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Show 402 TheJecondBooke of thefirtpart he Cuar.t6.$.6, Craarst6§.7. to haue beenetrue, others perhaps muft bee alles orically vaderftood, But the moft ap, Writers thinke that there weremany called Herewles, all hofe exploits were roued bs the Greekes afcribedto the fonne of Alémenawho is laid to hauc performed thefer, UTS. Hea §. VIL. Of HomenasdHefiod, awd many changes in the world, that happened, heads,wheredf one being cut off,two grewin theplace eT he third was the Ouer-taking avery {wift Hares The fourth was the taking ofaw ilde Bore aliue, w hich hanted moune ay. Eryminthus in readie ; The fifth was the cleaning of Angias his Oxe-ftall in oneday, which he performed by turning the Riuer Alpheus intoit: The fixt wasthe¢ hafing away1 about this ages Boutthis time that excellent learned Poet Homerliued, as manyofthe beft chro- nologers affirme, He was by race of the Ateones, defcended (as rund; 4s imagi- neth) ofBerofus his Anameon, w ho gaue name to that people. But this Eumc#j. Funt.chro,fel, ws imagineth Homer the Poet to haue beene Jong after thefe times; tafnly framing: his 3 evra according to 4 Archilochws in the tract, orrather| igment de temporibus sand makesf feauen more ofthis name to haue florifhedin diuers Cities in Greece. Vy 'hence, perhap {prang the diuerfitie ofopinions,both ofthetimeand ofthe natiue Citic of Homer. Ac- of the Birds fromthe Lake Stymphalws: The feuenth Was the fetc hing a Bull fromcrete; "Fhe cight wasthe taking ofthe Mares which Diomedes King of Thrace fed with humane fleth: The ninthwasto fetch a Girdle ofthe Queen of the Amazons : Thethreelat were, to fetch Geriens Beeues ftom Gades ; the golden Apples of the Hefperides; and Cerberys from hell. The Afpthe/ogicall interpretation of thefe I purpofely omit, as both ouen long tobe heere fet downe,andnoleffe perplexed than the labours themfelues. Foy fome by: Hercules vnderftand. Fortitude, Prudence, and Conftancie, interpretingthe Montters, Vices.3 Others make Hercules the Swnae,and-his trauailes to bee the twelye cording to this Archilechus,F unchius finds Hemer about the time of Manaffe King of Iy- da, and Numa of Rome. He was called AMelefigenes from theplaceof his birth, and at length Homer becaufe blinde menfollow, aguide, which fignification amo ng others, inthe verbe ‘ume: for this latter time was blinde: i ose Homerin his . : fignes ofthe Zodiac. There are others whoapply his workes hiftor ically to their owne conceits ; as wellaflured,thatthe expofition cannot haue more valikelihood, thanthey had led Colonies into Sicilie, and abode there a long time forgotten : hee came-againé into Greece to afsift his coufins, and afterwards returned backe; When the Peloponns* aas vaderftood that Euryfleus was flaine, tooke Arreus the fonne of Peleps 2 their King : for he was rich , mighty, and they fauoured of the people, Againft him the| Heraclide marched ynder Hyllas the fonne of Hercules; But to auoide effufion of bloue, : - =-s eo rate fhould fight‘with Echenus King of the Tegcatea Fa rcaata, Who alsifted Atreuss wi ie | iti rgMocwrmianiiay he a peace" ably enioy what he ee; .oh i lideth eewe loponnefus in anL hundred yeere ; pacline eeres. Intha that Hylas dex was thatcie'os flaine, and the ae compelledto forbeare their Country, till combatFesilgh the third generation : at which timethey xm vader -4ristodemas (as the beft authoritie doth fhew, ame though they came vader7 the conduct ofhis i children i 9 and brought with fome haue 7 themm theo" a * Clemens Alexandrinys fH that Homer florifhed 950. yeeres before the Cox/ulfbipip ofof Marcus Vinatias inti + which - h tonite ration th of Samuel Mercator cafteth vp inthe worlds yeere 3046, and after Tray taken, about 260 yeeres ; time * Stromatumls ny Theeues, and Tyrants, I taketo be truly written, without addition ofPoetical] vanitie. His trauailes through. moft parts ofthe world. are, or may{ceme, borrowed from Hercates Libycus. But fare it is that many Cities of Greece were greatly bound to him: for that hee ( bending all his indeuours to the common good) deliuered the Land from much opprefsion. But after his death no Citie of Greece (WAthens excepted) fore there arewho commend Eary/theus for imploying the ftrength of Herculesto fo good a purpofe. But itis fo gener:ally agreed by the beft writers, that Herculeswas alfo of the ftocke of Perfews;and holden in great iealoufie by zwry/theus becaule of his vettue,which appeared more and ntorein the dangerousferuices, wherein heewss aimployed,fothat he grewgreat in reputation and power through all Greece;and had by many wiues and Concubines aboue threefcore:children. 'Thefe children Eurysieas would faine hauegot into his power, when Hercules was dead : but theyfled vnto Cys King of Thracinia,and from him(for he durft not withftand Exryfhens Jto Athens. The Athenians not onely gauethem entertainement,butlent them ayde,wherewith they ¢ cduintred Euryithens.lelaus the brothers fon ofHercules, who had aisifted himin many0 histrauels,was captaine of the Heraslide, It is {aid of him, that being dead, hee obtalned leaue of Plutoto liue againetill hee might revenge the iniuries done by Eurypirews: whom when he had {lainein battell, hee died againe, It feemesto me,that whereas he at at Ant {s werp is tacerta : ‘ Nauclerf.1476 g recites many different opinions touching the queftion of the time when Homer] iued, placetl Soalfo.® dulas Gellins, and Tatianus Affyrins in his Oration adgentes. Paterculus reckons in the'32.gence fables : That hee tooke £/is,Pylas, OEchalja;and other-Townes 5 being afsifted by fich as eyther admired his vertues, or were beholding vnto him. Alfo that heeflewmz requited the vertue and deferts of Hercules, with conftant protection ofhis children, perfequuted by the King Euryftheus.. This Euryfthens was fonne of sthenelus, and grand-childe ofPer/ews} hee.rcignedin Mycene, the mightieht Citie then in Greece.40| Heit was that impofed thofe hard taskes vpon Herculeswho was bound te obeyhim(as Poets report)for expiation ofthat Murther,whichin his madnefs he had.committed vpon his ownechildren ; but as others fay,becaufe he was his Subie@ and Seruant: where: 403, the chai, oner'whomthe illue of Pelops had reigned after the death' of Euryftheus foure generations. ee flew the ewan Lyon: fecondly,heflewthe Serpent Hydra,which hadnine s ofthe Hiftory ofthe World. ~ whomthey planted, in that countrey, as is béfore fhewed, "havingexpelled "Herewles many{trangethings'are deliucred vnto vs bythe Poets, of . hic hfome arelike and about 250, yeeres before the building of Rome ; making himto haue florifhed a- 5 bout the time of/ehofaphat King of Jvda. But. Clemens Alexandrinus and Tatianusa b Nat. Atticl3 ae C1 .tembiT, boue hamed, mention authors that make him much an¢ienter. The difference of w hich: authors in this point is not vnworthythe readers confideration, that bythis oneinftance t ‘ he may gueffe ofthe difficultie, and fo pardonthe errouis in the computations of anci ~ ent time feeing in fuch diuerfitie ofopinions «manmayhardlyfinde out what to fol- dow. For Crates the Grammariav (as Clemens Alexandrinus reports) gaue beingto He- 3° mer about 80.yeeres after Troy taken, neere the time thattl ne Herachde returnedinto «Asboth cle! Peloponnc/us: and * Eratostenes after Tray 100. yeeres. Theopompus 500.yeeres after the reg Alex.andT c 5 atia o an 5 : an. Alyr.ve= armic of Greece,failed into Phrygia for the warre of Troy. Ewphorion makes him contem- vost opal porarie with Gyges, whobeganto reignein the 18. O/ympiads( which was 45+ yeeres af- onrerium phil, teraceKame wasbuilt)and Sofbins faith, that he was 90. yeeres before the firft Ofmpiad :43. : ; E ; é Kof-iadife. whichhe feekes to prout by the times of Charilusand his fonne; ae Nicanderid sPhilochorud temporun. semjor - placeth him 180. after Tray : Ariflarchas 140.in the time ofthe feating of the Colonies Pbil.incomm: in Jonia.Apolledoras affirmes that he liued while Agefileus goueined Lacedemon sand that4": 4 i Lycwrgus in his yong yeeres,about too.yeeres after the sentan plantations, came tovifit him; heere 240.yeeres after Tray taken. Herodotus findes Homer flonrifhing 622 « YEC ICS 4° before Yerxes enterprife againft the Gracéans: which Berealdus accountetl mat 163. yeeres preyiy vitaHes after the Treian warre. Enfebiusfeemesto make him to haue beene about the time of Zoas King ofIuda,r24.yeeres before Rome built: though elfewherein his Chronologie hee notes that fome place himih the time ofSamel,and others inthe end of Danid, and others in otherages. Inhis Euangelical Preparation, whereout of Tatiann'2dfjrius he citeth fundry Opinions. touchingthe time when Homer liued; hee reckonieth manyother Grecke writers more ancient than Homer ;as Linus, Philammon, Epimenides, Phemins, Aa riflens, Orpheus, Mufeus, Thamsyras, Amphion,andothers. Nowwhether Homer or Hefiodus were theielder, itis alfo niuc h difput ed. ulus Gel- nos attics3, lius reports that Philochorus and Xenophanes affirme, that Hemer preceded Hefiod : and«1 3° 6n the contrary, that Lac. Accius the Poet. , and Ephoras the Hiflorian, make Heffod Varro de image of an eldertime than Homer: Varro leaues it vneertaine which of thefelearnedfablers 41. was firft borne: but he findes that they liued together fonie ceitaine yeeres, where-% Jn Chrom, hapa 7 ‘ ans = 2, Caf lt.annal. in hee confirmes } umfelfeby an Epigram, written vpon a TI reult; and left; by Hefiod7 in a This numbes Helicon, Corneleys Nepos the si/ ‘wy reigned Mercator core 5 . +1, tes, & reads reports that they both liued 160. yeeres before Rome built : while 's&te 249.for it. in Aléa, about * 140.yeeres after the fall ofTroy." Exthymenes findes beans cits h th 2oo.yecres a, themboth eats 4 tore of ‘ after ©Tirey taken, inthe ‘ ce wd Clem.A= time Aza/lvs thegefonneite of PetitsKi ngsm | |