Mystagogvs poeticvs, or, The muses interpreter explaining the historicall mysteries and mysticall histories of the ancient Greek and Latine poets : here Apollo's temple is opened, the muses treasures discovered and the gardens of parnassus disclosed whence many flowers of usefull delightfull and rare observations never touched by any other mythologist are collected / by Alexander Ross.

CHIRON

WAs a Centaur begot of Saturn in the forme of a horse, of Phyllyra the daughter of Oceanus; he was an excel∣lent Astronomer, Phisitian and Musitian; whose schollers were Hercules, Apollo, and Achilles; he was wounded in the foot by one of Hercules his arrows, of which wound he could not die being immortall, till he intreated Jupiter, who placed (a) 1.1 him a∣mong the stars, with a sacrifice in his hand, and an Altar be∣fore him.

The INTERPRETER.

1. CHiron was halfe a horse and halfe a man; God doth oftentimes punish the adulteries of the parents with monsterous and deformed children, for Ops was the wife of Saturn and not Phyllyra 2. The deformitie of children proceeds ordinarily from the distempered imagination of the parents. 3. That Chiron is begot of Saturn and Philly∣ra, is meant that Astronomie, Physick, Musick and all o∣ther arts are begot of time and experience, or of time and books; for Phillyra is a thin Skin or parchment, or paper, or that which is betwixt the bark and the wood of the tree, and is called Tyllia, on which they used to write. 4. Sa∣turn or time begets learned Chiron, that is, arts and sciences by the help of reading, but he must do it in the forme of a horse, that is, with much patience and labour. 5. Chiron may signifie to us the life of a Christian, which consisteth in contemplation, and so he is an Astronomer, whose con∣vers••tion and thoughts are in heaven; and in action, which consisteth in speaking well and so he is a Musitian; and in doing well, and so he is a Physitian; and because Christi∣anitie is more a practick then speculative science, he hath

his denomination Chiron from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ma••••••, the hand, not from the head; lastly suffering is a part of Christianitie, and so Chiron patiently suffered the wound of Hercules his arrow. 6. Chirons feet were wounded before he was ad∣mitted amongst the stars; so our affections must be morti∣fied, befor we can attain heaven. 7. Chirons pain made him desire to die, so affliction makes us weary of this world, and fits us for heaven. 8. Chiron hath his Altar still be∣fore him, and his sacrifice in his hand, so Christ our Al∣tar must be still in our eyes, and our spirituall sacrifices still ready to be offered. 9. In that a Centaur had so much knowledge, wee see that sometimes in mis-shapen bodies are eminent parts, as were in Aesop, Epicte••us, and others. 10. Achilles so valiant, Hercules so strong, Apollo so wise, yet were content to learne of a deformed Centaur; so all should hearken to the Ministers doctrine, be his life never so deformed, though he be a Centaur in his life, yet he is a man, nay an Angel in his doctrine.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  Sagittarius.