detesting the facte left his countrey whome she folowed ouer many straunge lands and last of all she came into Caria wher by the fauour of the Nymphes hir tears were turned into a well of hir mame Ouid .ix. Metamor Sinas of Menalippe Sinas Menalipp◠c. begat Aeolous who was king of one part of Thessalia which after his name he called Aeolia Aeolus had a daughter named Arne by whome Neptune got two sonnes Boetus and Aeolus two twinnes Boetus succeded hys mother in hir kingdome But Aeolus came into certaine Ilands of the Thuscan sea which after he called of his own name Aeoliae insulae wherof at that time Liparus the sonne of Anson was kinge whose daughter he maryed was kinge after his father in lawe But after this by Cleopatra who was of the affinitie or stocke of the cruell people called Lestrigones he had seuen sonnes Astiochus Xuthus Androcleus Pherenon Locastes Agathirsus and Machareus And seuen daughters Iphe Eola Periboea Dia Astoicatia Hephestia and Canace all were for their vertues much honored sauing Canace Macareus Canace who lay with hir brother Machareus and had by him a childe whych as she commanded hir Nurse to cary forth vnhappely cryed out so that her father heard it and when he knew the matter he commaunded the childe to be cast naked to the dogges and sente his daughter a sword wherwith she slew hirselfe But his sonne Macareus fled to Delphos and was one of the Priestes of Apollos church there where he conspired wyth Orestes to kill Pirrhus the sonne of Achilles That thy child be to thée as to Thiestes Pelope Or Mirrha was vnto hir Sire or els Nictimene Pelope hadde foure sonnes Thiestes Atreus Pelope but it is inough in thys place to speake onely of Atreus and Thiestes Thiestes got of Europa his brother Atreus wife .ii. sonnes which Atreus kyld and dressed for meat and bad his brother to the banket who came and eat of his owne children But when he knowe therof he asked counsel of Thoracle how he might be reuenged who gaue aunswere that if he lay with his owne daughter Pelope he should ingender of hir a sonne which should sufficiently reuenge his wronge Which he did and gotte of hir Aegistus who kylled Atreus and in the siege of Troy vsed Clitemnestra wyfe of Agamemnon Atreus sonne after his returne kild him also Mirrha Myrha daughter of Cinara king of Cipres Cenchreis through the wrath of Venus because hir mother was preferred before hir loued hir father with wicked and incestuous loue and at length by meanes of hir Nurse on a solempne feast of Ceres whē hir mother was away lay with hir father For the nurse tolde him that a very bewtifull mayd was in loue with him but after he had accompanied with hir twise or thrise desirous to knowe what his newe louer was called for a candell perceauing that she was his daughter drew his sword ment to kil hir who fled nine moneths frō him he continually chased hir til at length in the sweet country of Saba she was turned into a trée of hir own name Of this shameful incest was borne the faire Adonis whom Venus loued no lesse Adonis than Mirrha did hir father and that by the benefite of Cupide Ouid .x. Meta. ¶ Nictimene daughter of Nicteus king of Aetheopia syster to Antiope Nictimene after she had cōmitted incest with hir father for shame would not come in places where men resorted but haunted the woodes and other places desolate and voyde of company till by the mercy of Pallas she was turned into an Owle and for that cause the Owle flyeth not but by night Ouid .iiii. Metamorph. And that thy daughter vnto thée as faithlesse found may be As thine was to thée Pterela or Nisus thine to thée ¶ Lisidice daughter of Pelope maryed to Mestor had by him one daughter named Hippothoe vppon whom Neptunus gotte two sonnes Teleba and Taphus who after their owne names called the people Teleboe and Taphii Taphus had a sonne named Pterela kinge of Thebes Pterela of whom Ouid speaketh here He had on his heade a golden haire which so longe as he kept he had a promise by his grand father Neptunus he shold neuer be ouercome He had fiue sonnes Cromius the tyrant Ampulus Chersidamas Mestor and Eueres with one daughter Cituetho Electrio at that time kinge of Micene had by his wife Alexo fiue sonnes likewise Stratobates Gorgophonus Philomorus Steneleus Licimius with one daughter to Alcmena Pterela desirous to haue Electrio his kingdome Electrio preuided an army and made his sonnes captaynes therof Electrio did likewise the armies ioyned in whiche all Pterela hys Sonnes were flayne saue Eueres and all Electrios but Steneleus and Licimius But the Taphii preuayled and got a great praye of cattell and other goods Which thing when Electrio knewe he made proclamation that whosoeuer coulde reuenge that iniury should marry his daughter Alemena Amphitrio taketh the war in hand and in the firste voyage he made he fetched their praye agayne from Polixenus kinge of Elis with whom Pterelas menne had lefte them And in his retourne one of the kyne strayed from hir fellowes out of the waye after which Amphitrio went and thinking with a darte to haue hit hir smote the kinge Electrio and killed him Wherfore Steneleus who succeded his father pursued him vnto Creons kingedome where he was purged of the death of his father in lawe Which done he procéeded in hys former enterpryse and came against the Taphii with a good army againste whome Pterela made no lesse resistence But by meanes of Cituetho his daughter all hys laboure was loste for she sodaynly enamoured of Amphitrios bewty cutte of hir fathers fatal haire and brought it to Amphitrio crauing his loue but he hauing gotten that haire killed Pterela and cast of Cituetho and maried Alcmena Aristarchus vpon Hesiodus Some say that Pterela was slayne by Creon that his daughters name was Polidice and not taken with the loue of Amphitrio but of on Cephalus who was Amphitrios companion in the warre ¶ Nisus kinge of Megara Nisus Scilla had a daughter named Scilla who takē with the loue of Minos betrayed hir father vnto hym in this sorte Minos determyning to reuenge the death of his sonne Androgeus slayne by the Athenians in his way besieged Megara which is about a twenty myles from Athens thynking that if he mighte ouercome suche as woulde ayde them he shoulde the easelyer subdue them Nisus king of that city had a daughter named Scilla who wold oft goe vpon the walles to sport hirselfe because ther were certayne very pleasaunte stones For when Appollo the God of Musyke buylded the walles he layde hys Harpe vpon certayne stones of the same which by reason therof obtayned the sounde of a Harpe so that if any had smitten them with a counter or with any sticke they would haue sounded lyke
Licaons filthy feaste And séeke againe for to beguile great Iupiter thy guest ¶ Licaon Archadian king Licaon receiuing Iupiter into his Palace curteously vnder pretence of good chéere kyld one of the Ambassadors of Molossus and made meat of the same meaninge also that if Iupiter perceyued it not for there was a talke that he was a god to kil him in like sort But Iupiter much offended with his cruelty thynking that simple death was to small a punishment for this so great an offence turned him into a Wolfe Ouid i. Metamor And that some man may proue the gods by making meate of thée So that thou Tantalus his sonne or Terus his mayst be ¶ Tantalus bidding Iupiter and the other Gods to a banket kild his sonne Pelops Tantalus to see whether they knewe it or not All the Gods abstayned onely Ceres eate vp a whole shoulder which the Gods after the ende of the feast casting their heades together restored but not of flesh for in the place therof thei made him a sholder of Iuory Pelops eburneus wherof he was caled Eburneus Pelops ¶ Terus kinge of Thracia Terus sonne of Mars and Caucasea helpynge afflicted prynces about him amonge other he ayded Pandion kinge of Athens greatly ouercharged with his neighbours and in recompence of his trauel toke to wife Progne his daughter caryed hir into his kingdome After she had bene there aboute a fiue yeres she desired to sée hir sister Philomela greatly and requested of hir husband that he would go to Athens fetch hir Which he did and in the way home ward forced hir and lefte hir among his shepecotes that he might the oftner and safelyer resorte vnto her And to the intente she shoulde not bewray hym he plucked oute hir tongue but she not contente wyth hys dealyng wrote with hir blood the whole mynde of hir vsage sent it to hir sister Progne vnto whom Terens had tolde beefore that she was dead Which thinge moued hir greatly so that she fayned a sacryfice to Bacchus went to the place wher hir sister was and brought hir home to hir palace kyld hir sonne Itis made meat of him caused hir husbād to eat of it and after cast the head into his bosome Wherwith he half enraged tooke his sword in hand wold haue slayne them both but the mercy of the Gods prou ded a remedy for Terens was turned into a Lapwynge Progne into a Swalow Phelomela into a nyghtingale And Itis into a Phesant Ouide vi of Metamor And that one may so straw thy lyms about the sieldes ryght plaine As those were of the chyld which dyd his fathers course retayne ¶ Medea flying from hir father Oeta Medea Absirtus caryed hir brother Absyrtus with hir folowing Iason into Grece whom she helped in takinge the goulden Fléese from hir father for which Iasō was sent by his vncle Peleas Wherewith Oeta moued prepared a nauy and folowed the Argonants whereof Iason was Captaine and pursued thē so neare that Medea to stay his course kylled hir brother Absyrtus and strawed his members abrode that hys griefe myght the more increase she dyd styck his head vppon a pole Which Oeta espyed he bestowed so much tyme in gathering the pieces of his slayne son together that Iason and his mates had cōuenient time to escape Ouid in that third booke de Tristi declareth thys story at large That in Perillus brasen worke thou Bulls mayst imitate With bullyke sounde in euery poynt agréeing vnto that ¶ Perillus Perillus. thinking to please the cruel tyrant of Agrygentum Phaleres made a Bull of brasse wherin whosoeuer were cast a small fyre made vnder the same wold make a noyse lyke a bull bringing the same vnto him craued a reward for his paines As Ouid in the fourth of his Trist sayth Phaleris intendinge indéede to try that workmanshippe commanded hym forthwith to be tormented in the same And as the cruell Phalrise thy tongue cut out before Included in the Paphian worke ryght lyke a bull mayst rore ¶ Phaleris Phaleris after he had tormented many in Perillus Bull and exercysed much cruelty by the space of syxten yeares ouer the Agrygentines was taken by hys subiectes and hauing his tonge cut out was caste into the same The Poet calleth it Paphian worke bicause the brasse whereof it was made came from Paphos a citie in Cyprus from whence the best brasse accustomably came And whyle thou wouldst retourne from age and yeares more youthful see As was Admetus father in lawe thou mayst deceaued bée ¶ Medea hauinge made Aeson Aeson Iason hys father yonge againe and Bacchus nurses also Peleas was intreated by the daughters of Peleas who was brother to Aeson and great enimie to to his neuew Iason that she wold make their father yong againe also She doubted much at the fyrst and made the matter very dainty notwithstandinge glad that so good occasion was profered to be reuenged of hir husbādes enimie at length with much adoe graūted in assurance their request And the better to perswade them that she coulde doe it she kylled an olde Ram and with hir medecines made him a lamb agayn Herewith they wer fully persuaded that she was able to doe this so that they promysed hir many gyftes if she wold make their father yonge again They agreed of hir rewarde and she bad them kyll him and caste his members cut in small péeces into a caldren of hote water whereto saue Alceste they all agreed dyd the same But when Medea hadde done that she came for shee wente to the toppe of a tower fayning that she had a sacryfice to doe and with hir dragons was caried in the aire and gaue Iason a token of his vncles death who to establysh his kingdome the better gaue hys daughter Euadne to Eueus sonne of Cephalus Amphimone to Andremon Leontheus brother and Alcesta to Admetus thus thus was Pelias Admetus father in law Ouid. vii Meta. And as the gentleman that thou in filthy pitte mayst fall Yet so that of thy déede there may remayne no name at all ¶ In the midst of the citie of Rome happened to be a great cleft in the earth Curtius and the soothsayers made answere that Stulio Manius a God craued a valiant man to be giuen him if he had not one that the city shold shortly be destroyed Curtius to deliuer the city from so great danger all armed vppon a goodly courser with his sword drawen in his hand with a ful galloppe rode into the same which immediatly closed vp and the place euer after was called Curtius Lake And God graunt that thou maist be slain as those of serpents growen Whose téeth in acceptable fieldes by Cadmus handes were sowen After Iupiter had stollen Europa Agenor Cadmus hir father Agenor king of Phenicia sent Cadmus to séeke his sister on this condicion that either he should bring hir
daughter Achimene vnto him Stenobea hearing hereof hanged hirselfe Bellerophon after thys hauing a minde to sée what was in heauen because he had Pegasus the winged horse that was Perseus his before ingendred of the bloode of Medusa kyld by the said Perseus he flew a great height from whence lokyng downe he was so afrayd that he fell downe and brake his necke but his Horse flewe into Heauen and was placed amonge the Starres this the Poets fayne Reade his true history in Strabo And mayst sée as Amintors sonne who trembling gropt his way With nothing els saue with his staffe without the light of day ¶ Phenix Phenix Amintors sonne his grandfather was called Ceraphus his greate grandfather Ormecius lay wyth his fathers Concubine and being therof accused by his stepmother he fledde to Peleus Achilles father whose companyon he was always after He was Achilles master and went with him to Troy but in the ende desirous to go into his country Phocis coulde not sée his people because he was blinde That some say he was made blynde by his sonnes seeing they allege no cause why séemeth not verye like to be true Nor mayst beholde no more then he whose daughter did him guide Whose wickednes his father and his mother both hath tryed ¶ He meaneth Oedipus Oedipus his petigree whose vnhappy stocke because it playeth a great part in thys Pageant it shall not be muche amysse if we fetche hys Petigrée somewhat farre we wyll therefore firste beginne with Iupiter who begotte Helene Hellene Belus Belus Abas Abas Agenor Agenor Europa Cilix Bassus Cadmus Cadmus Polidorus Polidorus Labdacus Labdacus Laius Laius Oedipus of Iocasta Lains desirous to know what children he shold haueen quired of the Oracle of Apollo by whō he was certified the he shold haue a sonne which shoulde put him to death He commaunded therefore that all his men chyldren should be slayne Oedipus was borne and hauing put thorough his feete two withies was hanged on a trée Polybia where he was found by Polybia a woman who brought him vp to mans state But beinge greeued that he knew not his parents determined to go to Delphos to enquire of them whether at that tyme went Laius also to knowe what was become of his sonne They met together in Phocis Laius slayne and stryuing for the way Laius was slayne by Oedipus After thys hee ouercame the monster Sphinx and attempted the kingdome of Thebes maryed the quéene by whome he had two sonnes and two daughters Etheocles Polinices Antigone and Ismena thus Diodo Seneca sayth that Phorbas a shepeherde found him hanging by the féete and gaue him to Merope king Polibus wife king of Corinth of whom because they wanted heirs he was brought vp as their own child but knowīg after by the Oracle that he should kyll his father supposinge them to be his true parents fled from them thinking by that meanes to auoyde his desteny and comming to Thebes kylled his owne father hunting in a forest and maryed his mother vnwittingly but when he knewe hereof which thing he did by the means of the plague that hapned to the Citie of Thebes he would haue slayne himselfe but his men would not suffer him then woulde he haue caste himselfe headlong from a rocke but his daughter Antigone who alway wayted vpon him wold not permit him so to doe When therfore by no meanes he could ende hys wretched life he scratched out his ewn eyes Sen. Diodorns siculus writeth hereof farre otherwise And that thou mayst be such as he who iudg'd the ioconde strife Who after in Apollos arte was famous during life ¶ Tyresias a Theban Tyresias sonne of Chyron and Othoriclo was elected a Iudge betwene Iupiter Iuno to determine whether the man or woman was more enclyned to lasciuiousnes or most prone to accomplish the lustes of the fleshe He gaue sentence of Iupiters syde and concluded that women were the wantoner Wherefore Iuno moued to anger put out hys eyes but Iupiter comforted hys calamitie and made him a Soothsayer He foreshewed the takinge of Thebes and when the Citie was ouerthrowen he was ledde captyue amonge the rest and drinkynge of the water of the fountayne Tilphusa in hys Iourney dyed Daphnae alias Sibilla His daughter Daphne after called Sibilla was wise in that arte and wrote many answeres It is called Apollos arte for that he is the God of those that foreshew things to come And that thou mayst be such as he who did commaunde a Doue To conduct safe the goodly shippe Phenix had thrée sonnes Cilix Phineus Phyneus and Doriclus Phyneus had two sonnes by Cleopatra Orithus and Crambes He put out theyr eyes for that they were accused of certaine mysdedes by theyr stepmother in reuengement whereof Iupiter made him blynde sent the Byrdes called Harpiae to molest him Harpiae But when he had receaued hostede ayded the Argonants They were driuen from hym by two young men Zethus and Calais the sonnes of Boreas the Northwynde and Orithia which could flye and were also of the felowship of the Argonants They were chased to the Ilandes then called Plote Strophades insulae after Strophades bicause the young men returned from the chase being admonished by Irys that they should chase Iupiters dogges no further For which benefyt Phyneus gaue councell to the Argonants that they shold folow the Doue that Pallas wold send thē lest they ronne on the rocks called Saxa cyanea otherwise Simplegades But that Phyneus gaue them the Doue béesyde Apollonius Rhodius none wryteth Or he who lackt his eyes with which he naughtly gould hath kende Whome to hir sonne a sacryfyce the Mother greu'd dyd sende Polymnestor Polymnestor king of Tracia maryed Ilione daughter of Priamus and Hecuba To him when the warres of the Grekes and Troians began Polidorus was sent Polidorus Pryams yongest sonne and with him a great summe of Goulde there to be kept tyll the ende of the warres whome while Troy remayned in good estate Polymnestor kept honorably But so soone as the fortune of Pryam and the Troyans decaied he killed his Clyent for to enioy hys money and cast him into the Sea whose body after the destruction of Troy was founde on the shore by Hecuba Hecuba who desembling the death of hir sonne sent for Polymnestor perswading him that she wold deliuer him an other great summe for the norishment of hir chyld He beleuyng hir came into hir chamber where of hir and hir maydens his eyes were pulled out Or as Th'etnean shepeherd was to whome was prophesied By Telemus Eurimous sonne what after should betyde ¶ Polyphemus was sonne of Neptune by Thoosa Poliphemus he kepte shepe about the hyll Etna in Cicilia after he had eaten sixe of Vlisses men returninge from Troy being dronken with wine had his eye put out by Vlisses The whole maner hereof is described at large in the ninth boke of
parte of the heauens shal sende East and West wyndes foorth And eke the moysting Sotherne wynde shall blow out of the North. And new agréement shal be made Etheocles and Polinices Oedipus his sons king of Thebes in brothers smooke againe Which earst in blasing slames of fyre olde rancor rent in twayne ¶ After the deathe of Oedipus Kinge of Thebes his two sonnes Etheocles Polinices dyd striue whether of them shold succede their father in the Kyngedome vntyll theire agréement was made of this condition that they shoulde rule by course one yeare the one the nexte yeare the other Etheocles raigned syrst But when his yeare was expired hee would not geue place to his brother Polinices therefore by the help of Adrastus his father in law king of the Argiues gathered an Army came to Thebes and fought with his brother in which infortunate battel bothe parties were almost slaine so that yet thereof remayneth a Prouerbe Adrastia nemesis And the two brothers fyghting hand to hande were slayne and being put in one Fyre to be burned the flame parted in twaine so that their malyce séemed not to be ended by Death The spring with Autume shal be one with Winter Sommers guyse And in one Countrey shall the Sun at once bothe set and ryse Ere I will concord haue with thée sithe thou did'st breake the band And set these weapons cleane a syde that I haue tane in hand Then that my grefe by any space may euer ended be Or tyme and hower may asswage my hatred toward thée This peace shal be betwyxt vs styll as long as lyfe shall last Betwyxt the Wolse and sely shepe that commonly hath past My fyrst battayles I mynde to wage Iambus is the rayliÌ„g verse deuised by Archylocus in style as I begone Although lyke wars in style not lyke are wonted to be done And as the pleased soldiars speare that dothe fearse Veles hyght Doth fyrst styck fast in sandy grounde as cunning taught him ryght So I with sharp and poynted dart yet wyll not shoute at thée Ne shal my speare forthwith confound thy hated head of mée ¶ Velites were a kynde of lyght harneshed Soldiars who vsed great speares for practise they wold tosse them before the skyrmish if néede were euen then also vse them against the enimy And in this booke ne name nor déede of thée I mynde to sayne And what thou art a lyttle while I geue the leaue to fayne But if as now hereafter thou do styll Iambus good And fytte for me shall weapons geue sprent with Lycambus blood Lycambus promised to geue his daughter Niobole in mariage to the Poet Archilocus but afterward being bestly â—â—ued with hir beawry wold not performe his promise With which iniury Archilocus moued so sharply inuayed agaynst them bothe that for shame they hanged them selues Neither lyued he long after for by the friends of Lycambes hée hym selfe was also slayne But now as earst Calimachus dyd enmy Ibis cursse By that same meanes both thée thine I earnestly do cursse ¶ The latine word that I haue translated to cursse is deuouere whiche rather signifieth to vow In the olde tyme among the Inchanters there were two kyndes therof in greatest honor By the one whereof the gods defenders of any citie as euery citie had some were called out by the victorious enimy least hée should séeme to cary the Gods captiue The other whereby either cities countryes or men were vowed to the wrath of the Gods for others healthe As Decii father and sonne Codrus Athenian king Sceuola in the tents of Porsena a thousand other And as he dyd so I my verse wyll wrap in stories blynde Although my selfe am neuer wont to imitate this kynde His trade obscure I folowing gainste Ibys wyll inuay My customes olde and iudgement to the whyle wyll cast away And for bicause yet what thou arte to them that aske the same I tell it not thou also shalt tyll then haue Ibys name And as my verses shal be stufte with some obscurytie So let the course of all thy lyfe be fyll'd with myserye Of him that luckyest is to gesse the same be done to thée One day wherein thow tokest lyfe and fyrst of Ianuarye ¶ Among the olde Romaines ther wer two tymes wherin it was most diligeÌ„tly obserued that no vnlucky word shold be vttered The one priuat which was eche mans byrth daye to him selfe The other publyck which was the firste of Ianuary for all On either of these they badde an opinion that what soeuer was sayd good or bad it should come to passe The gods that rule both sea and land Here beginnethe Ouyd hys curses by inuocatioÌ„ of all the whole rable of the Gods The Poles are two North South and better kyngedomes guyde In equall power with Iupiter betwene the Poles so wyde ¶ The Gods of the sea are Neptunus Castor Pollux and a great sort else of whome bicause Textor in his Officine hath written at large I wyll omyt to speake The Gods of heauen in greatest honor who also drynk of the swéete wyne Nector are Iupiter Mars Liber Apollo Mercury Vulcan Aeolus c. The Goddesses Iuno Mynerua Diana Vesta Ceres Venus Vide Textorem in capite de Diis Tomo secundo Oh hitherto I pray you all be prest t' apply your mynde And graunt that these my hearty hestes Tellus the earth had a Godhed therefore shee was called vppon in making truces Homer Plinius So had Ether also the Ayre The Sun and Stars also not withoute sacrifyces appointed to them Nox the night was deified had hir ministers Fumanus Vmbre desired waight may fynde And thou thy selfe oh Tellus fayre thou Sea with all thy waues And Ayer highest of the rest graunt what my prayers craues And eke you Starres and Phebus to with beames compassed bright Thou Moone also who neuer do'st as ere shew forth thy light Thou Night who by thy darknes art of many honoured And eke you Dames who with thrée hands doe spinne the certain thred ¶ There be thrée Ladies of desteny daughters of Demogorgon and according to Tully of Herebus and Nox Clotho Lachesis Atropos who haue al mens lyues wounde as it were on a distaffe ready to be sponne Clotho caryeth the distaffe Lachesis draweth out the thréed and Atropos breaketh it of and then the lyfe of hym that is on their Spindels of necessitie must ende Thou Riuer to that thorow hell with fearefull noyse do'st run By whom who so doth make a vowe the same must néedes be done ¶ Victoria daughter of Acheron and Stix Styx a Floode in Hell which did Iupiter very good seruice in the warres that hee had againste the Gyants obtayned of Iupiter that all the Gods should sweare by hir mother and if any that had so sworne had falsifyed his othe VVhy the Gods doe sweare by Styx the Floode in Hell that he might not drinke of the swéete wyne
other Pirrhus of whom I spake before and may well to before he was buried Or as king Hieros daughter was with dartes thou mayst be slayne No doubt this deede to Ceres would he acceptable playne ¶ Heraclia daughter of Hiero Heraclia king of Siracuse in an vprore of the people was slayn with hir father and hir two daughters although she fled to the altar of Ceres for which dede Ceres sent a great pestilence among theÌ„ Nereis Laodamia Gelon Other wil vnderstaÌ„d this of Nereis and Laodamia onely leste of Pirrhus blood the elder of which was maried to Gelon the kinges sonne of Sicilia had by him a sonne named Magnates whom she poysoned because he would not lye wyth hir of which Ouid in the next verse maketh mencion The yonger in a tumult of the people though he fled to the altar of Ceres was slayne by one Milo Milo whych déede the Goddesse toke so displeasauntly that she plagued the country almost to destruction And he that kylled hir the twelfe day after died hauing cutte his fleshe before wyth sword knife and brused it with stones and tore it with his téeth and quite rauished of his wittes His meaning therfore is that although Ceres was greatly greued for this facte of Milo yet if Ibis should be slayne at hir altar she would be well pleased Or as the Neuew of the king of whom before we spake Thou poyson of Cantharides of parents hand mayst take ¶ Magntees Nereis sonne Magnetes daughter of Pirrhus by Gelon poysoned by his mother as before ¶ Cantharides be gréene wormes Cantharides very venemous commonly vsed for any kind of poyson Or that some vile Adulteresse may the name of godly gayne By killing thae as she who hath the traytour Levvcon slayne ¶ Oxilochus king of Pontus Oxilochus Lewcnus had a wife wyth whom his brother Levvcon commytted adultery who hopinge by the meanes of hir adulteries to get the king dome kild his brother but she not therwith content to reuenge hir husbande slew him for which déede she was called godly Part of this story read in Strabo And that into some burning fire with thée thy selfe mayst cast Thy dearest things which ende of life Sardanapalus past ¶ Sardanapalus Sardanapalus the last king of the Assirians the thirteth after Ninus senne of Anacindaraxis by meanes of Arbactus who desired to sée him and found him in womans apparell spinning among hys Harlottes was put to great trouble and at length driuen to suche an extremitie that he was constrained to hide himself and finding no safety that way caused a great fire to be made into the which he caste himselfe all his precious iewels Reade Iustine Or as those were that Ammons church to spoyle did take in hande By violence of Sotherne blastes mayst couered be with sande ¶ Cambises sonne of Cirus Emperour of the Medes Cambises desirous to coÌ„quer strange countryes wente into Egipte and sentâ— parte of his army to spoyle Iupiter Ammons Church all which were destroyed with a vehement tempest of Hayle Iustine Herodotus And that a heape of ashes may thy cursed bones possesse As it did theirs whom Ochus slew by gylefull craftinesse Ochus who put downe the seuen wise men Ochus that at one time held the kingdom of the Persians promysed to those that were partakers of his faction that hee would kyll none of them neyther by famine nor poyson Circumuenting them by this means he caused a strong tower to be made fylled it wyth ashes ouer which was a trappe Into that place he did receaue theÌ„ with a sumptuous feast in which they drunken wyth too muchs wyne fell a sléepe and then the trappe pulled away they all fell into the ashes and were smethered therin Valerius de crude This Ochus was after called Dareus secundus As him that raign'd in Sicion with Dliues fruitful soyle God graunt that cold and hunger to Thée of thy life may spoyle Neocles king of Sicion Neocles a Citie in Achaia of Laconia so called of a kynge that raygned there whose name was Sicion for his crueltye was dispessessed of hys kingdome and by honger and cold constâ—ayned to ende his life And that as one Acarnus sonne inclosed for despight In boliocks skinne thou mayst be borne into thyne enmies sight Hermias Hermias sonne of Acarnus tetrarche the is to say the ruler of the fourth part of the East had war with Memnon Memnon by whom being ouercome was sowed into a bullockes skinne now slayne and layd vnder his table And that his miserable life might last the longer he had meat giuen him so that he liued vntil the filthy vermine that brodde in the skinne newely flayne from beastes backe did cause him to ende his vnhappy life And that as Alexander did in bed mayst lose thy life His wife to him the deadly stroke did giue by bloody knife Alexander Phereus ¶ Alexander Phereus loued hys wyfe Thebe very wel yet he feared death so the whensoeuer he went in to hir he wold send some of his gard to search whether in any corner of hir chamber was any weapon layd wherby he might be slayn But for all his circumspection at length he was murthered because his wife suspected that he kept other women Surely as Tully sayth he was in a wretched case that did rather trust a company of barbarous soldiars for of such were hys gard then his naturall wife Offic. 2. That those whom thou dost faythfull thinke as erst Alebas found Larissian king thou mayst them try skant faithful by thy wound ¶ Alebas sonne of Thiodimas Alebas father of Argus was king of Larissa in Thessalia He ruled with great cruelty thinkinge that by no meanes he could lyue well and in safety without a gard chose a number of valyant men which he placed about him and at length was for al his héede by those men slayne whom he had chosen to defende him from other As Milo to which tyrant fell did Pisa much torment Aliue into the waters deepe all headlong mayst be sent Milo to omit other thrée of that name was king of Pisa Milo a country in Grece he ruled with such tiranny that the people rebelled agaynst hym and hauinge hym in their hands tyed a great stone about his necke and cast him into the sea Beside him Oenomaus and Salmoneus were kinges of Pisa they all had euill endes as after shal be sayde Or that as Adimantus proude Philetian kinge was slayne So Iupiter with thenderboltes may worke to thée like payne Adimantus king of Philetia Adimantus which bordereth vppon Pontus or as some saye Thessalia wold not vouchfafe to bestow any sacrifice vpon Iupiter but despysed him vtterly and saide that himselfe was more mighty than he Wherewith lupiter being dyspleased kylled him with a thunderbolt Or els as Dionisius who from Amastrix fled So thou though in Achilles course forsaken mayst be dead
fled again came to hir sornes to whō the shepeherds detecting the whole matter caused them to séeke reuenge of their mothers harme They therefore came to Thebes toke Dirce and tyed hir to wilde buls so tore hir in péeces had also by policy slaine Licus if Mercury had not giuen him warninge thereof so that he prouyded safety wyth hys héeles As hirs that harlot was to him whose sister was his wife Thy longue may fall before thy féete cut out with cruel knife ¶ Howe Philomela was rauyshed by hir syster Prognes husbande Tireas Philomela I haue sayde before As he that Blesus was surnam'd to late spyed Mirrhas wound Thou in a thousand places mayst be voyde of children founde ¶ This tale also is noted before And that the husy Bée in th' eyes hir hurtfull sting may sticke As with the same in times agoe they did Acheus pricke ¶ As Acheus deuising his poeme walked about his orchard Achens a swarme of bées setled on his head he busied to driue them away lost his eyes with their stinges That tyed vnto some hill a birde vpon thy heart may féede Lyke as vppon his brothers chyld dame Pirrha was we read ¶ Prometheus vncle to Pirrha Promethe ' Epimethius daughter was tyed to Caucasus and a birde eateth his heart You may reade more of him in the beginning As Harpagus his child thou mayst present Thiestes feast And to thée flayne and drest for meate thy sire may be a guest ¶ Astiages sonne of Ciaxaris Astiages last kinge of the Medes saw in a dreame a vine grow out of the wombe of his daughter Mandane Manddne that ouer shadowed all Asia consultinge with the wyse men theron had answere that she should beare a sonne that should be kinge of all Asia and dispossesse him of his crowne also Wherewyth Astiages troubled would not giue hys daughter in maryage to anye neble man leaste nobilitie of his fathers syde annexed to the noblenes of his mother might make his neuew of more corage He therfore wylling to abate his hawty stomake with base parentage marryed hys daughter to one Cambises a Persian of low degre yet not therwith deliuered from the feare of his dreame sent for hir when she was with chylde that the Infāt borne might before his face be slain The chylde was borne and by Astiages delyuered to hys trusty counseller Harpagus to be destroyed Harpagus But he fearinge that if the kyngdome after should come to Mandane because ther was no heyre male that she would reuenge hir childes death on him which she could not on hir father Mithridates gaue the same to Mithridates the kinges shepeherd who cast the childe in a wood to be a pray to wilde beasts and as sone as he came home tolde hys wife of the childes fortune who at that time bad brought forth a dead childe She therfore desired hir husbande to laye hirs in the sted of the other wherto at length he agreed and when he came to the childe he found a Bitch geuing it sucke beatinge away the foules and beastes from the same In proces of tyme the childe was by lofte made a kinge in pastime amonge children and had to name Cirus Cirus and such as would not be ruled he caused to be beaten with whips Wherfore one of them named Artembares Artembares tolde his father and he thinking scorne that gentlemens children shold be beaten of a shepe herdes boy tolde the kinge thereof who sente for the childe and asked him howe he durst beate them in suche sorte who answered that he did lyke a kinge Astiges moued with his constancy called to minde his dreame and séeing him so like his daughter enquired narowly the matter and founde that it was his Neuew Wherfore he toke him home and banyshed him vnder an honorable colour into Persia But he bare a grudge to Harpagus and in reuengement therof he kylde his sonne caused him to eate the same and hereof speaketh Ouid here What came afterward of all these parties you may read in Iustine which Master Golding hath well translated And that thou mayst thy body haue bemangled very sore with cruell sword which thing vnto Mamerthes hapt before ¶ Mamerthes brother of Sisaphon king of Corinth Mamerthes for great desire that he had to be king killed his brothers sonne that was heire to the crowne Wherefore be was of Sisaphon torne limmeally that is to say each péece from other As Poet olde of Siracuse with halter strangled was God graunt that so that way be stopt wherby thy life doth passe ¶ Theocritus the worthiest Poet that euer wrote Theocrit ' of shepeherds affaires preferred before Virgill wrote against Hyero his sonne of whom he was broughte to the gallowes in sporte to cause hym to leaue his rayling Where beinge asked whether he would leaue his euill saying of the Kinge or not began to rayle the more Wherfore by the kings commandement though he were brought thether in iest yet was he hanged in earnest And that thy skinne being pluckt of thy flesh may naked showe As Marsias who on a flood his name did once bestowe Of Marsias stryfe with Apollo you may reade before Marsias And that thou cursed man mayst sée Medusas stonny head The sight wherof to Cepheni was cause that they were dead ¶ After Perseus had slayn Medusa from whose necke came Chrisaor Perseus Chrysaor Pegasus and Pegasus the wynged Horse oute of hir wombe as he rode vppon that sayde flying horse in Ethiopia Andromeda he spyed Andromeda daughter of Cepheus and Cassiope for hir mothers falte tyed by commaundement of Hammon to a rock to be deuoured of a monster of the sea Whome he on condition to haue hir to wyfe delyuered And at the mariage daye came one Phineus brother of Cepheus to whom she was before hir mischance affianced and would haue hir by force from Perseus but he shewinge Medusas head to hym and his mates turned them all into stones Ouid .iiii. v. of Metamor And that of Potinum mares the byts as Glancus mayst abyde Or as an other Glancus thou into the sea mayst glyde ¶ Glancus of Potinum despysed Venus sacryfices Glancus wherfore she sent such a madnesse to hys mares that as he rode hée was toren by them in péeces How Glancus Scillas louer was drowned by vertue of an herbe Glancus alter◠is sayd before That Gnosos hunny to thy breath may passage graunt no more As vnto him who had one name with two rehcarst before ¶ Glancus Glancas tertius sonne of Minos and Pasiphae as he playde with a tenyse bale fell into a barell of huny and was strangled He was buryed by his father and with him Polyidus a sothsayer and a Phisition Polyidus to the intent that either he shold make him alyue againe or else dye with him be therfore being in the tomb with him for kings