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.

LARES, or PENATES.

THese were the two sons of Mercurie and Lara, which he begot of her, when he conveyed her to hell, after her tongue was cut out by Jupiters command, for be∣wraying to Juno his intent he had to desloure Juturna.

The INTERPRETER.

1. THese Lares were the Gentiles houshold gods; and this word is sometime used for house or houshold goods; so Salus: nobis Larem familiarem nullum. The place where these Lares were worshiped or kept, was called Lararium; they were called also penares from penu or peni••u••, from whence comes penetrale, for they were kept in the most retired and inward places of the house: and some∣times Penates and Lares were of whole cities and kingdoms. 2. The Lares were painted like young boyes wearing a dogs skin about their shoulders, and having a dog alwayes by them, to signifie that they were the faithfull keepers of houses and goods, as dogs are; and that they are terrible to strangers, but familiar with domesticks. 3. They were painted also with their heads covered, which was a signe of libertie, and preservation; so wee reade

that Castor and Pollux the deliverers and preservers of Greece were painted covered: so Sueton••us writes that the Roman people covered their heads with caps when Claudiu•• Nero was dead, in signe of their re-obtained libertie. By their covered Lares then they signified, that men in their own houses ought to be free and protected from wrong and violence. 4. Arnobius tels us, that Lares were the gods of high-wayes and travellers, Lib. 3. cont. Gent. and that they were the same that the Curetes were, which with the noise of their brasen instruments preserved Jupiter from devouring by Saturn. I finde also that they were the same with Larva, and Lenures, and Genii; save onely that the Genius waited on the living, but the Lares upon the dead: yet the name Genius is given to these also by Virgil, speak∣ing of the serpent that came out of Archises his grave;

Incerius Geni••••••e loci, &c. — Aenaead. 5.

By this it seems, the Gentiles thought it unfit that those gods who were assigned to preserve men in their houses, should forsake them when they went abroad; for the dog which was consecrated to them, doth not only preserve the Masters house, but also waits upon him when hee goes a∣broad;

— Gressumque ca••es comi••a•••••• herilem••

and so they thought it unfit, that the gods which waited on men in their life time, should forsake them in death, and not wait upon their souls: and by that fiction of the Cu∣••••••es preserving Jupiter, they did shew, that as soon as Lucina brings us out to the light, the Genii or Lares, as so many Angels, wait upon us to preserve us from hurt. But what madnesse was this, to multiply so many gods, whereas that same God who gave us life and being, gives us also his protection and custodie both in life and death. 5. They used to offer to their Lares and Genii wine and the smoke of frankincense; and they thought it abomination to offer any living creature to them, or to worship them with the losse of any beasts life, by whom they had the preservation of their own life: I wish they would truely consider this,

who think they cannot worship the true God of peace, ex∣cept by warre; whereas hee turned the sacrifices of bloud unto the Sacrament of wine, to shew that hee delighted not in the bloud of beasts, much lesse in the bloud or death of men: nor doth hee think that hee is worshipped by shed∣ding of their bloud, for whom hee shed his own bloud. 6. The chief place where they worshipped their Lares was in the chimney; by which they signified, that they were the gods of fire, as well as of their houses: and therefore Lar•••• taken for the fire or chimney sometime; and Servi•••• Tullius gave out, that his mother conceived him of Lar, whom shee saw in the fire as shee was one night warming of her self in the chimney; in token of which conception, a flame was seen afterward issue out of Servius his head: It seems that too many Princes are conceived of fire, and they are too much addicted to the worship of their fiery gods, as appears by their too great delight they take in the fire of strife, war••s, and contention. 7. I finde that Lares, Larva, Lemures and Mares signified the souls of men after death, seeming to appear to men sometimes: if they were good souls, they were called Lares, and did no hurt; if they were wicked souls, they were called Larva and Leo••res, and affrighted men: these are called by Apul••••; No••tium acc••••s••cula, Busl••r••n 〈◊〉〈◊〉, sepulchrolum urriculameusa; therefore Romulus instituted the feasts cal∣led Lemuria, or Remulia, to pacifie the soul of Remus his brother, whom hee killed: But I finde Manes a generall word for good and evill souls. Upon these Gentile fi∣ctions the Church of Rome hath grounded the fained apparitions of souls after death, to confirm superstition, and their doctrine of Purgatorie. 8. In that the Lares were begot of a dumb goddesse, and the god of speech as they were going to hell; I suppose, they might by this signifie, that the departed souls, though they cannot speak with corporeall organs, as wee doe; yet they have a spi∣rituall speech, whereby they communicate the conceptions

of their mind to each other, as Thomas sheweth, Prima pri∣mae, quest. 107. art. 1. for there is no hindrance why one soule or Angel should not understand another, but onely the will: for in us our bodies hinder the apprehension of one anothers conceptions; but in spirits the will one∣ly; so that as soon as the Spirit is willing to impart his conceptions to another, hee is said to speak, and the other to hear. 9. Among the Romans there were Lares publici and familiares, publick and houshold gods; also Lares hostitii, gods to drive away their enemies; Lares marini, gods of the sea; Lares viales, gods of high wayes; Lares querquerulani, gods of the oaks or woods; neither was there any place in the world which had not these pettie gods, besides their great gods: But what pretty gods were these, whom a man must rescue out of the flames of Troy, or else they had been burned? Therefore not without cause doth S. Austin (De Civit. lib. 1. c. 3. laugh at the Ro∣mans; who made these conquered gods their protectors, who thought that by their help they subdued the world, that could not help themselves when they were subdued by the Grecians; as hee proves out of Virgil, whom hee call•• the greatest, most excellent, and best of all Poets. What better are the new Romanists in multiplying to them∣selves tutelar saints, forsaking the fountain of living wa∣ters, and digging to themselves cisterns that will hold 〈◊〉〈◊〉 water?