Gynaikeion: or, Nine bookes of various history. Concerninge women inscribed by ye names of ye nine Muses. Written by Thom: Heywoode.

Of Cyrce, and others remembred by the Poets.

SHe was the daughter of the Sunne,* 1.1 and the Nymph Persa, and was sayd to be so exquisitely cunning in these effacinations, that she changed men in∣to seuerall shapes of beasts, and the companions and associates of Vlisses in∣to

Swine. She inhabited not farre from Caieta a citie of Campania. The Marsians a people of Italie were sayd to bee linially descended from this Cyrce,* 1.2 who likewise succeeded her in that diuellish Art. Gellius writes of this nation, That they had skill in taming the most poysonus Serpents, and to make them gentle and seruile to their vse; their Charmes, Exer∣cismes and Incantations, by which they had power in the transhapes of creatures, their mixtures of hearbes and tempering of drugges beeing to them left as hereditarie by her. Who would reade further of her, I referre him to Ouid, who in his Metamorphosis giues her a full and large character, so Homer in his tenth booke of his Odisses, the argument of which, for her bet∣ter expression I thus English:

Aeoliam ventorum agimor patriamque domuque.

Vlisses * 2.1 thence into Aetolia past, Where Aeolus the king of Windes then raign'd Who the foure brothers gaue him closed fast In leatherne bags (for so they were constraind.) With prosperous speed he sailes, and growing neere His natiue Ithaca, whil'st he was sleeping, His men suppos'd some wealth inclosed there, Within those bags giuen to their maisters keeping, And opening them, the imprisoned windes now free, With aduerfe gusts, despight his helme and glasse Blow him quite backe, so he is forc't to see * 2.2 Antiphates, and the Lestrigone's. Some ships there lost, he attaines the Cercian shore, Where the most powerfull goddesse as she feasts, Transhapes Eurilochus with many more Of his companions, into sundrie beasts, The wylie Greeke, by Mercuries admonishment, Alone escapes the Witches transformation, Who failing in her Art, bred both astonishment, And of his many vertues, admiration: His wisedome so preuailed, him Cyrce ador'd, And to his mates their pristine shape restor'd.

* 2.3Medea was the daughter of Otes and Ispaea king and queene of the Col∣chians, and sister to Cyrce: shee found out the vertues of many Hearbes, Plants, and Rootes, and tempered their juice to her diuellish purposes, grow∣ing to that height of cunning, that by her incantations shee tamed the mad Bulls that from their mouths and nosthrills breathed fire and bellowed terror, charming asleepe the euer-waking Serpent that kept the Golden fleece, least they should hinder Iason her beloued in the purchase thereof: for which courtesie hee tooke her to wife, and by long trauell arriuing in Thessaly, Aeson the father of Iason now growne decrepit through age, shee restored to his former youth and strength: notwithstanding, her husband forgetfull of this great benefit done to his father, forsooke her bed, and married Creusa daughter to Creon king of Corinth; with which ingratitude Medea inraged (yet dissembling her malice) she after some insinuation pre∣sents Creusa with a glorious Mantle to the eye, which shee no sooner put on

but her whole bodie was in a flame and she consumed vnto ashes: after the same sort perished king Creon with his queene. This done, she murdered her children had by Iason, and being openly hurried by winged dragons through the Ayre, she fled to Athens, and there was married to king Aegeus; whose sonne Theseus, when she attempted to haue poysoned in a cup of Gold tem∣pered with Aconitum (gathered from an hearbe that grew from the ••ome of Cerberus) her treason being discouered and preuented, by her Magick skill shee shut her selfe within a cloud in which with her young sonne Medus (whose father Aegeus was) she escaped into Asia. Of her Ouid speakes, Pro∣portius, Valerius Flacchus, Pliny, and many others.

Vitiae were so called of an infamous Witch called Vitia,* 2.4 these (as some Authors write) haue power like the Ba••iliske to kill with the eye, especial∣ly all such on whom they cast an enuious and malicious looke: of the selfe∣same condition are a certaine people amongst the Tribullians and Illyrians Textor in Officin.* 2.5

Mycale is the name of a Witch in Ouid, likewise Dipsas; of the one hee writes thus:

Mater erat Mycale quem deduxisse canendo Sepe reluctantis, constabat cornua lunae.

Her mothers name was Mycale, Knowne to haue had the skill, By spells, to pull the horned Moone From heauen, against her will.

And of the other in the first booke of his Elegies:

Est quaedam quicunque volet, &c.

Locusta is numbred amongst the rest,* 2.6 and remembred by Cornelius Tacitus, for making certaine venomous confections with which Agrippina poysoned her husband Claudius; from her many or the most of her diabolicall practise, are called Locustae, shee is likewise spoaken of by Iuuenall in one of his Sa∣tyres.* 2.7 Eriphila was an inchanteresse of that diuellish condition that vpon whom soeuer she cast an enuious eye,* 2.8 that creature was sure to come to some extraordinarie mischiefe; of whom was raised a prouerbe, cast as an aspersion vpon all such kind of women, Anus Eriphus: Textor in Officin. cap. de Venificis. Thracia was a Nymph famous for her incantations,* 2.9 who for her skill in hearbes and cunning in exorcismes, was by some adored as a goddesse; of her came the people amongst whom she liued, to bee cal∣led by the name of Thracians. Gyge was the name of a beldame,* 2.10 who was a houshold seruant to Parasatis the mother of king Cyrus, and by the queene especially imployde in all her sorceries,* 2.11 Herodotus. Canidia Neopolitana was a confectione•• of vnguents, a Witch, and practised in diuers kinds of sor∣ceries, excellently discribed by Horace.* 2.12 Erictho was the name of a noto∣rions Witch of Thessaly, deciphered by Lucan, whom who shall reade and desire plainely to be instructed in that horrible Art, he shall not find it more truely and punctually discouered by any of the Latine Poets.* 2.13 Gunthrune was a Witch of a strange diuellish condition, who by her incantations was the death of many creatures, as well beasts as men, yet beeing dead there was no wound or marke of death appearing about them. Sagana,* 2.14 Veia,* 2.15 and Folia,* 2.16 were professors of the selfesame diuellish Art, and are remembred by

Tacitus, Iuuenal, and Horace, these were said to haue had hand in the death of the noble child Varus.

* 2.17It shall not be amisse to insert amongst these, what I haue heard concer∣ning a Witch of Scotland. One of that countrie (as by report there are too many) being for no goodnesse by the Iudges of Assise arraigned, conuicted, and condemned to be burnt, and the next day according to her iudgement brought and tied to the stake, the reeds & fagots placed round about her, and the executioner readie to giue fire (for by no persuasion of her ghostly fa∣ther, nor importunitie of the sherifes, she could be wrought to confesse any thing) she now at the last cast, to take her farewell of the world, casting her eye a tone side spied her onely sonne, and calls to him, desiring him verie earnestly as his last dutie to her, to bring her any water, or the least quan∣titie of licour (be it neuer so small) to comfort her, for she was extreamely a thirst: at which he shaking his head, said nothing; she stil importuned him in these words, Oh my deere sonne helpe me to any drinke, be it neuer so little, for I am most extreamely drie, oh drie, drie; to whom the young fel∣low answered, by no meanes deere mother will I do you that wrong: For the drier you are (no doubt) you will burne the better.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Virgill in Beucol.
• * 1.2

  Lib. 16. cap. 11.
• * 2.1

  From the Island of the Cyclops, where hee thrust out Po∣lyph••mus his eye.
• * 2.2

  Islands in the Sea so called.
• * 2.3

  Medea.
• * 2.4

  Vitia.
• * 2.5

  Lib. 12. Micale.
• * 2.6

  Locusta.
• * 2.7

  Satyr. 1.
• * 2.8

  Eriphila.
• * 2.9

  Thracia.
• * 2.10

  Gyge.
• * 2.11

  Canidia Neapol.
• * 2.12

  In Epod. Erictho.
• * 2.13

  Gunthrune.
• * 2.14

  Sagana.
• * 2.15

  Veia.
• * 2.16

  Folia.
• * 2.17

  A Witch of Scotland.