1.12. In what forme of Poesie the gods of the Gentiles were praysed and honored.
The gods of the Gentiles were honoured by their Poetes in hymnes, which is
an extraordinarie and diuine praise, extolling and magnifying them for their
great powers and excellencie of nature in the highest degree of laude, and
yet therein their Poets were after a sort restrained: so as they could not
with their credit vntruly praise their owne gods, or vse in their lauds any
maner of gross adulation or vnueritable report. For in any writer vntruth
and flatterie are counted most great reproches. Wherfore to praise the gods
of the Gentiles, for that by authoritie of their owne fabulous records, they
had fathers and mothers, and kinred and allies, and wiues and concubines:
the Poets first commended them by their genealogies or pedegrees, their
mariages and aliances, their notable exploits in the world for the behoofe of
mankind, and yet as I sayd before, none otherwise then the truth of their
owne memorials might beare, and in such sort as it might be well auouched
by their old written reports, though in very deede they were not from the
beginning all historically true, and many of them verie fictions, and such of
them as were true, were grounded vpon some
part of an historie or matter of veritie, the rest altogether figuratiue &
misticall, couertly applied to some morall or naturall sense, as
Cicero setteth it foorth in his bookes
de natura deorum. For to
say that
Iupiter was sonne to
Saturne, and that he maried his
owne sister
Iuno, might be true, for such was the guise of all great
Princes in the Orientall part of the world both at those dayes and now is.
Againe that he loued
Danae, Europa, Leda, Calisto & other faire
Ladies daughters to kings, besides many meaner women, it is likely enough,
because he was reported to be a very incontinent person, and giuen ouer to hi
lustes, as are for the most part all the greatest Princes, but that he should
be the highest god in heauen, or that he should thunder and lighten, and do
manie other things very vnnaturally and absurdly: also that
Saturnius
should geld his father
Celius to th'intent to make him vnable to get
any moe children, and other such matters as are reported by them, it
seemeth to be some wittie deuise and fiction made for a purpose, or a very
notable and impudent lye, which could not be reasonably suspected by the
Poets, who were otherwise discreete and graue men, and teachers of
wisedome to others. Therefore either to transgresse the rules of their
primitiue records, or to seeke to giue their gods honour by belying them
(otherwise then in that sence which I haue alledged) had bene a signe not
onely of an vnskilfull Poet, but also of a very impudent and leude man. For
vntrue praise neuer giueth any true reputation. But with vs Christians, who
be better disciplined, and do acknowledge but one God Almightie,
euerlasting, and in euery respect selfe suffizant [
autharcos] reposed
in all perfect rest & soueraigne blisse, not needing or exacting any
forreine helpe or good. To him we can not exhibit ouermuch praise, nor belye
him any wayes, vnlesse it be in abasing his excellencie by scarsitie of
praise, or by misconceauing his diuine nature, weening to praise him, if we
impute to him such vaine delights and peeuish affections, as commonly the
frailest men are reproued for. Namely to make him ambitious of honour,
iealous and difficult in his worships, terrible, angrie, vindicatiue, a louer, a
hater, a pitier, and indigent of mans worships: finally so passionate as in
effect he shold be altogether
Anthropapathis. To the gods of the
Gentiles they might well attribute these infirmities, for they were but the
children
of men, great Princes and famous in the world, and not for any other
respect diuine, then by some resemblance of vertue they had to do good, and
to benefite many. So as to the God of the Christians, such diuine praise
might be verified: to th'other gods none, but figuratiuely or in misticall
sense as hath bene said. In which sort the ancient Poets did in deede giue
them great honors & praises, and made to them sacrifices, & offred
them oblations of sundry sortes, euen as the people were taught and
perswaded by such placations and worships to receaue any helpe, comfort or
benefite to them selues, their wiues, children, possessions or goods. For if
that opinion were not, who would acknowledge any God? the verie
Etimologie of the name with vs of the North partes of the world
declaring plainely the nature of the attribute, which is all one as if we sayd
good, [
bonus] or a giuer of good things. Therefore the Gentiles prayed
for peace to the goddesse
Pallas: for warre (such as thriued by it) to
the god
Mars: for honor and empire to the god
Iupiter: for
riches & wealth to
Pluto: for eloquence and gayne to
Mercurie: for safe nauigation to
Neptune: for faire weather
and prosperous windes to
Eolus: for skill in musick and leechcraft to
Apollo: for free life & chastitie to
Diana: for bewtie and
good grace, as also for issue & prosperitie in loue to
Venus: for
plenty of crop and corne to
Ceres: for seasonable vintage to
Bacchus: and for other things to others. So many things as they could
imagine good and desirable, and to so many gods as they supposed to be
authors thereof, in so much as
Fortune was made a goddesse, &
the feuer quartaine had her aulters, such blindnes & ignorance raigned
in the harts of men at that time, and whereof it first proceeded and grew,
besides th'opinion hath bene giuen, appeareth more at large in our bookes of
Ierotekni the matter being of another consideration then to be treated
of in this worke. And these hymnes to the gods was the first forme of
Poesie and the highest & the stateliest, & they were song by the
Poets as priests, and by the people or whole congregation as we sing in our
Churchs the Psalmes of
Dauid, but they did it commonly in some
shadie groues of tall tymber trees: In which places they reared aulters of
greene turfe, and bestrewed them all ouer with flowers, and vpon them
offred their oblations and made their bloudy sacrifices,
(for no kinde of gift can be dearer then life) of such quick cattaile,
as euery god was in their conceit most delighted in, or in some other
respect most for the misterie: temples or churches or other chappels then
these they had none at those dayes.
