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.

The INTERPRETER.

1. BY Apollo may be meant God himself: for as they painted Apollo with his harp, and tho three Graces in one hand, with a shield and two arrows in the other; so by this perhaps they meant that God was not onely a punisher of wickednesse, but a rewarder of goodnesse; as hee had two arrowes, so be hath many punishments: but yet he hath the comfortable harp of his mercy to sweeten them in the other hand; and having but two arrowes, hath three graces, to shew that hee hath more mercies then punishments: and therefore the same hand that holds the arrowes, holds also the shield, to shew that even when his arrowes flye at us, yet with his shield hee defends and sup∣ports us. God shot his arrowes at Abraham, when hee rai∣sed so many Kings against him; yet at the same time hee forbids him to feare; for faith hee, I am thy shield, Gen. 15.1. And that by Apollo was meant the supreme God, is plain by the Alsyrians, in joyning the pictures of Apollo and Jupiter together, whom they painted with a whip in one hand, and the thunder in the other, to shew, that God hath diversitie of punishments, according to the diversitie of offences, some gentle, some more rigorous. For this cause the Egyptians represented him by a Scepter with an Eye, to signifie both his knowledge and providence, by which the world is guided: And they painted him with wings, to signifie the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of his motion; by which it appears, that Jupiter and Apollo were with them one and the same god. 2. I finde that Apollo is painted with one side of his head shaved, the other hairy; by which I think they meant, that while•••• the Sun shined to one hemispere,

the other was dark; for by his hair they meant his beams, and by his baldnesse darknesse, caused by his absence. 3. By Apollo is ordinarily understood the ••unne, which as his (a) name sheweth, is both the destroyer and preserver of things; he is the son of Jupiter, because he is a part of heaven, or because he was created by God; he was born of Latona, be∣cause God brought light out of darknesse, and the Sun out of the Chaos; born in Delos, which signifieth manifestation, for the Sun discovereth all things; he kill'd Python the Ser∣pent, because the Sun by his heat disperseth all purrefied va∣pours, and cleareth the air from mists; for of purrefaction venemous beasts are procreated; so he kill'd Jupiters Thun∣der-maker, because the Sun cleers the air, and consumes those exhalations and moistures, of which Thunder is in∣gendred. When Apollo was born, Diana his sister, who was first born, was the Midwife to bring forth Apollo; that may signifie that the Sun is freed from his eclipse and darknesse, when the Moon departeth from him; he is still Beardlesse, to shew his perpetuall youth, his long hair shews his beams; he feedeth sheep, because his heat produceth grasse; hee is carried in a Chariot drawn with four horses, to shew his motion, and the four seasons of the year, or the four parts of the Artificiall day, as his horses names do shew, (b) Atythraeus, Actaeon, Lampos, Philogeus; for he is red in the morning, cleer about nine of the clock, in his full splendour at noon, and draws to the earth in the evening; hee is the god of Wisdom, not by infusing the habit or essence thereof, but by preparing and fitting the Organs for the use and exercise thereof; therefore Southern people are more subtile, wise and ingenious, then the Northern. And because from the Sun divers predictions are gathered of the alteration of Weather, and other (c) sublunary mu∣tations,

he was called the great Prophet, and god of Di∣vination; hee was also called the god of physick, both because Physicall herbs have their strength from the Sun, and oftentimes the spring cureth the winter diseases, and the summer the infirmities of the spring; he was called the god of musick, because he cleers up the spirits of all things; therefore the birds do welcome his approach with their melodious harmonie; therefore the Swan was de∣dicated to him, and the grashoppers also; and as in musick, so in his motion••and operations there is a harmony; and because he fits the air, which is the medium of musick and of all sounds; the Muses for this cause are in his custodie; which were inlarged from three to nine, according as the number of strings increased in musicall instruments; he was called an Archer because his beames like arrows fly every where; His Tripos, which some will have to be a ta∣ble called also (d) Cortina, from Pythons skin, with which it was covered, others a three-footed vessell, others a three-footed chair, wherein they fate that prophesied; I say, this Tripos may signifie the three circles in the Zodiack, which every yeer hee toucheth, to wit, the Ecliptick, and the two Tropicks. They that died suddenly, or of any vio∣lent disease were said to be killed by Apollo, because the Sun with extreme heat doth cause famine and infection•• Fea∣vers. Thus he was said to shoot with his arrows Amphi••ns children; to him were dedicated the strong Bull, the white Swan, the quick-sighted Raven; to (e) signifie the power, and beauty, and piercing light of the Sun; which because it detecteth obscure things, hee was called a Prophet▪ the Olive, Palm, and Bay-tree also were dedicated to him, both because the Olive and Palm grow not but in hot coun∣tries; and because they are, as the Bay-tree, usefull in phy∣sick, and of an hot quality like the Sun, therefore he was said to be in love with (f) Daphne, the daughter of the River

Peneus, because on the banks of that River are good store of Bay-trees: his shooes and garments were of gold, to shew his colour; hee with Neptune built the walls of Troy, to shew, that without Gods assistance no City or State can stand or be built. His love which hee bare to the flower Hyacinthus, is to show, that flowers doe bud and prosper by the Sun, and die with cold winds; therefore Zephyrus was the cause of his death: and perhaps Apollo and Neptune were said to build Troys walls, because morter and brick are made by the help of heat and water; or because Lao∣medon either stole or borrowed some treasure out of the Temples of Apollo and Neptune. 4. Our Saviour Christ is the true Apollo, both a destroyer of Satans Kingdome, and a saver of his people; for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is asmuch as to loose by paying the price of redemption; hee is the Sun of righteousnesse, by whose beams and arrowes, that is, his word, Python the divell is subdued: he is the Son of God, and the God of Wisdom, the great Prophet, the Son of La∣tona, that is, of an obscure maid: the true God of physick, who cureth all our infirmities; and the God of musick too, for that harmony of affections and communion of Saints in the Church is from him; hee hath subdued our Giants, that is, our spirituall foes, by whose malice the thunder of Gods wrath was kindled against us: Hee is immortall, and the good Shepherd who hath laid downe his life for his sheep; having for his sheeps sake forsaken his Fa∣thers glory; and hee it is who hath built the walls of Je∣rusalem. Apollo was never so much in love with Hyacin∣thus, as Christ was with the sons of men. 5. As the Sun amongst the Planets, so is a King amongst his subjects; •• King is Apoll••, the destroyer of the wicked, and a pre∣server of good men; the light and life, and beauty of his people; a God of wisdome amongst them, to guide them with good lawes; a God of physick, to cut off rot••en and hurtfull members, to purge out all grosse humours, that is, bad manners, with the pils of justice, and to cheer up with

cordi••ls or rewards the sound and solid parts of the poli∣tick body; hee is a God of musick also, for where there is no King or head, there can be no harmony nor concord; hee is a prophet, to foresee and prevent those dangers which the people cannot; hee is a subduer of Pythons and Giants, that is, of all pestiferous disturbers and oppressors of the State: his arrowes are his Lawes and power, which rea∣cheth thorow all the parts of his dominion: hee is a good shepherd; and Kings are (g) so called; and a King thus qualified shall be like the Sun, still glorious, immortall, youthfull, and green like the Palm, Olive, and Bay-tree; but if hee doth degenerate into a tyrant, then hee is the cause of mortality, as the Sun is, when hee inflames the air with excessive heat.

Notes

• (a)

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 perdo▪ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 salvo & solvo, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a latendo.
• (b)

  Erythraeus, i.e. ruber, Actaeon splendens, Lampas fulgor, Philogeus terram amans.
• (c)

  Vide Virgil. Georg. 1.
• (d)

  Cortini potens di••••us Apollo.
• (e)

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 di••••us Apollo a 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• (f)

  Daphne à 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• (g)

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