BELLEROPHON,
otherwise na∣med HIPPONOMUS, son of Glau∣cus King of Corinth; he slew his Brother Beller, and from thence was surnamed Belle∣rophon, as much as to say, the furtherer of Beller. After he had committed this Mur∣ther he fled to the Court of King Praetus, who received him favourably, but his Wife falling in Love with him, and not being able to induce him to satisfy her unchast Desires, she accused him to her Husband for attempting her Chastity. The King be∣ing angry at the Action, but unwilling to break the Rules of Hospitality, which he had allowed him, contented himself instead of slaying him, to send him to his Father in Law Jobates King of Lycia, with Letters signifying his Condemnation. Jobates wil∣ling to execute the King's orders, sent him to fight against the Chimaera, but he brought it to an happy end by the help of his Horse Pegasus; the King admiring his extraordi∣nary Valour, gave him his Daughter in Marriage. The Fable adds, that being de∣sirous to fly up into Heaven by the Help of his Horse Pegasus, he was cast down Headlong by Jupiter, to punish his proud Rashness, and being made blind by his Fall, he died a wandring Vagabond.
Homer gives us this Account of Bellerophon, in the Sixth Book of his Iliads, v. 160. &c.
BELLEROPHON, the most beautiful and valiant of the Argives, was passionately loved by Antia the Wife of Praetus, who being not able to perswade him to yield to her unlawful Desires, went to her Husband and told him. You must either dye, or put Bellerophon to Death, who has attempted my Chastity, although 'twas she her self, that had sol∣licited him to love her.
Praetus was very angry, but would not put him to Death, but sent him with pri∣vate Letters to his Father-in-Law in Lycia, which ordered him to put him to Death. He went into Lycia under the Protection of the Gods, where being arrived near the River Xanthus, the King looked fa∣vourably upon him, and gave him all the Honours imaginable. He stayed Nine Days together with him, sacrificing every Day an Ox. At the end of that time he asked him the Reason of his com∣ing, whereupon he immediately gave him the Letters of Praetus his Son-in-Law, and having read them, he sent him to fight the Chimaera (an horrible Monster to behold, for he had the Fore-part of a Lion, who vomited Fire and Flames, the middle of a Goat, and the Tail of a Ser∣pent.)
He subdued this Monster by the Pro∣tection of the Gods, and killed it. After this Victory he went to War against the Solymi, and then against the Amazons, and because he returned Victorious, King Jo∣bates sent an Ambush to kill him, but he defeated them all. This induced the King to give him his Daughter in Mar∣riage, for the sake of his Courage and Vertue.
But to return to the Allegories of this Chimaera, and Bellerophon. Palephates speaks thus of them. Some say that Bellerophon rode upon a winged Horse, which is both ridiculous and unpossible, unless they could lend him all the Feathers of the swiftest Birds. Others would have us also believe, that Bellerophon slew the Chi∣maera of Amisodar, a Monster which had the Fore-part of a Lion, and the middle of a Goat, and the hinder-parts of a Ser∣pent. Others will have it, that it had on∣ly the Three Heads of these Creatures, which is less credible. This then is the Foundation of all these Fictions.