The history of the vvorld: or, An account of time. Compiled by the learned Dionisius Petavius. And continued by others, to the year of our Lord, 1659. Together with a geographicall description of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.

CHAP. VIII. Of the time of the Maecenian Kings, which succeeded the Grecians, and of the Inachids, and some remarkable passages of Perseus his progeny, conducing to better knowledg of Antiquity.

THe ancientest family of the Grecian Kings (saith Eusebius) took its rise from Acrisius, and from thence he faith was the King∣dom of Mycaene tranflated by Perseus, the City whereof he built, still governing Greece; for after the death of Acrisius, Megapenthe Proetus his son, Talaus and Adrastus made this City the head of the Kingdom, Talaus succeeding Megapenthe; after whose death Adrastus his son leaving Greece, travell'd into Sycione, where after he had govern'd certain years, he return'd to Greece again, where he received Tydius and Polynices, two fugitives. But truly at that time when Agamemnon govern'd Mycene, did Diomedes the son of Tydius rule over Greece, as Eustathius observes about the 9th Iliad in this verse;

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That we may come to the Mycenians, we must explain the stock of Perseus, with which are contained the chiefest Acts of the Gre∣cians in that Age. But deriving their original yet higher, we shall speak of the progenie of the Agenorians or Cadmeians, in which we shall follow Apollodorus. Inachus had a daughter named Io. she going into Egypt, had by Jupiter, Epaphus the King of Egypt, of whose daughter Lybia and Neptune got Belus and Agenor, being twins; so faith Apollidorus: But we assent rather to (a) Pausanias, who makes this Io, not the daughter of Inachus, but of Jasus many years since,

which also appears by the time of Danaus. Besides these two, Neptune is said to have begotten of Lybia, Busiris (b) also, who leading his life not far remote from Nilus, was very noted for theft and murther, much about the Jews departure out of Egypt. I shall return to the sons of Epaphus, of whom Agenor went into Phoenicia; Belus governed in Egypt, and had two sons, Aegyptus, and Danaus; the former he sent to Arabia to obtain it; the other into Lybia. After which, when Aegyptus had 50 sons, Danus as many daughters, who being by the Oracle advised, that he should be slain by one of his brother's sons, he escapes into Greece in a Ship rowed with 50 Oars, where Sthenelus being dead, and Ge∣lanor his Successor banisht by the consent of the people, he was made King the year before Christ, 1475, the third after the death of Joseph: by his name were the Grecians called Danai. After this, the sons of Aegyptus going into Greece, were there murthered by their Wives, the Daughters of Danaus; Onely Lynceus ex∣cepted, who succeeded his father-in-Law. Lynceus took his begin∣ing from the year before Christ 1425, wherefore a little before this, by consequence, happened this massacre. Lynceus had a son named Abas; he also had two sons, Proetus, and Acrisius; the for∣mer of whom, Eusebius saith, governed in Greece; but Pausanias saith, That they so divided their fathers kingdom, that Acrisius obtained Argos; Proetus, Tyrinthe, Midea, and Haereon. (a) Apol∣lodorus mentions, that after the death of their father Abas, they contended for the Kingdom, and that Acrisius being conquerour, continued at Argos: Proetus making his escape to Iobates in Lycia, whose daughter Sthenobea, or, as Homer would have it, Antia, he married; after which, relying upon his father-in laws assistance, he returned to Peloponnesus, and possest himself of Tyrinth; but Eusebius opposeth this, who ranketh Proetus amongst the Kings of Greece in order before Acrisius, wherefore his 17 past years must be restored to Abas or Acrisius. This is that Proetus, to whom Bel∣lerophon the sixth son of Glaucus fled from Deucalion, when he had committed murther; and being allured by Stenobea to commit fornication with her, upon his denyal, being subtilly by her ac∣cused, he was sent to (b) Iobates in Cilicia, where he is said to have encountred with the Chimaera, which falls out to be in the year before Christ 1360, Ehud exercising the office of Judge to the Hebrews.

In the raign of Acrisius, as I suppose, was Perseus born of his daughter Dan••ë, which in his second year was computed before Christ, 1343, He having overcome those dangers which are noted by those fables of him, about the 25 year of his age going with an Army into the East, he atchieved those things at Cepheum, which are celebrated by the verses of the Poets, and had to Wife Andro∣meda. Which from ancient Chronologies, Clemens Alexandrinus notes to be 34 years before the destruction of Troy, it being a ma∣nifest errour, which in some foregoing pages he contradicts by another computation of time. † Acrisius was unawares slain

by Perseus his grandchild about the 31 year of his raign, being in the year before Christ 1312, or 1311; at that time was Perseus in Greece with his Wife Andromeda, being about some five or six years before he deliver'd it; for it's more probable, that Acrisius then reigning, and not dead, Perseus was born, who was not above 30 years old when he slew Acrisius, † who being dead, not any longer abiding to live at Argos, he chang'd his Empire with Me∣gapenthe his Uncle, son to Proetus, and at Tyrynth, which fell to Proetus his share, as is before spoken, he constituted his Kingdom, which afterwards he translated to Mycenas, a City by himself built. But Megapenthe, when he had reigned certain years at Ar∣gos, resigns his kingdom to Talaus, as is before said.

Perseus therefore about 1312 years before Christ, began to reign first at Tyrinth, and afterwards at Mycaenas, who besides Perses, whom he left with his father-in law Cepheus, from whom the Per∣sians are named; He begot of his Wife Andromeda at Mycenas, six sons, Alcheus, Sthenelus, Hela, Mestor, Electryon, and a daugh∣ter called Gorgophone, whom Perierus Aeolus his son, and Hellen's grandson married, as a little before I shewed you.

To Alcaeus of Hypominome, Menoecius his daughter, was born Amphitruo, and a daughter called Anaxo; of Mestor and Lysidice, daughter of Pelops, was born Hyppothoë, of whom by Neptune was brought forth Taphius, who built the City Taphon in Cephallenia, na∣ming the people Teleboans; Taphaus his son was Pterelas, whom Neptune made immortal.

Electrio by Anaxo daughter of Alceus, had Alomena, besides nine sons, and Licymnius of Midea's bastard. Sthenelus by Nicippe the daughter to Pelops, begat Euristheus, to whose service Hercules de∣voted himself.

Between the beginning of Perseus his reign, and Sthenelus's, were 58 years; for Sthenelus began about the year of the World 2730, which interval Perseus doth not seem to exceed, if we may credit ••••••••dorus, who saith, That Electrion govern'd Micenas with Ta∣phius. But Pausanias in his Corinth saith, at Midea. And that may be, that he might both reign at Micaenas, and at Midea too; for Midea and Tyrens are tributaries to Micaenas. Moreover, in the Catalogue of Micaena's Kings, are reckoned Electrio and Ta∣phius, Perseus his sons, who are set before Sthenelus, unless that at the same time we will have more Kings to govern all together, which in those dayes was used, when the Governours but of Ci∣ties went under the term of Kings. Taphius truly, and Electrion swayed the Scepter both together, whose sons demanding their part of their father's Kingdom from Electryon, there arising a great contest, slew his sons; which to revenge, Electrio gave his daugh∣ter Alomena to Amphitruon, upon that condition, that he should not have her, till his return from his Expedition against the Tele∣boans; but when Amphitruon had imprudently slain Electrio, ex∣pell'd by Sthenelus, with his Wife Alomena, he escapes to Creon at

Thebes, by whom being acquitted according to his former Cove∣nant, he prosecuted his design against the Teleboans. About that time the report goes of Hercules his birth, that it was 1289 before Christ; which being thus, it doth extenuate the credit of Euse∣bius his catalogue of the Mycenian Kings; for Perseus being dead, Electrio governed before Sthenelus; nor was Perseus over the My∣cenians above 58 years, as from his and Pausanias's computation we have already shewed.

The Posterity of Perseus ending with Euristheus, The Pelopides sprung from Pelops, that was son to Tantalus King of Phrygia; from these had Peloponnesus its name, and, as some conjectured, they held their dominion over all Peloponnesus: but it is not so, for he first reigned in Pisia, and by his great Valour and Industry, he reduced most of the Inhabitants of that Island, as (a) Diodorus af∣firms. He removed out of Phrygia into Greece, and obtained Hip∣podamia Oenemaus his daughter more by craft, then as the true re∣ward of his swiftnesse in the race wherein they contended, which happened in the year before Christ 1324, at the expiring of Ehud's Government over Israel. (b) His sons were Atreus and Thyestes, who became very noted to Posterity, from their hatefull parricides and Incestuous rapes: Thyestes defiled Aërope his brothers Wife. Atreus on the other side made him a feast of his sons being mur∣thered. After this, Thyestes in whoredome with Pelop's daugh∣ter, begat Aegystus, which slew Agamemnon, Atreus his son, whom Apollodorus would have to be descended of Plisthene, Atreus his son, as also Menelaus asserts; and this Eustathius, from Hesiod his Author, confirms, at the beginning of his Iliads, in these words;

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Where it is evident, that the Kingdome of the Mycenians was translated to the Pelopides, about the time that the Heraclides en∣joyed Peloponnesus; of which hereafter: for the Pelopides 〈◊〉〈◊〉 came into Affinity with the stock of Perseus; so that, of Nicippe, Pelop's daughter, Sthenelus begat Euristheus, as aforesaid.

Notes

• Vide 9. de doct. temp. c. 16. & 18.
• Bilidarum stirps.
• (a)

  Paus. Co∣rin. p. 58.
• (b)

  Euseb. Apol. 4.
• Danaus of whom the Grecians.
• Corin. p. 58. & vid. 9. de doct. Temp. cap. 18.
• (a)

  Apollod. 2.
• (b)

  Apollod. 2.
• Clement's error, Strom. 1.
• †

  Euseb. Chron.
• †

  Paus. Co∣rinth. p. 58.
• Perseus his sons.
• Hercules born. Eusebius no∣tatur.
• (a)

  Diod. lib. 4. p. 192.
• (b)

  Hyg. f. 81. &c.