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.

CHAP. V.

E

ELYSIUM.

THe Elysian fields were places of pleasure, in which the soules of good men afie•• this life did converse; enjoying all those delights which they affected in this life.

The INTERPRETER.

1 LVu••ian (Lib. 2. ver. Hist.) shews, that among other de∣lights of the Elysian fields, the trees that grew there were of glasse all, and the fruits of these trees were curious and diversly wrought drinking glasses, which were filled pre∣sently with delicate wine as soon as they were pluckt off. There was also continuall f••asting and good cheer; a brave Paradise for our Epicures and drunk••rd••, who would desire no other heaven then this. 2. Elysium is a place of liberty, as the word sheweth; for they onely enjoy it who are loo∣sed from their bodies: not only Poets, but Scriptures also have described those heavenly joyes under earthly terms for our capacity; there is Paradise, in which is the tree of life; there shines another Sun then here, to wit, the Sun of righ∣teousnesse; there are rivers of pleasure, t••••re are the flowers of all divine graces, there is a perpetuall ••pring, the musick of Angels, the supper and wedding-feast of the Lamb, the

new Jerusalem all built of precious stones, the fountain of living waters, all kinde of spirituall fruits, the continuall breath of Gods Spirit, &c. And as none could enter the Elysian fields till hee was purged, so no unclean thing can enter into the new Jerusalem; the bloud of Christ must purge us from all sin: and as they must passe Acheron, Phlegeton, and other rivers of hell before they can have accesse to those delightfull fields; so wee must passe tho∣row fire and water, troubles and persecutions, before wee can enter into heaven. And thus we see the Gentiles were not ignorant of a reward for good men, and of punishment for the wicked.

ENDYMEON.

HEe was a fair shepherd, who falling in love with Juno, who was presented to him in the forme of a cloud, was thrust downe from heaven into a cave, where hee slept thirty ••eers, with whom the Moon being in love, came down oftentimes to visit and ••••sse him.

The INTERPRETER.

1. ENd••meon was King of Elis, who for his justice, obtained of Jupiter that hee should ••eep perpetual∣ly; to shew, that after a toylesome life there can be no greater happinesse then continuall rest and quietnesse: and this should en••••urage Kings and Magistrates to endure the molestations of their Government with patience, seeing their short troubles shall end in perpetuall rest. 2. It is thought that Endymeon being an Astronomer, and one that fi••st observed the divers motions of the Moon, gave occasion to this fiction, that the Moon loved him: but I think these 〈◊〉〈◊〉 may be made of this fiction. I. En∣dymeon is a rich man, and riches make men faire though never so deformed; and with such the Moon, that is, the

world, (as unconstant as the Moon) is in love, these are the men whom the world kisseth and honoureth: but when these rich Endymeons set their affections upon wealth, (for Juno is the goddesse of wealth) then doe they lose heaven, and fall into the sleep of security, saying, Soule, take tby rest, thou hast store laid up for many yeers, with that rich farmer in the Gospel, and so they lose their soules for a shadow, (for such is wealth) and this shadow brings up∣on them spirituall stupiditie, that they cannot be roused from their cave, though Gods word should shine on them as cleer as the Moon. 2. By Endymeon Adam may be meant, who was faire whilest Gods image continued with him; but when hee fell in love with Juno, Jupiters wife, that is, affected equality with his Maker, hee was thrust out of Paradise into this world, as into a cave, where hee was cast into a dead sleep, or the sleep of death, from which hee shall not be awaked though the Moon so often visit him; that is, so long as the Moon shall shine and visit the earth (which shall be till the dissolution of all things) man shall sleep in the grave. 3. By Endymeon may be meant those over whom the Moon hath domini∣on; for Astrologers observe, that every man is subject to one Planet or other, more or lesse: such men then over whom the Moon ruleth, are instable, subject to many changes, nimble bodied, quick in apprehension, desirous of glory; and such a one perhaps was Endymeon, therefore the Moon was said to love him: and such, because they affect honour and popular applause, which is but air, may be said to be in love with Juno, which is the air; and in∣deed honour is but air, or a cloud. 4. Every man may be called Endymeon, for wee are all in love with air and empty clouds, with toyes and vanities, which makes us so sleepy and dull in heavenly things: and the Moon is in love with us; changes and inconstanci•• still accompany mans life; to signifie which instabilitie of humane affairs, the feast of new Moons was kept among the Jewes; and

the Roman Nobilitie used to wear little pictures of the Moon on their shooes, to shew that wee are never in one stay: for which cause I think the Turks have the halfe Moon for their Armes. 5. When Endymeon, that is, man∣kinde slept in sin, the Moon, that is, our Saviour Christ (whose fle••h is compared to the Moon (in Psal. 73) by S. Augustine, as his divinitie to the Sun) in his flesh v••••ited us, and dwelt amongst us; this Moon was eclipsed in the passion, and this Moon slept in the cave with Ad••m, and the full of this Moon was seen in the r••surr••ction: this is hee who hath kissed us with the killes of his mouth, whose love is b••tter then wine, whose light shined in darknesse, and the darknesse co••prehended it not. 6. The Moon falls in love with sleepy Endymeons, that is, carnall and sensuall pleasures, and earthly thoughts invade those that give themselves to idlen••sse, security, and lazinesse: for the Moon, in regard of her vicinity to the earth, may be the symboll of earthly mindes; and because shee is the m••stris of the night and of darknesse, the time when car∣nall delights are most exercised, shee may be the symboll of such delights: a••d because of her often changing, shee may represent to us the nature of fooles, which delight in idlenesse, as the Moon did in Endymeo••. 7. Endyme∣on in this may signifi•• the Sun, with whom the Moon is in love, rejoycing and (as it were) laughing in her full light, when shee hath the full view of him, and every month running to him and overtaking him, whose mo∣tion is slow, and therefore hee seems to sleepe in regard of her velocitie.

ERYCHTHONIUS.

THis was a Monster, or a man with Dragons feet, begot of Vulcans seed shed on the ground, whilest hee was offering violence to Minerva the virgin: which monster notwithstand∣ing was cherished by Minerva, and delivered to the daughters of

Cecrops to be kept, with a caution that they should not look into the basket to see what was there; which advice they not obeying, looked in, and so grew mad, and broke their own necks.

The INTERPRETER.

1. ERychihonius was the first that found out the use of coaches and chario••s to hide his deformed and ser∣pentine feet in:

Primus Erychthonius currus, & quatuor ausus Jungere equos, rapidisque ro••is insistere victor.

So many men goe about to hide their sowle actions, and excuse them, but not to reforme them. 2. Vulcan shed∣ding his seed on the ground, is the elementarie fire, con∣curring with the earth, in which are the other two ••le∣ments, and of these all monsters are procreated: and by ••inerva, that is, the influence of heaven or of the Sun, cherished and somented, though not at first by God pro∣duced, but since Adams fall, and for the punishment of sin. 3. Vulcan offering wrong to Minerva, is that ••••re∣generate part of man, called by the Apostle, the law of our members, rebelling against the law of the minde; of which a∣riseth that spirituall combate and strife in good men, which is begun by the flesh, but cherished and increas••d by the spirit, till at last the spirit get the victorie. 4. Mi∣nerva, that is, he that makes a vow to live still a virgin, must looke to have the fierie Vulcan of lust to offer him vi∣olence, and so he shall never be free from inward mole∣station and trouble; therefore better marrie then burne; and if he intertains any unchast thoughts, though his bo∣die be undefiled, yet he is no pure virgin, as Lactantius (De falsa religione, lib. 1. cap. 17.) sheweth, that Minerva was not, because shee cherished Erych••honius; therefore an un••h••st mind in a ch••st body, is like Minerva somenting Vulcans brat: he'is a pure virgin, saith S. Hi••rom, (Lib. 1. Adver. Jovini) whose mind is chast, as well as his body;

and this he ingenuously consesseth was wanting in himself. 5. Minerva, that is, wisdom hath no such violent enemy as Vulcan, that is, firie anger, which doth not onely over∣throw wisdom in the mind for a time, for it is short ••ury; but is also the cause of Erych••honius, that is, of all strife and contention in the world. 6. War is a firie Vulcan, an enemie to learning or Minerva; the cause of Erych••honius, of monstrous outrages and enormities; and oftentimes fomented by seditiout schollers, and learning abused. 7. Erych••honius is a covetous man, as the word shews; for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is contention, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is the earth; and what else is covetousnesse but a presumptious desire of earthly things, and the cause of so much strife and contention in the world? this monster came of Vulcan the god of firie, that is of Sat••n the god of this world, who reigns in the fire of contention, and in the fire of Hell, and is somen∣ted by Minerva the soul, which is the seat of wisdom. 8. Tertullian (Lib. de spectaculis) saith, that Erych••honius is the devill; and indeed, not unsitly, for he is the father of all strife, and of avarice: he hath a mans wisdom, or head to allure us to sin, but a Dragons feet to torments us in the end for sin; whosoever with delight shall look on him, shall at l••st receive destruction. 9. Let us take heed we pry not to curiously in the basket of natures secrets, lest we be served as Ce••rops daughters, or as Pliny and Em∣pedocles were. 10. A Magistrate or Governor must be like Erych••honius, who was hinself King of Athens; he must be both a man and a Dragon; if the face of humanity and mer∣cie will not prevail, then the Dragons feet of vigour and justice must walk. 11. If any firie or cholerick Vulcan shall offer us wrong, we must wisely defend our selves with Minerva; and conceal the injury and our own grief, as shee did Erych••ho••ius. 12. Though the preserving and cherishing of Vulcans child is no certain proof that Minerva lost her virginitie, neither did shee lose it though Vulcan 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ red her violence, because there was no consent; yet it

becomes all, chiefly virgins to avoid both the evill and the occasion thereof, that there may be no suspition.

EUMENIDES.

THese were the three Furies, the daughters os Pluto and ••ro∣serpina, or of hell, darknesse, night, and earth; in heaven they were called Dirae, in earth Harpiae, in hell Furiae: they had snakes instead of hairs, brasen feet, torches in one hand, and whips in the other, and wings to fly with.

The INTERPRETER.

1. THe Ancients did worship the Furies with sacrifices altars and temples, as they did the other gods; not, that these might doe them any good, but that they might doe them no hurt: There they worshipped the gods A∣••errunci, so called ab averrun••ando, or Aver••endo, that they might forbeare to hurt them. It is the part of every wise man not to exasperate a potent adversary, but to miti∣gate his furie. Thus wee must deale with tyrants; though they doe not love us, yet wee must fawne upon them, that they may not wrong us. 2. There was a temple in A∣chaia dedicated to the Furies, into which whosoever went, that was guilty of murther, incest, or such like impieties, fell presently distracted and mad. I doubt mee that tem∣ple is yet extant among us, and that too many have been in it, there is such ma••nesse, and so many distractions and distempers among us. 3. Commonly these three furies are taken for the tortures of an evill conscience, proceeding from the guilt of sinne; they cause feare, and furie, as the word Erinnys signifieth; hell is the place of their aboad, and where they are, there is hell; the tortures whereof are begun in the conscience of wick∣ed men. 4. There are three unruly passions in men,

answering to these three furies: covetousnesse is Al••••to, which never giveth over seeking wealth; and indeed this is the greatest of all the furies, and will not suffer the miser to eat and enjoy the goods that hee hath gotten:

Furiarum maxima, juxia Accubat, & manibus prohibes contingere me••sas. Ae n. 6.

This is an Harpie indeed, not only delighting in rapine, but polluting every thing it hath, Contacts omnia foed•••• immundo, Aen. 3. this may be called Jupiters dog, or rather a dog in the m••nger, neither eating himselfe, nor suffer∣ing others to ear. The second furie is Megaera, that is, En∣vie, full of poyson and snakie hairs. The third is Tis••pho∣ne, which is Inordinate anger, or a revengefull disposition: the burning torch and wings shew the nature of anger: all these have their beginning and being from Hell, from Darknesse, and Night; even from Satan, and the twofold darknesse that is in us, to wit, the ignorance of our under∣standing, and the corruption of our will: but as the Fu∣ries had no accesse unto Apollo's temple, but were placed in the porch, (ul••ic••sque sedent in lumine Dirae, Aenead. 8.) although otherwise they were had in great veneration: so neither have they accesse unto the mindes of good men, which are the temples of the holy Ghost. 5. Gods three judgements which hee sends to punish us, to wit, plague, famine, and sword, are the three furies: (a) Megaera is the plague, it sweeps and takes away multitudes: the fa∣mine is Alecto, which is never satissied: and the sword is Tis••phone, a revenger of sin, and a murtherer. These have their seat in hell, as they are sent from, or raised by Satan; and in heaven also as they are sent by God, without whose permission Satan can do nothing: they may be called Har∣pies from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as the Furies were, because they snatch and carry all things headlong with them: and Dirae, quas•• Dei irae, being the effects of Gods anger; they are Jupiters

dogs, the executioners of Gods wrath, and devourers of sinners; they come swistly with wings, and tread hard with their brazen feet: the plague is the snake that poy∣soneth, the famine is the torch that consumeth and burneth, the sword is the whip that draweth bloud. 6. Ministers should be Eumenides, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, gracious, bene∣volent, of a good minde, as the word signifieth, being pro∣perly taken. They should have the wisdome of Serpents in their heads, the torch of Gods word in one hand, the whip of Discipline in the other; the wings of contem∣plation, and the brazen feet of a constant and shining conversation.

Notes

• (a)

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉