as it were, an Arrow. Wherefore whofoever holds the Being both of Atoms and Vacuity, muft needs infer, that the Virtue of the Atom reacheth to a diftant Object for if it were not fo, there could be no Motion at all, by reafon of the Interpofition of Vacuity; but all things would ftand stone still, and remain immoveable.

:

Now as touching that other Cupid or Love, he may well be termed the youngest of the Gods, because he could have no Being before the Conftitution of Species. And in his Description the Allegory may be applied and traduced to Manners : Nevertheless he holds fome kind of Conformity with the Elder; for Venus doth generally ftir up a defire of Conjunction and Procreation, and Cupid her Son doth apply this Defire to fome individual Nature; fo that the general Difpofition comes from Venus, the more exact Sympathy from Cupid: the one derived from Causes more near, the other from Beginnings more remote and fatal, and as it were from the elder Cupid, of whom every exquifite Sympathy doth depend.

XVIII. Diomedes, or Zeal.

IOMEDES flourishing with great Fame and Glory in the Trojan Wars, and in high favour with Pallas, was by her inftigated (being indeed forwarder than he fhould have been) not to forbear Venus a jot, if he encountered with her in Fight;

which very boldly he performed, wounding her in the right Arm. This prefumptuous Fact he carried clear for a while; and being honoured and renowned for his many heroick Deeds, at last returned into his own Country, where finding himself hard bestead with domestic Troubles, fled into Italy, betaking himself to the Protection of Foreigners, where in the beginning he was fortunate and royally entertained by King Daunus with fumptuous Gifts, raising many Statues in honour of him throughout his Dominions. But upon the very first Calamity that happened unto this Nation, whereunto he was fled for Succour, King Daunus enters into a conceit with himself that he had entertained a wicked Guest in his Family, and a Man odious to the Goddess, and an Impugner of their Divinity, that had dared, with his Sword, to affault and wound that Goddess, who in their Religion, they held it Sacrilege fo much as to touch. Therefore, that he might expiate his Country's Guilt, (nothing respecting the Duties of Hospitality, when the Bonds of Religion tied him with a more reverent regard) fuddenly flew Diomedes, commanding withal that his Trophies and Statues fhould be abolished and destroyed. Neither was it fafe to lament this miferable Destiny; but even his Companions in Arms, whilft they mourned at the Funeral of their Captain, and filled all the Places with Plaints and Lamentations, were fuddenly metamorphofed into Birds like unto Swans, who, when their Death approacheth, fing melodious and mournful Hymns.

This Fable hath a most rare and fingular Sub

ject: For in any of the Poetical Records, wherein the Heroes are mentioned, we find not that any one of them, befides Diomedes, did ever with his Sword offer Violence to any of the Deities. And indeed, the Fable feems in him to represent the Nature and Fortune of Man, who of himself doth propound, and make this as the end of all his Actions, to worship some Divine Power, or to follow fome Sect of Religion, though never fo vain and fuperftitious, and with Force and Arms to defend the fame: For although those bloody Quarrels for Religion were unknown to the Ancients, (the Heathen Gods not having so much as a touch of that Jealousy, which is an Attribute of the true God,) yet the Wisdom of the Ancient Times seems to be fo copious and full, as that, what was not known by Experience, was yet comprehended by Meditations and Fictions. They then that endeavour to reform and convince any Sect of Religion, (though vain, corrupt, and infamous, shadowed by the person of Venus,) not by the force of Argument and Doctrine, and Holiness of Life, and by the weight of Examples and Authority, but labour to extirpate and root it out by Fire and Sword, and Tortures, are encouraged, it may be, thereunto by Pallas; that is, by the Acrity of Prudence, and Severity of Judgement, by whose Vigour and Efficacy, they see into the Falfity and Vanity of these Errors: And by this their hatred to Pravity, and good zeal to Religion, they purchase of themfelves great Glory, and by the Vulgar (to whom nothing moderate can be grateful) are esteemed

and honoured as the only Supporters of Truth and Religion, when others feem to be luke-warm and full of Fear. Yet this Glory and Happiness doth feldom endure to the end, seeing every violent Prosperity, if it prevent not alteration by an untimely Death grows to be unprosperous at last : For if it happen that by a change of Government, this banished and depreffed Sect get Strength, and fo bear up again, then these zealous Men, so fierce in oppofition before, are condemned, their very Names are hateful, and all their Glory ends in Obloquy.

In that Diomedes is faid to be murdered by his Hoft, it gives us to understand that the difference of Religion breeds Deceit and Treachery, even among nearest Acquaintance.

Now in that Lamentation and Mourning was not tolerable but punished; it puts us in mind, that let there be never so nefarious an Act done, yet there is some place left for Commiferation and Pity, that even those that hate Offences, should yet in Humanity commiferate Offenders, and pity their Distress, it being the Extremity of Evil when Mercy is not fuffered to have Commerce with Mifery. Yea, even in the Caufe as well of Religion as Impiety, many Men may be noted and observed to have been compaffionate. But on the contrary the Complaints and Moans of Diomedes's Followers, that is, of Men of the fame Sect and Opinion, are wont to be shrill and loud, like Swans or the Birds of Diomedes. In whom also that part of the Allegory is excellent to fignify that the last

Words of those that fuffer Death for Religion, like the Songs of dying Swans, do wonderfully work upon the Minds of Men, and ftrike and remain a long time in their Senfes and Memories.

XIX. Dædalus, or Mechanick.

M

ECHANICAL Wisdom and Industry, and in it unlawful Science perverted to wrong ends is fhadowed by the Ancients under the perfon of Dedalus, a Man ingenious, but execrable. This Dadalus (for murdering his Fellow-fervant that emulated him) being banished, was kindly entertained (during his Exile) in many Cities and Princes' Courts: For indeed he was the Raifer and Builder of many goodly Structures, as well in Honour of the Gods, as the Beauty and Magnificence of Cities, and other public Places, but for his Works of Mischief he is most notorious. It is he that framed the Engine which Pafiphae ufed to fatisfy her Luft in company with a Bull; fo that by his wretched Industry, and pernicious Device, that Monfter Minotaur (the Deftruction of fo many hopeful Youths) took his accurfed and infamous Beginning, and studying to cover and increase one Mifchief with another; for the Security and Prefervation of this Monfter he invented and built a Labyrinth, a Work for intent and ufe moft nefarious and wicked, for Skill and Workmanship fa