Fulgentius: MITOLOGIARUM LIBRI TRES

Studens, mi domine, tuo reuerendo imperio meam stultitiam uelut naufrag<us tu>o commisi iudicio bifida ambiguitate suspensus, utrumne lector quilibet laudet constructa aut destruat laborata. Sed quia nullatenus haec nostrum aut nomen extollunt aut crimen officiunt, illo uidelicet pacto quod si ab his lector melius sapit, deum proferat qui potiora concessit, sin uero ab his minus aliquid desipit, ipsum proferat qui ista contribuit: ergo et haec non nostra sunt, sed eius donum, et quae ampliora eueniunt, non hominis, sed diuinum est largimentum; sicut enim liuoris nota est silere quod noueram, ita non crimen est enarrare quod senseram. Ergo si his amplius sapis, lauda mentem purissimam quae quod habuit non negauit, si haec ante nescieras, habes arenam nostri studii ubi tui exerceas palestram ingenii.

Striving, my lord, under your reverend command, I have entrusted my foolishness, like a shipwreck<us tu>o, to your judgment, suspended by a bifid ambiguity, whether any reader will praise the things constructed or destroy the things labored. But since in no way do these either exalt our name or bring on a charge, on this pact, namely: if the reader is wiser than these, let him bring forth God, who granted the better things; but if indeed he is in some part less wise than these, let him bring forth him who contributed these. Therefore these are not ours, but his gift; and whatever turns out ampler is not a human but a divine largess. For just as it is a mark of malice to be silent about what I had known, so it is no crime to narrate what I had perceived. Therefore, if you are wiser than these, praise the most pure mind which did not deny what it had; if you had not known these things before, you have the arena of our study where you may exercise the palestra of your wit.

I. Fabula de iudicio Paridis.

1. The fable of the Judgment of Paris.

Philosophi tripertitam humanitatis uoluerunt uitam, ex quibus primam theoreticam, secundam practicam, tertiam filargicam uoluerunt, quas nos Latine contemplatiuam, actiuam, uoluptariam nuncupamus; ut etiam propheta ait: 'Beatus uir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum et in uia peccatorum non stetit et in cathedra pestilentiae non sedit', id est non abiit, non stetit, non sedit. Prima igitur contemplatiua est quae ad sapientiam et ad ueritatis inquisitionem pertinet, quam apud nos episcopi, sacerdotes ac monachi, apud illos philosophi gesserunt; quibus nulla lucri cupiditas, nulla furoris insania, nullum liuoris toxicum, nullus uapor libidinis, sed tantum indagandae ueritatis contemplandaeque iustitiae cura macerat, fama ornat, pascit spes. Secunda actiua est quae tantum uitae commodis anxiata, ornatui petax, habendi insatiata, rapiendi cauta, seruandi sollicita geritur; plus enim quod habeat cupit quam quod sapiat quaerit, nec considerat quod expediat, ubi intercedit quod rapiat; denique ideo non perstat stabile, quia non uenit honeste; hanc enim uitam penes antiquos aliqui tyranni, penes nos mundus omnis gerit.

The philosophers willed a tripartite life of humanity, of which they willed the first to be theoretic, the second practical, the third philargic, which we in Latin call contemplative, active, voluptuary; as even the prophet says: 'Blessed is the man who did not go in the counsel of the impious and in the way of sinners did not stand and in the chair of pestilence did not sit', that is: he did not go, did not stand, did not sit. The first, therefore, is contemplative, which pertains to wisdom and to the inquiry of truth, which among us bishops, priests, and monks, among them the philosophers, have borne; for whom there is no cupidity of gain, no insanity of fury, no poison of envy, no vapor of lust, but only the care of tracking out truth and contemplating justice wears them thin, fame adorns them, hope feeds them. The second is active, which is carried on as one anxious only for the conveniences of life, eager for adornment, insatiate of having, cautious in seizing, solicitous in keeping; for it desires more what it may have than seeks what it may be wise about, nor does it consider what is expedient, when there intervenes something to snatch; in fine, therefore, it does not persist as stable, because it did not come honestly; for this life among the ancients some tyrants pursued, among us the whole world carries on.

Uoluptaria uero uita est quae libidinis tantummodo noxia nullum honestum reputat bonum, sed solam uitae adpetens corruptelam aut libidine mollitur aut homicidiis cruentatur aut rapina succenditur aut liuoribus rancidatur; sed hoc penes illos Epicurei ac voluptarii, penes nos uero huiusmodi uita natura, non crimen est; et quia bonum nemo gerit, nec nasci bonum licet. Id itaque considerantes poetae trium dearum ponunt certamina, id est Mineruam, Iunonem et Uenerem de formae qualitate certantes. Ideo uero Iouem his non posse iudicare dixerunt, siue quod praefinitum mundi iudicium ignorabant, quia in libertatem arbitrii constitutum hominem crederent, — quod itaque, si uelut deus Iuppiter iudicasset, damnando duas unam tantummodo terris uitam dimitteret; sed ideo ad hominem iudicium transferunt cui liberum deligendi debetur arbitrium.

The voluptuary life, indeed, is that which, harmful only by libido, reckons no honorable thing a good, but, seeking only the corruption of life, is either softened by libido, or bloodied with homicides, or kindled by rapine, or made rancid with envies; but this, among them, pertains to the Epicureans and voluptuaries, whereas among us a life of this sort is nature, not crime; and because no one practices the good, neither is it permitted that the good be born. Considering this, therefore, the poets set the contests of three goddesses, that is, Minerva, Juno, and Venus, contending about the quality of form (beauty). And for this reason they said that Jove could not judge in these matters, either because they were ignorant of the pre-defined judgment of the world, since they believed man to have been constituted in the liberty of arbitrium—wherefore, if as a god Jupiter had judged, by condemning two he would have left to the earth only one life; but for that reason they transfer the judgment to a man, to whom the free arbitrium of choosing is owed.

Sed bene pastor, quia non ut sagitta certus et iaculo bonus et uultu decorus et ingenio sagacissimus, denique brutum quiddam desipuit et ut ferarum ac pecudum mos est ad libidinem limaces uisus intorsit quam uirtutem aut diuitias inquisiuit. Sed quid sibi tres deae de tribus uitarum ordinibus uindicent edicamus.

But well, the shepherd, because he was not unerring like an arrow, nor good with the javelin, nor comely in countenance, nor most sagacious in intellect; in the end he played the fool with something brutish and, as is the custom of wild beasts and cattle, he twisted his slug-like looks toward lust rather than sought virtue or riches. But let us proclaim what the three goddesses claim for themselves from the three orders of lives.

De Minerua.

On Minerva.

Primam uitam theoreticam, quam nos in contemplandae sapientiae honore dicimus; ideo de Iouis uertice natam dicunt, quia ingenium in cerebro positum sit, ideo armatam, quod munita sit. Gorgonam etiam huic addunt in pectore quasi terroris imaginem, ut uir sapiens terrorem contra aduersarios gestet in pectore. Cristam cum galea ponunt, ut cerebrum sapientis et armatum sit et decorum; unde et Plautus in Trinummo ait: 'Hic fungino certe est capite, totum se tegit'. Triplici etiam ueste subnixa est, seu quod omnis sapientia sit multiplex siue etiam quod celata.

The first life is theoretical, which we declare to be in the honor of wisdom to be contemplated; therefore they say she was born from Jupiter’s crown, because ingenuity is set in the brain; therefore armed, because she is fortified. They also add the Gorgon to her on the breast as an image of terror, so that the wise man may bear terror against adversaries in his breast. They place a crest with a helmet, so that the brain of the wise man may be both armed and decorous; whence also Plautus in the Trinummus says: 'This fellow surely has a mushroom head; he covers himself entirely.' She is also supported by a triple garment, either because all wisdom is multiplex or also because it is concealed.

Longam etiam hastam fert, quod sapientia longe uerbo percutiat. Triplici etiam ueste, quod omnis sapientia tecta extrinsecus rarius cognoscatur. In huius etiam tutelam noctuam uolunt, quod sapientia etiam in tenebris proprium fulgorem possideat.

She also bears a long spear, because sapience strikes from afar with the word. Also the triple garment, because all sapience, being veiled, is more rarely recognized from without. They also assign the owl to her tutelage, because sapience even in the darkness possesses its own proper radiance.

Inde etiam et conditricem Athenarum eam uolunt. Minerua denique et Athene Grece dicitur quasi athanate parthene, id est inmortalis uirgo, quia sapientia nec mori poterit nec corrumpi.

Thence also they wish her to be the foundress of Athens. Minerva, finally, and Athene in Greek is said as it were “athanate parthene,” that is “immortal virgin,” because wisdom can neither die nor be corrupted.

De Iunone.

On Juno.

Iunonem uero actiuae praeposuerunt uitae; Iuno enim quasi a iuuando dicta est. Ideo et regnis praeesse dicitur, quod haec uita diuitiis tantum studeat; ideo etiam cum sceptro pingitur, quod diuitiae regnis sint proximae; uelato etiam capite Iunonem ponunt, quod omnes diuitiae sint semper absconsae; deam etiam partus uolunt, quod diuitiae semper praegnaces sint et nonnumquam abortiant. Huius quoque in tutelam pauum ponunt, quod omnis uita potentiae petax in aspectum sui semper quaerat ornatum; sicut enim pauus stellatum caudae curuamine concauans antrum faciem ornet posterioraque turpiter nudet, ita diuitiarum gloriaeque appetitus momentaliter ornat, postrema tamen nudat; unde et Teofrastus in moralibus ait: [ta loipa gnothi], id est: reliqua considera, et Salomon: 'In obitu hominis nudatio operum eius'. Huic etiam Irim quasi arcum pacis adiungunt, quod sicut ille ornatus uarios pingens arquato curuamine momentaliter refugit, ita etiam fortuna quamuis ad praesens ornata, tamen est citius fugitiua.

They have set Juno over the active life; for “Juno” is said as if from “helping.” Therefore she is also said to preside over realms, because this life is devoted only to riches; therefore too she is painted with a scepter, because riches are next to kingdoms; they also set Juno with veiled head, because all riches are always hidden; they also make her the goddess of births, because riches are always pregnant and sometimes abort. They also assign to her tutelage the peacock, because every life grasping for power always seeks adornment for its own appearance; for just as the peacock, hollowing a cavern by the curving of its tail, adorns its front with a starry display and shamefully bares its hindparts, so the appetite for riches and glory adorns for a moment, yet lays bare the afterparts; whence also Theophrastus in the Moralia says: [ta loipa gnothi], that is: consider the rest, and Solomon: “At the death of a man there is a laying-bare of his works.” To her too they join Iris as a kind of bow of peace, because just as that ornament, painting various hues with an arched curvature, vanishes in a moment, so also Fortune, although for the present ornate, is nevertheless more swiftly fugitive.

De Uenere.

On Venus.

Tertiam Uenerem uoluptariae uitae in similitudinem posuerunt. Uenerem dici uoluerunt aut secundum Epicureos bonam rem aut secundum Stoicos uanam rem; Epicurei enim uoluptatem laudant, Stoici uoluptatem damnant; isti libidinem colunt, illi libidinem nolunt. Unde et Afrodis dicta est — afros enim Grece spuma dicitur —, siue ergo quod sicut spuma libido momentaliter surgat et in nihilum ueniat, siue quod concitatio ipsa seminis spumosa sit.

They have posited a third Venus in the likeness of a voluptuary life. They wished Venus to be called either, according to the Epicureans, a good thing, or, according to the Stoics, a vain thing; for the Epicureans praise pleasure, the Stoics condemn pleasure; these cultivate libido, those do not want libido. Whence she is also called Aphrodis — for aphros in Greek is called “foam” — whether therefore because, like foam, libido rises for a moment and comes to nothing, or because the very arousal of the seed is foamy.

Denique ferunt poetae quod exsectis falce Saturni uirilibus atque in mare proiectis exinde Uenus nata sit, illud nihilominus ostendere uolens poetica uanitas quod Saturnus Grece Cronos dicitur; chronos enim Grece tempus uocatur. Abscisae ergo uires temporis, id est fructus, falce quam maxime atque in humoribus uiscerum uelut in mari proiectae libidinem gignant necesse est. Saturitatis enim abundantia libidinem creat, unde et Terentius ait: 'Sine Cerere et Libero friget Uenus'. Hanc etiam nudam pingunt, siue quod nudos sibi adfectatores dimittat siue quod libidinis crimen numquam celatum sit siue quod numquam nisi nudis conueniat.

Finally, the poets relate that, when Saturn’s genitals had been cut off with a sickle and cast into the sea, from that Venus was born, poetic vanity wishing nonetheless to show this: that Saturn is called Cronos in Greek; for chronos in Greek is called time. Therefore the powers of time, that is, the fruits, having been cut off most especially by a sickle and cast into the humors of the entrails as if into the sea, must needs beget libido. For the abundance of satiety creates libido, whence also Terence says: 'Without Ceres and Liber, Venus grows cold.' This one too they paint naked, either because she sends her suitors away naked, or because the crime of libido has never been concealed, or because she never suits any except the naked.

Huic etiam rosas in tutelam adiciunt; rosae enim et rubent et pungunt, ut etiam libido rubet uerecundiae opprobrio, pungit etiam peccati aculeo; et sicut rosa delectat quidem, sed celeri motu temporis tollitur, ita et libido libet momenaliter, fugit perenniter. In huius etiam tutelam columbas ponunt, illa uidelicet causa, quod huius generis aues sint in coitu feruidae; huic etiam tres adiciunt Carites, duas ad nos conuersas, unam a nobis auersam, quod omnis gratia simplex eat, duplex redeat; ideo nudae sunt Carites, quia omnis gratia nescit subtilem ornatum. Hanc etiam in mari natantem pingunt, quod omnis libido rerum patiatur naufragia, unde et Porfirius in epigrammate ait: 'Nudus, egens, Ueneris naufragus in pelago.' Conca etiam marina portari pingitur, quod huius generis animal toto corpore simul aperto in coitu misceatur, sicut Iuba in fisiologis refert.

To her they also add roses for tutelage; for roses both redden and prick, so also libido reddens with the opprobrium of modesty, and it likewise pricks with the sting of sin; and just as a rose indeed delights, but is taken away by the swift motion of time, so too libido pleases momentarily, it flees perennially. Under her tutelage they also set doves, for this reason, namely that birds of this kind are fervid in coitus; to her they also add the three Charites, two turned toward us, one turned away from us, because every grace goes out simple, returns double; therefore the Charites are nude, because every grace is ignorant of subtle ornament. They also paint her swimming in the sea, because all libido of things suffers shipwrecks, whence also Porphyry in an epigram says: 'Naked, needy, a castaway of Venus on the deep.' She is also painted as being carried on a sea conch, because an animal of this kind, with its whole body opened at once, is mingled in coitus, as Juba reports in the Physiologoi.

II. Fabula Herculis et Omfalae.

2. The Fable of Hercules and Omphale.

Parcite quaeso iudices humanis ardoribus. Quid enim puerilis aut muliebris sensus in amorem efficiat, ex quo in libidinis pugna Herculea desudat uirtus. Mulieris enim inlecebra maior est mundo, quia quem mundi magnitudo uincere non potuit libido conpressit.

Spare, I beg, judges, human ardors. For what a boyish or womanish feeling brings about into love—whence even Herculean virtue sweats it out in the battle of libido. For a woman’s allurement is greater than the world, because the one whom the magnitude of the world could not conquer, libido has subdued.

Inuasit ergo uirtutem de crimine femina quam mereri non potuit de natura. Hercules enim amauit Onfalem, quae eum persuasit et coli deligatos eneruare contractus et lasciuienti pollice fusi teretem rotare uertiginem. Hercules enim Eracles Grece dicitur, id est eroncleos quod nos Latine uirorum fortium famam dicimus, unde et Homerus ait: [kleos oion akousamen], hoc est: famam solam audiuimus.

Therefore a woman invaded virtue by means of a crime, which she could not merit from nature. For Hercules loved Omphale, who persuaded him both, with bonds fastened to the distaff, to enervate his contracted sinews, and with a lascivient thumb to whirl the smooth whirling of the spindle. For Hercules is called Heracles in Greek, that is eroncleos, which we in Latin call the fame of strong men, whence also Homer says: [kleos oion akousamen], that is: we have heard fame alone.

Ideo et Alcei nepos dicitur: alce enim Grece praesumptio interpretatur; nam et Almenam matrem habet quasi almera, quod Grece salsum dicitur. Nam ex igne ingenii ut ex Ioue et ex praesumptione ut ex Alceo auo et ex salsidine sapientiae ut ex Almena quid nascitur nisi fortitudinis gloria. Et tamen a libidine superatur; onfalon enim Grece umbilicum dicitur; libido enim in umbilico dominatur mulieribus, sicut lex diuina dicit: 'Non est praecisus umbilicus tuus', quasi si diceret: peccatum tuum non est amputatum; nam et matrix illuc catenata constringitur, unde et epomfalia eodem loco firmandis fetibus opponuntur.

Therefore he is also called the grandson of Alceus: for alce in Greek is interpreted as presumption; and he has Almena as mother, as if almera, which in Greek is called “salty.” For from the fire of genius, as from Jove, and from presumption, as from Alceus the grandfather, and from the saltiness of wisdom, as from Almena—what is born if not the glory of fortitude? And yet he is overcome by lust; for onfalon in Greek is called the umbilicus; for lust rules in the umbilicus of women, as the divine law says: “Your umbilicus is not cut,” as if it were saying: your sin is not amputated; for the womb also is bound in chains there, whence even epomphalia are applied in the same place for the strengthening of fetuses.

Ostendit ergo quod libido quamuis etiam inuictam possit superare uirtutem.

Therefore he shows that libido can overcome even invincible virtue.

III. Fabula Caci et Herculis.

3. The Fable of Cacus and Hercules.

Si fumum fures eructuant, quis inuolantem dum negat agnoscat. Ergo aut caliginem aut fumum obicit ne agnosci possit, aut in fumum uanescit substantia quae furtiue succedit. Cacus enim Herculis boues furasse dicitur, quos cauda in speluncam tractos abscondidit; quem Hercules presso gutture interfecit.

If thieves belch out smoke, who recognizes the one swooping in, while he denies it? Therefore he throws up either murk or smoke so that he cannot be recognized, or the substance which furtively approaches vanishes into smoke. For Cacus is said to have stolen Hercules’ oxen, which he hid after dragging them by the tail into a cave; whom Hercules killed by pressing his throat.

Cacon enim Grece malum dicimus. Ergo omnis malitia fumum eruptuat, id est aut quod contra sit ueritati hoc est luci aut quod acerbum sit uidentibus ut fumum oculis aut quod semper occultas obscurasque cauillationes obiciat. Ideo et duplex quod malitia multiformis, non simplex sit; triplici etiam modo nocet malitia, aut in euidenti ut potentior aut subtiliter ut falsus amicus aut occulte ut inpossibilis latro.

For “Cacon” in Greek we call “evil.” Therefore every malice belches forth smoke, that is, either that which is contrary to verity, that is, to light, or that which is acrid to beholders, like smoke to the eyes, or that which always throws up hidden and obscure cavillations. Therefore it is also twofold, because malice is multiform, not simple; malice also harms in a threefold way, either evidently, as the more powerful, or subtly, as a false friend, or occultly, as an uncatchable robber.

Ideo etiam subtractos boues transuersis ducit uestigiis quod omnis malignus, aliena ut inuadat, transuersa defensionis nititur uia. Ideo et bona Herculis concupiscit, quia omnis malignitas est uirtuti contraria. Denique in spelunca absconditur, quod numquam malignitas aperta liberior fronte sit; sed uirtus et malos interficit et sua uindicat.

Therefore he also leads the stolen oxen with tracks turned crosswise, because every malignant man, in order to invade what is another’s, relies on a crosswise road of defense. Therefore too he covets the goods of Hercules, because all malignity is contrary to virtue. Finally, he is hidden in a cavern, since malignity is never open with a freer brow; but Virtue both kills the wicked and vindicates what is hers.

IV. Fabula Antei et Herculis.

4. The Fable of Antaeus and Hercules.

Anteus enim in modum libidinis ponitur, unde et Grece antion contrarium dicimus; ideo et de terra natus, quia sola libido de carne concipitur. Denique etiam tacta terra uiridior exurgebat; libido enim quanto carni consenserit, tantum surgit iniquior. Denique a uirtute gloriae quasi ab Hercule superatur; nam denegato sibi terrae tactu commoritur altiusque eleuatus materna non potuit mutuari suffragia, quo euidentem suae rei fabulam demonstrasset.

For Antaeus is set as after the mode of libido, whence also in Greek we say antion, “contrary”; for this reason too he is born of the earth, because libido alone is conceived from flesh. And indeed, when the earth was touched, he would rise the greener; for the more libido has consented to the flesh, by so much the more iniquitous it rises. Finally he is overcome by the virtue of glory, as if by Hercules; for, with the touch of the earth denied him, he perishes, and, lifted higher, he could not borrow his mother’s suffrages, thus he exhibited the evident fable of his own case.

Omnem enim mentem dum uirtus in altum sustulerit et carnalibus eam denegarit aspectibus, uictrix statim exurgit. Ideo etiam et diu in certamine dicitur desudasse, quia rara est pugna quae cum concupiscentia uitiisque congreditur, sicut Plato in moralibus ait: 'Sapientes uiri maiorem cum uitiis quam cum inimicis pugnam gerunt'. Nam et Diogenes quinicus dum dolore ramicum torqueretur et uidisset homines ad amphitheatrum concurrentes dicebat: 'Qualis hominum stultitia; currunt spectare feris homines repugnantes et me praetereunt cum naturali dolore certantem'.

For whenever virtue has lifted every mind on high and has denied it to carnal aspects, it straightway rises victorious. Therefore it is also said to have sweated long in the contest, because rare is the fight that engages with concupiscence and vices, just as Plato says in his moral writings: ‘Wise men wage a greater fight with vices than with enemies’. For even Diogenes the Cynic, while he was being wracked by rheumatic pain and had seen men running to the amphitheatre, used to say: ‘What folly of men; they run to behold men fighting with wild beasts and pass me by, contending with natural pain’.

V. Fabula Teresiae.

5. The Fable of Tiresias.

Teresias serpentes duos concumbentes uidit, quos cum uirga percussisset, in feminam conuersus est. Iterum post temporis seriem eos concumbentes uidit, similiterque percussis iterum est in pristinam naturam conuersus. Ideoque dum de amoris qualitate certamen Iuno et Iuppiter habuissent, eum iudicem quaesierunt.

Tiresias saw two serpents coupling; when he had struck them with his rod, he was turned into a woman. Again, after a course of time, he saw them coupling, and, having struck them likewise, again he was turned back into his pristine nature. And so, when Juno and Jupiter had a contest about the quality of love, they sought him as judge.

Ille dixit tres uncias amoris habere uirum et nouem feminam; Iuno irata ei lumen ademit, Iuppiter uero diuinitatem ei concessit. Grecia enim quantum stupenda mendacio, tantum est admiranda commento; Teresiam enim in modum temporis posuerunt quasi teroseon id est aestiua perennitas. Ergo ex uerno tempore, quod masculinum est quia eodem tempore clusura soliditasque est germinum, dum coeuntia sibi adfectu animalia uiderit eaque uirga id est feruoris aestu percusserit, in femineum sexum conuertitur, id est in aestatis feruorem.

He said that the man has three ounces of love and the woman nine; Juno, enraged, deprived him of light, while Jupiter granted him divination. For Greece, as much as it is astounding in mendacity, so much is it to be admired for invention; for they set Teresias in the mode of time, as it were “teroseon,” that is, estival perennity. Therefore from the vernal season, which is masculine because at that same time there is the closure and solidity of buds, when he has seen animals coupling with one another by affection and has struck them with the rod, that is, with the heat of fervor, he is converted into the feminine sex, that is, into the fervor of summer.

Ideo uero aestatem in modum posuerunt feminae, quod omnia patefacta eodem tempore suis emergant folliculis. Et quia duo concipiendi sunt tempora, ueris et autumni, iterum conceptu prohibito ad pristinam redit imaginem. Autumnus enim ita omnia masculino corpore astringit, quo constrictis arborum uenis uitalis suci conmerciales transennas iterum stringens foliorum marculentam detundat caluitiem.

For this reason indeed they have set summer in the manner of the female, because all things, laid open at the same time, emerge from their follicles. And because there are two seasons for conceiving, spring and autumn, again, conception being prohibited, it returns to its pristine image. For autumn thus constricts all things with a masculine body, whereby, the veins of the trees having been constricted, tightening again the commercial lattices of the vital juice, it beats down the withering baldness of the leaves.

Denique duobus diis id est duobus elementis arbiter quaeritur, igni atque aeri, de genuina amoris ratione certantibus. Denique iustum proferat iudicium; in fructificandis enim germinibus dupla aeri quam igni materia suppetit; aer enim et maritat in glebis et producit in foliis et grauidat in folliculis, sol uero maturare tantum nouit in granis. Nam, ut hoc certum sit, cecatur etiam a Iunone, illa uidelicet causa, quod hiemis tempus aeris nubilo caligante nigrescat, Iuppiter uero occultis uaporibus conceptionalem factum ei futuri germinis subministrat, id est quasi praescientiam; nam ob hac re etiam Ianuarius bifrons pingitur, quod et praeterita respiciat et futura.

Finally, an arbiter is sought between two gods, that is, two elements, fire and air, contending about the genuine rationale of love. Then let him bring forth a just judgment; for in making the germs fructify, a double material is available to air than to fire; for air both marries in the glebes, and produces in the leaves, and makes gravid in the follicles, whereas the sun knows only to mature in the grains. For, to make this sure, he is also blinded by Juno, for this cause, namely that the season of winter, with the cloudiness of the air darkening, grows black; but Jupiter, by occult vapors, supplies to him a conceptional apprehension of the future sprout, that is, as it were prescience; for on this account even January is depicted two-faced, because it looks both back to things past and forward to things future.

VI. Fabula Promethei.

6. The Fable of Prometheus.

Nulla quaerantur ultra terris munimina, dum usque in caelum peruenerint furta; aut quae securitas erit argenti uel auri, ubi flamma potuit inuolari. Prometheum aiunt hominem ex luto finxisse. Quem quidem inanimatum atque insensibilem fecerat.

Let no muniments be sought any further on the earth, so long as thefts have reached all the way into heaven; or what security will there be for silver or gold, where flame could be stolen. They say Prometheus fashioned a human from clay. Whom indeed he had made lifeless and insensible.

Cuius opus Minerua mirata spondit ei, ut si quid uellet de caelestibus donis ad suum opus adiuuandum inquireret. Ille nihil se scire ait quae bona in caelestibus haberentur; sed si fieri posset, se usque ad superos eleuaret atque exinde, si quid suae figulinae congruum cerneret, melius in re oculatus arbiter praesumpsisset. Illa inter oras septemplicis clipei sublatum caelo opificem detulit, dumque uideret omnia caelestia flammatis animata uegetare uaporibus, clam ferulam Foebiacis applicans rotis ignem furatus est, quem pectusculo hominis applicans animatum reddit corpus.

Minerva, marveling at his work, pledged to him that, if he wished anything from the celestial gifts to aid his work, he should inquire. He said that he knew nothing of what goods were held among the celestials; but, if it could be done, that he might be elevated up to the supernal ones, and from there—if he should discern anything congruent to his potter’s craft—he would, as an ocular arbiter, make a better presumption in the matter. She, between the edges of her sevenfold shield, carried the craftsman, lifted up, into the sky; and while he saw that all celestial things, animated by flames, are quickened by fiery vapors, secretly, by applying a ferula to the Phoebian wheels, he stole fire, which, applying to the little breast of the man, he renders the body animated.

Itaque ligatum eum ferunt uulturi iecur perenne praebentem. Et quamuis Nicagorus in distemistea libro quem scripsit primum illum formasse idolum referat et, quod uulturi iecor praebeat, liuoris quasi pingat imaginem, unde et Petronius Arbiter ait:

Accordingly they report him, bound, proffering his liver perennially to a vulture. And although Nicagorus, in the distemistea book which he wrote, relates that he first fashioned an idol, and that, in that he proffers his liver to a vulture, he as it were paints an image of envy, whence also Petronius Arbiter says:

'cui uoltur iecor intimum pererrat
et querit pectus intimasque fibras;
non est quem tepidi uocant poetae,
sed cordis liuor atque luxus', —

'whose vulture traverses the inmost liver
and searches the breast and the inmost fibers;
he is not what the tepid poets call him,
but the heart’s envy and luxury', —

nam et Aristoxenus in lindosecemiarum libro quem scripsit similia profert — nos uero Prometheum dictum quasi pronianteu quod nos Latine praeuidentiam dei dicimus; ex dei praeuidentia et Minerua quasi caelesti sapientia hominem factum, diuinum uero ignem quem uoluerunt animam monstrant diuinitus inspiratam, quae aput paganos dicitur de caelis tracta; iecor uero Prometheum uulturi praebentem quod nos cor dicimus, quia in corde aliquanti philosophorum dixerunt sapientiam, unde et Iuuenalis ait: 'si leua parte papillae nil salit arcaico iuueni'. Denique uulturem in modum mundi posuerunt, quod mundus et celeri quadam uolucritate uersetur et cadauerum nascentium occidentiumque perennitate depascitur. Itaque alitur ac substentatur diuinae prouidentiae sapientia quae nec ipsa finiri nouit nec mundus cessare ab eius alimentis aliquatenus possit. Denique Pandoram dicitur formasse; Pandora enim Grece dicitur omnium munus, quod anima munus sit omnium generale.

for Aristoxenus too, in the book of the Lindosecemiae which he wrote, brings forward similar things — we, however, say that Prometheus is so called as if “pronoia-theou,” which we in Latin call the providence of God; by the providence of God and by Minerva, as it were by celestial wisdom, man was made; and the divine fire, which they wished to be the soul, they show as divinely inspired, which among the pagans is said to be drawn down from the heavens; and as for the liver, Prometheus offering it to the vulture — which we call the heart — because in the heart some of the philosophers said wisdom resides, whence also Juvenal says: “if on the left side of the breast nothing leaps for the archaic youth.” Finally, they set the vulture as a likeness of the world, because the world both revolves with a certain swift wingedness and feeds on the perennity of the corpses of those being born and dying. Thus the wisdom of divine providence is nourished and sustained, which neither itself knows how to be brought to an end, nor can the world in any measure cease from its nourishments. Finally, he is said to have formed Pandora; for Pandora in Greek is called the gift of all, because the soul is the general gift of all.

VII. Fabula de adulterio Ueneris.

7. The Tale about the Adultery of Venus.

Iuste uel Sol Ueneris depalat adulterium, quatenus Luna solet eius celare secretum. Uenus cum Marte concubuit, quam Sol inueniens Uulcano prodidit; ille adamante catenas effecit ambosque religans diis turpiter iacentes ostendit. Illa dolens quinque filias Solis amore succendit [id est Pasiphe, Medea, Fedra, Circe, Dirce]. Quid sibi in hoc poetica alludat garrulitas inquiramus.

Justly the Sun lays bare the adultery of Venus, inasmuch as the Moon is wont to conceal her secret. Venus lay with Mars, and the Sun, finding her, betrayed her to Vulcan; he fashioned chains of adamant and, binding them both, displayed them, lying shamefully, to the gods. She, grieving, inflamed with love five daughters of the Sun [that is, Pasiphae, Medea, Phaedra, Circe, Dirce]. What the garrulity of poetry is alluding to in this, let us inquire.

Perstant nunc in nostra uita de hac fabula certe admodum testimonia; nam uirtus corrupta libidine sole teste apparet, unde et Ouidius in [quinto] metamorfoseon ait: 'Uidit hic deus omnia primus'. Quae quidem uirtus corrupta libidine turpiter catenata feruoris constrictione tenetur. Haec itaque quinque Solis filias, id est quinque humanos sensus luci ac ueritati deditos quasi solis fetus hac corruptela fuscatos [amore succendit]. Ob hac re etiam huiuscemodi nomina quinque ipsis Solis filiabus uoluerunt: primam Pasiphen ut uisum, id est quasi pasinfanon, quod nos Latine omnibus apparentem dicimus — uisus enim reliquos quattuor inspicit sensus, quia et eum qui clamat uidet et palpanda notat et degustata aspicit et odoranda intendit —, secundam Medeam quasi auditum hoc est medenidean quod nos Latine nullam uisionem dicimus — uox enim corpore nuda est —, tertia Circe tactui similis, id est quasi si diceret cironcre Grece, quod nos Latine manuum iudicium dicimus, quarta Fedra quasi odoratus, uelut si dicat feronedon quasi adferens suauitatem, quinta Dirce saporis iudex, id est quasi drimoncrine quod nos Latine acrum iudicans dicimus.

There persist even now in our life, from this fable, indeed very ample testimonies; for virtue corrupted by lust appears with the Sun as witness, whence also Ovid in the [fifth] of the Metamorphoses says: “This god saw all things first.” And this virtue, corrupted by libido, shamefully chained is held by the constriction of fervor. This, therefore, [sets on fire with love] the five daughters of the Sun, that is, the five human senses devoted to light and truth, as though offspring of the sun, darkened by this corruption. For this reason, too, they wished names of this kind for the five daughters of the Sun themselves: the first Pasiphe as sight, that is as if “pasinfanon,” which we in Latin call “appearing to all” — for sight inspects the other four senses, because it both sees him who shouts and notes what must be touched and looks upon what has been tasted and aims at what must be smelled —, the second Medea as hearing, as it were “medenidean,” which we in Latin call “no vision” — for the voice is naked of body —, the third Circe similar to touch, that is as if one would say cironcre in Greek, which we in Latin call the “judgment of the hands,” the fourth Phaedra as smell, as though one were to say “feronedon,” as it were “bringing suavity,” the fifth Dirce, judge of flavor, that is as if “drimoncrine,” which we in Latin call “judging the acrid.”

VIII. Fabula Ulixis et Sirenarum.

8. The Fable of Ulysses and the Sirens.

Sirenae enim Grece tractoriae dicuntur; tribus enim modis amoris inlecebra trahitur, aut cantu aut uisu aut consuetudine, amantur enim quaedam, <quaedam> speciei uenustate, quaedam etiam lenante consuetudine. Quas Ulixis socii obturatis auribus transeunt, ipse uero religatus transit. Ulixes enim Grece quasi olonxenos id est omnium peregrinus dicitur; et quia sapientia ab omnibus mundi rebus peregrina est, ideo astutior Ulixes dictus est.

For the Sirens are called in Greek “drawers”; for in three ways the allurement of love is drawn, either by song or by sight or by consuetude, for some are loved, <some> by the comeliness of appearance, some also by a soothing consuetude. These the companions of Ulysses, with their ears stopped, pass by; he himself, however, passes bound. For Ulysses in Greek is said as it were olonxenos, that is, peregrine of all; and because sapience is peregrine from all the things of the world, therefore Ulysses has been called more astute.

Denique Sirenas, id est delectationum inlecebras, et audiuit et uidit id est agnouit et iudicauit, et tamen transiit. Nihilominus ideo et quia auditae sunt, mortuae sunt; in sensu enim sapientis omnis affectus emoritur; ideo uolatiles, quia amantum mentes celeriter permeant; inde gallinaceos pedes, quia libidinis affectus omnia quae habet spargit; nam denique et Sirenes dictae sunt; sirene enim Grece trahere dicitur.

Finally, the Sirens, that is, the enticements of delectations, he both heard and saw—that is, he recognized and judged—and yet he passed by. Nonetheless for this very reason also, because they were heard, they died; for in the sense of the wise man every affect dies away; therefore they are volatile, because they swiftly permeate the minds of lovers; hence the gallinaceous feet, because the affect of libido scatters everything it has; for, finally, they are called Sirens; for sirene in Greek is said to mean “to draw.”

IX. Fabula Scyllae.

9. Fable of Scylla.

Scyllam ferunt uirginem pulcherrimam, quam Glaucus Antedonis filius amauit; quem Circe Solis filia diligebat zelataque Scyllam fontem in quo lauari solita erat uenenis infecit. Ubi illa discendens ab inguine lupis canibusque marinis inserta est. Scylla enim Grece quasi exquina dicta est, quod nos Latine confusio dicimus.

They say Scylla was a most beautiful virgin, whom Glaucus, son of Anthedon, loved; whom Circe, daughter of the Sun, cherished, and, jealous of Scylla, she infected with poisons the spring in which she was accustomed to bathe. When she descended into it, from the groin she was set with wolves and sea-dogs. For Scylla in Greek is said as though “exquina,” which we in Latin call confusion.

Et quid confusio nisi libido est. Quam libidinem Glaucus amat; glaucus enim Grece luscitius dicitur, unde et glaucomata dicimus cecitatem. Ergo omnis qui luxuriam amat cecus est.

And what is confusion if not libido. This libido Glaucus loves; for “glaukos” in Greek is called “rather bleary-sighted,” whence also we call blindness “glaucomata.” Therefore everyone who loves luxury is blind.

Nam et Antedonis filius dictus est; Antedon enim Grece quasi antiidon quod nos Latine contrarium uidens dicimus; ergo lippitudo ex contraria uisione nascitur. Scylla uero in modum ponitur meretricis, quia omnis libidinosa canibus lupisque inguina sua necesse est misceat; iuste ergo lupis et canibus mixta, quia nescit sua alienigenis deuorationibus saturare secreta. Sed hanc Circe odisse dicitur.

For he is also called the son of Antedon; for Antedon in Greek is as if antiidon, which we in Latin call “seeing contrariwise”; therefore lippitude (bleariness) arises from contrary vision. But Scylla is set in the manner of a meretrix, because every libidinous woman must mix her loins with dogs and wolves; therefore rightly mingled with wolves and dogs, because she does not know how to sate her secrets by foreign devourings. But Circe is said to have hated her.

Circe ut ante dictum est manus diiudicatio uel operatio nuncupatur quasi cironcr<in>e. Laborem enim manuum et operationem libidinosa mulier non diligit, sicut Terentius ait: 'Ab labore procliua ad libidinem accepit condicionem, dehinc quaestu occipit'. Hanc etiam Ulixes innocuus transit, quia sapientia libidinem contemnit; unde et uxorem habere dicitur Penelopam castissimam, quod omnis castitas sapientiae coniungatur.

Circe, as was said before, is named the hand’s adjudication or operation, as if cironcr<in>e. For a libidinous woman does not love the labor of the hands and work, just as Terence says: “From labor she took on a condition prone to libido; thereafter she sets about gain.” Even Ulysses, innocent, passes her by, because wisdom contemns libido; whence he is said to have as his wife Penelope, most chaste, because all chastity is joined to wisdom.

X. Fabula Midae regis et Pactoli fluuii.

10. The fable of King Midas and of the river Pactolus.

Mida rex Apollinem petit ut quicquid tetigisset aurum fieret; cumque promeruisset, munus in ultionem conuersus est, coepitque sui uoti effectu torqueri; nam quidquid tetigerat aurum statim efficiebatur. Erat ergo necessitas aurea locuplesque penuria; nam et cibus et potus rigens auri materia marmorabat. Itaque Apollinem petiit ut male desiderata conuerteret responsoque accepto, ut tertio caput sub Pactoli fluminis undas subderet; quo facto Pactolus deinceps arenas aureas trahere dicitur.

King Midas petitioned Apollo that whatever he had touched might become gold; and when he had merited it, the gift was turned into vengeance, and he began to be tortured by the effect of his vow; for whatever he had touched was at once made gold. There was therefore a golden necessity and a wealthy penury; for both food and drink, stiff with the material of gold, were becoming marble. And so he sought Apollo to convert the ill-desired things, and, a response having been received, that he should for the third time put his head beneath the waves of the river Pactolus; which done, the Pactolus thereafter is said to drag along golden sands.

Sed euidenter poetae alluserunt argut<e auarit>iam, illa uidelicet causa, quod omnis appetitor auaritiae cum omnia pretio destinat fame moritur, quod et Mida rex erat; sed collecta pecuniarum suarum summa, ut Solicrates Cizicenus in libris historiae scribit, quod omni censu suo Mida rex Pactolum fluuium, qui in mari decurrere solitus erat, per innumerabiles meatus ad inrigandam prouinciam deriuauit suaque expensa auaritia fluuium fertilem reddidit. Mida enim Grece quasi medenidon, id est nihil sciens; auarus enim tantum stultus est, ut sibi prodesse non norit.

But plainly the poets alluded wittily to avarice, for this reason, namely, that every pursuer of avarice, when he assigns everything to a price, dies of hunger—which King Midas also did; but, the sum of his monies having been gathered, as Solicrates the Cyzicene writes in his historical books, with his entire census King Midas diverted the river Pactolus, which used to run down into the sea, through innumerable channels to irrigate the province, and, at his own expense, by avarice made the river fertile. For “Midas” in Greek is, as it were, medenidon, that is, “knowing nothing”; for the avaricious man is so foolish that he does not know how to benefit himself.

XI. Fabula Mineruae et Uulcani.

11. Fable of Minerva and Vulcan.

Uulcanus cum Ioui fulmen efficeret, ab Ioue promissum accepit ut quidquid uellet praesumeret. Ille Mineruam in coniugium petiuit; Iuppiter imperauit ut Minerua armis uirginitatem defendisset. Dumque cubiculum introirent, certando Uulcanus semen in pauimentum iecit; unde natus est Erictonius [cum draconteis pedibus]; eris enim Grece certamen dicitur, ctonus uero terra nuncupatur.

Vulcan, when he was fashioning a thunderbolt for Jove, received from Jove the promise that he might presume whatever he wished. He sought Minerva in marriage; Jupiter commanded that Minerva defend her virginity by arms. And when they entered the bedchamber, while contending, Vulcan cast his seed onto the pavement; whence Ericthonius [with dracontine feet] was born; for eris in Greek is called “contest,” while cthonus is named “earth.”

Quem Minerua in cistam abscondidit draconeque custode opposito duabus sororibus Aclauro et Pandorae commendauit; qui primus currum repperit. Uulcanum dici uoluerunt quasi furiae ignem, unde et Uulcanus dicitur uelut uoluntatis calor; denique et Ioui fulgora facit, id est furorem concitat. Ideo uero eum Mineruae coniungi uoluerunt, quod furor etiam sapientibus aliquando subripiat.

Whom Minerva hid in a casket and, with a dragon set as custodian, entrusted to her two sisters Aclauros and Pandora; he was the first who discovered the chariot. They wished Vulcan to be called, as it were, the fire of fury, whence Vulcan too is spoken of as the heat of will; and in fine he also makes the lightning-flashes for Jove, that is, he incites frenzy. For this reason indeed they wished him to be joined to Minerva, because frenzy at times steals upon even the wise.

Illa uero armis uirginitatem defendit, hoc est: omnis sapientia integritatem morum suorum contra furiam uirtute animi uindicat. Unde quidem Erictonius nascitur; eris enim Grece certamen dicitur, tonos uero non solum terra, quantum etiam inuidia dici potest, unde et Tales Milesius ait: [ho phthonos doxes kosmikes phtharsia], id est: inuidia mundanae gloriae consumptio. Et quidnam aliut subripiens furor sapientiae generare poterat nisi certamen inuidiae.

She indeed defended her virginity by arms, that is: all wisdom vindicates the integrity of its morals against fury by the virtue of the mind. Whence indeed Erictonius is born; for eris in Greek is called “contest,” while tonos can be called not only “earth,” but even “envy,” whence also Thales of Miletus says: [ho phthonos doxes kosmikes phtharsia], that is: envy is the consumption of worldly glory. And what else could a filching frenzy, stealing upon wisdom, generate except a contest of envy?

Quod quidem sapientia, id est Minerua abscondit in cista, id est in corde celat; omnis enim sapiens furorem suum in corde celat. Ergo Minerua draconem custodem adponit, id est perniciem; quem quidem duabus commendat uirginibus, id est Aclauro et Pandorae. Pandora enim uniuersale munus dicitur, Aclauro uero quasi aconleron, id est tristitiae obliuio.

Which indeed Wisdom—that is, Minerva—hid in a chest, that is, she hides it in the heart; for every wise man hides his fury in his heart. Therefore Minerva sets a dragon as guardian, that is, ruin; which she indeed entrusts to two maidens, that is, to Aclauros and Pandora. For Pandora is called the universal gift, but Aclauros, as if “aconleron,” that is, the oblivion of sadness.

Sapiens enim dolorem suum aut benignitati commendat quae omnium munus est aut obliuioni sicut de Cesare dictum est: 'Qui obliuisci nihil amplius soles quam iniurias'. Denique cum Erictonius adolesceret, quid inuenisse dicitur? Nihilominus circum, ubi inuidiae semper certamen est; unde et Uirgilius: 'Primus Erictonius currus et quattuor ausus iungere equos'. Inspicite quantum ualeat cum sapientia iuncta castitas, cui flammarum non praeualuit deus.

For the wise man entrusts his pain either to benignity, which is the universal gift of all, or to oblivion, just as it has been said about Caesar: 'You are accustomed to forget nothing more than injuries.' Finally, when Erictonius was growing up, what is he said to have discovered? Nevertheless, the circus, where there is always the contest of envy; whence also Virgil: 'First Erictonius dared to yoke chariots and four horses.' Behold how much chastity joined with wisdom avails, against which the god of flames did not prevail.

XII. Fabula Dionisii.

12. The Fable of Dionysius.

Iuppiter cum Semele concubuit, de qua natus est Liber pater; ad quam cum fulmine ueniens, crepuit; unde pater puerum tollens in femore suo misit, postea Maroni nutriendum dedit. Hic Indiam debellauit et inter deos deputatus est. Itaque cum Semele quattuor sorores appellatae sunt, Ino, Autonoe, Semele et Agaue.

Jupiter lay with Semele, from whom Father Liber was born; coming to her with a thunderbolt, the bolt crashed, whereupon the father, taking up the boy, placed him in his own thigh, and afterward gave him to Maron to be nourished. He subdued India and was reckoned among the gods. And so, together with Semele, the four sisters are named: Ino, Autonoe, Semele, and Agave.

Quid sibi haec fabula mistice sentiat, exquiramus. Quattuor sunt ebrietatis genera, id est prima uinolentia, secunda rerum obliuio, tertia libido, quarta insania; unde et nomina haec quattuor Baccae acceperunt: Baccae dictae sunt quasi uino baccantes, prima Ino — inos enim Grece uinum dicimus —, secunda Autonoe quasi autenunoe, id est se ipsam non cognoscens, tertia Semele quasi somalion quod nos Latine corpus solutum dicimus, unde et ipsa genuisse Liberum patrem dicitur, id est de libidine nata ebrietas, quarta Agaue quae ideo insaniae comparatur, quod caput filii uiolenta absciderit. Liber ergo pater dictus est, quod uini passio liberas mentes faciat; Indos uero uicisse, quod haec gens ualde sit uino dedita duobus scilicet modis, siue quod feruor solis eos faciat potatores siue quod ibi sit Falernum uinum uel Meroitanum, cuius uini tanta uirtus est, quo uix quilibet ebriosus sextarium mense toto bibat; unde et Lucanus ait: 'Indomitum Meroe cogens spumare Falernum'; aqua enim omnino domari non potest.

Let us inquire what this fable mystically means for itself. There are four kinds of ebriety, that is: first vinolence, second forgetfulness of things, third libido, fourth insanity; whence also the Bacchae received these four names: they are called Bacchae as if bacchanting with wine, the first Ino — for in Greek we call wine inos —, the second Autonoe as it were autenunoe, that is, not knowing herself, the third Semele as if somalion, which in Latin we call a loosened body, whence she herself is said to have begotten Father Liber, that is, ebriety born from libido, the fourth Agave, who for this reason is compared to insanity, because she violently cut off her son’s head. Therefore he is called Liber Father, because the passion of wine makes minds free; and to have conquered the Indians, because this nation is very much devoted to wine in two ways, namely, either because the heat of the sun makes them drinkers or because there is there Falernian wine or Meroitan, of which wine so great is the virtue that scarcely any drunkard can drink a sextarius in the whole month; whence also Lucan says: 'Meroe compelling the untamed Falernian to foam'; for water altogether cannot be tamed.

Maroni etiam Dionisius nutriendus datur quasi Meroni; mero enim omnis nutritur uinolentia. Hic etiam tigribus sedere dicitur, quod omnis uinolentia feritati semper insistat siue etiam quod uino ecferatae mentes mulceantur; unde et Lieus dicitur quasi lenitatem praestans. Iuuenis uero ideo pingitur Dionisius, quia numquam ebrietas matura est; ideo etiam nudus, seu quod omnis ebriosus interuertendo nudus remaneat aut mentis suae secreta ebriosus nudet.

Dionysius too is given to Maro to be nursed, as if to Merus; for by merum every vinolence is nourished. He too is said to sit upon tigers, because all vinolence always presses upon ferocity, or also because minds made wild by wine are soothed; whence he is also called Lieus, as if bestowing lenity. Dionysius, moreover, is for this reason depicted as a youth, because drunkenness is never mature; for this reason also naked, either because every drunkard, by turning things topsy-turvy, is left naked, or because the drunkard in his drunkenness lays bare the secrets of his mind.

XIII. Fabula de Cigno et Leda.

13. The Story of the Swan and Leda.

Quamuis in omnibus libidinis amor sit turpior, numquam tamen deterior erit quam cum se honorato miscuerit. Libido enim honestatis nouerca dum quod expediat nescit, semper est maiestati contraria. Qualis enim diuinitas qui quaesit quod esse uelit, ne quod fuerat esset.

Although in all cases the love of lust is more turpid, nevertheless it will never be more deteriorated than when it has mixed itself with the honorable. For lust, the stepmother of honesty, while it does not know what is expedient, is always contrary to majesty. For what kind of divinity is he who sought what he wished to be, in order that he might not be what he had been.

Iuppiter enim conuersus in cignum cum Leda concubuit; quae peperit ouum, unde nati sunt tres, Castor, Pollux et Elena. Sed haec fabula mistici saporem cerebri consipit; Iuppiter enim in modum potentiae ponitur, Leda uero dicta est quasi lide, quod nos Latine aut iniuria aut conuicium dicimus. Ergo omnis potentia iniuriae mixta speciem suae generositatis mutat.

For Jupiter, converted into a swan, lay with Leda; she bore an egg, whence three were born, Castor, Pollux, and Helen. But this fable takes on the savor of a mystic brain; for Jupiter is set in the mode of power, while Leda is said as if “lide,” which we in Latin call either injury or abuse. Therefore every power, when mixed with injury, changes the appearance of its own nobility.

Ideo uero in cignum conuersus dicitur quod ferant fisiologi, quam maxime Melistus Euboicus, qui omnium fisiologorum sententias disputauit, huius generis auem ita conuiciis esse plenam, ut ipsa aue clamante reliquae aues taceant quae praesto fuerint; unde et olor dictus est quasi ab oligoria tractum, quod nos Latine iniuriam dicimus. Ergo quotienscumque nobilitas in iniuriam uergit, conuiciis misceatur necesse est. Sed quid ex hac re concipitur, uideamus; nihilominus ouum, quia sicut in ouo omnis sordities, quae pur[g]ari potest in genere, continetur intrinsecus, ita etiam in effectus iniuriae omnis est inmunditia.

Therefore he is said to have been turned into a swan because the physiologists report—most especially Melistus the Euboean, who debated the opinions of all the physiologists—that a bird of this kind is so full of revilings that, when this very bird cries out, the other birds that are present fall silent; whence also the swan (olor) is said to be named as if drawn from oligoria, which we in Latin call injury/insult. Therefore, whenever nobility inclines into injury, it must needs be mingled with revilings. But let us see what is conceived from this matter; nonetheless, the egg—because just as in an egg every filthiness, which can be purged in its kind, is contained within, so also in the effects of injury all is uncleanness (immundity).

Sed ex hoc ouo generantur tres, Castor, Pollux et Helena, nihilominus seminarium scandali et discordiae, sicut ante diximus, 'et geminum luctu concussit adultera mundum'. Castorem uero et Pollucem quasi in modum perditionis ponunt, unde et in mari Castorum signa dixerunt quae periculum creant; nam ob hanc rem etiam ambos alternatim resurgere atque occidere dicunt, quod superbia nonnumquam iubet, nonnumquam occidat; unde et iperefania Grece superbia dicitur. Sed iperefania proprie superapparitio nuncupatur, quod sicut in istis duobus signis quae eorum fratrum uocabulo nuncupauerunt unus superappareat, alter [uero] mergat, sicut lucifer et antifer; nam Grece Pollux apo tu apollin, id est a perdendo et Castor quasi cacon steron, id est malum extremum.

Sed from this egg three are generated, Castor, Pollux, and Helen, nonetheless a seminary of scandal and discord, just as we said before, “and the adulteress shook the twin world with grief.” But they set Castor and Pollux, as it were, in the mode of perdition, whence also at sea they called the signs of the Castors which create peril; for on this account they say that both in turn rise again and set, because pride sometimes commands, sometimes kills; whence also iperefania in Greek is called pride. But iperefania is properly named “super-appearance,” because, just as in those two signs which they have named by the appellation of their brothers, one super-appears, the other [indeed] sinks, as Lucifer and Antifer; for in Greek Pollux is from apo tu apollin, that is “from destroying,” and Castor as it were cacon steron, that is “the ultimate evil.”

XIV. Fabula Ixionis.

14. The Fable of Ixion.

Qui plus quaerit esse quam licet, minus erit quam est. Ixion igitur coniugium Iunonis adfectatus, illa nubem ornauit in speciem suam, cum qua Ixion coiens Centauros genuit. Sicut nihil Latina gratiosius ueritate, ita nihil Greca falsitate ornatius.

He who seeks to be more than is permitted will be less than he is. Therefore Ixion, having aimed at the conjugal union of Juno, she adorned a cloud into her own likeness, with which Ixion, coupling, begot the Centaurs. Just as nothing in Latin is more agreeable by verity, so nothing in Greek is more adorned by falsity.

Denique Ixionem dici uoluerunt quasi Axionem; axioma enim Grece dignitas dicitur. Dea uero regnorum Iuno est, ut pridem diximus; ergo dignitas regnum adfectans nubem meretur, id est similitudinem regni; regnum enim illud est quod perenniter duraturum est. At uero cui temporis fugitiua uis inuidet pinnatisque celerrima raptibus, momentaneae felicitatis figuras potius quam ueritatem ostendenti, uentositatis inanem speciem praesumit.

Finally, they wanted Ixion to be said as if Axion; for “axiom” in Greek is called “dignity.” But the goddess of realms is Juno, as we said before; therefore dignity, aspiring to a kingdom, deserves a cloud, that is, the likeness of a kingdom; for that is a kingdom which will endure perennially. But for the one to whom the fugitive force of time begrudges it, and who, with winged snatchings most swift, displays figures of momentary felicity rather than verity, he presumes the empty semblance of ventosity.

Denique Uatinius augur dicere solitus erat diuersarum urbium honores somnialiter peragi urbicario mimologo et quamuis utraque nihil agere dixerit, tamen hoc Romae praestare uisus est, quod ex parte quidem ueros honores, sed risorios et citius fugitiuos; credo enim quod Cleobuli philosophi sententiam legerat dicentis: [mimos ho bios], id est: mimus uita. Nunc ergo fabulam repetamus. Dromocrites in theogonia scribit Ixionem in Grecia primum regni gloriam adfectasse, qui sibi centum equites primus omnium conquisiuit, unde et Centauri dicti sunt quasi centum armati — denique centippi dici debuerunt, ex quo equis mixti pinguntur —, sed ideo centum armati.

Finally Vatinius the augur was accustomed to say that the honors of diverse cities are performed somnially by an urbicarian mimologist; and although he said that both do nothing, nevertheless he seemed to exhibit this at Rome: that in part indeed true honors, yet risorial and more swiftly fugitive; for I believe that he had read the sententia of the philosopher Cleobulus saying: [mimos ho bios], that is: life is a mime. Now therefore let us repeat the fable. Dromocrites in the Theogony writes that Ixion in Greece first aspired to the glory of kingship, who first of all procured for himself a hundred horsemen, whence also the Centaurs are called as if “hundred-armed” — at any rate they ought to have been called “centippi,” from the fact that they are depicted as mixed with horses —, but therefore “a hundred armed.”

Qui quidem Ixion paruo tempore celerem regnum adeptus dehinc regno expulsus est; unde eum et ad rotam damnatum dicunt, quod omnis rotae uertigo quae superiora habet modo deiciat. Ergo ostendere hic uoluerunt quod omnes qui per arma atque uiolentiam regnum adfectant subito erectiones, subito elisiones sustineant sicut rota quae stabile non habet ali quando cacumen.

This very Ixion, having quickly obtained a kingdom for a short time, was thereafter driven out from his kingdom; whence they also say he was condemned to the wheel, because every vertigo of the wheel, which holds things aloft, presently casts them down. Therefore they wished to show here that all who aim at a kingdom by arms and violence undergo sudden elevations, sudden elisions, like a wheel which at no time has a stable apex.

XV. Fabula Tantali.

15. The Fable of Tantalus.

[Tantalus Gigas uolens probare diuinitatem deorum Pelopem filium suum eis apposuit epulandum; unde hac damnatus est seueritate.] Tantalum dicunt in laco in inferno depositum, cui fallax aqua gulosis labia titillamentis attingit, poma quoque fugitiuis cinerescentia tactibus desuper facie tenus apparent pendula. Ergo huic locuples uisus et pauper effectus; ita se illi unda fallax praebet ut sitiat, ita se poma ingerunt ut esuriat. Sed hanc fabulam Petronius breuiter exponet dicens:

[Tantalus the Giant, wishing to prove the divinity of the gods, served his son Pelops to them for banqueting; whence he was condemned by this severity.] They say Tantalus is placed in a lake in hell, whose deceitful water touches his gluttonous lips with titillations; fruits also, growing ashen under fugitive touches, from above appear hanging down as far as the face. Therefore he, seen as wealthy, was rendered poor; so the deceitful wave offers itself to him so that he thirsts, so the fruits thrust themselves upon him so that he hungers. But Petronius will briefly expound this fable, saying:

'Nec bibit inter aquas nec poma pendentia carpit Tantalus infelix quem sua uota premunt. Diuitis haec magni facies erit, omnia late qui tenet et sicco concoquit ore famem'.

'Nor does he drink amid the waters nor pluck the pendent fruits
unhappy Tantalus, whom his own vows press down.
This will be the face of a great rich man: he who holds far and wide
everything, and with a dry mouth digests hunger'.

XVI. Fabula Lunae et Endymionis.

16. The fable of Luna and Endymion.

Lunam ideo ipsam uoluerunt etiam aput inferos Proserpinam seu quod nocte luceat siue quod humilior currat et terris praesit, illo uidelicet pacto quod detrimenta eius et augmenta non solum terra, sed et lapides uel cerebra animantium et quod maius incredibile sit etiam letamina sentiant, quae in lunae crementis eiecta uermiculos parturiant hortis. Ipsam etiam Dianam nemoribus [praeesse] uolunt simili modo, quod arborum et fructicum suco augmenta inculcet. Denique crementis lunae abscisa ligna furfuraceis tinearum terebraminibus fistulescunt.

For this reason they wished the Moon herself to be even Proserpina among the infernal regions, either because she shines at night or because she runs a lower course and presides over the lands, namely on this rationale: that her detriments and augmentations are sensed not only by the earth, but also by stones or the brains of living beings, and—what is more incredible—even manures, which, when cast out during the Moon’s growths, bring forth little worms (vermicules) for gardens. They also want Diana herself [to preside] over groves in a similar way, because she instills augmentations by the sap into trees and fruit-shrubs. Finally, wood cut during the Moon’s growths becomes fistulous with the furfuraceous borings of moths (woodworms).

Nemoribus quoque adesse dicitur, quod omnis uenatio plusquam nocte pascatur dieque dormiat. Endimionem uero pastorem amasse dicitur duplo scilicet modo, seu quod primus hominum Endimion cursum lunae inuenerit, unde et triginta annos dormisse dicitur qui nihil aliut in uita sua nisi huic repertioni studuit, sicut Mnaseas in primo libro de Europa scribens tradidit, siue quod pastorem Endimionem amasse fertur, quod nocturni roris humor, quem uaporea siderum atque ipsius lunae animandis herbarum sucis insudant, pastoralibus prosit successibus.

She is said also to be present to the groves, since all game feeds more by night and sleeps by day. But she is said to have loved the shepherd Endymion in a twofold way: either because Endymion was the first of men to discover the course of the moon—whence he is said to have slept for 30 years, he who devoted himself to nothing else in his life except to this discovery, as Mnaseas, writing in the first book On Europe, handed down—or because she is reported to have loved the shepherd Endymion, in that the moisture of nocturnal dew, which the vaporous stars and the moon herself sweat out for the animating of the juices of herbs, is of profit to pastoral successes.