Astronomer whence the fable arose of his supporting heauen vpon his shoulders Yet there is an huge mountaine of that name whose height may seeme to an ignorant eye to hold vp the heauens And now began Greece to fill the stories with fables but from the first vnto i Cecrops his time the king of Athens in whose reigne Athens got that name and Moses lead Israel out of Egipt some of the dead Kings were recorded for Gods by the vanity and customary superstition of the Greekes As Melantonice Crias his wife k Phorbas there sonne the sixt king of Argos and the sonne of l Triopas the seauenth King m Iasus and n Sthelenas or Sthelenus or Sthenelus for hee is diuersely written the ninth And o in these times also liued Mercury Altas his grandchild borne of Maia his daughter the story is common Hee was a perfect Artist in many good inuentions and therefore was beleeued at least men desired he should be beleeued to bee a deity p Hercules liued after this yet was he about those times of the Argiues some thinke hee liued before Mercury but I thinke they are deceiued But how-so-euer the grauest histories that haue written of them q auouch them both to be men and r that for the good that they did man-kinde in matter of ciuillity or other necessaries to humane estate were rewarded with those diuine honors s But Minerua was long before this for shee they say appreaed in Ogigius his time t at the lake Triton in a virgins shape wherevpon she was called Trytonia a woman indeed of many good inuentions and the likelyer to be held a goddesse because her originall was vnknowne for u that of Ioues brayne is absolutely poetique and no way depending vpon history There was in deed x a great deluge in Ogigius his time not so great as that wherein all perished saue those in the Arke for that neither Greeke author y nor Latine do mention but greater then that which befell in Ducalions daies But of this Ogigius his time the writers haue no certainty for where Varro beâ—… his booke I shewed before and indeed he fetcheth the Romaines origiâ—…â—…o further then the deluge that befell in Ogigius his time But our z chroâ—… Eusebius first and then Hierome following other more ancient authors herein record Ogigius his Deluge to haue fallen in the time of Phoroneus the seâ—… King of Argos three hundred yeares after the time before said But howsoeuer this is once sure that in a Cecrops his time who was either the builder or â—…er of Athens Minerua was there adored with diuine honors L. VIVES SAphrus a Machanell saith Eusebius reigned iust as long as his father Manitus fourty yeares and Iphereus succeeded him and raigned twenty yeares and in the eighâ—… yeare of his raigne was Moyses borne in Egypt b Orthopolus Orthopolis saith Euâ—… and Pausanias making him the sonne of Plemneus whome Ceres brought vp The 〈◊〉 oâ—… which you had before â—…sus Pyrasus saith Pausanias he rayned fifty foureyeares d Moyses was borne The wriâ—… not about Moyses birth Porphiry saith from Sanchoniata that he liued in Semiramis 〈◊〉 No but in Inachus his time saith Appion out of Ptolomy 〈◊〉 the Priest Amosis 〈◊〉 then King of Egypt Polâ—…mon Hist. Gre. maketh him of latter times Making the peoâ—… led to depart out of Egypt and to settle in Syria in the time of Apis Phoroneus his sonne 〈◊〉 Assirius brings a many seuerall opinions of men concerning this poynt some maâ—… Moyses elder then the Troyan warre and some equall with it But the arguments which 〈◊〉 selfe brings proueth him to haue beene before it His words you may read in Euseb. 〈◊〉 â—…ang lib. 10. Numenius the Philosopher calleth Moses Musaeus and Artapanus saith 〈◊〉 Greekes called him so and that Meris the daughter of 〈◊〉 King of Egypt haâ—… child herselfe adopted him for her son and so he came to great honor in Egipt because 〈◊〉 diuine knowledge inuentions in matter of learning and gâ—…rnment e Prometheus 〈◊〉 Euseb. from others Affricanus I thinke who maketh Prometheus to liue ninety foure yeares after Ogigius Porphiry putteth Atlas and him in Inachus his time But Prometheus was sonne to Iaepellis and Asia Hesiod calls his mother Clymene His falling out with Ioue saith Higin hist. Celest. and many other do touch at this grew vpon this cause being to smal in sacrifices to offer great offrings the poore being not able to offord them Prometheus suttely agreed with Ioue that halfe of their sacrifice onely should bee burnt the rest shold be reserued for the vse of men Ioue consented Then offers Prometheus two Bulls vnto Ioue and putteth all their bones vnder one of the skins and all their flesh vnder the other and then bad Ioue to choose his part Ioue a good plaine dealing God looking for no cousnage tooke that was next to hand light on the bones there at being angry he tooke away the fire froÌ„ mankind that they could sacrifice no more But Prometheus vsing his ordinary trickes stole a cane full of the fire â—…elestiall and gaue it vnto man where-vpon hee was bound to Caucasus and an Eagle set to feed continually vpon his liuer euer growing againe Some say that Prometheus made those creatures who haue fetcht Ioue downe so often women Prometheus his complaint in Lucian is thus answered by Vulcan and Mercury Thou cousonedst Ioue in sharing thou stolest the fire thou madest men and especially women For so it is said that he made men of clay and then put life into them by the fire which hee had stolne from Ioue where-vpon sath Horace commeth man-kinds diseases and feuers Seruius saith that Minerua woundted at this man this worke of Prometheus and promised to perfit it in all it lackt and that Prometheus affirming that hee knew not what was best for it she tooke him vp to heauen and setting him by the sonns Chariot gaue him a cane full of the fire and sent him downe to man with it Hesiod in one place toucheth at that story of Higinus saying that Ioue tooke away the fire from man and Prometheus got it againe to reuenge which iniury Vulcan by Ioues command made Pandora a woman endowed with all heauenly guifts and therefore called Pandora and sent her downe into the earth by Mercury to be giuen as a guift vnto Epimetbeus Prometheus his brother and being receaued into his house she opened a tunne of all the mischiefes that were diffused throughout all mankinde only hope remayning in the bottom and Prometheus as Aeschilus saith was bound vpon Cancasus for thirty thousand yeares neare to the Caspian streights as Lucian saith in his Caucasus Philostratus saith that that mount hath two toppes of a furlong distance one of the other and that the inhabitants say that vnto these were Prometheus his hands bound In vita Apollon So saith Lucian This Eagâ—…e some say was begotten betweene Typhon and Echydna Higin some say betweene
Empresse of Asia vntill her yong sonne Ninus came at age so shee vndertoke the gouerâ—… and kept it fourty two yeares This now some say but the Athenians and Dion after 〈◊〉 affirme that shee begged the sway of the power imperiall of her husband for fiue daies 〈◊〉 which hee granting she caused him to be killed or as others say to bee perpetually â—…oned l They say he slew She was held wounderous lustfull after men and that she still murâ—… him whome she medled with that shee tempted her sonne who therefore slew her 〈◊〉 for feare to fare as the others had or else in abhomination of so beastly an act The 〈◊〉 say shee died not but went quicke vp to heauen 〈◊〉 â—…lt Babilon Babilon is both a country in Assyria and a Citie therein built by Semiâ—… as Diodorus Strabo Iustine and all the ancient Greekes and Latines held But Ioseâ—… Ensebius Marcellinus and others both Christians and Iewes say that it was built by 〈◊〉 â—…genie of Noah and onely repaired and fortified by Semiramis who walled it about 〈◊〉 such walles as are the worlds wonders This Ouid signifieth saying Coctilibus muris cinxisse Semiramis vrbem Semiramis guirt it with walles of Brick And this verse Hierome citeth to confirme this In Ose. Some hold that Belus her father in law built it Some that hee laide the foundations onely So holdes Diodorus out of the Egiptian monuments Alexander saith that the first Belus whome the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reigned in Babilon and that Belus the second and Chanaan were his two sonnes But hee followeth Eupolemus in allotting the building of Babilon to those that remained after the deluge Eus. de pr. Euang. lib. 8. Chaldaea was all ouer with water saith Abydenus in Eusebium de praep Euang. li. 10. And Belus dreined it drye and built Babilon the walles whereof being ruined by flouds Nabocodronosor repaired and those remained vnto the time of the Macedonian Monarchie and then hee reckoneth the state of this King impertinent vnto this place Augustine maketh Nemrod the builder of Babilon as you read before Heare what Plinie saith lib. 6. Babilon the chiefe Citty of Chaldaea and long famous in the world and a great part of the country of Assyria was called Babilonia after it the walles were two hundred foote high and fifty foote brode euery foote being three fingers larger then ours Euphrates ranne through the midst of it c. There was another Babilon in Egipt built by those whome Sesostris brought from Babilon in Assyria into Egipt to worke vpon those madde workes of his the Piramides n This sonne His mother brought him vp tenderly amongst her Ladyes and so hee liued a quiet Prince and came seldome abroade wherevpon the other Kings his successors got vp an vse to talke with few in person but by an interpretour and to rule all by deputies Diodor. Iustin. o Ninus Some call him Zameis sonne to Ninus as Iosephus and Eusebius and some Ninius p Telexion In the translated Eusebius it is Selchis whome hee saith reigned twenty yeares In some of Augustines olde copies it is Telxion and in some Thalasion but it must be Telexion for so it is in Pausanias What Kings reigned in Assyria and Sicyonia in the hundreth yeare of Abrahams age when Isaac was borne according to the promise or at the birth of Iacob and Esau. CHAP. 3. IN his time also did Sara being old barren and past hope of children bring forth Isaac vnto Abraham according to the promise of God And then reigned a Aralius the fift King of Assyria And Isaac being three score yeares of age had b Esau and Iacob both at one birth of Rebecca Abraham his father being yet liuing and of the age of one hundred and sixtie yeares who liued fifteene yeares longer and then dyed c Xerxes the older called also Balaeus reigning the seauenth King of Assyria d and Thuriachus called by some Thurimachus the seauenth of Sicyon Now the kingdome of the Argiues began with the time of these sonnes of Isaac and Inachus was the first King there But this wee may not forget out of Varro that the Sycionians vsed to offer sacrifices at the tombe of the seauenth King Thurimachus But e Armamitres being the eight King of Assyria and Leucippus of Sycionia and f Inachus the first King of Argos God promised the land of Chanaan vnto Isaac for his seede as hee had done vnto Abraham before and the vniuersall blessing of the nations therein also and this promise was thirdly made vnto Iacob afterwards called Israel Abrahams grand-child in the time of Belocus the ninth Assyrian monarch and Phoroneus Inachus his sonne the second King of the Argiues Leucippus reigning as yet in Sycione In this Phoroneus his time Greece grew famous for diuerse good lawes and ordinances but yet his brother Phegous after his death built a temple ouer his tombe and made him to be worshipped as a God caused oxen to be sacrificed vnto him holding him worthy of this honour I thinke because in that part of the kingdome which he held for their father diuided the whole betweene them hee set vp oratories to worship the gods in and taught the true course and obseruation of moneths and yeares which the rude people admiring in him thought that at his death hee was become a God or else would haue it to bee thought so For so they say f that Io was the daughter of Inachus shee that afterwards was called g Isis and honored for a great goddesse in Egipt though some write that h shee came out of Ethiopia to bee Queene of Egipt and because shee was mighty and gratious in her reigne and taught her subiects many good Artes they gaue her this honour after her death and that with such diligent respect that it was death to say shee had euer beene mortall L. VIVES ARalius a In the old copies Argius in Eusebius Analius sonne to Arrius the last King before him hee reigned fortie yeares The sonne in Assyria euer more succeeded the father Uelleius b Esau and Iacob Of Iacob Theodotus a gentile hath written an elegant poem and of the Hebrew actes And Artapanus and one Philo not the Iew but another Alexander Polyhistor also who followeth the Scriptures all those wrote of Iacob c Xerxes the elder Aralius his sonne hee reigned forty yeares There were two more Xerxes but those were Persian Kings the first Darius Hidaspis his sonne and the second successor to Artaxerxes Long-hand reigning but a few moneths The first of those sent the huge armies into Greece Xerxes in the Persian tongue is a warriour and Artaxerxes a great warriour Herodot in Erato The booke that beareth Berosus his name saith that the eight King of Babilon was called Xerxes surnamed Balaus and reigned thirty yeares that they called him Xerxes Victor for that hee wone twise as many nations to his Empire as Aralius ruled for hee was a stoute and fortunate souldiour and enlarged his kingdome
peeces saith Higin lib. 2. and 〈◊〉 harpe placed in Heauen with the belly towards the circle Arcticke Aristotle saith there was no such man Others say he was of Crotone and â—…d in Pysiâ—…tratus his time the Tyran of Athens Author Argonautic Linus was sonne to Mercury and Vrania Hermodâ—… Apollos sonne saith Virgill Hee first inuented musike in Greece Diod. Hee taught Hercules on the Harpe who being duâ—…le and there-vpon often chiden and some-times striken by Linus one time vp with his harpe and knockt out his maisters braynes Some say hee was slayne with one of Apolloes shaftes Suidas reckneth three Musaei One borne at Eleusis sonne to Antipheâ—…s and scholler to Orpheus hee wrot ethiâ—…e verses vnto Eumolpus Another a Theban sonne to Thamyras Hee wrot himnes and odes before the warres of Troy A third farre latter An Ephesian in the time of Eumenes and Attalus Kings hee wrot the â—…faires of the Troyans It is commonly held that hee that was Orpheus scholler was sonne to 〈◊〉 Lâ—…s sayth he wrot the genealogyes of the Athenian gods inuented the sphere and held one originall of all things vnto which they all returned Hee dyed at Phalâ—… in Attica as his epitaph mentioneth they say hee was Maister of the Eleusine ceremonies when Hercules was admitted to them Some as I said before held that the Greekes called Moyses 〈◊〉 vnlesse Eusebius bee herein corrupted b Ruling of the infernall Because held to goe into hell and returne safe and to mollifie the destenies and make the furies weepe Oâ—… Mâ—… 10. This prooued him powerfull in Hell c The wife Shee seeing her husband loue an Actolian maid shee had called Antiphera fell in loue her-selfe with her sonne 〈◊〉 And therefore no seruant may come in her temple The crier of the sacrifices vsed to cry A way 〈◊〉 and Aâ—…lians man and woman At Rome the Matrons led one maid seruant onely into Matâ—…tas Temple and 〈◊〉 they beâ—… 〈◊〉 Pâ—… Prob. Inâ—… and Melicerta being drowned had their names changed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greeke and Matuta in Latine Melicerteâ—… to Palaemon in Greeke and Porâ—…â—…n â—…n Latine quasi Deus portuum the God of hauens His temple was on the wharâ—…e of 〈◊〉 his feasts called Portumalia Varro In honour of him the Corinthians ordained the 〈◊〉 games Pausan. d Castor and Pollux Iupiter in the shape of a Swan commanding 〈◊〉 â—…o pursue him in the shape of an Eagle flew into Laedas lappe who tooke him and kept 〈◊〉 shee being a sleepe he got her with egge of which came Castor Pollux and Helena 〈◊〉 she laid two egges Hor. Art Poet. and that Hellen and Clytemnestrâ—… came of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say that Helen onely and Pollux were the immortall births of the egge but 〈◊〉 was mortall and begotten by Tyndarus Isocrates saith that Hellen was thought 〈◊〉 the Swannes begetting because shee had a long and a white neck They were all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Tyndaridae because they were supposed the children of Tyndarus 〈◊〉 â—…sband and sonne vnto Oebalus and not of Ioue Yet is a Swanne placed in heauen â—…ment of this holy acte forsooth and Castor and Pollux are the signe Gemini which 〈◊〉 by course because saith Homer Castor and Pollux endeuouring to take away 〈◊〉 of Lincus and Idas Idas after a long fight killed Castor and would haue killed 〈◊〉 but that Iupiter sent him sudden helpe and made him invulnerable So Pollux 〈◊〉 Ioue that his brother might haue halfe of his immortality and Ioue granted it Castor 〈◊〉 good horse-man and Pollux a wrastler They were called Dioscuri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is â—…nnes Homer saith they were buried in Lacedaemon they were held to bee good for 〈◊〉 and they appeared like two starres because they being in the Argonautes voyâ—…â—…pest arose where-vpon all were terribly afraide sauing Orpheus who cheered them 〈◊〉 hauing prayde to the Samothracian gods the tempest immediately began to calme 〈◊〉 appearing vpon the heads of Castor and Pollux which miracle gladded them all 〈◊〉 them thinke that the gods had freed them and so it grew to a custome to implore 〈◊〉 â—…f those two who when both appeared were a good signe but neuer when they 〈◊〉 But the Romanes called their temple most commonly Castors temple wherein 〈◊〉 â—…yther ir-religious or Castor vngratefull who beeing made immortall by his 〈◊〉 â—…nes would take all the glory and honour vnto him-selfe who had beene forâ—… leâ—…t in obscurity but for the other But Pollux was cause of this for hee obteyâ—… should shine one day and another another day was cause that they could neuer 〈◊〉 â—…others company The ruine of the Argiue kingdome Picus Saturnes sonne succeeding him in Laurentum CHAP. 15. 〈◊〉 was the Argiue kingdome translated a to Mycaenae where b Aâ—… â—…on ruled and then c arose the kingdome of the Laurentines 〈◊〉 Picus Saturnes sonne was the first successor in e Delborah a woâ—…â—…ng Iudgesse of the Iewes GODS spirit indeed iudged in her for 〈◊〉 a Prophetesse her f prophecie is too obscure to drawe vnto 〈◊〉 with-out a long discourse And now had the Laurentines had a 〈◊〉 in Italy g from whence after their discent from Greece the Roâ—… pedegree is drawne Still the Assyrian Monarchy kept vp Lamparesâ—…ith â—…ith King ruling there now when Picus began his kingdome in Lauâ—… His father Saturne the Pagans say was no man let the Pagans looke 〈◊〉 some of them haue written that hee was and that hee was h King â—…ore his sonne Picus Aske these verses of Virgill and they will tell 〈◊〉 â—…id 8. Is genus indocile ac dispersum montibus altis Composuit legesque dedit latiumque vocari Maluit his quoniam latuisset tutus in oris Aureà que vt perhibent illo sub rege fuêre Secula Th'vndocill sort on Mountaines high disperst He did compose and gaue them lawes and first Would call it Latium when he latent lay In whose raigne was the golden age men say Tush but these they say are fictions l Sterces was Saturnes father hee that inuented m manuring of the ground with dung which of him was called Stercus Some say they called him Stercutius Well howsoeuer hee gotte the name of Saturne hee was the same Sterces or Stercutius whome they deified for his husbandry And Pyrus his sonne was deified after him also n a cunning sooth-sayer and o a great soldier as they report him to bee Hee begotte p Faunus the second King of Laurentum and hee was made a Syluane god All these men were deified before the Troyan warre L. VIVES TRanslated a vnto Mycaenae Pausanias his wordes here-vppon All know the villany of Danaus daughters vpon their cousine Germaines and how Lynceus succeeded Danaus in the Kingdome who dying Abas his sonnes diuided the Kingdome amongst them Acrisius had Argoes Praetus Eraeum Mydaea and Tyrinthus and all that lay to the sea In Tyrinthus are monuments yet of Praetus his dwelling there Afterward Acrisius hearing how his
befieging Ardea when the people beganne this depriuation and when he came to the Citty Brutus that came into the campe another waie with-drew all his army from him o Tusculum It is more commonly beleeued that hee died at Cumae with King Aristodemus liuing neere at the age of 90. yeares I doe not denie his stay some yeares at Tusculum with Octauius Mamilius his sonne in law vntill at that memorable filed at Lake Regillus now called Lago di S. Prassede Mamilius was slaine by T. Herminius Legate of Rome Which perhaps is cause of Saint Augustines forgetfulnesse in a matter of so small a moment caring not whether it bee reported thus or thus p His owne daughters consent Nay furtherance it is sayd and continuall vrging her husband to the fact q There owne pride A pithy and elegant saying r twenty miles Eighteene saith Ruffus won by Ancus from Rome to Ostia by the sea Eutropius hath but sixteene s Getulians Getulia is a part of Affrike neere the inhabitable Zone as Mela saith Salust writeth thus of them The rude and barbarous Getulians dwelt at first in Africa the flesh of wild beastes grasse was their meate as beasts haue also their apparell Law had they none nor gouernment nor place of aboade This and more hath Salust of the Getulians Mela saith they are a great and populous country Of the first Romaine Consulls how the one expelled the other out of his country and hee himselfe after many bloudy murders fell by a wound giuen him by his wounded foe CHAP. 16. VNto these times adde the other wherein as Salust saith things were modestly and iustly caried vntill the feare of Tarquin and the Hetrurian warre were both ended For whilest the Hetrurians assisted Tarquins endeauours of re-instalment Rome quaked vnder so burthenous a warre And therefore saith Salust were things caried modestly and iustly feare beeing the cause here of by restraint not iustice by perswasion In which short space O how cruell a course had the yeare of the two first Consulls The time beeing yet vnexpired Brutus debased Collatine and banished him the Citty And soone after perished he himselfe hauing a enterchanged a many wounds with his foe b hauing first slaine his owne sonnes and his wiues brothers because he found them actors in a plot to recall Tarquin Which deed Virgill hauing laudably recited presently doth in gentle manner deplore it for hauing sayd Natosque Pater mala bella mouentes Ad panam pulcra pro libertate vocabit His sonnes conuict of turbulent transgression He kills to quit his country from oppression Presently in lamenting manner he addeth Infaelix vtcunque ferent ea fact a minores Haplesse how ere succeeding times shall ringe Howsoeuer his posterity shall ring of the praise of such an act yet haplesse is he that giues deathes summons to his owne sonnes But to giue some solace to his sorrowes he addeth after all Viâ—…t amor patriae laudumque immensa cupido Conquer'd by countries loue and lawds high thirst Now in Brutus his killing of his owne sonnes and c in beeing killed by Tarquins sonne whome hee had hurt and Tarquin himselfe suruiuing him is not d Collatines wrong well reuenged who beeing so good a cittizen was banished onely because his name was but Tarqâ—…n as well as Tarquin the tyrant e It was the name you say that was the cause of this well hee should haue beene made to change his name then and not to abandon his country Againe f this word would haue beene but little missed in his name if hee had beene called L. Collatine onely This therefore was no sufficient cause why hee beeing one of the first Consulls should bee forced to abiure both his honours and his Citie But is this vniustice being so detestable and so vse-lesse to the state fit to bee the foundation of Brutus his glory Did he these things being Conquâ—…r'a by our countries loues and laudes high thirst Tarquin beeing expelled Lucraetia's-husband was ioyned Consull with Iunius Brutus how iustly did the people respect the conditions of the man aâ—…d not the name But how vniustly did Brutus hauing powre to depriue him onely of the cause of the offence his name in depriuing him both of his country and place of honour Thus these euills thus these thwart effects fell out euen then when things were said to be carried so modestly and so iustly And g Lucraetius that had Brâ—…tus his place died ere this yeare ended So that P. Valerius that succeeded Collatine and M. Horatius that had Lucraetius his place ended that Hellish and murderous yeare which saw it selfe passe by fiue Consulls This was the yeare wherein Rome deuised her platforme of new gouernment their feares now beginning to surcease not because they had no warres but because those they had were but light ones But the time beeing expired wherein things were modestly and iustly carried then followed those which Salust doth thus breeflie deliniate Then bâ—…ganne the Patriots to oppresse the pâ—…ople with seruile conditions to iudge of life and death as Imperiously as the Kings had done before to thrust men from their possessions to put by all others and to sâ—…are all themselues with which outrages and chiefly with their extorted taxes the people beeing to much vexed beeing bound both to maintaine an armie and also to par contributions besidâ—…s they rusht vppe to armes and entrenched themselues vpon Mount Sacer and Auentine and there they made them Tribunes and diuers lawes but these discords and tumultuous contentions ended not till the second African warre L. VIVES HAuing a entâ—…rchanged With Arnus King Tarquinius sonneâ—… beeing slaine the matrons mourned a whole yeare for him and his Collâ—…ague Valerius made an oration in his praise the first of that kinde in Rome b Hauing first slaine The Viteâ—… Brutus his wiues brethren conspired with certaine secret messengers of Tarquin to bring him secretly in againe and made Titus and Tiberius Brutus the Consull sons priuy and pertakers in this affaire Brutus discouering the plot put them all to death c In beeing killed The manuscripts haue this diuersly wee haue it the best d Collatines wrong I noted before That those that depriued their fellowes in Consull-ship liued not a yeare after e For it is sayd Hee was sonne to M. Iunius and Tarquins sister f This name would Some hereof transpose the word if but erroneously g Lucraetius This first yeare had fiue Consulls first Brutus and Collatine then P. Valerius Poplicola in Collatines place Then Sp Lucraetius after the death of Brutus in warre had Brutus his place and hee dying ere the end of the yeare M. Horatius Puluillu succeeded him Of the Vexations of the Romaine estate after the first beginning of the the Consulls rule And of the little good that their gods all this while did them CHAP. 17. BVt why should I spend so much time in writing of these things or make others spend it in reading them How miserable the state
toarches at weddâ—…gs neither more nor lesse Leporius not an Epithite of Venus as Acron thought it was of Sâ—…le but a goddesse by her selfe called Peitho the goddesse of perswasion Quintil. Hymeâ—… â—…so was a chiefe god inuoked at marriages as in Catullus is plaine Seruius in 1. 〈◊〉 saith hee was an Athenian that deliuered the Virgins in a most extreame warre and therefore was invoked at marriages as the discharger of Virginity Martian calles him the 〈◊〉 of Bacchus and Calliopeia i Fructesia Not Fruges k Pecunia Iuuenall Sat. 〈◊〉 â—…esta pecunia templo 〈◊〉 nullas nummoru ereximus aras Though fatall money doth not â—…it Ador'd in shrine nor hath an Altar yet Seeing to say shee had neither Temple nor Altar It may bee hee knew not that shee was a goddâ—…â—…or Varro saith that many pointes of the Romaines religion was vnknowne euen vnto the learned l Father This is diuersly read but all to one sence m Brasse money Plin. lib. 33. The first stampe was set vpon siluer in the yeare after Rome was built D. LXXXV Q. Fabius beeing Consull fiue yeares before the first African warre where for D. You must 〈◊〉 but CCCC For that warre beganne in the Consulshippes of Ap. Claudius brother to 〈◊〉 and Q. Fuluius CCCCXC yeares after Rome was founded Eutropius saith it was â—…ed 〈◊〉 that war but he mistaketh the time herein as he doth in many things besides But 〈◊〉 â—…ee haue spoken sufficiently already The stampe was two horses in a yoake and foure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thereafter were they named For the stampe of Victory came not vp vntill a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Confederates warre beeing set vpon siluer mixt with Copper The golden peeces were coined in the second African warre LXII yeares after the siluer came vp n Rubigo Rubigo is the putrified dewe eating and cankring the young plants in the morning saith Pliny and in quiet weather doth this fall vpon corne and on cleare nights in va lies and places where the aire is not mooued nor is it perceiued vntill it be done High hilles and windy places are neuer troubled with this inconuenience This feast Numa ordained to bee kept on the seauenth of Maies Calends for then doth this canker the most mischiefe This time Varro doth appoint to be when the sunne is in the tenth degree of Taurus as the course went then but indeed the true cause is that 29. daies after the aequinoctiall of the spring for the space of foure daies on the 4. of Maies Callends the vehement starre called the dog-starre setteth to which it is necessary to offer a dogge This from Varro A dog indeed was sacrificed vnto this Rubigo Ouid. Fast. 4. Varro talketh of a god called Robigus also that is ioyned with Flora. Rer. rustic lib. 1. making them one of the sixe paire of gods that hee calles vpon Robigus quasi Rodigus of Rodo to gnaw or eate away Rubigo is properly a sore or vlcer gotten by filthy lust Rust vpon Iron also is called rubigo growing vpon it as vpon corne for want of motion Of the knowledge of these Pagan gods which Varro boasteth hee taught the Romaines CHAP. 22. VVHat great good turne then doth Varro boast that hee hath done vnto his Cittizens in the particularizing of the gods and their worshippes that the Romaines must obserue For what booteth it saith hee to know a Phisitian by name and by face and yet to bee ignorant what a Phisitian is so likewise it booteth not saith hee to know Aesculapius vnlesse you know that he cures diseases otherwise you know not what to pray to him for And this hee confirmes in another simyly saying A man cannot liue well nay hee cannot liue at all if hee know not the Smith the Painter the Carpenter c. distinctly where to haue this necessary where that where to bee taught this or that So it is plaine that to know what powre euery god hath and vpon what obiect is wonderfull vse-full For thence may wee gather whome to sue vnto for euery neede wee haue and not follow the a Mimickes in begging water of Bacchus and wine of the b Nymphes Who would not giue this man thankes now if his doctrine were true and did shew the worshippe of the true GOD of whom alone we are to aske all things L. VIVES THe a Mimikes To make sport b The Nymphes Or Lymphes Lympha is all moisture and ouer all moysture doe the Nymphes rule The Nereides in the sea The Nayades in fountaines the Napeae in the moisture of flowres and herbes The Druides and Hamadryades ouer the sappe of trees The Oreades ouer the humid hilles The Nymphes are in number 3000. all daughters of Oceanus and Tethis Hesiod Theog Of the absolute sufficiency of Felicity alone whome the Romaines who worshipped so many gods did for a great while neglect and gaue no diuine honours vnto CHAP. 23. BVt if their bookes bee true and that Felicity bee a goddesse how comes it to passe that shee hath not all the worshippe vnto her selfe beeing of her selfe sufficient for all needes Who wisheth any thing buâ—… happinesse And why was it so a late before b Lucullus the first of all the Romaines thought it fitte to erect her a Temple Why did not Romulus that wished the citty so well prouide a place for her seeing that her presence might haue saued him all his labour in praying to the other gods hee had neuer beene King nor euer come to haue beene a god had not shee stucke to him Why then did hee clogge the Romaines with such a noyse of gods Ianus Ioue Mars c Picus d Faunus e Tiberinus Hercules and all the rest And what did Tatius bringing in Saturne Ops Sol Luna Vulcan f Lux and to close vppe all sweete Cloacina leauing Felicity in the duste And what was Numa's minde to gather such an hoste of hee gods and shee gods and leaue her out Could hee not finde her for the multitude Verily g Hostilius would neuer haue brought Feare and Pallor to bee templified if hee had had any knowledge of this Felicity For had shee come there Feare and Pallor must needes haue beene a packing Againe in all the increase of the Empire shee was not thought of no man serued her what was the reason of this Was the Empire more great then happie Perhappes so For how can true Felicity bee their where true Piety is not And h Piety is the true worshippe of the true GOD not the adoration of those multitude of false godes or deuills whether you will But afterwardes when Felicity was entertained and had gotte a place with the rest the great infelicitie of the ciuill warres followed presentlie vpon it Was not Felicity angrie thinke you that shee was letten passe so long and then taken in at last not to her honour but to her disgrace beeing ranked with Priapus and Cloacina and Feare and Pallor and Feuer and a sorte that were no godes to bee
such ridiculous manner had no such power thus fâ—…r haue we proceeded in this book to take away the questioÌ„ of destiny fate least some man being perswaded that it was not the deed of the gods should rather ascribe it vnto fate then to gods wil so mighty so omnipotent The ancient Romains therfore as their histories report though like to all other nations exceping the Hebrewes they worshipped Idols and false goddes offering their sacrifices to the diuels not to the true Deity yet their desire of praise made them bountifull of their purses they loued glory wealth honestly gotten honor they dearly affected honestly offering willingly both their liues and their states for them The zealous desire of this one thing suppressed al other inordinate affects and hence they desired to keep their country in freedom and then in soueraingty because the saw how basenesse went with seruitude and glory with dominion Where-vpon they reiected the imperiousnesse of their Kings and set downe a yearely gouernment betweene two heads called Consuls à Consulendo of prouiding not Kings nor Lords of reigâ—… and rule though Rex do seeme rather to come à Regendo of gouerning regnum the Kingdome of Rex then otherwise but they held the state of a King to consist more in this imperious domination then either in his discipline of gouernance or his beneuolent prouidence so hauing expelled Tarquin and instituted Consuls then as a Salust saith wel in their praise the citty getting their freedom thus memorably grew vp in glorie as much as it did in power the desire of with glo ry wrought al these world-admired acts which they performed Salust praiseth also M. Cato and C. Caesar both worthy men of his time saying the CoÌ„mon-wealth had not had a famous man of a long time before but that theÌ„ it had a couple of illustrious vertue though of diuers conditions he praiseth Caesar for his desire of Empire armes and war wherby to exemplifie his valour trusting so in the fortune of a great spirit that he rouled vp the poore Barbarians to war tossing Bellona's bloudy enâ—…igne about that the Romaines might thereby giue proofe of their vigors This wrought he for desire of praise and glory Euen so in the precedent ages their loue first of liberty and afterward of soueraignty and glory whetted them to all hard attemâ—… Their famous Poet giues testimony for both saying Nec non Tarquinium eiâ—…ctum Porsenna iâ—…bebat Accipere ingeâ—…tique vrbem obsidiore premebaâ—… Aenead 〈◊〉 in serrum pro libertatâ—… râ—…bant c. Porsennâ—… guiâ—…ts them with a world of men Commands that Tâ—…rquin be restor'd But then To armes the Romaines for their freedome runne For then was it honour to die brauely or to liue freely but hauing got their freedome then succeeded such a greedynesse of glory in them that freedome alone seemed nothing without domination hammering vpon that which the same Poet maketh Ioue to speake in prophetique-wise Quin aspera Tuno Qua â—…re nunc terrasque metu câ—…lumque satigat 〈◊〉 in melius reseret mecumque fouebit 〈◊〉 rerum dominos gentemque togatum Sâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lustris labentibus â—…tas Câ—… dâ—… Aâ—…raci Phithiam charasque Mycenas 〈◊〉 prâ—…et ac victis dominabitur argis â—…nd Iuno though shee yet Fill heauen and earth with her disquiet fitte Shall turne her minde at length and ioyne with me To guard the Romaines c goâ—…ned progeny It stands succeeding times shall see the day That old d Assaracus his stocke shal sway e Phithia Micena and all Argos round c. VVhich Virgill maketh Iupiter speake as prophetically beeing falne out true before he wrote these verses But this by the way to shew that the Romaines affection of liberty and domination was a parcell of their most principall glory and lustre Hence it is that the same Poet in distributing the artes amongst the Nations giues the Romains the art of Domination soueraignty ouer others saying Exâ—… 〈◊〉 spâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Crâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…re 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…elius câ—…lique meatus 〈◊〉 râ—…dio surgentia sydera dicent Tâ—…ere imperio populos Romane memento 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…es pacique imponere morem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 debellare superbos Others câ—… better câ—… in brasse perhaps f T is â—…ue or cutte the â—…one to humaine shapes Others can better practise lawes loud iarres Or teach the motions of the fulgid starres But Romanes be your artes to rule in warres To make all knees to sacred peace be bow'd To spare the lowly and pull downe the proud Thâ—…se artes they were the more perfect in through their abstinence from pleasurâ—… 〈◊〉 couetousnesse after ritches the corrupters both of body and minde from 〈◊〉 from the poore cittizen bestowing on beastly plaiers So that in thâ—… dominion of those corruptions which befell afterwards when Virgil and Saâ—… did both write the Romaines vsed not the fore-said arts but deceites and â—…es â—…o raise their glories And therefore Salust saith At first mens hearts gaue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…bition rather then couetousnesse because that was more neere to vertue for 〈◊〉 â—…rious and the sloathful haue both one desire of honor glory and souerainty But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he goeth the true way to worke the later by craft false means because he hâ—…â—…t the true course The true are these to come to honor by vertue not by ambitiâ—… 〈◊〉 honor Empire and glory good and bad wish both alike But the good goeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by vertue leading him directly to his possession of honor glory soueâ—… Tâ—…t this was the Romanes course their temples shewed vertues honors being 〈◊〉 close togither though herein they tooke Gods gifts for gods themseluâ—… wherein you might easily see that their end was to shew that their was no accesse to honor but by vertue wherevnto all they that were good referred it fâ—…â—…e euil had it not though they laboured for honor by indirect means namely by â—…ceite and illusion The praise of Cato excelleth of whom he saith that the 〈◊〉 â—…ned glory the more it pursued him For this glory that they seeke is the gooâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…ion of men concerning such or such And therefore that is the best vertue that sâ—…h not vpon others iudgements but vpon ones own conscience as the Apâ—…â—…h Our glory is this the testimony of our conscience and againe Let euery 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his owne worke and so shall hee haue glory in himselfe onely and not in anoâ—… â—…o that glory honor which they desire so aime so after by good means 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 go before vertue but follow it for there is no true vertue but leuelleth 〈◊〉 chiefest good And therefore the honors that Cato required i he should not haue required but the city should haue returned him them as his due desart But whereas there were but two famous Romaines in that time Caesar Cato Catoes vâ—…tue seemes far nerer the truth of vertue then Caesars And let vs take Cato's
like a parcells of some poâ—…â—…hose â—…hose intent concerneth a theame far different Now to shew this testimoâ—… one in euery Psalme of the booke wee must expound the Psalme 〈◊〉 to do how great a worke it is both others and our volumes wherein wee 〈◊〉 done it do expressly declare let him that can and list read those and there â—…ll see how abundant the prophecies of Dauid concerning Christ and of his Church were namely concerning that celestiall King and the Citty which hee builded L. VIVES LIke e parcells Centones are peeces of cloath of diuerse colours vsed any way on the back or on the bedde Cic. Cato Maior Sisenna C. Caesar. Metaphorically it is a poeme patched out of other poems by ends of verses as Homero-centon and Uirgilio-centon diuerse made by Proba and by Ausonius b Retrograde poeme Sotadicall verses that is verses backward and forwards as Musa mihi causas memora quo numine laesa Laeso numine quo memora causas mihi Musa Sotadicall verses may bee turned backwards into others also as this Iambick Pio precare thure caelestum numina turne it Numina caelestum thure precare piâ—… it is a Pâ—…ntameter They are a kinde of wanton verse as Quintilian saith inuented saith Strabo or rather vsed saith Diomedes by Sotades whome Martiall calleth Gnidus some of Augustines copies read it a great poeme and it is the fitter as if one should pick verses out of some greater workes concerning another purpose and apply them vnto his owne as some Centonists did turning Uirgils and Homers words of the Greekes and Troyan warres vnto Christ and diuine matters And Ausonius turneth them vnto an Epithalamion Of the fortie fiue Psalme the tropes and truths therein concerning Christ and the Church CHAP. 16. FOr although there be some manifest prophecies yet are they mixed with figures putting the learned vnto a great deale of labour in making the ignorant vnderstand them yet some shew Christ and his Church at first sight though we must at leisure expound the difficulties that we finde therein as for example Psal. 45. Mine heart hath giuen out a good word I dedicate my workes to the King My tongue is the pen of a ready writer Thou fairer then the children of men grâ—… is powred in thy lippes for GOD hath blessed thee for euer Girde thy sworde vpon thy â—…high thou most mighty Proceede in thy beauty and glory and reigne prosperouly because of thy truth thy iustice and thy gentlenesse thy right hand shall guide thee wondrously Thine arrowes are sharpe most mighty against the hearts of the Kings enemies the people shall fall vnder thee Thy throne O GOD is euer-lasting and the scepter of thy kingdome a scepter of direction Thou louest iustice and hatest iniquitie therefore GOD euen thy GOD hath annoynted thee with oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes All thy garments smell of Myrrhe Alloes and Cassia from the Iâ—…ry palaces wherein the Kings daughters had made thee glâ—…d in their honour Who is so dull that he discerneth not Christ our God in whome we beleeue by this place hearing him called GOD whose throne is for euer and annoynâ—…d by GOD not with visible but with spirituall Chrisme who is so barbarously ignorant in this immortall and vniuersall religion that hee heareth not that Christs name commeth of Chrisma vnction Heere wee know CHRIST let vs see then vnto the types How is hee father then vnto the sonnes of men in a beauty farre more amiable then that of the body What is his sword his shaftes c. all these are tropicall characters of his power and how they are all so let him that is the subiect to this true iust and gentle King looke to at his leasure And then behold his Church that spirituall spouse of his and that diuine wed-locke of theirs here it is The Queene stood on thy right hand her â—…lothing was of gold embrodered with diuers collours Heaâ—…e Oh daughter and 〈◊〉 attend and forget thy people and thy fathers house For the King taketh pleasure in thy beauty and hee is the Lord thy God The sonnes of Tyre shall adore him 〈◊〉 guifts the ritch men of the people shall â—…ooe him with presents The Kings daughter 〈◊〉 all glorious within her cloathing is of wrought gold The Virgins shal be brought after her vnto the King and her kinsfolkes and companions shal follow her with ioy and gladnesse shal they be brought and shall enter into the Kings chamber Instead of fathers 〈◊〉 shalt haue children to make them Princes through out the earth They shal remember thy name O Lord from a generation to generation therefore shall their people giue â—…ks vnto thee world without end I doe not think any one so besotted as to thinke this to be meant of any personal woman no no she is his spouse to whoÌ„ it is said Thy throne O God is euerlasting and the scepter of thy Kingdome a scepter of direction 〈◊〉 hast loued iustice and hated iniquity therefore the Lord thy God hath annointed 〈◊〉 â—…ith the oyle of gladnesse before thy fellowes Namely Christ before the christiâ—… For they are his fellowes of whose concord out of all nations commeth this Queene as an other psalme saith the Citty of the great King meaning the spirituall Syon Syon is speculation for so it speculateth the future good that it is to receiue and thither directeth it all the intentions This is the spirituall Ierusalem whereof wee haue all this while spoken this is the foe of that deuillish Babilon hight confusion and that the foe of this Yet is this City by regeneration freed from the Babilonian bondage and passeth ouer the worst King for the best that euer was turning from the deuill and comming home to Christ for which it is sayd forget thy people and thy fathers house c. The Israelites were a part of thiâ—… â—…tty in the flesh but not in that faith but became foes both to this great 〈◊〉 Queene Christ was killed by them and came from them to b those 〈◊〉 â—…euer saw in the flesh And therefore our King saith by the mouth of the 〈◊〉 in another place thou hast deliuered me from the contentions of the people 〈◊〉 me the head of the heathen a people whom I haue not knowne hath serued 〈◊〉 assoone as they heard me obeyed me This was the Gentiles who neuer 〈◊〉 â—…rist in the flesh nor hee them yet hearing him preached they beleeued 〈◊〉 â—…astly that he might well say as soone as they heard me they obeyed mee for 〈◊〉 â—…es by hearing This people conioyned with the true Israell both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and spirit is that Citty of God which when it was onely in Israell brought 〈◊〉 â—…hrist in the flesh for thence was the Virgin Mary from whom Christ 〈◊〉 our man-hood vpon him Of this cittie thus saith another psalme c 〈◊〉 â—…ll call it our Mother Sion he became man therein the most high hath founded 〈◊〉 was this most high but