Theseus?
M.
AEthra was his Mother, and
AEgeus King of Athens his Father. Minos King
of Crete, made War against AEgeus, because
the Athenians had dishonourably and barbarous∣ly
killed his Son, who carried the Prize in the
Games from them all. When he had vanquish∣ed
the Athenians, he imposed this severe con∣dition
upon them, that every Year they should
send seven of the most Noble Youths of their
Country into Crete to be devoured by the Mon∣ster,
the Minotaur. The Youths were sent in∣to
Crete by Lot every Year: the fourth Year the
Lot fell upon Theseus, which mightily grieved
and troubled his Father AEgeus. Theseus went
on board a Ship whose Sails and Tackle were
black, and received this Command of his Fa∣ther;
If by the propitious Providence of Hea∣ven,
he escaped the dangers, and did return
unto his own Country again, that then he
should change his black Sails into white ones,
that his Father being assured of his safety by
that signal, might be sensible of his happiness
as soon as might be.
Page 349
P.
And what was the event of the Voyage?
M.
The event was fortunate to Theseus; but
very unfortunate to his Father AEgeus. For
when Theseus came to Crete, he was shut up in
the Labyrinth, but he slew the Minotaur and
escaped out of that inextricable Prison by the
help of Ariadne. After this he set Sail for A∣thens
in the same mournful Ship, in which he
came to Crete; but forgot to change his Sails
according to the instruction which his Father
had given him. So that when his Father be∣held
from a Watch Tower the Ship returning
with black Sails, he imagined that his Son
was dead, and cast himself headlong into the
Sea, which was afterwards called AEgaeum
Mare, the AEgaean Sea, from his Name and
Destiny.
P.
Who was that Ariadne?
M.
She was the Daughter of Minos, King
of Crete. She was violently in love with The∣seus,
and delivered him out of the Labyrinth by
the means of a Thread. She followed him
in his return to the Island Naxus, and there
Theseus perfidiously and ingratefully left her.
But Bacebus pitied her miserable condition and
married her; and gave her a Crown, that was
illuminated with seven Stars, which he had be∣fore
received from Venus. This Crown was
called Gnossia Corona, and Ariadne her self was
surnamed Gnossis, from the City of that name
in Crete: and after the death of Ariadne, the
same was carried among the Stars and made a
Constellation in the Heavens. It was thought,
Page 350
that Diana caused the death of Ariadne, because
she preserved not her Virginity.
P.
What great Actions did Theseus perform?
M.
His Actions are so famous, that they
accounted him one of the Hercules's. For 1.
He killed the Minotaur. 2. He overcame the
Centaurs. 3. He vanquished the Thebanes. 4.
He defeated the Amazons. 5. He went down
into Hell, and returned back into the World
again.
P.
Why did he go down into Hell?
M.
He and Pirithous his intimate Friend, a∣greed
never to marry any Women except Iu∣piter's
Daughters. Theseus married Helena the
Daughter of Iupiter and Leda: And none of
Iupiter's Daughters remained on Earth for Pi∣rithous,
wherefore they both descended into Hell
to steal Proserpine away from her Husband Pluto.
As soon as they entred Hell, Pirithous was un∣fortunately
torn in pieces by the Dog Cerberus.
But Theseus came alive into the Palace of Pluto;
who fettered him and kept him, till Hercules
was sent into Hell by Eurystheus to rescue him.
This Pirithous was Ixion's Son by his Wife.
P.
And who were those Amazons, that you
mentioned just now?
M.
They were Women animated with the
Souls and Bravery of Men. A military Race,
inhabiting that part of Scythia, which is wash∣ed
by the River Tanais. Their name is de∣rived
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 not, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, mamma, a Breast,
because they cut off one of their Breasts: or
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, simul, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, vivere, because they
Page 351
lived together without Men. They were a
Nation of Women; who, that the Coun∣try
might have Inhabitants, and not be de∣populated,
when the present race of Women
died, admitted the Embraces of the Neighbour∣ing
Men, and had Children by them; they
killed the Boys at their birth, but brought up
the Girls: They cut off their right Breasts,
that they might more conveniently use their
Hands in shooting their Arrows and brandish∣ing
their Weapons against the Enemy. These
Female Warriours by their frequent excursions,
became possessors of a great part of Asia, when
Hercules accompanied with Theseus, made War
upon them, and defeated them; and taking
Hippolyte their Queen Prisoner, gave her to
Wife to Theseus.
Theseus had by Hippolyte, his Son Hippolytus;
who was very beautiful, and mightily addicted
to Hunting, and a remarkable lover of Chastity.
For when Phaedra his Stepmother (the Daugh∣ter
of King Minos, whom Theseus had preferred
to her Sister Ariadne) solicited him to commit
wickedness when he was grown a Man; he
refused to comply: which repulse provoked
her so much, that when her Husband returned,
she accused him wrongfully, as if he had offer∣ed
to ravish her. Theseus gives Ear to the wicked
Woman, and believes her untruth against his
Son Hippolytus: who perceiving it, fled away
in his Chariot: In his flight he met several
monstrous Sea-Calfs, which frighted his Horses,
so that they threw him out of the Seat, his Feet
Page 352
were entangled in the Harness, and he was
dragged through the Thickets of a Wood, and
torn to pieces miserably. AEsculapius after∣wards
at the request of Diana, restored him to
life again. But he however left Greece and came
into Italy: where changing his name, he cal∣led
himself Virbius, quod vir bis fuisset, because
he had been a Man twice. Phaedra was gnawn
with the stings of her Conscience, and hanged
her self. And not long after Theseus being ba∣nished
from his Country, ended an illustrious
life, with an obscure death.
Page 353
CHAP. IV.
CASTOR and POLLUX.
P.
WHO are those two handsom, beauti∣ful
young Men that ride upon
white Horses?
M.
They are two Twin-brothers, the Sons
of Iupiter and Leda: their Names Castor and
Pollux.
P.
What Leda was that?
M.
The Wife of Tyndarus King of Laconia;
whom Iupiter lov'd, and could not succeed in
his Amour, till he changed himself into a
Swan; which Swan was afterwards made a
Constellation. In this form he gained the mu∣tual
love of Leda, by the sweetness of his
singing; and flying into her Bosom, as it were,
that he might secure himself from the violence
of an Eagle which pursued him: He enjoyed
her, tho' she was then big with Child by her
Husband. Leda brought forth two Eggs;
which were hatched, and produced the two
Twin-Brothers, which you see.
P.
You mean, that one came out of one
Egg, and the other out of the other Egg.
M.
Out of the Egg, which Leda had con∣ceived
by Iupiter, came Castor and Pollux:
who sprang from Divine Seed, and were
Page 354
therefore immortal. But out of the other,
which she conceived by Tyndarus, her Hus∣band,
came Helena and Clytemnestra, who
were mortal, because they were begotten by
a mortal Father. Yet Castor and Pollux are
frequently called Tyndaridae by the Poets; as
Helena is also called Tyndaris, from that King
Tyndarus.
P.
What memorable Actions did Castor and
Pollux do?
M.
They both accompanied Iason when he
failed to Colchis; and when they returned
from thence, recovered their Sister Helena
from Theseus (who had stol'n her) by overcom∣ing
the Athenians that fought for him; to whom
their Clemency and Humanity was so great,
after the defeat, that the Athenians called
them 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the Sons of Iupiter; from
whence white Lambs were offered upon their
Altars. But although they were both born at
the same birth; and, as some think, out of
the same Egg, yet their Dispositions were dif∣ferent:
For says Horace. (Serm. 2. 1.)
Castor gaudet equis: Ovo prognatus eodem
Pugnis: quot capitum vivunt, totidem studio∣rum
Millia.
Pollux on foot, on Horseback Castor fights
As many men, so many their delights.
P.
What end had they?
M.
Castor being (as some say) a mortal
Person, was killed by Lynceus: Whereupon
his Brother Pollux prayed Iupiter, to restore
him to Life again, and confer an Immortality
upon him. But this could not be granted.
Page 355
However he obtained leave to divide his Im∣mortality
betwixt himself and his Brother Ca∣stor.
And thence it came to pass, that they
lived afterwards by turns every other day, or,
as others say, every other fortnight; accor∣ding
to that of the Poet. Vir. Aen. 6.
Sic fratrem Pollux alterna morte redemit.
Itque reditque viam.
Thus Pollux fetch'd his Brother from the dead,
And the same dolorous way to' and fro did tread.
After the death of Castor, a kind of a Pyrrhice,
or a Dance in Armour, was instituted to his
honour; which was performed by young Men
Armed; and called Castoreum Tripudium, Ca∣stor's
dance.
At length they both were translated into
the Heavens, and made a Constellation, which
is still called Gemini: And when one of them
rises, the other sets. Sailors esteem these
Stars lucky and prosperous to them; because
when the Argonauts were driven by a violent
Tempest, two lambent Flames setled upon the
Heads of Castor and Pollux, and a Calm im∣mediately
ensued; and from thence a Vertue
more than humane was thought to be lodged
in these Youths. Whensoever these Fires ap∣peared
afterwards, they were called Castor
and Pollux: If but one Fire appeared, they
called it Helena, and it was esteemed fatal and
destructive to Mariners.
There was a famous Temple dedicated to
Castor and Pollux in the Forum at Rome; for
it was believed, that in the dangerous Battle
of the Romans with the Latins they assisted the
Page 356
Romans, riding upon white Horses. From
hence comes that Adverb of Swearing, which
Women only use, AEcastor; whereas the Men
Swore only by Hercules, after these manners,
quasi per aedem Castoris, by the Temple of Castor,
Hercule, Hercle, Hercules, Mehercules, and
Mehercule; but the Oath AEdepol, per aedem
Poll••cis, by the Temple of Pollux, was used by
both Men and Women.
P.
But what became of Clytemnestra?
M.
Clytemnestra was married to Agamem∣non;
whom, after his return from the Siege of
Tr••y, she killed, by the help of AEgisthus (with
whom in the interim she had lived in Adultery.)
She attempted also to kill his Son Orestes, which
she had done, if his Sister Electra had not de∣livered
him at the very point of destruction;
sending him privately to Strophius, King of
Ph••cis; where after he had lived twelve years,
he returned to his own Country, and slew
Clytemnestra and AEgisthus both. He killed
also Pyrrhus in the Temple of Apollo; because
he had taken to himself Hermione, the Daugh∣ter
of Menclaus, who was first betrothed to
Orestes. wherefore the Furies tormented him;
n••ither could he obtain deliverance from them,
till he had exp••ated his wickedness at the Altar
of Diana Taurica; whither he was conducted
by ••y••ades, his Friend, perpetual Companion
and Partner in all his dangers: Whose Friend∣ships
was so close and sacred, that either of
them would die for the other.
Page 357
P.
Who was that Diana Taurica?
M.
The Goddess Diana, that was worship∣ped
in Taurica Chersonesus or Cherronesus, a Pe∣ninsula
so called from the Tauri, an antient
People of Scythia Europaea. This Goddess
was worshipped with humane Victims, the
lives and the blood of Men were sacrificed
to her: when Orestes came thither Iphigenia
his Sister the Daughter of Agamemnon was
Priestess to Diana Taurica; she was made
Priestess upon the following occasion.
Agamemnon King of the Argivi, who was
by the common consent of the Grecians ap¦pointed
General in their expedition against
Troy, and who, as I said before, after the War
was ended and Troy taken, was killed when
he returned home by his own Wife Clytemne∣stra;
this Agamemnon killed a Deer by chance
in the Country of Aulis, which belonged to
Diana; the Goddess was angry and caused
such a calm, that for want of Wind, the
Grecian Ships, bound for Troy, were fixed
and unmovable: Hereupon they consulted
the Soothsayers, who answered that they
must satisfie the Winds and Diana with some
of the blood of Agamemnon. Wherefore Vlys∣ses
was forthwith sent to bring away Iphige∣nia,
the Daughter of Agamemnon, from
her Mother, by a trick, under pretence
of marrying her to Achilles. And whilst the
young Lady stood at the Altar to be sacrifi∣ced,
the Goddess pitied her, and substituted
a Hind in her stead, and sent her into the
Taurica Chersonesus: where by the order of
Page 358
King Thyas, she was set over those Sacrifices
of the Goddess, which were solemnized with
human Blood. And when Orestes was brought
hither by the Inhabitants to be sacrificed, he
was known and preserved by his Sister. After
which Thyas was killed, and the Image of
Diana carried away, which lay hid amongst
a Bundle of Sticks: from whence she was cal∣led
Fascelis, from Fascis, a Bundle.
CHAP. V.
PERSEUS.
PErseus was the Son of Iupiter by Danae,
the Daughter of Acrisius, who was shut
up by her Father in a very strong Tower,
where no Man could come to her; because
her Father had been told by an Oracle, that
he should be killed by his own Grandchild.
But nothing is impregnable to Love: For
Iupiter by changing himself into a Shower of
Gold, descended through the Tyles into the
Ladies Bosom, (and who would refuse to o∣pen
it to a Shower of that Value?) and
when he had enjoyed her, he left her with a
full purse and a big belly. Horace tells the
Story ingeniously thus. Carm. l. 3. 16.
Inclusam Danaen turris ahenea,
Robustaeque fores, & vigilum canum
Tristes excubiae munierant satis,
Nocturnis ab adulteris.
Page 359
Si non Acrisium, virginis abditae
Custodem pavidum, Iupiter & Venus
Risissent: fore enim tutum iter & patens,
Converso in pretium Deo.
A brazen Tower, vast Doors, and wakeful Curs
One would have thought enough to be
To have secur'd from sly Adulterers
The fair imprison'd Maiden Danae.
But th' Project Jove and Venus smile to see,
And laugh the jealous Dad to scorn:
What can resist a lustful Deity,
That for a bout to Gold will turn?
As soon as Acrisius had heard, that his
Daughter had brought a Son, he ordered
that she and the infant should be shut up in a
Chest, and thrown into the Sea: where a Fi∣sherman
found them, and took them out, and
presented them to King Pilumnus: who mar∣ried
Danae, and brought up her Son whom he
called Perseus.
Perseus, when he was grown a Man, re∣ceived
from Mercury a Sithe of Adamant, and
wings which he fixed to his feet, Pluto gave
him a Helmet, and Minerva a Shield of Brass,
that was so bright, that it reflected the Ima∣ges
of things, like a Looking-glass. First he
delivered Andromeda, the Daughter of Ce∣pheus,
King of AEthiopia, when she was bound
by the Nymphs to a Rock to be devoured by a
Sea-monster, because her Mother proudly
preferred her Beauty to theirs; and when he
had delivered her, he took her to Wife. Af∣ter
which both the Mother, Cassiope or Cassio∣peia
and the Daughter, and the Son-in-law
Page 360
were placed amongst the Celestial Constella∣tions.
His next Expedition was against the
Gorgons, of whom we have spoken before:
he encountred with Medusa, their Princess,
Snakes supplied the place of hair on her head,
he saw the Image of her head by the bright∣ness
of his shield, and by the favourable assi∣stance
of Pallas he struck it off; and after∣wards
fixed it upon his shield, and by shew∣ing
it, he afterwards turned many Persons
into Stone. Atlas was turned by the sight of
it, into the Mountain in Mauritania of that
name; because he rudely refused to enter∣tain
Perseus. When Medusa's Head was cut
off, the Horse Pegasus sprang from the Blood
which was shed on the ground; he is so cal∣led
from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a fountain, because he was
born near the fountains of the Sea. This
Horse had Wings: and flying over the Moun∣tain
Helicon, he struck it with his Hoof, and
opened a Fountain, which they called in
Greek, Hippocrene, and in Latin Caballinus,
that is, the Horses Fountain. But afterwards
while he drank at the Fountain Pyrene in Co∣rinth,
when Bellerophon prepared for his ex∣pedition
against the Chimaera, he was by him
taken and kept.
Bellerophon or Bellerophontes was first called
Hipponomus, ab equis fraeno regendis; because
he first taught the Art of governing Horses
with a Bridle. But when he had killed Bel∣lerus,
a King of Corinth, he was afterwards
called Bellerophontes. This Bellerophon, the Son
of Glaucus, King of Ephyra, was equally beau∣tiful
Page 361
and virtuous, he resisted all the tempta∣tions
whereby Sthenoboea, the Wife of Praetus,
enticed him to commit adultery; his denyal
provoked her so, that in revenge she accu∣sed
the innocent Stranger to her Husband.
Praetus however, would not violate the Laws
of Hospitality with the Blood of Bellerophon:
but sent him into Lycia, to his Father-in-law
Iobates, with Letters, which desired him to
punish Bellerophon as his crime deserved. Io∣bates
read the Letters, and sent him to fight
against the Solymi, that he might be killed
in the battle: But he easily vanquished them,
and in many other Dangers to which he was
exposed, he always came off Conqueror. At
last he was sent to kill the Chimaera; which
he honourably undertook and performed,
when he had procured the Horse Pegasus, by
the Help of Neptune. Wherefore Iobates ad∣mired
the Bravery of the Youth, and gave
him one of his Daughters to Wife, allotting
him also a part of his Kingdom. Sthenobaea
killed her self, when she heard this. This
happy success so transported Bellerophon, that
he endeavoured to flie upon Pegasus to Hea∣ven:
for which Iupiter striking him with mad∣ness,
he fell from the Horse, into a Field, cal∣led
Alcius campus from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, erro, fugio:
because in that place Bellerophon wandred up
and down, blind, to the end of his life. But
Pegasus was reposed amongst the Stars. Some
say that this was the occasion of the Fable of
the Chimaera. There was a famous Pyrat,
who used to sail in a Ship in whose Prow was
Page 362
painted a Lyon, in the Stern a Dragon, and
in the body of the Ship a Goat was describ∣ed:
and this Pyrate was killed by Bellerophon
in a Long-Boat, that was called Pegasus.
From the Letters which Bellerophon carried to
Iobates comes the Proverb 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
Bellerophontis literae, when any one
carries Letters, which he imagines are
wrote in his Favour, when they are sent to
procure his Ruin. And such Letters are ge∣nerally
called Literae Vriae, the Letters of
Vriah.
CHAP. VI.
AESCULAPIUS.
M.
WHY are you so silent Palaeophilus?
What employs your thoughts so
long?
P.
I am viewing that bearded old Man,
that leans upon his joynted Cane, and is ador∣ned
with a Crown of Laurel, and encompas∣sed
about with Dogs. Pray, Sir, tell me his
Name, who he is, and what are his Excellen∣cies.
M.
It is AEsculapius, the God of the Phy∣sicians
and Physick, and the Son of Apollo by
the Nymph Coronis. He improved the Art of
Physick, which was before little understood,
and for that reason they accounted him a God.
Apollo shot the Nymph his Mother when she
Page 363
was with Child of him, because she admitted
the Embraces of another young Man, after
he had enjoy'd her. But he repented after he
had killed her, and opened her Body, and
took out the Child alive, and delivered him
to be Educated by a Physician, Chiron; who
taught him his own Art; the Youth made
so great progress in it, that, because he resto∣red
Health to the Sick, and Safety to those
whose Condition was desperate, he was
thought to have a Power of recalling the
dead to life again. Whence Pluto, the King
of Hell, complained to Iupiter very much, that
his Revenue was diminished, and his Subjects
taken from him by the means of AEsculapius;
and at length by his perswasion Iupiter killed
him with a stroke of his Thunder.
He wears a Crown of Lawrel, because that
Tree is Powerful in Curing many Dis∣eases:
by the Knots in his Staff, is signified
the difficulty of the Study of Physick He hath
Dogs painted about him, and Dogs in his Tem∣ple,
because many believed that he was born
of uncertain Parents, and exposed, and after∣wards
nourished by a Bitch. Others say,
that a Goat, which was pursued by a Dog,
gave suck to the forsaken Infant: and that
the Shepherds saw a lambent Flame playing
about his Head, which was the Prognostica∣tion
of his future Divinity. So that the Cy∣renians
used to offer a Goat to him in their
Sacrifices; either because he was nourished by a
Goat, as was said; or because a Goat is always
in a Fever; and therefore a Goats Constitu∣tion
Page 364
is very contrary to Health. Plato says,
that they used to Sacrifice Dunghil-cocks to
him, which is the most vigilant of all Birds;
for of the Virtues, principally wakefulness
is necessary to a Physician.
P.
Where was he particularly worshipt?
M.
At Epidaurus first, where he was born:
afterwards at Rome, because when he was
sent for thither, he delivered the City from a
dreadful Pestilence. For which reason a
Temple was dedicated to him in an Island in
the Mouth of the Tiber; where he was Wor∣shipped
under the Form of a great Serpent;
for when the Romans came to Epidaurus to
transport the God from thence, a great Ser∣pent
entred into their Ship; they believed it
was Aesculapius, and brought it to Rome with
them. Others tell the Story thus. When
the Romans were received by the People of E∣pidaurus
with all kindness, and were carried
into the Temple of Aesculapius, the Serpent,
under whose Image they Worshipped that
God, went voluntarily into the Ship of the
Romans.
I can tell you nothing of the Children of
Aesculapius, except their Names. He had
two Sons called Machaon and Podalirius, both
famous Physicians, who followed Agamemnon,
the General of the Grecians to the Trojan War,
and were very serviceable amongst the Soldi∣ers.
And two Daughters Hygeia, or Sanitas,
(tho' some think this was not his Daughter,
but his Wife;) and Iaso, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 sanare.
P.
Is there nothing remarkable concerning?
his Master Chiron?
Page 365
M.
Since you ask, I will tell you, that he
was a Centaur, and the Son of Saturn and
Phillyra; for when Saturn embraced
that Nymph, he suddenly changed him∣self
into a Horse, because his Wife Ops came
in. Phillyra was with Child by him, and
brought forth a Creature, in its upper parts
like a Man, in his lower parts like a Horse,
and called it Chiron: who, when he grew up,
betook himself into the Woods; and there
learning the Virtues of Herbs, he became a
most excellent Physician: For his Skill in Phy∣sick,
and for his other Virtues, which were
many; he was appointed Tutor to Achilles,
And taught Aesculapius Physick. At last
when he was looking upon Hercules's Arrows,
one of them dipped in the poysonous blood of
the Lernaean Hydra fell upon his Foot; and
gave him a wound that was incurable, and
pains that were intolerable: insomuch that he
desired to die, but could not: because he was
born of two immortal Parents. Therefore
at length the Gods translated him into the Fir∣mament,
where he now remains the Sign of
Sagittarius in the Zodiac.
CHAP. VII.
PROMETHEUS.
PRometheus the Son of Iapetus, and the Fa∣ther
of Deucalion, was the first, (as we
find in History) that formed a Man, out of
Page 366
Clay: which he did with such Art and Skill,
that Minerva was amazed; and profered to
procure any thing from Heaven, which would
any ways compleat his Works. Prometheus
answered, that he did not know what in Hea∣ven
would be useful to him, since he had ne∣ver
seen Heaven. Therefore Minerva carried
him up to Heaven, and shewed him all that
there was to be seen. He observed that the
heat of the Sun would be very useful in ani∣mating
the Men which he had formed, where∣fore
he lighted the Stick by the Wheel of the
Sun's Chariot, and carried it lighted with him
to the Earth. This Theft displeased Iupiter so
much, that he sent Pandora into the World to
Prometheus with a Box which was filled with
all sorts of Evils. But Prometheus fearing and
suspecting the Matter, refused to accept it:
but his brother Epimetheus was not cautious:
For he took it, and opened it, and all the E∣vils
that were in it, flew abroad amongst
Mankind. When he perceived what he had
done, he immediately shut the Box again,
and by good fortune hindred Hope from flying
away, which stuck to the bottom of the Box.
You may remember how sweetly Horace
speaks of this Theft of Prometheus. (Carm. l. 1.)
Audax Iapeti genus,
Ignem fraude malâ gentibus intulit.
Post ignem aethereâ domo
Subductum, macies & nova febrium,
Terris incubuit cohors.
First Heav'nly Fire by Japhet's daring Son
By stealth from the bright Axis was brought down.
Page 367
Hence unknown Fevers and new Plagues took Rise,
With which the Gods the frighted Earth cha∣stise.
Iupiter punished Prometheus, in this man∣ner.
He commanded Mercury to bind him to
the Mountain Caucasus. And then he sent an
Eagle to him there, which continually gnawed
his Liver. Yet some say, that he was not
punished because he stole Fire from Heaven,
but because he had made a Woman, which is
the most pernicious Creature in the World.
To this, Nicander adds another Fable,
when Mankind had received the Fire of Pro∣metheus,
they ungratefully discovered this
Theft to Iupiter, who gave them the Gift of
perpetual Youth; they put this Gift upon an
Asses back, that it might be brought to the
Earth. The Ass in his Journey was a dry,
and came to a Spring to drink, but a Water∣serpent
would not suffer him, unless the Ass
would give him the Burden which he carried,
the Ass gave it him; and hence it came to
pass, that when the Serpent is old, he casts
his Skin, and seems to grow young again.
Prometheus had been serviceable to Iupiter
(for he discovered to Iupiter his Father Sa∣turn's
Conspiracy, and prevented the Mar∣riage
of Iupiter and Thetis, which he foresaw
would be Fatal) wherefore, Iupiter suffered
Hercules to shoot the Eagle, and set Frometheus
at Liberty.
This perhaps is the meaning of this Fa∣ble;
Prometheus (whose Name is deri∣ved,
Page 368
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, providentia) was a very
prudent Person: And because he reduced the
Men, that were before rude and savage, to
the Precepts of Humanity, he was feigned
from thence to have made Men out of the dirt:
And because he was diligent in observing the
motions of the Stars from the Mountain Cau∣casus,
therefore they said that he was chained
there. To which they added, that he stole
Fire from the Gods, because he invented the
way of striking Fire out of the Flint; or was
the first that discovered the Nature of Light∣ning.
Aud lastly, because he applyed his
Mind to this Study with great Care and Soli∣citude,
therefore they imagined an Eagle prey∣ing
upon his Liver continually.
P.
You said just now that he was the Son
of Deucalion; do you mean him who repaired
the Race of Mankind, which was almost ex∣tinct?
M.
Yes, I mean the same Deucalion. When
he Reigned in Thessaly, there was so great a
Deluge, that the whole Earth was overflown
by it, and all Mankind entirely destroyed,
excepting only Deucalion and Pyrrha his Wife;
these two were carried in a Ship upon the
Mountain Parnassus; and when the Waters
were abated, they consulted the Oracle of
Themis, to know by what means Mankind
should again be restored. The Oracle answer∣ed,
that Mankind would be restored, if they
cast the Bones of their Magna Mater behnid them.
By Magna Mater, the Oracle meant the
Earth; and by her Bones the Stones. Where∣fore
Page 369
casting the Stones behind their Backs, a
prodigious Miracle ensued, for those that were
thrown by Deucalion became Men; and those
that were thrown by Pyrrha, became Women.
(Ovid. Met. l. 1.
Saxa
Missa viri manibus faciem traxere virorum;
Et de foemineis reparata est foemina jactu,
Inde genus durum sumus,
Et documentam, damus quâsimus origine nati.
—And of the stones.
Those thrown by man, the form of men indue:
And those were women, which the women threw.
Hence we, a hardy Race, inur'd to pain:
Our Actions, our Original explain.
The occasion of this Fable was this; Deucali∣on
and his Wife were very pious, and by the
example of their Lives, and the urbanity of
their Conversations, they softned the Men,
who before were fierce and hard like Stones,
into such softness and mildness, that they ob∣served
the Rules of civil Society, and good
Behaviour.
CHAP. VIII.
ATLAS.
P.
WHO is he, that sustains the Heavens
upon his Shoulders?
Page 370
M.
It is Atlas, King of Mauritania, the
Son of Iapetus, and Brother of Prometho••s;
who was forewarned by an Oracle, that he
should be almost ruined by one of the Sons of
Iupiter, resolved to give entertainment to no
Stranger at all. At last Perseus, (who was
begotten by Iupiter) travelled by chance thro'
Atlas's Dominions; and designed, in civility,
to visit him. But the King excluded him the
Court; which Inhumanity provoked him so
much, that putting his Shield, which he car∣ried
with him, before the Eyes of Atlas, and
shewing him the Head of Medusa, he turned
him into the Mountain of his own Name;
which is of so great heigth, that it is believ∣ed
to touch the Heavens. Virgil hath these
Verses concerning it. (Aen. 4.)
Iamque volans apicem, & later a ardua cernit
Atlantis duri, coelum qui vertice fulcit;
Atlantis, cinctum assiduè, cui nubibus atris
Piniferum caput, & vento pulsatur & imbri,
Nix humeros infusa tegit; cum flumina mento
Praecipitant senis, & glacie riget horrida barba.
And now the craggy tops and lofty side
Of Atlas, which supported Heaven, he spy'd.
A Shash of sable Clouds the Temples binds
Of Pine-Crown'd Atlas, beat with rain and winds;
Snow cloaths his shoulders, his rough Beard is froze,
And from the old Man's Chin a River flows.
Thus Atlas is feigned to bear the Heavens upon
his Shoulders; and all his Daughters be Stars,
only because he was a famous Astrologer, and
the first who disputed about the Spheres.
Page 371
P.
Who were his Daughters? What are
their Names?
M.
Seven of them are called Hyades, which
he had by his Wife Aethra; he had seven o∣ther
Daughters called Pieiades, by his Wife
Pleione; and their Names were Ambrosia, En∣dora,
Pasithoe, Coronis, Plexauris, Pytho, and
Tyche. Electra, Halcyone, Celaeno, Maia, Aste∣rope,
Taygete, and Merope.
P.
Whence came the Name, Hyades?
M.
From 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to rain:
Navita quas Hyades Graius ab imbre vocat.
From Rain so call'd by the Greek Mariner.
So says Ovid (Fast 5.) because when they rise
and set, they cause great Rains. In Latin,
they are called Suculae: In Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, sues,
Swine. Because the continual Rain that they
cause, makes the Roads so muddy that they
seem to delight in dirt, like Swine. Others
derive their Name from Hyas, their Brother;
who was devoured by a Lion; his Sisters were
so immoderately Afflicted and Grieved at his
Death, that Iupiter, in compassion, changed
them into seven Stars, which appear in the
Head of Taurus. And they are justly called
Hyades, because showers of Tears flow from
their Eyes to this day.
P.
And why were the Pleiades so calld?
M.
From 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to sail: For when these
Stars rise, they portend good Weather for Na∣vigations.
The Romans called them V••rgiliae,
because they rise in verno tempore, the Spring.
Or perhaps they be called Pleiades from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
plures, because they never appear single, but
Page 372
all together; except Merope, who is scarce
ever seen; for she is ashamed that she married
to S••syphus, a mortal Man, when all the rest of
the Sisters married to Gods. Others call this
obscure Star Electra because she held her Hands
before her Eyes, and would not look upon the
Destruction of Troy. As the Hyades were pla∣ced
among the Stars, because they bewailed
immoderately the Death of their Brother
Hyas, so the Pleiades were translated into
Heaven, because they uncessantly lamented
the hard Fate of their Father Atlas, who was
converted into a Mountain. And now let us
speak a little about their Uncle Hesperus.
Hesperus was the Brother of Atlas; and be∣cause
he lived some time in Italy, the Country
was called anciently Hesperia from him. He
frequently went up to the top of Mount Atlas,
to view the Stars: At last he went up and never
came down again; wherefore the People ima∣gined
that he was taken into Heaven, and
therefore worsh••pped him; and not, after a
certain time that he went last up, appearing
any more, the common People ascribed the
Honours of a God to him; and called a very
bright Star from his Name, Hesperus, Hesper,
He••perugo, Vesper, and Vesperugo, when it sets
after the Sun; but when it rises before the
Sun, it is called the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or Lucifer; that
is, the Morning and the Evening Star. Fur∣ther,
this Hesperus had three Daughters, Ae∣gle,
Arethusa, and Hesperethusa; who in ge∣neral
were called the Hesperides. And it is
said, their Gardens were enriched with Trees
Page 373
of Gold, and guarded by a watchful Dragon,
which Hercules killed, and carried away the
Golden Apples. Hence the Phrase, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
Hesperidum mala largiri, to give
a great and splendid Gift.
CHAP. IX.
ORPHEUS and AMPHION.
YOU see these are drawn in the same
Frame, and almost in the same Colours;
because they both excelled in the same Art,
the Harp, with the Musick whereof they mo∣ved
not only Men, but Beasts, and the very
Stones themselves.
Orpheus, the Son of Apollo, by Calliope the
Muse, with the Harp that he received from
his Father, did play and sing so sweetly, that
he tamed wild Beasts, stayed the course of
Rivers, and made whole Woods follow him.
He descended with the same Harp into H••ll,
to recover, from Pluto and Proserpine, his
Wife Eurydice, who had been killed by a Ser∣pent,
when she fled from the violence of Ari∣staeus.
And here he so charmed both the King
and Queen with the sweetness of his Musick,
that they permitted his Wife to return to life
again, upon this condition, that he should not
look upon her, till they were both arrived
upon the Earth: But so impatient and eager
was the Love of O••pheus, that he could not
Page 374
perform the condition, wherefore she was ta∣ken
back into Hell again. Hereupon Or∣pheus
resolved for the future to live a Wi∣dower;
and with his example alienated the
minds of many others from the Love of Wo∣men;
this so provoked the Maenades and Bac∣chae
that they tore him in pieces; though
others give us another Reason of his death:
which is this; the Women, by the instigation
of Venus, were so inflamed with the Love of
him, that striving to run into his Embraces,
and quarrelling with one another which
should have him, they tore him in pieces.
His Bones were afterwards gathered by the
Muses, and reposed in a Sepulchre, not with∣out
Tears. And his Harp was made the
Constellation Lyra.
Amphion was the Son of Iupiter by Antiope.
He received his Harp or Lute, from Mercury:
and with the sound thereof moved the Stones
so regularly, that they composed the Walls
of the City Thebes. So Horace says,
Dictus & Amphion Thebanae conditor urbis.
Saxa movere sono testudinis, & prece blandâ
Ducere quo vellet.
Amphion too, as Story goes, could call
Obedient Stones to make the Theban Wall;
He led' em as he pleas'd, the Rocks obey'd.
And danc'd in order to the Tunes he play'd.
The Occasion of which Fable was this: Or∣pheus
and Amphion were both Men so eloquent
that they persuaded those, who lived a wild
and savage Life before, to embrace the
Rules and Manners of Civil Society.
Page 375
Arion is a proper Companion for these two
Musicians; and I admire that his Image is
not here in this place. For he was a Lyrick
Poet of Methymna in the Island of Lesbos;
he gained immense Riches by his Art; when
he was travelling from Lesbos into Italy, his
Companions assaulted him to rob him of his
Wealth; he intreated the Seamen to suffer him
to play on his Harp before they cast him into
the Sea: He play'd sweetly, and then threw him∣self
into the Sea, where a Dolphin, drawn
thither by the sweetness of his Musick, re∣ceived
him on his back, and carried him to
Tenedos. Ov. Fast. 2.
Ille sedet cithar am{que} tenet, pretium{que} vehendi
Cantat, & aequoreas carmine mulcet aquas.
He on his crouching back sits all at ease
With Harp in hand, by which he calms the Seas,
And for his passage with a Song he pays.
The Dolphin for this Kindness was carried into
Heaven, and made a Constellation.
CHAP. X.
ACHILLES.
AChilles was the Son of Peleus by Thetis.
His Mother plunged him in the Stygian
Waters, when he was an Infant: which made
his whole Body ever after invulnerable, ex∣cepting
that part of his Foot by which he was
held, when he was washed. Others say, that
Page 376
Thetis hid him in the Night under a Fire, af∣ter
she had anointed him in the Day with
Ambrosia: whence at first he was called Py∣risous,
because he escaped safe from the fire;
and afterward Achilles from a non & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
labrum, quasi sine labro, for he licked the Am∣brosia
from his lip, so that the fire had power
to burn it off: Others again report that he
was brought up by Chiron, the Centaur, and
fed instead of Milk with the Entrails of Lions
and the Marrow of Boars and Bears; so that
by these means he received an immense
Greatness of Soul, and Strength of Body:
And from him, those who greatly excelled in
Strength were called Achilles; and an Argu∣ment
is called Achilleum, when no Objection
can weaken or disprove it.
Thetis his Mother, had heard from an Ora∣cle,
that he should be killed in the Expedi∣tion
against Troy. On the other hand, Cal∣chas
the Diviner had declared, that Troy could
not be taken without him. By the Cun∣ning
of Vlysses he was forced to go: For
when his Mother Thetis hid him in a Boar∣ding-School
(Gynaecaeo) in the Island Scyros (one
of the Cyclades) in the habit of a Virgin among
the Daughters of King Lycomedes. Vlysses
discovered the trick, for he went thither in
the disguise of a Merchant, and brought with
him several Goods to sell: The Kings Daugh∣ters,
as is the temper of Women, began to
view and handle curiously the Bracelets, the
Glasses, the Necklaces, and such like Wo∣mens
Ornaments. But Achilles on the con∣trary
Page 377
laid hold of the Targets and fitted the
Helmets to his Head, and brandished the
Swords and placed them to his side: Thus
Vlysses plainly discovered Achilles from the
Virgins, and compelled him to go to the War,
after Vulcan by Thetis's entreaty had given
him impenetrable Armour. Achilles at Troy
killed Hector the Son of Priamus; And was
killed himself by Paris by a trick of Polyxen••.
And all the Nymphs and the Muses are said
to have lamented his death.
Polyxena was the Daughter of Priamus,
King of Troy; a Virgin of extraordinary
Beauty. Achilles by chance saw her upon
the Walls of the City, and fell in love with
her, and desired to marry her. Priamus con∣sented;
they met in the Temple of Apollo to
solemnize the Marriage: where Paris, the
Brother of Hector, coming in privately, and
lurking behind Apollo••s Image, shot Achilles
suddenly, with an Arrow, in that part of
his Foot, in which only he was vulnerable.
After this Troy was taken, and the Ghost of
Achilles demanded satisfaction for the Mur∣ther,
and the Grecians appeased him with the
Blood of Polyxena.
Page 378
CHAP. XI.
ULYSSES.
ULysses, in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, via,
(because his Mother in a Journey, in
the Island Ithaca, or as others say, in Boeo∣tia
fell down, and brought him into the
World) was the Son of Laertes and Anticlea.
His Wife was Penelope, a Lady highly famed
for her Prudence and her Virtue: He was un∣willing
that the Trojan War should part him
from his dear Wife; wherefore to avoid the
Expedition, he pretended to be Mad: joyn∣ing
different Beasts to the same Plough, and
sowing the Furrows with Salt. But this pre∣tence
was detected by Palamedes: who threw
his infant Son, into the furrow, which Vlys∣ses
was ploughing; to see whither Vlysses
would suffer the Plough-share to wound him
or no. When he came to his Son he turned
the Plough another way, least he should hurt
him: And from hence they discovered that
he was not a Mad-man; and he was com∣pelled
to go to the War; where he was migh∣ty
serviceable to the Grecians; for he was
almost the sole occasion of taking the Town;
since he removed the fatal pledges by which
it was secured. For he brought Achilles (as
I said) to the War out of his retreat. He
obtained the Arrows of Hercules from Philo∣ctetes,
Page 379
and brought them also against Troy.
He brought away the Ashes of Laomedon,
which were preserved upon the Gate Scaea in
Troy. He stole the Palladium from the same
City. He killed Rhesus King of Thrace, and
took his Horses, before they had tasted the
Water of the River Xanthus. In which things
the destiny of Troy was wrapped up: For if
the Trojans had preserved them; the Town
would have remained impregnable.
Afterwards, he contended with Ajax the
stoutest of the Grecians except Achilles (the
Son of Telamon and Hesione) before Judges,
for the Arms of Achilles. The Judges were
persuaded by the Eloquence of Vlysses, and
gave Sentence in his favour, and assign'd the
Arms to him: This disappointment made
Ajax mad, whereupon he killed himself, and
his blood was turned into the Violet.
Vlysses sailed Twenty years, for contrary
winds and ill weather hindered him from
coming home. In which time 1. He put out
the Eye of Polyphemus with a firebrand. And
sailing from thence to Aeolia, he obtained
from Aeolus all the winds, which were con∣trary
to him, and put them into leathern
bags. His Companions believed that the bags
were filled with mony, instead of Wind; they
intended to rob him, wherefore when they
came almost to Ithaca they untied the bags,
and the Wind gushed out, and blew him back
to Aeolia again. 2. When Circe had turned
his Companions into Beasts, he first fortified
himself against her Charms, with the Anti∣dote
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Page 380
that Mercury had given him, and then
ran into her Cave with his Sword drawn, and
forced her to restore to his Companions their
former Shapes again. After which Circe and
he were reconciled, and he had by her Tele∣gonus.
3. He went down into Hell to know
his future fortune from the Prophet Tiresias.
4. When he sailed to the Islands of the Syrens,
he stopped the Ears of his Companions, and
bound himself with strong rop••s to the Ships
Mast; whereby he avoided the dangerous
snares into which by their charming voices
they lead men. And lastly, after his Ship
was broken and wrecked by the Waves, he
escaped by swimming, and came naked and
alone, to the Port of Phaeacia where Nau∣sicaa
the Daughter of King Alcinous, found
him hid amongst the young Trees, and en∣tertained
him civilly; and when his Compa∣nions
were found, and his Ship refitted, he
was sent asleep into Ithaca: Where Pallas
awaked him, and advised him to put on the
habit of a Beggar. Then he went to his
Neat-herds where he found his Son Tele∣machus;
and from thence he went home in
disguise. Where after he had received se∣veral
affronts from the wooers of Penelope,
by the assistance of the two Neetherds and
his Son, to whom he discovered himself, he
set upon them and killed them every one:
And then he received his Penelope.
Penelope, the Daughter of Icarus, was a
rare and perfect example of Chastity. For
Page 381
though it was generally thought that Vlys∣ses
her Husband was dead, since he had been
absent from her Twenty Years; neverthe∣less,
neither the desires of her Parents, nor
the sollicitations of her Lovers could prevail
with her, to marry another Man; and vio∣late
those promises of constancy which she
gave to her Husband when he departed. For
when many Noblemen courted her, and
even threatned her with ruin, unless she
declared which of them should marry her:
She desired that the choice might be defer∣red,
'till she had finished that needle-work,
about which she was then employed. But
undoing by night what she worked by day,
she delayed them until Vlysses returned,
and killed them all. Hence the Proverb,
Penelopes telam texere, to Labour in vain,
When one hand destroys, what the other does.
Page 382
CHAP. XII.
ORION.
P.
WHAT was the Birth of Orion?
M.
Modesty will hardly let
me tell you. However I will conceal nothing
from you. They say that he was born from
the Urine of Iupiter, Neptune, and Mercury.
For when they travelled together, they were
benighted, and forced to lodge in a poor
Man's Cottage, whose Name was Hircus.
He entertained them as handsomely, as the
Meanness of his Condition would suffer: Their
Entertainment pleased them so, that they pro∣mised
to grant whatever he asked. He said
that he had promised his Wife when she dyed,
never to marry again, and yet that he ex∣treamly
desired to have a Son. This pious
Desire pleased the Gods, and they consented
to his Request; and moistned the Hide of
the Ox (with which they were entertained)
with their Urine, commanding him to bury
it; Ten Months after he digged it up, and
found in it a New-born-child, which from
this occasion, he called Urion or Orion.
Orion, when young, was a constant Com∣panion
to Diana. But because his Love to
the Goddess exceeded the bounds of Modesty,
or because, as some say, he extolled the strength
of his own Body very undecently, and boa∣sted,
that he could conquer and take even
Page 383
the wildest and fiercest Beasts. This Arro∣gance
grievously displeased the Earth; where∣fore
she sent a Scorpion which killed him. He
was afterwards carried to the Heavens, and
made a Constellation: which is thought to pre∣dict
foul Weather, when it does not appear,
and fair when it is visible: Whence Virgil,
calls him, Nimbosus Orion; and the Word
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in Greek, signifies turbo, concito, moveo.
and some think that Orion is derived from
thence.
CHAP. XIII.
Osiris, Apis, and Serapis.
THese are three different Names of one
and the same God: therefore they are
not to be separated in our discourse.
Osiris was the Son of Iupiter, by Niobe, the
Daughter of Phoroneus. He Reigned King of
the Argives many years. But he was stirred
up by the desire of Glory, to leave his King∣dom
to his Brother Aegialus, wherefore he
sailed into Egypt to seek a new Name, and
new Kingdoms there. The Egyptians were not
so much overcome by his Arms, as obliged to
him by his Courtesies and great Kindnesses to∣wards
them. After which he married Io, the
Daughter of Inachus whom Iupiter formerly
turned into a Cow, as we said above: but
when by her Distractions she was driven into
Page 384
Egypt, her former shape was again restored,
and she married Osiris, and taught the Egyp∣tians
Letters. Wherefore both she and Osiris
her Husband attained to divine Honours, and
were thought immortal by that People. But
Osiris shewed that he was mortal; for he was
killed by his Brother Triphon: Io (afterwards
called Isis) sought him a great while, and
when she had found him at last in a Chest,
she laid him in a Monument in an Island near
to Memphis, which Island is encompassed by
that sad and fatal Lake, the Styx. And be∣cause
when she sought him, she had used
Dogs; who by their excellent virtue of smel∣ling,
might discover where he was hid, thence
the ancient Custom came; that Dogs went
first in an anniversary Procession in honour of
Isis. And the People Carefully and Religi∣ously
Worshipped a God with Dogs Head,
called Anubis;
which God the Poets common∣ly
call, latratorem, semicanem Deum, semiho∣minemque
canem: Barker, a God half a Dog, a
Dog half a Man. He is also called Hermanubis:
because his Sagacity is so great that some
think him to be the same with Mercury. But
let us return to Osiris and Isis.
After the Body of Osiris was interred, there
appeared to the Egyptians a stately beautiful
Ox: The Egyptians thought that it was Osi∣ris,
wherefore they worshipped it and called
it Apis, which in the Egyptian Language signi∣fies
an Ox. But because his Body after his death
was found shut up in a Chest, which in Greek
is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, loculus; he was afterwards from thence
Page 385
called Sorapis, and by the change of a Letter
Serapis; as we shall see more clearly and par∣ticularly
by and by, when I have observed
that Plutarch says, that Osiris was thought to
be the Sun; his Name comes from Os, which in
the Egyptian Language signifies much, and
iris an Eye, and his Image was a Scepter, in
the top of which was plac'd an Eye. So that
Osiris signifies the same as 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, many
eyed: which agrees very well to the Sun, who
seems to have so many Eyes, as he hath Rays,
by which he sees, and makes all things visi∣ble.
Some say that Isis is Pallas, others Terra,
others Ceres, and many the Moon; for she 〈◊〉〈◊〉
painted sometimes 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, cornigera, with
horns, as the Moon is in the increase: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
nigris vestibus induta, in black Garments; be∣cause
the Moon shines in the night. In her
right Hand she held a Cymbal, in her left a
Bucket. Her Head was Crowned with the
Feathers of a Vultur; for among the Egypti∣ans
that Bird is sacred to Iuno. And there∣fore
they adorned the tops of their Porches
with the Feathers of a Vultur. The Priests of
Isis, called after her own Name Isiaci, ab∣stained
from the flesh of Swine and Sheep:
they used no Salt to their Meat, least they
should violate their Chastity. They shaved
their Heads: they wore paper Shooes, and
a linen Vest; because Isis first taught the use of
Flax; from whence she is called Linigera, and
also Inachis from Inachus her Father. By the
Name of Isis is usually understood Wisdom, Sa∣pientia.
Page 386
Aud accordingly upon the Pavement
of her Temple, there was this Inscription.
(Plut. de Isid.) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
Ego sum quicquid fuit, est, & erit: nec meum
peplum mortalium quisquam retexit. I am eve∣ry
thing that hath been, and is, and shall be: nor
hath any mortal opened my Veil.
By the means of this Isis, Iphis a young La∣dy
of Crete, the Daughter of Lygdus and Te∣lethusa,
was changed into a Man, if we may
believe Ovid (in Met. l. 9.) that ingenious con∣triver
of Fables. For when Lygdus went a
Journey, he commanded his Wife, who was
then big with Child, that if she brought a
Daughter, she should expose her. Telethusa
brought indeed a Daughter, but was very un∣willing
to lose her Child: Therefore she
drest it in a Boys Habit, and called it Iphis,
which is a common name to Boys and Girls.
The Father returned from his Journey, and
believed both his Wife and his Daughter, who
Personated a Son: and as soon as she was
marriageable, her Father who still thought
that she was a Man, Married her to the Beau∣tiful
Ianthe. They go to the Temple to Cele∣brate
the Marriage. The Mother was migh∣tily
concerned, and when they went, she
begged the favourable Assistance of Isis, who
heard her Prayers, and changed the Virgin
Iphis into a most beautiful young Man. Now
let us come to Serapis and Apis again.
Tho' Serapis, of whose Name we gave
the Etymology before, was the God of the E∣gyptians;
Page 387
yet he was worshipped at Greece, and
especially at Athens, and also at Rome. A∣mongst
different Nations he had different
Names; for he was called sometimes Iupiter
Ammon, sometimes Pluto, Bacchus, Aesculapius,
and sometimes Osiris. His Name was recko∣ned
abominable by the Grecians; for all Names
of seven Letters 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 are by them
esteemed infamous. Some say that Ptolomy,
the Son of Lagus, procured the Effigies of him
at Pontus, from the King of Sinope, and de∣dicated
a magnificent Temple to him at Alex∣andri••••
Eusebius (in Prap. Evang. l. 4.) calls
him the Prince of the evil Demons: A Flasket
was placed upon his Head; and near him lay
a Creature with three Heads; a Dog's, a
Wolfs, and a Lyon's between them. A Snake
with his fold encompassed them, whose Head
hung down unto the God's right Hand, which
bridled the terrible Monster. There was be∣sides,
almost in all the Temples, where Sera∣pis
and Isis were worshipped, an Image which
pressed its Lip with its Finger. Varro says
that the meaning of this was, that no one
should dare to say that these Gods had been
Men formerly: And the Laws inflicted death
upon him who said that Serapis was once a
mortal Man.
Apis, of whom we spake something above,
was King of the Argivi (says S. Augustine de
Civit, Dei lib. 18.) And being transported
from thence into Egypt, he became Serapis,
or the greatest of all the Gods of Egypt. Af∣ter
the death of Serapis, the Ox, that we
Page 388
mentioned a little before, succeeded to his
place. Pliny describes the form and quality
of this Ox thus: (l. 8. c. 40.) An Ox (says he)
in Egypt is Worshipped as a God. They call
him Apis. He is thus marked; there is a
white shining spot upon his right side, Horns like
the Moon in its increase, and a Node under his
Tongue which they call Cantharus. His Body
says Herodotus. l. 3. was all black: In his Fore∣head
he had a white square shining Figure:
The Effigies of an Eagle in his Back: And be∣sides
that Cantharus in his Palace, he had Hair
of two sorts in his Tale. But Pliny goes on:
If he lives beyond an appointed period of time,
they drown him in the Priest's Fountain; then
the Priests shave their Heads, and mourn
and lament, and seek another to substitute in
his room. When they have found one, he is
brought, by the Priests to Memphis. He hath
two Chappels, which they call Chambers,
which are the Oracles of the People. In one
of which he foretells Good, in the other Ill.
He gives answers in private, and takes Meat
from them that consult him. He refused the
Hand of Germanicus Cesar, who died not long
after. He acts for the most part in secret. But
when he pleases to appear publickly, the Offi∣cers
go before and clear the way; and a flock
of Boys attend him, singing Verses to his Ho∣nour.
He seems to understand things, and to
expect Worship. Once a Year a Cow is shown
to him; who hath her marks (tho' different
from his;) and this Cow is always both found
and killed the same day. So far Pliny. To
Page 389
which Aelian adds, that the Cow that con∣ceives
Apis, conceives him not by a Bull, but
by Lightning. Cambyses, King of Assyria, gave
no credit to these Trifles, and struck Apis in
the Thigh with his Sword, to shew, by the
Wound's bleeding, that he was no God. But
his Sacrilege did not pass (as they pretend)
unpunished.
Page 390
AN
APPENDIX
Concerning the Goddesses, that
make the Gods.
THOSE Goddesses, (whose Image are
small, and all painted in one Pi∣cture)
are the Virtues; by whose
favour, not only the Dii Adscriptitii,
but all the other Gods besides were advanced
to Heaven, and honoured with utmost Vene∣ration.
You see some Vices amongst them,
(for they had Altars dedicated to them too;)
which like shadows encrease the lustre of the
Virtues; whose brightness is doubled by the
reflection of the Colours. To both of them
there are adjoyned some Gods, either favou∣ring
or opposing them. I shall say something
briefly, according to my Design of them.
Page 391
CHAP. I.
SECT. I.
The Virtues, which are Goddesses,
and good Deities.
THE Antients not only worshipped the se∣veral
Species of Virtues, but also Virtue
her self as a Goddess. Therefore first of her,
and then of the other.
SECT. II.
Virtue and Honour.
VIrtue derives her Name from Vir, be∣cause
Virtue is the most manly Orna∣ment.
She was esteemed a Goddess, and Wor∣shipped
in the Habit of an Elderly Matron,
sitting upon a square Stone. M. Marcellus de∣dicated
a Temple to her; and hard by placed a∣nother
that was dedicated to Honour: The
Temple of Virtue was the passage to the Tem∣ple
of Honour; by which was signified, that
by Virtue alone true Honour was attained.
The Priests Sacrificed to Honour with bare
Heads, and we usually now uncover our Heads
when we see Honourable and Worthy Men;
and since Honour it self is valuable and
estimable, it is no wonder if such respect is
shewn in celebrating his Sacrifices.
Page 392
SECT. III.
Faith.
FIdes, had a Temple at Rome, near the Ca∣pitol
which Numa Pompilius (it is said)
first Consecrated to her. Her Sacrifices were
performed without Slaughter or Blood spilt.
The Heads and Hands of the Priests were co∣vered
with a white Cloth when they Sacrifi∣ced,
because Faith ought to be close and secret.
Virgil calls her Cana Fides; either from the
Candour of the mind, from whence Fidelity
proceeds; or because Faith is chiefly obser∣ved
by aged Persons. The Symbol of this God∣dess
was a white Dog, which is a faithful Crea∣ture.
Another Symbol of her was two Hands
joyned; or two young Ladies shaking Hands.
For, dextrâ datâ fidem futurae amicitiae sancie∣bant:
By giving the right Hand (says Livy)
they engaged their Faith for their future Friend∣ship.
SECT. IV.
Hope.
HOPE had a Temple at Rome, in the Herb
Market, which was unfortunately burnt
down with Lightning. Gyraidus says (in Synt.
lib. 1.) that he hath seen her Effigies in a gol∣den
Coin of the Emperor Adrian. She was
described in the form of a Woman standing;
her left hand lightly held up the skirts of her
Garments: she leand on her Elbow, and in
her right hand held a Cup.
Page 393
in which there lay a Ciborium (a sort of a Ba∣sin)
fashioned to the likeness of a Flower, with
this inscription, SPES. P. R. The Hope of the
People of Rome. We have already related,
after what manner Hope was left, and preser∣ved
in the bottom of Pandora's Box.
SECT. V.
Iustice.
JVstice was described like a Virgin, with a
piercing stedfast Eye, a severe Brow; her
mein was Awful, Noble, and Venerable. A∣mongst
the Egyptians, Alexander says that she
had no Head; and that her left Hand was
stretched forth and opened. The Greeks call
her Astraea, as was before said.
SECT. VI.
Piety.
ATtilius, the Duumvir, dedicated a Chap∣pel
to this Goddess at Rome, in the
place where that Woman lived, who fed her
Mother in the Prison with the Milk of her
Breasts. The story is this in Pliny. (l. 7. c. 36.)
The Mother was punished with Imprisonment;
her Daughter, who was an ordinary Woman,
then gave suck; she came to the Prison fre∣quently,
and the Goaler always searched her,
to see that she carried no Food to her Mother:
At last she was found giving suck to her Mo∣ther
with her Breasts. This extraordinary Pie∣ty
of the Daughter gained the Mothers free∣dom;
Page 394
and they both were afterwards main∣tained
at the publick Charge while they lived,
and the place was Conse••rated to the Goddess
Piety. There is an example in the Grecian
History of a certain Woman, who by her Breasts
nourished Cymon, her Aged Father, who was
Imprisoned; and supported him with the Milk
that came from her. Val. Max. lib. 3.
SECT. VII.
Mercy.
THE Athenians erected an Altar to Mise∣ricordia,
Mercy where was first Establi∣shed
an Asylum, (a place of common refuge
to the miserable and unfortunate:) It was not
lawful to force any from thence. When Her∣cules
dyed, his Kindred fear'd some mischief
from those whom Hercules had afflicted; where∣fore
they erected an Asylum, or Temple of
Mercy, at Athens.
SECT. VIII.
Clemency.
NOthing memorable occurs concerning
this Goddess, unless that their was a
Temple erected to Clementia Caesaris, the Cle∣mency
of Cesar, as we read in Plutarch (in Cae∣sare.)
Page 395
SECT. IX.
Chastity.
TWO Temples at Rome were Dedicated
to Chastity, the one to Pudicitia Patritia,
which stood in the Ox-market; the other to
Pudicitia Plebeia, built by Virginia, the Daugh∣ter
of Aulus: For when she, who was born
of a Patrician Family, had married a Plebeian;
the Noble Ladies were mightily incensed,
and banished her from their Sacrifices, and
forbad her to enter into the Temple of Pudi∣citia,
into which Senatorian Families were only
permitted entrance. A Quarrel arose here∣upon
amongst the Women, and a great
breach was made between them. Hereupon
Virginia strove by some extraordinary Action,
to blot out the Disgrace which she had recei∣ved;
and therefore she built a Chappel in the
long Street where she lived, and adorned it
with an Altar: to which she invited the Ple∣beian
Matrons, and complaining to them that
the Ladyes of Quality had used her barbarous∣ly;
I Dedicate, says she, this Altar to Pudici∣tia
Plebeia; and desire of you that you will as
much adore Chastity as the men d•• honour; that
this Altar may be followed by purer and more
chast Votaryes, than the Altar of Pudicitia Pa∣tricia,
if it be possible. Both these Altars were
Worshipt almost with the fame Rites, and no
Matron but of an approved Chastity, and
who had been married but once, had leave
to Sacrifice here. It is besides said in History,
Page 396
that the Women, who were contented with
one marriage, were usually rewarded with a
Corona pudicitiae, a Crown of Chastity.
SECT. X.
Truth.
TRuth, the Mother of Virtue, is painted
in Garments, as white as Snow; her
looks, are Serene, Pleasant, Courteous, Chear∣ful,
and yet Modest; she is the pledge of all
honesty, the Bulwark of Honour, the Light
and Joy of humane Society. She is common∣ly
accounted the Daughter of Time, and Sa∣turn:
because Truth is discovered in the
course of Time. But Democritus feigns, that
she lies hid in the bottom of a Well.
SECT. XI.
Sense.
MEns (Sense, Understanding) was made
a Goddess by the Romans, that they
might obtain a sound mind. An Altar was built
to her in the Capitol by M. Aemilius. The Pre∣tor,
Attilius, vowed to build a Chappel to her;
which he performed when he was upon that
account created Duumvir.
SECT. XII.
Concord.
WE find by the concurrent Testimony of
many, that the Goddess, Concordia,
had many Altars at several times dedicated to
her; and especially she was worshipped by
the ancient Romans. Her Image held a
Page 397
Bowl in her right hand, and a Horn of Plen∣ty,
or a Scepter, from which Fruit seemed
to sprout forth in her left. The Symbol of her
was, two right Hands joyned together, and a
Pomegranate.
SECT. XIII.
Peace.
PAX was honoured heretofore at Athens
with an Altar; as Plutarch tells us. At
Rome, she had a most magnificent Temple in
the Forum: begun by Claudius and finished by
Vespasian: which was afterwards consumed in
a fire under the Emperour Commodus. She was
described in the form of a Matron, holding
forth Ears of Corn in her Hands, and Crow∣ned
with Olives or Laurel, or sometimes Ro∣ses.
Her particular mark was a Caduceus, a
white Staff born by Embassadors going to
Treat of Peace.
SECT. XIV.
Health.
THE Goddess Salus was so much honoured
by the Romans, that anciently several
Holy days were appointed; in which they
Worshipped her. There was a Gate at Rome,
called Porta salutaris, because it was near to
the Temple of Salus. Her Image was the Fi∣gure
of a Woman, sitting in a Throne, and
holding a Bowl in her right Hand. Hard by
stood her Altar, a Snake twined round it, and
lifted up his Head towards it. The Augurium
salutis was heretofore celebrated in the same
Page 398
place: which was intermitted for some time,
and renewed again by Augustus. It was a
kind of divination, by which they begged
leave of the Gods, that the people might
pray for Peace: as though it was unlawful to
pray for it, before they had leave. A Day in
every Year was set apart for that purpose:
upon which none of the Roman Armies might
either march, or engage.
SECT. XV.
Felicity.
THis Goddess also, says S. Austin, hath
her Temple and her Altar, and suitable
Sacrifices were performed to her. (De Civit.
D. l. 4. c. 18.) They represented her by a ve∣nerable
Matron, sitting upon a Throne, and
holding a white Rod in her right Hand,
(Caduceus,) and a great Horn of Plenty in her
left.
SECT. XVI.
Liberty.
AS the Romans were above all things care∣ful
of their Liberty, especially from the
Expulsion of Kings, when they set themselves
at liberty: so they built a Temple to Liberty
amongst the number of their other Goddesses.
And Cicero tells us, that Clodius Consecrated
his House to her.
Page 399
SECT. XVII.
Mony.
THey invocated Pecunia, as a Goddess,
that they might be rich. And so they
Worshipped God Aesculanus and his Son Ar∣gentinus,
that they might have plenty of Brass
and Silver. They esteemed Aesculanus the
Father of Argentinus; because Brass Money
was used before Silver. And I wonder says St.
Augustine (de Civ. D. l. 4. c. 21.) Quod Ar∣gentinus
non tenuit Aurinum, quia & Aurea
subsecuta est. That Aurinus was not made a God
after Argentinus, because the Silver Money was
followed by Gold. To this Goddess, Money,
oh! How many apply their Devotions to this
day? What Vows do they make, and Altars
do they importune, that they may fill their Cof∣fers?
If you have these Gods, says Menander
(apud Stob.) Hos Deos Aurum & Argentum si
domi habeas, quicquid voles, roga: tibi omnia
aderunt: ipsos habebis vel ministrantes Deos. If
you have Silver and Gold at home, ask whatever
you please, you shall have it: the very Gods them∣selves
will be at your service.
SECT. XVIII.
Mirth.
LYcurgus ridiculously erected an Image a∣mongst
the Lace••emonians to the God
Risus. The Thessalians of the City Hypata every
year sacrificed to this God with great jollity.
Page 400
SECT. XIX.
The good Genius.
THis God, in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, had a
Temple in the way, that leads to the
Mountain Maenalus, as says Pausanias. And
at the end of Supper, they offered a Cup to
him, filled with Wine and Water; some say
that the Cup had more Water than Wine, o∣thers
say the contrary: this Cup was called
the Cup 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, poculum boni Dei or
Genii. A Grace Cup.
CHAP. II.
SECT. I.
The Vices, and Evil Deities.
I Call those Evil Deities, which oppose our
Happiness, and many times do us mis∣chief.
And first of the Vices, to which Tem∣ples
have been consecrated.
SECT. II.
Envy.
THat Envy is a Goddess, appears by the
Confession of Pallas; who owned, that
she was assisted by her, when she went to her
House, to desire her to infect a young Lady
called Aglauros, with her Poison. Ovid de∣scribes
her House, Thus. (Met. l. 2)
—Domus est, imis in vallibus antri
Abdita sole carens, nec ulli pervia vento.
Tristis, & ignavi plenissima frigoris, & quae
Page 401
Igne vacet semper, caligine semper abundet.
Between two Hills; where Phoebus ever shows
His cheerful face; where no wind ever blows:
Replete with sadness, and unactive cold;
Devoid of fire, yet still in smoak enroll'd.
The same Poet gives us another Description of
Envy her self.
Pallor in ore sedet, macies in corpore toto,
Nusquam recta acies, livent rubigine dentes;
Pectora felle virent, lingua est suffusa veneno,
Risus abest, nisi quem visi movere dolores.
Nec fruitur somno vigilantibus excita curis,
Sed videt ingratos, intabescitque videndo
Successus hominum; carpitque & carpitur una.
Suppliciumque suum est.
Her body more than meager; pale her hew;
Her teeth all rusty; still she looks askew:
Her breast with gall, her tongue with poison swell'd:
She only laugh'd when she sad sights beheld.
Her ever-waking eares exil'd soft sleep:
Who looks on good success with eyes that weep:
Repining, pines: who, wounding others, bleeds:
And on her self revengeth her misdeeds.
SECT. III.
Contumely and Impudence.
THese two Vices were both adorn'd by
the Athenians; and particularly, it is
said, they were represented by a Partridge;
which is esteemed a very impudent Bird.
Page 402
SECT. IV.
Calumny.
THE same People erected an Altar to Ca∣lumny. Apelles painted her thus. There
sits a Man with great and open Ears, inviting
Calumny with his Hand held out to come to
him. And two Women, Ignorance and Suspi∣cion
stand about him. Calumny breaks out in
a Fury; her ••ountenance is Comely and Beau∣tiful,
her Eyes sparkle like Fire, and her
Face is enslamed with Anger•• she holds a
lighted Torch in her left Hand, and with her
right twists a young Man's Neck, who holds
up his Hands in Prayer to the Gods. Before
her goes Envy, pale and nasty. About her, is
Fraud and Conspiracy. Behind her follows Re∣pentance,
clad in Mourning with her Cloaths
torn: who turns her Head backward, as if
she looked for Truth, who comes slowly after.
SECT. V.
Fraud.
THis Deity was described with an human
Face, but a Serpents Body; in the end
of her Tail was a Scorpions Sting. She swims
through the River C••cytus; and nothing ap∣pears
above Water but her Head.
SECT. VI.
Discord.
PEtronius Arbit••r, where he treats of the
Civil War betwixt Pompey and Caesar, hath
this Description of the Goddess Discordia.
Page 403
Intremuere tubae, scisso Discordia crine
Extulit ad superos Stygium caput. Hujus in ore
Concretus sanguis, contusaque lumina flebant;
Stabant irati scabrâ rubigine dentes;
Tabo lingua fluens, obsessa draconibus ora;
Atque inter toto laceratam pectore vestem,
Sanguinea tremulam quatiebat lampada dex∣trâ.
The trumpets sound, when from the Stygian
shade
Wild Discord raises her disorder'd head;
From whose swoln Eyes there ran a briny flood
And blood congeal'd o're all her Visage stood;
Her hideous rows of brazenteeth were furr'd,
A filthy Gore there issu'd from her tongue.
With snaky Locks her guarded head was hung;
Rent and divided did her Garb betray
The Image of the Breast on which it lay;
And brandisht Flames her trembling hand obey
SECT. VII.
Fury.
FVry is described sometimes Chained, some∣times
Raging and Revelling with her
Chains broke, Virgil represents her in Chains
thus. Aen. 1.
—Furor impius intùs.
Saeva ••edens super arma, & centum vinctus a∣henis
Post tergum nodis, fremit horridus ore cruento.
—Within sits impious War
On cursed Arms, bound with a thousand Chains,
And horrid, with a bloody Mouth complains.
Petronius describes her at her Liberty, thus.
Page 404
—Furor abruptis ceu liber habenis
Sanguineum latè tollit caput; oraque mille
Vulneribus confossa, cruentâ casside velat.
Haeret detritus laevae Mavortius umbo
Innumerabilibus telis gravis, atque flagranti
Stipite dextra minax terris incendia portat.
Disorder'd Rage from all her Fetters freed,
Proudly 'midst these lifts her distracted head,
And her hackt face with bloody Helmet hid.
On her left arm a Target old and worn,
Pierc'd with innumerable Darts was born,
And brands of fire supported in her right
The impious World with flames and ruin threat.
SECT. VIII.
Fame.
PAusanias says (in A••ticis) and Plutarch (in
Camillo) that there were Temples also
dedicated to Fame. She is finely and delicate∣ly
described by Virgil. I will repeat the de∣scription,
to save you the trouble of consulting
the Book, tho' it is common. And it deserves
not only to be remembred, but transcribed
into all Books, as there is occasion. (Aen. 4.)
Fama malum, quo non aliud velocius ullum,
Mobilitate viget, viresque acquirit eundo.
Parva metu, primò; moxsese attollit in auras,
Ingrediturque solo, & caput inter nubila condit.
Illam terra parens, ira irritata Deorum
Extremam, ut porhibent, Caelo Enceladoque so∣rorem,
Progenuit, pedibus celerem, & pernicibus alis;
Monstrum horrendum ingens, cui quot sunt cor∣pore
pluma,
Page 405
Tot vigiles oculi, subter, mirabile âictu!
Tot linguae, totidem ora sonant, tot subrigit aures.
Nocte volat coeli medio, terraeque per umbram.
Stridet, nec dulci declinat lumina somno.
Luce sedet custos, aut summi culmine tecti,
Turribus aut altis, & magnas territat urbes,
Tam ficti pravique tenax, quàm nuncia veri.
Fame far out-strips all mischiefs in her Course,
Which grows by motion, gains, by flying, Force,
Kept under first by Fear, soon after shrouds,
Stalking or Earth, her Head amongst the Clouds.
Vex'd by the Gods, th' all apparent Earth brought forth
This sister last of the Gygantick birth;
The huge foul Monster, swiftly goes and flies;
So many Plumes, as many watching Eyes
Lurk underneath, and what more strange ap∣pears,
So many tongues, loud mouths, and liftning Ears.
Through dark mid regions of the Air she flies
Sounding by Night; soft sleep ne'er seals her eyes;
By day, a spy, on Princes Towers she lights,
Or noble Roofs, and mighty Cities frights;
Busying the People still with something new,
Relating what is false as well as true.
Fancies, and Truths, alike by her are sung.
SECT. IX.
Fortune.
WHY was Fortune made a Goddess, says
S. Augustine (de Civit. l. 4. c. 18.)
since she comes to the good and the b••d without
any judgment? She is so blind, that without
distinction she runs to any body, and many
times she passes•• by those that admire her,
Page 406
and sticks to those that despise her. So that
Iuvenal had reason to speak thus to her.
Nullum Numen adest, si sit Prudentia: sed te
Nos facimus Fortuna Deam, coeloque locamus.
Fortune is never worshipt by the Wise,
But she, by Fools set up, usurps the Skies.
Yet the Temples that have been consecra∣ted
to her, and the names which she hath
had are innumerable. The chief of them I
will point out to you.
Aurea, or Regia, Fortuna, an Image of her
so stiled was usually kept in the Empe∣ror's
Chamber; and when one died, it was
removed to the Palace of his Successor.
She was worshipp'd in the Capitol, under
the Title of Bona; and in the Esquilia under
the Title of Mala.
Servius Tullus had in his Court a Chappel
dedicated to Fortuna Barbata, she was cal∣led
Brevis or Parva in the same place.
She is also called Caeca, Blind. Neither is
she only, says Cicero, blind her self, but she
many times makes those blind, that enjoy
her. (De Amicit.)
In some Inscriptions she is called Conserva∣trix.
The Pretor, Q. Fulvius Flaccus, in Spain,
when the last Battel was fought with the
Celtiberi, vowed a Chappel to Fortuna Eque∣stris.
Because he in the Battel commanded
the Bridles to be taken off from the Horses,
that they might run upon the Enemy with
the greater Force and Violence. Whereby
he got the Victory (Livy.)
Page 407
Fors Fortuna, or Fortis Fortuna was her
Name, and she was worshipped by those who
lived without any Art or Care at all. (Livy.)
She had a Chappel near the Temple of Ve∣nus,
where she was called Mascula and Vir••lis,
Masculine.
She was called Muliebris, because the Mo∣ther
and the Wife of Coriolanus, saved the
City of Rome. And when her Image was con∣secrated
in their presence, it spoke these Words
in Latin twice, Rite me, Matronae dedicastis.
Ladies, you have dedicated me as you should do.
Yet it was not lawful for all Matrons, to
touch this Image, but for those only who had
not been married twice.
Mammosa, either from her shape, or be∣cause
she supplies us with plenty.
Servius Tullus dedicated a Temple to Fortu∣••a
Obsequens, because she obeys the Wishes of
Men. Livy. The same Prince worshipped her,
and built her Chappels where she was called
by these following.
Primigenia, because both the City and the
Empire received its Origine from her.
Privata or Propria; she had a Chappel in
the Court; which that Prince used so fami∣liarly,
that he was thought to go down
through a little Window into it. Plut.
Her Temple at Praeneste, from whence she
was called Praenestina, was famouser, and
more notable than all the rest; because very
true Oracles were uttered there.
Domitian consecrated a Chappel to Fortuna
Redux.
Page 408
In ancient Inscriptions she is named Stata.
To Virgo Fortuna the little Coats of the young
Girls were presented.
Lastly, she was called Viscata, or Viscosa,
(Viscous) because we are taken by her: in
which Sense Seneca says, Viscosa esse beneficia,
Kindnesses are Birdlime.
SECT. X.
The Fever.
FEbris (the Fever) had her Altars and Tem∣ple,
in the Palace. She was worshipped,
that she should not do hurt. And for the same
reason they worshipped all the other Gods
and Goddesses of this kind.
Fear and Paleness, were feigned to be Gods,
and worshipped, by Tullus Hostilius; when in
the Battel betwixt the Romans and the Vejentes,
it was told him, that the Albani had revolted,
and the Romans grew afraid and pale. For in
this doubtful Conjuncture, he vowed a Tem∣ple
to Pallor and Pavor.
The People of Gadara made Poverty and Art
Goddesses. Because the first whets the Wit
for the Discovery of the other.
Necessity and Violence had their Chappel up∣on
the Acro-corinthus: but it was a Crime to
enter into it.
M.
Marcellus dedicated a Chappel to Tem∣pestas,
without the Gate of Capena, after he
had escaped a severe Tempest in a Voyage into
the Island of Sicily.
Page 409
SECT. XI.
Silence.
BOth the Romans and the Egyptians, wor∣ship'd
the Gods and Goddesses of Silence.
The Latins particularly worshipped Angeronia
and Tacita; whose Image (they say) stood
upon the Altar of the Goddess Volupia, with
its Mouth tied up and sealed; because they
who endure their Cares and Angores Animi
(from whence the Name Angeronia comes)
with Silence and Patience; do by that means
procure to themselves the greatest Pleasure.
The Egyptians, worshipped Harpocrates as
the God of Silence, after the Death of Osiris.
He was the Son of Isis. They offered the first
Fruits of the Lentils and Pulse to him. They
consecrated the Tree, Pers••a, to him: because
the Leaves of it were fashioned like a Tongue,
and Fruit like an Heart. He was painted na∣ked,
in the Figure of a Boy; crowned with
an Egyptian Mitre, which ended at the points
in two as it were Birds; he held in his Left
Hand a Horn of Plenty, whilst a Finger of his
Right Hand was upon his Lip, thereby com∣manding
Silence.
And therefore I say no more. Neither can
I better be silent, than when a God commands
me to be so. Notwithstanding I am not so care∣ful
of the Directions, or the vain Commands
of this mute God, this piceus puer, pitchy Youth
(as Martianus calls him, because the comple∣xion
of the Egyptians is black) but as there
is a time to speak, so there is a time to hold ones
Page 410
peace; as we are assured by the Mouth of the
Wise Man, from that One and True God, who
speaks once for an Eternity, and in one word
expresses all things. Whereas how little have
I expressed all this time in a multitude of
Words? How vain have I been, and trouble∣some
to you, Palaeophilus? My long idle and
unskilful discourses have been very tedious and
troublesome to you. I acknowledge my Fault,
and shall say no more for shame.
P. But I, must not be silent. For, dearest
Sir, your extraordinary Civility to me, as
well as your great Merit, commands me at
all times and places to speak and write of you
with Honor, to express my Gratitude, as much
as I can, that way, if I am not so able to do
it in another.
FINIS.
Page [unnumbered]
An INDEX.
Referring to all the Necessary Matters contained in this Book.
- ABeona, the God∣dess 326
- Absyrtus 346
- Achelous 342
- Acheron 278
- Achilles 375
- Acidalia, Venus 126
- Actaeon 236
- Adeona 326
- Adonis 141
- Adrastaea, Nemesis 219
- Adscriptitii 8
- Aeacus 294
- Aegeus 348
- Aegina 18
- Aegis 1••8
- Aeolus 185
- Aeson 346
- Aesculapius 362
- Agamemnon 356
- Aganippides 215
- Agenoria 326
- Agesilaus, Pluto 282
- Ajax 379
- Aius, Locutius 328
- Alcides, Hercules 334
- Alcithoe 79
- Alcmena 18 333
- Alecto 291
- Alectryon 92
- Alma Ceres 204
- Aloius 298
- Almathaea's Horn 15
- Amazons 338 350
- Ambarvalian Sacrifi∣ces 209
- Ambrosia 77
- Ammon, Iupiter 22
- Amphion 374
- Amphitrite 260
- Andromeda 359
- Angerom•• 327
- Antaeus 340
- Anthia Iuno 102
- Antiope 18
- Aonides 215
- Apaturia 77
- Apaturia, Venus 124
- Apis 384
- Apollo 33 &c.
- Arachne 115
- Areopagus, Areopagitae 89
- Arethusa 253
- Argiva, Iuno 102
- Argonautae 345
- Ariadne 348
- Arion 375
- Aristeus 233
- Armata, Venus 124
- Ascalaphus 287
- Ascolian, Sacrifices 77
- Astarte Venus 124
- Asteria 147
- Astraea 218
- Atalanta 134
- Athena, Minerva 111
- Atlas 369
- Atreus 302
- Atropos 289
- Atys 198
- Averruneus 328
B.- BAcchus 65
- Bacchanalia 78
- Barbata, Venus 124
- Battus 63
- Belides 301
- Bellerophon 360
- Bellona 87
- Belus, Iupiter 22
- Belus 3
- Beneficium 328
- Berecynthia 194
- Bias 46
- Biblis 57
- Biformis, Bacchus 69
- Bimetor, Bacchus 70
- Bolina 38
- Bona the Goddess 195
- Bonus the God 400
- Briareus 298
- Brimo, Diana 241
- Briseas, Bacchus 69
- Bromius, Bacchus 70
- Bubastis, Diana 241
- Bubona 256
- Bugenes, Bacchus 70
- Bunea, Iuno 102
- Busiris 341
C.- CAbin 200
- Cacus 179
- Cadmus 20
- Cadmeus 62
- Caeculus 179
- Caenis 265
- Calliope 212
- Calendaris Iuno 102
- Calva, Venus 125
- Calisto 18
- Calumnia 401
- Camaena 327
- Camillus, Mercury 59
- ...
Page [unnumbered]
- Canephoria 76
- Canopus 267
- Caunus 57
- Capitolinus, Iupiter 22
- Caprotina, Iuno 103
- Cardua 313
- Carmenta 218 325
- Carna 325
- Castalides 215
- Cassiope 350
- Castor and Pollux 353
- Catius 328
- Centaurs 303
- Cephalus 151
- Cerberus 279
- Ceres 201
- Cham, Iupiter 164
- Charon 277
- Chary••••is 272
- Chilo 46
- Chimaera 306
- Chione 242
- Chiron 365
- Chitone Diana 241
- Chloris 247
- Chrysorrhoa 74
- Cinxia Iuno 104
- Circe 55
- Claviger, Ianūs 168
- Clausius, Ianus 171
- Clemency 394
- Clio 212
- Clotho 289
- Cluacina Venus 125
- Clymene 53
- Clyt••mnestra 356
- Clytie 40
- Cly••oris 18
- Cotus 279
- Colina 256
- Colossus 51
- Compitalitian, Games 315
- Concord 396
- Consentes 7 313
- Consus Neptune 216
- Consualian Games 216
- Contumely 401
- Corybantes 200
- Craesus 46
- Cunia 225
- Cupid 140
- Curetes 199
- Cunis, Iuno 104
- Custos Iupiter 23
- Cybele 192, &c.
- Cyclops 36 178
- Cyllenius, Mercurius 64
- Cyparissus 37
- Cynthius, Apollo 41
- Cypria Venus 125
- Cytherea Venus ib.
- Cytheronia Iuno 102
D.- DAedalus 56
- Daemones 317
- Danae 17
- Daphne 38
- Deianira 343
- Delius Apollo 41
- Delphicus Apollo 42
- Delphinius Apollo 42
- Delos 146
- Deucalion 368
- Deverra 322
- Diana 235
- Dictynna Diana 241
- Diespiter Iupiter 23
- Dii m••jorum gentium 7
- Dii minorum gentium 8
- Dii minuti 9
- Dii Selecti 8
- Dii Semones 9
- Dindymene Cybele 194
- Dionysius Bacchus 70
- Diomedes 338
- Discordia 401
- Dithyrambus Bacch. 70
- Do••••naeus Iupiter 23
- Do••••••du••a Iuno 104
- D••miducus 321
- Do••itiu•• ib.
- Dryades 251
- Dueliona Bellona 87
- Dydimaeus Apollo 42
E.- EAcus 294
- Eccho 254
- Educa 325
- Egaeon 297
- Egeria Iuno 104
- Eleus Bacchus 71
- Eleusinian Sacrif. 207
- Elicius Iupiter 23
- Elysium 309
- Empusae Lamiae 305
- Endymion 239
- Enna Fields 285
- Epilenean Games. 76
- Erato 212
- Erebus 293
- Eresichthon 207
- Erichthonius 176
- Ericyna Venus 125
- Eteocles 309
- Evan, &c. Bacchus 71
- Euriale 305
- Europa 19
- Eurydice 233 373
- Eurystheus 333
- Euterpe 213
F.- FAbulinus 326
- Fame
- Fascelis Diana 358
- Fatua Cybele 195
- Fate 289
- Fauni 203
- Febris 408
- ...
Page [unnumbered]
- Februa 322
- Februalis Iuno 104
- Februus Pluto 282
- Felicitas 398
- Feretrius Iupiter 24
- Feronia 248
- Fessonia 327
- Fides 392
- Flora 242 257
- Flora's Games 242
- Florida Iuno 102
- Fluonia Iuno 105
- Forculus 313
- Fornax 258
- Fortuna 405
- Fraus 402
- Fulminator Iupiter 24
- Furies 90
- Fury 403
G.- GAlanthis 340
- Galaxia Milky∣way 334
- Ganymede 19
- Gemini the Star 355
- Genii 317
- Geryon 304 338
- Giants 296
- Glaucopis Minerva 116
- Glaucus 267
- Gnossia corona 349
- Gorgons 305
- Gradivus Mars 90
- Gragus Iupiter 24
- Gratiae 140
H.- Hamadryades 251
- Hammon Iupi∣ter 22
- Harmonia 21
- Harpies 304
- Harpocrates 409
- Hebe 99
- Hecate Diana 240
- Helena 135 354
- Heliconiaes 214
- Helice 19
- Helle 345
- Hermae 64
- Hermaphroditus 63
- Hermathenae 65
- Hermes Mercury 59
- Hermione 21 356
- Hercules 332
- Heroes 331
- Hesione 342
- Hesperides 372
- Hesperus ib.
- Hippomenes 134
- Hippona 256
- Homogynas Iupiter 24
- Honor 390
- Honorius 328
- Hoplosmia Iuno 105
- Horta 326
- Hortensis Venus 125
- Horus 50
- Hospitialis Iupiter 29
- Hostilina 258
- Hyacinthus 37
- Hyac•• 371
- Hydra 337
- Hygaeia 364
- Hypsiphile 346
- Hyppolitus 351
I.- JAcchus Bacchus 71
- Ianus 324
- Iaphet 164
- Iason 344
- Ica••us 57
- Idea mater Cy••••le 196
- Idalia Venus 126
- Impud••ntia 401
- Index the Stone 64
- Indigetes 8
- Ino 267
- Intercidona 322
- Invidia 400
- Inuus Pan. 222
- Io. 100
- Iolaus 337
- Iole 344
- Iphiclus 343
- Iphigenia 357
- Iphis 386
- Iris 98
- Isis 385
- Isiaci ib.
- Italy Saturnia 157
- Itys 95
- Iugatinus 321
- Iuga Iun 105
- Iuno 97
- Iupiter 12
- Iustitia 393
- Iuventus 326
- Ixion 300
L.- LAbyrinth 56
- Lachesis 289
- Lacinia, Iuno 105
- Lactura 257
- Lamiae 305
- Lampetia 55
- Lapis, Iupiter 25
- Larac••um 316
- Lares 315
- Lateranus 320
- Latialis, Iupiter 25
- Latium 157
- Latona 324
- Laverna 328
- Leda 18 353
- Legifera, Ceres 204
- Lemnius, Vulcanus 175
- Lemoniades 252
- Lenaeus, Bacchus 72
- Lethe 310
- Levana 325
- Leucosia, Syr••n 269
- Leucothoe 40
- Liber, Bacchus 72
- ...
Page [unnumbered]
- Libert as 398
- Ligea, Syren 269
- Limentinus 313
- Limnades 252
- Lucina, Diana 241
- Lucina Iuno 105
- Luna 239
- Lupercus, Pan 222
- Lyaeus. Bacchus 72
- Lycaeus, Pan 122
- Lycaon 16
- Lycurgus 79
- Lysius, Bacchus 72
- Lysse 291
M.- MAchaon 365
- Maia 58
- Mammosa, Ceres 304
- Manageneta, 324
- Manturna 321
- Manubiae 13
- Marina, Venus 126
- Mars 86
- Martius, Iupiter 26
- Marsyas 40
- Mater, Cyb••le 193
- Matuta 258
- Mausoleum 52
- Medea 346
- Meditrina 327
- Medusa 305
- Megara, ••ury 191
- Melana, Ccres 202
- Melanis, or Nigra, Ve∣nus 126
- Meleager 243
- Meliae 252
- Mellona 258
- Melpomene 213
- Memnon 152
- Mena 322
- Mens 396
- Mentha 287
- Mercury 58
- Mestra 265
- Metis 110
- Midas 40
- Migenitis, Venus 126
- Minerva 108
- Minos 294
- Minotaur 56
- Misericordia 394
- Mitra, Sol 49
- Momus 187
- Moneta, Iun•• 105
- Morpheus 294
- Mors 293
- Moses 80
- Mulciber. Vulcan 175
- Murcia, Venus 127
- Murcia 326
- Musae 210
- Musearius, Iupiter 26
- Musica, Minerva 116
- Mutinus 321
- Myrmidons 295
- Myrrha 129
N.- NAiades 252
- Napeae 525
- Narcissus 254
- Nascio 324
- Nemesis 219
- Neptune 259
- Nereus 267
- Nereides 252
- Nerio 89
- Nessus, Centaur 343
- Nicephorius, Iupiter 26
- Nimrod 79
- Niobe 147
- Nisus 272
- Nixii 324
- Noctua 108 116
- Nodosus 257
- Noe. Saturn 162
- Nomius, Apollo 42
- Nox 293
- Numeria 327
- Nundina 325
- Nuptial Gods 320
- Nuptialis, Iuno 105
- Nyctimene 129
- Nyctelius, Bacchus 72
- Nymphae 251
- Nyseus, Bacchus 72
O.- OCcator 257
- Oceanus 266
- Oceanitides 252
- Oedipus 307
- Olympius, Iupiter 26
- Omphale 343
- Operar••a, Minerva 115
- Opigena, Iuno 106
- Opis or Ops, Diana 241
- Opis 324
- Opitulus, Iupiter. 26
- Ops, Cybele 194
- Orbona 327
- Orcus, Pluto 382
- Oreades, and Orestia∣des 252
- Orestes 356
- Orion 382
- Orpheus 373
- Oscilla. 78
- Oscophorian, Sacrifices 76
- Osiris 383
- Ossilago 325
P.- PAean, Apollo 43
- Palaemon 267
- Pales 245
- Palilian, Feasts ib.
- ...
Page [unnumbered]
- Palladium 112
- Pallas, or Minerva 108
- Pan 221
- Pandora 177
- Paphia, Venus 127
- Parcae 289
- Paris 135
- Parnassides 214
- Parthenope, Syren 269
- Parthenos, Pallas 113
- Patelina 257
- Patulcius, Ianus 171
- Pallor 401
- Paventia 326
- Pavor 408
- Paupertas ib.
- Pax 397
- Pecunia 399
- Pegasus 215 360
- Pelops 301
- Pellonia 327
- Penates 312
- Penelope 380
- Perfecta, Iuno 106
- Periclymenus 264
- Perseus 358
- Pertunda 321
- Pesinuntia, Cybele 197
- Petasus 58
- Phaedra 351
- Phaeton 53
- Phaetusa 55
- Phallus, Priapus 132
- Phyllira 365
- Philomeda, Venus 125
- Philomela 94
- Phlegeton 279
- Phlegyas 299
- Phoebe 55
- Phoebus, Apollo 43••
- Phorcus, or Phorcys 263
- Pierides 215
- Pietas 393
- Pilumnus 258
- Pirithous 351
- Pistor, Iupiter 27
- Pleiades 371
- Pluto 28
- Plutus 284
- Pluvius, Iupiter 27
- Podalytius 365
- Pana 382
- Pollux 353
- Polymicia 213
- Polynices 309
- Polyphemus 180
- Polyxena 377
- Pomona 248
- Populona, Iuno 106
- Postverta 323
- Potamides 252
- Potina 325
- Praeda••or, Iupiter 27
- Prestites 319
- Pri••pus 131
- Progne 94
- Prometheus 364
- Pronuba, Iuno 106
- Propaetide•• 103
- Prosa, or Prorsa 323
- Proserpine 285
- Protheus 264
- Pudicitia 395
- Pygm••lion 130
- Pylades 356
- Pylotis, Minerva 116
- Pyramus 130
- Pyramids 52
- Pyrysous, Ac••illes 376
- Pyrrha 368
- Pythius, Apollo 43
- Python 43
Q.- QUies 326
- Quietatis, Pluto 282
- Quirinus, Iupiter 27
- Quirinus, Mars 90
- Quiris, his Spear ib.
R.- REctus, Bacchus 72
- Regina, Iuno 106
- Regnator, Iupiter 28
- Rhadamanthus 294
- Rhamnusia Nemesis 220
- Rhea, Cybele 194
- Rhodos 51
- Risus 399
- Robigus 257
- Rumina 325
- Rumina 257
S.- SAgittary 365
- Salacia 261
- Salmacis 63
- Salmoneus 300
- Salus 397
- Saturn 154
- Saturn, of Babylon 4
- Satyrs 228
- S••ylla 55 271
- Seia and Segetia 256
- Selecti 7
- Semele 67
- Semidei 332
- Semones 9
- Sem, Pluto 164
- Sentia 327
- Serapis 385
- Servator, Iupiter 28
- Selenus 127
- Sirens 268
- Sisyphus 300
- Sol, Apollo 47
- Sol. 49
- Solon 45
- Solvizona, Diana 323
- Somnus 293
- ...
Page [unnumbered]
- Sospita, Iuno 106
- Spes 392
- Sphinx 307
- Stata 327
- Statilinus 325
- Stator, Iupiter 28
- Stheno 305
- Stellio 206
- Stercutius 257
- Stimula 326
- Strenua, ib.
- Stymphalides 338
- Styx 278
- Summanus, Pluto 283
- Sylvanus 226
- Sylvestres, the Gods 221
- Syrinx 225
T.- TAcita 409
- Tantalus
- Taurica 357
- Talchines, Priests 200
- Telegonus 380
- Tempus, Saturnus 165
- Tereus 96
- Terminalis 235
- Terminus 234
- Terpsichore 213
- Terra, Mater 204
- Thales 45
- Thalia 213
- Thamyris 216
- Th••mis 217
- Theseus 348
- Thesmophorian. Sacri∣fices 208
- Thetis 375
- Thyestes 302
- Thyoneus, B••cchus 72
- Thyrsus 66
- T••phaeus 297
- Tiresias 113
- Tisiphone, Fury 291
- Titan 155
- Titans 299
- T••t••onus 152
- Tityus 298
- T••n••ns, Iupiter 29
- Trieterican, Sacrifices 76
- Triformis, Diana 238
- Triocul••••, Iupiter 29
- Triptolemus 205
- Tripos, of Apollo 44
- Triton 265
- Tritonia, Pallas 110
- Triumphus, Bacchus 73
- Tutelina 258
- Tyndaridae 354
V.- VA••una 327
- Vagitanus 325
- Vallonia 256
- Vejovis & Vedius Iu∣piter 29
- Venilia 261
- Venus 120
- Veri••as 396
- Verticordia, Venus 128
- Vertumnus 249, 264
- Vesta 188
- Vestal Virgins 190
- Vibilia 327
- Vinum, Bacchus 82
- Virbius Hypolitus 352
- Viriplaca 321
- Virtus 391
- Vitula 327
- Ultor, Iupiter 29
- Ulysses 378
- Unxia, Iuno 106
- Volumnus 328
- Volupia 327
- Volusia 257
- Urania 214
- Ursa, Star 19
- Vulcan 175
- Vulcan's Sacrifices 176
X.
Z.- Z 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Iupiter 29
ERRATA.
P. 8. l. 7. for each r. to each, p. 15. l. last. for live. r. life.
FINIS.