Gloss.
1 HE giues her that Periphrasis, viz. Natures bright eye sight, because that by her store of humors, issue is gi∣uen to all birth: and thereof is she called Lucina, and Ilythyia, quia praeest parturientibus cum inuocaretur, and giues them helpe: which Orpheus in a Hymne of her prayse expresseth, and cals her besides Prothyrea, vt sequitur. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 &c.
2 He cals her the soule of the Night, since she is the purest part of her according to common conceipt.
3 Orpheus in these verses, in Argonauticis saith she is three headed, as she is Heccate, Luna, and Diana, vt sequitur.
The rest aboue will not be denied.
4 That she is cald the powre of fate, read Hesiodus in Theo∣gonia when he giues her more then this commendation▪ in these verses:
5 In Latmos she is supposed to sleepe with Endymion, vt Catullus.
6 Homer with a maruailous Poeticall sweetnesse, saith she washes her before she apparells her selfe in th'Atlantick sea. And then shewes her apparell, as in th•se verses. In Ocean• Lauacri.
7 Cytheron, as Menander saith was a most faire boy, and beloued of Tisiphone, who since she could not obtaine his loue, she teares from her head a Serpent, & threw it at him, which stinging him to death, the Gods in pittie turned him to a hill of that name, first cald A•t•rius, full of woods wherein all Poets haue affirmed wild beasts liue, and vse it often to expresse their haunts, or store of woods, whereupō he inuokes Cynthia, to rise in such brightnesse, as if it were all on fire.
8 This is expounded as followeth by Gyraldus Lil••s. The application most 〈◊〉 made by this author.
9 Harpe should be written thus, not with a y, yet here he vseth it, lest some, not knowing what it meanes, read it for a Harp, hauing foūd this grossenesse in some schollers. It was the sword Perseus vsed to cut of Medusas head.
10 Fortune is cald Tyc••, 〈◊〉 witnesseth Pausanias in Messe∣niacis, who affirmes her to b• one of the daughters likewise of Ocea•••, which was playing with Pr•serpine, when Dis rauisht her.
Melobosis{que} Tych•, Ocyrh•e pr••gnis oc•llis. And Orpheus in a Hymne to Fortuna, saith she is the daughter of bloud, vt in his, sanguine prognat••, Vi & inexpugnabile numen.
11 Plutarch writes thus of the Romanes, and Macedons, in Paulus Ae•ilius.
12 These ar• commonly knowne to be the properties of Cynthia.
13 This Zone is said to be the girdle of Cynthia. And thereof whē maids lost their maidenheads, amongst the A∣theniās, Page [unnumbered]they vsed to p•t of their girdles. And ••ter, custom• made it a phrase 〈…〉, to lose their maidenheades, vt Apol•. lib. 1.
14 These are the verses of 〈◊〉 translated to effect. O miseri, quib•• ipsa 〈…〉 &c.
15 This Strabo testifieth 〈…〉
16 Pegasus is cald 〈◊〉 since Po•ts fayne, that when Pers••• smote of Medusas head, 〈◊〉 ••ew frō the woūd: & therefore the Muses 〈◊〉 wh••h he made with his hoofe, is cald G•rg•••.
17 Ortigia is the countrie where she was brought vp.
18 These are the verses of 〈◊〉 before.
19 The Wall is • most excellent riuer, in the Low coun∣tries parting with another riuer, cald the Ma•e, neare a towne in Holland, cald Gurckham, and runnes vp to Guel∣derland vnder the walls of Nimigen. And these like S••iles, in my opinion drawne frō the honorable deeds of our noble countrimen, clad in comely habit of Poesie, would become a Poeme as well as further-fetcht grounds, if such as be Poets now a dayes would vse them.
20 The Philosophers stone, or Philosophica Medicina is cald the great Elixer to which he here alludes.
21 This of our birth, is explaned before.
22 The double-fathered sonne is Orion, so cald since he was the sunne of Ioue and Appollo, borne of their •eede en∣closed in a Bulls hide, which abhorreth not from Philoso∣phie (according to Poets intentions) that one sonne should haue two fathers▪ for in the generation of elements it is true, since omnia sint in omnibus. He offering violence, was stong of a Scorpion to death, for which: the Scorpions figure was made a signe in heauen, as Nicander in Theriacis affirmes.
23 Alpheus taken with the loue of Cynthia▪ not answered with many repuls•• pursued her to her companie of virgins, who mocking him, cast mire in his face, and draue him a∣way. Some affirme him to be a flood, some the sonne of Par∣thenia, some the waggo•e• of Pelops, &c.
24 Lucifera is her titl•▪ and Ignif•ra: giuen by Euripides, in Iphige•d in Ta•ris.
25 T•e bewtie of the 〈◊〉 being sig••fied in Ganemede, h• here by Pros•p•p•ia, gi••s a mans shape vnto it.
26 Pausamas in Eliacis, affirmes it: others that she had but three, viz. P••n, which Homer cals the Gods Phisitiō, Epeus, and Aetolus, &c. Cicero saith she had none, but onely for his loue to the studie of Astrologie, gaue him chast kisses.
27 Her temple in Ephesus was cald her virgin chamber.
28 All these are proper to her as she is Heccate.
