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. XI. (Book 11)

L (Book 11)

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?

LATONA: See APOLLO and DIANA

LETHE.

THis was a river in hell, of which whosoever drank, he forg•••• all forepast actions and sufferings.

The INTERPRETER.

1. THe Platonists, which held the souls existence long before their bodies, affirmed that the souls before their entrance into their bodies, drunk of this river, that they might not think of or remember the happinesse they had lost, which had been a continuall torture to their life: this opinion Virgil followeth, Ae••ad. 6. But I think that by this fiction may be meant, that the Saints who depart from hence, forget all forepast miseries: for what happi∣nesse or rest can there be in the glorified soules, if they should remember the miseries, disgraces and wrongs which they have suffered, or the sins which they have committed here? Surely, even in this life, if it were not for sleep and oblivion, our condition should be most miserable; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. How sweet is oblivion of e∣vils, saith Orestes in Euripides? 2. The river Lethe is in Africa, running by the Citie Berenice, which is swallow∣ed up by a great gulfe, and runs under the ground many miles, then breaks out not far from Berenice, which gave occasion to the country people to think that this river sprung out of hell. 3. They that went to the cave of Tro∣phonius to consult with the oracle, used to drink of two rivers; the one was Lethe, at the entring in, that they might forget their forepast affairs; the other was the river Mnemosine, or memorie, which they were to drink at their coming out, that they might remember what there they had seen and heard: I wish that they who run so eagerly to Church to the Sermon, would drink of Lethe when they goe in, and lay aside thinking upon worldly businesses: and that they would drink Mnemos••ne at their coming out, and remember carefully what they have heard: but 'tis far∣otherwise with them; for they drink Mnemos••ne when they goe in, and have their mindes altogether busied with wordly affairs; but when they come home, they re∣member

no more, then if they had drunk of Lethe, with those which Securos latices & longa oblivia posans.

4. There were said to be four rivers in hell, to wit, Lethe, Acheron, Plegeion, Cocytus. This world may be called hell, being compared with heaven which we lost by sin: in this hell or sinfull condition in which wee live, there are first the river Lethe, or forgetfulnesse of our duty to God, for which cause wee are urged with so many memento's in Scri∣pture. Secondly, Acheron, or the losse of that spirituall joy of conscience, and comfort of the holy Ghost, of which sinfull men are depr••ved. Thirdly, Phlege••on, the fire of lusts and anger with which wee are inflamed. Fourthly, Cocy••••, sorrow or groaning; for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is to lament: and this ariseth from Styx, which signifieth sadnesse, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

LUNA, LUCINA.

SHee was the daughter of Hyperion and Thia, the wife of the Air, of whom shee begot the Dew; and she was the sister of Phoebus, or the Sun.

The INTERPRETER.

1. LUna is called the daughter of Hyperion, either because hee was the first Astronomer that found out her di∣vers motions, or because her motion is far above this aeri∣all world in which wee breathe. Shee is the daughter of Thia, because her originall is immediately from God: shee is the wife of the air, because by her influence and the Air•• frigiditie Dew is engendred in the night: shee is the sister of Phoebus, because amongst all the starres shee is likest in light and beauty to the Sun, and in ma∣gnitude also, according to our appearance. Some call her the daughter of the Sun, because perhaps shee hath her light from him. 2. The Poets give her a partie-coloured∣garment,

to shew her various aspects; and doe sacrifice black bull to her, to shew how black and horned shee ap∣pears after the change. But to declare her brightnesse in the full, they gave her a coach drawn with white horses: and whereas they ascribed four horses to the Sun, but only two to the Moon; by this they intimated, that the Suns motion is far swifter then the Moons, in respect the or•••• in which hee moves is far more capacious then that of the Moons. 3. They held her to be both male and female, because of her active quality of heat, and the passive qua∣lity of moisture: therefore men did sacrifice to her in wo∣mens apparell, and women in the habit of men. Her masculine power is seen in moving the inferiour bodies: her feminine in receiving light. 4. Luna is the same with Lucina, because by her light and influence shee helpeth child-birth: shee is painted with a torch in one hand, and arrows in the other, to shew the servent and sharp pains of women in child-birth; and that shee is the light and torch of the night: shee is painted sometimes with wings, to shew the swiftnesse of her motion; and sometimes all co∣vered with a vail, I think, to intimate her eclipses and ob∣scuritie in the conjunction. The Egyptians in their hie∣roglyphicks represented the Moon by a white skinned man having an hawks head, to signifie, that the Moons white∣nesse or light proceeded not from her self, but from the Sun, of which the hawk was the embleme, and dedicated to the Sun, either because of her high flying, or quick sight. 5. The Romans used to wear half-moons upon their shoo••, either to shew their originall from the Arcadians, who did brag that they were more ancient then the Moon; or else to signifie the inconstancie of wealth, honours, and all hu∣mane glory, which waxeth and waineth with the Moon. And perhaps from the Romans the Turks have borrowed the same custome of wearing half-moons in their colours. 6. The Moon in her eclipse looketh red, and the foolish Gentiles thought that it was for shame she looked thus, as

blushing at the madnesse of the witches, who thought by charms to bring her down from heaven, according to that,

Carmina vel coelo p••ssunt dedusere Lunam:

and therefore they used to beat brasen instruments, which the Poet calls ara auxiliaria Lunae, as it these sounds did dull the Magicians charms, and ab••e their force upon the Moon. Indeed, if the Moon could blush, shee would be much ashamed at such madnesse, as also at many other im∣pieties committed in the night-time: but the true cause of her rednesse is the mixture of her own light with the sha∣dow of the earth; or rather, as Scaliger saith, (Exer. 62.) because she is in the point of the pyramide not far from the first beams of the Sun; and situated in the second beams, which are the species of the first beams, as the first are the species of the light.