¶ After the deathe of Oedipus Kinge of Thebes, his two sonnes Etheocles & Po­linices, dyd striue whether of them shold succede their father in the Kyngedome, vntyll theire agréement was made of this condition: that they shoulde rule by course, one yeare the one, the nexte yeare the other. Etheocles raigned syrst. But when his yeare was expired, hee would not geue place to his brother. [Page] Polinices, therefore by the help of Adras­tus, his father in law, king of the Argiues gathered an Army, came to Thebes, and fought with his brother, in which infor­tunate battel, bothe parties were almost slaine: so that yet thereof remayneth a Prouerbe. Adrastia nemesis. And the two brothers fygh­ting hand to hande were slayne, and be­ing put in one Fyre to be burned, the flame parted in twaine, so that their ma­lyce séemed not to be ended by Death.

¶ Velites were a kynde of lyght harne­shed Soldiars, who vsed great speares, & for practise, they wold tosse them before the skyrmish, & if néede were, euen then also, vse them against the enimy.

Lycambus promised to geue his daugh­ter [Page] Niobole, in mariage to the Poet Ar­chilocus, but afterward being bestly [...] ­ued with hir beawry, wold not performe his promise. With which iniury Archi­locus moued so sharply, inuayed agaynst them bothe, that for shame they hanged them selues. Neither lyued he long after for by the friends of Lycambes, hée hym selfe was also slayne.

¶ The latine word that I haue transla­ted to cursse, is deuouere, whiche rather signifieth to vow. In the olde tyme a­mong the Inchanters, there were two kyndes therof in greatest honor. By the one whereof, the gods, defenders of any citie (as euery citie had some) were cal­led out by the victorious enimy, least hée should séeme to cary the Gods captiue.

The other whereby either cities, coun­tryes, or men were vowed to the wrath of the Gods, for others healthe. As Decii father and sonne, Codrus Athenian king, [Page] Sceuola in the tents of Porsena, & a thou­sand other.

¶ Among the olde Romaines, ther wer two tymes wherin it was most diligēt­ly [Page]obserued, that no vnlucky word shold be vttered. The one priuat, which was eche mans byrth daye to him selfe. The other publyck, which was the firste of Ianuary, for all. On either of these they badde an opinion, that what soeuer was sayd, good or bad, it should come to passe.

¶ The Gods of the sea are Neptunus, Castor, Pollux, and a great sort else, of whome bicause Textor in his Officine, hath written at large, I wyll omyt to speake.

The Gods of heauen in greatest honor, who also drynk of the swéete wyne Nec­tor, are Iupiter, Mars, Liber, Apollo, Mer­cury, Vulcan, Aeolus. &c. The Goddesses Iuno, Mynerua, Diana, Vesta, Ceres, Ve­nus. Vide Textorem in capite de Diis. Tomo secundo.

¶ There be thrée Ladies of desteny, daughters of Demogorgon, and accor­ding to Tully of Herebus and Nox. Clo­tho, Lachesis, Atropos. who haue al mens lyues wounde, as it were on a distaffe, ready to be sponne. Clotho caryeth the distaffe, Lachesis draweth out the thréed, and Atropos breaketh it of: and then the lyfe of hym that is on their Spin­dels of necessitie must ende.

¶ Victoria daughter of Acheron and Stix, Styx a Floode in Hell. which did Iupiter very good seruice in the warres that hee had againste the Gyants, obtayned of Iupiter, that all the Gods should sweare by hir mother, and if any that had so sworne, had falsifyed his othe, VVhy the Gods doe sweare by Styx, the Floode in Hell. that he might not drinke of the swéete wyne Nectar by the space of nine dayes after, which thinge Iupiter graunted hir with all his heart: And for thys cause the Goddes do sweare by nothing els saue by Stix, she was the daughter of Acheron, and Terra.

¶ In Hell be thrée Furies, Furix in­fernales. Alecto, Si­phone, Megara, daughters of Acheron and Nox, and sisters by the mothers side to the thrée Parcae, their qualities are in many words described by the Poets euery where.

¶ Fauni, Satiri, Fauni. Satyri. be Gods that liue in the woodes, halfe men and halfe beastes, and if you lyst not beleue me, aske S. Bene­dict who talked with one of them a great while.

¶ Lar was a bewtifull Nimph, Lares children of Mercury and Lar. daughter of Almon, who perceyuing the loue of Iupiter and Iuturna, sister to Turnus, told Iuno therof, wherfore Iupiter being angry, commaunded Mercury to carye hir to Hell, who by the way being some­what bolde with hir, got hir with childe, whereof came two prety children called Lares, who in times past were supposed to be the houshold Gods.

¶ Floodes were Goddes, Floudes were gods Nilus. Inachus. Nimphe. as Nylus in Egypte, and Inachus, Ios Father, some were Nimphes, and some were halfe Goddes, who yet had not deserued Heauen: yet Iupiter cared for them, as [Page]in his irefull Oration that he makes in the counsell house in Heauen agaynst Lychaon may appeare. Reade the firste booke of Ouid Metamorph.

¶ Newe Goddes were lately canoni­sed, New gods as Caesars, both Iulius and Augustus. Of the maner of Deifying: Read Hero­dian in the latter end of his Seuerus, and Marco in his .1. libro de som. Scipionis.

¶ Theseus sonne of Neptune & AEthra, Neptune. Thescus. Aethra. Hippolitꝰ geuing too light credite to his wife Phe­dra that falsly accused his sonne Hippo­lytus, craued of Neptune (or as some say of his father who was made a God of the Sea) that he would destroy him, which in déede he did: for as once Hippolytus came in his Charyote by the Sea syde, Neptune sent out some of his Phocasis, which so frayed the yong mans Horses, that they ranne out of their way, and at length tare hym in péeces. You shall reade more of him in Hippolytus.

¶ Byrdes that were thought to im­port any euill lucke, were an Owle, a night Crowe, a Rauen, with diuers o­ther.

Thraces and Scithi, were coūted in times past as one, and they vsed one tongue. In theyr warres more then anye other people they vsed Bowes and Arrowes, bicause they were inuēted among them by Scythus Iupiter his sonne, of whome Scithia, was called.

Iaziges bordered hard on them, and prac­tised the bowe also.

Ganges a Ryuer that runneth from a­mong the Hylles of Scythia, (for of the head thereof I reade no certeyntie) it is of suche bredthe that where it is narro­west it is eyght myles broade, and com­monly an hundred. Wher it is shallow­est it is twenty yardes déepe, it is lewke warme, because it runneth oute of the East.

Ister, a great Riuer runneth out of the Hyll Arnoba in Germany, it is also cal­led Danubius, it runneth by many coun­treys. [Page]When it cometh into Illyria, it receyueth into it .lx. other Ryuers, and falleth into the North seas in seuen partes, and therefore is very colde.

¶ Tibris a floud in Italie, so called of Tiberius drowned therin, called in times past Albula, it runneth thorow Hethru­ria.

¶ It was in olde tyme counted a great mishap to dye in a straunge Countrye where none of theyr kynne myght close the eyes of the dead, or bewayle theyr corse. As maye appeare in the fyrste Epistle of Ouid, and also in many other places.

¶ In Hell be thrée dyuerse places, Three places in hel. the fyrste conteyneth Infantes, those that were put to Deathe by false accusation, those that kylled them selues, suche as dyed for loue, valyant Warryours and other, & thys place is in the entraunce as it were of Hell, as soone as a manne hath passed the Ryuer STYX. When a man hathe passed thys place, there be two wayes, the one leadeth to the hap­py féeldes, called Campi Elysii. The o­ther to the greate and terryble tower wherin the wycked men be tormented, some of whose punishments Ouyd pro­sequuteth as foloweth.

If you lyst to read more at large hereof, sée the sixth booke of Virgyl his Aeneidos and Homer in the leuenth of his Odisse.

¶ Sisiphus sonne of Eolus for trou­blyng those that inhabited Istuus, Sisiphus. was thruste into Hell, where he is punished with rowling a stone to the top of a hyl, which as sone as he hathe layed there, tumbleth downe backe, and he runneth after it to fetche it againe, and this doth he continually.

¶ Phlegias for despising the Goddes, was tyed to a Whéele in Hell. Sée the sixte of Virgyl his Aeneidos.

Some wyll vnderstand thys to be spo­of Ixion, Ixion. who desyred to lye wyth Iuno, or as Homer saith, with Latona. Which thing Iupiter perceuing, turned a clowd [Page]into the lykenesse of hir, with which Ixion accompaning, engendred thereof the Giaunt lyke Centaures, for which sin, Iupiter thrust hym into Hell. His punishment was as saith Virgyl, in the sixte of Aenedos, in this sorte.

¶ Lapithe, Lapithe. Ixion and PerithousIxion and Perithous are sette at a gorgeouse table, furnished with all kynde of delicate meates, but ouer their heades hanges a great stone, redy to fall vppon them, and before them, sittes one of the furyes that wyll not permit them to eate any byt of the good meat, so that they bée in double daunger as wel of the fall of the great stone, as also of famysh­ment, for lacke of foode.

¶ Danaus the sonne of Belus, Danaus. Aegiptus king of y^e vp per Egipt, hadde fyftye daughters, and [Page] Aegiptus his brother fyfty sonnes. Belus. Danaus Aegiptꝰ.

Aegiptus instantly desyred that his sons might mary his brothers daughters, but Danaus by no meanes wolde consent to that, bicause he hard of the Oracle y^t his sonne in law should kyll hym. Vppon which occasion, warre arose betwene the two brothers, and Danaus constray­ned by flyght to séeke saftye, sayled into Grece, where hauing expelled Gelamor, or as some saye, Stelenus, hee raygned fyfty yeares. Gelamor. Stelenus.

Aegiptus not content that his Brother was thus departed, gathered a great Ar­my, made his sonnes Captaynes there­of, and gaue them charge, that they shold neuer retourne, except they either had kylled Danaus, or maried his daughters. The yong men had so good successe, that Danaus of force, was constrayned to yelde vnto them. And in fine, concluded the maryage, Belides kild their husbands. and straightly commaun­dinge eche one of his daughters the fyrst night to kyll theyr husbandes, which thing sauing Hipermnestra, they all ac­complished. Hiperm­nestra. Linus.

She saued Linus of whō after hir father was slayne. She alone among fifty was [Page]found rather to haue preferred y^e rights of Matrimony and loue to hir husband, than the cruell commaundement of hir vnreasonable Father. But the rest of hir sisters, for the accomplishing of this enterpryse, are fayned of Poets to cary water in bottomles Tubbes, vntil they haue filled a Tunne without a bottome also.

¶ Tantalus, Iupiter his Sonne, Tantalus. by the Nimphe Plote, kinge of Paphlagonia, he had warres with Tros for the taking a­way of Ganimedes and being vouchsaued at the table of Goddes, Ganime­des taken away. hearinge theyr counsell, and detectinge the same, was therefore set in a riuer in Hell vp to the chinne, ouer whose head to his vpper lip hanged fayre ripe Apples, but when he catcheth at them, (as Homer sayth) a winde comes and bloweth them away: and if he stoupe to drinke, the water of it selfe declyneth, so that in greate plenty [Page]both of fruite and water, he is ready to dye for hunger and thirste.

¶ Titius the sonne of Iupiter and He­lara, he was counted the sonne of Terra, the Earth, because he was brought vp by his mother in a caue for feare of Iuno for rauishing Latoan, was tyed in Hel to a Rocke, where two Rauens come and féede vppon hys entrayles. Homer .11. Odiss. Virgil 6. lib. AEneid.

¶ Minos, AEacus, Iudices infernalesand Rhadamanthus the sonnes of Iupiter & Europa, for theyr vpright and iust dealing on earth, after their death, were fayned by Poets to be Iudges in Hell.

¶ Ida was a wood of Crete, whereof the Troyans who had their original in Crete called a woode of Phrigia harde beside Troy, Ida, In it be Pine trées that neuer decay nor waxe rotten. Theophrastus.

¶ Hybla a citie of Cicilia so named of a kinge called Hyblo, who betraying the same to the Megarenses, brought to passe that they builded it agayn, and called it Megara. Strabo writeth that the Dori­enses a people of Grece, builded it, & that the olde name therof remayned styl, for the goodnes of the Hony that was made there, and thereof called Mel Hybleum. Not farre from that towne there is an hill also called Hybla, whervpon grow­eth much Time, and many other flow­ers, whereof the Bées féeding, do make very good Hony.

¶ Crocus a younge man loued Smilax wel, Crocus & Smilax. he was turned into a flower of his [Page]owne name, we call it Saffron, and she into Ivy, this flower for the swéet odour therof, is much praysed of Homer, wyth Lotus and Hiacynthus: there groweth great store thereof vpon the hill Coriciū in Cicily.

Athos is a marueylous high hil, belon­ging both to Thracia and Macedonia, it was made playne by Xerxes king of the Persians, when he brought his army into Grece, the space of a thousande, fiue hun­dred pace, of our measure a myle and a halfe, on the toppe therof standeth a citie called Acron. Acron.

¶ The Poet here proueth that at hys birth, by celestiall influence, he was vn­happy: but bicause that the Astrologians doe in many wordes declare the proper­ties of the Planets, according to their ou-ses, coniunctions, aspects. &c. I wil talke thereof nothing at all, sauynge of [Page]that which in this place of necessity must be touched. There be vii. Planets, they be placed in order frō the lowest to the highest, thus. Luna, Mercury, Venns, Sol, Mars, Iupiter, Saturne, wherof two, Iupi­ter and Venus be always very good, and Saturne and Mars alwayes very euil, the other iii. Sol, Mercury, Luna, indifferent, that is, if either by coniunction, or aspect they beholde any good or badde Planet, they encrease his power and property.

¶ Lucius Aquinius a Soothsayer told the Senate or counsel of Rome, that Quint. Sulpibius redy to fight w^t the Frenchmen did sacrifyce to the Gods at Allia a flood in Italy, about .xv. myles from the city of [Page] Rome, in which battayl the estate of the Romanes were broughte to so lowe an ebbe, that it was thought they shoulde neuer haue recouered it agayne. Thys battayl was fought the .xvi. day of Iuly, and for that cause the Senate decréed, that no supplications on that day should be made to the Gods, Dies alli­ensis. and called it Ali­ensis dies, or Postriduanus: on which day Ouid fayneth Ibis to be borne.

¶ Ther may be two reasons alleged, why the Poet sayth that Ibis was borne in Ciniphia which is a country in Libia. Ciniphia. The one because there be good store of Gotes, whose sauour is very greuous to the nose, that he might taxe him of vn­sauourinesse, which exposicion his verse séemeth to approue. The other for that the scantnes of water in Africa is such, that diuers kinde of beastes doe come to drinke of the floode Cinips, or as some call it Ciniphus, wher they of sundry na­tures [Page]engendring togethers, procreate straunge monsters, that he might make him a monster also.

¶ The colours of Hell be lyke the rust of Iron, Color in­sernalis. so is Charon his Boat, that is the Fery man ouer Styx into Hell.

¶ The cloth that was taken from an euyll mans corse, was counted vnfor­tunate.

¶ A fyre of gréene wood is noyfull, be­cause it maketh much smoke.

¶ Howe cruelly Troy after .r. yeares warre was destroyed, each man doeth knowe. And that the occasion of the war was for Helena, wife of Menelaus kinge of Sparta, daughter of Iupiter and Leda, sister to Castor and Pollux, and Clitem­nestra wife of Agamemnon, general of y^e Grekes army at Troy, & king of Micene, [Page]whom Iupiter in the likenes of a Swan, begot.

¶ Philoctetes Peas sonne, Philocte­tes. companion of Hercules, enioyed his bowe and arrowes after his death, which were giuen hym, partly for that he made the fyre wherin Hercules was burned, partely that he should neuer disclose the place where he was buryed: but being afterward con­strained to manifest the same, Herculis sagittae. as he was comminge to Troy in the company of Vlisses with Hercules arrowes (without whych Troy myght not be taken) was therfore wonnded in the thigh with one of the arrowes empoysoned wyth the blood of Hydra, of which kynd were two in Hercules quiuer, the griefe whereof, draue him into such a madnes, that the Grekes of force were constrayned to leaue him in Beumos, yet some saye that he came to Troy, and was wounded in his returne, but Homer and our Ouid, in the 13. of Met. are of contrary opinion.

¶ Telephus sonne of Hercules & Auge daughter of Aleus, Telephus. being found amonge the busshes, was nourished by a Harte. He was afterward giuen by a certayne shepherd to Corithus kinge of Thessalia, Corithus. but when he had learned that his mother was banyshed the coūtrey by hir father for committing adultery with Hercules, he came into Misia, where findinge hys mother maried to Theutras king of that coūtry, and the king without heire, Theutras. him self was appointed successor in the king­dom after the decease of Theutras, wher he raygned when the Grekes landed in Misia, being by tēpest driuen out of their way to Troy, with whom also for mole­sting his countrey, he fought a valiaunt battayle, wherein he was wounded by Achilles, who had but his speare, Achylles. yet he constrayned them to retyre into Grece, but afterward being certified by the oracle, that he might not be healed, except he were wounded in the same place agayn [Page]by Achylles, he sayled into Grece, & pro­mised the Grekes that if Achilles would heale him, that he wold conduct them to Troy, and let them haue prouysion also for their army out of Mysia, which thing was done.

¶ Pretus, Pretus. Stenobea. Bellero­phon.Abas his sonne, kinge of the Argiues, maried Stenobia, or as some say Antia, daughter of Iobas kinge of Licia, had in his court a very beautifull yong man named Bellerophon, whō the quéene loued more than reason would permit, and many waies attempted to haue him lie with hir, but when by no meanes she could bringe that to passe, she tourned hir hot loue into extreme hate, and com­playned to hir husbande that he woulde haue rauished hir. Pretus herewith was much moued, yet would he not kill him in his house, but sente him with letters to Iobas his father in law, Iohas. wherin he de­sired that the bearer by one meanes or other should be flayne. When he came [Page]thether he was well entertayned, & had colorable good chéere store. But in the ende vnder a cloke of an honorable en­terprise the kinge sente him to destroy a Chimer, that molested the Licians, Chimera. to the intent that he might there be slaine, but he conquered the beast, and returned victorious. After this he was sente to sub­due a cruel kynd of people called Solimi, Solimi. which he did. To be shorte, after many valiaunt exploytes, the kynges malyce being turned into perfecte loue, for the vertue he sawe in him, and déeming that to be false whych his Sonne had tolde him, Achime­ne. maryed his other daughter Achi­mene vnto him. Stenobea hearing hereof hanged hirselfe. Bellerophon after thys, hauing a minde to sée what was in hea­uen, because he had Pegasus the winged horse (that was Perseus his before, ingendred of the bloode of Medusa, kyld by the said Perseus) he flew a great height, from whence lokyng downe he was so afrayd that he fell downe and brake his necke, but his Horse flewe into Heauen, and was placed amonge the Starres, this the Poets fayne. Reade his true history in Strabo.

¶ Phenix, Phenix.Amintors sonne, his grand­father was called Ceraphus, & his greate grandfather Ormecius, lay wyth his fa­thers Concubine, and being therof accused by his stepmother, he fledde to Peleus Achilles father, whose companyon he was always after. He was Achilles ma­ster, and went with him to Troy, but in the ende desirous to go into his country Phocis, coulde not sée his people because he was blinde. That some say he was made blynde by his sonnes, seeing they allege no cause why, séemeth not verye like to be true.

¶ He meaneth Oedipus, Oedipus his peti­gree. whose vnhappy stocke because it playeth a great part in thys Pageant, it shall not be muche amysse, if we fetche hys Petigrée some­what [Page]farre, we wyll therefore firste be­ginne with Iupiter, who begotte Helene, Hellene Belus, Belus Abas, Abas Agenor, Agenor Europa Cilix, Bassus, & Cadmus, Cadmus Polidorus, Polidorus Labdacus, Labdacus Laius, Laius Oedipus of Iocasta. Lains desirous to know what children he shold haueen, quired of the Oracle of A­pollo, by whō he was certified, y^e he shold haue a sonne which shoulde put him to death. He commaunded therefore, that all his men chyldren should be slayne. Oedipus was borne, and hauing put tho­rough his feete two withies was hang­ed on a trée, Polybia. where he was found by Po­lybia, a woman, who brought him vp to mans state. But beinge greeued that he knew not his parents, determined to go to Delphos, to enquire of them, whether at that tyme went Laius also to knowe what was become of his sonne. They met together in Phocis, Laius slayne. and stryuing for the way, Laius was slayne by Oedipus. After thys, hee ouercame the monster Sphinx, and attempted the kingdome of Thebes, & maryed the quéene, by whome he had two sonnes and two daughters, Etheocles Polinices, Antigone and Ismena, [Page]thus Diodo. Seneca sayth, that Phorbas a shepeherde found him hanging by the féete, and gaue him to Merope king Po­libus wife king of Corinth, of whom be­cause they wanted heirs, he was brought vp as their own child, but knowīg after by the Oracle that he should kyll his fa­ther, supposinge them to be his true pa­rents, fled from them, thinking by that meanes to auoyde his desteny, and comming to Thebes, kylled his owne father hunting in a forest, and maryed his mo­ther vnwittingly: but when he knewe hereof (which thing he did by the means of the plague that hapned to the Citie of Thebes) he would haue slayne himselfe, but his men would not suffer him, then woulde he haue caste himselfe headlong from a rocke, but his daughter Antigone who alway wayted vpon him, wold not permit him so to doe. When therfore by no meanes he could ende hys wretched life, he scratched out his ewn eyes. Sen. Diodorns siculus, writeth hereof farre o­therwise.

¶ Tyresias a Theban, Tyresias. sonne of Chyron and Othoriclo, was elected a Iudge be­twene Iupiter & Iuno, to determine whe­ther the man or woman was more en­clyned to lasciuiousnes, or most prone to accomplish the lustes of the fleshe. He gaue sentence of Iupiters syde, and con­cluded that women were the wantoner. Wherefore Iuno moued to anger put out hys eyes, but Iupiter comforted hys calamitie, and made him a Soothsayer. He foreshewed the takinge of Thebes, and when the Citie was ouerthrowen, he was ledde captyue amonge the rest, and drinkynge of the water of the foun­tayne Tilphusa, in hys Iourney dyed. Daphnae, alias Si­billa. His daughter Daphne, after called Sibil­la was wise in that arte, and wrote ma­ny answeres. It is called Apollos arte, for that he is the God of those that fore­shew things to come.

Phenix had thrée sonnes Cilix, Phineus.Phyneus, and Doriclus, Phyneus had two sonnes by Cleopatra, Orithus and Crambes. He put out theyr eyes, for that they were accu­sed of certaine mysdedes by theyr step­mother, in reuengement whereof, Iupi­ter made him blynde, & sent the Byrdes called Harpiae to molest him. Harpiae. But when he had receaued hostede & ayded the Ar­gonants. They were driuen from hym by two young men, Zethus and Calais, the sonnes of Boreas (the Northwynde) and Orithia, which could flye, and were also of the felowship of the Argonants. They were chased to the Ilandes then called Plote, Stropha­des insulae after Strophades, bicause y^e young men returned from the chase, be­ing admonished by Irys, that they should chase Iupiters dogges no further.

For which benefyt, Phyneus gaue coun­cell to the Argonants, that they shold fo­low the Doue that Pallas wold send thē, lest they ronne on the rocks called Saxa cyanea, otherwise Simplegades. But that Phyneus gaue them the Doue béesyde Apollonius Rhodius, none wryteth.

Polymnestor, Polymne­stor. king of Tracia maryed Ili­one daughter of Priamus and Hecuba To him when the warres of the Grekes and Troians began, Polidorus was sent Polidorus Pry­ams yongest sonne, and with him a great summe of Goulde, there to be kept, tyll the ende of the warres, whome while Troy remayned in good estate, Polymne­stor kept honorably. But so soone as the fortune of Pryam and the Troyans decai­ed, he killed his Clyent, for to enioy hys money, and cast him into the Sea, whose body after the destruction of Troy, was founde on the shore by Hecuba, Hecuba. who de­sembling the death of hir sonne, sent for Polymnestor, perswading him that she wold deliuer him an other great summe for the norishment of hir chyld. He bele­uyng hir, came into hir chamber, where of hir and hir maydens, his eyes were pulled out.

¶ Polyphemus was sonne of Neptune by Thoosa, Poliphe­mus he kepte shepe about the hyll Etna in Cicilia, after he had eaten sixe of Vlisses men returninge from Troy, be­ing dronken with wine, had his eye put out by Vlisses, The whole maner hereof is described at large in the ninth boke of Homer his Odisses.

¶ Orithus and Crambes for hurting Ide daughter of Dardanus, Orithus. Cramhes. their stepmother, by their father Phineus were made blind Se the story of Phineus.

¶ Thamyras, Thamiras sonne of Philamon and Argiope, as he came from Euritus kinge of Aethulia a Citie of Peloponesus, met with the Muses at Dorion, for boastyng that he could play better then they, had his eyes put out of them, and his harpe taken from him, his masters name was Linus. Linus. Demodo­cus.

Demodocus a harper, he had of y^e Muses both good and harme, he wanted his eies but was a singuler Musician: he is much [Page]praised of Homer in the .viii. boke of his Odisses. He sange at Alcinous table two songes, one of the adultery of Mars and Venus, the other of the bringinge of the woodden horse into Troy. Some thinke that by him, Homer meaneth hymselfe, and not without cause.

Here must you note that of whatsoeuer good qualities were in ani of these men, he wysheth nothinge to Ibis but their blindnesse.

Saturnus sonne of Coelum and Terra, Saturnus. cut of his fathers members, but the droppes that fell from that g [...]sh, Terra receiued, wherof were ingendred the furious Gi­aunts, and the Nimphes that Hesiodus in his Theogonia calleth Meliae. Of those members cast into the sea, after thei had swame a while & gathered a little fome, was created Venus.

¶ Ceyx, Ceix.Lucifers sonne, maried Al­cione, Eolus his daughter, who going to Delphos was drowned. His wyfe sacry­fyced dayly to Iuno for his safe returne. Iuno hauing pytie of her, for that she lost so much paine, set Irys to Somnus wyth commaundement that he should tell hir of the death of hix husbande. Somnus, he sent Morpheus (one of his thrée messē ­gers) who in lykenesse of hir husbande, appeared to hir by night, and certyfyed hir of all his state. In the morning she ryseth and goeth to the Sea syde, & fyn­ding the body of hir dead husband, would haue drowned hir selfe, but she was in the fall turned into a Byrd of hir owne name.

¶ Dedalion, Dedalion. brother to Ceyx, hadde a very faire daughter, loued of Apollo and Mercurie, hir name was Chione, she bare to Apollo Phalamon, (father of Thami­ras, of whome we spake before) the ex­cellent Musition. To Mercurye, the infa­mous théefe Antolicus, for comparinge with Diana in bewty, she was slayne w^t hir Arrowes, for grefe whereof, hir fa­ther was turned into a Hauke.

¶ Cadmus builder of Thebes, begat of Harmonia, the daughter of Mars and Venus, Agaue, Autonoe, Ino, Semele and Polydorus.

Ino, was maryed to Athanias, Ino. Athanias who in his fury thinking that his wife and children had bene wylde beastes, called for hys hūting nets to hunt thē. She had by him two sonnes, Clearchus and Melicerta, the elder wherof hys father catching, swing­ed about his head tyll he had bearen out his braynes againe the trées, Ino taking hir other chyld in hir armes went to the Sea mynding to caste hir selfe hedlonge thereinto. But in the mydst of their fall they were made he a god, and she a god­des of the Sea. Ino is called Lencothea, or Matuta, she helped Vlysses, Vlisses. when Nep­tunus his heuy friend hadde broken hys shyp, and would haue drowned him also if he might. All thys dyspleasure grewe, for putting out the eye of Polyphemus, hys dearely beloued sonne.

¶ Metius Suffetius, Metius Suffetius a traytor to Tullus Hostilius, making warre against the Fi­denates, after the victory gotten, was ty­ed to two chariots, and pluete in peeces. Liuius. li. i. Neither before nor after was any punished after such sorte in Rome.

¶ Marcus Attilius Regulus, Artilius Regulus. in the firste Carthagynian warre, generall of the Ro­mayne armyes, tooke Clypea a great ey­tie, and .300. other walled townes. The Carthagynians thinking their successe to be so yll for lacke of a good and experte captayne, sent to Lacedemon for one, from whence came Xanthius, and ouer­came him. Hys army being so faynt for lacke of water, and with continuall la­bor that of thyrty thousande not fower thousand would take theyr weapons & [Page]fyght for theyr lyues, in which battayle him selfe was taken prysoner, and after sent to the senate of Rome to intreat for the redemyng of the prysoners, wold by no meanes condyscend that one of them should be raunsomed. Him selfe also re­turned to cruell punishment voluntari­ly, for he had rather suffer any tormēts, then break his promise made to his eni­mie. He was kylled, Eubero. but after what sort it is not wel known. Some say that hée was constrayned to looke vpon the Sun with his eyes open & so to dye. And other sayth that he was constrained to watch, Tudita­ous. & so for lacke of sléepe to dye. Other that he was put into a barrell full of nayles & so dyed, which is most lyke to be true, Sillius. bicause his chyldren hauing the Cartha­gynian prysoners delyuered to them, put them to death after lyke sort.

¶ Priamus, Troyan king, Priamus. past all hope of safety, fled to the altar of Iupiter Hirceus which was in the mydst of his palace for [Page]succour, where by the cruell hande of pytilesse Pyrrhus he was slayne. Virgill.

¶ Hemon by Chalciope, Thessalus had alsonne called Thessalus, he was kyng of Thessa­lia. He receaued Eurialus, one of Coricira, a straunger, and entertayned him cour­teously. But he, notwithstandinge thys gentlenes, as on a time they walked vp­pon the Hyll Ossa in Thessalia, was by the sayd Eurialus caste downe hedlong, after this be kylled his sonne Neson, and was him selfe kyng of Thessalia. But in the ende, when he could not be purged of this murder, hee is reported to haue his head eaten styll with the furyes of hell. Which thing Ouid in the next verse affyrmeth.

¶ Mynos, Minos Dedalus. Cochalus. hauing receaued an iniury of Dedalus, for making of the Laberinth, pursued him with his nauy to Cochalus king of Sicilia, to whome Dedalus fled for succour, whose fauor with his ercel­lent workmanshyp he had thorowly gotten. As sone as Mynos was arriued in Sicilia, and began to destroy the cuntrye. Cochalus required him to commō of the matter, shewing him good hope that hée would delyuer Dedalus. Whereto My­nos agreyng, came to him. Cochalus had prouided for him a bath, in which he kept him so long, that with the vapors of the hot waters, he was murthered. Whose dead body he delyuered to hys men, af­fyrming that by chaunce he fell into the warme water & ther dyed. thus Diodo. Eusebius de temp. saythe, that hée was slayne of Cochalus daughters by crafte. He was sonne of Iupiter & Europa, king of Crete, and is one of the thrée Indges in hell. But how soeuer he died the Cre­tenses so hate the Sicilians, that which of them soeuer arriueth at eyther cuntrey, he is sure to be slayne.

¶ Iapetus begat of Asia Prometheus and Epimethus, Prome­theus. some saie, Atlas also, and Argos with the hundred eyes. Prome­theus made the forme or picture of a man, and desyred muche to haue lyfe in it. But how he myght bryng y^e to passe, he knew no way, tyll Mynerua caryed him into heauen, to shewe him the com­modities thereof, where he espyed the charyot of the sonne, to which he put his rule, & so brought fyre in to earth, wherwith also, he put lyfe in to his Image. For which déede Iupiter being very an­gry, commaunded Mercury, some saye Vulcane, to tye him to the hyll Caucasus, in Assiria, where an Egle continually eateth out his heart.

¶ Etracides, Etracides Cleba. settyng much store by Dorus sonne, Cleba, & geuing him what soeuer he would haue, was for all that slayn by [Page]hym, bicause the chylde was desyrous to be a warriar, after his death the lusty yonker gathered an army, and hauinge atchiued many valiant exployts, he buil­ded Cuma Phrytionia.

¶ Attalus shamefully abused a yōge mā called Pansanias, Attalus who complayned there of to Phillippe kinge of Macedonia, son of Amyntas, Phillip­pus. who dyd but lyttle regarde his complaynt, bicause Attalus was hys systers sonne. Pansanias therefore much moued with the kings vniustice, turned the vengance toward hym, & slewe hym. But bicause thys was not king Phillips louer, it séemeth the poet meaneth some other. I wold therefore take it to be spo­ken of Archelaus sonne of Amyntas also, and brother to Phillip, by an other wo­man, who assuredly was slayne by one whome bée beastly loued, and brutish­ly abused, then may you reade it thus. thus. Or y^e as Archelaus, thou maist &c. Arche­laus.

¶ Iolla, Iolla. Alexan­der mag­nus. sonne of Antipater, cuppe bearer to Alexander, sonne of Phylip and Olimpias, surnamed the greate for hys valiance, poysoned his mayster.

Thys Alexander, woulde neades be the sonne of Iupiter Hammon, whose image was lyke a Ram & that for this cause. At what tyme Bacchus sonne of Iupiter and Semele passed thorow the desartes of Libia, Bacchus. almost lost for water, Iupiter appeared to him in y^e likenes of a Ram, & betyng the grounde with his foot, cau­sed the water to come forth aboundant­ly, wherefore Bacchus erected a temple to hym, and set hys Image therein in lykenesse of a Ram, Corniger Iupiter. therof was he cal­led corniger Iupiter.

¶ Acheus, Acbeus. king of Lydia, compelled his subiects to pay new trybuts, with which things they moued, made an insurrectiō [Page]against him, Their captain was Attalus. Attalus. They toke their king, and to put him to more shame for his couetousnes, they hanged him w^t his head downward in the riuer Pactolus, which floweth with Gold. why Pac­tolus floweth wyth golde. And here it shal nolt be much amisse, to tell how that riuer became golden. Bac­chus greatly offended wyth the whole country of Thracia, bicause the women had kylled Orpheus his minstrell, came into Lidia, where he loste Silenus beinge drunken, but he was found by the Lidi­ans, and brought to Midas theyr kinge, who especially honored Bacchus, of whō he was very curteously entertayned a while, and after restored to Bacchus. For which benefit Bacchus willed him to aske what he woulde, and he should haue it. Midas desyred that whatsoeuer he tou­ched with his body might be golde. God Bacchus (for he was sonne to Iupiter and Semele) graunted him that gladly, and was sorowfull that he had asked no bet­ter thinge. He therfore glad of this gol­den graunt, thought to trye whether it were so or not, and taking diuers things in hys hande, sawe that all was Golde. Amid this ioy, his seruauntes prepared [Page]his dinner, he sate downe and thought of nothing but of Golde. He turned tren­chers, kniues, spoones, and all into gold. At length he fell to meate, which also as sone as he touched was golde. He then in danger of famishment, perceiued that he had played the foole, and desired hys god to release him of that graunt, and he would aske wiselyer next time. Bacchus was content, and commaunded him to goe washe hymselfe in Pactolus, and he should come into his olde forme agayn. Whych he did, and for that cause the ri­uer euer after flowed with Golde. But after that he could neuer abyde the city, nor any ryches, but lyued in the fieldes, and was God Pan his companion.

¶ Pirrhus begotten of Pithia, Pirrhus kinge of Epirus. daughter of Memnon, and one Alacides, of Achil­les blood, befieging Argos, where Antigo­nus kinge of Macedonia was, was kyl­led with a Tyle that a woman threwe. [Page]His head was brought to Antigonus, by Alcinous his sonne, but his body was honorably buried by the sayde Antigonus. Plutarch, Trogus, and Cornelius say, that he was deliuered to his owne sonne Be­lenus, and brought into Epirus, and there buried. He was surnamed Clacus, for his valiaunt déedes.

¶ Pirrhus the sonne of Achilles, Pirrhus sonne of Achilles. slayne by Orestes, Agamemnons sonne and Cli­temnestras, had his bones strowed about Ambracia a coast of Epirus. Some wyll vnderstande it of the other Pirrhus, of whom I spake before, and may well to, before he was buried.

¶ Heraclia, daughter of Hiero, Heraclia. king of Siracuse, in an vprore of the people was [Page]slayn with hir father and hir two daughters, although she fled to the altar of Ce­res, for which dede, Ceres sent a great pe­stilence among thē. Nereis. Laodamia Gelon. Other wil vnderstād this, of Nereis and Laodamia, onely leste of Pirrhus blood: the elder of which was maried to Gelon the kinges sonne of Si­cilia, & had by him a sonne named Mag­nates, whom she poysoned, because he would not lye wyth hir, of which Ouid in the next verse maketh mencion. The yonger in a tumult of the people (though he fled to the altar of Ceres) was slayne by one Milo, Milo. whych déede the Goddesse toke so displeasauntly, that she plagued the country almost to destruction. And he that kylled hir, the twelfe day after died, hauing cutte his fleshe before wyth sword & knife, and brused it with stones, and tore it with his téeth, and quite ra­uished of his wittes. His meaning ther­fore is, that although Ceres was greatly greued for this facte of Milo, yet if Ibis should be slayne at hir altar, she would be well pleased.

¶ Magntees, Nereis sonne, Magnetes daughter of Pirrhus by Gelon, poysoned by his mo­ther: as before.

¶ Cantharides, be gréene wormes, Cantharides. very venemous, commonly vsed for any kind of poyson.

¶ Oxilochus king of Pontus, Oxilochus Lewcnus. had a wife wyth whom his brother Levvcon com­mytted adultery, who hopinge by the meanes of hir adulteries to get the king dome, kild his brother, but she not ther­with content, to reuenge hir husbande, slew him, for which déede she was called godly. Part of this story read in Strabo.

¶ Sardanapalus, Sardana­palus. the last king of the As­sirians, the thirteth after Ninus, senne of Anacindaraxis, (by meanes of Arbactus. who desired to sée him, and found him in womans apparell, spinning among hys Harlottes) was put to great trouble, and at length driuen to suche an extremitie, that he was constrained to hide himself, and finding no safety that way, caused a great fire to be made, into the which he caste himselfe & all his precious iewels. Reade Iustine.

¶ Cambises sonne of Cirus Emperour of the Medes, Cambises. desirous to cōquer strange countryes, wente into Egipte, and sent [...] parte of his army to spoyle Iupiter Am­mons Church, all which were destroyed with a vehement tempest of Hayle. Iu­stine. & Herodotus.

Ochus who put downe the seuen wise men, Ochus. that at one time held the kingdom of the Persians, promysed to those that were partakers of his faction, that hee would kyll none of them, neyther by fa­mine nor poyson. Circumuenting them by this means, he caused a strong tower to be made, fylled it wyth ashes, ouer which was a trappe. Into that place he did receaue thē with a sumptuous feast, in which they drunken wyth too muchs wyne, fell a sléepe, and then the trappe pulled away, they all fell into the ashes, and were smethered therin. Valerius de crude. This Ochus was after called Da­reus secundus.

Neocles, king of Sicion, Neocles. a Citie in Achaia of Laconia, (so called of a kynge that [Page]raygned there, whose name was Sicion) for his crueltye was dispessessed of hys kingdome, and by honger and cold con­st [...]ayned to ende his life.

Hermias, Hermias. sonne of Acarnus tetrarche, (y^e is to say, the ruler of the fourth part of the East) had war with Memnon, Memnon. by whom being ouercome, was sowed into a bul­lockes skinne now slayne, and layd vn­der his table. And that his miserable life might last the longer, he had meat giuen him, so that he liued vntil the filthy ver­mine that brodde in the skinne newely flayne from beastes backe, did cause him to ende his vnhappy life.

¶ Alexander Phereus loued hys wyfe [Page] Thebe very wel, yet he feared death so, y^e whensoeuer he went in to hir, he wold send some of his gard to search, whether in any corner of hir chamber, was any weapon layd wherby he might be slayn. But for all his circumspection, at length he was murthered, because his wife suspected that he kept other women. Surely as Tully sayth he was in a wretched case, that did rather trust a company of barbarous soldiars (for of such were hys gard) then his naturall wife. Offic. 2.

¶ Alebas sonne of Thiodimas, Alebas. father of Argus, was king of Larissa, in Thessa­lia. He ruled with great cruelty, & thin­kinge that by no meanes he could lyue well and in safety without a gard, chose a number of valyant men, which he pla­ced about him, and at length was (for al his héede) by those men slayne, whom he had chosen to defende him from other.

Milo (to omit other thrée of that name) was king of Pisa, Milo. a country in Grece, he ruled with such tiranny that the people rebelled agaynst hym, and hauinge hym in their hands, tyed a great stone about his necke and cast him into the sea. Be­side him, Oenomaus and Salmoneus were kinges of Pisa, they all had euill endes, as after shalbe sayde.

Adimantus king of Philetia, Adimantus. which bor­dereth vppon Pontus, (or as some saye Thessalia) wold not vouchfafe to bestow any sacrifice vpon Iupiter, but despysed him vtterly, and saide that himselfe was more mighty than he. Wherewith lu­piter being dyspleased, kylled him with a thunderbolt.

¶ Amastrix was a citie builded by A­mastrix, daughter of Oxiatres, Ama­strix. and wife of Dionisius tirante of Heraclia, in Lem­nos. Out of that citie hir husbande was banished by Methridates, and fledde into a place called Achilles course, wher for­saken of his people, he was slaine by his enemy.

¶ Thrasillus king of Larissa, Thrasillus in an vp­rore of the people, was slayne by one Euridamas a Soothsayer: but wythin a while after the same Euridamas was by Simo brother of Thrasillus slayne, and drawē thrée times about the place wher Thrasillus (as the maner was) was bur­ned.

¶ Hector sonne of Priamus and Hecuba the glory of the Troyans, and terrour of the Grekes, was slayne by Achilles, and drawen at a horse tayle thrée times a­bout the wals of Troy, such cruelty she­wed he to his enemies dead body, vppon which aliue, he durst skant loke for fear. But as he cowardly kylde him, so he as shamefully misused him, a tokē no dont of a dogged nature, not to be approued in any gentleman.

¶ Hippomenes kinge of Athens, Hippome­nes. Limone. had a daughter called Limone, she was taken [Page]in adulterye, and by the commaunde­ment of hir father, shut vp with a horse that had no meate giuen him, to the in­tente that hunger pryckinge hym, he should deuoure hir, which came in déede to passe. The adulterer was drawen about Athens at a horse tayle, and pul­led in péeces. But he himselfe for this vnspekable cruelty shewed to his daughter, not longe after was banyshed hys kingdome. Ouid.

¶ Amimone, Amimo­ne. Satirus. Neptu­nus. Nanplius Vlisses. Palame­des. one of the daughters of Danaus, was loued of one of y^e Gods cal­led Satiri. To hir on a time being on huntinge by the Sea syde, came hir louer, and was somewhat busy with hir, wher with she not content, shot an arrowe at him and wounded hym sore: but for all that, Satyrus was somewhat sawey with hir, so that she had no power to defende hirselfe agaynst hym. She therfore de­syred Neptunus to helpe hir, who came [Page]and chased Satirus away, and for his cur­tesy she was content to let him haue to doe with hir, who at that time begotte Nanplius father of Palamedes the worthy Greeke, slayne of the Gréekes by the guylefull hate of crafty Vlisses, who al­wayes was his extreame ennemy: the matter was handled thus.

¶ At what time the Grekes prepared themselues to goe to Troy, to fetche a­gayne Helena the wife of Menelaus king of Sparta, stolen away by the adulterous Paris, sonne of Priamus. Vlisses detrac­ting the warre, either for the loue of his newe maryed wyfe Penelope, or els for cowardly feare, fained himself mad, and got dogs and foxes and other beasts, and yoked them together, and went to plow in the sande, and sowed corne therein. The Grekes desiringe to haue hym wyth them, and mistrusting the thynge, sente Palamades to espye his guyse, and to sée whether he coulde bringe hym or not. Palamedes came to the place wher Vlis­ses was at plough, and layd his sonne Telemachus in his way, thinkinge that if he were mad, he could not know his owne sonne, and by that meanes to trye the [Page]trueth: but if he were sober, he woulde passe by without hurting the child, which in déede he did, for as sone as he sawe his chylde lye before him, he draue on the one syde, and suspended hys plough, and so passed without harme to the chylde. Which thinge when Palamedes sawe, he toke him, and by force brought hym to the reste, who after in the warre dyd very good seruice. But Vlisses toke the matter in very euill parte, and thought in time to be reuenged on him: and this was one cause of his griefe. An other was, that Vlisses was sente to prouyde corne and other thynges, as were neces­sare for the campe, and retourned with out accomplyshinge any thinge at all. But Palamedes being sent to those same places, spedde so well, that he furnyshed the campe wyth all thynges necessary, as well as was possible. These causes moued Vlisses to greate hate, and to de­uyse all wayes possyble to destroy Pa­lamedes, (who in wytte was not inferi­our to any of the Grekes, and in corage surmounted them all, euen hym selfe Achylles) whych thynge at length he dyd in thys sorte. By the consente [Page]consent of Palamedes seruauntes, whom he had before corrupted with mony. He hid a potte of Golde in his tente, and put certayne letters into his cosers, that he himselfe had made. This done, he accu­sed him of treason, that he woulde haue betrayed the Grekes to Priamus, and had therefore receyued a summe of money, which he had hyd in the grounde in hys tent. This Palamedes denyed, the places were searched, the Golde was founde, Palamedes condempned, was stoned to death. His father Nanplius hearinge of this, at the retourne of the Grekes from Troy, made great lightes vpon the Pro­montorie Caphareus of Euboea. The Grekes supposinge that there had béen a Hauen, sayled thether, and as many as came néere perished on the rockes, wherof is great store there, and as many as came to lande, by his souldyours were slaine.

Euboea bordereth vppon Boetia, in it be two Promontoryes that make it fa­mous, Cerestus. Caphare. Cerestus which reacheth towarde Athens, and Caphareus whych reacheth Hellespont.

¶ Aiax Oileus, Aiax Oi­leus. for forcing Cassandra Pri­ams daughter in the temple of Pallas, in his retorne to Grece, hae hys shyp bro­ken on Caphareus Rocks, and him selfe was stryken with a Thunderboult by Pallas, and so wyth fyre and water de­stroyed,

¶ Marsias, sonne of Hiaguis, Marsias. the famous Musitian, pleased the rurall goddes and Nympes of smalskyll, with pype very well. Wherewith he became so proude, that he challenged Apollo The nyne Muses and Minerua were appointed Iudges of the controuersie, they gaue sen­tence of Apollos syde. But he thinking scorne to yelde and take Apollo for hys better, was hanged on a trée, and had his skin pulled from his back. The Nympes [Page]and Satyres, and the rest of that crue, dyd so lament the losse of his musike, that of their teares came the great Riuer of Phrigia called Marsias. Ouid. vi. Meta.

But I think it better to vnderstād this place of Aiax Telemons sonne, Aiax. Telemoni whose body was invuluerable, bicause, that when he was borne he was wrapped in the ly­ons skynne that hercules ware, sauyng a lytle place that was left vnceuered. and therein when he lost Achilles har­nesse, hée slew him selfe.

¶ Lycurgus, Iycurgus. sonne of Dryas king of Thracia, could not abyde Bacchus & his mates but expelled him out of hys country, & constrayned him to lurke in the marshy places or fennes borderinge thereon, at which tyme hee was receaued into Thetis bosome. Wherefore Lycurgus was after kyld by Iupiter. Other sayde that in despyte of Bacchus, he wold haue cutte downe all the Vynes in Thracia, [Page]but the god turned his axe againste hym selfe, whereby he cut of bothe hys owne legges. Which thing hys son reuenged, for presently after he slew all the priests of Bacchus, with out mercye.

¶ Hercules about to doe sacrysice vppon the hyll Oeta, Hercules. sent Licas to fetch his gar­mēt which he was wont to vse for that purpose, Deianira hys wyfe sent it hym, washed in the blood of the Centaure Nes­sus, which was a rancke poyson, bicause she suspected that Hercules was in loue with Iolle, daughter of Euritus kinge of Oechalia. For the Centaure had could hir that if hir husband loued any other wo­man, that that wold withdraw his loue, and bring it to hir againe. But so soone as Hercules had it on, he was so tormen­ted, y^e he was fayne to cast him self in to a fyre, and so to ende his lyfe.

Athamas, maryed Ino, Athamas daughter of Cad­mus, and Hermone or Harmonia, after he in his rage or madnes hadde slain his son Learchus, kild him self. Ouid. iiii. Me. [Page]Orestes, Orestes. father of Tissamenes, and sonne of Agamemnon and Clitēnestra, after he had kylled hys mother, was mad, which madnesse, Ouyd wysheth to Ibys.

¶ Callirhoe daughter of ryuer Achilous, Callirhoe. wyfe of Alcmeon, sonne of Amphiara­us, who went in to Acarnauia to be clen­sed, bicause he had killed his mother. He hadde children by two women, by the daughter of Phegeus, Alph [...]so­boe. Phepeus.Alpheseboea, and Callyrhoe aforesayd. But after he hadde refused Alpheseboe, and came to haue a­gaine the Iuels that hee had geuen hir, while she was his wyfe, he was slayne by Phegeus his father in law. Callyrhoe for reuengement hereof, craued of Iupi­ter, that hir children then infants myght be made men. Which he graunted, and they presently reuenged their Fathers death.

¶ Adrastus, Adrastus. Deiphila. had thrée daughters, Deiphila maryed to Tideus, shée was mother to Diomedes, Argia.Argia wife to Polinices, Egiale [Page]that was maryed to Diomedes. Aegiale. This Di­omedes went to the séege of Troy which the other Grekes, & in a battel happened to hurt Venus, who defended the body of hir sonne Aeneas. She therefore angry, Aeneas. caused his wyfe to make hir body com­mon to the most parte of the youthe of hir cytie, and besyde maryed hir selfe to Cylleborus, Steneleus sonne, Cillebo­rus son of Stenelus. Palame­des. by the per­swasion of Nāplius, who was enimye to all the Greekes, for the death of his worthy sonne Palamedes. But when Dio­medes came home and was kept from his cuntrey by the aduoulterer that had maryed hys wife, he much wroth fought a battaile and ouercame him, and chased hym so farre that if he had not fled into the church of Pallas, he had slayne him.

Yet for all that moued with shame, hée left his owne countrey, and came into Italye to Davvnus, and was curteous­ly entertayned of him. After that he sayled into Apulia, from thence to the Ilandes called (Diomede Insule) where his companions were turned into byrds called Heroide aues. In which place al­so is a white horse sacryficed vppon hys tombe, to him.

Hypermnestra of Locris, Hyperm­nestra. lay with the brother of hir husbande, and being almoste taken, yet escaped by the benefyt of the nyght, and kylled hir mayde, as thoughe she hadde done the facte, by that meanes thynking to colour hir owne mysdeade.

Amphiaraus, Amphy­araus. Iriphile sonne of Apollo. And Hi­permnestra, daughter of Thestius, mary­ed Eriphile, daughter of Thalaus, (though some say of Thelesther,) one of the seuen kings that beseged Thebes. Who bi­cause that he for feare that he should pe­rishe there, detracte the warre and hyd him selfe, & none, sauing his wyfe knew thereof. The other prynces desyrous to haue him with them, promised hir, if she would tell where hir husband was, that she shoulde haue the Iewels that some­time were Egiales, wife of Polinices: other say they were Iuels that appertained to [Page] Venus, which she receaued and bewraied hir husbād. In y^e Theban warre, he was swallowed vp w^t the earth. But before he wēt thether he gaue cōmaundemēt to his son Alemeon, y^e whē he was dead, his wife Eriphile, shold be sacrificed vpon his tomb. Which cōmandemēt immediatly after hys death, Alcmeon, fulfylled.

Cebalus, son of Amiclas, Cebalus. kinge of Lacede­mon, had two sonnes, Icarus who begat Penelope of Policasta, daughter of Lyge­us, & Tyndarus y^e maryed Leda, daguhter of Thestius, sister of Hypermnestra. By whom he had Clytemnestra, Helena, Cas­tor & Pollux. The poets fayne, y^e Iupiter lay with Leda in lyknes of a swan, she broght forth to him an egg, wherin was Pollux & Helena, who werimmortal, & to Tindarus, also she brought forth an o­ther egge in which was Castor & Clytē ­nestra, which were mortall. This Clytē ­nestra, by meanes of Aegistus, son to hir vnkle Thyestes, & hir adultrer, the same night y^e hir husbād Agamēnō came home frō Troy, killed him as he was bathing, by geuing him a shyrt to put on without sléeues. Who hauing his hāds as it wer fettered therein, was flaine by Aegistus Of the reueng hereof, rede in Orestes.

¶ Myletus, Miletus sonne of Apollo, fled out of Crete into Asia, where he builded a citie called after his owne name Miletum: to him Ciane, daughter of Meander, bare a sonne called Caunus, Caunus. Canace. and a daughter By­blis. This Byblis, loued hir brother with out respect eyther of hir honour, kynred or honesty. Which thinge when she had declared to hym by hir letter, hée detes­ting the facte, left his countrey, whome she folowed ouer many straunge lands, and last of all she came into Caria, wher by the fauour of the Nymphes, hir tears were turned into a well of hir mame. Ouid .ix. Metamor.

Sinas of Menalippe, Sinas. Menalip­p [...]. &c. begat Aeolous, who was king of one part of Thessalia, which after his name he called Aeolia. Aeolus had a daughter named Arne, by whome [Page] Neptune got two sonnes, Boetus and Ae­olus, two twinnes. Boetus succeded hys mother in hir kingdome. But Aeolus came into certaine Ilands of the Thus­can sea, which after he called of his own name Aeoliae insulae, wherof at that time Liparus the sonne of Anson was kinge, whose daughter he maryed, & was kinge after his father in lawe. But after this by Cleopatra, who was of the affinitie or stocke of the cruell people called Lestri­gones, he had seuen sonnes. Astiochus, Xuthus, Androcleus, Pherenon, Locastes, Agathirsus, and Machareus. And seuen daughters. Iphe, Eola, Periboea, Dia, A­stoicatia, Hephestia, and Canace, all were for their vertues much honored sauing Canace, Macareus Canace. who lay with hir brother Machareus, and had by him a childe, whych as she commanded hir Nurse to cary forth, vnhappely cryed out, so that her father heard it, and when he knew the matter, he commaunded the childe to be cast na­ked to the dogges, and sente his daugh­ter a sword, wherwith she slew hirselfe. But his sonne Macareus fled to Delphos and was one of the Priestes of Apollos church there, where he conspired wyth [Page] Orestes, to kill Pirrhus the sonne of Achilles.

Pelope hadde foure sonnes, Thiestes. Atreus. Pelope. but it is inough in thys place to speake onely of Atreus and Thiestes. Thiestes got of Eu­ropa his brother Atreus wife .ii. sonnes, which Atreus kyld and dressed for meat, and bad his brother to the banket, who came and eat of his owne children. But when he knowe therof, he asked counsel of Thoracle how he might be reuenged, who gaue aunswere, that if he lay with his owne daughter Pelope, he should in­gender of hir a sonne, which should suf­ficiently reuenge his wronge. Which he did, and gotte of hir Aegistus, who kylled Atreus, and in the siege of Troy, vsed Clitemnestra wyfe of Agamemnon, Atreus sonne, & after his returne, kild him also.

Mirrha, Myrha. daughter of Cinara king of Ci­pres & Cenchreis, (through the wrath of Venus, because hir mother was prefer­red before hir) loued hir father with wicked [Page]and incestuous loue, and at length, by meanes of hir Nurse, on a solempne feast of Ceres, whē hir mother was away lay with hir father. For the nurse tolde him that a very bewtifull mayd was in loue with him, but after he had accompanied with hir twise or thrise, desirous to knowe what his newe louer was, called for a candell, & perceauing that she was his daughter, drew his sword, & ment to kil hir, who fled nine moneths frō him, & he continually chased hir, til at length in the sweet country of Saba she was turned into a trée of hir own name. Of this shameful incest was borne the faire A­donis, whom Venus loued no lesse, Adonis than Mirrha did hir father, and that by the benefite of Cupide. Ouid .x. Meta.

¶ Nictimene daughter of Nicteus king of Aetheopia, syster to Antiope, Nictime­ne. after she had cōmitted incest with hir father, for shame, would not come in places where men resorted, but haunted the woodes, and other places desolate and voyde of company, till by the mercy of Pallas, she was turned into an Owle, and for that cause the Owle flyeth not but by night. Ouid .iiii. Metamorph.

¶ Lisidice daughter of Pelope, maryed to Mestor, had by him one daughter na­med Hippothoe, vppon whom Neptunus gotte two sonnes, Teleba and Taphus, who after their owne names called the people, Teleboe and Taphii. Taphus had a sonne named Pterela kinge of Thebes, Pterela. of whom Ouid speaketh here. He had on his heade a golden haire, which so longe as he kept, he had a promise by his grand father Neptunus, he shold neuer be ouer­come. He had fiue sonnes, Cromius the tyrant, Ampulus, Chersidamas, Mestor, and Eueres, with one daughter Cituetho.

Electrio at that time kinge of Micene, had by his wife Alexo fiue sonnes like­wise. Stratobates, Gorgophonus, Philomorus, Steneleus, & Licimius, with one daughter to Alcmena. Pterela desirous to haue Electrio his kingdome, Electrio. preuided an army and made his sonnes captaynes therof. Electrio did likewise, the armies ioyned, in whiche all Pterela hys Sonnes were [Page]flayne saue Eueres, and all Electrios, but Steneleus and Licimius. But the Taphii preuayled, and got a great praye of cat­tell and other goods. Which thing when Electrio knewe, he made proclamation that whosoeuer coulde reuenge that in­iury should marry his daughter Aleme­na. Amphitrio taketh the war in hand, and in the firste voyage he made, he fet­ched their praye agayne from Polixenus kinge of Elis, with whom Pterelas menne had lefte them. And in his retourne one of the kyne strayed from hir fellowes out of the waye, after which Amphitrio went, and thinking with a darte to haue hit hir, smote the kinge Electrio, and kil­led him. Wherfore Steneleus who succe­ded his father, pursued him vnto Creons kingedome, where he was purged of the death of his father in lawe. Which done he procéeded in hys former enterpryse, and came against the Taphii with a good army, againste whome Pterela made no lesse resistence. But by meanes of Citu­etho his daughter, all hys laboure was loste, for she sodaynly enamoured of Amphitrios bewty, cutte of hir fathers fatal haire, and brought it to Amphitrio, cra­uing [Page]his loue, but he hauing gotten that haire, killed Pterela, and cast of Cituetho and maried Alcmena. Aristarchus vpon Hesiodus.

Some say that Pterela was slayne by Creon, & that his daughters name was Polidice, and not taken with the loue of Amphitrio, but of on Cephalus who was Amphitrios companion in the warre.

¶ Nisus kinge of Megara, Nisus. Scilla. had a daugh­ter named Scilla, who takē with the loue of Minos, betrayed hir father vnto hym in this sorte. Minos determyning to re­uenge the death of his sonne Androgeus, slayne by the Athenians, in his way be­sieged Megara, which is about a twenty myles from Athens, thynking that if he mighte ouercome suche as woulde ayde them, he shoulde the easelyer subdue them. Nisus king of that city had a daughter named Scilla, who wold oft goe vpon the walles to sport hirselfe, because ther were certayne very pleasaunte stones. For when Appollo the God of Musyke, buylded the walles, he layde hys Harpe vpon certayne stones of the same, which by reason therof, obtayned the sounde of [Page]a Harpe, so that if any had smitten them with a counter, or with any sticke, they would haue sounded lyke a Harpe. And ofte she looked from the walles, and at length séeinge Minos wholy armed, be­ing taken with hys bewty, and not kno­wing howe to compasse his loue, deter­myned to cutte of the haire of hyr Fa­thers head, wheruppon the destenies o [...] hyr countrey did depende, and profer it to Minos, which she dyd, and opened the gates vnto him. But he detestynge hir vyle and vnnaturall facte, when he had taken the Citie, would not suffer hyr to enter into his shyppe. Wherefore she was turned into a Larke, and was con­tinually pursued of hir Father, who also was turned not lōg before into a hawke called by his owne name Nisus. Ouid in the eyghte booke of hys Metamorphosis sayeth that he was tourned into an Os­prey.

¶ Tullia, Tullia. daughter of Seruius Tullus, sée­med to beare but lyttle good wyll to hir father, for when hée was slayne by hyr husbande Tarquinus Superbus, she made such hast to enter into his possessions, y^e she draue hir wagon ouer his body, not yet buryed, whereof the place was cal­led Sceleratus. It is hard by the syde of Cyprus.

¶ Oenomaus sonne of Mars and Aegina, Oenomaus daughter of Asopus, some cal his mother Harpina, Hippoda­mia. hee had but one daughter called Hippodamia. This kinge on a tyme en­quyringe of the Oracle what tyme hée shold dye, receaued answer that he shold lyue, vntyl he affyanced his daughter to any man. For which cause he determy­ned to keape his daughter in perpetual virginitie. But for all that hée proclay­med that who soeuer coulde ouer runne him with horses, should haue his daugh­ter and kingedome. But he that was o­uercommed [Page]should dye. Thyrtene wo­ers were slayne. Pelops. At lengthe came Pe­lops son of Tantalus, to Pisa, with whose bewty the maidē Hippodamia takē, pro­mysed to Myrtolus the son of Mercury and Phaetusa, Mirtolus who draue hir Fathers chariot, that if Pelops myght bee victor, he should lye with hir the fyrst night. Myrtolus, glad of hir promise, made hys maisters arultrée of wax, which in the way with heat of the whéeles dyd melt, and breake, by meanes whereof Pelops wan the pryce, and Oenomaus thinkinge that the ende of hys life was come, kyld him selfe. Myrtolus crauing of Hippo­damia the performaunce of his promise, was by Pelops cast into the sea, that af­ter hys name was called Mare Myr­tolum. The race that the woers ranne, was from Pisa to the altar of Neptune in Istmus of Corynthe. Before y^e course, Oenomaus race. Oenomaus sacryficed a Ram to Iupiter, & the woers charyot drawen with few­er horses went béefore, whome Oeno­maus hauing fynyshed his sacryfice, fo­lowed: and if he ouertoke him, he wold w^t a speare runne him thorough. The heads of those that were slayne, were [Page]wherby they sholde be afraid to take on them the like enterpryses. To this story do belonge the two staues that folow.

¶ Atalanta daughter of Sceneus, Atalanta asking the Oracle what successe she shold haue in mariage, receaued answere, that aliue she should lose hirselfe: wherfore she ha­lowed hirselfe to Diana, and lyued in the solitary woodes. But because hir bewty was surpassing, least she should séeme to dispyse the good will of hir suters, ordey­ned that she wold be his wife that could out runne hir, but he that attempted the course, and was lefte behind, should lose [Page]his lyfe. Many were slayne, and whyle they were putting to death, Hyppomenes. Hippome­nes sonne of Megareus, there present, blamed much their rashnes, in bying a wif so deare, tyll at lēgth espying hir bewty, after hir face was vncouered, he was as much entangled in hir loue, as the rest. Wherefore determyning eyther despe­rately to dye, or els ioyfully to winne, vndertoke to runne with hir, sauinge first made his humble prayers vnto Ve­nus, who gaue him three Golden Apples that grew in Damascus in Ciprus, which he throwing aside, came first to the race ende, and thus by the benefite of Venus, he gayned his loue. But after through his greate ioye, forgettinge to geue her thankes for hir curtesy, moued her hea­uy displeasure towarde him, so that on a time as he passed through a groue, which Echion had dedicated to Sibela mother of the Gods, he was by motion of Venus, so sharpe sette, that euen there he muste néedes haue to doe with his wife. With which Sibela offended, turned hym into a Lyon, and hir into a Lyones, and for that cause Lions be sacred vnto the mother of the Gods.

¶ Androgeus, Andro­geus. sonne of Minos and Pasi­phae, surmounting al men in the games at Athens, fel into familior aquaintance with the sonnes of Pallas. Egeus fearing lest by the help of Minos the said sennes of Pallas, shoulde dyspossesse hym of hys kingdome, layde an embushment about Inoe in the land of Athens, wher he slew Androgeus wyth them, as he wente to sporte himself of Thebes. In reuenge­ment wherof, Minds made war to them and cursed them with famine and mor­talitie, both which thinges hapned vnto them. The Grekes destrous to be ryd of these plagues, asked counsel of the Oracle, what was best to be done, who commaunded them to goe to Aeacus, that he mighte doe sacryfice on their behalfe, which they did, by meanes whereof, all the cities of Grece, sauing Athens alone were deliuered. The Athenians therfore againe constrayned to consult the Ora­cle, were commanded to let Minos take [Page]what vengance he would for the death of his sonne. He therfore charged them to send him euery yeare, seuen men chil­dren and seuen maydes, to be deuoured of the monster Minotaurus, which thing they did, vntill the time that Theseus by means of Ariadne, slew him: this mōster was included in y^e cōberouse Laberinthe which Dedalus made in Crete. The first that deuised this kinde of building was Peresucus kinge of Egipte. In it were so many dores and wayes, that whosoeuer entered therinto, could neuer come out again. That which Dedal made in Crete wherof we spake before, hadde scante the hundreth parte of the difficulties of that Peresucus deuised.

¶ After Hector had kylled Patroclus Achilles his fréend. Patroclus. Achilles made a vow that he wold neuer eate nor drinke (thus Homer sayth) tyll he had kyld him, who slewe his frende, and twelue more of the valiauntest Troyans, whych he [...], and [Page]cast them into the fyre wherin the cerps of Patroclus, was burned. He raste in moreouer, foure horses & two doggs. &c. Reade more hereof in Homers Iliades.

¶ Sphynx, Sphynx. daughter of Cerberus & Echydua, had the head & face lyke a wo­man, bedy of a dogge, wyngs of a byrd, human voyce, and clawes of Lyon. She came to Thebes, and taried about a rock thereby: and to y^e men that passed by the place wher she lay, she propounded this Rydeil. What is that y^t hath two leggs, three leggs, foure legges. To those that coulde expounde the same, she premised the maryage of Iocasta, Queene of The­bes, and the kingedome for rewarde. To those that coulde not, she assured death. None could expoūd she same but Oedi­pus that sayd it was man, Oedipus. who in infan­fancy went on handes and feete, as if he had foure legs, in rype years vpright on two legs, in crooked age he tooke him self [Page]to a stafe as to a thyrd legge. Wherfore he had y^e rewarde aforesayd. This apper teyneth to the storye afore wrytten of Oedipus. Diodorus.

¶ Bystones, a people of Thracya, Bystones. from whence y^e Image of Pallas was brought to Lacedemon, the inhabytants whereof made a lawe, that all strangers shold be sacryficed to the Goddes. Many men of Lymnos were there, & according to the Edict though they fled into the Temple of Pallas to hir Image, were slain. With which crueltie y^e Goddesse moued, tour­ned hir face away, and so looketh styll.

¶ Diomedes, king of Thracia, Diomedes.in Tyrida a Citie therof, kept horses, which in man [Page]of brasse, tyed with Iron chaynes) he fedde with meus fleshe. Hercules cast hym into their Cribbe, when he fetched those horses away by the commaunde­ment of Euristeus, and Euristeus sacrifi­ced them to Iuno. Their broode centinu­ed vnto the time of Alexander the great Macedonian king, if we beleue Diodorus

¶ Therodamas had stables of Lions in Scithia, Theroda­mas. of which country he was kinge, which he fedde with mans fleshe, to the intent they might be the more fierce, if néede shold be, for he greatly feared that his people woulde rebell againste hym, whych if they attempted, he accounted that a remedie to suppresse their enter­prise.

Thoas borne in Lemnos, Thoas. sonne of Bacchus, and father to Hipsiphile, came into Taurica, at what time the women of Lemnos (as shalbe sayde anone) killed al the men of their country, to performe [Page]his vowe which he made, that he would be one of the priestes of Diana Taurice, to whome Hecate Thebus daughter, had erected a Church, and ordeyned that all such as came thether by any aduenture, should be sacrificed to hir. She first in­nented the poison Aconitū, very famous for hir crueltye, whych was hir onely practise.

¶ Glancus sonne of Anthedon a fisher, Glancus. Seilla. Caribdis. hauing caught certayne goodly fishes, de­siring to cary them very freshe into the Citie, layde them vnder a gréene herbe while he rested himselfe and dryed hys Nettes, but the fishes recouering theyr former strength, by vertue of the herbe, lepte all into the Sea agayne. Which thing when he sawe, supposing that ther was some great vertue in the herbe, ta­sted therof, wherby he became mad, and lepte into the Sea also, and was made a god of the same. And as he walked about [Page]in these costes, he espyed in Sicillia, Scilla daughter of Phorcus, and the nimph Cratheis a verye fayre mayde, wyth whose loue he was muche esprised, but she re­garded him not. Wherfore he wente to Circe an other Goddes of the sea, a very good Enchauntres, and desired hir ayde and counsell to obtayne hir loue, but she entrapped with his loue, sought al mea­nes to tourne his loue to Scilla, whyche when she could not, she came to the soū ­tayne wherin Scilla accustomed to bathe hirselfe, and poysoned the same, so that as sone as Scilla entred into it, she was from the Nauell downward, turned in to the fourme of a Dogge, that by suche meanes she mighte be lothed of hir lo­uers. She haunted the Sicilian seas, and deuoured sixe of Vlisses mates, and vsed much cruelty towardes him, because he was beloued of Circe, to reuenge hirself on the sayd Circe. As at length in the .xii. boke of Homers Odisses may appeare.

She was turned into a Rocke, that she myght not annoy Aeneas and his mates comming into Italy by the Sicillian Sea. Ouid .xiiii. Metamorph.

Caribdis is an other rock very nigh to the [Page]former Scilla, not so bigge as it, by the report of Homer in the .xii. boke of his O­disses. Who was a very gluttonous wo­man, which stole some of Hercules Oren away, and was therfore by him cast into the Sicilian sea.

¶ Poliphemus deuoured sire of Vlisses companions, as is sayde before. Polyphe­mus. Vlisses. Acclus.

After Vlisses had lost the windes whych Acolus had giuen him, by the vndiscreetenes of his felowes, he came to Lamus a citie in Lestrigonia, whereof Antiphates was king. The inhabitants therof were Grants, he sent thrée of his men to craue some curteous entertaynment, but An­tiphates eate one of them, and the other two fled to the shippes, and were so sore handled, that Vlisses loste eleuen of hys ships, and had much adoe to escape with his owne alone. Homer .x. of Odissus.

Amilcar captayne of the Carthaginen­ses, Amilcar. in the time of truce, toke the counce­lers of the people called Acerrani, and drowned them in ditches, and after cast stones vpon them. Some thinke he meaneth of Anniball Amilcars onne, Annibal. which made a bridge of deade bodyes ouer the fludde Gella, thereby to conuey ouer his army.

¶ In the .22. boke of Homers Odisses, Vlisses. Penelopes, proci.Vlisses kylled all the woers of Penelope his wife, by the helpe of Telemachus his sonne, and of such hir maydes as had be­haued themselues not chastely amonge the sayd woers, Melātius. he kanged. Melanthius, who brought wepons to the woers that they might kill his lorde, was verye cruelly mangled by Vlisses and Telema­chus, and after slayne. Firste he had his nose and eares cutte of, then hys priuye members pluckt away, lastly his hands & féete cut away. He kept Vlisses gotes.

¶ Antheus sonne of the Earth, Antheus king of Lixa in Libia, where the Orchardes of Thesperides were fayned to be, was a noble wrastler. He killed many, for when hys feete touched the grounde, he was made stronger of his mother. Whych thinge when Hercules perceaued, that wrastled wyth hym, he toke him in hys armes from grounde, and helde hym so harde that he dyed therewith. He had a wife named Vigenna, and a daughter called Tingenna, which was forced by Her­cules, of whom was begottē Siphax, who in the honor of his mother builded a Ci­tie, and called it by hir name Tingenna, where hys graundfather was buryed. Whose Sepulcre when Sertorius com­maunded to be broken vppe, in it was found a body, 70. cubites long. Plutarch.

¶ The women of Lemnos for despising the sacrifices of Venus, Lemniace. mulicres. by hir wrath be­came verye lothsome, so that they and a ranke and [...]otish odour, wherefore they were lothed of their husbandes, who for that purpose went into Thracia, to gette them newe wiues. But in their returne their old wiues conspired against them, and kylled them wyth all their Concu­bins, saue Hipsiphile who saued hir Fa­ther Thoas, as is sayde before. And that their sonnes might not reuenge y^e death of their Fathers, they killed them also. So that they left none of the male kind aliue in their countrey.

¶ Thrasillus (but Ouid in his first boke of the Art of loue, Thrasil.ꝰ. calleth him Thrasius) when Egipt had wanted rayne .ix. yeres, came to Busiris, and tolde him, that if he would haue rayne, he must do sacrifyce [Page]to the Goddes with men. Busiri therfore began with him, and continued that cu­scome vntill Hercules time, who sacrifi­sed the tyrant himselfe, and thereby ob­tayned rayne.

¶ Pigmalion vsed to sacrifice men, Pigmaliö. and was himselfe so serued, he was brother to Antheus. But it shalbe better as I thinke to reade for Antheus, Anceus, and vnderstande this place of Busiris, Busiris & Anceus. Astipalea whom Hercules slew, as is sayd, for Anceus and Busiris were Neptuns sons by Astipalea.

Diomedes fed his horse with mans flesh, Diomedes. and was at length himselfe cast to them by Hercules. As is afore rehearsed.

¶ Nessus, promysed to cary Deianira Hercules wyfe ouer the fludde, Euenus on hys shoulders, & also Hercules after. But hauing caryed hir fyrst he wold not fetch him afterwarde, but ment to haue rauished hir, and was therefore slayne by Hercules, with an arrow. The tale is well knowne of all men.

To leaue the tale of Dissimanus Iphiclus his sonne, Dissima­nus. that pleaseth Domitius Calde­rinus, whose neck Hercules brake frō y^e top of a tower at Terynthus: bicause he came to fetche againe the horses of hys brother Euritus that Hercules had driuen awoy. Or Ormenus, y^t denied his daugh­ter Astidamia, to Hercules, & was there­fore slayne by him. We will reade for Dissimanus, Dixima­nus.Dixmianus. This Dixmia­nus had three daughters, Theronice, Te­riphone, & Deianira. Theronice, was ma­ryed to Ctatus, and Teriphone to Euritus, which both were Actors sonnes, whem Hercules kild about Cleonae, as they wēt to Istmus to sport them selues. Cteatus, of hys wyfe gate Amphimacus, Euritus of his Thalpis. Deianira his yongest daugh­ter [Page]was deflowred by Hercules, who pro­mysed at a day to returne and mary hir, in the meane time came Eurition, sonne of Ixion, and a Clovvde, & asked to haue hir in mariage. Hir father for feare graū ted his good wyll, and ordeyned the ma­ryage to be against the tyme y^t Hercules appointed to returne. At the day prefixed, Hercules came, and kylled Eurition, and maryed his wyfe, and of this man mea­neth Ouide, who was brother to Nessus.

¶ If we read Neptune, Hippolite we must vn­derstande this of Hyppolitus, whome Theseus (sonne of Neptune and Ethra,) begat of Hippolite the Amazone. Of whome we spake tofore.

But if we reade Saturne, as in myne o­pinion it is better, then must we vnder­stande it of Periphaltes, Periphal­tes.Vulcanus sonne and neuew of Saturne. This Saturne, be­gat Iuno, Iuno, bare Vulcane, Vulcane, begat Periphaltes. He was a famous théef, called by an other name Corinetus, Corinetus. Epidau­rus. & slaī by Theseus, not far from Epidaurus, wher [...]

¶ Sinis a famous théefe, Synis. who tyed such men as he ouercame to the tops of trées bended together downward, and after let them vp againe, and so killed them. He was slain by Theseus, vpon whose daughter Perigone, the same Theseus begot Menalippus.

Sciron a famous théefe, Scyron. kept the Grekish seys, and to suche as hee ouercame, as hée satte on the toppe of a hyghe rocke, he profered meate with his foote, whome (when they toke it) he spurned downe the rocke. Some think that this was the father of Peleus & Thelamon. He was slayne by Theseus, & cast hedlōg down y^e same rock, from whence he had cast many other. He haunted the places néere vnto Megara.

¶ Poliphemon and his sonne Procustes were also flayn by Theseus. Poliphe­mon pro­custes. This Procu­stes vsed such as he caught thus. He had a bed, in the which he wold lay all straū gers, and if they were to short, he would [Page]with a rack draw them out vnto the iust length therof: and if they were too long, then would he cut of the ouerplus. He haunted not far from Athens, at a place called Cordulus.

¶ The disformed Minotaurus was slayn likewise by Theseus as is said afore. Minotau­rus. But here it shall not be much amisse, to tell how it chanced that Pasiphae Minos wife bare such a child. Minos was accustomed to sacrifice euery yere a bul to Neptune, The fairest of al pleased Pasiphae so wel that she craued of hir husband so much, why Pasi­phae loued a bull. y^e he saued him. Wherfore Neptune dis­pleased, made Pasiphae to cast hir loue on him, & by the means of Dedalus enioyed hym, & brought forth a sonne that from the sholders downward was like a bul, but vpward like a man. Ouid .viii. Meta.

Pitocamptes dwelte in the straightes of Istmus, betwene the two Seas, Pitiocāp­tes. Ionium and Aegium. He was a théefe, and such as hee toke, he tyed to the boughes of [Page]Pine trées, and so tore them in péeces. He was kylled also by Theseus, in lyke sorte as he had kylled others.

¶ Ceres hated Cercion for two causes, Cercion. one was for that he kylled hir daughter Alope, because Neptune had a chylde na­med Hippothoon by hir, in whose Citie she was well receiued when she soughte hir daughter Proserpina. An other for that he troubled the whole countrey a­bout hir Citie Eleusis, wyth hys notable robberies and murthers. She was ther­fore very glad when she sawe him slayne by Theseus.

Achimenides sonne of Adamastus, Achime­nides.Vlisses companion at Troy, was lefte by him in Poliphemus denne in Scicilia, vntill he was deliuered by Aeneas, about thre moneths after, as Virgil in the thirde boke of his Aeneidos declareth at large.

¶ Irus, called first Armeus, after Irus, Irus. bicause of his singuler craft in begging, was stayne by Vlisses in likenes of a begger at his owne house in Ithaca. Homer in the of his Odisses.

The latter two verses séeme to allude to the condicion of beggers, who cōmonly sitte to beg their almes on brydges, because moste resorte passeth that way. The more be of them, the lesse shal each mans part come to. He wisheth Ibis to be a begger in company wyth a greate sorte, that his part of the almes may be very small.

¶ Some vnderstande thys of Tryptole­mus, Triptole­mus. a yong man, both bewtiful and ho­nest, ofte allured with many promyses to doe yll, but he would not, & they read for prayers, riches. But I think he mea­neth it of Flutus, Plutus.Ceres sonne, wheme la­sius beget in Trypolis a Citie of Crete, that made all ryche which came to hym. And thys is the reason why I thinke t [...]s. He wyshed beggery vnto him be­fore, alwaye to continew, and if he hap­pened to come to Plutus, who made all men rich, yet he wisheth y^e to hym onely he would change his nature, and graunt him nothing.

¶ Erysychthon sonne of Triopa, Erysych­thon. kinge of Thessalia, despysed the gods, & the more to anger thē, he cut down an Oke which was fyftene yardes about, whereinto a Nymphe was transformed. This Oke was sacred to Ceres. Vnder the same all the Nymphes of the woods were accus­tomed to dysport thē selues. For which iniurye Ceres sent one of the Nymphes to Hunger, to request hir, that she would reuenge that despyte on Erysychthon, which she dyd, & set hym on such a hun­ger, that all the meat in his kingedome was to lyttle for him, he soulde all that he had, and last of all, his daughter Me­tra, wyfe of Autolicus, who had bestowed hir maydenhead on Neptune. She pety­ing hir Fathers case desyred Neptunes help in recōpēce of hir curtysy in tymes paste shewed vnto him, & he gaue hir po­wer to change hir selfe into all maner of lykenesses. She would therfore be sould for any kynde of thinge, and therwith sedde hir Father tyll all hir wyles were spent, and euery man knewe hir well, [Page]and no man would buy hir. Hir father therfore voyde of all succor, eat his own flesh, and so at length miserably tormented, died. Ouid in the eight boke of hys Metamor.

Tideus king Oeneus sonne, Tideus. some saye of Mars and Althea, other els of Mars and Eribea, in the Theban warre was deadly wounded by one Menalippus, whose hed he desired greatly to haue. Which when Canapeus, or as some affirme Amphia­raus, had brought it him, he ready to yeld his life eate the braynes therof. Which thing Pallas espying, who came to make hym immortall, feared with the cruell déede, would not performe hir promise. But for all that he fulfylled hys cruell minde, and desired of Pallas, that immor­talitie for his sonne Diomedes, whych he could not get himselfe.

Pelops, Tantalus sonne, Pelops had foure s [...]nes had by Hippoda­mia. iii. sōnes Plisthenes, Atreus, Thiestes, and Chrisippus by an other woman, whō he loued aboue the rest, & therfore when he died he made him his heire, whom A­treus & Thiestes slew. Plisthenes dyed & left .ii. sonnes, Agamemnon & Menelaus whom Atreus brought vp, and they were called therfore Atrides. So y^t there were but they two left, & they continuall ene­mies. Mercury enemy to al Pelops stock for the death of his sonne Mirtilus, as is saide before, putte a Ram with a golden fléece into Atreus flocke, A Ram with a goulden fl [...]se. therewith to set thē together by the eares, thynking that by one meanes or other Thiestes would haue the same, and it came so to passe in déede. For Aerope Atreus wife conuey­ed the same into Thiestes flocke, for she loued him better then hir husbande, and had by him diuers children. Atreus mis­singe his Ram, was much offended, & by violence thought to haue him again, but by meanes of fréends a fained agrement was made betwene them, & Atreus had [Page]his brother to supper. Against his com­ming he kyld all the children that he had by his wyfe, and made him great chéere, with some partes of them sodden, some baked, and some rosted. Which offence sodetestable, Phebus espying, turned his horses, and neuer after would loke vpon him.

¶ Licaon Archadian king, Licaon. receiuing Iupiter into his Palace curteously vnder pretence of good chéere, kyld one of the Am­bassadors of Molossus, and made meat of the same, meaninge also that if Iupiter perceyued it not (for there was a talke that he was a god) to kil him in like sort. But Iupiter much offended with his cruelty, thynking that simple death was to small a punishment for this so great an offence, turned him into a Wolfe. Ouid i. Metamor.

¶ Tantalus bidding Iupiter and the other Gods to a banket, kild his sonne Pelops, Tantalus. to see whether they knewe it or not. All the Gods abstayned, onely Ceres eate vp a whole shoulder, which the Gods after the ende of the feast (casting their heades together) restored, but not of flesh, for in the place therof, thei made him a sholder of Iuory, Pelops eburneus. wherof he was caled Eburneus Pelops.

¶ Terus kinge of Thracia, Terus. sonne of Mars and Caucasea, helpynge afflicted prynces about him, amonge other he ayded Pan­dion kinge of Athens, greatly ouerchar­ged with his neighbours, and in recom­pence of his trauel, toke to wife Progne his daughter, & caryed hir into his king­dome. After she had bene there aboute a fiue yeres, she desired to sée hir sister Philomela greatly, and requested of hir hus­band that he would go to Athens & fetch hir. Which he did, and in the way home ward forced hir, and lefte hir among his shepecotes, that he might the oftner and safelyer resorte vnto her. And to the intente she shoulde not bewray hym, he plucked oute hir tongue, but she not contente wyth hys dealyng, wrote with [Page]hir blood the whole mynde of hir vsage, & sent it to hir sister Progne, vnto whom Terens had tolde beefore, that she was dead. Which thinge moued hir greatly, so that she fayned a sacryfice to Bacchus, & went to the place wher hir sister was, and brought hir home to hir palace, kyld hir sonne Itis, made meat of him, & caused hir husbād to eat of it, and after cast the head into his bosome. Wherwith he half enraged tooke his sword in hand, & wold haue slayne them both, but the mercy of the Gods prou ded a remedy, for Terens was turned into a Lapwynge. Progne into a Swalow. Phelomela into a nygh­tingale. And Itis into a Phesant. Ouide. vi. of Metamor.

¶ Medea flying from hir father Oeta, Medea Absirtus ca­ryed hir brother Absyrtus with hir, fo­lowing Iason into Grece, whom she hel­ped in takinge the goulden Fléese from hir father, for which Iasō was sent by his [Page]vncle Peleas. Wherewith Oeta moued, prepared a nauy, and folowed the Argo­nants, whereof Iason was Captaine, and pursued thē so neare, that Medea to stay his course, kylled hir brother Absyrtus, and strawed his members abrode, & that hys griefe myght the more increase, she dyd styck his head vppon a pole. Which Oeta espyed, he bestowed so much tyme in gathering the pieces of his slayne son together, that Iason and his mates had cōuenient time to escape. Ouid in y^t third booke de Tristi. declareth thys story at large.

¶ Perillus, Perillus. thinking to please the cruel tyrant of Agrygentum Phaleres, made a Bull of brasse, wherin whosoeuer were cast, & a small fyre made vnder the same wold make a noyse lyke a bull, & bring­ing the same vnto him craued a reward for his paines. As Ouid in the fourth of his Trist. sayth. Phaleris intendinge in­déede [Page]to try that workmanshippe, com­manded hym forthwith to be tormented in the same.

¶ Phaleris, Phaleris. after he had tormented ma­ny in Perillus Bull, and exercysed much cruelty, by the space of syxten yeares o­uer the Agrygentines, was taken by hys subiectes, and hauing his tonge cut out, was caste into the same. The Poet cal­leth it Paphian worke, bicause the brasse whereof it was made came from Pa­phos a citie in Cyprus, from whence the best brasse accustomably came.

¶ Medea hauinge made Aeson, Aeson.Iason hys father yonge againe, and Bacchus nurses also, Peleas. was intreated by the daughters of Peleas, who was brother to Aeson, and great enimie to to his neuew Iason, that she wold make their father yong againe [Page]also. She doubted much at the fyrst, and made the matter very dainty (notwith­standinge glad that so good occasion was profered to be reuenged of hir husbādes enimie) at length with much adoe graū ­ted in assurance their request. And the better to perswade them that she coulde doe it, she kylled an olde Ram, and with hir medecines made him a lamb agayn. Herewith they wer fully persuaded that she was able to doe this, so that they promysed hir many gyftes if she wold make their father yonge again. They agreed of hir rewarde, and she bad them kyll him, and caste his members cut in small pée­ces into a caldren of hote water, where­to saue Alceste they all agreed, & dyd the same.

But when Medea hadde done that, she came for, shee wente to the toppe of a tower fayning that she had a sacryfice to doe, and with hir dragons was caried in the aire, and gaue Iason a token of his vncles death, who to establysh his king­dome the better, gaue hys daughter Euadne to Eueus sonne of Cephalus, Am­phimone to Andremon Leontheus bro­ther, and Alcesta to Admetus: thus [Page]thus was Pelias Admetus father in law. Ouid. vii. Meta.

¶ In the midst of the citie of Rome hap­pened to be a great cleft in the earth, Curtius. and the soothsayers made answere that Stu­lio Manius (a God) craued a valiant man to be giuen him, & if he had not one, that the city shold shortly be destroyed. Cur­tius to deliuer the city from so great danger, all armed vppon a goodly courser, with his sword drawen in his hand with a ful galloppe rode into the same, which immediatly closed vp, and the place euer after was called Curtius Lake.

After Iupiter had stollen Europa, Agenor. Cadmus. hir fa­ther Agenor king of Phenicia, sent Cad­mus [Page]to séeke his sister on this condicion, that either he should bring hir againe, or els neuer returne again himselfe. Cad­mus after long séeking and smal finding, for feare of his father, durst not come in to his owne countrey, but went to aske counsell of Apollo, what was beste for him to doe: of whom he was comman­ded to folow a yong oxe that neuer was yoked, that had the signe of half a Moone on one of his sides, and to builde a citie where he firste lay downe, which he did, and called the cuntry Boetia, and his city Thebes. But on a time sending his men for water, and marueyling that they re­turned not agayne, going to séeke them himselfe, and finding them all slayne by a great Dragon that belonged to Mars, so that there was no moe lefte aliue but himselfe alone, he was greatly gréeued. But for al that, he set on the serpent and kylled hym, to whom after came Pallas, (his good maistres,) and bad him sow the téeth of it in the grounde, whereof arose sodainly armed men, that sodainly flew one an other, so that if Pallas had not cō ­maunded Echion, Ideus, Cromius, The inha­bitants of Thebes.Pelorus and Hiperenor to cease, because Thebes [Page]should be inhabited, they had all ben de­stroyed by mutuall woundes.

¶ Pentheus begat Odasus, Pentheus. MenetiusOdasus Mene­tius, Menetius Creon and Iocasta, whych was maried to Laius, of whom in Oedi­pus you may reade more before. Creon begat Hemon and Menetius, of whom in this place Ouid speaketh. He killed him selfe for to deliuer his countrey from a pestilence that Mars sent, for the killing of his Dragon by Cadmus. Read Seneca his tragedy. This stock of Oedipus his, and Achilles, with Tantalus, were very infortunate. Who was Medusas brother (if Ouid meane one of the thrée systers called Gorgones) for my parte I neuer read, Archilo­chus. excepte Archilochus had any sister of that name. How he was slayne, reade in Licambes in the beginning.

¶ Coronis daughter of Coroneus, Coronis. when Minerua had geuen Erichthonius shut in a basket to be kept to hir selfe. Pandrasos Persa, and Aglanros, daughters of Ce­crops, with charge that they should not loke into the same, and they contrary to hir commaundement had loked there in and found a dragon. Coronis bewray­ed the same, and told it abrode, wherfore Minerua banished hir from hir company. Who after walking by the sea side was espyed by Neptune, who would haue ra­uyshed hir, but she by no meanes would be perswaded to leaue hir virginitie. Wherfore when she was at poynt to be forced, she was by Minerna turned into a Crowe. Ouid. ii. Metamor.

¶ Osiris, Osiris. whom the Egiptians do worshyp for a God, was slayne by his brother Ti­phon, and cutte into péeces, and for that cause in his sacryfice it is not lawfull to haue a knife.

All Cibeles priestes were gelded, Cibeles Prestes coribantes Atis. & mo­ued with a diuine fury in their sacrifices daunced. They were gelded, because at the first she louing Atis very well, being a bewtiful yonge man, & he not willing to do hir pleasure, cut of his Demisaris. He would faine haue ben gone into his country again, from whence she had ca­ryed him against his will, but she mea­ning to stay him still with hir, sente one of hir Lions to feare him, wherewith in deede he abashed, ran into the woode, and euer after was one of hir priestes, till he was turned into a Pine trée. Hitherto doth belong the nexte stafe that particu­larly speaketh of Atis.

Cibels priestes beside that they daunced, they played also on instruments.

How Cibel the mother of the Gods tur­ned Hippomenes & Atalanta into Lions you heard before. Hippo­menes and Atalanta

How Hippomenes vsed his daughter Li­mone taken in adultry, I told you afore.

Cassandrus that raygned in Cassandrea, Cassādrus a part of Macedonia, for his cruelty, of his subiectes, was ouercouered with ashes, and so dyed. Another of that name who succeded hym, was also for his tiranny buried quicke.

Erectheus begat Cecrops, Cecrops Metion Metion Canace a daughter, Canace bare Abas, Abas gotte Colchodon, Colchodon [Page]Elpenor,Acrisius. Danae. Perseus.Elpenor Acrisius, who begat Da­nae. This Acrisius hearing of the oracle that his daughters sonne shoulde dispos­sesse him of his kingdome, would graunt hir in mariage to none, but included hir in a tower of brasse, so y^e no man myght come to hir, but Iupiter turned hymselfe into a shower of Golde, and came in by the Loouer of the castell, and got of hyr Perseus. Whych thynge when Acrisius knew, he toke him with his mother and put them into a tun, and caste them into the Sea. But they shortly after were brought by water to Polidectes kinge of the Isle Seriphon, who married Danae, & brought vp Perseus well, but after sente him to many dangers. But I néede not in this place tell how he had of Mercury his slippers, Pegasus and a helmet, a croo­ked sworde of Adamant of Saturne, and a shielde of Pallas, nor how he ouercame the thre sisters, daughters of Porcus, Eu­riale, Stheno, & Medusa, which had all but one eye, thei were called Gorgones. The story is at large described in the fourth & fifte bokes of Cuids Metamor.

The story of Telephus in the beginning is set forth at large. Telephus.

¶ Theodotus, king of the Bactrians, Theodo­tus. was sacryficed by Arsace king of Persia, to A­pollo, after he was ouercomed in battel.

¶ The people of Abdera, Abdera. (which is a ci­tie of Thracia) dyd vowe a man for the common wealth of all, at the beginning of euery yeare, and the man that was thus vowed was stoned to death.

¶ Hippomenes, father of Limone, for the cruelty he shewed to hir, was disposses­sed of his kingdome as I sayde before. Which thing his sonne Prester tooke ve­ry heuely, Prester. & rayled vpon the gods shame­fully, & was therefore slayne by a thun­derboult of Iupiter.

So was Atrax, bicause hée bewrayed [...] [Page]of Iupiter with his daughter Dosithoe. Dosithoe.

Semele sister of Autonoe, Semele. as in the peti­grée of Cadmus may appeare, was well beloued of Iupiter, which thing whē Iuno espyed, she came to hir in the lykenes of an olde woman, & bad hir aske of Iupiter, that he wold come to hir as he did to Iu­no. Which thing obtayned, came to hir in his maiesty, armed with thunder and lightning. But she (poore wench) for fear vntimely brought forthe hir sonne Bac­chus, Bacchus. & died. But Iupiter toke the childe and sowed him in his thigh vntill the ful time of birth came. By this meanes Bacchus was twise borne.

Ops sister of Maia, had by Sisiphus a son named Porphirio, Porphirio who following his fa­thers impiety, was slayn of Iupiter with a thonderbolt.

Phaeton sonne of Phebus & Climene, Phaeton. rod in his fathers chariot, & gaue light to the earth a péece of a day, but being not able to guide the horses right, burned almost both Heauen & earth, and had don much [Page]more mischiefe, if Iupiter of his pitie had not with a thonderbolt striken him out of the chariot, and so out of heauen he fel into the riuer Eridamus. Ouid .ii. Meta.

Salmoneus, Eolus his sonne, Salmone. counterfey­tyng Iupiters thonder in earth, was by a thonderbolt slayne of him.

Menius, Licaons son, brother of Calisto, Menius which was after a stirre in heauen, cal­led Arctos, seing his fathers house on fier & his father himself turned into a wolfe, reuiled Iupiter, and was therfore by hym slayne with a thonderbolt.

Macedon a quene of Macedonia, with hir husband for impietie, were burned with Iupiters lightning.

Thrasus a yong man, Thrasus. welbeloued of Dia­na, on a day as he came to do sacrifice to hir early, was by the dogges that garded hir temple torne in péeces. Wherefore she requested hir brother Apollo to send a plague among them, which ceased not vntil al the dogs of the Iland were kild.

Acteon son of Aristeus & Autonoe, Acteon. wea­ry with long chase of wilde beasts, came into a valey of Gargaphia, ther at a fayre fountain to coole himselfe, but as yll for­tune was, Diana wyth hir mates were come thether before to bath themselues, who so sone as she saw Acteō come the­ther, lest he shoulde bewray what he had séene, turned him into a Harte, and so he became a pray to his owne dogs.

Psamate daughter of Crotopus, Linus had a son by Apollo called Linus. Linus Whō as he came from playing out of the fieldes, the dogs of his grandfather Crotopus fare in pée­ces. Wherwith Apollo was so sore dis­pleased, Pena [...]a monster. that he sent amonster called Pe­na, to plague the people of the countrey. [Page]Which monster would pull the infants from their mothers brests and deuower them before their faces. This monster was after slaine by Corebus. Corebus.

Orpheus sonne of Oeagrus & Caliope, the Muse, maried Euridice, Euridice. who walkig with the maidens about the fields, hapned to treade on a serpent, which by misaduen­ture did so sting hir, that she dyed therof. Ouid .x. Metamor.

Hipsiphile for sparing hir father Thoas, Hipsiphile was sore persecuted of y^e women of Lemnos, wherfore she fled to Licurgus king of Grece, and was nurse to his child named Opheltes, Opheltes alias Ar­ [...]hemorus. or otherwyse called Archemo­rus, about the tyme that Thebes was be­sieged. For when the Grekes by meanes of a great drought could haue no water, for that all the fountains sauing Langia, Langia. were dried vp, & they could not find that. [Page]They craued of hir that she would shew them to the same, which thinge she pro­mised, and the better to doe it, she set hir childe out of hir armes, which before she returned, was flayne by a serpent.

Laocoon, Laocoon.Neptunes priest, suspecting the horse, that the Grekes set before Troy to be full of crafte, perswaded the Troyans to sette the same on fyre. But false Si­non with his fayned oration, had so be­wytched theyr wyttes, that they would not be ruled by him. He therefore wyth a speare ran against the same with suche force, that the harnes of the Grekish captayns (as saith Aeneas in Virgil) resoun­ded againe, & therefore was with his .ii. sonnes slain by serpents in the wrath of Pallas.

¶ Elpenor, one of Vlisses companions, ful of good wine at Circes house, was dis­posed to clyme, but he fell from the lad­der, & brake his necke. Homer .x. Odiss.

Hercules with Deianira his wife, left his fathers in lawes Oeneus house, because Condillus, Condillus or as some cal him Ciathus his butler powred foule water into his handes, and he therfore gaue him a blow on the eare. After his departure wyth hys sonne Hilus, he came to the flood Euenus, wher he flew Nessus, as is saide before. Nessus. Euenus. Driopes. Thioda­mas. After this he came to the Driopes, whose king at that time was Thiodamas, vnto whom he sente hys sonne Hilus to craue some meate, for the childe was very hungry, but the king would giue him none. Hercules therefore much dyspleased, by force toke some of the kinges oxen, and made therof meate for himselfe and hys company. Wherfore Thiodamas willing to reuenge this iniury, came with a band of his people, & assaulted Hercules & hys companyons so sore, that Hercules was faine to arme his wife & desire hir ayde, & was himself sore woūded in the brest, but at the last he got the victory, & slewe the kinge. After the victory he brought the Driopes into Thracinia, Hyla. & caried with him Hyla the daughter of Thiodamas being [Page]entangled with hir bewty.

¶ After Hercules had slayne Gerion, and by the commaundement of Euristheus, brought away his oxen, be came into Ita­ly, then called Hesperia, and put them to pasture aboute the hill Auentinus, nowe one of the seuen famous hils in Rome, in which hill, Cacus. Cacus Vulcane his sonne had a denne, and practised spoyling of the trauelers which passed that way, & hearing of Hercules Oxen, he came and toke dy­uers of them, and that they might not be found, he pulled them into his denne by their tayls. Hercules missing thē, seketh al the cuntry for them, but findeth them not, he therefore determyned to departe thence without them. But as he was goinge away, he heard some of them loow. With which he called back again, sought so long that at length he found the caue, before the mouth whereof, Cacus hadde layde a stone so great, that tenne couple of Oxen coulde not moue the same, thinkyng by that meanes to be safe inough. [Page]But Hercules layed his shoulders to the same, and at lengthe wyth much payne remoued it awaye. And after longe and terryble fight, he kylled Cacus, and so re­couered agayne hys cattell. This tale is written by Ouid, in the firste boke of his Fasti in many wordes.

¶ Licas seruant of Hercules, Licas. brought him the poysoned garment whereof I spake before, for whiche déede, by Hercules he was cast into the Enboicke sea. But be­cause he was not gilty of the crime, Te­this turned him into a rocke.

¶ Theombrotus readyng Platoes boke of the immortality of the soule, Theombrotus. was so moued with ioyes of the same, that presently he caste hymselfe from the toppe of a Rocke, thereby the sooner to attayne to them.

¶ Egeus commaunded his sonne Theseus going into Crete to the Laberinth, Aegeus. (as the custome was) to féede Minotaurus, that if by any good fortune he returned again safe, that he shold in the stede of y^e blacke murning sayles wherwith his ships out ward were decked, put on white. But he returning safe by meanes of Ariadne, as is sayde before (and also in my booke of Theseus and Ariadne) for ioy remēbred not his fathers commandement. Theseus. Ariadne When therfore the father saw his ships return w^t the black sailes, thinking that his son had bene dead, (for he sat at the top of a tower styll waiting for y^e same) hée cast him selfe hedlonge into the sea, whereof hetherto the sea is called Mare Aegeum. Astianax, Astianax son of the noble Troian Hec­tor, was by Vlisses and the Grekes, caste from the top of one of the hyghest tow­ers in Troy: for feare least if he lyued, he should reuenge the deathe of his father and the destruction of his countrey vp­pon [Page]them. Seneca.

¶ Ino sister of Semele mother to Bacchus, Ino. by that meanes was his aunte, and she also nursed hym. She was wyfe of Athamas, and flyinge the rage of hir husbande, cast hir selfe from the toppe of a rocke into the sea, as is sayd before.

Perdyx, neuew vnto Dedalus, Perdyx. Dedalus. was by his vnckle for spyte bicause he inuented the sawe and compasse, caste from the toppe of a hye tower, but by the mercy of My­nerua before he came to the grounde, he was turned into a Partych, called in la­tyn Perdyx. And thys is the cause that a Partych neuer wyl either breede, or syt in trée, least she sholde againe breake hir neck with the fall. Notwithstandinge Plinye in his seuenth booke saythe, that Dedalus inuented the sawe. But Ouyd in the eyght booke of Metamor. is author of that I sayd before.

¶ Ilice daughter of Ibicus a Lydian, Ilice. was beloued of Mars, but by Dianas ayde she was safe from his violence. But she not content therewith would rayle on him & reuile him shamefully, wher w^t he much moued, kild hir father, and she therwith becomming mad for gréefe, cast hirselfe hedlōg into the sea frō the top of a rock.

¶ Paphages king of Ambracia, Paphages. hapning to méete a Lionesse great with yong in his garden, was by hir toren in peces.

¶ Licurgus had a sonne that was called Brutes, Idmon. on a day hunting the wild Bore, was oppressed so sore that he had no way to scape but by taking of a trée, yet for al that ere he was vp, the bore caught him and pulled him down again, & slew him.

¶ Idmon one of the Argonants, he came [Page]last (for he knew being a soothsayer, that he shold die therin) in Bithinia, was slayn by a Bore.

Thoas a famous hunter in Andriegathia which is inhabited by the people Possidoniatae, Thoas. vowed the heades & féete of all the beasts he could take to Diana. But on a time getting a wonderfull great Bore, he hanged vp to hir only the head on hir trée, wherwith she offended, as he slepte vnder the same trée, made the same head fal vpon him, and so he was slayne.

Atis & Nauclus slepig vnder a Pine trée were both slayne, Atis. Nauclus. with the fall of apples that fell from the same.

Of the great debate betwene the men of Crete. [Page]and Sicilia, Sicilia. in the story of the death of Mi­nos, siayne by Cocalus, in the pursute of Dedalus, I haue sayde before.

¶ Alcidice daughter of Alebas a Larisseia, Alcidice. Licoris. was with hir husband Licoris by the fall of their house slayne.

Euenus sonne of Mars, Evenus. Marpissa. & kinge of Etolia, had a verye faire daughter named Mar­pissa, who compelled such as wold mary his daughter to run a course with horse, with him. Such as he ouercame, he nay­led their heads to his gates, thereby to feare other from like enterprise. Idas. Idas supposed the same of Aphareus. But in déed Neptunus receyuinge of his father verye swift horses, ouercame Euenus, & caryed away his daughter. But Euenus folow­ed him to haue put him to death, but his horses were so good that he might not o­uertake him, wherfore for spite he caste [Page]himselfe into the flood of Etolia, called thē Licorba, but afterwarde of him Euenus. While Idas fled, Apollo mette him, and would néedes haue taken his wyfe from him, but he would not suffer him, by reason wherof they had come to blowes, had not Iupiter sente Mercury to determyne their controuersy on this condicion, that the woman should be set betwixte them both, and chose whether she list. But she toke Idas & forsoke Apollo, fearyng lest he when she shold be olde & full of wrin­cles, wold forsake hir & set hir at nought.

¶ Tiberinus was drowned, and lefte his name to the riuer that runneth through Rome.

¶ Eurialus and Nisus two very faythfull freades, Eurialus. Nisus. sent ambasadours to Eeneas frō Ascanius, beseged by Turnus. As they passed thorow the tents of the Rutili, kylled Ramnetes and many moe. Eurialus put on him Ramnetes armour, and in the morning was spyed by the horsemen of Volscentes, and slayne. Nisus who had es­owne [...] [Page]caped the daunger and missed his frend, returned agayne, and séeing him among his ennemies fighting, desired with hys owne life to redeme his, but Volscentes for all that kild him. Nisus then not min­ding to liue after the losse of so faythful a frend, came in amonge his ennimies, wher after he had slain Volscentes, & wel reuenged his death, was slayne vpon his dead corps. Virgil .ix. Aenei. Their heads on the tops of two speares, were set in the tents of the Rutili, which séene of the Troyans, moued them to greate mour­ning and sorow.

¶ Brotheus sonne of Vulcane & Minerua was for hys deformitie so despysed, Brotheus. that Iupiter would not make him immortal, for which cause he ashamed of himselfe, willingly lept into a fier.

Cherillus a Poet, Cherillus. wrote the acts of Alex ander [Page]the greate, & for his paynes it was agréed, that for euery good verse he shold haue a crowne of gold, and for euery yll one, a stripe with a whip. In al his work were but seuen allowed verses, but the number of the ill was so great, y^e he was slayne with his stripes. Of him Alexan­der was wont to say, that he had rather be in honor the deformed Thirsites, then in Cherillus the valiant Achilles. Some say that this Cherillus was famished for his paynes.

Archilochus for his rayling boke that he made against Licambes & Niobole, Archilo­hus. was banished from Lacedemon, and his boke was condempned. But some say that he was by Licambes fréends slayne, as I in the beginning sayde.

Aristophanes inuaying against the praise of Athens, Arifio­phanes. y^e the Oratours in their bokes [Page]had set forth, was by publike authoritie pyned to death. So were also Anaxan­drides & Menius, & Anaximines as Pausa sayth. In. vi. histo.

An other Aristophanes invaying against the strength of one Menechius a wrastler in that Tragedy of his owne name cal­led Menechius, Aristo­phanes. was by publike consente banished Athens, and after slayne.

¶ Orestes quit of the madnes that he had for the killing of his mother, hauing surrendred the kingdome of Micene to hys sonne Tisamenes, was slayne by a Ser­pent.

¶ Eupolis, Eupolis. Medilla. sonne of Nicea and Glicerium, some call hir Medilla his wife, the fyrste [Page]night they lay together were foūd dead. It is likely, that eyther they were very heauy, or els the bed very weake, that it must fall vpon them the first night they lay theron.

¶ Licophron an auncyent Poet, Licophron wrote the sayings of Cassandra, and comprysed in one short volume, a briefe summe of all the tales that the Grekish Poets had inuented. On a time as he contended a­bout the principalitie of the olde Poets, was by his aduersary slayn with an ar­rowe. Some thinke there were two Li­cophrones that wrote either of them one of the aforesaide workes. But I sée no reason why one might not do thē both.

¶ Pentheus kinge of Thebes, Pentheus. sonne of E­chion & Agaue, daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, (who were tourned into ser­pents) despising the sacrifice of Bacchus, [Page]was therfore by him turned into a bore, and hunted and kylled by hys mother Agane, and his auntes Ino and Autonoe. Ouid in the third of his Metamor.

¶ Antiope daughter of Nicteus and wife of Licus king of Thebes, Antiope. refused for suspitiō of adultry, was forced by Iupiter, and conceaued .ii. sonnes, Zetus & Amphion. Hir husband Licus in hir roume toke an other wife named Dirce, who perswaded hir husbande to put Antiope into prison. But she preuented that mischiefe, & sled to Epopeus, with whō she brought forth hir .ii. sonnes, which she left with certain shéepeherds of that cuntry. But Nicteus moued with the impudency of his daughter, desired Licus to fetch hir againe, whiche he did, & killed Epopeus, and gaue hir to be kept to Dirce, as if she had bene hys sisters childe. But she not liking hir ke­ping, fled again, & came to hir sornes, to whō the shepeherds detecting the whole matter, caused them to séeke reuenge of their mothers harme. They therefore [Page]came to Thebes. & toke Dirce, and tyed hir to wilde buls, & so tore hir in péeces, & had also by policy slaine Licus, if Mer­cury had not giuen him warninge there­of, so that he prouyded safety wyth hys héeles.

¶ Howe Philomela was rauyshed by hir syster Prognes husbande Tireas, Philomela I haue sayde before.

¶ This tale also is noted before.

¶ As Acheus deuising his poeme walked about his orchard, Achens. a swarme of bées set­led on his head, & he busied to driue them away, lost his eyes with their stinges.

¶ Prometheus vncle to Pirrha, Promethe'Epimethi­us daughter, was tyed to Caucasus, and a birde eateth his heart. You may reade more of him in the beginning.

¶ Astiages sonne of Ciaxaris, Astiages. last kinge of the Medes, saw in a dreame, a vine grow out of the wombe of his daughter Man­dane, Manddne. that ouer shadowed all Asia, & con­sultinge with the wyse men theron, had answere that she should beare a sonne, that should be kinge of all Asia, and dis­possesse him of his crowne also. Where­wyth Astiages troubled, would not giue hys daughter in maryage to anye neble man, leaste nobilitie of his fathers syde, annexed to the noblenes of his mother, might make his neuew of more corage. He therfore wylling to abate his hawty stomake with base parentage, marryed hys daughter to one Cambises a Persian, of low degre, yet not therwith deliuered from the feare of his dreame, sent for hir [Page]when she was with chylde, that the In­fāt borne, might before his face be slain. The chylde was borne, and by Astiages delyuered to hys trusty counseller Har­pagus to be destroyed. Harpagus But he fearinge that if the kyngdome after should come to Mandane, (because ther was no heyre male) that she would reuenge hir childes death on him, which she could not on hir father, Mithri­dates. gaue the same to Mithridates the kinges shepeherd, who cast the childe in a wood, to be a pray to wilde beasts, and as sone as he came home, tolde hys wife of the childes fortune, who at that time bad brought forth a dead childe. She therfore desired hir husbande, to laye hirs in the sted of the other, wherto at length he agreed, and when he came to the childe, he found a Bitch geuing it sucke, & bea­tinge away the foules and beastes, from the same. In proces of tyme, the childe was by lofte made a kinge in pastime a­monge children, and had to name Cirus, Cirus. and such as would not be ruled he caused to be beaten with whips. Wherfore one of them named Artembares, Artem­bares. tolde his fa­ther, and he thinking scorne that gentle­mens children shold be beaten of a shepe [Page]herdes boy, tolde the kinge thereof, who sente for the childe, and asked him howe he durst beate them in suche sorte, who answered that he did lyke a kinge. Asti­ges moued with his constancy, called to minde his dreame, and séeing him so like his daughter, enquired narowly the matter, and founde that it was his Neuew. Wherfore he toke him home, and bany­shed him vnder an honorable colour into Persia. But he bare a grudge to Harpa­gus, and in reuengement therof he kylde his sonne, & caused him to eate the same, and hereof speaketh Ouid here. What came afterward of all these parties, you may read in Iustine, which Master Gol­ding hath well translated.

¶ Mamerthes brother of Sisaphon king of Corinth, Mamer­thes. for great desire that he had to be king, killed his brothers sonne that was heire to the crowne. Wherefore be was of Sisaphon torne limmeally, that is to say, each péece from other.

¶ Theocritus the worthiest Poet that e­uer wrote, Theocrit'. of shepeherds affaires prefer­red before Virgill, wrote against Hyero his sonne, of whom he was broughte to the gallowes in sporte, to cause hym to leaue his rayling. Where beinge asked whether he would leaue his euill saying of the Kinge or not, began to rayle the more. Wherfore by the kings comman­dement, though he were brought thether in iest, yet was he hanged in earnest.

Of Marsias stryfe with Apollo you may reade before. Marsias.

¶ After Perseus had slayn Medusa (from whose necke came Chrisaor, Perseus. Chrysaor. Pegasus.and Pegasus the wynged Horse oute of hir wombe) [Page]as he rode vppon that sayde flying horse, in Ethiopia, Andromeda. he spyed Andromeda, daugh­ter of Cepheus and Cassiope, for hir mo­thers falte tyed by commaundement of Hammon to a rock, to be deuoured of a monster of the sea. Whome he on condi­tion to haue hir to wyfe, delyuered. And at the mariage daye came one Phineus brother of Cepheus, to whom she was be­fore hir mischance affianced, and would haue hir by force from Perseus, but he shewinge Medusas head to hym and his mates, turned them all into stones. Ouid .iiii. v. of Metamor.

¶ Glancus of Potinum despysed Venus sacryfices: Glancus. wherfore she sent such a mad­nesse to hys mares, that as he rode, hée was toren by them in péeces.

How Glancus Scillas louer was drowned by vertue of an herbe, Glancus alter [...]. is sayd before.

¶ Glancus, Glancas tertius. sonne of Minos and Pasiphae as he playde with a tenyse bale, fell into a barell of huny and was strangled. He was buryed by his father, and with him Polyidus a sothsayer and a Phisition, Polyidus. to the intent that either he shold make him alyue againe, or else dye with him: be therfore being in the tomb with him (for kings were accustomed to be buryed in vauts) he esppyed two serpēts fyghting so long together that the one had kylled the other. Then he that wos alyue dyd fetche an herbe, & put it into the mouth of him that was dead, by vertue where­of, he recouered life again. Polyidus mea­ning to trye whether this wold doe any good to his maister, fetcht a part thereof, and put it into his mouth, and hée there­with presently recouered lyfe also. Higinus capite de polyido.

¶ Socrates accused by Polideutus Miletus, Socrates.Policrates, Anytus, that he corrupted the youth of Athens, as wel with euel & false [Page]religion, as also with vndecent maners, was therfore cast in prison and after condempned. Where he hauing disputed of the immortalitie of the soule, with mery chéere and smiling countenaunce, drank poyson and dyed. Plato.

¶ Hemon Creons sonne, Hemon. loued Antigone daughter of Oedipus in suche sorte, that when she was buryed quicke for brea­king Creons wycked commaundement, in buryinge hir brother Polinices (for he had commanded the contrary vpon pain aforesayde) he slewe hymselfe vppon her graue.

An other Hemon vsing his daughter Ro­dope for his wyfe, Hemon. Rodope. was by the anger of the Goddes, tourned into a hyll, and she also.

Of Machareus & Canace Eolus chyldren, I haue written before.

How Vlisses caste Astianax Hectors son, Astianan from the toppe of Troyan tower, is also sayde before.

¶ Adonis sonne of Cineras by hys owne daughter Mirrha, beloued of Venus, Adonis. in huntinge the Bore, was by him slayne. Ouid .x. Metamor.

¶ Vlisses that marryed Penelope, Vlisses.Icarus daughter, knowinge that he shoulde be slayne by his son, banyshed Telemachus into the country or fieldes called Cepha­lenia. But Telogonus his other son that he had by Circe, comming to séeke his fa­ther in Ithaca, and not at the first admit­mitted to speake to hym, kylled the por­ter, and diuers other of Vlisses seruants, wherwith he himself came downe vnar­med, and was by misaduenture slayne wyth a Darte that Telogonus caste. But after knowinge what hée was, he [Page]he forgaue him the offence, notwithstanding he dyed of the blow.

¶ One Agenor a pratling felow, Agenor. not sparinge Iupiter in hys talke, fell from hys horse, and wyth his owne finger choked himselfe.

¶ Anaxarchus the Philosopher (betwene whom and Nicocreon tyraunt of Cyprus was a greate quarell) supped on a tyme with the great Alexander, Anaxar­chus. of whome be­ing asked howe the chéere liked him, an­swered that it myght not be amended, & that there wanted nothing but the head of Nicocreon. Which iniury after Nicrocreon reuenged. For when by mishap he arryued in Ciprus, he was taken by the Tyraunt, and beaten in a Mortar, hys tongue fyrste pulled out, that he myght not after hys accustomed manner rayle vpon him.

¶ Lencothea daughter of Orchamus, Lecothea. Orchamus was loued of Phebus, and therefore burned of hir father, wherewith Phebus offended, wyth hys beames burned Orchamus to death also.

¶ How Corebus killed the monster that infested Peloponesus, Corebus. which Apollo sent for the death of his sonne Linus, is sayde before.

¶ Of this also is sayde before. Hippolitꝰ But be­cause Iupiter and Apollo fell out by hys meanes, it shall not be much amysse to prosecute the story a litle farther. After he was torne in péeces, Diana hauing pi­tie on him because he was so chast, desi­red Esculapius Apollos sonne, to make [Page]him aliue againe, Esculapiꝰ. Ciclopes. which he did. But Iu­piter not content, that any mortall man had such skyll to make deade men alyue agayne, with a thunderbolt kylled hym. Wherwith Apollo angred, killed all the Ciclopes that made hys thunderboltes. Wherfore he was himself banished out of heauen nyne yeares, and driuen to so narow a pinch, that he was fain to kéepe Admetus shepe till, he was againe resto­red to his olde place.

How Priams sonne Polidorus, Polimne­stor. Polidorus. was slaine by Polimnestor king, of Thracia, ech man knoweth, and I haue tolde already.

¶ Amphion sonne of Iupiter & Antiopa, had by Niobe daughter of Tantalus and Taigetes, seuen sonnes and seuen daugh­ters. With which number, Niobe very proude (when Manto daughter of Tire­tias, commaunded the Thebans to doe sa­crifyce [Page]to Latona and hir children) she said plainly that hirselfe was the better wo­man. Wherfore Latona angry, complayned to hir children, so that they came frō heauen in cloudes, & Apollo killed al hir sonns, whose names were Ismenus, Sipi­lus, Phedimus, Tantalus, Alphenor, Dama sithon, & Ilioneus, with his arrowes, and Diana all hir daughters. She hirself with sorow consumed, was turned into a marble stone, and hir husband kild himselfe, as in the .ii. next staues Ouid reporteth.

¶ Amphion was a cunning Musitian. Niobe.

¶ Apollo banished out of heauen for kil­ling the Ciclopes, kepte Admetus cattell, which was sonne of Pheres, but while he wandred pyping about the wildernesse, his cattell strayed into Pilis, which Mer­cury turned out of the way, and hid in a wood, which Battus son of Neleus espyed, Battus. who kept a herd of mares therby, to whō [Page] Mercury gaue one of the fairest kyne to to kepe his counsell. He toke the Cow, and said that a stene shold soner bewray him, then he would tell ought. But Mercury meaning to try him, came again in an other likenes, & asked whither he saw any kyne, and made as though he hadde loste them, and promysed to giue hym a cowe with a bull, if he would tell where they were. Battus was somewhat coue­tous, & shewed him the place wher they pastured. Wherewith Mercury was so sore offended, that he tourned him into a Tuch stone. Ouid .ii. Metamor.

¶ Hiacinthus sonne of Amiclas, wel belo­ued of Apollo, Hyacyn­thus. as on a tyme he played with a dysh, (which was a great pastime in times past) that was caste by Apollo very hye, & he somewhat gréedy to catch it, with rebound therof from ground, his brains were knockt out, & he by Apollo turned into a flower of purple colour.

¶ Leander of Abidon a city in Asia, Leander. loued Hero that dwelled in Sestos a citie in Eu­rope not farre from the other, but deuy­ded with a narrow sea called (of the fall of Helle, sister to Phrixus therinto) Hel­lespontus. He was accustomed to swym ouer the same euery daye commonly to hys louer, but at lēgth not able to beare aboue seuen dayes the want of his lady, attempted in a greate tempest to swym vnto hir, and was drowned by the way. And she as sone as she harde therof, cast hir selfe hedlong into the same also.

¶ Menander the famous Greke comicall poete swymming in a very shalow wa­ter was strangely drowned.

Terence also as he retorned out of Grece, Terentius suffered shypwrack, and was drowned, and with him a hundred and eyght come­dyes that he had translated out of Greke Menander into Latine.

¶ Palinurus Aeneas Pilote, Palinurus deceaued by Somnus, was caste into the Sea by him. Who hauing swimmed thrée dayes, on the fourth landed and was slayne by the Velienses, Virgil .v. & .vi. Aeneid.

¶ Euripides the excellent philosopher and Poet, Euripides returning one night from Arche­laus palace, king of Macedoma, with whō he supped, was by his enimy Lisimachus seruant of Archelaus, & one of the bedels of Dianas church slayne. For he set suche dogs on him, as serued to garde Dianas temple, and thei tare him in péeces. But he enioyed not this yll déede longe, for he was so checked by Arideus a Macedoniā, and Cratinas a Thessalian, that for shame he killed himselfe. Euripides in morall Philosophy was Socrates scholler, Euripides masters. in na­turall Anaxagoras, in Rethorike Prodi­cus. He was borne in Salamine, and had [Page]but poore parentes, for Muesarchus was his father and kepte an alehouse, and his mother Clito solde herbes for hir liuing. He was so famous that the Grecians sent ambassadours for his bones, but the Macedonians would not deliuer them. For they counted them selues happy, that so notable a man was buried among them. He began to write at the age of .18. yers.

¶ Empedocles sonne of Methon, Empedo­cles. & brother to Calicrates, to get an immortall name, lept into Aetna a hil in Sicil, so named of a womā called Aetna buryed there, whō Iupiter loued. Tiphocus. Vnder it is a part of Ti­phoens the terrible giant buried. This giant attempted to plucke the Gods out of heauen, & fighting with them, put thē al to slight, & chased thē into Egipt, wher for fear Iupiter was turned into a Ram, Iuno into a cow, Apollo to a crow, Diana into a cat, Venus into a fish, and Mercury into the birde Ibis. But at length, being beguiled by thē he was buried in Cicilia. Vnder Aetna lieth his head, out of whose [Page]mouth come all those flames that aryse out of Aetna. Vnder Pelorus, lyeth his ryght hand, vnder Pachynus his left, and vnder Lilebaeus lye his legges. By thys burial, you may easily gesse that he was lyke enough to make a coward afrayde, whyle he was alyue.

¶ Orpheus hauing lost his wife Euridice, Orpheus. & his labor that he tooke in going to Hell for hir also, least he shold try lyke sorow in an other wyfe, if he maried any more, determined neuer after to mary, but or­deyned the vnnaturall and diuelysh ma­ner of knowing yong men. And haunted solitary places, equally despising all wo­men. Wherfore the women of Thracia, dyspleased (for many of them wold haue had him to theyr husbāds bicause he was so cunning on the Harpe) set on him and slew him. Ouid .xi. of Metamor.

¶ Oeneus king of Calidonia, and sonne of Parthaon, instituted sacryfices to all the Gods saue Diana, whom either of forget­fulnes, or of contempt he pretermitted. She therwith not a little offended, sente a huge Bore that wasted all Calidonia. For the killing of which a generall hunt was decréed, by the commaundement of Oeneus, Meleager. and Meleager his sonne was captayne of the same. Thether (beside the princes of Calidonia, among whom were Plexippus & Toxeus, Meliagers vncles) came Atalanta a very bewtyfull mayde, Atalanta and daughter of Iasius king of Archadia, who in hunting gaue the Bore the firste wound: Wherfore when the Bore was kylled, Meliager gaue hir for hir vertue the hed and vmbles therof. With which gifte his vncles much offended, toke the same from hir agayne. Wherwith Me­leager was so sore displeased, that he slew them both. Which déede when hys mo­ther Althea knewe, she cast into the fyer the brande wherevppon his lyfe dyd de­pende. For on a tyme when the Ladyes of Desteny sate in hir house by the fyer, they agreed that Meliager should liue till that blocke (poyntinge to one) were bur­ned [Page]out. Whych as sone as they were gone, Althea toke away, and kept safely till this tyme, and nowe to reuenge the death of hir brothers, she caste it into the fyer, and as sone as it was burned vp, Meliager dyed. For whose death his sy­sters so mourned, y^e amidst their teares, they were turned into birdes, called of their brother Meliagrides.

¶ Howe Medea kylled Pelias, Medea. is sayde be­fore. But after that dede she fled the cuntry, and was caryed in the ayre, in a cha­riot drawen with Dragons. All hir ior­ney is described in the .vii. of Metamor. But when she was weary of traueling, she returned home againe, where finding that Iason set more by Creusa daughter of Creon kinge of Corynth, Creusa. than by hir, she dyssembled the matter a whyle, but after she had made al things for hir pur­pose, she sente a chaplet made of herbes, inchaunted in such sorte, that as sone as [Page]it came nygh any lighte, it woulde take fier thereof, and not be quenched again. Creusa hauinge this on hir heade, when candelles were lighted, it toke fyer, and burned hir wyth hir father & the whole house, and whatsoeuer els was in the same. This done, she slewe the two chil­dren Medo and Mermero, that she had by Iason, and fledde to Athens, and was ther maryed to Egeus, Theseus father.

¶ Of this also is mencion made once or twise before.

¶ Howe Butes reuenged hys father Li­curgus on Bacchus Priestes, Butes. wyth cruell death, is also sayde before. He was the fourth from Pentheus, for Pentheus be­gat Drias, Drias Licurgus, Licurgus Bu­tes.

Milo Crotoniates, Milo cro­toniatess (for there were many of that name) was a man of very great strength. He killed a bull at one blowe with his fiste, and eat him vp euery morsell when he had done. He came through a wood where he espied a great trée halfe elefte, and the wedges sticking fast ther­in. He meaninge to rid the laborers (by lykelyhode) of payne, would nedes take vpon him to cleaue it with his hands. He pulled it so hard that the wedges fel out, but for all that the trée came againe into his first state, and had his handes so faste in the riftes, that he could not get them out, by means wherof, he became a pray to the rauenous beastes that haunted that woode.

¶ Icarus learning the vse of wine of Bac­chus, Icarus. as he walked aboute the costes of Athens, gaue the rude husbandmen some [Page]thereof to drynke. But they not con­tente with a meane, dranke thereof tyll they were drunke, and thynkinge then that they had been poysoned, Mera. forth wyth slew Icarus, and cast him into a ditch. Mera his bitch a contynuall companyon of his in all hys iourneys, Erigons. ran home after hir mayster was slayne, to Erigone hys daughter, who séeing the bitch come, and not hir father, suspecting that which had happened in déede, wente to knowe the the truth, and the Bitch broughte hir to the place where hir slayne father laye. Which thing when she saw (not able to beare the gréefe that shee conceaued of the sight) hanged hirselfe. As Ouid in the next slafe folowing affirmeth.

¶ Noble valure and hie prowes in war, with the Lacedemonians, was so estemed that y^e mothers wold reach their shields [Page]to their sonnes going out to battayl, and straightly charged thē, either to be con­querus, or els to die therfore. For it was counted a great shame and vilany to fly. Wherefore Euristhenes, Euristhe­nes. after an ouer­throwe retourninge home, was so hated among his people, that his owne mother shutte him vp in a stronge chamber, and with hunger pyned him to death, that thereby at leaste she mighte wipe away the continuall shame from hir house.

He meaneth of Aiax Cilius, Aiax Ci­leus. who deflou­red Cassandra in Pallas churche, and was therfore slayne with a thunderbolte, as is declared before.

Of the worthy Palamedes gyltles death, Palame­des. by false Vlisses conueyance, is mention made before.

¶ Io daughter of Inachus turned out of a cow into hir former shape in Egipt was there maryed to Osiris, Io. Ethalus. and made a goddesse called Isis. One of hir priests receaued Ethalus & promised him good har­borow, but in the nyght for all that hée kylled him. Isis therewith greatly of­fended gaue certaine signes y^e she wolde reuenge his death vppon all the Egypti­ans, Who to auoyde y^e plage approching, banished all his family out of the coun­trey, that had slayne Ethalus, and decréed further by common authority, that none of that stock shold euer after, beare any office about the mynisteryes of Isis, with which déede Isis was wel contented and pleased.

¶ Codrus sonne of Melanthius, Codrus. kylde hys father, & hid himselfe, so that none knew where but his mother. Who as sone as the Athenians sought for him to put him to death, declared where he was.

¶ Dolon a Troyan, Dolon. for a certayn summe of money, promised to fetch away Achil­les horses, Balion & Zanthus. But as he wente about to performe his promise, he was taken by Vlisses and Diomedes, of whom all the nighte had in examination of the Troyan affaires, was slaine in the morning.

¶ Rhesus king of Thracia, Rhesus. sonne of Stri­mon had horses, which if thei once tasted of the pasture of Troy, it was destynied that Troy might not be taken. But whē he came almost thether by night, he was [Page]bewrayed by his white horses, hymselfe and all his company was slayne by the Grekes, and his fatall horses turned another way.

¶ What slaughter of men with Ramne­tes in Turnus tentes, Ramnetes. Nisus Hirtacus hys sonne, and his fellow Eurialus made. Virgill declareth, and I haue tolde before.

¶ To Alcibiades sonne of Clicias, Alciades bany­shed into Phrigia, was Pharnabasus sente from Athens. with publike authoritie to kill him, whom (finding in his chamber) he compassed round with men, sette fier on the house, and burned him therein in­closed.

¶ When Rome was building, Remus. Romulus [Page]the founder and namer thereof made an Edicte, that no man vpon paine of death shold clyme the walls, vntyl they were finished. But Remus his brother not esteming that commaundement ascended, Fabius celer. & was for his labor slayne by Fabius Ce­ler, a Soldier of Romulus army. For he called all his souldiers Celeres.

¶ Sarmatae, Sarmatae. Getae. are called of the Grekes Sau­romatae, they dwell in a countrey of the North, very poore, and disgarnished of al good prouision saue of trées. They fetch their original from the Amazones. They are so barbarous, that they knowe not what peace meaneth. They vse arrowes in battayle, as also the Getae doe, whom the Romanes call Daci, they inhabyte a parte of Thracia. Their cruelty Ouid in his bokes De ponto many times descri­beth.

¶ In déede he were much to blame, that woulde thinke Ouid had forgotten Ibis, if he haue read but this ouer.