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THe Poets fable that Vulcan sol∣licited Minerua for her virgi∣nity, and impatient of deniall with an inflamed desire offered her vio∣lence, but in struggling his Seed fell vpon the ground, whereof came 〈1 page missing〉〈1 page missing〉 〈1 page missing〉〈1 page missing〉
mother they cast them behind their backs, which at first struck them with great amazement and dispaire, seeing (all things being defaced by the flood) it would be an endles worke to find their mothers sepul∣cher, but at length they vnderstood that by bones the stones of the earth (seeing the earth was the mother of all things) were signified by the Oracle.
This Fable seemes to reueale a secret of Nature, and to correct an error familiar to mens conceipts: for through want of knowledge, men thinke that things may take re∣nouation and restauration from their putrefaction and dregs, no otherwise then the Phoenix from the ashes, which in no case can be ad∣mitted, seing such kind of materials, when they haue fulfilled their pe∣riods, are vnapt for the beginings of such things: wee must therefore looke back to more common prin∣ciples.