The INTERPRETER.

1. THe Harpies, Furies, Stryges, Lamiae are promiscu∣ously sometimes taken one for another; and they are painted with womens faces, and dragons tails: but the Harpies are fained to have their abode on the earth, the Furies in h•ll, the Stryges and Lamiae to domineer in the night, and to suck childrens bloud: therefore they were wont to pacifie Corva, or the goddesse of flesh, with sacrifi∣ces, that these Stryges might have no power over their children: but it seems these were naughty women, as our wi•ches are, who having commerce with the divell, had power to hurt not onel• beasts and children, but men and women also. 2. Sinfull delights are like these Harpies, they have womens faces and dragons tails; their begin∣nings are delightfull, but their end is poysonable and ter∣•ible. 3. These had the faces of women, but their hands were clawes of ravenous birds, which they hid under their wings: such are hypocrites, who make fair shewes and pret•nces, but have fowle and beastly actions; remove their wings, and you shall finde their pawes. How many under the fair wing of religion hide the fowle pawes of their wicked actions? 4. These Harpies are flatterers, they are ca•led also Jupiters •ogs; hunting and flattering parasites have undone many mens estates. 5. Many fa∣thers are like blind Pheneus, they are still gathering and providing wealth for rapacious children, of whose riotous∣nesse they take no notice; who like Harpies, in a short time devour all, and are still hungry, like Pharaohs leane kine, pallida semper o•a fame. 6. There be three Harpies very hurtful in a common-wealth, to wit, flatterers, usurers, informers 7. Boreas is the son of Neptune, and brother of Iris or the rainbow, for the winds are ingenerated of the sea vapour, so are raines, clouds, and rainbows by the help of the Sun. 8. Boreas is the Northern wind, who Page  45 carrieth away faire Orithyia, for the cold wind taketh away beauty; his two sons Zeris and Calais, that is frigidity and and sic••tie, drive away the H•rpies, that is, Southern pe∣stilentiall vapors, which consume and devour living crea∣tures; for in the Southern wind there are three properties, answering to the three names of the Harpies, to wit, sudden and swift blasts, that is, Ocyp•te; storms Aello; and obscu∣rity Celaeno. 9. Sae ilegious Church-robbers are these Harpies, who fell upon Christs patrimony like Ocypete or Ae•lo, a sudden blast or storm; and like Celaeno have brought obscurity on the Church, and have eclipsed her light; and indeed the names doe agree, for (a) Aello is hee that takes away another mans goods, Ocypete sud∣denly, Celaeno, blacknesse or darknesse; so they on a sudden snatcht away those goods that were none of theirs, and with the obscure clo•d of poverty have turned the Chur∣ches beauty into blacknesse; but these goods make them never the fatter, they passe suddenly from them, as Phe∣neus meate did thorow the Harpies, they are troubled with a continuall (b) flix or lientery, neither can their crooked talons hold them long: I grant the blindnesse and wickednesse of Pheneus, that is, of the Clergie, gave occasion to this; but now their eyes are open, and their lives reformed: therefore the sons of Boreas, the Magi∣strate and Minister, with the arrowes of authority and wings of Gods word, may be expected shortly to drive a∣way these Harpies. 10. Pheneus is a covetous miser who is blinde, and seeth not what a number of Har∣pies gape for his death, that they may devoure those goods which hee himselfe had not power to touch. 11. Gods Spirit, like Boreas, a cooling and refreshing winde, which filled the Apostles, and came on them like the rushing of a mighty winde, delighteth in the soule of man, whilest that in the s•owry meadows of the Church, watered with Page  46 the cleare fountain of Gods word, shee is gathering spi∣rituall comfort, and when shee is joyned to that blessed Spirit, Zetis and Calais, that is, divine raptures are be∣gotten, whose haires are skie-coloured, and feet winged, that is, heavenly meditations and swift aff•ctions, which are nimble in the wayes of Gods Commandements, and ready to fly upward from earthly things, are the •ffects of this spirituall conjunction; and so by these, all Har∣pies, that is, covetous and earthly desires are driven a∣way. 12. God, like Boreas, being in love with his Church, hath begot in the womb of the blessed Virgin that winged Conquerour, who with the arrowes of his power, and wings of his word, hath driven away all spiri∣tuall Harpies.